JPH0440275B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a container lid alignment device, and more particularly, to a container lid alignment device, in addition to a circular top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall depending from the periphery of the top wall, a lower end of the skirt wall is further provided. The present invention relates to a container lid aligning device for bringing the container lid into a proper state in which the projecting piece is located on the upstream side in the conveying direction while the container lid having the protruding piece protruding in the axial direction is conveyed through a conveying chute.

<Prior Art and Problems to be Solved> Recently, as container lids for containers such as beverage bottles, in addition to a circular top wall and a cylindrical skirt wall hanging from the periphery of the top wall, the above-mentioned skirt wall has been used. A so-called easy-open container lid having a projecting piece projecting in the axial direction from the lower end of the container is in practical use. As is well known to those skilled in the art, in order to properly attach the container lid to the neck of the container in a suitable form of capping machine, the container cap must be placed in the desired condition and then placed in the capping machine. It is necessary to supply Therefore, conventionally, a supply device as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-6425, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-9377, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 135059-1982, or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 180521-1980 has been used. , the container lids in various various states are brought into the desired state, that is, the outer surface of the top wall faces the bottom wall of the transport chute, and the protruding piece is located on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the container lids are brought into the transport chute. The container lid was maintained in the proper condition during discharge and transport through the transport chute, thus feeding the capping machine.

However, according to the experience of the present inventors, particularly when container lids are discharged from the above-mentioned supply device to the above-mentioned transport chute at a considerably high speed (for example, 500 to 1000 pieces per minute or more), the rate is Although small (for example, about 1 out of 500 pieces), there were cases where the protruding pieces were discharged from the supplying device to the conveying chute in a reversed state where the protruding pieces were located on the downstream side in the conveying direction, rather than in the above-mentioned proper state. If the container lid is conveyed through the conveying chute and supplied to the capping machine in the reversed state, as will be readily understood, the attachment of the container lid to the mouth and neck of the container will not be accomplished as desired. Therefore, in the past, although the proportion was small (for example, about 1 in 500), defective finished products were produced in which the container lid was not properly attached. In order to reliably avoid the production of such defective finished products, it is conceivable to improve the above-mentioned feeding device so that the container lid discharged from the above-mentioned feeding device is always in the proper state. Improvements have proven to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

On the other hand, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 50-37641, while a cathode tab for a cathode ray tube having a protruding piece instead of a container lid is being conveyed through a conveying chute, the protruding piece is positioned downstream rather than on the upstream side in the conveying direction. An alignment device is disclosed that allows the proper state of alignment.
In such an alignment device, the cathode tab for a cathode ray tube is first forcefully rotated in a forced rotation region to an offset state in which its protruding piece is located on one side of the conveying chute, and then in a forced rerotation region, the cathode tab is Abbreviation for cathode tab for cathode ray tube in state
It is rotated 90 degrees in a predetermined direction, and the protruding piece is thus positioned on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. A container lid aligning device having a configuration substantially the same as or similar to the aligning device related to the above-mentioned supply device is attached, so that even if a container lid that is not in the proper state is discharged from the above-mentioned feeding device, it can be transported through the container lid aligning device. It may be intended to align them properly by doing this.

However, in the alignment device disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 50-37641, the cathode tab for a cathode ray tube is not prevented from rotating in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction in the forced re-rotation region. , although the ratio is small, there is a possibility that it will be rotated approximately 90 degrees in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, resulting in a state that is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the proper state. Therefore, when provided on a container lid, there remains a risk that the protruding piece may be supplied to the seaming machine with the protruding piece positioned downstream in the conveying direction rather than in the proper state where the protruding piece is positioned on the upstream side in the conveying direction. do.

The present invention was made in view of the above facts,
The technical problem is to provide an improved container lid alignment device which is capable of properly aligning container lids with sufficient reliability.

<Solution Means of the Invention> In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem in the alignment device disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 50-37641, the container lid which is in a deviated state in the forced re-rotation region is A movement preventing means is provided to prevent the container lid from moving and to reliably prevent the container lid in the deflected state from rotating in a direction opposite to the intended rotation direction. Such a movement preventing means is arranged to substantially prevent one of the pair of side walls of the plate-shaped guide member disposed downstream of the forced re-rotation region and protruding from the upper surface of one of the pair of side walls of the chute toward the other. It consists of an upstream edge extending perpendicularly above.

