JPS6052932B2 - Spout attachment device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a spout attachment device for attaching a spout for dispensing contents to a paper container filled with sake, for example.

Paper containers are being used for a wide range of purposes, including milk, juice, and recently sake, but when pouring out the contents from these paper containers, it is necessary to peel off the adhesive part of the paper container or The opening process is extremely difficult and complicated as it requires cutting, and the pouring process cannot be said to be easy.Also, it is almost impossible to maintain the seal after opening, so from the viewpoint of hygiene and preservation. There was also room for improvement.

Recently, in order to eliminate these negative aspects of paper containers, people have come up with the idea of attaching caps to paper containers, and the surface of paper containers is usually coated with thermoplastic resin for waterproofing purposes. Taking this into consideration, an apparatus has been proposed for attaching a synthetic resin plug to this thermoplastic resin coating.

However, there was a problem in that models with high processing power were too large in scale, and conversely, small-scale models had too low processing power. In view of the above-mentioned points, the present invention has been made with the object of providing a spout attachment device whose structure is as compact as possible while maintaining high throughput.

That is, the device of the present invention has a spout transfer mechanism that holds the spout with the intended adhesion position facing outward and rotates in a vertical plane to transport the spout, and a spout transfer mechanism that rotates in a vertical plane to transport the spout. a spout supply mechanism disposed at a first position on the outside to supply a spout to the spout holder of the spout transfer mechanism; and a spout supply mechanism disposed at a second position on the outside of the transfer path of the spout holder. and a heating mechanism for heating the intended bonding position of the spout held in the spout holder, and the spout transfer mechanism receives the spout from the spout supply mechanism at the first position and rotates. The device is characterized in that the location where the spout is to be bonded is heated at the second position, and the spout is further rotated and attached to the paper container by pressure-bonding at the third position. The present invention will be explained below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus of this embodiment.
The paper containers P conveyed along the mark A come into contact with a stopper 2 provided at the end of the conveyor 1 and temporarily stop, and are pushed laterally by the transfer mechanism 3 and placed two by two on the support stand 4. Translated above. A paper container transfer mechanism 5 is provided on the side of the support base 4 to partition each paper container P one by one and to transfer the paper containers P in the direction of arrow B. As will be described later, this transfer mechanism 5 includes a plurality of engagement plates 6 that engage with each paper container P,
These engagement plates 6 are connected to the conveyor 4 from outside the support base 4.
Arrow B protrudes upward, with one pitch being two paper containers P.
After moving in the direction, it retreats from the support base 4, retreats in the opposite direction of arrow B, and returns to its original position.
By repeating this operation, the paper containers P are transferred intermittently. In this embodiment, the caps are attached to two paper containers P at the same time.

In other words, the two paper containers P transferred onto the support stand 4 are
At the position where the paper container is first moved by one pitch, the two paper container heating mechanisms 7 heat the intended locations for attaching the cap, and then at the position where the cap is to be bonded by one pitch, the cap attaching device 8, which will be described in detail later, attaches the cap. The stopper is glued on and discharged to the next process. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper container transfer mechanism 5 is supported by a machine frame 10 via a main shaft 9, and this main shaft 9 is rotatable around its axis and rotatable along its axis. It is designed to be able to move freely back and forth.

Arms 11 and 12 are fitted to both ends of the main shaft 9, respectively, and the engagement plate 6 is attached to the surface of a support plate 13 fixed to the tips of these arms 11 and 12. Therefore, these engaging plywood boards 6 can be freely moved on and off the support base 4 by swinging around the main shaft 9, and can also be moved along the support base 4 by driving the main shaft 9 in the axial direction. It is movable back and forth. The paper container transfer mechanism 5 is connected to the back surface of the support plate 13. drive lever 14
It is swayed by.

