JPH05270587A - Cap transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To deliver caps to a capping head while positioning the center of the cap in the center of the capping head. CONSTITUTION:The movable member 14 of a cap holding means 13 is transferred to a contracted position shifted to the central part by a spring 18 and an expanded position shifted to the outward radial direction by a cam member 19. The cap C is arranged at the central position of the cap holding means in the expanded condition. Accordingly, even if the inner diameter of the cap is different, the cap can be smoothly inserted from the cap holding means 13 into the insertion hole 32a of capping head 31. The pressing member 36 is lowered together with the capping head 31. The cam member 19 is pushed down through the pin 37 by the pressing member 36 as soon as the cap is inserted into the insertion hole and hence, the cap holding means 13 releases the centering of cap. The capping head 31 can hold the cap while centering it without effects of capturing the cap by the cap holding means 13.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cap transfer device for transferring a cap from a sorter or chute to a capping head.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional cap transporting device is usually provided with a rotatable body and a plurality of cap holding means which are provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the rotatable body and which respectively hold the inner peripheral surface of the cap. And a cap supplied from a cap supply device such as a sorter or chute is received by each of the cap holding means, and the cap received by each of the cap holding means is passed to a capping head that caps the cap into a container. Has become. The cap holding means is generally manufactured from a pin-shaped cap holding member that engages with the inner peripheral surface of the cap and conveys it (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-172691).

In this type of cap conveying device, when the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the cap is changed, the center position of the cap with respect to the pin-shaped cap holding member is displaced accordingly. Since the capping head operates in synchronization with the cap holding member, if the center position of the cap with respect to the cap holding member shifts, the center position of the cap with respect to the capping head also shifts. If the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the cap is greatly changed for enlargement, there is a risk that the cap cannot be smoothly transferred from the cap holding member to the capping head. In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a cap transporting device that can always maintain the center of the cap at the center position of the cap holding member even if the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the cap is changed. Further, the present invention is
When passing the cap to the capping head with the center of the cap aligned with the center position of the cap holding member,
Further, the present invention provides a cap transport device capable of delivering the cap to the capping head while aligning the center of the cap with the center position of the capping head.

That is, the present invention comprises a cap holding means for holding the inner peripheral surface of the cap and a conveying means for conveying each cap holding means, and the cap supplied from the cap supply device is described above. The caps received by the respective cap holding means and the caps received by the respective cap holding means are transferred to a capping head for capping the caps in a container. The gripping member has an insertion hole into which the cap is inserted, and the cap inserted into the insertion hole is gripped by the gripping member by relative lowering of the capping head. In the cap transfer device, the cap holding means is located at the reduced position and has an outer diameter of the cap holding means. A movable member that is in a contracted state smaller than the inner peripheral surface of the cap, and is located at the expanded position to expand the outer diameter of the cap holding means to be larger than the inner peripheral surface of the cap; The movable member is normally biased and held in the expanded position, and further, the capping head is provided before the cap held by the cap holding means is inserted into the insertion hole and is held by the holding member. A cap transporting device is provided with a pressing member that moves the movable member from the expanded position to the contracted position in association with the movable member by the relative lowering of the capping head.