That is, according to the present invention, a container lid aligning device that achieves the above-mentioned technical problem includes a circular top wall, a cylindrical skirt wall that hangs down from the periphery of the top wall, and a protrusion that projects in the axial direction from the lower end of the skirt wall. A container lid having a piece moves between the pair of side walls and the top wall of the conveyor chute including a bottom wall and a pair of side walls disposed on the bottom wall at a predetermined distance in the lateral direction. While being transported with the outer surface facing the bottom wall,
A container lid aligning device is provided to bring the container lid into a proper state in which the projecting piece is located on the upstream side in the conveying direction, and in a forced rotation area defined along the chute, the projecting piece is aligned with the pair of side walls. a forced rotation means for forcibly rotating the container lid into a deflected state located adjacent to one side; and a forced rerotation region located adjacent to a downstream end of the forced rotation region in the deflected state. a movement preventing means for acting on the protruding piece of the container lid located in the deviated state to prevent downstream movement of the container lid in the deflected state and to prevent rotation of the container lid in a predetermined direction; in the forced rerotation area, a forced rerotation means for forcibly rotating the container lid from the deflected state by approximately 90 degrees in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction to bring it into the proper state; The movement prevention means is arranged on the pair of side walls of the plate-shaped guide member that is disposed downstream of the forced re-rotation region and extends from above the upper surface of the one of the pair of side walls toward the other of the pair of side walls. A container lid alignment device is provided, comprising an upstream edge extending substantially perpendicular to the one of the containers.

<Operation> In the container lid aligning device of the present invention, when the container lid is transported to the forced re-rotation region in a deviated state in which the protruding piece is adjacent to one of the pair of side walls, the movement prevention means acts. As a result, the container lid is prevented from moving downstream in the deviated state, and the container lid is reliably prevented from rotating in a predetermined direction. Thus, by the action of the forced re-rotation means, the container lid is rotated approximately 90 degrees in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned predetermined direction (i.e., in the desired direction), thereby ensuring that it is in the proper state.

<Preferred Specific Example of the Invention> Hereinafter, a specific example of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of a container lid processed by a specific example of the container lid aligning device of the present invention will be described. The illustrated container lid, generally designated by the numeral 2, which may be formed from any suitable sheet metal such as aluminum-based alloy, tinplate or chromed steel, comprises a circular top wall 4 and a cylindrical cylinder depending from the periphery of the top wall 4. shaped skirt wall 6. The container lid 2 further has a projecting piece 8 projecting in the axial direction from the lower end of the skirt wall 6 at a predetermined location. The projecting piece 8 is composed of a hanging piece 10 formed integrally with the skirt wall 6, and a ring 12 formed separately and connected to the lower end of the hanging piece 10 by an appropriate method such as so-called curling. There is. In the illustrated embodiment, the entire projection 8 consisting of the depending piece 10 and the ring 12 extends axially, but the lower part of the projection 8 could extend radially outward if desired. A pair of breaking lines 14 are provided on the skirt wall 6 and the top wall 4, extending from both sides of the projecting piece 8 upward in the axial direction on the skirt wall 6, and then extending in an arc shape on the top wall 4. Such a break line 14 may be a so-called score formed by reducing the material thickness.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, the container lid 2 as described above
is fitted into the mouth and neck of a container (not shown);
The skirt wall 6 is then attached to the neck of the container by bending the lower end 6 radially inward and engaging the locking jaws present on the outer circumferential surface of the neck of the container. When removing the container lid from the mouth and neck of the container to unseal the mouth and neck of the container, the ring 12 of the protruding piece 8 is placed with a finger and the protruding piece 8 is pulled, thereby breaking the pair of breaking lines 14. Just force it.

