JP2018140795A - Folding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a folding device that is capable of easily folding a folding-type container.SOLUTION: This folding device is for folding a container provided with: a peripheral wall that is rectangular in a plan view and that has a pair of opposing rectangular first side walls and a pair of opposing rectangular second side walls; a frame member that extends along one opening peripheral edge of the peripheral wall; a bottom wall that closes the other opening of the peripheral wall; and an internal space that is surrounded by the peripheral wall and the bottom wall, and configured such that the edge end of the frame member side of each first side wall is connected to the frame member so as to be swingable, the edge end of the frame member side of each second side wall is connected to the frame member so as to be swingable, the end edge of the bottom wall side is connected to the bottom wall so as to be swingable, and each second side wall can be folded in two so as to project to the internal space side at a folding line along the extending direction of the peripheral wall.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a container folding apparatus.

  Conventionally, a rectangular parallelepiped container as described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. The container includes a rectangular bottom wall, a rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall rising from the bottom wall, and a rectangular frame member attached to the upper end of the peripheral wall. The peripheral wall includes a pair of opposing short side walls extending in the short side direction and a pair of opposing long side walls extending in the long side direction. Among these, a pair of short side wall is comprised so that the upper end part may rock | fluctuate with respect to a frame member. Moreover, a pair of long side wall is divided into 2 parts up and down via the shaft member parallel to the direction where a surrounding wall is extended. That is, each long side wall is connected so that a rectangular upper member and a lower member can be bent via a shaft member. The upper end edge of the upper member can swing with respect to the frame member, and the lower end edge of the lower member can swing with respect to the bottom wall.

  The container configured as described above is folded as follows after use. First, the lower end portion of each short side wall is pressed against the internal space of the container to swing the short side wall. And when the short side wall swings to such an extent that it extends horizontally, each long side wall is pressed into the internal space of the container. Accordingly, the long side wall is bent toward the inner space of the container so that the upper member and the lower member are overlapped, and accordingly, the frame member and the bottom wall are brought close to each other. And when a frame member and a bottom wall contact, both short side walls and both long side walls are accommodated between a frame member and a bottom wall. Thus, the container is stored until it is completely folded and used next time.

JP 2001-55228 A

  By the way, the folding operation as described above is complicated and takes time. In particular, in the process of swinging the short side wall, which is the first work, a force may be required to push the short side wall, which is not an easy work for a person with weak force. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a folding device that can easily fold a foldable container.

The folding device according to the present invention is
A rectangular peripheral wall having a pair of opposed rectangular first side walls and a pair of opposed rectangular second side walls in plan view, a frame member extending along one opening peripheral edge of the peripheral wall, and the peripheral wall A bottom wall that closes the other opening, and has an internal space surrounded by the peripheral wall and the bottom wall,
The edge on the frame member side of each first side wall is connected to the frame member so as to be swingable,
The edge of each second side wall on the frame member side is swingably connected to the frame member, and the end edge on the bottom wall side is swingably connected to the bottom wall. And
Each of the second side walls is configured to be foldable into two so as to protrude toward the inner space side along a fold line extending in a direction in which the peripheral wall extends,
A folding device for folding
A housing having a folding space extending in the vertical direction through which the container passes;
A first folding mechanism for folding at least the first side walls;
A second folding mechanism disposed below the first folding region and folding at least the second side walls;
With
The first folding mechanism is disposed at a position corresponding to each first side wall with the folding space interposed therebetween,
The second folding mechanism is disposed at a position corresponding to each of the second side walls across the folding space, and when the container moves from the upper side to the lower side of the folding space,
The first folding mechanism folds the first side wall;
The second folding mechanism is configured to fold the second side wall while maintaining the folded state of the first side wall by the first folding mechanism.

