JP3882819B2 - Airflow alignment cap feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airflow alignment cap supply device that supplies a cap such as a bottle or the like to a downstream apparatus in a state where the cap is floated with air and aligned in a certain posture.

  For example, in a factory line that closes the bottle mouth with a cap, it is necessary to align the caps that are sent sequentially to a certain posture with the posture adjustment device before attaching the cap to the bottle mouth with a capping machine. is there.

  As the posture adjusting device, for example, by blowing air with a blower from below to the caps that are sequentially supplied, the cap whose opening is directed downward is blown away and the top surface (blocking surface) is downward There is known a configuration in which only a cap with a normal posture facing the left is left.

  However, in the conventional posture adjusting device, it is necessary to collect the cap blown off by the blower and to transport the recovered cap to the blower position again. In this case, there is a problem that unnecessary deformation or scratches may occur in the cap.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is capable of aligning a cap in a normal posture and capable of stably transporting the cap downstream without causing deformation or scratches. It is an issue to provide.

The air flow alignment cap supply device according to claim 1 is configured such that a cap whose one end is closed by the top surface and the other end is opened by the air ejected from a plurality of air ejection holes formed on the transport plate. An airflow alignment cap supply device that arranges the cap in the normal posture and moves the cap in the normal posture to the downstream side, and is arranged at a position for receiving the cap in the transport plate, and the cap is formed by the air jetted from the air ejection hole. A posture arranging unit that transfers the air to the downstream side while adjusting the normal posture, and a normal posture cap that is arranged on the downstream side of the posture arranging unit on the transport plate and is transferred from the posture arranging unit. An alignment unit that adjusts to a single row state while being transported downstream by air ejected from the hole, and a downstream side of the alignment unit in the transport plate Is location, the cap coming being transported furnished the single row state from the aligning unit, and a transfer unit for transferring to the downstream side while maintaining the single row state by the air ejected from the air ejection hole, the The alignment unit is configured to be continuously connected to a downstream end of the posture arranging unit and an upstream end of the transfer unit, and the posture arranging unit includes the air jet excluding a portion continuously connected to the alignment unit. A first guide wall is provided so as to surround the region in which the hole is formed, and the alignment unit includes a first guide wall extending from the posture arranging unit to the transfer unit on both sides in the width direction of the region in which the air ejection hole is formed. Two guide walls are provided, and the first guide wall and the second guide wall are made of a member having air permeability .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the position arrangement unit that moves the cap to the downstream side while adjusting the cap to the normal position by the air ejected from the air ejection hole is provided at the position for receiving the cap in the transport plate. The cap supplied to the posture organizing unit can be smoothly aligned with the normal posture.

  Also, the cap in the normal posture is in a state where the static pressure in the gap is reduced and sucked by the conveyance plate because the air ejected from the air ejection hole flows at high speed in the gap between the top surface and the conveyance plate Therefore, it will move stably downstream.

  In the aligning portion, the caps aligned in the normal posture can be gradually aligned in a single row while being transferred to the downstream side by the air ejected from the air ejection holes. Also in this case, since the air ejected from the air ejection hole flows at high speed between the top surface of the cap and the transport plate, the cap is stably moved to the downstream side while being sucked by the transport plate. .

  Furthermore, in the transfer unit, the caps arranged in the single row state can be transferred to the downstream side while maintaining the single row state by the air ejected from the air ejection holes. Also in this case, the air ejected from the air ejection hole stably moves to the downstream side in a state where the cap is sucked by the transport plate.

  Therefore, the cap supplied to the posture organizing unit can be aligned in a normal posture without causing deformation or scratches, and can be stably aligned in a single row, and further stably transferred to the downstream side. can do. In addition, since no extra equipment such as collecting the cap that has been blown off is required, the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

On the other hand, if it is constituted by the top plate of the box state constituting a plenum chamber above the conveying plate, only by adjusting the pressure of air supplied to the plenum chamber, the air ejected from the air ejection holes in the posture organizer The flow rate can be adjusted. Therefore, even when the type of cap received by the posture arranging unit is changed (for example, when the size or weight of the cap is changed), it is possible to easily cope with the change of the cap into the normal posture.

