JP2015098348A - Container supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container supply device that can automatically supply a plurality of containers to a pallet and improve manufacturing efficiency.SOLUTION: A container supply device 1 comprises a hopper 4, a container storage tank 5, container conveying means 6, dropping means and control means for controlling the whole of the container supply device 1. The control means makes the hopper 4 to hold a plurality of containers by making the container conveying means 6 to convey the plurality of containers reserved in the container storage tank 5; and makes the hopper 4 to drop the plurality of held containers toward an upper surface of the pallet P and makes the dropping means to drop a plurality of containers, not stored in a storage part of the pallet P, of the plurality of containers dropped by the hopper 4 toward the upper surface of the pallet P on the container storage tank 5 so that the plurality of containers can be circulated and reused.

Description

  The present invention relates to a container supply device that supplies a plurality of containers to each of a plurality of storage portions formed on an upper surface of a pallet.

Conventionally, a PTP (Press Through Pack) packaging machine that fills a container with a filling material such as powder or liquid, and fills the container with a film-like lid attached to the opening of the container. It has been known.
For example, an apparatus for manufacturing a capsule-containing product (PTP packaging machine) described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 fills a capsule (container) with a cosmetic powder (filler), and an aluminum film lid at the opening of the capsule By applying the material, the cosmetic powder is sealed in the capsule.

  In this manufacturing apparatus, as a preparatory work before filling the capsule with cosmetic powder, first, a plurality of capsules are fitted to each of a plurality of capsule holding portions formed on the upper surface of the auxiliary pallet by an operator's manual work. Supply. Next, the manufacturing apparatus sucks the plurality of capsules supplied to the auxiliary pallet and holds them by the suction head, and then transfers them to the capsule transporting pallet. And the manufacturing apparatus has filled the powder for cosmetics into the capsule transferred to the pallet for capsule conveyance.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-191593 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-053515

However, the manufacturing apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem in that the manufacturing efficiency is reduced because a plurality of capsules are supplied to the auxiliary pallet by an operator's manual work.
Moreover, in the manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the capsule is soiled because the capsule is gripped by an operator's hand or held by the suction head by sucking the capsule. However, there is a problem that the yield is lowered due to deformation and the production efficiency is lowered.

  The objective of this invention is providing the container supply apparatus which can supply a several container automatically to a pallet and can improve manufacturing efficiency.

  The container supply device of the present invention is a container supply device that supplies a plurality of containers to each of a plurality of storage portions formed on the upper surface of the pallet, and is disposed above the position where the pallet is disposed. A holding means for holding the container, a storage means provided below the holding means, and storing a plurality of containers, and a container transporting means for holding the containers by transporting the plurality of containers stored in the storing means And a drop means for dropping a plurality of containers that are not accommodated in the pallet housing portion into the storage means among the plurality of containers dropped toward the upper surface of the pallet by the holding means, and the entire container supply device is controlled. And a control means that holds the plurality of containers on the holding means by the container transport means and then drops the plurality of containers held on the holding means toward the upper surface of the pallet. Rutotomoni, by dropping a plurality of containers in the storage means in dropping means and be reused by circulating a plurality of containers.

According to such a configuration, the container supply device includes the storage unit, the container transport unit, the holding unit, and the dropping unit, and since the plurality of containers are circulated and reused, the container supply device has dropped on the upper surface of the pallet. Among the plurality of containers, the container that has not entered the pallet housing part repeatedly falls onto the top surface of the pallet, and eventually enters the pallet housing part.
Therefore, the container supply apparatus can automatically supply a plurality of containers to the pallet, and can improve manufacturing efficiency.

The container supply device supplies the container to the pallet by dropping a plurality of containers held by the holding means toward the upper surface of the pallet. Do not suck.
Therefore, since the container supply device can suppress the container from becoming dirty or deformed, the yield can be improved, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the container transport unit causes the holding unit to hold a plurality of containers in a certain amount during one cycle of circulating the plurality of containers.

Here, if the amount of containers to be supplied to the pallet is too large, they interfere with each other and are difficult to enter the respective accommodating portions of the pallet, and if the amount is too small, there is a problem that the containers do not reach the respective accommodating portions of the pallet.
According to the present invention, the container transport means causes the holding means to hold a plurality of containers in a fixed amount during one cycle of circulating the plurality of containers, so that the containers are inserted into the respective accommodating portions of the pallet at a constant rate. be able to.
In addition, what is necessary is just to set suitably the quantity of the some container hold | maintained at a holding means according to the number and magnitude | size of the accommodating part formed in the pallet, the area of the upper surface of a pallet, etc.

  In the present invention, the container transport means stores a plurality of containers therein and carries a plurality of containers from the height position of the storage means to the height position of the holding means, and a plurality of containers from the storage means to the bucket And a shutter provided between the bucket and the belt conveyor, the control means moves the bucket to the height position of the storage means, and then opens the shutter to open the belt conveyor. A container loading unit that loads a plurality of containers to be transported into the bucket, and a plurality of containers that are loaded into the bucket by closing the shutter when a certain number of containers are loaded inside the bucket. And after the bucket is moved to the height position of the holding means, a plurality of containers thrown into the bucket are moved to the holding means. It is preferable to provide a container moving unit.

  According to such a configuration, since the control unit includes the container charging unit and the charging stop unit, a certain amount of the inside of the bucket is opened by opening and closing the shutter in cooperation with the bucket and the belt conveyor. Multiple containers can be charged. And since the control means is equipped with the container moving part, the several container thrown in the inside of a bucket can be moved to a holding means. Therefore, the container transport unit can hold a plurality of containers of a certain amount in the holding unit with a simple configuration.

  In the present invention, the belt conveyor has an inlet having a predetermined area for introducing a plurality of containers stored in the storage means, and the bucket has a sensor for detecting that the plurality of containers have contacted the floor surface. The stop unit preferably closes the shutter when a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensor detects that the plurality of containers have contacted the floor of the bucket.

  According to such a configuration, the belt conveyor has an inlet having a predetermined area for introducing a plurality of containers stored in the storage means, so that the amount of containers per unit time charged into the bucket is constant. can do. The charging stop unit closes the shutter when a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensor detects that the plurality of containers have contacted the floor of the bucket. When the container is inserted, the shutter can be closed. Therefore, the container transport unit can hold a plurality of containers of a certain amount in the holding unit with a simple configuration.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a shutter vibration unit for vibrating the shutter is provided, and the control unit vibrates the shutter with the shutter vibration unit when the shutter is closed.

According to such a configuration, the control means vibrates the shutter with the shutter vibration means when closing the shutter, so that the plurality of containers conveyed by the belt conveyor are prevented from being sandwiched by the shutter. can do.
Therefore, since the container supply device can suppress the deformation of the container, it is possible to improve the yield and thus the manufacturing efficiency.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to provide a discharge unit that blows away a plurality of containers by discharging air toward the opening of the shutter, and the control unit causes the discharge unit to discharge air when the shutter is closed.

According to such a configuration, the control unit causes the discharge unit to discharge air when the shutter is closed, so that it is possible to suppress a plurality of containers conveyed by the belt conveyor from being sandwiched by the shutter. Can do.
Therefore, since the container supply device can suppress the deformation of the container, it is possible to improve the yield and thus the manufacturing efficiency.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the dropping means drops the plurality of containers onto the storage means by inclining the pallet so as to descend toward the storage means side.

