JP3720893B2 - Device for closing containers, in particular cylinder ampoules, vials or the like, with closure caps - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for closing a container, in particular a cylinder ampoule, a vial or the like, by means of a closing cap, a conveying device for supplying and discharging the container, and at least one rotation for the container A closing station having an accommodating portion, an axially movable closing head corresponding to the accommodating portion, and at least one device for deforming the closing cap centering on each head region of the container. It is related to the format.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The invention starts from a device for closing a container, in particular a cylinder ampoule, a vial or the like, by means of a closure cap according to the superordinate concept of claim 1. In the known apparatus of this type, the container is arranged in the accommodating part of the transport apparatus. These containers pass through the first station. In this first station, the closure cap passes through a first station which is supplied to the container head, for example by a so-called cap shooter. These containers are then transported to the area of the closing station. At the bottom of the closing station, one rotating support surface is arranged for each container. In order to close the container with a closure cap, the closure device further comprises a closure head that can be lowered axially towards the container head per container, the closure head being used for the closure cap. And a receiving portion that is rotatably supported. The actual closure or edge bending of the closure cap at the container head is effected by a rotating device that is pivotable towards the container head when the container is rotated. This rotating device is formed as an edge bending roller, for example.
[0003]
The disadvantage of this known device is that the container is closed inside the container housing of the transport device. As a result, the rotating container in the container is rubbed, and wear occurs on both the container wall of the transport device and the outer surface of the container. This is particularly disadvantageous when characters are entered on the outer surface of the container or when the outer surface of the container is sensitive to scratching. Furthermore, due to the required space of the closing head that can be lowered toward the container head, the accommodating part of the conveying device requires a relatively large pitch interval. Accordingly, this transport device is formed relatively large. That is, the efficiency of the transfer device is relatively poor. Further, slippage occurs between the container head and the closing cap by the edge bending roller when the closing cap is bent. In order to avoid this slip, a high mounting pressure on the container head of the closure cap is required. This creates a risk of seal damage for the seal placed on the closure cap.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a container, particularly a cylinder ampoule, a vial, or the like that can avoid wear on the container and the outer surface of the container for the container and can reduce the pitch interval of the container in the carrier. It is an object to provide a device for closing the like with a closure cap.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve this problem, in the configuration of the present invention, at least one device for deforming the closure cap is disposed stationary outside the movement trajectory of the container in the transport device, and the accommodating portion and the closure head are provided. It was arranged so that it could turn around a common axis.
[0006]
【The invention's effect】
An apparatus for closing a container, in particular a cylinder ampoule, a vial, or the like, constructed as in the present invention by means of a closure cap, is subject to wear in the receiving part of the transport device for the container and the outer surface of the container. Has the advantage of not. Furthermore, the pitch interval of the accommodating portions in the transport device is also reduced. This makes it possible to obtain a particularly compact configuration of the transport device and thus a relatively high efficiency.
[0007]
Further advantageous configurations according to the invention are described in claims 2 and below. If the closure head is configured to be driven for the closure cap, the mounting pressure on the container head of the closure cap may be particularly small. The arrangement of the containment device for the container and the closure head over the entire frame results in a particularly compact device configuration with few components.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0009]
A device 10 for closing a container 11, in particular a cylinder ampoule, a vial, or the like, with a closure cap has a transport device 13 for the container 11. The transport device 13 has a transport wheel 15 that rotates in a step-by-step manner that is rotatably supported on a horizontally extending shaft. A plurality of container chambers 16 formed in a U shape are arranged on the transport wheel 15 at equal angular intervals, and the container chambers 16 are used as storage portions for each one of the containers 11. The container chamber 16 having the outward opening 17 extends along the circumference of the transport wheel 15 over the entire height of the transport wheel 15 in the vertical direction. The apparatus 10 is provided with a bottom rail 18 and an outer guide 19 at the height of the container chamber 16 in order to guide the container at the bottom or to fix the lateral position during transport of the container in the apparatus 10. ing. In order to close the container head 20 with a closure cap 12 made in particular of aluminum, the filled container 11 is transported to the area of the closing station 22.
