Label winding device

Abstract

To eliminate the need to reset a camera even when a diameter of a container changes in a label winding device.SOLUTION: A label winding device includes: a label conveying mechanism that holds and conveys a label on a holding surface; and a pressing member that faces the holding surface of the label conveying mechanism and has a pressing surface that presses a container supplied between the pressing surface and the holding surface toward the holding surface. The label winding device winds the label around the container while rotating and conveying the container by the label conveying mechanism. The pressing member further includes a length adjustment mechanism that adjusts a length of the pressing surface in a conveying direction of the container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a label wrapping device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a device for wrapping and attaching labels to containers such as PET bottles, which includes a conveyor belt that holds the label on a holding surface while transporting the label, and a pressing member that faces the holding surface of the conveyor belt and presses the container supplied between the holding surface against the holding surface; the label is wrapped around the container while the container is rotated and transported by the conveyor belt.

[0003] In this label wrapping device, when a container passes between the conveyor belt and the pressing member, both ends of the label wrapped around the container are sometimes photographed to check whether the label is securely wrapped around the container.

[0004] However, in the label wrapping device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the diameter of a container changes, the rotation angle of the container passing between the conveyor belt and the pressing member changes, and the orientation of the edge of the label changes. As a result, the position and orientation of the camera must be reset every time the diameter of the container changes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6638981 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to eliminate the need to reset the camera even if the diameter of the container changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The label wrapping device of the present invention comprises a label conveying mechanism that temporarily holds and conveys a label on a holding surface, and a pressing member that faces the holding surface of the label conveying mechanism and has a pressing surface that presses a container supplied between the holding surface and the pressing surface against the holding surface, and wraps the label around the container while rotating and conveying the container using the label conveying mechanism, and is characterized in that the pressing member further comprises a length adjustment mechanism that adjusts the length of the pressing surface in the conveying direction of the container.

[0008] According to the present invention, the length of the holding surface can be adjusted, so the number of rotations and the rotation angle of the container passing between the label conveying mechanism and the holding member can be adjusted. As a result, even if the diameter of the container changes, the orientation of the container passing between the label conveying mechanism and the holding member can be aligned to a predetermined direction, eliminating the need to reset the camera.

[0009] It is best to avoid changing the upstream positional relationship between the label transport mechanism and the pressure member, which serves as the container supply port, as much as possible, because if this positional relationship changes, the initial point of contact with the container will change, which will affect the position of the label that is subsequently affixed to the container.

[0010] Therefore, the pressing surface may be extended downstream in the container conveying direction by the length adjustment mechanism.

[0011] With this configuration, the length of the pressing surface can be adjusted without changing the positional relationship between the label conveying mechanism and the upstream side of the pressing member.

[0012] As a specific embodiment of the length adjustment mechanism, the length adjustment mechanism includes two divided plates arranged in the conveying direction, and a distance adjustment mechanism interposed between the two divided plates and configured to adjust the distance between the two divided plates, One of the divided plates has an engagement recess formed by cutting out its pressing surface to open onto the end face, and the other divided plate has an engagement protrusion that protrudes from the end face to extend its pressing surface and is inserted into the engagement recess through the opening to engage with it.

[0013] With this configuration, the length of the pressing surface can be adjusted with a simple structure.

[0014] Furthermore, if the engaging protrusion comes out of the engaging recess, the holding surface will be interrupted midway. When the holding surface is interrupted, the rotation of the container will be misaligned when it passes through the interrupted area, making it difficult to adjust the rotation speed and angle of the container.

[0015] Therefore, the distance adjustment mechanism may adjust the distance within a range in which the engaging protrusion does not slip out of the opening of the engaging recess.

[0016] With this configuration, the engaging protrusions do not slip out of the engaging recesses, and the pressing surfaces are prevented from being interrupted.

[0017] Furthermore, a plurality of the engaging protrusions may be provided, and the number of the engaging recesses may be at least equal to the number of the engaging protrusions.

[0018] With this configuration, for example, when wrapping a label around the side of a container transported in an upright position, the container can be supported at multiple points above and below, stabilizing the container's position and preventing the container from tilting and the label from being wrapped at an angle.

