JPH0673705B2 - Automatic sampling method and device in canned food production line - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sampling method for automatically sampling a can from a line in order to check the filling state with a filler in a canning production line or the winding state with a seamer. Regarding the device.

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional canned product manufacturing process, a sampling inspection is performed at predetermined intervals to check the filling state of each filler head (valve) and the winding tightening state of each seaming seaming head. The sampling inspection is, for example, 120
In the case of a filler with valves, at least 120 consecutive cans must be removed in order to check the operating status of all valves, but normally 24
0 The can is removed. In the conventional sampling can collecting method, in the case of continuous sampling, the can stopper at the filler inlet is once closed, waits until all the cans have passed through the discharge conveyor, and then the stoppers are opened to supply the cans. At that time, if the can is suddenly supplied in the state of high speed operation, a dent can is generated at the filler inlet, so that the supply is started at low speed operation and then the speed is changed to high speed operation. Then, in order to make the correspondence between the head and the can, the number of the head in which the first can enters is memorized. Close the stopper when the cans for about two laps of filler have been supplied, and stop the discharge conveyor when the last can has passed the seamer.
Move the cans on the discharge conveyor to the measuring table without changing the order. Therefore, since the line has to be stopped during this time, not only is the loss of time great, but the time and effort required to collect the sample is great. Also, after starting the supply at low speed operation, the speed is changed to high speed operation, but since the filling amount may differ between high speed and low speed,
I doubt that accurate data is available.

Then, the valve in which a defect is found as a result of the continuous measurement is adjusted, but in order to check whether or not the adjustment result is correct, another inspection is performed by selective sampling. In this case, on the conveyor between the filler and the seamer, the can filled with the target valve is followed by the eye and the can is pulled out by hand. At this time, since the can lid is not wound, the filling can be done without careful and quick work, which is a dangerous work for the hot pack product.

On the other hand, the sampling inspection for the tightening state inspection by the seamer is performed with the line temporarily stopped as in the case of the filler, although the number of samples is smaller than that of the filler. Further, the correspondence between the head number and the can is usually performed by visually observing the pocket number of the discharge turret. However, the method is possible for a general seamer in which the number of seaming heads and the number of pockets of the discharge turret are equal, but it is not possible for a seamer having a difference between them. For this reason, in the latter case, the No. 1 head is coated with a sticky substance, which serves as a mark, and is transferred to the lid at the time of winding for recognition. After the end of sampling, the head is cleaned so as not to adhere to the product.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention was created in order to solve the problems of the sampling technology in the conventional canned product production line described above, and automatically without stopping the canned product production line. Can be continuous or and selective sampling,
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic sampling method and an apparatus therefor capable of surely identifying by which head the drawn sampling can is filled or wound.

Means for Solving the Problems In the automatic sampling method of the present invention for solving the above problems, a reference signal is generated each time the filler or seamer rotates once, and a 1-pitch signal is generated each time the filler or seamer rotates 1 pitch. And the preset number of fillers or the number of heads of the filler or seamer corresponding to the can passing through the seamer outlet when the reference signal is emitted, and the reference signal and the 1 pitch signal are used to The can passing timing at the outlet is associated with the head number of the filler or seamer, the can passing through the position is detected, and the head numbering corresponding to the passing timing of the can is performed,
When the can reaches the can collecting position of the discharge conveyor, its head number is sequentially detected, and when the can of the target head number is detected, the sample can collecting means operates to automatically sample the can. It adopts the characteristic technical means.

Then, more specifically, a reference signal generator that issues a reference signal for each rotation of the filler or seamer, a 1-pitch signal generator that issues a signal for each head rotation of the filler or seamer, and a can at the exit of the seamer are detected. First can detector, second can detector for detecting cans on the discharge conveyor, can collecting means for collecting sample cans from the discharge conveyor to the sampling conveyor, sampling condition setting device for setting sampling information, number of filling heads or Head number setting device for setting the number of winding heads, number associating means for associating a head number to a can with a reference signal from the reference signal generator and a one pitch signal from the one pitch signal generator, the first can detection Each time the container detects a can, the head number obtained by the number associating means is set in the buffer. , Wherein it is determined whether the read sampling target can buffer the second bottom detector whenever detecting the cans, and a sample can determination means for sending a signal to the can collection means.

