Automatic tray loading equipment for bottle-shaped objects and tray separating mechanism and bottle pushing mechanism of automatic tray loading equipment

Abstract

The invention provides automatic tray loading equipment for bottle-shaped objects and a tray separating mechanism and a bottle pushing mechanism of the automatic tray loading equipment. The automatic bottle-shaped object tray loading equipment is used for loading various bottle-shaped objects and comprises a plurality of tray loading operation areas, a bottle-shaped object conveying track and a tray body conveying system. Each tray loading operation area comprises a bottle-shaped object collecting tray, a bottle pushing mechanism and a bottle-shaped object picking mechanism. The bottle-shaped object conveying track comprises at least one track changing mechanism and at least one stopping mechanism. Wherein the automatic tray loading equipment for the bottle-shaped objects selectively utilizes one tray loading operation area of a plurality of tray loading operation areas to execute the tray loading operation of a corresponding type of bottle-shaped objects in the plurality of bottle-shaped objects. At least one rail changing mechanism selectively enables the width of at least one part of the bottle-shaped object conveying rail to be changed to be in accordance with the outer diameter of the bottle body of the bottle-shaped object of the corresponding type, and at least one part of the bottle-shaped object conveying rail is at least located in the tray loading operation area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an automatic bottle loading device and a tray-off mechanism and a bottle-pushing mechanism, and in particular to an automatic bottle loading device suitable for loading bottles of different sizes and a tray-off mechanism and a bottle-pushing mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, the loading of small bottles, such as small glass vials (via) used to hold reagents, medicines, etc., is mainly done manually, and the introduction of automated equipment needs to consider whether it is cost-effective.

[0003] For example, the design of general automation equipment is mainly based on the tray loading of bottles of a single size. If there is a need to load bottles of different sizes, different equipment must be equipped for different bottle sizes, which will greatly increase the purchase cost. In addition, the area occupied by the equipment will also double, which is a considerable burden for small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition, the mold replacement method can also be adopted to reduce the purchase cost by replacing the parts of the automation equipment that need to be changed due to the change of bottle size. However, the disadvantage of this method is that it requires downtime for mold replacement, which has a high time cost. In addition, if the usage time ratio of bottles of different sizes is similar, the frequency of mold replacement will increase, which will also increase the idle time of the equipment, which is also not cost-effective.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to develop a bottle-shaped object automatic tray loading device to improve the shortcomings of the above-mentioned known technology. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bottle loading device, which can quickly switch the loading area according to the loading requirements of bottles of different sizes, so as to achieve the benefit of a single device being able to perform loading operations on a variety of bottles.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bottle tray loading device which achieves the advantages of high cost-effectiveness and low time cost requirement by providing selective multiple functions.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic tray-off mechanism for automatic tray loading equipment for bottles, so that the tray containing the bottles can be automatically and continuously transported to the tray loading operation area, reducing manual intervention and improving the automation level of the equipment.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle pushing mechanism for automatic bottle loading equipment, which has a dual mechanism to prevent the bottle from tipping over, thereby further ensuring the smooth and continuous progress of the automatic loading operation.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides an automatic bottle loading device, which includes a plurality of loading operation areas, a bottle conveying system and a tray conveying system. The plurality of loading operation areas are used to load a plurality of bottles, and correspond to the loading of different types of bottles among the plurality of bottles. Each loading operation area includes a bottle collecting tray for collecting one of the plurality of bottles, a bottle pushing mechanism for allowing the bottle to enter the bottle collecting tray, and a bottle picking mechanism for moving the bottle out of the bottle collecting tray. The bottle conveying system includes a bottle conveying track, at least one track changing mechanism and at least one stopping mechanism. The bottle conveying track connects the plurality of loading operation areas to convey a plurality of bottles, and has a width, at least one track changing mechanism is used to change the width of at least a part of the bottle conveying track, and at least one stopping mechanism is provided at least at the upstream end of each loading operation area. The tray conveying system is connected to a plurality of tray loading operation areas to convey a plurality of trays, and the plurality of trays are respectively corresponding to different types of bottles among the plurality of bottles. The bottle automatic tray loading device selectively utilizes one of the plurality of tray loading operation areas to perform a tray loading operation of a corresponding type of bottles among the plurality of bottles. At least one track changing mechanism selectively changes the width of at least a portion of the bottle conveying track to conform to the outer diameter of the bottle body of the corresponding type of bottle, and the at least a portion of the bottle conveying track is at least located in the tray loading operation area. In addition, the corresponding type of bottle is conveyed through the bottle conveying track and stops at the tray loading operation area, and enters the bottle collecting tray of the tray loading operation area through the bottle pushing mechanism of the tray loading operation area, and the bottle picking mechanism of the tray loading operation area moves the corresponding type of bottle from the bottle collecting tray to a corresponding type of tray among the plurality of trays conveyed to the tray loading operation area via the tray conveying system.

[0010] In one embodiment, the corresponding type of bottle-shaped objects are moved into the bottle-shaped object conveying track by the stopping mechanism at the upstream end of the next tray loading operation zone downstream of the tray loading operation zone and are stopped at the tray loading operation zone.

[0011] In one embodiment, the palletizing operation zone is located at the downstream end of multiple palletizing operation zones connected to the bottle conveying track, and the corresponding type of bottles is stopped in the palletizing operation zone by a stopper located at the downstream end of the palletizing operation zone.

[0012] In one embodiment, the stopping mechanism disposed at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area temporarily stops the bottles of the corresponding type from entering the tray loading operation area when the number of the bottles of the corresponding type in the tray loading operation area reaches a preset value.

[0013] In one embodiment, the bottle collecting tray of each tray loading operation area includes a plurality of guide partitions to create intervals between adjacent bottles entering the bottle collecting tray.