1, 2, and 3-A through 3-F illustrate a portion of a transport chute 16 incorporating one embodiment of a container lid alignment device constructed in accordance with the present invention. ing. The conveying chute 16 has an upstream end that may be of any suitable form (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-6425, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-55).
Publication No. 9377, JP-A-51-135059, or JP-A-Sho
57-180521), and its downstream end is connected to a capping machine (not shown) which may have an appropriate form, and thus,
Container lids 2 discharged from the supply device are fed to the capping machine through a conveying chute 16 from the right side to the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The illustrated transport chute 16 has a forced rotation area 18
and a forced rerotation region 20 located adjacent the downstream end of the forced rotation region 18, and associated with the forced rotation region 18 and the forced rerotation region 20. A lid alignment device is provided. The configuration of the transport chute 16 upstream of the forced rotation area 18 and downstream of the forced rerotation area 20 may be conventional. 3rd-A
As clearly shown in FIGS. 3-F, the conveyor chute 16 has a pair of side walls 24a extending upward from the bottom wall 22 at a predetermined distance laterally from the bottom wall 22.
and 24b. A pair of side walls 24 in the chute member 26
The distance W between a and 24b (Fig. 3-A) corresponds to the outer diameter of the cylindrical skirt wall 6 in the container lid 2, and the height H of the pair of side walls 24a and 24b (the third
-A) corresponds to the height of the skirt wall 6. Continuing the explanation with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 together with FIGS. 3-A to 3-F, a guide member (first guide member) 26 is provided on the side wall 24a of the chute member 26.
are arranged, and a guide member 28 (second guide member) and a guide member (third guide member) are provided on the side wall 24b.
30 are arranged. As will become clear from the following description, a portion of the guide members 26 and 28, ie, a portion located in the forced rotation region 18, constitutes a forced rotation means for rotating the container lid 2 to a desired state. In the illustrated example, the guide member 26 disposed on the side wall 24a is composed of a plate-like member that extends continuously from the upstream side of the forced rotation area 18 to the downstream side of the forced rerotation area 20. ing. This plate-like member has one edge (the upper edge in FIG. 1) fixed to the upper surface of the side wall 24a by an appropriate fixing means (not shown) such as a screw, and the other side edge ( The lower edge (in FIG. 1) extends beyond the inner surface of the side wall 24a toward the side wall 24b, and the projecting edge constitutes a guide edge 32. On the other hand, the guide member 28 disposed on the side wall 24b is composed of a plate-like member extending from the upstream side of the forced rotation area 18 to the upstream end 18a of the forced rotation area 18. Such a plate-like member is fixed at one side edge (lower edge in FIG. 1) to the upper surface of the side wall 24b by an appropriate fixing means (not shown) such as a screw.
The other side edge (the upper edge in FIG. 1) extends beyond the inner surface of the side wall 24b toward the side wall 24a, and the projecting edge constitutes a guide edge 34. Further, a guide member 30 disposed on the side wall 24b
is composed of a plate-like member extending downstream of the forced rerotation region 20. Such a plate member is
One side edge (the lower edge in FIG. 1) is fixed to the upper surface of the side wall 24b by an appropriate fixing means (not shown) such as a screw, and the other side edge (the upper edge in FIG. The edge portion) extends beyond the inner surface of the side wall 24b toward the side wall 24a, and the projecting edge constitutes a guide edge 36. Guide member 30
The upstream end edge of the plate-like member constituting the rotor is aligned with the downstream end of the forced rerotation region 20. As will become clear from the subsequent description, the upstream edge constituting the movement blocking means 38 advantageously extends substantially perpendicular to the side wall 24b.

As understood from FIGS. 1 and 3-A, on the upstream side of the forced rotation area 18, the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 and the guide edge 34 of the guide member 28
and extend substantially parallel to side walls 24a and 24b. Guide edge 32 from the inner surface of side wall 24a
The amount of overhang da1 up to and the amount of overhang db1 from the inner surface of the side wall 24b to the guide edge 34 are substantially the same,
The distance S1 between the guide edge 32 and the guide edge 34 corresponds to the width of the hanging piece 10 of the projecting piece 8 on the container lid 2. Similarly, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 3-F, on the downstream side of the forced rerotation region 20, both the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 and the guide edge 36 of the guide member 30, It extends substantially parallel to side walls 24a and 24b. The overhang amount da3 from the inner surface of the side wall 24a to the guide edge 32 (this overhang amount da3 is substantially the same as the above-mentioned overhang amount da1) and the overhang amount db2 from the inner surface of the side wall 24b to the guide edge 36 (this overhang amount da3 is substantially the same as the above-mentioned overhang amount da1) The overhang amount is substantially the same as the overhang amount db1), and the spacing S4 between the guide edge 32 and the guide edge 36 is substantially the same as the spacing S1, This corresponds to the width of the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2.