An offset number setting device for setting the number of heads the can at the position of the first can detector when a signal is emitted from the reference signal generator is further provided in the configuration, and the head number is set. The storage means stores the set value set in the offset number setting device by a signal from the reference signal generator in a memory, and increments the value of the memory by 1 each time one pitch signal comes, and sets the number of valves. If you go over 1
Is set and the head number is associated with the can, the mounting position of the reference signal generator can be arbitrarily selected.

Further, the sampling condition setting device, an inspection target setting device for specifying a filler or a seamer, a sampling type setting device for specifying continuous sampling or selective sampling,
By configuring the head number setting device for setting the head number of the selective sampling and the sampling repetition number setting device, it is possible to easily specify continuous or selective sampling for each filler and seamer.

Further, the data communication means for sending the head number of the sampled can to the measuring instrument and the filler entrance can stopper are activated to create a condition in which there is no can between the first can detection sensor and the second can sensor. Sampling buffer resetting means for resetting the buffer so that data can be written from, and conveyor monitoring means for detecting the condition where the can and the buffer data are out of correspondence can be used for data transfer to the measuring section and accident countermeasures, and more complete Automatic sampling can be achieved.

Operation With the above configuration, it is possible to associate, for each can sent to the discharge conveyor, the head number of the filler filling the can with the contents or the head number of the seamer winding the can. Then, the head number of the can is stored in a buffer, and when the can reaches the can collecting position of the discharge conveyor, the head number is read out from the buffer or sequentially, and whether the can is the can with the head number to be sampled. It is determined whether or not, and the sample can collecting means operates according to the result to automatically transfer the can from the discharging conveyor to the sampling conveyor for sampling. Then, the switch can easily switch the sampling of the filler and the seamer, and if a sampling start signal from a timer or the like is externally connected, automatic sampling can be performed at regular intervals.

Therefore, continuous or selective sampling can be automatically performed without stopping the line, and it is not necessary to stop the line for sampling as in the conventional case, so that the line efficiency is dramatically improved. In addition, since the sample is sent to the measuring instrument by the sampling conveyor that is installed side by side, it is possible to save labor without rearranging or moving the sample. Furthermore, since the sampling can be performed in a completely high-speed operation, a stable sample can be obtained even for items that affect the speed.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an example of a canning production line for carrying out the method of the present invention, and the figure shows the case where 1400 cans per minute (cpm) is assumed. In the figure, 1 is a filler having 120 valve heads, which receives empty cans conveyed from the feed conveyor 3 via the feed turret 4,
The contents are filled and discharged to the conveyor 5 following the seamer.
6 is a filler inlet can stopper provided on the feed conveyor. Reference numeral 7 denotes a seamer, which has 10 heads in the example shown in the drawing, and the contents-filled can c conveyed from the filler by the conveyor 5 is supplied through the feed turret 8 and wound by the discharge turret 9.
Discharge to the discharge conveyor 10.

The above canned production line is the same as the conventional one, and the apparatus of this embodiment is provided with the following means in order to perform automatic sampling by applying to the conventional line.

The filler 1 and the seamer 7 are provided with detected objects (reference cams) 11 and 13 provided corresponding to the reference arbitrary head, and any position outside the rotational trajectory of the head for detecting the detected object. The reference signal generators 15 and 16 including the sensors 12 and 14 fixed to each other are provided to generate the reference signal once per one rotation of the filler 1 and the seamer 7. In addition, the Cima feed turret 8 has a 1 pitch cam
A 1-pitch signal generator 19 composed of 17 and a sensor 18 for detecting the cam is provided, and outputs a signal for each 1-pitch rotation of the feed turret. Further, the discharge turret 9 at the exit of the seamer is provided with a sensor 20 which is a first can detecting means and emits a signal each time one can is detected.

Downstream of the can detection sensor 20 (about 4 m downstream in this embodiment)
A second can detection sensor 21 for detecting the presence or absence of a can on the discharge conveyor 10, and a can stopper 22 immediately after that are provided. Immediately after that, as a can collecting means for collecting cans from the discharge conveyor 10, a rejector 23 for taking out each can and a divider 24 for continuously taking out the cans on the sampling conveyor 25 are installed. A sensor 26, which is a conveyor monitoring means such as a photo sensor for detecting a fallen can, is provided in an intermediate portion between the first can detecting sensor 20 and the second can detecting sensor 21.

