JP7397959B2 - Container conveyance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container conveying device used, for example, in a label insertion system for inserting a cylindrical shrink label into a container.

Conventionally, a label insertion system is known in which a cylindrical shrink label is opened and inserted into a bottle container. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a label insertion device. This label insertion device includes a bottle supply unit, a rotary label insertion unit, and a bottle delivery unit.

The bottle supply unit includes a conveyor, a screw, and a star wheel, and the bottles conveyed by the conveyor and screw are delivered to the star wheel. The star wheel is configured to rotate and convey bottles while holding the bottles at regular intervals on its outer peripheral end, and to deliver the bottles to the label inserting unit.

The label insertion unit rotates and conveys the bottle received from the star wheel while holding it at the outer peripheral edge. During the conveyance process, the cylindrical label received from the label supply unit is opened and inserted into the body of the bottle. Insert around it.

The bottle delivery unit includes a bottle delivery unit and a bottle delivery unit, and the bottle delivery unit receives the bottle with the label inserted therein from the label insertion unit and delivers the bottle to the bottle delivery unit constituted by a belt conveyor or the like. It looks like this.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-145484

In the label insertion device as described in Patent Document 1, when the type of bottle into which the label is inserted is changed, the outer periphery of the star wheel of the bolt supply unit may change due to the difference in size and shape of the bottle. A so-called model change is required to replace the container accommodating member attached to the end, the guide member of the rotary type label insertion unit, and the like.

For example, if the container housing member is divided into multiple parts and attached to the entire outer circumference of the star wheel, it is very difficult to enter the inside of the machine that makes up the label insertion system and replace each container housing member. It was a difficult job and took a long time to replace.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to enable, for example, a container conveying device such as a star wheel to easily and quickly change the shape of the container in response to a change in the type of container.

A container conveying device that is a reference example is a container conveying device that conveys a container by rotating while holding the container, and includes a rotating body that rotates while holding the container, and a rotating body that is attached to the rotating body to hold the container. a plurality of arc-shaped members provided in a concentrically rotatable manner with the rotating body; the container conveyance device is a star wheel that transfers containers to a label inserting device; is a container holding part attached to the outer circumferential end of the rotating body in a state connected to an annular attachment member that can rotate concentrically with the rotating body, and the container holding part is attached to the body of the container. Concave portions for partially accommodating the parts are formed at equal pitches in the circumferential direction, and are provided with a stopper that restricts the mounting member from rotating with respect to the rotating body, and the restriction of the stopper is released and the mounting member is removed. While rotating the mounting member attached to the rotating body in a rotatable state with a plurality of container holders in series, remove and remove each series of container holders at the same location around the star wheel. It is configured such that it can be attached to the attachment member.

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According to this configuration, the restriction of the stopper is released and the mounting member is made rotatable, and the mounting member attached to the rotary body with a plurality of container holders connected in a row is rotated and the starter is rotated. Each successive container retaining member can be removed and attached to the mounting member at the same location around the wheel. Therefore, the operator does not have to go inside the machine that constitutes the system to perform the mold change work, and can easily and quickly perform the mold change work.

In this case, the stopper may be a pin member inserted into through holes formed in the rotating body and the mounting member, respectively. According to this configuration, the stopper can have a simple configuration.

Further, in the container conveying device, the mounting member is provided on the upper surface of the rotating body so as to fit into a stepped portion formed concentrically with the rotating body, and is rotatable along the stepped portion. You can leave it there.

In the container transport device according to the present invention, the container transport device is configured to transport the container by rotation of the rotary while holding the container by a label insertion unit provided at an outer peripheral end of the rotary, which is the rotating body. This is a label inserting device for inserting a cylindrical label into the container, and the arcuate member is attached in a continuous manner to a fixing member installed on the outer peripheral side of the rotary and is conveyed by the rotation of the rotary. a guide member that guides a container from an outer circumferential side, the guide member being rotatable relative to the fixed member concentrically with the rotary, and the plurality of guide members being rotatable concentrically with the rotary. and a stopper that is attached to a mounting member that is rotatable with respect to the fixed member and that restricts the mounting member to an unrotatable state with respect to the fixed member, and the stopper is configured to release the restriction of the stopper. The mounting member is in a rotatable state, and while rotating the mounting member attached to the fixed member with a plurality of guide members in a row, the removal and removal of each guide member in a row at the same location around the rotary is performed. It is configured such that it can be attached to the attachment member.

According to this configuration, the restriction of the stopper is released to make the mounting member rotatable, and while the mounting member attached with the plurality of guide members connected to the fixed member is rotated, the rotary is rotated. Each guide member can be removed and attached to the mounting member at the same location around the periphery. Therefore, the operator does not have to go inside the machine that constitutes the system to perform the mold change work, and can easily and quickly perform the mold change work.

Further, in the container transport device according to the present invention, the container transport device transports the container by rotation of the rotary while holding the container by a label insertion unit provided at an outer peripheral end of the rotary, which is the rotating body. This is a label inserting device for inserting a cylindrical label into the container while the arcuate member is attached in a continuous manner to a fixing member installed on the outer circumferential side of the rotary, and is attached by the rotation of the rotary. A guide member that guides a container to be transported from the outer peripheral side, the guide member is provided to be rotatable with respect to the fixed member on a concentric circle with the rotary, and the plurality of guide members are arranged so as to be rotatable with respect to the rotary. The mounting plate is attached to the fixing member so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixing member on a concentric circle, and the mounting plate is connected to the fixing member by a connecting member, and the mounting plate is not rotatable with respect to the fixing member. a stopper for regulating, the mounting plate is made rotatable by releasing the regulation of the stopper, and the mounting plate is rotated with the plurality of guide members connected to each other by the connecting member with respect to the fixed member. However, it may be configured such that each successive guide member can be removed and attached to the mounting plate at the same location around the rotary.

