JP2016141546A - Cap supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap supply device which enables easy input work of tube parts and efficiently transfers caps having a tube in a standing state.SOLUTION: A cap supply device 100 includes: an endless conveyor 20; and an inclined plane 30 and transfers caps 10 having a tube in a predetermined transfer direction DR. The endless conveyor 20 has a transfer surface 22 driven in the transfer direction DR and transfers the caps 10 having the tube placed on the transfer surface 22. The inclined plane 30 is disposed along the transfer direction DR and formed inclining downward toward the transfer surface 22. The inclined plane 30 is fixedly installed spaced a predetermined width space W away from the transfer surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20 and slidably supports the transferred caps 10 having the tube.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cap supply device that transports a cap with a tube, and a method for manufacturing a container with a cap.

  A capped container in which a hollow container is filled with various liquid contents is provided. The contents include, for example, cleaning agents such as shampoos and hand soaps, detergents for tableware and residential use, cosmetics such as lotions and hair conditioners, hair conditioners, hair restorers, insecticides, clothing pastes, edible oils And a wide variety of foods such as seasonings. As a kind of cap attached to the mouth and neck of a hollow container, a cap with a tube is provided in which a tube portion through which a liquid content passes is integrated. The tube part of the cap with a tube is called a dip tube, etc., and the contents can be discharged by inserting the cap into the mouth and neck of the hollow container while it is immersed in the liquid contents. In this state, the hollow container is sealed.

  Caps with tubes are classified into a plurality of types such as pump-type caps and trigger-type caps according to the mode of discharge operation. The pump type cap is equipped with a valve mechanism inside the tube part. By pushing down the nozzle on the head of the cap, the contents are discharged from the nozzle in the form of a liquid or foam or mist. It is a cap. Pump-type caps are often used for applications such as shampoos, hand soaps, and hair conditioners that discharge contents with relatively high viscosity. On the other hand, the trigger-type cap is a cap provided with a lever and a nozzle on the cap head, and the contents are discharged from the nozzle by pulling the lever with a fingertip. Trigger type caps are often used in applications in which contents with relatively low viscosity, such as detergents and garment glues, are changed into mist or foam.

  In the production process for mass production of capped containers filled with contents, the contents are filled into a hollow container with an automated filling device, and a tube is attached to the neck of the hollow container using a cap fastening device. Generally, a cap is screwed on. For this reason, the cap with a tube is continuously supplied to the cap fastening device in parallel with the step of filling the contents into the hollow container. Here, in order to handle the cap with the tube by the cap fastening device, it is required to supply the cap with the tube in alignment. However, in addition to the long dip tube, the heads of the pump-type cap and trigger-type cap are heavy and have various shapes, so it is difficult to handle the cap with the tube. In other words, the center of gravity of the cap with a tube is biased upward toward the head, and depending on the nozzle shape, the center of gravity of the cap is located at a position greatly deviated laterally from the center line of the tube. It is hard to keep the state toward. Furthermore, the head of the cap with a tube may be decorated such as plating, and if it is aligned and supplied using a vibration type parts feeder, which is a general alignment and supply device, vibrations in the feeder and The decorative part may be damaged by the impact.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes a cap supply device in which one of a pair of endless conveyors is horizontally disposed and the other is inclined. More specifically, the other endless conveyor is disposed so as to incline downward toward the one endless conveyor disposed horizontally. And by driving a pair of endless conveyors at the same speed, the tube part of the cap with a tube can be suspended and conveyed in an upright state with the cap head supported by the upper surface (conveying surface) of the endless conveyor. . According to the cap supply device of Patent Document 1, the cap head simply slides down on the upper surface of the other endless conveyor inclined by its own weight by simply inserting the tube portion into the gap between the pair of endless conveyors. It is supported on the transfer surface of the one endless conveyor. For this reason, it is possible to efficiently align and supply caps with tubes in an upright state.

JP 2010-89883 A

  However, the cap supply device of Patent Document 1 still has room for improvement from the viewpoint of ease of work for putting the tube portion into the gap between the pair of endless conveyors. That is, when throwing a tube part in the space | gap part of a pair of endless conveyors, there exists a subject that a tube part becomes easy to be repelled in any of the endless conveyor arrange | positioned horizontally and the endless conveyor arrange | positioned inclined. When the cap with a tube is bounced by the endless conveyor, it is necessary to re-insert the tube portion into the gap portion, which makes it difficult to increase the operator's input efficiency.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. The cap supply device and the cap-equipped container capable of efficiently feeding the cap with the tube in an upright state are easy. The manufacturing method which manufactures automatically is provided.

  The present invention relates to a cap supply device that transports a cap with a tube in a predetermined transport direction, has a transport surface driven in the transport direction, and transfers the cap with a tube placed on the transport surface And an inclined surface formed along the conveying direction and inclined downward toward the conveying surface, wherein the inclined surface is spaced from the conveying surface of the endless conveyor by a predetermined width interval. The cap with a tube is slidably supported by being fixedly installed at a distance from each other so that the cap with a tube can be efficiently conveyed in an upright state.

  The present invention also relates to a manufacturing method of a cap-equipped container including a cap with a tube and a hollow container main body, and is arranged along a conveying surface driven in a predetermined conveying direction and inclined downward toward the conveying surface. The lower end of the tube portion of the cap with tube is brought into contact with or in proximity to the inclined surface formed as described above, and the tube portion is slid along the inclined surface. An insertion step of inserting the tube portion into the gap portion between the lower end, and a cap portion of the cap with the tube into which the tube portion is inserted supported by the transport surface and the inclined surface, at least the A conveying step of conveying in the conveying direction using a conveying surface; a filling step of filling the hollow container body with liquid content; and Inserting the tube portion of the cap with a tube into the container body portion filled with the contents, and further mounting the cap portion on the mouth and neck portion of the container body portion. The container is manufactured efficiently.

  In the above invention, the fact that the inclined surface is fixedly installed means that the inclined surface is stationary with respect to an operator (may be a human or a working robot) who puts in a cap with a tube. For example, when the worker and the cap supply device are stationary on the fixed floor, the inclined surface is also stationary.

  In the cap supply device of the present invention, since the inclined surface is fixedly installed, the tube portion is not repelled by the inclined surface, and the tube portion is simply slid along the inclined surface, and the inclined surface and the transport surface of the endless conveyor are A tube part can be thrown into the space | gap part in between. For this reason, according to the cap supply apparatus of this invention, the injection | throwing-in operation | work of a tube part is easy and it is possible to convey a cap with a tube efficiently in a standing state. And the container with a cap provided with the cap with a tube and a hollow container main-body part can be efficiently manufactured by using the cap supply apparatus of this invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the cap supply apparatus of 1st embodiment. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 2B is a partial cross-sectional view of the tube support mechanism cut along a horizontal plane passing through the center line CL shown in FIG. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are explanatory views showing the tube portion insertion step. 3A shows a first stage in which the lower end of the tube part is brought into contact with the inclined surface, FIG. 3B shows a second stage in which the tube part is put into the gap part, and FIG. 3C shows a cap. The 3rd step which mounts a part on a conveyance surface is shown. Fig.4 (a) is a front view of the 1st example of a cap with a tube, FIG.4 (b) is the side view. FIG.4 (c) is a front view of the 2nd example of a cap with a tube, FIG.4 (d) is the side view. FIG. 5A is a schematic front view illustrating the inclination angle of the inclined surface according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a schematic front view illustrating the inclination angle of a modified example of the inclined surface. Fig.6 (a) is a side surface schematic diagram explaining the 1st example of the upper end part of a supporting member, and FIG.6 (b) is a side surface schematic diagram explaining the conveyance state of a cap with a tube. FIG. 7A is a schematic side view showing a first example of the support member, FIG. 7B is a schematic side view showing a second example of the support member, and FIG. It is a side surface schematic diagram which shows three examples. FIG. 8A is a schematic side view showing a fourth example of the support member, and FIG. 8B is a schematic side view showing a fifth example of the support member. 9A is a schematic side view illustrating a second example of the upper end portion of the support member, and FIG. 9B is a schematic side view illustrating a third example of the upper end portion of the support member. (C) is a side surface schematic diagram explaining the 4th example of the upper end part of a support member, and Drawing 9 (d) is a side surface schematic diagram explaining the 5th example of the upper end part of a support member. FIG. 10A is a schematic side view for explaining a first example of the lower end of the tube part, and FIG. 10B is a schematic side view for explaining a second example of the lower end of the tube part. ) Is a schematic side view illustrating a third example of the lower end of the tube portion, and FIG. 10D is a schematic side view illustrating a fourth example of the lower end of the tube portion. FIG. 11A is a schematic side view illustrating a state where the lower end of the tube portion interferes with the upper end portion of the support member, and FIG. 11B is a schematic side view illustrating a state where the tube portion avoids the support member. is there. It is a top view explaining the usage condition of a cap supply apparatus. It is a top view explaining the modification of a cap supply apparatus. FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram for explaining a filling step in the method for manufacturing a container with a cap, FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram for explaining a mounting step, and FIG. 14C is a diagram with a manufactured cap. It is a figure which shows a container. Fig.15 (a) is a perspective view of the cap supply apparatus of 2nd embodiment. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the cap supply apparatus of 3rd embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the cap supply apparatus of 4th embodiment. It is a perspective view of the cap supply apparatus of 5th embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cap supply device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, an outline of the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, the direction along the transport direction DR may be referred to as the front-rear direction of the cap supply device 100, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction DR may be referred to as the width direction of the cap supply device 100. In addition, the front side in the transport direction DR may be referred to as the downstream side of the cap supply device 100, and the rear side in the transport direction DR may be referred to as the upstream side of the cap supply device 100.

  The cap supply device 100 of the present embodiment is a device that transports the tube cap 10 in a predetermined transport direction DR. The cap supply device 100 includes an endless conveyor 20 and an inclined surface 30. The endless conveyor 20 has a transport surface 22 that is driven in the transport direction DR, and transports the cap 10 with a tube placed on the transport surface 22. The inclined surface 30 is arranged along the transport direction DR and is formed to be inclined downward toward the transport surface 22. The inclined surface 30 is fixedly installed with a predetermined width interval W apart from the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20 and slidably supports the cap 10 with the tube being transported.

  Next, the cap supply apparatus 100 will be described in detail. The cap supply device 100 is a device that continuously supplies a large number of caps 10 with tubes to a cap fastening device (not shown) disposed in front of the conveyance direction DR, in other words, a transfer device for the caps 10 with tubes. is there.

  In the present embodiment, an example is illustrated in which the conveyance direction DR indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 1 is a linear direction. That is, the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 have a belt shape extending linearly along the conveyance direction DR. However, instead of the present embodiment, in at least a part of the cap supply device 100, the transport direction DR may be curved or bent, and the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 may be curved or bent along the transport direction DR. Good.

