JP2017057005A - Gallon bottle filling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gallon bottle filling machine capable of continuously performing a series of processing including washing a container, filling drinking water, and mounting a cap with respect to a bottle having a trunk with low rigidity.SOLUTION: A gallon bottle filling machine includes: a housing 1 formed in nearly hollow rectangular parallelepiped by a frame body 1a and a panel and attached with a plurality of adjusters 2 in the undersurface; a bottle supply unit 3 installed outside the housing 1; and an inversion unit 4, a washing unit 5, a belt conveyor 6, a neck support transportation unit 7 and a filling/sealing unit 8 installed inside the housing 1. The actions of the bottle supply unit 3, the inversion unit 4, the washing unit 5, the belt conveyor 6, the neck support transportation unit 7 and the filling/sealing unit 8 are controlled by control means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a gallon bottle filling machine that fills gallon bottles with drinking water, and in particular, gallon bottle filling capable of continuously performing a series of processes such as washing of containers, filling of drinking water, etc., and mounting of caps. Related to the machine.

  For a device (water dispenser) for supplying drinking water such as mineral water, a container of polycarbonate resin or PET resin (polyethylene terephthalate) called a gallon bottle is used. When this gallon bottle is filled with drinking water, operations such as washing the container and attaching a cap are required. However, in view of work efficiency, it is desirable that these operations be performed continuously.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention relating to a system for filling drinking water into a bottle formed by blow molding under the name of “container filling system and container filling method”. ing.
The “container filling system” which is an invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a bottle rinsing device for cleaning a bottle, a filling device for filling a bottle with drinking water, a capper for attaching a cap to the bottle, and a transport mechanism. It has a structure.
According to such a structure, after a bottle is formed by blow molding, the bottle is sequentially transported to a bottle rinsing device, a filling device, and a capper by a transport mechanism, thereby washing the bottle, filling drinking water, The process of attaching the cap is performed continuously.

Patent Document 2 discloses an invention relating to an apparatus for filling a beverage liquid such as a carbonated beverage into a container such as a PET bottle or a bottle can with the name “filling valve device”. The filling device and the gripper holding the bottle neck ring are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.
That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to fill the beverage liquid by holding the neck ring even for the bottle whose rigidity is lowered so that it can be easily discarded after being used.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention related to a technique for supporting a neck portion when filling a plastic bottle with drinking water under the name of “PET bottle support device”.
The invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 includes a horizontally arranged support base, a support column erected on the support base, a fitting protrusion that fits into the front half of the support column, and a plastic bottle body. A back guide provided with a body recess so as to be able to support the neck, a neck support that slidably fits vertically to the support column to support the neck of the PET bottle, and a fitting cylindrical portion of the fitting protrusion and the neck support The neck support is fitted to the support, the height of the neck support is adjusted according to the plastic bottle, and the back guide is fixedly supported.
According to such a structure, a plurality of plastic bottles having different heights can be supported by exchanging the spacer.

JP 2011-230781 A JP 2010-42832 A JP 2004-182280 A

  However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 which is the above-described prior art, a large installation space is required because the facilities are large. Therefore, the present invention is suitable when mass production is performed in a large-scale factory or the like, but cannot be applied when the space for installing the equipment cannot be widened, and drinking water, etc. When the number of bottles to be filled is small, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost becomes high.

  It is desirable to wash the bottle while holding the bottle with the water supply port facing downward so that the liquid used for washing can be easily discharged. However, since the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 is not a structure that can hold the bottle in such a posture, it is not suitable for the operation of cleaning the bottle. Therefore, in this invention, although it is possible to fill the bottle with the lower rigidity of the body portion with the beverage liquid, it is not possible to perform this operation continuously after the cleaning operation, so that the work efficiency is low. was there.

  Furthermore, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to replace the spacer and the back guide in accordance with the height of the bottle and the size of the body portion, so that there is a problem that workability is poor. Further, since the bottle is not structured so that the water supply port faces downward, as in the case of the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, cleaning and filling are performed on a bottle having a lower body rigidity. There was a problem that work could not be performed continuously and work efficiency was low.

  The present invention has been made in response to such a conventional situation, and a series of processes such as washing a container, filling with drinking water, and attaching a cap are continuously performed even for a bottle having a lower body rigidity. An object of the present invention is to provide a gallon bottle filling machine that can be carried out.

