Equipment for handling flanged containers

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for processing flanged containers that can align the direction of flanged containers to reduce their size in a collected state.SOLUTION: In an apparatus for processing a flanged container, a transport conveyor 15, for carrying a portion pack 10 provided with a flange 14 having a directivity in an upper part of a container body 13, is provided with a plurality of support portions 24 formed with a groove portion in which the flange 14 is to fit and for supporting portion packs 10 at a predetermined interval. The apparatus comprises imaging means that is supported by a support portion 24 of the transport conveyor 15 and takes an image of the portion pack 10 carried from above, a detection unit that detects a direction of the flange 14 based on image information obtained by taking an image by the imaging means, and a plurality of direction correcting means 18 that suck an underside of the portion pack 10 supported by each support portion 24 and rotate the same about a vertical axis. Each direction correcting means 18 rotates the portion pack 10 based on a direction of the flange 14 detected at the detection unit and aligns the flange 14 to a direction of the groove portion of the support portion 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device for rimmed containers that can align the orientation of rimmed containers that have a rim on the top of the container body, such as portion packs. [Background technology]

[0002] A device for dividing and supplying items has been proposed for use in a tray packing machine that packs brimmed containers made of food containers such as so-called portion packs, which are food and beverages such as jam, marmalade, milk for coffee, gum syrup, jelly, and dressing in one-meal, one-pack packaging, into a tray (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The trays used by the device for dividing and supplying items disclosed in Patent Document 1 have recesses formed in advance to accommodate the container bodies of the portion packs, spaced apart so that the brim of the portion packs do not interfere with each other, and the portion packs in a pushed-and-pushed state transported by a conveyor are divided into a predetermined number of pieces, and the intervals between the divided portion packs are expanded to correspond to the intervals between the recesses before being stored in the tray. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Jpn. Jpn. Published No. 60-40404 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the divided supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the intervals between the portion packs on the tray are set wide so that the flanges do not interfere with each other, which causes a problem that the tray size required for storage becomes large and bulky. For this reason, when packing a plurality of trays together in a case, the size of the outer box must be selected to be large correspondingly, which leads to problems of high material costs and transportation costs. In addition, if a plurality of portion packs with a protruding flange are stored in a storage container such as a tray, and the flange protrudes outside the storage container during the process of transporting the storage container and is sent to a subsequent process, the protruding part becomes an obstacle when handling the various processing machines, making it impossible to perform proper processing, or the portion packs stored in the container come into contact with the structure of the processing machine when passing through the processing machine, causing the portion packs to fly out.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus for rimmed containers that can align the orientation of the rimmed containers and reduce the size of the assembled containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The treatment device for a flanged container according to the invention of claim 1 of the present application comprises: On the top of the container body (13) Equipped with a tsuba (14) 1. A treatment device for a flanged container, comprising: The flange (14) has a protruding portion (14a) that protrudes outward and enables the orientation of the container to be identified in a plan view, The flange (14a) Predefined orientation Fitted in a transport conveyor (15) provided at a predetermined interval with a plurality of support parts (24) each having a groove (26) for receiving the container, the support parts (24) being capable of supporting and transporting a rimmed container (10); an imaging means (16) for imaging the flange (14) of the flanged container (10) supported and transported by the support portion (24) of the transport conveyor (15); a detection means (22) for detecting the orientation of the flange (14) of the flanged container (10) based on image information of the flange (14) captured by the imaging means (16); a plurality of orientation correcting means (18) for lifting the flanged container (10) from the plurality of supports (24), rotating the container about a vertical axis, and then lowering the container to the support (24); The present invention is characterized in that, based on the orientation of the flange (14) detected by the detection means (22), the orientation correction means (18) is used to align and fit the flange (14) of each flanged container (10) so as to match the shape of each groove portion (26) of the support portion (24). According to the invention of claim 1, the flange of the flanged container detected by the detection means is fitted in the groove of the support part provided on the transport conveyor with the flange oriented in the same direction, so that when a plurality of flanged containers are gathered together with the same orientation, the flanged containers can be oriented in such a way that the outer edge size is small. This allows a storage container size such as a tray with a small capacity to be selected when packing directional flanged containers into a storage container such as a tray. In addition, the outer box size can be reduced when packing a plurality of storage containers such as tray-packed products together, so that not only the packaging material cost but also the transportation cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the flanges of the flanged containers can be oriented in the same direction and transferred to the next process, by storing the flanged containers in such a way that they do not protrude outside the storage container, it is possible to prevent problems such as the flanges coming into contact with the structure of the processing machine when passing through the post-processing machine, causing the flanged container to fly out of the storage container, or preventing proper processing by the post-processing machine from being hindered.

[0007] In the invention according to claim 2, a part of the flange (14) of the flanged container (10) protrudes outward. The above The protrusion (14a) is provided. The support portions (24) in the transport conveyor (15) are formed in a plurality of rows, the groove portions (26) of the support portions (24) have extension portions (26a) into which the protrusions (14a) fit, and the extension portions (26a) are formed in a protruding direction such that the protrusions (14a) fitted into the extension portions (26a) are within the range of imaginary tangents (N, N) extending in the row direction and tangent to the flanges (14) excluding the protrusions (14a). According to the invention of claim 2, even if a protrusion is provided on the flange, the collective size of a plurality of flanged containers can be reduced.

[0008] The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the rimmed containers (10) that are fitted into the grooves (26) in the transport conveyor (15) are removed, and the spacing between the rimmed containers is narrowed to transfer them to a tray (12) as a group of rimmed containers (10). According to the invention of claim 3, the collective size in the row and column directions of multiple rows of rimmed containers with the rims oriented in the same direction can be reduced, and a tray size with a smaller capacity can be selected.

[0009] In the invention according to claim 4, the support portions (24) of the transport conveyor (15) are formed in a plurality of rows, a first handling means (19) for removing the brimmed containers (10) supported by the support portions (24) with their brims (14) oriented in the same direction, and for transferring the brimmed containers (10) to a placement table (20) while narrowing the space between the containers so that the brims (14) of adjacent brimmed containers (10) in each row overlap one another; the placement table (20) on which a plurality of rows of rimmed containers (10) with narrower container spacing can be partitioned into a plurality of rows and placed by the first handling means (19), the placement table (20) being provided with placement surfaces (51, 52) that provide a height difference between adjacent rows of rimmed containers (10); a spacing change means (47) for narrowing the spacing between the rimmed containers (10) placed on the placement surfaces (51, 52) so that the rims (14) of adjacent rows of rimmed containers (10) overlap one another vertically with a height difference; The system is characterized by having a second handling means (23) which transfers the assembled rimmed containers (10) by narrowing the arrangement interval of the rimmed containers (10) using the interval changing means (47) from the placement table (20) to a tray (12). According to the invention of claim 4, the row spacing of ribbed containers arranged in multiple rows with the rims oriented in the same direction is narrowed by a first handling means, and the arrangement spacing of the ribbed containers arranged in multiple rows and transferred to a loading table is narrowed by a spacing change means, and the assembled ribbed containers with narrowed row spacing and arrangement spacing are transferred to a tray by a second handling means.Since each process can be performed in a distributed manner, processing efficiency can be improved and the assembled ribbed containers can be efficiently transferred to a tray.

