Container orientation reversing device

Abstract

Provided is a container orientation reversing device (11) for reversing the orientation of a container (21) from an inverted state (22a) to a standing state (22b) during conveyance of the container (21), said container orientation reversing device (11) comprising a wheel member (33) provided rotatably around a main shaft (31) extending in the vertical direction, a plurality of first inverting brackets (37) provided on an outer peripheral edge part (33a) of the wheel member (33) and provided with a holding part (35) for the container (21), and a reversing action member (39) for causing an orientation reversing action of the container (21) held by the holding part (35) of the first inverting bracket (37). The first inverting bracket (37) is supported by the outer peripheral edge part (33a) of the wheel member (33) so as to be capable of rotating the orientation of the container (21) from an inverted state to a standing state in the radial direction relating to the main shaft (31). The reversing action member (39) reverses the orientation of the container (21) in an inverted state to a standing state.

Description

Container position inversion device

[0001] The present invention relates to a container attitude inverting device for inverting the attitude of a container.

[0002] Syringe-type liquid medicine containers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as syringe containers) used in medical settings, etc., may require a process of inverting the syringe container upside down while the liquid medicine is sealed inside, during the manufacturing process, shipping inspection, etc.

[0003] For example, when a specified inspection is performed in an upright position with the flange portion, called a backstop, of a syringe container positioned on the lower side, if the syringe container is transported in an inverted position with the flange portion of the syringe container positioned on the upper side in the process immediately prior to the inspection process, it will be necessary to invert the syringe container's position in the vertical direction.

[0004] As an example of a conventional container position inversion device, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, in order to operate a container transported by a rotating connecting wheel, the connecting wheel is moved around a rotation axis extending substantially vertically, and the holding element is rotated around a rotation axis extending substantially horizontally and periodically rotated back and forth by 180 degrees each.

[0005] Patent document 2 discloses a technology in which a box with its entrance and exit held open is turned upside down at a box removal operation section on a conveying line, and the horizontally oriented items that have been released from the box are converted to a horizontally oriented (upright) position at a position conversion section.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for inverting a container 180 degrees by combining two truncated cone-shaped jigs having a plurality of holding portions on the periphery that can hold the container.

[0007] JP-T-2005-526675 A JP-A-2010-064765 A JP-A-2004-018176 A

[0008] However, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the orientation reversal structure changes orientation, the orientation reversal path of one container overlaps with the orientation reversal path of another container. This makes it difficult to increase the number of containers that fit in one rotation. Furthermore, because the orientation reversal operation includes a chucking operation for the container, it is difficult to increase the conveyance speed.

[0009] Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 is based on the premise that the containers are transported on a belt conveyor, and therefore has the problem that it is difficult to accommodate syringe containers, which have a long, thin cylindrical shape that is prone to tipping over and have one pointed side.

[0010] Furthermore, in the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the angle of one position change is approximately 90°, and a combination of two mechanisms is required to turn the container direction 180°. As a result, the size of the device, particularly in the conveying direction, becomes large, which is a problem in that the size of the entire device becomes large.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a space-saving container tilting device that can quickly tilt the orientation of a plurality of containers.

[0012] A container posture inverting device according to the present invention is a container posture inverting device that inverts the posture of a cylindrical syringe container having a flange portion at one end from an inverted state to an upright state while the syringe container is being transported, and includes: a disk-shaped wheel member that is rotatable about a main axis extending in a vertical direction; a plurality of inversion brackets that are provided on the outer periphery of the wheel member and are equipped with holding portions for the syringe containers; and an inversion action member that performs a posture inversion operation to invert the posture of the syringe container that is in an inverted state held by the holding portions of the inversion brackets to an upright state, wherein the inversion brackets are supported on the outer periphery so as to be rotatable in a radial direction related to the main axis between the inverted state and the upright state, and the holding portion of the inversion bracket includes a semi-cylindrical accommodating groove that accommodates the syringe container, and an engaging portion with which the flange portion of the syringe container engages, The storage groove provided in the holding portion of the inversion bracket faces outward in the radial direction of the main shaft when the inversion bracket is in an inverted state, and faces inward in the radial direction of the main shaft when the inversion bracket is in an upright state; the inversion action member has a vertical wall that describes an arc-shaped trajectory when viewed from the axial direction of the main shaft, and the vertical wall is arranged to be located outward with respect to the outer periphery of the wheel member, and a guide surface that is undulating in a mountain shape when viewed from the side of the main shaft is formed at the top of the vertical wall; the inversion bracket transitions its posture from an inverted state to an upright state as the back side of the holding portion slides up against the guide surface as the wheel member rotates, thereby inverting the posture of the syringe container from an inverted state to an upright state; and the inversion action member is configured by providing the vertical wall on the outer periphery of an elliptical flat plate, and the center of the flat plate is eccentric with respect to the main shaft of the wheel member.

