JPH09132315A - Bottle attitude control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a general-purpose bottle attitude control device that can cope with even a deformed bottle with an eccentric neck part by actuating a plate corresponding to the bottom part side of the bottle to form an opening at the bottom face, and dropping the bottle from this opening from the bottom part side. SOLUTION: In the case of a first plate 6a for placing the bottom face of a bottle being rotated to form a first opening in its position, a linear actuator 12a is actuated, and in the case of a second plate 6b being rotated to form a second opening, a linear actuator 12b is actuated. The bottom part side of the bottle is pushed down by the actuation of these linear actuators 12a, 12b to rotate a bottle by 90 deg. around the end part of the first plate 6a or second plate 6b as a fulcrum and to drop the bottle into a shoot 5a, with such a correct attitude that the neck side is placed up. Even a deformed bottle with an eccentric neck part can thereby be coped with.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning bottles filled with powder or liquid, for example, in the same posture prior to the filling process.

[0002]

Plastic bottles filled with liquid agents such as detergents must be aligned in the same posture prior to the filling process, and this work is currently performed by a fully automated device. There is. There are various devices such as a vibration type device, a kick type device, and a neck hanger type device, but a device called a hook type device is widely used because of its high efficiency.

This is characterized in that a hook for hooking the neck portion of the bottle is provided at the end of the conveyor, and the bottle sent from the bottom side is not hooked on the hook and falls from the bottom side as it is. It fits in a container placed under the conveyor. On the contrary, the bottle sent from the neck side has the neck hooked on the hook until the bottom part separates from the conveyor, which reverses the direction, so it is the same as if it was sent from the bottom part. It is designed to fit in a container.

By the way, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a deformed bottle in which the neck portion of the bottle is eccentric so as to be easy to handle, and a recess corresponding to the bulge of the base portion of the thumb is provided.
However, it is difficult for the conventional device to handle such a modified bottle. This is because, when the bottle is sent from the neck side, it is uncertain whether the neck is located on the left or right with the center line in between, and it cannot be hooked with an appropriate hook.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bottle attitude control device excellent in versatility that can be applied to a deformed bottle having an eccentric neck portion.

[0006]

An object of the present invention is to provide a bottom surface on which a bottle is mounted in a state of being laid down with its height direction substantially coinciding with a predetermined direction. It is composed of two rotatable plates arranged side by side along the height direction of the bottle, and the plate corresponding to the bottom side (or neck side) of the bottle is operated to open an opening in the bottom surface. This is achieved by a bottle attitude control device characterized in that it has an opening forming means to be formed, and the bottle is dropped from the bottom side (or neck side) from the opening formed by the opening forming means.

[0007] In particular, a supply means for conveying the bottle in a horizontal state so that the height direction thereof is substantially parallel to the conveyance direction, the bottle attitude control chamber provided subsequent to the supply means, and the attitude control. A rotatable first plate that constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the chamber and is located on the side of the supply means, and a corresponding first plate that constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber. A rotatable second plate; a detecting means for detecting the orientation of the bottle in the attitude control chamber; and the detecting means that the bottle fed into the attitude control chamber is from the neck side. If it is detected by the first
The (or second) plate is rotated to drop from the bottom side (or neck side) from the first (or second) opening formed thereby, and the bottle fed into the posture control chamber is the bottom side. If it is detected by the detection means that the second (or first) plate is rotated, the second (or first) plate is rotated based on the output signal, and the second (or first) plate formed thereby is rotated. And a control means for dropping from the bottom side (or the neck side) from the opening of the bottle attitude control device.

Further, a bottle receiving container into which the bottle is loaded, and a supply means for conveying the bottle supplied from the bottle receiving container in a laterally laid state such that the height direction thereof is substantially parallel to the conveying direction, The attitude control chamber for the bottle, which is provided subsequent to the supply means, a rotatable first plate which constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber and is located on the supply means side, and the attitude control chamber A rotatable second plate provided corresponding to the first plate constituting a part of the bottom surface of the container, detecting means for detecting the orientation of the bottle in the attitude control chamber, and the detecting means. A first drive means for rotating the first plate by receiving an output signal from the second drive means, and a second drive means for rotating the second plate by receiving an output signal from the detection means, By detection means When the bottle is detected to be sent into the posture control chamber than the neck side, the first
A first formed by actuation of the (or second) drive means
If the bottle is dropped from the (or second) opening from the bottom side (or the neck side) and the detection means detects that the bottle has been fed into the posture control chamber from the bottom side,
A bottle attitude comprising: a control means for dropping from a bottom side (or neck side) from a second (or first) opening formed by the operation of the second (or first) driving means. Achieved by the controller.

