JPH0141694Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a container conveying device. For example, when containers such as synthetic resin are supplied in an undefined orientation, the present invention aligns them in one direction and then aligns them in the next direction. The present invention relates to a container transfer device that can be transferred to a process.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as a container transfer device, there is a container transfer device that receives containers from a hopper that stores containers in a disorderly manner, and transfers containers whose orientation is not constant in multiple rows, and a container transfer device that receives the transferred containers. Some containers are equipped with a chute that guides the containers downward and a container discharge device that discharges these containers one by one out of the chute and supplies them to the next process such as a filling device. Since the containers are required to be arranged in an upright position, a container alignment device is installed at the downstream end of the chute to ensure that all the containers are erected immediately before being discharged from the chute. JP-A-53-73769) is known.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, with the above-mentioned conventional device, when transporting flat containers, especially containers with deformed shapes such as tapered shapes, the containers passing through the chute may be both upright and inverted. This has the disadvantage that there is a risk that the container may become clogged within the chute when passing through the chute.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and the object is to provide a container transfer device that has excellent transfer efficiency and does not cause tapered containers to become clogged in the chute. It is.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the container transfer device according to the present invention has a container in which the bottom of the container faces forward in the direction of travel and the head of the container faces forward. and a container transport device that transports these containers, and a container transport device that is pivoted at a required container fall interval from the transport end position of this container transport device, and is mounted on a slope formed with the swinging end facing downward. A swinging member that receives the containers dropped one by one from the device and guides them down along the slope, and both side plates arranged on both sides of the swinging member to be slightly wider than the container width. a support member connected to the swinging end side of the swinging member at the lower end thereof and having an opening that is smaller than the bottom of the container and capable of accommodating the container head; and a support member that slides on the swinging member. a container detection mechanism that detects a container that has reached the support member; and a container detection mechanism that is actuated by a detection command of the container detection mechanism to swing the swinging member downward and extend below the open end of the support member. The device is characterized by comprising a drive mechanism that cooperates with the guide surface to drop the container into a chute connected to the guide surface.

[Function] The containers that are fed one by one from the container transport device fall onto the slope of the swinging member separated by a falling interval, and the fallen containers fall down with their flat surfaces along the slope without tilting, and When the container slides down on the slope between both side plates and is further detected by the detection mechanism at the lower end of the swinging member, the swinging member is swung downward by the drive mechanism that is energized by the detection command. Therefore, if the container head is facing downward, the head is held in the opening of the support member and turned over, and if the bottom of the container is facing downward, it is not supported by the opening and is held in that position. It is possible to prevent a container having a tapered shape or the like from clogging in the chute by being arranged in an upright state and falling into the chute.

[Example] The present invention will be explained below with reference to the illustrated example.
In Fig. 1, 1 is a hopper that stores a large number of containers A, and 2 is a container transport device installed at an angle at the bottom of the hopper 1. This container transport device 2 is rotatably supported on the upper and lower ends. The shafts 3, 4, 5, the plurality of pulleys 6, 7, 8 attached to each shaft, the belt 9 stretched between each pulley 6, 7, 8, and each belt 9 at predetermined intervals. The container pushing member 10 attached thereto is provided. Furthermore, guides 11 are provided on both sides of each of the belts 9 to guide both sides of the outer surface of the container A.

The containers A supplied from the hopper 1 are stored one by one between container pushing members 10 attached to each of the belts 9, and are pushed by these pushing members 10 and conveyed above the container conveying device 2. The containers A are pushed by the container pushing member 10 of the continuously running belt 9 and are supplied to the container aligning device B, which is arranged downward from the top of the container conveying device 2 at a container fall interval. The container aligning device B is the container aligning device 13.
and a limit switch 18 provided facing above the alignment section 13. The containers A supplied from the conveying device 2 are mixed with containers with their heads facing the direction of travel and containers with their bottoms facing forward, and these containers are controlled by the action of the limit switch 18 and the aligning section 13. The containers A are aligned in one direction and placed into a chute 15 vertically disposed below the container alignment section 13. This shot 15
The containers A thrown into the container A are stacked in an upright position with the container heads A2 facing upwards, fall down due to their own weight, and are laterally arranged in a line through a container discharge device 21 disposed below the chute 15. Shoot 15
It is discharged to the outside.

