JP2010133824A - Cap inspection apparatus and cap inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap inspection apparatus easily responding even when the size of a container to be inspected is varied. <P>SOLUTION: The cap inspection apparatus 1 for conveying a barrel 100, in which a cap CP is attached on a mouth ring part 101, along a conveying route of a conveyer 2 and detecting the slant of the top face U of the cap CP from above of the barrel 100 is provided with a measuring unit 3 disposed above the conveying route for measuring the distance to the measuring range A1-A3 of 3 points on the top face U, which are not on a line, and a control device 10 for determining whether the top face U is slanted or not, based on the measuring result of the measuring unit 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cap inspection apparatus and method for inspecting the quality of a cap attached to a cap portion of a container.

A cap is attached to the cap portion of a container filled with a beverage such as beer to prevent the cap portion from being soiled and to indicate the contents of the container. When the cap is not normally attached to the container, the top surface of the cap is inclined obliquely with respect to the base portion. An apparatus for inspecting whether or not such a cap is attached to a container is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this device, a laser that is not blocked by the rotating cap is irradiated by irradiating a laser beam so as to be partially blocked by the upper end of the cap from the direction orthogonal to the center axis while rotating the container around the center axis of the base portion. It is determined whether or not the top of the cap is oblique based on the amount of light.
JP 2007-069909 A

  In the above-described apparatus, since the laser beam is irradiated from the side of the container, it is necessary to adjust the light projection position every time the height of the container is changed, which is troublesome.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cap inspection apparatus and a cap inspection method that can easily cope with the case where the heights of containers to be inspected are different.

  In the cap inspection apparatus according to the present invention, a container (100) having a cap (CP) attached to a base part (101) is transported along a transport path of a transport means (2), and the top surface of the cap from above the container. (U) is a cap inspection device (1) for detecting the inclination of three or more measurement points (A1) provided above the transport path and arranged on the top surface so as not to be located on the same straight line. To measuring unit (3) for measuring the distance to A3) and a determining unit (10) for determining whether or not the top surface is inclined based on the measurement result of the measuring unit. The above problem is solved.

  According to the cap inspection apparatus of the present invention, the distance to the top surface of the container conveyed by the conveying means is measured by the measuring means provided above the conveying path of the conveying means. The measuring means measures the distance to three or more measuring points that are not on the same straight line on the top surface, and the determining means determines whether or not the top surface of the cap is inclined based on the measurement result. Since the distances to three or more measurement points that are not on the same straight line are measured, the inclination of the cap can be reliably detected without the inclination being detected depending on the inclination direction of the cap. Since the inclination can be detected by comparing the distances at each measurement point, it can be easily handled even when the size of the container to be inspected is different and the height of the cap is different, and the inclination of the cap can be detected reliably. .

  In one form of the cap inspection apparatus of the present invention, the measurement points may be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the center of the top surface of the cap. According to this aspect, since the measurement points are evenly arranged with respect to the top surface, it is possible to reliably detect any tilt direction when the top surface of the cap is tilted.

  In one form of the cap inspection apparatus of the present invention, the measurement points may be three points. According to this embodiment, if the three measurement points are arranged on the top surface so as not to be located on the same straight line, it is possible to detect the inclination even if the cap is inclined in any direction.

  In one aspect of the cap inspection apparatus of the present invention, the measuring means may be configured by a number of non-contact displacement sensors (5a to 5c) corresponding to the measurement points. According to this embodiment, the measuring means can be provided with a simple configuration. Moreover, since it is not in contact with the top surface of the cap, it is possible to prevent the cap from being contaminated and the cap from being removed.

  In one aspect of the cap inspection apparatus of the present invention, the determination means obtains a difference between two measurement values among all the measurement values obtained by measuring the distance to each measurement point, and determines any one of the obtained differences. It may be determined that the top surface is inclined when the value of is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. According to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably determine the inclination of the cap.

  One form of the cap inspection apparatus of the present invention may further include an excluding means (4) for excluding the container having the inclined top surface from the transport path based on the determination result of the determining means. According to this aspect, it is possible to eliminate containers with inclined top surfaces of caps and prevent defective containers from circulating in the market.

  In the cap inspection method of the present invention, the container (100) with the cap (CP) attached to the base (101) is transported along the transport path of the transport means (2), and the top surface of the cap from above the container. (U) is a cap inspection method for detecting the inclination, from above the conveyance path to three or more measurement points (A1 to A3) arranged on the top surface so as not to be located on the same straight line. The above-described problem is solved by providing a measuring step for measuring a distance and a determining step for determining whether or not the top surface is inclined based on the measurement result of the measuring means.

  According to the cap inspection method of the present invention, the distance to three or more measurement points that are not collinear with the top surface of the cap is measured, and whether or not the top surface of the cap is inclined based on the measurement result. Is determined. Since the distances to three or more measurement points that are not on the same straight line are measured, the inclination of the cap can be reliably detected without the inclination being detected depending on the inclination direction of the cap. Since the inclination can be detected by comparing the distances at each measurement point, it can be easily handled even when the size of the container to be inspected is different and the height of the cap is different, and the inclination of the cap can be detected reliably. .

