JPH0221808A - Article processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the continuous processing of an article without any manpower by drawing a rod-shaped material into a container via the first rotary body, putting a cap on the container with the second rotary body and capping the container with the third rotary body. CONSTITUTION:When a holder 5 and a processed article 1 are carried with the first rotary body 11 and the first clamp mechanism 20 chucks a rotary member 4, a friction roller 51 comes in contact with a friction plate 52 and a frictional force therefrom causes the rotation of a lift drive shaft 33 and a chuck means 34, thereby causing the turn of a container 3 relative with the rotary member 4. Then, a rod-shaped body 2 is drawn into a container 3. Thereafter, a cap 64 is supplied via a cap feed mechanism 65 provided in the second rotary body 63, thereby putting the cap 64 on the container 3. Furthermore, a capping mechanism 82 provided in the third rotary body 81 presses down the cap 64 on the container 3 and presses the lower open end thereof into the rotary member 4 of a processed article for the capping thereof. In addition, a separation mechanism 83 moves up the processed article with the cap 64 for the separation thereof from the holder 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an article processing device, and more particularly to an article processing device that is capable of capping a container after storing lipstick or the like in the container. .

``Prior Art'' Conventionally, articles are well known in which lipstick, lip balm, glue, or the like is formed into a rod-shaped body and the rod-shaped body is housed in a cylindrical container so as to be retractable.

That is, this article includes a cylindrical container containing a rod-shaped object such as a lipstick, a rotary member rotatably provided at the bottom of the container, and a rotation of the rotary member to move the rod-like object to the upper mouth of the container. and a screw means for causing the lipstick to appear and disappear from the upper opening of the container by rotating the rotating member.

By the way, the rod-shaped body is usually accommodated in the container in a state in which it is most protruded from the mouth of the container, and when the rotary member is then rotated to draw the rod-shaped body into the container, the article is capped. I am trying to install it.

In addition, when this type of article is conveyed in an upright position, it is unstable if it is carried as is, so the lower part is usually housed in a holder and the article is conveyed in a stable state.

"Problem B to be solved by the invention" However, in the past, the rod-shaped body was made to protrude from the mouth of the container,
In addition, for an article in which the rotating member is housed in a holder and transported together with the holder, the rod-shaped body is drawn into the container, the container is then capped with a cap, and the capped article is transferred to the container. There is no article processing apparatus that sequentially and continuously performs the process of separating articles from a holder, and this requires manual intervention, which is unproductive.

"Means for Solving the Problems" In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides an article processing apparatus that can sequentially and continuously perform the above-described processing.

That is, the article processing apparatus of the present invention includes a cylindrical container containing a rod-shaped object such as a lipstick, a rotary member rotatably provided at the bottom of the container, and a rotary member that moves the rod-like object into the container according to the rotation of the rotary member. a screw means for protruding and retracting from the upper mouth of the container, the rod-like body protruding from the mouth of the container, and the rotary member being accommodated in a holder for an article to be processed to be conveyed integrally with the holder; The article processing apparatus includes a first rotary body, a second rotary body, and a third rotary body that rotate in synchronization with each other and sequentially deliver the articles to be processed; A first gripper that grips the rotating member of the processed article.
a clamp mechanism; a second clamp mechanism that grips the container of the processed article gripped by the first clamp mechanism and rotates the container to draw the rod-shaped body into the container;
a cap feeding mechanism provided on the second rotary body to put a cap on the container into which the rod-shaped body is drawn; and a cap feeding mechanism provided on the third rotary body to push down the cap placed on the container to place the cap to be processed. a capping mechanism that caps the article; a separation mechanism that raises the article capped with the cap relative to the holder and separates the holder and the article; and a separation mechanism that separates the article from each other. The third rotating body includes a first ejecting means and a second ejecting means for separately ejecting the holder from the third rotating body.

"Operation" According to the above configuration, the rod-shaped body can be drawn into the container by the first clamp mechanism and the second clamp mechanism of the first rotating body, and the cap feeding mechanism of the second rotating body can draw the rod-shaped body into the container. It can be covered with a cap, and a third
The cap can be placed on the article to be treated by the capping mechanism of the rotating body.

