JP2550161B2 - Container feeder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of use] The present invention separates a plurality of container groups each having a vertically fitted and stacked flange into a single unit, and supplies each separated container to a container transfer device. It is related to the device.

[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention]

In a conventional filling machine for filling dairy products, etc., a container transport that separates a group of fitted and stacked containers into a single chamber and provides it in a chamber with a sterile atmosphere, and supports the container in a suspended state with a flange. There are various configurations of so-called container feeding devices that feed onto the device. The most primitive one is to drop only the lowest-ranked container (lowermost container) of the container group into an open state and drop it on the container transport device by its own weight.

In such a conventional technique, when the fitting of the container group is firmly achieved, the lowest container cannot be separated from the container group only by its own weight, so that a reliable container supply is always achieved. Was difficult.

Further, as a representative of other conventional techniques, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-115
There is one shown in No. 221.

This is to suck the lowermost container from below and guide it onto the container transfer device. However, even in this conventional technique, it is difficult to surely achieve the separation of the lowermost container due to the strong fitting force of the container group or the decrease of the suction force, and the lowering of the lowermost container depending on the adjustment of the suction force. There is a problem that not only the container but also the container above it is separated and supplied to the container transfer device.

Further, in this conventional technique, the lower end of the container supply device is fixedly positioned in the chamber, and the container suction device is also installed in the chamber. Since the device is made narrower, it becomes difficult to mount or repair these devices, and the device has a complicated structure which is apt to cause a failure.

The present invention was devised in view of these problems, and ensures the separation of the lowest container and the supply to the container transporting device, and has a simple structure and the like, so that the container can be easily assembled and repaired. The technical problem is to provide a supply device.

[Means for solving the problem]

Therefore, according to the present invention, the fixed side 2 having at least a pair of holding pieces 4 and the moving side 3 having the separation piece 6 and the supply piece 7 are provided.
It consisted of and.

At least one pair of holding pieces 4 on the fixed side 2 are opposed to each other, and the lower surface of the bottommost container c flange f of a container group g, which is a plurality of containers c having flanges f that are fitted and stacked in the vertical direction, is a locking portion. The container group g is held by being locked by 5 and the container c
The periodic opening operation is performed to release the engagement with the lower surface of the flange f.

At least one pair of separating pieces 6 on the moving side 3 are vertically movable between the holding pieces 4 so as to face each other, and the inner surface of the separating piece 6 rides over the outermost end of the lowermost container c flange f during the upward displacement, and the lower end during the downward displacement. The upper surface of the flange f of c is pressed downward to separate the lowermost container c from the container group g. Supply piece 7
Is a mounting portion 8 on which the separation piece 6 is integrally assembled, and the flange f of the lowest container c separated below the separation piece 6 is mounted.
Has a lowermost container c and is sandwiched between the separation piece 6 and
A container transfer device 10 which is provided in a chamber 43 having an aseptic atmosphere and supports the container c in a suspended manner by a flange f.
After downward displacement to the immediately above position, the opening operation is performed, the lowermost container c is released, and the lowermost container c is dropped and supplied from the supply port 36 of the chuck bar 43 onto the container transfer device 10.

Then, the opening operation of the holding piece 4 is performed when the separating piece 6 is displaced downward to separate the lowermost container c.

Further, in order to be able to cope with the size change of the container c, it is preferable that the distance between the fixed-side holding piece 4 and the distance between the movable-side supply pieces 7 can be changed according to the size of the container c.

In addition, a shutter 9 may be provided in order to prevent the container c supplied to the container transfer device 10 in a suspended manner from floating. In this case, when the moving side 3 reaches the lower limit, the shutter 9 is pressed by the moving side 3 to form an open state that is an interval through which the container c can pass, and the moving side 3 is displaced upward. Then, a closed state in which the container c cannot pass through the space is formed. Then, at least the container transfer device 10
The container c is installed in the container transporting device 10 in a state in which a space is formed between the upper surface and the container c so that the flange f can enter the container.

Furthermore, in order to sterilize the inside of the chamber 43, it is preferable that the moving up and down movement of the moving side 3 can be stopped in the operating state.

