Metal container product transfer jig and beverage packaging line having the same

Abstract

The application discloses a metal container product transfer clamp and a beverage packaging line with the same. The transfer clamp comprises a fixing plate connected with a moving end of a manipulator, a movable frame arranged on the fixing plate in a position-adjustable mode, and a clamping and positioning assembly fixed on the movable frame. The clamping and positioning assembly clamps the metal container product through a rotatable clamping rod. A clamping portion at the end of the clamping rod is buckled on the lower surface of the product, so that the product is lifted from the bottom, and the product is limited through the clamping ends around the product to avoid falling. The clamping and positioning assembly can avoid the damage to the container with soft material caused by the pressure generated by clamping on the outer wall of the product, and realizes reliable transfer of the product on the production line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of beverage packaging equipment technology, specifically to a metal container product transfer clamp and a beverage packaging line having the clamp. Background Technology

[0002] On beverage packaging lines, metal cans and caps need to be handled for transfer between production lines. For iron containers, magnetic handling can be used to achieve fast and damage-free transfer. However, aluminum cans cannot be clamped in this way. Furthermore, because aluminum is relatively soft, the clamping force must be carefully controlled, as it can easily cause deformation of the can and cap, resulting in defective products and affecting the packaging process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Technical objective: To address the shortcomings of existing metal container transfer systems, this invention discloses a metal container product transfer fixture capable of clamping and transferring various containers, while facilitating control of clamping force and reducing product deformation, as well as a beverage packaging line equipped with the fixture.

[0004] Technical solution: To achieve the above technical objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A metal container product transfer fixture includes a fixed plate for connecting to a robotic arm's moving end, a movable frame adjustable on the fixed plate, and a clamping and positioning assembly fixed on the movable frame. The clamping and positioning assembly includes a connecting plate and clamping rods. The clamping rods are evenly distributed along the circumference of the connecting plate. The upper end of the clamping rod is rotatably connected to the connecting plate, and the lower end is provided with a clamping part for engaging with the bottom of a metal container product component. The clamping parts of several clamping rods form an annular clamping area, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the clamping diameter is provided between the clamping rods.

[0006] Preferably, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention includes an adjustment disk concentrically arranged with the annular clamping area, the rod of the clamping rod is disposed inside the adjustment disk, a positioning hole for cooperating with the clamping rod is provided on the adjustment disk, and a lifting mechanism for driving the adjustment disk to move along the central axis of the annular clamping area is provided on the connecting plate.

[0007] Preferably, the clamping portion of the clamping rod of the present invention is provided with a connecting spring between adjacent side surfaces.

[0008] Preferably, a vacuum suction head is provided at the center of the adjustment plate of the present invention. The vacuum suction head is slidably connected to the adjustment plate through an air tube, and the product is temporarily positioned and fixed by the vacuum suction head when clamping the product.

[0009] Preferably, the diameter of the connecting plate of the present invention is larger than the circumference diameter of the positioning hole on the adjusting plate near the inner edge. The positioning hole adopts an oblong hole structure. When adjusting the size of the annular clamping area of ​​the clamping rod, the inner edge of the positioning hole abuts against the clamping rod.

[0010] Preferably, the fixed plate of the present invention is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the movable frame. The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment motor mounted on the fixed plate. The drive end of the adjustment motor is fixed with an adjustment cam. The large end of the adjustment cam is fixedly connected to the adjustment motor, and the small end of the adjustment cam is fixedly connected to the movable frame. By rotating the adjustment motor, the movable frame is driven to adjust the position of the clamping and positioning component within a circular area with the center of the large end of the adjustment cam as the center and the distance between the large end and the small end of the adjustment cam as the radius.

