Label removal mechanism and label attaching device

Abstract

To enable easy adjustment of the tension and diameter of each stretchable belt.SOLUTION: A label removal mechanism includes: at least two removal pulleys which are installed with a gap from a holding surface of a label conveying mechanism that temporarily holds and conveys a label with an adhesive surface thereof facing outward; a removal belt which has a plurality of endless stretchable belts stretched over the two removal pulleys; and a removal belt advancing and retracting mechanism that advances and retracts the removal belt with respect to the holding surface. The label removal mechanism removes the label from the holding surface by advancing the removal belt by the removal belt advancing and retracting mechanism to bring the plurality of stretchable belts into close contact with the adhesive surface, and then retracting the removal belt. The label removal mechanism further includes a tension adjustment mechanism that individually adjusts a tension of a predetermined stretchable belt among the plurality of stretchable belts and a tension of a different stretchable belt from the predetermined stretchable belt.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a label removing mechanism and a label applying device. [Background technology]

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, for example, some label application devices are equipped with a label removal mechanism that removes labels that have defects such as printing errors from labels that are conveyed by a label conveying mechanism with their adhesive side facing outward before they are applied to a container.

[0003] The applicant has devised a label removal mechanism that includes at least two removal pulleys, an endless removal belt that is stretched over these removal pulleys, and a removal belt advance / retract mechanism that moves the removal belt forward and backward relative to the label conveying mechanism.The advance / retract mechanism advances the label to be removed, brings it into close contact with the adhesive surface of the label, and then moves it backward, thereby removing the label from the label conveying mechanism.The removal belt is made up of multiple elastic belts.

[0004] In this label removal mechanism, the tension of multiple elastic belts is adjusted collectively by moving one of the removal pulleys inward or outward.

[0005] However, because stretchable belts are made by melting and joining the ends of an end-shaped belt to form an endless belt, it is difficult to make the overall lengths consistent. Therefore, if the tension is adjusted to fit a short stretchable belt, the long stretchable belt will not be under tension, making it more likely to fall off the removal pulley. On the other hand, if the tension is adjusted to fit a long stretchable belt, too much tension will be applied to the short stretchable belt, making it more likely to tear. Therefore, in the past, it was necessary to re-form each stretchable belt until the lengths were roughly the same, which was a time-consuming process.

[0006] In addition, the diameter of the elastic belt varies due to tolerances, so the adhesive surface of each elastic belt with the label is not flush, resulting in some labels adhering firmly and others not adhering well, making the label more likely to fall off. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-161341 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to easily adjust the tension and diameter of each elastic belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The label removal mechanism of the present invention comprises at least two removal pulleys installed at a distance from the holding surface of a label conveying mechanism that temporarily holds and conveys labels with the adhesive surface facing outward, a removal belt having a plurality of endless elastic belts that are stretched over the two removal pulleys, and a removal belt advance / retract mechanism that moves the removal belt forward and backward relative to the holding surface.The label removal mechanism removes the labels from the holding surface by advancing the removal belt using the removal belt advance / retract mechanism to bring the plurality of elastic belts into close contact with the adhesive surface and then retracting it, and is characterized by further comprising a tension adjustment mechanism that individually adjusts the tension of a predetermined elastic belt among the plurality of elastic belts and the tension of an elastic belt other than the predetermined elastic belt.

[0010] According to the present invention, for example, the tension of the long elastic belt and the tension of the short elastic belt can be adjusted separately, so that each elastic belt can be adjusted to an optimum tension that makes it difficult for the belt to fall off or tear.Furthermore, for example, the tension of the thick elastic belt and the thin elastic belt can be adjusted separately, so that the diameters of the elastic belts can be easily matched, and label falling off can be prevented.

[0011] The tension adjusting mechanism may also adjust the tension of each of the elastic belts individually.

[0012] With this configuration, the tension can be adjusted for each stretchable belt, making it easier to adjust each stretchable belt to an optimum tension that makes it less likely for the belt to fall off or tear, and also making it easier to make the diameters of each stretchable belt more consistent.

[0013] A specific embodiment of the tension adjustment mechanism is one in which the tension adjustment mechanism includes a pressing body that presses the elastic belt, and a pressing body advance / retract mechanism that moves the pressing body forward and backward relative to the elastic belt.

