KR20050112827A - Apparatus and method for aligning a container to a certain direction - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method capable of automatically aligning continuously moving directional containers in a particular direction. The present invention aligns a container which is directional in a mechanical manner, by making a marking as a reference point for a container with a particular shape, and using the alignment jig with the marking and the corresponding stop to rotate the container. The container is aligned in a specific direction by stopping the rotation of the container by engaging the marking part of the jig with the stop of the jig. According to the present invention, a container having a special shape can be automatically aligned in a mechanical manner using only the rotational and frictional forces of the central turntable without requiring a separate power. Accordingly, subsequent work such as printing to a specific position can be efficiently performed.

Description

Apparatus and Method for Aligning a Container to a Certain Direction}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an arrangement and method for arranging containers, such as beverage bottles, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for automatically aligning containers that are directional in the form of protrusions and the like.

In general, containers that are mass-produced, such as beverage containers (PET bottles) or packaging containers, are manufactured and processed while being continuously moved by a moving means such as a conveyor. On the other hand, a predetermined pattern such as a trademark or a letter is printed on the surface of such a container. To date, printing on such a container is performed in a state in which the container is removed from the moving means and stopped or printed after the moving means is paused. Is taking. However, such a method is not preferable because it does not keep up with the speed of continuous production, or because the movement of the moving means becomes intermittent, the control of the moving means becomes complicated and its consistency with the before and after process is poor.

In addition, since a container such as a general beverage bottle is a simple cylinder, a label or the like is displayed by preparing a label on which a predetermined pattern has been printed in advance and attaching it to the surface of the container. In other words, it is common to take a method of not printing directly on the surface of the container.

On the other hand, in recent years, there is an attempt to visually imprint to the consumer by manufacturing a container such as a beverage bottle into a protruding or concave shape in the shape of an animal or a famous character. This type of container can be printed or colored by printing a pattern or the like corresponding to each shape on a specific protrusion or recess (part of the eye, nose, mouth, ear, etc. of the animal formed on the top of the container 10 of FIG. 3A). Although the visual effect can be increased further, there has been no printing apparatus that meets this demand.

Moreover, since containers of this type have a certain orientation unlike conventional simple cylindrical containers, in order to print or color desired patterns or patterns on specific protrusions or recesses of such containers, the containers must be aligned in the direction to be printed in advance. do. In addition, since such a container is continuously produced or processed, there is a need for an apparatus for continuously and automatically aligning a container in a constant direction in accordance with a processing speed of a container that is continuously moved.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method capable of automatically aligning a continuously moving directional container in a specific direction in view of the above requirements.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, the present invention arranges directional containers in a mechanical manner, by using a jig having a marking portion which is a reference point for a container having a special shape, and having a corresponding stop portion with the marking portion. The container is aligned in a specific direction by stopping the rotation of the container by engaging the marking portion of the container and the stop of the jig while rotating the container.

That is, the alignment device of the container according to an aspect of the present invention, a device for aligning a plurality of containers formed with a marking portion at a specific position of the circumferential surface in a specific direction, the friction member fixed at a certain position; A circular container mounting member having a container placed thereon, the horizontally moving rotatable contacting the friction member and its edges; And an alignment jig which horizontally moves together with the container mounting member, surrounds the circumferential surface on which the marking portion of the container is formed, and a stop portion corresponding to the marking portion of the container is formed, wherein the container is placed on the container mounting member. The container mounting member rotates by the frictional force generated by the mounting member in contact with the friction member and moves horizontally. As a result, when the marking portion of the container engages the stop of the alignment jig, the container stops rotating. Aligned to face.

Here, the container mounting member may be horizontally moved in contact with the friction member while drawing an arc or a linear trajectory, wherein the friction member is disposed in an arc or straight line corresponding to the movement trajectory of the container mounting member.

The alignment device may further include: a container retracting unit, wherein the container mounting member is horizontally moved while drawing a circulation loop, and disposed on one side of the friction member on the circulation loop to mount the container to the container mounting member; And a container discharge unit disposed on the other side adjacent to the container introduction unit on the circulation loop to discharge the container from the container mounting member.

In this case, the alignment jig is opened in the radial direction of the container mounting member when the container mounting member is loaded with the container from the container pulling unit and when the container mounting member is discharged to the container discharge unit so that the container can be easily inserted and discharged. can do.

