JPH0776412A - Vessel supply device in vessel conveyance line - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To charge a vessel into a holder securely without using a guide by pressing the vessel in the holder provided with a plurality of elastic sheet pieces which extend from a surrounding section to a central part. CONSTITUTION:A vessel supply device 1 is provided with a conveyance device 10 which conveys a vessel holder 2 whose top is open in the lateral direction, a vessel chute 3 which is arranged above the holder 2 and in which vessels 4 are arranged up and down in the inside, a stopper 5 which prevents natural drop of the lowermost vessel 4, and a push-in device 6, and the conveyance device 10 and the push-in device 6 are operated in synchronization. The holder 2 is provided with a plurality of elastic sheet pieces 25 which extend from a surrounding section toward a central part in a vessel storage space to make elastic force act on the vessel 4 toward the central part. As a consequence, it is possible to hold the vessel 4 in the central part even if dimension of the storage space is large in relation to the width of the vessel 4 and eliminate necessity of a guide member.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding a container such as a detergent or shampoo to a holder for holding the container in a line for conveying the container to fill the contents.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A container supply device 101 in a conventional container transfer line shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is a transfer device 110 for transferring a container holder 102 having an upper opening in a lateral direction, and a transfer device 110 disposed above the holder 102. The container chute 103 in which the containers 104 are vertically aligned inside and the chute 10
Between the first stopper 105 that prevents natural lowering of the lowermost container 104 in the third container 3, the second stopper 106 that prevents natural lowering of the second container 104 from the lowermost, and between the chute 103 and the holder 102. And a tubular guide 107 located therein.

The transfer device 110 includes a belt conveyor 111 for transferring a holder 102 and a screw conveyor 1.
And 13. The holder 102 is placed on the belt conveyor 111 and the screw conveyor 113.
The belt 102 is located between the spiral grooves 113a of the screw, and the conveying speed of the holder 102 by the belt conveyor 111 is faster than the conveying speed of the holder 102 by the screw conveyor 113. As a result, the holder 102 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the spiral groove 113a of the screw conveyor 113 and positioned, and is conveyed at the conveying speed of the screw conveyor 113 while being supported by the upper surface of the belt conveyor 111. The cylindrical guide 107 is orbitally driven by a conveyor 115, and the orbital speed is the screw conveyor 11
The transport speed of the holder 102 according to No. 3 is the same. The first stopper 105 and the second stopper 106
Can be positioned at the support position and the support release position of the container 104 by the air cylinders 116 and 117, respectively. By releasing the support of the first stopper 105, the lowermost container 104 in the chute 103 naturally falls,
The second container 104 from the lowermost part of the chute 103 is displaced to the lowermost part by being inserted into the holder 102 via the guide 107, and after the first stopper 105 is returned to the supporting position, the second stopper 106 is released from the supporting position.

[0004]

The container supply device 10 described above.
1, the difference between the width dimension a of the container 104 and the width dimension b of the storage space of the holder 102, as shown in FIG. 8, does not hinder the filling of the contents in the subsequent process.
In order to prevent the container 104 from being largely displaced in 02, the size is set to a small size (about several mm). Therefore, due to a synchronization error between the transport speed of the guide 107 and the transport speed of the holder 102, the container 10 is moved with respect to the holder 102.
There is a case where it is not possible to put it in with a deviation of 4.

Further, in the container supply device 101, the container 1
Since 04 is naturally dropped from the chute 103, the drop timing is changed due to the influence of friction between the container 104 and the chute 103, and as shown in FIG. It may get caught in between.

Therefore, the carrier 102 is intermittently operated so that the holder 102 and the guide 107 move the chute 103.
It may be possible to stop once it is positioned below, and then drop the container 104 from the chute 103, but if the transfer device 110 is operated intermittently, the transfer speed will drop significantly.

