JPH08192814A - Fitting device of overcap - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a device by which an overcap can be securely and continuously fitted to the upper end face of the can. CONSTITUTION: A feed chute 9 supplying overcaps in a certain direction to be fitted to the upper end of a can 1 is provided at a specified position of the upper side of a can-transfer mechanism 22 conveying erected cans 1 at every distance. A cap holder 25 keeping the front side edge in the advancing direction of the overcaps so as to project it to a little lower side than the upper end height of the can, is provided at the front end of the supply chute 9. A pusher 33 positioned at nearly the same level with the upper end of the can to push the overcap 2 to the upper face of can by the action in the same direction with the can-transfer mechanism 22 is disposed at the forward side in the transfer direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for attaching an overcap to the upper end of various canned goods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, some canned soft drinks, powdered milk, fruits and the like have an upper end portion covered with a synthetic resin overcap. The overcap is not used to seal the can, but is attached to prevent scratches and stains on the upper surface of the opening, and is made of synthetic resin or the like. Since this overcap is usually lightweight, thin-walled, and highly flexible, it is difficult to automate the mounting process on the can, and conventionally, it has been done manually.

[0003]

However, since the above-mentioned mounting work is an extremely simple repetitive work, if this is done manually, the burden on the operator is increased and high-speed work is not limited to this. There is a problem in that it is not possible to do so, and work mistakes easily occur. In addition, mechanization is strongly desired from the demand for cost reduction.

However, since this type of overcap is thin and flexible as described above, when the can is quickly and directly covered with a mechanical drive, the space between the upper surface of the can and the inside of the overcap can be increased. Takes in air to. Therefore, even if it is forcibly put on, the internal pressure becomes high, and while the mounting load is acting, the overcap keeps the posture in which it is put on the upper end of the can, but the mounting load is removed. After that, the overcap often comes off due to internal pressure, and it is difficult to reliably and continuously attach the overcap to the upper end of the can by mechanical driving.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an overcap attaching device capable of reliably and continuously attaching an overcap to a can.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a can of a can in an upright state at a predetermined position on an upper side of a can carrying mechanism for carrying a can at a constant interval. A supply chute for supplying the overcap to be attached to the upper end in a certain direction is provided, and the front edge of the overcap in the traveling direction is projected slightly below the height of the upper end of the can. A cap holding member for holding the state is provided at the tip of the supply chute, and further forward of the cap holding member in the carrying direction of the can carrying means, at a height substantially equal to the upper end of the can and at the can. A pressing member that operates in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying means and presses the overcap against the upper surface of the can is arranged.

[0007]

According to the present invention, first, the overcap is fed to the cap holding member at the tip of the overcap via the supply chute, and the front edge of the overcap passes through the upper end of the can. It is temporarily held in a state in which it projects slightly below the line, that is, in an inclined state. On the other hand, the cans are sequentially conveyed in a state of being erected and having a certain interval. Therefore, when these cans pass below the cap holding member, the front edge of the upper end of the can in the traveling direction comes into contact with a part of the lower surface of the overcap, and the overcap becomes the upper end of the can. Get caught in the department. Therefore, by further advancing, the overcap is taken out from the cap holding member and is covered on the upper end portion of the can. In this state, the can and the overcap are still conveyed in the predetermined direction, and eventually pass under the pressing member. At that time, the overcap is gradually pushed from the front edge side to the rear side with respect to the traveling direction, so that the air between the upper surface of the can and the lower surface of the overcap is smoothly discharged, and therefore the overcap is Fits tightly into the top of the can.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. The embodiment described below is an example for a cylindrical can, FIG. 1 schematically shows the whole process, and FIG. 2 is a view showing an overcap.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the overcap is attached to the can. Overcap 2 attached to can 1
Is made of a synthetic resin having a disc shape with a shallow edge as shown in FIG. The overcap 2 is attached to the supply table 3 with the opening surface facing downward, for example, 30
It is stacked about a sheet.

The supply table 3 has a disk-shaped main body 5
And the cap guides 6 provided at six locations on the main body 5 at equal intervals. The main body 5 is intermittently rotated with 60 degrees as one latch by driving a shaft or a belt, and the cap guide 6 is indexed to a predetermined position. In addition, the cap guide 6 has a main body 5
Overcap 2 that penetrates through the thickness direction and is the target
Is formed by a plurality of guides 8 extending upward from the edge of the hole 7 having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the guide 8.
Inside, a large number of stacked overcaps 2 are stored.
It is designed to hold.