Then, by raising the article to be treated by the separation mechanism of the third rotating body, the article to be treated and the holder are separated from each other, and the article to be treated and the holder, which have been separated from each other, are separated from each other by the first discharging means and the holder. They can be separately discharged from the third rotating body by the two discharge means.

Therefore, productivity can be significantly improved compared to the conventional method in which part of the above processing was performed manually.

``Example'' The present invention will be described below with reference to an illustrated example. In FIG. 1, an article to be treated 1 is placed in a cylindrical container 3 containing a rod-shaped object 2 such as a lipstick, and a rotatable container 3 at the bottom of the container 3. The container includes a rotating member 4 provided in the container, and screw means (not shown) for causing the rod-shaped body 2 to protrude and retract from the upper opening of the container in accordance with the rotation of the rotating member 4.

The article to be processed 1 is transported along with the holder 5 to the supply conveyor with the rod-shaped body 2 protruding from the mouth of the container 3 and the rotary member 4 housed in the holder 5, as shown in FIG. It is designed to be continuously conveyed by 8.

The articles 1 continuously transported by the supply conveyor 8 are synchronized with the rotation of the inlet star wheel lO by the timing screw 9, and the articles 1 are conveyed continuously by the supply conveyor 8.
It is carried into the first rotating body ll via O. This first rotating body 11 is for rotating the container 3 with respect to the rotating member 4 and drawing the rod-shaped body 2 into the container 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, it includes a main shaft 12 and a lower table 13 attached to the main shaft 12 on which articles 1 from the inlet star wheel IO are carried and placed.

On the outer periphery of the lower table 13, there are semicircular pockets 16 that can accommodate the holders 5 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
(FIG. 4), and the pockets 16 are located on the front side in the rotational direction of the first rotating body 11 from the delivery position of the holder 5 from the inlet star wheel lO to each pocket 16.
An arc-shaped guide member 17 (see FIG. 2) is arranged and fixed to prevent the holder 5 housed therein from falling out of the pocket 16.

Further, when the article 1 to be treated stored in the holder 5 in each pocket 16 is slightly raised as described later, the lower table 13 is provided with a rotary member 4 of the article 1 to be treated.
A first clamp mechanism 20 is provided for gripping the rotating member 4 and fixing the rotating member 4 to the rotating body 11.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the first clamp mechanisms 20 includes a pair of rotating shafts 21 supported on the lower table 13, and a pair of clamp members 22 attached to each rotating shaft 21. , a pair of gears 23 that are attached to each rotating shaft 21 and mesh with each other to interlock both rotating shafts 21 so as to rotate in opposite directions. The clamp members 22 are urged toward each other by a spring (not shown), so that the rotating member 4 can be gripped between the clamp members 22 in a natural state.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a lever 24 is attached to the lower end of one of the pair of rotating shafts 21, and a cam follower 25 provided at the tip of the lever 24 is fixed to the frame 26. By engaging the fixed cam 27, the pair of clamp members 22 can be opened and expanded at a predetermined position against the spring.

Further, the first rotating body 11 is provided with two parallel discs 31 above the lower table 13, and the discs 31 grip the container 3 of the article to be processed 1 and rotate the container 3. A second clamp mechanism 32 is provided for pulling the rod-shaped body 2 into the container 3 in a swivel manner.

Each of the above-mentioned clamp mechanisms 32 is equipped with an elevating drive shaft 33 provided on a disk 31 so as to be able to rise and fall freely, and an air chuck means 34 provided at the lower end of each elevating drive shaft 33. , as shown in FIG. 5, when compressed air is supplied into the pressure chamber 36 of the cylinder 35 and the piston 37 is pushed down, the inner diameter of the ring-shaped elastic member 38 is reduced and the pair of clamp members are closed. 39 so that the container 3 can be gripped.

On the other hand, when the compressed air is discharged from the pressure chamber 36, the inner diameter of the ring-shaped elastic member 38 is expanded by its own elasticity, and the pair of clamp members 3
9 are expanded and expanded by the elasticity of the O-ring 40, thereby making it possible to release the grip on the container 3.

