JP2012171625A - Cartoning equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a processing capability of an entire line from lowering when a prescribed abnormality occurs.SOLUTION: The cartoning equipment has an aligned article group abnormality detector 45 for detecting a missing article in an aligned article a group located at one end of a transfer route and an article posture abnormality, a carton waiting detector 24 detecting whether or not a carton is present in a carton waiting position, and a controller 31 controlling a cartoning mechanism and an article align/transfer unit 6. When at least either a missing article or a posture abnormality is detected in the aligned article group by the aligned article group abnormality detector 45 or when any prescribed condition is not satisfied after the absence of a carton in the carton waiting position is detected by the carton waiting detector 24, the controller 31 controls the cartoning mechanism and the article align/transfer unit 6 to transfer the aligned article group at one end of the transfer route to the other end of the transfer route by preventing the aligned article group to be transferred on the transfer route from being pushed out to an article pushing-in position on the side of the transfer route.

Description

  The present invention relates to a boxing device that packs a plurality of articles in a state where they are arranged.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a boxing device for packing a plurality of articles in a state in which a plurality of articles are arranged is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  This boxing device has a transfer device for transferring articles and an article storage section arranged in a line in the transport direction, and stores articles transferred from the article transfer apparatus in the article storage section toward the unloading section. A conveying device that conveys, a detection unit that detects the height of an article stored in the article storage unit, and an article conveyed to the unloading unit by the conveying device are pushed out toward a packaging machine provided on the side. An extrusion unit. And if a detection part detects the abnormal article | item which is too high in height dimension and is unsuitable for packaging, the said article | item will be excluded in a next process.

US Pat. No. 4,768,642

  Patent Document 1 only mentions that an abnormal article is excluded in a later process as described above, and does not mention a specific configuration for eliminating the abnormal article.

  Therefore, when the detection unit detects an abnormal article, it is conceivable that the boxing device is stopped and notified to the worker, and the worker who has received the notification excludes the abnormal article from the boxing device. However, in that case, in order to stop the transfer of the goods to the boxing device, it is necessary to also stop the equipment provided upstream of the boxing device, such as a weighing device, bagging machine, inspection device, etc. The problem that capability will fall will arise.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a boxing device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an article transfer device that transfers an article, a transfer path, and the article transfer apparatus at one end of the transfer path. The articles that are intermittently transferred are aligned in an aligned article group consisting of a predetermined number of aligned articles, and the aligned article group is transported on the transport path toward the other end of the transport path. Article aligning and conveying apparatus, box conveying apparatus for conveying an empty box having an open upper surface to a box standby position, and extrusion for pushing the aligned article group conveyed on the conveying path to an article pushing position on the side of the conveying path And a boxing mechanism having a push-in portion that pushes into the box waiting position at the box standby position from the article push-in position, and an out-of-order item in the aligned article group and an article posture at one end of the transport path Aligned article group anomaly detector for detecting an anomaly and the box standby A box standby detector for detecting whether or not the box is waiting at a stand, and a controller for controlling the boxing mechanism and the article alignment transport device, wherein the controller detects the alignment article group abnormality. When at least one of the shortage of the aligned article group and the posture abnormality is detected by the container, or when the predetermined condition is not satisfied after the box standby detector detects that the box is not waiting at the box standby position. The extrusion unit does not push out the aligned article group to the side of the conveyance path, and conveys the aligned article group at one end of the conveyance path to the other end of the conveyance path. The boxing mechanism and the article alignment / conveyance device are controlled.

  According to this configuration, when the alignment article group abnormality detector detects at least one of the shortage of the alignment article group and the posture abnormality, or the box standby detector detects that the box is not waiting at the box standby position. After that, when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the aligned article group can be discharged from the other end of the conveyance path without performing the boxing of the aligned article group. As a result, the line can be prevented from being stopped, and the processing capacity of the entire line can be prevented from being lowered.

  In the boxing device according to another aspect, the aligned article group abnormality detector includes a projector disposed on one side of the transport path and a light receiver disposed on the other side of the transport path. Comprising a first detector and a second detector that are light-shielding detectors that detect the presence or absence of an article by blocking an optical path between the projector and the light receiver, and the optical path of the first detector is: It is provided at a height position that detects both an article placed on the transport path in a normal posture and an article placed on the transport path in an abnormal posture, and the article is placed on the transport path. The optical path of the second detector is placed on the transport path with an article placed on the transport path in a normal posture or an abnormal posture. It is provided at a height position to detect any of the articles that have been placed, and the posture of the conveying path is normal. In is configured to detect whether an article is placed.

  According to this configuration, the structure is simple, advantageous for manufacturing, and the manufacturing cost is low.

  A boxing apparatus according to another aspect includes a discharge mechanism for discharging the aligned article group conveyed to the other end of the conveyance path from the end.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent damage due to falling of the article.

  The present invention is configured as described above, and has an effect that the processing capacity of the entire line can be prevented from being lowered when a predetermined abnormality occurs.

