JPH0331216B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention detects the direction of the bottle before the labeling process in a line for filling bottles with contents such as alcoholic beverages, corrects the direction of the bottle as necessary, The present invention relates to a method for detecting the orientation of a bottle so that a label can be affixed to the correct position on the surface of a bottle, and a device used to carry out the method.

Bottles for storing alcoholic beverages have a circular cross section as well as
Some bottles have non-circular cross sections, such as oval, square, or triangular, but in order to attach a label to the surface of such bottles, it is necessary to orient the bottle in a certain direction. In this case, by holding it between a pair of holders having parallel abutment surfaces, it is possible to hold it in the direction corresponding to the pair of holders in the direction of the short axis of the ellipse. If the front of the bottle has a certain relief pattern and the back is smooth and you want to label only the front, or if you want to label the front and back separately, simply hold the bottle in a holder. It is not enough to simply hold the bottle and orient the minor axis in the direction corresponding to the holding part; You need to rotate it 180 degrees when Furthermore, even if a rectangular or triangular bottle is held in a constant posture by a holder that has an abutment surface that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the bottle, it will be possible to detect which side is the front side and use it as needed. Accordingly, it is necessary to rotate it by a predetermined angle and orient it in a certain direction. However, there has been no existing device that can accurately and quickly detect the direction of a bottle with such a non-circular cross section, and the development of such a device has been desired.

The present invention has been completed in response to such demands, and includes a method in which a contactor is pressed against a certain position on the surface of a bottle, and air is sucked or blown out through a vent hole formed on the contact surface. Depending on whether air flows between the contact and the surface of the bottle, it is detected whether the surface of the bottle is smooth or uneven, and the direction of the bottle is thereby detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for detecting the direction of a bottle and a device for detecting the direction of a bottle used to carry out the method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and an embodiment of the method of the present invention will be clarified by explaining its operation.

A large number of turntables 2 are installed at equal angular intervals on an index table 1 that rotates intermittently at a constant angle. It is rotated intermittently in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2 while being pressed and rotatably held by the tool 3. A block-shaped mounting base 4 is attached to the bracket 60 provided on the side of the index table 1.
is fixed, and a rod 6 is freely inserted into a guide hole 5 which is transparent horizontally from the outer surface to the inner surface, and a planar U-shaped fixture 8 is fixed to the tip of the rod 6 with a bolt 7. A mounting plate 9 is fixed across the lower surface of the tip, and on the upper surface of this mounting plate 9,
An abutting member 10 made of synthetic resin and having a smooth abutting surface 10a at the tip is fixed by a bolt 11, and a guide tube 14 is inserted horizontally into a bracket 13 erected behind the abutting member 10. A cup-shaped contact 17 made of synthetic rubber is fitted into a horizontally movable rod 16 which is tightened and fixed by nuts 15 on both sides and is slidably inserted into this guide tube 14. Vent hole 1 formed in
8 communicates with a connecting pipe 19 protruding from the outer circumferential surface, and this horizontally moving rod 16 is connected to a compression coil spring 2 mounted between the front collar 20 and the tip of the guide tube 14.
It is urged in the direction of protruding forward by the elastic expansion force of 2, and is always in a position where the rear end flange 21 abuts against the rear surface of the guide tube 14, and in this position, the tip surface of the contact 17 is in a protruding direction. Contact surface 1 at the tip of the member 10
It protrudes a little further forward than 0a.