Although not shown, this cap guide 8
The inner peripheral portion of the hole 7 is provided with a plurality of claw-shaped small protrusions protruding toward the center side thereof and having appropriate flexibility, and the overcap 2 at the lowermost stage is locked to this. Thus, a large number of overcaps 2 can be held without dropping, and the lowermost overcap 2 can be removed.

Below the supply table 3 at a predetermined distance, an inclined chute 9 for holding the overcaps 2 in a row is installed. The inclined chute 9 is formed by a flat plate-shaped slide portion 10 inclined at a predetermined angle and guides 11 provided on both left and right sides of the overcap 2 for holding the overcap 2 in an aligned state. One of the two guides 11 (the back side in FIG. 1) has a mold changing guide 1 for adjusting the width of the slide portion 10 in accordance with the outer diameter of the target overcap 2.
2 is provided. In the mold changing guide 12, a backing plate arranged in parallel with both guides 11 by a guide rod 13 inserted in a guide 11 on one side is slid on the surface of the slide portion 10 to the side of the guide 11 facing the guide plate. It is configured to move. The operation range of the mold changing guide 12 is set to a range that does not impede the functions of members attached to the tilt chute 9 such as the vacuum pad 14 and the cap stopper 15 which will be described later.

A vacuum pad 14 is provided below the inclined chute 9. This vacuum pad 14
Is a suction pad portion 16 that swings freely on the lower surface of the overcap 2 is attached to an actuator 17 such as an air cylinder that moves up and down, and the operation timing is determined by a cap supply level sensor 4 described later. . That is, the hole 18 formed in the inclined chute 9
The suction pad portion 16 is configured to be vertically moved by passing through the inside. In addition, this vacuum pad 14
For example, the overcap 2 is sucked by the negative pressure of a suction means such as a blower. An air ejection nozzle 19 is provided behind the position of the hole 18 for the vacuum pad 14 on the inclined chute 9. This is for blowing air to the rear end surface of the overcap 2 and sliding down the overcap 2 by the pressure.

A sequencer (not shown) is provided for counting up by "1" each time the vacuum pad 14 operates, and the count value is set to a predetermined value (here, "30"). Then, the supply table 3 is rotated by one latch. Further, the vacuum pad 1 on the inclined chute 9
A cap supply level sensor 4 is provided on the lower end side slightly above 4. This cap supply level sensor 4
Is composed of a hole (not shown) formed in the slide portion 10 for passing a light beam, and a light projector 20 and a light receiver 21 which are arranged so as to face each other with the hole interposed therebetween.

A cap shortage sensor (not shown) is provided at the lower end side of the cap supply level sensor 4 in the inclined chute 9. This is composed of a beam light passage hole formed in the inclined chute 9 and a light emitter and a light receiver which are vertically opposed to each other so as to sandwich the hole. Then, when light is passed between the projector and the receiver for a predetermined time, the patrol light blinks and an alarm buzzer (both not shown) sounds, and further, the TT conveyor 22 and the star wheel 29, which will be described later, cause the can 1 to move. The transportation is temporarily stopped.

Further, a cap stopper 15 for stopping the downward movement (advancement) of the overcap 2 is provided on the lower portion (rear surface side) on the tip side of the inclined chute 9. The cap stopper 15 includes a pin 24 attached to an actuator 23 such as an air cylinder that reciprocates in the vertical direction. Then, the pin 24 passes through the hole 38 formed in the inclined chute 9 and protrudes upward from there. In addition, the timing sensor 30 installed at a position described later allows the operation timing to be set.

Further, the tip portion (lower end portion) of the inclined chute 9
Is provided with a free roll 25 for temporarily holding the overcap 2 on standby. That is, a pair of plate-like brackets 26 projecting upward from and facing each of the guides 11 at the tip of the inclined chute 9 are provided.
Is attached, and its bracket 26 is
A rod 39 is hung around. And this rod 3
A pair of opposing arm end portions 27 are rotatably and detachably attached to the arm 9, and a roller 28 is rotatably held at the tip end portion of the arm portion 27. . The lower surface of the roller 28 is located below the lower edge of the inclined chute 9 and below the passage line of the upper end surface of the can 1. The overcap 2 is sandwiched and held by the edge portion. In this way, in this free roll 25, by exchanging the roller 28 together with the arm portion 27, the distance from the end surface of the inclined chute 9 to the roller 28, the height of the roller 28 itself, etc. can be freely adjusted. The size of the overcap 2 can be changed.

