Winding device

Abstract

To detect a seaming defect with higher accuracy at a seaming device for seaming a cap to a mouth of a vessel.SOLUTION: A vessel V with a projection part Vp formed at an outer periphery of a mouth and with a metal cap C covering the mouth is placed on a bottle stand 20. A pusher block 30 is abutted onto the metal cap C from above and the vessel V is interposed between the bottle stand 20 and the pusher block. The vessel V is rotated integrally with the bottle stand 20 and the pusher block 30 in the state where the vessel V is interposed between the bottle stand 20 and the pusher block 30. A lock roller 36 is moved forward toward the rotating vessel V, is abutted onto a skirt of the metal cap C so as to fold the skirt toward below the projection part Vp. A rotation speed of the bottle stand 20 is detected by an encoder 26A. A rotation speed of the pusher block 30 is detected by an encoder 31. Quality of a seaming operation is determined on the basis of a difference of the rotation speed of the bottle stand 20 and the pusher block 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seaming device for seaming a cap onto an opening of a container. [Background technology]

[0002] A seaming device is known that covers the mouth of a container, which has a protrusion formed on the outer periphery of the mouth, with an aluminum cap including an elastic seal member, and while rotating the container and the aluminum cap together, folds the bottom of the aluminum cap below the protrusion with a roller of a rotary tightening head to seam it (Patent Document 1). In this seaming device, the container covered with the aluminum cap is sandwiched from above and below between a bottle receiver and an upper compression block, and while rotating the bottle receiver and the compression block together, the roller is pressed against the bottom to seam the aluminum cap. In addition, this seaming device detects seaming defects by monitoring the pressing force of the compression block during the seaming operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 1-23373 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the configuration of Patent Document 1 cannot detect seaming defects that occur when the aluminum cap does not rotate integrally with the compression block due to slippage between the bottle receiver and the container, for example.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to detect seaming defects with a high degree of accuracy in a seaming device that seams a cap onto the mouth of a container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first aspect of the present invention is a seaming device comprising: a mounting table for mounting a container having a protrusion formed on an outer periphery of a mouth portion and a metal cap covering the mouth portion; The bearing is rotatably mounted, a contact member that contacts the metal cap from above and holds the container between the mounting table and the contact member; and in a state in which the container is held between the mounting table and the contact member, before Placement Table The apparatus includes a driving means, a control means for controlling the driving means, and a roller that advances toward the rotating container and abuts against the bottom of the metal cap to bend the bottom to the lower side of the protrusion. 、 The container held between the mounting table and the abutting member is rotated together with the mounting table and the abutting member, thereby fastening the metal cap to the mouth of the container. The seaming device is equipped with a first rotational speed detection means for detecting the rotational speed of the mounting table, a second rotational speed detection means for detecting the rotational speed of the abutment member, and a quality determination means for determining whether the seaming operation is quality based on the rotational speed of the mounting table detected by the first rotational speed detection means and the rotational speed of the abutment member detected by the second rotational speed detection means, and is characterized in that the quality determination means determines that the seaming operation is quality when the difference between the rotational speed of the mounting table and the rotational speed of the abutment member detected during the seaming operation is greater than a predetermined range. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, in a seaming device that seams a cap onto the mouth of a container, seaming defects can be detected with higher accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of a seaming device according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, showing only half of the seaming device centered around the rotation axis O. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of a container placed on a bottle stand, a pressure block, and a lock roller. [Figure 4] 13 is an enlarged plan view showing a state in which the lock roller is pressed against the bottom portion of the metal cap. FIG. [Diagram 5]11 is a side view showing the relationship between the lock roller and the bottom of the metal cap during the first stage of seaming operation (first seaming position). FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a side view showing the relationship between the lock roller and the bottom of the metal cap during the second stage seaming operation (second seaming position). FIG. [Figure 7] 11 is a graph showing the change over time in the rotational speed of the bottle table and the pusher block when seaming is performed normally. [Figure 8] 13 is a graph showing the change in rotational speed of the bottle table and the pusher block over time when slippage occurs throughout the entire seaming operation period. [Figure 9] 11 is a graph showing the change over time in the rotational speed of the bottle table and the pusher block when slippage occurs in the acceleration section in which the first stage seaming operation is performed. [Figure 10] 11 is a graph showing the change over time in the rotational speed of the bottle table and the pusher block when slippage occurs in a constant speed section in which the second stage seaming operation is performed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of a seaming device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 1, showing only half of the seaming device with the rotation axis O as the center.

