JP7610111B2 - Article handling equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an article processing device, and more specifically, to an article processing device that includes a conveying means for moving a holding means capable of holding an article, and an article transfer means for removing a plurality of the articles from the holding means grouped on the conveying means and transferring them to another discharge position.

Conventionally, there is known an item processing apparatus that includes a conveying means for moving a number of holding means that hold containers, and a case packer that fills and caps the containers held by the holding means, and then removes the containers from the number of holding means and transfers them into a case waiting at another location (Patent Document 1).
In this patent document, the conveying means moves the holding means individually using a linear motor, and an inspection means inspects containers after filling and capping. If a defect is detected in a container contained in the holding means, a rejection means rejects the container detected as defective by removing it from the conveying path along with the holding means.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-51087

However, when removing the article together with the holding means as in Patent Document 1, a separate conveying means for transporting the removed holding means, a mechanism for removing it, and a mechanism for returning the removed carrier to the original conveying means are required, resulting in problems of increased installation space and installation costs.
In consideration of such problems, the present invention provides an item processing device that is capable of transferring a specified number of items without causing stockouts in the item transfer means, even if an empty holding means occurs that is not holding any items.

That is, the article processing apparatus of the invention of claim 1 comprises a conveying means which moves a plurality of holding means which hold articles individually by a linear motor, an article transferring means which is provided in the vicinity of a grouping position where the conveying means stops the plurality of holding means holding the articles and which has a gripper which removes articles from the holding means stopped at the grouping position and transfers them to a discharge position, an article detection means which detects whether or not the holding means is holding an article, and a control means which controls the operation of the holding means and the article transferring means, and when the article detection means detects an empty holding means which is not holding an article among the plurality of holding means positioned at the grouping position,
The article transfer means uses a gripper corresponding to the holding means other than the empty holding means to grip and remove the article held by the holding means other than the empty holding means,
Furthermore, the conveying means moves all holding means stopped at the grouping position downstream of the grouping position, and moves the holding means holding the items to the position where the empty holding means was located, and then the item transfer means uses a gripper that is not holding the item to grasp the item held by the holding means, and all grippers that have grasped the item transfer the item to the discharge position.

According to the invention of claim 1, the holding means can be moved individually by a linear motor, so even if an empty holding means occurs among the grouped holding means, the item transfer means can remove items from holding means other than the empty holding means, and then move the holding means holding the items to the position where the empty holding means was located.
This allows grippers that are not holding an item by the item transfer means to remove the item from the new holding means, and since all grippers are holding items, the item transfer means can transfer items to the discharge position without any missing items.
In addition, in this operation, there is no need to remove the holding means from the conveying path, so there is no need for a conveyor to store the removed holding means or a mechanism to return the removed holding means to the conveying path.

1 is a block diagram of a container processing apparatus according to the present embodiment; A side view of the conveying means and the rejecting means. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a casing robot according to a first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a casing robot according to a second embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a container processing apparatus according to a third embodiment; Cross-sectional view illustrating a conveying means FIG. FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating a container supplying means. A diagram explaining the transfer operation of the casing robot FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the casing robot in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a casing robot according to a fourth embodiment;

The illustrated embodiment will now be described. FIG. 1 shows a container processing device 1 as an article processing device according to the present invention, which is a device for filling containers 2 as articles with liquid and capping them, and for holding a predetermined number of the containers 2 and storing them in a case 3.
The container processing apparatus 1 is composed of a conveying means 5 that moves a carrier 4 (holding means) capable of holding multiple containers 2, a container supplying means 6 that is provided along the conveying means 5 and supplies containers 2 to the carrier 4, a filler 7 that fills the containers 2 with liquid, a capper 8 that attaches caps to the containers 2, an inspection means 9 that inspects the containers 2, a rejection means 10 that removes from the carrier 4 containers 2 that are determined to be defective based on the inspection results, and a casing robot 17 as an item transfer means that removes multiple containers 2 from multiple carriers 4 and transfers them to a case 3, and these are controlled by a control means not shown.
The container 2 is made of resin and has an elliptical cross section. The filler 7 is filled with a liquid such as shampoo, and the capper 8 is adapted to attach a cap to the top of the container 2.
A grouping position G where the four carriers 4 are stopped is set near the casing robot 17, and the casing robot 17 grasps and removes eight containers 2 from the four stopped carriers 4, and transfers them to one case 3 placed at the discharge position.

The conveying means 5 is composed of an endless rail 12 and a plurality of the carriers 4 that are capable of running on the rail 12, and the carriers 4 are adapted to move in a circular motion along the rail 12 by a linear motor.
As shown in FIG. 2, each carrier 4 is formed with two storage sections 4 a capable of storing containers 2 , and these storage sections 4 a are provided in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the carrier 4 moves.
Each carrier 4 is provided with a mover 4b consisting of a magnet at its bottom and rollers 4c provided on both ends of the mover 4b, while the rail 12 is provided with a stator 12a consisting of a coil and roller support parts 12b provided on both sides of the stator 12a and in contact with the rollers 4c of the carrier 4, and a linear motor is formed by the mover 4b and the stator 12a.
The principle of linear motors is well known and will not be described in detail, but the control means controls the current to each stator 12a provided on the rail 12, thereby generating electromagnetic induction between the stator 12a and the movable element 4b provided on the carrier 4, thereby moving the carrier 4.
The control means recognizes the positions of all carriers 4 on the rails 12 and moves each carrier 4 to the above-mentioned fillers 7, cappers 8, etc., making it possible to stop the carriers 4 in a close contact state as shown in Figure 1, or to stop them individually.