That is, according to the present invention, the bottle is sent to a posture control chamber composed of a partition plate by a supply means such as a conveyor, and when the bottle cannot be horizontally moved any further, or at a position before that, the bottle is bottled. It is detected by a sensor such as a light emitting / receiving element whether the is sent from the bottom side or from the neck side.
That is, since the bottle usually has a shape in which the neck side is thin and the bottom side is wide, the light from the light emitting element passes through the thin neck side, and the light is shielded through the wide bottom side.
Therefore, by providing two or more optical sensors, it is possible to detect whether the bottle has been sent from the bottom side or the neck side. Then, based on this detection signal, on the bottom surface of the predetermined position where the bottle has been fed, open the mouth corresponding to the neck side or bottom side of the bottle,
By dropping the bottle from the opening selected according to the orientation of the bottle, the postures of the bottle can be controlled to be the same. For example, when aligning the bottles so that the bottom side is on the bottom side, an opening may be formed in the bottom surface part on which the bottom side of the bottle rests, and the bottle is rotated 90 ° so that the neck side is on the top side and drops from this opening. ,
Become a correct posture. Therefore, regardless of whether or not the neck portion is eccentric, it is possible to control the attitude of the bottle with only the neck portion, and the versatility is high.

In the bottle attitude control device, the first and second plates are brought into contact with the bottom side (or the neck side) of the bottle fed into the attitude control chamber to bring the bottle into the first position. Alternatively, the first and second parts are pushed into the second opening.
It is preferable that the compulsory means is provided. This ensures that the bottle is discharged from the attitude control chamber and the process can be performed more quickly.

[0011]

1 to 9 show an embodiment of a bottle attitude control device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the bottle attitude control device, and FIG. Side view, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the bottle attitude control device,
4 to 6 are side views showing the operating state of the apparatus when the bottle is sent from the bottom side, and FIGS. 7 to 9 show the operating state of the apparatus when the bottle is sent from the neck side. It is a side view shown.

The bottle attitude control device of this embodiment is not used alone, but is used by being incorporated in a product production line, but other devices are not shown for convenience. In each figure, 1 is a hopper (bottle receiving container) into which a molded plastic bottle is loaded, and 2 is a belt conveyor that conveys the plastic bottle supplied from the hopper 1.

Reference numerals 3a to 3c are vibrating conveyors (supplying means) for conveying the plastic bottle in a horizontal state so that its height direction is substantially parallel to the conveying direction. Although the detailed structure of the vibration conveyors 3a to 3c is well known, detailed description thereof will be omitted. It is configured so that the directions of the plastic bottles can be aligned in cooperation with the urethane thread rubber).

The supply means may be any means as long as it can convey the plastic bottle in a horizontal state so that its height direction is substantially parallel to the conveying direction. Instead of the vibrating conveyors 3a to 3c, conveyors of other structures or You may use a chute etc. 4a to 4c are cases in which a posture control mechanism for a plastic bottle is provided inside, and are provided corresponding to the vibration conveyors 3a to 3c, respectively. The plastic bottles sent by the vibrating conveyors 3a to 3c are converted into the same posture in the cases 4a to 4c as described later, and are sent to the next process through the chutes 5a to 5c.

Next, the structure inside the cases 4a to 4c will be described by taking the case 4a as an example. 6a and 6b are first and second plates whose one ends are pivotally supported, 7 is a side partition plate standing on both sides of the first plate 6a and the second plate 6b arranged side by side, and 8 is a front face It is a partition plate, and an attitude control chamber 9 into which a plastic bottle is taken from these is formed. In particular, the first plate 6a and the second plate 6b serve as the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber 9.

The first plate 6a is rotated by a rotary actuator 10a (first driving means) via a link 11a, and the second plate 6b is linked by a rotary actuator 10b (second driving means). It is rotated via 11b. Reference numerals 12a and 12b denote linear actuators (first and second forcing means) for forcibly discharging the plastic bottle from the attitude control chamber 9. When the first plate 6a rotates and the first opening is formed at that position, the linear actuator 12a operates, and the second plate 6b rotates to form the second opening. If so, the linear actuator 12b is activated.

Reference numerals 13a and 13b denote light emitting elements of photosensors (detection means) provided near the end of the vibration conveyor 3a, and light receiving elements (not shown) provided at opposing positions with the notch 14 of the vibration conveyor 3a interposed therebetween. In collaboration with
The direction of the plastic bottle sent by the vibration conveyor 3a is detected. That is, the light emitting elements 13a, 1
As can be seen from FIG. 3, the two photosensors using 3b are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and when both sensors are sensitive at the same time, they are sent from the bottom side as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is determined that it came. On the contrary, when only the central sensor is sensitive, it is determined that the sensor is sent from the neck side as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

The bottle attitude control device operates in two ways depending on the direction in which the plastic bottle is conveyed. First, in the case where the plastic bottle is sent from the bottom side, this is detected by the photo sensor, and when the plastic bottle is taken into the attitude control chamber 9 as shown in FIG.
An operation command signal is sent to. As a result, the second plate 6b is rotated, and a second opening corresponding to the bottom side of the plastic bottle is formed on the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber 9. Further, since the linear actuator 12b operates to push down the bottom side of the plastic bottle, the plastic bottle rotates 90 ° about the end of the first plate 6a as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. 5, and as shown in FIG. It drops in the chute 5a in a correct posture with the neck side facing upward.

