JPS6113215B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a capping method and a capping device, and more particularly to a capping method and device suitable for fitting and attaching a cap to a cartridge body member in the production of a film containing a cartridge. For example, in the production of 35 mm cartridge-filled film, part of the process includes a capping process in which a cap is fitted onto the cartridge body member. This capping process consists of a one-cap cartridge production stage in which a cap is attached to one end of the cartridge body member, and a completed cartridge production stage in which a cap is attached to the other end after one cap cartridge is filled with a film scroll. This is carried out in both stages.

In order to carry out such capping, the following methods have been developed. That is, the method shown in FIG. 1 is a method usually referred to as "front fitting", in which one of the caps 1 supplied along the supply path W by a chute or the like (not shown) is inserted into the cartridge body member. (Hereinafter, simply referred to as the "body member") 2 is held at a ready position 1-a coaxially facing the center axis By pushing along the
This method is method 1-b, in which the fitting part 4 of the cap 1 is fitted into the fitting part 3 on the outer periphery of the end of the body member 2, and the process of pushing the cap 1-a is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-1999.
It is also disclosed in Publication No. 115216.

However, in this method, cap 1
The entire fitting portion 4 of the cap 1 is fitted to the fitting portion 3 of the body member 2 at one time under various constraints due to the shape and size of the body member 2 and the shape and size of the fitted portion 3 of the body member 2. It is necessary to complete the conditions for capping, i.e., how to tighten the body member 2 when the cap 1 is fitted (the mode of body tightening), and the axis alignment of the body member 2 and the cap 1. Another drawback is that it is very difficult to set the conditions for pushing in the cap 1-a.

The method shown in FIG. 2 is the original form of the so-called "snag fit" and is the method disclosed in US Pat. No. 2,940,232. That is, the supply path W
The caps 1 that have been continuously fed along the cap are separated one by one and are kept on standby at a preparatory position 1-c in a fixed posture by a capping applicator (not shown). For this cap 1-c,
As shown by arrow B, the body member 2 advances from a direction slightly inclined and crossing the cap 1-c, and a part (tip end) of the fitted portion 3 of the body member 2 is moved.
H is engaged with the inner surface of the tip T of the fitting part 4 of the cap 1-c, and at this time, the cap 1 is rotated in the mounting direction around the engaged tip T, as shown by arrow C. Capping is achieved by applying pressure. This method has the advantage that since the engaging step and the subsequent fitting step are separated, if the engaging step is reliably accomplished, the subsequent fitting step can be performed relatively easily.

However, in this method, capping is performed while the body member 2 is being transferred in the direction of arrow B, and it is necessary to move the body member 2 by hooking the cap 1. There is a drawback that the required relative positional relationship is likely to be lost, and therefore the engagement process cannot be performed reliably and there is a high possibility that capping will fail.

The method shown in FIG. 3 is an intermediate type between the above two methods, in which the cap 1 is moved from the fitted state 1-e to the ready position 1-e along a circle centered on the rotation center O. d and rotated around the center of rotation O as shown by arrow D to perform capping. 2 and the subsequent fitting process are not clearly separated, and there are times when they are carried out at the same time. Therefore, the reliability of both processes is low, and the advantages of "front-to-face fitting" are comparatively low. The ease of alignment is also imperfect, and rather has both of the drawbacks.

In addition, in either method, the body member 1 is
During the capping operation, the torso is held in a certain shape, and when capping is completed, the torso is released.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a capping method that can reliably fit and attach a cap to a body member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a capping device which has a simple structure and can reliably perform the above method.

The capping method of the present invention is a capping method in which a cap is fitted and attached to a fitted portion on the outer periphery of an end of a cylindrical body member, in which the body member is restrained and held so that the outer periphery of the end becomes an oval shape. in,
A part of the fitting part of the cap is engaged with the fitted part of the body member at the top of one of the oval shapes, and the cap is rotated in the mounting direction about the engaging part. Then, while pressing the cap in the mounting direction, the other top of the oval shape at the outer periphery of the end of the body member is pressed down to flatten the body member, so that the entire fitting portion of the cap is flattened. It is characterized by including the step of positioning the body member on the fitted portion.

