Container alignment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a container alignment apparatus in which downsizing is attained as a simple construction, and which can suppress a situation where containers get stuck inside the apparatus and lock up.SOLUTION: The inside of a frame body into which bottle-shaped containers B to be aligned are inserted is equipped with plural bar-shaped rotating bodies 3 each provided with a clearance through which only one bottle-shaped container B with a bottle axis aligned in desired one direction can pass and by which the bottle-shaped container B can be supported by being hung on the adjacent two bottles, and which are supported so as to rotate along the desired one direction in a plan view. In each bar-shaped rotating body 3, a rod body 4 is formed with a spirally oblique protrusion 6 on its outer periphery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container alignment device for aligning bottle-shaped containers supplied in random orientations and transporting them downstream. [Background technology]

[0002] In processes such as filling bottle-shaped containers with a filling material through their openings, the bottle-shaped containers must be aligned with their openings facing upward. Before randomly oriented bottle-shaped containers can be aligned upright with their openings facing upward, the bottle-shaped containers may be placed on a conveyor, with their openings facing the same direction, and then placed sideways to adjust their orientation.

[0003] Various methods and devices have been proposed for adjusting the orientation of containers on a conveyor, including a method and device (see Patent Documents 1 and 2) in which a plate-shaped guide is provided on the conveyor so as to cross the conveyor at an angle to the direction of travel, and containers being transported on the conveyor come into contact with the guide to adjust the orientation of the containers.

[0004] However, the objects of orientation regulation in Patent Document 1 are containers with an approximately rectangular cross section, while in Patent Document 2 they are containers that are rectangular or oval in plan view, and even if the methods and devices for regulating the alignment direction of these containers are immediately used on bottle-shaped containers, the effect of orientation regulation cannot be obtained.

[0005] Furthermore, in the method of bringing containers transported on a conveyor into contact with a plate-shaped guide to regulate the alignment direction of the containers, even if the containers are once aligned in the desired position, they may not be able to maintain that position and may even rotate. Therefore, a separate mechanism for maintaining the aligned position is required, which complicates the device configuration and increases the overall cost of the device.

[0006] Furthermore, if the alignment direction of bottle-shaped containers is regulated by the speed of the bottle-shaped containers being transported on the conveyor and their repeated contact with the guide, it is easy to imagine that if the bottle-shaped containers are made of a thin resin film or have been shrink-wrapped, the bottle containers being transported could become dented, scratched, or the shrink wrap could break.

[0007] Therefore, the applicant of the present application has previously developed a container orientation alignment device that can align the orientation of bottle-shaped containers being transported on a conveyor (specifically, with the bottle axes aligned in a predetermined direction) and transport them downstream, and that is inexpensive, quiet, and can easily accommodate changes in the type of bottle-shaped container (shape, size, etc.) (Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-247536 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-160739 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-103506 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] Although the container alignment device in Patent Document 3 has a configuration that solves the above-mentioned problems, the traveling directions of multiple parallel conveyors are staggered, and a drive source for each conveyor is required to provide a speed difference between each conveyor, which naturally makes the device large. Also, to transport containers located between the conveyor and a frame installed around the conveyor installation area, the conveying force generated by sliding contact with the side edge of the conveyor alone is insufficient, and the containers may become stuck and lock.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a container alignment device that solves the problems of the conventional art, has a simple configuration that allows for the device to be made smaller, and prevents containers from getting stuck inside the device and becoming locked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the container alignment device of the present invention is a container alignment device that aligns the bottle axes of bottle-shaped containers supplied in random orientations along a desired direction on a container alignment surface on a conveying conveyor, and is equipped with a frame body arranged above the conveying conveyor to allow the transport of containers aligned on the container alignment surface, a gap is provided within the frame body so that only one bottle-shaped container with its bottle axis aligned in the desired direction can pass through and such bottle-shaped container can be supported by spanning two adjacent bottles, a plurality of rod-shaped rotating bodies that are rotatably supported along the desired direction in a plan view, and a drive unit that rotates the rod-shaped rotating bodies, and is characterized in that the rod-shaped rotating bodies have a sliding protrusion that is formed on the outer periphery of the rod body and runs inclined in a spiral pattern.