[0010] The seaming device 10 of this embodiment is a wheel-type capper that seals a container V, such as a vial, having a protrusion Vp on the periphery of the mouth opening by wrapping, for example, a metal cap. The seaming device 10 of this embodiment is a device that performs seaming on, for example, a conveying wheel, and a container V after an upstream process such as a filling process is supplied to the seaming device 10 via, for example, a supply conveyor 12 and a supply wheel 14. The container V after the cap has been wrapped in the device, i.e., capping, is discharged to a downstream process via, for example, a discharge wheel 16 and a discharge conveyor 18.

[0011] A plurality of bottle stands (mounting stands) 20 are arranged at a predetermined interval along the outer periphery of the transport wheel 11 of the seaming device 10. A rubber layer 20C is provided at the center of the upper surface of each bottle stand 20 to prevent slippage with the container V. The transport wheel 11 includes, for example, a disk-shaped upper rotating body 11A, a middle rotating body 11B, a lower rotating body 11C, and a vertical rotating shaft 11D that connects the rotating bodies 11A, 11B, and 11C to each other and rotates them integrally. A gear 11E is provided on the outer periphery of the lower rotating body 11C and engages with a gear 22B attached to a wheel rotation motor 22A provided on a base 22. The lower end of the vertical rotating shaft 11D is rotatably held by a base 22C installed on the base 22, and the transport wheel 11 is rotated around the central axis O of the vertical rotating shaft 11D by the rotation of the wheel rotation motor 22A. The drive of the wheel rotation motor 22A is controlled by the control unit 50.

[0012] The bottle stand 20 is attached to the upper end of a splined shaft 20A, and a piston 20B is attached to the lower end of the splined shaft 20A. The splined shaft 20A is spline-engaged with a bore member 24, which is rotatably held by the upper rotating body 11A via a bearing. A gear 24A is provided around the bore member 24, which engages with a gear 26A attached to a bottle stand rotation motor 26. The bottle stand rotation motor 26 is installed in the middle rotating body 11B, and its drive is controlled by, for example, the control unit 50. The rotation speed of the bottle stand rotation motor (drive means) 26 is detected by an encoder (first rotation speed detection means) 26A and sent to the control unit 50.

[0013] Furthermore, the piston 20B of the spline shaft 20A is fitted into a cylinder box 28 provided in the central rotor 11B. Compressed air is constantly supplied from an air pressure source 28A into the cylinder box 28 at a predetermined pressure according to the type of rubber plug (sealing material for the metal cap) S placed in the container V or the metal cap C. In other words, the piston 20B is constantly biased upward and functions as an air spring.

[0014] A pressure block (abutment member) 30 is disposed on each bottle stand 20, which is pressed against the top of the metal cap C of the container V placed on the bottle stand 20 to clamp the container V between the bottle stand 20 and the pressure block 30. The pressure block 30 is rotatably attached, via a rotation holding part 30B, to a block holding member 30A attached to the upper end of a vertically extending lifting shaft 32A that constitutes the lifting mechanism 32. The pressure block 30 is also provided with an encoder (second rotation speed detection means) 31 that detects its rotation speed, and the detected signal is sent to the control unit 50.