Also, when setting a large angle of inclination of the air ejection holes in the attitude organizer, air ejected from the air ejection holes at a velocity component in the direction perpendicular to the carrier plate is large, and downstream velocity component small It becomes.

  For this reason, the cap in the irregular posture with the top surface facing upward (the opening portion is downward) receives a large force from the air ejected from the air ejection hole, and is thus in a relatively high surface. However, since this floating state is extremely unstable, the cap is turned upside down immediately after rising and is in a normal posture state.

  On the other hand, since the cap in the normal posture has low resistance to the air ejected from the air ejection hole, the cap drops to the conveyance plate side and is ejected from the air ejection hole between the conveyance plate and the top surface of the cap. Air will flow at high speed. For this reason, the cap of a normal posture will be in the state adsorbed by the conveyance board with the air which ejects from an air ejection hole.

  Therefore, after the cap received in the irregular posture is immediately converted to the regular posture, the velocity component in the downstream direction of the air ejected from the air ejection hole while the cap accepted in the regular posture remains unchanged. Therefore, it is stably transferred to the alignment portion side.

Further, when setting smaller than the posture organizing unit the inclination angle of the air ejection holes in the alignment part, the downstream direction of the velocity component of the air ejected from the air ejection holes is larger than the posture organizing unit. For this reason, since the cap moves downstream while increasing the speed, the cap is aligned in a single row state in the downstream portion of the alignment portion.

Furthermore , when the inclination angle of the air ejection holes in the transfer section is set to be smaller than that of the alignment section, the velocity component in the downstream direction of the air ejected from the air ejection holes becomes larger than that of the alignment section. For this reason, the cap moves the transfer unit to the downstream side at a higher speed while maintaining the single row state.

  As described above, the caps received by the posture arranging section can be smoothly and stably transferred further downstream after aligning the caps in the normal posture and aligning them in a single row.

On the other hand , when the same type of air ejection holes as the transfer part are continuously formed at least in the downstream part of the alignment part, it is easy to align the caps in a single line in the alignment part and the single line is formed. The cap can be smoothly transferred to the transfer portion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the cap from staying in the alignment portion.

Further , by configuring the portion corresponding to the posture arranging portion in the transport plate so as to be detachable, for example, the cap can be easily changed to an air ejection hole having an optimum hole diameter and inclination angle in order to reverse the cap to the normal posture. .

On the other hand , since the first guide wall is provided so as to surround the region where the air ejection holes except for the portion continuously connected to the alignment portion in the posture arranging portion are provided, the cap supplied to the posture arranging portion is Jumping out of the cap conveyance line can be prevented. Therefore, all caps received by the posture organizing unit can be sent to the aligning unit.

In addition, the sorting unit, since providing the second guide wall extending to the transfer portion on both sides in the width direction of the air ejection holes are formed regions of the posture organizing unit, the second guide wall of the cap Therefore, it can be surely aligned in a single row state.

In addition to this, when there are third guide walls on both sides in the width direction of the transfer portion, the reliability of the transfer of the cap can be improved. Even when there is no third guide wall, since the air ejected from the air ejection hole flows at high speed between the top surface of the cap and the transport plate, the cap is in a state of being adsorbed to the transport plate. As long as no special conditions are applied, the cap does not escape outward from the transfer section.

On the other hand , since the first guide wall and the second guide wall are made of a gas-permeable member, the caps are received in the first guide wall and the second guide wall through the vents of the members. In addition, it is possible to observe the reversal status to the normal posture, the staying status, and the like.

  In addition, a phenomenon (suction phenomenon due to the so-called aspirator effect) in which the atmosphere around the posture arranging unit is sucked by air having a large upward velocity component ejected from each air ejection hole in the posture arranging unit occurs. Since the guide wall is made of a member having air permeability, the air can be sucked smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the resistance of the air ejected from each air ejection hole in the orientation organizing unit, and to smoothly reverse the cap to the normal orientation by increasing the upward flow.

