JPH11292028A5 - - Google Patents

Description

[0004]
[Problem to be solved by the invention]
However, manual sealing of lidded containers 1 not only results in poor work efficiency due to differences in work ability between workers, but also in variations in the position and length of application of the adhesive tapes 2, 2, which results in a poor appearance of the sealed lidded container 1. This poor appearance is particularly noticeable in the case of a lidded container 1 that is sealed not only on one side but on both sides with a pair of adhesive tapes 2, 2, as shown in Figure 35 .
In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been devised to improve work efficiency and shorten work time by automatically applying adhesive tape, and to improve the appearance of the object to which the adhesive tape is applied by optimizing the position and length of the adhesive tape.

The upper portions of the first and second arm members 11a and 11b are connected and fixed to the ends of the piston rods 18a and 18a constituting each of the horizontal movement actuators 10 and 10 opposite the pistons. Each of the arm members 11a and 11b comprises a base portion 31, support plate portions 32a and 32b connected and fixed to the upper portion of the base portion 31 at right angles to the base portion 31, and a suction portion 33, guide rollers 34 and 34 serving as guide portions, a spreading portion 35, and a cutting device 36, all of which are provided below the base portion 31. The support plate portions 32a and 32b are connected and fixed to the ends of the piston rods 18a and 18a constituting each of the horizontal movement actuators 10 and 10. Of the arm members 11a and 11b, the first arm member 11a is configured as shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Compared to the first arm member 11a configured as described above, the second arm member 11b has the suction portion 33 protruding laterally from the base portion 31 on a side different from that of the first arm member 11a. When the arm members 11a and 11b are assembled, the spreading portions 35, 35 face each other, and these spreading portions 35, 35 allow the adhesive tape 13 to be spread onto the side of the lidded container 1 placed between the arm members 11a and 11b. A notch that is long in the height direction is provided in the middle of the support plate portion 32b that constitutes the second arm member 11b, and the plate portion 19 is loosely inserted into this notch, and the end of the piston rod 18a that constitutes the horizontal movement actuator 10 is connected and fixed to a part of this support plate portion 32b.

26 and 27, the arm members 11a, 11b are moved horizontally a predetermined length in a direction approaching the side surface of the lidded container 1, and the side ends of the spreading portions 35, 35 provided on the arm members 11a, 11b are brought into contact with the side surface of the lidded container 1. Accordingly, the adhesive tapes 13, 13 attached to the upper surface of the lidded container 1 are spread against the side surface of the lidded container 1 by the spreading portions 35, 35. Then, in this state, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, by operating a cutting solenoid valve (not shown) connected to the cutting devices 36 , 36, the adhesive tapes 13, 13 are cut between the suction portion 33 and the side surface of the lidded container 1. Therefore, the adhesive tapes 13, 13 are stuck in a stretched state across the upper surface of the lid 4 of the lidded container 1 and the side surface of the container 3.

Then, as shown in Figure 30, the horizontal movement actuators 10, 10 are operated to horizontally move the arm members 11a, 11b in a direction away from the lidded container 1. The controller also operates the presser member holding chuck 42, causing the holding plate portion 27 provided on the presser member 12 to be held by the holding portion of the presser member holding chuck 42. In this state, as shown in Figure 31, the lifting actuator 8 is operated to lift the lifting member 9, whereby the lifting member 9 can be lifted without the presser member 12 protruding downward from between the arm members 11a, 11b. Then, as shown in Figure 32, when the lifting member 9 reaches its uppermost position, the presser member holding chuck 42 is released from its hold, causing the presser member 12 to protrude downward from between the arm members 11a, 11b. Then, by driving the conveyor 6, the lidded container 1 with the adhesive tape attached is sent to the next process, and a new lidded container 1 to which adhesive tape is to be attached is sent directly below the presser member 12, and the above-mentioned process is repeated. In this way, by the presser member holding chuck 42 holding the presser member 12, the time until the conveyor 6 starts to drive can be shortened.

A horizontally protruding shaft 50a is provided on a portion of the upper block 47, and a large-diameter roller 51 is rotatably supported around this shaft 50a. A horizontally protruding shaft 50b is provided on a portion of the displacement member 48 below the shaft 50a, and a small-diameter roller 52 is rotatably supported around this shaft 50b. An annular coil 14a, around which the adhesive tape 13 is wound, is supported with its inner peripheral surface stretched across the outer peripheral surfaces of the large-diameter roller 51 and the small-diameter roller 52. The outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers 51 and 52 are pressed against the inner peripheral surface of this coil 14a by the elastic force of the pair of coil springs 49. Therefore, in this example, coils of various inner diameters can be supported with their inner peripheral surfaces stretched across the large-diameter roller 51 and the small-diameter roller 52, depending on the elastic force of the coil spring 49. As a result, with the structure of this example, coils having various inner diameters within a certain range can be used without being limited to coils with a fixed inner diameter, thereby improving the practicality of the tape application device of the present invention.

Next, with the adhesive tape 13 thus pulled out a predetermined length and in a slack state, air is sent into the air cylinder 61 constituting the second actuator 60, causing the piston rod 64 to descend and the suction portion 33 provided on the support bracket 63 to descend relative to the arm members 44. At this time, the distance between the coil 14a and the suction portion 33 increases, and the adhesive tape 13 tends to be pulled out from the coil 14a, but because the adhesive tape 13 has been pulled out a predetermined length in advance and is in a slack state, the adhesive tape 13 will not be pulled out from the coil 14a. Furthermore, with the suction portion 33 lowered relative to the arm members 44, the air cylinder 61 is allowed to freely discharge air.

Next, the lifting member 9 is lowered by the lifting actuator 8 (see Figures 1 to 4, etc.), and the lowering of the lifting member 9 is stopped when the lower surface of the suction portion 33 presses against the upper surface of the lidded container 1 (see Figures 1 to 3, etc.). If the pressing force of the lower surface of the suction portion 33 is too great, air is discharged from the air cylinder 61 , slightly shortening the distance between the suction portion 33 and each arm member 44, preventing the lower surface of the suction portion 33 from pressing too hard against the lidded container 1. In other words, the air cylinder 61 functions as a shock absorber. Then, the lower surface of the suction portion 33 presses against a portion of the upper surface of the lidded container 1, adhering a portion of the adhesive tape 13 to that portion. Then, the arm members 44 are moved horizontally relative to the lifting member 9, stretching the adhesive tape 13 horizontally between the upper surface of the lidded container 1 and the suction portion 33.