[0015] The lift shaft 32A is held so as to be freely raised and lowered inside a hollow swing shaft 36A that swings a lock roller 36, which tightens the metal cap C of the container V, toward the container V, and the swing shaft 36A is rotatable relative to the lift shaft 32A. A lift cam follower 32B is provided at the lower end of the lift shaft 32A and engages with a lift cam 34 arranged around the rotation axis O. That is, as the conveyor wheel 11 rotates, the pressure block 30 is raised and lowered between a retracted position where it is spaced above the metal cap C placed on the top opening of the container V, and a holding position where it is pressed against the metal cap C and holds the container V between the bottle stand 20 and the lift cam follower 32B engages with the lift cam 34.

[0016] The swing shaft 36A extends vertically through a hole 13 provided in the middle rotor 11B, and is rotatably held by the upper rotor 11A and the lower rotor 11C via bearings. A lock roller 36 is attached to the upper end of the swing shaft 36A via an arm 36B, and the arm 36B rotates integrally with the swing shaft 36A. The lock roller 36 is also rotatably attached to the arm 36B via a bearing. A swing cam follower 36D that engages with a swing cam 22E provided on the base 22 is provided to the lower end of the swing shaft 36A via an arm 36C. The position of the lock roller 36 is behind the container V in FIG. 2, but is depicted shifted from that position for convenience.

[0017] A torsion spring 36E is arranged on the lower rotating part 11C and wound around the swing shaft 36A, with one end fixed to the lower rotating part 11C. Meanwhile, the other end of the torsion spring 36E is engaged with a spring receiver 36F provided on the swing shaft 36A. As a result, the swing shaft 36A is urged to rotate around its axis so as to press the lock roller 36 toward the container V. This urging force presses the swing cam follower 36D against the swing cam 22E, and when the conveying wheel 11 rotates, the lock roller 36 moves between a retracted position away from the container V and first and second tightening positions where it is pushed out toward the container V in two stages (described later).

[0018] In this embodiment, a height adjustment mechanism 38 is provided to adjust the height of the lifting cam 34. The height adjustment mechanism 38 is a mechanism for absorbing, for example, differences in the thickness of the rubber plug S depending on the manufacturer. That is, the lifting cam 34 is attached to a screw nut 40B that is screwed into a trapezoidal screw 40A arranged along the rotation axis O, and the trapezoidal screw 40A is rotatably held on the base 22 via a bearing 42. A bevel gear 44C that engages with a bevel gear 44A of a shaft 44 arranged horizontally on the base 22 is attached to the lower end of the trapezoidal screw 40A. The shaft 44 is connected to a handle 46 provided with a handle 46A via a gear box 45. That is, by rotating the handle 46, the trapezoidal screw 40A is rotated, and the lifting cam 34 rises and falls together with the screw nut 40B, and its height can be adjusted.

[0019] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the container V placed on the bottle stand 20, the pressure block 30, and the lock rollers 36.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the container V is placed on the rubber layer 20C of the bottle stand 20. A metal cap C is placed on the protruding portion Vp that forms the mouth of the container V, with a rubber plug S interposed between them. The bottom of the metal cap C extends below the protruding portion Vp, and a lock roller 36 rotatably attached to the tip of an arm 36B is placed on the side of the protruding portion Vp. A pressure block 30 is placed directly above the metal cap C. A recess 30C that fits into the top surface of the metal cap C is formed in the center of the bottom end surface of the pressure block 30. The top end of the pressure block 30 is rotatably attached via a bearing 33 to a shaft that extends downward from the bottom end of the rotation holding portion 30B. An encoder 31 that detects the rotation speed of the pressure block 30 is attached around the periphery of the pressure block 30.

