JP4520128B2 - Viscous material feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a viscous material supply device, in particular, it relates to a viscous material supply device for supplying the viscous material to a plurality of viscous material consumption unit via a common supply channel.

  The labeler that attaches a label to the body of a container filled with a beverage such as a beer bottle is provided with a one-to-one glue circulation device that supplies a viscous material such as glue while circulating it.

  For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-59068 (Patent Document 1), such a paste circulation apparatus is configured to circulate a storage tank that stores glue and a circulation tank that supplies paste to the labeler while circulating the paste. And a supply means for supplying glue from the storage tank to the circulation path.

  In factories where a plurality of sets of labelers and glue circulation devices are installed, an automatic glue supply device that automatically supplies glue to each glue circulation device is connected.

Each glue circulation device is provided with a liquid level sensor, and outputs a request signal to the automatic glue supply device when the liquid level falls, and the glue automatic supply device supplies glue according to the request signal.
JP 2002-59068 A

  The glue circulation device that has output the request signal opens the valves provided in the individual paths branched from the common supply path, and the glue from the automatic glue supply apparatus is an individual path in which the valve is opened from the common supply path. To be supplied to the glue circulation device.

  For this reason, for example, when request signals are output from a plurality of glue circulation devices, the automatic glue supply device only supplies the total amount of glue to the common supply path at a time, and to each glue circulation device. The amount of glue supplied is not managed.

  However, in order to grasp the operation status of each labeler, it is necessary to manage the amount of glue supplied to each glue circulation device (the amount of glue used in each glue circulation device).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and in a system for supplying viscous material to a plurality of viscous material consumption units via a common supply path, the supply amount of the viscous material to each unit is managed. The purpose is to be able to.

The present invention relates to a viscous material supply device that supplies a viscous material to a plurality of viscous material consumption units via a common supply path, and the viscous material supply device includes the plurality of viscous material consumption units via the common supply path. Supply means for supplying the viscous material to the control means, and management means for managing the supply amount of the viscous material supplied by the supply means for each viscous material consumption unit, the supply means is a single supply operation Then, the viscous material is supplied to only one viscous material consumption unit, and the supply means includes a tank for storing the viscous material, a weighing scale for measuring the weight of the tank, and a viscosity from the tank to the common supply path. A pump that discharges the material, and the management means determines the supply amount of the viscous material to each viscous material consumption unit in one supply operation before and after the supply operation. Obtained based on measurements by.

  That is, in the present invention, the viscous material supply device that supplies the viscous material to the plurality of viscous material consumption units via the common supply path sequentially and individually supplies the viscous material to the plurality of viscous material consumption units. Supply means and management means for managing the supply amount of the viscous material executed by the supply means for each viscous material consumption unit are provided.

  In this way, only one viscous material is supplied to one viscous material consuming unit in one supply operation, so the amount of viscous material supplied to each viscous material consuming unit can be accurately grasped. It is possible to grasp the operating status of each viscous material consumption unit.

  The storage device further includes a storage table that stores information on the supply order of the viscous material to each viscous material consumption unit, and the supply device refers to the request table to execute the supply of the viscous material. The supply order can be set according to the amount of viscous material used in each viscous material consumption unit.

  When each viscous material consumption unit has a storage tank for storing the viscous material and a sensor for detecting the amount of the viscous material in the storage tank, the request table is updated based on the detection signal from the sensor. It is preferable to do so.

  Furthermore, when the storage means stores a management table including information on the supply of the viscous material executed for each viscous material consumption unit, and the management means updates the management table, each viscous material consumption unit has On the other hand, it is possible to easily manage the amount of viscous material supplied.

  Moreover, it is preferable to further provide a temperature controller for adjusting the temperature of the viscous material.

  As a more specific mode, a mode in which a paste is used as a viscous material and each viscous material consumption unit includes a labeler for applying a label to a product is conceivable.

The above object is also a viscous material supply method for supplying a viscous material to a plurality of viscous material consumption units via a common supply path,
Supplying viscous materials to the plurality of viscous material consumption units individually and sequentially,
It is also achieved by a viscous material supply method in which information about the viscous material supply performed is stored for each viscous material consumption unit.

  According to the present invention, since only one viscous material is supplied to one viscous material consumption unit in one supply operation, the amount of viscous material supplied to each viscous material consumption unit is accurately grasped. Thus, it is possible to obtain the operational status of each viscous material consumption unit.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a viscous material supply system according to the present invention. In the figure, 10 is an automatic glue supply device as a viscous material supply source, 20 is a viscous material consumption unit, 30 is a common supply path, and 40 is a controller for controlling the entire system. The automatic glue supply device 10 and the controller 40 of the present embodiment correspond to the viscous material supply device of the present invention. In the viscous material supply system of the present embodiment, the adhesive is supplied from one automatic glue supply device 10 to four viscous material consumption units 20. Of course, if the number of the viscous material consumption units 20 to which the automatic glue supply apparatus 10 supplies glue is plural, it is not limited to this.

