WO2010032735A1

WO2010032735A1 - Suction type bottle table, and container conveying device and container inspection device both using same

Info

Publication number: WO2010032735A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/066126
Authority: WO
Inventors: 清治中島; 伸也真崎; 圭一藤本
Original assignee: キリンテクノシステム株式会社
Priority date: 2008-09-18
Filing date: 2009-09-16
Publication date: 2010-03-25
Also published as: KR20110051287A; CN102159475A; CN102159475B; JP2010095385A; KR101196621B1; JP5196174B2

Abstract

A movable body (22) is vertically movably fitted in a containing chamber (26a) of a bottle table body (21), a cup mounting shaft (40) on the upper surface side of the movable body (22) is inserted into a through-hole (34b) in a head (34), a suction cup (23) is connected to the cup mounting shaft (40), and the suction cup (23) is pressed downward by a coiled spring (24). An upper pressure reducing chamber (37) is provided between the movable body (22) and the head (34). A guide shaft (25b) is extended from the base (32) and inserted into a recess (22a) in the movable body (22). A lower pressure-reducing chamber (35) is provided between the guide shaft (25b) and the recess (22a). A suction path (45) leading to the inside of the suction cup (23) via the lower pressure-reducing chamber (35) is provided on the axis (CL) of the cup mounting shaft (40). When air is sucked through the suction path (45), the movable body (22) is moved upward against force of the coiled spring (24).

Description

Suction type table, and container transport device and container inspection device using the same

The present invention relates to a suction-type saddle that sucks the bottom of a container and holds the container, and a container transport apparatus and a container inspection apparatus using the same.

2. Description of the Related Art An inspection apparatus that rotates a container while conveying the container along a predetermined conveyance path, images the appearance of the rotating container, and inspects the appearance of the container for an abnormality is known. In such an inspection apparatus, it is desirable to transport the container while holding the bottom of the container placed on the table so that it does not get in the way when imaging the appearance of the container. In this way, a suction unit such as a suction cup (also referred to as a suction cup or a suction pad) is provided at the upper end of the base as a base used in a transport device such as a star wheel device to transport the container while holding the bottom. There is known a suction-type saddle that is provided and sucks and holds the bottom portion of the container by bringing the suction portion into contact with the bottom portion of the container while applying a suction force to the suction portion. As such a saddle, the tip of the container has a V-shaped cross section so as to suck and hold a container having a convex portion such as an inscription on the bottom of the container, and the V-shaped outer peripheral part and inner peripheral part are connected to the container. A thing provided with the suction cup made to contact the bottom is known (for example, refer to patent documents 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-2658

In the conventional suction table, the suction cup is fixed at a fixed position with respect to the table body. Accordingly, depending on the shape of the depression at the bottom of the container, the adhesion between the suction cup and the bottom of the container may be insufficient, and the stability of the container may be impaired. For a container having a so-called petaloid-shaped bottom with irregularities along the outer periphery of the bottom, if the suction cup is in contact with the irregularities, air is sucked into the adsorption cup through the gaps between the irregularities and sufficient suction The force cannot be obtained, and the stability of the container may be impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a suction table, a container transport device, and a container inspection device that can hold the container securely by sufficiently adhering the suction cup to the depressed center portion of the bottom of the container. It is in.

The suction-type saddle according to one aspect of the present invention has a support surface at the upper end that supports the outer periphery of the bottom of the container to be held from below, and the interior is enclosed by a peripheral wall, an upper partition, and a lower partition And a movable body provided with a cup mounting shaft that is fitted to the peripheral wall of the storage chamber so as to be movable up and down, and is inserted into a through hole at the center of the upper partition wall on the upper surface side. As the movable body moves in the vertical direction, the movable body can move between a suction position protruding upward from the center portion of the support surface and a standby position retracted downward from the suction position. A suction cup connected to a cup mounting shaft, and a spring member that generates a force to move the suction cup from the suction position to the standby position, and between the movable body and the upper partition wall, Enclose the cup mounting shaft A decompression chamber is provided, and either one of the movable body or the lower partition wall is provided with a guide shaft that is coaxial with the cup mounting shaft, and the other is provided with a recess in which the guide shaft is fitted. A lower decompression chamber is provided between the recess and a suction path extending from the lower surface side of the base body to the inside of the suction cup via the lower decompression chamber on the axis of the cup mounting shaft. Provided, the suction passage and the upper decompression chamber are connected, and when the air is sucked from the inside of the suction cup, the upper decompression chamber and the lower decompression chamber via the suction passage, the movable body is The cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the lower decompression chamber is perpendicular to the axis of the upper decompression chamber so that a driving force that moves upward against the force of the spring member acts on the movable body. Is set smaller than Accordingly, to solve the problems described above.

