JP2023072041A - robot cartoner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a robot cartoner capable of arranging a partition between two articles in a row with a simple configuration and control when the two articles are supplied into separate boxes at the same time.

CONSTITUTION: An article transfer robot is provided that holds and moves articles 1 on a first conveying device 11 and supplies them to boxes on a second conveying device 12. The boxes that store two articles side by side, is provided with a middle partition flap 5b on one short side of an upper end opening portion of the box body. The article transfer robot is configured to place an article supplied first into the box in the short side where the middle partition flap is provided, folding means is included for folding the middle partition flap in a state where the first article is supplied in the box, and when the second article is supplied to the box by the article transfer robot, the article to be supplied pushes the folded middle partition flap into the box.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a robotic cartoning machine.

A device disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, as a robot boxing device that holds a plurality of articles flowing on a conveying line for articles, transfers the articles into a box with an upper opening on the conveying line for boxes, and supplies the articles. There is In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a band plate-like support member is provided at the tip of a robot arm through a rotating mechanism, and a first gripper and a second gripper are provided at both ends of the support member as holding means. Boxing process is performed using a robot equipped with By opening and closing the first gripper and the second gripper, the upright article is gripped from above. In this state, the robot arm moves the article onto the box with the upper opening, and the first gripper and the second gripper grip the article. Disengage and feed the article into the box. This allows two items to be packed into the same box at the same time.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-96408

When the article to be boxed is, for example, a container with a nozzle, the tip of the nozzle sometimes protrudes outside the outer peripheral edge of the container body. When such a container with a nozzle is packed in a box, for example, the inner dimensions of the rectangular box should correspond to the dimensions and shape of the outer periphery of the container body, and the nozzle should be placed near the corners of the rectangular box. The size of the box including the nozzle can be neatly stored without making the dimensions of the box much larger than the outer dimensions of the container body, and the gap between the container body and the inner peripheral surface of the box can be reduced.

However, it is difficult to pack a plurality of containers by aligning the angles of the nozzles in a predetermined direction with an apparatus that holds and packs a plurality of containers at the same time, as in Patent Document 1. Further, for example, the first gripper and the second gripper can be made rotatable, and the direction of the nozzle can be changed by rotating each gripper while gripping the container, but the structure of the device is complicated.

The above-described problems are described as independent ones, and the present invention does not necessarily have to be able to solve all of the described problems, and it is sufficient if at least one of the problems can be solved. In addition, we intend to obtain the right for the configuration to solve this problem by filing a divisional application or making an amendment.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the robot boxing apparatus of the present invention provides (1) a first conveying device that conveys articles having a nozzle section in two rows, and a box that stores the articles and has an opening at the top. and an article transfer robot that holds and moves the articles on the first conveying apparatus and supplies them to the boxes on the second conveying apparatus, wherein the first conveying apparatus The position of the article at the head of each row is shifted back and forth along the conveying direction, the nozzle section is made to stand by in a state facing backward, and the article transfer robot rotates in a plane parallel to the conveying surface. a support member, a first holding member and a second holding member supported by the support member, and moving means for moving the support member over the first transport device and the second transport device; In the article transfer robot, the first holding member and the second holding member each hold the article at the head of the two rows waiting on the first conveying device, and the first holding member and the article are moved by the moving means. moving the second holding member onto the second conveying device, and rotating the supporting member during the movement or on the second conveying device to move the first holding member and the second holding member to the second holding member; positioned above the boxes before and after waiting on the conveying device, releasing the holding of the first holding member and the second holding member to supply the articles to the respective boxes; The nozzle portion of the article is configured to be positioned on the corner side of the box by rotation.

In this way, for example, the article transfer robot moves the supporting member to a predetermined position on the first conveying device and rotates the supporting member to move the first holding member and the second holding member to the first conveying device. It can be positioned above the first item in each of the two lines waiting on the device to grip the item. Then, when the moving means is operated while holding the holding member, the first holding member and the second holding member can be positioned on the second conveying device, and the supporting member can be rotated at an appropriate timing to rotate the first holding member and the second holding member. The first holding member and the second holding member can each be positioned over different boxes conveyed by the second conveying device, and the articles can be fed to the respective boxes by releasing the grip. Furthermore, since the articles waiting on the first conveying device both face the rear side, when the supporting members are rotated as described above, the first holding member and the second holding member are in a state of holding the articles. As it moves in a predetermined exercise area around the center of rotation of the support member, the direction of the nozzle portion of the article also rotates accordingly, reaching the vicinity of the corner of the box. As described above, according to the present invention, the orientation of the nozzles of the articles waiting on the first conveying device is directed backward, so that the orientation of the nozzles of the two articles held by the article transfer robot due to the rotation of the support member. can be changed to match the corner side of the box.

For example, some items with a nozzle protrude beyond the edge of the container body of the item, and it is important to align the direction of the nozzle when packing such items. However, according to the present invention, by taking two articles with the nozzle portions facing upstream and rotating the support member, the direction of the nozzle portions can be aligned at a good position.

(2) The box stores two of the articles side by side, the second conveying device conveys the box in a horizontally long state in a plan view, and the first holding member holds the box. It is preferable to supply the article held on the left side or one of the right sides in the conveying direction, and the second holding member may supply the article held on the side different from the side of the first holding member. By doing so, it is possible to finally supply two articles to predetermined positions in the box with simple operation and control.

(3) The box stores two of the articles side by side, and is provided with a partition flap on one of the short sides of the upper opening of the box body, and the article transfer robot moves the boxes. The first article to be supplied to the box is placed on the short side where the intermediate partition flap is provided, and folding means for folding the intermediate partition flap while the first article is supplied into the box and, when a second item is supplied to the box by the item transfer robot, the item to be supplied pushes the folded inner partition flap into the box. . In this way, a box with a middle partition flap can be formed by interposing the middle partition flap between two articles stored in the same box with simple operation and control.

(4) The box stores one of the articles, and the first holding member and the second holding member preferably supply the articles held in the boxes arranged in front and back. By doing so, it is possible to efficiently pack a single box into a box with the nozzle part facing the corner of the box. When combined with the above inventions (2) and (3), for example, by changing the type of boxes conveyed by the second conveying device, it is possible to allow one-piece and two-piece packing.

(5) The first conveying device includes a first passage portion and a second passage portion that serve as paths along which the articles move. means for distributing the articles conveyed from the outlet to one of the passages, and the nozzle portion of the article moving in the first passage portion is provided with at least one of a pair of peripheral walls forming the passage of the first passage portion The nozzle portion of the article, which is in the rearward state in contact with one side and moves in the second passage portion, contacts at least one of a pair of peripheral walls forming the passage of the second passage portion and faces the rearward direction. and the positions of the outlets for the articles in the first passage portion and the second passage portion are shifted back and forth with respect to the conveying direction. By doing so, for example, even if the nozzle portion is transported from the upstream side of the first passage portion and the second passage portion in a random state in which the orientation of the nozzle portion is forward or backward, the nozzle portion will be carried out from the first passage portion and the second passage portion. It can be aligned backwards when

(6) biasing the nozzle portion of the article waiting at the outlet of the first passage or the outlet of the second passage in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the first conveying device; It is preferable to have a function of aligning the directions of the nozzle portions by By doing so, the direction of the nozzle portion can be aligned with high accuracy, and it is possible to direct the nozzle portion to the corner of the box with high accuracy.