  The automatic glue supply device 10 includes a tank 11 for storing glue as a viscous material, a digital weighing scale 12 for measuring the weight of the tank 11, a pump 13 for discharging glue from the tank 11 to the common supply path 30, and glue in the tank 11. A temperature controller 14 for adjusting the temperature is provided in order to keep the viscosity of the liquid crystal constant.

  In addition, each viscous material consumption unit 20 of the present embodiment includes a valve 21 that controls the inflow of glue into the individual path branched from the common supply path 30, a storage tank 22 that stores the glue that has flowed in through the valve 21, and a storage tank. A pump 23 for discharging the glue in the tank 22, a sensor 24 for detecting the liquid level of the glue in the storage tank 22, and a labeler 25 for attaching a label to a product such as a bottle using the glue discharged from the pump 23. I have.

  Input / output of the digital weighing scale 12, the pump 13 and the temperature controller 14 of the automatic glue supplying device 10 and the valve 21, the pump 23 and the sensor 24 of each viscous material consumption unit 20 are all sent to the controller 40 which controls the entire system. The viscous material supply system of the present embodiment operates in response to a signal from the controller 40 that is connected. The controller 40 includes a touch panel 41 as an operation unit, and an operator can input information via the touch panel 41 and view information on the status of each device and / or unit. The configuration of the controller 40 is the same as that of a general-purpose computer device. In addition to a touch panel 41 as a display and operation means, a central processing means (CPU), storage means (memory), input / output control means (I / O), etc. It has.

  Regarding the temperature adjustment of the glue, it is preferable to provide temperature controllers such as heaters at a plurality of positions such as in the middle of the common supply path 30 and the paths branching to the viscous material consumption units 20 (near the valve 21). In particular, when the length of the common supply path is long, it is effective because the temperature of the paste is lowered and the viscosity is easily increased.

  In each viscous material consumption unit 20, when the sensor 24 detects that the level of the glue level in the storage tank 22 is lower than a predetermined level, the glue automatic supply device 10 is requested to supply glue and the glue automatic The supply apparatus 10 supplies paste to each viscous material consumption unit 20 according to a request | requirement. In the present embodiment, when supplying glue, the target viscous material consumption unit 20 is specified and the glue is sequentially supplied, and the amount of glue supplied to each viscous material consumption unit 20 is concentrated by the controller 40. to manage. For example, even when a plurality of viscous material consumption units 20 are requested to supply glue at the same time or almost simultaneously, the controller 40 sequentially applies glue to each viscous material consumption unit 20 in accordance with a predetermined rule such as a priority order. Control to supply.

  Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2, processing in the paste supply operation in the viscous material supply system of the present embodiment will be described. The processing described below is performed by central processing means (CPU) inside the controller 40.

  First, the controller 40 refers to the request table stored in the internal memory (step S21), determines whether or not there is a request (step S22), and if there is a request, according to the priority order, Supply is started (step S23).

As shown in FIG. 3 , the request table is created when the sensor 24 of each viscous material consumption unit 20 detects that the level of the glue in the storage tank 22 is less than a predetermined level. The information (hereinafter also referred to as request data) indicating the glue supply request to each viscous material consuming unit is formed into a table based on the priority order. Each request data includes information on priority, request time (liquid level detection time), unit number, and request amount (Kg) indicating the weight of the requested glue. In this example, the priority is given in order of the required time, but the priority may be determined according to other criteria.

  At the start of the supply of glue in step S23, after the valve 21 of the viscous material consumption unit 20 to be supplied is opened, the glue in the tank 11 is discharged by the pump 13 of the glue automatic supply device 10, and the common supply is performed. The paste is supplied to the storage tank 22 of the viscous material consumption unit 20 to be supplied through the path 30.

  After the supply of glue is started, it is determined whether or not the glue is supplied by the required amount included in the request data (step S24). The weight of the supplied glue can be obtained by comparing the weight before the start of the glue supply in the tank 11 of the automatic glue feeder 10 and the current weight based on the value of the digital weighing scale 12.

  When it is determined that the weight of the glue supplied in step S24 has reached the weight included in the request data, the pump 13 of the automatic glue supply apparatus 10 is stopped and the valve 21 of the viscous material consumption unit 20 to be supplied is turned off. It is closed and the supply of glue is stopped (step S25).

