JP5418016B2 - Container transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container transfer device for transferring a container placed on a container mounting portion (for example, a bottle table) in a state where it is pressed from above by a top locator, and in particular, a container transfer device characterized by the structure of the top locator. It is about.

  A container transfer device is widely used that places a container on a balance table provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rotating body and rotates and transfers the container while pressing and holding the upper part of the container from above with a top locator. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  The top locator provided in the “container positioning device” described in Patent Document 1 is a bottle table provided on a rotary table that forms the lower side of the rotating body (referred to as a container positioning device in Patent Document 1). ) And the upper and lower positions coincide with each other, and are provided on the rotating plate constituting the upper side of the rotating body. The top locator is a vertical cylinder fixed to the rotating plate, a rod fitted in the cylinder so as to be movable up and down, and attached to the lower end of the rod. And a guide cone (referred to as a head in Patent Document 1) for holding them together. The lifting rod is always urged downward by a spring.

  A cam follower is attached to a portion of the lifting rod that protrudes upward from the cylindrical body. On the other hand, a cam plate fixed to the outside of the rotating body is disposed above the rotating plate, and the cam follower of the elevating rod is engaged with the cam surface of the cam plate, and as the rotating body rotates. As the cam follower moves along the cam surface, the lifting rod moves up and down.

JP-A-8-133251

  A container is supplied to the rotary table by being held by an inlet star wheel and guided on the outer peripheral side by a guide member. When the container is transferred from the inlet star wheel and the guide member to the balance table of the rotating body, the top locator descends from above and presses and holds the head of the container. When the inlet star wheel and the guide member are configured to guide the upper side of the container, the top locator that has descended rides on the inlet star wheel and the guide member to cause damage when the container is not supplied. There is a risk that. In particular, in the case of a lightweight container such as a plastic bottle that has been widely used in recent years, such a problem is likely to occur because the neck portion is supported and conveyed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a container transfer device that does not cause damage to a star wheel or a guide member even when the container is not supplied onto a mounting unit such as a bottle table. A placement unit to be placed; a top locator that comes into contact with and presses a container on the placement unit from above; a lifting unit that raises and lowers the top locator relative to the placement unit; and these placements And a rotating body that rotates and moves the top locator integrally, and in the container transfer device that transfers the container while the container is sandwiched between the mounting portion and the top locator, the top locator is a rod that is biased downward And a guide cone supported at the lower end of the rod so as to be movable up and down, and a lock mechanism for connecting the rod and the guide cone in the up-and-down direction. Before contacting the container, an operation member is provided that contacts the top surface of the cap that is covered with the container to operate the lock mechanism. The operation member contacts the top surface of the cap and is relative to the rod. The rod and the guide cone are connected in the up-and-down direction by being pushed up.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the container transfer device according to the first aspect, a vertical guide hole is formed at the lower end of the rod, and the guide cone is formed at the upper center of the guide cone. The cylindrical portion is inserted so as to be movable up and down, and in the cylindrical portion of the guide cone, the lower end portion of the operating member protrudes below the contact position of the guide cone to the container, and is supported so as to be movable up and down. An engaging portion is formed on the inner surface of the guide hole of the rod, and a receiving hole for receiving an engaging member engageable with the engaging portion is formed on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion of the guide cone. When the is abutted against the top surface of the cap and is pushed up relative to the rod, the engaging member is pressed against the engaging portion to connect the rod and the guide cone in the up-and-down direction. It is what.

  The container transfer device according to the present invention allows the top locator that presses and holds the head of the container to relatively move in the ascending / descending direction between the ascending / descending rod and the guide cone that contacts the container. By providing a lock mechanism that can connect the rod, when the container is supplied, the rod and the guide cone are integrated by the lock mechanism, and when the container is not supplied, the guide cone can be raised with respect to the rod, In the supply means such as the inlet star wheel for supplying the container onto the mounting portion, even if the container is pulled out, there is no risk of damaging the supply means such as the star wheel or the main guide holding the container. .

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall arrangement of a labeler provided with a container transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Example 1 FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the container transfer device. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the structure of the lock mechanism of the top locator. FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the operating state of the top locator. FIG. 5A is a view showing a state where the supplied container is pressed by the top locator, and FIG. 5B is a view showing a case where the container is not supplied. It is.

