JPH0520681B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inspection device for cans used as containers for canned foods, etc., and more particularly to a device for inspecting seams.

[Prior Art] A can used as a container for food, etc. has a can body,
It is made up of a can lid and a can bottom. In the case of so-called three-piece cans, the can lid and can bottom are wrapped around the can body, and two-piece cans have the can body and can bottom integrated. In this case, the can lid is wrapped around the can body to seal the can. The seaming part between the can body and the can lid (hereinafter referred to as the "can lid" including the can bottom) is formed by a body hook formed on the edge of the can body, as shown in Figure 7b.
BH and cover hook formed on the outer circumference of the can lid
It is formed by meshing and crimping CH.

The quality of the seam has a great effect on maintaining the quality of the contents filled in the can, and therefore, among the various inspections related to cans, the inspection of the seam is one of the most important.

Normally, the seaming part is inspected for seaming thickness, seaming width,
Can height and/or countersink depth dimensions can be tested. That is,
When the seaming part is in a defective state, the seaming thickness T is thicker or thinner than the standard value (generally, it is often thicker than the standard value), and the seaming width W may also be larger or smaller than the standard value. Furthermore, variations in the seaming width W directly affect the can height H and the countersink depth C, causing these dimensions to deviate from standard values.

As described above, it is known that the seam portion of a can can be inspected by measuring the seam thickness, seam width, can height, and/or countersink depth.

[Problems to be Solved] However, in the conventional seam inspection, the can is placed on a table so that the seam to be inspected is located above. Therefore, the probe of the measuring unit used for inspection is also located above the table.

As a result, the following problems arose.

The central axis of the can may not be exactly perpendicular to the top and bottom end surfaces. For example, in the case of an empty can where the lid is tightened only on one side, there is a relatively large variation in the machining of the opening side flange, so as shown in Fig. 8, the can has its center axis S. ₂ is placed on the table in an inclined state with respect to the perpendicular line _S1 of the table. The positional deviation due to this inclination is almost negligible at the lower end of the can, but becomes large enough to be non-negligible at the upper end, and becomes larger as the can becomes higher.

Therefore, when measuring the dimensions of the upper seam of a can in such a state, there was a problem in that the contact of the probe became unstable and the measurement error increased, making it impossible to obtain accurate dimensions. . Furthermore, in order to improve the contact of the measuring head, it is necessary to provide the measuring head with a floating mechanism, which poses a problem in that the measuring unit becomes complicated and expensive.

If the probe is brought into contact with the top of the can from the side, the can may tilt. Filled actual cans are heavy and pose no problem, but empty cans are extremely light and can easily move if force is applied from the side. In this case, the can cannot be easily moved by a lateral force near the bottom end of the can, but it easily moves by a lateral force near the top end of the can.

Therefore, when measuring dimensions such as the seam width or seam thickness by touching the measuring head from the side to the upper seam part of the can, errors are likely to occur and accurate measurements cannot be made. There was a problem.

If cans with abnormal dimensions are supplied, jams may occur near the inspection equipment table. For this reason, it is necessary to quickly remove the jammed can, but this becomes a hindrance when the probe is located above the table. Furthermore, there is a problem in that it is difficult to remove and clean dirt attached to the tip of the probe when the probe is located above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it enables a can to be placed on a table with the seaming part to be inspected facing downward, and also allows the seaming width of the seaming part to be This invention relates to a can inspection device that can easily and accurately measure the dimensions of clamping thickness and countersink depth.

[Means for Solving Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the can inspection device of the present invention is a can inspection device that measures the dimensions of a can and determines the quality of the can based on the measurement results. It is possible to rotate and position in predetermined angle increments.
The rotary table has a groove on its surface that is concentric with the center of rotation to engage with the seaming part of the can, and a measuring element placed near the periphery of the rotating table, and the dimensions can be determined from the amount of movement of the measuring element. It consists of a measuring unit equipped with an electrical measuring means for measuring, and a determining section that judges the quality of the can based on the measurement data from the electrical measuring means. located at the same height,
The rotary table is configured to have a cutout portion for allowing the probe to appear and/or move forward and backward.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the apparatus, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire apparatus, Figure 2 is a side view of the movable table portion, and Figure 3 is a side view of the can height measuring unit. , Fig. 4 shows a side view of the seaming width measuring unit and countersink depth measuring unit, and Fig. 5 a, b, and c show a side view, top view, and rear view of the seaming thickness measuring unit, respectively. .

