Aligning and feeding device for a container with a flange

Abstract

To provide an alignment and feeding apparatus of flanged containers that can feed a plurality of rows of the flanged containers to efficiently change a spacing of the flanged containers to the spacing required by a next process.SOLUTION: On a placement table 16 on which portion packs 10 can be placed, section portions 48 that can each store a container main body 11 are formed at predetermined interval spaced apart in an X direction and a Y direction that are orthogonal to each other. The portion packs 10 taken up by take-up means 15 in a plurality of column and a plurality of rows from a transportation conveyor are transported to the section portion 48, respectively, one by one. Positioning means 17 that positions each of the portion packs 10 stored in the section portions 48, respectively, is disposed at an alignment position where the container main body 11 comes into contact with a fixing restriction edge at a corresponding position defining each of the section portion 48 on the placement table 16. The plurality columns and the plurality of rows of portion packs 10 positioned at the alignment position on the placement table 16 are transported onto a feeding conveyor by a robot hand.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an alignment supply device for aligning and supplying flanged containers having a flange at the upper part of a container body, such as portion packs.

Background Art

[0002] There are known flanged containers made of food containers such as so-called portion packs, which are in a packaged form of one portion and one pack for food and drinks such as jam, marmalade, coffee milk, gum syrup, jelly, and dressing. In a portion pack, a lid is sealed to a flange provided at the upper part of a container body for accommodating food and drinks, and a protruding part serving as an opening knob for improving openability is provided so as to protrude a part of the flange outward. In a tray packing machine that packs a portion pack of such a form into a storage container such as a tray in which recesses for accommodating the container body are formed in advance at predetermined intervals, while the portion packs are being conveyed by a conveyor from a previous process such as a manufacturing machine, the flanges of adjacent portion packs overlap vertically, or the protruding part or a flange part other than the protruding part abuts against the outer peripheral edge of the flange of an adjacent portion pack, so that the intervals between adjacent portion packs are uneven. In order to pack the portion packs into the tray in which the recesses are formed, it is necessary to make the intervals between the portion packs conveyed by the conveyor correspond to the intervals of the recesses. Therefore, an article dividing and supplying device used for a tray packing machine or the like has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the dividing and supplying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the portion packs in a crowded state conveyed by a conveyor are divided into predetermined numbers, and the intervals between the divided plurality of portion packs are widened so as to correspond to the intervals of the recesses, and then they are accommodated in the tray.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the dividing and supplying device of Patent Document 1, a divider is inserted between adjacent portion packs that are conveyed in a single row by a conveyor, and by moving the divider in the column direction, the front and rear intervals of the portion packs aligned in a single row are made to match the intervals of the recesses provided in the tray. In this way, in the configuration where the front and rear intervals of the portion packs are changed and supplied for each row to the intervals required in the next process such as the process of packing into the tray, when supplying the portion packs in multiple rows to the next process, the working time becomes long, and the processing efficiency per unit time is low. Further, in order to supply multiple rows of portion packs at once, it is necessary to provide means for changing the intervals for each row, and there is a problem that the device configuration becomes complicated.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an aligning and supplying device for flanged containers capable of efficiently changing the intervals between multiple rows of flanged containers to the intervals required in the next process and supplying them.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The aligning and supplying device for flanged containers according to the invention of claim 1 of the present application is an aligning and supplying device for flanged containers in which a flange (12) is provided on the upper part of a container body (11), a conveying conveyor (13) capable of conveying the flanged containers (10) in multiple rows, a gathering means (14) for gathering the flanged containers (10) for each row on the conveying conveyor (13), a lifting means (15) for lifting up multiple rows of flanged containers (10) gathered by the gathering means (14) at once, a mounting table (16) on which the flanged containers (10) lifted up by the lifting means (15) are transferred, a positioning means (17) for positioning each of the multiple flanged containers (10) placed on the mounting table (16) at an alignment position (F), Transfer means (19) for collectively taking out a plurality of flange-equipped containers (10) positioned at the alignment position (F) on the placement table (16) and transferring them to the next process, The positioning means (17) includes fixed restriction parts (48a, 48b) arranged at positions separated by a predetermined interval in the X direction along the column direction of the flange-equipped containers (10) on the placement table (16) and in the Y direction intersecting the X direction, and movable restriction parts (52a, 56a) that can move closer to and away from the fixed restriction parts (48a, 48b) and define a housing part (E) capable of housing the container body (11) between the fixed restriction parts (48a, 48b). The positioning means (17) the aforesaid Each housing part (E) houses one by one which has been transferred to the mounting table (16) as described above Each of the container bodies (11) , the Approach the fixed restriction parts (48a, 48b) pushed by the moved movable restriction portions (52a, 56a) and moved closer to the fixed restriction portions (48a, 48b) By doing so 、 It is configured to position the container body (11) at the alignment position (F) where the movement of the container body (11) relative to the placement table (16) is restricted by both restriction parts (48a, 48b, 52a, 56a). According to the invention according to claim 1, the intervals in the X direction (column direction) and Y direction (row direction) of a plurality of rows of flange-equipped containers can be efficiently changed to the intervals required in the next process, and the aligned plurality of rows of flange-equipped containers can be supplied to the next process, improving the processing ability.

