JP2013249175A - Package supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for supplying a pillow package whose posture is not stable and other packages collectively without specializing a box manufacturing device.SOLUTION: In a package supplying device 100, a multijoint robot 102 has an adsorbing cup 121 which adsorbs pillow packages 300, a joint portion 122 which causes the adsorbing cup 121 to be oriented in an arbitrary posture by a plurality of rotating shafts, and a moving portion 123 which horizontally and vertically moves the joint portion 122 over the packages 300 and an alignment stand 103, the alignment stand 103 has an inclined placement stage 131 on which the packages 300 are placed and a restricting plate 132m, and the multijoint robot 102 sequentially accumulates the packages 300 in an ascending direction of the inclination while bottom faces of them are oriented toward the restricting plate 132m and earless side faces of them are oriented toward the placement stage 131, and aligns and places the packages 300, and supplies them by pushing them collectively by a pushing plate 124 from an upstream side of a pushing direction.

Description

  The present invention supplies a pillow packaging body in which a plurality of tablet sheets are encapsulated, a band packaging body bundled with a band-like film at the center, a shrink packaging body entirely wrapped with a shrink film, and other packaging bodies to a box making apparatus. With respect to the packaging body supply device, in particular, not only to supply a single package body to the box making apparatus using a single articulated robot, but also to form a box making apparatus in which the packaging bodies with unstable postures are stacked. It is related with the package supply apparatus which can be supplied to.

  In general, when a boxed product (rectangular small box) is wholesaled from a manufacturer to a trader or a retail store, for example, products such as 20 boxes and 50 boxes are packed in a larger box (large box) and distributed. For boxing, a box making apparatus is used, and a system in which stacked small boxes are pushed in from the opening direction of the large box is often employed.

  In actual work sites, many box making devices are not installed according to the size of the small box and the number of boxes, and there are restrictions on the floor area of the line. Correspond to the supply device side, step the small box and push it into the large box.

  By the way, in the case of a PTP sheet encapsulating tablets or the like, for example, 2 tablets × 5 rows = 10 tablets are formed as one sheet, and one set of 10 sheets (100 tablets) is bundled and pillow-wrapped. And when a wholesaler wholesales to a pharmacy etc. from a manufacturer, a pillow packaging body is packed and distributed in a box of 5 sets (500 tablets) or 10 sets (1000 tablets).

  In most cases, the pillow packaging body whose contents are PTP sheets has the shortest height direction (PTP sheet stacking direction) and ears are formed on the short sides of the packaging body in the vertical and horizontal directions. ) A seam is formed in the central long side direction. In some cases, the ears are bent to the side where the seam is located. Regardless of whether or not the ear is bent, the pillow package is not a strict rectangular parallelepiped, and is formed of a soft material, so it does not have a uniform shape although it is similar to a rectangular parallelepiped.

  When packing the box, the method of pushing into the large box with the supply pusher in a lying state in which the upper surface of the pillow package and the lower surface of the next pillow package are stacked in a stacked manner is a general use of box making equipment. From the viewpoint of the above, it is suitable and actually adopted. At this time, the supply device is provided with an inverted bucket or the like in the middle of the line so that each pillow package body whose posture is not stable is laid sideways, and then the pillow package bodies are attached to each other by a width-shifting pusher to be stacked and placed in a lying state .

  In addition, there are usually one type of large box for packing the pillow package, and there are multiple types such as an individual box for one set of pillow package, a large box for 5 sets, and a large box for 10 sets. Boxing is performed by providing a plurality of inverted buckets and the like in the middle of the supply apparatus.

  Conventionally, the pillow packaging body in which the posture is not stabilized in this way is supplied to the box making apparatus in association with the mechanism on the supply apparatus side, and automatic boxing work has been performed.

  In addition to the pillow packaging body, for example, a band packaging body in which a plurality of PTP sheets are bundled with a film at the center and a shrink film packaging body wrapped with a shrink film are less stable in posture. However, the mechanism on the supply device side was made to correspond and supplied to the box making device, and automatic boxing work was done.

