JP2006150517A - Gripping device of container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To develop a gripping device of containers capable of firmly holding the containers without breaking them and preventing intrusion of foreign matters into the containers and excellent in durability. <P>SOLUTION: A rod 2 is inserted into a cylindrical sleeve 1 free to advance and retreat relatively in the axial direction with respect to the sleeve. A head end fitting-in part 4a to limit movement of an opening part by fitting it in the opening part of the container C is provided on a head end of the rod, and a plurality of disc springs 3 radially projected in the radial outer direction or in the downward direction are provided above the head end fitting-in part of the rod. A gripping pad 5 is provided on a head end of the disc spring. It is possible to certainly grip the container without breaking it and to prevent intrusion of the foreign matters into the inside of the container as the head end fitting-in part is fitted in the opening part of the container, the disc spring is elastically deformed so as to be drawn in and caught in the sleeve and the gripping pad wraps and covers the opening part of the container from outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is a container that is attached to a transfer device that transfers containers such as glass bottles having an open mouth, and that can hold and hold containers, and can release the containers by releasing the grip. The present invention relates to a gripping device.

This type of container gripping device includes an inner gripping type and an outer gripping type. The inner gripping type (for example, Patent Document 1) holds the inside of the mouth of containers, and is formed into a bullet shape with an elastic body such as butyl rubber, and is stretched long and reduced in diameter in the mouth. It is inserted and returned based on the length, the diameter is returned to the original thickness, and the mouth is held from the inside. In addition, the outer gripping type (for example, Patent Document 2) holds the outside of the mouth portion of the containers, and a nesting made of an elastic body such as rubber provided in a cylindrical sleeve has a smaller inner diameter. The mouth is deformed and held from the outside. Some also hold the outside of the mouth of the containers via balls in the sleeve.
JP 2002-301680 A JP-A-5-69375

  The inner gripping container gripping device can grip containers relatively firmly, but it is made of an elastic material such as butyl rubber, so it is fatal that it peels off and enters the container as a foreign object. There were some disadvantages. In addition, the external grip type container gripping device does not allow foreign matter to enter the container, but cannot hold the containers firmly because it is held by a thin insert such as rubber or a ball. For example, when used in a transfer device for coating the outer surface of a glass bottle, the glass bottle is held and moved along the dip tank containing the coating solution while rotating the glass bottle sideways. If it is not held, when coating is performed while moving along the dip tank, the glass bottle is shaken, resulting in inconvenience that the boundary line between the coating portion and the uncoated portion is not constant. Further, since the thin nest such as rubber is deformed each time the containers are held and released, there is a problem that the nest is easily deteriorated and the durability is poor. Even when the ball is used, there is a problem that the gripping force is reduced due to wear of the contact portion of the ball spherical surface and the durability is poor.

  It is an object of the present invention to develop a container gripping device that can hold containers without being shaken, has no fear of foreign matter entering the container, and has excellent durability.

  The present invention relates to a cylindrical sleeve, a rod inserted into the cylindrical sleeve so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the sleeve in an axial direction, and at the tip of the rod in the mouth of containers. A distal end insertion portion that restricts movement of the mouth portion by being inserted into the plurality of leaf springs, a plurality of leaf springs projecting radially outward and downward from above the distal end insertion portion of the rod, and a distal end of the leaf spring. A gripping pad provided, and in the gripping state, the distal end fitting portion is fitted into the mouth portion of the container in a state where the rod is retracted relative to the sleeve, and the leaf spring is It is elastically deformed so that it is drawn into the sleeve so as to be narrowed, and the grip pad grips the container by wrapping the mouth of the container from the outside, and in the released state, the rod is relative to the sleeve. When the plate spring is moved forward, the leaf spring A container gripping device, wherein the gripping pad is released elastically so as to escape from the inside of the recording sleeve and spread, and the gripping pad is detached outward from the mouth of the container to release the container. .

