Barrel hole downward-facing device

Abstract

This system provides an automated line for removing the contents (residual liquid) from barrels (mainly whiskey barrels) that are placed horizontally on a conveyor belt for transport. [Solution] A barrel hole downward-facing device 10 for removing the contents (residual liquid) from barrels placed horizontally on a chain conveyor for transport, comprising a barrel lift-up section 30 installed directly below the barrel placed horizontally on the chain conveyor and equipped with a rotatable wheel member 20 on its upper end that contacts the barrel, and a barrel gripping and rotating section 40 for gripping the barrel lifted by the barrel lift-up section 30 and rotating it in that position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cask hole downward device for lifting a cask (mainly a whiskey cask) placed horizontally on a conveyor for transportation and then rotating the cask to turn the cask hole downward in order to discharge the contents (residual liquid).

Background Art

[0002] It is known that whiskey casks play a very important role in the aging process of whiskey. As the effects brought by whiskey casks, components from the wood, which is the material of the cask, impart a unique flavor to the whiskey. (Since the cask takes in air through minute gaps), contact with a small amount of oxygen mellows the flavor of the whiskey and becomes a factor increasing its complexity. The whiskey cask plays a role more important than a mere container and deeply affects the quality, flavor, color, and aroma of the whiskey.

[0003] On the other hand, automation of the conveying line for efficiently and safely moving casks (in the cask stacking operation) has been implemented. As a characteristic of whiskey casks, if casking is performed with the cask in a dry state, the contents are likely to leak, causing whiskey and the like to spill. Therefore, when the cask is dry, it is necessary to put water (liquid) in it for moisture replenishment and store it for a certain period so that the wood of the cask expands and the gaps in the wood are filled. Thus, since whiskey casks are stored not in a dried state but in a state containing moisture (a state containing residual liquid), when casking, it is always necessary to perform the operation of turning the cask hole downward to discharge the residual liquid, and there is a current situation where this process is time-consuming. The applicants have made intensive development in view of such a current situation and have arrived at the present invention.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a barrel liquid filling and / or extraction system (Patent Document 1: Title of Invention) which aims to "provide a barrel liquid filling and / or extraction system that can reduce manpower in the work of filling and extracting liquid from barrels, and can also improve the efficiency of the work of filling and extracting liquid from barrels (Patent Document 1: Abstract)" and states that "the barrel liquid filling and / or extraction system comprises a work section for filling and / or extracting liquid from barrels, and a conveying device that automatically transports barrels between the work section and racks stacked in multiple layers to store barrels vertically. Since barrels are automatically transported to the work section where the liquid filling and / or extraction work is performed, workers do not need to move to the location of the vertically stored barrels, and can perform the filling and / or extraction of liquid from barrels while remaining in the work section. Therefore, manpower can be reduced and the work of filling and extracting liquid from barrels can be improved (excerpt from Patent Document 1: Abstract)." [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-034408 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] According to the barrel liquid filling and / or extraction system described in Patent Document 1 (Patent Document 1: Title of Invention), barrels are automatically transported to the work area where the liquid filling and / or extraction work is performed. Therefore, workers do not need to move to the location of barrels stored in a three-dimensional manner, and can perform the liquid filling and / or extraction from the barrels while remaining in the work area. However, the workers still have to lift the handcart on which the pump unit is mounted to the deck where the barrels to be extracted are located, connect the auxiliary pump of the pump unit to the aging liquor line and also to the barrel, and then operate the auxiliary pump.

[0007] The objective of this invention is to improve the efficiency of barrel filling by automating the process of turning the barrel opening downwards in order to drain the residual liquid from the (whiskey) barrels that are stored in a state containing moisture (a state containing residual liquid) during barrel filling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a barrel hole downward device for removing the contents (residual liquid) from a barrel placed horizontally on a conveyor for transport, A barrel lift-up unit is installed at the lower side of a barrel placed horizontally on a chain conveyor, and has a rotatable wheel member on its upper end that contacts the barrel. The barrel hole downward-facing device is characterized by having a barrel gripping and rotating part for gripping the barrel that has been lifted up by the barrel lift-up part and rotating it in that position.