[0014] In one embodiment, the bottle collecting tray in each tray loading operation area utilizes vibration to move the incoming bottles.

[0015] In one embodiment, the bottle pushing mechanism of each tray loading operation area includes a bottle pushing component, a first anti-falling component, a second anti-falling component and a leading component. The bottle pushing component is used to push a plurality of bottles from the bottle conveying track into the bottle collecting tray, the first anti-falling component is used to move to the other side of the plurality of bottles relative to the bottle pushing component when the bottle pushing component pushes the plurality of bottles, the second anti-falling component is arranged on the first anti-falling component, so as to be driven by the first anti-falling component to move to a position close to the top of the plurality of bottles when the bottle pushing component pushes the plurality of bottles, and the leading component is arranged on the first anti-falling component, so as to be driven by the first anti-falling component to push the bottles that have entered the bottle collecting tray when the bottle pushing component pushes the plurality of bottles.

[0016] In one embodiment, the bottle picking mechanism of each tray loading operation area includes at least one picking base and a plurality of picking heads disposed on the at least one picking base.

[0017] In one embodiment, the plurality of picking heads pick up the bottles by suction or gripping.

[0018] In one embodiment, the tray conveying system includes a plurality of tray replenishing areas and a tray conveying track. The plurality of tray replenishing areas are used to place different types of trays among the plurality of trays, respectively, and the tray conveying track connects the plurality of tray replenishing areas and the plurality of tray loading operation areas. A corresponding type of tray among the plurality of trays corresponding to the corresponding type of bottle-shaped object is conveyed from the tray replenishing area where the corresponding type of tray is set to the tray loading operation area via the tray conveying track.

[0019] In one embodiment, each tray replenishment area includes a frame and an automatic tray-off mechanism. The frame is used to provide a storage space for multiple trays above the tray conveying track, and the automatic tray-off mechanism is used to perform an automatic tray-off operation to allow the multiple trays placed in the storage space to be detached and enter the tray conveying track. The automatic tray-off mechanism includes at least two support members, at least one shifting member, and at least one bottom retaining member. At least two support members are disposed on opposite sides of the frame and can extend into the storage space to support both sides of one of the multiple trays, at least one shifting member is disposed on the frame to push down against the lowest one of the multiple trays, and at least one bottom retaining member is disposed below the storage space and can move upward to support the bottom of the lowest one of the multiple trays.

[0020] In one embodiment, the device further comprises a control device for changing the automatic bottle loading device to a state capable of loading one of the multiple bottles according to the bottle.

[0021] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention further provides a tray-off mechanism for an automatic tray-loading device for bottles, and the tray-off mechanism is arranged in a tray-replenishing area of ​​the automatic tray-loading device for bottles. The tray-off mechanism comprises at least two supporting members, at least one adjusting member and at least one bottom maintaining member. At least two supporting members are arranged on opposite sides of a frame body in the tray-replenishing area, and can extend into a receiving space enclosed by the frame body to support two sides of one of a plurality of tray bodies arranged in the receiving space, at least one adjusting member is arranged on the frame body to push downward against the lowest one of the plurality of tray bodies, and at least one bottom maintaining member is arranged below the receiving space, and can move upward to support the bottom of the lowest one of the plurality of tray bodies.

[0022] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention further provides a bottle pushing mechanism for an automatic bottle loading device, wherein the automatic bottle loading device comprises a bottle collecting tray, a bottle pushing mechanism and a bottle picking mechanism to perform a loading operation of multiple bottles. The bottle pushing mechanism comprises a bottle pushing component, a first anti-falling component, a second anti-falling component and a leading component. The bottle pushing component is used to push multiple bottles into the bottle collecting tray, the first anti-falling component is used to move to the other side of the multiple bottles relative to the bottle pushing component when the bottle pushing component pushes the multiple bottles, the second anti-falling component is arranged on the first anti-falling component, so that when the bottle pushing component pushes the multiple bottles, it is driven by the first anti-falling component to move to a position close to the top of the multiple bottles, and the leading component is arranged on the first anti-falling component, so that when the bottle pushing component pushes the multiple bottles, it is driven by the first anti-falling component to push the bottles that have entered the bottle collecting tray. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1A A schematic diagram showing an automatic bottle tray loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1B A top view showing an automatic bottle tray loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2A-2B A schematic diagram showing continuous states of the bottle conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention during a first bottle loading operation.

[0026] Figure 3 A top view of the palletizing operation area after the first bottle enters the bottle conveying track during the palletizing operation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Figure 4A top view of the palletizing operation area after the second bottle enters the bottle conveying track during the palletizing operation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 5A-5D A schematic diagram showing the continuous actions of the bottle pushing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention performing a bottle pushing operation.

[0029] Figure 6A-6D A schematic diagram showing the continuous actions of the bottle picking mechanism performing a bottle moving operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 7A A schematic diagram showing a disk replenishment area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7B A side view showing a tray replenishing area accommodating a tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8A-8H A schematic diagram showing the continuous actions of the automatic disc-off operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0034] 100: Automatic bottle loading equipment

[0035] 1a, 1b: loading operation area

[0036] 11a, 11b: Bottle collection tray

[0037] 111a, 111b: Guided separation

[0038] 12a, 12b: Bottle pushing mechanism

[0039] 121: Bottle pusher

[0040] 122: The first anti-collapse component

[0041] 123: Second anti-collapse member

[0042] 124: Leading component

[0043] 125: Bottle push drive assembly

[0044] 13a, 13b: Bottle picking mechanism

[0045] 131: Pick up the base

[0046] 132: Multiple pick-up heads

[0047] 133: Pickup drive assembly

[0048] 2: Bottle conveying system

[0049] 21: Bottle conveyor track

[0050] 22: Track changing mechanism

[0051] 23, 23a, 23b: Stop mechanism

[0052] 231a, 231b: concave portion

[0053] 24: Stopper

[0054] 3: Tray conveying system

[0055] 31a, 31b: Plate replenishment area

[0056] 311: Frame

[0057] 312: Disk-off mechanism

[0058] 3121: Support

[0059] 3122: Transfer parts

[0060] 3123: Bottom retainer

[0061] 32: Tray conveyor track

[0062] 4: Control device

[0063] A: The first bottle

[0064] B: The second bottle

[0065] Ta, Tai, Tai-1, Tb: plate body

[0066] X, Y, Z: Axis DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] Some typical embodiments that embody the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various variations in different ways, but they all do not depart from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are essentially used for illustration purposes rather than for limiting the present invention.