[0014] In this case, the pressing body may be a pulley. With this configuration, the pulley rotates, which reduces friction that occurs when the elastic belt passes through the pressing body, preventing damage to the elastic belt. As a result, the life of the elastic belt is extended.

[0015] The label application device of the present invention comprises a label removal mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, a label conveying mechanism which uses the outer surface of a conveyor belt stretched over at least two conveyor pulleys as a holding surface and temporarily holds and conveys the label with the adhesive surface facing outward on the holding surface, and a pressure plate which faces the holding surface of the conveyor belt as it moves between the two conveyor pulleys and presses containers supplied between the conveyor belt against the conveyor belt, transporting the containers while rotating them as the conveyor belt moves, and wrapping and applying the label around the container, and is characterized in that the label conveying mechanism further comprises a suction mechanism which sucks and temporarily holds the label on the outer surface of the conveyor belt while the conveyor belt moves in a first section along the conveyor pulleys, and the label removal mechanism removes the label from the conveyor belt as it moves in the first section.

[0016] In conventional labeling devices, labels are temporarily held by suction on the outer surface of the conveyor belt while the conveyor belt moves through a section facing the pressure plate. However, with this configuration, the space between the conveyor belt and the pressure plate is narrow, and the installation position of the label removal mechanism is fixed. As a result, the layout of each mechanism is limited, and it may not be possible to install the device in a small factory.

[0017] Therefore, by configuring the conveying belt to apply suction while it moves along the conveying pulley, as in the present invention, the degree of freedom in the installation location of the label removal mechanism is increased, allowing for more flexibility in the layout of each mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, the tension and diameter of each elastic belt can be easily adjusted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of a label application device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of a label application device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the label conveying mechanism of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a suction mechanism of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the label removing mechanism of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 2A and 2B are a plan view and a side view schematically showing a tension adjustment mechanism of the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a conveyor belt according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A label application device equipped with a label removal mechanism according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] <Embodiment> A labeling device 100 according to this embodiment wraps and affixes a label L around the side surface of a container X, such as a PET bottle. As shown in Fig. 1, the labeling device 100 of this embodiment includes a conveying path C for conveying the container X, a label conveying mechanism M1 and a pressure plate B installed on both sides of the conveying path C, a container inspection device I1 installed downstream of these, and a label removal mechanism M2 installed alongside the label conveying mechanism M1.

[0022] The conveying path C supplies the containers X between the label conveying mechanism M1 and the pressure plate B. The conveying path C in this embodiment is specifically a belt conveyor, and conveys the containers X in an upright state on its loading surface. In this embodiment, the conveying path C extends in a straight line, but is not limited to this and may extend in a curved line, for example.

[0023] The label conveying mechanism M1 temporarily holds and conveys the label L on a holding surface Ms with the adhesive surface facing outward. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the label conveying mechanism M1 of this embodiment includes at least two conveying pulleys 10, an endless conveying belt 20 stretched over these conveying pulleys 10, and a suction mechanism 30 that adsorbs the label L to the outer surface of the conveying belt 20. Therefore, the outer surface of the conveying belt 20 serves as the holding surface Ms.

[0024] The conveying pulleys 10 are arranged along the conveying path C. In this embodiment, first to fourth conveying pulleys 10a to 10d are arranged in numerical order from the upstream side to the downstream side. One of these conveying pulleys 10 (specifically, the third conveying pulley 10c) is arranged on the outside of the conveying belt 10, and the rest (specifically, the first conveying pulley 10a, the second conveying pulley 10b, and the fourth conveying pulley 10d) are arranged on the inside of the conveying belt 10.

[0025] The third conveying pulley 10c is movable inward and outward relative to the conveying belt 10, and the tension of the conveying belt 10 can be adjusted by moving the third conveying pulley 10c.

[0026] Furthermore, a rotation mechanism (not shown) is connected to at least one of these conveying pulleys 10. The rotation mechanism is, for example, a servo motor.

[0027] The conveyor belt 20 moves through a section α along the first conveyor pulley 10a, and then moves through a section β between the first conveyor pulley 10a and the fourth conveyor pulley 10d. The section β extends along the conveying path C, and the conveyor belt 20 faces a pressing plate B while moving through this section β.

