JP3876476B2 - Nozzle checker for container cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a nozzle checker that detects clogging of a nozzle, and in particular, a nozzle checker that is provided in a container cleaning device such as a rinser or a bottle washer and detects clogging of a cleaning nozzle that injects a liquid such as a cleaning liquid into the container. It is about.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a container cleaning device such as a rinser or a bottle washer, it is equipped with a plurality of bottle grippers arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction near the outer periphery of the rotating body, and the containers supplied from the outside are held and inverted by each gripper, 2. Description of the Related Art A device that cleans the inside of a container by spraying a liquid such as a cleaning liquid from a cleaning nozzle provided below each bottle gripper as the rotating body rotates is widely known.
[0003]
When cleaning is performed for a long time in a container cleaning device such as the above-described rinser, foreign matters such as dust in the liquid may accumulate in the nozzle and block the passage of the cleaning liquid. If the cleaning nozzle is clogged in this way, there is a possibility that a cleaning failure may occur due to the cleaning liquid not being sprayed at all and being unable to be cleaned, or the amount of cleaning liquid being sprayed being insufficient and the cleaning being insufficient. Therefore, conventionally, an attendant has performed a procedure such as nozzle cleaning by visual detection.
[0004]
However, manual detection has a high possibility that a detection error will occur, and there is a problem that it cannot cope with a large number of nozzles or high-speed operation. Accordingly, various types of container cleaning devices having a detection device for automatically detecting clogging of the cleaning nozzle have been proposed (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-31189, Utility Model Registration No. 2512024, etc.).
[0005]
4 and 5 are views showing an example of a nozzle checker (nozzle clogging detection device) provided in a conventional container cleaning device such as a rinser. The conventional nozzle checker will be described with reference to these drawings. A mounting plate 122 is disposed above the movement path R of the cleaning nozzle 114 that ejects the cleaning liquid, and a support lever 124 fixed to the lower surface of the mounting plate 122 is attached to a sensing lever 128 via a fulcrum horizontal pin 126. Is supported in a swingable manner. The sensing lever 128 has an elongated plate shape, and a tension coil spring 140 is attached to one end portion 128b on the side close to the fulcrum 126 between the mounting plate 122 and the end portion 128b. Is always attracted upward.
[0006]
A stopper member 142 is attached to the other end 128 a side of the sensing lever 128 toward the lower side of the attachment plate 122. The stopper member 142 is formed with a vertical cutout 142a, and the sensing lever 128 can swing up and down within the range of the cutout 142a. That is, the upper surface 142b of the notch 142a is a stopper surface when the sensing lever 128 swings upward, and the lower surface 142c of the notch 142a is a stopper surface when the sensing lever 128 swings downward. Normally, the one end 128b of the sensing lever 128 is pulled up by the tension coil spring 140 and is stopped while the other end 128a swings downward (the state shown in FIG. 5).
[0007]
A proximity switch 136 is provided on the side of the mounting plate 122 where the coil spring 140 is fixed, and a metal body 144 sensed by the proximity switch 136 is fixed to the end 128b of the sensing lever 128. . Therefore, when the end portion 128a of the sensing lever 128 on the stopper member 142 side is lowered as shown in FIG. 5, the other end portion 128b is raised, and the metal body 144 approaches the proximity switch 136 and senses. When the proximity switch 136 is turned on and the end portion 128a on the stopper member 142 side is pushed up, the metal body 144 is separated from the proximity switch 136 and the proximity switch 136 is turned off.
[0008]
A circular hole 138a is formed in the shielding plate 138 disposed below the nozzle checker having the above-described configuration, and the sensing lever 128 crosses the central portion of the circular hole 138a and is located on the stopper member 142 side. The portion is disposed so as to be located above the hole 138a. The cleaning nozzle 114 moves through the longitudinal center of the sensing lever 128. A path along which the cleaning nozzle 114 moves is indicated by a symbol R in FIG.
