JP5092417B2 - Device for aligning and conveying containers with straws - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container with a straw in which a straw or the like is attached to the outer surface of a cylindrical or conical container for storing liquid contents such as liquor, wine, milk, juice, coffee, tea, vegetables and fruit juice. The present invention relates to an aligning / conveying device for containers with straws that aligns a container in a fixed direction during transportation.

  Conventionally, containers such as liquor, wine, milk, juice, coffee, tea, vegetables, fruit juice, etc. that contain liquid contents such as cylinders or cones are generally sold separately. In some cases, as shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, a plurality of packs (integrated packaging) such as three or six (not shown) are sold at a low cost.

  In the case of such pack sales, a method of making individual containers visible by using a transparent film for the packaging is often employed. In addition, when a transparent film is used, it is possible to appeal the appearance and individuality at the time of product display by aligning the containers, while the barcode 11 of each container indicating the price of each container is read and the price for one piece is displayed. May be sold at.

  Therefore, the bar code 11 display portions of each container are aligned, and the bar code 11 display portions are covered with a concealing portion of the packaging film, which is not shown in the figure, and the bar code which is the price of pack sales on the packaging film. 11 is also used.

  A cylindrical or conical container for storing liquid contents such as liquor, wine, milk, juice, coffee, tea, vegetables and fruit juice is a container with a straw having a straw 8 etc. attached to the outer surface of the container. 4 is increasing year by year. And the thing packaged by the packaging film 12 grade | etc., Is increasing.

  Further, the straw-wrapped container 4 with straws is required to have a uniform orientation in which the straws 8 and the like are attached as shown in FIG.

  Accordingly, when selling a pack in which a plurality of containers are collected and packaged, it is necessary to arrange the barcode 11 display portion of each container, the direction of attachment of the straw 8 and the like in a specific position before stacking. And it is not preferable in terms of efficiency or cost to process this work manually.

  For this reason, many alignment devices, alignment conveyance devices, and the like have been proposed that adjust the orientation and position of containers and articles in a certain direction.

  For example, there is known a fixed position alignment apparatus for can bodies (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) for aligning a plurality of can bodies such as cans in specific states such as seams or bar code display positions. Yes.

  This fixed position aligning device is provided with an intermittently driven conveyor having a number of holder bars for sequentially aligning and supporting a plurality of cans in an inverted state. In addition, a specific portion on the outer periphery of each can body is detected in cooperation with a driving device including a rotation roller that rotates each can body by contacting a plurality of can bodies on the holder bar transferred to the detection stage. And the detection sensor which stops rotation of each can body is provided.

  There is also known an article direction aligning device (see, for example, Patent Document 2) that efficiently aligns an article such as a container with a label in the same direction with a simple configuration.

  In this article direction aligning apparatus, containers conveyed by a conveyor are held together by a direction changing support and advanced together. The direction change support is always applied with a rotational force by the rotating means, and its rotation is restricted by engaging with the stopper. Then, the back and front of the container is detected by the checker, and the stopper is instantaneously released by the air cylinder only when the container is faced down.

  Furthermore, in the middle of conveying an article having a different diameter part, the conveyance posture can be easily and automatically corrected without damaging the object to be conveyed, and can be conveyed in a completely aligned state. An apparatus for aligning and conveying articles having a diameter portion (see, for example, Patent Document 3) is also known.

  The apparatus for aligning and conveying articles having different diameter portions passes between a fixed guide and a fixed guide and between another fixed guide and a fixed guide while conveying an object to be conveyed by a conveyor, and conveys it by an elastic roller. Correct posture.

  Further, as an aligning device for the container 104 with the straw 107, an apparatus as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B is used. In this aligning apparatus, a container 104 is sandwiched between a plurality of rubber rollers 103 and rotated by a servo motor 105. The container position is confirmed by the barcode reader 101 and the servo motor 105 is stopped. At the same time, the rubber roller 103 and the straw 107 cannot be rotated as shown in FIG. Like that.