[0068] See also Figure 1A and Figure 1B . Figure 1A A schematic diagram showing an automatic bottle tray loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1B A top view of an automatic bottle loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1A-1BAs shown, the automatic bottle loading device 100 includes a plurality of loading operation areas 1a, 1b, a bottle conveying system 2, and a tray conveying system 3. Each loading operation area 1a, 1b includes a bottle collecting tray 11a, 11b, a bottle pushing mechanism 12a, 12b, and a bottle picking mechanism 13a, 13b, wherein the loading operation area 1a performs a bottle collecting operation of the first type of bottles, and the loading operation area 1b performs a bottle collecting operation of the second type of bottles. The bottle conveying system 2 includes a bottle conveying track 21, a track changing mechanism 22, and a stopping mechanism 23. The bottle conveying track 21 connects the loading operation area 1a and the loading operation area 1b, and is used for placing the first type of bottles or the second type of bottles thereon to be conveyed to the loading operation area 1a or 1b. The track changing mechanism 22 constitutes a part of the bottle conveying track 21. The stopping mechanism 23 is arranged at the upstream end of each loading operation area. The tray conveying system 3 is also connected to the tray loading operation area 1a and the tray loading operation area 1b to convey the tray Ta or Tb to the tray loading operation area 1a or 1b to be loaded with the first type of bottle-shaped objects or the second type of bottle-shaped objects respectively.

[0069] It should be noted that, according to different requirements, the automatic bottle loading device 100 can include different numbers of loading operation areas, not limited to the two loading operation areas shown in the drawings, for example, it can also be implemented as three, four, or more loading operation areas. To simplify the description, the following description only takes two loading operation areas 1a and 1b as representatives, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereby.

[0070] like Figure 1A-1B As shown in the figure, different tray loading operation areas are used to perform tray loading operations for bottles of different sizes. For example, the tray loading operation area 1a is used to load a first bottle of a small size, such as a 10mL bottle, and the tray loading operation area 1b is used to load a second bottle of a large size, such as a 20mL bottle, and correspondingly, the size of the bottles that can be accommodated by the bottle collecting tray 11a in the tray loading operation area 1a is also larger than the size of the bottles that can be accommodated by the bottle collecting tray 11b in the tray loading operation area 1b.

[0071] When the palletizing operation of the first bottle is performed, the bottle conveying track 21 of the bottle conveying system 2 conveys the first bottle from the previous operation area of ​​the palletizing operation, for example, the labeling operation area, to the palletizing operation area 1a; then, the bottle pushing mechanism 12a of the palletizing operation area 1a pushes the first bottle into the bottle collecting tray 11a; thereafter, the bottle picking mechanism 13a of the palletizing operation area 1a moves the first bottle from the bottle collecting tray 11a to the tray Ta conveyed to the palletizing operation area 1a via the tray conveying system 3. Similarly, when performing the tray loading operation of the second bottle, the bottle conveying track 21 of the bottle conveying system 2 conveys the second bottle to the tray loading operation area 1b; then, the bottle pushing mechanism 12b pushes the second bottle into the bottle collecting tray 11b; thereafter, the bottle picking mechanism 13b moves the second bottle from the bottle collecting tray 11b to the tray body Tb conveyed to the tray loading operation area 1b via the tray body conveying system 3. In this way, the tray loading operation of the selected bottle can be continuously performed in the corresponding tray loading operation area.

[0072] According to the above, the automatic bottle loading device 100 of the present invention has the ability to load different types of bottles, that is, it has an all-in-one function. In particular, the automatic bottle loading device 100 of the present invention further provides a selective use method, that is, it can select a corresponding one of the multiple loading operation areas to perform the loading operation according to the size of the bottle to be loaded each time. In this way, under the premise that bottles of different sizes can share the same automatic bottle loading device 100 for loading, not only the time cost of replacing molds and idling equipment is saved, but also the purchase and maintenance costs of loading equipment corresponding to bottles of different sizes are not required.

[0073] In order to achieve the above-mentioned selective all-in-one tray loading operation function, the bottle conveying system 2 of the present invention is correspondingly provided with a special mechanism design, including a track changing mechanism 22 for changing the width of at least a part of the bottle conveying track 21, and a stop mechanism 23 disposed at the upstream end of each tray loading operation area for affecting the movement of the bottle in the bottle conveying track 21. Through the cooperation of the two, the bottle conveying system 2 can smoothly convey the bottles to be loaded onto the tray to the corresponding selected tray loading operation area, thereby completing the tray loading operation.

[0074] Under this premise, preferably, the automatic bottle loading device 100 of the present invention further includes a control device 4 to control the switching of the above-mentioned various mechanisms through the control interface it has, for example, allowing the operator to operate the switching through buttons and / or screens, effectively simplifying the conversion process. For example, after determining the bottle to be loaded, the operator can start the corresponding loading operation area selected through the control device 4, and make the track changing mechanism 22 and the blocking mechanism 23 move accordingly, thereby making the automatic bottle loading device 100 switch to a state where the bottle can be loaded, for example, a state where the first bottle can be loaded, or a state where the second bottle can be loaded, which will be described in more detail below.