[0007] In the invention according to claim 2, the positioning means (17) includes a first moving member (49) and a second moving member (50) that move horizontally in mutually intersecting directions. The movable restriction part has two movable restriction edges (52a, 56a) provided on the first and second moving members (49, 50) so as to be able to contact the outer periphery of the container body (11) protruding upward from the fixed restriction part. The fixed restriction part has two fixed restriction edges (48a, 48b) facing each movable restriction edge (52a, 56a). The positioning means (17) is configured to position the container body (11) at the alignment position (F) defined by the two fixed restriction edges (48a, 48b) that restrict the movement of the container body (11) housed in each housing portion (E), by laterally moving the first moving member (49) and the second moving member (50) so that the movable restriction edges (52a, 56a) approach the opposing fixed restriction edges (48a, 48b). According to the invention of claim 2, a plurality of flanged containers can be positioned at the alignment position by a simple configuration of laterally moving the first and second moving members, and the device configuration can be simplified.

[0008] In the invention according to claim 3, the mounting table (16) is configured to laterally move between a receiving position (S1) above a conveying conveyor (13) onto which the flanged container (10) is transferred from the picking means (15), and a retracted position (S2) spaced apart from the receiving position (S1). According to the invention of claim 3, by laterally moving the mounting table onto which the flanged container has been transferred from the picking means from the receiving position to a retracted position outside the movable range of the picking means, the next flanged container can be picked up by the picking means, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

[0009] In the invention according to claim 4, the positioning means (17) is configured to position the flanged container (10) at the alignment position (F) while the mounting table (16) onto which the flanged container (10) has been transferred at the receiving position (S1) moves to the retracted position (S2). According to the invention of claim 4, compared to operating the positioning means after moving the mounting table to the retracted position, the processing time (processing cycle) can be shortened, and the processing efficiency can be further improved.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the intervals in the X direction (column direction) and Y direction (row direction) of a plurality of rows of flanged containers can be efficiently changed to the intervals required in the next process, and the aligned plurality of rows of flanged containers can be supplied to the next process, thereby improving the processing capacity.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Next, a preferred embodiment of the alignment and supply device for the flanged container according to the present invention will be given, and the following description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Examples