[Action]

The operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a state in which the moving side 3 is in the middle of ascending and the separation piece 6 just overruns the lowest container flange f of the container group g held by the fixed side holding piece 4. is there. When the moving side 3 further rises from this state, the separation piece 6 gets over the container flange f, and the flange f is located between the separation piece 6 and the supply piece mounting portion 8. That is, the flange f of the lowermost container c in the container group g held by the holding piece 4 is sandwiched between the supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6.

Next, the moving side 3 starts the downward displacement, and the lower end of the separating piece 6 presses the upper surface of the flange f downward. At this time, the holding piece 4 of the fixed side 2 is opened to temporarily open the container group g and then to form a closed state again. During this time, the lowest container of the container group g (hence, from the bottom) is dropped. Flange f of the second container)
The container group g is held by being locked to the lower surface. Meanwhile, holding piece 4
The flange f of the lowermost container c released from is clamped by the supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6 and is displaced downward. As a result, the lowest container c is separated from the container group g.

It is clamped by the supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6 on the moving side 3,
The lowest container c separated from the container group g is displaced down to just above the container transfer device 10 while being sandwiched between the two.
Then, after the container conveying device 10 is displaced down to just above, the supply piece 7 is opened and the lowest container c is released. The released container c falls a short distance between the supply piece 7 and the container transfer device 10 and the lower surface of the flange f is transferred to the container transfer device 10.
The container is locked in a posture in which it abuts on the upper surface and is supplied to the container transport device 10.

The moving side 3 that has supplied the lowest container c onto the container transfer device 10.
Is lifted and displaced, and the next lowest container c is clamped and again lowered and displaced, and then the container is transferred again to be released.
The process of supplying to is repeated.

When the container c is dropped and supplied to the container transfer device 10,
Since the container f is supported by the moving side 3 to support the flange f and the container c is hung and supplied downward, the container c is supported by the container f. Irrespective of the change in the height dimension, a constant and stable drop supply operation of the container c is performed while keeping the lower limit position of the moving side 3 unchanged.

In the device 1 of the present invention, the distance between the fixed-side holding pieces 4 and the distance between the movable-side supply pieces 7 can be freely changed. Therefore, by adjusting those distances depending on the size of the container c, any external A container c having a diameter can be handled.

Further, the device 1 of the present invention allows the shutter 9 for preventing the container c from floating, but the operation of the shutter 9 will be described.

The container c once placed on the container carrier 10 may be dropped by a short distance depending on the operating speed.
Since there is a possibility of floating due to the impact when it is supplied to, it is necessary to have a means to prevent this floating. The shutter 9 according to the present invention is located immediately below the supplied lowest container c and is assembled to the container transfer device 10 and is pressed against the moving side 3 when the moving side 3 reaches the lower limit. By doing so, an open state is formed, which is an interval through which the lowermost container c can pass. By forming this open state, the lowermost container c released from the moving side 3 supply piece 7 passes through the inside of the shutter 9 and is supplied onto the container transfer device 10. When the supply of the container c is completed and the moving side 3 is displaced upward, the pressure on the shutter 9 of the moving side 3 is released, whereby the shutter 9 forms the original closed state which is an interval in which the container c cannot pass. To do.

When the shutter 9 is in the closed state, the interval is smaller than the outer diameter of the container c flange f and the container c cannot pass through it. Therefore, the container supplied to the container transfer device 10 in a suspended state. When c attempts to float, its upper end surface abuts on the shutter 9 in the closed state to prevent the floating. Therefore, the container is placed on the container transfer device 10 in a stable posture and smoothly transferred.

In the device 1 of the present invention, the moving side 3 can be stopped. That is, by making it possible to stop the lifting and lowering of the moving side 3, the container supply port which the lower end of the moving side faces
It is possible to perform sterilization cleaning with the chamber 36 closed by closing 36. Sterilizing and cleaning is an important process necessary when changing the type of filling material. In the present invention, when the moving side 3 is at the dead center of ascending, the vertical movement is stopped,
By closing the supply port 36, it is possible to keep the inside of the chamber airtight, and thereby sanitary sterilization cleaning in which invasion of various bacteria is prevented can be achieved.

