U.S. patent application number 11/181437 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-19 for contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus and a vessel for use with the apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOYO JIDOKI CO., LTD. Invention is credited to Hachiro Kawamura.
Application Number | 20060010834 11/181437 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35064810 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060010834 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kawamura; Hachiro |
January 19, 2006 |
Contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus and a vessel for use
with the apparatus
Abstract
A contents-filling apparatus for use in a bag packaging machine.
The apparatus comprises a reversing device including a rotating
device for rotating intermittently a main rotating member around an
axis thereof in one direction and for stopping the rotating member
at a first and a second positions, and a pair of gripping members
attached to the rotating device and being capable of gripping and
releasing said vessel. The gripping members are designed to stop at
a gripping stop position where said gripping members can grip a
vessel in an upright state when said main rotating member stops at
the first stop position, and stop at a reversal stop position where
said vessel is held in a nearly inverted state when said main
rotating member stops at the second positions. The apparatus
further comprises a reversal stop position regulating device for
regulating said reversal stop position, an empty vessel
carrying-out device provided at an empty vessel discharging
position on the way along which said gripping members returns from
said reversal stop position to said gripping stop position, said
empty vessel carrying-out device receiving an empty vessel and
transferring it to downstream process; and a gripping member
opening/closing apparatus for making said gripping members close to
grip a vessel and for making said gripping members opens, thereby
discharging the empty vessel towards an empty vessel carrying-out
device.
Inventors: |
Kawamura; Hachiro;
(Yamaquchi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Thomas M. Galgano;GALGANO & BURKE, LLP
Suite 135
300 Rabro Drive
Hauppauge
NY
11788
US
|
Assignee: |
TOYO JIDOKI CO., LTD
|
Family ID: |
35064810 |
Appl. No.: |
11/181437 |
Filed: |
July 14, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/244 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 1/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
053/244 |
International
Class: |
B65B 5/10 20060101
B65B005/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 15, 2004 |
JP |
2004-208360 |
Claims
1. Contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus for reversing a
contents-filling vessel accommodating contents to be filled from a
upright state to a nearly inverted state, thereby dropping downward
and filling the contents into a packaging container disposed
underneath, said apparatus comprising: a reversing device including
a rotating device equipped with a main rotating member rotatable
around an axis thereof, said rotating device rotating
intermittently the main rotating member in one direction and
stopping the main rotating member at a first and a second
positions, and a pair of gripping members attached to the rotating
device and being capable of approaching to and separating away from
each other to grip and to release said vessel, said gripping
members being designed to stop at a gripping stop position where
said gripping members can grip a vessel supplied in said upright
state when said main rotating member stops at the first stop
position, and to stop at a reversal stop position where said vessel
is held in said nearly inverted state when said main rotating
member stops at the second position; a reversal stop position
regulating device for regulating said reversal stop position of
said gripping members; an empty vessel carrying-out device provided
at an empty vessel discharging position on the way along which said
gripping members return from said reversal stop position to said
gripping stop position, said empty vessel carrying-out device
receiving an empty vessel from which the contents to be filled have
been ejected and transferring it to downstream process; and a
gripping member opening/closing apparatus for making said gripping
members close to grip a vessel at said gripping stop position and
for making said gripping members open at said empty vessel
discharging position, thereby discharging the empty vessel towards
said empty vessel carrying-out device.
2. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
1, wherein said main rotating member comprises a main rotating
shaft rotating intermittently in one direction every 180 degrees,
wherein said rotating device further comprises a supporting shaft
supported by said main rotating shaft in parallel to said main
rotating shaft in an axial direction, and designed to be
reciprocally rotatable around an axis thereof between an initial
position and a rotated position, wherein said contents-filling
vessel reversing apparatus further comprises a supporting shaft
rotating device for rotating said supporting shaft, and wherein
said reversing stop position regulating device regulates said
rotated position of said supporting shaft, and said pair of
gripping members are mounted on one end of said supporting
shaft.
3. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
2, wherein said supporting shaft is formed to be hollow to have a
through hole, wherein said gripping member opening/closing device
comprises a sliding shaft inserted through said through hole of
said supporting shaft and being movable in an axial direction
thereof, said sliding shaft being connected at one end thereof to
said gripping members, and wherein said gripping members are opened
and closed interlockingly with the axial direction movement of said
sliding shaft.
4. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
2, wherein said supporting shaft rotating device is equipped with a
grooved cam securely positioned with an axis thereof coinciding
with the axis of said main rotating shaft, a lever fixed to the
other end of said supporting shaft and a cam roller mounted on the
lever so as to roll in and move along a groove formed in said
grooved cam, wherein, in a predetermined range in said groove
extending in the opposite directions from a position corresponding
to said rotated position, at least a radius of curvature of an
inner wall of said groove is made shorter than a radius of
curvature of the the inner wall in a rest range in the groove so
that a width of the groove in said predetermined range is larger
than a width of the groove in the rest range, and wherein said
reversal stop regulating device is provided with a positioning
stopper which abuts against said lever to position the lever at
said reversal stop position, and a stopper position regulating
device for regulating the position of the stopper.
5. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
3, wherein said supporting shaft rotating device is equipped with a
grooved cam securely positioned with an axis thereof coinciding
with the axis of said main rotating shaft, a lever fixed to the
other end of said supporting shaft and a cam roller mounted on the
lever so as to roll in and move along a groove formed in said
grooved cam, wherein, in a predetermined range in said groove
extending in the opposite directions from a position corresponding
to said rotated position, at least a radius of curvature of an
inner wall of said groove is made shorter than a radius of
curvature of the inner wall in a rest range in the groove so that a
width of the groove in said predetermined range is larger than a
width of the groove in the rest range, and wherein said reversal
stop regulating device is provided with a positioning stopper which
abuts against said lever to position the lever at said reversal
stop position, and a stopper position regulating device for
regulating the position of the stopper.
6. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
2, wherein two said supporting shafts are provided symmetrically
with respect to the axis of said main rotating shaft, and each of
said supporting shafts is provided with said pair of gripping
members.
7. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
3, wherein two said supporting shafts are provided symmetrically
with respect to the axis of said main rotating shaft, and each of
said supporting shafts is provided with said pair of gripping
members.
8. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according claim 1,
wherein said gripping members grip said vessel on a outer
circumference thereof, wherein a thin strip projection or a groove
is formed on the outer circumference of the vessel to extend over
the entire circumference of said vessel, and a groove or a thin
strip projection which engages with the thin strip projection or
the groove on said vessel is formed on a surface of each of said
gripping members opposing to said vessel.
9. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to claim
2, wherein said gripping members grip said vessel on a outer
circumference thereof, wherein a thin strip projection or a groove
is formed on the outer circumference of the vessel to extend over
the entire circumference of said vessel, and a groove or a thin
strip projection which engages with the thin strip projection or
the groove on said vessel is formed on a surface of each of said
gripping members opposing to said vessel.
10. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 3, wherein said gripping members grip said vessel on a outer
circumference thereof, wherein a thin strip projection or a groove
is formed on the outer circumference of the vessel to extend over
the entire circumference of said vessel, and a groove or a thin
strip projection which engages with the thin strip projection or
the groove on said vessel is formed on a surface of each of said
gripping members opposing to said vessel.
11. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 8, wherein said thin strip projection are nearly semicircular
or trapezoidal in section.
12. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 9, wherein said thin strip projection are nearly semicircular
or trapezoidal in section.
13. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 10, wherein said thin strip projection are nearly
semicircular or trapezoidal in section.
14. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 8, wherein said groove is formed on said vessel and said thin
strip projection is formed on said gripping members.
15. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 9, wherein said groove is formed on said vessel and said thin
strip projection is formed on said gripping members.
16. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 10, wherein said groove is formed on said vessel and said
thin strip projection is formed on said gripping members.
17. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 1, wherein the rotational speed of said main rotating member
changes with at least two steps, and wherein a low-speed is
employed in a first movement duration when said gripping members
move from said reversal stop position to said vessel discharging
position, and a speed higher than that of the first movement
duration is employed in a second movement duration when said
gripping members move to said gripping stop position
thereafter.
18. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 2, wherein the rotational speed of said main rotating member
changes with at least two steps, and wherein a low-speed is
employed in a first movement duration when said gripping members
move from said reversal stop position to said vessel discharging
position, and a speed higher than that of the first movement
duration is employed in a second movement duration when said
gripping members move to said gripping stop position
thereafter.
19. A contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to
claim 3, wherein the rotational speed of said main rotating member
changes with at least two steps, and wherein a low-speed is
employed in a first movement duration when said gripping members
move from said reversal stop position to said vessel discharging
position, and a speed higher than that of the first movement
duration is employed in a second movement duration when said
gripping members move to said gripping stop position
thereafter.
20. A vessel for use with a contents-filling vessel reversing
apparatus for reversing a vessel accommodating contents to be
filled from a upright state to a nearly inverted state, thereby
dropping the contents in the vessel downward and filling the
contents in a packaging container disposed underneath, said vessel
being provided with a groove or a thin strip projection formed on a
outer circumference thereof to extend over the entire circumference
of the vessel.
21. A vessel according to claim 20, wherein said groove or thin
strip projection is nearly semicircular or trapezoidal in
section.
22. A vessel according to claim 20, wherein said groove extending
over the entire circumference is formed on the outer circumference
of said vessel.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a contents-filling vessel
reversing apparatus for use in a bag packaging machine, namely an
apparatus for reversing a vessel accommodating contents to be
filled into a container such as, for example, a packaging bag. More
specifically, the present invention relates to a contents-filling
vessel reversing apparatus for reversing a vessel accommodating
contents to be filled into a container from a upright state to an
inverted state, thereby dropping downward and filling the contents
into a packaging container disposed underneath, when foods or the
like are packaged in the packaging container. The present invention
also relates to a contents-filling vessel for accommodating
contents to be filled into a packaging container which vessel are
suitable for use with the contents-filling vessel reversing
apparatus.