[0013] The container tilting device according to the present invention can quickly tilt a plurality of containers in a space-saving manner. Other problems, configurations, and effects will be described in detail in the following embodiments.

[0014] 6A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a container inspection device including a container posture inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the container inspection device shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a container posture inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the periphery of a first inversion bracket provided in the container posture inverting device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a state in which a syringe container is held by the first inversion bracket shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a state in which a syringe container is held by the first inversion bracket shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an inversion action member provided in the container posture inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIB-VIB of the container posture inverting device shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a bottom view of a container posture inverting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIB-VIIB of the container posture inverting device shown in FIG. 7A. FIG. 7D is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a second inversion bracket provided in the container posture inverting device. FIG. 7E is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a second inversion bracket rotatably supported by a second stay provided in the container posture inverting device. Fig. 1 is a side view of a second inversion bracket rotatably supported by a second stay provided in the container posture inversion device; Fig. 2 is a side view of a second inversion bracket rotatably supported by a second stay provided in the container posture inversion device; Fig. 3 is a side view of a second inversion bracket rotatably supported by a second stay provided in the container posture inversion device; Fig. 4 is a side view of a second inversion bracket rotatably supported by a second stay provided in the container posture inversion device;

[0015] The container attitude inverting device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the container attitude inverting device according to the embodiment of the present invention, components having common functions are given common reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0016] [Schematic configuration of container inspection device 10 including container attitude inverting device 11] First, the schematic configuration of a container inspection device 10 including a container attitude inverting device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1A and 1B. Figure 1A is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the container inspection device 10 including the container attitude inverting device 11. Figure 1B is a top view showing the schematic configuration of the container inspection device 10 shown in Figure 1A.

[0017] 1A and 1B, the container inspection device 10 is configured to include a container attitude reversing device 11 that reverses the vertical position of a syringe container (corresponding to the "container" of the present invention) 21 filled with a medicinal solution or the like, a container supplying device 13 that supplies the inverted syringe container 21 to the container attitude reversing device 11, and a container receiving device 15 that receives the upright syringe container 21 that has been reversed by the container attitude reversing device 11. The container inspection device 10 inspects the upright syringe container 21 that has been reversed by the container attitude reversing device 11 to determine whether the amount of medicinal solution contained therein meets a predetermined standard, whether any foreign matter has been mixed in the medicinal solution, and whether there are any defects such as scratches or cracks on its appearance.

[0018] The syringe container 21 is a cylindrical container having a flange portion 23 (see FIG. 3B ) called a backstop at one end and a sharp portion 25 at the other end. However, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C , for example, the sharp portion 25 is covered with a cylindrical cover. In describing the container posture inverting device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention, for convenience, as shown in FIG. 1A , the state in which the flange portion 23 of the syringe container 21 is positioned on the upper side will be referred to as an inverted state 22a, and the state in which the flange portion 23 is positioned on the lower side will be referred to as an upright state 22b.

[0019] 1A and 1B, the container attitude reversing device 11 serves to reverse the attitude of the syringe container 21 from an inverted state 22a to an upright state 22b while the syringe container 21 is being transported. The configuration of the container attitude reversing device 11 will be described in detail later.

[0020] The container supply device 13 is configured to include a disk-shaped first conveying member 83 that is rotatable around a first rotation axis 81 extending vertically, and a plurality of first holding portions 85 that are provided at predetermined intervals on the outer peripheral edge portion 83a of the first conveying member 83 and hold syringe containers 21.

[0021] The container receiving device 15 is configured to include a disk-shaped second conveying member 93 that is freely rotatable around a second rotation axis 91 extending vertically, and a plurality of second holding portions 95 that are provided at predetermined intervals on the outer peripheral edge portion 93a of the second conveying member 93 and hold syringe containers 21.

[0022] [Schematic Configuration of Container Attitude Inverting Device 11] Next, the schematic configuration of the container attitude inverting device 11 will be described with reference to Figures 2, 3A to 3C, 4, and 5 as appropriate. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the container attitude inverting device 11. Figure 3A is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the periphery of the first inversion bracket 37 provided in the container attitude inverting device 11 shown in Figure 2. Figures 3B and 3C are perspective views showing a state in which a syringe container 21 is held by the first inversion bracket 37 shown in Figure 3A. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the inversion member 39 provided in the container attitude inverting device 11. Figure 5 is a perspective view used to explain the operation of the container attitude inverting device 11. Figure 6A is a top view of the container attitude inverting device 11. Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view of the container attitude inverting device 11 shown in Figure 6A taken along line VIB-VIB. Figure 7A is a bottom view of the container attitude inverting device 11. In Figure 7A, a portion of the elliptical flat plate 40 is cut away to facilitate observation of the movement of the first inverting bracket 37. Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view of the container attitude inverting device 11 shown in Figure 7A taken along line VIIB-VIIB.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1A and 2, container posture inversion device 11 is configured to include: a disk-shaped wheel member 33 that is rotatable around a main shaft 31 that extends in the vertical direction; first inversion brackets 37 (see Figure 3B) of the first embodiment that are provided at predetermined intervals circumferentially on the outer peripheral edge portion 33a of wheel member 33 and have holding portions 35 for syringe containers 21; and an inversion action member 39 that performs a posture inversion operation on syringe container 21 (see Figures 1A and 2) that is held in inverted state 22a by holding portions 35 of first inversion bracket 37.

