JP5638377B2 - Container transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container transport device for a lightweight container having a collar at the neck of a PET bottle or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a container transport device for a lightweight container having a collar on the neck of a PET bottle or the like supports the lower surface of the collar by a neck rail composed of a pair of opposed rails, and blows air on the container to A conveyor (air conveyor) using pressurized air that is adapted to transport containers by sliding is mainly used, and in a container transport apparatus comprising such an air conveyor, the lower surface of the collar portion is Technology to prevent damage caused by slippage due to air conveyance, or the posture of the container is lost during container conveyance, the container tilts backward, and the container being conveyed bites into the neck rail and the container stays In such a case, a technique for detecting and eliminating the container retention has been disclosed. (Patent Documents 1 and 2)

  In recent years, there is an increasing demand for technology development for transporting a container in an upright state so that the container does not lose its position during container transportation.

JP 2002-137825 A (FIG. 1) Japanese Patent No. 4379210 (FIG. 1)

  According to Patent Document 1, air in a lightweight container that transports a container while causing an air flow to act on a container having a collar on the neck and sliding the collar on the upper surface of the guide rail along the container trajectory. In the transport conveyor apparatus, an air injection port is provided immediately below the guide rail, the container receives thrust in the traveling direction and the flange receives thrust in the floating direction by the pressurized air injected from the air injection port. In this way, the container is transported.

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, there is only one pressurized air injection location directly below the guide rail, and the container body is tilted in the direction opposite to the transport direction due to the air resistance acting on the container body during container transport. There is a risk that this has not been addressed.
Further, since the injected pressurized air flow is allowed to enter the air guide passage (container mouth portion transport passage) in the container transport direction and obliquely upward, the container mouth portion is propelled. Even when the mouth part is propelled, the container body part tilts in the direction opposite to the transport direction with the collar part as a fulcrum, so the container collar part often bites into the guide rail. There is a risk that the jammed state often becomes blocked. In addition, for example, when the cross-sectional shape of the container body is not cylindrical, such as a cannonball, a forward tilting force is likely to be generated by the propulsive force, and particularly when the container is stopped, it is applied to the container mouth. Since the container tends to be in a state where the container is tilted forward and stabilized by the propulsive force, there is a risk that the container posture cannot be kept upright.

  Further, according to Patent Document 2, the container supported by the neck rail composed of a pair of opposed rails that support the lower surface of the flange formed on the neck of the container is transported by the air transport force. In the container transport device, an air duct (air blown from the top blower) that applies thrust to the entire container mouth with pressurized air above the flange and a side blower that applies thrust to the container body with pressurized air below the flange are provided. The container is transported.

However, in the technique of the above-mentioned patent document 2, the pressurized air spraying locations are two locations above and below the container flange. However, the thrust of the container mouth by the pressurized air sprayed above the container flange is the bottom surface of the flange. As a fulcrum, the container posture may be inclined to the direction opposite to the conveying direction.
Also, the air resistance acting on the container body, which has a large area for receiving the air flow during container transportation, is large, and the action of inclining the container posture by the air resistance force in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction is large with the flange lower surface as a fulcrum . The air blowing by the side blower to the container body below the flange is to correct the inclination of the container posture in the direction opposite to the conveying direction by the pressurized air blowing to the container mouth above the flange. Although it works to correct the inclination of the container posture due to the air resistance force in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, there are a wide variety of shapes of the container body to be air blown by the side blower. , The air blowing force is not constant, and it is practically impossible to arrange the air blowing member at a position adapted to the container shape, and the container posture during container transportation should be kept upright May become impossible.
For this reason, when the container is transported, the flange of the container neck often bites into the neck rail, and the subsequent container of the bitten container may be blocked, often resulting in a so-called jammed state.