Prior art documents are shown below.
JP-A-8-99710 JP-A-5-201524 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 50-37643

  By the way, in patent document 1, conveyance operation is intermittent drive and the can body to be conveyed is mounted in the conveyor which has many holder bars. Then, the can body is transferred to the detection stage, and the can body is rotated by the rotation driving device, and the detection sensor detects the fixed position of the can body and aligns it.

  As described above, the can position fixing device of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the processing speed is slow because the driving is intermittent. Moreover, since the conveyor which conveys a can body has many holder bars, the manufacturing cost which manufactures an apparatus rises. Furthermore, there is a problem that the number of parts to be manufactured is large and the cause of failure increases.

  Further, the apparatus is complicated such as a rotation drive device for rotating the can body and a detection sensor for detecting the fixed position of the can body, and the manufacturing cost further increases. Furthermore, there is a problem that failure factors increase.

In addition, the article direction alignment apparatus of Patent Document 2 transports containers and the like by continuous drive, but includes a holding means for holding the container, a rotating means for rotating the container, a stop means for stopping the container at a fixed position, etc. The structure of the apparatus is more complicated than the fixed position alignment apparatus of Document 1. For this reason, there are naturally problems that the manufacturing cost of the apparatus increases and the cause of failure increases.

  In addition, there is a problem that it takes time to adjust each part when the shape and dimensions of the container change. Furthermore, there is a problem that an expensive timing screw or the like must be manufactured depending on the shape or size of the container. And it takes time for removal, assembly, adjustment and the like.

  In addition, the apparatus for aligning and conveying articles having different diameter portions disclosed in Patent Document 3 uses a normal endless belt for the conveyer and forcibly has the different diameter portions by an elastic roller that rotates in the middle of conveying the articles by a fixed guide. Align the items. For this reason, there exists a problem which a deformation | transformation etc. arise when the intensity | strength of this article is weak.

  Furthermore, since alignment is performed in an instant, there is a problem that it takes time and labor for selection work and adjustment work such as selecting an elastic material suitable for the article.

  Further, since the elastic roller rotates in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the transport conveyor for transporting the article, there is a problem that the bottom surface of the article is damaged.

  In addition, the container alignment device with a straw cannot be aligned unless the containers are spaced apart and intermittently driven. For this reason, there exists a problem that the speed which processes a container is slow. Furthermore, there is a problem that the length of the supply conveyor is increased, and a large space and a manufacturing cost of the conveyor are increased.

  Further, expensive members such as a plurality of rubber rollers, bar code readers, and servo motors for positioning the container are used. For this reason, there exists a problem that the expense which produces an apparatus, a maintenance expense, etc. increase. There is also a problem that the straw attached to the container is peeled off or crushed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the problem is that it is inexpensive and can be aligned and transported in a certain direction while continuously transporting a container with a straw by a normal transport conveyor, An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for aligning and transporting containers with straws without using expensive members such as complicated structures and detection sensors, with a small installation space, and with low maintenance costs such as electricity costs.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides:
Straight conveyors that place and transport containers with straws continuously in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals, side belt conveyors that travel with the conveyor on either the left or right side of the conveyor, and straightened and fixed guides on the other An apparatus for aligning and conveying a container with a straw having a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a truncated cone shape, or a combination thereof ,
A side-conveyor and straightening guide guide the side of the container with a straw to rotate it, and the straw part of the container stops at the side-belt conveyor and aligns to a fixed position. is there.

Next, the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is as follows.
2. The aligning and conveying apparatus for straw-equipped containers according to claim 1, further comprising a brush on a surface of the straightening and fixing guide sandwiching the container.

Next, the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is
The elastic member is provided in the surface side which pinches | interposes the container of the correction | amendment fixed guide, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
It is an aligning and conveying apparatus of the container with a described straw.

  Since the apparatus for aligning and conveying a container with a straw according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, the container can be conveyed while being aligned in a certain direction while continuously running without stopping the container running on a conveyor. it can.

  Moreover, since the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with a straw according to the present invention is continuously driven, it can be synchronized with high-speed production in the previous process such as filling and sealing work. And it can produce cheaply, without using a complicated structure. Furthermore, adjustment work is easy.