Below the free roll 25, a TT (table top) conveyor 22 is arranged at a predetermined interval. The TT conveyor 22 is a means for conveying the can 1 itself and the overcap 2 put on the can 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. A star wheel 29, which functions as a gap aligning unit, is arranged on the side portion of the TT conveyor 22 upstream of the position where the free roll 25 is provided. This star wheel 2
Denoted at 9 is a recess having an arcuate cross section into which a part of the outer circumference of the can 1 is fitted, and is formed at a constant interval on the outer circumference, and is arranged rotatably about its central axis.

A timing sensor 30 for the cap stopper 15 is provided downstream of the position where the free roll 25 is provided on the TT conveyor 22. The timing sensor 30 is a photoelectric sensor in which a light projector 31 and a light receiver 32 are arranged on both sides of the TT conveyor 22. And the projector 31
When the light receiver 32 and the light receiver 32 are shielded from light by the can 1, the cap stopper 15 moves the pin 24 up and down by one stroke.

Further, at a position downstream of the position where the free roll 25 is provided on the TT conveyor 22, an overcap 2 covering the upper end surface of the can 1 is provided.
The cap pressing means 33 is provided for pressing from above. The cap pressing means 33 is rotated by a chain branched from the drive source of the TT conveyor 22, and is installed at a position slightly higher than the pass line on the upper end surface of the can 1 and slightly more than that. It is composed of a driven pulley 35 which is installed high, and a cloth belt 36 which is wound around these pulleys. Further, between the drive pulley 34 and the driven pulley 35, a guide member 37 for preventing the cloth belt 36 from being pushed up.
Is provided. Also, this cap pressing means 33
Operates in the feeding direction of the can 1, and its traveling speed is TT.
It is set to a speed slightly slower than the feeding speed of the conveyor 22.

Although not shown in particular, the cap pressing means 33 can change the entire height by adjusting the handle, for example. Although not shown, a star wheel for adjusting the space between the cans is provided between the cap pressing means 33 and the timing sensor 30 and on the side of the TT conveyor 22. This star wheel is the TT conveyor 22
A photoelectric sensor (not shown) in which a light projector and a light receiver are opposed to each other with a light source sandwiched therebetween is used to control the timing of the rotation.

Further, the presence or absence of the overcap 2 at the upper end of the can 1 and the floating of the overcap 2 and the like are detected on the downstream side of the TT conveyor 22 with respect to the place where the cap pressing means 33 is provided. A defective can detection / exclusion device (not shown) is provided for sorting. This is because a defective can is detected by a photoelectric sensor and a lever type limit switch provided so as to straddle the TT conveyor 22, and the can is forced out of the TT conveyor 22 to the side by a cylinder or the like. There is.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, a plurality of overcaps 2 stacked in the cap guide 6 of the supply table 3
Are taken out one by one from the bottom by the vacuum pad 14 to the slide portion 10. More specifically, the lower surface of the overcap 2 is sucked by the swingable suction pad portion 16, and the suction pad portion 16 is pulled down by the actuator 17 in that state. Then, only the lowermost overcap 2 is taken out from the cap guide 8. Furthermore, the suction force is cut off when the suction pad portion 16 descends near the surface of the slide portion 10 of the inclined chute 9. Then, the overcap 2 is released from the suction pad portion 16, and the suction pad portion 16 is further lowered, so that the overcap 2 is left on the inclined chute 9. In this way, since the suction pad portion 16 having high flexibility comes into contact with the overcap 2, the thin and lightweight overcap 2 can be taken out quickly without being damaged. Then, the taking-out operation by the vacuum pad 14 is continued until the light beam from the light projector 20 of the cap supply level sensor 4 to the light receiver 21 is blocked.

The overcap 2 placed on the slide portion 10 of the tilted chute 9 is blown with air behind it by the air jet nozzle 19, and is propelled by this to slide down the tilted chute 9 toward the free roll 25. And the top overcap 2 among them
Lowered the front edge with respect to the rear edge,
That is, it is held between the inclined chute 9 and the free roll 25 in an inclined posture. In this case, the front edge portion of the overcap 2 projects slightly below the pass line of the upper end portion of the conveyed can 1, so that when the can 1 passes therethrough, the overcap 2 must be Engage.

On the other hand, the overcap 2 sent to the inclined chute 9 secondly has the front edge portion of the outer peripheral portion or the rear edge portion of the inner peripheral portion thereof by the pin 24 of the cap stopper 15 protruding from the slide portion 10. It is locked and locked in its position. Further, by stopping the descending of the second overcap 2 in this manner, a plurality of succeeding overcaps 2 are aligned on the inclined chute 9 with their edges being in close contact with each other. This is because the rear of the overcap 2 is blown to the air by the air jet nozzle 19 described above.