(7) An article transfer robot that holds and moves the articles on the first conveying device and supplies them to the boxes on the second conveying device, wherein the boxes store two of the articles side by side; A partition flap is provided on one of the short sides of the upper opening of the main body of the box, and the article transfer robot is supported by a support member rotatable in a plane parallel to the conveying surface and supported by the support member. a first holding member and a second holding member, and moving means for moving the supporting member onto the first conveying device and onto the second conveying device, wherein the article transfer robot moves the first holding member and the The second holding members respectively hold the two articles on the first conveying device, the moving means moves the first holding member and the second holding member onto the second conveying device, and moves the articles. By rotating the supporting member on the way or on the second conveying device, the first holding member and the second holding member are positioned above the boxes before and after waiting on the second conveying device, and The first holding member and the second holding member are released to supply the articles to the respective boxes, and the article transfer robot first supplies the article to the box, A folding means is provided for folding the intermediate partition flaps on the short side where the partition flaps are provided, and in a state in which the first article is supplied into the box, and the article transfer robot moves the article to the box. On the other hand, when the second article is supplied, it is preferable that the article to be supplied pushes the folded inner partition flap into the box. By doing so, in a box in which two articles are arranged side by side and stored, the middle partition can be arranged between the two articles arranged side by side.

(8) A first conveying device for conveying articles in two rows, a second conveying device for conveying boxes with an open top for storing said articles, and holding and moving said articles on said first conveying device. An article transfer robot that supplies the boxes on the second conveying device is provided, and the first conveying device shifts the positions of the articles at the top of each of the two rows back and forth along the conveying direction. The article transfer robot comprises a supporting member rotatable in a plane parallel to the conveying surface, a first holding member and a second holding member supported by the supporting member, and the supporting member. The article transfer robot is provided with moving means for moving onto the first conveying device and onto the second conveying device, and the article transfer robot is arranged such that the first holding member and the second holding member stand by on the first conveying device. The first holding member and the second holding member are moved onto the second conveying device by the moving means, and the first holding member and the second holding member are moved onto the second conveying device during the movement or on the second conveying device. Rotate the support member to position the first holding member and the second holding member above the boxes before and after waiting on the second conveying device, and remove the first holding member and the second holding member. The article is supplied to each of the boxes by releasing the holding, and the relative position of the article at the head of each of the two rows waiting in the first conveying device is configured to be changeable and adjustable, and the relative position In accordance with the change in , it is preferable that the interval between the first holding member and the second holding member supported by the supporting member is made different. By doing so, it is possible to construct a robot boxing apparatus that can be used both as a box for one item and as a box for two items. The change and adjustment of the relative position of each leading article on standby is preferably performed by changing at least one of the distance in the direction along the conveying direction and the distance in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In the case of an article that has both, it is more preferable to be able to change both. A configuration in which the interval between the first holding member and the second holding member is made different according to such change adjustment is, for example, a configuration in which at least one of the first holding member and the second holding member attached to the same supporting member is supported. It is preferable to make it movable with respect to the member, or prepare a plurality of members attached to the support member at different intervals in advance, and attach and detach them to the moving means.

According to the present invention, when supplying two articles into separate boxes at the same time, the nozzle portion can be directed toward the vicinity of the corner of each box with a simple configuration and control.

1 is a plan view showing a preferred embodiment of a robot boxing device according to the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows the distribution of the articles|goods arrange|positioned on a 1st conveying apparatus, and the orientation alignment mechanism of a nozzle part. It is a figure explaining the effect|action. 1 is a diagram (1) showing an article transfer robot; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 2) showing an article transfer robot; FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 3) showing an article transfer robot; FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 4) showing an article transfer robot; It is explanatory drawing of the function which makes the direction of the nozzle part at the time of supplying to a box near the corner of a box. It is explanatory drawing of the function which forms a box with a partition. It is a figure explaining the boxing process with respect to the box containing two. It is a figure explaining the boxing process with respect to the box containing one.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to this, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a robotic cartoning machine according to the invention. The robot boxing apparatus of this embodiment includes a first transporting device 11 that transports articles 1 in an upright posture, a second transporting device 12 that is arranged in parallel with the first transporting device 11 and transports boxes 5, and a second transporting device 12 that transports boxes 5. An article transfer robot 13 that holds the articles 1 conveyed by the first conveying device 11 and moves along a predetermined trajectory to supply the articles 1 to the boxes 5 on the second conveying device 12 is provided.

The article 1 to be packed into the box 5 is, for example, a nozzle-equipped container in this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 10, the nozzle-equipped container comprises a substantially cylindrical container body 2 with a bottom, a cap portion 3 attached to the upper opening portion of the container body 2, the neck portion, and the cap portion 3. The cap portion 3 is provided with a nozzle portion 4 and the like for discharging the contents stored in the container body 2 .

The first transport device 11 has a transport surface consisting of a belt conveyor 14 . The articles 1 are sequentially supplied from the upstream device to the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the conveying surface of the first conveying device 11, and are conveyed with the orientation of the nozzle portion 4 being random. A pair of left and right guide portions 16 for moving the article 1 to the center position in the width direction of the conveying surface is arranged at a predetermined position above the conveying surface. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the guide portion 16 is arranged at a position where it contacts the cap portion 3 of the article 1, and the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of guide portions 16 increases toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. It gradually becomes shorter, and at its most downstream end, it is almost equal to the diameter of the cap portion 3 . As a result, the article 1 moving in the vicinity of the center of the conveying surface enters the area between the pair of left and right guide portions 16 and moves forward as it is. It obliquely moves forward along the guide portion 16 . Then, when the article 1 reaches the most downstream end of the guide portion 16, it is positioned at the center position of the conveying surface and carried out as it is.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide portion 16 is arranged at a position where it can come into contact with the nozzle portion 4 of the article 1 . As a result, when the article 1 is carried out from the guide portion 16, the nozzle portion 4 is oriented forward or backward within a predetermined angular range. That is, for example, when the tip of the nozzle portion 4 contacts the guide portion 16, the tip of the nozzle portion 4 moves along the guide portion 16 toward the center in the width direction of the conveying surface as the article 1 moves forward. rotates. As a result, when the article 1 is carried out from the guide section 16 , the tip of the nozzle section 4 passes between the most downstream ends of the pair of left and right guide sections 16 . Therefore, the tip of the nozzle portion 4 is positioned on the front side or the rear side of the container body 2 and faces forward or backward facing within a predetermined angle range with respect to the conveying direction.

