JP2001516681A - Carton assembly mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An apparatus for sequentially taking out cartons having panels that are folded and opposed to each other from a hopper and starting assembly, wherein the apparatus sequentially grips one of the opposed panels and removes one panel from the hopper. And a means for transferring the carton from the hopper along a trajectory about the rotation axis to the feeding end of the packing device. Panel gripping means is provided for gripping the other and separating the other panel from the carton removal means to initiate opening of the carton. Further, the panel gripping means is attached to the guide rail 39 and the cross carriage 38 which is movable in a first plane along the guide rail 39.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the packaging of primary products such as cans and bottles housed in a plurality of cartons, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for supplying the cartons in a folded state from a hopper, starting assembly, and subsequently completing the cartons. It is about.

[0002]

2. Related Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Most of the known packing devices handle only one type and one size carton. Therefore, modern bottle packing plants need to use multiple packing equipment to handle different types of cartons, each packing equipment not only taking up considerable floor space, but also expensive to purchase and use. Become.

[0003] Only a limited type of packaging equipment can handle packaging cartons of different sizes, for example six, eight or twelve. All of these devices are
Adjustments are required when switching from one size to another or from one type to another. This adjustment involves manual work of removing all cartons taken into the packaging device and, in some cases, mechanical adjustment of the components of the device. During this change, which lasts 30 minutes or more, the device will be unusable (
Called "downtime"), causing high cost delays in bottle packing plants. If problems occur during the change, such delays will not only stop the packaging equipment, but also the entire packaging line.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The present invention seeks to overcome the commercial disadvantages of known packaging devices by providing a feeder mechanism that can assemble one or more cartons. Furthermore, the device according to the invention allows switching from one carton to another, or from one size to another, with little downtime. The modular nature of the present invention allows a "fully flexible" device to be constructed, which can eliminate, or at least reduce, the problems with known devices.

The present invention can be used with the packaging apparatus described in the related application of the present application (Applicant's serial number D-7725). The invention can be applied to many other types of packaging equipment. As a modification, the erecting mechanism according to the present invention can be sold as an independent module, and can be installed in a new device or a method for modifying an existing device.

[0006] GB 2053133 describes an apparatus for removing and holding a box container blank from a fixed storage box, and further assembling and transferring the blank. The apparatus comprises a transfer member mounted on a rotating carrier mounted on a four-point linkage and controlled in a container-dependent manner. During rotation, the member is stationary to facilitate removal of the blank. When the assembled blank is transferred to the transfer device, the partition member moves in synchronization with the transfer device.

[0007] US Pat. No. 4,625,575 describes a container assembly for a feeder mechanism provided with a container plate. The feeder mechanism includes a continuous container track having a deep section and a shallow section. Container orbit driven arms are used in deep and shallow compartments. The unloading means is connected to the container arm by an eccentric arm, and the container track moves the unloading means to the outer extended position and back to the inner storage position.

[0008] International Patent Application WO 92/15450 describes a carton assembly device with a suction device for removing a folded sleeve-type carton from a storage box. The suction device moves inward and outward on the slidable rod as it moves along a trajectory about the central rotation axis. A reciprocating gripper mounted outside the track of the suction device sucks the outer panel of the folded carton and opens the carton.

The prior art references mentioned above mainly refer to the carton removal means and do not solve the problem of assembling a carton from a flat state. The present invention solves the problem of separating facing panels of different cartons stored flat and provides an apparatus that can easily accommodate different types of cartons.

That is, an object of the present invention is to solve, or at least reduce, the problems of the prior art.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for sequentially removing cartons having folded and opposed panels from a hopper to begin assembly. The apparatus includes a carton removal means for sequentially gripping one of the opposed panels and removing a folded carton including the one panel from the hopper, and packing the carton from the hopper along a track around a rotation axis. Means for transferring to the infeed end of the device, outside the track path, for gripping the other of the panels and separating the other panel from the carton removal means to initiate opening of the carton. Panel gripping means is arranged, and further, the panel gripping means,
It is mounted on a guide rail and a cross carriage that is movable in a first plane along the guide rail.

According to another feature of the present invention, the panel holding means may be configured to move in the first plane by a linear servomotor.

According to another feature of the invention, the panel gripping means is mounted on a slide member substantially perpendicular to the guide rail, and the slide member is movable with respect to the guide rail. Therefore, the panel holding means may be configured to be movable in two planes.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the panel gripping means may be configured to move in the second plane by a linear servomotor.

According to a further feature of the present invention, a control device for controlling the movement of the panel gripping means may be provided.