[0024] The main shaft 31 of the wheel member 33 is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (neither of which is shown) including a motor, a reducer, etc. The wheel member 33 and the rotation drive mechanism constitute a transport mechanism.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, a circular container stay 34 is provided on the outer peripheral edge 33a of the wheel member 33. A plurality of recesses 34b capable of accommodating syringe containers 21 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction in the outer peripheral edge 34a of the container stay 34. Furthermore, a container guide 36 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) facing the outer peripheral edge 34a is provided on the outer side of the outer peripheral edge 34a of the container stay 34, in a position adjacent to the reversing member 39 in the circumferential direction. As the wheel member 33 rotates, the container guide 36 sandwiches the syringe container 21 in the upright position 22b between the recesses 34a of the container stay 34 and the container guide 36 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B), thereby transporting the syringe container 21 in the upright position 22b.

[0026] 1A and 2, a plurality of first stays 41 according to the first embodiment are attached to the outer peripheral edge 33a of the wheel member 33 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the main shaft 31.

[0027]

[0033] [Overall Configuration of First Reversing Bracket 37 and First Stay 41 According to First Example] Next, the overall configuration of the first reversing bracket 37 and first stay 41 according to the first example will be described with reference to appropriate drawings. As shown in Fig. 3A, the first stay 41 is configured to have a first base end portion 43 that is located on the radially inner side relative to the main shaft 31 and is attached to the outer circumferential edge portion 33a of the wheel member 33, and a first tip end portion 45 that is located on the radially outer side relative to the main shaft 31.

[0028] A concave step 45a is formed in an upper portion of a first tip 45 of the first stay 41 on the outer side in the radial direction relative to the main shaft 31. A shaft hole 47 is formed in the first tip 45 of the first stay 41 along a tangential direction to the circumference relative to the main shaft 31. A first pin 49 is inserted through this shaft hole 47, and the first reversing bracket 37 is supported relative to the first tip 45 of the first stay 41 so that its posture can be rotated between an inverted state 22a and an upright state 22b in the radial direction relative to the main shaft 31.

[0029] 3B to 3C, first inverting bracket 37 is configured to include first cantilever arm 51 pivotally supported on first tip portion 45 of first stay 41 via first pin 49, and holding portion 35. Holding portion 35 of first inverting bracket 37 includes semi-cylindrical accommodating groove 53 that accommodates syringe container 21, and recessed engaging portion 55 with which flange portion 23 of syringe container 21 engages.

[0030] The accommodating groove 53 provided in the holding portion 35 of the first inverting bracket 37 is configured to face outward in the radial direction of the main shaft 31 when the first inverting bracket 37 is in an inverted state (see reference numeral 37a in Figure 2), and to face inward in the radial direction of the main shaft 31 when the first inverting bracket 37 is in an upright state (see reference numeral 37b in Figure 2).

[0031] The concave engaging portion 55 provided on the holding portion 35 of the first inverting bracket 37 plays a role in receiving the flange portion 23 of the syringe container 21 and preventing it from falling off when the first inverting bracket 37 is in the inverted state 37a (see Figure 2) or when it is transitioning from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b (see Figures 3B and 3C).

[0032] The rear side 35a (see FIG. 3A) of the accommodation groove 53 of the holding portion 35 of the first reversing bracket 37 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape. As the wheel member 33 rotates, the semi-cylindrical rear side 35a slides up while contacting the guide surface 57 (see FIG. 5) of the reversing member 39. This causes the first reversing bracket 37 to reverse from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b. This will be described in more detail later.

[0033] First inversion bracket 37 is configured to return from upright state 37b to inverted state 37a (see FIG. 2) while holding syringe container 21 in upright state 22b (see FIG. 2) after being brought into upright state 37b by the action of inversion action member 39. This action is achieved by sandwiching syringe container 21 in upright state 22b between recess 34a of container stay 34 and container guide 36 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) as wheel member 33 rotates.

