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US-12623895-B2 - Cap detachment device

US12623895B2US 12623895 B2US12623895 B2US 12623895B2US-12623895-B2

Abstract

Provided is a cap detachment device including a plug, a cap part, and a cap tool that detaches the cap part from the plug. The cap tool has a holding part that holds the cap part, a grip part gripped by a robot holding the cap tool, a support part attached to the grip part and supporting the holding part movably along the cap axis, a spring that applies, to the holding part, pushing force in a direction coming close to the plug along the cap axis, and a rotary shaft that rotates the holding part about the cap axis, and the rotary shaft rotates the holding part holding the cap part about the cap axis and thereby detaches the cap part from the plug.

Inventors

  • Hiroshi Imai

Assignees

  • SURPASS INDUSTRY CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230720
Priority Date
20220721

Claims (5)

  1. 1 . A cap detachment device comprising: a plug secured in an opening provided in a top face of a liquid storage container, the plug having a liquid channel extending in a first axis and a groove extending annularly about the first axis; a cap part having an insertion part and configured to seal the liquid channel, the insertion part being inserted in the groove and extending cylindrically about the first axis; and a detachment mechanism configured to detach the cap part from the plug, wherein a first thread part is formed to the insertion part, wherein a second thread part configured to be engaged with the first thread part is formed in the groove, wherein the detachment mechanism has a holding part configured to hold the cap part, a grip part formed tubularly along a second axis and gripped by a gripping mechanism configured to grip the detachment mechanism, a support part attached to the grip part and configured to support the holding part movably along the second axis, a pushing part formed of an elastic member that expands and contracts along the second axis and applying, to the holding part, pushing force in a direction coming close to the plug along the second axis, and a rotary part configured to rotate the holding part about the second axis, and wherein the rotary part rotates the holding part holding the cap part in a predetermined direction about the second axis to detach the cap part from the plug.
  2. 2 . The cap detachment device according to claim 1 , wherein the cap part is formed of a resin material, wherein a housing groove, which is formed annularly about the first axis and configured to house the holding part, and a center part, which is arranged on an inner circumferential side of the housing groove and held by the holding part, are formed on a top face of the cap part, wherein a recess in which a lock mechanism configured to hold the center part by elastic force is arranged is formed in a bottom face of the holding part, and wherein the holding part holds the center part, which is housed in the recess, by the lock mechanism so that the center part is not rotated about the second axis.
  3. 3 . The cap detachment device according to claim 1 , wherein while holding the cap part, the rotary part rotates the holding part in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction to attach the cap part to the plug.
  4. 4 . The cap detachment device according to claim 1 further comprising a transmission part formed of an elastically deformable material in a long shape, connected to a motive power mechanism, and configured to transmit rotary motive power generated by the motive power mechanism to the rotary part.
  5. 5 . The cap detachment device according to claim 4 comprising: a first detection unit configured to detect an expanded state where the elastic member is expanded; a second detection unit configured to detect a contracted state where the elastic member is contracted; and a control unit configured to perform control to start transmission of the rotary motive power from the motive power mechanism to the transmission part when the first detection unit detects the expanded state and stop transmission of the rotary motive power from the motive power mechanism to the transmission part when the second detection unit detects the contracted state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-116555 filed on Jul. 21, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present invention relates to a cap detachment device. 2. Description of Related Art Conventionally, a liquid supply device that supplies a liquid contained in a liquid storage container to a plurality of supply target devices is known (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-20793). The liquid supply device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-20793 couples a liquid channel formed in a plug and a liquid channel formed in a socket to each other by fixing the plug to an opening of a liquid storage container and attaching the socket to the plug. When attaching the socket to the plug, a worker engages an external thread formed in an attaching nut of the socket with an internal thread part formed in the plug. In the liquid storage container disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-20793, to prevent a liquid stored therein from flowing out via the plug, a sealing part is attached to the inner circumferential face of the plug. The thread of the sealing part is fastened into the thread of the plug, and thereby the sealing part is secured in the plug. When a liquid stored in the liquid storage container is supplied to a supply target device, a socket is attached in place of the sealing part. When a liquid stored in the liquid storage container is supplied to a supply target device, to attach the socket, a worker has to rotate the sealing part to release fastening between the thread of the sealing part and the thread of the plug. This may increase the workload on the worker and cause the worker to be exposed to danger when a highly hazardous liquid is handled. Accordingly, to prevent the workload on the worker from increasing or prevent the worker from being exposed to danger, it is conceivable to use a robot hand configured to hold the sealing part and thereby automate the operation of detaching the sealing part from the plug. For example, it is conceivable to memorize in advance the position of the sealing part disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-20793, move the robot hand to the memorized position to hold the sealing part, and then rotate the sealing part. However, when the sealing part is rotated for releasing the fastening between the thread of the sealing part and the thread of the plug, the sealing part moves in a direction away from the plug in response to the rotation, and it is thus required to suitably move the robot hand in accordance with the amount of motion. If the amount of motion is unsuitable, it may not be possible to suitably detach the sealing part from the plug, or it may not be possible to maintain the state where the robot hand holds the sealing part. BRIEF SUMMARY The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances and intends to provide a cap detachment device that can automate an operation to suitably move a holding part holding a cap part in accordance with an amount of motion of the cap part and thereby detach the cap part from the plug. To solve the problem described above, the present invention employees the following solutions. A cap detachment device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a plug secured in an opening provided in a top face of a liquid storage container, the plug having a liquid channel extending in a first axis and a groove extending annularly about the first axis; a cap part having an insertion part and configured to seal the liquid channel, the insertion part being inserted in the groove and extending cylindrically about the first axis; and a detachment mechanism configured to detach the cap part from the plug. A first thread part is formed to the insertion part, a second thread part configured to be engaged with the first thread part is formed in the groove, the detachment mechanism has a holding part configured to hold the cap part, a grip part formed tubularly along a second axis and gripped by a gripping mechanism configured to grip the detachment mechanism, a support part attached to the grip part and configured to support the holding part movably along the second axis, a pushing part formed of an elastic member that expands and contracts along the second axis and applying, to the holding part, pushing force in a direction coming close to the plug along the second axis, and a rotary part configured to rotate the holding part about the second axis, and the rotary part rotates the holding part holding the cap part in a predetermined direction about the second axis to detach the cap part from the plug. According to the cap detachment device of one aspect of the present invention, the detachment mechanism having the grip part gripped by the gripping mechanism uses the holding part to hold the cap part