JP2624946B2 - Container transport device, cleaning device and filling device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container transporting device used for transporting containers for foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soft drinks and the like, and a cleaning device and a filling device including the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the production of pharmaceuticals and the like, there is a step of filling a liquid, but it is necessary to pay particular attention to the washing of the container, which is the preceding step. Conventionally, for cleaning and filling a container of this type, the container is transported by a so-called chute, which divides the transport path of the container by four guide rods running in parallel, and cleaning and filling are performed during transport. The conveyance path by the chute is given an inclination and a twist, and the container in the upright state is turned upside down while falling and moving by its own weight in the chute, and becomes an inverted state. Air or a cleaning liquid is jetted into the container between the erect and inverted positions, and after the cleaning liquid is discharged in the inverted state, the container is returned to the upright state using the same type of chute, and the filling liquid is filled.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned shoot system has the following problems. That is, since the movement of the container in the chute is performed by natural fall due to its own weight, the transport speed varies. For this reason, when trying to transport a large number of containers per unit time, a situation has occurred in which the containers are caught in the chute and cannot be transported. For this reason, the carrying capacity was inferior, and thus the cleaning and filling processing ability was also inferior. Since the chute needs to have a drop, the equipment takes up a lot of space above and below. It was necessary to prepare chutes individually according to the diameter and height of the container, and a large-scale setup change had to be performed when the type of container was changed. Therefore, when carrying, transporting or cleaning or filling various containers, the equipment cost is very high, and it takes time to change the setup.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a first object of the present invention is to not only allow a container to be transported at a high transport speed without variation, but also to provide various containers with a single specification. An object of the present invention is to provide a container transporting apparatus that can accommodate containers of a height and save space. A second object of the present invention is to provide a container transport device that can easily accommodate containers of various diameters.

[0005] A third object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus which is excellent in cleaning processing ability and can achieve space saving. A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a filling apparatus which is excellent in filling processing capacity and can save space.

[0006]

Means and Action for Solving the Problems

(1) In order to achieve the first object, the container transport device according to claim 1 includes a transport band supported on a base via a support mechanism, and the transport bands are separated by a predetermined distance and face each other. Are driven in the same direction while sandwiching the body of the container between the opposing surfaces to provide a pair of regions for transporting the container, and a transport band in the pair of regions is provided. The container is twisted around an axis along the transport direction so that the sandwiched container can be turned over at least during the transport.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the container can be inverted while the container is conveyed while being sandwiched between the pair of regions of the conveying band. Since the head is not used unlike the conventional shooter system, the transport band can be arranged horizontally. Further, even if the transport speed of the container is increased, the container does not get caught in the chute unlike the conventional shooter method, and there is no variation in the transport speed. Furthermore, since the container is conveyed across the body, there is no restriction on the height of the container. (2) In order to achieve the first object, a container transport apparatus according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the container transport apparatus according to claim 1, the transport band includes a chain.

According to the above configuration, the amount of twist between the adjacent chains of the chain can be made substantially uniform over the entire area of the portion to be twisted, so that a stable twist track can be secured. (3) In order to achieve the first object, the container transport apparatus according to claim 3 is a container transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide is supported by a base and guides the torsion of the transport band. It is characterized by further comprising means.

According to the above configuration, since the torsion of the transporting band is guided by the guide means, a more accurate torsion trajectory can be secured. (4) In order to achieve the first object, the container transport device according to claim 4 is the container transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support mechanism includes the pair of transport bands. And a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height from the base.

According to the above configuration, the height of the transporting band can be adjusted by the height adjusting mechanism, so that the height of receiving the container from the previous process and the height of transferring the container to the subsequent process can be easily adjusted. Can be adapted to (5) In order to achieve the second object, the container transporting device according to claim 5 is the container transporting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the two opposing surfaces are provided between each other. An elastic grip body for elastically gripping the container is provided.

According to the above configuration, since the container can be elastically gripped by the elastic grip body, the container can be reliably transported without being displaced during transportation. Preferably, if the elastic grip body is detachably provided, the present apparatus can be easily applied to containers of various diameters by appropriately replacing the container according to the diameter of the conveyed container. it can. (6) In order to achieve the third object, the cleaning device according to claim 6 reverses the container supplied in an upright state to an inverted state while transporting the container. And a fluid ejecting means for ejecting a fluid to the inside of the container being transported in an inverted state.

