JP2017119411A - Box making apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately form a box, which is folded in a flat tabular shape, into a box shape with a compact device configuration and enhance a box making work speed.SOLUTION: A box making apparatus 1 for forming a box, which is folded in a flat tabular shape, into a box shape comprises a robot 10 having plural arms 11, 12 of which tips are connected to end effectors, and a box holding device 50. An end effector of a first arm 11 of the robot 10 has an end member including an upper wall to which a tip of the arm is connected and a pair of side walls of which a surface direction crosses the upper wall, and adsorption means which is attached o the end member. The adsorption means is sandwiched between the pair of side walls, and a tip of the adsorption means is projected from the end member in a shorter direction of the side walls. The box holding device 50 has a box holding surface 51A which faces the robot 10, and the box holding surface 51A comprises adsorption means which detachably holds a box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a box making apparatus for forming a box such as a cardboard folded into a flat shape into a box shape.

  As a box making device for assembling a corrugated cardboard folded into a box shape, a robot type device having two arms has been proposed (Patent Document 1). In this box making apparatus, the end effectors of the two arms are each provided with a suction portion, and while holding the two opposite sides of the corrugated cardboard folded in a flat plate shape, the corrugated cardboard is formed into a three-dimensional box shape. Mold.

  In addition, a hand portion including a rectangular mold frame formed by a fixed guide plate and a moving guide plate and having a variable external dimension and a suction pad provided on the mold frame, and a female mold into which the mold frame is inserted are provided. A box making apparatus has been proposed in which a suction pad is moved back and forth by a cylinder rod in a mold so that the suction pad can protrude from the tip of the mold (Patent Document 2). In this box making apparatus, a blank carton is sucked with a suction pad, the blank carton is placed on a female mold, and the blank carton is pushed into a female mold with a mold to make a box.

JP2013-52925A JP2013-86837A

  In the box making apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, since the corrugated cardboard folded into a flat plate shape is formed into a box shape while being held only by the suction portions of the two end effectors, an error is likely to occur in the suction portion. In addition, the robot operation is complicated when forming into a three-dimensional shape, and it takes time to teach the robot to perform the operation.

  In the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since the configuration of the hand unit is complicated and large, the robot becomes large in size and requires a large installation area. In addition, it becomes difficult to operate the robot at high speed.

  The object of the present invention is to accurately form a box folded in a flat plate shape into a box shape with a compact apparatus configuration and to increase the working speed of the box making.

  The present inventor has conceived that the above-described problems can be solved by combining a robot having a specific end effector on an arm and a box holding device having a box holding surface that detachably holds a box, and has completed the present invention. I let you.

That is, the present invention is a box making apparatus that includes a robot having a plurality of arms having end effectors connected to the tip and a box holding device, and forms a box folded into a plate shape into a box shape,
The end effector of the first arm of the robot has an upper wall to which the arm tip is connected, an end member having a pair of side walls intersecting the upper wall and a surface direction, and a suction means attached to the end member. ,
The suction means is sandwiched between the pair of side walls, and the tip of the suction means protrudes from the end member in the lateral direction of the side walls,
The box holding device has a box holding surface facing the robot, and provides a box making apparatus including suction means for holding the box in a detachable manner.

In addition, the present invention is a box holding device used in a box making process for forming a box folded into a flat shape into a box shape,
As the box holding surface, there are a first box holding surface and a second box holding surface whose plane directions cross each other, and the first box holding surface and the second box holding surface each hold the box in a detachable manner. A box holding device comprising means is provided.

  According to the box making apparatus of the present invention, a robot having a plurality of arms and a box holding device having a box holding surface facing the robot are used together, and an end effector of the robot arm includes an end member and the end member. There is a suction means attached to the end member, and the tip part of the suction means and the end member are in a specific positional relationship, so the box folded into a flat plate is used as a folded plate along the conveyor line Compared with the conventional box making apparatus that sequentially folds, it can be accurately formed into a box shape with a compact apparatus configuration, and its working speed can be improved.

  Further, according to the box making apparatus of the present invention, not only can the box folded into a flat plate shape be expanded into a box shape, but also the bottom flap can be folded or a partition can be inserted as required. Is excellent.

  On the other hand, according to the box holding device of the present invention, since the first box holding surface and the second box holding surface intersecting each other in the plane direction, when expanding a flat folded box, these surfaces are It is possible to accurately and quickly form the corner portion of the box.

FIG. 1 is a layout view (plan view) of each device including a robot and a box holding device constituting the box making apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the robot constituting the box making apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an end effector of a first arm. 3B is a six-sided view and a cross-sectional view of the end effector of FIG. 3A. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a modification of the end effector of the first arm. 4B is a six-side view and a cross-sectional view of the end effector of FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 6A is a front view of a modified example of the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 6B is a right side view of a modified example of the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of an end effector of a second arm. 7B is a six-side view and a cross-sectional view of the end effector of FIG. 7A. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the second arm. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the second arm. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the box holding device and the partition holding device. FIG. 9B is a top view of the box holding device and the partition holding device. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a Z-shaped partition that is inserted into the box. FIG. 10B is a perspective view of a convex partition that is inserted into the box. FIG. 10C is a perspective view of a C-shaped partition that is inserted into the box. FIG. 11 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box preparation). FIG. 12 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box removal). FIG. 13 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (adsorption of a flat box in the box holding apparatus). FIG. 14 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box opening). FIG. 15 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box opening). FIG. 16 is a top view of a box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box opening). FIG. 17A is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 17B is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 17C is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 18A is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 18B is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 18C is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 19A is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 19B is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 20A is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 20B is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 21 is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 22A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 22B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 22C is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 23A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (opening of the upper flap). FIG. 23B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (opening of the upper flap). FIG. 24A is a front view of a flat partition. FIG. 24B is a perspective view of the partition that is bent into a Z shape. FIG. 25A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 25B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 26A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 26B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 27A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 27B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 28A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 28B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 29 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the gripping process of the partition. FIG. 30A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 30B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the partition holding step. FIG. 31A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the gripping process of the partition. 31B is an xx side view of FIG. 31A. FIG. 32 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the partition holding step. FIG. 33A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 33B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 33A. FIG. 34A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 34B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 34A. FIG. 35A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 35B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 35A. FIG. 36 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 37 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 38A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. 38B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 38A. FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the partition holding device. FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the partition holding device. FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the partition holding device.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same numerals indicate the same or equivalent components.

<Overall configuration of box making device>
FIG. 1 is a layout view of each device including a robot 10 and a box holding device 50 constituting a box making device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the robot 10.

  In the present invention, the box making apparatus refers to an apparatus having a function of folding a box folded in a flat plate shape (hereinafter also referred to as a box material) into a box shape having a bottom surface and side surfaces. In the box making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the A-type corrugated cardboard folded into a flat plate shape is used as the box A folded into a flat plate shape, and the box A folded into the flat plate shape is expanded into a rectangular tube shape. The bottom surface is formed by folding the bottom flap of the box A to form a box shape. The box making apparatus 1 also performs a work of bending a flat partition (hereinafter also referred to as a partition member) into a predetermined shape or inserting the partition into a box as necessary.

  The form of the box produced by the box making apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the A type, and may be a B type one-touch type. In the A type, the cost of the box is low and the bottom shape is simple, so that the bottom part can be easily assembled by a machine. On the other hand, since the bottom of the B-type one-touch type is completed simply by opening it from the folded state, a device for bending the bottom flap can be omitted, and the equipment configuration can be simplified.

  The material of the box made by the box making apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, general paper corrugated cardboard, plastic corrugated cardboard, resin board, paper corrugated cardboard whose surface is resin-coated, etc.

