Container conveying device

Abstract

The invention relates to a container conveying device. The intermediate jig (GB) can be withdrawn and the conveyance pitch can be adjusted at one intermediate rotating wheel. According to the invention, the conveying pitch of the sixth rotating wheel (downstream rotating wheel) is set to be narrower than the conveying pitch of the fourth rotating wheel (H4) (upstream rotating wheel). A fifth rotating wheel (H5) (middle rotating wheel) is provided with a swinging mechanism and a switching mechanism (25), the swinging mechanism enables the middle jig (GB) to swing at a delivery position (P2) on the downstream side of the sixth rotating wheel, so that the conveying pitch is consistent with the conveying pitch of the sixth rotating wheel, and the switching mechanism (25) enables the middle jig (GB) to swing at the delivery position (P2) on the downstream side of the sixth rotating wheel. The switching mechanism (25) switches the intermediate jig (GB) to a retracted state in which the intermediate jig does not interfere with the polyester bottle (1) held by the fourth rotating wheel (H4).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container conveying device, and more particularly, to a container conveying device equipped with an intermediate rotating wheel that delivers containers from an upstream rotating wheel to a downstream rotating wheel. Background Art

[0002] In the past, for example, as a beverage manufacturing production line that performs from the forming of a polyester bottle used as a container to the filling of a beverage, there has been known a production line equipped with a blow molding section that forms a polyester bottle and a filling section that fills a polyester bottle with a beverage or the like. In these blow molding sections and filling sections, a container conveying device equipped with a plurality of rotating wheels is used to convey containers (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The container conveying devices described in these patent documents are equipped with: an upstream rotating wheel having an upstream clamp that holds a container; a downstream rotating wheel having a downstream clamp that holds a container; an intermediate rotating wheel provided between the upstream rotating wheel and the downstream rotating wheel and having an intermediate clamp that holds a container; and an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes a holding member that constitutes the intermediate clamp.

[0004] Among them, in the container conveying device of Patent Document 1, when the upstream rotating wheel that constitutes the blow molding section abnormally stops, the rotation of the intermediate rotating wheel and the downstream rotating wheel continues, and the respective devices that constitute the filling section are not stopped.

[0005] Therefore, in Patent Document 1, in order for the intermediate clamp of the continuously rotating intermediate rotating wheel not to interfere with the container held by the upstream clamp of the stopped upstream rotating wheel, a switching mechanism is provided that opens the holding member of the intermediate clamp to a retracted state larger than the normal state so that the holding member does not interfere with the container of the upstream clamp.

[0006] On the other hand, in the container conveying device of Patent Document 2, since the conveying pitch of the containers of the downstream rotating wheel is set narrower than the conveying pitch of the containers of the upstream rotating wheel, the conveying pitch is adjusted at the intermediate rotating wheel.

[0007] Therefore, in Patent Document 2, a swinging mechanism that swings the intermediate clamp is provided at the intermediate rotating wheel so as to swing in a manner that narrows the interval between the intermediate clamps adjacent to the downstream delivery position of the containers of the intermediate rotating wheel and the downstream rotating wheel, and the conveying pitch is adjusted.

[0008] Prior Art Documents

[0009] Patent Documents

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5211517

[0011] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 6861101 Summary of the Invention

[0012] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0013] However, in the case where the intermediate rotating wheel for retracting the intermediate jig when the upstream rotating wheel in the beverage production line stops as described in Patent Document 1 and the intermediate rotating wheel for adjusting the conveying pitch as described in Patent Document 2 are separately provided, there is a problem that the installation space becomes larger.

[0014] In view of such problems, the present invention provides a container conveying device that can perform the retracting operation of the intermediate jig and the adjustment of the conveying pitch at one intermediate rotating wheel.

[0015] Means for Solving the Problems

[0016] That is, the container conveying device according to the invention of Solution 1 is provided with: an upstream rotating wheel having an upstream jig for holding a container; a downstream rotating wheel having a downstream jig for holding a container; an intermediate rotating wheel provided between the upstream rotating wheel and the downstream rotating wheel and having an intermediate jig for holding a container; and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a holding member constituting the intermediate jig. The container conveying device is characterized in that

[0017] the conveying pitch of the container at the downstream rotating wheel is set narrower than the conveying pitch of the container at the upstream rotating wheel,

[0018] a swing mechanism for swinging the intermediate jig is provided on the intermediate rotating wheel, and at the downstream delivery position of the downstream rotating wheel, it swings in a manner that makes the adjacent intermediate jigs approach each other, so that the conveying pitch of the container is made consistent with the conveying pitch of the downstream jig,

[0019] Furthermore, a switching mechanism is provided, which switches the holding member of the intermediate jig to a normal state for delivering the container or a retracted state in which it does not interfere with the container held by the upstream jig.

