Lid member mounting apparatus and method

Abstract

To easily mount a lid material with a small size.SOLUTION: The lid material mounting device is provided with a table having a lid material holding part and a container holding part, a lid material welding unit (30), and an elevation driving means (33). The lid material welding unit includes a head part (31) integrally having a heating part (41) and a lid material suction part (51), a support member (42) for supporting the heating part, and a locking member (53) fixed to a suction rod (52) connected to the lid material suction part and vertically movably locked to the support member. At least a lower end of the lid material suction part protrudes downward from a hot plate (410) of the heating part in a normal locked state by the locking member, and the lid material mounting device further includes a push-up mechanism (6) that pulls up the lid material suction part to substantially the same height level as the hot plate by pushing up the locking member from the support member against a lowering operation of the lid material welding unit at the welding position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lid material attachment device and method, and more particularly to a lid material attachment device and method for fastening a lid material to an open end surface of a container by heat welding. [Background technology]

[0002] Many containers that hold cream or liquid products (bulk) such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals are fitted with inner lids made of plastic film or aluminum foil laminated film. Attaching such lids to the inside of the cap (outer lid) that engages with the flange of the container is expected to have benefits such as preventing tampering, suppressing evaporation and volume loss of the contents, and improving the consumer's initial experience.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2024-54514 (Patent Document 1) discloses a configuration in which lid materials are continuously punched out of a strip of film and transferred onto containers, and a temporary welding device locally preheats the lid materials on the open end faces of the containers. This lid material attachment device is equipped with a turntable capable of holding multiple containers, and a lid material transfer device with a suction head sucks and transfers the lid materials from the punching device to a temporary welding station on the turntable. This allows the properly positioned lid materials to be permanently welded by the welding device, allowing for smooth attachment of the lid materials. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-54514 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the lid material attachment device of Patent Document 1, an input / output station, a container preheating station, a temporary welding station, a main welding station, and a welded lid material cooling station are arranged along the circumference of the turntable, so that various processes can be performed on multiple containers at once.

[0006] Although the device described in Patent Document 1 is very effective in improving productivity, it is a large-scale device and it can be difficult to secure the installation space. Also, since the equipment cost is high, there has been a demand for a compact lid material attachment device that can easily attach lid materials.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a lid material attachment device and method that is small and allows for easy attachment of a lid material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A lid material attachment device according to one aspect of the present invention is a lid material attachment device for fastening a lid material to an open end face of a container, and includes: a table having a lid material holding portion for holding the lid material and a container holding portion for holding the container; a lid material welding unit; and an elevation drive means. The lid material welding unit includes a head portion integrally having a heating portion and a lid material suction portion, a support member for supporting the heating portion, and a locking member fixed to a suction rod connected to the lid material suction portion and locking the head portion to the support member so as to be movable up and down. The elevation drive means moves the lid material welding unit up and down via the support member between a suction position where the head portion overlaps the lid material holding portion and a welding position where the head portion overlaps the container holding portion. At least the lower end of the lid material adsorption portion protrudes below the hot plate of the heating unit when in the normal locked state by the locking member, and the lid material attachment device further includes a push-up mechanism that raises the lid material adsorption portion to approximately the same height level as the hot plate by pushing the locking member up from the support member against the downward movement of the lid material welding unit at the welding position.

[0009] Preferably, the push-up mechanism is provided near the container holding portion and includes a protrusion that protrudes above the surface of the table, and a hanging member that extends downward from the locking member and rides up on the protrusion as the lid material welding unit descends.

[0010] Preferably, the support member includes a connecting member that connects the heating section and the unit holding member of the lifting drive means, and a locked portion that is integral with the connecting member and supports the locking member from below.

[0011] It is desirable that the lid material attachment device further comprises a vacuum pump connected to both the first air pipe connected to the lid material holding portion and the second air pipe connected to the lid material suction portion via a suction rod, and a switching control means for switching the open / closed states of the first air pipe and the second air pipe when the vacuum pump is operated.

[0012] Preferably, the position of the lid material welding unit in plan view is fixed, and the table is configured as a linear table that moves back and forth linearly, or a rotary table that moves in rotation around an axis.