  In the present invention, a pressure fluid (for example, pressurized air) is ejected in a state where the container is supported by a support device (neck rail) composed of a pair of opposed rails that abut the lower surface of the collar part of the container having a collar part at the neck part. In a container transport device that transports a container by means of pressurized air jetting means, the container remains in an upright state without requiring a special side blow device or its position adjustment even for a wide variety of container body shapes. Provides a container transport device that transports and prevents the collar portion of the transport container from getting caught in the neck rail, and further provides container characteristics (container weight, container height below the container collar, container width, container diameter, container It is an object of the present invention to provide a container transport device that can be automatically controlled to keep the container in an upright state independently even when the coefficient of friction between the collar portion and the neck rail and the container transport capability change.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following means.
(1) The container transport device of the first means is a support device comprising a pair of opposed rails that come into contact with the lower surface of the collar portion of a container having a collar portion at the neck (neck) (commonly called a lightweight container called a PET bottle). In the container conveying apparatus that conveys the container by pressurized air ejecting means for ejecting a pressurized fluid (for example, pressurized air; hereinafter referred to as pressurized air) while the container is supported on the neck rail), the pressurization A propelling device for ejecting pressurized air for applying a force in a container conveying direction to the lower side of the collar part (lower part of the neck rail) with respect to the neck rail; A posture control device that ejects pressurized air for applying a force in the direction opposite to the container conveyance direction to the container mouth, and the pressure of the pressurized air generated by the propulsion device and the posture control device Before generating The pressure of the pressurized air is a preset container characteristic, which is the container weight, the container height below the container collar, the container width, the container diameter, the coefficient of friction between the container collar and the neck rail, and the conveying capacity. the known reference data determined by, set automatically by the control device,
The posture control device and the propulsion device are provided at predetermined pitch intervals at symmetrical positions with respect to the conveyance path of the container mouth portion and the pair of neck rails, respectively .

(2) The container transport device of the second means is the container transport device of the first means, wherein the attitude control device is configured to control the container transport speed by transporting the container supported by the neck rail. In order to blow out the pressurized air necessary to prevent the lower part (container body) from tilting in the direction opposite to the container transport direction by the resistance force of the air generated in proportion, An air volume adjusting device is provided.

(3) The container transport device of the third means is the container transport device of the second means, wherein the air volume adjusting device is configured such that a necessary air volume setting value is automatically set by a command from the control device. It is characterized by that.

(4) The container transport device of the fourth means is the container transport device of the first to third means, wherein the propulsion device and the attitude control device control the jet pressure of the pressurized air to the container mouth portion. It is characterized by being formed from a common pressure chamber serving as a pressure supply source for supplying the entire conveying path.

(5) The container transport device of the fifth means is the container transport device of the first to fourth means, wherein the dimensions of the container mouth portion to be transported are in the outer diameter direction and the height direction to the body size of the container. by utilizing the fact that the same regardless the size of the cross section of the conveying path of the container mouth portion forming the posture control device, mouth outer diameter direction and a height direction of the container occurs in the container transport It is possible to use the stable region of the jetting speed of the pressurized air acting on the container mouth so that the gap is necessary so as not to interfere with the member forming the transport passage of the container mouth due to the shaking of the container It is characterized by comprising.

(6) container transport device of the sixth means, in the vessel conveying device of the fifth means from said first, said attitude control device, the transport path of the container mouth portion forming the attitude control device It is provided in any one or both of the side surface and the top surface.

