JP7644346B2 - Rotary Container Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotary container processing device that holds and transports a holder into which containers are inserted or removed.

A rotary processing device is known in which containers are inserted into a holder that is held and transported on a rotating table, and the containers are subjected to a specified process such as filling, capping, or labeling, and then removed from the holder (Patent Document 1). The holder used in this device can only accommodate containers of a specified type and size, and cannot accommodate containers of different shapes or sizes.

On the other hand, a configuration has been proposed for a holder that can accommodate a variety of external dimensions, in which a pair of holders that are biased in the gripping direction are used to hold the container (Patent Document 2). In this holder, an actuating means provided at a predetermined position on the conveyor inserts a protruding rod through a horizontal hole in the holder, which then activates a link mechanism that works in conjunction with the holder, opening the holder.

Publication No. 6-13046 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-278019

However, the operating means disclosed in Patent Document 2 is configured to insert a protruding rod through a horizontal hole in a stopped holder by an operating means provided at a predetermined position on the conveyor, so the configuration of Patent Document 2 cannot be applied to the rotary processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, which continuously transports holders.

The present invention aims to provide a rotary container processing device that can insert and remove containers from a holder that can accommodate containers of different shapes and sizes.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a rotary container processing apparatus comprising: a rotary table which holds and transports holders at a plurality of holder holding positions provided on the outer periphery; and a holding mechanism which has a plurality of holding heads which are provided so as to be freely raised and lowered corresponding to the holder holding positions, and which raises and lowers the holding heads to hold containers and insert the containers into the holders held on the rotary table or remove them from within the holders; the holders have a plurality of clamping members which come into contact with the containers held in the holders, at least one of the clamping members is provided so as to be movable toward the center of the holder, a base portion of the clamping member is exposed on the underside of the holder, and the clamping member is provided with a biasing member which biases the movable clamping member toward the center of the holder; and the rotary table is provided below the rotary table corresponding to each of the holder holding positions and rotates integrally with the rotary table. Both are equipped with a holder release mechanism having an engaging member engageable with the base of one of the clamping members through an insertion portion provided on the rotating table corresponding to the holder holding position, an engaging member lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the engaging member, and an engaging member moving mechanism for moving the engaging member against the biasing force of the biasing member, and the engaging member lifting mechanism includes a cam follower provided on a base member on which the engaging member is provided via the holder release mechanism, and a cam that engages with the cam follower to raise the base member and insert the engaging member into the insertion portion, and when the holding head inserts a container into or removes it from the holder, the engaging member is inserted into the insertion portion by engagement between the cam and the cam follower and is moved by the holder release mechanism against the biasing force of the biasing member, so that the movable clamping member is separated from the other clamping member.

The second aspect of the present invention is a rotary container processing device according to the first aspect of the invention , characterized in that the engagement member moving mechanism comprises an arm on which the engagement member is erected and on which a second cam follower is provided, the arm being pivotally supported on the base member so as to be freely swingable, and a second cam which engages with the second cam follower and moves the engagement member erected on the arm against the biasing force of the biasing member.

The present invention provides a rotary container processing device that can insert and remove containers from a holder that can accommodate containers of different shapes and sizes.

1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a rotary container processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing a structure of a rotary table provided with a pair of engagement members corresponding to each holder holding position. FIG. 5 is a partial plan view (viewed from the direction of the arrow V in FIG. 4 ) showing the arrangement of insertion portions and engagement members provided on the rotary table. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the engaging member moving mechanism (holder opening mechanism) as viewed from plane VI-VI in FIG. 4, and diagrammatically shows eight positions of the holder opening mechanism. 7 is an enlarged plan view showing the arrangement of the swing arm and the biasing arm arranged below the arm and the bracket as viewed from the VII-VII plane in FIG. 4. 13 is an enlarged side view of the vicinity of the tip of the engaging member, showing the relationship between the engaging member and the connecting bracket when the engaging member is raised to an operating position and separated by the engaging member moving mechanism (holder release mechanism). FIG. 2 is a schematic development view along the outer periphery of a rotary table.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view showing the layout of a rotary container processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The rotary container processing device 10 of this embodiment includes a rotary table 11, and receives a holder 14 in which a container V is housed and held from a supply star wheel 16. The rotary table 11 lifts the container V with a holding head 30 (see FIG. 9 ) described below, removes the container V from the holder 14, and transfers the holder 14 to a holder discharge star wheel 18. The holding head 30 then returns the removed container V to the rotary table 11, and the container V placed on the rotary table 11 is transferred to a container discharge star wheel 20.