According to the above configuration, the container transfer device can transfer the containers at a high transfer speed without any variation, so that the processing capacity for cleaning can be enhanced. Further, since the container transport device can be arranged horizontally, space saving of the cleaning device can be achieved. (7) In order to achieve the fourth object, the filling device according to claim 7 returns to the upright state through the inverted state while transporting the container supplied in the upright state. The container transporting device according to any one of the above, a fluid ejecting unit that injects a fluid into the container being transported in the inverted state, and a filling unit that fills the inside of the container being transported returned to the upright state. It is characterized by having.

According to the above configuration, the container transfer device can transfer the containers at a high transfer speed without variation, so that the cleaning and filling processing ability can be enhanced. In addition, since the container transport device can be arranged horizontally, space saving of the filling device can be achieved.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a container transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the transport mode. Referring to these figures, the present container transport device A
Are mounted on the base 1, a pair of driving sprockets 2 and 3 disposed on the base 1, driven sprockets 4 and 5 corresponding to the driving sprockets 2 and 3, respectively, , And an endless transport band 6 for transporting containers.

In FIG. 1, H is a handle used to raise the sprockets 2 to 5 and the transport band 6 with respect to the base 1 as described later, and has a handle Ha. The transport belt 6 is made of a PET bottle or other container P
A pair of areas B and C for carrying in a predetermined carrying direction K are set with the body Pa interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2, the portions 6B and 6C of the transport band 6 in these areas B and C are opposed to each other by a predetermined distance.
1, 6C1, respectively, and these facing surfaces 6B1, 6C
The container P is conveyed by being driven in the same direction with the body Pa of the container P sandwiched between the two. In order to drive the portions 6B and 6C in the same direction, the two drive sprockets 2 and 3 are driven to rotate in opposite directions. The same applies to both driven sprockets 4 and 5.

The transport band 6 in the pair of areas B and C (that is, the portions 6B and 6C) is in the transport direction K
Helically twisted about an axis along For this reason, the pinched container P is inverted from the upright state to the inverted state during transportation. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transport band 6 includes a chain 61 having a known structure that meshes with the sprockets 2 to 5,
And a resilient grip body 63 fitted and fixed to each of the mounting members 62 by means of the connecting pins 61a. The elastic grip body 63 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and opposing members in the regions B and C of the transport band 6 elastically hold the container P. Thus, the container P is held and transported without being shifted.

The mounting member 62 is formed integrally with a channel-shaped main body 62b having a pair of fitting projections 62a to be fitted into the elastic grip body 63, and is formed integrally on the back surface of the main body 62b. And a pair of holding portions 62c for holding the holding member. Each of the holding portions 62c
Is a pair of insertion holes 6 for allowing the connection pins 61a to pass therethrough.
2d. The tip of each holding portion 62c is folded back in a channel shape to form a groove 62e. A guide rod G as a guiding means for guiding the trajectory of the transport band 6 is fitted into the groove 62e. The transport belt 6 is guided by the guide rod G,
It is designed to draw accurate torsional trajectories.

Fitting recesses 63a for fitting fitting projections 62a of the mounting member 62 are formed on both end surfaces of the elastic grip body 63, respectively. Further, the elastic grip body 63 has a triple mountain-shaped elastic pressing portion 63b for elastically pressing the body Pa of the container P. Next, with reference to FIG. 4 which is a side view of the container transfer device A, a support mechanism 7 for supporting the transfer band 6 on the base 1 will be described. The support mechanism 7 is provided with a column 71 erected on the base 1, an elevating plate 72 supported on the base 1 by the column 71 so as to be able to move up and down, and interposed between the base 1 and the elevating plate 72. By raising and lowering the elevating plate 72 with respect to the base 1, the height adjusting mechanism 73 for adjusting the height of the transport band 6 and the elevating plate 72 can be moved up and down integrally, and each of the sprockets 2 to 5 is held. And a sprocket holder 74.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 which is a schematic perspective view of the height adjusting mechanism, the height adjusting mechanism 73 is driven to rotate by the handle H via the bevel gear mechanism 73a. It includes a pair of transmission shafts 73b, and a screw rod 73d which is raised and lowered by being rotationally driven by the respective transmission shafts 73b via the conversion mechanism 73c, and whose upper end is fixed to the lifting plate 72.

The conversion mechanism 73c includes a transmission shaft 73
b, a worm formed at an end of the worm, and a worm wheel formed on an outer peripheral surface of a gear meshing with the worm are provided.
An example in which the worm wheel is configured as a nut through which the above threaded rod is inserted can be exemplified. In the height adjusting mechanism 73, the height of the elevating plate 72 is adjusted by manually operating the handle H, and accordingly, the sprocket holder 74, the sprockets 2 to 5, and the transport belt 6 are integrally moved up and down. The height is adjusted.