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a base, 2 is a moving table provided on the base 1,
The cylinder 3 performs reciprocating motion. 4 is a rotary table placed on one end of the moving table 2 (the left end in FIGS. 1 and 2), and a motor 5, which is also placed on the moving table 2, rotates the belt 6.
Rotation indexing is possible through the . The surface of the rotary table 4 has a groove 4a for engaging the seaming portion of the can 100, positioning the can 100 approximately in the center of the rotary table, and stably supporting the can 100.
However, a plurality of them are provided concentrically and circumferentially depending on the type of can diameter.

7, six pieces are placed on the rotary table 4 at 60 degree intervals,
This is a notch provided from the outer periphery toward the center, and allows the probes of each measuring unit, which will be described later, to move in and out, and move back and forth. It goes without saying that the number and spacing of the notches 7 can be changed depending on the type and number of measurement units, and
The shape is also long hole-like depending on the movement of the probe,
It can be simply a hole.

The rotary table 4 moves between the reference position determining section A and the measuring section B of the can 100 by the reciprocating movement of the moving table 2.

In the reference position determining section A, various means for determining the reference position of the can 100 sent onto the rotary table 4 are arranged on the base 1. That is,
A rotating roller unit 10 is arranged near one side of the rotating table 4.
A pressure roller unit 20 is arranged near the other side of the rotary table 4, facing 180 degrees from the rotary table 4. The rotating roller unit 10 includes a rotating roller 11, a motor 12 for rotating the rotating roller 11, and a base 13 that supports the rotating roller 11 and the motor 12 and is moved forward and backward by a cylinder 14.

The press roller unit 20 also includes two press rollers 21, a pantograph-shaped press member 22 which has the press roller 21 at its tip and always applies a press force in the radial center direction, and a press roller 21.
and a cylinder 23 for moving the pressing member 22 forward and backward.

Furthermore, the base 13 of the rotating roller unit 10
, a sensor 15 for detecting the seam of the can 100 is installed at a position offset by 10 degrees from the longitudinal center line of the movable table 2, and is adapted to move forward and backward together with the rotating roller unit 10. .

In the measuring section B, a measuring unit for centering the can 100 transferred from the reference position determining section A and measuring each part of the can 100 is arranged. That is,
In FIG. 1, reference numerals 30, 30 are centering means for aligning the axis of the can 100 and the axis of the rotary table 4, and the centering means 30, 30 is a centering means for aligning the axis of the can 100 and the axis of the rotary table 4. They are arranged so as to face each other perpendicularly to each other. These centering means 30, 30 are made up of abutment pieces 31, 31 that press against the lower part of the can body of the can 100, and anti-rotation cylinders 32, 32 that apply a pressing force to these abutment pieces 31, 31.

Further, 40, 50, 60, and 70 are a can height measuring unit, a seaming width measuring unit, a seaming thickness measuring unit, and a countersink depth measuring unit.
Of these, the seaming width measuring unit 50, the seaming thickness unit 60, and the countersink depth measuring unit 7
The present invention is applicable to 0.

Although the present invention is not applied to the can height measuring unit 40, as mentioned above, it is a necessary measuring unit when inspecting the seamed part, so in this embodiment, this can height measuring unit is used. The structure including the measurement unit 40 will be explained.

To explain the arrangement of each measuring unit 40, 50, 60, 70, can height measuring unit 4
0 and the seaming width measuring unit 50 are spaced apart from each other by 60 degrees with one centering means 30 in between, and the seaming thickness measuring unit 60 and the countersink depth measuring unit 70 are spaced apart from the other centering means 30. They are placed at 60 degree intervals in between. Also, a can height measuring unit 40, a seaming thickness measuring unit 60, a seaming width measuring unit 50, and a countersink depth measuring unit 7.
0 are opposed to each other across the axis of the rotary table 4, and the seaming width measuring unit 50, the seaming thickness measuring unit 60, the can height measuring unit 40, and the countersink depth measuring unit 70 are spaced 120 degrees apart. They are arranged on the outer periphery of the rotary table 4, with a distance between them.