The container supply means 6 includes a supply conveyor 6a for supplying empty containers 2, a camera 6b provided above the supply conveyor 6a, and a supply robot 6c for holding the containers 2 on the supply conveyor 6a and transferring them to the carrier 4 of the transport means 5.
The supply conveyor 6a transports the containers 2 in an overturned state, with each container 2 facing in a random direction.
The camera 6b photographs all the containers 2 transported on the supply conveyor 6a, and the orientation of each container 2 is recognized by image recognition means provided in the control means.
The supply robot 6c is well known in the art and will not be described in detail here, but it may be configured, for example, as a robot equipped with a suction head at the end of its arm, and based on the results of image recognition by the camera 6b, it suctions and holds the side of the container 2 in an overturned state, and then rotates it in a horizontal plane to face it in the required direction.
Furthermore, the supply robot 6c is capable of lifting the container 2 from an overturned position into an upright position, and is adapted to lift the horizontally-adjusted container 2 that it has picked up into an upright position and then store it in the recessed storage section 4a formed in the carrier 4.

The above-mentioned filler 7 and capper 8 are well known in the art and will not be described in detail here, but the filler 7 in this embodiment has eight filling nozzles aligned in two rows, and the capper 8 also has eight capping heads aligned in two rows.
Meanwhile, the conveying means 5 stops the four carriers 4 at the filler 7 and capper 8 in a close contact state, and at this time the control means controls the position of each carrier 4 so that the containers 2 contained in each carrier 4 are positioned below the filling nozzles and capping heads aligned in two rows.
When the carrier 4 stops at the filler 7 and the capper 8 in this manner, the filling nozzle and the capping head respectively fill the liquid and attach the cap.

The inspection means 9 is equipped with a camera and a sensor, and judges the quality of the amount of liquid filled in the containers 2 housed in the carrier 4 and the condition of the caps attached.
At this time, the conveying means 5 stops the carriers 4 one by one at a predetermined position adjacent to the inspection means 9, and the inspection means 9 judges the quality of the two containers 2 contained in the carrier 4, while the control means stores the results of the quality judgment of the containers 2 contained in each carrier 4 and functions as an object detection means for detecting whether each carrier 4 is holding a container 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reject means 10 includes a reject robot 13 provided adjacent to the transport means 5, and can include an arm 13a having a gripper 13b at the tip thereof for gripping the container 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, adjacent to the reject robot 13, there is provided a reject area R for placing defective products determined to be defective by the inspection means 9, and a stock area S for placing non-defective products determined to be normal.
The detailed operation of the reject means 10 will be described later, but the transport means 5 stops the carriers 4 one by one after the inspection by the inspection means 9 at a position adjacent to the reject robot 13 .
The control means stores the judgment results of the containers 2 contained in the carrier 4, and controls the reject robot 13 based on the judgment results to remove defective products from the carrier 4 and transfer them to the reject area R, remove good products from the carrier 4 and transfer them to the stock area S, and store good products placed in the stock area S in empty storage sections 4a in the carrier 4.

The casing robot 17 is provided near a grouping position G set on the transport path of the carrier 4 by the transport means 5, and adjacent to the casing robot 17 are a case supply conveyor 14 for supplying empty cases 3, a case discharge conveyor 15 for discharging cases 3 containing containers 2, and a pusher 16 for moving cases 3 from the case supply conveyor 14 to the case discharge conveyor 15.
The case supply conveyor 14 and case discharge conveyor 15 are arranged parallel to the conveying means 5, and the conveying means 5 is configured to stop the four carriers 4 in close proximity at a grouping position G which is parallel to the position of the downstream end of the case supply conveyor 14.
The pusher 16 is adapted to push empty cases 3 stopped at the downstream end of the case supply conveyor 14 onto the case discharge conveyor 15, and a plate 18 is provided between the case supply conveyor 14 and the case discharge conveyor 15 to support the moving cases 3 from below.

The casing robot 17 is well known in the art and will not be described in detail here, but it is equipped with eight grippers 17a (see Figure 3) capable of gripping containers 2, a moving means for moving the grippers 17a, and a spacing change means for changing the spacing between the grippers 17a.
When the conveying means 5 stops the four carriers 4 at the grouping position G, the casing robot 17 positions the eight grippers 17a above the four carriers 4, and at this time the spacing change means aligns the spacing of the grippers 17a to the spacing of the eight containers 2 contained in the carrier 4.
In addition, the casing robot 17 raises and lowers the gripper 17a using a moving means, and when it grasps and removes a container 2 stored in the carrier 4, it changes the spacing of the gripper 17a using the spacing change means, narrowing the spacing of the grasped containers 2 to a spacing that can be accommodated in the case 3.
The gripper 17a then moves by the moving means to above an empty case 3 waiting at the upstream end (discharge position) of the case discharge conveyor 15, and then descends so that the eight containers 2 are placed into the empty case 3.

The operation of the container processing apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described below.
First, in the container supply means 6, the supply conveyor 6a transports the container 2 in an overturned state, and the supply robot 6c grasps the overturned container 2 on the supply conveyor 6a, changes its orientation, and then turns it from the overturned state to an upright state.
Meanwhile, the conveying means 5 stops an empty carrier 4 at a position adjacent to the container supply means 6, and the supply robot 6c stores two containers 2 in two storage sections 4a formed in the empty carrier 4, respectively.

Next, the conveying means 5 moves the carriers 4 containing the empty containers 2 to the filler 7, and stops the four carriers 4 at the filler 7 in a state where they are closely spaced from one another.
When the four carriers 4 stop at the filler 7, the filling nozzle is positioned above the eight containers 2 contained in the four carriers 4, and the filling nozzle fills each container 2 with liquid.
Next, the conveying means 5 moves the four carriers 4 directly to the capper 8, where the eight capping heads attach caps to the eight containers 2 contained in the four carriers 4.
Once the filling of liquid into the container 2 and the attachment of the cap are completed in this manner, the conveying means 5 moves the carriers 4 one by one to the inspection means 9, where the amount of liquid filled into the container 2 and the condition of the cap attachment are judged to be satisfactory.

When inspection of the container 2 is completed in this manner, the conveying means 5 moves the carrier 4 containing the container 2 to the rejection means 10. At this time, the carrier 4 may or may not contain any defective products.
First, if the carrier 4 does not contain any defective products, the carrier 4 is an actual carrier 4 containing two containers 2 which are good products, so the conveying means 5 does not stop the carrier 4 at the rejection means 10, but can move it directly to the grouping position G.