The capping device of the present invention also includes a body member holding mechanism for restraining and holding a cylindrical body member having a fitted portion on the outer circumferential edge of the end thereof so that the outer circumferential edge of the end portion thereof becomes an oval shape, and a central axis of the body member. The rotation support frame is provided to rotate around a first rotation axis that is spaced apart and orthogonal to each other, and the rotation support frame is provided to rotate around a second rotation axis that is parallel to the first rotation axis. an applicator provided on a support frame to hold the cap, a support frame rotation mechanism, an applicator rotation mechanism, and a body member push-down suppression mechanism that presses down the outer peripheral edge of the end portion of the body member in the long diameter direction of the oval shape. By the rotation of the rotation support frame, a part of the fitting part of the cap held by the applicator is moved to a part of the body member at the position of one top of the oval shape. , the cap is rotated in a mounting direction by the rotation of the applicator, and the body member push-down suppression mechanism presses down the other top of the oval shape to suppress it from being flat. shall be.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, while the barrel member 2 is held in a stationary position, the cap 1, which is fed along the supply path W, is placed in a ready state 1-f. This preparatory state 1-f changes from the engaged state 1-g, which corresponds to the cap 1-c in the state in which engagement has been achieved in the example of FIG. It is in a position where it is retracted along the circumference. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the body member 2 is pressed from both lateral directions as indicated by arrows E and F to suppress the outer peripheral edge 5 of the end portion where the fitted portion 3 is located into an oval shape. While doing so, the cap 1-f in the prepared state is first rotated in the mounting direction around the rotation center O1, and the portion 4L located at the lower end of the fitting portion 4 of the cap 1 is aligned with the outer peripheral edge 5 of the end portion. The cap 1-g is engaged with the lower end, that is, the lower apex LT of the oval shape to bring the engaged state 1-g.
is pressed in the fitting direction, and the cap 1 is pressed onto the fitted portion 3 of the body member 2 in an area S exceeding half a circumference centered on the lower end of the cap 1 (a half circumference centered on the lower end of the body member 2). While continuing to press the cap 1 in the fitting direction, the end outer peripheral edge 5 of the body member 2, which has been suppressed into an oval shape, as shown in FIG. By pushing down the upper top portion UT in the radial direction inward as shown by the arrow F in FIG. /Or by using the restoring force of the cap 1 itself, the entire fitting portion 4 of the cap 1 is positioned over the entire fitting portion 3 of the body member 2 1-h, and then the body member 2 is deformed. The restraining force and the pressing force of the cap 1 are released, and the cap 1 is fitted onto the body member 2.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the film outlet tongue of the body member 2 is omitted.

FIG. 7 shows a main part of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention for carrying out the above method of the present invention. In this example, 10 indicates a capping applicator (hereinafter simply referred to as "applicator"), and this applicator 10 is rotatable around a rotation center O1 by a first rotation shaft 11. Gate-shaped rotating support frame 12
A first push rod 13 is connected to the rotating support frame 12, which rotates the rotating support frame 12 by being energized by an operation command from a cam mechanism or the like. Rotating support frame 1
A cap holder 15 is connected to the center of the second bridging rod 14 at its lower end so as to be rotatable around the rotation center O2 where the bridging rod 14 is located, and this cap holder 15 is equipped with a cam mechanism, etc. A second push rod 16 is connected, which is energized by an operation command to rotate the cap holder 15.

On the other hand, 20 indicates a holding mechanism for holding the body member 2, and this holding mechanism 20 consists of a pair of levers 22, 22 which are rotatably provided with a pin 21 as a fulcrum.
and a clamp part 2 formed with a holding recess in the lower half of the levers 22, 22.
Spring 24 that restrains 3 and 23 in the expansion direction
Then, the actuating portion 2 in the upper half of the levers 22, 22 is operated so that the clamp portions 23, 23 perform a clamping operation.
It consists of an expansion mechanism 26 that expands 5 and 25,
The expansion mechanism 26 in the illustrated example has the operating portions 25, 2
A pair of parallel drive pins 27, 27 located between 5
It is constituted by a rotating disk 28 having a.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a body member push-down suppressing mechanism, which moves on a circular trajectory passing along the front side of the clamp.
It is composed of a push-down member 32 rotatably supported by a pivot shaft 31 and a push rod 32 that urges this push-down member 32. An arc-shaped suppressing portion 34 is formed along a circle with a large radius.