[0013] A lid material attachment method according to one aspect of the present invention is a lid material attachment method for fixing a lid material to the open end face of a container using the above-mentioned lid material attachment device, and includes a step of suction-holding the lid material with a lid material holding portion that protrudes below the hot plate at an adsorption position where the head portion overlaps with the lid material holding portion, and a step of heat-welding the lid material with a heating portion while pulling the lid material adsorption portion upward at a welding position where the head portion overlaps with the container holding portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the head of the lid welding unit is integrally provided with a lid material adsorption part, thereby enabling the device to be made smaller. Furthermore, since the lid material adsorption part is raised to approximately the same height as the hot plate at the welding position, the lid material can be heat-welded to the open end of the container easily and accurately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a lid material attachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of a lid material attachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a top view of a lid material attachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a table provided in a lid material attachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat welding mechanism provided in a lid material attachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 3 is a plan view of the head portion of the heat welding mechanism as viewed from below in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a lid material attachment device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating specific configuration examples of a support member and a locking member. [Figure 9] 5A to 5C are side views schematically illustrating the operation of the lid material attachment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 5A to 5C are side views schematically illustrating the operation of the lid material attachment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are side views schematically illustrating the operation of the lid material attachment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 5A to 5C are side views schematically illustrating the operation of the lid material attachment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a rear view schematically illustrating the operation of the lid material attachment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a rear view schematically illustrating the operation of the lid material attachment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing another configuration example of the table. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0017] (About the outline of the configuration) The schematic configuration of the lid material attachment device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the lid material attachment device 1. Figure 2 is a front view of the lid material attachment device 1, and Figure 3 is a top view of the lid material attachment device 1. As shown in Figure 3, it is assumed that the container C and lid material F are round, and that a ring-shaped flange portion cf is formed around the opening of the container C. The container C is typically a refill container made of resin, and the lid material F is, for example, a laminate film.

[0018] The lid material fitting device 1 includes a workbench 9, a table 2 movably supported on the workbench 9, a heat welding mechanism 3 (shown by imaginary lines in Figs. 1 to 3) installed on the workbench 9, and an operating means 8 operated by an operator. Arrow A1 in Fig. 1 etc. indicates the back side (rear) when viewed from the front. Arrow A2 in Fig. 2 etc. indicates the left-right direction (width direction) when viewed from the front.

[0019] The lid material attachment device 1 according to this embodiment operates semi-automatically. Specifically, the table 2 has a lid material holding section 21 and a container holding section 22, and an operator manually places the lid material F on the lid material holding section 21 and fits the container C into the container holding section 22. The table 2 and the heat welding mechanism 3 are configured to operate in response to instructions from the operator via the operating means 8.

[0020] The operating means 8 is provided on the front side (forward) of the workbench 9, and includes, for example, a power button 81, a start button 82, and an emergency stop button 83. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the start buttons 82 are provided on both the left and right sides of the table 2, and when the worker presses the two start buttons 82 simultaneously, operation of the table 2 and the heat welding mechanism 3 begins. In this way, providing multiple start buttons 82 ensures safe operation and prevents malfunction of the table 2 and the heat welding mechanism 3.

[0021] The heat welding mechanism 3 includes a lid material suction section 51 for suctioning and holding the lid material F held by the lid material holding section 21, and a heating section 41 for heating the outer periphery of the lid material F while the lid material F held by the lid material suction section 51 is positioned relative to the opening end surface (upper end surface of the flange section cf) of the container C held by the container holding section 22.

[0022] The heat welding mechanism 3 in this embodiment is equipped with a head part 31 (see Figure 6) which integrally has a heating part 41 and a lid material adsorption part 51. In this embodiment, in a plan view, the position of the lid material welding unit 30 which has the head part 31 at its lower end is fixed, and the table 2 is configured to move back and forth in the front-to-back direction relative to the work table 9. The heat welding mechanism 3 only raises and lowers the lid material welding unit 30 while remaining in the same position. By limiting the movement of the lid material welding unit 30 to one axis in the up-down direction, the lid material F can be adsorbed and heated efficiently.

[0023] The heat welding mechanism 3 is covered by a case 90, and the table 2 slides (in stages) between an origin position where it is pulled forward from the case 90 and an insertion position where it is pulled into the case 90. Covering the heat welding mechanism 3 with the case 90 prevents damage to the heat welding mechanism 3 and also prevents injury due to contact with the high-temperature heating part 41. Note that instead of the case 90, a partition panel or the like may simply be installed between the installation position of the heat welding mechanism 3 and the worker's work position.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, casters 91 may be provided at the lower ends of the legs of the workbench 9 so that the lid material fitting device 1 can be easily moved.