In the folding apparatus, the first folding mechanism includes a pair of first arm members respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the first side walls with the folding space interposed therebetween.
Each of the first arm members is
A first support portion capable of supporting the bottom wall;
A first pressing part capable of pressing the first side wall;
Are formed in an L shape in side view,
A connecting portion between the first support portion and the first pressing portion is provided with a first shaft member extending in a direction in which the peripheral wall extends, and the first arm member is centered on the first shaft member. It is configured to be rotatable,
The second folding mechanism includes a pair of second arm members respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the second side walls with the folding space interposed therebetween.
The second arm member is
A second support portion capable of supporting the bottom wall;
A second pressing part capable of pressing the second side wall;
Are formed in an L shape in side view,
The connecting portion between the second support portion and the second pressing portion is provided with a second shaft member extending in the direction in which the peripheral wall extends, and the second arm member is centered on the second shaft member. It is configured to be rotatable,
When the bottom wall of the container is supported by the second support part of the second arm member, the first support part or the first pressing part of the first arm member is the first support part. A side wall can be comprised so that it may hold | maintain in the state pushed in to the said internal space side.

  In each of the folding devices, a rotational force can be applied to each first shaft member so that each first arm member returns to an initial state of supporting the bottom wall of the container.

  In each of the folding devices, a rotational force can be applied to each of the second shaft members so that each of the second arm members returns to an initial state of supporting the bottom wall of the container.

  In each of the folding devices, a roller that can contact the container can be rotatably attached to at least one of the first support portion, the first pressing portion, the second support portion, and the tip of the second pressing portion. .

  In each of the folding devices, the distance from the first shaft member to the tip of the first support portion can be made longer than the distance from the first shaft member to the tip of the first pressing portion.

  In each of the folding devices, a transport cart capable of stacking the folded containers can be disposed below the second folding mechanism.

  In each of the folding devices, a horizontal distance between the pair of first arm members, a horizontal distance between the pair of second arm members, and a vertical distance between the first arm member and the second arm member. Of these, at least one of them can be configured to be adjustable.

  According to the present invention, a foldable container can be easily folded.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the container which the folding apparatus which concerns on this invention makes object. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the folding procedure of the container of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the folding procedure of the container of FIG. It is a front view which shows one Embodiment of the folding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the folding apparatus of FIG. It is a front view of the 1st arm member. It is a top view of the 1st arm member. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of a 1st arm member. It is a front view of the 2nd arm member. It is a top view of the 2nd arm member. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member and 2nd arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 2nd arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 2nd arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 2nd arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows operation | movement of the 2nd arm member in folding of a container. It is a front view which shows the other example of operation | movement of the 1st arm member in folding of a container.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a folding device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Below, the container which this folding apparatus makes object is demonstrated first, and a folding apparatus is demonstrated after that.

<1. Container>
<1-1. Outline of Container>
1 is a perspective view of a container according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the container 10 which concerns on this embodiment is comprised so that the 1st aspect of the rectangular parallelepiped shape which can accommodate articles | goods and the 2nd aspect folded can be taken. Specifically, a rectangular bottom wall 1, a square cylindrical peripheral wall 2 rising from the periphery of the bottom wall 1, and a frame member 3 provided along the peripheral edge of the upper opening of the peripheral wall 2, I have. Hereinafter, each member will be described in detail, but in the following description, the description will be mainly based on the container in the first aspect.

  The bottom wall 1 includes a main body portion 11 formed of a rectangular plate material. The peripheral edge of the main body portion 11 has four sides, that is, a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side. It is comprised by. More specifically, the first side and the third side face each other to form the short side of the bottom wall 1, and the second side and the fourth side face each other to form the long side of the bottom wall 1. Further, the bottom wall 1 has a peripheral edge portion 12 that stands slightly from the peripheral edge of the main body portion 11. And the peripheral part 12 is formed in the rectangular tube shape with a low height, and corresponds to the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side, the first part 121, the second part 122, A third part 123 and a fourth part 124 are provided.

  Next, the frame member 3 will be described. The frame member 3 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and corresponds to the four plate-like members corresponding to the four sides of the bottom wall 1 described above, that is, the first part 31, the second part 32, the third part 33, And a fourth portion 34. That is, it is formed in a rectangular tube shape with a low height.

  Next, the peripheral wall 2 will be described. The peripheral wall 2 is composed of four side walls. That is, by the first short side wall 21, the first long side wall 22, the second short side wall 23, and the second long side wall 24 corresponding to the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side of the bottom wall 1. It is configured. Since each short side wall 21 and 23 and each long side wall 22 and 24 are the same structures, only the 1st short side wall 21 and the 1st long side wall 22 are demonstrated here.

