JP2020040698A - Box packing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a box packing device which can prevent box-packing failure and article damage due to article toppling during conveyance after multiple aligned articles are extruded by an extrusion plate.SOLUTION: A box packing device which manufactures box-packed articles by extruding multiple articles aligned at the alignment position T in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction by an extrusion plate 70 and thereby conveying the multiple articles to a target position A, and storing the conveyed multiple articles into an exterior box 110 includes multiple article detection sensors PH1-PH4 which are arranged side by side with intervals in the conveyance direction of articles conveyed from the alignment position T to the target position A and detect articles in conveyance, and a control device 30 which determines whether there are toppled articles based on the detection results by the article detection sensors PH1-PH4 during conveyance of the multiple articles as a result of extruding movement by the extrusion plate 70 and stops the extrusion plate 70 from extruding when it is determined that there are articles having been toppled.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a box packing device that stores a plurality of articles in an outer box.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a box packing device that accommodates a plurality of articles in an outer box such as a corrugated cardboard case has been known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Such a conventional box packing device has an alignment conveyor for aligning a plurality of articles, and a pair of floor plates (also referred to as a damper plate and a shutter). The floor opening and closing device for driving the floor plates to open and close is aligned with the alignment conveyor. An extrusion plate for extruding a plurality of articles onto a floor plate, and a flat stopper plate arranged to face the extrusion plate with the articles sandwiched therebetween when the extrusion plate extrudes the articles and for stopping the articles on the floor plate And an elevating mechanism for raising the outer box to immediately below the floor plate, a pair of flat holding plates for holding a plurality of articles extruded on the floor plate by pressing them from both sides in the alignment direction, and extruding on the floor plate. And a pushing plate for pushing the plurality of articles into the exterior box from above when the floorboard is opened.

JP 2010-58848 A

  In the conventional box packing apparatus, in the alignment conveyor, a plurality of articles are arranged in the thickness direction, and at this time, the articles are arranged in a posture in which the vertical dimension in the height direction is longer than the horizontal dimension in the horizontal direction (width direction). May be done. In this case, when these articles are extruded by the extrusion plate and transported onto the floorboard, some of the articles may fall over and be pushed out onto the floorboard in the overturned state. If packing is performed in this state, poor packing or damage to articles will occur. In Patent Document 1, in the transfer path in which the articles are transferred from the alignment conveyor to a predetermined position on the floorboard by the extrusion plate, when the extrusion plate returns to the original position after extruding the article, the article is pulled back by the extrusion plate. Although a configuration for detecting the presence or absence of an article is described, it does not take into account the fall of the article when pushed out by an extrusion plate.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to prevent a plurality of aligned articles from being pushed out by an extrusion plate and being transported after being pushed out by an extrusion plate, thereby preventing poor packing and damage to the articles. It is an object of the present invention to provide a boxing device capable of performing the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, a box packing device according to an aspect of the present invention is configured such that a plurality of articles aligned at a predetermined alignment position are extruded by a pushing plate in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction to a predetermined target. A box packing apparatus that transfers the plurality of articles to a position, and stores the transferred plurality of articles in an outer box to produce a boxed article, wherein the article is transferred from the alignment position to the target position. A plurality of article detection sensors arranged side by side at intervals in the direction to detect the article being transported, and the plurality of article detection sensors being detected during the transfer of the plurality of articles by the pushing operation of the extrusion plate. A control device for determining the presence or absence of the overturned article based on the result, and interrupting the pushing operation of the pushing plate when it is determined that the overturned article is present; It is equipped with a.

  According to this configuration, during the transfer of the plurality of aligned articles, the presence or absence of the overturned article is determined based on the detection results of the plurality of article detection sensors. Interrupt the extrusion operation. After that, the operator restarts the operation after, for example, processing a fallen article during transfer, thereby preventing poor packing and damage to the article due to the fallen article.

  The articles are aligned in the alignment position in a posture in which a dimension in a height direction is larger than a dimension in a width direction, and the control device is arranged at an interval longer than a dimension in a width direction of the articles, and It may be configured to determine that there is an overturned article when an article is simultaneously detected by two article detection sensors arranged at an interval shorter than the dimension in the height direction of the article.