  The box making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with a robot 10 and a box holding device 50 as apparatuses for carrying out the core of box making work, and further provided for folding and inserting the partition B. A partition holding device 60, a bottom outer flap folding device 70 preferably provided for folding the bottom side flap, and an operation panel 80 for operating or stopping individual steps in the box making operation are provided. Further, around the robot 10, a supply device 100 for a box A folded in a flat plate shape, a supply device 110 for a flat partition B, and a transfer device 120 for a box formed into a box shape are arranged. The entire apparatus and the box making apparatus 1 are configured compactly.

  The box making apparatus 1 is provided with an external controller (not shown) for managing the movement of these apparatuses. The controller includes an image processing device that extracts necessary information from images taken by the imaging devices 15 and 45 included in the robot 10, a box making work management device that determines whether or not each process is executed based on the information, Image the state of box A with an imaging device (not shown) other than the robot, or read information such as a bar code describing the information on box A to monitor the box for abnormalities or supply errors And a safety device that decelerates or stops the operation speed of the robot 10 by a sensor (not shown) that detects a person approaching the box making apparatus 1.

<Robot>
The box making apparatus of the present invention preferably uses a plurality of robots. A plurality of robots may be used separately, or a plurality of robots may be installed on one base. The type of robot may be a parallel link robot or a serial link robot, but is preferably a serial link vertical articulated robot with 6 or 7 axes. In the box making apparatus of this embodiment, a double-arm robot having a first arm 11 and a second arm 12 which are vertical articulated robots is provided. That is, two arms are provided on one base portion 13 and the number of axes of each arm is six. By providing a rotation axis in the base 13 to which the arm is connected, even if the number of axes of the arm is 6, it is possible to control the posture of the arm itself, for example, the position of the elbow, as in the case of 7 axes. Also, the operating range of the arm can be widened.

(First arm)
The first arm 11 has six axes as described above, and the end effector 20 is connected to the distal end portion 11a. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the end effector 20 includes an end member 21 and suction means 40 attached to the end member 21.

  An imaging device 45, a lighting device 46, or the like may be attached to the end member 21. When the double-armed robot is regarded as a humanoid, if the arm 11 is in an arbitrary posture simply by providing an imaging device at a position corresponding to the face, an obstacle near the end effector 20 or the like The barcode, code, etc. to be read cannot be taken and the images cannot be recognized. However, the robot 10 recognizes necessary information by providing the imaging device 45 and the illumination device 46 on the end member 21 of the end effector 20. It becomes easy to do.

  The end member 21 has an upper wall 22 to which the tip of the arm 11 is connected, and a pair of side walls 23 a and 23 b that cross the plane direction with the upper wall 22 and are opposite to the arm 11. The outer shapes of the side walls 23a and 23b are rectangular, and the circumscribed shape of each surface constituting the end member 21 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. When the side wall 23a, 23b is used to fold and push the box flap in the box making process, the surface of the side wall 23a, 23b should be smooth and the corners should be rounded to prevent damage to the flap. It is preferable to keep it.

  Of the region sandwiched between the pair of opposing long sides of the pair of side walls 23a, 23b, the region opposite to the connection end of the arm 11 is open and crosses the longitudinal direction (a direction) of the side walls 23a, 23b. The end member 21 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. As described above, by using the end member 21 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, the end member 21 can be reduced in weight, and the imaging device 45 and the like can be easily attached.

  As the end member 21, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a plate-like portion 24 protruding from the edge on the upper wall 22 side of one side wall 23b so that the upper wall 22 extends is used. May be. As will be described later, when the end effector 20 is used to perform a folding operation to draw the flat partition toward the robot side, such as a Z-shape, the plate-shaped portion 24 protrudes from the side wall 23b. It is easy to fold into the same. In the end portion 24a of the plate-like portion 24, it is preferable to chamfer or round the corner portion to make the thickness 2 mm or more in order not to damage the surface or end surface of the partition B or the box A. . Further, the thickness of the plate-like portion 24 is preferably 30 mm or less so that interference with the surroundings does not occur when the end effector 20 is operated, and further, the weight is increased and the high-speed operation is not hindered. . Next, the projection length of the plate-like portion 24 is preferably 15 mm or more in order to be surely folded, and is preferably 60 mm or less so that interference with the surroundings does not occur when the end effector 20 is operated. .

  The member configuration of the end member 21 is not particularly limited. For example, when the end member 21 including the plate-like portion 24 is manufactured, as shown in FIG. 5A, a bar 25 having a U-shaped cross section and a strip-like plate 26 may be combined, as shown in FIG. 5B. The bar 25 having a U-shaped cross section and the bar 27 having an L-shaped cross section may be combined, and as shown in FIG. 5C, the bar 28 having the L-shaped cross section, the upper wall 22 of the end member 21 and the plate shape. You may combine the flat bar | plate material 29 which forms the part 24. FIG.

  Examples of the material for forming the end member 21 include metals such as stainless steel and aluminum, and engineering plastics having excellent strength such as MC nylon (registered trademark).

  The tip of the suction means 40 is formed by a suction pad 41, and a part of the suction pad 41 is opposite to the arm tip 11a in the short direction of the side walls 23a, 23b (c direction in FIGS. 3B and 4B). Projecting from the end member 21. As a result, an article such as a cardboard folded in a flat shape is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 41, and when the adsorption pad 41 is crushed and pulled in the b direction, a gap is formed between the end member 21 and the article. It becomes possible to do. Accordingly, the article can be reliably sucked and held by the suction pad 41, and the end member 21 can be prevented from being damaged during the suction. On the other hand, if the gap between the end member 21 and the article is too large at the time of suction, the suction pad may interfere with the box making operation. Therefore, a preferable gap between the end member 21 and the article at the time of adsorption can be 1 to 3 mm. Further, the protrusion amount L1 of the suction pad 41 during non-suction for securing this gap can be determined according to the material of the suction pad 41, the strength of suction, etc. For example, the suction pad 41 is formed from NBR. If it is, it can be 1 to 3 mm. When the suction pad 41 is made of soft silicone rubber, it can be set to 2 to 5 mm.

  In projecting a part of the suction pad 41 from the end member 21 in the lateral direction of the side walls 23a, 23b, the gap between the end member 21 and the article when the article is sucked may be zero. Thereby, the article sucked by the suction pad 41 comes into contact with the end member 21, and the state held by friction is stabilized. Therefore, even when the article is moved at a high speed, it is possible to prevent the article from being laterally shifted.

  The suction pad 41, which is the tip of the suction means 40, also protrudes from the end member 21 on the tip side in the longitudinal direction (direction a) of the side walls 23a, 23b. Thus, as will be described later, when the end effector 20 pushes the partition into the box, the end member 21 can be pushed by the suction pad 41 without being a hindrance to pushing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the partition from slipping off the end effector 20 and to prevent the partition from being damaged by pushing. On the other hand, if the protruding amount is too large, it is difficult to attach the suction pad to the end member 21. Therefore, the preferable protruding amount L2 is 20 to 80% of the remaining length obtained by subtracting the length L4 of the attachment portion at the center of the suction pad 41 from the diameter L3 of the tip of the suction pad 41 (FIG. 3B).

  The tip diameter L3 of the suction pad 41 is preferably 60 to 90% of the inner length L5 of the short side of the end member 21 in the front view of the end effector 20 (FIG. 3B).

  The type of the suction pad 41 is not particularly limited, but a flat type, a bellows type, or the like can be used from the viewpoint that the object can be reliably held after the suction.