In addition, the alignment method according to an aspect of the present invention, a method for automatically aligning a plurality of containers formed with a marking portion at a specific position of the circumferential surface in a specific direction, one container for each of the plurality of rotatable container mounting member, the container Wrapping the circumferential surface on which the marking portion of the container is formed with the alignment jig in which the stopping portion corresponding to the marking portion is formed; And rotating the container mounting member and the container by the frictional force generated by horizontally moving the container mounting member on which the container is mounted while contacting the edge of the container mounting member with respect to the friction member fixed at a predetermined position. Rotation causes the marking portion of the container to engage the stop of the alignment jig to stop the rotation of the container so that the container is aligned in a particular direction.

Thus, according to the container alignment apparatus and method of the present invention, it is possible to align the container having a particular shape in a specific direction, it is possible to the subsequent printing process or labeling process.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be construed as having a conventional or dictionary meaning, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a plan view showing a container processing apparatus employing an alignment device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a front view thereof. The apparatus of this embodiment will be described by taking an example of a case of a PET bottle in which a shape of a predetermined shape (10a in FIG. 3A) is formed and aligned in a specific direction and needs to print a shape corresponding to a specific site.

1 and 2, the apparatus of the present embodiment is largely equipped with a turntable 30 that rotates at a constant speed by mounting the vessels 10, 11, and 12 at the edges, and a container retracting unit for mounting the vessel to the turntable. 20, an alignment unit 50 arranged to be spaced apart at a predetermined interval from the container inlet unit to align the container 10 in a specific direction, and to print a predetermined pattern on the container 11 aligned in a specific direction by the alignment unit. The printing unit 60, the drive unit 70 which reciprocates the printing unit in the direction of the arrow D, and the container discharging unit 80 which removes and discharges the container 12 printed with a predetermined pattern from the turntable 30. Equipped. All these units are arranged and fixed on the frame 1 or the table 2.

While the main feature of the present invention resides in the alignment unit 50, the structure and operation of the apparatus will now be described in terms of the movement and processing order of the vessel.

First, the container retracting unit 20 is provided with a timing screw 21 and a star-like feeder 25, so that the containers 10 that have been processed or manufactured in a previous process. To serve as the device. The vessels are then loaded onto the conveyor and come in unaligned (non-directional) and uneven intervals.

The vessels thus conveyed are fitted one by one into the recesses 22 of the timing screw 21, which adjusts the intervals at intervals suitable for processing by the apparatus, and are moved in the direction of arrow A in accordance with the rotation of the timing screw.

The containers 10, which are conveyed at regular intervals by the timing screw 21, are fitted one by one into the recesses 26 of the forming feeder 25 rotating in the direction of the arrow B and along the guide face 28 of the guide member 27. Is rotated and moved. At this time, the position 26 and the rotational speed of the recess 26 of the molding feeder and the recess 22 of the timing screw are adjusted to engage each other via the container 10.

The container 10 conveyed by the shaping feeder 25 is mounted one by one on the container mounting member 40 (refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A) of the turn table 30 which rotates in the arrow C direction. At this time, the concave portion 26 and the container mounting member 40 of the molding feeder are adjusted in intervals, positions and rotational speeds so as to engage with each other according to their respective rotations. Prior to the detailed description of the container mounting operation, the structures of the turn table 30 and the container mounting member 40 will be described first.

As shown in FIG. 2, the turn table 30 receives a driving force of the drive motor 3 located below the table 2 via power transmission means 3, 4, such as a gear, a chain, or a belt. It rotates at the predetermined speed in the arrow C direction of FIG.

A plurality of container mounting members 40 are installed at the edge of the turn table 30 to rotate in a circular orbit as the turn table rotates. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3a, at the edge of the turn table 30, vessels 10, 11, 12 are placed thereon and freely rotatable circular vessel mounting members 40 are fixedly installed, respectively. The fixing jig support 41 is fixed to the container mounting member 40 of the inner side slightly inward.

The fixed jig support 41 is fixed to the turntable 30 as a hollow cylindrical shape. In the hollow of the fixing jig support 41, a rod 42 elastically biased downward by a spring 45 is inserted, and an upper fixing jig for lightly pressing the upper part of the container 10 to the upper end of the rod ( 49 is provided, and a freely rotatable wheel 46 is attached to the lower end of the rod 42, and a cam 43 protruding through the side hole 44 of the fixing jig support is fixed to the middle of the rod. Moreover, the U-shaped arm 48 designed in consideration of the diameter of the container 10 is provided in the side of the container mounting member 40 side of the fixed jig support 41.