  According to such a configuration, the dropping means inclines the pallet so as to descend toward the storage means side, and therefore the containers that have not entered the pallet housing portion among the plurality of containers that have fallen on the upper surface of the pallet. Will fall freely into the storage means. Therefore, the dropping means can drop a plurality of containers onto the storage means with a simple configuration.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the dropping means causes the plurality of containers to drop to the storage means by discharging air to the storage means side along the upper surface of the pallet.

  According to such a configuration, since the dropping means discharges air to the storage means side along the upper surface of the pallet, among the plurality of containers falling on the upper surface of the pallet, the containers that have not entered the pallet housing portion are Then, it is blown off and falls to the storage means. Therefore, the dropping means can drop a plurality of containers onto the storage means with a simple configuration.

  In the present invention, the moving means for moving the holding means along a predetermined direction is provided, the pallet has a plurality of accommodating portions formed so as to be arranged along the predetermined direction, and the control means is held by the moving means. When moving the means, it is preferable to drop the plurality of containers held by the holding means toward the upper surface of the pallet.

  According to such a configuration, when the holding means is moved by the moving means along the direction in which the respective accommodating portions of the pallet are arranged, the control means moves the plurality of containers held by the holding means to the pallet. Since the container is dropped toward the upper surface of the container, the position at which the container is dropped can be moved along the direction in which the plurality of storage portions are arranged. In other words, since the container supply device can drop the container in the vicinity of each accommodating portion of the pallet, the container can be easily entered into each accommodating portion of the pallet, and the manufacturing efficiency can be further improved. Can do.

  In the present invention, the holding means preferably includes a main body that holds the plurality of containers, and a guide member that is attached to the main body and guides the containers to drop toward the center of the pallet housing. .

  According to such a configuration, the holding means includes the guide member that guides the container to drop toward the center of the pallet accommodating portion, so that the container can be more easily entered into each pallet accommodating portion. Manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.

  In the present invention, the guide member is formed in a rail shape that is inclined so as to descend from the base end portion attached to the main body portion toward the tip end portion on the pallet side, and toward the center of the housing portion of the pallet. It is preferable to have a groove for sliding and guiding the container.

  According to such a configuration, the guide member can guide the container so as to drop the container toward the center of the pallet accommodating portion with a simple configuration, so that the container supply device can be configured at low cost.

  In the present invention, the container is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, has a flange at the top, and the guide member is provided to protrude from the tip on the pallet side along the direction in which the container is guided, and on both sides of the groove It is preferable that the pair of projecting pieces is provided, and the distance between the pair of projecting pieces is wider than the outer diameter of the container and narrower than the outer diameter of the flange of the container.

According to such a configuration, the container has a flange at the top, and the gap between the pair of protruding pieces is wider than the outer diameter of the container and smaller than the outer diameter of the flange of the container. When slipping and reaching the pair of projecting pieces, the container body projects below the pair of projecting pieces, and the flange of the container is caught on the pair of projecting pieces and remains. In other words, when the container supply device drops the plurality of containers held by the holding means toward the upper surface of the pallet, the container supply device has a constant position in which the top is positioned vertically upward and the bottom is positioned vertically downward. It can be dropped by letting the container take the posture.
Therefore, the container supply device can make it easier for the container to enter each housing part of the pallet, and can further improve the production efficiency.

  In the present invention, the distance between the pair of protruding pieces becomes wider toward the tip on the pallet side, and the distance between the tips is wider than the outer diameter of the container and preferably smaller than the outer diameter of the flange of the container. .

According to such a structure, since the space | interval of a pair of protrusion piece becomes large gradually as a container slips, it can make a container take a fixed attitude | position easily.
Therefore, the container supply device can make it easier for the container to enter each housing part of the pallet, and can further improve the production efficiency.

The top view of the pallet used for the container supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the container supplied to a pallet Side view of a container supply device that supplies multiple containers to a pallet Enlarged view of the vicinity of the hopper The figure which shows the relationship between the accommodating part of a pallet, and a guide member Top view showing the periphery of the container supply device placement table Functional block diagram showing schematic configuration of container supply device The figure which shows the state which has thrown in several containers inside the bucket The figure which shows the state which stopped injection | throwing-in to the bucket of several containers The figure which shows the state which raised the bucket The figure which shows the state which is moving the some container to the hopper The figure which shows the state which rotated the guide member to the guide position The figure which shows the state which moved the main-body part of the hopper along the rail member The figure which shows the state which conveyed the pallet to the loading standby position of a pallet The figure which shows the state which pushed the waiting pallet toward the arrangement | positioning stand The figure which shows the state which pulled out the last arrangement pallet from the arrangement stand Diagram showing the process of pulling out the previous placement pallet from the placement table The figure which shows the flowchart of the container conveyance supply process performed with a container supply apparatus. The figure which shows the flowchart of the pallet conveyance process performed with a container supply apparatus.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a top view of a pallet used in a container supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The container supply apparatus of this embodiment is an apparatus which supplies a some container to a pallet. First, the pallet and container used for this container supply apparatus will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pallet P is formed in a rectangular plate shape with four corners chamfered. The pallet P has a stainless steel plate PL attached to the upper surface. Further, the upper surface of the plate PL is subjected to a surface treatment for smoothing the surface. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the top surface of the pallet P is subjected to surface treatment for smoothing the surface.

Here, as the surface treatment for smoothing the surface, for example, Nidax (registered trademark) treatment can be adopted, but other treatments are adopted as long as the surface treatment is for smoothing the surface. May be.
In the present embodiment, the top surface of the pallet P is subjected to a surface treatment for smoothing the surface, but the surface treatment may not be performed.

Further, the pallet P has a plurality of accommodating portions P1 formed on the upper surface. Specifically, the pallet P has ten accommodating portions P1 arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction and five accommodating portions P1 arranged at equal intervals along the short direction. . In other words, the pallet P has 50 accommodating portions P1 in a lattice point shape.
Each accommodating part P1 is a hole formed in a hexagonal cross section, and can accommodate one container therein.
In the present embodiment, the pallet P has 50 accommodating portions P1 in a lattice point shape, but may have two or more accommodating portions different from 50. Moreover, in this embodiment, although the accommodating part is arranged in the shape of a lattice point, it does not need to be arranged in the shape of a lattice point, and the arrangement method may not have regularity.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a container supplied to the pallet.
As shown in FIG. 2, the container C has a body C1 having a hexagonal cross section formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and a flange C2 formed at the top.
In the present embodiment, the container C has the body C1 having a hexagonal cross section, but may have a body having another cross sectional shape such as a square cross section. Moreover, although the container C has the flange C2, it does not need to have this. In short, in the present invention, the container may have any shape.

Here, the outer diameter of the body C1 is formed to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the accommodating portion P1 of the pallet P. Further, the outer diameter of the flange C2 is formed to be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the accommodating portion P1 of the pallet P. And the depth of the accommodating part P1 is formed deeper than that of the trunk | drum C1.
Therefore, when the container C is accommodated inside the accommodating part P1 of the pallet P, the flange C2 protrudes outside the accommodating part P1, and the body C1 is accommodated inside the accommodating part P1. In other words, the container C is accommodated in the accommodating portion P1 so that the top portion is positioned on the vertically upper side and the bottom portion is positioned on the vertically lower side. Thus, it is not accommodated in the accommodating part P1.
In addition, the trunk | drum C1 is formed so that it may reduce a diameter slightly as it goes to a bottom part from a top part. Thereby, the container C is easy to enter the accommodating part P1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a container supply device that supplies a plurality of containers to a pallet.
The container supply device 1 supplies a plurality of containers C to each of the plurality of storage portions P1 formed on the upper surface of the pallet P. As shown in FIG. 3, the container supply device 1 includes an arrangement table 2 for arranging the pallet P, and a small electromagnetic feeder 3 as a pallet vibration means for vibrating the pallet P by vibrating the arrangement table 2. And a hopper 4 as a holding means for holding a plurality of containers C, as well as being arranged above the arrangement table 2 (arrangement position of the pallet P).

