JP2018184296A - Gripper and container conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gripper capable of gripping a container without depending on elastic force as external force.SOLUTION: A gripper 60 having a first gripping claw 61A and a second gripping claw 61B, capable of putting in/out a neck part 101 of a container 100 at an opening position, and capable of gripping the neck part 101 at a closing position comprises a lock mechanism 80 for mechanically maintaining a situation that the first gripping claw 61A and the second gripping claw 61B grip the neck part 101 at the closing position. The lock mechanism 80 comprises a lock lever 81 shifting between a lock position for contacting to the first gripping claw 61A and a lock release position for releasing the contact to the first gripping claw 61A. The lock lever 81 mechanically maintains a condition of gripping the neck part 101 by contacting to the first gripping claw 61A at the closing position at the lock position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a gripper used for delivery of a bottle-shaped container in a beverage filling system.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a transport device in a facility for filling beverages in a bottle-shaped container such as a PET bottle, there is known a device that is provided with a plurality of grippers and transports while gripping the body of the container with these grippers. In such a container transport device, when the size and shape of the container are different, the diameter of the container at the gripper gripping position is changed, so that there is a problem that the gripper must be replaced or adjusted. Therefore, various grippers have been proposed for gripping the neck portion that has a smaller difference in size and shape between the containers than the body portion (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a transfer device that can improve compatibility with various types of containers and improve the stop positioning accuracy of the containers. The bottom surface of the containers is vacuum-sucked by the vacuum suction part of the transport conveyor, and the neck part is held with pressure by a gripper. Suggest to do. In Patent Document 1, the holding force for holding the neck portion by the gripper is assisted by the suction force of the vacuum suction portion, the gripping force that the gripper should be provided according to the diameter of the neck portion is reduced, and Expand the combined range.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a gripper that presses a collar with elastic force for the purpose of providing a gripper that can be stably gripped without tilting and rotating even in a bottle-shaped container having a thin-walled collar. Proposed to be provided in the holding groove.

JP 2006-213377 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-075518

In a beverage filling system, there is a case where an empty container before being filled with a product liquid is gripped, and a case where a container after being filled with a product liquid is gripped. A container before being filled with the product liquid is sometimes referred to as an empty container, and a container after being filled with the product liquid is sometimes referred to as an actual container.
The empty container is light before filling with the product liquid, but the actual container filled with the product liquid becomes heavy so that the inertia increases, and the container may shake greatly around the part gripped by the gripper. .
If the gripping force of the gripper is increased, the contact around the actual container can be suppressed, but for this purpose, for example, the elastic force of the spring that generates the gripping force of the gripper needs to be increased.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a gripper that can grip a container without relying on an elastic force as an external force.

The present invention relates to a gripper that has a first gripping claw and a second gripping claw, grips a container in a closed position, and ungrips the container in an open position.
The gripper of the present invention includes a lock mechanism that mechanically maintains a state in which the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw grip the container in the closed position.

The lock mechanism according to the present invention includes a lock position in contact with at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw, and a lock release position in which contact with at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw is released. , A lock lever that moves between the two can be provided.
The lock lever in the present invention can mechanically maintain the state of gripping the container by contacting at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw in the closed position at the lock position.
When the lock lever in the present invention shifts to the unlock position, the first grip claw and the second grip claw can shift to the open position.

The lock lever according to the present invention can be shifted from the lock position to the lock release position by applying a first elastic force toward the lock position and applying a first external force that opposes the first elastic force.
In this invention, the 1st external force which opposes a 1st elastic force can be given by the 1st cam which a lock lever interferes.

  In the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw according to the present invention, the opening / closing operation of one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw is transmitted to the other. The state of gripping the container can be mechanically maintained by contacting one of the two gripping claws.

The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw in the present invention are shifted from the closed position to the open position by applying a second elastic force toward the closed position and applying a second external force that opposes the second elastic force. can do.
One of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw includes an opening / closing lever, and the second external force that opposes the second elastic force can be applied by a second cam that interferes with the opening / closing lever.

