JP3499893B2 - Capping method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of capping device, one having a structure as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has been known. The capping device shown in FIG.
, And roll-on spindles 2, 2, ..., Capping heads 3, 3 ,. The turret 1 rotates the roll-on spindles 2, 2 ... And the capping heads 3, 3 ... In the circumferential direction, and the rotation axis of the roll-on spindles 2, 2 ... And the capping heads 3, 3 ... It has a central strut body 4 which becomes

The central portion of the central support body 4 has an annular shape and
A band-shaped lower cam 5 is provided, and an outer peripheral surface of the lower cam 5 extends in the circumferential direction as shown in FIG.
Are formed. A ring gear 6 is provided above the lower cam 5.
Further, a drive gear unit 7 including a sun gear, a planetary gear, and the like (not shown) is provided, and the drive gear unit 7 is driven by a drive source (not shown) to be mounted on roll-on spindles 2, 2 ... The heads 3, 3 ... Are rotated.

An upper cam fixing body 8 is fixedly provided on the central support body 4 above the drive gear portion 7, and an upper cam 9 is fixed to the upper cam fixing body 8. The upper cam 9 is an annular belt-shaped body, and an outer peripheral surface thereof is formed with an upper cam track 9a having a U-shaped groove cross section that extends in the circumferential direction and bends in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. . Here, the length of the lowered portion 9b of the upper cam track 9a is determined by the roll-on spindles 2, 2 ... And the capping heads 3, 3 during capping described later.
Is long enough so that the cap can be threaded onto the cap.

A top plate portion 10 consisting of a plate-shaped reinforcing plate and columnar columns 10b, 10b ... Is attached to the upper portion of the upper cam fixing body 7. The top plate portion 10 is fixed to the upper cam fixing portion. The body 8 is reinforced to prevent pulsation when the roll-on spindles 2, 2 ... Operate. Further, a turret frame 11 is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the turret 1. The turret frame 11 is rotated by a drive source (not shown) around the central support body 4, and has guide grooves 12 for mounting the roll-on spindles 2, 2 ...
12 are formed in parallel with the axis of the central support column 4 and at equal intervals.

The roll-on spindle 2 is composed of a cylindrical main portion 20, a housing portion 21 attached to the upper portion of the main portion 20, and a plate portion 22 elastically mounted on the main portion 20 by the housing portion 21. Has become. The main part 20 includes a cylindrical shaft 23, a cylindrical drive sleeve 24 rotatably fitted to the shaft 23, and a cylindrical slider 25 slidably fitted to the outer periphery of the drive sleeve 24. It consists of
Here, the drive sleeve 24 has a driven gear 26 to be screwed with the ring gear 6 of the turret 1 while the capping head 3 is attached to the lower portion thereof.
The driving gear unit 7 of the turret 2 is driven to rotate the capping head 3.

Further, the slider 25 has a lower cam follower 27 attached to the lower cam 5 of the turret 1 attached to the upper portion thereof and a taper portion 28 formed on the lower portion thereof. It is adapted to slide up and down on the drive sleeve 24 by being driven along. The housing portion 21 is the shaft 2 of the main portion 20.
It comprises a substantially cylindrical housing 29 that fits in the housing 3, and a coil spring 30 wound around the housing 29.

The hanging plate portion 22 is fixed to the housing 29 of the housing portion 21, and an upper cam follower 31 which is driven by the upper cam 9 of the turret 1 is attached to the upper end portion thereof. The roll-on spindle 2 is mounted on the guide groove 12 of the turret frame 11 and fixed to the turret by a kib plate 32. Based on this structure, the roll-on spindle 2
Rotates around the central support 4 of the turret 1 and ascends and descends vertically along the lower cam 5 and the upper cam 9.

The capping head 3 is a pressure block 40 that presses the cap put on the mouth from above.
A roll-on roller 41 for threading a screw portion on the outer peripheral portion of the cap, and a seal roller 42 for winding the lower end portion of the cap around the lower portion of the mouth. The drive gear portion 7 of the turret 1 is driven. By doing so, the roll-on spindle 2 rotates in conjunction with the driven gear 26 and the drive sleeve 24. Here, the roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 are configured to open and close in the radial direction or inward of the slider 25 by the vertical movement of the slider 25 of the roll-on spindle 2.

