Container gripper, container transport device, and container transport method

Abstract

To provide a container gripper in which a posture of a container becomes stable in the case of delivering the container, to provide a container conveyance device and a container conveyance method.SOLUTION: In a container conveyance device, at a gripping part 10 of a container gripper X2 on a receiving side, a container gripper X includes a thickness adjustment part 30 that can adjust gripping thickness T in the vertical direction of the gripping part 10, and at a container delivering position, a container 20 is delivered from a container gripper X1 on the delivering side in a star wheel on the upstream side to a container gripper X2 on the receiving side in a star wheel on the downstream side. The container conveyance device includes the thickness adjustment part 30 at the container gripper X2 on the receiving side. In a container conveyance method, the container 20 is delivered from the gripper X1 on the delivering side in the star wheel on the upstream side to the container gripper X2 on the receiving side in the star wheel on the downstream side including the thickness adjustment part 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container gripper used for transferring a container, a container transport device, and a container transport method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a container conveying device composed of multiple star wheels has been used to convey containers. Such star wheels have multiple container grippers for gripping containers on the outer periphery of a rotating body. At a transfer position where adjacent upstream and downstream star wheels are close to each other, a container is handed over from the container gripper of the upstream star wheel to the container gripper of the downstream star wheel.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a container conveying device in which the container is a bottle-shaped container having a neck, and the container conveying device is provided with a container gripper that grips the neck.

[0004] The container gripper has a pair of gripping pieces and a container gripping portion configured to be openable and closable by relative movement of the pair of gripping pieces. When the pair of gripping pieces is in an open state, the neck of the container can be inserted and removed at the gripping portion, and when the pair of gripping pieces is in a closed state, the neck can be gripped. This allows a container to be transferred from the transferring-side container gripper on the upstream star wheel to the receiving-side container gripper on the downstream star wheel at the transfer position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-184295 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When a container is transferred at the transfer position, the receiving-side container gripper grips the container at a position below the neck of the container gripped by the transferring-side container gripper. The downstream-side star wheel rotates in the opposite direction to the upstream-side star wheel, and when the receiving-side container gripper grips the neck of the container with the transferring-side container gripper, the receiving-side container gripper can pull the neck of the container out of the transferring-side container gripper.

[0007] In this case, as shown in Figure 7, if the gripping piece 11 of the receiving-side container gripper x2 is thin (approximately 5 to 20 mm thick) and the neck length of the container 20 is relatively long, the combination of the thickness of the gripping piece 11 and the length of the neck 22 of the container 20 may be inappropriate, causing the container 20 to remain tilted toward the receiving-side container gripper x2 (the arrow side) with the neck position gripped by the transferring-side container gripper x1 as the fulcrum, resulting in an unstable posture. If downstream processes (such as filling with liquid or attaching a cap) are performed in this state, improper filling of the liquid or improper cap attachment may occur. When transferring (receiving) a container at the transfer position, it is desirable for the container to be as vertical as possible.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a container gripper, a container transport device, and a container transport method that stabilize the orientation of a container when the container is handed over. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the container gripper according to the present invention is a container conveying device for transferring a container. of the receiving side of the container In the container conveying device, the neck of the container The lower side of the support ring A container gripper having a gripping portion capable of gripping a container, for, Vertical gripping thickness can be adjusted Detachable The thickness adjusting portion is provided at the gripping portion. The thickness can be adjusted vertically downwards The point is that it is structured as follows.

[0010] According to this configuration, the thickness of the thickness adjustment unit can be set to various thicknesses depending on the shape (length) of the neck of the container. That is, by providing the thickness adjustment unit, the vertical gripping thickness of the gripping unit can be adjusted to various thicknesses. Therefore, according to this configuration, the thickness of the thickness adjustment unit can be set depending on the shape (length) of the neck of the container, and the gripping thickness, which is the thickness (width) at which the gripping unit comes into contact with the neck of the container, can be adjusted. Therefore, according to this configuration, the thickness adjustment unit can set an appropriate combination of the gripping thickness and the length of the neck of the container, thereby increasing the contact area between the container gripper and the container.

