Container transfer device

Abstract

To provide a container transfer device with a simple configuration capable of transferring a container to a post process in a different orientation.SOLUTION: A container transfer device transfers a container C which is held in an upright state with the front and back aligned in a bucket of a bucket conveyor 14, to a discharge conveyor 18 by transfer means. The transfer means defines a predetermined section of a pair of spans adjacent to a pulley 14B of the bucket conveyor 14 as a container delivery section S, and when transferring the container C facing one of the front or the back, holds the container C on one span, and when transferring the container C facing the other of the front or the back, holds the container C on the other span and transfers the same to the discharge conveyor 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a container transfer device for transferring a container to a subsequent process.

Background Art

[0002] In a container transfer device for transferring a container filled with contents and capped to a discharge conveyor for horizontal pillow packaging on the downstream side, a gripping means grips a container in an upright posture and transfers it to a container posture changing means. After the container posture changing means changes the upright posture container to a horizontal posture, a device in which the gripping means transfers to the discharge conveyor is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In such a device, the front and back of the container are always conveyed in an aligned state.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] On the other hand, depending on the processing performed in the subsequent process, there are cases where it is required to discharge the container from the discharge conveyor with the front and back of the container, such as the surface to which the label is attached, reversed according to the type of container or product to be handled. In order to discharge from the discharge conveyor with different faces facing, a mechanism for changing the orientation of the container according to the orientation required in the subsequent process is required for the transfer means for transferring the container to the discharge conveyor. Such a mechanism complicates the structure of the device and increases the cost.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a container transfer device capable of transferring a container to a subsequent process in different orientations with a simple configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The container transfer device according to the first invention of the present invention includes a transport conveyor that holds and transports a plurality of containers in an upright state with their front and back aligned along an endless circulation transport path, and a transfer means for transferring the containers held by the transport conveyor to a discharge conveyor. The transport conveyor is composed of a pair of straight portions and an arcuate curved portion connecting the straight portions. When transferring a container facing either the front or the back, the transfer means holds the container on one of the straight portions, and when transferring a container facing the other side, it holds the container on the other straight portion and transfers it to the discharge conveyor.

[0007] The container transfer device according to the second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the container is a squeeze container, and the transfer means transfers the upright container by turning it over and transferring it to the discharge conveyor.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a container transfer device capable of transferring containers to a subsequent process in different orientations with a simple configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a partial arrangement of a container transport device to which a container transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0011] The container conveying device 10 of the present embodiment is a device that conveys a container C on which filling, capping, labeling, etc. of the contents have been performed to a device that performs post - processes such as horizontal pillow packaging. The container C that has been filled, capped, and labeled by upstream fillers, cappers, labelers, etc. is delivered to a bucket conveyor (a conveyor having an endless circulation track) 14 via a carry - in wheel 12, transferred from the bucket conveyor 14 to a tipping device 17A by a transfer device 16, changed from an upright state to a tipped - over state by the tipping device 17A, and then transferred to a discharge conveyor 18 by a discharge device 17B, and sent out to a post - process such as horizontal pillow packaging via the discharge conveyor 18. In the present embodiment, the transfer means for transferring the container C to the discharge conveyor 18 is composed of a transfer device 16, a tipping device 17A, and a discharge device 17B.

[0012] In the container conveying device 10, different types of containers with different shapes, materials, dimensions, etc. are handled. Here, a squeeze container filled with a content such as sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, etc. will be described as an example, but the target container is not limited to this. Also, it is not limited to a container that has been filled, capped, and labeled by upstream fillers, cappers, labelers, etc., and for example, a container on which labeling is performed on the downstream side may be used. The carry - in wheel 12 is supplied with the container C with the front and back aligned in an upright state. The bucket conveyor 14 includes a timing belt 20 wound around a pair of pulleys 14A and 14B that are rotationally driven around a vertical axis. On the outer side of the timing belt 20, a large number of buckets 15 (see FIG. 2) for accommodating the container C along the outer circumference are provided at a predetermined interval. One of the pulleys 14A and 14B is driven by, for example, a servo motor 14M, and a pair of spans (linear portions) of the timing belt 20 are arranged in parallel along the X direction. In the present embodiment, a right - hand orthogonal coordinate system XYZ with the span direction from pulley 14A to pulley 14B as the X coordinate and the vertically upward direction as the Z coordinate is referred to in each figure.

