JP4239149B2 - Container transfer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a container transport device that grips a container with a pair of chuck claws.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a transport device incorporated in a beer koji inspection device, etc., while rotating a disk called a star wheel provided with a large number of pockets into which the koji is fitted, the holding and opening of the koji in each pocket is switched to change the star wheel There has been known a star wheel device capable of delivering a kite at an appropriate position on a rotation path. As a hook holding means in the star wheel device, for example, one using a suction cup (see Patent Document 1) and one using a pair of openable / closable chuck claws (see Patent Document 2) are known.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-106039 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-7243 [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
[0004]
In the method using the suction cup, foreign matter adhering to the bag, label dust, label adhesive, etc. are sucked into the suction path, reducing the suction force, and may cause a suction error. If the broken soot is mixed in, the suction pad may be damaged and cannot be sucked. For these reasons, when the speed of the star wheel is increased, the suction cup method frequently causes container discharge errors and the like, and there is a certain limitation on the efficiency of the inspection apparatus.
[0005]
On the other hand, in the method of gripping the heel with the chuck pawl, the heel can be stably held regardless of the presence or absence of label dust or the like. Therefore, it is considered advantageous to use the chuck method when speeding up the star wheel. However, when the conveyance speed is increased, a conveyance defect such as a fall of a defective flaw may occur, and the chuck claw may be deformed due to clogging or flaw damage, which may hinder the operation of the chuck device.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a container transport device with an improved effect of preventing damage to chuck claws.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention will be described below. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are appended in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.
[0008]
The transport device of the present invention includes a wheel (2, 3) provided with pockets (2a, 3a) for receiving a container (BT), and a chuck device (5) provided so as to be integrally rotatable with the wheel, The chuck device includes a pair of chuck claws (10) that can be opened and closed to grip the container, and the pair of chuck claws between a standby position on the center side of the wheel and a grip position on the outer peripheral side of the wheel. And a chuck drive mechanism (11) that opens and closes the pair of chuck claws so that the pair of chuck claws open at the standby position and the pair of chuck claws close at the gripping position, wherein in the standby position the leading end of the chuck pawl is accommodated in a region inside the periphery of the wheel, the chuck drive mechanism radially in on the wheel A movable body (15) supported so as to be movable, a driving means (16) for driving the movable body in the radial direction of the wheel, and a movable body rotatably via a pair of arm shafts (20). A pair of arms (21) supported and provided with the chuck claws at the outer peripheral end (21a), and the movable body disposed between the wheel and the arm and driven by the driving means. By providing a cam mechanism (25, 31) that converts a reciprocating motion into a rotational motion about the arm axis of the pair of arms , the above-described problems are solved.
[0009]
According to this invention, at the standby position where it is not necessary to hold the container, the tip of the chuck claw is retracted toward the center of the wheel from the outer periphery of the wheel. It can protect and prevent deformation and breakage of the chuck claw. Therefore, the effect of preventing damage to the chuck claws is enhanced. Further, by suppressing damage to the chuck claws, it becomes easy to cope with an increase in the conveyance speed. Further, when the movable body is driven in the radial direction of the wheel by the driving means, the arm rotates while moving in the radial direction integrally with the movable body, and the chuck pawl is opened and closed. Since the motion is converted using a cam, the operation is reliable and reliable.
[0012]
The cam mechanism may include a cam member (31) having a cam surface (35) formed along a radial direction of the wheel, and a cam follower (25) provided on the arm and in contact with the cam surface. . In this case, since the cam surface extends along the driving direction of the movable body by the driving means, the cam follower can easily follow the cam surface, which is advantageous for simplification of the mechanism.
[0013]
The cam surfaces are respectively provided at both side edges of the cam member along the radial direction of the wheel, and the cam follower is formed on the arm rear end (21b) protruding toward the center of the wheel from the arm shaft. A biasing means (27) may be provided between the arm rear end portions of the pair of arms so as to pull the rear end portions of the arms toward each other.
[0014]
In this case, the cam followers can be pressed against the cam surface by using the biasing means at the same time that the arms are biased in the direction of opening by the biasing means. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the configuration of the chuck drive mechanism can be further simplified.