The can height measuring unit 40 is mounted on a pedestal 401 mounted on a base 1 (not shown) as shown in FIG.
, a movable base 402 that moves back and forth on the upper surface of the mount 401 in the radial direction of the rotary table 4;
02, a movable table 405 that is supported on the side surface of the strut 403 via a linear bearing so as to be able to rise and fall freely, and is fixed at an arbitrary height position by a fixing screw 404;
05 so that it can be raised and lowered, and a measuring tip 407 is attached to the tip.
a pressure spring 408 that urges the holder 406 downward so that the probe 407 comes into contact with the top of the can 100 with a constant measurement pressure including its own weight; and a roller 409 attached to the holder 406. , a cylinder 410 that pushes the roller 409 with a cam 411 to move the holder 406, that is, the gauge head 407 in the opposite biasing direction, and a linear gauge 412 that measures the position of the gauge head 407 and outputs it as an electric signal. There is.

As shown in FIG.
A movable base 502 that moves forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotary table 4 on the top surface of 01, a support 503 erected on the movable base 502, and a support that is movable up and down on the support 503 and that can be finely adjusted with an adjustment screw 504. A movable table 505, a fixing screw 506 that fixes the movable table 505 at an arbitrary height position, a first holder 508 that is supported by the movable table 505 so as to be movable up and down and has a first probe 507 at its tip, and a first probe. A second holder 510, which has a second holder 509 vertically opposed to the second holder 507 and is supported on a movable table 505 so as to be able to rise and fall, and the first holder 507 are tightened with a constant measuring pressure including its own weight. A pressing spring 511 urges the first holder 508 downward so that it comes into contact with one side of the section, and a pressing spring 511 forces the first holder 508 downward so that the second holder 509 comes into contact with the seaming top part with a constant measuring pressure including its own weight. A pressure spring 512 that urges the holder 510 upward; rollers 513 and 514 attached to the first and second holders 508 and 510, respectively;
It has a cam 515 that pushes the first and second holders 508 and 510, that is, the measuring tip 5.
07,509 in the counter-biasing direction, and the first and second probes 507,509.
The linear gauge 517 measures the distance between the two and outputs it as an electric signal.

In this case, the first measuring stylus 507 is positioned slightly above the rotary table 4, and the second measuring stylus 509 is positioned within the notch 7 of the rotary table 4 for measurement.

As shown in FIG. 5, the seaming thickness measuring unit 60 consists of a pedestal 601 placed on the base 1, two columns 602 erected on the pedestal 601, and the columns 6.
A slider 603 is provided on the slider 603 to be able to move up and down via a linear bearing, a cylinder 604 that moves up and down the slider 603, and a pin 6 on the slider 603.
Rotating plate 6 rotatably provided around 05 as a fulcrum
06, and a screw 608 that passes through a long hole 607 provided in the rotating plate 606 and fixes the rotating plate 606 at an appropriate angle with respect to the slider 603.
and a bracket 60 attached to the rotating plate 606.
9, a movable table 611 that is movably supported by the bracket 609 via a linear bearing and can be finely adjusted by an adjustment screw 610, and a fixing screw 6 that fixes the movable table 611 at an arbitrary position.
12, a first holder 614 that is movably supported by the movable table 611 and has a ball-shaped first probe 613 at its tip and is movable in the radial direction of the rotary table 4; A second holder 61 is movably supported on a movable table 611 and has a second probe 615 at its tip that faces the second holder 61 .
6, a spring 617 that urges the first holder 614 outward in the radial direction of the rotary table so that the first measuring stylus 613 comes into contact with the chuck wall of the seaming part with a constant measuring pressure including its own weight; A spring 618 biases the second holder 616 inward in the radial direction of the rotary table so that the second measuring stylus 615 comes into contact with the seaming wall of the seaming part with a constant measuring pressure including its own weight; Two holders 6
14 and 616 through plates, and these rollers 61
a cylinder 622 that has a cam 621 that pushes the first and second holders 614 and 616, that is, the first and second measuring stylus 613 and 615 in the opposite direction; 613 and a linear gauge 623 that measures the distance between the second measuring element 615 and outputs it as an electrical signal.

In this case, the first measuring element, the second measuring element 61
3, 615 performs the measurement while positioned within the notch 7 of the rotary table 4.