  The first short side wall 21 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the upper end portion is disposed on the inner wall surface side of the first portion 31 of the frame member 3. Moreover, the shaft member 215 protrudes in the horizontal direction from both sides of the upper end portion of the first short side wall 21, and these shaft members 215 are connected to the second portion 32 and the fourth portion 34 that sandwich the first portion 31 of the frame member 3. It is rotatably connected to an end near the upper end.

  Next, the first long side wall 22 will be described. The first long side wall 22 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the upper end thereof is attached to a position corresponding to the second portion 32 of the frame member 3, and the lower end is attached to the peripheral portion 12 of the bottom wall 1. It is attached at a position corresponding to the second part 122. The first long side wall 22 is divided into upper and lower parts. That is, it is composed of a rectangular upper member 222 and a lower member 223 that are connected via a central shaft member 221 that extends in the horizontal direction in the middle of the vertical direction. Shaft members 225 protrude in the horizontal direction from both sides of the upper end portion of the upper member 222, and these shaft members 225 are located at the end portions of the first portion 31 and the third portion 33 that sandwich the second portion 32 of the frame member 3. It is connected rotatably. However, this connecting portion is located below the shaft member of the first short side wall 21 and is located near the lower ends of the first portion 31 and the third portion 33 of the frame member 3. On the other hand, the shaft member 226 also protrudes in the horizontal direction from both sides of the lower end portion of the lower member 223, and the shaft member 226 includes the first portion 121 and the third portion sandwiching the second portion 122 of the peripheral portion 12 of the bottom wall 1. The end portion of the portion 123 is rotatably connected.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, projecting members 25 extending toward the first short side wall 21 and the second short side wall 22 are provided on both sides of the upper member 222 and on both sides of the lower member 223. When in one mode, these projecting members 25 engage with recesses (not shown) provided in the first short side wall 21 and the second short side wall 23.

<1-2. Folding container>
With the above configuration, the container 10 is folded as follows. First, from the first mode shown in FIG. 1, the vicinity of the lower ends of the first and second short side walls 21 and 23 is pushed into the internal space of the container 10. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the first and second short side walls 21, 23 swing with respect to the first part 31 and the third part 33 of the frame member 3, respectively, to the internal space of the container 10. And extends in the horizontal direction.

  Next, the frame member 3 and the bottom wall 1 are brought close to each other while the first and second long side walls 22 and 24 are pushed into the internal space of the container 10. At this time, the first long side wall 22 is folded via the central shaft member 221 so that the upper member 222 and the lower member 223 are overlapped. More specifically, the first long side wall 22 is folded under the swinging first and second short side walls 21 and 23 so as to protrude into the internal space of the container 10. Along with this, the frame member 3 and the bottom wall 1 come into contact. Similarly, the second long side wall 24 is also folded so as to protrude into the internal space of the container 10. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, the container 10 includes the first and second short side walls 21 and 23 and the folded first and second long side walls 22 and 24 between the frame member 3 and the bottom wall 1. And folded so that they are placed.

<2. Container folding device>
Next, a folding device for folding the container 10 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 6 is a front view of the folding device, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the folding device.

<2-1. Overview of folding device>
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the folding device includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 5, and a folding space 50 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the housing 5. The container 10 inserted from above into the folding space 50 is folded in the process of moving downward, and is stacked on the carriage 4 disposed at the lower part of the housing 5.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the housing 5 is formed in a rectangular shape having a long side and a short side in plan view. Hereinafter, the lower side of FIG. 7 is referred to as “front”, the upper side is referred to as “rear”, and the left and right sides are referred to as “lateral” or “left and right”. To do.

  The container 10 passing through the folding space 50 first presses the first and second short side walls 21 and 23 by the first folding mechanism, and the first and second long sides by the second folding mechanism arranged below the first and second short side walls 21 and 23. The side walls 22 and 24 are configured to be folded. Further, in the housing 5, the carriage 4 is arranged at the lower part of the folding space 50 as described above. An opening 51 is formed on the front surface of the housing 5 below the second folding mechanism. Through this opening 51, the cart 4 is placed in the folding space 50, or folded containers are stacked. The made carriage 4 can be taken out from the folding space 50. In addition, a plurality of casters 58 are attached to the lower surface of the housing 5 so that the housing 5 can be easily moved. Hereinafter, each mechanism of this folding apparatus will be described in detail.