In the forced rotation region 18, the guide member 26
The guide edge 32 extends as follows. That is,
As clearly shown in FIG. 1, in the upstream portion 18b of the forced rotation region 18, the guide edge 32 gradually extends toward the side wall 24b when viewed in the downstream direction (i.e., from right to left in FIG. 1). The guide edge 32 extends obliquely, and the amount of overhang from the inner surface of the side wall 24a to the guide edge 32 gradually increases from the overhang amount da1 to the overhang amount da2 when viewed in the downstream direction. Above upstream section 1
In the downstream portion 18c following 8b, the guide edge 32
extends substantially parallel to the side walls 24a and 24b, and the amount of protrusion from the inner surface of the side wall 24a to the guide edge 32 is constant and is da2. Forced rotation area 18
In the downstream end or forced rerotation region 20, the guide edge 32 extends at a relatively steep slope away from the side wall 24b when viewed in the downstream direction.
The amount of protrusion from the inner surface of 4a to the guide edge 32 is as described above.
It decreases relatively rapidly from da2 to da3 (=da1). On the other hand, at the upstream end 18a of the forced rotation region 18, the guide edge 34 of the guide member 28
is gradually inclined in a direction away from the side wall 24a when viewed in the downstream direction and extends substantially parallel to the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26, and the amount of protrusion from the inner surface of the side wall 24b to the guide edge 32 is the above-mentioned db1. It gradually decreases from to zero. Upstream end 1 of forced rotation region 18
8a, the guide edge 34 of the guide member 28 extends substantially parallel to the guide edge 32 of the guide member 30, as described above, so that the spacing between the guide edges 32 and 34 is constant and as described above. It is S1. On the downstream side of the upstream end 18 a of the forced rotation area 18 , a guide edge 32 extends to the downstream end of the forced re-rotation area 20 .
However, in the portion 18d following the upstream end 18a, as described above, the guide edge 30 extends obliquely toward the side wall 24a when viewed in the downstream direction, so that the guide edge 32 and the side wall 24b The distance between the inner surface and the inner surface gradually decreases from S1 to S2. Then, the downstream part 1 of the forced rotation region 18
8c, the distance between the guide edge 32 and the inner surface of the side wall 24a is constant and is S2 above. This interval S2 is the length of the hanging piece 1 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2.
The thickness is set to a value somewhat larger than the thickness of 0.
From the downstream end of forced rotation area 18 to forced re-rotation area 2
0, as described above, the guide edge 32 is inclined relatively sharply in the direction away from the side wall 24a when viewed in the downstream direction, so the distance between the guide edge 32 and the inner surface of the side wall 24a is from S2 above. It increases rapidly until S3. On the downstream side of the forced re-rotation region 20, there is a guide edge 36 as well as a guide edge 32, and the distance between the guide edge 32 and the guide edge 36 is constant and is the above-mentioned S4 (=S1).

Referring to FIG. 3-D together with FIGS. 1 and 2, in the illustrated example, an auxiliary guide member 4 is further provided at the downstream end of the forced rotation region 18.
0 is placed. Such auxiliary guide member 40
is composed of a plate-shaped member fixed on the guide member 26 so that its position can be finely adjusted. More specifically, an elongated slot 41 is formed in one side edge (the upper edge in FIG. 1) of the plate-like member constituting the auxiliary guide member 40, and a set screw is inserted into the guide member 26 through the slot 41. 42 is screwed onto the guide member 26, and thus the auxiliary guide member 40 is fixed on the guide member 26 such that its position can be finely adjusted in the extending direction of the slot 41. Auxiliary guide member 40
The side edge located on the lower side in FIG. 1 extends gradually inclining toward the side wall 24b when viewed in the downstream direction. The downstream end of the side edge extends beyond the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 toward the side wall 24b, and as will be described later, the projecting piece 8 of the container lid 2 (more specifically, the hanging piece 10 thereof) It constitutes a guide edge 44 that acts on. The distance S between the guide edge 44 and the inner surface of the side wall 24b at the downstream end of the guide edge 44
5 is adjusted to a value that is very slightly larger than the thickness of the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2.

