JP2005104555A - Container boxing system and boxing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently put containers into a case without using an aligning device which aligns the containers so that they are vertically and horizontally adjacent to one another, to miniaturize a system itself by reducing a difference in height between the container holding position of a holding means and a boxing position, to simplify the holding member of the holding means, and to allow various types of containers to be boxed efficiently. <P>SOLUTION: A movable body disposed so as to be movable between a container take-out position and the container boxing position is provided with a plurality of container gripping members which simultaneously grip containers the number of which corresponds to the width of the case. A case support member is disposed in a certain area of the conveying path of a case conveying device so as to turn into a sideways position, the case conveying device being designed to convey a case with many containers therein while keeping the top of the case open. A predetermined number of containers are successively stacked into the case turned into the sideways position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a container boxing system and a boxing method in which containers to be supplied are sequentially put into a case and boxed.

For example, in the container boxing apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, for example, a container transport aligning means for aligning a large number of containers that are transported by filling with liquid, sealing, and stopping a group of containers at a fixed position; A boxing means having one or a plurality of grip heads in which a container gripper is disposed, gripping the container with the gripper of the grip head, and then moving the container up and down while moving horizontally to box the container in the upper opening case; A plurality of cases which are constituted by a case conveying means for restricting and conveying one or a plurality of the open cases and a container guiding means which moves in synchronization with the case conveying means, and is filled with liquid and sealed and conveyed. One or a plurality of grip heads and containers that are arranged in a case-by-case container gripper. Operating the top head moving means, lowering the containers being aligned and transporting while following their transport speed, grabbing the container group and ascending, then constraining one or a plurality of containers and following the open case being transported The container is guided and lowered by the container guiding means that moves horizontally and moves in synchronization with the case conveyance, and is packed in a box.

  However, in the container boxing device of Patent Document 1 described above, the grip head that holds the container for the number of cases aligned vertically and horizontally is moved above the case with respect to the case whose upper surface is open. In order to enter into the case afterwards and pack it in a box, it has the following problems.

  First, this container boxing device requires a container transport alignment device for aligning the number of containers for one case in a vertically and horizontally adjacent state. This has the problem of increasing costs. In particular, when the case is changed and the accommodation number is changed, it is necessary to change the vertical and horizontal alignment state of the containers, and it is not possible to quickly cope with the change of the accommodation number in various cases.

  Second, since the grip head that holds a number of containers for one case adjacent vertically and horizontally enters the case from the top and packs it, there is a difference in height between the container holding position and the boxing position. The equipment itself has become larger.

  Thirdly, the grip head needs to enter the case after holding a number of containers that can be packed at a time, and therefore, the plane area of the entire grip head needs to be slightly narrower than the upper surface opening of the case. For this reason, each grip of the grip head has to be smaller than the plane of the container, and the container that can be held is limited to a shape having a narrow upper part.

JP-A-9-104410

The problem to be solved is that in order to pack containers for one case at a time, a container conveying and aligning apparatus for aligning the containers in a vertically and horizontally adjacent state is required, which increases the size and complexity of the apparatus itself. This is in terms of cost. In particular, when the case is changed, it is necessary to change the vertical and horizontal alignment state of the containers. In this case, it is impossible to quickly respond to changes in various cases.

  Further, since the grip head that holds a number of containers for one case that are vertically and horizontally adjacent to each other enters the case from above and is packed in a box, there is a difference in height between the holding position of the container and the packing position. In itself, it is in the point that it enlarges.

  Furthermore, since the grip head needs to hold a container that can be packed in a box and then enter the case, the plane area of the entire grip head needs to be slightly narrower than the top opening of the case. Each grip must be smaller than the plane of the container, and the container that can be held is limited to a shape having a narrow upper part.

The container boxing system of the present invention is a plurality of container holding members that are attached to a movable body provided to be movable between a container take-out position side and a container boxing position, and simultaneously hold a number of containers according to the case width. A case transporting device that transports a case containing a large number of containers in an open state on the inside, and a case that rolls over the case transported to the boxing position provided so as to be able to roll over during the transport of the case transporting device It consists of a support member and a rollover member that rolls over the case support member, and a predetermined number of containers are sequentially stacked and boxed in the rollover case.