[0010]
An accommodation or tightening device 25 is fixed to the closing station 22 in a common frame 23 directly under each container 11. The tightening device 25 is provided with three pawls 26 arranged at equal angular intervals from each other, and the upper surface 27 of the pawls 26 is flush with the upper surface of the bottom rail 18. An opening 28 having a size corresponding to the diameter of the container 11 is formed at the center of the pawl 26. A push rod 30 that can move in the axial direction is disposed in the opening 28. The push rod 30 is supported by two guides 31 and 32 each having an equal inner diameter. In this case, the upper guide 31 to which the pawl 26 is fixed is fitted in the step hole 33 of the lower guide 32. Further, the lower guide 32 is rotatably supported by two support members 34 in the frame 23.
[0011]
An entrainment pin 35 is press fitted to the push rod 30 in the lateral direction. The entrainment pin 35 penetrates both guides 31 and 32 in longitudinal slits 36 and 37 formed in the guides 31 and 32. The longitudinal slits 36 and 37 together with the entraining pin 35 entrain the upper guide 31 and the push rod 30 when the lower guide 32 rotates. On the other hand, the push rod 30 is movable in the axial direction in the longitudinal slits 36 and 37, and in this case, the length of the longitudinal slits 36 and 37 is set at the upper end position of the push rod 30. Are dimensioned so that their upper surface is flush with the upper surface 27 of the pawl 26.
[0012]
A hole 38 is provided below the push rod 30, and a spring 39 is disposed in the hole 38. The spring 39 is supported on the one hand at the base of the hole 38 and on the other hand at the bottom 41 formed at the end of the lower guide 32.
[0013]
In the region of the bottom 41, the lower guide 32 is press-fitted in the hole of the small gear 43 on the outer periphery thereof. The gear 43 is connected to a large second gear 44 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the gear 44 is rigidly arranged on a shaft 45 extending vertically. The shaft 45 is connected to the drive motor 46. The drive motor 46 is arranged on a holder 47 that can be raised and lowered, and the holder 47 and the frame 23 of the closing station 22 are movable in the axial direction relative to the axis 45.
[0014]
The shaft 45 is guided in the protective tube 50 by two bearings 49. In the region of the fastening device 25 and the container 11, the protective tube 50 is surrounded by the protruding portion 51 of the frame 23, and the protruding portion 51 and the protective tube 50 are movable relative to each other in the axial direction. The protrusion 51 has a guide web 52 arranged at a slight distance from the container 11 at the height of the outer guide 19 interrupted in the region of the closing station 22.
[0015]
The protective tube 50 and the shaft 45 arranged in the direction of the push rod 30 and the container 11 extend to above the container 11. Another gear 53 is disposed on the shaft 45 at the end of the shaft 45 opposite to the drive motor 46. This gear 53 acts on a gear 54 that is coupled to a closure head 55 for the closure cap 12. The closing head 55 is arranged above the container head 20 in the direction of the container 11 and is rotatably supported by two support portions 57 in the casing 56. The casing 56 surrounds the gears 53 and 54 and is integrally coupled to the protective tube 50.
[0016]
The closing head 55 is provided with a notch 58 for the closing cap 12 on the side facing the container head 20. Furthermore, an ejector pin 60 loaded by a spring 59 is arranged on the closing head 55. The ejector pin 60 is guided in a hole 61 opened at the center of the notch 58.
[0017]
An edge bending roller 63 is arranged between the container 11 and the protective tube 50 at the height of the container head 20. The rotation axis 64 of the edge bending roller 63 extends with an inclination of, for example, 10 degrees with respect to the vertical line. The edge bending roller 63 is fixed to an arm 65, and the arm 65 has a notch 66 in the area of the protective tube 50. This arm 65 is fixed to the apparatus 10 in a stationary manner.