[0021] As described later, in the seaming operation, the pressure block 30 is lowered, and with the recess 30C fitted into the metal cap C, the container V and the metal cap C are clamped between the bottle stand 20 and the pressure block 30 at a predetermined pressure. When the bottle stand 20 is rotated by the bottle stand rotation motor 26, the bottle stand 20, the container V, and the pressure block 30 are rotated together. During this time, the arm 36B is rotated around the lift shaft 32A, and the lock roller 36 is pressed against the bottom of the metal cap C. As a result, the bottom of the metal cap C is folded under the protruding portion Vp of the container V and seamed. Note that FIG. 4 shows an enlarged plan view of the lock roller 36 pressed against the bottom of the metal cap C.

[0022] Next, the seaming operation of the seaming device 10 of this embodiment, which is performed in two stages, will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 5, and 6. Figure 5 is a side view showing the relationship between the lock roller 36 and the bottom of the metal cap C in the first stage of the seaming operation, and Figure 6 is a side view showing the relationship between the lock roller 36 and the bottom of the metal cap C in the second stage of the seaming operation.

[0023] The transport wheel 11 of the seaming device 10 is rotated at a constant speed by a wheel rotation motor 22A which rotates at a constant speed. With the pressure block 30 and the lock roller 36 in the retracted position, the supply wheel 14 supplies a container V, the top opening of which is covered with a metal cap C and a rubber stopper S therebetween, and the container V is placed on the bottle stand 20.

[0024] 1 due to the rotation of the conveyor wheel 11, the lifting shaft 32A is lowered by the lifting cam 34, the pressure block 30 is pressed against the cap C of the container V, and the container V is sandwiched and held between the bottle table 20. At this time, the clamping force is adjusted by the air cushion function formed by the piston 20B and the cylinder box 28. When the container V is sandwiched between the bottle table 20 and the pressure block 30, the bottle table rotation motor 26 begins to drive, and the container V sandwiched between the pressure block 30 and the bottle table 20 is rotated integrally with the bottle table 20 and the pressure block 30.

[0025] In the speed range where the rotation speed of the bottle table 20 is accelerating, the rocker cam 22E rotates the rocker shaft 36A by a predetermined angle, and the lock roller 36 advances a predetermined angle toward the bottom of the metal cap C, starting the first stage of the seaming operation. As a result, the bottom of the metal cap C is slightly bent along the lower edge of the protrusion Vp of the container V to a position where the bottom of the metal cap C does not contact the lower edge of the protrusion Vp, as shown in Figure 5, and the first stage of the seaming operation is completed at position P2 in Figure 1. Thereafter, the rotation speed of the bottle table 20 is increased to the maximum speed by the time it reaches position P2, and at the same timing, the lock roller 36 advances a further predetermined angle to a position where the bottom of the metal cap C contacts the lower edge of the protrusion Vp, starting the second stage of the seaming operation at position P3. The second stage of the seaming operation is completed at position P4.

[0026] Through this two-stage seaming operation, the bottom of the metal cap C is wrapped around the neck of the rotating container V, and the opening of the container V is sealed by the metal cap C and the rubber plug S. When the bottle table 20 reaches position P4, the rocking cam 22E returns the lock roller 36 to its retracted position, and the lifting cam 34 returns the pressure block 30 to its retracted position. The motor 26 for rotating the bottle table is also stopped. The sealed container V is then transferred to the discharge wheel 16, and the same operation is repeated in the seaming device 10. In this embodiment, the bottle table 20 rotates once during the first stage seaming operation (section P2 to P3), and rotates twice during the second stage seaming operation (section P3 to P4). During the seaming operation, the rotational speeds of the bottle table 20 and the pressure block 30 are monitored by the encoders 26A, 31 and sent to the control unit 50, which determines whether the seaming operation is successful as described below.

[0027] Next, a process for determining whether the seaming operation is good or bad in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 10. The process for determining whether the seaming operation is good or bad is performed by the control unit 50.