In the suction type gantry of the present invention, when air is sucked from the suction cup through the suction path, the pressure in the upper decompression chamber is reduced and an upward suction force acts on the movable body. Since the suction path passes through the lower decompression chamber, the lower decompression chamber is decompressed as air is sucked, and a downward suction force acts on the movable body accordingly. However, since the cross-sectional area of the lower decompression chamber is set smaller than that of the upper decompression chamber so that the driving force that moves the movable body upward against the force of the spring member acts on the movable body, The movable body moves upward against the force of the spring member. Thereby, the suction cup connected to the movable body moves from the standby position to the suction position. Since the suction cup protrudes above the support surface at the suction position, even if the container has a shape where the center part of the bottom part is depressed, the suction cup is attached to the center part while supporting the outer periphery of the container from below. It can be sufficiently adhered. Therefore, the container can be reliably held. When the suction is stopped, the suction cup returns to the standby position retracted downward from the suction position by the force of the spring member. Therefore, compared with the case where the suction cup is fixed at the suction position, the suction cup is less likely to get in the way when being carried into or out of the support surface of the container, and the carry-in / out operation can be facilitated.

In addition, in the suction type saddle of the present invention, the lower pressure is reduced between the movable body and the lower partition wall by fitting a guide shaft on one of the lower partition wall and the movable body and a recess on the other and fitting them together. A chamber is formed, and a suction path is provided via the lower decompression chamber. Therefore, the suction path can be extended linearly along the axis of the suction cup mounting shaft from the lower surface side of the base body. Thereby, the layout of the suction path can be simplified, thereby simplifying the configuration inside the table.

In one aspect of the suction type saddle bed of the present invention, an air release chamber that communicates with the outside of the stand body through the communication hole of the stand body surrounds the guide shaft on the lower surface side of the movable body. It may be provided. In this case, when air is sucked from the upper decompression chamber, a relatively large upward driving force corresponding to the pressure difference between the upper decompression chamber and the atmosphere release chamber acts on the movable body. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably raise the movable body while suppressing the influence of the downward suction force generated with the decompression of the lower decompression chamber.

The communication hole is provided so as to communicate with the outer periphery of the peripheral wall from the storage chamber, and is inserted into the movable body so as to be movable up and down with respect to the communication hole, and an outer peripheral end is outside the peripheral wall. A protrusion that protrudes from the upper surface of the peripheral wall, and an adjustment member having a contact portion with the upper surface of the protrusion is provided to change the vertical position of the contact portion. The contact portion may be positioned below the upper end of the communication hole when the portion is positioned at the lowest position. According to this aspect, the stop position when the movable body is raised can be changed by changing the position of the contact portion of the adjustment member up and down. Thereby, it is possible to change the suction position of the suction cup in the vertical direction corresponding to the amount of depression at the center of the bottom of the container to be held.

In one aspect of the suction type saddle of the present invention, a lower end side of the lower partition wall is provided with a support shaft that is coaxial with the guide shaft and protrudes below the lower partition wall, and the guide shaft is connected to the support shaft. A part of the suction path may be provided on the lower partition wall side, and the suction path may communicate with the lower decompression chamber from the lower surface side of the base body via the inside of the support shaft. According to this aspect, the support shaft extends into and out of the storage chamber so as to penetrate the lower partition wall of the base body, and the portion of the support shaft that protrudes into the storage chamber is formed while the hole extending through the support shaft in the axial direction is formed. By fitting the concave portion of the movable body into the lower decompression chamber, it is possible to provide a part of the suction path that leads to the lower decompression chamber and the lower decompression chamber from the lower surface side of the base body. The downward projecting portion of the support shaft can be used as a means for supporting the stand.

Furthermore, the support shaft may be provided with a rotation transmission member for transmitting a rotational driving force for rotating the base body about the axis of the support shaft. As a result, it is possible to rotate the table with a rotational driving force from the outside around the support shaft.

In one aspect of the suction type saddle of the present invention, the suction path and the upper decompression chamber may be connected via a connection path provided on the cup mounting shaft. Since the suction path extends from the lower decompression chamber through the movable body to the inside of the suction cup, the upper decompression chamber can be used as the suction path by providing a connection path from the inside of the cup mounting shaft to the outer periphery of the cup mounting shaft. Can be connected.

Furthermore, the spring member may be disposed in the upper decompression chamber in a state compressed in the vertical direction. Since the upper decompression chamber is surrounded by the movable body, the peripheral wall, and the upper partition wall, if a spring member is arranged in a compressed state, a downward spring force can be applied to the movable body by a restoring force against compression.