On the other hand, the can 1 is continuously conveyed toward the free roll 25 side by the TT conveyor 22 in an upright state. Then, the cans 1 are adjusted to have a constant interval by passing through the star wheel 29. When the leading can 1 passes below the free roll 25, it engages the overcap 2 as described above. More specifically, the front edge of the upper end of the can 1 in the transport direction is hooked on the lower end of the overcap 2. As a result, while the roller 28 rotates, the overcap 2 is pulled out from the overcap 2 and is placed in a state of being hooked on the front edge of the upper end surface of the can 1. That is, the overcap 2 is held in a state of being inclined toward the front edge of the can 1. At this point, the overcap 2 is not completely attached to the upper surface of the can 1, but the overcap 2 is simply placed on the upper end surface of the can 1.

The can 1 and the overcap 2 are conveyed as they are by the TT conveyor 22 and pass through the timing sensor 30. Then, the cap stopper 15 that stops the second overcap 2 operates. That is, the pins 24 are once lowered by the actuator 23, and the group of overcaps 2 slide down the inclined chute 9 during this time. In particular, the top (second) overcap 2 slides down to the roller 28 by its own weight and is held there. Then, the pin 24 is again inserted into the hole 38.
A group of overcaps 2 by projecting upward from the
The first one of the overcaps 2, that is, the third overcap 2 is locked by the pin 24 at the front edge portion of the outer peripheral portion or the rear edge portion of the inner peripheral portion, so The descent is stopped.

On the other hand, the can 1 on which the above-mentioned overcap 2 is placed passes through the timing sensor 30 and, after the transport interval is adjusted again via the star wheel, passes below the cap pressing means 33. To do. In that case, as described above, the feed speed of the cloth belt 36 is slower than the forward speed of the can, and since the cloth belt 36 is arranged with the entrance side of the can 1 slightly higher, the overcap 2 is The cloth belt 36 is gradually pressed from the front edge side to the rear edge side in the transport direction and is attached to the can 1 while being slightly displaced as a whole on the opposite side in the transport direction. Therefore, air between the lower surface of the can 1 and the upper end surface of the can 1 is smoothly removed, and thus the overcap 2 is tightly fitted in the winding tightening portion of the upper end of the can 1.

In this way, the can 1 with the overcap 1 completely attached is further transported, but by any chance,
The can 1 whose overcap 2 has fallen off,
Alternatively, a so-called defective can such that the overcap 2 is mounted in a state of being lifted from the upper edge of the can 1 is immediately removed from the conveyor by the defective can detection / exclusion device. After that, the same attachment of the overcap 2 to the can 1 as described above is continued. Then, when the sequencer counts a preset number, that is, “30”, the supply table 3 automatically rotates by one latch, and the adjacent cap guide 6 filled with the overcap 2 is on the extension line of the vacuum pad 14. Is indexed to. During this time, the operator also replenishes the empty cap guide 6 with 30 overcaps 2.

As described above, in the apparatus described above, the series of mounting steps can be performed while discharging the air between the upper surface of the can 1 and the lower surface of the overcap 2, so that the overcap 2 can be efficiently installed. It can be attached to the upper end surface of the can 1. In addition, the tilt chute 9 has a mold changing guide 1
2 is provided and the height of the cap pressing means 33 can be adjusted. Therefore, even if the height and the outer diameter of the target can 1 are changed, the corresponding overcap 2 can be provided similarly. It can be installed efficiently.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the overcap is held upright with the front edge of the overcap in the direction of travel thereof protruding slightly below the height of the upper end of the can. A thin and flexible overcap, because the cans are transported at regular intervals, the upper end of the cans is covered with an overcap, and in that state the overcap is gradually pressed from the front side in the direction of travel. However, since it can be surely attached to the can and the attaching work can be continuously performed, it is possible to significantly improve the work efficiency as compared with the conventional manual work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an overcap.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a free roll and a cap pressing means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Can 2 Overcap 9 Inclined Chute 22 TT Conveyor 25 Free Roll 29 Star Wheel 33 Cap Pressing Means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A supply chute for supplying an overcap to be attached to an upper end portion of the can in a predetermined direction, at a predetermined position on an upper side of a can conveying mechanism that conveys the cans in an upright state at regular intervals. At the same time, a cap holding member for holding the front edge of the overcap in the traveling direction in a state of protruding slightly below the height of the upper end of the can is provided at the tip of the supply chute. Further, to the front side of the cap holding member in the carrying direction of the can carrying means, the can is operated at a height substantially equal to the upper end of the can and in the same direction as the carrying direction of the can carrying means to move the overcap. An overcap attachment device, wherein a pressing member for pressing the upper surface is arranged.