[0015]
The cam surface may include an enlarged portion (35b) that protrudes in a direction away from each other with respect to the circumferential direction of the wheel toward the outer side in the radial direction. According to such an aspect, when the movable body is driven radially outward by the driving means, the cam follower rides on the enlarged portion and the rear end portion of the arm is pushed and spread. As a result, the chuck claw at the arm tip can be closed.
[0016]
In the transport apparatus according to the present invention, the chuck driving mechanism may be configured such that when the pair of chuck claws move from the standby position to the gripping position, the tip of the chuck claws passes through the maximum diameter portion of the container to be gripped. The pair of chuck claws are operated so that the chuck claws are closed, and when the pair of chuck claws move from the gripping position to the standby position, the container to be gripped is released from the chuck claws. It is preferable to operate the pair of chuck claws so that the tips of the chuck claws are accommodated in the wheel. By operating the chuck claw in this way, the container can be reliably taken into the pocket and discharged from the pocket without being caught by the tip of the chuck claw.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 to 3 show a star wheel device for conveying beer lees to which the chuck device of the present invention is applied, FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration inside the wheel, and FIG. 2 is a view of the chuck device as seen from the wheel information. FIG. 3 is a plan view and FIG. 3 is a side view of the chuck device. As can be seen from these drawings, the star wheel device 1 includes upper and lower wheels 2 and 3 each having pockets 2a and 3a for receiving a bag BT (see FIG. 3) to be conveyed, arranged side by side at a constant pitch in the circumferential direction. The chuck device 5 is provided. The wheels 2 and 3 are driven to turn around a wheel center (not shown). The pockets 2a and 3a are formed by forming a substantially half-moon-shaped recess on the outer periphery of the wheels 2 and 3. The sizes of the upper and lower pockets 2a and 3a are set equal to each other, or the pockets 2a and 3a are formed in different sizes and shapes according to the shape and diameter of the facing portion of the heel BT with respect to each pocket 2a and 3a. In some cases. The outer diameters of the upper and lower wheels 2 and 3 are equal to each other.
[0018]
The chuck device 5 includes a pair of chuck claws 10, 10 that can be opened and closed to grip the heel BT, and a pair of chuck claws 10 at a standby position on the center side of the wheels 2, 3 and a grip position on the outer periphery side of the wheels 2, 3 And a chuck drive mechanism 11 that opens and closes in conjunction with the advance and retreat. The chuck claws 10 are formed by processing a metal steel plate such as a stainless steel plate. The left and right chuck claws 10 are symmetrical with respect to a reference line CL connecting the center Cb of the heel BT to be held in the pockets 2a and 3a and the wheel center.
[0019]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the chuck driving mechanism 11 includes a base 12 fixed to the lower wheel 3, a guide block 13 fixed to the base 12, and the guide block 13. A pair of rods 14 and 14 supported slidably in the radial direction, and a slider 15 as a movable body attached to the tips of the rods 14 and 14 (the right end in FIGS. 4 and 5) are provided. The chuck drive mechanism 11 is provided with an air cylinder 16 as a drive means along the reference line CL. The piston rod 16a of the air cylinder 16 reciprocates on the reference line CL as viewed from above. The tip of the piston rod 16 a is connected to the slider 15 via a swivel joint 17 and a bolt 18. The air cylinder 16 may be a single action type or a double action type. In the illustrated example, a double-acting air cylinder is used.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of arm shafts 20, 20 are attached to the slider 15 so as to be symmetric with respect to the reference line CL. The arm shaft 20 extends in a direction parallel to the rotation center line of the wheels 2 and 3. An arm 21 is rotatably attached to each arm shaft 20. The arm 21 is also symmetrical with respect to the reference line CL. A chuck receiving portion 23 having a reduced thickness is provided at the distal end portion (end portion on the outer peripheral side) 21 a of the arm 21. A receiving surface 21c that is recessed in a cylindrical shape is formed inside the proximal end portion of the chuck receiving portion 23, and a curved portion 10a formed on the proximal end side of the chuck claw 10 is formed on the receiving surface 21c. 24 and bolts 24a are used for fixing. In addition, the bending part 10a is formed with a slit for passing the bolt 24a, so that the bending part 10a can be inserted into and removed from the gap between the holding piece 24 and the receiving surface 21c without removing the bolt 24a. .
