CA3139170C

CA3139170C - Box packing apparatus, box packing method, and boxing body

Info

Publication number: CA3139170C
Application number: CA3139170A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Yoshiaki Uemizo; Takashi Ueda
Original assignee: Japan Cash Machine Co Ltd
Current assignee: Japan Cash Machine Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-23
Filing date: 2020-06-16
Publication date: 2023-06-20
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-16
Also published as: JP6850836B2; CN114026024A; JP2021017279A; CN114026024B; CA3139170A1; WO2021014827A1

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of enabling an accommodation space for a box body to be used as object accommodation to a greater extent when an object such as a bundle of bills is packed by an actuator such as a robot arm with a robot hand. A box packing device 100 according to the present invention is a box packing device that packs an object MT in a box body 10, the box packing device 100 being provided with a mounting board 410, a box packing mechanism 200, and a box shape changing mechanism 420. Here, a part 12A of a lateral wall of the box body is freely attachable/detachable. The box body is mounted on the mounting board. The box packing mechanism holds an object and packs the same in the box body. The box shape changing mechanism is capable of performing a removing operation and a reforming operation. In the removing operation, a part of the lateral wall is removed from the box body. In the reforming operation, a part of the lateral wall is restored to reform the box body.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION
BOX PACKING APPARATUS, BOX PACKING METHOD, AND BOXING BODY
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001]
The present invention relates to a box packing apparatus. The present invention also relates to a box packing method. The present invention also relates to a box body to be packed with objects in a box packing apparatus and a box packing method.
BACKGROUND ART

[0002]
In the past, "a valuable medium storage system capable of storing valuable media in a wide variety of storage containers using a robot" (for example, JP-A-2016-031619 and the like) has been proposed. In this valuable medium storage system, a working robot takes a bundle of bills out of a bill arranging apparatus and then stores the bundle of bills in a cassette.
Prior Art Document Patent document

[0003]
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2016-031619 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be solved by invention

[0004]
Incidentally, when the working robot stores the bundle of bills in the cassette as described above, a space for inserting the hand of the working robot is required for the cassette, thus reducing a capacity for the bundle of bills in the cassette by the space for inserting the hand of the working robot.

[0005]
It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to use as much space included in the storage space of the box body as possible for accommodating objects when objects such as a bundle of bills are boxed by an actuator such as a robot arm with a robot hand.
Means for solving the problem

[0006]
A box packing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a box packing apparatus for packing an object in a box body, and includes a mounting table, a box packing mechanism, and a box configuration changing mechanism. Note that a part of a side wall of the box body is detachable. Here, the box body is preferable to have an opening at its top surface. The box body is to be mounted on the mounting table. The box packing mechanism is, for example, an actuator such as a robot arm with a robot hand or the like, and is configured to grasp an object and pack the object into the box body. Here, when the box body has opening at its top surface, the box packing mechanism is preferable to pack the object into the box body through the opening. The box configuration changing mechanism is capable of performing a detaching operation and a reconfiguration operation. In the detaching operation, a part of the side wall is detached from the box body mounted on the mounting table. When the detaching operation is performed, it is preferable that the box packing mechanism packs the object into the Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 box body through the opening of the top surface of the box body or the opening newly generated by detaching a part of the side wall. In the reconfiguration operation, a part of the side wall is restored to reconfigure the box body.

[0007]
Thus, in this box packing apparatus, for example, before it becomes difficult to insert a part of the box packing mechanism into the box body, the box configuration changing mechanism detaches a part of the side wall from the box body, and the box packing mechanism packs the object into the box body from a side of the detached side wall, and the box configuration changing mechanism can reconfigure the box body every time the object is packed into the box body or after the object is packed into the box body. Therefore, in this box packing apparatus, when an object such as a bundle of bills is box-packed by the box packing mechanism, as much space included in the storage space of the box body as possible can be utilized for accommodating the object.

[0008]
A box packing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the box packing apparatus according to the first aspect, and further includes a measuring unit and an operation control unit. The measuring unit is configured to measure an amount of the object to be packed in the box body. Here, the amount of the object may be indirectly measured using another related physical amount such as a thickness of the object. The operation control unit is configured to cause the box configuration control mechanism to perform the detaching operation when the amount of the object measured by the measuring unit reaches a first specified amount.

[0009]
Thus, in this box packing apparatus, during a period in which the amount of the object to be box-packed is small and the box body has sufficient space in which the robot hand can be inserted, it is possible to omit the detaching operation and the reconfiguration operation by the box configuration control mechanism. This allows the box configuration control mechanism in this box packing apparatus to operate efficiently.

[0010]
A box packing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the box packing apparatus according to the second aspect, and the mounting table is installed on the turntable. The turntable is rotated by a first angle when the amount of the object measured by the measuring unit reaches a second predetermined amount.

[0011]
Thus, in this box packing apparatus, for example, when the box-packing operation is completed, the box body can be rotated by 180 , thereby allowing an operator to safely collect the boxing body at a position away from the box packing mechanism.

[0012]
A box packing method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a first box packing step, a detaching step, a second box packing step, and a reconfiguration step. In the box packing step, an object is grasped, and the object is packed in a box body in which a part of a side wall is detachable. Here, it is preferable that the box body has an opening at its top surface. In such a case, in the first box packing step, it is preferable that the object is packed in the box body through the opening. In the detaching step, a part of the side wall is detached from the box when the object to be packed in the box reaches a first specified amount. In the second box packing step, the object is packed in the box body from which a part of the side wall has been detached. In the second packing step, it is preferable that the object is packed in the box body through the opening of the top surface of the box body or the opening newly generated by detaching a part of the side wall. In the reconfiguration step, a part of the side wall is restored Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 and reconstitute the box. Note that the detaching step and the reconfiguration step may be performed once at the beginning and once at the end, or may be alternately and repeatedly performed.