Further, in FIG. 3, a guide rod 43 is vertically arranged at an intermediate position between the adjacent elevating drive shafts 33 and fixed to the disc 31, and a bracket 44 is attached to the guide rod 43 so as to be able to rise and fall freely. is rotatably supported on the elevating drive shaft 33, and a cam follower 45 is attached to the bracket 44. And the cam follower 4
5 is engaged with a fixed cam 47 attached to a fixed member 46 provided on the outer periphery of the main shaft 12, so that the elevating drive shaft 33 can be moved up and down according to the cam curve of the fixed cam 47.

Furthermore, gears 49 are provided on the upper outer periphery of the lift drive shaft 33, and each gear 49 is meshed with a gear 50 rotatably supported on the disc 31. Each gear above 50
are integrally provided with friction rollers 51, and each friction roller 51 is rotationally driven by the friction plate 52 when it comes into contact with a fixed friction plate 52 attached to the fixed member 46 due to the rotation of the disc 31. It has become so.

This friction plate 52 comes into contact with the friction roller 51 after the pair of clamp members 39 grip the container 3, and the friction plate 52 connects the container 3 to the container 3 via the friction roller 51, gear 50.49, lifting drive shaft 33, and air chuck means 34. The container 3 is provided over a range such that the container 3 can be rotated with respect to the rotating member 4 enough to draw the rod-shaped body 2 into the container 3 when the container 3 is rotated.

In the above configuration, the holder 5 that accommodates the bottom part of the article to be processed 1 is moved from the inlet star wheel lO to the first rotating body 11.
The clamp member 22 of the first clamp mechanism 20 is expanded and expanded when it is sequentially transferred into each pocket 16 of the first clamp mechanism 20 . When the holder 5 is accommodated in the pocket 16, the outer circumference of the holder 5 is supported by the arcuate guide member 17 due to the rotation of the first rotating body 11, and each pocket 1
6 and is transported along with the rotation of the first rotating body 11 without falling off.

When the holder 5 and the article to be processed 1 are transported by the first rotary body 11, the elevating drive shaft 33 of the second clamp mechanism 32 is first lowered by the fixed cam 47, and the pair of clamp members 39 are opened and expanded. A container 3 is inserted relatively between them. When the container 3 is inserted between the clamp members 39, the flow path of a flow path switching valve (not shown) is switched to supply compressed air to the pressure chamber 36 of the air chuck means 34, thereby closing the clamp member 39. grip the container 3. At this time, the friction roller 51 is not in contact with the friction plate 52, and the rotation of the elevating drive shaft 33 is stopped.

When the clamp member 39 grips the container 3, the elevating drive shaft 33 is slightly raised by the fixed cam 47, and the rotary member 4 of the article to be processed 1 is positioned between the clamp members 22 of the first clamp mechanism 20. Then the fixed cam 47
The clamp member 22 is closed and the rotating member 4
grasp.

At this time, the article to be treated 1 is set to be raised within a range in which the lower end of the rotating member 4 does not come off from inside the holder 5, and when the article to be treated 1 is lowered later. This ensures that it can be returned into the holder 5.

When the first clamp mechanism 20 grips the rotating member 4,
The friction roller 51 comes into contact with the friction plate 52, and when the lifting drive shaft 33 and the air chuck means 34 are rotated by the frictional force and the container 3 is rotated relative to the rotating member 4, the rod-shaped The body 2 is drawn into the container 3.

When the rod-shaped body 2 is drawn into the container 3 in this manner, the friction roller 51 comes to separate from the friction plate 52, and in this state, the first clamp mechanism 20 can no longer grip the rotating member 4. To be released. Next, the vertical drive shaft 3
3 is slightly lowered and the article 1 to be processed is accommodated in the holder 5 again, the flow path of the flow path switching valve (not shown) is switched and compressed air is discharged from the pressure chamber 36, whereby the second
The clamp member 39 of the clamp mechanism 32 is expanded to release its grip on the container 3.

Thereafter, the elevating drive shaft 33 is raised to the original height position, and the above-described operations are repeated to sequentially draw the rod-like bodies 2 of the articles 1 into the container 3.