A plurality of suction means 40 may be provided in one end effector 20. From the point which enlarges the diameter of a suction pad, 1-2 are preferable, and especially 1 is preferable. On the other hand, if the material to be adsorbed, which is a box material or a partition material, is bent or has irregularities on the surface, three or more adsorbing means 40 are provided, and the adsorbing means is provided even if there is anything that does not contribute to adsorption. It is preferable that the adsorbed material can be adsorbed as a whole. Further, the suction means 40 may be provided with a buffer that expands and contracts in the suction direction. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when a plurality of suction means 40 having a stepped bellows-type suction pad 42 and a buffer 43 that can be expanded and contracted in the suction direction are used, the amount of shrinkage of the suction pad during the suction of an article Therefore, even a material to be adsorbed that is bent or has irregularities on the surface can be reliably adsorbed.
Furthermore, a drop prevention check valve that stops the inflow of air when the adsorption fails may be provided in the adsorption means 40.

  The type of the material for forming the suction pad 41 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include sponge materials such as NBR, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, fluorine rubber, and chloroprene rubber, but it is preferable to use inexpensive and durable NBR.

  In the present invention, the tip of the suction means 40 is replaced by a sponge suction member having a plurality of suction parts on a rectangular sponge instead of the suction pad 41, and a suction member having fine holes manufactured by sintering. Alternatively, it may be formed from a Bernoulli chuck or the like that performs suction while blowing air.

(Second arm)
In the present embodiment, the second arm 12 also has six axes, and the end effector 30 is connected to the distal end portion 12a (FIG. 2). As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 includes an end member 31, an imaging device 45 attached to the end member 31, an illumination device 46, and a pusher 47. The imaging device 45 and the illumination device 46 can read a bar code, a code, and the like in the vicinity of the end effector 30 in the same manner as that attached to the end member 21 of the first arm 11.

  The end member 31 also has an upper wall 32 to which the distal end portion 12a of the arm 12 is connected, and a pair of side walls 33a and 33b that intersect the upper wall 32 in the surface direction. The outer shapes of the side walls 33a and 33b are rectangular, and the circumscribed shape of each surface constituting the end member 31 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The side walls 33a and 33b are smooth and the corners are rounded so that the flaps are not damaged when the side walls 33a and 33b are used to bend and push the box flaps in the box making process. It is preferable to keep it.

  The cross section of the end member 31 that crosses the longitudinal direction (a direction) of the side walls 33a, 33b is substantially U-shaped. By making the cross section of the end member 31 U-shaped, the end member 31 can be reduced in weight, and the imaging device 45 or the like can be easily attached. Furthermore, as will be described later, the operation of pushing and pulling using the U-shaped inner surface S is facilitated.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, a bar 34 having a U-shaped cross section may be used as a member configuration of the end member 31, and a bar 35 having an L-shaped cross section and a flat bar as shown in FIG. 8B. The materials 36 may be combined.

  Similarly to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11, the imaging device 45 and the illumination device 46 in the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are also provided in order to improve the operation accuracy of the end effector.

  The pusher 47 presses the operation panel 80 for operating or stopping individual processes in the box making operation, and performs panel operation. It is also possible to press a push button switch (not shown) for operating or stopping each process. When the pusher 47 is provided in the vicinity of the tip of the end member 31, the panel operation by the pusher 47 is facilitated. The size and shape of the pusher 47 are not particularly limited, but a thin rod shape is preferable because it does not interfere with the work performed by the end effector 30. The protrusion amount L6 (FIG. 7B) of the pusher 47 from the end member 31 is preferably 30 to 150 mm, more preferably 60 to 100 mm. The thickness of the pusher 47 is preferably about a human finger because the operation panel and the push button are assumed to be operated by a person, and is, for example, 4 to 30 mm, more preferably 5 to 15 mm. The material of the pusher is not particularly limited, and a light metal such as aluminum, an engineering plastic, a metal or resin pipe, or a metal long wound in a coil shape can be used so as to obtain light weight and strength.

  The pusher 47 may be provided with a direction control drive unit capable of freely controlling the direction at the base portion thereof, and may be provided with an automatic expansion / contraction mechanism so as not to obstruct the work. In addition, a shock absorber is provided, or the tip is covered with an elastic body such as rubber so as not to damage the operation object such as the operation panel 80 or the box making work object such as the box A or the partition B. It is preferable.

  In addition to centralized work management by an external controller, if the operation panel 80 can be used to advance or stop work, a robot that is manually operated when trouble occurs in the robot 10 or when maintenance is required. Ten work surrogates can be easily performed, which is preferable.

  By using the second arm 12 having the end effector 30 described above in addition to the first arm 11 and the box holding device 50, the box making operation can be performed more accurately and at high speed.

(base)
The first arm 11 and the second arm 12 are connected to the base 13 (FIG. 2). The base portion 13 has a horizontal rotating portion 14, and the upper portion can be horizontally rotated from the horizontal rotating portion 14. As a result, devices such as the box holding device 50, the partition holding device 60, the operation panel 80, the box material supply device 100, the partition material supply device 110, and the box conveying device 120 formed into a box shape are transferred to the robot 10. It becomes possible to arrange | position compactly so that it may surround. Furthermore, since the robot 10 can move to these devices only by horizontal rotation, the time required for the robot 10 to move toward the device is reduced, and box making can be performed at high speed. Furthermore, if the base portion 13 has an elevating mechanism or a mechanism that can take an elevation angle and a depression angle, the work range in the vertical direction can be widened.

  The base 13 is installed on the moving device 16. Since the maintenance is easy and the articulated robot 10 can be used for another work, it is preferable to install it on the moving device 16. The moving device 16 may be movable manually or may be an automatic transport vehicle. To reproduce the motion of the articulated robot 10 when it is returned to its original position after moving, a method of completely reproducing the position with a guide or abutting member, etc. There is a method of finely adjusting the position by picking up an image of the surroundings with an image pickup apparatus or picking up and recognizing surrounding markers.

  When the articulated robot 10 is used as a dedicated machine for box making work, the base 13 may be installed.

(Imaging device)
Above the base 13, an imaging device 15 is provided at a position corresponding to the face of the humanoid robot at the center in the width direction in the front view of the robot 10. The imaging device 15 is a stereo camera that captures an object to be photographed from the left and right imaging units, and markers attached to the box material supply device 100, the partition material supply device 110, the operation panel 80, and the like around the robot 10. By capturing an image and recognizing the image, the positional relationship between the robot 10 and a peripheral device or the like to which the marker is attached is measured, and the operation of the robot can be corrected. Further, the imaging device 15 can recognize not only the position of the article such as the box material or the box A and the partition material or the partition B but also the information such as the discrimination of the color and shape of the article and the reading of the barcode. And

  Between the imaging device 15 and the base 13, a left and right neck rotating unit 17 that rotates the neck left and right and a vertical swing unit 18 that swings the neck up and down are provided.

<Box holding device>
In the box making apparatus of the present invention, the box holding device 50 has a box holding surface facing the robot 10, and the box holding surface is provided with suction means for sucking and holding the box in a detachable manner (FIG. 1). . As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9B, the box holding device 50 of the box making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a first box holding surface 51A and a second box holding surface that intersect each other as the box holding surface. Box holding surface 51B. More specifically, the first box holding surface 51 </ b> A faces the base portion 13 on the front surface of the robot 10 and can be operated by the robot 10. In the first box holding surface 51A, the extending direction of the surface is the vertical direction. Similarly to the first box holding surface 51A, the second box holding surface 51B is at a position where it can be operated by the articulated robot 10. The angle formed between the second box holding surface 51B and the first box holding surface 51A is a right angle, and the extending direction of the surface of the second box holding surface 51B is also a vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the extending direction of the surface of the first box holding surface 51A is the vertical direction, but in the present invention, the extending direction of the first box holding surface 51A may be horizontal or oblique. Even if the extending direction of the first box holding surface 51A is horizontal or oblique, the angle formed between the second box holding surface 51B and the first box holding surface 51A is preferably a right angle. On the other hand, as the extending direction of the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B, an optimal one such as vertical, horizontal, or diagonal is appropriately selected depending on the type and installation position of the robot. If the extending directions of the first box holding surface 51A and the second box holding surface 51B are vertical directions as in the present embodiment, the combination of the box holding device 50 and the moving device of the box holding device 50 described later, This is most preferable because the installation area can be minimized.