[0034] 1A, 1B, 4, 5, 7A, and 7B, the reversing action member 39 is configured by providing a vertical wall 56 that describes a substantially arc-shaped locus when viewed from the axial direction of the main shaft 31 on part of the outer peripheral edge 40b of an elliptical flat plate 40 (see FIGS. 4 and 7A). The reversing action member 39 is disposed such that the vertical wall 56 is located outward from the outer peripheral edge 33a of the wheel member 33. The center 40a of the flat plate 40 is eccentric with respect to the main shaft 31 associated with the wheel member 33, as shown in FIG.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the flat plate 40 provided on the reversal action member 39 is formed so that the first imaginary line VL1 connecting the points where the first reversal bracket 37 is in the inverted state 37a and the upright state 37b is the minor axis, while the second imaginary line VL2 perpendicular to the first imaginary line VL1 is the major axis.

[0036] By forming the flat plate 40 of the inverting member 39 in an elliptical shape, the inverting member 39 can smoothly move from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b, with a relatively simple configuration. As a result, the container transport and attitude inversion operations of the container attitude inverting device 11 can be performed quickly and accurately.

[0037] 4 and 5, a guide surface 57 is formed on the top of the vertical wall 56 of the reversing action member 39, undulating in a mountain shape when viewed from the side of the main shaft 31. The guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56 has an upright guide surface 57a that continues from the upright start point gp1 to the upright end point gp2 to the apex gp3 so that the height dimension of the vertical wall 56 gradually increases, and an inverted guide surface 57b that continues from the apex gp3 to the inverted end point gp5 so that the height dimension of the vertical wall 56 gradually decreases.

[0038] The operation of the inversion action member 39 provided in the container posture inversion device 11 will be explained in terms of an upright transition stage in which the first inversion bracket 37 transitions from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b (see Figure 2), an upright stable stage in which the first inversion bracket 37 stably maintains the upright state 37b, and an inverted transition stage in which the first inversion bracket 37 transitions from the upright state 37b to the inverted state 37a.

[0039] As shown in Figures 5, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B, in the standing transition stage, while the wheel member 33 is rotating, for example, clockwise (see Figure 5), the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 provided on the first inversion bracket 37 abuts against the standing transition region of the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56, which extends from the standing start point gp1 to the standing end point gp2.

[0040] In this upright transition region, the first reversing bracket 37 gradually transitions its posture from an inverted state 37a to an upright state 37b in accordance with an increase in the rotation angle of the wheel member 33. Here, the syringe container 21 is held by the holding portion 35 provided on the first reversing bracket 37.

[0041] Therefore, in the standing transition stage (the section where the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 abuts the standing transition region of the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56), the posture of the syringe container 21, which was in the inverted state 22a (see Figures 1A and 2), can be transitioned to the standing state 22b (see Figures 1A and 2), similar to the posture of the first inversion bracket 37.

[0042] In the upright stabilization stage, while the wheel member 33 is rotating clockwise, the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 provided on the first inverted bracket 37 abuts against the upright stabilization area of ​​the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56, which extends from the upright end point gp2 through the apex gp3 to the inverted start point gp4.

[0043] In this upright stable region, the first inverting brackets 37 maintain their posture in the upright state 37b regardless of an increase in the rotation angle of the wheel members 33. In the example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, the three first inverting brackets 37 maintain their posture in the upright state 37b in the upright stable stage. Note that, in the first inverting brackets 37 in the upright state 37b, as shown in FIG. 6B, the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 abuts against the inner surface 55a of the vertical wall 56. Here, the syringe container 21 is held by the holding portion 35 of the first inverting bracket 37.

[0044] Therefore, in the upright stabilization stage (the section where the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 abuts the upright stabilization area of ​​the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56), the posture of the syringe container 21 can be maintained in the upright state 22b (see Figures 1A, 2, and 6B), similar to the posture of the first inverted bracket 37.

[0045] On the other hand, in the inverted transition stage, while the wheel member 33 is rotating clockwise, the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 provided on the first inverted bracket 37 abuts against the inverted transition region of the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56, which extends from the inverted starting point gp4 to the inverted ending point gp5.

[0046] In this inverted transition region, the first inverted bracket 37 gradually transitions its posture from an upright state 37b to an inverted state 37a as the rotation angle of the wheel member 33 increases. Note that, in the first inverted bracket 37 in the inverted state 37a, as shown in FIG. 6B , the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 abuts against the outer peripheral edge portion 40b of the flat plate 40. Here, the syringe container 21 held by the holding portion 35 of the first inverted bracket 37 is released from the hold by the first inverted bracket 37, and as the wheel member 33 rotates, the syringe container 21 in the upright state 22b is sandwiched between the recess 34a of the container stay 34 and the container guide 36 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B ).

[0047] Therefore, in the inverted transition stage (the section where the back surface 35a of the holding portion 35 abuts the inverted transition region of the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56), the posture of the syringe container 21 in the upright state 22b (see Figures 1A, 2, and 6B) can be maintained as is, unlike the posture of the first inverted bracket 37.

[0048] [Operation of Container Inspection Apparatus 10 Including Container Posture Reversing Device 11] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the container inspection apparatus 10. As a premise, it is assumed that a plurality of syringe containers 21 in an inverted state 22a are previously held in the first holding portion 85 provided on the first conveying member 83 of the container supply device 13, as shown in FIGS.