  In order to achieve the above object, a gallon bottle filling machine according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a support column installed so that a guide groove formed in parallel to the longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction, and vertically extending along the guide groove. Elevating mechanism that moves in the direction, a reversing motor that is attached to the column via this elevating mechanism, an arm that is connected to the reversing motor at the base end, and a neck that can hold the neck of the bottle. A neck holder attached to the top, and an opening is formed on the upper surface side so that the bottle can be supplied from the upper side, and a first notch having a predetermined length is formed on the side surface closer to the support column from the upper end downward. A box-shaped cover formed with a wider width, a washing nozzle installed so that the tip protrudes from the bottom surface of the cover to the inside thereof, and drinking water from the water supply port directed upward to the inside of the bottle Injection possible A water supply nozzle, a cap mounting means for mounting a cap on the bottle, a bottle holding means for holding the neck of the bottle, and a gantry for supporting the bottle holding means and the cap mounting means. The arm is installed to be movable in the vertical direction in the first notch, and the cleaning nozzle is installed in the cover so that the tip can be inserted into the bottle from the water supply port directed downward. To do.

In the gallon bottle filling machine having such a structure, the bottle is washed by the washing nozzle while the neck is held by the neck holder, and the bottle is filled with drinking water and the cap is attached while the neck is held by the bottle holding means. Therefore, regardless of the rigidity of the body portion, the bottle is securely held during the processing.
Further, when the bottle is installed on the neck holder of the arm in the space above the cover, the bottle is installed inside the cover as the arm is lowered.
Further, when the bottle is washed, the arm is moved up and down, so that the washing water injected from the washing nozzle into the inside of the bottle has the effect of spreading all over the inside of the bottle.

  Moreover, 2nd invention is the gallon bottle filling machine which concerns on 1st invention, The endless belt installed so that the bottle mounted in the upper surface can be conveyed in a horizontal direction to just under a water supply nozzle, and this endless belt A pair of shaft members that are wound, a conveyor base that rotatably supports the pair of shaft members, a jack that supports the conveyor base so as to be movable up and down, a conveyor motor that rotationally drives the shaft member, It is characterized by comprising.

  In the gallon bottle filling machine having such a structure, in addition to the action of the first invention, the bottom surface of the bottle is desired by the upper surface of the endless belt by operating the jack to adjust the height of the upper surface of the endless belt. It has the effect of being supported at a height of.

A third invention is a gallon bottle filling machine according to the first invention or the second invention, wherein the locking tool has a hook-shaped tip that can be locked to a neck ring provided at the neck of the bottle. And a transfer piston having the locking member connected to the tip thereof, and a transfer cylinder for moving the piston forward and backward in the horizontal direction.
For example, even if the bottle to be transported is a crushable bottle, since the rigidity of the neck is high, in the gallon bottle filling machine having such a structure, in addition to the action of the first invention or the second invention, It has the effect | action that a bottle is conveyed in the state hold | maintained reliably with the latching tool. Furthermore, even when the trunk portion has low rigidity, the posture during conveyance is stabilized.

According to a fourth invention, in the gallon bottle filling machine according to any one of the first to third inventions, a holding plate that holds the cap mounting means and the water supply nozzle integrally, and the holding plate are connected to the tip. A chuck part that includes a plate piston, a plate cylinder that moves the plate piston back and forth in the horizontal direction, and a guide member that is installed on the gantry, and the cap mounting means holds the side surface of the cap with a plurality of claws And an elevating mechanism that moves the chuck part up and down in the vertical direction, and the holding plate is guided by a guide member so that either the water supply nozzle or the cap mounting means is disposed directly above the water supply port of the bottle. It is supported so as to be movable in the horizontal direction.
In the gallon bottle filling machine having such a structure, in addition to the action of any one of the first to third inventions, the drinking water is injected into the bottle by the water supply nozzle along with the horizontal movement of the holding plate. There is an effect that the state in which the cap can be attached to the bottle by the cap attaching means is switched.

  A fifth invention is a gallon bottle filling machine according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the bottle is installed to be movable in the horizontal direction while holding the bottle with the water supply port directed downward. And a bottle holder in which a second notch large enough to allow the arm and neck holder to pass through in plan view is formed from the end surface on the side close to the column to the center, and the bottle holder. A guide roller that transports the bottle, a retainer piston having a bottle retainer connected to the tip thereof, and a retainer cylinder that moves the retainer piston forward and backward. The retainer piston holds the arm and the neck. The bottle holder is installed so that it can be pushed to a position where the tool passes through the second notch.

  In the gallon bottle filling machine having such a structure, in addition to the action of any one of the first to fourth inventions, when the holding device piston is operated in a state where the bottle is installed in the bottle holding device, the arm Since the bottle moves horizontally together with the bottle holder to the position of the neck holder attached to the tip of the bottle, in that state, when the arm previously placed below is raised, the bottle moves from the bottle holder to the neck holder. It has the effect of being supplied.

  As described above, according to the gallon bottle filling machine according to the first invention, it is possible to process a plurality of types of bottles having different body rigidity by a single unit. Further, since the internal space can be used effectively, the apparatus can be miniaturized. This facilitates transportation and installation work. Further, since a large installation space is not required, there are few restrictions on the installation location. In addition, since it is not necessary to separately provide a mechanism for raising and lowering the cleaning nozzle for the purpose of enhancing the cleaning effect, it can be manufactured at low cost.