The holders 14 that house and hold the containers V are supplied from an upstream processing device (such as a filler or capper) via a supply conveyor 22 arranged along the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the supply star wheel 16. A timing screw 22A is provided downstream of the supply conveyor 22, and the conveying pitch between the holders 14 is adjusted to match the spacing between multiple (e.g., four) pockets 16A that are provided at predetermined intervals along the outer periphery of the supply star wheel 16. The holders 14 whose conveying pitch has been adjusted by the timing screw 22A are sequentially supplied to the pockets 16A of the rotating supply star wheel 16 at the downstream end of the timing screw 22A. The pockets 16A are sized to accommodate only a portion of the holders 14 in the half on the supply star wheel 16 side, and have a shape that fixes the orientation of the holders 14 relative to the pockets 16A.

Each holder 14 (container V) contained in the pocket 16A of the supply star wheel 16 is guided by a first side guide 24A, a portion of which is disposed along a portion of the outer periphery of the supply star wheel 16, and is transported along the outer periphery of the supply star wheel 16. A rotating table 11 is disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the supply star wheel 16, and the holder 14 transported by the supply star wheel 16 is handed over to the rotating table 11.

A star wheel 12 with multiple (e.g., four) pockets 12A spaced the same apart as the supply star wheel 16 is arranged on the rotating table 11 and rotates in sync with the supply star wheel 16. As a result, the holders 14 housed in each pocket 16A of the supply star wheel 16 are transferred to each pocket 12A of the rotating table 11 while maintaining a specified orientation at the transfer position P1 where the rotating table 11 and the supply star wheel 16 are adjacent to each other.

Each pocket 12A of the turntable 11 has the same configuration as each pocket 16A of the supply star wheel 16, and the holders 14 are guided by a second side guide 24B arranged along a part of the outer periphery of the turntable 11 and transported along the outer periphery of the turntable 11. On the outer periphery of the turntable 11, a holder discharge star wheel 18 is arranged adjacent to the supply star wheel 16 downstream. The holder discharge star wheel 18 has multiple (e.g., four) pockets 18A spaced the same apart as the turntable 11, and rotates in synchronization with the turntable 11. As a result, the holders 14 accommodated in each pocket 12A of the turntable 11 are transferred to each pocket 18A of the holder discharge star wheel 18 at a position where the turntable 11 and the holder discharge star wheel 18 are adjacent to each other.

As will be described later with reference to FIG. 9, the rotating table 11 has holding heads 30 disposed directly above the positions of the pockets 12A (holder holding positions) to hold and lift the tops of the containers V. The holding heads 30 remove the containers V contained in the holders 14 upwards while the holders 14 being transported reach the transfer position P2 with the holder ejection star wheel 18. As a result, only empty holders 14 are delivered to the holder ejection star wheel 18, and the containers V are transported along the outer periphery of the rotating table 11 while being held by the holding heads 30. As will be described later, the containers V in the holders 14 are held by a pair of clamping members 14A provided on the holders 14, but when the containers V are removed upwards by the holding heads 30, the pair of clamping members 14A are separated (opened) by the rotating table 11.