  When the tube portion 14 (dip tube) of the cap 10 with the tube is inserted into the gap portion V between the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30, the cap portion 12 of the cap 10 with the tube is placed on the transport surface 22. At this time, the cap portion 12 is slidably supported by the inclined surface 30. That is, the cap 10 with a tube is transported with a transport force applied by the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20 in a state where the cap portion 12 is supported across the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. The cap portion 12 is transferred while sliding on the inclined surface 30.

  Since the inclined surface 30 is fixedly installed, the lower end 15 (see each drawing in FIG. 3) of the tube portion 14 is not repelled by the inclined surface 30 when the tube portion 14 is inserted, so that the cap 10 with a tube can be inserted. Suitable. For this reason, even if it is the cap 10 with a tube in which it is easy to become unstable to support and convey the head side, such as the cap part 12 provided with the nozzle 13 is heavier than the tube part 14, it is thrown into the cap supply apparatus 100 in particular. Immediately after that, it can be stably conveyed without falling.

  The insertion of the tube portion 14 into the gap portion V may be performed by an operator (human) hand, or may be performed by a mechanical device such as a work robot. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a mode in which the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with the tube is thrown into the gap portion V by an operator's hand will be exemplarily described. The tube part 14 is thrown in the substantially downward direction in the vertical direction, as shown as the throwing direction PD in FIG.

  The tube cap 10 in which the tube portion 14 is inserted into the gap portion V may be transferred in the transport direction DR only by the frictional force applied to the cap portion 12 from the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20, or other biasing force. Further conveying force may be applied by the means or the driving means. Among these, the cap supply apparatus 100 of the present embodiment further includes a tube support mechanism 60 that is driven at substantially the same speed as the transport surface 22 along the transport direction DR. At least a part of the tube support mechanism 60 (support member 64) is installed below the transport surface 22 and at a height position of the tube portion 14 inserted between the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. Yes. Thereby, the tube support mechanism 60 supports the tube part 14.

  The tube support mechanism 60 of this embodiment includes an endless belt 62 and a support member 64. The endless belt 62 is a member that is disposed below at least one of the conveying surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 and is driven to rotate. The support member 64 is a member that is detachably attached to the endless belt 62 and is driven to rotate, and supports the tube portion 14 from the front side or the rear side in the transport direction DR.

  The tube support mechanism 60 further includes vertical rolls 77 and 78 that drive the endless belt 62 to circulate. The vertical rolls 77 and 78 are rotationally driven by a drive unit 76 (see FIG. 2A) and a gear structure (not shown). The support member 64 is provided to protrude outward from each of a plurality of locations of the endless belt 62.

The tube support mechanism 60 (support member 64) is driven in the same direction as the transport direction DR at substantially the same speed as the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20. The support member 64 moves in the transport direction DR at substantially the same speed as the transport surface 22 below the gap V between the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. More specifically, the support member 64 may be driven at a slightly higher speed than the transport surface 22, may be driven at the same speed, or may be driven at a slightly lower speed. Here, when the driving speed of the support member 64 is excessively larger than the feed speed of the transport surface 22, for example, 150% or more of the feed speed of the transport surface 22, the frictional force between the transport surface 22 and the cap portion 12 is. May not be a force for transporting the cap 10 with a tube in the transport direction DR, but rather may be a drag force that prevents the support member 64 from being driven, that is, transported. In addition, there is a concern that the driving force from the support member 64 becomes excessive and the cap portion 12 tilts backward in the transport direction DR.
On the other hand, in the cap supply device 100 according to the present embodiment, the support member 64 is moved from the moving speed of the cap 10 with a tube that is transported by the transport force of the transport surface 22 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “surface transport speed”). Further, the support member 64 catches up with the tube portion 14 from the rear side in the transport direction DR. Thereby, the support member 64 presses and drives the tube part 14 toward the front side of the conveyance direction DR.

  Here, the above-described surface conveyance speed is the moving speed of the tube-equipped cap 10 when the tube-equipped cap 10 is conveyed by the endless conveyor 20 without using the tube support mechanism 60. Is also slow. When the cap with tube 10 moves relative to the transport surface 22 without sliding backward, the surface transport speed of the cap with tube 10 becomes equal to the feed speed of the transport surface 22. On the other hand, the surface conveyance speed of the tube-equipped cap 10 may be slower than the conveyance speed of the conveyance surface 22 due to a slight frictional force applied to the cap portion 12 from the inclined surface 30 that is fixedly installed. In this case, by driving the support member 64 at substantially the same speed as the endless conveyor 20, the support member 64 catches up with the tube cap 10 from the rear side and supports the tube portion 10 from the rear side in the transport direction DR. 14 is stable. Moreover, since both the conveyance surface 22 and the support member 64 apply conveyance force to the cap 10 with a tube, the cap 10 with a tube can be conveyed stably.

  Conversely, the support member 64 may be driven slower than the surface conveyance speed of the cap 10 with the tube. As a result, the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with the tube catches up and comes into contact with the tube support mechanism 60 one front in the transport direction DR from the rear side. And since the support member 64 moves to the conveyance direction DR, supporting this in the state which contacted the front side with respect to the tube part 14, the attitude | position of the cap 10 with a tube is stabilized. That is, the support member 64 functions as means for supporting the tube portion 14 and maintaining the posture of the cap 10 with the tube.

  Specifically, the tube support mechanism 60 (support member 64) being substantially the same speed as the transport surface 22 means that the tube support mechanism 60 is in the transport direction DR at a speed of 80% or more and 120% or less with respect to the transport surface 22. To move to. The drive speed of the tube support mechanism 60 (support member 64) is more preferably 90% or more and 110% or less with respect to the feed speed of the transport surface 22.

  The endless conveyor 20 is a belt-like member that is wound around a plurality of rolls and continuously driven to rotate. The endless conveyor 20 includes an advancing portion 27 that is driven in the conveying direction DR and has a conveying surface 22 on the upper surface, and a return portion 28 that is provided below the advancing portion 27 and is driven in a direction different from the conveying direction DR. It has a circular shape that includes it. In FIG. 1, although the aspect which rotationally drives the endless conveyor 20 with the 1st roll 23 or the 2nd roll 24 is illustrated, the number of rolls is not restricted to this. The first roll 23 or the second roll 24 is rotationally driven by a drive unit 26 (see FIG. 12) and a gear structure (not shown). The rotation axes of the first roll 23 and the second roll 24 are parallel to each other and extend in the horizontal direction.

  The upper surface of the endless conveyor 20 constitutes a transport surface 22 on which the cap portion 12 of the tube cap 10 is placed. The conveying surface 22 of the present embodiment extends substantially in the horizontal plane. However, the conveying surface 22 may be slightly inclined as long as sufficient vertical drag and frictional force can be applied to the cap portion 12, that is, as long as the conveying surface 22 is provided substantially horizontally. Good.

  The type of endless conveyor 20 is not particularly limited, and a belt conveyor, a top chain conveyor, or the like can be used. The belt conveyor is preferable because it is inexpensive, easy to perform maintenance such as cleaning and replacement, and the belt material can be selected from a large number. On the other hand, a top chain conveyor whose conveying surface is a resin plate or a metal plate is preferable because the conveying surface 22 is not easily damaged even by a collision with the cap 10 with a tube.

  The material of the belt of the endless conveyor 20 and the surface characteristics of the transport surface 22 are not particularly limited, but preferably have a slight slipperiness. Even if there is a difference between the drive speed of the support member 64 of the tube support mechanism 60 and the feed speed of the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20, the cap portion 12 of the tube cap 10 slightly slides on the transport surface 22. Therefore, stable conveyance is possible. Moreover, when the conveyance surface 22 has slipperiness, the cap portion 12 is moved by a guide member 25 (see FIG. 12), which will be described later, fixedly installed on the inclined surface 30 or the cap supply device 100 while being conveyed on the conveyance surface 22. It becomes possible to adjust the direction of the nozzle 13 by rotating. In addition, the material of the belt of the endless conveyor 20 may be a material having a high surface grip force. Specifically, a material such as a sponge that can be recessed and deformed by its own weight, such as a sponge, or an adhesive material may be used. Thereby, stability of cap 10 with a tube at the time of conveyance can be improved.

  The feed speed of the endless conveyor 20 is preferably 2 m / min or more. As a result, the cap 10 with the tube is quickly conveyed in the conveying direction DR, and the cap 10 with the tube previously charged does not get in the way of the next charging operation, and the next cap 10 with the tube can be immediately loaded. Is possible. Moreover, the feed speed of the endless conveyor 20 is preferably 15 m / min or less. With this speed, the operator can easily place the cap portion 12 of the tube cap 10 inserted into the gap portion V on the transport surface 22. However, in the case where the cap 10 with the tube is introduced by a mechanical device such as a work robot, the feed speed of the endless conveyor 20 may be a speed exceeding 15 m / min.

  The inclined surface 30 is a flat surface or a curved surface that is fixedly arranged along the conveyance direction DR and is inclined downward in the width direction toward the conveyance surface 22. The inclined surface 30 is a smooth surface formed with lower friction than the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20. Thereby, when the cap 10 with a tube is transferred by the conveyance force applied to the cap part 12 from the conveyance surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20, the cap part 12 slides on the surface of the inclined surface 30 more smoothly. Here, the inclined surface 30 being a smooth surface means that no significant unevenness is formed in the region of the inclined surface 30 that contacts the cap portion 12 of the cap 10 with a tube. That is, the inclined surface 30 is a smooth plane or curved surface.

  More specifically, the inclined surface 30 of the present embodiment has a flat surface with a uniform inclination angle θ (see FIG. 5A). Since the inclined surface 30 is flat, the operator can put the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 into the gap portion V while sliding down the inclined surface 30. A preferable inclination angle of the inclined surface 30 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The material of the inclined surface 30 is not particularly limited. As an example, a metal plate such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy having a smooth surface; fluororesin, polyacetal resin (POM), or ultrahigh molecular polyethylene (trade name: Neulite Etc.) can be broadly cited: smooth resin materials such as, etc .; laminates in which resin materials, metal materials and smooth tape materials are stuck; metal materials whose surfaces have been subjected to smoothing treatment (coating treatment);

  It is preferable that the inclined surface 30 is configured to be removable from the cap supply device 100. Thereby, the maintainability of not only the inclined surface 30 but also the tube support mechanism 60 disposed below the inclined surface 30 is improved.

  The inclined surface 30 may be a flat surface or a curved surface as a whole, or a guide groove (not shown) extending in the width direction above the cap portion 12 of the cap with tube 10 inserted into the gap portion V. May be formed. Thereby, it is possible to guide the operation of sliding the tube portion 14 straight along the inclined surface 30 in the width direction, and to prevent the cap portion 12 conveyed by the conveying surface 22 from interfering with the guide groove. .

  Here, with reference to each figure of FIG. 4, the cap 10 with a tube conveyed with the cap supply apparatus 100 is demonstrated.

  FIG. 4A is a front view of a first example of the tube cap 10 conveyed by the cap supply device 100, and FIG. 4B is a side view thereof. FIG.4 (c) is a front view of the 2nd example of the cap 10 with a tube, FIG.4 (d) is the side view.

