Label Insertion Device

Abstract

To provide a label inserting device capable of reliably inserting a label into a label placement area of ​​an egg pack. [Solution] A label insertion device that inserts labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg carton, and is equipped with a holding mechanism that clamps the base end of the label and holds the label upright along the label placement area just before inserting it into the egg carton, and a release mechanism that releases the label held by the holding mechanism in the same direction as the egg cartons that are transported along the label placement area.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a label dispenser for dispensing labels into egg cartons. [Background technology]

[0002] One example of a label insertion device for inserting labels into egg cartons is shown in Patent Document 1. This label insertion device drops labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg carton. Just before being dropped into the egg carton, the label is contained in a roughly V-shaped space created by a pair of guide plates. When one of the guide plates opens to open the insertion passage, the label falls downward along the guide plates due to its own weight, and enters the carton.

[0003] This label inserting device is used in both cases where egg cartons are transported in the short direction as shown in Figure 2 of Patent Document 1, and where egg cartons are transported in the long direction as shown in Figure 8 of Patent Document 1. In either case, labels are typically inserted without stopping the transport of the egg cartons. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-10102 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The labels inserted between the eggs in the egg cartons are relatively thin and small pieces of paper. Therefore, although the above-mentioned label inserting device guides the labels toward the label placement area, the labels are significantly affected by the condition of the guide plate and the environment around the guide plate. This can lead to a problem that the labels cannot be inserted at the desired position in the desired orientation. This problem tends to occur particularly frequently when the egg cartons are transported in the longitudinal direction.

[0006] The present invention focuses on such problems, and has an object to provide a label inserting device that can reliably insert labels into the label placement area of ​​an egg carton. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The label inserting device of the present invention is a label inserting device that inserts labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg pack, Longitudinal direction The label placement area is Along the longitudinal direction of Egg cartons being transported Conveying direction a release mechanism that releases the label in the same direction as the direction in which the egg cartons are conveyed, and the label is placed in the label placement area at a position away from the release mechanism downstream in the conveying direction of the egg cartons. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a label insertion device can be provided that can reliably insert a label into the label placement area of ​​an egg carton.

[0009] The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a label inserting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2]2 is a schematic diagram showing the label inserting device as viewed from the direction A in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the label inserting device as viewed from direction B in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view showing the label inserting device of the embodiment just before inserting a label into an egg carton. FIG. [Diagram 5] 10 is a side view showing the label insertion device of the embodiment inserting a label into an egg carton. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing the state after a label has been inserted into an egg carton by the label insertion device of the same embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a side view showing a label insertion system in which a plurality of label insertion devices according to a modified example of the present invention are arranged. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a label insertion device 10 of this embodiment inserts labels L one by one into a label placement area R formed between eggs E arranged in two rows in an egg pack PE. The label insertion device 10 includes a conveying mechanism 1, a holding mechanism 2, and a release mechanism 3. Specifically, the label insertion device 10 is mainly composed of a label stocker 4 and a plurality of rollers 5.

[0013] 1, a plurality of labels L are set in the label stocker 4. Each label L is in an upright position and is taken out in order starting from the innermost one.

[0014] As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the roller 5 can rotate around a rotation shaft 51, and utilizes friction between the surface of the roller 5 and the surface of the label L. The rollers 5 are provided in pairs. The roller 5 in contact with the back surface L2 side of the label L is a drive roller, and the roller 5 in contact with the front surface L1 side of the label L is a driven roller. A plurality of pairs of rollers 5 are arranged along the conveying path 6 of the label L. The rollers 5 serve as a conveying mechanism 1 that sends the label L downstream. The rollers 5 also serve as a holding mechanism 2 that pinches the label L from both the front surface L1 and the back surface L2 to prevent it from falling downward. The conveying path 6 of this embodiment is formed in a straight line, and the angle of the label L is kept constant with respect to the conveying direction of the egg pack PE. The conveying path 6 is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and may be, for example, a conveying path 6 in which the rollers 5 and the like are arranged so that the label L is bent in the thickness direction, and at least a part of the conveying path 6 is formed in a curved shape.

[0015] 1 to 5, among the rollers 5, the roller 5a located at the farthest position from the label stocker 4, in other words, at the end of the conveying path 6, serves as the release mechanism 3 that releases the label L and delivers the label L to the egg pack PE, in addition to serving as the conveying mechanism 1 and the holding mechanism 2. The portion where this roller 5a is located is called the release port 7.

