JP7174223B2 - container carrier - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container conveying apparatus for conveying capped containers.

As a method for transporting bottle-shaped resin containers, there is neck transport in which the bottle neck is gripped by a gripper provided on a rotating wheel, and the container is sequentially transferred to the gripper of the adjacent rotating wheel while rotating the rotating wheel. known (see Patent Document 1). In neck transportation, the grippers alternately grip the top and bottom of the flange formed on the neck of the bottle, so that the grippers deliver the container without interfering with each other. However, once capped, there is little clearance between the cap and the flange, making neck transport difficult because the upper side of the flange cannot be gripped by the gripper. For this reason, after capping, for example, a method is adopted in which an upright container is placed on a conveying surface of a conveyer and conveyed.

Japanese Patent No. 4232265

However, in the method of transporting containers by placing them on the conveying surface of the conveyor, it is necessary to adjust the guides that guide the movement of the containers and change the mold depending on the difference in the diameter size and shape of the body of the container. The burden due to changes in the type and size of the

An object of the present invention is to alternately grip and transport capped containers with grippers.

A container conveying apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has a plurality of openable and closable neck grippers for gripping the neck of a capped container, and moves the neck gripper to move the container gripped by the neck gripper. a liftable upper grip piece that abuts on the top surface of the container cap; an upper grip piece elevating means that lifts and lowers the upper grip piece; and a support plate that supports the bottom surface of the container. and a second endless conveying means for moving the upper and lower grippers to convey the container gripped by the upper grip piece and the support plate , adjacent to the first endless conveying means. By arranging a plurality of second endless conveying means or a plurality of first endless conveying means adjacent to the second endless conveying means, the container is gripped between the neck gripper and the upper and lower grippers. It is characterized by branching and conveying to multiple routes .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container conveying apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the first endless conveying means is provided with opening/closing means for opening and closing the neck gripper.

A third aspect of the present invention is a container conveying apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the neck gripper is arranged in the first endless conveying means so as to be movable up and down, and the neck gripper is attached upward. An urging means is provided, and when the container gripped by the neck gripper is transferred to the upper and lower grippers of the second endless conveying means, the top surface of the cap of the container is pressed by the upper grip piece and the upper surface of the container is pushed. By lowering the container gripped by the neck gripper, the bottom surface of the container is placed on the support plate.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a container transporting apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, in which the upper and lower grippers are arranged corresponding to the neck gripper in the first endless transport means, and the neck gripper between a gripping position for gripping the container and a retracted position spaced apart from the container. By gripping the container with the upper and lower grippers, the container is gripped by both the neck gripper and the upper and lower grippers, and then the neck gripper is moved to the retracted position to transfer the container to the upper and lower grippers. It is characterized by

A fifth aspect of the present invention is a container transporting apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the neck gripper is disposed corresponding to the upper and lower grippers in the second endless transport means, and the neck gripper is A movement mechanism for moving between a gripping position for gripping the container and a retracted position separated from the container is provided, and the neck gripper is moved from the retracted position to the retracted position while the container is gripped and conveyed by the upper and lower grippers. Gripping the container with both the upper and lower grippers and the neck gripper by moving to a gripping position and gripping the container with the neck gripper, and then releasing the container from the upper and lower grippers to grip the container. to the neck gripper.

According to the present invention, the capped container can be conveyed while being alternately gripped by the neck gripper and the upper and lower grippers. In addition, since the container can be conveyed without the gripper contacting the body of the container, the body of the container and the label attached to the body of the container are not damaged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a top view which shows the structure of the container conveying apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of an inspection wheel and a feed wheel for delivery of containers; FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of a drive mechanism for a cap pressing member; FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of part of the gripper opening and closing mechanism of the supply wheel; FIG. 4 is a side view of the supply wheel, branch wheel, and first pitch conversion wheel at each container delivery position; FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view of the upper and lower grippers of the diverter wheel; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a container delivery position and cam arrangement of a diverting wheel; FIG. 11 is a plan view showing movement of the neck gripper of the first pitch conversion wheel; 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the hold change wheel at container delivery positions P5 and P6; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration and operation of a neck gripper provided on the hold change wheel; Fig. 10 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view at a container transfer position P7 (P8) where the container V is transferred from the discharge wheel to the carrier link conveyor; FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration at container transfer positions P9, P10, and P11 from the carrier link conveyor to the servo wheel, the second pitch change wheel, and the discharge conveyor. FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 12; It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a servo wheel. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier link conveyor and the servo wheel centered on the container delivery position P9 just before the upper and lower grippers of the servo wheel grip the container. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier link conveyor and the servo wheel centered on the container delivery position P9 when the upper and lower grippers of the servo wheel grip the container. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a neck gripper of a carrier link conveyor provided with a gripper swinging mechanism and a gripper advancing/retreating mechanism; It illustrates the normal sorting operation up to the third week when seven cap pressing members of the branch wheel are provided along the outer circumference of the fixed rotating part. FIG. 11 is a schematic enlarged plan view of the container conveying device in which a portion of the container delivery device from the carrier link conveyor on the second route to the discharge conveyor is enlarged; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing how the most upstream servo wheel receives containers from the carrier link conveyor. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing how the second servo wheel receives containers from the carrier link conveyor; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing how the most downstream servo wheel receives containers from the carrier link conveyor; FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the carrier link conveyor and the servo wheel centering on the container delivery position P9 when the upper and lower grippers of the servo wheel of the modified example grip the container;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a portion of the container conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The container conveying device 10 of the present embodiment is a device that conveys, for example, a container V that has been completely filled and capped to a caser (not shown). The container (goods) V is, for example, a resin container, and is a bottle-shaped container having, for example, a flange Vf on the neck portion Vn. In FIG. 1, containers V sent out from a capper (not shown) are inspected for defective products, and the containers V arranged in front of the caser from an inspection wheel 12 for rejecting defective products are inspected and divided into multiple rows. The structure is shown up to the discharge conveyor 14 for transporting the substrates while placing them on the transportation surface in an upright state. Incidentally, when the container V is rejected from the inspection wheel 12, a reject signal is sent to the control unit 16 to indicate at which position the container V was rejected.

As will be described later, the container transporting device 10 includes an upper and lower gripping wheel that grips the top surface of the cap Vc of the container V and the bottom surface of the container V with upper and lower grippers, and a neck portion Vn below the flange Vf of the container V. A neck gripping wheel is provided for gripping with a gripper. A plurality of upper and lower grippers are arranged along the circumference of the upper and lower gripping wheels, and a plurality of neck grippers are arranged along the circumference of the neck gripping wheels. Each container V is conveyed along the outer periphery of each wheel, and is alternately transferred between the upper and lower grippers and the neck gripper to move and convey between the wheels. Here, the neck gripping wheel corresponds to the first endless conveying means, and the upper and lower gripping wheels correspond to the second endless conveying means.