  When the inner surface of the sleeve is tapered such that the diameter increases toward the tip, the leaf spring is smoothly inserted and removed from the sleeve when the rod is advanced and retracted relative to the sleeve in the axial direction. Further, since the leaf spring is narrowed as the rod is pulled, the mouth portion of the containers can be securely held from the outside by the gripping pad.

  Since the container gripping device of the present invention grips the outside of the mouth by holding the pad with a pad, foreign matter does not enter the container. Further, since the grip pad holds the outer periphery of the container mouth by pulling the plate spring into the sleeve and narrowing it, it can be firmly and securely held. Furthermore, since the tip insertion portion of the rod is fitted into the container mouth portion while the container is being gripped and the movement (blur) of the container is restricted, the container is prevented from being shaken while the container is being gripped.

  The sleeve and the rod are preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel, and the leaf spring is preferably made of spring steel from the viewpoint of durability and strength. The tip insertion portion and the grip pad are preferably made of resin in order to improve the adhesion to the container.

  The rod can be urged by a coil spring or the like in the direction of advancement toward the distal end side in the state of retreating and grasping the containers. In this way, after the rod is retracted by a driving means such as a mechanical cam or an air cylinder to grasp the containers, the position of the rod is maintained, and when the containers are released, the holding of the rod is released. Since the rod returns to the forward position by the elasticity of a coil spring or the like, it is only necessary to drive the rod with the driving means only when grasping containers or the like, and the driving means becomes simple.

  The sleeve can be formed to be detachable from each other by forming the proximal end side portion and the distal end side portion as separate bodies. The proximal end side portion is a portion having attachment means for being attached and fixed to a transfer device or the like, and the distal end side portion is a portion having a sliding contact surface on which the grip pad is slidably contacted. If it does in this way, it can respond by exchanging the front end side of a sleeve to containers with a different size of a mouth. Similarly, if the leaf spring and the tip insertion portion are detachable from the rod, it is possible to cope with the containers having different mouth dimensions by exchanging them.

  1-3 relate to the container gripping device of the first embodiment. The gripping device includes a sleeve 1, a rod 2, a leaf spring 3, a tip insertion portion 4a, a grip pad 5, and the like.

  The sleeve 1 is made of iron and has a cylindrical shape, and the inner surface is tapered so that the diameter increases toward the tip. The tapered portion does not need to be the entire inner surface, and it is sufficient that at least the sliding contact surface 13 with which the grip pad 5 is in sliding contact is tapered. An annular ridge 6 that is an attaching means for attaching to a transfer device or the like is formed on the outer surface upper part. In this case, it attaches by fitting the annular protrusion 6 to applicable parts, such as a transfer apparatus. The attachment means is not limited to this, and it is possible to freely select one that is suitable for the device on the attachment side, as in the conventional gripping device. The shape of the sleeve is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be any shape that is suitable for the shape of the container, such as a square cylindrical shape.

  The rod 2 is composed of a main body and a front end portion 4, and the main body is made of iron having a circular cross section, and the front end portion 4 is made of a bullet-type resin. The distal end portion 4 is attached to the main body of the rod 2 by concave / convex fitting (insertion). The attachment means of the tip 4 is not limited to the concave-convex fitting, and may be screwed in or attached with a bolt or a pin. The distal end of the distal end portion 4 is a distal end insertion portion 4a that is fitted into the container mouth portion. It is desirable that the outer diameter of the tip insertion portion is the same as or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the container mouth (about 0 to 1 mm in diameter). The material of the tip insertion portion is desirably a material that has some elasticity such as polyethylene resin and nylon resin and is difficult to peel off due to friction. The rod 2 is inserted into the sleeve 1 so as to be movable forward and backward relative to the sleeve 1 in the axial direction. The drive means for moving the rod 2 back and forth is on the side to which a gripping device such as a transfer device is attached, as in a conventional gripping device, and is optional such as a mechanical cam, an air cylinder, and a hydraulic cylinder as usual.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the four leaf springs 3 are integrally formed of spring steel so as to protrude radially outward and downward from the ring plate portion 3a, and the ring plate portion 3a is formed by the rod 2 It is attached to the rod 2 by being sandwiched between the main body and the tip portion 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the angle toward the lower side of the leaf spring 3 is shaped to be larger than the outer diameter of the container mouth, and as shown in FIG. 1, in the state of holding the container mouth, The leaf spring 3 is biased in the spreading direction. Although the number of leaf springs is not limited to four, about two to six is appropriate. Further, the shape of the leaf spring is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, but the point is that the leaf spring may protrude radially outward and downward from above the rod end fitting portion 4a.

