JPH07315487A - Container holding device of capper - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the construction of a capper, make the pitch of containers small and obtain a sufficient torque-resistant property. CONSTITUTION:A liftable, rotatable capping head 12 is located above a container stand 10 on which a container 8 is placed. A lifting cylinder 20 connected to the capping head 12 is led by a guide rod 18 and lowered together. Openable grip members 46 and 47 are located above the side of the container stand 8. Both grip members 46 and 47 are normally kept open by springs. The grip members 46 and 47 are attached with cam followers 52 and 53 at the ends and closed by lowering a closing cam 54 mounted on the lifting cylinder 20. In addition, the grip members 46 and 47 are attached to a support member 40 and when the lifting cylinder 20 is lowered, the support member 40 is pushed down, causing the grip members 46 and 47 to be pressed on to a shoulder 8c of the bottle 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container holding device, and more particularly to a container holding device for a capper that holds a container when capping is performed in the capper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when a screw cap is screwed onto the mouth of a container filled with a liquid or the like, the capping head holding the cap by a chuck is aimed at the container on the container base. Rotate while lowering,
By fitting the cap into the mouth of the container and rotating the cap, the cap is screwed into the container to seal the inside of the container. In the case of such a screw capper, since it is necessary to tighten the cap with a predetermined rotation torque, the container must be held so as not to rotate while the capping head is rotating. Therefore, the capper is usually provided with a container holding device corresponding to each capping head.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 5-30711 shows an example of a capper equipped with the above-mentioned container holding device. In this capper, "a first capping mechanism is carried by a carrying conveyor 1 and a first star wheel 3". The containers 2 sequentially loaded into the rotating body 5 of No. 4 are gripped by the container grippers 6 provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 5, and the first capping head 18 descends toward the container 2. And the rotation causes the cap 10 held by the capping head 18 to be screwed. ”

Then, "the container gripper 6 is provided with a grip arm 8 attached to each of a pair of rotary shafts 7 axially supported by the rotary body 5 in the vertical direction. The rotating shafts 7 are interlocked so as to rotate in opposite directions via gears, and the cam follower at the tip of the swing arm attached to one rotating shaft 7 is arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotating body 5. By engaging with the cam groove formed as described above, the pair of grip arms 8 can be opened and closed according to the shape of the cam groove.
Gripping the body of the container 2 "(see page 2, column 3, line 34 to column 4, line 2 of the above publication).

Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-20313 relates to a method for sealing a resin bottle provided with a container holding device having a different structure. In the method described in this publication, "the stopper station 29 is rotated. The turret 30 and the rotary turret 30 are provided with a plurality of rotary hangers 31 mounted at equal intervals, and a fixed hanger 33 circumferentially fixed to a machine frame 32 around the turret.
The rotary hanger 31 includes a cutout portion 34 into which the bottle neck 5 is inserted, and the rotary hanger 31 and the fixed hanger 3 are provided.
3 and a bottle flange is placed on them, and these support the bottle flange 9. The rotating turret 30 has a stopper plug plunger 4 corresponding to each rotating hanger 31.
7 is provided, and the cap 14 is lowered, and at the same time, the cap 14 for rotating and holding is screwed to the bottle neck portion 6 (the above-mentioned publication, page 2, column 4, column 4). See lines 39 to page 3, column 6, line 1).

[0006]

The container holding device (container gripper 6) described in the first publication (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-30711) has a capping head 18 that holds a cap 10 and moves up and down and rotates. A mechanism for opening and closing the pair of grip arms 8 is provided independently of each other, and the structure is complicated, the size is increased, and the cost is high.

Moreover, the container gripper 6 of this first publication
Is designed to grip the body of the container 2 by the pair of grip arms 8 that open and close, the pair of grip arms 8 must be opened and closed larger than the body of the container 2. It was necessary to increase the pitch between the containers 2 held in the container 5. Further, in the case of a plastic container, since the strength of the body is low, the container may be deformed when gripped by the grip arm 8 with a strong force. Therefore, the rotational torque of the capping head 18 when capping is performed. When is large, the torque resistance of the container gripper 6 that holds the container 2 may be insufficient.