Next, when the rod-shaped body 2 cannot be drawn into the container 3 for some reason, the reject mechanism 55 shown in FIG. It is designed so that it can be discharged outside from the normal article processing line.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reject mechanism 55 is located downstream of the position where the first clamp mechanism 20 and the second clamp mechanism 32 have finished pulling the rod-shaped body 2 into the container 3, and It is arranged upstream of the delivery position of the article to be processed 1 from the first rotating body 11 to the second rotating body 63, and at that position, a notch 17a is formed in the guide member 17 that guides the holder 5. are doing.

The second rotating body 63 is a container 3 into which the rod-shaped body 2 is retracted.
A cap feeding mechanism 65 is provided for placing a cap 64 (see FIG. 1) on the container 3.However, if the rod-shaped body 2 remains protruding from the container 3, capping cannot be performed. The defective articles can be discharged from the first rotating body 11 before being supplied.

The reject mechanism 55 has a shaft 5 as shown in FIG.
6 is provided with swing arms 57 pivotably supported on the upper surface of the lower table 13 so as to be swingable in a horizontal plane, and each swing arm 57 is formed with the semicircular pocket 16 described above.

Each of the swing arms 57 is normally held at a predetermined non-operating position by a return spring (not shown), and in this state, the pocket 16 is opened outward in the radial direction of the first rotating body 11, thereby The holder 5 conveyed from the entrance star wheel 10 can be smoothly accommodated in the pocket 16.

An operating lever 58 extending from the shaft 56 inward in the radial direction of the first rotating body 11 is integrally attached to the shaft 56 to which each of the swing arms 57 is fixed, and the notch 17
On the movement trajectory of the tip of each operating lever 58 at position a,
A cam member 59 is provided which is moved in and out by a cylinder device (not shown) provided on the frame 26.

The cam member 59 is normally held at a position where it does not come into contact with the operating lever 58, but when a defective article is detected by a sensor such as a phototube (not shown), the cam member 59 comes into contact with the operating lever 58 by the cylinder device. projected in position,
By rotating the swinging arm 58 clockwise in FIG. 4, the holder 5 in the pocket 16 can be ejected onto a rotary table 60 provided adjacent to the first rotating body 11. .

Next, the cap supply mechanism 6 provided on the second rotating body 63
5, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second rotating body 63 includes a rotary table 69 attached to the upper part of the drive shaft 68, and radial slits formed at equal intervals in the rotary table 69. A guide member 71 is provided below the rotary table 69 to prevent the cap 64 stored in the cap storage portion 70 from falling over a required rotation range. Fixed.

The caps 64 are housed in the chute 73 in a state in which they are horizontally in contact with each other in parallel, and fall down in the chute 73 due to their own weight. The lower end opening of the chute 73 is opened at a position above the cap storage section 70, which is moved as the rotary table 69 rotates, and the head of the cap 64 is directed outward in the radial direction from the chute 73. Each cap storage section 70 is
It is now possible to supply one by one.

The guide member 71 is designed to maintain the cap 64 in a horizontal state at the position where the cap 64 is supplied from the chute 73 to the cap storage section 70, but is tilted forward in the direction of rotation of the rotary table 69 from that position. Face 7
4, and the cap 64 is formed by the inclined surface 74.
The opening side can be guided downward.

The lower surface of the rotary table 69 receives the falling cap 64 at a radially inward position of the cap storage portion 70 while rotating so that the opening thereof faces downward by the inclined surface 74, and holds the cap 64 in an almost upright position. A semi-cylindrical guide member 75 is provided to guide the drop in the suspended state.

Furthermore, a lower table 76 is attached to the drive shaft 68 below the rotary table 69, and a half for storing the holder 5 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower table 76 at a position below each of the guide members 75. A circular pocket 77 is formed. A guide member 78 is arranged and fixed around the lower table 76 to prevent the holder 5 housed in the pocket 77 from falling off (see FIG. 2).

Therefore, the cap 64, which falls while rotating due to the inclined surface 74 so that the opening faces downward, is stopped from rotating by the guide member 75 in the middle of falling and stands upright. Now it can be covered with container 3.