<2-2. First folding mechanism>
The first folding mechanism is disposed at the upper part of the housing 5 and includes a pair of first arm members 6 disposed at both ends in the long side direction of the housing 5 with the folding space 50 interposed therebetween. Since these first arm members 6 have the same configuration, only one of them will be described below.

  FIG. 8 is a front view of the first arm member, and FIG. 9 is a plan view of the first arm member. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the first arm member 6 is disposed on a first support portion 52 that is disposed on both sides of the long side direction of the housing 5. The first support portion 52 is formed in a plate shape and extends in the short side direction of the housing 5. Each first arm member 6 includes a pair of L-shaped first frames 61 arranged at a predetermined interval. In the first frame 61, a first extending portion 611 and a second extending portion 612 extending in a plate shape are connected so as to be substantially orthogonal, and the first extending portion 611 is formed long. The pair of first frames 61 are connected by a first shaft member 62 that connects the connecting portions of the extending portions 611 and 612. Further, a second shaft member 63 that connects the tips of the first extending portions 611 of each first frame 61 and a third shaft member 64 that connects the tips of the second extending portions 612 are provided. The second shaft member 63 includes a shaft main body 631 that connects the distal ends of the first extending portions 611, and a pair of cylindrical rollers 632 that are integrally formed at both ends of the shaft main body 631. . Similarly, the third shaft member 64 includes a shaft main body 641 that connects the tips of the second extending portions 612, and a pair of cylindrical roller portions 642 that are integrally formed at both ends of the shaft main body 641. I have. And these 1st-3rd shaft members 62-64 are arrange | positioned so that all may extend in the short side direction of the housing | casing 5. FIG.

  Next, the rotation control mechanism 7 that controls the rotation of the first arm member 6 will be described. The first shaft member 62 protrudes from the first frame 61 in the horizontal direction, and is rotatably attached to a bearing 53 provided on the first support portion 52 of the housing 5. Among these, a first sprocket 71 is attached to one end (front side) of the first shaft member 62. A bracket 54 is attached to the first support portion 52, and a second sprocket 72 that is larger in diameter than the first sprocket 71 and disposed on the end side of the housing 5 rotates on the bracket 54. It is attached freely. A chain 73 is spanned between these sprockets 71 and 72.

  In addition, a disk-shaped rotating member 74 is attached to the second sprocket 72 in parallel with the second sprocket 72 and can rotate together with the second sprocket 72. The rotating member 74 is rotatably attached with two cylindrical roller members 75 and 76 arranged with the rotation center therebetween. Of these, the roller member disposed on the folding space 50 side is referred to as a first roller member 75, and the roller member disposed on the end side of the housing 5 is referred to as a second roller member 76.

  Further, both the roller members 75 and 76 are pressed from below by a plate material 77. A pair of springs 78 and 79 extending upward are attached to the lower surface of the plate member 77, and the plate member 77 presses both the roller members 75 and 76 from the lower side by the springs 78 and 79. That is, the plate material 77 and the springs 78 and 79 are disposed below the roller members 75 and 76. Here, the spring disposed on the folding space 50 side is referred to as a first spring 78, and the spring disposed on the end side of the housing 5 is referred to as a second spring 79.

  In the initial state, the roller members 75 and 76 are arranged so as to be aligned in the horizontal direction, and the two springs 78 and 79 apply the force equally to the roller members 75 and 76. At this time, the 1st arm member 6 is arrange | positioned so that the 1st extension part 611 may extend in the diagonal direction toward the upper direction a little.