  On the other hand, at the upstream end of the transfer unit, the flow of air ejected from each air ejection hole in the transfer unit is mainly directed to the downstream side in the transfer direction. A phenomenon of sucking the atmosphere (suction phenomenon due to an aspirator effect) occurs. In this case, since the second guide wall is made of a gas permeable member, the atmosphere outside the second guide wall flows into the alignment section through the second guide wall and further flows into the transfer section. It will be.

  Then, the flow of the air flowing into the alignment portion from the second guide wall helps to align the caps in a single row in the alignment portion. While reducing the contact with the guide wall, it can be made into a single row smoothly. In addition, since the air that has flowed into the alignment portion further flows into the transfer portion, the single-lined cap can be smoothly transferred from the alignment portion to the transfer portion.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an airflow alignment cap supply device according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 exaggerates a plan view (a) of the airflow alignment cap supply device and the diameter of an air ejection hole and the thickness of a conveying plate. It is a sectional side view (b) shown.

  The cap W to be transferred and supplied here is a cylindrical cap (made of plastic or aluminum) whose one end is closed by the top surface and the other end is opened. Work is also included.

  The air flow alignment cap supply device M aligns the cap W with the normal posture with the top surface facing downward by the action of the air ejected from the air ejection holes 1 formed in the transport plate 52, and the cap W with the normal posture is mounted. It is to be transported and supplied to an apparatus (not shown) on the downstream side, and the posture rearrangement unit 10 arranged in the upstream part in the cap transport direction A, the alignment part 20 arranged in the middle stream part, and the transfer part 30 arranged in the downstream part have.

  The transport plate 52 is formed by a top plate portion of a closed box-like body 51 that constitutes a plenum chamber 50 into which pressurized air is introduced from one air supply source. The transport plate 52 is formed of a single continuous flat resin molded plate, and the air ejection holes 1 formed in the transport plate 52 include the posture arranging unit 10, the aligning unit 20, Each of the transfer units 30 is configured to exhibit different functions.

  The posture organizing unit 10 is disposed at a portion of the transport plate 52 that receives the cap W, and is configured to transfer the cap W to the downstream side while adjusting the cap W to a normal posture by the air ejected from the air ejection hole 1. Further, the transfer unit 30 is disposed on the downstream side of the posture arranging unit 10 in the conveying plate 52, and the cap W in the normal posture transferred from the posture arranging unit 10 is downstream by the air ejected from the air ejection holes 1. It is constituted so that it may be arranged in a single row state while being transported. Furthermore, the transfer unit 30 is disposed on the downstream side of the alignment unit 20 in the transport plate 52, and the cap W that is arranged and transferred from the alignment unit 20 into a single row is transferred by the air discharged from the air discharge holes 1. It is configured to transfer to the downstream side while maintaining a single row state.

  For this reason, the posture arranging unit 10 is orthogonal to the transfer direction and the transfer direction so as to receive a cap W that is continuously supplied from a supply unit (not shown) (introduced from above in this embodiment). The air ejection holes 1 are arranged in a state in which the air ejection holes 1 are dispersed in, for example, a lattice shape in a region that is set wide in the width direction (in this embodiment, a rectangular region). In addition, the length in the transfer direction A of the region where the air ejection holes 1 are provided in the posture organizing unit 10 is set to a length that can sufficiently reverse the cap W in the irregular posture to the regular posture. Yes.

  On the other hand, the air ejection holes 1 are arranged in a straight line at equal pitches in the transfer direction A in the transfer unit 30 in order to convey the caps W in a single row.

  Further, the alignment unit 20 is continuously connected from a wide part continuously connected to the posture arranging part 10 to a narrow part where the cap W at the upstream end of the transfer part 30 can move in a single row, and toward the downstream side. Thus, the air ejection holes 1 are arranged in a state in which the width is gradually narrowed (in this embodiment, a trapezoidal region) in a state of being dispersed in a lattice shape, for example. Further, the length in the transfer direction A of the region where the air ejection holes 1 are provided in the alignment portion 20 is sufficiently converted from a state in which a plurality of caps W in a normal posture are arranged in the width direction to a single row state. It is set to a possible length.