When the cap 64 is placed on the container 3 in this way,
The article to be processed 1 is transferred from the second rotating body 63 to the third rotating body 81 .

As shown in FIG. 8, this third rotating body 81 pushes down the cap 64 placed on the container 3 and
Press fit the lower end opening into the rotating member 4 of the article to be processed 1 (
(See FIG. 1) A capping mechanism 82 for capping, and an article 1 to be processed capped with the cap 64.
The third rotary body 81 is equipped with a separation mechanism 83 that raises the object 1 to separate the article 1 from the holder 5. It is provided with a lower table 86 on which the components are carried in and placed, and a disc 87 mounted on the main shaft 85 above the lower table 86.

Pockets 86a that can accommodate the holders 5 are formed on the outer periphery of the lower table 86 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the holders 5 accommodated in the pockets 86a are guided by an arcuate guide member 88 (see FIG. 2). (see).

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the separation mechanism 83 for lifting the article 1 to be processed relative to the holder 5 is provided through the lower table 86 and the disc 87 so as to be able to rise and fall and rotate freely. Each pair of elevating and lowering rotating shafts 89 and 90 are provided, and a bracket 91 is rotatably provided between the lower ends of both of the elevating and lowering rotating wheels 89 and 90.

Then, by attaching a cam follower 92 to this bracket 91 and engaging the cam follower 92 with an elevating cam 94 provided on the frame 93, the elevating rotation shafts 89 and 90 are raised and lowered together according to the cam curve of the elevating cam 94. I'm trying to do that.

Ma! -12G A pair of clamp members 97 (see Figure 1O) for gripping the article to be processed 1 are attached to each pair of lifting and lowering rotation shafts 89 and 90, and gears 98 that mesh with each other are attached to one of the pairs of lifting and lowering rotation shafts 89 and 90. The pair of clamp members 97 can be opened and closed via the gear 98 by rotating the lifting rotation @89 in forward and reverse directions. The clamp members 97 are urged toward each other by a spring (not shown), and in a natural state, both clamp members 9
The cap 64 of the article to be processed 1 can be grasped between the two.

In addition, a spline 99 is provided at the lower end of one of the vertical rotation shafts 89.
A cylindrical member 101 is rotatably supported by a bracket 100 attached to the lower table 86, and the spline 99 is spline-fitted to the cylindrical member 101.

A lever 102 is attached to the cylindrical member lot, and a cam follower 103 provided on the lever 102 can be engaged with a fixed cam 104 attached to the frame 93. When the cam follower 103 engages with the fixed cam 104, the The pair of clamp members 97 can be opened and expanded by rotating the lifting and lowering rotation shafts 89 and 90.

Furthermore, a cylindrical casing 107 constituting the above-described capping mechanism 82 is rotatably attached to the outer periphery of one of the lifting rotation shafts 89, and a fork-shaped portion 107a provided at the upper end of the casing 107 is connected to the other lifting rotation shaft. By engaging the casing 90 so as to be able to rise and fall, the casing 107 is prevented from rotating with the rotation of the lifting and lowering rotation shaft 89.

The second casing 107 is integrally formed with a protrusion 108 facing outward in the radial direction of the third rotating body 81 (see FIG. 11), and a capping head 109 is attached to the tip of the protrusion 108 to raise and lower it. It is set up freely.

This capping head 109 is attached to the pocket 86a.
It is located directly above the article 1 to be processed in the holder 5 housed in the holder 5, and is biased downward by a lever spring 110.

In the above configuration, the pair of clamp members 97 are opened when the holder 5 is transferred from the second rotating body 63 to the third rotating body 81, and the holder 5 is accommodated in the pocket 86a and the guide member 88.

When the holder 5 is accommodated in the pocket 88a and transported as the third rotating body 81 rotates, the pair of elevating rotating wheels 89 and 90 are moved by the elevating cam 94 while the clamping member 97 remains open. The capping head 109 is lowered and brought into contact with the cap 64 covering the container 3, and the cap 64 is lowered by the weight of the capping head X09 and the lifting/lowering rotation shaft 89,90.
is pressed down to cap the lower end opening of the cap 64 on the rotating member 4.