The drive lever 14 is pivotally supported on the machine frame 10 via a support shaft 15 arranged parallel to the main shaft 9, one swinging end 14a is connected to a drive source, and the other swinging end 14b is connected to a drive source. is connected to the support plate 13. That's right.゜chi, swing end 1
4a and the tip of an arm 17 pivotally attached to the bottom plate 16 of the machine frame 10 are connected by a connecting rod 18, and the arm 17 is connected to a cam plate 19 rotatably provided within the machine frame 10.
The drive lever 14 is always engaged with the grooved cam of the cam plate 19 via the cam follower 20.
It is designed to swing back and forth once during rotation. Also,
The other swing end 14b of the drive lever 14 is connected to the support plate 13 by a connecting rod 22 attached thereto passing through a guide shaft 21 attached horizontally to the back surface of the support plate 11. Note that, unlike the main shaft 9, the support shaft 15 is fixed in the axial direction. On the other hand, the main shaft 9 is configured to reciprocate in the axial direction by a drive mechanism (not shown), and this reciprocating movement and the rotation of the cam plate 19 are linked at the following timing.

That is, when the main shaft 9 is located at the rightmost position in FIG. 1 or 3, the engagement plate 6 protrudes above the support base 4,
In this protruding state, the main shaft 9 moves to the left to move the engagement plate 6, and at the left end position, the engagement plate 6 retreats, and the main shaft 9 returns to the right, and the above operation is repeated.
A mechanism 23 for tilting the paper container P is provided near the drive lever 14.

This is because the intended position for attaching the spout of the paper container P is located on its sloping shoulder, so the intended position for attaching the spout to the paper container P is to be horizontal. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive lever 24 of this tilting mechanism 22 is swingably supported by a support frame 25 provided overhanging the machine frame 10, and one swinging end 24a is The other swing end 2 is connected to a drive source (not shown).
A pressing lock 26 extending toward the support base 4 is pivotally attached to 4b. A pad 27 that can come into contact with the top of the paper container P is pivotally attached to the tip of the pressure lock 26, and the pad 27
The upper back surface of 7 and the tip of the swinging end 24b are connected to a connecting lock 28.
are connected by. Therefore, when the drive lever 24 swings toward the support base 4, the pad 27 presses the paper container P with its front surface facing diagonally downward, so it can smoothly press the paper container P without hitting the paper container P unevenly. Can be tilted. A tilting member 29 is pivotally attached to the rear side of the support stand 4 to support the paper container P from the back side when the paper container P is tilted.

The front surface of the inclined member 29 has a shape that matches the paper container P, and a rib 31 that can be engaged with a stopper 30 erected at the rear of the inclined member 29 is provided on the side thereof. . As will be described below, the lever slanting member 29 is linked to the drive lever 24 and tilts in synchronization with the protrusion of the pad 27. That is, the small lever 32 is swingably supported on the support frame 25,
One end of this small lever 32 is pivotally connected to the drive lever 24, and the other end is connected to the inclined member 29 via a connecting member 33.

This connecting member 33 has a pin 3 on the inclined member 29 side.
4, a long hole 35 is formed on the small lever 24 side, and the small lever 24 is connected by fitting a pin 36 of the small lever 24 into this long hole 35. Therefore, when the drive lever 24 begins to swing forward from the retracted position shown in FIG. 29 is stationary, but at the same time as the pad 27 comes into contact with the paper container P, the pin 36 engages with one edge of the elongated hole 35,
After that, the drive lever 24 and the inclined member 29 swing simultaneously. At this time, the pad 27 gradually turns downward, and as a result, the paper container P is moved between the inclined member 29 and the pad 2.
It will be tilted while being held by 7. Conversely, when the drive lever 24 moves backward, the inclined member 29 remains stationary while the pin 36 moves within the elongated hole 35, so the pad 27 first separates from the paper container P, and then the pin 36 moves away from the paper container P. After engaging the edge of the hole 35, the inclined member 29 also pivots together to stand upright. The support base 4 at the position where the tilting mechanism 23 is disposed has the shape shown in FIG. 5.

That is, the flat part 4 supports the paper container P in an upright state.
A slope part 4b bent diagonally downward is connected to the side of a, so that when the paper container P is tilted, the bottom edge is supported by this slope part 4b. Now, the plug attachment device 8 according to the present invention is provided directly above the tilting mechanism 23.

In this embodiment, since the caps are attached to two paper containers P at a time, the cap attaching device 8 is provided with two sets of cap holders 40 in parallel. One set of spout holders 40 consists of four pieces, which are rotatable in a vertical plane perpendicular to the transport direction of the paper container P.

As schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the four plug holders 40 are arranged on the same circumference, spaced apart from each other by 900 mm, and each faces outward. There is. Thus, the spout holder 40 is designed to rotate intermittently in 45-piece increments.

As shown in FIG. 2, this spout holder 40 receives the spout on the chute 41 by the spout supply mechanism 42 at the uppermost position, and at the position rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise, the spout is It is rotated around the axis by the positioning mechanism 43 and fitted into a predetermined position within the spout holder 40 . The spout holder 40 further rotates 45 times, and then the heating mechanism 4
4, and then heats the spout during 454 rotations together with this heating mechanism 44. Furthermore, the spout holder 40 is 45
When rotated, the spout holder 40 faces directly below, faces the shoulder of the paper container P supported by the tilting mechanism 23, approaches this, and adheres the spout. Figures 6 and 7 are
This figure shows the configuration of the plug holder 40 and its surroundings.A support shaft 52 is horizontally supported on a column 50 and a support frame 51 that are installed above the machine frame 10. A drive gear 53 is rotatably supported on the 51 side.

A cylindrical member 54 having a diameter slightly larger than that of the driving gear 53 is attached to the surface of the driving gear 53 on the side of the pillar 50, and an elliptical shape surrounding the cylindrical member 54 is attached to the circumference of both ends of the cylindrical member 54. A pair of rotating frames 55 and 56 are supported via rollers 57. These rotating frames 55 and 56 sandwich a heating mechanism 44, which will be described later, in their oval protrusions. On the other hand, the drive gear 53 and the cylindrical member 54 are connected to the support frame 51.
The rotating frame 55,
56 swings between the position shown in FIG. 6 and a position rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 6 via a mechanism not shown and a drive lock 59. Support parts 60 that support the plug holder 40 are formed on the cylindrical member 54 at intervals of 900. A pin 61 is supported in the center of the support part 60 so as to be able to rise and fall freely, and a mounting bracket 62 fixed to the inwardly projecting end of the pin 61 is connected to the spout holder 40 via support tubes 63 on both sides thereof. is supported. The support tube 63 protrudes outward from the through hole 64 of the support portion 60, and the plug holder 40 is fitted and supported in the protrusion. On the other hand, a roller 65 pivotally mounted below the mounting bracket 62 is always engaged with cam members 66 and 67, which will be described later. The cam members 66 and 67 move up and down according to their shapes. The first cam member 66 is fitted to one end of a first cylindrical member 68 fitted to the support shaft 52, and is connected via a first lever 69 attached to the other end of this cylindrical member 68. It is rotatable.

Further, the second cam member 67 is fitted to one end of a second cylindrical member 70 fitted to the outer periphery of the first cylindrical member 68,
The second cylindrical member 70 is rotated via a second lever 71 provided at the other end. The first cam member 66 has a protrusion 66a extending approximately 25 mm in the lower left portion corresponding to the heating mechanism 44 in FIG. 6, while the second cam member 67 corresponds to the positioning mechanism 43. The upper left portion and the lowermost portion serve as protrusions 67a and 67b, respectively. The width of these protrusions 67a and 67b is the same as that of the protrusion 6.
Smaller than 6a. Further, the first cam member 66 can be rotated approximately 20 degrees by a first lever 69, and the protruding portion 66
The effective protruding section of a can be set to about 45, but the second cam member 67 can be rotated about 100 times via the second lever 71. When the spout holder 40 in the uppermost position rotates 45 around the support shaft 52 and faces the positioning mechanism 43, the second cam member 67
After rotating four times to engage the protrusion 67a with the roller 65 and bringing the spout holder 40 close to the positioning mechanism 43 to position the spout held by the spout holder 40, return to the original position. The spout holder 40 is rotated to retreat.