However, the conventional technique has the following problems.
If multiple inverted buckets, width-shifting pushers, etc. are provided in the middle of the supply device, it is necessary to provide a conveyor mechanism, a pusher drive unit, and a pusher standby area, respectively, and the supply device side becomes a large scale. There was a problem that it could not be adopted due to restrictions of the line and line recombination.

  Further, even when an inverted bucket is provided, for example, it is difficult to assemble 5 sets × 2 tiers in which 5 sets of pillow wrapping bodies are used as a lower layer and 5 sets of pillow wrapping bodies are placed thereon. If this is possible, there is a problem that a large-scale apparatus is required. The same applies to the band package and the shrink film package. In other words, there is a problem that it may not be possible to follow the accommodation mode of the large box.

  On the other hand, it is possible to pack the pillow packaging body etc., but there is a problem that if the pillow packaging body is laid sideways and sucked and released, it tends to fall down to one side and a stepped sideways state cannot be formed ( It is the same even if it is sucked and laid down and pushed directly into the bin). In order to avoid lodging, it is possible to pack the pillow packaging etc. directly into the large box by standing the large box and making the opening direction vertically upward, but this time it is necessary to specialize the box making equipment Problems arise.

JP 2010-100348 A JP-A-6-227505

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a pillow packaging body and other packaging bodies whose postures are not stable can be transferred to a box making apparatus without causing an increase in the size of its own mechanism or specialization of the box making apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a package supply device that supplies a plurality of stacked laid-down sides and supplies them stably.

  In order to achieve the above object, a package supply apparatus according to claim 1 is a package supply apparatus that includes an articulated robot and an alignment table, and aligns and supplies sequentially transferred packages when packing them. The articulated robot has a gripping body for gripping the packaging body, an articulated portion in which the gripping body is oriented in an arbitrary posture by a plurality of rotation shafts and provided with an extrusion plate body for extruding the packaging body, A moving unit that moves the joint part horizontally and vertically from above the package that is sequentially transferred to the top of the alignment table, and the alignment table has an inclined mounting table for mounting the package, and the mounting table A restriction plate standing in the direction of extrusion for packing in a position to receive the inclination of the box, and the articulated robot grips the package that is sequentially transferred, and the bottom face is on the restriction plate side. Sequentially stack a predetermined number in the upward direction of inclination with the side facing the mounting table Mounting alignment is placed on table, then it goes around the extrusion direction upstream, and supplying extruded toward the alignment placed on the package to collectively extrusion direction downstream by extrusion plate member.

  That is, the invention according to claim 1 uses only one articulated robot to form a boxing posture from a plurality of packages whose posture is not stable or difficult to stabilize depending on the mounting direction, and also has a pusher function. It can be stably extruded and supplied to the box making machine side.

  In the present application, the packaging body refers to a pillow packaging body, a band packaging body, a shrink film packaging body, or other packaging body in which the posture is not stable or the posture is difficult to stabilize. In the case of a pillow package, the side surface referred to in the claims is preferably a side surface without an ear. In addition, the band package or the shrink film package does not necessarily have a surface in some cases, but is not a bottom surface, a side that can be regarded as a macroscopic side surface, or a side that is recognized as a side (gawa).

  Packing in a box is not necessarily limited to packing in a rectangular parallelepiped box. For example, as long as a pillow package or the like is accommodated in a good posture, bag packing is also applicable and is not particularly limited. The gripping body is not particularly limited as long as the object to be gripped, that is, the package body can be moved and oriented with good posture stability, and includes, for example, an aspect in which it is sandwiched from the outside by a suction cup or two claws that are attracted by negative pressure. be able to.

  “Orienting in an arbitrary posture” means that the gripped pillow package or the like is oriented in a predetermined posture. For example, if orientation is possible in two axes, it is optional even if it does not have three axes. It is included in the orientation to the orientation. Further, in the present application, to move the joint part horizontally and vertically means that the pillow package or the like that has been gripped moves so as not to interfere with others, and if there is no interference, vertical movement is involved. Even if not, it is included in moving the joint part horizontally and vertically.

  For example, the joint portion can be a parallel robot, but is not particularly limited as long as it can be arbitrarily oriented by three-axis rotation of xyz or the like. Further, the horizontal and vertical movements of the joints performed by the moving unit include extending the support rod of the gripping body and the like.