[0011] This invention discloses a beverage packaging line having the aforementioned metal container product transfer clamp. The beverage packaging line includes a sorting device for sorting the products gripped by the transfer clamp. The sorting device is disposed on the product feeding conveyor line and has a sorting line body that is connected to the product feeding conveyor line. Separation mechanisms for separating product end caps are disposed on both sides of the sorting line body. The separation mechanism includes a first separation baffle and a second separation baffle arranged parallel to both sides of the sorting line body. The second separation baffle is vertically movable and disposed above the first separation baffle. The height of the second separation baffle before it rises is lower than the edge height of the product end cap when it is placed upright.

[0012] Preferably, the material handling line of the present invention adopts a figure-7 structure, the first separation baffle is arranged along the profile direction of the material handling line, and a transfer conveyor line for receiving the product end caps after reversal is provided at the lower end outlet of the material handling line. The transfer clamps pick up the product end caps from the transfer conveyor line and the second separation baffle.

[0013] Preferably, the second separation bar of the present invention is located on the horizontal area of ​​the feeding line, and lifting cylinders are provided at both ends of the second separation bar. The lifting cylinders drive the second separation bar to move up and down to separate the product end caps according to their orientation.

[0014] Preferably, the first and second separation bars of the present invention are both disposed on a slider that can slide along a conveying direction perpendicular to the material handling line, and the distance between the relative first and second separation bars is adjusted by the slider to limit the separation of the product end cap.

[0015] Beneficial Effects: The metal container product transfer clamp and beverage packaging line with the clamp provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. The clamping and positioning assembly of the present invention clamps the metal container product with a rotatable clamping rod. The clamping part at the end of the clamping rod is fastened to the lower surface of the product, thereby lifting the product from the bottom and limiting the product to prevent it from falling by clamping the product around the perimeter. It can avoid damage to the soft container by relying on the pressure generated by clamping the outer wall of the product to fix the product, and realize the reliable transfer of the product on the production line.

[0017] 2. The clamping rod of the present invention is inserted into the adjusting plate. The diameter of the annular clamping area formed by the clamping rod is adjusted by moving the adjusting plate up and down, thereby ensuring the clamping of components of containers of various specifications and improving the application range of the clamp.

[0018] 3. A connecting spring is provided between adjacent clamping parts in this invention. The connecting spring ensures that the clamping rod can be reset under the tension of the spring after it is reduced, so that the clamping part can be located at the bottom of the product, lifting and clamping the product.

[0019] 4. The adjustment plate of the present invention is provided with a vacuum suction head at its center, and the air tube of the vacuum suction head is slidably connected to the adjustment plate. This allows for preliminary separation and positioning of products before they are clamped by the clamping and positioning components, ensuring that the clamping part can smoothly enter from below the product, thereby reducing wear on the product and achieving stable clamping.

[0020] 5. The fixed plate of the present invention is provided with an adjustment mechanism to adjust the position of the transfer fixture. The position of the fixture can be adjusted by using a cam structure to achieve the clamping of products in different positions.

[0021] 6. The beverage packaging line of the present invention is equipped with a material sorting device to sort the end caps of metal container products. This can prevent them from stacking and affecting the clamping of the clamps. At the same time, it can maintain the consistency of the orientation of the end caps after sorting, which facilitates the subsequent clamping of the end caps by lifting and holding them. There is no need to set up a separate flipping mechanism for flipping, thereby reducing the difficulty of end cap clamping and transportation and reducing the damage to the end caps caused by clamping.

[0022] 7. The material handling line of the present invention adopts a figure-7 structure, which can adjust the orientation of the end cap during the conveying process, thereby avoiding the interruption of the conveying, maintaining the continuity of material feeding, and providing a strong guarantee for the high-speed operation of the production line.

