JP6348294B2 - Tube container inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tube container inspection apparatus, and more specifically, to an apparatus for inspecting, for example, whether there is an abnormality in a seal portion that seals and seals a tube container.

  As one of containers for storing contents such as cream and other highly viscous fluids and liquids, there is a tube container. The tube container includes a cylindrical body portion made of a flexible material such as a soft synthetic resin, and is heat sealed at one end of the body portion and continuously formed at the other end of the body portion. The cap is attached to the narrow neck.

  In order to fill the tube container with the contents, in general, one end side of the body portion without the cap is opened, and an intermediate product with the cap attached to the neck portion is used, and the contents are supplied from the opened one end side, and then One end of the opening is heat sealed and sealed. And this type of tube container is stored in a packaging box, for example, in a plurality, and is often wholesaled to a store.

  On the other hand, if the heat seal at one end of the body portion is poor, the contents may leak out from the one end. In view of this, there is one in which a seal failure is inspected before being stored in the packaging box. An example of this type of inspection apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 reduces the distance between the pair of pressing tools between the first time t1 and the second time t2 while sandwiching the body from both sides with a constant load by the pair of pressing tools. Judge the heat seal status based on the quantity.

JP-A-4-370731

  For example, in the case where a tube system filled with contents is inspected and a packaging system in which a predetermined number of non-defective tube containers are packed is created, it is necessary to inspect at high speed. However, since the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 sets and inspects the tube containers one by one, the apparatus is not suitable for automatically processing at high speed.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the tube container inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes (1) the tube container having a band-shaped seal portion in which one end of a body portion for storing contents is heat-sealed and sealed. A tube container inspection device for determining the quality of a seal part , wherein the tube container is erected and conveyed in a line in a conveying direction, and the seals of the tube containers arranged in a line A strain inspection unit that collectively inspects whether or not the portion is arranged in parallel with the transport direction, and the seal portions of the plurality of tube containers inspected simultaneously by the strain inspection unit are in the transport direction Are arranged in parallel to each other, the next stage seal inspection unit is configured to inspect the quality of the seal portions of the plurality of tube containers, and the strain inspection unit is configured to convey the tube containers A pair of photoelectric sensors arranged before and after the direction, the seal portions of the plurality of tube containers arranged in a row to be inspected are positioned between the pair of photoelectric sensors, the photoelectric sensor, It is a transmissive type, and an inspection is performed based on whether or not light output from one of the photoelectric sensors toward the other photoelectric sensor is blocked by the seal portion.

  For multiple tube containers arranged in a line along the transport direction, the strain inspection unit checks whether the seal part is placed in parallel with the transport direction and determines that the seals are aligned correctly in parallel. The seal inspection was performed at the next-stage seal inspection unit. Accordingly, since the tube containers to be inspected in the seal inspection unit are aligned, the same inspection can be easily processed in a lump. In addition, the determination algorithm or the like for the batch inspection is preferable because it may be the same. In addition, it is a plurality of tube containers that have been inspected at the same time by the distortion inspection unit, but is not limited to only the plurality of tube containers, and other tube containers can be inspected at the same time by the seal inspection unit. May be included. For example, as in the embodiment, two inspection objects in the distortion inspection apparatus may be collectively inspected by the seal inspection unit. And the tube container made into the non-defective product by the seal inspection part is carried out to the downstream packaging line.

  (2) The seal inspection unit may include a plurality of seal inspection units with different inspection methods. By performing a seal inspection using a different inspection method, it is possible to more reliably detect a seal failure and to suppress the shipment of defective products as much as possible.

  (3) One of the seal inspection sections of the different inspection methods includes a pair of pressure members that are sandwiched in the transport direction, and the body is sandwiched from both sides by the pair of pressure members. The first seal inspection unit that determines the quality of the seal portion based on the displacement of the thickness of the body portion due to the pressurization, and the thickness of the seal portion is measured, and based on the measured thickness It is preferable to include any one of the second seal inspection parts for determining the quality of the seal part. The first seal inspection unit corresponds to the leak inspection unit 42 in the embodiment, and the second seal inspection unit corresponds to the seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43 in the embodiment. Each of the seal inspection parts can be inspected with a simple configuration and is suitable for inspecting a plurality of seal parts when the directions of the seal parts are aligned.