[0003] 2. Prior Art
[0004] In automatic packaging of foods and the like, filling of
contents to be filled is usually carried out in such manner that
vessels each accommodating a predetermined amount of contents such
as foods or the like to be filled into a packaging container are
supplied successively, this vessel is griped by such as, for
example, a pair of gripping members which are capable of
approaching to and separating away from each other, then the vessel
is reversed from an upright state to a reversed state by rotating
these gripping members in a vertical plane around a predetermined
axis to drop the contents in the vessel into a packaging container
disposed underneath. An example of the reversing apparatus of this
type is described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model
Publication No. H 7-20007.
[0005] With a reversing apparatus described in this publication, a
vessel is held by gripping members provided at one end of an
rotating arm and the vessel is reversed from an upright state to an
inversed state by rotating the arm by approximately 180 degrees,
and the vessel still in a being accelerated state is released at
this reversed position. The vessel is then hit and stopped by such
as a stopper plate or the like to discharge the contents contained
in the vessel downwardly. Therefore, a big impact noise is
generated at hitting, thereby resulting in one of causes
responsible for deteriorated working environments. Further, the
vessel may be chipped in part when hitting on the stopper, which
may poses a problem that fragments generated are mixed into the
packaging container (vessels made of resin are used in many
cases).
[0006] Next, according to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2929476,
a cushion member made of, for example, rubber or the like is
provided at the stopper portion. Although the impact noise is
reduced to a certain extent, this attempt is still not deemed
satisfactory. Due to repeated hitting, the rubber as the cushion
member as well as the vessel are worn and in some cases, fragments
are mixed into the contents to be filled. Besides, in the case
viscosity of the contents is relatively high, discharging of the
contents from the vessel may become imperfect due to the cushioning
action of the cushion member.
[0007] According to Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 2539246,
when an arm stops at the position rotated by 180 degrees, contents
in the vessel are discharged downwardly due to inertia force. The
vessel is then released to drop downward, and stopped by hitting a
stopper plate. Although, compared with the above-mentioned two
examples, the problems associated with the impact is relaxed, this
proposal does not present a perfect solution. If the reversing
speed is increased in an attempt to improve the processing
capability of the apparatus and to accomplish perfect discharge of
the contents from the vessel, the contents discharged from the
vessel do not drop directly downward when the arm is stopped, but
rather tend to be discharged in the direction along with the arm
rotating trajectory. In the result, adhesion of the contents to the
side wall of the guide may take place, thereby causing another
problem that the contents are not filled surely into the packaging
container.
[0008] For the vessel used in the conventional contents-filling
vessel reversing apparatus including the above-mentioned examples,
the vessels usually have a smooth outer circumference, upper and
lower end faces free from projections and depressions. In the
meantime, engaging surfaces of a pair of gripping members for
gripping the vessel is also formed smooth. Therefore, it is
necessary to grip the vessel with a considerably strong force in
order to prevent the vessel from slipping off from the gripping
members when the vessel is reversed. In some cases, a small portion
of the contents may adhere onto the outer circumference of the
vessel. Especially when the contents contain oily substance, the
strength of the gripping force should be set at a higher level.
Accordingly, wear of the vessel becomes excessive and durability
becomes poor. Besides, there is a possibility that foreign matters
generated by wear are mixed into the contents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is made in light of the problems with
the prior art as mentioned above. The object of the present
invention is to present a contents-filling vessel reversing
apparatus capable of discharging the contents from the vessel
without hitting it against a stopper or the like, thereby
preventing generation of noises to realize favorable working
environments, and in addition, avoiding breakage of the vessel and
preventing entry of fragments of the vessel into the contents to be
filled.
[0010] It is another object of the present invention to present a
contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus that enables
improvement of the processing capability and ensures filling of
contents into a packaging container regardless of the type,
properties and amount of the contents to be filled.
[0011] Further it is another object of the present invention to
present a contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus that does not
need so strong gripping force as required in the conventional
apparatus and enables improvements of wear and durability of
contents-filling vessels used.
[0012] Still another object of the present invention is to present
a contents-filling vessel for accommodating contents to be filled
into a packaging container which can be used favorably with the
above-mentioned contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus.