  Next, the executed request data is deleted, the request table is updated, the management table including the history information of the supply of glue to each viscous material consumption unit is updated (step S26), and the process returns to step S21 and subsequent processing To continue.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table. In this example, for each viscous material consumption unit, history data of the time when the glue is supplied and the weight supplied for each viscous material consumption unit are arranged in order of time, The data includes the total weight (Kg) of glue supplied in one day and the average supply amount (Kg / h) per hour. Such management table data is displayed on the touch panel 41. The period for storing the history data in the management table, or the time used as the reference for calculating the total weight and the average supply amount is not limited to one day as in this example, and may be several hours or one week.

  By referring to such a management table, it is possible to centrally manage the use status of the glue in the labeler 25 of each viscous material consumption unit 20, that is, the operating status of the labeler. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, since the average supply amount of the unit 3 is extremely low compared to other units, it is highly likely that the labeler of the unit 3 has stopped due to some trouble. Further, by storing and analyzing such data for a long period of time, it is possible to know the frequency of labeler failure (stopping) and the like.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in a system that supplies glue to a plurality of viscous material consumption units from one automatic glue supply device via a common supply path, the controller makes a supply request for glue to each viscous material consumption unit. Rearrangement is performed according to the priority order, and control is performed so that glue is sequentially supplied to each viscous material consumption unit according to the priority order. For this reason, the usage status of the glue in a plurality of viscous material consumption units can be centrally managed by the controller, and the operating status of the labeler in each viscous material consumption unit can be known.

(Other embodiments)
In the embodiment described above, glue is used as the viscous material, and each viscous material consumption unit has been described as an example of a configuration including a labeler. However, a material other than glue may be used as the viscous material, The viscous material consumption unit may include a component that uses a viscous material other than a labeler.

Further, the request table shown in FIG. 3 and the management table shown in FIG. 4 in the above embodiment are examples, and other forms may be used, and information and data other than those described above may be included. These tables preferably include appropriate information and data according to the specifications of each viscous material supply system.

  For example, with respect to the request table, if the labels of the stickers of all the viscous material consumption units are not the same size, the label includes a label having a large size and a large amount of glue used to attach one label. The priority order is preferably determined so as to give priority to the supply request from the viscous material consumption unit. In addition, when the amount of glue to be supplied from the automatic glue supply device 10 is determined once, data on the quantity of supply is not necessary.

  On the other hand, regarding the management table, the data of the total weight and the average supply amount other than the history data need not be stored in the management table, and may be calculated based on the history data as necessary. On the contrary, only the data of the total weight and the average supply amount may be stored, and the history data may not be stored.

  Further, the controller may be provided with means for notifying the operator by a display or a buzzer as necessary based on the information stored in the management table.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the automatic glue supply device and the controller are configured separately, but these two may be integrated to form a viscous material supply device.

  The present invention may be applied to a viscous material supply apparatus including a single device, or may be applied to a viscous material supply system including a plurality of devices.

  In the present invention, a software program (in this embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment is directly or remotely supplied to the apparatus or system, and the apparatus or system is provided. The computer apparatus of the present invention also includes a case where it is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, it is understood that the program code installed in the computer device and the storage medium itself storing the program code for realizing the functions and processing of the present invention on the computer device also realize the present invention.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of embodiment of the viscous material supply system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of supplying glue in the viscous material supply system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the request | requirement table used with the viscous material supply system of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the management table used with the viscous material supply system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic glue supply apparatus 11 Tank 12 Digital scale 13 Pump 14 Temperature controller 20 Viscous material consumption unit 21 Valve 22 Storage tank 23 Pump 24 Sensor 25 Labeler 30 Common supply path 40 Controller 41 Touch panel

Claims (6)

A viscous material supply device for supplying a viscous material to a plurality of viscous material consumption units via a common supply path,
Supply means that to supply the viscous material to said plurality of viscous material consumption unit via the common feed path,
And a management means for managing the supply of viscous material supplied by said supply means for each of the viscous material consumption unit,
The supply means supplies viscous material to only one viscous material consumption unit in one supply operation,
The supply means includes a tank for storing the viscous material, a weigh scale for measuring the weight of the tank, and a pump for discharging the viscous material from the tank to the common supply path,
The management means obtains the supply amount of the viscous material to each viscous material consumption unit in one supply operation based on the measurement value by the weighing scale before and after the supply operation.
Viscous material supply device characterized by the above. Storage means for storing a request table including information on the supply order of the viscous material to each viscous material consumption unit;
The viscous material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply unit supplies the viscous material with reference to the request table. Each viscous material consumption unit includes a storage tank that stores the viscous material, and a sensor that detects the amount of the viscous material in the storage tank,
The viscous material supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the request table is updated based on a detection signal from the sensor. The storage means stores a management table including information on the supply of viscous material executed for each viscous material consumption unit;
The viscous material supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the management unit updates the management table.   The viscous material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a temperature controller for adjusting a temperature of the viscous material.   The viscous material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the viscous material is glue, and each viscous material consumption unit includes a labeler for attaching a label to a product.

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