JP7095494B2 - Alignment reversal cleaner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container alignment reversal cleaner.

Foreign matter such as dust, hair, insects, paper dust, metal pieces, and resin pieces that enter the containers of food, daily miscellaneous goods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc. are strictly prohibited for these producers. .. When a foreign substance is found to be mixed, the producer needs to notify the consumer, collect the product, and accept the return of the product, which causes a great deal of damage. If the corporate image is damaged by the contamination of foreign substances and the response when the contamination is discovered is mistaken, the social credibility of the company will be damaged and the company may even face a crisis of survival. Therefore, it is customary to perform cleaning with air before filling a packaging container such as a bottle with the contents.

When cleaning is performed manually, the mouth of the bottle is pressed against a device having an air blow nozzle and a dust collecting mechanism for a certain period of time. At this time, in order to improve the efficiency of cleaning, the bottle is turned upside down and air blown from the bottom to the top so that the falling foreign matter is collected by the dust collector.

As a device for performing this on a production line, a container conveyed by a conveyor is supplied to a rotatable mounting table, and an air blow nozzle is moved up and down in the container on the mounting table to perform cleaning and the orientation of the container. There is a device that regulates a container in a specific direction by detecting it with a detector and rotating a mounting table (Patent Document 1). However, with this device, the container cannot be turned upside down during cleaning and air blown from bottom to top, and there is a concern that foreign matter removal will be incomplete.

As a device that can turn the container upside down during cleaning, the hand that picks up the container is fixed to the shaft, the shaft is swingably attached to the arm, the container transported by the conveyor is picked up by the hand, and the arm is lifted. It has been proposed that the hand is rotated by 360 ° by swinging, and cleaning is performed by the air blow nozzle and the vacuum hose provided in the hand during this rotation (Patent Document 2). However, this device is unable to align the containers in a predetermined orientation after cleaning.

Jikkai Sho 63-76696 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-313500

As described above, in the conventional device, the containers transported by the conveyor in the production line are picked up, turned upside down and cleaned by air blowing from the bottom to the top, and the cleaned containers are aligned in a predetermined direction. I can't. If a container orientation detection device and a direction alignment device for aligning the containers in a predetermined orientation are added to the cleaning device described in Patent Document 2, the device configuration becomes large, a large installation space is required, and the equipment cost increases. do. If we try to manually align the containers in a predetermined direction, labor shortages and soaring labor costs due to the declining birthrate and aging population will become problems.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the container is turned upside down and cleaning is performed by injecting a fluid such as air from the bottom to the top to thoroughly remove foreign substances, and the device for performing this cleaning and the direction alignment device are integrated. The problem is to make the device configuration compact, eliminating the need for a large installation space, and to enable high-speed operations such as taking out the container from the transport line, turning it upside down, and returning it to the transport line.

The present inventor takes out the container from the transport line of the conveyor, and while the container is turned upside down and injects fluid from below in the container for cleaning, the container is rotated in the circumferential direction to rotate the container in a predetermined direction. As a rotating device for this purpose, a rotating device having a hollow portion is used, and when a discharge pipe is passed through the hollow portion and a fluid injection nozzle is passed through the discharge pipe, the fluid injection nozzle, the discharge pipe and the above-mentioned rotating device are provided. It was conceived that the alignment cleaner head can be compactly configured, and further, if an reversing device that inverts the alignment cleaner unit in which a plurality of alignment cleaner heads are arranged is provided, the entire device including this reversing device can be compactly configured. And completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention comprises an alignment cleaner unit in which a plurality of alignment cleaner heads are arranged to hold a container, inject a fluid into the held container, and rotate the container in the circumferential direction to turn the container into a predetermined direction. An alignment reversing cleaner for a container equipped with an reversing device that inverts the alignment cleaner unit upside down.
Alignment cleaner head,
Holding means to hold the container,
A rotating device having a hollow portion at the center of rotation capable of rotating a container held by a holding means in the circumferential direction of the container.
A sealing member that comes into contact with the mouth of the container held by the holding means,
It is equipped with a discharge pipe that passes through the hollow portion of the rotating device and communicates with the inside of the container held by the holding means, and a fluid injection nozzle that passes through the discharge pipe and is inserted into the container held by the holding means.
Alignment Cleaner A reversing device provides an alignment reversing cleaner that flips the alignment cleaner unit upside down while the container is held in the head.

According to the alignment reversal cleaner of the present invention, foreign matter can be thoroughly removed by taking out the container from the transport line and injecting a fluid from below in the container with the container turned upside down. In addition, a cleaning mechanism equipped with a fluid injection nozzle and a discharge pipe and a directional alignment mechanism that orients the container in a predetermined direction during cleaning are integrated into a compact device configuration, and the container can be moved up and down. The size of the entire device including the flipping device itself is about half that of the cleaning device equipped with the vertical flipping device and the container orientation device arranged side by side on the line. Further, by eliminating the transfer device between the devices, the installation space of the device is remarkably reduced to about 1/3, and the space and cost required for the equipment can be reduced.