[0019] The distance adjustment mechanism may further include a gauge that indicates the distance between the two dividing plates.

[0020] With this configuration, if the relationship between the diameter of the container, the distance between the two dividing plates, and the rotation angle is investigated in advance, the rotation angle can be adjusted very easily by referring to the gauge, even if the diameter of the container changes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention, there is no need to reset the camera even if the diameter of the container changes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of a label wrapping device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the label conveying mechanism of the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a suction mechanism of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the pressing member of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the pressing member of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a pressing member according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a plan view schematically showing the movement of a container when a label is wrapped around the container by the label wrapping device of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a plan view schematically showing the movement of a container when a label is wrapped around the container by the label wrapping device of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a conveyor belt according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A label wrapping device according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] <Embodiment> A label wrapping device 100 according to this embodiment affixes and wraps a label L around the side surface of a container X, such as a PET bottle. As shown in Fig. 1, the label wrapping device 100 of this embodiment includes a conveying path C for conveying the container X, a label conveying mechanism M and a pressing member B installed on both sides of the conveying path C, and an inspection device I installed downstream of these.

[0025] The conveying path C supplies the containers X between the label conveying mechanism M and the pressing member 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.

[0026] The label conveying mechanism M temporarily holds and conveys the label L on a holding surface Ms with the adhesive surface facing outward. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the label conveying mechanism M of this embodiment includes at least two pulleys 10, an endless conveyor belt 20 stretched between these two pulleys 10, and a suction mechanism 30 that sucks the label L onto the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20. In other words, the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20 serves as the holding surface Ms.

[0027] The two pulleys 10 are arranged along the conveying path C. In this embodiment, the first to fourth pulleys 10a to 10d are arranged in numerical order from the upstream side to the downstream side. One of these pulleys 10 (specifically, the third pulley 10c) is arranged on the outside of the conveying belt 20, and the rest (specifically, the first pulley 10a, the second pulley 10b, and the fourth pulley 10d) are arranged on the inside of the conveying belt 20.

[0028] The third pulley 10c is movable inward and outward relative to the conveyor belt 20, and the tension of the conveyor belt 20 can be adjusted by moving the third pulley 10c.

[0029] Furthermore, a rotation mechanism (not shown) is connected to at least one of these pulleys 10. The rotation mechanism is, for example, a servo motor.

[0030] Therefore, the conveyor belt 20 moves through a section α along the first pulley 10a, and then moves through a section β between the first pulley 10a and the fourth pulley 10d. The section β extends along the conveying path C, and the conveyor belt 20 faces the pressure plate B while moving through this section β. In other words, the section β can be said to be a section in which the conveyor belt 20 moves along the pressure plate B.

[0031] The suction mechanism 30 adsorbs the label L onto the outer surface (holding surface Ms) of the conveyor belt 20. 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, the suction mechanism 30 applies suction not only to the first section α' but also to the 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 applies suction at least until the conveyor belt 20 moves from the supply position P1 to the application position P2.

[0032] More specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, 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 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.

[0033] 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 this is not limited thereto, and one row or a plurality of rows other than three may be formed. Here, the through holes 31 of the present invention may be formed in any mode as long as they penetrate the conveyor belt 20 from the inside to the outside when viewed as a whole, and may be formed in a mode continuous in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 20 as shown in FIG. 9, for example. In this case, the conveyor belt 20 is divided into a plurality of divided belts.

[0034] The suction path 32 includes a suction groove 32a formed around the entire periphery of the side peripheral surface of the first 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 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'.

[0035] 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 as to apply suction while the conveyor belt 20 moves to the attachment position P1 set within the second section β'.

[0036] The extension member 34 is rod-shaped and is installed along the conveyor belt 20 moving through the second section β', with one end fitted into the suction groove 32a. In this state, the extension member 34 has an extension groove 34a on the surface facing the conveyor belt 20, and while the conveyor belt 20 moves through the second section β', the through-hole 31 communicates with this extension groove 34a, and the suction device 33 sucks the label L through this communication path. 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'.

[0037] The suction mechanism 30 further includes a cover member 36 that closes the upstream side of the suction groove 32a.