  In addition, in the above description, in order to make an understanding of this invention easy, the reference sign of the accompanying drawing was attached in parenthesis, but this invention is not limited to the form of illustration by it.

  As described above, in the cap inspection apparatus and the cap inspection method of the present invention, the distance from the upper part of the transport path of the transport unit to the top surface of the container transported by the transport unit is measured. The distance to three or more measurement points that are not on the same straight line on the top surface is measured, and based on the measurement result, the determination means determines whether or not the top surface of the cap is inclined. Since the distances to three or more measurement points that are not on the same straight line are measured, the inclination of the cap can be reliably detected without the inclination being detected depending on the inclination direction of the cap. Since the inclination can be detected by comparing the distance at each measurement point, it can be easily handled even when the size of the container to be inspected is different and the height of the cap is different, and the inclination of the cap can be detected reliably. .

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cap inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cap inspection apparatus 1 is an apparatus that inspects whether or not the cap CP attached to the base 101 of the barrel 100 as a container is normally attached. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the barrel 100. The barrel 100 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and is a well-known one that is filled with a beverage such as beer or sparkling liquor. A main seal packing 101a made of a non-conductive material, such as rubber, is provided at the center of the base 101 of the barrel 100. The side surface portion of the cap CP is made of a thermoplastic resin that shrinks when heat is applied, and is attached to the base portion 101 so as to cover the top surface 101 b of the base portion 101 of the barrel 100. On the paperboard of the top surface U of the cap CP, the name and manufacturer name of the beverage filled in the barrel 100 are printed.

  A cap CP is attached to the base part 101 of the barrel 100 filled with a beverage by a cap attachment device (not shown), and then the cap CP is in close contact with the base part 101 by heating the cap CP. If foreign matter is present between the cap CP and the base part 101, or if the cap CP is mounted with being displaced with respect to the base part 101, the top surface U of the cap CP may be inclined. If the cap CP is attached obliquely in this way, the cap CP may be detached and foreign matter may adhere to the base portion 101. Therefore, it is necessary to exclude the corresponding product before product shipment.

  The barrel 100 to which the cap CP is mounted by the cap mounting apparatus is sequentially transported to the cap inspection apparatus 1 along the transport path of the conveyor 2 as transport means. The cap inspection apparatus 1 excludes the measurement unit 3 as a measurement unit that measures the distance of the cap CP to the top surface U, and the barrel 100 in which the cap CP is mounted with an inclination based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 3. And a pusher 4 as an excluding means. The measurement unit 3 has three displacement sensors 5a, 5b, and 5c. As the displacement sensors 5a, 5b, and 5c, known non-contact type displacement sensors using laser light are used. In addition, when it is not necessary to distinguish each displacement sensor 5a-5c, a reference code is represented by 5. The measurement unit 3 is provided at a position above the conveyor 2 at a position that is necessary for measurement with respect to the cap CP of the barrel 100 that is sequentially conveyed along the conveyance path of the conveyor 2. Each displacement sensor 5 is provided so as to detect the same distance from the top surface U of the cap CP that is normally mounted. If the top surface U of the cap CP that is normally mounted is horizontal, the laser light projecting portions of the displacement sensors 5 are also installed horizontally.

  FIG. 2 shows a layout diagram in which the measurement ranges of the respective displacement sensors 5 are displayed. When the front end of the barrel 100 conveyed by the conveyor 2 reaches the inspection position P1, the measurement points of the displacement sensors 5a, 5b, 5c in the circumferential direction with respect to the center O of the top surface U of the cap CP of the barrel 100 The measurement unit 3 is configured so that the measurement ranges A1, A2, and A3 are arranged at equal intervals. In this embodiment, the measurement ranges A1 to A3 are arranged at intervals of 120 ° with respect to the center O of the top surface U of the cap CP, and the measurement ranges A1 to A3 are arranged not to be located on the same straight line. Has been.

  The pusher 4 pushes out the defective barrel 100a with the cap CP inclined and pushed out from the conveying path of the conveyor 2. The pusher 4 includes a pusher member 4a that pushes out the barrel 100a when the front end of the defective barrel 100a reaches the exclusion position P2, and an actuator 4b that drives the pusher member 4a to move between the push-out position and the retracted position. have. The barrel 100a pushed out by the pusher member 4a is sent out to an exclusion passage (not shown) branched from the conveyor 2 to be distinguished. In addition, you may comprise the pusher member 4a and the actuator 4b using a well-known technique.

  The cap inspection device 1 has a control device 10. The control device 10 is configured as a computer unit having a microprocessor as an example. The control device 10 processes the output signal output from each displacement sensor 5 of the measurement unit 3 and controls the operation of the pusher 4 based on the result.