[0010] The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the placement table (20) is configured to move laterally between a receiving position (S4) above the transport conveyor (15) where the rimmed container (10) is received from the first handling means (19) and a retreat position (S5) spaced apart from the receiving position (S4). According to the invention of claim 5, the loading platform onto which the ribbed container is transferred from the first handling means can be moved laterally from the receiving position to a retracted position outside the range of motion of the first handling means, allowing the first handling means to pick up the next ribbed container, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0011] In the invention according to claim 6, the interval changing means (47) is configured to narrow the arrangement intervals of the rimmed containers (10) placed on the placement table (20) with a height difference for each row, and to collect the rimmed containers (10), The flanged containers (10) assembled by the spacing change means (47) are transferred by the second handling means (23) so as to be stacked on a tray (12). According to the invention of claim 6, the arrangement spacing of multiple rows of rimmed containers can be narrowed with a simple configuration, and the rimmed containers gathered together in one layer can be stacked and stored on a tray by the second handling means, allowing transfer operations to be carried out efficiently.

[0012] In the invention according to claim 7, the support portions (24) of the transport conveyor (15) are formed in a plurality of rows, a first handling means (19) for removing the brimmed containers (10) supported by the support portions (24) with their brims (14) oriented in the same direction, and for transferring the brimmed containers (10) to a placement table (20) while narrowing the space between the containers so that the brims (14) of adjacent brimmed containers (10) in each row overlap one another; the placement table (20) that moves laterally between a receiving position (S4) above a transport conveyor (15) for receiving the rows of rimmed containers (10) with narrow container intervals from the first handling means (19) and a retreat position (S5) spaced from the receiving position (S4); and a second handling means (23) for transferring the rimmed containers (10) arranged in multiple rows on the mounting table (20) by narrowing the spacing therebetween at the retracted position of the mounting table (20) from the mounting table (20) to a tray (12). According to the invention of claim 7, the first handling means narrows the row spacing of multiple rows of ribbed containers with their rims oriented in the same direction, and the ribbed containers that have been transferred to the mounting table and have been gathered with the arrangement spacing narrowed are transferred to a tray by the second handling means, so that the processing efficiency can be improved by distributing each process, and the gathered ribbed containers can be efficiently transferred to the tray. Also, by moving the mounting table that has received the ribbed containers from the first handling means laterally to a retracted position outside the movable range of the first handling means, the first handling means can pick up the next ribbed container, shortening the cycle time and improving processing capacity.

[0013] In the invention according to claim 8, the direction correcting means (18) comprises a rotating member (28) having an adsorption portion (28) that adsorbs the upper surface or the lower surface of the rimmed container (10), and a motor (30) that rotates the rotating member (28) about a vertical axis; The orientation correction means (30) is characterized in that it is configured to control the operation of the motor (30) to rotate the rimmed container (10) attracted by the suction portion (28) in a direction with the least amount of deviation in order to match the orientation of the rim (14) of the rimmed container (10) detected by the detection means (22) with the orientation of the groove portion (26) on the transport conveyor (15), thereby matching the orientation of the rim (14) of the rimmed container (10) with the orientation of the groove portion (26). According to the invention of claim 8, the flanged container is rotated in a direction that minimizes the deviation of the flange from the groove to align the flange, so that the alignment can be completed in the shortest possible time. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, a plurality of rimmed containers can be oriented in the same direction to reduce the collective size. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the processing apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the orientation correcting means. [Diagram 3] 11 is a schematic diagram of the direction correcting means as viewed from the downstream side. FIG. [Figure 4] 13 is a schematic front view showing the state in which the portion pack is lifted from the support part of the transport conveyor by the orientation correcting means. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the handling means and the temporary placement device. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are schematic plan views of the main part of the handling means, in which (a) shows the separated position of the slide member, and (b) shows the approaching position of the slide member. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the processing apparatus as viewed from the downstream side. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a main part of the processing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a column spacing changing means. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the processing device. [Figure 11] Schematic plan views showing the support portion of a conveyor, where (a) shows a state in which no portion packs are supported by the support portion, (b) shows a state in which the portion packs are supported by the support portion in random orientations, and (c) shows a state in which the portion packs are supported by the support portion in an aligned orientation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Next, a preferred embodiment of a treatment device for a flanged container according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0017] The processing device for brimmed containers of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 8 is a device that transfers a plurality of brimmed containers 10 transported from a previous process such as a manufacturing machine onto a tray 12 as a collective container 11 (brimmed containers 10 gathered in a plurality of rows) in which the brimmed containers 10 are gathered in the same orientation. The brimmed containers 10 are exemplified as portion packs 10 in which a brimmed container body 13 containing food or drink is provided at the top of the container body 13 with a brimmed container body 13 extending therefrom, a lid is sealed to the brimmed container body 13, and the brimmed container body 13 is formed in a shape that allows the orientation of the brimmed container 10 to be specified in a plan view. In the embodiment, the brimmed containers 14 are exemplified as having a directional shape with a protruding portion 14a that protrudes outward as a knob for opening. The processing device comprises a conveying conveyor 15 which conveys the portion packs 10 in multiple rows and multiple columns spaced apart at a predetermined distance, an imaging means 16 which images the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 in the multiple rows and columns conveyed by the conveying conveyor 15, a detection unit 22 which acts as a detection means for detecting the orientation of the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 (the protruding direction of the protrusion 14a) based on image information obtained by image processing of the data imaged by the imaging means 16, and an orientation correction means 18 which corrects the orientation of the flanges 14 of each portion pack 10 conveyed by the conveying conveyor 15 based on the orientation of the flanges 14 detected by the detection unit 22 so that it matches the shape of a groove portion 26 formed in a support portion 24 of the conveying conveyor 15 described later. The processing device also includes a handling means (first handling means) 19 which adsorbs and picks up from the conveyor 15 the multiple rows and columns of portion packs 10 whose flanges 14 have been aligned by the orientation correction means 18 and which has been transported by the conveyor 15; a loading platform 20 onto which the multiple rows and columns of portion packs 10 picked up by the handling means 19 are transferred; and a robot hand (second handling means) 23 which adsorbs and picks up the multiple rows and columns of portion packs 10 placed on the loading platform 20 and transfers them to a tray 12 on a tray conveyor 21.