In this embodiment, the inspection wheels 12 are upper and lower gripping wheels, and the containers V that are not rejected by the inspection wheels 12 are placed adjacently to the supply holes 18, which are neck gripping wheels that are synchronously rotated in opposite directions. and passed. Adjacent to the downstream side of the supply wheel 18 is a branch wheel 20 (described later) which is synchronously rotated in the opposite direction to the supply wheel 18 and which is an upper and lower gripping wheel.

The branching wheel 20 is a wheel that distributes the conveyed containers V into two routes. That is, the branching wheel 20 grips the container V with the upper and lower grippers, conveys it along the outer periphery of the wheel, is a neck gripping wheel on the upstream side, and is a first pitch conversion wheel (first discharge wheel) that rotates in the opposite direction synchronously. 22A, and on the downstream side to the neck gripping wheel, the first pitch conversion wheel (second ejection wheel) 22B rotating synchronously in the opposite direction. As a result, the branching wheel 20 branches the conveying route into a first route I starting from the first pitch changing wheel 22A and a second route II starting from the first pitch changing wheel 22B.

The container V transferred to the first route I is transferred to the carrier link conveyor 26A via the discharge wheel 24A, which is an upper and lower gripping wheel and rotates synchronously in the opposite direction to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A. The carrier link conveyor 26A has, for example, an elliptical conveying path, and a large number of neck grippers are provided along the outer periphery. The neck gripper that has gripped the container V is conveyed in the reverse direction along the oval outer circumference in synchronism with the discharge wheel 24A, and is successively moved in the linear section by the three servo wheels 28A, 28B, 28C, which are the upper and lower gripping wheels. Separated from the upstream side (described later).

A vessel V received at each servo wheel 28A, 28B, 28C is respectively a neck gripping wheel, to three secondary pitch conversion wheels 30A which are rotated in opposite directions in synchronism with the servo wheels 28A, 28B, 28C. and are passed respectively. Each of the second pitch change wheels 30A delivers the containers V to each row of the corresponding discharge conveyor 14 at a substantially constant pitch. As a result, the containers V distributed to the first route I are discharged from the discharge conveyor 14 in three rows.

On the other hand, the container V delivered to the first pitch conversion wheel 22B of the second route II is a vertical gripping wheel via a hold change wheel 32 that rotates synchronously in the opposite direction to the first pitch conversion wheel 22B. It is delivered to the ejection wheel 24B. As will be described later, the hold-change wheel 32 includes an upper and lower gripper and a neck gripper. In this embodiment, the upper and lower grippers receive the container V from the neck gripper of the first pitch change wheel 22B, switch to the neck gripper, and hold the container V to the discharge wheel 24B. to the upper and lower grippers of the

Here, the hold change wheel 32 makes the conveying direction (rotational direction) and gripping method of the container V rotationally conveyed on the downstream side symmetrical with respect to the first route I with the discharge conveyor 14 interposed therebetween. It is intended. As a result, the containers 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 through the discharge wheel 24B to the neck gripper of the carrier link conveyor 26B having an oval shape, and in the straight part, the three servo wheels 28D, which are the upper and lower gripping wheels, By 28E and 28F, they are separated in order from the upstream side.

The vessel V received at each servo wheel 28D, 28E, 28F is respectively a neck gripping wheel, and three secondary pitch conversion wheels 30B that rotate in opposite directions synchronously with each servo wheel 28D, 28E, 28F. Each second pitch change wheel 30B delivers the containers V to each row of the corresponding discharge conveyor 14 at a substantially constant pitch. As a result, the containers V distributed to the second route II are discharged from the discharge conveyor 14 in three rows. That is, the containers V divided into two systems by the branching wheel 20 are arranged in six rows by the three first pitch conversion wheels 30A and the three second pitch conversion wheels 30B, and the respective rows 14A to 14A of the discharge conveyor 14 It is discharged from 14F toward the caser.

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

In addition, since the pair of second pitch conversion wheels 30A and 30B arranged on both sides of each stage are separated from each other by each stage, the six servo wheels 28A to 28F and the carrier link conveyor 26A adjacent thereto are arranged. , 26B are arranged in a V-shape. The control unit 16 can monitor the number of containers V in each row 14A to 14F of the discharge conveyor 14 with the sensor 17, and can take in, for example, a container quantity signal. can control the sorting operation of

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

The inspection wheel 12, which is an upper and lower gripping wheel, has a rotating body 122 that is rotatably provided around a fixed shaft 120 that is vertically held. The rotating body 122 includes a fixed rotating portion 123 that is fixed in height and only rotates, and an elevation rotating portion 124 that moves up and down integrally with the fixed shaft 120 . The fixed shaft 120 can be raised and lowered by an elevating mechanism 120A using a screw jack or the like provided at its base end, for example. A nut 120C is screwed together. The height of the fixed shaft 120, that is, the height of the up-and-down rotating part 124 is adjusted according to the height of the container V to be handled.

Around the fixed shaft 120, an elevation rotating part 124 is rotatably attached to the fixed shaft 120 via a bearing or the like. The up-and-down rotation part 124 has a spline mechanism 124A along the axial direction, and the fixed rotation part 123 is engaged therewith. The fixed rotating portion 123 includes a gear 123A rotated around the fixed shaft 120 by a motor (not shown), and a support plate (lower grip piece) 123B rotating integrally with the gear 123A and supporting the bottom surface of the container V. Rotation of the gear 123A is transmitted to the elevation rotation section 124 via the spline mechanism 124A. On the other hand, the up-and-down motion of the up-and-down rotation part 124 with the fixed shaft 120 is separated from the fixed rotation part 123 by the spline mechanism 124A, and the position of the fixed rotation part 123 in the height direction is fixed.

A plurality of support plates 123B are provided at predetermined intervals along the outer circumference of the rotating body 122, and cap pressing members (upper grip pieces) 124B for pressing the tops of the caps Vc of the containers V from above are arranged above the support plates 123B. be. As shown in the enlarged side view of FIG. 3, the cap presser member 124B is connected to the cam follower 124D via a parallel link mechanism 124C provided on the elevation rotation section 124. As shown in FIG. The cap pressing member 124B is biased downward by a biasing 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 lifting means).

FIG. 3(a) 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. A state in which the cam follower 124D is lowered by engagement with 120D and the cap pressing member 124B is separated from the top surface of the cap Vc is shown.

That is, in the inspection wheel 12, which is an upper and lower gripping wheel, the upper and lower grippers 125 are configured by the support plate 123B and the cap pressing member 124B, and the upper and lower grippers 125 are arranged along the circumference 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 rotating body 122 rotates to convey the container V in rotation.