[0028] The suction mechanism 30 sucks the label L onto the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20 while the conveyor belt 20 moves through a first section α', which is at least a part of the section α. ​​In this embodiment, suction is performed not only through the first section α' but also while the conveyor belt 20 moves through a second section β', which is at least a part of the section β. In this embodiment, the first section α' is the entire section α, and the second section β' is a part of the section β, and the first section α' and the second section β' are continuous with each other. A supply position P1 for the label L is set within the first section α', and an application position P2 for the label L is set within the second section β'. The suction mechanism 30 continuously sucks the label L at least until the conveyor belt 20 moves from the supply position P1 to the application position P2.

[0029] More specifically, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the suction mechanism 30 comprises a plurality of through holes 31 formed in the conveyor belt 20, a suction path 32 formed inside the first conveyor pulley 10a and one end of which opens to the side peripheral surface, and a suction device 33 connected to the opening at the other end of the suction path 32.While the conveyor belt 20 moves through the first section α', the through holes 31 are connected to the suction path 32, and the suction device 33 sucks the label L through the connected path.

[0030] The through holes 31 are formed in a plurality of rows at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 20. In this embodiment, three rows are formed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one row or multiple rows other than three rows may be formed. Here, the through holes 31 of the present invention may be in any mode as long as they penetrate the entire conveyor belt 20, and may be continuous in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 20 as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In this case, the conveyor belt 20 is divided into a plurality of divided belts.

[0031] The suction path 32 includes a suction groove 32a formed around the entire periphery of the side surface of the first conveyor pulley 10a, and a plurality of suction holes 32b penetrating from the bottom surface of the suction groove 32a to the lower end surface of the first conveyor pulley 10a. The suction groove 32a faces and communicates with the row of through holes 31 while the conveyor belt 20 moves through the first section α.

[0032] The suction mechanism 30 further includes an extension member 34 that extends the suction groove 32a along the conveyor belt 20 moving through the second section β' so that the conveyor belt 20 can be sucked while moving through the second section β'.

[0033] The extension member 34 is rod-shaped, one end of which is fitted into the suction groove 32a, and the extension groove 34a is formed on the surface facing the conveyor belt 20. The extension groove 34a extends the suction groove 32a to the second section β', and suction is performed while the through-hole 31 is in communication with the extension groove 34a. The extension member 34 of this embodiment is provided integrally with a support plate 35 that supports the conveyor belt 20 from the inside as it moves through the second section β'.

[0034] The suction mechanism 30 further includes a cover member 36 that closes the upstream side of the suction groove 32a.

[0035] The presser plate B is installed so as to face the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20 moving in the second section β'. In this embodiment, it is installed so as to face the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20 moving in the section β.

[0036] In this embodiment, a position adjustment mechanism Y is further provided for adjusting the distance and height between the pressing plate B and the holding surface Ms.

[0037] The container inspection device I1 inspects whether or not the label L attached to the container X that has passed between the label conveying mechanism M1 and the pressure plate B is properly attached. In this embodiment, a camera is used, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0038] The label removing mechanism M2 removes defective labels L from the labels L conveyed by the label conveying mechanism M1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the label removing mechanism M2 of this embodiment includes at least two removing pulleys 40, a removing belt 50 stretched around these removing pulleys 40, and a removing belt advancing / retracting mechanism 60 that moves the removing belt 50 forward and backward relative to the holding surface Ms.

[0039] Each of the removing pulleys 40 is installed at a distance from the label conveying mechanism M1. In this embodiment, the first to sixth removing pulleys 40a to 40f are arranged in numerical order so as to be gradually separated from the label conveying mechanism M1. One of these removing pulleys 40 (specifically, the fourth removing pulley 40d) is arranged outside the elastic belt 50, and the rest (specifically, the first to third, fifth, and sixth removing pulleys 40a, 40b, 40c, 40e, and 40f) are arranged inside the elastic belt 50. A rotation mechanism (not shown) is connected to at least one of these removing pulleys 40. The rotation mechanism is, for example, a servo motor.

[0040] The removing belt 50 has multiple elastic belts 51. Each elastic belt 51 is endless and has a width shorter than the width of the label L (specifically, the width in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the label L), and has a circular cross section. Each elastic belt 51 is hung around the removing pulley 40 at intervals in the axial direction (the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the label L). In this embodiment, the intervals are equal. Note that the belts do not necessarily need to be spaced apart, and they may be installed in close contact with each other. Furthermore, multiple elastic belts 51 face the label L conveyed by the label conveying mechanism M1. Therefore, the multiple belts facing the label L come into contact with the adhesive surface. In this embodiment, all of the elastic belts 51 face the label L.