[0013]
Thus, in this box packing method, for example, a part of the side wall can be detached from the box before it becomes difficult for a grasping body for grasping an object to be inserted into the box body, and the grasping body can pack the object into the box body from the side of the detached side wall. Thereafter, the box can be reconfigured every time the box is packed with an object or after the box is packed with an object. Therefore, in a case of box-packing an object such as a bank note bundle, using this box packing method allows as much space included in the storage space of the boxing body as possible to be utilized for accommodating objects.

[0014]
A box packing method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the box packing method according to the fourth aspect, wherein the box body is mounted on the turntable.
The box packing method further includes a turntable rotation step. In the turntable rotation step, the turntable is rotated by a first angle when the object to be packed in the box reaches a second specific amount.

[0015]
Thus, in this box packing method, for example, when the box-packing operation is completed, the box body can be rotated by 180 degrees, thereby allowing an operator to safely collect the box body at a position distant from the box packing operation position.

[0016]
A box body according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a bottom wall portion and a surrounding wall portion. The surrounding wall portion extends in one direction from an edge of the bottom wall portion and has an opening on the opposite side of the bottom wall portion. A part of the surrounding wall portion is attached to another part of the surrounding wall portion via a lock mechanism, and is detachable from the other part of the surrounding wall portion by releasing a lock state caused by the lock mechanism.

[0017]
Thus, in the box packing apparatus and the box packing method described above, the shape of the box body can be satisfactorily maintained even after the reconfiguration, therefore allowing an object or objects to be satisfactorily accommodated.

[0018]
The box configuration changing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention includes a mounting table and a detachment mechanism. A box body is mounted on the mounting table. A part of the side wall of the box body is detachable. The attachment mechanism is capable of performing a detaching operation and a reconfiguration operation. In the detaching operation, a part of the side wall is detached from the box mounted on the mounting table. In the reconfiguration operation, a part of the side wall is restored to reconfigure the box body.

[0019]
The box configuration changing apparatus can be combined with a box packing mechanism to achieve the following operation example. Before it becomes difficult for a part of the boxing mechanism to be inserted into the box body, the box configuration changing mechanism detaches a part of the side walls from the box body and the box packing mechanism packs an object into the box body from the side of the detached side wall and the box configuration changing mechanism reconfigures the box body each time the box body is packed with an object or Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 after the box body has been packed with an object. Thus, in a case of box-packing an object such as a bank note bundle by the box packing mechanism, the box configuration changing device allows as much space included in the storage space of the box body to be utilized for accommodating objects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a robot hand used in the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a conveying case according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a plan view of the conveying case according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a partial box unit in a state in which a front wall unit has been removed in the conveying case according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a rear perspective view of the front wall unit constituting the conveying case according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a cross section of a lock mechanism taken along the line I-I
shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 10 is a front view of a wall attaching/detaching device constituting the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 11 is a left side view of the wall attaching/detaching device constituting the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, a suction head is positioned immediately below a suction unit and is in a standby position.
Fig. 12 is a left side view of the wall attaching/detaching device constituting the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the suction head is in contact with the front wall unit of the conveying case.
Fig. 13 is a left side view of the wall attaching/detaching device constituting the box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the front wall unit has been detached from the conveying case by the suction head, and the front wall unit has been pulled obliquely upward.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

[0021]
conveying case (box) 11A bottom wall portion 11C right side wall portion (other part of the surrounding wall portion) 11D left side wall portion (other part of the surrounding wall portion) 12A front wall portion (part of side wall portion, part of surrounding wall portion) 100 paper sheet bundle box packaging apparatus (box packaging apparatus) 200 robot arm with a robot hand (box packing mechanism) Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 410 mounting table 420 adsorption mechanism (box configuration changing mechanism) 500 turntable 610 control unit (operation control unit) 620 calculation unit (measuring unit) Ll, Lr lock mechanism MT paper sheet bundle (object) OP opening DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022]
A paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for packing a bundle of paper sheets MT
(hereinafter referred to as a "paper sheet bundle") into a conveying case 10, and mainly includes a robot arm 200 with a robot hand, an imaging device 300, a wall attaching/detaching device 400, a turntable 500, and a control device 600, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. These components will now be described in detail.

[0023]
1. Robot arm with robot hand As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the robot arm 200 with a robot hand mainly includes a robot arm 210 and a robot hand 220. These components will now be described in detail.

[0024]
(1) Robot arm The robot arm 210 is, for example, an existing multi-axis robot arm. As shown in Fig. 2, the proximal end of the robot arm 210 is attached to a fixing table. As shown in Fig. 3, the robot arm 210 is communicatively connected to a control unit 610 of the control device 600.

[0025]
(2) Robot hand As shown in Fig. 4, the robot hand 220 is a two-finger robot hand and is attached to the tip of the robot arm 210. As shown in Fig. 4, the robot hand 220 mainly includes a movable finger 221, a fixed finger 222, a movable finger lifting mechanism 223, an extrusion portion 224, an extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225, and a connecting portion 226. As shown in Fig. 3, the robot hand 220 is communicatively connected to the control unit 610 of the control device 600.

[0026]
(2-1) Movable finger As shown in Fig. 4, the movable finger 221 is for gripping the paper sheet bundle MT, and is a thick plate portion having a bifurcated shape in the present embodiment. The movable finger 221 faces a fixed finger 222, which will be described later, and is substantially parallel to the fixed finger 222. The movable finger 221 is fixed to a front lifting plate 223B (described later) of the movable finger lifting mechanism 223. A marker is displayed on one side surface of the movable finger 221.