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flange-equipped container alignment and supply device of the embodiment is a device that aligns the intervals between a plurality of flange-equipped containers 10 conveyed from a previous process such as a manufacturing machine to a required interval in the next process and then supplies them to the next process. As the flange-equipped container 10, a flange 12 extending from the container body 11 is provided on the upper part of the container body 11 that houses food and drink, etc., a lid is sealed to the flange 12, and the flange 12 exemplifies a portion pack 10 formed in a shape capable of specifying the orientation of the flange-equipped container 10 in a plan view. In the embodiment, the container body 11 has an inverted frustum shape, and the flange 12 exemplifies a form having a protruding portion 12a that serves as an opening knob portion with a part protruding outward. The alignment and supply device includes a conveyor 13 capable of conveying the portion packs 10 in multiple rows, a gathering means 14 that gathers the portion packs 10 conveyed by the conveyor 13 for each row, a picking-up means 15 that picks up a predetermined number of portion packs 10 gathered by the gathering means 14 at once and widens the interval between adjacent portion packs 10 in each row, a mounting table 16 onto which the portion packs 10 are transferred from the picking-up means 15, a positioning means 17 that positions each of the plurality of portion packs 10 placed on the mounting table 16 at the alignment position F, and a transfer means 19 that picks up the plurality of portion packs 10 positioned at the alignment position F on the mounting table 16 at once and transfers them to the supply conveyor 18 of the next process.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conveyor 13 is a belt conveyor that mounts and conveys the portion packs 10. In the article conveyance path, guide members 20 are spaced upward from the conveyance surface and extend along the article conveyance direction. A plurality (eight in the embodiment) of guide members 20 are arranged spaced apart in the width direction intersecting the article conveyance direction, and a conveyance lane 21 in which the portion packs 10 are conveyed in a single row is defined between adjacent guide members 20, 20. In the embodiment, seven conveyance lanes 21 are defined in parallel in the article conveyance path. The height position of the guide member 20 is set to guide the container body 11 below the flange 12 in the portion pack 10, and the interval between adjacent guide members 20, 20 is set such that the flanges 12 of the portion packs 10 conveyed in the conveyance lane 21 are spaced apart and overlap above the guide member 20.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the collecting means 14 for collecting the portion packs 10 column by column is disposed on the conveyance end portion side of the conveyance conveyor 13. The collecting means 14 includes a first air cylinder 23 having a piston rod disposed downward on a support 22 located above the article conveyance path, and a hook-shaped stopper 25 disposed corresponding to each conveyance lane 21 on a support member 24 disposed on the piston rod and extending in the width direction. The first air cylinder 23 moves the stopper 25 up and down between a blocking position where it can contact the portion pack 10 being conveyed in the conveyance lane 21 and a blocking release position that allows the portion pack 10 being conveyed in the conveyance lane 21 to be conveyed downstream beyond the blocking position. Further, the collecting means 14 includes a second air cylinder 27 disposed on a mounting member 26 located above the article conveyance path, the support 22 being disposed on the piston rod of the second air cylinder 27, and the second air cylinder 27 being configured to move the support 22 back and forth in the article conveyance direction. The second air cylinder 27 moves the support 22 downstream in the article conveyance direction before the first air cylinder 23 moves the stopper 25 in the blocking position to the blocking release position.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a restricting device 28 capable of restricting the conveyance of the portion pack 10 conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 13 is disposed upstream of the arrangement position of the collecting means 14 in the article conveyance direction. The restricting device 28 includes an air cylinder 30 having a piston rod disposed downward on the mounting member 26, and a pressing member 29 disposed on the piston rod and extending in the width direction and corresponding to each conveyance lane 21. The air cylinder 30 moves the pressing member 29 up and down between a restricting position where it can contact the upper surface of the portion pack 10 conveyed on the conveyance lane 21 and a restricting release position where conveyance of the portion pack 10 conveyed on the conveyance lane 21 upward from the restricting position to the downstream side is allowed. The pressing member 29 is set to a size that can contact the upper surfaces of two portion packs 10 arranged on the conveyance lane 21. In the embodiment, the restricting device 28 is disposed at a position where the pressing member 29 can contact the upper surfaces of the fifth and sixth portion packs 10 on the upstream side counted from the leading portion pack 10 blocked by the stopper 25. That is, while restricting the downstream conveyance of the fifth and sixth portion packs 10 by the pressing member 29, by releasing the blocking by the stopper 25 of the collecting means 14, the portion packs 10 collected in groups of four for each row are conveyed downstream of the stopper 25. In addition, by moving the stopper 25 at the blocking position downstream in the article conveyance direction by the second air cylinder 27, a gap is formed between the fifth portion pack 10 whose conveyance is restricted by the pressing member 29 and the fourth portion pack 10 from the leading one conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 13. When returning the stopper 25 whose blocking has been released to the blocking position, the stopper 25 is configured to be able to surely enter between the fourth portion pack 10 and the fifth portion pack 10.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a regulating member 32 extending in the width direction so as to cross seven conveying lanes 21 is disposed at the conveying end of the conveying conveyor 13. When the container body 11 of the leading portion pack 10 that has passed through the stopper 25 abuts against the regulating member 32, the conveying of the portion pack 10 to the downstream side is configured to be regulated. In the embodiment, the arrangement position of the regulating member 32 is set such that four assembled portion packs 10 passing through the arrangement position of the stopper 25 can be stored between the regulating member 32 and the arrangement position of the stopper 25.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the picking-up means 15 for picking up a plurality of rows and columns (four rows and seven columns) of portion packs 10 whose conveyance is regulated by the regulating member 32 all at once from the conveying conveyor 13 is disposed downstream of the arrangement position of the aggregating means 14. The picking-up means 15 includes a row interval changing means 35 for changing the row interval in a plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 picked up from the conveying conveyor 13 on a lifting member 34 movably supported in the vertical direction by the apparatus machine frame 33. As shown in FIG. 3, the row interval changing means 35 includes a reference support member 36 disposed on the lifting member 34 and a plurality (three in the embodiment) of slide members 37 movable back and forth in the article conveying direction with respect to the reference support member 36, and an air cylinder 38 as an operating means for moving each slide member 37 back and forth in the article conveying direction with respect to the reference support member 36. Seven adsorption cups 39 as adsorption portions are provided in the reference support member 36 and the slide members 37, respectively. By moving each slide member 37 back and forth in the article conveying direction with respect to the reference support member 36 by the corresponding air cylinder 38, the mutual interval (row interval) of the adsorption cups 39 disposed in the reference support member 36 and the slide members 37 is configured to be changed.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the line pitch changing means 35 is disposed on the elevating member 34 and is fixed in position to a plurality of slide shafts 40 extending along the article conveying direction. Three slide members 37 are supported movably along the slide shafts 40 on the downstream side in the article conveying direction with respect to the reference support member 36. The piston rod of an air cylinder 38 disposed on the elevating member 34 is connected to each slide member 37. The line pitch changing means 35 is configured to move the three slide members 37 closer to and away from the reference support member 36 by each air cylinder 38, so that the reference support member 36 and the three slide members 37 are positioned at a close position (the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) where they approach each other and a separated position (the position of the solid line in FIG. 1) where they are separated from each other. At the close position, the interval in the article conveying direction between the suction cups 39 of the reference support member 36 and each slide member 37 becomes an interval corresponding to the line pitch between the four portion packs 10 gathered on the conveying conveyor 13. At the separated position, the interval in the article conveying direction between the suction cups 39 of the reference support member 36 and each slide member 37 is expanded and set to an interval corresponding to the line pitch (interval in the X direction) of a partitioning portion 48, which will be described later, provided on the mounting table 16.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the picking-up means 15 includes a lifting mechanism 41 for lifting and lowering the lifting member 34. The lifting mechanism 41 employs a linear actuator mechanism that servo-controls an electric actuator 42, and moves the lifting member 34 up and down to position the suction cup 39 at a suction position where it can suction the top surface (upper surface) of the portion pack 10 placed on the conveying conveyor 13, a delivery position where the portion pack 10 can be transferred to the mounting table 16 positioned at a receiving position S1, which will be described later, above the suction position, and a retracted position above the delivery position. The picking-up means 15 is configured such that, at the timing when the conveyance of the 4-row and 7-column portion packs 10 cut out from the collecting means 14 and conveyed by the conveying conveyor 13 toward the conveyance end is regulated by the regulating member 32, the lifting member 34 is lowered from the retracted position to the suction position, and after suctioning the top surface (upper surface) of the corresponding portion pack 10 with each suction cup 39 positioned at the approaching position, it rises to the retracted position, thereby picking up the 4-row and 7-column portion packs 10 all at once from the conveying conveyor 13.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a temporary storage device 43 is provided downstream of the transfer conveyor 13. The temporary storage device 43 has a mounting table 16 capable of transferring a plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 picked up from the transfer conveyor 13 by the picking means 15. The temporary storage device 43 includes a retraction mechanism 44 that horizontally moves the mounting table 16 between a receiving position S1 (the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) facing below the portion pack 10 picked up by the picking means 15 and a retracted position (the position of the solid line in FIG. 1) S2 that is separated downstream in the transfer direction from the receiving position S1 and is outside the movable range of the picking means 15, and positioning means 17 that aligns the plurality of portion packs 10 placed on the mounting table 16 with the arrangement pattern in the row direction and column direction of a support portion 59a, which will be described later, provided on the supply conveyor 18. As shown in FIG. 3, the retraction mechanism 44 includes guide rails 45 that are spaced apart in the width direction and extend in the article transfer direction on the transfer conveyor 13, and on which the mounting table 16 is movably supported, a drive motor 46 composed of a servo motor, and a timing belt 47 that is driven to run by the drive motor 46. The timing belt 47 is connected to the mounting table 16. Then, by reciprocating the timing belt 47 back and forth in the front and rear directions of the article transfer direction with the drive motor 46, the mounting table 16 moves forward and backward between the receiving position S1 and the retracted position S2.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the positioning means 17 includes a plurality of partition portions 48 formed in the mounting table 16 and opening upward, each capable of accommodating one portion pack 10, and a first moving member 49 and a second moving member 50 that are horizontally movable in the crossing direction so as to position the portion packs 10 accommodated in each partition portion 48 at the alignment position F. Since the mounting table 16 and the two moving members 49 and 50 are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting table 16 is shown by a solid line, the first moving member 49 is shown by a one-dot chain line, and the second moving member 50 is shown by a two-dot chain line in order to make the relationship between the members easy to understand. The partition portions 48 are formed in four rows and seven columns at predetermined intervals in the X direction along the column direction of the portion packs 10 assembled by the assembling means 14 and in the Y direction (row direction) crossing the X direction so as to correspond to the respective portion packs 10 adsorbed by the respective suction cups 39 positioned at the separated positions in the picking-up means 15. Further, the partition portion 48 is a groove defined in a rectangular shape by a vertical edge (edge) 48a extending in the X direction and a horizontal edge 48b extending in the Y direction, and the depth of the partition portion 48 is set such that the container body 11 projects upward from the partition portion 48 by a predetermined height in a state where the portion pack 10 is placed on the bottom surface of the partition portion 48. In the embodiment, in each partition portion 48, the lower vertical edge 48a and the right horizontal edge 48b in FIG. 5 are configured to regulate the movement of the portion pack 10 with respect to the mounting table 16 and position all the portion packs 10 at the alignment position F. That is, the alignment position F is determined by the lower vertical edge 48a and the right horizontal edge 48b that regulate the movement of the portion pack 10 in the partition portion 48, and a fixed regulation portion that defines the accommodation portion E described later is configured by the lower vertical edge 48a and the right horizontal edge 48b. Therefore, the lower vertical edge 48a and the right horizontal edge 48b in the partition portion 48 are referred to as fixed regulation edges 48a and 48b. Regarding the alignment position F of the portion pack 10 regulated by the fixed regulation edges 48a and 48b in each partition portion 48, it is shown as a position where the center of the portion pack 10 faces the intersection of the dotted line extending in the X direction and the dotted line extending in the Y direction in FIG. 6 (the state of FIG. 6(b)).