Further, in this case, the mounting member or the mounting plate may be rotatably supported by a plurality of ball rollers arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction within a groove formed in the fixing member.

Furthermore, in the container conveyance device according to the present invention, the arcuate member may be fixed to the attachment member by a positioning fitting structure and a one-touch coupling member. According to this configuration, the arc-shaped member can be easily removed and attached to the attachment member in a short time, and the model change work can be performed efficiently.

According to the container conveyance device according to the present invention, the stopper is released from the restriction, the mounting member is made rotatable, and the mounting member, which is attached with a plurality of guide members connected to the fixed member, is rotated. Each successive guide member can be removed and attached to the mounting member at the same location around the rotary while the guide member is being moved.
Furthermore, according to another container conveying device according to the present invention, the stopper is released from the restriction so that the mounting plate can be rotated, and the plurality of guide members are connected to each other by the connecting member with respect to the fixed member. While rotating the mounting plate, each successive guide member can be removed and attached to the mounting plate at the same location around the rotary.
Therefore, the operator does not have to go inside the machine that constitutes the system to perform the mold change work, and can easily and quickly perform the mold change work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the label insertion system provided with the container conveyance apparatus which is one Embodiment of this invention. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. (a) is a plan view of a container holding member for a circular container, and (b) is a plan view of a container holding member for a square container. (a) is a diagram showing the state of the one-touch type coupling member before connection, and (b) is a diagram showing the state after connection. (a) to (e) are diagrams showing a procedure for removing the arcuate member. (a) is a sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 1, and (b) is a view showing a stopper that restricts rotation of the mounting member. It is a perspective view of a guide member. (a) to (d) are diagrams showing the procedure for removing the guide member. (a) is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6, which corresponds to the EE line sectional view in FIG. 1 showing a modified guide member, and (b) is a diagram showing a stopper that restricts rotation of the mounting member. be. (a) to (d) are diagrams corresponding to FIG. 8, showing a procedure for removing a guide member in a modified example.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this description, specific shapes, materials, numerical values, directions, etc. are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the use, purpose, specifications, etc. Further, when a plurality of embodiments, modifications, etc. are included below, it is assumed from the beginning that their characteristic parts will be used in combination as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a label insertion system 10 including a container conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the label insertion system 10 includes a container supply device 11, a label supply device 12, a label insertion device 13, a container delivery device 14, and a label relay device 15. The label insertion system 10 is a system for attaching a label L to a container C.

The type of container C is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a beverage bottle container. The label L is a cylindrical film attached to the container C, and is a shrink film that can be brought into close contact with the container C by shrinking by heating, for example. The label L is made of, for example, polyester resin or polystyrene resin, and has a thickness of, for example, 20 μm to 60 μm.

The container supply device 11 is a device that supplies a plurality of containers C to the label insertion device 13. The container supply device 11 includes a conveyor 16, a pair of screws 17, and a star wheel 18. Here, the star wheel 18 corresponds to a container conveyance device according to the present invention.

The conveyor 16 is provided along the left-right direction in the figure, and conveys a plurality of aligned containers C from the right to the left in the figure.

The pair of screws 17 are arranged parallel to each other. A spiral groove (not shown) is formed in the screw 17. The container supply device 11 includes a drive source (not shown) such as a motor, which drives the pair of screws 17 . As the pair of screws 17 rotate in opposite directions, a plurality of containers C conveyed from the right side in the figure by the conveyor 16 are continuously fitted into the gaps between the pair of screws 17. The plurality of containers C fitted into the pair of screws 17 are conveyed to the left in the figure at a pitch determined by the spiral grooves formed in the pair of screws 17.

The star wheel 18 is for changing the transport direction of the plurality of containers C transported by the pair of screws 17 in order to properly introduce the plurality of containers C into the label inserting device 13 at the container supply position β. It is.

The star wheel 18 has a circular shape in plan view, and a plurality of arcuate members 70 (see FIG. 2) are attached to the outer peripheral end. Each arcuate member 70 can hold the container C in a state accommodated in the recess. Further, each arcuate member 70 is replaced when changing the type of container C due to a change in type, but this will be described later. The container C conveyed from the pair of screws 17 is held by the star wheel 18 and then supplied to the label inserting device 13.

The container unloading device 14 is a device that unloads a plurality of containers C each having a label L attached thereto from the label insertion device 13. The container delivery device 14 includes a bottle delivery unit 20 and a conveyor 22. The bottle delivery unit 20 is for changing the conveyance direction of the plurality of containers C in order to appropriately deliver the plurality of containers C received from the label insertion device 13 to the conveyor 22. The bottle delivery unit 20 has a substantially circular shape in a plan view, and has a plurality of holding parts on the outer periphery. Each holding part can hold a container C. The container C delivered from the label insertion device 13 at the container delivery position γ is held by the bottle delivery unit 20 and delivered to the conveyor 22. The conveyor 22 is provided along the left-right direction in the figure, and conveys a plurality of containers C from the right to the left in the figure. Note that the conveyor 22 and the conveyor 16 may be constructed by parts of the same conveyor.