  The first box holding surface 51A and the second box holding surface 51B are provided with suction means 52A and 52B for sucking and holding the box in a detachable manner, and the tips of the suction means 52A and 52B become suction pads 53A and 53B. ing. The type and number of suction pads 53A and 53B are not particularly limited, but it is simple and preferable to use one large-sized flat type. As an example of selecting a large vacuum pad, a vacuum pad having a diameter of about 100 to 200 mm is selected. Since it is a large size, it can be adsorbed quickly by using a flat type. The suction pads 53A and 53B may be the same or different, but when the suction pad 53B is used, the box is held by the suction pad 53A, so there is no problem even if the suction force of the suction pad 53B is small, and the size is reduced. You can also

  When the box holding device 50 having the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B whose surface directions intersect with each other and having the suction means 52A and 52B provided on the respective box holding surfaces 51A and 51B is provided in the box making apparatus 1. Of the side surfaces of the flat box that extends into a box shape, the adjacent length surface A1 and width surface A2 are attracted and held by the first box holding surface 51A and the second box holding surface 51B, respectively. The box shape expanded in a shape can be formed accurately and easily (FIG. 16). Therefore, the present invention also includes such a box holding device.

  The box holding device 50 is attached to a vertical moving device 54 that can slide and move the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B along the extending direction of the surface without changing the direction thereof. The vertical movement device 54 has a box holding device between a work position when a box folded into a flat plate shape is expanded into a rectangular tube shape and a work position at which a bottom flap is folded to form a bottom surface of the box. The 50 box holding surfaces 51A and 51B can be moved up and down freely. As a result, it is possible to perform a folding operation of the partition just above the box having the bottom surface, and to quickly insert the folded partition into the box.

  In the present invention, the sliding direction of the box holding surface is not limited to the vertical direction, and may be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal according to the extending direction of the surface of the first box holding surface 51A. Moreover, it is good also as an up-down direction, horizontal, and diagonal, not matching with the extension direction of the surface of the 1st box holding surface 51A. Depending on the type and installation position of the robot, the optimal sliding direction such as up / down, horizontal, and diagonal is appropriately selected. Most preferred is a combination in which the extending direction of the surface of the first box holding surface 51A is vertical, and the slide moving direction is also the same direction. Thereby, the installation area of the box holding device 50 can be minimized.

  In the vertical movement device 54, a mechanism for sliding the box holding surface is not particularly limited. For example, a linear motion guide that uses a servomotor or a stepping motor as a drive source to transmit the driving force by a ball screw or wire, an electric cylinder, an air or hydraulic cylinder, a robot, etc. Is mentioned. Above all, it is easy to adjust the speed and stop position, it can move at high speed, and it has excellent durability, so it uses a linear motion guide that transmits the driving force with a ball screw using a servo motor as the driving source. Is most preferred.

As described above, when the box holding device 50 and the arms 11 and 12 of the robot 10 are provided, as can be seen from the box making operation described later, a folded plate having a vacuum pad, a hooking portion, etc. A device that spreads a flat folded box into a box shape using a simple folded plate, etc., or a folded folded plate that is fixed while moving a flat folded box on a conveyor, etc. Compared with the spreading device, the box making operation can be performed with a simple operation with a very compact device configuration.
Moreover, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the specifications of the box, such as changing the box size, opening position, opening direction, and changing to a box type other than the A type. For example, it is possible to cope with changes in specifications of various boxes simply by changing the robot arm operation.

<Partition holding device>
The inner partition holding device 60 is used when the flat partition B is folded into a predetermined shape as needed during the box making process, and when the folded inner partition B is inserted into the box.

  Examples of the type of the partition B to be inserted into the box include a Z-shaped partition Bz shown in FIG. 10A, a convex partition Bt shown in FIG. 10B, and a C-shaped partition Bc shown in FIG. 10C.

  The material of the partition B is not particularly limited. For example, corrugated paper, plastic corrugated board, a resin board, etc. are mentioned.

  The partition holding device 60 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B has a partition holding surface 61 at a position facing the base 13 of the robot 10, that is, a position operable by the robot 10. The middle partition holding surface 61 includes a suction means 62 that detachably sucks and holds the flat partition B or the middle partition B bent into a predetermined shape. The suction means 62 has a suction pad 63 at the tip. The type and number of the suction pads 63 are not particularly limited, but it is simple and preferable to use one large flat type. As an example of selecting a large vacuum pad, a vacuum pad having a diameter of about 100 to 200 mm is selected. Since it is a large size, it can be adsorbed quickly by using a flat type.

  Further, the inner partition holding device 60 has corner portions 64a and 64b corresponding to the folding positions of the inner partition B on both sides of the inner partition holding surface 61, and side surfaces 65a and 65b extend from the corner portions 64a and 64b. ing. 9A and 9B show an example in which the partition holding surface 61 and the side surfaces 65a and 65b on both sides of the partition holding device 60 are formed by members bent in a U shape. Thereby, the partition holding surface 61 can be easily produced by bending a metal plate.

  The middle partition holding surface 61 is installed above the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B. As a result, the folding operation of the partition material B and the insertion operation of the partition B into the box do not interfere with the box making operation for forming the flat box into a box shape, and the inside of the box formed into the box shape is not disturbed. The partition B can be inserted quickly.

  As can be seen from the description of the folding operation of the partition, which will be described later, when the partition folding device is configured from the partition holding device 60 and the arms 11 and 12 of the robot 10, for example, a stopped flat partition is formed. On the other hand, compared to a device that folds by the operation of a folding plate or a device that folds with a fixed folding plate while moving the flat partition, it folds the partition with a simple operation with a very compact device configuration. be able to.

Moreover, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the specifications of the partition, such as changes in the size, folding position, bending direction, and folding shape of the partition plate. Specifically, the width L7 of the partition holding surface is changed, the partition holding surface 61 and the corners 64a and 64b, etc. of the partition holding device 60 are changed to a shape product that meets the specifications, and the robot arm By changing the operation, it is possible to respond to changes in the specifications of the partition.
<Operation panel>
On the operation panel 80, the pusher 47 provided in the end effector allows the robot 10 to move up and down the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B of the box holding device 50, to suck or release the suction pads 53A and 53B, and to operate the belt conveyor 121. An operation button for performing an operation such as a stop is provided. Each work process in the box making apparatus 1 can be performed not only by the arithmetic unit that manages the movement of the box making apparatus 1 but also from the operation panel 80, so that the operation time of the robot 10 can be shortened and produced. In addition, it becomes possible for a person to operate the box holding device 50 and the like to perform box making work instead of the robot.

<Bottom side outer flap folding device>
The bottom side outer flap bending apparatus 70 (FIGS. 1 and 21) includes an outer flap folding base 71 and an outer flap bending plate 72. The outer flap folding stand 71 has a width shorter than the short side of the bottom of the box A and a length longer than the long side of the bottom of the box. The outer flap folding stand 71 is cantilevered from the base side of the inner flap of the box A. The cantilever support 73 supports the box A from the side opposite to the direction in which it is sent to the next process. On the non-cantilever side of the outer flap folding stand 71, a box conveying device 120 folded in a box shape is installed.