[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is a barrel hole downward-facing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrel gripping rotating part comprises a barrel gripping member that grips the barrel from both sides and a barrel gripping member moving means that moves the barrel gripping member toward the center of the barrel (reciprocating motion). [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention is a barrel hole downward-facing device for removing the contents (residual liquid) from barrels placed horizontally on a conveyor for transport. It is installed below (almost directly below) a barrel placed horizontally on a chain conveyor and comprises a barrel lift-up section with a rotatable wheel member on its upper end that contacts the barrel, and a barrel gripping and rotating section for gripping the barrel lifted by the barrel lift-up section and rotating it in that position. The barrel gripping and rotating section comprises barrel gripping members that grip the barrel from both sides and barrel gripping member moving means that move the barrel gripping members toward the center of the barrel (reciprocating motion).

[0011] The barrel lift-up section lifts the barrel off the chain conveyor, and the barrel gripping and rotating section grips and rotates the barrel. The barrel gripping member movement mechanism is controlled by air pressure when gripping the barrel, so it can grip barrels of various shapes (mainly size) regardless of the barrel's size (height). The barrel lift-up section is equipped with a rotatable wheel member on the upper end that contacts the barrel, so it can support the weight of the barrel and assist the rotation by the barrel gripping and rotating section. Therefore, it is now possible to provide an automated barrel filling line with a barrel hole downward-facing device for removing the contents (residual liquid) from barrels (mainly whiskey barrels) that are placed horizontally on a conveyor for transport. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a diagram (with dimensions) showing the shapes of various barrels that will have their barrel holes turned downwards using the barrel hole downward-facing device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a diagram (part 1) illustrating the downward-facing barrel hole device. [Figure 3] This is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the downward-facing barrel hole device. [Figure 4] This is diagram (part 3) illustrating the downward-facing barrel hole device. [Figure 5] This is a diagram illustrating the barrel gripping and rotating mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the barrel hole downward-facing device 10 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a diagram (with dimensions) of various barrel shapes that will be used to direct the barrel hole downwards using the barrel hole downward-facing device 10 according to the present invention.

[0014] The barrel hole downward-facing device 10 removes the contents (residual liquid) from barrels that are placed horizontally on a conveyor belt for transport. The barrel hole for filling the barrel with whiskey, etc., is located near the center of the side of the barrel, and the barrel stopper is removed just before the barrel is transported to the area with the barrel hole downward-facing device 10 (within the transport line). When the barrel is transported to the area with the barrel hole downward-facing device 10 (within the transport line), the barrel hole is facing upward (directly upward).

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the size of the (whiskey) barrels that are subjected to downward barrel hole orientation by the barrel hole downward device 10 varies. The barrels handled by the barrel hole downward device 10 (which is part of the actual conveying line) come in three sizes: 450L capacity (indicated as α (alpha), γ (gamma), ε (epsilon) depending on the barrel type), 200L capacity (indicated as δ (delta), η (eta) depending on the barrel type), and 185L capacity (indicated as β (beta)). Even with the same capacity (450L), the dimensions differ significantly depending on the barrel type (see Figure 1).

[0016] To give specific examples, ε (450L) has a barrel length of 1080mm, a body length (end) of φ810mm, and a body length (center) of φ900mm; γ (450L) has a barrel length of 1150mm, a body length (end) of φ820mm, and a body length (center) of φ940mm; and α (450L) has a barrel length of 1300mm, a body length (end) of φ715mm, and a body length (center) of φ910mm. Thus, even for barrels of the same 450L, there are differences in dimensions of approximately 220mm in barrel length, 105mm in body length (end), and 40mm in body length (center).