The label supply device 12 is a device that sequentially supplies a plurality of labels L to the label relay device 15. In this embodiment, the label supply device 12 sequentially supplies a plurality of labels L to each of the first label relay unit 26a and the second label relay unit 26b of the label relay device 15.

The label supply device 12 has a first label supply mechanism 24a and a second label supply mechanism 24b. The first label supply mechanism 24a is a mechanism that supplies labels L to the first label relay unit 26a. The second label supply mechanism 24b is a mechanism that supplies the label L to the second label relay unit 26b.

A label base material M, which is a material for the label L, is introduced into the first label supply mechanism 24a and the second label supply mechanism 24b, respectively. The label base material M is, for example, a cylindrical film material that is used as a material for a shrink label, and is folded into a long strip. In the first label supply mechanism 24a and the second label supply mechanism 24b, each label L is generated by sequentially cutting the label base material M into predetermined lengths.

The first label relay unit 26a and the second label relay unit 26b are devices that receive the label L from the label supply device 12 and supply the label L to the label insertion device 13. More specifically, the first label relay unit 26a receives the label L from the first label supply mechanism 24a and supplies it to the label insertion device 13, and the second label relay unit 26b receives the label L from the second label supply mechanism 24b. It is received and supplied to the label inserting device 13.

The label insertion device 13 includes a rotary 30 driven by a motor (not shown), and a large number of label insertion units 32 that are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction over the entire outer peripheral end of the rotary 30. Each of the label insertion units 32 sequentially receives and holds containers C from the star wheel 18 at the container supply position β, and rotates in the direction of arrow B in this state. Note that the rotary 30 corresponds to a rotating body in the present invention.

Labels L are supplied to each label insertion unit 32 from the first label relay unit 26a and the second label relay unit 26b. More specifically, for the label insertion unit 32 rotating while holding the container C, labels L are supplied from the second label relay unit 26b to every other label insertion unit 32 at the label supply position α2, and the label L is supplied to every other label insertion unit 32 at the label supply position α2. The label L is supplied from the first label relay unit 26a to the label insertion unit 32 to which the label L was not supplied from the second label relay unit 26b at the label supply position α1. That is, labels L are alternately supplied to the label insertion units 32 provided adjacently in the circumferential direction at the outer peripheral end of the rotary 30 by the first label relay unit 26a and the second label relay unit 26b. become. By having the configuration in which the first label relay unit 26a and the second label relay unit 26b alternately supply the labels L to the label insertion unit 32 of the label insertion and insertion device 13, the rotary 30 can be Even when the rotational speed increases and the number of label inserting units 32 increases, a sufficient ability to supply labels to the label inserting device 13 can be ensured.

In each label insertion unit 32 of the label insertion device 13, the label L received from the first label relay unit 26a and the second label relay unit 26b is opened into a cylindrical shape and inserted into the body of the container C. Then, the container C with the label L inserted therein is moved by the rotation of the rotary 30 while being held in the label insertion unit 32, and is carried out from the label insertion device 13 by the bottle delivery unit 20 at the container delivery position γ. After that, it is delivered to the conveyor 22.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3(a) is a plan view of an arc-shaped member for a circular container, and FIG. 3(b) is a plan view of an arc-shaped member for a square container. As shown in FIGS. 2, 3(a) and 3(b), the star wheel 18 of this embodiment includes a lower disk 40a and an upper disk 40b. The lower disk 40a and the upper disk 40b are arranged parallel to each other along the horizontal direction. Note that the lower disk 40a corresponds to the rotating body in the present invention.

A bracket 42 is attached to a through hole in the center of the lower disk 40a with, for example, a bolt, and this bracket 42 is fixed to the upper end of a hollow shaft 44. The shaft 44 is inserted into the cylindrical member 46 and rotatably supported by a bearing member 48 . Thereby, when the shaft 44 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), the lower disk 40a rotates in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1.

A shaft member 50 is disposed penetrating inside the shaft 44 . An upper disk 40b is attached to the upper end of the shaft member 50 via a bracket 52, for example, with bolts or the like. The shaft member 50 is configured to rotate together with the shaft 44. Therefore, as the shaft 44 rotates, the lower disk 40a and the upper disk 40b rotate together.

Further, the shaft member 50 is capable of sliding in the vertical direction with respect to the shaft 44. Thereby, by changing the vertical position of the shaft 44 according to the height of the container C (more specifically, the height position of the neck N of the container C) due to a change in the type of the container C, the height position of the upper disk 40b can be changed. can be adjusted to the height position of the neck N of the container C.

A bellows member 54 is provided between the bracket 42 of the lower disc 40a and the bracket 52 of the upper disc 40b. The bellows member 54 closes the gap between the brackets 42 and 52 to prevent dust and the like from entering the shaft 44. Further, the bellows member 54 is expandable and retractable, and can extend and follow the shaft member 50 and the bracket 52 when raised to change the height position of the upper disc 40b as described above.

A plurality of support rods 56 are attached to the upper disk 40b. Each support rod 56 extends downward and passes through a boss 58 provided on the lower disc 40a. Moreover, the support rod 56 penetrates the boss 58 so that it can slide. By these support rods 56, the upper disk 40b is supported by the lower disk 40a so that its height can be adjusted. It is preferable that the plurality of support rods 56 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in order to stabilize the support state of the upper disk 40b, and the number is preferably three or more, and four or more is preferable. More preferred.