  The present invention provides a container transport device including the gripper described above. This transport device transports a container along a transport path while gripping the container, a gripper that grips the container, a movable body that transports the container along the transport path while supporting the gripper, Is provided. The gripper has a first gripping claw and a second gripping claw, grips the container in the closed position, releases the container in the open position, and the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw grips the container in the closed position. And a lock mechanism for mechanically maintaining the state to be performed.

  According to the gripper of the present invention, since the first holding claw and the second holding claw are mechanically maintained by the lock mechanism in the closed position, the container can be held without depending on the elastic force as an external force. In particular, even in an actual container filled with the product liquid, the neck portion of the container can be stably gripped without applying a large elastic force.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the movable body used for the conveying apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an engagement relationship between a radial guide of the movable element of FIG. 2 and a radial cam follower of a holding element, viewed from the inside to the outside of a travel path. It is a top view which shows the gripper integrated in the movable body of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the gripper of the conveying apparatus of FIG. It is a front view which shows a movable body provided with the 2nd support which supports a container from the bottom.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a travel path 10 that forms an elliptical circulation path in plan view, and a plurality of movable bodies that travel independently along the travel path 10. 30 and a controller 90 that controls the traveling of the movable body 30. Each of the movable bodies 30 is provided with permanent magnets 45A and 45B (FIG. 2), and the electromagnetic coil 12 (FIG. 2) is provided along the traveling path 10, whereby the transport device 1 includes a linear motor. The bottle-shaped container 100 as an article is transported along the transport path 3 outside the travel path 10 by a predetermined distance. FIG. 1 shows only a part of the plurality of movable bodies 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, each movable body 30 includes a movable element 40 that forms a mover of a linear motor and a holding element 50 that holds the container 100, and mainly travels the load of the holding element 50 including the container 100. It is configured to receive on the road 10. Thereby, by suppressing the load applied to the movable element 40 from the holding element 50 in the vertical direction Z, the propulsive force of the movable element 40 can be efficiently used for traveling of the movable body 30.
Hereinafter, after describing the structure of the traveling path 10 and the movable body 30 in order, the effect which the conveyance apparatus 1 show | plays is demonstrated.

[Runway 10]
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the travel path 10 includes a guide rail 11, and a first cam rail 13 and a second cam rail 14 that are provided alongside the guide rail 11. Note that FIG. 1 only shows the presence of the guide rail 11, the first cam rail 13, and the second cam rail 14 by line segments, and does not reflect their positions. The same applies to the open / close cam rail 19 and the lock cam rail 21. The traveling path 10 has a concept including these guide rails 11, the first cam rails 13, and the second cam rails 14.

  The guide rail 11 forms a stator as a linear motor, and a large number of electromagnetic coils 12 (FIG. 2) are embedded along the guide rail 11. Each electromagnetic coil 12 has a rectangular shape, and its longitudinal direction is arranged along the radial direction X. The permanent magnets 45 </ b> A and 45 </ b> B of the movable element 40 are provided so as to face the electromagnetic coil 12.

  The guide rail 11 includes linear portions 11C and 11D arranged at intervals, a curved portion 11E that connects one end of the linear portion 11C and the linear portion 11D, and a curved portion that connects the linear portion 11C and the other end of the linear portion 11D. 11F. The curved portions 11E and F are connected to the straight portions 11C and 11D by clothoid curves CC. The clothoid curve is a curve with a constant rate of curvature change, and is provided to avoid a sudden change in the curvature when moving from the straight line portion to the arc portion. That is, the curved portions 11E and 11F have a constant radius of curvature, and change particularly in the portion of the clothoid curve CC. In the transport device 1, the movable element 40 is configured so as to cope with the change in the radius of curvature in the curved portions 11F and 11E.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14 are configured so that the first cam follower 55 </ b> A, the second cam follower 55 </ b> B, and the third cam follower 55 </ b> C that are provided on the holding element 50 roll, Guide the travel of the element 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14 has first U-shaped first cam grooves 15, 16, and the first cam groove 15 of the first cam rail 13 has a first cam groove 15. The cam follower 55A is accommodated in a rollable manner, and the second cam follower 55B is accommodated in the second cam groove 16 of the second cam rail 14 in a rollable manner. Further, the third cam follower 55C is accommodated in the gap between the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14 so as to roll.