[0012] In this way, by causing the bottle-shaped containers fed into the frame to slide against the sliding contact protrusions of the rotating rod-shaped rotors, the bottle-shaped containers can be rotated to a position where they are not in sliding contact with any of the rod-shaped rotors, i.e., where the bottle axes are aligned in the conveying direction, and can then be dropped through the gap between adjacent rod-shaped rotors onto the conveyor below. In other words, due to the sliding contact with the sliding contact protrusions, the bottle-shaped containers are pushed in a direction perpendicular to the sliding contact protrusions, rotate and adjust their position, and in that state they drop through the gap between the adjacent rod-shaped rotors onto the conveyor below, and are transported by the conveyor to the next process.

[0013] In more detail, the rod of the rod-shaped rotating body is a metal rod, and the sliding contact protrusion is a tube or belt with a circular cross-sectional outer shape that is wound spirally around the outer periphery of the metal rod.

[0014] By using a rod-shaped rotating body configured in this manner, bottle-shaped containers that are in a position that makes it difficult for them to slip through the gaps in the rod-shaped rotating body can be pushed aside by contact with the sliding protrusions, which are made of a tube or belt with a circular cross-sectional outer shape and have a high contact resistance, and can be slid or rotated by contact with the metal rod body, which has a low contact resistance, to adjust their position, and then dropped through the gaps in the rod-shaped rotating body onto the transport conveyor below.

[0015] The plurality of rod-shaped rotating bodies are supported by the frame body at height positions relative to the container alignment surface in at least two different patterns.

[0016] By arranging the plurality of rod-shaped rotors at different heights in this manner, it becomes easier for the bottle-shaped containers to be fed to slide downward.

[0017] Furthermore, the driving unit is characterized in that it rotates the rod-shaped rotating bodies arranged adjacent to each other in a plan view in reverse.

[0018] By rotating the adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies in the opposite direction in a plan view, the bottle-shaped container supported by the adjacent two rod-shaped rotating bodies can be easily rotated. When there are three or more rod-shaped rotating bodies, the rotation directions of the adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies are alternated.

[0019] The drive unit is characterized in that a pulley is provided at one end of each rod-shaped rotating body, and a belt is stretched between the pulleys of adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies in a planar view, thereby transmitting the driving force of one drive source to all rod-shaped rotating bodies.

[0020] In this way, by using a pulley and a belt that is attached to the pulley and stretched as the drive unit, only one motor is required as the drive source, which is economical.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the belts attached between the pulleys of the rod-shaped rotating bodies adjacent to each other in a plan view are attached so as to cross each other between the pulleys.

[0022] By installing the belts between the pulleys in a crossed manner in this way, the adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies can be rotated in opposite directions.

[0023] The diameter of each of the pulleys is adjusted to match the rotation speed of the rod-shaped rotating body on which it is mounted.

[0024] By changing the diameter dimensions of each pulley in this way, the rotational speed of the rod-shaped rotating bodies can be easily adjusted, and if the rotational speeds of the rod-shaped rotating bodies can be made different, the speed difference can be used to easily rotate bottle-shaped containers that are supported by two adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies and are in a position that makes it difficult for them to slip through the gap between the rod-shaped rotating bodies, correct their position, and drop them through the gap between the rod-shaped rotating bodies onto the transport conveyor below.

[0025] Furthermore, each of the plurality of rod-shaped rotating bodies is supported by the frame body at a height position relative to the container alignment surface that differs in at least two patterns.

[0026] By arranging the plurality of rod-shaped rotors at different heights in this manner, it becomes easier for the bottle-shaped containers to be fed to slide downward. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] The container alignment device of the present invention has a simple configuration that allows for the device to be made smaller, and it can transport randomly supplied bottle-shaped containers downstream with their bottle axes reliably facing in a specified direction, while preventing damage to the bottle-shaped containers during transport.Furthermore, the rod-shaped rotating body itself rotates, preventing the bottle-shaped containers from getting stuck between the frame and locking up. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a container alignment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 shows the configuration of the rod-shaped rotor of the container alignment device, (A)(A) is a front view, (A)(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line ii in (A)(A), (B)(A) is a front view of the rod-shaped rotor of (A)(A) rotated 90 degrees around its axis toward the back of the figure, and (B)(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line ii in (B)(A). [Figure 3] The circular grooves cut into the round bar of the container alignment device of Figure 1 are shown in (A) and (B), respectively. (A) is a front view, and (B) is a front view of the round bar of (A) rotated 90 degrees around its axis toward the back of the figure. [Figure 4] 1. The circular groove formed by cutting the round bar of the container alignment device and the tube that fits into it. (A) is an explanatory diagram showing the fitted state, and (B) is an explanatory diagram showing the state before fitting. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a belt is attached to a pulley of a drive unit in the container alignment device of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams showing the bottle-shaped containers in the container alignment device of FIG. 1 before and after the orientation is corrected. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The container alignment device 1 of this embodiment has a transport conveyor (not shown) that transports bottle-shaped containers B, which have been aligned with the bottle axis along the transport direction (regardless of the orientation of the mouth and bottom), to the next process downstream, and a frame 2 that is arranged above the transport conveyor on the upstream side of the transport direction of the bottle-shaped containers B, into which the bottle-shaped containers B to be transported are randomly inserted.