[0025] (About the table) Further referring to Figure 4, an example of the configuration of table 2 will be described. Figures 4(A) and (B) are a side view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, showing an example of the configuration of table 2. Figure 4(B) shows a cross section taken along line IVB-IVB in Figure 4(A). Note that in these figures, the case portion 90 is omitted from the illustration.

[0026] Table 2 is rectangular in shape and is long in the front-to-rear direction, and lid material holding portion 21 and container holding portion 22 are aligned along the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction) of table 2. Container holding portion 22 is located at the front end of table 2, and lid material holding portion 21 is located at the center (or rear end) of table 2 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0027] The movement of the table 2 is performed by a single-axis electric actuator 23. The actuator 23 is a table driving means for reciprocating the table 2, and moves the table 2 (in stages) in the front-to-rear direction of the work table 9, for example, via a table support 24 provided below the table 2. Note that while the table driving means is preferably configured by the electric actuator 23, it may also be configured by an air cylinder or the like as long as it can stop the table 2 at at least two positions (the "first insertion position" and "second insertion position" described below).

[0028] The table 2 moves in stages, in this order, from an "origin position" where both the lid material holding portion 21 and the container holding portion 22 are exposed from the case portion 90, to a "first insertion position" where at least the lid material holding portion 21 is inserted into the case portion 90 and is positioned directly below the head portion 31, and to a "second insertion position" where both the lid material holding portion 21 and the container holding portion 22 are inserted into the case portion 90 and is positioned directly below the head portion 31. At the first insertion position, the lid material F is adsorbed, and at the second insertion position, the lid material F is attached. Once the lid material F has been attached, the table 2 is returned to the origin position. The table 2 moves forward in two stages (moving rearward of the work table 9) and then moves back to the origin position in one stage (moving forward of the work table 9).

[0029] (About the lid holding part) As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the lid material holding part 21 is configured as, for example, a flat rectangular pillar-shaped mounting base, and is fixed to the upper surface of the table 2. The lid material holding part 21 has a mounting surface 210 on which the lid material F is to be placed. The mounting surface 210 is provided with holes for negative pressure (suction), and the mounting surface 210 forms an adsorption surface that adsorbs the lid material F by operation of a vacuum pump 71 (Figure 7). It is desirable that the lid material holding part 21 is provided with positioning means for facilitating the positioning (centering) of the lid material F. The positioning means may be a protrusion, or may be a circular mark 211 (see Figure 3) formed on the mounting surface 210.

[0030] 4(A), in this embodiment, one end of air pipe 21a is connected to the side surface (rear side surface) of lid material holding portion 21. The other end of air pipe 21a is connected to vacuum pump 71. As an example, air pipe 21a is led through an opening formed in workbench 9 into a control box (not shown) in which vacuum pump 71 is disposed.

[0031] (Regarding the container holder) As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the container holding unit 22 is configured, for example, as an annular storage base, and is fixed to the upper surface of the table 2. The container holding unit 22 has a circular storage hole 220 that penetrates in the vertical direction. The container C is fitted into the storage hole 220 from above. When a container C having a flange portion cf is to be held, the flange portion cf may be hooked onto the annular surface (upper surface) around the storage hole 220. Note that the container holding unit 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to be able to position (center) the container C.

[0032] (Basic configuration of heat welding mechanism) The basic configuration of the heat welding mechanism 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Figs. 5(A) and (B) are a side view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, that schematically show the basic configuration of the heat welding mechanism 3. Fig. 5(B) shows a cross section taken along line VB-VB in Fig. 5(A). Note that in these figures, the lid material welding unit 30 is shown in a simplified form.

[0033] 5(A), the heat welding mechanism 3 includes a lid material welding unit 30 having a head portion 31 at its lower end, a unit holding member 32 that holds the lid material welding unit 30, and a single-axis electric actuator 33 that raises and lowers the unit holding member 32. The actuator 33 is a lifting / lowering drive means for moving the lid material welding unit 30 up and down, and includes, for example, a cylinder portion 34 that extends in the vertical direction, an extendable rod 35 that is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat within the cylinder portion 34, and a slide member 36 that is connected to the extendable rod 35 and the unit holding member 32. Note that although the lifting / lowering drive means is preferably constituted by the electric actuator 33, it may also be constituted by an air cylinder or the like.