[0009]
In the conventional nozzle checker having the above configuration, when the cleaning nozzle 114 moving below the nozzle checker is in a normal state where it is not clogged, the sensing lever 128 is swung by the ejected cleaning liquid (on the stopper member 142 side). ) 128a is pushed up, the opposite end 128b is lowered, the metal body 144 is separated from the proximity switch 136, the proximity switch 136 is turned off, and then the nozzle 114 passes, the swinging side 128a of the sensing lever 128 is passed. Is lowered to return to the state of FIG. 5, and the proximity switch 136 is turned on. In a normal state where each nozzle 114 is not clogged, the sensing lever 128 swings every time the nozzle 114 passes, and the proximity switch 136 is repeatedly turned on and off. When the cleaning nozzle 114 is clogged, the cleaning liquid is not ejected normally, and the sensing lever 128 does not swing, so the proximity switch 136 remains on and an abnormality of the nozzle 114 is detected.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, while the normal cleaning nozzle 114 continues, the proximity switch 136 is repeatedly turned on and off. Therefore, each time the nozzle 114 passes, the sensing lever 128 needs time to move up and down. Unreliable during operation. For this reason, in the case of a high-speed container cleaning apparatus, there is a problem that the nozzle 114 cannot be checked during operation, and the check must be performed by performing a preparatory operation at a low speed. Further, since the sensing lever 128 moves up and down each time the nozzle 114 passes one by one and hits the upper and lower stopper surfaces 142b and 142c of the stopper member 142, there is also a problem that an impact sound is noisy.
[0011]
The nozzle checker (device for detecting clogging of nozzles) described in the first publication (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-31189) is provided in a rotary cleaning device of a type that rotates intermittently. The nozzle is checked during stoppage, and cannot be applied to a type of rinser that operates continuously at high speed. A nozzle checker (cleaning nozzle clogging detection device) described in the second publication (utility model registration No. 2512024) detects a nozzle abnormality using a sensor such as a photoelectric switch, and performs cleaning. When a photoelectric switch is used in the apparatus, it becomes cloudy or wet, so there is a drawback that the reliability is low.
[0012]
The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, improves the reliability of the nozzle check, enables the nozzle check even during the cleaning operation, and can cope with the high-speed operation, and also provides an impact. It is an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle checker for a container cleaning device that does not generate sound.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The nozzle checker according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of grippers which are provided at regular intervals and hold and invert the container, and perform cleaning by ejecting liquid while moving following the containers held by these grippers. A lever provided in a container cleaning device having a nozzle, which is disposed above a movement path of the nozzle and can be swung, an upper and lower stopper for restricting an upper end and a lower end of the lever, and a lever Detecting means for detecting the ascending position or the descending position of the lever, and the width of the lever in the nozzle moving direction and the pitch of the nozzle have the relationship of the following expression (1).
P ≦ L <2P (1)
L: Lever width P: Nozzle pitch
In the nozzle checker, each nozzle continuously passes below the lever, and the cleaning liquid sprayed from at least one nozzle is always sprayed onto the lever. If each nozzle is ejecting liquid normally, the lever remains raised and the detection means senses this same condition. Further, when there is a clogged nozzle, the liquid is not ejected. Therefore, the lever is lowered only at this time, and the abnormality is detected by the detecting means.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 is a plan view of a nozzle checker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view of a rotary type rinser provided with the nozzle checker. It is a top view which shows an outline.
[0016]
First, the configuration of the rotary type rinser will be described with reference to FIG. The container 2 to be cleaned is continuously transported by the transport conveyor 4, pitched at predetermined intervals by the timing screw 6, and introduced into the rotating body 10 via the inlet star wheel 8. A plurality of bottle grippers (not shown) are provided near the outer periphery of the rotator 10 at regular intervals, and each bottle gripper is assigned to each bottle gripper from an inlet star wheel 8 rotating in synchronization with the rotator 10. The containers 2 are delivered one by one.