  If the bottle body has low rigidity, when drinking water is poured into the bottle while the neck is held by the bottle holding means, the body expands downward due to the weight of the filled drinking water, and there is an excess at the top of the bottle. Air flows from the water inlet and accumulates. The bottle in such a state is not preferable because it gives the person who sees it a feeling as if the drinking water is insufficiently filled. However, in the gallon bottle filling machine according to the second invention, the bottom of the bottle is supported by the top surface of the endless belt, so that the expansion of the body of the bottle that occurs with the filling of drinking water is within an appropriate range. Can be suppressed. That is, according to the 2nd invention, in addition to the effect of the 1st invention, the expansion of the bottle in the filling process of drinking water is controlled, and there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the excess air from being accumulated on the upper part of the bottle. .

  According to the gallon bottle filling machine according to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention or the second invention, it is possible to accurately convey even a bottle having low body rigidity to a predetermined position. There is an effect that can be done.

  According to the gallon bottle filling machine according to the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first to third inventions, the process of filling the bottle with the drinking water and the process of attaching the cap are performed efficiently and continuously. There is an effect of being performed.

  According to the gallon bottle filling machine of the fifth invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first invention to the fourth invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus particularly by the effective use of the internal space. The effect of the first invention is further exhibited.

It is a front view of the gallon bottle filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the gallon bottle filling machine shown in FIG. It is a side view of the gallon bottle filling machine shown in FIG. (A) And (b) is the front view and top view of a reversing unit, respectively. (A) thru | or (c) are the front views, side views, and top views of a washing | cleaning unit, respectively. (A) And (b) is the front view and side view of a belt conveyor, respectively. (A) And (b) is the front view and side view of a neck support conveyance unit, respectively, (c) is the top view which expanded and showed the neck support conveyance unit single-piece | unit. (A) And (b) is the front view and side view of a filling / sealing unit, respectively. (A) is a side view of a neck support conveyance unit and a filling / sealing unit, (b) is the front view. It is a flowchart which shows the driving | operation procedure of the gallon bottle filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) And (b) is a front view of a filling and sealing unit. (A) is a front view of a neck support conveyance unit and a filling / sealing plug unit, and (b) is a view in which a belt conveyor is added to FIG. It is a front view of a filling and sealing unit and a belt conveyor. It is the block diagram which showed the modification of the gallon bottle filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  The gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are a front view, a plan view, and a side view showing an example of the structure of the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention. However, in these drawings, illustration of a panel covering the outside is omitted in order to make the structure inside the casing easier to see, and some bottles are indicated by broken lines in order to make it easier to understand the state in which the bottle moves. . Further, in FIG. 3, the bottle supply means and the reversing means are not shown in order to avoid the drawing from becoming complicated.

  The present invention is not limited to gallon bottles, and can be used for so-called crushable bottles or one-way bottles having low body rigidity. Therefore, in the specification of the present application, both are collectively expressed as a bottle, and in particular, when describing a bottle having a low body rigidity, it is prefaced with “when the bottle is a crushable bottle” or the like. . Further, in this embodiment, the description is given on the assumption that potable water is filled, but the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention is not limited to potable water, but also when filling various liquids into bottles. Since it can be used, the effect | action and effect of this invention demonstrated below are exhibited similarly when filling liquids other than drinking water to a bottle.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, a casing that is formed in a substantially hollow rectangular shape by a frame 1a and a panel (not shown) and has a plurality of adjusters 2 attached to the lower surface. 1 is provided with a bottle supply unit 3, and a reversing unit 4, a cleaning unit 5, a belt conveyor 6, a neck support / conveyance unit 7, and a filling / sealing unit 8 are installed inside the housing 1. The operation of the bottle supply unit 3, the reversing unit 4, the cleaning unit 5, the belt conveyor 6, the neck support / conveyance unit 7, and the filling / sealing unit 8 is controlled by control means (not shown).