FIG. 8 schematically shows an apparatus for supplying a cap to the cap holder 15 of the applicator 10 described above. In this figure, 40 is a vibrating parts feeder, and by putting an appropriate amount of caps into an upper tray 41, the caps are fed along a spiral feeding path 42 provided on the inner surface of the tray 41. They are fed in a line. At this time, it is necessary to distinguish between the front and back sides of the caps, and to remove those with inappropriate orientation from the feed path 42 and return them to the center of the tray 41. To do this, for example, as shown in the figure, A reflective photoelectric sensor 44 and an air nozzle 45 are installed in this order through holes 43 and 43' drilled on the back side of the feeding path 42 of the cap, and the photoelectric sensor 44 distinguishes between the front and back sides of the cap based on the difference in paint color between the front and back sides of the cap. However, the pressurized air stream from the air nozzle 45 may be selectively injected to only those caps that are not in the required state to blow them off. Other than this method, without using a photoelectric sensor, the air nozzle is directly opposed to the feed path 42 of the cap at an appropriate angular position, and the air is supplied by the cross-sectional shape of the skirt part and center hole part related to the fitting part 4 of the cap 1. There is also a method of blowing off only the inappropriately oriented caps from the feed path 42 by taking advantage of the fact that the state of resistance to the flow is different when facing up and when facing down.

Only the caps oriented in the desired direction as described above are sequentially fed from the parts feeder 40 to the chute 46, and via this chute 46, the caps are fed to the applicator 10. Conventionally, the parts feeder 40 is always kept in an excited state, and the part feeder 40 is always kept in an oversupply state with respect to the rate at which the caps are consumed.
A cap presence/absence detector 47 such as a transmission type photoelectric sensor is installed in the middle of the chute 46 when capping by the applicator 10 is stopped and the cap stays at the position of the detector 47 in the chute 46 and emits light for a certain period of time or more. When the cap is shut off, it is preferable that the vibration of the parts feeder 40 is switched to a slight vibration using a signal from the detector 47, so that the feeding of the caps from the parts feeder 40 can be virtually stopped. By doing this, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced when cap consumption is stopped, and the supply capacity of the parts feeder 40 increases when it starts vibrating again after being completely stopped. It has the effect of preventing defects caused by

The caps that have traveled through the chute 46 are set one by one in the cap holder 15 of the applicator 10 by a one-by-one feeding mechanism 50 as shown in FIG. 9, for example. The single piece feeding mechanism 50 in FIG.
Two stoppers 51A, 51B are inserted into the chute 46 through holes 48A, 48B arranged in parallel in the running direction in the back plate 47 of the chute 46 to stop and hold the cap 1, respectively, and these stoppers 51A, 5
It is of a tandem operation type, comprising a link 52 and an air cylinder 53 that alternately set 1B to the operating position. In the illustrated state, the lower stopper 51B
is in the operating position, and from this state air cylinder 5
3 is driven, the cap 1A that has been stopped by the lower stopper 51B falls and is supplied into the cap holder 15, and at the same time, the cap 1B following the cap 1A is moved by the upper stopper 51A.
When the air cylinder 53 returns to its original position, the cap 1B is prevented from falling by the lower stopper 5.
1B, it is in a stopped state and ready for the next capping.

The cap holder 15 of the applicator 10 is
Shoot 46 reliably even during high-speed capping.
It is effective to place an electromagnet 55 or a permanent magnet with an appropriate magnetic force on the back of the cap holder 15 so that the cap can be held in a stable manner.This allows the cap holder 15 to hold the cap stably. becomes.

Also, from the feeding mechanism 50 to the cap holder 15
In order to transfer one cap at a time and set it stably, it is effective to provide a shutter on the front of the cap holder 15.
One of the methods is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 102031. However, since this method requires space for the opening and closing trajectory of the shutter, the cap receiving position of the cap holder must be moved backwards, which increases the travel distance of the cap holder. In the illustrated example, a sliding shutter 57 that opens and closes in the direction of the chute 46 by an air cylinder 56 is provided, so that the moving distance of the cap holder 15 may be small. By using the above-mentioned magnet in combination, the cap can be held in a predetermined position on the cap holder 15 reliably and stably.

Note that in the present invention, the cap holder 15
As shown in FIG. 10, the holding mechanism for the cap does not rely on magnets or the like, but instead uses a claw member 6 that is restrained inwardly by springs 60, 60.
1 and 61 may be provided on the cap holder 15, and the cap 1 may be held by the force of the springs 60 and 60. However, in this case, the 9th
Single piece feeding mechanism using gravity as shown in the figure 5
In addition to 0, a forced feeding mechanism is required to set and hold the cap 1 by expanding the claw members 61, 61 against the springs 60, 60, but this forced feeding mechanism is not known in the art. can be used.

