Container processing system

Abstract

To achieve processing to a container while conveying the container by a floating type linear.SOLUTION: A container processing system 1 includes: a plurality of stators 11 arranged front, back, right and left in a horizontal plane; a flat conveyance surface C formed at an upper part of the stators 11; a mover 12 moving while floating over the conveyance surface C by a magnetic force between itself and a coil; and processing means (filling means 5, capping means 6) for performing processing with respect to a container 2. At the mover 12, a gripper 13 is provided for gripping the container 2, and the gripper 13 is provided so as to hold the container 2 outside the mover 12. At the position adjacent to the conveyance surface C, a support plate 43 is provided for supporting the container 2 from below, and the processing means is provided so as to perform processing with respect to the container 2 on the support plate 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container processing system, and more particularly to a container processing system configured so that a processing means performs processing on a container transported by a so-called floating linear device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an article processing system has been known in which an article is transported by a so-called floating linear transport system, and a processing unit processes the article (Patent Document 1). In the above Patent Document 1, a coil is provided and a conveying surface is formed on the upper part of multiple stators (stators 6) arranged in the front, back, left and right directions in a horizontal plane, and a movable element (transport unit 4) holding a product 3 moves in a floating state above the conveying surface, thereby moving the product 3 to the required processing means. In addition, in Patent Document 1, since the processing means is configured to process the product held on the top of the mover, a base member 16 is installed on the top of the conveying surface to prevent damage to the mover, and processing is performed with the mover supported by the base member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-172524 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When processing is performed in a state in which the movable element is supported from below by a base member provided above the conveying surface as in Patent Document 1, the following problems arise when filling a container as the above-mentioned product with liquid or capping it. For example, when performing weight filling, in which the weight of the liquid to be filled is measured while filling, a weight scale cannot be attached to the stator, and when capping a container, a load needs to be applied to the container from above, which creates the problem that the above-mentioned base member cannot prevent deformation of the stator. In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a container processing system capable of processing a container while transporting the container using a floating linear device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In view of such problems, the container processing system according to the invention of claim 1 is a container processing system including a coil and a plurality of stators arranged in the front, rear, left and right directions in a horizontal plane, a flat transport surface formed on the upper part of the stators, a mover that holds a container and moves while floating on the transport surface by magnetic force between the coil of the stator, processing means that processes the container, and control means that controls the movement of the mover, A gripper for holding the container is provided on the movable element, and the gripper is configured to hold the container outside the movable element; a support plate for supporting the container from below is provided at a position adjacent to the conveying surface, and the processing means is provided to process the container on the support plate; The control means moves the movable member to a processing position adjacent to the support plate, and when a container held by the gripper is positioned on the support plate, the container is processed by the container processing means. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the above invention, the gripper holds the container outside the movable element, and when the processing means processes the container, the container is placed on a support plate provided adjacent to the conveying surface. As a result, since it is no longer necessary for the processing means to perform processing above the stator, it becomes possible to perform processing such as providing a weight scale below the support plate or pressing a cap onto a container on the support plate from above. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Plan view of container processing system [Diagram 2] Side view of stator, mover and gripper [Diagram 3] Plan view of the stator, mover and gripper [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing the gripper opening operation [Diagram 5] 13 is a side view of a stator, a mover, and a gripper according to another embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The illustrated embodiment will now be described. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a container processing system 1 according to the present invention, which is capable of filling four different types of containers 2 with different liquids and attaching caps 2a of different shapes (see FIG. 2(c)). The container processing system 1 comprises a transporting means 3 that transports containers 2 by a so-called floating linear motor, a supplying means 4 that supplies empty containers 2, four filling means 5 as processing means for filling liquid into the containers 2, four capping means 6 as processing means for attaching caps 2a to the containers 2, and a discharging means 7 for discharging the containers 2 with the caps 2a attached, all of which are controlled by a control means 8 consisting of a computer or the like. The four types of containers 2 to be treated in this embodiment have different colors and designs, and are filled with different types of liquids, though detailed explanations will be omitted. Each container 2 is fitted with a cap 2a with a different color and design.