In the illustrated example, a forced re-rotation means 46 is further provided for rotating the container lid 2 in a desired direction (ie, counterclockwise in FIG. 1) in the forced re-rotation area 20. Figure 1,
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3-D, the forced rerotation means 46 rotates the guide member 26 through a notch 48 formed in the auxiliary guide member 38.
The air injection tube 52 includes an air injection tube 52 projecting into a through hole 50 formed in the air. Such air injection pipe 5
2 is connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown), and the forced rerotation region 2 is connected to the tip of the air injection pipe 52 located in the through hole 50.
Compressed air is injected into the container lid 2 located at 0 as shown by an arrow 54 in FIG. The compressed air injected from the air injection pipe 52 is applied to the skirt wall 6 of the container lid 2.
is oriented such that it impinges on the inner surface of the container lid 2 and imparts a rotational torque in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 to the container lid 2. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, a conveying air injection pipe 56 is also provided, which is disposed somewhat above the air injection pipe 52. The air injection pipe 56 is also connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown), and compressed air is injected from the air injection pipe 56 as shown by arrow 58 in FIG. Such injected compressed air is transferred to the forced rerotation region 20
It collides with the container lid 2 on the downstream side of the container lid 2, causing the container lid 2 to move downstream.

Next, the effects of the container lid alignment device as described above will be explained. The container lids 2, which are discharged into the conveying chute 16 by the action of a compressed air stream from the outlet of the above-mentioned feeding device (not shown), are in most cases illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3-A. As shown in FIG.
is the proper state where it is located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 3-A, the container lid 2 has a top wall 6 and a skirt wall 6 connected to the conveyor chute 16.
It is conveyed through the conveyance chute 16 with its protruding piece 8 passing between the guide members 26 and 28 and protruding from the conveyor chute 16 . On the upstream side of the forced rotation region 18 , both the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 and the guide edge 34 of the guide member 28 extend substantially parallel to the pair of side walls 24 a and 24 b of the conveying chute 16 and are in contact with the guide edge 32 . The distance S1 from the guide edge 34 corresponds to the width of the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2. Therefore, as can be easily understood by referring to FIGS. 1 and 3-A, the depending piece 10
Due to the restraining action of the guide edges 32 and 34, the container lid 2 is conveyed downstream while being maintained in the proper state. When the container lid 2 is conveyed through the upstream portion 18b of the forced rotation area 18, the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 is gradually inclined toward the side wall 24b when viewed in the downstream direction. Due to the guide edge 32 acting on the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 of the container lid 2, the container lid 2 moves clockwise in FIG. 1 as it moves downstream, as shown in FIG. It is rotated gradually. At the downstream end of the upstream portion 18b, the container lid 2 is rotated approximately 90 degrees clockwise in FIG. 1 from the proper state, as shown in FIG. 3-C.
is placed adjacent to the side wall 24b.