Further, according to the alignment reversing cleaner of the present invention, since the alignment cleaner unit is compactly configured, it is easy to rotate the alignment cleaner unit to turn the container upside down, and it is possible to increase the operating speed of the alignment cleaner unit. can. This makes it possible to take out from the transport line, return the container, and turn the container upside down at high speed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an alignment reversal cleaner of an embodiment arranged on a transport line of a container. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front side of the alignment cleaner unit of the alignment reversal cleaner of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear side of the alignment cleaner unit of the alignment reversal cleaner of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the alignment cleaner unit of the alignment reversal cleaner of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway view of the alignment cleaner unit of the alignment reversal cleaner of the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view looking up at the gripper portion of the alignment cleaner unit of the alignment reversal cleaner of the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cutaway perspective view of the rotary joint. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hollow rotary actuator. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a vector of air flow in the container for each insertion rate of the air blow nozzle. FIG. 10 is a time chart of the operation of the alignment reversal cleaner of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view of the alignment cleaner unit in steps 1 to 4. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the alignment reversal cleaner when the delivery conveyor and the delivery conveyor are arranged in parallel. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the alignment reversal cleaner when the delivery conveyor and the delivery conveyor are arranged in a straight line. FIG. 14 is an example of a container that can be cleaned according to the present invention. FIG. 15 is a three-view view of a bag-shaped container that can be cleaned according to the present invention. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a bag-shaped container that can be cleaned according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same reference numerals represent the same or equivalent components.

<Overall configuration of alignment reversal cleaner>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the alignment reversing cleaner 1 of the embodiment of the present invention arranged on the transport line of the container, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the alignment cleaner unit 3 provided in the alignment reversing cleaner 1. It is a perspective view of the front side and the back side, and FIG. 4 is a side view thereof.

The alignment reversing cleaner 1 has two alignment cleaner units 3 in which four alignment cleaner heads 2 are linearly arranged in parallel with the transport direction of the container 100, and the two alignment cleaner units 3 have. , The alignment cleaner heads 2 are arranged in series in the same direction as the arrangement direction. In the present invention, the number of alignment cleaner heads 2 to be arranged by one alignment cleaner unit 3 is not particularly limited, but the number is two or more in order to efficiently perform a large number of processes by one robot. Further, in order to prevent the increase in weight from adversely affecting the operating speed of the robot, 6 or less are preferable. On the other hand, the number of the alignment cleaner units 3 provided in one alignment reversal cleaner may be 1 to 4 in terms of the feeding speed of the hakama type holder (also referred to as a hakama) 110 that holds the container 100 on the transport line. preferable. Since there is a limit to the feeding speed of the holder 110, it is possible to prevent a waiting time from occurring in the operation of the alignment reversal cleaner 1 until the holder 110 reaches a predetermined position by using four or less.

The individual alignment cleaner heads 2 hold the container 100 taken out from the transport line, and inject cleaning air into the container 100 to clean the inside of the container, and rotate the container 100 in the circumferential direction. It has a mechanism for aligning the container 100 in a predetermined direction.

Further, each of the alignment cleaner units 3 has a mounting portion 5 of a reversing device 4 that inverts the alignment cleaner unit 3 up and down on each main frame back plate 11 (FIG. 3).

In the alignment reversal cleaner 1 of this embodiment, the hand of the vertical articulated robot is used as the alignment cleaner unit 3, and the arm of this robot functions as the reversing device 4.

Further, the alignment cleaner unit 3 is made as lightweight and compact as possible, and the center of gravity of the alignment cleaner unit 3 is brought closer to the connection portion between the alignment cleaner unit 3 and the reversing device 4, so that the load applied to the drive unit and the structural portion of the reversing device 4 can be applied. It is made smaller so that the alignment cleaner unit 3 can be rotated by the reversing device 4 and the reversing device 4 itself can be moved at high speed.

<Fluid>
In the present invention, the cleaning fluid sprayed into the container is not limited to air, and contains a specific gas such as nitrogen gas, a solvent, water, oil, and a surfactant as required for cleaning the inside of the container. A liquid such as a solution may be sprayed.

When injecting air, if necessary, use one that has been treated for static electricity elimination in order to suppress static electricity inside the container 100. Further, it is preferable to perform pretreatment according to the application such as passing through a filter for removing oil mist and dust and a sterilization filter so that the inside of the container 100 is not contaminated by the fluid itself.

The injection pressure of the fluid is appropriately adjusted according to the type of the fluid, the required flow rate and the flow velocity. When injecting air as in this embodiment, the supply pressure can be 0.3 to 0.5 MPa.

<Container>
The alignment reversal cleaner 1 of the present invention can be applied to various containers having a mouth portion at one end, and is particularly preferably applied to a bottle having a narrow mouth. More specifically, the cylindrical bottle, the elliptical bottle, the eccentric bottle and the like shown in FIG. 14 can be mentioned. It can also be applied to a wide-mouthed container such as a jar bottle having a mouth at one end, a cylindrical container, a prismatic container, a bag-shaped container having a mouth, and the like. When the bag-shaped container is supplied in a folded state as shown in FIG. 15, only air blow is performed before cleaning, the bag portion is inflated as shown in FIG. 16, and then the alignment of the present invention is performed. Cleaning with a reversing cleaner is preferable because the tip of the air blow nozzle 50 does not damage the bag portion.

The material of the container is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include resins such as PET, PP, and PE, metals such as aluminum, and paper. In the bag-shaped container, for example, the mouth portion may be made of resin, and the bag portion may be a composite of aluminum and resin.

<Alignment cleaner head>
The alignment cleaner head 2 holds the container 100, injects air from the air blow nozzle 50 into the held container to clean the inside of the container, and aligns the container in a predetermined direction with the rotating device 60.

(Gripper)
In the alignment reversal cleaner 1 of this embodiment, a gripper 20 for gripping the container 100 is provided as a holding means for the container 100. In the present invention, the container holding means can be selected according to the shape, hardness, etc. of the container, and the container can be held by suction with a vacuum pad, gripping with a gripper, or the like.

The shape of the portion where the gripper 20 grips the container 100 is preferably matched to the shape of the container. In order to prevent the container 100 from slipping, the anti-slip material 21 may be attached to the portion where the gripper 20 comes into contact with the container 100. Further, the gripper 20 may be easily replaced according to the shape of the container.