[0020] When the upstream rotating wheel stops and the rotation of the intermediate rotating wheel continues, before the intermediate jig reaches the upstream delivery position of the upstream rotating wheel, the switching mechanism switches the holding member of the intermediate jig from the normal state to the retracted state.

[0021] Effects of the Invention

[0022] According to the above invention, by providing a swing mechanism and a switching mechanism on an intermediate rotating wheel, it is possible to adjust the conveying distance between the upstream rotating wheel and the downstream rotating wheel. Moreover, when the upstream rotating wheel stops abnormally, the intermediate jig will not collide with the container held by the upstream jig. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a plan view of a beverage manufacturing production line according to the present embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 is a plan view showing the wheels from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0025] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a sterilization mechanism.

[0026] Figure 4 is a view for explaining an intermediate jig.

[0027] Figure 5 is a view for explaining the retracted state of the intermediate jig.

[0028] Figure 6 is a perspective view for explaining the retracted state of the intermediate jig. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Hereinafter, the illustrated embodiments will be described. Figure 1 A beverage manufacturing production line 2 for performing the forming of a polyester bottle 1 as a container until the filling of a beverage is shown. The production line 2 is equipped with a blow molding section 3 and a filling section 4. The blow molding section 3 blow-molds a preform to form the polyester bottle 1, and the filling section 4 performs processing such as cleaning and filling of the beverage into the blow-molded polyester bottle 1, and is controlled by a control mechanism 5 composed of a computer or the like.

[0030] The preform or the polyester bottle 1 is conveyed by a container conveying device 6 according to the present invention. The container conveying device 6 includes first to eleventh rotating wheels H1 to H11. At the delivery positions where adjacent rotating wheels H are adjacent to each other, jigs provided on the outer peripheries of the respective rotating wheels H perform the delivery of the polyester bottle 1. Thus, the conveyance is performed on the conveyance path indicated by the thick line in Figure 1 .

[0031] In the container conveying device 6, the blow molding section 3 includes the first to fourth rotating wheels H1 to H4. The first rotating wheel H1 constitutes a supply mechanism for supplying the preform, the second rotating wheel H2 constitutes a blow molding mechanism for blow-molding the preform to form the polyester bottle 1, the third rotating wheel H3 constitutes a discharging mechanism, and the fourth rotating wheel H4 constitutes a delivery mechanism for delivering the polyester bottle 1 to the filling section 4.

[0032] In addition, in the container conveying device 6, the filling section 4 includes fifth to eleventh rotating wheels H5 to H11 and a discharge conveyor 6a. The fifth rotating wheel H5 constitutes a sterilization mechanism for sterilizing the above-mentioned polyester bottle 1, the sixth rotating wheel H6 constitutes a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the above-mentioned polyester bottle 1, the seventh rotating wheel H7 constitutes a supply mechanism, the eighth rotating wheel H8 constitutes a filling mechanism for filling the above-mentioned polyester bottle 1 with liquid, the ninth rotating wheel H9 constitutes a discharge mechanism, the tenth rotating wheel H10 constitutes a capping mechanism for attaching a cap to the above-mentioned polyester bottle 1, and the eleventh rotating wheel H11 constitutes a discharge mechanism for discharging the polyester bottle 1 to the discharge conveyor 6a.

[0033] Moreover, in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned blow molding section 3 and filling section 4 can be independently controlled by the above-mentioned control mechanism 5, and the first to fourth rotating wheels H1 to H4 constituting the blow molding section 3 and the fifth to eleventh rotating wheels H5 to H11 constituting the filling section 4 are driven by different drive sources.

[0034] Therefore, even when the upstream blow molding section 3 stops abnormally, the control mechanism 5 can make the downstream filling section 4 continue to operate, and a series of processes such as filling and capping of the beverage can be completed for the polyester bottle 1 held by the filling section 4.

[0035] In addition, since the blow molding mechanism constituting the above-mentioned blow molding section 3, the cleaning mechanism, filling mechanism, and capping mechanism constituting the filling section 4 are publicly known in the past, detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0036] The container conveying device 6 of the present embodiment sets the conveying pitch of the polyester bottle 1 at the above-mentioned filling section 4 to be narrower than the conveying pitch of the polyester bottle 1 at the above-mentioned blow molding section 3. Specifically, with respect to the conveying pitch of the filling section 4 being 30π, the conveying pitch of the blow molding section 3 is set to 48π.

[0037] Figure 2 An enlarged view showing the fourth to sixth rotating wheels H4 to H6 located at the junction of the blow molding section 3 and the filling section 4. The fourth rotating wheel H4 located at the downstream end of the blow molding section 3 constitutes the upstream rotating wheel according to the present invention, the fifth rotating wheel H5 located at the upstream end of the filling section 4 constitutes the intermediate rotating wheel according to the present invention, and the sixth rotating wheel H6 constitutes the downstream rotating wheel according to the present invention.

