JP7022645B2 - Article branching device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article branching device that branches an article into a plurality of conveying routes while conveying the article by a rotary wheel.

There is known an article sorting device that sorts and conveys articles supplied in a row from an upstream process to a plurality of rows of downstream conveyors through a plurality of rotary wheels (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-015286

In Patent Document 1, a defect of an article is determined in an upstream inspection, and the article determined to be defective is rejected from a normal transport route. Therefore, since the articles are transported to the downstream side in a toothless state, the number of articles distributed to a specific row may differ greatly from the number of articles distributed to other rows. When such a state occurs, the balance of the number of articles among the sorted rows is lost, and a problem occurs in the processing on the downstream side.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to distribute articles transported in a toothless state so that the number of articles is evenly distributed in an article branching device using a rotary wheel.

The article branching device according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with a supply wheel for holding and transporting an article by a plurality of article holding means provided in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of article branching devices provided in the circumferential direction by opening and closing the article. A branch wheel that grips and conveys the article conveyed by the supply wheel at the article delivery position by the article gripping means that can be switched between the gripping state of gripping the article and the release state of releasing the grip of the article. An opening / closing means provided on the branch wheel to open / close the article gripping means, and a first discharge wheel arranged downstream of the article delivery position to discharge the article delivered from the branch wheel at the first discharge position. Whether or not the second discharge wheel, which is arranged downstream of the first discharge position and discharges the article delivered from the branch wheel at the second discharge position, and the article holding means of the supply wheel hold the article. An article holding status detecting means for detecting the condition and a control means for controlling the opening / closing means by a signal from the article holding status detecting means are provided, and an odd number of article gripping means of the branch wheel are arranged and each article is described. A position detecting means for detecting the position of the gripping means and an article number comparing means for comparing the number of articles discharged from the first discharging wheel and the second discharging wheel are provided, and the control means is for comparing the number of articles. When one of the discharge wheels having a small number of articles discharged by the means is determined and the article to be delivered to the one discharge wheel is absent among the article holding means of the supply wheel, the other Among the article gripping means for gripping the article to be delivered to the discharge wheel, the article gripping means that synchronizes with the article holding means of the supply wheel in which the article is absent at the article delivery position is released in the other discharge wheel. It is characterized in that the gripping of the article is continued without being in a state, and after passing through the article delivery position, the article being gripped is delivered in the released state by the one discharge wheel.

According to the present invention, in an article branching device using a rotary wheel, articles transported in a toothless state can be sorted so that the numbers are even.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the container transporting apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial cross-sectional view of an inspection wheel and a supply wheel for delivering a container. It is an enlarged side view of the drive mechanism of a cap holding member. It is a top view which shows the arrangement of a part of the gripper opening and closing mechanism of a supply wheel. It is a side view of the supply wheel, the branch wheel, and the 1st pitch conversion wheel at each container delivery position. It is an enlarged side view of the upper and lower grippers of a branch wheel. It is a top view which shows the container delivery position and the arrangement of the cam of a branch wheel. It is a top view which shows the movement of the neck gripper of the 1st pitch conversion wheel. It is a vertical sectional view at the container delivery position P5, P6 of a hold change wheel. It is a top view which shows the structure and operation of the neck gripper provided in the hold change wheel. It is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view at the container delivery position P7 (P8) which transfers a container V from a discharge wheel to a carrier link conveyor. It is a vertical cross-sectional view which shows the structure in the container delivery positions P9, P10, P11 from a carrier link conveyor to a servo wheel, a 2nd pitch conversion wheel, and a discharge conveyor. It is a schematic plan view of FIG. It is a vertical sectional view of a servo wheel. It is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of the carrier link conveyor centering on the container delivery position P9 just before the upper and lower grippers of the servo wheel grip the container, and the servo wheel. It is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of the carrier link conveyor centering on the container delivery position P9 at the time when the upper and lower grippers of the servo wheel grip the container, and the servo wheel. It is an enlarged plan view of the neck gripper of the carrier link conveyor provided with the gripper swing mechanism and the gripper advance / retreat mechanism. The normal distribution operation when seven cap holding members of the branch wheel are provided along the outer circumference of the fixed rotating portion is illustrated up to the third week. It is a schematic enlarged plan view of the container transporting apparatus which enlarged the part which transfers a container from a carrier link conveyor of a 2nd route to a discharge conveyor. It is a schematic plan view which shows how the servo wheel on the 1st upstream side receives a container from a carrier link conveyor. It is a schematic plan view which shows how the 2nd servo wheel receives a container from a carrier link conveyor. It is a schematic plan view which shows how the most downstream servo wheel receives a container from a carrier link conveyor. It is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of the carrier link conveyor and the servo wheel centering on the container delivery position P9 at the time when the upper and lower grippers of the servo wheel of the modification hold the container.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a partial configuration of a container transport device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The container transport device 10 of the present embodiment is, for example, a device that transports the capped container V to a caser (not shown) after filling is completed. The container (article) V is, for example, a resin container, and is a bottle-type container having, for example, a flange Vf on the neck portion Vn. In FIG. 1, it is inspected whether the container V sent out from the capper (not shown) is a defective product, and the container V arranged in front of the caser from the inspection wheel 12 that rejects the defective product is positive. The configuration up to the discharge conveyor 14 that is placed on the transport surface and transported in an upright state is shown. When the container V is rejected from the inspection wheel 12, a reject signal indicating which position of the container V is rejected is sent to the control unit 16.

As will be described later, the container transport device 10 necks a vertical grip wheel that grips the top surface of the cap Vc of the container V and the bottom surface of the container V by sandwiching them with upper and lower grippers, and a neck portion Vn under the flange Vf of the container V. It is equipped with a neck gripping wheel that grips with a gripper. A plurality of upper and lower grippers are arranged along the outer circumference of the upper and lower gripping wheels, and a plurality of neck grippers are arranged along the outer circumference of the neck gripping wheel. Each container V is conveyed along the outer circumference of the wheel, and is transferred between the upper and lower grippers and the neck gripper alternately so as to move between the wheels and be conveyed.

In the present embodiment, the inspection wheel 12 is a vertical gripping wheel, and the container V not rejected by the inspection wheel 12 is arranged adjacent to the supply hole 18 which is a neck gripping wheel that is synchronously rotated in the opposite direction. Is handed over. Adjacent to the downstream side of the supply wheel 18, a branch wheel (article branching device) 20 (described later), which is synchronously rotated in the direction opposite to that of the supply wheel 18 and is a vertical gripping wheel, is arranged.

The branch wheel 20 is a wheel that distributes the transported container V into two routes. That is, the branch wheel 20 is a neck gripping wheel that grips the container V with the upper and lower grippers, conveys it along the outer circumference of the wheel, and is a neck gripping wheel on the upstream side, and is a first pitch conversion wheel (first discharge wheel) that rotates synchronously in the opposite direction. It is handed over to 22A, and is handed over to the neck gripping wheel on the wake side and the first pitch conversion wheel (second discharge wheel) 22B that rotates synchronously in the opposite direction. As a result, the branch wheel 20 branches the transfer route into the first route I starting from the first pitch conversion wheel 22A and the second route II starting from the first pitch conversion wheel 22B.

The container V delivered to the first route I is a vertical grip wheel, and is delivered to the carrier link conveyor 26A via a discharge wheel 24A that rotates synchronously in the opposite direction to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A. The carrier link conveyor 26A has a transport path having, for example, an oval shape, and a large number of neck grippers are provided along the outer circumference. The neck gripper that grips the container V is conveyed in the opposite direction in synchronization with the discharge wheel 24A along the outer circumference of the oval shape, and is sequentially conveyed by the three servo wheels 28A, 28B, and 28C that are the upper and lower gripping wheels in the straight portion. It is set aside from the upstream side (described later).

The container V received by each of the servo wheels 28A, 28B, 28C is a neck gripping wheel, and is connected to three second pitch conversion wheels 30A which are rotated in the opposite directions in synchronization with the servo wheels 28A, 28B, 28C. And each is handed over. Each of the second pitch conversion wheels 30A passes the container V to each row of the corresponding discharge conveyor 14 at a substantially constant pitch. As a result, the container V distributed to the first route I is divided into three rows and discharged from the discharge conveyor 14.