On the other hand, as already mentioned, although the proportion is small, the container lid 2 is discharged from the discharge port of the above-mentioned supply device (not shown) into the conveying chute 16.
As shown in FIG. 4, the outer surface of the top wall 4 is opposed to the bottom wall 22 of the conveyance chute 16, but the projecting piece 8 is located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, which is the front and back reversed state. There are cases. In such a case, on the upstream side of the forced rotation area 18, the container lid 2 is restrained by the guide edges 32 and 34 on the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 of the container lid 2, as in the case described above. is directed downstream while being maintained in the above-mentioned reversed state. However, when the container lid 2 is conveyed through the upstream portion 18b of the forced rotation region 18, the container lid 2 moves in the opposite direction to the above-described case, that is, counterclockwise in FIG. direction. More specifically, when the container lid 2 is conveyed through the upstream section 18b, the side wall 2 is
The guide edge 32 of the guide member 26, which is gradually inclined toward 4b, acts on the hanging piece 10 of the projecting piece 8 located on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the container lid 2. At this time, as can be easily understood by referring to FIG. Since the downward displacement in FIG. 5 is restricted, the container lid 2 cannot rotate clockwise in FIG.
It is forced to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. Thus, at the downstream end of the upstream portion 18b, the container lid 2 is rotated approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise in FIG. 8 is placed adjacent to the side wall 24b. Therefore, according to the illustrated container lid alignment device configured according to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the container lids 2 discharged from the outlet of the supply device (not shown) to the conveying chute 16 are in the above-mentioned proper state. Irrespective of whether the above-mentioned front-to-back state is reversed or not, when the container lid 2 is conveyed through the upstream section 18b of the forced rotation area 18 and reaches the downstream end of the upstream section 18b, the container lid 2 is always as shown in Fig. 3-C. is forced into the above-mentioned deflection state.

While the container lid 2 is conveyed through the downstream part 18c of the forced rotation area 18, the guide edge 3 of the guide member 26
2 is substantially parallel to the side walls 24a and 24b, and the spacing S between the guide edge 32 and the side wall 24b is
2 is a constant and the hanging piece 1 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2
Since the thickness is set to a value somewhat larger than the thickness of 0, the container lid 2 is maintained in the above-mentioned deviation state (
At the downstream end of the downstream portion 18c of the forced rotation area 18, the guide edge 44 of the auxiliary guide member 38 acts on the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2, which will be described later).

Then, when the container lid 2 advances to the forced re-rotation region 20, the depending piece 10 of the projecting piece 8 on the container lid 2 becomes a guide member, as will be easily understood by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2. The upstream edge of the guide member 3 makes contact with the movement blocking means 38, thereby preventing the container lid 2 from moving downstream.
Since the upstream edge of the container lid 2 projects substantially perpendicularly to the side wall 24b, the container lid 2 is sufficiently prevented from rotating clockwise in FIG. 1. In the forced re-rotation region 20, compressed air is injected from the air injection pipe 52 constituting the forced re-rotation means 46 in the direction shown by the arrow 54 (FIG. 2), and acts on the container lid 2. A counterclockwise rotational torque is applied to the container lid 2 in FIG. On the other hand, the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 extends from the downstream end of the forced rotation area 18 to the forced re-rotation area 20.
, the container lid 2 extends at a relatively steep slope in a direction away from the side wall 24b when viewed in the downstream direction, and therefore, as will be understood with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, counterclockwise rotation is permitted. Thus, in the forced re-rotation region 20, the container lid 2 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. It rotates once, reaches the above-mentioned proper state, and advances downstream from the forced re-rotation area 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the container lid 2 starts to be rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 in the forced re-rotation area 20, the next container lid 2
is located at the downstream end of the forced rotation region 18 adjacent to the previous container lid 2. The container lid 2 is maintained in the deflected state by the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26. However, as described above, the distance S2 between the guide edge 32 and the inner surface of the side wall 24b is
Since the thickness of the protruding piece 8 of the container lid 2 is set to be somewhat larger than the thickness of the hanging piece 10, even if the container lid 2 is maintained in the above-mentioned deflected state, the container lid 2 rotates over a certain range. It is possible to move. Depending on the outer diameter of the skirt wall 6 of the container lid 2 and the relative position and outer diameter of the ring 12 of the protruding piece 8, the next container lid 2 may move clockwise in FIG. When rotated by 1 minute, the ring 12 of this container lid 2 interferes with the ring 12 of the previous container lid 2 present in the forced re-rotation area 20, thereby causing the previous container lid 2 to move counterclockwise in FIG. There is a possibility that a problem may arise in which the rotation of the However, in the illustrated example, the guide edge 4 of the auxiliary guide member 40
4 guides the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2, and limits the rotation of the next container lid located at the downstream end of the forced rotation region 18 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1 to a sufficiently small range; In this way, the occurrence of the above problem can be reliably avoided.