The second publication (Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-20313)
No.) described in the container holding structure, the container flange is placed on the rotating hanger 31 and the fixed hanger 33,
Since the cap is fastened while being pressed from above by the stoppering plunger 47 and the container is not gripped, there is a possibility that sufficient torque resistance cannot be obtained.

The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and the capper can be opened and closed by utilizing the ascending / descending operation of the capping head, has a simple structure, is compact, and is easy to maintain. It is an object of the present invention to provide a container holding device. Further, since the grip member is pressed against the shoulder portion of the container to hold the container, the pitch between the containers can be made smaller than in the case of holding the body portion, and moreover, even in the case of a weak container, the container is surely secured. An object of the present invention is to provide a container holding device for a capper that can be held to obtain sufficient torque resistance.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A container holding device for a capper according to the present invention includes a container base on which a container is placed, and a cap holding means provided at a lower end of the container base for holding a cap. A head, a lifting means for raising and lowering the capping head, a rotating means for rotating the capping head, and a container holding means for holding a container are provided in a capper, and the container holding means is a container base. A pair of grip members that are disposed above the side portions and at least one of which swings and can be opened and closed, a spring that biases these grip members in a direction that is always open, and a cam follower attached to the end portions of both grip members. And a grip member opening / closing cam that is connected to the capping head and moves up and down integrally, and the capping head is lowered. When performing the capping on the container on the container table Te, in which so as to hold the containers by closing the gripping member is engaged with the gripping member cams the cam follower.

Further, an elevating member which is connected to the capping head and is elevated by being guided by a guide rod is provided, the grip opening / closing cam is fixed to the elevating member, and a support for the grip member is provided below the guide rod. The grip members are fitted to the support body by fitting them, and a lifting spring for urging the support body upward is arranged, and the support body is pushed down by the elevating member when the capping head is lowered. Thus, both grip members are pressed against the inclined shoulder portion of the container.

[0012]

In the container holding device for the capper described above, when the capping head holding the cap is rotated and lowered when capping the container on the container base, the gripper opening / closing is integrally lowered with the capping head. Since the grip member can be closed by the cam, it is not necessary to separately provide a mechanism for opening and closing the grip member. Further, since the gripping member is slightly pushed down by the lowering of the capping head to press it against the shoulder of the container, the container is held, so that the container is held with a force that can sufficiently withstand the tightening torque of the capping head. can do.

[0013]

The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an essential part of a capper equipped with a container holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of a container gripper provided in the container holding device. The container holding device according to the present embodiment (generally indicated by reference numeral 2) is provided on each of a plurality of capping mechanisms 6 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the rotary body 4 of the rotary capper at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each capping mechanism 6 is arranged above the container table 10 on which the container 8 is placed and which rotates as the rotating body 4 rotates so that its axis O ₁ coincides with the center O _{2 of the} container 8. A chuck 16 for holding the cap 14 is provided with a capping head 12 provided at the lower end, and an elevating means for elevating the capping head 12 and a rotating means for rotating the capping head 12 (neither is shown). The container holding device 2 is arranged adjacent to each capping mechanism 6, and when the capping head 12 holding the cap 14 descends toward the container 8 on the container base 10 and rotates to perform capping. In addition, the container 8 is held.

In this embodiment, the container 8 placed on the container base 8 and rotatably conveyed has a bottom portion 8a, a cylindrical body portion 8b, and a male screw on which the cap 14 is screwed, formed on the outer peripheral surface. The upper end mouth portion 8d, and the body portion 8b and the mouth portion 8d
And a tapered shoulder portion 8c that connects between and.
On the other hand, the cap 14 screwed to the container 8 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and an inner thread formed on the inner surface of the cap 14 to be screwed into a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mouth 8d of the container 8. ing. The apparatus of the present embodiment can be applied to containers made of various materials, and can exhibit its effect particularly when applied to containers made of soft material such as plastic containers.