On the other hand, the container V delivered to the first pitch conversion wheel 22B of the second route II is a vertical grip wheel via a hold change wheel 32 that rotates synchronously in the opposite direction with respect to the first pitch conversion wheel 22B. It is delivered to the discharge wheel 24B. As will be described later, the hold change wheel 32 includes an upper and lower gripper and a neck gripper. In the present embodiment, the container V is received from the neck gripper of the first pitch conversion wheel 22B by the upper and lower grippers, and the container V is replaced with the neck gripper to replace the discharge wheel 24B. Hand over to the upper and lower grippers.

Here, the hold change wheel 32 makes the transport direction (rotational direction) of the container V, which is rotationally transported on the downstream side of the hold change wheel 32, and the gripping method symmetrical with respect to the first route I with the discharge conveyor 14 interposed therebetween. It is the purpose. As a result, the container V can be delivered to the discharge conveyor 14 from both the left and right sides in the same manner. That is, the container V of the second route II is passed to the neck gripper of the carrier link conveyor 26B having an oval shape via the discharge wheel 24B, and the three servo wheels 28D, which are vertical gripping wheels in the straight line portion, By 28E and 28F, they are sequentially separated from the upstream side.

The container V received by each of the servo wheels 28D, 28E, 28F is a neck gripping wheel, and is connected to three second pitch conversion wheels 30B which are rotated in the opposite directions in synchronization with the servo wheels 28D, 28E, 28F. The container V is delivered to each row of the corresponding discharge conveyor 14 at a substantially constant pitch by each second pitch conversion wheel 30B. As a result, the container V distributed to the second route II is divided into three rows and discharged from the discharge conveyor 14. That is, the container V divided into two systems by the branch wheel 20 is arranged in six rows by three first pitch conversion wheels 30A and three second pitch conversion wheels 30B, and each row 14A to the discharge conveyor 14 is arranged. It is discharged from the 14th floor toward the caser.

The discharge conveyor 14 of the present embodiment is configured, for example, symmetrically in a stepped shape in a plan view, and the central two rows 14C and 14D extend to the most upstream side to form the first step. The second pitch conversion wheels 30A and 30B of the first stage are arranged adjacent to each side of the conveyors of the two rows 14C and 14D constituting the first stage. The second stage is formed by conveyors of the left and right two rows 14B and 14E sandwiching the central two rows 14C and 14D constituting the first stage, and the second pitch conversion wheel 30A of the second stage is formed on each side thereof. 30Bs are arranged adjacent to each other one by one. Further, the third stage is formed by two rows 14A and 14F conveyors sandwiching the conveyors of the first and second stages of four rows 14B to 14E from both sides, and the second pitch conversion wheel of the third stage is formed on both sides thereof. 30A and 30B are arranged adjacent to each other one by one.

Further, since the pair of second pitch conversion wheels 30A and 30B arranged on both sides of each stage has a distance between the pairs for each stage, the six servo wheels 28A to 28F and the carrier link conveyor 26A adjacent to the pair are widened. , 26B are arranged in a V shape. The control unit 16 can monitor the quantity of the container V in each row 14A to 14F of the discharge conveyor 14 with the sensor 17 and capture it as, for example, a container quantity signal. It is possible to control the distribution operation of.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the inspection wheel 12 and the supply wheel 18 for delivering and delivering the container V.

The inspection wheel 12, which is a vertical gripping wheel, includes a rotating body 122 rotatably provided around a fixed shaft 120 that is held up and down. The rotating body 122 includes a fixed rotating portion 123 having a fixed height and performing only rotation, and an elevating rotating portion 124 that moves up and down integrally with the fixed shaft 120. The fixed shaft 120 can be raised and lowered by, for example, an elevating mechanism 120A using a screw jack or the like provided at the base end portion thereof, and the elevating mechanism 120A is provided at the lower end portion of the fixed shaft 120, for example, on an upright ball screw 120B. It is composed of a screwed nut 120C. The height of the fixed shaft 120, that is, the height of the elevating and rotating portion 124 is adjusted according to the height of the container V to be handled.

Around the fixed shaft 120, an elevating and rotating portion 124 is rotatably attached to the fixed shaft 120 via a bearing or the like. Further, the elevating and rotating portion 124 includes a spline mechanism 124A along the axial direction, and the fixed rotating portion 123 is engaged with the spline mechanism 124A. The fixed rotation unit 123 includes a gear 123A rotated around a fixed shaft 120 by a motor (not shown), and a support plate (lower grip piece) 123B that supports the bottom surface of the container V that rotates integrally with the gear 123A. The rotation of the gear 123A is transmitted to the elevating rotation unit 124 via the spline mechanism 124A. On the other hand, the integral ascending / descending motion of the elevating / rotating portion 124 with the fixed shaft 120 is separated from the fixed rotating portion 123 by the spline mechanism 124A, and the position of the fixed rotating portion 123 in the height direction is fixed.

A plurality of support plates 123B are provided along the outer circumference of the rotating body 122 at predetermined intervals, and above the support plates 123B, cap holding members (upper grip pieces) 124B that press the top of the cap Vc of the container V from above are arranged. To. As shown in the enlarged side view of FIG. 3, the cap holding member 124B is connected to the cam follower 124D via the parallel link mechanism 124C provided in the elevating and rotating portion 124. The cap holding member 124B is urged downward by a urging member 124E such as a spring. As a result, the cam follower 124D via the parallel link mechanism 124C is urged upward and pressed against the cam 120D provided along the entire circumference of the fixed shaft 120 (upper grip piece elevating means).

FIG. 3A shows a state in which the cam follower 124D is raised by engagement with the cam 120D, and the cap pressing member 124B is pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc, and FIG. 3B shows a cam. The cam follower 124D is lowered by the engagement with the 120D, and a state in which the cap holding member 124B is separated from the top surface of the cap Vc is shown.

That is, in the inspection wheel 12, which is the upper and lower gripping wheel, the upper and lower grippers 125 are composed of the support plate 123B and the cap holding member 124B, and a plurality of the upper and lower grippers 125 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotating body 122. The bottom surface of the container V and the top surface of the cap Vc are gripped by the upper and lower grippers 125, and the container V is rotationally conveyed by rotating the rotating body 122.

On the other hand, the supply wheel 18 which is a neck gripping wheel includes a rotating body 182 rotatably provided around a fixed shaft 180 which is held up and down. The rotating body 182 includes a fixed rotating portion 183 whose height is fixed and only rotates, and an elevating rotating portion 184 that moves up and down integrally with the fixed shaft 180. The fixed shaft 180 can be raised and lowered by, for example, an elevating mechanism 180A using a screw jack or the like provided at the base end portion thereof, and the elevating mechanism 180A is provided at the lower end portion of the fixed shaft 180, for example, on an upright ball screw 180B. It is composed of a screwed nut 180C. The height of the fixed shaft 180, that is, the height of the elevating and rotating portion 184 is adjusted according to the height of the container V to be handled.

Around the fixed shaft 180, an elevating and rotating portion 184 is rotatably attached to the fixed shaft 180 via a bearing or the like. Further, the elevating and rotating portion 184 includes a spline mechanism 184A along the axial direction and engages with the fixed rotating portion 183. The fixed rotation unit 183 includes a gear 183A that is rotated around a fixed shaft 180 by a motor (not shown). The rotation of the gear 183A is transmitted to the elevating rotation unit 184 via the spline mechanism 184A. On the other hand, the integral ascending / descending motion of the elevating / rotating portion 184 with the fixed shaft 180 is separated from the fixed rotating portion 183 by the spline mechanism 184A, and the position of the fixed rotating portion 183 in the height direction is fixed.

A plurality of neck grippers 185 are provided on the elevating and rotating body 184 at predetermined intervals along the outer circumference thereof. The neck gripper 185 is opened and closed by the gripper opening / closing mechanism 185A, and at the position where the supply wheel 18 and the inspection wheel 12 are in contact (container delivery position), the neck just below the flange Vf of the container V gripped by the upper and lower grippers 125 of the inspection wheel 12. The portion Vn is gripped. At the same time, the upper and lower grippers 125 release the container V, and the container V gripped by the neck gripper 185 is rotationally conveyed with the rotation of the elevating and rotating body 184. The container V neck-conveyed from the neck gripper 185 is then delivered to the branch wheel 20 at a position where the supply wheel 18 is in contact with the branch wheel 20 (container delivery position).