[0011] Therefore, when the receiving-side container gripper grips a container at the container transfer position, and when the receiving-side container gripper pulls the container out of the transferring-side container gripper, the gripping portion can grip the neck of the container with an increased contact area between the container gripper and the container, making it difficult for the container to tilt. Therefore, this configuration can provide a container gripper that can stabilize the orientation of the container when receiving the container at the container transfer position by maintaining it as vertical as possible.

[0018] A characteristic configuration of the container conveying device according to the present invention is a container conveying device that includes a plurality of star wheels each including a rotatably provided rotor and a container gripper provided on the outer periphery of the rotor for gripping a container, and that transfers the container at a container transfer position where adjacent star wheels on the upstream side and downstream side are close to each other, and Container transport device In a container gripper, the neck of the container The lower side of the support ring A gripping portion that can grip the The gripping portion is provided with a detachable thickness adjusting portion that can adjust the gripping thickness in the vertical direction, The thickness adjusting portion is The thickness can be adjusted vertically downwards The point is that it is structured as follows.

[0019] According to this configuration, by providing the receiving-side container gripper with a thickness adjustment unit, the contact area between the container gripper and the container can be increased. Therefore, when the receiving-side container gripper grips a container at the container transfer position, and when the receiving-side container gripper pulls the container out of the transferring-side container gripper, the contact area between the container gripper and the container can be increased and the gripping unit can grip the container by pinching the neck of the container, making it difficult for the container to tilt. Therefore, this configuration can provide a container conveying device that can maintain and stabilize the orientation of the container as vertical as possible when receiving the container at the container transfer position. do.

[0020] A characteristic configuration of the container conveying method according to the present invention is a method for conveying a container at a container transfer position where adjacent star wheels on the upstream side and downstream side are close to each other, the method including a plurality of star wheels each including a rotatably mounted rotor and a container gripper mounted on the outer periphery of the rotor for gripping a container, the method comprising: The lower side of the support ring a gripping portion that can grip the for Vertical gripping thickness can be adjusted Detachable The thickness adjusting portion is provided at the gripping portion. The thickness can be adjusted vertically downwards The container is handed over to a receiving-side container gripper on the downstream star wheel, which is configured as follows.

[0021] According to this configuration, by providing the receiving-side container gripper with a thickness adjustment unit, the contact area between the container gripper and the container can be increased. Therefore, when the receiving-side container gripper grips the container and when the receiving-side container gripper pulls the container out of the transferring-side container gripper, the contact area between the container gripper and the container can be increased and the gripping unit can grip the container by pinching the neck of the container, making it difficult for the container to tilt. Therefore, this configuration can provide a container transport method that can maintain the orientation of the container as vertical as possible and stabilize it when receiving the container. do. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the container gripper of the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the container gripper of the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic view showing a main part of a container transport device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a container. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which a receiving-side container gripper grips a container at a container transfer position. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic view showing the state immediately after the receiving-side container gripper has pulled the container out from the delivering-side container gripper. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a receiving-side container gripper pulls a container out of a delivery-side container gripper in a conventional container conveying device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the container gripper X of the present invention is a container gripper X equipped with a gripping portion 10 that can grip the neck portion 22 of a container 20 on the receiving side of the container 20 in a container conveying device Y that transfers the container 20, and is equipped with a thickness adjustment portion 30 that can adjust the vertical gripping thickness T of the gripping portion 10.

[0024] In addition, the container conveying device Y of the present invention is a container conveying device Y that has multiple star wheels 40 each equipped with a rotatably mounted rotor 41 and a container gripper X mounted on the outer periphery of the rotor 41 to grip a container 20, and that transfers the container 20 at a container transfer position P where adjacent upstream star wheels 40A and downstream star wheels 40B are close to each other, and that has a thickness adjustment unit 30 that can adjust the vertical gripping thickness T of the gripping portion 10 that can grip the neck portion 22 of the container 20 in the container gripper X2 on the receiving side of the container 20.