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, above the mounting table 16, the first moving member 49 is supported so as to be laterally movable in the X direction, and the first moving member 49 is configured to move forward and backward along the X direction by a first air cylinder 51 as an operating means. The first moving member 49 includes a plurality (four in the embodiment) of first horizontal bars 52 that extend in the Y direction and are spaced apart and arranged in parallel in the X direction so as to be able to contact the container body 11 of the portion pack 10 housed in all (seven in the embodiment) of the partition portions 48 arranged in the Y direction. A first vacant space 53 through which the container body 11 of the portion pack 10 can pass is defined between each of the first horizontal bars 52. The first air cylinder 51 is set to move the first moving member 49 between a retracted position where each of the first horizontal bars 52 does not overlap the partition portion 48 of the mounting table 16 in the vertical direction and an operating position where the first moving member 49 moves laterally toward the upstream side in the article conveyance direction. The first horizontal bar 52 has a movable regulating edge (movable regulating portion) 52a that faces the fixed regulating edge 48b extending in the Y direction in the partition portion 48, and the movable regulating edge 52a is configured to approach and separate from the fixed regulating edge 48b. In the retracted position of the first moving member 49, the partition portion 48 and the first vacant space 53 overlap in the vertical direction, allowing the transfer of the portion pack 10 to the partition portion 48, and the movable regulating edge 52a of the first horizontal bar 52 is configured to be able to contact the outer periphery of the container body 11 that protrudes upward from the partition portion 48. Then, by laterally moving the first moving member 49 from the retracted position to the operating position, the outer periphery of the container body 11 is pushed by the movable regulating edge 52a of each of the first horizontal bars 52, and the portion pack 10 can be moved within the partition portion until the outer periphery of the container body 11 contacts the fixed regulating edge 48b of the partition portion 48 (see FIG. 6(b)). Note that the plurality of first horizontal bars 52 of the first moving member 49 are connected by first vertical bars 54 that are arranged at positions overlapping in the vertical direction on the upper surface that is separated from each of the partition portions 48 in the mounting table 16.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, above the first moving member 49, the second moving member 50 is supported so as to be laterally movable in the Y direction, and the second moving member 50 is configured to move forward and backward along the Y direction by a second air cylinder 55 as an operating means. The second moving member 50 includes a plurality (four in the embodiment) of second vertical bars 56 extending in the X direction and having dimensions such that they can contact the container body 11 of the portion pack 10 housed in all (four in the embodiment) of the partition portions 48 arranged in the X direction. The second vertical bars 56 are arranged in parallel at intervals in the Y direction, and a second void 57 through which the container body 11 of the portion pack 10 can pass is defined between each pair of second vertical bars 56. The second air cylinder 55 is set to move the second moving member 50 between a retracted position where each second vertical bar 56 does not overlap the partition portion 48 of the mounting table 16 in the vertical direction and an operating position where it moves laterally in one direction in the Y direction (the lower side of the paper surface in FIG. 5 in the embodiment). The second vertical bar 56 has a movable regulating edge (movable regulating portion) 56a facing the fixed regulating edge 48a extending in the X direction in the partition portion 48, and the movable regulating edge 56a is configured to approach and separate from the fixed regulating edge 48a. In the retracted position of the second moving member 50, the partition portion 48 and the first void 53 overlap the second void 57 in the vertical direction, allowing the transfer of the portion pack 10 to the partition portion 48 and configuring the movable regulating edge 56a of the second vertical bar 56 to be able to contact the outer periphery of the container body 11 protruding upward from the partition portion 48. Then, by laterally moving the second moving member 50 from the retracted position to the operating position, the outer periphery of the container body 11 is pushed by the movable regulating edge 56a of each second vertical bar 56, and the portion pack 10 can be moved within the partition portion until the outer periphery of the container body 11 contacts the fixed regulating edge 48a of the partition portion 48 (see FIG. 6(b)). Note that the plurality of second vertical bars 56 of the second moving member 50 are connected by second horizontal bars 58 arranged at positions overlapping in the vertical direction on the upper surface outside each partition portion 48 of the mounting table 16.