  The rotating body is provided with a mounting portion on which the container is mounted, and a top locator that presses the container on the mounting portion from above. With the rotation of the rotating body, the container is pressed by the top locator. A container transfer device for rotating and transferring the container. The top locator has a rod biased downward and a guide cone supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to the rod, and the rod and the guide cone are integrated in the lifting direction by a lock mechanism. Be able to. The top locator includes an operating pin that comes into contact with the top surface of the cap that is put on the head of the container supplied to the mounting portion. When the operating pin comes into contact with the head of the supplied container When the lock mechanism is activated to connect the rod and the guide cone and the container is not supplied, the operation pin does not actuate the lock mechanism and the guide cone can be raised with respect to the rod. The object of preventing damage to the supply-side structure such as the inlet star wheel and the guide member is achieved even when the container supplied to the mounting portion is missing.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. The container transfer device 1 of this embodiment is provided in a labeler (indicated by reference numeral 2 as a whole), and containers (pet bottles with handles in this embodiment) 6 that have been continuously conveyed by the conveyor 4 are: After being cut by the infeed screw 8 at a predetermined interval, it is transferred to the inlet star wheel 10. The PET bottle 6 is held and rotated by the inlet star wheel 10 and the center guide 12, and is supplied onto the container table 14 of the container transfer device 1 by the delivery unit A (the state shown in FIG. 2). When the container 6 is placed on the container base 14, the top locator 16 descends from above immediately after that and presses and positions the head of the container 6 (more precisely, the cap 6 a), so that the container base 14 and the top locator are positioned. At 16, the plastic bottle 6 is rotated and conveyed. While being transported by the container transfer device 1, a label is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the plastic bottle 6 by a labeling unit (not shown). Thereafter, the PET bottle 6 is delivered to the outlet star wheel 18, held and rotated between the center guide 12, discharged onto the conveyor 4, and sent to the next step. The main part of the labeler 2 (configuration of the labeling part) is not shown. The container base 14 of this embodiment constitutes the mounting portion described in claim 1.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a transfer portion A from the inlet star wheel 10 to the container transfer device 1. The inlet star wheel 10 is fixed with an upright pin 22 on a central drive shaft 20, and is surrounded by upper, middle, and lower sides. Three wheels 24A, 24B, 24C are arranged. These three wheels 24 </ b> A, 24 </ b> B, 24 </ b> C are fixed via a plurality of attachment members 26. In this embodiment, the bottom portion 6c of the body portion 6b of the plastic bottle 6 is held by the lower wheel 24C, the substantially central portion is held by the intermediate wheel 24B, and the upper neck portion 6d is held by the upper wheel 24A. ing. The three wheels 24A, 24B, and 24C are formed with arc-shaped recesses 24Aa, 24Ba, and 24Ca that receive portions held by the respective wheels.

  The center guide 12 has three guide plates 28A, 28B, 28C arranged at substantially the same height as the three wheels 24A, 24B, 24C of the inlet star wheel 10. These three guide plates 28A, 28B, 28C are also fixed through an upright mounting member 29. The lowermost lower guide plate 28C guides the vicinity of the bottom 6c of the barrel portion 6b of the plastic bottle 6, and the intermediate guide plate 28B guides the substantially central portion of the barrel portion 6b, and the upper guide plate 28A disposed above. Is adapted to guide the neck portion 6d of the plastic bottle 6. On the lower side between the inlet star wheel 10 and the center guide 12 and the lower side between the outlet star wheel 18 and the center guide 12, jumpers 30 and 32 that support the bottom surface of the PET bottle 6 that is rotated and conveyed are respectively arranged. ing. The center guide 12 is configured such that the entrance star wheel 10 side guides the plastic bottle 6 by the upper, middle, and lower three guide plates 28A, 28B, and 28C as described above. The plastic bottle 6 is held by two wheels, an intermediate wheel 34B and a lower wheel 34C. The outlet star wheel 18 side of the center guide 12 has two intermediate guide plates 36B and 36C. It is designed to be guided by a plate.

  Next, the configuration of the container transfer device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, an upright rotating shaft 38 is disposed at the center of the labeler 2, and a horizontal rotating table 40 is attached to the lower side thereof. A horizontal rotary plate 42 is attached above the rotary table 40, and the rotary shaft 38, the rotary table 40, and the rotary plate 42 constitute the rotary body 44 described in claim 1. A plurality of container bases 14 are rotatably attached at equal intervals in the circumferential direction near the outer periphery of the rotary table 40.

  A top locator 16 is provided on the upper rotary plate 42 at a position corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the container table 14 on the outer periphery thereof. A cylindrical holding member 46 is fixed to the upper surface of the rotating plate 42, and an upper rod 48 is inserted vertically into the cylindrical holding member 46. At the upper end of the cylindrical holding member 46, a lid 50 having a through hole through which the upper rod 48 can be inserted is fixed. The rotating plate 42 is also formed with a through-hole through which the upper rod 48 can be inserted. The upper rod 48 penetrates the lid 50 and the rotating plate 42 and protrudes upward and downward. A spring (hereinafter referred to as a main spring) 54 is interposed between the lower surface of the lid 50 and a spring seat 52 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the upper rod 48, and always urges the upper rod 48 downward. Yes. The urging force of the main spring 54 is set so that the plastic bottle 6 can be held firmly between the container base 14 and the top locator 16.

