JP4887972B2 - Container transport system and container rejection method for container transport system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container transport system and a method for rejecting a container from the container transport system, and in particular, from a container transport system including a rejection means for discharging a container from a reject position provided in the middle of a container transport path, and the system. This relates to a container rejection method.

  A container processing line is widely known in which a large number of containers are continuously transported by a transporting means such as a conveyor and sequentially introduced into various container processing apparatuses to perform each processing. Thus, in a container processing line that performs processing while continuously transporting containers, if the processing apparatus fails or is stopped for a long time, the container must be discharged from the processing apparatus. A reject device is provided in the middle of the container conveyance path so that the container can be rejected when necessary (see, for example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2).

  In the container transport system described in Patent Document 1, a container that has been transported by a container supply conveyor such as an air transport conveyor is supplied into a container processing apparatus via an introduction wheel, and is subjected to predetermined processing while being rotationally transported. Is carried out, it is discharged onto a conveyor via a discharge wheel and sent to the next step.

  A rejection mechanism is provided at a rejection position of the container processing apparatus. The reject mechanism includes a reject wheel that grips and transports a container by a plurality of container gripping means provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating body, and two containers that receive and discharge the container from the reject wheel. And guide means comprising parallel support plates. The container gripping means is an opening / closing gripping means for gripping the container by opening and closing the gripper so that it can be switched between a normal operation state in which the gripper is opened and the container is gripped by closing the reject position and gripping the container. It has become.

  When the container processing device fails or stops during operation, the open / close gripping means provided on the reject wheel of the reject mechanism is switched to the reject state, and the container that has not been properly processed by the container processing device is gripped and taken out. I am doing so.

  In Patent Document 2, a resin container such as a PET bottle is transported by an air transport conveyor, sequentially loaded into a processing apparatus such as a rinser or a dryer, and after each processing, it is again delivered to the air transport conveyor. It is sent to the next process. The dryer is provided with elastic gripping means that always attracts a pair of arms by an elastic force of a spring or the like, and sandwiches and holds the neck of the container between the arms. The container is dried while gripping the neck and rotating, and then discharged to the air conveyor via the exit wheel.

On the upstream side of the discharge portion where the outlet wheel of the dryer is arranged, a reject wheel is provided in which openable / closable container gripping means are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. When the machine stops due to trouble or the like, the container is gripped by the open / close gripping means of the reject wheel and taken out from the dryer. The taken out container is dropped onto a discharge chute and discharged to the outside.
JP 2001-233448 A (page 2-6, FIG. 1) JP 2002-308419 A (page 2-5, FIG. 2)

  Each of the container transport systems described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 includes a reject wheel in which a large number of open / close-type container gripping means are provided on the outer periphery of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Complex and expensive. In addition, there is a problem that an installation space for the reject wheel is required and the apparatus is enlarged.

The present invention relates to a rotating body, a plurality of container gripping means provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating body, and a reject provided in the middle of a transport path of a container gripped by these container gripping means In this case, the reject means engages with the body of the container passing through the container transport path and forcibly sends the container to the side of the transport path, and the guide member. Moving means for moving the container to a side of the container conveying path and a position to engage with the container in the conveying path, and the guide member of the rejecting means moves the container held by the container holding means to the outside of the conveying path. It is characterized by being configured so that the bottom side of the container is largely swung to the side when being sent out toward the side .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotating body, a plurality of container gripping means provided on the outer periphery of the rotating body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a transport path of a container gripped by the container gripping means. In a container transport system provided with reject means provided in the middle, the process of removing the container at the reject position with the rotation of the rotating body stopped, and the container being transported by engaging with the body of the container a step of positioning the guide member of the reject means for feeding into the side of the path in the conveying path, rotating the rotating member at a low speed, the containers are gripped by the container gripping means, is engaged with the guide member vessel It is characterized in that it is taken out to the side of the transport path by swinging the bottom side of the paper largely sideways .