[0075] See also Figure 1A-1B , Figure 2A-2B and Figure 3 . Figure 2A-2B A schematic diagram showing the continuous states of the bottle conveying system according to an embodiment of the present invention during the first bottle loading operation, and Figure 3A top view of the tray loading operation area according to an embodiment of the present invention after the first bottle enters the bottle conveying track during the tray loading operation is shown. After the tray loading operation of the first bottle A is decided, it means that the tray loading operation area 1a is selected. Therefore, in order to prevent the first bottle A from entering the tray loading operation area 1b, the blocking mechanism 23b disposed at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area 1b is moved to the bottle conveying track 21 to form a block between the tray loading operation area 1a and the tray loading operation area 1b, so that the first bottle A conveyed through the bottle conveying track 21 can stay in the tray loading operation area 1a due to the blockage. On the other hand, since the outer diameter of the bottle body of the first bottle A is smaller than the original width of the bottle conveying track 21, the track changing mechanism 22 also moves according to the outer diameter of the bottle body of the first bottle A, so that the width of the bottle conveying track 21 before entering the tray loading operation area 1a is reduced to match the outer diameter of the bottle body of the first bottle A, and this width is maintained in the tray loading operation area 1a. In this way, the first bottles A from the previous operation area can be gradually arranged in a single row to enter the tray loading operation area 1a, and the first bottles A can be prevented from falling over during the conveying process. Then, when the number of the first bottles A entering the tray loading operation area 1a reaches a preset value, for example, when the number of the first bottles A entering the tray loading operation area 1a reaches a single row, the blocking mechanism 23a disposed at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area 1a moves toward the bottle conveying track 21, and clamps the first bottles A exceeding the preset number together with the side wall of the track opposite thereto, thereby temporarily stopping the first bottles A from continuing to enter the tray loading operation area 1a. Then, after the bottle pushing mechanism 12a pushes the first bottles A that have entered the tray loading operation area 1a into the bottle collecting tray 11a, the blocking mechanism 23a disposed at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area 1a moves again and releases its restriction on the first bottles A, so that the first bottles A continue to move into the tray loading operation area 1a again. By repeating the above-mentioned actions, the bottle conveying system 2 can continuously convey the first bottle A to the tray loading operation area 1a.

[0076] In one embodiment, a detector (not shown) may be further provided at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area 1a to count the number of first bottles A entering the tray loading operation area 1a, and when a preset value is reached (for example, the bottle collecting tray 11a shown in the figure can accommodate 10 first bottles A in a single row), the blocking mechanism 23a located at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area 1a is moved to stop the first bottles A from continuing to enter. Therefore, the blocking mechanism has a dual function. When located at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area where the tray loading operation is being performed, it is used to stop the bottles from being transported into the tray loading operation area; when located at the downstream end of the tray loading operation area where the tray loading operation is being performed, it is used to stop the bottles from entering the downstream tray loading operation area. Preferably, a concave portion 231a conforming to the curvature of the bottle body of the first bottle A may be further formed on the blocking mechanism 23a to more stably grasp the first bottle A and ensure that the first bottle A will not be pushed into the tray loading operation area 1a when it needs to be stopped due to the thrust from the upstream operation area. Furthermore, the bottle collecting tray 11a is provided with a guide partition 111a to separate a channel for the first bottle A to move, and preferably, the number of channels is equal to the number of single-row placement holes of the tray body Ta. In addition, the guide partition also forms a spacing between the bottles, which is helpful for the subsequent bottle moving operation, which will be described later.

[0077] The bottle conveying system 2 described above mainly in the palletizing operation area 1a operates continuously, that is, the operation of changing the width of part of the track by the track changing mechanism, making the bottle stay in the selected palletizing operation area by the stop mechanism at the downstream end, and temporarily stopping the bottle from entering the palletizing operation area by the stop mechanism at the upstream end, etc., are all applicable to any palletizing operation area with a downstream palletizing operation area, that is, the most downstream of the multiple palletizing operation areas of the automatic bottle palletizing equipment. It should also be noted that the track changing mechanism is set according to the outer diameter of the bottle body of each palletizing operation area. Therefore, under the premise of the most simplified mechanism design, it can be directly designed to use the original width of the track to correspond to the bottle with the largest outer diameter among the applicable bottles, so as to omit the setting of the track changing mechanism corresponding to this type of bottle.

[0078] See also Figure 4, which shows a top view of the tray loading operation area after the second bottle enters the bottle conveying track during the tray loading operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the tray loading operation area 1b is selected to perform the tray loading operation of the second bottle B, since it is the most downstream tray loading operation area in the bottle automatic tray loading equipment, the bottle conveying system 2 is slightly different according to the executed action. In this embodiment, since the second bottle B loaded in the tray loading operation area 1b has a larger bottle body outer diameter, under the premise of only including two tray loading operation areas, the track changing mechanism 22 is only set at the position corresponding to the tray loading operation area 1a, and the original width of the bottle conveying track 21 is designed to meet the bottle body outer diameter of the second bottle B as described above. In addition, since the tray loading operation area 1b is the most downstream tray loading operation area and is located at the end of the bottle conveying track 21, there is no need to set a movable stop mechanism at its downstream end, but a stopper 24 is set instead, which can also achieve the effect of stopping the second bottle B in the tray loading operation area 1b after entering the tray loading operation area 1b.