  A grip pad 5 is provided at the tip of the leaf spring 3. It is desirable that the grip pad 5 is made of a slightly elastic resin so that the grip pad 5 can be securely held in close contact with the container mouth. For example, urethane resin, polyethylene resin, nylon resin, etc. can be used. The attachment method to the tip of the leaf spring 3 can be selected as appropriate, such as insertion, adhesion, and integral molding. The shape of the gripping pad 5 is preferably substantially cylindrical so that when the container C is held as shown in FIG. 1, the gripping pad 5 is wrapped around the outside of the mouth of the container by the four gripping pads.

  A metallic cylindrical cover 9 is fixed to the upper surface of the sleeve 1 by any fixing means such as welding. The bottom portion of the cover 9 is a washer 10 and the top portion is closed by a top wall 9a. The rod 2 passes through a hole provided in the central portion of the washer 10 and the top wall 9a. A coil spring 7 is mounted between the flange portion 8 provided on the rod 2 and the washer 10. The coil spring 7 is always in a compressed state, and therefore the rod is always biased in the backward direction (upward). The top wall 9 a functions as a stopper when the rod 2 is retracted, and the washer 10 serves as a reaction force member for the coil spring 7. In place of the washer 10, the diameter of the upper end of the sleeve can be made small, and the portion where the diameter is reduced can be used as a reaction force member of the coil spring 7 and a sliding bearing of the rod.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the rod 2 is retreated (raised) relative to the sleeve 1 and grips the container C (glass bottle). In this state, the tip fitting portion 4a at the tip of the rod 2 is fitted into the mouth portion of the container C, and the leaf spring 3 is elastically deformed so as to be drawn into the sleeve so as to be narrowed. 5 encloses the mouth of the container C from the outside.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the rod 2 has advanced (lowered) relative to the sleeve 1 to release the container C (glass bottle). In this state, the tip insertion portion 4a escapes from the mouth portion of the container C and elastically returns so that the leaf spring 4a escapes from the inside of the sleeve 1 toward the tip side and spreads, and the grip pad 5 comes out of the mouth portion of the container C. The container C is released by separating in the outward direction.

  4 and 5 relate to a container gripping device of the second embodiment. Members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. 4 and 5, the sleeve 1 is formed with a proximal end side portion 1 a and a distal end side portion 1 b as separate bodies and is detachably integrated by screwing. The means for detachably integrating is not limited to screwing, and well-known means such as bolting can be employed. The base end side portion 1a has a short cylindrical shape, the upper portion is a ceiling wall 11, a hole through which the rod 2 is inserted is formed in the ceiling wall, and a sliding bearing 12 of the rod 2 projects from the upper surface of the ceiling wall 2. Has been. Further, a thread for screwing the distal end side portion 1b is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion. A non-rotating pin 15 is pierced in the diametrical direction in the slide bearing 12, and a correspondingly long pin hole 14 is formed in the rod 12 in the axial direction. Since the pin hole 14 is long in the axial direction, the rod 2 can slide in the axial direction. When the sleeve distal end portion 1b is attached / detached, when the sleeve distal end portion 1b is rotated, the proximal end side portion 1a is not rotated by the action of the detent pin 15, and the screwing operation and the removing operation can be easily performed. An annular ridge 6 as an attaching means for attaching and fixing to a transfer device or the like is provided on the outer peripheral upper portion of the base end side portion 1a. The distal end side portion 1b has a cylindrical shape, and has a threaded surface for screwing with the proximal end side portion 1a on the outer periphery of the upper end portion, and has a slidable contact surface 13 on which the grip pad is slidably contacted. The slidable contact surface 13 has a tapered shape whose diameter increases toward the tip.