  The container transport system of the present invention includes a guide member that engages with the body of the container passing through the container transport path and forcibly sends the container to the outside of the transport path when the container processing line is in an emergency stop, etc. Since the container is rejected by the rejecting means including the moving means for moving the guide member to the outside of the container transport path and the position where the guide member is engaged with the container in the transport path, a large number of bottle grippers are attached. There is no need to install the reject rotary wheel provided, the entire apparatus can be miniaturized, and the installation space can be made compact.

  A container is gripped by a plurality of container gripping means provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating body, and is rotated and conveyed as the rotating body rotates. In the middle of the container transport path, a guide member that engages with the body of the container being transported from the inside of the rotating body and forcibly feeds the container to the outside of the transport path, and this guide member for the container transport path Rejecting means having moving means for moving between a position that does not interfere with the container to be transported outside and a position that engages with the container in the transport path is installed. When rejecting the container, a guide is provided. With the configuration in which the member is advanced and engaged with the body of the container in the transport path, the object of omitting the reject wheel from the reject means is achieved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 is a plan view showing a simplified overall configuration of a container transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a position where a container of the container transport system is rejected, and FIG. 3 is a container at the reject position. It is a top view which expands and shows the state which rejects. In this container transport system, a resin container 2 such as a PET bottle is transported by an air transport conveyor 4, supplied to a rotating body 10 of a container processing device 8 through an introduction wheel 6, and a predetermined process is performed during the rotational transport. After that, it is again delivered to the air conveyor 14 via the discharge wheel 12 and sent to the next process. The container 2 to be transported and processed in this embodiment is a lightweight resin container such as a PET bottle. In the air transport conveyors 4 and 14, the lower surface of the flange formed on the neck 2a (see FIG. 4 described later). The introduction wheel 6 and the discharge wheel 12 convey the neck 2a of the container 2 by gripping it with an openable neck gripper (not shown).

  In the container processing apparatus 8, a large number of container gripping means 16 are attached to the outer peripheral portion of the rotating body 10 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each container gripping means 16 includes a pair of parallel leaf springs 18 and 18 arranged at a predetermined interval, and grip members 20 and 20 fixed to the distal ends of these leaf springs 18 and 18. The bases 20 a and 20 a side of both grip members 20 and 20 are attracted to each other by a spring 22. In the middle of both grip members 20, 20, a support plate 24 having an arcuate recess 24 a having an inner diameter substantially matching the outer diameter of the neck 2 a of the container 2 is disposed at the tip. Inward projections 20b, 20b facing each other are formed on the tip end sides of the grip members 20, 20, and the neck 2a of the container 2 is formed by the projections 20b, 20b and the recess 24a of the support plate 24. The outer periphery can be held.

  When the container 2 is held by the container gripping means 16, when the neck 2 a of the container 2 is pressed from the front end side of the both grip members 20, 20, the two grip members 20, 20 attached to the leaf springs 18, 18 are moved. When the container 2 is pushed and spread against the spring 22 and passes through the protrusions 20b and 20b and enters the inner side, both the grip members 20 and 20 are returned, and the support plate 24 and the protrusions 20b of the both grip members 20 and 20 are returned. , 20b to hold the container 2. When the container 2 is taken out from the container gripping means 16, the neck 2 a of the container 2 is gripped by the open / close bottle gripper of the discharge wheel 12, and the relative rotation between the rotating body 10 and the discharge wheel 12 causes the container gripping means 16 to move. The container 2 can be taken out by pulling outward. Furthermore, by pushing the container 2 from the radially inner side to the outer side of the rotating body 10, both grip members 20, 20 can be forcibly expanded and taken out.

  A rejection device 26 (rejecting means) is provided in the middle of a container conveyance path (the center of the container conveyance path is indicated by a one-dot chain line C in FIG. 3) by the container gripping means 16 attached to the rotating body 10. If there is a malfunction or other trouble during the operation of the container transport system, it may become unusable if the container 2 is left as it is. In such a case, The reject device 26 discharges the container 2 on the upstream side of the position where the reject device 26 is disposed (a position where the reject device 26 discharges the container 2 from the container transport path is referred to as a reject position R).