[0038] The above-mentioned fifth rotating wheel H5 constitutes the above-mentioned sterilization mechanism for sterilizing the above-mentioned polyester bottle 1, and delivers the polyester bottle 1 supplied from the fourth rotating wheel H4 at a conveying pitch of 48π to the sixth rotating wheel H6 at a conveying pitch of 30π, having a structure capable of adjusting the conveying pitch.

[0039] The above-described fourth rotating wheel H4 rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown in the figure, and a plurality of upstream jigs GA are provided along the outer periphery at a conveyance pitch of 48π for the polyester bottle 1.

[0040] On the other hand, the above-described sixth rotating wheel H6 also rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown in the figure, and a plurality of downstream jigs GC are provided along the outer periphery at a conveyance pitch of 30π for the polyester bottle 1.

[0041] The above-described upstream jig GA and downstream jig GC are provided with a pair of holding members for holding the polyester bottle 1 and a spring for loading the holding members in a direction approaching each other. However, since they have a conventionally known structure, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0042] The above-described holding members are configured to hold the head of the above-described polyester bottle 1 and are always loaded in the locking direction by the above-described spring, thereby holding the polyester bottle 1.

[0043] Figure 3 Indicates Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line III-III, showing a cross-sectional view of the fifth rotating wheel H5 constituting the above-described sterilization mechanism.

[0044] In the above-described fifth rotating wheel H5, intermediate jigs GB for holding the above-described polyester bottle 1 are provided at regular intervals. On the conveyance path of the polyester bottle 1 held by the above-described intermediate jigs GB, a spray nozzle 11 for spraying hydrogen peroxide vapor as a bactericide and a waste bin 12 for recovering the polyester bottle 1 detected as having poor sterilization are provided (refer to Figure 2 )

[0045] First, the above-described sterilization mechanism will be described. Connected to the above-described spray nozzle 11 are: a hydrogen peroxide water supply mechanism 13 for supplying an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution, a vaporization chamber 14 for vaporizing the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution to generate hydrogen peroxide vapor, and an air supply mechanism 15 for spraying the hydrogen peroxide vapor in the above-described vaporization chamber 14 from the above-described spray nozzle 11. In addition, in the present embodiment, the above-described spray nozzle 11 is arranged at two positions.

[0046] The hydrogen peroxide water supply mechanism 13 supplies the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution while measuring the flow rate with a flowmeter 16, and the hydrogen peroxide vapor vaporized inside the vaporization chamber 14 is sent to the spray nozzle 11 by the air from the above-described air supply mechanism 15.

[0047] The above-described spray nozzle 11 is provided above the polyester bottle 1 held by the intermediate jig GB, and sprays the sprayed hydrogen peroxide vapor into the above-described polyester bottle 1 to sterilize the inside of the polyester bottle 1.

[0048] The control mechanism 5 monitors the flow rate of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution by the above-mentioned flowmeter 16. When the flow rate is lower than the specified value, it is determined that the sterilization of the polyester bottle 1 passing through the injection nozzle 11 is poor at that moment, and it is recycled into the above-mentioned waste box 12.

[0049] In addition, the arrangement of the injection nozzle 11 is not limited to two positions, and it can also be at three or more positions. In addition, hydrogen peroxide vapor can be sprayed to the outside of the polyester bottle 1 for external sterilization.

[0050] The above-mentioned fifth rotating wheel H5 is equipped with an upper workbench 22A and a lower workbench 22B that rotate around the rotation axis 21 (refer to Figure 2 ). The intermediate fixture GB is arranged at equal intervals along the outer peripheral edges of these workbenches 22A and 22B.

[0051] Moreover, the fifth rotating wheel H5 is equipped with: an opening and closing mechanism 23 for opening and closing the above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB; a swinging mechanism 24 for swinging the above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB in the horizontal direction; a switching mechanism 25 for switching the above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB to a normal state or a retracted state to be described later.

[0052] As Figure 4 shown, the above-mentioned opening and closing mechanism 23 opens and closes the above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB between the locked state (a) of holding the polyester bottle and the released state (b) of releasing the polyester bottle 1.

[0053] The above-mentioned swinging mechanism 24, as Figure 2 shown, by swinging the above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB, the polyester bottle 1 can be received from the fourth rotating wheel H4 at a conveying pitch of 48π, and the polyester bottle 1 can be delivered to the sixth rotating wheel H6 at a conveying pitch of 30π.

[0054] Moreover, the above-mentioned switching mechanism 25 can make the above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB in Figure 4 the normal state shown in (a) and (b), deliver the polyester bottle 1 at the delivery positions P1 and P2 of the above-mentioned fourth rotating wheel H4 and the sixth rotating wheel H6, and further, by becoming Figure 5 , Figure 6 shown in the retracted state, even when the fourth rotating wheel H4 stops abnormally, the intermediate fixture GB can be retracted from the polyester bottle 1 held by the upstream fixture GA.