In the above-described aspect, the guide shaft is inserted into the recess and the lower decompression chamber is provided therebetween, while the suction cup and the movable body are connected at the center on the upper surface side of the movable body, so A decompression chamber will be located in the outer peripheral side of those connection parts. Therefore, the area of the suction force acting surface on the upper decompression chamber side is set to the suction force on the lower decompression chamber side so that the upward suction force acting on the movable body is larger than the resultant force of the downward suction force and the spring member force. It can be easily set larger than the area of the working surface. In addition, since the decompression chambers exist above and below the movable body, the suction path is provided from the outside of the case by providing a suction path so as to penetrate the movable body along the axis of the guide shaft while passing through the lower decompression chamber. The suction path layout is easy. Therefore, the internal structure of the gantry can be simplified.

In one aspect of the present invention, the base body is provided with a cap that covers the upper partition wall from above, the support surface is provided on the top surface of the cap, and the suction cup is provided at the center of the cap. A passing cup hole may be provided, and a seal ring may be provided between the lower surface of the cap and the upper partition so as to go around the region outside the cup hole. According to this aspect, the gap between the upper partition wall and the cap is closed with the seal ring even when there is a gap through which air can pass in the sliding portion between the cup mounting shaft of the movable body and the through hole of the upper partition wall. Thus, the intrusion path of air from other than the cup hole is closed to suppress the suction of air into the upper decompression chamber, thereby increasing the suction force of the container.

The present invention may be configured as a container transfer device including the suction type table described above and a moving unit that moves the suction type table along a predetermined transfer path. Alternatively, the apparatus includes the container transfer device and an image pickup unit that picks up an image of the container held on the suction table of the container transfer device, and performs a predetermined inspection based on the image of the container picked up by the image pickup unit. It may be configured as a container inspection device.

As described above, in the present invention, by sucking air from the inside of the suction cup through the suction path, the movable body is driven upward to the suction position where the suction cup protrudes above the support surface. And move. Therefore, even if it is a container of the shape where the center part of the bottom part is depressed, a suction cup can fully contact | adhere to a center part, supporting the outer periphery from the downward direction by a support surface. Therefore, the container can be reliably held. When the suction is stopped, the suction cup returns to the standby position retracted downward from the suction position by the force of the spring member. Therefore, compared with the case where the suction cup is fixed at the suction position, the suction cup is less likely to get in the way when being carried into or out of the support surface of the container, and the carry-in / out operation can be facilitated. Moreover, since the suction path can be linearly extended from the lower surface side of the base body along the axis of the suction cup mounting shaft, the suction path layout is simplified, thereby simplifying the internal structure of the base. Can be planned.

The figure which shows the container inspection apparatus with which one form of the container conveying apparatus of this invention was integrated. The figure which shows an example of the container test | inspected with the container inspection apparatus of FIG. The figure which shows the cross section of the wheel type conveying apparatus of FIG. An axial direction sectional view of one form of a table of the present invention. The figure which shows a state when air is attracted | sucked from the suction path. The figure which shows a state when air is suck | inhaled from the suction path by setting the protrusion amount of a suction cup larger than FIG. The figure which shows the form which provided the seal ring between the head and cap as an upper partition.

FIG. 1 shows a container inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This container inspection apparatus 1 inspects the container 100 shown as an example in FIG. The container 100 is a so-called PET bottle made of PET, and is a well-known container that is filled with a content such as a beverage and sealed. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of (for example, five) convex portions 102 projecting downward are provided on the outer peripheral portion 101 a of the bottom portion 101 of the container 100. The convex portions 102 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the bottom part 101 of the container 100 is formed in a so-called petaloid shape in which the central part 101b is recessed with respect to the outer peripheral part 101a and the outer peripheral part 101a is provided with irregularities alternately in the circumferential direction.

The container inspection apparatus 1 performs various inspections on the container 100 being conveyed while conveying the container 100 along a predetermined path. As the inspection, for example, an appearance inspection for inspecting the appearance of the container 100 for an abnormality is performed. As shown in FIG. 1, the container inspection device 1 includes a screw-type transport device 2, a first star wheel-type transport device 3, and a container transport in order from the upstream side in the transport direction in order to transport the container 100 along a predetermined path. A wheel-type transfer device 10 as a device and a second star wheel-type transfer device 4 are provided. Moreover, the container inspection apparatus 1 includes a plurality of cameras 5 as imaging means for imaging the appearance of the container 100 being conveyed. The container 100 discharged from the second star wheel type transfer device 4 is transferred to a downstream process by the discharge conveyor 6. The first star wheel type transfer device 3 and the second star wheel type transfer device 4 are well known to take the container 100 and transfer it into a plurality of pockets (not shown) provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the

