JP4356387B2 - Filling seal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a filling and sealing device that fills a cup-shaped container with a liquid or the like and seals an opening, and in particular, a technique for preventing deformation of a holder plate that holds the container when performing processing such as sealing. It is about.

  A cup-shaped container having a flange on the periphery of the opening is intermittently transported by a container transport conveyor, and sequentially stopped at each processing position such as a filling position, a seal position, and a trimming position provided in the transport path of these containers. There is already known a filling and sealing device in which each processing is performed by a filling device, a sealing device or the like provided at each processing position.

  The container transport conveyor provided in the filling and sealing device receives a cup-shaped container having a flange portion at the periphery of the opening, and a holder plate (container holding) formed with a container support hole for supporting the flange portion from the lower surface side. A large number of members are attached across the chains on both sides, and each container is held in each container holding hole and conveyed.

  For example, at the sealing position, a lid made of a film sheet is supplied onto the opening of the container held by the holder plate and installed above the stop position of the container. The opening of the container is sealed by lowering and pressing the seal head.

The sealing head and the trimming head as described above have a structure in which processing is performed by pressing from above, so that there is a problem that a load is applied to the holder plate and bends downward. Therefore, a configuration has been proposed in which the holder plate is supported by abutting from the lower surface side on both sides of the container holding hole formed in the holder plate.
JP-A-9-156605 (page 3-4, FIG. 2)

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a clearance so that the lower surface of the holder plate does not interfere with the support rail when transported by the container transport conveyor. Since the clearance is set to a minimum to prevent deformation of the plate, the holder plate may come into contact with the support rail due to individual variations, deformation, or lowering of the overall position due to wear of the chain rail. . When contacting the support rail in this way, there is a problem that the driving resistance and the contact surface wear due to sliding occur, and the strength and durability are lowered.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cup-shaped container is intermittently provided by a transport conveyor provided with a container holding member that engages and holds the flange-shaped portion of the cup-shaped container having a flange formed at the periphery of the opening. In a filling and sealing device that performs a process such as filling, sealing, etc. by transporting and stopping at a predetermined processing position, the container is held below the processing position provided with a pressing head that applies a load to the container holding member from above. A support member that contacts and supports the lower surface side of the member and an elevating means including a link mechanism that elevates and lowers the support member are provided , and the support member is disposed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor. The support plate has one end rotatably supported, the other end connected to the link mechanism, and the lifting means lifts and lowers the support member via the link mechanism. , When the supporting member supports the container holding member is characterized in that the link of the link mechanism is in the straight line in the vertical direction.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the pressing head is a seal head for sealing a lid material to a container.

  Furthermore, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the pressing head is a trimming head for cutting a lid member sealed in a container.

  In the filling and sealing apparatus of the present invention, the support member provided to support the container holding member and the container holding member do not slide, and frictional resistance and wear do not occur.

  Just by providing a support member that can be raised and lowered below the position where the pressing head that applies a load to the container holding member holding the container from above is provided, the container holding member and the support member are The purpose of preventing sliding can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a filling and sealing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the filling and sealing apparatus shown in FIG. This filling and sealing device intermittently conveys a cup-shaped container 2 having a large diameter at the upper part and a gradually decreasing diameter toward the lower part by means of a container conveying conveyor 4 to fill a filling position A, a sealing position B, and a trimming position. Each processing is performed by sequentially stopping at each container processing position such as C.

  The container conveyor 4 has a pair of opposite chains 10 and 12 wound around sprockets 6 and 8 disposed on both sides of the upstream part (right side in FIG. 1) and the downstream part. A large number of container holding members (holder plates) 14 are attached. Each holder plate 14 is formed with a plurality (six in this embodiment) of container holding holes 14a, and the containers 2 are held in the respective container holding holes 14a and transported. The cup-shaped container 2 has a flange portion 2 a formed at the periphery of the opening, and the flange portion 2 a is engaged with and held by the periphery of the container holding hole 14 a of the holder plate 14.

  A container supply device 16 that supplies the cup-shaped container 2 to the holder plate 14 is provided above the upstream end of the container transport conveyor 4. Further, a filling position A as the container processing position is provided on the downstream side of the container supply device 16, and the cup-shaped container 2 that has been transported is filled with contents such as liquid in the filling position A. A filling device 18 is provided.

  On the downstream side of the filling position A, a sealing position B and a trimming position C as processing positions are sequentially arranged. A sealing device 20 is provided at the sealing position B, and a trimming device 22 is provided at the trimming position C. ing. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the sealing device 20 has six air cylinders 28 fixed downward on a mounting plate 26 suspended from the top surface 24 a of the portal frame 24. Seal heads 30 are attached to the piston rods 28a of the air cylinders 28, respectively.

  Although the details of the trimming device 22 provided at the trimming position C are not shown, a single air cylinder 34 is attached downward to a mounting plate 32 suspended from the top surface of the portal frame 31. Six trimming heads 36 are attached to the piston rod of the air cylinder 34, and the six trimming heads 36 are moved up and down all at once by the operation of the air cylinder 34.