In addition, the container supply device 1 is provided below the hopper 4 and conveys a container storage tank 5 as a storage means for storing a plurality of containers C and a plurality of containers C stored in the container storage tank 5. And a container conveying means 6 to be held by the hopper 4.
In the present embodiment, the small electromagnetic feeder 3 is employed as the pallet vibration means, but a vibration generator of another system different from the electromagnetic system may be employed. In short, in the present invention, the pallet vibration means only needs to vibrate the pallet.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the hopper.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the arrangement table 2 is supported by the small electromagnetic feeder 3 so as to be inclined downward toward the container storage tank 5 side (right side of the drawing). The pallet P is arranged on the arrangement table 2 with the front and back direction of the paper as the long direction and the right and left direction of the paper as the short direction.
The hopper 4 is arranged in parallel with the short direction of the pallet P arranged on the arrangement table 2 and is inclined in the same manner as the inclination of the arrangement table 2 so as to be arranged above the arrangement table 2. And a slider 42 slidably provided along the rail member 41, and a main body that is attached to the slider 42 and is inclined so as to rise toward the container storage tank 5 and holds a plurality of containers C A portion 43 and a guide member 44 attached to the lower end of the main body portion 43 are provided.

The rail member 41 includes a compressor 41A that is attached to the upper end portion (left end portion on the paper surface) and that discharges air to the container storage tank 5 side along the upper surface of the pallet P disposed on the placement table 2.
The slider 42 moves along the rail member 41 by the driving force of a motor (not shown) provided therein, and the main body 43 moves along the rail member 41 as the slider 42 moves. Therefore, the rail member 41 and the slider 42 function as a moving means of the present invention that moves the hopper 4 along a predetermined direction (short direction of the pallet P).
In the present embodiment, the container supply device 1 includes a moving unit, but may not include this.

The main body 43 includes a hopper conveyor 43A that forms the bottom surface and a cover 43B that forms three side surfaces excluding the side surface on the lower end side of the main body portion 43, and is in a space formed by the hopper conveyor 43A and the cover 43B. A plurality of containers C are held.
The hopper conveyor 43A moves the conveyance path from the upper end side (right side of the drawing) to the lower end side (left side of the drawing) of the main body 43 by the driving force of a motor (not shown) attached to the main body 43. Accordingly, the plurality of containers C accommodated in the main body 43 moves from the upper end side to the lower end side of the main body portion 43.
Here, since the cover 43B does not constitute the side surface on the lower end side of the main body portion 43, when the transport path of the hopper conveyor 43A is moved from the upper end side of the main body portion 43 toward the lower end side, the plurality of containers C are After being transported by the hopper conveyor 43A, it will fall from the lower end side of the main body 43.

The guide member 44 is attached to the main body 43 so as to be rotatable about an axis in the direction of the paper surface, and is rotated by a driving force of a cylinder (not shown) provided in the main body 43. Specifically, the guide member 44 has one of two positions: a container holding position where the tip is positioned upward (solid line in the figure) and a guide position where the tip is positioned below (two-dot chain line in the figure). Rotate to stop.
In the present embodiment, the hopper 4 includes the guide member 44, but may not include this. In short, in the present invention, the holding means only needs to drop a plurality of containers toward the upper surface of the pallet.

At the container holding position, the guide member 44 is inclined so as to rise toward the distal end side, so that a cylindrical space is formed by cooperating with the hopper conveyor 43A and the cover 43B. Is not dropped from the lower end side of the main body 43. In other words, in a state where the guide member 44 is rotated to the container holding position and stopped, the guide member 44 constitutes the side surface on the lower end side of the main body portion 43.
At the guide position, the guide member 44 is inclined so as to descend toward the front end side, so that the plurality of containers C slide on the upper surface of the guide member 44 after being transported by the hopper conveyor 43A. It will fall from the lower end side of the part 43. FIG.

  In this embodiment, the guide member 44 can be rotated and stopped at one of two positions: a container holding position with the tip positioned upward and a guide position with the tip positioned downward. Although it is comprised so that it can do, it does not need to be comprised so that it can rotate. In this case, the guide member 44 only needs to be fixed at the guide position.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the accommodating portion of the pallet and the guide member. Specifically, FIG. 5 (A) is a view of the pallet P and the guide member 44 as viewed from above, and FIG. 5 (B) is a guide member 44 along the horizontal direction of FIG. 5 (A). It is a figure which shows the cross section which cut | disconnected. FIG. 5A is a view showing a state in which the guide member 44 is rotated to the guide position and stopped.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide member 44 is formed in a rail shape that is inclined so as to descend from the base end portion attached to the main body portion 43 toward the tip end portion on the pallet P side. Each of the rail portions 44A is integrally formed as one member.

  Each rail portion 44 </ b> A is provided so as to correspond to ten accommodating portions P <b> 1 arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the pallet P. Each rail portion 44 </ b> A has a V-shaped groove portion 44 </ b> A <b> 1 that slides and guides the container C toward the center of each accommodating portion P <b> 1 of the pallet P. Specifically, each rail portion 44A is provided along a direction parallel to the short side direction of the pallet P, and the groove portion 44A1 has its deepest portion positioned vertically above the center of the housing portion P1. It is formed (one-dot chain line in the figure). Therefore, the guide member 44 guides the container C to drop toward the center of the accommodating portion P1 of the pallet P.

  In the present embodiment, the guide member 44 is formed in a rail shape that inclines so as to descend from the base end portion attached to the main body portion 43 toward the tip end portion on the pallet P side, and Although it has V-shaped groove 44A1 which slides and guides container C toward the center of each accommodating part P1, it may be formed in other shapes, such as a tunnel shape, for example. In short, in the present invention, the guide member may be guided so as to drop the container toward the center of the accommodating portion of the pallet.

  Each rail portion 44A is provided to protrude from the tip on the pallet P side along the direction in which the container C is guided, and includes a pair of protruding pieces 44A2 provided on both sides of the groove portion 44A1. The distance between the pair of projecting pieces 44A2 becomes wider toward the tip on the pallet P side. And the space | interval of the front-end | tip is wider than the outer diameter of the trunk | drum C1 of the container C, and is narrower than the outer diameter of the flange C2 of the container C.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the pair of protruding pieces 44A2 increases toward the front end on the pallet P side, but may be a constant distance from the base end to the front end. In short, in the present invention, the distance between the pair of protruding pieces may be wider than the outer diameter of the container and narrower than the outer diameter of the flange of the container.
Moreover, in this embodiment, although the guide member 44 is provided with a pair of protrusion piece 44A2, it does not need to be provided with this. In short, in the present invention, the guide member may be guided so as to drop the container toward the center of the accommodating portion of the pallet.