[0049] 1A and 1B, assume that first conveying member 83 of container supplying device 13 rotates counterclockwise. Then, syringe containers 21 conveyed in inverted state 22a by first conveying member 83 of container supplying device 13 are sequentially supplied to wheel member 33 of container posture inverting device 11. At this time, wheel member 33 of container posture inverting device 11 rotates clockwise in synchronization with the rotational speed of first conveying member 83 of container supplying device 13.

[0050] The syringe container 21 in an inverted state 22a supplied to the wheel member 33 provided on the container posture inversion device 11 is transported while being held by the holding portion 35 of the first inversion bracket 37 provided on the wheel member 33 via the first stay 41.

[0051] When the wheel member 33 provided on the container posture reversing device 11 rotates clockwise, the back side surface 35a of the holding portion 35 provided on the first reversing bracket 37, which holds the syringe container 21 in the inverted state 22a, comes into contact with the upright guide surface 57a of the guide surface 57 of the vertical wall 56 provided on the reversing member 39. As a result, the first reversing bracket 37 reverses its posture from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b in accordance with an increase in the rotation angle of the wheel member 33. Here, the syringe container 21 is held by the holding portion 35 provided on the first reversing bracket 37. Therefore, as the posture of the first reversing bracket 37 is reversed, the posture of the syringe container 21 is also reversed to the upright state 22b.

[0052] The syringe container 21 in the upright position 22b, which was held by the holding portion 35 of the first inverting bracket 37, is released from the holding portion by the first inverting bracket 37 and is transported while being sandwiched between the recess 34a of the container stay 34 and the container guide 36 (see Figures 1A and 1B) as the wheel member 33 rotates.

[0053] Syringe container 21 in upright position 22b, which has been inverted by container position inverting device 11, is delivered to second conveying member 93 of container receiving device 15, which is rotating counterclockwise. Container receiving device 15 inspects syringe container 21 in upright position 22b to determine whether the amount of medicinal liquid contained therein meets a predetermined standard, whether any foreign matter has been mixed into the medicinal liquid, and whether there are any defects such as scratches or cracks on its appearance.

[0054] According to the container posture inversion device 11 of an embodiment of the present invention, the transporting and posture inversion operations of multiple syringe containers 21 are performed continuously in coordination with the container supplying device 13 and the container receiving device 15 provided at the front and rear, respectively, so that the transporting and posture inversion operations of multiple syringe containers 21 can be performed quickly and accurately in a space-saving manner.

[0055] Furthermore, since the first inversion bracket 37 is supported on the outer peripheral edge 33a of the wheel member 33 so that the posture of the syringe container 21 can be rotated from the inverted state 22a to the upright state 22b in the radial direction of the main shaft 31, it is possible to prevent multiple first inversion brackets 37 from interfering with each other during transportation and posture inversion of the syringe container 21.

[0056] Furthermore, in the container posture inverting device 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the container is, for example, a cylindrical syringe container 21 having a flange portion 23 at one end, and the holding portion 35 for the syringe container 21 provided on the first inversion bracket 37 includes a semi-cylindrical storage groove 53 that stores the syringe container 21 and an engaging portion 55 with which the flange portion 23 of the syringe container 21 engages. Therefore, even if a disturbance such as vibration occurs to the container posture inverting device 11 during transport and posture inversion of the syringe container 21, it is possible to prevent the syringe container 21 from falling off the holding portion 35 of the first inversion bracket 37. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the syringe container 21 from being damaged during transport and posture inversion of the syringe container 21.

[0057] Furthermore, in the container posture inversion device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage groove 53 provided in the holding portion 35 of the first inversion bracket 37 is configured to point outward in the radial direction of the main shaft 31 when the first inversion bracket 37 is in the inverted state 37a, and to point inward in the radial direction of the main shaft 31 when the first inversion bracket 37 is in the upright state 37b. This makes it possible to realize an apparatus configuration that is suitable for continuously transporting and posture inverting a plurality of syringe containers 21 in cooperation with the container supply device 13 and the container receiving device 15 provided at the front and rear, respectively.

[0058] Furthermore, in the container posture inversion device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the inversion action member 39 has a vertical wall 56 that describes an arc-shaped trajectory when viewed from the axial direction of the main shaft 31, and the vertical wall 56 is arranged so as to be located outward from the outer peripheral edge 33a of the wheel member 33, and a guide surface 57 that undulates in a mountain shape when viewed from the side of the main shaft 31 is formed at the top of the vertical wall 56, and as the wheel member 33 rotates, the back side surface 35a of the holding portion 35 of the first inversion bracket 37 slides up against the guide surface 57, thereby transitioning the posture of the syringe container 21 from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b, thereby inverting the posture of the syringe container 21 from the inverted state 22a to the upright state 22b. Therefore, with a relatively simple configuration, the syringe container 21 can be transported and its posture can be inverted quickly and accurately.