In addition, the fixing jig support 41 is provided with an alignment jig 47 so that the cam 43 and one end thereof contact with each other and are rotatable by the hinge shaft 47a (see FIG. 3B). The alignment jig 47 has a built-in spring, one end of which is elastically biased toward the cam 43, and the other end has a hook-shaped stop 47b. On the other hand, in the container 10, the recessed marking part 10b corresponding to the stop part 47b of the alignment jig 47 is formed in the specific position of the height which the alignment jig 47 contacts. The marking portion 10b formed in the container is described in detail together with the description of the alignment unit 50 as a reference element for the direction alignment of the container. On the other hand, although the alignment jig 47 has been described as a protruding stop portion 47b is formed and the container 10 is formed with a concave marking portion 10b, of course, the reverse may be reversed. In addition, although the marking part 10b formed in the container 10 may be separately formed, the recessed part or protrusion part 10a formed in the container itself; in this case, the alignment jig should be disposed corresponding to the height at which the protrusion part 10a is formed. ) Can also be used.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2, a fixed cam 5 is disposed below the turn table 30 corresponding to an area in which the two forming feeders 25 and 80 are disposed. The fixed cam 5 is disposed in accordance with the trajectory of the wheel 46 attached to the lower end of the rod 42 of the fixed jig support 41 according to the rotation of the turntable 30, and the height of the fixed cam 5 is 46. Slightly higher than the lower end of the). Therefore, when the turntable 30 is rotated so that the fixing jig support 41 reaches the fixing cam 5, the wheel 46 moves along the upper surface of the fixing cam and the rod 42 is slightly lifted upward. Lose.

Then, the mounting operation of the container will be described in detail. When the container 10 rotates along the forming feeder 25 and reaches the container mounting member 40, as described above, the wheel 46 attached to the lower end of the rod 42 is positioned on the fixed cam 5. Since the rod is running, the rod 42 is slightly lifted up in response to the elastic force of the spring 45. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the upper fixing jig 49 is also lifted to a position slightly higher than the upper end of the container 10, and the cam 43 is also formed in the fixing jig support 41 side. It is raised to the upper end of 44. When the cam 43 is lifted, one end of the alignment jig 47 in contact with the cam is pushed to the left in the drawing. As a result, the end portion of the side on which the stop portion 47b of the alignment jig 47 is formed is wider than the U-shaped arm 48. Thus, the container 10 rests on the container mounting member 40 without being disturbed by the alignment jig 47 and the upper fixing jig 49. At this time, the container 10 is not aligned in a specific direction.

As the container 10 rests on the container mounting member 40 and the turntable 30 continues to rotate, the wheels 46 attached to the lower end of the rod 42 will leave the stationary cam 5. The rod 42 thus lifted down by the elastic force of the spring 45, as shown in Figure 4a, the upper fixing jig 49 is lowered to gently press the upper end of the container 10. In addition, the cam 43 is also lowered so that the alignment jig 47 is lightly pressed in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the container 10 by the restoring force of the built-in spring (not shown).

Next, referring to FIG. 5, the structure and operation of the alignment unit 50, that is, the operation of aligning the container 10 in a specific direction will be described. The alignment unit 50 is fixedly arranged on the table 2 so as to be spaced apart from the container introduction unit 20 by a predetermined interval. The alignment unit has a friction member 51 which is brought into contact with the container mounting member 40 as it moves as the turntable 30 rotates. The friction member 51 may be implemented with a V belt or a timing belt made of a material such as rubber, and the edge of the container mounting member is smoothly passed through the region where the alignment unit 50 is disposed. It may be arranged as close as possible to contact with. Moreover, the friction member 51 may be attached to the contact surface with the container mounting member 40 of the alignment unit 50 along the shape of a contact surface, and is fixed only to the both ends of the arcuate contact surface, as shown with the dotted line 51a. Thus, if there is no container mounting member 40, it may be arranged in a straight line. In this case, the friction member 51 comes into contact with the container mounting member while being naturally pressed toward the alignment unit 50 as the container mounting member 40 moves.

