Bottle alignment and conveying device

Abstract

To provide a bottle alignment and conveying device that can align a flat bottle in a predetermined posture and convey it downstream with a relatively simple configuration. 【Solution means】A bottle alignment and conveying device including a conveying belt mechanism 4 that conveys a flat bottle P by a conveying belt 18, and a bottle alignment device 6 that aligns the flat bottle P conveyed in a predetermined direction by the conveying belt mechanism 4. The bottle alignment device 6 includes a pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 disposed in a bottle alignment area S of the conveying belt mechanism 4, and a rotation drive mechanism for rotationally driving the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28. The pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 are disposed opposite to each other on both sides in the conveying direction of the flat bottle P, and are configured such that the peripheral speeds of these alignment rollers 26, 28 are equal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bottle alignment and conveying device for aligning and conveying flat bottles in a predetermined direction state.

Background Art

[0002] A flat bottle direction control device for controlling the posture of a flat bottle conveyed by a conveyor belt mechanism in a predetermined direction has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This flat bottle direction control device includes a conveyor belt mechanism for conveying a flat bottle in a predetermined direction, a fixed guide disposed on one side along the conveyor belt of the conveyor belt mechanism, and a rotating belt unit disposed corresponding to the fixed guide. The rotating belt unit includes a driving pulley and a driven pulley mounted on the unit body with a space therebetween, a rotating belt wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and a swing mechanism that swings the unit body in a direction approaching and separating from the fixed guide with the upstream side of the unit body (for example, the shaft member of the driving pulley) as a fulcrum as the driven pulley rotates.

[0003] In this flat bottle direction control device, the swing mechanism swings the rotating belt unit back and forth so as to approach and separate from the fixed guide as the driven pulley rotates. By using this reciprocating swing, the flat bottle moving by the conveyor belt mechanism (that is, the rotating belt moving in the conveying direction) is moved while changing its posture toward the fixed guide. In this way, the flat bottle that was being conveyed in a state long in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is conveyed downstream after changing its direction by 90 degrees and becoming long in the conveying direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in such a flat bottle direction control device, although the rotation belt unit is reciprocally swung to change the direction of the flat bottle, the direction control is a rotation belt pressing action toward the fixed guide. Therefore, there is a problem that the flat bottle being conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism cannot be stably changed in direction, that is, the posture cannot be changed to a state where it is long in the conveying direction. Further, in order to change the posture of the flat bottle, a rotation belt unit (composed of a unit body, a driving pulley, a driven pulley, a rotation belt, etc.) and a swinging mechanism for swinging this rotation belt mechanism are required, and there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and the entire device becomes large-sized.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a bottle alignment and conveying device that can align flat bottles in a state in a predetermined direction and convey them downstream with a relatively simple configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The bottle alignment and conveying device of the present invention is a bottle alignment and conveying device including a conveyor belt mechanism for conveying a flat bottle by a conveyor belt, and a bottle alignment device for aligning the flat bottle conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the conveyor belt mechanism, The bottle alignment device includes a pair of alignment rollers disposed in the bottle alignment area of the conveyor belt mechanism, and a rotation drive mechanism for rotationally driving the pair of alignment rollers. The pair of alignment rollers are the above-mentioned Disposed opposite to each other on both sides in the conveying direction, The pair of alignment rollers are composed of a roller body that is rotated so as to push out the flat bottle conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism, an elastic ring-shaped portion on the outer peripheral surface of the roller body, cover and attenuate the impact when the flat bottle abuts, and draw it into the downstream side in the conveying direction And a covering member for covering the elastic ring-shaped portion, and are configured such that the peripheral speeds of the pair of alignment rollers are equal. The conveying belt mechanism includes a conveying drive roller and a conveying driven roller arranged at intervals, and a conveying belt wound between the conveying drive roller and the conveying driven roller. The moving speed of the conveying running part of the conveying belt is configured to be equal to the peripheral speed of the pair of alignment rollers. Furthermore, the distance W between the pair of alignment rollers is set to be larger than the width size w of the flat bottle and smaller than the value obtained by adding 5 mm to this width size [w < W < (w + 5 mm)].[ The flat bottles conveyed by the conveying running part of the conveying belt are convey in a state inclined with respect to the conveying direction aligned so that their major axis directions face the conveying direction and are conveyed downstream. while abutting against one of the pair of alignment rollers and being drawn into the downstream side in the conveying direction while the one-side end portion in contact therewith contacts the one alignment roller, the other-side end portion slides on the surface of the other alignment roller of the pair of alignment rollers and moves rearward in the conveying direction, whereby It is characterized in that