The invention according to claim 1 is a pressurized air ejecting means for ejecting pressurized air in a state where the container is supported on a neck rail composed of a pair of opposed rails that contact the lower surface of the collar part of the container having a collar part at the neck part. In the container transport apparatus that transports the container by the pressure, the pressurized air jetting unit is configured to apply pressure in the container transport direction on the lower side of the collar portion (lower neck rail) with respect to the neck rail portion. A propulsion device that ejects air, and a posture control device that ejects pressurized air to the container mouth above the collar to give a force opposite to the container transport direction Thus, the propulsive force required for container transportation is given by the propulsion device, and the force is applied to the container body by the attitude control device against the force of the air resistance force that the container body tends to incline in the direction opposite to the container transportation direction. Erect That force gives always be to serve to keep the container in upright state, it can be transported while maintaining the container upright state. This balance effect of erecting force makes it possible to prevent the heel portion of the container from biting into the neck rail, and has an effect that the container can be stably conveyed in an upright state.
Further, in the attitude control device, even when the container body has a wide variety of shapes, the pressurized air is ejected to the container mouth portion having the same shape and dimension, thereby utilizing the stable velocity region of the ejected pressurized air. Therefore, the force necessary to keep the container upright can be stably maintained. In addition, the pressure of the pressurized air generated by the propulsion device and the pressure of the pressurized air generated by the attitude control device may be set to preset container characteristics (container weight, container height below the container heel, The width of the container, the diameter of the container, the coefficient of friction between the container collar and the neck rail) and the known reference data determined by the conveyance capacity are set automatically by the control device, so the shape of the container, There is an effect that the posture can be automatically controlled in accordance with the container characteristics such as the size and the conveyance capacity of the container.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the container conveying device according to the first aspect, the attitude control device includes an air volume adjusting device, so that the air resistance force generated in the container body as the container is conveyed is reduced. This has the effect that the pressure required to prevent the barrel portion of the container from tilting in the direction opposite to the container transport direction can be applied to the pressurized air.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the container transfer device according to the second aspect, the air volume adjusting device is configured to automatically set a necessary air volume setting value by a command from the control device. The pressure of the pressurized air necessary for the attitude control is automatically adjusted by the air volume adjusting device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the container transfer device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the propulsion device and the attitude control device are configured to control the jet pressure of the pressurized air over the entire transfer passage of the container mouth. By being formed from a common pressure chamber serving as a pressure supply source for supply, the posture control can be appropriately controlled in relation to the conveyance capability of the container.
Furthermore, it is possible to simplify the structure of the pressure supply source and to eliminate the need for a spraying device such as a side blower or adjusting means on the container body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the container conveying device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the outer diameter direction and the height direction dimension of the container mouth portion to be conveyed are the same regardless of the body size of the container. Therefore, the size of the cross section of the transport passage of the container mouth forming the attitude control device is such that the outer diameter direction and the height direction of the container mouth are caused by the shaking of the container that occurs during container transport. By having a minimum size having a gap necessary not to interfere with the member forming the conveyance path of the container mouth, and configured to be able to use the stable region of the injection speed of the pressurized air acting on the container mouth, It has the effect that the force which the pressurized air which ejects acts on a container opening part can be stabilized.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the container transport device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the posture control device is connected to the side surface portion and the top surface portion of the transport passage of the container mouth portion forming the posture control device. By providing either or both of them, it is possible to select an appropriate installation position of the attitude control device according to the container characteristics and the container carrying capacity in performing the attitude control, and the attitude control is effective. The effect that it can be performed automatically.

It is side surface sectional drawing of the container conveying apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is V2-V2 sectional drawing of FIG. 1, and one part is abbreviate | omitting illustration. In the front view of FIG. 1, a partial cross-sectional view is shown, and a part of the illustration is omitted.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.
(Embodiment of the Invention)

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a container transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V2-V2 of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1 and is a partial cross-sectional view, and a part of the illustration is omitted.

In FIG. 1, the container transport device 1 includes a pair of opposed neck rails (supporting devices) 5 that come into contact with the lower surface of the collar part Ph of the container P having a collar part at the neck (neck), and the lower side of the collar part Ph. A propulsion device N2 (a jet outlet N2, hereinafter also referred to as a jet outlet N2) for jetting a pressure fluid (for example, pressurized air; hereinafter referred to as pressurized air) for applying a force in the Y direction (container transport direction) to Attitude control device N1 (jet port N1, hereinafter also referred to as jet port N1) for jetting a pressure fluid (pressurized air) for applying a force in the direction opposite to the Y direction to the container mouth portion Pc above the flange Ph And a common pressure chamber 6r that is a pressure supply source of the pressurized air composed of the outer wall 6 and the transfer passage body 7, a control device 8 that will be described later, and an air volume adjusting device 10 that will be described later. Pressurization ejected from the pressure chamber 6r By air, so as to transport the container P in the Y direction.
In this configuration, the pressurized air ejection means is constituted by the propulsion device N2 and the attitude control device N1, and the ejection direction of the pressurized air is opposite to the Y direction and the Y direction, respectively.