  The reject device 26 includes a pair of guide members 28 and 30 arranged substantially in parallel on both sides. The guide member includes an inner guide member 28 disposed on the side close to the rotating body 10 and an outer guide member 30 disposed on the side far from the rotating body 10. These both guide members 28 and 30 can be moved forward and backward by a moving means 32 described later. When the guide members 28 and 30 are moved backward, they are gripped by the container gripping means 16 on the outside, ie, the container gripping means 16. When retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the container 2 being rotated and moved forward, the distal end side of the inner guide member 28 is inserted into the conveying path of the container 2 and the outer guide member 30 is taken out. The outer side of the container 2 is guided on the outer side of the container.

  The rear sides of the guide members 28 and 30 (the side attached to the moving means 32) are parallel to the direction of moving back and forth by the moving means 32, and the tip end side is bent toward the outside of the rotating body 10. It has been. As shown in FIG. 3, when the inner guide member 28 is advanced, a portion near the distal end portion that is bent is inserted to the inner side of the container transport path C, but the rotating body 10 is more than the portion that is bent at the distal end portion side. It faces in a diagonal direction so that it is close to the center of. Thus, the container 2 engaged with the inner guide member 28 is forcibly pushed out outward in the radial direction of the rotating body 10 by moving the distal end side of the inner guide member 28 in an oblique direction. It is like that.

  The inner guide member 28 is composed of two upper and lower guide plates 28A and 28B. The front end portion overlaps the upper and lower portions at substantially the same position, but the rear side is a lower guide plate than the upper guide plate 28A. 28B is closer to the outer guide member 30 side (lower side in FIG. 3). When the inner guide member 28 (28A, 28B) is moving forward, the body 2b of the container 2 that is gripping the neck 2a by the container gripping means 16 moves along the inner guide members 28A, 28B. Although it is gradually pushed out toward the outside of the rotating body 10, the rear side of the lower guide plate 28 </ b> B is positioned closer to the outer side of the rotating body 10 than the upper guide plate 28 </ b> A. The bottom of the container 2 is greatly swung outward by contact (see the container indicated by reference numeral 2A in FIG. 3). Note that the upper and lower guide plates 28A and 28B are disposed at a height at which the upper and lower guide plates 28A and 28B can abut against the body of the container 2, as shown in FIG.

  The moving means 32 for moving the guide members 28 and 30 forward and backward is provided with a horizontal air cylinder 36 at the center in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) of the frame 34 installed on the support column 33 (see FIG. 4). Two parallel support rods 38 and 40 are supported on both sides of the air cylinder 36 so as to be able to advance and retract. The rear ends of the support rods 38 and 40 are connected to the piston rod 36a of the air cylinder 36 via the attachment member 42. Further, the rear end portions of the guide members 28 and 30 are connected to the front end portions of the support rods 38 and 40 via the front surface side mounting plate 44. Bellows 46 and 48 are mounted between the front side of the frame 34 from which both the support rods 38 and 40 protrude and the front side mounting plate 44 to which the guide members 28 and 30 are attached. , 40, the portion exposed to the outside from the frame 34 is covered. When the air cylinder 36 is activated and the piston rod 36a is extended, the support rods 38 and 40 are moved to the right in FIG. 2, and the guide members 28 and 30 are retracted from the container conveyance path (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2). When the piston rod 36a contracts, both support rods 38 and 40 move to the left in FIG. 2, and the guide members 28 and 30 advance toward the container transport path.

  A discharge chute 50 that discharges the rejected container 2 from below the position (reject position R) where the inner guide member 28 is inserted into the container transport path of the rotating body 10 is installed. Has been. A plurality of air blow nozzles 52 are provided on the inner surface side of the discharge chute 50, and the container 2 introduced into the discharge chute 50 is sent to the downstream side by the air blown from the air blow nozzle 52, and the discharge chute 50 is collected in a collection box 54 disposed at the downstream end of 50.

  The container transport system according to this embodiment rejects the container 2 in the middle of processing as necessary, for example, when the container processing line is in an emergency stop. The supply-side air conveyor 4 is provided with a stopper 56 in front of the introduction wheel 6. When the line is stopped, the stopper 56 is operated to prevent the introduction of the container 2.