As shown in FIG. 3, the container transport means 6 includes a bucket mechanism 61 provided on the left side of the container storage tank 5, a belt conveyor 62 that transports a plurality of containers C from the container storage tank 5 to the bucket mechanism 61, and a bucket A shutter 63 provided between the mechanism 61 and the belt conveyor 62 and a compressor 64 provided on the belt conveyor 62 side of the shutter 63 are provided.
In this embodiment, the container transport unit 6 includes the bucket mechanism 61, the belt conveyor 62, the shutter 63, and the compressor 64, but may have a different configuration. In short, in the present invention, the container transport unit only needs to be able to be held by the holding unit by transporting a plurality of containers stored in the storage unit.

  The bucket mechanism 61 includes a bucket 61A, an elevator 61B, and an extruder 61C. The bucket 61 </ b> A has a sensor 61 </ b> A <b> 1 that detects that the plurality of containers C are in contact with the floor surface, and stores the plurality of containers C. The elevator 61 </ b> B moves the bucket 61 </ b> A up and down along the vertical vertical direction so that the height of the container storage tank 5 (specifically, the floor surface of the bucket 61 </ b> A is lower than the upper surface of the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 62). To and from the height position of the hopper 4. The extruder 61 </ b> C pushes and moves the plurality of containers C stored in the bucket 61 </ b> A raised to the height position of the hopper 4 by the elevator 61 </ b> B toward the hopper 4.

The belt conveyor 62 has an inlet 62A for introducing a plurality of containers C stored in the container storage tank 5, and an outlet 62B for discharging the plurality of containers C introduced via the inlet 62A toward the bucket mechanism 61. Has a passage. This passage is formed by the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 62, the side wall of the container storage tank 5, and the ceiling 5A of the container storage tank 5 provided above the conveyance path of the belt conveyor 62.
Here, the inlet 62 </ b> A is set to have a predetermined area by the plate material 62 </ b> A <b> 1 attached to the container storage tank 5. In other words, the belt conveyor 62 has an inlet 62 </ b> A having a predetermined area for introducing a plurality of containers C stored in the container storage tank 5.

The shutter 63 is provided between the bucket mechanism 61 and the belt conveyor 62 so as to close the outlet 62B of the path of the belt conveyor 62 by moving up and to open the outlet 62B of the path of the belt conveyor 62 by moving down. Yes.
The opening area of the shutter 63 is set to be substantially the same as the area of the entrance 62A of the belt conveyor 62.

The shutter 63 includes a shutter main body 63A that closes or opens the outlet 62B of the path of the belt conveyor 62, a drive unit 63B that raises or lowers the shutter main body 63A, and a vibrator 63C that functions as shutter vibration means that vibrates the shutter main body 63A. It has.
In the present embodiment, the vibrator 63C is employed as the shutter vibration means, but another vibration generator different from this may be employed. In the present invention, the shutter may not include the shutter vibration means.

The compressor 64 blows off a plurality of containers C toward the bucket 61 </ b> A by discharging air toward the opening of the shutter 63. Therefore, the compressor 64 functions as the discharge means of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the shutter includes the compressor 64, but may not include the compressor 64.

FIG. 6 is a top view showing the periphery of the arrangement table of the container supply device.
Further, the container supply device 1 includes a pallet conveying means 7 that carries the pallet P in and out of the arrangement table 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the pallet conveying means 7 includes an upstream pallet conveyor 71 that conveys the pallet P to the loading standby position W1 of the pallet P that is provided adjacent to the placement table 2 and on the upper side of the sheet, and an upstream pallet. A pusher 72 that pushes the pallet P conveyed to the carry-in standby position W1 of the pallet P toward the placement table 2 by the conveyor 71, and a carry-out standby position W2 of the pallet P that is provided adjacent to the placement table 2 and below the paper surface. And a downstream pallet conveyor 74 for conveying the pallet P from the unloading standby position W2 of the pallet P.

  The pallet conveying means 7 may have a configuration different from the above-described configuration including the upstream pallet conveyor 71, the pusher 72, the puller 73, and the downstream pallet conveyor 74. For example, the pallet conveying means may carry the pallet into and out of the pallet placement position by the operator's manual work. In short, in the present invention, the pallet conveying means only needs to be able to carry in / out the pallet arrangement position by conveying the pallet.

The upstream pallet conveyor 71 is provided in parallel with the transfer path 71A that moves toward the loading standby position W1 of the pallet P (to the right in the drawing) and the movement direction of the transfer path 71A, and on both sides of the transfer path 71A. And a pair of guide rails 71B. The distance between the pair of guide rails 71B is set slightly longer than the length of the pallet P in the longitudinal direction.
The downstream pallet conveyor 74 is provided in parallel to the transport path 74A that moves from the unloading standby position W2 of the pallet P toward the left side of the page, and the movement direction of the transport path 74A, and is provided on both sides of the transport path 74A. And a pair of guide rails 74B. The distance between the pair of guide rails 74B is set slightly longer than the length of the pallet P in the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the container supply device.
Furthermore, the container supply apparatus 1 is provided with the control means 8 which controls this whole container supply apparatus 1, as shown in FIG.
The control means 8 is constituted by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and the like, and executes information processing according to a predetermined program stored in the memory. The control unit 8 includes a container transport unit 81, a container supply unit 82, and a pallet transport unit 83.

The container transport unit 81 includes a container input unit 81A, an input stop unit 81B, and a container moving unit 81C, and controls the container transport unit 6 to transport a plurality of containers C stored in the container storage tank 5. To hold the hopper 4.
Hereinafter, the function of each part 81A-81C which comprises the container conveyance part 81 is demonstrated in detail by making the state of the container supply apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 3 into an initial state.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of containers are put into the bucket.
As shown in FIG. 8, the container loading unit 81A moves the bucket 61A to the height position of the container storage tank 5 (after the initial state shown in FIG. 3), and then moves the conveyance path to the belt conveyor 62. Is started, and the shutter body 63A is lowered by the drive unit 63B to open the shutter 63 (downward arrow in the figure), whereby a plurality of containers C conveyed by the belt conveyor 62 are placed inside the bucket 61A. throw into.
Here, since the belt conveyor 62 has the inlet 62A of the predetermined area which introduces the some container C stored by the container storage tank 5, the quantity of the container C per unit time thrown into the bucket 61A is shown. Can be constant.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state in which charging of a plurality of containers into the bucket is stopped.
As shown in FIG. 9, the charging stop portion 81B is conveyed to the belt conveyor 62 when a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensor 61A1 detects that the plurality of containers C have contacted the floor surface of the bucket 61A. While stopping the movement of the road, the shutter 63 is closed by raising the shutter main body 63A by the drive unit 63B (upward arrow in the figure). In other words, the charging stop unit 81B stops the charging of the plurality of containers C into the bucket 61A by closing the shutter 63 when a predetermined amount of the plurality of containers C is charged into the bucket 61A.
As described above, in this embodiment, the container transport unit 6 holds a plurality of containers C in a certain amount in the hopper 4.

  In the present embodiment, the charging stop unit 81B closes the shutter 63 when a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensor 61A1 detects that the plurality of containers C have contacted the floor surface of the bucket 61A. As a result, the charging of the plurality of containers C into the bucket 61A was stopped. On the other hand, for example, the charging stop unit measures the weight of the plurality of containers put into the bucket, and closes the shutter when the predetermined weight is reached, thereby throwing the plurality of containers into the bucket. May be stopped. In short, in the present invention, the charging stop unit may stop the charging of the plurality of containers into the bucket by closing the shutter when a predetermined amount of the plurality of containers is charged into the bucket.