[0016] Rollers 5a at the discharge port pinch and hold base end L4 of label La just before it is inserted into egg pack PE. Rollers 5a at the discharge port also hold label La upright along label placement area R just before it is inserted into egg pack PE. Rollers 5 release label La just before it is inserted into egg pack PE in the same direction as egg pack PE being transported along label placement area R. Label La is label L that has reached discharge port 7 and has the same configuration as label L.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1 etc., each roller 5 is arranged with its rotation axis 51 tilted from the vertical. The transport path 6 of the label insertion device 10 is tilted with respect to the pack transport device 20 to which the egg packs PE are transported. In the label insertion device 10, the height position of the discharge port 7 is set lower than the height position of the label stocker 4. The rollers 5 hold the label L such that the leading end L3 is located lower than the base end L4 of the label L.

[0018] 1 to 5, the label insertion device 10 is installed above the pack conveying device 20. Specifically, the label insertion device 10 is disposed so that the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10 is aligned with the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the pack conveying device 20 is, for example, a belt conveyor, which conveys the containers P in the longitudinal direction. The pack conveying device 20 continuously conveys the containers P, and is provided with a sensor (not shown) on the upstream side for detecting the arrival of the containers P. A signal detected by this sensor is output to the control unit 8 of the label insertion device 10. Reference numeral 20a denotes a guide unit that guides the packed eggs PE to align the position of the label placement area R of the packed eggs PE with respect to the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10.

[0020] The label inserting device 10 is controlled by a control unit 8. The control unit 8 is composed of a dedicated or general-purpose computer, including a CPU, internal memory, an input / output interface, an AD conversion unit, etc. The function of the control unit 8 is fulfilled by the CPU and other peripheral devices working together according to the program stored in the internal memory.

[0021] Next, there will be described the label L and the egg carton PE used in this label inserting device 10. Note that the label L and the egg carton PE described here are each merely examples and can be modified in various ways.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the label L is, for example, made of relatively thin paper and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The label L has a leading edge L5 and a trailing edge L6 corresponding to the short sides, and a bottom edge L7 and an upper edge L8 corresponding to the long sides. Various pieces of information about eggs are printed on the front surface L1 side of the label L. Examples of the information about eggs include the egg weight, the name of the person responsible for measurement, the packaging location, the expiration date, storage methods, and usage methods, but these are shown in a simplified form or omitted in the figures.

[0023] As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the egg pack PE is a so-called regular pack, in which a plurality of eggs E are packed in a container P. The container P is made of transparent synthetic resin and includes a main body P1 and a lid P2. The main body P1 includes, for example, ten storage seats P4. In each storage seat P4, an egg E is placed vertically, and the lower half of the egg E is stored with the upper half exposed. The main body P1 includes a protrusion P5 that divides the storage seats P4 between the storage seats P4 arranged in two rows. The protrusion P5 supports the lower edge L7 of the label L in addition to preventing contact between the stored eggs E. The label placement area R of the present embodiment is near the center of the container P including the protrusion P5. The lid P2 can be opened and closed via a connecting portion P3, and is formed integrally with the main body P1.

[0024] Next, the operation of the label inserting device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] 4, first, an egg pack PE, in which 10 eggs E are accommodated in a container P, with its lid P2 open, is transported by a pack transporting device 20. The container P is transported in the longitudinal direction of the container P, in other words, along a label placement area R that forms a straight line.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 4, the label La to be inserted next into the container P is held by the rollers 5a at the discharge port. The base end L4 of the label La is held by being sandwiched between the rollers 5a at the discharge port, but the other parts of the label La are not supported anywhere. In other words, only the base end L4 of the label La is fixed. The label La is held with its plane perpendicular to the conveying surface of the pack conveying device 20.

[0027] 4, the label La is held at an angle to the pack conveying device 20 in a side view. In other words, the label La is arranged at an angle to the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20. The leading end L3 of the label La is located lower than the base end L4 of the label La. More specifically, the corner where the leading edge L5 and the lower edge L7 of the label La intersect is located closer to the pack conveying device 20 than the corner where the trailing edge L6 and the lower edge L7 of the label La intersect.