[0038] The pressing member B is plate-shaped and is installed so that one of its plate surfaces faces the holding surface Ms of the label conveying mechanism M. More specifically, it is installed so as to face the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20 moving in the section β. Therefore, the surface facing the outer surface of the conveyor belt 20 becomes the pressing surface Bs, and this pressing surface Bs is parallel to the holding surface Ms.

[0039] In this embodiment, a position adjustment mechanism Y is further provided for adjusting the distance and height between the pressing member B and the holding surface Ms.

[0040] The inspection device I inspects the label L affixed to the container that has passed between the label conveying mechanism M and the pressing member B. In this embodiment, a camera is used, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the pressing member B according to the present invention further includes a length adjusting mechanism 40 for adjusting the length of the pressing surface Bs in the direction in which the container X is conveyed.

[0042] More specifically, the length adjustment mechanism 40 includes a first divided plate 41 and a second divided plate 42 aligned in the conveying direction of the container X, and a spacing adjustment mechanism 43 interposed between the first divided plate 41 and the second divided plate 42 to adjust the spacing between them in the conveying direction.

[0043] The first divided body 41 has an engagement recess 41a formed by cutting out the pressing surface Bs so that it opens at the end face. The second divided body 42 has an engagement protrusion 42a protruding from the end face so as to extend the pressing surface Bs. Here, these end faces are the mutually opposing end faces of the first divided body 41 and the second divided body 42. The first divided body 41 and the second divided body 42 are engaged with each other by inserting the engagement protrusion 42a into the opening of the engagement recess 41a, and in this engaged state, their pressing surfaces Ms become flush with each other.

[0044] 6, the gap adjustment mechanism 43 includes a rail 43a fixed to the back surface of the first divided plate 41 and extending toward the second divided plate, and a mounting structure 43b fixed to the back surface of the second divided body 42 and slidably attached to the rail 43a, so that the gap between the first divided body 41 and the second divided body 42 can be adjusted by sliding the second divided body 42 along the rail 43a. A restricting block 43c is fixed to the tip of the rail 43a, restricting movement of the second divided body 42 in a direction away from the first divided plate 41. This restricting block 43c restricts movement of the second divided body 42 relative to the first divided body 41, so that the engaging protrusion 41b does not completely come out of the engaging recess 42b. As a result, the pressing surfaces Ms of the first divided body 41 and the second divided body 42 are always continuous in the direction of conveyance of the container, and the pressing surfaces Ms maintain a state of constantly pressing down on the container from the time they start to come into contact with the container until they stop coming into contact with the container.

[0045] The gap adjustment mechanism 43 of this embodiment is configured to slide the second divided body 42 installed downstream relative to the first divided body 41 fixed upstream in the conveyance direction of the container X. Therefore, the length adjustment mechanism 40 is configured to adjust the length of the pressing surface Bs by extending it downstream.

[0046] Furthermore, this gap adjustment mechanism 43 is provided with a gauge that indicates the gap between first divided plate 41 and second divided plate 42. This gauge 43d has a scale fixed to first divided plate 41 and a pointer fixed to second divided body 42, and is configured so that when second divided body 42 is moved, the pointer moves on the scale to indicate the gap.

[0047] Next, the operation of attaching and wrapping a label L around a container X using the label wrapping device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Note that Figure 8 shows an example in which a label L is wrapped around a container X having a smaller diameter than the container X in Figure 7.

[0048] First, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , when a container X is supplied between the label conveying mechanism M and the presser member B by the conveying path C, the container X is pressed toward the conveying belt 20 by the presser member B. Thereafter, the conveying belt 20 conveys the container X while rotating it around its axis while moving through the second section β'. During this time, because the container X moves while rotating, its movement speed in the conveying direction is slower than the movement speed of the label L conveyed by the conveying belt 20. As a result, the label L catches up with and adheres to the container X along the way, and then wraps around the container X as it rotates. Then, when the container X with the wrapped label L passes between the label conveying mechanism M and the presser member B, it is conveyed with the end of the label L facing in a predetermined direction and is inspected by the inspection device I.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 8, when attaching and wrapping a label L around a container X with a large diameter, First, the position of the pressing member B is adjusted by the position adjustment mechanism Y to match the container X. Next, the second divided body 42 is slid relative to the first divided body 31 by the spacing adjustment mechanism 43, and the length of the pressing surface Bs is adjusted so that the container X faces in a predetermined direction when it passes between the label conveying mechanism M and the pressing member B.

