JP5861411B2 - Container transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container transport device, and more particularly to a container transport device provided in a container processing device such as a pastoriser, a warmer, or a cooler that performs processing while transporting containers on a wide transport conveyor.

  In container processing equipment that heat-treats containers such as pastorisers, warmers, and coolers, heat treatment such as heating and cooling is performed while conveying a large number of containers on a wide conveyor, and the processed containers are discharged to a discharge conveyor. Then, it is sent to the next process.

  In the container processing apparatus, an accumulation conveyor is provided on the downstream side of a wide conveyance conveyor for conveying containers, and even when a failure occurs in the apparatus on the downstream side, the processed containers are accumulated on the accumulation conveyor. Conventionally, it is not necessary to stop the container processing apparatus. In such a configuration in which the transfer conveyor and the accumulator conveyor are arranged in series, it is general that a delivery conveyor is interposed between the two conveyors. However, in the configuration in which the delivery conveyor is interposed, an installation space for the conveyor is necessary, and the layout is useless.

  In view of this, an invention has been proposed in which an accumulation conveyor is not provided between the conveyance conveyor and the accumulation conveyor of the container processing apparatus, but an accumulation conveyor is provided immediately downstream of the conveyance conveyor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a container filled with a liquid in an upstream filler is supplied to a container processing apparatus by a supply conveyor, and an accumulator conveyor is continuously provided downstream of the transport conveyor of the container processing apparatus. And a discharge conveyor is arranged downstream of the accumulation conveyor.

JP 2006-69744 A

  However, containers filled with contents such as liquids are heavy, and the conveyor conveyor chain may extend or bend due to the load of the container being conveyed, so the conveyor conveyor chain has a certain thickness. Is required. In this case, a large gap corresponding to the thickness of the transport chain is generated between the transport conveyor and the accumulation conveyor. When the gap between the conveyors becomes large in this way, the bridge plate for filling the gap must be enlarged.

  When the width of the transition board in the transport direction is smaller than the container (conveyed object), the container on the transition board is not transported by the transport force of at least one of the transport conveyor and the accumulation conveyor and remains on the transition board. When the width of the transition plate before and after the conveyance direction is larger than the size of the container, the container remains on the transition plate. The remaining container enters the accumulation conveyor by the pressing force of the subsequent container. This pressing force is generated when a subsequent container collides with a container that has stopped. If the force is concentrated at one point, the container may be recessed. In particular, containers in recent years have been made thinner, and dents and the like are likely to be formed in the containers. However, containers with deformations such as dents have a problem in that the market value decreases and is not preferable.

The present invention provides a wide first transport conveyor capable of transporting containers in multiple rows, and a wide width provided in series downstream of the first transport conveyor and capable of transporting containers in multiple rows in the same direction as the first transport conveyor. A transfer conveyor disposed between the first transfer conveyor and the second transfer conveyor and configured to transfer the containers in a direction orthogonal to the two transfer conveyors; A guide from the first transport conveyor to the second transport conveyor is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the conveyor, and the end of the second transport conveyor side faces the downstream side in the transport direction of the transition conveyor. It is inclined arranged so as, characterized in that the widthwise center of the second conveyor, with respect to the center in the lateral direction of the first carrying conveyor, and staggered in the conveying direction downstream side of the link conveyor It is intended to.

The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the transfer speed of the transition conveyor is lower than the transfer speed of the first transfer conveyor.