The countersink depth measurement unit 70 has a fourth
As shown in the figure, a pedestal 70 mounted on the base 1
1, a movable base 702 that moves forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotary table 4 on the upper surface of the pedestal 701, a column 703 erected on the movable base 702, and a column 703 supported by the column 703 via a linear gauge so as to be freely raised and lowered, and an adjustment screw. It has a movable table 705 that can be finely adjusted by a movable table 704, a fixing screw 706 that fixes the movable table 705 at an arbitrary height position, and a first probe 707 at the tip, and is supported by the movable table 705 so that it can be raised and lowered. the first holder 708 and the first probe 7
A second holder 710, which has a needle-shaped second measuring element 709 vertically opposed to the second measuring element 709 at its tip and is supported by a movable table 705 so as to be able to rise and fall, and a first measuring element 707 performs constant measurement including its own weight. A spring 711 that urges the first holder 708 upward so that it comes into contact with the top of the seaming part with pressure, and a needle-shaped second measuring tip 7.
a spring 712 that urges the second holder 710 upward so that the second holder 710 comes into contact with the recessed part of the can lid with a constant measurement pressure including its own weight, and a roller 713 that is attached to the second holder 712 via a plate. , the distance between a cylinder 715 that has a cam 714 that pushes the roller 713 and moves the second holder 710, that is, the second measuring element 709 in the opposite biasing direction, and the first measuring element 707 and the second measuring element 709. Linear gauge 716 that measures and outputs as an electrical signal
It is made up of.

Also in this case, the first and second contact points 70
7, 709 performs measurement while positioned within the notch 7 of the rotary table 4.

Reference numeral 80 denotes a control section, which includes a control circuit for controlling the operation of the above-mentioned inspection device, and each measurement unit 4.
It consists of a determination circuit that inputs and processes signals measured at 0, 50, 60, and 70 and determines whether the can is good or bad, and a statistical processing circuit that statistically processes the measured data.

Next, the procedure of an inspection method performed using the inspection apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The cans flowing through the production line are placed on the rotary table 4 located at A in the reference position determining section by means of a carrying means (not shown). At this time, the can is placed with the seam portion to be inspected facing downward to ensure stable positioning of the can and to prevent the can from easily tilting due to contact with the probe. At this time, it is placed so that it engages with the groove 4a with the seaming portion to be measured facing downward. This stabilizes the positioning of the can and prevents the can from tilting even when the probe is brought into contact with the can (first step).

The rotating roller 11 of the rotating roller unit 10 and the pressing roller 21 of the pressing roller unit 20 move forward to sandwich the can 100, and the rotating roller 11
The can 100 is rotated by the rotation. Then, when the sensor 15 detects the seam portion which is the reference point of the can 100, the rotating roller 11, that is, the can 1
Stop 00. As a result, the can 100 always has a seam at a certain point, in the case of this embodiment, 10 degrees counterclockwise from the longitudinal center line of the moving table 2.
When it is located at a position that is deviated by a certain degree, it stops and determines the reference position (second step).

Move the moving table 2, rotate the rotating table 4,
That is, the can 100 is transferred from the reference position determining section A to the measuring section B. Next, a pair of centering means 3
The abutting pieces 31, 31 of No. 0, 30 are advanced by the anti-rotation cylinders 32, 32, the axis of the can 100 is aligned with the axis of the rotary table 4, and the can 100 is centered (the third process). At this time, can 10
0 is a state in which the centering means 30, 30 remain clamped.

Can 100 clamped on rotary table 4
Each measurement unit 40, 50, 60, 7
0 moves forward and measures the can height H, seaming width W, seaming thickness T, and countersink depth C at one measurement point (fourth step).

That is, in the can height measuring unit 40, as the movable base 402 moves toward the rotary table 4 side, the measuring element 407 is lowered by the biasing force of the spring 408 due to the retreat of the cylinder 410, and the can height measuring unit 40 moves toward the rotary table 4 side.
Contact with the top of 0. The position of the measuring element 407 at this time is measured by the linear gauge 412, and the control unit 8
0 determination circuit.

The winding width measurement unit 50 has a movable base 502.
moves toward the rotary table 4, and the first and second probes 507, 509 move toward the cylinder 516.
As a result of the retreat, the springs 511 and 512 move up and down by the urging force of the springs 511 and 512, respectively. Then, the tightened portion is sandwiched between the first and second measuring elements 507 and 509, and the distance between the measuring elements 507 and 509 at that time is measured by the linear gauge 512 and transmitted to the determination circuit of the control section 80.