[0059] Furthermore, in the container attitude inverting device 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the inverting member 39 is configured by providing a vertical wall 56 on the outer peripheral edge 40b of the elliptical flat plate 40, and the center 40a of the flat plate 40 is eccentric with respect to the main shaft 31 of the wheel member 33. Therefore, by employing a relatively simple configuration for the inverting member 39, the attitude inverting operation can be smoothly performed as the first inverting bracket 37 moves from the inverted state 37a to the upright state 37b. As a result, container transport and attitude inversion by the container attitude inverting device 11 can be performed quickly and accurately.

[0060] [Schematic configuration of second inversion bracket 61 and second stay 71 according to second embodiment] Next, the schematic configuration of the second inversion bracket 61 and second stay 71 according to second embodiment will be described with appropriate reference to Figures 8A and 8B. Figure 8A is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the second inversion bracket 61 provided in the container posture inversion device 11. Figure 8B is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the second inversion bracket 61 rotatably supported by the second stay 71 provided in the container posture inversion device 11.

[0061] The first reversing bracket 37 and the first stay 41 according to the first embodiment and the second reversing bracket 61 and the second stay 71 according to the second embodiment have the same basic configuration, so the following description will focus on the differences between the two and will serve as an alternative to describing the second reversing bracket 61 and the second stay 71 according to the second embodiment.

[0062] The difference between the two is that the first inverted bracket 37 employs a configuration including a first cantilever arm 51 pivotally supported on the first tip 45 of the first stay 41 via a first pin 49, and a holding portion 35 for the syringe container 21, whereas the second inverted bracket 61 employs a configuration including a second cantilever arm 63 pivotally supported on the second tip 73 of the second stay 71 via a second pin 70 (corresponding to the "secondary shaft" of the present invention).

[0063] However, the second inverted bracket 61 is the same as the first inverted bracket 37 in that it has a holding portion 35 for the syringe container 21, and the holding portion 35 has a semi-cylindrical accommodating groove 53 that accommodates the syringe container 21 and a concave engaging portion 55 that engages with the flange portion 23 of the syringe container 21.

[0064] In particular, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the second inverted bracket 61 is provided with one end 65a facing the bottom 21a of the syringe container 21, and further includes a movable stopper 65 that is movable along the longitudinal direction of the syringe container 21 (see the arrow in Figure 8A) and a cam mechanism 75 that moves the one end 65a of the movable stopper 65 toward the bottom 21a of the syringe container 21, and a circular recess 24 is provided in the bottom 21a of the syringe container 21, while the one end 65a of the movable stopper 65 is provided with a protrusion 67 that fits into the recess 24.

[0065] Movable stopper 65 is provided so as to be movable relative to second cantilever arm 63 along the longitudinal direction of syringe container 21. Additionally, arc-shaped cam surface 77 constituting cam mechanism 75 is formed on the outer side of second tip end portion 73 of second stay 71 in the radial direction relative to main shaft 31. Note that, under normal circumstances, a biasing force is applied to movable stopper 65 in a direction away from engaging portion 55 provided on holding portion 35 of second reversing bracket 61 by the action of a biasing member such as a built-in spring.

[0066] That is, the second reversing bracket 61 is pivotally supported via a second pin (sub-shaft) 70 of a second stay 71 provided on the outer peripheral edge 33a of the wheel member 33 so that its posture in the radial direction relative to the main shaft 31 can range from an inverted state to an upright state. A second tip end 73 of the second stay 71, which is located on the outer side in the radial direction, is formed with an arc-shaped cam surface 77 centered on the second pin (sub-shaft) 70, and a notch 79 in the cam surface 77.

[0067] More specifically, a pair of notches 79 are provided in the up-down direction on the cam surface 77 provided on the second tip portion 73 of the second stay 71. The pair of notches 79 are provided on the second tip portion 73 of the second stay 71 so as to be smaller than the radius of the arc-shaped cam surface 77 formed around the second pin 70. However, in the example shown in Figures 8B and 9A to 9D, of the pair of notches 79, the notch 79 provided on the lower part of the cam surface 77 provided on the second tip portion 73 of the second stay 71 is set by adjusting the dimension of the second tip portion 73 itself in the up-down direction so as to be smaller than the radius of the arc-shaped cam surface 77 formed around the second pin 70.

[0068] As a result, when second reversing bracket 61 is oriented in the axial direction of main shaft 31 (second reversing bracket 61 is in an inverted or upright position), movable stopper 65 retracts in accordance with the biasing force, thereby releasing the engagement between recess 24 provided in bottom 21 a of syringe container 21 and protrusion 67 of movable stopper 65.