  Between the first and second wide conveyors arranged in series, a transition conveyor that transports containers in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of both conveyors is disposed, and at the downstream end of the transition conveyor, Since the inclined guide from the first conveyor to the second conveyor is arranged, there is no need to install a delivery conveyor between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, and the first conveyor and the second conveyor There is an advantage that there is no need to install a bridge plate in which the container may stay in between, and there is no possibility of damaging the container due to the pressing force of the subsequent container.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of the container transfer device. (Example 1) FIG. 2 is a side view showing a main part of the container transport device. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a container transport state by the container transport device. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a main part of the container transport device. (Example 2)

  A wide first conveying conveyor provided in a container processing apparatus such as a paste riser, a warmer, or a cooler that performs heat treatment such as heating and cooling of the container, and a series of the first conveying conveyor arranged in series on the downstream side of the first conveying conveyor and in the same direction. A wide second conveyor (accumulator) that transports the containers to and from the downstream end of the first conveyor and the upstream end of the second conveyor, a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of both conveyors A crossing conveyor is provided to transport the containers. A guide for guiding the containers from the first transport conveyor to the second transport conveyor is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transfer conveyor, and the guide has an end on the second transport conveyor side in the transport direction of the transfer conveyor. With the configuration in which it is inclined to face the downstream side, it is not necessary to install a transfer conveyor between the first transfer conveyor and the second transfer conveyor, and there is a risk that the container may be damaged by an impact from the subsequent container. Achieve the goal of eliminating.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. The container transport device includes a transport conveyor 2 (first transport conveyor) installed in the container processing apparatus, an accumulation conveyor 4 (second transport conveyor) arranged in series downstream of the transport conveyor 2, Between the conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4, there is provided a transition conveyor 6 arranged in a direction orthogonal to both the conveyors 2 and 4.

  The transport conveyor 2 is provided in a container processing apparatus that performs heating and cooling processes such as a path riser, a warmer, and a cooler, and has a wide width for transporting and processing a large amount of containers 8 (see FIG. 3). have. The container 8 to be processed by this container processing apparatus is filled with the contents by an upstream filler (not shown), capped by a capper, then transported by a supply conveyor, and supplied to the transport conveyor 2. The While being transported in the container processing apparatus by the transport conveyor 2, the container 8 is subjected to processing such as heating or cooling and then transferred onto the transfer conveyor 6.

  Since the transport conveyor 2 is subjected to processing such as heating or cooling while carrying a large amount of containers 8 on the transport conveyor 2, the transport conveyor 2 needs to withstand high temperature processing and have high tension, so that the transport chain 10 is thick and the sprocket 12 is The diameter is large (see FIG. 2). Accordingly, a large gap is opened between the downstream end 2a of the transport surface of the transport conveyor 2 and the upstream end 4a of the transport surface of the accumulator conveyor 4 to be described later.

  The transfer conveyor 6 is disposed along the downstream end 2a of the transfer conveyor 2 in a direction orthogonal to the transfer conveyor 2, and the containers 8 received from the transfer conveyor 2 are transferred in the transfer direction of the transfer conveyor 2 (arrows in FIG. 1). The sheet is conveyed in a direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the (A direction). In order to minimize the gap between the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor 6 and the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor 2, the transfer belt 14 of the transfer conveyor B is cut obliquely on the lower surface side of the transfer belt 14 so that the lower surface side is While avoiding interference with the transport chain 10 of the transport conveyor 2, the upper surface (transport surface) is made as close as possible to the transport surface of the transport conveyor 2. Similarly, the lower surface side of the conveyor belt 14 is cut out for the accumulator conveyor 4 described later.

  An accumulation conveyor 4 is arranged on the downstream side of the transfer conveyor 2 with the crossing conveyor 6 interposed therebetween. The accumulation conveyor 4 is arranged in series with the conveyance conveyor 2, that is, the upstream end of the accumulation conveyor 4 so as to face the downstream end of the conveyance conveyor 2, and in the same direction (directions of arrows A and C in FIG. 1). It is supposed to run. The accumulation conveyor 4 has a wide width similar to that of the transfer conveyor 2 so that a large amount of containers 8 can be stored. In this embodiment, the transfer conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4 have substantially the same width. Further, the accumulator 4 is arranged such that its center O4 is shifted from the center O2 of the transport conveyor 2 to the downstream side in the transport direction of the transfer conveyor 6 (right side in FIG. 1). Side guides 16 and 18 are provided on both sides of the conveyance conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4 in order to prevent the containers 8 from falling off the conveyance surface.