In contrast, if at least one defective product is contained in the carrier 4, the rejection means 10 is configured to remove the defective product by performing any one of the following first to fourth processes.
The first process is carried out when the carrier 4 contains only one defective product and no non-defective products are placed in the stock area S.
When the transport means 5 stops the carrier 4 containing one defective product at the reject means 10, the reject robot 13 takes out the defective product from the carrier 4 and transfers it to the reject area R, and further takes out the non-defective products contained in the carrier 4 and transfers them to the stock area S.
As a result, the carrier 4 becomes an empty carrier 4 with the containers 2 removed from the two storage sections 4a, while non-defective containers 2 are placed in the stock area S.

The second process is carried out when the carrier 4 contains two defective products and the stock area S does not contain any non-defective products.
When the transport means 5 stops the carrier 4 containing the two defective products at the reject means 10, the reject robot 13 removes the two defective products from the carrier 4 and transfers them to the reject area R.
As a result, the carrier 4 becomes an empty carrier 4 with the containers 2 removed from the two storage sections 4a, but unlike the first process, no good containers 2 are placed in the stock area S.

The third process is carried out when one defective product is contained in the carrier 4 and the number of non-defective products placed in the stock area S is equal to or greater than the number of defective products to be removed from the carrier 4, i.e., one or more non-defective products.
When the transport means 5 stops the carrier 4 containing one defective product at the reject means 10, the reject robot 13 takes out the defective product from the carrier 4 and transfers it to the reject area R, and also takes out the good products placed in the stock area S and transfers them to the storage section 4a which has been emptied after the defective product was removed.
As a result, in the carrier 4, the defective products are removed and the empty storage section 4a is filled with new good products by the rejection means 10, so that the carrier 4 becomes an actual carrier 4 in which good products are stored in each of the two storage sections 4a.

The fourth process is carried out when the carrier 4 contains two defective products and the stock area S contains more than the number of defective products to be removed from the carrier 4, i.e., two or more non-defective products.
When the transport means 5 stops the carrier 4 containing two defective products at the reject means 10, the reject robot 13 takes out the two defective products from the carrier 4 and transfers them to the reject area R, and also takes out two good products placed in the stock area S and transfers them to the two storage sections 4a that have been emptied after the defective products have been removed.
As a result, two new good products are stored in the carrier 4 by the rejection means 10 in place of the two defective products that were removed, and the carrier 4 becomes an actual carrier 4 in which good products are stored in each of the two storage sections 4a.

When the processing by the reject means 10 is completed, the transport means 5 moves the four carriers 4 to the grouping position G, and stops them at the grouping position G in a closely spaced state.
Here, the operation of the transfer means 5 and the casing robot 17 in the case where all of the four carriers 4 are filled carriers 4 each accommodating two containers 2 will be described.
This occurs when the inspection means 9 judges both containers 2 contained in the carrier 4 to be good products for all four carriers 4, or when the rejection means 10 performs the third or fourth process described above.
When the four carriers 4 reach the grouping position G by the conveying means 5 , the casing robot 17 positions the eight grippers 17 a above the eight containers 2 housed in the four carriers 4 .
These eight grippers 17 a grip the eight containers 2 , remove them from the carrier 4 , and transfer them to empty cases 3 waiting at the discharge position on the case discharge conveyor 15 .
As a result, the empty case 3 contains the specified number of eight containers 2 without any shortages, and the case 3 is then discharged by the case discharge conveyor 15, and the pusher 16 moves a new empty case 3 from the case supply conveyor 14 to the case discharge conveyor 15.

Next, the operation of the transport means 5 and the casing robot 17 when at least one of the four carriers 4 is empty will be described with reference to Fig. 3. This corresponds to the case where the reject means 10 performs the first or second process described above on any one of the carriers 4.
In Figure 3, the carriers 4 move from left to right in the figure, and in the following explanation, the carriers 4 stopped at grouping position G will be named the first to fourth carriers 4 in order from the downstream end in the conveying direction, and the grippers 17a corresponding to these first to fourth carriers 4 will be named the first to fourth grippers 17a.

First, as in normal processing, the conveying means 5 stops the first to fourth carriers 4, including the empty carrier 4 from which defective products have been removed, at the grouping position G (FIG. 3(a)). Here, the second carrier 4 is the empty carrier 4 from which all containers 2 have been removed, and the control means recognizes that the second carrier 4 is empty upon receiving a signal indicating that the rejection means 10 has rejected it.
Then, the casing robot 17 uses the gripper 17a corresponding to the carrier 4 other than the empty carrier 4 to grip and remove the container 2 from the carrier 4 other than the empty carrier 4 (FIG. 3(b)).
Specifically, since the first, third and fourth carriers 4 are filled carriers 4 holding containers 2, the first, third and fourth grippers 17a grip the containers 2, whereas the second carrier 4 is an empty carrier 4, so the second gripper 17a cannot grip the container 2.

Next, the conveying means 5 moves the four carriers 4 stopped at the grouping position G downstream of the grouping position G, and moves a new full carrier 4 holding a container 2 to the position where the empty carrier 4 was located (Figure 3 (c)).
Specifically, the conveying means 5 moves all of the first to fourth carriers 4 that were stopped at grouping position G to the downstream side of grouping position G, and moves the filled carrier 4 that was waiting upstream of grouping position G to grouping position G as the fifth carrier 4, to the position where the second carrier 4, which was an empty carrier 4, was stopped.

Then, the casing robot 17 uses the gripper 17a that is not holding the container 2 to grip and remove the container 2 from the fill carrier 4 (FIG. 3(d)).
Specifically, the casing robot 17 uses the second gripper 17a, which is not holding a container 2, to grasp two containers 2 contained in the fifth carrier 4 stopped at the grouping position G.
As a result, all of the first to fourth grippers 17a are gripping the container 2. At this time, the casing robot 17 also lowers the first, third, and fourth grippers 17a gripping the container 2, but the containers 2 gripped by the first, third, and fourth grippers 17a do not interfere with the carrier 4.
In this way, once the first to fourth grippers 17a have grasped the containers 2, the casing robot 17 then moves the grippers 17a and changes the spacing between the grippers 17a using the spacing change means, before transferring the eight containers 2 to empty cases 3 positioned on the case discharge conveyor 15.