  In the cap 10 with the tube of the first example shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the tube portion 14 hangs linearly from the cap portion 12. Inside the tube portion 14, a valve mechanism (not shown) and a raising mechanism such as a spring for raising the nozzle 13 are provided. The nozzle 13 is rotated with respect to the cap portion 12 to unlock the nozzle 13 to be lifted, and is lifted up by the lifting mechanism and sucked from the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 (see FIG. 14). Is stored in the cap. When the user pushes down the raised nozzle 13 toward the cap portion 12, the contents 19 in the tube cap 10 are discharged from the nozzle 13. As an example of the cap 10 with a tube of the first example, a mode in which the tip of the nozzle 13 protrudes outward from the diameter D of the cap portion 12 is illustrated. It may be formed inside. In the case of the cap 10 with a tube that discharges the medium-viscosity contents 19 such as a shampoo or a conditioner, the outer diameter T of the tube portion 14 can be set to, for example, about 9 mm to 14 mm. Moreover, in the case of the cap 10 with a tube which discharges the low-viscosity content 19 close | similar to water, the outer diameter T of the tube part 14 can be about 2 mm or more and 6 mm or less, for example. Thus, the outer diameter T of the tube portion 14 is appropriately selected depending on the liquid physical properties, the discharge amount, and the like.

  In the cap 10 with the tube of the second example shown in FIG. 4C and FIG. 4D, the tube portion 14 hangs linearly from the cap portion 12. Inside the tube portion 14, as in the second example, a valve mechanism (not shown) and a raising mechanism such as a spring for raising the nozzle 13 are provided. The nozzle 13 is pulled up by the raising mechanism, and the user pushes the nozzle 13 down toward the cap portion 12 and the nozzle rises by the raising mechanism, whereby the liquid content 19 sucked from the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is obtained. (See FIG. 14) is stored in the cap 10 with a tube. When the user pushes down the raised nozzle 13 toward the cap portion 12 again, the contents 19 in the tube cap 10 are discharged from the nozzle 13. In the first example, the mode in which the tip of the nozzle 13 protrudes outward from the diameter D of the cap portion 12 is illustrated. However, the nozzle 13 of the cap 10 with the tube of the second example has a diameter D of the cap portion 12. It is formed inside. Since the tube portion 14 of the second example has a small diameter, the cap portion 12 including the nozzle 13 is heavier than the tube portion 14 and generally supports the head (cap portion 12) side to convey the cap 10 with a tube. Although it tends to be unstable, it can be stably conveyed by the cap supply device 100 of the present embodiment.

  In the cap 10 with the tube of the third example shown in FIGS. 4E and 4F, the tube portion 14 depending from the cap portion 12 is gently bent. Moreover, the cap 10 with a tube of the 3rd example is provided with the lever 13a in the lower part of the nozzle 13. FIG. By pulling the lever 13a with a finger, the liquid content 19 sucked up from the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is discharged in the form of liquid, foam or mist. The tube portion 14 is bent in the direction in which the nozzle 13 and the lever 13a protrude (left side in FIG. 4 (f)). When inserting the bent tube portion 14 into the gap portion V (see FIG. 1), the cap portion 12 is tilted so that the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is inserted vertically downward with respect to the gap portion V. The tube portion 14 may be inserted into the gap portion V from the lower end 15 by gripping. Further, in the cap 10 with the tube of the third example, the protruding direction of the nozzle 13 and the lever 13a is parallel to the support member 64 (see the respective drawings in FIG. 3), that is, faces the width direction of the cap supply device 100. It is good to carry. Thereby, the dimension of the cap 10 with a tube regarding the conveyance direction DR can be made small, and the space | interval of the support member 64 can be shortened. Further, since the tube portion 14 is bent in a plane parallel to the support member 64, the support member 64 can support substantially the entire tube portion 14. For this reason, it can prevent that the cap 10 with a tube of the 3rd example rocks | fluctuates back and forth in the conveyance direction DR, and becomes unstable. Moreover, since the tube part 14 is thin, the cap part 12 provided with the nozzle 13 is heavier than the tube part 14 and generally tends to be unstable while supporting the head side. It can be transported stably.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the width interval W of the gap portion V between the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 is smaller than the diameter D of the cap portion 12 of the cap 10 with a tube and the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with a tube 10. It is larger than the outer diameter T. The width interval W is the width dimension of the gap V in the plan view of the cap supply device 100, in other words, the interval in plan view between the lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30 and the transport surface 22. By setting the width interval W in the above range, the insertion of the tube portion 14 into the gap portion V is not hindered, and the cap portion 12 can be supported across the conveying surface 22 and the inclined surface 30.

  More specifically, the width interval W between the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 is preferably about 1.2 times to 3.0 times the outer diameter T of the tube portion 14. The tube part 14 can be easily inserted in the space part V by setting it to 1.2 times or more. Moreover, by setting it as 3.0 times or less, it can prevent that the cap part 12 inclines by the positional relationship with the inclined surface 30 during conveyance of the cap 10 with a tube, and conveys the cap 10 with a tube stably. Can do. Further, the width interval W is smaller than the diameter D of the cap portion 12, and preferably 0.9 times or less of the diameter D. Thereby, even if the cap part 12 inclines during conveyance, it is prevented that the cap part 12 falls in the space part V.

  The width interval W between the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 is preferably substantially constant over the entire length region in the transport direction DR. Thereby, the conveyance conditions of the cap 10 with a tube are equalized upstream and downstream of the cap supply apparatus 100. However, as will be described later in the fifth embodiment, the width interval W between the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 may be arranged so as to gradually become narrower in the conveyance direction DR. Accordingly, the width interval W on the upstream side (upstream region 92: see FIG. 18) in which the cap 10 with a tube is inserted in the cap supply device 100 is increased to facilitate the insertion work, and the downstream side (downstream region 94). : Refer to FIG. 18), and the cap 10 with a tube can be stably transported.

  2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG.2 (b) is the fragmentary sectional view which cut | disconnected the tube support mechanism 60 in the horizontal surface which passes the centerline CL of the thickness direction of the endless conveyor 20 shown to Fig.2 (a). 2B, the endless belt 62 and the support member 64 of the tube support mechanism 60 are illustrated, and the tube portion 14 that is supported and driven from the rear (upper side in FIG. 2B) by the support member 64. FIG. FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cap supply device 100 viewed from the front in the transport direction DR. The lower part of FIG. 2B corresponds to the front in the transport direction DR. In this embodiment, the aspect which drives the support member 64 at a speed higher than the surface conveyance speed of the cap 10 with a tube mentioned above is illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30 is located below the transport surface 22. Thereby, the lower end edge 32 can sink under the cap part 12 of the cap 10 with a tube, and the cap part 12 can be supported by the inclined surface 30. The cap portion 12 of the cap with tube 10 is horizontally supported by the conveying surface 22 and the inclined surface 30, and the tube portion 14 hangs down in the vertical direction.

  The lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30 is located below the conveying surface 22 in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm. Since the lower end edge 32 is located 2 mm or more below the conveying surface 22, it is possible to prevent the cap portion 12 from falling into the gap portion V even when the cap portion 12 is inclined. Further, since the lower end edge 32 is positioned below the transport surface 22 within a range of 5 mm or less, the support member 64 of the tube support mechanism 60 and the lower end edge 32 are prevented from interfering with each other.

  The inclined surface 30 is provided on the support base 36. The inclined surface 30 may be one surface of the support table 36 made of the same material as the support table 36, or the inclined surface 30 may be made of a member different from the support table 36 and fixed to the support table 36. . The support base 36 is fixedly installed on the cap supply device 100. However, that the support base 36 is fixedly installed means that it is possible to generate a relative speed with the endless conveyor 20 being conveyed, and the position and orientation of the support base 36 can be adjusted. It does not exclude what is there. In other words, if the inclined surface 30 is fixedly installed, the width interval W between the inclined surface 30 and the transport surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20 is appropriately determined according to the type of the container 18 with a cap (see FIG. 14C). It does not exclude what can be changed.

  The cap supply device 100 according to the present embodiment preferably includes an elevating mechanism 52 that adjusts the height of the inclined surface 30 with respect to the conveying surface 22. The elevating mechanism 52 is a means for changing the relative position in the height direction HD between the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. The elevating mechanism 52 may be provided on the inclined surface 30 or may be provided on the endless conveyor 20. FIG. 2A illustrates a mode in which the lifting mechanism 52 is provided on the support base 36. The elevating mechanism 52 can adjust the orientation of the support base 36 around the transport direction DR, in addition to adjusting the support base 36 up and down. Thereby, the height of the lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30 and the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 30 (see each drawing in FIG. 5) can be changed. Even if the width interval W is unchanged, the position of the line of intersection between the horizontal plane to which the conveying surface 22 belongs and the inclined surface 30 is separated from the conveying surface 22 by lowering the lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30. For this reason, when conveying the cap 10 with a tube with the large diameter D of the cap part 12, it is good to drive the raising / lowering mechanism 52 and to lower the inclined surface 30. On the contrary, when conveying the cap 10 with a tube with the small diameter D of the cap part 12, it is good to raise the inclined surface 30. FIG. Further, the tube portion 14 can be slid along the inclined surface 30 at a high speed by increasing the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 30. As described above, the cap supply device 100 includes the elevating mechanism 52, so that the tube portion can be compared with the conditions for stable conveyance of the cap 10 with the tube and the gap portion V with the width interval W between the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. Conditions such as an optimum angle for inserting 14 from the lower end 15 can be easily determined. In addition, when the cap 10 with a tube is slid along the inclined surface 30, the tube portion 14 does not necessarily have to be in contact with the inclined surface 30. The tube part 14 may slide down maintaining the state which adjoined to the inclined surface 30, ie, contacting and leaving | separating the inclined surface 30 intermittently.

  Next, the tube support mechanism 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2B, a large number of engaging portions 66 are discretely arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the endless belt 62 of the tube support mechanism 60. The engaging portion 66 is a concavo-convex portion that is driven by being engaged with the vertical roll 77, and is continuously formed inside the endless belt 62. The support member 64 included in the tube support mechanism 60 includes a mounting part 70, a base part 72, and a plate-like part 74. The mounting part 70 is a part that is detachably mounted to an arbitrary engaging part 66. The base portion 72 is a portion that is detachably fixed to the mounting portion 70. The plate-like part 74 is a part that is integrally formed with the base part 72 and drives the tube part 14. As a modification of the present embodiment, a sprocket may be provided on the vertical roll 77, and the endless belt 62 may be a chain that can be attached to the support member 64.

