JP4422675B2 - Can opener - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for opening a can container having a pull tab (causing a pull tab).

  Currently, canned beer and canned juice are generally provided with a pull tab, and when drinking a drink placed in a can container, by causing a pull tab provided on the lid on the top of the can container, A spout) is formed (opened). Most canned beer and canned juice are of the steion tab type in which the pull tab does not come off the can lid even after the can is opened.

  For example, when considering a device that automatically removes the contents of beer, juice, etc. from a can container such as canned beer or can juice with a pull tab, a device that automatically pulls up the pull tab is required. It becomes.

  In JP-A-3-289486, a guide member for holding the can in a fixed position with the base facing upward, and a claw part inserted into the pull-top ring of the base at the tip and connected to the rotating shaft are disclosed. There is disclosed a base opening device that includes an arm and a drive mechanism that moves the opening arm forward and backward relative to the can and rotates about a rotation axis.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-225434 discloses a first step in which a product can stands upright with the top end surface of the product can having a pull top portion upward, and the position of the pull top portion of the product can in an upright state is a peeling nail. A second step of correcting the alignment in accordance with the position of the portion, a third step of lifting the separation claw portion below the pull top portion and lifting the pull top portion from the top end surface, and a product can with the pull top portion peeled off And a fourth step of moving the container to a predetermined position is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-251897 discloses a can lid opening device for automatically opening a steion-type tab formed on a can lid, the holding means for holding the tab, and the holding means having an arcuate locus. And moving means for moving in a predetermined direction substantially linearly thereafter.
JP-A-3-289486 JP-A-5-225434 JP 7-251897 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a can opening device that can automatically cause a pull tab of a can container.

  A can opening device according to the present invention is a can opening device that causes a pull tab provided on an upper surface of a can container, and an opener portion placed on the upper surface of the can container, and the opener portion from a tip of the pull tab A drive portion that is driven horizontally in the direction of the rear end, and the opener portion has a hook portion that engages with a front end portion of the pull tab on a bottom surface thereof, and a hole formed at a position higher than the hook portion. The drive unit is rotatable about the inserted pin, and the drive unit drives the opener unit by driving the pin horizontally.

  In this case, the driving unit may include a connecting part coupled to the opener part and the pin, a crank part coupled to the connecting part, and a motor that rotationally drives the crank part. .

  The holder may further include a holder that accommodates the opener, and the holder may have a groove that accommodates the end of the pin on a side surface of the space that accommodates the opener. .

  Moreover, you may make it further provide the up-and-down movement operation part which moves the said opener part up and down.

  In addition, a can container placing part on which the can container is placed may be further provided, and the can container placing part may be capable of rotating the can container by at least 360 °.

  In addition, the opener portion is formed with a recess on the bottom surface that can accommodate the pull tab only when the tip end of the hook portion and the tip end of the pull tab face each other. May be.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically raise the pull tab of the can container.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1-5 is a figure which shows the structure of the can opening apparatus by this invention. 1 shows a front view, FIG. 2 shows a side view, and FIG. 3 shows a plan view. 4 and 5 are views showing the details of a part of the can opening device according to the present invention (can opening operation section described later).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a can opening device 100 according to the present invention performs a can opening operation by placing a can container placing unit 110 on which a can container 101 is placed and an upper surface of the can container 101. The can opening operation unit 120 and a vertical movement operation unit 130 for moving the can opening operation unit 120 up and down are provided. Although not shown in the figure, the can opening device 100 also includes a control unit for controlling the operation of each unit and a power supply unit for supplying power necessary for the operation of each unit.

  Further, the can container mounting part 110 and the vertical movement operation part 130 are connected by two rods 141, and the can opening operation part 120 and the vertical movement operation part 130 are connected by a chain 151.

  Hereinafter, each part which comprises the can opening apparatus 100 is demonstrated.

  First, the can container mounting part 110 on which the can container 101 is mounted will be described.