According to the present invention, a container can be efficiently packed in a case without using a container transport aligning apparatus that aligns containers to be packed vertically and horizontally, and the system itself can be reduced in size. Further, the apparatus itself can be reduced in size by reducing the difference in height between the holding position of the container by the holding means and the boxing position with respect to the case. Furthermore, the holding member of the holding means can be simplified and various containers can be efficiently packed.

The present invention sequentially stacks a number of containers according to the case width on a case that has been rolled over so that its upper surface opening faces sideways by a case support member provided in the middle of conveyance of the case conveyance device. It is characterized by being boxed by accommodating.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing embodiments.
1 to 4, a container boxing system 1 includes a container transport device 3, a container take-out and supply device 9 that takes out a container 5 and supplies the container 5 into a case 7, a case transport device 33 that sequentially transports the case 7, and a case transport It comprises a case rollover mechanism 11 that rolls over the case 7 transported to the boxing position of the device 33.

  The container conveying device 3 is a bottom of a pair of left and right guide bodies 13 that conveys and guides the molded containers 5 made of synthetic resin such as PP, PE, PET, etc. to the container take-out position side in a series state adjacent to each other. It has a structure provided with a conveying device 3a (FIG. 1 shows a belt) on which a plurality of rollers having axes in the conveying orthogonal direction and an endless belt extending in the conveying direction are mounted.

  The container take-out and supply device 9 moves holding members 15 and 38, which will be described later, between a container take-out position of the container transfer device 3 and a boxing position for supplying the container 5 into the case 7 that has been carried in. 5 is taken out and held at the same time, and then boxed in the case 7. The main body frame 17 has a length extending between the container take-out position and the boxing position, and the first movable body 19 constituting a part of the movable body has It is supported so as to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction.

  The first movable body 19 is provided with a frame 21 extending in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first movable body 19, and the second movable body 23 constituting a part of the movable body is reciprocated on the frame 21. To be supported. An upper and lower frame 25 constituting a part of the movable body is supported on the second movable body 23 so as to be movable up and down, and a holder 27 extending in the moving direction of the first movable body 19 is positioned below the upper and lower frame 25. It is attached via a reversing device 29. The movement of the first and second movable bodies 19 and 23 and the upper and lower frames 25 is controlled by an electric motor (not shown) such as a servomotor capable of numerical control.

The posture reversing device 29 is provided on the upper and lower frames 25, for example, a cylinder 30 in which a rod is connected to a lever 27a of the holder 27, and a shaft member that pivotally supports the holder 27 with respect to the lower portion of the upper and lower frames 25. The holder 27 is reversely rotated between the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the upper and lower frames 25.

  The holder 27 is provided with a plurality of attachment shafts 31 (two in the example shown in the figure). The attachment plate 31a attached to the tip of each attachment shaft 31 has five attachment shafts 31 in the illustrated example. The holding members 15 are respectively attached via elastic members 26 such as compression springs. The holding member 15 has a configuration in which an adsorption member 15b is provided on the outer surface of a pair of opening / closing bodies 15a that are opened / closed by the operation of an air cylinder, for example, and after the closing opening / closing body 15a enters the upper opening of the container 5 The opening / closing body 15a is opened and pressed, and the suction member 15b is suctioned to hold the container 5 inside.

  A rod 28 is supported at the end of the holder 27 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction, and a movable holder 32 is fixed to the tip of the rod 28. The movable holder 32 is configured to reciprocate by an operating member 34 such as a cylinder provided in the holder 27. The movable holder 32 is provided with a mounting shaft 36 similar to the mounting shaft 31 described above in parallel with the mounting shaft 31 described above. The mounting plate 36a mounted at the tip of the mounting shaft 36 holds the above-described holding shaft 36a. A holding member 38 having a pair of opening / closing bodies 38a similar to the member 15 and having an adsorption member 38b provided on the outer surface of each opening / closing body 38a is attached via an elastic member 40 such as a compression spring.