[0017]
The bottle gripper that has received the container 2 from the inlet star wheel 8 is reversed by the cam 12 while moving in the reversal zone A, and turns the container 2 held in an upright state upside down. Washing nozzles 14 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) are arranged below the containers 2 held in an inverted state by the bottle grippers so as to rotate integrally with each other. Cleaning the inside of the container 2 by injecting the cleaning liquid into the container 2 from the cleaning nozzle 14 while the container 2 and the cleaning nozzle 14 rotating in the zone B and the internal cleaning finish cleaning zone C rotate integrally. To do. The washed container 2 is transported in the draining zone D while being inverted and drained. Thereafter, the bottle gripper is reversed again by the cam 12 in the reverse zone E to return the container 2 to the upright state and deliver it to the outlet star wheel 16. Each container 2 is discharged onto the conveyor 4 by the outlet star wheel 16 and sent to the next process.
[0018]
A nozzle checker (generally indicated by reference numeral 20) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided in the reversal zone A, before the bottle gripper is completely reversed and the container 2 is positioned above the cleaning nozzle 14. Whether each nozzle 14 is clogged is checked. A support 24 is fixed to the lower surface of the mounting plate 22, and a quadrangular sensing lever 28 is swingably supported via a horizontal spring pin 26 inserted through the support 24. Further, an upper stopper 30 is fixed on the lower surface of the mounting plate 22 near the swinging end 28a of the sensing lever 28 to regulate the rising end of the sensing lever 28, and the sensing lever 28 stops in a substantially horizontal state. It is like that. Further, a lower stopper 32 for restricting the descending end of the sensing lever 28 is attached to the lower end of the column 24.
[0019]
A metal plate 34 is embedded in the upper surface of the swing end 28 a of the sensing lever 28, and a proximity switch 36 is provided on the mounting plate 22 above the metal plate 34. When the sensing lever 28 swings upward and hits the upper stopper 30, the proximity switch 36 senses and turns on the metal plate 34, and when the sensing lever 28 swings downward, the metal plate 34 is turned on. Apart from 36, the proximity switch 36 is turned off.
[0020]
A shielding plate 38 is disposed below the mounting plate 22. A long hole 38a is formed in the shielding plate 38 along the rotational movement direction R of the cleaning nozzle 14. The cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 14 passes through the long hole 38a in the section of the long hole 28a. Then, it is injected above the shielding plate 38. The swinging end 28a side of the sensing lever 28 is located above the elongated hole 38a of the shielding plate 38 so that the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 14 is directly sprayed onto the swinging end 28a of the sensing lever 28. It has become. In this embodiment, the width L of the sensing lever 28 in the nozzle movement direction is equal to the pitch P of the nozzles 14 (space between two adjacent nozzles 14) provided at equal intervals near the outer periphery of the rotating body 10. Match. Needless to say, the long hole 38 a formed in the shielding plate 38 is longer than the width L of the sensing lever 28.
[0021]
The operation of the nozzle checker 20 according to the above configuration will be described. When this rotary rinser is operated, the containers 2 conveyed by the conveyor 4 are delivered one by one to the bottle gripper in the rotating body 10 via the timing screw 6 and the inlet star wheel 8. After receiving the container 2, the bottle gripper is inverted by the cam 12 to place the container 2 in an inverted state. During the reversal process, the cleaning nozzles 14 provided corresponding to the bottle grippers pass below the nozzle checker 20.
[0022]
Before the start of operation, the sensing lever 28 of the nozzle checker 20 swings downward due to its own weight and stops by hitting the lower stopper 32 (a state indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). When the cleaning nozzle 14 moves and reaches below the nozzle checker 20 as described above, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle 14 is blown upward from the long hole 38a of the shielding plate 38 and the swing end of the sensing lever 28 is swung. It hits the lower surface side of 28a. When the cleaning liquid is sprayed, the sensing lever 28 swings upward and stops when it hits the upper stopper 30 (the state indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). At this time, the proximity switch 36 is turned on, and it is confirmed that the cleaning liquid is normally ejected without clogging the nozzle 14.
