JP2010202270A - Label supplying device and label applying system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a label supplying device that a label is automatically refilled to reduce a monitoring burden of an operator. <P>SOLUTION: A label supplying device 200 includes a label supplying path 210, and a pressing mechanism 220 for pressing a rear end side of a label batch 201, arranged on a label receiving part 41 side in the label supplying path 210 so that the label is supplied to the label receiving part 41 of a label applying device onto the label receiving part 41. The label supplying device further includes a conveying mechanism 230 for conveying a new label batch 202 so that the new label batch can be refilled on the rear end side of the label batch 201 arranged on the label receiving part 41 side of the label supplying path 210, and a driving mechanism 240 for moving the pressing mechanism 220 to the rear end side of the new label batch 202 so that, when the new label batch 202 is refilled on the rear end side of the label batch 201 arranged on the label receiving part 41 side of the label supplying path 210, the pressing mechanism 220 can press the rear end side of the new label batch 202 against the label receiving part 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a label supply device and a label application system.

A labeling system is used to apply labels to articles such as beverage containers (eg, beer bottles). The label sticking system can include, for example, a label sticking device for sticking a label to an article as a main body device, and a label supply device for supplying a label to the label sticking device as an accessory device. A label bundle of a plurality of labels can be manually supplied to the label supply device as needed.
JP-A-6-99958

  If the label supply operation for the label supply device or the label magazine is delayed, the label sticking process is stopped. Therefore, the operator must always monitor the label supply device or the label magazine. Restraining the operator for such monitoring leads to an increase in production cost and is not preferable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background. For example, an object of the present invention is to automate the replenishment of a label in a label supply apparatus and reduce the monitoring burden on an operator.

  A first aspect of the present invention relates to a label supply device that supplies a label to a label application device that applies a label to an article, and the label supply device supplies a label supplied to a label receiving unit of the label application device. A label supply path through which the label is fed and a rear end side of the label bundle arranged on the label receiving part side in the label supply path is pressed against the label receiving part so that the label is supplied to the label receiving part. A mechanism, a transport mechanism for transporting the new label bundle so that the new label bundle is supplied to the rear end side of the label bundle disposed on the label receiving portion side in the label supply path, and the label supply path When a new label bundle is replenished to the rear end side of the label bundle arranged on the label receiving portion side, the pressing mechanism moves the rear end side of the new label bundle forward. A driving mechanism that moves the pressing mechanism to the rear end side of the new label bundle so that the pressing mechanism can be pressed toward the label receiving unit, and the pressing mechanism includes a movable unit that is driven by the driving mechanism; A rotating member that has a pressing portion that presses the label bundle and rotates around an axis provided in a portion of the movable portion that is located outside the label supply path, and the pressing portion is centered on the axis. And a restricting portion for restricting the rotation of the rotating member so as not to rotate on the opposite side of the receiving portion, and the pressing portion is newly moved by the drive mechanism. When the label bundle is driven to the rear end side, the rotation is not restricted by the restricting portion, and the label bundle arranged in the label supply path is pressed toward the label receiving portion. Rotation is restricted by the restricting portion when.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label application system, wherein the label application system is configured to apply a label to an article, and to supply the label to the label application apparatus. A label supply device.

  According to the present invention, for example, label replenishment in a label supply apparatus can be automated, and the monitoring burden on the operator can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a labeling system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A label attaching system 1000 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured to attach a label 51 to an article 71 such as a beverage container (for example, a beer bottle). The label sticking system 1000 can include, for example, a label sticking apparatus 100 that sticks a label 51 to an article 71 as a main body apparatus, and a label supply apparatus 200 that supplies the label 51 to the label sticking apparatus 100 as an accessory device.

  The label sticking apparatus 100 includes, for example, a glue roller 30, a pallet rotating mechanism 40 including a plurality of pallets 41, a gripper rotating mechanism 60 including a plurality of grippers 61, and an article rotating mechanism 70 that rotates an article 71 such as a beer bottle. Can be configured.