  In the cap supply device 100 of the present embodiment, a plurality of mounting portions 70 are disposed on the endless belt 62 with an appropriate interval SP (see FIG. 6 described later). A base 72 of a plate-like portion 74 is fixed to the mounting portion 70 using a fixing screw 79 or the like. The plate-like portion 74 of the tube support mechanism 60 is intermittently arranged at a predetermined interval SP to drive the tube portion 14, thereby preventing the cap 10 with a tube from falling during the conveyance and providing a sufficient conveyance force. It can give to the cap 10 with a tube.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the upper end portion 75 of the plate-like portion 74 is formed so as to protrude above the base portion 72. That is, the plate-like portion 74 of the present embodiment is substantially L-shaped. As a result, the plate-like portion 74 can be driven by supporting and pressing the relatively upper portion of the tube portion 14 by the plate-like portion 74 without interfering with the first roll 23 and the support base 36 of the endless conveyor 20. Thereby, it is prevented that the tube part 14 and the cap part 12 incline backward of the conveyance direction DR with the drive force of the support member 64 (plate-shaped part 74).

  The outermost edge of the plate portion 74 reaches a position exceeding the center line of the tube portion 14 so that the plate portion 74 can support the tube portion 14 with certainty. Here, the outermost edge is the most distal side of the plate-like portion 74 viewed from the endless belt 62 in the horizontal direction.

  The mounting portion 70 of the tube support mechanism 60 is detachably mounted to the endless belt 62 using a fixing means (not shown) such as a fixing screw or a latch engaging portion. The plate-like portion 74 may be fixed to the front of the mounting portion 70 in the transport direction DR, or may be fixed to the rear as shown in FIG. However, instead of this embodiment, the mounting portion 70 may be fixed to the endless belt 62 so as not to be detachable.

  Only one set of the tube support mechanism 60 of the present embodiment is provided below the inclined surface 30. In other words, the support member 64 is driven by one endless belt 62 that is driven to rotate. The endless belt 62 is driven around by the drive unit 76. The drive unit 76 optionally drives the vertical rolls 77 and 78 through a reduction gear structure (not shown). The rotating shafts of the vertical rolls 77 and 78 extend in the vertical direction. The endless belt 62 is driven around by the vertical rolls 77 and 78 in a vertically upright state.

  The type of the drive unit 76 is not particularly limited, and a general motor, an inverter motor, a servo motor, an air motor, or the like can be used. The drive unit 76 is configured to be able to adjust the speed of the endless belt 62. Thereby, the drive speed of the supporting member 64 suitable for inserting the tube part 14 in the space | gap part V is realizable.

  The installation position of the tube support mechanism 60 with respect to the cap supply device 100 can be adjusted in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2A). Specifically, a moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the axial center position of the vertical rolls 77 and 78 in the width direction may be provided in the tube support mechanism 60, or an endless belt at an intermediate portion of the vertical rolls 77 and 78. You may provide the tension | tensile_strength provision mechanism (not shown) which stretches 62 to the outward of the width direction.

  The tube support mechanism 60 may be mounted on a movable base common to the inclined surface 30 and both may be driven simultaneously in the width direction, or the tube support mechanism 60 and the inclined surface 30 are configured to be individually movable in the width direction. May be. Further, the inclined surface 30 is fixedly installed in the width direction, and the width interval W of the gap V between the inclined surface 30 and the conveying surface 22 is adjusted by the width adjusting mechanism 50 (see FIG. 12) of the endless conveyor 20. Also good.

  A smooth plate material can be used for the plate-like portion 74 of the support member 64. Although the material of the plate-shaped part 74 is not specifically limited, What was illustrated above as a material of the inclined surface 30 can be selected arbitrarily and used. The plate-like portion 74 and the inclined surface 30 may use the same material or different materials.

  FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are explanatory views showing the tube portion insertion step. Specifically, FIG. 3A shows a first stage in which the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is brought into contact with the inclined surface 30, and FIG. 3B shows that the tube portion 14 is inserted into the gap portion V from the lower end 15. FIG. 3C shows a third stage in which the cap portion 12 is placed on the transport surface 22. In each figure of FIG. 3, the drive part 76 (refer FIG. 2A) of the tube support mechanism 60 is abbreviate | omitting illustration.

  In the insertion step, the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with the tube is brought into contact with or close to the inclined surface 30, and the tube portion 14 is slid along the inclined surface 30 (first stage), thereby conveying the surface. The tube portion 14 is inserted from the lower end 15 into the gap portion V between 22 and the inclined surface 30 (second stage). And the cap part 12 of the cap 10 with a tube in which the tube part 14 was inserted is mounted ranging over the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 (3rd step). The inclined surface 30 is disposed along the transport surface 22 driven in the predetermined transport direction DR as described above, and is formed to be inclined downward toward the transport surface 22.

  An insertion process is one process in the manufacturing method of the container 18 with a cap mentioned later. In the first stage and the second stage of the insertion process, the operator grips the head (cap portion 12 or nozzle 13) of the cap 10 with the tube by hand. In the first stage, the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is not directly inserted into the gap portion V, but is slid along the inclined surface 30 so as to come into contact with or close to the inclined surface 30. It is good to insert it like dropping into V.

  In the insertion step, the support member 64 of the tube support mechanism 60 is moved in advance in the transport direction DR (the front side of the paper in each drawing of FIG. 3: see FIG. 1) at a constant driving speed. Thereby, as soon as the tube portion 14 is inserted into the gap portion V, the cap 10 with the tube is driven by the support member 64 and is transported in the transport direction DR.

  From the second stage to the third stage, the operator may continue to hold the cap 10 with the tube by hand, or a sufficient length such as about 1/2 of the length of the tube portion 14 is inserted into the gap portion V. At that time, the cap 10 with the tube may be dropped freely by releasing the hand. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in the case of the cap 10 with the tube in which the bulging portion is present on the upper portion of the tube portion 14, the operator manually hands the cap 10 with the tube until the third stage. It is preferable to perform the insertion process so that the gap portion V is securely inserted to the upper end of the tube portion 14.

  In addition, by using the cap supply device 100 of the present embodiment, a method (supply method) is realized in which the cap 10 with a tube is transported in a predetermined transport direction DR and is supplied to a cap fastening device (not shown). This supply method includes an insertion process including the first stage to the third stage described above, and a transport process. In the transporting process, the cap part 12 in the cap with tube 10 into which the tube part 14 is inserted is transported in the transporting direction DR using at least the transporting surface 22 while being supported by the transporting surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. By using 100 of this embodiment, the cap 10 with a tube is driven and conveyed using the supporting member 64 of the tube supporting mechanism 60 together with the conveying surface 22 as described above.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic front view illustrating the inclination angle of the inclined surface according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a schematic front view illustrating the inclination angle of a modified example of the inclined surface. A preferred form of the inclined surface 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 30 with respect to the horizontal plane HP is preferably 25 degrees or more and 80 degrees or less, and more preferably 30 degrees or more and 65 degrees or less. Preferably, it is 35 degrees or more and 55 degrees or less.

  When the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 30 is 25 degrees or more from the horizontal plane, the tube portion 14 is likely to move downward when the tip of the cap with tube 10 is introduced along the inclined surface 30. Further, when the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 30 is set to 80 degrees or less from the horizontal plane, the cap portion 12 of the tube cap 10 inserted in the gap V (see FIG. 1) can be suitably supported by the inclined surface 30 downward. it can. Thereby, it can convey in the state which supported the cap 10 with a tube stably. These effects are more suitably exhibited by setting the inclination angle θ to 30 degrees or more and 55 degrees or less.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the inclined surface 30 of the present embodiment has a flat shape with a uniform inclination angle θ. However, it may be a curved surface in which the inclination angle θ increases as it approaches the conveyance surface 22, as in the inclined surface 30 of the modification shown in FIG. In this modified example, the inclined surface 30 is an upwardly convex curved surface, and the inclined surface 30 becomes steep as it approaches the lower end edge 32. As a result, when the tube portion 14 is slid along the inclined surface 30 in the first stage of the insertion process, the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is quickly moved in the tangential direction of the inclined surface 30 that is a convex curved surface upward. Can move. Further, the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 that slides down is smoothly separated from the inclined surface 30 and introduced into the gap portion V.

  6A is a schematic side view for explaining a first example of the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 (plate-like portion 74: see FIGS. 2A and 2B), and FIG. 6B is a conveyance of the cap 10 with the tube. It is a side surface schematic diagram explaining a state.

  The support member 64 has a thin plate shape. The thickness dimension TP of the support member 64 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.6 times or more the outer diameter T of the tube portion 14 (see FIG. 4A and FIG. 4C). Since the support member 64 has a thickness greater than or equal to a predetermined thickness, even when the lower end 15 of the inserted tube portion 14 collides with the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64, the lower end 15 is locked to the upper end portion 65 and inserted. Without being hindered, the lower end 15 slides down the support member 64 and the tube portion 14 is inserted into the gap portion V. Specifically, the thickness dimension TP of the support member 64 can be about 0.5 mm or more and 5 mm or less as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 is inclined obliquely downward toward at least one side in the transport direction DR or the opposite direction. Thereby, it is reduced that the tube part 14 of the cap 10 with a tube thrown in interferes with the support member 64. FIG.

  More specifically, the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 of the present embodiment includes a slope 68 that slopes downward toward the front in the transport direction DR. Thereby, the tube part 14 of the cap 10 with a tube slides down the slope 68 and is thrown into the front of the support member 64. Further, a flat portion 67 may be formed at the upper end of the upper end portion 65. When the drive speed of the support member 64 is equal to or higher than the feed speed of the transport surface 22, the tube portion 14 placed in contact with the front of the support member 64 is immediately supported and driven in the transport direction DR by the support member 64. Is done. On the contrary, when the driving speed of the support member 64 is lower than the surface conveyance speed of the cap 10 with the tube, an inclined surface 68 inclined downward toward the rear in the conveyance direction DR with respect to the upper end portion 65 may be formed. Thus, the cap 10 with the tube is transported by being driven by the frictional force from the transport surface 22 against the cap portion 12 in a state where the inserted tube portion 14 is applied and supported along the rear side of the support member 64. Is done.

  The thickness dimension (left-right dimension in FIG. 6A) of the flat surface portion 67 of the support member 64 is preferably smaller than the outer diameter T of the tube portion 14 (see FIGS. 4A and 4C). Thereby, the thrown-in tube portion 14 interferes with the flat surface portion 67 and the throwing failure is reduced, and the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 is suppressed from being damaged by the collision with the tube portion 14. . Specifically, the thickness of the flat portion 67 can be set to about 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the inclination angle φ at which the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 is inclined downward can be set to 25 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less. Here, the inclination angle φ of the upper end portion 65 is an average angle of the downward inclination portion when the support member 64 is viewed in the thickness direction as shown in FIGS.

  The spacing SP between the support members 64 can be about 1.2 times or more and 3.0 times or less the outer diameter T of the tube portion 14 (see FIGS. 4A and 4C). By setting the interval SP to 1.2 times or more of the outer diameter T, the probability that the tube portion 14 interferes with the support member 64 is reduced, and the tube portion 14 can be easily put into the gap portion V from the lower end 15. . Further, by setting the interval SP to 3.0 times or less of the outer diameter T, it is possible to prevent the tube cap 10 from tilting or falling over in the transport direction DR.