[0069] The cam mechanism 75 is composed of a combination of a cam surface 77 formed on the second tip portion 73 of the second stay 71, a notch portion 79 of the cam surface 77, and a protrusion portion 67 provided on one end portion 65a of the movable stopper 65.

[0070] In short, in the combination of the second inverting bracket 61 and the second stay 71 according to the second embodiment, when the second inverting bracket 61 is in a transitional period from an inverted state to an upright state, if the rear surface 67a of the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65 faces the cam surface 77, an engagement state is established between the recess 24 provided on the bottom 21a of the syringe container 21 and the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65, whereas if the rear surface 67a of the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65 faces the cutout portion 79 of the cam surface 77, the engagement state between the recess 24 provided on the bottom 21a of the syringe container 21 and the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65 is released.

[0071] Next, the operation of the container position inverting device 11 employing the combination of the second inversion bracket 61 and the second stay 71 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 9A to 9D as appropriate. Figures 9A to 9D are side views of the second inversion bracket 61 rotatably supported by the second stay 71 provided in the container position inverting device 11.

[0072] When the second reversing bracket 61 is in an inverted position (see FIG. 9A ) or an upright position (see FIG. 9D ), the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65 faces the notch 79 of the cam surface 77 formed on the second tip 73 of the second stay 71, but does not face the cam surface 77 itself. Therefore, the movable stopper 65 retracts in response to the biasing force. This disengages the recess 24 on the bottom 21 a of the syringe container 21 from the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65. At this time, the container attitude reversing device 11 allows the syringe container 21 to be transferred between the container supply device 13 and the container receiving device 15.

[0073] When the second inverting bracket 61 is in a transitional state from the inverted state to the upright state (see FIGS. 9B and 9C ), the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65 faces the cam surface 77 formed on the second tip 73 of the second stay 71. Therefore, the movable stopper 65 protrudes against the biasing force. This establishes an engagement between the recess 24 provided on the bottom 21 a of the syringe container 21 and the protrusion 67 of the movable stopper 65. As a result, in the container posture inverting device 11, when the second inverting bracket 61 is in a transitional state from the inverted state to the upright state, the holding strength of the syringe container 21 relative to the holding portion 35 of the second inverting bracket 61 can be further increased.

[0074] Compared to the container posture inverting device 11 employing the combination of the second inversion bracket 61 and the second stay 71 according to the first embodiment, the container posture inverting device 11 employing the combination of the first inversion bracket 37 and the first stay 41 according to the first embodiment can further increase the holding strength of the syringe container 21 relative to the holding portion 35 of the second inversion bracket 61 with a relatively simple configuration when the second inversion bracket 61 is in a transitional period from an inverted state to an upright state. As a result, even if a disturbance such as vibration occurs in the container posture inverting device 11 during operations related to container transport and posture inversion, it can be expected that the syringe container 21 will be prevented from falling off the holding portion 35 of the second inversion bracket 61.

[0075] [Other Embodiments] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of realization of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by these embodiments. This is because the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or main characteristics thereof.

[0076] It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of the embodiments described herein with the configuration of other embodiments, and it is also possible to add the configuration of one embodiment to the configuration of another embodiment.It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

[0077] For example, in the description of the container posture inverting device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, an example in which the present invention is applied to a syringe container 21 as a container has been given, but the present invention is not limited to this example. It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to containers other than syringe containers.

[0078] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Container posture inversion device 21 Syringe container (container) 21a Bottom (bottom of syringe container) 22a Inverted state (inverted state of syringe container) 22b Upright state (upright state of syringe container) 23 Flange portion 24 Recessed portion (recessed portion provided in bottom of syringe container) 31 Main shaft (main shaft of wheel member) 33 Wheel member 33a Outer peripheral edge portion (outer peripheral edge portion of wheel member) 35 Holding portion (holding portion of syringe container) 35a Back side surface (back side surface of holding portion) 37 First inversion bracket (inverted bracket) 37a Inverted state (inverted state of first inversion bracket) 37b Upright state (upright state of first inversion bracket) 39 Inversion action member 40 Flat plate 40a Center of flat plate 40b Outer peripheral edge portion (outer peripheral edge portion of flat plate) 41 First stay (stay) 49 First pin 51 First cantilever arm 53 Accommodation groove (accommodating groove of holding portion) 55 Engagement portion (engagement portion of holding portion) 56 Vertical wall 57 Guide surface 61 Second reversing bracket (reversing bracket) 63 Second cantilever arm 65 Movable stopper 65a One end portion (one end portion of movable stopper) 67 Projection portion (projection portion provided on one end portion of movable stopper) 71 Second stay (stay) 73 Second tip portion 75 Cam mechanism 77 Cam surface 79 Notch portion (notch portion of cam surface)

