JPH0346393B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cap, and more particularly to a cap that allows a dispenser to be attached to a container.

``Prior Art'' Conventionally, a dispenser is attached to the mouth of a container, and a pump housed in the main body of the dispenser is operated by a pump operating member to discharge the liquid in the container to the outside from a nozzle for distribution. I'm trying to send it to you.

Conventionally, when attaching the dispenser to a container, the dispenser is first inserted into the container, then the dispenser is rotated relative to the container to orient the nozzle relative to the container in the desired direction, and then the dispenser is left in that state. Once the body of the dispenser is clamped, a cap rotatably provided on the body of the dispenser is clamped by a plurality of tightening rollers movably provided on the capping head, and the rotation of the tightening rollers causes the cap to rotate. (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1983-1999)
No. 127485).

``Problems to be Solved by the Invention'' However, in the conventional device described above, the cap is rotated while holding the main body of the dispenser, so it becomes a dedicated cap for the dispenser, and a normal screw cap can be screwed onto it. Since it was installed separately from the capacitor, equipment costs were high.

``Means for Solving the Problems'' In view of such circumstances, the present invention is designed to clamp a cap rotatably provided on the main body of the dispenser with a plurality of tightening rollers movably provided on the capping head. In the cap, which rotates the cap by the rotation of the tightening roller and screws it onto the container, the capping head engages with the nozzle of the dispenser to hold the nozzle in a desired direction. a nozzle fixing member is removably provided, and with the nozzle fixing member directing the nozzle of the dispenser in a desired direction, the cap can be screwed onto the container by rotating the tightening roller, and the nozzle fixing member is replaceable with a rotating member that comes into contact with the head of the screw cap and allows the screw cap to rotate as it is screwed together, and the screw cap is supported by the rotating member and the tightening roller. The screw cap can be screwed onto the container by rotation of the tightening roller.

"Function" According to the above configuration, by replacing the nozzle fixing member and the rotating member, it is possible to attach a dispenser or a screw cap to the container, thereby reducing equipment costs. can.

"Example" The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated example.
In FIG. 1, a rotary capper 1 includes a supply star wheel 2 and a rotating body 3, which rotate synchronously.
and a discharge star wheel 4, and a container 5 transported by a conveyor (not shown).
(see FIG. 2) is supplied into the rotating body 3 of the capper 1 via the supply star wheel 2.

On the other hand, the dispenser 6 attached to the container 5 is carried into the rotary body 3 of the capper 1 at a position directly above the container 5 with the nozzle 6a aligned in advance in the desired direction by the supply means 7, and then It is attached to the container 5 within the rotating body 3. and a container 5 to which a dispenser 6 is attached.
is discharged from the capper 1 to the outside by the discharge star wheel 4.

FIG. 2 shows the dispenser 6 attached to the container 5, and the dispenser 6 includes a main body 6b that houses a pump (not shown), and a pump operation that operates the pump to discharge the liquid in the container 5. It includes a member 6c and a cap 6d rotatably provided on the main body 6b, and by screwing the cap 6d onto the upper end of the container 5,
A dispenser 6 is attached to the container 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, the supply means 7 for supplying the dispenser 6 into the rotating body 3 includes a supply chute 8 that transports the dispenser 6 by its own weight with the nozzles 6a aligned in a desired direction, and a supply chute 8 of the supply chute 8. It is equipped with a stopper mechanism 9 that is provided at a position in front of the tip and stops the movement of the dispenser 6, and the dispenser 6 that is continuously conveyed by the supply chute 8 is stopped by the stopper mechanism 9. It is stopped at , and fed out one by one to the tip of the supply chute 8 in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating body 3 . In addition, as this supply means 7,
Of course, any suitable configuration can be used.