  Then, as will be described later, when the container 10 is arranged on the first extending portion 611 and the container 10 is pressed downward, the first extending portion 611 is pushed downward as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the first shaft member 62 rotates. Hereinafter, this rotation may be referred to as forward rotation R1. When both the sprockets 71 and 72 and the rotating member 74 rotate along with this rotation, the first roller member 75 presses the plate material 77 and the second roller member 76 moves away from the plate material 77. However, when the force acting on the first arm member 6 is released, the first roller member 75 is pushed up by the action of both springs 78 and 79, thereby rotating the rotating member 74 and both sprockets 71 and 72, The first arm member 6 shown in FIG. 8 returns to the initial position. Hereinafter, this rotation may be referred to as reverse rotation R2. In this mechanism, the sprockets 71 and 72 are adjusted such that the second roller member 76 is not disposed on the folding space 50 side beyond the first roller member 75. Note that the rotation direction of the arm is also referred to as forward rotation R1 and reverse rotation R2 in the second arm member 8 described later (see FIG. 11).

  The first arm member 6 has a width in the direction in which the first shaft member 62 extends so that the first and second short side walls 21 and 23 of the container 10 can be pressed. It is formed smaller than 23.

<2-3. Second folding mechanism>
Next, the second folding mechanism will be described. The second folding mechanism is disposed below the first folding mechanism, and includes a pair of second arm members 8 disposed at both ends in the short side direction of the housing 5 with the folding space 50 interposed therebetween. Since these second arm members 8 have the same configuration, only one of them will be described below.

  FIG. 11 is a front view of the second arm member, and FIG. 12 is a plan view of the second arm member. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the second arm member 8 is disposed on the second support portion 55 disposed on both sides in the long side direction of the housing 5. The second support portion 55 is formed in a plate shape and extends in the long side direction of the housing 5. Each second arm member 8 includes a pair of L-shaped second frames 81 arranged at a predetermined interval. The second frame 81 is formed by connecting the first extending portion 811 and the second extending portion 812 extending in a plate shape so as to be substantially orthogonal, and the extending portions 811 and 812 have substantially the same length. Is formed. The pair of second frames 81 are connected by a first shaft member 82 that connects the connecting portions of the extending portions 811 and 812. Further, a second shaft member 83 that connects the tips of the first extending portions 811 of each second frame 81 and a third shaft member 84 that connects the tips of the second extending portions 812 are provided. The second shaft member 83 includes a shaft main body 831 that connects the tips of the first extending portions 811, and a pair of cylindrical roller portions 832 that are integrally formed at both ends of the shaft main body 831. . Similarly, the third shaft member 84 also includes a shaft main body 841 that connects the tips of the second extending portions 812, and a pair of cylindrical roller portions 842 that are integrally formed at both ends of the shaft main body 841. I have. And these 1st-3rd shaft members 82-84 are arrange | positioned so that all may extend in the long side direction of the housing | casing 5. FIG.

  The second arm member 8 also has a rotation control mechanism 9 similar to that of the first arm member 6, but the configuration is substantially the same, and thus the description thereof is omitted. 11 and 12, each symbol indicating the configuration of the rotation control mechanism has a number of 10's places, which is the number of 10's places of the rotation control mechanism 7 in FIGS. 8 and 9. Corresponds to a code of 7.

  Both the second arm members 8 have a width in the direction in which the first shaft member 82 extends so that the first and second long side walls 22 and 24 of the container 10 can be pressed. It is formed smaller than 24.

  The vertical positional relationship between the first arm member 6 and the second arm member 8 is set as follows. That is, when the bottom wall 1 of the container 10 is supported by the second extending portion 812 of the second arm member 8, the first extending portions 611 of the first arm members 6 are connected to the first and second containers 10. The upper and lower positions of the first arm member 6 and the second arm member 8 are set so that the second short side walls 21 and 23 are pushed into the inner space and are held in a state of extending in a substantially horizontal direction. Thereby, the 1st and 2nd long side walls 22 and 24 can be folded to the internal space side, without being interrupted by the 1st and 2nd short side walls 21 and 23. FIG.

<2-4. Folding container with folding device>
Next, the folding operation of the container 10 by the folding device configured as described above will be described. Hereinafter, the operation of the first and second folding mechanisms will be mainly described. However, since the first arm member 6 and the second arm member 8 are provided in pairs, only one of them will be described. To do.