[0027]
(2-2) Fixed finger As shown in Fig. 4, the fixed finger 222 is for gripping the paper sheet bundle MT, and is a thick plate portion having a bifurcated shape similar to the movable finger 221 in the present embodiment. As described above, the fixed finger 222 faces the movable finger 221 and is substantially parallel to the movable finger 221. The fixed finger 222 is fixed to a support plate Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 223A (described later) of the movable finger lifting mechanism 223. In the fixed finger 222, a marker is displayed on the same side as a side where the marker display surface of the movable finger 221 is disposed. The markers displayed on one side surface of each of the fixed finger 222 and the movable finger 221 are aligned along a direction in which the movable finger 221 faces the fixed finger 222.

[0028]
(2-3) Movable finger lifting mechanism As shown in Fig. 4, the movable finger lifting mechanism 223 is a two-stage stroke type lifting mechanism, and mainly includes a support plate 223A, a front lifting plate 223B, a rear lifting plate 223C, a front air cylinder mechanism 223D, and a rear air cylinder mechanism 223E.
The support plate 223A supports the rear air cylinder mechanism 223E. The rear air cylinder mechanism 223E operates in a double-acting manner, and is a driving source for raising and lowering the rear lifting plate 223C. The rear air cylinder mechanism 223E is attached to the support plate 223A as described above. The front air cylinder mechanism 223D
is attached to the rear lifting plate 223C. The front air cylinder mechanism 223D operates in a double-acting manner and is a driving source for raising and lowering the front lifting plate 223B. As described above, the movable finger 221 is attached to the front lifting plate 223B. In other words, the rear air cylinder mechanism 223E raises and/or lowers the front air cylinder mechanism 223D, the front lifting plate 223B, and the movable finger 221 by raising and/or lowering the rear lifting plate 223C. In contrast, the front air cylinder mechanism 223D raises and/or lowers the movable finger 221 by raising and/or lowering the front lifting plate 223B. The front air cylinder mechanism 223D and the rear air cylinder mechanism 223E are each provided with an air supply/exhaust port (not shown). These air supply/exhaust ports are each connected to an air supply/exhaust pipe (not shown). The movable finger lifting mechanism 223 allows the fixed finger 222 and the movable finger 221 to grip the paper sheet bundle MT and also to release the once-gripped paper sheet bundle MT.

[0029]
(2-4) Extrusion portion Extrusion portion 224, which is a rectangular plate member, pushes out the paper sheet bundle MT when the robot hand 220 releases the paper sheet bundle MT held by the robot hand 220 and withdraws from a conveyance destination, thereby preventing the robot hand 220 from dragging the paper sheet bundle MT. As shown in Fig. 4, the extrusion portion 224 is fixed to the tip of an extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225, which will be described later. The extrusion portion 224 is reciprocated in a front-back direction by the extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225.

[0030]
(2-5) Extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism As described above, the extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225 is a mechanism for reciprocating the extrusion portion 224 in the front-back direction, and is fixed to the upper surface of the fixed finger 222 as shown in Fig. 4. As is clear from Fig. 4, a reciprocating direction of the extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225 is parallel to an extending direction of the fixed finger.

[0031]
(2-6) Connecting portion As shown in Fig. 4, the connecting portion 226 is a portion for connecting the robot hand 220 to the robot arm 210, and is, for example, a flange or the like.

[0032]

Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 2. Imaging device The imaging device 300 is, for example, a digital camera such as a CCD camera, and is disposed at the lower left of the robot arm 200 with a robot hand, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the imaging device 300 is disposed such that its imaging direction is directed to the opposite side of the wall attaching/detaching device 400. At a timing when a side surface of the robot hand 220 on the marker display side enters an imaging area, the imaging device 300 images the side surface of the robot hand 220 and then transmits the obtained image data to the control device 600. Note that in the present embodiment, the robot hand 220 grips the paper sheet bundle MT before the side surface of the robot hand 220 on the marker display side enters the imaging area. In other words, when the imaging device 300 images the side surface of the robot hand 220 on the marker display side, the paper sheet bundle MT has been held by the robot hand 220.

[0033]
3. Wall attaching/detaching device As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the wall attaching/detaching device 400 mainly includes a mounting table 410 and an absorption mechanism 420.

[0034]
As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the mounting table 410 is an inclined table having a substantially right-angled triangular shape in a side view, and is formed with a pedestal portion 411 and a main body portion 412. The main body portion 412 is disposed on the upper side of the pedestal portion 411. The inclined surface of the main body portion 412 is used as a mounting surface for mounting the conveying case 10. The conveying case 10 is detachably mounted on the mounting surface of the main body portion 412 such that the front wall unit 12 (described later) of the conveying case 10 is positioned above the mounting surface.

[0035]
The absorption mechanism 420 is a vacuum chuck mechanism or the like for chucking the front wall unit 12 of the conveying case 10, which will be described later, and is mainly includes a case 421, a guide rail 422, a slide bar (not shown), a reciprocating mechanism (not shown), an air supply/exhaust device, a bellows chuck 423, and a support plate 424, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. The main part of the guide rail 422, the slide bar, and the reciprocating mechanism are accommodated in the case 421. The guide rail 422 is a member for guiding the slide bar, and is disposed along a direction parallel to the inclined surface of the mounting table 410. The slide bar is a rod-shaped member movable along the guide rail 422, and is attached to the reciprocating mechanism. In other words, the slide bar is moved along the guide rail 422 by the reciprocating mechanism. Examples of the reciprocating mechanism include an air cylinder mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, a ball screw mechanism, a motor cylinder mechanism, an electric slider mechanism, a belt slider mechanism, and a linear slider mechanism. Examples of the driving source include air pressure and an electric motor. The bellows chuck 423 is a member in contact with an object to be adsorbed; the bellows chuck 423 is supported by the support plate 424 as shown in Fig. 10, and is pipe-connected to the air supply/exhaust device.
When the bellows chuck 423 contacts the object to be absorbed and contracts, the air supply/exhaust device exhausts the air in the bellows chuck 423, thereby adsorbing the object to be absorbed. In contrast, when releasing the object to be absorbed from the bellows chuck 423, the air supply/exhaust device supplies air into the bellows chuck 423. The support plate 424 is disposed on both sides of the lower end of the slide bar as shown in Fig. 10 to support the bellows chuck 423. As shown in Fig. 10, a contact plate 424a is joined to the outside of the support plate 424. The contact plate 424a is provided for the purpose of releasing a lock state of lock Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 mechanisms Lr and Li (described later) of the conveying case 10.