It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the boxing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the alignment article group abnormality detector of the boxing apparatus of FIG. 1, (a) is a figure which shows the height position of the 1st detector with respect to the article | item of a normal attitude | position, and a 2nd detector, (B) is a figure which shows the height position of the 1st detector with respect to the articles | goods of an abnormal attitude | position, and a 2nd detector. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the structural example of the control system of the boxing apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the boxing apparatus of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout all the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a boxing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The boxing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that packs one or more articles W packed in a packaging material such as a pillow bag in an aligned state. The boxing device 100 according to the present embodiment packs, for example, four articles W in a state aligned with the outer box 110.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a boxing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a transfer conveyor 2 (article transfer apparatus), an article alignment transfer apparatus 6 that aligns and transfers the articles W transferred from the transfer conveyor 2, and articles. An extruding device 7 for extruding four articles W in an aligned state from the aligning / conveying device 6, a stop member 17 for abutting and stopping the extruded articles W, and a group of articles composed of one or more extruded articles W. The holding device 18 for aligning, the clamping device 8 for clamping the group of articles, the floor opening / closing device 13 for opening and closing the surface on which the group of articles sandwiched is placed, and the outer group of the group of articles sandwiched The pushing device 14 to be pushed into the 110, the box conveying device 20 for conveying the outer box, the control device 30 (controller) for controlling the operation of the boxing device 100, and the components of the boxing device 100 are arranged in a predetermined positional relationship. You It has a frame 1, a. Here, the predetermined position refers to a position required for carrying out the boxing operation of the boxing apparatus 100 of the present invention.

  The extrusion device 7, the stop member 17, the pressing device 18, the clamping device 8, the floor opening / closing device 13, and the pushing device 14 constitute a boxing mechanism.

[Configuration of transfer conveyor]
The transfer conveyor 2 is a so-called belt-type conveyor, and is disposed so as to convey the article W placed thereon in the horizontal direction. Since the transfer conveyor 2 can be configured by a well-known belt type conveyor, further detailed description is omitted. In the present embodiment, the article W has a laterally long posture with respect to the transfer conveyor 2 in the plane conveyance direction, that is, the dimension in the width direction of the transfer conveyor 2 (direction perpendicular to the plane conveyance direction) is the dimension in the conveyance direction. It is mounted on the transfer conveyor 2 in a longer posture. Further, the article W is placed on the transfer conveyor 2 in a sleeping posture, that is, in a posture in which the horizontal dimension in the transport direction is longer than the vertical dimension so as to be stable on the transfer conveyor 2.

[Configuration of article alignment transport device]
The article aligning and conveying apparatus 6 includes an aligning conveyor 60 and a group of aligning plates 61 that stand upright on the conveying surface of the aligning conveyor 60 so as to cross the conveying path of the aligning conveyor 60. Between the group of alignment plates 61, a plurality of storage units 62 that can store articles W are arranged on the alignment conveyor 60 to form a group of storage units. In the present embodiment, five alignment plates 61 form a group. Therefore, the four accommodating portions 62 are formed as a group.

  The alignment conveyor 60 is supported by four annular belts wound around a pair of sprockets 63. Accordingly, the aligning conveyor 60 includes the forward path portion 60a, the return path portion 60b that is positioned opposite to the lower side of the forward path portion 60a, and both ends of the forward path portion 60a and the return path portion 60b, that is, both ends of the alignment conveyor 60. And an arcuate reversing part 60c formed in the part. Since the alignment plate 61 stands upright on the conveying surface of the alignment conveyor 60, the reversing portion 60c has a form extending radially from the sprocket 63. The four annular belts are divided into two to constitute a first belt group 64 and a second belt group 65.

  Each of the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65 is provided with one or more alignment plates 61. In the present embodiment, a series of alignment plates 61 are attached to each of the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65. Each alignment plate 61 is attached to one of the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65 by a coupler 66. The first belt group 64 is configured to be rotationally driven when one sprocket 63 is rotationally driven by a driving force of a driving device (not shown). The second belt group 65 is configured to be rotationally driven when the other sprocket 63 is rotationally driven by a driving force of a driving device (not shown). A known actuator can be used as the driving device for the first and second belt groups 64 and 65, which is a servo motor in this embodiment. As described above, the accommodating portions 62 of the first and second belt groups 64 and 65 are arranged so that the alignment plate 61 is removed from the return path portion 60b by the driving force of the driving devices of the first and second belt groups 64 and 65, respectively. It is circulated and driven so as to go to the forward path portion 60a through the reversing portion 60c on the upstream side in the transport direction, and then again toward the return path portion 60b through the reversing portion 60c on the downstream side in the transport direction. Further, since the driving devices for the first and second belt groups 64 and 65 are different, the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65 can be circulated and driven independently of each other.

  On the side of the alignment conveyor 60, an article take-in detection device 69 is provided. The article take-in detection device 69 is a light-shielding detection device, and includes a pair of light projectors and light receivers. The article take-in detection device 69 is disposed so that its optical path crosses the article take-in standby position S set in the reversing part 60 c on the upstream side of the alignment conveyor 60. The article take-in standby position S is a position where the storage unit 62 is standby, and the position where the alignment plate 61 adjacent to the lower side of the storage unit 62 faces obliquely upward, that is, the front end of the alignment plate 61 is the base end. It is set to a position located higher than. The article take-in detection device 69 outputs a detection signal while the optical path between the pair of projectors and light receivers is blocked. Thereby, the presence of the article W transferred to the take-in standby position S can be detected.

