JPH0436955B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] This invention automatically screws and fixes a screw-type lid attached to the top opening of a container without requiring any human intervention, and This invention relates to an opening/closing device for a container lid that can be returned and removed.

[Conventional technology]

If a container contains highly toxic ingredients or is inaccessible to humans, conventionally a remote-controlled magic hand is used to open and close the lid of the container.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The magic hand operation described above requires remote control by a human from an isolation room.
There was a problem that it required skilled manpower and could not be automated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device that fully automatically opens and closes the screw-on lid while the container is placed in a carrier for transporting the container, in order to solve the above problems. be.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention includes a means for rotating a container in the forward and reverse directions by gripping the container lid in the middle of a conveyance path for conveying a container having a screw-in lid attached to an opening at the upper end; In the container lid opening/closing device, which is provided with a frame body to which a moving means is attached, and a lifting means for raising and lowering the frame body as the lid is screwed back or screwed in, the conveyance system path holds a conveyance tool containing the container. The conveying device is composed of a moving frame that is conveyed to a predetermined position along a horizontal guide rail, and the conveying device is a combination of an annular part surrounding the outside of the container and an upwardly U-shaped frame that holds the bottom and both sides of the container, At the bottom of the stop position of the moving frame, there is a pair of fixed arms that can be opened and closed, and their driving means, which fix the container unrotatably by sandwiching both side surfaces of the container exposed on both sides of the frame of the carrier. A container fixing means is provided, and a bracket is provided above the fixing means to be raised and lowered by a drive means such as a feed screw.
A frame body pushed downward by a spring is provided, a vertical rotating shaft driven by a motor is provided at the bottom of this frame body, and a plurality of grips that can be opened and closed to grip the lid of the container are provided at the lower end of this rotating shaft. To provide a container lid opening/closing device provided with a holding claw and its driving means.

[Effect]

The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, in which a carrier housing a container with a lid screwed into the upper opening is moved along a horizontal guide rail by a moving frame, and the center of the container and the center of the lid rotation means are aligned. When this is detected by some detection means, the moving frame stops.

Under the condition that the moving frame has stopped as described above, the driving means of the container fixing means is activated, and the opened left and right container fixing arms rotate inward, and their upper ends directly touch both sides of the container exposed from the conveyor. grasp and hold.

Also, under the condition that the moving frame has stopped as shown above,
The feed screw starts rotating in the normal direction, lowers the bracket that is in the raised position, and stops when the gripping claw in the open/closed state of the rotating means has descended to the outside of the lid.

As described above, each fixing arm of the fixing means fixes the container, and under the condition that the gripping claws of the rotating means have descended to the outside of the lid, the driving means of the fixing means works, and each gripping claw rotates inward to cover the lid. grasp and hold.

The motor is activated under the condition that each claw grips the lid, rotates the vertical rotation shaft in the unscrewing direction, and rotates the lid in the unscrewed direction by the gripping claws that rotate together with this rotation shaft.

For this reason, the lid rises while rotating, and each gripping claw and elevating member rises while rotating together with the lid.
During this time, the bracket is at rest because these elements rise together with the frame while compressing the springs of the elevating means.

When the lid is completely removed from the container, the motor stops, the feed screw reverses, and the bracket is raised, so the lifting means and rotation means are raised while the lid is held by the gripping claws. The feed screw stops at a predetermined position and enters a standby state.

As described above, under the condition that the lid is removed from the container, the driving means acts to open the left and right fixed arms, and under that condition, the conveying tool containing the container without a lid is sent to the next process.

In addition, in the work of screwing a lid onto a container without a lid, the container without a lid is moved into the carrier and moved to the fixing means, and then the fixing arm fixes the container, and then the opening/closing means, which is waiting to grasp the lid, moves to the fixing means. It descends with the bracket, and when the lid reaches the top opening of the container, the rotating shaft begins to rotate in the screwing direction and screws the lid into the external thread around the opening of the container.During this time, the frame moves down with the lid, so the lid is screwed in smoothly. It will be done.

When the lid is screwed in sufficiently, the lid will no longer rotate and the resistance to rotation of the rotating shaft will increase rapidly, so this must be detected by some means, the motor stopped, and the drive means activated. Open each claw and raise the frame together with the bracket.

On the other hand, under the condition that the lid is completely screwed onto the container,
The driving means operates to open both fixed arms, and when the frame reaches its upper limit, the carrier is sent to the next process together with the container.

〔Example〕

In the embodiment shown in the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a pair of left and right lower frames fixed at a constant height on a floor surface (not shown), and a plurality of support columns 2 are further erected on both frames 1 to support both frames. A pair of left and right frames 3 are fixed to the upper end of the column 2, both ends of a support stand 4 are fixed to the lower frame 1, and the upper frame 3 is connected by a connecting member 5.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a horizontal guide rail with a U-shaped cross section fixed between one of the supports 2; 7 a moving frame movably attached to this guide rail 6;
A feed screw 8 parallel to the frame 7 is screwed together, and the screw 8 is rotated forward and backward by a motor (not shown), thereby moving the movable frame 7 forward and backward.

