JP2003137202A - Boxing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent such troubles that, when a required number of items are automatically put together into a box, the items strike against an edge of the opening of the box, the box is damaged after the items are put into the box, or the stored items are accidentally pushed out of the box. SOLUTION: Items BB1 released from the state of being firmly held by a pair of firm holding plates 6A and 6B are put into a box by being pressed by the pressing plate 51 of a shooting member SH while positioned by a pair of positioning control members SD1 and SD2. Also, the boxing operation is carried out by pressing them by the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH while uncovering the opening D5 of the box D by an opening gate control member SG. Further, after the items BB1 are pushed into the box B by being pressed by the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH, pressure is applied thereto from above by an upper pressure-application means SK.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cartoning device used for automatically cartoning a large number of articles in a physical distribution facility while conveying the articles by a conveyor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a physical distribution facility in which a conveying device such as a conveying conveyor is arranged, a plurality of article stockers for storing a large number of articles are arranged along the conveying conveyor and provided below the article stocker. There is a process in which various articles picked by a picking device are flowed by a conveyor and packed in a box such as a cardboard box. For example, cigarettes, video tapes, books (books), CDs (compact discs, single CDs for music, etc.), household chemicals (for example, boxes containing cold medicines, small bottles for nutritional supplements and nutritional tonics). Items such as those in which the bottle is packed in a paper container and cosmetics (for example, a box containing lipstick) are stacked and stacked on the article stocker, and the articles are conveyed one by one on a conveyor. Etc., pick it up on a conveyor, and let it flow on a conveyor to be packed in a box such as a cardboard box at a predetermined position.

Although some boxes are partially automated, they are usually manually boxed. For example, when cigarettes are individually boxed and transported to a convenience store or a retailer who installs a vending machine, the number of sold cigarettes differs for each store, but they are picked by a picking device and transported on a conveyor. I was manually packing the incoming cigarettes in a box. Tobacco manufacturer (Japanese tobacco; J
Abbreviated as T. ), The packaging of cigarettes is an automated process of packaging cigarettes of the same brand, that is, the same dimensions, into boxes such as cardboard boxes.However, when transporting them to convenience stores or retailers who install vending machines, etc. In the case of box packaging, cigarettes sequentially transported on a transport conveyor were manually packaged at each destination.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] At retailers such as convenience stores, the number of replenishments differs for each retailer. For example,
A large carton of 1 carton of cigarettes and a wrapping paper in which 10 cigarettes are packed in a unit (also called "parcel type", from December 1999, from the viewpoint of resource protection, from conventional paper boxes There is a rectangular parallelepiped long article having a long side and a short side. A packaged cigarette in which each 10 cigarettes are packaged is a long rectangular parallelepiped article having a long side and a short side. Even if one example of this packaged cigarette is taken, it is transported to a retailer. The number to do is different. That is, when the number is small, it is preferable to store them in a box such as a cardboard box by hand, but it is preferable to automatically pack them into one box when a predetermined number is prepared.

[0005] In recent years, there is a demand from retailers to keep stock as much as possible, and to replenish them in a required quantity one by one when needed. Therefore, it is desired to improve the operating efficiency of the boxing work. Therefore, it is necessary to automatically and efficiently package the boxes, but there are various demands from retailers, and it is not easy to satisfy these demands. In the case of JT packaging in which the same brand is packed in a cardboard box,
As shown in (a) and (b), it is usual to store the boxes in two stages, the bottom side and the entrance side. When the above-mentioned parcel-type cigarettes B having different brands are boxed by using the corrugated cardboard box D which is boxed in two stages, there are the following problems. That is, in the case of the same brand, the cardboard box D is stored in a fully aligned state by storing 25 5x5 pieces on the bottom side of the cardboard box D and 25 pieces of 5x5 on the entrance side. Pack 50 boxes.
However, if, for example, 36 boxes are to be packed in this cardboard box D, the bottom side of the cardboard box D must contain 25 pieces of 5 × 5, and the entrance side must contain 11 boxes so that one box can be packed efficiently. I can't. Further, there are various brands of tobacco, and the vertical, horizontal, and length dimensions are not uniform for each type. For example, cigarettes made in Japan may have different sizes (for example, MILDSEVEN and CASTE).
R and CABIN; both are trade names), and Japanese cigarettes (for example, MILDSEVEN and CASTER; trade names) and foreign-made cigarettes (for example PARLAMENT; trade names) often have different sizes (these days). In LARK and KENT, some of them have the same size as the above-mentioned caster made in Japan.) Further, in recent years, the box type (BOX type) whose box shape is hard to collapse, and the same brand also have a 100 mm size (also referred to as 100s). )
Etc. are also becoming popular, and in such a case, the above dimensions are different. As shown in FIGS. 22A, 22B, and 22C, in the above CASTER (B1) and CABIN (B2), the vertical W1, the horizontal W2, the long side length W3, and the CABIN (B
2) is one size larger. In addition, even with the same CABIN, in the ordinary packaged cigarette (B2) and box type (B3),
Box type is vertical W1, horizontal W2, long side length W3
Is also one size larger. Therefore, when these are mixed, it is not easy to efficiently store (pack in a box) in one box as much as possible. And, the article (including the parcel type cigarette wrapping paper in the above example) should not be damaged during the packaging.

[0006] On the other hand, if a group of articles is just pushed simultaneously into a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening only on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape (5 × 5 in the above example).
If the total of 25 pieces of the above is packed in the bottom side and the entrance side of the cardboard box D at the same time (50 pieces in total), even if the group of articles is pushed into the box, the air inside the box loses the escape route and the box is damaged by the pressure. However, there is a problem that some of the article groups may be popped out of the opening portion and cannot be boxed.
For this reason, it is not unthinkable to form an air vent hole in the box, but the original role of the cardboard box etc. is lost due to extra processing, cost increase, rainwater infiltration, etc. There is a problem to be solved. In addition, when performing packing so that the box is just full, such as when packing 5 × 5 25 pieces at the same time (when packing 5 × 5 25 pieces at the same time, the opening D5 of the cardboard box D is It may be impossible to pack in a box by colliding with the end of the opening of the box. In particular, in the multi-tiered state, if the upper and lower positions are not aligned even slightly, they cannot be accurately pressed to be packed in a box. From the standpoint of operation efficiency (conveyance efficiency), it is desirable to automatically pack the articles to the final stage while conveying the articles without stopping the conveyance of the articles during a series of conveying steps.

Further, in the case of the long article as described above, it is a normal way of carrying the articles in order by the conveyor so that the long sides of the articles are forward and backward. The article picked by the conventional picking device is conveyed in the above-mentioned manner of conveyance by using a conveyor, but it has a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a long side and a short side of the "parcel type" cigarette or the like. When conveying a long article, a rectangular parallelepiped long article is conveyed in the flow direction of a conveyor with its long side facing forward and backward. However, such a transfer method has a problem in that the installation space cannot be effectively used and the apparatus becomes large. Further, in the transportation by such a transportation method, even if it is automated, there is a limit to the speedup, and it is not possible to improve the operation efficiency of the box packing work. It is considered that the long side of the long article is made to flow in the conveying direction, but in the normal flowing method, the long side of the long article is made to flow forward and backward, so that direction is always kept. There is a problem that it is difficult to maintain and convey the product.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is that not only articles of the same size but also articles of different sizes can be packed in a required number of boxes, and the installation space can be improved while improving the operation efficiency. It is to provide a packaging device that does not take Further, a second object of the present invention is to collide with the opening end of the box when the necessary number of articles are aligned and automatically boxed, the box is damaged after boxing, and the stored articles are It is to provide a boxing device that does not pop out.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the boxing device according to claim 1 of the present invention is an article in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side of a rectangular parallelepiped. In a boxing device for packing a box, a placing table on which one side of the four circumferential side surfaces of the box is placed, a pair of holding plates for holding the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box, A shooting member having a pressing plate that presses the article that has been sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates, and the article in which the sandwiching of the pair of sandwiching plates has been released is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member to be boxed. .