  And the inversion part 60c of the upstream of the alignment conveyor 60 is arrange | positioned so that the edge part of the downstream of the transfer conveyor 2 may be adjoined. Further, the forward path portion 60 a is disposed so as to be positioned below the transfer conveyor 2. Accordingly, the transfer conveyor 2 can transfer the article W to the article take-in standby position S of the reversing unit 60c. Then, when the article W in a sleeping posture is transferred from the transfer conveyor 2 to the article take-up standby position S, it is placed on the alignment plate 61 adjacent to the lower side of the article take-up standby position S. . When the aligning plate 61 moves from the reversing part 60c to the forward path part 60a, the orientation of the alignment plate 61 from the sleeping position to the upright position on the forward path part 60a, that is, the vertical dimension is larger than the horizontal dimension in the transport direction. The posture of the article W transferred along with this is changed from a sleeping posture to an upright posture. Accordingly, the dimension in the transport direction of the articles W on the transfer conveyor 2 becomes the height dimension of the articles W on the alignment conveyor 60.

  By the way, as described above, since the article W is placed on the transfer conveyor 2 in a landscape orientation with respect to the conveyance direction in plan view, if the article W is transferred to the alignment conveyor 60 in this attitude, the article W is conveyed to the forward path portion 60a. When viewed from the side, the sheet is placed in a posture that is horizontally long, that is, the dimension of the alignment conveyor 60 in the width direction is longer than the height dimension of the articles W (dimensions in the conveying direction of the articles W in the transfer conveyor 2) (FIG. )reference). However, when the article W is being conveyed by the transfer conveyor 2, for example, the article W contacts the side wall of the transfer conveyor 2 and rotates on the transfer conveyor 2. The dimension in the transport direction may be longer than the dimension in the width direction of the transfer conveyor 2 (direction orthogonal to the transport direction in plan view). When the article W in the abnormal posture is transferred to the alignment conveyor 60, the vertically long posture as viewed from the conveyance direction, that is, the height dimension of the article W (the dimension in the conveyance direction of the article W on the transfer conveyor 2) is aligned. It is placed on the forward path 60a in a posture longer than the width direction dimension of the conveyor 60 (see FIG. 2B). That is, the height of the article W placed on the forward path portion 60a in an abnormal posture is higher than when the article W is placed on the forward path portion 60a in a normal posture.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of the abnormality detection device 45 of the boxing device 100. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating the height positions of the upper detection unit 46 and the lower detection unit 47 with respect to an article in a normal posture. (B) is a figure which shows the height position of the upper side detection part 46 and the lower side detection part 47 with respect to the articles | goods of an abnormal attitude | position.

  An abnormality detection device 45 (aligned article group abnormality detector) is provided at the upstream end of the forward path portion 60a. The abnormality detection device 45 includes an upper detection unit 46 (second detector) and a lower detection unit 47 (first detector) disposed below the upper detection unit 46. Each of the upper side detection unit 46 and the lower side detection unit 47 is a light-shielding type detection device, and each includes a light projector provided on one side of the pair of forward path parts 60a and a light reception provided on the other side of the forward path part 60a. With a bowl. And the upper side detection part 46 and the lower side detection part 47 output a detection signal, while the optical path between a pair of light projector and light receiver is interrupted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper detection unit 46 has a height that crosses above the article W in a normal posture whose optical path is located at the upstream end of the forward path unit 60a and crosses the article W in an abnormal posture. It arrange | positions so that it may be located in a position. Therefore, the optical path of the upper side detection unit 46 is configured not to be blocked by the article W in a normal posture but to be blocked by the article W in an abnormal posture. The lower detection unit 47 is disposed such that its optical path is located at a height position that traverses the article W in a normal posture and the article W in an abnormal posture located at the upstream end of the forward path 60a. Accordingly, the optical path of the lower detection unit 47 is configured to be blocked by both the article W in a normal posture and the article W in an abnormal posture.

  Therefore, by detecting that the optical path of the upper detection unit 46 is blocked when each storage unit 62 is positioned at an abnormality detection position set at a position crossing the optical path of the upper detection unit 46 and the lower detection unit 47. The presence of the article W having an abnormal posture can be detected. Further, when each storage unit is located at the abnormality detection position, it can be detected that the article W is not stored in the storage unit 62 by detecting that the optical path of the lower detection unit 47 is not blocked. it can. Thus, the abnormality detection device 45 has a simple structure, is advantageous for manufacturing, and is low in manufacturing cost.

  A stop position T at which the article W is pushed out to the floor opening / closing device 13 by the extrusion device 7 described later is set at an intermediate portion of the forward path portion 60a.