[0025] In addition, the container conveying method of the present invention transfers a container 20 from a transfer-side container gripper X1 on the upstream star wheel 40A in the container conveying device Y to a receiving-side container gripper X2 on the downstream star wheel 40B, which is equipped with a thickness adjustment section 30 that can adjust the vertical gripping thickness T of the gripping section 10 that can grip the neck 22 of the container 20.

[0026] The container gripper X has a pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B) that are arranged so as to be able to open and close by relative movement, and in the open state, the neck portion 22 of the container 20 can be taken in and out, and in the closed state, the container gripper X has a gripping portion 10 that can grip the neck portion 22. The container gripper X also has a container gripper X1 on the delivery side that delivers the container 20, and a container gripper X2 on the receiving side that receives the container 20.

[0027] The pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B) of the gripping portion 10 are configured to be able to grip the neck portion 22 by sandwiching it between the pair of gripping pieces 11 at the other end (gripping end) 13 (closed state) due to the bias of a spring (not shown) mounted in a spring seat provided at one end 12 of the pair of gripping pieces 11, with a shaft 42 attached to a rotating body 41 as a fulcrum. A cam follower (not shown) attached to the gripping pieces 11 engages with a fixed cam (not shown), thereby releasing the pair of gripping pieces 11 against the spring force of the spring, and the neck portion 22 of the container 20 can be inserted or removed (open state).

[0028] The container conveying device Y is usually provided with a plurality of star wheels 40, and the number of star wheels 40 to be installed is not particularly limited. In the drawings of this embodiment, only two adjacent star wheels 40A, 40B are shown.

[0029] In the container conveying device Y, a container 20 is transferred from a delivery-side container gripper X1 on the upstream star wheel 40A to a receiving-side container gripper X2 on the downstream star wheel 40B. The upstream star wheel 40A is equipped with a plurality of delivery-side container grippers X1, and the downstream star wheel 40B is equipped with a plurality of receiving-side container grippers X2. The number of container grippers X1 and container grippers X2 to be installed is not particularly limited.

[0030] The star wheels 40A and 40B are driven in conjunction with one another by a single driving means (not shown). For example, the star wheel 40A rotates counterclockwise and the star wheel 40B rotates clockwise, and the container 20 is transferred at a container transfer position P where the adjacent upstream star wheel 40A and downstream star wheel 40B are close to each other.

[0031] The container conveying device Y is configured to include, for example, a filling device (not shown) that fills the container 20 with liquid and a capper (not shown) that attaches a cap to the container 20, but is not limited to these embodiments.

[0032] The container 20 may be made of, for example, a resin container or a glass container, but is not limited to these. In this embodiment, a case where a resin container is used will be described. The resin container 20 can be manufactured using a known molding method such as biaxial stretch blow molding, using a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyethylene terephthalate as the main material.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the container 20 has a mouth 21 which serves as an outlet for pouring out the contents, a neck 22 connected to the mouth 21, a shoulder 23 connected to the neck 22, a body 24 connected to the shoulder 23, and a bottom 25 connected to the body 24 and closing the lower end of the body 24.

[0034] The mouth 21 is a cylindrical portion that is open at the top end and functions as a spout for the contents. A male screw portion 21a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mouth 21, and a cap (not shown) can be screwed and fixed in a detachable manner, allowing repeated sealing and opening.

[0035] The neck portion 22 is a cylindrical portion connected to the mouth portion 21, and in this embodiment, the neck portion 22 extends from the lower end of the male thread portion 21a to the upper end of the shoulder portion 23. The length of the neck portion 22 can be set appropriately depending on the contents. In this embodiment, a container 20 having a relatively long neck portion 22 will be described. In this case, the length of the neck portion 22 is preferably, for example, about 11 to 15 mm, but is not limited to this range. The lower end of the neck portion 22 is the portion where the diameter of the cylinder begins to expand.