[0018] 1 to 4, the transport conveyor 15 is a conveyor that circulates a carrier 25 having support parts 24 capable of supporting portion packs 10 one by one, which are provided at predetermined intervals in the front and rear of the article transport direction (column direction) and in the left and right of the width direction (row direction) intersecting with the article transport direction, and is configured to support and transport portion packs 10 in a plurality of rows (four rows in this embodiment). The support parts 24 of the carrier 25 are provided with through holes 24a through which the container body 13 below the flange 14 of the portion pack 10 can pass, and at the upper end of the through holes 24a, a groove part 26 is provided on the carrier surface side into which the flange 14 of the portion pack 10 can fit, and the portion pack 10 is configured to be supported by the support parts 24 in a state in which the flange 14 fits into the groove part 26 and the container body 13 is suspended within the through hole 24a. The groove 26 is formed in a shape that matches the outer shape of the flange 14, and the extension 26a into which the protrusion 14a of the flange 14 fits is formed to extend in a direction away from the through hole 24a, and the rotation of the portion pack 10 is restricted by the protrusion 14a fitting into the extension 26a (see FIG. 11(c)). As shown in FIG. 11(c), the extension 26a of the groove 26 is formed in a protruding direction such that the protrusion 14a fitting into the extension 26a is within the range of imaginary tangents N,N that extend in the row direction and are in contact with the outer periphery of the flange 14 excluding the protrusion 14a.

[0019] In the embodiment, the support parts 24 are formed so that the extending parts 26a of the first and second rows counting from one side in the width direction of the transport conveyor 15 are oriented in pairs, and the extending parts 26a of the third and fourth rows are oriented in pairs. The extending parts 26a of the groove parts 26 of the first row and the extending parts 26a of the groove parts 26 of the second row are formed so as to extend on the other support part side of the pair, and the extending parts 26a of the groove parts 26 of the third row and the extending parts 26a of the groove parts 26 of the fourth row are formed so as to extend on the other support part side of the pair. In the embodiment, the extension portions 26a of the groove portions 26 in the first and third rows extend diagonally toward the upstream side in the item conveying direction, while the extension portions 26a of the groove portions 26 in the second and fourth rows extend diagonally toward the downstream side in the item conveying direction, and by narrowing the row spacing (the spacing between adjacent rimmed containers in the same column) and column spacing (the arrangement spacing that is the spacing between adjacent rimmed containers in the same row) of the portion packs 10 aligned so that the rims 14 fit into the groove portions 26, the protrusion portion 14a of the rim 14 of one portion pack 10 adjacent in the row and column directions can overlap vertically with a portion of the rim 14 of the other portion pack 10. The transport conveyor 15 is driven to run so that the carrier 25 intermittently stops at the imaging position S1 by the imaging means 16, the orientation alignment position S2 by the orientation correction means 18, and the pick-up position S3 by the handling means 19 to pick up multiple columns and rows (five rows in this embodiment) of portion packs 10 that are adsorbed and picked up all at once by the handling means 19.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the imaging means 16 equipped with other image sensors, such as a CCD camera equipped with multiple lenses capable of imaging the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 on the carrier from above, is provided on the way of the transport conveyor 15. When the transport conveyor 15 stops intermittently, the imaging means 16 images the portion packs 10 in multiple rows and multiple columns (five rows and four columns in this embodiment) located at the imaging position S1 and picked up by the handling means 19 at once, and the image information obtained by imaging by the imaging means 16 is input as a signal to the control means 17 of the processing device and image-processed, and the direction of the flanges 14 of each portion pack 10 (the protruding direction of the protruding portion 14a) is detected by the detection unit 22 of the control means 17. In addition, the imaging means 16 is provided with lighting means 27 for providing a predetermined illuminance suitable for imaging around the camera lens that images the portion packs 10 in five rows and four columns that stop intermittently at the imaging position S1.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the orientation correction means 18 is disposed downstream of the position where the imaging means 16 is disposed, below the upper running part of the carrier 25 of the transport conveyor 15. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the orientation correction means 18 includes a rotating pipe (rotating member) 29 having a suction cup 28 as a suction part at its upper end and extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and an orientation correction motor (motor) 30 consisting of a servo motor that rotates the rotating pipe 29 forward and backward around an axis in the vertical direction (around a vertical axis), and the orientation correction means 18 is disposed at a position corresponding to each of the five rows and four columns of support parts 24 that are intermittently stopped at the orientation alignment position S2. The lower end of each rotating pipe 29 is connected to a suction source, and is configured to be able to suction the lower surface of the portion pack 10 suspended and supported by the support part 24 by the negative pressure generated in each suction cup 28. The orientation correction means 18 also includes a moving mechanism 31 which raises and lowers the rotating pipe 29, and the moving mechanism 31 raises and lowers the suction cup 28 between a retracted position (see Figures 2 and 3) where it is retracted below the underside of the portion pack 10 which is suspended and supported by the support portion 24, and a correction position (see Figure 4) where the flange 14 of the portion pack 10 which has adsorbed the underside faces upward beyond the groove portion 26.

[0022] 2 to 4, in the embodiment, the orientation correction means 18 are arranged side by side in correspondence with the number of support parts 24 in one row (four in the embodiment), and a plurality of correction units 32 (five in the embodiment) configured to raise and lower the rotary pipes 29 of the orientation correction means 18 for each row as a unit by a moving mechanism 31 are arranged in the article conveying direction. The moving mechanism 31 includes a support member 33 on which the four rotary pipes 29 are rotatably supported, and an air cylinder 35 arranged in a device frame 34 to raise and lower the support member 33, and the suction cups 28 of the correction unit 32 are raised and lowered between the retracted position and the correction position by the air cylinder 35. The orientation correction motors 30 linked to the rotary pipes 29 by a gear transmission mechanism 36 are arranged in each support member 33 in correspondence with the number of the rotary pipes 29 arranged, and are configured to rotate each rotary pipe 29 individually in the forward and reverse directions. Then, the control means 17 controls the rotation of the orientation correction motor 30 in accordance with the orientation of the flange 14 detected by the detection section 22 to rotate the rotating pipe 29 and rotate the portion pack 10 sucked by the suction cup 28, thereby aligning the orientation of the flange 14 to match the orientation of the groove section 26. In this embodiment, the correction units 32 in each row adjacent to each other in the article conveying direction are configured such that the lifting and lowering drive parts are shifted in position in the vertical direction (staggered) so that the support members 33 can be raised and lowered without interfering with each other, and the lifting and lowering drive parts do not come into contact with each other and the arrangement space in the article conveying direction of the plurality of orientation correction means 18 can be reduced.