According to the above construction, by opening the cap holding means in the opened state with the cap received, even if the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the cap is changed, the cap holding means brings the cap to the center position. Can be centered. Therefore, the cap can be smoothly transferred from the cap holding means to the capping head. In addition to this, the pressing member of the capping head is configured such that, when the cap is transferred from the cap holding means to the capping head, more specifically, the cap held by the cap holding means is inserted into the insertion hole. Further, before being gripped by the gripping member, it interlocks with the movable member that constitutes the cap holding means. And the pressing member,
Since the movable member is moved from the expanded position to the contracted position by the interlocking, the cap is free to the cap holding means in the state of being inserted into the insertion hole of the capping head. In this state, if the capping head gripping member grips the outer periphery of the cap, the capping head can grip the cap without being affected by the holding of the cap by the cap holding means. The cap can be received while the center is aligned with the center position of the capping head.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments. In FIG. 1, a rotary capper 1 for capping a container is equipped with an inlet star wheel 2 and an outlet star wheel 3, and the container is not shown. The conveyor is carried in the direction of arrow A, and is carried into the capper 1 via the inlet star wheel 2. The container capped by the capper 1 is carried out from the exit star wheel 3 to the outside. The cap is supplied from a chute 4 serving as a cap supply device to a cap transfer device 5 provided above the entrance star wheel 2, and is transferred in the direction of arrow B by the cap transfer device 5 and supplied to the capping head of the capper 1. It has become so. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the cap C is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, and a screw for screwing the cap to the container is screwed inside the cylindrical portion. The cap transfer device 5 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the drive shaft 11 is arranged in the vertical direction, and the rotary body 12 fixed to the drive shaft 11 and rotating integrally with the drive shaft 11 is provided. A plurality of cap holding means 13 are provided at the intervals.
4 and 5 are views showing the details of the cap holding means 13, wherein the cap holding means 13 is a cylindrical member having a flange-shaped slide portion 14a at the bottom thereof, which is arranged in the circumferential direction.
It is provided with four movable members 14 which are manufactured by equally dividing the movable member 14 so that the slide portion 14a of each movable member 14 can slide on the fixed plate 15 provided on the step portion of the stepped hole 12a formed in the rotating body 12. It is placed in. At this time, a ring-shaped guide plate 16 is placed on the upper surface of the fixed plate 15, and as shown in FIG.
Triangular guide portions 16a are formed by projecting inwardly at four equally divided positions on the inner peripheral surface of the. The corners of the slide portions 14a of the movable members 14 are brought into contact with the guide portions 16a, so that the movable portions 14 are guided by the guide portions 16a so that the movable members 14 can be displaced forward and backward in the radial direction. The fixed plate 15 and the guide plate 1
As shown in FIG. 4, 6 is fixed to the rotary body 12 by a plate-shaped lid body 17 placed and fixed on the upper surface of the rotary body 12, and the movable member 14 slides by the lid body 17. By covering the upper surface of the portion 14a slidably,
Each movable member 14 is prevented from separating upward from the rotating body 12. Shaft portion 14b of each movable member 14
A ring-shaped spring 18 is wound around the lower part of each of the movable members 1 by the elastic force of the spring 18.
In the state where the four shaft portions 14b are gathered together, each of the shaft portions 14b
The outer diameter of is smaller than that of the inner peripheral surface of the cap C (the state of FIG. 4). On the other hand, when each movable member 14 is pushed outward in the radial direction against the spring 18, the outer diameter of each shaft portion 14b can be made larger than the inner peripheral surface of the cap. (Fig. 7
Therefore, a conical cam member 19 is vertically movably fitted in the stepped hole 12a formed in the rotating body 12, and the lower inner surface of each movable member 14 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 19. The cam surface 14c formed in the above is elastically contacted. In the stepped hole 12 a, an elevating plate 21 is provided below the cam member 19 so as to be able to move up and down, and a spring 22 is mounted between the elevating plate 21 and the cam member 19.
The elastic force of the spring 22 is smaller than the elastic force of the ring-shaped spring 18 when the elevating plate 21 is located at the lower end. The portions 14b are gathered together by the spring 18 while pushing down the cam member 19, and in this state, the outer diameter of each shaft portion 14b becomes smaller than the inner peripheral surface of the cap. On the other hand, the elevating plate 21 is raised to move the spring 22
When compressed, the cam member 19 is raised against the elastic force of the ring-shaped spring 18 due to the increased elastic force of the spring 22, thereby increasing the outer diameter of the movable member 14 by the cap C. The open state is larger than the inner peripheral surface of the. As shown in FIG. 6, the cam mechanism 23 that raises and lowers the elevating plate 21 includes a triangular cam plate 24. The cam plate 24 is arranged in the rotation direction of the rotating body 12, and the tip side thereof is pinned. 25 rotatably supports the rotating body 12. The lower portion of the rear side of the cam plate 24 is engaged with the cam member 27 provided on the fixed plate 26 (FIG. 4), and the upper portion of the rear side of the cam plate 24 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the elevating plate 21. Therefore, when the rotating body 12 is rotated, the cam plate 24 is rotated integrally with the rotating body 12 via the pin 25. And the cam plate 24
When is swung around the pin 25 by the cam surface of the cam member 27, the elevating plate 21 can be moved up and down accordingly. As shown in FIG. 3, the cam member 27 extends from the cap receiving position D from the chute 4 to the cap holding means 13 on the rear side in the rotation direction of the rotating body 12 from the cap holding means 13 to the capping head 3.
In the section F up to the position on the front side of the cap delivery position E to position 1, the elevating plate 21 is raised, whereby the outer diameter of the cap holding means 13 can be maintained in a reduced state. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the capping head 31 basically has a conventionally known configuration, and the capping head 31 includes a rubber ring-shaped gripping member 32 for gripping the outer periphery of the cap C. In addition, an insertion hole 32a into which the cap C is inserted is formed at the center of the grip member 32. The capping head 31 is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism (not shown) and is rotationally driven by a rotary drive mechanism. When the capping head 31 is lowered by the elevating mechanism, the cap holding means is placed at the cap delivery position E. Thirteen
The cap C held by is relatively housed in the insertion hole 32a. In addition, the capping head 31 is provided above the gripping member 32 and the piston 3
4, the compressed air is introduced into the pressure chamber 35 above the piston 34 to push down the piston 34 and elastically deform the grip member 32, thereby reducing the inner diameter of the insertion hole 32a. By doing so, the cap C can be gripped. Further, the capping head 31 has the cap C held by the cap holding means 13 before the cap C is inserted into the insertion hole 32a and is gripped by the gripping member 32.
