Article holder

Abstract

To provide an article holder capable of maintaining positions of a base part and a holder body.SOLUTION: An article holder comprises a base part and a holder body. The base part includes an arrangement surface on which the holder body is arranged and two positioning guides. The holder body includes a support part for supporting an article and protruding parts corresponding to the positioning guides. The protruding parts protrude radially outward from a central axis. The central axis is aligned with a rotational axis set perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and the holder body and the base part are relatively rotatable about the rotational axis so as to be assembled and disassembled. Each positioning guide includes a space formed by a first guide surface and a second guide surface into which the corresponding protruding parts can be inserted. The first guide surface and the second guide surface regulate the position of the protruding parts in the extending direction of the rotational axis and in the relative rotational direction, respectively. The space is provided on a circumference of a virtual circle centered on the rotational axis. The base part includes an undetachable region that restricts movement of the protruding parts in the direction of the rotational axis, and a detachable region that does not restrict such movement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article holder. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in a production line where a predetermined amount of contents is filled into items such as bottle-shaped containers transported by a conveyor, and lids are attached, an item holder that holds the item upright on the conveyor is used for each item. Patent Document 1 discloses an item holder that includes a core into which an item is inserted and a frame in which the core is attached. In this item holder, a protrusion that abuts against the side wall of the frame is formed at the bottom of the core, and the tip of the protrusion is pressed by a ball plunger attached to the side wall of the frame, fixing the core in a state where it is attached within the frame. The core is replaceable with respect to the frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-146275 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the core is not restricted in the vertical direction relative to the frame in which it is attached, so there is a risk that the core may shift upward, making it difficult to stably hold the core and container. For this reason, there is a demand for an article holder that can easily assemble the core (also called the "holder main body") to a base part that includes a fixing member such as the frame, and that can further maintain the position after assembly.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an article holder that allows the holder body to be easily assembled to a base portion and that can maintain its position after assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An article holder according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a base portion and a holder body. The base portion has a mounting surface and a fixing member provided on the mounting surface. The holder body is placed on the placement surface. The fixing member comprises at least two positioning guides. The holder body has a support portion and a protrusion portion, the support portion supports an article, the protrusion portion protrudes radially outward from a central axis at a bottom of the support portion, and corresponds to each of the positioning guides. By aligning the central axis with a rotation axis set perpendicular to the placement surface and placing the holder body on the placement surface, the holder body and the base part can be rotated relative to each other around the rotation axis, thereby enabling assembly by assembling the holder body to the base part and disassembly by removing the holder body from the base part. The positioning guide has a space into which the corresponding protrusion can be inserted. The space is formed to include a first guide surface and a second guide surface. The first guide surface regulates the position of the protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation shaft during assembly. The second guide surface regulates the position of the protrusion in the relative rotation direction during assembly. The space between the positioning guides is provided on the circumference of an imaginary circle centered on the rotation axis. The base portion has a non-removable region and a removable region. The non-removable region is a region in which the first guide surface restricts movement of the protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation shaft. The removable region is a region in which the first guide surface does not restrict movement of the protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation shaft. The holder body is configured to be movable between the non-removable region and the removable region by the relative rotation. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the holder body and the base portion can be easily assembled, and further the position after assembly can be maintained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an article holder according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 4 is a perspective view of a holder main body that constitutes a part of the article holder. FIG. [Diagram 3] 4 is a perspective view of a fixing member constituting a part of the article holder and a transport plate the upper surface of which is a placement surface. FIG. [Figure 4] (A) is an oblique view of a first positioning guide that constitutes a fixing member provided on the placement surface, (B) is a partial oblique view of the vicinity of the first positioning guide, showing the state before the first protrusion provided on the holder main body is fixed to the first positioning guide, and (C) is an oblique view of an index plunger used to fix the first positioning guide and the first protrusion. [Diagram 5] (A) is an oblique view of a positioning guide that constitutes a fixing member provided on the placement surface, (B) is a partial oblique view near the second positioning guide, showing the state before the second protrusion provided on the holder main body is fixed to the second positioning guide, and (C) is an oblique view of a ball plunger used to fix the second positioning guide and the second protrusion. [Figure 6] 1A is a plan view of the above-mentioned item holder when the holder body is fixed to the base by a fixing member, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the holder body when not fixed to the base by a fixing member. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the holder body taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6(B). [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side view of the article holder before assembly. [Figure 9] 1(A) to 1(C) are perspective views illustrating the assembly process of the article holder. [Figure 10]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the article holder, showing a detachable region where the holder body can be detached from the base portion and a non-detachable region where the holder body cannot be detached. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an article holder with another shape. [Figure 12] 1A is a plan view of an article holder of another shape, in which (A) shows the article holder assembled to the base in the correct position relative to the conveying direction, and (B) shows the article holder assembled to the base in an incorrect position relative to the conveying direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. An article holder according to the present embodiment described below can be used to hold and transport articles.

[0010] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, an example is given in which article holders 1A to 1D (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as article holder 1 unless otherwise distinguished) hold products (articles) 20A to 20D (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as product 20 unless otherwise distinguished) in containers 21A to 21D (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as containers 21 unless otherwise distinguished) filled with contents. The material constituting the container and the shape of the container are not limited. The container 21 may be made of, for example, a highly rigid material such as plastic or glass, or may be made of a flexible resin film used for packaging bags (pouches) and the like. As an example of the shape, the container may be cylindrical containers 21A to 21C with different diameters and heights as shown in Figs. 11(A) to (C), or a container 21D having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in Fig. 11(D). The contents filled in the container 21 are not limited. The contents may be liquids such as liquid detergent, shampoo, lotion, beverages, and liquid seasonings, as well as powders such as powder detergent, creams, gels, and the like. Typically, the container 21 is provided with a filling port so that the contents can be filled, and the filling port also serves as a pouring outlet for pouring the contents out when the product is used.

[0011] 11(A) to (E) each comprise a holder main body 2A to 2E (hereinafter sometimes referred to as holder main body 2 unless otherwise specified) and a member on which a support is placed 600. The holder main body 2 is placed on the member on which a support is placed 600. The article holders 1A to 1E can be constructed using the same member on which a support is placed 600, and only the shapes of the support parts 3A to 3E (hereinafter sometimes referred to as support parts 3 unless otherwise specified) of the holder main bodies 2A to 2E are different.

[0012] The article holder 1 of this embodiment can easily assemble the holder body 2 and the placed member 600 including the base part 6 (details of which will be described later), and can maintain the positions of the holder body 2 and the base part 6 after assembly. The article holder 1 can hold an article while maintaining its position. In addition to holding an article, the article holder of this embodiment can also be used to transport an article (container) on a floating linear transport device or on a conveyor, as in the application example described later. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the article holder 1 is a transport body that not only holds an article, but also transports an article on a floating linear transport device. In the following description, the "placed member 600" constituting a part of the article holder 1 will be replaced with the "transport plate 600".

[0013] <Overall configuration of the item holder> As shown in FIG. 1, the article holder 1A has a conveying plate 600 and a holder main body 2A. The conveying plate 600 as a member to be placed on which the holder main body 2A is placed has a conveying plate main body 60 and two first positioning guides 7 and second positioning guides 8 constituting fixing members. The conveying plate main body 60 has an upper surface that serves as a placement surface 61 on which the holder main body 2A is placed, and a lower surface 62. The first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 are fixedly placed on the placement surface 61. The placement surface 61 and the fixing members (the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8) constitute the base part 6. The conveying plate main body 60 provides the placement surface 61 on the base part 6. The holder main body 2A is detachable from the base part 6.