[0079] The other actions are similar to those of the aforementioned tray loading operation area 1a. When the number of the second bottle B entering the tray loading operation area 1b reaches a preset value, the stopping mechanism 23b disposed at the upstream end of the tray loading operation area 1b will move toward the track to temporarily stop the second bottle B from continuing to enter, and preferably, the stopping mechanism 23b can further form a recessed portion 231b that conforms to the curvature of the bottle body of the second bottle B, so as to more stably grasp the second bottle B that is about to enter the tray loading operation area 1b. Then, after the bottle pushing mechanism 12b pushes the second bottle B that has entered the tray loading operation area 1b into the bottle collection tray 11b, the stopping mechanism 23b moves again and releases its restriction on the second bottle B, so that the second bottle B continues to move into the tray loading operation area 1b again, thereby continuously sending the second bottle B into the bottle collection tray 11b. In addition, by Figure 4 It can also be seen in the figure that, according to the larger outer diameter of the second bottle B, the passage separated by the guide partition 111b of the bottle collecting plate 11b for the second bottle B to move has a wider width.

[0080] Next, see Figure 1A-1B and Figure 5A-5D . Figure 5A-5DA schematic diagram of the continuous actions of the bottle pushing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention performing the bottle pushing operation is shown. Here, only the bottle pushing operation performed at the tray loading operation area 1a is used for explanation. The bottle pushing operations performed at different tray loading operation areas have the same operation actions, which will not be repeated. The bottle pushing mechanism 12a includes a bottle pushing component 121, a first anti-falling component 122, a second anti-falling component 123, a leading component 124 and a bottle pushing drive assembly 125. The bottle pushing component 121 is driven by the bottle pushing drive assembly 125 and can move along the Y-axis direction, and the second anti-falling component 123 and the leading component 124 are arranged on the first anti-falling component 122, and the first anti-falling component 122 is driven by the bottle pushing drive assembly 125, and the first anti-falling component 122, the second anti-falling component 123 and the leading component 124 can move together along the Y-axis and / or Z-axis direction.

[0081] First, if Figure 5A As shown, during the period when the first bottle A continues to enter the tray loading operation area 1a, the bottle pushing component 121 is located on the other side of the bottle conveying track 21 relative to the bottle collecting plate 11a, and the first anti-falling component 122 is located on the other side of the bottle conveying track 21 relative to the bottle pushing component 121. In other words, the bottle pushing component 121 and the first anti-falling component 122 are respectively placed on both sides of the bottle conveying track 21, waiting for the first bottle A to enter the tray loading operation area 1a from there between. The second anti-falling component 123 is roughly located above the bottle conveying track 21, and its lower edge is higher than the top of the first bottle A entering the bottle conveying track 21. Then, after the number of the first bottles A entering the tray loading operation area 1a reaches a preset value and the blocking mechanism 23a has moved to stop the first bottle A from entering the tray loading operation area 1a, the bottle pushing operation is started. Figure 5B As shown, through the driving of the bottle pushing driving assembly 125, on the one hand, the first anti-falling member 122 is lowered to a position where its lower edge is lower than the top of the first bottle A and is located on the side of the first bottle A adjacent to the bottle collecting tray 11a, and drives the second anti-falling member 123 to be lowered to a position close to the top of the first bottle A; on the other hand, the bottle pushing member 121 moves along the Y axis toward the bottle collecting tray 11a, so that the first bottle A can be roughly sandwiched between the first anti-falling member 122 and the bottle pushing member 121. Afterwards, the bottle pushing member 121 and the first anti-falling member 122 move together along the Y axis toward the bottle collecting tray 11a, so that a row of first bottles A enter the bottle collecting tray 11a at the same time. Figure 5C-5DAs shown, after the first bottle A in the row moves to a certain position in the bottle collection tray 11a, the bottle pushing drive assembly 125 drives the first anti-falling member 122 and drives the second anti-falling member 123 and the leading member 124 to rise, so that the lower edge of the first anti-falling member 121 is higher than the top of the first bottle A. Then, the first anti-falling member 122 (and the second anti-falling member 123 and the leading member 124) and the bottle pushing member 121 all move along the Y axis in a direction away from the bottle collection tray 11a, and return to the position waiting for the first bottle A to enter the bottle conveying track 21 again. By repeating the above actions, the first bottles A entering the tray loading operation area 1a can be continuously pushed into the bottle collection tray 11a row by row. When the first bottle A enters the bottle collecting tray 11a, the first bottle A that enters first can not only be pushed by the first bottles A that are continuously fed in, but also gradually move toward the tray body Ta. The bottle collecting tray 11a can also vibrate to help the movement of the first bottle A contained therein. In addition, the leading member 124 can help the movement and arrangement of the first bottle A that has been pushed into the bottle collecting tray 11a during the bottle pushing operation.

[0082] During the bottle pushing operation, the first anti-falling member 122 and the second anti-falling member 123 are used to prevent the bottle from falling in the direction in which the bottle pushing member 121 pushes the bottle into the bottle collecting tray 11a, that is, falling in the Y-axis direction. Since the lower edge of the first anti-falling member 122 is lower than the top of the bottle and is located at the front end in the thrust direction, and the lower edge of the second anti-falling member 123 is located near the top of the bottle, when the bottle falls in the thrust direction, the first anti-falling member 122 and the second anti-falling member 123 can respectively prevent the bottle from falling by abutting against the side wall and the top of the bottle body to keep the bottle upright. In addition, the guide partition 111a provided in the bottle collecting tray 11a helps prevent the bottle from falling in the X-axis direction. Ensuring that bottles do not tip over during the bottle pushing operation helps maintain the continuity of the automatic palletizing operation and reduces the possibility of jams, even downtime and / or the need for manual removal due to tipping of bottles.