[0025] In the embodiment, a movable restriction portion composed of two movable restriction edges, i.e., the movable restriction edge 52a of the first moving member 49 and the movable restriction edge 56a of the second moving member 50, and a fixed restriction portion composed of two fixed restriction edges 48a and 48b of the partition portion 48 define an upwardly opening accommodation portion E capable of accommodating the container body 11 of the portion pack 10. By reducing the opening dimension of the accommodation portion E, the portion pack 10 is configured to be positioned at a predetermined alignment position F. In the embodiment, by laterally moving the first moving member 49 and the second moving member 50 to their respective operating positions, the portion pack 10 accommodated in the partition portion 48 is configured to be positioned at the lower right corner (alignment position F) defined by the fixed restriction edges 48a and 48b in the partition portion 48 shown in FIG. 6. Further, the positioning means 17 is configured to operate the first and second air cylinders 51 and 55 so that the first and second moving members 49 and 50 laterally move from the retracted position to the operating position while the mounting table 16 moves from the receiving position S1 to the retracted position S2. In the embodiment, the first moving member 49 is formed of a synthetic resin, and the second moving member 50 is formed of a metal. By rubbing the metal members against each other, the mobility is not reduced, and the mechanical strength of the entire positioning means 17 is ensured.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the supply conveyor 18 is arranged in parallel to one side of the transport conveyor 13 and is arranged to transport the portion pack 10 in the same direction as the article transport direction of the transport conveyor 13. The supply conveyor 18 is a conveyor in which carriers 59 each having a support portion 59a capable of supporting one portion pack 10 at a predetermined interval in the width direction (row direction) intersecting the article transport direction (column direction) on the supply conveyor 18 are connected in the article transport direction such that the support portions 59a aligned in the article transport direction are spaced apart at a predetermined interval. By circulating the carriers 59, the portion pack 10 is configured to be supported and transported in a plurality of rows (four rows in the embodiment). Further, the supply conveyor 18 is configured to temporarily stop the running of the carrier 59 on the side of the mounting table 16 at the retracted position, and the portion pack 10 is transferred by a robot hand 19 described later in this temporarily stopped state.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, a parallel link robot is disposed above the mounting table 16 at the retracted position, and is provided with a robot hand 19 as the transfer means having a holding means 61 at the end of the robot arm 60. The holding means 61 is provided with suction cups 62 as suction parts capable of sucking each portion pack 10 for 4 rows and 7 columns positioned at the alignment position F on the mounting table 16. The robot hand 19 is configured to reciprocally rotate the holding means 61 horizontally by 90 degrees, and the portion packs 10 aligned in 4 rows and 7 columns with respect to the transfer conveyor 13 picked up from the mounting table 16 are converted into a matrix of 7 rows and 4 columns with respect to the supply conveyor 18 and transferred to the supply conveyor 18. That is, the mutual interval of the plurality of suction cups 62 disposed on the holding means 61 is set to an interval corresponding to the intervals in the row direction and the column direction of the support portion 59a provided on the supply conveyor 18 in a posture horizontally rotated by 90 degrees from the picking-up posture of the portion pack 10 from the mounting table 16.