[0023]
Washing nozzles 14 are provided in the rotating body 10 at regular intervals, and each nozzle 14 continuously reaches and passes through the position of the nozzle checker 20 as the rotating body 10 rotates. In this embodiment, since the width L of the sensing lever 28 coincides with the pitch P of the nozzle 14, the cleaning liquid sprayed from one nozzle 14 always hits the sensing lever 28, and in particular, the sprayed cleaning liquid is At the moment when the nozzle 14 hitting the sensing lever 28 is replaced with the next nozzle 14, the cleaning liquid from the two nozzles 14 is simultaneously sprayed (state shown in FIG. 1). Thus, since the cleaning liquid sprayed from at least one nozzle 14 is always sprayed to the sensing lever 28, the sensing lever 28 is swung upward as long as each nozzle 14 is not clogged and is normal. The proximity switch 36 remains on.
[0024]
In addition, when the moving nozzle 14 is clogged, the cleaning liquid is not ejected from the nozzle 14, so that the sensing lever 28 pushed upward is lowered and the proximity switch 36 is turned on. It turns off and it is detected that this nozzle 14 is defective. As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, as long as the nozzle 14 is normal, the sensing lever 28 remains swung upward, and it is not necessary to move up and down for each nozzle as in the prior art. Therefore, it is more reliable than the conventional one that requires time to move up and down for each nozzle, and can cope with high-speed operation. As a result, the clogging of the nozzle 14 can be checked during the normal cleaning operation. Further, since the sensing lever 28 is lowered only when the clogged nozzle 14 reaches the position of the nozzle checker 20, there is almost no sound hitting the upper and lower stoppers 30, 32 and it is quiet. In the conventional configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sensing lever 128 is positioned below due to its own weight and the tension of the tension coil spring 140, whereas in this embodiment, it is lowered only by its own weight. Since the sensing lever 28 is pushed up by the jetting liquid, the operation of the sensing lever 28 is fast and sensitive.
[0025]
In the above embodiment, the case where the width L of the sensing lever 28 is equal to the pitch P of the cleaning nozzle 14 has been described. However, the width L of the sensing lever 28 and the pitch P of the nozzle 14 are not necessarily the same. There is no limitation as long as the condition of the following expression (1) is satisfied. However, it is preferable that the width of the lever 28 is a small value within the condition of the expression (1).
P ≦ L <2P (1)
(L: Lever width, P: Nozzle pitch)
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the lever disposed above the movement path of the nozzle and swingable, the upper and lower stoppers for regulating the rising end and the lowering end of the lever, the rising position or the lowering of the lever, respectively. A detecting means for detecting a position, and the width of the lever in the nozzle moving direction is set to be larger than the nozzle pitch and less than twice the nozzle pitch. In the case of the state, the lever is not rocked and kept constant, and the lever is rocked only when the nozzle is clogged. It becomes possible to check the nozzle. Further, it is possible to eliminate almost all the noise generated by raising and lowering the lever.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a nozzle checker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a rotary type rinser provided with the nozzle checker.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a cross section of a part of a conventional nozzle checker.
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional nozzle checker.
[Explanation of symbols]
L Lever width P Nozzle pitch 2 Container 14 Nozzle 28 Lever 30 Upper stopper 32 Lower stopper 36 Detection means (proximity switch)

Claims (1)

A container cleaning apparatus provided with a gripper that is provided at regular intervals and holds and inverts the container, and a plurality of nozzles that perform cleaning by ejecting liquid while moving following the containers held by these grippers. In
A lever disposed above the nozzle movement path and swingable; an upper and lower stopper for restricting the rising end and the lowering end of the lever; and a detecting means for detecting the rising or lowering position of the lever; A nozzle checker for a container cleaning apparatus, wherein the width of the lever in the nozzle moving direction and the pitch of the nozzles have the following relationship (1).
P ≦ L <2P (1)
L: Lever width P: Nozzle pitch

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