[0009] in this bottle alignment and conveying device The elastic ring-shaped part is preferably formed of a porous synthetic resin material with a wall thickness of 5 to 15 mm. By configuring it in this way, when the flat bottle gently touches, the elastic ring-shaped part can be appropriately elastically deformed and aligned in a state in a predetermined direction. Also, the covering member is preferably formed of a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric or a net-like member. By covering the surface of the elastic ring-shaped part with such a covering member, abrasion, wear, etc. of the elastic ring-shaped part can be suppressed.

[0010] Also, it is preferable to configure the outer diameters of the pair of alignment rollers to be equal and their rotational speeds to be equal. By doing so, flat bottles in an arbitrary posture state can be aligned in a state in a predetermined direction with a relatively simple configuration and control.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the bottle alignment and conveying device of the present invention, the bottle alignment device for aligning flat bottles conveyed by a conveying belt mechanism includes a pair of alignment rollers disposed in a bottle alignment area, and these alignment rollers are disposed opposite to each other on both sides in the conveying direction of the flat bottles, and are configured such that their peripheral speeds are equal. Therefore, while the flat bottles are being conveyed through the bottle alignment area, they are aligned in a predetermined direction by the action of the pair of alignment rollers. Thus, the flat bottles sent to the bottle alignment area in an arbitrary posture state can be aligned in a predetermined direction state, that is, in a state where the major axis direction thereof faces the downstream side of the conveying direction, and sent out to the downstream side. Further, each of the pair of alignment rollers is composed of a roller body, an elastic ring-shaped portion covering the outer peripheral surface of the roller body, and a covering member covering the elastic ring-shaped portion. Therefore, due to the elastic deformation of the elastic ring-shaped portion attenuate the impact when the flat bottle abuts Flat bottles in an arbitrary posture state can be aligned and conveyed in a predetermined direction state (a state where the major axis direction thereof faces the downstream side of the conveying direction). Furthermore, since the elastic ring-shaped portion is covered by the covering member, wear and abrasion of the elastic ring-shaped portion caused by contact with the flat bottles can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the moving speed of the conveying running portion of the conveying belt in the conveying belt mechanism is configured to be equal to the peripheral speed of the pair of alignment rollers, the flat bottles placed on and moving on the conveying running portion of the conveying belt can be sent out in a state aligned as required by the pair of alignment rollers (a state where the major axis direction thereof faces the downstream side of the conveying direction). Furthermore, since the distance W between the pair of alignment rollers is set to be larger than the width size w of the flat bottle and smaller than the value obtained by adding 5 mm to this width size [w < W < (w + 5 mm)], by moving between such a pair of alignment rollers, the flat bottles can be aligned in a predetermined direction state and sent to the downstream side.[

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a bottle alignment and conveying device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This bottle alignment and conveying device is disposed, for example, on the downstream side of a resin molding device (not shown), and aligns flat bottles molded by the resin molding device in a predetermined direction and conveys them downstream. For example, it is used to convey them toward a bottle inspection device (not shown) disposed on the downstream side.

[0016] In Figs. 1 and 2, the illustrated bottle alignment and conveying device 2 includes a conveying belt mechanism 4 for conveying a flat bottle P, and a bottle alignment device 6 for aligning the flat bottle P conveyed by the conveying belt mechanism 4 in a predetermined direction. The conveying belt mechanism 4 includes a main body frame 10 installed on the floor surface of a factory, etc. (only a part of it is shown in Fig. 1), and a conveying drive roller 14 and a conveying driven roller 16 are mounted on the main body frame 10 at intervals, and an endless conveying belt 18 is wound between these conveying drive roller 14 and conveying driven roller 16.