[0028] The robot hand 19 moves the holding means 61 vertically, horizontally, and horizontally rotates, sucks the portion packs 10 whose intervals in the row direction and the column direction placed on the mounting table 16 are aligned with the intervals in the column direction and the row direction of the support portion 59a, picks them up collectively, and transfers the portion packs 10 whose matrix directions are converted so as to be supported by each support portion 59a of the supply conveyor 18 where the carrier 59 is temporarily stopped.

[0029] Next, the operation of the flange-equipped container alignment and supply device according to the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the leading portion pack 10 conveyed from the upstream side in each conveying lane 21 of the conveying conveyor 13 is blocked by each corresponding stopper 25 positioned at the blocking position, and the portion pack 10 conveyed from the upstream side by the continuously running conveying conveyor 13 abuts against the leading portion pack 10 blocked by the stopper 25 and the conveyance is restricted, and a plurality of portion packs 10 are sequentially blocked and gathered in a crowded state.

[0030] When a detection means (not shown) detects that the number of portion packs 10 blocked by the stopper 25 has reached a preset number (in the embodiment, 4 in each row), the pressing member 29 is lowered from the restriction release position to the restriction position by the air cylinder 30 of the restriction device 28, restricting the conveyance of the fifth and sixth portion packs 10 counted from the head blocked by the stopper 25. Further, after the support 22 is moved downstream by the second air cylinder 27 of the gathering means 14, the stopper 25 is moved from the blocking position to the blocking release position by the first air cylinder 23, whereby the four portion packs 10 in each row that were blocked are separated from the upstream portion packs 10 by the continuously running conveyor 13 and conveyed downstream. Also, when a detection means (not shown) detects that four portion packs 10 have been conveyed downstream of the downstream end of the stopper 25, the gathering means 14 moves the support 22 upstream by the second air cylinder 27 while moving the stopper 25 from the blocking release position to the blocking position by the first air cylinder 23. Further, the restriction device 28 raises the pressing member 29 from the restriction position to the restriction release position by the air cylinder 30, releasing the conveyance restriction of the portion packs 10. As a result, the portion packs 10 at the head of each row conveyed by the conveyor 13 are blocked by the stopper 25, and the subsequent portion packs 10 are gathered in a crowded state.

[0031] The portion packs 10 assembled in groups of four in each column are conveyed in a crowded state with the leading portion pack 10 abutting against the regulating member 32, and the conveyance is regulated. In accordance with the timing at which the conveyance is regulated by the regulating member 32, the picking means 15 lowers the suction cups 39 of the reference support member 36 and the slide member 37 positioned at the approaching position at the retracted position by the elevating mechanism 41 to the suction position, and sucks the top surfaces (upper surfaces) of the portion packs 10 for four rows and seven columns assembled on the conveying conveyor. Then, while the picking means 15 raises the suction cups 39 to the retracted position by the elevating mechanism 41, the three slide members 37 are moved to the separated position by the row change means 35, so that the interval between the adjacent portion packs 10 before and after in the article conveyance direction (column direction) adsorbed by the suction cups 39 is widened, whereby the row interval of the four-row portion packs 10 is changed to an interval corresponding to the row interval of the partition portion 48 formed on the mounting table 16.

[0032] When the suction cup 39 of the lifting means 15 rises to the retracted position, the temporary placement device 43 moves the mounting table 16 from the retracted position S2 to the receiving position S1 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 by the advancing and retracting mechanism 44. Further, the lifting means 15 lowers the suction cup 39 of the slide member 37 positioned at the separated position and the suction cup 39 of the reference support member 36 to the delivery position, releases the suction of the suction cup 39, and transfers the portion packs 10 for 4 rows and 7 columns with an expanded line interval to the mounting table 16. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6(a), both the first moving member 49 and the second moving member 50 are positioned at the retracted positions, and the portion packs 10 are transferred to the respective accommodating portions E defined corresponding to the respective partition portions 48 of the mounting table 16 so that one portion pack 10 is accommodated in each. In FIG. 6, for easy understanding of the relationship between the members, the partition portion 48 of the mounting table 16 is shown by a solid line, the first moving member 49 is shown by a one-dot chain line, the second moving member 50 is shown by a two-dot chain line, and hatching is applied to the portions corresponding to the movable restriction edge 52a of the first horizontal cross bar 52 in the first moving member 49 and the movable restriction edge 56a of the second vertical cross bar 56 in the second moving member 50. The lifting means 15 that has released the suction of the suction cup 39 moves the slide member 37 to the approaching position by the line interval changing means 35, raises the suction cup 39 to the retracted position, and waits for the next portion pack 10 to be lifted.