The operation of the cap inspection apparatus 1 will be described. In the conveyor 2, the barrels 100 are sequentially conveyed, and each displacement sensor 5 measures the distance to the top surface U of the cap CP of the barrel 100 whose front end has reached the inspection position P <b> 1. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a state of inspection of the barrel 100 in which the cap CP is normally attached. Since the top surface U of the cap CP that is normally mounted is conveyed horizontally, each displacement sensor 5 can obtain almost the same measured value. The measured value H1 measured by the displacement sensor 5a, the measured value H2 measured by the displacement sensor 5b, and the measured value H3 measured by the displacement sensor 5c are output to the control unit 10, respectively. The control device 10 obtains the difference between the two measurement values among the measurement values H1, H2, and H3 for all combinations, and if all the differences are less than 5 [mm], the cap CP is normally attached. Judge that it is. That is, the measured values H1 to H3 are
| H1-H2 | <5 [mm]
| H2-H3 | <5 [mm]
| H3-H1 | <5 [mm]
When the relational expressions are satisfied, it is assumed that the cap CP is normally attached. Here, the difference between the respective measured values H1 to H3 is set to be less than 5 [mm], but this value may be appropriately changed according to the specification or the like.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a state of inspection of the barrel 100 in which the cap CP is mounted with an inclination. In FIG. 3B, the measured value H3 of the displacement sensor 5c is decreased, and the measured values H1 to H3 are different. Each displacement sensor 5 outputs the measured values H <b> 1 to H <b> 3 to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 obtains the difference between the measured values in the combination in which two of the measured values H1 to H3 are selected, and caps the barrel 100 when any of the obtained differences becomes 5 [mm] or more. It is determined that the CP is mounted with an inclination. In this embodiment, since the inclination of the cap CP is measured at three points, the inclination of the cap CP can be reliably detected without being able to detect the inclination depending on the inclination direction of the cap CP. Since the inclination can be detected by comparing each measured value, even when the size of the barrel 100 to be inspected is different and the height of the cap CP is different, it is possible to easily cope with the inclination of the cap CP. . In this embodiment, the control device 10 functions as a determination unit.

  When the front end of the defective barrel 100a determined that the cap CP is inclined reaches the rejection position P2, the pusher 4 operates to exclude the defective barrel 100a from the conveyance path of the conveyor 2. A sensor that detects the barrel 100 conveyed to the inspection position P1 and the exclusion position P2 may be provided so that the detection result of the barrel 100 is output to the control device 10. By using various sensors such as a photoelectric sensor, it is possible to control the counting, detection timing, exclusion timing, and the like of the barrel 100 that passes through the positions P1 and P2.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described form and can be implemented in various forms. For example, in the present embodiment, the displacement sensor 5 has been described as a non-contact type displacement sensor, but is not limited thereto. The displacement sensor 5 may be various contact-type sensors. Moreover, although the type using a laser beam as a non-contact type displacement sensor has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and an LED type or an ultrasonic type may be used. In this embodiment, the inclination of the top surface U of the cap CP is detected using the three measurement ranges A1 to A3, that is, the three displacement sensors 5a to 5c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there are three or more measurement ranges. You may do it. The inclination of the top surface U can be detected more reliably. In addition, it is not necessary to have a displacement sensor for each measurement range, and the number of displacement sensors to be configured may be reduced by measuring the distance to the top surface at different positions with a time difference. The arrangement of the measurement range may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the cap CP.

1 is a schematic view of a cap inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The layout which displayed the measurement range of each displacement sensor. The figure explaining the mode of a test | inspection of the barrel with which the cap was normally mounted | worn. The figure explaining the mode of a test | inspection of the barrel with which the cap was inclined and was mounted | worn. Schematic of the barrel.

Explanation of symbols

1 Cap inspection device 2 Conveyor (conveyance means)
3. Measurement unit (measuring means)
4 Pusher (exclusion means)
5a, 5b, 5c Displacement sensor 10 Control device (discriminating means)
100 barrels (containers)
101 Base A1, A2, A3 Measurement range (measurement point)
CP cap U Top

Claims (7)

A container having a cap attached to a cap is conveyed along a conveyance path of a conveying means, and is a cap inspection device that detects the inclination of the top surface of the cap from above the container,
A measuring means that is provided above the transport path and measures a distance to three or more measurement points arranged on the top surface so as not to be located on the same straight line;
A discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not the top surface is inclined based on a measurement result of the measuring unit;
A cap inspection device comprising:   2. The cap inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement points are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction with respect to the center of the top surface of the cap.   3. The cap inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement points are three points.   4. The cap inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit includes a number of non-contact displacement sensors corresponding to the measurement points. 5.   The determination means obtains the difference between two measurement values among the measurement values obtained by measuring the distance to each measurement point for all combinations, and when any one of the obtained differences becomes a predetermined value or more. The cap inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the top surface is determined to be inclined.   The cap inspection according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an exclusion unit that excludes the container with the top surface inclined from the transport path based on a determination result of the determination unit. apparatus. A cap inspection method for detecting a tilt of the top surface of the cap from above the container, wherein the container with the cap attached to the cap is conveyed along the conveyance path of the conveying means,
A measurement step of measuring a distance from above the transport path to three or more measurement points arranged on the top surface so as not to be located on the same straight line;
A determination step of determining whether or not the top surface is inclined based on the measurement result of the measurement means;
A cap inspection method characterized by comprising:

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