[0009] The conveying means 3 includes multiple stators 11 arranged in the front, back, left and right directions in a horizontal plane, a movable element 12 that moves by magnetic force between the coil of the stator 11, a gripper 13 provided on the movable element 12 for gripping the container 2, and an opening / closing means 14 provided at a position adjacent to the processing position by the filling means 5 and capping means 6 for opening and closing the gripper 13. The stator 11 is composed of a housing having a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a square shape in a plan view, and a plurality of coils (not shown) arranged inside the housing, and each coil is individually controlled by the control means 8. The upper surface of the housing of each stator 11 is processed to be flat, and by connecting these stators 11 front to back and left to right in a horizontal plane, a conveying plane C on which the mover 12 can move is formed. In FIG. 1, on the transfer plane C, one stator 11 is indicated by a white square, and the hatched portion indicates a support base 15 for holding the opening / closing means 14. The conveying means 3 is provided with a supply station S1 located at the lower side of the figure, which receives the container 2 from the supply means 4, a filling station S2 located at the left side of the figure where the filling means 5 fills the container with liquid, a capping station S3 located at the center of the figure where the capping means 6 attaches the cap 2a, and a discharge station S4 located at the right side of the figure, which discharges the container 2 to the discharge means 7.

[0010] The mover 12 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, the bottom surface of which is machined to be flat, and a permanent magnet (not shown) is provided inside. The movers 12 are arranged in multiple numbers on the conveying surface C of the stator 11, and in this state, the control means 8 controls the coils of the stator 11 to cause the movers 12 to float about 5 mm above the conveying surface C by magnetic force, as shown in Figure 2(a). Furthermore, by controlling the coil of the mover 12 with the control means 8, the levitated mover 12 can be moved horizontally back and forth and left and right, and can also be rotated on the spot. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2(b) and (c), when processing the container 2 in the filling means 5 or the capping means 6, the movable member 12 is moved to a processing position adjacent to these processing means and then grounded on the conveying surface C.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram explaining the gripper 13, where Figure 3(a) shows the gripper 13 holding the container 2, Figure 3(b) shows the gripper 13 opening the container 2, and Figure 3(c) shows the gripper 13 closing. The gripper 13 is provided on each movable element 12 and is composed of a pair of first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B that are arranged to be able to open and close, first and second support members 22A, 22B that movably support the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B, first and second springs 23A, 23B as biasing means that constantly bias the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B in the closing direction, and a link mechanism 24 that moves the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B closer and farther apart. 3, the first grip piece 21A is located at the top, and the second grip piece 21B is located at the bottom, and the tips of the first and second grip pieces 21A and 21B that hold the container 2 are located outside the mover 12 in a plan view. This allows the first and second grip pieces 21A and 21B to hold the container 2 outside the mover 12. The first and second support members 22A, 22B are fixed to the movable element 12 and are provided at positions sandwiching the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B, and in this embodiment, the first support member 22A is located at the bottom in the figure and the second support member 22B is located at the top in the figure. Two guide rods 25 are provided between the first support member 22A and the second support member 22B, and the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B are provided with two through holes through which the guide rods 25 pass. This allows the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B to move toward and away from each other while moving in parallel along the guide rods 25.

[0012] The first spring 23A is elastically mounted between the first grip piece 21A and the first support member 22A, and the second spring 23B is elastically mounted between the second grip piece 21B and the second support member 22B. The first spring 23A is provided so as to pass through the second grip piece 21B, and similarly, the second spring 23B is provided so as to pass through the first grip piece 21A. With this configuration, the first grip piece 21A located at the top in the figure is urged downward in the figure by the first spring 23A, and the second grip piece 21B located at the bottom in the figure is urged upward in the figure by the second spring 23B, so that the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B are always urged in the direction of approaching each other. With the above configuration, as shown in Figure 3(a), the container 2 can be clamped by the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B due to the biasing force of the first and second springs 23A, 23B, and as shown in Figure 3(c), when the container 2 is not positioned, the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B are maintained in a closed state in which they are in close contact with each other.