In this way, according to the container processing device 1 of this embodiment, even if an empty carrier 4 occurs in the rejection means 10, the conveying means 5 moves the carriers 4 individually using a linear motor, and moves the full carrier 4 to the position where the empty carrier 4 was located, making it possible to grasp the container 2 by all of the grippers 17a.
As a result, the specified number of eight containers 2 can be transferred to the case 3 without running out of containers, and since there is no need to move the empty carrier 4 outside the conveying means 5, there is no need for storage space for the empty carrier 4 or a mechanism for returning it.

4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the container processing apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment different from the first embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the casing robot 17 and the conveying means 5 when any one of the carriers 4 is an empty carrier 4. The configuration of the container processing apparatus 1 is the same as that described in the first embodiment.
First, the transport means 5 moves the four carriers 4 including the empty carrier 4 to the grouping position G (FIG. 4(a)). Here, similarly to the first embodiment, the second carrier 4 is an empty carrier 4.

When the first to fourth carriers 4 stop at the grouping position G, the casing robot 17 uses the gripper 17a corresponding to the carrier 4 located downstream of the empty carrier 4 in the conveying direction of the conveying means 5 to remove the container 2 from the carrier 4 located downstream (Figure 4 (b)).
Specifically, the first carrier 4 is located downstream in the conveying direction from the second carrier 4, which is an empty carrier 4, and the casing robot 17 uses the first gripper 17a corresponding to the first carrier 4 to grasp the two containers 2 contained in the first carrier 4.
At this time, the second to fourth grippers 17a do not perform a gripping operation, so that the third and fourth carriers 4, which are the filled carriers 4, maintain the state in which they accommodate the containers 2.

Next, the conveying means 5 moves the empty carrier 4 and the downstream carrier 4 downstream of the grouping position G, and moves the filled carrier 4 holding the container 2 to the position where the empty carrier 4 and the carrier 4 that was located upstream of the empty carrier 4 in the conveying direction were located (Figure 4 (c)).
Specifically, the conveying means 5 initially moves the second carrier 4, which is an empty carrier 4, and the first carrier 4 from which the containers 2 have been removed, downstream of the grouping position G. Then, the conveying means 5 moves the third carrier 4, which is a filled carrier 4, to the position where the second carrier 4 had been stopped up until that point.
Furthermore, the fourth carrier 4, which is the filled carrier 4, is moved to the position where the third carrier 4 was stopped, and the filled carrier 4 located upstream of the casing robot 17 is made the fifth carrier 4 and moved to the position where the fourth carrier 4 was stopped.
As a result, the third to fifth carriers 4 as filled carriers 4 are positioned below the second to fourth grippers 17a that are not gripping a container 2, respectively.

Then, the casing robot 17 uses the gripper 17a that is not holding the container 2 to grip and remove the container 2 from the fill carrier 4 (FIG. 4(d)).
Specifically, the casing robot 17 uses the second to fourth grippers 17a that are not holding a container 2 to grip the containers 2 held in the third to fifth carriers 4, respectively. At this time, the container 2 held by the first gripper 17a does not interfere with the carrier 4.
In this manner, once all of the first through fourth grippers 17a have grasped containers 2, the casing robot 17 then moves the grippers 17a to transfer the eight containers 2 to an empty case 3 positioned on the case discharge conveyor 15.

In this way, even in the container processing device 1 of the second embodiment, if an empty carrier 4 occurs in the rejection means 10, the container 2 in the carrier 4 located upstream of the empty carrier 4 is not initially grasped, and then the full carrier 4 is moved to the position of the empty carrier 4 and the carrier 4 that was located upstream of it, thereby enabling all grippers 17a to grasp the container 2.
As a result, the specified number of eight containers 2 can be grasped and transferred to the case 3 without running out of containers, and since there is no need to move the empty carrier 4 outside the conveying means 5, there is no need for storage space for the empty carrier 4 or a mechanism for returning it.

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a container processing apparatus 101 according to a third embodiment, and in this embodiment, bag-like containers 102, so-called pouches, are processed as articles.
The container processing device 101 of this embodiment is composed of a conveying means 105 that moves the holding means 104 that holds the bag-shaped container 102, a container supplying means 106 that is provided along the conveying means 105 and supplies the bag-shaped container 102, a printing means 107 that prints on the bag-shaped container 102, an opening means 108 that opens the top of the bag-shaped container 102, a first filler 109A and a second filler 109B that fill the bag-shaped container 102 with liquid, a sealing means 110 that seals the bag-shaped container 102, an inspection/reject means 111 that inspects the bag-shaped container 102 and removes bag-shaped containers 102 that are defective, and a casing robot 124 as a transfer means that stores a plurality of bag-shaped containers 102 in a case 103, and these are controlled by a control means not shown.
The bag-shaped container 102 has a structure in which the outer edges of two resin sheets are heat-sealed to form a bag, as shown in FIG. 7, and the container supply means 106 is adapted to supply empty bag-shaped containers 102 with their upper portions not welded.
In this embodiment, when the bag-shaped container 102 is transported, one end of the outer periphery of the sheet faces downstream in the transport direction, and the other end faces upstream in the transport direction.

The conveying means 105 is composed of an endless rail 113 and a plurality of holding means 104 arranged so as to be capable of running on the rail 113, and each holding means 104 is adapted to move in a circular motion along the rail 113 by a linear motor.
As shown in FIG. 6, the rails 113 are endless and form a circulation path, and are provided on both the upper and lower parts of a base 113a that protrudes horizontally toward the outer periphery.
As shown in Figure 7, the holding means 104 in this embodiment is composed of a downstream holding portion 104A that holds the downstream end of the bag-shaped container 102 in the conveying direction, and an upstream holding portion 104B that holds the upstream end in the conveying direction, and the control means is configured to move the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B individually using a linear motor.
The control means is also configured to move the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B in pair, thereby moving them as a single holding means 104, and to move them while maintaining the spacing between them in a state that matches the dimensions of the bag-shaped container 102.
According to the above configuration, when changing the size of the bag-shaped container 102 to be processed, the control means only needs to adjust the distance between the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B, making it possible to quickly change types.

