JPS6236922B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying bottles to be cleaned, for example, to a bottle washer or the like, and more specifically to an improvement in a guide member disposed on a conveyor.

This type of conveyance device has a guide member to reliably transfer the conveyed object to a processing device in the next process. That is, the objects to be conveyed are divided and aligned by the guide members, and are conveyed in rows along the conveyance path formed between these guide members. However, in order to be able to cope with changes in the size of the transported object, conventional transport devices have replaceable guide members, making it possible to obtain a transport path with a width that matches the size of the transported object. It is configured as follows. However, when there are many rows of objects to be transported, such as in a transport device connected to a bottle washer, etc., the number of guide members increases, and replacing them requires a great deal of time and effort, requiring the processing line to be stopped. The problem is that it takes a long time.

In view of the above points, the present invention provides a conveyance device capable of changing the width of a conveyance path without replacing guide members, and includes a conveyor for placing and conveying articles, and a conveyor for conveying articles. In the conveying device, the article is conveyed by introducing the article into a conveying path formed between the guide members and passing the article in parallel with each other on the conveyor. A pair of plate members whose upstream ends are hinge-connected, a pair of support members that extend in the width direction of the conveyor and that are separately attached to the vertical upper part of these plate members, and a pair of support members that are provided on the sides of the conveyor and that connect the above-mentioned support members to the conveyor. It is characterized by comprising an adjustment mechanism that expands and contracts the interval between the plate members by moving them forward and backward in the width direction.

The present invention will be explained below using an example in which the present invention is applied to a pretreatment process of a bottle washer. In Figure 1, container C
is placed on a conveyor 1 and conveyed in the direction of arrow A, and is engaged with a rotatably provided transfer member 2 at the end of the conveyor 1 and transferred to a holder 3 of a bottle washer. The holder 3 is attached to the chain 4 and moves in the direction of arrow B to transport the container C to a dipping tank or a washing process (not shown).In order to reliably receive the container C from the delivery member 2, It passes near the guide rail 6 in synchronization with the movement. Further, a pushing member 7 is swingably provided above the guide rail 6, and when the container C is transferred into the holder 3, it is pressed by the pushing member 7 to ensure that it is pushed into the holder 3. It's getting old.

A guide member 8 is provided in the rear half of the conveyor 1 to align the containers C one by one, and in front of this guide member 8 is provided a guide member 8 that periodically presses the containers C conveyed in groups. A stirring member 9 for stirring is provided to prevent the so-called bridging phenomenon in which the containers C stick together at the entrance of the guide member 8.

Each guide member 8 consists of a pair of plate-like members 8a and 8b, respectively, as shown in FIGS.
They are connected by hinges 10 at the side ends. The plate members 8a and 8b extend vertically upward and support the support members 12 and 13 of the first adjustment mechanism 11, respectively.
It is connected to the. On the other hand, a pair of screw shafts 15 and 16 are supported by the fixed frame 14 so as to be rotatable around their respective axes, and these screw shafts are engaged with each other on the outside of the fixed frame 14. One screw shaft 15 is screwed into the support member 12, and the other screw shaft 16 is screwed into the support member 13. Therefore, when the handle 17 fixed to the screw shaft 15 is rotated, both screw shafts can be screwed together. 15, 16 can rotate in opposite directions to move the support members 12, 13 in opposite directions. That is, the pair of plate-like members 8a and 8b of the guide member 8 expands and contracts with respect to each other, and the width of the conveying path formed between the adjacent guide members 8 is adjusted, as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. As shown, it is possible to obtain a conveyance path of any width depending on the diameter of the container C.

The stirring member 9 is provided in front of each guide member 8, and is configured to move forward and backward along the conveyance direction of the container C, respectively. The forward and backward movements are such that adjacent objects move in opposite directions, so that the containers C can smoothly enter the transport path.

Similarly to the guide member 8, the stirring member 9 can also be expanded and contracted. That is, each stirring member 9
consists of a pair of plate-like members 9a and 9b, respectively, and these plate-like members 9a and 9b are set in a shape so as not to interfere with the guide member 8 when they move forward and backward, and are connected by a hinge 18 at the end. and a second adjustment mechanism 1 at the top.
9 and 20. As described above, since adjacent stirring members 9 move in opposite directions, a pair of stirring members moving in the same direction is connected to one adjustment mechanism 19, and the other One set of stirring members is connected to the other adjustment mechanism 20 . That is, these adjustment mechanisms 1
9 and 20 are configured to move toward and away from each other.

Looking at one of the adjustment mechanisms 19 here, a pair of support members 22 and 23 extending in the width direction of the conveyor 1 slide on a box 21 that is supported by the fixed frame 14 through support rods 27 so as to be able to move forward and backward. These supporting members 22, 23 are movably supported.
Screw shafts 24 and 25 that are screwed together are mounted rotatably around the axis. These screw shafts 24, 2
5 mesh with each other on the outside of the box body 21, and a handle 26 is fixed to one screw shaft 24. Therefore, when the handle 26 is rotated, the screw shafts 24 and 25 rotate in opposite directions, and the support members 22 and 23 move in opposite directions to expand and contract the plate members 9a and 9b.

The other adjustment mechanism 20 has the same structure as the adjustment mechanism 19 described above, and connects the stirring member 9 connected to this adjustment mechanism 19 and the adjacent stirring member 9.

Since the device of this embodiment has the above configuration, when the diameter of the container C to be transported is changed, it is only necessary to rotate the handles 17, 26, etc., and as a result, all the guide members 8 and the stirring By changing the width of the member 9, the width of the conveyance path is adjusted. When the drive source is turned on, the conveyor 1 starts operating and the stirring member 9 moves forward and backward to carry out normal conveyance processing.

It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to a conveyance device in a bottle washing machine but also to a container packaging machine and the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, each guide member that divides the article conveyance interval on the conveyor is installed separately on a pair of plate members whose upstream ends of the conveyor are hinge-connected, and on the vertical upper part of these plate members. It is composed of a pair of supporting members attached to the belt extending in the width direction of the conveyor, and an adjustment mechanism provided on the side of the conveyor to move the support members forward and backward in the width direction of the conveyor to increase and contract the intervals between the plate members. Because of the above-mentioned adjustment mechanism, the width of the conveyance path for the conveyed object can be changed simply by operating the operating member such as the handle, so the work can be completed within a short time and there is no need to stop the processing line. In addition to shortening the time and improving the operating rate of the entire device, the upstream end of the conveyor is hinged and each guide member that expands and contracts itself allows articles to be smoothly passed between each guide member at the hinged end. In addition to being able to introduce and guide between each guide member,
It has the advantage that it can also be used as a stirring member.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an example in which an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a bottle washing machine, Fig. 2 is a partially sectional plan view showing the embodiment device, and Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2. FIGS. 4a and 4b are plan views showing a state in which the guide member is expanded and contracted. 1... Conveyor, 8... Guide member, C... Article (container).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conveyor on which articles are placed and conveyed, and guide members disposed parallel to each other on this conveyor, and while introducing and passing the articles into a conveyance path formed between these guide members. In a conveying device for conveying, each of the above-mentioned guide members is connected to a pair of plate members whose upstream ends of the conveyor are hinge-connected, and a pair of support members extending in the width direction of the conveyor and separately attached to the vertical upper part of these plate members. and an adjustment mechanism provided on the side of the conveyor to move the support members forward and backward in the width direction of the conveyor to increase and contract the intervals between the plate members.