  It is a cover material between the upper part of the opening of the cup-shaped container 2 being conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 4 and the lower surface of the sealing head 30 of the sealing device 20 and the lower surface of the trimming head 36 of the trimming device 22. Film 38 is supplied. The lid material film 38 is drawn out from a roll-shaped film installed outside the filling and sealing apparatus according to this embodiment, and is introduced into the filling and sealing apparatus via an introduction roller (not shown). The lid material film 38 introduced into the filling and sealing device is directed in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the container conveying conveyor 4 by the direction changing roller 40, and then the container conveying conveyor via the driving roller 42, the idle roller 44 and the like. 4 is lowered below the sealing surface 20 and the trimming device 22.

  The sealing device 20 provided at the sealing position B moves the seal head 30 up and down by the operation of the air cylinder 28, and the container 2 conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 4 When stopped downward, the air cylinder 28 is operated to lower the seal head 30, and the lid material film 38 is pressed onto the opening of the cup-shaped container 2 to place the film 38 against the opening of the cup-shaped container 2. Weld. The trimming device 22 also moves the trimming head 36 up and down by the operation of the air cylinder 34, and when the cup-shaped container 2 conveyed by the container conveying conveyor 4 stops below the trimming head 36. Then, the trimming head 36 is lowered by operating the air cylinder 34, and the periphery of the film 38 welded to the opening of the cup-shaped container 2 is cut and separated from the main body of the sheet-like film 38. The remaining portion 38 a from which the lid portion of the sheet-like film 38 is cut is wound around a roll 48 via a discharge roller 46 and the like.

  The sealing device 20 and the trimming device 22 provided at the sealing position B and the trimming position C are both operated by operating the air cylinders 28 and 34 to move the seal head 30 or the trimming head 36 to the opening of the cup-shaped container 2 and this. Each process is performed by pressing against the holder plate 14 holding the container 2, and a support member 50 is provided below the holder plate 14 so that the holder plate 14 is not deformed by this pressing force. The holder plate 14 is supported by the support member 50 from below.

  Since the support members 50 of the holder plate 14 provided at the seal position B and the trimming position C have the same configuration, only the configuration of the support member 50 provided at the seal position B will be described with reference to FIG. The support member 50 has a support plate 52 disposed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the container transport conveyor 4. One end 52 a (left end in FIG. 2) of the support plate 52 is rotatably supported on the side wall 24 b of the portal frame 24 via the rotation shaft 53. The other end 52 b of the support plate 52 is attached to the other side wall 24 c of the frame 24 via a link mechanism 58 having two links 54 and 56.

  In the link mechanism 58, the upper ends of the two linked links 54 and 56 are connected to the end portion (rotating end) 52b of the support plate 52, and the lower end is rotatably attached to the side wall 24c of the frame 24. The intermediate connecting portion is connected to the piston rod 60a of the air cylinder 60 arranged in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the support plate 52 can be rotated about the rotating shaft 53 by changing the angle of the two links 54 and 56 by the operation of the horizontal air cylinder 60. In this embodiment, when the piston rod 60a of the horizontal air cylinder 60 contracts, the two links 54 and 56 extend in a straight line up and down to raise the rotating end 52b of the support plate 52 to a substantially horizontal state, When the piston rod 60a is extended, the two links 54 and 56 are bent from the central connecting portion, and the rotating end 52c of the support plate 52 is lowered.

  On the upper surface of the support plate 52, a plurality (in this embodiment, six sides of the six containers 2 are positioned so as to be positioned on both sides of the movement path of the cup-shaped container 2 held by the holder plate 14. 7) support rails 62 are mounted upright.

  The raising and lowering operation of the support plate 52 to which the support rails 62 are attached by the operation of the horizontal air cylinder 60 is synchronized with the advance and stop operations of the holder plate 14 by the container transport conveyor 4, and the holder plate 14 advances. At this time, the support plate 52 and the support rail 62 are lowered by the air cylinder 60. That is, it is in an inclined state and moved to a position where it does not come into contact with the holder plate 14. Further, when the holder plate 14 is stopped, the support plate 52 and the support rail 62 are moved up to a horizontal position for supporting the lower surface side of the holder plate 14. Thus, when the support plate 52 is in a horizontal state, the top portion of the support rail 62 is located at a height at which the top of the support rail 62 comes into contact with the lower surface of the holder plate 14 or has a very slight clearance.