As shown in the side view of FIG. 2 and the plan view of FIG. 4, the gripper opening / closing mechanism 185A pivotally supports a pair of gripper pieces, is connected by a gear 185B, and has a pair of rotating shafts 185C that rotate in opposite directions. The neck gripper 185 is opened and closed by rotating. A lever 185D for rotating the rotating shaft 185C is attached to one of the rotating shafts 185C, and a cam follower 185E is provided at the tip thereof. The lever 185D is urged in the direction of closing the neck gripper 185 by an urging member 185F such as a spring, and the cam follower 185E is urged by this urging force to be a fixed cam 180D provided on the fixed shaft 180 or an actuator 181A such as an air cylinder. It is pressed against the movable cam 181B that can move forward and backward in the radial direction.

That is, the rotation of the rotating body 182 causes the cam follower 185E to travel on the fixed cam 180D or the movable cam 181B, the lever 185D swings according to the shape, and the neck gripper 185 is opened / closed (opening / closing means). In the supply wheel 18, which is a neck gripping wheel, the neck portion Vn directly below the flange Vf of the container V is gripped by a plurality of neck grippers 185 arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotating body 182, and the rotating body 182 rotates. The container V is transported by the neck.

Note that FIG. 4 shows only a part of the gripper opening / closing mechanism 185A, and the cam follower 185E is shown in a state of being engaged with the fixed cam 180D. This state corresponds to the state in which the movable cam 181B is retracted inward in the radial direction, and the neck gripper 185 at the position where the inspection wheel 12 and the branch wheel 20 are in contact (container delivery position) is closed by engagement with the fixed cam 180D. It is said to be in a state of being. On the other hand, in FIG. 4, the movable cam 181B is shown as a two-dot chain line extending outward in the radial direction. As will be described later, in the same state, the cam follower 185E is engaged with the movable cam 181B, and the neck gripper 185 at the position in contact with the branch wheel 20 (container delivery position) is opened.

Next, the configurations of the branch wheel 20 and the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. 5 is a side view of the supply wheel 18, the branch wheel 20, and the first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B) at each delivery position of the container V. FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the upper and lower grippers of the branch wheel 20, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the container delivery position and the arrangement of the cam of the branch wheel 20. Further, FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the position of the neck gripper of the first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B). Since the configurations of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B are substantially the same, basically only the first pitch conversion wheel 22A will be described below.

The branch wheel 20 is a vertical gripping wheel, and the container V conveyed by the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18 is a vertical gripper 206 of the branch wheel 20 at a position where the supply wheel 18 and the branch wheel 20 are in contact (container delivery position). It is gripped by and released from the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18. The basic configuration of the upper and lower grippers 206 of the branch wheel 20 is the same as that of the upper and lower grippers 125 of the inspection wheel 12.

That is, the rotating portion 200 of the branch wheel 20 is rotatably held around the axis of the fixed portion 201, and is composed of a fixed rotating portion 202 having a fixed height position and an elevating and lowering rotating portion 204 that can be raised and lowered. An odd number of support plates (lower grip pieces) 206A are arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the fixed rotating portion 202, and directly above each support plate 206A, the container V corresponds to each. A cap holding member (upper grip piece) 206B pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc is arranged. That is, the support plate 206A and the cap holding member 206B form the upper and lower grippers 206.

A cam follower 205 is connected to the cap holding member 206B via a parallel link mechanism 206C provided in the elevating and rotating portion 204. The cap holding member 206B is urged downward by an urging member 206E such as a spring, whereby the cam follower 205 via the parallel link mechanism 206C is urged upward.

The fixed portion 201 of the branch wheel 20 has a container delivery position P1 with the supply wheel 18, a container delivery position (first discharge position) P2 with the first pitch conversion wheel 22A, and a container delivery position with the first pitch conversion wheel 22B. (Second discharge position) Three cams 201A, 201B, 201C are provided on P3 inward in the radial direction via actuators 203A, 203B, 203C such as an air cylinder. The actuators 203A, 203B and 203C can be driven independently by, for example, the control unit 16 (FIG. 1), and the cams 201A, 201B and 201C can be independently moved up and down by driving the actuators 203A, 203B and 203C. Further, the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C are shaped like an inverted trapezoid when viewed from the center of the branch wheel 20, and after the cam followers 205A, 205B, and 205C are gradually lowered to run linearly in a predetermined section, Guide them to rise gradually.

In the present embodiment, the length of the operating lever provided with the cam follower 205 of the parallel link mechanism 206C differs depending on the position in the circumferential direction of the cap holding member 206B. For example, seven cap holding members 206B are provided along the outer periphery of the fixed rotating portion 202, and when these are numbered 1 to 7, a cam follower 205A corresponding to a set of 1, 3 and 5 is provided. The operating lever has a length that engages with the outermost cam 201A, and the operating lever provided with the cam follower 205B corresponding to the second, fourth, and sixth sets has a length that engages with the middle cam 201B. Has. Further, the operating lever provided with the cam follower 205C corresponding to the seventh set has a length that engages with the innermost cam 201C. If the distance between the upper and lower grippers 206 provided in the circumferential direction of the branch wheel 20 is wide and one cam can independently engage with each of the upper and lower grippers 206, the cams are 201A, 201B, 201C. It is not necessary to arrange three sets, and one set of cams may be used.

The cam followers 205A, 205B and 205C are pressed against each of the cams 201A, 201B and 201C by the urging force of the urging member 206E at the container delivery positions P1, P2 and P3. At this time, the raising and lowering of each set of cap holding members 206B at the container delivery position is controlled according to the high or low position of the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C (upper grip piece raising and lowering means), and the upper and lower grippers 206 Opening and closing is controlled (opening and closing means). That is, it is possible to switch between a gripping state (closed state) in which the upper and lower grippers 206 are closed and the container V is gripped, and an open state (open state) in which the upper and lower grippers 206 are released and the container V is not gripped.

Specifically, at each container delivery position P1, P2, P3, the upper and lower grippers 206 corresponding to the set in which the cam is pushed down change from the closed state to the open state at the container delivery position, and are in the closed state. It becomes the operation to return to. For example, in the set of upper and lower grippers 206 in which the cam is lowered at the container delivery position P1, when the supply wheel 18 holds the container V, the upper and lower grippers 206 are in the open state and the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18. Invites the container V to be gripped by the upper and lower grippers 206, and by displacing the container V in a closed state there, the container V is gripped and the container V is received (see FIG. 2). Then, the upper and lower grippers 206 of the set in which the cam is lowered at the container delivery position P2 or the container delivery position P3 grips the container V by displacing from the closed state to the open state to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A or the first pitch conversion wheel 22A. 1 Hand over to the pitch conversion wheel 22B. Further, at each container delivery position P1, P2, P3, the upper and lower grippers 206 corresponding to the set in which the cam is pushed up are maintained in the closed state at the container delivery position. For example, the set of upper and lower grippers 206 in which the cam is raised at the container delivery position P2 continues to grip the container V at the same position, does not deliver the container V to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A, and does not deliver the container V to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A, but the cam at the container delivery position P3. The upper and lower grippers 206 of the set in which are raised continue to grip the container V at the same position and do not pass the container V to the first pitch conversion wheel 22B.

In the branch wheel 20 of the present embodiment, in the distribution operation in the normal mode, all the sets of the upper and lower grippers 206 are driven to receive the container V from the supply wheel 18, and the container V held by the upper and lower grippers 206 is alternately driven. The container V is delivered to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A of the first route I and the first pitch conversion wheel 22B of the second route II, and every other container V is delivered to each of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B. Further, the branch wheel 20 of the present embodiment also has a distribution adjustment mode for adjusting the number of containers to be distributed according to the rejection by the inspection wheel 12 (described later).