The gripper opening / closing device 25 may be an air type, an electric type, or the like, and is not particularly limited, but in the present embodiment, the air type is used. For the air type, select a flexible and strong air hose as the air hose for supply and exhaust. As a result, even if the gripper 20 is rotated by the rotating device 60 and the air hose is wound around the alignment cleaner unit 3, the air hose can be prevented from being damaged or broken. On the other hand, when an electric switchgear is used, it is preferable to select a flexible and strong electric wire so that the electric wire is not broken due to the rotation of the gripper 20. The electric type is preferable in that the opening degree of the gripper 20 can be arbitrarily set for changing the size of the container 100.

The air and electricity for driving the gripper switchgear 25 are preferably supplied via the rotary joint 30. By using the rotary joint 30, it is not necessary to connect an air hose or an electric wire to the switchgear opening / closing device 25. It is possible to suppress troubles such as damage to surrounding parts.

In this embodiment, the pneumatic rotary joint 30 shown in FIG. 7 is used. The rotary joint 30 supplies air to the gripper switchgear 25 by the air system 31, and exhausts the air by the air system 32. Since the rotary joint 30 is provided with the sealing materials 33a, 33b, 33c at three places, completely independent ventilation is performed in the air systems 31 and 32. Further, since the rotary joint 30 has a deep groove ball bearing 34, the shaft portion 36 can be smoothly rotated with respect to the housing portion 35 of the rotary joint 30. A discharge pipe 42 and an air blow nozzle 50 inserted in the discharge pipe 42 are arranged in the hollow central portion 37 (FIG. 5).

On the other hand, when electricity is supplied using a rotary joint, a hollow rotary connection connector having a rotatable electric contact such as a slip ring type may be used.

(Seal member)
A seal member 40 is provided above the gripper 20, and the mouth of the container 100 gripped by the gripper 20 comes into contact with the seal member 40. In this embodiment, the seal member 40 is a cup type that covers the mouth portion of the container 100 by covering the mouth portion, and the space inside the cup has a conical shape (FIGS. 5 and 6). By forming the seal member 40 into a cup shape and forming the inner space thereof into a conical shape, the seal member 40 can be commonly used for containers having different mouth sizes. A hole 41 is provided at the top of the conical shape, which is the central portion of the seal member 40. A discharge pipe 42 is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the hole portion 41, and the discharge pipe 42 and the inside of the container 100 held by the gripper 20 communicate with each other through the hole portion 41.

Further, on the upper surface of the seal member 40, a pressing spring 43 is provided as a pressing mechanism for pressing the seal member 40 toward the gripper 20 side. As a result, the seal member 40 is pressed against the mouth portion 101 of the container 100 held by the gripper 20. By pressing the seal member 40 and inclining the inner wall of the seal member 40 so that the inner space of the seal member has a conical shape, the mouth portion 101 of the container 100 held by the gripper 20 and the seal member 40 are held together. Even if the positions of the central portions of both are misaligned during contact, the container 100 moves slightly to correct the misalignment, and the central portions of both are aligned. As a result, it is possible to prevent an unbalanced force from being applied to the contact portion between the seal portion 40 and the mouth portion of the container 100 and the contact portion between the bottom portion of the container and the conveyor, so that air does not leak and the surfaces thereof are further damaged. Is prevented. Therefore, as the material of the seal member, a material that is slippery and does not easily damage the mouth of the container is selected. Resin materials are preferred, and high density polyethylene, polyacetal and the like are particularly preferred.

In the present invention, the shape of the seal member is not limited to the cup shape described above, and may be a shape that matches the shape of the mouth of the container to be cleaned. More specifically, when the mouth of the container to be handled is limited to a circular shape having a predetermined diameter, a conical sealing member suitable for the diameter can be used. When handling a container having a mouth portion such as an ellipse or a quadrangle, a conical sealing member matching the shape of the mouth portion can also be used. By covering the mouth with a sealing member having a recess having an inclined inner wall in contact with the opening surface of the mouth in this way, air leakage can be reliably prevented. In order to further improve the compatibility, a flexible material such as gel or urethane rubber may be attached to the inside of the sealing member.

The seal member 40 is rotatably attached to the main frame 10. Therefore, when the gripper 20 holding the container 100 is rotated by the rotating device 60, the mouth portion of the container 100 and the sealing member 40 can be brought into contact with each other without changing their relative positions. As a result, it is possible to prevent wear of the contact surface between the seal member 40 and the mouth portion of the container 100, and prevent dust collected air from leaking from the contact surface. On the other hand, the seal member 40 may be fixedly attached to the main frame 10. As a result, it is possible to omit bearings and the like for rotatably mounting, so that the number of parts can be reduced.

(Air blow nozzle)
In the present invention, a fluid injection nozzle is inserted in the discharge pipe 42 connected to the seal member 40. In this embodiment, an air blow nozzle 50 is provided as the fluid injection nozzle (FIGS. 2 and 5). The air blow nozzle 50 is inserted into the container 100 from the central portion of the sealing member 40. The air blow nozzle 50 is connected to the air supply pipe 51, and the air supply pipe 51 is connected to the air supply unit 52. An air hose 53 is connected to the air supply unit 52, and the air hose 53 supplies cleaning air from the external air supply unit to the air supply unit 52 through the mounting portion 5 of the hollow reversing device 4. do. Therefore, cleaning air is injected from the air blow nozzle 50 into the container 100. The amount of the air blow nozzle 50 inserted into the container 100 is adjusted by raising and lowering the air blow nozzle bracket 58, which will be described later.