The reason for providing the rejector and the divider as the can collecting means is to utilize only the following advantages of both. Rejectors are suitable for selectively extracting a part of the target group that moves quickly and continuously, but when operated in large quantities continuously and at high speed like continuous sampling, the original pressure of the air is reduced. Is deteriorated, resulting in defective ejection. On the other hand, although the divider has a long switching time, it is suitable for continuous sampling because it can continuously collect once it is switched. Line speed of 1400cp
In case of m, the number of cans discharged per second is 23.3, and the stopper 22
If the discharge conveyor length up to is set to 4 meters, the number of cans transferred between them will be 37.3. On the other hand, operate the stopper 22 to bring the can into close contact and
Since the number of cans that can be stored in a meter is 60.6 cans (when the can diameter is 66 mm), the time that can be earned by operating the stopper while the line is operating is about 1 second. Therefore, for safety reasons, even if only half of this is used, the time of 500ms can be obtained, which is sufficient for the operation of the divider.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a control panel panel section for automatically sampling based on the above apparatus.

The control panel has a sampling condition setting device 27 for setting sampling information and a model information setting device 28 for setting model information.
The sampling condition setting device includes an inspection target setting device 29 that switches between a filler inspection and a seamer inspection depending on whether the sampling inspection inspection is a filling amount inspection or a winding state inspection, and a sampling setting device that selects continuous sampling or selective sampling. 30, head number setting device 31 for selecting filler head or seamer head in the case of selective sampling 31,
It comprises a repeat number setting device 32 for setting the number of repetitions of the sampling inspection, and a sampling start switch 33. Further, the model information setting device 28 is a filler head number setting device for inputting the number of heads of the filler and the seamer.
35, a seamer head number setting device 36, and a filler offset number setting device 37 and a seamer offset for setting what number the can at the first can detector 20 position corresponds to when the reference cam sensor of the filler is turned on. And a number setting device 38. By having these head number setting devices 35 and 36 and offset number setting devices 37 and 38, it is possible to correspond to any combination of filler and seamer, and the reference cams 11 and 13 may be attached anywhere. Therefore, the mounting work becomes easy. However, the filler and seamer reference cams, for example, the can in the first can detection switch position always corresponds to the No. 1 head when the reference cam is turned on.
The offset number setting device is not always necessary if it is always mounted in a specific positional relationship.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a control device of the above automatic sampling system.

In the figure, 40 is for identifying whether the can c detected by the first can detector is the can filled with the head of the filler or the can of the seamer. And has a memory. Correspondence between the can and the head number is performed by discharging the can of the can, and the head number is sequentially written regardless of the presence or absence of the can. Reference numeral 41 denotes a head number storage means, which sets the number obtained by the head number associating means 40 in the buffer 42 each time the can detection sensor detects a can, and shifts when the next can comes.

Reference numeral 43 denotes a buffer read determination means, which is the second can detection sensor 21.
Each time it detects a can, it reads the buffer 32, determines if it is a sampling target, and sends a signal to the divider 24 or the rejector 23 according to the continuous or selected sampling method. Reference numeral 44 is a data communication means, which sends the sampling contents such as the head number of the sampled can to a measuring instrument (not shown) as data. Reference numeral 45 is a buffer resetting means for rewriting the data from the head of the buffer when the can on the discharge conveyor is pulled out halfway and the correspondence between the can and the valve (correspondence between the can and the buffer data) is shifted. .
Reference numeral 46 is a conveyor monitoring means for detecting a state where the can and the buffer data do not correspond to each other.

A case in which the filling state of the filler is sampled and inspected by the automatic sampling system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, set the number of filler heads and the number of offsets in the model information setting device, then in the sampling condition setting part, the inspection target setting device, whether sampling inspection is continuous or not, and if selected, the head number, and The number of repetitions,
Set each before the start of sampling and press the start button to start the sampling inspection.