[0014] A rotation axis R perpendicular to the arrangement surface 61 is set as the center of rotation when the base 6 and the holder body 2A are rotated relative to each other to assemble and disassemble. In this embodiment, the rotation axis R passes through the center of the conveying plate body 60, which is substantially rectangular in plan view. As shown in Figs. 6(A) and 6(B), a virtual circle C is set with the rotation axis R as its center on a virtual plane perpendicular to the rotation axis R. Note that the virtual circle C is not limited to the virtual circle of the size shown in Fig. 6, but also includes concentric circles. In this embodiment, the third guide surfaces 73 and 83 (described later) of the two positioning guides 7 and 8 are substantially located on the same virtual circle C. Here, "substantially located" includes arranging the positioning guides 7 and 8 so that the third guide surfaces 73 and 83 are along the circumference of the virtual circle C with a slight gap outside the circumference of the virtual circle. This is to ensure that the positioning guides 7 and 8 and the protrusions 4 and 5 (described later) whose tip outer shapes are positioned on the circumference of the imaginary circle C are in a "substantially abutting" state during assembly, as described later. Details of the assembly and disassembly methods will be described later.

[0015] The holder body 2A has a support portion 3A and a first protrusion 4 and a second protrusion 5 corresponding to the two positioning guides 7 and 8, respectively. The support portion 3A supports an article. The first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 protrude radially outward from the central axis of the holder body 2A at the bottom portion 31 of the support portion 3A. The central axis is perpendicular to the arrangement surface 61, and the outer shape of the tip side of the protrusion is on the circumference of the same imaginary circle C centered on the central axis. The central axis of the holder body 2A coincides with the rotation axis R when the base portion 6 and the holder body 2A are assembled and disassembled by rotating relatively. In this embodiment, the cylindrical axis of the cylindrical support portion 3A is the central axis.

[0016] With the holder body 2A disposed on the configuration surface 61, the rotation axis R and the central axis are aligned, and the holder body 2A and the base portion 6 are relatively rotated (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "relative rotation") about the rotation axis R (central axis), whereby the holder body 2A can be easily assembled to the base portion 6 and disassembled from the base portion 6 (assemblable and disassemblable). The "relative rotation" of the base portion 6 and the holder body 2A includes the case where one of the base portion 6 and the holder body 2A is fixed and the other is rotated, and the case where both are rotated.

[0017] In the present embodiment, by changing the configuration of the support portion 3 without changing the configuration of the protruding portion of the holder body, a plurality of types of holder bodies 2 can be assembled and disassembled with respect to the base portion 6 (the positioning guide constituting the configuration surface and the fixing member). For this reason, only the holder body can be manufactured as a dedicated part corresponding to the article.

[0018] The configuration surface is a horizontal surface, and may be the surface of a plate-like member, the upper surface of the transport plate body used in the floating linear transport device described later, or the surface of a conveyor. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the configuration surface 61 is the upper surface of the transport plate body 60 used in the floating linear transport device. Supplementally, the object providing the configuration surface constituting a part of the base portion may not be the transport plate body but may be a plate-like member. A fixing member may be provided on the surface of the plate-like member to constitute a member to be disposed on which the holder body is disposed. An article holder formed by assembling the holder body to the member to be disposed may be placed on a conveyor or on the transport plate body in a floating linear transport device. Further, the object providing the configuration surface may be a conveyor, and the surface of the conveyor may be the configuration surface, and a fixing member may be provided on the surface of the conveyor to constitute the conveyor as a member to be disposed.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, in the article holder 1, an X-axis and a Y-axis are set parallel to two orthogonal sides of a roughly plate-like conveying plate main body 60 having a roughly rectangular shape in a plane, and a Z-axis is set perpendicular to the X-axis and the Y-axis. The rotation axis R is parallel to the Z-axis direction. When holding an article, the article holder 1 is typically arranged such that the arrangement surface 61, which is the upper surface of the plate-like conveying plate main body 60, is parallel to a horizontal plane. In this specification, in the article holder 1, in the Z-axis direction, the conveying plate 600 side is referred to as "down" and the holder main body 2 side is referred to as "up" and "up-down direction", respectively. In addition, the surface direction parallel to the XY plane is sometimes referred to as "planar direction". In addition, "outward" refers to the direction moving away from the rotation axis R in the planar direction. In addition, viewing the article holder 1 from above in the Z-axis direction is referred to as planar view.

[0020] Details will be described later, but as shown in Figures 9(A) to (C), when assembling the article holder 1A, the holder main body 2A is placed on the placement surface 61 of the base part 6, and then, in a plan view, the holder main body 2A is slid on the placement surface 61 and rotated clockwise around the rotation axis R relative to the base part 6, thereby attaching the holder main body 2A to the base part 6. On the other hand, during disassembly, the holder body 2A is slid on the arrangement surface 61 and rotated counterclockwise about the rotation axis R relative to the base part 6 to remove the holder body 2A from the base part 6. During assembly and disassembly, the base part 6 may be fixed and the holder body 2A may be rotated, or the holder body 2A may be fixed and the base part 6 may be rotated, or both may be rotated. The article holder may be configured such that the holder body 2A is attached to the base part 6 by rotating the holder body 2A counterclockwise about the rotation axis R relative to the base part 6, and the holder body 2A is removed from the base part 6 by rotating it clockwise. The relative rotation direction of the base part 6 and the holder main body 2 during assembly and disassembly can be said to be the circumferential direction of the imaginary circle C.

[0021] Please refer to Figures 2, 3, 4(B) and 5(B). A fixing member for assembling the holder main body 2A is provided on the placement surface 61 of the base part 6. The fixing member is composed of a plurality of positioning guides, and in the example shown in Fig. 1, two positioning guides (a first positioning guide 7 and a second positioning guide 8) make up the fixing member. The holder body 2A has a first protrusion 4 and a second protrusion 5 which correspond to the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8, respectively. The first positioning guide 7 has a first space S1. The second positioning guide 8 has a second space S2. By rotating the holder main body 2A relative to the base portion 6, the first protrusion 4 is inserted into the first space S1, and the second protrusion 5 is inserted into the second space S2. 6(A) and (B), the first space S1 of the first positioning guide 7 and the second space S2 of the second positioning guide 8 are disposed on an imaginary circle C in a plan view. Moreover, the outer shapes of the tip sides of the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 are disposed on the outer periphery of the imaginary circle C in a plan view.

[0022] 6(A), in the assembled article holder 1A, the movement of the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 in the extension direction of the rotation axis R (up-down direction, Z-axis direction) is restricted by the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8, respectively. The state in which the movement in the extension direction of the rotation axis R is restricted is a fixed state in which the holder main body 2A is fixed in its up-down position by the base part 6. 6(B), before assembly, the movement of the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 in the extension direction of the rotation axis R is not restricted by the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8, and the holder main body 2A can be moved away from the base part 6 in the extension direction of the rotation axis R. This state in which the movement in the extension direction of the rotation axis R is not restricted is an unfixed state in which the position of the holder main body 2A in the extension direction of the rotation axis R is not fixed by the base part 6.

[0023] As shown in Figure 10, the base portion 6 has a removable region 12 in which the holder main body 2A can be moved in the extension direction of the rotation axis R (up and down), and a non-removable region 13 in which the holder main body 2A cannot be moved in the extension direction of the rotation axis R (up and down). When the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 of the retainer main body 2A are in the removable region 12 (unfixed state), the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 do not overlap with the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 in a planar view. When the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 of the retainer main body 2A are in the non-removable region 13 (fixed state), the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 overlap with the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 in a planar view. The holder body 2A is configured to rotate relatively to the base part 6 about a rotation axis R, and to be movable between the non-removable area 13 and the removable area 12. In Fig. 10, the removable area 12 is indicated by coarse dots, and the non-removable area 13 is indicated by dense dots. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0024] <Base configuration> 1 and 3, the base unit 6 includes an arrangement surface 61, a first positioning guide 7, a second positioning guide 8, and an auxiliary member 11 serving as a restricting member. The first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 are provided on the arrangement surface 61, which is substantially rectangular in plan view, facing each other near a pair of opposing corners of the substantially rectangular plan view, and are fixed onto the arrangement surface 61.