  The article detection sensor is provided with three or more, the articles are arranged in the alignment position in a posture in which a dimension in a height direction is larger than a dimension in a width direction, and the control device is configured such that A plurality of sensor groups preset to include two article detection sensors arranged at intervals longer than the width dimension of the article and arranged at intervals shorter than the height dimension of the article. May be configured to determine that there is an overturned article when articles are simultaneously detected by the two article detection sensors included in any one of the sensor groups.

  An operation device for performing an operation for setting a type of the boxed product, wherein the control device stores a plurality of the sensor groups in advance corresponding to each type of the boxed product, The apparatus may be configured to determine the presence or absence of the overturned article based on the detection results of the article detection sensors included in the plurality of sensor groups corresponding to the types previously set in the container.

  According to this configuration, when there is a change in the type of boxed product to be produced, the operator simply operates the operating device in advance to set the changed type, and the control device determines whether or not there is an overturned item. The sensor group used for making the determination can be changed to the sensor group corresponding to the type after the change. Therefore, it is excellent in convenience when the type of the boxed product is changed.

  The three or more provided article detection sensors are arranged at predetermined intervals, and based on a height dimension and a width direction dimension of the article and an arrangement interval of the article detection sensors, The article detection sensor included in the sensor group may be determined.

  The present invention provides a box packing apparatus having the above-described configuration and capable of preventing poor packing or damage to articles caused by an overturned article when a plurality of aligned articles are pushed out and transferred by an extrusion plate. This has the effect that it can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the box packing device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a transfer path and its vicinity for describing a state when a plurality of articles are extruded by an extrusion plate, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the transfer path and its vicinity. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a control system of the box packing device. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the box packing device.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment)
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the box packing device of the present embodiment.

  The box packing device 100 according to the present embodiment is a device that packs a plurality of articles W in which foods are packed or packed in a box in an outer box 110 in an aligned state. In this boxing apparatus 100, for convenience, front, rear, left and right are determined and described as shown in FIG. The upper and lower parts shown in FIG. 1 are true.

  The box packing device 100 is configured by aligning a plurality (predetermined number) of articles W sequentially supplied from the supply conveyor 200 and transporting the articles W to a predetermined alignment position T, and an extruding operation of an extrusion plate 70. An extruding device 7 that pushes a plurality of articles W from an alignment position T of an alignment conveyor 6 to an article placement position (target position) A on a pair of floor plates 11 in an aligned state, and a plurality of articles extruded to the article placement position A A stopper plate 17 in contact with an article group made of W; a pressing device 8 for pressing the article group extruded to the article mounting position A from a horizontal direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction; and a pair of articles on which the article group is mounted. A floor opening / closing device 10 for opening and closing the floor plate 11, a pushing device 9 for pushing a group of articles into the exterior box 110, an exterior box arrangement device 20 for placing the exterior box 110 below the floor plate 11, A plurality of article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 for article detection, a control device 30 for controlling the operation of the box packing apparatus 100, an operation display 50, and a frame supporting each component of the box packing apparatus 100 at a predetermined position. And 1.

[Configuration of supply conveyor]
The supply conveyor 200 is constituted by, for example, a belt conveyor. When a plurality of articles W are sequentially supplied from a preceding device (not shown) such as a packaging machine, the articles W are conveyed and supplied to the alignment conveyor 6.

[Configuration of alignment conveyor]
The alignment conveyor 6 is for aligning a plurality of articles W in a row in an upright state, and includes an endless track 60 that conveys the plurality of articles W in one direction (a direction from left to right in FIG. 1); It has a plurality of fins (partition plates) 61 provided on the transport surface 60a of the track at intervals in the transport direction. A plurality of accommodation portions 62 capable of accommodating the article W are formed in a row on the endless track 60 between the fins 61 by the plurality of fins 61.

  The endless track 60 has four annular belts supported by a pair of sprockets 63. The four annular belts are divided into two to form a first belt group 64 and a second belt group 65. Each of the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65 is provided with a plurality of fins 61. The first belt group 64 is configured to be driven to rotate by one sprocket 63, and the second belt group 65 is configured to be driven to rotate by the other sprocket 63. Each of the pair of sprockets 63 is driven by a separate motor. Thereby, the first belt group 64 and the second belt group 65 can be circulated and driven independently of each other, and the operation of one of the belt groups receiving the article W into the storage portion 62 at the article taking-in position S while repeating the temporary stop. And the operation of maintaining the state in which the other belt group stops the article W in the storage section 62 at the alignment position T can be performed at the same time.