[0036] At the neck 22, the container gripper X1 on the transfer side grips the upper side 22a (above the support ring 22c) of the neck 22, and the container gripper X2 on the receiving side grips the lower side 22b (below the support ring 22c) of the neck of the container gripped by the container gripper X1 on the transfer side (upper side 22a).

[0037] The shoulder 23 is a generally conical portion whose diameter increases continuously downward from its upper end. The longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the shoulder 23 is preferably a gentle arc that protrudes outward from the container, but is not limited to this.

[0038] The body 24 is a generally cylindrical portion connected to the lower end of the shoulder 23, and the bottom 25 is a portion connected to the lower end of the body 24 and closing the lower end of the body 24.

[0039] The contents (liquid) filled into container 20 are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include beverages such as drinking water, tea, fruit juice, coffee, cocoa, and other soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, and dairy drinks, as well as liquid foods such as soup, and liquid seasonings such as sauces and soy sauce. The content volume of container 20 is also not particularly limited, and may be any volume, ranging from a relatively small volume of several hundred milliliters to a relatively large volume of several liters, depending on the type of contents to be filled.

[0040] In the present invention, the gripping portion 10 of the receiving-side container gripper X2 is provided with a thickness adjusting portion 30 that can adjust the gripping thickness T of the gripping portion 10 in the vertical direction.

[0041] In this embodiment, the thickness adjustment unit 30 is described as a separate member that is detachable from the gripping piece 11. Furthermore, the thickness adjustment unit 30 can be provided on each of the pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B). The thickness adjustment units 30 (30A, 30B) attached to each of the pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B) may be configured to have the same shape (symmetrical shape) and thickness. However, without being limited to this embodiment, the thickness adjustment units 30 (30A, 30B) may be configured to have different thicknesses.

[0042] In the receiving-side container gripper X2, the pair of gripping pieces 11 may be configured so that the thickness of the gripping ends 13 is thinner than the thickness of one end 12 of the gripping pieces 11 in a cross-sectional view. If the thickness of the gripping ends 13 in a cross-sectional view is t1 and the thickness of the thickness adjustment portion 30 is t2, the gripping thickness T is the sum of the thickness t1 of the gripping ends 13 and the thickness t2 of the thickness adjustment portion 30.

[0043] The thickness adjustment unit 30 may be attached to the gripping piece 11 using a bolt 51 for attaching it to the gripping piece 11 and a positioning pin 52 for positioning it when attached. The bolt 51 may be, for example, a reamer bolt, but is not limited to this. The positioning pin 52 may be formed integrally with the gripping piece 11 or may be a separate component. By attaching it to the gripping piece 11 using the bolt 51 and the positioning pin 52 in this way, the thickness adjustment unit 30 can be attached to the gripping piece 11 with just one bolt without any misalignment.

[0044] The gripping pieces 11 are provided with a bolt hole 11a through which the bolt 51 is inserted and a pin hole 11b through which the positioning pin 52 is inserted. By providing the bolt hole 11a and the pin hole 11b in the existing pair of gripping pieces 11 in this way, the thickness adjusting unit 30 can be attached to the existing pair of gripping pieces 11.

[0045] The shape of the thickness adjustment unit 30 may be configured to have a shape that corresponds to (substantially matches) the shape of the gripping end 13 of the gripping piece 11 when the gripping piece 11 and the thickness adjustment unit 30 are overlapped. The gripping portion 11c of the gripping end 13 that grips the neck 22 of the container 20 has an arc shape that follows the outer edge of the neck 22 in a top view so that the neck 22 of the container 20 can be securely gripped when the neck 22 is gripped. Therefore, the thickness adjustment unit 30 may be configured to have an adjustment unit gripping portion 31 that has an arc shape that substantially matches the gripping portion 11c in a top view. This allows the gripping piece 11 and the thickness adjustment unit 30 to be attached to the gripping piece 11 so that the gripping portion 11c and the adjustment unit gripping portion 31 match in a top view.