[0017] The (various) barrels for which the barrel hole downward device 10 makes the barrel holes face downward do not have a standardized image like industrial products. There are various shapes of barrels, and moreover, various barrels flow randomly on the conveying line. Furthermore, distilled spirits, which are also classified as "brown spirits" such as brandy, rum, and whiskey, have a process of "aging in barrels, etc.". Aging takes at least several years, and it is not uncommon for aging to be carried out for more than a decade, and in some cases, aging may be carried out for several decades. Naturally, the shape and dimensions of the empty barrel before aging and the aged barrel are different. In order to adapt to the situation where various barrels with different dimensions flow randomly on the conveying line, various devices have been made in the barrel hole downward device 10 according to the present invention.

[0018] <Structure of the barrel hole downward device> Figures 2 to 5 are diagrams for explaining the barrel hole downward device 10. The barrel hole downward device 10 includes a barrel lift-up part 30 (installed at a position directly below the barrel placed horizontally on the chain conveyor and having a rotatable wheel member 20 on the upper end side in contact with the barrel), and a barrel gripping and rotating part 40 for gripping and rotating the barrel lifted up by the barrel lift-up part 30 at that position. Incidentally, the wheel members 20 are at the same height (see Figure 3). <0000​​​​​​When the barrel is lifted up by the barrel lift-up unit 30 from above the chain conveyor, the center position of the barrel may deviate from the center position of the conveyor line. Since the barrel is basically cylindrical and the central part bulges (so-called barrel belly), for example, when the center position of the barrel deviates to the left from the center position of the conveyor line (when the barrel is lifted up by the barrel lift-up unit 30 from above the chain conveyor), the left wheel member 20 will contact the barrel first. Then, the left side of the barrel will slide (the barrel will move) towards the center (in the right direction) along the so-called barrel belly. That is, the barrel will translate parallel in the direction where the center position of the barrel coincides with the center position of the conveyor line. When the right wheel member 20 contacts the barrel later, the movement of the barrel will stop.

[0021] If the center position of the barrel and the center position of the conveyor line are misaligned, the barrel hole downward device 10 can utilize the time difference between the left wheel member 20 and the right wheel member 20 contacting the barrel to correct the misalignment between the center position of the barrel and the center position of the conveyor line. (As a result of the inventors repeatedly making prototypes by varying the distance between the) left and right wheel members 20, it was confirmed that by setting the installation distance between the wheel members 20 to 1 / 3 to 2 / 3 of the barrel body length, the effect of correcting the misalignment between the center position of the barrel and the center position of the conveyor line is high.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the barrel gripping and rotating unit 40. Before explaining the barrel gripping and rotating unit 40, as a process before filling the barrel (such as whiskey), the reason why the barrel hole downward device 10 is necessary will be briefly explained. When performing the whiskey filling operation, if the barrel is dry, whiskey leakage is likely to occur. To prevent whiskey leakage, it is common to put water in the barrel and leave it for a certain period so as not to dry the barrel, so that the wood of the barrel expands and the gaps between the woods (forming the barrel) are filled to prevent whiskey leakage.

[0023] The barrel gripping rotation unit 40 includes barrel gripping members 50 that grip the barrel from both sides, and barrel gripping member moving means 60 that moves the barrel gripping members 50 toward the center of the barrel (reciprocating motion). The barrel gripping member moving means 60 consists of a part directly connected to the rotational axis (rotational axis connecting member 61) and a part connected to the barrel gripping member 50 (barrel gripping member connecting means 63), and the rotational axis connecting member 61 and the barrel gripping member connecting means 63 are rotatably connected at both ends.

[0024] When gripping a barrel, the barrel gripping members 50 installed on both sides of the barrel gripping rotating part 40 are pushed toward the center of the barrel (using air pressure). (In Figure 5, the ends of the barrel are facing the barrel gripping rotating part 40, so the long part of the barrel is perpendicular to the plane of the paper.) As a result, the barrel gripping members 50 installed on both sides of the barrel gripping rotating part 40 grip the long part of the barrel. At this time, the part of the barrel gripping member moving member 60 that is directly connected to the rotation center axis (rotation center connecting member 61) rotates. Note that the barrel gripping members 50 are controlled by air pressure (when gripping a barrel).