[0034] The actuator 33 moves the entire lid material welding unit 30 up and down by moving the extendable rod 35 back and forth in the vertical direction when the table 2 is stopped at the first insertion position or the second insertion position (or when moving back and forth therebetween).

[0035] 5(A) and (B), the lid material welding unit 30 mainly includes a head unit 31 integrally having a heating unit 41 and a lid material suction unit 51, a support member 42 that supports the heating unit 41, and a locking member 53 that is fixed to a suction rod 52 connected to the lid material suction unit 51 and locks to the support member 42 so as to be vertically movable. As will be described later, the lid material welding unit 30 also includes a hanging member 62 that extends downward from the locking member 53. In FIG. 5(A), for ease of understanding, the parts integrated with the locking member 53 (parts that move vertically relative to the locking member 53) are shown in gray.

[0036] (About the head) A specific example of the configuration of the head unit 31 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The heating unit 41 included in the head unit 31 has multiple built-in heaters and has a hot plate (mold) 410 at its lower end. The entire heating unit 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a lid material suction unit 51 is fitted into an internal space 41s of the heating unit 41 so as to be vertically movable. The lid material suction unit 51 is integrally connected to the lower end of a suction rod 52 that extends in the vertical direction.

[0037] The lid material suction unit 51 has, at its lower end, a suction pad 510 that suctions the lid material F by operation of a vacuum pump 71. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(B), one end of an air pipe 52a is connected to the cylindrical surface (for example, the rear side surface) of the suction rod 52. The other end of the air pipe 52a is connected to a vacuum pump 71. Like the air pipe 21a of the lid material holding unit 21, the air pipe 52a is drawn into a control box (not shown) in which the vacuum pump 71 is disposed through an opening formed in the workbench 9.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the positional relationship between the suction cup 510 and the hot plate 410, and shows a plan view of the head unit 31 as viewed from below (from the direction VI in FIG. 5(B)). The suction cup 510 is typically circular and is sized to contact the center of the lid material F. The hot plate 410 has a ring-shaped protrusion 410p at its lower end that surrounds the suction cup 510. The protrusion 410p is sized to contact the outer periphery of the lid material F. The suction cup 510 is preferably made of a heat-resistant material (for example, heat-resistant rubber). In the following description, the hot plate 410 mainly refers to the protrusion 410p.

[0039] (Overview of Support Member and Locking Member) With reference to FIG. 5, the support member 42 and the locking member 53 will be outlined.

[0040] The support member 42 includes a connecting member 43 that connects the heating section 41 of the head section 31 to the unit holding member 32, and a locked section 44 that is provided integrally with the connecting member 43. The locked section 44 is provided at a midpoint of the connecting member 43 and supports the locking member 53 from below. The locked section 44 has, for example, a mounting surface 440 on which the locking member 53 can be placed.

[0041] The locking member 53 is not connected to the unit holding member 32, but is locked to the support member 42 via the locked portion 44. The locking member 53 is attached so as to be movable upward relative to the support member 42. Specific (preferable) configuration examples of the support member 42 and the locking member 53 will be described later.

[0042] 5, in the normal locked state by the locking member 53 (when the locking member 53 is locked to the locked portion 44), at least the lower end of the lid material suction portion 51 protrudes below the hot plate 410. In other words, the suction cup 510 of the lid material suction portion 51 is positioned a predetermined distance L1 below the lower end surface (welding surface) of the hot plate 410. When the locking member 53 is pushed upward, the lid material suction portion 51 is raised to approximately the same height as the hot plate 410. "Approximately the same height" means that there is no intentional difference in height between the lower surface of the suction cup 51 and the lower surface of the hot plate 410. In other words, the lid material suction portion 51 is raised so that the protruding dimension L1 is approximately zero.

[0043] (About the lifting mechanism) The lid material attachment device 1 is equipped with a push-up mechanism 6 that pushes the locking member 53 upward from the support member 42. As shown in Figures 4(A) and 5(A), the push-up mechanism 6 is provided near the container holding portion 22 and includes a protrusion 61 that protrudes above the surface of the table 2, and a hanging member 62 that extends downward from the locking member 53 and rides on the protrusion 61 as the lid material welding unit 30 descends.