  The outer flap bending plate 72 is formed of a rectangular plate, and a pair of long sides thereof is arranged along each side in the longitudinal direction of the outer flap folding base 71, and a rotation axis in the vicinity of the long side. Each of them swings around a motor 74, an air cylinder (not shown) or the like around 74.

<Box supply device>
As shown in FIG. 1, when the installation side of the imaging device 15 in the robot 10 is the front of the robot, the box material supply device 100 that supplies a box material that is a box folded in a flat plate shape is a first arm. It is arranged obliquely behind 11 and holds the box material A in a stacked state. The box material supply apparatus 100 is supplied with the box material A from the opposite side of the apparatus 100 to the robot 10. Further, the box material supply device 100 has a pressing function of pressing the standing box material A in the taking-out direction so that the stacked state of the standing box materials A is not collapsed. It has a downhill slope and is provided with a guide 102. The pressing function may be obtained by a linear pushing device such as an air cylinder that pushes the box in the robot direction, or a belt conveyor installed at the bottom of the box.

  A plurality of short stoppers 103 for holding the top, bottom, left, and right edges of the box material A are installed at the take-out port of the box A on the robot side so that the box materials can be taken out one by one.

<Partition material supply device>
As shown in FIG. 1, the partition material supply device 110 is installed between the box material supply device 100 and the box holding device 50, in a state where the partition material B, which is a flat partition, is erected and stacked. Hold. The partition material supply device 110 is supplied with the partition material B from the side opposite to the robot 10 of the device 110. Also in the partition material supply device 110, a bottom plate 111 and a guide 112 that are inclined downward in the take-out direction of the standing partition material B are provided so that the stacked state of the standing partition material B does not collapse. In addition, a stopper 113 is provided at the robot-side partition member takeout port so that the partition members B can be taken out one by one.

<Conveyor for box molded into box shape>
A box transport device 120 that transports a box formed into a box shape includes a belt conveyor 121. A roller conveyor or the like may be provided instead of the belt conveyor. On the belt conveyor 121, a flat inner flap regulating guide 122 is provided for pressing the upper inner flap of the box expanded in a box shape to the outside of the box (FIGS. 1 and 21). The entrance side of the inner flap regulation guide 122 is bent upward so that the box A can easily enter between the belt conveyor 121 and the inner flap regulation guide 122. By passing the box A through this interval, the opening of the upper inner flap to the outside is ensured. By this outward opening, the upper inner flap does not get in the way in the boxing operation in the next step, and the operation is facilitated.

  The belt conveyor 121 may be always operated, or may be operated by a sensor detecting that there is a box near the entrance of the conveying device 120. The belt conveyor 121 may be operated by the end effector 30 of the second arm 12. The attached pusher 47 may be operated by pressing a push button on the operation panel 80.

<Box making work>
Using the box making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, box making work can be performed in the following steps.

(Process 1: Preparation of box material)
As shown in FIG. 11, a box (box material) A folded in a flat plate shape is set on the box material supply device 100 in a standing state. Moreover, it sets with the flat partition (partition material) B standing in the partition material supply apparatus 110 as needed. In FIG. 11 and the like, the arm of the robot 10 is omitted from the drawing for easy understanding of the operation of the end effector 20 and the end effector 30 and the molding state of the box material A and the partition B.

  The horizontal rotation unit 14 of the robot 10 rotates and the first arm 11 extends to a position where the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 can suck the box material A from the box material supply device 100.

  The imaging device 45 attached to the end effector 20 uses a lighting device 46 as necessary to photograph characters, patterns, symbols, barcodes, etc. of the box material A set in the box supply device 100. Then, the image information is sent to the image processing apparatus, the type of box material A is confirmed by the box making work management apparatus, and it is determined whether or not to continue the work.

(Process 2: Taking out the box material)
When it is decided to continue the work in the box making work management device, the robot 10 further extends the first arm 11 to bring the suction pad 41 into contact with the box material A at the take-out position of the box material supply device 100 to suck it. The box material A is adsorbed by the pad 41, and the box material A is taken out from the box material supply apparatus 100. At this time, the box material A is slightly deformed, so that the box material A passes through the stopper 113 holding the box material at the take-out position, and is taken out from the box material supply apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. Further, the next folded box material is set at the take-out position along the guide 112 by the pressing function provided in the box material supply apparatus 100.

  The part of the box material A to which the suction pad 41 adsorbs when the box material is taken out is not particularly limited. The left side when viewed from the robot of the length plane A1.

(Process 3: Adsorption of flat box material by box holding device)
After taking out the box material, the robot 10 rotates the horizontal rotating unit 14 toward the box holding device 50 so that the box material A approaches the first box holding surface 51A of the box holding device 50, as shown in FIG. Then, the length surface opposite to the length surface A1 of the sucked box material is attracted to the suction pad 53A of the suction means 52A of the first box holding surface 51A. In FIG. 13, the description of the partition holding device 60 is omitted. At this time, the side of the width surface A2 that faces the robot 10 (the side that is the folded mountain Ap of the folded box material) is brought close to the first box holding surface 51B. Further, the upper wall 32 of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is directed upward, and the side wall 33b is brought close to the fold mountain Aq of the box material at a position away from the first box holding surface 51B.

(Process 4: Box opening in box holding device)
As shown in FIG. 14, the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 slightly moves toward the second box holding surface 51 </ b> B side of the box holding device 50 while adsorbing the length surface A <b> 1 of the box material. Then, the box A folded in a flat shape is opened a little, the suction pad 41 is vacuum-breaked to release the suction of the box, and the end effector 20 is immediately put on the second box holding surface from the box length surface A1. Retreat to the 51B side.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is slightly delayed from the retracting of the end effector 20 of the first arm, as shown in FIG. The box A is opened by moving to the second box holding surface 51B side while pressing. In this embodiment, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is moved with the upper wall 32 facing upward, but the upper wall 32 is moved vertically or obliquely as necessary to avoid interference with the surroundings. You may turn to.

  Thus, when the box A is opened, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is retracted from the length surface A1 of the box, whereby the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 interferes with the box A to be opened. Thus, it is possible to prevent the box A from being unsuccessfully opened or the box A from being damaged.

  As another method, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is placed on the length surface A1 of the box facing the robot 10 so that the box A does not come off the box holding device 50 when the box A is opened. Further, the end effector 20 may be moved toward the second box holding surface 51B while being in contact with the box A in the vicinity of the fold mountain Ar of the width surface A2, and the end effector 20 may maintain the state where the fold mountain Ar of the box A is pressed. .

  On the other hand, in the box material supply apparatus 100, the entire stacked box material moves to the box material takeout port side, and the next box material can be taken out.

  When the box A is further opened by the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 moving the mountain fold Aq of the box to the second box holding surface 51B side, the side wall 33b of the end effector 30 becomes a box as shown in FIG. A width surface A2 of A is maintained substantially parallel, and the width surface A2 of the box is pushed on the end side of the side wall 33b, and the folding mountain Aq on the right side of the box as viewed from the robot moves to the left. When the box A is opened and the width surface A2 and the length surface A1 become vertical, the suction pad 53B of the suction means 52B of the second box holding surface 51B sucks the width surface A2 of the box facing the box A, and the box A Is fixed in an open state in which the opening surface is opened in a rectangular shape.

