JP7628667B2 - Label Insertion Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a label dispenser that dispenses labels into egg cartons.

One example of a label insertion device that inserts labels into egg cartons is shown in Patent Document 1. This label insertion device drops labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg carton. Just before the label is dropped into the egg carton, it is contained in a roughly V-shaped space created by a pair of guide plates. When one of the guide plates opens to open the insertion passage, the label falls downward along the guide plate due to its own weight, and enters the carton.

This label inserting device is used in both cases where egg cartons are transported in the short direction as shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1, and where egg cartons are transported in the long direction as shown in FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1. In either case, the label is usually inserted without stopping the transport of the egg cartons.

JP 2004-10102 A

The labels inserted between the eggs in an egg carton are made of relatively thin and small pieces of paper. Therefore, although the label insertion device described above guides the label toward the label placement area, the label is significantly affected by the condition of the guide plate and the environment near the guide plate. This can lead to a problem in which the label cannot be inserted in the desired position and with the desired attitude. This problem tends to occur particularly frequently when the egg cartons are transported in the longitudinal direction.

The present invention focuses on these problems and aims to provide a label insertion device that can reliably insert labels into the label placement area of an egg carton.

The label insertion device of the present invention is a label insertion device that inserts labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg carton, and is equipped with a release mechanism that stands the label along the longitudinal direction of the label placement area and releases the label in the same direction as the transport direction of the egg packs that are transported along the longitudinal direction of the label placement area, and the label is placed in the label placement area at a position away from the release mechanism downstream in the transport direction of the egg packs.

The present invention provides a label insertion device that can reliably insert a label into the label placement area of an egg carton.

The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a label inserting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a schematic diagram showing the label inserting device as viewed from a direction A in FIG. 1 . 2 is a schematic diagram showing the label inserting device as viewed from direction B in FIG. 1 . 10 is a side view showing the label inserting device of the embodiment just before inserting a label into an egg carton. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the label insertion device of the embodiment inserting a label into an egg carton. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state after a label has been inserted into an egg carton by the label insertion device of the same embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side view showing a label insertion system in which a plurality of label insertion devices according to a modified example of the present invention are arranged. FIG.

Below, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the label insertion device 10 of this embodiment inserts labels L one by one into a label placement area R formed between two rows of eggs E in an egg pack PE. The label insertion device 10 includes a conveying mechanism 1, a holding mechanism 2, and a release mechanism 3. Specifically, the label insertion device 10 is mainly composed of a label stocker 4 and a number of rollers 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, multiple labels L are set in the label stocker 4. Each label L is placed upright and is removed in order starting from the one at the back.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the rollers 5 can rotate around a rotation axis 51, and utilize the friction between the surface of the roller 5 and the surface of the label L. The rollers 5 are provided in pairs. The roller 5 in contact with the back surface L2 side of the label L is a drive roller, and the roller 5 in contact with the front surface L1 side of the label L is a driven roller. A plurality of pairs of rollers 5 are arranged along the conveying path 6 of the label L. The rollers 5 serve as a conveying mechanism 1 that sends the label L downstream. The rollers 5 also serve as a holding mechanism 2 that pinches the label L from both the front surface L1 and the back surface L2 to prevent it from falling downward. The conveying path 6 in this embodiment is formed in a straight line, and the angle of the label L is kept constant with respect to the conveying direction of the egg pack PE. Note that the conveying path 6 is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and for example, the rollers 5 and the like may be arranged so that the label L is bent in the thickness direction, and at least a part of the conveying path 6 may be formed in a curved shape.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the roller 5 located at the farthest position from the label stocker 4, in other words, the roller 5a located at the end of the conveying path 6, in addition to serving as the conveying mechanism 1 and the holding mechanism 2, also serves as the release mechanism 3 that releases the label L and passes it to the egg pack PE. The part where this roller 5a is located is called the release port 7.

The rollers 5a at the discharge port pinch and hold the base end L4 of the label La immediately before it is inserted into the egg pack PE. The rollers 5a at the discharge port also hold the label La immediately before it is inserted into the egg pack PE upright along the label placement area R. The rollers 5 release the label La immediately before it is inserted into the egg pack PE in the same direction as the egg pack PE being transported along the label placement area R. The label La is the label L that has reached the discharge port 7, and has the same configuration as the label L.