  (4) The first seal inspection unit includes a pair of guide members that are sandwiched in the transport direction, and the leading ends of the guide members that are opposed to each other are close to the upper side of the trunk unit, It is good to comprise so that collapse may be suppressed. By providing the pair of guide members, it is possible to prevent the body from being lit when the body is sandwiched between the pair of pressure plates. A plurality of tube containers in which the directions of the seal portions are aligned are set in the first seal inspection portion by passing through the strain detection portion. Since the seal portion is parallel to the transport direction, the upper portion of the body portion may smoothly enter between the pair of guide plates.

  (5) The second seal inspection unit includes a pair of sensors installed between the conveyance directions, and the pair of sensors measure the distances to the opposing seal units, and based on the measurement results. It is preferable that the thickness of the seal portion is determined. Since the direction of the seal portion is parallel to the conveyance direction, the distance to the seal portion can be easily and accurately obtained using a pair of sensors.

  (6) When the seal part is not arranged in parallel with the transport direction in a part of the plurality of tube containers inspected at the same time by the distortion inspection part, all of the plurality of tube containers are It is preferable not to be an inspection target of the seal inspection unit.

  (7) It is preferable that the number of tube containers to be inspected at a time in the seal inspection unit is larger than the number of tube containers to be inspected at a time in the distortion inspection unit. In the embodiment, the tube container for two times, which is the inspection target of the distortion inspection unit, is collectively inspected by the seal inspection unit.

  According to the present invention, first, strain inspection is performed on a plurality of tube containers arranged in a row, and it is confirmed that the seal portion is aligned in the transport direction. Since the seal inspection is performed collectively, since the orientation is uniform in the seal inspection, a plurality of tube containers can be inspected collectively. Therefore, for example, the present invention can be preferably applied to a packaging system in which a tube container filled with contents is inspected and a predetermined number of good tube containers are packed in a box.

It is a top view which shows an example of the packaging system by which the tube container test | inspection apparatus which concerns on this invention is mounted. The schematic structure which paid its attention to the part of the conveyance apparatus for tube containers mounted in a packaging system is shown. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the part which loads a tube container to a seal | sticker test | inspection apparatus. It is an enlarged view which mainly shows the carrier which comprises the conveyance apparatus for tube containers. (A) is a top view which shows the distortion inspection part of a standby state, (b) is a top view which shows the distortion inspection part of an operation state. (A) is a front view which shows the leak test | inspection part of a standby state, (b) is the top view. (A) is a front view which shows the leak test | inspection part of an operation state, (b) is the top view. (A) is a front view which shows a seal | sticker part abnormality test | inspection part, (b) is the side view.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not construed as being limited thereto, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a packaging system in which a tube container inspection device according to the present invention is mounted, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration focusing particularly on a tube container transport device. The packaging system used in the present embodiment has a function of filling the contents from one open end of the tube container and sealing the opened portion to produce a tube container containing the contents, and an inspection for inspecting the produced tube container. Functions, assembly of cartons in the unfolded state to manufacture a packaging box, storage of multiple tube containers in the packaging box, and closing of the packaging box, etc. It is for performing a series of processes up to. The figure shows a part of the configuration.

  A tube container inspection device 11 is installed on the upstream side in the figure. A specific configuration of the tube container inspection device 11 will be described later. A tube container 1 to be processed includes a cylindrical body portion 2 made of a flexible material such as a soft synthetic resin, and one end of the body portion 2 is heat-sealed to become a seal portion 4 and sealed. The Further, the cap 3 is attached to a narrow neck portion formed continuously with the other end of the body portion 2. The contents are pushed out from the neck portion by removing the cap 3 and grasping and crushing the body portion 2 from both sides. The contents include, for example, highly viscous liquids such as pastes and creams. Specific examples include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food products.