The cap operation for the mouth by the capping device thus constructed will be described with reference to FIG.

(A) First, a container capped by a cap release (not shown) is set below the capping head 3 by a transfer device.

(B) Next, the roll-on spindle 2 and the capping head 3 are lowered by the upper cam 9 and the lower cam 5, whereby the cap of the container mouth is pressed against the pressure block 40 of the capping head 3.

(C) Then, the taper portion 28 of the roll-on spindle 2 is lowered by the lower cam 5, whereby the roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 of the capping head 3 are brought close to the side portion of the cap.

(D) The roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 rotate around the cap by the driving of the drive gear portion 7 of the turret 2, whereby the cap is threaded according to the shape of the container mouth, and the lower end of the cap is Part is wrapped around the container mouth.

(E) The lower cam 5 raises the taper portion 28 of the roll-on spindle 2 so that the roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 are separated by the cap.

(F) After that, the roll-on spindle 2 is raised by the upper cam 9 and separated from the capped container opening.

(G) During the series of capping steps (a) to (f), as shown in FIG. 3, the container is a star wheel 115 fixed to the central support 4 and a guide 11.
It is restrained immediately below the capping head 3 by 6.

A container (for example, a PET bottle) is filled by a known method so that the filling height is made uniform, and the container in such a state is conveyed to the capping machine having the above-mentioned structure. When capped with this capping machine, in addition to the original variation of the liquid level of the filling liquid in the filling machine, due to the difference in the restraint condition of the container at the moment of capping, the elastic container is deformed in various ways. The height of the liquid level varies depending on the equipment. As a result, there is a problem that the filling level is determined under the condition of the container determined by the container restraint state at the time of the sealing stopper, the filling level varies, and the commercial value is reduced. On the other hand, in the filling machine, the same filling amount of liquid (gravity method
Volumetric filling) or even when filling to a constant liquid level,
There is also a problem that the filling level differs depending on the restraint state of the container immediately before capping.

[0018]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a capping method capable of performing capping while the liquid level (filling height) in a container filled with liquid is kept constant at a predetermined position. That is the issue. Also,
An object of the present invention is to provide a capping device having a simple structure and a reliable operation for implementing the capping method described above.

[0019]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the capping method, the present invention restrains and presses the elastic container from the outside immediately before the cap is changed to change the internal volume of the container, thereby improving the taste level of the container. A method is adopted in which the container is sealed while holding the container in a state where the container is apparently aligned at a constant height.

Further, according to the present invention, as a device for carrying out the capping method, a pressing mechanism for pressing a container on a container table holding a container to be sealed, and a container for detecting the container height of the container. A capping device having a structure including a detector and a control device for stopping pressing of the container via the pressing mechanism when a predetermined height is reached is adopted.

[0021]

In the capping method according to the present invention, the container is pushed and deformed during capping. That is,
By reducing the container volume, the filling height is forced to a constant height. By changing the filling height in this way, it is possible to align the container to a certain height and to seal the container.

Further, in the device according to the present invention, the container is deformed through the pressing mechanism during capping. That is, by reducing the container volume, the filling level is forcibly made constant. Therefore, the container is pressed to detect the change in the filling level with a detector, and when the height reaches a predetermined level, the pressing is stopped via the control device, and the capping head is held and held. , Seal with a stopper.

[0023]

Embodiments of the method according to the present invention and an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The capping device 12
Since the mechanism such as 1 is the same as that of the conventional device described above, the drawing and the description thereof are omitted. Reference numeral 121 denotes a capping device, and the roll-on spindle 2 and the capping head 3 rotate around the central support column 4. A roll-on roller 41 and a seal roller 42 are attached to the tip of the capping head 3. The star wheel 115 composed of the upper star wheel 115a and the lower star wheel 115b is fixed to the central strut body 4 to guide the rotation of the elastic container Y (made of synthetic resin such as PET). On the other hand, the container Y is placed on the container base 114 attached via the support base 125 that rotates in the same manner as the central support 4. Further, a guide 116 for the container Y is formed on the outer peripheral side of the star wheel 115 in a circumferential shape. Reference numeral 105 denotes a linear actuator, which is fixed to the support base 125 via a bracket 110.