[0046] Therefore, by attaching the thickness adjustment portion 30 (30A, 30B) to each of the pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B) as described above, and then gripping the neck portion 22 of the container 20 so that the pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B) sandwich the neck portion 22, the neck portion 22 can be securely gripped by the gripping pieces 11 and the thickness adjustment portion 30 (gripping portion 11c and adjustment portion gripping portion 31) (Figure 5).

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case where one thickness adjustment unit 30 is attached to the underside of the gripping end 13 of the gripping piece 11 is described, but this is not limited to this, and multiple thickness adjustment units 30 may be attached, or they may be attached to the tip side of the gripping piece 11, or to the upper surface of the gripping end 13, or they may be attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the gripping end 13. In the case where they are attached to the tip side of the gripping piece 11, for example, the thickness adjustment unit 30 can be attached to the tip side of the gripping piece 11 when the gripping end 13 is not present. In this case, the grip thickness T is equal to the thickness t2 of the thickness adjustment unit 30.

[0048] The thickness adjustment unit 30 can set various thicknesses t2 of the thickness adjustment unit 30 depending on the shape (length) of the neck 22 of the container 20. That is, by providing the thickness adjustment unit 30, the vertical gripping thickness T of the gripping unit 10 can be adjusted to various thicknesses. Therefore, according to this configuration, the thickness t2 of the thickness adjustment unit 30 can be set depending on the shape (length) of the neck 22 of the container 20, and the gripping thickness T, which is the thickness (width) at which the gripping unit 10 comes into contact with the neck 22 of the container 20, can be adjusted. Therefore, according to this configuration, the thickness adjustment unit 30 can set an appropriate combination of the gripping thickness T and the length of the neck 22 of the container 20, thereby increasing the contact area between the container gripper X2 (gripping portion 11c and adjustment unit gripping portion 31) and the container 20.

[0049] Therefore, when the receiving-side container gripper X2 grips the container 20 at the container transfer position P (FIG. 5), and when the receiving-side container gripper X2 pulls the container 20 out of the transferring-side container gripper X1 (FIG. 6), the pair of gripping pieces 11 (11A, 11B) can grip the neck 22 of the container 20 by sandwiching it while increasing the contact area between the container gripper X2 and the container 20, making it difficult for the container 20 to tilt. Therefore, the orientation of the container 20 when received at the container transfer position P can be maintained as vertically as possible and stabilized.

[0050] The pair of gripping pieces 11 and the thickness adjusting portion 30 may be made of the same material or different materials, such as, but not limited to, metal materials such as stainless steel or aluminum.

[0051] The thickness-adjusting portion 30 can be configured to have a thickness t2 extending from the lower surface of the gripping portion 10 to the shoulder portion 23 of the container 20. That is, the thickness t2 of the thickness-adjusting portion 30 can be set so that the thickness-adjusting portion 30 extends from the lower surface of the gripping portion 10 to the boundary between the neck portion 22 and the shoulder portion 23. In this case, the adjusting portion gripping portion 31 can be shaped to follow the outer surface (cylindrical) of the neck portion 22.

[0052] Therefore, with this configuration, the thickness t2 of the thickness adjustment unit 30 can be set so as to reach from the underside of the gripping unit 10 to the boundary between the neck 22 and the shoulder 23, depending on the shape (length) of the neck 22 of the container 20. This makes it possible to further increase the contact area between the container gripper X2 (gripping portion 11c and adjustment unit gripping portion 31) and the container 20, thereby making it possible to more stabilize the posture of the container 20 when it is received at the container transfer position P.

[0053] The thickness adjustment portion 30 can also be configured to have a shape that follows the outer surface of the shoulder portion 23 of the container 20. That is, the adjustment portion gripping portion 31 can be shaped to follow the outer surface of one of the shoulder portions 23. Furthermore, the thickness t2 of the thickness adjustment portion 30 can be set so that it reaches from the lower surface of the gripping portion 10 to the position of one of the outer surfaces of the shoulder portion 23. For example, the adjustment portion gripping portion 31 can be shaped to follow the outer surface of the shoulder portion 23 (approximately conical or tapered).