  On the upstream side of the tube container inspection device 11, a content filling device (not shown) is arranged. This content filling device has a function of filling and supplying contents from one end of the tube container with the seal portion 4 of the body portion 2 opened, and a function of heat sealing and sealing the one end. Is provided. By this heat sealing, the sealed tube container 1 containing the contents is manufactured. The tube container 1 containing the contents is supplied to the tube container inspection apparatus 11 by the tube loading unit 12.

  2 and 3, the tube loading unit 12 used in the present embodiment is arranged in a line from the upstream content filling device in a line in the longitudinal direction with the carrying posture at the carry-out conveyor 13. Are sequentially received by five buckets 14, the bucket 14 is moved in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the carry-out conveyor 13, and the bucket is moved by a transfer device (not shown) at the loading position. Each tube container 1 in 14 is held and the cap 3 is erected with the cap 3 down, and is set on the carrier 16 waiting at the loading position of the tube container inspection device 11.

  The carrier 16 is one of the components of the tube container transport device 20 that transports the tube container in the present packaging system. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, the carrier 16 includes flanges 18 that protrude outward at the lower end of the long side of the substantially rectangular pedestal 17. A concave portion 19 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the pedestal portion 17. The inner diameter of the recess 19 is set equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cap 3 of the tube container 1. The pedestal portion 17 is provided with a stopper mechanism 21, which exerts a horizontal holding force with respect to the cap 3, and fixes the cap 3 at a predetermined position and angle of the pedestal portion 17. Further, a fitting concave portion having a V-shape in a plan view is formed at the end of the pedestal portion 17 on the long side, and a positioning pin is fitted in each processing apparatus.

  The stopper mechanism 21 includes a stopper piece 23 arranged near the center of one long side of the pedestal 17 and the stopper piece 23 moved in a horizontal plane so that the tip of the stopper piece 23 enters or leaves the space of the recess 19. A drive mechanism is provided. The stopper piece 23 is cantilevered at the central portion of the belt-like support bar 24. On the other hand, a pair of connecting rods 25 are arranged so as to be movable in the thrust direction so as to penetrate the pedestal portion 17 and communicate between a pair of long sides of the pedestal portion 17 in the vicinity of both longitudinal ends of the pedestal portion 17. Then, both ends of the support bar 24 are connected to one end side of the pair of connecting rods 25, and the connecting bar 26 is connected to the other end side of the connecting rod 25. Further, a coil spring 27 is attached to the other end side of the connecting rod 25. The drive mechanism includes the stopper piece 23, the support bar 24, the connecting rod 25, the connecting bar 26, and the coil spring 27 described above.

  Due to the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 27, the connecting bar 26 is urged away from the pedestal 17. In response to this urging force, the connecting rod 25, the support bar 24, and thus the stopper piece 23 move to the left in FIG. 4, and the tip of the stopper piece 23 enters the space of the recess 19. When the connecting bar 26 is pushed in the direction approaching the pedestal portion 17, the coil spring 27 is compressed and deformed, and conversely, the tip of the stopper piece 23 is removed from the space of the recess 19.

  The tube loading unit 12 urges the connecting bar 26 toward the pedestal 17 by a pusher (not shown) at the loading position, and moves the stopper piece 23 backward so as to be positioned at the retreat position outside the space of the recess 19. With this state, the tube container 1 is held by a transfer device (not shown), is raised, and the cap 3 is inserted into the recess 19. Thereafter, the pusher is moved backward to release the bias to the connecting bar 26. As a result, due to the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 27, the tip of the stopper piece 23 enters the space of the recess 19, and the cap 3 is sandwiched and held between the stopper piece 23 and the inner peripheral surface of the recess 19 facing it. Therefore, the tube container 1 maintains the posture and orientation loaded in the recess 19 of the carrier 16 by the transfer device, and moves in the tube container inspection apparatus 11 together with the carrier 16.