The can container mounting part 110 includes a base part 111, four hexagonal struts 112, an RC servo 113, a motor angle 114, two spur gears 115a and 115b, a drive shaft 116, a bearing set 117, A hexagonal column 112, an RC servo 113, a motor angle 114, spur gears 115a and 115b, a drive shaft 116, and a bearing set 117 are disposed on the lower surface side of the base portion 111. In addition, a cup portion 118 is disposed.

  The base portion 111 is a member having a substantially square flat plate shape, and a hole for passing the drive shaft 116 and the like is formed in the center thereof. In addition, a hole for passing the rod 141 is also formed in the base part 111, and the rod 141 inserted into the hole is fixed to the base part 111 by the rod holder 142.

  The hexagonal columns 112 are members that are attached to the four corners of the base portion 111 and support the base portion 111.

  The RC servo (motor) 113 rotates the cup portion 118 via spur gears 115a and 115b and a drive shaft 116. When a predetermined pulse is applied to the signal line, the RC servo 113 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise within a range of up to 180 ° according to the pulse width, and stops, for example, a motor, a reduction gear, a control A circuit, a sensor (potentiometer) for detecting an angle (position), and the like are included. The RC servo 113 is fixed to the base portion 111 by a motor angle 114.

  The spur gears 115a and 115b are members for transmitting the rotational power of the RC servo 113 to the drive shaft 116. When the motor shaft (shaft) of the RC servo 113 rotates 180 °, the drive shaft 116 is rotated 360 °. (Or more) It has a gear ratio that can be rotated.

  The drive shaft 116 is a member for rotating the cup portion 118, and a spur gear 115b is fixed to one (lower) end portion. The other (upper) end is fixed to the center of the bottom surface of the cup 118.

  The bearing set 117 is a member that rotatably supports the drive shaft 116 and is fixed to the base portion 111.

  The cup portion 118 is a member for placing the can container 101, and has a generally short cylindrical outer shape, and a concave portion for accommodating the lower end portion of the can container 101 is formed on the upper surface side thereof. Yes.

  Next, the can opening operation unit 120 that is placed on the upper surface of the can container 101 and performs a can opening operation will be described.

  The opening operation part 120 includes an opener part 121, a holder part 122, a connecting part 123, a crank part 124, an RC servo 125, and a motor holder 126.

  The opener part 121 is a member for causing the pull tab 102 provided on the upper surface of the can container 101. The opener portion 121 is rotatably coupled to the connecting portion 123 by a pin 129a. A stopper 127 is attached to the upper surface of the opener portion 121, and the opener portion 121 is prevented from rotating counterclockwise and the upper surface of the opener portion 121 is lowered from the upper surface of the holder portion 122. That is, in the state where the can opening operation unit 120 is pulled up by the vertical movement operation unit 130, the upper surface of the opener unit 121 is kept in alignment with the upper surface of the holder unit 122 by the action of the stopper 127. Details of the structure of the opener 121 will be described later.

  The holder part 122 is a member that accommodates the opener part 121. An RC servo 125 is fixed to the holder portion 122 by a motor holder 126. The RC servo 125 rotates the crank portion 124 fixed to the motor shaft in order to move the opener portion 121 back and forth (left and right direction in FIG. 1). According to the pulse width of the applied pulse, it rotates clockwise or counterclockwise in a range up to 180 ° and stops.

  In addition, one end of the chain 151 is connected to the holder portion 122. More specifically, the plate 128 is fixed to the holder portion 122, and the plate 128 and one end (lower side) of the chain 151 are connected by the turnbuckle component 152.

  The connecting portion 123 and the crank portion 124 are members for converting the rotational motion of the motor shaft of the RC servo 125 into linear motion. That is, the rotational power of the RC servo 125 is converted into power that linearly drives the opener 121 forward and backward (left and right direction in FIG. 1). The connecting portion 123 and the crank portion 124 are rotatably coupled by a pin 129b. When the motor shaft of the RC servo 125 rotates from 0 ° to 180 °, the opener 121 is pulled backward (rightward in the figure), and the motor shaft of the RC servo 125 rotates in the reverse direction to 180 ° to 0 °. When returning to, it is pushed forward (to the left in the figure).