[0023] 8. The first and second separation bars of the present invention are mounted on the slider. The limiting distance formed between the first and second separation bars on both sides of the material feeding line can be adjusted by moving the slider to meet the limiting and separation requirements of end caps of different specifications. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0025] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of the transfer fixture of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 For the present invention Figure 1 Enlarged view of a portion of region A in the middle;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the adjusting disc of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the material handling device for beverage packaging according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the separation mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a side view of the material handling line structure of the present invention;

[0031] Among them, 1-fixed plate, 2-moving frame, 3-connecting plate, 4-clamping rod, 5-clamping part, 6-adjusting plate, 7-positioning hole, 8-connecting spring, 9-vacuum suction head, 10-adjusting motor, 11-adjusting cam, 12-product feeding conveyor line, 13-material sorting line, 14-first separation baffle, 15-second separation baffle, 16-transfer conveyor line, 17-lifting cylinder, 18-slider, 19-air pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will now be described more clearly and completely by way of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but this does not limit the invention to the scope of the described embodiment.

[0033] like Figures 1-3The image shows a metal container product transfer fixture disclosed in this invention, comprising a fixed plate 1 for connection to a robotic arm's moving end, a movable frame 2 adjustable in position and mounted on the fixed plate 1, and a clamping and positioning assembly fixed to the movable frame 2. An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the movable frame 2 is provided on the fixed plate 1. The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment motor 10 mounted on the fixed plate 1, with an adjustment cam 11 fixed to the drive end of the adjustment motor 10. The large end of the adjustment cam 11 is fixedly connected to the adjustment motor 10, and the small end of the adjustment cam 11 is fixedly connected to the movable frame 2. The fixture is adjusted... The motor 10 rotates to drive the moving frame 2 to adjust the position of the clamping and positioning component within a circular area centered on the center of the large end of the adjusting cam 11 and with the distance between the large and small ends of the adjusting cam 11 as the radius. The clamping and positioning component includes a connecting plate 3 and clamping rods 4. The clamping rods 4 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the connecting plate 3. The upper end of the clamping rod 4 is rotatably connected to the connecting plate 3, and the lower end is provided with a clamping part 5 for cooperating with the bottom of the metal container product component. The clamping parts 5 of several clamping rods 4 form an annular clamping area. An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the clamping diameter is provided between the clamping rods 4.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in order to ensure the synchronization of the adjustment of the clamping rod 4, and at the same time simplify the overall complexity of the clamp and facilitate operation, the adjustment mechanism of the present invention includes an adjustment disk 6 concentrically arranged with the annular clamping area. The rod of the clamping rod 4 is inserted into the adjustment disk 6. A positioning hole 7 for cooperating with the clamping rod 4 is provided on the adjustment disk 6. A lifting mechanism for driving the adjustment disk 6 to move along the central axis of the annular clamping area is provided on the connecting plate 3.

[0035] The lifting mechanism drives the adjusting plate 6 to move up and down, thereby changing the angle between the clamping rod 4 and the connecting plate 3 through the interaction force between the adjusting plate 6 and the clamping rod 4. Consequently, the annular clamping area formed by the clamping part at the end of the clamping rod 4 will change, thus realizing the adjustment according to the product structure to meet the clamping requirements of products of different sizes and specifications. In the embodiment of the invention, the lifting mechanism can be driven by a cylinder or an electric lifting rod. The equipment is installed on the connecting plate 3, and the corresponding driving end is connected to the adjusting plate 6.

[0036] To improve the reliability of clamping and ensure the stability of the product position, the clamping part 5 of the clamping rod 4 of the present invention is provided with a connecting spring 8 between adjacent sides. After the adjusting plate 6 opens the clamping rod 4 and fits it into the outer periphery of the product, when the adjusting plate 6 retracts, the clamping rod 4 will contract under the action of the connecting spring 8, so that the clamping part can automatically be positioned below the product.

[0037] The adjustment plate 6 of the present invention is provided with a vacuum suction head 9 at its center. The vacuum suction head 9 is slidably connected to the adjustment plate 6 through an air pipe 10. When clamping products, the vacuum suction head 9 is used to temporarily position and fix the products. By first adsorbing through the vacuum suction head 9, stacked products can be picked up. At the same time, it can avoid collisions between clamping rods and other structures and product parts, which could cause damage to the product parts. A lifting structure that can drive the suction head to move up and down can be provided on the adjustment plate or connecting plate to adjust its height and avoid interference when clamping cans and other parts.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the diameter of the connecting plate 3 of the present invention is larger than the circumference diameter of the positioning hole 7 on the adjusting plate 6 near the inner edge. The positioning hole 7 adopts an oblong hole structure. When adjusting the size of the annular clamping area of ​​the clamping rod 4, the inner edge of the positioning hole 7 abuts against the clamping rod 4, forming an inverted cone structure. The upper area is larger than the bottom area. When clamping the metal container as a whole, sufficient space can be left at the top to meet the clamping requirements of products of different heights.