  A case transporting device 33 such as a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor is disposed on the side of the container take-out and supply device 9, and a case rollover mechanism 11 is provided in the middle of the transport of the case transporting device 33 according to the boxing position. The case support 35 of the case rollover mechanism 11 is supported so as to roll over with respect to the main body frame 37. The case support 35 is located on the bottom surface of the case 7 to be transported, and extends along each side surface of the case 7 on both sides in the transport orthogonal direction of the bottom frame 35a having a rectangular frame shape whose plane substantially coincides with at least the plane area of the case 7. A front surface (a surface viewed from the conveying direction) in which the pair of front and rear side frames 35b and 35c that stand up is combined is formed in a horizontal U shape.

A side roll member 39 such as a cylinder provided in the main body frame 37 is connected to the side frame 35c on the boxing position side of the case support 35, and the case support 35 crosses the case transport device 33 by the operation of the roll over member 39. It is rotated between the position and the rollover position separated from the conveyance surface of the case conveyance device 33.

  The bottom frame 35a is provided with a large number of rollers 41 having axes in the conveyance orthogonal direction, and is configured to be able to be carried out to the case conveyance device 33 side to which the case 7 placed is connected. Further, a pressing member 43 provided with a pressing plate 43b that extends in the transporting direction and presses the side surface of the case 7 is provided at the intermediate portion in the transporting direction of each of the side frames 35b and 35c. ing. Further, a stopper 45 provided with a regulating plate 45b that contacts the side surface in the unloading direction of the case 7 is attached to an operation member 45a such as a cylinder on the unloading side of the side frames 35b and 35c.

Next, the operation of the container boxing system 1 and the boxing method of the container 5 will be described.
The first and second movable bodies 19 and 23 and the upper and lower frames 25 are controlled so that the holding members 15 and 38 are positioned above the five containers 5 that are carried in a straight line by the container transport device 3. At this time, the holding members 15 and 38 are posture-controlled by the posture reversing device 29 so that the mounting shafts 31 and 36 are oriented in the vertical direction. Further, the opening / closing bodies 15a and 38a of the holding members 15 and 38 are rotated in directions close to each other.

  In the above-described state, the upper and lower frames 25 are controlled to move downward, and the opening / closing bodies 15a / 38a of the holding members 15/38 facing the containers 5 are inserted into the upper surface openings of the corresponding containers 5, respectively. 38a is opened to press the inner surface of each container 5 and sucked and held by the suction members 15b and 38b (see FIG. 5). After the holding operation, after the upper and lower frames 25 are controlled to be lifted and the containers 5 held by the holding members 15 and 38 are taken out from the container transfer device 3, the first and second movable bodies 19 and 23, as necessary. The holding members 15 and 38 holding the container 5 are moved to the boxing position by controlling the movement of the upper and lower frames 25.

In parallel with the movement operation of the holding members 15 and 38 as described above, or after the movement operation, the case 7 with the upper surface opened is carried into the case support 35 of the case rollover mechanism 11 provided in the middle of the conveyance of the case conveyance device 33. Then, after each positioning member 45a is actuated and moved by moving each regulating plate 45b in a direction approaching each other and brought into contact with the side surface on the lower side in the transport direction of the loaded case 7, each positioning member 45a is positioned. Each of the pressing operation members 43a is operated to move the pressing plates 43b in a direction approaching each other, thereby holding the case 7 positioned between the case supports 33 (see FIG. 6). Then, the rollover member 39 is actuated to rotate the case support 33 by about 90 degrees to roll the case 7 rollover. Thereby, the case 7 is in a state where the side surface is opened. (See Figure 7)

Next, after the posture reversing device 29 is operated in this state and the holding members 15 and 38 holding the respective containers 5 are reversed and turned so as to face the horizontal direction, the first and second movable bodies 19 and 23 are moved. The upper and lower frames 25 are controlled to move, and the six containers 5 held by the holding members 15 and 38 are positioned at the lowermost stage on the side surface of the case 7 (see FIG. 8). In the above state, after the holding members 15 and 38 are moved so that the respective containers 5 enter the case 7 from the side surfaces, the opening / closing bodies 15a and 38a are closed as shown in FIG. While rotating, the suction by the suction members 15b and 38b is released, and the holding of the container 5 is released. Next, after the holding members 15 and 38 are controlled to move away from the case 7, the holding members 15 and 38 are moved in the direction opposite to the above and returned to the container take-out position in the container transport device 3.