A pair of left and right arms 9 are fixed to the moving frame 7 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, and a notch 12 is provided on the upper side near the tip of the arm 9 to receive the left and right shafts 11 of the carrier 10. has been formed.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a container that is removably fitted into the carrier 10. Since the carrier 10 has an annular body with the upper end of an upwardly U-shaped frame fixed on both sides, both sides of the container 13 are exposed.

A is a container fixing means provided on the support base 4, which has a pair of container fixation arms 15 swingably attached to the support base 4 by a shaft 14, and rotates with these two fixation arms 15 to mutually It is composed of an air cylinder 19 that rotates an arm 18 that is fixed downward to a shaft 14 that rotates together with a sector gear 17 that meshes with one arm 15. When one fixed arm 15 is swung by this air cylinder 19, the sector gear 17, the other fixed arm also swings in the opposite direction. Furthermore, a rubber piece 20 is fixed to the upper end of each fixed arm 15 to prevent damage to the container 13.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a vertical guide rail fixed to the support base 4 and the upper frame 3 on the side opposite to the mounting portion of the guide rail 6. A rail 21 is provided on the lifting platform 22 that moves up and down along this guide rail 21.
The elevating table 22 is raised and lowered by screwing together a feed screw 23 parallel to the above, and rotating the screw 23 forward and backward using a motor (not shown).

A frame body 25 is attached to a bracket 24 fixed to the lifting platform 22 mentioned above. A pair of left and right vertical rods 26 are fixed to the upper part of this frame 25 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and these rods 26 are fitted into a pair of left and right guide tubes 27 provided on the bracket 24 so as to be able to rise and fall freely. A stopper 28 is fixed to the upper end of the rod 26 to prevent the rod 26 from falling off, and the bracket 24 and frame 25 are
A push spring 29 is attached to the rod 26 in between, and the lifting means B
Configure.

A motor 30 is fixed to the lower center of the frame 25,
A support member 32 fixed to the lower end of a vertical rotating shaft 31 driven by this motor 30 has a plurality of gripping claws 3.
3 is attached to the shaft 34 so that it can be opened and closed freely, and each claw 3
A rubber piece 35 is fixed to the inside of 3.

Reference numeral 36 in FIG. 6 denotes an elevating member attached to the outside of the shaft 31 so as to be able to rise and fall freely and to rotate together with the shaft 31. are connected by a plurality of links 37, and each gripping claw 33 is moved up and down by the member 36.
It is configured so that it opens and closes all at once.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a pair of left and right brackets fixed downwardly to one side of the lower part of the frame body 25, and at the lower ends of the brackets, both ends of a swinging frame 39 having a U-shaped planar shape as shown in FIG. Install. This swing frame 39
surrounds the outside of the rotating shaft 31 as shown in FIG. The rod 42 is rotatably connected.

A rotating body 43 coaxial with the rotating shaft 31 is fixed to the upper part of the lifting member 36 as shown in FIG. By engaging the roller 45, the cylinder 41
It constitutes a lid rotating means C that simultaneously opens and closes each pawl 33 by raising and lowering the piston rod 42.

Next, to explain the operation of the above embodiment, the conveyor 10 containing the container 13 with the lid 16 screwed into the upper end opening is placed on the arm 9 of the moving frame 7 and moved along the horizontal guide rail 6, and the container 13 is moved along the horizontal guide rail 6. When it is detected by some detection means that the center of the cover is aligned with the center of the lid rotation means C, the moving frame 7 stops.

Under the condition that the moving frame 7 is stopped as described above, the air cylinder 19 of the container fixing means A, which was open as shown in FIG. At 20, both sides of the container 13 exposed from the carrier 10 are directly grasped as shown by the chain lines in FIG.

Further, under the condition that the movable frame 7 is stopped as described above, the feed screw 23 shown in FIG. The feed screw 23 stops under the condition that it has descended to the outside of the lid 16.

As described above, under the condition that each fixing arm 15 of the fixing means A fixes the container 13 and the gripping claw 33 descends to the outside of the lid 16, the air cylinder 41 shown in FIG. 1 works and its piston rod 42 descends. Then, by rotating the swing frame 39 downward and lowering the elevating member 36 through the engagement of the roller 45 and the circumferential groove 44, each link 3
7, each gripping pawl 33 rotates inward to grip the lid 16 with the rubber piece 35 as shown by the chain line in FIG.

Under the condition that each claw 33 grips the lid 16, the motor 30
is activated, rotates the rotating shaft 31 in the unscrewing direction, and the claw 33 rotating together with the rotating shaft 31 rotates the lid 16 in the unscrewing direction.

