Container handling system

Abstract

To always stably convey a vessel with a simple configuration in a vessel conveyance processing system commonly used in vessels having different length of cylindrical parts.SOLUTION: An intermediate wheel 16 receives a first vessel in which a length from a charger to a cylindrical part Vc in an axial direction is relatively short or a second vessel V2 in which the length in the axial direction is relatively long, and rotatably conveys the cylindrical part Vc in a state of being held and hung. The intermediate wheel 16 comprises a plurality of grippers 18 along a circumferential direction, and a guide 20 which can be placed above the grippers 18. When the first vessel is conveyed, the cylindrical part of the first vessel is held by the grippers 18 while supporting a lower surface of a coupler part of the first vessel by upper surfaces of the grippers 18. When the second vessel V2 is conveyed, the guide 20 is placed above the grippers 18, and the cylindrical part Vc of the second vessel V2 is held by the grippers 18 while supporting a lower surface of a coupler part Vb of the second vessel V2 by the upper surface of the guide 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport processing system for a container in which a cap part, a cylindrical part, and a flange are sequentially formed below a screw part.

Background Art

[0002] In a transport processing system for gripping and transporting a resin container in which a cap part, a cylindrical part, and a flange are sequentially formed below a screw part along the outer periphery of a rotating wheel and performing a predetermined process, the cylindrical part (above the flange) and below the flange of the resin container are alternately gripped by a gripper to transport the resin container (Patent Document 1). The gripper of the rotating wheel of the filler or capper grips below the flange of the resin container, and the gripper of the intermediate wheel that transfers the resin container between the filler and the capper grips the cylindrical part so that the lower surface of the cap part is supported by the upper surface of the gripper.

[0003] If the posture of the resin container is disturbed during transportation by the intermediate wheel, the filling liquid in the resin container will spill, so it is necessary to maintain its posture in an upright state. Therefore, when using the transport processing system for resin containers with different axial lengths of the cylindrical part, it is necessary to replace all the grippers so that the lower surface of the cap part of the resin container to be transported is supported by the upper surface of the gripper, or to change the height of all the grippers, which makes the work complicated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] On the other hand, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, a mechanism that enables the gripper of the intermediate wheel to move up and down is adopted, but the structure of the intermediate wheel becomes complicated.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a container transport system that can be used for containers with different cylindrical lengths, and to ensure stable transport of containers with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention of the container transport processing system has a cap portion, a cylindrical portion, and a flange formed in order below the threaded portion. The system comprises a filling machine that fills the container while supporting the lower surface of the flange of the container and rotating and conveying it, and a conveying wheel that receives the container from the filling machine, grips the cylindrical part, and rotates and conveys it while suspended. In a container transport processing system that uses a first container with a relatively short axial length of the cylindrical portion and a second container with a relatively long axial length, ,before The system comprises a filling machine that fills the container while supporting the lower surface of the flange of the container and rotating it, and a transport wheel that receives the container from the filling machine, grips the cylindrical portion, and rotates it while suspended. The transport wheel is provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and includes a plurality of grippers for gripping the cylindrical portion, and a guide that can be positioned above the grippers. When transporting the first container, the upper surface of the grippers supports the lower surface of the cap portion of the first container while the grippers grip the cylindrical portion of the first container. When transporting the second container, the guide is positioned above the grippers, and the upper surface of the guide supports the lower surface of the cap portion of the second container while the grippers grip the cylindrical portion of the second container.