The container lid 2 which has been brought into the appropriate state as described above and advanced downstream from the forced re-rotation area 20 has a distance S4 (=S1) between the two that is equal to the hanging piece 10 of the protruding piece 8 on the container lid 2. The guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 and the guide edge 36 of the guide member 30 cooperate to hold each other, and the guide edge 32 of the guide member 26 corresponds to the width of the guide member 30. The capping machine (not shown) is then fed to a capping machine (not shown).

As described above, when the container lid alignment device configured according to the present invention is incorporated into the transport chute 16, the container lids 2 discharged from the outlet of the supply device (not shown) into the transport chute 16 are Regardless of whether or not it is in the above-mentioned proper state, it is always fed to the capping machine (not shown) in the above-mentioned proper state, thereby reliably avoiding the production of defective finished products in the capping machine. That will be understood.

6 and 7 illustrate a modification of the forced rerotation means for rotating the container lid 2 from the above-mentioned deflected state to the above-mentioned proper state in the forced re-rotation region 20. In the modification shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the side wall 24a is tapered from the downstream end of the forced rotation region 18 to the forced rerotation region 20.
An elongated opening 60 is formed in the opening. A forced rerotation means 62 is associated with the opening 60.
is installed. This forced re-rotation means 62 is
It is composed of a pair of pulleys 64 and 66 rotatably mounted at an interval in the conveyance direction, and an endless belt 68 wound around the pulleys 64 and 66. An endless belt 68 projects into the conveyor chute 16 through the opening 60 and comes into contact with the outer surface of the skirt wall 6 of the container lid 2. One of the pair of pulleys 64 and 66 is connected to a suitable drive means (not shown) such as an electric motor, and the pulleys 64 and 66 and the endless belt 68 are driven in the direction shown by arrow 70 in FIG. I am forced to do it. The endless belt 68 is the arrow 70
When driven in the direction indicated by , a counterclockwise rotational torque is applied to the container lid 2 in FIG. The lid 2 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 6 from the deflected state to the proper state. If desired, the endless belt 68 may be replaced by any other suitable form of cover, such as a rotating friction wheel, which contacts the container lid 2 located at least in the forced rerotation region 20 and imparts a rotational torque thereto in a predetermined direction. Forced rerotation means can also be constructed from the drive means.

Although specific examples of the container lid alignment device constructed according to the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such specific examples, and departs from the scope of the present invention. Of course, various changes and modifications can be made without doing so.

For example, in the illustrated example, guide members 26, 28 and 30 made of plate-like members are used, but instead of this, guide members 26, 28 and 3 are used.
It is also possible to use elongated rod-like members extending along the zero guiding edges 32, 34 and 36.

In addition, in the illustrated example, the guide member 2
Each of 6, 28, and 30 is constructed from a single plate-like member, but may be constructed from a plurality of plate-like members if desired for manufacturing convenience or the like.

