JP4352617B2 - Rotary capper - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to a rotary type capper, and more particularly to a rotary type capper that can perform stable capping on a soft resin container such as a PET bottle and can also be used as a hard container such as a glass bottle. It is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When a screw cap is tightened or stoppered to a relatively low strength container such as a PET bottle, the container is pressed and deformed when capping with the container placed on the container plate, The filled liquid overflows or the liquid level after the filling ends varies. Therefore, for a soft container such as a PET bottle, a horizontal flange is formed on the outer periphery of the mouth of the container, and the lower surface side of this flange is supported by a neck gripper or the like for capping.
[0003]
As described above, rotary type cappers that perform capping while supporting the lower surface side of the flange formed at the mouth of the container have been known (Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-28190 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-18435). The rotary capper described in the first publication (Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-28190) is a spring for supporting the flange of the container by a main turret and an auxiliary turret plate that rotate synchronously and preventing deformation of the container. The container is placed on a gantry (container plate) with a built-in container for capping. The rotary type capper described in this publication performs capping while receiving the bottom of the container with the container plate, and at this time, the flange of the container is pressed against the neck gripper (main turret and auxiliary turret plate).
[0004]
Further, the rotary type capper described in the second publication (Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-18435) has no container plate, and supports the lower surface side of the container flange by a neck gripper (container holding means and stationary collar) for capping. To do. In the apparatus described in this publication, since there is no container plate at the capping position, the load at the time of capping is received only by the flange of the container.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In recent years, for the purpose of facilitating recycling, resin containers filled with soy sauce, mirin, and the like have often used perforated caps with perforations for easy removal from the container. When driving such a perforated driving cap, the container is deformed by the gap between the flange and the neck gripper when the container is pressed against the neck gripper, but the perforated part fits into the container. Until then, air escapes from the perforation, and there has been a problem that the liquid level that has risen in the process of deforming the container and that the container shape itself does not return to its original state after the cap has been driven.
[0006]
In particular, in the case of the rotary type capper described in the first publication, the setting of the spring strength built in the gantry (container plate) to prevent the deformation of the container is troublesome. Even if it is intended to escape, some deformation of the container is inevitable, so the above-mentioned problems resulting from deformation of the container cannot be solved.
[0007]
In addition, the rotary type capper described in the second publication does not cause a problem when it is used as a dedicated machine for a soft container such as a PET bottle as described above, but a rotary type capper such as a glass bottle or a crown is used. When a container plate is required, such as a device for plugging, there is a problem that it cannot be used in combination.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can stably perform capping on a relatively low strength container such as a PET bottle, and a container table (container plate) such as a glass bottle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a dual-purpose rotary capper that can also be used for capping a required container.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A rotary capper according to the present invention includes a capping head arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of a rotating body, a container plate on which a container to be supplied is placed, and a first container in which a flange is formed at the mouth. And a second container in which a flange is not formed in the mouth, and further, the container plate can be moved up and down, a cam follower attached to the container plate, and a lower part of the container plate A positioning member that contacts the container plate and regulates the height of the container plate, and a cam that engages the cam follower and regulates the height of the container plate at least outside the capping section. When capping the first container, the container plate is lowered in the capping section by removing the positioning member In the first operation in which capping is performed while supporting the lower surface of the flange by the flange support means, and when capping the second container, the capping is performed without lowering the container plate even in the capping section by attaching a positioning member. The second operation for performing the operation can be selected.
[0010]
In this rotary type capper, when capping a soft container such as a PET bottle, the first operation state is set, the container plate is lowered in the capping section, and the flange of the container is supported by the flange support means for capping. In the case of a hard container such as a glass bottle, capping is performed while the container plate is raised in the second operation state.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall arrangement including a rotary capper 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary capper 1. A container 2 filled with a liquid by a filling device (not shown) installed on the upstream side (the left side in FIG. 1) is transported by a container transport conveyor 4, and an embodiment of the present invention is performed via an inlet star wheel 6. It is supplied to the rotary type capper 1 according to the embodiment. After these containers 2 are capped in the rotary capper 1, they are discharged onto the container transport conveyor 4 via the outlet star wheel 8 and sent to the next step.
[0012]
In the rotary capper 1, a plurality of capping heads 12 are provided on the upper portion of the rotating body 10 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Further, a container plate (container table) 16 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 4), which will be described later, is arranged at equal intervals on the rotary table 14 below the rotating body 10 at positions corresponding to the capping heads 12. Has been.