  Here, the interval SP is a distance between the facing surfaces of the adjacent support members 64 as shown in FIG. The interval SP is larger than the diameter D of the cap portion 12 (see FIGS. 4A and 4C). Accordingly, even when one tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with the tube is accommodated in each of a plurality of continuous intervals SP, the cap portions 12 that are successively conveyed in the front and back may interfere with each other. Absent.

  The height position and height dimension of the support member 64 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

  7A is a schematic side view showing a first example of the support member 64, FIG. 7B is a schematic side view showing a second example of the support member 64, and FIG. 7C is a support member. It is a side surface schematic diagram which shows the 3rd example of 64. FIG. 8A is a schematic side view showing a fourth example of the support member 64, and FIG. 8B is a schematic side view showing a fifth example of the support member 64. 7 and 8, the conveyance direction DR (see FIG. 1) of the cap supply device 100 is the left side.

The support member 64 of the first example shown in FIG. 7A is disposed in a partial height region included in the entire length L1 of the tube portion 14. The height L2 from the lower end of the support member 64 to the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is preferably 50% or less of the total length L1 of the tube portion 14. Thereby, the contact length of the tube part 14 and the supporting member 64 becomes sufficient, and the cap 10 with a tube is conveyed stably, without inclining.
Further, like the support member 64 of the second example shown in FIG. 7B, the lower end of the support member 64 may be substantially the same height as the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14. Thereby, the tube part 14 can be supported and driven using the full height of the support member 64.
Moreover, like the support member 64 of the 3rd example shown in FIG.7 (c), when the lower end of the support member 64 is located below the lower end 15 of the tube part 14, the support exceeding below the lower end 15 is supported. The length L3 of the member 64 is preferably 100% or less of the total length L1. Thereby, the overall height dimension of the cap supply apparatus 100 can be suppressed.

  The height position of the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 is preferably close to the upper end of the tube portion 14 as long as it is below the lower end edge 32. More specifically, the height position of the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 is preferably above the width adjustment mechanism 50% of the entire length L1 of the tube portion 14 with the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 as a reference. In other words, like the support member 64 in the fourth example shown in FIG. 8A, the height L4 from the lower end 15 to the upper end portion 65 of the tube portion 14 is 50% of the width adjusting mechanism 50% of the total length L1 of the tube portion 14. It is preferably larger, more preferably larger than 70% of the mounting portion. Thereby, the contact length of the tube part 14 and the supporting member 64 becomes sufficient, it suppresses that the cap 10 with a tube inclines, and the cap 10 with a tube is conveyed stably. Further, since the upper end portion 65 exists at a high position, the operator can visually confirm the position of the support member 64 (upper end portion 65) when the tube portion 14 is inserted into the gap portion V (see FIG. 1). .

  The upper limit of the height position of the upper end portion 65 is preferably slightly lower than the lower end edge 32. Like the support member 64 of the fifth example shown in FIG. 8B, the height L5 from the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 to the lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30 can be set to 1 mm or more, for example. This prevents the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 from interfering with the lower end edge 32 of the inclined surface 30 even if the assembly tolerance of the cap supply device 100 or a minute deformation of the endless conveyor 20 occurs.

  FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D are schematic side views illustrating second to fifth examples of the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64. In each figure of FIG. 9, the conveyance direction DR is left. That is, each drawing in FIG. 9 is a view of the support member 64 viewed from a direction orthogonal to the transport direction DR (see FIG. 1).

  The upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 according to the second, fourth, and fifth examples shown in FIGS. 9A, 9C, and 9D is transported from the intermediate portion in the thickness direction of the support member 64 to the transport direction DR. It is inclined downward and inclined toward both sides in the opposite direction. More specifically, flat slopes 68a and 68b are formed at the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 of the second example shown in FIG. In this case, the thickness of the flat portion 67 at the upper end sandwiched between the slopes 68a and 68b can be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

9C and 9D, the upper end portion 65 of the support members 64 of the fourth and fifth examples has an upwardly convex arc shape or polygonal shape in a side view orthogonal to the transport direction DR. Is formed. Specifically, the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 of the fourth example shown in FIG. 9C is formed in a semicircular shape. Thereby, even if the lower end 15 of the thrown-in tube part 14 collides with the upper end part 65, the lower end 15 rides on the upper end part 65 and is slid along the arcuate upper end part 65 without being locked.
Further, the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 of the fifth example shown in FIG. 9D is formed in a polygonal shape having an odd number of vertices. By setting the number of vertices to an odd number, a vertex exists at the uppermost end of the upper end portion 65. Thereby, the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 of the fifth example does not have the horizontal plane portion 67 (see FIG. 9A), and the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is less likely to interfere. . Compared with the fourth example in which the upper end portion 65 has an arc shape, the support member 64 of the fifth example in which the upper end portion 65 is formed in a polygonal shape is easy to process and has excellent manufacturability.

  An upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 of the third example shown in FIG. 9B has a curved slope 68 formed in a semicircular arc shape on the rear side in the transport direction DR. By making the inclined surface 68 into a curved surface, the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 can be smoothly slid like the fourth example shown in FIG. Instead of the third example, a curved slope 68 may be formed on the front side in the transport direction DR.

  As described above, the inclination angle φ at which the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 is inclined downward can be set to 25 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less. The inclination angle φ is a downward inclination angle of the upper end portion 65 when the support member 64 is viewed from the horizontal direction (width direction) orthogonal to the transport direction DR. In the case of the support member 64 having the flat surface portion 67 at the upper end portion 65, the average angle of the slope 68 portion excluding the flat surface portion 67 is referred to as the inclination angle φ of the upper end portion 65. Even when the slope 68 is planar as shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 9 (a) and 9 (d), the slope 68 is isolated as shown in FIGS. 9 (b) and 9 (c). The angle of inclination φ is similarly defined.

  Next, the shape of the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10A is a schematic side view illustrating a first example of the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14. FIGS. 10B to 10D are schematic side views illustrating the second to fourth examples of the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14. In each figure, the inner end (not shown) of the tube portion 14 is formed in the lower end 15.

  The lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 of the first example shown in FIG. 10A is cut into a flat surface perpendicular to the center line of the tube portion 14. Further, the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 of the second example shown in FIG. 10B is cut by a flat inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the center line of the tube portion 14.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10C and FIG. 10D, the opening of the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is not blocked by the contact with the hollow inner surface of the container body portion 16 (see FIG. 14). You may form an arc-shaped recessed part in the lower end 15 of the tube part 14 like a 3rd example or a 4th example.

  Specifically, a semicircular concave portion 15a is formed as an isolated concave portion at the center of the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 of the third example shown in FIG. 10C, and the fourth example shown in FIG. In the corner portion of the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14, a partially isolated recess 15 b is formed as an isolated recess. When these isolated recesses are formed at the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14, the recesses are easily locked to the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 when the tube portion 14 is inserted. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the radius of curvature RC of the arc of the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 or the radius R of the inscribed circle of the polygon is an arcuate concave portion formed in the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 ( The radius is preferably larger than the radius RT of the semicircular recess 15a and the partially isolated recess 15b). As a result, the semicircular recess 15a and the partially isolated recess 15b of the tube portion 14 are prevented from being caught by the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64, and slide down from the upper end portion 65 to enter the gap portion V (see FIG. 1). 14 is inserted. Note that the radius of curvature RC of the arc of the upper end portion 65 of the support member 64 or the radius R of the inscribed circle of the polygon is 1.2 times or more the radius RT of the semicircular recess 15a or the partial arcuate recess 15b. preferable. Thereby, even when the lower end 15 collides with the upper end portion 65 when the tube portion 14 is inserted and the lower end 15 is elastically expanded and deformed, the semicircular recess portion 15a and the partial arc-shaped recess portion 15b can be locked with the upper end portion 65. Is prevented.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view illustrating a usage mode of the cap supply device 100 of the present embodiment.

  The cap supply device 100 of the present embodiment is provided with a second transport surface 82 that is installed in parallel with the first transport surface 22 and at substantially the same height in front of the inclined surface 30 in the transport direction DR. Yes. The second transport surface 82 is driven in the transport direction DR similarly to the first transport surface 22. The support region 69 in which the tube support mechanism 60 supports the tube portion 14 (see FIG. 2) of the cap 10 with the tube in the transport direction DR is behind the second transport surface 82 in the transport direction DR (right side in FIG. 12). It ends with. Further, a transition surface 80 that slidably supports the cap 10 with the tube transported to the first transport surface 22 between the inclined surface 30 and the second transport surface 82 is provided with the first transport surface 22. It is fixedly installed at approximately the same height.

  Thereby, the cap 10 with the tube placed on the first transport surface 22 slides on the transition surface 80 after sliding on the inclined surface 30 during transport by the transport surface 22, and It is placed on the second transport surface 82 and a transport force is applied. The conveyance surface 82 of the present embodiment is the upper surface of the second conveyor 84 that is driven by the drive unit 86. The conveyance surface 82 extends substantially horizontally like the conveyance surface 22. The width interval between the conveyance surface 82 and the conveyance surface 22 may be equal to the width interval W between the inclined surface 30 and the conveyance surface 22.

  The material of the belt of the second conveyor 84 is not particularly limited, but may be made of the same material as the belt of the endless conveyor 20. Thereby, the conveyance conditions of the conveyance surface 22 and the conveyance surface 82 which support the both sides of the cap part 12 from the bottom become equal. For this reason, the cap 10 with a tube is given conveyance force equally from the conveyance surface 82 and the conveyance surface 22, and the cap 10 with a tube is conveyed stably.

  The transition surface 80 is a flat surface installed horizontally, and is formed with lower friction than the conveying surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20, as with the inclined surface 30. Although the material of the transition surface 80 is not specifically limited, What was illustrated above as a material of the inclined surface 30 can be selected arbitrarily and used. Thereby, the cap part 12 of the cap 10 with a tube which is mounted on the transport surface 22 and transported slides smoothly on the transition surface 80. And the curved surface part which corresponds to the most upstream part of the 2nd conveyor 84 is covered with the crossing surface 80, and the cap part 12 of the cap 10 with a tube passes over it, and it becomes a flat part (conveying surface 82) in the 2nd conveyor 84. The cap 10 with a tube can be smoothly introduced.

  The vertical roll 78 of the tube support mechanism 60 is disposed at a downstream position of the inclined surface 30, and a support region 69 where the support member 64 applies a driving force to the tube cap 10 has a boundary portion between the inclined surface 30 and the transition surface 80. Terminates in the vicinity. More specifically, the support member 64 is driven so as to pass through the lower surface of the transition surface 80 and be turned by the vertical roll 78. For this reason, the support region 69 of the tube support mechanism 60 terminates at the intermediate portion of the transfer surface 80 in the transport direction DR.

  The support region 69 is a length region in which an operator can put the cap 10 with a tube into the gap portion V. The cap 10 with the tube driven by the tube support mechanism 60 to the end position on the downstream side of the support region 69 (that is, the intermediate region of the transition surface 80) is formed on the transition surface 80 by the transport force applied from the transport surface 22 to the cap portion 12. It passes over and reaches the conveyance surface 82. The tube cap 10 placed on the transport surface 82 is supported downward on both sides in the width direction by the transport surface 82 and the transport surface 22 and is subsequently transported in the transport direction DR. The feed speed of the transport surface 82 may be the same as or different from the feed speed of the transport surface 22.