A first passage portion 18 and a second passage portion 19 that are bifurcated to guide the movement of the article 1 are arranged at the downstream ends of the pair of guide portions 16 . The first passage portion 18 takes a route on the left side in the conveying direction, and the second passage portion 19 takes a route on the right side in the conveying direction. The inlets, which are the upstream ends of the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 , are arranged at positions close to the outlet of the guide portion 16 . A sorting plate 20 that rotates forward and backward within a predetermined angular range on a plane parallel to the conveying surface is arranged in the vicinity of the entrances of the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 . This sorting plate 20 has a disc-shaped main body 20a and two recesses 20b cut out in a substantially circular arc shape at two locations on the outer peripheral edge of the disk-shaped main body 20a.

Then, the sorting plate 20 waits in a posture in which one concave portion 20b is arranged at a position facing the outlet of the guide portion 16 on the downstream side of the guide portion 16 . As a result, the articles 1 carried out from the guide portion 16 come into contact with the concave portion 20b of the sorting plate 20 and temporarily stop. In this state, when the sorting plate 20 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the position of the recessed portion 20b also moves in the rotational direction, and accordingly the articles 1 corresponding to the recessed portion 20b also move to the first passage portion. 18 or the second passage portion 19 . As a result, the sorting plate 20 alternately rotates clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle, so that the articles 1 conveyed out from the guide section 16 in a row in the front-rear direction alternately pass through the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion. It is distributed to 19.

As shown enlarged in FIG. 2, the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 each have a passage width substantially equal to the diameter of the cap portion 3, and the articles 1 receiving the conveying force from the belt conveyor 14 are It is guided by the first passage portion 18 or the second passage portion 19 with which the cap portion 3 contacts, and moves along a predetermined trajectory. The first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 have an arc-shaped section with a central angle of approximately 90 degrees corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of the main body 20a of the distribution plate 20 on the upstream side, which is the carry-in portion. Subsequently, there is a linear section parallel to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 14 . The linear section of the second passage portion 19 is made longer than the linear section of the first passage portion 18, and the tip position of the linear section of the second passage portion 19 is aligned with the linear section of the first passage portion 18. Position downstream of the section. Further, a star wheel 17 is arranged at the outlet at the tip of each linear section. The articles 1 carried out from each linear section are held by the corresponding star wheels 17 and temporarily stopped. As a result, the leading article 1 traveling through the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 is temporarily stopped by the star wheel 17, and thus waits in a specific relative positional relationship shifted forward and backward.

Furthermore, the first outer peripheral wall 18a and the first inner peripheral wall 18b, which define the passage width of the first passage portion 18, are arranged in parallel with an interval substantially equal to the diameter of the cap portion 3. The inner peripheral wall 18 b is arranged at a height that allows contact with the cap portion 3 and the nozzle portion 4 . The first outer peripheral wall 18a is connected to the guide portion 16 arranged on the left side in the direction of travel, and the upstream end of the first inner peripheral wall 18b serves as the downstream end portion of the guide portion 16 arranged on the left side. It is located on the downstream side of the direction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the first outer peripheral wall 18a and the first inner peripheral wall 18b are configured such that their upper ends are connected to each other by the first top plate 18c.

Similarly, the second outer peripheral wall 19a and the second inner peripheral wall 19b, which define the passage width of the second passage portion 19, are arranged in parallel with an interval substantially equal to the diameter of the cap portion 3. The second inner peripheral wall 19 b is arranged at a height that allows contact with the cap portion 3 and the nozzle portion 4 . The second outer peripheral wall 19a is connected to the guide portion 16 arranged on the right side in the traveling direction, and the upstream tip of the second inner peripheral wall 19b serves as the downstream tip portion of the guide portion 16 arranged on the left side. It is located on the downstream side of the direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the second outer peripheral wall 19a and the second inner peripheral wall 19b are configured such that their upper ends are connected to each other by the second top plate 19c.

By adopting the above arrangement layout, the upstream end portions of the first inner peripheral wall 18b and the second inner peripheral wall 19b do not exist on the opposite surface on the carry-out side between the pair of left and right guide portions 16, and the open state is achieved. . As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3A, for example, the article 1 carried out from the pair of left and right guide portions 16 and positioned in the concave portion 20b of the distribution plate 20 moves forward through the nozzle portion 4. In the facing posture, the nozzle portion 4 protrudes further downstream through the space between the first inner peripheral wall 18b and the second inner peripheral wall 19b. In this state, when the distribution plate 20 rotates in a predetermined direction (clockwise rotation in the examples of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3A), the cap portion 3 is separated from the first outer peripheral wall 18a and the first inner peripheral wall 18b. The nozzle portion 4 moves in the first passage portion 18 while being guided between the first passage portions 18. At this time, the nozzle portion 4 comes into contact with the upstream end of the first inner peripheral wall 18b, and the tip of the nozzle portion 4 is displaced so as to gradually move to the upstream side. (see FIG. 3(b), etc.). Finally, the nozzle portion 4 enters the passage between the first outer peripheral wall 18a and the first inner peripheral wall 18b (see FIG. 3(c), etc.). As a result, the article 1 moves in the first passage portion 18 with the nozzle portion 4 facing rearward in the traveling direction. Similarly, the article 1 that has moved into the second passage portion 19 moves in the second passage portion 19 while the nozzle portion 4 comes into contact with the second inner peripheral wall 19b and changes direction (see FIG. 3(d), etc.). ).

On the other hand, the article 1 moving in the guide section 16 with the nozzle section 4 facing backward in the direction of travel is oriented while the nozzle section 4 comes into contact with the first outer peripheral wall 18a or the second outer peripheral wall 19a and changes direction. It moves inside the first passage portion 18 or the second passage portion 19 (see FIG. 3(d), etc.). Therefore, the articles 1 moving in the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 and temporarily stopped by the star wheel 17 are arranged in a posture in which all the nozzle portions 4 face the rear side in the traveling direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, the downstream ends of the top plates 18c and 19c are partly notched (see FIG. 2 and the like). Although the rotation of the nozzle portion 4 is thereby restricted, the nozzle portion 4 does not interfere with the top plates 18c and 19c when the article 1 is taken out.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 and the like, the article transfer robot 13 of this embodiment is a SCARA robot in which a robot arm 21 moves within a predetermined area in a horizontal plane. is arranged to be able to move up and down, and a rotating mechanism 23 that rotates in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the supporting shaft 22 is attached to the lower end of the supporting shaft 22. A support member 25 is attached, and a first holding member 26 and a second holding member 27 are provided on the lower surface side of both ends of the support member 25 . The first holding member 26 has three gripping claws 26a that open and close, and when the gripping claws 26a are closed, the outer periphery of the cap portion 3 of the article 1 is supported at three points and firmly held. Similarly, the second holding member 27 has three gripping claws 27a that open and close, and when the gripping claws 27a are closed, the outer circumference of the cap portion 3 of the article 1 is supported at three points and firmly held.