Further, the container alignment device B will be explained in detail based on FIGS. 2 to 5. In the figure, reference numeral 13a denotes an elongated rectangular rocking plate that receives the containers A supplied from the container transport device 2 and then throws them into the chute 15 disposed below.The rocking plate 13a is located on the downstream side of the container transport device 2 Shaft 13b located slightly below the end
With the tip as a base point, a slope is formed that gradually slopes downward in the direction of movement of container A (left side in Figure 2), and a drive mechanism (not shown, for example, a cylinder) is connected to the back surface of the slope. The above rocking plate 13a
swing downward. Further, a pair of side plates 13c are arranged in parallel above both sides of the swing plate 13a in the longitudinal direction,
The interval between the side plates 13c is formed to be slightly wider than the body A3 so as to guide the body A3 of the container A when the container A supplied to the rocking plate 13a slides on the rocking plate 13a. There is. The end portions of the side plates 13c are each inclined inward and narrowed, and the support member 13d has an opening smaller than the bottom A1 of the container A and sized to accommodate the head A2 thereof. are arranged in series, and the container A is received with the opening thereof facing in the direction of the axis 13b. Further, the lower end of the opening matches the height of the distal end of the rocking plate 13a in the non-operating state, and the container A sliding on the rocking plate 13a is connected to the pair of side plates 13a.
c, it is reliably guided to the support member 13d.

However, the container A supplied from the container transport device 2 with the head A2 facing forward in the traveling direction slides on the swing plate 13a while being guided by the pair of side plates 13c, and reaches the support member 13d. contained within the opening. At this time, the head A2 of the container A is
Not located in the center of 3a, but on either side plate 13c
Even when it is tilted to the side, the tip of the side plate 13c is narrowed inward to form an inclined surface, so the container head A2 contacts and slides on the slope, and the container head A2 is disposed at the tip of the side plate 13c. It is guided and housed in the supporting member 13d. On the other hand, below the opening of the support member 13d, there is a guide surface for guiding the container A downward together with the swing plate 13a, that is, a warp guide 1.
Install 3e in series. The warp guide 13e forms a curved surface along the locus drawn by the swinging of the swing plate 13a, creates a steep slope 14 in the middle, and connects to a chute 15 disposed below. The rocking plate 13a stops when it reaches the upper end 15a of the chute 15 diagonally below the shaft 13b side, and forms a steep slope between the shaft 13b and the chute 15.
The container A sliding on 3a is reliably guided into the chute 15 as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the container alignment device B will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory views when containers A are supplied to the container alignment device B with their bottoms A1 facing forward. Second
In the figure, when a container A is supplied from the container conveyance device 2 to the container alignment section 13, the bottom A1 of the container A first falls into contact with the rocking plate 13a as shown in A, and the head A2 of the container A falls into contact with the swing plate 13a as shown in A. It will be in a state leaning on 2. After that, the container A moves to the rocking plate 13a due to its own weight.
It slides on the top, rolls over and falls down, and the flat surface is the rocking plate 1
3a and is guided as it is by the side plate 13c, and as shown in FIG. Since the opening of the support member 13d is set to be slightly smaller than the container bottom A1, the container A stops with its bottom A1 in contact with the periphery of the opening (see FIG. 3). On the other hand, a first limit switch 18 disposed above the container alignment section 13
When it senses the container A on the swing plate 13a, it swings the swing plate 13a downward via a cylinder connected to the swing plate 13a. That is, the rocking plate 1
When 3a swings downward about the shaft 13b, its tip moves along the warp guide 13e,
The inclination of the rocking plate 13a gradually becomes stronger. Then, as shown in C, the container A moves downward together with the swing plate 13a while being placed on the swing plate 13a, and the bottom A1 of the container A leaves the support member 13d and moves to the warp guide 13e. Further, when the slope of the rocking plate 13a becomes steeper, the container bottom A1 leaves the warp guide 13e and moves onto the slope 14 extending on the warp guide 13e, as shown in (D). When the rocking plate 13a stops rocking and is placed in a state where it is stretched between the shaft 13b and the chute 15, the container A is in the so-called erect state with its bottom A1 facing downward, as shown in E. It then slides onto the rocking plate 13a due to its own weight and is dropped into the chute 15.