Next, the rotating body 3 of the capper 1 holds the main body 6b of the dispenser 6 supplied by the supplying means 7 with the nozzle 6a directed in a desired direction, and the dispenser 6 is held in this state by the supplying means. Clamping means 18 taken out from 7 and carried into the rotating body 3
has been established. A plurality of clamping means 18 are provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the rotating body 3, and each clamping means 18 is provided with a pair of clamping arms 19 for clamping the main body 6b of the dispenser 6.

As shown in the upper half of the center line in FIG.
The gears 21 are attached to rotating shafts 20 that are vertically supported, and the gears 21 attached to each rotating shaft 20 are meshed with each other. Therefore, when one rotating shaft 20 is rotated in one direction, the other rotating shaft 20 can be rotated in the opposite direction, thereby opening and closing the tips of both clamping arms 19. That's what I do.

A tension spring 22 is tensioned between one of the clamping arms 19 and the rotary body 3, and its tensile force biases the tips of both clamping arms 19 in a direction to close them, and the ends of the clamping arms 19 are attached to the other clamping arm 19. The cam follower 23 is brought into elastic contact with the outer peripheral surface of a fixed cam 24 fixed to the center of the rotating body 3, and the pair of clamping arms 19 can be opened and closed according to the cam curve of the fixed cam 24. I have to.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of clamping arms 1
When approaching the supply means 7 of 9, it is in an open state, and therefore the leading dispenser 6 released from the stopper mechanism 9 of the supply means 7,
It is inserted between the pair of clamping arms 19 that have been conveyed by the rotation of the rotating body 3. When the dispenser 6 is at the delivery position from the supply means 7 to the rotating body 3, the clamping arm 19 is closed by the fixed cam 24, clamping the main body 6b below the cap 6d, and directing the nozzle 6a in a desired direction. The dispenser 6 is received into the rotating body 3 from the supply means 7 as it is.

However, as shown by the imaginary lines in FIG. 4, the rotating body 3 has a
Each is provided with a capping head 38 for receiving the dispenser 6 from the clamping means 18 and screwing its cap 6d onto the upper end opening of the container 5.

Each capping head 38 is attached to the rotating body 3 so as to be able to move up and down, and by engaging a cam follower (not shown) provided on the capping head 38 with a fixed cam provided above the shaft portion of the rotating body 3. , it is possible to move up and down as the rotating body 3 rotates.

At the bottom of the capping head 38, a fifth
As shown in FIG. 6, there is a nozzle fixing member 39 that engages with the main body 6b of the dispenser 6 to hold the nozzle 6a facing in a certain direction, and a nozzle fixing member 39 that is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cap 6d. cap 6
A total of four tightening rollers 40 (the eighth
(see figure). The above nozzle fixing member 3
9 is formed in a shape that can fix the main body 6b in the rotational direction, and when the head of the main body 6b is fitted into the nozzle fixing member 39, the two do not rotate relative to each other. That's what I do.

On the other hand, a total of four tightening rollers 40 for rotating the cap 6d are made of a material with a large coefficient of friction such as rubber, and a rotating shaft 41 to which each tightening roller 40 is attached is connected to the lower end of a pair of movable arms 42. The two tightening rollers 40 are each
Each set is pivotally supported on the lower end of one movable arm 42.

The upper portion of each movable arm 42 is swingably attached to the capping head 38 by a pin 43, and is normally supported by a spring 46 loaded between each movable arm 42 and the capping head 38. The lower end portion of each movable arm 42 is expanded.
Further, a cam follower 47 is provided at the upper end of the pin 43 of each of the movable arms 42, and the cam follower 47 is moved by the elastic force of the spring 46.
is brought into elastic contact with a cam 45 that is raised and lowered by an air cylinder 44 attached to the shaft of the capping head 38.

The cam 45 is normally positioned at the raised end shown on the right side of the center line in FIG. 5 by the air cylinder 44, and in this state the lower end of each movable arm 42 is expanded by the spring 46 It is in a state of On the other hand, as shown on the left side of the center line in FIG. 5, when the cam 45 is lowered by the air cylinder 44, the lower end of each movable arm 42 is closed; The cap 6d of the dispenser 6 can be held there (see FIG. 8).