[0023] 1, 5 and 6, the handling means 19 is disposed downstream of the position where the orientation correcting means 18 is disposed, which picks up, all at once, from the carrier 25 a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns (five rows and four columns) of portion packs 10 that have been aligned by the orientation correcting means 18 and transported by the transport conveyor 15. The handling means 19 includes a lifting member 37 supported on an apparatus frame 34 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a reference support member 39a disposed on the lifting member 37, and a plurality of (in the embodiment, four in total) slide members 39b disposed in front and behind the reference support member 39a in the article transport direction and movable front and rear in the article transport direction, and a row spacing changing means 40 which moves each slide member 39b front and rear in the article transport direction relative to the reference support member 39a. The reference support member 39a and the slide member 39b are each provided with four rows of suction cups 38 as suction sections, and the mutual intervals (row intervals) of the suction cups 38 arranged on the reference support member 39a and the slide member 39b are changed by moving each slide member 39b back and forth in the article conveying direction relative to the reference support member 39a using a row interval changing means 40. The handling means 19 also includes a lifting mechanism 41 that moves the lifting member 37 up and down. The lifting mechanism 41 employs a linear operating mechanism that servo-controls an electric actuator 41a, and is configured to raise and lower the lifting member 37 to position the suction cup 38 at an adsorption position where it can adsorb the top surface (upper surface) of the portion pack 10 supported by the support portion 24 of the carrier 25 on the transport conveyor 15, a transfer position where it can transfer the portion pack 10 to the placement table 20 positioned above the adsorption position at a receiving position (dashed line position in Figure 5) S4 described later, and a retracted position above the transfer position. When five rows and four columns of portion packs 10 transported by the transporting conveyor 15 are transported to the pick-up position S3 and stopped intermittently, the handling means 19 lowers the lifting member 37 from the retracted position to the suction position, and each suction cup 38 adsorbs the top surface (upper surface) of the corresponding portion pack 10, and then rises to the retracted position, thereby picking up the five rows and four columns of portion packs 10 from the transporting conveyor 15 all at once.

[0024] As shown in Figure 6, the line spacing changing means 40 provided in the handling means 19 has a plurality of slide shafts 42 extending along the article transport direction arranged on the lifting member 37, the reference support member 39a is fixed in position at the longitudinal center of the slide shafts 42, and two slide members 39b are supported in front of and behind the reference support member 39a so as to be freely movable along the slide shafts 42. The line spacing changing means 40 is equipped with a link mechanism 43 connected to the four slide members 39b, and a servo motor 44 as an operating means for operating the link mechanism 43. The row spacing change means 40 is configured to operate the link mechanism 43 with a servo motor 44 to move between a spaced position (see Figure 6(a)) where the reference support member 39a is spaced from the four slide members 39b relative to the reference support member 39a and the spacing in the item conveying direction between the suction cups 38 of each slide member 39b corresponds to the row spacing of the support portions 24 on the conveying conveyor 15, and a close position (see Figure 6(b)) where the spacing in the item conveying direction between the reference support member 39a and the suction cups 38 of each slide member 39b is narrowed.

[0025] As shown in Figure 5, the suction surfaces of the suction cups 38 arranged on the reference support member 39a and the four slide members 39b are configured to have different height positions for each row, so that when the slide member 39b is moved to the approaching position, the flange 14 of one portion pack 10 adjacent to the front and rear (adjacent in the same row) in the item transport direction adsorbed to the suction cups 38 overlap vertically with the flange 14 of the other portion pack 10. In the embodiment, the suction surfaces of the suction cups 38 of the front and rear slide members 39 adjacent to the reference support member 39a are set at a higher position than the suction surfaces of the suction cups 38 of the reference support member 39a and the slide members 39 at the most upstream and most downstream positions in the transport direction, so that when the slide member 39 is moved to the approaching position, the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 adsorbed by the suction cups 38 of the front and rear slide members 39 adjacent to the reference support member 39a overlap with the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 adsorbed by the suction cups 38 of the front and rear slide members 39 adjacent to the reference support member 39a.

[0026] 1 and 8, a temporary placement device 45 equipped with the placement table 20 capable of transferring multiple rows and multiple columns of portion packs 10 picked up from the conveyor 15 by the handling means 19 is disposed above the conveyor 15 on the downstream side of the conveyor. The temporary placement device 45 is equipped with an advancing and retreating mechanism 46 for horizontally moving the placement table 20 between a receiving position S4 facing below the portion packs 10 picked up by the handling means 19 and a retreat position S5 separated from the receiving position S4 downstream of the conveyor, and a row spacing changing means (spacing changing means) 47 for narrowing the row spacing (arrangement spacing) of the portion packs 10 placed on the placement table 20. The advancing / retreating mechanism 46 is disposed on both sides of the transport conveyor 15 in the width direction, extends in the article transport direction, and includes a guide rail 48 on which the mounting table 20 is movably supported, a drive motor 49 consisting of a servo motor, and a timing belt 50 driven to run by the drive motor 49, and the timing belt 50 is connected to the mounting table 20. The drive motor 49 drives the timing belt 50 back and forth in the article transport direction, whereby the mounting table 20 moves forward and backward between the receiving position S4 and the retreat position S5.

