Article conveyor unit

• US 5,437,361 A
• Filed: 04/07/1994
• Issued: 08/01/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KAO Corporation
• Original Assignee: KAO Corporation
• Inventors: Homma, Yasuhiro, Saito, Eiichi, Kamishioiri, Nobuyuki, Ohmori, Toshiyuki, Hatanaka, Shigemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Culver, Horace M.
• Application Number:
  US08/224,676
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 53/471, 53/490, 53/300, 53/307, 53/308, 53/317, 53/281, 53/282, 198/803.01, 198/803.7, 198/465.1, 198/803.12, 198/689.1, 198/493, 198/350
• US Class Current: 198/465.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0261 Puck as article support
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/062 from a magazine B67B3/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67C 3/24 Devices for supporting or handling bottles transport or storing devices in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B67C 7/004 the containers travelling along a circular path

Abstract

A filling method is disclosed, which comprises a step of filling a content into a bottle 1 and a step of fitting a cap 2 on the bolt 1 with the content charged thereinto. The bottle 1 is conveyed in a state held by a bottle container 3 on a conveyor, while the cap 2 is conveyed in a state held by a cap holder 4 on a conveyor.

Claims

1. An article conveyor unit comprising:

an article holder position regulating member extending along an article holder movement path;

an article holder having a seating magnet, the article holder having a guide surface positionable in frictional contact with the article holder position regulating member; and

an article holder positioning magnet disposed along the article holder movement path, the article holder positioning magnet exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder to position the guide surface of the article holder in forced contact with the article holder position regulating member as the article holder is conveyed along the article holder movement path.

2. An article conveyor unit according to claim 1, the seating magnet of the article holder and the article holder positioning magnet having poles which attract each other, the article holder positioning magnet having a center portion disposed along the article holder movement path, the center portion of the article holder positioning magnet nearer the article holder position regulating member than a center portion of the seating magnet of the article holder, wherein the magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder is a magnetic attractive action which positions and holds the guide surface of the article holder in contact with the article holder position regulating member as the article holder is conveyed along the article holder movement path.

3. An article conveyor unit according to claim 1, wherein the article holder position regulating member is an elongated member extending along the article holder movement path.

4. An article conveyor unit according to claim 3, wherein the article holder guide surface is one of four side surfaces, each surface subtends 90 degrees at its axis.

5. An article conveyor unit according to claim 1, the seating magnet of the article holder and the article holder positioning magnet having poles which repel each other, the article holder positioning magnet having a center portion disposed along the article holder movement path, the center portion of the article holder positioning magnet farther from the article holder position regulating member than a center portion of the seating magnet of the article holder, wherein the magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder is a magnetic repulsive action which positions and holds the guide surface of the article holder in contact with the article holder position regulating member as the article holder is conveyed along the article holder movement path.

6. An article conveyor unit according to claim 1, wherein the article holder position regulating member is an elongated member extending along the article holder movement path.

7. An article conveyor unit according to claim 6, wherein the article holder guide surface is one of four side surfaces, each surface subtends 90 degrees at its axis.

8. An article conveyor unit comprising:

a first conveying means having a first article holder movement path;

a second conveying means having a second article holder movement path disposed adjacent the first article holder movement path of the first conveying means in a transfer area;

an article holder position regulating member extending along the first and/or second article holder movement paths;

an article holder having a seating magnet; and

an article holder positioning magnet disposed along the first and second article holder movement paths, the article holder positioning magnet exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder to position the article holder into forced contact with the article holder position regulating member, wherein the article holder is transferred from the first article holder movement path of the first conveying means to the second article holder movement path of the second conveying means in the transfer area.

9. An article conveyor unit according to claim 8, wherein the first conveying means and second conveying means partially overlap each other in an overlap zone, the second conveying means includes an article holder drive magnet exerting a magnetic attractive action on the seating magnet of the article holder to transfer the article holder from the first conveying means to the second conveying means in the overlap zone, and a de-magnetizing magnet disposed on a side of the article holder drive magnet of the second conveying means in the overlap zone opposite the first conveying means to provide a magnetic attractive action on the article holder drive magnet of the second conveying means.

10. The article conveyor unit according to claim 9, wherein a pole area of the de-magnetizing magnet is greater than a pole area of the article holder positioning magnet.

11. An article conveyor unit according to claim 8, wherein the first conveying means is a first turntable having a plurality of article holder support sections, a portion of the first turntable extends along the first article holder movement path, the second conveying means is a second turntable having a plurality of article holder support sections, a portion of the second turntable extends along the second article holder movement path, wherein the article holder support section of the first turntable is meshable with the article holder support section of the second turntable at the transfer area.

12. An article conveyor unit according to claim 11, wherein the first turntable includes a first regulating member with U-shaped regulating surfaces disposed near a perimeter of the first turntable, and the second turntable includes a second regulating member with U-shaped regulating surfaces disposed near a perimeter of the second turntable, wherein the article holder position regulating member includes portions of the first and second regulating members disposed along the first and second article holder movement paths.

13. An article conveyor unit according to claim 11, wherein the article holder positioning magnet is disposed below the portion of the first turntable that extends along the first article holder movement path and below the portion of the second turntable that extends along the second article holder movement path.

14. An article conveyor unit according to claim 8, wherein the magnetic action is a magnetic attraction.

15. An article conveyor unit according to claim 8, wherein the first conveying means and second conveying means partially overlap each other in an overlap zone, and the second conveying means includes an article holder drive magnet exerting a magnetic attractive action on the seating magnet of the article holder to transfer the article holder from the first conveying means to the second conveying means in the overlap zone.

16. An article conveyor unit according to claim 9, wherein the demagnetizing magnet has a pole of opposing polarity directed toward the pole of the article holder positioning magnet.

17. A method of positioning and conveying an article holder having a seating magnet along a first article holder movement path of a conveyor unit, the method comprising steps of:

establishing a magnetic field along the first article holder movement path;

moving the article holder on a first conveyor means disposed substantially along the first article holder movement path; and

exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder to position a guide surface of the article holder into frictional contact with a first article holder position regulating member extending along the first article holder movement path.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of establishing the magnetic field between the article holder and the first article holder position regulating member, wherein the step of exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder comprises a step of exerting a magnetic attractive action on the seating magnet of the article holder which positions and holds the guide surface of the article holder in contact with the first article holder position regulating member.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the step of exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder comprises a step of exerting a magnetic repulsive action on the seating magnet of the article holder which positions and holds the guide surface of the article holder in contact with the first article holder position regulating member.

20. A method according to claim 17, further comprising steps of transferring the article holder from the first conveying means to a second conveying means at a transfer area, the second conveying means disposed substantially along a second article holder movement path, and exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder to position the guide surface of the article holder into frictional contact with a second article holder position regulating member extending along the second article holder movement path, wherein the step of exerting a magnetic action on the seating magnet of the article holder comprises a step of exerting a magnetic attractive action on the seating magnet of the article holder to position the guide surface of the article holder into frictional contact with the first and second article holder position regulating members extending along the first and second article holder movement paths.