  The inclination of the mounting table is not particularly limited as long as the posture of the pillow package or the like is stable including when it is pushed out. The regulation plate can include a flat plate having a predetermined height, but is not necessarily limited to a plate shape, and may be a net-like body or a (a plurality of) rod bodies, and a tilt of a pillow packaging body or the like. It is included in the restriction plate if it accepts and stabilizes the overall posture. The restricting plate is preferably a guide having a predetermined length so as to stabilize the posture during extrusion.

  The extruded plate body is not necessarily limited to a plate shape, like the regulation plate, and may be a net-like body or a (multiple) rod body, and a pillow package body aligned in a boxing posture, etc. Any of the extruded plate members that are uniformly in contact with all the ears or side surfaces (end surfaces) of the plate are included.

  Extruding toward the downstream in the extrusion direction may be a mode of pushing directly into a large box waiting on the line of the box making apparatus, or a separate receiving conveyor is provided and supplied to the receiving conveyor. An aspect may be sufficient. In addition, when providing a receiving conveyor, a pillow packaging body etc. are pushed into the large box currently waiting on the line of a box making apparatus from a receiving conveyor after that.

  The package supply apparatus according to claim 2 is the package supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multi-joint robot grips the sequentially transferred package, the bottom surface faces the regulation plate, and the side surface A predetermined number of layers are sequentially stacked on the mounting table to form the first layer in the upward direction of inclination toward the mounting table. Then, the first layer is formed on the mounting table, and then the bottom surface is inclined toward the regulating plate and the side surface is inclined toward the mounting table. A predetermined number of layers are sequentially stacked in the ascending direction to form a second layer on the first layer, and when the same layer formation is repeated and the predetermined layer is formed, the upstream direction of the extrusion is reached and the alignment is performed. It is characterized in that the placed package body is put together by an extruded plate body and extruded and supplied toward the downstream in the extrusion direction.

  In other words, the invention according to claim 2 can form a multi-layered (multi-storey) boxing posture from a plurality of packaging bodies whose postures are not stable by only one articulated robot, and can stably produce boxes with a pusher function. It can be extruded and supplied to the device side.

  The completion of the predetermined layer formation by repeating the similar layer formation means that the stacking operation is repeatedly performed after stacking one layer, and is not limited to the formation of three or more layers, but includes the formation of two layers. Depending on the mode of use, it is possible to form a boxing posture having a three-dimensional spread of ○ rows ○ columns ○ steps.

The package supply apparatus according to claim 3 is the package supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The mounting table is also provided with an inclination in which the surface of the table is lowered toward the downstream side from the middle of the extrusion direction. On the inclined surface, the auxiliary body guides a package body that is substantially parallel to the restriction plate and aligned with the restriction plate. A board,
It is characterized in that the package placed in a line is supplied without being out of shape without shifting its height.

  In other words, the invention according to claim 3 can extrude and supply the pillow packaging body and the like to the supply destination while maintaining the boxing posture more stably with the same supply height without the step.

  Depending on the mode of use, the receiving line may be received with the height of the supply destination line slightly lower than the end of the mounting table.

  The package supply apparatus according to claim 4 is the package supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the package supply apparatus is erected on the mounting table from the middle of the extrusion direction to the downstream side, and is substantially parallel to the regulation plate. An auxiliary plate that guides the package body that is aligned and placed together with the regulation plate, and a drive unit that changes the inclination of the placement table from the inclined state to the horizontal state. The drive unit brings the mounting table into a horizontal state after being collectively pushed out toward the downstream in the extrusion direction and the packaging body reaching the auxiliary plate.

  That is, in the invention according to claim 4, the supply height is the same, and the pillow packaging body and the like can be extruded and supplied to the supply destination while maintaining the boxing posture more stably.

  Although a drive part is not specifically limited, For example, the mechanism in which an alignment stand is axially rotated can be mentioned by using a shaft just under a control board as a spindle. In addition, after extrusion supply, it will return to an inclination attitude | position again and will mount the next package body.