With the above configuration, the load in the vertical direction Z of the holding element 50 is applied to the first cam rail 13 via the first cam follower 55A and to the second cam rail 14 via the second cam follower 55B.
Further, the holding element 50 travels along the travel path 10 without being displaced while being guided by the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14.

Further, the traveling path 10 includes an open / close cam rail 19 and a lock cam rail 21 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.
The opening / closing cam rail 19 opens and closes the gripping claws 61 </ b> A and 61 </ b> B through the operation of the opening / closing lever 71 when the roller cam 73 of the opening / closing mechanism 70 in the gripper 60 interferes. The opening / closing cam rail 19 and the roller cam 73 constitute the second cam mechanism of the present invention.
Further, the lock cam rail 21 locks the opening / closing operation of the gripping claws 61 </ b> A and 61 </ b> B through the operation of the lock lever 81 by the interference of the roller cam 85 of the lock mechanism 80 in the gripper 60. The lock cam rail 21 and the roller cam 85 constitute the first cam mechanism of the present invention.

[Movable element 40 (movable body 30)]
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the movable element 40 is held by the holder 41 that holds other elements constituting the movable element 40, the rollers 43 </ b> A, 43 </ b> B, 43 </ b> C, and 43 </ b> D that are held by the holder 41, and the holder 41. Permanent magnets 45 </ b> A and 45 </ b> B and radial guides 47 </ b> A and 47 </ b> B provided at the upper and lower ends of the holder 41, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder 41 includes an upper lever 41A facing the upper surface of the guide rail 11 in the drawing, a lower lever 41B facing the lower surface of the guide rail 11 in the drawing, and an upper lever 41A and a lower lever 41B. And a connection wall 41C for connecting the two.
The holder 41 is disposed such that the guide rail 11 of the travel path 10 is disposed between the upper lever 41 </ b> A and the lower lever 41 </ b> B, and the connection wall 41 </ b> C faces the outside of the travel path 10.

The rollers 43A and 43B are rotatably attached to the upper lever 41A, and the rollers 43C and 43D are rotatably attached to the lower lever 41B. The rollers 43A and 43B are provided with their positions in the transport direction shifted so that they do not interfere with each other. The same applies to the rollers 43C and 43D.
When the movable body 30 travels along the travel path 10, the rollers 43 </ b> A and 43 </ b> B roll on the guide surfaces 17 </ b> A and 17 </ b> B provided on the upper surface of the guide rail 11, and the rollers 43 </ b> C and 43 </ b> D The guide surfaces 17C and 17D provided on the lower surface of the roller are rolled. Thereby, the movable body 30 can suppress the resistance between the movable body 30 and the guide rail 11 when traveling along the traveling path 10.

  The permanent magnets 45A and 45B are held at the tip of the upper lever 41A and the tip of the lower lever 41B, respectively. The permanent magnets 45 </ b> A and 45 </ b> B constitute a linear motor together with the electromagnetic coil 12 provided on the guide rail 11. When the controller 90 controls the current supplied to each of the plurality of electromagnetic coils 12, a magnetic attractive force and a repulsive force are generated between the permanent magnets 45A and 45B, and the movable element 40 travels.