The enlarged side view of the upper and lower grippers 206 in FIG. 6 shows the open / closed state of the upper and lower grippers 206 by raising and lowering the outermost cam 201A. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the cam 201A is in a high position, the cap holding member 206B is pressed against the cap Vc, and the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 206. FIG. 6B shows a state in which the cam 201A is in a low position, the cap holding member 206B is separated from the cap Vc, and the container V is released from the upper and lower grippers 206.

The heights of the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C are controlled by the branch wheel 20 to the first route I and the second route II in response to the generation of the container V rejected by the inspection wheel 12, as will be described later. It is used to adjust the number of distributions of the container V of.

The first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B) is a neck gripping wheel that receives the container V from the branch wheel 20. The first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B) is a container that delivers the container V to the container delivery position P2 (P3) that receives the container V from the branch wheel 20 and the received container V to the discharge wheel 24A (or hold change wheel 32) on the downstream side. The pitch in the circumferential direction of the neck gripper 220 can be converted between the delivery positions P4 and P5 (see FIG. 1).

As described above, in order to distribute the container V to each of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B every other branch wheel 20, the pitch at the time of delivery from the branch wheel 20 to the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B, respectively. Is twice the original reference transfer pitch Pt of the container V. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the neck grippers 220 of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B have a pitch of 2 Pt, which is twice the reference transfer pitch Pt, at the container delivery positions P2 and P3 that receive the container V from the branch wheel 20. By the time it reaches the container delivery positions P4 and P5 where the container V is delivered to the wheels 24A and 32 on the downstream side, the direction is changed and the original reference transfer pitch Pt is returned, for example.

The first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B) includes a gripper swing mechanism 222 that changes the direction of the neck gripper 220 in order to change the pitch of the neck gripper 220, in addition to the gripper opening / closing mechanism 221 of the neck gripper 220.

The gripper opening / closing mechanism 221 is mounted on the swing plate 222A of the gripper swing mechanism 222. That is, one end of the pair of rotating shafts 221A for opening and closing the gripper piece of the neck gripper 220 is rotatably supported by the swing plate 222A, and the other end side to which the gripper piece is attached is via the connecting member 222B. It is rotatably held by the shaft support 222C fixed to the swing plate 222A. The rotating shafts 221A are connected to each other by a pair of gears 221B, and are rotated in opposite directions so as to open and close the neck gripper 220.

A lever 221C for rotating the rotating shaft 221A is attached to one of the rotating shafts 221A, and a gripper opening / closing cam follower 221D is provided at the tip thereof. The other end of the urging member 221E such as a spring whose one end is fixed to the swing plate 222A is connected to the lever 221C, and the lever 221C is urged in the direction of closing the neck gripper 220. Further, by this urging force, the gripper opening / closing cam follower 221D is pressed against the fixed cam 224A provided on the fixed shaft 224 of the wheel or the movable cam 224C which can move forward and backward in the radial direction by an actuator 224B such as an air cylinder.

The movable cam 224C is arranged at the container delivery positions P2 and P3, and when the movable cam 224C is pushed outward in the radial direction, the gripper opening / closing cam follower 221D is pressed against the movable cam 224C, and the neck gripper 220 is at the container delivery position P2. , Keeps open at P3 and does not receive container V from branch wheel 20.

The swing plate 222A is held by the swing shaft 222D pivotally supported by the elevating and rotating portion 225A of the first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B), and rotates around the swing shaft by rotating the swing shaft 222D. The orientation of the swing plate 222A, that is, the orientation of the neck gripper 220 is changed. A swing lever 222E is connected to the upper end of the swing shaft 222D, and a swing cam follower 222F is provided at the tip of the swing lever 222E. The swing cam follower 222F engages with a cam 224D provided on the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 224 of the wheel, and when the elevating rotation portion 225A rotates, the swing cam follower 222F moves along the cam 224D. As a result, the swing shaft 222D is rotated, and the swing plate 222A, that is, the neck gripper 220 is rotated so as to change the pitch.

Next, the configuration of the hold change wheel 32 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the hold change wheel 32 at the container delivery positions P5 and P6, and FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration and operation of the neck gripper provided on the hold change wheel 32.

The hold change wheel 32 includes a plurality of upper and lower grippers 321 along the outer circumference of the rotating body 324 of the wheel, and a plurality of neck grippers 322 corresponding thereto. The container V that is rotationally conveyed by the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch conversion wheel 22B is delivered to the upper and lower grippers 321 of the hold change wheel 32 at the container delivery position P5.

The hold change wheel 32 includes a fixed shaft 323 that can be raised and lowered, and a rotating body 324 that is rotatably held around the fixed shaft 323. The rotating body 324 is composed of a fixed rotating portion 324A having a fixed height thereof and an elevating rotating portion 324B that can be raised and lowered together with the fixed shaft 323. The elevating mechanism of the fixed shaft 323 is the same as the elevating mechanism 120A of the inspection wheel 12, for example, and the height thereof is adjusted according to the height of the container V, for example. The fixed rotating portion 324A and the elevating rotating portion 324B are engaged with each other via, for example, a spline mechanism, and only the rotational movement is integrally performed. The support plate 325 and the support plate of the discharge wheel 24 are supported in a section from the center to the front of the bottom surface of the container V, respectively, when the support plate 325 and the support plate of the discharge wheel 24 are close to each other, that is, When the container V is delivered, the support plate 325 does not need to be raised or lowered if the structure does not interfere with each other, or if the support plates 325 and the discharge wheel 24 have a comb-shaped shape so as not to interfere with each other.

The upper and lower grippers 321 include a support plate 325 that supports the bottom surface of the container V and a cap holding member 326 that is pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc. Unlike the upper and lower grippers 206 of the branch wheel 20, the upper and lower grippers 321 are configured so that the support plate 325 can be moved up and down in addition to the cap holding member 326. This is a mechanism for preventing the support plate of the discharge wheel 24B on the wake side and the support plate 325 of the hold change wheel 32 from interfering with each other at the container delivery position P6.

Similar to the cap holding members 124B and 206B, the parallel link mechanism 325A is used for raising and lowering the support plate 325. That is, the support plate 325 is urged upward by an urging member 325B such as a spring, and the cam follower 325C of the parallel link mechanism 325A is pressed against the cam 323A provided on the fixed shaft 323 to raise the height of the cam 323A. It is raised and lowered according to. At the container delivery position P5 in FIG. 9, the support plate 325 is pushed up and the bottom surface of the container V is supported by the support plate 325. At the container delivery position P6, the support plate 322 is pushed down and separated from the bottom surface of the container V. The state of being done is shown. At this time, the bottom surface of the container V is supported by the support plate of the discharge wheel 24B on the wake side.

The cap pressing member 326 is held by the elevating rotating body 324B via the cap pressing member elevating mechanism 326A, and the cap pressing member 326 is elevated and lowered by the cap pressing member elevating mechanism 326A. The cap presser foot elevating mechanism 326A includes an elevating rod 326B to which the cap pressing member 326 is attached to the lower end, and the elevating rod 326B is held up and down with respect to the elevating rotating body 324B and is held by an urging member 326C such as a spring. Being urged downwards. A cam follower 326D is provided at the upper end of the elevating rod 326B, engages with the cam 323A provided along the outer circumference of the fixed shaft 323, and raises and lowers the cap holding member 326 according to the height thereof. At the container delivery position P5 in FIG. 9, the cap holding member 326 is pushed down and the top surface of the cap Vc is pressed against the cap holding member 326, and at the container delivery position P6, the cap holding member 326 is pushed up and the cap is capped. The state separated from Vc is shown.

On the other hand, the neck gripper 322 is held by the elevating / rotating portion 324B via the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327. The neck gripper 322 can advance and retreat along the radial direction of the rotating body 324 between the gripping position where the container V gripped by the upper and lower grippers 321 is gripped and the retracted position which does not interfere with the container V by the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327. It can be opened and closed as well. That is, at the container delivery position P5 for receiving the container V from the first pitch conversion wheel 22B, the neck gripper 322 is in the retracted position in the radial direction so as not to interfere with the container V held by the upper and lower grippers 321 in the open state. After being retracted, the gripper that grips the container V is changed from the upper and lower grippers 321 to the neck gripper 322, so that the neck gripper 322 is extended and closed radially outward toward the gripping position. As a result, the neck gripper 322 grips the neck portion Vn under the flange Vf of the container V sandwiched between the support plate 325 and the cap holding member 326, and the container V is rotationally conveyed while being gripped by the upper and lower grippers 321 and the neck gripper 322. Will be done.