[0021]
The rear end portion 21b of the arm 21 protrudes beyond the arm shaft 20 toward the wheel center side (left side in FIG. 4). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a roller 25 as a cam follower is attached to each rear end portion 21 b of the arm 21 so as to be rotatable about a follower shaft 26 parallel to the arm shaft 20. Further, a pair of coil springs 27, 27 as an urging means for pulling the rear end portions 21 b of the arm 21 toward each other are bridged on the upper side of the roller 25. The arms 21 and 21 are urged by the tensile force of the coil springs 27 in the direction in which the chuck receiving portions 23 open about the arm shaft 20 (the direction away from the reference line CL).
[0022]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a pair of stays 30, 30 are attached to the upper surface of the base 12, and a cam member 31 is fixed to the upper ends of the stays 30 using bolts 32. The outer peripheral end of the cam member 31 is connected to the upper wheel 2 via a bolt 33. Cam surfaces 35 are provided on both side edges of the cam member 31 along the radial direction of the wheel 3 so as to be in contact with the roller 25. The roller 25 as a cam follower is pressed against the cam surface 35 by the force of the coil spring 27. Each cam surface 35 is symmetrical with respect to the reference line CL. The cam surface 35 is connected to a parallel portion 35a parallel to the reference line CL, and is connected to the outer peripheral side of the wheel 3 with respect to the parallel portion 35a, and away from the circumferential direction of the wheel 3 toward the outer side in the radial direction of the wheel 3 And an enlarged portion 35b that protrudes from the center.
[0023]
In the chuck device 5 configured as described above, the roller 15 is moved along the cam surface 35 by driving the slider 15 in the radial direction of the wheel 3 by the air cylinder 16 to move the arms 21 and 21 to the chuck claw 10. It can be opened and closed together.
[0024]
That is, when the piston rod 16a is retracted, the arm 21 moves backward toward the wheel center, the roller 25 comes into contact with the parallel portion 35a of the cam surface 35, and the distal end portions 21a of the arm 21 are opened to each other. At this time, the chuck claw 10 is held together with the arm 21 in a standby position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) that is retracted toward the wheel center side and opened to each other. On the other hand, when the piston rod 16 a is extended, the arm 21 advances to the outer peripheral side of the wheel 3 and the roller 25 rides on the enlarged portion 35 b of the cam surface 35. As a result, the rear end portions 21b of the left and right arms 21 are pushed and spread, and the chuck claws 10 project to the outside of the wheels 2 and 3 and move to a gripping position (position indicated by an imaginary line in FIG. 1).
[0025]
In addition, supply and discharge | emission of the compressed air with respect to the air cylinder 16 should be performed in the arbitrary positions regarding the circumferential direction of the wheels 2 and 3 using the pneumatic circuit similar to the well-known star wheel apparatus using an adsorption cup or an air cylinder. Can do. Since the structure for supplying and discharging the compressed air is not the gist of the present invention, the details are omitted.
[0026]
In the chuck device 5 having the above configuration, the position of the tip 10b of the chuck claw 10 at each of the standby position and the gripping position, and the operation of the chuck claw 10 when moving between the two positions are the shape of the cam surface 35, the air It can be changed by adjusting various factors such as the driving amount by the cylinder 16 and the shapes of the arm 21 and the chuck claw 10. In the present embodiment, the shape of the cam surface 35 is set so that the chuck pawl 10 operates as follows.
[0027]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the chuck claw 10 is in the standby position, the tip 10 b is positioned closer to the wheel center than the outer peripheries 2 b and 3 b of the wheels 2 and 3. In other words, the tip 10b of the chuck claw 10 is accommodated in the area A inside the wheel outer circumferences 2b and 3b. Further, when the chuck claw 10 moves from the standby position to the gripping position, the pair of chuck claws 10 are closed so that the chuck claw 10 is closed after the tip 10b of the chuck claw 10 passes through the maximum diameter portion of the flange BT to be gripped. Is operating. Further, when the chuck claw 10 moves from the gripping position to the standby position, the tip 10b of the chuck claw 10 is opened after the chuck claw 10 is opened until the hook BT to be gripped is released from the chuck claw 10. The pair of chuck claws 10 are operated so as to retreat inside the outer peripheries 2b and 3b.