An annular attachment member 60 is attached to the outer peripheral end of the lower disk 40a. The mounting member 60 is provided concentrically with the lower disc 40a, fitting into a step 62 formed on the upper surface of the outer peripheral end of the lower disc 40a. The mounting member 60 is provided so as to be rotatable along a step 62 of the lower disc 40a when a stopper described later is unlocked. The mounting member 60 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel, for example. The mounting member 60 may be formed of a single member that is continuous over the entire circumference, or may be formed by a plurality of arcuate members divided in the circumferential direction and connected to each other to form the annular mounting member 60. may be configured.

The upper surface of the inner peripheral edge of the mounting member 60 is pressed down by a pressing plate 64 fixed to the lower disk 40a. This prevents the mounting member 60 from coming off upward.

Further, the mounting member 60 and the lower disk 40a are each formed with a through hole 65 for preventing rotation, and by inserting a stopper 66, which is a pin member, into these through holes 65, the mounting member 60 is fixed. It is restricted to a non-rotatable state relative to the lower disk 40a. On the other hand, when the stopper 66 is removed from each through hole 65, the operator who performs the replacement work at the time of mold change can rotate the mounting member 60 by hand.

A plurality of arcuate members 70 are attached to the annular attachment member 60 in a continuous manner in the circumferential direction. As a specific example, it is preferable that an arc-shaped member 70 divided into eight parts in the circumferential direction is attached to the attachment member 60 (see FIG. 5(a)). Further, it is preferable that the weight of one arcuate member 70 is, for example, 0.7 to 2 kg, more preferably 0.7 to 1 kg. In this way, the arcuate member 70 is divided into four or more parts, which is more than the three parts in the conventionally known configuration (see FIG. 2(b) of Patent Document 1), and the weight is, for example, 0.7 to 2 kg, more preferably By setting the weight to 0.7 to 1 kg, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of each arcuate member 70, and it is possible to reduce the work burden when changing the mold. However, the number of divisions of the arc-shaped member 70 is not limited to eight, and may be changed to a number other than eight, such as four or more, as appropriate. In addition, in the following, the arc-shaped member for a circular container is given the suffix "a" and is designated as "70a", and the circular arc-shaped member for a square container is given the suffix "b" and is designated as "70b". ” may be distinguished as appropriate.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(a) and 3(b), the arc-shaped member 70 includes a base portion 72 and a container holding portion 74. The base portion 72 is a portion for attaching the arc-shaped member 70 to the attachment member 60. The base portion 72 is made of, for example, a metal plate, and has an inner peripheral edge and an outer peripheral edge that are arcuate in plan view. The container holding portion 74 is made of, for example, a resin plate, and has an inner peripheral edge and an outer peripheral edge that are arcuate in plan view.

Positioning holes 73a and 73b are formed in the base portion 72 of the arc-shaped member 70 at both ends in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, one positioning hole 73a is formed as a circular hole, and the other positioning hole 73b is formed as a long hole. By forming the other positioning hole 73b into a long hole in this way, it becomes easier to insert the positioning protrusion 75 (see FIG. 3) into each of the positioning holes 73a and 73b, making it easier to attach the arc-shaped member 70. Note that the positioning hole 73b may also be formed into a circular hole similarly to the positioning hole 73a.

The positioning protrusion 75 has a male threaded portion, and is fixed by screwing the male threaded portion into a female threaded hole of the mounting member 60. The upper end of the positioning protrusion 75 is preferably formed into a pointed shape, such as a truncated cone shape, for example. This makes it easier to insert the two positioning protrusions 75 into the positioning holes 73a and 73b, making it easier to attach the arcuate member 70.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a one-touch coupling member 76 is attached to the base portion 72 at the center position in the circumferential direction. FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing the state of the one-touch coupling member 76 before connection, and FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the state after connection.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the coupling member 76 has a base 76a fixed to the base 72 with a screw or the like, and is rotatably provided with respect to the base 76a, and can be rotated 90 degrees to the on position or It has a knob 76b that can be switched to the off position. A recess is formed on the lower surface of the base portion 76a, and this recess is located within a through hole (not shown) formed in the base portion 72.

On the other hand, a connecting pin 77 is fixed to the mounting member 60. The connecting pin 77 has a male threaded portion, and is fixed by screwing this male threaded portion into a female threaded hole formed in the mounting member 60. The tip of the connecting pin 77 protruding from the mounting member 60 is formed into a substantially truncated conical shape with a large diameter at the upper end and a small diameter at the lower end. As the coupling member 76 and the connecting pin 77, for example, a pin hold clamper and a clamp pin manufactured by Imao Corporation can be suitably used.

When attaching the arc-shaped member 70 provided with such a coupling member 76 to the mounting member 60, the positioning protrusion 75 is inserted into the positioning holes 73a, 73b of the base portion 72, and the positioning protrusion 75 is inserted into the recess of the base portion 76a of the coupling member 76. The connecting pin of the mounting member 60 is inserted through the through hole of the base portion 72 . Then, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the knob 76b is rotated 90 degrees from the off position to the on position. Then, for example, four balls protrude radially inward from the inner surface of the recess of the base 76a and are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the connecting pin 77. As a result, the base portion 72 of the arcuate member 70 is connected and fixed to the mounting member 60 by applying a force that pulls the connecting pin 77 toward the base portion 76a. Further, at this time, the arc-shaped member 70 is connected and fixed in a positioned state to the mounting member 60 by the fitting structure between the positioning holes 73a and 73b and the positioning protrusion 75.