[0083] Next, see Figure 6A-6D, which shows a schematic diagram of the continuous actions of the bottle picking mechanism performing the bottle moving operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first bottle A is further moved to the tray Ta corresponding to the first bottle A, which is transported to the tray loading operation area 1a via the tray conveying system 3, through the bottle picking mechanism 13a. Here, only the bottle moving operation performed in the tray loading operation area 1a is described. The bottle moving operations performed in different tray loading operation areas have the same operation actions, which are not repeated. The bottle picking mechanism 13a includes a picking base 131, a plurality of picking heads 132 and a picking drive assembly 133. The plurality of picking heads 132 are arranged on the picking base 131, and the picking drive assembly 133 moves the first bottle A from the bottle collection tray 11a to the tray Ta by driving the picking base 131 and driving the picking heads 132. The number of the pick-up heads 132 can be changed according to actual use requirements. For example, the same number of pick-up heads 132 can be set according to the number of bottles that can be accommodated in a single row of the bottle collecting tray 11a. In addition, the design of the pick-up base 131 can also be changed according to actual use conditions. For example, a single pick-up base 131 can be designed to have a single row or double rows of pick-up heads 132; or Figure 6A-6D As shown, it can also be implemented by providing two picking bases 131 , and a single row of picking heads 132 is provided on each picking base 131 .

[0084] During bottle transfer, Figure 6A-6D As shown, the picking base 131 first waits for the first bottle A to enter the bottle collecting tray 11a above the tray Ta, and then, driven by the picking drive assembly 133, the picking base 131 moves to the top of the first bottle A in the bottle collecting tray 11a that is closest to the tray Ta, and descends to a position where the picking head 132 can pick up the first bottle A. After the first bottle A is picked up, for example, the picking head 132 can pick up the first bottle A by suction or grabbing, and the picking base 131 rises and moves along the Y-axis direction to the top of the tray Ta, and aligns the picking head 132 and the picked up first bottle A with the placement hole of the tray Ta. At this time, the picking base 131 descends again and allows the first bottle A to enter the corresponding placement hole. Finally, the first bottle A is separated from the picking head 132 and remains in the placement hole, and the picking base 131 rises away from the tray Ta, completing a bottle moving operation. By repeating the above steps, the first bottle-like object A can be continuously placed in the tray Ta. When the tray Ta is filled, the tray conveying system 3 will convey the tray Ta filled with the first bottle-like object A away from the tray loading operation area 1a and enter the next operation area, such as the packaging area, and convey the next empty tray Ta to the tray loading operation area 1a to continue loading the first bottle-like object A.

[0085] Here, by means of the guide partition 111a disposed in the bottle collecting tray 11a, a space can be formed between adjacent first bottles A, so that the pick-up head 132 can smoothly pick up the corresponding first bottles A individually. And when the first bottles A are picked up, the pick-up heads 132 will each move so that the position of each first bottle A corresponds to the position of the placement hole in the tray body Ta. For example, the pick-up heads 132 will each move along the X-axis direction to adapt to the spacing of adjacent placement holes in the X-axis direction. In addition, when multiple pick-up bases 131 pick up multiple rows of first bottles A at the same time, each pick-up base 131 will also adjust the distance between the bases according to the spacing of each row of placement holes in the tray body Ta in the Y-axis direction, so that the first bottles A can be smoothly placed in the placement holes. In one embodiment, in the case of having multiple pick-up bases 131, it can also be implemented that only a single pick-up base 131 performs the picking operation, while the other pick-up base 131 is idle. In another embodiment, only a portion of the pick-up head 132 on the pick-up base 131 can be used to pick up the first bottle A, and the remaining portion is idle. Therefore, it can be adjusted according to the actual operation situation without any specific restrictions.

[0086] Please refer to Figure 1A-1B In order to achieve the automatic conveying of trays, the tray conveying system 3 may further include a plurality of tray replenishing areas 31a, 31b and a tray conveying track 32. The tray replenishing areas 31a and 31b are used to place trays Ta and Tb corresponding to the tray loading operation areas 1a and 1b, respectively, and the tray conveying track 32 is used to connect the plurality of tray replenishing areas 31a, 31b and the plurality of tray loading operation areas 1a and 1b. In this way, the corresponding trays Ta and Tb can be conveyed and replenished continuously while the tray loading operation is being performed in conjunction with the bottles A and B. It should be noted that, depending on the selected tray loading operation area, the corresponding tray replenishment area used is also different. That is, when the tray loading operation area 1a is selected to perform the tray loading operation of the first bottle A, the tray replenishment area 31a is used to replenish the tray Ta, and the tray Ta is transported to the tray loading operation area 1a through the tray conveying track 32; at this time, the tray replenishment area 31b may not contain the tray Tb, or the tray Tb is placed but the tray Tb does not leave the tray replenishment area 31b and enter the tray conveying track 32. In contrast, if the tray loading operation area 1b is selected, the tray Tb is transported from the tray replenishment area 31b to the tray loading operation area 1b to perform the tray loading operation of the second bottle B.

[0087] Each tray replenishment area 31a, 31b can perform an automatic tray removal operation, so that the trays Ta, Tb continuously fall onto the tray conveying track 32, and then be conveyed to the corresponding tray loading operation area 1a, 1b to cooperate with the tray loading operation in the tray loading operation area 1a, 1b. Here, the tray replenishment area 31a and the tray replenishment area 31b have similar structures, and the only difference is that the size of the trays that can be placed is different, so the following only describes the tray replenishment area 31a, and the structural details of the tray replenishment area 31b are not repeated.