The bottle supply unit 3 is a bottle holder 3a that is installed so as to be movable in a substantially horizontal direction to a position where it is supplied to the reversing unit 4 above the cleaning means 5 while holding the bottle B with the water supply port facing downward. And guide rollers 3b and 3b that are installed substantially horizontally and convey the bottle B to the bottle holder 3a with the water supply port facing downward, and a piston (not shown) connected to the tip of the bottle holder 3a. ) Is moved forward and backward. Further, the bottle holder 3a has a size capable of passing through an arm 11 and a neck holder 12, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, in an up-down direction from an end surface on the side close to the reversing unit 4 in the plan view. A notch (not shown) is formed.
With such a structure, in the bottle supply unit 3, the bottle B is conveyed to the inside of the housing 1 while being installed in the bottle holder 3 a by moving the piston forward, and is inverted above the cleaning means 5. The function of being supplied to the unit 4 is exhibited. As described above, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, the space above the cleaning unit 5 is effectively used as a place for supplying the bottle B from the bottle supply unit 3 to the reversing unit 4. It is possible.
In addition, although the cylinder 3c is an electric cylinder, it is not limited to this, For example, a hydraulic cylinder and an air cylinder may be sufficient.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a front view and a plan view of the reversing means 4, respectively. In FIG. 4A, the bottle indicated by the broken line represents a state where it is reversed by the reversing means.
As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the reversing unit 4 includes a support 9, a reversing motor 10, an arm 11, a neck holder 12, and a lifting mechanism 13.
The support column 9 is installed such that a guide groove 9a formed in parallel to the longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction, and the reversing motor 10 is moved through an elevating mechanism 13 that moves up and down along the guide groove 9a. It is attached to the column 9. In addition, the base 11a of the arm 11 is connected to the reversing motor 10, and a neck holder 12 that can hold the neck of the bottle B is attached to the tip 11b.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are a front view, a side view, and a plan view of the cleaning unit, respectively. In these drawings, the states of the bottles arranged outside and inside the cover are indicated by broken lines, and the neck holder and the arm for holding the bottle are also indicated by broken lines.
As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c), the cleaning unit 5 includes a cleaning nozzle 14 installed so that a tip 14a can be inserted into a bottle B from a water supply port directed downward, and a tip 14a. And a cover 15 provided so as to surround. However, the cover 15 has a box shape with an upper surface opened, and is formed in a size that can accommodate the bottle B supplied from the top to the inside. The front surface 15a is provided with a window 16 so that a transparent plate is fitted into the opening, and the bottom surface 15b is provided with an insertion hole (not shown) for the cleaning nozzle 14. Further, a notch 17 (see FIGS. 5B and 5C) having a predetermined length from the upper end downward is formed on the side surface 15c closer to the reversing unit 4 with a width wider than that of the arm 11. In addition, similarly to the front surface 15a, windows (not shown) in which a transparent plate is fitted are provided on the side surface 15d and the back surface 15e, respectively.
The cover 15 not only prevents the cleaning water from scattering, but also has a function of storing the cleaning water injected from the cleaning nozzle 14. Therefore, a drainage funnel (not shown) for discharging the stored water to the outside is provided on the bottom surface 15 b of the cover 15.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are a front view and a side view of the belt conveyor, respectively, and correspond to a partially enlarged view of the portion where the belt conveyor is installed in FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively. . In addition, about the inversion unit 4, it shows only to Fig.6 (a) and the illustration is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.6 (b).
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the belt conveyor 6 includes an endless belt 18 installed so that the bottle B placed on the upper surface can be conveyed in a substantially horizontal direction, and the endless belt 18 includes A pair of shaft members 19a and 19b wound, a conveyor base 20 that rotatably holds the pair of shaft members 19a and 19b, and four pantograph jacks 21 that support the conveyor base 20 so as to be movable up and down. The conveyor motor 22 is configured to rotate the shaft member 19a.
In the present embodiment, the pantograph jack 21 is used to adjust the height of the conveyor base 20, but other jacks may be used.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are a front view and a side view of the neck support and transport unit, respectively, and a portion where the neck support and transport unit is installed is partially enlarged and shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively. It corresponds to the figure. FIG. 7C is an enlarged plan view showing the neck supporting and conveying unit alone.
As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c), the neck support / conveyance unit 7 is arranged in a state where the neck is disposed on the inner side with respect to the bottle B in which a neck ring (not shown) is provided at the neck. A locking tool 23 whose tip is formed in a hook shape so as to be locked to the neck ring, and three pistons 24a (see FIG. 7C) connected to the leading end are moved forward and backward. A cylinder 24b to be moved, and a cylinder 25b to move the three pistons 25a having the cylinder 24b connected to the tip thereof via a connector 24c. However, the cylinder 25b is horizontally installed on the mount 27 via the angle member 26 so that the pistons 24a and 25a move forward or backward in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the locking tool 23 also moves in the horizontal direction.
The cylinders 24b and 25b are electric cylinders, but are not limited thereto, and may be hydraulic cylinders or air cylinders, for example. The number of pistons 24a and 25a is not limited to that shown in the present embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.

  Next, the structure of the filling / sealing unit 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 as appropriate. 8 (a) and 8 (b) are a front view and a side view of the filling / sealing unit 8, respectively, and FIG. 9 (a) is a side view of the neck support / conveying unit 7 and the filling / sealing unit 8; FIG. 9B is a front view thereof. 8 (a), FIG. 9 (b), FIG. 8 (b), and FIG. 9 (a) are partially enlarged portions of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 where the filling / sealing unit 8 is installed. It corresponds to the figure shown. 8 (a) and 9 (b), a part of the mounting plate 38 is shown in a cross-sectional view, and in FIG. 8 (b) and FIG. 9 (a), the connection tool 39 is not shown. Further, the cap supply means 29 is shown only in FIGS. 8B and 9A, and is not shown in FIGS. 8A and 9B.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the filling / sealing unit 8 includes a water supply nozzle for injecting drinking water supplied from a storage tank (not shown) through a water supply line (not shown) into the bottle B. 28, a cap mounting means 29 provided alongside the water supply nozzle 28, a cap supply means 30 for supplying a cap to the cap mounting means 29 (see FIGS. 8B and 9A), and a bottle B It is comprised by the bottle holding means 31 which hold | maintains a neck part.