By using such a one-touch coupling member 76, the arcuate member 70 can be easily and quickly attached to and detached from the attachment member 60. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the arc-shaped member 70 is attached by installing a stud bolt in place of the connecting pin 77, inserting the stud bolt into the through hole of the base portion 72, and then fastening it with a nut. It may be fixed to the member 60.

Referring again to FIGS. 2, 3(a) and 3(b), the arcuate member 70 has a base portion 72 attached to the upper surface of the outer peripheral end of the mounting member 60, and a container holding portion 74 extending radially from the base portion 72. Projects outward in the direction. FIG. 3(a) shows an arcuate member 70a for a circular container, and FIG. 3(b) shows an arcuate member 70b for a square container.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(a), the container holding portion 74 of the arc-shaped member 70a is fixed onto the outer circumferential end of the base portion 72 with, for example, bolts or the like. For example, three recesses 78a are formed at the outer peripheral edge of the container holding portion 74 of the arc-shaped member 70a at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. The recess 78a is formed as a substantially semicircular notch so as to match the outer shape of the circular container C1 whose body has a circular cross section. The circular container C1 is conveyed according to the rotation of the star wheel 18, with the radially inner portion of its body accommodated in the recess 78a of the container holding portion 74.

As shown in FIG. 3(b), the arcuate member 70b has a container holding portion 74 suitable for holding and transporting a rectangular container C2 whose body has a substantially rectangular cross section. Specifically, the recess 78b of the container holding portion 74 is formed as a substantially trapezoidal notch so as to substantially match the outer shape of the body of the square container C2. FIG. 3B shows an example in which, for example, three recesses 78b are formed in the container holding portion 74 at equal pitches in the circumferential direction.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a container neck holding member 80 is attached to the outer peripheral end of the upper disk 40b. In the container neck holding member 80, recesses for accommodating the radially inner portion of the neck N of the container C are formed at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. As a result, when the container C is transported by the star wheel 18, the body of the container C is held in the recess 78a or 78b of the container holding portion 74 of the arc-shaped member 70, and the neck of the container C is attached to the upper disk 40b. It is held by a container neck holding member 80.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a support plate 82 is installed on the outer peripheral side of the lower disk 40a. The support plate 82 is fixed to a stand frame (not shown). The support plate 82 supports the container C transferred from the conveyor 16 of the container supply device 11 to the star wheel 18 in a state where it is placed thereon. The support plate 82 is installed between the conveyor 16 and the label insertion device 13, and the container C held by the star wheel 18 is conveyed while sliding on the support plate 82.

Further, an outer guide 86 is installed between the conveyor 16 and the label inserting device 13 and on the outer circumferential side of the star wheel 18 . The outer guide 86 is fixed to the upper end of a column 84 fixed to a not-illustrated pedestal frame by, for example, a bolt. The outer circumferential guide 86 is formed in an arc shape in plan view (see FIG. 1). The inner end of the outer guide 86 has an acutely pointed cross section, and this end approaches or comes into contact with the neck N of the container C conveyed by the star wheel 18, and the container C is moved from the outside in the radial direction. support. As a result, the container C is transported while being stably held or supported by the container holding portion 74 of the arc-shaped member 70, the container neck holding member 80 attached to the upper disc 40b, and the outer guide 86. be done. Since the shape of the neck N of the container C is substantially the same between the circular container C1 and the square container C2, there is no need to replace the container neck holding member 80 when changing the shape.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, replacement of the arc-shaped member at the time of model change will be described. FIGS. 5(a) to 5(e) are diagrams showing the procedure for removing the arc-shaped member 70. Here, an explanation will be given of an example in which the container C is changed from a circular container C1 to a square container C2, but the procedure for the reverse case is also similar.

First, a worker who replaces parts necessary for model change should, for example, move the arcuate member 70 of the star wheel 18 at the front side of the label insertion system 10 and at the position indicated by arrow D in FIG. Can perform replacement work.

As described above, eight arcuate members 70a are attached to the outer peripheral end of the lower disk 40a of the star wheel 18 in a continuous manner. Here, the "continuous state" includes a case where a gap is formed between each of the circular arc members 70a adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction.

First, the operator pulls the stopper 66 upward to remove it from the lower disk 40a. In this case, the operator can remove the stopper 66 through the opening 41 (see FIG. 1) formed in the upper disc 40b. When the stopper 66 is removed, the annular attachment member 60 becomes rotatable while sliding on the lower disk 40a.

Subsequently, the operator removes the first arcuate member 70a from the mounting member 60, as shown in FIG. 5(a). At this time, the operator rotates the knob 76b of the coupling member 76 from the on position to the off position to release the connection between the arcuate member 70a and the mounting member 60, as described above with reference to FIG. The arcuate member 70a can be removed from the mounting member 60 by lifting the positioning projections 75 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the mounting member 60 from the positioning holes 73a and 73b of the base portion 72.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the worker manually rotates the mounting member 60 in the direction of the arrow (clockwise in this case), and then removes the second arc-shaped member 70a. Move it to the working position (the position indicated by arrow D in FIG. 1). Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, the operator removes the second arc-shaped member 70a from the mounting member 60 in the same procedure as the first arc-shaped member 70a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the operator manually rotates the mounting member 60 in the direction of the arrow (clockwise in this case), and then removes the third arcuate member 70a. Move it to the working position (the position indicated by arrow D in FIG. 1). Then, as shown in FIG. 5E, the operator removes the third arcuate member 70a from the mounting member 60 in the same manner as the first and second arcuate members 70a.

By repeating such a procedure, all (eight here) arc-shaped members 70a can be removed from the mounting member 60.