[0025] The first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 position the holder body 2A relative to the base portion 6 during assembly, and maintain the positions of the holder body 2 and base portion 6 in the article holder 1A after assembly. When the holder main body 2A is attached to the base portion 6 (during assembly), the first positioning guide 7 positions the first protrusion 4 of the holder main body 2A, and the second positioning guide 8 positions the second protrusion 5 of the holder main body 2. In other words, the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 play a role in guiding the holder main body 2A so that it can move smoothly to the correct attachment position when the holder main body 2A is attached to the base portion 6. Furthermore, the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 play a role in maintaining the positions of the holder main body 2A and the base portion 6 in the assembled article holder 1A at the correct positions.

[0026] The first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 are provided at approximately equal intervals along the relative rotation direction (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "rotation direction"). The holder main body 2A has a plurality of protrusions (first protrusions 4 and second protrusions 5) corresponding to (in other words, paired with) the plurality of positioning guides (first positioning guide 7 and second positioning guide 8). The first protrusions 4 and second protrusions 5 are provided at approximately equal intervals along the rotation direction. Details will be described later, but the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 respectively regulate the position of the paired first protrusion 4 and second protrusion 5 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and the radial direction of the virtual circle C (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "radial direction").

[0027] In this embodiment, an example is given in which there are two pairs of positioning guides and protrusions, but there may be three or more pairs. From the viewpoint of effectively maintaining the positions of the base and the holder body after assembly, it is more preferable to have a plurality of pairs of positioning guides and protrusions. With this configuration, the arrangement positions of the base and the holder body can be maintained at a plurality of positions, and misalignment of the base and the holder body after assembly can be effectively prevented. Furthermore, when multiple pairs of positioning guides and protrusions are provided, it is preferable that the multiple pairs are provided at approximately equal intervals along the rotation direction. With this configuration, the positions of the base and the holder body are generally maintained along the outer periphery, and the positions of the base part and the holder body after assembly can be more reliably maintained.

[0028] The above "approximately equal intervals" means that a certain degree of interval difference is allowed. The "interval" is the angle formed by a line segment drawn for each pair connecting the center of the width of the pair along the approximate rotation direction in a plan view to the rotation axis R. The interval difference is, for example, about 10°.

[0029] 3, from the viewpoint of handling and air evacuation during insertion of an article, which will be described later, a hole 63 penetrating the conveying plate body 60 in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction) may be provided in the center of the conveying plate body 60 (the center of the placement surface 61). Furthermore, a ring-shaped auxiliary member 11 serving as a regulating part is provided in the center of the conveying plate body 60 so as to surround the hole 63.

[0030] [First positioning guide] 4(A) and (B), 6(A), and 9(C), during assembly, a first positioning guide 7 constituting a part of the base part 6 positions the first protrusion 4 of the holder main body 2A. The first positioning guide 7 has a first guide surface 71, a second guide surface 72, and a third guide surface 73. In this embodiment, the first guide surface 71 is a flat guide surface spaced apart from the arrangement surface 61 and parallel to the arrangement surface 61, and regulates the position of the first protrusion 4 in the extension direction of the rotation axis R (Z-axis direction) during and after assembly. The second guide surface 72 is a substantially flat guide surface that is substantially parallel to the radial direction, and regulates the position of the first protrusion 4 in the rotational direction during and after assembly. The third guide surface 73 is a substantially flat guide surface that is substantially parallel to the rotational direction, and is a regulating portion that regulates the planar position of the retainer main body 2A on the placement surface 61 during and after assembly, and more specifically, regulates the radial position of the first protrusion 4. In a state where the holder main body 2A is attached to the base portion 6, the first guide surface 71 approximately abuts against the first surface 41 of the first protruding portion 4, the second guide surface 72 approximately abuts against the second surface 42 of the first protruding portion 4, and the third guide surface 73 approximately abuts against the third surface 43 of the first protruding portion 4. The first surface 41, the second surface 42, and the third surface 43 will be described later.

[0031] In this specification, "substantially abutting" includes a state of being in exact contact and a state of being close to each other with a small gap. Typically, a play (small gap) is provided between the positioning guide and the protruding portion so that the base portion 6 and the holder main body 2 can rotate relative to each other. For this reason, there are cases where a part of the protruding portion and a part of the positioning guide are in exact contact with each other, and cases where they are in close contact with each other with a small gap. Note that "substantially abutting" the recess 32 and the auxiliary member 11 described later has the same meaning.

[0032] The first space S1 is surrounded and formed by the first guide surface 71, the second guide surface 72, the third guide surface 73, and the arrangement surface 61. The first space S1 is a space into which the first protrusion 4 can be inserted.

[0033] As shown in Figs. 4(A) and (B), the base 6 may further include an index plunger 9 as a first fixing part. In the base 6, the first guide surface 71, the second guide surface 72, the third guide surface 73, and the arrangement surface 61 form a first space S1 into which the first protrusion 4 can be inserted. In a state in which the holder body 2 is assembled to the base 6, the first protrusion 4 and the first positioning guide 7 inserted into the first space S1 are fixed in the Z-axis direction by the index plunger 9 shown in Fig. 4(C). As shown in the left diagram of Fig. 4(C), the pin 92 protrudes from the index plunger 9 in a state in which the knob 91 is lowered, and as shown in the right diagram, by pulling the knob 91 upward, the pin 92 moves in a direction retracting into the plunger. The position of the pin 92 can be fixed by rotating the knob 91. A hole 44 is provided in the first surface 41 of the first protrusion 4, and a pin 92 is fitted into the hole 44 and the knob 91 is rotated to fix the position of the pin 92, thereby fixing the first positioning guide 7 and the first protrusion 4 by the index plunger 9. The positions of the hole 44 and the index plunger 9 are determined so that the pin 92 protruding from the index plunger 9 can be inserted into the hole 44 when the first protrusion 4 is inserted into the first space S1 and the second surface 42 and the second guide surface 72 are approximately in contact with each other.

[0034] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a hole 74 is provided in the base portion 6 for inserting a screw (bolt) for screwing the first positioning guide 7 so as to penetrate from the upper surface to the lower surface of the first positioning guide 7.

[0035] In FIGS. 6(A) and (B), thick dashed lines indicate the positions of the second guide surface 72 (second guide surface 82 described later) and the third guide surface 73 (third guide surface 83 described later) that contribute to the formation of the first space S1 (second space S2).

[0036] [Second Positioning Guide] As shown in FIGS. 5(A) and (B), FIG. 6(A), and FIG. 9(C), at the time of assembly, the second positioning guide 8 that forms a part of the base portion 6 positions the second protrusion 5 of the holder body 2A. The second positioning guide 8 has a first guide surface 81, a second guide surface 82, and a third guide surface 83.

[0037] The second space S2 is surrounded and formed by the first guide surface 81, the second guide surface 82, the third guide surface 83, and the placement surface 61. The second space S2 is a space into which the second protrusion 5 can be inserted.

[0038] As shown in Figs. 5(A) and (B), the base 6 may further include a ball plunger as a second fixing part. In the base 6, the first guide surface 81, the second guide surface 82, the third guide surface 83, and the arrangement surface 61 form a second space S2 into which the second protrusion 5 can be inserted. In a state in which the holder body 2A is assembled to the base 6, the second protrusion 5 and the second positioning guide 8 inserted into the second space S2 are fixed in the Z-axis direction by the ball plunger 10 shown in Fig. 5(C). As shown in Fig. 5(C), the ball plunger 10 includes a ball 10a at its tip. The ball 10a is rotatable. The ball plunger 10 includes a spring as a biasing mechanism for biasing the ball 10a in its longitudinal direction. As shown in the right diagram of Fig. 5(C), a load is applied to the ball 10a in the longitudinal direction, and the internal spring is compressed, causing the ball 10a to sink into the plunger body. Then, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 5(C), when the load is released, the compression of the spring is released and the ball 10a protrudes from the plunger body. The elastic force of the spring allows the ball 10a to advance and retreat within the plunger body, and to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction. In FIG. 5(B), the ball plunger 10 is provided in the second positioning guide 8 with its longitudinal direction parallel to the Z-axis direction and the ball 10a facing downward so as to protrude from the first guide surface 81. A hole 54 is provided in the first surface 51 of the second protrusion 5, and the ball 10a fits into the hole 54, thereby fixing the positions of the second positioning guide 8 and the second protrusion 5 by the ball plunger 10. In this way, the ball plunger 10 fixes the second protrusion 5 and the second positioning guide 8. The positioning positions of the hole 54 and the ball plunger 10 are determined so that the ball 10a protruding from the ball plunger 10 can be inserted into the hole 54 when the second protrusion 5 is inserted into the second space S2 and the second surface 52 and the second guide surface 82 are approximately abutting.