[0088] See also Fig. 7A and Figure 7B . Fig. 7A A schematic diagram showing a disk replenishment area according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7B A side view of a disk supplement area according to an embodiment of the present invention when a disk is accommodated is shown. The disk supplement area 31a includes a frame 311 and a disk-off mechanism 312, and the disk-off mechanism 312 includes a support member 3121, a dial member 3122, a bottom retaining member 3123 and a disk-off drive assembly, wherein the support member 3121, the dial member 3122 and the bottom retaining member 3123 are driven by the disk-off drive assembly to operate. In one embodiment, the support member 3121, the dial member 3122 and the bottom retaining member 3123 are respectively connected to different disk-off drive assemblies to produce different moving actions according to different operating procedures, but can be changed according to the actual implementation situation. The frame 311 is surrounded by a storage space for arranging the disk, so that the disk can be arranged therein in a vertically stacked manner. The support members 3121 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the frame 311. The dial member 3122 is also arranged on the frame 311. In one embodiment, the adjusting member 3122 is located on both sides of the supporting member 3121 on each side, but the number and location of the adjusting member 3122 can be changed according to actual needs. The bottom retaining member 3123 is located below the accommodation space surrounded by the frame 311. Figure 7B As shown in FIG. 1 , the stacked disk system is connected to the bottom disk body Ta by a support member 3121. i That is, the support member 3121 extends into the accommodating space enclosed by the frame 311, and the stacked disc system is placed thereon, forming a state in which the disc is suspended in the accommodating space and does not contact the disc conveying track 32.

[0089] Next, see Figure 8A-8H , which shows a schematic diagram of the continuous action of the automatic disc removal operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. In order to make the discs fall one by one onto the track disc conveying track 32, first, as FIG. 8A to FIG. 8B As shown, the bottom retaining member 3123 at the bottom rises upward to abut against the bottom plate Ta. i The height of the plate body Ta is 100mm, and the supporting members 3121 on both sides are out of the accommodation space surrounded by the frame body 311.i The support member 3121 is no longer used to support the side, but is supported from below by the bottom support member 3123. FIG. 8C to FIG. 8D As shown, the bottom maintenance member 3123 is lowered by one disk stacking interval, that is, the interval between two adjacent stacked disks, and the stack of stacked disks is lowered by one stacking interval. At this time, the support member 3121 extends into the accommodation space surrounded by the frame 311 again, and because the overall height of the disk stack has been lowered, the support member 3121 will just extend into the bottom disk Ta that was originally supported. i The upper disk Ta i-1 In other words, the support member 3121 will support one less disk, and the bottom disk Ta i The bottom support member 3123 is still supported from below. FIG. 8E to FIG. 8F As shown, in order to make the bottom plate Ta i When the tray falls onto the tray conveying track 32, the bottom maintenance member 3123 moves downward, and at the same time, the shifting member 3122 abuts against the bottom tray Ta. i At this time, since the support member 3121 has supported the upper disk stack, the lowermost disk Ta i The state of being closely attached to the upper disk stack can be released due to the force applied by the adjusting member 3122, and the disk can be separated and fall downward onto the bottom retaining member 3123. Figures 8G to 8H As shown, the bottom retainer 3123 carries the detached bottom plate Ta. i Descend downward until the disk Ta i The trays fall onto the tray conveying track 32 and can be conveyed by the tray conveying track 32, thus completing the tray-off operation. By repeating the above steps, the trays can be automatically off-loaded one by one onto the tray conveying track 32, and then the trays can be conveyed to the tray loading operation area without interruption in cooperation with the automatic loading operation.

[0090] Here, the function of the dial 3122 is to help the bottom plate Ta i Therefore, if the discs of the disc stack can automatically fall onto the bottom retaining member 3123 due to their own gravity, the setting of the shifting member can be omitted, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0091] In summary, the automatic bottle loading device of the present invention can selectively perform loading operations on bottles of different sizes by setting multiple loading operation areas and corresponding mechanism designs and actions of each loading operation area, so as to achieve the effect that a single device can provide multiple functions. In order to achieve this selective multiple functions, the bottle conveying track of the bottle conveying system can adapt to the outer diameters of different bottles by changing its partial width through the track changing mechanism, and the blocking mechanism provides the dual functions of allowing the bottle to enter the correct corresponding loading operation area and preventing too many bottles from entering the loading operation area. Therefore, through the mutual cooperation between the two mechanisms, the automatic bottle loading device of the present invention can quickly switch between the states of loading different bottles, saving the time cost of replacing the mold required by the prior art, thereby reducing the idle time of the equipment and significantly reducing the cost of building the equipment.

[0092] Furthermore, the tray conveying system of the automatic tray loading device for bottles of the present invention also has an automatic tray removal mechanism to cooperate with the automatic tray loading operation and continuously transport the corresponding tray for loading bottles to the selected tray loading operation area, further reducing manual participation and improving the automation of the equipment. In addition, in the tray loading operation area of ​​the automatic tray loading device for bottles of the present invention, the bottle pushing mechanism provides a dual mechanism to prevent the bottles from tipping over, which can further ensure the smooth and continuous progress of the automatic tray loading operation.