[0017] A conveyance drive motor 20 as a conveyance drive source is drivingly connected to the conveyance drive roller 14. When the conveyance drive motor 20 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the upper running portion 22 (i.e., the conveyance running portion) of the conveyance belt 18 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 12 (the direction from left to right in FIG. 2). Further, a plurality of auxiliary rollers 24 are disposed between the conveyance drive roller 14 and the conveyance driven roller 16, and these auxiliary rollers 24 support the upper running portion 22 of the conveyance belt 18.

[0018] Next, the bottle alignment device 6 will be described. The illustrated bottle alignment device 6 includes a pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 disposed above the bottle alignment area S of the conveyance belt 18, and the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 are disposed opposite to each other on both sides in the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow 12. In this embodiment, the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 have substantially the same configuration, and hereinafter, the alignment roller 26 (28) will be described.

[0019] Referring also to FIG. 3, the alignment roller 26 includes a circular roller body 30 formed of, for example, synthetic resin or synthetic rubber, and a shaft member 32 is attached to the central portion of the roller body 30. An elastic ring-shaped portion 34 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the roller body 30, and this elastic ring-shaped portion 34 is formed of a porous synthetic resin, for example, a hard to semi-hard urethane foam. Further, the surface of the elastic ring-shaped portion 34 is covered by a covering member 36, and this covering member 36 is formed of, for example, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a net-like member, etc. In FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, this covering member 36 is shown omitted.

[0020] Since the outer peripheral surface of the roller body 30 is covered by the elastic ring-shaped portion 34 in this way, when the flat bottle P lightly contacts the surface of the alignment rollers 26(28) as described later, the elastic ring-shaped portion 34 is elastically deformed to some extent to weaken the impact, and at the same time, it is moved in its rotation direction (in other words, toward between the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28). Also, since this elastic ring-shaped portion 34 is covered by the covering member 36, when the flat bottle P lightly contacts the surface of the alignment rollers 26(28), it comes into contact with this covering member 36, thereby suppressing wear and abrasion of the surface of the elastic ring-shaped portion 34.

[0021] Regarding this elastic ring-shaped portion 34, its wall thickness t (see FIG. 3) is preferably 5 to 15 mm. If this wall thickness t is less than 5 mm, the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic ring-shaped portion 34 will be small and the impact when the flat bottle P hits cannot be sufficiently absorbed. Also, if this wall thickness t exceeds 15 mm, there is a possibility of elastic deformation even when the flat bottle P is sent out to the downstream side, which is not preferable.

[0022] The shaft member 32 of the alignment rollers 26(28) is drivingly connected to the output portion of the alignment drive motors 38(40) as the alignment drive source. When one alignment drive motor 38 operates, the alignment roller 26 is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow 42 (clockwise in FIG. 2) via the shaft member 32. When the other alignment drive motor 40 operates, the alignment roller 28 is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow 44 (counterclockwise in FIG. 2) via the shaft member 32. In this way, the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 are rotated so as to send out the flat bottle P through between them.

[0023] In this embodiment, it is composed of the alignment drive motors 38, 40 arranged corresponding to the respective alignment rollers 26, 28 as the rotation drive mechanism for rotationally driving the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28. However, instead of such a configuration, although not shown, pulleys (for example, toothed pulleys) may be provided on the shaft members 32 of the alignment rollers 26, 28, a belt (for example, toothed belt) may be wound around these pulleys, and one of these pulleys may be drivingly connected to the alignment drive motor.

[0024] Regarding the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28, it is desirable to configure them as follows. That is, it is preferable to configure the peripheral speeds of the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 (in other words, the moving speeds of the peripheral surfaces of the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28) to be equal. By configuring in this way, the moving speeds of these alignment rollers 26, 28 acting on both side surfaces of the flat bottle P become equal, and the flat bottle P in an aligned state in a predetermined direction (that is, in the state shown in FIG. 2 and elongated in the conveying direction indicated by the arrow 12) can be sent out downstream in the same state.

[0025] In this embodiment, the outer diameters R (see FIG. 3) of the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 are configured to be equal. When configured in this way, by controlling the rotational speeds of the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 to be equal, in other words, by controlling the rotational speeds of the alignment motors 38, 40 to be equal, their peripheral speeds become equal, and these alignment rollers 26, 28 can be rotationally controlled relatively easily.