[0013] The link mechanism 24 is composed of first and second arms 24A, 24B having an approximately L-shape provided at the rear ends of the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B, and rollers R provided at the ends of the first and second arms 24A, 24B. One end of the first and second arms 24A and 24B is swingably connected to the rear end of the first and second grip pieces 21A and 21B, respectively, and the intermediate bent portion is also swingably provided via a rotation shaft 26 provided on the movable element 12. The other end of the first and second arms 24A and 24B is provided overlapping each other, and the roller R is rotatably connected thereto. With this configuration, when the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B are in a closed state due to the biasing force of the first and second springs 23A, 23B as shown in Figure 3(c), the first and second arms 24A, 24B rotate around the rotation shaft 26, and the roller R is positioned in the retracted position shown on the right side of the figure. In contrast, when the roller R is pushed by the pusher 34 described later and moves to a forward position on the left side of the figure as shown in Figure 3(b), the first and second arms 24A, 24B rotate around the rotation shaft 26, and the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B are separated from each other against the biasing forces of the first and second springs 23A, 23B, entering an open state.

[0014] The opening / closing means 14 is provided on the upper part of a support stand 15 provided adjacent to the supplying means 4, each filling means 5, each capping means 6, and discharging means 7, and is equipped with a lifting air cylinder 32 arranged on the support stand 15, a base member 31 attached to the lifting air cylinder 32, a horizontal movement air cylinder 33 fixed to the upper surface of the base member 31, and a pusher 34 moved forward and backward by the horizontal movement air cylinder 33. The base member 31 is adapted to be raised and lowered by the lifting air cylinder 32 as shown in FIG. 4, and is provided with two sets of horizontal movement air cylinders 33 and pushers 34 as shown in FIGS. 3(b) and (c). The lifting air cylinder 32 raises the base member 31 as shown in FIG. 4(a) when the pusher 34 is not in operation and in a standby state, and when the pusher 34 is in operation, the lifting air cylinder 32 lowers the base member 31 as shown in FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c) so that the pusher 34 is aligned with the height of the roller R of the gripper 13 provided on the movable element 12. The pusher 34 is moved back and forth horizontally by a horizontal movement air cylinder 33, and normally waits behind the roller R of the link mechanism 24 of the gripper 13 in the closed state on the raised base member 31 as shown in FIG. 4(a). To release the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B from this state, the control means 8 controls the lifting air cylinder 32 to lower the base member 31 as shown in Figure 4(b), and then controls the horizontal movement air cylinder 33 to move the pusher 34 forward as shown in Figure 4(c). As a result, the pusher 34 presses the roller R to the forward position, and the link mechanism 24 opens the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B.

[0015] Here, in this embodiment, the gripper 13 needs to use the pusher 34 to press the roller R to open the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B, so it is necessary to hold the movable member 12 so that it does not move during the opening and closing operations of the first and second grip pieces 21A, 21B. Therefore, in this embodiment, an engagement member 27 is provided on the movable member 12, and a stopper 31a is provided on the base member 31 of the opening / closing means 14, so that the engagement member 27 of the movable member 12 and the stopper 31a of the opening / closing means 14 are engaged with each other. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the engaging member 27 is a member having a generally L-shaped cross section provided at the rear of the movable member 12, while the stopper 31a is a flange-shaped portion bent downward from the tip of the base member 31. When the movable member 12 reaches the processing position, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the control means 8 controls the lifting air cylinder 32 to lower the base member 31, and position the stopper 31a at a height where it can engage with the engaging member 27 of the movable member 12. In this state, when the horizontal movement air cylinder 33 advances the pusher 34 and presses the roller R of the link mechanism 24 forward, as shown in Figure 4 (c), the engagement member 27 and the stopper 31a are engaged, so the forward movement of the movable member 12 is prevented, and the roller R can be advanced to open and close the grip piece 21. In addition, the height of the base member 31 may be fixed without providing a lifting air cylinder 32, and the control means 8 may control the movement of the movable member 12 to engage the engaging member 27 of the movable member 12 with the stopper 31a. However, as in this embodiment, the base member 31 can be raised and lowered by the lifting air cylinder 32, and the base member 31 is retracted upward when the gripper 13 is not being opened or closed, thereby making it possible to avoid collision between the engagement member 27 of the movable member 12 and the stopper 31a of the opening and closing means 14 when the movable member 12 passes near the opening and closing means 14. Alternatively, instead of this embodiment, a stopper that abuts against the movable element 12 from the front may be provided, and the stopper may block the forward movement of the movable element 12 pressed by the pusher 34. In addition, if the magnetic force of the coil of the stator 11 is increased, it is possible to prevent the mover 12 from moving due to the pressure of the pusher 34 even if the mover 12 remains levitated.