  The package supply apparatus according to claim 5 is the package supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the package supply apparatus is erected on the mounting table from the middle of the extrusion direction to the downstream side, and is substantially parallel to the regulation plate. Auxiliary plate that guides the packaging body that is aligned and placed together with the regulation plate, and is positioned upstream of the auxiliary plate in the extrusion direction, and supports the packaging body that is aligned and placed upright from the state of lying on the mounting table. An upright plate that leads to the auxiliary plate and a drive unit that changes the inclination of the mounting table from the inclined state to the horizontal state are provided, and after the package is sequentially placed on the mounting table in a predetermined number of times, the driving unit The mounting table is placed in a horizontal state.

  That is, the invention according to claim 5 can provide the same supply height by eliminating the level difference, and can more stably push out and supply the pillow package to the supply destination while maintaining the boxing posture. In addition, since the horizontal posture can be taken at an early stage, the supply speed can be increased.

  The upright plate may be a flap having a support shaft on the standing extension line of the auxiliary plate. The upright plate and the auxiliary plate do not necessarily have to be close to each other, but it is preferable that smooth delivery is realized as an interval shorter than the long side of the package. After the extrusion supply, the upright plate is again returned to the lying state so that no interference occurs with the articulated robot.

  The package supply device according to claim 6 is a package supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the package supply device receives intermittently the package extruded from the alignment table downstream in the extrusion direction. It has a conveyor, The said receiving conveyor is provided with the holding body which hold | maintains the alignment attitude | position of a package, It is characterized by transferring a package to the downstream box making apparatus.

  That is, the invention according to claim 6 can perform boxing with the versatility of the box making apparatus improved while maintaining a stable posture by interposing the receiving conveyor with the box making apparatus.

  Although the holding body is not particularly limited, it can be constituted by two holding plates widened at the upstream side of reception, or it may be constituted by a bucket, which may be designed according to the specifications of the box making apparatus. Note that the box making apparatus can be rephrased as a boxing apparatus depending on the mode of use. Depending on the box making apparatus, a receiving conveyor may be installed as one configuration of the box making apparatus, and an aspect using this may be used.

  The package supply apparatus according to claim 7 is the package supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a transfer conveyor that sequentially transfers the package, and the articulated robot is configured from the transfer conveyor. It is characterized in that the package is gripped sequentially.

  That is, the invention according to claim 7 makes it possible to smoothly supply a pillow package or the like using a belt conveyor (endless conveyor).

  In addition, as for the holding of the pillow package body or the like by the holding body, an example in which position detection is performed using an appropriate sensor can be given. In addition, when adsorbing and gripping, the adhering reliability and posture stability are improved if the adsorbing is performed while avoiding the seam of the pillow package and other parts that interfere with the adsorbing property.

  According to the packaging body supply apparatus of the present invention, the pillow packaging body and other packaging bodies whose postures are not stable can be transferred to the box making apparatus in a plurality of stages without causing an increase in the size of the mechanism or the specialization of the box making apparatus. It is possible to provide a package supply apparatus that supplies a package in a laid-down state in a stable manner. More specifically, the packaging body supply device of the present invention (Claim 1) is stable by forming a boxing posture from a plurality of packaging bodies whose postures are not stable by only one articulated robot, and also having a pusher function. In addition, it can be extruded and supplied to the box making apparatus side. In addition, the packaging body supply apparatus of the present invention (Claim 2) can form a multi-layered (multi-storey) boxing posture from a plurality of packaging bodies whose postures are not stable by only one articulated robot, and also has a pusher function. And can be stably extruded and supplied to the box making machine side. Moreover, the package supply apparatus (Claim 3) of the present invention eliminates the level difference, maintains the same supply height, and can more stably push out and supply the pillow package and the like to the supply destination. Moreover, the package supply apparatus (Claim 4) of the present invention can supply the pillow package and the like to the supply destination while maintaining the boxing posture more stably with the same supply height. Moreover, since the packaging body supply apparatus (Claim 5) of the present invention can take a horizontal posture at an earlier stage, the supply speed can be increased. Moreover, the package supply apparatus (Claim 6) of the present invention interposes a receiving conveyor with the box making apparatus, and performs boxing with enhanced versatility of the box making apparatus while maintaining a stable posture. be able to. Moreover, the packaging body supply apparatus (Claim 7) of this invention can supply a smooth pillow packaging body etc. using a belt conveyor (endless conveyor).