[0036]
The absorption mechanism 420 is communicatively connected to the control unit 610 of the control device 600 as shown in Fig. 3. In the absorption mechanism 420, the reciprocating mechanism and the air supply/exhaust device are to be controlled by the control device 600.

[0037]
Hereinafter, the operation of the absorption mechanism 420 will be described.
The absorption mechanism 420 is in a state shown in Figs. 10 and 11 during standby; that is, it is in a state in which the bellows chuck 423 has been pulled upward.
When the absorption mechanism 420 receives an operation start signal from the control unit 610 of the control device 600, the absorption mechanism 420 lowers the slide bar as shown in Fig. 12, thereby causing the bellows chuck 423 to be in contact with the front wall unit 12 of the conveying case 10 that is an object to be absorbed in the present embodiment; furthermore, the absorption mechanism 420 presses the bellows chuck 423 against the front wall unit 12, while maintaining the contact state, to contract the bellows chuck 423. At this time, the air supply/exhaust device of the absorption mechanism 420 discharges the air in the bellows chuck 423 to the outside, thereby absorbing the front wall unit 12 to the bellows chuck 423. At the same time, the contact plate 424a of the support plate 424 pushes the right lock pin Sr and the left lock pin Si of the conveying case 10 into the front wall unit 12 to release a locked state of the lock mechanisms Lr and Li and maintain its unlocked state. Subsequently, the absorption mechanism 420 raises the slide bar while maintaining the unlocked state of the lock mechanisms Lr and Li of the conveying case 10 by the contact plate 424a, and pulls the front wall unit 12 upward (see FIG. 13).

[0038]
In contrast, in reconfiguring the conveying case 10, the absorption mechanism 420 lowers the slide bar to bring the front wall unit 12 into contact with the partial box unit 11. Next, supplying air from the air supply/exhaust device into the bellows chuck 423 causes the bellows chuck 423 to release the front wall unit 12. Subsequently, the absorption mechanism 420 raises the slide bar and returns to a standby state. When the slide bar is pulled up, the right lock pin Sr and the left lock pin Si of the conveying case 10 return to the locked state by urging force, and the front wall unit 12 is locked with respect to the partial box unit 11. The reconfiguration of the conveying case 10 is performed after the above-described operation start signal is received and then the front wall unit 12 is pulled upward.

[0039]
4. Turntable As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the turntable 500 mainly includes a rotation power mechanism 510 and a circular table 520. The rotation power mechanism 510 is a power source such as an air cylinder or a stepping motor, and a shaft 515 extends along a rotational axis thereof. An upper end portion of the shaft 515 is fitted to a center portion of the circular table 520. The rotation power mechanism 510 of the turntable 500 is communicatively connected to the control unit 610 of the control device 600 as shown in Fig. 3. The circular table 520 is a circular thick plate member. As described above, the circular table 520 is fitted to the upper end portion of the shaft 515 at the center portion thereof. As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of wall attaching/detaching devices 400 are mounted (fixed) on the circular table 520 such that the pair of wall attaching/detaching devices 400 are directed in directions opposite to each other.

[0040]
5. Controller As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 600 mainly includes a control unit 610, a Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 calculation unit 620, a storage unit 630, and an acquisition unit 640.
Hereinafter, these components will be described in detail.

[0041]
(1) Control unit The control unit 610 is, for example, a control device of a central processing unit of a computer, and is communicatively connected with the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, the imaging device 300, the absorption mechanism 420 of the wall attaching/detaching device 400, and the rotation power mechanism 510 of the turntable 500, as shown in Fig. 3.
The control unit 610 transmits various control signals to the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, the imaging device 300, the absorption mechanism 420, and the rotation power mechanism 510, thereby controlling an operation of the robot arm 210, an operation of the robot hand 220, an imaging process of the imaging device 300, an operation of the absorption mechanism 420, and an operation of the rotation power mechanism. Note that the control unit 610 transmits control signals to the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, the imaging device 300, the absorption mechanism 420, and the rotation power mechanism 510 in accordance with instructions described in a control program stored in the storage unit 630. As shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 610 reads out data necessary for generating a control signal from at least one of the calculation unit 620 and the storage unit 630, generates a control signal from the data, and then transmits the control signal to the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, the imaging device 300, the absorption mechanism 420, and the rotation power mechanism 510.

[0042]
After the robot hand 220 grips the paper sheet bundle MT, the control unit 610 controls the robot arm 210 to move the robot hand 220 to an imaging point of the imaging device 300.
After receiving an operation completion signal from the robot arm 210, the control unit 610 transmits an imaging process execution signal to the imaging device 300. The imaging device 300 that has received the imaging process execution signal executes an imaging process, and transmits image capturing data obtained by the imaging process to the acquisition unit 640 of the control device 600. After transmitting the operation start signal to the absorption mechanism 420, the control unit 610 controls the operation sequence of the absorption mechanism 420, the robot arm 210, and the robot hand 220 using the operation completion signal each transmitted from the absorption mechanism 420, the robot arm 210, and the robot hand 220 via the acquisition unit 640 (see Fig. 3).