[0030] The frame 2 is arranged on a stand (not shown) with a gap that allows the passage of a single bottle-shaped container B placed on its side in a desired position, so as to allow the transport of bottle-shaped containers B aligned on the container alignment surface on the top surface of the transport conveyor. In Fig. 1, the frame 2 is formed in a generally rectangular shape that is long in the transport direction of the bottle-shaped containers B on the transport conveyor.

[0031] Within the frame 2, a plurality of rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 (three in this embodiment) are arranged parallel to the upper surface of the transport conveyor and rotatably aligned along the transport direction of the bottle-shaped containers B. At this time, the gap between the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 at both ends and the inner wall of the frame 2 is large enough to allow a single bottle-shaped container B placed on its side in a desired position to pass through.

[0032] The rod-shaped rotating body 3 is arranged with a gap so that only one bottle-shaped container with its bottle axis aligned in a desired direction can pass through in a plan view, and a bottle-shaped container B can be supported by spanning two adjacent ones, and the gap is configured to act as an outlet for the bottle-shaped container B whose direction is restricted.

[0033] Here, as shown in Figures 2(A) and (B), the rod-shaped rotating body 3 in this embodiment has a metal round bar (rod body) 4 that is longer than the longitudinal dimension of the frame body 2, and has a sliding protrusion 6 formed on the outer periphery of the metal round bar (rod body) 4, which has a length greater than the longitudinal dimension of the frame body 2, and two resin tubes 5 (5A, 5B) with a circular cross-sectional outer shape that are wound obliquely in a spiral shape.

[0034] More specifically, as shown in Figures 3(A) and (B), the round bar 4 of the rod-shaped rotating body 3 has two end fixing portions 9 formed as small diameter grooves cut radially into the round bar 4 so as to separate the longitudinal intermediate region that acts as an alignment direction regulating portion 8 within the frame body 2.

[0035] As shown in Figures 4(A) and (B), a circular groove 7 for arranging the tube 5 is cut into the surface of the round bar 4 in the longitudinal middle region, which acts as the alignment direction regulating portion 8.

[0036] In this embodiment, the circular grooves 7 formed in the alignment direction restricting portions of the round bar 4 are formed at positions rotated 180° around the circumference of the round bar 4, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and two resin tubes 5 are firmly wound spirally by fixing both ends to the two end fixing portions 9 and fitting their middle portions into different circular grooves 7. Therefore, in this embodiment, the resin tubes 5 protruding from the surface of the round bar 4 act as sliding contact protrusions 6.

[0037] At this time, the sliding contact protrusions 6 are formed so as to leave a space for the bottle-shaped container B to make sufficient contact with the surface of the metal round rod 4 of the rod-shaped rotating body 3 exposed between adjacent sliding contact protrusions 6.

[0038] Both ends of the three rod-shaped rotors 3 are fixed to bearings 10 provided on the wall of the frame 2 that face each other in the conveying direction of the bottle-shaped containers B, and are rotatably supported.

[0039] A drive unit 12 is disposed at the end of each rod-shaped rotating body 3 that protrudes outside the frame on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the bottle-shaped container B. In this embodiment, the protruding end of the rod-shaped rotating body 3 (for convenience, referred to as the first rod-shaped rotating body 3A) shown at the top in Fig. 1 is connected to the rotation shaft of a motor 13 as a drive source, and one pulley 14 (for convenience, referred to as the first pulley 14A) is disposed thereon. Furthermore, the protruding end of the rod-shaped rotating body 3 (for convenience, referred to as the second rod-shaped rotating body 3B) shown at the middle in Fig. 1 is connected to the first pulley 14 via a belt 15 (for convenience, referred to as the first belt 15A) and is disposed thereon with two pulleys: a pulley 14 (for convenience, referred to as the second pulley 14B) for transmitting the rotation of the motor 13 to the second rod-shaped rotating body 3, and another pulley 14 (for convenience, referred to as the third pulley 14C). 1 (for convenience, referred to as the third rod-shaped rotating body 3C) is connected to a second pulley 14B provided on the second rod-shaped rotating body 3B via a belt (for convenience, referred to as the second belt 15B) and is provided with a pulley 14 (for convenience, referred to as the fourth pulley 14D) for transmitting the rotation of the motor 13 to the third rod-shaped rotating body 3. In this embodiment, a round belt is used as the belt.