On both left and right sides of the upper surface of the mounting base 4, a pair of front and rear links 25 are supported by a shaft 26 so as to be able to swing freely, and a holder 27 is attached to the tip of the pair of front and rear links 25.
are supported by a shaft 28 so as to form a parallel link, and synthetic resin backing plates 29 with smooth corresponding contact surfaces 29a are fixed to the inner surfaces of the tips of the pair of left and right holders 27. has been done. Also,
A mounting plate 31 elongated in the vertical direction is fixed to the outer surface of the tip of one of the holders 27, and the mounting plates 31 have exactly the same configuration as those attached to the tips of the rods 6 described above at both upper and lower ends. A guide cylinder 14, a horizontally movable rod 16, and a cup-shaped contact 17 are attached, and each contactor 17 is urged inward together with the horizontally movable rod 16 by the elastic expansion force of a compression coil spring 22, and its tip surface is As shown by the chain lines in FIG.
It protrudes a little more inward. Further, gears 33 that mesh with each other are fixed to the front left and right links 25, and the front and rear links 25 on both the left and right sides and the holders 27 connected thereto swing symmetrically. There is. At the rear of the mounting base 4 is an L.
A letter-shaped lever 35 is supported by a shaft 36 to freely swing, and a ball joint 37 is attached to the upper end of the lever 35.
The tip of the connecting rod 38 is connected to the lower surface of one of the links 25 on the front side by a shaft 39, and the rod 6 is connected to the U-shaped fixture 8 fixed to the tip and the mounting base 4. It is biased in the direction of protruding forward by the elastic expansion force of a compression coil spring 40 installed between the two, and a nut 41 is attached at the rear end.
The tip of a horizontal arm 42 fixed with
When the drive rod 45 connected by the lever moves up and down and the lever 35 swings, the rod 6 moves back and forth, and the holders 27 on both the left and right sides move to the retreated position shown by chain lines in FIG. It is designed to swing to the advanced position shown by the solid line in the figure.

Furthermore, a support 47 erected on the top surface of the mounting base 4
A laterally elongated block 4 is fixed to the front upper surface of an L-shaped cross-section mounting plate 48 fixed to the upper end.
9, three inverted T-shaped communication holes 50 penetrating from the front surface to the top surface and the rear surface are formed at intervals in the horizontal direction, and three pressure switches 51 are formed on the rear surface of the vertical part of the mounting plate 48. is fixed, and each port 52 is connected to an opening 53 on the rear side of each communication hole 50 by a pipe 54, and an opening 55 on the front side of each communication hole 50 is connected to the three contact points described above. It is connected by a flexible hose 56 to a connecting pipe 19 protruding from the side of each horizontally moving rod 16 so as to communicate with a ventilation hole 18 communicating with the center of the child 17. An opening 57 on the upper surface side of the communication hole 50 is connected to a negative pressure source such as a vacuum pump (not shown).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. When the bottle a, which has a substantially square cross section and is placed on the turntable 2 due to the intermittent rotation of the index table 1, is brought to this detection position and stopped, the L-shaped lever 35 is moved by the downward movement of the drive rod 45. The left and right holders 27 swing counterclockwise in FIG. 1, and as a result, the left and right holders 27 protrude from the retracted position shown by chain lines in FIG. Bottle a with a patch plate 29 fixed to the inner surface
When bottle a is held diagonally from both sides, the corresponding two parallel surfaces are placed on the backing plate 2.
The contactor 17 is rotated together with the turntable 2 to correct its posture so as to come into close contact with the contact surface 29a of the contactor 17 of the contactor 17, and is installed on both the upper and lower sides of the holder 27 on one side.
is pressed against both the upper and lower sides of one of the four sides of bottle a, and the rod 6 extends and the protruding member 10 at its tip abuts the lower part of the side of bottle a adjacent to the above-mentioned side. The contact 17 is pressed against the portion immediately above. Then, when the on-off valve (not shown) opens and the three communication holes 50 formed in the block 49 are communicated with a negative pressure source such as a vacuum pump, the insides of the three cup-shaped contacts 17 become under negative pressure. Although the contact 17 is tilted, the contact 17 pressed against the smooth surface of the bottle a is in perfect contact with the smooth surface of the bottle a.
The inside of the vent hole 18 communicating with the vent hole 18 and the communication hole 50 each reach the same negative pressure as the negative pressure source, and the pressure switch 51 connected to this becomes ON.
While operating, if the surface against which the contactor 17 is pressed is an uneven surface such as a relief surface, when the inside of the contactor 17 is tilted to negative pressure, the gap created between the unevenness on the surface of the bottle a. Air flows in from the vent hole 1
8 and the communication hole 50 to flow to the negative pressure source, the pressure switch 5 connected thereto is generated.
1 does not operate and remains in the OFF state.

