JP2020152430A - Article supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article supply device capable of performing good boxing processing of an article even when high speed processing is required.SOLUTION: A half box preparing carton tray 10 formed from a sheet is delivered to a support body 41 provided on a carton conveyor 27 in a posture in which a storing port 10a on a side facing an inner surface of a bottom panel 11 is in a front and a first side surface panel 13 is in a lower side, at the same time, the first side surface panel 13 is supported by a support member 42 so as to be inclined obliquely upward toward the storing port 10a. The carton tray 10 supported by the support body 41 and the support member 42 stacks an article W held by a robot hand 25a of a picking robot 25 on the first side surface panel 13 in the carton tray 10 with an upper second glued flap and a second side surface panel 14 spread outward and open forward and upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an article supply device that supplies articles from a sheet to a molded carton.

A device for accommodating a plurality of articles in an upright posture in a box is known from Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 arranges a plurality of articles in an upright posture in advance, holds the plurality of articles from the left and right by a robot, and conveys the articles in a box in which the openings are directed upward. Is inserted straight from above toward the bottom of the box, so that a plurality of articles can be housed in the box at once.
Further, the device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is configured to hold a plurality of packed products one by one by a robot and repeatedly push them straight from the opening to the bottom of the box to accommodate a plurality of packed products in the box. Will be done.

Japanese Patent No. 2917120 Japanese Patent No. 5071634

In the case of an article made of a bag-filled product manufactured by a bag-making filling machine or the like, in the case of a bag-packed product using a bag having a gusset or the like formed on the bottom, the bottom of the bag is a folded part of the film due to the gusset on the structure of the bag. In addition to the thickness of the film on the side, the contents in the bag are unevenly filled in the bottom of the bag. For this reason, when such bagged articles are stacked on top of each other, the thicknesses of the upper part and the lower part of the assembled article are different. For this reason, articles such as the device of Patent Document 1 that cannot maintain the collective posture due to the difference in the thickness of the individual articles when the articles collected as an aggregate are grasped by the robot and stored in the box are good. Difficult to pack in a box. In particular, when high-speed processing is required, it is stable because the aggregated state cannot be maintained or the overlapping posture of individual articles is disturbed until a bundle of multiple articles is grabbed and stored in the box. Problems such as the inability to pack boxes are pointed out. Further, in the devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since the article is pushed linearly from the mouth of the box toward the bottom of the box, the article is accommodated in the box by the limited opening of the box. Not only is it unsuitable for high-speed processing because the delivery route for this is restricted, but it is also pointed out that there are problems such as the articles shifting from each other during storage and interfering with the box.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article supply device capable of performing good boxing processing of articles even when high-speed processing is required.

The article supply device of the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
The first side panel (13) and the second side panel (14) are connected to one opposite side of the quadrangular bottom panel (11), and the third side surface is connected to the other opposite side of the bottom panel (11). The panel (16) and the fourth side panel (17) are connected in series, and the first side panel (13) and the second side panel (13) and the second side panel (17) are provided with respect to the third side panel (16) and the fourth side panel (17). The sheet (20) to which the glued flaps (16a, 16b, 17a, 17b) to which 14) is attached is bent and formed, and the first side panel (13) is formed by bending the glued flaps (16a, 17a). The second side panel (14), which is attached to the third side panel (16) and the fourth side panel (17) by () and bent from one side of the bottom panel (11), is attached to the glue flap ( 16b, 17b) and a molding means (21) for molding a semi-box carton without sticking to the third side panel (16) and the fourth side panel (17).
The carton (10) with the front opening (10a), which is the article supply side facing the front of the bottom panel (11) arranged rearward and the first side panel (13) arranged downward, facing diagonally upward. A carton support means (22) including a support portion (42) for supporting the third side panel (16) and a support portion (41b) for supporting the third side panel (16) and the fourth side panel (17) from the outside.
The second side panel (14) of the carton (10) supported by the carton supporting means (22) is expanded outward so that the upper part of the carton (10) opens. ) Is tilted backward to support the support member (24),
An article (13) supported by the carton support means (22) and the support member (24) and held on the first side panel (13) of the carton (10) which is open and inclined forward and upward. It is characterized by having a robot hand (25a) whose operation is controlled so that W) are sequentially stacked and housed in the carton (10).
According to the invention of claim 1, since the article held by the robot hand is housed in the semi-box-making carton that is supported and opens forward and upward, the transfer locus of the article by the robot hand is allowed. The range can be set in a wide range. As a result, the transfer locus of the article can be set short without the article interfering with the carton at the time of supply, so that high-speed processing can be supported. Since the articles for a plurality of stages are not collectively stored in the carton, the articles can be packed in the carton so that the articles are not separated when they are stored and are arranged in an orderly manner.