When the container mounting member moves while the container mounting member 40 and the friction member 51 are contacted in this way, the container mounting member 40 rotates in the arrow G direction by the frictional force. When the container mounting member 40 rotates, the container 10 mounted thereon also rotates in the arrow G direction. Thus, the alignment jig 47 and the upper fixing jig 49 allow the container 10 to rotate with the container mounting member 40, that is, the container slides with the alignment jig 47 or the upper fixing jig 49. In order to move, it is necessary to adjust the elastic force or the friction coefficient of the spring embedded in the alignment jig (47).

On the other hand, as described above, the marking portion 10b is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the container with which the alignment jig 47 comes into contact with the stop portion 47b formed at the end of the alignment jig. The marking portion 10b is arranged in the direction in which the container 10 is to be aligned (for example, the nose portion of the animal protruding from the top of the container is aligned in the radial direction of the turntable) and the stop portion 47b of the alignment jig. It is formed at the position designed in consideration of the position with). As shown in Fig. 5, the rearmost container in the moving direction of the container is not aligned yet, and the marking portion 10b of the container has not yet reached the stop portion 47b of the alignment jig. The container 10 rotates in the direction of the arrow G together with the container mounting member 40 in accordance with the rotation of the turntable 30, and the stopper 47b of the alignment jig and the marking part 10b of the container match. Done. Then, the container no longer rotates and slides on the container mounting member 40 which is continuously rotating by the frictional force with the friction member 51. Alternatively, if the frictional force between the friction member 51 and the container mounting member 40 is smaller than the frictional force between the container mounting member 40 and the container 10, the rotation of the container and the container mounting member is stopped and the container mounting member is It will be in sliding motion with the friction member 51.

Thus, the container 10 rotates and is aligned so that the marking portion 10b is aligned in a specific direction as the marking portion 10b is aligned with the stop portion 47b of the alignment jig 47. It depends on the position of the part 10b. The maximum rotation angle of the container until the alignment is made is 360 degrees (one rotation), so that the container mounting member of the friction member 51 can rotate up to one rotation in contact with the friction member 51. The contact length with 40 should be equal to or greater than the circumferential length of the vessel mounting member 40.

The container 11 aligned in a specific direction by the alignment unit 50 moves toward the printing unit 60 in accordance with the rotation of the turntable 30. The apparatus of the present invention prints a pattern while the container is moving continuously without stopping the container. Accordingly, the printing unit 60 of the apparatus moves the print head 61 to the container 11 at the same time as the relative speed with respect to the container becomes zero, that is, at the same time as the container is stopped, while simultaneously moving in accordance with the moving speed of the container. ) To print. For this purpose, the printing unit 60 is placed on the rail 62 on the table 2 via the wheel 63 attached to the bottom surface, and the driving unit 70 for moving the printing unit 60 is provided on the table. Is placed.

The drive unit 70 is fixed to a fixed position of the chain 72 and the sprocket wheel 71 or pulley connected by the chain 72 or belt and rotated at a constant speed, as shown in Figure 6a It consists of an arm 73 rotating along the trajectory, and a connecting rod 74 connected to the arm to push and pull the printing unit 60.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 6A, the sprocket wheel 71 has three cases. However, the sprocket wheel may be two, and further, the drive unit may use a single crank shaft and a crank arm to convert a circular motion into a linear reciprocating motion. You can also take

Thus, the printing unit 60 which reciprocates on the rail 62 in the direction of arrow D by the drive unit 70 firstly moves the container mounting member in accordance with the rotation of the turntable 30 (see arrow C). And progress along the vessel 11. Then, when the linear speed of the container 11 (tangential speed in the outermost circular orbit of the container) is equal to the moving speed of the printing unit 60 (relative speed of the container and the printing unit becomes zero, the print head and the container become At the closest moment, the print head 61 is advanced towards the container 11 (see arrow d) while the nose or the protrusion 10a of the container is positioned at a specific position (eg, as shown in FIG. 6B) aligned in a particular direction. A predetermined pattern is printed on the ear part or the eye part which is a concave part. When printing is thus completed, the printing unit 60 retreats in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the container for printing to the next container again.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 65 is mounted on the upper portion of the frame 1 of the apparatus to detect whether the container 11 is mounted on the container mounting member 40 passing under the sensor. do. The detection result of this sensor 65 is transmitted to the control part built in the printing unit 60, and if a container is not mounted, it controls so that useless printing operation of the printing head 61 may not be performed.