Subsequently, the work of attaching the arc-shaped member 70b for the square container C2 is performed. The operator attaches the first arcuate member 70b to the attachment member 60. This mounting operation can also be carried out while remaining in the same position as indicated by arrow D in FIG. At this time, the operator places the arcuate member 70b on the mounting member 60 by inserting the positioning projections 75 of the lower disk 40a into the positioning holes 73a, 73b of the base portion 72 of the arcuate member 70b. Then, the operator rotates the knob 76b of the coupling member 76 from the off position to the on position to fix the arcuate member 70b and the attachment member 60 in a connected state.

Next, the operator rotates the mounting member 60 counterclockwise by hand to attach the second arc-shaped member 70b to the second arc-shaped member 70b adjacent to the first arc-shaped member 70b in the circumferential direction. The arc-shaped member 70b is attached to the mounting member 60. Subsequently, the operator sequentially attaches the third to eighth arc-shaped members 70b using the same procedure. When all the arcuate members 70b have been attached, the operator inserts the stoppers 66 into the respective through-holes 65 for preventing rotation of the attachment member 60 and the lower disk 40a. As a result, the mounting member 60 is restricted to a non-rotatable state with respect to the lower disk 40a, and each arcuate member 70b is fixed in the star wheel 18. This completes the work of replacing the arc-shaped member 70, which is necessary when changing the star wheel 18.

As described above, according to the star wheel 18 of the label insertion system 10 of the present embodiment, the restriction of the stopper 66 is released to make the attachment member 60 rotatable, and the star wheel 18 is rotated while the attachment member 60 is rotated. Each arcuate member 70a, 70b can be removed and attached at the same location around the periphery. Therefore, the operator does not have to go inside the machine that constitutes the system to perform the mold change work, and can easily and quickly perform the mold change work. Further, in this embodiment, the arc-shaped member 70 attached to the entire outer circumferential end of the lower disk 40a is divided into, for example, four or more pieces, and the weight is, for example, 0.7 to 2 kg, more preferably 0.7 to 1 kg. Moreover, since it is smaller and lighter in weight, it is possible to reduce the work burden when changing the model.

Next, the label insertion device 13 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6(b) is a diagram showing a stopper that restricts rotation of the mounting member. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide member 96.

As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the label insertion device 13 includes a rotary 30 driven by a motor (not shown) and a large number of labels arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral end of the rotary 30. A label insertion unit 32 is provided. The label insertion device 13 transports the container C received from the star wheel 18 as the rotary 30 rotates while holding the container C in the label insertion unit 32 . That is, the rotary 30 is a container conveying device that rotates and conveys the container C held by the label insertion unit 32 provided at the outer peripheral end. The label insertion unit 32 inserts or attaches the label L received from the first label relay unit 26a or the second label relay unit 26b to the container C during the process of transporting the container C. Note that in FIG. 6(a), illustration of a mechanism for inserting the label L into the container C is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), the label insertion unit 32 has a container placement part 88. The container placement section 88 holds the container C in a placed state. The container mounting portion 88 is supported on the outer peripheral end of the rotary 30 by a shaft-shaped support member 90 . In addition, a suction hole (not shown) is formed in the container mounting portion 88 to apply negative pressure by air suction to the bottom surface of the container C through the internal passage of the support member 90. By adsorbing the bottom part with air suction, the container C can be held on the container mounting part 88 in a stable state.

In addition, the label insertion unit 32 further includes a container support plate 92 that is disposed on the inside of the rotary 30 in the radial direction with respect to the container placement section 88 . The container support plate 92 has a substantially V-shaped bent shape when viewed from above. Further, the container support plate 92 is moved forward and backward relative to the container C held on the container mounting section 88 by a driving means 94 installed on the rotary 30.

When the label inserting unit 32 receives the container C from the star wheel 18, the container support plate 92 has retreated to the position shown by the two-dot chain line, and is retracted so as not to interfere with the container C placed on the container placement section 88. are doing. After the container C is placed on the container placement part 88, the container support plate 92 is moved forward by the driving means 94 to the position shown by the solid line, and comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the body of the container C to radially move the container C. Support from the inside.

A guide member 96 is installed on the outer peripheral side of the rotary 30. The guide member 96 is a member that is disposed close to the body of the container C held and conveyed by the label insertion unit 32 and guides the container C from the outer circumferential side. In this embodiment, for example, four guide members 96 are arranged in a row from the container supply position β where the containers C are supplied from the star wheel 18 to the rear position of the rotary 30 (the upper position in FIG. 1). . It is preferable that the weight of each guide member 96 is, for example, 0.7 to 5 kg. More specifically, when the guide member 96 is mainly composed of metal parts, the weight is preferably 2 to 5 kg, and when the guide member 96 is mainly composed of resin parts, the weight is preferably 0.7 kg. Preferably, the weight is between 2 kg and 2 kg. No guide member is installed from the rear position of the rotary 30 to the bottle delivery unit 20, but this is to prevent interference with the mechanism for inserting the label L into the container C in the label insertion unit 32. . Note that the number of divisions of the guide member 96 is not limited to four, and may be divided into more than four.

Each guide member 96 is an arc-shaped member having an arc shape in plan view. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 7, there is an upper guide plate 98 which is an arc-shaped plate material, and a lower guide plate 100 which is an arc-shaped plate material located below the upper guide plate 98. and has. The upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100 are preferably made of resin plates, for example. The upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100 each have an arcuate inner peripheral edge, and are suitable for guiding the body of the container C transported by the rotation of the rotary 30 from the outer peripheral side. It is formed into a shape.

The upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100 are connected to a support member 106 via bracket plates 102 and 104, which are respectively formed of metal plates, for example. Further, a support member 108 connected to the lower surface of the lower guide plate 100 extends downward and is connected to a mounting plate 110 having an arcuate shape similar to the upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100. The strut members 106, 108 are preferably constructed from metal bar-shaped members, and the mounting plate 110 is preferably constructed from a metal plate.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, for example, three positioning holes 111 are formed in the mounting plate 110, and two coupling members 112 are installed. The positioning fitting structure using the positioning hole 111 and the one-touch type coupling member 112 are configured in the same manner as the arc-shaped member 70 of the star wheel 18 described above, so the description thereof will be omitted here.

As shown in FIG. 6, the mounting plate 110 of the guide member 96 is attached to the mounting member 113. The mounting member 113 has a substantially semicircular arc shape in plan view on the outer circumferential side of the rotary 30, and is provided concentrically with the rotary 30 (see FIG. 8). In this embodiment, four mounting members 113 each having an arc shape in a plan view from above are connected to each other.

The mounting member 113 is arranged on a fixing member 114 that has a C-shape when viewed from above. The fixing member 114 is fixed to a column 117 fixed to a stand frame (not shown) with bolts or the like. Therefore, the fixing member 114 is fixedly arranged on the outer peripheral side of the rotary 30.

A groove 116 is formed in the fixing member 114, and a plurality of ball rollers 118 are spaced in the groove 116 in the extending direction of the groove 116 (that is, in the extending direction of the C-shaped fixing member 114). is set up. Since the fixing member 114 is supported by these ball rollers 118, the mounting member 113 becomes rotatable relative to the fixing member 114 when a stopper, which will be described later, is unlocked.

A roller 119 having a horizontal axis of rotation is rotatably provided on the upper surface of the fixing member 114 and is in contact with the upper surface of a protrusion formed at the lower end of the side surface of the mounting member 113 . As a result, the mounting member 113 is held down by the rollers 119 so that it does not come off the fixing member 114 upward.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), when the type of container C is changed due to a change in type, the guide member 96 may need to be replaced. Specifically, the distance H between the upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100, and the distance between the upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100 from the inner circumferential edge of the mounting member 113 (or fixing member 114) There are a plurality of guide members 96 having different radially inward protrusion dimensions P, and the optimum guide member 96 is selected according to the shape and height of the body of the container C.

As shown in FIG. 6(b), a stopper 120 is installed on the fixing member 114. As the stopper 120, for example, an index plunger with a rest position manufactured by Imao Corporation can be suitably used. The stopper 120 has a substantially hemispherical protrusion 122 that protrudes from the end on the attachment member 113 side, and this protrusion 122 fits into the recess 115 of the attachment member 113, so that the attachment member 113 is It is restricted to a non-rotatable state relative to the fixed member 114. On the other hand, when the knob 124 of the stopper 120 is pulled and rotated to the rest position shown by the broken line, the knob 124 is held at that position, and at this time, the protrusion 122 is retracted and removed from the recess 115 of the mounting member 113. As a result, the mounting member 113 becomes rotatable relative to the fixed member 114.

As described above, for example, four guide members 96 are arranged in a row on the outer circumferential side of the rotary 30, so that the container C held in the label insertion unit 32 is conveyed as the rotary 30 rotates. When the container C is moved, the guide member 96 guides or supports the container C from the outer circumferential side, thereby realizing stable transportation. For example, when the container C is changed from a circular container C1 to a square container C2, the guide member 96 needs to be replaced with another guide member 96 in which the upper guide plate 98 and the lower guide plate 100 have different protrusion dimensions P. be. Note that the four guide members 96 being arranged in a "continuous state" also includes a case in which the four guide members 96 are arranged with a gap formed between each guide member 96 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, replacement of the guide member 96 of the label insertion device 13 at the time of model change will be described. FIGS. 8(a) to 8(d) are diagrams showing the procedure for removing the guide member 96. Here, an explanation will be given of an example in which the container C is changed from a circular container C1 to a square container C2, but the procedure for the reverse case is also similar.

An operator who replaces parts necessary for model change can replace the guide member 96, for example, at the rear side of the label insertion device 13 and at the position indicated by arrow F in FIG. .

First, the operator pulls the knob 124 of the stopper 120 to release the rotation restriction of the mounting member 113, as shown in FIG. 6(b). This allows the operator to manually rotate the mounting member 113 relative to the fixing member 114.

Next, the operator removes the first guide member 96, as shown in FIG. 8(a). At this time, the operator rotates the knob of the coupling member 112 from the on position to the off position (see FIG. 4), and then lifts the guide member 96 from the mounting member 113 to release the positioning fitting. Can be removed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the operator rotates the mounting member 113 relative to the fixed member 114 in the direction of the arrow (in the counterclockwise direction here) to attach the second guide member 96. Move it to the front position and remove the second guide member 96 in the same way as the first one.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8(c), the operator rotates the mounting member 113 in the direction of the arrow (here, counterclockwise) with respect to the fixing member 114 to move the third guide member 96. Move it to the front position and remove the third guide member 96 in the same way as the first one. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the operator rotates the mounting member 113 relative to the fixing member 114 in the direction of the arrow (here, counterclockwise) to move the fourth guide member 96 toward you. position, and remove the fourth guide member 96 in the same manner as the first one. This completes the removal of all guide members 96.