  Moreover, the conveyance attitude | position of the tube container 1 on the carrying-out conveyor 13 and also the bucket 14 is a lying state, and becomes the attitude | position in which the seal part 4 of the tube container 1 was located in the substantially horizontal surface. Therefore, when the tube container 1 is erected from this state and loaded into the carrier 16, when the five tube containers 1 are arranged in a horizontal row, the seal portions 4 of the tube containers 1 are also arranged in the direction in which the tube containers 1 are arranged. It will be arranged on a straight line along. Actually, in a state where the cap 3 of the tube container 1 is set up in the recessed portion 19 of the carrier 16, the tube container 1 is urged downward by a pushing device, and the cap 3 is pushed into the recessed portion 19. The pushing device includes a gripping portion that grips the seal portion 4 of the tube container 1 and pushes in a state where the seal portion 4 is gripped by the gripping portion. By setting the surfaces sandwiched by the five gripping portions for gripping each tube container 1 on the same plane, the seal portions 4 gripped by the gripping portions are positioned on the same plane.

  Further, in the tube container transfer device 20 of the present embodiment, the carrier 16 holding one tube container 1 can be moved individually one by one. As shown in FIG. 4, a guide groove 18 a is formed on the outer surface of the flange 18 of the carrier 16. This guide groove 18a coincides with the guide plate 32 provided on the upper side of the side wall 31 standing on both sides of the conveyance path 30 constituted by the first belt conveyor, and restricts the movement in the lateral direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The carrier 16 moves along the transport path 30. Further, the vertical position of the carrier 16 is also aligned by the guide plate 32, and the inspection accuracy is improved.

  When each carrier 16 is urged directly or indirectly through another carrier or the like, if the urging direction is movable, the carrier 16 proceeds in that direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of carriers 16 move in a group and move to a place such as each device. Further, the number of carriers 16 constituting one group varies by dividing the number into an appropriate number. In other words, in this embodiment, each processing apparatus processes a plurality of tube containers at once, but the number of individual processing apparatuses that can be handled at one time is different. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by appropriately varying the number of carriers 16 constituting one group, for example, the maximum number of tube containers 1 that can be handled by each processing apparatus or the number of tube containers 1 corresponding thereto can be processed, and each work can be performed efficiently. It can be carried out. Further, the tube container transport device 20 transports a large number of carriers 16 through a predetermined endless path. The tube container transport device 20 receives the tube container 1 at the loading position, transports the carrier 16 holding the tube container 1 through a predetermined path, and feeds the tube container 1 to the packaging box from the carrier 16 at the supply position. The process of removing the tube container 1 and returning the empty carrier 16 to the loading position is repeated.

  The tube container inspection device 11 inspects the sealing state of the seal portion 4 of the tube container 1 and carries out a good product to the downstream packaging line. The tube container transport device 20 in the tube container inspection device 11 transports the empty carrier 16 and temporarily stops when it reaches the loading position. Pause in a state where five are arranged in front and rear (see A in FIGS. 2 and 3). At this time, the forward movement of the subsequent carrier 16 is suppressed by a stopper or the like. Therefore, a predetermined space is secured and divided between the subsequent carrier 16 that has been temporarily stopped and the group of carriers 16 at the loading position.

  When the tube container 1 is loaded, the carrier 16 at the position A is pushed by a pusher (not shown) and pushed out in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the empty carrier 16 (see A in FIGS. 2 and 3). The carrier 16 loaded with the extruded tube container 1 is transported in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the empty carrier 16 on the side away from the tube loading unit 12. This conveyance is performed by the first belt conveyor. The downstream end side of the first belt conveyor is a direction conversion position C that changes the traveling direction by 90 degrees.

  At this direction change position C, a stopper is provided in front of the traveling direction of the first belt conveyor constituting the conveyance line from the position B, and the top of the carrier 16 loaded with the five groups of tube containers 1 hits the stopper. Pause at the direction change position C. At this direction change position C, it is pushed by a pusher (not shown) and pushed in the lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first belt conveyor. The number of push-outs at the direction change position C is four from the beginning.