Next, the drive system 8 of the transport band 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. The drive system 8 includes a motor 81 supported below the base 1, a pair of spline shafts 84, each of which is rotationally driven by a rotary shaft 82 of the motor 81 via a pair of bevel gear mechanisms 83, and a spline shaft 84. The sprocket holder 74 movably in the axial direction and integrally rotatably connected to the drive shaft 84, and the driving sprockets 2, 3 fixed by the sprocket holder 74.
And

Referring to FIG. 6, the sprocket holder 74 is rotatably supported via a bearing 75 by a support base 76 fixed on an elevating plate 72. That is, the lower part of the sprocket holder 74 has a cylindrical portion 7.
4a, and the cylindrical portion 74a is inserted into the bearing 75 held by the support base 76. A step is formed above the cylindrical portion 74a of the sprocket holder 74, and a collar 77 in which the cylindrical portion 74a is fitted is provided between the step and the upper end surface of the inner ring of the bearing 75. Intervening. The inner race of the sprocket holder 74, the collar 77 and the bearing 75 is rotated integrally.

The lower end of the cylindrical portion 74a is
6 protrudes below the top plate, and the cylindrical portion 7
A male screw is formed on the outer periphery of the lower end of 4a, and a nut 78 is fitted to this male screw. The nut 78 prevents the sprocket holder 74 from being unnecessarily lifted from the support base 76. The above-described bearing 75, collar 77, and support base 76 are included in the above-described support mechanism 7.

7 and 8 show a portion for supporting the guide bar G. FIG. Referring to FIG. 7 in which the elastic grip body 63 is directed sideways, a first stay 79 having an L-shaped cross section is fixed to the elevating plate 72, and the first stay 79 has a channel-shaped cross section. The second stay 78 is fixed. A pair of guide bars G is fixed to the second stay 78. Thus, the guide bar G is also moved up and down integrally with the elevating plate 72. In FIG. 8 in which the elastic grip body 63 is directed downward, FIG.
A first stay 79A is used instead of the first stay 79.

According to the present embodiment, the container P can be turned over while the container P is pinched and conveyed by the portions 6B and 6C of the pair of areas B and C of the conveying band 6. Since the head is not used unlike the conventional shooter method, the transfer belt 6
As a result, the space in the vertical direction could be significantly reduced. Further, even if the transport speed of the container P is increased, the container P
But the container does not get caught in the chute,
Moreover, there is no variation in the transport speed. Therefore, the transfer speed can be increased, and the transfer efficiency can be significantly improved.

Further, since the height of the container P is not restricted, the containers P having various heights can be transported without changing the apparatus. As a result, when containers P of various heights are transported, equipment costs can be reduced and setup change can be eliminated. In particular, since the container P can be elastically gripped by the elastic grip body 63, the container P can be reliably transported without being shifted during transportation. Further, since the elastic grip body 63 is detachable, the elastic grip body 63 can be changed to an elastic grip body 63 suitable for the diameter of the body Pa of the container P. As a result, containers P having various diameters can be easily handled.

Further, since the conveyor belt 6 includes the chain 61, the amount of twist between the adjacent chains of the chain 61 can be made substantially uniform over the entire area of the twisted portion. The orbit can be secured. In addition, since the twist of the transport band 6 is guided by the guide rod G, a more accurate twist trajectory can be secured, so that the twisted transport band 6 can be smoothly driven.

Further, since the height of the transporting band 6 can be adjusted by the height adjusting mechanism 73, the height of receiving the container P from the previous process and the height of transferring the container P to the subsequent process can be easily adjusted. Can be adapted to Further, in the case of the container transport device A according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A cleaning device can also be configured by disposing a nozzle Na that injects cleaning air or cleaning liquid inside the container P in a state where the container P is turned over. in this case,
Since the container transfer device A can transfer the container P at a high transfer speed without variation, the processing capacity for cleaning can be increased. Further, since the container P can be quickly turned over, the waste liquid property is good. Further, since the container transport device A can be arranged horizontally, space saving of the cleaning device can be achieved.