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

Around the fixed shaft 180, an elevation rotating part 184 is rotatably attached to the fixed shaft 180 via a bearing or the like. In addition, the up-and-down rotating portion 184 has a spline mechanism 184A along the axial direction and engages with the fixed rotating portion 183 . The fixed rotating portion 183 includes a gear 183A rotated around the fixed shaft 180 by a motor (not shown). The rotation of the gear 183A is transmitted to the elevation rotation section 184 via the spline mechanism 184A. On the other hand, the up-and-down motion of the up-and-down rotating part 184 with the fixed shaft 180 is separated from the fixed rotating part 183 by the spline mechanism 184A, and the position of the fixed rotating part 183 in the height direction is fixed.

A plurality of neck grippers 185 are provided along the outer periphery of the lifting rotator 184 at predetermined intervals. The neck gripper 185 is opened and closed by a gripper opening/closing mechanism 185A, and at a position where the supply wheel 18 and the inspection wheel 12 are in contact (container delivery position), the neck of the container V gripped by the upper and lower grippers 125 of the inspection wheel 12 is positioned just below the flange Vf. The part Vn is grasped. In synchronism with this, the upper and lower gripper 125 releases the container V, and the container V gripped by the neck gripper 185 is rotated and transported as the elevation rotary member 184 rotates. The container V neck-conveyed by the neck gripper 185 is then transferred to the branching wheel 20 at a position (container transfer position) where the supply wheel 18 contacts the branching wheel 20 .

As shown in the side view of FIG. 2 and the plan view of FIG. 4, the gripper opening/closing mechanism 185A includes a pair of rotating shafts 185C that pivotally support a pair of gripper pieces, are connected by a gear 185B, and rotate in opposite directions to each other. The neck gripper 185 is opened and closed by rotating the . A lever 185D for rotating the rotating shaft 185C is attached to one side of the rotating shaft 185C, and a cam follower 185E is provided at the tip thereof. The lever 185D is biased in a direction to close the neck gripper 185 by a biasing member 185F such as a spring. This biasing force causes the cam follower 185E to move toward the fixed cam 180D provided on the fixed shaft 180 or the actuator 181A such as an air cylinder. is pressed against the movable cam 181B that can move radially forward and backward.

That is, the rotation of the rotating body 182 causes the cam follower 185E to run on the fixed cam 180D or the movable cam 181B, and the lever 185D swings according to the shape thereof, thereby opening and closing the neck gripper 185 (opening/closing means). In the supply wheel 18, which is a neck gripping wheel, the neck portion Vn of the container V immediately below the flange Vf 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 neck-conveyed.

Note that FIG. 4 shows only a part of the gripper opening/closing mechanism 185A, and shows a state where all the cam followers 185E are engaged with the fixed cam 180D. This state corresponds to a state in which the movable cam 181B is retracted radially inward, and the neck gripper 185 at the position (container delivery position) in contact with the inspection wheel 12 and the branch wheel 20 is closed by engagement with the fixed cam 180D. state. On the other hand, in FIG. 4, the state in which the movable cam 181B extends radially outward is indicated by a chain double-dashed line. As will be described later, in this state, the cam follower 185E is engaged with the movable cam 181B, and the neck gripper 185 at the position (container delivery position) in contact with the branch wheel 20 is opened.

Next, 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. 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. FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of the upper and lower grippers of the diverter wheel 20, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the container delivery position and cam arrangement of the diverter wheel 20. As shown in FIG. Also, 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, only the first pitch conversion wheel 22A will be basically described in the following description.

The branching wheel 20 is an upper and lower gripping wheel, and the container V conveyed by the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18 is held by the upper and lower grippers 206 of the branching wheel 20 at a position (container delivery position) where the supply wheel 18 and the branching wheel 20 contact each other. and released from the neck gripper 185 of the feed wheel 18 . The basic configuration of the upper and lower grippers 206 of the diverter wheel 20 is the same as 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 whose height position is fixed and a vertically movable rotating portion 204. 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, a corresponding container V is provided. A cap pressing member (upper grip piece) 206B is arranged to be pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc. That is, the support plate 206A and the cap pressing member 206B constitute the upper and lower gripper 206. As shown in FIG.

A cam follower 205 is connected to the cap pressing member 206B via a parallel link mechanism 206C provided in the elevation rotating section 204. As shown in FIG. The cap pressing member 206B is biased downward by a biasing member 206E such as a spring, thereby biasing the cam follower 205 upward via the parallel link mechanism 206C.

The fixed portion 201 of the branch wheel 20 has a container transfer position P1 with the supply wheel 18, a container transfer position (first discharge position) P2 with the first pitch conversion wheel 22A, and a container transfer position with the first pitch conversion wheel 22B. At (second discharge position) P3, three cams 201A, 201B, and 201C are provided radially inward via actuators 203A, 203B, and 203C such as air cylinders. The actuators 203A, 203B and 203C can be independently driven by, for example, the control unit 16 (FIG. 1), and the cams 201A, 201B and 201C can be moved up and down independently by driving the actuators 203A, 203B and 203C. The cams 201A, 201B, and 201C are shaped like an inverted trapezoid when viewed from the center of the branch wheel 20. Guide to a gradual rise.

In this embodiment, the length of the operation lever provided with the cam follower 205 of the parallel link mechanism 206C varies depending on the circumferential position of the cap pressing member 206B. For example, seven cap pressing members 206B are provided along the outer circumference of the fixed rotating portion 202, and when these are numbered 1 to 7, cam followers 205A corresponding to sets of 1, 3, and 5 are provided. The operating lever has a length that engages with the outermost cam 201A, and the operating lever provided with cam followers 205B corresponding to the sets of 2, 4, and 6 has a length that engages with the middle cam 201B. have Also, the operating lever provided with the cam follower 205C corresponding to the seventh set has a length that engages with the innermost cam 201C. Note that if the distance between the upper and lower grippers 206 provided in the circumferential direction of the branch wheel 20 is wide enough that each upper and lower gripper 206 can be independently engaged by a single cam, the cams are arranged as 201A, 201B, and 201C. It is not necessary to arrange three sets of cams, and one set of cams may be used.

The cam followers 205A, 205B, 205C are pressed against the cams 201A, 201B, 201C at the container delivery positions P1, P2, P3 by the biasing force of the biasing member 206E. At this time, depending on which position the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C are at, the elevation of each pair of cap pressing members 206B at the container delivery position is controlled (upper grip piece elevating means). 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 to grip the container V 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 whose cams are depressed change from the closed state to the open state at that container delivery position, and then to the closed state. It becomes the operation to return to. For example, the cam-down set of upper and lower grippers 206 at the container delivery position P1 will, if the supply wheel 18 is holding a container V, the upper and lower grippers 206 will grip the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18 when open. Invites the gripped container V into the upper and lower grippers 206, where it is displaced to the closed state, thereby gripping and receiving the container V (see FIG. 2). Then, the set of upper and lower grippers 206 whose cams are lowered at the container transfer position P2 or the container transfer position P3 displaces from the closed state to the open state to move the gripped container V to the first pitch conversion wheel 22A or the first pitch change wheel 22A or the first pitch change wheel 22A. Transfer to 1-pitch conversion wheel 22B. Also, at each container transfer position P1, P2, P3, the upper and lower grippers 206 corresponding to the sets whose cams are pushed up are maintained in the closed state at that container transfer position. For example, the set of upper and lower grippers 206 whose cams are raised at the container transfer position P2 continue to grip the container V at the same position, do not transfer the container V to the first pitch change wheel 22A, and are cammed at the container transfer position P3. The raised upper and lower grippers 206 continue to grip the container V in the same position and do not deliver the container V to the first pitch conversion wheel 22B.