[0043]
(2) Calculation part The calculation unit 620 is, for example, an arithmetic device of a central processing unit of a computer, and as shown in Fig. 3, generates data necessary for generating a control signal from data stored in the storage unit 630 and data transmitted from the acquisition unit 640, and then supplies the data to the control unit 610. For example, the calculation unit 620 measures a distance between the marker of the movable finger 221 and the marker of the fixed finger 222 of the robot hand 220 from the imaging data transmitted from the imaging device 300 via the acquisition unit 640, and then measures a thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT held by the robot hand 220 from the measured distance.

[0044]
In addition, the calculation unit 620 integrates the thickness of the sheet bundle MT, and determines, for each integration, whether the integrated value exceeds a first threshold value and whether the integrated value exceeds a third threshold value (i.e., a threshold value larger than the first threshold value). Here, the first threshold indicates a prospect of the thickness of the paper Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 sheet bundle MT slightly before the robot hand 220 becomes difficult to enter the conveying case through the opening OP, and the third threshold indicates a prospect of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT that can be accommodated in the conveying case 10. When the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value exceeds the first threshold, the calculation unit 620 transmits, to the control unit 610, a signal indicating an instruction for transmitting an operation start signal (hereinafter referred to as an "operation start signal transmission instruction signal") to the absorption mechanism 420. The control unit 610 that has received the operation start signal transmission instruction signal from the absorption mechanism 420 transmits an operation start signal to the absorption mechanism 420. Subsequently, after detaching the front wall unit 12 from the conveying case 10, the absorption mechanism 420 attaches the front wall unit 12 to the partial box unit 11 (described later) and then stops its operation. When determining that the integrated value exceeds the third threshold, the calculation unit 620 transmits an operation start signal transmission command signal for the rotation power mechanism 510 to the control unit 610 and resets the integrated value to "0". The control unit 610 that has received the operation start signal transmission instruction signal for the rotation power mechanism 510 transmits an operation start signal to the rotation power mechanism 510. The rotation power mechanism 510 then rotates the circular table 520 by half. Subsequently, when the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT is measured again, the calculation unit 620 integrates the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT again, and the above-described processing is repeated.

[0045]
In addition, the calculation unit 620 determines whether the integrated value exceeds a second threshold value (a threshold value larger than the first threshold value and slightly smaller than the third threshold value) every time a thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT is integrated.
Note that the second threshold indicates a prospect of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT
in which it is substantially impossible for the robot hand 220 to enter the conveying case 10 through the opening OP. When determining that the integrated value exceeds the second threshold, the calculation unit 620 transmits, to the control unit 610, a signal indicating an instruction for transmitting an operation change signal to the robot arm 210 (hereinafter referred to as the an "operation change signal transmission instruction signal"). The control unit 610 that has received the operation change signal transmission instruction signal for the robot arm 210 transmits the operation change signal to the robot arm 210. Then, the robot arm 210 switches its operation from "an operation of making the robot hand 220 (i.e., the paper sheet bundle MT) enter the interior of the conveying case 10 through the opening OP" to "an operation of making the robot hand 220 (i.e., the paper sheet bundle MT) enter the interior of the conveying case 10 through the opening on the front side of the partial box unit 11 (i.e., the opening on the side where the front wall unit 12 existed")".

[0046]
(3) Storage unit The storage unit 630 stores a control program, control parameters, control table, or the like for controlling each component of the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100.

[0047]
(4) Acquiring unit The acquisition unit 640 is, for example, a communication interface of a computer, and as shown in Fig. 3, has a function of receiving image data obtained by the imaging device 300 and transmitting the image data to the calculation unit 620. In addition, as shown in Fig. 3, the acquisition unit 640 transmits the operation completion signal transmitted from each of the absorption mechanism 420, the robot arm 210, and the robot hand 220 to the control unit 610 via Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 the calculation unit 620. Note that the acquisition unit 640 may directly transmit the operation completion signal transmitted from each of the absorption mechanism 420, the robot arm 210, and the robot hand 220 to the control unit 610.

[0048]
6. Conveying case As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the conveying case 10 is an assembly-type colorless and transparent box body having an opening at its top surface, and is mainly includes the partial box unit 11 (see Fig. 7) and the front wall unit 12 (see Fig. 8). A front wall portion 12A, a right side wall portion 11C, a left side wall portion 11D, and a back wall portion 11B, which are shown below, constitute a rectangular cylindrical surrounding wall portion. Note that this "surrounding wall portion" corresponds to the "surrounding wall portion" defined in the claims. The opening on the top surface side of the surrounding wall is denoted by "OP" (see Figs.
5 and 6).