It is a general | schematic explanatory top view of the boxing line containing the package supply apparatus of this invention. It is an external appearance perspective view of an alignment stand. It is the figure which showed the flow of formation operation | movement of the boxing attitude | position of a pillow package body, and extrusion operation | movement centering on the motion of an articulated robot. It is the figure which showed the flow of formation operation | movement of the boxing attitude | position of a pillow package body, and extrusion operation | movement centering on the motion of an articulated robot. It is the figure which showed the other structural example and the concept of operation | movement of the alignment stand. It is the figure which showed the other structural example and the concept of operation | movement of the alignment stand.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a pillow package will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a boxing line including a packaging body supply apparatus of the present invention. A summary of the boxing operation is also shown. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the alignment table. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are diagrams showing the flow of the boxing posture forming operation and the extrusion operation of the pillow package body centering on the movement of the articulated robot. Each shows the movement seen from two directions. In the above drawings, the scales are different for convenience of explanation, and a part of the configuration is omitted.

  The boxing line L is large and is configured by the package supply apparatus 100 and the box making apparatus 200, and the pillow package 300 is aligned, supplied, and boxed. In this embodiment, the pillow package 300 is made of an aluminum vapor-deposited plastic film having a length (long side) of about 10 cm, a width (short side) of about 5 cm, and a height of about 4 cm. In the following description, it is assumed that the eyes are pushed down in the long side direction to form a band, and ears folded back on the upper surface are formed on both sides of the short side.

  The package supply apparatus 100 will be described. The package supply apparatus 100 includes a transfer conveyor 101, an articulated robot 102, an alignment table 103, and a receiving conveyor 104.

  The transfer conveyor 101 is configured by a flat belt conveyor that transfers the pillow package 300 at substantially constant intervals. The pillow package 300 is placed on the transfer conveyor 101 with its longitudinal direction facing the transfer direction, and the posture is corrected according to the transfer by the long guide 111 and the short guide 112 on the transfer conveyor 101. The short guide 112 is bent on the receiving side so that the width with the long guide 111 is wide, so that the pillow package 300 can be smoothly introduced.

  A sensor 113 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream end of the long guide 111 and the short guide 112 so as to detect the suction position of the pillow package 300 by the articulated robot 102.

  The articulated robot 102 aligns the pillow package 300 sequentially transferred from the transfer conveyor 101 to form a boxing posture, and supplies it to the receiving conveyor 104. Specifically, the multi-joint robot 102 includes two suction cups 121, a joint part 122, and a moving part 123.

  The suction cup 121 sucks the pillow package 300 on the transfer conveyor 101 by a negative pressure. At this time, position information from the sensor 113 is acquired by a control unit (not shown), and the joint of the pillow package 300 is avoided, and suction is performed from the upper surface. The two suction cups 121 are attracted at two locations in the longitudinal direction of the pillow package 300 to improve the holding property, and the subsequent posture change is stabilized.

  The joint portion 122 has xyz three-axis rotation shafts, and thereby orients the suction cup 121 attached to the joint portion 122 and the sucked pillow package 300 in an arbitrary posture. In the present embodiment, the pillow package 300 is turned 90 °, and the side with no ears is raised 90 ° toward the alignment table 103 side.

  Specifically, the X axis is the transfer direction of the transfer conveyor 101, the Y axis is perpendicular to the X axis and forms a horizontal plane with the X axis (extrusion direction), the Z axis is the vertically downward direction, and the x axis If the y-axis and the z-axis are fixed on the joint portion 122 and are coincident during standby (post-adsorption posture), the orientation is determined after the pillow package 300 is adsorbed. Rotate 90 °, then rotate the x-axis by 90 ° (shake the head) so that the bottom surface of the pillow package 300 faces the X-axis side and the side surface without ears faces the alignment table 103. (See FIG. 3).

  The moving unit 123 moves the joint unit 122 horizontally and vertically over the transfer conveyor 101 and the alignment table 103. The driving method is not particularly limited, and an air cylinder or the like can be used. At the time of driving, the pillow packaging body 300 is moved up and down and moved so as not to interfere with, for example, the long guide 111 and the short guide 112 by a control unit (not shown). Further, when the pillow package 300 is placed on the alignment table 103, the pillow package 300 that has already been placed is lowered in the Z-axis direction and pressed in the X-axis direction without breaking the posture of the pillow package 300. Drive to do. At this time, although the mounting position of the pillow package 300 is different each time, this is performed by a control unit (not shown) controlling the moving unit 123 and the joint unit 122. If necessary, a sensor may be provided near the alignment table 103 to detect the position.