4 and 5 show a case in which containers A are supplied to the container alignment section 13 with the head A2 facing forward, contrary to the above case. A in FIG. 4 shows the state in which the container A first falls onto the rocking plate 13a from its head A2. At this time, the container bottom A1 is restrained by the guide member 12 at the top of the transport device 2, but when the container head A2 slides on the rocking plate 13a, the container A is released from the guide member 12 and falls down. It slides down along its flat surface along the rocking plate 13a, and reaches the support member 13d as shown in FIG. At this time, since the container head A2 is smaller than the opening of the support member 13d, it enters the support member 13d and is housed therein (see FIG. 5). Then the first limit switch 1
8 senses the container A on the rocking plate 13a and swings the rocking plate 13a downward to make its inclination steeper as described above. As is clear from FIGS. 4 and 5, the container head A2 cannot move downward because it is housed within the support member 13d, and as shown in FIG. Glide. That is, the container A has the support member 13d and the warp guide 13.
It begins to rotate around the intersection P of e as a fulcrum. When the rocking plate 13a further increases its inclination, the state shown in D is reached, and only the bottom A1 of the container A moves downward.Finally, the rocking plate 13a swings up to the upper end of the chute 15 and stops, causing the container A to move as shown in E. The head A2 is disengaged from the support member 13d, and the bottom A1 is disengaged from the rocking plate 13.
a, falls onto the warp guide 13e and the slope 14 extending thereto, is turned over to an upright state with the bottom A1 of the container facing downward, and is dropped into the chute 15.

In this embodiment, the limit switch 18 is used as the container detection mechanism, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that a non-contact type container detection mechanism such as a phototube may be used. In addition, in the container transport device 2, the container A is transported in a horizontally upright state by the guide 11 and the guide member 12, but if the container A is transported in a lying state from the beginning, it will be transferred to the container alignment section 13 in a more stable posture. can be invested.

Now, in FIG. 1, 19 is a second limit switch disposed at the upstream end of the chute 15 to sense the container A passing through the upstream end of the chute 15, and 20 is a second limit switch disposed at the downstream end of the container conveying device 2. This is the third limit switch that senses container A passing through.
The operation of the container conveying device 2 and the container aligning section 13 is controlled by each of these limit switches 19 and 20 and the first limit switch 18 disposed facing above the container aligning section 13. This prevents container A from clogging and increases the transfer efficiency of container A.

That is, depending on the speed at which the containers A are discharged from the chute 15 and the speed at which they are supplied into the chute 15, the containers A may remain in the chute 15. In such a case, the container alignment section 13 so that the container A is not put into the chute 15, and the container transport device 2 must be stopped to prevent the container A from being supplied to the container alignment section 13. .

The operation of the container alignment section 13 and the container transport device 2 is controlled by the first to third limit switches 18, 19, 20.
To explain in relation to this, if the limit switch 19 at the upper end of the chute 15 does not detect the container A, the container aligning section 13 and the container conveying device 2 continue to operate normally and place the containers A one by one in the chute 15. Input it one by one. On the other hand, the above limit switch 1
9 continuously senses the containers A staying in the chute 15, and at the same time the limit switch 18 of the container aligning device senses the containers A, the container aligning section 1
3 does not operate and does not throw the container A into the chute 15. Also, when the first and second limit switches 18 and 19 are sensing the container A at the same time, the limit switch 20 of the container conveying device 2 detects the container A.
When this is sensed, the container conveyance device 2 stops and stops supplying the containers A to the container alignment section 13. If the limit switch 20 is not sensing the container A, the container transport device 2 continues to transport the container A until the container A reaches its downstream end and contacts the third limit switch 20.