As shown in FIG. 1 etc., each roller 5 is arranged with its rotation axis 51 tilted from the vertical. The conveying path 6 of the label inserting device 10 is tilted with respect to the pack conveying device 20 to which the egg packs PE are conveyed. The height position of the discharge port 7 of the label inserting device 10 is set lower than the height position of the label stocker 4. The roller 5 holds the label L so that the leading end L3 is positioned lower than the base end L4 of the label L.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the label insertion device 10 is installed above the pack conveying device 20. Specifically, the label insertion device 10 is positioned so that the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10 is aligned with the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the pack conveying device 20 is, for example, a belt conveyor, which conveys the containers P in the longitudinal direction. The pack conveying device 20 continuously conveys the containers P, and a sensor (not shown) that detects the arrival of the containers P is provided on the upstream side. A signal detected by this sensor is output to the control unit 8 of the label insertion device 10. The symbol 20a denotes a guide unit that guides the packed eggs PE to align the position of the label placement area R of the packed eggs PE with respect to the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10.

The label insertion device 10 is controlled by the control unit 8. The control unit 8 is composed of a dedicated or general-purpose computer, including a CPU, internal memory, an input/output interface, and an AD conversion unit. The function of the control unit 8 is fulfilled by the cooperation of the CPU and other peripheral devices according to the program stored in the internal memory.

Next, we will explain the label L and egg carton PE used in this label insertion device 10. Note that the label L and egg carton PE described here are each just examples and can be modified in various ways.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the label L is, for example, rectangular in plan view and made of relatively thin paper. The label L has a leading edge L5 and a trailing edge L6 that correspond to the short sides, and a bottom edge L7 and a top edge L8 that correspond to the long sides. Various pieces of information about eggs are printed on the front surface L1 of the label L. Examples of information about eggs include the egg weight, the name of the person responsible for measuring, the packaging location, the expiration date, storage methods, and usage methods, but these are shown in a simplified form or omitted in the figures.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the egg pack PE is a so-called regular pack, in which a number of eggs E are packed in a container P. The container P is made of transparent synthetic resin and includes a main body P1 and a lid P2. The main body P1 includes, for example, ten storage seats P4. In each storage seat P4, an egg E is placed vertically, and the lower half of the egg E is stored with the upper half exposed. The main body P1 includes a protrusion P5 that divides the storage seats P4 between the two rows of storage seats P4. The protrusion P5 not only prevents the stored eggs E from contacting each other, but also supports the lower edge L7 of the label L. The label placement area R of the present embodiment is near the center of the container P, including the protrusion P5. The lid P2 can be opened and closed via a connecting portion P3, and is formed integrally with the main body P1.

Next, the operation of the label inserting device 10 will be explained using Figures 4 and 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, an egg pack PE containing 10 eggs E in a container P is transported by a pack transport device 20 with the lid P2 open. The container P is transported in the longitudinal direction of the container P, in other words, along the label placement area R, which is in a straight line.

As shown in FIG. 4, the label La to be inserted next into the container P is held by the rollers 5a at the outlet. The base end L4 of the label La is held between the rollers 5a at the outlet, but the other parts of the label La are not supported anywhere. In other words, only the base end L4 of the label La is fixed. The label La is held with its plane perpendicular to the conveying surface of the pack conveying device 20.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the label La is held at an angle to the pack conveying device 20 in a side view. In other words, the label La is arranged at an angle to the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20. The tip end L3 of the label La is located lower than the base end L4 of the label La. More specifically, the corner where the leading edge L5 and the lower edge L7 of the label La intersect is located closer to the pack conveying device 20 than the corner where the trailing edge L6 and the lower edge L7 of the label La intersect.

From this state, when the sensor detects the arrival of a container P, the control unit 8 controls the rollers 5a to feed the label La from the discharge port 7 toward the container P when the container P comes under the discharge port 7. The relative positions of the pack conveying device 20 and the label inserting device 10 are determined so that the label placement area R passes directly underneath the discharge port 7. Therefore, in addition to gravity, the label La discharged from the discharge port 7 by the rollers 5a is subjected to an inertial force in a direction along the label placement area R. After passing through the state shown in FIG. 5, the tip end L3 of the label La comes into contact with the egg pack PE first. The label La is guided by the eggs E on both sides, and then the base end L4 comes into contact with the egg pack PE. In this way, the label L is stored in the desired label placement area R.