Each of the radial guides 47A and 47B has a U-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the radial guide 47A includes a rectangular cam groove 48A that opens downwardly. The guide 47B includes a rectangular cam groove 48B that opens upward. The cam grooves 48A and 48B penetrate the radial guides 47A and 47B in the radial direction X.
A radial cam follower 56A is rotatably accommodated in the cam groove 48A, and a radial cam follower 56B is rotatably accommodated in the cam groove 48B. Therefore, the holder 41 is restrained from moving in the transport direction by the radial cam followers 56 </ b> A and 56 </ b> B, but is allowed to be displaced relative to the holding element 50 in the radial direction X.
The radial displacement is allowed to correspond to the curved portions 11E and 11F of the guide rail 11 forming a clothoid curve.
Further, when the movement of the holder 41 is restricted by the radial cam followers 56A and 56B, an engagement relationship is established in which the force generated by the travel of the movable element 40 is transmitted to the holding element 50.

[Holding element 50 (movable body 30)]
Next, the holding element 50 will be described with reference to FIG.
The holding element 50 includes a gripper 60 that holds the neck 101 of the container 100, and a frame 51 that supports the gripper 60.
The gripper 60 grips the container 100 by maintaining a state in which the gripper 60 is closed and grips the container 100 by a mechanical restraining force. This maintenance of the closed state is called a lock. The gripper 60 does not rely on elastic force to hold the container 100.
The frame 51 is configured such that the load in the vertical direction Z of the container 100 held by the gripper 60 and the gripper 60 is applied to the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the frame 51 and the gripper 60 will be described in this order.

  The frame 51 includes an upper frame 52, a lower frame 53 provided at an interval in the vertical direction Z from the upper frame 52, and a connection frame 54 that connects the upper frame 52 and the lower frame 53 and extends in the vertical direction Z. . The connection frame 54 connects the upper frame 52 and the lower frame 53 on the outer side (Out) in the radial direction X, so that the upper frame 52, the lower frame 53, and the connection frame 54 are mechanically integrated.

  The upper frame 52 supports the gripper 60. Since the gripper 60 holds the container 100 when the container 100 is transported, the upper frame 52 receives the load of the container 100 and the gripper 60. This load is transmitted to the lower frame 53 via the connection frame 54.

Next, the lower frame 53 rotatably supports the first cam follower 55A, the second cam follower 55B, and the third cam follower 55C.
The first cam follower 55A and the second cam follower 55B have the rotation axis oriented in the radial direction X, and the third cam follower 55C has the rotation axis oriented in the vertical direction Z.
The first cam follower 55A is rotatably accommodated in the first cam groove 15 of the first cam rail 13, and the second cam follower 55B is rotatably accommodated in the second cam groove 16 of the second cam rail 14. The third cam follower 55C is accommodated in a third cam groove 17 formed between the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14 so as to be able to roll.
As described above, the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14 receive the load in the vertical direction Z of the holding element 50 via the first cam follower 55A and the second cam follower 55B. The first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14 receive a load in the radial direction X of the holding element 50 via the third cam follower 55C.

Next, the holding element 50 includes a radial cam follower 56A and a radial cam follower 56B, each of which can rotate around a rotation axis. The rotation axes of the radial cam followers 56A and 56B are along the vertical direction Z.
The radial cam follower 56A is provided above the upper lever 41A corresponding to the radial guide 47A of the holder 41, and the radial cam follower 56B corresponds to the radial guide 47B of the holder 41 from the lower lever 41B. Is also provided below.
The radial cam follower 56 </ b> A is rotatably attached to the upper frame 52, and the radial cam follower 56 </ b> B is rotatably attached to the lower frame 53.

The radial cam follower 56A and the radial cam follower 56B are accommodated in the cam groove 48A of the radial guide 47A and the cam groove 48B of the radial guide 47B, respectively.
Thus, the radial cam follower 56A and the radial cam follower 56B allow the displacement of the holder 41, that is, the movable element 40 in the radial direction X through the radial guide 47A and the radial guide 47B, but the displacement in the transport direction. Is restrained. Further, the radial cam followers 56A and 56B restrain displacement of the radial guides 47A and 47B in the vertical direction Z.
Thus, the movable element 40 and the holding element 50 are in an engagement relationship in which the holding element 50 receives a force generated by the traveling of the movable element 40.