[0055] The above-mentioned intermediate fixture GB is arranged on a base member 26 provided integrally with the swing shaft 26a, and the swing shaft 26a is swingably arranged between the above-mentioned upper workbench 22A and the lower workbench 22B.

[0056] As Figure 4As shown in the figure, the above-mentioned intermediate jig GB is equipped with: a first rotating shaft 31A and a second rotating shaft 31B provided on the above-mentioned base member 26; and a first gripping member 32A and a second gripping member 32B that are swingably provided in the horizontal direction with respect to these first rotating shaft 31A and second rotating shaft 31B.

[0057] The upper end portion of the swing shaft 26a is supported by the above-mentioned upper workbench 22A via an upper bearing 27A, and the lower end portion of the swing shaft 26a is supported by the above-mentioned lower workbench 22B via a lower bearing 27B. In addition, the lower end portion of the swing shaft 26a is provided to protrude below the lower workbench 22B.

[0058] The above-mentioned first and second gripping members 32A and 32B are respectively composed of a root-side member 32a connected to the above-mentioned first and second rotating shafts 31A and 31B, and a tip-side member 32b that can swing upward with respect to the root-side member 32a by means of a pin 33. The tip-side member 32b is formed in a shape suitable for gripping the neck portion of the polyester bottle 1 from left and right.

[0059] As Figure 4 shown in (b), when the intermediate jig GB is in the open state and the first gripping member 32A and the second gripping member 32B are open, the above-mentioned pins 33 provided on these first and second gripping members 32A and 32B are arranged coaxially.

[0060] When the tip-side members 32b of the above-mentioned first and second gripping members 32A and 32B are lifted upward from the state where the intermediate jig GB is in the open state, the tip-side members 32b bounce upward around the above-mentioned pins 33 (refer to Figure 5 ).

[0061] As Figure 4 shown in the figure, the above-mentioned opening and closing mechanism 23 is equipped with: a cylindrical opening and closing pin 34 clamped by the root-side members 32a of the above-mentioned first and second gripping members 32A and 32B; an opening and closing rod 35 connected to the opening and closing pin 34; an opening and closing cam follower 41 provided at the other end of the opening and closing rod 35; and an opening and closing cam 42 in contact with the opening and closing cam follower 41.

[0062] The above-mentioned opening and closing pin 34 is located between the above-mentioned first and second rotating shafts 31A and 31B. An arc-shaped recess 32c capable of accommodating the opening and closing pin 34 is formed in the root-side members 32a of the above-mentioned first and second gripping members 32A and 32B.

[0063] The above-mentioned opening and closing rod 35 is arranged to penetrate the above-mentioned base member 26 in the horizontal direction. The opening and closing pin 34 is provided at the outer peripheral side end portion, and the opening and closing cam follower 41 is fixed to the inner peripheral side end portion that has penetrated the base member 26.

[0064] As shown Figure 3 In the outer peripheral side of the base member 26, a spring 43 is provided via a holding member 26b. The spring 43 is elastically mounted between the holding member and the pin 33, and always loads the pin 33 toward the inner peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0065] The opening and closing cam 42 contacts the opening and closing cam follower 41 from the inner peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel, and the opening and closing cam 42 moves the opening and closing cam follower 41 in the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0066] With such a structure, as shown Figure 4 In (a), when the opening and closing cam follower 41 is located on the inner peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5 under the action of the opening and closing cam 42, the opening and closing rod 35 moves the opening and closing pin 34 toward the inner peripheral side.

[0067] In this way, the opening and closing pin 34 becomes located on the inner peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5 with respect to the first and second rotating shafts 31A and 31B. The root side members 32a of the first and second holding members 32A and 32B rotate about the first and second rotating shafts 31A and 31B, and the first and second holding members 32A and 32B are in a locked state.

[0068] In contrast, as shown Figure 4 In (b), when the opening and closing cam follower 41 is moved toward the outer peripheral side by the opening and closing cam 42, the opening and closing pin 34 is located at a position on the outer peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel with respect to the first and second rotating shafts 31A and 31B.

[0069] Thereby, the root side members 32a of the first and second holding members 32A and 32B can rotate about the first and second rotating shafts 31A and 31B, and the first and second holding members 32A and 32B are in an open state.

[0070] And, as shown Figure 2 The opening and closing cam 42 is provided at the upstream delivery position P1 of the fourth rotating wheel H4 and the downstream delivery position P2 of the polyester bottle 1 of the sixth rotating wheel H6. Within the range where the opening and closing cam 42 is provided, the intermediate jig GB opens and closes.

[0071] On the other hand, in the section where the opening and closing cam 42 is not provided, due to the loading force of the spring 43, the opening and closing cam follower 41 is located on the inner peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5. Therefore, the intermediate jig GB maintains a locked state.