  Further, when closing the shutter 63, the closing stop portion 81B vibrates the shutter main body 63A with the vibrator 63C and causes the compressor 64 to discharge air. According to this, it can suppress that the some container C conveyed by the belt conveyor 62 is pinched | interposed by the shutter main body 63A.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state where the bucket is raised.
After stopping the charging of the plurality of containers C into the bucket 61A by the charging stop part 81B, the container moving part 81C raises the bucket 61A to the height position of the hopper 4 by the elevator 61B as shown in FIG. (Upward arrow in the figure). At this time, the movable part (dotted line in the figure) of the extruder 61C is inserted into the bucket 61A by raising the bucket 61A by the elevator 61B.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state where a plurality of containers are moved to the hopper.
Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the container moving part 81C pushes and moves the plurality of containers C stored in the bucket 61A toward the hopper 4 by the movable part of the extruder 61C (right arrow in the figure). .
In this way, the container transport unit 81 controls the container transport means 6 to transport the plurality of containers C stored in the container storage tank 5 to be held in the hopper 4.

As shown in FIG. 7, the container supply unit 82 includes a hopper drive unit 82A, a pallet vibration unit 82B, and an air discharge unit 82C, and is formed on the top surface of the pallet P by controlling the small electromagnetic feeder 3 and the hopper 4. A plurality of containers C are supplied to each of the plurality of accommodating portions P1.
Hereinafter, the function of each part 82A-82C which comprises the container supply part 82 is demonstrated in detail by making the state of the container supply apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 11 into an initial state.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the guide member is rotated to the guide position.
As shown in FIG. 12, the hopper driving unit 82A rotates the guide member 44 from the container holding position to the guide position (downward arrow in the figure), and the hopper conveyor 43A is moved from the upper end side of the main body 43. Move toward the lower end. As a result, the plurality of containers C slide on the upper surface of the guide member 44 and drop from the lower end side of the main body 43.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the main body portion of the hopper is moved along the rail member.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the hopper driving unit 82 </ b> A moves the slider 42 along the rail member 41 when the plurality of containers C are dropped from the lower end side of the main body 43, thereby 43 is moved along the rail member 41 to the container storage tank 5 side.
Here, since the rail member 41 is arranged in parallel with the short direction of the pallet P arranged on the arrangement table 2, the pallet P moves the main body 43 by the rail member 41 and the slider 42. It has the some accommodating part P1 formed so that it might rank along (predetermined direction).
The hopper driving unit 82A drops the plurality of containers C held by the main body 43 toward the upper surface of the pallet P when the main body 43 is moved by the rail member 41 and the slider 42. .

The pallet vibration part 82B vibrates the pallet P by vibrating the arrangement table 2 with the small electromagnetic feeder 3 when the plurality of containers C are dropped from the lower end side of the main body part 43 by the hopper driving part 82A. Let
Therefore, the container supply unit 82 drops the plurality of containers C held by the hopper 4 toward the upper surface of the pallet P when the pallet P is vibrated by the small electromagnetic feeder 3.

The plurality of containers C dropped on the upper surface of the pallet P by the container supply unit 82 enter the respective storage units P1 of the pallet P while rolling by the vibration of the pallet P.
On the other hand, since the arrangement | positioning stand 2 inclines so that it may descend | fall toward the container storage tank 5 side, and is supported by the small electromagnetic feeder 3, it is dropped on the upper surface of the pallet P by the container supply part 82. Among the plurality of containers C, the plurality of containers C that are not accommodated in the accommodating portion P1 of the pallet P are free-falling to the container storage tank 5. Therefore, in this embodiment, the arrangement | positioning stand 2 functions as a dropping means to drop the some container C to the container storage tank 5 by inclining the pallet P so that it may descend | fall toward the container storage tank 5 side. .

  The air discharge part 82C causes the compressor 41A to discharge air after dropping a plurality of containers C from the lower end side of the main body part 43 by the hopper driving part 82A. According to this, among the plurality of containers C dropped on the upper surface of the pallet P by the container supply unit 82, the plurality of containers C that are not accommodated in the accommodation part P1 of the pallet P are blown off and the container storage tank 5 It will fall to. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the compressor 41 </ b> A functions as a dropping unit that causes a plurality of containers C to drop into the container storage tank 5 by discharging air toward the container storage tank 5 along the upper surface of the pallet P.

  In the present embodiment, the pallet P is inclined so as to descend toward the container storage tank 5, whereby the plurality of containers C are dropped on the container storage tank 5, and the top surface of the pallet P. A compressor 41A that drops a plurality of containers C into the container storage tank 5 by discharging air along the container storage tank 5 is employed as the dropping means, but only one of them may be used. . The dropping means may drop the plurality of containers onto the storage means by, for example, vibrating the pallet. In short, in the present invention, the dropping means can drop a plurality of containers that have not been accommodated in the pallet accommodating portion among the plurality of containers dropped toward the upper surface of the pallet by the holding means to the storage means. Good.

Thus, the control means 8 causes the container transport means 6 to hold the plurality of containers C on the hopper 4 and then drops the plurality of containers C held on the hopper 4 toward the upper surface of the pallet P, and By dropping the plurality of containers C into the container storage tank 5 by the dropping means, the plurality of containers C are circulated and reused.
Further, as described above, since the container transport means 6 holds the fixed amount of the plurality of containers C in the hopper 4, the fixed amount of the plurality of containers in the hopper 4 during one cycle of circulating the plurality of containers C. Container C is held.
In this embodiment, the container transport means 6 holds the fixed amount of the plurality of containers C in the hopper 4 in one cycle of circulating the plurality of containers C. It is not necessary to hold it.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pallet transport section 83 includes a pallet carry-in section 83A, a pallet push-out section 83B, a pallet pull-out section 83C, and a pallet carry-out section 83D, and controls the pallet transport means 7 to control the pallet P. By carrying, it carries in / out with respect to the arrangement | positioning stand 2. FIG.
Hereinafter, the function of each part 83A-83D which comprises the pallet conveyance part 83 is demonstrated in detail by making the state of the container supply apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 6 into an initial state. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the pallet P arrange | positioned on the arrangement | positioning stand 2 is demonstrated as a pallet P (n: cycle number). The same applies to the following drawings.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the pallet is transported to the pallet loading standby position.
When the pallet P is placed on the transport path 71A of the upstream pallet conveyor 71 by the operator's manual operation, the pallet carry-in part 83A waits for the pallet P to be placed on the upstream pallet conveyor 71 as shown in FIG. The pallet P is transported to the position W1 to be a standby pallet Pw (right arrow in the figure). Therefore, the upstream pallet conveyor 71 functions as the pallet conveying means of the present invention.
The upstream pallet conveyor 71 conveys the pallet P by guiding the pallet P with the guide rail 71B so that the short side direction of the pallet P is parallel to the moving direction of the conveyance path 71A.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the standby pallet is pushed out toward the placement table.
As shown in FIG. 15, the pallet pusher 83B pushes the standby pallet Pw toward the placement table 2 by the pusher 72, thereby placing the standby pallet Pw on the placement table 2 and arranging the current placement pallet Pw. (N) and the previous placement pallet P (n-1) is pushed out of the placement table 2 via the current placement pallet P (n) (downward arrow in the figure). Therefore, the pusher 72 functions as the extrusion means of the present invention.
The pusher 72 pushes the standby pallet Pw to the arrangement position of the pallet P, thereby making the current arrangement pallet P (n) the previous arrangement pallet P (n−1) of the pallet P. Although the process of extruding from the arrangement position is executed in a single process, it may be executed in a separate process.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the previous arrangement pallet is pulled out from the arrangement table.
As shown in FIG. 16, the pallet drawer 83C draws the previous placement pallet P (n-1) pushed out by the pusher 72 from the placement table 2 by the puller 73 (downward arrow in the figure). Therefore, the puller 73 functions as the drawing means of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a process of pulling out the previous arrangement pallet from the arrangement table. Specifically, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the puller 73 cut along the longitudinal direction of the pallet P.
As shown in FIG. 17, the puller 73 includes a stopper 73 </ b> A provided so as to protrude and retract with respect to the placement surface of the pallet P, and a pin 73 </ b> B provided on the arrangement table 2 side (left side of the drawing) with respect to the stopper 73 </ b> A. It has.
The pin 73B is provided so as to protrude and retract with respect to the mounting surface of the pallet P, and is provided so as to advance and retreat along the drawing direction of the pallet P (right direction in the drawing).