[0013] In order to solve the problems as discussed above and to
accomplish the objects mentioned above, the present invention
presents: [0014] a contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus for
reversing a vessel accommodating contents to be filled from a
upright state to a nearly inverted state, thereby dropping downward
and filling the contents into a packaging container disposed
underneath, said apparatus comprising: [0015] a reversing device
including a rotating device equipped with a main rotating member
rotatable around an axis thereof for rotating intermittently the
main rotating member in one direction and for stopping the main
rotating member at a first and a second positions, and a pair of
gripping members attached to the rotating device and being capable
of approaching to and separating away from each other to grip and
to release said vessel, said gripping members being designed to
stop at a gripping stop position where said gripping members can
grip a vessel supplied in said upright state when said main
rotating member stops at the first stop position, and to stop at a
reversal stop position where said vessel is held in said nearly
inverted state when said main rotating member stops at the second
position; [0016] a reversal stop position regulating device for
regulating said reversal stop position of said gripping members;
[0017] an empty vessel carrying-out device provided at an empty
vessel discharging position on the way along which said gripping
members return from said reversal stop position to said gripping
stop position, said empty vessel carrying-out device receiving an
empty vessel from which the contents to be filled have been ejected
and transferring it to downstream process; and [0018] a gripping
member opening/closing apparatus for making said gripping members
close to grip a vessel at said gripping stop position and for
making said gripping members open at said empty vessel discharging
position, thereby discharging the empty vessel towards the empty
vessel carrying-out device.
[0019] In the apparatus with the compositions mentioned above, the
gripping members grip a vessel and rotate, and when the gripping
members stop at the reversal stop position, the vessel is in a
reversed state and stopped, thereby discharging the contents in the
vessel due to the inertia force. The empty vessel is still griped
by the gripping members even after it is reversed and the contents
is discharged, and is released towards the vessel carrying-out
device on the way returning to the gripping stop position.
Therefore, there is no direct collision of a vessel with a stopper
plate as observed in the prior art and problems of chipping of
vessels, entry of foreign matters into a packaging container and
deterioration of working environments do not occur.
[0020] Further, the reversal stop position can be regulated to any
desired position by the reversal stop position regulating device
and, therefore, it is possible to regulate the reversal stop
position according to properties and amount of the contents to be
filled, processing rate or the like to ensure accurate dropping of
the contents into a packaging container disposed directly
underneath.
[0021] According to one embodiment, the main rotating member
comprises a main rotating shaft rotating intermittently in one
direction every 180 degrees, and the rotating device further
comprises a supporting shaft supported by the main rotating shaft
in parallel to the main rotating shaft in an axial direction and
designed to be reciprocally rotatable around an axis thereof
between an initial position and a rotated position. The
contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus further comprises a
supporting shaft rotating device for rotating the supporting shaft.
The reversing stop position regulating device regulates the rotated
position of the supporting shaft, and the pair of gripping members
are mounted on one end of the supporting shaft.
[0022] With these compositions mentioned above, the supporting
shaft rotating device is designed to change the relative position
of the supporting shaft to the main rotating shaft in the direction
of rotation by turning the supporting shaft. Therefore, even when
two sets of gripping members are provided and these are rotated
intermittently every 180 degrees by the reversing device, it is
possible to change the reversal stop position while the gripping
stop position is fixed.
[0023] As noted, the supporting shaft is rotated during the
reversal operation. By setting appropriately the way of rotating of
the supporting shaft, for example by not tilting the vessel greatly
at the earlier stage of reversal and tilting the vessel rapidly and
greatly at the last end stage of reversal, depending on type,
properties, and amount of contents to be filled, it is possible to
prevent the contents from flying out from the vessel at an stage
earlier than desired.
[0024] According to another embodiment of the present invention,
the supporting shaft is formed to be hollow, and the gripping
member opening/closing device comprises a sliding shaft inserted
into the hollow section of the supporting shaft and movable in the
axial direction. The sliding shaft is connected at one end to the
gripping members, and the gripping members are opened and closed
interlockingly with the axial direction movement of the sliding
shaft.
[0025] According to the composition mentioned above where a sliding
shaft is disposed within a supporting shaft, peripheral arrangement
of the reversal mechanism of the apparatus can be made compact, and
ease of cleaning is improved.
[0026] According to another embodiment, the supporting shaft
rotating device is equipped with a grooved cam securely positioned
with an axis thereof coinciding with the axis of said main rotating
shaft, a lever fixed to the other end of said supporting shaft and
a cam roller mounted on the lever so as to roll in and move along a
groove formed in the grooved cam. Further, in a predetermined range
in the groove extending in the opposite directions from a position
corresponding to the rotated position of the supporting shaft, at
least a radius of curvature of an inner wall of said groove is made
shorter than a radius of curvature of the inner wall in a rest
range in the groove so that a width of the groove in said
predetermined range is larger than a width of the groove in the
rest range. Still further, the reversal stop regulating device is
provided with a positioning stopper which abuts against the lever
to position the lever at the reversal stop position, and a stopper
position regulating device for regulating the position of the
stopper.
[0027] According to the compositions mentioned above, it is
possible to change the reversal stop position only by adjusting the
position of the stopper, and the gripping stop position is
unchanged even when the reversal stop position is changed.