Next, a torque motor 51 for rotating the clamping rollers 40 in the same direction to rotate the clamped cap 6d is connected to the capping head 3.
8, and a gear 53 is attached to the drive shaft 52 of the torque motor 51. As shown in FIG. 7, this gear 53 is meshed with four gears 54 provided around it.
are respectively attached to drive shafts 55 rotatably supported by the capping head 38.

The four drive shafts 55 and each tightening roller 4
The rotary shafts 41 to which 0 is attached are connected to each other via a pair of universal joints 56 and a spline shaft 57 that connects each universal joint 56.

Therefore, when each drive shaft 55 is rotationally driven by the torque motor 51, the rotation of the drive shaft 55 is transmitted to the tightening roller via the universal joint 56, the spline shaft 57, and the rotation shaft 41. 40 and even if the movable arm 42 swings, the universal joint 56 and the spline shaft 57 allow the rotation to be transmitted while allowing the swing.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotating body 3 has a clamping means 18 located below the holding means 18 for receiving the dispenser 6 from the above-mentioned supply means 7 into the rotating body 3.
Guide means 61 for guiding the lower end of the dispenser 6 to ensure that the lower end is inserted into the container 5
has been established. This guide means 61 has a pair of arms 62, respectively, as shown in the lower half of FIG.
and a guide cone 63 formed by dividing a cylindrical member into two, attached to the tip of each arm 62, and when both arms 62 are closed and each guide cone 63 is butted, the Guide cone 6
3 to form a cylindrical guide surface that is narrowed at the bottom.

The configuration for opening and closing each arm 62 of the guide means 61 is substantially the same as the configuration for opening and closing each clamping arm 19 of the clamping means 18 described above, and is the same as or equivalent to the clamping means 18. Parts are indicated by the same reference numerals with a '' added.

In the above configuration, the pair of clamping arms 19 of the clamping means 18 clamp the dispenser 6 whose nozzle 6a direction is directed in the desired direction by the supply means 7, and the dispenser 6 is held so that the direction of the nozzle 6a is directed in the required direction. The rotating body 3 is supplied from the supply means 7 while maintaining the
When the capping head 3 is received within
8 is at the raised end, and the pair of movable arms 42 of the capping head 38 are open (FIG. 9a).

When the clamping means 18 pulls out the dispenser 6 from the supply means 7, the capping head 38 is lowered and the main body 6b of the dispenser 6 is first inserted into the nozzle fixing member 39 provided at the lower part of the capping head 38.
The head of the nozzle 6a is housed to prevent the nozzle 6a from rotating relative to the nozzle fixing member 39. Then, when the air cylinder 44 is operated to lower the cam 45 and thereby close the lower ends of the pair of movable arms 42, the movable arms 44
Four tightening rollers 40 provided at the lower end of the cap 6d clamp the cap 6d (FIG. 9b).

The tightening roller 40 clamps the cap 6d,
When the dispenser 6 is thereby held, the pair of clamping arms 19 of the clamping means 18 release the clamping of the dispenser 6 (FIG. 9c). The split guide cone 63 is closed to form a cylindrical guide surface narrowed at the bottom (9th d
figure).

In this state, the capping head 38 is lowered to lower the dispenser 6 held thereby, and the lower end of the dispenser 6 is reliably guided into the container 5 by the guide cone 63. When the lower end of the dispenser 6 is inserted into the container 5, the guide cone 63 is opened by the pair of clamping arms 19 (FIG. 9e), and the capping head 38 is subsequently lowered to open the cap of the dispenser 6. 6d is fitted into the upper end opening of the container 5.