〔Example〕

 One embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.

In this embodiment, two sets are connected to the fixed side 2 and the moving side 3 so that two sets of container groups g can be handled at the same time.

 First, the fixed side 2 will be described.

The holding pieces 4 on the fixed side 2 are substantially L-shaped, and a pair of the holding pieces 4 face each other. The distance between the holding pieces 4 is such that the locking portion 5, which is the lower end thereof, is locked to the lower surface of the flange c of the container c in the closed state, and is unlocked from the lower surface of the flange f in the opened state. It is set.

The open / closed state of the holding piece 4 is achieved by the first cylinder 11. That is, the upper ends of the pair of holding pieces 4 are connected to the first and second connecting pieces 13 and 14, respectively, and the both ends of the first and second connecting pieces 13 and 14 are slid on the guide rod 18. It is possible to connect. And the first series of pieces on the side of the first cylinder 11
13 is connected to the cylinder rod 12, and the first rack
The first rack 15 is connected to the second rack 17 through the pinion 16.

Therefore, when the first cylinder 11 operates and the cylinder rod 12 extends, the first series piece 13 connected to the rod moves inward (to the right in FIGS. 1 and 3) and at the same time, The first rack connected to the first series piece 13
15 moves in the extending direction of the rod to rotate the pinion 16, and the second rack 17 meshing with the pinion 16
Move in the opposite direction to the first rack 15. Therefore, the second rack
The second connecting piece 14 connected to 17 advances inward (to the left in FIGS. 1 and 3). As a result, the holding pieces 4 connected to the first and second connecting pieces 13 and 14 move inward relative to each other to form a closed state.

On the contrary, the operation of the cylinder 11 causes the cylinder rod
When the 12 is retracted, the first series piece 13 and the first rack 15 are moved in the rod retreat direction, and the second rack 17 and the second continuous piece 14 are moved in the opposite direction, whereby a pair of holding pieces is provided. 4 moves to the outer direction of each other to form an open state.

In the present embodiment, two sets of container groups g are handled at the same time. However, in order to achieve simultaneous handling, a second set of first series pieces is attached to the tip of the first rack 15.
Along with connecting 13 together, the second set of second connecting pieces 14 is connected to the tip of the second rack 17. As a result, the operation of the first cylinder 11 causes the holding pieces 4 of both sets to simultaneously open and close. It goes without saying that the container group g is not limited to the two sets as in this embodiment.

 Next, the moving side 3 in this embodiment will be described.

The supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6 on the moving side 3 are located opposite each other,
The pair of opening / closing plates 27 are located directly below the guide rods 18 and are fixedly assembled to each other. The pair of opening / closing plates 27
A second cylinder 26 is connected to each of them. Open / close plate
Both ends of 27 are slidably connected to a sliding shaft 25 provided horizontally on the elevating frame 24. Therefore, when the second cylinder 26 is operated, the opening / closing plate 27 moves back and forth in mutually opposite directions, and the supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6 connected thereto move to form an open / closed state.

The supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6 are arranged such that the separation piece 6 is located inside the supply piece 7, and the upper end portion of the supply piece 7 is rotatably supported by the upper end portion of the supply piece 7. An elastic material (spiral spring) 49 is arranged between the outer surface of the separation piece 6 and the middle surface of the supply piece 7. The distance between the lower ends of the pair of separation pieces 6 is set to be substantially equal to the distance between the supply piece 7 mounting portion 8, and
The distance between the lower end of the separating piece 6 and the upper surface of the mounting portion 8 is set to be slightly larger than the wall thickness of the container c flange f so that the flange f can be easily inserted and pinched.

The elevating frame body 24 has its side plates with both end portions attached to a fixed shaft 35 so as to be able to move up and down, and an elevating shaft portion 34 at an intermediate portion thereof.
Has been assembled. The lifting shaft 34 is lifted and lowered by a cylinder or the like. Therefore, when the elevating shaft 34 is moved up and down by a cylinder or the like, a combination of the elevating frame body 24 connected to the elevating shaft 34, the sliding shaft 25, and the opening / closing plate 27, and a supply piece connected to the opening / closing plate 27. 7 and the separating piece 6 move up and down.