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

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

The control of the heights of the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C is performed by the branch wheel 20 to the first route I and the second route II in response to the occurrence of the container V rejected by the inspection wheel 12, as will be described later. is used to adjust the number of containers V to distribute.

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

As described above, since the diverter wheel 20 distributes every other container V to each of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A, 22B, the pitch at the time of delivery from the diverter wheel 20 to each of the first pitch converter wheels 22A, 22B is is twice the original reference conveying pitch Pt of the container V. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the neck grippers 220 of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A, 22B have a pitch of 2Pt, which is double the reference conveying pitch Pt, at the container delivery positions P2, P3 that receive the containers V from the diverting wheels 20. , and changes its orientation until 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, and returns to the original reference conveying pitch Pt, for example.

The first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B) includes a gripper opening/closing mechanism 221 of the neck gripper 220 and a gripper swinging mechanism 222 for changing the orientation of the neck gripper 220 to change the pitch of the neck gripper 220.

The gripper opening/closing mechanism 221 is mounted on a swinging plate 222A of the gripper swinging mechanism 222. As shown in FIG. That is, one end of a pair of rotary shafts 221A for opening and closing the gripper pieces of the neck gripper 220 is rotatably supported by a swing plate 222A, and the other end to which the gripper pieces are attached is connected via a connecting member 222B. It is rotatably held by a 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 rotated in opposite directions so as to open and close the neck gripper 220. As shown in FIG.

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

The movable cam 224C is arranged at the container transfer positions P2 and P3, and when the movable cam 224C is pushed radially outward, the gripper opening/closing cam follower 221D is pressed against the movable cam 224C, and the neck gripper 220 moves to the container transfer position P2. , P3 and does not receive a container V from the diverter wheel 20 .

The rocking plate 222A is held by a rocking shaft 222D pivotally supported by the up-and-down rotating portion 225A of the first pitch conversion wheel 22A (22B), and rotates around the rocking shaft by rotating the rocking 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 rocking cam follower 222F engages with a cam 224D provided on the outer circumference of the fixed shaft 224 of the wheel, and when the up-and-down rotating part 225A rotates, the rocking 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 this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the hold change wheel 32 at container delivery positions P5 and P6, and FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the construction and operation of the neck gripper provided on the hold change wheel 32. As shown in FIG.

The hold-change wheel 32 includes a plurality of upper and lower grippers 321 and corresponding multiple neck grippers 322 along the outer circumference of the wheel's rotating body 324 . The container V rotationally conveyed by the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch change wheel 22B is transferred to the upper and lower grippers 321 of the hold change wheel 32 at the container transfer position P5.

The hold change wheel 32 includes a fixed shaft 323 that can move up and down, and a rotating body 324 that is rotatably held around the fixed shaft 323 . The rotating body 324 is composed of a fixed rotating part 324A whose height is fixed and an elevating rotating part 324B that can move up and down together with the fixed shaft 323 . The lifting mechanism of the fixed shaft 323 is similar to the lifting mechanism 120A of the inspection wheel 12, for example, and its height is adjusted according to the height of the container V, for example. The fixed rotating portion 324A and the up-and-down rotating portion 324B are engaged with each other via, for example, a spline mechanism, and only the rotating motion is integrally performed.

The upper and lower gripper 321 includes a support plate (support plate) 325 that supports the bottom surface of the container V and a cap pressing member (upper grip piece) 326 that is pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc. In the vertical gripper 321, unlike the vertical gripper 206 of the branch wheel 20, the support plate 325 in addition to the cap pressing member 326 is configured to be vertically movable. This is a mechanism for preventing interference between the support plate of the discharge wheel 24B on the downstream side and the support plate 325 of the hold change wheel 32 at the container transfer position P6. Note that the support plate 325 and the support plate of the discharge wheel 24 are each supported in the section from the center to the front of the bottom surface of the container V, and when the support plate 325 and the support plate of the discharge wheel 24 are close to each other, If the support plate 325 and the support plate of the discharge wheel 24 do not interfere with each other when the container V is transferred, or if the support plate 325 and the support plate of the discharge wheel 24 are shaped like comb teeth so that they do not interfere with each other, the support plate 325 does not need to be moved up and down.

A parallel link mechanism 325A is used for lifting and lowering the support plate 325, similarly to the cap pressing members 124B and 206B. 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, thereby increasing the height of the cam 323A. is raised or lowered according to At the container transfer 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 transfer position P6, the support plate 322 is pushed down and separated from the bottom surface of the container V. 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 downstream side.

The cap pressing member 326 is held by the lifting rotator 324B via the cap pressing member lifting mechanism 326A, and the lifting of the cap pressing member 326 is performed by the cap pressing member lifting mechanism 326A. The cap presser lift mechanism 326A includes a lift rod 326B to which the cap presser member 326 is attached at the lower end. Forced downward. A cam follower 326D is provided at the upper end of the lifting rod 326B, engages with a cam 323A provided along the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 323, and lifts the cap pressing member 326 according to its height. At the container delivery position P5 in FIG. 9, the cap pressing member 326 is pushed down and the top surface of the cap Vc is pressed against the cap pressing member 326. At the container delivery position P6, the cap pressing member 326 is pushed up and the cap is pressed. A state away from Vc is shown.

On the other hand, the neck gripper 322 is held by the elevation rotating part 324B via a gripper opening/closing/advancing/retracting mechanism 327 (moving mechanism). The neck gripper 322 can move back and forth along the radial direction of the rotating body 324 between a gripping position for gripping the container V gripped by the upper and lower grippers 321 and a retracted position for not interfering with the container V by a gripper opening/closing/retracting mechanism 327 . and can be opened and closed. That is, at the container transfer position P5 where the container V is received from the first pitch conversion wheel 22B, the neck gripper 322 is in a retracted position radially inward so as not to interfere with the container V held by the upper and lower grippers 321 in an open state. The neck gripper 322 is extended radially outward toward the gripping position and closed to change the gripper that is retracted and then grips the container V from the upper and lower gripper 321 to the neck gripper 322 . As a result, the neck gripper 322 grips the neck portion Vn below the flange Vf of the container V sandwiched between the support plate 325 and the cap pressing member 326, and the container V is gripped by both the upper and lower grippers 321 and the neck gripper 322. It is rotated and conveyed as it is.