After that, while maintaining the grip of the container V by the neck gripper 322, the upper and lower grippers 321 release and support the container V until the container delivery position P6 for delivering the container V to the discharge wheel 24B on the downstream side is reached. The plate 325 is lowered by the parallel link mechanism 325A, and the cap holding member 326 is lifted by the cap holding member elevating mechanism 326A. At the container delivery position P6, the support plate 241 of the upper and lower grippers 240 of the discharge wheel 24B slides under the bottom surface of the container V held by the neck gripper 322 to support the bottom surface of the container V and the upper and lower grippers 240 of the discharge wheel 24B. The cap holding member 242 of the container V is lowered and pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc of the container V. As a result, the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 240 of the discharge wheel 24B. In parallel with this, the neck gripper 322 is returned to the retracted position while being opened by the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327, and the container V held is released.

As shown in FIG. 10 (a), the neck gripper 322 includes a pair of gripper pieces 328 and 329. In FIG. 10A, the open state of the neck gripper 322 is drawn with a solid line, and the closed state is drawn with a broken line. Further, on the container delivery position P5 side of FIG. 9, a configuration connected to the gripper piece 328 among the configurations of the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327 is shown, and on the container delivery position P6 side, a configuration connected to the gripper piece 329 is shown. ..

In the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327, a parallel link mechanism is used for each gripper piece 328 and 329. The gripper piece 328 is supported via two shafts 328A and 328B by two link plates 328E and 328F having one end integrally attached to the rotating shafts 328C and 328D. On the other hand, the gripper piece 329 is supported by two link plates 329E and 329F, one end of which is integrally attached to the rotating shafts 329C and 329D, via two shafts 329A and 329B. The link plates 328E and 328F are rotated while maintaining parallelism by rotation around the rotation shafts 328C and 328D, and the link plates 329E and 329F are rotated while maintaining parallelism by rotation around the rotation shafts 329C and 329D. ..

The rotations of the rotating shafts 328D and 329D are interlocked by the meshing of the gears 328G and 329G, and both rotating shafts 328D and 329D rotate in opposite directions by the same angle. Therefore, the gripper pieces 328 and 329 move in parallel in line-to-symmetrical directions about the rotation axes 328C and 328D and the rotation axes 329C and 329D, respectively, and move outward in the radial direction (left side in FIG. 10) but approach each other. It is closed and opens apart from each other while moving inward in the radial direction (right side of FIG. 10).

As shown in FIG. 10B, the two parallel link mechanisms of the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327 are driven by a swing lever 327B to which a cam follower 327A is attached to one end. The swing lever 327B is rotatably supported around the rotation shaft 329D in the vicinity of the middle, and the shaft 328A is engaged with the other end as an action point of the link mechanism. At the end of the swing lever 327B on the side where the cam follower 327A is provided, the other end of the urging member 327C such as a spring having one end attached to the elevating rotation portion 324B is attached, and the neck gripper 322 is pushed out in the radial direction. Then, the swing lever 327B is rotationally urged around the rotation shaft 329D in the direction in which the gripper is closed.

That is, the shaft 328A (that is, the link plate 328E) is rotated counterclockwise around the rotating shaft 328C in FIG. 10A by the swing lever 327B, and in conjunction with this, the rotating shaft 328D is rotated together with the link plate 328F. It is rotated in the same direction. Further, due to the meshing of the gears 328G and 329G, the rotation shaft 329D is rotated in the opposite direction (clockwise) together with the link plate 329F, whereby the link plate 329E is also rotated clockwise in conjunction with this. That is, the neck gripper 322 is extruded in the radial direction, and the gripper is closed.

The cam follower 327A is pressed against the cam 323B provided along the circumference of the fixed shaft 323, and when the elevating and rotating portion 324B rotates, the cam follower 327A travels along the cam 323B and the gripper opening / closing / advancing / retreating mechanism 327 is driven. The opening / closing / advancing / retreating of the neck gripper 322 is controlled.

The container V that has passed through the first pitch conversion wheel 22A and the hold change wheel 32 is delivered to the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B via the discharge wheels 24A and 24B, respectively. The discharge wheels 24A and 24B are vertical gripping wheels having the same configuration that rotate in the opposite directions, and the vertical gripper 240 (FIG. 9) having the same configuration as the vertical gripper 125 of the inspection wheel 12 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The container V is conveyed along the outer periphery of the discharge wheels 24A and 24B, and the container V is delivered to the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B provided with the neck gripper at the reference transfer pitch Pt.

That is, as shown in the partially enlarged vertical sectional view at the container delivery position P7 (P8) at which the container V is delivered from the discharge wheel 24A (24B) of FIG. 11 to the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B), the upper and lower grippers 240 are It is composed of a support plate 240A provided on the outer peripheral portion of the fixed rotating portion 241 having a fixed height position, and a cap holding member 240B held on the outer peripheral portion of the elevating and lowering rotating portion 242 that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction. The cap holding member 240B is moved up and down by the parallel link mechanism 243.

In the parallel link mechanism 243, the cap holding member 240B is urged downward by an urging member 243A such as a spring attached to the elevating and rotating portion 242, and a cam follower 243B is provided at the tip of the operation rod of the parallel link mechanism 243. It is pressed against the cam 244A provided along the outer peripheral portion of the fixed shaft 244. When the elevating and rotating portion 242 rotates, the cam follower 243B travels along the cam 244A, the cap holding member 240B is elevated and lowered according to its shape, and the gripping and releasing of the container V by the upper and lower grippers 240 is controlled.

The neck grippers 262 of the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B do not have an opening / closing mechanism and are always urged in the closing direction by an urging means such as a spring. When the container V of the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B is delivered from the discharge wheels 24A and 24B, the neck portion Vn of the container V held by the upper and lower grippers 240 is pushed between the neck grippers 262 closed by urging force, and the container itself is used. It is done by releasing V. The neck gripper 262 of the carrier link conveyor may be configured to have an opening / closing mechanism such as a cam or a cam follower in the same manner as the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B described above.

On the other hand, in the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B), the endless roller chain 260 is hung on a pair of sprockets 261 that rotate around a vertical axis and are arranged at a horizontal distance, and are directed outward to a block 260A constituting the chain. It is a neck transfer device provided with a neck gripper 262 that extends. Each block 260A is pivotally supported by the adjacent block 260A via the shaft of the roller 260B at both ends thereof, and the endless roller chain 260 is run by the engagement between the roller 260B and the sprocket 261.

Further, a rail 263A that regulates the movement of the block 260A in the width direction is provided on the straight portion of the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B). Further, on the back surface side of the block 260A, a guide 263B extending along the transport path (longitudinal direction) is provided. Further, on the back surface side (opposite side to the neck gripper 262) of each block 260A, a side guide roller 260C running on the guide 263B is provided. Further, the neck gripper 262 is provided with an elevating mechanism 264 that slightly moves up and down with respect to the block 260A (described later), but normally travels on the rail 263C extending along the chain path as shown in FIG. The roller 262A prevents the neck gripper 262 from being lowered, for example, when the container V is received.

FIG. 12 shows the configurations at the container delivery positions P9, P10, and P11 from the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) to the servo wheels 28A to 28C (28D to 28F), the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B), and the discharge conveyor 14A. It is a vertical sectional view. FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view corresponding to the vertical sectional view of FIG. 12, taking the servo wheel 28C arranged at the most downstream of the first route I as an example. Further, FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view of the servo wheels 28A to 28F. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, three servo wheels 28A to 28C in the first route I, three second pitch conversion wheels 30A in the first route I, and three servo wheels 28D in the second route II. ~ 28F, three second pitch conversion wheels 30B are used, but since they have basically the same configuration, in the following description, the most downstream servo wheel 28C and the second pitch conversion in the first route I The explanation will be given using the wheel 30A as an example.