  Further, at the central portion in the width direction of the downstream portion of the alignment portion 20, the air ejection holes 1 of the same type (diameter, pitch, inclination) as the air ejection holes 1 of the transfer section 30 [indicated by P in FIG. 2 (a). Part] is provided so as to be continuously arranged in the air ejection holes 1 of the transfer unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, each air ejection hole 1 in each of the posture arranging unit 10, the alignment unit 20, and the transfer unit 30 has a velocity component in which the air ejected from the air ejection hole 1 travels downstream. As described above, the penetrating axis is inclined to the downstream side, and the inclination angle θ toward the downstream side with respect to the transport plate 52 is set so as to decrease sequentially toward the posture arranging unit 10, the aligning unit 20, and the transfer unit 30. ing.

  Each function in the posture arranging unit 10, the aligning unit 20, and the transfer unit 30 is mainly determined by the magnitude of the inclination angle θ of the air ejection hole 1, and the inclination angle θ of the air ejection hole 1 in the attitude arrangement unit 10 is 90. The inclination angle θ of the air ejection holes 1 of the alignment portion 20 is set to 50 ° to 40 °, and the inclination angle θ of the air ejection holes 1 of the transfer portion 30 is set to about 35 ° to 25 °. The meaning of 90 ° in the inclination angle θ of the air ejection hole 1 of the posture arranging unit 10 means that a small number of the plurality of air ejection holes 1 may be 90 ° and is averaged. The inclined angle θ of the air ejection hole 1 is less than 90 °.

  Therefore, the posture arranging unit 10 can eject air from the air ejection hole 1 having a large inclination angle θ with a large velocity component directed upward and a small velocity component directed in the downstream direction (transfer direction A). The posture of W can be made uniform while reversing the posture of the irregular posture to the regular posture.

  Further, in the aligning portion 20, the air component having the medium velocity inclination component θ and the component component having the velocity component directed in the downstream direction can be ejected from the medium air injection hole 1 having a medium inclination angle θ. The cap W can be aligned in a single row state without difficulty.

  Further, in the transfer unit 30, air having a small upward velocity component and a large downstream velocity component can be ejected from the air ejection hole 1 having a small inclination angle θ, and the caps W can be in a single row state. It can be transported at high speed while maintaining.

  And each air ejection hole 1 of each part of the attitude | position arrangement | positioning part 10 and the alignment part 20 is arrange | positioned in the position which becomes substantially symmetrical with respect to the straight line in which the air ejection hole 1 of the transfer part 30 was arranged.

  It should be noted that it is desirable to optimize the diameter, pitch, inclination angle, inclination direction, and the like of the air ejection holes 1 in each part by repeating experiments. For example, if an inclination toward the center in the width direction of the alignment portion 20 is given to the air ejection holes 1 of the alignment portion 20, the contact of the cap W against the second guide wall 21 described later is reduced. The effect of promoting the single row of the cap W can also be expected. Further, the diameter, pitch, tilt angle, tilt direction, and the like of the air ejection holes 1 may be different in each region of the posture organizing unit 10 and the aligning unit 20. For example, a large diameter and a small diameter may be alternately arranged.

Further, the thickness of the transport plate 52 may be set to about 5 mm. The thinner the thickness, the shorter the length of the air ejection hole 1, which is preferable in reducing the airflow resistance. However, in order to realize the air ejection in the specified direction (particularly the oblique direction), A certain amount of running distance is required, and the relationship between the hole diameter D and the hole length L is L / D = 5-6
What is necessary is just to set to the thickness which can be implement | achieved to the extent. In this case, no load is applied to the transport plate 52, but the pressure of the air introduced into the plenum chamber 50 is applied, so there is a need to set the thickness in accordance with the requirements for strength and elastic deformation.

  As described above, by forming the air ejection holes 1 with different inclination angles θ and dispersion ranges in the transport plate 52 of the common plenum chamber 50, the posture arranging unit 10, the aligning unit 20, and the transfer unit 30 are provided with each of them. Each of these parts is provided with the following to guarantee its function.