  A cam follower 58 is attached via an attachment member 56 slightly below the attachment position of the spring seat 52 on the outer surface of the upper rod 48. The cylindrical holding member 46 is formed with a longitudinal long hole 46a facing in the vertical direction, and the mounting member 56 of the cam follower 58 can be moved up and down along the long hole 46a. Above the rotating plate 42, a circular fixing plate 60 fixed to the outside such as a machine frame (not shown) is disposed, and a rod lifting cam 62 is attached to the outer periphery of the fixing plate 60. ing. The cam follower 58 attached to the upper rod 48 engages with the cam 62 and rotates to move up and down according to the shape of the cam 62, thereby moving the upper rod 48 up and down. A bearing 61 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 38 and the fixed plate 60 to which the cam 62 is attached. The cam mechanism comprising the cam follower 58 and the cam 62 constitutes an elevating means for elevating and lowering the top locator 16 relative to the container base 14.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a bottomed cylindrical lower rod 64 is connected to the lower end portion 48a of the upper rod 48 with the bottom portion 64a facing downward. The lower end portion 48a of the upper rod 48 has a slightly smaller diameter than the upper portion thereof, and the lower rod 64 is fitted to the small diameter portion 48a. An annular groove 48aa over the entire circumference is formed in the small diameter portion 48a of the upper rod 48, and a pin 66 fixed to the lower rod 64 is engaged in the annular groove 48aa. A bearing 67 is disposed between the lower end surface of the upper rod 48 and the inner surface of the bottom portion 64a of the lower rod 64. The lower rod 64 can freely rotate with respect to the upper rod 48, and the upper and lower rods 48, 64 is connected up and down and moves up and down integrally.

  A cylindrical body 68 having an internal hole penetrating vertically is fixed to the lower end of the lower rod 64. The cylinder 68 moves up and down integrally with the lower rod 64 and rotates integrally. The upper rod 48, the lower rod 64 and the cylindrical body 68 constitute the rod described in claim 1 (indicated by reference numeral 70 as a whole).

  The cylindrical body 68 constituting the lower end portion of the rod 70 is formed with a guide hole 68b slightly smaller in diameter than the upper side (hereinafter referred to as the large diameter hole 68a) near the lower portion of the inner surface. In this guide hole 68b, a guide cone 72 that abuts on a cap 6a attached to the head of the plastic bottle 6 is held so as to be able to be raised and lowered. The guide cone 72 has a conical portion 72a that comes into contact with the plastic bottle 6 and a cylindrical portion 72b formed at the center of the upper end thereof, and the cylindrical portion 72b is inserted into the guide hole 68b. Has been. An annular projecting portion 72c projecting from the outer peripheral surface is formed at the upper end of the cylindrical portion 72b, and a spring 74 is interposed between the projecting portion 72c and the bottom surface 64a of the lower rod 64 so that the guide cone 72 is always lowered. Is energized. Usually, the protrusion 72c at the upper end of the guide cone 72 is engaged with a step portion between the guide hole 68b formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical body 68 constituting the lower end of the rod 70 and the large-diameter hole 68a thereabove. Thus, the lower end is restricted, and when a force acts on the guide cone 72 from below, the guide cone 72 can rise relative to the rod 70.

  An operation pin 76 (operation member according to claim 1) is inserted into the cylindrical portion 72 b of the guide cone 72. The operating pin 76 is formed with an enlarged diameter portion 76b having an outer diameter substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 72b at the center, and a smaller diameter reduced diameter portion on the upper side of the enlarged diameter portion 76b. 76a, and a small diameter contact portion 76c is formed on the lower side. A small-diameter hole 72d is formed at the lower end of the internal hole of the cylindrical portion 72b of the guide cone 72, and a lower contact portion 76c of the operating pin 76 passes therethrough. A spring 78 is interposed between the bottom surface 64a of the lower rod 64 and the upper end surface of the operating pin 76, and the operating pin 76 is always urged downward. When not actuated, the actuating pin 76 pushed by the spring 78 stops when the lower surface of the enlarged diameter portion 76b hits the upper surface of the small diameter hole portion 72d of the guide cone 72, and the top locator 16 descends to actuate the actuating pin 76 When a force is applied from below by the contact portion 76 c of the cap 6 a contacting the top surface 6 aa of the cap 6 a of the PET bottle 6, the spring 78 is bent to rise relative to the guide cone 72. When the operating pin 76 is lowered most in the cylindrical portion 72 b of the guide cone 72, the lower end surface of the contact portion 76 c is positioned below the contact surface of the guide cone 72 with the plastic bottle 6. . The spring 74 that biases the guide cone 72 downward and the spring 78 that biases the operating pin 76 downward are set to a spring force (biasing force) much smaller than that of the main spring 54.