Therefore, by rotating this bottle a with a square cross section by 90 degrees, the two adjacent surfaces are connected to these three contacts 17.
These three contacts 17 are set in positions such that when pressed, the pressure switch 51 connected to each contact 17 turns ON or OFF in different combinations. , by memorizing in advance the ON/OFF combination of each pressure switch 51 when two adjacent surfaces are pressed, each pressure when any two surfaces are pressed against these three contacts 17. switch 51
When a combination of ON and OFF is detected, it is immediately detected whether the two sides are the front and right side of bottle a, or the back and left side of bottle a. When such detection is completed, the lever 35 rotates clockwise in FIG.
The left and right holders 27 and the rods 6 move back to release the bottle a, and the intermittent rotation of the index table 1 causes the bottle a to move to the next indexing position together with the turntable 2, and is turned at that position. The table 2 is rotated through the necessary angle,
The direction of bottle a is corrected in a certain direction, and during this time the next bottle a is carried into the detection position and the direction of bottle a is detected by repeating the same operation as described above.

In the above embodiment, the communication hole 50 is not connected to a negative pressure source such as a vacuum pump, but is connected to an accumulator or the like that is supplied with pressurized air by an air pump and maintained at a constant positive pressure. However, the communication hole 50, the ventilation hole 18, and the inside of the contact 17 are maintained at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, and if the contact 17 is pressed against the uneven surface of the bottle a and a gap is created, air will The air may flow out through a gap, and the pressure switch 51 may be turned on or off depending on the level of pressure within the communication hole 50 depending on whether or not this air flows out.

As specifically explained in the above embodiment,
In the bottle direction detection method of the present invention, a bottle with a non-circular cross section having a smooth surface and an uneven surface is held in a constant posture with a holder having an abutting surface of a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the bottle. Press a contact that is in close contact with a smooth surface to one or more places on the surface and tilt the inside of the contact surface of the contact to positive or negative pressure,
The direction of the bottle is detected based on the presence or absence of air circulation between the contact and the surface of the bottle, and the direction of a bottle with a non-circular cross section can be detected accurately and quickly. Moreover, the bottle direction detection device of the present invention connects a holder having an abutment surface of a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of a bottle with a non-circular cross section to a drive mechanism, and Alternatively, a contact having a contact surface formed with a ventilation hole communicating with a pressurized air source is attached to a holder, and the holder holds the bottle in a constant position, and at the same time the contact is pressed against the surface of the bottle, The gist is that a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the passage is interposed in the communication passage for pre-air air, and the direction of the bottle is detected by the air pressure in the passage, Since the contact is attached to the holder that holds the bottle in a fixed position,
The contactor can be pressed against the surface of the bottle with a constant force, and the above-described method of the present invention can be reliably carried out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a partially cutaway side view and FIG. 2 being a partially cutaway plan view. 17: contact, 18: ventilation hole, 25: link,
27: Holder, 29: Back plate, 29a: Contact surface (of back plate 29), 35: Lever, 38: Connection rod,
45: Drive rod, 51: Pressure sensor, a: Bottle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A bottle with a non-circular cross section having a smooth surface and an uneven surface is held in a constant posture with a holder having an abutment surface of a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape, and the surface of the bottle is Press a contact in close contact with a smooth surface at one or more places and tilt the contact surface of the contact to positive or negative pressure to prevent air flow between the contact and the surface of the bottle. A method for detecting the direction of a bottle, characterized in that the direction of the bottle is detected based on the presence or absence of the bottle. 2. A contactor in which a holder having a contact surface with a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of a bottle with a non-circular cross section is connected to a drive mechanism, and a ventilation hole communicating with a negative pressure air source or a pressurized air source is formed in the contact surface. is attached to the holder so that the holder holds the bottle in a constant position and at the same time presses the contact against the surface of the bottle, and detects the pressure in the air communication path. 1. A bottle direction detection device, characterized in that a pressure sensor is provided to detect the direction of the bottle based on the air pressure in the passage.