[Gripper 60]
Next, the gripper 60 provided with the lock mechanism 80 for gripping the container 100 without depending on the elastic force will be described with reference to FIGS.
The gripper 60 includes a pair of gripping claws 61A and 61B that grip the container 100, an opening and closing mechanism 70 that controls opening and closing of the gripping claws 61A and 61B, and a lock mechanism 80 that locks the opening and closing of the gripping claws 61A and 61B.

  The gripping claws 61A and 61B are attached to the support plate 65 by the rotation shafts 63A and 63B so as to be able to swing. A tooth groove (not shown) that meshes with each other is formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shafts 63A and 63B. Therefore, for example, when the gripping claw 61A is rotated clockwise, the gripping claw 61B can be rotated counterclockwise.

[Opening and closing mechanism 70]
As shown in FIG. 4, the opening / closing mechanism 70 includes an opening / closing lever 71 fixed to the gripping claw 61 </ b> A so as to be swingable about a rotation shaft 63 </ b> A, a roller cam 73 provided at the tip of the opening / closing lever 71, and a gripping claw 61A and torsion coil springs 75A and 75B that apply elastic force (second elastic force) toward the closed position to the gripping claws 61B, respectively.

The opening / closing lever 71 is provided on the opposite side of the gripping claw 61A with the rotation shaft 63A as a boundary, and when the roller cam 73 interferes with the opening / closing cam rail 19 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 75A is exerted. When an opposing external force (second external force) is applied, it rotates clockwise. Accordingly, when the gripping claw 61A rotates clockwise, the gripping claw 61B rotates counterclockwise at the same time, so that the gripping claw 61A and the gripping claw 61B are opened. The container 100 can be taken in and out between the gripping claws 61A and 61B at the open position of the gripping claws 61A and 61B.
When the interference with the opening / closing cam rail 19 is released, the gripping claws 61A and the gripping claws 61B are closed by performing the reverse operation of the opening operation. In this closed position, the container 100 is gripped by the gripping claws 61A and the gripping claws 61B.

  The operation of closing the gripping claws 61A and the gripping claws 61B is based on the fact that an elastic force is applied in the direction in which the gripping claws 61A and the gripping claws 61B are closed by the torsion coil springs 75A and 75B. That is, one end side of the torsion coil spring 75A arranged around the rotating shaft 63A is locked to the locking pin 77A provided on the support plate 65, and the other end side of the coil spring 75A is locked to the grip claw 61A. By being locked to the pin 77B, an elastic force is applied to the gripping claw 61A in the closing direction. Further, one end side of the torsion coil spring 75B disposed around the rotating shaft 63B is locked to a locking pin 77C provided on the support plate 65, and the other end side of the coil spring 75B is provided on the gripping claw 61B. By being locked to the pin 77D, an elastic force is applied to the gripping claw 61B in the closing direction. That is, the gripper 60 is closed unless an external force is applied in the opening direction.

[Lock mechanism 80]
As shown in FIG. 4, the lock mechanism 80 has a lock lever 81, a lock pin 83 fixed to the gripping claw 61A, a roller cam 85 provided at the tip of the lock lever 81, and the lock lever 81 directed to the lock position. A coil spring 87 for applying an elastic force (first elastic force).

The lock lever 81 has an L-shaped planar shape, and is fixed to the support plate 65 so as to be capable of normal rotation and reverse rotation about the rotation shaft 81C. The lock lever 81 and the action portion 81A are separated from the rotation shaft 81C. An operation unit 81B is provided.
The action portion 81A prevents the gripping claw 61A and the gripping claw 61 in the closed position from opening, that is, locks, because the tip of the lock lever 81 abuts against the lock pin 83 when the lock lever 81 is in the locked position. To do.