[0040] In this embodiment, the first belt 15A stretched between the first pulley 14A and the second pulley 14B, and the second belt 15B stretched between the third pulley 14C and the fourth pulley 14D are both twisted 180 degrees and crossed between each pulley 14, as shown in Figure 5, and are configured so that adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 are driven by rotating in opposite directions.

[0041] Next, the operation of the container alignment device 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0042] First, the frame 2 is set at the upstream part of the transfer conveyor. At this time, it is essential that each of the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 arranged in the frame 2 is extended and supported in a direction that aligns the orientation of the bottle-shaped containers B.

[0043] Then, the drive source of the transfer conveyor and the motor 13 serving as the drive source of the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 are driven. As a result, the transfer conveyor travels from the upstream side where the frame 2 is disposed to the downstream side, capable of conveying bottle-shaped containers B. Furthermore, adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 within the frame 2 rotate in opposite directions. That is, the first rod-shaped rotating body 3A and the second rod-shaped rotating body 3B are respectively provided with a first pulley 14A and a second pulley 14B, and the first belt 15A is attached crossing the first rod-shaped rotating body 3A. Therefore, if the rotation direction of the first rod-shaped rotating body 3A, which rotates in the rotation direction of the motor 13, is considered to be the forward direction, the second rod-shaped rotating body 3B rotates in the reverse direction. Similarly, the second rod-shaped rotating body 3B and the third rod-shaped rotating body 3C are respectively provided with a third pulley 14C and a fourth pulley 14D, and the second belt 15B is attached across the third pulley 14C and the fourth pulley 14D, so that the third rod-shaped rotating body 3B rotates in the forward direction.

[0044] In this state, the bottle-shaped containers B are placed into the frame 2. The bottle-shaped containers B may be placed automatically using a hopper or the like of a known configuration, or may be placed all at once by an operator from a box.

[0045] Bottle-shaped containers B are supplied into the frame 2 in random positions, and are simultaneously brought into sliding contact with adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 that are rotating in the opposite direction, exerting a force that rotates them in an approximately horizontal direction on the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3.

[0046] That is, as shown in Figure 6(A), when two spaced apart points of a bottle-shaped container B are placed on adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3, as the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 rotate, the bottle-shaped container B is pushed diagonally by the sliding protrusions 6, which are made of resin tubes 5 with a high friction coefficient and are formed obliquely on the spiral surface of the round rod, and slides against the metal round rod 4 more than the sliding protrusions 6, applying a force to rotate it in a substantially horizontal direction. As a result, as shown in Figure 6(B), the bottle-shaped container B rotates to a state where it is not in sliding contact with any of the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3, that is, where the bottle axis is aligned with the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3, and in that position it drops through the gap between the adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 onto the transfer conveyor below and is transported to the next process.

[0047] As described above, the container alignment device 1 of this embodiment can prevent damage to the bottle-shaped containers B during transport, while reliably transporting randomly supplied bottle-shaped containers B downstream with their bottle axes facing in a predetermined direction. Furthermore, by using a pulley 14 and a stretched belt 15 attached to the pulley 14 as the drive unit 12, only one motor 13 is required as the drive source, making it more economical. Furthermore, the rotation of the rod-shaped rotating body 3 acts to agitate the bottle-shaped containers B within the frame 2, preventing the bottle-shaped containers B from getting stuck in the frame 2 and causing locking, which was a concern.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0049] For example, the resin tube 5 with a circular cross-sectional shape used in the above embodiment may be a round belt. The material is not limited to resin, but if the coefficient of friction with the bottle-shaped container B is greater than that of the metal round bar 4, the bottle-shaped container B can be rotated more reliably and its axial direction can be oriented in the desired direction.