According to the capping device having the above configuration, capping is performed in the following manner according to the method of the present invention.

1. The parts feeder 40 sends only caps 1 in proper orientation to the chute 46 in tandem.

2 The cap holder 1 is moved by the one-piece feeding mechanism 50.
One cap 1 is set to 5 and held.

3 In the applicator 10, the rotation support frame 12 is rotated around the rotation center O1 by the push rod 13, and the cap holder 15 is moved toward the end of the body member 2 held by the holding mechanism 20. , are rotated along the circumference of circle R1.

4 On the other hand, the levers 22, 22 of the holding mechanism 20 hold the body member 2 in a state in which the end where the fitted portion 3 is located protrudes, and is further pressed from both sides so that the outer peripheral edge of the end It is suppressed into a long oval shape in the vertical direction. Then, according to 3) above, after the lower end of the cap 1 held by the cap holder 15 is engaged with the lower apex LT of the outer peripheral edge of the oval end, the push rod 16 moves the cap holder 15 to the rotation center O2. is rotated along the circumference of a circle R2 centered at , thereby achieving a semi-fitted state in a region S exceeding half the circumference.

5 Next, by energizing the push rod 33 of the body member push-down suppressing mechanism 30, the push-down member 32 is rotated, and the suppressing portion 34 on the lower edge thereof causes the body member 2 to be shaped into an oval shape in 4) above. The upper top portion UT of the outer peripheral edge of the end portion is pressed down and deformed to suppress it into a flat state. At this time, the pressing force by the holding mechanism 20 is loosened to an extent that the flattening deformation is allowed. During this time, the press rod 16 continues to press the cap 1 through the cap holder 15, so that the entire fitting portion 4 of the cap 1 is positioned on the fitting portion 3 of the body member 2.

6. The rear body member push-down restraining mechanism 30 is returned to its original position, and the pressing force exerted by the levers 22, 22 of the holding mechanism 20 is reduced to a mere holding state, thereby completing capping.

Capping is then carried out by removing the completed shell and supplying the next shell.

In the present invention, the capping process includes an engagement process of engaging a part of the fitting part 4 of the cap 1 with a part of the fitted part 3 of the body member 2, and a subsequent fitting process. Since they are separated and the body member 2 is in a stationary state, there is a large degree of freedom in carrying out the engagement process, and this can be accomplished easily and reliably. Furthermore, the fitting process is accomplished by a rotation path that is completely different from the movement locus of the cap 1 for the engagement process, and the area S exceeding half the circumference is
The semi-fitted state is easily and reliably achieved because the outer peripheral edge of the end of the body member 2 is suppressed into an oval shape, and furthermore, after this semi-fitted state is achieved, the body member is not pressed down. The operation of the mechanism 30 almost inevitably places the entire fitting portion 4 of the cap 1 on the fitting portion 3 of the body member 2.

As a result of the above, the cap 1 is always securely connected to the body member 2.
It can be fitted and attached to.

Further, according to the device of the present invention, the process from receiving the cap of the applicator 10 to completing the above-mentioned engagement process is carried out by rotating the rotating support frame 12, and the fitting process is performed by rotating the cap holder 15 on the rotating support frame 12.
Since each operation is performed reliably by the rotation of the The above-described method can be achieved with ease.

Further, in the illustrated example, the holding mechanism 20 is constituted by a pair of levers 22, 22, which are connected to a parallel drive pin 27, which is provided on a rotating disk 28,
27, the actuating parts 25, 25 of the levers 22, 22
By expanding, the clamping parts 23, 23 of the levers 22, 22 are clamped, so by controlling the rotation angle of the disc 28, the body member 2 is moved with the desired clamping pressure. Therefore, the shape of the outer peripheral edge 5 of the end portion can be changed by changing the clamping pressure from a state where the body member 2 is simply held to a state where the outer peripheral edge 5 of the end portion becomes an oval shape. In the semi-fitted state in which the cap 1 is fitted into the region S beyond half the circumference from the engagement process, the shape of the outer peripheral edge 5 of the end portion can be made appropriate, and the mechanism for suppressing the pressing down of the body member can be made appropriate. 30
When suppressing the deformation of the outer circumferential edge 5 of the end portion due to this, a clamping pressure state suitable for this can be achieved. Of course, if no spreading force is applied to the operating parts 25, 25, the spring 24 will cause the levers 22, 22
is in an open state.