star wheels

3a, 4a. Is. The screw type conveying device 2 is a well-known device that aligns the interval between the containers 100 with the pitch between the pockets of the downstream first star wheel type conveying device 3 by the screw 2a. Therefore, the detailed description about these conveying

apparatuses

2, 3, and 4 is abbreviate | omitted. The inspection by the container inspection apparatus 1 may be a well-known inspection in which the container 100 is imaged by a plurality of cameras 5 and a predetermined inspection such as the presence or absence of an abnormality in the appearance of the container 100 is performed based on the obtained images. Therefore, description of the details of the mechanism for inspection is omitted.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of the wheel-type transfer device 10. The wheel-type transport device 10 holds the container 100 placed on the support surface 20a at the upper end of the base 20 on the base 20 and rotates the container 100 held on the base 20 while rotating the predetermined transport path. It is conveyed along. The wheel-type transfer device 10 includes a rotating shaft 13 that is rotatably supported by a gantry 11 via a plurality of bearings 12, and a disk-shaped moving means that is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 13 and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 13. The wheel 14 and a plurality of racks 20 provided on the outer periphery of the wheel 14 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A gear 15 is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 13 so as to rotate integrally. The rotation of a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to the gear 15 so that the rotating shaft 13 and the wheel 14 are rotationally driven. In addition, the wheel-type transfer device 10 includes a switching valve 16 for switching between holding the container 100 by the gantry 20 and releasing the holding. The switching valve 16 is provided in the middle of the air suction path between the suction pump 17 serving as a suction means and the rack 20, and suction force is applied to the rack 20 in a section where the container 100 is to be transported by the wheel-type transport device 10. It is a well-known one that switches connection and disconnection between the suction pump 17 and the gantry 20 so as to act. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of the gantry 20. The gantry 20 includes a gantry main body 21, a movable body 22, a suction cup 23, and a plurality of coil springs 24 as spring members. The gantry body 21 includes a rotating shaft 25 as a support shaft, a case 26 attached to the rotating shaft 25, and a cap 27 disposed above the case 26. The rotating shaft 25 is rotatably supported by the holder 30 via a bearing 29. As shown in FIG. 3, the holder 30 is fixed to the wheel 14 using a fixing member (not shown) such as a bolt in a state where the holder 30 is fitted in the base mounting hole 14 a of the wheel 14. Thereby, the rotating shaft 25 is rotatably supported on the outer periphery of the wheel 14 with the axis line CL directed in the vertical direction. A pulley 31 as a rotation transmission member is attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 25 so as to be integrally rotatable. A belt (not shown) is wound around the pulley 31. As the belt travels, the rotary shaft 25 is driven to rotate about the axis CL via the pulley 31.

Returning to FIG. 4, the rotary shaft 25 is provided with a flange 25 a so as to be positioned above the bearing 29. A guide shaft 25b is provided above the flange 25a. The case 26 includes a cup-shaped base 32, a cylindrical case main body 33 superimposed on the upper surface 32 a of the base 32, and a substantially disk-shaped head 34 superimposed on the upper surface 33 a of the case main body 33. . The base 32, the case main body 33, and the head 34 are arranged coaxially with each other and are integrally joined by a fixing member (not shown) such as a bolt. The base 32 is coaxially fixed to the rotating shaft 25 with the lower surface side fitted into the flange 25a of the rotating shaft 25. As a result, the case 26 can rotate integrally with the rotary shaft 25 about the axis CL of the rotary shaft 25.

A housing chamber 26 a is provided inside the case body 33. The lower end of the storage chamber 26 a is covered with a base 32 and the upper end is covered with a head 34. Thereby, the base 32 functions as a lower partition, the case body 33 functions as a peripheral wall, and the head 34 functions as an upper partition. The guide shaft 25b of the rotating shaft 25 passes through the center portion of the base 32 and protrudes into the accommodation chamber 26a. The movable body 22 is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 26a so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The movable body 22 is provided with a recess 22a that opens on the lower surface side thereof. A guide shaft 25b is inserted into the recess 22a. Thus, a lower decompression chamber 35 is formed between the upper end portion of the guide shaft 25b and the ceiling surface 22b of the recess 22a. A sleeve 36 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 25b and the inner peripheral surface of the recess 22a. The sleeve 36 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the recess 22a by using a fitting means such as press fitting. A minute gap exists between the sleeve 36 and the guide shaft 25b so that the sleeve 36 can slide smoothly along the guide shaft 25b. Air leaks into the lower decompression chamber 35 from the space 32c surrounded by the recess 32b of the base 32 and the lower surface of the movable body 22 through the gap, but the leakage flow rate does not hinder the decompression of the lower decompression chamber 35. Limited to degree.