  At least a part of the transition surface 80 is installed in front of the support region 69 in the transport direction DR. Thus, by providing the fixedly installed transition surface 80 between the support region 69 and the conveyance surface 82, the cap 10 with a tube is driven only by the conveyance surface 22 when passing through the transition surface 80, and thereafter The cap 10 with the tube is transported on both the transport surface 22 and the transport surface 82. In other words, the cap 10 with the tube at the moment when the cap 10 with the tube is released from the support member 64 at the end position on the downstream side of the support region 69 causes the cap 10 with the tube to roll vertically 78 around the tube portion 14 as an axis. It receives a rotational force that tries to rotate slightly in a direction away from it (counterclockwise in FIG. 12). On the contrary, slight surface friction of the transition surface 80 becomes resistance, and the cap 10 with a tube receives a rotational force that tries to rotate slightly in the direction pulled in the conveying surface 22 (clockwise in FIG. 12). As a result, a part or all of the above-mentioned reverse rotational forces cancel each other, and the tube cap 10 passes through the transition surface 80 without substantially rotating. As a result, the direction of the nozzle 13 is substantially constant before and after the transition surface 80. For this reason, the conveyance of the cap 10 with a tube is stable when conveyance on the conveyance surface 82 starts. In other words, the cap 10 with the tube can be stably delivered from the inclined surface 30 to the conveyance surface 82 via the transition surface 80.

  The length of the transition surface 80 in the transport direction DR is not particularly limited, but may be 1.2 times or more the diameter D of the cap 10 with a tube (see each figure in FIG. 4). Thereby, the length for the cap 10 with a tube to cross the crossing surface 80 is fully securable. Moreover, the rotation operation | movement of the cap 10 with a tube in the transition surface 80 can fully be suppressed by the length of the transition surface 80 being 3.0 times or less of the diameter D of the cap 10 with a tube.

  A support frame 29 that supports the first roll 23 and the second roll 24 (see FIG. 1) is provided outside the endless conveyor 20 in the width direction. In other words, the support frame 29 is not provided in the space V between the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30, and the space V is open in the vertical direction. Thereby, the tube part 14 does not interfere with a support frame at the time of throwing in the cap 10 with a tube. Moreover, it is possible to make the space | interval W of the endless conveyor 20 and the inclined surface 30 small because the space | gap part V is open | released up and down. Accordingly, even when the cap 10 with a tube having a small diameter D (see FIGS. 4A and 4C) of the cap portion 12 is transported, the width interval W should be sufficiently reduced to cope with this. Can do. However, the support frame 29 may be provided in the gap V between the conveyance surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 as long as it is further upstream than the upstream region 92.

  The drive unit 26 shown in FIG. 12 is a control unit that rotationally drives the first roll 23 and the second roll 24 (see FIG. 1) of the endless conveyor 20. The drive unit 86 is a control unit that rotationally drives the second conveyor 84.

  The guide member 25 is a member for rotating the cap portion 12 to align the nozzle 13 in a desired direction, and is a member such as a plate shape or a rod shape fixedly installed on the cap supply device 100. The guide member 25 of the present embodiment is connected to the straight portion 25a installed in parallel with the transport direction DR and the upstream side (right side in FIG. 12) of the straight portion 25a so as to spread outward in the width direction. And an inclined guide portion 25b. The guide member 25 of the present embodiment is installed slightly above the conveyance surface 22 in the vertical direction.

The guide member 25 is provided at a height position at which the guide member 25 can come into contact with the nozzle 13 of the tube cap 10 placed on the transport surface 22. The cap supply device 100 according to this embodiment rotates the cap portion 12 of the cap 10 with the tube by making the feeding speeds of the conveying surface 22 and the conveying surface 82 different, and causes the nozzle 13 to contact the guide member 25. This regulates the rotation of the cap portion 12. Thereby, the nozzles 13 of the many caps 10 with a tube conveyed are aligned in the direction which each contact | abuts to the guide member 25. FIG.
More specifically, the guide member 25 of the present embodiment is installed at a position where the second transport surface 82 exists in the entire length region of the cap supply device 100. The feed speed of the second transport surface 82 is set to be lower than the feed speed of the first transport surface 22, and the guide member 25 is installed on the transport surface 22 side where the feed speed is high. Preferably, the feed speed of the second transport surface 82 can be 60% or more and 90% or less of the moving speed of the first transport surface 22. Since the cap 10 with a tube is conveyed by the conveyance surfaces 22 and 82 at different speeds, as shown in FIG. 12, the tube portion 14 moves in the conveyance direction DR while rotating in the rotation direction R1 with the tube portion 14 as a rotation axis. The rotation of the cap 10 with the tube is performed until the nozzle 13 interferes with the linear portion 25a of the guide member 25. The nozzle 13 is obliquely rearward in the transport direction DR, more specifically, rearward in the transport direction DR and the guide member 25 is Orient the provided side. Thereby, the direction of the nozzle 13 of many caps 10 with a tube is aligned in a fixed direction. Since the guide portion 25b is provided on the upstream side of the straight portion 25a, the nozzle 13 of the tube cap 10 introduced into the guide member 25 faces the guide member 25 side (downward in FIG. 12) in advance. Even in the case where the nozzle 13 is located, the direction of the nozzle 13 is changed in the above-described fixed direction by the guide portion 25 b, and the nozzle 13 is not clogged by the guide member 25.

  If the feed speed of the second transport surface 82 is set to be higher than the feed speed of the first transport surface 22, the guide member 25 may be installed on the second transport surface 82 side. Accordingly, the rotation direction R1 of the cap with tube 10 is opposite to that in FIG. 12, and the nozzles 13 are aligned rearward in the transport direction DR and on the second transport surface 82 side. Further, the guide member 25 may be installed on the side of the first conveying surface 22 or the second conveying surface 82 where the feeding speed is slow. As a result, the nozzles 13 are aligned in front of the transport direction DR and on the side where the guide member 25 is provided.

  As described above, the nozzle 13 of the tube cap 10 can be aligned in a desired direction by adjusting the installation position of the guide member 25 and the feed speed of the transport surfaces 22 and 82. As described above, the guide member 25 of the present embodiment includes the straight portion 25a and the guide portion 25b. The straight portion 25a is a part where a large number of caps 10 with tubes are aligned by locking the nozzles 13 of the cap 10 with tubes that rotate axially due to the difference in the feeding speeds of the conveying surfaces 22 and 82. The guide portion 25b is a portion that avoids the nozzle 13 from interfering with the upstream end of the straight portion 25a to hinder the conveyance of the tube cap 10. In this embodiment, although the linear part 25a and the guidance | induction part 25b were integrally formed and illustrated the aspect which comprises the guide member 25, it is not restricted to this. The straight portion 25a and the guide portion 25b may be formed as separate members and may be arranged apart from each other.

  Here, it is preferable to increase the slipperiness of the surface of the guide member 25 so that the transported cap 10 with the tube is not clogged by the surface resistance of the guide member 25. For example, at least the inner surface side of the guide member 25 facing the gap V may be a smooth metal surface, and may be subjected to a slip treatment that further increases the slipperiness. As the sliding treatment, various coatings may be applied, a highly slippery resin material such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene may be applied, or a tape material made of a highly slippery material such as a fluororesin may be attached. .

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the guide member 25 is installed only on the downstream side of the crossing surface 80 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The entire guide member 25 or a part of the guide member 25 may be installed in the arrangement area of the crossing surface 80 or the inclined surface 30. Hereinafter, this aspect will be described as a modification of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a modified example of the cap supply device 100. This modification is different from the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 12 in that at least a part of the guide member 25 is provided in the arrangement area of the inclined surface 30 in the entire area of the cap supply device 100. Specifically, a part of the straight portion 25 a and the guide portion 25 b in the guide member 25 are arranged to face the inclined surface 30.

  A friction portion 38 is provided in a length region of the inclined surface 30 that faces the guide member 25. For convenience, the friction portion 38 in FIG. 13 is hatched. The friction part 38 is provided at a height position in the vicinity of the lower end edge 32 so that the lower surface of the cap part 12 to be conveyed comes into contact. This is a region of higher friction than the inclined surface 30 excluding the friction portion 38. The friction portion 38 is provided in a partial length region on the downstream side of the inclined surface 30. Thereby, the insertion process (refer each figure of FIG. 3) which makes the lower end 15 of the tube part 14 contact | abuts or adjoins to the inclined surface 30, and slides down can be performed in the upstream which the friction part 38 does not form, and insertion The friction part 38 does not prevent the operation of the process. The friction part 38 acts on the cap 10 with a tube as a frictional resistance of the cap part 12 to be conveyed. Thereby, the cap 10 with a tube moves while rotating in the rotation direction R1, and the direction of the nozzle 13 is aligned on the rear side in the transport direction DR and on the side where the guide member 25 is provided.

  For example, the frictional portion 38 is affixed with a tape that increases the frictional resistance on the surface of the inclined surface 30, roughened on the surface of the inclined surface 30, or performs minute unevenness processing on the surface of the inclined surface 30. It can be formed by processing.

  Returning to FIG. 12, the cap supply device 100 includes a width adjusting mechanism 50 that increases or decreases the width interval W by moving at least one of the endless conveyor 20 or the inclined surface 30 in the width direction WD intersecting the transport direction DR. ing.

  The width adjusting mechanism 50 may be provided on the inclined surface 30, may be provided on the endless conveyor 20, or may be provided on both. The second width adjusting mechanism 51 moves the second conveyance surface 82 in a plane direction (width direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction DR, and the width interval between the conveyance surface 22 of the endless conveyor 20 and the second conveyance surface 82 ( Increase / decrease the code.

  The specific structures of the width adjusting mechanism 50 and the second width adjusting mechanism 51 are not particularly limited. However, the conveyance surface is fixed with the center of the width of the gap portion V through which the tube portion 14 (see FIG. 1) of the cap with tube 10 passes. 22 and the conveyance surface 82 may be moved freely. That is, the width adjusting mechanism 50 may increase or decrease the width interval W by moving both the endless conveyor 20 and the inclined surface 30 in the width direction. Further, with reference to the center of the width of the gap V, the transport surface 22 (endless conveyor 20) and the transport surface 82 (second conveyor 84) may be moved in opposite directions in the direction of approaching or separating from each other. Thereby, with respect to the cap 10 with a tube of various sizes and shapes, the conveyance centerline requested | required at next processes, such as a cap fastening apparatus, is easily realizable. Therefore, as the width adjusting mechanism 50 and the second width adjusting mechanism 51, it is preferable to use a mechanism capable of reproducing the position. Accordingly, it is preferable because the types of caps 10 with various shapes can be easily switched. Further, the width center of the tube portion 14 when the cap 10 with the tube slides on the inclined surface 30 and the width center of the tube portion 14 when the cap 10 with the tube is transported to the transport surface 82 are at the same position. The cap 10 with a tube is stably conveyed.