Furthermore, the clamp parts 23, 23 of the levers 22, 22
Since the barrel member 2 is clamped with equal force from both sides, the central axis X of the barrel member 2 is not displaced, and the position with the applicator 10 can be reliably adjusted. On the other hand, a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,232, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 115216/1982, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 102031/1984, in which the body member is clamped from only one side between it and a fixed lever. Then, the central axis of the body member is displaced in the direction of the clamping pressure. In particular, when capping after filling a film scroll, it is necessary to take into account the alignment with the other end, which has already been capped, and the filled scroll. The method according to is particularly suitable.

The operations of the applicator 10, the holding mechanism 20, and the body member pressing mechanism 30 described above need to be performed in a certain synchronous relationship, and for that purpose,
The movable parts of each of the above mechanisms may be operated by a suitable cam mechanism or the like.

In the present invention, various changes can be made, and in particular, the rotation center O1 of the rotation support frame 12 is
It is not essential that it be located on the same plane as the end surface of the body member held by the holding mechanism 20;
In order to achieve the engagement process, the cap may be rotated so as to approach the circumference along the circumference where one of the tops of the oval shapes is located, or it may be further configured such that the cap is rotated in a straight line without rotation. The engagement step may be accomplished in close proximity to each other.

The method and apparatus of the present invention can of course be applied to capping both ends of the shell member, i.e. before and after filling the film scroll.

As described above, according to the present invention, capping of the body member can be easily and reliably achieved.
In particular, even high-speed capping can be achieved with high reliability.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 are explanatory diagrams of the conventional capping method, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the moving state of the cap in an example of the capping method of the present invention, and Figures 5 and 6 are illustrations of suppressing deformation of the body member. FIG. 7 is an explanatory perspective view of essential parts of an example of the device of the present invention, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a cap feeding device, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a preferred example of a single-piece feeding mechanism and a sitter. FIG. 10 is an explanatory front view showing another example of the cap holder. 1... Cap, 2... Body member, 3... Fitted part, 4
...fitting portion, 5...outer peripheral edge of end portion, 10...applicator, 12...rotation support frame, 15...cap holder,
20... Holding mechanism, 22... Lever, 25... Actuation part,
27... Parallel drive pin, 30... Trunk member pressing mechanism, 3
3...Press rod, 40...Parts feeder, 44...Photoelectric sensor, 45...Air nozzle, 46...Chute, 47
...detector, 50...1 piece feeding mechanism, 55...electromagnet,
57...Shutter, 60...Spring, 61...Claw member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A capping method in which a cap is fitted to a fitted portion of an outer peripheral edge of a cylindrical body member, comprising:
While the body member is restrained and held so that the outer circumferential edge of the end portion thereof is oval, a part of the fitting portion of the cap is attached to the fitted portion of the body member at the top of one of the oval shapes. the cap is engaged in the mounting direction, and the cap is rotated in the mounting direction about the engaging portion, and then, while pressing the cap in the mounting direction, the body member is moved to the other top of the oval shape at the outer peripheral edge of the end thereof. A capping method comprising the step of positioning the entire fitting portion of the cap over the fitting portion of the body member by pressing down and flattening the cap. 2. A body member holding mechanism that suppresses and holds a cylindrical body member having a fitted portion on the outer circumferential edge of the end thereof so that the outer circumferential edge of the end portion thereof becomes an oval shape is spaced apart from and orthogonal to the central axis of the body member. A rotation support frame provided to rotate around a first rotation axis, and a second rotation support frame parallel to the first rotation axis.
an applicator for holding the cap, which is provided on the rotation support frame so as to rotate around a rotation axis; a support frame rotation mechanism; an applicator rotation mechanism; a body member push-down suppressing mechanism that pushes down in the long diameter direction of the oval shape, and by rotation of the rotating support frame, a part of the fitting portion of the cap held by the applicator is pushed down in the long diameter direction of the oval shape. is engaged with a part of the body member at the position of one top of the oval shape, the cap is rotated in the mounting direction by the rotation of the applicator, and the body member push-down suppression mechanism is engaged with a part of the body member at the position of the other top of the oval shape. A capping device characterized by being pressed down to flatten the capping device.