  As described above, the article aligning / conveying device 6 receives the four articles W transferred from the transfer conveyor 2 by the storage unit 62, so that the article group is configured of four articles arranged in a line in the transfer direction. (A predetermined number of arranged groups of articles) can be configured. Then, the article alignment transport device 6 receives the article W at the article take-in standby position S of the reversing unit 60c, and positions the container 62 in the forward path unit 60a, so that the posture of the article W is upright from the sleeping posture. Can be converted to Furthermore, the article alignment transport device 6 can transport the group of articles toward the stop position T (downstream reversing portion 60c (the other end of the transport path)). And when conveying toward the stop position T, at the abnormality detection position, the abnormality detection device 45 can detect the presence of the article W in an abnormal posture and whether or not the article is stored in the storage unit 62. .

[Configuration of floor opening and closing device]
The floor opening / closing device 13 includes a pair of floor plates 50 that are disposed on the side of the article alignment transport device 6 and extend in the horizontal direction. The floor plate 50 is supported by a plurality of rollers disposed on the frame body 1 at its edge, and is configured to be able to advance and retract so that end surfaces facing each other come into contact with and separate from each other. Then, an article pushing position A (details will be described later) is set on a pair of closed floor boards 50 on the side of the stop position T. The floor board 50 is configured to be opened and closed by a driving force of a driving device (not shown). Further, when the floor board 50 is driven backward, an opening is formed. A known actuator can be used for this driving device, and in this embodiment, it is a servo motor.

  A passage portion 73 is provided between the upper surface of the article alignment and conveyance device 6 and the upper surface of the floor opening and closing device 13. On the passage portion 73, a guide portion 74 is provided so as to extend the alignment plates 61 at both ends of the group of alignment plates 61 of the stop position T. The guide portion 74 is fixed to the frame body 1 and extends to an article pushing position A described later.

  Thus, the floor opening and closing device 13 can form an opening directly below the article placement portion A by driving the floor plate 50 backward.

[Configuration of extrusion equipment]
The extrusion device 7 includes a flat plate-like extrusion member 70 (extrusion unit). The pushing member 70 is guided by a rail member (not shown) in which the flat pushing member 70 is supported by the frame body 1 by a driving force of a driving device (not shown), and the article. A straight line between a retracted position located along one side of the aligning and conveying apparatus 6 and an advancing position located on the other side of the article aligning and conveying apparatus 6 and an article pushing position A, which will be described later, through the passage portion 73. It is configured to move forward and backward in the direction. The pushing member 70 has a plurality of slits extending in the vertical direction from the lower end to the intermediate portion so as not to come into contact with the series of alignment plates 61 located at the stop position T when moving between the retracted position and the advanced position. 71 is formed. In the present embodiment, five slits 71 are formed corresponding to the position of each alignment plate 61 located at the stop position T. A known actuator can be used as the driving device of the extrusion device 7, which is a servo motor in this embodiment. Therefore, the plurality of articles W accommodated in the series of accommodating portions 62 located at the stop position T are pushed out by the pushing member 70 to become a group of articles aligned in the conveying direction of the article aligning and conveying device 6, and the closed floor board 50. It is located at the article pushing position A, which will be described later, set above.

  And since the guide part 74 is provided in the channel | path part 73, it can prevent that a group of articles | goods extruded by the extrusion member 70 were scattered in the alignment direction.

[Structure of stopper member]
The stopper member 17 is a plate-like body extending in the same direction as the extending direction of the alignment conveyor 60, and the article pushing position A (a group of members pushed out by the pushing member 70) of the pushing member 70 located at the advanced position above the floor board 50. It is fixed to the frame 1 on the opposite side via the article. Accordingly, the article W pushed out by the pushing member 70 is configured to come into contact with the stop member 17 and stop on the closed floor board 50. As a result, the position of the article W located at the article pushing position A in the direction of the stop member 17 can be determined.

[Configuration of holding device]
The pressing device 18 includes a pressing member 55. The pressing member 55 rotates the pressing member 55 toward the article alignment / conveyance device 6 from the pressing position and the pressing position that are positioned on the pushing member 70 side of the article pressing position A by the driving force of a driving device (not shown). It is configured to swing between the retracted position. By positioning the pressing member 55 in the retracted position, it is possible to avoid a conflict with the pushing member 70 when the pushing member 70 moves back and forth. On the other hand, after the push-out member 70 is retracted, the upper side surface of the group of articles pushed out by the push-out member 70 is pressed and held together with the stopper member 17 by placing the presser member 55 in the hold-down position. Positioning of the group of positioned articles in the width direction can be performed. A known actuator can be used for the driving device of the pressing device 18, which is a servo motor in this embodiment. This driving device is provided on the frame 1. The pressing device 18 may be configured to drive the pressing member 55 forward and backward by the driving force of the driving device.

[Configuration of clamping device]
The clamping device 8 includes a pair of flat plate-shaped clamping members 80. The pair of clamping members 80 are disposed so as to extend the pair of guide portions 74 above the floor board 50. In other words, the pair of clamping members 80 are provided in a direction orthogonal (crossing) to the moving direction of the pushing member 70. The pair of clamping members 80 extend to the vicinity of the stopper member 17. That is, on the floor board 50, an area defined by the stop member 17, the pressing member 55 located at the pressing position, and the pair of clamping members 80 is formed. This area constitutes the article pushing position A. Then, the group of articles are placed in an aligned state by the extrusion device 7 in the direction in which the pair of sandwiching members 80 face each other on the article pushing position A, that is, in the same direction as the extending direction of the alignment conveyor 60 of the article alignment transport device 6. Placed.