  Glue is supplied to the glue roller 30 from a glue supply unit (not shown), and the glue is spread evenly on the surface of the glue roller 30 by the scraper 32. Below the glue roller 30 and the scraper 32, a collection pan 34 for collecting glue dripping from the glue roller 30 and the scraper 32 is disposed. The glue collected by the collection pan 34 is returned to the glue supply unit.

  A pallet rotating mechanism 40 in which pallets 41 as label receiving portions are arranged at equal intervals along the circumference is disposed on the side of the glue roller 30. As each pallet 41 revolves as the pallet rotating mechanism 40 rotates, the glue on the surface of the glue roller 30 is applied to the surface of each pallet 41. A label supply device 200 is disposed on the side of the pallet rotation mechanism 40. The label supply device 200 supplies the label 51 to the pallet 41 with the back surface (the surface to which the paste is applied) facing the pallet 41 side. The label 51 adheres to the surface of the pallet 41 during revolution (the surface to which the glue is applied), and thereby the glue is applied to the back surface of the label 51.

  On the side of the pallet rotating mechanism 40, a gripper rotating mechanism 60 in which grippers (sticking portions) 61 are further arranged at equal intervals along the circumference is arranged. Each gripper 61 revolves with the rotation of the gripper rotation mechanism 60. Each gripper 61 hooks and receives the label 51 attached to the pallet 41 during revolution. In this state, the label 51 has a glued surface (back surface) facing outward.

  On the side of the gripper rotation mechanism 60, an article rotation mechanism 70 that holds articles 71 such as beer bottles filled with beer at equal intervals along the circumference is arranged. Each article 71 revolves with the rotation of the article rotation mechanism 70, and at this time, the label 51 held by the gripper 61 is affixed to the article 71. The article 71 to which the label 51 is attached is conveyed toward the next process.

  Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the label supply apparatus 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The label supply device 200 includes, for example, a label supply path 210, a pressing mechanism 220, a transport mechanism 230, and a drive mechanism 240. In the label supply device 200, the label 51 is treated as a label bundle 201, 202, 203, 204 composed of a plurality of stacked labels, and finally the pallet (label receiving unit) of the label sticking device 100 one by one. 41. In addition, the code | symbol 201, 202, 203, 204 attached | subjected to the label bundle is attached for convenience, in order to distinguish the position or area | region in which they exist.

  The label 51 is also supplied to the pallet (label receiving unit) 41 through the label supply path 210. The pressing mechanism 220 moves the rear end 201b side of the label bundle 201 arranged on the pallet (label receiving unit) 41 side in the label supply path 210 so that the label 51 is supplied to the pallet (label receiving unit) 41. It is configured to be pressed toward the label receiving section) 41. The pressing mechanism 220 includes a movable portion 222 that is driven by the drive mechanism 240 while being guided by the guide mechanism 229, a rotating member 224 that rotates around the shaft 226, and a restricting portion that restricts the rotation of the rotating member 224. 228 and a force applying unit 250 that applies a force to the movable unit 222 in the direction of the pallet (label receiving unit) 41. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 8, the pressing mechanism 220 has two sets of a rotating member 224 and a restricting portion 228.

  The rotating member 224 includes a pressing portion 224a that presses the label bundle 201. The shaft 226 is provided at a portion of the movable portion 222 located outside the label supply path 210. The restricting portion 228 restricts the rotation of the rotating member 224 so that the pressing portion 224a rotates around the shaft 226 toward the pallet (label receiving portion) 41 but does not rotate toward the opposite side. When the force is applied to the movable portion 222 in the direction of the pallet (label receiving portion) 41 by the force applying portion 250, the rear end 201b of the label bundle 201 is moved to the pallet (label receiving portion) by the pressing portion 224a of the rotating member 224. Part) 41.

  The transport mechanism 230 transports the new label bundle 202 so that the new label bundle 202 is supplied to the rear end 201a side of the label bundle 201 arranged on the pallet (label receiving unit) 41 side in the label supply path 210. To do. When the new label bundle 202 is supplied to the rear end 201a side of the label bundle 201 arranged on the pallet (label receiving portion) 41 side in the label supply path 210, the driving mechanism 240 causes the pressing mechanism 220 to perform the new operation. The pressing mechanism 220 is moved to the rear end 202b side of the new label bundle 202 so that the rear end 202b side of the label bundle 202 can be pressed toward the pallet (label receiving portion) 41.