[0039] In this embodiment, the fixing direction by ball plunger 10 is the Z-axis direction, but it may be a direction parallel to the XY plane (horizontal direction). From the viewpoint of ease of processing for mounting ball plunger 10, it is preferable that the fixing direction by ball plunger 10 is the Z-axis direction (up and down direction).

[0040] Also, holes 84 are provided through the second positioning guide 8 from its upper surface to its lower surface, into which screws (bolts) for screwing the second positioning guide 8 to the base portion 6 are inserted.

[0041] Thus, in this embodiment, an example is given in which the index plunger 9 and the ball plunger 10 are used as the two fixing parts, but both of the two fixing parts may be ball plungers or index plungers. From the viewpoint of visually checking whether the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A are fixed, it is preferable that at least one of them is an index plunger which is easy to visually check. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ease of assembly and disassembly, it is more preferable that one of them is a ball plunger and the other is an index plunger.

[0042] [Differences in the shapes of the first and second positioning guides] As shown in Figure 8, the height dimension h1 (the Z-axis dimension corresponding to the distance between the arrangement surface 61 and the first guide surface 71) of the first space S1 into which the first protrusion 4 is inserted is smaller than the height dimension h2 (the Z-axis dimension corresponding to the distance between the arrangement surface 61 and the first guide surface 81) of the second space S2 into which the second protrusion 5 is inserted.

[0043] Furthermore, the height dimension (Z-axis dimension corresponding to the distance between the upper surface of the first positioning guide 7 and the arrangement surface 61) of the first positioning guide 7 not including the index plunger 9 is smaller than the height dimension (Z-axis dimension corresponding to the distance between the upper surface of the second positioning guide 8 and the arrangement surface 61) of the second positioning guide 8. By making the heights different in this way and making the appearances different, the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide can be distinguished from each other in appearance.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6(B), the width 75 of the first space S1 is greater than the width 85 of the second space S2.

[0045] [Auxiliary parts] As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary member 11 is provided at the center on the arrangement surface 61 of the conveying plate main body 60. The auxiliary member 11 is a member having a ring-shaped shape in a plan view centered on the rotation axis R. When assembled, the auxiliary member 11 fits into a recess 32 provided on the bottom surface 34 of the holder main body 2A described later. The auxiliary member 11 and the recess 32 constitute a center positioning mechanism as a positioning mechanism. The center positioning mechanism is a regulating part that regulates the position of the holder main body 2 in a planar direction on the arrangement surface 61. The auxiliary member 11 is a centering jig. In order to allow the auxiliary member 11 to rotate relatively within the recess 32, there is a play (slight gap) in a planar direction between the recess 32 and the auxiliary member 11 in the fitted state. By fitting the auxiliary member 11 into the recess 32, the center positioning in a planar direction of the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A is performed so that the rotation axis of the base part 6 and the central axis of the holder main body 2A approximately coincide with each other. By providing the center positioning mechanism, the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A do not become misaligned when they rotate relative to each other during assembly, facilitating the assembly work. In this embodiment, an example has been given in which the base portion 6 is provided with an auxiliary member 11, in other words a convex member, protruding from its placement surface 61, and the holder main body 2A is provided with a recess 32 into which the convex member is fitted; however, a convex member may be provided on the holder main body 2A, and a recess into which the convex member is fitted may be provided on the base portion 6, and a positioning mechanism can be formed by the convex member and the recess.

[0046] <Structure of the holder body> As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the holder main body 2A has a support portion 3A, a first protrusion 4, and a second protrusion 5. The support portion 3A accommodates and holds an article. The first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 are provided on a bottom portion 31 of an outer surface 35 of the support portion 3A so as to protrude radially outward from a central axis (rotation axis R). The first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 are provided so as to be roughly opposed to each other with the central axis (rotation axis R) therebetween, and are provided at approximately equal intervals along the rotation direction.

[0047] [First protrusion] As shown in FIG. 2, 6(A) and 6(B), the first protrusion 4 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with rounded corners. The first protrusion 4 has a first surface 41 that is the top surface, a second surface 42 that is the side surface, and a third surface 43 that is the end surface. In this embodiment, in the article holder 1A after assembly, the first surface 41 is parallel to the arrangement surface 61, the second surface 42 is approximately parallel to the radial direction, and the third surface 43 is approximately parallel to the rotation direction. The first surface 41 may be provided with a first arrow mark 16 that indicates the rotation direction of the holder main body 2A relative to the base part 6 during assembly, which allows smooth assembly work. In addition, the first surface 41 is provided with a hole 44 into which the tip of the pin 92 of the index plunger 9 is inserted.

[0048] [Second protrusion] 2, 6(A) and 6(B), the second protrusion 5 has a first surface 51, a second surface 52 and a third surface 53, similar to the first protrusion 4, and is provided with a second arrow mark 17. In the present embodiment, an example in which two arrow marks are provided has been given, but one arrow mark may be provided. In addition, the first surface 51 is provided with a hole 54 into which the ball 10a of the ball plunger 10 fits.

[0049] [Difference in shape between the first protrusion and the second protrusion] As shown in Fig. 8, the height dimension of the first protrusion 4 inserted into the first space S1 is approximately the same as the height dimension h1 of the first space S1, and the height dimension of the second protrusion 5 inserted into the second space S2 is approximately the same as the height dimension h2 of the second space S2. The height dimension of the first protrusion 4 is smaller than the height dimension of the second protrusion 5. With this configuration, the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 can be distinguished from each other in appearance. Also, the height dimension of the first space S1 is smaller than the height dimension of the second protrusion 5.

[0050] [Support part] As shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the support part 3A that supports an article is tubular and has a hollow part 36. The hollow part 36 is in the shape of a cylindrical hole. The support part 3A supports the posture of the article (product 20) and holds the article. The internal shape of the support part (the shape of the hollow part 36) differs depending on the shape of the article to be held (see Figs. 11(A) to (D)). The internal shape of the support part 3A is configured to have a shape and size such that when an article is stored, the article does not easily move in the planar direction or up and down directions relative to the support part 3A.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 7, a substantially cylindrical recess 32 is provided on the bottom surface 34 of the support part 3A, centered on the rotation axis R recessed upward in the Z-axis direction. When the article holder 1 is in an assembled state, the bottom surface 34 abuts against the placement surface 61. During assembly, the auxiliary member 11 of the base part 6 is fitted into the recess 32, thereby centering the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A in the planar direction so that the rotation axis R of the base part 6 and the central axis of the holder main body 2A approximately coincide with each other. The recess 32 and the auxiliary member 11 constitute a positioning mechanism (also referred to as a center positioning mechanism) that performs positioning in the planar direction.

[0052] A radial play is provided between the auxiliary member 11 and an inner surface 321 forming the recess 32 so that the auxiliary member 11 can rotate relative to the recess 32 within the recess 32 during assembly. The inner surface 321 has an inclined surface 321a at an opening end 37 of the recess 32, whereby the opening of the recess 32 widens in a direction opposite to the direction toward the base part 6 (downward in the figure). The provision of the inclined surface 321a helps the auxiliary member 11 to be fitted into the recess 32 quickly, making the assembly work even easier.