6 shows the downstream holding section 104A of the holding means 104, which is composed of a running section 114 provided so as to be movable along the rail 113, a gripping means 116 fixed to the running section 114 via a bracket 115, and an opening/closing means 117 for opening and closing the gripping means 116. The upstream holding section 104B has a similar configuration.
The running portion 114 comprises a holding member 114a having an approximately U-shaped cross section, a movable member 114b consisting of a magnet provided at the center inside the holding member 114a, side rollers 114c provided adjacent to the top and bottom of the movable member 114b, and two pairs of upper rollers 114d and lower rollers 114e provided on the upper and lower inside sides of the holding member 114a.
In contrast, a stator 113b made of a coil is embedded endlessly in the side of the base 113a that holds the rail 113, and by facing a movable element 114b provided on the running part 114, the downstream holding part 104A is linearly driven by electromagnetic induction.
Guide plates 113c are fixed to the top and bottom of the base 113a, protruding outward from the base 113a. The side rollers 114c provided on the running portion 114 are positioned between the guide plates 113c, thereby determining the vertical position of the downstream holding portion 104A.
Further, an upper roller 114d and a lower roller 114e provided on the running portion 114 are provided so as to sandwich the rail 113 therebetween, thereby defining the horizontal position of the downstream side holding portion 104A.

The gripping means 116 is held on the running portion 114 via a bracket 115, and includes a fixed piece 116a fixed to the bracket 115, and a movable piece 116b provided movably relative to the fixed piece 116a.
A rod 116c slidably held relative to the fixed piece 116a is provided inside the transport path of the movable piece 116b, thereby allowing the movable piece 116b to move forward and backward in the horizontal direction relative to the fixed piece 116a.
Furthermore, a cam follower 116d is provided at the tip of the rod 116c, and a spring 116e is elastically mounted between the cam follower 116d and the fixed piece 116a.
With this configuration, the fixed piece 116a and the movable piece 116b are constantly maintained in close contact with each other in a closed state by the biasing force of the spring 116e, and the bag-shaped container 102 is gripped.

The opening/closing means 117 is provided at a required position on the rail 113 and is composed of a pressing member 117a provided at a height capable of pressing the cam follower 116d of the gripping means 116, and an air cylinder 117b for moving the pressing member 117a back and forth horizontally, and the air cylinder 117b is adapted to be controlled by a control means.
The pressing member 117a is a rod-shaped member that is arranged to match the distance between the stopped downstream holding portion 104A and upstream holding portion 104B, and when the air cylinder 117b advances the pressing member 117a, it simultaneously presses the cam followers 116d that constitute the gripping means 116 of the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B, making it possible to simultaneously release the gripping means 116.

The opening/closing means 117 is provided at a position adjacent to the container supplying means 106, the inspection/reject means 111, and the casing robot 124, as shown in FIG.
Of these, the opening/closing means 117 provided at the position of the container supply means 106 is equipped with the pressing member 117a provided over the length of the stopping positions of the two stopped holding means 104, and each pressing member 117a is driven by one air cylinder 117b.
This makes it possible for the container supplying means 106 to simultaneously open and close the gripping means 116 of the two holding means 104 by using one opening and closing means 117 .
On the other hand, the opening/closing means 117 provided at the position of the inspection/reject means 111 and the casing robot 124 are individually provided at the stopping positions of the holding means 104, making it possible to individually open and close the gripping means 116 of the stopped holding means 104.

As shown in Figure 8, the container supply means 106 includes a container supply conveyor 106a that supplies empty bag-shaped containers 102, and a transfer means 106b that holds the bag-shaped containers 102 on the container supply conveyor 106a and transfers them to the holding means 104 of the conveying means 105.
As described above, the container supply means 106 is configured so that the conveying means 105 stops the two holding means 104. Therefore, two sets of the delivery means 106b are provided, and two bag-shaped containers 102 supplied in two rows on the container supply conveyor 106a can be taken out at the same time.
The container supply conveyor 106a supplies empty bag-shaped containers 102 from a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying means 105, and at this time, the upper and lower parts of adjacent bag-shaped containers 102 are conveyed in a stacked state.
The transfer means 106b uses a suction head provided at the tip of the arm to suction and hold the side of the bag-shaped container 102 on the container supply conveyor 106a from above, and then rotates the arm to stand the bag-shaped container 102 from its overturned state.
The upright bag-like container 102 is positioned between the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B of the holding means 104 stopped at the container supply means 106.
In this state, by operating the opening/closing means 117 provided on the container supply means 106, the gripping means 116 of the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B open and close, and the bag-shaped container 102 is held by the holding means 104.

The printing means 107 is conventionally known and is used to print the date of manufacture and the like on the surface of the bag-like container 102. In this embodiment, the conveying means 105 stops the two holding means 104 at the printing means 107, and the printing means 107 prints on the two bag-like containers 102 simultaneously.
In addition, a camera (not shown) is provided between the printing means 107 and the inspection/rejection means 111, and the control means judges the printing result based on the image captured by the camera, and bag-shaped containers 102 that are found to be defective are rejected by the inspection/rejection means 111.

The opening means 108 has a pair of suction cups arranged on either side of the position where the holding means 104 stops, and when the suction cups adsorb the upper part of the bag-like container 102, the suction cups are separated from each other to form an opening in the upper part of the bag-like container 102.
The conveying means 105 brings the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B that constitute the holding means 104 closer together in accordance with the timing at which the suction cups of the opening means 108 separate, and then maintains this distance, thereby maintaining the opening formed in the bag-shaped container 102.
In this embodiment, the conveying means 105 stops the two holding means 104 at the opening means 108, and the opening means 108 is capable of forming openings in the two bag-like containers 102 simultaneously.