Now, in the case where the container 5 accommodated in the case 7 has a cylindrical shape, in order to accommodate a large number of containers 5 in the case 7, between the containers 5 packed in a horizontal state in the case 7. In order to stack and accommodate the next-stage containers 5 in a horizontal state, the number of containers 5 to be boxed next needs to be five.

Therefore, when the container 5 to be packed next is taken out, the first and second movable bodies 19 and 23 and the upper and lower frames 25 are controlled to move, and only the five holding members 15 are arranged in a straight line. 5 so that the other holding member 38 is positioned above the portion without the container 5, and then the upper and lower frames 25 are controlled to be lowered in the same manner as described above so that each pair of the opening / closing bodies 15a is moved to the respective containers. 5 is inserted from above and pressed and sucked to be held.

In the same manner as described above, the first and second movable bodies 19 and 23 and the upper and lower frames 25 are controlled to move and the holding members 15 holding the containers 5 are moved to the packing position side of the case 7 tumbled. Each holding member 15 that holds the above is inserted into the case 7, and the five containers 5 to be packed next are stacked between the containers 5 previously packed in the case 7.

At this time, when the next-stage container 5 is boxed on the container 5 previously packed as shown in FIG. 10, the next containers 5 are positioned between the containers 5 previously packed. It is necessary to move each holding member 15 in the width direction of the case 7 by a width corresponding to about half of the container 5, so that the holding member 38 that does not hold the container 5 interferes with the case 7 during packing. It becomes an obstacle to the boxing work.

In order to avoid this, as shown in FIG. 11, when the holding member 15 enters the case 7, the operating member 34 is operated to move the movable member 32 away from the holder 27 to move the holding member 38 to the case 7. 7 so as to be located outside the case 7 so as not to interfere with the case 7 so that only the holding member 15 can enter the case 7.

As described above, when the container 5 is packed into the case 7 while switching the holding of the container 5 by only the holding members 15 and 38 and the holding member 15 and the boxing operation is completed, the rollover member 39 is moved backward to move the case support. 35 is rotated to the original position side to raise the case 7, and then the pressing operation member 43a is moved backward to move the pressing plate 43b, and the operation member 45a is moved backward to move the regulating plate 45b away from each other. To release the pressing and holding of the case 7. As the next case 7 is carried in this state, the case 7 in which the container 5 is packed is pushed out to the carry-out side and carried out.

In this embodiment, the number of containers 5 carried in a state of being aligned in series is stacked in the case 7 in a number corresponding to the width of the case 7 and packed in a box, so that the case 1 case equivalent to the conventional case. Compared to the case where a number of containers 5 are charged at once and packed in a box, the apparatus for aligning the containers 5 can be omitted, and the entire system can be simplified. Further, the difference in height between the take-out position of the container 5 and the boxing position can be reduced, and the apparatus itself can be miniaturized.

In the above description, the cylindrical containers 5 are configured to be packed in a box, and the five containers 5 are stacked so as to be positioned between the six containers 5 previously packed in the box. In the case where the container 5 is in the shape of a rectangular tube, the following containers 5 may be stacked on top of the previously boxed container 5 so as to match the boxes. In this case, it is not necessary to change the number of containers 5 held by the container boxing system 1 according to the stacked state.

In the above description, the opening / closing body of each holding member is opened / closed to hold and hold each container, but the holding mode of the container by each holding member is not limited thereto. Of course, the container may be held by an outer grip when the container has a small diameter with a narrow upper portion.

  This embodiment is a system in which a synthetic resin container molded by a resin molding machine is taken out and directly boxed in a case. In FIG. 12, a resin molding machine 121 for molding a synthetic resin container 5 (FIG. 12). (Only the fixed side platen of the resin molding machine) is equipped with a molded product take-out machine 123 for taking out the container 5 as a molded product. The resin molding machine 121 is a conventionally known injection molding machine or hollow molding machine, and is mounted with a mold capable of simultaneously molding a plurality of, for example, three containers 5.