First, the pallet drawer 83C is in an initial state in which the stopper 73A protrudes from the placement surface of the pallet P and the pin 73B is buried in the placement surface of the pallet P. In this initial state, the end surface of the previous placement pallet P (n−1) pushed out by the pusher 72 is in contact with the stopper 73A (right arrow in the figure), as shown in FIG. The previous placement palette P (n−1) is stationary at a predetermined position.
Next, the pallet drawer 83C projects the pin 73B with respect to the mounting surface of the pallet P and inserts the pin 73B into the hole P2 formed on the lower surface of the pallet P (upward arrow in the figure).

Then, as shown in FIG. 17B, the pallet drawer portion 83C has the stopper 73A buried in the placement surface of the pallet P (downward arrow in the figure), and then the pin 73B is pulled out of the pallet P. The pallet P is further pulled out from the arrangement table 2 by sliding along (the arrow pointing to the right in the figure).
Finally, as shown in FIG. 17C, the pallet drawer 83C pulls out the pin 73B from the hole P2 formed on the lower surface of the pallet P by burying the pin 73B with respect to the mounting surface of the pallet P.

  The puller 73 includes pins 73B, and the pallet drawer portion 83C inserts the pins 73B into holes formed on the lower surface of the pallet P, and then slides the pallet P along the pulling direction of the pallet P. The pallet P was further pulled out from the arrangement position. On the other hand, for example, the drawing means may be configured to further pull the pallet from the pallet arrangement position by gripping the pallet. In short, in the present invention, the drawing means only needs to be configured so that the previous placement pallet pushed out by the pushing means can be further pulled out from the placement position of the pallet.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the pallet unloading section 83D conveys the previous placement pallet P (n-1) pulled out by the puller 73 to the downstream pallet conveyor 74 (left arrow in the figure).
The downstream pallet conveyor 74 conveys the pallet P by guiding the pallet P with the guide rail 74B so that the short side direction of the pallet P is parallel to the moving direction of the conveyance path 74A.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the container transport and supply process executed by the container supply device.
When the container supply apparatus 1 supplies a plurality of containers C to the pallet P, the control means 8 executes steps S1 to S4 as shown in FIG. 18 according to a predetermined program stored in the memory.
Hereinafter, the details of steps S1 to S4 will be described with reference to the drawings described above.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the container loading unit 81A lowers the shutter main body 63A by the driving unit 63B and opens the shutter 63, whereby a plurality of containers C conveyed by the belt conveyor 62 are transferred to the bucket 61A. (S1: Container loading step).
Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the charging stop unit 81 </ b> B is configured such that when a predetermined time has elapsed after the sensor 61 </ b> A <b> 1 detects that the plurality of containers C have contacted the floor surface of the bucket 61 </ b> A, At 63B, the shutter body 63A is raised and the shutter 63 is closed (S2: closing stop step).

After stopping the charging of the plurality of containers C into the bucket 61A by the charging stop part 81B, the container moving part 81C raises the bucket 61A to the height position of the hopper 4 by the elevator 61B as shown in FIG. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the container moving unit 81C pushes and moves the plurality of containers C stored in the bucket 61A toward the hopper 4 by the movable part of the extruder 61C (S3: container moving step). .
In addition, the container moving part 81C moves the movable part of the extruder 61C to the opposite side to the hopper 4 and returns it after executing container moving step S3. Moreover, 81 A of container insertion parts move the bucket 61A to the height position of the container storage tank 5, and return it after performing container moving step S3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the hopper driving unit 82A rotates the guide member 44 from the container holding position to the guide position and moves the conveyance path of the hopper conveyor 43A from the upper end side to the lower end side of the main body unit 43. To move. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the hopper driving unit 82 </ b> A moves the slider 42 along the rail member 41 when the plurality of containers C are dropped from the lower end side of the main body 43, thereby 43 is moved along the rail member 41 to the container storage tank 5 side. Thereby, the plurality of containers C slide on the upper surface of the guide member 44 and drop from the lower end side of the main body 43 (S4: container supply step).

  As described above, the pallet vibration unit 82B causes the small electromagnetic feeder 3 to vibrate the arrangement table 2 when the plurality of containers C are dropped from the lower end side of the main body 43 by the hopper driving unit 82A. As a result, the pallet P is vibrated. The air discharge unit 82C causes the compressor 41A to discharge air after dropping a plurality of containers C from the lower end side of the main body 43 by the hopper driving unit 82A.

Finally, the hopper driving unit 82A rotates the guide member 44 from the guide position to the container holding position and stops the movement of the transport path of the hopper conveyor 43A. Further, the hopper drive unit 82A moves the slider 42 along the rail member 41, thereby moving the main body 43 along the rail member 41 toward the bucket mechanism 61 and returning it to the original state.
Thereafter, the control unit 8 repeatedly executes the above-described step S1, thereby repeatedly executing steps S1 to S4, and supplies a plurality of containers C to the pallet P by the container supply device 1.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of a pallet conveyance process executed in the container supply device.
When carrying the pallet P by the pallet carrying means 7 to carry in / out the arrangement table 2, the control means 8 follows the predetermined program stored in the memory as shown in FIG. Steps S11 to S14 are executed.
Hereinafter, the details of steps S11 to S14 will be described with reference to the above-described drawings.

First, when the pallet P is placed on the transport path 71A of the upstream pallet conveyor 71 by the operator's manual work, the pallet carry-in part 83A places the pallet P on the upstream pallet conveyor 71 as shown in FIG. The pallet P is transported to the carry-in standby position W1 to obtain a standby pallet Pw (S11: pallet carry-in step).
Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the pallet pusher 83 </ b> B pushes the standby pallet Pw toward the placement table 2 by the pusher 72 to place the standby pallet Pw on the placement table 2. And the previous placement pallet P (n-1) is pushed out from the placement table 2 through the current placement pallet P (n) (S12: pallet extrusion step).

Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the pallet drawer 83C draws the previous placement pallet P (n-1) pushed out by the pusher 72 from the placement table 2 by the puller 73 (S13: Pallet drawing step). ).
Then, the pallet unloading section 83D conveys the previous arrangement pallet P (n-1) pulled out by the puller 73 to the downstream pallet conveyor 74 (S14: pallet unloading step).