A chuck 16 for holding the cap 14 is provided at the lower end of the capping head 12, and the cap 14 is supplied from a cap supply means (not shown).
Is held and fitted into the mouth portion 8d of the container 8. As described above, the capping head 12 is moved up and down by an elevating means such as a cylinder or a cam, and is rotated by a rotating means such as a gear.
The cap 14 is held by 6 and is lowered while rotating, so that the cap 14 is fastened and fixed to the mouth 8d of the container 8. Further, a clutch (not shown) is provided inside the capping head 12, and when rotational torque of a predetermined magnitude or more acts, transmission of rotational force to the chuck 16 is interrupted. The chuck 16 may have various structures such as an air chuck or a mechanical chuck.

The rotating body 4 has upper and lower plates 4a and 4b, and a vertical guide rod 18 is fixed between the upper and lower plates 4a and 4b. Each capping head 12 is supported and guided by the guide rod 18 and moves up and down. A first cylinder 20 is fitted on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the guide rod 18 so as to be able to move up and down. An annular engaging groove 20a is formed at the upper end of the vertically movable cylinder body 20 (hereinafter referred to as the vertically movable cylinder 20), and the capping head 12 is rotatable relative to the outer circumference of the capping head 12 via ball bearings 22 and 23. The end portion of the bracket 24 fitted to is engaged. Further, a vertically long through hole 20b is formed on the outer surface of the elevating cylinder 20, and the key 26 fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the guide rod 18 is provided with the vertically long through hole 20b.
It is fitted in b. Therefore, when the capping head 12 descends while the capping head 12 rotates, the elevating cylinder 20 descends integrally with the capping head 12 and its rotation is restricted.

A second cylinder 28 is fitted below the elevating cylinder 20 of the guide rod 18 so as to be movable up and down. The second cylinder 28 that can be raised and lowered is the guide rod 1
The step 18a formed on the outer surface of No. 8 limits the rising limit. A large-diameter cylindrical portion 28a is formed at the lower end of the second cylindrical body 28, and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 28a is fitted to an annular stopper member 30 fixed to the lower outer circumference of the guide rod 18. The stopper member 30 regulates the lowering limit.

On the outer periphery of the upper end of the second cylinder 28, an annular lifting ring 32 is fitted so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the second cylinder 28. A step portion on the upper surface side of a large-diameter tubular portion 28a provided at the lower end of the second tubular body 28 and the lifting ring 3
A pressing spring 34 is elastically mounted between the lower ring 2 and the lower surface of the second ring 28, and always urges the elevating ring 32 upward with respect to the second cylinder 28. A stopper ring 36 is fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the second tubular body 28 to regulate the upward movement of the lifting ring 32. An annular protrusion 20c having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the upper end of the second tubular body 28 is formed on the lower end surface of the elevating cylinder 20. The annular projecting portion 20c abuts against the upper end surface of the elevating ring 32 fitted to the outer periphery of the second cylindrical body 28 and pushes it down.

A gripper support 40, to which a container gripper 38, which will be described later, is attached, is fitted below the annular stopper member 30 fixed to the outer periphery of the lower portion of the guide rod 18. The gripper support body 40 has an axial length slightly shorter than the distance between the upper stopper member 30 and the lower annular plate 4b of the rotating body 4, and the distance between the both 30 and 4b. It can be moved up and down. A lifting spring 42 is interposed between a step portion 40a formed on the lower surface side of the upper portion of the gripper support body 40 and an upper surface of the annular plate 4b on the lower side of the rotating body 4, and the gripper support body 40 is constantly moved upward. I am biased. The gripper support body 40 urged upward normally abuts against the lower surface side of the annular stopper member 30 to stop, and
The cylindrical body 28 is pushed up to the above-mentioned ascending limit. The pressing spring 34 has a stronger spring force than the lifting spring 42 that pushes up the gripper support body 40, and the lifting ring 32 fitted to the outer periphery of the upper portion of the second tubular body 28 moves upward. When pushed down by the elevating cylinder 20 of the second elevating cylinder 20, the second cylinder 28 is pushed down against the elevating ring 32 by the pressing spring 34.
However, by bending the lifting spring 42, the gripper support 40
Is designed to be lowered.