  On the upstream side of the alignment conveyor 6, an article take-in detection device 69 including a photoelectric sensor or the like for detecting the article W transferred to the article take-up position S is provided. The alignment conveyor 6 sequentially receives the articles W transferred from the supply conveyor 200 at the article taking-in position S, changes the posture of these articles W from the lying posture to the upright posture, and aligns them in a line, and moves to the arrangement position T. Transport.

[Configuration of extrusion device]
The extrusion device 7 includes a flat extrusion plate 70 in which a plurality of slits 71 are formed. The extruding plate 70 is guided by a rail member (not shown) by a driving force of a driving device (not shown), and a retreat position located along one side of the alignment conveyor 6, It is configured to advance and retreat in a horizontal direction between a predetermined advance position on the other side. The plurality of slits 71 extend vertically from the lower end to the upper end of the extrusion plate 70 so that the extrusion plate 70 does not come into contact with the plurality of fins 61 located at the alignment position T when the extrusion plate 70 moves from the retracted position to the advanced position (extrusion operation). It is formed to extend in the direction.

  When the push-out plate 70 advances from the retreat position (the position shown in the drawing) to the advance position (moves in the x direction) and advances to the advance position, the plurality of articles W arranged on the alignment conveyor 6 move through the transfer path 75. It is pushed out to the article placement position A through it. The transfer path 75 is formed by the transition plate 73 and the closed floor plate 11. A pair of guide plates 74 are provided on both sides of the transfer path 75 in order to prevent the plurality of articles W extruded by the extrusion plate 70 from being scattered.

  Therefore, the plurality of articles W stored in the series of storage portions 62 located at the alignment position T are moved by the extrusion plate 70 in the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 6 (the alignment direction of the plurality of articles W on the alignment conveyor 6). It is pushed and moved in the horizontal direction (x direction) perpendicular to the direction, and it becomes a group of articles aligned in the same direction as the conveying direction of the alignment conveyor 6, and is placed at the article placement position A set on the closed floor plate 11. Is done.

[Structure of stopper plate]
The stopper plate 17 is a plate-like body extending in a direction parallel to the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 6, and is provided fixed to the frame body 1 so as to face the extrusion plate 70 located at the advance position. Therefore, the article W pushed out to the article placement position A by the pushing plate 70 comes into contact with the stopper plate 17 and stops on the closed floor plate 11.

[Configuration of clamping device]
The clamping device 8 includes a pair of holding plates 80. The pair of holding plates 80 are arranged above the pair of floor plates 11 and on an extension of the pair of guide plates 74. That is, the pair of holding plates 80 are provided to face each other in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction x of the extrusion plate 70. The pair of holding plates 80 extend to the vicinity of the stopper plate 17.

  When a plurality of articles W are extruded by the extrusion plate 70, a region defined by the extrusion plate 70, the stopper plate 17, and the pair of holding plates 80 is formed on the floor plate 11. This area constitutes the article placement position A. Then, the article group pushed out in the x direction by the pushing plate 70 comes into contact with the stopper plate 17 and is placed on the article placing position A in a state where the pair of holding plates 80 are aligned in the direction Y facing each other.

  A shaft 81 extending in the horizontal direction is provided on the back surface of each holding plate 80. Each shaft body 81 is configured such that a pair of holding plates 80 move forward and backward in a direction toward and away from each other by a driving device (not shown). When the pair of holding plates 80 advance toward each other, the article group located at the article mounting position A is pressed between the pair of holding plates 80 from the alignment direction Y, and the articles W are brought into close contact with each other. Can be.

[Configuration of floor opening and closing device]
The floor opening / closing device 10 includes a pair of floor boards 11 that are disposed on the side of the alignment conveyor 6 and extend in the horizontal direction. The pair of floorboards 11 are supported by a plurality of rollers arranged on the frame body 1 at their edges, and are configured to be able to advance and retreat so that their opposing end surfaces contact and separate from each other. The pair of floor plates 11 are configured to be opened and closed by the driving force of a driving device (not shown). When the pair of floor plates 11 are driven backward, the end surfaces thereof are separated from each other, and an opening is formed immediately below the article placement position A (the floor plate 11 is opened).