  The cap mounting means 29 includes a chuck portion 29a configured to be able to hold the side surface of the cap with a plurality of claws, and an elevating mechanism 29b that moves the chuck portion 29a up and down in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the cap supply means 30 includes a cylinder 32c for moving the piston 32b with the cap receiving portion 32a connected to the tip thereof, and a lower end 33b (close to the upper surface of the cap receiving portion 32a with the piston 32b retracted most. And a slider 33 (see FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) on which is disposed. When the piston 32b moves forward most, the cap receiving portion 32a is disposed directly below the chuck portion 29a.

The slider 33 has a hollow shape so that a cap can slide inside, and an upper end 33a (see FIGS. 1 to 3) opens to the upper front of the housing 1, and a lower end 33b faces the cap receiving portion 32a. It is open.
Therefore, the cap inserted from the upper end 33a slides downward in the slider 33 by its own weight, and is then supplied to the cap receiving portion 32a. Then, the piston 32b moves forward and the cap receiving portion 32a is disposed directly below the chuck portion 29a, whereby the cap is loaded into the chuck portion 29a.

  The claw of the chuck portion 29a is attached so as to be slightly expanded downward, and is biased in a closing direction by a spring (not shown). For this reason, when the chuck portion 29a is lowered from above with the cap disposed below, the plurality of claws are pushed and spread by the cap against the elastic force of the spring, and finally the cap is located between the plurality of claws. It will be pushed into the state. At this time, since the elastic force of the spring acts as a holding force of the cap, the cap is securely held by the chuck portion 29a.

The water supply nozzle 28 and the cap mounting means 29 are integrally held by a holding plate 35 slidably supported in a horizontal direction by a guide rail (not shown) attached to the gantry 34. The holding plate 35 is connected to the tip of a piston 36b that is moved forward and backward by the cylinder 36a, and is movable in the horizontal direction as indicated by an arrow X in FIG.
In addition, when the water supply nozzle 28 is arrange | positioned just above the water supply port of the bottle B, the cap mounting means 29 has a structure where the chuck | zipper part 29a is arrange | positioned just above the cap receiving part 32a. Further, when the holding plate 35 moves horizontally, the cap mounting means 29 moves in the horizontal direction integrally with the water supply nozzle 28 until the chuck portion 29a is disposed right above the water supply port of the bottle B. It is possible.

  The bottle holding means 31 has a configuration in which a pair of cylinders 37c and 37c for moving the pistons 37b and 37b (see FIG. 11) with a neck holder 37a attached to the tip thereof are moved symmetrically with the neck portion of the bottle B interposed therebetween. ing. The neck holder 37a has a semicircular recess that allows the neck of the bottle B to be placed inward. Further, the pair of cylinders 37c and 37c is attached to the mounting plate 38 so that the pistons 37b and 37b can move in the horizontal direction and the neck of the bottle B can be held by the neck holder 37a when the piston moves forward. It is attached to the lower surface of the. In addition, both ends of the mounting plate 38 are fixed to the gantry 34 via the couplers 39, 39, and an opening is provided at a position where the chuck plate 29 a can be inserted at a position directly above the water supply port of the bottle B. Yes.

  Thus, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, the bottle B is washed by the washing unit 5 with the neck held by the neck holder 12 of the reversing unit 4 and also by the neck holder 37a of the bottle holding means 31. After drinking water is filled by the filling / sealing unit 8 with the neck held, the cap is attached. Therefore, while these processes are performed, the bottle B is reliably held without being affected even when the rigidity of the body portion is low. Therefore, according to the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, it is possible to process a plurality of types of bottles having different body rigidity by a single unit.

Next, the operation procedure of the gallon bottle filling machine will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the gallon bottle filling machine, and FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are front views of the filling / sealing unit 8. 12 (a) is a front view of the neck support / conveyance unit 7 and the filling / sealing unit 8, and FIG. 12 (b) is a diagram in which the belt conveyor 6 is added to FIG. 12 (a). FIG. 13 is a front view of the filling / sealing unit 8 and the belt conveyor 6.
In addition, in order to make a figure legible, the component which does not need illustration for description is abbreviate | omitted. 11 and 12 correspond to step S6, step S7, and step S9, and FIG. 13 corresponds to step S11.