The container gripper 38 is a gripper support member 40 on the lower annular plate 4b constituting the rotating body 4.
Of the pair of grip members 46, 4 rotatably supported by two pins 44, 45 arranged on both sides of the pin (both sides in the rotating direction of the rotating body 4 as shown in FIG. 2).
Equipped with 7. Both grip members 46 and 47 are
Substantially semi-circular arc shaped recesses 46a and 47a are formed on the surfaces facing each other near the tip (on the outer peripheral side of the rotating body 4). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, these recesses 46a and 47a have a taper shape in which the diameter gradually increases toward the lower surface side, and the inclination of the taper portion corresponds to that of the shoulder portion 8c of the container 8. It almost matches the inclination of the tapered surface. On the inner peripheral surfaces of the tapered recesses 46a and 47a,
Pressure contact members 48 and 49 made of an elastic body such as rubber are attached.

The grip members 46 and 47 are end portions (right end in FIG. 1, upper end in FIG. 2) 46 near the center of the rotating body 4.
b and 47b are connected by a spring 50 and pulled in a direction in which they are always close to each other.
The tip side where a is formed is open. Stoppers 56 and 57 are fixed to the outsides of the grip members 46 and 47, respectively, so that the grip members 46 and 47 are pulled by a spring 50 to regulate the opening angle (see FIG. 2). . Also, both grip members 46,
A slide rail 58 is arranged below 47 to regulate the lowering limit of these grip members 46, 47 (see FIG. 3). Furthermore, the pin 4 is slightly larger than the ends of both grip members 46 and 47 to which the spring 50 is attached.
Cam followers 52 and 53 are attached near the points 4 and 45, respectively.

On the other hand, the rotating body 4 at the lower end of the elevating cylinder 20 which is fitted to the guide rod 18 and is connected to the capping head 12 via the bracket 24 to integrally elevate and lower.
A gripper opening / closing cam 54 for closing the grip members 46 and 47 is fixed to the center of the vertical direction downward. As shown in FIG. 4, the gripper opening / closing cam 54 has a lower end portion 54a having a narrow width and an upper portion 54a.
c has a wide width, and the narrow portion 54a and the wide portion 54c are connected by a tapered portion 54b. In the gripper opening / closing cam 54, when the capping head 12 is raised and the elevating cylinder 20 is also raised together with it, the narrower portion 54a at the lower end of the gripper opening / closing cam 54 has the cam followers 52, 47 of the grip members 46, 47. 53 between the two grip members 46 and 47.
The tip of is open. Further, when the gripper opening / closing cam 54 descends together with the elevating cylinder 20 as the capping head 12 descends, the taper portion 54b of the gripper opening / closing cam 54 is inserted between the cam followers 52 and 53, and the gripper opening / closing cam 54 has an upper width. By pushing in the wide portion 54c, the cam followers 52 and 53 are moved to the spring 50.
Push against both sides and spread. As a result, the tip end side portions of the grip members 46, 47 in which the recesses 46a, 47a are formed are brought close to each other (closed position in FIG. 2). The grip member 47 shown by the imaginary line on the right side of FIG. 2 is opened at the tip end side because the gripper opening / closing cam 54 moves up and the narrow portion 54a at the lower end is located between the cam followers 52 and 53. Shows the state.

A container holding device 2 for a capper having the above structure
The operation of will be described. The rotating body 4 of the capper rotates, and the container 8 supplied by the container transfer conveyor (not shown) is placed on the container table 10 at a predetermined position.
On the other hand, the cap 14 supplied from the cap supply means (not shown) is delivered to the chuck 16 at the lower end of the capping head 12. By the rotation of the rotating body 4, the upper capping head 12 and the lower container 8 are rotated (revolved) with their upper and lower positions aligned. During this rotation, the capping head 12 descends by the elevating means while being rotated (rotated) about its axis O ₁ by a rotating means (not shown).