Therefore, the lid 16 rises while rotating. Therefore, each of the gripping claws 33 and the elevating member 36 rises while rotating together with the lid 16, but since they rise together with the frame 25 while compressing the spring 29 of the elevating means B, the elevating table 22 does not stop during this time. ing.

Under the condition that the lid 16 is completely removed from the container 13 in this way, the motor 30 stops, and then the feed screw 23
is reversed and the lifting table 22 is raised together with the bracket 24, so the lifting means B and the rotating means C are also raised while the lid 16 is held by the claws 33, and the feed screw 23 is stopped at the position shown in FIG. 1 and is in a standby state. becomes.

As mentioned above, the lid 16 comes off from the container 13 and the first
When the position shown in the figure is reached, the air cylinder 19 acts to open the left and right fixed arms 15, and under that condition, the feed screw 8 starts rotating, and the conveyor 10 containing the container 13 without a lid is transferred to the next process. and send it off.

Further, the operation of screwing the lid 16 onto the lidless container 13 is performed after the lidless container 13 that has entered the carrier 10 and moved to the fixing means A section is fixed by the fixing arm 15 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening/closing means C, which is waiting while holding the lid 16, descends together with the lifting platform 22, and when the lid 16 reaches the upper opening of the container 13, the rotating shaft 31 rotates in the screwing direction. At first, the lid 16 is screwed onto the male thread on the outer periphery of the opening of the container 13, but during this time, the frame 25 is lowered together with the lid 16, so that the lid 16 is screwed in smoothly.

When the lid 16 is fully screwed in this way, the lid 1
6 stops rotating, and the resistance to the rotation of the rotating shaft 31 increases rapidly.This is detected by some means, the motor 30 is stopped, and then the cylinder 41 is activated to raise the piston rod 42. Each claw 33 is opened and the frame 25 is raised by the lifting table 22.

On the other hand, when the lid 16 is completely screwed into the container 13, the cylinder 19 works to open both fixed arms 15, and when the frame 25 reaches its upper limit, the feed screw 8 starts rotating and the conveyor 10 is moved into the container. 13 and sent to the next process.

The conditions and positions during the above-mentioned operation are confirmed by known means such as a limit switch, a non-contact switch, and a photoelectric detector.

〔effect〕

As described above, the container transported by an appropriate transport means is first fixed by the container fixing means to prevent it from rotating, and then the lid attached to the lower part of the frame lowered from above is rotated. Automatically performs the work of gripping and rotating the lid using means to rotate the lid in the loosening direction, or pressing the gripped lid against the opening of the container using a rotating means and rotating the lid in the screwing direction. However, since the frame body to which this rotating means is attached is attached to the bracket that moves up and down by the lifting means, and is pressed downward by the spring, the The frame moves up and down automatically. Therefore, the lid can be opened and closed extremely smoothly, making it ideal as an opening/closing device for large containers with screw-in lids.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a partially longitudinal front view of the opening/closing device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially longitudinal side view of the same as above, Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view of the lifting platform, etc., and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the rotating means. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional plan view of the moving frame, fixing means, etc., and FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional front view of the main parts of the rotating means. 6...Horizontal guide rail, 7...Moving frame, 10
...Conveyor, 13...Container, 15...Container fixing arm, 16...Lid, 24...Bracket, 25...
Frame body, 29...Press spring, 30...Motor, 31...
...Rotating shaft, 33... Gripping claw, A... Container fixing means, B... Lifting means, C... Lid rotation means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Lid rotation means for forward and reverse rotation by gripping the lid of the container midway through the conveyance path for conveying a container with a screw-in lid attached to the upper end opening, a frame body to which this rotation means is attached, and this frame body. In a container lid opening/closing device that is provided with a lifting means that raises and lowers the lid as the lid is unscrewed or screwed in, the transport system path holds a transport tool containing the container and transports the container to a predetermined position along a horizontal guide rail. The conveying device is composed of a moving frame that combines an annular part surrounding the outside of the container and an upwardly U-shaped frame that holds the bottom and both sides of the container, and a lower part of the stopping position of the moving frame is
Container fixing means is provided on both sides of the frame of the carrier, which consists of a pair of openable and closable fixing arms that fix the container unrotatably by sandwiching the exposed side surfaces of the container, and a driving means for the fixing arms. A bracket is provided above that is raised and lowered by a drive means such as a feed screw.
This bracket has a frame that moves up and down within a certain range and is pushed downward by a spring.A vertical rotating shaft driven by a motor is installed at the bottom of this frame, and the lower end of this rotating shaft is An opening/closing device for a container lid is provided with a plurality of gripping claws that can be opened and closed to grip the lid of the container, and a drive means for the gripping claws.