[0072] The above-mentioned swing mechanism 24 is composed of a swing cam follower 52 and a swing cam 53. The above-mentioned swing cam follower 52 is provided at the lower end of a swing shaft 26a via a swing arm 52a. The above-mentioned swing shaft 26a is pivotally supported by an upper workbench 22A and a lower workbench 22B. The above-mentioned swing cam 53 abuts against the swing cam follower 52.

[0073] As Figure 2 shown, the above-mentioned swing cam 53 is annularly provided along the rotation locus of a fifth rotating wheel H5. A neutral section A1 for setting the intermediate jig GB in a neutral position and a swing section A2 for swinging the intermediate jig GB near a downstream delivery position P2 of the above-mentioned sixth rotating wheel H6 are set.

[0074] In a plan view, the above-mentioned swing arm 52a is provided rearward of the base member 26 in the rotation direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5. By means of a spring 54 elastically mounted between the above-mentioned swing arm 52a and the lower workbench 22B, the swing cam follower 52 is always kept in contact with the swing cam 53.

[0075] In Figure 2 the case where the swing cam follower 52 is located in the neutral section A1 of the above-mentioned swing cam 53, the swing mechanism 24 positions a line formed by connecting the above-mentioned swing shaft 26a at the intermediate jig GB and the center of the polyester bottle 1 held by the intermediate jig GB in a neutral position in the diametrical direction toward the center of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0076] In addition, when the intermediate jig GB is in the neutral position, the interval between the polyester bottles 1 held by adjacent intermediate jigs GB is set to be the same as the conveying pitch 48π of the above-mentioned fourth rotating wheel H4.

[0077] On the other hand, when the intermediate jig GB moves and is located in the above-mentioned swing section A2, the swing cam follower 52 moves toward the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5 by means of the swing cam 53.

[0078] When the intermediate jig GB in the neutral position reaches the swing section A2 due to the rotation of the fifth rotating wheel H5 (shown as GB1 in the figure), then this intermediate jig GB approaches the downstream delivery position P2 of the above-mentioned sixth rotating wheel H6 (shown as GB2 in the figure).

[0079] In this way, in the intermediate jig GB2, the above-mentioned swing cam 53 moves the above-mentioned swing cam follower 52 outward in the radial direction, and the above-mentioned base member 26 swings downstream in the rotation direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0080] Afterwards, at the position where the intermediate jig GB is closest to the sixth rotating wheel H6 (represented as GB3 in the figure), the swing cam 53 moves the swing cam follower 52 radially inwards, returning the base member 26 to the neutral position.

[0081] Also, when the intermediate jig GB passes through the position close to the sixth rotating wheel H6 (represented as GB4 in the figure), the swing cam 53 positions the swing cam follower 52 at a position more radially inwards than when in the neutral position, causing the base member 26 to swing upstream in the rotation direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0082] In this way, the intermediate jig GB is swung by the swing mechanism 24. Relative to the intermediate jig GB3 in the neutral position, the intermediate jig GB2 on its upstream side inclines downstream, thus approaching the intermediate jig GB3. Conversely, the intermediate jig GB4 on the downstream side inclines upstream, thus approaching the intermediate jig GB3.

[0083] Also, the interval between the polyester bottles 1 held by the adjacent intermediate jigs GB2, GB3, and GB4 becomes the same as the conveying interval 30π of the sixth rotating wheel H6. In this swing interval A2, the opening and closing mechanism 23 opens and closes the intermediate jig GB, thereby delivering the polyester bottle 1 from the intermediate jig GB to the downstream jig GC.

[0084] Afterwards, at the intermediate jig GB that has moved to the downstream side of the intermediate jig GB4 (represented as the intermediate jig GB5 in the figure), the swing cam 53 positions the swing cam follower 52 on the outer side in the radial direction, thereby positioning the intermediate jig GB in the neutral position.

[0085] As a result, since the intermediate jig GB that has passed through the swing interval A2 returns to the neutral position during the period until it reaches the upstream delivery position P1 of the fourth rotating wheel H4, the polyester bottle 1 can be delivered from the fourth rotating wheel H4 at a conveying pitch of 48π.

[0086] The switching mechanism 25 switches the intermediate jig GB to Figure 3 , Figure 4 the normal state shown in Figure 5 , Figure 6 and the retracted state shown in

[0087] As shown in Figure 3 , the switching mechanism 25 is equipped with: a cylinder 61 fixed to the swing shaft 26a; a switching rod 62 connected to the cylinder 61; and an opening mechanism 63 that forcibly opens the intermediate jig GB by the operation of the cylinder 61.