[0016] The supply means 4 is provided in the supply station S1 of the conveying means 3, and is composed of four rows of conveyors 41a to 41d that transport four types of empty containers 2, and a robot 42 that transfers the containers 2 from the conveyors 41a to 41d to each movable element 12 of the conveying means 3. The robot 42 is adapted to take out the container 2 from any one of the four conveyors 41a to 41d under the control of the control means 8, and deliver it to the mover 12 of the transport means 3. The supply station S1 is provided with the opening and closing means 14 for opening and closing the grippers 13 of the movable elements 12, and in this embodiment, when two movable elements 12 are positioned adjacent to the opening and closing means 14, the two grippers 13 can be opened and closed simultaneously to transfer two containers 2 simultaneously.

[0017] The filling means 5 is provided in the filling station S2, and the conveying surface C is an approximately rectangular area that is set wide enough so as not to hinder the movement of the movable member 12, and the filling means 5 are arranged at the four corners of the approximately rectangular area. Figure 2(b) shows a side view of the filling station S2, where the opening and closing means 14 is provided at the position where the filling means 5 is installed, and a support plate 43 is provided outside the conveying surface C for the filling means 5 to process the container 2. Since the filling means 5 is well known in the art, detailed description will be omitted, but the filling nozzle 5a for discharging liquid is provided above the support plate 43 and is inserted into the inside of the container 2 by being raised and lowered by a lifting means not shown. The support plate 43 is provided outside the conveying surface C in a planar view, i.e., at a position different from the stator 11, and in the filling station S2, the support plate 43 is provided above the weighing scale 5b that constitutes the filling means 5. When filling the container 2 with liquid, the gripper 13 is opened by the opening / closing means 14 to place the container 2 on the support plate 43, and in this state the container 2 is filled with liquid from the filling nozzle 5a. In addition, the filling means 5 is adapted to fill the liquid while measuring the weight of the liquid discharged from the filling nozzle 5a using the above-mentioned weighing meter 5b, thus adopting a weight filling method in which the filling amount is controlled according to the weight of the liquid. Note that a flow rate filling method in which the liquid is filled while measuring the flow rate may be adopted as the filling means 5. In this case, the weight meter 5b is not required for the support plate 43, but the support plate 43 may be fixed to the outside of the conveying surface C by a required means.

[0018] The capping means 6 is provided in the capping station S3, and similarly to the filling station S2, the conveying surface C is arranged at the four corners of an approximately rectangular area that is set wide enough so as not to hinder the movement of the movable element 12. Figure 2(c) shows a side view of capping station S3, in which an opening / closing means 14 and a support plate 43 are provided adjacent to the conveying surface C near the capping means 6, and the support plate 43 is fixed by a support means not shown, and the support surface that supports the bottom surface of the container 2 is provided at the same height as the conveying surface C. Since the capping means 6 is well known in the art, detailed description will be omitted, but the capping head 6a constituting the capping means 6 is provided above the support plate 43 and can be raised and lowered by a lifting means not shown. When the cap 2a is to be attached to the container 2, the gripper 13 is opened by the opening / closing means 14, and the cap 2a is attached to the container 2 with the container 2 placed on the support plate 43. Here, with the container 2 open on the support plate 43, centering of the cap 2a held by the capping head 6a and the container 2 is performed, and then the capping head 6a is lowered. The capping means 6 of this embodiment employs a stoppering method in which the capping head 6a presses the cap 2a from above to attach it, but may also employ a screw method in which the cap 2a is screwed onto the mouth of the container 2. In that case, the capping means 6 is provided with a gripping means for gripping the container 2, and the cap 2a is tightened around the container 2 while gripping the container 2.