Finally, the pallet pusher 83B moves the pusher 72 away from the placement table 2 and returns it to the original position. The pallet drawer 83C causes the stopper 73A to protrude from the placement surface of the pallet P, and 73B is slid to the arrangement table 2 side along the drawing direction of the pallet P to return to the initial state.
Thereafter, the control means 8 repeatedly executes the above-described step S11, thereby repeatedly executing steps S11 to S14, and the pallet conveying means 7 conveys the pallet P.

Here, steps S11 to S14 are executed in parallel with steps S1 to S4 described above.
Specifically, the pallet extrusion step S12 and the pallet extraction step S13 are executed at a timing after executing the container supply step S4 and before executing the container movement step S3 of the next cycle.

  In addition, the control means 8 stops the repetition of step S1-S4 and step S11-S14 mentioned above, when the stop button (not shown) provided in the container supply apparatus 1 is pressed down. In addition, when the reset button (not shown) provided in the container supply device 1 is pressed, the control unit 8 returns the hopper 4, the container transport unit 6, and the pallet transport unit 7 to the initial state.

According to the present embodiment as described above, the following operations and effects can be achieved.
(1) The container supply device 1 includes control means 8, which controls the plurality of containers C held by the hopper 4 when the pallet P is vibrated by the small electromagnetic feeder 3. Accordingly, the plurality of containers C that have dropped onto the top surface of the pallet P enter the storage portions P1 of the pallet P while rolling due to the vibration of the pallet P. Therefore, the container supply apparatus 1 can automatically supply a plurality of containers C to the pallet P, and can improve manufacturing efficiency.
(2) The container supply device 1 supplies the container C to the pallet P by dropping the plurality of containers C held by the hopper 4 toward the upper surface of the pallet P. It is not gripped by hand or the container C is not sucked. Therefore, since the container supply apparatus 1 can suppress the container C from becoming dirty or deformed, it is possible to improve the yield and thus improve the manufacturing efficiency.

(3) The control means 8 includes a plurality of containers held by the hopper 4 when the hopper 4 is moved by the rail member 41 and the slider 42 along the direction in which the respective accommodating portions P1 of the pallet P are arranged. Since C is dropped toward the upper surface of the pallet P, the position where the container C is dropped can be moved along the direction in which the plurality of accommodating portions P1 are arranged. In other words, since the container supply apparatus 1 can drop the container C in the vicinity of each accommodating part P1 of the pallet P, the container C can be easily entered into each accommodating part P1 of the pallet P. Manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.

(4) Since the hopper 4 includes the guide member 44 that guides the container C to drop toward the center of the accommodating part P1 of the pallet P, the container C is more easily inserted into each accommodating part P1 of the pallet P. Manufacturing efficiency can be further improved.
(5) The guide member 44 is formed in a rail shape that inclines so as to descend from the base end portion attached to the main body portion 43 toward the tip end portion on the pallet P side, and the guide member 44 of the accommodating portion P1 of the pallet P Since the container C can be guided so as to drop toward the center of the accommodating part P1 of the pallet P by a simple configuration having the groove 44A1 that slides and guides the container C toward the center, the container supply device 1 is provided. It can be configured at low cost.

(6) The container C has a flange C2 at the top, and the distance between the pair of protruding pieces 44A2 provided on the guide member 44 is wider than the outer diameter of the body C1 of the container C, and is outside the flange C2 of the container C. Since it is narrower than the diameter, when the groove 44A1 of the guide member 44 is slid into the pair of protruding pieces 44A2, the body C1 of the container C protrudes below the pair of protruding pieces 44A2, and the flange C2 of the container C The protrusions 44A2 are hooked and remain. In other words, when the plurality of containers C held by the hopper 4 are dropped toward the upper surface of the pallet P, the container supply device 1 positions the top on the vertically upper side and positions the bottom on the vertically lower side. It is possible to let the container C take the fixed posture and drop it. Therefore, the container supply apparatus 1 can make it easier for the container C to enter the accommodating portions P1 of the pallet P, and can further improve the manufacturing efficiency.

(7) Since the interval between the pair of protruding pieces 44A2 provided on the guide member 44 gradually increases as the container C slides, it is possible to make the container C take a certain posture. Therefore, the container supply apparatus 1 can make it easier for the container C to enter the accommodating portions P1 of the pallet P, and can further improve the manufacturing efficiency.
(8) Since the top surface of the pallet P is subjected to a surface treatment for smoothing the surface, the plurality of containers C that have fallen on the top surface of the pallet P are likely to roll due to the vibration of the pallet P. Therefore, the container supply apparatus 1 can make it easier for the container C to enter the accommodating portions P1 of the pallet P, and can further improve the manufacturing efficiency.

(9) Since the container supply device 1 is provided with the pusher 72, by pushing the standby pallet Pw to the arrangement position of the pallet P, the process of setting the current arrangement pallet P (n) and the previous arrangement The process of extruding the pallet P (n−1) from the arrangement position of the pallet P can be executed in a single process.
(10) Since the container supply device 1 includes the puller 73, the previous placement pallet P (n-1) pushed out by the pusher 72 can be further pulled out from the placement position of the pallet P by the puller 73. it can. Therefore, the container supply device 1 can open a space between the current placement pallet P (n) and the previous placement pallet P (n−1) with the puller 73, and thus the small electromagnetic feeder 3. Even when the current arrangement pallet P (n) is vibrated, the vibration is transmitted to the previous arrangement pallet P (n-1), the downstream pallet conveyor 74, and the like. Absent.

(11) The puller 73 is provided so as to be able to protrude and retract with respect to the mounting surface of the pallet P, and includes a pin 73B provided so as to be able to advance and retract along the pulling direction of the pallet P. After the pin 73B is inserted into the hole P2 formed on the lower surface, the pallet P is arranged in the pallet P with a simple configuration in which the pallet P is further pulled out from the arrangement position of the pallet P by sliding along the pulling direction of the pallet P. Since it can pull out further from a position, the container supply apparatus 1 can be comprised cheaply.

(12) The container supply device 1 includes a container storage tank 5, a container transport means 6, a hopper 4, and a dropping means, and circulates and reuses a plurality of containers C. Among the plurality of containers C, the container C that has not entered the container P1 of the pallet P repeatedly falls on the upper surface of the pallet P, and eventually enters the container P1 of the pallet P. Therefore, the container supply apparatus 1 can automatically supply a plurality of containers C to the pallet P, and can improve manufacturing efficiency.

(13) Since the container transporting unit 6 causes the hopper 4 to hold a certain amount of the plurality of containers C in a single cycle in which the plurality of containers C are circulated, each container P1 of the pallet P has a container C with a certain ratio. Can enter.
(14) Since the control means 8 includes the container loading part 81A and the loading stop part 81B, the shutter 63 is opened and closed in cooperation with the bucket 61A and the belt conveyor 62, so that the inside of the bucket 61A is constant. A plurality of containers C can be charged. And since the control means 8 is provided with the container moving part 81C, the several container C thrown into the inside of the bucket 61A can be moved to the hopper 4. FIG. Therefore, the container transport means 6 can hold a certain amount of containers in the hopper 4 with a simple configuration.

(15) Since the belt conveyor 62 has an inlet 62A having a predetermined area for introducing the plurality of containers C stored in the container storage tank 5, the amount of the containers C per unit time charged into the bucket 61A is determined. Can be constant. And since the insertion stop part 81B detects that the some container C contacted the floor surface of the bucket 61A with the sensor 61A1, it closes the shutter 63 when predetermined time passes, Therefore The shutter 63 can be closed when a certain amount of the plurality of containers C is charged therein. Therefore, the container transport means 6 can hold a certain amount of the plurality of containers C in the hopper 4 with a simple configuration.