[0026] Regarding the relationship between the moving speed of the conveyor belt 18 (the upper running part 22 thereof) of the conveyor belt mechanism 4 and the peripheral speeds of the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28, it is preferable to configure the moving speed and their peripheral speeds to be equal. By having such a speed relationship, the flat bottle P moving while placed on the upper running part 22 (the conveying running part) of the conveyor belt 18 can be aligned in a state in a predetermined direction by the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 while being moved in the conveying direction and sent downstream.

[0027] Regarding the alignment rollers 26, 28, those with different outer diameters may be used. Even in this case, it is preferable to configure the moving speed of the conveyor belt 18 and the peripheral speeds of the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 to be equal. In this case, for the alignment roller with a larger outer diameter, its rotational speed is controlled to be smaller, and for the alignment roller with a smaller outer diameter, its rotational speed is controlled to be larger.

[0028] Also, regarding the relationship between the distance W (see Fig. 2) between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 and the width size w of the flat bottle P (see Figs. 2 and 4), it is preferable that the distance W between the alignment rollers 26 and 28 is larger than the width size w of the flat bottle P (w < W). If this distance W becomes smaller than the width size w of the flat bottle P, it is not preferable because the alignment rollers 26 and 28 will send out the flat bottle P to the downstream side in an elastically deformed state.

[0029] Also, it is preferable that this distance W is smaller than the value obtained by adding 5 mm to the width size w of the flat bottle P [W < (w + 5 mm)]. If this distance W exceeds this added value [W < (w + 5 mm)], the distance W between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 becomes too large, making it difficult to neatly align and send out the flat bottle P moving in the conveying direction in a predetermined state.

[0030] Such a bottle alignment device 6 is attached to the main body frame 10 as shown in Fig. 1, for example. Referring to Fig. 1 again, the bottle alignment device 6 includes a portal-shaped support frame 52, and this support frame 52 includes a pair of side walls 54 and 56 and a top wall 58 connecting the upper end portions of these side walls 54 and 56. As shown in Fig. 1, one side wall 54 is disposed on one side of the conveyor belt mechanism 18, and the other side wall 56 is disposed on the other side of this conveyor belt 22, and these side walls 54 and 56 are attached to the main body frame 10.

[0031] An L-shaped mounting member 60 is attached to one side portion of the top wall 58 (the one side portion on the side wall 54 side), a mounting plate 62 is attached to this mounting member 60, and one alignment motor 38 is attached to this mounting plate 62. Also, an L-shaped mounting member 64 is attached to the other side portion of the top wall 58 (the other side portion on the side wall 56 side), a mounting plate 66 is attached to this mounting member 64, and the other alignment motor 40 is attached to this mounting plate 66.

[0032] With such a configuration, the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 are attached to the support frame 52 in a state of being suspended from the ceiling wall 58 toward the bottle alignment area S, and are disposed on both sides of the conveyor belt 18 above the upper running portion 22 (conveyor running portion) of the conveyor belt. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner portions of the alignment rollers 26, 28 protrude inside the side portions of the conveyor belt 18 and are arranged to act on the flat bottle P being conveyed.

[0033] A pair of guide guides 68 (see FIG. 2) are disposed on the downstream side of this bottle alignment area S. Such guide guides 68 are disposed above the conveyor belt 18 and guide the flat bottles 18 aligned by the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 in the bottle alignment area S to the downstream side in the conveying direction indicated by the arrow 12.

[0034] This bottle alignment and conveying device 2 can be used, for example, for aligning flat bottles P in the form shown in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 4, as an example, the flat bottle P includes a bottle body 72 having an elliptical cross section. A mouth portion 74 is provided at the upper end portion of the bottle body 72, and a cap (not shown) is attached to the mouth portion 74.

[0035] In such a flat bottle P, the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 of the bottle alignment device 6 act on the outer surface of the bottle body 72 of the flat bottle P. The length in the major axis direction of the bottle body 72, that is, the horizontal length in FIG. 4(b) is described as the longitudinal size, and the length in the minor axis direction, that is, the vertical length in FIG. 4(b) is described as the width size w. The width size w of the bottle body 72 and the interval W between the pair of alignment rollers 26, 28 are maintained in such a relationship that they are within the above-described range.