[0088] As Figure 3 shown, the above-mentioned cylinder 61 is fixed to the above-mentioned swing shaft 26a and swings integrally with the swing shaft 26a. Moreover, the piston rod 61a of the cylinder 61 moves forward and backward toward the outer peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0089] A plate-shaped holding plate 64 is provided at the end portion of the piston rod 61a, and one end of the switching rod 62 is connected to the lower end portion of the holding plate 64 via a ball joint 62a.

[0090] The switching rod 62 is provided toward the outer peripheral side of the fifth rotating wheel H5 so as to penetrate the base member 26. At the other end portion of the switching rod 62, it is connected to a link mechanism 65 of an end side member 32b that is connected to the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B via a ball joint 62a.

[0091] As Figure 4 shown, the above-mentioned link mechanism 65 is provided with: a link pin 65a connected to the ball joint 62a at the other end portion of the switching rod 62; and a link 65b that is provided so as to be able to open and close with respect to the link pin 65a. The end portions of the respective links 65b are rotatably connected to the end side members 32b of the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B.

[0092] The link mechanism 65 opens and closes the link 65b centering on the link pin 65a in conjunction with the opening and closing of the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B.

[0093] The above-mentioned opening mechanism 63 is composed of a swing rod 66 that is swingably provided on the base member 26 and a push-out plate 67 provided on the holding plate 64 of the cylinder 61.

[0094] The swing rod 66 is swingably provided on a support shaft 68, and the support shaft 68 is fixed to the base member 26. The lower end portion of the swing rod 66 can move back and forth centering on the support shaft 68.

[0095] In addition, the lower end portion of the swing rod 66 is received inside a receiving hole 35a formed in the opening and closing rod 35 via a long hole 26c (refer to Figure 4 ) provided on the upper surface of the base member 26. When the swing rod 66 swings, the opening and closing rod 35 moves forward or backward in conjunction with the swing rod 66.

[0096] A roller 69 is provided on the upper portion of the swing rod 66 via an arm. By moving the roller 69 up and down, the swing rod 66 can be swung centering on the support shaft 68.

[0097] The above-mentioned ejector plate 67 moves forward and backward in the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5 by means of the above-mentioned air cylinder 61. At the lower part of the ejector plate 67, a stepped portion 67a protruding downward is provided at its end portion.

[0098] With the above structure, in order to make the intermediate jig GB return to its normal state by the above-mentioned switching mechanism 25, as Figure 3 shown, the above-mentioned air cylinder 61 is contracted, and the opening mechanism 63 becomes such that the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B are allowed to open and close.

[0099] That is, when the air cylinder 61 contracts, the above-mentioned ejector plate 67 is located outside the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5, and the roller 69 of the above-mentioned swing rod 66 abuts against a portion behind the above-mentioned stepped portion 67a of the ejector plate 67.

[0100] As a result, the above-mentioned roller 69 is located above, and the end of the swing rod 66 is located inside the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5. Therefore, the above-mentioned opening and closing rod 35 is located inside the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5.

[0101] At this time, since the above-mentioned opening and closing rod 35 is loaded toward the inside of the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5 by the loading force of the above-mentioned spring 43 that constitutes the above-mentioned opening and closing mechanism 23, the above-mentioned opening and closing cam follower 41 contacts the opening and closing cam 42.

[0102] Thus, when the intermediate jig GB is in its normal state and the air cylinder 61 contracts, the opening and closing rod 35 of the above-mentioned opening and closing mechanism 23 moves forward and backward, and the above-mentioned intermediate jig GB opens and closes in the Figure 4 normal state as shown.

[0103] In contrast, in order to make the intermediate jig GB in a retracted state by the above-mentioned switching mechanism 25, as Figure 5 shown, the above-mentioned air cylinder 61 is extended, and the opening mechanism 63 forcibly makes the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B in an open state.

[0104] That is, when the air cylinder 61 extends and the above-mentioned ejector plate 67 moves toward the inside of the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel, the roller 69 of the above-mentioned swing rod 66 abuts against the stepped portion 67a of the ejector plate 67 and is pushed downward.

[0105] In this way, the lower end of the above-mentioned swing rod 66 moves toward the outside of the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5, and the opening and closing rod 35 moves toward the outside of the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5 against the loading force of the above-mentioned spring 43.

[0106] As a result, the above-mentioned opening and closing cam follower 41 provided on the above-mentioned opening and closing rod 35 disengages from the opening and closing cam 42, and the above-mentioned opening and closing pin 34 moves. Thus, as Figure 4As shown in (b), the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B are opened.

[0107] In this way, when the opening mechanism 63 forcibly opens the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B, the pins 33 connecting the root side member 32a and the end side member 32b are arranged coaxially, and in conjunction therewith, the link 65b of the link mechanism 65 is also opened.

[0108] At the same time, since the switching lever 62 moves inward in the radial direction of the fifth rotating wheel H5 due to the extension of the cylinder 61, the link pin 65a of the link mechanism 65 is pulled inward in the radial direction.