  Next, the vertical movement operation unit 130 that performs the vertical movement of the can opening operation unit 120 will be described.

  The vertical movement operation unit 130 includes an RC servo 131, a motor holder 132, and a sprocket 133.

  The RC servo 131 rotates the sprocket 133 in order to move the can opening operation unit 120 up and down. Similar to the RC servo 113, the RC servo 131 rotates and stops in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction up to 180 ° in accordance with the pulse width of a pulse applied to the signal line. The RC servo 131 rotates the sprocket 133 to move the holder part 122 (that is, the can opening operation part 120) up and down via the chain 151.

  The motor holder 132 is a member for holding the RC servo 131 and is fixed to the rod 141 by a set collar 134.

  The sprocket 133 is a member around which the chain 151 is wound, is fixed to the motor shaft of the RC servo 131, and rotates in conjunction with the motor shaft of the RC servo 131. One end (upper side) of the chain 151 and the sprocket 133 are connected by a joint link 135.

  Next, the structure of the main members constituting the can opening operation unit 120 will be described.

  6A and 6B are diagrams showing the structure of the opener 121. FIG. 6A shows a plan view, FIG. 6B shows a bottom view, and FIG. 6C shows a front view. (D) has shown sectional drawing.

  As shown in the figure, the opener part 121 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape that is long in the horizontal direction (left-right direction in the figure), and in the height and width directions at the front end part (left part in the figure). It is slightly thinner and is formed so as to be slightly thinner in the height direction at the rear end portion (right side portion in the figure). A hole 602 in which the pulled pull tab 102 is accommodated is formed at the center.

  Further, a hook portion (claw portion) 603 that engages with a tip portion (ring portion) of the pull tab 102 when the can is opened is formed on the bottom surface side of the front end portion of the opener portion 121. The hook portion 603 is formed so that its bottom surface protrudes downward (to the can container side) so as to be surely hooked to the tip end portion of the pull tab 102 when the can is opened.

  In addition, a groove 601 is formed at the rear end of the opener 121 to accommodate the tip of the connecting portion 123, and a pin 129a for connecting the opener 121 and the connecting portion 123 is inserted. A hole 605 is formed. The hole 605 is formed at a position higher than the hook portion 603.

  Further, on the bottom surface side of the opener portion 121, when the orientation of the pull tab 102 and the orientation of the opener portion 121 are aligned (when the tip of the pull tab 102 and the tip of the hook portion 603 are opposed to each other), the pull tab 102 is A recess 604 is formed that fits snugly. The recess 604 provided on the bottom surface of the opener portion 121 realizes the alignment between the tip end portion of the pull tab 102 and the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121. Details of the alignment between the front end portion of the pull tab 102 and the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121 will be described later.

  7A and 7B are diagrams showing the structure of the connecting portion 123. FIG. 7A shows a plan view, FIG. 7B shows a front view, and FIG. 7C shows a cross-sectional view.

  As shown in the figure, the connecting part 123 has a generally arch-like shape, and has a protruding part 701 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the arc tangent at the front end (left side in the figure). ing. The protrusion 701 is formed with a hole 702 for inserting a pin 129 a for connecting the connecting portion 123 and the opener 121.

  In addition, a groove 703 opened downward to accommodate the tip of the crank portion 124 is formed at the rear end (right side in the figure) of the connecting portion 123. Further, a hole 704 for inserting a pin 129 b for connecting the connecting portion 123 and the crank portion 124 is formed at the rear end portion of the connecting portion 123. In addition, the front-end | tip part of the crank part 124 inserted in the groove | channel 703 formed in the rear-end part of the connection part 123 is formed in the triangle shape so that it may become so thin that it goes to a front-end | tip.

  8A and 8B are views showing the structure of the holder portion 122, where FIG. 8A shows a plan view, FIG. 8B shows a front view, and FIG. 8C shows a cross-sectional view.

  As shown in the figure, the holder portion 122 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and is formed with a hole 801 and a recess 802 for accommodating the opener portion 121. On both side surfaces of the hole 801 and the recess 802, a groove 803 is formed in the horizontal direction to accommodate the end portion of the pin 129a inserted into the hole 605 of the opener portion 121 and the hole 702 of the connecting portion 123. The groove 803 restricts the movement of the pin 129a in the linear direction (horizontal direction).