According to another feature of the invention, the panel gripping means includes a suction cup and a cup holder attached to the slide member, wherein the suction cup is a negative pressure supply device when opening the carton. It may be configured to be connected to.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the face-to-face contact panel may be opposing side walls of the carton.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The mechanism according to the invention makes it possible to assemble various types of cartons, for example of the wrapping type, of the completely packed type, of the basket type. In this specification, the term “carton type” includes all carton types of different sizes. An example includes a fully packaged carton containing, for example, eight or twelve products.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an apparatus 10 for carton processing as outlined above. Dual hoppers 12 and 14 are provided at the upstream end of the apparatus. In the dual hoppers 12, 14, a plurality of types of cartons, for example, a basket type carton 16 and a completely packed carton 18 are to be held and processed in a folded state. In this embodiment, each hopper 12, 14 is of a gravity feed type, and the carton blanks are held by respective inclined hoppers to ensure a reliable feed.

A rotary negative pressure feeder 20 disposed in the vicinity of the dual hoppers 12 and 14 sequentially takes out cartons from the hopper unit and passes the cartons through a rotation path “Z”.
Is transferred to the paper feed chain 22 shown in FIG. A feed chain 22 is provided for transferring cartons to a downstream loading station 24.

When a carton is taken out of the hopper unit 12 and rotatably transported by the rotary feeder 20, a back feeder mechanism 30 is used to separate the opposing panels and assist a part of the carton assembly. In the embodiment shown, the carton transferred by the rotary feeder is a fully packed carton, shown in FIG. 7b in a flat folded state.

In order to transfer the carton from the hoppers 12 and 14 in the inclined position to the vertical plane of the paper feed chain 22, as shown in FIGS.
It is necessary to offset the rotation axis. Thus, the back feeder 30 should also be offset tangentially to the carton's orbital path.

Next, the structure of the back feeder 30 shown in FIG. 3 will be described, in which a suitable gripping means for gripping one or more panels of the carton is provided. In the present embodiment, the gripping means includes a suction cup 32 attached to a cup holder 34, and the cup holder 34 is attached to a slide member 36. The gripping means
Suitable means are provided for moving in the "X" and / or "Y" directions, for example, the slide member 36 is mounted on the transversal carriage 38 and is indicated with reference X to the transversal carriage. The transverse carriage 38 is preferably connected to a guide rail 39 fixed to a support frame (not shown), which guides the suction cup and the slide member. The suction cup 32 is configured to move in the direction indicated by the symbol Y with respect to the rail 39. In this manner, the suction cup 32 is moved toward or away from the rotary feeder 20, and / or. Alternatively, it can be moved in a direction parallel to the track path Z of the carton. Tsu path may be provided.

Obviously, other components or configurations can be utilized for the device that is movable in the XY directions.

The slide member 36 is moved by first drive means controlled by a suitable control system, for example a first linear servomotor (not shown), and the traversing carriage 38 is controlled by a control system. It is moved by two driving means, for example, a second linear servomotor (not shown). In some embodiments, the control system is programmed to preset the appropriate XY coordinates and define the path of the suction cup. The control means may be a dedicated processor or a control means provided for a packing device in which a back feeder is used. Alternatively, the control means may be a known programmable servo control means or a known programmable servo control system. Special "X" coordinates or "Y"
Manual input means may be provided for inputting coordinates. The details of one type of control system are described in the related application of the present application (Applicant's serial number D-7725).

During operation of the apparatus, the back feeder 30 separates one of the carton walls 40 from the opposing wall 42 held by the rotary feeder 20. In the present embodiment, the opposing walls are the side walls 40 and 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary feeder 2
When the 0 transports the carton, it moves forward of the suction cup 32 of the back feeder 30 and contacts the side wall 40 of the folded carton 18. Preferably, the point of contact is approximately at the center of the wall being separated. A negative pressure is applied to the suction cup 32 to hold the side wall portion 40. As shown in FIG. 5, as the rotary feeder 20 continues to rotate forward the carton, the suction cup 32 of the back feeder becomes 2
It moves away from the rotary feeder 20 to separate the side walls. In this embodiment, the front suction cup pair 44 of the rotary feeder releases the front end of the panel 46. Thus, the carton is in a partially assembled state in which the side walls and the end walls are separated. Next, the negative pressure supply device for the back feeder is shut off, and the carton is released from the back feeder as shown in FIG.

Although it is preferred to use a suction cup to hold one of the walls, other embodiments may use alternative elements, such as mechanical connection means.

The carton 18 continues to move along the track path until it contacts the paper feed chain 22. In particular, the front edge 48 of the carton contacts the forward projection 50 of the feed chain 22. The forward projection 50 moves the front edge 48 away from the suction cups 44, 52 of the rotary feeder 20. This action causes the front end panel 54 and the side panel 40 to be substantially vertical. At the same time, the rear protrusion 56 contacts the rear end panel 58 to assist in assembly. Next, the suction cups 44, 52 of the rotary feeder 20 release the carton and continue to move in the "Z" direction, and the carton 18
Is transported to a loading station 24 downstream by a feed chain.