[0053] In this embodiment, a recess 32 is provided in holder main body 2A, and auxiliary member 11 is fitted into recess 32, so that after assembly, auxiliary member 11 is built into holder main body 2A in article holder 1A, thereby saving space. The fitting precision (play) is preferably about 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, the support 3A may have a hole 33 that spatially connects the space in the hollow 36 and the space in the recess 32. In a plan view, the size (opening diameter) of the hole 33 is smaller than the size (opening diameter) of the hollow 36. With this configuration, a through hole penetrating in the Z-axis direction is formed in the article holder 1A. When the article holder 1 is applied to the conveying body of a floating linear conveying device, and an article is inserted into the hollow 36 of the support 3A while the article holder 1 is floating from the conveying surface, the air between the support 3A and the article can be evacuated to the outside of the article holder 1 through the through hole, and the article can be held in the correct position within the article holder 1A. In addition, a hole that spatially connects the space in the hollow 36 and the space outside the holder main body 2A may be provided on the side of the holder main body 2A for air venting when the article holder is inserted. When the surface on which the article holder is placed is the surface of a plate-like member or the surface of a conveyor, air venting can be performed well with this configuration.

[0055] <Relationship between the first protrusion and the first positioning guide and the second protrusion and the second positioning guide> In the present embodiment, the combination of the positioning guide and the protrusion that will be paired during assembly of the article holder 1A is predetermined. A pair of a first protrusion and a first positioning guide is referred to as a first pair, and a pair of a second protrusion and a second positioning guide is referred to as a second pair.

[0056] In order to prevent assembly errors and thus to hold the container held by the article holder in the correct position, it is preferable to configure the combination of the positioning guide and the protrusion that will pair during assembly to be predetermined, as in this embodiment. For example, depending on the shape of the container (article shape) to be held, there is a demand to keep the orientation of the container shape (i.e., the jig body) constant with respect to the conveying direction of the article holder. FIG. 12 shows an example of another article holder 1F. The article holder 1F has the same basic configuration as the above-mentioned article holder 1A, and includes a conveying plate 600F and a holder body 2F. Unlike the article holder 1A, the article holder 1F is configured such that both the first protrusion 4F and the second protrusion 5F of the holder body 2F can be inserted into both the first positioning guide 7F and the second positioning guide 8F, and assembly is possible regardless of the combination of the protrusions and the positioning guides. The container 21F to be held has a columnar shape with a substantially semicircular cross section, and has a side surface consisting of a flat surface 23 and a curved surface. The hollow shape of the support part 3F is shaped to match the shape of the container 21F to be held. The support portion 3F is shaped so that when the holder body 2F is rotated 180° on the placement surface 61, the opening shape of the support portion 3F in plan view does not match the shape before the rotation. As shown in FIG. 12(A), it is assumed that the orientation of container 21F (that is, the orientation of holder main body 2F) needs to be aligned so that flat surface 23 of container 21F is on the transport direction side of article holder 1F. The article holder 1F can be assembled regardless of the combination of protrusions and positioning guides, and can therefore be assembled by inserting the first protrusion 4F into the second positioning guide 8F and the second protrusion 5F into the first positioning guide 7F, as shown in Fig. 12(B). In this case, the orientation of the product 20 (i.e., the orientation of the holder main body 2F) is such that the flat surface 23 is on the side opposite the conveyance direction of the article holder 1F. For this reason, if the orientation of the container needs to be constant relative to the conveyance direction of the article holder, the assembly shown in Fig. 12(B) will be an assembly error.

[0057] In this embodiment, in order to prevent the above-mentioned assembly errors, a pair of a positioning guide and a protrusion that will be paired during assembly is determined in advance. In this embodiment, a protrusion and a positioning guide that belong to at least one of the multiple pairs are configured to be distinguishable from a protrusion and a positioning guide that belong to another pair (configuration 1), a configuration that allows physical assembly only when the combination is correct (configuration 2), and a configuration that shows at a glance that the assembly is incorrect when assembled in an incorrect arrangement position (configuration 3). It is preferable to adopt at least one of configurations 1 to 3. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of assembly errors and to assemble the holder body in a correct position with respect to the conveying direction. When a container is conveyed using such an article holder, the orientation of the container can be made constant with respect to the conveying direction, and the container can be arranged so that the orientation of the container in the work area is correct, thereby preventing the occurrence of work defects and the like. From the viewpoint of preventing assembly errors, when assembling a holder body to a base part, the opening shape of the support part in a plan view when rotated 180° on the placement surface does not match the shape before rotation, it is preferable to adopt at least one of the above configurations 1 to 3.

[0058] The above-mentioned configuration 1 will be described. As described above, the height dimension of the first positioning guide 7 is smaller than the height dimension of the second positioning guide 8, and is therefore distinguishable from the outside. In addition, the height dimension of the first protrusion 4 is smaller than the width dimension of the second protrusion 5, and is therefore distinguishable from the outside. Therefore, during assembly, it is possible to ascertain at a glance that the first positioning guide 7 and the first protrusion 4, both of which are high in height, form a pair (first pair), and the second positioning guide 8 and the second protrusion 5, both of which are low in height, form a pair (second pair). As a result, during assembly, the holder body 2 can be positioned in the removable area 12 of the base 6 in the correct position, and the assembly work can be performed quickly without assembly errors.

[0059] In this embodiment, as an example of a method of distinguishing the appearance, the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 are distinguished, and the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 are distinguished by changing the shape of the positioning guide and the protrusion, specifically by changing the height. In addition to this, or instead of this, a mark (picture, letter, number, etc.) that can be distinguished on the appearance may be used as a method of distinguishing the appearance. For example, a mark "A" may be printed on the upper surface of the positioning guide and the protrusion that constitute the first set, and a mark "B" may be printed on the upper surface of the positioning guide and the protrusion that constitute the second set. This makes it possible to distinguish the two positioning guides from each other, and also makes it possible to distinguish the two protrusions from each other. Furthermore, by pairing the objects with the mark A, it is possible to easily grasp the paired positioning guides and protrusions, and to quickly perform the assembly work. It is also possible to give a mark that can be distinguished on the appearance only to the positioning guide and the protrusion that belong to one of the multiple sets. In this case, it is sufficient to position the holder main body 2A on the placement surface 61 so that the protrusion with a mark moves clockwise or counterclockwise to a positioning guide with the same mark, and the assembly work can be performed quickly and without assembly errors.

[0060] In this way, by making the protrusions and positioning guides belonging to at least one of the multiple sets visually distinguishable from the protrusions and positioning guides belonging to other sets (configuration 1), it is easy to see from the outside which positioning guides are paired with which protrusions.

[0061] The above-mentioned configuration 2 will be described. In this embodiment, as described above, the height dimension h1 of the first space S1 of the first positioning guide 7 into which the first protrusion 4 is inserted is smaller than the height dimension h2 of the second space S2 of the second positioning guide 8 into which the second protrusion 5 is inserted. In addition, the height dimension of the first protrusion 4 is smaller than the width dimension of the second protrusion 5. Both the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 have a lower surface that abuts against the arrangement surface 61 when the holder main body 2A is arranged on the base part 6. The first positioning guide 7 is provided with a first space S1 having a height dimension h1 that is larger by a play than the height dimension of the first protrusion 4 (a dimension in the Z-axis direction, corresponding to the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface). The second positioning guide 8 is provided with a second space S2 having a height dimension h2 that is larger by a play than the height dimension of the second protrusion 5 (a dimension in the Z-axis direction, corresponding to the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface). The height dimension of the second protrusion 5 is larger than the height dimension of the first space S1. For this reason, if, during assembly, the holder main body 2 is mistakenly placed on the base part 6 in such an arrangement that the second protrusion 5 is inserted into the first space S1, even if the holder main body 2 is rotated relative to the base part 6, the second protrusion 5 cannot be inserted into the first space S1 because the height is not correct, and the first positioning guide 7 and the second positioning guide 8 are each unable to regulate the position of the non-corresponding protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation axis R. Therefore, assembly is only possible when the combination of the mating protrusion and positioning guide is correct. In this way, by configuring the protrusion and the positioning guide so that assembly is physically impossible when the combination is incorrect, and assembly is physically possible only when the combination is correct (configuration 2), it is possible to prevent assembly errors from occurring.