  A plurality of through holes 72ba are formed in the wall surface of the cylindrical portion 72b of the guide cone 72. These through holes 72ba are accommodation holes for holding the engaging member (in this embodiment, the steel ball 80). Further, when the guide cone 72 is located at the lower end with respect to the rod 70, an engaging portion (concave portion) 68ba is formed at a position corresponding to the accommodation hole 72ba on the inner surface of the guide hole 68b. The steel ball 80 held in each accommodation hole 72ba has a diameter larger than the wall thickness of the cylindrical portion 72b of the guide cone 72, and moves in the radial direction of the cylindrical portion 72b to move to the inner surface side of the cylindrical portion 72b. And can protrude to the outer surface side. When the operating pin 76 inserted into the cylindrical portion 72b of the guide cone 72 is located at the descending end (position shown in FIG. 4) with respect to the guide cone 72, the receiving hole 72ba and the steel ball 80 are connected to the operating pin 76. The steel ball 80 is not engaged with the concave portion 68ba of the cylindrical body 68. Therefore, the guide cone 72 can rise with respect to the rod 70. Further, when the operating pin 76 rises with respect to the guide cone 72 and the enlarged diameter portion 76b of the operating pin 76 moves to a position facing the steel ball 80 in the accommodation hole 72ba, the enlarged diameter portion 76b causes the inner diameter to rise from the inside. The pushed steel ball 80 protrudes to the outer surface side of the cylindrical portion 72b and engages with the concave portion 68ba of the guide hole 68b. In this state, the guide cone 72 and the rod 70 are connected to move up and down integrally. By the accommodating hole 72ba of the cylindrical portion 72b, the engaging member (steel ball) 80 held in the accommodating hole 72ba, the engaging portion (concave portion) 68ba formed in the guide hole 68b on the inner surface of the cylindrical body 68, and the operating pin 76 A lock mechanism 82 that connects the rod 70 and the guide cone 72 in the up-and-down direction is formed.

  The operation of the container transfer device 1 according to the above configuration will be described. The PET bottles 6 conveyed by the conveyor 4 are cut at a predetermined interval by the infeed screw 8 and delivered to the inlet star wheel 10. The entrance star wheel 10 includes three wheels 24A, 24B, and 24C. The center guide 12 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the conveyance path by the entrance star wheel 10 also includes the entrance star wheel 10 and Three guide plates 28A, 28B, and 28C are provided at substantially the same height, and the neck portion 6d, the trunk portion 6b, and the bottom portion 6c of the PET bottle 6 are held from both sides to be rotated and conveyed. The bottom surface of the plastic bottle 6 that is held and conveyed by the inlet star wheel 10 and the center guide 12 is supported by the crossover plate 30.

  When the plastic bottle 6 conveyed by the rotation of the inlet star wheel 10 reaches the delivery part A to the labeler 2, the plastic bottle 6 is provided on the rotating body 44 of the container transfer device 1 of the labeler 2 from the transition plate 30. Is placed on the container base 14 (the state shown in FIG. 2). When the PET bottle 6 is placed on the container table 14, the top locator 16 provided above the container table 14 is lowered. The rod 70 of the top locator 16 is always urged downward by the main spring 54, and the cam follower 58 is attached to the upper rod 48 and is engaged with a fixed cam 62. Decline accordingly.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the top locator 16 is not in operation, the contact portion 76c at the lower end of the operating pin 76 protrudes downward from the lower end of the guide cone 72. 76 c hits the top surface 6 aa of the cap 6 a of the plastic bottle 6. As the entire top locator 16 is lowered, the operating pin 76 is pushed up relative to the rod 70 and the guide cone 72 and rises. When the operating pin 76 is raised and the diameter-expanded portion 76b reaches the position of the accommodation hole 72ba formed in the cylindrical portion 72b of the guide cone 72 and the steel ball 80 in the accommodation hole 72ba, the steel in the accommodation hole 72ba is reached. The sphere 80 is pushed out to the outside of the cylindrical portion 72b and is pressed into a recess 68ba formed in the inner surface of the guide hole 68b of the cylindrical body 68, thereby connecting the rod 70 and the guide cone 72 (FIG. 5A )reference). When the rod 70 and the guide cone 72 are thus connected in the up-and-down direction of the top locator 16 by the lock mechanism 82, the downward biasing force acting on the rod 70 by the main spring 54 is transmitted to the guide cone 72 as it is. The plastic bottle 6 is held between the container base 14 and the top locator 16 while being pressed from above, and is rotated and transferred by the rotation of the rotating body 44.