Further, the molded product take-out machine 123 is also a conventionally known three-dimensional moving type, and a chuck 125 for simultaneously holding the three containers 5 as molded products is connected to the longitudinal axis direction, the longitudinal axis orthogonal direction of the resin molding machine 121 and The container 5 is controlled to move in a three-dimensional direction in the vertical direction, and the container 5 which has been molded and lowered to a temperature capable of being packed in a box is taken out. When the containers 5 which are a plurality of molded products are taken out from the mold, each container 5 is taken out at an appropriate interval. However, it is necessary to adjoin each container 5 when boxing in the case 7. is there.

Therefore, as the chuck 125, as shown in FIG. 13, one holding member 125b is fixedly provided to the chuck plate 125a, and the movable body 125d to which the other holding members 125c are attached on both sides thereof is brought close to the chuck 125. It is provided so as to move in the direction and the direction of separation. Then, the cylinder 127 provided on the chuck plate 125a is connected to each movable body 125d so that the other holding member 125c can be moved toward and away from the fixed holding member 125b.

Accordingly, the containers 5 can be separated from each other when being taken out from the mold, and can be stacked in close proximity to each other when being packed. The chuck 125 may have a structure for holding the container 5 by opening and closing a plurality of pairs of opening / closing bodies and sucking the suction member as in the holding members 15 and 38 of the first embodiment.

Other configurations are the same as the configuration in which the container transport device 3 is excluded from the container boxing system 1 of the first embodiment and the molded product extractor 123 is replaced with the container take-out supply device 9, and the same devices and members are attached. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. As the molded product take-out machine 123, a three-dimensional moving type take-out machine is shown in the figure, but it may be implemented in either a lateral running type in which the chuck 125 is moved in the horizontal direction or a swiveling type in which the chuck 125 is swung. it can.

Next, the boxing operation and the boxing method of the container 5 molded by the resin molding machine 121 and taken out by the molded product take-out machine 123 will be described.
When the mold opening completion signal when the five containers 5 are molded by the resin molding machine 121 and cooled to a temperature that can be taken out and hardened is input to the molded product take-out machine 123, the molded product take-out machine 123 receives the chuck 125. Is moved between the molds that have been opened by mold control, and the molded container 5 is simultaneously held and removed from the mold, and then the movement control is performed so that the chuck 125 holding the container 5 is positioned at the boxing position.

In parallel with this take-out operation or when the chuck 125 is moved to the boxing position, the case 125 is carried into the case support 35 of the case rollover mechanism 11 provided in the middle of the carrying of the case carrying device 33 in an open state. The case 7 is positioned by the restricting plate 45b, and the rollover member 39 is operated in a state of being sandwiched by the pressing plate 43b to rotate the case support 35 by about 90 degrees to roll the case 7 over. Further, when the chuck 125 is moved to the boxing position or after the movement, the cylinder 127 is operated to move the containers 5 held by the holding members 15 and 38 so that they are adjacent to each other.

Next, the movement of the chuck 125 holding each container 5 is controlled so that each container 5 held so as to be continuous in the horizontal state is positioned at the lowermost stage on the side surface of the case 7, and then the movement of the chuck 125 is further controlled. After the container 5 enters the case 7 from the side, the holding of each container 5 by the chuck 125 is released and the container 5 is packed.

The containers 7 formed by the resin molding machine 121 and taken out by the molded product take-out machine 123 are sequentially stacked and packed into the case 7 whose lateral surface is opened by repeating the above operation.