  A shaft 81 is provided extending from the back surface of the clamping member 80. The shaft body 81 is configured so as to move forward and backward in a direction in which the clamping member 80 approaches and away from each other by a driving force of a driving device (not shown) together with the clamping member 80. Since the group of articles positioned at the article pressing position A is clamped between the pair of clamping members 80 by the advancing in the direction in which the clamping member 80 approaches each other, the articles W positioned at the article pressing position A are brought into close contact with each other. be able to. A known actuator can be used for the driving device of the clamping member 80, and a servo motor is used in this embodiment. This driving device is provided on the frame 1.

[Configuration of pushing device]
The pushing device 14 includes a shaft body 90 extending in the vertical direction, and a flat plate-like pushing member 91 (pushing portion) in which the lower end of the shaft body 90 is joined to the upper surface thereof. The shaft body 90 is supported by the frame body 1 so as to be movable up and down. The shaft body 90 is configured to move up and down in the vertical direction of the article pushing position A by the driving force of a driving device (not shown) together with the pushing member 91. A known actuator can be used for this driving device, and in this embodiment, it is a servo motor. In this way, the pushing device 14 lowers the pushing member 91 and presses the upper surface of the group of articles in a state where the pushing member 91 is sandwiched between the pair of sandwiching members 80 that have opened the group of articles. It is configured so that it can be pushed into the opening and further pushed into the exterior box 110 waiting at a box standby position P described later.

[Configuration of box transport device]
The box conveying device 20 includes an outer box conveying conveyor 22 that conveys the outer box 110, a restraining device 23 that stops the outer box 110 that moves on the conveying path, and an outer box 110 that is stopped on the outer box conveying conveyor 22. And a box standby detector 24 (box standby detector).

  In the present embodiment, the outer box 110 is a so-called cardboard box, and is a box-shaped body having an opening on the upper surface.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the exterior box conveyance conveyor 22 is what is called a roller-type conveyor, and is provided with many drive rollers arrange | positioned mutually spaced apart in parallel. Each driving roller is driven by a driving force of a driving device (not shown). The outer box transport conveyor 22 extends in parallel with the article alignment transport device 6. Thereby, the boxing apparatus 100 can be comprised compactly. Since the outer box transport conveyor 22 can be constituted by a well-known roller conveyor, further detailed description is omitted.

  The restraining device 23 includes a bar that extends in the horizontal direction so as to be orthogonal to the transport direction of the outer box transport conveyor 22, and is provided on a connecting member 40b described later. That is, the restraining device 23 is provided on the side of the outer box transport conveyor 22 and is configured to move up and down together with a pedestal 40 described later. Then, the restraining device 23 advances from the retracted position where the tip of the rod body is located outside the transport path of the exterior box transport conveyor 22 and the transport path of the exterior box transport conveyor 22 from the retracted position. It is possible to move back and forth between the advanced position, and by restricting the movement of the outer box transported by the outer box transport conveyor 22 in the downstream direction by positioning the rod body at the advanced position. can do. Accordingly, the restraining device 23 holds the outer box 110 so that it is positioned at the box stop position U below the article pushing position A.

  The outer box lifting / lowering device 21 includes a pedestal 40 on which the outer box 110 is placed. The pedestal 40 includes a bar 40a that extends on the same horizontal plane so as to be spaced apart from each other in parallel, and a connecting member 40b that connects one or both ends of each bar 40a. The bar 40a is configured to be buried in a gap formed between the drive rollers at the box stop position U. And the base 40 is supported by the frame 1 so that raising / lowering is possible. And the base 40 is comprised so that it may raise / lower with the drive force of a drive device (not shown). A known actuator can be used for this driving device, and in this embodiment, it is a servo motor. Then, the outer box lifting and lowering device 21 raises the base 40 to lift the outer box 110 located at the box stop position U and open the floor board 50 to set a box standby position below the opening. It is comprised so that it can be located in P.

  The box standby detection device 24 includes a downstream side detection unit 35 and an upstream side detection unit 36. Each of the downstream side detection unit 35 and the upstream side detection unit 36 is a light shielding type detection device, and includes a pair of projectors and light receivers. In the present embodiment, the projector is provided on one connecting member 40b, and the light receiver is provided on the other connecting member 40b. Therefore, the box standby detection device 24 moves up and down together with the pedestal 40. The downstream detection unit 35 is disposed so that its optical path crosses the downstream end of the box stop position U (the box standby position P when the pedestal 40 is raised). The upstream side detection unit 36 is disposed so that its optical path crosses the upstream end of the box stop position U (the box standby position P when the pedestal 40 is raised). The box standby detection device 24 outputs a detection signal when the outer box 110 is positioned at the box standby position U and the optical paths of the downstream side detection unit 35 and the upstream side detection unit 36 are simultaneously blocked. Further, the detection signal of the box standby detection device 24 disappears when the outer box 110 is carried out from the box standby position U. Thereby, the presence of the outer box 110 located at the box stop position U (or the box standby position P) can be detected.