[0028] In the process of determining whether the seaming operation is good or bad in this embodiment, a malfunction during the seaming operation is detected and its good or bad is determined using the signals from the encoders 26A and 31. That is, the rotation speed S1 of the bottle table 20 and the rotation speed S2 of the pressure block 30 are compared, and when the difference between them shows a predetermined pattern, for example, when it exceeds a predetermined range for a certain period of time, it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the seaming operation.

[0029] Figures 7 to 10 are graphs showing four exemplary patterns of time-varying rotation speeds S1 and S2 of the bottle table 20 and pressure block 30 calculated based on signals from the encoders 26A and 31, with the vertical axis representing rotation speed and the horizontal axis representing time. Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of time-varying rotation speeds S1 and S2 when seaming is performed normally, while Figures 8 to 10 show three typical patterns when an abnormality occurs and seaming is judged to be defective. Note that P1 to P4 on the horizontal axis correspond to positions P1 to P4 in Figure 1, respectively.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 7, when the seaming operation is performed normally, the bottle stand 20, the container V, the metal cap C, and the pressure block 30 rotate together without slippage, and the rotation speeds S1 and S2 are approximately equal. Therefore, when the rotation speeds S1 and S2 are approximately equal, it is determined that the seaming operation is performed normally.

[0031] Fig. 8 shows a case where there is a difference of a certain percentage or more between the rotation speeds S1 and S2 throughout the entire period of the seaming operation. In such a case, slippage occurs at least between the bottle stand 20 and the container V, or between the container V and the metal cap C, and normal seaming is not performed. Therefore, it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the seaming operation.

[0032] Fig. 9 shows a case where a difference of a certain percentage or more occurs between the rotation speeds S1 and S2 for a certain period of time during the first stage seaming operation in the speed change section (P2 to P3). In such a case, slippage occurs at least between the bottle table 20 and the container V, or between the container V and the metal cap C, and normal seaming is not performed. Therefore, it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the seaming operation.

[0033] Fig. 10 shows a case where a difference of a certain percentage or more occurs between the rotation speeds S1 and S2 for a certain period of time during the second stage seaming operation in the constant speed section (P3 to P4) where the maximum speed is reached. In such a case, slippage occurs at least between the bottle table 20 and the container V, or between the container V and the metal cap C, and normal seaming is not performed. Therefore, it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the seaming operation.

[0034] As described above, according to the seaming device of this embodiment, seaming defects can be detected even when slippage occurs between the bottle stand and the container, or between the container and the metal cap, making it possible to detect seaming defects with greater accuracy.

[0035] In this embodiment, the pressure block is moved toward the neck of the bottle in two stages, but it can also be configured to contact the lower edge of the protrusion all at once, or conversely, it can be moved in three or more stages. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Sealing device 20 Bottle stand (mounting stand) 26 Bottle stand rotation motor (drive means) 30 Pressure block (contact member) 36 Rock Roller 50 Control section C Metal Cap S1, S2 rotation speed V container Vp protrusion

Claims

[Claim 1] a mounting base for mounting a container having a protrusion formed on an outer periphery of a mouth portion and a metal cap covering the mouth portion; a contact member that is rotatably provided and contacts the metal cap from above to hold the container between the metal cap and the mounting table; A driving means for rotating the mounting table; A control means for controlling the driving means; a roller that advances toward the rotating container and abuts against a bottom portion of the metal cap to bend the bottom portion below the protruding portion; A seaming device that seams the metal cap around the mouth of a container by rotating the container held between the mounting table and the abutting member together with the mounting table and the abutting member, a first rotation speed detection means for detecting a rotation speed of the mounting table; a second rotation speed detection means for detecting a rotation speed of the contact member; a quality determination means for determining quality of the seaming operation based on the rotation speed of the placement table detected by the first rotation speed detection means and the rotation speed of the contact member detected by the second rotation speed detection means, The quality determining means determines that the seaming operation is defective when a difference between the rotation speed of the placement table detected during the seaming operation and the rotation speed of the abutting member is greater than or equal to a predetermined range. A seaming device characterized by the above.

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