  Moreover, the trunk | drum Pb below the collar part Ph of the container P is covered with the cover 4a, the cover 4b, and the cover 4c provided along the Y direction, and this cover 4a, the cover 4b, and the cover 4c are this In addition to being a part of the main frame of the transfer device, it serves as a cover for protecting the transfer container P from the external environment. Further, the cover 4a and the cover 4b include a body portion Pb of the transfer container P. A guide member 4d is provided for restricting side vibration during the conveyance, and the guide member 4d can be freely protruded or retracted by the cylinder 8 in the direction of the body Pb of the container P. However, the cover 4a, the cover 4b, the cover 4c, and the guide member 4d are not requirements for restricting the technical idea of the present invention.

  The jet outlet N1 and the jet outlet N2 are provided at predetermined pitch intervals at symmetrical positions with respect to the transport passage 7r of the mouth portion Pc of the container P and the pair of neck rails 5, respectively. The right half of Y1 shows the arrangement of the jet outlet N1, and the left half of the center line Y1 shows the arrangement of the jet outlet N2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the jet outlet N2 is configured such that pressurized air is jetted from the pressure chamber 6r to the neck of the container P on the lower surface of the flange part Ph of the container P in the direction of the arrow w2. Propulsive force for conveying the container P in the Y direction is given. The jet outlet N1 is directed in the direction of the arrow w1 so that pressurized air is jetted from the pressure chamber 6r toward the mouth portion Pc of the container P, and the attitude of the container P is controlled as will be described later. It is like that.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air volume adjusting device 10 is provided at the ejection port N1, and the air volume adjusting mechanism of the air volume adjusting device 10 is an air volume adjusting tool 11 provided in the pressure chamber 6r. However, the position from the outlet N1 is indicated by the operation of the driving device 15 attached to the cover 4a and the cover 4b via the attachment 16 through the rod 12 that slides through the outer wall 6 in an airtight manner. The air volume of the pressurized air ejected from the pressure chamber 6r in the direction of the arrow w1 can be adjusted by changing the opening as in 10s and adjusting the opening through which the pressurized air passes.
The drive device 15 may be a servo cylinder, a servo motor, or the like, and in any case, the drive device 15 operates so that the set position of the air volume adjuster 11 is automatically changed by a command from the control device 8.

  The control device 8 includes predetermined container characteristics (the weight of the container P, the height of the container P below the container collar Ph, the width of the container P, the diameter of the container P, the container P and the neck rail 5. Friction coefficient, etc.) and known reference data determined by the conveyance capacity of the container P are set, and the drive device 15 is operated in accordance with a command from the control device 8, and the direction of the air volume adjusting tool 11 in the direction of the arrow 10s Is automatically set, the air volume of the pressurized air (that is, the force applied to the mouth portion Pc of the container P) ejected from the ejection port N1 to the mouth portion Pc of the container P is automatically set. It has come to be.

  Note that the size of the cross section of the transport passage 7r of the mouth portion Pc provided with the spout N1 is the same as the outer diameter direction and the height of the mouth portion Pc even if the container P is shaken during transport. The direction is a minimum size having a necessary gap so as not to interfere with the transport passage body 7 forming the transport passage 7r of the container mouth, and the pressurized air from the jet port N1 applied to the mouth Pc Power can be maintained stably.