The servo wheel 28C is a vertical gripping wheel provided with a vertical gripper 280, and even if a tooth is missing in the container transport of the carrier link conveyor 26A due to the rejection of the container V in the inspection wheel 12, the servo wheel 28C is removed from the carrier link conveyor 26A. Each upper and lower gripper 280 is configured to be independently rotationally driven so that the container V can be reliably received (described later).

The illustrated servo wheel 28C comprises four upper and lower grippers 280 and four drive shafts 282A, 282B, 282C, 282D from the outside around a central fixed shaft 281. The drive shafts 282A, 282B, 282C, and 282D are provided with gears 283A, 283B, 283C, and 283D at their lower ends, for example, and are rotationally driven by independent servomotors 284A to 284D. Although FIG. 14 shows only the servomotor 284A that engages with the gear 283A of the outermost drive shaft 282A, the same applies to the gears 283B to 283D provided at the lower ends of the drive shafts 282B, 282C, and 282D. Servo motors 284B to 284D are connected to the servo motors 284B to 284D and can be independently rotated and driven.

In FIG. 14, the upper and lower grippers 280 on the right side are provided at the tip of an arm extending radially outward from the upper end of the outermost drive shaft 282A. The support plate 280A of the upper and lower grippers 280 is supported by the arm of the drive shaft 282A, and a cap holding member 280B supported by the arm of the drive shaft 282A via a parallel link mechanism 285 is arranged above the support plate 280A. The parallel link mechanism 285 urges the cap holding member 280B downward by the urging member 285A such as a spring. A cam follower 285B is provided on the operating rod of the parallel link mechanism 285, and is pressed against the cam 281A provided along the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 281 by the urging force of the urging member 285A. The cam 281A pushes down the cam follower 285B at the container delivery position P9 which is the contact point with the carrier link conveyor 26A and the container delivery position P10 which is the contact point with the second pitch conversion wheel 30A, and the upper and lower grippers 280 at the same positions P9 and P10. Is opened.

15 and 16 are enlarged vertical cross-sectional views at the container delivery position P9 centered on the neck gripper 262 and the upper and lower grippers 280. FIG. 15 shows a state immediately before the upper and lower grippers 280 grip the container V, and FIG. 16 shows a state in which the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 280. The configuration and function of the elevating mechanism 264 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

The rail 263C that supports the roller 262A is not provided in the container delivery section that delivers the container V of the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) to the servo wheels 28A to 28C (28D to 28F). As a result, the neck gripper 262 can be slightly moved up and down by the elevating mechanism 264. That is, the neck gripper 262 is attached to the vertical shaft 264A slidably slidably attached to the block 260A in the vertical direction, and is urged upward by the urging member 264B such as a spring. Further, a support member 265C extending in the vertical direction is connected to the neck gripper 262, and a roller 262A is attached to the tip thereof. In the section where the rail 263C is provided, the roller 262A engages the rail 263C, so that the vertical movement of the neck gripper 262 is restricted, but in the container delivery section where the rail 263C is not provided, the neck gripper 262 When a downward force larger than the urging force of the urging member 264B is applied, the neck gripper 262 is lowered together with the vertical shaft 264A.

In FIG. 15, the cap holding member 280B is in a raised state, the neck gripper 262 is also in a high position due to the urging force of the urging member 264B, and the bottom surface of the container V gripped by the neck gripper 262 is from the support plate 280A. Is also in a slightly higher position. Next, in FIG. 16, the engagement of the cam 281A and the cam follower 285B lowers the cap holding member 280B and presses the top surface of the cap Vc, so that a downward force is applied to the neck gripper 262 and the container V is pushed down. The bottom surface abuts on the support plate 280A, and the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28A (28B to 28F).

That is, by providing the elevating mechanism 264, the servo wheels 28A (28B to 28F) can reliably grip the container V gripped by the neck gripper 262 with the upper and lower grippers 280. As a result, even if the neck gripper 262 does not have an opening / closing mechanism, the container V can be reliably pulled out from the neck gripper 262 in a stable state after the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 280.

Next, the configuration of the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B), which is a neck gripping wheel, will be described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 17. FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of the neck gripper 300 of the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) provided with the gripper swing mechanism and the gripper advance / retreat mechanism.

In the present embodiment, since a plurality of servo wheels 28A (28B to 28F) are provided for one carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) (for example, three), each servo wheel 28A (28B to 28F) is provided. Normally, every two carriers receive the container V carried by the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B). Therefore, the transfer pitch is three times the reference transfer pitch Pt.

The second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) returns the pitch (3Pt) to the original reference transfer pitch Pt and delivers the container V to the discharge conveyor 14. Therefore, the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) includes, in addition to the gripper opening / closing mechanism 302 of the neck gripper 300, a gripper swing mechanism 304 that changes the direction of the neck gripper 300 in order to change the pitch of the neck gripper 300, and a neck gripper. A gripper advancing / retreating mechanism 306 for advancing / retreating the 300 in the radial direction is provided.

The gripper opening / closing mechanism 302 is mounted on the advancing / retreating plate 306A of the gripper advancing / retreating mechanism 306 attached to the rocking plate 304A of the gripper rocking mechanism 304. The pair of rotating shafts 302A for opening and closing the gripper pieces of the neck gripper 300 are rotatably supported by the advancing / retreating plate 306A. The other end side to which the gripper piece is attached is rotatably held by the shaft support portion 306C fixed to the advancing / retreating plate 306A via the connecting member 306B. The rotating shafts 302A are connected to each other by a pair of gears 302B, and are rotated in opposite directions so as to open and close the neck gripper 300.

A lever 302C for rotating the rotating shaft 302A is attached to one of the rotating shafts 302A, and a gripper opening / closing cam follower 302D is provided at the tip thereof. The other end of the urging member 302E such as a spring whose one end is fixed to the advancing / retreating plate 306A is connected to the lever 302C, and the lever 302C is urged in the direction of closing the neck gripper 300. Further, the gripper opening / closing cam follower 302D is pressed against the opening / closing cam 301A provided on the fixed shaft 301 of the wheel by this urging force (note that some configurations are omitted at the container delivery position P10 in FIG. 12).

The advancing / retreating plate 306A of the neck gripper advancing / retreating mechanism 306 is supported by the rocking plate 304A via a slider 306D slidable along the rail 304D provided on the rocking plate 304A. A swing lever 304E is attached to the swing plate 304A via a connecting member 304H, and a swing lever 304E is attached to the tip thereof along the swing cam 301B of the fixed shaft 301 by rotation of the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B). A moving swing cam follower 304F is provided. That is, the swing plate 302A, that is, the neck gripper 300 is rotated around the swing shaft 304G as the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) rotates.

Further, the slider 306D that holds the advancing / retreating plate 306A is provided with an advancing / retreating cam follower 306F via a connecting member 306E. The advancing / retreating cam follower 306F engages the advancing / retreating cam 301C of the fixed shaft 301, and as the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) rotates, the slider 306D is moved back and forth along the rail 304D, whereby the neck gripper 300 moves along rail 304D.

In FIG. 13, the neck gripper 300 opened and closed by the gripper opening / closing mechanism 302 moves back and forth along the rail 304D while rotating around the swing shaft 304G by the gripper swing mechanism 304 and the gripper advance / retreat mechanism 306. A state of converting the pitch of the container V from 3 Pt to the reference transfer pitch Pt is shown.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, when the transfer pitch of the container V rotationally transferred by the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) is converted to the reference transfer pitch Pt, the container V becomes each of the corresponding discharge conveyors 14. Reaching the transport surface of the row (eg, row 14A), the neck gripper 300 is opened by the gripper opening / closing mechanism 302 to release the gripping container V and deliver it to the discharge conveyor 14. The released container V is placed on the transport surface of each row of the discharge conveyor 14 and discharged downstream. When converting the transfer pitch of the container V from 3Pt to Pt, not only the second pitch conversion wheels 30A and 30B are used, but for example, the second pitch is converted from 3Pt to 2Pt by the servo wheels 28A to 28F. The conversion wheels 30A and 30B may be used to convert 2Pt to Pt.

Next, with reference to FIG. 18, a normal distribution operation in the branch wheel 20 and an operation in the distribution adjustment mode will be described.