  The four groups of carriers 16 pushed out by the pusher are transferred onto a second belt conveyor 34 extending in a direction orthogonal to the first belt conveyor. Therefore, the carrier 16 conveyed from the B position to the C position in a vertical line on the first belt conveyor is conveyed in a horizontal line by the second belt conveyor 34, and the distortion inspection unit 35 To the vicinity of the entrance. As shown in FIG. 5, a temporary storage flat plate 40 is disposed at the carry-out end of the second belt conveyor 34, which is located slightly above the belt surface and the surface position. The carrier 16 (not shown in FIG. 5) conveyed by the second belt conveyor 34 rides on the temporary storage flat plate 40 and temporarily stops. When the subsequent carrier 16 conveyed by the second belt conveyor 34 reaches the carry-out end, the carrier 16 that has been temporarily stopped on the temporary storage flat plate 40 is pushed forward, and the second belt conveyor 34. Is transferred onto the third belt conveyor 41 whose conveyance direction has been changed by 90 degrees. A stopper is provided in the carry-in area of the third belt conveyor 41, and the four groups of carriers 16 supplied onto the third belt conveyor 41 are temporarily stopped in the carry-in area.

  The distortion inspection unit 35 includes a pair of first sensors 36 for checking the orientation of the seal unit 4 of the tube container 1 that is located in the carry-in area of the third belt conveyor 41 and is temporarily stopped. The first sensor 36 determines whether or not the seal portions 4 are aligned on the same plane and the same straight line. For example, two sets of transmissive photoelectric sensors are arranged at a predetermined interval. For example, the predetermined interval may be a distance with a predetermined margin from the thickness of the seal portion 4. In this case, for example, when the seal portions 4 of the tube container 1 held by the four groups of carriers 16 (not shown in FIG. 5) are neatly arranged, each transmission side of the two sets of photoelectric sensors The light output from is received by the receiving side without hitting the seal portion 4, and it is determined that there is no distortion. On the other hand, when the seal portion 4 is rotated by a predetermined angle or more in the plane, the light output from the transmission side is blocked by the rotated seal portion 4 and is not received, so that it is determined that there is distortion. Note that the photoelectric sensor may include a plurality of light projecting elements and light receiving elements arranged in a line.

  The main distortion assumed here is that the tube container is rotated in a plane, and the orientation of the seal portion 4 is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction for transport to each subsequent inspection portion. This is the case (not parallel). Therefore, even if it is a set of photoelectric sensors, when the tube container 1 rotates, one of the both ends of the seal part 4 may block light.

  The pair of first sensors 36 that perform the distortion inspection are connected to both ends of the support plate 37. The support plate 37 is connected to the cylinder rod 38 a of the cylinder 38. As shown in FIG. 5A, the first sensor 36 is out of the carry-in area of the third belt conveyor 41 at the standby position where the cylinder rod 38 a is accommodated in the main body by multiple operations. From this state, the cylinder 38 moves forward and the cylinder rod 38a extends, and the pair of first sensors 36 protrude to the carry-in side region side of the third belt conveyor 41 and are held by the temporarily stopped carrier 16. The orientation of the seal part 4 of the tube container 1 is checked. If it is determined that there is no distortion, the stopper on the third belt conveyor 41 is opened, and the temporarily stopped tube container 1 moves on the third belt conveyor 41 together with the carrier 16. In addition, when it is determined that there is distortion, predetermined abnormality processing is performed. In this abnormal process, at least the distortion inspection unit 35 and the third belt conveyor 41 are stopped, for example, an operator confirms the tube container that has become abnormal visually, etc., and at least removes the tube container alone or each carrier. Destroy all of the four groups of subjects. Further, as another abnormality process, although it is not removed when it is located in this carry-in area, it may be discharged at an appropriate location on the transfer line.