[0027] 7 to 9, the mounting table 20 has a collection section 61 having a plurality of mounting surfaces 51, 52 with a step with a height difference that decreases in a direction away from the center on both left and right sides sandwiching the center in the width direction, which are symmetrically formed as row partition sections 63 partitioned by partitions 62 provided between the rows, and on the mounting surfaces 51, 52 of each collection section 61, portion packs 10 arranged in columns are placed on the lower mounting surface 52 in the first column, the higher mounting surface 51 in the second column, the higher mounting surface 51 in the third column, and the lower mounting surface 52 in the fourth column. In other words, each collection section 61 of the mounting table 20 is configured to provide a height difference between the portion packs 10 in adjacent columns and to partition and place the portion packs 10 in multiple columns into multiple rows. In the embodiment, each assembly portion 61 is provided with a first placement surface 51, 51 on the center side of the placement table 20 on which the five portion packs 10 in each of the second and third rows can be placed in a single row, and a second placement surface 52, 52 on the outer side of the first placement surface 51, 51 and set lower than the first placement surface 51 on which the five portion packs 10 in each of the first and fourth rows can be placed in a single row. The placement surfaces 51, 52 have a step with a height difference such that the upper surface of the flange 14 of the portion pack 10 placed on the second placement surface 52 is located lower than the lower surface height of the flange 14 of the portion pack 10 placed on the first placement surface 51. In addition, a restriction portion 53 is provided in the center of the placement table 20, protruding from the first placement surface 51, for restricting the movement of the portion pack 10 placed on the first placement surface 51 toward the center.

[0028] 7 to 9, the row spacing change means 47 includes pushers 54 disposed on both sides in the width direction of the placement table 20, and an air cylinder 55 as an actuation means for moving each pusher 54 forward and backward. The pushers 54 are formed of thin, flat plates capable of pushing the container bodies 13 directly below the flanges 14 of multiple (five in this embodiment) portion packs 10 placed on the second placement surface 52 and lined up in the article conveying direction. The pusher 54 is configured to move back and forth between a retracted position (dashed line position in Figure 9) spaced outward from the portion packs 10 placed on the second loading surface 52 and aligned in the item conveying direction, and a width-adjusted position (solid line position in Figure 9) moved toward the center in the width direction from the retracted position.By moving the pusher 54 from the retracted position to the width-adjusted position, the pusher 54 pushes the container bodies 13 of five portion packs 10 arranged in a row on the second loading surface 52 of the loading table 20, and brings the container bodies 13 close to a position where the upper surfaces of the flanges 14 of the five portion packs 10 pressed on the second loading surface 52 overlap in a vertical relationship with the lower surfaces of the flanges 14 of the five portion packs 10 placed in a row on the first loading surface 51. In other words, the column spacing change means 47 narrows the column spacing between adjacent portion packs 10, 10 in the same row that are placed on the first and second placement surfaces 51, 52 of each collection section 61 and then collects them, thereby narrowing the column spacing between multiple rows of portion packs 10 that are placed on the placement table 20 and have already narrowed row spacing.

[0029] 7 and 8, the tray conveyor 21 is disposed parallel to one side of the transport conveyor 15 and disposed so as to transport the trays 12 in the opposite direction to the article transport direction of the transport conveyor 15, and the transfer position at which the trays 12 stop being transported is set corresponding to the transport end side of the transport conveyor 15. The tray 12 in the embodiment is set to a size capable of accommodating two stacked collection containers 11 each made up of five rows and two columns of portion packs 10 assembled with narrow row and column spacing.

[0030] 1 and 7, a parallel link robot equipped with a robot hand 23 having a holding means 57 at the end of a robot arm 56 is disposed above the placement table 20 in the retracted position. The holding means 57 has suction cups 59 as suction parts capable of adsorbing five rows and two columns of portion packs 10 disposed on each of two support members 58, 58 spaced apart in the width direction. The mutual spacing of the multiple suction cups 59 disposed on each support member 58 is set to a spacing capable of adsorbing the upper surfaces of the portion packs 10 of the collection container 11 assembled with narrow row and column spacing. In addition, the mutual distance between the two support members 58, 58 is set so that, in the process of adsorbing a portion pack 10 with one support member 58 and packing it into a tray, and then packing the portion pack 10 adsorbed by the other support member 58 into the tray, the portion packs 10 adsorbed by the suction cups 59 can be transferred in two layers without interfering with the tray 12, or can be transferred without hindrance to each of the trays 12 that are transported sequentially.

[0031] The robot hand 23 is configured to move the holding means 57 up and down and left and right, suction and pick up two collection containers 11, 11 placed on the placement table 20 with narrow row and column spacing, and to transfer the collection container 11 picked up by one of the support members 58, 58 that are sucked by the suction cups 59 of both support members 58, 58, as the first tier onto the tray 12 positioned at the transfer position, and then transfer and load the collection container 11 picked up by the other support member 58 as the second tier onto the same tray 12 so that they are stacked one on top of the other. In this embodiment, the collection containers 11 picked up by the support members 58 are transferred to the tray 12 separately in the order from the side approaching the tray conveyor 21 to the side away from it.

[0032] 10, the control means 17 of the processing device is electrically connected to the orientation correction motors 30 and the air cylinders 35 of the orientation correction means 18, the electric actuator 41a of the handling means 19, the servo motor 44 of the row spacing change means 40, the drive motor 49 of the temporary placement device 45, the air cylinders 55, 55 of the column spacing change means 47, and the robot control unit 60 of the robot hand 23. In addition, the imaging means 16 is connected to the control means 17. Then, the control means 17 detects the orientation of the flange 14 (the protruding direction of the protrusion 14a) of each portion pack 10 by the detection unit 22 based on the image information obtained by the imaging means 16, and for each portion pack 10 in which the orientation of the flange 14 is not aligned to match the orientation of the groove 26, determines the amount of rotation (rotation angle) and rotation direction of each orientation correction motor 30 that rotates the suction cup 28 integrated with the rotating pipe 29 to align the protrusion 14a of the flange 14 with the extending direction of the extension 26a in the groove 26. The rotation direction is determined to be the direction in which the amount of deviation (deviation angle) in the circumferential direction between the extension 26a and the projection 14a is small. That is, if the amount of clockwise deviation of the protrusion 14a with respect to the extension 26a is less than 180°, the control means 17 controls the rotation of the orientation correction motor 30 to rotate the rotating pipe 29 and the suction cup 28 in the counterclockwise direction, and if the amount of counterclockwise deviation of the protrusion 14a with respect to the extension 26a is less than 180°, the control means 17 controls the rotation of the orientation correction motor 30 to rotate the rotating pipe 29 and the suction cup 28 in the clockwise direction. Note that when the amount of deviation of the protrusion 14a with respect to the extension 26a is 180°, either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction may be used, but in this embodiment, the rotation is set to the clockwise direction.