[0044] It is desirable that protrusions 61 are provided in pairs on both the left and right sides of container holding portion 22. Hanging member 62 is typically formed of a rod-shaped member. It is also desirable that hanging member 62 is provided in pairs on both the left and right sides of head portion 31.

[0045] The protrusion 61 is not provided near the lid material holding portion 21. Therefore, the configuration is such that the hanging member 62 rides up onto the protrusion 61 only when the lid material welding unit 30 descends at the "welding position". In other words, the push-up mechanism 6 is configured to push up the locking member 53 from the support member 42 against the downward movement only when the lid material welding unit 30 descends at the "welding position".

[0046] The protruding dimension of the protrusion 61 and the length of the hanging member 62 are determined so that when the lid material welding unit 30 is located at the working height (welding height H3 in Figure 11 (B)) at the welding position, the lid material suction portion 51 and the heat plate 410 are at approximately the same height level.

[0047] The "welding position" refers to the position where the table 2 stops at the second insertion position and the head portion 31 and the container holding portion 22 overlap (face each other). The position where the table 2 stops at the first insertion position and the head portion 31 and the lid material holding portion 21 overlap (face each other) is called the "suction position."

[0048] (Functional configuration) Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the lid material attachment device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the lid material attachment device 1 is equipped with a control device 10 that controls the entire device, and the control device 10 is electrically connected to the operation means 8, the (table-side) actuator 23 that moves the table 2 back and forth, the vacuum pump 71 shared by the lid material holding unit 21 and the lid material suction unit 51, the (head-side) actuator 33 that moves the head unit 31 up and down, and the heat source (heater) of the heating unit 41. The control device 10 includes a processor 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a memory 102 that stores various data and programs.

[0049] The control device 10 functions as a switching control, and switches the open / closed state of the air pipe 21a on the lid material holding unit 21 side and the air pipe 52a on the lid material suction unit 51 side when the vacuum pump 71 is operating. Specifically, the open / closed state may be switched by opening one of the air pipes 21a, 52a and closing the other, or the open / closed state may be switched by opening both the air pipes 21a, 52a and changing the degree of opening.

[0050] (Specific configuration examples of the support member and the locking member) 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a specific example of the configuration of support member 42 and locking member 53. (A) shows a state in which locking member 53 is locked to support member 42, and (B) shows a state in which locking member 53 is pushed up. Note that in Figs. 8A and 8B, for ease of understanding, parts integrated with locking member 53 (parts that move relatively in the up and down direction) are shown in gray.

[0051] 8(A), the support member 42 includes a plurality of lower support columns 421 whose lower ends are fixed to the heating section 41, a plurality of upper support columns 422 whose upper ends are fixed to the unit holding member 32, and a support plate 423 that is interposed between the lower support columns 421 and the upper support columns 422 and extends horizontally. The lower support columns 421, the upper support columns 422, and the support plate 423 form the connecting member 43. The upper support columns 422 and the support plate 423 serve both as the connecting member 43 and the locked portion 44. The upper surface of the support plate 423 forms the mounting surface 440.

[0052] Locking member 53 includes an engagement tube 532 that is passed through upper support column 422 and extends in the vertical direction, and an engagement plate 531 that is fixed to the upper end of engagement tube 532 and extends in the horizontal direction. Engagement plate 531 is fixed to the upper end of suction rod 52 and has a through-hole through which upper support column 422 passes. In the no-load state, the weight of locking member 53 (and hanging member 62) causes the lower end surfaces of multiple engagement tubes 532 to come into contact with mounting surface 440 of support plate 423, and locking member 53 is supported from below by support plate 423.

[0053] Engagement plate 531 has protruding portions 531a that protrude outward on both sides beyond head portion 31, and the upper end of hanging member 62 is fixed to protruding portions 531a.

[0054] 8(B), when hanging member 62 is pushed up relatively, engagement plate 531 and engagement tube 532 move upward along upper support column 422. Upper support column 422 functions as a lifting guide for locking member 53. Because engagement plate 531 is fixed to suction rod 52, suction rod 52 and lid material suction portion 51 move relatively upward together with engagement plate 531. With locking member 53 pushed up, suction cup 510 is pulled up to approximately the same height level as hot plate 410.