  In the above description, the case where the ejection port N1 is provided in the side surface portion (side surface portion of the transport passage body 7) of the transport passage 7r of the mouth portion Pc is shown. However, the ejection port N1 is the top of the transport passage 7r of the mouth portion Pc. You may provide in a surface part (top | upper surface part of the conveyance path body 7), and you may provide in both the side part and top | upper surface part of the conveyance path 7r of the said opening Pc.

  Here, the pressure of the pressurized air ejected from the ejection port N2 is set in proportion to the pressure of the pressurized air in the pressure chamber 6r supplied from a pressure supply device (not shown). However, an air volume adjusting device similar to the air volume adjusting device 10 is also provided at the outlet N2, and the air volume of the pressurized air ejected from the pressure chamber 6r in the direction of the arrow w2 (that is, the propulsion device N2) The propulsive force) may be adjusted, and the pressure applied to the pressure chamber 6r and the pressure of the pressurized air ejected from the ejection port N2 are automatically set by the control device 8. ing.

Next, the operation of the container transport device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
For example, when a gas fluid such as pressurized air is ejected from an ejection port, it is known that the velocity of the ejection fluid decreases in inverse proportion to the distance from the ejection port to a location to be sprayed. That is, even if the ejection pressure is constant, the force acting on the mouth portion Pc of the container P varies depending on the area of the ejection port and the distance from the ejection port.
Therefore, in the present invention, in order to make the pressurized air ejected from the ejection port N1 and the ejection port N2 work as a stable force, the structure of the conveyance path 7r is configured to have a size that is a minimum space necessary for conveyance. Yes.

FIG. 3 shows the force acting on the container P which is supported by the pair of neck rails 5 while the lower surface of the flange portion Ph is supported and the posture is controlled by the pressurized air ejected from the pressurized air ejection means. And explained.
The air resistance force Fbw received by the body portion Pb of the container P when the container P is conveyed, the air resistance force Fcn generated at the mouth portion Pc of the container P, and the pressurization jetted from the outlet N1 to the mouth portion Pc. The attitude control force Fcw received by the air, the frictional force Fμ acting between the collar Ph and the neck rail 5 when the container P is conveyed, and the stationary container P are accelerated to a necessary speed. A propulsive force F2 necessary for transporting the container P is provided by a jet output of pressurized air from the jet outlet N2 with respect to a full load force (resistance force) composed of a necessary acceleration force Fα.

Next, the relationship between the posture and force of the container P being transported is that the distance from the transport surface of the neck rail 5 to the center of gravity of the container body Pb is Hb, and from the upper surface of the neck rail 5 to the center of the container mouth Pc. If the distance is Hc, the moment balance based on the position supported by the neck rail 5 must be established.
The relationship of the force for supporting and transporting the container P by the neck rail 5 is as follows:
Moment for rotating container P clockwise: Fbw × Hb
Moment for rotating container P counterclockwise: (Fcw + Fcn) × Hc
Force required to transport the container P: F2 = Fbw + Fμ + Fα + Fcw + Fcn
here,
From Fbw × Hb = (Fcw + Fcn) × Hc,
Fcw = (Fbw × Hb−Fcn × Hc) / Hc,
The force required for posture stabilization of the posture control device N1 is determined.

  The air resistance force Fbw received by the container body Pb is basically the resistance force of air received by the projected area of the container body Pb depending on the transport speed of the container P, and has a large projected area of the container body Pb. The air resistance increases as the container and the conveying speed increase. In addition, the propulsive force F2 necessary for the conveyance becomes stronger as the above conditions are satisfied. For this reason, the container P to be conveyed is in an upright state when there is no jet of pressurized air from an outlet N1 described later. Therefore, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the container body Pb tends to be inclined in the direction opposite to the Y direction (clockwise). As a result, a state in which the end portion in the advancing direction of the flange portion Ph bites into the conveyance surface of the pair of neck rails 5 is induced, and in the worst case, the container P cannot be conveyed at a predetermined speed. Will be in a so-called jammed state (contained while the container P remains inclined).