The distance between the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 is equal to the distance between the articles 1 temporarily stopped by the star wheels 17 on the downstream end sides of the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19, respectively. are doing.

The tip of the robot arm 21 is located in an upper region (first region) near the downstream end of the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 of the first conveying device 11 and the second conveying device 12 to, for example, the box 5 . It moves back and forth between the upper areas (second areas) of the article supply position. When moving between the first region and the second region, the support shaft 22 is held at the raised position, and the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 also move at the raised position. On the other hand, when the tip of the robot arm 21 reaches the first area and the second area, the support shaft 22 moves downward. Further, the rotation mechanism 23 operates at an appropriate timing during the downward movement or before the downward movement starts, rotates the support member 25 by a predetermined angle in the horizontal plane, and moves the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 to appropriate positions. position.

Specifically, in the first region, the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 are temporarily stopped at the star wheel 17 on the downstream end side of the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19, respectively. It stops at an angle positioned above each of the articles 1 (see FIG. 8(b), etc.). In the second region, the article 1 held by the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 is stopped at an angle positioned above the box 5 for supplying each (FIGS. 8(a), (c), etc.). reference).

In the first region, the support member 25, and the first and second holding members 26 and 27 follow the downward movement of the support shaft 22, and the gripping claws 26a and 27a open and close at appropriate timings. each grips the cap portion 3 of the article 1 (see FIG. 8(b), etc.). With the two articles 1 gripped at the same time in this way, the support shaft 22 rises, the robot arm 21 turns, and its tip reaches the second area on the second conveying device 12 . At this time, the transport of the boxes 5 in the second transport device 12 is temporarily stopped, and the boxes 5 with the upper opening stand by at the article supply position. Further, for example, during the movement of the tip of the robot arm 21 or when it reaches the second area, the rotation mechanism 23 operates, and the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27, and the article 1 held by them, moves to the second area. It is set to an angular position facing the predetermined position of the front and rear boxes 5 waiting on the second conveying device 12, and in this state, the support shaft 22 in the second region is moved downward. Thereby, the article 1 is inserted into the predetermined position in the box 5 (see FIG. 8(a), etc.). At an appropriate timing, the gripping claws 26a and 27a are opened to release the article 1 from being held, and the article 1 is supplied to the box 5.例文帳に追加Thereby, two articles 1 are packed into different boxes 5 at the same time.

On the other hand, the second conveying device 12 is composed of a bucket conveyor, and is intermittently driven while sandwiching the box 5 between a set of front wall portion 30 and rear wall portion 31 arranged in the forward and rearward directions in the conveying direction. Boxes 5 are intermittently conveyed. A plurality of front wall portions 30 are attached to the second timing belt 34 at regular intervals, and a plurality of rear wall portions 31 are attached to the first timing belt 33 at regular intervals. The first timing belt 33 is stretched over the first timing pulleys 36 arranged in front and rear of the second conveying device 12 in the conveying direction. Further, the second timing belt 34 is stretched over second timing pulleys 37 arranged before and after the second conveying device 12 in the conveying direction. The first timing pulley 36 and the second timing pulley 37 arranged in front and behind are arranged coaxially, and the first timing pulley 36 and the second timing pulley 37 rotate at the same speed during operation. As a result, the first timing belt 33 and the second timing belt 34 rotate at the same speed, and the front wall portion 30 and the rear wall portion 31 attached to each belt maintain a relative positional relationship, that is, a constant distance between them. It moves forward while keeping it, and carries the box 5 sandwiched between the front wall part 30 and the rear wall part 31 accordingly. Also, the relative positions of the first timing belt 33 and the second timing belt 34 are adjustable, and by changing the interval between the front wall portion 30 and the rear wall portion 31, boxes 5 of different sizes can be conveyed.

Further, in this embodiment, a carton feeding device that supplies boxes 5 between the front wall portion 30 and the rear wall portion 31 of the second conveying device 12 is arranged at a predetermined position adjacent to the conveying line of the second conveying device 12. 40, a flap folding device 41 for folding the flaps of the supplied box 5, and a gluing device (not shown) for gluing the flaps to close the box 5, and the like.

The carton supply device 40 includes, for example, a hopper part 45 that stores the cartons 6 folded into sheets in an upright state, and takes out one by one from the top of the plurality of cartons 6 stored in the hopper part 45. A carton take-out device 46 receives the folded carton 6 taken out by the carton take-out device 46, and cooperates with the carton take-out device 46 to open the carton 6 to form a box 5 with an upper opening, and a second conveying device. 12 is provided with a carton transfer device 47.

The carton unloading device 46 includes a support arm 46a that moves along a predetermined trajectory, a first suction nozzle 46b attached to the tip of the support arm 46a, and a mechanism (not shown) for moving the support arm 46a. The predetermined trajectory has at least a section that is reversed in the horizontal plane, and the state (first position) in which the first suction nozzle 46b indicated by the solid line in FIG. The configuration is such that the first suction nozzle 46b indicated by the dashed line in FIG. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when transitioning between the first position and the second position, it moves back and forth in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the second position is on the conveying line of the second conveying device 12. The cartons 6 sucked and held by the first suction nozzle 46b located at the second position wait near the side edge of the conveying line.

The carton transfer device 47 includes a support arm 47a that moves along a predetermined trajectory, a second suction nozzle 47b attached to the tip of the support arm 47a, and a mechanism for moving the support arm 47a (not shown). The predetermined trajectory moves on the transfer line in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction so that the second suction nozzle 47b moves toward and away from the first suction nozzle 46b facing the transfer line of the second transfer device 12. move forward and backward.

In the carton supply device 40 configured as described above, the carton unloading device 46 sucks and holds the carton 6 in the hopper section 45 with the first suction nozzle 46b positioned at the first position, and the first suction is performed in that state. The nozzle 46b is shifted to the second position, and the held folded carton 6 is directed toward the conveying line side of the second conveying device 12 and stands by in that state. Next, the carton transfer device 47 operates to move the second suction nozzle 47b forward to contact a predetermined portion of the waiting carton 6 and suck it. The surface that the second suction nozzle 47b sucks is the surface that faces the surface of the box 5 formed by opening the carton 6 that is sucked and held by the first suction nozzle 46b.