Furthermore, even if the limit switch 19 of the chute 15 senses the container A, when the first limit switch 18 does not sense the container A, the container alignment section 13 will not operate, and the container conveying device 2 will not operate normally. Then, the container A is supplied to the container alignment section 13. When the first and second limit switches 18 and 19 sense the container A at the same time, the container conveying device 2 is controlled by the third limit switch 20 in the same manner as described above.
That is, if the limit switch 20 is in the ON state, the container transport device 2 will stop; if the limit switch 20 is in the ON state, the container transport device 2 will continue to advance, and if the limit switch 20 is in the ON state, the container transport device 2 will stop.
It is stopped only after it is turned ON. Therefore, when the container transport device 2 is stopped, it is always in a position to be able to immediately supply the container A at the next startup, so that the container A can be transferred efficiently.

As described above, according to the container aligning device B according to the present invention, even if the containers A are flat and tapered deformed containers, the containers A are reliably aligned in an upright state and fed into the chute 15. Because, shoot 15
Container A will not get clogged inside. Moreover, if multiple limit switches are arranged as in the above embodiment,
These first to third limit switches 18,1
By the actions of 9 and 20, the container A can be transferred efficiently.

Although only one example of the container transfer device has been described in this embodiment, normally a plurality of the above-mentioned hopper 1, container transfer device 2, container alignment devices 13, 18, and chute 15 are arranged in parallel, and each row is Of course, the container alignment devices 13 and 18 can be activated and the container conveyance device 2 can be stopped at any time.

[Effects of the invention] As described above, in the present invention, a series of container alignment mechanisms consisting of a swinging member, a support member, a container detection and a swinging member drive mechanism are arranged between the container transport device and the chute. Therefore, the containers are surely aligned in an erect state before being inserted into the chute, and even if the container has a tapered shape, the risk of clogging in the chute is prevented. Moreover, since the distance between the containers and the container transport device and the pivot of the swinging member is maintained, the falling deformed container falls on the slope of the swinging member below, and the flat surface of the container falls onto the slope of the swinging member. A first posture control is performed to make the container follow the slope, and then the container which has slid down on the slope is inverted and erected by the cooperative action of the opening of the support member and the swinging member. A second posture control is performed to allow the container to pass through the container, which has the effect of ensuring that all containers, even those with a tapered shape or the like, are dropped into the chute in an upright position.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the entire container transfer device to which a container aligning device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2 to 5 are explanatory diagrams showing the operating state of the container aligning device. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the case where container A is fed with the bottom A1 facing forward in the direction of travel, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same state, and Fig. 4 is a side view showing the case where container A is fed with the bottom A1 facing forward in the direction of travel.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing the case in which the container 2 is fed forward in the traveling direction, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same state. A... Container, B... Container alignment device, 2... Container transport device, 13... Container alignment section, 13a... Rocking plate, 13b... Shaft, 13c... Side plate, 13d...
Support member, 13e... warp guide (guide surface),
14... Slope, 18... Container detection mechanism (limit switch).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A container transport device that transports a group of containers with the bottoms of the containers facing forward in the direction of travel and containers with the heads facing forward, and a container transport device that transports a group of containers with the bottoms facing forward in the direction of travel and containers with the heads facing forward, and a desired container drop from the transport end position of this container transport device. A swinging member that is pivotally supported at intervals and receives containers dropped one by one from the container conveying device onto a slope formed with the swinging end facing downward, and guides the containers downward along the slope. The lower ends of both side plates, which are slightly wider than the width of the container on both sides of the swinging member, are connected to the swinging end side of the swinging member, and are smaller than the bottom of the container, and a support member having an opening formed to accommodate a container head; a container detection mechanism that detects a container that has slid on the swinging member and reached the support member; and a detection command of the container detection mechanism. and a drive mechanism that is actuated to swing the swinging member downward and drop the container into a chute connected thereto in cooperation with a guide surface extending below the open end of the support member. Characteristic container transfer device.