JPH01153421A - Container temporary stock equipment on packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stock containers sent from a main line temporarily, by arranging a container stock conveyor at the beginning end of a carrier course of a container carrier conveyor for a subline, and leading containers to the container stock conveyor from the container carrier conveyor by a container leading guide. CONSTITUTION:When a trouble is generated on a subline 12, the operation of a machine in which the trouble has been generated is stopped; at the same time, a container leading guide 47 is made to advance on the container carrier course; a container discharging guide 48 is made to retreat from the container carrier course. At this time, a main line remains operating; containers, which are sent to the beginning end of the container carrier course, are made to change the course by the container leading guide 47, led to a container stock conveyor 41, and stocked on the same conveyor 41 one after another. When the trouble on the subline 12 has been resolved, and the operation is resumed, the container leading guide 47 is made to retreat from the container carrier course; the container discharging guide 48 is made to advance on the container carrier course. Then the containers on the lower course 41 are discharged on a container carrier conveyor 31 by the container discharging guide 48.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention is characterized by 1. This invention relates to a device for temporarily storing containers in a packaging machine for containers containing fluid foods, etc., in the event of mechanical trouble.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional Technology and Problems There are known packaging machines that are equipped with a main line that includes a sterile container forming and filling machine and a sub-line that includes a container wrapping machine.

By the way, there are no problems with the main line, but there are cases where problems occur with the sub-line.

In that case, if you stop the operation of the sub-line, you can stop the operation of the main line accordingly, but in order to stably achieve sterile packaging, it is necessary to stop the main line that is in operation. It is not desirable to do so. This is because stopping the main line would destroy the conditions for keeping the filling, containers, machinery, etc. sterile.

So, the main line is up and running! 1. Leave the main line as it is, and discharge the containers that continuously come out of the main line and temporarily store them. When the problem with the sub-line is resolved, the stored containers are sent to the sub-line. Ta. All of this work was done manually and was not efficient.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container temporary storage device for a packaging machine that solves the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems The container temporary storage device according to the present invention comprises a main line including a sterile container forming/filling machine, a container transport conveyor communicating with the main line, and a transport path of the main line. In a packaging machine equipped with a sub-line including a container wrapping machine, a container stock conveyor is arranged on the side of the start end of the transport route of the container transport conveyor. It has a curved horizontal lower channel and an upper channel connected to each end thereof and including one or two vertical spiral channels, with a container introduction guide at the front of the lower channel and a container introduction guide at the rear thereof. The discharge guides are arranged so as to be horizontally swingable.

Example Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the packaging line.

The packaging line is multi-rowed into six rows, but each row has the same configuration, so one of them
To explain the two lines, each column of lines consists of a main line 11 and a subline 12. The processing capacity of the sub-line 12 is higher than that of the main line 11 by, for example, about 10%.

The main line 11 includes a sterile container forming and filling device 21 . Although not shown in detail, the sterile container forming and filling device 21 forms a packaging material web into a cylindrical shape, fills it with the contents, and divides the cylindrical body filled with the contents into lengths for each container. This is used to form a pillow-shaped intermediate container, which is then finally made into a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped finished container. Forming the web and filling the contents are performed in a sterile atmosphere. , the sterility of the container is ensured.

The subline 12 has a container conveyor 31 communicating with the main line 11 . Container conveyor 3
1, a straw applicator 32 that sequentially attaches straws to containers from near the start end to the end of the conveyance path, a multi-shrink packaging machine 33 that wraps a plurality of containers with straws together, and a tray loader that places the wrapped containers on a tray. 34 are arranged. The containers placed on the tray are collected in three rows at one place, further wrapped by a tray shrink packaging machine 35, and finally placed on a pallet by a palletizer 36. A container stock conveyor 41 is arranged at the starting end of the container conveyance path.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container stock conveyor 41 includes a horizontal downward path 42 extending along the conveyance path over a predetermined section at the starting end of the container conveyance path, and two conveyors whose lower ends are connected to both ends of the downward path 42, respectively. Spiral path 43a
and an upper path 43 consisting of a horizontal communication path 43b connecting the upper ends of the two spiral paths 43a. A sprocket 45 is placed at a suitable position on each path, and an endless belt 46 is hung around the sprocket 45. Although not shown in detail, the endless belt 46 is formed by connecting a large number of segments in the length direction of the belt 46, and can be freely bent in the width direction of the belt 46 and in a direction perpendicular thereto. It is now possible to do so. A container introduction guide 47 is arranged at the front of the downward path, and a container discharge guide 48 is arranged at the rear thereof. Although not shown in detail, the container introduction guide 47 and the container discharge guide 48 are designed to be able to swing about vertical axes and move back and forth on the container conveyance path.

It is now assumed that a trouble has occurred somewhere on the subline 12. Then, the operation of the machine with the problem in the subline 12 is stopped, and the container introduction guide 47 is stopped.
into the container transport path. At this time, the container discharge guide 48 is moved back from the container conveyance path. The main line 11 is still in operation, and containers are continuously sent from the main line 11 to the starting end of the container transport route, but the containers that are sent are diverted by the container introduction guide 47 and transferred to the container stock conveyor. 41, and are sequentially stocked on the same conveyor 41.

Eventually, when the trouble in the sub-line 12 is resolved and the sub-line 12 is restarted, the container introduction guide 47 is moved back from the container transport route, and the container discharge guide 48 is moved onto the container transport route. Then, the container discharge guide 4
8, the containers on the lower path 41 are transferred to the container conveyor 3.
However, since the main line 11 still continues to send containers to the container transport conveyor 3, a container is placed between these containers so that the containers are discharged from the lower path 41. Activate the discharge guide 48.

Furthermore, by adding the containers discharged from the lower path 41 to the containers sent from the main line 11, the combined amount of containers must not exceed the processing capacity of the sub-line 12. As mentioned above, if the processing capacity of the sub-line 12 is about 10% higher than that of the main line 11, one container will be processed every 10 containers sent from the main line 11 passing through the container discharge guide 48. The container discharge guide 48 is operated so that the container is discharged from the lower path 41.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, a container stock conveyor is arranged at the beginning of the transport route of a container transport conveyor in a sub-line, the container is introduced from the container stock conveyor to the container stock conveyor by the container introduction guide, and the container stock conveyor is introduced by the container discharge guide from the container stock conveyor. Since the containers are discharged onto a conveyor, when a problem occurs on the sub-line, containers sent from the main line can be temporarily stored without having to be manually handled by workers as in the past. Can be done.

Furthermore, because the container stock conveyor has a spiral path, it requires less floor space for storing containers.
The floor can be used effectively.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a container stock conveyor and its surrounding area. 11...Main line, 12...Back line, 21...
Aseptic container forming and filling machine, 33. 35... Exterior packaging machine, 41.
...Container conveyor, 42...Downward route, 43
...Upper path, 43a...Spiral path, 47...
Container introduction guide, 48...Container discharge guide. that's all

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A main line 11 including a sterile container forming and filling machine 21, a container conveyor 31 communicating with the main line 11, and container wrapping machines 33, 3 arranged on the conveyance path thereof.
5, a container stock conveyor 41 is disposed on the side of the starting end of the conveyance path of the container conveyor 31, and the container stock conveyor 41
has a horizontal lower path 42 along the conveying path over a predetermined section at the starting end of the conveying path, and an upper path 43 connected to both ends of the horizontal path 42 and including one or two vertical spiral paths 43a. A container introduction guide 47 is provided at the front of the lower path 42, and a container discharge guide 4 is provided at the rear thereof.
A container temporary storage device in which containers 8 are arranged so as to be horizontally swingable.