The empty holder 14 from which the container has been removed by the holding head 30 is guided by a third side guide 24C arranged along a portion of the outer periphery of the holder discharge star wheel 18, and is delivered to a pocket 18A of the holder discharge star wheel 18, and transported along the outer periphery of the holder discharge star wheel 18. The empty holder 14 transported by the holder discharge star wheel 18 is then delivered to a holder discharge conveyor 26 arranged along the tangent direction of the outer periphery of the holder discharge star wheel 18. The holder discharge conveyor 26 returns each holder 14 to the most upstream position of the upstream processing device, and the holder 14 is used again to store and transport containers V.

A container discharge star wheel 20 is disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of the turntable 11, downstream of the holder discharge star wheel 18. The holding head 30 places each container V in a pocket 12A on the turntable 11 before the container V reaches the container discharge star wheel 20. The container discharge star wheel 20 has multiple (e.g., four) pockets 20A spaced the same apart as the turntable 11, and rotates in synchronization with the turntable 11. As a result, the container V placed in each pocket 12A of the turntable 11 is transferred to each pocket 20A of the container discharge star wheel 20 at transfer position P3, where the turntable 11 and the container discharge star wheel 20 are adjacent to each other.

The container V returned to the rotating table 11 is guided and transported by the fourth side guide 24D, which is arranged along part of the outer periphery of the star wheel 12, and each container V handed over to the pocket 20A of the container discharge star wheel 20 is guided by the first side guide 24A, part of which is arranged along the outer periphery of the container discharge star wheel 20, and transported along the outer periphery of the container discharge star wheel 20.

The containers V transported by the container discharge star wheel 20 are then handed over to a container discharge conveyor 28 arranged along the outer circumferential tangent direction of the container discharge star wheel 20. The container discharge conveyor 28 transports each container V to a downstream processing device (such as a labeler or caser).

Figure 2 is a top view of the holder 14, and Figure 3 is a bottom view of the holder 14. Below, the configuration of the holder 14 used in the rotary container processing device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

The holder 14 has a pedestal shape on which the container V is placed, and an oval opening 15 that penetrates in the vertical direction is provided in the center of the holder body 14B. A pair of clamping members 14A that clamp the container V are arranged facing each other on the holder body 14B. The pair of clamping members 14A are each hung on a pair of guide rails 32A arranged along both sides of the holder body 14B, and each end of the clamping member 14A is slidably attached to the guide rails 32A via sliders 32B. Figures 2(a) and 3(a) show the clamping member 14A in a closed state, and Figures 2(b) and 3(b) show the clamping member 14A in an open state. The clamping members 14A are formed, for example, with opposing surfaces (inner surfaces) as recesses so that the container V can be easily clamped therebetween. In the example of Figure 2, each inner surface of the clamping member 14A is formed as a recess having a V-shaped horizontal cross section.

On the other hand, the bottom side of the holder body 14B houses a mechanism for biasing the clamping members 14A in a direction approaching each other along the guide rail 32A. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the sliders 32B to which both ends of each clamping member 14A are attached are connected to each other by an arc-shaped connecting bracket (base) 34, and each connecting bracket 34 is connected to an annular rotating guide 36 rotatably attached to the center of the bottom surface of the holder body 14B via a link mechanism 38. Each link mechanism 38 includes links 38A and 38B, one end of the link 38A is journaled on a pivot 40A provided at one end of the connecting bracket 34, and the other end of the link 38A journals the other end of the link 38B, one end of which is journaled on the rotating guide 36.

For example, in the link mechanism 38 shown in FIG. 3, one end of link 38A is journaled on pivot 40A provided at the upper end of the left connecting bracket 34, and one end of link 38B journaled on this is journaled on the upper side of the rotating guide 36. Also, one end of link 38A is journaled on pivot 40A provided at the lower end of the right connecting bracket 34, and one end of link 38B journaled on this is journaled on the lower side of the rotating guide 36.