Therefore, the adjustment can be done easily.
[0028] According to yet another embodiment of the present
invention, two supporting shafts are provided symmetrically with
respect to the axis of the main rotating shaft, and each of the
supporting shafts is provided with a pair of the gripping members.
Therefore, it is possible to improve processing capability of the
apparatus.
[0029] According to yet another embodiment of the present
invention, the gripping members grip the vessel on the outer
circumference thereof. The vessel is provided with a thin strip
projection or a groove formed on the outer circumference and
extending over the entire circumference of the vessel, while each
of the gripping members is provided with a groove or a thin strip
projection formed on the gripping face opposing to the vessel to
engage with the thin strip projection or the groove on the vessel.
This configuration ensures gripping of the vessel, and the vessel
would not disengage erroneously from the gripping members.
Therefore, it is not necessary to grip the vessel with excessively
strong force, thereby preventing breakage or the like of the
vessel. Further, projections or grooves having a nearly circular or
trapezoidal section can make reliable and stable the engagement
between the thin strip projection and the groove respectively
provided on the vessel and gripping members. Besides, if a groove
is formed on the vessel, breakage of the vessel due to collision of
fellow thin strip projections of adjacent vessels as may be
observed when the thin strip projection is formed on the vessel can
be avoided.
[0030] According to yet another embodiment of the present
invention, the rotational speed of the main rotating member changes
with at least two steps mode. A low speed may be employed during a
first movement stage when the gripping members move from the
reversal stop position to the vessel discharging position, and a
speed higher than that of the first movement stage may be employed
during a second movement stage when the gripping member move later
to the gripping stop position. This make it possible to perform
reliable delivery of an empty vessel to the empty vessel
carrying-out device as well as reliable ejection of the contents
from the vessel.
[0031] In addition, the present invention presents a
contents-filling vessel for accommodating contents to be filled for
preferable use with the above-mentioned contents-filling vessel
reversing apparatus. The vessel is provided with a groove or a thin
strip projection formed on the outer circumference thereof and
extending over the entire circumference thereof.
[0032] In one embodiment, the sectional profile of the groove or
thin strip projection is nearly semicircular or trapezoidal in
section.
[0033] As discussed above, according to the present invention,
breakage of a vessel during operation can be prevented and entry of
foreign matters into packaging containers can be prevented.
Further, noise generation can be reduced, which contributes to
improvement of working environments. Furthermore, it is possible to
prevent the contents in the vessel from erroneously flying out from
the vessel at an undesired stage during operation, and the contents
can be dropped surely into a packaging container located directly
below the reversal position. Adjustments for this purpose can
easily be done.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 is a partly sectioned front view of a
contents-filling vessel reversing apparatus according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention,
[0035] FIG. 2 is a partly sectioned plan view thereof,
[0036] FIG. 3 is a partly sectioned right side view thereof,
[0037] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the principal portion of the
apparatus,
[0038] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a stopper mechanism used in
the apparatus,
[0039] FIG. 6 is a right side view of the stopper mechanism,
[0040] FIG. 7a is a sectional view of a contents-filling vessel
used with the apparatus, and
[0041] FIG. 7b is a sectional view showing another embodiment of a
contents-filling vessel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0042] Referring now to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the
present invention will be explained hereinafter. FIG. 1 is a partly
sectioned front view showing a contents-filling vessel reversing
apparatus 1 (referred to simply as "apparatus" hereinafter) for
reversing a contents-filling vessel (referred to simply as "vessel"
hereinafter) accommodating contents to be filled according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a
sectional plan view, FIG. 3 is a partly sectioned side view, and
FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the principal part of the apparatus.
According to the present embodiment, two sets of mechanisms for
gripping and reversing a vessel Y are provided as will be described
hereinafter.
[0043] The apparatus 1 has a machinery mount 2. A stand 3 is
erected on the machinery mount 2, and a frame 4 in a nearly
box-shaped configuration is secured on the stand 3. Two vertical
wall portions 5, 6 are formed in parallel with and separated from
each other above and below at the lower part of the frame 4 as
viewed in FIG. 2. The walls form supporting parts 5, 6 for a main
rotating shaft 7. The main rotating shaft 7 is supported through
bearings 8, 8 disposed at the opposite ends thereof. Two through
holes are formed through the shaft 7 at right and left symmetrical
positions with respect to the center of the main rotating shaft 7.
Supporting shafts 9, 10 are inserted through the through holes,
respectively, and are rotatably supported by bearings 11 disposed
at the opposite ends of the main rotating shaft 7, respectively.
(For convenience of explanation, one shown at the left in FIG. 2 is
referred to as a first supporting shaft 9 while one shown at the
right is referred to as a second supporting shaft 10. When no
discrimination is needed or they are identified unmistakably,
however, they are simply referred to as supporting shaft 9 or
supporting shaft 10.) The supporting shafts 9, 10, and members
associated therewith and constructions thereof are identical.