Inside the printing unit 60, a drive mechanism for advancing and retreating the ink tank and the print head 61 is incorporated. On the other hand, at the end of the print head 61, a predetermined pattern is engraved as usual rubber stamp, and the print unit 60 is retracted into the print unit while the print unit 60 is retracted so that the ink for the next printing is buried at the end.

On the other hand, in the same configuration as in the present embodiment, the printing unit 60 is retracted after finishing printing, so that it is impossible to print on the immediately following container after printing. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a plurality of printing units 60 are arranged to perform skip printing. That is, for example, when two printing units are used, the first arranged printing unit prints by skipping containers one by one, and the second arranged printing unit prints on the skipped containers. When four printing units 60 are arranged as shown in Fig. 1, the first printing unit is 4k + 1st (k is an integer, hereinafter equal), the second printing unit is 4k + 2nd, and the third printing unit Is the 4k + 3th, and the fourth print unit prints on the 4kth container.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the print head 61 of the printing unit has been described as a rubber that repeats the advance and retreat toward the container 11, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the print head may be a method of spraying ink toward the container at a timing at which the nozzles are formed in a predetermined pattern and the relative speed becomes zero, and may have a fixed structure without advancing toward the container. In other words, the print head and the printing unit may be implemented in various ways known as long as the structure can move along the continuously moving container.

7 is a modification of the present embodiment, and illustrates a case where the structure of the rail is changed. That is, as shown, the rail 62 'of the present example is arranged in an arc shape concentric with the circular turntable 30, and maintains the state parallel to the container moving in an arc like an arrow D'. It will reciprocate. Therefore, the timing at which the relative speed becomes zero becomes relatively longer than in the case shown in FIG. 6A.

Furthermore, although not shown, the structure of the rail (thus the movement trajectory of the printing unit) may be different. That is, in Figs. 6A and 7 the rail has a finite length and thus the printing unit reciprocates, but the rail is configured as a circulation loop and the printing unit is engaged in one direction along the circulation loop (as opposed to the moving direction of the container). Direction, it can be continuously circulated.

8 is a plan view showing an apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the container inlet unit and the container discharge unit are omitted for convenience. The apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the differences from the above-described embodiment.

As shown in Fig. 8, the present embodiment employs a substantially elliptical conveyor 30 'without employing a circular turntable (30 in Fig. 1). Thus, there are portions in which the vessels 10 and 11 move in a circular arc trajectory and portions in which a vessel moves in a linear trajectory. In this embodiment, the printing unit 60 is disposed along a straight track. Accordingly, the printing unit 60 can further lengthen the timing at which the relative speed becomes zero as in the example of FIG. 7 while linearly reciprocating along the linear rail 62.

In addition, the driving unit 70 'of the present embodiment has a combined structure for driving two printing units 60 simultaneously. That is, the drive unit 70 'is composed of two sprocket wheels 71' connected by a chain, one common arm 73 'fixed to one point of the chain, and two connecting rods 74'. . Thus, the two printing units 60 make linear reciprocating motions in the same direction at the same time. On the other hand, the drive unit of the present embodiment may also take the structure of converting the circular motion into linear reciprocating motion by using one crank shaft and the crank arm as in the above-described embodiment.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the alignment unit 50 is shown to be arranged along a curved track, but the alignment unit may also be arranged along a straight track. That is, the friction member 51 of the alignment unit may be comprised in linear form, and may be arrange | positioned in the suitable linear track | orbit section of FIG.

9 is a plan view showing an apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, as in FIG. 8, the container inlet unit and the container discharge unit are omitted for convenience. The apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the differences from the embodiment of FIG. 8 as follows.

First, in this embodiment, the trajectory of the container is approximately elliptical as in the embodiment of Fig. 8, but the structure and operation of the printing unit are different. That is, as shown, the printing unit 60 'of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of print heads 61' and disposed radially, and rotates at the same direction and at the same speed as the moving direction of the container 11. Thus, when the container 11 is moved counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow H, the printing unit 60 'rotates in the clockwise direction (see arrow I) which is opposed to the moving direction of the container, while the print head 61' is rotated. ) And the moment when the relative speed of the container becomes zero (the moment when the container and the print head are closest), the printing operation is performed.