Furthermore, one end of a coil spring (biasing member) 42 arranged along the guide rail 32A is attached to each pivot 40A, and the other end of the coil spring 42 is attached to a pivot 40B fixed to the bottom surface of the holder body 14B. As a result, each clamping member 14A is biased inward (toward approaching) toward each other along the guide rail 32A. The guide rail 32A, slider 32B, rotation guide 36, and link mechanism 38 allow the left and right clamping members 14A to be linked symmetrically along the guide rail 32A, and are constantly biased toward each other along the guide rail 32A by the coil spring 42. As a result, the clamping members 14A are pressed against the sides of the container V from both sides with an appropriate pressing force according to the shape and size of the container V stored in the holder 14, and the container V is held in the holder 14.

As described below, the pair of engaging members 44 extend from below the rotary table 11 into the holder body 14B and engage with the inside of each connecting bracket 34, and the clamping members 14A are separated by moving the connecting brackets 34 in opposite directions against the biasing force of the coil springs 42. In FIG. 3(a), the position of the engaging members 44 when the clamping members 14A are closed is drawn by a dashed line, and in FIG. 3(b), the position of the engaging members 44 when the clamping members 14A are open is drawn by a dashed line. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the movement of the clamping members 14A in the closing direction is restricted by the engagement of the left and right sliders 32B with each other, and a predetermined distance is maintained between the clamping members 14A even in the most closed state.

Figure 4 is a schematic side view showing the structure of a turntable 11 equipped with a pair of engaging members 44 corresponding to each holder holding position. For convenience, only a pair of engaging members 44 corresponding to one pocket 12A (holder holding position) is shown in Figure 4, but in reality, a similar configuration is arranged for each pocket 12A.

The rotating table 11 is held by a rotating column 46A on which multiple (e.g., four) holding heads 30 corresponding to each pocket 12A are attached, and the rotating column 46A is held rotatably around a vertical axis by a fixed column 46B arranged below the rotating table 11.

On the underside of the rotating table 11, the upper ends of a pair of guide rods 48 extending downward are attached to both ends of each pocket 12A, and a ring member 50 that surrounds the fixed column 46B is attached to the lower ends. A guide sleeve 52 is slidably mounted on each of the guide rods 48, and a base 54 is attached to the lower end of each guide sleeve 52, and a bracket 56 is attached to the upper end. In addition, a pair of engagement members 44 are held vertically upward on the base 54 and bracket 56 via a holder release mechanism 58, as described below.

A first cam follower 60A is provided on the radial outside of the base 54, and the first cam follower 60A engages with the cam surface of a first cam 60B arranged to surround the periphery of the fixed column 46B (engagement member lifting mechanism). That is, the base 54 rotates integrally with the rotary table 11 via the guide rod 48, and the first cam follower 60A runs on the cam surface of the first cam 60B in the circumferential direction. As a result, the pair of engagement members 44, together with the base 54 and bracket 56, rise and fall along the guide rod 48 in accordance with the shape of the cam surface.

A through-hole 11A is provided at a position on the rotating table 11 corresponding to the engaging member 44, and the tip of the engaging member 44, which is raised and lowered by the first cam 60B, rises and lowers through the through-hole 11A between a retracted position located below the rotating table 11 and an operating position located above the rotating table 11 where it can engage with the connecting bracket 34 of the holder 14. Figure 5 is a partial plan view (viewed from the V direction in Figure 4) showing the arrangement of the through-hole 11A and the engaging member 44 provided on the rotating table 11.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the holder release mechanism 58 as seen from plane VI-VI in Figure 4, and shows the holder release mechanism 58 in eight positions. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the lower ends of the engagement members 44 are erected at the tips (radially outer ends) of a pair of arms 62. The base ends of each arm 62 are fixed by a vertical swing shaft 62A, which is rotatably supported by the base 54 and bracket 56. Meshing gears 62B that engage with each other are provided near the middle of the swing shafts 62A. As a result, the swing shafts 62A rotate by the same angle in opposite directions, and the pair of engagement members 44 provided at each tip of the arms 62 open and close accordingly.