  As described above, the box transport device 20 can transport the outer box 110 carried into the boxing device 100 by the outer box transport conveyor 22 and can be positioned at the box stop position U by the restraining device 23. And the box conveying apparatus 20 can raise the outer case 110 by raising the base 40, and can be made to be located in the box standby position P. FIG. The box standby detection device 24 can detect whether or not the outer box 110 is located at the box standby position P. And the box conveying apparatus 20 lowers the pedestal 40 to return the outer box 110 to the box stop position U again, and further conveys the outer box 110 by the outer box conveying conveyor 22 and unloads it from the boxing apparatus 100. be able to.

[Configuration of control system]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration example of the control system of the boxing device 100. Hereinafter, the control system of the boxing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The control device 30 included in the boxing device 100 includes, for example, a control unit 31 (controller) having a computing unit such as a CPU and a storage unit 32 having a memory such as a ROM and a RAM. The control unit 31 may be configured by a single controller that performs centralized control, or may be configured by a plurality of controllers that perform distributed control in cooperation with each other. The control unit 31 controls the operation of each drive device of the article alignment conveying device 6, the extrusion device 7, the floor opening / closing device 13, the pressing device 18, the clamping device 8, the pushing device 14, and the box conveying device 20, thereby each device. To control the operation. A predetermined control program is stored in the storage unit 32, and the operation of the boxing device 100 is controlled by the control unit 31 reading and executing these control programs. Detection signals output from the article take-in detection device 69, the abnormality detection device 45, and the box standby detection device 24 are input to the control unit 31. The storage unit 32 stores a predetermined control program. In addition, the arrow in a figure shows the transmission direction of a signal.

[Operation example]
Next, an operation example of the boxing device 100 will be described. These operations are performed when the control device 30 controls the drive devices of the article alignment and conveyance device 6, the extrusion device 7, the floor opening and closing device 13, the pressing device 18, the clamping device 8, the pushing device 14, and the box conveying device 20. Do.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the boxing device 100.

  First, the control unit 31 positions the leading storage unit 62 at the article take-in standby position S among the group of storage units 62 of one of the belt groups. And if the goods W of the attitude | position which fell to the goods taking-in standby position S from the downstream edge part of the transfer conveyor 2 are transferred and the goods taking-in detection apparatus 69 detects this goods W, the control part 31 will accommodate a group of accommodation. The next storage section 62 is made to wait at the article take-in standby position S. At this time, the posture of the alignment plate 61 changes from the sleeping posture to the posture standing upright on the forward path portion 60a, and the posture of the article W transferred along with this is changed from the sleeping posture to the standing posture. As a result, the plurality of articles W are in an upright posture in the aligned state at the stop position T. Then, when the article take-in detection device 69 detects the number corresponding to the number of the accommodating portions, that is, four articles W, the control unit 31 directs the group of accommodating portions 62 of the belt group toward the stop position T. Transport. At this time, the control unit 31 stores in the storage unit 32 the detection signal of the abnormality detection device 45 input when each storage unit 62 is positioned at the abnormality detection position (step S1).

  Since the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65 are configured to be able to circulate and drive independently of each other, the control unit 31 stores articles in all the accommodating units 62 of one belt group. When W is accommodated and begins to be conveyed toward the stop position T, the leading accommodation portion 62 of the other belt group of accommodation portions 62 is positioned at the article take-in standby position S. Thereby, the transfer of the article W to the article take-in standby position S by the transfer conveyor 2 can be continued.

  On the other hand, the control unit 31 positions the outer box 110 at the box standby position P in parallel with the process of step S1 (step S2). That is, the control unit 31 positions the stop device 23 at the advanced position and positions the outer box 110 at the box stop position U. Thereby, the box standby detection device 24 outputs a detection signal of the outer box 110. Next, the control unit 31 raises the pedestal 40 and positions the outer box 110 located at the box stop position U at the box standby position P. Thus, when the floor is opened in step S6, which will be described later, the exterior box 110 appears below the group of articles in an open state.

  Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred based on the detection signal of the abnormality detection device 45 stored in the storage unit 32 and the detection signal of the box standby detection device 24 (step S3). .

  That is, the control unit 31 detects that an abnormality has occurred in the posture of the article W when the detection signal of the upper detection unit 46 that is input when each container 62 is located at the abnormality detection position is input one or more times. Is determined. On the other hand, the control unit 31 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the posture of the article W when the detection signal of the upper detection unit 46 is not input.

  In addition, the control unit 31 detects that the detection signal of the lower detection unit 47 input when each storage unit 62 is positioned at the abnormality detection position is four times (according to the number of storage units 62 constituting the group of storage units). If it is not input, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the storage of the article in the storage unit 62. On the other hand, when the detection signal of the lower detection unit 47 input when each storage unit 62 is located at the abnormality detection position is input four times, the control unit 31 sends the article W to the storage unit 62. It is determined that there is no abnormality in storage.