On the other hand, an upper decompression chamber 37 is provided between the upper surface 22 c of the movable body 22 and the lower surface 34 a of the head 34 by closing the space above the movable body 22 in the storage chamber 26 a with the head 34. A coil spring 24 is accommodated in the upper decompression chamber 37. A lower end portion of each coil spring 24 is fitted into a spring receiving hole 22 d that opens on the upper surface side of the movable body 22. Each coil spring 24 is held in the upper decompression chamber 37 while being compressed in the vertical direction by the head 34. A downward pushing force acts on the movable body 22 by a restoring force against compression of each coil spring 24. A plurality of protrusions 22e are provided at the lower end of the movable body 22 toward the outer periphery. At the lower end portion of the case body 33 of the case 26, the same number of grooves 33b as the protrusions 22e are provided. The groove 33b and the upper surface 32a of the base 32 form a communication hole 26b that communicates from the storage chamber 26a to the outer periphery of the case body 33. The protrusion 22e is fitted to each of the communication holes 26b so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. An end on the outer peripheral side of the protrusion 22 e protrudes from the outer periphery of the case body 33. The movable body 22 is pressed against the position (the position shown in FIG. 4) where the protrusion 22e abuts against the upper surface 32a of the base 32 (that is, the lower end of the communication hole 26b) by the restoring force of the coil spring 24. Note that there is a minute gap between the outer peripheral surface of the movable body 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the case main body 33 for allowing the movable body 22 to slide smoothly. Air leaks from the communication hole 26 b to the upper decompression chamber 37 through the gap, but the leakage flow rate is limited to such an extent that the decompression of the upper decompression chamber 37 is not hindered.

An adjustment ring 38 as an adjustment member is attached to the outer periphery of the case body 33. The adjustment ring 38 is attached to the case main body 33 so as to be rotatable around the axis CL with respect to the case main body 33 and not movable in the axial direction. On the lower surface 38a side of the adjustment ring 38, a groove 38b that can receive the protrusion 22e is provided. The lower surface 38a of the adjustment ring 38 is located below the upper end of the communication hole 26b. The bottom of the groove 38b (upper end surface when viewed from below) has the same height as the upper end of the communication hole 26b of the case body 33 in the vertical direction. When the movable body 22 is moved upward against the force of the coil spring 24 with the adjustment ring 38 positioned in the circumferential direction so that the lower surface 38a faces the protrusion 22e, the protrusion 22e is adjusted. The movable body 22 is prevented from further rising by abutting against the lower surface 38a of the ring 38 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the movable body 22 is moved upward against the force of the coil spring 24 with the adjustment ring 38 positioned in the circumferential direction so that the groove 38b faces the protrusion 22e, the protrusion 22e. However, it abuts against the bottom of each of the groove 33b of the case body 33 and the groove 38b of the adjustment ring 38, and the movable body 22 is prevented from further rising (see FIG. 6). That is, the stop position when the movable body 22 is raised changes in two steps according to the circumferential position of the adjustment ring 38. Therefore, in this embodiment, the lower surface 38a of the adjustment ring 38 or the bottom of the groove 38b selectively functions as a contact portion for the protrusion 22e.

As shown in FIG. 4, the outer periphery of the head 34 protrudes from the case body 33, and a cap 27 is attached to the protruding portion. The cap 27 covers the head 34 from above. The upper surface of the cap 27 is formed on a flat surface perpendicular to the axis line CL, and the upper surface functions as the support surface 20 a of the gantry 20. A cup hole 27 a passes through the center of the cap 27. A cup mounting shaft 40 is integrally formed at the center of the movable body 22 on the upper surface 22c side. The cup mounting shaft 40 and the guide shaft 25b are coaxial. A through hole 34b is formed in the center of the head 34 so as to penetrate the head 34 vertically along the axis CL. The cup mounting shaft 40 is slidably fitted into the through hole 34b via a bush 41. When the movable body 22 is positioned at the lower end of the moving range (state of FIG. 4), the upper end portion of the cup mounting shaft 40 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the bush 41. Accordingly, the upper decompression chamber 37 is formed between the movable body 22 and the head 34 so as to surround the cup mounting shaft 40. The suction cup 23 is passed through the cup hole 27 a and is coaxially and detachably attached to the upper end portion of the cup attachment shaft 40. The suction cup 23 is a part made of an elastic body (for example, rubber or elastomer) that generates an adsorption action by sucking air inside. The diameter of the upper end of the suction cup 23 is smaller than the diameter RB of the recessed portion (corresponding to the central portion 101b) of the bottom 101 of the container 100 shown in FIG.