In FIG. 18, seven cap holding members 206B of the branch wheel 20 are provided along the outer circumference of the fixed rotating portion 202, and the normal sorting operation when these are numbered 1 to 7 in order is performed in the third week. It is an example up to. In the table, the head number of the cap holding member 206B, the route to which the container gripped by the head is distributed, and the cams 201A, 201B, 201C (described as cams A, B, C) at the respective article delivery positions P1, P2, P3. The upper and lower states are shown.

In the present embodiment, since the number of heads is odd, if the container V is alternately distributed to the first route I and the second route II, the head numbers assigned to each route are alternated between the first lap and the second lap. do. For example, if the heads 1, 3, 5, and 7 are distributed to the first route I on the first lap, and the heads 2, 4, and 6 are distributed to the second route II, the final head 7 is distributed to the first route I. Therefore, the heads 1, 3, 5, and 7 on the second lap are distributed to the second route, and the heads 2, 4, and 6 are distributed to the first route. Then, on the third lap, the heads 1, 3, 5, and 7 are again assigned to the first route I, and the heads 2, 4, and 6 are assigned to the second route II. That is, the heads assigned to the first and second routes I and II alternate every lap.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the control unit 16 detects the neck gripper 185 that does not hold the container V in the supply wheel 18 based on the reject signal from the inspection wheel 12 and the signal from the supply wheel 18, for example, the encoder. (Article holding status detection means). Further, the control unit 16 monitors the quantity of the container V conveyed in each row 14A to 14F of the discharge conveyor 14 by the signal from the sensor 17, and the discharge wheel 22A of the first route I and the discharge wheel of the second route II. The number of containers V discharged from 22B is compared (means for comparing the number of articles), and the size of the number of containers V discharged from either the discharge wheel 22A or the discharge wheel 22B is determined. The quantity of the containers V may be grasped by counting the containers V discharged from the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B.

The control unit 16 moves the cams 201A, 201B, 201C of the branch wheel 20 up and down, and the movable cam 181B of the supply wheel 18 so that the number of containers V distributed to the first route I and the second route II is substantially equal. Controls the advance / retreat of the movable cam 224C of the first pitch conversion wheel (first and second discharge wheels) 22A and 22B. That is, a container that is normally distributed to the first route I is distributed to the second route II, or a container V that is normally distributed to the second route II is distributed to the first route I. Adjust the quantity of V.

For example, when sorting is performed according to the table of FIG. 18, the container to be received by the third head on the second lap is rejected, and the container V is not gripped by the corresponding neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18. If the control unit 16 determines that the quantity of the containers V distributed to the second route II is smaller than the predetermined number by the first route I, the containers V are normally distributed to the first route I in the first lap. The container V of the third head is not delivered to the first pitch conversion wheel (first discharge wheel) 22A, but is delivered to the second route II on the second lap.

That is, the position of the cam A at the container delivery position P2 (first discharge position) is set to "up" with respect to the third head on the first lap, and the upper and lower grippers 200 are not released and are closed (grasping state). continue. At the same time, by extending the movable cam 224C of the first pitch conversion wheel 22A radially outward and maintaining the neck gripper 220 in the open state (open state), the container V gripped by the neck gripper 220 and the upper and lower grippers 200. Prevents strong interference with. Further, the cam A at the container delivery position P3 (second discharge position) is also positioned “up”, and the upper and lower grippers 200 pass through the container delivery position P3 while continuing to hold the container V. Since the phases of the upper and lower grippers 200 of the third head and the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch conversion wheel 22B are different in order to pass through the container delivery position P3, the diameter of the movable cam 224C of the first pitch conversion wheel 22B is set. It is not necessary to extend outward in the direction to open the neck gripper 220.

Then, on the second lap, the cam A at the container delivery position P1 is set “up” with respect to the third head, and the upper and lower grippers 200 are maintained in the closed closed state (grasping state), and at the same time, the container held by the third head. The movable cam 181B is extended radially outward so that the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18 does not interfere with the neck of the V, and the neck gripper 185 corresponding to the rejected container is opened (opened state).

The third head that has passed through the container delivery position P1 reaches the container delivery position P2 (first discharge position) on the second lap while holding the container V, but the cam A is maintained “up” at the container delivery position P2. Therefore, the container passes through the container delivery position P2 while maintaining the gripped state, and heads toward the container delivery position P3 (second discharge position). Since the cam A is located “down” at the container delivery position P3, the upper and lower grippers 200 release the container V and deliver the container V to the neck gripper 220 of the second pitch conversion wheel 22B. In this way, since the container V that is normally distributed to the first route I can be distributed to the second route II, the container V can be evenly distributed to the first route I and the second route II.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 16 includes a sensor for detecting the position of the upper and lower grippers 200 of the branch wheel 20 (position detecting means). Based on the signal from the sensor and the reject signal, the control unit 16 identifies the head (upper and lower grippers 200) of the branch wheel 20 that synchronizes with the neck gripper 185 that grips the rejected container V at the delivery position P1 and is movable. The cams 181B and 224C and the cams 201A, 201B and 201C are operated and controlled as described above.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22, the receiving / delivering operation of the servo wheels 28A to 28F, which takes up the container V from the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B and delivers it to the second pitch conversion wheels 30A and 30B, will be described. In the following description, the carrier link conveyor 26B and the servo wheels 28D to 28F related to the second route II and the second pitch conversion wheel 30B will be described as an example, but the carrier link conveyor 26A and the servo related to the first route I will be described. The same applies to the wheels 28A to 28C and the second pitch conversion wheel 30A.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view of the container transport device 10 in which the portion where the container is delivered from the carrier link conveyor 26B of the second route II to the discharge conveyor 14 via the servo wheels 28D, 28E, 28F and the second pitch conversion wheel 30B is enlarged. It is an enlarged plan view.

A sensor 19 is provided on the upstream side of the receiving sections of the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F of the carrier link conveyor 26B, and the presence or absence of the container V conveyed by the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B is detected and the control unit 16 ( See Figure 1). 20, 21, and 22 are schematic plan views showing how the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F receive the container V from the carrier link conveyor 26B, respectively. The presence or absence of the container V conveyed by the neck gripper 260 is not limited to the sensor 19, and the control device 16 receives the reject signal from the inspection wheel 12 arranged upstream and the control device 16 receives the container by the encoder signal of each wheel. It is also possible to determine the presence or absence of V.

20 (a), 21 (a), and 22 (a) show a servo wheel in which there is no container V rejected upstream and the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B conveys the container V without missing teeth. It is a figure which shows the state of receiving the container V in 28D, 28E, 28F. In FIGS. 20A, 21A, and 22A, the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F are continuously conveyed on the carrier link conveyor 26B in 12 containers V1 to V12. Is shown to receive each container V1-12.

In the carrier link conveyor 26B, when the container V is continuously conveyed without missing teeth, the four upper and lower grippers 280 provided on the servo wheels 28D, 28E, 28F match the movement of the container V to be taken out. The movement of each of the three servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F is controlled, and the three servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F receive the containers every two in order from the upstream side. That is, the servo wheel 28D on the upstream side shown in FIG. 20 (a) has containers V1, V4, V7, V10 every other, and the second servo wheel 28E shown in FIG. 21 (a) has a container V1, V4, V7, V10. The third servo wheel 28F shown in FIG. 22A receives the containers V2, V5, V8, V11 every other second from the carrier link conveyor 26B, and the containers V3, V6, V9, V12 every other.

20 (b), (c), 21 (b), (c), 22 (b), and (c) show each servo in the case where there is a toothlessness in the transfer of the container V of the carrier link conveyor 26B. It is a figure which shows the arrangement of the upper and lower grippers 280 of a wheel 28D, 28E, 28F.

20 (b) and 20 (c) are examples of the case where the container V10 is missing among the containers V1 to V12. In FIG. 20 (b), the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28D that receives the container V10 in the normal state of FIG. 20 (a) move forward from the normal state, and the container that the servo wheel 28F should normally receive. It is shown that the V9 is gripped and pulled out from the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B. Further, in FIG. 20 (c), the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28D that receives the container V10 in the normal state of FIG. 20 (a) should be retracted from the normal state, and the servo wheel 28E should normally receive the container V10. It is shown that the container V11 is grasped and pulled out from the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B.