(Step 5: Bending the bottom inner flap)
As shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 move to the bottom side of the box A. 18A, 18B, and 18C, a plate-like portion 24 protruding from the side wall 23b of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 (in the case where the plate-like portion 24 does not protrude from the side wall 23b) , The side wall 23b) and the side wall 33a of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 respectively push the bottom inner flap A3, and the end effectors 20 and 30 move toward each other. Further, FIG. 19A and FIG. 19B As shown in FIG. 2, the end side of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end side of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are moved upward, and the bottom inner flap A3 rotates around the folding line. It is folded to do. At this time, when the arms 11 and 12 are operated so that the arm end side, which is the connection end of the end effectors 20 and 30 of the left and right arms 11 and 12, is slightly lower than when the bottom side inner flap A3 was pushed so far. The inner flap A3 is naturally folded, which is preferable. The inner flap A3 is folded to the inside of the box A until the folding angle θ1 exceeds 90 °. When the bending angle θ1 exceeds 90 °, the front end of the inner flap A3 reaches the inside of the trunk of the opened box A and is held inside the box A without returning to the original state. Moreover, when the bending angle exceeds 90 °, it is possible to prevent the inner flap A3 from interfering when the outer flap A4 is folded next time.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 20A, the end side of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end side of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are directed downward, and both end effectors 20, The arms 11 and 12 operate so that the position of the entire 30 is lowered. Then, as shown in FIG. 20B, both end effectors 20 and 30 move away from each other, and are completely detached from the box A. At this time, folding of the inner flap A3 returns the tip of the inner flap A3 to a horizontal level by the reaction force of the bent portion.

  The observation directions in FIGS. 18B, 19A, and 20B are the same as those in FIG. 17B, and the observation directions in FIGS. 18C, 19B, and 20A are the same as those in FIG. 17C.

(Process 6: Descent of the box)
The pusher 47 attached to the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 pushes the lowering button of the box holding device 50 provided on the operation panel 80, thereby lowering the box holding device 50 as shown in FIG. Then, the folding mountain of the inner flap A3 is brought into contact with the outer flap folding base 71 of the bottom side outer flap folding device 70.

  In addition, it is preferable to separately provide the lowering button and the raising button of the box holding device 50 on the operation panel 80 because the operation registration of the robot 10 becomes easy.

(Step 7: Bending the bottom outer flap)
As shown in FIG. 21, when the box A descends on the outer flap folding base 71 and comes into contact with the outer flap folding base 71, the bottom side outer flap A4 hangs down. 22A is a sectional view taken along line xx of FIG.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22B, the outer flap bending plate 72 is swung to the inside of the box about the rotation shaft 74, and the bottom outer flap A4 is made to be substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. 22C. Fold it so that

  At the stage where the folding of the bottom outer flap A4 is completed, the bottom of the box A is, in order from the bottom, the outer flap bending plate 72, the bent bottom outer flap A4, the outer flap folding stand 71, the bent bottom inner The positional relationship is flap A3.

(Step 8: Open the upper inner flap)
When the box thus formed is used as a box without inserting a partition inside, the upper inner flap A3t is opened to the outside of the box A as shown in FIG. It is sent out and used in an article filling process.

  In the opening process of the upper inner flap A3t, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 folds one upper inner flap A3t to the outside of the box and, as shown in FIG. 23B, the inner side surface of the other upper inner flap A3t. Further, it is preferable to suck the suction pad 41 provided on the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and bend the upper inner flap A3t to the outside of the box. The bending angle θ2 of the upper inner flap A3t is preferably not less than 60 °, more preferably not less than 80 ° so that the upper inner flap can be sufficiently opened, and is preferably 135 from the viewpoint of preventing troubles in the subsequent sealing operation. Is within °. If it is bent at 80 to 135 °, even if the end effectors 20 and 30 are separated from the upper inner flap A3t, the upper inner flap opens about 40 to 70 °, which facilitates the supply of articles to the box.

(Process 9: Discharge of the box)
The suction pads 53A and 53B of the suction means 52A and 52B provided in the box holding device 50 are vacuum broken to release the suction. This vacuum break command may be issued when the pusher 47 attached to the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 pushes the push button of the operation panel 80.

  After the suction of the box by the box holding device 50 is released, the end effector 20 is slightly pushed toward the transport device 120 side of the box while the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is being sucked. The suction is released by vacuum breakage of the suction pad 41, the width of the box is pressed with the short side of the end member 21 of the first arm 11, and the box is pushed out onto the belt conveyor 121. When the upper inner flap of the box bent outward reaches the lower side of the inner flap regulating guide 122, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is retracted from the upper inner flap of the box, and the end effector 30 is moved to the inner flap regulating guide. Do not collide with 122. Since the upper inner flap of the box is folded outward, the lower portion of the inner flap regulating guide 122 can pass smoothly.

  Sealing of the bottom flap of the box is performed when the outer flap folding base 71 is discharged to the transport device 120, during the transport by the transport device 120, or when moving from the transport device 120 to the next transport device. It is carried out with a paste such as tape sticking or hot melt.

  Further, since the upper inner flap is opened to the outside by the inner flap regulating guide 122 while the box passes through the transport device 120, it is easy in the next process after the box passes through the transport device 120. The contents are supplied to the box. After the contents are supplied, the upper inner flap and the upper outer flap of the box are closed and sealed with a folding plate or the like, and the boxing is completed.

(Process A: Bending the partition and inserting into the box)
In the box making apparatus 1 of the present invention, the partition is inserted or the partition is folded and inserted after the bottom outer flap is folded (step 7), as required. In this embodiment, as an example, an operation of bending a flat partition into a Z shape and inserting it into a box will be described. As shown in FIG. 24A, the flat partition Bz has two fold lines La and Lb, and a first surface Bz1, a second surface Bz2, and a third surface Bz3 separated by them. In the box making apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 24B, when viewed from the robot 10, the folding line La is folded in a mountain, the folding line Lb is folded in a valley, and the partition Bz is formed in a Z shape.

(Process A1: Preparation of partition)
Position at which the horizontal rotating unit 14 of the robot 10 can take out the flat partition B from the partition member supply device 110 (FIG. 1) by the suction pad 41 attached to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11. Rotate until.

  The robot 10 makes the suction pad 41 face the plate surface of the partition material B at the take-out port of the partition material supply device 110 and sucks it, and takes out one sheet of the partition material B from the partition material supply device 110. . This removal is performed by slightly deforming the partition material B and passing through the stopper 113. In the partition material supply device 110 after the partition material B is taken out, the partition material B remaining there moves along the guide 112, and a new partition material B is set at the removal position. .

(Process A2: Bending the partition)
The robot 10 rotates the horizontal rotating unit 14 to a position where the partition material B sucked by the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 can be transferred to the partition holding device 60, and the partition material B is brought close to the inner partition holding device 60, and the back side of the second surface of the inner partition material B is sucked to the suction pad 63 of the inner partition holding device 60. At this time, the corners 64a and 64b of the inner partition holding device 60 and the folding lines La and Lb of the inner partition are aligned.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, an edge 33a1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 33a of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is made substantially parallel to the folding line La of the partition, and the edge 33a1 is divided into the partition. The first surface Bz1 of the middle partition is folded using the corner portion 64a of the partition holding device 60. That is, the first surface Bz1 of the partition is pushed along the side surface 65a of the partition holding device 60 at the edge 33a1 of the end effector 30, and the folding line La is mountain-folded as viewed from the robot 10.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, the edge 23b1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 23b of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is made substantially parallel to the folding line Lb of the partition, and this edge 23b1 is divided into the partition. The third surface Bz3 of the inner partition is folded using the corner 64b of the inner partition holding device 60. That is, the third surface Bz3 of the partition is pushed along the side surface 65b of the partition holding device 60 at the edge 23b1 of the end effector 20, and the folding line Lb is mountain-folded when viewed from the robot 10.

  When the folding of the partition is completed by the operations so far, a C-shaped partition Bc (FIG. 10C) can be obtained.