  As shown in FIG. 10, first, in step S1, when the apparatus is turned on, the guide roller 3b of the bottle supply unit 3 is operated according to the command of the control means, and the bottle B is conveyed to the bottle holder 3a (FIG. 10). 1). In step S2, the piston of the bottle supply unit 3 is actuated according to the command of the control means, and pushes the bottle holder 3a. Thereby, the bottle B is conveyed to a position where it can be supplied to the reversing unit 4. Thereafter, the arm 11 that has been waiting under the reversing unit 4 in advance rises to the height at which the neck of the bottle B is inserted into the neck holder 12 together with the lifting mechanism 13 in accordance with a command from the control means (see FIG. 4A). ). As a result, the bottle B is supplied from the bottle supply unit 3 to the reversing unit 4.

  In step S3, the arm 11 together with the lifting mechanism 13 descends from the water supply port to a height at which the tip 14a of the cleaning nozzle 14 is inserted into the bottle B while holding the bottle B on the neck holder 12 in accordance with a command from the control means. (See FIG. 5). Thereby, the bottle B is installed inside the cover 15 of the cleaning unit 5, and the bottle B can be cleaned by the cleaning nozzle 14.

  The cleaning nozzle 14 injects cleaning water into the bottle B from the tip 14a in accordance with a command from the control means. At this time, the arm 11 moves up and down within a predetermined range together with the lifting mechanism 13 in accordance with a command from the control means. Thereby, the washing water is evenly distributed inside the bottle B, and the washing effect is enhanced. The washing water injected into the inside of the bottle B passes through the water supply port and is discharged to the outside of the bottle B again, and is discharged from the drain funnel (not shown) provided on the bottom surface 15 b of the cover 15 to the outside of the housing 1. Discharged.

  Thus, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, after the bottle B is supplied from the bottle holder 3a of the bottle supply unit 3 to the arm 11 of the reversing unit 4 in the space above the cover 15 of the cleaning unit 5, the arm 11 is lowered, the bottle B is installed inside the cover 15. That is, the apparatus can be downsized by effectively using the internal space of the housing 1. With such a structure, the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention can be easily transported and installed, and does not require a wide installation space, so there are few restrictions on the installation location.

  Further, since the bottle B is washed while being held by the arm 11 of the reversing unit 4, it is the same as when the washing nozzle 14 is moved up and down using the function of the reversing unit 4 when washing the bottle B. An effect can be obtained. That is, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, the washing effect can be enhanced by spreading the washing water uniformly in the bottle B without providing a mechanism for raising and lowering the washing nozzle 14 separately. Thereby, the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In step S4, the reversing motor 10 is operated in accordance with a command from the control means, and the arm 11 raised to the vicinity of the upper end of the column 9 together with the lifting mechanism 13 is reversed 180 degrees (see FIG. 4A). Thereafter, the arm 11 is lowered together with the lifting mechanism 13 in accordance with a command from the control means. Accordingly, the bottle B is placed on the upper surface of the endless belt 18 of the belt conveyor 6 with the water supply port facing upward (see FIG. 6A).
In step S5, the conveyor motor 22 rotationally drives the shaft member 19a in accordance with a command from the control means. Accordingly, the bolt B placed on the upper surface of the endless belt 18 is conveyed to a position where the water supply port is directly below the water supply nozzle 28 (see FIG. 6B).

In addition, when the bottle B is a crushable bottle, since the rigidity of the trunk portion is low, the posture is not stable when placed on the upper surface of the endless belt 18, and the water supply port of the bottle B is directly below the water supply nozzle 28. There is a possibility that it cannot be accurately transported to a certain position.
In such a case, not the belt conveyor 6 but the neck support conveyance unit 7 is used. That is, the bottle B reversed by the reversing unit 4 is held by the neck supporting and conveying unit 7 so that the neck ring is locked to the locking tool 23 instead of being placed on the upper surface of the endless belt 18 of the belt conveyor 6. (See FIG. 7A or FIG. 7B). The position of the locking device 23 is adjusted by pistons 24a and 25a (see FIG. 7C) that advance and retreat in accordance with instructions from the control means, and pistons 24a and 25a (see FIG. 7) when the bottle B is received from the reversing unit 4. (See (c)) is in a state of moving forward. Therefore, by retracting the pistons 24a and 25a (see FIG. 7C), the bottle B is conveyed to just below the water supply nozzle 28 (see FIG. 9A or FIG. 9B).

  Although the crushable bottle has low body rigidity but high neck rigidity, the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention equipped with the neck support and transport unit 7 reliably holds bottle B even if it is a crushable bottle. It has the effect | action that it is conveyed in the state made. Moreover, if it is the method of supporting the neck part of the bottle B, the attitude | position during conveyance will be stabilized even when the rigidity of a trunk | drum is low. Therefore, according to the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, the bottle B can be accurately conveyed to a predetermined position regardless of the rigidity of the body portion.