According to the present invention, the opening of the box placed on the placing table is obtained by pressing the pressing plate of the shooting member after releasing the nip of the article that is nipped by the pair of nip plates and transferred. Is pushed into the box from
It will be boxed automatically.

The boxing device according to claim 2 of the present invention is a boxing device for packing articles in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape. And a pair of holding plates for holding the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box, and pressing for pressing the article held by the pair of holding plates. A shooting member having a plate and a positioning control member for positioning the article at the position of the opening of the box are provided. It is characterized by being pressed by a pressing plate and packed in a box.

According to the present invention, when the articles in which the sandwiching of the pair of sandwiching plates has been released are aligned by the alignment control member and pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member to be packed in a box, the box is placed on the mounting table. It is pushed into the inside of the box without colliding with the opening edge of the box, and it is automatically boxed. Further, since the position is adjusted by the position adjusting control member, the displacement of the pair of holding plates after the holding is released and the collapse of the load can be prevented in a multi-stacked state.

The boxing device according to claim 3 of the present invention is a boxing device for packing articles of a predetermined shape in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A placing table on which one side surface is placed, a pair of holding plates for holding the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box, and an article held by the pair of holding plates. A shooting member having a pressing plate for pressing and an expansion gate control member for expanding the opening of the box are provided, and the opening of the box is expanded by the expansion gate control member for an article in which the pair of clamping plates is released. It is characterized in that it is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member while being opened to be packed in a box.

According to the present invention, when the article conveyed by the conveyor is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member while the opening of the box is expanded by the expansion gate control member, it is placed on the mounting table. It is pushed into the inside of the box through the opening of the box and automatically packed. In other words, since the opening of the box is expanded by the expansion gate control member, collision with the end of the opening of the box is eliminated, and packing of the box is facilitated.

A boxing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a boxing device for packing articles in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape. And a pair of holding plates for holding the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box, and pressing for pressing the article held by the pair of holding plates. An article in which a pair of holding plates is released from the shooting member having a plate and an upper pressurizing means for pressurizing the other side surface of the box placed on the mounting table from the side surface opposite to the one side surface from above. When the articles are pushed into the box by pushing with the pressing plate of the shooting member, the article is packed while being pressed by the upper pressing means.

According to the present invention, the pressing plate of the shooting member presses the article into the box and simultaneously presses it from above by the upper pressurizing means, or presses the article from above by the upper pressurizing means. When the pressure is applied, a situation in which a box such as a cardboard box is inflated is prevented, and the article pushed in from above the box is pressed to prevent the article from jumping out of the box. That is, a box having no opening other than the opening may not be accommodated by air pressure, but such a situation is prevented by the upper pressurizing means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the boxing apparatus, one of the pair of sandwiching plates is provided with an elastic member for sandwiching the sandwiching plate via a spring, while the other opposing side is a flat surface. It is characterized by

According to the present invention, even when a plurality of long articles have different lengths, they are always stably sandwiched. However, the other flat surface of the pair of sandwiching plates is the upper surface on the short side of the long article. Alternatively, it is sandwiched with one of the lower surfaces aligned. Therefore, not only articles having the same size but also long articles having different lengths can be arranged so that the upper surfaces or the lower surfaces of the short sides thereof can be easily boxed.

In the boxing apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention, the article is a rectangular parallelepiped long article having long sides and short sides, and the long side of the long article is conveyed by the conveyor. In a state in which the upper surfaces or the lower surfaces of the short sides of a plurality of long articles are aligned by the pair of sandwiching plates and are sandwiched at a time and transferred to a boxing position, a plurality of long sheets are conveyed. It is characterized in that the upper surface or the lower surface of the short side of the lengthy article is aligned and is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member.

According to the present invention, when a rectangular parallelepiped long article having a long side and a short side is packed, a pair of holding plates holds the upper and lower sides of the short side of the long article. In order to transfer it to the boxing position, it is aligned to the boxing position, and then the upper surface or the lower surface of the short side of the long article is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member to be aligned with the box such as a corrugated box. It will be packed in the box in a closed state.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the box packing apparatus, the alignment control member is a pair of alignment control members for aligning the left and right ends of the rectangular opening of the box. The position adjustment control member is attached to an elevating device that elevates and lowers the elevating device, and each elevating device reciprocates in a direction in which an article is sandwiched by a driving unit that is driven along a rail.

According to the present invention, since the alignment control member is a pair of alignment control members for aligning the left and right ends of the rectangular opening of the box, the alignment control member can be used in a box such as a corrugated box. Even when packing a full box, the items to be packed do not collide with the left and right edges of the box opening,
It is pressed into the box by the pressing plate of the shooting member. When pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member, the pair of alignment control members are raised by the elevating member,
There is no hindrance to the transfer of the pair of sandwiching plates to the boxing position. Also, in order to reciprocate in the direction of holding the article,
In the misaligned position of the pair of sandwiching plates after releasing the sandwiching and in the multi-stacked state, the collapse of the load is prevented.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the box packing apparatus, the expansion gate control member is provided with an upper hook plate for hooking an upper end of the opening of the box and an upper hook plate in a hooked state. A first latching control unit having a driving means for extending and contracting, a left and right latching plate for hooking the left and right ends of the opening of the box, and a driving means for extending and contracting with the left and right latching plates hooked. It is characterized in that it is provided with a second and a third hooking control section that each has.

According to the present invention, the driving means is driven while the left and right latching plates and the upper latching plate of the expansion gate control member are latched to the opening of the box, so that they are independently driven. The left and right ends and the upper end of the opening of the box can be expanded, and the hooked state can be released.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the boxing device, the expansion gate control member has a U-shaped gate that is hung in a U-shape, and the left and right hooks are provided on the left and right of the U-shaped gate. A plate is provided, and the upper side retaining plate is provided at the center of the U-shape, and these retaining plates are directed from the outside of the opening of the box to the inside of the opening through the U-shaped gate. Has a driving means for simultaneously moving the inside of the opposite opening in the outward direction.

According to the present invention, the left and right retaining plates and the upper retaining plate of the expanding gate control member are simultaneously moved from the outside of the opening of the box toward the inside of the opening, and then the expanding gate control member. By driving the left and right retaining plates and the upper retaining plate of the box, the opening of the box can be expanded, and after packaging is completed,
After the expanding operation is completed, the left and right retaining plates and the upper retaining plate can be simultaneously moved inward from the inside of the opening of the box by the driving means to be released from the position of the opening of the box.

The boxing device according to claim 10 of the present invention is
The pressing plate of the shooting member is provided with an air vent hole.

According to the present invention, even when the articles are packed in the full box, the air can be evacuated through the air vent hole, so that the air in the box loses its escape route and the box such as the corrugated cardboard box is damaged. Will be prevented. In particular, there is no hindrance to the box packing due to the air on the opening side of the box.

[0029]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Construction of Transfer System) The boxing device 41 of this embodiment is incorporated in a transfer system (automatic packing line) as shown in FIGS. The transfer system includes frames F1, F2, F3, F arranged vertically and horizontally.
4, F5, F6 ... Incorporated in a rectangular parallelepiped shape assembled by F9, the size of this transfer system is such that its height is slightly lower than the height of a person,
The total length (length in the left-right direction in FIG. 1) is about 4.5 m. On the rear side of the transfer system ((on the right side in FIG. 1), there is a shooting member SH that pushes a predetermined number of articles into a cardboard box D on a mounting table T that is laterally attached to the conveyor 2. It is provided with a U-shaped opening gate control member SG, etc. Then, by the chucking device 1, the article is conveyed by the conveyor 2 at the article mounting position side (the left end side in FIG. 1) E1 of the conveyor 2. Holding the article group B coming in (a pair of holding plates 6
The position to be clamped by A and 6B is referred to as "position A1 on the clamping side". ), And it transfers to the position where the said shooting member SH is arrange | positioned. Further, an upper pressing means SK for pressing the cardboard box D placed on the placing table T from above is provided at the right side position in FIG.