When the movable body 22 is lowered until it hits the base 32, the upper end of the suction cup 23 is at the same height as the support surface 20a of the cap 27, or at a position retracted downward from the support surface 20a. The position of the suction cup 23 at this time is a standby position. On the other hand, when the movable body 22 is lifted away from the base 32, the suction cup 23 protrudes above the support surface 20a. The position of the suction cup 23 when it protrudes is the suction position. However, there are two stop positions when the movable body 22 is raised, as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the suction position of the suction cup 23 also changes in two stages. In other words, the protruding amount of the suction cup 23 from the support surface 20a can be switched between the small protruding amount A shown in FIG. 5 and the large protruding amount B shown in FIG.

In order to suck air from the inside of the suction cup 23, a suction path 45 is provided in the table 20. The suction path 45 includes a first passage 46 that passes through the rotary shaft 25 along the axis CL, and a second passage 47 that passes through the cup attachment shaft 40 of the movable body 22 along the axis CL. ing. A lower decompression chamber 35 is located between the first passage 46 and the second passage 47. Thereby, the lower decompression chamber 35 is also used as a part of the suction passage 45. Thereby, the suction path 45 extends along the axis CL of the cup mounting shaft 40 so as to reach the inside of the suction cup 23 from the lower surface side of the table main body 21 via the lower decompression chamber 35. The movable body 22 is provided with a plurality of connection paths 48 that pass through the cup mounting shaft 40 in a direction orthogonal to the axis CL. The second passage 47 and the upper decompression chamber 37 are connected via the connection passage 48. Therefore, the inside of the suction cup 23, the lower decompression chamber 35 and the upper decompression chamber 37 are connected to a common suction path 45. As shown in FIG. 3, the joint 18 is attached to the lower end of the first passage 46. The joint 18 and the switching valve 16 are connected via a tube 19. By connecting the suction pump 17 and the suction passage 45 via the switching valve 16, air is sucked from the inside of the suction cup 23, the lower decompression chamber 35, and the upper decompression chamber 37, and the internal pressures thereof are reduced.

As shown in FIG. 5, when air is sucked from the inside of the suction cup 23 or the like, a downward suction force F1 acts on the movable body 22 as the pressure in the lower decompression chamber 35 decreases. On the other hand, upward suction force F <b> 2 acts on the movable body 22 as the pressure in the upper decompression chamber 37 decreases. Since the

decompression chambers

35 and 37 are connected to a common suction path 45, the pressures in the

chambers

35 and 37 are equal to each other. Therefore, the magnitude relationship between the suction forces acting on the movable body 22 is determined by the magnitude relationship between the area product of the cross section perpendicular to the axis CL of the upper decompression chamber 37 and the area of the cross section perpendicular to the axis CL of the lower decompression chamber 35. . Further, the pushing force F3 of the coil spring 24 acts on the movable body 22 downward. Further, a space 32c between the base 32 and the movable body 22 communicates with the outside of the base main body 21 and more specifically with the outer periphery of the case main body 33 through the communication hole 26b. For this reason, the space 32c is maintained at atmospheric pressure and functions as an air release chamber. As a result, a push-up force F4 due to atmospheric pressure acts on the movable body 22. Therefore, if the cross-sectional area of the lower decompression chamber 35 is limited to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the upper decompression chamber 37 so that the resultant force (F2 + F4) upward is greater than the resultant force (F1 + F3) of the downward force, the lower decompression chamber 35 can move as the pressure decreases. An upward driving force acts on the body 22. By setting the cross-sectional area in this way, the movable body 22 can be raised along with the suction of air from the suction path 45, and thereby the suction cup 23 can be moved from the standby position to the suction position.

By moving the suction cup 23 to a suction position that protrudes from the support surface 20a, the support surface 20a of the table 20 supports the outer peripheral portion 101a of the bottom portion 101 of the container 100, while the suction cup 23 is attached to the central portion 101b. It is possible to hold the container 100 securely with the 23 closely adhered. On the other hand, when the suction of the container 100 is not required, the

decompression chambers

35 and 37 are increased to atmospheric pressure by opening the suction path 45 to the atmosphere via the switching valve 16, and the force of the coil spring 24 is used. The suction cup 23 may be returned to the standby position. Since the suction cup 23 does not protrude from the support surface 20a at the standby position, there is an advantage that the suction cup 23 does not get in the way when the container 100 is carried in or out of the table 20. Strictly speaking, when the suction cup 23 sucks the container 100, the container 100 is drawn downward, and the reaction force pulls the container 100 upward from the suction cup 23 to the cup mounting shaft 40 of the movable body 22. The reaction force is also added to the upward driving force acting on the movable body 22.

