JP6834143B2 - Decapper - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a decapper that removes a cap that is wrapped around a container.

Conventionally, for example, in order to prevent dust from entering an empty container supplied to a filling machine, a filling processing system in which the opening of the container is closed by a cap is known. In such a filling system, a decapper is provided to remove the cap from the container immediately before the filling process, and the decapper holds the container so that it does not rotate and rotates the cap. With this rotation, the cap rises with respect to the container, but the rising speed of the cap is determined by the tilt angle of the screw of the cap, especially if the rising speed of the cap does not accurately correspond to the tilt angle of the screw. If the strength of the screw is low, the screw may be damaged. Therefore, a configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed for the purpose of solving this problem.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-6614

However, the configuration of Patent Document 1 requires complicated control using a servomotor, and there is a problem that the relationship between the ascending speed of the chuck holding the cap and the ascending speed due to the rotation of the cap must be set with high accuracy. was there.

An object of the present invention is to provide a decapper capable of smoothly removing a cap from a container without damaging the screw of the container or the cap by a simple structure.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention includes a container supporting means for supporting a container so as to be able to move up and down without rotating around an axis, a cap holding means for holding a cap, and a rotating means for rotating the cap holding means with respect to the container. The cap holding means is provided with an elevating means for raising and lowering the container relative to the container supporting means, the cap is held by the cap holding means, and the elevating means raises the container by a predetermined amount relative to the container supporting means. axis in a state of being, the container is supported by the container supporting means, by rotating means rotates the cap holding means, the cap is due to the rotated with the container's cap Ru removed, the container by its own weight It is characterized in that it descends relative to the container supporting means along the above.

The container supporting means has, for example, a plate-shaped member having a holding hole into which the container is fitted, and the holding hole is formed with a recess formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container and in which a protrusion extending in the axial direction is engaged. ..

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a decapper capable of smoothly removing the cap from the container without damaging the screw of the container or the cap with a simple configuration.

It is a side view which shows the dispensing apparatus which has a decapper to which one Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a top view of the dispensing device shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the plugging device. It is a top view which shows the container holding member. It is a figure which shows the decapping by a plugging device. It is a top view which shows the operation of a dispensing device. It is a top view which shows the operation which moves a moving table in the Y direction.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the left end is a plugging position for decapping and capping the frozen storage container (serum tube) A, and a plugging device (decapper) 10 is provided. The right side of the plugging position is a filling position for filling the contents (for example, cell turbid liquid) with respect to the container A, and the filling device 20 is provided. Dispensing into a row of containers A is performed while the moving table 30 reciprocates between the plugging position and the filling position. This movement direction, that is, the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2, is defined as the X direction (first direction). Further, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the right end is a switching position for switching the row of the container A to be filled, and the moving table 30 is set in the X direction while being set to the switching position. It can move in the orthogonal Y direction (second direction).

The moving table 30 is fixed on the table support member 31, and a container stand 32 for holding a plurality of containers A is mounted on the moving table 30. In the present embodiment, the containers A are arranged upright on the container stand 32 in a 6 × 5 arrangement. That is, six containers A are arranged in the X direction and five containers A are arranged in the Y direction on the container stand 32. The table support member 31 is movably supported on a Y rail 33 extending in the Y direction, and the Y rail 33 is movably supported on a pair of X rails 34 extending in the X direction.

A servomotor 35 for moving the Y rail 33 along the X rail 34 is provided near the end of the X rail 34. A pulley 36 is provided on the plugging position side of the X rail 34, and the endless belt 38 is hung around the pulley 36 and the output shaft 37 of the servomotor 35, and the endless belt 38 is connected to the Y rail 33. .. Therefore, when the servomotor 35 is driven, the Y rail 33, the table support member 31, and the moving table 30 reciprocate between the plugging position and the filling position along the X direction, and are moved to the switching position.

As shown in FIG. 2, a positioning plate 40 is provided on the left side of the Y rail 33, and a pressed member 41 is provided on the right side. The positioning plate 40 and the pressed member 41 extend parallel to the Y rail 33 and are integrally connected by the connecting members 42 and 43. The connecting members 42 and 43 are connected to the Y rail 33 via a fixing member (not shown), so that the moving table 30, the table support member 31, the Y rail 33, the positioning plate 40, and the pressed member 41 are connected to the X rail 34. Move integrally along.