  In the present embodiment, the width adjusting mechanism 50 and the second width adjusting mechanism 51 are separately illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the width adjusting mechanism 50 and the second width adjusting mechanism 51, for example, a rotary handle can be used. Moreover, the width adjusting mechanism 50 and the second width adjusting mechanism 51 have a quantitative indicator section (not shown) such as a scale or a positional gauge, and can reproduce their relative positions. Alternatively, the width adjusting mechanism 50 and the second width adjusting mechanism 51 may be configured by a position reproducible driving device such as a servo motor.

  Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of the container 18 with a cap (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the present method) will be described. FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram for explaining a filling step in the manufacturing method of the container 18 with a cap, FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram for explaining the mounting step, and FIG. 14C is a manufactured cap. It is a figure which shows the attached container.

  First, an outline of this method will be described. In the following description, the order and timing of executing the transport process and the filling process are arbitrary, and some or all of the execution timings of these processes may overlap each other.

The method relates to a method for manufacturing a cap-equipped container 18 including a cap 10 with a tube and a hollow container body 16. This method includes the above-described insertion process (see FIGS. 3A to 3C), a transport process, a filling process, and a mounting process, whereby a container with a cap is efficiently manufactured.
In the transporting process, the cap part 12 in the cap with tube 10 into which the tube part 14 is inserted is transported in the transporting direction DR using at least the transporting surface 22 while being supported by the transporting surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. In this method, the cap 10 with the tube may be driven using the support member 64 of the tube support mechanism 60 in addition to the transport surface 22.
In the filling step, as shown in FIG. 14A, the hollow container body 16 is filled with the contents 19. Examples of the contents 19 are liquid (including gel).
In the mounting step, as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the tube portion 14 of the tube-equipped cap 10 conveyed in the conveyance step is inserted into the container main body portion 16 filled with the contents 19, and the cap portion 12 is further inserted. Attached to the mouth / neck portion 17 of the container body portion 16.

  As described above, the cap-equipped container 18 (see FIG. 14C) including the cap 10 with the tube and the hollow container main body 16 is efficiently manufactured. Furthermore, the cap-equipped container 18 manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing the cap-equipped container 18 (this method) is prevented from damaging the appearance of the cap-cap 10 with a tube, and the appearance is not impaired. Damage to the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 is reduced, and the discharge performance is stable.

<Second embodiment>
Fig.15 (a) is a perspective view of the cap supply apparatus 100 of 2nd embodiment. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 15A, and shows a front cross section obtained by cutting the cap supply device 100 perpendicularly to the transport direction DR. In addition, the drive part 76 (refer Fig.2 (a)) of the tube support mechanism 60 is abbreviate | omitting illustration.

  As in the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2), the endless conveyor 20 is driven in the transport direction DR and has a forward portion 27 having a transport surface 22 on the upper surface, and is provided below the forward portion 27 for transport. A circular shape including a return portion 28 driven in a direction different from the direction DR is formed. And the cap supply apparatus 100 of this embodiment is characterized by the tube support mechanism 60 being installed in the height position between the advance part 27 and the return part 28 of the endless conveyor 20.

  As shown in FIG. 15A, the endless conveyor 20 is wound around rolls 23a, 23b, 24a, and 24b and continuously driven to rotate. The rolls 23a and 23b are disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction DR, and the rolls 24a and 24b are disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction DR. The axial direction of the rolls 23a, 23b, 24a, and 24b is the horizontal direction.

  In the endless conveyor 20, the upper surface stretched by the rolls 23 a and 24 a constitutes the transport surface 22 and the advance portion 27, and the lower surface stretched by the rolls 24 b and 23 b constitutes the return portion 28. As shown in FIG. 15 (b), the return portion 28 of the endless conveyor 20 is positioned below the lower end 15 of the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with a tube. Thereby, the lower end 15 of the tube part 14 sliding down along the inclined surface 30 is prevented from interfering with the return part 28 of the endless conveyor 20.

  FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the cap supply device 100 of the third embodiment, and FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the cap supply device 100 of the fourth embodiment. 16 and 17 show a front cross-section corresponding to FIG.

  The cap supply device 100 of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 16 is different from the first embodiment (see FIG. 2A) in that the tube support mechanism 60 is disposed below the conveyance surface 22. More specifically, in the cap supply device 100 of the third embodiment, the vertical interval between the advancement portion 27 and the return portion 28 of the endless conveyor 20 is larger than that of the first embodiment, and the advancement portion 27 and the return portion 28 A support member 64 of the tube support mechanism 60 is disposed between the two. Thereby, since it is not necessary to install the tube support mechanism 60 below the inclined surface 30, it is excellent in workability, such as position adjustment and maintenance of the inclined surface 30.

  The cap supply device 100 of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 17 is different from the first embodiment (see FIG. 2A) in that the tube support mechanisms 60 are arranged on both sides. More specifically, two vertical rolls 77a and 77b and an endless belt 62 are arranged side by side in the width direction. Support members 64 project outward from the two types of endless belts 62 wound around the vertical rolls 77a and 77b, respectively, and one tube portion 14 is supported and driven by the two support members 64. The vertical roll 77 a is installed below the inclined surface 30, and the vertical roll 77 b is installed between the advance portion 27 and the return portion 28 of the endless conveyor 20. The vertical rolls 77a and 77b are driven at the same speed, and are driven in synchronization so that the two support members 64 are arranged at the same position in the transport direction DR. The outermost edges of the two support members 64 are both located behind the tube portion 14 and are not in a position not exceeding the center line of the tube portion 14 so as not to interfere with each other.

  However, instead of the third embodiment, the vertical rolls 77a and 77b may be brought closer to each other so that the outermost edges of the two support members 64 that support and drive one tube portion 14 abut or overlap each other. Good. Thereby, even the thin tube portion 14 can be stably conveyed by the two support members 64. Further, by driving the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with a tube by the two support members 64, the tube portion 14 is arranged in the substantially same direction as the transport direction DR at the downstream end position of the support region 69 (see FIG. 12). Is pushed out. For this reason, transfer of the cap 10 with a tube to the 2nd conveyor 84 and delivery of the cap 10 with a tube to the following process are performed stably.

  FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the cap supply device 100 of the fifth embodiment.

  The cap supply device 100 of the fifth embodiment is the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) in that the predetermined width interval W between the inclined surface 30 and the transport surface 22 decreases toward the front in the transport direction DR. Is different.

  In addition, the cap supply device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an upstream region 92 in which the width interval W is constant, and a downstream region 94 in which the width interval W is smaller than the upstream region 92. And the indicator part 90 which shows the range (length area | region) which should be thrown in contact | abutting or adjoining the lower end 15 of the tube part 14 of the cap 10 with a tube is provided in the upstream area 92 in the inclined surface 30. However, it is different from the first embodiment. For convenience, the index portion 90 in FIG. 18 is hatched.

  The indicator 90 is a mark formed flat by, for example, printing or pasting a tape material having a good surface slidability on the surface of the inclined surface 30, and the smoothness of the tube portion 14 sliding down along the inclined surface 30. The movement is not hindered by the indicator 90. In the present embodiment, an example in which a line-shaped mark is formed on the surface of the inclined surface 30 as the index portion 90 is not limited to this, and the position and shape of the index portion 90 are arbitrary.

  Between the upstream area 92 and the downstream area 94, a transition area 93 in which the width interval W gradually decreases in the transport direction DR is provided. The inclined surface 30 is formed with a diameter enlarged portion 34 in a length region corresponding to the transition region 93. The enlarged diameter portion 34 is a region where the width dimension continuously increases in the transport direction DR in plan view of the inclined surface 30, and is formed integrally with the inclined surface 30. The inclination angle θ (see each drawing in FIG. 5) of the enlarged diameter portion 34 can be made common with the inclination angle θ of other regions of the inclined surface 30.

  According to the cap supply device 100 of the fifth embodiment, the tube portion 14 of the cap with tube 10 is placed in the gap portion V between the conveying surface 22 and the inclined surface 30 in the upstream region 92 where the width interval W is relatively large. The insertion process to insert can be performed easily. Since the lower end 15 (see each drawing in FIG. 3) of the tube portion 14 of the cap 10 with the tube is in contact with or brought close to the indicator portion 90 indicating the range to be inserted, the operator can see the upstream. The tube portion 14 can be reliably put into the gap portion V in the side region 92. Further, in the downstream region 94 where the width interval W is relatively small, the cap portion 12 of the cap with tube 10 can be more stably supported by the transport surface 22 and the inclined surface 30. Further, since the enlarged diameter portion 34 of the inclined surface 30 is formed in the transition region 93 and the width dimension of the inclined surface 30 is continuously expanded, a small downstream region from the upstream region 92 through the transition region 93. No unexpected external force is applied to the cap 10 with the tube moving to 94. For this reason, the stable conveyance of the cap 10 with a tube is possible.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to drawings, these are the illustrations of this invention, Various structures other than the above are also employable. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the endless conveyor 20 and the inclined surface 30 are illustrated in one row. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inclined surfaces 30 are arranged on both sides of the endless conveyor 20. May be.
In each of the above embodiments, the inclined surface 30 is disposed on the left side as viewed from the front side in the transport direction DR, and the transport surface 22 is disposed on the right side. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the inclined surface 30 is not limited thereto. The arrangement of the conveyance surface 22 may be reversed in the width direction.
Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the drive part 26 of the endless conveyor 20, the drive part 86 of the 2nd conveyor 84, and the drive part 76 of the tube support mechanism 60 were each illustrated individually, it is not restricted to this, Any two or more These drive units may be shared.

  The present invention discloses the following cap supply device, manufacturing method of a cap-equipped container, supply method of a cap with a tube, a container with a cap, and the like regarding the above-described embodiment.

  The various components of the cap supply device 100 of the present invention do not have to be individually independent. A plurality of components are formed as one member, a component is formed of a plurality of members, one component is a part of another component, and one component is And a part of other components are allowed to overlap.