<Effects of the Invention> In the container lid aligning device of the present invention, the container lids are conveyed while being reliably aligned in a proper state with their protruding pieces positioned on the upstream side in the conveying direction, and therefore, defective completions in the seaming machine are avoided. This ensures that the occurrence of accidents is avoided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a transport chute in which a specific example of a container lid alignment device constructed in accordance with the present invention is incorporated. FIG. 2 is a side view of the conveyance chute shown in FIG. 1. Figures 3-A to 3-F are, respectively,
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A to F-F in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a part of the conveyance chute shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a container lid. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing a modification of the forced re-rotation means. 2... Container lid, 4... Top wall of container lid, 6...
Skirt wall of container lid, 8... Protruding piece of container lid, 1
6... Conveyance chute, 18... Forced rotation area, 2
0...forced re-rotation area, 22...bottom wall, 24a and 24b...side walls, 26...(first) guide member (forced rotation means), 28...(second) guide member (forced rotation means), 30... (third) guide member,
32 to 36...Guiding edge, 38...Movement prevention means, 40...Auxiliary guide member, 44...Guiding edge, 4
6... Forced rerotation means, 52... Air injection pipe (air injection means), 62... Forced rerotation means, 68...
...Endless belt.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A container lid that has a circular top wall, a cylindrical skirt wall that hangs down from the periphery of the top wall, and a protruding piece that projects in the axial direction from the lower end of the skirt wall, which is connected laterally to the bottom wall. The device is transported through a transport chute including a pair of side walls arranged on the bottom wall at a predetermined interval, with the outer surface of the top wall facing the bottom wall between the pair of side walls. In between, a container lid aligning device is used to bring the container lid into a proper state in which the protruding piece is located on the upstream side in the conveying direction, and in a forced rotation area defined along the chute, the protruding piece is aligned with the pair of protruding pieces. a forced rotation means for forcing the container lid to rotate into an offset state located adjacent one of the side walls of the container; and a forced rerotation region located adjacent to a downstream end of the forced rotation region; Movement to act on the protruding piece of the container lid in the deviated state to prevent the container lid in the deviated state from moving downstream and to prevent the container lid from rotating in a predetermined direction. and a forced rerotation means for forcibly rotating the container lid from the deflected state by approximately 90 degrees in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction in the forced rerotation region to bring it into the proper state. The movement prevention means includes a plate-shaped guide member disposed on the downstream side of the forced re-rotation region and extending from an upper surface of one of the pair of side walls toward the other of the pair of side walls. A container lid alignment device comprising an upstream edge extending substantially perpendicular to one of the pair of side walls. 2. The forced rotation means includes a plate-shaped guide member having a guide edge that guides the protruding piece of the container lid from the other side of the pair of side walls while the container lid is conveyed through the forced rotation area. , the guide edge extends in an upstream portion of the forced rotation region so as to be gradually inclined toward one of the pair of side walls when viewed in the downstream direction, and in a downstream portion of the forced rotation region, the guide edge extends toward the one of the pair of side walls when viewed in the downstream direction. extending adjacent to and substantially parallel to one side, the container lid being forced to rotate into the deflected state by the guiding action of the guide edge while being conveyed through the upstream portion of the forced rotation region. 2. The container lid alignment device of claim 1, wherein the container lid alignment device is maintained in the offset state by the guiding action of the guide edge during conveyance through the downstream portion of the forced rotation region. 3. From the downstream end of the forced rotation region to the forced rerotation region, the guide edge extends at an angle away from the one of the pair of side walls when viewed in the downstream direction, thereby causing the container lid to be biased. Claim 2, in which rotation from the position state to the proper state is allowed.
Container lid alignment device as described in section. 4. The forced rotation means is a plate-shaped plate having a guide edge that guides the projecting piece of the container lid from the one side of the pair of side walls while the container lid is conveyed through the upstream end of the forced rotation area. The guide edge also includes a guide member, and at the upstream end of the forced rotation region, the guide edge is gradually inclined in a direction away from the other of the pair of side walls when viewed in the downstream direction, and is configured to extend from the other side of the pair of side walls. 4. A container lid alignment device according to claim 2 or 3, which extends substantially parallel to the guide edge for guiding the container lid. 5. The forced rotation means has a plate shape having a guide edge that guides the protruding piece of the container lid from the other side of the pair of side walls while the container lid is conveyed through the downstream end of the forced rotation area. It also includes an auxiliary guide member, and at the downstream end of the forced rotation region, the guide edge of the auxiliary guide member guides the projecting piece of the container lid from the other side of the pair of side walls. Claims 2 to 4 are located closer to the one of the pair of side walls than the edges, and extend at a gradual slope toward the one of the pair of side walls when viewed in the downstream direction.
The container lid alignment device according to any of the preceding paragraphs. 6. The container lid alignment device according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary guide member is arranged such that its position can be finely adjusted. 7. The forced re-rotation means comprises an air injection means that injects air onto the container lid to impart rotational torque to the container lid to rotate the container lid from the deviated state to the proper state. , a container lid alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The forced re-rotation means comprises a driven means that contacts the outer surface of the skirt wall of the container lid and applies rotational torque to the container lid for rotating the container lid from the deflected state to the proper state. The container lid alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein 9. The driven means comprises a driven endless belt that projects into the chute through an opening formed in the other of the pair of side walls and comes into contact with the outer surface of the skirt wall of the container lid. 8th
Container lid alignment device as described in section.