On the other hand, even when the plastic bottle is sent from the neck side, this is detected by the photo sensor, and when the plastic bottle is taken into the posture control chamber 9 as shown in FIG. An operation command signal is sent. This makes the first
The plate 6a rotates, and a first opening corresponding to the bottom side of the plastic bottle is formed on the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber 9. Further, since the linear actuator 12a operates to push down the bottom side of the plastic bottle, the plastic bottle rotates 90 ° about the end of the second plate 6b as a fulcrum as shown in FIG. 8, and as shown in FIG. It drops in the chute 5a in a correct posture with the neck side facing upward.

As described above, in the bottle attitude control apparatus of the present embodiment, the bottom opening is selected according to the orientation of the bottle in the attitude control chamber, and the bottle is dropped from this selected opening to control the attitude. Therefore, not only a normal bottle having a neck portion in the center but also a deformed bottle with an eccentric neck portion can easily control the posture, and is highly versatile.

In particular, since the forcible discharge means is provided corresponding to each of the two plates constituting the bottom surface, the bottle is reliably discharged from the attitude control chamber, clogging is less likely to occur, and the processing is performed more quickly. .

[0022]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION It can be applied to a deformed bottle having an eccentric neck portion and is excellent in versatility.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a bottle attitude control device.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of a bottle attitude control device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of a bottle attitude control device.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an operation state of the apparatus when the bottle is sent from the bottom side.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an operation state of the apparatus when the bottle is sent from the bottom side.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an operation state of the device when the bottle is sent from the bottom side.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an operation state of the device when the bottle is sent from the neck side.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an operation state of the device when the bottle is sent from the neck side.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an operation state of the device when the bottle is sent from the neck side.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 hopper (bottle receiving container) 2 belt conveyors 3a to 3c vibration conveyor (supplying means) 4a to 4c cases 5a to 5c chute 6a first plate 6b second plate 9 attitude control chamber 10a rotary actuator (first driving means) ) 10b rotary actuator (second driving means) 12a linear actuator (first forcing means) 12b linear actuator (second forcing means) 13a, 13b light emitting element

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bottle is provided with a bottom surface on which the height direction of the bottle is substantially aligned with a predetermined direction, and the bottom surface is placed in a sideways state. The bottom surface extends along the height direction of the bottle to be placed. Comprising two rotatable plates arranged side by side, and having an opening forming means for forming an opening on the bottom surface by operating the plate corresponding to the bottom side (or neck side) of the bottle, A bottle attitude control device characterized in that the bottle is made to drop from the bottom side (or neck side) from the opening formed by the forming means. 2. A supply means for conveying a bottle in a sideways state so that its height direction is substantially parallel to the conveyance direction, an attitude control chamber for the bottle provided subsequent to the supply means, and this attitude control. A rotatable first plate that constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the chamber and is positioned on the supply means side, and a first plate that constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber.
A rotatable second plate provided corresponding to the plate, a detecting means for detecting the orientation of the bottle in the posture control chamber, and the bottle fed into the posture control chamber from the neck side. When it is detected by the detection means, the first (or second) plate is rotated on the basis of the output signal, and the first (or second) opening formed thereby is formed. From the bottom side (or neck side) from the bottom side, and when the detecting means detects that the bottle fed into the posture control chamber is from the bottom side, the second signal is output based on the output signal. (Or a first) plate is rotated, and a control means for dropping the plate from a bottom side (or a neck side) from a second (or first) opening formed by the plate is provided. The control device. 3. A bottle receiving container into which a bottle is loaded, and a supply unit that conveys the bottle supplied from the bottle receiving container in a horizontal state so that its height direction is substantially parallel to the conveying direction. An attitude control chamber for the bottle, which is provided subsequent to the supply means, a rotatable first plate which constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the attitude control chamber and is located on the supply means side, and the attitude control chamber The first constituting a part of the bottom surface of
A rotatable second plate provided in correspondence with the plate, a detecting means for detecting the orientation of the bottle in the attitude control chamber, and an output signal from the detecting means for receiving the first signal. First drive means for rotating the plate, second drive means for rotating the second plate in response to an output signal from the detection means, and the attitude of the bottle from the neck side by the detection means When it is detected that it has been fed into the control chamber, the first (or second) driving means forms the first operation.
If the bottle is dropped from the (or second) opening from the bottom side (or the neck side) and the detection means detects that the bottle has been fed into the posture control chamber from the bottom side,
A bottle attitude comprising: a control means for dropping from a bottom side (or neck side) from a second (or first) opening formed by the operation of the second (or first) driving means. Control device. 4. The bottle is pushed into the first or second opening above the first and second plates by contacting the bottom side (or neck side) of the bottle fed into the posture control chamber. The bottle attitude control device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising first and second forcing means.