The carton unloading device 46 and the carton transfer device 47 are moved relatively to separate the facing surfaces. For example, the carton delivery device 47 retracts the second suction nozzle 47b that has attracted a predetermined surface of the carton 6 while maintaining the suction. At this time, the first suction nozzle 46b is preferably kept waiting at the second position or moved backward.
When the opposing surfaces are separated, the suction of the first suction nozzle 46b of the carton unloading device 46 is released, and the carton transfer device 47 is retracted. The box 5 is switched to being held only by the second suction nozzle 47b. Along with the backward movement of the carton transfer device 47, the carton 6 enters the bucket of the bucket conveyor, which is the second conveying device 12, that is, between the front wall portion 30 and the rear wall portion 31, and is pressed against both walls. It is raised by moving. That is, the folded carton 6 is opened to form boxes 5 with an open top and a bottom, and each box 5 is set between the front wall portion 30 and the rear wall portion 31 of the second conveying device 12 .

In this embodiment, the boxes 5 into which the articles 1 are to be packed are set on the second conveying device 12 in an upright posture with an open top. Further, the box 5 used in this embodiment is for storing two articles 1 side by side, and the box 5 is horizontally long, that is, it is designed to supply two articles 1 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. Set (see FIG. 1, FIG. 10(a), etc.).

The box 5 used in this embodiment is for containing two items, and stores two standing articles 1 side by side. A partition can be arranged between the two stored articles 1. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 and the like, each flap has a flap continuous with the upper edge of the main body 5a of the box 5 with the top opened, and the second conveying device 12 is conveyed while appropriately A closed box 5 is formed by folding the flaps of . The flap continuous to one of the pair of short sides (for example, the right side in the transport direction of the second transport device 12 and the arrangement side of the first transport device 11) is the middle partition flap 5b, and the flap continuous to the other is the outer side. It becomes the lid flap 5c. The flap on one of the pair of long sides (for example, the rear side in the conveying direction of the second conveying device 12) serves as the inner lid flap 5d, and the other flap serves as the display flap 5e without being folded.

The middle partition flap 5b has a crease 5h extending in a direction parallel to the upper edge of the main body 5a at a predetermined distance from the upper edge of the main body 5a. It becomes the partition part 5i. The predetermined distance is approximately half the length of the long side of the main body 5a of the box 5, and when the middle partition flap 5b is folded at the upper edge of the main body 5a, the portion up to the crease 5h is accommodated in the main body 5a. It comes to cover the upper side of one article 1 that has been made. Then, when the portion of the crease 5h is mountain-folded, the intermediate partition portion 5i on the tip side of the crease 5h enters into the main body 5a. When two articles 1 are stored in the main body 5a, the intermediate partition 5i is interposed between the two articles 1 to prevent the articles 1 from coming into direct contact with each other, thereby functioning as an intermediate partition. do.

The inner lid flap 5d has substantially the same rectangular shape as the upper opening of the main body 5a of the box 5, and is configured to close the upper opening when folded at the upper edge of the main body 5a. Further, an insertion flap 5g is continuously formed at the tip of the inner lid flap 5d. By bending the boundary between the inner lid flap 5d and the insertion flap 5g in an appropriate direction, the insertion flap 5g can be accommodated inside the main body 5a when the inner lid flap 5d closes the upper opening of the main body 5a. configured to

The outer lid flap 5c has substantially the same rectangular shape as the upper opening of the main body 5a of the box 5, and is configured to close the upper opening when folded at the upper edge of the main body 5a. The display flap 5e is printed with the product name of the article 1, advertisements such as catch phrases, advertisements, and other designs. Configure.

Each of the flaps described above is sequentially folded by a flap folding device 41 appropriately arranged along the transport line of the second transport device 12, and the outer lid flap 5c is glued and fixed by a gluing device (not shown).

The flap folding device 41 is composed of a plurality of devices, and as shown in FIGS. 1, 9, etc., a flap opening device 51 that spreads each flap standing upward in order from the upstream so as to fold outward. , a folding device 52 for folding the crease 5h of the middle partition flap 5b, a middle partition flap folding device 53 for folding the middle partition flap 5b so as to cover the upper opening of the main body 5a, and an inner lid flap 5d. An inner lid flap folding device (not shown) that folds down so as to cover the upper opening of the main body 5a, and an outer lid flap folding device (not shown) that folds the outer lid flap 5c so as to cover the upper opening of the main body 5a ), etc.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the flap opening device 51 includes a truncated pyramid-shaped pusher member 51a and a driving mechanism for moving the pusher member 51a up and down. The pusher member 51a is tapered downward, the bottom surface of the lower side is smaller than the upper opening of the main body 5a, and the top surface of the upper side is larger than the upper opening of the main body 5a.

The pusher member 51a is conveyed by the second conveying device 12, is positioned above the temporarily stopped box 5, and moves up and down at that position. As shown in FIG. 10(a), the boxes 5 supplied onto the second conveying device 12 by the carton feeding device 40 are opened at the top, and each flap stands straight upward from the upper edge of the main body 5a. Then, the box 5 is intermittently moved while the upper part is open, and the box 5 is temporarily stopped under the pusher member 51a. In this state, the pusher member 51a moves downward, and as shown in FIG. 9A, when the lower portion of the pusher member 51a enters the main body 5a of the box 5, each flap is guided by the side surface of the pusher member 51a. The upper end side moves outward and transitions to the spreading posture. In this manner, each flap is in a posture that spreads outward, so that the articles 1 can be smoothly inserted into the box 5 when the article transfer robot 13 supplies the article 1 in the post-process on the downstream side. In this embodiment, the pusher member 51a is formed by bending the middle partition flap 5b, the outer lid flap 5c, the inner lid flap 5d, and the display flap 5e so as to expand outward. Only the partition flap 5b and the outer lid flap 5c are shown to be folded and spread outward, and the inner lid flap 5d and the display flap 5e are omitted.

The box 5 whose flaps are opened outward by the flap opening device 51 intermittently moves and temporarily stops at the installation position of the folding device 52 . As shown in FIGS. 1, 9B, etc., the creasing device 52 includes an L-shaped receiving plate 52a fixedly installed at a predetermined position, and a second plate 52a arranged so as to move forward and backward with respect to the conveying line. A first biasing member 52b and a driving mechanism (not shown) for reciprocating the first biasing member 52b are provided.

The receiving plate 52a includes a lower piece 52a' extending horizontally along the conveying direction, and a connecting piece 52a'' extending upward from one upstream end of the lower piece 52a'. By attaching and fixing to the machine frame directly or via a connecting member, the receiving plate 52a is fixedly installed at a desired position and in a desired attitude. For example, the desired position/orientation may be as follows.