Thereafter, 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 before reaching the container transfer position P6 where the container V is transferred to the discharge wheel 24B on the downstream side. The plate 325 is lowered by a parallel link mechanism 325A, and the cap pressing member 326 is lifted by a cap pressing member elevating mechanism 326A. At the container transfer 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. is lowered and pressed against the top surface of the cap Vc of the container V. The container V is thereby gripped by the upper and lower grippers 240 of the ejection 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/retracting mechanism 327 to release the gripped container V.

As shown in FIG. 10(a), the neck gripper 322 comprises a pair of gripper pieces 328,329. In FIG. 10(a), the state in which the neck gripper 322 is open is drawn with solid lines, and the state in which it is closed is drawn with dashed lines. 9 shows the structure connected to the gripper piece 328 in the configuration of the gripper opening/closing/advancing/retreating mechanism 327 on the container transfer position P5 side, and the structure connected to the gripper piece 329 on the container transfer position P6 side. .

In the gripper opening/closing/retracting mechanism 327, a parallel link mechanism is used for each of the gripper pieces 328 and 329. As shown in FIG. The gripper piece 328 is supported via two shafts 328A, 328B by two link plates 328E, 328F integrally attached at one end to rotary shafts 328C, 328D. On the other hand, the gripper piece 329 is supported by two link plates 329E, 329F integrally attached at one end to rotary shafts 329C, 329D via two shafts 329A, 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 rotation of the rotary shafts 328D and 329D is interlocked by the meshing of the gears 328G and 329G, and both the rotary shafts 328D and 329D rotate in opposite directions by the same angle. Therefore, the gripper pieces 328 and 329 move in line-pair symmetry about the rotation shafts 328C and 328D and the rotation shafts 329C and 329D, respectively, and approach each other while moving radially outward (to the left in FIG. 10). They are closed and opened apart from each other while moving radially inward (to the right in FIG. 10).

As shown in FIG. 10(b), the two parallel link mechanisms of the gripper opening/closing/retracting mechanism 327 are driven by a swing lever 327B with a cam follower 327A attached to one end. The rocking lever 327B is rotatably supported around the rotating shaft 329D near the middle, and the other end is engaged with the shaft 328A as a point of action of the link mechanism. The other end of an urging member 327C, such as a spring, whose one end is attached to the up/down rotating portion 324B is attached to the end of the rocking lever 327B on the side where the cam follower 327A is provided, and the neck gripper 322 is pushed out in the radial direction. , urging the swing lever 327B to rotate about 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 rotation shaft 328C in FIG. 10(a) by the swing lever 327B. rotated in the same direction. In addition, the gears 328G and 329G mesh with each other so that the rotating shaft 329D rotates in the opposite direction (clockwise) together with the link plate 329F, and the link plate 329E also rotates clockwise. That is, the neck gripper 322 is pushed out radially and the gripper is closed.

The cam follower 327A is pressed against a cam 323B provided along the circumference of the fixed shaft 323, and when the up-and-down rotating part 324B rotates, the cam follower 327A travels along the cam 323B, and the gripper opening/closing/advancing/retreating mechanism 327 is driven. , and the opening/closing/retraction of the neck gripper 322 is controlled. Further, in this embodiment, the container V gripped by the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch conversion wheel 22B, which is the neck gripping wheel arranged upstream, is received by the upper and lower grippers 321 of the hold change wheel 32, and is rotated and transferred. After being transferred to the neck gripper 322, it is transferred to the upper and lower gripper 240 of the ejection wheel 24B, which is the upper and lower gripping wheel arranged downstream. Wheels may be placed. That is, the container V gripped by the upper and lower grippers of the upper and lower gripping wheels arranged upstream is received by the neck gripper 322 of the hold change wheel 32, transferred to the upper and lower grippers 321 during rotational transfer, and then the neck gripper arranged downstream is received. It may be configured to be delivered to the neck gripper of the wheel.

After passing through the first pitch change wheel 22A and hold change wheel 32, the container V is transferred to carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B via discharge wheels 24A and 24B, respectively. Ejection wheels 24A, 24B are oppositely rotating upper and lower gripping wheels of the same configuration, and include upper and lower grippers 240 (FIG. 9) having a configuration similar to upper and lower grippers 125 of inspection wheel 12 shown in FIGS. are used to convey the containers V along the outer periphery of the discharge wheels 24A and 24B, and the containers V are transferred to the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B (first endless conveying means) equipped with neck grippers at the reference conveying pitch Pt.

That is, as shown in the partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view at the container transfer position P7 (P8) where the container V is transferred from the discharge wheel 24A (24B) to the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) in FIG. 11, the upper and lower gripper 240: It consists of a support plate 240A provided on the outer periphery of a fixed rotating portion 241 whose height position is fixed, and a cap pressing member 240B held on the outer periphery of an elevating rotating portion 242 capable of moving up and down. A parallel link mechanism 243 moves up and down the cap pressing member 240B.

The parallel link mechanism 243 urges the cap pressing member 240B downward by means of a biasing member 243A such as a spring attached to the elevation rotating part 242. It is pressed against a cam 244A provided along the outer peripheral portion of the fixed shaft 244. As shown in FIG. When the elevation rotating portion 242 rotates, the cam follower 243B travels along the cam 244A, and the cap pressing member 240B is elevated according to its shape, thereby controlling the gripping and releasing of the container V by the upper and lower gripper 240.

The neck grippers 262 of the carrier link conveyors 26A and 26B do not have an opening/closing mechanism and are always biased in the closing direction by biasing means such as springs. In transferring the container V from the discharge wheels 24A, 24B to the carrier link conveyors 26A, 26B, 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 the biasing force, and the container itself This is done by releasing V. It should be noted that the neck gripper 262 of the carrier link conveyor may employ a configuration having an opening/closing mechanism such as a cam or cam follower, like the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B described above.

On the other hand, the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) has an endless roller chain 260 wound around a pair of sprockets 261 that rotate about a vertical axis and are horizontally spaced apart from each other. It is a neck conveying device provided with a neck gripper 262 extending through the neck. Both ends of each block 260A are supported by adjacent blocks 260A through the shafts of the rollers 260B, and the engagement of the rollers 260B and the sprockets 261 causes the endless roller chain 260 to run.

A rail 263A for restricting movement of the block 260A in the width direction is provided on the straight portion of the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B). A guide 263B extending along the transport path (longitudinal direction) is provided on the back side of the block 260A. Further, side guide rollers 260C that run on guides 263B are provided on the back side of each block 260A (the side opposite to the neck gripper 262). Further, the neck gripper 262 is provided with a lifting mechanism 264 (described later) that moves slightly up and down with respect to the block 260A, but normally runs on rails 263C extending along the chain path as shown in FIG. Rolling roller 262A prevents neck gripper 262 from lowering, such as when receiving a container V, for example.