  An inclined guide 20 that is inclined from one side guide 16 (the right side guide in FIG. 1) of the transfer conveyor 2 toward one side guide 18 of the accumulation conveyor 4 is provided at the downstream end of the transfer conveyor 6. The inclined guide 20 guides the containers 8 on the conveyor 2 to the accumulator 4 through the conveyor 6. In this embodiment, an inclined guide 20 for connecting the conveyance conveyor 2 and the side guides 16 and 18 of the accumulation conveyor 4 is also provided on the upstream side of the transfer conveyor 6. Furthermore, the inclination guide 22 is provided in the position (2 places which divided the whole width | variety into 1/3 each) of the position of the conveyance conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4 of about 1/3. These tilt guides 22 are also tilted by the amount of shift in which the transport conveyor 2 and the accumulator conveyor 4 are shifted in the same manner as the tilt guides 20 on both sides.

  The transfer conveyor 2, the transfer conveyor 6, and the accumulation conveyor 4 are driven by separate motors (not shown), and the conveyors 2, 4, 6 can be driven and stopped independently. You can also set and change the speed individually. In this embodiment, the transfer conveyor 6 is operated at a lower speed than the transport conveyor 2.

  The operation of the container transport device according to the above configuration will be described. A filler, a capper and the like (not shown) are arranged on the upstream side of the container transport device, and the container 8 filled with contents such as liquid by the filler is capped by the capper and then transported by the supply conveyor. It is delivered to the conveyor 2 of the container processing apparatus. While the container 8 is being transported by the transport conveyor 2, processing such as heating or cooling is performed. In order to allow a large amount of containers 8 to stay in the container processing apparatus for a long time and perform sufficient processing, the conveyor 2 is operated at an extremely low speed. In such a normal operation state, the container 8 extends to the full width of the conveyor 2 and is conveyed in contact with the front and rear (see FIG. 3).

  The containers 8 transported by the transport conveyor 2 are transferred to the transfer conveyor 6 and transported in a direction B orthogonal to the transport direction A of the transport conveyor 2. When the container 8 conveyed by the transfer conveyor 6 reaches the position of the inclined guide 20 arranged near the downstream end of the transfer conveyor 6, it is conveyed along the inclination of the inclined guide 20 and on the transfer conveyor 2. The containers 8 are transferred from the transfer conveyor 6 to the accumulation conveyor 4 by the pressing force of the subsequent containers 8. Since the transfer speed of the transfer conveyor 6 is slower than the transfer speed of the transfer conveyor 2 as described above, the containers 8 are stored in the transfer conveyor 6 and reach the inclined guide 20 at the downstream end of the transfer conveyor 6 for transfer. The number of containers 8 to be transferred is small, and the deviation in the width direction of the containers 8 transferred to the accumulation conveyor 4 can be reduced.