[0013]
Two upper and lower wheels 18, 20 are arranged above the rotary table 14, a recess for holding the body 2 a of each container 2 is formed in the lower wheel 20, and the upper wheel 18 has a container A small-diameter concave portion that supports the lower surface side of the flange 2c formed in the mouth portion 2b is formed. Further, on the outer peripheral side of the upper wheel 18, an arcuate fixed guide 22 that supports the lower surface side of the flange 2 c of the container 2 together with the upper wheel 18 is provided. The upper wheel 18 and the fixed guide 22 constitute a flange support means (neck gripper). The flange support means (neck gripper) is detachably attached, and is removed when capping a container having no flange.
[0014]
Next, the container plate 16 provided on the turntable 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The turntable 14 includes upper and lower circular plates 24 and 26, and the upper plate 24 is formed with circular holes 24a into which the respective container plates 16 are fitted. The distance L ₁ between the upper surface 24 _{b of the} upper plate 24 and the upper surface 26 _{b of the} lower plate 26 is larger than the thickness L ₂ of the container plate 16, and the difference L ₃ between them (L ₁ −L ₂ = L ₃ ) The container plate 16 can be moved up and down with respect to the rotary table 14 only. A pin 28 embedded in the upper surface 26b of the lower plate 26 is inserted into a small diameter hole 16a provided in the lower surface of the container plate 16, and the container plate 16 can be moved up and down with respect to the rotary table 14. And rotation is regulated.
[0015]
A rod 30 in the vertical direction is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the container plate 16, and a through hole 26 a through which the rod 30 is inserted is formed in the lower plate 26 of the turntable 14. A spring receiving member 32 is fixed to the lower portion of the rod 30, and a spring 34 is interposed between the lower surface side of the lower plate 26 and the upper surface of the spring receiving plate 32, and the container plate 16 is moved by the spring 34. Always biased downward. A cam follower 36 is attached to the lower end of the rod 30 and engages with an arcuate fixed cam 38 disposed below the rotary table 14 to raise the container plate 16. As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed cam 38 is disposed in a portion other than the capping section A, that is, a supply / discharge section B including a container discharge position C and a container supply position D. When the cam follower 36 is engaged with the upper surface (cam surface) 38a of the fixed cam 38, the upper surface 16b of the container plate 16 substantially coincides with the height of the upper surface of the rotary table 14 (that is, the upper surface 24b of the upper plate 24). It is like that.
[0016]
A positioning member (spacer) 40 can be inserted into the lower surface side of the container plate 16. The positioning member 40 substantially coincides with the difference L ₃ between the distance L ₁ between the upper surface 24 _b of the upper plate 24 and the upper surface 26 _b of the lower plate 26 of the rotary table 14 and the thickness L ₂ of the container plate 16. Have a thickness of When the positioning member 40 is disposed between the lower surface of the container plate 16 and the upper surface 26b of the lower plate 26 of the turntable 14, the upper surface 16b of the container plate 16 becomes the upper surface of the turntable 14 (that is, the upper surface 24b of the upper plate 24). ) Almost coincides with the height.
[0017]
A U-shaped groove 40a having a width substantially equal to or slightly wider than the thickness of the rod 30 of the container plate 16 is formed in the central portion on the distal end side of the positioning member 40. The positioning member 40 is a rotary table. The U-shaped groove 40 a is engaged with the rod 30 of the container plate 16 by being inserted from the opening 14 a formed on the side surface of the container 14. The opening 14a for inserting the positioning member 40 is provided with a cover 42 for preventing the protrusion. The lid 42 can be rotated around an upper pin 44, and the opening 14a is automatically closed by a winding spring (not shown).
[0018]
The operation of the rotary capper 1 according to the above configuration will be described. When capping a relatively weak container 2 such as a PET bottle, the positioning member 40 is not inserted and the container plate 16 can be moved up and down by engaging with the fixed cam 38 (first operation). Status). In this state, the containers 2 transported by the container transport conveyor 4 are supplied onto the container plate 16 of the rotary capper 1 via the inlet star wheel 6.
[0019]
The container plate 16 of the rotary-type capper 1 can be moved up and down because the positioning member 40 is not inserted, and a fixed cam 38 is disposed in the container supply part D as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the container 2 is received, the cam follower 36 engages with the fixed cam 38 and rises, and the upper surface 16b of the container plate 16 is approximately at the height of the upper surface of the rotary table 14 (the upper surface 24b of the upper plate 24). They coincide (states of FIGS. 3 and 4). In this state, the container 2 is supplied from the inlet star wheel 6 onto the container plate 16. In the container 2 supplied on the container plate 16, the body 2 a is held in the recess of the lower wheel 20, and the lower surface side of the flange 2 c formed in the mouth 2 b is fitted into the recess of the upper wheel 18. When the container 2 is delivered from the inlet star wheel 6 to the rotary type capper 1, the upper wheel 18 is positioned slightly below the flange 2c so that the upper wheel 18 and the flange 2c of the container 2 do not interfere with each other. Yes.
