JP3080180B2 - Cleaning machine for bottle shaped containers - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a washing machine for bottle-shaped containers such as bottles, ampoules or flasks, comprising a transfer device for feeding the containers to various processing stations. The apparatus has a holder with an equiangularly rotatable jaw at an endless conveyor chain pair for holding the container at its neck, and further comprising a lever coupled to the jaw. For the purpose of pivoting the jaws for receiving and removing them from the holder, each lever pair having a device for holding the jaws of the holder together. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art In known washing machines of the above type, the jaws of a holder, each containing a plurality of containers, are pulled toward each other by a spring acting on a lever. The spring must have sufficient tension to ensure that the container does not fall out of the jaw notch during transport of the container and during the cleaning process in the washer. Even if the deviation of the diameter of the neck of the container is within the allowable range, if only one or two containers are tightened by the jaws, the thin-walled container often breaks due to strong spring force. is there.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a washing machine of the type mentioned at the outset, and to provide a washing machine which can reliably hold the container and reliably prevent the container from breaking. The task is to provide.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to the structure of the present invention, the device for holding the two levers of the holder together is formed by a ratchet mechanism. The first pair of lever pairs
A rack pivotally connected to the bar and a second lever
The locking member is arranged .

[0005]

The washing machine thus constructed has the following advantages over known washing machines. That is, in the washing machine according to the present invention, the jaws of the holder can be held together without applying pressure to the container loosely held in the notch of the jaw. A predetermined spacing corresponding to the diameter of the container can be maintained.

[0006] A further advantageous configuration of the cleaning machine according to the invention is obtained from the characterizing part of claim 2 . Or claim 2
With the configuration as described, the handling of the ratchet mechanism is particularly easy.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The conveyor of a washing machine for a bottle-shaped container 1 has two endless conveyor chains 10, 11 extending parallel to one another.
0, 11 comprises a plurality of equally spaced holders 12 for containers 1 to be cleaned having a body 2, a neck 3 and a head 4. The holder 12 has two elongated jaws 13 and 14 that can be relatively pivoted in order to grip and hold the plurality of containers 1 respectively. The jaws 13, 14 are provided with triangular cutouts 15, 16 facing each other, the cutouts 15, 16 pairing with one another and gripping around the neck 3 of the individual container 1. Jaws 13, 14 having notches 15, 16 adapted to the shape of the container 1 are interchangeably fixed to strips 17, 18, which are connected via arms 19 to rods 21, 18. 22 is firmly connected. The rods 21 and 22 of each holder 12 extend between the conveyor chains 10 and 11, and are rotatably supported by journals on hinges of links 24 and 25 of the conveyor chains 10 and 11.

The levers 26 and 27 are fixed to the rods 21 and 22 near the conveyor chains 10 and 11, respectively.
In the closed position of the jaws 13, 14 of the holder 12, the levers 26, 27 extend substantially parallel to the arm 19 holding the jaws 13, 14.

The levers 26 and 27 of each holder 12 are connected to each other by a ratchet mechanism 30 in order to maintain the closed position of the jaws 13 and 14 of each holder 12 and rotate the jaws away from each other. Ratchet mechanism 30
Has a rack 31 provided with a saw-toothed tooth row 32 on a first lever 27, and has a locking member in the form of a ratchet 33 on a second lever 26. Pin 35 of lever 27
The rack 31, which is pivotally supported, passes through the through hole 36 of the lever 26 and is pressed against the ratchet 33 there by a ball 38 loaded by a compression spring 37. As a result, the ratchet 33 engages in the gap between the serrations 32 of the rack 31, so that the jaws 13, 14 of the holder 12 are kept in the closed position. The two levers 26, 27 of each holder 12 also have a respective tooth segment 40, 41 near the pivot axis of the levers 26, 27. The tooth segments 40 and 41 are engaged with each other in a pair, so that the jaws 13 and 14 of each holder 12 can be pivoted in the same form after the ratchet mechanism 30 is disengaged.

For loading and unloading of the container 1 onto the holder 12 of the transport device, the rack 31 is pressed against the pivot axis of the lever 26 against the spring force of the compression spring 37, so that the rack 31 The saw-toothed tooth row 32 of 31 is disengaged from the ratchet 33. After the ratchet mechanism 30 is dissociated, both jaws 13 of the holder 12
14 can be pivoted away from each other, so that the insertion and removal of the container 1 between the notches 15, 16 of the jaws 13, 14 can be carried out.
Upon a new loading of the holder 12, the jaws 13, 14 of the holder 12 are again moved towards each other,
This causes the ratchet 33 to again engage the serrations 32 of the rack 31 and possibly jump over one or more teeth to reach a closed position where the ratchet mechanism 30 is effective.

In the above embodiment, the holder 12 has two rigid jaws 13 and 14, respectively. If it is desired to flexibly hold each container 1, alternatively a plurality of spring arms 4 may be provided in the area of the notch 15 instead of the jaws 13 or 14.
4 are arranged on the rod 21 (FIG. 3). The spring arm 44 has at its free end a finger 45 for gripping the neck 3 of the container 1 partially so as to form a holding mechanism with the notch 15 of the associated jaw 13. I have. The spring arm 44 has a bent end 46
This end 46 is located in a hole 47 of the rod 21 and is fixed by a screw 48 (FIG. 3).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a part of a transport device of a washing machine for bottle-shaped containers according to the present invention, partially shown by different cut surfaces.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a holder of the transport device according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the holder.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 container, 2 trunk, 3 neck, 4 head, 10,11 conveyor chain, 12 holder, 13,14 jaw, 15,16 notch, 17,18 strip, 19 arm, 2
1,22 rods, 23 journals, 24,2
5 links, 26 and 27 levers, 30 ratchet mechanism, 31 racks, 32 serrated teeth, 33 ratchets, 35 pins, 36 through holes, 37 compression springs, 38 balls, 4
0,41 tooth segments, 44 spring arms, 45
Finger, 46 end, 47 hole, 48
screw

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-52-4899 (JP, A) JP-A-63-18413 (JP, U) JP-A-63-86099 (JP, U) JP-A-2-70785 (JP) , U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B08B 9/42 B65G 17/06 B65G 17/32 B65G 17/46 B65G 49/02

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A washing machine for containers in the form of bottles, comprising a conveyor for feeding the containers to various processing stations, the conveyor being equally spaced on an endless conveyor chain pair, A holder with a relatively pivotable jaw is provided for holding the container at its neck, and a lever coupled to the jaw is provided for receiving and removing the container from the holder. The levers (26, 2) of the holder (12) in the form of a pair of levers each having a device for holding the jaws of the holder together.
The device for holding the 7) collectively together are formed by a ratchet mechanism (30), the ratchet
A mechanism (30) pivots on the first lever (27) of each lever pair.
A pivotally connected rack (31) and a second lever
A washer for bottle-shaped containers, characterized in that it comprises a locking member (33) arranged in (26) . The second lever (26) is connected to a rack (3).
1) having a through hole (36) penetrated by 1);
A locking member (33) protrudes into the through hole (36), and a spring-loaded member (38) in the through hole (36).
But the rack teeth provided on the (31) (32) towards the locking member, characterized in that pressing, washing machine according claim 1. Wherein the levers of each lever pair (26, 27) is characterized in that it engaged with each other, according to claim 1 or
3. The washing machine according to 2 . 4. The cleaning machine according to claim 3 , wherein the two levers (26, 27) of each lever pair are engaged with each other by a tooth row (40, 41).