[0033] The temporary placement device 43 in which the portion pack 10 is transferred from the lifting means 15 to the placement table 16 moves the placement table 16 toward the retracted position S2 by the advancing and retracting mechanism 44, and the positioning means 17 laterally moves each of the first and second moving members 49 and 50 from the retracted position to the operating position. That is, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the first moving member 49 laterally moves from the retracted position to the operating position along the X direction, the outer periphery of the container body 11 is pushed by the movable regulating edge 52a of each first horizontal bar 52, and the portion pack 10 is moved within the accommodating portion E until the outer periphery of the container body 11 abuts against the fixed regulating edge 48b extending in the Y direction of the partition portion 48. Further, when the second moving member 50 laterally moves from the retracted position to the operating position along the Y direction, the outer periphery of the container body 11 is pushed by the movable regulating edge 56a of each second vertical bar 56, and the portion pack 10 is moved within the accommodating portion E until the outer periphery of the container body 11 abuts against the fixed regulating edge 48a extending in the X direction of the partition portion 48. As a result, the portion packs 10 in all the accommodating portions E are positioned at the corner portions of the corresponding positions defined by the fixed regulating edges 48a and 48b in each partition portion 48. That is, on the placement table, the row intervals and column intervals of the portion packs 10 for four rows and seven columns are aligned in a state that matches the column intervals and row intervals of the support portions 59a in the supply conveyor 18.

[0034] When the portion packs 10 for four rows and seven columns are aligned by the positioning means 17, the robot hand 19 lowers the holding means 61 above the mounting table 16, sucks the portion packs 10 for four rows and seven columns with the respective suction cups 62, and raises the holding means 61 to lift the portion packs 10 for four rows and seven columns all at once from the mounting table 16. When the portion packs 10 are lifted from the mounting table 16, the positioning means 17 laterally moves the first and second moving members 49, 50 from the operating position to the retracted position. The robot hand 19 that has picked up the portion packs 10 horizontally rotates the holding means 61 by 90 degrees, changes the orientation of the matrix by 90 degrees, moves above the supply conveyor 18 and descends, and transfers the respective portion packs 10 that form a matrix of seven rows and four columns to the supply conveyor 18 so as to be accommodated in the corresponding support portions 59a. The robot hand 19 that has transferred the portion packs 10 to the supply conveyor 18 horizontally rotates the holding means 61 90 degrees in the reverse direction and returns above the mounting table 16 to wait for picking up the next portion pack 10.

[0035] In the alignment and supply device of the embodiment, the row intervals and column intervals of the plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 are set to be the same as the column intervals and row intervals of the support portions 59a provided on the supply conveyor 18, and the plurality of portion packs 10 are positioned at once by the positioning means 17. That is, the intervals in the X direction (column direction) and Y direction (row direction) of the plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 are efficiently changed to the intervals required in the next process, and the aligned plurality of columns of portion packs 10 can be supplied to the next process, improving the processing ability. Further, the positioning means 17 positions the plurality of portion packs 10 at the alignment position F by a simple configuration in which the first moving member 49 and the second moving member 50 laterally move in intersecting directions, so that the device configuration can be simplified.

[0036] In the alignment feeder of the embodiment, since the placement table 16 is moved between the receiving position S1 and the retracted position S2, by moving the placement table 16 on which the portion pack 10 has been transferred from the picking means 15 at the receiving position S1 to the retracted position S2, the next portion pack 10 can be picked up by the picking means 15, and the processing efficiency can be improved. Further, since the positioning means 17 operates while returning the placement table 16 from the receiving position S1 to the retracted position S2 to perform the positioning process of the portion pack 10, immediately after the placement table 16 returns to the retracted position S2, the picking operation of the portion pack 10 by the robot hand 19 can be performed, the processing time (processing cycle) can be shortened, and the processing efficiency can be further improved.

[0037] In the alignment feeder of the embodiment, a plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 are picked up from the conveying conveyor 13 by the picking means 15 and transferred to the placement table 16, the plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 transferred to the placement table 16 are aligned by the positioning means 17, and the aligned plurality of rows and columns of portion packs 10 are transferred to the supply conveyor 18 by the robot hand 19. Therefore, by performing each process dispersedly, the cycle time can be shortened and the processing efficiency can be improved.

