JPH03127B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sampling device for taking out sampling cans from a can production line in order to check the sealing condition of a seamer in a can production line.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in the can manufacturing process, a certain number of consecutive cans are sampled to check the seaming condition of each seaming head of the seamer. In the conventional sampling inspection described above, the seamers are manually sampled by checking the head number of the seamer, and the seams are lined up in the order of the corresponding heads, thereby controlling the inspection of the seaming condition of each head. This manual sampling inspection may be carried out by skilled workers while the line is in operation, but in order to ensure that the heads are sampled in order, it is necessary to temporarily stop the line. This has caused a decrease in the operating rate of the line. In addition, without stopping the line, the flow of empty cans to the filler can be separated, and one of the sampling cans with a partition space before and after can be separated.
A method has also been proposed in which sampling cans are formed in groups and taken out by diverting the sampling cans of the group to a bypass conveyor using the discharge conveyor of the seamer (Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-30287).
Publication No.).

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The proposed conventional method for extracting sampling cans does not stop the line conveyor, but the flow of empty cans to the filler must be temporarily stopped with a can stopper to create a break. However, it is difficult to say that the problem of the line's flow being unsmooth has been completely resolved. Furthermore, although the sampling cans that were taken out were arranged in the order of the seamer heads, it was not possible to specify which head of the seamer the cans were tied with. Therefore,
Even if a poorly seamed can was found among the sampled cans, it was not possible to determine which seamer head was used to seam it.

The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sampling device that can identify the seamer head and extract sampling cans without stopping the flow of cans on a can manufacturing line. shall be.

Means for Solving the Problems The sampling device of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a seaming head detection sensor that detects a specific seaming head among the seaming heads of a seamer, and a detection signal of the detection sensor. a marking device that marks the can seamed with the specific seaming head at a timing determined by the marking device; a marking can detector provided downstream of the marking device; and a marking can detector provided with a detection signal from the marking can detector. This technology adopts a technical means characterized by having a can ejector for discharging a predetermined number of cans based on the number of cans to a separate line.

Function: When a specific seaming head among the seaming heads of the seamer is detected by the seaming head detection sensor, the timing is determined based on the detection signal, and the can seamed by the special seaming head is transferred to the marking device. When the position is reached, the marking device is activated to perform marking, and in a subsequent process, the marked cans are detected, and a predetermined number of cans based on the marked cans are separated by a can ejector based on the detection signal. Transfer to the line and remove the sampling can. The predetermined number of cans, based on the marked cans discharged to the separate line, is the number of cans for the number of seaming heads, starting from the marked can that has been seamed at a specific seaming head, or cans at a specific seaming head. A plurality of cans can be arbitrarily selected from the marked cans that have been sealed. Since marking is performed while the can is held in the discharge turret, the speed of the can is kept constant between detection by the detection sensor and activation of the marker, allowing accurate timing. Since the discharge cans are marked, there is no need for tracking on the disposal conveyor to the discharger, and the sampling cans can be extracted by matching them accurately to the seaming head without the need for special conveyance equipment. can.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the sampling device of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a feed conveyor that conveys cans C filled with contents by a filler 7 to a seamer, and 2 is a seaming turret. In the illustrated embodiment, the seaming turret 2 includes:
There are six pockets 3, each pocket 3 corresponding to a seaming head. 4 is a discharge turret, which has a pocket 5 corresponding to each pocket of the seaming turret, rotates in synchronization with the seaming turret, and transports cans from the seaming turret to a discharge conveyor 6. Transfer. The above configuration is the same as a conventionally known can manufacturing line.

In this embodiment, a certain seaming head is designated as the No. 1 head in the above manufacturing line, a metal piece 10 serving as a detection object is attached to the head, and the metal piece is detected outside the rotational trajectory of the seaming head. A detection sensor 11 is attached. As the detection sensor 11, for example, an eddy current type proximity sensor, a reflection type optical sensor, etc. can be adopted. Further, a marking device 12 is provided at a predetermined position near the discharge tarlet for marking cans held in the pocket 5 and conveyed. The marking device is preferably an ink jet type spray, but is not necessarily limited to this. The marking device operates at a certain timing based on the output of the sensor to mark the can seamed by the No. 1 seaming head. A mark detector 13 for detecting the marked cans and a can discharger 14 for discharging the cans from the disposal conveyor are provided on the disposal conveyor 6 for receiving and transporting cans to the next process. As a can ejector, for example, a high-speed actuator such as an air cylinder is adopted to eject cans individually, or cans are temporarily stopped on the seaming conveyor with a stopper and the seaming head is simultaneously rejected for several minutes. An appropriate method can be adopted, such as a method of transferring the cans to a conveyor or a method of switching the conveyance path of the cans to the reject conveyor side using a high-speed actuator.