  First, the container 10 is inserted into the folding space 50 from the top of the housing 5 with the upper opening facing upward. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 13, the bottom wall 1 of the container 10 is supported by the first extending portion 611 of the first arm member 6. At this time, due to the weight of the container 10, the first extending portion 611 is pushed downward, whereby the first arm member 6 rotates slightly forward and the roller portion provided in the second extending portion 612. 642 contacts the first short side wall 21.

  When the operator presses the frame member 3 of the container 10 downward from this state, the first extending portion 611 of the first arm member 6 is moved downward by the bottom wall 1 of the container 10 as shown in FIG. The first arm member 6 is normally rotated downward by being pressed. Accordingly, the roller portion 642 provided in the second extending portion 612 presses the first short side wall 21 toward the inner space of the container 10 and swings the first short side wall 21. Then, as the container 10 moves downward, the first extending portion 611 is pressed further downward, and the bottom wall 1 moves below the first extending portion 611 as shown in FIG. In addition, since the pressing force acting on the first extending portion 611 is released, the first arm member 6 reversely rotates upward to return to the initial state as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the second extending portion 612 that has pressed the first short side wall 21 is retracted to the outside of the container 10, and instead of this, as shown in FIG. The roller portion 632 at the tip supports the first short side wall 21 from below in a swinging state, that is, in a state extending in the horizontal direction.

  Thus, when the container 10 moves downward until the first extending portion 611 and the roller portion 632 support the first short side wall 21, as shown in FIG. The arm member 8 is in a supported state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19, in the second arm member 8, the first extending portion 811 is pushed downward due to the weight of the container 10, whereby the second arm member 8 rotates slightly forward in the downward direction. And the roller part 842 provided in the 2nd extension part 812 will be in the state which pressed the 1st long side wall 22 a little.

  In the first arm member 6, the length of the first extending portion 611 is longer than that of the second extending portion 612, so that the first extending portion 611 is pushed by the bottom wall 1 of the container 10. The pressure can be effectively transmitted to the second extending portion 612. Thereby, the 1st short side wall 21 can be strongly pressed by the 2nd extension part 612, and the 1st short side wall 21 can be rock | fluctuated reliably.

  18 and 19, when the operator presses the frame member 3 of the container 10 downward, the first extending portion 811 of the second arm member 8 is moved downward by the bottom wall 1 of the container 10. The second arm member 8 is normally rotated downward. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 20, the roller portion 842 provided in the second extending portion 812 presses the lower member 223 of the first long side wall 22 toward the inner space side of the container 10, and the first long side wall 22 is bent toward the inner space of the container 10 so that the lower member 223 and the upper member 222 are overlapped. Thus, when the first long side wall 22 enters the inner space side of the container 10, the frame member 3 and the bottom wall 1 approach each other, and the container 10 falls downward while being displaced in a folded state. To go.

  In this process, as shown in FIG. 21, the first extending portion 611 of the first arm member 6 supporting the first short side wall 21 is pressed by the first short side wall 21 and pushed downward. It is done. And if the press to the 1st extension part 611 by the 1st short side wall 21 is cancelled | released with the downward movement of the container 10, the 1st arm member 6 will reverse upward so that it may return to an initial state. Rotate.

  On the other hand, in the second arm member 8, as shown in FIG. 22, the roller portion 842 provided in the second extending portion 812 that has pressed the first long side wall 22 moves downward of the container 10. Along with this, the upper member 222 of the first long side wall 22 is pressed downward. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 23, the second arm member 8 further rotates forward downward, and when the pressing by the upper member 222 of the first long side wall 22 against the roller portion 842 is released, the second arm member 8 Rotates backward to return to the initial state.

  Through the above steps, the container 10 is folded and stacked on the cart 4, and the operator inserts the container 10 from above the folding device in order to fold the next container 10.

  By the way, the behavior of the first arm member 6 in the above-described process is a behavior when the container 10 moves downward relatively slowly. That is, this is a behavior when the operator presses the container 10 downward relatively slowly after the container 10 is supported by the first arm member 6. On the other hand, when the operator strongly presses the container 10 downward in a state where the container 10 is supported by the first arm member 6, the container 10 moves downward quickly, so that different behaviors occur. Show. This point will be described.