  A seal inspection device is installed on the third belt conveyor 41. In the present embodiment, a leak inspection unit 42 and a seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43 are provided as the seal inspection device. Furthermore, a defective product discharge chute 44 is disposed at the downstream end of the third belt conveyor 41. The defective product discharge chute 44 is a path for removing the defective tube container 1 in which the abnormality is detected by the leak inspection unit 42 or the seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43 from the carrier 16 and dropping it. For example, when the carrier 16 is temporarily stopped, the connecting bar 26 of the corresponding carrier 16 is pushed toward the base 17 to release the holding force by the stopper piece 23, and the tube container 1 is sealed with the discharge device. The tube container 1 is dropped by picking and lifting the part 4 and carrying it to the defective product discharge chute 44 and opening the seal part 4.

  The leak inspection unit 42 is a pressure inspection unit that applies a certain amount of load to the body portion 2 of the tube container 1 and determines whether or not there is a seal failure from the width change of the body portion 2. For example, when the seal of the seal part 4 is incomplete, the applied air is leaked from the seal part 4 when a load is applied, and the change width becomes larger and the width becomes thinner than when it is a good product. . The change width and the width of the body portion 2 in a state where a load is applied are detected, and the pass / fail judgment is made based on whether or not the value of the non-defective product exceeds a threshold that sets a predetermined margin with respect to the reference value. . Furthermore, the leak inspection unit 42 collectively inspects the eight tube containers 1.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a first pressurizing unit 45 and a second pressurizing unit 46 are arranged opposite to each other on the left and right sides of the third belt conveyor 41. The first pressurizing means 45 and the second pressurizing means 46 sandwich and pressurize the body portion 2 of the tube container 1 from both sides. At this time, a force is applied to the outer surface of the tube container 1 from the vertical direction. The first pressurizing means 45 includes a first cylinder 50, a first support base 49 connected to the cylinder rod 50 a of the first cylinder 50, and a first pressurization plate linked to the first support base 49 so as to be able to approach and separate. 48. A spring 51 is mounted between the first pressure plate 48 and the first support base 49. The first pressure plate 48 can come into contact with the body portion 2 of the tube container 1.

  The second pressurizing means 46 includes a second cylinder 54, a second support base 55 connected to the cylinder rod 54a of the second cylinder 54, and a second pressurization plate linked to the second support base 55 so as to be able to approach and separate. 56. A spring 57 is mounted between the second pressure plate 56 and the second support base 55. The second pressure plate 56 can come into contact with the body portion 2 of the tube container 1.

  Further, all guide plates 58 are arranged above the first pressurizing means 45 and the second pressurizing means 46. Opposing tips of the pair of guide plates 58 are close to the upper portion of the body portion 2 of the tube container 1. Thereby, when the first pressurizing unit 45 and the second pressurizing unit 46 are sandwiched by applying a load to the body portion 2, the collapse is prevented. The guide plate 58 has a function as a tray for the contents that have popped out due to poor sealing when the tube container 1 is pressurized by the first pressurizing means 45 and the second pressurizing means 46.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the leak inspection unit 42 according to the present embodiment is distorted when the first pressurizing plate 48 and the second pressurizing plate 56 are retracted and are in a standby position where they are not in contact with the body 2 of the tube container 1. The checked tube containers 1 of the inspection unit 35 are conveyed by the third belt conveyor 41, and each tube container 1 is temporarily stopped in a state where it is located between the first pressure plate 48 and the second pressure plate 56. The tube container 1 is temporarily stopped by suppressing the advance of the carrier 16 by a stopper provided at an appropriate position.

  Next, the first cylinder 50 and the second cylinder 54 move forward to extend the cylinder rods 50a and 54a. Thereby, the 1st pressurization board 48 and the 2nd pressurization board 56 move near each other, contact the trunk | drum 2 of the tube container 1, and are inserted | pinched from both sides. And by pushing in the trunk | drum 2 with the set load, as shown in FIG. 7, the trunk | drum 2 is crushed and deform | transformed. Further, when receiving a reaction force from the tube container 1 side due to the sandwiching by the first pressure plate 48 and the second pressure plate 56, the first pressure plate 48 and the second pressure plate 56 have the reaction force and the spring 51, 57 is displaced to a position where it can be balanced with elasticity.