[0033] Next, the operation of the treatment device for a flanged container according to the embodiment will be described. 11(b), the portion packs 10 are transferred from the previous process onto the transport conveyor 15 in a random state in which the orientation of the flanges 14 is not fixed, so that the container bodies 13 are inserted into the through holes 24a of each support part 24. That is, on the carrier of the transport conveyor 15, there are a mixture of portion packs 10 that are suspended and supported by the support parts 24 with the flanges 14 fitted into the grooves 26, and portion packs 10 that are suspended and supported by the support parts 24 with the flanges 14 not fitted into the grooves 26 but caught on the upper surface of the carrier.

[0034] When the transport conveyor 15 reaches the imaging area for the portion packs 10 and stops intermittently, the five rows and four columns of portion packs 10 stopped at the imaging position S1 are imaged from above by the imaging means 16, and the image information captured by the imaging means 16 is image processed by the control means 17, and the orientation of the flange 14 of each portion pack 10 is detected by the detection section 22 of the control means 17. Based on the detected orientation of the flange 14, the control means 17 determines the direction of rotation and the amount of rotation to correct the orientation of each portion pack 10 whose flange 14 is not fitted into the groove 26 of the support section 24 and is misaligned, only for those portion packs 10 whose flanges 14 are detected to be misaligned.

[0035] When the five rows and four columns of portion packs 10 imaged by the imaging means 16 are transported by the transport conveyor 15 and intermittently stopped at the orientation alignment position S2, the suction cups 28 are raised from their retracted positions by the movement mechanisms 31 of the orientation correction means 18, as shown in Fig. 4, and the suction cups 28 adsorb the undersides of the portion packs 10 suspended and supported by the supports 24, lifting the portion packs 10 to a correction position where the flanges 14 face above the grooves 26. Then, each of the orientation correction motors 30 corresponding to the rotating pipes 29 of the suction cups 28 that adsorb the portion packs 10 for which it has been detected that the orientation of the flanges 14 is misaligned with respect to the grooves 26 of the supports 24 is controlled to rotate the suction cups 28 together with the rotating pipes 29 by the calculated amount of rotation in the rotation direction determined by the control means 17. When the orientation of the portion packs 10 is corrected, the suction cups 28 are moved by the moving mechanism 31 from the corrected position where the flanges 14 are raised from the grooves 26 to a retracted position where the flanges 14 are lowered below the grooves 26, and the suction force of the suction cups 28 is released. Then, the flanges 14 of each portion pack 10 whose orientation has been corrected fit into the corresponding grooves 26, and the portion packs 10 are supported by being hung on the respective supports 24 with their orientations aligned (see FIG. 11(c)). Note that the correction motor 30 does not rotate the rotating pipes 29 for portion packs 10 whose flanges 14 are not misaligned. Also, the portion packs 10 move up and down while being adsorbed to the suction cups 28, and the adsorption is released, so that the flanges 14 fit into the grooves 26 again.

[0036] When five rows and four columns of portion packs 10, whose orientation has been aligned by the orientation correction means 18, are transported by the transport conveyor 15 to the pick-up position S3 and stopped intermittently, the handling means 19 lowers the suction cups 38 of the reference support member 39a and the slide member 39b, which are positioned in the separated position in the retracted position by the lifting mechanism 41, to the suction position, and adsorbs the top surface (upper surface) of the portion packs 10 supported by each support portion 24 on the carrier 25. Then, while the handling means 19 raises the suction cups 38 to a retracted position using the lifting mechanism 41, the row spacing change means 40 moves the four slide members 39 to a close position, thereby narrowing the spacing between adjacent portion packs 10 at the front and rear in the item transport direction (column direction) being adsorbed to the suction cups 38, and as a result, the row spacing between the five rows of portion packs 10 is narrowed until the flanges 14, 14 of each pack overlap in the vertical direction (see solid lines in Figure 5).

[0037] When the suction cups 38 of the handling means 19 are raised to the retracted position, the temporary placement device 45 moves the placement table 20 from the retracted position S5 to the receiving position S4 by the advancing and retreating mechanism 46, as shown in Figures 5 and 8. The handling means 19 also lowers the suction cups 38 of the slide member 39b and the suction cups 38 of the reference support member 39a, which are positioned in the approaching position, to the delivery position, releases the suction of the suction cups 38, and transfers five rows and four columns of portion packs 10 with narrowed row spacing to the placement table 20. At this time, the second and third rows of portion packs 10 are transferred to the first placement surfaces 51, 51 on the central side of the placement table 20, and the first and fourth rows of portion packs 10 are transferred to the second placement surfaces 52, 52 away from the center. After releasing the suction of the suction cups 38, the handling means 19 moves the slide members 39b to the separated position by the line spacing changing means 40, and raises the suction cups 38 to the retracted position, waiting to pick up the next portion pack 10.

[0038] The temporary placement device 45, in which the portion packs 10 have been transferred from the handling means 19 to the placement table 20, moves the placement table 20 to the retracted position S5 by the advancing and retreating mechanism 46, and moves each pusher 54 of the row spacing change means 47 from the retracted position to the width-pushing position. As a result, as shown in Fig. 9, one row of portion packs 10 placed on each second placement surface 52 of the placement table 20 is pushed by the pushers 54 and approaches one row of portion packs 10 placed on the first placement surface 51 which has a height difference, narrowing the gap between adjacent portion packs 10 in the row direction in the gathering section 61, and the flanges 14, 14 of both portion packs 10, 10 overlap in the vertical direction to form a gathered state. That is, on the mounting table, two collection containers 11, 11 are formed in the left and right collecting sections 61 on either side of the center, with the row and column spacing of the two rows of portion packs 10 narrowed. Note that the five portion packs 10 placed on the second mounting surface 52 in each collecting section 61 are guided by the partition 62 when pushed by the pusher 54, and the two rows of portion packs 10 are collected in an aligned state. Also, the portion packs 10 placed on the first mounting surface 51 are restricted from moving toward the center by the restricting section 53, and the two collection containers 11, 11 are positioned at a predetermined distance apart.