[0019] The discharge means 7 is provided at a position adjacent to the discharge station S4 of the conveying means 3, and is equipped with four conveyors 7a to 7d at a position adjacent to the conveying surface C, and the opening and closing means 14 is provided at a position corresponding to the conveyors 7a to 7d. The upstream ends of the four conveyors 7a-7d are provided at positions adjacent to the conveying surface C of the conveying means 3, and the movable member 12 of the conveying means 3 is adapted to be moved to a position adjacent to the conveyor 7a-7d corresponding to the held container 2. At that time, the mover 12 is grounded with the gripper 13 positioned outside the transport surface C, and the container 2 held by the gripper 13 is placed on the upstream end of the conveyors 7a to 7d. When the opening / closing means 14 opens the gripper 13 in this state, the container 2 is transported by the conveyors 7a to 7d.

[0020] The operation of the container processing system 1 having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained below. First, different types of empty containers 2 are prepared on each of the four conveyors 41a to 41d of the supply means 4, different types of liquids are prepared on each of the four filling means 5, and different types of caps 2a are prepared on each of the four capping means 6. Furthermore, a plurality of movers 12 are arranged in the transport means 3, and the control means 8 is registered so that processing is carried out on four different types of containers 2 in a preset sequence. That is, the container processing system 1 of the present embodiment is capable of processing a maximum of four types of containers 2 simultaneously, rather than processing one type of container 2 consecutively.

[0021] First, the control means 8 controls the transport means 3 to move the movable elements 12 in pairs to the supply station S1. At this time, the movable elements 12 approach the supply station S1 from the right side in FIG. 1, but the gripper 13 provided on the movable elements 12 faces the traveling direction (left side in FIG. 1). Thereafter, the movable member 12 approaches the supply station S1, the movable member 12 is rotated 90° and then moved to the opening / closing means 14, the engaging member 27 of the movable member 12 is positioned below the stopper 31a of the opening / closing means 14, and the movable member 12 is then lowered to contact the conveying surface C. Next, the lifting air cylinder 32 of the opening / closing means 14 lowers the base member 31, thereby engaging the engagement member 27 of the movable member 12 with the stopper 31a of the opening / closing means 14, and in this state the horizontal movement cylinder 33 advances the pusher 34, thereby opening the gripper 13 of the movable member 12. Then, the robot 42 places the container 2 taken out from the required conveyor 41a to 41d between the first grip piece 21A and the second grip piece 21B. At this time, the container 2 is placed on the upper part of the stator 11. When the opening / closing means 14 is actuated to close the gripper 13, the container 2 is held by the gripper 13, and in this state the stator 11 causes the movable element 12 to float, so that the container 2 is also floated above the conveying surface C. Then, the control means 8 moves the movable element 12 from the supply station S1 to the left in the figure to separate it from the opening / closing means 14, and further moves it from the supply station S1 to the filling station S2.