[0018]
The frame 23 of the closing station 22 is arranged so as to be pivotable toward the edge bending roller 63 by a predetermined value, for example 10 degrees, with respect to a vertical axis about a horizontally extending shaft 68 schematically shown in the drawing. . Further, as already described, the holding body 47 can simultaneously move in the vertical direction also through the protective tube 50 and the closing head 55. In order to realize the movements of both the frame 23 and the holding body 47 independently of each other, a disk 71 is fixed to a drive shaft 70 extending laterally below the drive motor 46 of the apparatus 10. Two crank transmission devices 72 and 73 each having two levers act on the disk 71. The crank transmission device 72 is coupled to the frame 23 of the device 10. When the frame 23 is oriented in the vertical direction, the crank transmission device 73 is connected to the holding body 47 by a pin 74 disposed horizontally below the shaft 68 in the vertical direction. The pin 74 is guided in a guide groove 75 provided in the holding body 47. The guide groove 75 has a radius of curvature R corresponding to the distance between the guide groove 75 and the shaft 68.
[0019]
The apparatus 10 described above works as follows.
[0020]
The closure cap 12 is supplied to the container head 20 at a station (not shown) that precedes the closure station 22. This is usually done with a so-called cap shooter. In this case, each one of the closing caps 12 is pulled out of the cap shooter by the container head 20 being conveyed. Next, the container 11 equipped with the closure cap 12 is conveyed to the closure station 22 by the conveyance wheel 15 that is rotated step by step. The drive of the conveyance wheel 15 and the pitch interval of the container chamber 16 are set so that each container 11 is accurately positioned on the tightening device 25 or the push rod 30 each time the conveyance wheel 15 is stationary. The The container 11 is closed during this resting time. For this purpose, in the first step, the closing head 55 is lowered towards the container head 20 by means of a suitable rotation of the drive shaft 70, ie the disk 71, for example counterclockwise using the crank transmission 73. Since the pin 74 is guided by the guide groove 75, in this case, only the vertical movement of the holding body 47 and consequently the closing head 55 is performed, and the frame 23 is not rotated around the shaft 68. When the closing head 55 is brought into contact with the closing cap 12, the ejector pin 60 slides into the hole 61 against the force of the spring 59. The push rod 30 is then pressed downward against the force of the spring 39 through the container 11 so that the pawl 26 or the opening 28 formed by the pawl 26 grips the lower part of the container 11 and Tighten or fix position.
[0021]
As the disk 71 further rotates, as soon as the pin 74 comes into contact with the end of the guide groove 75, the frame 23 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 68 via the crank transmission device 72. As a result, the container is swung out of the container chamber 16. When the container 11 is no longer in contact with the container chamber 16, the drive motor 46 is connected. Thereby, the container 11 and the closing cap 12 are rotated via the push rod 30 or the closing head 55. By suitable selection of the gear ratios of the gears 43, 44 on the one hand or the gear ratios of the gears 53, 54 on the other hand, equal rotation speeds of the push rod 30 or the closing head 55 are guaranteed.
[0022]
Closing or edge bending of the closure cap 12 on the container head 20 is performed by pressing the rotating container 11 together with the closure cap 12 against the edge bending roller 63 when the frame 23 is pivoted. In this case, the edge bending roller 63 caulks the closure cap 12 to the container head 20 or bends the edge by a known method. This closing process reaches the maximum displacement of the frame 23 which is the base holder. Sometimes it ends, for example after a 10 degree displacement. The fixing of the container 11 during the closing process of the closure cap 12 is achieved by accommodating the closure cap 12 on the one hand, ie the container head 20 in the closure head 55, on the other hand in the opening 28 of the pawl 26. This is done by centering 11. The guide web 52 of the protrusion 51 serves only to fix the position of the container 11 laterally while the container 11 is being transported by the transport wheel 15.