In the first and second embodiments, the container 5 is packed in a box, and the case 7 is folded up so that the lid flap is suspended along the side plate when the container 5 is packed in a box with the lid flap integrally provided on the upper side of each side plate. Supplied. However, when the case 7 rolls over, the lid flap may return and block the upper surface opening through which the container 5 enters. In order to prevent this, as shown in FIG. 14, pressing portions 43 c and 45 c extending upward from the upper portions of the pressing plate 43 b and the regulating plate 45 b are formed, and in the regulating plate 45 b, the case 7 to be loaded is provided. When contacting and positioning the regulating plate 45b, the pressing portion 45c is brought into contact with the lid flap 7b located on the lower side in the transport direction, and the pressing portion 43c is brought into contact with the lid flap 7a located on both sides in the transport orthogonal direction. The lid flaps 7a and 7b may be prevented from returning and closing the opening.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of a container boxing system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the holding member part of a container extraction supply apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows a case rollover mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of FIG. 3. It is explanatory drawing which shows the holding | maintenance state of a container. It is explanatory drawing which shows the holding state of a case. It is explanatory drawing which shows the rollover state of a case. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which entered the container in the case. It is explanatory drawing which shows the container holding | maintenance cancellation | release state by a holding member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the stacked state at the time of boxing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which moved the movable holder with respect to the holder and made it non-interact with a case. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the container boxing system which concerns on Example 2. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a chuck | zipper. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a change of a case rollover mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

1-container boxing system, 3-container transport device, 5-container, 7-case, 9-container take-out and supply device, 11-case rollover mechanism, 29-posture reversing device, 15, 38-holding member, 35-case support Body, 39-rolling member

Claims (18)

A plurality of container holding members that are attached to a movable body that is movably provided between the container take-out position side and the container packing position, and that simultaneously hold a number of containers according to the case width, and a large number of containers inside. A case transporting device for transporting a case to be accommodated with the upper surface opened; a case support member provided so as to be able to roll over in the middle of transporting the case transporting device; A container boxing system comprising a rollover member that rolls over, and sequentially stacking a predetermined number of containers in a rollover case. 2. A container boxing system in which the container holding member according to claim 1 is provided with posture reversing means for reversing rotation between a vertical position facing a vertical direction and a horizontal position facing a horizontal direction with respect to a movable body. The case support member according to claim 1 is a container boxing system provided with a pressing member that presses and holds each side surface of the case that is carried in, which is positioned in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction. 4. The container boxing system according to claim 1, wherein the case support member is provided with a positioning member that contacts and positions the lower side surface in the transport direction of the case to be carried. The container holding system according to claim 1, wherein the container holding member is a pair of opening and closing members that are operated to open and close to clamp the container. 6. The container boxing system according to claim 5, wherein the pair of opening / closing members press and hold the outer surface of the container. The pair of opening and closing members according to claim 5 is a container boxing system that presses and holds the inner surface of the container. The pair of opening / closing members according to claim 6 or 7 is a container boxing system in which an adsorption member is provided on a relative surface to the container. The movable body according to claim 1 is a container boxing system configured by a molded product take-out machine provided in a resin molding machine, and a container molded by the resin molding machine can be directly boxed in a case. Cases in which a number of containers according to the case width are simultaneously held by the respective container holding members in a series state where they are adjacent to each other, the container holding members are moved to the boxing position, and the case is carried into the boxing position with the upper surface opened. The container holding member is moved and controlled so that the upper surface of the case rolls sideways so that the upper surface of the case faces sideways. A container boxing method, wherein the boxes are stacked in a stacked manner after being entered. 11. The container boxing method according to claim 10, wherein the container holding member is configured to be rotatable in a reverse manner between a vertical position facing the movable body and a horizontal position facing the horizontal direction by the posture reversing member. The case supporting member according to claim 10 is a container boxing method in which each side surface located in the conveyance orthogonal direction of the case carried in by the pressing member can be pressed and held. The case support member according to claim 10 or 12, wherein the rollover start position can be positioned by a positioning member provided on a lower side surface in the carrying direction of the case. The container holding member according to claim 10, wherein the container can be clamped by opening and closing a pair of opening and closing members. The pair of opening and closing members according to claim 14 is a container boxing method in which an outer surface of a container is pressed and clamped. The pair of opening and closing members according to claim 14 is a container boxing method in which an inner surface of a container is pressed and held. The container boxing method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the pair of opening and closing members is provided with an adsorption member on a relative surface with respect to the container so as to be able to be adsorbed while being sandwiched. The movable body according to claim 10 is constituted by a molded product take-out machine provided in a resin molding machine, and a container boxing method in which a container molded by the resin molding machine can be directly boxed in a case.

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