  The operation of the container transport system is controlled by the control device 58. The container transport system is normally operated in the operation mode, and is switched from the operation mode to the reject mode when an emergency stop signal is input. When the reject mode is set, the sub operation panel 60 becomes effective, and the container transport system can be operated by an operator inputting from the sub operation panel 60.

  The operation of the container transport system having the above configuration will be described. When the processing of the container 2 is normally performed, the bottle stopper 56 provided on the air conveying conveyor 4 on the introduction side is opened, and the container 2 conveyed by the air conveying conveyor 4 moves the introducing wheel 6 on. Through the container processing device 8. The introduction wheel 6 is provided with an openable / closable neck gripper (not shown), and is located above the flange of the neck portion 2a of the container 2 that has been conveyed while being supported by the lower surface side of the flange by the air conveyor 4. Grip. When approaching the container supply position A for transferring from the introduction wheel 6 to the container processing apparatus 8, the neck gripper is provided on the rotating body 10 below the flange of the container 2 being gripped. The pair of 16 grip members 20, 20 are gradually pressed. When the grip members 20, 20 attached to the tips of the leaf springs 18, 18 are spread out against the spring 22, the neck 2 a of the container 2 is pushed between the grip members 20, 20. The grip members 20, 20 return to grip the container 2. At this time, the surface of the container 2 facing the central direction of the rotating body 10 is supported by the arcuate recess 24 a of the support plate 24.

  The container 2 introduced into the container processing apparatus 8 is gripped and rotated by a large number of container gripping means 16 provided on the outer periphery of the rotating body 10, and appropriate processing is performed therebetween. During normal operation, the guide members 28 and 30 of the reject device 26 are retracted by the operation of the air cylinder 36 and are retracted to a position where they do not interfere with the container 2 being conveyed on the container conveyance path. The grasped container 1 passes through the reject position R and reaches the delivery position B to the discharge wheel 12. The discharge wheel 12 is provided with an openable / closable bottle gripper (not shown). The container gripping means 16 of the rotating body 10 is gripped above the flange of the neck 2a of the container 2 and rotated. The container 2 is forcibly pulled out from the air and delivered to the air conveying conveyor 14 on the discharge side. The discharged container 2 is sent to the next process by the air conveying conveyor 14.

  During operation, when the container processing line is stopped due to an emergency stop or the like, the container 2 in the middle of processing must be discharged as necessary. When the line is stopped, first, the bottle stopper 56 provided on the air conveying conveyor 4 on the introduction side is operated to prevent new introduction of the container 2. Further, when the emergency stop signal is input, the control device is switched from the operation mode to the reject mode. When the mode is switched to the reject mode, the sub operation panel 60 becomes valid, and a necessary operation can be performed by an input from the operation panel 60.

  When the conveyance is completely stopped, the operator pulls out and removes the two or two containers 2 near the reject position R from the container gripping means 16, and then operates the air cylinder 36 of the moving means 26 by the sub operation panel 60. Then, the guide members 28 and 30 are advanced. When both guide members 28 and 30 move forward by the operation of the air cylinder 36, the outer guide member 30 is positioned outside the container 2 held by the container holding means 16, and the inner guide member 28 is bent at the tip. The part side is inserted inside the container conveyance path. When the both guide members 28 and 30 are advanced and the distal end side of the inner guide member 28 is inserted into the inner side of the container transport path, the container 2 at the reject position R is removed in advance as described above. Therefore, the inner guide member 28 does not interfere with the container 2.