[0054] Therefore, with this configuration, the thickness t2 of the thickness adjustment unit 30 can be set so as to reach from the underside of the gripping unit 10 to any one of the outer surfaces of the shoulder unit 23, depending on the shape (length) of the neck unit 22 of the container 20 and the outer surface shape of the shoulder unit 23. This makes it possible to further increase the contact area between the container gripper X2 (gripping portion 11c and adjustment unit gripping portion 31) and the container 20, thereby further stabilizing the posture of the container 20 when it is received at the container transfer position P.

[0055] [Another embodiment 1] In the above-described embodiment, the thickness t2 of the thickness-adjusting unit 30 is variably set in accordance with the shape (length) of the neck 22 of the container 20, thereby adjusting the vertical gripping thickness T of the gripping unit 10 to various thicknesses. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the gripping thickness T may be adjusted to various thicknesses by, for example, variably setting the vertical length of the bolt 51. In this case, the thickness-adjusting unit 30 includes not only the members 30A and 30B but also the bolt 51.

[0056] That is, in this configuration, bolts 51 are inserted into bolt holes 11a of gripping piece 11, and members 30A, 30B are attached by bolts 51 so that they are spaced apart from gripping piece 11. This allows the gripping thickness T of container 20 in gripping part 10 to be adjusted by setting the vertical length of bolt 51 according to the shape (length) of neck 22 of container 20. Note that in this configuration, gripping thickness T refers to the thickness from the top surface of gripping part 10 to the bottom surface of member 30A (30B).

[0057] Therefore, according to this configuration, the combination of the gripping thickness T and the length of the neck portion 22 of the container 20 can be set appropriately by the thickness adjusting portion 30 (30A, 30B, bolt 51). [Industrial Applicability]

[0058] The present invention can be used in a container gripper, a container transport device, and a container transport method used for transferring containers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] X(X1,X2) Container gripper Y Container conveying device P Container delivery position T gripping thickness 10 Gripping part 11 (11A, 11B) Pair of gripping pieces 20 containers 22 Neck 23 Shoulder 30 Thickness adjustment section 40(40A,40B) Star Wheel 41 Rotating body

Claims

1. A container gripper provided with a gripping portion capable of gripping a lower side of a support ring at a neck portion of the container, in a container conveying device on a receiving side of the container that transfers the container, The gripping portion is provided with a detachable thickness adjusting portion that can adjust the gripping thickness in the vertical direction, A container gripper, wherein the thickness adjusting portion is configured to be able to adjust the thickness of the gripping portion in a vertical downward direction.

2. A container conveying device comprising a plurality of star wheels each including a rotatably mounted rotor and a container gripper mounted on the outer periphery of the rotor for gripping a container, the device transferring the container at a container transfer position where adjacent upstream and downstream star wheels are close to each other, a container gripper of the container conveying device on the receiving side of the container, the container gripper having a gripping portion capable of gripping a lower side of a support ring on the neck portion of the container; The gripping portion is provided with a detachable thickness adjusting portion that can adjust the gripping thickness in the vertical direction, A container conveying device, wherein the thickness adjusting section is configured to be able to adjust the thickness of the gripping section in the vertical downward direction.

3. A container conveying method comprising a plurality of star wheels each including a rotatably mounted rotor and a container gripper mounted on the outer periphery of the rotor for gripping a container, the method comprising: transferring the container at a container transfer position where adjacent upstream and downstream star wheels are close to each other; A container transport method in which a container is handed over to a receiving container gripper on the downstream star wheel, the method comprising: a gripping portion capable of gripping the lower side of the support ring on the neck of the container from the transferring container gripper on the upstream star wheel; the gripping portion having a removable thickness adjustment portion capable of adjusting the vertical gripping thickness; and the thickness adjustment portion being configured to be able to adjust the vertical downward thickness of the gripping portion.

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