[Configuration of pushing device]
The pushing device 9 has a shaft body 90 extending in the vertical direction, and a pushing member 91 having a lower end of the shaft body 90 joined to an upper surface thereof. The shaft body 90 is supported by the frame body 1 so as to be able to move up and down. The shaft body 90 is configured to move up and down in the vertical direction by the driving force of a driving device (not shown) together with the pushing member 91. The pushing device 9 pushes down the upper surface of the article group at the article placement position A by lowering the pushing member 91 to cause the article group to escape downward from between the pair of holding plates 80 and open the pair of opened articles. Can be pushed into the exterior box 110 located at the boxing position P below the floor board 11 through the opening between the floor boards 11.

  Further, in this example, a suction port for sucking the upper surface of the article group is provided on the lower surface of the pushing member 91, and the pushing member 91 also functions as a suction tool for sucking the upper surface of the article group, By descending to a predetermined position while holding the upper surface of the article group by suction, the article group can be pushed into the outer box 110.

[Configuration of outer box placement device]
The outer box placement device 20 includes an outer box transport conveyor 22 that horizontally transports the outer box 110 and an outer box elevating device 21.

  The outer box transport conveyor 22 is a drive roller conveyor provided with a number of drive rollers 22a, and the outer box 110 is transported in the y direction by the drive rollers 22a.

  The outer box lifting device 21 includes a pedestal 24 on which the outer box 110 is placed. The pedestal 24 includes a plurality of bars 24a that can be buried in gaps between the drive rollers 22a, and a connecting member 24b that connects the bars 24a. The pedestal 24 is supported by a known elevating device (not shown) and is configured to be able to perform an elevating operation. That is, the pedestal 24 moves up and down between a predetermined lowering position where the bar 24a is buried in the gap between the drive rollers 22a and a predetermined raising position. The exterior box 110 on the pedestal 24 is configured to be at a predetermined boxing position P when the pedestal 24 is at a predetermined raised position.

  The pedestal 24 is provided with a stopping device 23 composed of an air cylinder or the like. The stopping device 23 includes a rod 23a that can be moved forward and backward. When the pedestal 24 is in the lowered position, the rod 23a is advanced to move the outer box 110 conveyed by the outer box conveyor 22 to the article mounting position. It can be stopped at the box stop position U below A, and the outer box 110 can be transported downstream from the box stop position U by retracting the rod 23a. Further, a box detection device 25 including a photoelectric sensor or the like is attached to the pedestal 24.

[Configuration of detecting fallen articles on transfer path]
FIG. 2A is a plan view of a transfer path 75 and the vicinity thereof for explaining a state when a plurality of articles W are extruded by the extrusion plate 70, and FIG. It is a side view of the vicinity. In FIG. 1, the respective guide plates 74 and the holding plates 80 are illustrated as complete flat plates, whereas in FIG. 2A, the pair of guide plates 74 and the pair of holding plates 80 are aligned. Although the end on the 6th side is illustrated as expanding outward, such a shape may be adopted. 2B, the guide plate 74 and the holding plate 80 are not shown, but the lower ends of the guide plate 74 and the holding plate 80 are positioned higher than the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4. ing.

  As described above, the transfer path 75 includes the crossing plate 73 and the pair of floor plates 11. In the transfer path 75, a plurality of article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 are provided at a predetermined pitch (predetermined interval) Q in the transfer direction (x direction) of the article W in order to detect a fall of the article W extruded by the extrusion plate 70. Are located. This pitch Q is an arrangement interval of the plurality of article detection sensors PH1 to PH4, and is also an interval of detection in the transport direction of the article W.