When the capping head 12 descends, the lifting tube 2 is connected to the capping head 12 via a bracket 24 that is rotatably fitted to the capping head 12.
0 is guided by the guide rod 18 and descends. Lifting tube 2
In No. 0, a vertically long through hole 20b is formed in the side wall, and the key 26 fixed to the outer surface of the guide rod 18 is fitted in the through hole 20b, so that the rotation is restricted and the descent is performed. When the capping head 12 and the elevating cylinder 20 descend, the end portions 46b and 47b of both grip members 46 and 47 are moved.
A pair of cam followers 5 mounted on each side
The gripper opening / closing cam 54, in which the narrower portion 54a at the lower end was located between the two and 53, is also lowered, and the tapered portion 54
b enters between the cam followers 52 and 53 and gradually closes the tip end sides of both grip members 46 and 47, and the wide portion 5
When 4c moves between the cam followers 46 and 47, both grip members 46 and 47 are in the completely closed state shown by the solid line in FIG. At the time of the completely closed state, the elastic pressure contact members 48 and 49 fixed to the inner surfaces of the recesses 46a and 47a of the grip members 46 and 47 are, as shown in FIG. It is located slightly above the portion 8c.

When the wide upper portion 54c of the gripper opening / closing cam 54 starts to enter between the cam followers 52, 53, the annular protrusion 20c formed on the lower end surface of the elevating cylinder 20 which continues to descend. , Abuts on the upper end surface of the lower lifting ring 32 and pushes down the lifting ring 32. The holding spring 34 that pushes up the lifting ring 32 with respect to the second tubular body 28 is provided with a lower gripper support body 40.
Since it has a stronger spring force than the lifting spring 42 that lifts up, when the lifting ring 32 descends, it is pushed by the holding spring 34 and the second cylinder 28 descends.
The lifting spring 42 is bent to push down the gripper support body 40. As a result, the pressure contact members 48 and 49 made of an elastic body attached to the tapered inner surfaces of the recesses 46a and 47a of both grip members 46 and 47 are pressed against the tapered shoulder portion 8c of the container 8 and the container 8 is pressed. Hold down 8.

By lowering the lifting cylinder 20, the lifting ring 3
2, the second cylinder 28 and the gripper support 40 are lowered, and when the container 8 is firmly held by both grip members 46 and 47, a chuck provided below the descending capping head 12. The cap 14 held by 16 is screwed into the opening 8d of the container 8 by being rotated while being fitted into the opening 8d. After tightening the cap with a predetermined torque, chuck 1
6, the cap 14 is released, and the capping head 12 is lifted as a unit. Capping head 12
When the is raised, the elevating cylinder 20 connected thereto is also raised. The lifting of the lifting cylinder 20 removes the force that pushes down the lower lifting ring 32, and the lifting ring 32, the second cylinder 28, and the gripper support 40 are removed.
Is lifted by the lifting spring 42. As the gripper support body 40 rises, both grip members 4
6, 47 rise in the closed state, and the shoulder portion 8c of the container 8
Get away from. The gripper support body 40 abuts against an annular stopper member 30 fixed above the gripper support body 40 and stops, and the second cylinder 28 pushed up by the gripper support body 40 has a step 18a on the outer peripheral surface of the guide rod 18. To stop. Further, the presser spring 3 is attached to the second cylinder 28.
The lifting ring 32 pushed up by the
Stopper ring 3 fitted to the upper end of the tubular body 28 of
Stop at 6

On the other hand, as the elevating cylinder 20 is raised,
The gripper opening / closing cam 54 also rises, and the wide portion 54c at the upper part thereof comes out from between the cam followers 52 and 53, and passes through the tapered portion 54b and the narrow portion 54 at the lower end portion.
Since a is located between the cam followers 52 and 53,
Both grip members 46 and 47 are opened after being separated upward from the shoulder portion 8c of the container 8 as described above. The container 8 on the container table 10 is released from the holding of the container gripper 38 and is in a dischargeable state, and when it reaches the discharge section from the rotating body 4, it is discharged from the container table 10 and then conveyed by the container conveyor. Sent to the process.