The seaming thickness measuring unit 60 includes a slider 603
As the temperature rises, the first and second contact points 61
3, 615 moves in the notch 7 in the radial direction of the rotary table by the biasing force of springs 617, 618 as the cylinder 622 retreats, and pinches the seaming part from the inside. The first and second probes 6 at this time
The distance of 13,615 is measured by the linear gauge 623 and transmitted to the determination circuit of the control unit 80. The first and second probes 613 and 615 are adjusted to be inclined by an angle corresponding to the angle that the chuck wall of the seaming portion makes with respect to the can body.

In the countersink depth measurement unit 70, as the movable base 702 moves toward the rotary table 4 side, the second probe 709 is moved toward the notch 7 by the biasing force of the spring 711 due to the retreat of the cylinder 715.
It moves upward inside and comes into contact with the top of the seaming part and the recess of the can lid. The first and second probes 70 at this time
The distance of 7,709 is measured by the linear gauge 712 and transmitted to the determination circuit of the control unit 80.

Then, the can 100 is removed by the centering means 30, 30.
At the same time, each measurement unit 4
0, 50, 60, 70 measuring heads on rotary table 4
The rotary table 4 is rotated 60 degrees counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by operating the motor 5. Thereafter, the centering means 30 is moved forward to clamp the can 100 again, and each measurement unit 40, 50, 60, It is fixed at a position corresponding to the measuring element 70 (fifth step).

Can 100 clamped on rotary table 4
Each measurement unit 40, 50, 6
0 and 70 move forward, and measure the can height, seam width, seam thickness, and countersink depth at other measurement points in the same manner as in the previous case (sixth step).

Hereinafter, repeat the fifth and sixth steps as many times as necessary to determine the can height at each 60 degree measurement point.
The seaming width, seaming thickness, and countersink depth are measured (seventh step).

When each measurement at the predetermined measurement points is completed in this way, the determination circuit of the control unit 80 determines the quality of the can 100 based on the measurement results (eighth step). Based on the results of this determination, the products are sorted into non-defective and non-defective products and transported to a separate line.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes, for example, the following modifications.

As a measuring unit, a winding width measuring unit,
A device that uses one or a combination of a seam thickness measuring unit and a countersink depth measuring unit.

A device that allows the rotating table on which cans are placed to be positioned at predetermined angles other than 60 degrees.

A device that uses a gauge other than a linear gauge as a length measuring device.

A device that uses a computer as a control unit.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the can is placed at the center of the rotary table and the can is placed on the rotary table with the seaming part engaged with the groove on the table surface. , the can can be easily positioned in the center of the rotary table, and dimensions can be measured with high precision. Furthermore, since the rotary table is rotated and positioned at predetermined angles and measurements are taken at multiple points around the circumference of the can, it is possible to accurately inspect the quality of the can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 show embodiments of the device of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire device, Figure 2 is a side view of the movable table portion, and Figure 3 is a side view of the can height measuring unit. , Fig. 4 is a side view of the seaming width measuring unit and countersink depth measuring unit, Fig. 5 a, b, and c are a side view, top view, and rear view of the seaming thickness measuring unit, respectively, and Fig. 6 7 is a flowchart showing the inspection procedure, FIGS. 7a and 7b are an overall view of the can and an enlarged sectional view of the seaming part, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the can in a tilted state. 2...Moving table, 4...Rotary table, 10...
Rotating roller unit, 20... Pressing roller unit, 30... Centering means, 40... Can height measuring unit, 50... Sealing width measuring unit, 60... Sealing thickness measuring unit, 70... Counter sink depth measuring unit, 80...Control unit, A...Reference position determination unit, B
...Measurement section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A can inspection device that measures the dimensions of a can and determines the quality of the can based on the measurement results, which is capable of rotational positioning in predetermined angle increments, and can be tightened to the surface of the can. a rotary table having a groove concentric with the center of rotation that engages with the rotary table; and an electrical measuring means disposed near the periphery of the rotary table, having a measuring element and measuring dimensions from the amount of movement of the measuring element. It consists of a measuring unit equipped with a can, and a determining section that determines the quality of the can based on the measurement data from the electrical measuring means, and the measuring point of the measuring unit is located at approximately the same height as the rotary table. . A can inspection device, characterized in that the rotary table has a notch for making the probe appear and/or move forward and backward. 2 As a measurement unit, a winding width measurement unit,
2. The can inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a seam thickness measuring unit and a countersink depth measuring unit.