Next, to accommodate containers c with different outer diameters,
The adjustment of the intervals between the holding pieces 4 and the supply pieces 7 will be described.

First, the adjustment of the distance between the pair of holding pieces 4 will be described.
A first handle 19 is provided as a structure for adjusting the distance between the holding pieces 4, and the first rotating shaft 20 of the first handle 19 is provided.
Is transmitted to the second rotary shaft 22 via the bevel gear 21. A thread is engraved on the second rotary shaft 22, and a moving piece 23 that moves by being screwed onto the thread is fixedly attached to the first cylinder 11. Therefore, when the first handle 19 is rotated, the first rotary shaft 20 rotates, and the rotation is transmitted to the second rotary shaft 22 via the bevel gear 21 and screwed into the thread of the second rotary shaft 22. The movement of the moving piece 23 moves the first cylinder 11, and accordingly the first series installation piece 13, the first rack 15, the pinion 16, the second rack 17, and the second continuous installation piece 14 move. As a result, the holding pieces 4 move, and the space between them is expanded or narrowed to form an open / closed state.

The spacing of the supply pieces 7 on the moving side 3 is achieved by the second handle 28. The second handle 28 is assembled to the elevating frame body 24, and a rotary shaft 29 extending from the second handle 28 is assembled with the elevating frame body 24 installed horizontally.
A right-hand screw 31 and a left-hand screw 32 are screwed on the front and rear of the rotary shaft 29, and advancing and retracting pieces 30 threadedly engaged with the both screws 31, 32 are attached to the two second cylinders 26, respectively. Has been done. Therefore, when the second handle 28 is rotated,
The rotating shaft 29 rotates, and the advancing / retreating pieces 30 screwed into the left and right screws move back and forth in mutually opposite directions, whereby the pair of second cylinders 26, the opening / closing plate 27, and the supply piece 7 come in opposite directions. The distance between the supply pieces 7 is adjusted.

The guide rod 33 that supports and guides the descending of the container group g is composed of eight rod pieces, and the interval between them can be freely adjusted. By doing so, when handling the containers c having different outer diameters, when adjusting the distance between the holding pieces 4 and the supply pieces 7, it is possible to adjust the distance to correspond to it. It is possible to handle the container c.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the shutter 9 for preventing the floating of the container c on the container transfer device 10 is mainly composed of four rocking pieces 37, a connecting piece 38, and a pair of control pieces 39. Is configured as. The oscillating piece 37 is inclined upward inward in a position in which the oscillating piece 37 protrudes from the supply port 36 and faces each other, and the upper end portion of the oscillating piece 37 reduces frictional resistance when the moving side 3 abuts. A rotatable roller 40 is pivotally supported, and a connecting piece 38 is suspended from the shaft about the middle (or rear end) thereof. A spring 41 is elastically contacted with the outer surface of the connecting piece 38, and a control piece 39 is connected between the lower ends thereof. The shutter 9 is fixedly attached to the container transporting device 10 so that the control piece 39 is positioned parallel to the container transporting device 10.

In the shutter 9 having such a configuration, when the moving side 3 is displaced downward to release the lowermost container c and supply it onto the container transport device 10, the moving side 3 (in this embodiment, the opening / closing plate 2
7) The bottom surface presses the top surface of the roller 40. This allows the swinging piece 3
7 rotates about the axis as a fulcrum, the connecting piece 38 spreads outwards with this, and the control piece 39 is opened to form an interval through which the container c can pass.

After the container c passes and is supplied onto the container transfer device 10, the moving side 3 is displaced upward, and the pressing of the opening / closing plate 27 against the roller 40 is released. As a result, the elastic force of the spring 41 causes the connecting piece 38 to return to the original closed state. In this closed state, the space between the control pieces 39 is the container c.
Since the container c once supplied onto the container transfer device 10 tries to float due to the pressure in the chamber 43, the upper surface of the container c should contact the lower surface of the control piece 39. As a result, the floating is blocked, and the container carrier 10 is positioned in a stable posture.