The material of the air blow nozzle 50 is not particularly limited, but stainless steel is preferable because it is possible to select various required diameters from commercially available products, and it has strength and corrosion resistance.

Appropriate inner and outer diameters of the nozzle can be obtained depending on the size of the mouth of the container, air flow rate and speed, but as an example, the inner diameter is about 2 to 5 mm, and the outer diameter is +0.3 to 1 with respect to the inner diameter. The one with a diameter of about 0 mm is selected. When it is +0.3 mm or more, the required strength can be obtained, and when it is +1.0 mm or less, the outer diameter of the air blow nozzle can be reduced and the air ventilation area of the discharge pipe 42 can be sufficiently obtained. It is preferable that the inner diameter of the discharge pipe 42 is made as large as possible to increase the air ventilation area and collect a large foreign matter, but of course, it must be smaller than the inner diameter of the mouth of the container 100. It is preferable to make the air ventilation area sufficient by making it larger than about -8 mm of the inner diameter of the container, and prevent air leakage between the mouth of the container 100 and the sealing member 40 by making it smaller than about -4 mm of the inner diameter of the container. , Sufficient air flow velocity can also be obtained. The optimum size from the viewpoint of the air vent is that the difference between the inner diameter of the discharge pipe 42 and the outer diameter of the air blow nozzle 50 is about 3 to 6 mm, and the gap is about 1.5 to 3 mm for the same reason as described above. preferable.

When the ratio of the length of the air blow nozzle 50 inserted from the mouth 101 to the height of the container 100 is taken as the insertion rate, the direction and flow velocity of the air flow in the container change depending on the magnitude of the insertion rate. An example is shown in FIG. In the figure, the arrow in the container 100 represents the vector of the air flow. The insertion rate and the time at the insertion rate are not particularly limited, and are appropriately adjusted depending on the shape, size, type of the container, and particularly the foreign matter to be removed with particular emphasis. The features of the air condition inside the container and the removal of foreign matter with respect to the insertion rate are described below.

When the insertion rate is about 0%, the flow velocity of the air is a little weak, but there is almost no turbulence in the direction of the air, and the supplied air stably passes through the entire inside of the container to allow foreign matter to pass through the hole 41 of the sealing member 40. It is preferable because it can be discharged from.

At an insertion rate of about 20%, the direction of air is greatly disturbed at the mouth 101 of the container 100, and foreign matter may not be reliably discharged from the hole 41 of the seal member 40.

At an insertion rate of about 50%, the flow velocity on the inner wall of the bottom of the container 100 is very weak, and it may be difficult to peel off the foreign matter on the inner wall of the bottom of the container 100.

At an insertion rate of about 80%, there is a slight turbulence in the direction of air at the bottom of the container 100, but there is a strong air flow over the entire inner wall of the container 100. Therefore, it is preferable because the foreign matter can be surely peeled off from the inner wall of the container 100 and the peeled foreign matter can be efficiently discharged from the hole 41 of the sealing member 40.

More preferably, the insertion rate of the air blow nozzle 50 is increased in the range of about 0% to 90% while supplying air, and the insertion rate of the nozzle is returned to 0% in that range. Varies in the discharge process. As a result, strong air flows sequentially through the inside of the container 100 without bias, so that foreign matter can be surely peeled off from the inner wall of each part in the container and can be surely discharged from the hole 41. In a small container, a sufficient effect may be obtained even if the insertion rate is about 0%. That is, the foreign matter can be efficiently discharged by setting the insertion time of the air blow nozzle to zero. In particular, when handling a plurality of types of small containers, it may be preferable to set the insertion time of the air blow nozzle to zero.

Although gravity due to the upside down of the container 100 has almost no effect on the flow direction and the flow velocity, the probability that foreign matter in the container can be discharged from the hole 41 of the seal member 40 is such that the mouth 101 of the container 100 faces downward. The more it gets, the higher it gets. Therefore, it is preferable to keep the container 100 upside down at 180 ° for a long time.

(Dust collecting air)
As described above, the sealing member 40 covers the mouth of the container 100 and is pressed against the mouth of the container 100 to come into contact with the container 100. Therefore, the air jetted from the air blow nozzle 50 cleans the inside of the container 100 with almost no leakage. Further, cleaning can be performed more thoroughly by adjusting the insertion rate of the air blow nozzle 50 or changing the insertion rate. The air that has cleaned the inside of the container is discharged as dust collecting air from the hole 41.

On the other hand, the alignment cleaner unit 3 has a dust collection duct 44 extending in the arrangement direction of the alignment cleaner head 2, and a plurality of discharge pipes 42 are connected to the dust collection duct 44. Therefore, the dust collecting air discharged from the hole 41 passes through the discharge pipe 42, passes through the dust collecting duct 44 and the dust collecting air collecting part 45, and is connected to the dust collecting air connecting part 46 of the main frame back plate 11. It is sucked into a dust collector (not shown) through the dust collecting hose 47. Then, in the dust collector, foreign matter is removed from the dust collecting air, and clean air is discharged. Although the dust collecting hose 47 is pulled out from the back surface of the alignment cleaner unit 3 in FIG. 1, it may be pulled out from the front surface.

In addition, the suction flow rate in the dust collector is adjusted by making the suction capacity of the valve in the dust collection air recovery path and the dust collection device variable so that the balance between the cleaning air and the dust collection air can be balanced. It is preferable to be able to do it.

Depending on the type of fluid used for cleaning, the fluid collected by the dust collector and from which foreign matter has been removed may be reused as the cleaning fluid as in the present embodiment.