When the spout holder 40 further rotates 450 degrees and faces the heating mechanism 44, in this position, the protrusion 66a of the first cam member 66 is at the lower left, and the spout holder 40
0 is separated from the heating mechanism 44, but the protruding portion 66a immediately rotates and engages with the roller 65, and the spout holder 40
is brought close to the heating mechanism 44. Next, the spout holder 40 is
Rotates 5 positions. At the same time, the heating mechanism 44 and the first cam member 66 also rotate, and as a result, the spout holder 4
0 rotates while remaining close to the heating mechanism 44 to heat the spout. Note that the cam member 66 stops at a position where it has rotated 20 degrees. Also retains the spout. The tool 40 is separated from the heating mechanism 44 and rotated to 45 to face directly below, but in this position, the roller 65 is not initially engaged with the protrusion 67b of the second cam member 67. , the second cam member 67 rotates and engages, whereby the spout holder/tool 40 protrudes downward and a pen cylinder 111 (described later) also protrudes to press the spout onto the paper container.
A spout supply mechanism 42 that supplies a spout to the spout holder 40
is fixed to the support frame 51 via a connecting plate 72, has four plug adsorption members 73, and has 90 pieces around the vertical axis via a drive mechanism 74 attached to the connecting plate 72. It seems to rotate intermittently.

The drive shaft of the drive mechanism 74 extends vertically downward through the connecting plate 72, and a rotary plate 75 is attached to the tip thereof, and the spout adsorption member 73 is provided on the rotary plate 75. The spout suction member 73 attracts the spout using vacuum force, and a valve mechanism 76 connected directly above this member 73 connects the vacuum force generated in a vacuum source (not shown) to a communicating pipe (not shown). The valve mechanism 76 is a well-known vacuum valve, and has a switch 77 at the upper part of the main body, and when this switch 77 is pressed, the inside of the spout suction member 73 is The plug adsorption member 73 is configured to communicate with the atmosphere and become a vacuum when the switch 77 is not pressed down. A push-down member 78 is provided so as to be movable up and down.

This push-down member 78 is connected to a piston of a cylinder device 79 installed upright on the upper surface of the connection plate 72, and its tip has a diameter larger than that of the cylinder device 79 so as to be able to push down the entire valve mechanism 76. . Therefore, when the push-down member 78 descends, it engages with the valve mechanism 76, and the spout suction member 73 descends to suction the spout C on the chute 41. By the way, this spout C is placed on the chute 41 with the intended adhesion position facing upward, and the spout C is directly attached to the spout adsorption member 73.
It is retained by adsorption. Note that the plug suction member 73 returns to its upward position due to the elastic force of the spring 82 that is elastically mounted between the valve mechanism 76 and the rotary plate 75. On the other hand, above the spout suction member 73 located directly above the spout holder 40, a pair of second pressing members 80 are provided so as to be movable up and down.

The pair of second pressing members 80 can be raised and lowered by a cylinder device 81 on the connecting plate 72, and the tip end of the second pressing member 80 is connected to the valve mechanism 76 so that only the switch 77 of the valve mechanism 76 can be pressed down.
The diameter is smaller than that of the main body. Therefore, when the push-down member 80 descends, the switch 77 is first depressed, and then the valve mechanism 76, that is, the spout adsorption member 73 is lowered to approach the spout holder 40. At this time, as the switch 77 is pressed down, the inside of the spout adsorption member 73 becomes atmospheric pressure, and the spout C
is released from the spout suction member 73 and supplied to the spout holder 40. The drive mechanism 74 of the spout supply mechanism 42 is driven by the transmission gear 58 and the like.

That is, when the spout holder 40 rotates by 45 degrees, the spout suction member 73 rotates 90 degrees around the vertical axis. On the other hand, the push-down members 78 and 80 operate when the drive mechanism 74 is stopped, and during this time, the spout suction member 73 is lowered to suction and release the spout C. Since the plug supply mechanism 42 has the above configuration, it operates as follows.