  That is, in the behavior described above, as shown in FIG. 15, the first arm member 6 is reversed upward after the pressing of the first extending portion 611 of the first arm member 6 by the bottom wall 1 of the container 10 is released. After the rotation and the second extending portion 612 has moved out of the internal space of the container 10 as shown in FIG. 16, the first extending portion 611 supports the first short side wall 21 as shown in FIG. It is like that. On the other hand, when the container 10 quickly moves downward, the first short side wall 21 in the swinging state is lowered before the second extending portion 612 retreats out of the internal space of the container 10. As shown in FIG. 24, the second extending portion 611 continues to hold the first short side wall 21 in a swinging state. That is, the first arm member 6 transitions from the state of FIG. 15 to the state of FIG. At this time, the bottom wall 1 of the container 10 is supported by the first extending portion 811 of the second arm member 8.

  When the container 10 is pressed downward from this state, the first short side wall 21 presses the second extending portion 612 of the first arm member 6 and pushes it downward. When the pressing of the first short side wall 21 against the second extending portion 612 is released along with the downward movement of the container 10, the first arm member 6 reverses upward so as to return to the initial state. Rotate.

<3. Features>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the folding work of the container 10 can be mechanized, even a person with weak power can easily perform the folding work of the container 10. In addition, the working time can be shortened.

  Further, since the container 10 is folded while moving downward and is disposed on the carriage 4, the folded container 10 is stacked on the carriage 4. Therefore, it is possible to reuse the stacked containers 10 simply by moving the carriage 4 to a necessary place, and the working efficiency can be greatly improved.

<4. Modification>
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning. Note that the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

<4-1>
Each of the arm members 6 and 8 is generally L-shaped in a side view having a portion (support portion) capable of supporting the bottom wall 1 of the container 10 and a portion (pressing portion) capable of pressing the side walls 21 to 24. If it is formed in, it will not specifically limit. Therefore, for example, the roller portion is useful for smoothly pressing the bottom wall and the side wall of the container and smoothly guiding the container 10 downward, but is not necessarily required. Moreover, the length of the 1st extension part 611,811 and the 2nd extension part 612,812 may be the same.

<4-2>
Each of the arm members 6 and 8 is given a rotational force so as to return to the initial position by the rotation control mechanisms 7 and 9, but in the process of moving the container downward, the arm members 6 and 8 are in the same direction. It is also possible to manually return to the initial position after rotation. However, as long as the first arm member 6 can be returned to the initial position, as described above, the first arm member 6 is swung by the first extending portion 611 that is reversely rotated as when the container 10 moves at a low speed. The short side walls 21 and 23 can be supported. Moreover, even if it is a case where a rotation control member is provided, the structure is not specifically limited, What is necessary is just to be comprised so that it can return to an initial position.

<4-3>
The structure of the housing | casing 5 is not specifically limited, The folding space which a container passes at least should just be formed. Therefore, if the cart can be arranged, it is easy to take out the folded container, but the cart may not necessarily be arranged.

<4-4>
In the above embodiment, the arm members 6 and 8 are fixed, but can be adjusted according to the size and shape of the container 10. That is, at least one of the horizontal interval between the pair of first arm members 6, the horizontal interval between the pair of second arm members 8, and the vertical interval between the first arm member 6 and the second arm member 8. The adjustment method is not particularly limited. For example, the arm members 6 and 8 can be moved by a mechanism including a ball screw and a nut.

<4-5>
In the said embodiment, although the example using the 1st arm member 6 and the 2nd arm member 2, respectively was demonstrated as a 1st folding mechanism and a 2nd folding mechanism, respectively, it is not limited to this. That is, in the process in which the container 10 moves downward in the folding space 50, the first short side wall 21 and the second short side wall 23 are pushed into the inner space side by the first folding mechanism, and are swung so as to approach the horizontal. In the second folding mechanism, the first short side wall 21 and the second short side wall 23 are maintained in a horizontal state (or a state close thereto) so as not to prevent the first long side wall 22 and the second long side wall 24 from being folded. The first long side wall 22 and the second long side wall 24 may be configured to be folded into two by being pushed into the internal space.

<4-6>
In the above-described embodiment, a space where the carriage 4 can be arranged is provided below the housing 5. However, such a space is not necessarily required, and it is sufficient that at least one folded container 10 can be arranged.