Therefore, the following description mainly deals with the
supporting shaft 9 and the associated members only.
[0044] In the figures, the supporting shaft 9 and the associated
members are at a gripping stop position capable of gripping a
vessel Y; while the supporting shaft 10 and the associated members
are at a reversal stop position, i.e. vessel Y is in a nearly
inverted state. The vessel Y according to the present embodiment is
a cylindrical vessel having a bottom and is supplied successively
by a supply conveyor 71 to the position shown (see FIG. 1).
[0045] A through hole is formed through the supporting shaft 9, and
a sliding shaft 12 is inserted through this through hole. Although
the sliding shaft 12 is movable in the axial direction, no turning
is possible. One end of the sliding shaft 12 (lower side in FIG. 2)
is projected from the supporting shaft 9, and a cylindrical part 14
formed at the base part of a gripping member supporting block 13 is
fitted on this projecting portion. The block 13 is fixed to an
flange part 9a formed at one end of the supporting shaft 9. The
supporting block 13 is equipped with a fork part 15, and a left
gripping member 16 and a right gripping member 17 which rotate
together with supporting pins 16a, 17a, respectively, are mounted
on the respective tip ends of the fork part 15.
[0046] A link linkage member 18 is securely mounted on the end of
the sliding shaft 12 projecting from the cylindrical part 14 of the
gripping member supporting block 13. On the opposite side surface
of the cylindrical part 14, one end of a link 18a is rotatably
connected to the link linkage member 18 (see the second supporting
shaft 10 and the associated members in FIG. 2.), and one end of
connecting arm part 17b of the right gripping member 17 is
rotatably connected to the other end of the link 18a. An engagement
pin 19 is fixed to stand on an engagement arm part 17c of the right
gripping member 17 extending in a direction nearly orthogonal to
the connecting arm part 17b, and an elongated hole 16c formed
through a linking arm part 16b of the left gripping member 16 is
fitted to this pin 19 so that a motion is transmitted between both
gripping members 16, 17.
[0047] A spring receiving part 12a with an increased diameter is
formed on the sliding shaft 12 at a portion inside of the
cylindrical part 14 of the gripping member supporting block 13, and
a compression spring 20 is disposed between this receiving part 12a
and an inside end face of the cylindrical part 14 of the supporting
block 13. Therefore, this spring acts to urge the right and left
gripping members 16, 17 in the closing direction.
[0048] A roller 21 is attached to the opposite end of the sliding
shaft 12 through an attachment shaft 22. With regard to this roller
21, a gripping member opening/closing cam 25 is disposed and
securely mounted on the front end of a rod 24a of an air cylinder
24 that is mounted on the frame 4 through an attachment bracket 23.
The opening/closing cam 25 is in the shape of a nearly semicircle
ring (see FIG. 4), and a face thereof facing the roller 21
comprises flat part 25a and inclined part 25b. The inclined part
25b inclines in a direction where it is gradually separated away
more from the roller 21 as going towards the end thereof (see FIGS.
2 and 4, in this condition illustrated, the roller 21 associated
with the first supporting shaft 9 is placed on the flat part 25a
and the roller 21 associated with the second supporting shaft 10 is
disengaged from the cam 25).
[0049] When the main rotating shaft 7 is in the stationary state
and the first supporting shaft 9 and the associated sliding shaft
12 are in the position shown in FIG. 2, the air cylinder 24 is
actuated to retract its rod 24a, the cam 25 is moved backwardly,
and the gripping members 16, 17 are closed, thereby gripping the
vessel Y. The main rotating shaft then starts to rotate (in the
present embodiment, it rotates in the clockwise direction as viewed
in FIG. 1 and in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG.
4). And when the roller 21 associated with the first supporting
shaft 9 is disengaged from the cam 25, the air cylinder 24 is
actuated in the reverse direction, thereby returning the cam 25 to
its original position. As will be described later, after the main
rotating shaft 7 is stopped at the reversal stop position where the
vessel Y is reversed (in the drawings, the second supporting shaft
10 is in this position), and when it resumes rotating in the same
direction in order to return to the gripping stop position, the
roller 21 is rested on the inclined part 25b of the cam 25 on the
way of returning, and then on the flat part 25a, thereby opening
again gripping members 16, 17. This will be described again
later.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 7, the vessel Y and the gripping members
16, 17 will be described. The vessel Y is different from the
conventional vessels which are formed with a smooth outer
circumference. Namely, the vessel Y has, as shown in FIG. 7a, on
its outer circumference, a groove Ya with a nearly semicircular
section extending entirely in the circumferential direction, and
corresponding to this configuration, thin strip projections 16d,
17d with a nearly semicircular section are respectively formed on
the inside surface of the gripping members 16,17 for gripping the
vessel Y When the vessel Y is griped by the gripping members 16,
17, these projections 16d, 17d are engaged with the groove Ya,
thereby enabling the member 16,17 to grip the vessel Y more
securely compared with the conventional vessels, and the vessel Y
would not disengaged erroneously from the gripping members 16,17.