When capping by the capping rod 109 is completed, the pair of clamp members g7 are not closed by the fixed cam 104 while the capping head 109 is in contact with the cap 64, and grip the capped cap 64 and Grip the article 1 to be processed. When this state is reached, the elevating and lowering rotation shafts 89 and 90 are raised 41 by the elevating cam 94, and the article 1 to be processed is placed in the holder 5.
The article to be processed 1 and the holder 5 are separated from each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the third rotary body 81 has a first discharging means 115 and a second discharging means 116 for separately discharging the mutually separated article 1 and holder 5 to the outside. It is equipped with

A second ejection means 116 for ejecting the holder 5 includes a guide member 117 that engages with the holder 5 on the lower table 86 and guides it to the outside, and a star wheel 118 that forms a pocket 118a for accommodating the holder 5. The holder 5 from which the article to be processed 1 has been pulled out is discharged onto the holder discharge conveyor 119 by the star wheel 118 and the guide member 117.

On the other hand, the article 1 to be processed, which has been lifted while being gripped by the pair of clamp members 97, is conveyed beyond the guide member 117, and is then conveyed to the pocket 121a of the outlet star wheel 121 constituting the first discharge means 115 and the guide member 117. Member 12
2 and discharged onto the article discharge conveyor 123.

Note that when the rod-shaped body 2 is drawn into the container 3, the upper end of the rod-shaped body 2 does not need to be completely buried in the container 3, and may protrude slightly depending on the size of the cap 64. Of course.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, according to the present invention, the rod-shaped body can be drawn into the container with the first rotating body, the cap can be placed on the container with the second rotating body, and the cap can be placed on the container with the second rotating body. Capping the above-mentioned cap onto the article to be treated using three rotating bodies,
Since the article to be processed and the holder can be separately discharged from the third rotating body, productivity can be significantly improved compared to the conventional method in which a part of such processing was performed manually. You can get the effect that you can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing an example of a processed article 1 to be processed according to the present invention, and shows the state accommodated in a holder 5, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention. , FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the first rotating body 11, FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the reject mechanism 55 in FIG. 2, and FIG.
The figure is an enlarged sectional view showing the main parts of the second clamp mechanism 32 in Fig. 3, Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the second rotating body 63, and Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-vn in Fig. 6. , FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the third rotating body 81, FIG. 9 is a partially sectional front view of the pair of rotating shafts 89 and 90, and FIGS.
- It is a sectional view along the X line and the XI-XI line. 1.-Processed article 2.. Rod-shaped body 3.. Container 4. Single rotation member 5.. Holder
11-First rotating body 20...first clamp mechanism 2
2.-Clamp member 32...Second clamp mechanism 33
... Lifting drive shaft 34 ... Air chuck means 63.
- Second rotating body 64 - Cap 65 - Cap supply mechanism 81 - Third rotating body 82...
- Capping mechanism 83 - Separation mechanism 97
...Clamp member 109...Capping head 115...First discharge means 116...Second discharge means 119...Holder discharge conveyor 123...Article discharge conveyor

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A cylindrical container containing a rod-shaped object such as a lipstick, a rotating member rotatably provided at the bottom of the container, and a rotating member that moves the rod-shaped object toward the upper opening of the container according to the rotation of the rotating member. an article processing apparatus for an article to be processed, further comprising a screw means for causing the rod-shaped body to protrude from the mouth of the container, and for storing the rotary member in a holder and conveying the article integrally with the holder. A first rotary body, a second rotary body, and a third rotary body that rotate in synchronization with each other and sequentially deliver the article to be processed; a first clamp mechanism that grips a rotating member; and a second clamp mechanism that grips a container of an article to be processed gripped by the first clamp mechanism and rotates the container to draw the rod-shaped body into the container. a cap feeding mechanism provided on the second rotating body to cover the container into which the rod-like body is drawn; a capping mechanism that caps the processed article; a separation mechanism that raises the processed article capped with the cap relative to a holder and separates the holder and the processed article from each other; and further separates the processed articles from each other. An article processing apparatus comprising a first ejecting means and a second ejecting means for separately ejecting the article and the holder from the third rotating body.