  The container 8 delivered to the accumulation conveyor 4 is conveyed by the accumulation conveyor 4 and discharged onto a discharge conveyor (not shown) provided at the downstream end thereof. By this discharge conveyor, it is sent to a downstream device such as a labeler or a detection device. In the apparatus according to this embodiment, the container 8 transported by the transition conveyor 6 is transferred to the accumulation conveyor 4 along the inclined guide 20 provided at the most downstream portion of the transition conveyor 6 or is transported by the transition conveyor 6. In the middle of this, the transfer to the accumulation conveyor 4 is performed by the pressing force of the containers 8 from the transport conveyor 2. At this time, since the container 8 is transported in the direction B orthogonal to the transport direction A of the transport conveyor 2, the load on the container 8 is not concentrated on one point, and the container 8 is not damaged or falls. . Furthermore, since the transfer speed of the transfer conveyor 6 is lower than the transfer speed of the transfer conveyor 2, there is no risk of the container 8 falling over when changing, and the distribution of the containers 8 on the accumulator conveyor 4 is less biased. Can do. Moreover, the conveyance conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4 are continuously provided in series, and it is space-saving compared with the case where a delivery conveyor is provided like the conventional apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, the containers 8 are delivered from the accumulation conveyor 4 to the discharge conveyor and sent to the next process. However, an accumulation conveyor may be further provided on the downstream side of the illustrated accumulation conveyor 4. Further, when a plurality of accumulation conveyors are provided, a transition conveyor according to the present embodiment may be provided between the accumulation conveyors. Furthermore, a sensor may be provided at a predetermined location of each of the conveyors 2, 4, 6, and the conveyance speed of each of the conveyors 2, 4, 6 may be changed according to the storage status of the containers 8 on the accumulation conveyor 4. . Moreover, you may make it change suitably the conveyance speed of the conveyance conveyor 2, the crossing conveyor 6, and the accumulation conveyor 4 according to the shape of the container 8, and a size. Moreover, in the said Example, as shown in FIG. 1, although the inclination guide 22 was arrange | positioned at 2 places divided into 1/3 each in the width direction of the conveyance conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4, the arrangement | positioning location of this inclination guide 22 is arranged. It can be added or omitted. However, by providing the inclined guide 22 in the middle in the width direction of both conveyors 2 and 4, the container 8 is not biased to one side of the accumulation conveyor 4 (downstream portion of the crossing conveyor 6). The conveyor 4 can be uniformly distributed and fed. Moreover, in the said Example, although the conveyance conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4 were set as the structure which has the substantially same width | variety and both the conveyors 2 and 4 were offset and arrange | positioned, these are not offset, but the width | variety of the accumulation conveyor 4 May be wider than the transfer conveyor 2 toward the downstream side of the transfer conveyor 6.

  FIG. 4 shows a container transfer device according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the configurations of the transfer conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4 are the same as those of the first embodiment, and only the configuration of the connecting portions of these conveyors is different. A description will be omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  A transfer conveyor 106 is disposed between the transfer conveyor 2 and the accumulation conveyor 4. As for the transfer conveyor 106, the side of the transfer conveyor 2 side is notched obliquely on the lower surface side like the transfer conveyor 6 of the first embodiment, and the upper surface side approaches the end 2 a of the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor 2. Are arranged as follows. On the other hand, the side 106a of the crossing conveyor 106 on the accumulation conveyor 4 side does not extend to a position approaching the upstream end 4a of the conveying surface of the accumulation conveyor 4, but is spaced from the sprocket 124 of the accumulation conveyor 4. Yes. In addition, a fixed narrow transition plate 126 is installed in the gap between the transition conveyor 106 and the accumulation conveyor 4. The width of the transition plate 126 is extremely small compared to the size of the container 8, and there is no possibility that the container 8 stops on the transition plate 126. Such an extremely narrow bridge plate 126 does not have the possibility of extending like a chain, is easy to adjust the height between conveyors, and can be used as a braking (buffer) member when the conveyance direction changes by 90 degrees. The effect is obtained. A similar transition plate 126 may be provided between the transition conveyor 106 and the transport conveyor 2.

2 First conveyor (conveyor)
4 Second conveyor (Accumulator)
6 Crossing conveyor 8 Container 20 Guide (Inclined guide)

Claims (2)

A wide first transport conveyor capable of transporting containers in multiple rows and a wide second transport that is provided in series downstream of the first transport conveyor and capable of transporting containers in multiple rows in the same direction as the first transport conveyor In a container transport device equipped with a conveyor,
A transition conveyor that is disposed between the first transport conveyor and the second transport conveyor and transports the containers in a direction orthogonal to both the transport conveyors, and a downstream side of the transport conveyor in the transport direction from the first transport conveyor. A guide to the second conveyor is provided, and the guide is disposed so that the end of the second conveyor is inclined toward the downstream side in the transport direction of the cross conveyor ,
The container transport device, wherein the second transport conveyor is disposed with a center in a width direction shifted from a center in a width direction of the first transport conveyor to a downstream side in the transport direction of the transfer conveyor . Container transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying speed of the link conveyor and slower than the conveying speed of the first conveyor.

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