  Further, the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with straws of the present invention can be manufactured without using expensive members such as a detection sensor, a barcode reader, a screw member, or a positioning device. In addition, maintenance costs such as electricity bills are low.

  Moreover, the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with straws according to the present invention requires little installation space. Furthermore, it is possible to easily connect a pre-process such as filling and sealing work and a post-process such as stacking packaging.

  In addition, when the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with straws according to the present invention is aligned, the straws attached to the containers are not peeled off or crushed.

  Moreover, since the fixed position alignment conveyance apparatus of the container with a straw of this invention is not a complicated structure as mentioned above and does not require a detection sensor etc., it is hard to produce a failure. For this reason, repair costs, maintenance costs, etc. can be reduced.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An apparatus for aligning and transporting containers with straws according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a plane of an embodiment of the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with straws according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for aligning and conveying straw-equipped containers according to this embodiment includes a conveyer 1 that conveys containers with straws, a side belt conveyer 2 that is provided on the upper left and right sides of the conveyer 1, and a correction fixing guide. 3 is formed. Further, although not shown in the figure, a drive motor for rotating the conveyor 1 and the side belt conveyor 2 is provided.

  The conveyance conveyor 1 and the side belt conveyor 2 can be rotationally driven by a single drive motor. Moreover, the rotation drive of the conveyance conveyor 1 and the side belt conveyor 2 can also be performed with a separate drive motor. In this case, a standard motor is used for rotational driving of the conveyor 1. And it is desirable to use a servo motor for rotational driving of the side belt conveyor 2.

  The conveyance conveyor 1 and the side belt conveyor 2 may rotate at the same speed, or either one may be fast or slow.

  The rotational drive of the conveyor 1 and the side belt conveyor 2 is not shown in the figure, but the rotational speed can be freely adjusted by the control panel. Then, the rotational speed is adjusted in conjunction with a pre-process such as filling / sealing work and a post-process such as stacking / boxing work.

  By rotating the side belt conveyor 2 faster, the container 4 with a straw is rotated faster. And the direction of the container can be quickly aligned in a certain direction.

  Further, the side belt conveyor 2 forms support frames 5 on the upper and lower sides, and a rotation roller and a shaft of the rotation roller that enable the belt to rotate although not shown in the front portion 6 and the rear portion 7 of the upper and lower support frames 5. A bearing for supporting and rotating the motor is provided.

  The upper and lower bearings of either the front part 6 or the rear part 7 are provided with adjusting screws for adjusting the tension of the belt.

  The material of the belt used for the conveyor 1 is not particularly limited, such as rubber, cloth, resin, and any material can be used, but an endless belt such as a fluororesin sheet or a silicon resin sheet is preferable.

  The material of the belt used for the side belt conveyor 2 is not particularly limited, such as rubber, cloth, resin, and any material can be used, such as a fluororesin sheet, a silicon resin sheet, or a rubber sheet. An endless belt is preferred.

  Next, the straightening and fixing guide 3 is pressed and rotated in the forward direction against the side belt conveyor 2 that is running on the container 4 with straws that is conveyed by the conveyor 1. For this reason, the width | variety of the side belt conveyor 2 of the front direction and the correction fixing guide 3 is formed in the state which can rotate the container 4 with a straw. Then, the width of the side belt conveyor 2 and the correction fixing guide 3 after the direction of the container 4 with a straw is formed in a fixed direction is set substantially to the diameter of the container 4 with a straw.

  The straightening and fixing guide 3 can be a brush as shown in FIG. 1, or a material which is not shown in the drawing, but which is made by adhering an appropriate elastic material such as sponge or rubber, or molded entirely from the elastic material. . Then, after the container 4 with a straw is rotatably pressed against the side belt conveyor 2 traveling in the forward direction 6 and the direction of the container 4 is formed in a certain direction, the outer surface of the container 4 with a straw is the correction fixing guide 3. The container is conveyed on the conveyor 1 while being boiled.