Therefore, there is no need for gripping the vessel Y with an
excessive force. Profiles of groove Ya and the projections 16d,17d
are not limited to the semicircular shape. For example, a
trapezoidal section as shown in FIG. 7b may be employed. Further, a
projection may be provided on the vessel Y while grooves may
respectively be formed on the gripping members 16,17. The groove Ya
according to the present embodiment is formed at a position lower
than the center in the height direction of the vessel.
[0051] Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 4, a mechanism for reversing
the vessel Y will be described. Numeral 31 denotes a motor mounted
on the main rotating shaft supporting part 6 of the frame 4 (see
FIG. 2). An output shaft 32 of the motor 31 extends through the
supporting part 6, and a driving gear 33 located between the
supporting parts 5 and 6 is fixed to the front end thereof. This
driving gear 33 meshes with a driven gear 34 fixed to the main
rotating shaft 7. According to the present embodiment, the motor 31
turns intermittently in the same direction to rotate the main
rotating shaft 7 every 180 degrees in the clockwise direction as
viewed in FIG. 1 and in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in
FIG. 4. In this case, the supporting shafts 9, 10 are also rotated
in one around the center of the main rotating shaft 7.
[0052] In FIG. 2, a cam lever 35 is fixedly secured at one end
thereof to the end part of the supporting shafts 9 (10) projecting
upwardly from the main rotating shaft 7 (see FIG. 4). A cam roller
36 is mounted on the other end of the lever 35. Corresponding to
these cam rollers 36, a grooved cam 37 is fixed to the main
rotating shaft supporting part 6. A groove 38 is formed on the cam
37 and the cam roller 36 is fitted in and rolls along the groove
38. The groove 38 is provided with a uniform part 38a where the
inside and outside walls 39 and 40 of the groove 38 are concentric
with each other, having its center at the center of the main
rotating shaft 7. The width of the uniform part 38a of the groove
38 nearly corresponds to the diameter of the cam roller 36. The
groove 38 is also provided with an enlarged part 38b with an
increased width. Namely, the inside wall 39 has a concentric part
39a, and a displacement part 39b where the radius of curvature is
decreased gradually and is increased gradually again as going in
the counterclockwise direction from the left upper part to the
lower part in FIG. 4. Further, the outside wall 40 has a concentric
part 40a, and a displacement part 40b where the radius of curvature
is increased gradually and is decreased again at the upper part.
Therefore, the supporting shafts 9, 10 are unable to rotate as long
as the cam roller 36 is located in the uniform part 38a while
rotating is possible in the enlarged part 38b.
[0053] In FIG. 4, corresponding to the end part of the cam lever 35
associated with the second supporting shaft 10 on which end part
the cam roller 36 is mounted, there is a stopper mechanism 45 for
regulating the stop position or the reversal position of the
gripping members 16, 17 mounted on this cam lever 35 and thus the
position of the second supporting shaft 10.
[0054] In addition to FIG. 4, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, FIG. 5 is
a plan view showing details of the stopper mechanism 45 and FIG. 6
is its right side view. Numeral 46 denotes a rail of the stopper
mechanism 45 that is secured to the main rotating shaft supporting
part 6 of the frame 4. In FIGS. 4 and 5, a slide member 47 is
mounted on the rail 46 to be movable in the lateral direction as
viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5. A slide plate 48 is fixed integrally on
the slide member 47, a stopper roller 50 is mounted on the left
side end part of the slide plate 48 as viewed in FIG. 5 by a
supporting shaft 49, and a contacting part 51 contacting a shock
absorber 52 (which will be described later) is provided on the
slide plate 48 to stand on the right side of the roller 50.
Responding to the contacting part 51, the shock absorber 52 is
mounted on the main rotating shaft supporting part 6 through a
bracket 54. The contacting part 51 of the slide plate 48 is
provided to contact with a contacting shaft 53 of the shock
absorber 52. The position of this shock absorber 52 is adjustable
in the axial direction of the contacting shaft 53.
[0055] When the main rotating shaft 7 starts to rotate from the
state shown in FIG. 1, etc., the first supporting shaft 9 is unable
to rotate around its axis during an early stage, since the cam
roller 36 on the cam lever 35 attached to the shat 9 moves along
and rolls in such a portion where the width of the groove 38 of the
cam 37 is uniform, and the shaft 9 simply rotates or does a
revolution around the axis of the main rotating shaft 7 integrally
with the main rotating shaft 7. When the cam roller 36 comes to the
displacement part 40b of the outside wall 40 of the groove 38 and
further to the displacement part 39b of the inside wall, the width
of the groove 38 becomes greater than the diameter of the cam
roller 36. In this occasion, due to a load exerted to the
supporting shaft 9, the cam roller 36 moves in such a manner that
the cam roller 36 rolls on the inside wall 39b, and the cam lever
35 and the supporting shaft 9 rotate around the axis of the
supporting shaft 9 in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4.