  Each of the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 includes, for example, a photoelectric sensor, includes a light emitter and a light receiver, and faces the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 with the transfer path 75 interposed therebetween. To R4 (here, a retroreflective sensor is exemplified). The light emitted from the projector of each of the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 passes through the gap between the lower end of the guide plate 74 or the holding plate 80 and the surface of the transition plate 73 or the floor plate 11, and is reflected by the reflectors R1 to R4. The reflected light is detected by the light receiver. Therefore, if there is an article between each of the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 and the reflectors R1 to R4, the article is detected by being shielded from light and no reflected light is detected by the light receiver. Each of the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 outputs an article detection signal to the control device 30 when detecting an article. Note that, as the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4, transmission type sensors in which a light emitter and a light receiver are separated and opposed to each other may be used. Further, the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 are not limited to photoelectric sensors, and may be configured by other sensors (for example, a laser sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like).

  2 (A) and 2 (B), the article W1 shows the article W in a state of being pushed out by the extrusion plate 70 and being transferred onto the crossover plate 73, and the article W2 has a predetermined article placement position A. 5 shows the article W in the state when.

  A plurality of articles W are arranged on the alignment conveyor 6 between the fins 61 so as to be arranged in the thickness direction of the articles W. At this time, in this embodiment, the plurality of articles W are configured to be aligned in a posture in which the vertical dimension (height dimension) L in the height direction is larger than the horizontal dimension (width dimension) D in the width direction. The articles W are extruded from the alignment conveyor 6 by the extrusion plate 70 and transferred to the article placement position A on the floor plate 11.

  During this transfer, an article W may fall over like an article W3 shown in FIG. 2B due to frictional resistance between the crossing plate 73 and the floor plate 11, or the like. In this case, when the fallen article W3 becomes the article W4 at the position to which the article W3 is slightly transferred, the article W (W4) is detected by the two adjacent article detection sensors PH2 and PH3. Therefore, in the illustrated example, the control device 30 is configured to detect a fall of the article W based on, for example, article detection signals from the two article detection sensors PH2 and PH3.

  The method of detecting a fall of an article by the control device 30 will be described in detail below.

  As described above, the articles W are aligned on the alignment conveyor 6 such that the width dimension D and the height dimension L satisfy a relation of D <L. In this example, three or more article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 are arranged at equal intervals, and the arrangement interval (sensor arrangement pitch) is Q.

  The type of the article W contained in the outer box 110 is determined according to the type of the boxed product to be produced, and the width dimension D and the height dimension L of the article W may be different depending on the type of the article W. In the present embodiment, the detection condition of the overturned article (the determination condition of the presence or absence of the overturned article) is changed according to the type of the boxed product. In the following, conditions for the control device 30 to determine that there is a fallen article are shown for some types of products, but it is assumed that there is no fallover article unless this condition is satisfied.

(In the case of the first type of boxed product: the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B)
In the article W of the first kind, there is a relation of D <Q <L between the width dimension D and the height dimension L and the sensor arrangement pitch Q. In this case, it is determined that there is an overturned article on the condition that articles are simultaneously detected by two article detection sensors of any of the following sensor groups (1) to (3).

(1) Sensor group of PH1 and PH2 (2) Sensor group of PH2 and PH3 (3) Sensor group of PH3 and PH4 (In case of boxed goods of the second kind)
In the article W of the second type, there is a relationship of D <Q, 2Q <L <3Q between the width dimension D and the height dimension L and the sensor arrangement pitch Q. In this case, it is determined that there is an overturned article on the condition that articles are simultaneously detected by two article detection sensors of any of the following sensor groups (1) to (5).

(1) Sensor group of PH1 and PH2 (2) Sensor group of PH2 and PH3 (3) Sensor group of PH3 and PH4 (4) Sensor group of PH1 and PH3 (5) Sensor group of PH2 and PH4 For boxed goods)
In the article W of the third kind, there is a relationship of D <Q, 3Q <L <4Q between the width dimension D and the height dimension L and the sensor arrangement pitch Q. In this case, it is determined that there is an overturned article on the condition that articles are simultaneously detected by two article detection sensors of any of the following sensor groups (1) to (6).

(1) Sensor group of PH1 and PH2 (2) Sensor group of PH2 and PH3 (3) Sensor group of PH3 and PH4 (4) Sensor group of PH1 and PH3 (5) Sensor group of PH2 and PH4 (6) PH1 PH4 sensor group (in case of boxed goods of 4th kind)
In the article W of the fourth kind, there is a relationship of Q <D <2Q and 2Q <L <3Q between the width dimension D and the height dimension L and the sensor arrangement pitch Q. In this case, it is determined that there is an overturned article on the condition that articles are simultaneously detected by two article detection sensors in any of the following sensor groups (4) and (5).