When the roller cam 85 provided at the tip of the operating portion 81B interferes with the lock cam rail 21, an external force (first external force) that opposes the elastic force of the coil spring 87 is applied, and the operating portion 81B rotates clockwise in the figure. The lock lever 81 moves from the locked position to the unlocked position. Along with this, the engagement of the action portion 81A with the lock pin 83 is released. Then, the grip claws 61A and 61B are unlocked and can be moved to the open position.
When the interference with the open / close cam rail 19 is released, the engagement of the action portion 81A with the lock pin 83 is restored. The return operation is based on the elastic force of the coil spring 87 provided between the action portion 81A and the spring support piece 89 attached to the support plate 65.

[Operation of Conveying Device 1]
Next, the operation of the transport device 1, particularly the operations of the opening / closing mechanism 70 and the lock mechanism 80, will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the container 100 is transported through the transport path 3 forming the circulation path, the lock mechanism 80 is unlocked from the curved portion 11E to the straight portion 11D of the travel path 10, and the opening / closing mechanism 70 opens the gripper 60, An operation in which the opening / closing mechanism 70 closes the gripper 60 and the lock mechanism 80 is locked in the linear portion 11D will be described as an example.

  In the course of the above operation, the movable element 40 obtains a propulsive force by the magnetic action generated between the electromagnetic coil 12 and the permanent magnets 45A and 45B and conveys the holding element 50. A magnetic action is caused by an instruction from the controller 90. When the holding element 50 is gripping the container 100, the moving movable element 40 conveys the holding element 50 including the weight of the container 100.

As shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing cam rail 19 is involved in the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism 70, and the lock cam rail 21 is involved in locking and unlocking the locking mechanism 80.
First, the roller cam 85 of the lock lever 81 interferes with the lock cam rail 21, and the engagement relationship between the action portion 81A of the lock lever 81 and the lock pin 83 is released (FIG. 5 (I)). Next, when the roller cam 73 of the opening / closing lever 71 interferes with the opening / closing cam rail 19, the gripping claws 61A and the gripping claws 61B are opened through the tilting of the opening / closing lever 71 (FIG. 5 (II)). While the gripping claws 61 </ b> A and 61 </ b> B are open, the gripper 60 can receive the container 100 or deliver the container 100. FIG. 5 assumes that the container 100 is received.

  The gripper 60 travels along the straight portion 11C with the gripping claws 61A and 61B open, but the interference between the roller cam 73 of the open / close lever 71 and the open / close cam rail 19 is released (FIG. 5 (III)). Then, the grip claws 61A and 61B are closed by the elastic force of the torsion coil springs 75A and 75B. At the same time, since the interference between the roller cam 85 of the lock lever 81 and the lock cam rail 21 is released, the engagement between the action portion 81A and the lock pin 83 is restored. Thereafter, the closed state of the gripping claws 61A and 61B is mechanically maintained by the engagement relationship between the action portion 81A and the lock pin 83, so that the gripper 60 can grip the received container 100.

[Effect]
Hereinafter, the effect by the conveying apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
The gripper 60 constituting the transport device 1 grips the neck 101 of the container 100 by mechanically maintaining a locked state in which the gripping claws 61 </ b> A and 61 </ b> B are closed by the lock lever 81 of the lock mechanism 80. That is, the gripper 60 can grip the neck portion 101 of the container 100 without relying on an elastic force as an external force. In particular, even the container 100 filled with the product liquid can stably hold the neck 101 without applying a large elastic force. In addition, an elastic force toward the lock position is applied to the lock lever 81. Since this is a relatively small force, a force required to move the lock lever 81 from the lock position to the lock release position is sufficient. Is weak and sufficient.
On the other hand, it is the elastic force of the torsion coil springs 75A and 75B of the opening / closing mechanism 70 that changes the gripper 60 from the open state to the closed state, but the force for gripping the container 100 filled with the product liquid is a lock mechanism. Since 80 bears, this elastic force is negligible.