  As shown in FIG. 8A or FIG. 9B, until the bottle B is supplied to the filling / sealing unit 8 by the belt conveyor 6 or the neck support conveyance unit 7, the pistons 37b and 37b of the bottle holding means 31 are Both are retracted, and the neck holders 37a and 37a are in an open state. However, when the bottle B is disposed directly below the water supply nozzle 28, the pistons 37b and 37b move forward in accordance with commands from the control means in step S6. As a result, the bottle B is fixed by the neck holders 37a and 37a so that the neck is sandwiched from both sides (see FIG. 11A or FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B).

In step S <b> 7, the water supply nozzle 28 injects drinking water into the bottle B in accordance with a command from the control means. At this time, if the rigidity of the body portion is low, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the body portion expands downward due to the weight of the filled drinking water, and accordingly, excess air flows from the water supply port. Will accumulate on top of bottle B. Thus, when excess air accumulates in the upper part of the bottle B, the person who sees it receives an impression as if filling of drinking water is insufficient, which is not preferable.
However, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, the height of the upper surface of the endless belt 18 can be adjusted by the pantograph jack 21 in the belt conveyor 6 installed below the filling / sealing unit 8. According to such a structure, the bottom surface of the bottle B is supported at a desired height by the upper surface of the endless belt 18 by adjusting the height of the upper surface of the endless belt 18 by operating the pantograph jack 21. Have Therefore, according to the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, even when the rigidity of the body part of the bottle B is low, the expansion of the body part accompanying the filling of drinking water is suppressed within an appropriate range, and the upper part of the bottle B It is possible to prevent a situation where excess air is accumulated in the air.

In step S8, the raising / lowering mechanism 29b of the cap mounting means 29 operates according to a command from the control means, and the chuck portion 29a is lowered. As a result, in the cap receiving portion 32a, the cap previously supplied from the slider 33 is loaded into the chuck portion 29a. Thereafter, the elevating mechanism 29b is operated in accordance with a command from the control means, and the chuck portion 29a is raised.
Note that step S8 only needs to be performed at least before step S9, and may be performed at the same time as or before step S7.

  In step S9, the piston 36b moves forward in accordance with a command from the control means, and pushes the holding plate 35. Thereby, the cap mounting means 29 loaded with the cap moves horizontally together with the holding plate 35, and the chuck portion 29a is disposed immediately above the water supply port of the bottle B (see FIG. 11B). Thereafter, in step S10, the elevating mechanism 29b of the cap mounting means 29 is actuated in accordance with a command from the control means, and the chuck portion 29 is lowered while holding the cap. Accordingly, the cap is fitted into the water supply port of the bottle B with a force stronger than the holding force by the chuck portion 29a. Therefore, when the elevating mechanism 29b is operated according to a command from the control means and the chuck portion 29a is raised, the cap is released from the chuck portion 29a.

In step S11, the pistons 37b and 37b move backward in accordance with a command from the control means. Thereby, the bottle B is released from the state in which the neck portion is held between the neck holders 37a and 37a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the bottle B to which the cap C is attached is placed on the upper surface of the endless belt 18 of the belt conveyor 6.
In step S12, the piston 36b moves backward in accordance with a command from the control means. As a result, the cap mounting means 29 moves horizontally together with the holding plate 35, and the water supply nozzle 28 is disposed immediately above the water supply port of the bottle B.

In step S13, the conveyor motor 22 rotationally drives the shaft member 19a (see FIG. 6B) in accordance with a command from the control means. Thereby, the bolt B placed on the upper surface of the endless belt 18 is transported to the take-out position and then taken out as appropriate.
Then, after the steps S2 to S13 are repeated a predetermined number of times, the power is turned off in step S14.

Thus, in the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, the holding plate 35 moves horizontally, so that drinking water can be injected into the bottle B by the water supply nozzle 28 and the bottle B by the cap mounting means 29. This has the effect that the state in which the cap can be attached is switched. Thereby, the step of filling the bottle B with the drinking water and the step of attaching the cap are performed efficiently and continuously.
Further, when drinking water is being injected into the bottle B by the water supply nozzle 28, the elevating mechanism 29 b of the cap mounting means 29 is operated to lower the chuck portion 29 a so as to reach the cap receiving portion 32 a. A cap supplied in advance to the receiving portion 32a is loaded into the chuck portion 29a. That is, according to the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention, since the cap can be loaded into the chuck portion 29a of the cap mounting means 29 during the step of filling the bottle B with drinking water, the working efficiency is high.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a modification of the gallon bottle filling machine of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the cleaning unit 5, the belt conveyor 6, and the filling / sealing unit 8 are housed in one housing. However, when the neck supporting and conveying unit 7 can be omitted, for example, as shown in FIG. The cleaning units 5 a to 5 d may be installed so as to surround one belt conveyor 6, and the filling / sealing unit 8 may be installed on the take-out side of the belt conveyor 6. The number of cleaning units is not limited to four, and can be changed as appropriate.
According to such a structure, even when the time required for washing the bottle is longer than that for filling the bottled water and sealing the bottle, a plurality of bottles are washed in parallel, so that the production capacity is greatly enhanced. .