  Further, the control unit 31 receives a detection signal from the box standby detection device 24 on the pedestal 40 positioned at the box standby position P even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the group of storage units 62 were positioned at the stop position T. If not, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the arrangement of the outer box 110 at the box standby position P. On the other hand, when the group of storage units 62 is located at the stop position T, a detection signal is input from the box standby detection device 24 on the pedestal 40 located at the box standby position P, or the group of storage units 62. When a detection signal is input from the box standby detection device 24 on the pedestal 40 located at the box standby position P before the predetermined time has elapsed since the position of the motor is positioned at the stop position T, the box standby position P of the outer box 110 is It is determined that there is no abnormality in the arrangement of The predetermined time is set according to a time that does not prevent the group of storage units related to one belt group from transporting the group of storage units related to the other belt group toward the stop position T. In the present embodiment, if a detection signal is not input from the box standby detection device 24 even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the group of housing portions 62 are located at the stop position T, the box of the outer box 110 is displayed. It is configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the arrangement at the standby position P. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, after the group of housing portions 62 related to one belt group is positioned at the stop position T, the predetermined housing portion 62 ( For example, if the detection signal is not input from the box standby detection device 24 even after the article is stored in the last storage section 62), it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the arrangement of the outer box 110 at the box standby position P. It is good also as a structure.

  The control unit 31 determines that “an abnormality has occurred in the posture of the article”, determines that “an abnormality has occurred in the storage of the article in the storage unit 62”, or “stops the box of the exterior box 110. When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the arrangement at the position U, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred (YES in step S3). On the other hand, when no abnormality has occurred, the control unit 31 determines that no abnormality has occurred (NO in step S3).

  Next, when the control unit 31 determines that no abnormality has occurred, the control unit 31 moves the pushing member 70 of the pushing device 7 from the retracted position to the advanced position, and places the group of articles positioned in the aligned state at the stop position T on the floor board. It is positioned in an aligned state at 50 article pushing positions A. Then, the control unit 31 returns the pushing member 70 from the advanced position to the retracted position (step S4).

  On the other hand, if the control part 31 determines with abnormality having arisen (it is YES at step S3), a discharge process (step S10) will be performed. The discharge process will be described later.

  Next, the control unit 31 swings the pressing member 55 downward and presses the upper side surface of the group of articles pushed out. Next, in this state, the control unit 31 sandwiches a group of articles by the pair of sandwiching members 80 (step S5).

Next, the control part 31 drives the floor board 50 backward (step S6). As a result, the floor board is opened, and an opening is formed immediately below the group of articles located at the article pushing position A.
Next, the control unit 31 lowers the pushing member 91 (step S7). Accordingly, the pushing member 91 pushes the upper surface of the group of articles in the clamped state downward, and pushes the group of articles into the opening formed between the floor boards 50. At this time, both end portions of each article W slide through the surfaces of the extrusion member 70 and the stopper member 17. Further, the articles W at both ends of the group of articles slide through the surface of the clamping member 80.

  Next, the control part 31 returns the pressing member 55, the clamping member 80, the pushing member 91, and the floor board 50 to the original state (step S8).

  Then, in parallel with step S8, the control unit 31 lowers the pedestal 40 and positions the boxed outer box 110 at the box stop position U, and then starts the outer case from the downstream end of the outer box transport conveyor 22. The box 110 is unloaded from the boxing device 100 (step S9). As a result, the detection signal of the box standby detection device 24 disappears.

  Then, the boxing operation is newly repeated.

  On the other hand, if it determines with abnormality having generate | occur | produced in step S3, the control part 31 will convey the group of accommodating parts 62 to the inversion part 60c of the downstream. When the accommodating portion 62 is positioned at the reversing portion 60c and the alignment plate 61 is positioned obliquely downward, that is, at the position where the front end portion of the alignment plate 61 is positioned lower than the base end portion, the articles W are aligned. It slides on the surface of the plate 61 and falls downward. Thereby, the articles stored in the group of storage units 62 can be discharged (step S10). The group of housing portions 62 is driven to circulate again through the return path portion 60b toward the upstream reversing portion 60c. Accordingly, the article W can be stored again in the storage unit 62.

  As described above, the boxing device 100 according to the present invention is configured so that when an abnormality occurs in the posture of the article, when an abnormality occurs in the storage of the article W in the storage unit 62, or when the storage device 62 moves to the box standby position P of the outer box 110. When an abnormality occurs in the arrangement, the group of articles can be transported to the reversing section 60c on the downstream side and discharged from the other end of the transport path without being pushed out toward the article placement section A. As a result, the line can be prevented from being stopped, and the processing capacity of the entire line can be prevented from being lowered.