[0008] The container transport processing system, which is the second invention of the present invention, is characterized in that, in the first invention, a pocket for accommodating the cylindrical portion of the second container is formed in the guide. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in a container transport system that can be used for containers with different cylindrical lengths, it is possible to transport containers stably at all times with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]This is a plan view showing the arrangement of a container transport processing system, which is a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the outer circumference of the intermediate wheel with the guide attached. [Figure 3] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the outer circumference of the intermediate wheel with the guide attached and the cylindrical portion of the second container gripped by the gripper. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged plan view showing the positional relationship between the guide pocket and the closed gripper. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged side view comparing the differences around the neck of the first and second containers. [Figure 6] This is a side view showing the first container being gripped by a gripper on the intermediate wheel after the guide has been removed. [Figure 7] This is a side view showing the second container being gripped by a gripper on an intermediate wheel to which a guide has been attached. [Figure 8] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the gripper centerline showing the arrangement of the guides in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a plan view showing the arrangement of the guide relative to the gripper in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a container transport processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The container transport processing system 10 of the first embodiment includes a filling machine 12 that fills containers V while transporting them, and an intermediate wheel 16 that receives the filled containers V from the filling machine 12 and transfers them to a capper 14 that performs capping. The container V is, for example, a resin bottle, with a cap portion Vb, a cylindrical portion Vc, and a flange Vf formed in order below the threaded portion Vt (see Figure 3). Furthermore, the container transport processing system 10 can be used interchangeably for a first container V1 with a relatively short axial length of the cylindrical portion Vc and a second container V2 with a relatively long axial length.

[0013] The filling machine 12 supports the lower side of the flange Vf of the container V (V1 or V2) and rotates and conveys it, filling the container V with the filling liquid during this time. The intermediate wheel (conveyor wheel) 16 receives the container V from the filling machine 12, grips the cylindrical part Vc located above the flange Vf, and rotates and conveys it while suspended. The capper 14 also receives the container V from the intermediate wheel 16, supports the lower side of the flange Vf of the container V and rotates and conveys it, capping the container V during this time.

[0014] The intermediate wheel 16 is equipped with a plurality of grippers 18 that grip the cylindrical portion Vc of the container V at equal intervals in the circumferential direction along the outer circumference of the rotating wheel 16A. The intermediate wheel 16 is also equipped with a guide 20 that is in close contact with and detachable along the upper surface of the grippers 18 along the entire circumference of the rotating wheel 16A. The guide 20 is divided into a plurality of sections along the circumferential direction, and in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, it is divided into six arc-shaped sections 20A.

[0015] Each section 20A is provided with an arc-shaped guide portion 22 along its outer circumference, and a mounting portion 24 is provided inside the guide portion 22. The mounting portion 24 has extension portions 24A that extend radially inward at two locations, and each extension portion 24A is provided with two mounting holes 26. In this embodiment, each section 20A has a circumferential length corresponding to, for example, six grippers 18, and the mounting holes 26 of the extension portions 24A are provided so that they can be attached to the upper ends of a pair of rotating shafts 28 of every other gripper 18 (described later). Although only six grippers 18 corresponding to one section 20A are shown in Figure 1, the intermediate wheel 16 of this embodiment is provided with 36 grippers 18 around its entire circumference.

[0016] When each section 20A is attached to the intermediate wheel 16, the outer peripheral edge of the guide portion 22 is positioned slightly radially inward of the tip of the gripper 18 in the closed state. On the outer peripheral edge of each guide portion 22, at a position corresponding to each gripper 18, a substantially semi-circular pocket 30 that can be fitted to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion Vc of the second container V2 is provided. That is, six pockets 30 are provided at predetermined intervals along the outer peripheral edge of the guide portion 22 of one section 20A of the present embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate wheel 16 with the guide 20 mounted at the position where the gripper 18 is provided. In Figure 2, the gripper 18 is in the open state. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate wheel 16 with the guide 20 mounted and the cylindrical portion Vc of the second container V2 being gripped by the closed gripper 18. Also, Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the positional relationship between the pocket 30 of the guide 20 and the closed gripper 18.