  The inventions described in claims 1 to 5 are particularly suitable for the case where potable water is filled and sealed on a small lot gallon bottle or crushable bottle.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Housing 1a ... Frame 2 ... Adjuster 3 ... Bottle supply unit 3a ... Bottle holder 3b ... Guide roller 3c ... Cylinder 4 ... Reversing unit 5 ... Cleaning unit 5a-5d ... Cleaning unit 6 ... Belt conveyor 7 ... Neck support conveyance Unit 8 ... Filling / sealing unit 9 ... Post 9a ... Guide groove 10 ... Reversing motor 11 ... Arm 11a ... Base end 11b ... Tip 12 ... Neck holder 13 ... Elevating mechanism 14 ... Washing nozzle 14a ... Tip 15 ... Cover 15a ... Front face 15b ... Bottom face 15c, 15d ... Side face 15e ... Back face 16 ... Window part 17 ... Notch 18 ... Endless belt 19a, 19b ... Shaft member 20 ... Conveyor mount 21 ... Pantograph jack 22 ... Conveyor motor 23 ... Locking tool 24a ... Piston 24b ... Cylinder 24c ... Connector 25a Piston 25b ... Cylinder 26 ... Angle material 27 ... Stand 28 ... Water supply nozzle 29 ... Cap mounting means 29a ... Chuck part 29b ... Lifting mechanism 30 ... Cap supply means 31 ... Bottle holding means 32a ... Cap receiving part 32b ... Piston 32c ... Cylinder 33 ... Slider 33a ... Upper end 33b ... Lower end 34 ... Stand 35 ... Holding plate 36a ... Cylinder 36b ... Piston 37a ... Neck holder 37b ... Piston 37c ... Cylinder 38 ... Mounting plate 39 ... Connecting tool B ... Bottle C ... Cap

Claims (5)

A support column installed so that a guide groove formed parallel to the longitudinal direction is parallel to the vertical direction;
An elevating mechanism that moves up and down along the guide groove;
A reversing motor attached to the support column via the lifting mechanism;
An arm whose base end is connected to the reversing motor;
A neck holder which is formed to be able to hold the neck of the bottle and is attached to the tip of the arm;
An opening is formed on the upper surface side so that the bottle can be supplied from above, and a first notch having a predetermined length from the upper end to the lower side on the side surface closer to the support column is wider than the arm. With a box-shaped cover,
A cleaning nozzle installed so that the tip protrudes from the bottom of the cover into the interior;
A water supply nozzle installed so that drinking water can be injected into the bottle from the water supply port directed upward;
Cap mounting means for mounting a cap on the bottle;
Bottle holding means for holding the neck of the bottle;
The bottle holding means and a gantry for supporting the cap mounting means,
The cover is installed such that the arm is movable in the vertical direction within the first notch,
In the cover, the washing nozzle is installed so that a tip can be inserted into the bottle from the water supply port directed downward. An endless belt installed so that the bottle placed on the upper surface can be conveyed in a horizontal direction to just below the water supply nozzle;
A pair of shaft members around which the endless belt is wound;
A conveyor base for rotatably holding the pair of shaft members;
A jack that supports the conveyor platform to be movable up and down;
A conveyor motor that rotationally drives the shaft member;
The gallon bottle filling machine according to claim 1, comprising: A locking tool whose tip is formed in a hook shape so as to be locked to a neck ring provided at the neck of the bottle;
A transfer piston having this locking tool connected to the tip;
A transfer cylinder for moving the piston back and forth in the horizontal direction;
The gallon bottle filling machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: A holding plate that integrally holds the cap mounting means and the water supply nozzle;
A plate piston to which the holding plate is connected to the tip;
A plate cylinder for moving the plate piston in the horizontal direction; and
A guide member installed on the gantry,
The cap mounting means is
A chuck portion for holding the side surface of the cap by a plurality of claws;
And an elevating mechanism that moves the chuck part up and down in the vertical direction,
The holding plate is
The one of the water supply nozzle and the cap mounting means is supported by the guide member so as to be movable in the horizontal direction so as to be disposed immediately above the water supply port of the bottle. The gallon bottle filling machine according to claim 3. The bottle is installed so as to be movable in the horizontal direction while holding the water supply port in a state where the water supply port is directed downward, and in a plan view, the second size is such that the arm and the neck holder can pass through. A bottle holder in which the notch is formed from the end surface on the side close to the support column to the center portion;
A guide roller for conveying the bottle to the bottle holder;
A retainer piston having the bottle retainer coupled to the tip;
A retainer cylinder for moving the retainer piston forward and backward, and
5. The holding device piston is installed so that the bottle holding device can be pushed to a position where the arm and the neck holding device pass through the second notch. The gallon bottle filling machine of any one of these.

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