[0038] (Modification example) The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. For example, it can be modified as follows. Further, not limited to the following modification examples, various embodiments can be adopted for the configuration described in the embodiment within the scope of the gist of the present invention. (1) In the alignment feeder of the embodiment, in the picking means 15 and the positioning means 17, the change process and the positioning process of the row interval of the portion packs 10 for 4 rows and 7 columns are configured to be performed. However, the number of portion packs 10 for which the change process and the positioning process of the row interval are performed is not limited to 4 rows and 7 columns, and may be set according to the matrix form of the portion packs 10 to be supplied to the next process. (2) In the embodiment, the orientation of the matrix of the portion packs 10 picked up from the mounting table 16 is converted by 90 degrees and supplied to the supply conveyor 18. However, a configuration can be adopted in which the portion packs 10 are laterally moved in the matrix orientation on the mounting table 16 and supplied to the supply conveyor 18. (3) In the positioning means 17 of the embodiment, the first moving member 49 and the second moving member 50 are moved in directions perpendicular to each other and positioned at the corner portions at predetermined positions in the rectangular partition portion 48. However, for example, a hole having the same rectangular shape as the partition portion 48 is formed in one moving member, and the moving member is moved in the diagonal direction of the hole, so that the portion pack 10 is positioned at the corner portion of the partition portion 48 by two movable regulating edges (movable regulating portions) defining the hole. A configuration can be adopted. Further, the partition portion 48 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and includes at least one fixed regulating edge (fixed regulating portion) capable of regulating the position of the portion pack 10. Various known configurations such as a configuration in which the position of the portion pack 10 can be regulated by the fixed regulating edge and the two movable regulating edges (movable regulating portions) provided on the moving member can be adopted as the positioning means 17. (4) In the embodiment, the row interval of the portion packs 10 is configured to be widened by the row interval changing means 35 disposed in the picking-up means 15. However, a configuration can be adopted in which the portion packs 10 are guided to the respective partition portions 45 by means for widening the row interval until the portion packs 10 released from the picking-up means 15 are transferred to the mounting table 16. (5) When delivering the portion packs 10 from the picking-up means 15 to the mounting table 16, in the embodiment, the mounting table 16 is configured to move back and forth between the receiving position S1 and the retracted position S2. However, as the picking-up means 15, for example, a handling means composed of a robot hand can be adopted, and a configuration can be adopted in which the portion packs 10 are picked up from the conveying conveyor 13 and transferred to the mounting table 16 fixed in position. (6) In the line interval changing means 35, each slide member 37 is configured to move closer to and away from each other by a dedicated air cylinder 38. However, various known means can be adopted, such as connecting a plurality of slide members 37 with a link mechanism or the like and moving the link mechanism to a closer position and a separated position by an operating means such as an air cylinder. (7) As the means for reciprocally moving the mounting table 16 between the receiving position S1 and the retracted position S2, various known means such as a linear slide mechanism can be adopted.

Explanation of Signs

[0039] 10 Portion pack (container with flange), 11 Container body, 12 Flange, 13 Conveyor 14 Gathering means, 15 Picking-up means, 16 Mounting table, 17 Positioning means 19 Robot hand (transfer means), 48a, 48b Fixed restriction edge (fixed restriction portion) 49 First moving member, 50 Second moving member, 52a Movable restriction edge (movable restriction portion) 56a Movable restriction edge (movable restriction portion), E Storage portion, F Alignment position, S1 Receiving position S2 Retracted position

Claims

1. An alignment and supply device for a flanged container having a flange provided at the upper part of a container body, comprising: a conveyor capable of conveying the flanged containers in multiple rows; gathering means for gathering the flanged containers row by row on the conveyor; lifting means for lifting a plurality of rows of flanged containers gathered by the gathering means at once; a mounting table onto which the flanged containers lifted by the lifting means are transferred; positioning means for positioning each of the plurality of flanged containers placed on the mounting table at an alignment position; transfer means for taking out the plurality of flanged containers positioned at the alignment position on the mounting table at once and transferring them to the next process, wherein the positioning means includes fixed restricting portions respectively arranged at positions spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the X direction along the row direction of the flanged containers on the mounting table and in the Y direction intersecting the X direction, and movable restricting portions that can move closer to and away from the fixed restricting portions and define a housing portion capable of housing the container body therebetween; the positioning means is configured to position each of the container bodies transferred onto the mounting table so as to be received one by one in each housing portion by pushing with the movable restricting portions that have moved closer to the fixed restricting portions and moving them closer to the fixed restricting portions, so that the movement of the container body relative to the mounting table is restricted by both restricting portions at the alignment position; An alignment and supply device for a flanged container, characterized by the above.

2. The positioning means includes a first moving member and a second moving member that move laterally in mutually intersecting directions, the movable restricting portion has two movable restricting edges provided on the first and second moving members so as to be able to contact the outer periphery of the container body protruding upward from the fixed restricting portion, the fixed restricting portion has two fixed restricting edges facing each movable restricting edge, the positioning means is configured to position the container body at the alignment position determined by the two fixed restricting edges that restrict the movement of the container body housed in each housing portion by laterally moving the first moving member and the second moving member so that each movable restricting edge approaches the facing fixed restricting edge. The alignment and supply device for a flanged container according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The mounting table is configured to move laterally between a receiving position above a conveyor onto which the flanged container is transferred from the lifting means and a retracted position spaced apart from the receiving position. The alignment and supply device for a flanged container according to Claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The alignment and supply device for the flanged container according to claim 3, wherein the positioning means is configured to position the flanged container at the alignment position while the mounting table on which the flanged container is transferred at the receiving position moves to the retracted position.

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