  Immediately after the third surface Bz3 of the inner partition is pushed along the side surface 65b of the inner partition holding device 60, as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, the edge 33a1 of the side wall 33a of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is obtained. 33b1, while pressing the second surface Bz2 of the partition B along the fold line Lb, the plate-like portion 24 protruding from the side wall 23b of the end member 21 of the first end effector 20 is the third surface Bz3 of the partition. The third surface Bz3 is folded back in the direction close to the robot 10 while being in contact with the back side of the inner wall, and the partition is folded into a Z shape as shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B. In this way, when the third surface Bz3 of the inner partition is folded back, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 holds the inner partition B along the fold line Lb so that the inner partition is separated from the suction pad 63 of the inner partition holding device 60. B can be prevented from coming off, and the partition B can be neatly folded along the fold line Lb.

  The end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is raised in a state where the second surface Bz2 of the partition is pressed by the edges 33a1, 33b1 of the side walls 33a, 33b of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12. The upper side of the back surface of the third surface Bz3 of the partition is sucked by the suction pad 41 provided on the front side. At this time, about 1/2 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is overlapped in the height direction with the third surface Bz3 of the partition. Further, as shown in FIG. 29, about half of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 extends in the height direction with the first surface Bz1 of the partition that is slightly opened by the reaction force. It is made to overlap and is made to contact | abut to this 1st surface Bz1.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, the first surface Bz1 of the partition is pushed by the edge 33b1 of the side wall of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12, and the fold line La is bent by about 90 °. Thus, when the upper end of the partition B is held by the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12, the first arm is provided when the partition B is installed in the box A. 11 end effector 11 and end effector 30 of second arm 12 can be prevented from interfering.

(Process A3: Grasping the partition)
As shown in FIG. 31A and FIG. 31B, the third surface Bz3 is further attached while adsorbing the upper side behind the third surface Bz3 of the partition with the suction pad 41 attached to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11. Folding is performed so that the angle θ3 formed by the third surface Bz3 and the second surface Bz2 is an acute angle. Then, the end member 31 is inclined so that the distal end side of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is slightly separated from the first surface Bz1, and the center portion of the edge 33b1 Only 33b1Q is in contact with the upper side of the first surface Bz1. At this contact portion, the central portion 33b1Q of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 is slightly recessed into the upper side of the first surface Bz1 of the partition, so that the partition is held without sliding or dropping.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 32, vacuum suction of the suction pad 63 of the partition holding device 60 is performed to release suction. Then, the partition B held by the end member 21 of the first arm 11 and the end member 31 of the second arm 12 is brought close to the second arm 12 side of the robot 10, and the partition divider holding device 60 Lower the partition B.

  When the middle partition B is lowered to a position lower than the middle partition holding device 60, the end effector 30 of the second arm moves to the base 13 side of the robot 10, and the middle partition holding device 60 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is moved. Move to the side. At this time, the second surface Bz2 of the partition faces the robot 10.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 33A, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 moves upward, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 moves downward, and the second partition 12 of the partition B is viewed from the robot 10. The partition B is tilted so that the second arm 12 side is upward and the first arm 11 side is downward. In FIG. 33A, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm are omitted. On the other hand, FIG. 33B is a top view showing the positions of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 with respect to the partition B in the state of FIG. 33A.

  In this state, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are lowered, and the vicinity of the fold line (back side of the third surface bz3) of the folding line Lb of the partition B is close. The upper side flap A3 of the box A is brought into contact with the vicinity of the upper side of the side wall of the box A. The fold line Lb portion of the inner partition B has an acute angle and is inclined so that the back surface side of the fold line Lb of the inner partition B can be brought into contact with the inside of the box A with certainty.

(Process A4: Inserting the partition)
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is lowered while the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is maintained at substantially the same height. Accordingly, the lower end of the first surface Bz1 of the partition B is inserted into the width surface side in the box A. In addition, after the contact of the fold line of the fold line Lb described above, the suction surface of the suction pad 41 attached to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 becomes parallel to the width surface A2 of the box A, and the fold line Lb of the partition B The angle at is opened from an acute angle and approaches 90 °. At the same time, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is moved to the left front as viewed from the robot, and the angle of the partition B at the fold line La is set to an acute angle. Similarly to FIGS. 33A and 33B, the end effectors 20 and 30 are not shown in FIG. 34A, and the arrangement of the end effectors 20 and 30 is shown in FIG. 34B.

  When the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is further lowered, the first surface Bz1 of the partition B is substantially parallel to the width surface of the box. enter. When the upper surface of the middle partition B becomes substantially horizontal, the lowering of the end effector 30 of the second arm stops. Here, the inclination is returned so that the distal end side of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is in contact with the first surface Bz1 of the partition B, and the side wall 33b of the end member 31 is returned. The direction in which the edge 33b1 extends is the vertical direction. Then, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 moves forward as viewed from the robot 10, and as shown in FIGS. 35A and 35B, the inner side surface S of the end member 31 that forms the end effector 30 is the first partition wall. Abuts against the second surface Bz2, and pushes forward the fold mountain of the fold line La of the partition as seen from the robot.

  On the inner surface S of the end member 31 that forms the end effector 30 of the second arm 12, the fold line La side of the second surface Bz2 of the partition B is pushed forward of the robot 10, and as shown in FIG. When the angle at La and the broken line Lb becomes approximately 90 °, the pressing by the inner surface S is finished. At this time, the first surface Bz1 of the inner partition B is in contact with the inner surface of the width surface of the box, and the second surface Bz2 of the inner partition is parallel to the length surface of the box as viewed from above. As described above, the inner surface S of the end member 31 can easily perform an operation of pushing or pulling the object.

  By the operation so far, the partition becomes the target Z-shape, and a stable state in which about 1/3 below the partition enters the box.

(Process A5: Preparation for pushing in the partition)
As shown in FIG. 37, the end effector 30 advances forward so that the end effector 30 turns around until the upper wall 32 of the end member 31 of the end effector 30 of the second arm is parallel to the first surface Bz1 of the partition. The edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 is brought into contact with the first surface Bz1 of the partition. At this time, the short side of the upper wall 32 on the distal end side of the end member 31 faces downward, and the distal end of the pusher 47 opens the inner flap of the box to the outside. The pusher 47 is provided with a shock absorber. 47, the upper inner flap of the box is not damaged.

  On the other hand, the suction of the suction pad 41 attached to the first arm 11 is released by vacuum break, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is separated from the partition B, and as shown in FIGS. 38A and 38B, The end member 21 of the end effector of the first arm is moved to the upper part of the partition B. Even if the suction by the suction pad 41 of the first arm 11 is cancelled, the partition B hardly moves because the lower part of the partition B is in a stable state where it enters the box A by about 1/3.

(Process A6: Pushing the partition)
As shown in FIG. 39, the short side 23a1 on the distal side of the side wall 23a of the end member 21 of the end effector 21 of the first arm 11 or the end surface of the suction pad 41 is placed from above the second surface Bz2 of the partition B. The middle partition B is brought into contact with the middle partition B, and the middle partition B is pushed into the box A. At this time, the partition B moves downward while sliding while the first surface Bz1 is in contact with the inner surface S of the end member 31 attached to the distal end portion 12a of the second arm 12.

  In the pushing of the partition B, the suction pad 41 protrudes from the end member 21 to the distal end side in the longitudinal direction (direction a) of the side walls 23a, 23b. It becomes possible to push in without damaging.

  The end effector 20 of the first arm 11 moves down until the partition B comes into contact with the bottom of the box A. Since the suction pad 41 can be deformed, the middle partition B can be surely in contact with the bottom without damaging the middle partition B even if pushed down slightly. Thus, the partition B is installed at a predetermined position in the box A.

  After the insertion of the partition B is completed, the opening of the upper inner flap in the above-described step 8 and the dispensing of the box in the step 9 are sequentially performed.