  The PET bottle 6 being rotated and transferred by the container transfer device 1 of this embodiment is labeled while being rotated around the center of the container table 14 and the axis of the top locator 16 at the labeling portion (not shown) of the labeler 2. Is pasted to the exit star wheel 18, held and rotated by the center guide 12 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the exit star wheel 18 and its transport path, discharged onto the conveyor 4 and next Sent to the process.

  Further, when the PET bottle 6 conveyed by the conveyor 4 and supplied onto the container table 14 via the inlet star wheel 10 is missing, that is, the PET bottle 6 is not supplied from the inlet star wheel 10 to the container table 14. The case will be described. When the container table 14 on which the plastic bottle 6 is to be placed reaches the container delivery section A, the top locator 16 is lowered according to the shape of the cam 62 as when the plastic bottle 6 is being supplied. If the PET bottle 6 is not in the position where the top locator 16 has been lowered, the operating pin 76 pushed by the spring 78 and projecting below the guide cone 72 has no interference, and the positional relationship with the guide cone 72 is As shown in FIG. 5B, the guide cone 72 interferes with the inlet star wheel 10 and the center guide 12. When the operating pin 76 does not rise relative to the guide cone 72, the steel ball 80 in the accommodation hole 72ba formed in the guide cone 72 is positioned outside the reduced diameter portion 76a of the operating pin 76. Therefore, the lock mechanism 82 does not work, and the guide cone 72 can be raised with respect to the rod 70. As the rod 70 is lowered, the guide cone 72 resists the urging force of the spring 74 and the spring 78. Rise relatively. Since the spring force of both the springs 74 and 78 is weak, the downward force of the rod 70, that is, the downward biasing force of the main spring 54 does not directly act on the guide cone 72. There is no risk of damage. In this embodiment, the lower end of the operating pin 76 protrudes downward from the lower end surface of the guide cone 72. However, it is not always necessary to protrude, and before the cap 6a of the plastic bottle 6 comes into contact with the guide cone 72. As long as the operating pin 76 is pushed up, the locking mechanism 82 can be operated. Further, in this embodiment, the top locator 16 is lowered and presses and holds the plastic bottle 6, but the container is used as a lifting means for moving the top locator 16 up and down relative to the container base 14. Elevating means for raising and lowering the table 14 is provided, and the container table 14 is raised so that the plastic bottle 6 is pressed against the guide cone 72 of the top locator 16 and pressed, and is held between the container table 14 and the top locator 16. It can also be configured.

1 Container transfer device 6 Container (PET bottle)
14 Placement (container base)
16 Top locator 44 Rotating body 70 Rod 72 Guide cone 76 Actuating member (actuating pin)
82 Locking mechanism

Claims (2)

A placement unit on which the container is placed, a top locator that comes into contact with and presses the container on the placement unit from above, a lifting means for raising and lowering the top locator relative to the placement unit, and these In a container transfer device that includes a rotating body that integrally rotates and moves the mounting portion and the top locator, and transfers the container while the container is sandwiched between the mounting portion and the top locator,
The top locator includes a rod that is biased downward, a guide cone that is supported by a lower end portion of the rod so as to be movable up and down, and a lock mechanism that connects the rod and the guide cone in the vertical direction. Is provided with an operating member for operating the lock mechanism by contacting the top surface of the cap placed on the container before the guide cone contacts the container, and the operating member contacts the top surface of the cap. The container transfer device characterized in that the rod and the guide cone are connected in the ascending / descending direction by being pushed up relative to the rod. A vertical guide hole is formed at the lower end of the rod, and a cylindrical portion formed at the upper center of the guide cone is inserted into the guide hole so as to be movable up and down, and in the cylindrical portion of the guide cone, The lower end of the actuating member protrudes below the contact position of the guide cone to the container, and is supported so as to be lifted and lowered.
An engaging portion is formed on the inner surface of the guide hole of the rod, and a receiving hole for receiving an engaging member engageable with the engaging portion is formed on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion of the guide cone. When the is abutted against the top surface of the cap and is pushed up relative to the rod, the engaging member is pressed against the engaging portion to connect the rod and the guide cone in the up-and-down direction. The container transfer device according to claim 1.

Images