[0036] The alignment of the flat bottles P by this bottle alignment and conveying device 2 is performed as follows, for example. Referring mainly to FIGS. 5 and 6 together with FIG. 2, the flat bottles P are conveyed in the conveying direction indicated by the arrow 12 along with the movement of the upper running part 22 (conveying running part) of the conveying belt 18. When the attitude state of the flat bottle P is, for example, the state shown in FIG. 2, that is, the major axis direction of the bottle body 72 is parallel to the conveying direction, and the bottle body 72 is located at the center between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 and is being conveyed, the flat bottle P is conveyed downstream as it is through between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28.

[0037] Also, when the state of the flat bottle is, for example, the state shown in FIG. 5(a), that is, the minor axis direction of the bottle body 72 is parallel to the conveying direction and the bottle body 72 is conveyed so as to block between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 and one side end thereof moves so as to be drawn into one alignment roller 26 side, the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 of the bottle alignment device 6 align it to the state in a predetermined direction (that is, the attitude state in which the major axis direction of the bottle body 72 is parallel to the conveying direction) as shown in FIGS. 5(a) to (f) and then send it to the downstream side.

[0038] To explain further, first, as shown in FIG. 5(a), when one side end of the bottle body 72 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the alignment roller 26 that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 42 and is drawn in, as shown in FIGS. 5(b) and (c), one side end thereof is further drawn in by this alignment roller 26. At this time, one side end of the bottle body 72 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the alignment roller 26 and moves downstream, while the other side end side slides on the outer peripheral surface of the other alignment roller 28 and moves rearward in the conveying direction.

[0039] In this way, when one side end of the bottle body 72 becomes exposed downstream from the alignment roller 26, Figure 5As shown in (d) and (e), one alignment roller 26 acts on one side of the bottle body 72 to move it in the direction indicated by arrow 42, and the other alignment roller 28 acts on the other side of the bottle body 72 to move it in the direction indicated by arrow 44. In this way, one end portion of the bottle body 72 is aligned so as to face the conveying direction indicated by arrow 12.

[0040] Then, as shown in Fig. 5(f), when one end portion of the bottle body 72 faces the conveying direction in a predetermined direction, that is, when the longitudinal axis direction of the bottle body 72 is parallel to the conveying direction, the aligned flat bottle P is sent out downstream through between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28. In this way, the flat bottle P can be aligned as required in the bottle alignment area S and sent downstream.

[0041] In addition, when one end portion of the flat bottle P abuts on the outer peripheral surface of one alignment roller 26 in the state shown in Fig. 5(b) [or Fig. 5(c), Fig. 5(d), Fig. 5(e)], the bottle body 72 is aligned in the state in a predetermined direction as shown in Fig. 5(d) to (f) [or Fig. 5(e) to (f), Fig. 5(f)]. Thus, even when abutting on one alignment roller 26 in such different angular states, it can be aligned as required and sent downstream.

[0042] Conversely, as shown in Fig. 6(a), when the other end portion of the bottle body 72 comes into contact with and is drawn into the outer peripheral surface of the alignment roller 28 that rotates in the direction indicated by arrow 44, as shown in Fig. 6(b) and (c), the other end portion is further drawn in by this alignment roller 28. At this time, the other end portion of the bottle body 72 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the alignment roller 28 and moves downstream, while the one end side thereof slides on the outer peripheral surface of one alignment roller 26 and moves rearward in the conveying direction.

[0043] In this way, when the other end of the bottle body 72 is exposed downstream from the alignment roller 28, as shown in FIGS. 6(d) and (e), the other alignment roller 28 acts on the other surface of the bottle body 72 to move it in the direction indicated by arrow 44, and one alignment roller 26 acts on one surface of the bottle body 72 to move it in the direction indicated by arrow 42. In this way, the other end of the bottle body 72 is aligned so as to face the conveying direction indicated by arrow 12.

