JPS636098Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning polygonal containers that aligns the orientations of specific surfaces of containers having regular polygonal surfaces.

The above-mentioned device conventionally includes a rotatable container stand on which a container having a regular n-gonal surface is placed on a rotating turret, and a detection mechanism that detects a specific surface of the container at n-1 locations along the rotation direction of the rotating turret. , corresponding to the detection mechanism, when the detection mechanism does not detect a specific surface of the container, it engages with a trip plate integrated with the container stand, and moves the container stand 360°/n via the trip plate. A container table rotation mechanism is provided to rotate the container table, and the container table is provided with a container table rotation mechanism that rotates the container table.
Supply a square container, and while the turret rotates, n
- A system has been proposed in which a detection mechanism detects a specific surface at one location, and when the specific surface is not detected, the container stand is sequentially rotated 360°/n to align the orientation of the specific surface of the container. ing.

However, in the conventional method described above, the opposite sides of the containers sent to the sorting device must be controlled on the upstream side of the sorting device, and depending on the line, it may be difficult to control the opposite sides on the upstream side of the device. It was hot.

The present invention was proposed in view of the above-mentioned points, and its purpose is to provide an alignment device for polygonal containers that can cope with the above-mentioned problems by making it possible to regulate opposite sides of containers within the alignment device. It is about providing.

The present invention provides a rotating turret with a rotatable container stand on which a container having a regular n-gonal surface is placed, and a detection mechanism that detects specific surfaces of the container at n-1 locations along the rotational direction of the rotating turret. Corresponding to the detection mechanism, when the detection mechanism does not detect a specific surface of the container, it engages with a trip plate integrated with the container stand, and connects the container stand via the trip plate.
In a rectangular container aligning device equipped with a container table rotation mechanism that rotates the container table by 360°/n, a clutch is interposed between the container table and the trip plate, and a clutch is provided between the container supply position on the container table and the first one. A polygonal container characterized by being provided with a clutch disconnection mechanism that puts the clutch in a disconnected state for a certain section between the detection position and an opposite side regulating mechanism that rotates the container stand in a free state and restricts the opposite sides of the container. The container is fed onto the container stand, and the container stand is separated from the trip plate by the clutch during the interval until the container is rotated to the first detection position by the detection mechanism, and the container is placed in a free state. During this period, the opposite sides are regulated by rotating the container stand by the opposite sides regulating mechanism, so there is no need to supply the containers to the alignment device with the opposite sides regulated. Therefore, it is possible to deal with cases where it is difficult to control the opposing sides of the containers on the upstream side of the alignment device.

The present invention will be explained below based on one embodiment.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a container supply conveyor, 2 is a timing screw, 3 is a container supply star wheel, 4 is a rotating turret, 5 is a container discharge star wheel, 6 is a container discharge conveyor, 7 is a container opposite side regulating mechanism, 8a to 8e indicate the detection position of the specific surface of the container and the rotational position of the container stand when the specific surface is not detected, and these are arranged in a plane as shown in the figure.

The rotating turret 4 consists of a plurality of upper and lower turrets 4a, 4e fixed to a rotating shaft (not shown) and a turret 4c (not shown), and the turret 4c includes a plurality of container holders 9 equally spaced around the circumference as is well known. is mounted so that it can move up and down using a cam etc. 10 is a container stand fixed to the upper part of a shaft 12 which is rotatably attached to the turret 4b via a bearing 11 in correspondence with the container holder 9; 13 is a container supplied on the container stand 10; A regular hexagonal container is shown. 14 is a regular hexagonal trip plate fixed to the lower part of a shaft 16 rotatably mounted on the turret 4a via a bearing 15 in correspondence with the container stand 10; 17 is a regular hexagonal trip plate fixed to the lower end of the shaft 12 via a sliding key 18; 19 is a lower pawl plate fixed to the upper end of the shaft 16, and both pawl plates 17 and 19 are engaged by a clutch mechanism in which the upper pawl plate 17 is moved up and down. When this clutch mechanism is disconnected, the container stand 10 is in a state where it can be freely rotated, and when it is connected, the container stand 10 is in a state where it is rotated integrally with the trip plate 14.

20 is a lifter that engages with the upper pawl plate 17 via a bush 21, and has cam followers 2 at both ends.
2 and 23, and is attached to guide rods 24 and 25 fixed between turrets 4a and 4b so as to be able to move up and down, and is constantly urged downward by springs 26 and 27.