(Rotating device)
In the present invention, the alignment cleaner head 2 passes through a rotating device (that is, the central portion of the mouth of the container 100) capable of rotating the holding means (gripper 20) holding the container 100 in the circumferential direction of the container 100. A rotating device 60 having a hollow portion at the center of rotation is used as a rotating device (rotating device capable of rotating the virtual axis extending in the height direction of 100 as the center of rotation). As such a rotating device 60, a hollow rotary actuator, a hollow motor, or the like can be used. By using a rotating device having a hollow portion at the center of rotation in order to rotate the container 100 in its circumferential direction, an air supply pipe 51 that sends cleaning air to the hollow portion and a discharge pipe 42 that collects dust collecting air are used. Since it can be passed through, the cleaning device and the rotating device can be compactly integrated. Further, since the rotating device can be arranged near the mouth of the container, the alignment cleaner head 2 can be made compact, and the center of gravity of the alignment cleaner head is concentrated and the reversing device is located near the center of gravity. The center of vertical rotation according to 4 can be positioned.

The driving method of the hollow rotary actuator 60 may be an air type, an electric type, or the like, and is not particularly limited. The electric type is preferable from the viewpoint that it is easy to control the stop when the container 100 is rotated in the circumferential direction and adjusted to a predetermined direction, and the structure can be simplified. Examples of the electric type include an inverter motor, a stepping motor, a servo motor, etc. that can be reliably stopped. Above all, it is preferable to use a compact and lightweight stepping motor that has high torque in the low speed range and can control the stop with high accuracy.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hollow rotary actuator 60 used in this embodiment. The hollow rotary actuator 60 is a combination of a rotary table 61 having a hollow portion and a stepping motor 62, and a pinion 63 of the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 62 transmits power to a gear formed on the outer periphery of the rotary table 61. Then, the rotary table 61 is rotated. The rotary table 61 rotates the gripper 20 via the shaft portion 36 of the rotary joint 30. On the other hand, the stepping motor 62 is attached to the main frame 10 with a flange (not shown).

<Alignment cleaner unit>
The alignment cleaner unit 3 is roughly a supply path for air injected from a main frame 10 for fixing a plurality of alignment cleaner heads 2, a main frame back plate 11 for attaching the main frame 10, and an air blow nozzle 50 of the alignment cleaner head 2. It has an air hose 53, a dust collecting duct 44 as a collection path for dust collected air discharged from the inside of the container 100 through a discharge pipe 42, and a direction detecting means for detecting the direction of the container 100 held by the alignment cleaner head 2. There is.

A fixed position adjuster 72 of a square pipe 71 having a seal member 40 of the alignment cleaner head 2 arranged in a straight line, a hollow rotary actuator 60, a dust collecting duct 44, and a direction detection sensor 70 at one end is attached to the main frame 10. ing.

A main frame 10, an air blow nozzle raising / lowering drive device 54, and a linear roller slider 55 are attached to the main frame back plate 11.

The main frame 10 is preferably made lighter in order to improve the reversing operation of the alignment cleaner unit 3 by the reversing device 4. Therefore, it is preferable that the main frame 10 is made of a light material, and for example, aluminum or titanium is selected. Duralumin, super-duralumin, and super-super-duralumin are more preferable from the viewpoint of high strength and easy processing, and those subjected to heat treatment for further improving the strength are preferable. Further, it is preferable that the weight of the main frame back plate 11 is also reduced, and for that purpose, it is preferable to use a thin plate and perform lightening when strength allows.

In this embodiment, as the direction detection means, a direction detection sensor 70 that recognizes a characteristic portion of the container by color discrimination is provided. As the sensor based on such color discrimination, a sensor that detects an RGB value, a light intensity, or the like can be used.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the direction detection means is not limited to the sensor by color discrimination, and is appropriately selected according to the characteristics of the container. For example, a normal optical sensor may be used to read the characteristics of the design on the side surface of the container, and a contact sensor may be used to detect a dent at the bottom of the bottle. Features include eye marks, letters, and logo marks. Examples of the optical sensor include those using an LED, a laser, or the like.

Further, in the present invention, the direction detecting means is not limited to being provided in the alignment cleaner unit 3. For example, a camera may be provided on the transport line of the container 100, and the orientation of the container may be detected by image recognition.

The air blow nozzle elevating drive device 54 raises and lowers the air blow nozzle bracket 58 via a floating joint 56 attached to the tip of the drive shaft of the air blow nozzle elevating drive device 54 and a connection bracket 57 fixed to the floating joint 56. (Fig. 2). Since the air supply pipe 52 connected in series with the air blow nozzle 50 is fixed to the air blow nozzle bracket 58, the position of the air blow nozzle 50 with respect to the container 100, that is, to the container 100 by raising and lowering the air blow nozzle bracket 58. The insertion rate of the air blow nozzle 50 can be varied and adjusted.

In this embodiment, in order to more reliably raise and lower the air blow nozzle bracket, two air blow nozzle raising and lowering drive devices 54 are provided on the main frame back plate 11, and the air blow nozzle bracket 58 is raised and lowered by these (FIG. 3).

The type of the air blow nozzle elevating drive device 54 is not particularly limited, but an air type or an electric type is used. It is preferable to use an electric linear motion actuator from the viewpoint that the insertion speed, position, stop time, etc. of the air blow nozzle 50 into the container 100 can be easily adjusted.