[0050] Here, when adjusting the length of the pressing surface Bs using the length adjustment mechanism 40, for example, the length of the pressing surface Bs in the conveying direction downstream of the attachment position P2 is adjusted to an integer multiple of the outer circumferential length of the container X, so that the end of the label L faces in a predetermined direction.

[0051] According to this embodiment, the length of the pressing surface Bs can be adjusted, which makes it possible to adjust the number of rotations and the rotation angle of the container X passing between the label conveying mechanism M and the pressing member B. As a result, even if the diameter of the container X changes, the orientation of the container X that has passed between the label conveying mechanism M and the pressing member B can be aligned to a predetermined orientation, eliminating the need to reset the camera.

[0052] Other Embodiments The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment. The length adjustment mechanism of this embodiment adjusts the length of the pressing surface by dividing the pressing member and configuring it so that the spacing between the divided portions can be adjusted, but is not limited to this. For example, the pressing member B may be divided into multiple portions, and the length may be adjusted by connecting these portions together.

[0053] In addition, in the above embodiment, the pressing surface is configured to extend downstream in the container conveying direction, but this is not limited to this, and it may be configured to extend upstream, or it may be configured to extend in both directions.

[0054] In the above embodiment, a plurality of engaging recesses and engaging protrusions are provided, but only one may be provided. Furthermore, the engaging recess in the above embodiment is shaped by cutting out three surfaces, namely, the pressing surface, the back surface opposite the pressing surface, and the end surface, but it may also be shaped by cutting out four surfaces, including the surfaces facing in the up and down directions, or may be shaped like a groove by cutting out two surfaces, namely, the pressing surface and the end surface.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the pressure member is used in combination with a belt-type label transport mechanism, but this is not limiting and the pressure member may be used in combination with a drum-type label transport mechanism. In this case, the pressure surface of the pressure member needs to be curved along the drum.

[0056] 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]

[0057] 100 Label wrapping device X container L Label C Conveyor path M Label transport mechanism B Presser member Bs presser foot surface 40 Length adjustment mechanism 41 Split body 41a Engagement protrusion 42 Split body 42a Engagement protrusion 43 Spacing adjustment mechanism 43d gauge I Inspection equipment

Claims

1. A label winding device comprising: a label conveying mechanism that holds a label on a holding surface and temporarily conveys the label; and a pressing member that faces the holding surface of the label conveying mechanism and has a pressing surface that presses a container supplied between the holding surface and the pressing member against the holding surface, and the label winding device winds the label around the container while rotating and conveying the container by the label conveying mechanism, A label wrapping device, wherein the pressing member further comprises a length adjustment mechanism for adjusting the length of the pressing surface in the container conveying direction.

2. 2. The label wrapping device according to claim 1, wherein the pressing surface is configured to be extended downstream in the container conveying direction by the length adjustment mechanism.

3. the length adjustment mechanism includes two divided plates aligned in the conveying direction, and a distance adjustment mechanism interposed between the two divided plates and configured to adjust the distance between the two divided plates, A label winding device as described in claim 1, wherein one of the dividing plates has an engagement recess formed by cutting out its pressing surface so as to open at the end face, and the other dividing plate has an engagement protrusion that protrudes from the end face so as to extend its pressing surface and is inserted through the opening and engaged with the engagement recess.

4. 4. The label winding device according to claim 3, wherein the gap adjusting mechanism adjusts the gap within a range in which the engaging projections do not slip out of the openings of the engaging recesses.

5. The engaging protrusions are provided in plurality, 4. The label winding device according to claim 3, wherein the number of said engaging recesses is at least equal to the number of said engaging protrusions.

6. 4. The label winding device according to claim 3, wherein said gap adjusting mechanism further comprises a gauge indicating the gap between said two dividing plates.

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