  The rod 2 is obtained by attaching a resin tip 4 to the tip of an iron body. A bolt hole 2a is formed at the tip of the main body, and the tip portion 4 and the leaf spring 3 are attached by screwing a bolt 16 into the bolt hole 2a. The leaf spring 3 is the same as that in the first embodiment. The front end portion 4 includes a spacer 4c and a cap 4b. After the leaf spring 3 and the spacer 4c are attached to the rod body with bolts 16, the cap 4b is fitted. The tip of the cap 4b is a tip insertion portion 4a. The configuration of the tip is not limited to this, and the means for attaching the tip is not limited to a bolt, and well-known means such as fitting and pinning can be employed.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the rod 2 is retreated (raised) relative to the sleeve 1 and grips the container C (glass bottle). In this state, the tip fitting portion 4a at the tip of the rod 2 is fitted into the mouth portion of the container C, and the leaf spring 3 is elastically deformed so as to be drawn into the sleeve so as to be narrowed. 5 encloses the mouth of the container C from the outside. When releasing the container C, the rod 2 may be advanced (lowered) relative to the sleeve 1 as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 relates to the container gripping device of the third embodiment, which is used for a container having a larger diameter than the case of the second embodiment. The tip side 1a of the sleeve of the second embodiment, The tip 4 and the leaf spring 3 are replaced with ones having a large diameter. As described above, if the distal end side portion, the distal end fitting portion, and the leaf spring of the sleeve are made detachable, it is possible to easily cope with containers having different mouth dimensions by exchanging them.

  In FIG. 6, the basic structure of the distal end side portion 1 a of the sleeve and the leaf spring 3 is the same as that of the second embodiment (FIGS. 4 and 5) except that the diameter is enlarged. The resin tip 4 includes spacers 4d and 4c and a cap 4b. The ring plate portion of the leaf spring 3 is sandwiched between the spacers 4d and 4c, and is screwed to the tip of the rod body with a bolt 16, and then the cap 4b is attached. It is inserted. The tip of the cap 4b is a tip insertion portion 4a, which has a larger diameter than that of the second embodiment.

It is sectional explanatory drawing of the state which hold | gripped the container of 1st Example. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the state which open | released the container of 1st Example. It is a perspective view of a leaf | plate spring. It is sectional explanatory drawing of the state which hold | gripped the container of 2nd Example. It is decomposition | disassembly cross-section explanatory drawing of 2nd Example. It is a section explanatory view in the state where the container of the 3rd example was grasped.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sleeve 2 Rod 3 Leaf spring 4 Tip part 4a Tip insertion part 5 Grip pad 6 Annular protrusion 7 Coil spring 8 Flange part 9 Cover 9a Top wall 10 Washer 11 Top wall 12 Sliding bearing 13 Sliding surface 14 Pin hole 15 Non-rotating pin 16 Volt C container

Claims (2)

A cylindrical sleeve;
A rod inserted into the cylindrical sleeve so as to be movable back and forth in the axial direction relative to the sleeve;
A tip insertion portion at the tip of the rod that fits into the mouth of the container and restricts the movement of the mouth;
A plurality of leaf springs radially projecting radially outward and downward from above the tip fitting portion of the rod;
A grip pad provided at the tip of the leaf spring;
In the gripping state, the distal end fitting portion is fitted into the mouth of the containers with the rod retracted relative to the sleeve, and the leaf spring is drawn into the sleeve so as to be narrowed. The gripping pad grips the containers by wrapping the mouth of the containers from the outside,
In the released state, in a state where the rod is advanced relative to the sleeve, the leaf spring is elastically restored so as to escape from the inside of the sleeve toward the tip side and spread, and the gripping pad is the mouth of the containers. A container gripping device, wherein the container is released outwardly from the container and released from the container.   2. The container gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the sleeve has a tapered shape with a diameter increasing toward the tip.

Images