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

The servo wheel 28C is an upper and lower gripping wheel provided with an upper and lower gripper 280, and even if the rejection of the container V by the inspection wheel 12 causes a tooth missing in the container conveyance of the carrier link conveyor 26A, the servo wheel 28C is moved from the carrier link conveyor 26A. Each upper and lower gripper 280 is configured to be independently rotatably drivable so as to reliably receive the container V (described below).

The illustrated servo wheel 28C has four upper and lower grippers 280 and four drive shafts 282A, 282B, 282C, 282D from the outside around a central fixed shaft 281. As shown in FIG. Gears 283A, 283B, 283C, and 283D are provided at the lower ends of the drive shafts 282A, 282B, 282C, and 282D, respectively, and are rotationally driven by independent servomotors 284A to 284D. Although FIG. 14 shows only the servomotor 284A engaged with the gear 283A of the outermost drive shaft 282A, the gears 283B to 283D provided at the lower end of each of the drive shafts 282B, 282C, and 282D also have the same gears. Servomotors 284B to 284D are connected to and can be rotated independently.

In FIG. 14, the right upper and lower gripper 280 is provided at the tip of an arm extending radially outward from the upper end of the outermost drive shaft 282A. A support plate 280A of the upper and lower gripper 280 is supported by an arm of the drive shaft 282A, and a cap pressing member 280B supported by the arm of the drive shaft 282A via a parallel link mechanism 285 is arranged above it. The parallel link mechanism 285 biases the cap pressing member 280B downward with a biasing member 285A such as a spring. The operating rod of the parallel link mechanism 285 is provided with a cam follower 285B, which is pressed against a cam 281A provided along the outer circumference of the fixed shaft 281 by the biasing force of the biasing member 285A. The cam 281A pushes down the cam follower 285B at the container transfer position P9, which is the point of contact with the carrier link conveyor 26A, and at the container transfer position P10, which is the point of contact with the second pitch change wheel 30A. 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 upper and lower grippers 280 have gripped the container V. FIG. The configuration and function of the lifting mechanism 264 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG.

Rails 263C for supporting rollers 262A are not provided in the container transfer section for transferring containers V of carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) to servo wheels 28A-28C (28D-28F). Thereby, the neck gripper 262 can be slightly moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 264 . That is, the neck gripper 262 is mounted on a vertical shaft 264A which is vertically slidably mounted on the block 260A and is biased upward by a biasing member 264B such as a spring. Also, the neck gripper 262 is connected to a support member 265C extending in the vertical direction, and a roller 262A is attached to the tip of the support member 265C. In the section where the rail 263C is provided, the roller 262A engages with the rail 263C, so that the vertical movement of the neck gripper 262 is restricted. Upon application of a downward force greater than the biasing force of biasing member 264B, neck gripper 262 is lowered along with vertical shaft 264A.

In FIG. 15, the cap pressing member 280B is in an elevated state, the neck gripper 262 is also at a higher position due to the biasing force of the biasing member 264B, and the bottom surface of the container V gripped by the neck gripper 262 is lower than the support plate 280A. is also slightly higher. Next, in FIG. 16, the engagement between the cam 281A and the cam follower 285B causes the cap pressing member 280B to descend and press against the top surface of the cap Vc. The bottom surface abuts against the support plate 280A, and the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28A (28B-28F).

Without the lifting mechanism 264, the container V would be delivered in the state shown in FIG. Posture is easily disturbed. However, by providing the lifting mechanism 264, the servo wheels 28A (28B to 28F) can securely grip the container V gripped by the neck gripper 262 with the upper and lower grippers 280. FIG. As a result, even if the neck gripper 262 does not have an opening/closing mechanism, the container V can be reliably and stably pulled out of the neck gripper 262 after the container V is gripped by the upper and lower grippers 280 . Incidentally, the lifting mechanism 264 can also be employed in a neck gripper having an opening/closing mechanism such as a cam or cam follower. Also, the neck gripper with the lifting mechanism 264 can be provided not only on the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B), but also around the rotating body like the supply wheel 18. FIG.

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

In this embodiment, a plurality of (for example, three) servo wheels 28A (28B to 28F) are provided for one carrier link conveyor 26A (26B), so each servo wheel 28A (28B to 28F) Normally, every two containers V conveyed by the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) are received. Therefore, the conveying pitch is three times the reference conveying pitch Pt.

The second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) returns this pitch (3Pt) to the original reference conveying pitch Pt and transfers 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 swinging mechanism 304 for changing the orientation of the neck gripper 300 to change the pitch of the neck gripper 300, and a gripper advancing/retracting mechanism 306 for advancing/retracting the gripper 300 in the radial direction.

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

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 of the lever 302C. The lever 302C is connected to the other end of an urging member 302E, such as a spring, whose one end is fixed to the advancing/retreating plate 306A, and urges the neck gripper 300 in a closing direction. This urging force pushes the gripper opening/closing cam follower 302D against the opening/closing cam 301A provided on the fixed shaft 301 of the wheel (partially omitted at the container delivery position P10 in FIG. 12).

The advance/retreat plate 306A of the neck gripper advance/retreat mechanism 306 is supported by the swing plate 304A via a slider 306D that is slidable along rails 304D provided on the swing plate 304A. A rocking lever 304E is attached to the rocking plate 304A via a connecting member 304H. A moving oscillating cam follower 304F is provided. That is, the swing plate 302A, ie, the neck gripper 300, is rotated about the swing axis 304G as the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) rotates.

A slider 306D holding the advance/retreat plate 306A is provided with an advance/retreat cam follower 306F via a connecting member 306E. The advance/retreat cam follower 306F engages with the advance/retreat 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, thereby moving 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 advances and retreats along the rail 304D while rotating about the swing shaft 304G by the gripper swinging mechanism 304 and the gripper advancing/retreating mechanism 306. A state of converting the pitch of the containers V from 3Pt to the reference conveying pitch Pt is shown.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, when the conveying pitch of the container V rotationally conveyed by the second pitch conversion wheel 30A (30B) is converted to the reference conveying pitch Pt, the container V is transferred to each of the corresponding discharge conveyors 14. Upon reaching the conveying surface of a row (eg, row 14A), the neck gripper 300 is opened by the gripper opening/closing mechanism 302 to release the container V it is gripping and transfer it to the discharge conveyor 14 . The released containers V are placed on the conveying surface of each row of the discharge conveyor 14 and discharged downstream. When converting the conveying pitch of the container V from 3Pt to Pt, it is not performed only by the second pitch conversion wheels 30A and 30B. 2Pt may be converted to Pt by conversion wheels 30A and 30B.

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

FIG. 18 shows the normal sorting operation when seven cap pressing members 206B of the branching wheel 20 are provided along the outer circumference of the fixed rotating portion 202 and numbered sequentially from 1 to 7. is exemplified. The table shows the head number of the cap pressing member 206B, the route by which the containers gripped by the head are distributed, and the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C (shown as cams A, B, and C) at the article delivery positions P1, P2, and P3. Top and bottom states are shown.