The first and second fillers 109A, 109B have the same configuration, each of which is provided with two filling nozzles, and the filling nozzles are inserted into the opening of the bag-like container 102 to fill it with liquid.
In this embodiment, the first filler 109A on the upstream side fills the bag-shaped container 102 with liquid up to a certain point, and then the second filler 109B on the downstream side fills the remaining capacity. This shortens the downtime of the holding means 104 in each filling means, improving the efficiency of the container processing device 101.
In addition, in this embodiment, the conveying means 105 stops the two holding means 104 at the first and second fillers 109A and 109B, respectively, making it possible to simultaneously fill liquid into two bag-shaped containers 102 at the first and second fillers 109A and 109B.

The sealing means 110 has a pair of sealing portions arranged on either side of the position where the holding means 104 stops, and the sealing portions clamp the upper part of the bag-like container 102 and heat-weld it to seal the opening of the bag-like container 102.
Before the bag-shaped container 102 is sandwiched by the sealing portion, the conveying means 105 separates the downstream holding portion 104A and the upstream holding portion 104B of the holding means 104, thereby closing the opening of the bag-shaped container 102. Thereafter, the conveying means 105 moves the bag-shaped container 102 while maintaining this distance.
Furthermore, the conveying means 105 stops the two holding means 104 at the sealing means 110, and the two bag-like containers 102 are sealed simultaneously by the sealing means 110.

The inspection/reject means 111 is an integrated unit comprising the inspection means and reject means of the present invention, and the inspection/reject means 111 of this embodiment uses a conventionally known inspection mechanism to inspect the bag-like container 102 for leakage of liquid, and rejects bag-like containers 102 that are determined to be defective.
The control means is also configured to determine as defective a bag-like container 102 in which liquid leakage has been detected and a bag-like container 102 in which a defective printing result has been detected by the printing means 107, and is configured to store the results of determining whether the bag-like container 102 is good or bad, and to function as an object detection means for detecting whether each holding means 104 is holding a bag-like container 102 or not.
The inspection/reject means 111 also includes a reject robot (not shown) having a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, which removes bag-shaped containers 102 determined to be defective from the holding means 104 and transfers them to an adjacent reject area (not shown).
In addition, unlike the first and second embodiments, this embodiment is configured so that one holding means 104 holds one bag-shaped container 102, so there is no need for a stock area for placing good products, and there is also no need to return the good products to the holding means 104.
The conveying means 105 stops the two holding means 104 at the inspection/reject means 111, and the above-mentioned opening/closing means 117 is provided at each position where the two holding means 104 stops.
With this configuration, even if the bag container 2 held by one of the carriers 4 of the holding means 104 stopped at the inspection/reject means 111 is defective, only that holding means 104 can be opened by the opening/closing means 117, making it possible to reject the defective product.

As shown in Figure 5, bag-shaped containers 102 that have been determined to be non-defective by the inspection/reject means 111 are transported while being held by the holding means 104 and are stopped at a grouping position G located upstream of the container supply means 106.
At positions adjacent to the grouping position G, there are provided a case supply conveyor 121 for supplying empty cases 103, a case discharge conveyor 122 for discharging cases 103 containing bag-shaped containers 102, and a pusher 123 for moving the empty cases 103 from the case supply conveyor 121 to the case discharge conveyor 122.
The casing robot 124 is configured to remove bag-shaped containers 102 from the six holding means 104 that have been stopped at the grouping position G by the conveying means 105, and transfer them to an empty case 103 placed at the discharge position of the case discharge conveyor 122.
In this embodiment, six bag-shaped containers 102 are accommodated in one case 103. Specifically, the bag-shaped containers 102 are aligned in the conveying direction in three rows, and are accommodated in the case 103 in two rows.
Furthermore, when the bag-shaped containers 102 are accommodated in the case 103, the bag-shaped containers 102 are rotated in a plan view, and in that state, the bag-shaped containers 102 are accommodated in the case 103 with the bag-shaped containers 102 in close contact with each other.
The case supply conveyor 121 and the case discharge conveyor 122 are arranged parallel to the conveying means 105, and the pusher 123 is configured to push an empty case 103 stopped at the downstream end of the case supply conveyor 121 onto the case discharge conveyor 122.

The casing robot 124 includes six grippers 124a capable of holding the containers 2, and a downstream block 124b and an upstream block 124c that hold and move the grippers 124a.
The gripper 124a is adapted to hold the upper portion of the bag-like container 102, and is provided with a rotating means (not shown) for rotating the held bag-like container 102 within a horizontal plane.
The downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c each hold the three grippers 124a in a direction aligned with the conveying direction of the holding means 104, with the downstream block 124b holding the three grippers 124a located downstream in the conveying direction and the upstream block 124c holding the three grippers 124a located upstream in the conveying direction.
Furthermore, the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c each have a spacing adjustment means (not shown) for adjusting the spacing between the three grippers 124a, and the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c themselves are each provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction.
Specifically, above the conveying means 105, the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c are aligned in the conveying direction, and the six grippers 124a are aligned in series above the holding means 104 stopped at the grouping position G.
In contrast, above the case discharge conveyor 122, the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the three grippers 124a are aligned in two rows and positioned above the case 103 placed at the discharge position.

The operation of the casing robot 124 having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained with reference to Figure 9. First, the conveying means 105 stops the six holding means 104 at the grouping position G, and the casing robot 124 positions the six grippers 124a above the six holding means 104 (Figure 9 (a)).
At this time, the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c are aligned in the conveying direction of the holding means 104, and the grippers 124a provided on the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c are spaced apart to match the spacing between the stopped holding means 104.
From this state, the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c descend and each gripper 124a grasps a bag-shaped container 102, and the six opening and closing means 117 provided adjacent to the casing robot 124 are activated, causing the gripping means 116 of each holding means 104 to open.
In this state, the downstream block 124 b and the upstream block 124 c move in a direction away from the holding means 104 , whereby the bag-like container 102 held by the gripper 124 a is removed from each holding means 104 .
Thereafter, the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c are raised, and the bag-shaped container 102 held by the gripper 124a is rotated in a horizontal plane by the rotating means provided on the gripper 124a (FIG. 9B).
Next, the downstream block 124 b and the upstream block 124 c each narrow the gap between the three grippers 124 a , and then move above the empty case 103 placed on the case discharge conveyor 122 .
As a result, the six grippers 124a are positioned in two rows above the empty case 103, and then the downstream block 124b and the upstream block 124c are lowered, thereby storing the six bag-shaped containers 102 into the case 103 (Figure 9 (c)).