[0023]
After the container 11 is closed, the container 11 is returned to the container chamber 16 where it was originally located. This is done by releasing the connection of the drive motor 46 and simultaneously rotating the drive shaft 70 back. In this case, the crank transmission device 72 causes the frame 23 and the tightening device 25 to return to the initial position and pivot. After turning back, the closing head 55 is also lifted upwards again from the closing cap 12 by the crank transmission 73. The clamp of the closure cap 12 in the notch 58 of the closure head 55 is released by the ejector pin 60. While the closing head 55 is being lifted, the push rod 30 is pressed by the spring 39 toward the closing head 55 so that the upper surface of the push rod 30 is flush with the upper surface 27 of the pawl 26.
[0024]
The transport wheel 15 is then rotated again according to the total number of closing heads 55 arranged at the closing station 22. Thereafter, the above-described process is repeated.
[0025]
In addition, instead of the conveying wheel 15, another configuration, in particular a linear conveying device, is conceivable. Further, instead of the crank transmission devices 72 and 73 that realize the movement of the frame 23 and the movement of the closing head 55, for example, a pneumatically driven working cylinder may be used.
[0026]
In order to reduce the pitch interval of the conveying device 13 or the conveying wheel 15, and thus to take up more space for the individual closing heads 55, it is considered that the two closing stations 22 are arranged one after the other. It is done. Thereby, for example, the first, third, fifth, etc. containers 11 can be closed at the first closing station, respectively, and the second, fourth, sixth etc. containers 11 can be closed at the second closing station, respectively. Can be closed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 shows a device for closing a container, in particular a cylinder ampoule, a vial or the like according to the invention by means of a closure cap, in a simple side view and in partial longitudinal section. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 apparatus, 11 container, 12 closure cap, 13 conveyance apparatus, 15 conveyance wheel, 16 container chamber, 17 opening part, 18 bottom rail, 19 outer guide, 20 container head, 22 closure station, 23 frame, 25 tightening apparatus, 26, 27 upper surface, 28 opening, 30 push rod, 31, 32 guide, 33 step hole, 34 bearing member, 35 entraining pin, 36, 37 longitudinal slit, 38 hole, 39 spring, 41 bottom, 43, 44 Gears, 45 shafts, 46 drive motors, 47 holders, 49 bearings, 50 protective tubes, 51 protrusions, 52 guide webs, 53, 54 gears, 55 closing heads, 56 casings, 57 bearings, 58 notches, 59 springs , 60 ejector pins, 61 holes, 63 edge bending rollers, 64 rotating shafts, 65 arms, 6 notches, 68 shaft, 70 driving shaft, 71 disk, 72 the crank mechanism, 74 pin, 75 guide groove

Claims (10)

A device (10) for closing a container (11), in particular a cylinder ampoule or a vial, by means of a closure cap (12), a conveying device (15) for supplying and discharging the container (11), and a container (11 A closing station (22) with at least one receiving part (30) rotating for), an axially movable closing head (55) corresponding to said receiving part (30), and a closing cap (12) At least one device (63) for deforming is provided, which device (63) couples the closure cap (12) in shape connection around each head portion (20) of the container (11) In the form of deforming to
At least one device (63) for deforming the closure cap (12) is arranged stationary on the outside of the movement trajectory of the container (11) in the transport device (15) and comprises a receiving part (30) and a closure head For closing a container, in particular a cylinder ampoule or vial, by means of a closure cap, characterized in that (55) is arranged pivotably about a common axis (68). Device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving part (30) and the closing head (55) are arranged in a common frame (23). 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the frame (23) is rotatable about the axis (68) by means of a first crank transmission (72). 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the closing head (55) is arranged so as to be axially movable with respect to the receiving part (25). Device according to claim 4, wherein the closing head (55) is movable by means of a second crank transmission (73). The first crank transmission (72) and the second crank transmission (73) are connected via a rotatably supported disk (71), and the disk (71) is connected to the apparatus (10). 6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the device is coupled to a drive shaft (70). 7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the closing head (55) has the same angular velocity as the receiving part (30). 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the closing head (55) and the receiving part (30) are connected by a common drive (46). 9. Device according to claim 1, wherein the device for deforming the closure cap (12) is an edge bending roller (63). 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the rotation axis (64) of the edge bending roller (63) is arranged inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the conveying device (15).

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