Next, the operator attaches the guide member 96 for the square container C2 to the attachment member 113. The procedure at this time is the reverse of the removal procedure shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(d). That is, the operator attaches the first guide member 96 to the attachment member 113 at the position shown in FIG. 8(d), and then rotates the attachment member 113 clockwise to the position shown in FIG. 8(c). Then, rotate the attachment member 113 clockwise to the position shown in FIG. 8(b) to attach the third guide member 96, and then attach the third guide member 96. The fourth guide member 96 is attached by rotating the attachment member 113 clockwise to the position shown in (a). Finally, the operator returns the knob 124 of the stopper 120 from the rest position to its original position, causes the protrusion 122 at the tip to protrude, and restricts the mounting member 113 to an unrotatable state. This completes the work of replacing the guide member 96 when changing the model.

As described above, in the label insertion device 13 of this embodiment, the restriction of the stopper 120 is released to make the mounting member 113 rotatable, and while rotating the mounting member 113, each label is inserted at the same location around the rotary 30. The guide member 96 can be removed and attached. Therefore, the operator does not have to go inside the machine that constitutes the system to perform the mold change work, and can easily and quickly perform the mold change work. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide member 96 is divided into, for example, four parts and has a weight of, for example, 0.7 to 5 kg, thereby reducing the size and weight of the guide member 96, thereby reducing the work burden when changing the model. It can be reduced.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof, and it goes without saying that various changes and improvements can be made within the scope of the claims of the present application. .

For example, in the above description, the guide member 96 installed on the outer peripheral side of the label fitting device 13 is attached to the attachment member 113, and the attachment member 113 is rotatable with respect to the fixed member 114, but the configuration is not limited to this. Not done. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the mounting member may be omitted and the plurality of guide members 96a themselves may be rotatably mounted to the fixed member 114. In this case, each guide member 96a may be connected to each other by a connecting member 97 made of, for example, a metal plate. Further, in this case, as shown in FIG. 9(b), a recess 115 with which the protrusion 122 of the stopper 120 engages is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the mounting plate 110a of the guide member 96a. With this configuration as well, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the embodiment described above. Furthermore, the omission of the mounting member simplifies the configuration, improves ease of assembly, and reduces costs.

Moreover, although the case where the container conveyance device according to the present invention is applied to both the star wheel 18 and the label inserting device 13 has been described above, the container conveyance device according to the present invention is not limited to this. may be applied only to either the star wheel 18 or the label insertion device 13.

10 Label insertion system, 11 Container supply device, 12 Label supply device, 13 Label insertion device, 14 Container unloading device, 15 Label relay device, 16 Conveyor, 17 Screw, 18 Star wheel (container conveyance device), 20 Bottle delivery Unit, 22 Conveyor, 30 Rotary (rotating body), 32 Label insertion unit, 40a Lower disk (rotating body), 40b Upper disk, 41 Opening, 42, 52 Bracket, 44 Shaft, 46 Cylindrical member, 48 Bearing Member, 50 shaft member, 54 bellows member, 56 support rod, 58 boss, 60, 113 mounting member, 62 step, 64 plate, 65 through hole, 66, 120 stopper, 70, 70a, 70b arc-shaped member, 72 base part, 73a, 73b, 111 positioning hole, 74 container holding part, 75 positioning protrusion, 76, 112 coupling member, 76a base part, 76b knob part, 77 connecting pin, 78a, 78b recessed part, 80 container neck holding member, 82 support plate , 84, 117 strut, 86 outer peripheral guide, 88 container placement part, 90, 114 support member, 92 container support plate, 94 drive means, 96 guide member (arc-shaped member), 97 connection member, 98 upper guide plate, 100 Lower guide plate, 102, 104 Bracket plate, 106, 108 Support member, 110, 101a Mounting plate, 115 Recess, 116 Groove, 118 Ball roller, 119 Roller, 122 Projection, 124 Knob, C Container, C1 Circular shape Container, C2 square container, L label, M label base material, N neck, α1 label supply position, α2 label supply position, β container supply position, γ container delivery position.

Claims (3)

A container conveyance device that conveys a container by rotating it while holding the container,
A rotating body that rotates while holding the container;
a plurality of arcuate members installed on the outer circumferential side of the rotary body to guide containers conveyed by the rotary body and rotatably connected on a concentric circle with the rotary body;
The container conveying device fits a cylindrical label onto the container while conveying the container by rotation of the rotary while holding the container by a label fitting unit provided at an outer peripheral end of the rotary, which is the rotating body. It is a label inserting device that inserts
The arc-shaped member is a guide member that is attached in a continuous manner to a fixing member installed on the outer circumferential side of the rotary and guides the container conveyed by the rotation of the rotary from the outer circumferential side, and the guide member is is provided to be rotatable on a concentric circle with the rotary relative to the fixed member,
The plurality of guide members are attached to a mounting member that is rotatable with respect to the fixed member on a concentric circle with the rotary,
a stopper that restricts the mounting member to an unrotatable state with respect to the fixed member;
Release the restriction of the stopper to make the mounting member rotatable, and while rotating the mounting member attached with multiple guide members connected to the fixed member, at the same location around the rotary, A container conveyance device configured to be able to remove and attach successive guide members to an attachment member. The container conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member is rotatably supported by a plurality of ball rollers arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction within a groove formed in the fixing member. The container conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the arcuate member is fixed to the attachment member by a positioning fitting structure and a one-touch coupling member.

Images