The receiving plate 52a is arranged outside on the right side of the conveying direction of the conveying line of the second conveying device 12 so as to follow the conveying direction, and further arranged in an inclined shape so as to be positioned outward as it goes upward. The inclination angle of the receiving plate 52a corresponds to the inclination angle of the side surface of the pusher member 51a, and matches the inclination of the intermediate partition flap 5b that is widened and opened by the pusher member 51a. Furthermore, the horizontally extending lower piece 52a' of the L-shaped receiving plate 52a has a width in the height direction that extends from the base end of the partition flap 5b (upper edge of the main body 5a of the box 5) to the crease. Set the length equal to or slightly shorter than 5h. The receiving plate 52a is positioned inside the inner partition flap 5b of the box 5 conveyed by the second conveying device 12, and the upper edge of the lower piece 52a' is at a position equal to or slightly lower than the passing position of the crease 5h. Then, the lower edge of the lower piece 52a' is positioned above the upper edge of the main body 5a of the box 5. As shown in FIG. As a result, the inner partition flap 5b of the box 5 transported by the second transport device 12 passes outside the receiving plate 52a. Further, when the box 5 in the middle of transportation is temporarily stopped in the setting area of the folding device 52, the partition flap 5b is prevented from coming into contact with the connecting piece 52a''.

On the other hand, the first biasing member 52b is arranged reciprocally so that its tip passes through the area close to the upper edge of the lower piece 52a' of the receiving plate 52a. Then, the tip of the first biasing member 52b stands by at a position spaced outside the lower piece 52a', and moves forward and backward toward the transfer line of the second transfer device 12 at a predetermined timing.

As a result, when the box 5 is temporarily stopped in the installation area of the creasing device 52, the middle partition flap 5b is positioned outside the lower piece 52a' of the receiving plate 52a, and is positioned outside the middle partition flap 5b. The biasing member 52b is in a standby state (see FIG. 9B, etc.). When the first biasing member 52b moves forward in this state, the intermediate partition flap 5b is sandwiched and bent between the tip of the first biasing member 52b and the upper edge of the lower piece 52a' of the receiving plate 52a. During the temporary stop of transportation of the box 5, the crease 5h of the inner partition flap 5b is positioned near the upper edge of the lower piece 52a', so the first biasing member 52b advances and moves forward. When the front end passes over the lower piece 52a' and reaches the conveying line side, the middle partition flap 5b is folded at the crease 5h (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9(b)).

The middle partition flap folding device 53 includes a second urging member 53a arranged so as to be movable forward and backward with respect to the conveying line, a driving mechanism (not shown) for reciprocating the second urging member 53a, and the like. The second biasing member 53a moves horizontally at a position that is the same as or slightly higher than the upper edge of the main body 5a of the box 5, and contacts the middle partition flap 5b of the box 5 that is temporarily stopped during the forward movement to move the main body 5a. to the upper opening side of the Upon receiving this urging force, the middle partition flap 5b is bent from the connecting portion of the upper edge of the main body 5a and displaced so as to cover the upper opening of the main body 5a (see FIG. 9(c-1), etc.).

The process of inserting the intermediate partition portion 5i, which is the part on the tip side of the crease 5h of the intermediate partition flap 5b into the interior of the main body 5a, is carried out in cooperation with the process of supplying the articles 1. As shown in FIG. That is, as described above, the article transfer robot 13 packs the two articles 1 gripped by the first conveying device 11 into different boxes 5 arranged in front and behind on the second conveying device 12 at the same time. At this time, the box 5 on the rear side in the conveying direction is supplied to the side of the article transfer robot 13 (right side in the conveying direction), and the box 5 on the front side in the conveying direction is supplied to the side away from the article transfer robot 13 ( left side in the conveying direction). Then, when the one-time supply operation of the article is completed, the boxes 5 are conveyed by one pitch by the second conveying device 12, and the box 5 that was behind the article supply area in the movement direction of the article transfer robot 13 is Move to the front side in the traveling direction of the article supply area. Therefore, in the next supply process for the article 1, by supplying the article 1 to the side (the left side in the conveying direction) of the box 5 located on the front side away from the article transfer robot 13, two articles are placed in the box 5. An article 1 is stored.

A creasing device 52 is arranged on the rear side of the article supply area in the traveling direction, and a middle partition flap folding device 53 is arranged on the front side of the article supply area in the traveling direction. The transfer robot 13 operates as follows, stores two articles 1 in a two-piece box 5, and arranges an intermediate partition flap 5b between the two articles 1. . First, for the box 5 storing the first article 1 on the rear side in the conveying direction, after the article transfer robot 13 supplies the article 1 into the body 5a of the box 5, the folding device 52 It operates to bend the crease 5h of the middle partition flap 5b.

On the other hand, in the main body 5a of the box 5 positioned on the front side in the moving direction of the article supply area, the article 1 is stored on the right side in the conveying direction. Then, the middle partition flap 5b is folded to cover the upper opening of the main body 5a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9(c-1), the middle partition flap 5b covers the upper part of the articles 1 that have already been stored in a mountain-folded state at the fold 5h. In this state, the article transfer robot 13 operates to supply the article 1 into the open space of the main body 5a of the box 5.例文帳に追加At this time, since the middle partition portion 5i on the tip end side of the crease 5h of the middle partition flap 5b exists above the space, the articles 1 are fed into the main body 5a of the box 5 of the articles 1. urges the middle partition 5i downward. When the article 1 is accommodated in the main body 5a, as shown in FIG. 9(c-2), for example, it follows the downward movement of the article 1 and is bent at the crease 5h so that the leading end of the article 1 becomes the middle partition. 5i penetrates into the body 5a and lies between the articles 1; As a result, the intermediate partition portion 5i is interposed between the two articles 1. As shown in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, after the article transfer robot 13 puts one article 1 into the box 5, the partition flap 5b is closed, and when the next article 1 is put into the box 5, the middle partition flap 5b is closed. A box 5 with a middle partition is formed by pushing and folding the partition flap 5b.

Although the explanation of the specific device configuration and operation is omitted, after the middle partition is formed, a predetermined flap is folded by a normal flap folding device to close the box 5, and the outer lid flap is folded by a gluing device. 5c is glued together to complete the boxing process. Then, the pusher-type discharge device 60 arranged downstream of the second conveying device 12 pushes out the box 5 containing the article and discharges it to the downstream conveying path.

10(e) to (k) show the steps of folding and gluing of each flap described above, and each figure does not necessarily show a place where the second conveying device 12 stops temporarily. Instead, a plurality of steps may be performed at the same pause location. Briefly describing each step, FIGS. 10(e) and 10(f) show the folding step of the inner lid flap 5d, which is performed at the same temporary stop. 10(g) and (h) show the folding process of the outer lid flap 5c. ). FIG. 10(i) shows a pasting process performed at a predetermined position further downstream, in which the folded outer lid flap 5c is slightly lifted to apply glue. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10(j), the outer lid flap 5c is folded and glued to adhere and fix the outer lid flap 5c. As a result, a box containing two pieces is completed as shown in FIG. 10(k).