[0028] From this state, when the sensor detects the arrival of the container P, the control unit 8 controls the rollers 5a to feed the label La from the discharge port 7 toward the container P when the container P comes under the discharge port 7. The relative position of the pack conveying device 20 and the label inserting device 10 is determined so that the label placement area R passes directly underneath the discharge port 7. Therefore, in addition to gravity, the label La discharged from the discharge port 7 by the rollers 5a is subjected to an inertial force in a direction along the label placement area R. After passing through the state shown in FIG. 5, the leading end L3 of the label La comes into contact with the egg pack PE first. The label La is guided by the eggs E on both sides, and then the base end L4 comes into contact with the egg pack PE. In this way, the label L is stored in the desired label placement area R.

[0029] As explained above, the label insertion device 10 of this embodiment inserts labels L one by one into the label placement area R formed between two rows of eggs E in an egg pack PE, and includes a holding mechanism 2 and a release mechanism 3. The holding mechanism 2 clamps the base end L4 of the label La and holds the label La upright along the label placement area R just before it is inserted into the egg pack PE. The release mechanism 3 releases the label L held by the holding mechanism 2 in the same direction as the egg pack PE which is transported along the label placement area R. With this arrangement, the label L can be reliably inserted into the label placement area R of the egg pack PE.

[0030] The holding mechanism 2 holds the label La so that the leading end L3 is positioned below the base end L4 of the label La, so that the label La can be kept as close as possible to the egg pack PE just before being inserted. In addition, the release mechanism 3 is a roller 5a that also serves as the holding mechanism 2, so the configuration of the release port 7 can be simplified.

[0031] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0032] The label insertion device 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5 is of a type that can be equipped with a printing mechanism (not shown) that prints on the surface L1 of the label L, and a print confirmation mechanism (not shown) for confirming what has been printed. As with the label insertion device 10 shown in Figure 7, it may be of a type that does not have a printing mechanism or a print confirmation mechanism. In such a case, the transport path 6 can be set to be relatively short. In Figure 7, parts that are the same as or equivalent to the above-mentioned embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 7, it is also preferable to use a plurality of label insertion devices 10 lined up along the conveying direction of the egg packs PE. Each label insertion device 10 contains a different type of label L. The label L of which label insertion device 10 is inserted into which egg pack PE is controlled based on a command from the control unit 8. If the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10 is inclined with respect to the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20 as in this embodiment, the discharge port 7 of one label insertion device 10 does not interfere with the label stocker 4 of the adjacent label insertion device 10. The label insertion devices 10 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 may be arranged in a similar manner.

[0034] The holding mechanism 2 is not limited to rollers 5, and may be anything that can hold the label L. The holding mechanism 2 does not need to be a pair of rollers 5, and may be, for example, a mechanism consisting of a fixed guide and a rotating roller that cooperates with the guide to hold the label L. Similarly, the release mechanism 3 is not limited to rollers 5, and may be anything that can release the label L. The release mechanism 3 does not need to be a pair of rollers 5, and may be, for example, a mechanism consisting of a fixed guide and a rotating roller that cooperates with the guide to release the label L.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the pair of rollers 5 serves both as the holding mechanism 2 and the releasing mechanism 3, but the present invention is not limited to this, and separate members may be provided to perform each of the functions.

[0036] The label insertion device 10 may be arranged so that the conveying path 6 is horizontal. This label insertion device 10 is arranged so that the conveying direction of the pack conveying device 20 and the conveying path 6 of the label insertion device 10 are parallel. In this case, the leading end L3 and the base end L4 of the label L are held at the same height position, and the label L can wait at the discharge port 7 while maintaining the same posture as after it entered the egg pack PE.

[0037] The holding mechanism 2 may be of any type as long as it makes the label L stand along the label placement area R. For example, the label L is not limited to being completely upright, and may be slightly tilted in the thickness direction as long as it fits within the label placement area R.

[0038] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and are not limited thereto. The present invention is not limited to the above-described scope, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention can be used in a label inserting device capable of inserting labels into egg cartons. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10...Label inserting device 2...Retention mechanism 3...Release mechanism PE: Egg carton E…Egg R...Label placement area L…Label L3: Tip L4…Proximal end

Claims

1. A label inserting device that inserts labels one by one into a label placement area formed between two rows of eggs in an egg pack, The label is made to stand along the longitudinal direction of the label placement area, a release mechanism that releases the label in the same direction as a conveying direction of the egg cartons conveyed along the longitudinal direction of the label placement area; A label inserting device, wherein the label is placed in the label placement area at a position away from the release mechanism downstream in a conveying direction of the egg carton.

2. 2. The label inserting device according to claim 1, wherein the ejection mechanism ejects the label at an angle such that a leading end of the label is positioned lower than a base end of the label.

Images