Further, in the case of the container transporting apparatus A according to the present embodiment, after the container is erected, the container is turned upside down, and the transporting band is twisted so as to return to the upright position.
While disposing a nozzle Na for injecting cleaning air or cleaning liquid into the container P in a state where the container P is turned over,
A filling device can be configured by disposing a nozzle Nb for filling a filling liquid such as a medicine inside the container P in a state where the container P is returned to the upright state. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the form of twisting of the transport band 6 for inverting the container twice, and two pairs of regions B and C are provided.
In this case, it is possible to increase the processing capacity of cleaning and filling, and to achieve space saving of the filling device.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and for example, a belt can be used instead of a chain. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the guide rod G is as follows.
Either a square cross section or a round cross section may be used, but a square section is preferable at a position where the transport band 6 guides a straight portion, and a round cross section is preferable at a position where the transport band 6 guides a twisted portion.

Further, the initial state of the containers conveyed by the container conveying device may be upright, inverted, or horizontal. In any case, the present invention may be applied to an application that at least reverses the direction during the conveyance. In addition, various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0032]

According to the container transport device of the first aspect,
As a result, the transport belt can be arranged horizontally, so that the arrangement space can be significantly reduced. Further, the transport efficiency of the container can be greatly improved. Further, since the height of the container is not restricted, containers of various heights can be transported without any change to the apparatus.
As a result, when transporting containers of various heights,
The equipment cost can be reduced, and setup change can be made unnecessary.

According to the container transport device of the second aspect, a stable torsion track can be ensured, so that the twisted chain can be driven smoothly. According to the container transport device according to the third aspect, since the torsion of the transport band is guided by the guide means, a more accurate torsion trajectory can be secured, so that the twisted transport band can be smoothly driven. it can.

According to the container transporting device of the fourth aspect, the height of the transporting band can be adjusted by the height adjusting mechanism, so that the receiving height of the container from the previous process and the transfer height of the container to the subsequent process can be adjusted. This can easily be adapted. According to the container transport device according to the fifth aspect, the container can be elastically gripped by the elastic grip body, so that the container can be reliably transported without shifting during transport.

According to the cleaning device of the sixth aspect, since the container transport device can transport the containers at a high transport speed without variation, the cleaning capacity can be increased. Also,
Since the container can be quickly turned over, the waste liquid property is good. Furthermore, since the container transport device can be arranged horizontally, space saving of the cleaning device can be achieved.
According to the filling device according to the seventh aspect, since the container transfer device can transfer the containers at a high transfer speed without variation, the processing capability of washing and filling can be increased. In addition, since the container transport device can be arranged horizontally, space saving of the filling device can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a container transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a transport mode of a transport band.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the transport band.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the container transport device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a height adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1, and mainly shows a driving system.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a support portion of a guide rod for stabilizing the twist of the transport band.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a support portion of a guide rod for stabilizing the twist of the transport band.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning device using a container transport device.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a filling device using a container transport device.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the filling device, showing a twisted form of a transport band used in the filling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 P container Pa body 1 base 6 transport band 61 chain 63 elastic grip body K transport direction B, C area 6B, 6C part 6B1, 6C1 opposing surface G guide rod 7 support mechanism 73 height adjustment mechanism

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Hironori Uenishi 333-1 Tangami, Mihara-cho, Minamikawachi-gun, Osaka Prefecture U-Tech Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-6-278795 (JP, A) 50-125881 (JP, A) Fully open Showa 60-43598 (JP, U) Fully open Showa 57-13496 (JP, U)

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transport belt supported on a base via a support mechanism, wherein the transport belt is provided in a state where a body of a container is sandwiched between opposing surfaces which are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. By being driven in the same direction, a pair of regions for transporting the container is provided, and the transport bands in the pair of regions are arranged in the transport direction so that the sandwiched container can be at least inverted during transport. A container conveying device twisted around an axis along the line. 2. The container transport device according to claim 1, wherein said transport band includes a chain. 3. The container transporting device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide supported by the base and guiding the twist of the transporting band. 4. A container transport device according to claim 1, wherein said support mechanism includes a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting a height of said pair of transport bands from a base. A container conveying device characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The container transporting device according to claim 1, wherein said two opposing surfaces are provided with elastic grips for elastically gripping the container between each other. Characteristic container transport device. 6. A container conveying device according to claim 1, wherein said container is supplied in an upright state and inverted to an inverted state while being conveyed. And a fluid ejecting means for ejecting fluid. 7. The container transport device according to claim 1, wherein the container transported in the upright state is returned to the upright state through the inverted state while being transported. A filling apparatus comprising: a fluid ejecting unit that ejects a fluid into the inside; and a filling unit that fills the inside of a transported container returned to an upright state with a filling material.