[0013] One pulley of the bucket conveyor 14 (for example, pulley 14A) is arranged adjacent to the loading wheel 12, and the containers C are transferred from the loading wheel 12 to each bucket 15 of the bucket conveyor 14 in an upright state. A reject device 22 is arranged adjacent to the pulley 14A on the downstream span of the pulley 14A. The reject device 22 discharges the container C determined to be defective by an inspection device (not shown) arranged upstream from the line.

[0014] The discharge conveyor 18 is arranged along a part of one span of the bucket conveyor 14 (along the X direction) adjacent to the pulley 14B. In front of the pulley 14B, a transfer device 16 is arranged so as to cross above both spans from the discharge conveyor 18, and a tipping device 17A and a discharging device 17B are arranged between the bucket conveyor 14 and the discharge conveyor 18.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (YZ cross-sectional view) of the bucket conveyor 14, the transfer device 16, the tipping device 17A, the discharging device 17B, and the discharge conveyor 18 at the position where the container C is transferred from the bucket conveyor 14 to the discharge conveyor 18. The transfer device 16 defines a predetermined section of both spans adjacent to the pulley 14B as a container transfer section S, and includes a plurality of grippers 24 corresponding to the buckets 15 within the section S along the X direction. The gripper 24 extends downward from a gripper holding member 26 that extends along the X direction across the container transfer section S.

[0016] The gripper holding member 26 is supported at the lower end of a vertical support member 28, and the vertical support member 28 is supported so as to be movable up and down along the Z direction with respect to a girder member 30 extending in the X direction. Both ends of the girder member 30 are slidably held by a pair of guide rails 32 extending in the Y direction, and the girder member 30 is reciprocally movable in the Y direction by a linear actuator 34 provided between the guide rails 32. The linear actuator 34 is, for example, a ball screw and is driven by a Y-direction drive motor 34A installed on a fixed frame 16A of the transfer device 16.

[0017] With the above configuration, the digit member 30 can reciprocate within the container transfer section S from a position substantially directly above the overturning device 17A to a position substantially directly above the span on the opposite side of the discharge conveyor 18 passing over the span adjacent to the discharge conveyor 18. As a result, the gripper 24 can move along the guide rail 32 between a first receiving position P1 corresponding to substantially directly above the span on the opposite side of the discharge conveyor 18, a second receiving position P2 corresponding to substantially directly above the span adjacent to the discharge conveyor 18, and a delivery position P3 corresponding to substantially directly above the overturning device 17A. That is, at the first receiving position P1 or the second receiving position P2, the gripper 24 can take out the container C from the bucket 15 within the container transfer section S and transfer it to the overturning device 17A.

[0018] Also, each gripper 24 is supported by the gripper holding member 26 so as to be reciprocally movable along the X direction, and the gripper 24 is integrally reciprocated along the X direction by the X-direction drive motor 26A. That is, in this embodiment, the bucket conveyor 14 is continuously driven, and the gripper 24 can follow the moving bucket 15 and move in the X direction to take out the container C from each bucket 15. The vertical support member 28 can be moved up and down by a Z-direction motor 28A installed on the digit member 30. A pair of left and right frames extending in the Z direction are attached to the digit member 30, and pulleys 36A and 36B are provided at the upper and lower ends of each frame. A pulley 36C is disposed adjacent to the frame near the central portion of each frame, and the pulley 36C is connected to the Z-direction motor 28A via a speed reducer 30A. An endless timing belt is wound around the pulleys 36A, 36B, and 36C, and the vertical support member 28 is attached to the vertical span of the timing belt spanned between the pulleys 36A and 36B. Therefore, when the Z-direction motor 28A is operated and the pulley 36C is rotated forward or backward via the speed reducer 30A, the vertical span of the timing belt is moved upward or downward, and the vertical support member 28 is moved up and down. As a result, the gripper 24 is moved up and down above the first or second receiving position P1, P2 to grip the top of the upright container C and lift the container C from the bucket 15. The lifted container C is moved onto the delivery position P3 and transferred to the overturning device 17A.