[0062] In this embodiment, both the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 have a lower surface that abuts against the arrangement surface 61, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the holder main body is arranged on the base, one protrusion may have a lower surface that abuts against the arrangement surface, and the other protrusion may have a lower surface that is separated from the arrangement surface. That is, the Z-axis direction positions of the bottom surface of the first protrusion and the bottom surface of the second protrusion may be different. The heights of the two protrusions may be the same or different. Even in this case, the first positioning guide may be provided with a first space into which the first protrusion is inserted, the first space having a height dimension larger than the height dimension of the first protrusion by a play, and the second positioning guide may be provided with a second space into which the second protrusion is inserted, the second space having a height dimension larger than the height dimension of the second protrusion by a play. The space into which the protrusion, whose lower surface is spaced apart from the arrangement surface, is inserted can be formed as a recess provided on the side surface of the corresponding positioning guide, and the recess has an inner surface with which the bottom surface of the protrusion, which is spaced apart from the arrangement surface, substantially abuts, and the arrangement surface does not contribute to the formation of the recess (space). Even in this form, physical assembly is possible only when the combination of the protrusion and the positioning guide is correct, and the occurrence of assembly errors can be prevented.

[0063] In addition, the configuration that allows physical assembly only when the combination of the protrusions and the positioning guides is correct is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the length of each of the two protrusions along the radial direction from the end face (third surface) of the protrusion to the rotation axis may be different, and the length of each of the two positioning guides along the radial direction from the third guide surface to the rotation axis may be different. With such a configuration, even if the height dimensions of the two protrusions are the same and the height dimensions of the spaces of the two positioning guides are also the same, a protrusion that does not correspond to the space of the positioning guide cannot be inserted, and the two positioning guides cannot regulate the position of the non-corresponding protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation axis R.

[0064] The above-mentioned configuration 3 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the width w1 of the first protrusion 4 is wider than the width w2 of the second protrusion 5. The width w1 of the first protrusion 4 is approximately the same as the width 75 of the first space S1 of the first positioning guide 7, and the width w2 of the second protrusion 5 is approximately the same as the width 85 of the second space S2 of the second positioning guide 8. Therefore, when fixed, as shown in Fig. 6(A), in a plan view, the tip portion of the first protrusion 4 is covered by the first positioning guide 7, and the tip portion of the second protrusion 5 is covered by the second positioning guide 8, and the tip portions of the respective protrusions cannot be recognized.

[0065] If the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 have the same height and are configured so that both the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 can be inserted into the first space S1 and the second space S2, it is preferable to make the width w1 of the first protrusion 4 larger than the width 85 of the second space S2, as in this embodiment. With this configuration, even if the first protrusion 4 is mistakenly inserted into the second space S2 during assembly, the tip of the first protrusion 4 protrudes from the second positioning guide 8 in a plan view, so that it can be immediately recognized that it has been assembled in an incorrect position. In this way, the sizes of the protrusions and spaces may be changed for each set, so that when the set is assembled in an incorrect position, it is immediately obvious that the assembly is incorrect (configuration 3).

[0066] In the present embodiment, an example has been given of article holder 1A in which the combination of the positioning guide and the protrusion that will be paired at the time of assembly is predetermined, but it may be configured such that it is not predetermined, as in article holder 1F shown in Fig. 12. With such a configuration, there is no need to check the arrangement position of the protrusion when placing holder main body 2 on base part 6 at the time of assembly.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the article holder 1A includes a center positioning mechanism constituted by auxiliary member 11 and recessed portion 32, and third guide surfaces 73 and 83, as a regulating portion for regulating the position of the holder main body 2A in a planar direction on arrangement surface 61, but a configuration in which only the center positioning mechanism is provided without providing the third guide surface is also possible. Also, only the third guide surfaces 73 and 83 may be provided without providing a center positioning mechanism. From the viewpoint of further improving the positioning accuracy in the planar direction between the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A, it is preferable to provide at least a center positioning mechanism, and it is more preferable to provide both a center positioning mechanism and the third guide surface. Incidentally, a configuration may be adopted in which no restricting portion for restricting the position in the planar direction is provided.

[0068] <How to assemble and disassemble the article holder> A method for assembling and disassembling the article holder 1A will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Assembly and disassembly may be performed manually or automatically. When performed automatically, one of the conveying plate 600 including the holder main body 2A and the base part 6 is grasped by, for example, a robot or the like, and the other is rotated (spinned) about the rotation axis R, thereby assembling the holder main body 2 to the base part 6 (assembly) or removing the holder main body 2 from the base part 6 (disassembly). When performing assembly and disassembly automatically, for example, a floating linear conveying device as given in the application example described later may be used. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, an assembly method and disassembly method will be described together with the effects achieved by configuring the article holder as described above.

[0069] [Assembly method] As shown in Figs. 9(A) and (B), the holder body 2A is moved in the Z-axis direction and placed on the placement surface 61 of the base 6. According to the combination of the protrusions and the positioning guides grasped from the heights of the protrusions and the positioning guides, the first positioning guide 7 is located at the tip of the arrow direction of the first arrow mark 16 provided on the first protrusion 4, the second positioning guide 8 is located at the tip of the arrow direction of the second arrow mark 17 provided on the second protrusion 5, and the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 are located in the removable area 12. At this time, the auxiliary member 11 is fitted into the recess 32 of the holder body 2A to perform positioning in the planar direction. In this embodiment, in addition to the center positioning mechanism, the radial position can be adjusted by the third guide surfaces 73 and 83. Next, the knob 91 of the index plunger 9 is pulled up to retract the pin 92, and the knob 91 is rotated to maintain this state and fix the position of the pin 92. Incidentally, the holder main body 2A may be moved in the Z-axis direction onto the placement surface 61 of the base portion 6, and the knob 91 may be pulled up to retract the pin 92 of the index plunger 9 before placement.

[0070] Next, as shown in Figure 9 (C), the holder body 2A is rotated clockwise around the rotation axis R relative to the base portion 6 in accordance with the arrow directions of the arrow marks 16 and 17, and the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 are moved from the removable area 12 to the non-removable area 13 and inserted into the first space S1 and the second space S2.

[0071] When inserted, the first surfaces 41 and 51 approximately abut against the first guide surfaces 71 and 81, respectively, and the first guide surfaces 71 and 81 regulate the positions of the protrusions 4 and 5 in the extension direction of the rotation axis R, thereby positioning the holder main body 2A relative to the base portion 6 in the extension direction of the rotation axis R (Z-axis direction, up-down direction). Furthermore, during insertion, the third surfaces 43 and 53 approximately abut against the third guide surfaces 73 and 83, respectively, and the radial positions of the protrusions 4 and 5 are regulated by the third guide surfaces 73 and 83, thereby determining the radial positioning of the holder main body 2A relative to the base portion 6.

[0072] As the rotation continues, the second surfaces 42 and 52 of the protrusion 4 substantially abut against the second guide surfaces 72 and 82, which in turn restrict the clockwise rotational movement of the protrusion 4 and, ultimately, its position.