In this embodiment, since the number of heads is an odd number, if the containers V are alternately assigned to the first route I and the second route II, the head numbers assigned to each route alternate between the first and second routes. do. For example, if the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th heads are assigned to the first route I in the first round, and the 2nd, 4th, and 6th heads are assigned to the second route II, the final 7th head is assigned to the first route I. Therefore, the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th heads on the second round are assigned to the second route, and the 2nd, 4th and 6th heads are assigned to the first route. In the third round, the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th heads are again assigned to the first route I, and the 2nd, 4th and 6th heads are assigned to the second route II. That is, the heads assigned to the first and second routes I and II are alternated for each round.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the control unit 16 detects the neck gripper 185 not holding the container V on the supply wheel 18 based on the reject signal from the inspection wheel 12 and the signal from the encoder of the supply wheel 18, for example. (Article holding state detection means). In addition, the control unit 16 monitors the number of containers V conveyed on 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 (item number comparing means) to determine the size of the number of containers V discharged from either one of the discharge wheels 22A and 22B. The number of containers V may be grasped by counting the containers V discharged from the first pitch conversion wheels 22A and 22B.

The control unit 16 controls the vertical movement of the cams 201A, 201B, and 201C of the branch wheel 20 and the movable cam 181B of the supply wheel 18 so that the number of containers V to be distributed to the first route I and the second route II is approximately equal. , and the advance and retreat of the movable cams 224C of the first pitch conversion wheels (first and second ejection wheels) 22A and 22B. That is, the containers V normally assigned to the first route I are assigned to the second route II, or the containers V normally assigned to the second route II are assigned to the first route I, thereby distributing the containers to each route. Adjust the quantity of V.

For example, when sorting is performed according to the table of FIG. 18, the container V to be received by the No. 3 head in the second round is rejected, and the container V is not gripped by the corresponding neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18, In addition, when the controller 16 determines that the number of containers V distributed to the second route II is smaller than that of the first route I by a predetermined number or more, normally, the containers are distributed to the first route I in the first round. The container V of the No. 3 head is not transferred to the first pitch conversion wheel (first discharge wheel) 22A, but is transferred to the second route II in the second round.

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 No. 3 head in the first round, and the upper and lower grippers 200 are not released, but closed (gripped). 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 an open state (released state), the container V gripped by the neck gripper 220 and the upper and lower grippers 200 is moved. to prevent strong interference with In addition, the cam A at the container transfer position P3 (second discharge position) is also positioned "up", and the upper and lower grippers 200 continue to grip the container V while passing the container transfer position P3. In order to pass the container delivery position P3, the upper and lower gripper 200 of the No. 3 head and the neck gripper 220 of the first pitch change wheel 22B are out of phase, so the movable cam 224C of the first pitch change wheel 22B is moved to the diameter of There is no need to extend the neck gripper 220 in an outward direction to open it.

Then, in the second round, the cam A at the container delivery position P1 with respect to the No. 3 head is turned "up" to maintain the closed state (gripping state) in which the upper and lower grippers 200 are closed, and at the same time the container gripped by the No. 3 head To prevent the neck gripper 185 of the supply wheel 18 from interfering with the neck of the V, the movable cam 181B is extended radially outward to open the neck gripper 185 corresponding to the rejected container.

After passing the container transfer position P1, the No. 3 head reaches the container transfer position P2 (first discharge position) in the second round while still gripping the container V. At the container transfer position P2, the cam A is maintained "up". Therefore, it passes through the container transfer position P2 while maintaining the gripping state, and heads toward the container transfer position P3 (second discharge position). Since the cam A is positioned "down" at the container transfer position P3, the upper and lower gripper 200 releases the container V and transfers the container V to the neck gripper 220 of the second pitch change wheel 22B. In this manner, the containers V, which would normally be assigned to the first route I, can be assigned to the second route II, so that the containers V can be evenly assigned to the first route I and the second route II.

In addition, in this 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 detection means). Based on the signal from the sensor and the reject signal, the control unit 16 identifies the neck gripper 185 that grips the rejected container V and the head of the branch wheel 20 (upper and lower grippers 200) synchronized at the delivery position P1, Cams 181B, 224C and cams 201A, 201B, 201C are operated and controlled as described above.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 19-22, the receiving/delivering operation of the servo wheels 28A-28F for picking up the containers V from the carrier link conveyors 26A, 26B and delivering them to the second pitch change wheels 30A, 30B will be described. In the following description, the carrier link conveyor 26B, the servo wheels 28D to 28F, and the second pitch conversion wheel 30B related to the second route II will be described as an example. The same applies to the wheels 28A-28C and the second pitch conversion wheel 30A.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the container conveying device 10 in which a portion of the container delivery conveyor 14 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. 2 is an enlarged plan view; FIG.

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

FIGS. 20(a), 21(a), and 22(a) show the servo wheel when there is no container V rejected upstream and the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B conveys the container V smoothly. FIG. 11 shows how containers V are received at 28D, 28E, and 28F; 20(a), 21(a), and 22(a), when 12 containers V1 to V12 are continuously conveyed on the carrier link conveyor 26B, each of the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F is shown receiving each container V1-12.

When the containers V are continuously conveyed on the carrier link conveyor 26B, the four upper and lower grippers 280 provided on each of the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F are moved in accordance with the movement of the containers V to be picked up. The three servo wheels 28D, 28E, 28F receive every second container in sequence from the upstream side. That is, the first upstream servo wheel 28D shown in FIG. Every second container V2, V5, V8, V11 and the third servo wheel 28F shown in FIG. 22(a) receives every second container V3, V6, V9, V12 from the carrier link conveyor 26B.

FIGS. 20(b), (c), FIGS. 21(b), (c), FIGS. 22(b), and (c) show the respective servos when there is tooth missing in the conveyance of the container V on the carrier link conveyor 26B. FIG. 11 shows the arrangement of upper and lower grippers 280 on wheels 28D, 28E, 28F;

FIGS. 20(b) and (c) are examples in which the container V10 out of the containers V1 to V12 is missing. In FIG. 20(b), the upper and lower gripper 280 of the servo wheel 28D, which receives the container V10 in the normal state of FIG. V9 is shown being grasped and pulled out of neck gripper 260 of carrier link conveyor 26B. Also, in FIG. 20(c), the upper and lower gripper 280 of the servo wheel 28D that receives the container V10 in the normal state of FIG. 1, the container V11 is grasped and extracted from the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B.

21(b) and 22(b) show how the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28E and 28F, respectively, advance from their normal state to grip the container V and extract it from the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B. 21(c) and 22(c), the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheels 28E and 28F, respectively, are retracted from their normal state to grip the container V and hold the neck gripper of the carrier link conveyor 26B. 260 is shown.