[0093] It should be noted that the above are only preferred embodiments for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described. The scope of the present invention is determined by the appended claims. The present invention may be modified in various ways by those skilled in the art, but all of them are within the scope of the protection intended by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic bottle loading device, comprising: A plurality of tray loading operation areas are used to load a plurality of bottle-shaped objects, and the plurality of tray loading operation areas correspond to loading different types of bottle-shaped objects in the plurality of bottle-shaped objects, wherein each of the tray loading operation areas comprises: a bottle collecting tray for collecting one of the plurality of bottles; a bottle pushing mechanism for allowing the bottle to enter the bottle collecting tray; and A bottle picking mechanism for moving the bottle out of the bottle collecting tray; A bottle conveying system, comprising: A bottle conveying track is connected to the plurality of tray loading operation areas to convey the plurality of bottles and has a width; At least one track changing mechanism for changing the width of at least a portion of the bottle conveying track; as well as At least one stop mechanism is provided at least at an upstream end of each loading operation area; as well as A tray conveying system is connected to the plurality of tray loading operation areas to convey a plurality of trays, and the plurality of trays are respectively corresponding to different types of bottles among the plurality of bottles. The automatic bottle loading device selectively utilizes one of the plurality of loading operation areas to perform a loading operation of a corresponding type of bottles among the plurality of bottles. wherein the at least one track changing mechanism selectively changes the width of the at least one portion of the bottle conveying track to conform to the outer diameter of the bottle body of the corresponding type of bottle, and the at least one portion of the bottle conveying track is at least located in the tray loading operation area, and The corresponding type of bottles are conveyed through the bottle conveying track and stop at the tray loading operation area, and enter the bottle collecting tray of the tray loading operation area through the bottle pushing mechanism of the tray loading operation area, and the bottle picking mechanism of the tray loading operation area moves the corresponding type of bottles from the bottle collecting tray to a corresponding type of tray among the multiple trays conveyed to the tray loading operation area via the tray conveying system.

2. The automatic bottle loading and unloading equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corresponding type of bottles are moved into the bottle conveying track by the stopping mechanism at the upstream end of the next loading and unloading operation zone downstream of the loading and unloading operation zone and are stopped in the loading and unloading operation zone.

3. The automatic bottle loading and unloading equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the loading and unloading operation area is located at the downstream of the plurality of loading and unloading operation areas connected to the bottle conveying track, and the corresponding type of bottle is stopped in the loading and unloading operation area by a stopper located at the downstream end of the loading and unloading operation area.

4. The automatic bottle loading device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stopping mechanism disposed at the upstream end of the loading operation area temporarily stops the bottles of the corresponding type from entering the loading operation area when the number of the bottles of the corresponding type in the loading operation area reaches a preset value.

5. The automatic bottle loading equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottle collecting tray of each loading operation area comprises a plurality of guide partitions so as to create intervals between adjacent bottles entering the bottle collecting tray.

6. The automatic bottle loading equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottle collecting tray of each loading operation area utilizes vibration to move the bottles entering therein.

7. The automatic bottle loading device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottle pushing mechanism of each loading operation area comprises: A bottle pushing member, used for pushing a plurality of bottles from the bottle conveying track into the bottle collecting tray; a first anti-falling member, used for moving to the other side of the plurality of bottles relative to the bottle pushing member when the plurality of bottles are pushed by the bottle pushing member; a second anti-falling member, disposed on the first anti-falling member, so as to be driven by the first anti-falling member to move to a position close to the top ends of the plurality of bottles when the bottle-pushing member pushes the plurality of bottles; as well as A leading member is arranged on the first anti-falling member, so as to be driven by the first anti-falling member to push the bottles that have entered the bottle collecting tray when the bottle pushing member pushes the plurality of bottles.

8. The automatic bottle loading device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottle picking mechanism of each loading operation area comprises at least one picking base and a plurality of picking heads disposed on the at least one picking base.

9. The automatic bottle loading device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of picking heads pick up the bottles by suction or grabbing.

10. The automatic bottle tray loading device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tray conveying system comprises: A plurality of tray replenishment areas for respectively placing different types of trays among the plurality of trays; and A tray conveying track connects the plurality of tray replenishment areas and the plurality of tray loading operation areas, Among the plurality of trays, a tray system corresponding to the corresponding type of bottle-shaped object is transported from the tray replenishment area where the corresponding type of tray is arranged to the tray loading operation area via the tray transport track.

11. The automatic bottle loading device as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the tray replenishment areas comprises: A frame body, used for providing a containing space for arranging the plurality of trays above the tray conveying track; and An automatic tray-off mechanism is used to perform an automatic tray-off operation so that a plurality of trays placed in the accommodating space are detached and enter the tray-transporting track, and comprises: At least two supporting members are disposed on opposite sides of the frame and can extend into the accommodating space to support two sides of one of the plurality of disks; At least one adjusting member is disposed on the frame and is used to push down against the lowest one of the plurality of disks; and At least one bottom maintenance member is disposed below the accommodating space and can move upward to support the bottom of the lowest one of the plurality of trays.

12. The automatic bottle loading device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control device for changing the automatic bottle loading device to a state capable of loading one of the plurality of bottles according to the one of the plurality of bottles.

13. A tray-off mechanism for an automatic bottle-loading device, wherein the tray-off mechanism is disposed in a tray replenishing area of ​​the automatic bottle-loading device and comprises: At least two support members are disposed on opposite sides of a frame of the disk supplementing area and can extend into a receiving space surrounded by the frame to support two sides of one of the plurality of disks disposed in the receiving space; At least one adjusting member is disposed on the frame body and is used to push down against the lowest one of the plurality of disks; as well as At least one bottom maintenance member is disposed below the accommodating space and can move upward to support the bottom of the lowest one of the plurality of trays.

14. A bottle pushing mechanism for an automatic bottle loading device, wherein the automatic bottle loading device comprises a bottle collecting tray, the bottle pushing mechanism and a bottle picking mechanism to perform a loading operation of a plurality of bottles, the bottle pushing mechanism comprising: A bottle pushing member, used for pushing the plurality of bottles into the bottle collecting tray; a first anti-falling member, used for moving to the other side of the plurality of bottles relative to the bottle pushing member when the plurality of bottles are pushed by the bottle pushing member; a second anti-falling member, disposed on the first anti-falling member, so as to be driven by the first anti-falling member to move to a position close to the top ends of the plurality of bottles when the bottle-pushing member pushes the plurality of bottles; as well as A leading member is arranged on the first anti-falling member, so as to be driven by the first anti-falling member to push the bottles that have entered the bottle collecting tray when the bottle pushing member pushes the plurality of bottles.

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