[0049]
As shown in Fig. 7, the partial box unit 11 is mainly formed of a bottom wall portion 11A, a back wall portion 11B, a right side wall portion 11C, a left side wall portion 11D, a right flange portion 11E, a left flange portion 11F, a rear handle Br, a right side receiving portion Rr, and a left side receiving portion Rl. The bottom wall portion 11A is a rectangular portion that constitutes the bottom wall of the conveying case 10. The back wall portion 11B is literally a portion constituting the back wall of the conveying case 10, and extends upward from the rear end of the bottom wall portion 11A as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. As shown in Fig. 5, the back wall portion 11B has a concave shape in which the upper center is cut off. The right side wall portion 11C is literally a rectangular portion constituting the right side wall of the conveying case 10, and extends upward from the right end of the bottom wall portion 11A as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The left side wall portion 11D is literally a rectangular portion constituting the left side wall of the conveying case 10, and extends upward from the left end of the bottom wall portion 11A as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The right flange portion 11E is a rectangular portion for supporting the right side receiving portion Rr therein, and is attached to the outside of the front end portion of the right side wall portion 11C as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The left flange portion 11F
is a rectangular portion for supporting the left side receiving portion RI therein, and is attached to the outside of the front end portion of the left side wall portion 11D as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The rear handle Br is attached to the upper end portion of the outer surface of the back wall portion 11B as shown in Fig. 5. The right receiving portion Rr is a cylindrical portion for receiving a right lock pin Sr, which will be described later, and is embedded in the right flange portion 11E
so that the axis of the cylindrical portion extends along the front-back direction. The left-side receiving portion RI
is a cylindrical portion for receiving a left-side lock pin Sl, which will be described later, and is embedded in the left flange portion 11F so that the axis of the cylindrical portion extends along the front-back direction. Note that the symbol Lr shown in Fig. 6 indicates a right lock mechanism, and the right lock mechanism is composed of a right receiving portion Rr and a right lock pin Sr.
Likewise, the symbol Ll shown in Fig. 6 indicates a left side lock mechanism, and the left side lock mechanism is composed of the left-side receiving portion RI and the left-side lock pin Sl.

[0050]
As shown in Fig. 8, the front wall unit 12 is mainly formed of the front wall portion 12A, a front handle Bf, the right lock pin Sr, and the left lock pin Sl. The front wall portion 12A is literally a rectangular portion that constitutes the front wall of the conveying case 10. Note that as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the width of the front wall portion 12A is the same as the length from the right end of the right flange portion 11E to the left end of the left flange portion 11F. The front handle Bf is attached to the upper end portion of the outer surface of the front wall portion Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 12A as shown in Fig. 5. The right lock pin Sr is a well-known ball lock pin type lock pin in which pushing its tip allows a ball disposed at the rear end portion to be immersed (e.g., see Fig. 4 or the like of JP-A-2006-526888 in which the structure of the lock pin is disclosed), and is fixed to the right center portion of the front wall portion 12A so as to penetrate the right center portion of the front wall portion 12A as shown in Fig. 5. Like the right lock pin Sr, the left lock pin S1 is a well-known ball lock pin type lock pin in which pushing its tip allows a ball disposed at the rear end portion to be immersed, and is fixed to the left center portion of the front wall portion 12A so as to penetrate the left center portion of the front wall portion 12A as shown in Fig. 5.

[0051]
Hereinafter, the lock mechanisms Lr and Ll will be described.
The lock mechanisms Lr and Ll according to an embodiment of the present invention are ball lock type lock mechanisms. When a piston is pushed in the lock pins Sr and S1 against the urging force, the projecting portions (balls) Pr disposed on the opposite side become a state in which they can be immersed radially inward. This allows the lock pins Sr and S1 to be pulled out from the receiving portions Rr and R1 (see Fig. 9). In contrast, when the piston is pushed back by the urging force, the projecting portions (balls) Pr protrudes radially outward and the projecting portions Pr are locked (i.e., a state in which the projecting portions (balls) Pr cannot be immersed radially inward is achieved). This disables the lock pins Sr and S1 from being pulled out from the receiving portions Rr and R1 (see Fig. 9).

[0052]
<Control example of a paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, a control example of the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0053]
First, the control device 600 controls the robot arm 210 to move the robot hand 220 waiting at a predetermined position to a position where the paper sheet bundle MT exists. Next, the control device 600 controls the movable finger lifting mechanism 223 of the robot hand 220 to raise the movable finger 221 to the uppermost position. Next, the control device 600 controls the robot arm 210 to position the robot hand 220 so that the paper sheet bundle MT
is positioned between the movable finger 221 and the fixed finger 222. Subsequently, the control device 600 moves the movable finger 221 downward to grasp the paper sheet bundle MT using the movable finger 221 and the fixed finger 222. Here, it is preferable that the sheet bundle MT is aligned in advance so that the robot hand 220 can easily grasp the paper sheet bundle MT.

[0054]
The control device 600 then controls the robot arm 210 to move the robot hand 220 to an imaging point of the imaging device 300. Subsequently, the control device 600 transmits an imaging process execution signal to the imaging device 300, and causes the imaging device 300 to capture an image of the robot hand 220. After capturing the image of the robot hand 220, the imaging device 300 transmits the image data to the acquisition unit 640 of the control device 600.
The acquisition unit 640 transmits the image data to the calculation unit 620.
The calculation unit 620 measures a distance between the marker of the movable finger 221 and the marker of the fixed finger 222 of the robot hand 220 from the image data, and then measures a thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT held by the robot hand 220 from the measured distance;
furthermore, the calculation unit 620 stores the thickness data in the storage unit 630.

[0055]
Subsequently, the control device 600 controls the robot arm 210 to insert the robot hand Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 220 into the conveying case 10 mounted on the mounting table 410 of the wall attaching/detaching device 400, and then controls the extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225 to move the extrusion portion 224 forward, and controls the movable finger lifting mechanism 223 to pull the movable finger 221 upward to release the paper sheet bundle MT. The control device 600 then controls the robot arm 210 to retract the robot hand 220 from the conveying case 10 while maintaining the inclination angle of the robot hand 220. Note that at this time, the extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225 has moved forward, thereby preventing the extrusion portion 224 from dragging the paper sheet bundle MT. Subsequently, after the robot hand 220 is completely retracted from the conveying case 10, the control device 600 controls the extrusion portion reciprocating mechanism 225 to pull the extrusion portion 224 backward. Finally, the control device 600 controls the robot arm 210 to move the robot hand 220 to the standby position to prepare for conveying the next paper sheet bundle MT.