  In addition, the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with a straw according to the present invention can be provided with detection sensors A, B, and C as shown in FIG. The detection sensors A, B, and C are provided to perform a more efficient alignment work with the pre-process and to smoothly perform the post-process work.

  The detection sensors A, B, and C detect the presence or absence of a container 4 with a straw that is aligned by the aligning and conveying device for the container 4 with a straw of this embodiment, and immediately send out the container 4 with a straw that has been pooled in the previous process. Instructions are given through the control panel. And the speed conveyed to the front part 6 of the alignment conveying apparatus 10 from the previous process can also be changed according to the detection positions of the detection sensors A, B and C.

  For example, when the container 4 with straws conveyed by the conveyor 1 cannot be detected by the detection sensor A, cannot be detected by the detection sensor B, and when it cannot be detected by the detection sensor C, the alignment conveyance device 10 from the previous process. The speed of transport to the front portion 6 of A <b> 1 has a relationship of A <B <C.

And when the container 4 with a straw is not detected by the detection sensor of C, the container 4 with a straw in which the stored item is filled and sealed at a speed higher than the previous process is the front part of the aligned conveying device 10 of the container with a straw of this embodiment. 6 is supplied.

  Next, FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 are explanatory views for explaining a state in which the straw-equipped containers in which the stored items are filled and sealed are aligned in a certain direction in the straw-contained container aligning and conveying apparatus of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a container 4 with a straw filled with sealed items is supplied to the front portion 6 of the aligning and conveying apparatus for containers with a straw according to this embodiment. The position of the straw 8 of the container 4 with a straw supplied to the aligning and conveying apparatus 10 is supplied in various ways. For example, in FIG. 2, the straw 8 attached to the outer side surface of the container 4 with the straw is supplied at a position opposite to the side belt conveyor 2.

  Then, as described above, the container 4 with a straw is pressed against the side belt conveyor 2 running by the brush which is the straightening and fixing guide 3 and is rotated on the conveyor 1, and as shown in FIG. The position of the straw 8 attached to the outer side surface is rotated to a position opposite to the conveying direction of the container 4.

  Furthermore, the container 4 with a straw rotates, and as shown in FIG. 4, the straw 8 of the container 4 with a straw hits the side belt conveyor 2 and the straw 8 is sandwiched between the side belt conveyor 2 and the container 4. The rotation of 4 stops. And it is conveyed in the back direction by the conveyor 1 in the stopped state.

  When the container 4 with straws rotates on the conveyor 1, it is preferable that the containers 4 with straws are not in contact with each other.

  For this reason, when the container 4 with the straw with which the storage thing is filled and sealed has been continuously conveyed in the state which this container contacted from the previous process, of the alignment conveyance apparatus 10 of the container with a straw of a present Example. By making the conveying conveyor 1 speed faster than the conveyor speed of the previous process, it is possible to prevent the containers 4 with straws from contacting each other. Moreover, you may slow down the conveyance speed of a front process contrary to the method mentioned above.

  In this embodiment, a cylindrical shape is used. However, a conical shape, a truncated cone shape, or a combination thereof may be used. In this case, the side surface to which the straw is attached is sandwiched between the side belt conveyor 2 and the correction fixing guide 3. Therefore, the side belt conveyor 2 and the correction fixing guide 3 are inclined and installed as necessary.

  In addition, the straw 8 according to the present invention should be attached in contact with the side surface of the container so that its extension line is parallel to the central axis of the container (in the case of a cylindrical shape) or intersects (in the case of a conical shape). It is preferable because the rotation of the part is easy to stop. In the present invention, it is assumed that the straw is attached to the side surface of the container in a convex shape. For example, the straw is not provided as a container having a concave portion or the like on the surface and attached thereto and having no convex portion on the side surface.

  Examples of the container having a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a truncated cone shape, or a combination thereof as described above include a paper container, a plastic container, an aluminum container, and a steel container.

  The paper container is usually formed into a cylindrical shape or a conical shape from the outside by applying ruled lines to a laminated material comprising a polyethylene layer / paper layer / adhesive resin layer / barrier layer / stretched plastic film / polyethylene layer, After storing the contents, it is sealed by heating.