As described above, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the container gripper 38 holds and releases the container 8 by utilizing the raising / lowering operation of the capping head 12, and therefore the gripper member 4 is used.
It is not necessary to separately provide the opening / closing mechanism of 6, 47, the structure is simple, and the device can be made compact. Also,
Since the grip members 46 and 47 do not hold the body portion 8b, which is the lowest strength portion of the plastic container 8, but hold the container 8 by suppressing the shoulder portion 8c having high strength, Even if the container 8 is held with a strong force, the container 8 is not deformed, and sufficient torque resistance can be obtained. Furthermore, both grip members 46, 47
Since the shoulder portion 8c of the container 8 is pressed and held by the above, the space for opening and closing the grip members 46 and 47 may be smaller than in the conventional case where the body portion 8b of the container 8 is grasped. The pitch between the containers 8 in the capper can be reduced. In the above embodiment, both the pair of grip members 46 and 47 are made swingable so that they can be opened and closed. However, one grip member is fixed and only the other grip member is made swingable. May be opened and closed.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, a pair of grip members that can be opened and closed by swinging at least one of them are provided above a side of a container table on which a container is placed, and these grip members are springs. The gripping member opening / closing cam is designed to urge the capper head to always open, attach a cam follower to the end of the gripping member, and lower the gripping member opening / closing cam integrally with the capping head. The grip member can be opened and closed by using the operation, and the structure of the capper can be simplified and made compact.

In addition, the support member of the grip member is fitted under the guide rod to which the lift member connected to the capping head is guided to move up and down, and both grip members are mounted on the support member. By arranging a lifting spring for urging the upper part of the container, and when the capping head is lowered, the supporting member is pushed down by the elevating member so that both grip members are pressed against the inclined shoulder portion of the container. Since the grip member can be opened and closed in a narrow space compared to the case of holding the body of the container, the pitch between the containers can be reduced, and even a container with low strength can be reliably held. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of a capper equipped with a container holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a container gripper of the container holding device.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the container gripper.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a gripper opening / closing cam that opens and closes a pair of grip members of the container gripper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 8 container 8c container shoulder 10 container base 12 capping head 14 cap 16 cap holding means (chuck) 18 guide rod 20 elevating member (elevating cylinder) 42 lifting spring 40 support (gripper support) 46 grip member 47 grip member 50 Spring 52 Cam follower 53 Cam follower 54 Grip member open / close cam

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A container base on which a container is placed, a capping head provided above the container base and provided with a cap holding means for holding a cap at a lower end, an elevating means for elevating and lowering the capping head, and a capping head. In a capper having a rotating means for rotating the container and a container holding means for holding a container on the container base, the container holding means is arranged above a side part of the container base, and at least one of them can be opened and closed by swinging. A pair of grip members, a cam follower attached to the ends of both grip members, and a grip member opening / closing cam that is connected to the capping head and integrally moves up and down, and the capping head descends. When capping a container on the container base, the grip member opening / closing cam is engaged with the cam follower to close the grip member. A container holding device for a capper, which holds a container by twisting. 2. An elevating member which is connected to the capping head and is elevated by being guided by a guide rod is provided, the grip opening / closing cam is fixed to the elevating member, and a support member of the grip member is fitted under the guide rod. Together with attaching both grip members to the support body, a lifting spring for urging the support body upward is arranged, and when the capping head is lowered, by pushing down the support body by the elevating member, The container holding device for a capper according to claim 1, wherein both grip members are pressed against an inclined shoulder portion of the container. 3. The both grip members are formed with recesses on their opposing surfaces that can be engaged with the outer surface of the container, and the inner surfaces of these recesses are inclined so as to substantially match the inclination of the shoulder portion of the container. The container holding device of the capper according to claim 2, wherein the container holding device is a surface.