The transport conveyor 2 is roughly classified into a position (a position on the clamping side) A which is clamped by a pair of clamping plates 6A and 6B.
1, the position A3 of the boxing mechanism in which the shooting member SH, the expansion gate control member SG, and the like are boxed.
It is divided into a position A2 between them, and a first drive belt V1 and a second drive belt V1 are respectively provided at the pinching position A1 and the boxing position A3.
Drive belt V2 is provided, and a laying member 3 made of stainless steel is provided therebetween. In the transport conveyor 2, the first drive belt V1 is provided on the side on which the article B is mounted with the rotation axis Va.
The second drive belt V2 is wound around the boxing mechanism side via the rotary shaft, and is located between the first and second drive belts V1 and V2 (the central portion in FIG. 1). Then, the laying member 3 made of stainless steel is provided, and the laying member 3 does not move in a stationary state. On the side E1 of the transport conveyor 2 on which the article group B is mounted, a multi-tier stacking device (not shown) is arranged to start transporting the article group B consisting of a plurality of articles in a multi-tier stacking state of five upper and lower stages. The sheets may be conveyed in a multi-tiered stack of 5 upper and lower stages. The transfer conveyor 2 is
A single drive belt may be provided from the position A1 on the side of the nipping side to the position A3 of the packing mechanism.

A first drive belt V1 and a first drive belt V1 are provided at a position A1 which is clamped by a pair of clamping plates 6A and 6B and a boxing position A3 which is boxed by the shooting member SH and the expansion gate control member SG. 2 drive belt V2
Is provided. The first drive belt V1 has a pair of drive belts V1 that contact only the left and right ends of the long side Bc of the long article B. On the other hand, the second drive belt V2
Is a flat drive belt (not shown). Although both drive belts V1 and V2 are arranged between the left and right side plates Vb and Vb, the first drive belt V1 is the long article B.
Two drive belts V1 and V2 that contact only the left and right sides of the long side Bc of the are wound around the rotation shaft Va. That is, the two drive belts V1 and V2 contact only the short-side upper surface (head) Ba side and the lower surface (bottom) Bb side of the long article B. This is because when the long article B as described above is conveyed with its long side Bc aligned, two drive belts V1,
This is because, if there is a point of contact also between V2, the long article B has the property that either the upper surface Ba or the lower surface Bb on the short side is oriented in the transport direction. However, the first drive belt V1 may also be a drive belt that is stretched over the entire surface like the second drive belt V2.

(Items to be Boxed or Group of Items) Items B1, B2 conveyed by the boxing device 41 of the present embodiment.
B3 is also called “Parcel type”
It is a long product B packaged in units of zero. In the state shown in FIG. 21 (a), this long article B is a multi-tiered state of 5 layers in the upper and lower parts, and 25 pieces in 5 rows (5 × 5) are placed in the bottom side (BB1) and the entrance side of the cardboard box D. 50 in total for (BB2)
Pack in individual boxes. That is, in a parallel state in which five rows in the upper and lower rows are stacked and the intervals of the five rows in the lateral direction are packed in parallel, the corrugated board box D has two stages, namely, a first step (bottom side) BB1 and a second step (entrance side) BB2. It is pushed separately and fills up exactly. However, if you pack 36 cigarettes of the same brand,
Twenty-five (5.times.5) pieces are stored on the bottom side of the cardboard box D, and eleven pieces are stored on the entrance side (FIG. 21 (b)). Further, for example, the size of CASTER (trademark) and CABIN (trademark) of the same tobacco made in Japan is one size larger than CABIN, but when such different sizes are mixed, Boxes are made by stacking 5 stages in a stack. Hereinafter, CASTER (trademark name) will be referred to as symbol B1, CABIN (trademark name) that is slightly larger than this and longer on the long side Bc will be referred to as reference symbol B2, and the same CABIN
However, CABIN having a size of 100 mm (also referred to as 100 s), which is slightly larger, is denoted by B3 (FIG. 2).
2). Further, the short side upper surface of these long articles B1, B2, B3 will be referred to as reference numeral Ba, the short side side lower surface will be referred to as reference numeral Bb, and the long side will be referred to as reference numeral Bc. Further, in the upper and lower multi-tiered stacking state, reference numerals BY1, BY2 ... BY5 are given in order from the bottom,
In the horizontal parallel state, reference numerals BX1, BX2, ... BX5 will be described in the order in which they are conveyed by the conveyor 2, and a case of a plurality of groups will be described as reference numeral B. Also, cardboard box D
The multi-tiered article group pushed into the first stage (bottom side) is designated by the reference numeral BB1, and the multi-tiered article group pushed into the second stage (entrance side) is designated by the reference numeral BB2. The corrugated cardboard box D may be of a size capable of accommodating 25 5.times.5 boxes.

(Structure of Chucking Device) In the chucking device 1, a position from the position A1 where the article B held by the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B is held to the boxing position E2,
That is, the transfer is repeated up to the position of the shooting member SH, and the pair of first rails R1 arranged along the transport conveyor 2, the base plate 7 moving along the first rail R1, and the base plate 7 Feed screw 8 for reciprocating to the packing position E2 via the first rail R1, a motor M1 for rotationally driving the feed screw 8, and a second screw arranged on the base plate 7 in a direction orthogonal to the transport conveyor 2. The rail R2, the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B for holding the article B that moves along the second rail R2 and is conveyed on the conveyor 2 and the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B as the second rail. And a second drive means M2 that reciprocates via R2 (FIGS. 1, 3, and 4).

The first rail R1 is connected to the conveyor 2 (A
1, A2, A3) are arranged in pairs. The pair of first rails R1 and R1 includes a pair of holding plates 6A and 6A.
It is for reciprocating the base plate 7 on which B and the second driving means M2 are mounted, and is arranged below the conveyor 2. At the center of the pair of first rails R1, a feed screw (also referred to as "feed screw") 8 is arranged so as to extend over the entire length of the transfer system, and behind the feed screw 8,
A servo motor M is provided. That is, the first driving means M1 is composed of a servo motor M (M1), the feed screw 8 (M1), and a screw bracket 9 (M1) attached to the feed screw 8 (M1). Lead screw 8
Is provided with bearings J1 and J2 on the front side and the rear side, respectively, the first drive means M1 is provided on the side of the rear bearing J2, and the screw bracket 9 is attached to the screw bracket 9. A base plate 7 is attached.
The motor shaft of the servomotor M is connected to the feed screw 8 (M1) via the coupling C.

Below the base plate 7, there is a first rail R1.
There are four sliders S1 that straddle the slider S1.
The base plate 7 arranged below the conveyor 2 is moved along the first rail R1. That is, when the first driving means M1 rotates the feed screw 8, the base plate 7 is attached to the pair of first rails R via the screw bracket 9.
1. Reciprocate along R1.