(16) When closing the shutter 63, the control means 8 vibrates the shutter main body 63A with the vibrator 63C, so that a plurality of containers C conveyed by the belt conveyor 62 are sandwiched between the shutter main bodies 63A. Can be suppressed. Therefore, since the container supply apparatus 1 can suppress the deformation | transformation of the container C, it can improve a yield and can improve manufacturing efficiency by extension.
(17) Since the control unit 8 causes the compressor 64 to discharge air when the shutter 63 is closed, the control unit 8 prevents the plurality of containers C conveyed by the belt conveyor 62 from being sandwiched between the shutter main bodies 63A. be able to. Therefore, since the container supply apparatus 1 can suppress the deformation | transformation of the container C, it can improve a yield and can improve manufacturing efficiency by extension.

(18) Since the pallet P tilts the pallet P so as to descend toward the container storage tank 5 side, the arrangement table 2 enters the accommodating part P1 of the pallet P among the plurality of containers C dropped on the upper surface of the pallet P. The container C that did not exist will fall freely into the container storage tank 5. Therefore, the arrangement table 2 can drop the plurality of containers C into the container storage tank 5 with a simple configuration.
(19) Since the compressor 41A discharges air to the container storage tank 5 side along the upper surface of the pallet P, the compressor 41A did not enter the accommodating part P1 of the pallet P among the plurality of containers C dropped on the upper surface of the pallet P. The container C is blown off and falls into the container storage tank 5. Therefore, the container supply apparatus 1 can drop the plurality of containers C into the container storage tank 5 with a simple configuration.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within a scope in which the object of the present invention can be achieved are included in the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the container supply device 1 includes the small electromagnetic feeder 3 as a pallet vibration unit that vibrates the pallet P, but may not include this.

  As mentioned above, this invention can be utilized suitably for the container supply apparatus which supplies a some container to each of the some accommodating part formed in the upper surface of a pallet.

1 Container supply device 2 Arrangement table (dropping means)
3 Small electromagnetic feeder (pallet vibration means)
4 Hopper (holding means)
5 Container storage tank (storage means)
6 Container conveying means 7 Pallet conveying means 8 Control means 41 Rail member (moving means)
41A Compressor (dropping means)
42 Slider (moving means)
43 Body 44 Guide member 44A Rail 44A1 Groove 44A2 Projection piece 61 Bucket mechanism 61A Bucket 61A1 Sensor 62 Belt conveyor 62A Inlet 62A1 Plate material 63 Shutter 63A Shutter body 63B Drive unit 63C Vibrator (shutter vibration means)
64 Compressor (Discharge means)
71 Upstream pallet conveyor 72 Pusher (extrusion means)
73 Puller (withdrawal means)
73A Stopper 73B Pin 74 Downstream Pallet Conveyor 81 Container Transfer Unit 81A Container Input Unit 81B Input Stop Unit 81C Container Moving Unit 82 Container Supply Unit 82A Hopper Drive Unit 82B Pallet Vibrating Unit 82C Air Discharge Unit 83 Pallet Transport Unit 83A Pallet Carry In 83B Pallet extruding part 83C Pallet drawing part 83D Pallet unloading part C Container C1 Body C2 Flange P Pallet P1 Housing part P2 Hole

Claims (13)

A container supply device that supplies a plurality of containers to each of a plurality of storage portions formed on the upper surface of the pallet,
A holding means disposed above the pallet arrangement position and holding the plurality of containers;
A storage unit that is provided below the holding unit and stores the plurality of containers;
Container transporting means for holding the holding means by transporting the plurality of containers stored in the storage means;
Of the plurality of containers dropped toward the upper surface of the pallet by the holding means, dropping means for dropping the plurality of containers that were not accommodated in the pallet accommodating portion into the storage means;
Control means for controlling the whole of the container supply device,
The control means causes the container transporting means to hold the plurality of containers on the holding means, and then drops the plurality of containers held on the holding means toward the upper surface of the pallet and The container supply apparatus is characterized in that the plurality of containers are circulated and reused by dropping the plurality of containers onto the storage means by means. In the container supply apparatus according to claim 1,
The container supply device causes the holding device to hold a certain amount of the plurality of containers in one cycle of circulating the plurality of containers. In the container supply device according to claim 2,
The container conveying means includes
Storing the plurality of containers inside, and carrying the plurality of containers from a height position of the storage means to a height position of the holding means;
A belt conveyor that conveys the plurality of containers from the storage means to the bucket;
A shutter provided between the bucket and the belt conveyor,
The control means includes
After moving the bucket to a height position of the storage means, by opening the shutter, a container loading unit that loads the plurality of containers conveyed by the belt conveyor into the bucket;
A charging stop unit that stops charging of the plurality of containers into the bucket by closing the shutter when a predetermined amount of the plurality of containers is charged into the bucket;
A container supply apparatus comprising: a container moving unit configured to move the plurality of containers put into the bucket to the holding means after the bucket is moved to a height position of the holding means. In the container supply device according to claim 3,
The belt conveyor has an inlet of a predetermined area for introducing the plurality of containers stored in the storage means,
The bucket has a sensor that detects that the plurality of containers are in contact with a floor surface,
The charging stop unit closes the shutter when a predetermined time elapses after the sensor detects that the plurality of containers have contacted the floor of the bucket. apparatus. In the container supply device according to claim 3 or claim 4,
Comprising shutter vibration means for vibrating the shutter;
The container supply device, wherein the control means vibrates the shutter by the shutter vibration means when the shutter is closed. In the container supply device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
A discharge means for blowing off the plurality of containers by discharging air toward the opening of the shutter;
The container supply device, wherein the control means causes the discharge means to discharge air when the shutter is closed. In the container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The container supply device, wherein the dropping means drops the plurality of containers onto the storage means by inclining the pallet so as to descend toward the storage means side. In the container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The container dropping device drops the plurality of containers onto the storage unit by discharging air toward the storage unit along the upper surface of the pallet. In the container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Moving means for moving the holding means along a predetermined direction;
The pallet has the plurality of accommodating portions formed to be aligned along the predetermined direction,
The control means drops the plurality of containers held by the holding means toward the upper surface of the pallet when the holding means is moved by the moving means. . In the container supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The holding means is
A main body for holding the plurality of containers;
A container supply device, comprising: a guide member that is attached to the main body portion and guides the container so as to drop toward the center of the housing portion of the pallet. The container supply device according to claim 10, wherein
The guide member is formed in a rail shape that is inclined so as to descend from the base end portion attached to the main body portion toward the tip end portion on the pallet side, and toward the center of the housing portion of the pallet. A container supply device having a groove for sliding and guiding the container. The container supply device according to claim 11,
The container is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and has a flange at the top,
The guide member is
Protruding from the tip on the pallet side along the direction of guiding the container, and a pair of protruding pieces provided on both sides of the groove,
An interval between the pair of projecting pieces is wider than an outer diameter of the container and narrower than an outer diameter of a flange of the container. The container supply device according to claim 12,
The distance between the pair of protruding pieces becomes wider toward the tip on the pallet side, and the distance between the tips is wider than the outer diameter of the container and narrower than the outer diameter of the flange of the container. Container supply device.

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