As shown in FIG. 7, a swing arm 64A having a second cam follower 64 at its tip is integrally provided on one side of the swing shaft 62A, and a biasing arm 66A having one end of a coil spring (biasing member) 66 attached to its tip is integrally provided. The other end of the coil spring 66 is attached to the bracket 56 (see FIGS. 4 and 6), and biases the biasing arm 66A so that the swing shaft 62A rotates in the direction in which the engaging member 44 closes.

Meanwhile, the second cam follower 64 provided at the tip of the swing arm 64A is positioned so as to engage with a second cam 68 that is positioned at a predetermined position around the fixed column 46B between the transfer positions P1 and P2. As a result, when the second cam follower 64 moves to the same position, the second cam follower 64 rotates the swing shaft 62A in the direction in which the engaging member 44 opens against the biasing force of the coil spring 66. Note that FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the arrangement of the swing arm 64A and biasing arm 66A that are positioned below the arm 62 and bracket 56, as viewed from plane VII-VII of FIG. 4.

Figure 8 is an enlarged side view of the tip of the engaging member 44, showing the relationship between the engaging member 44 and the connecting bracket 34 when it is raised to the operating position and separated by the holder release mechanism 58. As shown in Figure 8, the tip of the engaging member 44 is provided with a pair of upper and lower flanges 44A. The arc-shaped connecting brackets 34 are each arranged to draw an arc on the outside, and in the operating position the engaging member 44 engages with approximately the center of the inside of the connecting bracket 34 between the upper and lower flanges 44A. This prevents the holder 14 from falling off the engaging member 44 when opening and closing.

Next, referring to Figure 9, the operation timing of the engagement member lifting mechanism and engagement member moving mechanism (holder opening and closing mechanism) in the rotating table 11 will be described. Figure 9 is a schematic development along the outer periphery of the rotating table 11, showing the movements of the holder 14, container V, holding head 30, and engagement member 44 from transfer position P1 to transfer position P3, and the positional relationships of the first cam 60B, second cam 68, first cam follower 60A, etc.

As shown in FIG. 9, each holding head 30 is held in a holder holding position so that it can be raised and lowered by a conventional holding head lifting mechanism (holding mechanism) 30A using a cam mechanism or the like provided at the upper end of the rotating column 46A, and rotates integrally with the rotating table 11 along the outer periphery.

The first cam 60B has a section B having a first height where the first cam follower 60A is raised to place the engaging member 44 in the operating position, and a section A having a second height where the first cam follower 60A is lowered to place the engaging member 44 in the retracted position. Section B is provided in the section from the transfer position P1 to the transfer position P2 along the rotation direction of the turntable 11, and the other section is defined as section A. In addition, the second cam 68 is disposed in a predetermined section within section B.

As a result, at the transfer position P1 where the holder 14 holding the container V is transferred from the supply star wheel 16, the engagement member 44 is maintained in a closed state at a retracted position below the rotating table 11. Also, at this time, the holding head 30 is in the raised position.

When the holder 14 and first cam follower 60A holding the container V move to section B as the turntable 11 rotates, the first cam follower 60A is raised to the second height, and the engaging member 44 is raised to the operating position through the insertion portion 11A of the turntable 11, and the engaging member 44 is opened by the second cam 68. This causes the clamping member 14A to move away, and the container V held by the holder 14 is released (the state shown in Figs. 2(b) and 3(b)). In conjunction with this, the holding head 30, which is positioned above the holder holding position, is lowered to hold the top of the container V.

While the holder 14 and the first cam follower 60A continue to move through section B, the clamping member 14A is maintained in a separated state, during which the holding head 30 is raised and the container V is removed from the holder 14. Thereafter, before reaching the transfer position P2, the engaging member 44 is closed and the first cam follower 60A moves to section A at the first height, and the engaging member 44 is lowered to the retracted position. This disengages the holder 14 from the engaging member 44, and the clamping member 14A is closed (the state in Figs. 2(a) and 3(a)).