[0056]
The series of processing described above is sequentially repeated until the paper sheet bundle MT having a thickness equal to or less than the third threshold thickness is accommodated in the conveying case 10.

[0057]
Incidentally, the above-described thickness data stored in the storage unit 630 is integrated by the calculation unit 620 every time the above-described series of processing is repeated. When determining that the integrated value exceeds the first threshold (a threshold smaller than the third threshold), the calculation unit 620 transmits an operation start signal transmission instruction signal for the absorption mechanism 420 to the control unit 610. The control unit 610 that has received the operation start signal transmission instruction signal transmits an operation start signal to the absorption mechanism 420. This causes the absorption mechanism 420 to start the front wall unit attaching/detaching operation shown in Figs. 11 to 13.
Here, the front wall unit attaching/detaching operation is performed every time the paper sheet bundle MT is inserted into the conveying case 10 by the robot hand 220. In other words, after the absorption mechanism 420 pulls up the front wall unit 12, the robot hand 220 inserts the paper sheet bundle MT into the conveying case 10 from the opening OP of the partial box unit 11.
Subsequently, the absorption mechanism 420 pulls down the front wall unit 12 to reconstruct the conveying case 10. Note that as described above, the sequence of this series of processing is controlled by using the operation completion signals from the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, and the absorption mechanism 420.

[0058]
When determining that the integrated value exceeds the second threshold value (a threshold value larger than the first threshold value and slightly smaller than the third threshold value), the calculation unit 620 transmits an operation change signal transmission instruction signal for the robot arm 210 to the control unit 610. The control unit 610 that has received the operation change signal transmission instruction signal transmits an operation change signal to the robot arm 210. This causes the robot arm 210 to switch its operation from "the operation of making the robot hand 220 (i.e., the paper sheet bundle MT) enter the interior of the conveying case 10 through the opening OP" to "the operation of making the robot hand 220 (i.e., the paper sheet bundle MT) enter the interior of the conveying case 10 through the opening on the front side of the partial box unit 11 (i.e., the opening on the side where the front wall unit 12 existed")".

[0059]
Further, when determining that the integrated value exceeds the third threshold, the calculation unit 620 transmits an operation start signal transmission instruction signal for the Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 rotation power mechanism 510 to the control unit 610, and resets the integrated value to 0. The control unit 610 that has received the operation start signal transmission instruction signal for the rotation power mechanism 510 transmits an operation start signal to the rotation power mechanism 510. This causes the rotation power mechanism 510 to rotate the circular table 520 by half.
Subsequently, when a thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT is measured again, the calculation unit 620 integrates the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT again, and the above-described processing is repeated.

[0060]
<Features of a paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention>
(1) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the first threshold, the front wall unit 12 is removed from the conveying case 10 by the absorption mechanism 420, and the partial box unit 11 is packed with the paper sheet bundle MT by the robot arm 200 with a robot hand. Thus, in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100, when the paper sheet bundle MT
is boxed by the robot arm 200 with a robot hand, as much space included in the storage space of the conveying case 10 as possible can be used for accommodating the paper sheet bundle MT.

[0061]
(2) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the second threshold value, the robot arm 200 with a robot hand packs the paper sheet bundle MT from the opening on the side of the detached front wall unit 12. This allows the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 to compress the paper sheet bundle MT
every time the paper sheet bundle MT is packed in the partial box unit 11, thus enhancing a filling ratio of the paper sheet bundle MT in the conveying case 10.

[0062]
(3) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the first threshold value, the absorption mechanism 420 starts the front wall unit attaching/detaching operation. Thus, in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100, while the amount of the sheet bundle M to be boxed is small and the space in which the robot hand 220 can be inserted into the conveying case 10 is sufficient, the detaching operation of the front wall unit 12 by the absorption mechanism 420 and the reconfiguration operation of the conveying case 10 can be omitted. This allows the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 to efficiently operate the absorption mechanism 420, thus reducing energy consumption associated with the operation of the absorption mechanism 420.

[0063]
(4) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the third threshold, the rotation power mechanism 510 rotates the circular table 520 by half. Thus, with the paper sheet bundle box packing Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 apparatus 100, an operator can safely collect the conveying case 10 or safely perform other operations at a position away from the robot arm 200 with a robot hand and the wall attaching/detaching device 400.

[0064]
<Modification>
(A) Although the thickness measurement of the paper sheet bundle MT is performed when the paper sheet bundle MT is grasped by the robot hand 220 in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the thickness measurement of the paper sheet bundle MT may be performed before the paper sheet bundle MT is grasped by the robot hand 220.
For example, when another robot arm with a robot hand, another conveying device (e.g., a belt conveyor or a slider box), or the like is present at the upstream side of the robot arm 200 with a robot hand in a direction in which the paper sheet bundle is conveyed, the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT may be measured when the paper sheet bundle MT is grasped by the robot hand of the other robot arm with a robot hand, or the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT may be measured during conveyance by the other conveying device.

[0065]
(B) Although the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT is measured on the basis of the image data in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT may be measured using a pressure sensor disposed in the robot hand 220, or may be measured by other measurement methods.

[0066]
(C) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, after the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value exceeds the first threshold value (a threshold value smaller than the third threshold value), the front wall unit attaching/detaching operation is performed by the absorption mechanism 420 every time the paper sheet bundle MT is inserted into the conveying case 10 by the robot arm 200 with a robot hand;
alternatively, when the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the first threshold value, the front wall unit 12 may be removed, and furthermore when the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the third threshold value for the first time, the front wall unit 12 may be returned to the partial box unit 11 and the conveying case 10 may be reconstructed.