It is necessary to sterilize and clean the inside of the chamber 43 when changing the filling material. In this case, it is necessary to keep the chamber 43 in a sealed state in order to prevent invasion of various bacteria and leakage of the cleaning liquid. Is. Therefore, it is necessary to close the container c supply port 36 communicating from the device 1 of the present invention into the chamber 43. The container c supply port 36 has a mechanism in which the lower end of the moving side 3 of the device 1 of the present invention faces, so that the container c
In order to close the supply port 36, it is necessary to stop the moving side 3.

As a means for that, for example, as shown in FIG.
The open / close plate 27 and the lifting shaft 34 are not fixedly assembled, but simply the lifting shaft 34
The opening / closing plate 27 is placed on the upper surface, and the third cylinder 50
It is advisable to keep the open / close plate 27 in a lifted state. As a result, the movement of the elevating shaft 34 cannot be displaced downward on the moving side 3, so that the container supply port 36 can be closed to sterilize and clean the chamber 43.

Incidentally, the means for stopping the ascending / descending movement of the moving side 3 is not limited to the one described above. That is, the opening / closing plate 27 and the lifting shaft
It suffices to release the assembly of 34 and stop the opening / closing plate 27 at its upper limit. For that purpose, instead of using the above-mentioned third cylinder 50, for example, a locking member for stopping the opening / closing plate 27 at its upper limit is placed in the chamber 43, or the opening / closing plate 27 is suspended from above. All other means are possible.

 FIG. 8 shows an example of use of the device 1 of the present invention.

This is assembled in a container sterilizer 42 composed of a chamber 43. The container c separated from the device 1 of the present invention and supplied in a suspended manner to the pair of rails 51 of the container transfer device 10 is moved by being pushed by the pushing plate 48 which is moved by the endless chain 47, and the sterilizing agent insertion port 44 Sterilization and drying are achieved by the sterilizing agent inserted from the inside, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet ray irradiation device 45, and the hot air blown from the hot air supply duct 46, and the sterilization and drying are carried to the content filling machine connected to the container sterilizer 42. It has become one.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the present invention includes the fixed side 2 having the holding piece 4,
The lowest container c from the container group g that is fitted and stacked by cooperation with the moving side 3 having the supply piece 7 and the separation piece 6 is singly separated by a mechanical force without depending on the own weight of the container c. After separating and transporting to the container transporting device 10 just above the container transporting device 10, the drop is supplied onto the container transporting device 10, so that the separation can be reliably achieved and the transfer to the container transporting device 10 is ensured. Supply can also be achieved accurately.

Further, according to the present invention, the flange f is also used for the container transporting device 10 that supports the container c in a suspended manner by the flange f.
Since the container c is clamped downwardly and displaced and supplied while falling, the container c is uniformly supplied to the container conveying device 10 at a single descending limit position without being affected by changes in the height dimension of the container c. Therefore, it exhibits extremely excellent versatility with respect to the change in the height dimension of the container c.

Further, in the present invention, since the distance between the holding piece 4 and the supply piece 7 can be freely changed, it is possible to deal with containers c of all outer diameters, and particularly in a filling machine for filling a wide variety of products within a short period of time. This saves the trouble of replacing the container c supply device 1 every time the filling material is changed, and greatly contributes to the productivity.

At the same time, the guide rods 33 for supporting and guiding the container c group g can be freely adjusted in their intervals.
It is possible to immediately respond to changes in.

Further, by providing the shutter 9 directly above the container transporting device 10, the container c does not float, and thereby the container c can be transported more accurately and a stable supply of the container c can be achieved. It can be done.

Further, since it is possible to stop the ascending / descending movement of the moving side 3, it is possible to sterilize and wash the inside of the chamber 43, especially when changing the filling, in a closed state in which the container c supply port 36 is closed. , It is possible to prevent the invasion of various bacteria and the leakage of the cleaning solution, and to achieve more effective sterilization cleaning, which is extremely hygienic.