  First, the posture organizing unit 10 is provided with a first guide wall 11 so as to surround a region where the air ejection holes 1 are formed except for a part continuously connected to the aligning unit 20. The first guide wall 11 prevents the cap W inserted from above from jumping out of the transport line. And this 1st guide wall 11 is good to comprise with air permeable members, such as a net | network and a perforated panel. By doing so, not only can the cap W be prevented from being unnecessarily popped out, but the inversion state and the staying state of the cap W can be visually confirmed.

  In addition, a phenomenon (suction phenomenon due to the so-called aspirator effect) of sucking the atmosphere around the posture arranging unit 10 occurs due to the air having a large upward velocity component ejected from each air ejection hole 1 in the posture arranging unit 10. Since the first guide wall 11 is made of a member having air permeability, the above-described atmospheric suction can be performed smoothly. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the resistance of the air ejected from each air ejection hole 1 in the orientation organizing unit 10, and it is possible to promote the reversal of the cap W to the normal orientation by increasing the upward flow.

  Next, the distance between the outer edges of both sides of the installation area of the air ejection holes 1 of the alignment portion 20 becomes narrower from the upstream side to the downstream side in correspondence with the change in the width of the installation area of the air ejection holes 1. A pair of second guide walls 21 is erected. Both of these second guide walls 21 are set so that the height decreases from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the downstream ends are both third guide walls provided in the transfer section 30 and parallel to each other. 31 is continuous.

  Each of the third guide walls 31 is erected at an interval at which the cap W can be conveyed in a single row at a symmetrical position across the air ejection holes 1 arranged in a straight line on the conveyance plate 52.

  Each second guide wall 21 is made of a breathable member such as a net or a perforated panel, and each third guide wall 31 is made of a plate-like member having no breathability. However, each second guide wall 21 may also be formed of a plate-like member having no air permeability.

Next, the operation will be described.
In the airflow alignment cap supply device M, when pressurized air is supplied to the plenum chamber 50, air is ejected from the air ejection holes 1 provided in the transport plate 52 in the respective directions. In this state, when a large number of caps W are continuously supplied to the posture organizing unit 10 from above, the cap W is aligned in a normal posture with the top surface facing downward by the action of the jet air having a large upward velocity component. , Move to the alignment unit 20. In the aligning portion 20, the cap W gradually increases in the transfer direction A and the guide action of the second guide wall 21 gradually becomes a single row state and becomes a single row state at the downstream end. . The caps W arranged in a single row are then introduced into the transfer unit 30 so as to be further transferred to the downstream side at a high speed and sent out from the downstream end of the transfer unit 30 to a device such as a capping machine (not shown). It is.

  In particular, an air ejection hole 1 of the same type (same inclination angle, diameter, pitch, etc.) as that of the transfer unit 30 is provided in the downstream portion of the center in the width direction of the alignment unit 20, and the air optimized for conveyance is provided. Since the ejection hole 1 is in the state of biting into the center of the alignment portion 20, it is easy to align the caps W in a single row in the alignment portion 20, and the single-row caps W are provided with a run-up. The transfer unit 30 can be moved more smoothly. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the cap W from staying in the alignment portion 20.

  In this way, the cap W is converted into a normal posture simply by forming the air ejection holes 1 having different inclination angles θ and the like on the transfer plate 52 of the plenum chamber 50, and the cap W in the normal posture is brought into a single row state. Since the single row caps W are aligned and can be transferred to the downstream side at a high speed, all the caps W can be stably sent out in a single row state without deformation or scratches. . In addition, since an extra mechanism and equipment such as collecting the cap W blown off as in the prior art can be eliminated, the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

  Even when the type of the cap W is changed, the flow rate of the air ejected from the air ejection hole 1 can be changed only by adjusting the pressure of the air introduced into the plenum chamber 50. 10 can be easily improved to smoothly reverse the cap W.

  Furthermore, at the upstream end of the transfer unit 30, the flow of air ejected from each air ejection hole 1 in the transfer unit 30 is mainly in the downstream direction, so that the periphery of the upstream end of the third guide wall 31 Phenomenon that sucks air from. In this case, since the second guide wall 21 is composed of a gas-permeable member, the air outside the second guide wall 21 flows into the alignment portion 20 via the second guide wall 21. Furthermore, it flows to the transfer part 30.