[0067]
(D) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the two wall attaching/detaching devices 400 are disposed on the circular table 520 of the turntable 500 so as to face in opposite directions to each other, but the number of wall attaching/detaching devices 400 disposed on the circular table 520 should not be limited and may be three or more, for example. In such a case, it is preferable that the wall attaching/detaching devices 400 are uniformly arranged in the circular table 520 such that the inclined surface of the mounting table 410 of each of the wall attaching/detaching devices 400 is unidirectionally oriented along the circumferential direction. When N wall attaching/detaching devices 400 are arranged on the circular table 520 in the above-described manner, the rotation power mechanism 510 rotates the circular table 520 by 360/N ( ) when the packing of the paper sheet bundle MT
into the conveying case 10 is completed.

[0068]
Date recue / Date received 2021 -1 1-03 (E) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the wall attaching/detaching device 400 is disposed on the turntable 500;
alternatively, the turntable 500 may be eliminated and the wall attaching/detaching device 400 may be fixed to the floor.

[0069]
(F) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, and the absorption mechanism 420 each transmit an operation completion signal to the control device 600, and the control device 600 transmits a new operation start signal to the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, and the absorption mechanism 420 after receiving the operation completion signal, thereby controlling (interlock controlling) the operation order of the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, and the absorption mechanism 420;
alternatively, the operations of the robot arm 210, the robot hand 220, and the absorption mechanism 420 may be timing-controlled (may be subjected to time management control) during a period from a timing of detaching the front wall unit 12 by the absorption mechanism 420 to a timing of reconstructing the conveying case 10.

[0070]
(G) In the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the paper sheet bundle MT is inserted from the opening OP on the top surface side until the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the second threshold, and the sheet bundle MT is inserted into the conveying case 10 from the opening on the front surface side of the partial box unit 11 (i.e., the opening on the side where the front wall unit 12 existed) after the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the first threshold; alternatively, the paper sheet bundle MT may be inserted into the conveying case 10 from the opening on the front surface side of the partial box unit 11 at a timing when the calculation unit 620 determines that the integrated value of the thickness of the paper sheet bundle MT exceeds the first threshold. In such a case, the second threshold is unnecessary.

[0071]
(H) Although the circular table 520 is employed as the table of the turntable 500 in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, the shape of the table should not be particularly limited, and a table of an arbitrary shape may be employed.

[0072]
(I) Although the automatically-controlled turntable 500 is employed in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, a manually-controlled turntable may be employed.

[0073]
(J) Although the absorption mechanism 420 such as a vacuum chuck mechanism is employed as a means for chucking the front wall unit 12 of the conveying case 10 in the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, another grasping mechanism may be employed as a means for chucking the front wall unit 12 of the conveying case 10. However, in this case, it is assumed that the grasping mechanism can lift the front wall unit Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03 12 while releasing the locked state of the conveying case 10.

[0074]
(K) In the conveying case 10 according to the above embodiment, a ball lock type lock mechanism is employed as the lock mechanisms Lr and Ll, but other known lock mechanisms may be employed. However, in this case, it is assumed that the absorption mechanism 420 can lift the front wall unit 12 while releasing the locked state.

[0075]
(L) Although the conveying case 10 according to the above embodiment is colorless and transparent, the transparency and color of the conveying case should not be particularly limited, and may be colored and opaque or colored and transparent. When the paper sheet bundle box packing apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment is placed on a backyard of a casino, the conveying case is preferable to be transparent.

[0076]
(M) Although the paper sheet bundle MT such as a bank note bundle has been exemplified as an object to be box-packed in the above embodiment, the object to be box-packed should not be particularly limited in the present invention, and may be an object other than the paper sheet bundle.

[0077]
The above modified examples may be applied in combination as appropriate.

Date recue / Date received 2021-11-03

Claims

1. A box packing apparatus for packing an object in a box body in which a part of a side wall is detachable, comprising:
a mounting table on which the box body is to be mounted;
a box packing mechanism configured to grasp the object and pack the object into the box; and a box configuration changing mechanism capable of performing a detaching operation for detaching a part of the side wall from the box mounted on the mounting table, and a reconfiguration operation for reconfiguring the box by restoring a part of the side wall.

2. The box packing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a measuring unit configured to measure an amount of the object to be packed in the box; and an operation control unit configured to cause the box configuration changing mechanism to perform the detaching operation when the amount of the object measured by the measuring unit reaches a first specified amount.

3. The box packing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mounting table is installed on a turntable, and the turntable is rotated by a first angle when the amount of the object measured by the measuring unit reaches a second specified amount.

4. A box packing method comprising:
a first box packing step of grasping an object and packing the object in a box body in which a part of a side wall is detachable;
a detaching step of detaching the part of the side wall from the box when the object to be packed in the box reaches a first specified amount;
a second box packing step of packing the object into the box body from which a Date Recue/Date Received 2023-02-02 part of the side wall has been detached; and, a reconfturation step of restoring the part of the side wall and reconfiguring the box.

5. The box packing method according to claim 4, wherein the box is mounted on a turntable, and the boxing method further comprises a turntable rotation step of rotating the turntable by a first angle when the object to be packed in the box reaches a second specific amount.

6. A box body used in the box packing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 comprising:
a bottom wall portion; and a side wall that extends in one direction from an edge of the bottom wall portion and has an opening on the opposite side of the bottom wall portion, wherein a part of the side wall is attached to another part of the side wall via a lock mechanism, and is detachable from the other part of the side wall by releasing a lock state caused by the lock mechanism.

7. A box configuration changing device comprising:
a mounting table configured to mount a box body in which a part of a side wall is detachable; and a detachment mechanism capable of performing a detaching operation for detaching a part of the side wall from the box mounted on the mounting table and a reconfiguration operation for reconfiguring the box by restoring a part of the side wall.

Date Recue/Date Received 2023-02-02