[0055] By configuring the support member 42 and the locking member 53 as described above, the suction rod 52 and the lid material suction portion 51 can be stably moved upward relative to each other.

[0056] 8, the upper support 422 and the lower support 421 are arranged out of phase with each other, but they may also be arranged in the same phase. Since the lower support 421 is close to the heating unit 41, it is desirable that a heat insulating material be provided on the outer periphery. It is also desirable that a heat insulating material be provided on the outer periphery of the suction rod 52.

[0057] <About operation> A series of operations of the lid material fitting device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 14. Figures 9 to 12 are views of the main parts of the lid material fitting device 1 as seen from the side, and Figures 13 and 14 are views of the main parts of the lid material fitting device 1 as seen from the back.

[0058] 9(A), in an initial state in which the table 2 is located at the origin position, an operator places a lid material F on the placement surface 210 of the lid material holding unit 21, and a container C is accommodated in the container holding unit 22. In the initial state, the control device 10 opens the air pipe 21a of the lid material holding unit 21 and closes the air pipe 52a of the suction rod 52, and operates the vacuum pump 71. As a result, the lid material F is adsorbed and held on the placement surface 210.

[0059] In the initial state, the lid material welding unit 30 is located at the position (upper end position) farthest from the table 2. Fig. 9(A) shows the height H0 of the hot plate 410 in the initial state. In the initial state, the locking member 53 is locked to the support member 42, so the suction cup 510 protrudes downward from the hot plate 410.

[0060] Once the setting of the lid material F and container C is complete, the worker presses the start buttons 82 located on the left and right sides of the table 2 with both hands. This causes the control device 10 to operate the actuator 23, which moves the table 2 one step to the first insertion position. In parallel with the movement of the table 2, the control device 10 operates the actuator 33, which lowers the lid material welding unit 30. Figures 9(B) and 13(A) show the lid material welding unit 30 lowered to the first insertion position (suction position).

[0061] 10(A), when the lid material welding unit 30 descends to the suction height H1, the control device 10 temporarily stops the operation of the vacuum pump 71, and then switches the open / close states of the air pipes 21a and 52a connected to the vacuum pump 71. That is, the air pipe 21a of the lid material holding part 21 is closed and the air pipe 52a of the suction rod 52 is opened, and the vacuum pump 71 is operated. As a result, the lid material F placed on the lid material holding part 21 is transferred to the suction pad 510 of the lid material suction part 51.

[0062] Since there are no protrusions around lid material holding portion 21 and there is nothing that comes into contact with the tip of hanging member 62 when lid material holding portion 21 is at suction height H1, locking member 53 remains locked to support member 42, as shown in Figures 10(A) and 13(B). Therefore, the periphery of lid material F does not come into contact with hot plate 410, and suction cup 510 can hold the center of lid material F.

[0063] Once the lid material F has been adsorbed, as shown in FIG. 10(B), the control device 10 causes the lid material welding unit 30 to retreat (move upward) to a predetermined retracted height H2, and moves the table 2 to the second insertion position. The retracted height H2 is slightly higher than the suction height H1 and sufficiently lower than the initial height H0. The difference between the suction height H1 and the retracted height H2 is, for example, within a range of 5 to 30 mm. Note that when the lid material welding unit 30 is positioned at the retracted height H2, the height of the tip of the hanging member 62 is higher (above) than the height of the upper ends of the protrusions 61 provided on both the left and right sides of the container holding portion 22.

[0064] Therefore, even when the container holding portion 22 is moved directly below the lid material welding unit 30 located at the retraction height H2, the locking member 53 is locked to the support member 42, and the suction cup 510 protrudes downward below the heat plate 410, as shown in Figures 10(B) and 14(A).

[0065] 11(A), when the container holding section 22 is transferred to a position directly below the lid material welding unit 30, the control device 10 lowers the lid material welding unit 30 from the retraction height H2 to the welding height H3, and heat-welds the lid material F. The welding height H3 is approximately equal to the height of the upper end of the container holding section 22 (or the height of the upper end of the container C). Note that, although the suction height H1 and the welding height H3 are different heights in this embodiment, they may also be the same height.