<Deformation aspect of box making apparatus>
The box making apparatus of the present invention has a shape of an end member of the first arm and an end of the second arm according to the form of a box formed from a flat plate shape into a box shape and the form of a partition inserted into the box. The shape of the member can be changed as appropriate.

  For example, when the flat partition is folded into the convex partition Bt shown in FIG. 10B and inserted into the box, as shown in FIG. 4A as the end member of the end effector of the first arm. In addition to using the end member 21 having the plate-like portion 24, the end member of the end effector of the second arm also has the same suction pad 41 and plate-like portion 24 as the end member 21. Can be used.

  In the middle partition holding device, like the middle partition holding device 60P shown in FIG. 40, the middle partition holding surface 61 and the side surfaces 65 on both sides thereof may be formed from a thick material. This partition holding device 60P can be easily manufactured by cutting out from a material with good workability such as a resin plate. It may be created by a 3D printer.

  Further, as in the partition divider holding device 60Q shown in FIG. 41, by connecting the side surfaces 65 on both sides of the partition divider holding surface 61 to the adjustment bracket 66, the width L7 of the divider partition holding surface 61 is reduced. It may be possible to adjust it according to the length. The adjustment mechanism is not particularly limited. For example, a long hole (not shown) may be provided in the adjustment bracket 66 so that the side surface 65 can be fixed at a desired position by screwing on the back side of the side surface 65. In addition, the adjustment bracket 66 is a round bar, and a connection portion that can fix the round bar is provided on the back side of the side surface 65, and the side surface 65 can be fixed at a desired position by sliding the connection portion with respect to the round bar. Also good.

  As in the partition divider holding device 60R shown in FIG. 42, assuming a virtual side surface 65 ′ (hatched portion) on both sides of the partition divider holding surface 61, at least the upper side 65p ′ and the lower side 65q of the virtual side surface 65 ′. 'May be occupied by the bar 67, and for that purpose, a frame may be formed of the bar. The bar 67 may be a square bar or a round bar. Thus, according to the partition holding device 60R having the virtual side surface 65 ′ formed of the bar 67, when the bending angle of the partition is to be adjusted, the virtual side surface is obtained by bending the bar 67 by hand. The angle θ4 formed by 65 ′ and the partition holding surface 61 can be easily adjusted.

  When the suction pad is provided on the end effector end member of the second arm as well as the end effector end member of the first arm, the box holding device 50 shown in FIG. 9A is used as the box holding device. Alternatively, a box holding device having a single box holding surface in which the second box holding surface 51B is omitted may be used.

  As a device configuration around the robot 10 having a plurality of arms, the installation positions of the box material supply device 100 and the partition material supply device 110 may be interchanged, and the box material supply device 100 and the partition material supply device 110 are moved up and down. May be installed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Box making apparatus 10 Robot 11 1st arm 11a The front-end | tip part of 1st arm 12 2nd arm 12a The front-end | tip part of 2nd arm 13 Base 14 Horizontal rotation part 15 Imaging device 16 Movement apparatus 17 Left-right neck rotation part 18 Vertical swing part 20 End effector 21 of first arm 21 End member 22 Upper wall 23a, 23b Side wall 23a1, 23b1 Long side of side wall, edge extending in the longitudinal direction of side wall 24 Plate-like part 24a End part of plate-like part 25 Bar-shaped bar material 26 Strip-shaped plate material 27 Bar material with L-shaped cross section 28 Bar material with L-shaped cross-section 29 Flat bar material 30 End effector 31 of second arm 31 End member 32 Upper wall 33a, 33b Side wall 33a1, 33b1 Edge of side wall 33b1Q Central part of edge of side wall 34 Bar-shaped bar 35 Cross-section L-bar 36 Flat bar 40 Adsorbing means 4 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Adsorption pad 42 Bellows type adsorption pad 43 Buffer 45 Imaging device 46 Illumination device 47 Pusher 50 Box holding device 51A 1st box holding surface 51B 2nd box holding surface 52A, 52B Adsorption means 53A, 53B Adsorption pad 54 Vertical movement apparatus 60, 60P, 60Q, 60R Partition holding device 61 Partition holding surface 62 Suction means 63 Suction pad 64a, 64b Corners 65, 65a, 65b Side surface 65 'Virtual side surface 65p', 65q 'Upper side of virtual side surface , Lower side 66 bracket 67 bar 70 bottom side outer flap bending device 71 outer flap folding stand 72 outer flap bending plate 73 cantilever support portion 74 rotating shaft 80 operation panel 100 box material supply device 101 bottom plate 102 guide 103 stopper 110 partitioning material Supply device 111 Bottom plate 112 Guide 113 Hopper 120 conveying device 121 belt conveyor 122 inner flap regulation guide a longitudinal direction of side wall of end member b lateral direction of side wall of end member A box, box material A1 length of box A2 width of box A3 inner flap A3t Upper inner flap A4 Outer flap Ap, Aq, Ar Box fold mountain B Middle partition, partition material La, Lb Fold line Bz Z-shaped partition Bz1 First surface of Z-shaped partition Bz2 Second surface of Z-shaped partition Bz3 Third surface of the Z-shaped partition Bt Convex-shaped partition Bc C-shaped partition L1 The amount of protrusion of the tip of the suction means from the end member in the longitudinal direction of the end member L2 The end of the tip of the suction means Projection amount of end member from end member in short direction L3 Diameter of tip of suction pad L4 Length of attachment portion at center of suction pad L5 Length of inner side of short side of end member L6 End of pusher Projection amount from member 7 Width of inner partition retaining surface S Inner side surface of end member θ1 Bending angle of bottom inner flap θ2 Bending angle of upper inner flap θ3 Angle formed by third and second surfaces of inner partition θ4 Middle partition retaining surface and virtual Angle with typical side

Claims (13)

A box making apparatus that includes a robot having a plurality of arms with end effectors connected to the tip and a box holding device, and forms a box folded into a plate shape into a box shape,
The end effector of the first arm of the robot has an upper wall to which the arm tip is connected, an end member having a pair of side walls intersecting the upper wall and a surface direction, and a suction means attached to the end member. ,
The suction means is sandwiched between the pair of side walls, and the tip of the suction means protrudes from the end member in the lateral direction of the side walls,
The box holding device includes a box holding surface facing the robot, and a box making device provided with a suction unit that detachably holds the box.   2. The box making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the end effector of the first arm, the tip of the suction means protrudes from the end member in the longitudinal direction of the side wall of the end member.   2. The box holding device has a first box holding surface and a second box holding surface as box holding surfaces, and an angle formed by the first box holding surface and the second box holding surface is a right angle. Or the box making apparatus of 2.   The box making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the box holding device has a box holding surface provided in a vertical direction.   The box making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the box holding apparatus has a box holding surface provided obliquely with respect to the vertical direction.   The box making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a box holding surface of the box holding apparatus is slidably movable.   Below the box holding device, there is a bottom outer flap folding base and a bottom outer flap bending plate that are used to fold the bottom outer flap of the box, and the box is folded by moving the box holding device. The box making apparatus according to claim 4, which is brought into contact with a table.   The box making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the robot has a second arm, and an end effector of the second arm has an end member having a U-shaped cross section.   The box making apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a pusher for performing a panel operation for box making work is attached to an end member of the end effector of the second arm.   The box making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a partition holding device that holds the partition detachably by the suction means. A box holding device used in a box making process for forming a box folded into a flat shape into a box shape,
As the box holding surface, there are a first box holding surface and a second box holding surface whose plane directions cross each other, and the first box holding surface and the second box holding surface each hold the box in a detachable manner. A box holding device comprising means.   The box holding device according to claim 11, wherein the box holding surface is slidable.   The box holding device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein an angle formed by the first box holding surface and the second box holding surface is a right angle.

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