Claims

1. A container posture inversion device that inverts the posture of a cylindrical syringe container having a flange portion at one end from an inverted state to an upright state during transportation of the syringe container, comprising: a disk-shaped wheel member rotatably provided around a main axis extending in a vertical direction; a plurality of inversion brackets provided on the outer periphery of the wheel member and equipped with holding portions for the syringe container; and an inversion action member that performs a posture inversion operation to invert the posture of the syringe container, which is in an inverted state held by the holding portions of the inversion bracket, to an upright state; the inversion bracket is supported on the outer periphery so as to be rotatable in a radial direction related to the main axis between the inverted state and the upright state, and the holding portion of the inversion bracket comprises a semi-cylindrical accommodation groove that accommodates the syringe container, and an engagement portion with which the flange portion of the syringe container engages, the accommodating groove provided in the holding portion of the inversion bracket faces outward in a radial direction related to the main shaft when the inversion bracket is in an inverted state, and faces inward in a radial direction related to the main shaft when the inversion bracket is in an upright state; the inversion action member has a vertical wall that describes an arc-shaped trajectory when viewed from an axial direction related to the main shaft, the vertical wall being arranged so as to be located outward with respect to an outer circumferential edge portion of the wheel member, and a guide surface that is undulating in a mountain shape when viewed from the main shaft side is formed at the top of the vertical wall; the inversion bracket transitions its posture from an inverted state to an upright state by a back side surface related to the holding portion sliding up against the guide surface as the wheel member rotates, thereby inverting the posture of the syringe container from an inverted state to an upright state; the inversion action member is configured by providing the vertical wall on the outer circumferential edge portion of an elliptical flat plate, and a center of the flat plate is eccentric with respect to the main shaft related to the wheel member.

2. A container posture inversion device that inverts the posture of a cylindrical syringe container having a flange portion at one end from an inverted state to an upright state during transportation of the syringe container, comprising: a disk-shaped wheel member rotatably provided around a main axis extending in a vertical direction; a plurality of inversion brackets provided on the outer periphery of the wheel member and equipped with holding portions for the syringe container; and an inversion action member that performs a posture inversion operation to invert the posture of the syringe container in an inverted state held by the holding portions of the inversion bracket to an upright state, wherein the inversion bracket is supported on the outer periphery so as to be rotatable in a radial direction related to the main axis between the inverted state and the upright state, and the holding portion of the inversion bracket comprises a semi-cylindrical accommodation groove that accommodates the syringe container, and an engagement portion with which the flange portion of the syringe container engages, the accommodating groove provided in the holding portion of the inversion bracket faces outward in a radial direction related to the spindle when the inversion bracket is in an inverted state, and faces inward in a radial direction related to the spindle when the inversion bracket is in an upright state; the inversion action member has a vertical wall that describes an arc-shaped trajectory when viewed from an axial direction related to the spindle, the vertical wall is disposed so as to be located outward with respect to an outer circumferential edge portion of the wheel member, and a guide surface that is undulating in a mountain shape when viewed from the spindle side is formed at the top of the vertical wall; the inversion bracket transitions its posture from an inverted state to an upright state by a back side surface related to the holding portion sliding up against the guide surface as the wheel member rotates, thereby inverting the posture of the syringe container from an inverted state to an upright state; the inversion bracket comprises: a movable stopper that is provided with one end facing a bottom portion of the syringe container and is movable along the longitudinal direction of the syringe container; a cam mechanism that moves the one end of the movable stopper toward a bottom of the syringe container, wherein a circular recess is provided in the bottom of the syringe container, while a protrusion that fits into the recess is provided at the one end of the movable stopper.

3. A container posture inversion device as described in claim 1, wherein the inversion bracket further comprises: a movable stopper, one end of which is disposed facing the bottom of the syringe container and movable along the longitudinal direction of the syringe container; and a cam mechanism for moving the one end of the movable stopper toward the bottom of the syringe container, wherein a circular recess is provided in the bottom of the syringe container, while a protrusion that fits into the recess is provided at the one end of the movable stopper.

4. A container position reversing device as described in claim 2, wherein the reversing bracket is axially supported via a secondary shaft of a stay provided on the outer periphery of the wheel member so as to be rotatable between an inverted position and an upright position in the radial direction related to the primary shaft, and a circular arc-shaped cam surface centered on the secondary shaft and a notch in the cam surface are formed on the tip of the stay that is on the outer side in the radial direction, and the cam mechanism is constituted by a combination of the cam surface formed on the tip of the stay, the notch in the cam surface, and a protrusion provided on one end of the movable stopper, and when the reversing bracket is in a transitional period from the inverted position to the upright position, if the rear side of the protrusion related to the movable stopper faces the cam surface, an engagement state is established between a recess provided on the bottom of the syringe container and the protrusion related to the movable stopper, while a container posture inversion device characterized in that, when a rear surface of the protrusion associated with the movable stopper faces a notch of the cam surface, an engagement state between a recess provided on a bottom of the syringe container and the protrusion associated with the movable stopper is released.

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