The plurality of discharge pipes 42 are connected to the dust collection duct 44, and the air supply pipe 51 penetrates the dust collection duct 44. With such a connection and arrangement, the air intake / exhaust section can be made compact. When the air blow nozzle bracket 58 moves up and down, the air supply pipe 51 penetrating the dust collecting duct 44 comes into sliding contact with the dust collecting duct 44. An air leakage prevention packing 48 is provided at the sliding contact portion of the air supply pipe 51 so that the dust collecting air does not leak from the dust collecting duct 44 due to this sliding contact.

The linear roller slider 55 assists the raising / lowering operation of the air blow nozzle bracket 58 by the air blow nozzle raising / lowering drive device 54. Instead of the linear roller slider 55, another slide mechanism such as a linear motion guide may be used. The linear roller slider is preferable from the viewpoint of light weight.

<Reversing device>
In the present invention, the reversing device 4 is a device that flips the alignment cleaner unit 3 upside down while the container 100 is being held by the holding means (FIG. 1). The reversing device 4 rotates the alignment cleaner unit 3 in the a direction with the alignment direction of the alignment cleaner heads 2 in the alignment cleaner unit 3 as the rotation center, or the rotation center in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the alignment cleaner head 2. A device that rotates the alignment cleaner unit 3 in the b1 direction or the b2 direction can be provided.

In the alignment reversing cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, as the reversing device 4, a device that rotates the alignment cleaner unit 3 in the b1 direction or the b2 direction with the horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction of the alignment cleaner head 2 as the rotation center is used. Further, in the alignment reversing cleaner 1 of the present embodiment, a device for rotating the wrist of the arm of a general 6-axis vertical articulated robot is used as the reversing device 4. As a result, the range in which the alignment cleaner unit 1 moves in the front-rear direction of the robot can be reduced, so that the entire alignment reversal cleaner 1 can be compactly configured. In particular, when the container 100 is inverted by the alignment cleaner unit 3, the rotation radius including the container 100 held by the gripper 20 becomes smaller (usually, the rotation radius on the side holding the container 100 becomes larger, so the alignment cleaner If the air supply units 52 of the unit 3 are rotated in the direction in which they face each other (b1 direction) and in the opposite direction (b2 direction) when returning from the inverted state, the alignment cleaner units arranged in the alignment direction of the alignment cleaner head 2 Since the installation distance between the three can be reduced, the entire alignment reversal cleaner 1 can be compactly configured, which is preferable. Furthermore, since the moment of inertia required for rotation is reduced, the energy used by the robot can be minimized, and the durability of the joints of the robot can be improved. Therefore, in the embodiment in which two alignment cleaner units 3 are arranged side by side as in this embodiment, it is preferable to invert the alignment cleaner unit 3 as described above. In this case, in order to prevent the alignment cleaner units 3 from interfering with each other more reliably, the first axis closest to the installation portion of the vertical articulated robot is slightly rotated so that the alignment cleaner units 3 move away from each other. That is also effective.

On the other hand, when a device for rotating the alignment cleaner unit 3 in the a direction with the alignment direction of the alignment cleaner head 2 as the rotation center is provided as the reversing device, a device for rotating the elbow of the arm of the vertical articulated robot can be used. .. In this case, by slightly bending the second axis of the robot backward and swinging the elbow upward from the front, the range of forward movement of the alignment cleaner unit 3 is minimized, and the robot does not move in the left-right direction. Therefore, the operating range in the left-right direction occupied by the robot can be reduced. Therefore, it is effective when three or more alignment cleaner units 3 are arranged in parallel.

The type of robot is not particularly limited whether the device for rotating the wrist of the robot arm or the device for rotating the elbow is used as the reversing device 4, but the range of motion is large and the posture of the arm can be arbitrarily set. It is preferable to use a vertical articulated robot because it can be changed and has a rotating portion on the arm tip axis. When using a commercially available 4- to 7-axis vertical articulated robot, the robot may be appropriately selected from the payload and the required movement range.

Further, when the robot is used as the reversing device 4, the number of axes of the robot has three or more axes for raising and lowering the alignment cleaner unit 3, moving in the horizontal direction, and flipping the alignment cleaner unit 3 upside down. Is preferable. However, in the case of three axes, a link mechanism for directing the tip of the robot arm in a certain direction is required. By configuring the reversing device 4 from the arms of a robot having three or more axes, not only the reversing of the alignment cleaner unit 3 but also horizontal movement and ascending / descending can be performed by the robot arm, and a plurality of alignment cleaner units 3 can be used. It is easy to shift the timing of cleaning and fine-tune the position of the alignment cleaner unit 3, and the pick position to take out the container 100 to be cleaned from the transfer line and the place to return the cleaned container 100 to the transfer line. It is also easy to make the position different. As a result, when the transport line for supplying the container to the pick position and the transport line for discharging the container from the place position are separately installed, the container 100 is cleaned on one of the two aligned cleaner units 3. While in the meantime, the next container 100 to be cleaned can be supplied to the pick position of the other alignment cleaner unit 3. Therefore, immediately after the cleaning by one of the alignment cleaner units 3 is completed and the container is returned to the transfer line, the container to be cleaned next by the other alignment cleaner unit 3 can be taken out from the transfer line. Therefore, the processing time required for cleaning can be shortened.

On the other hand, if the pick position and the place position are the same, after the cleaned container is returned to the transfer line, the container is discharged and there is a waiting time until the next container to be cleaned is sent to the pick position. However, since the conveyor for paying out and the conveyor for feeding can be used in combination, the container transport system can be configured simply and at low cost.

In the present invention, the robot may not be used as the reversing device, and the method of the reversing device is not limited. For example, an air-type or electric-type linear moving device or rotary moving device may be combined to form a reversing device.