A pair of second rails R2 and a pair of second driving means M2 are mounted on the base plate 7, and a pair of second rails R2 and M2 are mounted.
A pair of holding plates 6 on the rail R2 of the slider via a slider S2.
A and 6B are provided respectively. A pair of sandwiching plates 6A, 6
B is an inverted T-shaped stainless steel plate, which is erected on the slider S2. Reinforcing plates H1 and H2 are provided on the inside and outside of the pair of inverted T-shaped holding plates 6A and 6B. A servo motor having a rod M2r is used as the second driving means M2, and a pair of holding plates 6A and 6A are used.
B is synchronized and the rod M2r is simultaneously driven. The tip of the rod M2r is connected to a connecting portion 10 arranged on the lower surfaces of the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B having an inverted T shape. Therefore, when the rod M2r connected to the motor shaft of the servo motor M, which is the second driving means M2, moves back and forth, the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B are conveyed along the second rail R2 via the slider S2. A direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 2 (width direction of the first drive belt V1)
Reciprocates to. That is, the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B
Moves back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the first rail R1,
The long article B is clamped or released.

The pair of holding plates 6A and 6B hold a plurality of article groups B at the same time, and are formed of stainless steel plates. The pair of holding plates 6A and 6B are used for the transport conveyor 2
Of the long article B, which is erected on the slider S2 along the side plates Vb and Vb of the conveyor and narrows or widens the interval in the width direction of the conveyor 2 via the second rail R2.
The upper surface Ba and the lower surface Bb are clamped or released. As the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B, it is also possible to use one that surrounds the side plates Vb and Vb of the transport conveyor 2 in a U-shaped cross section so that the spacing on the transport conveyor 2 is narrowed. A flat plate 6c for flattening the upper surfaces Ba or the lower surfaces Bb of the plurality of long articles B is attached to the opposing surface sides of the other holding plate 6B. The flat plate 6c also has a role of adjusting in the direction of narrowing the interval on the conveyor 2. Such a pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B has a total of 25 long articles B in 5 rows in 5 rows.
It has a size that can be clamped at the same time.

One of the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B, 6A, is
A plurality of elastic members 11 are provided. Each elastic member plate 1
As shown in FIG. 5, 1 is for sandwiching the upper surface Ba and the lower surface Bb of the long article B with an elastic force, and is provided on the inner plate 16 disposed inside the one sandwiching plate 6B and on the outer side. Outer side plates 12 (12A, 12B, 12C, 12D) arranged, a connecting rod-shaped member 13 for connecting these, and a connecting rod-shaped member 13
It is composed of a spring 15 and the like which is exteriorly mounted on the. The connecting rod-shaped member 13 is passed through a through hole 6d formed in the one sandwiching plate 6A, and is attached between the inner plate 16 and the outer plate 12C via a spring 15. That is, the connecting rod-shaped member 13 penetrates through holes 12e of the same size formed in each of the outer plates 12A and 12B, is hooked by the outermost outer plate 12C, and is screwed with the screw N4. The spring 15 is installed so as to be wound around the outer periphery of the connecting rod-shaped member 13 and is interposed between the inner plate 16 and the inner surface of the one sandwiching plate 6A. One screw hole 13b of the connecting rod member 13 by the screw N1 on the outer side plate
Is screwed onto. The other screw hole 13a of the connecting rod member 13
Is screwed with a screw N4 that passes through the outermost plate 12D located on the outermost side. Therefore, one of the holding plates 6
On the outer side of A, the outermost outer plates 12D and 12C are separated from the one sandwiching plate 6A. The elastic member 11 is stably sandwiched by the pair of connecting rod-shaped members 13 at two locations with the elastic force. The screw N2 is for fixing the rectangular outer plate 12A to the one holding plate 6A, and is a screw N3.
Is to fix the two outer plates 12B to the rectangular outer plate 12A. Further, it is possible to provide a cushioning member such as a rubber plate on the inner plate 16 and the outer plate 12 depending on the implementation.

A pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B of this embodiment
Shows a rectangular shape having a size such that foreign-made cigarettes larger than Japanese-made cigarettes among parcel-type packaged cigarettes can be simultaneously sandwiched by 25 pieces in 5 rows of 5 rows.
Here, the first sandwiching region Y1, the second sandwiching region Y2, and the third sandwiching region Y are arranged in order from the article mounting side E1 in the upper and lower five stages.
3, the fourth holding region Y4, and the fifth holding region Y5 (FIG. 1). Further, the elastic member 11 of the present embodiment is provided on one of the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B 6A, but it may be provided on the other sandwiching plate 6B. It is also possible to provide it on both of the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B.
In addition, the elastic member 11 of the present embodiment includes a rectangular inner plate 16 and an outer plate 12 in order to press the upper surface Ba or the lower surface Bb of a parcel-type cigarette which is a long product.
Although it is composed of the two connecting rod-shaped members 13 and the two through holes 6d, it can be manufactured according to the type of the article to be sandwiched, and the shape and number of these are not limited.
When the type of the article group B is changed, the size and interval of the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B may be changed and used.

As shown in FIG. 1, an alignment plate 25 is hung in the area A1 on the side where the articles are mounted on which the first drive belt V1 is arranged. The alignment plate 25 is a pair of holding plates 6
Until the A and 6B return to the holding position A1, the long articles B are kept in a standby state while being aligned. The front and rear surfaces have a vertically long rectangular shape and a U-shaped cross section.
It is suspended by a cylinder unit 21, which is a lifting device. The cylinder unit 21 includes a pair of left and right guide shafts 22A and 22B and a pair of guide shafts 22.
A rod 23 arranged in the center of A and 22B, and a rod 23
Column member 27 having a built-in air cylinder for driving
And a fixing plate 26 for suspension. The tip 23a of the rod 23 is connected to a connecting portion 25a attached to the rear surface of the alignment plate 25, and when the rod 23 moves up and down, the alignment plate 2
5 moves up and down. Further, although not shown, the elevating device 21 is driven back and forth (reciprocating movement in the carrying direction) by a guide actuator incorporated in the frame F6 for the elevating device.

(Boxing Apparatus) As shown in FIG. 2, the boxing apparatus 41 of the present embodiment holds a placing table T and a plurality of article groups B conveyed by the conveyor 2 and holds them in a box D. A pair of sandwiching plates 6 that move to the position of the opening D5
A, 6B, a shooting member SH having a pressing plate 51 for pressing the article group B sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates 6A, 6B, and a pair of articles for aligning the article at the position of the opening D5 of the box D. Positioning control members SD1, SD2
And an expansion gate control member SG for expanding the opening D5 of the box D, and an upper pressing means SK.

The shooting member SH is a device that pushes the article group B, which is nipped by the pair of nip plates 6A and 6B and transferred, into the opening D5 of the cardboard box D having the flaps D1, D2, D3 and D4 all at once. , A pressing plate 51 for simultaneously pressing a plurality of long articles B (BB1, BB2)
And the pushing member 5 for fixing the pressing plate 51 from the center back surface thereof.
2 and a control member 55 that drives and controls the pushing member 52 (FIGS. 2 and 10). The control member 55 is disposed so as to project onto the transport conveyor 2 (second drive belt V2), and pushes the pushing member 52 into the opening D5 of the cardboard box D.
It has a built-in control mechanism and driving means for driving toward. That is, a motor is built in the guide actuator, and a pair of groove rails 56 is formed below along the longitudinal direction thereof, and the moving distance of the pushing member 52 is controlled by a computer program. The extrusion member 52 includes
A pair of sliders 56s fitted to the pair of groove rails 56 are provided upward, and are screwed to a base forming a linear guide actuator. The pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH is provided with a plurality of holes 51a for venting air to prevent the opening D5 of the cardboard box D from being in a sealed state. Therefore, the plurality of long articles B transferred onto the conveyor 2 while the pushing member 52 of the shooting member SH controls its moving distance.
When (BB1, BB2) is pressed by the pressing plate 51, the corrugated cardboard box D is packed in two stages (BB1, BB2) on the bottom side and the entrance side depending on the moving distance. In addition, on the mounting table T side of the transport conveyor 2, a floor plate 58 on which a slope 58a is formed and a bridging member 59 are disposed below the floor plate 58. The floor plate 58 has a slope 58a on the conveyor side.
Is formed, and has a role of facilitating pushing when the article group B on the transport conveyor 2 is pushed into the opening of the cardboard box D.