  The articulated robot 102 is also provided with an extrusion plate 124 on the side surface of the joint portion 122 in parallel with the two suction cups 121, and a predetermined number of pillow packages 300 formed in a boxing posture on the alignment table 103. Are collectively pushed to the receiving conveyor 104. In extruding, first, the last pillow package 300 is placed on the alignment table 103, and then the suction cup 121 is folded back in the vertical direction by rotating the x-axis while raising the joint portion 122 by the moving portion 123. . Next, while rotating the z-axis by 90 °, the joint portion 122 is turned to the transfer conveyor 101 side, and the joint portion 122 is lowered to a predetermined position. Finally, the joint plate 122 is moved in the Y-axis direction so that the extrusion plate 124 is applied to each ear of the pillow package 300, and the pillow package 300 is pushed out together to the receiving conveyor 104. At this time, if the suction cup 121 seems to interfere with the alignment table 103, the x-axis may be rotated so that it is oriented opposite to the ear.

  Next, the alignment table 103 will be described. The alignment table 103 includes a mounting table 131 formed of two inclined surfaces and two restriction plates 132. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the alignment table 103.

  The two surfaces of the mounting table 131 are composed of a mounting main surface 131m having an inclination of 5 ° and a sub-surface 131s that eliminates a supply step to the receiving conveyor 104 of the pillow package 300 group. It is formed as a shape folded into a mountain fold. One of the regulation plates 132 is erected at the descending end portion of the main surface 131m, extends in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the receiving conveyor 104 (Y-axis direction), and leans the first pillow package 300 from the side. The other side is formed as a receiving guide 132m with which the bottom surface abuts, and the other is standing from the main surface 131m to the sub surface 131s in parallel with the receiving guide 132m, and holds the packing position of the pillow package 300 during extrusion. Formed as. In addition, the extrusion-side end portion of the holding guide 132s is configured to be widened as an entrance so as to realize smooth reception of the pillow package 300 group.

  Since the pillow package 300 is sequentially aligned in a posture inclined toward the receiving guide 132m due to the inclination of the main surface 131m, a stable boxing posture is formed even if it is a flexible material. In other words, a stable alignment posture can be formed by conversely using the characteristics of the pillow package 300 that easily falls in either direction due to the roundness of the long sides, the length of the ears, and the like.

  Next, the receiving conveyor 104 will be outlined. The receiving conveyor 104 receives the pillow package 300 group in which the boxing posture is formed from the alignment table 103, intermittently drives it, and sequentially supplies it to the box making apparatus 200 in the boxing posture. The receiving conveyor 104 includes a flat belt conveyor 141, two holding guides 142 that hold a boxing posture, and a pusher 143.

  In operation, the two holding guides 142 are stopped by aligning the receiving guides 132m and the holding guides 132s, and after receiving the pillow package 300 pushed out by the pushing plate 124, the two holding guides 142 are transferred to the next position. Stop (At this time, the next holding guide 142 is aligned with the receiving guide 132m and the holding guide 132s). The conveyed pillow package 300 is pushed out by the pusher 143 and supplied to the box making apparatus 200.

  Next, the box making apparatus 200 will be outlined. The box making device is folded and flattened, and the packing box 201 is expanded into a cylindrical shape by a predetermined mechanism, and the flap on one side is folded and glued. To do.

  At a predetermined position, the pusher 143 is driven to insert a group of pillow packages 300 in a boxing posture from the opening, and the flap on the opening side is folded and glued downstream to complete the boxing.

  Since the packaging body supply apparatus 100 has the above-described configuration, the pillow packaging body whose posture is not stable is stacked side by side with only one articulated robot, and a boxing posture is formed, and a pusher function is also provided and stably. It can be extruded and supplied to a box making machine. Thereby, boxing using a general-purpose box making apparatus is possible.

