Container capper and torque tester
First Claim
1. Apparatus for grasping and rotating container caps, comprising a rotatable head member, jaw members movably carried by said head member and movable between a first position, at which the jaw members grasp a container cap with a predetermined gripping force, and a second position, at which the jaw members release the container cap, means for moving said jaw members between said first and second positions, means for rotating said head member at a predetermined speed, means for selectively changing the predetermined speed of rotation of said head member to thereby selectively change the torque with which the cap is tightened onto a container, and means coupled between said rotating means and said jaw members and responsive to changes in torque on said jaw members for correspondingly changing the gripping force of said jaws on said cap in response to said torque change.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A container capper is provided which includes a container clamping mechanism for clamping previously-filled containers at a capping station that is positioned at a point along a container conveying means. The capper also includes an adjustable speed rotary motor which drives a capper head having a plurality of radially movable, cap-grasper jaws supported therein for grasping caps and rotating them relative to the containers. Motor speed adjustability and torque sensing are provided to give precise control of the amount of torque with which caps are applied to containers. The capper head is vertically movable from an upper, cycle start, position to an intermediate position, at which the jaws thereof may be loaded with a cap, and to a lower position, at which the loaded cap is placed onto the top of a clamped container and is rotated thereon until a predetermined torque is reached. The capper head is moved between its upper, intermediate and lower positions by means of a camming mechanism. Caps are delivered by a second conveying mechanism from an unscrambler, or cap orienter, to a conveyor terminus adjacent to the capper head, and a transfer arm is employed to transfer the lead cap at the terminus to the intermediate position of the capper head. The cap-grasping jaws are radially moved between a cap-grasping position and a cap-releasing position by means of another camming mechanism which includes a cam plate and cam followers that are carried by and coaxial with the capper head.
75 Citations
25 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for grasping and rotating container caps, comprising a rotatable head member, jaw members movably carried by said head member and movable between a first position, at which the jaw members grasp a container cap with a predetermined gripping force, and a second position, at which the jaw members release the container cap, means for moving said jaw members between said first and second positions, means for rotating said head member at a predetermined speed, means for selectively changing the predetermined speed of rotation of said head member to thereby selectively change the torque with which the cap is tightened onto a container, and means coupled between said rotating means and said jaw members and responsive to changes in torque on said jaw members for correspondingly changing the gripping force of said jaws on said cap in response to said torque change.
- 6. Apparatus for grasping and rotating container caps, comprising a head member, means for supporting said head member, means for rotating said head member relative to said support means about a rotary axis of said head member, a plurality of radially movable jaw members slidably carried by said head member at one end thereof and rotatable therewith, first camming means including a first camming member positioned within said head member and rotatable therewith and first cam follower members carried by said jaw members within said head member and rotatable therewith, said cam follower members coacting with said camming member to radially move said jaw members in response to relative angular movement between said camming member and said head member, second camming means including a second camming member coaxial to and rotatable with said head member and second cam follower members carried by said head member and coacting with said second camming member, said second camming member being axially movable relative to said head member to cause changes in the relative angular relationship of said head member and said first camming member, and means for axially moving said second camming member relative to said head member thereby to radially move said jaws on said head member.
Specification