[0041] The removal belt advancing / retracting mechanism 60 advances and retracts each elastic belt 40 relative to the holding surface Ms, bringing them into close contact with the adhesive surface of the label L, and then retracts them. The removal belt advancing / retracting mechanism 60 of this embodiment includes a first removal pulley 40a, which is one of the multiple removal pulleys 40 and is closest to the holding surface Ms, and a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the first removal pulley 40a back and forth. The moving mechanism is, for example, a piston.

[0042] Here, the label removal mechanism M2 further includes a label inspection device I2 located upstream of a removal position P3 that removes the label L and downstream of the supply position P1 in the conveying direction of the label L. This label inspection device I2 is specifically a camera, and determines whether or not there is a defect in the label L based on images and videos captured by this camera. If it determines that there is a defect, it sends a removal signal to the removal belt advancing / retracting mechanism 60.

[0043] The label removal mechanism M2 of this embodiment also includes a peeling plate 70 that peels off the labels L adhered to the removal belt 50 along its movement path. The peeling plate 70 protrudes from between the elastic belts 51 and has an inclined surface 71 that slopes outward in the conveying direction of the labels L conveyed by the removal belt 50. Therefore, the labels L adhered to the removal belt 50 run onto the peeling plate 70, are peeled off from the removal belt 50, and are collected in one place.

[0044] Therefore, the label removing mechanism M2 according to this embodiment further includes a tension adjusting mechanism 80 that adjusts the tension of each elastic belt 50 individually, as shown in FIGS.

[0045] The tension adjusting mechanism 80 includes a pressing body 81 assigned to each elastic belt 50 , and a pressing body advancing / retracting mechanism 82 that moves the pressing body 81 forward and backward relative to the elastic belt 50 .

[0046] The pressing bodies 81 press the elastic belt 50 inward or outward, and in this embodiment, they press inward. The pressing bodies 81 are installed in the same number as the elastic belts 50. Specifically, they are pulleys, and are installed so that their rotation axes are parallel to the removal pulley 40. These pulleys are attached to the outer surface of the elastic belt 50. The pulleys have grooves formed on their circumferential sides, into which the elastic belt 50 fits.

[0047] The pressing body advancing and retreating mechanisms 82 move the pressing bodies 81 inward and outward directions of the elastic belt 50, and are provided in numbers corresponding to the pressing bodies 81. Each pressing body advancing and retreating mechanism 82 moves each pressing body 81 along the same path when viewed from the axial direction. The moving ranges are also set to be the same.

[0048] Specifically, the pressing body advancement / retraction mechanism 82 comprises a support plate 82a that rises from a base on which the label removal mechanism M2 is installed, and an arm 82b that is installed so that it can move inward relative to the support plate 82a, and the pressing body 81 is rotatably attached to the tip of this arm 82b.

[0049] An elongated hole 82h is formed in the support plate 82a, penetrating inward and outward in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the pressing body 81, and the arm 82b is fixed to the support plate 82a with a screw 82c that is passed through this elongated hole 82h. Therefore, by loosening the screw 82c, the arm 82b can move inward and outward along the elongated hole 82h.

[0050] The elongated holes 82h are formed in a number corresponding to the pressing body 81, and are aligned in the vertical direction. The elongated holes 82h extend in parallel, and are configured so that their inner ends and outer ends are at the same position when viewed from the axial direction of the pressing body 81.

[0051] Next, the operation of wrapping and attaching a label L to a container X by the label attachment device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0052] When a label L is supplied at a supply position P1 set within the first section α, the suction mechanism 30 sucks the label L onto the holding surface Ms of the conveyor belt 20, and the conveyor belt holds the label L. The conveyed label 20 then sequentially conveys the held label L from the first section α to the second section β. In parallel with the conveyance of the label L, a container X is supplied between the conveyor belt 20 and the pressure plate B via the conveyance path C. The container X is pressed toward the conveyor belt 20 by the pressure plate B. The conveyor belt 20 then conveys the container X while rotating it around its axis while moving through the second section β. During this time, the container X rotates as it moves, so its movement speed in the conveyance direction is slower than the movement speed of the label L conveyed by the conveyor belt 20. As a result, the label L adheres to the container X and then wraps around it as the container X rotates. Then, when the container X around which the label L is wrapped passes between the label conveying mechanism M1 and the presser plate B, it is conveyed with the end of the label L facing in a predetermined direction and is inspected by the container inspection device I1.