In addition, the two articles 1 waiting on the first conveying device 11, which are shifted back and forth, are both in a posture in which the nozzle part 4 faces the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the support member 25 is positioned at a predetermined angle in the horizontal plane. By rotating, the orientation of the nozzle part 4 of the article 1 held by the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 is rotated by the predetermined angle. In this embodiment, by rotating the support member 25 by a predetermined angle, when the article 1 is stored in the main body 5a of the box 5, the nozzle portion 4 is positioned at the corner of the main body 5a of the box 5 as shown in FIG. located near the department. The predetermined angle is an angle slightly deviated from 45 degrees (FIGS. 8(b) and (a)), and the nozzle part 4 is slightly deviated from the corner but is positioned within a range that does not protrude outside the box 5. set. By doing so, the inner dimensions of the rectangular box 5 can be neatly accommodated, including the nozzle part 4, without making the inner dimension of the rectangular box 5 much larger than the outer diameter of the container body 2 of the article 1, and the container body 2 can also be stored. It becomes possible to reduce the gap with the inner peripheral surface of the box 5. - 特許庁

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the article transfer robot 13 transfers the gripped two articles 1 from the first conveying device 11 to the box 5, for example, the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 are respectively The support member 25 that supports the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 is rotated instead of rotating the individual articles 1 so that the orientation of the nozzle portion 4 is positioned at a predetermined position of the box 5. , the orientation of the nozzle portion 4 can be changed by moving the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 along a predetermined circumference. Therefore, it is possible to pack the box 5 with the nozzle part 4 positioned near the corner of the box 5 with a simple configuration and control.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of application to the packaging of the two-piece box 5 has been described, but the robot packaging apparatus of the present embodiment is also configured to perform the packaging process of the one-piece box 5' ( See FIG. 11, etc.). That is, on the side of the first conveying device 11, the articles 1 are sorted into two rows in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and the articles 1 at the top of each row are arranged in a posture in which the nozzle portion 4 faces the rear side in the traveling direction. Stand by with a predetermined distance in front and behind.

On the other hand, the second conveying device 12 intermittently conveys the one-piece box 5' in a single file in a state in which it is sandwiched between the front wall portion 30 and the rear wall portion 31 and held. Although not specifically illustrated, the flap opening device lowers a pusher member having a predetermined shape from above the box that is temporarily stopped, and each flap is continuously formed on the upper edge of the main body of the box. open to the outside. The second conveying device 12 intermittently moves the box with the flap open in this way, and moves it to the article supply area of the next stage. In the goods supply area, two boxes, front and back, stand by in a row.

The article transfer robot 13 holds the two articles 1 waiting on the first conveying device 11 by the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 (see FIG. 8(b), etc.), and the second conveying device Move to the goods supply area on 12. At an appropriate timing during this movement, the support member 25 rotates by a predetermined angle (for example, 45 degrees) and transitions so as to extend in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the second conveying device 12 . Thereby, the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 are positioned forward and backward with a predetermined distance in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the second conveying device 12 (see FIG. 8(c), etc.). The predetermined distance is a length corresponding to the conveying pitch of the boxes moving on the second conveying device 12 . As a result, the articles 1 held by the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 of the article transfer robot 13 are stored in the two boxes 5' waiting in the article supply area, and the holding is released. By doing so, the article 1 is fed into the box 5'. Further, for example, when the support member 25 is rotated by 45 degrees, the direction of the nozzle section 4 becomes a direction inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the conveying direction, and the boxes can be packed in a state of being positioned at the corner of the box 5 .

After the article 1 is stored in the main body 5'a of the box 5' having an upper opening, the box 5' is closed by folding a predetermined flap with a suitable flap folding device, and the outer lid flap is closed with a gluing device. are glued together to complete the boxing process.

In the above-described embodiment, the first conveying device 11 sorts the articles 1 into two rows, and the articles 1 in each row assume a posture in which the nozzle portion 4 faces the rear side in the traveling direction. In the illustrated example, the nozzles 4 of all the articles 1 are oriented parallel to the conveying direction, but in reality they are aligned within the range of the widths of the first passage 18 and the second passage 19 . Therefore, in order to face the same direction more accurately, for example, it is preferable to provide a device for aligning the direction of the nozzle portion 4 in the vicinity of the unloading end of the first passage portion 18 and the second passage portion 19 . Such an aligning device includes, for example, a pusher member that reciprocates with a cylinder or the like. It is preferable to align the directions by abutting against the first outer peripheral wall 18a, the second outer peripheral wall 19a, or the second inner peripheral wall 19b, or further aligning the direction by abutting against a member other than those peripheral walls. In the case of aligning against another member, the peripheral wall on the side against which the other member abuts should be shortened downstream or provided with a hole through which the other member can pass.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment and modifications, the article 1 is provided with a nozzle portion, but the present invention may be applied to packaging articles without a nozzle portion, for example. For example, when packing a two-item box 5 having an intermediate partition flap 5b, instead of supplying two items to the same box at the same time as in the above-described embodiment, , and when the second item is stored in the main body 5a, the intermediate partition flap 5b is folded at the bottom of the item to insert the intermediate partition flap 5b into the main body 5a of the box 5. By storing the leading end portion, it is possible to efficiently pack a box in which a partition is arranged between two articles.

In the above-described embodiment, the first conveying device 11 is composed of a single device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a plurality of conveying devices may be arranged in parallel. In this case, the articles 1 may be of different types, may have different diameters of the container body 2 or may have different shapes of the container body 2 .

Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the configuration is such that both the two-piece box 5 and the one-piece box 5' can be packed. do it. If the positions of the two articles 1 waiting on the first conveying device 11, i.e., the position of the star wheel 17, are fixed, then the support member 25 is placed on the first conveying device 11 as shown in FIG. 8(b). Each article 1 is held by the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction. In order to supply the two-piece box 5, the article 1 held by the first holding member 26, for example, as shown in FIG. Since the article 1 held by the member 27 is supplied to the inner side of the box 5 , the support member 25 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction of the second conveying device 12 . On the other hand, in order to supply the single-piece box 5, the support member 25 assumes a posture parallel to the conveying direction of the second conveying device 12, as shown in FIG. 8(c). Therefore, in order to supply articles to the boxes 5 and 5' by the second conveying device 12 from the support member 25 inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the conveying direction of the first conveying device 11 shown in FIG. The rotation angles by which the support member 25 rotates are different. The difference in rotation angle appears in the angular position of the nozzle portion 4 when the articles 1 are supplied to the boxes 5, 5'. In other words, supposing that the nozzle part 4 of the article 1 waiting on the first conveying device 11 faces right behind in the conveying direction, when the support member 25 rotates 45 degrees, the articles stored in the boxes 5, 5' One nozzle portion 4 faces one vertex of the box. Therefore, when supplying either the two-piece box 5 or the one-piece box 5', if the support member is rotated 45 degrees so that the nozzle part 4 faces the top of the box, the other box 5' can be supplied. When it is supplied to a box, it is shifted by more than 45 degrees, and the nozzle part 4 is placed facing a position slightly shifted from the top. The nozzle portion 4 does not necessarily have to face the vertex, which is the tip of the corner of the box, and may face the corner side within a certain range from the vertex. The permissible range of the length of the nozzle part 4 when preventing it from jumping out of the box is increased. Therefore, if a device dedicated to either the packing process for the two-piece box 5 or the one-piece box 5' is used, the support member 25 should be set to rotate 45 degrees, for example. can be easily performed.