The V-shaped lever 142, to which the container pressing tool 101 for pressing the container Y is attached, is attached to the central column body 4 via the lever support tool 113, and the support shaft 11
It is rotatably attached at 3a. In addition, lever 1
A spring 104 is fixed to the bracket 110 at the end of 42. The main spring 104 is the linear actuator 1
The rod 107 of No. 05 is fixed so as to be pressed against the end of the lever 142. Reference numeral 106 is a liquid level sensor that detects the height of the container Y. Reference numeral 112 denotes a control device, which receives a signal output from the liquid level sensor 106 and controls the operation of the linear actuator 105, which will be described in detail later. The operation of the apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

(A) First, the container Y covered with the cap 118 as shown in FIG. 1 by a cap release (not shown) is set below the capping head 3 by the carrying device. Along with this operation, the linear actuator 105 operates to overcome the elastic force of the spring 104 and rotate the lever 142 clockwise around the support shaft 113a.

The side portion of the container Y contacts the guide 116 via the container pressing tool 101 attached to the end of the lever 142, and is further pressed to be deformed to reduce the internal volume.
As a result, the soaking level increases, and when the liquid level sensor 106 detects a predetermined soaking level, the linear actuator 105 is stopped and held via the control device 101. As a result,
The filling height of the container Y maintains the height detected by the liquid level sensor 106.

(B) Next, the roll-on spindle 2 and the capping head 3 are lowered by the upper cam 9 and the lower cam 5, whereby the cap 118 at the container port is pressed against the pressure block 40 of the capping head 3.

(C) Next, the taper portion 28 of the roll-on spindle 2 is lowered by the lower cam 5, so that the roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 of the capping head 3 are brought close to the side portion of the cap. As a result, the container Y is closed by the cap 118.
After such a state, the linear actuator 105
Is operated in the opposite direction, and the lever 142 is rotated counterclockwise by the action of the spring 104 attached to the end portion of the lever 142, and the container pressing tool 101 is separated from the container Y.

(D) The roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 rotate around the cap by the driving of the drive gear portion 7 of the turret 1, which causes the cap 118 to rotate.
Is threaded according to the shape of the container mouth, and the cap 1
The lower end of 18 is wound around the container opening. Thus, the filling height is capped at the height detected by the liquid level sensor 106.

(E) The lower cam 5 raises the taper portion 28 of the roll-on spindle 2 to separate the roll-on roller 41 and the seal roller 42 by the cap.

(F) After that, the roll-on spindle 2 is raised by the upper cam 9 and separated from the capped container opening. The liquid level sensor 106 may be of a capacitance tube type or a photoelectric tube type. Further, the container pressing tool 101 may be released from the container after the container capping is completed and the roll-on spindle 2 is lifted.

[0032]

As described above in detail, according to the capping method of the present invention, after the liquid is filled, the inner volume of the container is forcibly reduced, and the liquid level in the container is raised so that the predetermined liquid is discharged. Capping is performed in a state in which the position (the height of the taste) is maintained. Therefore, regardless of the restraint state and deformation of various containers, it is possible to make the height of the inside of the container constant.

Further, the apparatus according to the present invention has a simple structure having the pressing mechanism and its control mechanism, but can surely carry out the capping method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a capping device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining the operation of the capping device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a conventional capping device.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating an operation of a conventional capping device.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 capping head 4 Central support body 101 container pressing tool 104 spring 105 Linear actuator 106 Liquid level sensor 112 Control device 115 Star Wheel 116 Guide 118 cap 142 lever Y container

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of capping an elastic container after filling the filling liquid with the filling liquid, wherein the elastic container is restrained from the outside immediately before the cap is closed, and the internal volume of the container is changed to improve the taste of the container. A method for capping an elastic container, characterized in that the liquid level height of the filling liquid in the elastic container is made uniform by sealing the container while holding the container in a state where the height is apparently aligned to a constant height. . 2. A capping device having a container base for holding an elastic container under a capping head, a star wheel for guiding the container in rotation, and a guide for guiding the container to the outer peripheral side of the star wheel. A pressing mechanism for pressing the container on the container table, a taste detector for detecting the taste height of the container, and stopping the pressing of the container via the pressing mechanism when a predetermined taste height is reached. A capping device having a control device.