[0050] The configuration of the rod-shaped rotating body 3 can also be such that, for example, holes are provided in the rod body 4, and a round belt is passed through the holes like a needle movement, forming a spiral sliding protrusion 6. Form

[0051] Furthermore, for example, by making adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 travel in the same direction rather than in opposite directions and by setting a difference in their travel speed, the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 can apply a rotational force in an approximately horizontal direction to the bottle-shaped containers B, causing the bottle axes to rotate in line with the rod-shaped rotating bodies 3, and in that position, i.e., with the position of the bottle-shaped containers B regulated, they can be dropped onto a transport conveyor below from the discharge section formed by the gap between adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 and aligned.

[0052] In this embodiment, specifically, the rotation speed of each rod-shaped rotor 3 can be easily changed by varying the diameters of the pulleys 14A to 14D provided on the rod-shaped rotors 3A to 3C.

[0053] Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained by reversing the winding direction of the resin belt 5 wound around adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 instead of making the adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 run in the same direction instead of in opposite directions. For example, even if the rotation direction of all three rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 is the same, if the winding direction of the resin belt 5 of the middle rod-shaped rotating body 3 is reversed, there is no need to cross and wrap the belt 15 of the drive unit 12 around it.

[0054] The desired orientation of the bottle-shaped containers B may be rotated 90° from the orientation in the above-described embodiment. In this case, the frame 2 may be positioned so that the rod-shaped rotator 3 in this embodiment is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the bottle-shaped containers B.

[0055] It goes without saying that the smaller the gap between the rod-shaped rotating body 3 and the transport conveyor, the more likely it is that the position once set will be lost.

[0056] Furthermore, the number of rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 arranged in the frame 2 is not limited to the number in this embodiment. For example, four rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 may be used, and the height positions for supporting the two end rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 may be lower than the height positions for supporting the two middle rod-shaped rotating bodies 3. The rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 may be supported in the frame 2 at at least two different height positions relative to the container alignment surface. By arranging multiple rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 in the frame 2 with varying heights in this manner, it is possible to obtain an effect such as making it easier for bottle-shaped containers B supplied to the frame 2 to slide downward. Even in this case, the gap dimensions and rotation directions between adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies 3 remain as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Container alignment device 2 frame 3 Rotating rod 3A First rod-shaped rotor 3B Second rod-shaped rotor 3C Third rod-shaped rotor 4 Round bar (rod) 5 tubes 6 Sliding protrusion 7 Round groove 8 Alignment direction control part 9 End fixing part 10 Bearings 12 Drive unit 13 Motor 14 Pulley 14A No. 1 pulley 14B No. 2 pulley 14C 3rd pulley 14D 4th pulley 15 Belt 15A First Belt 15B Second Belt B. Bottle-shaped container

Claims

1. A container alignment device that aligns bottle axes of bottle-shaped containers supplied in random orientations along a desired direction on a container alignment surface on a conveyor, a frame disposed above the transport conveyor to allow the containers to be aligned on the container alignment surface, into which the bottle-shaped containers to be aligned are inserted; A plurality of rod-shaped rotating bodies are provided within the frame so that only one bottle-shaped container with its bottle axis aligned in a desired direction can pass through, and a gap is provided so that the bottle-shaped container can be supported by two adjacent bottles, and the rod-shaped rotating bodies are rotatably supported along the desired direction in a plan view; a drive unit that rotates the rod-shaped rotor, The container alignment device is characterized in that the rod-shaped rotating body has a protruding portion for sliding contact formed on the outer periphery of the rod body in an oblique spiral shape.

2. 2. The container alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the rod of the rod-shaped rotating body is a metal rod, and the sliding contact protrusion is a tube or belt with a circular cross-sectional shape that is spirally wrapped around the outer periphery of the metal rod.

3. 2. The container alignment device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rod-shaped rotating bodies is supported by the frame body at a height position relative to the container alignment surface that differs in at least two patterns.

4. 2. The container alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit reversely rotates the rod-shaped rotors disposed adjacent to each other in a plan view.

5. The container alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the drive unit has a pulley at one end of each rod-shaped rotating body, and extends a belt between the pulleys of adjacent rod-shaped rotating bodies in a planar view, thereby transmitting the driving force of a single drive source to all rod-shaped rotating bodies.

6. 6. The container alignment device according to claim 5, wherein the belts attached between the pulleys of the rod-shaped rotating bodies adjacent to each other in a plan view are attached so as to cross each other between the pulleys.

7. 6. The container aligning device according to claim 5, wherein the diameter of each of said pulleys is adjusted to match the rotation speed of the rod-shaped rotating body on which it is mounted.

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