[0022] In the filling station S2, the mover 12 is moved to the corresponding filling means 5 according to the container 2 held by the mover 12. The two movers 12 hold the same type of container 2, and the two movers 12 are moved as a pair to the required filling means 5. When the movable member 12 approaches the opening / closing means 14 adjacent to the filling means 5 and reaches a processing position where the container 2 it holds is positioned on a support plate 43 located outside the conveying surface C, the movable member 12 descends and makes contact with the conveying surface C. As a result, the held container 2 is placed on the support plate 43 as shown in FIG. 2(b), and then the lifting air cylinder 32 is operated to lower the base member 31, thereby engaging the engagement member 27 of the movable member 12 with the stopper 31a of the opening / closing means 14. Next, the horizontal movement air cylinder 33 is operated to move the pusher 34 forward, pressing the roller R of the link mechanism 24 and releasing the gripper 13 of the movable member 12. The container 2 is then released from the gripper 13 and supported only by the support plate 43, and in this state the filling means 5 fills the liquid using the filling nozzle 5a. When container 2 is filled with liquid, weighing scale 5b supporting support plate 43 measures the weight of the filled liquid, and when a predetermined weight of liquid has been filled, supply of liquid from filling nozzle 5a is terminated. Thereafter, the horizontal movement air cylinder 33 is operated to move the pusher 34 backward, and when the gripper 13 of the movable member 12 holds the container 2, the lifting air cylinder 32 raises the base member 31, thereby releasing the engagement between the engagement member 27 and the stopper 31a, and then the movable member 12 is raised and moved from the filling station S2 to the capping station S3.

[0023] In the capping station S3, the control means 8 moves the mover 12 to the corresponding capping means 6 in accordance with the container 2 held by the mover 12. In this case, two movers 12 holding the same type of container 2 are moved as a pair to the required capping means 6. When the movable member 12 approaches the opening / closing means 14 adjacent to the capping means 6 and reaches a processing position where the container 2 it holds is positioned on a support plate 43 located outside the conveying surface C, the movable member 12 is lowered and grounded on the conveying surface C, as in the filling station S2. As a result, the held container 2 is placed on the support plate 43 as shown in FIG. 2(b), and then the lifting air cylinder 32 lowers the base member 31, thereby engaging the engagement member 27 of the movable member 12 with the stopper 31a of the opening / closing means 14. Next, the horizontal movement air cylinder 33 is operated to move the pusher 34 forward, thereby pressing the roller R of the link mechanism 24 and releasing the gripper 13 of the movable member 12, and the container 2 is released from the gripper 13 and is supported only by the support plate 43. In this state, a centering means (not shown) provided on the capping means 6 aligns the center of the container 2 with the center of the cap 2a on the capping head 6a, and in this state the capping head 6a descends to attach the cap 2a to the container 2. Thereafter, the container 2 is held by the gripper 13 of the movable member 12 using the opening / closing means 14, and the base member 31 is then raised to cause the movable member 12 to float, after which the movable member 12 is detached from the opening / closing means 14 and moved from the capping station S3 to the discharge station S4.

[0024] In the discharge station S4, the control means 8 moves the mover 12 to one of the corresponding conveyors 7a to 7d depending on the type of the container 2 held by the mover 12. Therefore, in the discharge station S4, the mover 12 is moved one by one to a position adjacent to the conveyors 7a to 7d. When the movable member 12 approaches the opening / closing means 14 adjacent to the corresponding conveyor 7a-7d and reaches a processing position where the container 2 it holds is positioned above one of the conveyors 7a-7d, the movable member 12 is lowered to place it on the conveying surface C, and the container 2 it holds is placed on the upstream end of one of the conveyors 7a-7d. Next, the lifting air cylinder 32 is operated to lower the base member 31 and engage the engaging member 27 of the movable member 12 with the stopper 31a of the opening / closing means 14. Then, the horizontal movement air cylinder 33 advances the pusher 34, pressing the roller R of the link mechanism 24 to release the gripper 13 of the movable member 12. As a result, the container 2 held by the mover 12 is released from the gripper 13 and is transported by one of the conveyors 7a to 7d. Thereafter, the gripper 13 of the movable element 12 is closed by the opening / closing means 14, and the base member 31 is raised to release the engagement between the engagement portion 27 and the stopper 32a, after which the movable element 12 is lifted and moved to the supply station S1.