As described above, the label insertion device 10 of this embodiment inserts labels L one by one into the label placement area R formed between two rows of eggs E in an egg pack PE, and is equipped with a holding mechanism 2 and a release mechanism 3. The holding mechanism 2 clamps the base end L4 of the label La and holds the label La upright along the label placement area R just before it is inserted into the egg pack PE. The release mechanism 3 releases the label L held by the holding mechanism 2 in the same direction as the egg pack PE being transported along the label placement area R. With this arrangement, the label L can be reliably inserted into the label placement area R of the egg pack PE.

The holding mechanism 2 holds the label La so that the tip end L3 is positioned lower than the base end L4 of the label La, so that the label La can be kept as close as possible to the egg pack PE just before being inserted. In addition, the release mechanism 3 is a roller 5a that also serves as the holding mechanism 2, so the configuration of the release port 7 can be simplified.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

The label insertion device 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5 is of a type that can be equipped with a printing mechanism (not shown) that prints on the surface L1 of the label L, and a print confirmation mechanism (not shown) for confirming what has been printed. As with the label insertion device 10 shown in Figure 7, it may be of a type that does not have a printing mechanism or a print confirmation mechanism. In such a case, the transport path 6 can be set to be relatively short. In Figure 7, parts that are the same as or similar to the above-mentioned embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is also preferable to use multiple label insertion devices 10 lined up along the transport direction of the egg cartons PE. Each label insertion device 10 contains a different type of label L. The label L of which label insertion device 10 is inserted into which egg carton PE is controlled based on commands from the control unit 8. If the transport path 6 of the label insertion device 10 is inclined with respect to the transport direction of the pack transport device 20 as in this embodiment, the discharge port 7 of one label insertion device 10 will not interfere with the label stocker 4 of the adjacent label insertion device 10. The label insertion devices 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 may be arranged in a similar manner.

The holding mechanism 2 is not limited to rollers 5, and may be anything that can hold the label L. The holding mechanism 2 does not have to be a pair of rollers 5, and may be, for example, a mechanism consisting of a fixed guide and a rotating roller that cooperates with the guide to hold the label L. Similarly, the release mechanism 3 is not limited to rollers 5, and may be anything that can release the label L. The release mechanism 3 does not have to be a pair of rollers 5, and may be, for example, a mechanism consisting of a fixed guide and a rotating roller that cooperates with the guide to release the label L.

In the above-described embodiment, the pair of rollers 5 serves both the role of the holding mechanism 2 and the role of the release mechanism 3, but this is not limited thereto, and separate members may be provided to perform each role.

The label insertion device 10 may be arranged so that the conveying path 6 is horizontal. This label insertion device 10 is arranged so that the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20 and the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10 are parallel. In this way, the tip end L3 and base end L4 of the label L are held at the same height position, and the label L can wait at the discharge port 7 while maintaining the same posture as after it entered the egg pack PE.

The holding mechanism 2 may be any mechanism that holds the label L upright along the label placement area R. For example, the label L does not have to be completely upright, and may be slightly tilted in the thickness direction as long as it fits within the label placement area R.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. The present invention is defined by the claims rather than the scope described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

The present invention can be used in a label injection device that can inject labels into egg cartons.

10... label inserting device 2... holding mechanism 3... release mechanism PE... egg pack E... egg R... label placement area L... label L3... tip portion L4... base end portion

Claims (2)

A label inserting device that inserts labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg pack,
The label is made to stand along the longitudinal direction of the label placement area,
a release mechanism that releases the label in the same direction as a conveying direction of the egg cartons conveyed along the longitudinal direction of the label placement area;
A label inserting device, wherein the label is placed in the label placement area at a position away from the release mechanism downstream in a conveying direction of the egg carton. The label insertion device according to claim 1, wherein the release mechanism releases the label at an angle so that the leading end of the label is positioned lower than the base end of the label.

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