[0066] When the table 2 is stopped at the second insertion position, a pair of protrusions 61 are located at positions corresponding to the pair of hanging members 62. Therefore, during the descent of the lid material welding unit 30 from the retracted height H2 to the welding height H3, the tip of the hanging member 62 rides up onto the protrusions 61, and the locking member 53 is pushed up from the support member 42. As a result, during the descent of the lid material welding unit 30, the suction cup 510 moves upward relative to the heating unit 41 and is drawn into the internal space 41s of the heating unit 41.

[0067] As shown in FIGS. 11A and 14B, when the lid welding unit 30 is lowered to the welding height H3, the suction cup 510 is raised by the protrusion dimension L1 and is positioned at approximately the same height as the hot plate 410. In other words, the lower end surface (suction surface) of the suction cup 510 and the lower end surface (welding surface) of the hot plate 410 are flush with each other. Therefore, the outer periphery of the lid material F can be sandwiched between the hot plate 410 and the flange cf of the container C without bending the lid material F. Therefore, the lid material F can be heat-welded to the container C in a neat and tidy state. FIG. 11B shows the lid material F welded to the container C. The vacuum state of the lid material suction unit 51 may be released during the welding operation or after welding is completed.

[0068] When welding of the lid material F is completed, as shown in Figure 12(A), the lid material welding unit 30 is raised to the initial height H0, and the table 2 is returned to its original position. At this time, the table 2 does not stop at the first insertion position, but returns to its initial position from the second insertion position. When the lid material welding unit 30 rises from the welding height H3, the suction cup 510 moves upward relative to the heating section 41, and the hanging member 62 is released from its suspended state. In other words, the locking member 53 is again locked to the support member 42, and the suction cup 510 protrudes from the heating plate 410.

[0069] When the table 2 is returned to the origin position, as shown in Figure 12 (A), the worker removes the container C (product) with the lid material F attached from the container holding part 22. In this way, one cycle is completed. The worker again sets the lid material F and the container C in the lid material holding part 21 and the container holding part 22, and presses the start button 82, thereby repeating the above cycle.

[0070] (Action and effect) According to the lid material attachment device 1 of this embodiment, the lid material welding unit 30 is equipped with a lid material suction section 51, which eliminates the need for a temporary welding device (a device that temporarily welds the lid material to the open end face of the container before the actual welding) as in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, since the lid material F, which has been pre-cut to fit the container C, is placed on the lid material holding section 21, there is no need for a device that punches out the lid material F or a device that transports the lid material F. This allows the lid material attachment device 1 to be made smaller than conventional devices, significantly reducing equipment costs. A household power source (100V) can be used as the power source for the lid material attachment device 1.

[0071] Furthermore, by matching the outer diameter of the lid material F with the outer diameter of the flange portion cf of the container C, the edge of the lid material F does not protrude from the container C, and the lid material F can be attached in an elegant manner. In cases where the container C is a refill container, the lid material F can be prevented from interfering with the cap (not shown) of the outer container.

[0072] Furthermore, while the head unit 31 is configured to integrally include the heating unit 41 and the lid material suction unit 51, the lid material suction unit 51 is configured to protrude below the hot plate 410 of the heating unit 41 under normal conditions, so that the outer periphery of the lid material F can be kept out of contact with the heating unit 41 (hot plate 410) while the lid material F is held by the lid material suction unit 51. This prevents damage to the lid material F due to overheating of the outer periphery of the lid material F before welding. Furthermore, the lid material F can be welded to the container C at the predicted (calculated) target temperature.

[0073] Furthermore, since the lid material welding unit 30 only moves on one axis, the holding time from when the lid material suction section 51 adsorbs the lid material F to when the heating section 41 heat-welds the lid material F can be shortened.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upward movement of the lid material suction portion 51 (suction cup 510), which is necessary when welding the lid material F, is performed mechanically by the push-up mechanism 6, thereby achieving energy savings and simplifying the device configuration.

[0075] Furthermore, since the lid material attachment device 1 is equipped with a mechanical push-up mechanism 6, the protruding dimension (L1) of the lid material adsorption portion 51 can be easily adjusted depending on the material of the lid material F, for example, by interposing a spacer between the locking member 53 and the locked portion 44.