Cam followers 29 28 are provided at each apex of the hexagonal trip plate 14 and are rotatably supported by a shaft 30 fixed to the turret 4a, and levers 31 and 32 that engage with one side of the trip plate 14 are attached to the turret 4a and Pin provided on lever 29, 3
3 is a spring installed between pins 31 and 32.

Specific surface detection position and container table rotation position 8a to 8
A cylinder 35 is installed on a fixed base 34, and a piston rod 37 of the cylinder 35 is rotatably mounted on the fixed base 34 via a shaft 36.
A cam 39 connected to the piston rod 37 via a connector 38 is disposed, and when the piston rod 37 is protruded,
A cam 39 engages with a cam follower 28 provided on the trip plate 14 to rotate the trip plate 14 by 60 degrees. Further, at the same position, a photoelectric detector 40 for detecting a mark attached to a specific surface of the container 13 on the container stand 10 and a proximity switch 41 for detecting the passage of the container stand 10 are arranged. cylinder 35, photoelectric detector 40,
As shown in FIG. 6, when the photoelectric detector 40 detects a mark on a specific surface, the proximity switch 41 inputs this signal (set signal) to the flip-flop 43 via the inverter 42, and its output signal drives the electromagnetic valve. The solenoid valve 45 is energized by the output signal from the solenoid valve drive circuit 44, and the cylinder 35 is actuated to operate the piston rod 3.
7 is set to the retracted position, and when the proximity switch 41 detects passage of the container stand 10,
This signal (reset signal) is input to the flip-flop 43 via the inverter 46, and its output cancels the set signal, demagnetizes the solenoid valve 45 via the solenoid valve drive circuit 44, and resets the cylinder 3.
The circuit is configured to return the piston rod 37 of No. 5 to the extended position. Incidentally, the piston rod 37 of the cylinder 35 is set to be always in the protruding position.

Further, an opposite side regulating mechanism 7 for the container 13 is disposed in a section between the container supply star wheel 3 and the first detection and rotation position 8a, and this opposite side regulating mechanism 7 is installed on a fixed base 47. A motor 48, a pulley 51 with a friction plate rotatably provided on the output shaft 49 of the motor 48 via a bearing 50, a disc spring 52 fixed to the motor output shaft 49 in pressure contact with the friction plate of the pulley 51, and a fixing base. A pair of pulleys 53, 54 rotatably provided on each of the pulleys 47,
Flat belt 5 mounted between pulleys 53 and 54
5. A pulley 57 provided at the lower end of the support shaft 56 of the pulley 53, a timing belt 58 installed between the pulley 57 and the pulley 51 with a friction plate, and a container stand 1 on the side facing the flat belt 55.
A stopper 60 is disposed to be displaceable against the spring 59 at a position in contact with the container 13 on the upper side, and an inner side disposed to raise the lifter 20 in order to disconnect the clutch mechanism described above at the opposite side regulating position. and outer cams 61, 62, etc.

Next, the action will be explained.

Containers 13, which are conveyed in any direction on the conveyor 1, are indexed at predetermined intervals by the timing screw 2, and are supplied via the star wheel 3 onto the container stand 10 provided on the turret 4b. . When the container 13 is supplied onto the container stand 10, the container presser 9 descends and holds the head of the container 13. This container holder 9 is designed to be able to rotate as the container 13 rotates.

In this state, the container 13 is facing in any direction, for example, the direction shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
When the cam followers 22 and 23 engage with the cam followers 1 and 62, they are raised, and the engagement between the pawl plates 17 and 19 is broken, so that the container stand 10 is in a free state, and the container stand 10 is connected to the motor 48 and the output shaft 49. , a disc spring 52, a pulley 51 with a friction plate, a timing belt 58, and a pulley 57.

On the other hand, the container 13 contacts the stopper 60 and displaces the stopper 60 against the spring 59, but as the container stand 10 is rotated as described above, the stopper 60 is brought into contact with the opposite side of the container 13 as shown by the solid line in FIG. When they come into contact with each other, the load becomes heavy, slipping occurs between the disc spring 52 and the pulley 51 with friction plate, and the rotation of the container stand 10 stops. In this way, the opposite side of the container 13 is regulated,
When the cams 61, 62 and the cam followers 22, 23 are disengaged due to rotation of the turret 4, the lifter 20 is lowered by the force of the springs 26, 27.
The pawl plates 17 and 19 mesh with each other.