A second drive belt V2 is arranged between the side plates Va and Vb at the position A3 of the boxing mechanism on the rear side of the conveyor 2 and is placed on one of the side plates Va and Vb. The table T is horizontally attached. Placement table T
Places one side surface of the cardboard box D on the mounting surface and mounts the opening D5 of the cardboard box D toward one of the side plates Va and Vb. The cardboard box D is a normal cardboard box and has flaps D1, D2, D3 around the four edges of the opening D5.
D4 is provided, and no gaps, air holes or the like are formed except the opening D5. The flap D4 on the lower side of the cardboard box D is hung between the mounting table T and one of the left and right side plates Va and Vb (on the mounting table T side) Vb of the second drive belt V2.

Left and right side plates V of the second drive belt V2
A long bar 45 and a pair of left and right bars 46, 4 are provided on the lower side so as to be along Vb (one of the mounting table T side) a and Vb.
7 are provided (FIG. 7). That is, above one of the left and right side plates Vb, Vb (on the mounting table T side) Vb,
A long crosspiece 45 is arranged above and a pair of left and right crosspieces 46, 47 is arranged below so as to correspond to the opening D5 of the cardboard box D on the mounting table T. Which cross 4
5, 46, 47 are also stainless steel plates, and the pair of lower crosspieces 46, 47 are bent in a dogleg shape. The flap D1 on the upper side of the cardboard box D is
The left and right flaps D2 and D are placed in the open state by 5
3 is left and right opened by a pair of left and right crosspieces 46 and 47. Therefore, the flaps D1, D2, D3, D4 of the corrugated cardboard box D are all placed in a state in which they are opened exactly 90 degrees vertically and horizontally.

Above the mounting table T, the upper pressurizing means SK (SK1, SK2) suspended from the upper frame.
Are provided (FIGS. 2 and 16). Upper pressing means SK
Is to press the other side surface (upper surface) of the corrugated cardboard box D placed on the placing table T from above, and when the article group B is pushed into the box D by being pressed by the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH. , The box D is prevented from expanding, and some of the pushed-in article groups B 1 are pressed by the pressing plate 5.
The pressure plate 91 and the rod 92 for moving the pressure plate 91 up and down are prevented from jumping out of the box D due to the return of 1.
The air cylinder 92 having a and the left and right guide rods 93 connected to the pressure plate 91 together with the rod 92a are provided, and are suspended by the suspending frame 3f that is bridged over the protruding frame 2f above. Such an upper pressurizing means SK pressurizes the bottom side of the cardboard box D,
At least one is required, but as shown in FIG. 16, the first upper pressurizing means S is provided on the bottom side and the entrance side of the cardboard box D.
Two K1 and second upper pressurizing means SK2 may be provided, but the number is not limited. Also,
As the upper pressurizing means SK, it is also possible to use a single acting type in which the pressurizing plate 91 is lowered by its own weight and the air cylinder 92 is operated only when it is raised.

The expansion gate control member SG is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, the device is a device for expanding the opening D5 of the cardboard box D, and is a U-shaped gate 62 that is hung in a U-shape.
The second and third hooking control units SG2 and SG3 are provided on the left and right of the U-shaped gate 62, and the upper first hooking control unit SG1 is provided at the center of the U-shape. . The upper first hooking control unit SG1 has an air cylinder 63 having a hooking plate 69a whose tip is bent in a dogleg shape and a rod 63a as a driving means for expanding and contracting the hooking plate 69a.
And the guide rod 6 arranged in parallel with the rod 63a interposed therebetween.
It is connected by 4 and can be driven vertically.
The left and right second and third hooking control units SG2, SG3 include hooking plates 69b and 69c whose tips are bent in a dogleg shape, and a rod 66a as a driving means for expanding and contracting the hooking plates 69c and 69c. Air cylinder 66 and rod 66
It is connected by guide rods 67 that are arranged in parallel with "a" sandwiched therebetween, so that they can be extended / contracted laterally. Therefore, the hook plates 69a, 69b, 69c are hooked on the upper end Da and the left and right ends Db, Dc of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D, respectively, and the rod 63 of the air cylinder 63, 66 is locked.
When the a and 66a are individually reduced, the upper end Da and the left and right ends Db and Dc of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D can be expanded respectively, and the rod 63 of each air cylinder 63 and 66 can be expanded.
When the a and 66a are individually extended, the hook plates 69a, 69b and 69c are unlocked from the opening D5 of the cardboard box D.

In such an expanding gate control member SG, the first, second and third hooking control parts SG1, SG2, SG3 are provided from the outside of the opening D5 of the box D via the U-shaped gate 62. Direction inside opening and opposite direction (see arrow in Fig. 8)
It is configured to be moved simultaneously. That is, a lateral moving plate 65 that fixes the U-shaped gate 62 is attached above the center of the U-shaped gate, the slider 1s is integrally provided above the lateral moving plate 65, and the U-shaped gate 62 is located below. A grip plate 65a for gripping is provided. Slider 1s
The lateral movement plate 65 integrally having the above is movable in a direction traversing the second drive belt V2 via an upper fixed plate 68 to which a pair of rails 1r with which the slider 1s is fitted from below is attached. . The upper fixing plate 68 has a fixing plate 68a fixed to the upper frame 1f. Also,
Above the center of the U-shaped gate 62, a motor 1MT that is a driving unit that drives the U-shaped gate 62 is arranged. Therefore, when the motor 1MT is driven, the first, second, and third hook control units SG1 and SG that are individually driven are driven.
The U-shaped gate 62 including 2 and SG3 is a lateral moving plate 65.
Moves along the rail 1r and moves in the direction from the outside of the opening D5 of the box D to the inside of the opening at the same time. On the other hand, the U-shaped gate 62 simultaneously moves from the inside of the opening D5 of the box D to the outside. Moving.

A pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 are movably arranged above the packing position E2 on the transport conveyor 2 (FIGS. 6 and 11). The pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 align the articles with the left and right ends Db and Dc of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D, and are guided by the bearing 71. The pair of alignment control members SD1 includes a pair of left and right guide shafts 7
2, a rod 73 arranged in the center of the pair of guide shafts 72, an elevating device 74 incorporating an air cylinder for driving the rods 73, and a fixing plate 70 surrounding and fixing the upper end of the guide shaft 72 in a U-shape. Is equipped with. The tip of the rod 73 is connected to a connecting portion 76a attached to the rear surface of the matching plate 75 having a U-shaped cross section, and when the rod 73 moves up and down, the matching plate 75 moves up and down. The elevating device 74 is used as the uppermost article BY of the article group B stacked in multiple stages.
5 is configured as a cylinder unit that rises to the top. The connecting portion 76a and the rod 73 are respectively provided on the two crosspieces 76b attached to the upper and lower sides of the back surface of the matching plate 75, and can be connected to the connecting portion 76a at any position. The structure is adjustable.