  After the guide members 28 and 30 are advanced, the tip of the inner guide member 28 is inserted into the inner side of the rotating body 10 relative to the container 2 gripped by the container gripping means 16, and then the operator operates the sub operation panel 60. To start driving at low speed. When the rotating body 10 of the container processing apparatus 8 rotates, the container 2 upstream from the position (reject position R) where the guide members 28 and 30 of the reject apparatus 26 are inserted sequentially engages with the internal guide member 28. . The container 2 gripped by the container gripping means 16 is suspended in a vertical state, but when the body portion 2b is engaged with the inner guide member 28, the bottom side is gradually pushed outward in the radial direction of the rotating body 10. Then, both grip members 20, 20 of the container gripping member 16 are pushed out and taken out. In particular, since the lower guide plate 28B is positioned on the outer side of the rotating body 10 among the upper and lower guide plates 28A and 28B of the inner guide member 28, the bottom side of the container 2 is greatly swung outward. The container 2 is easily removed from the grip members 20, 20. As the rotating body 10 rotates, the containers 2 held by the container holding member 16 are sequentially removed and dropped onto the lower discharge chute 50. When the container 2 is removed from the container gripping member 16, as described above, the bottom side of the container 2 is greatly swung outward by the inner guide member 28, that is, the container 2 with respect to both the grip members 20, 20. The bottom portion of the container 2 is pulled upward with the gripped neck portion 2a of the container 2 as a fulcrum, so that the container 2 has a neck portion 2a and a portion continuous downward from the neck portion 2a. The tips of both grip members 20, 20 are spread from below and can be easily removed.

  The discharge chute 50 is provided with a plurality of air blow nozzles 52 at predetermined intervals on the inner surface side, and the falling container 2 is placed in the state where the bottom side is directed downstream by the air blow nozzle 52 on the most upstream side. Thereafter, air is blown by the air blow nozzles 52 arranged at appropriate intervals, and is gradually sent to the downstream side, and is accommodated in the collection box 54 installed at the downstream end of the discharge chute 50. Since the movement of the container 2 is prevented by the bottle stopper 56 provided on the introduction side air conveyance conveyor 4, a new container 2 is not introduced, and the container 2 on the downstream side of the bottle stopper 56 is not introduced. Are sequentially issued and the rejection ends. Further, the container 2 on the downstream side from the reject position R is delivered to the discharge-side air transport conveyor 14 via the discharge wheel 12 and sent to the next step.

  After the payout is completed, the guide members 28 and 30 are retracted by the air cylinder 36 of the moving means 26 and are retracted to a position where they do not interfere with the container 2 on the container transport path to prepare for line return. In the embodiment, when the containers 2 are discharged, the containers 2 near the reject position R are removed, but even when the containers 2 are not removed, the rows of the stopped containers 2 are expanded. It is also possible to forcibly advance the guide members 28 and 30 and position them in the transport path. Since both the grip members 20 and 20 hold the container 2 by the urging force of the spring, it has a degree of freedom when the container 2 is pushed and spread, and the guide members 28 and 30 can be advanced. .

It is a top view which simplifies and shows the whole structure of a container conveyance system. Example 1 It is a top view which shows the principal part (reject position) of the said container conveyance system. It is an enlarged view of the principal part which shows the state which moved the rejection means to the rejection position. It is a side view which shows the state at the time of rejection.

Explanation of symbols

2 Container 10 Rotating body 16 Container gripping means 26 Rejecting means 28 Guide member 32 Moving means

Claims (2)

A rotating body, a plurality of container gripping means provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating body, and a rejecting means provided in the middle of the transport path of the container gripped by the container gripping means In the container transport system
The reject means engages with the body of the container passing through the container transport path and forcibly feeds the container to the side of the transport path, and transports the guide member to the side of the container transport path. Moving means for moving to a position engaging with the container in the path ,
A container characterized in that the guide member of the reject means is configured to swing the bottom side of the container largely to the side when the container gripped by the container gripping means is sent out toward the outside of the transport path. Conveying system. A rotating body, a plurality of container gripping means provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating body, and a rejecting means provided in the middle of the transport path of the container gripped by the container gripping means In the container transport system
In the state where the rotation of the rotating body is stopped, the step of removing the container at the reject position, and the guide member of the reject means that engages with the body of the container and sends the container to the side of the transport path are placed in the transport path. A step of positioning and rotating the rotating body at a low speed, and engaging the container gripped by the container gripping means with the guide member so that the bottom side of the container is largely swung to the side of the transport path. A container rejection method for a container transport system, wherein the container is rejected.

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