Thus, in this embodiment, since the printing unit 60 'makes a rotary motion, it does not require the somewhat complicated driving units 70 and 70' as in the above-described embodiments, and only the driving motor or the driving unit is driven as the driving unit. All you need is a motor and an appropriate transmission.

Meanwhile, although the printing unit 60 'is illustrated as having six print heads 61' in FIG. 9, the number of print heads 61 'may vary. In addition, although the printing unit 60 'is shown as one in FIG. 9, it is a matter of course that a plurality of printing units may be arranged to perform skip printing as described above. Further, in FIG. 9, the printing unit 60 'is arranged on a straight track, but may also be arranged on a curved track, and furthermore, the printing unit 60' of the present embodiment has a circular turn as in the embodiment of FIG. It may be arranged around the table 30.

The container in which a predetermined pattern is printed at a specific position in various ways is discharged from the apparatus for the next process, and the structure of the container discharge unit and the container discharge operation will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container 12 having a predetermined pattern printed thereon moves in a circular orbit along the rotation of the turntable 30 to enter the container discharge unit 80. The container discharge unit 80 consists of a molding feeder 80 and a guide 27 having the same structure as the molding feeder 26 of the container retracting unit.

When the turntable 30 is rotated so that the container mounting unit 40 encounters the recess 81 of the forming feeder 80 rotating in the direction of the arrow E, the wheel at the bottom of the fixed jig support 41 (see FIG. 3A). Since 46 is traveling on the upper surface of the fixed cam 5 (refer FIG. 2) below the turntable 30, the rod 42 of the fixed jig support | tool raises up. Accordingly, as in the container retracting operation, as the upper fixing jig 49 rises to release the upper end of the container, and at the same time the cam 43 is raised to push the alignment jig 47, the alignment jig 47 also moves. Free your courage. Then, the container 12 fitted into the recess 81 of the forming feeder 80 is removed from the container mounting member 40 along the guide surface 29 of the guide member 27 and discharged.

The above described container discharging unit and its operation may be implemented in the same manner in the apparatus of FIGS. 8 and 9, and thus the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto and is intended by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalents of the claims to be described.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the trajectory that the container draws as it moves is illustrated and described in a circular or approximately elliptical shape, but the moving trajectory of the container can be modified as much as the process requires. That is, the moving trajectory of the container may be composed of various types of circulation loops, or in some cases may not form a loop.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the apparatus of the present invention has been described as having a container retracting unit, an alignment unit, a printing unit, and a container discharge unit, but some units may be omitted and other units may be added depending on the front and rear processes. Do. For example, a label attaching unit may be provided instead of a printing unit if a process of attaching a label other than printing after the alignment of the container is performed. In addition, when a beverage injection process is added, a corresponding unit may be added.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the alignment device of the present invention has been described as an example of a beverage container as an alignment object, but the alignment device of the present invention is a container having a basically circular cross section and a directional container such as a cup with a handle. It can be applied to any type of object.

According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically align the containers having a special shape in a mechanical manner using only the rotational and frictional forces of the central turntable without requiring a separate power. As a result, subsequent operations such as printing at a specific position or attaching a label can be efficiently performed, thereby fully emphasizing the characteristics of the shape of the container.

1 is a plan view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

3A and 3B are front and top views showing the structure of the container mounting member and the alignment jig provided at the edge of the center turntable of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

4A and 4B are front and plan views for explaining the relationship and operation of the container mounting member, the alignment jig, and the alignment unit shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

5 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the alignment unit.

6A and 6B are a plan view and a front view for explaining the operation of the printing unit of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

7 is a plan view for explaining a modification of an embodiment according to the present invention.