As explained above, the preferred position for the back feeder suction cup to “unload” the carton is approximately at the center of the carton side panels, as shown in FIG. However, this location will vary depending on the type of carton, in particular the dimensions of the side walls and end walls which are specific to each carton type, different carton sizes. 7a and 7c
Shows examples of suitable locations for basket type cartons and larger fully packed cartons. Similarly, the path of the suction cup separating the two walls also depends on the type of carton being assembled. The suction cup is the international patent application WO92 / 1
A round-trip route may be used in the same manner as that described in JP-A-5450. Alternatively,
For some cartons, a rotary path can also be used. An advantage of the back feeder described above is the flexibility afforded by the system. Therefore, the position of the back feeder suction cup 32 can be moved to a desired position, or any path may be used as long as the slide member 36 and the guide rail 39 have a limiting stopper. In this way, the back feeder can be programmed to reach the removal position according to a route and / or a movement configuration suitable for the carton type, and these routes and positions can be changed depending on the carton type. FIGS. 8 and 9 show an example of the speed and acceleration of a linear servomotor for controlling the suction cup path and the X and Y directions of the suction cup when assembling a completely packed carton.

By pre-programming the control system, the position and path of the suction cup 32 can be preset, thus reducing downtime when changing carton types or carton styles. According to the present invention, the processing speed of the apparatus is increased, and the efficiency and durability are improved.

Although a preferred embodiment has been described with a carton containing a bottle, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to a carton for a bottle. The invention is applicable to devices for carton packing cans, cardboard "bricks", and other types of containers.

Further, as a preferred embodiment, a part of an apparatus for processing a sleeve type carton using a vertical loading method is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this type of carton. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention is also applicable to the treatment of wrapped or end holding cartons.

Although the back feeder mechanism according to the present invention has been described using a specific embodiment, it should be understood that various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention. This hopper-feeder mechanism does not spend too much time adjusting the equipment,
For example, various forms of cartons having sizes and shapes to accommodate 4, 6, 8, and 12 bottles can be processed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a feeding unit of a packing device, showing a back feeder mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the packing device of FIG. 1 as viewed from an opposite direction.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the back feeder mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a back feeder mechanism for separating a facing panel of a carton.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a back feeder mechanism for separating a facing panel of a carton.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a back feeder mechanism for separating a facing panel of a carton.

7a, 7b and 7c are side views of a basket-type carton, a fully folded eight bottle carton, and a completely folded twelve bottle carton, respectively.

FIG. 8 is four graphs showing distance, velocity, acceleration, and derivative of acceleration over time for a linear servomotor controlling the X-coordinate of the suction cup.

FIG. 9 is four graphs showing distance, velocity, acceleration, and derivative of acceleration over time for a linear servomotor controlling the Y-coordinate of the suction cup.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12, 14 Hopper 16, 18 Carton 20 Rotary negative pressure feeder 22 Feeding chain 24 Loading station (packing device) 30 Back feeder 32 Suction cup (panel holding means) 34 Cup holder 36 Slide member 38 Crossing carriage 39 Guide rail 40 , 42 Side wall part 44, 52 Suction cup (carton removal means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), AU, BR, BY, CA, CN, CZ, EE, HU, ID, IL, JP, KE, KR, LT, LV, MX, NO, NZ, PL, RO, RU, SG, SK, TR , US, VN (72) Inventor Jean-Jacques Doussard France F-36000 Chateauroux de la Bievre 5 Apartman 44 (72) Inventor Philippe Evlan France F- 36250 ・ Saint-Moir-le-Petit Valensay (No address) F-term (reference) 3E030 AA02 BB02 CA02 CB01

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for starting to assemble by sequentially taking out cartons having folded and opposed panels disposed from a hopper, and sequentially holding one of the opposed panels and including the one panel from the hopper. A carton removal means for removing the folded carton, and means for transferring the carton from the hopper to a feed end of a packing device along a track around a rotation axis, and outside the track path, An apparatus in which panel gripping means for gripping the other of the panels and separating the other panel from the carton unloading means to start opening the carton is arranged, wherein the panel gripping means includes a guide rail, A cross carriage that is movable in a first plane along the guide rail. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said panel gripping means is moved in said first plane by a linear servomotor. 3. The panel gripping means is mounted on a slide member that is substantially perpendicular to the guide rail, and the slide member is movable with respect to the guide rail, and thus the panel gripper. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means is movable in two planes. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said panel gripping means is moved in said second plane by a linear servomotor. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for controlling the movement of the panel holding means. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control device controls a speed of the panel gripping means. 7. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control means comprises means for receiving information relating to the speed of carton transport along the trajectory. 8. The panel holding means includes a suction cup and a cup holder attached to the slide member, wherein the suction cup is connected to a negative pressure supply device when opening the carton. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face-to-face contact panel is an opposing side wall of the carton.