<Operation of alignment reversal cleaner>
Hereinafter, as an example, the operation of one alignment cleaner unit will be described when the container 100 is conveyed to the pick position by a conveyor with the bottom of the container 100 inserted in the holder 110. FIG. 10 is a time chart in this case.

(Step 1)
The holding operation by the gripper 20 of the container 100 conveyed to the pick position starts. At this time, the I mark 102, which is a characteristic portion of the container 100, is not aligned with respect to the direction detection sensor 70 (FIG. 11 (step 1)).

(Step 2)
When the container 100 is held by the gripper 2, the reversing device 4 including the arm of the robot starts to lift the container 100, and when the container 100 is lifted, the wrist of the arm starts reversing the alignment cleaner unit 3. On the other hand, after the gripper 20 holds the container 100, the air blow nozzle 50 immediately starts injecting air and is inserted to 80% of the depth of the container 100. Further, after the gripper 20 holds the container 100, the hollow rotary actuator 60 starts to rotate in order to turn the container 100 in a predetermined direction.

The reversing device 4 completes the vertical reversal when the angle of the alignment cleaner unit 3 becomes 180 ° (FIG. 11 (step 2)). At this time, the air blow nozzle 50 continues to inject air at a position of 80% of the depth of the container. The hollow rotary actuator 60 rotates the container 100 in a predetermined direction. This rotation stops when the direction detection sensor 70 detects the I mark 102. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the container 100 reaches a predetermined orientation immediately after the rotation of the hollow rotary actuator 60 (shortest), and an example in which the container 100 reaches a predetermined orientation when the upside down of the alignment cleaner unit 3 is completed. (Longest) was shown.

(Step 3)
The rotation angle of the alignment cleaner unit 3 by the reversing device 4 is maintained at 180 °, and the air blow nozzle 50 continues to inject air at a position of 80% of the depth of the container. The rotation of the container 100 by the hollow rotary actuator 60 is completed, and the positions of the direction detection sensor 70 and the I mark 102 are aligned in each container 100. It is preferable that the orientation by the rotation of the container 100 by the hollow rotary actuator 60 is completed by the time the rotation angle of the alignment cleaner unit 3 returns to 0 ° (FIG. 11 (step 3)).

(Step 4)
The reversing device 4 rotates the alignment cleaner unit 3 in the direction opposite to that of step 1 to return the rotation angle of the alignment cleaner unit 3 to 0 °. By setting the rotation direction of the alignment cleaner unit 3 by the reversing device 4 in the opposite direction in the steps 1 and 4, it is possible to prevent the air hose, the dust collecting hose, the cable, and the like from being wound around the arm of the robot.

(Step 5)
After that, the horizontal position of the alignment cleaner unit 3 moves toward the pick position, the air blow nozzle 50 is pulled up from the container 100, the gripper 20 is opened, and the container 100 is returned to the holder at the place position of the conveyor. The hollow rotary actuator 60 rotates in the opposite direction or the same direction as when the direction is adjusted, and returns to the initial position. By returning to the initial position, when the gripping position cross section of the container 10 is not circular and has an elliptical shape, the gripper 20 can grip the container 10 from an appropriate direction. Here, if the driving method of the hollow rotary actuator 60 is a stepping motor, a servomotor, or the like that constantly monitors the rotation position, it is possible to easily return to the initial position. You may use a sensor to return to the initial position. Also, if the return speed is a stepping motor, servo motor, etc. whose target position is known from the start of the return rotation, it can be faster than when adjusting the direction, so it is possible to return to the initial position in a short time. be. In this way, the cleaning is completed before the container 100 is lifted from the pick position and returned to the place position (FIG. 11 (step 5)).

<Operation of alignment reversal cleaner according to the transport line>
In operating the individual alignment cleaner units 3 in the alignment reversal cleaner 1 as in steps 1 to 5 described above, the container was placed at the place position and the feed conveyor 111a for sending the container to the pick position as shown in FIG. The operation of the alignment reversal cleaner 1 can be different as follows depending on whether the payout conveyors 111b for discharging the containers are arranged in parallel and when they are on a straight line as shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the container 100 has a columnar shape, the bottom of the container 100 is inserted into the holder 110, and the container 100 is conveyed by the top chain type conveyors 111a and 111b. In the alignment reversal cleaner of the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the method of feeding the container to the pick position and the method of discharging the container from the place position, but by transporting the container using the holder 110, containers of various shapes can be used. It is preferable to handle the container in terms of processing such as filling and capping downstream because it is possible to easily maintain the pitch of the container and the height of the mouth by changing the holder. Further, when the holder is used, the top chain type conveyors 111a and 111b are preferable because the holder can be easily slid on the conveyor surface when necessary.

(When the feed conveyor and the payout conveyor are in parallel)
When the feed conveyor 111a and the payout conveyor 111b are arranged in parallel, first, the container 100 that has not been cleaned is held by the holder 110 and is fed to the pick position P1 by the feed conveyor 111a (FIG. 12A). ). The gripper of the alignment cleaner unit 3 grips and lifts the container 100 at the pick position P1. At this time, the holder 110 remains on the delivery conveyor 111a (FIG. 12 (b)). On the other hand, the container 100 that has been cleaned and oriented is discharged in the direction of the arrow while being inserted into the holder 110 (FIG. 12 (a)). Next, the lateral feed pusher 112 pushes the empty holder 110 left at the pick position P1 onto the payout conveyor 111b (FIG. 12 (c)). The lateral feed pusher 112 returns to the pick position P1 side, and immediately the feed conveyor 111a feeds the container to be cleaned next to the pick position P1 after being inserted into the holder. On the other hand, the container 100 that has been cleaned and oriented in a predetermined direction is returned from the alignment cleaner unit to the place position P2 (FIG. 12 (d)), and the dispenser conveyor 111b dispenses it (FIG. 12 (e)). )), Same as the first arrangement in FIG. 12 (a).