  And the presence or absence of a seal defect is determined from the amount of change in the width of the body 2 or the thickness when crushed. The measurement or determination of the amount of change or the thickness is performed by, for example, detecting a position change of the rear end of the rod supporting the first pressure plate 48 with respect to the first support base 49 with a sensor.

  The seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43 is a thickness inspection unit that measures the thickness of the seal portion 4 of the tube container 1 and determines whether there is a seal failure. The seal part 4 sandwiches one end of the cylindrical body part 2 and heat-melts it to heat-seal. If the contents or air is bitten during heat sealing, the seal portion 4 at that portion swells to increase the thickness, resulting in a poor seal. The thickness of the seal portion 4 is detected, and the pass / fail judgment is made based on whether or not the value of the non-defective product exceeds a threshold value that sets a predetermined margin with respect to the reference value. Further, the seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43 collectively inspects the eight tube containers 1.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the specific configuration is arranged in the space above the third belt conveyor 41. That is, on the outside of the third belt conveyor 41, the support posts 61 are installed upright at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and the guide rails 63 are attached to the surfaces of the beam portions 62 spanned between the support posts 61. The guide rail 63 is installed so as to extend in parallel with the conveyance direction of the third belt conveyor 41. A slider 64 is connected to the guide rail 63. The slider 64 receives a driving force from the driving source 68, reciprocates along the guide rail 63, and stops at an appropriate position. A cylinder 65 is attached to the slider 64. The cylinder 65 is attached so that the cylinder rod 65a extends downward, and moves together with the slider 64. A support plate 66 is connected to the tip of the cylinder rod 65a, and a plurality of pairs of second sensors 67 for measuring the thickness of the seal portion 4 are attached to the support plate 66. The second sensor 67 is for measuring the thickness of the seal portion 4 of the tube container 1. For example, a distance sensor that measures the distance to the object, here, the surface of the seal portion 4 may be used. That is, the distances d1 and d2 to the surface of the seal part 4 that faces each other are measured by the pair of second sensors 67 that are arranged to face each other with the seal part 4 interposed therebetween. Since the distance D between the pair of second sensors 67 is known, the thickness can be obtained by subtracting the total distance (d1 + d2) obtained by each second sensor 67 from the distance D. .

  In order to actually measure the thickness of the seal portion 4, for example, the slider 64 and the cylinder 65 are moved to appropriate positions along the guide rail 63, and the second sensor 67 is moved downward by moving the cylinder 65 forward. The pair of second sensors 67 are set so as to face the seal portion 4. In this state, the thickness of the seal portion 4 is measured, and the quality of the seal is determined based on the measurement result.

  And in this embodiment, since the 4 sets of 2nd sensors 67 are provided, the test | inspection with respect to the eight tube containers 1 to be examined is completed by repeating this process twice, changing the front-back position.

  The tube container 1 that has undergone the two-stage inspection of the leak inspection unit 42 and the seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43 is unloaded from the tube container inspection device 11 and transferred to the next-stage product supply unit 70 by the tube container transfer device 20. The Further, as described above, a defective product discharge chute 44 is installed on the carry-out side of the tube container inspection device 11, and at least one of the leak inspection unit 42 and the seal unit abnormality inspection unit 43 is determined to be abnormal / defective. When the tube container 1 is present, all the eight tube containers 1 are discharged. As a result, not only defective products but also defective product reserves can be prevented from being shipped as much as possible. Moreover, in this embodiment, by performing two different types of inspections, defective products can be found more reliably, and the possibility that defective products are shipped by mistake is suppressed as much as possible.

  The product supply unit 70 has a function of transferring the tube container 1 determined to be non-defective to the packaging box 71. The packaging box 71 stores a total of 10 (2 × 5) tube containers 1. Therefore, the tube container transfer device 20 arranged on the downstream side of the tube container inspection device 11 appropriately switches the number of carriers 16 constituting a group during the transfer, and the product supply unit 70 collects 10 pieces. Yes. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, four carriers 16 are cut out from the front at the D position, and five carriers are cut out from the front at the E position. A total of 10 carrier groups are formed by cutting out five carrier groups at the front and rear.