In this state, when the container 13 is rotated to the first detection and rotation position 8a, the presence or absence of a mark attached to a specific surface of the container 13 is detected by the photoelectric detector 40, and when a mark is detected, the signal (set signal) excites the solenoid valve 45 via the inverter 42, flip-flop 43, and solenoid valve drive circuit 44, actuating the cylinder 35 and moving its piston rod 37 to the retracted position. Therefore, the cam 39 rotates around the shaft 36 and becomes a position where it does not engage with the cam follower 28 provided on the trip plate 14, and the container table 10 remains in that position and rotates together with the turret 4, and the proximity switch 41 When the machine 10 is detected, the signal (reset signal) is sent to the inverter 4.
6 to a flip-flop 43, the output of which cancels the set signal and demagnetizes the solenoid valve 45 via the solenoid valve drive circuit 44.

Therefore, the piston rod 37 of the cylinder 35 moves forward and returns to the extended position. Similarly, position 8
b, 8c, 8d, and 8e, the direction of the specific surface of the container 13 is aligned. Furthermore, if the photoelectric detector 40 does not detect a mark on a specific surface at position 8a,
Since there is no output signal from the photoelectric detector 40, the cylinder 35 is not actuated and its piston rod 3
7 is kept in the extended position. For this reason, the cam follower 28 in which the cam 39 is provided on the trip plate 14
and rotates the trip plate 14 counterclockwise 360°/6, or 60°, against the spring 33 acting on the lever 29. When the trip plate 14 rotates, the cam 39 and the cam follower 28 are disengaged, and the trip plate 14 is again engaged with the lever 29 to stop its rotation. In this way, trip plate 1
4 is rotated by 60 degrees, the container stand 10 is also rotated together, and the container 13 on the container stand 10 is also turned by 60 degrees. Then positions 8b, 8c, 8d, 8
A similar operation is performed in case e to align the specific surfaces of the containers 13. FIG. 7 shows a timing chart of the above operation, and the containers 13 aligned in this manner are discharged to the conveyor 6 by the star wheel 5. Therefore, there is no need to supply the containers 13 with opposite sides regulated, and
After regulating the opposite sides, it becomes possible to mechanically align specific faces of regular polygonal containers.

Although the above embodiment has been explained using a hexagonal container as an example, specific surfaces of a regular polygonal bottle can be aligned in the same manner.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example was explained in which a pawl clutch mechanism consisting of pawl plates 17 and 19 was interposed between the container stand 10 and the trip plate 14, but an air clutch, an electromagnetic clutch, etc. may also be used. In this case, the clutch may be actuated by an external signal by supplying air or electricity to the rotating body.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan layout showing an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing a part of it, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line XX in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along Y-Y in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line Z in Fig. 4. -Z sectional view, FIG. 6 is an electrical wiring diagram, and FIG. 7 is a timing chart. 4, 4a, 4b... Rotating turret, 7... Opposite side regulating mechanism, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e...
Specific surface detection and container rotation position, 10...container stand,
12... Shaft, 13... Container, 14... Trip plate, 16... Shaft, 17... Upper pawl plate, 19...
Lower pawl plate, 20... Lifter, 29... Lever, 33... Spring, 35... Cylinder, 39...
Cam, 40... Photoelectric detector, 41... Nearby switch, 48... Motor, 51... Pulley with friction plate, 52... Belleville spring, 53, 54... Pulley,
55...Flat belt, 57...Pulley, 58...
Timing belt, 59...spring, 60...stopper.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A rotating turret is provided with a rotatable container stand on which a container having a regular n-gonal surface is placed, and a detection mechanism detects a specific surface of the container at n-1 locations along the rotation direction of the rotating turret; Correspondingly, when the detection mechanism does not detect a specific surface of the container, the container table rotates by engaging with a trip plate integrated with the container table and rotating the container table 360°/n via the trip plate. In the apparatus for aligning polygonal containers provided with a mechanism, a clutch is interposed between the container stand and the trip plate, and a constant position is provided between the container feeding position onto the container stand and the first detection position. A device for arranging polygonal containers, characterized in that a clutch disconnection mechanism is provided for disengaging the clutch only in a section, and an opposite side regulating mechanism is provided for rotating a container stand in a free state to regulate opposite sides of the containers.