When a signal comes from the filler reference cam 11 along with the operation of the line, the head number associating means 40 sets the offset value set in the filler head number setting device 35 and the offset number setting device 37 in the memory. . Then, each time one pitch signal arrives, the value of the memory is incremented by 1, and when the set number of valves is exceeded, 1 is set and the process returns to the first valve (see FIG. 4). By repeating this, the number of the valve filled in the can is obtained for the can that always arrives at the first can detection sensor position. Since this is executed even when the can is not supplied, if the reference cam is detected at least once, the correspondence with the valve or the head can be taken. In this manner, the can head numbers are sequentially obtained at the can discharge timing, and a signal is sent to the head number storage means 41.

The head number storage means 41 sets the head number obtained by the head number associating means 40 in the buffer 42 each time the first can detection sensor 20 detects a can. Furthermore, the data is shifted so that the data cannot be rewritten when the next can comes. By repeating this, the filler head numbers are arranged in the buffer in the order of the cans that have passed the first can detection sensor 20. Since this processing is performed when a can is detected, the correspondence between the can and the head number does not change even if there is a can that is missing.

When the can that has passed the first can detection sensor position is conveyed by the discharge conveyor and reaches the position of the second can detection sensor, the buffer read determination means 43 causes the second can detection sensor to detect the second can detection sensor.
The buffer 32 is read by the detection signal of 21 to determine whether or not the can is the sampling target can set in the sampling setting unit 30, and sends a signal to the divider 24 or the rejector 23 according to the continuous or selected sampling method. For continuous sampling, activate stopper 22 and then
24 is switched and opened after a predetermined time, and the number of filler heads is divided from the discharge conveyor to the sampling conveyor by the number of times set in the repeat number setting device to collect sample cans. When the set number of repetitions has passed, the stopper 22 is operated again to return the divider 24 and open the stopper 22.

In the case of the selected sample, when the can corresponding to the selected head is detected, the rejector 23 operates to transfer the can from the discharge conveyor to the sampling conveyor. This operation is repeated the number of times input to the repetition number setting device to collect a predetermined number of cans.

At the same time, sampling information such as the head number of the sampled can is sent as data via a data communication means 44 to a measuring instrument (not shown). As a result, a measuring instrument such as a weighing scale can specify the head number of the can that is naturally measured.

In the above sampling method, if even one can is pulled out or a fallen can occurs between the first can detection sensor 20 and the second can detection sensor 21, the correspondence between the can and the valve (can and buffer). Correspondence of data) It remains off. In order to prevent erroneous sampling in such a situation, a conveyor monitoring sensor provided upstream of the second can detection sensor
26 monitors the cans on the discharge conveyor, checks the passing time of one can (using the difference between the diameter and the height of the can) by the conveyor monitoring means, and detects the presence or absence pattern of the cans detected by the first can detection sensor 20. By comparison, it is determined whether the can was pulled out or a fallen can occurred in the middle. If an abnormality has occurred, an abnormality signal is sent to the buffer reset means, the buffer reset means 45 is operated at the next sampling, and then sampling is started. When an abnormal signal is input, the buffer reset means 45 sends a reset signal to the buffer 42 to reset the buffer 42 and actuates the can stopper 6 at the filler inlet. As a result, a state where there is no can between the first can detecting sensor 20 and the second can detecting sensor 21 is created, and data is written again from the beginning of the buffer. The time required for this is as shown in the line in FIG.
Since {4 (m) / 150 (m / -min)} × 60 (s) = 1.6, the can supply should be stopped for about 2 seconds. If the buffer reset means is always activated before sampling is started, the conveyor monitoring means 46 is unnecessary.

In the above, the case of sampling with a filler has been described, but sampling with a seamer can be performed in the same manner as above.

Effects The present invention has the following special effects.

This automatic sampling system can be applied to any number of lines with different numbers of filler heads (valves) and seamer heads or line speeds, and can automatically perform continuous or selective sampling without stopping the line. . Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the line for sampling as in the conventional case, and the line efficiency is dramatically improved.

Since the sample is sent to the measuring device by the sampling conveyor that is installed side by side, it is possible to save labor without rearranging or moving the sample.

Sampling can be performed during completely high-speed operation, so stable samples can be obtained even for items that affect speed.