[0039] like Figures 4-6 As shown, this invention also discloses a beverage packaging line with the aforementioned metal container product transfer clamp. On beverage packaging lines, particularly aluminum can packaging lines, after filling the cans, it is necessary to clamp the end caps and place them on the cans. However, the flat structure of the end caps easily leads to stacking, and the orientation of the end caps is inconsistent, requiring individual end cap flipping, which affects the overall production efficiency of the packaging line. Therefore, the beverage packaging line of this invention is equipped with a sorting device for organizing the products gripped by the transfer clamp, facilitating the gripping of the transfer clamp. The sorting device is installed on the product feeding conveyor line 12 and has a connection point that docks with the product feeding conveyor line 12. The material handling line 13 has separation mechanisms on both sides for separating product end caps. The separation mechanisms include a first separation baffle 14 and a second separation baffle 15 arranged parallel to both sides of the material handling line 13. The second separation baffle 15 is vertically mounted above the first separation baffle 14 and is located in the horizontal area of ​​the material handling line 13. Lifting cylinders 17 are provided at both ends of the second separation baffle 15. The lifting cylinders 17 drive the second separation baffle 15 to move up and down to separate the product end caps according to their orientation. The height of the second separation baffle 15 before it rises is lower than the edge height of the product end cap when it is placed upright.

[0040] The product end cap enters the material handling line 13 from the product feeding conveyor line 12. When it is moved by the material handling line 13, the upper edge of the upright end cap is higher than the surface of the material handling line 13 and is above the second separation baffle 15, while the upper edge of the inverted end cap is in contact with the surface of the material handling line 13 and is below the first separation baffle 14, thus being restricted between the first separation baffle 14 and the surface of the material handling line 13. Then, the lifting cylinder 17 drives the second separation baffle 15 to move upward, so that the upright end cap can be separated from the material handling line 13, realizing the separation between end caps with different orientations.

[0041] At the same time, such as Figure 6 As shown, in order to facilitate the adjustment of the orientation of the upper end cap of the material sorting line, the material sorting line 13 of the present invention adopts a 7-shaped structure. The first separation baffle 14 is set along the profile direction of the material sorting line 13. A transfer conveyor line 16 for receiving the product end cap after reversal is set at the lower end outlet of the material sorting line 13. The transfer clamps pick up the product end cap from the transfer conveyor line 16 and the second separation baffle 15.

[0042] In a specific embodiment, the first separation bar 14 and the second separation bar 15 of the present invention are both disposed on a slider 18 that can slide along a conveying direction perpendicular to the material handling line 13. The slider 18 adjusts the spacing between the relative first separation bars 14 and the second separation bars 15 to limit the separation of the product end cap.

[0043] When the beverage packaging line provided by this invention is in use, the end caps of the containers are fed into the packaging line via the product feeding conveyor 12. They first enter the sorting line 13. The upright end caps are lifted by the second separating baffle 15, causing them to detach from the sorting line 13, so that they can be directly gripped by the transfer clamp. The inverted end caps will move downward with the conveyor belt of the sorting line 13, and after being turned by the sorting line 13, they will enter the transfer conveyor 16 for gripping by the transfer clamp. When the transfer clamp grips the end cap and places it on the beverage can, the can can be sealed. This part can be directly achieved using the existing can sealing device, thereby completing the beverage filling and packaging. At the same time, the inverted conical structure of the transfer clamp of this invention can grip the end cap and the can, meeting the usage requirements of the packaging line.