Positioning holes 44 are bored in the positioning plate 40 at regular intervals along the Y direction. A positioner 45 projecting from the front wall surface of the table support member 31 can be fitted into the positioning hole 44, and the position of the table support member 31 and the moving table 30 in the Y direction is determined by this fitting.

A servomotor 46 for moving the table support member 31 along the Y rail 33 is provided at the switching position. An arm 47 is swingably connected to the output shaft of the servomotor 46 in a horizontal plane, and a roller 48 provided at the swing end of the arm 47 is a pair of engaging plates protruding from the rear wall surface of the table support member 31. Engageable between 49. That is, when the arm 47 swings, the table support member 31 and the moving table 30 are displaced in the Y direction via the roller 48.

Further, at the switching position, a pusher 50 that presses the pressed member 41 toward the filling position side (left direction in FIG. 2) is provided. When the moving table 30 is set to the switching position, the pusher 50 presses the pressed member 41 to release the positioning hole 44 of the positioning plate 40 from the positioner 45. That is, while the moving table 30 reciprocates between the plugging position and the filling position, the positioner 45 is inserted into the positioning hole 44 and the moving table 30 is positioned in the Y direction, but is transferred to the switching position. When the pressed member 41 comes into contact with the pusher 50, the pusher 50 pushes the pressed member 41 by a predetermined amount, whereby the positioning plate 40 is displaced to the plugging position side via the connecting members 42 and 43, and the positioning hole 44 is formed. It comes off from the positioner 45. As a result, the table support member 31 can move in the Y direction.

The configuration of the plugging device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. An outer tubular member 12 is provided on the main body 11 of the plugging device 10. The outer tubular member 12 extends vertically from the lower surface of the main body 11, and the inner tubular member 13 provided therein projects downward from the outer tubular member 12. At the lower end of the inner tubular member 13, a chuck (cap holding means) 14 for decapping and capping the opening of the container A is provided. The chuck 14 is configured to hold the cap C by the frictional force between the vacuum and the rubber, and the vacuum is from a negative pressure source (not shown) through a vacuum passage 15 formed in the axial portion of the inner tubular member 13. Is guided into the chuck 14.

The inner tubular member 13 is rotatable around the axis with respect to the outer tubular member 12, and the upper end of the inner tubular member 13 is an output shaft of a servomotor (rotating means) 16 provided in the main body 11. Is connected to. Further, the inner tubular member 13 can move up and down with respect to the outer tubular member 12. The amount that can be raised and lowered is a range in which a spring (not shown) provided between the upper tubular member 12 and the inner tubular member 13 bends. For example, during capping, when the servomotor 16 rotates the cap C with respect to the container A while the chuck 14 holds the cap C and covers the opening of the container A, the inner tubular member 13 and the chuck 14 are spring-loaded. Is urged downward by, and gradually descends with the cap C. The operation during decapping will be described later.

The main body 11 is driven up and down by an air cylinder 17, and is set to an ascending position so that the chuck 14 does not interfere with the container A when the plugging device 10 is not operating. On the other hand, when decapping or capping is performed, the main body 11 is lowered and the chuck 14 is close to the upper end portion of the container A.

As described above, the container A is supported upright on the container stand 32 in an arrangement of, for example, 6 × 5. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the container stand 32 is provided with plate-shaped first and second container holding members 51a and 51b for holding the container A. The first container holding member (container supporting means) 51a has a holding hole 52 into which the container A is fitted, and a recess 53 is formed in the holding hole 52. A plurality of protrusions B formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container A and extending in the axial direction are engaged with the recess 53. Therefore, the container A is held by the container holding member 51a so as to be able to move up and down without rotating around the axis. On the other hand, the second container holding member 51b is provided above the first container holding member 51a to form a support hole (not shown) into which the container A is fitted, and the support hole has a recess. A recess with which the protrusion B engages, such as 53, is not formed.