[0028]
According to the star wheel device 1 described above, since the tip 10b of the chuck claw 10 is positioned in the wheels 2 and 3 at the standby position, even if the claw clogs or the claw is damaged due to overturning of the claw BT, the chuck claw 10 can be protected by the wheels 2 and 3, and the damage prevention effect of the chuck claw 10 can be enhanced.
[0029]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be implemented in various forms. For example, the driving means is not limited to the air cylinder, and may be changed as appropriate. The drive means does not have to be provided on the wheel. For example, the driving means may be configured to be disposed at a fixed position around the wheel and to input a driving force in association with the chuck driving mechanism when the chuck device is at a specific rotational position or range. The mechanism for converting the motion transmitted from the drive means into the opening / closing motion of the chuck claw is not limited to the cam mechanism, and various motion conversion mechanisms such as a link mechanism may be used. The container to be transported is not limited to the basket, and various containers may be transported by the transport device of the present invention.
[0030]
When a plurality of wheels having different diameters are provided, it is within the technical scope of the present invention if the tip of the chuck claw is accommodated inside the wheel having the largest diameter at the standby position.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the tip end of the chuck claw is retracted toward the wheel center side from the outer periphery of the wheel at the standby position where it is not necessary to hold the container. The chuck claw can be protected from breakage, and deformation and breakage of the chuck claw can be suppressed. Therefore, the effect of preventing damage to the chuck claws is enhanced. By suppressing damage to the chuck claws, it is possible to easily cope with an increase in the conveyance speed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a wheel in a star wheel device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the chuck device as viewed from the upper surface side of the wheel.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the chuck device.
4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Starwheel device (transport device)
2, 3 Wheel 2a, 3a Pocket 2b, 3b Wheel outer periphery 5 Chuck device 10 Chuck claw 10b Chuck claw tip 11 Chuck drive mechanism 15 Slider (movable body)
16 Air cylinder (drive means)
20 Arm shaft 21 Arm 21a Arm tip 21b Arm rear end 23 Chuck receiving portion 24 Pressing piece 25 Roller (cam follower, cam mechanism)
27 Coil spring (biasing means)
31 Cam member (cam mechanism)
35 Cam surface 35b Enlarged portion BT of the cam surface 容器 (container)

Claims (5)

A wheel provided with a pocket for receiving a container; and a chuck device provided so as to rotate together with the wheel. The chuck device includes a pair of chuck claws that can be opened and closed to hold the container; The chuck claws are advanced and retracted between a standby position on the center side of the wheel and a grip position on the outer peripheral side of the wheel, and the pair of chuck claws open at the standby position, and the pair of chuck claws at the grip position. A chuck driving mechanism that opens and closes the pair of chuck claws so as to be closed, and at the standby position, the tip of the chuck claw is accommodated in a region inside the outer periphery of the wheel, and the chuck driving mechanism A movable body supported so as to be movable in the radial direction on the wheel, and driving the movable body in the radial direction of the wheel A movable means, a pair of arms rotatably supported by the movable body via a pair of arm shafts and provided with the chuck claw at an outer peripheral end, and disposed between the wheel and the arm And a cam mechanism for converting a reciprocating motion of the movable body driven by the driving means into a rotational motion around the arm axis of the pair of arms . The cam mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a cam member which cam surfaces are formed along the radial direction of the wheel, and a cam follower in contact with the cam surface provided on the arm Transport device. The cam surfaces are respectively provided at both side edges of the cam member along the radial direction of the wheel, and the cam follower sandwiches the cam member at an arm rear end protruding from the arm shaft toward the center side of the wheel. The conveying device according to claim 2 , wherein an urging unit is provided between the arm rear end portions of the pair of arms to pull the rear end portions of the arms toward each other. The conveying apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising an enlarged portion that protrudes in a direction away from each other with respect to a circumferential direction of the wheel as the cam surface moves outward in the radial direction. The chuck driving mechanism is configured such that when the pair of chuck claws move from the standby position to the gripping position, the chuck claws are closed after the tip of the chuck claws passes through the maximum diameter portion of the container to be gripped. When the pair of chuck claws are operated to move the pair of chuck claws from the gripping position to the standby position, the tip of the chuck claws is moved to the wheel after the container to be gripped is released from the chuck claws. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the pair of chuck claws are operated so as to be accommodated in the inside.

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