  Accordingly, the cap W can be smoothly aligned in a single row while preventing the cap W from hitting the second guide wall 21 as much as possible in the alignment portion 20, and the aligned cap is transferred from the alignment portion. Can be smoothly transferred to the section.

  In this case, if an upper lid (not shown) for closing the upper surface between the second guide walls 21 is provided between the upper edges of the second guide walls 21, the air flowing in from the second guide walls 21 can be prevented. The amount can be increased, the cap W can be more effectively prevented from hitting the second guide wall 21, and the cap W can be made into a single row more smoothly.

  Moreover, since the air ejection hole 1 is formed in the conveyance board 52 which consists of a detachable honeycomb board, a slit board, or the integrally molded product of resin, manufacture is easy, handling is also easy, and exchange work is also easy. Can be. For example, the transport plate 52 can be exchanged depending on the type of cap. Moreover, since mass production is possible, it can be provided at low cost.

  Further, the cap W in the normal posture in the posture arranging unit 10, the aligning unit 20, and the transfer unit 30 is transported because the air ejected from the air ejection holes 1 flows at high speed between the top surface and the transport plate 52. It is stably transferred in the state of being sucked to the plate 52 side. Therefore, in the transfer unit 30 having the function of transporting the cap W, the cap W does not deviate from the transport line even if the third guide wall 31 is not provided unless a special condition is applied.

  In addition, the transfer speed of the cap W increases as the speed component in the downstream direction of the air ejected from the air ejection hole 1 increases.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the cap W is supplied to the posture arranging unit 10 from above is shown. However, by providing the posture arranging unit 10 in the middle of the transport line of the cap W, the cap W You may comprise so that it may supply to the attitude | position arrangement | positioning part 10 from a direction. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide the first guide wall 11 with an opening for supplying the cap W from the lateral direction.

Further, a portion of the transport plate 52 corresponding to the posture organizing unit 10 may be configured by a plate-like member that is separate from the transport plate 52 and detachable from the transport plate 52.
In this case, for example, there is an advantage that the configuration can be easily changed to a configuration including the air ejection hole 1 having the optimum hole diameter and the inclination angle θ in order to reverse the cap W to the normal posture.

It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an airflow alignment cap supply device as one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the airflow alignment cap supply device, Comprising: (a) is a top view, (b) is a sectional side view which exaggerates the diameter of an air ejection hole and the thickness of a conveyance board.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air ejection hole 10 Posture arrangement | positioning part 11 1st guide wall 20 Alignment part 21 2nd guide wall 30 Transfer part 31 3rd guide wall 50 Plenum chamber 51 Box-shaped body 52 Conveyance board M Airflow alignment cap feeder W Cap θ Inclination angle

Claims (1)

With the air ejected from a number of air ejection holes formed on the transport plate, the cap with one end blocked by the top surface and the other end opened is adjusted to a normal posture with the top surface facing downward, and the cap with this normal posture is An airflow alignment cap feeder for transferring to the downstream side,
A position arranging unit that is arranged at a position for receiving the cap on the transport plate, and that moves the cap to the downstream side while adjusting the normal position by air ejected from the air ejection hole;
A cap in a normal posture, which is arranged on the downstream side of the posture arranging unit in the conveying plate and is transferred from the posture arranging unit, is arranged in a single row state while being transferred to the downstream side by the air ejected from the air ejection hole. An alignment section;
A cap that is arranged on the downstream side of the aligning portion of the transport plate and is arranged and transferred from the aligning portion to a single row state is kept downstream while maintaining the single row state by air ejected from the air ejection holes. A transfer unit that transfers to the side, and the alignment unit is continuously connected to the downstream end of the posture arranging unit and the upstream end of the transfer unit, and
The posture organizing unit is provided with a first guide wall so as to surround a region where the air ejection hole is formed except for a part continuously connected to the alignment unit.
The alignment unit is provided with a second guide wall from the posture arranging unit to the transfer unit on both sides in the width direction of the region where the air ejection holes are formed,
The air flow alignment cap feeder, wherein the first guide wall and the second guide wall are made of a member having air permeability.

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