[0109] As a result, the end side member 32b of the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B is pulled upward with respect to the root side member 32a around the pin 33.

[0110] The end side member 32b pulled upward in this way can be retracted above the polyester bottle 1 held by the upstream fixture GA of the fourth rotating wheel H4 without causing interference.

[0111] Hereinafter, the operation of the beverage manufacturing production line 2 having the above structure will be described.

[0112] First, the operation when the blow molding section 3 and the filling section 4 are both operating normally during the normal operation of the beverage manufacturing production line 2 will be described.

[0113] First, in the blow molding section 3, a preform is formed into a polyester bottle 1 in a blow molding mechanism equipped with a second rotating wheel H2. After that, the formed polyester bottle 1 is conveyed by the fourth rotating wheel H4, which is the upstream rotating wheel, at a conveying pitch of 48π.

[0114] At the upstream delivery position P1 between the fourth rotating wheel H4 and the fifth rotating wheel H5, in the fifth rotating wheel H5, the swing mechanism 24 positions the intermediate fixture GB at the neutral position, and as Figure 3 shown, the switching mechanism 25 makes the intermediate fixture GB in the normal state.

[0115] Thereby, the interval between adjacent intermediate fixtures GB is made to coincide with the interval between the polyester bottles 1 held by the upstream fixture GA of the fourth rotating wheel H4, and the opening and closing mechanism 23 opens and closes the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B of the intermediate fixture GB with the opening degrees shown in Figure 4 (a) and (b), thereby performing the delivery of the polyester bottles 1.

[0116] When the delivery of the polyester bottle 1 is completed at the upstream delivery position P1 and the fifth rotating wheel H5 rotates further, the swing mechanism 24 conveys the intermediate jig GB while keeping it in the neutral position unchanged, that is, keeping the conveying pitch of 48π unchanged, and passes it under the injection nozzle 11 constituting the above-mentioned sterilization mechanism.

[0117] In this way, hydrogen peroxide vapor is injected into the interior of the polyester bottle 1 by the injection nozzle 11 to sterilize the polyester bottle 1.

[0118] At this time, if the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide vapor detected by the flowmeter 16 is insufficient, the control mechanism 5 identifies the position of the polyester bottle 1 passing through the injection nozzle 11 during the period of insufficient generation of the hydrogen peroxide vapor by using an encoder (not shown) or the like.

[0119] And when the intermediate jig GB holding the polyester bottle 1 is located Figure 2 above the rejection box 12 shown, the control mechanism 5 actuates the cylinder 61 of the switching mechanism 25 to make the intermediate jig GB in a retracted state.

[0120] At this time, the swing rod 66 constituting the above-mentioned opening mechanism 63 moves the opening and closing rod 35, whereby the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B are forcibly opened, and thus the polyester bottle 1 held by the intermediate jig GB falls into the rejection box 12 and is recovered.

[0121] After that, the control mechanism 5 actuates the cylinder 61 to switch the intermediate jig GB in the retracted state to the normal state.

[0122] And when the intermediate jig GB of the fifth rotating wheel H5 approaches the downstream delivery position P2 of the above-mentioned sixth rotating wheel H6, the swing mechanism 24 swings the intermediate jig GB to narrow the interval between the adjacent intermediate jigs GB and make the conveying pitch of the intermediate jig GB consistent with the conveying pitch of 30π of the downstream jig GC.

[0123] Here, the switching mechanism 25 makes the intermediate jig GB in the normal state, and the intermediate jig GB performs the opening and closing operation as shown in Figure 4 (a) and (b), so that the polyester bottle 1 can be delivered to the downstream jig GC of the sixth rotating wheel H6.

[0124] And when the intermediate jig GB passes through the downstream delivery position P2 of the sixth rotating wheel H6, the swing mechanism 24 swings the intermediate jig GB back to the neutral position to make the conveying pitch of the intermediate jig GB consistent with the conveying pitch of 48π of the upstream jig GA of the fourth rotating wheel H4.

[0125] As described above, during the normal operation of the beverage manufacturing production line 2, the fifth rotating wheel H5 can adjust the conveying pitch and perform delivery between the blow molding section 3 and the filling section 4 with different conveying pitches from each other.

[0126] Next, the operation in the case where an abnormality occurs in the above-described blow molding section 3 and the above-described fourth rotating wheel H4 stops abnormally will be described.

[0127] As described above, since the blow molding section 3 and the filling section 4 are driven by different drive sources, even when the blow molding section 3 stops abnormally, the processing of the polyester bottle 1 held by the filling section 4 can be completed by continuing the operation of the filling section 4.

[0128] However, if the fourth rotating wheel H4 stops, since the fifth rotating wheel H5 continues to rotate, the intermediate jig GB will collide with the polyester bottle 1 held by the upstream jig GA that has stopped at the upstream delivery position P1.