<1> A cap supply device for transporting a cap with a tube in a predetermined transport direction, having a transport surface driven in the transport direction, and endlessly transporting the cap with a tube placed on the transport surface A conveyor, and an inclined surface that is arranged along the conveying direction and is inclined downward toward the conveying surface, wherein the inclined surface is separated from the conveying surface of the endless conveyor by a predetermined width interval. A cap supply device characterized by supporting the cap with a tube that is fixedly installed at a distance and transported so as to be slidable.
<2> The cap supply device according to <1>, wherein the cap with a tube is transported in a state where the tube portion of the cap with the tube is inserted into a gap portion between the inclined surface and the endless conveyor.
<3> The cap supply device according to <1> or <2>, wherein the inclined surface is a smooth surface formed with lower friction than the transport surface of the endless conveyor.
<4> Any one of <1> to <3>, further including a width adjusting mechanism that moves the endless conveyor and the inclined surface in a width direction crossing the transport direction to increase or decrease the width interval. The cap supply device according to item.
<5> The above-mentioned <1> to <4>, wherein the width interval is smaller than the diameter of the cap portion of the cap with tube and larger than the outer diameter of the tube portion of the cap with tube. Cap supply device.
<6> A tube support mechanism that is driven at substantially the same speed as the transport surface along the transport direction, and at least a part of the tube support mechanism is below the transport surface and the transport surface and the The cap supply device according to <5>, wherein the cap supply device is installed at a height position of the tube portion inserted between the inclined surfaces.
<7> The tube support mechanism is disposed below at least one of the transport surface or the inclined surface and is driven to rotate. The tube support mechanism is detachably attached to the endless belt and driven to rotate. The cap supply device according to <6>, further comprising: a support member that supports the portion from the front side or the rear side in the transport direction.
<8> The cap supply device according to <7>, wherein an upper end portion of the support member is inclined downward and inclined toward at least one side in the transport direction or the opposite direction.
<9> The endless conveyor includes an advancing unit that is driven in the conveying direction and has the conveying surface on an upper surface, and a return unit that is provided below the advancing unit and is driven in a direction different from the conveying direction. <6> to <8> described above, wherein the tube support mechanism is installed at a height position between the advance portion and the return portion of the endless conveyor. Cap supply device.
<10> A second transport surface that is installed in parallel and substantially at the same height as the first transport surface and driven in the transport direction is provided in front of the inclined surface with respect to the inclined surface, The support region where the tube support mechanism supports the tube portion terminates behind the second transport surface in the transport direction, and between the inclined surface and the second transport surface, <6> to <9> above, wherein the transition surface that slidably supports the cap with the tube conveyed to the first conveyance surface is fixedly installed at substantially the same height as the first conveyance surface. The cap supply apparatus as described in any one of Claims.
<11> A method of manufacturing a cap-equipped container comprising a cap with a tube and a hollow container main body, wherein the cap is disposed along a transport surface driven in a predetermined transport direction and is inclined downward toward the transport surface. The lower end of the tube portion of the cap with tube is brought into contact with or close to the inclined surface, and the tube portion is slid along the inclined surface, so that the space between the conveying surface and the inclined surface is reduced. An insertion step of inserting the tube portion into the gap portion from the lower end, and a cap portion of the cap with the tube into which the tube portion is inserted supported by the transfer surface and the inclined surface, at least the transfer surface. Using the transporting process for transporting in the transporting direction, the filling process for filling the hollow container body with the liquid content, and the transported cap with the tube. The tube portion was inserted into the contents of the container body filled further method for producing a cap attachment container comprising a mounting step, the mounting the cap on the neck of the container body of the.
<12> The cap supply device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein a lower end edge of the inclined surface is positioned below the transport surface.
<13> The cap supply device according to <12>, wherein the lower end edge of the inclined surface is positioned below in a range of 2 mm to 5 mm from the transport surface.
<14> The cap supply device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to a horizontal plane is not less than 25 degrees and not more than 80 degrees.
<15> The cap supply device according to <14>, wherein the inclined surface has a planar shape with a uniform inclination angle.
<16> The cap supply device according to <14>, wherein the inclined surface is a curved surface in which the inclination angle increases as it approaches the conveyance surface.
<17> The cap supply device according to any one of <1> to <10>, further including an elevating mechanism that adjusts the height of the inclined surface with respect to the transport surface.
<18> A number of engaging portions are discretely arranged in the circumferential direction at equal intervals in the endless belt, and the support member is attached to the arbitrary engaging portion in a detachable manner, and The cap supply device according to <7> or <8>, further comprising: a base portion that is detachably fixed to the mounting portion; and a plate-like portion that is integrally formed with the base portion and supports the tube portion.
<19> The cap supply device according to <18>, wherein an upper end portion of the plate-like portion is formed to protrude upward from the base portion.
<20> The cap according to <8>, wherein the upper end portion of the support member is inclined obliquely downward from an intermediate portion in the thickness direction of the support member toward both sides in the transport direction and the opposite direction. Feeding device.
<21> The cap supply according to <8> or <20>, wherein the upper end portion of the support member is formed in an upwardly convex arc shape or polygonal shape in a side view orthogonal to the transport direction. apparatus.
<22> The cap according to the above <21>, wherein the radius of curvature of the arc of the upper end portion of the support member or the radius of the polygonal inscribed circle is larger than the radius of the arcuate recess formed at the lower end of the tube portion. Feeding device.
<23> The cap supply device according to any one of <8> or <20> to <22>, wherein an inclination angle at which the upper end portion of the support member is inclined downward is 25 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less.
<24> The cap supply device according to any one of <6> to <10>, wherein the tube support mechanism moves in the transport direction at a speed of 80% to 120% with respect to the transport surface.
<25> The cap supply device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein the endless conveyor is a belt conveyor.
<26> The cap supply device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein the predetermined width interval between the inclined surface and the transport surface decreases toward the front in the transport direction. .
<27> An upstream portion in which the width interval is constant, and a downstream region in which the width interval is smaller than the upstream region, and the indicator portion indicating a range in which the cap with tube is to be inserted The cap supply device according to <26>, wherein the cap supply device is provided in the upstream region on the inclined surface.
<28> The cap supply device according to <10>, wherein at least a part of the transition surface is installed in front of the support region in the transport direction.
<29> The cap supply device according to <10> or <28>, wherein the support region terminates in an intermediate portion of the transfer surface in the transport direction.
<30> The cap supply device according to any one of <10>, <28>, or <29>, wherein the transition surface is horizontally installed.
<31> A method of transporting a cap with a tube in a predetermined transport direction and supplying the cap to the cap fastening device, wherein the cap is disposed along a transport surface driven in the transport direction and inclined downward toward the transport surface. The lower end of the tube portion of the cap with tube is brought into contact with or close to the formed inclined surface, and the tube portion is slid along the inclined surface, so that the gap between the conveying surface and the inclined surface is reached. An insertion step of inserting the tube portion into the gap portion from the lower end, and a cap portion of the cap with the tube into which the tube portion is inserted supported at least on the conveyance surface by the conveyance surface and the inclined surface. A method for supplying a cap with a tube, comprising: a conveying step of conveying in the conveying direction using
<32> A container with a cap manufactured by the method for manufacturing a container with a cap described in <11> above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cap with tube 12 Cap part 13 Nozzle 13a Lever 14 Tube part 15 Lower end 15a Semicircular recessed part 15b Partially isolated recessed part 16 Container main body part 17 Neck and neck part 18 Capted container 19 Contents 20 Endless conveyor 22 Conveying surface (first Transport surface)
23 1st roll 24 2nd roll 23a, 23b, 24a, 24b Roll 25 Guide member 25a Linear part 25b Guide part 26 Drive part 27 Advance part 28 Return part 29 Support frame 30 Inclined surface 32 Lower end edge 34 Expanded part 36 Support stand 38 Friction part 50 Width adjustment mechanism 51 Second width adjustment mechanism 52 Elevating mechanism 60 Tube support mechanism 62 Endless belt 64 Support member 65 Upper end part 66 Engagement part 67 Flat part 68, 68a, 68b Slope 69 Support area 70 Mounting part 72 Base part 74 Plate-shaped part 75 Upper end part 76 Drive part 77, 77a, 77b, 78 Vertical roll 79 Fixing screw 80 Transition surface 82 Second conveyance surface 84 Second conveyor 86 Drive part 90 Index part 92 Upstream area 93 Transition area 94 Downstream Side region 100 Cap supply device θ Inclination angle φ Inclination angle CL Center line D Diameter DR Transport direction HD Height direction HP Horizontal PD-on direction R the radius R1 rotational direction RC of curvature radius RT radius SP interval T OD TP thickness V gap portion W width distance WD width direction

Claims (11)

A cap supply device that transports a cap with a tube in a predetermined transport direction,
An endless conveyor having a conveying surface driven in the conveying direction and transferring the cap with the tube placed on the conveying surface;
An inclined surface arranged along the conveying direction and inclined downward toward the conveying surface, and
The cap supply device, wherein the inclined surface is fixedly installed at a predetermined width interval from the transport surface of the endless conveyor, and slidably supports the cap with tubes to be transported.   The cap supply apparatus of Claim 1 which conveys the said cap with a tube in the state into which the tube part of the said cap with a tube was thrown into the space | gap part between the said inclined surface and the said endless conveyor.   The cap supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inclined surface is a smooth surface formed with lower friction than the transport surface of the endless conveyor.   The width adjustment mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a width adjustment mechanism that increases or decreases the width interval by moving at least one of the endless conveyor or the inclined surface in a width direction intersecting the transport direction. Cap supply device.   The cap supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the width interval is smaller than a diameter of a cap portion of the cap with a tube and larger than an outer diameter of the tube portion of the cap with a tube. A tube support mechanism that is driven along the transport direction at substantially the same speed as the transport surface;
At least a part of the tube support mechanism is installed below the transport surface and at a height position of the tube portion inserted between the transport surface and the inclined surface. Item 6. The cap supply device according to Item 5.   The tube support mechanism is disposed below at least one of the transport surface or the inclined surface and is driven to circulate, and the tube support mechanism is detachably attached to the endless belt and driven to circulate. The cap supply device according to claim 6, further comprising a support member that supports the front side or the rear side in the transport direction.   The cap supply device according to claim 7, wherein an upper end portion of the support member is inclined obliquely downward toward at least one side in the transport direction or the opposite direction. The endless conveyor includes a forward portion driven in the transport direction and having the transport surface on an upper surface, and a return portion provided below the forward portion and driven in a direction different from the transport direction. ,
The cap supply device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the tube support mechanism is installed at a height position between the advance portion and the return portion of the endless conveyor. A second transport surface that is installed in parallel to the first transport surface and substantially at the same height and driven in the transport direction is provided in front of the inclined surface with respect to the inclined surface,
The support region where the tube support mechanism supports the tube portion terminates behind the second transport surface in the transport direction, and between the inclined surface and the second transport surface, The crossover surface that slidably supports the cap with a tube conveyed to the first conveyance surface is fixedly installed at substantially the same height as the first conveyance surface. The cap supply device according to item. A method of manufacturing a container with a cap comprising a cap with a tube and a hollow container body,
The lower end of the tube portion of the cap with tube is brought into contact with or close to an inclined surface that is arranged along a conveying surface driven in a predetermined conveying direction and is inclined downward toward the conveying surface, And an insertion step of sliding the tube portion along the inclined surface and inserting the tube portion from the lower end into a gap between the conveying surface and the inclined surface;
A transporting step of transporting in the transport direction using at least the transport surface in a state where the cap portion in the cap with the tube into which the tube portion is inserted is supported by the transport surface and the inclined surface;
A filling step of filling the hollow container body with a liquid content;
And a mounting step of inserting the tube portion of the transported cap with the tube into the container body portion filled with the contents, and further mounting the cap portion on the mouth and neck portion of the container body portion. A manufacturing method of a container with attached.

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