That is, the first push-down member 78 descends, pushes down the valve mechanism 76 and the spout adsorption member 73 against the elastic force of the spring 82, and pushes the spout suction member 73 onto the spout C on the chute 41. engage. The spout C is attracted by the vacuum force within the spout suction member 73, and is moved upward by the elastic force of the spring 82 as the push-down member 78 rises. However, the drive mechanism 7
4 operates, and the spout adsorption member 73 moves through the rotary plate 75 to 9.
0, rotates, and stops directly below the second push-down member 80. In this state, only the first pressing member 78 on the chute 41 is lowered, and the plug suction member 73 is rotated 900 times again. Thus, the plugs C are located directly below the pair of second pressing members 80, respectively. At this time, the spout holder 40
The empty spout holder 40 is also rotated, and the empty spout holder 40 is located at a position corresponding to the spout adsorption member 73. Here, a pair of second pressing members 8
0 descends, presses the switch 77, and the valve mechanism 7
6. Lower the main body and the plug adsorption member 73. however,
If a paper container corresponding to the spout holder 40 is not supplied,
Due to the action of a paper container detector (not shown), the push-down member 80 does not descend. Thus, the spout C is released from the spout adsorption member 73, and the spout holder 40 is supplied. Thereafter, the pair of second pressing members 80 rises, and the spout adsorption member 73 is urged by the spring 82 and returns to its original position. Then, the spout suction member 73 rotates 904 times around the vertical axis via the drive mechanism 74, and once stops. After detecting the presence or absence of the spout C by a spout detector (not shown) at this stop position, the spout suction member 73 rotates again by 90 degrees, returns to the top of the chute 41, and repeats the above operation. However, if the user returns with the plug C still held, the plug will not be received from the chute 41.
When the spout C is supplied to the spout holder 40, the spout holder 40 moves to the corresponding position of the positioning mechanism 43.

This positioning mechanism 73 is fixed to the support frame 51,
A rotating member 84 is rotatably supported on the main body 83. The rotating member 84 is provided facing diagonally downward to face the stop position of the spout holder 40. 8 and 9 show the main parts of the positioning mechanism 43. A drive gear 87 is fixed to a motor shaft 86 of a drive motor 85 attached to the main body 83, and a hole 88 of the main body 83 A rotation support member 90 is pivotally supported on an attached member 89 provided in the
The driving gear 87 and the rotation support member 90 mesh with an intermediate gear 91 pivotally connected therebetween, and interlock with each other.

The rotation support member 90 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the shaft portion 92 of the rotation member 84 is fitted inside. This shaft portion 92 projects upwardly from the rotation support member 90, and a pin 93 is supported through the projecting portion. This pin 93 is
A pair of protrusions 94 protruding from the upper surface of the rotation support member 90,
95 and rotates the rotation support member 90, the rotation member 84 rotates due to the engagement of the protrusions 94, 95 and the pin 93. Further, a spring 96 is elastically mounted between the rotating member 84 and the rotating support member 90, and the rotating member 84 can press against the spout C in the spout holder 40 with a constant force. On the other hand, the spout holder 40 includes a lower support part 97 fixed above the support cylinder 63, and a cylindrical outer support part that is fitted on the outer periphery of the lower support part 97 so as to be able to move up and down and has a longer axial length than the lower support part 97. It is equipped with 98.

A pen cylinder 111 is housed in the support tube 63, and the piston 112 of this pen cylinder 111 is attached to the lower support part 97.
protrudes from the hole and faces the top surface of the spout C. A slit 99 is formed below the outer support part 98, and a pin 100 formed in the lower part of the lower support part 97 fits into this slit 9.
9 is engaged. The outer support section 98 is connected to the lower support section 97.
is urged upward by a spring 101 provided between the
Normally, the pin 100 is in contact with the lower end of the slit 99. The spout C that has just been supplied from the spout supply mechanism 42 to the spout holder 40 is normally in the state shown in FIG. 8 within the spout holder 40.

That is, the adhesive part D of this spout C is not circular in plan,
It has a shape like an ellipse divided into two parts, and has a part that protrudes more than the outer circumference of the cylindrical body E and a part that does not protrude much. On the other hand, the shape of the hole in the outer support part 98 matches the shape of the adhesive part D, so normally the adhesive part D does not fit into the outer support part 98. , is placed on this upper end surface, and only the end of the cylindrical body E fits into the lower support part 97. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the spout holder 40 with the adhesive portion D placed on the upper end surface of the outer support portion 98 approaches the rotating member 84, the rotating member 84 presses the spout C. Rotate it.