[0044] Then, as shown in FIG. 6(f), when the other end of the bottle body 72 is in a state in the predetermined direction facing the conveying direction, the aligned flat bottle P is sent downstream through between the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28. Incidentally, when the other end of the flat bottle P abuts against the outer peripheral surface of one alignment roller 26 at an angular state shown in, for example, FIG. 6(b) [or FIG. 6(c), FIG. 6(d), FIG. 6(e)], the bottle body 72 is aligned in a state in the predetermined direction as shown in FIGS. 6(c) to (f) [or FIGS. 6(d) to (f), FIGS. 6(e) to (f), FIG. 6(f)]. Thus, even when abutting against the other alignment roller 28 at different angles like this, it can be aligned as required and sent downstream.

[0045] Since the flat bottle P conveyed by the conveyor belt 18 can be aligned as described above, the flat bottle P sent to the bottle alignment area S in an arbitrary posture (angular posture) can be aligned by the pair of alignment rollers 26 and 28 in a state in the predetermined direction (a state in the predetermined direction in which its major axis direction faces the conveying direction) and sent downstream.

[0046] This bottle alignment and conveying device 2 is not limited to the flat bottle P in the form shown in FIG. 4, and can also align the flat bottle in the form shown in FIG. 7(a) or (b) in a predetermined posture. In FIG. 7(a), the flat bottle P1 of this form includes an elongated bottle body 72A. Both end portions 82 of the bottle body 72A are formed in a semi-circular shape, and it can also be applied to align in a state in the predetermined direction a form in which the size (width size) in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 7(a)) of the middle portion does not change.

[0047] In FIG. 7(b), the flat bottle P2 of this form includes an elongated bottle body 72B. Four corners 84 and 86 of the bottle body 72B are cut, and both side ends thereof are formed in a trapezoidal shape. It can also be applied to align in a state in a predetermined direction those having a form in which the size (width size) in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 7(b)) of the middle part does not change.

[0048] As described above, an embodiment of the bottle alignment and conveyance device according to the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0049] 2 Bottle alignment and conveyance device 4 Conveyor belt mechanism 6 Bottle alignment device 18 Conveyor belt 26, 28 Alignment roller 30 Roller body 34 Elastic ring-shaped part 36 Coating member 52 Support frame 72, 72A, 72B Bottle body P, P1, P2 Flat bottle

Claims

1. A bottle alignment and conveying device including a conveyor belt mechanism that conveys flat bottles by a conveyor belt, and a bottle alignment device that aligns the flat bottles conveyed by the conveyor belt mechanism downstream in a conveying direction, The bottle alignment device includes a pair of alignment rollers disposed in a bottle alignment area of ​​the conveyor belt mechanism, and a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the pair of alignment rollers, the pair of alignment rollers being disposed opposite each other on both sides of the conveying direction of the flat bottles, The pair of alignment rollers are composed of a roller body that rotates to push out the flat bottles transported by the conveyor belt mechanism, an elastic ring-shaped portion that covers the outer peripheral surface of the roller body and reduces the impact of the flat bottle when it comes into contact with the bottle, thereby pulling the bottle downstream in the conveying direction, and a covering member that covers the elastic ring-shaped portion, and is configured so that the peripheral speeds of the pair of alignment rollers are equal. the conveyor belt mechanism includes a conveyor drive roller and a conveyor driven roller disposed at an interval, and a conveyor belt wound between the conveyor drive roller and the conveyor driven roller, and is configured such that a moving speed of a conveyor running portion of the conveyor belt is equal to the peripheral speed of the pair of alignment rollers; Furthermore, the interval W between the pair of alignment rollers is set to be larger than the width size w of the flat bottle and smaller than the width size plus 5 mm (w+5 mm) [w<W<(w+5 mm)], A flat bottle is transported by the transport running portion of the transport belt at an angle to the transport direction, and the flat bottle abuts against one of the alignment rollers of the pair of alignment rollers, with the abutting side end portion being pulled downstream in the transport direction while in contact with the one alignment roller, while the other side end portion slides along the surface of the other alignment roller of the pair of alignment rollers and moves backward in the transport direction, thereby aligning the bottle so that its major axis faces the transport direction and transporting it downstream.

2. 2. The bottle alignment and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic ring-shaped portion is formed from a porous synthetic resin material, the thickness of the elastic ring-shaped portion is 5 to 15 mm, and the covering member is formed from a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a mesh-like material.

3. 2. The bottle aligning and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of alignment rollers are configured to have the same outer diameter and rotate at the same speed.

Images