[0018] The gripper 18 is composed of a pair of gripper pieces 18A. The base end portions of each gripper piece 18A are respectively attached to the upper end portions of a pair of rotation shafts 28 arranged vertically. The rotation shafts 28 are rotatably held by the rotation wheel 16A at two locations, upper and lower, and one end of a swing lever 32 is attached to the lower end of one of the rotation shafts 28. One end of a cam follower 34 and a spring 36 are attached to the other end of the swing lever 32, and the other end of the spring 36 is attached to the rotation wheel 16A. The spring 36 biases the swing lever 32 radially inward of the wheel and presses the cam follower 34 against the fixed cam 38.

[0019] Each of the pair of rotating shafts 28 is provided with a gear 40 that meshes with the other (see Figure 4). As a result, when one rotating shaft 28 is rotated by the oscillating lever 32, the other rotating shaft 28 rotates by the same angle in the opposite direction, opening and closing the gripper 18. As shown in Figure 2, when the cam follower 34 is pushed radially outward by the fixed cam 38, the gripper 18 is opened. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, when the engagement between the cam follower 34 and the fixed cam 38 is released and the cam follower 34 is moved radially inward by the spring 36, the gripper 18 is closed and the container V (second container V2 in Figure 3) is gripped. Also, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a mounting hole 26 provided in the extension portion 24A of the guide 20 is fitted to the upper end of the rotating shaft 28 via a bush 42, and each section 20A of the guide 20 is detachably fixed to the rotating wheel 16A.

[0020] Next, with reference to Figures 5 to 7, the usage of the intermediate wheel 16 in the first embodiment when transporting the first container V1 and the second container V2 will be described. Figure 5 is an enlarged side view comparing the differences around the necks of the first and second containers V1 and V2. Figure 6 is a side view showing the first container V1 being gripped by the gripper 18 on the intermediate wheel 16 with the guide 20 removed, and Figure 7 is a side view showing the second container V2 being gripped by the gripper 18 on the intermediate wheel 16 with the guide 20 attached.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, the length of the cylindrical portion Vc of the second container V2 (the distance between the cap portion Vb and the flange Vf) H2 is longer by length D than the length of the cylindrical portion Vc of the first container V1 (the distance between the cap portion Vb and the flange Vf) H1 ​​(H2 = H1 + D).

[0022] In the container transport and processing system 10 of this embodiment, when the first container V1 is transported and processed, the guide 20 is removed from the intermediate wheel 16, and the first container V1 is gripped and transported solely by the gripper 18. The thickness of the tip of the gripper piece 18A is approximately equal to the length H1 of the cylindrical portion Vc of the first container V1, as shown in Figure 6. When the gripper 18 grips the cylindrical portion Vc of the first container V1, the gripper piece 18A fits almost snugly between the flange Vf and the cap portion Vb, and the upper and lower surfaces of the gripper piece 18A contact the lower surface of the cap portion Vb and the upper surface of the flange Vf, respectively. As a result, even when the first container V1 is transported at high speed by the rotating wheel 16A, the first container V1 is prevented from tilting due to centrifugal force, and the upright posture of the first container V1 is maintained.

[0023] On the other hand, the thickness of the guide portion 22 is approximately equal to the difference D between the length H2 of the cylindrical portion Vc of the second container V2 and the length H1 of the cylindrical portion Vc of the first container V1. In the container transport processing system 10 of this embodiment, when transporting and processing the second container V2, the guide 20 is attached to the intermediate wheel 16, and as shown in Figure 7, the cylindrical portion Vc of the second container V2 is gripped by the gripper 18 and supported by the pocket 30 of the guide 20. That is, the gripper 18 grips the flange Vf side of the cylindrical portion Vc of the second container V2, and the lower surface of the gripper piece 18A abuts against the upper surface of the flange Vf. Above the gripper 18, the guide portion 22 is positioned so as to be in close contact with the upper surface of the gripper piece 18A, and the upper surface of the guide portion 22 abuts against the lower surface of the cap portion Vb of the second container V2.

[0024] In other words, the gripper piece 18A and the guide piece 22 fit snugly between the cap portion Vb and the flange Vf of the second container V2. As a result, even when the second container V2 is transported at high speed by the rotating wheel 16A, the second container V2 is prevented from tilting due to centrifugal force, and the upright posture of the second container V2 is maintained.