8 is a partial plan view of an apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a partial plan view of an apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of main reference numerals in the drawings>

10,11,12 ... container 20 ... container retracting unit

21 ... Timing screw 25,80 ... Forming feeder

30 ... turn table 40 ... container mounting member

47 ... sort jig 50 ... sort unit

51 ... friction member 60 ... print unit

61 ... print head 70 ... drive unit

Claims (17)

Claims [1] An apparatus for aligning a plurality of containers in which a marking portion is formed at a specific position of a circumferential surface in a specific direction, A friction member fixed at a fixed position; A circular container mounting member having a container placed therein, the horizontally moving rotatable contacting the friction member and its edges; And And an alignment jig which horizontally moves together with the container mounting member, surrounds a circumferential surface on which the marking portion of the container is formed, and a stop portion corresponding to the marking portion of the container is formed. The container mounting member is rotated by the frictional force generated by the container mounting member being in contact with the friction member and horizontally moving while the container is placed on the container mounting member. Accordingly, the container is also rotated so that the marking portion of the container is aligned. And a stopper of the jig stops the rotation of the container so that the container is aligned to face in a specific direction. The method of claim 1, And the container mounting member is horizontally moved in contact with the friction member while drawing an arc, and the friction member is disposed in an arc shape corresponding to the movement trajectory of the container mounting member. The method of claim 1, And the container mounting member is horizontally moved in contact with the friction member while drawing a linear trajectory, and the friction member is disposed in a straight line corresponding to the movement trajectory of the container mounting member. The method according to claim 2 or 3, And the length of the friction member in contact with the container mounting member is equal to or greater than the circumferential length of the container mounting member so that the container mounting member can rotate at least one rotation while in contact with the friction member. The method of claim 1, The marking portion of the container is formed at the bottom of the container, And an upper fixing jig fixing the upper portion of the container and horizontally moving with the container mounting member. The method of claim 1, The vessel mounting member is horizontally moved in a circular loop, A container retracting unit disposed on one side of the friction member on the circulation loop to mount the container to the container mounting member; And And a container discharging unit disposed on the other side adjacent to the container retracting unit on the circulation loop to discharge the container from the container mounting member. The method of claim 6, The vessel retracting unit comprises a rotatable star-like feeder, with a recess formed in which the vessel is filled, And the forming feeder rotates in a state where the container is filled with the recess, thereby mounting the container to the container mounting member when the container mounting member is engaged with the recess. The method of claim 6, The bin discharge unit comprises a rotatable star-like feeder, with a recess formed in which the bin is filled, And when the shaping feeder rotates so that the container mounting member is engaged with the recess, the container is passed from the container mounting member to the recess and discharged. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, The alignment jig is opened in the radial direction of the container mounting member when the container mounting member is mounted with the container from the container introduction unit and when the container is discharged to the container discharge unit. . The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 to 8, And a printing unit arranged on a downstream side of the friction member on a trajectory in which the container mounting member is horizontally moved, and printing a predetermined pattern at a predetermined position of the container aligned to face a specific direction. Alignment device. A method of automatically aligning a plurality of containers in which a marking portion is formed at a specific position of a circumferential surface in a specific direction, Mounting the container for each of the plurality of rotatable container mounting members, and wrapping the circumferential surface on which the marking portion of the container is formed with an alignment jig formed with a stop corresponding to the marking portion of the container; And Rotating the container mounting member and the container by the frictional force generated by horizontally moving the container mounting member on which the container is mounted while contacting an edge of the container mounting member with respect to the friction member fixed at a predetermined position; And when the marking portion of the container is engaged with the stopper of the alignment jig when the container rotates, the container stops rotating and the container is aligned to face a specific direction. The method of claim 11, And the plurality of container mounting members are horizontally moved in contact with the friction member while drawing an arc, and the friction member is disposed in an arc shape corresponding to the movement trajectory of the container mounting member. The method of claim 11, The plurality of container mounting members are horizontally moved in contact with the friction member while drawing a linear trajectory, and the friction member is disposed in a straight line corresponding to the movement trajectory of the container mounting member. . The method according to claim 12 or 13, The rotating of the container mounting member and the container may include horizontally moving the container mounting member while contacting the container mounting member and the friction member while the container mounting member is in contact with the friction member for at least one rotation. Alignment method of the container, characterized in that. The method of claim 11, The plurality of container mounting member is horizontally moved in a circular loop, Mounting the containers to each of the container mounting members on one side of the friction member on the circulation loop; And And discharging the container from the container mounting member before the container mounting member on which the container is mounted returns to the container mounting position by returning from the circulation loop. The method of claim 15, The alignment jig is opened in the radial direction of the container mounting member when mounting the container to the container mounting member and when discharging the container from the container mounting member. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, 15 and 16, And printing a predetermined pattern at a predetermined position of the containers aligned to face a specific direction by rotating the container mounting member and the container.