  Moreover, in the product supply part 70, the tube container 1 each hold | maintained at the ten carriers 16 is transferred to the packaging box 71 in units of five. Then, the transfer is completed, and the empty carrier 16 is transported in units of 10 and is cut into units of 5 at the F position to reach the tube loading unit 12.

  Moreover, in this packaging system, the packaging box 71 which accommodates the tube container 1 also assembles an unfolded carton to make a box. The box making apparatus 73 for box making is arranged along the tube container transfer apparatus 20 on the downstream side of the tube container inspection apparatus 11. Then, the unfolded cartons 75 collected in the stocker 74 in a standing state are taken out one by one, and the packaging box 71 whose lid is opened in the middle of conveyance is boxed and sent to the product supply unit 70. And if the predetermined number of tube containers 1 are accommodated in the packaging box 71, a lid part will be closed and sealed and the packaging box 71 containing a tube container will be manufactured.

  In the above-described embodiment, the inspection is performed in two stages of the leak inspection unit 42 and the seal portion abnormality inspection unit 43, but either one may be used, or a seal inspection unit of a different inspection method may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tube container 2 trunk | drum 3 cap 4 seal | sticker part 11 tube container inspection apparatus 16 carrier 19 recessed part 20 tube container conveyance apparatus 35 distortion inspection part 36 1st sensor 42 leak inspection part 43 seal part abnormality inspection part 44 defective article discharge chute 45 First pressure means 46 Second pressure means 48 First pressure plate 56 Second pressure plate 67 Second sensor

Claims (7)

A tube container inspection device for determining the quality of the seal part of a tube container having a band-shaped seal part in which one end of a body part for storing contents is heat-sealed and sealed,
In a state where the tube container is erected, it is conveyed in a line in the conveying direction,
A strain inspection unit that collectively inspects whether or not the seal portions of the tube containers arranged in a row are arranged in parallel with the transport direction,
When the seal portions of the plurality of tube containers inspected at the same time by the distortion inspection portion are arranged in parallel with the transport direction, the seal portions of the plurality of the tube containers at a next-stage seal inspection portion. Configured to inspect the quality of
The strain inspection unit includes a pair of photoelectric sensors arranged before and after the tube container in the conveying direction, and the seal portions of the tube containers arranged in a row to be inspected between the pair of photoelectric sensors. The photoelectric sensor is a transmission type, and inspection is performed by checking whether light output from one photoelectric sensor to the other photoelectric sensor is blocked by the seal portion. A tube container inspection device.   The tube container inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the seal inspection unit includes a plurality of seal inspection units of different inspection methods. One of the seal inspection parts of the different inspection methods is:
A pair of pressurizing members installed in the conveying direction; the pair of pressurizing members sandwiches and pressurizes the body from both sides; and based on the displacement of the thickness of the body by the pressurization A first seal inspection unit for determining the quality of the seal unit;
The tube container inspection device according to claim 2, further comprising: a second seal inspection unit that measures the thickness of the seal portion and determines whether the seal portion is good based on the measured thickness. The first seal inspection unit includes a pair of guide members installed sandwiched in the transport direction,
The tube container inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the leading ends of the guide members are close to each other above the barrel portion and are prevented from falling down. The second seal inspection unit includes a pair of sensors installed in the conveyance direction,
5. The tube according to claim 3, wherein the pair of sensors are configured to measure a distance to each of the opposing seal portions and obtain a thickness of the seal portion based on a measurement result. Container inspection device.   When the seal part is not arranged in parallel with the transport direction in a part of the plurality of tube containers inspected at the same time by the distortion inspection part, all of the plurality of tube containers are subjected to the seal inspection. The tube container inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the tube container inspection device is not set as an inspection target of a part.   The number of tube containers to be inspected at a time in the seal inspection unit is made larger than the number of tube containers to be inspected at a time in the distortion inspection unit. The tube container inspection device according to crab.

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