At transfer position P2, the empty holder 14 is transferred to the holder discharge star wheel 18, and the container V is held in the raised position by the holding head 30 and transported downstream together with the rotating table 11. After passing transfer position P2, the holding head 30 is lowered, and the container V is lowered onto the rotating table 11 before reaching transfer position P3. The holding head 30 is then raised again to the raised position and is maintained in that position until it reaches transfer position P1 again. Meanwhile, the container V placed on the rotating table 11 is transferred to the container discharge star wheel 20 at transfer position P3.

As described above, the rotary container processing device of this embodiment allows the clamping members of the holder, which can accommodate containers of different shapes and sizes, to be opened and closed in a continuous sequence to insert or remove containers into or from the holder.

In the present embodiment, the rotary container processing device has been described with respect to a configuration only for removing containers, but by operating each star wheel in the reverse direction and positioning section B at a position including receiving position P2, a configuration can also be used in which a container is inserted into an empty holder. In this case, the container discharge conveyor and container discharge star wheel in this embodiment become a container supply conveyor and container supply star wheel, the holder discharge conveyor and holder discharge star wheel become a holder supply conveyor and holder supply star wheel that supply empty containers, and the supply star wheel and supply conveyor become a discharge star wheel and discharge conveyor that discharges holders holding containers. In addition, timing screws are provided on the container supply conveyor and the holder supply conveyor.

In addition, the holder in this embodiment is configured so that both of the pair of clamping members open to the left and right, but it is also possible to configure so that only one of them can move relative to the other. In that case, the link mechanism of the holder is not necessary. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the clamping members is arbitrary, and the shapes of both clamping members may be different, and one or both sides may be composed of multiple members.

10 Rotary container processing device 11 Rotary table 11A Insertion part 12 Star wheel 12A Pocket (holder holding position)
14 Holder 14A Clamping member 30 Holding head 30A Holding head lifting mechanism (holding mechanism)
34 Connecting bracket (base)
42 Coil spring (biasing member)
44 Engagement member 58 Holder release mechanism 60A First cam follower (engagement member lifting mechanism)
60B First cam (engagement member lifting mechanism)
64 Second cam follower (engagement member moving mechanism)
68 Second cam (engagement member moving mechanism)
V Container

Claims (2)

a rotary table that holds and transports holders at a plurality of holder holding positions provided on an outer periphery of the rotary table;
a holding mechanism having a plurality of holding heads which are provided so as to be freely raised and lowered in correspondence with the holder holding positions, the holding heads being raised and lowered to hold containers, and inserting the containers into the holders held on the rotating table, or removing the containers from within the holders;
The holder is
the holder has a plurality of clamping members that come into contact with a container held within the holder, at least one of the plurality of clamping members being provided movably toward the center of the holder and having a base portion exposed on a lower surface of the holder, and further comprising a biasing member that biases the movable clamping member toward the center of the holder;
The rotary table is
an engaging member that is provided below the rotary table in correspondence with each of the holder holding positions, rotates integrally with the rotary table, and is engageable with the base of the one of the clamping members through an insertion portion that is provided on the rotary table in correspondence with the holder holding position;
an engagement member lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the engagement member;
an engagement member moving mechanism that moves the engagement member against the biasing force of the biasing member;
A rotary container processing device characterized in that the engagement member lifting mechanism comprises a cam follower provided on a base member on which the engagement member is provided via the holder releasing mechanism, and a cam that engages with the cam follower to raise the base member and insert the engagement member into the insertion portion , and when the holding head inserts a container into or removes it from the holder, the engagement member is inserted into the insertion portion by engagement between the cam and the cam follower , and is moved by the holder releasing mechanism against the biasing force of the biasing member, and the movable clamping member is separated from the other clamping members. The rotary container processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the engagement member moving mechanism comprises an arm on which the engagement member is erected and a second cam follower is provided, the arm being pivotally supported on the base member so as to be freely swingable, and a second cam that engages with the second cam follower and moves the engagement member erected on the arm against the biasing force of the biasing member.

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