When the adhesive portion D comes to a position matching the hole shape of the outer support portion 98, the plug C fits into the outer support portion 98 and stops its rotation. Meanwhile, the rotating member 84 continues to rotate,
As shown in FIG. 9, the outer support portion 98 is lowered by bending the spring 101, but the spout C is not rotated.
When the spout holder 40 retreats, the outer support portion 98 rises due to the elastic force of the spring 101, as shown in FIG. 10, and the spout C is completely fitted and supported by the lower support portion 97. . Once the spout C is positioned within the spout holder 40, it is then heated by the heating mechanism 44.

The heating mechanism 44 includes a support plate 1 held between rotating frames 55 and 56.
02, a protrusion 103 formed thereon and protruding toward the spout holder 40, and a heater 104. Both ends of the heater 104 are fixed to the support plate 102, and the center portion thereof is bent so as to protrude along the protruding portion 103. The protruding portion 103 protrudes through the center of the heater 104, and engages with the hole in the center of the adhesive portion D when heating the spout C. A constant distance can be maintained between the heater 104 and the heated position of the adhesive portion D. As described above, the spout holder 40 rotates while being close to the heating mechanism 44, and during this time the heater 104
heats the adhesive part D. Since the device of this embodiment has the above configuration, the tilting mechanism 23 is mounted on the support base 4.
The spout C is adhered to the paper container which is tilted by the following means and whose intended adhesion position is set horizontally. First, the spout suction member 73 of the spout supply mechanism 42 descends one step to attract the spout C on the chute 41, rotates by 900 or 180 degrees around the vertical axis, and moves onto the spout holder 40.
The spout adsorption member 73 descends again and transfers the spout C to the spout holder 40. Next, when the spout holder 40 rotates and the spout C faces the positioning mechanism 43, the cam member 67 rotates to engage the protrusion 67a with the roller 65, and the spout holder 40 moves toward the positioning mechanism 43. 43 and bring the spout C into contact with the rotating member 84. As a result, the spout C is rotated and fits into the outer support portion 98 when the outer shape of the adhesive portion D and the hole shape of the outer support portion 98 match. Then, the spout holder 40 separates from the rotating member 84 and rotates again to face the heating mechanism 44). Here, when the cam member 66 rotates and the spout holder 40 projects outward, the spout C held by it engages with the protrusion 103 of the heating mechanism 44, and its adhesive portion D is attached to the heater 104. begins to heat up. When the spout holder 40 thermally rotates by 45 degrees, the heating mechanism 44 and the cam member 66 also rotate, and during the rotation of the spout holder 40, the spout C faces the heater 104 and is heated. be done. Furthermore, the spout holder 40 rotates 45 pairs to face directly below, and as the cam member 97 rotates, it protrudes downward, and the piston 112 of the pen cylinder 111 also protrudes, and the spout C comes into contact with the paper container. At this time, it goes without saying that the amount of movement of the piston 112 is sufficient to press the spout C onto the paper container. Further, while the plug holder 40 is pointing directly downward, the heating mechanism 44 returns to its original position. As described above, the present invention rotates the spout holder in a vertical plane, positions the spout, heats it, and presses it onto the paper container during this rotation.

Therefore, the apparatus can be made relatively compact without taking up much space, and high processing capacity can be obtained. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the device of this embodiment, Fig. 2 is a side view of the device of the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a front view of the device of the embodiment, and Fig. 4 shows the tilting mechanism. 5 is a sectional view of the support base; FIG. 6 is a side view showing the spout transfer mechanism, spout supply mechanism, and positioning mechanism; and FIG. 7 is a side view showing the spout transfer mechanism. A cross-sectional view showing,
FIGS. 8 and 9 are sectional views showing essential parts of the positioning mechanism, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the heating mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A spout transfer mechanism that holds the spout with the intended adhesion position facing outward and rotates in a vertical plane to transfer the spout, and a first position on the outside of the spout transfer mechanism. a spout supply mechanism that is disposed at a second position outside the transfer path of the spout holder and that supplies the spout to the spout holder of the spout transfer mechanism; a heating mechanism that heats the intended bonding position of the spout held in the holder; the spout transfer mechanism receives the spout from the spout supply mechanism in a first position and rotates; A spout attachment device characterized in that the spout is heated at a position where the spout is to be bonded, and further rotated to attach the spout to a paper container by pressure bonding at a third position.