[0073] With the pin 92 of the index plunger 9 retracted, the base portion 6 and the holder body 2 are rotated relative to each other until the second surface 42 substantially abuts against the second guide surface 72. When the position of the first protrusion 4 in the clockwise rotational direction is restricted by the second guide surface 72, the knob 91 of the index plunger 9 is rotated to release the pulled-up state (state in which the pin 92 is retracted), causing the pin 92 to protrude, the pin 92 is inserted into the hole 44, and the knob 91 is rotated to fix the position of the pin 92. Furthermore, when the second protrusion 5 is inserted into the second space S2, a lateral load is applied to the ball 10a of the ball plunger 10 due to the movement of the second protrusion 5, and the ball 10a sinks into the ball plunger body. When the second protrusion 5 moves until the second surface 52 substantially abuts against the second guide surface 82, the hole 54 is positioned below the ball 10a, the load applied to the ball 10a is released, and the ball 10a protrudes from the ball plunger body and fits into the hole 54.

[0074] In this manner, the base portion 6 and the holder main body 2A are positioned in planar directions including the vertical, radial and rotational directions by the protrusions, positioning guides and central positioning mechanism, and then fixed together by two fixing parts (index plunger 9 and ball plunger 10), thereby assembling the article holder 1A.

[0075] In the article holder 1A of this embodiment, positioning guides 7 and 8 are provided having spaces 1S and 2S into which protrusions 4 and 5 are inserted, and the positioning guides 7 and 8 have first guide surfaces 71 and 81 and second guide surfaces 72 and 82, allowing assembly while being positioned in the vertical and rotational directions, and facilitating assembly of the holder main body 2A and the base portion 6.

[0076] Furthermore, in the article holder 1A, the tip portion of the first protrusion 4 (second protrusion 5) of the holder main body 2A is positioned within the first space S1 (second space S2), and the tip portion is held in a state covered by the first positioning guide 7 (second positioning guide 8). Therefore, even if an impact is applied to article holder 1A, for example, first guide surfaces 71 and 81 restrict vertical (Z-axis) movement of protrusions 4 and 5, and second guide surfaces 72 and 82 restrict rotational movement of protrusions 4 and 5, restricting vertical and rotational movement of holder main body 2A relative to base 6. This maintains the vertical and rotational positions of base 6 and holder main body 2A after assembly. When such an article holder 1A is used, for example, as a carrier that holds and transports articles, the holder main body 2A is prevented from shifting in the Z-axis direction (up and down) and rotational direction relative to the base portion 6 due to collisions between article holders or vibrations during transportation.

[0077] The article holder may also include a center positioning mechanism and / or a third guide surface that regulates its position in a planar direction. By providing a center positioning mechanism as in the article holder 1A of this embodiment, the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A do not shift in position in the planar direction during assembly, making the assembly work easier. Furthermore, since the center positioning mechanism has an auxiliary member 11 of the base part 6 built into the recess 32 of the holder main body 2A, even if an impact is applied to the article holder 1A after assembly, the holder main body 2A is less likely to shift in position in the planar direction relative to the base part 6, and the planar positions of the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A after assembly are more favorably maintained. By providing a third guide surface as in the article holder 1A of this embodiment, assembly can be performed while positioning in the radial direction in addition to the vertical and rotational directions, making it even easier to assemble the holder main body 2A and the base part 6. Furthermore, even if an impact is applied to the assembled article holder 1A, the holder main body 2A is less likely to shift in position in the radial direction relative to the base part 6, and the planar positions of the base part 6 and the holder main body 2A after assembly can be more satisfactorily maintained.

[0078] Furthermore, in the article holder 1A, the base portion 6 and the holder main body 2A are fixed in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) by the fixing parts (index plunger 9 and ball plunger 10), thereby further suppressing misalignment of the holder main body 2A relative to the base portion 6 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) and in the planar direction.

[0079] [Disassembly method] 1, knob 91 of index plunger 9 of article holder 1 after assembly is pulled up to retract pin 92, and knob 91 is rotated to maintain this state and fix the position of knob 91. This releases the fixation of base part 6 and holder main body 2A by index plunger 9.

[0080] Next, one of the base portion 6 and the holder main body 2A is fixed, and the other is rotated around the rotation axis R. The holder main body 2A rotates counterclockwise relative to the base portion 6. As a result, the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 that were in the non-removable area 13 are moved to the removable area 12. At this time, a lateral load is applied to the ball 10a of the ball plunger 10 by the movement of the second protrusion 5, and the ball 10a is released from the hole 54. After that, the ball 10a is caused to sink into the ball plunger main body by the first surface 51 of the second protrusion 5, and the fixation by the ball plunger 10 is released.

[0081] After the first protrusion 4 and the second protrusion 5 have moved to the removable area 12, the holder main body 2A is lifted in the Z-axis direction and separated from the base part 6, and the holder main body 2A is removed from the base part 6.

[0082] <Additional explanation of other examples of item holders> As shown in Figs. 11(A) to (E), the article holder 1 has different internal shapes of the support portion 3 of the holder body 2 depending on the shape of the article to be held. All of the article holders 1A to 1E can be constructed using a conveying plate 600 having the same base portion 6. All of the holder bodies 2A to 2E have the same first and second protrusions 4 and 5, and the combination of the positioning guide and the protrusions that will be paired when assembled is predetermined for all of the article holders 1A to 1E. All of the article holders 1A to 1E are constructed so that the base and the holder body are fixed using the same fixing parts (index plunger 9 and ball plunger 10). Although not shown, the bottom surfaces of the holder bodies 2B to 2E are provided with recesses into which the auxiliary members 11 of the base portion 6 are fitted, similar to the holder body 2A.

[0083] In the outer shape of the article holders 1A to 1D, the bottoms of the support parts 3A to 3D protrude outward around the entire circumference more than other parts of the support parts 3A to 3D, and protrusions 4, 5 are also formed. With this configuration, the thickness of parts other than the bottoms can be made thinner, enabling weight reduction and material savings while ensuring strength. Note that the support parts 3A to 3D do not need to have a shape with a step between the bottoms and other parts on the outer side, but may have a shape with no step on the outer side, like support part 3E of holder main body 2E of article holder 1E shown in Fig. 11(E).

[0084] <Application Examples> The above-mentioned article holder 1 may be used as a carrier transported by a floating linear transport device (hereinafter referred to as the "transport device"). The transport device is a floating linear transport device that uses magnetic levitation type linear transport technology to levitate an object (the article holder in this embodiment) in the air by magnetic force. The transport device has a transport stage, a plurality of article holders 1 as carriers, and a control device.

[0085] The transport stage having the transport surface is configured by combining one or more segments each of which is supplied with electric power to generate a magnetic force. The transport stage may generate a magnetic force without relying on electric power.

[0086] A conveying plate 600 having a base portion 6 of the article holder 1 is provided with a plurality of magnets (permanent magnets) inside a conveying plate body 60. The conveying stage generates a magnetic force, and through interaction with the plurality of magnets, the article holder 1 is levitated from the conveying stage and moved on the conveying stage. The conveying path of the article holder 1 is controlled by a control circuit. The conveying stage may move the article holder 1 by changing the strength or polarity of the magnetic force generated by the stage, or a combination of these.

[0087] The article holder 1 floats in a normal direction to the conveying surface of the conveying stage. Typically, the article holder 1 floats from the conveying surface so that the conveying plate 600 is horizontal, but it is also possible to tilt the conveying plate 600 with respect to the horizontal direction. In the article holder 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the positioning guides 7 and 8 prevent the holder main body 2 from shifting from the conveying plate 600, so that even if the conveying plate 600 is tilted, the holder main body 2 is unlikely to shift from the conveying plate 600, and since the article is supported by the cylindrical support portion 3, it is possible to effectively prevent the article from shifting on the article holder 1.