(Other embodiments)
In the embodiment described above, an article placed on the forward path 60a in a vertically long posture as viewed from the conveyance direction, that is, a posture in which the height dimension of the articles W is longer than the width dimension of the alignment conveyor 60 is abnormal. Although it is an article of a posture, it is not restricted to this. For example, an article placed on the forward path 60a in an attitude in which the dimension in the width direction of the alignment conveyor 60 is longer than the height dimension of the article W (the dimension in the conveyance direction of the article W in the transfer conveyor 2) is an article in an abnormal attitude. It is good. In this case, the height of the article W placed on the forward path portion 60a in an abnormal posture is lower than when the article W is placed on the forward path portion 60a in a normal posture. Accordingly, the optical path of the upper detection unit 46 is blocked by the article W in a normal posture, but is not blocked by the article W in an abnormal posture. Therefore, when the detection signal of the upper side detection unit 46 is not input four times (number of times corresponding to the number of the storage units 62 constituting the group of storage units) in step S2, the control unit 31 determines the posture of the article W. It is configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred.

  Further, a chute (discharge mechanism) may be provided in the reversing unit 60c on the downstream side, and the article conveyed to the reversing unit 60c on the downstream side may be discharged through the chute. Thereby, damage due to the fall of the article W can be prevented.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the box transport device 20 has positioned the outer box 110 at the box standby position P. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an operator positions the outer box 110 at the box standby position P. You may let them.

  Moreover, you may comprise the alignment conveyor 60 with other conveying apparatuses, such as a roller conveyor.

  Furthermore, you may comprise the exterior box conveyance conveyor 22 with other conveying apparatuses, such as a belt conveyor.

  Moreover, the floor opening / closing device 13 is not limited to the above-described configuration example, and may be any door that can open and close the floor. For example, the floor opening / closing device 13 may be configured to open and close the floor by moving one floor board forward and backward in one direction, or may be configured to open and close the floor by rotating the floor board forward and backward. Good.

  Further, the alignment conveyor 60 does not necessarily need to be intermittently circulated so as to be temporarily stopped. For example, the alignment conveyor 60 may be slowly circulated while the push-out member 70 is advanced and retracted.

  From the foregoing description, many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention are obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and / or function may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  The boxing apparatus of the present invention is useful for a line for packing products.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Frame 2 Transfer conveyor 6 Article alignment conveyance apparatus 7 Extruding apparatus 8 Clamping apparatus 13 Floor opening / closing apparatus 14 Pushing apparatus 17 Stopping member 18 Holding apparatus 20 Box conveying apparatus 21 Exterior box raising / lowering apparatus 22 Outer box conveying conveyor 23 Control apparatus 24 Box standby Detection device 30 Control device 31 Control unit 32 Storage unit 35 Downstream detection unit 36 Upstream detection unit 40 Base 40a Bar 40b Connecting material 45 Abnormality detection device 46 Upper detection unit 47 Lower detection unit 50 Floor plate 55 Holding member 60 Alignment conveyor 60a forward path portion 60b return path portion 60c reversing portion 61 alignment plate 62 accommodating portion 63 sprocket 64 first belt group 65 second belt group 66 coupling tool 69 article take-in detection device 70 push-out member 71 slit 73 passage portion 74 guide portion 80 clamping member 81 Shaft body 90 Shaft body 91 Pushing member 100 Box packing device 110 exterior box

Claims (3)

An article transfer device for transferring an article;
An article having a conveying path, which is intermittently transferred from the article transfer device at one end of the conveying path, is arranged in an aligned article group including a predetermined number of aligned articles, and the aligned article An article alignment transport device for transporting a group on the transport path toward the other end of the transport path;
A box transport device for transporting an empty box whose upper surface is open to a box standby position;
A box having an extruding unit for extruding the aligned article group conveyed on the conveying path to an article pushing position on a side of the conveying path, and a pushing part for pushing from the article pushing position to a box waiting at the box standby position. A filling mechanism;
An aligned article group abnormality detector for detecting a shortage of the aligned article group and an abnormal posture of the article at one end of the conveyance path;
A box standby detector for detecting whether the box is waiting at the box standby position;
A controller for controlling the boxing mechanism and the article alignment transport device,
The controller detects that the aligned article group abnormality detector detects at least one of the aligned article group shortage and the posture abnormality, or the box standby detector indicates that the box is not waiting at the box standby position. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied after the detection, the push-out unit does not push out the aligned article group to the side of the conveying path, and the aligned article group at one end of the conveying path is A boxing device that controls the boxing mechanism and the article alignment and conveyance device so as to convey to the other end of the conveyance path. The aligned article group abnormality detector includes:
Each of which includes a projector disposed on one side of the transport path and a light receiver disposed on the other side of the transport path, and the light path between the projector and the light receiver is blocked. Comprising a first detector and a second detector which are light-shielding detectors for detecting the presence or absence of
The optical path of the first detector is provided at a height position that detects both an article placed on the transport path in a normal posture and an article placed on the transport path in an abnormal posture. Configured to detect whether or not an article is placed on the transport path,
The optical path of the second detector is at a height position for detecting either an article placed on the transport path in a normal posture or an article placed on the transport path in an abnormal posture. The boxing device according to claim 1, wherein the boxing device is provided and configured to detect whether or not an article is placed on the conveyance path in a normal posture.   The boxing device according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge mechanism for discharging the aligned article group conveyed to the other end of the conveyance path from the end.

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