[0044] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A metal container product transfer clamp, characterized in that, The device includes a fixed plate (1) for connecting to the moving end of a robotic arm, a movable frame (2) with adjustable position set on the fixed plate (1), and a clamping and positioning assembly fixed on the movable frame (2). The clamping and positioning assembly includes a connecting plate (3) and clamping rods (4). The clamping rods (4) are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the connecting plate (3). The upper end of the clamping rods (4) is rotatably connected to the connecting plate (3), and the lower end is provided with a clamping part (5) for cooperating with the bottom of the metal container product component. The clamping parts (5) of several clamping rods (4) form an annular clamping area. An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the clamping diameter is provided between the clamping rods (4). The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment disk (6) concentrically arranged with the annular clamping area, the rod of the clamping rod (4) is inserted into the adjustment disk (6), a positioning hole (7) is provided on the adjustment disk (6) for cooperating with the clamping rod (4), and a lifting mechanism is provided on the connecting plate (3) for driving the adjustment disk (6) to move along the central axis of the annular clamping area. The clamping part (5) of the clamping rod (4) is provided with a connecting spring (8) between adjacent sides; The diameter of the connecting plate (3) is larger than the circumference diameter of the positioning hole (7) on the adjusting plate (6) near the inner edge. The positioning hole (7) adopts an oblong hole structure. When adjusting the size of the annular clamping area of ​​the clamping rod (4), the inner edge of the positioning hole (7) abuts against the clamping rod (4). The fixed plate (1) is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the movable frame (2). The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment motor (10) installed on the fixed plate (1). The driving end of the adjustment motor (10) is fixed with an adjustment cam (11). The large end of the adjustment cam (11) is fixedly connected to the adjustment motor (10), and the small end of the adjustment cam (11) is fixedly connected to the movable frame (2). By rotating the adjustment motor (10), the movable frame (2) is driven to adjust the position of the clamping and positioning component within a circle with the center of the large end of the adjustment cam (11) as the center and the distance between the large end and the small end of the adjustment cam (11) as the radius.

2. The metal container product transfer fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment plate (6) is equipped with a vacuum suction head (9) at its center. The vacuum suction head (9) is slidably connected to the adjustment plate (6) through an air tube (19). When clamping the product, the vacuum suction head (9) is used to temporarily position and fix the product.

3. A beverage packaging line, comprising a metal container product transfer clamp as described in any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The device includes a sorting device for sorting products gripped by a transfer fixture. The sorting device is set on the product feeding conveyor line (12). The sorting device is provided with a sorting line body (13) that is connected to the product feeding conveyor line (12). Separation mechanisms for separating product end caps are provided on both sides of the sorting line body (13). The separation mechanism includes a first separation baffle (14) and a second separation baffle (15) arranged parallel to both sides of the sorting line body (13). The second separation baffle (15) is raised and lowered above the first separation baffle (14). The height of the second separation baffle (15) before it rises is lower than the edge height of the product end cap when it is placed upright.

4. A beverage packaging line according to claim 3, characterized in that, The material handling line (13) adopts a 7-shaped structure. The first separation baffle (14) is set along the profile direction of the material handling line (13). A transfer conveyor line (16) for receiving the product end cap after reversal is set at the lower end outlet of the material handling line (13). The transfer clamps pick up the product end cap from the transfer conveyor line (16) and the second separation baffle (15).

5. A beverage packaging line according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second separation bar (15) is located on the horizontal area of ​​the material handling line (13). Lifting cylinders (17) are set at both ends of the second separation bar (15). The lifting cylinders (17) drive the second separation bar (15) to move up and down to separate the product end caps according to their orientation.

6. A beverage packaging line according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first separation bar (14) and the second separation bar (15) are both set on a slider (18) that can slide along the conveying direction perpendicular to the material handling line (13). The slider (18) adjusts the spacing between the relative first separation bars (14) and the second separation bars (15) to limit the separation of the product end cap.

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