  The air resistance force Fbw, the air resistance force Fcn, the attitude control force Fcw, the friction force Fμ, and the propulsion force F2 are determined by the container characteristics of the container P (the weight of the container P, the container P below the container flange Ph). The height, the width of the container P, the diameter of the container P, the coefficient of friction between the container P and the neck rail 5, etc.) and the transport capacity (transport speed) of the container P. The controller 8 is set and inputted in advance as known reference data, and the controller 8 automatically sets the set pressure to the pressure chamber 6r serving as the pressure supply source and the operating amount by the driving device 15 of the air volume adjusting device 10. Therefore, the propulsive force and the force required for attitude control can be automatically set.

  As described above, the control device 8 automatically controls the propulsion force and the posture control force, so that the container P can be conveyed in the Y direction in a stable posture while maintaining an upright state. it can.

1 container transport device 5 (a pair of) neck rails (support device)
6 outer wall 6r pressure chamber 7 transport passage body 7r container mouth transport passage 10 air volume adjusting device 11 air volume adjusting device 15 (air flow adjusting device) driving device F2 container propulsion force Fα container acceleration force Fbw air resistance force Fcn received by the container body Air resistance force Fcw received by the container mouth part Attitude control force Fμ of the container mouth part Friction resistance force N1 between the container and the neck rail
N2 spout (propulsion unit)
P container Pb (container P) trunk Pc (container P) mouth Ph (container P) collar

Claims (6)

In a state in which the container is supported by a support device (hereinafter referred to as a neck rail) composed of a pair of opposed rails in contact with the lower surface of the collar part of a container having a collar part at the neck (neck) (commonly called a lightweight container called a PET bottle). In a container transfer device for transferring a container by a pressurized air jetting means for jetting a pressure fluid (for example, pressurized air; hereinafter referred to as pressurized air),
A propulsion device that jets pressurized air for applying a force in a container conveying direction to the lower side of the collar part (lower part of the neck rail) with respect to the neck rail; and the collar part Consists of a posture control device that jets pressurized air to give a force in the direction opposite to the container transport direction to the upper container mouth,
The pressure of the pressurized air generated by the propulsion device and the pressure of the pressurized air generated by the attitude control device are container weights that are preset container characteristics, a container height below a container collar, a container Is automatically set by the control device according to known reference data determined by the width of the container, the diameter of the container, the coefficient of friction between the container collar and the neck rail and the conveying capacity ,
The container transport device, wherein the posture control device and the propulsion device are provided at predetermined pitch intervals at symmetrical positions with respect to the transport passage of the container mouth and the pair of neck rails . In the container conveyance device according to claim 1,
In the posture control device, the lower part (container body part) of the container is conveyed by the resistance of air generated in proportion to the conveyance speed of the container when the container is supported by the neck rail and conveyed. A container conveying device comprising an air volume adjusting device so as to eject pressurized air necessary to prevent tilting in a direction opposite to the direction. In the container transport device according to claim 2,
The air volume adjusting device is configured such that a necessary air volume setting value is automatically set by a command from the control device. In the container conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 to 3,
Characterized in that the propulsion device and the posture control device, the are formed from a common pressure chamber the ejection pressure is a pressure source for supplying throughout the transport path of the container mouth part of the pressurized air Container transport device. In the container conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
By utilizing the dimensions of the outer diameter and height directions of the container opening to be conveyed is identical regardless of the barrel size of the container, the transport path of the container mouth portion forming the attitude control system The size of the cross section is a minimum having a gap necessary so that the outer diameter direction and the height direction of the container do not interfere with the member that forms the transport passage of the container mouth due to the shaking of the container that occurs during container transport. And a container conveying device characterized in that a stable region of the jetting speed of the pressurized air acting on the container mouth portion can be used. In the container conveyance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Wherein the attitude control system, either one of the side portion and the top surface portion of the conveyance path of the container mouth portion forming the attitude control device or vessel conveying device, characterized in that provided on both.

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