  In addition, the above is the one-layer stacking in which the pillow packaging bodies are stacked side by side. However, since the suction cup 121 can be driven without interfering with the pillow packaging body 300 on the alignment table 103, a multilayer stacking is possible. Furthermore, a three-dimensional, that is, a boxing posture in which a plurality of stacked or stacked in the XYZ directions can be constructed. As a result, conventionally, it has been necessary to provide a plurality of inverted buckets or the like suitable for the packaging box in the middle of the supply apparatus, which has led to an increase in the size of the apparatus. In the package supply apparatus of the present invention, such a mechanism is provided. There is an advantage that various boxing postures can be formed with one articulated robot. That is, the packaging body supply device of the present invention can be packed in a single package, packed in a single row, packed in a single row, packed in multiple rows, or packed in multiple rows, and can flexibly handle the size of a large box.

  In addition, when forming a three-dimensional boxing posture, the area of the extrusion plate 124 needs to be increased. At this time, if interference occurs when the pillow package 300 is loaded, for example, an air cylinder is attached to the joint portion 122, and only the suction cup 121 portion is extended and pulled back to avoid the interference.

  The package supply apparatus 100 is not limited to the above configuration. In the above example, the suction cup 121 is vertically downward and the pusher plate 124 is on the side surface of the articulated robot 102 in the initial posture. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, the extrusion plate 124 may be attached to the bottom surface of the adsorption robot. Further, these can be attached to the side of the multi-joint robot 102 so as to face backward. These can be further expanded in scope if they can be appropriately recombined via an attachment or the like. When recombination is possible by an attachment or the like, the articulated robot 102 may be configured with three or more axes. The pusher plate 124 can also be attached to the articulated robot 102 at an angle along the inclination of the main surface 131m.

Moreover, the aspect which operates the alignment stand 103 is also employable. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the alignment table. The alignment table 103 ′ includes a mounting table 131 ′ that is a flat plate and two regulation plates 132 ′.
(132m ′: receiving guide, 132s ′: holding guide) and an actuator 133. Further, the mounting table 131 ′ has a rotating shaft 134 directly under the receiving guide 132m, and an actuator 133 is provided on the back surface in the vicinity of the holding guide 132s ′ so that the length of the support is variable. Due to the extension of the actuator 133, the surface of the mounting table 131 ′ can be made oblique or horizontal.

  By adopting this structure, when the pillow packaging body 300 reaches the receiving guide 132 ′ (or when it is pushed to some extent thereafter) in the pushing operation by the push plate 124, the mounting table 131 ′ is placed in the horizontal state by the actuator 133. As a result, it is possible to feed smoothly to the receiving conveyor 104 without any step.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, a flap 135 that can stand up can be provided on the mounting table 131 ′. After the last pillow package 300 is placed by the multi-joint robot 102 (when wrapping around when it is pushed out), the flap 135 is raised to support the pillow package 300 horizontally, and the placing table 131 ′ is made horizontal by the actuator 133. To do. With this mechanism, the horizontal state can be achieved more quickly than in the example of FIG. 5, so that the supply efficiency to the receiving conveyor 104 can be increased.

  In addition, for example, after the boxing posture is formed, the holding stability may be increased by bringing the holding guide 132 s into contact with the pillow package 300. At this time, the mounting base 131 is provided with two holes extending in the X-axis direction, the holding guide 132s is formed as two support rods, and is slid in the X-axis direction from the bottom of the hole so as to be a pillow package. 300 may be held.

  Further, the receiving conveyor 104 may be slightly lowered from the alignment table 103 to improve the receiving performance. Similarly, the height of the conveyor of the box making apparatus 200 may be slightly lower than the receiving conveyor 104. Further, the receiving conveyor 104 can be configured as a bucket instead of the two holding guides 142. Instead of the suction cup 121, it may be an aspect in which it is gripped by an arm or the like, held, held, or held. In any case, it goes without saying that they are driven so as not to interfere with other components.