<4-7>
The configuration of the container includes at least a pair of swinging opposing side walls, a pair of opposing side walls that can be folded so as to be overlapped, a bottom wall, and a frame member. It is not limited. Therefore, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a lid that can be opened and closed is provided on the frame member and the upper opening of the container is closed.

10 container 1 bottom wall 2 peripheral wall 21 first short side wall (first side wall)
22 1st long side wall (2nd side wall)
23 Second short side wall (first side wall)
24 2nd long side wall (2nd side wall)
3 Frame member 50 Folding space 5 Housing 6 First arm member 611 First extending portion (first support portion)
612 Second extending portion (first pressing portion)
8 2nd arm member 811 1st extension part (2nd support part)
812 Second extending part (second pressing part)

Claims (8)

A rectangular peripheral wall having a pair of opposed rectangular first side walls and a pair of opposed rectangular second side walls in plan view, a frame member extending along one opening peripheral edge of the peripheral wall, and the peripheral wall A bottom wall that closes the other opening, and has an internal space surrounded by the peripheral wall and the bottom wall,
The edge on the frame member side of each first side wall is connected to the frame member so as to be swingable,
The edge of each second side wall on the frame member side is swingably connected to the frame member, and the end edge on the bottom wall side is swingably connected to the bottom wall. And
Each of the second side walls is configured to be foldable into two so as to protrude toward the inner space side along a fold line extending in a direction in which the peripheral wall extends,
A folding device for folding
A housing having a folding space extending in the vertical direction through which the container passes;
A first folding mechanism for folding at least the first side walls;
A second folding mechanism disposed below the first folding region and folding at least the second side walls;
With
The first folding mechanism is disposed at a position corresponding to each first side wall with the folding space interposed therebetween,
The second folding mechanism is disposed at a position corresponding to each of the second side walls across the folding space, and when the container moves from the upper side to the lower side of the folding space,
The first folding mechanism folds the first side wall;
The folding device, wherein the second folding mechanism is configured to fold the second side wall while the folded state of the first side wall by the first folding mechanism is maintained. The first folding mechanism includes a pair of first arm members respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the first side walls across the folding space,
Each of the first arm members is
A first support portion capable of supporting the bottom wall;
A first pressing part capable of pressing the first side wall;
Are formed in an L shape in side view,
A connecting portion between the first support portion and the first pressing portion is provided with a first shaft member extending in a direction in which the peripheral wall extends, and the first arm member is centered on the first shaft member. It is configured to be rotatable,
The second folding mechanism includes a pair of second arm members respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the second side walls with the folding space interposed therebetween.
The second arm member is
A second support portion capable of supporting the bottom wall;
A second pressing part capable of pressing the second side wall;
Are formed in an L shape in side view,
The connecting portion between the second support portion and the second pressing portion is provided with a second shaft member extending in the direction in which the peripheral wall extends, and the second arm member is centered on the second shaft member. It is configured to be rotatable,
When the bottom wall of the container is supported by the second support part of the second arm member, the first support part or the first pressing part of the first arm member is the first support part. The folding device according to claim 1, wherein the folding device is configured to hold the side wall in a state of being pushed into the inner space side.   The folding according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotational force is applied to each first shaft member so that each first arm member returns to an initial state of supporting the bottom wall of the container. apparatus.   The rotational force is given to each said 2nd shaft member so that each said 2nd arm member may return to the initial state which supports the bottom wall of the said container. The folding apparatus as described.   The roller which can contact the said container is rotatably attached to at least one of the front-end | tip of a said 1st support part, a 1st press part, a 2nd support part, and a 2nd press part. The folding apparatus in any one of.   The distance from the said 1st shaft member to the front-end | tip of the said 1st support part is longer than the distance from the said 1st shaft member to the front-end | tip of the said 1st press part, The one in any one of Claim 1-5 Folding device.   The folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a transport cart capable of stacking the folded containers can be disposed below the second folding mechanism.   Adjust at least one of a horizontal interval between the pair of first arm members, a horizontal interval between the pair of second arm members, and a vertical interval between the first arm member and the second arm member. The folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the folding device is configured to be possible.