(4) Sensor group of PH1 and PH3 (5) Sensor group of PH2 and PH4 (In the case of boxed goods of the fifth type)
In the fifth type of article W, the relationship of Q <D <2Q and 3Q <L <4Q exists between the width dimension D and the height dimension L and the sensor arrangement pitch Q. In this case, it is determined that there is an overturned article on the condition that articles are simultaneously detected by two article detection sensors of any of the following sensor groups (4) to (6).

(4) Sensor group of PH1 and PH3 (5) Sensor group of PH2 and PH4 (6) Sensor group of PH1 and PH4 (In the case of boxed goods of the sixth type)
In the sixth type of article W, there is a relationship of 2Q <D <3Q and 3Q <L <4Q between the width dimension D and the height dimension L and the sensor arrangement pitch Q. In this case, it is determined that there is an overturned article on condition that the article is simultaneously detected by the following two article detection sensors (6).

(6) Sensor group of PH1 and PH4 In the above, the sensor group of (4) is a group including three sensors of PH1, PH2, and PH3, and when an article is simultaneously detected by these three sensors. Alternatively, it may be determined that there is an overturned article. Similarly, the sensor group of (5) is a group including three sensors PH2, PH3, and PH4. When an article is detected by these three sensors at the same time, it is determined that there is an overturned article. You may. The sensor group of (6) is a group including four sensors PH1, PH2, PH3, and PH4, and when an article is detected by these four sensors at the same time, it is determined that there is an overturned article. It may be.

  That is, each sensor group is set to include two article detection sensors arranged at intervals longer than the width dimension D of the article W and shorter than the height dimension L of the article W. When an article is simultaneously detected by the two article detection sensors included in one of the sensor groups, it is determined that there is an overturned article. In the case of the sixth type of article, in the above example, there is only one sensor group.

  Further, in the present example, the configuration is provided with four article detection sensors, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration with three article detection sensors. For example, if three sensors of PH1, PH2, and PH3 are provided, the sensor groups (1), (2), and (4) can be set, and the sensor groups corresponding to the first to fifth types described above can be set. can do. Therefore, by providing three or more article detection sensors, it is easy to handle a plurality of types.

  In the case where only one type of boxed product is to be produced, two products arranged at intervals longer than the width dimension D of the article W and arranged at intervals shorter than the height dimension L of the article W It is also possible to provide only an article detection sensor, and to determine that there is an overturned article when an article is simultaneously detected by the two article detection sensors. For example, when producing only the above-mentioned first type of boxed product, for example, a configuration including only two article detection sensors PH3 and PH4 may be employed. In the case of producing only the above-mentioned sixth type of boxed product, it is also possible to adopt a configuration including only two article detection sensors PH1 and PH4.

[Control system configuration]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a control system of the box packing device 100.

  The control device 30 includes, for example, a control unit 31 having an arithmetic unit such as a CPU, and a storage unit 32 having a memory such as a ROM and a RAM. The article detection signal output from the article take-in detection device 69, the article detection signals output from the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4 for detecting a fallen article, and the box detection signal output from the box detection apparatus 25 are controlled by the control unit 31. Is input to Predetermined control programs are stored in the storage unit 32, and the control unit 31 reads and executes these control programs, so that the alignment conveyor 6, the extruding device 7, the clamping device 8, the pushing device 9, the floor opening / closing device The operation of each of the device 10, the outer box arrangement device 20, and the operation display 50 is controlled. That is, the control device 30 controls the operation of the entire boxing device 100. In addition, the control device 30 may be configured by a single control device that performs centralized control, or may be configured by a plurality of control devices that perform distributed control in cooperation with each other.

  The operation display unit 50 is configured using, for example, a touch panel display or the like, and includes an operation unit for performing operations such as starting and stopping the operation of the box packing device and setting the operation parameters thereof, and a setting information and the like of the box packing device. And a display for displaying on a display screen).

  The control device 30 inputs a signal from the operation display 50 and outputs a signal such as data to be displayed on the operation display 50.