[0129] Here, when the above-described control mechanism 5 recognizes an abnormality in the above-described blow molding section 3, the control mechanism 5 controls the switching mechanism 25 of the intermediate jig GB located at the upstream delivery position P1 to switch the intermediate jig GB to Figure 5 or Figure 6 the retracted state shown.

[0130] First, by the extension of the air cylinder 61, the push-out plate 67 of the above-described opening mechanism 63 swings the swing rod 66, whereby the opening and closing rod 35 advances toward the outer peripheral side, and the first and second holding members 32A, 32B are forcibly opened.

[0131] On the other hand, by the extension of the air cylinder 61, the switching rod 62 moves toward the inner peripheral side, and the end-side member 32b connected to the switching rod 62 rotates and moves upward about the pin 33 provided between the root-side member 32a.

[0132] As a result, at the upstream delivery position P1, with respect to the polyester bottle 1 held by the upstream jig GA, the end-side member 32b of the intermediate jig GB is in a state of retracting upward, thereby avoiding collision with the first and second holding members 32A, 32B of the intermediate jig GB.

[0133] In addition, for the intermediate jig GB that is located at a position downstream of the upstream delivery position P1 and has already held the polyester bottle 1 at the time of occurrence of an abnormality, the switching mechanism 25 maintains the normal state, and delivers the polyester bottle 1 to the above-described sixth rotating wheel H6 at the downstream delivery position P2.

[0134] Further, when the intermediate jig GB is retracted by the switching mechanism 25 described above, the end-side members 32b of the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B bounce upward. Therefore, even when the intermediate jig GB is at the delivery position P2 of the sixth rotating wheel H6 and the adjacent intermediate jigs GB are close to each other, the first and second gripping members 32A and 32B do not interfere with each other.

[0135] Thus, according to the beverage production line 2 in the present embodiment, even when the conveying pitches of the fourth rotating wheel H4 and the sixth rotating wheel H6 are different, the conveying pitch can be adjusted by swinging the intermediate jig GB by the swinging mechanism 24 provided on the fifth rotating wheel H5, and the polyester bottle 1 can be delivered.

[0136] In addition, when the fourth rotating wheel H4 constituting the blow molding section 3 stops, the switching mechanism 25 provided on the fifth rotating wheel H5 retracts the intermediate jig GB, thereby preventing the intermediate jig GB from colliding with the polyester bottle 1 held by the upstream jig GA.

[0137] As described above, in the present embodiment, since the swinging mechanism 24 for swinging the intermediate jig GB to adjust the conveying pitch and the switching mechanism 25 for avoiding collision with the polyester bottle 1 held by the upstream jig GA are provided on the fifth rotating wheel H5, the number of rotating wheels constituting the container conveying device 6 can be reduced, and the length of the production line can be shortened. Description of Reference Numerals

[0138] 1 Polyester bottle (container)

[0139] 2 Beverage production line

[0140] 3 Blow molding section

[0141] 4 Filling section

[0142] 6 Container conveying device

[0143] 23 Opening / closing mechanism

[0144] 24 Swinging mechanism

[0145] 25 Switching mechanism

[0146] 26 Collision prevention mechanism

[0147] GA Upstream jig

[0148] GB Intermediate jig

[0149] GC Downstream jig

[0150] H4 Fourth rotating wheel (upstream rotating wheel)

[0151] H5 Fifth Rotating Wheel (Middle Rotating Wheel)

[0152] H6 Sixth Rotating Wheel (Downstream Rotating Wheel)

Claims

1. A container conveying device is provided with: an upstream rotating wheel having an upstream jig for gripping a container; a downstream rotating wheel having a downstream jig for gripping a container; an intermediate rotating wheel disposed between the upstream rotating wheel and the downstream rotating wheel and having an intermediate jig for gripping a container; and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a gripping member constituting the intermediate jig. The container conveying device is characterized in that the conveying pitch of the containers at the downstream rotating wheel is set narrower than the conveying pitch of the containers at the upstream rotating wheel, a swing mechanism for swinging the intermediate jig is provided at the intermediate rotating wheel, and at the downstream delivery position of the downstream rotating wheel, the adjacent intermediate jigs are swung so as to approach each other, making the conveying pitch of the containers consistent with the conveying pitch of the downstream jig, furthermore, a switching mechanism is provided which switches the gripping member of the intermediate jig to a normal state for container delivery or a retracted state in which it retracts without interfering with the container held by the upstream jig, when the upstream rotating wheel stops and the rotation of the intermediate rotating wheel continues, before the intermediate jig reaches the upstream delivery position of the upstream rotating wheel, the switching mechanism switches the gripping member of the intermediate jig from the normal state to the retracted state.

2. The container conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the gripping member of the intermediate jig is provided to be movable upward, and the switching mechanism moves the gripping member of the intermediate jig upward to switch to the retracted state.

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