Since the device of the present invention is installed outside the chamber 43, it is possible to easily attach, remove, and repair at the time of failure without disassembling the chamber 43. Exert.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the device of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part thereof, FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main part, and FIG. Front view showing the shutter,
FIG. 5 is a side view thereof, FIG. 6 is a plan view, FIG. 7 is a front view showing a lifting / lowering stopping means on the moving side, and FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing an example of use of the device of the present invention. Explanation of reference numerals 1: Container supply device, 2: Fixed side, 3: Moving side, 4: Holding piece, 5: Locking part, 6: Separation piece, 7: Supply piece, 8: Mounting part, 9: Shutter, 10: Container carrier, 11: 1st cylinder, 12: Cylinder rod, 13:
1st series piece, 14: 2nd piece, 15: 1st rack, 16: Pinion, 17: 2nd rack, 18: Guide rod, 19: 1st handle, 20: 1st rotating shaft, 21: Bevel gear, 22: Second rotating shaft, 23: Moving piece, 24: Lifting frame, 25: Sliding shaft, 26: Second cylinder, 27: Open / close plate, 28: Second handle, 29: Rotating shaft, 30 : Advancement / retraction piece, 31: Right-hand thread, 32: Left-hand thread, 33: Guide rod, 34: Lifting axis, 35: Fixed axis, 26: Container supply port, 37: Oscillating piece, 38 connecting piece, 39: Control piece, 40: Roller, 41: Spring, 42: Container sterilizer, 43: Chamber, 44: Sterilizer insertion port, 4
5: UV irradiation device, 46: Hot air supply duct, 47: Endless chain, 48: Push plate, 49: Ammunition material, 50: Third cylinder, 51: Rail,
c: lowest container, f: flange, g: container group.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Katsuyuki Mogi 380 Sannomiya, Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yoshino Industry Co., Ltd.Kanagawa Plant (72) Inventor Tadashi Hanada, 380, Sannomiya, Isehara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yoshino Industry Co., Ltd., Kanagawa Plant ( 56) References Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-115221 (JP, A) Actual No. 62-28708 (JP, U)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A chamber (a) in which a plurality of container groups (g) having vertically fitted and stacked flanges (f) are separated into a single body, and the separated containers (c) have a sterile atmosphere inside. Four
3) a device for dropping and supplying the container (c) from the supply port (36) of the chamber (43) to the container transfer device (10) that is supported inside the container (c) by a flange (f). And located opposite each other, the lowest container (c) of the container group (g).
At least one pair that holds the container group (g) by locking the lower surface of the flange (f) with the locking portion (5) and releases the locking with the lower surface of the flange (f). The fixed side (2) having the holding piece (4) and the holding piece (4) are movably opposed to each other, and the inner surface at the time of upward displacement is the outer peripheral edge of the flange (f) of the lowest container (c). A separation piece (6) for separating the lowermost container (c) from the container group (g) by pushing the upper surface of the flange (f) of the lowermost container (c) downwards when the lower end of the container is moved over and descends And the separating piece (6) are integrally assembled, and the mounting portion (8) on which the separated flange (f) of the lowest container (c) is placed below the separating piece (6). The lowermost container (c) is placed, and the lowermost container (c) is placed on the container transporting device (10) and the lowermost container (c) is moved downward to perform an opening operation. c) is opened and at least a pair of supply pieces (7) for dropping and supplying onto the container transfer device (10) and a moving side (3) are provided, and the opening operation of the holding piece (4) is performed. A container supply device for performing the lowering displacement of the separation piece (6) to separate the lowest container (c). 2. The container supply device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the fixed-side holding piece (4) and the distance between the movable-side supply piece (7) can be changed correspondingly to the container (c). 3. When the moving side (3) reaches the lower limit, it is pressed by the moving side (3) to form an open state which is an interval through which the container (c) can pass, and the moving side (3) ) Is displaced upward, the container flange (f) enters at least the shutter (9) forming a closed state in which the container (c) cannot pass through the space, at least at the upper surface of the container transfer device (10). The container supply device according to claim 1 or 2, which is assembled in the container transfer device (10) in a state in which a movable space is formed. 4. The container supply device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the ascending / descending movement of the moving side (3) can be stopped.