[0053] Incidentally, the label L supplied at the supply position P1 is inspected by the label inspection device I2 during its transport, and if a defect is found, a removal signal is sent to the label removal mechanism M2. When the defective label L reaches the removal position P3, the label removal mechanism M2 receives the removal signal and causes the removal belt advancing / retracting mechanism 60 to advance the removal belt 50 to the holding surface Ms to adhere to the label L. The removal belt 50 then retreats to transport the adhered label L to the peeling plate 70, where it is peeled off from its outer surface and collected in one place.

[0054] According to this embodiment, for example, the tension of the long elastic belt 51 and the tension of the short elastic belt 51 can be adjusted separately, so that each elastic belt 51 can be adjusted to an optimum tension that makes it difficult for the elastic belt 51 to fall off the removal pulley 40 or to tear. Also, for example, the tension of the thick elastic belt 51 and the tension of the thin elastic belt 51 can be adjusted separately, so that the diameters of the elastic belts 51 can be easily matched, and falling off of the labels L can be prevented.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each pressing body 81 is moved along the same path as viewed from the axial direction, and the range of movement is also set to be the same, so that one pressing body 81 can be used as a reference to move the other pressing bodies 81. This makes it easy to adjust the position of each pressing body 81.

[0056] Other Embodiments The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment. In the above-described embodiment, the first section covers the entire section where the conveyor belt runs along the first conveyor pulley, but it may also be a part of that section. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the second section is a part of the section where the conveyor belt runs along the pressure plate, but it may also cover the entire section. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first section and the second section are continuous, but they may also be spaced apart. In this case, it is preferable that they are spaced apart within the length of the label L.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the pressing body is a pulley, but is not limited to this and may be a plate material that presses the elastic belt.

[0058] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 100 Labeling device X container L Label C transport path M1 Label transport mechanism 10. Conveyor pulley 20 conveyor belt 30 Suction mechanism B Presser plate M2 Label Removal Mechanism 40 Removal pulley 50 Removal Belt 51 Elastic Belt 60 Removal belt advance / retract mechanism 80 Tension adjustment mechanism 81 Pressing body 82 Pressing body advance / retract mechanism I1 Container inspection equipment I2 Label Inspection Equipment

Claims

1. A label removal mechanism comprising: at least two removal pulleys installed at a distance from a holding surface of a label conveying mechanism that temporarily holds and conveys labels with their adhesive surfaces facing outward; a removal belt having a plurality of endless elastic belts stretched over the two removal pulleys; and a removal belt advancing / retracting mechanism that moves the removal belt forward and backward relative to the holding surface, wherein the removal belt advancing / retracting mechanism advances the removal belt to bring the elastic belts into close contact with the adhesive surface and then moves the elastic belts backward, thereby removing the labels from the holding surface, The label removing mechanism further includes a tension adjusting mechanism that individually adjusts the tension of a predetermined elastic belt among the plurality of elastic belts and the tension of an elastic belt other than the predetermined elastic belt.

2. 2. The label removing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the tension adjusting mechanism adjusts the tension of each of the elastic belts individually.

3. 2. The label removal mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the tension adjustment mechanism comprises a pressing body that presses the elastic belt, and a pressing body reciprocating mechanism that moves the pressing body forward and backward relative to the elastic belt.

4. 4. The label removing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the pressing body is a pulley.

5. a label conveying mechanism that temporarily holds and conveys the label with the adhesive surface facing outward on an outer surface of a conveyor belt that is stretched over at least two conveyor pulleys; and a pressure plate that faces the holding surface of the conveyor belt that moves between the two conveyor pulleys and presses a container that is supplied between the conveyor belt and the label conveying mechanism against the conveyor belt, wherein the label conveying mechanism conveys the container while rotating it with the movement of the conveyor belt, and wraps and affixes the label around the container, the label conveying mechanism further includes a suction mechanism that sucks and temporarily holds the label on an outer surface of the conveying belt while the conveying belt moves through a first section along the conveying pulley; The label application device, wherein the label removal mechanism removes the label from the conveyor belt moving in the first section.

Images