FIG. 5 shows decapping by the plugging device 10. In the container A, the protrusions B are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion, are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction, and are eight in the present embodiment as can be understood from FIG. The protrusion B extends from at least a position where the container A engages with the container holding member 51a to the bottom of the container A when the container A is placed on the container stand 32 (FIG. 5A). Therefore, the protrusion B is engaged with the recess 53 of the holding hole 52 in a state where the container A is lifted by the chuck 14 by a predetermined amount (FIG. 5 (b)).

Decapping is done as follows.
The container A is closed by the cap C in an empty state, fitted to each holding hole 52 of the container holding member 51a, and set on the container stand 32. When the container stand 32 is conveyed to the plugging position by the moving table 30, the chuck 14 of the plugging device 10 is lowered by the action of the air cylinder 17 and engages with one cap C on the container stand 32 (FIG. 5 (FIG. 5). a)). Next, the chuck 14 is lifted by the air cylinder 17 with respect to the container holding member 51a, whereby the container A is lifted to such an extent that the lower end portion of the protrusion B does not separate from the recess 53 of the holding hole 52 (FIG. 5 (FIG. 5). b)). That is, the air cylinder 17 constitutes an elevating means for elevating and lowering the chuck 14.

In this way, the container A is raised by a predetermined amount with respect to the container holding member 51a, and the servomotor 16 rotates the chuck 14 in a state where the upper surface 39 of the bottom plate of the container stand 32 and the lower end of the container A are separated to form a gap. Then, the cap C rotates with respect to the container A, and the container A is removed along the axis by its own weight as the cap C is removed without rotating due to the engagement between the protrusion B and the recess 53. Relatively descends. The gap G is set to an amount larger than the amount of movement of the container when the cap C is separated from the container A, and the container A from which the cap C has been removed is placed on the container stand 32 again (FIG. 5C). ). The removed cap C stands by while being held by the chuck 14.

The configuration of the filling device 20 will be described again with reference to FIG. A filling nozzle 22 is provided in the main body 21 of the filling device 20. The filling nozzle 22 extends in the vertical direction from the lower surface of the main body 21, and the line connecting the filling nozzle 22 and the chuck 14 of the plugging device 10 coincides with the X direction (see FIG. 2). A suspension of cells or the like stored in the tank 23 is supplied to the filling nozzle 22 via the tube pump 24. The tank 23 is attached to a tank swing mechanism 26 provided on the support base 25, and swings at a constant swing speed. This is to prevent cells and the like from accumulating at the bottom of the tank 23.

The operation of the dispensing device including the decapper of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As described above, the container A is closed by the cap C in an empty state, placed on the container stand 32, and transported to the plugging position by the moving table 30. First, the chuck 14 of the plugging device 10 descends and approaches the first container A1 located on the side closest to the plugging position in the row of containers A arranged in the X direction, and decapping with respect to the first container A1 is performed ( Reference numeral (a). The moving table 30 then moves in the X direction and stops at a position where the first container A1 is directly below the filling nozzle 22 of the filling device 20 (reference numeral (b)). When the filling of the contents (cell suspension) in the first container A2 is completed, the moving table 30 moves toward the plugging position and stops at the position where the first container A1 comes directly under the chuck 14. (Code (c)). Capping with respect to the first container A1 is performed at this position. That is, the cap C that was removed in the step indicated by reference numeral (a) and held by the chuck 14 is reattached to the first container A1.

Next, the moving table 30 moves so that the second container A2 adjacent to the first container A1 in the X direction comes directly under the chuck 14, and stops at that position (reference numeral (d)). In this state, the chuck 14 descends and approaches the second container A2, and decapping with respect to the second container A2 is performed (reference numeral (d)). Then, as in the case of the first container A1, the moving table 30 moves in the X direction, and the filling process is performed on the second container A2 at the filling position (reference numeral (e)), and then the plugging position. Decapping of the second container A2 is performed in (reference numeral (f)).