  The operator can operate the operation display 50 to set the type of the boxed product to be produced. The product type set here is stored in the storage unit 32 in the control device 30. In addition, the storage unit 32 previously stores information on a sensor group for detecting a fallen article (for example, the sensor group in the case of the above-described first to sixth types) according to each of a plurality of types.

[Operation of box packing device]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the box packing device 100. This operation is realized by the processing of the control device 30.

  The operator operates the operation display 50 before starting the operation of the box packing apparatus 100 to set the type of the boxed product to be produced. This setting is performed by, for example, displaying a plurality of product types or product numbers that can be produced on the screen of the operation display 50 by operating the operation display 50, and selecting and operating one of them. Can be. In the case where the box packing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that only produces a single type of boxed product, the setting of the type is unnecessary.

  Then, when the operation is started, in step S1, the control device 30 controls the alignment conveyor 6 to align a predetermined number of articles W sequentially supplied from the supply conveyor 200 at the alignment position T.

  Next, in step S2, the control device 30 controls the pushing device 7 to move the pushing plate 70 from the retracted position to the advanced position, thereby pushing the articles W aligned at the aligned position T onto the floor plate 11. . As a result, an article group including a plurality of articles W is placed in the article placement position A in an aligned state, and each article W has both ends in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction Y by the extrusion plate 70 and the stopper plate 17. It will be in a state of uniformity.

  Next, in step S3, the control device 30 controls the clamping device 8 to cause the pair of holding plates 80 to advance in directions approaching each other. As a result, the article group is clamped in the alignment direction Y, and the articles W can be brought into close contact with each other.

  Next, in step S4, the control device 30 controls the pushing device 9 to lower the pushing member 91 having the suction function so as to come into contact with the upper surface of the squeezed article group. Adsorb. Thereby, the article group is held by the pushing member 91.

  Next, in step S5, the control device 30 controls the floor opening / closing device 10 to drive the pair of floor plates 11 backward to open the floor plates 11. As a result, an opening is formed immediately below the article group located at the article placement position A.

  On the other hand, when the operation is started, the control device 30 causes the outer box transfer conveyor 22 to start the transfer operation, and performs the outer box arrangement processing in step S6 in parallel with the above processing. In the outer box arrangement process, the rod 23a of the restraining device 23 is set in the advance position, and the outer box 110 carried in by the outer box transport conveyor 22 is stopped at the box stop position U. Then, upon input of the box detection signal from the box detection device 25, the control device 30 raises the pedestal 24 and positions the exterior box 110 at the box stop position U at the box packing position P. The outer box that is next transported to the box stop position U by the outer box transport conveyor 22 is stopped at a position upstream of the box stop position U by a restraining device (not shown).

  Then, after the floor plate 11 is opened in the above-described step S5, in step S7, the control device 30 controls the pushing device 9 to lower the pushing member 91 that is adsorbing the article group, thereby packing the boxes. The group of articles is pushed into the outer box 110 at the position P. At this time, the articles W at both ends of the article group slide through the surface of the holding plate 80.

  Next, in step S8, the control device 30 returns the pushing device 7, the pinching device 8, the pushing device 9, the floor opening / closing device 10 and the like to the original state. For example, the extruding plate 70 is returned to the retracted position, and the holding plate 80 is retracted and returned to the original position. Further, after stopping the suction function of the pushing member 91 of the pushing device 9, the pushing member 91 is raised to above the position where the article group is formed. After the pushing member 91 is raised, the floor plate 11 is closed.

  In parallel with the return processing in step S8, the control device 30 performs the unloading processing in step S9. In this step S9, after the pedestal 24 is lowered to position the exterior box 110 containing the article group at the box stop position U, the rod 23a of the stopping device 23 is retracted from the transport path, and the outer box transport conveyor 22 is closed. The outer box 110 is carried out of the box packing apparatus 100 by the transport operation. Then, the stopping operation of a stopping device (not shown) at a position upstream of the box stop position U of the outer box transport conveyor 22 is released, and the next outer box is transported to the box stop position U.