Therefore, in place of the holder 102, a holder having a plurality of elastic sheet pieces extending from the peripheral portion of the container storage space toward the central portion (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-1 of Japan).
It is conceivable to use Japanese Patent No. 54550). Each of the sheet pieces is elastically deformable toward the peripheral portion by being pushed by the container stored in the container storage space, whereby each sheet piece of the container storage space is transferred to the container stored in the container storage space. Apply an elastic force toward the center. According to this holder, even if the width dimension of the storage space of the holder is larger than the width dimension of the container, the container can be held in the central portion of the container storage space without being displaced in the holder.

However, even if an attempt is made to put a container into a holder having such a sheet piece, the container supply device 1
In 01, since the container 104 naturally drops from the chute 103, the elastic force of the sheet piece prevents the container from entering the holder. Further, in the case where the guide 107 as described above is eliminated, if the drop timing fluctuates greatly, it becomes impossible to shift the container into the upper opening of the holder and throw it in.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, instead of the cylindrical guide 107 that moves in synchronization with the holder 102 as described above, a fixed guide 107 'whose front side in the transport direction is opened is used to be housed in the holder 102. Interference between the container 104 and the fixed guide 107 'shall not occur, and
As the screw conveyor 113, it is conceivable to use a screw conveyor having a screw in which a part of the inner surface of the spiral groove 113a is used as a transport control surface 120 that is perpendicular to the axial direction. The holder 102, which is positioned in contact with the inner surface of the spiral groove 113a of the screw, is not conveyed even while the screw is rotating while it is in contact with the conveyance regulation surface 120, and is temporarily stopped. As a result, the holder 1 can be operated without intermittently operating the transfer device 110 and without significantly lowering the transfer speed.
02 can be temporarily stopped. However, since the container 104 cannot be accurately guided to the holder 102 by the fixed guide 107 'whose front side in the transport direction is open, the container 1
04 width dimension a and holder 102 storage space width dimension b
If the difference is smaller than the above, it is impossible to reduce the mistake of putting the container 104 into the holder 102.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container supply device in a container transfer line which can solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

[0011]

A container supply device in a container transfer line of the present invention comprises a transfer device for laterally transferring a container holder having an upper opening, a pushing device for pushing a container into the holder from above, and a transfer device for the same. A means for synchronizing the conveyance of the holder by the device and the pushing of the container by the pushing device is provided, and the holder has a plurality of elastic sheet pieces extending from the peripheral portion of the container storage space toward the central portion, Each sheet piece is pushed by the container stored in the container storage space so that an elastic force from each sheet piece toward the center of the container storage space can be applied to the container stored in the container storage space. It is characterized in that it is elastically deformable toward the periphery.

[0012]

According to the structure of the present invention, the container holder applies an elastic force from each sheet piece toward the central portion of the container storage space on the container stored in the container storage space. Therefore, even if the width of the storage space of the holder is larger than the width of the container, the container can be held in the center of the storage space without being displaced in the holder, and a guide for guiding the container to the holder can be eliminated. . Further, since the container is pushed into the holder from above by the pushing device, the elastic force of the sheet piece does not prevent the container from entering the holder. Further, by synchronizing the transfer of the holder by the transfer device and the pressing of the container by the pushing device, it is possible to prevent the container from being displaced with respect to the upper opening of the holder, and to reliably insert the container into the holder.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A container supply device 1 in a container transfer line shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a transfer device 10 for laterally transferring a container holder 2 having an upper opening, and a container device arranged above the holder 2 to internally store containers. Container chute 3 in which 4 is vertically aligned
A stopper 5 for preventing the lowermost container 4 in the chute 3 from falling naturally, and a pushing device 6 for pushing the lowermost container 4 into the holder 2 from above.

The carrying device 10 has a belt conveyor 11 for carrying the holder 2 and a screw conveyor 13, and a guide plate 14 is provided along the screw conveyor 13 as shown in FIG. The holder 2 is placed on the belt conveyor 11 and positioned between the screw spiral grooves 13a of the screw conveyor 13, and the guide plate 14 prevents the holder 2 from separating from the screw. The belt conveyor 11
The transfer speed of the holder 2 by the screw conveyor 13
It is set to be faster than the transport speed of the holder 2 due to. As a result, the holder 2 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the spiral groove 13a of the screw conveyor 13 and positioned, and is conveyed at the conveying speed of the screw conveyor 13 while being supported by the upper surface of the belt conveyor 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the screw of the screw conveyor 13 has a transport regulating surface 13a 'in which a part of the inner surface of the spiral groove is perpendicular to the axial direction. The holder 2, which is positioned by abutting on the inner surface of the spiral groove 13a of the screw, is not transported even while the screw 13a is rotating and is temporarily stopped while abutting on the transportation restriction surface 13a '. It should be noted that in FIG. 3, the virtual line K is the transport regulation surface 1
The spiral groove shape of a normal screw without 3a 'is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the holder 2
Is formed by connecting the bottomed tubular lower member 2a and the tubular upper member 2b with the connecting bolts 21.
A container housing space 22 surrounded by 4 and 4 is formed. The bottom portion 23 supports the container 4, and the peripheral portion 24 surrounds the container 4. Between the lower member 2a and the upper member 2b, and between the upper member 2b and the head of the connecting bolt 21, respectively,
A plurality of elastic sheet pieces 25 each having a triangular shape in a plan view are sandwiched in parallel along the circumferential direction of the peripheral portion 24. Each sheet piece 25 is a peripheral portion 24 of the container storage space 22.
Of the sheet pieces 25 that extend toward the central portion from the sheet and are substantially parallel to the bottom portion 23 as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. Each edge is positioned on the radiation from the central portion of the container housing space 22 toward the peripheral portion 24. Each sheet piece 25 is elastically deformed toward the periphery by being pushed by the container 4 stored in the container storage space 22,
In FIG. 4, the state shown by the phantom line changes to the state shown by the solid line, whereby an elastic force from each sheet piece 25 toward the central portion of the container storage space 22 is applied to the container 4 stored in the container storage space 22. . Each sheet piece 25 is formed of tetrafluoroethylene or the like having elasticity and a small friction coefficient, or a material having a small friction coefficient such as ethylene tetrafluoride is attached as a sheet on the top of a sheet such as rubber having high elasticity. It can be constructed by combining or coating. The bottom 23 of the holder 2 is formed with a discharge hole 23a for the contents to be filled in the container 4 in a later step.

The chute 3 is cylindrical and the container 4 is supplied from above, and the chute 3 is arranged above the carrying line of the holder 2. The stopper 5 for preventing natural lowering of the lowermost container 4 in the chute 3 is supported by the chute 3 in a notch 3a at the lower part of one side wall of the chute 3 so as to be rotatable around the horizontal shaft 31, Shoot 3 toward
Has an inclined support surface 5 ′ directed inward. The inclined support surface 5 ′ supports the bottom surface of the lowermost container 4 in the chute 3. In addition, the stopper 5 is attached to the horizontal axis 3 by the weight of the container.
A spring 32 that prevents rotation about one center is provided between the stopper 5 and the fixing member 33.

The pushing device 6 for pushing the lowermost container 4 in the chute 3 into the holder 2 from above is a supporting member 42 which is vertically guided by a guide rail 41 provided on the fixing member 33, and this supporting member 42. The fork 43 is rotatably attached to the center of the horizontal axis 46, the air cylinder 44 is attached to the supporting member 42 and is connected to the fork 43, and the crank mechanism 45 for vertically driving the supporting member 42. The forked claws 43a and 43b of the fork 43 are located in the notch 3a of the chute 3 and are vertically swung around the horizontal shaft 46 due to the expansion and contraction of the air cylinder 44 to come into contact with the upper part of the container 4 in the chute 3. It can be positioned between a position and a position that does not interfere with the container 4.
The stopper 5 is positioned between the left and right sides of the forked claws 43a and 43b of the fork 43, so that the claw 43
The stoppers 5 and a do not interfere with each other. The crank mechanism 45 includes a rotary plate 4 rotatably supported on a fixed side.
7 and a crank rod 48 connecting the rotary plate 47 and the support member 42, and the rotary plate 47 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 48 via a rotation transmission mechanism 49.

According to the pushing device 6, as shown in (1) of FIG. 1, the claws 43a and 43b of the fork 43 are brought into contact with the upper portion of the lowermost container 4 of the chute 3, and then the crank mechanism 45 is used. By moving the support member 42 downward, the stopper 5 is rotated to release the support of the bottom surface of the container 4, and the container 4 is moved to the holder 2 located below the chute 3 as shown in (2) of FIG. Pushed in. Further, the second container 4 from the lowermost part of the chute 3 is displaced to the lowermost position, and is supported by the stopper 5 which is returned to the original rotational position by the elastic force of the spring 32. Next, by extending the air cylinder 44 as shown in (3) of FIG. 1, the claws 43a and 43b of the fork 43 are positioned so as not to interfere with the container 4 in the chute 3, and then, in FIG. 4)
As shown in (1), the crank mechanism 45 moves the support member 42 upward, and then the air cylinder 44 is contracted, whereby the state shown in (1) of FIG. 1 is restored. By performing the above operation every time the holder 2 is positioned below the chute 3, the containers 4 can be sequentially supplied to the holder 2.

In order to synchronize the pushing of the container 4 by the pushing device 6 and the conveyance of the holder 2 by the screw conveyor 13 of the conveying device 10, the screw conveyor is driven by the drive motor 48 of the rotating plate 47 of the crank mechanism 45. 13 screw is the rotation transmission mechanism 5
Driven through 1. That is, the rotation transmission ratio from the motor 48 to the rotary plate 47 and the screw conveyor 13 is determined so that the holder 2 is positioned below the chute 3 when the container 4 is pushed by the pushing device 6. The rotation transmission mechanisms 49 and 51 may be those that mechanically transmit rotation through, for example, a belt and a pulley, a chain and a sprocket, and a gear.

According to the above construction, the container holder 2 applies the elastic force from each sheet piece 25 toward the central portion of the container storage space 22 to the container 4 stored in the container storage space 22. Against the holder 2 storage space 22
Even if the width dimension is large, the container 4 can be held in the central portion of the container storage space 22 without being displaced in the holder 2, and a guide for guiding the container 4 to the holder 2 can be eliminated. Further, since the container 4 is pushed into the holder 2 from above by the pushing device 6, the elastic force of the sheet piece 25 does not prevent the container 4 from entering the holder 2. Further, by synchronizing the transfer of the holder 2 by the transfer device 10 and the pushing of the container 4 by the pushing device 6, it is possible to prevent the container 4 from being displaced with respect to the upper opening of the holder 2, and to surely place the container 4 in the holder 2. Can be thrown in.
Further, by temporarily stopping the container 4 below the chute 3 by the screw conveyor 13, the container 4 can be more reliably loaded into the holder 2.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the pushing device 6 and the conveying device 10 are driven by the same drive system to mechanically synchronize the conveyance and the pushing of the container 4, but the pushing device and the conveying device are separately driven systems. Alternatively, both drive systems may be electrically synchronized with each other.

[0023]

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION According to the container supply device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an error in inserting the container into the holder without using a guide for guiding the container into the holder.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 (1) to (4) are side views showing different operating states of the container supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the container supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a holder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a conventional container supply device.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional container supply device.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a problem of the conventional container supply device.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view showing a problem of the conventional container supply device.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a conventional container supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 container holder 6 pushing device 10 transport device 22 container storage space 24 peripheral part 25 sheet piece

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transport device for laterally transporting a container holder having an upper opening, a pushing device for pushing the container into the holder from above, and a transport of the holder by the transport device and a pushing of the container by the pushing device are synchronized. The holder has a plurality of elastic sheet pieces extending from the peripheral portion of the container storage space toward the central portion, and each sheet piece is stored in a container stored in the container storage space. Each sheet piece is elastically deformable toward the peripheral portion by being pushed by the container housed in the container housing space so that the elastic force toward the central part of the space can be applied. Container supply device in container transfer line.