Such a pair of alignment control members SD
1 and SD2 are configured to move in a direction of sandwiching the long side Bc of a plurality of long articles B (FIG. 6). That is, the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 are
Each lifting device 74 is lifted and lowered.
No. 4, one feed screw 88 is provided on a rail fixing plate 80 provided above the second drive belt V2, and the servo motor 2MT is provided at the center of this feed screw 88. , Via the relay means by the gear box 85 1
The lead screw 88 is rotated to move the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 to the pair of upper rails 2r and 2r, respectively.
It is possible to move up. The rail fixing plate 80 is provided with a pair of vertical moving plates 87 for fixing the upper side of the elevating device 74, respectively, the screw bracket 89 of the feed screw 88 is attached to the rail fixing plate 80, and the pair of rails 2r. And the screw receivers 1j, 1j for connecting the feed screw 88
Is attached. The vertical moving plate 87 reciprocates in the drive direction of the second drive belt (transport conveyor 2) V2 (the transport direction of the transport conveyor 2), and the lifting device 71 is attached to one side of the vertical drive plate 87 and the lower side of the other side. Slider 2 on the side
s is attached. The sliders 2s, 2s slide so as to straddle the pair of upper rails 2r on the rail fixing plate 80 from above. The feed screw 88 is reversely threaded to the left and right with the central gear box 85 as a boundary, and when the servomotor 2MT is driven, the left and right 88a and 88b of one feed screw 88 are moved via the gear box 85. By rotating in opposite directions, the pair of vertical moving plates 87 connected by the screw brackets 89 simultaneously move toward and away from each other along the pair of upper rails 2r. Therefore,
The pair of alignment control members SD1, SD2 are moved up and down by the pair of lifting devices 74, and when the servo motor 2MT is driven, the left and right 88a, 8a of the feed screw 88 are moved.
8b rotate in opposite directions, move in a direction in which a plurality of long articles B on the second drive belt V2 are clamped via a pair of vertical moving plates 87, and a direction in which the clamped state is released. Move to.

Here, two left and right feed screws 88 are used, and the drive shaft is divided from one servo motor 2MT via the gear box 85 to rotate the two feed screws 88 at the same time. It is also possible to use two servomotors 2MT, each driving two lead screws 88.

Next, the opening / closing operation of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D by the expansion gate control member SG of this embodiment, the operation of the chucking device 1 and its transfer method, and the box packing operation and its method will be described in order. To do. Here, each drive means M1, M2, 1MT, 2MT,
Speed adjustment of 3MT and the like and synchronous drive of the second drive means M2 are performed, control of the elevating operation mechanism for both forward and backward movement of the elevating devices 21 and 74, control of the moving distance of the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH, and expansion. The opening gate control member SG and the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 are controlled. Further, a plurality of detection sensors such as proximity sensors are provided at the position A1 on the holding side of the chucking device 1, the position A2 of the boxing mechanism, etc. to prevent positional deviation or load collapse of the article group B in a multi-tiered state or a parallel state. It is detected, and this is processed by a computer program and each drive means M1,
M2, 1MT, 2MT, etc. can be stopped. The cardboard boxes D are prepared in several sizes, and are placed on the placement table T according to the size of the article group B to be conveyed.

(Expansion of Box Opening) As described above, the cardboard box D has the flap D on the mounting table T.
All of 1, D2, D3 and D4 are left open vertically and horizontally at 90 degrees. However, when the article group BB1 corresponding to the opening D5 of the cardboard box D is packed (when 25 pieces of 5 rows and 5 columns at the top and bottom are pushed in), the cardboard box D
It is assumed that the left and right ends Db, Dc and the upper end Da of the opening D5 collide with each other to prevent the box from being reliably packed. Therefore, the motor 1MT is driven to move the U-shaped gate 62 from the outside of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D into the opening D5 along the rails 1r of the pair of lateral movement plates 65 (FIG. 8), , The first to third of the expansion gate control member SG
Hooking plate 69 of each hanger control unit SG1, SG2, SG3
The dogleg-shaped tips of a, 69b and 69c are hooked on the upper end Da and the left and right ends Db and Dc of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D, respectively. Then, each of the latch plates 69a, 69b, 69c
The air cylinders 63, 66 for driving the rod 63
When a and 66a are contracted, the opening D5 of the cardboard box D
Can be expanded (hatch plates 69a, 69 in FIG.
(See points b and 69c), the next cardboard box D is in a state of waiting for the pressing of the mounting table T and the shooting member SH by the pressing plate 51 (FIG. 17).

(Example of transfer by chucking device) First,
On the article mounting position side E1 of the transport conveyor, a long article group B stacked vertically in five steps is placed (FIG. 1). The long article group B (BY1, BY2 ... BY5) stacked in five steps vertically is suspended on one side (BY1, B1 of BX1) by the aligning plate 25 which is suspended by the elevating device 21 located on the front side of the sandwiching position.
Y2 ... BY5 are all inherited in a state where they are aligned on one side) and move backward through the third rail R3. While retreating, the last 5th upper and lower 5 tiers are closed so as to close the space between the first 5 upper and lower tiers (BX1) to the second 5 tier upper and lower tiers (BX2) and 3rd article (BX3). The article (BX5) is put in a standby state and connected in five rows (FIG. 1). Long articles B are connected in 5 rows (total 25
Individual), the aligning plate 25 is lifted by the elevating device 21 and becomes ready to be held by the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B. Then, when it reaches the position of the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B, the second driving means M2 on the base plate 7 is driven to move the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B along the second rail R2 to sandwich them. After that, the first driving means M1 is driven to move the base plate 7 along the first rail R1, and the base plate 7 is moved to a predetermined position E2 where the cardboard boxes D are arranged and packed. Since the stretchable member 11 is provided at each position for sandwiching by the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B, when sandwiching a plurality of long-sized articles B with the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B, the articles are forced by an unreasonable sandwiching force. Done without damaging. Further, since the opposite sides of the other 6B of the pair of holding plates 6A, 6B are made flat by the flat plate 6c, the upper surface B of the long article group B (BY1, BY2 ... BY5) in the multi-tiered state.
All a's are aligned.

The pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B are temporarily stopped at the central position A2 of the conveyor 2 on which the stainless steel plate 3 is arranged, and then are transferred all at once to the boxing position A3. The above-mentioned shooting member S by a computer program
This is because it is transferred to the boxing position A3 after confirming whether or not the pressing by H and the expansion gate control member SG etc. is possible. On the other hand, the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B are long articles B
Even when performing a double action (returning to the original position) at a position where n is clamped, the robot is temporarily stopped at the central position A2 where the stainless steel plate is arranged and then returned to the original position. This is because it is transferred at the holding position A1 after it is confirmed by the computer program whether it can be held.

After the transfer by the chucking device 1, the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B are moved (returning operation) along the second rail R2 to release the holding, and the base plate 7 is moved to the first rail R1. And returns to the position A1 where the original article is clamped. When the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B release the holding of the article group B, the shooting member S for box packing presses the article group BB1 which is transported and aligned.
It is taken over by H and is pressed by the corrugated cardboard box D of the opening D5 which is widened by the widening gate control member SG to be packed (FIG. 18).

Here, CASTER (B1) and CABI
In N (B2), the length of the long side Bc is different, but the elastic member 11 works to allow the flat plate 6c having the other opposing flat surfaces of the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B to have the above-described long articles B.
The upper surfaces Ba of the short sides of 1 and B2 are all aligned. Therefore, on the opening D5 side of the cardboard box D, the surfaces Ba and Bb on the short side of all the articles B are aligned. Further, the elastic member 11 of the present embodiment is provided on one of the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B, 6A, but it may be provided on the other holding plate 6B on the opposite side. In this case, when pressing with the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH, the lower surface Bb on the short side where all the long articles B1 and B2 are aligned is pressed. In addition, even if the position of the shooting member SH and the position of the mounting table T are reversed, the boxes can be packed in the same manner.