The operation of the container processing apparatus 101 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described below.
First, in the container supply means 106, the supply conveyor 106a transports empty bag-like containers 102 in two rows, and the delivery means 106b sucks and holds the empty bag-like containers 102 from the supply conveyor 106a and turns them from a rolled-over state to an upright state.
On the other hand, the conveying means 105 causes the container supplying means 106 to stop the two holding means 104, and the delivery means 106b causes the two bag-like containers 102 to be held by the holding means 104, respectively.

Next, the conveying means 105 moves the holding means 104 holding the bag-shaped container 102 sequentially to the printing means 107, the opening means 108, the first and second fillers 109A and 109B, and the sealing means 110, each of which performs printing on the bag-shaped container 102, forming an opening, filling it with liquid, and sealing the opening.
Here, the result printed by the printing means 107 is used to judge whether the bag-shaped container 102 is good or bad before the holding means 104 holding the bag-shaped container 102 moves to the inspection and rejection means 111 .

Then, the conveying means 105 moves the two holding means 104 holding the bag-like containers 102 to the inspection and rejection means 111, where the presence or absence of leakage of liquid from the bag-like containers 102 is first inspected by a pressing member.
The control means judges as defective the bag-like containers 102 in which liquid leakage has been confirmed and the bag-like containers 102 in which the printing result has been judged to be defective, and rejects them using the reject robot of the inspection/reject means 111.
At this time, since the conveying means 105 is provided with the opening/closing means 117 at each of the positions of the two holding means 104 stopped at the inspection/reject means 111, only the gripping means 116 of the holding means 104 holding the defective product can be opened, and the defective product can be removed by the reject robot.

When the processing by the inspection/reject means 111 is thus completed, the conveying means 105 moves the holding means 104 to the grouping position G. In this embodiment, the six holding means 104 are stopped at the grouping position G in a stacked state.
Here, if all of the bag-shaped containers 102 held by the six holding means 104 are determined to be good products, the casing robot 124 removes the bag-shaped containers 102 from the six holding means 104 and stores them in the case 103 by the operation described using Figure 9.
Then, the case 103 containing the six bag-shaped containers 102 is discharged by the case discharge conveyor 122, and a new empty case 103 is supplied to the case discharge conveyor 122 from the case supply conveyor 121 by the pusher 123.

Next, if the inspection/rejection means 111 rejects a bag-shaped container 102 as a defective product for any of the six holding means 104, the empty holding means 104 from which the defective product has been rejected may move to the grouping position G.
Explaining with reference to Fig. 10, the conveying means 105 stops six holding means 104, including the empty holding means 104 from which defective products have been removed, at the grouping position G, as in normal processing (Fig. 10(a)). Here, the third and fifth holding means 104 from the downstream side in the conveying direction are empty holding means 104, and the conveying direction of the holding means 104 is from right to left in the figure.
When the six holding means 104 stop at the grouping position G, the casing robot 124 uses the gripper 124a corresponding to the holding means 104 other than the empty holding means 104 to remove the bag-containing container 102 held by the holding means 104 other than the empty holding means 104 (Figure 10 (b)).
Specifically, since the first, second, fourth, and sixth holding means 104 are actual holding means 104 that hold the bag-shaped container 102, the first, second, fourth, and sixth grippers 124a grip the bag-shaped container 102, and the third and fifth grippers 124a do not grip the bag-shaped container 102.

Next, the conveying means 105 moves the holding means 104 that was stopped at the grouping position G downstream of the grouping position G, and moves a new full holding means 104 holding a bag-shaped container 102 to the position where the empty holding means 104 was located (Figure 10 (c)).
Specifically, first, the conveying means 105 moves the first to sixth holding means 104 downstream of the grouping position G. Next, the conveying means 105 moves the two holding means 104 located upstream of the grouping position G as the seventh and eighth holding means 104 to the positions where the empty third and fifth holding means 104 were stopped.

Next, the casing robot 124 removes the bag-shaped container 102 from the container holding means 104 using the gripper 124a that is not holding the bag-shaped container 102 (FIG. 10(d)).
Specifically, the third and fifth grippers 124a, which are not gripping a bag-like container 102, grip the bag-like containers 102 housed in the seventh and eighth holding means 104, respectively. At this time, the bag-like containers 102 gripped by the first, second, fourth, and sixth grippers 124a also move, but these bag-like containers 102 do not interfere with the holding means 104.
In this manner, once the first to sixth grippers 124a have grasped the bag-shaped containers 102, the casing robot 124 then moves the grippers 124a to place the six bag-shaped containers 102 into an empty case 103 positioned at the discharge position of the case discharge conveyor 122.

In this way, according to the container processing device 101 of this embodiment, as in the container processing device 1 of the first embodiment described above, even if an empty holding means 104 occurs in the inspection/reject means 111, the conveying means 105 moves the holding means 104 individually using a linear motor, and moves the holding means 104 holding the bag-shaped container 102 to the position where the empty holding means 104 was located, making it possible to grip the bag-shaped container 102 with all of the grippers 124a.
As a result, the containers 102 can be stored in the case 103 without running out of stock, and since there is no need to move the empty holding means 104 outside the conveying means 105, there is no need for storage space for the empty holding means 104 or a mechanism for returning it.