[0088] By lifting the article holder 1 above the conveying surface and tilting the conveying plate 600 relative to the horizontal direction, the position of the held article can be changed. For example, when the container held by the article holder 1 is transported by a transport device to a filling work area where the contents are filled into the container from a filling port and the filling operation into the container is performed while maintaining the holding by the article holder 1, depending on the shape of the filling nozzle, the posture of the filling nozzle, etc., the container can be tilted obliquely and adjusted to a posture in which the orientation of the filling port is slightly oblique from the vertical direction. Also, for each of the products 20B to 20D shown in FIGS. 11(A) to (D), an example where the orientation of the filling port is in the vertical direction while being held by the article holder has been given. However, for example, when holding a product in which a filling port facing obliquely to the vertical direction is arranged near a corner at the upper part of the container with the article holder 1, by tilting the article holder 1 in the filling operation of such a product, etc., the orientation of the filling port of the held article can be made vertical, and the filling nozzle can be inserted vertically into the filling port to fill the contents.

[0089] Further, when using the article holder as a carrier of a floating linear transport device and floating the article holder, it is preferable to provide a plurality of sets of a combination of a positioning guide and a protrusion as in the article holder of the present embodiment, and the plurality of sets are provided at substantially equal intervals along the rotational direction. By adopting such a configuration, the center of gravity of the article holder and the center of the article holder in plan view can be made to substantially coincide, and it is easy to transport the article in a stable posture. Also, for example, when performing an operation of attaching a lid to the filling port of a container filled with contents and tightening the lid with a transport device, the lid can be tightened by rotating (spinning) the article holder holding the container while fixing the position of the lid in its planar direction and moving it downward. In this way, when rotating (spinning) the article holder in a floating state without changing the position in the planar direction of the rotation axis, by making the center of gravity of the article holder and the rotation axis of the article holder substantially coincide, a more stable rotation becomes possible, and as a result, operations such as tightening the lid can be stably performed without occurrence of defects. Incidentally, when the mass of each set is different, the distance from the rotation axis R to the set and / or the arrangement interval in the rotational direction may be finely adjusted so that the center of gravity of the article holder and the rotation axis substantially coincide.

[0090] By using the article holder 1 of the present invention as a transport body in this manner, it becomes easy to adjust the position of the article held and transported by the article holder 1 to a desired position at the destination (work area).

[0091] [Method of assembling and disassembling an article holder using a floating linear transport device] The assembly and disassembly of the article holder may be performed automatically using a floating linear transport device, in which the transport plate 600 equipped with magnets can be rotated (spinned) in a floating state without changing the position in the planar direction of the rotation axis. For example, in assembling the article holder 1, only the conveying plate 600 on which the holder main body 2 is not placed is conveyed in a floating manner to the assembly work area, and in the assembly work area, the holder main body 2 held by a robot hand is placed on the placement surface 61 of the conveying plate 600, and the floating conveying plate 600 with the holder main body 2 fixed by the robot hand is rotated counterclockwise (spins on its own axis) to change from an unfixed state to a fixed state, and the holder main body 2 can be assembled to the conveying plate 600. On the other hand, when disassembling the item holder 1, the item holder 1 is transported in a floating manner to a disassembly work area, where the holder main body 2 is grasped by a robot hand and, while keeping its position fixed, the floating transport plate 600 is rotated (spins) clockwise to change the state from a fixed state to an unfixed state, and the holder main body 2 is separated from the transport plate 600, allowing it to be disassembled.

[0092] Furthermore, when assembling and disassembling, the knob 91 of the index plunger 9 is raised and lowered, and the knob 91 may be raised and lowered by a robot hand.

[0093] Although an example has been given here of assembly and disassembly by rotating (spinning) the conveying plate 600, assembly and disassembly may also be performed by fixing the position of the conveying plate 600 and controlling the robot hand that grasps the holder body 2 to rotate the holder body 2, or the rotation (spinning) of the conveying plate 600 and the rotation of the holder body by control of the robot hand may be combined.

[0094] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0095] For example, in the above embodiment, the support part that mainly supports the rigid container and the product using the container is a cylindrical support part having a hollow part, but the shape of the support part is not limited to this. For example, a support part that supports only both sides of the pouch may be used as a support part that supports a container made of a flexible material such as a pouch. Even in such a form, protrusions (e.g., first protrusion 4, second protrusion 5) that protrude outward from the support part can be provided. By supporting only both sides of the pouch with the support parts, the container (pouch) can change its shape so that it swells without being interfered with by the support parts even when the contents are filled.

[0096] In the above, an example was given in which the filling port used when filling the product with the contents is used as the pouring outlet when the contents are discharged when the product is in use, but this is not limited to this, and the filling port and the pouring outlet may be separate products. For example, in the manufacture of a corner spout product having a spout (pouring port) that is oriented obliquely to the vertical direction near the corner of the top of the container, an opening in an unsealed part may be provided in the top of the container (pouch) and used as the filling port, and the product may be manufactured by sealing the opening in the unsealed part after filling. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E...Object holder 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E...Holder body 3, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E...Support part 31...bottom 32...Recess (constituting the regulating portion together with the auxiliary member) 4...First protrusion (protrusion) 5…Second protrusion (protrusion) 6…Base 7...First positioning guide (fixing member, positioning guide) 71…First guide surface 72…Second guide surface 73...Third guide surface (regulating part) 8...Second positioning guide (fixing member, positioning guide) 81…First guide surface 82…Second guide surface 83...Third guide surface (regulating portion) 11...Auxiliary member (constituting the restriction portion together with the recess) 12…Removable area 13…Non-removable area 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D…Products (articles) 21, 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21F…Container (article) 61...Placement surface (top surface) C: Virtual circle R…Rotation axis S1…first space (space) S2…Second space (space)

Claims

1. An article holder comprising: a base portion having a placement surface and a fixing member provided on the placement surface; and a holder main body arranged on the placement surface, The fixing member is composed of at least two positioning guides, The holder body is A support portion that supports an article; protrusions, each of which corresponds to one of the positioning guides, protruding radially outward from a central axis at a bottom of the support; having the central axis is aligned with a rotation axis set perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and the holder main body is arranged on the arrangement surface; and the holder main body and the base part are rotated relative to each other about the rotation axis, thereby enabling assembly in which the holder main body is attached to the base part, and disassembly in which the holder main body is removed from the base part, The positioning guide is a first guide surface that regulates a position of the protrusion in an extension direction of the rotation shaft during assembly; a second guide surface that regulates the position of the protrusion in the relative rotation direction during assembly; The corresponding protrusion has a space into which it can be inserted, the space between the positioning guides is provided on the circumference of a virtual circle having the rotation axis as a center, the base portion has a non-removable region in which movement of the protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation shaft is restricted by the first guide surface and a removable region in which movement of the protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation shaft is not restricted by the first guide surface, The holder body is configured to be movable between the non-removable area and the removable area by the relative rotation. Article holder.

2. The holder body may further include a restricting portion that restricts a position of the holder body in a planar direction on the placement surface.

2. The article holder according to claim 1.

3. the positioning guide includes a third guide surface that regulates a radial position of the protrusion with respect to the virtual circle and forms the space together with the first guide surface and the second guide surface, The restriction portion includes the third guide surface.

3. The article holder according to claim 2.

4. The holder body further has a recess on a bottom surface thereof, the recess being centered on the central axis, The base portion further includes an auxiliary member that protrudes from the arrangement surface and fits into the recess during assembly, and that constitutes a positioning mechanism together with the recess, The regulating portion includes the positioning mechanism.

4. The article holder according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The corresponding positioning guides and the corresponding protrusions are provided at equal intervals along the relative rotation direction. The article holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. the base portion has a first positioning guide and a second positioning guide as the positioning guides, the holder body has, as the protrusions, a first protrusion and a second protrusion corresponding to the first positioning guide and the second positioning guide, respectively; the first positioning guide regulates a position of the first protrusion in an extension direction of the rotation shaft, and the second positioning guide regulates a position of the second protrusion in an extension direction of the rotation shaft, The first positioning guide and the second positioning guide are each unable to regulate the position of a corresponding protrusion in the extension direction of the rotation shaft. The article holder according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The placement surface is an upper surface of a conveying plate body constituting a floating linear conveying device. The article holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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