Thus, in this embodiment, the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F capable of independently driving a plurality of upper and lower grippers 280 are arranged in the conveying path of the carrier link conveyor 26B, and the driving of the upper and lower grippers 280 is controlled. Thus, even if the containers V supplied by the carrier link conveyor 26B are missing teeth, they are evenly distributed to the servo wheels 28D, 28E, and 28F. The control unit 16 uses the sensor 17 to determine the number of containers V discharged to the discharge conveyors 14D, 14E, and 14F, and uses the sensor 19 to determine whether or not the neck gripper 260 of the carrier link conveyor 26B is gripping the container V. is doing.

For example, it is determined that the number of containers V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14D distributed by the servo wheel 28D is less than the quantity of the containers V discharged to the discharge conveyors 14E and 14F, and the containers V are supplied to the servo hole 28D. 20(b) and 20(c), the controller 16 controls the servo control of the container V, which should normally be supplied to the servo wheel 28E or the servo wheel 28F, as shown in FIGS. It is picked up by wheel 28D and discharged to discharge conveyor 14D via second pitch change wheel 30B. It should be noted that whether the containers V that should have been supplied to either the servo wheel 28E or the servo wheel 28F are taken out by the servo wheel 28D is determined by giving priority to the one with the larger number of discharged containers V. .

Next, it is determined that the number of containers V discharged to the discharge conveyor 14E distributed by the servo wheel 28E is smaller than the quantity of the containers V discharged to the discharge conveyors 14D and 14F, and the containers V are supplied to the servo wheel 28E. When the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28D is to be picked up by the servo wheel 28E when a tooth is missing from the container V to be supplied, the controller 16 prevents the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28D from picking up the container. 21(b), the vertical gripper 280 of the servo wheel 28E controls the movement of the corresponding vertical gripper 280 in accordance with the movement of the container not picked up by the servo wheel 28D. Remove container. When the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28F is taken out by the servo wheel 28E, the controller 16 moves the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28F as shown in FIG. Control the movement of the appropriate upper and lower gripper 280 to remove the appropriate container.

Furthermore, it is determined that the number of 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 number of containers V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28F is determined. When the container V is missing teeth and the servo wheel 28E is to pick up the container V to be supplied to the servo wheel 28E, the controller 16 prevents the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28E from picking up the container. As shown in FIG. 21(b), the upper and lower grippers 280 of the servo wheel 28F control the movement of the corresponding upper and lower grippers 280 in accordance with the movement of the container not picked up by the servo wheel 28E, 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. As shown in FIG. 21(c), the gripper 280 controls the movement of the corresponding upper and lower grippers 280 in accordance with the movement of the container not picked up by the servo wheel 28D, and picks up the corresponding container.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by alternately gripping the container from the neck portion and from the top and bottom of the container, the capped container can be alternately gripped by the grippers and conveyed. As a result, even if the type or size (body shape, body diameter, etc.) of the container to be handled is changed, it can be easily dealt with by a simple operation.

In addition, in this embodiment, the container can be branched into a plurality of routes even in wheel transportation. Further, in this embodiment, by providing a hold change wheel, it is possible to change the rotation direction of the wheel and the combination of the neck gripper and the upper and lower grippers. Furthermore, in this embodiment, approximately the same number of containers can be allocated to each branch route.

Next, a modification of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the embodiment, the neck gripper 260 of the carrier conveyors 26A, 26B is provided with the lift mechanism 264, but in the modification, the lift mechanism 264 is replaced by the support plate 280A of the servo wheels 28A-28F. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as the embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 23 shows the position of the carrier link conveyor 26A (26B) and the servo wheel 28A (28B) around the container delivery position P9 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 partial enlarged vertical cross-sectional view. As shown in FIG. 23, the lift mechanism 264 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is not provided, and instead a plate lift mechanism 280C for the support plate 280A is provided.

The support plate 280A of the modified example is attached to each drive shaft 282A to 282D via a rod member 280D so as to be vertically movable. Each support plate 280A is provided with a cam follower 280E, and the cam follower 280E abuts on a cam 281B provided along the outer circumference of the fixed shaft 281 respectively. The cam follower 280E is pressed against the cam follower 280E by the weight of the support plate 280A and the like, and travels on the cam 281B as the drive shafts 282A to 282D rotate. The cam 281B lifts the cam follower 280E at the container delivery position P9 and contacts 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 effects as those of the embodiment can be obtained in the modified example.

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

10 Container Conveyor 12 Inspection Wheel 14 Discharge Conveyor 16 Control Unit 17 Sensor 18 Supply Wheel 20 Branch Wheel 22A, 22B First Pitch Conversion 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-P11 Container delivery position

Claims (5)

a first endless conveying means having a plurality of openable and closable neck grippers for gripping the neck of a capped container, and moving the neck grippers to convey the container gripped by the neck grippers;
a plurality of upper and lower grippers each having a vertically movable upper grip piece that contacts the top surface of the cap of the container, an upper grip piece elevating means that vertically moves the upper grip piece, and a support plate that supports the bottom surface of the container; a second endless conveying means for conveying the container gripped by the upper grip piece and the support plate by moving the upper and lower grippers;
By arranging a plurality of second endless conveying means adjacent to the first endless conveying means or a plurality of the first endless conveying means adjacent to the second endless conveying means, the neck gripper and the upper and lower grippers A container conveying device that branches and conveys the container to a plurality of routes while gripping the container between . 2. A container conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first endless conveying means is provided with opening/closing means for opening and closing said neck gripper. The first endless conveying means is provided with biasing means for urging the neck gripper upward while the neck gripper is disposed so as to be able to move up and down,
When the container gripped by the neck gripper is transferred to the upper and lower grippers of the second endless conveying means, the container gripped by the neck gripper is moved by the operation of pressing the cap top surface of the container by the upper grip piece. 3. The container conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the container is placed on the support plate by lowering the container. In the first endless conveying means, the upper and lower grippers are arranged corresponding to the neck gripper, and the neck gripper moves between a gripping position for gripping the container and a retracted position separated from the container. Equipped with a mechanism,
grasping the container with both the neck gripper and the upper and lower grippers by grasping the container with the upper and lower grippers while the container is being grasped and conveyed by the neck gripper moved to the grasping position; 4. The container conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the neck gripper is then moved to the retracted position to transfer the container to the upper and lower grippers. In the second endless conveying means, a movement mechanism for disposing the neck gripper corresponding to the upper and lower grippers and for moving the neck gripper between a gripping position for gripping the container and a retracted position separated from the container. with
While gripping and conveying the container by the upper and lower grippers, the neck gripper is moved from the retracted position to the gripping position to grip the container with the neck gripper, whereby the upper and lower grippers and the neck gripper and then releasing the container from the upper and lower grippers to transfer the container to the neck gripper. Conveyor.

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