[0025] After gripping the barrel, the barrel is rotated. The barrel gripping and rotating part 40 (the barrel rotation mechanism (not shown)) allows the angle of rotation to be specified when rotating the barrel, so that when rotating the barrel, the position of the barrel hole can be brought directly downwards (the optimal position for draining any remaining liquid from the barrel).

[0026] <Process using a device that directs the barrel hole downwards> The process using the barrel hole downward device 10 according to the present invention consists of the steps of: first, lifting a barrel placed horizontally on a chain conveyor using the barrel lift-up unit 30; and second, rotating the barrel (barrel hole position) downward (approximately 180°) while gripping the barrel lifted by the barrel lift-up unit 30 with barrel gripping members 50 installed on both sides of the barrel gripping rotation unit 40. In addition to the method of gripping and rotating the barrel lifted by the barrel lift-up unit 30 using the barrel gripping members 50 installed on both sides of the barrel gripping rotation unit 40, the barrel gripping rotation unit 40 may also rotate the barrel while its upper surface is being held in place by suction.

[0027] <Effects of the barrel hole downward-facing device> The barrel hole downward device 10 according to the present invention enables the automatic removal of contents (residual liquid) from barrels (mainly whiskey barrels) that are placed horizontally on a chain conveyor for transport, thereby providing a fully automated barrel loading process.

[0028] The barrel hole downward-facing device 10 lifts the barrel off the chain conveyor using the barrel lift-up section 30 and rotates the barrel while gripping it using the barrel gripping and rotating section 40. The barrel gripping member moving means 60 is controlled by air pressure when gripping the barrel, so it can grip barrels of various shapes (mainly sizes) regardless of the barrel's shape (dimensions). Furthermore, the barrel lift-up section 30 is equipped with a rotatable wheel member 20 on the upper end that contacts the barrel, so it can support the weight of the barrel while assisting the barrel rotation by the barrel gripping and rotating section 40.

[0029] As a further effect, for example, if the center position of the barrel is shifted to the right of the center position of the conveyor line, the right side of the wheel member 20 will contact the barrel first. As a result, the right side of the barrel slides toward the center of the conveyor line (the barrel moves in parallel), so that the center line of the barrel and the center line of the conveyor line coincide. After repeated prototyping, it was found that the effect of correcting the misalignment is high when the width of the wheel member 20 is greater than the width in the overall direction of the barrel: 1 / 3 of the barrel's body length (less than 2 / 3 of the barrel's body length). Based on the above, the barrel hole downward device 10 for removing the contents (residual liquid) from barrels (mainly whiskey barrels) placed horizontally on a chain conveyor for transport makes it possible to provide an automated line for barrel filling work, which was previously thought to be difficult to automate.

[0030] <Example of modification of a device for downward-facing barrel holes> The barrel hole downward-facing device according to the present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and the configuration of the wheel member, barrel lift-up section, barrel gripping rotation section, barrel gripping member, barrel gripping member moving member, etc. can be appropriately changed as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0031] As the barrel hole downward-facing device according to the present invention exhibits the excellent effects described above, it can be suitably used as a mechanism for constructing an automated line for conveying whiskey barrels and the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 10. Barrel hole downward-facing device 20. Wheel component 30. Barrel lift-up section 40...Barrel grip rotation part 50 · Barrel gripping member 60. Barrel gripping member moving means 61. Rotating center connecting member 63 · Barrel gripping member connection means

Claims

1. A barrel-hole-down device for removing the contents (residual liquid) from barrels placed horizontally on a conveyor belt for transport, A barrel lift-up unit is installed at the lower side of a barrel placed horizontally on a chain conveyor, and has a rotatable wheel member on its upper end that contacts the barrel. A barrel hole downward-facing device characterized by comprising a barrel gripping and rotating part for gripping the barrel that has been lifted up by the barrel lifting part and rotating it in that position.

2. The barrel gripping rotating part comprises a barrel gripping member that grips the barrel from both sides, and a barrel gripping member moving means that moves the barrel gripping member toward the center of the barrel (reciprocating motion), as described in claim 1.

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