Next, a method for extracting a sampling can using the apparatus will be explained.

By operating a button or the like, a sampling start signal is sent from the control device, the detection sensor 11 enters the standby state, and when the No. 1 head passes the sensor position, the detection object 10 is detected and a timing pulse is emitted. , when the can wrapped by the No. 1 head just reaches the position of the marking device 12, the marking device 12 is activated to mark the can with an inkjet. The timing from the detection of the object to the activation of the marking device can be determined, for example, by providing a rotary encoder that detects the rotation of the seamer and counting the number of pulses to determine the timing at which the can reaches the marking position. When this point is reached, the marking device 12 is activated. Note that the above-mentioned timing means is not limited to the above case, and any appropriate means such as counting the number of cans can be adopted.

Thereafter, the cans are transferred to the discharge conveyor 6, and when the mark detector 13 detects the mark, the can ejector 14 is activated, and a preset number of cans (the number of heads) are delivered starting from the can with the mark. They are sequentially discharged to the reject conveyor. Therefore, No.
A group of sampling cans arranged in seaming head order are automatically taken out from one can.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the device of the present invention. In this embodiment, instead of installing the detection object 15 on the upper part of the seaming head, it is attached to the pocket of the discharge turret 4 corresponding to the No. 1 head, and the detection object is detected outside the rotation locus of the discharge turret. A sensor 16 is attached. Further, the marking device 17 is provided at a portion where cans are transferred from the discharge turret 4 to the discharge conveyor 6. That is, in this embodiment, the detection sensor and the marking device are arranged in a fixed angular relationship, and when the detection sensor detects the object, the can seamed by the No. 1 seaming head is placed at the marking device. It is now located and marked.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the case where sampling cans are taken out by the number of seaming heads has been explained, but when only the cans that have been seamed at a certain seaming head are taken out, the No. 1
If you mark cans seamed with seaming heads, detect the cans, and then set the timing at which the ejector operates, you can use which seaming head to seam the cans based on the No. 1 head. Even if the cans are empty, they can be taken out individually.
Another method would be to freely preset the timing at which the marking device operates after the detection sensor detects the object, so that the can to be taken out is marked, the can is detected, and the ejector is activated. It is also possible to discharge it.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, normal operation was performed in which the cans flowed continuously, but in the case of high-speed operation, the can stopper at the filler inlet could be activated to temporarily stop the cans before sampling started. This allows for more leeway in the operating speed of the can ejector.

Effects The present invention is configured as described above, and marking is performed on a can seamed with a specific seaming head while the can is held on the discharge turret. The speed of the canister remains constant, allowing for easy and accurate timing. Further, there is no need for tracking on the discharge conveyor to the ejector, and the sampling can can be extracted in exact alignment with the seaming head without requiring a special conveying device. Moreover, since sampling can be performed without stopping the line or temporarily damming the flow of cans as in the conventional method, it has remarkable effects such as increasing the operating rate of the line.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the sampling device of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a schematic plan view thereof, and FIG. 2 being a schematic plan view of another embodiment. 1: Feed conveyor, 2: Seaming turret, 4: Discharge turret, 6: Discharge conveyor, 11, 16: Detection sensor, 12, 17: Mark detector, 13: Mark detector, 14: Can ejector.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A seaming head detection sensor that detects a specific seaming head among the seaming heads of the seamer, and a marking device that marks a can seamed by the specific seaming head based on the detection signal of the detection sensor. and a marked can detector provided on the downstream side of the marking device, and a can discharger that discharges a predetermined number of cans based on the marked cans to a separate line based on the detection signal of the marked can detector. A sampling device for a canned food production line featuring: