JPH08239118A - Bottle supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To effect adjustment of the pressing speed as well as to shorten the cycle time of one process by performing the operation for conveying bottles from a conveyor onto a bottle guide and the operation of an oscillation driving means so that the operations are partially overlapped. CONSTITUTION: A pressing means 12 for pressing bottles 2 transferred on a bottle guide 6 into a holder is formed of an oscillating lever 16, a driven lever 20, a connecting rod 22 for connecting both levers to each other, a pressing lever 21 supported in the same axis as the driven lever 20 and to be integrally oscillated, and a pusher 24 attached so as to be oscillated around a shaft provided on the tip of the pressing lever 21 by an oscillation driving means.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bottle feeding device for pushing a bottle into a holder of a bottle washing machine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of the prior art, a publicly-provided actual Kaihei 5-49083 will be described with reference to a side view of a bottle feeding apparatus shown in FIG. The bottle 02 conveyed by the bottle feeding conveyor 04 reaches the downstream end of the conveyor 04 and falls down on the arc-shaped portion of the bottle guide 06. This bottle 02 has its bottom surface pushed up by the pickup arm 010 that has rotated clockwise from below, and in a state of falling, the bottle guide 06
It is guided to the side of the bottle and transferred upward, and is stopped at the horizontal portion at the downstream end of the bottle guide 06. The pusher 024 is swung at the same timing as the bottle 02 reaches this position, and the bottle 02 is inserted into the front holder. During such normal operation, the air cylinder of the connecting rod 022 is kept in the most compressed state. Also, the air cylinder has
The minimum air pressure necessary to push the bottle 02 into the holder is supplied through the solenoid valve. The bottle in the holder is 0 because there is a broken bottle or a bottle remaining in the holder.
When the pusher 024 cannot be inserted and the pusher 024 is overloaded, only the minimum necessary air pressure is supplied to the cylinder.
Release the force to press 2. Further, it is detected by the sensor that the cylinder is extended, and the signal is used to switch the solenoid valve to the side for extending the cylinder, and the pusher 024 is automatically released from the bottle pushing position. In this way, since the pusher 024 is automatically released at the time of overload, it is possible to easily remove the broken bottle and the like without retracting the pusher 024 by reversing the entire apparatus.

[0003]

In the conventional bottle feeding apparatus, the bottle on the conveyor is transferred to the horizontal portion above the bottle guide by the pickup arm and stopped, and the bottle is pushed into the holder by the forward movement of the pusher. In the step of continuously repeating the above step, the pusher interferes with the bottle to be transferred next unless the pusher is moved to the retracted position where it does not interfere with the bottle and the next step is not entered. In order to avoid this inconvenience, in the prior art, the retreat distance becomes long and therefore the retreat time also becomes long and the cycle time of one process becomes long.
In addition, since the bottle transfer speed becomes high for high-speed operation and the bottle is transferred and jumps in an unstable state, it is necessary to adjust the timing of pushing into the holder. However, it is difficult to adjust the swing speed of the pusher because the cycle time is fixed by the cam locus of the drive cam.
In other words, it is necessary to take a lot of time for the pusher to retreat, and it is also necessary to increase the bottle transfer speed in order to save the time when responding to high-speed operation.To prevent the bottle from splashing due to that, pusher Press softly,
If you press it quickly after that, there was a problem that you could not adjust the speed and finely adjust the pressing position.

The present invention has been made in order to improve such a problem. The operation of transporting a bottle from the conveyor onto the bottle guide and the operation of the pushing device and the rocking drive means are partially overlapped, and one step is performed. It is possible to shorten the cycle time and to adjust the pushing speed by adjusting the timing of the pushing means and the swing drive means.

[0005]

The structure of the present invention for achieving the above object is installed between a conveyor for carrying bottles and a bottle processing device for processing bottles, and bottles carried by the conveyor. In a bottle feeding device provided with a transfer means for pressing and transferring the bottle, a bottle guide for guiding the bottle to be transferred, and a pressing means for pressing the bottle transferred on the bottle guide into the holder, the pressing means is rocked. A lever, a driven lever, a connecting rod that connects these levers, a push lever that is supported by the same shaft as the driven lever and swings integrally, and a swing drive around a shaft provided at the tip of the push lever. It is characterized in that it is formed from a pusher which is swingably attached by means.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the rocking drive means of the pusher is an air cylinder, and the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder is adjusted to a low pressure at which the pusher does not rock when an overload is applied.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the bottle on the conveyer is pushed up by the pickup arm by the above means, and the bottom surface of the bottle is pushed up by the pickup arm. The bottle guide guides the side surface of the bottle while the bottle is being transferred to the upper horizontal portion. Simultaneously with the swing, the pusher swings down by the operation of the air cylinder and comes into contact with the bottle bottom surface and moves forward together with the driven lever and the pushing lever, so that the pusher is pushed into the bottle and the holder of the bottle processing apparatus.

After the push-in is completed, the pusher swings upward by the return operation of the air cylinder, and the push-in lever moves backward.
At this time, the bottle in the next process is being transferred onto the bottle guide, but since the pusher is already in a position where it does not interfere with the bottle due to the operation of the air cylinder and only the push lever is retracted, at that time the pusher, bottle and pickup It does not interfere with the arm.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bottle feeding apparatus of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views of the bottle feeding apparatus. The bottle feeding device of the present invention comprises a bottle guide 6 which extends substantially in a circular arc from the vicinity of the downstream end of the bottle feeding conveyor 4 and then becomes horizontal, a pickup arm 10 which rotates about a horizontal axis 8, and a front portion of the bottle guide 6. And a pushing means 12 for pushing the bottle 2 into the holder 15 of the bottle processing apparatus 11 which has been moved to.

A plurality of pick-up arms 10 are provided at a target position centered on the horizontal axis 8 at equal intervals, and the bottles 2 of this number of rows are simultaneously lifted on the bottle guide. The holder 1 of the bottle processing apparatus 11
5 are also provided in the same number of rows. The pushing means 12 is the fulcrum shaft 1.
4, a swing lever 16 swinging around 4, and an upper fulcrum shaft 1
The driven lever 20 that swings around 8 is connected to the swing end of the swing lever 16 that faces upward of the fulcrum shaft 14 and the swing end of the driven lever 20 that faces downward of the fulcrum shaft 18. A connecting rod 22 and left and right pushing levers 21 swinging integrally with a driven lever 20 attached to the fulcrum shaft 18,
A shaft 25 rotatably attached to the lower end of the pushing lever 21 is fixed to the pickup arm 10 in the same row as the pickup arm 10 and is composed of a pusher 24. A gear 32 is integrally fixed to the outer periphery of the shaft 25 on one side of the shaft end. ing.

Further, the gear 31 meshing with the gear 32 and the lever 33 are integrated, and the push lever 21 is rotatably mounted.
The air cylinder 30 is attached to the push-in lever 21b via the shaft 50 and the end fitting 34 fixed to the pushing lever 21b.
1 and its piston end is rotatably attached to the lever 33 via a coupling tool 52. In addition,
The air cylinder 30 is adapted to expand and contract by supplying and discharging air via a flow rate adjusting valve and a solenoid valve (not shown).

A sensor (not shown) in the air cylinder 30 senses the position of the piston to detect expansion and contraction. Further, a drive cam 26 having a cam groove 26a is attached to the end of the horizontal shaft 8 which is the center of rotation of the pickup arm 10 and rotates in synchronization with the pickup arm 10.
A cam floor 28 is fitted in the cam groove 26 a of the drive cam 26, and the cam floor 28 is attached to the swing lever 16.

Next, the operation of the bottle feeder will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottle 2 conveyed by the bottle feeding conveyor reaches the downstream end of the conveyor 4 and falls down on the arc-shaped portion of the bottle guide 6. The bottom surface of the bottle 2 is pushed up by the pickup arm 10 that rotates integrally with the horizontal shaft 8 as the horizontal shaft 8 continuously rotates counterclockwise, and the bottle 2 is transferred upward in the state of falling and reaches the horizontal portion. To do.

At the same time as the bottle 2 moves to reach the horizontal position of the bottle guide 6, the driven lever 20 and the pushing lever 21 of the pushing means 12 are moved from the rearmost retracted position to the forward swing, and at the same time, the bottle is extended most. Air is supplied through the flow rate adjusting valve and the solenoid valve by the sensor that operates when the pickup arm 10 (not shown) comes to a position in the air cylinder 30 in the state, and the air cylinder 30 operates in the contracting direction. When the lever 33 and the gear 31 are integrally rotated by 30 via the coupling tool 52, the gear 32 meshed with the gear 31.
And the shaft 25 rotate integrally, and the pusher 24 contacts the bottom surface of the bottle 2 while rotating downward about the shaft 25.

As the pusher 24 moves while being supported by the shaft 25 together with the driven lever 20 and the pushing lever 21 in the forward movement process, as shown in FIG.
Pushing is completed at the same timing in the holder 15 of 1 (moving upward continuously). Further, the air cylinder 30 is supplied with the minimum air pressure required to push the bottle 2 into the holder via a solenoid valve.

In the forward / backward movement of the pushing means 12, the cam floor 28 held by the swing lever 16 swinging about the fulcrum shaft 14 rotates the cam of the drive cam 26 which rotates integrally with the horizontal shaft 8. The swing lever 16 swings by being guided by the groove 26a, and the driven lever 20 swings about the fulcrum shaft 18 by the connecting rod 22 connected to the swing lever 16, and the swing causes the swing lever 16 to swing. Push-in levers 21a, 21b fixed to the fulcrum shaft 18 integrally with the driven lever 20.
The forward and backward movements of the pushing means are repeated by the operation of.

When the pusher 24 is overloaded due to a crushed bottle or a residual bottle in the holder, the air cylinder 30 is stretched by the resistance, and the pusher 24 is pushed into the bottle 2.
The force to press is released. Further, the extension of the air cylinder 30 is detected by a sensor (not shown) attached to the cylinder 30, and the detection signal causes the pusher 24 to swing upward.
By switching the supply air of 0, stopping a series of operations, and notifying by an alarm or the like, the cause of the bottleneck or the like can be removed.

As a method in the case where the pusher 24 is overloaded due to the crushed bottle or the remaining bottle in the holder, a supporting mechanism for the fulcrum shaft 18 and the driven lever 20 is provided with a safety mechanism such as a torque limiter. A supporting structure is also possible. Further, when it is necessary to push deeply into the holder with a bottle having a low height, the swinging range of the pusher 24 is adjusted by increasing the length of the connecting rod 22 and changing the stroke of the air cylinder 30. It can be dealt with.

[0019]

As described above, the present invention has the pusher 24.
By providing the swing drive means in the operation, the operation of transferring the bottle onto the bottle guide by the transfer means, the interval is shortened, and the time for the pushing means to retract after the operation of pushing the bottle transferred by the pushing means into the holder is reduced. The ability can be increased.
That is, for the backward movement of the pushing means, the pusher is then moved upward so as not to interfere with the bottle transferred on the bottle guide by the transfer means, and therefore, the bottle being transferred and the bottle being transferred are moved by the transfer means of the next step. By enabling the pusher to operate without interference, the cycle time of one process can be shortened.

As for the length of the connecting rod and the operation timing of the air cylinder, the contact position with the bottle and the pushing speed by the pusher operation can be easily adjusted by adjusting the air supply timing and the air supply amount of the air cylinder. Unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to make a drastic change such as changing or adding a drive cam, and the operation can be easily performed in a stable state.

Since the timing and force of pushing the bottle can be easily adjusted, it is possible to cope with bottles of various lengths and weights. In the swing drive means, the piston moving speed of the air cylinder can be increased or decreased by combining with the gear, and the position where the pusher pushes the bottle and the pressing can be finely adjusted to enable smooth bottle pushing. It is possible to reduce the size, reduce the cost, and facilitate the timing adjustment.

If the air pressure of the air cylinder is set to be slightly larger than the maximum value of the force for normally pushing the bottle, a special device is unnecessary when the bottle is bitten or a large force is applied. It becomes a cheap and safe device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bottle feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a first operation of the bottle feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a second operation of the bottle feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a conventional bottle feeder.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Bottle 4 Conveyor 6 Bottle Guide 8 Horizontal Shaft 10 Pickup Arm 11 Bottle Handling Device 12 Pushing Means 16 Swing Lever 20 Driven Lever 21 Pushing Lever 22 Connecting Rod 24 Pusher 25 Shaft 26 Drive Cam 28 Cam Floor 30 Air Cylinder

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 4, 1995

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

A plurality of pick-up arms 10 are provided at equal positions at a target position around a horizontal axis 8 and are arranged at equal intervals, and the bottles 2 of this row number are simultaneously lifted on the bottle guide 6. The holders 15 of the bottle processing apparatus 11 are also provided in the same number of rows. The pushing means 12 includes a swing lever 16 that swings around a fulcrum shaft 14, a driven lever 20 that swings around an upper fulcrum shaft 18, and a swing lever 16 that swings upward above the fulcrum shaft 14. Moving end and fulcrum shaft 18
A connecting rod 22 that connects the swinging ends of the driven lever 20 that faces the lower side of the left and right push levers 21 that swing integrally with the driven lever 20 attached to the fulcrum shaft 18.
And a pusher 24 fixed in the same row position as the pickup arm 10 to a shaft 25 rotatably attached to the lower end of the pushing lever 21, and a gear 32 is integrally formed on the outer circumference of the shaft 25 on one side of the shaft end. It is fixed.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Fig. 2]

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 3]

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A transfer means installed between a conveyor for transferring bottles and a bottle processing device for processing bottles, for pressing and transferring the bottles transferred by the conveyor, and a bottle guide for guiding the bottles to be transferred. A bottle feeding device having pushing means for pushing the bottle transferred on the bottle guide into the holder, wherein the pushing means is a swing lever, a driven lever, and a connecting rod connecting these levers, The push lever is supported by the same shaft as the driven lever and swings integrally with the driven lever, and the pusher is swingably mounted around a shaft provided at the tip of the push lever by a swing drive means. And bottle feeder. 2. The bottle feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the rocker driving means of the pusher is an air cylinder, and the supply air pressure of the air cylinder is adjusted to a low pressure at which the pusher does not rock when an overload is applied. And bottle feeder.