In the gantry 20 of this embodiment, the

decompression chambers

35 and 37 are formed above and below the movable body 22, and the cross-sectional areas of both the

chambers

35 and 37 of the movable body 22 are differentiated so that the movable body 22 faces upward. Thus, the suction cup 23 is raised from the standby position to the suction position. When the lower decompression chamber 35 is abolished and the lower surface side of the movable body 22 is made an atmosphere open chamber over the entire surface, the suction leading to the suction cup 23 and the upper decompression chamber 37 so as to bypass the atmosphere release chamber. It is necessary to form a path, which complicates the layout of the suction path. For example, the suction path needs to be laid out from the base 32 to the upper decompression chamber 37 via the case main body 33, the layout is complicated, and the internal structure of the rack 20 is also complicated. On the other hand, in the rack 20 of this embodiment, the suction path 45 is provided along the axis CL from the rotation shaft 25 through the movable body 22 to the suction cup 23, and the upper pressure is reduced from the suction path 45. It is only necessary to provide the connection path 48 toward the chamber 37. Therefore, there is no need to take a detour means such as drawing a suction path toward the case body 33 side. Therefore, the layout of the suction path 45 is simplified, and as a result, the internal structure of the rack 20 is simplified.

According to the table 20 of this embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the suction cup 23 from the support surface 20a can be changed by operating the adjustment ring 38 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the bottom 101 can be held more reliably and stably by switching the stop position when the suction cup 23 is raised, that is, the suction position, according to the amount of depression of the central portion 101 b of the bottom 101 of the container 100. In the above description, the suction position can be switched between two stages. However, by providing a plurality of types of groove portions 33b having different depths, the suction position can be changed in three stages or more. Alternatively, if the male thread portion is formed on the outer periphery of the case body 33 and the female thread portion is formed on the inner periphery of the adjustment ring 38 so as to mesh with each other, the height of the lower surface 38a of the adjustment ring 38 is continuously changed. The suction position can be changed steplessly.

When moving the suction cup 23 from the standby position to the suction position, the compression amount of the coil spring 24 increases and the restoring force increases as the suction cup 23 approaches the suction position. Therefore, as the suction cup 23 approaches the center portion 101b of the container 100, the upward momentum of the suction cup 23 is weakened, and the impact when the suction cup 23 contacts the container center portion 101b is alleviated. On the other hand, when returning the suction cup 23 from the suction position to the standby position, since the lowering of the suction cup 23 is started from the state where the restoring force of the coil spring 24 is maximum, the initial acceleration of the suction cup 23 is large, and the suction cup 23 The holding of the container 100 by 23 can be quickly released.

The present invention can be implemented in various forms without being limited to the above-described forms. For example, in the above embodiment, the guide shaft 25b is provided on the base 32 side as the lower partition and the concave portion 22a is provided on the movable body 22, but conversely, the guide shaft 25 is directed downward from the lower surface side of the movable body 22. May be provided in the base 32 and a lower decompression chamber may be provided between them. The cup attachment shaft may be formed as a separate part from the movable body, and the cup attachment shaft and the suction cup may be attached to the upper surface of the movable body. The spring member is not limited to the upper decompression chamber, and may be provided at an appropriate position as long as a downward force can be applied to the movable body. In addition to the coil spring, other types of springs, or an elastic body such as rubber or elastomer may be used as the spring member.

In the above embodiment, since there is a gap in the sliding portion between the cup mounting shaft 40 and the bush 41, air may be sucked into the upper decompression chamber 37 from the gap. However, if the gap amount is very small, there is no problem in the decompression of the upper decompression chamber 37. However, in order to increase the suction force of the container 100, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, a seal is made between the lower surface of the cap 27 and the upper surface of the head 34 so as to go around the region outside the cup hole 27 a. A ring 50 may be provided to seal between the cap 27 and the head 34. The seal ring 50 closes the air intrusion path C from the gap between the cap 27 and the head 34 to the upper decompression chamber 37 to suppress the suction of air into the upper decompression chamber 37, thereby sucking the container 100. You can increase your power. In the form of FIG. 7, a cylindrical portion 34 c that fits with the inner periphery of the cup hole 27 a is provided on the upper surface side of the head 34, and the seal ring 50 is fitted to the outside of the cylindrical portion 34 c. The case 26 is provided with a plurality of plungers 52 and springs 53 that push the plungers 52 upward. The plunger 52 passes through the head 34 and is pressed against the cap 27. With the pressing force, the lower flange 27 b of the cap 27 is pressed against the outer periphery of the head 34 from below, and the cap 27 is restrained by the head 34.