[0039] When the two collection containers 11, 11 are formed by the row spacing change means 47, the robot hand 23 lowers the support members 58, 58 of the holding means 57 above the placement table 20, adsorbs the collection containers 11 consisting of five rows and two columns of portion packs 10 with the suction cups 59 of each of the support members 58, and lifts the suction cups 59 to pick up the two collection containers 11, 11 all at once from the placement table 20. The robot hand 23 that has picked up the collection containers 11, 11 moves one of the collection containers 11 adsorbed by the suction cups 59 of one of the support members 58 of the holding means 57 (the side close to the tray conveyor 21 in this embodiment) to above the tray 12 stopped at the transfer position and lowers it, thereby transferring the one collection container 11 to be packed into the first stage of the tray 12. Thereafter, the holding means 57 is raised and moved in the width direction, and the other collection container 11 that is being sucked by the suction cup 59 of the other support member 58 is transferred so as to be packed into the second tier of the same tray 12. Then, the collection containers 11 are stacked in two tiers, one above the other, on the tray 12 (see FIG. 7). After transferring the two collection containers 11, 11 to the tray 12, the robot hand 23 returns the holding means 57 to above the mounting table 20 and waits to pick up the next collection container 11. The row spacing change means 47 maintains the pusher 54 in the width-pushing position to support the portion pack 10 until the collection container 11 is picked up by the robot hand 23, and then moves the pusher 54 to the retracted position.

[0040] In the processing device for flanged containers of the embodiment, the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 are fitted into the grooves 26 of the support parts 24 provided on the transport conveyor 15 with the orientation of the flanges 14 aligned, so that the spacing between the portion packs 10 arranged in multiple rows can be narrowed to reduce the aggregate size (outer edge size) of the aligned portion packs 10. This makes it possible to select a tray size with a small capacity when packing directional portion packs 10 into a tray 12. In addition, the size of the outer box can be reduced when packing multiple storage containers such as tray-packed products together into a box, which not only reduces packaging material costs and transportation costs but also contributes to reducing the environmental impact. Furthermore, since the flanges 14 of the portion packs 10 can be aligned when they are handed over to the next process, by storing the portion packs 10 in an aligned position so that their flanges 14 do not extend beyond the outside of the tray 12, it is possible to prevent problems such as the flanges 14 coming into contact with the structure of the post-processing machine when passing through the machine, causing the portion packs 10 to fly out of the tray 12 or preventing proper processing by the post-processing machine.

[0041] The extension portion 26a of the groove portion 26 in each row is arranged so that the protrusion 14a on the flange 14 that fits into the extension portion 26a faces the portion pack in the adjacent column. Therefore, by aligning and assembling the portion packs 10 in adjacent columns, the portion packs 10, 10 are not assembled into an assembly with the protrusion 14a facing opposite the side where they face, so the size in the row direction (width direction) when assembled can be reduced. In addition, the extensions 26a of the grooves 26 in each row are provided so that the protrusions 14a of the flanges 14 that fit into the extensions 26a face one of the adjacent portion packs in the same row, so that by aligning and assembling the portion packs 10 in adjacent rows, the portion packs 10 are not assembled in a state in which the protrusions 14a face both sides opposite the sides on which the portion packs 10, 10 face, so that the size in the column direction (the direction of conveying the goods) in the assembled state can be reduced. In addition, when narrowing the row and column spacing of the portion packs 10 in multiple rows and columns, the flanges of the adjacent portion packs 10 are assembled so as to overlap one another vertically, so that the size in the row and column directions of the trays 12 can be reduced, and the size of the outer box when the tray-packed products are packed together in a box can also be reduced, so that the packaging material costs and transportation costs can be reduced.

[0042] In the embodiment of the processing device for flanged containers, the orientation correction means 18 corrects the orientation of the portion packs 10 by rotating the portion packs 10 in a direction that minimizes the amount of misalignment between the extension 26a of the groove 26 and the protrusion 14a of the flange 14, so that the orientation alignment work of the portion packs 10 can be performed in the shortest time. In addition, since the placement table 20 is moved to the receiving position S4 and the retreating position S5, the placement table 20 to which the portion packs 10 have been transferred from the handling means 19 at the receiving position S4 can be moved to the retreating position S5, so that the handling means 19 can pick up the next portion pack 10, thereby improving the processing efficiency. Furthermore, since the two collection containers 11, 11 are collected on the placement table 20 so as to be lined up at a predetermined distance, the two collection containers 11 picked up by the robot hand 23 can be transferred to the tray 12 in a stacked state in a good condition. In addition, the row spacing changing means 47 pushes the plurality of portion packs 10 placed on the lower second placement surface 52 formed on the placement table 20 and having a step in height toward the plurality of portion packs 10 placed on the higher first placement surface 51 with the pusher 54 to collect two rows of portion packs 10, so that the row spacing of the plurality of rows of portion packs 10 can be narrowed with a simple configuration. Also, on the second placement surface 52 of the placement table 20, each row of portion packs 10 is placed in each row partition section 63 partitioned by partitions 62, so that when pushed by the pusher 54, the portion packs 10 in each row are guided by the partitions 62 and two rows of portion packs 10 are collected in an aligned state, and the collection containers 11 can be packed smoothly into the tray 12 without the flange 14 interfering with the opening edge of the tray 12. Furthermore, since the collected multiple collection containers 11 are picked up all at once by the robot hand 23 and each collection container 11 is transferred to the tray 12 in a stacked state, the transfer work can be performed efficiently.

[0043] In the embodiment of the processing device for rimmed containers, the row spacing of multiple rows and columns of portion packs 10 picked up from the transport conveyor 15 is narrowed by the row spacing changing means 40 of the handling means 19, and the column spacing of multiple rows and columns of portion packs 10 transferred to the loading table 20 is narrowed by the column spacing changing means 47, and the assembled containers 11 with narrowed row and column spacing are transferred to a tray 12 by the robot hand 23.Since each process is performed in a distributed manner, the cycle time is shortened and processing efficiency is improved, and the assembled containers 11 can be efficiently transferred to the tray 12.