While the moving table 30 reciprocates between the plugging position and the filling position in this way, when dispensing is performed for the six containers A1 to A6 arranged in a row in the X direction, the moving table 30 is moved to the switching position. Is transferred to, and is moved in the Y direction at the switching position. At the switching position, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, the table support member 31 and the moving table 30 are displaced in the Y direction by one row of the container (reference numeral (g)). Then, the moving table 30 is transferred to the plugging position again, and decapping of the container A7 in the second row is performed (reference numeral (h)). After the filling treatment and the like for all the containers in the second row are performed in the same manner below, the filling treatment for the containers in the other rows is performed, and the container stand 32 is conveyed to the next step.

The movement of the movement table 30 in the Y direction at the switching position will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the moving table 30 is set to the switching position after the filling process for the container row D1 located at the top in the figure is completed. Prior to the moving table 30 being moved to the switching position, the rollers 48 of the arm 47 are set at corresponding positions between the pair of engaging plates 49. Therefore, the moving table 30 stops at the switching position with the pressed member 41 in contact with the pusher 50 and the rollers 48 engaged between the pair of engaging plates 49. In this state, the pusher 50 pushes the pressed member 41 by a predetermined amount, whereby the positioning plate 40 is displaced toward the plugging position side and the positioning hole 44 is disengaged from the positioner 45.

Next, the servomotor 46 is driven, and the arm 47 swings. As a result, the moving table 30 moves upward in the drawing and is positioned so that the container row D2 adjacent to the container row D1 is located on the line connecting the chuck 14 and the filling nozzle 22. Next, when the servomotor 35 is driven, the Y rail 33, the table support member 31, and the moving table 30 start to move in the direction of the plugging position along the X direction, whereby the positioner 45 moves the positioning hole 44 of the positioning plate 40. Inserted inside, the positioning plate 40 and the pressed member 41 also move in the direction of the plugging position together with the moving table 30. This also disengages the pair of engaging plates 49 from the rollers 48.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the moving table 30 holds a plurality of containers A to which the caps C are attached in a state of being aligned along the X direction and the Y direction. Then, the servomotor 35 sets the moving table 30 so that the containers in a predetermined row are decapped by the plugging device 10, the contents are filled by the filling device 20, and the contents are capped by the plugging device 10. Move back and forth between the plugging position and the filling position. In this reciprocating movement, the servomotor 35 causes the plugging device 10 to cap the predetermined container (for example, the container A1) and then decaps the container (for example, the container A2) different from the container. , The moving table 30 is moved.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, decapping, filling, and capping can be continuously performed on a plurality of containers supplied to the moving table 30, and dispensing work can be performed quickly and with stable quality. it can. Also, in decapping, by configuring the cap to rotate while the container is lifted, the container naturally descends as the cap rotates, so excessive force may act on the container or cap screws. There is no risk of screw damage.

In the above embodiment, the dispensing operation including decapping, filling, and capping is performed for each container, but it can also be configured to perform the dispensing operation for a plurality of containers at the same time.

Further, as the moving table 30, a conventionally known XY table may be adopted.

Further, in the above embodiment, the container is decapped while it is lifted, but it is also possible to decap it while the container stand 32 or the moving table 30 is lowered. Further, in the above embodiment, the chuck 14 is lowered and engaged with the cap C at the start of decapping, but instead, the cap C may be engaged with the chuck 14 by raising the container.

10 Plug device (decapper)
14 Chuck (cap holding means)
16 Servo motor (rotation means)
17 Air cylinder (elevating means)
51a First container holding member (container supporting means)
A container C cap

Claims (2)

A container support means that supports the container so that it can be raised and lowered without rotating around the axis.
Cap holding means to hold the cap and
A rotating means for rotating the cap holding means with respect to the container, and
A means for raising and lowering the cap holding means relative to the container supporting means is provided.
The container is supported by the container supporting means in a state where the cap is held by the cap holding means and the container is raised by a predetermined amount relative to the container supporting means. by rotating means rotates the said cap retaining means, the cap is accompanied from the container is rotated in cap Ru removed relatively the container relative to the container support means along the axis by its own weight A decapper characterized by descending. The container supporting means has a plate-shaped member having a holding hole into which the container is fitted, and the holding hole has a recess in which a protrusion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container and extending in the axial direction is engaged. The decapper according to claim 1, wherein the decapper is formed.

Images