In addition, when the position of the two articles 1 waiting on the first conveying device 11, that is, the position of the star wheel 17 is fixed as in the above-described embodiment, the support member 25 is rotated 45 degrees when supplying one of the boxes. Instead of rotating, it is rotated by (45+α) degrees when supplied to the box 5 for two pieces, and rotated by (45-β) degrees when supplied to the box 5' for one piece. It is good to set, and it is especially good if α and β are the same. In either case, α and β are positive values.

Furthermore, in the case of a robot boxing device that doubles as a box for one item and a box for two items, for example, the relative position of the two articles 1 waiting in the first conveying device 11 may be changed and adjusted. . For example, one or both of the star wheels 17 may be configured to be positionally adjustable in the conveying direction and/or in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In addition, as the relative positions of the two articles 1 change due to such position adjustment, the distance between the two articles may change. It is preferable to make the positional relationship adjustable. In order to enable such adjustment, for example, at least one of the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 should be movably attached to the support member 25 . For movability, for example, a guide rail may be provided on the attachment surface of the support member 25, and the first holding member 26 and/or the second holding member 27 may be attached movably along the guide rail. If only one of the holding members is movably attached, the configuration is simplified, but preferably, for example, both are movably configured.

If both are movable, the distances from the rotation center of the support member 25 to the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 can be easily made equal. Further, the adjustment of the positional relationship between the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 does not involve changing the mounting positions of the first holding member 26 and/or the second holding member 27 with respect to one supporting member, but rather It is preferable to prepare a plurality of holding members having different intervals between the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 attached to the robot arm 21 and replace the entire supporting member 25 like an attachment to the robot arm 21 . By exchanging the ones with different intervals, the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27
The mounting structure to the support member 25 is simplified.

For example, the distance between the star wheels 17 in the transport direction (condition 1), the distance between the star wheels 17 in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction (condition 2), and the distance between the first holding member 26 and the second holding member 27 ( When the condition 3) is changeable, the specific adjustment of each part in the one-piece box and the two-piece box when transferring the article 1 provided with the nozzle part 4 is as follows. ("Wide" and "Narrow" below indicate the length when comparing the one-pack and the two-pack).

For 1 piece, Condition 1: Narrow, Condition 2: Wide, Condition 3: Narrow For 2 pieces, Condition 1: Wide, Condition 2: Narrow, Condition 3: Wide Also, the orientation of the nozzle part 4 irrespective of whether or not the corners of the boxes 5, 5' are directed to the corners of the boxes 5, 5', the container body 2 of the article 1 contacts the sides of the boxes 5, 5', may not be supplied to In particular, when there is almost no difference between the outer dimensions of the container body 2 and the inner dimensions of the box, the supply position of the article 1 in the conveying direction due to the angle difference between Figs. 8(b) and 8(c) The influence of the displacement cannot be ignored, and the bottom of the container body 2 may come into contact with the edge of the opening of the box. Therefore, in the case of using both one-piece and two-piece cartridges, it is preferable to allow adjustment as described above.

In addition, in the case of the one-piece and two-piece combination types, it may be applied to the packing of articles not provided with the nozzle portion 4 or the packing of cartons/boxes not provided with the partition flap 5b.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments, these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but rather to aid understanding of the present invention. Note that it is provided. The scope of the invention is not limited to the constructions or methods of manufacture explicitly described herein, but rather includes within its scope combinations of the various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. While the claimed features of the invention are identified in the appended claims, any configuration not presently specified in the claims is disclosed herein. For the sake of clarity, it is possible that such a configuration may be claimed in the future.

1: Article 2: Container main body 3: Cap portion 4: Nozzle portion 5: Box 5a: Main body 5b: Middle partition flap 5i: Middle partition portion 5': Box 11: First conveying device 12: Second conveying device 13: Article transfer robot 18 : first passage portion 19 : second passage portion 20 : sorting plate 21 : robot arm 25 : support member 26 : first holding member 27 : second holding member 41 : flap folding device 51 : flap opening device 52: Creasing device 53: Inner divider flap folding device

Claims (2)

Equipped with an article transfer robot that holds and moves the articles on the first conveying device and supplies them to the boxes on the second conveying device,
The box stores two of the articles side by side, and a middle partition flap is provided on one short side of the upper end opening of the box body,
The article transfer robot comprises: a supporting member rotatable in a plane parallel to the conveying surface; a first holding member and a second holding member supported by the supporting member; and a moving means for moving onto the second conveying device,
In the article transfer robot, the first holding member and the second holding member respectively hold the two articles on the first conveying device, and the moving means moves the first holding member and the second holding member. onto the second conveying device, rotate the supporting member during the movement or on the second conveying device, and place the first holding member and the second holding member on standby on the second conveying device positioned on the boxes before and after the holding member, releasing the holding of the first holding member and the second holding member to supply the article to each of the boxes,
The article transfer robot first supplies the article to the box to the short side on which the middle partition flap is provided,
folding means for folding the inner partition flap in a state in which the first article is supplied into the box;
It is characterized in that, when the second article is supplied to the box by the article transfer robot, the article to be supplied pushes the folded inner partition flap into the box. Robotic cartoning equipment. a first conveying device for conveying articles in two rows;
a second conveying device that conveys a box with an upper opening that houses the article;
An article transfer robot that holds and moves the articles on the first conveying device and supplies them to the boxes on the second conveying device;
The first conveying device causes the first article in each of the two rows to stand by in a state of being shifted back and forth along the conveying direction,
The article transfer robot comprises: a supporting member rotatable in a plane parallel to the conveying surface; a first holding member and a second holding member supported by the supporting member; and a moving means for moving onto the second conveying device,
In the article transfer robot, the first holding member and the second holding member each hold the article at the head of the two rows waiting on the first conveying device, and the first holding member is moved by the moving means. and move the second holding member onto the second conveying device, rotate the supporting member during the movement or on the second conveying device, and move the first holding member and the second holding member to the second (2) positioned above the boxes before and after waiting on the conveyor device, and releasing the holding of the first holding member and the second holding member to supply the articles to the respective boxes;
The relative positions of the first articles in each of the two rows waiting in the first conveying device can be changed and adjusted,
A robot boxing device, characterized in that the interval between said first holding member and said second holding member supported by said supporting member is made different according to the change of the relative position.

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