Next, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the container processing apparatus 101 according to the fourth embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the casing robot 124 and the transport means 105 which is different from that in the third embodiment.
First, the conveying means 105 stops six holding means 104 including an empty holding means 104 at the grouping position G (FIG. 11A). In this case, the third holding means 104 is an empty holding means 104.
The casing robot 124 then uses the gripper 124a corresponding to the holding means 104 located downstream in the conveying direction of the conveying means 105 from the empty holding means 104 to remove the bag-shaped container 102 from the holding means 104 located downstream (Figure 11 (b)).
Specifically, the first and second grippers 124a corresponding to the first and second holding means 104 located downstream in the conveying direction from the third holding means 104, which is an empty holding means 104, are used to grip the bag-shaped containers 102 of the first and second holding means 104.
At this time, the third to sixth grippers 124 a do not perform a gripping operation, so that the fourth to sixth holding means 104 , which are the actual holding means 104 , maintain the state in which they are holding the bag-shaped container 102 .

Next, the conveying means 105 moves the empty holding means 104 and the holding means 104 located downstream of the empty holding means 104 to the downstream side of the grouping position G, and moves the holding means 104 holding the bag-shaped container 102 to the position where the empty holding means 104 and the holding means 104 that was located upstream of the empty holding means 104 in the conveying direction were located (Figure 11 (c)).
Specifically, the conveying means 105 moves the third holding means 104, which is the first empty holding means 104, and the first and second holding means 104 from which the bag-shaped containers 102 have been removed, downstream of the grouping position G.
Next, the conveying means 105 moves the fourth to sixth holding means 104, which are the actual holding means 104, to the positions where the third to fifth holding means 104 were stopped, respectively, and further moves the actual holding means 104 located upstream of the grouping position G as the seventh holding means 104 to the position where the sixth holding means 104 was stopped until then.
As a result, the fourth to seventh holding means 104 are positioned below the third to sixth grippers 124a that are not holding a bag-shaped container 102, respectively, as actual holding means 104.

Then, the casing robot 124 uses the gripper 124a that is not holding the bag-shaped container 102 to remove the bag-shaped container 102 from the container holding means 104 (FIG. 11(d)).
Specifically, in the casing robot 124, the third to sixth grippers 124a that are not gripping the bag-shaped container 102 respectively hold the bag-shaped containers 102 held by the fourth to seventh holding means 104. At this time, the bag-shaped containers 102 gripped by the first and second grippers 124a do not interfere with the holding means 104.
In this manner, once the first to sixth grippers 124a have grasped the bag-shaped containers 102, the casing robot 124 then moves the gripper 124a to place the six bag-shaped containers 102 into an empty case 103 positioned on the case discharge conveyor 122.

In this way, in the container processing apparatus 101 of the fourth embodiment, if an empty holding means 104 not holding a bag-shaped container 2 occurs in the inspection/reject means 111, as in the second embodiment described above, the bag-shaped container 2 of the holding means 104 located upstream of the empty holding means 104 is not initially gripped, and then the actual holding means 104 holding the bag-shaped container 102 is moved to the position of the empty holding means 104 and the holding means 104 located upstream of it, thereby enabling all grippers 124a to grip the bag-shaped container 102.
As a result, the containers 102 can be stored in the case 103 without running out of stock, and since there is no need to move the empty holding means 104 outside the conveying means 105, there is no need for storage space for the empty holding means 104 or a mechanism for returning it.

The holding means 104 described in the third and fourth embodiments above is configured so that the downstream holding section 104A and the upstream holding section 104B that hold the ends of the bag-like container 102 can be moved separately by a linear motor, but a single running section 114 may be provided with grippers for gripping both ends of the bag-like container 102.

In addition, in the first to fourth embodiments, when the reject means 10 or the inspection/reject means 111 rejects a container 2 or a bag-shaped container 102, the control means recognizes these carriers 4 and holding means 104 as empty carriers 4 and empty holding means 104, and constitutes an object detection means for detecting whether or not they are holding an object.
In response to this, the inspection means 9 and the inspection/reject means 111 may be provided with a sensor or the like as an object detection means to directly detect whether the carrier 4 and the holding means 104 are holding a container 2 or a bag-shaped container 102.
This makes it possible to detect supply errors due to the containers 2 and the bag-like containers 102 in the container supplying means 6, 106. In particular, in the third and fourth embodiments, the bag-like containers 102 may be rejected manually.
Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the casing robots 17, 124 serving as the article transfer means are adapted to store the containers 2 and bag-shaped containers 102 grasped by the grippers 17a, 124a, respectively, in cases 3, 103 located at the discharge positions, but the containers may be transferred directly to the discharge position set on the conveyor without being stored in the cases.
Therefore, although in the above embodiment the distance between the grippers 17a, 124a of the casing robots 17, 124 is adjusted by a distance adjusting means or the like, the transfer may be performed without using such a mechanism.

1, 101 Container processing device (article processing device) 2 Container (article)
3, 103 Case 4 Carrier (holding means)
5, 105 Conveying means 9 Inspecting means 10 Rejecting means 17, 124 Casing robot (article transfer means)
17a, 124a gripper 102 bag-shaped container (article)
104 Holding means 111 Inspection and rejection means G Grouping position

Claims (3)

The system comprises: conveying means for individually moving a plurality of holding means for holding articles by a linear motor; article transfer means provided in the vicinity of a grouping position where the conveying means stops the plurality of holding means holding the articles, the article transfer means having a gripper for removing an article from the holding means stopped at the grouping position and transferring it to a discharge position; article detection means for detecting whether the holding means is holding an article; and control means for controlling the operation of the holding means and the article transfer means,
When the article detection means detects an empty holding means that is not holding an article among the plurality of holding means located at the grouping position,
The article transfer means uses a gripper corresponding to the holding means other than the empty holding means to grip and remove the article held by the holding means other than the empty holding means,
Furthermore, the conveying means moves all holding means stopped at the grouping position downstream of the grouping position, and moves the holding means holding the articles to the position where the empty holding means was located,
The item transfer means then uses a gripper that is not holding the item to grip the item held by the holding means, and all grippers that have gripped the item transfer the item to the discharge position. 2. The article processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holding means is a carrier having a storage portion for storing the article. 2. The article processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article is a bag-shaped container, the conveying means conveys both sides of the bag-shaped container toward the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction, and the holding means is composed of an upstream holding portion that grips the upstream end of the bag-shaped container and a downstream holding portion that grips the downstream end .

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