3 is provided with a pressing member 36 for moving the movable member 14 of the cap holding means 13 from the expanded position to the contracted position by relative lowering. That is, the cam member 19 of the cap holding means 13 is provided with a projection 19a that projects from the lower portion thereof in the radial direction of the rotating body 12, and the tip of the projection 19a has a pin projecting on the upper surface of the rotating body 12. 37
Is erected. The pressing member 36 that moves up and down together with the capping head 13 comes into contact with the pin 37 due to its lowering, lowers the cam member 19 against the spring 22, and moves the movable member 14 from the expanded state to the contracted state. It can be moved. In the above structure, each cap holding means 13 is conveyed by the rotation of the rotating body 12, and when the cap holding means 13 reaches the section F in FIG. 3, the cam member 27 lowers the elevating plate 21 via the cam plate 24. Therefore, the cap holding means 13
Is in a reduced state. Then, when the cap holding means 13 reaches the cap receiving position D in this state, the cap holding means 13 takes out the cap C from the chute 4. At this time, since the cap holding means 13 is in the contracted state, the cap holding means 13 can be easily capped.
The cap C can be held by entering the inner peripheral surface of the. When the cap holding means 13 is inserted into the cap C, the cap holding means 13 receives the cap receiving position D.
Since it passes through the
Is rotated and the elevating plate 21 is raised. As a result, when the cap holding means 13 is in the expanded state, the cap C is centered by the cap holding means 13 at its center position. This is the same even when the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface is changed by changing the type of the cap, and the cap C is always centered at the center position of the cap holding means 13 even if the inner diameter of the cap C is different. can do. Next, the cap holding means 13
Is moved to the delivery position E of the cap with the cap C being centered, and the capping head 31 is lowered there to relatively insert the cap C into the insertion hole 32a of the holding member 32. At this time, since the cap C is centered on the cap holding means 13, the cap C can be smoothly inserted into the insertion hole 32a. Then, in this state, before the gripping member 32 grips the cap C, the pressing member 36 of the capping head 31 contacts the pin 37 to lower the cam member 19, whereby the movable member 14 is moved.
Is moved from the expanded state to the contracted state, cap C
Is inserted into the insertion hole 32a of the capping head 31 and is free from the cap holding means 13. In this state, the gripping member 32 is immediately elastically deformed by the piston 34 and grips the outer periphery of the cap C, so that the capping head 31 is not affected by the holding of the cap C by the cap holding means 13 and the cap C is held. Can be grasped. Therefore, the capping head 31 grips the cap C while surely aligning the center of the cap C with the center position of the capping head 31. Thereafter, the cap C is disengaged from the cap holding means 13 by the raising of the capping head 31, and at this time, the pressing member 36 causes the pin 3 to move.
7, the cam member 19 rises and the movable member 1
4 changes from the reduced state to the expanded state. However, at this time, since the cap C is completely gripped by the capping head 31, the cap holding means 13 is hardly affected by the expansion state. The cap C gripped by the capping head 31 is then fitted to the outer periphery of the mouth of the container. Also in this case, the cap C
Is centered on the capping head 31, so that the cap is smoothly fitted to the outer circumference of the mouth of the container, and in this state, the capping head 31 is rotated by the rotation driving mechanism, so that the container is capped. On the other hand, the cap holding means 13 which has passed the cap C to the capping head 31 and has become empty is carried into the section F and again in a reduced state, and the above-described operation is repeated. FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The cap holding means 113 of this embodiment is provided with four movable members 114 which are manufactured by dividing the cap holding means 113 into four parts in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 8). Shows only two movable members 114), and the upper end of each movable member 114 is formed in a hemispherical shape as a whole so that the cap C can be easily pushed. In addition, each movable member 114
Is provided with a flange portion 114a extending outward in the radial direction at the center in the height direction thereof, and a spring 122 is elastically mounted between each flange portion 114a and the rotating body 112 to normally attach each movable member 114. The upper surface of the flange portion 114a is held at the rising end position where it abuts the lid 117 attached to the rotating body 112. On the outer periphery of the lower part of each movable member 114, an inverted conical cam surface 114c is formed as a whole,
An inverted conical hole 1 whose cam surface is formed in the rotating body 112
It is engaged in 12a. A spring or an elastic body 141 is provided at the center of each movable member 114. By biasing each movable member 114 radially outward by this elastic body 141, the cam surface 114c of each movable member 114 is provided.
Is elastically contacted with the inner surface of the inverted conical hole 112a. Therefore, when the movable members 114 are located at the rising ends by the springs 122, the movable members 114 are separated from each other by the inner surface of the inverted conical hole 112a, and in this state, the cap holding means 113 is expanded. It is in a state. On the other hand, when the movable members 114 are pushed down against the spring 122, the movable members 114 come closer to each other against the elastic body 141 due to the inner surface of the inverted conical hole 112a. By cap holding means 1
13 is in a reduced state. In the present embodiment, the cap supply device for supplying the cap C to the cap holding means 113 is
Holding the cap C, the cap holding means 1
13 is forcibly covered, and the cap C
Is held by the cap holding means 113 while reducing the cap holding means 113 in the expanded state. Such a cap feeder is known, for example, from US Pat. No. 3,710,921. Further, in this embodiment, since the cap holding means 113 can be reduced by pushing down the cap holding means 113, the head pressing of the cap C of the conventionally known capping head 131 is used as it is as the pressing member 136. We are using. That is, the capping head 1
The descending stroke of 31 is set larger than usual, and even if the cap C held by the cap holding means 113 is inserted into the insertion hole 132a of the capping head 131 and its head contacts the pressing member 136. It is designed to descend further. As a result, when the cap holding means 113 is pushed down via the cap C, the cap holding means 113 is in a contracted state, and the holding of the cap C is released. In this state, the gripping member 132 of the capping head 131 grips the cap C. At this time, the capping head 131 is affected by the holding of the cap C by the cap holding means 113 as in the above-described embodiment. Since the cap C can be gripped without the capping head 131,
Is sure to cap the center of the cap C 131
The cap C can be gripped while being aligned with the center position of. Although the cap holding means is directly provided on the rotating body in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-31996, an oscillating cap transfer device in which an oscillating arm is oscillatably provided on a rotating body, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-1 / 1988.
It is obvious that the present invention can be applied to a line type cap conveying device described in Japanese Patent No. 38997, and further to a cap conveying device using an endless chain as a conveying means.