  By the above boxing operation, a boxed product in which a plurality of articles W are stored in the outer box 110 is produced. Then, the same packing operation as described above is sequentially repeated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, during the extrusion process in step S2 (during transfer of a plurality of articles W by the extrusion operation of the extrusion plate 70), the control device 30 determines the type set by operating the operation display 50. Based on the output signals (detection results) of the article detection sensors (PH1 to PH4) included in the corresponding fallen article detection sensor group, it is determined whether there is an article (overturned article) that has fallen on the transfer path 75. Then, when it is determined that there is a fallen article, the pushing operation of the pushing plate 70 is immediately interrupted (temporarily stopped) to temporarily stop the operation of the box packing apparatus 100, and a fall article detection signal is sent to the operation display 50. Output. The operation display 50 is configured to, when a fallover article detection signal is input, display the fact on the display and notify the worker by generating an alarm sound or the like. Thereafter, the operator operates the restart switch provided on the operation display 50 after performing the processing of the fallen article on the transfer path 75 (for example, returning the fallen article to a normal posture), and the like. The operation of the box packing device 100 can be restarted.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, during the transfer of the plurality of articles W by the pushing operation of the pushing plate 70, the presence or absence of the fallen article is determined based on the detection results of the article detection sensors PH1 to PH4, and the fallen article is determined. When it is determined that there is, the pushing operation of the pushing plate 70 is stopped. Thereafter, after the worker processes the overturned article and restarts the operation, it is possible to prevent a poor packing and damage to the article due to the overturned article.

  In this embodiment, when there is a change in the type of boxed product to be produced, the operator simply operates the operation display 50 in advance to set the changed type, and the control device 30 falls down. The sensor group used to determine the presence or absence of an article can be changed to a sensor group corresponding to the type after the change. Therefore, it is excellent in convenience when the type of the boxed product is changed.

  The change of the sensor group is configured such that an operator or the like selects (selects and operates) the article detection sensor included in each sensor group corresponding to the type after the change using the operation display 50. Is also good.

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

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful as a box packing device or the like that can prevent poor packing or damage to articles caused by an overturned article when a plurality of aligned articles are pushed out and transported by an extrusion plate.

T Alignment position A Article placement position (target position)
PH1 to PH4 Article detection sensor 30 Operation display 50 Control device 70 Extrusion plate

Claims (5)

The plurality of articles aligned at a predetermined alignment position are transferred to a predetermined target position by extruding the plurality of articles with a push plate in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction, and the transferred plurality of articles are packaged. A box packing device that is housed in a box to produce a boxed product,
A plurality of article detection sensors that are arranged side by side in the transfer direction of the articles to be transferred from the alignment position to the target position and detect the articles during transfer,
During the transfer of the plurality of articles by the pushing operation of the pushing plate, the presence or absence of the overturned article is determined based on the detection results of the plurality of article detection sensors, and when it is determined that the overturned article is present, A control device for interrupting the extrusion operation of the extrusion plate,
Boxing device with. In the alignment position, the articles are aligned in a posture in which a dimension in the height direction is larger than a dimension in the width direction,
The control device includes:
When an article is arranged at an interval longer than the dimension in the width direction of the article, and an article is simultaneously detected by the two article detection sensors arranged at an interval shorter than the dimension in the height direction of the article. , Configured to determine that there is an overturned article,
The box packing device according to claim 1. The article detection sensor is provided with three or more,
In the alignment position, the articles are aligned in a posture in which a dimension in the height direction is larger than a dimension in the width direction,
The control device includes:
Each of the plurality of article detection sensors is arranged at an interval longer than the width dimension of the article, and is set in advance to include two article detection sensors arranged at an interval shorter than the height dimension of the article. When an article is simultaneously detected by the two article detection sensors included in any one of the sensor groups of a plurality of sensor groups, the apparatus is configured to determine that there is the overturned article.
The box packing device according to claim 1. An operation device for performing an operation for setting a type of the boxed product is further provided,
The control device includes:
A plurality of the sensor groups are stored in advance for each type of the boxed product, and the detection results of the article detection sensors included in the plurality of sensor groups corresponding to the type set in advance by the operating device It is configured to determine the presence or absence of the fallen article based on the
The box packing device according to claim 3. The three or more article detection sensors are arranged at predetermined intervals,
The article detection sensors included in each of the sensor groups are determined based on the height dimension and the width dimension of the article, and the arrangement interval of the article detection sensors.
The box packing device according to claim 3.

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