When the separate feed conveyor 111a and the payout conveyor 111b are arranged in parallel in this way, the length of the transport line in the transport direction can be shortened. Further, the alignment cleaner unit 3 can easily perform an operation with respect to the pick position and an operation with respect to the place position. The lateral feed pusher 112 is preferably provided so as to be offset from the movable range of the alignment cleaner unit 3 so as not to interfere with the movement of the alignment cleaner unit 3. Further, when the holder 110 is not used on the conveyors 111a and 111b, the lateral feed pusher 112 is unnecessary.

(When the delivery conveyor and the delivery conveyor are common)
When the feed conveyor 111a and the payout conveyor 111b are common to each other, first, the container 100 that has not been cleaned is held by the holder 110 and is fed to the pick position P1 by the feed conveyor 111a (FIG. 13A). ). The alignment cleaner unit 3 grips and lifts the container 100 at the pick position P1 to clean the container. At this time, an empty holder 110 remains on the delivery conveyor 111a. (FIG. 13 (b)). The delivery conveyor 111a and the delivery conveyor 111b dispense the empty holder 110 to the place position P2 (FIG. 13 (c)). The alignment cleaner unit 3 returns the container 100, which has been cleaned and oriented in a predetermined direction, to the holder 110 at the place position P2 (FIG. 13 (d)), and the payout conveyor 111b dispenses it (FIG. 13 (FIG. 13). e)), the arrangement is the same as in the first FIG. 13 (a).

In the above example, the operation of the alignment reversing cleaner has been described when the holder 110 is used on the conveyor 111, but the transport line of the container using the alignment reversing cleaner of the present invention is not limited to the one using the holder 110. .. For example, instead of using the holder 110, the container 100 on a conveyor such as a belt conveyor may be aligned, inverted, cleaned, and returned to the original conveyor or another conveyor.

1 Alignment reversal cleaner 2 Alignment cleaner head 3 Alignment cleaner unit (hand)
4 Inversion device (robot arm)
5 Reversing device mounting part 10 Main frame 11 Main frame Back plate 20 Gripper 21 Anti-slip material 25 Gripper opening / closing device 30 Rotary joint 31, 32 Air system 33a, 33b, 33c, Sealing material 34 Deep groove ball bearing 35 Housing part 36 Shaft Part 37 Hollow center part 40 Seal member 41 Hole part 42 Discharge pipe 43 Pushing spring 44 Dust collection duct 45 Dust collection air collection part 46 Dust collection air connection part 47 Dust collection hose 48 Air leakage prevention packing 50 Air blow nozzle 51 Air supply Pipe 52 Air supply unit 53 Air hose 54 Air blow nozzle elevating drive device 55 Linear roller slider 56 Floating joint 57 Connection bracket 58 Air blow nozzle bracket 60 Rotating device with a hollow part at the center of rotation, hollow rotary actuator 61 Rotary table 62 Stepping motor 63 Pinion 70 Direction detection sensor 71 Square pipe 72 Fixed position adjuster for square pipe 100 Container 101 Container mouth 102 I mark 110 Holder (hose)
111a, 111b Conveyor 112 Horizontal feed pusher P1 Pick position P2 Place position

Claims (12)

The alignment cleaner unit in which a plurality of alignment cleaner heads are arranged to hold the container, inject fluid into the holding container, and rotate the container in the circumferential direction to make the container in a predetermined direction, and the alignment cleaner unit are turned upside down. An alignment reversing cleaner for containers equipped with a reversing device
Alignment cleaner head,
Holding means to hold the container,
A rotating device having a hollow portion at the center of rotation capable of rotating a container held by a holding means in the circumferential direction of the container.
A sealing member that comes into contact with the mouth of the container held by the holding means,
It is equipped with a discharge pipe that passes through the hollow portion of the rotating device and communicates with the inside of the container held by the holding means, and a fluid injection nozzle that passes through the discharge pipe and is inserted into the container held by the holding means.
Alignment Cleaner An alignment reversal cleaner that flips the alignment cleaner unit upside down while the container is held in the head. The alignment reversing cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the reversing device rotates the alignment cleaner unit upside down by rotating the alignment cleaner unit about a horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction of the alignment cleaner head. The alignment reversing cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the reversing device is a device that rotates the wrist of an arm of a vertical articulated robot. The alignment reversing cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the reversing device rotates the alignment cleaner unit upside down by rotating the alignment cleaner unit with the alignment direction of the alignment cleaner head as the rotation center. The alignment reversing cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the reversing device is a device that rotates the elbow of an arm of a vertical articulated robot. The alignment reversal cleaner according to claim 3 or 5, wherein the arm of the vertical articulated robot, which is a reversing device, raises and lowers the alignment cleaner unit and moves horizontally. The alignment reversal cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the alignment cleaner head has a direction detecting means for detecting the orientation of the container held by the holding means. The alignment reversal cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the fluid injection nozzle has a variable insertion amount into the container. The alignment reversal cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a pressing mechanism for pressing the sealing member against the mouth of the container. The alignment reversal cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sealing member is a cup type that covers the mouth of the container and has a conical space inside the cup. The alignment cleaner unit has a dust collection duct extending in the arrangement direction of the alignment cleaner head, a plurality of discharge pipes are connected to the dust collection duct, and a fluid supply pipe that supplies fluid to the fluid injection nozzle collects dust. The alignment reversal cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which penetrates a duct. The alignment reversal cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the fluid is a gas.

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