[0020]
When the rotating body 10 rotates and the cam follower 36 of the container plate 16 that has received the container 2 passes through the supply / discharge section B in which the fixed cam 38 is provided, the container plate 16 that is biased downward by the spring 34. Is lowered to a position where it comes into contact with the upper surface 26 b of the lower plate 26. Then, the said container 2 will be separated from the container plate 16, and will be in the state suspended by the flange support means (the recessed part of the upper wheel 18, and the circular arc-shaped fixed guide 22). Capping is performed by the capping head 12 while being conveyed in this state. In this way, since the container plate 16 is lowered during capping and the lower surface side of the flange 2c is supported and the container 2 is suspended to perform capping, even a relatively low strength container 2 such as a PET bottle can be capped. Stable capping can be performed without deformation.
[0021]
When capping the hard container 2 such as a glass bottle, the positioning member 40 is inserted into the lower surface of the container plate 16 (second operation state). When the positioning member 40 is inserted, the pop-out prevention lid 42 is lifted upward from the near side and opened and inserted into the inside through the opening 14 a of the rotary table 14. A U-shaped groove 40a is formed on the distal end side of the positioning member 40, and the rod 30 fixed to the lower surface of the container plate 16 is fitted between the U-shaped groove 40a. When the positioning member 40 is inserted into the rotary table 14 and then the pop-out prevention lid 42 is released, the lid 42 is automatically closed by the action of the winding spring so that the positioning member 40 does not fall off.
[0022]
When the positioning member 40 is arranged between the container plate 16 and the lower plate 26 of the turntable 14 as described above, the upper surface 16b of the container plate 16 is always above the turntable 14 regardless of the position of the fixed cam 38. It becomes the same height as the upper surface 24 b of the plate 24. In this state, the containers 2 conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 4 are supplied into the rotary capper 1 via the inlet star wheel 6 and placed on the respective container plates 16. Since the lower surface side of the container plate 16 is supported by the positioning member 40, the container 2 placed on the container plate 16 is always rotated and conveyed at the same height, and capping is performed by the upper capping head 12. Even in this case, the capping is performed with certainty in the same state as that on the fixed container plate. By inserting the positioning member 40 below the container plate 16 in this way, stable capping can be performed even for a hard container such as a glass bottle. Therefore, stable capping can be performed regardless of the strength of the container, and it can be used for various containers.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the capping head arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating body and the container plate for placing the container to be supplied are provided, and the flange is formed at the mouth. In a rotary type capper that also serves as one container and a second container in which a flange is not formed at the mouth, the container plate can be moved up and down, a cam follower attached to the container plate, and a lower part of the container plate A positioning member that contacts the container plate and regulates the height of the container plate, and a cam that engages the cam follower and regulates the height of the container plate at least outside the capping section. When capping the first container, the container plate is removed in the capping section by removing the positioning member. In the first operation of lowering and supporting the lower surface of the flange by the flange support means, and when capping the second container, a positioning member is attached and the container plate is not lowered even in the capping section. By making it possible to select the second operation in which capping is performed, stable capping is possible regardless of the strength of the container, and a highly versatile rotary capper can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a simplified arrangement including an entire rotary capper according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary capper.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a container plate provided in the rotary type capper.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a container plate provided in the rotary type capper.
[Explanation of symbols]
A Capping section 2 Container 2b Container opening 2c Flange 16 Container plate 18 Upper wheel (flange support means)
22 Fixed guide (flange support means)
36 Cam follower 38 Cam 40 Positioning member

Claims (1)

A capping head arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, a container plate on which a container to be supplied is placed, a first container having a flange formed at the mouth, and a flange formed at the mouth. In the rotary type capper that is also used as the second container that is not
Positioning that allows the container plate to be moved up and down, a cam follower attached to the container plate, a detachable arrangement below the container plate, and abuts against the container plate to regulate the height of the container plate A member and a cam that engages with the cam follower at least outside the capping section to regulate the height of the container plate,
When capping the first container, the container plate is lowered in the capping section by extracting the positioning member, and the first container performs capping while supporting the lower surface of the flange by the flange support means, and the second container A rotary type capper characterized in that, when capping is performed, a positioning member is attached and a second operation in which capping is performed without lowering the container plate even in the capping section can be selected.

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