  Further, a concave portion 804 for accommodating the upper end portion of the can container 101 is formed on the bottom surface side of the holder portion 122. However, in this embodiment, the holder part 122 is formed so that a part of the can container 101 protrudes.

  In addition, a hole 805 for inserting the rod 141 is formed in the holder portion 122. By inserting the rod 141 into the hole 805, the holder part 122 (that is, the can opening operation part 120) moves up and down along the longitudinal direction of the rod 141.

  Next, operation | movement of the can opening apparatus 100 which has the above structures is demonstrated.

  When opening a can container (for example, canned beer) with the can opening device 100, first, a can container to be opened is appropriately placed on the cup part 118 of the can container placing part 110. For example, a can container to be opened can be manually placed by a user, or a can container to be opened can be transported and automatically placed by an appropriate transport device. At this time, the pull tab 102 may be oriented in any direction.

Next, the RC servo 131 of the vertical movement operation unit 130 is operated to lower the can opening operation unit 120 that is rising in the initial state, and on the upper surface of the can container 101 mounted on the can container mounting unit 110. Place it against. When the can opening operation unit 120 is placed on the upper surface of the can container 101, the direction of the pull tab 102 provided on the upper surface of the can container 101 matches the direction of the recess 604 formed on the bottom surface of the opener unit 121. As long as the can container 101 is not placed as described above, the pull tab 102 does not fit well in the recess 604 , and the opener portion 121 is lifted from the upper surface of the holder portion 122. At this time, the opener 121 is lifted by rotating around the pin 129a, so that the front portion is lifted more.

Next, the RC servo 113 of the can container mounting part 110 is operated to rotate the cup part 118 by 360 ° (or more). When the cup part 118 is rotated, the can container 101 is also rotated together with the cup part 118. Even if the can container 101 rotates, the can opening operation section 120 does not rotate, so the orientation of the pull tab 102 with respect to the recess 604 formed on the bottom surface of the opener section 121 gradually changes as the can container 101 rotates, When reaching the position where the orientation of the pull tab 102 and the orientation of the recessed portion 604 coincide, the pull tab 102 fits into the recessed portion 604 formed on the bottom surface of the opener portion 121, and lifting of the opener portion 121 is eliminated. If it does so, the side surface of the pull tab 102 will come into contact with the side surface of the recessed part 604 formed in the bottom face of the opener part 121, and the movement of the pull tab 102, ie, the can container 101, will be controlled. As a result, the can container 101 stops rotating, the bottom surface of the can container 101 slides on the cup part 118, and the cup part 118 turns idle. That is, once the can container 101 is being rotated, once the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121 and the pull tab 102 are aligned, the aligned state is maintained as it is. In this way, by rotating the cup part 118 by at least 360 °, the pull tab 102 and the hook part 603 of the opener part 121 are aligned regardless of the orientation of the pull tab 102 when the can container 101 is placed. Is possible. In general, since the pull tab 102 is arranged in a state shifted from the center of the can container, for example, using the eccentricity of the pull tab 102, the tip of the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121, the tip of the pull tab 102, and The recess 604 that can accommodate the pull tab 102 can be formed only when they are in such a positional relationship as to face each other.