[0076] It is also possible to provide an elastic member (spring) between the suction rod 52 or the locking member 43 and the unit holding member 32, which biases them in a direction to separate them, to assist the expansion and contraction movement of the lid material suction part 51. This reduces the risk of the expansion and contraction movement of the lid material suction part 51 becoming stuck, even if the lid material suction part 51 etc. is heated and expanded due to repeated cycles of attaching the lid material F.

[0077] Furthermore, since the lid material suction portion 51 suctions the center of the lid material F, there is no need to replace the lid material suction portion 51 to match the size (outer diameter) of the container C, and by replacing the heat plate 410 and the container holding portion 22, it is possible to accommodate containers C of various sizes.

[0078] (Variation 1) In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the table 2 is configured as a linear table that moves back and forth relative to the work table 9, but it may also be configured as a rotary table 2A as shown in Fig. 15. The rotary table 2A rotates in one direction around an axis O. In this case, two sets of lid material holding units 21 and container holding units 22 can be arranged.

[0079] A work station ST1 is formed in front of the work table 9, and a suction / welding station ST2 and a waiting station ST3 are formed above the work table 9. The completed product is taken out from the container holder 22 that has returned to the work station ST1 via the waiting station ST3 (station ST4). This modification has the advantage of reducing the waiting time of the worker.

[0080] (Variation 2) As described above, it is desirable that the position of the lid material welding unit 30 is fixed and that the lid material welding unit 30 only moves up and down (one axis), but the lid material welding unit 30 may be made movable on two axes (up and down and left and right, etc.) and the positions of the lid material holding portion 21 and the container holding portion 22 may be fixed during operation.

[0081] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1 Lid material attachment device, 2 Table, 2A Rotary table, 3 Heat welding mechanism, 6 Push-up mechanism, 8 Operating means, 9 Work table, 10 Control device, 21 Lid material holding part, 21a, 52a Air pipe, 22 Container holding part, 23, 33 Actuator, 30 Lid material welding unit, 31 Head part, 32 Unit holding member, 41 Heating part, 410 Hot plate, 42 Support member, 43 Connecting member, 44 Locked part, 51 Lid material suction part, 52 Suction rod, 53 Locking member, 61 Protrusion, 62 Hanging member, 71 Vacuum pump, 510 Suction cup, C Container, F Lid material.

Claims

1. A lid material attachment device for fastening a lid material to an open end surface of a container, a table having a lid material holding portion that holds a lid material and a container holding portion that holds a container; a lid material welding unit including a head portion integrally having a heating portion and a lid material suction portion, a support member supporting the heating portion, and a locking member fixed to a suction rod connected to the lid material suction portion and locking the lid material suction portion to be movable up and down relative to the support member; a lifting drive means for moving the lid material welding unit up and down via the support member at a suction position where the head portion overlaps the lid material holding portion and at a welding position where the head portion overlaps the container holding portion, At least a lower end of the lid material suction portion protrudes downward from a hot plate of the heating unit in a normal locked state by the locking member, The lid material mounting device further includes a push-up mechanism that pushes the locking member up from the support member against the downward movement of the lid material welding unit at the welding position, thereby raising the lid material suction portion to approximately the same height level as the hot plate.

2. The push-up mechanism includes: a protrusion provided near the container holder and protruding above the surface of the table; The lid material attachment device according to claim 1 , further comprising a hanging member extending downward from the locking member and riding on the protrusion as the lid material welding unit descends.

3. The lid material mounting device described in claim 1, wherein the support member includes a connecting member that connects the heating section and the unit holding member of the lifting drive means, and a locking portion that is integrally formed with the connecting member and supports the locking member from below.

4. a vacuum pump connected to both a first air pipe connected to the lid material holding portion and a second air pipe connected to the lid material suction portion via a suction rod; 2. The lid material attachment device according to claim 1, further comprising a switching control means for switching between an open and closed state of the first air pipe and the second air pipe when the vacuum pump is operating.

5. The position of the lid material welding unit in a plan view is fixed, 2. The lid material attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the table is configured as a linear table that moves back and forth linearly or a rotary table that moves in rotation about an axis.

6. A lid material attachment method for fixing a lid material to an open end surface of a container using the lid material attachment device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a step of suction-holding the lid material by the lid material holding portion protruding below the hot plate at a suction position where the head portion overlaps the lid material holding portion; a step of heat-welding the lid material by the heating section while pulling the lid material suction section upward at a welding position where the head section overlaps the container holding section.

Images