  When the movable portion 222 is driven to the rear end 202b side of the new label bundle 202 by the drive mechanism 240, the pressing portion 224a is not regulated by the regulating portion 228, and the label bundle arranged in the label supply path 210 is pressed. When 201 and 202 are pressed toward the label receiving part (pallet) 41, the restricting part 228 restricts the rotation.

  The transport mechanism 230, for example, creates a new label bundle (label bundle 203 in the state shown in FIG. 3) in the standby area 212 (see FIG. 3) opposite to the pallet (label receiving unit) 41 side in the label supply path 210. And a new label bundle (label bundle 202 in the state shown in FIG. 2) conveyed by the robot 232 to the standby area 212 is directed toward the label receiving section (pallet) 41 side in the label supply path 210. And an operating mechanism 234 to be moved.

  The operation mechanism 234 can include, for example, a first support portion 236, a second support portion 238, and a reciprocating mechanism 235. The first support unit 236 is a new label bundle (in the state shown in FIG. 2, the label bundle disposed on the pallet (label receiving unit) 41 side in the label supply path 210 after the label bundle 202 is conveyed to the standby area 212. Until the rear end 201b of 201 is replenished, the support member 236a protrudes in the direction of the label supply path 210 to support the front end 202a side of the new label bundle 202. The first support portion 236 is After the new label bundle 202 is supplied to the rear end 201b side of the label bundle 201 arranged on the label receiving section (pallet) 41 side in the label supply path 210, the new label bundle 202 is retreated by retracting the support member 236a. The support on the front end 202a side of the label bundle 202 is released.

  The second support portion 238 supports the rear end 202b side of the new label bundle 202. The reciprocating mechanism 235 is composed of, for example, a linear motor or a feed screw mechanism, and reciprocates the first support part 236 and the second support part 238 along the label supply path 210.

  The robot 232 is configured to take out the label bundles 203 and 204 sequentially from the plurality of label magazines 262 and 264 and transport them to the standby area 212. The robot 232 may include, for example, a gripping mechanism 233 that grips the label bundle, an elevating mechanism that moves the gripping mechanism 233 up and down, and a horizontal drive mechanism that moves the gripping mechanism 233 within a horizontal plane.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the label supply apparatus 200 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 2, when the amount of labels constituting the label bundle 201 falls below the reference value, this is detected by a sensor (not shown). In response to the detection, a new label bundle 202 arranged in the standby area 212 is conveyed toward the pallet (label receiving unit) 41 side in the label supply path 210 by the operation mechanism 234 as shown in FIG. Then, the label bundle 201 is supplied to the rear end 201b side. Immediately after the label bundle 202 is supplied to the rear end side of the label bundle 201, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the rear end side of the label bundle 201 is pushed by the pressing portion 224a on the label receiving portion (pallet) 41 side. The front end side of the label bundle 202 is supported by the support member 236a of the first support portion 236.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the support member 236 a is pulled out from between the label bundle 201 and the label bundle 202, and the pressing mechanism 220 pushes the rear end 202 b side of the new label bundle 202 to the label receiving portion (pallet) 41. The pressing mechanism 220 is driven to the rear end 202b side of the label bundle 202 by the driving mechanism 240 so that the pressing can be performed toward the rear end 202b. At this time, the pressing portion 224 a of the rotating member 224 rotates toward the label receiving portion (pallet) 41 without being restricted by the restricting portion 228. Accordingly, the pressing portion 224 a moves out between the label bundle 201 and the label bundle 202 as the movable portion 222 moves, and moves to the rear end 202 b side of the label bundle 202 together with the movable portion 222.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation mechanism 234 of the transport mechanism 230 is driven by the reciprocating mechanism 235 to the side of the standby area 212, and the label bundle 203 is moved to the standby area 212 by the robot 232 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the label bundle 203 is supported by the first support part 236 and the second support part 238 of the operation mechanism 234. For example, the operation mechanism 234 may include a horizontal drive mechanism 239 that horizontally moves the second support portion 238. When the label bundle 203 is transported to the standby area 212 by the robot 232, the horizontal driving mechanism 239 causes the first support portion 236 and the second support portion 238 to be placed so that the label bundle 203 can be placed in the standby area 212. The interval can be widened.