[0025] As described above, the container transport processing system of the first embodiment can accommodate containers of different cylindrical lengths by using a simple configuration of attaching and detaching guides to the intermediate wheel. As a result, when transporting any type of container, problems such as the container tilting due to centrifugal force during transport and the filling liquid spilling are prevented.

[0026] Next, the container transport system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. In the container transport system 10 of the first embodiment, the intermediate wheel 16 is equipped with detachable guides 20 corresponding to multiple grippers 18, thereby accommodating containers V1 and V2 with different lengths of cylindrical portion Vc. However, in the second embodiment, the intermediate wheel 16 is equipped with guides that can move back and forth for each gripper 18, thereby accommodating containers V1 and V2 with different lengths of cylindrical portion Vc.

[0027] Note that the same reference numerals are used for configurations similar to those in the first embodiment, and their explanations are omitted. Figure 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the gripper centerline showing the arrangement of the guides in the second embodiment, and Figure 9 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the guides relative to the gripper.

[0028] In the second embodiment, the guides 46 are arranged radially along the centerline of each gripper 18, with respect to the rotation axis of the intermediate wheel 16. The guide 46 comprises a guide portion 46A with a pocket 30 at its tip, and a support portion 46B whose tip is connected to the base end of the guide portion 46A and whose base end is attached to a moving mechanism (not shown). The moving mechanism is a mechanism that allows the support portion 46B to move back and forth radially by manual means or by a power mechanism such as a cylinder. In the container transport and processing system 10 of the second embodiment, when transporting and processing the first container V1, the guide 46 is retracted radially inward to a retracted position, and when transporting and processing the second container V2, the guide 46 is pushed radially outward to an engagement position with the cylindrical portion Vc.

[0029] Pocket 30 is located in the center of the tip of guide portion 46A. When guide 46 is pushed out to the engagement position (during transport of the second container V2), pocket 30 is positioned relative to the gripper 18 in the same position as pocket 30 of guide 20 attached to the intermediate wheel 16 of the first embodiment. As a result, pocket 30 of guide portion 46A fits snugly between the cap portion Vb and flange Vf of the second container V2, with the upper surface of guide portion 46A in contact with the lower surface of cap portion Vb and the lower surface of gripper piece 18A in contact with the upper surface of flange Vf. On the other hand, when guide 46 is in the retracted position (during transport of the first container V1), guide 46 is retracted radially inward to a position where the tip of guide portion 46A does not interfere with the first container V1 gripped by the gripper 18.

[0030] As described above, the container transport processing system of the second embodiment also provides the same effects as the first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10. Container handling and processing system 12 Filling machine 14 Cappa 16 Intermediate wheels (conveyor wheels) 18 Grippa 20, 46 Guide 30 pockets V container V1 1st container V2 2nd container Vb Kabura section Vc cylindrical section Vf flange

Claims

1. A filling machine that fills a container while supporting the lower surface of the flange of a container, which has a lid portion, a cylindrical portion, and a flange formed in sequence below the threaded portion, and rotating and conveying the container, The system includes a transport wheel that receives the container from the filling machine, grips the cylindrical portion, and rotates and transports it while suspended, In a container transport processing system that uses a first container with a relatively short axial length of the cylindrical portion and a second container with a relatively long axial length, The transport wheel is provided with a plurality of grippers that are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and grip the cylindrical portion, and a guide that can be positioned above the grippers. When transporting the first container, the lower surface of the cap portion of the first container is supported by the upper surface of the gripper, while the cylindrical portion of the first container is gripped by the gripper. A container transport system characterized in that, when transporting the second container, the guide is positioned above the gripper, the lower surface of the cap portion of the second container is supported by the upper surface of the guide, and the cylindrical portion of the second container is gripped by the gripper.

2. The container transport processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that a pocket for accommodating the cylindrical portion of the second container is formed in the guide.

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