  Further, the gripper 60 and the lock lever 81 operate based on the action of the cam accompanying the traveling of the movable body 30, but the force required for this operation may be small. Therefore, since the force which the movable body 30 bears about the holding | grip of the container 100 by the gripper 60 may be small, this embodiment can apply the linear motor which can drive at high speed.

  Moreover, since the conveying apparatus 1 receives the load of the holding element 50 holding the container 100 by the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14, the load in the vertical direction Z received by the movable element 40 is reduced. Therefore, even with the holding element 50 that holds the container 100 that is considerably heavier than the empty container because the product liquid is filled, the movable element 40 can be conveyed at high speed. If this conveying apparatus 1 is applied to a beverage filling system, a conveying speed that can withstand the required filling capacity can be realized.

  Moreover, the first cam follower 55A is engaged with the first cam rail 13 and the second cam follower 55B is engaged with the second cam rail 14, whereby the holding element 50 is positioned in the vertical direction Z. Further, the third cam follower 55 </ b> C is engaged between the first cam rail 13 and the second cam rail 14, whereby the holding element 50 is positioned in the radial direction X. Therefore, according to the conveying apparatus 1, the stable driving | running | working of the holding element 50 is ensured.

  As described above, the guide rail 11 according to the present embodiment has a clothoid curve CC in which the curvature radius changes in part of the curved portions 11E and 11F. However, the movable element 30 holds the movable body 30 according to the present embodiment. The element 50 can be displaced in the radial direction X. Therefore, even if the positional relationship in the radial direction X between the movable element 40 and the holding element 50 changes due to the movable body 30 traveling along the clothoid curve CC, the movable element 40 is displaced in the radial direction X. Since the positional relationship can be tracked, stable movement of the movable element 40 and the holding element 50 can be ensured.

  The preferred transport device of the present invention has been described above. However, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in order to prevent the container 100 from touching during transportation, a first support 57 and a second support 59 can be provided as shown in FIG.
The first support 57 supports the container 100 from the bottom 105. The 1st support 57 is provided so that raising / lowering is possible, and it prevents that the container 100 touches around during conveyance by contacting the bottom 105 of the container 100. FIG.

  The second support 59 supports the container 100 from the transport direction. The second support 59 is a plate-like member that comes into contact with the body portion 107 of the container 100 from the front in the transport direction. The upper end of the second support 59 is fixed to the gripping claw 61A.

Further, in the above embodiment, the gripper 60 is opened and closed by the cam mechanism, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be performed by using an electric device that uses electric power as a power source such as an electromagnetic solenoid or an electric motor. .
When the gripper 60 is opened and closed with an electromagnetic solenoid, power may be supplied when the gripper 60 is opened without supplying power when the gripper 60 is closed. While the power is not supplied, the electromagnetic solenoid mechanically maintains the gripper 60 holding the container 100.

  Moreover, although the above embodiment demonstrated the conveying apparatus 1 provided with the some movable body 30 which each independently travels along the circular arc-shaped traveling path 10, the gripper of this invention is not restricted to this, A container The present invention can be widely applied to a transport device that transports a container along a transport path while gripping the container. For example, the present invention can be applied to a gripper of a transport device having a rotating body called a star wheel as a movable body.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 3 Conveyance path 10 Traveling path 11 Guide rail 11C, 11D Straight part 11C
11E, 11F Curved portion 12 Electromagnetic coil 13 First cam rail 14 Second cam rail 15 First cam groove 16 Second cam groove 17 Third cam grooves 17A, 17B Guide surfaces 17C, 17D Guide surfaces 19 Opening / closing cam rails 21 Lock cam rails 30 Movable Body 40 Movable element 41 Holder 41A Upper lever 41B Lower lever 41C Connection walls 43A, 43B, 43C, 43D Rollers 45A, 45B Permanent magnets 47A, 47B Radial guides 48A, 48B Cam grooves 50 Holding elements 51 Frame 52 Upper frame 53 Lower frame 54 connection frame 55A first cam follower 55B second cam follower 55C third cam follower 56A, 56B radial cam follower 57 first support 59 second support 60 grippers 61A, 61B gripping claws 63A, 63B rotating shaft 65 support plate 70 Opening / closing mechanism 71 Opening / closing lever 73 Roller cams 75A, 75B Torsion coil springs 77A, 77B, 77C, 77D Locking pin 80 Lock mechanism 81 Lock lever 81A Action part 81B Operation part 81C Rotating shaft 83 Lock pin 85 Roller cam 89 Supporting piece 90 Controller 100 Container 101 neck 105 bottom 107 trunk