[0044] (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the examples, and can be modified as follows, for example. Furthermore, the configurations described in the examples are not limited to the following modifications, and various embodiments can be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention. (1) In the embodiment, the support portion 24 provided on the carrier 25 of the transport conveyor 15 is a hole penetrating in the vertical direction, but it may be a bottomed hole. If the support portion 24 is a bottomed hole, a configuration may be adopted in which the orientation correction means 18 is disposed above the transport conveyor 15 and the suction cup 28 sucks the upper surface of the portion pack 10, lifts it up, and rotates it to correct the orientation. (2) The orientation correction means 18 in the embodiment is configured to raise and lower the rotating pipes 29 in units of one row, but the number of rotating pipes 29 to be raised and lowered can be set arbitrarily, such as in units of multiple rows, one column, or multiple columns. Also, a configuration can be adopted in which the rotating pipes 29 are raised and lowered individually, and in this configuration, it is possible to raise and lower only the rotating pipes 29 corresponding to the portion packs 10 whose orientation needs to be corrected. (3) The rotating member 29 of the direction correcting means 18 is not limited to a rotating pipe 29, but may be a solid shaft member, and the suction cup 28 provided at the end thereof may have any configuration that provides a suction effect. (4) Although the spacing between the rows of the portion packs 10 transferred onto the platform 20 is narrowed by the row spacing changing means 47, the row spacing changing means 47 may be employed as needed. (5) In the embodiment, when transferring the portion pack 10 from the first handling means 19 to the mounting table 20, the mounting table 20 is configured to move back and forth between the receiving position S4 and the retreat position S5. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which, for example, a handling means 19 consisting of a robot hand is used to remove the portion pack 10 from the transport conveyor 15 and transfer it to the mounting table 20, which is fixed in position. (6) In the embodiment, a plurality of collection containers 11 are transferred to the tray 12 in a stacked manner. However, the collection containers 11 may be stacked flat on the tray 12. (7) In the processing device of the embodiment, the orientation correction means 18 and handling means 19 are configured to perform orientation correction processing and pick-up processing on five rows and four columns of portion packs 10, but the number of portion packs 10 to be subjected to orientation correction processing and pick-up processing is not limited to five rows and four columns, and may be any number according to the collection shape of the collection containers 11 to be transferred to the tray 12. (8) The first handling means 19 is provided with a row spacing changing means 40 to narrow the row spacing of multiple rows and columns of portion packs 10, but various forms of row spacing changing means can be adopted, such as providing the loading platform 20 with a row spacing changing means that moves row partition sections 63 closer to and away from each other. (9) In the processing apparatus of the embodiment, the collection container 11 on the mounting table 20 is transferred to the tray 12 without changing its orientation. However, depending on the orientation of the tray 12, a configuration can be adopted in which the second handling means 23 picks up the collection container 11 from the mounting table 20, changes its orientation by 90 degrees, and then transfers it to the tray 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Portion pack (container with flange), 12 Tray, 13 Container body, 14 Flange 14a protrusion, 15 conveyor, 16 imaging means, 18 orientation correction means 19 Handling means (first handling means), 20 Placement table 22 detection unit (detection means), 23 robot hand (second handling means) 24 support portion, 26 groove portion, 26a extension portion, 28 suction cup (suction portion) 29 Rotating pipe (rotating member), 30 Direction correction motor (motor) 47 row spacing change means (spacing change means), 51 first placement surface (placement surface) 52 second placement surface (placement surface), S4 receiving position, S5 evacuation position

Claims

1. A processing device for a flanged container having a flange on an upper portion of a container body, comprising: The flange has a protruding portion that protrudes outward and enables the orientation of the container to be identified in a plan view, a transport conveyor provided at a predetermined interval with a plurality of support parts each having a groove into which the flange is fitted in a predetermined orientation, the transport conveyor being capable of supporting and transporting a flanged container on each support part; an imaging means for imaging a flange of a flanged container supported and transported by the support portion of the transport conveyor; a detection means for detecting the orientation of the flange of the flanged container based on image information of the flange captured by the imaging means; and a plurality of orientation correcting means for lifting the flanged container from the plurality of supports, rotating the flanged container about a vertical axis, and then lowering the flanged container to the support. Based on the orientation of the flange detected by the detection means, the orientation correction means aligns the flange of each flanged container so as to match the shape of each groove of the support part and fit it in place. A treatment device for a flanged container comprising:

2. A part of the flange of the flanged container has the protruding portion protruding outward, The processing device for ribbed containers as described in claim 1, characterized in that the support portions on the transport conveyor are formed in multiple rows, the groove portions of the support portions have extension portions into which the protrusions fit, and the extension portions are formed in a protruding direction such that the protrusions fitted into the extension portions are within the range of an imaginary tangent extending in the row direction and in contact with the ribs excluding the protrusions.

3. 2. The apparatus for treating rimmed containers according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyor for conveying rimmed containers which are fitted into grooves on the conveyor and which are then removed and placed on a tray as a group of rimmed containers by narrowing the spacing between the containers.

4. The support portions of the transport conveyor are formed in a plurality of rows, a first handling means for removing the rimmed containers supported by the support section with their rims oriented in the same direction, and transferring the rimmed containers to a loading platform while narrowing the space between the containers so that the rims of adjacent rimmed containers in each row overlap one another; the placement table having a placement surface on which the rimmed containers in a plurality of rows with narrower container intervals can be placed by the first handling means, the placement surface having a height difference between adjacent rows of rimmed containers; a spacing change means for narrowing the spacing between adjacent rows of rimmed containers placed on the placement surface to create a height difference so that the rims of adjacent rows of rimmed containers overlap one another vertically; 2. The processing apparatus for ribbed containers according to claim 1, further comprising a second handling means for transferring the ribbed containers, which have been gathered together by narrowing the arrangement intervals of the ribbed containers using the interval changing means, from the placement table to a tray.

5. 5. The processing device for ribbed containers as described in claim 4, characterized in that the loading platform is configured to move laterally between a receiving position above the transport conveyor that receives the ribbed containers from the first handling means and a retreat position spaced from the receiving position.

6. the interval changing means is configured to narrow the arrangement intervals of the rimmed containers placed on the placement table with height differences for each row, and assemble the rimmed containers; 5. The apparatus for treating ribbed containers according to claim 4, wherein the ribbed containers collected by the interval changing means are transferred by the second handling means so as to be stacked on a tray.

7. The support portions of the transport conveyor are formed in a plurality of rows, a first handling means for removing the rimmed containers supported by the support section with their rims oriented in the same direction, and transferring the rimmed containers to a loading platform while narrowing the space between the containers so that the rims of adjacent rimmed containers in each row overlap one another; the placement table that moves laterally between a receiving position above a transport conveyor that receives the rows of rimmed containers with narrow container intervals from the first handling means and a retreat position spaced apart from the receiving position; 2. The processing apparatus for ribbed containers as described in claim 1, further comprising a second handling means for transferring ribbed containers arranged in multiple rows on the loading platform with narrower spacing at a retracted position of the loading platform from the loading platform to a tray.

8. the orientation correction means comprises a rotating member having an adsorption portion for adsorbing the upper surface or the lower surface of the flanged container, and a motor for rotating the rotating member about a vertical axis; A processing device for rimmed containers as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the orientation correction means is configured to control the operation of the motor to rotate the rimmed container adsorbed by the suction section in a direction with the least amount of deviation in order to match the orientation of the rim of the rimmed container detected by the detection means with the orientation of the groove in the conveying conveyor, thereby matching the orientation of the rim of the rimmed container with the orientation of the groove.

Images