  In addition, as another laminated material, a laminated material composed of polyethylene layer / paper layer / wet laminate layer / barrier layer / stretched plastic film / polyethylene layer is molded in the same manner, and the contents are stored, and then sealed by heating. To do.

  The adhesive resin layer bonds and unifies the paper layer and the barrier layer by melt-extruding a resin such as polyethylene or ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer.

  Moreover, an aluminum foil, an aluminum vapor deposition film, and a metal oxide vapor deposition film can be used for the barrier layer. And when using an aluminum vapor deposition film or a metal oxide vapor deposition film as a barrier layer, a stretched plastic film is also omissible.

  The plastic container is produced by a method such as blow molding, stretch blow molding, injection molding, pressure air molding, or vacuum molding.

  Examples of resins used for blow molding or injection molding include low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ionomer resin, and ethylene-acrylic. Acid copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, methylpentene polymer, polybutene polymer, polyethylene or polypropylene, etc. Acid-modified polyolefin resins obtained by modifying polyolefin resins with unsaturated carboxylic acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, polyvinyl acetate resins, poly (meth) acrylic resins, Ribiniru resins.

  Examples of the sheet or film base material used for pressure forming, vacuum forming, etc. include low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, polypropylene, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer. Polymer, ionomer resin, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, methylpentene polymer, Polyolefin polymers such as polybutene polymer, polyethylene or polypropylene modified with unsaturated carboxylic acid such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, polyvinyl acetate resin, Poly Meth) acrylic resins, single sheet or a film or a laminated sheet or film of thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl resin.

  Next, the straw attached to the outer surface of the container is usually formed of styrene resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin or the like. And it is directly or inserted and sealed in the bag and adhered to the outer surface of the container by thermal bonding or hot melt resin.

  The apparatus for aligning and conveying a container with a straw according to the present invention can be used for aligning and conveying a member having a convex portion on the outer surface of a cylindrical shape or a conical shape as well as being capable of being manufactured at low cost without complicated structures and processes. .

It is the schematic which shows the plane of one Example of the alignment conveyance apparatus of the container with a straw of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state in which the container with a straw of the alignment conveyance apparatus of the container with a straw of this invention is aligned in a fixed direction. It is another explanatory drawing explaining the state in which the container with a straw of the alignment conveyance apparatus of the container with a straw of this invention is aligned in a fixed direction. It is another explanatory drawing explaining the state in which the container with a straw of the alignment conveyance apparatus of the container with a straw of this invention is aligned in a fixed direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of accumulation | storage packaging. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of accumulation | storage packaging. (A) is explanatory drawing explaining the conventional alignment apparatus of the container with a straw, (b) is explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of the alignment apparatus of the container with a straw of (a). It is an enlarged view of the A section of FIG.7 (b).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyor 2 ... Side belt conveyor 3 ... Straightening fixing guide 4 ... Container with straw 5 ... Support frame 6 ... Front part 7 ... Back part 8 ... Straw 9 ... Rotating roller 10 ... Alignment conveyance apparatus of container with straw 11 ... Bar Code 12 ... Packaging film

Claims (3)

Straight conveyors that place and transport containers with straws continuously in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals, side belt conveyors that travel with the conveyor on either the left or right side of the conveyor, and straightened and fixed guides on the other An apparatus for aligning and conveying a container with a straw having a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a truncated cone shape, or a combination thereof ,
An apparatus for aligning and transporting containers with straws, characterized in that the side surfaces of containers with straws are sandwiched and rotated by side belt conveyors and straightening fixing guides, and the straw portions of the containers are stopped by the side belt conveyors and aligned at a fixed position.   2. The apparatus for aligning and conveying containers with straws according to claim 1, further comprising a brush on the surface of the straightening and fixing guide sandwiching the container.   2. The apparatus for aligning and conveying containers with straws according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic member on a surface of the straightening and fixing guide sandwiching the container.

Images