In other words, the cam lever 35 and the gripping members 16, 17
attached to the lever 35 rotate around the axis of the main shaft 7
in a slightly delayed state with regard to the main rotating shaft
7.
[0056] When the main rotating shaft 7 is turned 180 degrees and is
stopped, the cam lever 35 and the supporting shaft 9 now rotate
counterclockwise around the axis of the supporting shaft 9, since
the gripping members 16, 17 continue their motion due to the
inertia force. The end part of the cam lever 35 on which the cam
roller 36 is mounted collides with the stopper roller 50 described
previously, and the cam lever 35, and thus the supporting shaft 9
also stop while the impact is being absorbed by the shock absorber
52. In FIGS. 1 to 4, the second supporting shaft 10 and the
associated members are corresponding to this state. On this
occasion, the vessel Y stops suddenly in a nearly reversed state as
shown in FIG. 1, thereby discharging the contents accommodated in
it into a guide cylinder 56 located underneath. As illustrated, the
vessel Y is not in a completely inverted state. This is because
considerations are given to the direction along which the contents
in the vessel Y are discharged at the sudden stop of the vessel Y,
which consideration is dealt with in the description of the prior
art mentioned above. The direction of discharging can be set in the
optimum state by regulating the final stop position of gripping
members 16, 17, i.e., the reversal stop position, by regulating the
position of the shock absorber 52 of the stopper mechanism 45
described previously.
[0057] Next, the main rotating shaft 7 again resumes rotating in
the same direction at a predetermined timing, and the second
supporting shaft 10 positioned at the reversal stop position in the
figures starts returning movement to the gripping stop position
described previously where the first supporting shaft 9 exists in
the figures. As the main rotating shaft 7 rotates, the supporting
shaft 10 rotates together with the main rotating shaft 7 in such a
manner that the cam lever 35 presses the shock absorber 52 through
the stopper roller 50, and the cam lever 35 is disengaged from the
stopper roller 50. When the cam roller 36 rolls on and moves along
such a portion where the radius of curvature of the displacement
part 39b of the inside wall 39 of the groove 38 becomes greater
gradually, the supporting shaft 10 rotates by a predetermined angle
in the direction opposite to the previous one, and the positional
relationship between the supporting shaft 10 and the main rotating
shaft 7 is restored to the original state.
[0058] Meanwhile, when the main rotating shaft 7 rotates in this
returning process, the roller 21 attached to the sliding shaft 12
described previously rests on the inclined part 25b of the gripping
member opening/closing cam 25 also described previously, and then
rides on the flat part 25a at a predetermined turning position to
open the gripping members 16, 17, thereby discharging the vessel Y
having being gripped till then. This is the vessel discharging
position, at which a vessel carrying-out apparatus 61 is disposed
for receiving emptied vessels and transferring them to downstream
process (see FIGS. 1, 3). The operations of discharging the vessel
Y are carried out while the main rotating shaft 7 continues
rotating.
[0059] The vessel carrying-out apparatus 61 is equipped with an
empty vessel collection conveyor 62, and a vessel collection guide
63 is mounted on the stand 3 by a bracket 64. The guide 63 extends
between a receiving side end of the conveyor 62 and a cutout 56a
formed through the guide cylinder 56. The vessel Y being griped by
the gripping members 16, 17 can pass through the cutout 56a. The
gripping members 16, 17 open, and the empty vessel Y discharged and
received on the empty vessel collection guide 63 moves onto the
conveyor 62 and is transferred to downstream process while being
guided by guide bars 65. The main rotating shaft 7 continues
rotating, and stops after rotated by 180 degrees, while the
gripping members 16, 17 return to the gripping stop position in the
opened state.
[0060] According to the present embodiment described above, it is
designed that the rotating speed of the motor 31 changes with two
steps mode during one operation. In other words, since discharging
an empty vessel Y at too high speed may cause problems, relatively
low-speed is employed in the stages before completion of
discharging of the vessel, and then the speed is shifted to a
higher speed after discharging the vessel, thereby ensuring
reliable and thorough ejection of the contents accommodated in the
vessel Y at the reversal stop position.
[0061] According to the embodiment described above, two supporting
shafts are provided and two sets of gripping members are used for
one main rotating shaft. However, when only one set of gripping
members is used, the gripping members can be mounted directly on
the main rotating shaft. On this occasion, a servo motor may be
used as a driving motor for appropriately regulating the rotational
angle from the gripping stop position to the reversal stop position
and the rotational angle in the returning process from the reversal
stop position to the gripping stop position, so that the stopper
mechanism used in the embodiment described above is
unnecessary.
* * * * *