In FIGS. 21 (b) and 22 (b), the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28E and 28F move forward from the normal state, grip the container V, and pull out from the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B, respectively. 21 (c) and 22 (c) show that the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28E and 28F retract from the normal state to grip the container V and grip the neck gripper of the carrier link conveyor 26B, respectively. The state of extracting from 260 is shown.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the servo wheels 28D, 28E, 28F capable of independently driving a plurality of upper and lower grippers 280 are arranged in the transport path of the carrier link conveyor 26B to control the drive of the upper and lower grippers 280. Therefore, even if the container V supplied by the carrier link conveyor 26B has a toothlessness, it is evenly distributed to the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F. The control unit 16 grasps the quantity of the containers V discharged to the discharge conveyors 14D, 14E, and 14F by the sensor 17, and grasps whether or not the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B grips the container V by the sensor 19. is doing.

For example, it is determined that the quantity of the container V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14D distributed by the servo wheel 28D is as small as the quantity of the container V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14E or 14F, and the container V is supplied to the servo hole 28D. When a tooth is missing from the container V to be powered, the control unit 16 servos the container V originally supplied to the servo wheel 28E or the servo wheel 28F as shown in FIGS. 20 (b) and 20 (c). It is taken out by the wheel 28D and discharged to the discharge conveyor 14D via the second pitch conversion wheel 30B. Whether the container V that should have been supplied to either the servo wheel 28E or the servo wheel 28F is taken out by the servo wheel 28D is given priority to take out the container V having a larger quantity of discharged containers V. ..

Next, it is determined that the quantity of the container V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14E distributed by the servo wheel 28E is smaller than the quantity of the container V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14D or 14F, and the container V is supplied to the servo wheel 28E. When the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28D is taken out by the servo wheel 28E when the tooth is missing from the container V, the control unit 16 does not take out the container to the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28D. As shown in FIG. 21B, the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28E are controlled to move the corresponding upper and lower grippers 280 according to the movement of the container for which the servo wheel 28D was not taken out. Remove the container. Further, when the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28F is taken out by the servo wheel 28E, the control unit 16 adjusts to the movement of the container to be supplied to the servo wheel 28F as shown in FIG. 21 (c). Control the movement of the corresponding vertical gripper 280 and take out the corresponding container.

Further, it is determined that the quantity of the containers V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14F distributed by the servo wheel 28F is smaller than the quantity of the containers V discharged to the discharge conveyors 14D and 14E, and the container V should be supplied to the servo wheel 28F. When the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28E is taken out by the servo wheel 28F when the container V has a tooth omission, the control unit 16 does not take out the container to the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28E. At the same time as instructing, as shown in FIG. 21B, the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28F control the movement of the corresponding upper and lower grippers 280 according to the movement of the container that the servo wheel 28E did not take out, and the corresponding container. Take out. Further, when the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28D is taken out by the servo wheel 28F, the control unit 16 instructs the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28D not to take out the container, and at the same time, raises and lowers the servo wheel 28F. As shown in FIG. 21C, the gripper 280 controls the movement of the corresponding upper and lower grippers 280 according to the movement of the container that was not taken out by the servo wheel 28D, and takes out the corresponding container.

As described above, according to the article branching device of the present embodiment, an odd number of upper and lower grippers are arranged on the branch wheel, the position of each upper and lower gripper is detected, and two first pitch conversion wheels (first and second) are used. The number of containers discharged from the discharge wheel) is compared to determine the size of the number of containers discharged from the first discharge wheel and the second discharge wheel, and one of the neck grippers of the supply wheel is the first pitch. Of the upper and lower grippers holding the container to be delivered to the other first pitch conversion wheel when the container to be delivered to the conversion wheel is absent, the neck gripper and container delivery position of the supply wheel where the container is absent. The upper and lower grippers synchronized with the above are continuously gripped by the other first pitch conversion wheel without being released, and after passing through the container delivery position, are held by the other first pitch conversion wheel in the released state. By handing over the existing containers, it is possible to distribute the articles transported in a state of missing teeth so that the numbers are even.

Further, according to the present embodiment, by alternately repeating gripping from the container neck portion and the container from above and below, the capped container can be alternately gripped and conveyed by the gripper. As a result, even if the type and size of the container to be handled (body shape, body diameter, etc.) are changed, it is possible to easily deal with it with a simple operation. Further, in the present embodiment, by providing the hold change wheel, the combination of the wheel rotation direction, the neck gripper, and the upper and lower grippers can be changed. Further, in the present embodiment, substantially the same number of containers can be distributed to each branch route.

Next, a modified example of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 23. In the embodiment, the elevating mechanism 264 is provided on the neck grippers 260 of the carrier conveyors 26A and 26B, but in the modified example, the elevating mechanism is adopted on the support plates 280A of the servo wheels 28A to 28F instead of the elevating mechanism 264. The same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those in the embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 23 shows the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) and the servo wheel 28A (28B) centered on the container delivery position P9 at the time when the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28A (28B to 28F) of the modified example grip the container V. It is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view. As shown in FIG. 23, the elevating mechanism 264 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is not provided, and instead, a plate elevating mechanism 280C of the support plate 280A is provided.

The support plate 280A of the modified example is vertically attached to each drive shaft 282A to 282D via the rod member 280D. Further, each support plate 280A is provided with a cam follower 280E, and the cam follower 280E abuts on the cam 281B provided along the outer circumference of the fixed shaft 281. The cam follower 280E is pressed against the cam follower 280E by the weight of the support plate 280A or the like, and travels on the cam 281B in accordance with the rotation of each drive shaft 282A to 282D. The cam 281B lifts the cam follower 280E at the container delivery position P9 and comes into contact with the bottom surface of the container V gripped by the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B. With the above configuration, the same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained in the modified example.

In the present embodiment, the number of containers distributed to each branch route is calculated from the number of containers of the discharge conveyor, but the number of containers distributed to each branch route may be directly counted.

10 Container transfer device 12 Inspection wheel 14 Discharge conveyor 16 Control unit 17 Sensor 18 Supply wheel 20 Branch wheel (article branch device)
22A, 22B 1st pitch conversion wheel (1st, 2nd discharge wheel)
24A, 24B Discharge wheel 26A, 26B Carrier link conveyor 28A to 28F Servo wheel 30A, 30B Second pitch conversion wheel 32 Hold change wheel P1 to P11 Container delivery position

Claims (1)

A supply wheel that holds and conveys articles by a plurality of article holding means provided in the circumferential direction, and
An article conveyed by the supply wheel is provided by a plurality of article gripping means which are provided in the circumferential direction and can be switched between a gripping state in which the article is gripped by opening and closing and an release state in which the grip of the article is released. A branch wheel that grips and transports at the delivery position,
An opening / closing means provided on the branch wheel to open / close the article gripping means,
A first discharge wheel, which is arranged downstream of the article delivery position and discharges the article delivered from the branch wheel at the first discharge position,
A second discharge wheel, which is arranged downstream of the first discharge position and discharges the article delivered from the branch wheel at the second discharge position,
An article holding status detecting means for detecting whether or not the article holding means of the supply wheel is holding an article,
A control means for controlling the opening / closing means by a signal from the article holding status detecting means is provided.
In addition to arranging an odd number of article gripping means for the branch wheel,
The position detecting means for detecting the position of each article gripping means and the position detecting means.
An article number comparison means for comparing the number of articles discharged from the first discharge wheel and the second discharge wheel is provided.
The control means determines which discharge wheel has a smaller number of articles discharged by the article number comparison means, and also determines.
When the article to be delivered to the one discharge wheel is absent among the article holding means of the supply wheel,
Among the article gripping means for gripping the article to be delivered to the other discharge wheel, the article gripping means that synchronizes with the article holding means of the supply wheel in which the article is absent at the article delivery position is the other discharge wheel. An article branching device characterized in that the article is continuously gripped without being released in the above-mentioned state, and after passing through the article delivery position, the article is delivered in the released state by the one discharge wheel.

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