  As long as the present invention is a pillow package, the inclusion can be used without being limited to the PTP sheet. For example, it may be a pillow package in which flat cylindrical bathing agents are individually packaged, or may be introduced into a line for packing confectionery bags such as snack confectionery. Moreover, it can utilize also about a PTP sheet other band body, and a shrink film packaging body.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Package supply apparatus 101 Transfer conveyor 102 Articulated robot 103 Alignment stand 104 Receiving conveyor 111 Long guide 112 Short guide 113 Sensor 121 Suction cup 122 Joint part 123 Moving part 124 Extrusion board 131 Placement table (131m: main surface, 131s: sub surface)
132 restricting plate (132m: receiving guide, 132s: holding guide)
133 Actuator 134 Rotating shaft 135 Flap 141 Flat belt conveyor 142 Holding guide 143 Pusher 200 Box making device 201 Packing box 300 Pillow package

Claims (7)

A package supply apparatus that includes an articulated robot and an alignment table, and supplies a package that is sequentially transferred when the package is aligned during boxing,
The multi-joint robot sequentially transfers the gripping body that holds the packaging body, and the joint portion in which the gripping body is oriented in an arbitrary posture by a plurality of rotating shafts and provided with an extrusion plate for extruding the packaging body. A moving part for moving the joint part horizontally and vertically from above the package to the top of the alignment table,
The alignment table has a mounting table with an inclination for mounting the packaging body, and a regulation plate erected along the extrusion direction for boxing at a position to receive the inclination of the mounting table,
The multi-joint robot grips the packages that are sequentially transferred, and places them on the mounting table in sequence by a predetermined number of layers in the ascending direction with the bottom surface facing the regulating plate and the side surface facing the mounting table. Then, the packaging body supply apparatus is characterized in that it wraps upstream in the extruding direction, and the aligned and placed packaging bodies are gathered together by the extruding plate body and extruded and supplied toward the downstream in the extruding direction.   The multi-joint robot grips the packages that are sequentially transferred, and places them on the mounting table in sequence by a predetermined number of layers in the ascending direction with the bottom surface facing the regulating plate and the side surface facing the mounting table. The first layer is then formed, and then the second layer is formed by aligning and placing a predetermined number in the upward direction of the slope with the bottom surface facing the regulating plate and the side surface facing the mounting table. Then, after the same layer formation is repeated and the predetermined layer formation is completed, the package body that has been placed around the upstream in the extrusion direction is extruded and supplied to the downstream in the extrusion direction together by the extruded plate body. The packaging body supply apparatus according to claim 1. The mounting table is also provided with an inclination in which the surface of the table is lowered toward the downstream side from the middle of the extrusion direction. On the inclined surface, the auxiliary body guides a package body that is substantially parallel to the restriction plate and aligned with the restriction plate. A board,
The package supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the package mounted in alignment is supplied by eliminating a height shift without losing its shape. An auxiliary plate that is erected from the middle of the extrusion direction toward the downstream side on the mounting table, guides the package body that is substantially parallel to the restriction plate and aligned and placed together with the restriction plate;
A drive unit that changes the inclination of the mounting table from an inclined state to a horizontal state;
Provided,
The drive unit causes the mounting table to be in a horizontal state after the aligned stacked packaging bodies are pushed together by the extrusion plate body and pushed toward the downstream in the extrusion direction and the packaging body reaches the auxiliary plate. The package supply apparatus according to 1 or 2. An auxiliary plate that is erected from the middle of the extrusion direction toward the downstream side on the mounting table, guides the package body that is substantially parallel to the restriction plate and aligned and placed together with the restriction plate;
An upright plate that is positioned upstream of the auxiliary plate in the extrusion direction and that stands upright from the state of lying on the mounting table and laterally supports the package that is aligned and placed, and leads the auxiliary plate to the auxiliary plate;
A drive unit that changes the inclination of the mounting table from an inclined state to a horizontal state;
Provided,
3. The package supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit sets the mounting table in a horizontal state after a predetermined number of the packages are sequentially stacked and mounted on the mounting table. Downstream of the extrusion direction, having a receiving conveyor that intermittently drives and receives a package that is extruded from the alignment table;
The said receiving conveyor is provided with the holding body which hold | maintains the alignment attitude | position of a package, A package is further transferred to a downstream box making apparatus, The package as described in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Feeding device. The package supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer conveyor that sequentially transfers the package, wherein the articulated robot sequentially holds the package from the transfer conveyor.

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