[0019] The tilting device 17A includes a mounting table 38 that extends in the X direction and on which a plurality of containers C transferred by the transfer device 16 are placed, and a drive means such as a servo motor 40 that rotates the mounting table 38 by approximately 90 degrees. When the upright container C is placed on the mounting table 38 by the transfer device 16, the servo motor 40 operates to rotate the mounting table 38 by approximately 90 degrees, changing the posture of the container C from the upright state to the overturned state. The plurality of overturned containers C are each gripped at the top by the discharging device 17B and pulled out onto the discharge conveyor 18.

[0020] The discharging device 17B includes a plurality of chucks 42 that grip the top of the overturned container C from both sides, and a moving means 44 that moves the plurality of chucks. When the posture of the upright container C is changed to the overturned state by the tilting device 17A, the plurality of chucks 42 each grip the top of the container C, move toward the discharge conveyor 18 by the moving means 44, and then descend. Thereafter, the chuck 42 is opened, the transfer operation of the container C onto the discharge conveyor 18 is completed, and the container C is sent to a subsequent process such as horizontal pillow packaging via the discharge conveyor 18.

[0021] That is, the container transfer device of the present embodiment receives the container C from the bucket conveyor 14 at either the first receiving position P1 or the second receiving position P2 according to the type and product of the container C, and transfers it onto the discharge conveyor 18 in an overturned state. At this time, at the first receiving position P1 and the second receiving position P2, the orientation of the container C is reversed by 180 degrees through the semi-circular orbit (curved portion on the arc) of the pulley 14B. Therefore, according to which surface of the container C faces upward on the discharge conveyor 18, the position where the gripper 24 receives the container C can be switched between the first receiving position P1 and the second receiving position P2.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the container C with the label L attached to the side surface is transferred onto the discharge conveyor 18 with the label L facing up (FIG. 3(a)) and a state in which the label L is facing down (FIG. 3(b)). The gripper 24 of the transfer device 16 takes out the container C at the first receiving position P1 in FIG. 3(a), for example, and takes out the container C at the second receiving position P2 in FIG. 3(b).

[0023] As described above, according to the container transfer device of the present embodiment, it is possible to transfer the container to the subsequent process in different orientations with a simple configuration.

[0024] In this embodiment, the containers are continuously conveyed, but they may be conveyed intermittently. Further, in this embodiment, the transfer means is composed of a transfer device, a tilting device, and a discharge device, but the transfer device may have a mechanism for tilting the container received from the bucket conveyor. In this case, the tilting device and the discharge device are not required, and depending on the type of container and product, the transfer device receives the upright container from the bucket conveyor at either the first receiving position or the second receiving position, and while moving toward the discharge conveyor or after moving onto the discharge conveyor, for example, rotates the gripper holding member by 90 degrees to change the posture of the container from the upright state to the tilted state and places it on the discharge conveyor. Also, in this embodiment, the discharge conveyor conveys the container in the tilted state, but for example, it may be configured to convey the container in the upright state by putting the container into a hakama or the like. In this case, the tilting device and the discharge device are not required, and depending on the type of container and product, the transfer device receives the upright container from the bucket conveyor at either the first receiving position or the second receiving position and moves it onto the discharge conveyor, and directly places it on the discharge conveyor or puts it into the hakama. Also in this case, the orientation of the upright container is reversed according to the position (the first or second receiving position) where the container is received.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0025] 10 Container conveying device 12 Loading wheel 14 Bucket conveyor (conveying conveyor) 15 Buckets 16 Transfer Device (Transfer Means) 17A Inversion Device (Transfer Means) 17B Discharge Device (Transfer Means) 18 Discharge Conveyor 34 Linear Actuator C Container L Label P1 First Receiving Position P2 Second Receiving Position P3 Delivery Position

Claims

1. A container transfer device comprising: a transfer conveyor that holds and transfers a plurality of containers with their front and backs aligned in an upright position along an endless circulating transfer path; and a transfer means that transfers the containers held on the transfer conveyor to a discharge conveyor, The transport conveyor is composed of a pair of straight sections and an arc-shaped curved section connecting the straight sections, The transfer means holds the container on one of the straight sections when transferring a container facing either the front or back, and holds the container on the other straight section when transferring a container facing the other way and transfers it to the discharge conveyor. A container transfer device characterized by the above.

2. 2. The container transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the container is a squeeze container, and the transfer means transfers the container from an upright position onto the discharge conveyor by turning it over.

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