[0025] As described above, in the container processing system 1 of this embodiment, the stators 11 are arranged front, back, left and right in a horizontal plane, and their upper surfaces serve as the transport surface C, making it possible to transport the container 2 by the movable element 12, in other words, by a so-called floating linear transport. However, since the mover 12 has a built-in coil and the housing may be deformed by load or impact, it is difficult to fill the liquid by weight filling or to attach the container 2 by capping. Therefore, in this embodiment, a support plate 43 capable of supporting the container 2 is provided at a position adjacent to the conveying surface C, and the container 2 is processed on the support plate 43. This makes it possible to provide a weight scale 5b below the support plate 43 and to perform processing in which a load is applied to the container 2.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the container 2 is held by the gripper 13 provided on the movable element 12, and then the movable element 12 is raised, so that the container 2 is conveyed in a state where it is raised above the conveying surface C. 5, the container 2 may be transported in a state of contact with the transport surface C. In this case, a sliding member 44 having a thickness of about 1 mm is provided on the surface of the stator 11, and the upper surface of the sliding member 44 can be the transport surface C. In such a configuration, the movable member 12 moves in a floating state, but the container 2 moves while sliding on the upper surface of the sliding member 44, so that it is possible to move a container 2 filled with, for example, a large amount of liquid by the movable member 12. In this case, in the above embodiment, the stator 11 is grounded on the conveying surface C and then the gripper 13 is opened and closed by the opening and closing means 14, but in this embodiment, the opening and closing means 14 is operated while the stator 11 is in a floating state, and the container 2 grounded on the conveying surface C is held by the gripper 13. The sliding member may be made of a material having low friction resistance and high abrasion resistance, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE: fluororesin) or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the treatment of the container 2 involves filling the container with liquid and attaching the cap 2a, but other treatments can also be performed. For example, it is possible to form an opening in the support plate 43, and place a printing device below the opening, and perform printing with the bottom surface of the container 2 positioned above the opening. In this case, the container 2 can be placed on the support plate 43 and processed, but it may also be processed in a state where the container 2 is held by the gripper 13 of the movable element 12 and suspended above the support plate 43. In addition, it is also possible to dispose an inspection means instead of the printing means as the processing means, and inspect the container 2 and the printing state from below the support plate 43 through the opening. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1 Container processing system 2 Container 3 Conveying means 5 Filling means (processing means) 6 Capping means (processing means) 8 Control means 11 Stator 12 Mover 13 Gripper 14 Opening and closing means 21 Grip piece 23 Pressing means 24 Cam mechanism 27 Engagement member 31a Stopper 32 Pusher 43 Support Plate

Claims

1. A container processing system comprising a coil and a plurality of stators arranged in a horizontal plane in the front, rear, left and right directions, a flat transport surface formed on an upper portion of the stators, a mover that holds a container and moves while floating on the transport surface by magnetic force between the coil of the stator, a processing means that processes the container, and a control means that controls the movement of the mover, A gripper for holding the container is provided on the movable element, and the gripper is configured to hold the container outside the movable element; a support plate for supporting the container from below is provided at a position adjacent to the conveying surface, and the processing means is provided to process the container on the support plate; A container processing system characterized in that the control means moves the movable member to a processing position adjacent to the support plate, and when a container held by the gripper is positioned on the support plate, the container processing means processes the container.

2. The gripper includes a pair of grip pieces that are provided on the movable element and are openable and closable, an opening / closing means for opening and closing the grip piece provided on the movable element is provided at a position adjacent to the processing position; The container processing system described in claim 1, characterized in that the movable member is moved to the processing position by the control means, and when the container held by the grip piece is positioned on the support plate, the opening and closing means opens the grip piece.

3. The gripper includes a biasing means provided on the movable element for biasing the grip pieces in a closing direction at all times, and a link mechanism for moving the grip pieces closer and farther apart, 3. The container processing system according to claim 2, wherein the opening and closing means includes a pusher which operates the link mechanism to open the grip pieces when the movable element is positioned at the processing position.

4. an engaging member is provided on the movable member, and a stopper that engages with the engaging member is provided on the opening / closing means; The container processing system described in claim 3, characterized in that when the movable member is positioned at the processing position by the control means, the engagement member of the movable member engages with a stopper of the opening / closing means, and in that state, the pusher operates the link mechanism to open and close the gripper.

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