Container sealing apparatus and sealing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10683117-B2
Application number	US-201415035497-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A container sealing apparatus including: a rotating spindle ( 24 ); a rotating turret means ( 38 ) disposed around the rotating spindle and having pockets ( 40 ) along a circular transport path; container support means ( 42 ) arranged below the rotating turret means in correspondence with the pockets ( 40 ), and which can rotate about the rotating spindle and rotate on their axes; lid pressing means ( 44 ) arranged above the rotating turret means in correspondence with the container support means, which can rotate about the rotating spindle and rotate on their axes, and can ascend and descend relative to the container support means; and laser irradiation means ( 46 ) capable of rotating about the rotating spindle and adapted to direct laser light toward the container ( 2 ), against which the lid ( 14 ) has been pressed by the container support means and the lid pressing means, thereby heat welding the lid ( 14 ) to the container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A container sealing apparatus, comprising:
a rotating spindle;
rotating turret means disposed around the rotating spindle and having a plurality of pockets along a circular transport path;
a plurality of container support means which are arranged below the rotating turret means in correspondence with the plurality of pockets, and which can rotate about the rotating spindle and rotate on axes of the container support means, each of the plurality of container support means comprising at least one body;
a plurality of lid pressing means which are arranged above the rotating turret means in correspondence with the container support means, which can rotate about the rotating spindle and rotate on axes of the lid pressing means, and which can ascend and descend relative to the container support means, each of the plurality of lid pressing means comprising at least one body; and
a plurality of laser irradiation means capable of rotating about the rotating spindle and adapted to throw laser light toward a container, against which a lid has been pressed by the container support means and the lid pressing means, thereby heat welding the lid to the container, wherein
lower table means located below the rotating turret means is disposed on the rotating spindle and the laser irradiation means are arranged on the lower table means,
the plurality of laser irradiation means are provided in correspondence with the container support means,
the container includes a flange section extending radially outward,
the lid is configured to be placed on the flange section of the container,
the plurality of laser irradiation means are provided in correspondence with the plurality of pockets of the turret means, and
the laser irradiation means is configured to throw the laser light in an upward direction to the flange section of the container.

2. The container sealing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
upper table means located above the rotating turret means is disposed on the spindle, and
the lid pressing means are arranged in the upper table means.

3. The container sealing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the container support means are arranged to be movable upward and downward, and
ascent/descent means, comprising at least one body, is annexed for raising and lowering each of the container support means.

4. The container sealing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the laser irradiation means are direct diode lasers.

5. A container sealing system including the container sealing apparatus according to claim 1 , and a container flange section cleaning device for cleaning a flange section of the container, which is to be sealed, prior to sealing,
wherein the container flange section cleaning device comprises:
support means, comprising at least one body, for supporting the container;
sealing means, comprising at least one body, intimately contacting and separating from an inner peripheral end of the flange section, and reciprocating relative to the container; and
cleaning/solution removal means, disposed above the sealing means, for bringing the sealing means into intimate contact with the inner peripheral end, jetting a cleaning solution at an upper surface of the flange section, and jetting a gas at the upper surface of the flange section after jetting the cleaning solution.

6. The container sealing system according to claim 5 , wherein
the cleaning/solution removal means has a jet orifice and a flow path leading to the jet orifice, and is equipped with a cleaning solution supply source for supplying the cleaning solution to the jet orifice via the flow path, and a gas supply source for supplying the gas to the jet orifice via the flow path.

7. The container sealing system according to claim 6 , wherein
the jet orifice is many small holes provided at suitable intervals in a circumferential direction.

8. The container sealing system according to claim 5 , wherein
an outer peripheral surface of the sealing means is in an inverted truncated conical shape.

9. The container sealing system according to claim 5 , wherein
a site of the sealing means making intimate contact with the inner peripheral end of the flange section of the container is a rubbery elastic body.

10. The container sealing system according to claim 5 , wherein
the container flange section cleaning device is disposed along a circular transport path sequentially including a container carry-in region, a sealing region where the sealing means is brought into intimate contact with the flange section of the container, a cleaning region for the flange section, a solution removal region for the flange section, a separation region where the sealing means is separated from the flange section, and a container carry-out region, with the container flange section cleaning device being rotated about a center of the circular transport path.

11. The container sealing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein support bases are fixed on the lower table means, each support base has an inclined support surface, and each laser irradiation means is positioned so as to be adjustable along the support surface.

12. The container sealing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lower table means is provided on the spindle separately from the container support means.

Assignees

• Toyo Seikan Kaisha Ltd

Inventors

• Sawada Makoto
• Shinozaki Kiyotaka
• Shinagawa Yoshiaki
• Uehara Satoshi

Classifications

• B29C65/7885

  Rotary turret joining machines, i.e. having several joining tools moving around an axis · CPC title

• B29C66/82263

  Follower pin or roller cooperating with a groove · CPC title

• B29C66/24221

  being circular (B29C66/51 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C66/65

  with a relative motion between the article and the welding tool (B29C65/10, B29C65/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65B43/50

  using rotary tables or turrets {(B65B43/46 takes precedence)} · CPC title