Claims (16)

A gripper having a first gripping claw and a second gripping claw, gripping a container in a closed position, and releasing the gripping of the container in an open position,
A lock mechanism that mechanically maintains the state in which the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw grip the container in the closed position;
A gripper characterized by that. The locking mechanism is
A locked position in contact with at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw;
A lock lever that transitions between the first gripping claw and the unlocking position at which contact with at least one of the second gripping claw is released;
The lock lever is
In the locked position, mechanically maintaining the state of gripping the container by contacting at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw in the closed position;
The gripper according to claim 1. When the lock lever moves to the unlock position,
The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw move to the open position;
The gripper according to claim 2. The lock lever is
A first elastic force is applied toward the lock position,
When a first external force that opposes the first elastic force is applied, the lock position is shifted to the unlock position.
The gripper according to claim 2 or claim 3. The first external force that opposes the first elastic force is provided by a first cam that interferes with the lock lever.
The gripper according to claim 4. The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw are:
One opening / closing operation is transmitted to the other to cause the other opening / closing operation,
The lock lever is
In the locked position, mechanically maintaining the state of gripping the container by contacting one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw in the closed position;
The gripper according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw are:
A second elastic force is applied toward the closed position,
By applying a second external force that opposes the second elastic force, transition from the closed position to the open position,
The gripper according to any one of claims 1 to 6. One of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw includes an opening / closing lever,
The second external force that opposes the second elastic force is provided by a second cam that interferes with the open / close lever.
The gripper according to claim 7. A transport device that transports the container along a transport path while gripping the container,
A gripper for gripping the container;
A movable body that transports the container along the transport path while supporting the gripper,
The gripper is
Having a first gripping claw and a second gripping claw, gripping the container in the closed position, and releasing the gripping of the container in the open position;
A lock mechanism that mechanically maintains the state in which the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw grip the container in the closed position;
A container transport device characterized by the above. The locking mechanism is
A locked position in contact with at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw;
A lock lever that transitions between the first gripping claw and the unlocking position at which contact with at least one of the second gripping claw is released;
The lock lever is
In the locked position, mechanically maintaining the state of gripping the container by contacting at least one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw in the closed position;
The container conveyance apparatus of Claim 9. When the lock lever moves to the unlock position,
The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw move to the open position;
The container transport apparatus according to claim 10. The lock lever is
A first elastic force is applied toward the lock position,
When a first external force that opposes the first elastic force is applied, the lock position is shifted to the unlock position.
The container conveyance apparatus of Claim 10 or Claim 11. The first external force that opposes the first elastic force is:
Provided by a first cam provided along the transport path, with which the lock lever interferes,
The container transport apparatus according to claim 12. The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw are:
One opening / closing operation is transmitted to the other to cause the other opening / closing operation,
The lock lever is
In the locked position, mechanically maintaining the state of gripping the container by contacting one of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw in the closed position;
The container conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 10-13. The first gripping claw and the second gripping claw are:
A second elastic force is applied toward the closed position,
By applying a second external force that opposes the second elastic force, transition from the closed position to the open position,
The container conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 9-14. One of the first gripping claw and the second gripping claw includes an opening / closing lever,
The second external force that opposes the second elastic force is:
Provided by a second cam provided along the transport path, with which the open / close lever interferes,
The container transport apparatus according to claim 15.

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