Even if there is a can with filler or seamer, or if the conveying pitch on the discharge conveyor is misaligned, the head number of the filler or seamer can always be specified, and the sample can and head number can be accurately associated. You can

According to the configuration of the third term, the mounting position of the reference signal generator can be arbitrarily selected, and it can be easily applied to all models.

According to the structure of the fourth term, it is possible to easily switch continuous or selective sampling for each filler and seamer.

According to the configuration of the fifth item, further, it is possible to transfer data to the measuring unit and construct a completely automatic sampling system in combination with the measuring device. It can also handle accidents such as falling cans on the discharge conveyor.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of an automatic sampling system in a canned product production line of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a layout of the canned product production line, Fig. 2 is a front view of a control panel, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the automatic sampling system. , FIG. 4 is a time chart. 1: Filler, 6: Can stopper, 7: Cima, 8: Feed turret, 9: Discharge turret, 10: Discharge conveyor, 15: Filler reference signal generator, 16: Cima reference signal generator, 19: 1 pitch signal generation Container, 20: first can detection sensor, 21: second can detection sensor, 22: can stopper,
23: Rejector, 24: Divider, 25: Sampling conveyor, 26: Conveyor monitoring sensor, 27: Sampling information setting device, 28: Model information setting device, 29: Inspection target setting device, 30: Sampling type setting device, 31: Head Number setting device, 32: Repeat number setting device, 35: Filler head number setting device, 36: Seamer head number setting device, 37, 38: Offset number setting device, 40: Head number correspondence means, 41: Head number storage Means, 42: Buffer, 4
3: buffer read determination means, 44: data communication means, 45: buffer reset means, 46: conveyor monitoring means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A reference signal generator generates a reference signal every one rotation of a filler or a seamer, and a one pitch signal generator generates one pitch signal every one pitch rotation, and the reference signal is generated. The number of fillers or the number of heads of the filler or the seamer corresponding to the can passing through the seamer outlet when preset is set, and the can passing timing at the seamer outlet is filled with the pre-reference signal and the 1 pitch signal. Alternatively, by correlating with the head number of the seamer, detecting the can passing through the position and performing the head numbering corresponding to the passage timing of the can, and when the can reaches the can collecting position of the discharge conveyor, the head number Are sequentially read out, and when the can of the target head number is detected, the sample can collecting means operates to automatically sample the can. Automatic sampling method in canning line, characterized in that. 2. A reference signal generator that issues a reference signal for each revolution of the filler or seamer, a 1-pitch signal generator that issues a signal for each pitch revolution of the filler or seamer, and a first for detecting a can at the exit of the seamer. Can detector, second can detector for detecting cans on discharge conveyor, can collecting means for collecting sample cans from discharge conveyor to sampling conveyor, sampling condition setting device for setting sampling information, number of filling heads or crimping head A head number setting device for setting the number, a number associating means for associating a head number with a can by a reference signal from the reference signal generator and a one pitch signal from the one pitch signal generator, the first
Head number storage means for setting the head number obtained by the number associating means in the buffer each time the can detector detects a can, and the buffer is read every time the can is detected by the second can detector and sampling target An automatic sampling device in a canning production line, comprising: a sample can judging means for judging whether it is a can and sending a signal to the can collecting means. 3. An offset number setting device for setting which head corresponds to a can at the position of the first can detector when a signal is emitted from a reference signal generator, and the head number. The storage means stores the set value set in the offset number setting device by a signal from the reference signal generator in a memory, and increments the value of the memory by 1 each time one pitch signal comes, and sets the number of valves. 3. When the number exceeds the limit, 1 is set and the head number is associated with the can.
The described automatic sampling device. 4. The sampling condition setting device, which is an inspection object setting device that specifies a filler or a seamer, a sampling type setting device that specifies continuous sampling or selective sampling, and a head number setting device that sets a head number of selective sampling. 4. The automatic sampling device according to claim 2, further comprising a sampling repetition number setting device. 5. A data communication means for sending a head number of a sampled can to a measuring instrument, a sampling buffer resetting means for resetting a buffer and activating a filler inlet can stopper, and a conveyor for detecting a state where the can and the buffer data do not correspond to each other. The automatic sampling device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, further comprising a monitoring means.