  The label bundle replenishing operation as described above is executed every time the amount of labels in the label bundle pressed in the direction of the label receiving unit (pallet) 41 by the pressing mechanism 220 falls below the reference value. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the replenishment of the label in the label supply apparatus 200 is automated, and the monitoring burden on the operator can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of the label sticking system of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure and operation | movement of the label supply apparatus of suitable embodiment of this invention.

Glue roller 30
32 Scraper 34 Collection pan 40 Pallet rotation mechanism 41 Pallet (label receiving part)
51 Label 60 Gripper Rotating Mechanism 61 Gripper 70 Article Rotating Mechanism 71 Article 100 Label Attaching Device 200 Label Supply Device 201, 202, 203, 204 Label Bundle 210 Label Supply Path 212 Standby Area 220 Pressing Mechanism 222 Movable Unit 224 Rotating Member 226 Shaft 228 Regulator 229 Guide mechanism 230 Transport mechanism 232 Robot 233 Grasp mechanism 234 Operation mechanism 235 Reciprocating mechanism 236 First support section 238 Second support section 239 Horizontal drive mechanism 240 Drive mechanism 250 Force application section 262, 264 Label magazine 1000 Label sticking system

Claims (5)

A label supply device for supplying a label to a label application device for applying a label to an article,
A label supply path through which a label supplied to a label receiving unit of the label attaching device passes,
A pressing mechanism that presses the rear end side of the label bundle disposed on the label receiving unit side in the label supply path toward the label receiving unit so that the label is supplied to the label receiving unit;
A transport mechanism for transporting the new label bundle so that the new label bundle is supplied to the rear end side of the label bundle disposed on the label receiving portion side in the label supply path;
When a new label bundle is supplied to the rear end side of the label bundle disposed on the label receiving portion side in the label supply path, the pressing mechanism moves the rear end side of the new label bundle to the label receiving portion. A drive mechanism for moving the pressing mechanism toward the rear end side of the new label bundle so that the pressing mechanism can be pressed toward
The pressing mechanism is
A movable part driven by the drive mechanism;
A rotating member having a pressing portion for pressing the label bundle and rotating around an axis provided in a portion of the movable portion located outside the label supply path;
The pressing portion rotates around the axis toward the label receiving portion, but includes a restricting portion that restricts rotation of the rotating member so as not to rotate on the opposite side.
When the movable portion is driven to the rear end side of a new label bundle by the drive mechanism, the pressing portion is not regulated by the regulation portion, and the label bundle arranged in the label supply path is When being pressed toward the label receiving portion, rotation is restricted by the restriction portion,
A label feeder characterized by that. The transport mechanism is
A robot for transporting a new label bundle to a waiting area on the opposite side of the label supply path from the label receiving section;
An operation mechanism for moving a new label bundle conveyed to the standby area by the robot toward the label receiving unit in the label supply path;
The label supply apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The operating mechanism is
The leading end side of the new label bundle is supported from when the new label bundle is transported to the standby area until it is supplied to the rear end side of the label bundle disposed on the label receiving portion side in the label supply path. The first support portion for releasing the support on the front end side of the new label bundle after the new label bundle is supplied to the rear end side of the label bundle disposed on the label receiving portion side in the label supply path. When,
A second support part for supporting the rear end side of the new label bundle;
A reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the first support part and the second support part along the label supply path;
The label supply apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: The robot is configured to take out a bundle of labels in order from a plurality of label magazines and transport them to the standby area.
The label supply apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein A label attaching device for attaching a label to an article;
The label supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is configured to supply a label to the label sticking device;
A labeling system comprising:

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