(Boxing Operation and Boxing Method) There are various methods of aligning the articles transferred to the boxing position by the chucking device 1 as described above, but as shown in FIG. 12, a pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2. Of the vertical alignment plate 75 of the second drive belt V2 at the boxing position E.
In the state of being transferred to No. 2, it is in a state of being pulled upward by the lifting device 74. A pair of clamping plates 6
When A and 6B release the holding and return to the central position A2 where the stainless steel plate is arranged, the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 are lowered by the lifting device 71 (see the arrow in FIG. 12). Opening D5 of cardboard box D
The positions are adjusted by moving them to the positions of the left and right ends Db and Dc (FIG. 13). Simultaneously with the positioning, the respective hooking control parts SG1, SG2, SG3 of the expansion gate control member SG expand the opening D5 of the cardboard box D (FIG. 17). And
When the pressing plate 51 of the expansion gate control member SH presses while aligning the box D with the opening D5 by the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2, the left and right ends Db of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D, A plurality of long articles BB1 can be boxed without colliding with Dc (Fig. 1
8). Further, even if the pair of holding plates 6A and 6B release the holding, the article group BB1 in the multi-stacked state is boxed without causing the load collapse. In addition, by the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH, the plurality of long articles BB1 transferred in various modes are attached to the respective upper surfaces Ba on the short sides thereof.
Alternatively, when the lower surfaces Bb are pressed in an aligned state, the pressing plate 51 is provided with a plurality of air vent holes 51a, so that the air in the box D is pressed while being released to the outside.

Here, the pair of alignment control members SD
Since the pressing plate 51 presses the box D while aligning it with the opening D5 of the box D (FIG. 14),
Even when the drive belt V2 is driven, the articles can be packed in the box D while preventing the articles from colliding with the end of the opening D5. Of course, it is also possible to stop the driving of the second drive belt V2 and then press the pressing plate 51 while aligning the article with the opening of the box by the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2. . After pressing while aligning the opening D5 of the box D with the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2, the pair of alignment plates 75 are respectively moved by the lifting device 74 of the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2. By moving the chucking device 1 up, it is possible to transfer the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B of the chucking device 1 (FIG. 15).

In this way, the first one-stage BB of the two-stage insertion
1 is packed in the bottom side of the cardboard box D, and at the same time as the first packing of the first stage BB1 is performed (or immediately after being pressed by the pressing plate 51), the first upper pressing means SK
1 to pressurize (FIG. 16, FIG. 17, FIG. 18). That is, with respect to the box D having no opening other than the opening D5, when the box D is just fully filled, even if the pressing plate 51 pushes it once, when the pressing plate 51 returns, the pushed article group BB
It may happen that some of the ones jump out of the box D. Further, the internal air pressure may cause a situation in which the box D such as a cardboard box expands and is damaged. Therefore, the rod 92a of the air cylinder 92 of the first upper pressurizing means SK1 and the pair of guide shafts 93 are lowered, and the pressurizing plate 91 connected to the tip of the cardboard box D in which the first one-stage BB1 is pushed. Such a situation is prevented by applying pressure to the bottom side from above the box D. Note that the upper pressurizing means SK can also lower the pressurizing plate 91 by its own weight to lightly press the box D, and in this state, push it in by the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH. Since the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH is provided with a plurality of air vent holes 51a, the air vent holes 5a are formed.
It is also possible to prevent the internal air from being vented via 1a, prevent the air in the box D from escaping, and prevent the cardboard box D from being damaged.

Next, the second stage (the opening D5 of the cardboard box D
In the same manner as described above, when storing 25 × 5 × 5 article groups BB2, the next article group BB2 transferred by the chucking device 1 is moved to the alignment control members SD1, S.
When the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH presses while aligning the box D with the opening D5 by D2, the left and right ends Db and Dc of the opening D5 of the corrugated cardboard box D.
And the upper end Da is packed in a box so that the article does not collide (FIG. 19). In this case, since the left and right retaining plates 69b and 69c and the upper retaining plate 69a of the expansion gate control member SG expand the ends Da, Db and Dc of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D, Air can be evacuated from these gaps, and since the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH is provided with a plurality of air evacuating holes 51a, the air in the box D loses its escape path, and the box such as the corrugated cardboard box D is lost. It is possible to prevent damage. However, in order to surely package the second tier BB2 collectively, it is possible to apply pressure by the second upper pressing means SK2 depending on the implementation.

When, for example, 36 boxes are packed on the opening D5 side of the corrugated board box D as shown in FIG. 21 (b), 25 pieces of 5 × 5 are stored on the bottom side of the corrugated board box D. Although 11 pieces are stored on the entrance side, in this case, it is not necessary to use the second upper pressurizing means SK2. The reason for this is that since the product is not packed into the box exactly, no problem such as popping out of the article B due to the air inside the box D occurs. Further, in the case where the second-stage article group BB2 that is sandwiched and transported by the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B is one row or two rows of upper and lower five stages (4
In the case of rows or less), it is aligned with one of the left and right ends Db, Dc of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D. Since the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 are also movable so as to sandwich the plurality of article groups BB2, for example, the upper and lower five stages 1
In the case of rows or two rows (four rows or less), since the articles reciprocate in the direction of clamping the articles, the pair of clamping plates 6A and 6B are misaligned after the clamping is released or the load collapses in the multi-tiered state. Will be prevented. However, in this case, the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 are pressed by the pressing plate 51 of the shooting member SH while being raised by the elevating device 74. Then, at the same time when the packaging of the first-stage article group BB1 and the second-stage article group BB2 in the cardboard box D is completed, the pressing plate 5 of the shooting member SH is
When 1 returns to the initial position, the pressurizing plate 91 of the upper pressurizing device SK is lifted by the air cylinder 92 to enter the standby state for the next boxing (FIG. 19).

When the packing is completed, the expansion control for the opening D5 of the cardboard box D is canceled by driving the pair of alignment control members SD1 and SD2 and the expansion gate control member SG (the latch plate in FIG. 9). 69a, 69b, and 69c), and the next cardboard box D is placed on the mounting table T. That is, the expansion gate control member SG moves inward from the outside of the opening D5 of the corrugated cardboard box D, and then, the latch plates 69a, 69 of the expansion gate control member SG.
The rods 63a and 66a are extended by b and 69c, and the expansion control of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D is released. Then, the next cardboard box D is placed on the mounting table T, the expansion gate control member SG is moved from the inside of the opening D5 of the cardboard box D to the outside, and then the expansion gate control member S is opened.
The rods 63a and 66a, which have stretched the respective retaining plates 69a, 69b, and 69c of G, are retracted to expand the opening D5 of the cardboard box D. In this way, the boxing operation is repeated.

(Other Transfer Examples) In the present embodiment, the pair of sandwiching plates 6A and 6B are described as one unit group B (BX1; BY1, BY2 ... BY5) which is stacked vertically in five stages. Even in the case of a small number, for example, one or two articles, it is possible to pinch and transfer the pair of nipping plates 6A and 6B. However, when such a small number is transferred, the second drive belt V2 is rotationally driven, passes through the boxing position A3, is discharged from the discharge port E3 at the rear, and is manually packed. Preferably. That is, the position A2 where the boxing mechanism is arranged.
The second driving belt V disposed at the position A3 of the second driving belt V is not pressed by the shooting member SH.
2 (conveyor 2) is driven to rotate and discharged (through) from the discharge port E3. A second drive belt V2 is provided to enable such processing. This is because the transfer system according to the present embodiment has poor transfer efficiency (operation efficiency) and is not suitable for automatic boxing by the shooting member SH. Further, in the present embodiment, the case in which the sizes of the corrugated cardboard boxes D to be packed are the same has been described, but the size is changed according to the size of the article group sandwiched by the pair of clamping plates 6A and 6B. A corrugated cardboard box D suitable for the size may be placed in the opening D5 to perform the box packing work.

As described above, the chucking device 1 of this embodiment
Explained the parcel type cigarette as an example of the article,
Not limited to this, it is possible to convey various articles having a predetermined shape. Further, in the present embodiment, a multi-stage stacking and transporting state (BX1; where the long side Bc of the long article B is the transport direction).
It is suitable for BY1, BY2 ... BY5), but not limited to this, for example, it is also possible to transfer the long article B by sandwiching its long side Bc from both sides with a pair of sandwiching plates 6A, 6B. . In this case, a box such as a cardboard box D with the opening D5 facing the discharge port E3 on the rear side is arranged. Further, the driving means in the present embodiment has been described as a servo motor, but it is of course possible to use other motors, an air cylinder or the like as the driving means.