When the cap 6d of the dispenser 6 is fitted into the container 5, the torque motor 51 is started and the cap 6d is rotated by the tightening roller 40, so that the cap 6d is attached to the upper end of the container 5. When the cap 6d is fitted, the cap 6d is screwed onto the upper end opening of the container 5. When the torque motor 51 tightens the cap 6d to the container 5 with a predetermined tightening torque and stops rotating, the operation of the torque motor 51 is stopped (FIG. 9f).

When the dispenser 6 is attached to the container 5 in this way, the air cylinder 44 raises the cam 45, and when the lower ends of the pair of movable arms 42 are released by the spring 46, the movable arms 42 The grip of the cap 6d by the four tightening rollers 40 provided at the lower end is released. Thereafter, the container 5 with the dispenser 6 attached and removed from the capping head 38 is carried out via the discharge star wheel 4.

The nozzle fixing member 39 provided at the lower part of the capping head 38 is detachably attached to the capping head 38, and the nozzle fixing member 39 can be attached to the screw as shown in FIG. It can be replaced with a rotating member 67 that contacts the head of the cap 66 and allows rotation as the screw cap 66 is screwed together.

That is, the rotating member 67 is rotatably attached to the lower end of the support shaft 69 via a bearing 68, and the upper end of the support shaft 69 is inserted into a hole 70 formed in the lower end shaft of the capping head 38. The capping head 38 is fitted into the radial mounting hole 71 formed in the support shaft 69.
It is attached by fitting the tip of a fixing screw 72 which is screwed in from the radial direction into.

Although not shown, the nozzle fixing member 39
A radial mounting hole corresponding to the mounting hole 71 is also formed at the upper end, so that the nozzle fixing member 39 and the rotating member 6 can be connected by the fixing screw 72.
7 can be exchanged.

When attaching the screw cap 66 to the container, the supply means 7 also attaches to the screw cap 6.
6 is replaced with a dedicated supply means, and the tightening roller 4
0 is the screw cap 66 from the supply means.
You will be able to grasp it directly. Other than this, the configuration is basically unchanged, especially the main body 6 of the dispenser 6.
The clamping means 18 for clamping b is also not removed. This clamping means 18 is attached to the screw cap 6.
During the capping work in step 6, it operates independently without interfering with the capping work.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the present invention, a dispenser and a screw cap can be attached to a container with one cap, so the equipment cost can be reduced compared to the conventional method. This has the effect of being able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the container 5, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the clamping means 18 in the upper half and the guide means 61 in the lower half. , FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotating body 3 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the capping head 38, FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the - line of FIG. 5.
A schematic sectional view taken along the line, Figures 9a to 9f are operation process diagrams for attaching the dispenser 6 to a container, and Figure 10 is a main part showing a state in which the nozzle fixing member 39 shown in Figure 5 has been replaced with a rotating member 67. FIG. 1...Rotary cap, 3...Rotating body, 5...
Container, 6... Dispenser, 6a... Nozzle, 6
b...Main body, 6c...Pump operating member, 6d...
Cap, 7... Supply means, 38... Capping head, 39... Nozzle fixing member, 40... Tightening roller, 66... Screw cap, 68...
... Bearing, 67 ... Rotating member, 72 ... Fixing screw.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cap rotatably provided on the main body of the dispenser is held between a plurality of tightening rollers movably provided on the capping head, and the cap is rotated by the rotation of the tightening rollers. In the capper, which is screwed onto the container, a nozzle fixing member is removably provided on the capping head to engage with the nozzle of the dispenser and hold the nozzle in a desired direction, and the nozzle is fixed. With the nozzle of the dispenser oriented in a desired direction by the member, the cap can be screwed onto the container by rotating the tightening roller, and the nozzle fixing member is brought into contact with the head of the screw cap and screwed onto the container. The screw cap can be replaced with a rotating member that allows rotation as the screw cap is screwed, and the screw cap is supported by the rotating member and the tightening roller, and the screw cap is rotated by the rotation of the tightening roller. A dual-purpose cap that can be screwed onto a container.