The upper end of the suction cup at the standby position may protrude somewhat from the support surface as long as it does not hinder the smooth loading / unloading operation of the container. When the amount of protrusion from the support surface of the suction cup at the suction position is sufficient, the suction position switching structure using the adjustment member can be omitted. The atmosphere opening chamber on the lower surface side of the movable body may be omitted as long as the movable body can be lifted with the suction of air from the upper decompression chamber. That is, even when the space around the guide shaft is closed to the outside on the lower surface side of the movable body, the upper and lower pressure chambers are depressurized to cause a difference in the upper and lower pressures of the movable body. The movable body can be raised using the difference. In this embodiment, in order to rotate the table, a rotation shaft as a support shaft is projected on the lower surface side of the table body. However, as long as the lower partition wall itself can be supported, the support shaft is provided on the lower surface side of the table body. You may abbreviate | omit the structure made to project. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configuration for rotating the table, and can be applied even when the table is not rotated. The suction table of the present invention is not limited to a form used as a part of a container transport device incorporated in a container inspection device, and can be used as a table for holding the bottom of a container in various devices. In the present invention, the container to be held is not limited to a PET bottle having a petaloid-shaped bottom. In addition, in the present invention, the concept of “saddle stand” is not limited to an example used limited to holding a container called “saddle”. As long as the center of the bottom is recessed, the container can be held by the suction-type saddle of the present invention regardless of the petaloid shape.

Claims

A support surface that supports the outer periphery of the bottom of the container to be held from below at the upper end, and inside, a base body having a storage chamber surrounded by a peripheral wall, an upper partition wall, and a lower partition wall,
A movable body that is fitted to the peripheral wall of the storage chamber so as to be movable up and down, and provided on the upper surface side with a cup mounting shaft that is inserted into a through hole in the center of the upper partition wall;
As the movable body moves in the vertical direction, the cup can be moved between a suction position protruding upward from the center of the support surface and a standby position retracted downward from the suction position. A suction cup connected to the mounting shaft;
A spring member that generates a force to move the suction cup from the suction position to the standby position;
An upper decompression chamber is provided between the movable body and the upper partition so as to surround the cup mounting shaft,
Either one of the movable body or the lower partition wall is provided with a guide shaft that is coaxial with the cup mounting shaft, and the other is provided with a recess in which the guide shaft fits.
A lower decompression chamber is provided between the guide shaft and the recess,
On the axis of the cup mounting shaft, a suction path is provided from the lower surface side of the base body to the inside of the suction cup via the lower decompression chamber,
The suction path and the upper decompression chamber are connected;
When air is sucked from the inside of the suction cup, the upper decompression chamber, and the lower decompression chamber through the suction path, a driving force that moves the movable body upward against the force of the spring member is A suction type gantry in which an area of a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the lower decompression chamber is set smaller than an area of a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the upper decompression chamber so as to act on the movable body.
2. The suction-type gantry according to claim 1, wherein an air release chamber communicating with the outside of the gantry body through the communication hole of the gantry body is provided on the lower surface side of the movable body so as to surround the guide shaft. .
The communication hole is provided so as to communicate from the storage chamber to the outer periphery of the peripheral wall,
The movable body is provided with a protrusion that is inserted in the communication hole so as to freely move up and down, and whose outer peripheral end protrudes outward from the peripheral wall,
On the outer periphery of the peripheral wall, an adjustment member having a contact portion with the upper surface side of the protrusion is provided so that the vertical position of the contact portion can be changed,
The suction-type saddle according to claim 2, wherein the contact part is located below the upper end of the communication hole when the contact part is located at the lowest position.
A support shaft that is coaxial with the guide shaft and protrudes downward from the lower partition wall is provided on the lower end side of the lower partition wall, and the guide shaft is provided on the lower partition wall side as a part of the support shaft, The suction-type saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction path communicates with the lower decompression chamber from the lower surface side of the stand main body through the inside of the support shaft.
The suction-type gantry according to claim 4, wherein the support shaft is provided with a rotation transmission member for transmitting a rotational driving force for rotating the gantry body about an axis of the support shaft.
The suction type saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the suction path and the upper decompression chamber are connected via a connection path provided on the cup mounting shaft.
The suction type saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spring member is arranged in the upper decompression chamber in a state where the spring member is compressed in the vertical direction.
The base body is provided with a cap for covering the upper partition wall from above, the support surface is provided on the top surface of the cap, and a cup hole through which the suction cup passes is provided at the center of the cap. The suction ring according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a seal ring is provided between the lower surface of the cap and the upper partition so as to go around the region outside the cup hole. Stand.
A container transport apparatus comprising: the suction type saddle according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and a moving means for moving the suction type saddle along a predetermined transport path.
A container transport apparatus according to claim 9 and an image pickup means for picking up an image of a container held on the suction type gantry of the container transfer apparatus, and performing a predetermined inspection based on an image of the container picked up by the image pickup means. Container inspection device to be implemented.