[0066]

According to the boxing apparatus of the present invention, when the article sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates and transferred is released and then pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member, it is placed on the mounting table. It is pushed into the box from the opening of the box and automatically packed in the box.However, while pressing the pair of clamping plates with the clamping control member, the pressing plate of the shooting member presses the articles while aligning them. In order to pack in a box, it becomes possible to push it into the box without colliding with the opening end of the box placed on the placing table. In addition, since the opening of the box is expanded by the expansion gate control member, the box does not collide with the edge of the opening of the box, and the box can be easily packed. Further, when the article is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member into the box and pressed while being pressed from above by the upper pressurizing means, a situation such as expansion of the box such as a corrugated cardboard box can be prevented and the upper part of the box can be prevented. Press the article pushed in from,
It becomes possible to prevent the article from jumping out of the box.

[0067]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a long article transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the boxing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a chucking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the chucking device.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure of a stretchable member of the chucking device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the boxing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the boxing device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an expansion gate control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 9 is a front view of an expansion gate control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the boxing device shooting member.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alignment control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 12 is a front view illustrating the operation of the alignment control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 13 is a front view illustrating the operation of the alignment control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating the operation of the alignment control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 15 is a front view illustrating the operation of the alignment control member of the boxing device.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the boxing device.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a boxed state of the boxing device.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a boxed state of the boxing device.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a boxed state of the boxing device.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a boxed state of the boxing device.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a plurality of long articles are packed in a box.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view for explaining the type of packaged cigarette and the packaging state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 chucking device, 2
Conveyor, 6A, 6B A pair of clamping plates, 6A One clamping plate, 6B The other clamping plate, 7 Base plate, 8, M1,
88 feed screw, 9, M1, 89 screw bracket, M, M1 first drive means, 11
Elastic member, 13 connecting member, 15 spring, 21, 74
Lifting device, 25 Alignment plate, 41
Box packing device, 51 pressing plate, 51a air vent hole, 62 U-shaped gate 63, 66 driving means (air cylinder) for latch plate, 65 lateral movement plate, 75
Laying plate, 87 Vertical movement plate, A
1 Position of clamping side, A2 Position of packing mechanism, A3 Between position of clamping side and position of packing mechanism, B article group, Ba upper surface, Bb lower surface, Bc long side, B1, B2, B3
Long articles (parcel type cigarettes), BB1
Multi-tiered product group, BB, pushed into the bottom of the box
2 Multi-tiered article group pushed into the entrance side of the box, BY1 bottom layer article in multi-tiered state, BY5 top layer article in multi-tiered state, BX1 first multi-tiered article in transport direction, BX5 5th row Multi-tiered products, D cardboard boxes, Da
Upper edge of opening, Db, Dc Left and right edges of opening, D1, D2, D3 Flap of corrugated box, D
1 Upper flap, D4 Lower flap, D5 Opening, E1
Article mounting position side, E2 box packing position (predetermined position), E3 article discharge port, M1
First driving means, M2 second driving means,
1MT, 2MT drive means (motor), R1
First rail, R2 second rail, 1
r, 2r rail, 1s, 2s slider, SH shooting member, SD
1, SD2 A pair of alignment control members, SG
Expansion gate control member, SG1
First hook control unit, SG2 Second hook control unit, SG
69a Upper hook plate, 69b, 69c
Left and right latch plates, SK upper pressing means, SK1 first upper pressing means, SK2
Second upper pressing means T mounting table, V1, V2
Drive belt,

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yuio Kato             Shiramine Ro-159, Shiramine-mura, Ishikawa-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture (72) Inventor Junichi Kashima             37-1, Mitsuyacho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture F-term (reference) 3E003 AA01 AA07 AB01 BA06 BB03                       BC07 BD05 CA02 CA06 CB02                       CB06 DA01 DA02 DA03                 3E030 AA03 BB05 CA04 DA06 DA09                       EA02 GA04

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A boxing device for packing articles in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a placing table on which one side surface of four sides of the box is placed, and a carrying table. A pair of clamping plates for clamping the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box,
A shooting member having a pressing plate that presses the article that has been sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates, and the article in which the sandwiching of the pair of sandwiching plates has been released is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member to be boxed. Box packing device. 2. A boxing device for packing articles in a box such as a corrugated box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped, and a placing table on which one side surface of four sides of the box is placed, and a carrying table. A pair of clamping plates for clamping the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box,
A shooting member having a pressing plate that presses the article that has been sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates, and an alignment control member that aligns the article at the position of the opening of the box are provided, and the sandwiching of the pair of sandwiching plates is released. A boxing device, wherein articles are aligned by a registration control member and pressed by a pressing plate of a shooting member to be packed. 3. A packing table for packing articles of a predetermined shape in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A pair of sandwiching plates for sandwiching the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box, and a shooting member having a pressing plate for pressing the article sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates, An expansion gate control member that expands the opening of the box is pressed, and an article in which the pair of clamping plates is released from the holding plate is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member while the opening of the box is expanded by the expansion gate control member. A boxing device that is characterized by packaging and then packing. 4. A packaging table for packaging articles of a predetermined shape in a box such as a cardboard box having a rectangular opening on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A pair of sandwiching plates for sandwiching the article conveyed by the conveyor and transferring it to the position of the opening of the box, and a shooting member having a pressing plate for pressing the article sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching plates, An upper pressing means for pressing the other side surface of the box placed on the mounting table from the one side surface from above is provided, and the article from which the pair of holding plates has been released is pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member. A box packing device, characterized in that, when the articles are pressed and pushed into the box, the articles are packed while being pressurized by the upper pressing means. 5. An expanding / contracting member which is sandwiched via a spring is provided on one of opposite sides of the pair of sandwiching plates, and the other opposing side is a flat surface. The boxing device according to claim 4. 6. The article is a rectangular parallelepiped long article having a long side and a short side, and the long side of the long article is aligned in the transport direction by the transport conveyor to transport the article. With the holding plate of the above, the upper surfaces or the lower surfaces of the short sides of the plurality of long articles are aligned and clamped at one time and transferred to the boxing position, and the upper surfaces of the short sides of the plurality of long articles or The boxing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lower surfaces are aligned and pressed by the pressing plate of the shooting member. 7. The alignment control member is a pair of alignment control members for aligning the left and right ends of the rectangular opening of the box, and the pair of alignment control members raises and lowers the alignment control members. 3. The cartoning device according to claim 2, wherein the cartoning device is attached to each of the lifting devices, and each lifting device reciprocates in a direction in which an article is clamped by a driving unit that is driven along a rail. 8. The first expansion gate control member includes an upper locking plate that hooks the upper end of the opening of the box, and a drive means that extends and contracts with the upper locking plate locked. Second and third latches each having a latching control section, left and right latching plates for hooking the left and right ends of the opening of the box, and driving means for expanding and contracting the left and right latching plates in a locked state. The boxing device according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit. 9. The expansion gate control member has a U-shaped gate suspended in a U-shape, the left and right hooking plates are provided on the left and right of the U-shaped gate, and the center of the U-shape is formed. The above-mentioned latch plates are provided, and these latch plates are provided from the outside of the opening of the box to the inside of the opening through the U-shaped gate and from the opposite side of the opening to the outside. 9. The boxing device according to claim 8, further comprising driving means for moving the same at the same time. 10. The pressing plate of the shooting member,
The boxing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a hole for venting air is provided.