As described above, according to the present invention, by expanding the cap holding means, the cap can be centered on the cap holding means even if the inner diameters of the caps are different. The cap can be smoothly inserted from the cap holding means into the insertion hole of the capping head. In addition to this, since the centering of the cap by the cap holding means is released before the cap inserted in the insertion hole is held by the holding member of the capping head, the capping head is capped by the cap holding means. The cap can be gripped without being affected by the holding of the cap. Therefore, the capping head can hold the cap while centering the cap, and thus the cap can always be smoothly capped on the container.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cap transport device 5 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the left side portion of FIG.

5 is a plan view in which a lid body 17 of FIG. 4 is omitted.

6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG.

7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the right side portion of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rotatable capper 4 ... Chute (cap supply device) 5 ... Cap transfer device 12, 112 ... Rotating body (transfer means) 13, 113 ... Cap holding means 14, 114 ... Movable member 17, 22, 122 ... Spring 18 ... Cam member 31, 131 ... Capping head 32, 132 ... Gripping member 32a, 132a ... Insertion hole 36, 136 ... Pressing member C ... Cap D ... Cap receiving position E ... Cap delivering position

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cap holding means for holding an inner peripheral surface of a cap, and a carrying means for carrying each cap holding means, wherein each cap holding means receives a cap supplied from a cap supply device, and each The cap received by the cap holding means is passed to a capping head for capping the cap in a container. Further, the capping head has a gripping member for gripping the outer periphery of the cap and a cap at the center of the gripping member. And a cap insertion device for inserting the cap into the insertion hole by a relative lowering of the capping head. The means is located in the contracted position and reduces the outer diameter of the cap holding means to be smaller than the inner peripheral surface of the cap. And a movable member which is located in the expanded position and which makes the outer diameter of the cap holding means larger than the inner peripheral surface of the cap in the expanded position, and the movable member is normally attached to the expanded position. Further, the capping head is held by the relative lowering of the capping head before the cap held by the cap holding means is inserted into the insertion hole and held by the holding member. A cap transporting device, comprising: a pressing member that interlocks with the movable member and moves the movable member from an expanded position to a contracted position.