  The operation of the filling and sealing apparatus according to the above configuration will be described. The container transport conveyor 4 has a large number of holder plates 14 attached between the chains 10 and 12 on both sides, and runs intermittently in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the holder plate 14 of the container transport conveyor 4 rotates around the upstream sprocket 6 and appears on the upper surface side, the container supply device 16 provided at the upstream end of the filling and sealing device applies each holder plate 14 to the holder plate 14. A cup-shaped container 2 is supplied. In this embodiment, each holder plate 14 is formed with six container holding holes 14a, and six cup-shaped containers 2 are supplied simultaneously. The cup-shaped container 2 has a flange 2a formed at the periphery of the opening. The flange 2a is engaged with and held by the periphery of the container holding hole 14a of the holder plate 14, and the container holding hole 14a. It is transported in a state of being suspended inside.

  The cup-shaped container 2 supplied from the container supply device 16 is repeatedly advanced and stopped by intermittent traveling of the container transport conveyor 4, and provided above when stopped at the filling position A, which is the first processing position. The filling device 18 is filled with contents such as liquid.

  When the cup-shaped container 2 that has been filled is stopped at the sealing position B, which is the next processing position, the air cylinder 28 of the sealing device 20 disposed above is actuated to lower the seal head 30 and move the cup-shaped container 2. The film 38 as a lid material, which is brought into pressure contact with the peripheral edge of the opening 2 and supplied above the conveying surface of the container conveying conveyor 4, is welded to the opening of the cup-shaped container 2.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 50 provided below the sealing device 20 extends the piston rod 60 a of the horizontal air cylinder 60 and moves the link mechanism 58 when the container transport conveyor 4 is moving. The two links 54 and 56 are bent, and one end 52b (the rotation end on the right side in FIG. 3) of the support plate 52 is lowered. Therefore, the holder plate 14 attached to the container transport conveyor 4 does not come into contact with the support rail 62, and resistance and wear due to sliding do not occur.

  On the other hand, when the seal head 30 applies a load by pressing the cup-shaped container 2 and the holder plate 14 from above by the operation of the air cylinder 28 of the seal device 20 as described above, the piston rod 60a of the horizontal air cylinder 60 is applied. Is contracted, and the two links 54 and 56 of the link mechanism 58 are aligned in the vertical direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 52 is in a substantially horizontal state, and the support rails 62 located on both sides of each cup-shaped container 2 come into contact with the lower surface of the holder plate 14. Can be prevented from bending downward. Moreover, when the support member 50 supports the holder plate 14, the two links 54 and 56 of the link mechanism 58 are aligned in the vertical direction, so that a load is directly applied to the horizontal air cylinder 60. There is no. Therefore, a mechanism for supporting the holder plate 14 using the small air cylinder 60 can be configured, which is low in cost and space-saving.

  The cup-shaped container 2 on which the film 38 is welded as a lid at the sealing position B moves forward again and stops at the trimming position C which is the next processing position. In this trimming position C, the air cylinder 34 of the upper trimming device 22 is actuated to lower the trimming head 36, and the sheet 38 is welded as a lid of the cup-like container 2 stopped downward. The film is cut off from the main body of the film 38. When performing the trimming process, the trimming head 36 is pressed against the holder plate 14 by the operation of the air cylinder 34. Therefore, as in the case of the seal position B, the trimming head 36 is installed below the trimming position C. By raising the supporting member 50 and bringing the support rail 62 into contact with the lower surface of the holder plate 14, the holder plate 14 is prevented from being deformed downward.

  In this embodiment, the support member 50 is moved up and down by the horizontal air cylinder 60. However, the support member 50 is not necessarily limited to the air cylinder, and a separate motor is provided or mechanically connected to the drive source of the container transport conveyor 4. You may make it raise / lower. Further, although the one end 50a of the support member 50 is connected to the rotation shaft 53 serving as a fulcrum and the support member 50 is rocked, both ends may be moved up and down simultaneously.

It is a side view which shows the whole structure of a filling sealing apparatus. Example 1 It is sectional drawing which follows the II-II line | wire of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of the different action | operation of the principal part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A Processing position (filling position)
B Processing position (seal position)
C Processing position (trimming position)
2 Cup-shaped container 2a Flange part 14 Container holding member (holder plate)
30 Pressing head (seal head)
36 Pressing head (trimming head)
50 Support member 58 Elevating means (link mechanism)
60 Lifting means (air cylinder)

Claims (3)

The cup-shaped container is intermittently transported by a transport conveyor provided with a container holding member that engages and holds the flange part of the cup-shaped container having a flange part formed at the periphery of the opening, and a predetermined processing position. In the filling and sealing device that performs processing such as filling and sealing by stopping at
Elevating / lowering provided with a support member that contacts and supports the lower surface side of the container holding member below a processing position where a pressing head for applying a load to the container holding member from above is provided, and a link mechanism for moving the support member up and down Providing means ,
The support member has a support plate arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport conveyor, the support plate is rotatably supported at one end, and the other end is connected to the link mechanism, The elevating means elevates and lowers the support member via the link mechanism, and when the support member supports the container holding member, the link of the link mechanism is in a straight line in the vertical direction . The filling and sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing head is a sealing head that seals a lid material on a container. The pressing head, filling sealing device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a trimming head for cutting the cover material is sealed to the container.

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