  When the alignment between the pull tab 102 and the opener portion 121 (hook portion 603) is completed as described above, the can opening operation by the can opening operation portion 120 is performed.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a can opening operation by the can opening operation unit 120. FIG. 4A shows a state when the motor of the RC servo 125 is at the 0 ° position, and FIG. 4B shows the state when the motor of the RC servo 125 rotates and is at the 90 ° position. FIG. 2C shows a state when the motor of the RC servo 125 further rotates and is at a position of 180 °.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the RC servo 125 is operated from the state (initial state) where the motor (crank portion 124) of the RC servo 125 is at 0 °, the crank portion 124 and the connecting portion 123 are moved. Accordingly, the pin 129a is linearly driven rearward (rightward in the figure), and the opener 121 is pulled rearward. The opener portion 121 pulled backward via the pin 129a first moves backward while sliding on the upper surface of the can container 101. When the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121 is caught by the tip of the pull tab 102, the position of the pin 129a that pulls the opener portion 121 rearward (the point of action of the force) is higher than the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121. Therefore, in the hook portion 603 of the opener portion 121, a force is applied in the direction that causes the tip of the opener portion 121, and as the opener portion 121 is pulled rearward, the opener portion 121 rotates clockwise around the pin 129a. Begin to rotate. The rotation of the opener 121 causes the pull tab 102 to be raised as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, and as a result, the drinking mouth of the can container 101 is opened.

  When the opening of the can container 101 is completed by rotating the motor (crank portion 124) of the RC servo 125 by 180 ° as shown in FIG. 5C, the motor of the RC servo 125 is rotated in the reverse direction to 0. Returned to the ° position. At this time, the pulled pull tab 102 is accommodated in the hole 602 formed in the central portion of the opener portion 121.

  When the motor of the RC servo 125 is returned to the 0 ° position, the can opening operation unit 120 is pulled up by the vertical movement operation unit 130, and the can container 101 that has been opened can be taken out.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to cause the pull tab 102 by simply pulling the opener portion 121 horizontally (straight) from the front end (part where the finger is applied) to the rear end of the pull tab 102. It becomes.

  In this embodiment, the opener 121 (hook portion 603) and the pull tab 102 can be aligned only by rotating the cup portion 118 by at least 360 °.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, naturally, embodiment of this invention is not restricted to said thing. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the RC servo is used for driving each unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various actuators (for example, various motors and solenoids) can be used as appropriate.

It is a front view of the can opening apparatus by this invention. It is a side view of the can opening apparatus by this invention. It is a top view of the can opening apparatus by this invention. It is a figure which shows the detail of a part (can opening operation part) of a can opening apparatus. It is a figure which shows the detail of a part (can opening operation part) of a can opening apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the opener part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connection part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the holder part. It is a figure for demonstrating the can opening operation by the can opening operation part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Can opening apparatus 101 Can container 102 Pull tab 110 Can container mounting part 111 Base part 112 Hexagonal support 113 RC servo 114 Motor angle 115a, 115b Spur gear 116 Drive shaft 117 Bearing set 118 Cup part 120 Opening operation part 121 Opener part 122 Holder part 123 Connection part 124 Crank part 125 RC servo 126 Motor holder 127 Stopper 128 Plate 129a, 129b Pin 130 Vertical movement operation part 131 RC servo 132 Motor holder 133 Sprocket 134 Set collar 135 Joint link 141 Rod 142 Rod holder 151 Chain 152 Turn Buckle part 601 groove 602, 605 hole 603 hook part 604 concave part 701 projecting part 702, 704 hole 703 groove 80 , 805 holes 802, 804 recess 803 groove

Claims (4)

A can opening device for causing a pull tab provided on an upper surface of a can container,
A can container mounting portion on which the can container is mounted;
An opener portion placed on the upper surface of the can container;
A drive unit that horizontally drives the opener part from the front end of the pull tab toward the rear end;
The can container mounting portion can rotate the can container at least 360 °,
The opener portion accommodates the pull tab only when the bottom surface of the hook portion engages with the front end portion of the pull tab and the front end of the hook portion and the front end of the pull tab face each other. A recess is formed, and is rotatable about a pin inserted in a hole formed at a position higher than the hook portion,
The can opening device is characterized in that the driving unit drives the opener by driving the pin horizontally. The drive unit is
A connecting portion coupled by the opener portion and the pin;
A crank portion coupled to the connecting portion;
The can opening device according to claim 1, further comprising: a motor that rotationally drives the crank portion. A holder part for accommodating the opener part;
3. The can opening device according to claim 1, wherein the holder portion is formed with a groove for accommodating an end portion of the pin on a side surface on a space side for accommodating the opener portion. The can opening device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a vertical movement operation unit configured to move the opener unit up and down.

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