In the invention according to claim 2, when the articles (W) are sequentially stacked on the first side panel (13), the article (W) held by the robot hand (25a) is held by the first side panel (13). By controlling the operation of the robot hand (25a) so as to approach the bottom panel (11) while descending toward, the article (W) opens the front and upper openings (10a, 10b) from outside the box. It is characterized in that it descends diagonally inward and passes through.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the article is lowered toward the first side panel and brought closer to the bottom panel, a short transfer trajectory is followed when the article picked by the robot hand is housed in the carton. The transfer time can be set short, and a high-speed and stable supply of goods can be achieved.

In the invention according to claim 3, the supply conveyor (26) for transporting the article (W) and
A support in which the first side panel (13) is located below, the third side panel (16) and the fourth side panel (17) are supported from the outside, and the carton (10) is conveyed at predetermined intervals. A carton conveyor (27) having a part (41b) is provided.
The article (W) being conveyed by the supply conveyor (26) is individually picked up by the robot hand (25a), and the first side panel (13) of the carton (10) conveyed by the carton conveyor (27). It is characterized in that it is configured to stack articles (W).
According to the invention of claim 3, since the articles transported by the supply conveyor are housed in the carton one by one and assembled in the carton, it is not necessary to separately install an article collecting device or the like. , With a simple structure and high versatility. In addition, it can be stored as an aggregate in a carton without disturbing the posture of each item. That is, since the aggregated articles are not collectively supplied into the carton, when the aggregated articles are supplied into the carton, the postures of the assembled articles are prevented from being disturbed or misaligned, such as the individual articles being separated. Can achieve good boxing.

In the invention according to claim 4, the receiving station (S1) for receiving the carton (10) is supplied to the support portion (41b), and the article (W) is supplied to the carton (10) supported by the support portion (41b). Each processing station including the article supply station (S3) and the take-out station (S6) for taking out the carton (10) containing the article (W) from the support portion (41b) is conveyed by the carton conveyor (28). Arrange in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction,
The carton conveyor (27) is intermittent so as to perform processing at each processing station (S1, S3, S6) while the transportation of the carton (10) supported by the support portion (41b) is stopped at each processing station. The carton (10) is configured to be transported in the direction opposite to the transport direction of the supply conveyor (26).
The articles (W) transported by the supply conveyor (26) are individually picked up by the robot hand (25a) and sequentially stacked in the carton (10) whose transfer is stopped at the article supply station (S3). It is characterized by having done it.
According to the invention of claim 4, while the transportation of the carton is stopped, the goods can be supplied to the carton and various treatments to the carton can be performed, so that the goods can be stably and well assembled when the transportation of the carton is stopped. It can be put into a state and housed in a carton. Further, since the transport directions of the supply conveyor and the carton conveyor are reversed, it is possible to pack a plurality of articles into the carton with high efficiency.

In the invention according to claim 5, while the carton (10) transported by the carton conveyor (27) is transported from the article supply station (S3) to the take-out station (S6), the third side panel. The unattached glued flaps (16b, 17b) connected to the (16) and the fourth side panel (17) and the folding means (29) for bending the second side panel (14) inward were bent. It is characterized in that a sticking means (30) for sticking the glued flaps (16b, 17b) to the second side surface panel (14) is provided.
According to the invention of claim 5, while the carton is transported to the take-out station, the carton can be finished and taken out, and high-efficiency and good box-making can be performed.

In the invention according to claim 6, the article (W) is a bag-packed product (W) in which the thickness of the bottom portion is increased with respect to the upper portion of the bag (19) and swells.
The robot hand (25a) picks up the bagged product (W), which is conveyed side by side in a fixed direction on the supply conveyor (26), and stores the bagged product (W) in the carton (10) in a lying position. The bagged product (W) is horizontally swirled so that the bottoms of the bags are staggered so that the bag orientation is changed according to the number of stacked bags and the bags are stacked.
According to the invention of claim 6, when a plurality of bagged products are stored, the bagged products are stored in the carton in a laminated state by alternately stacking the bulging bottoms, so that the volume is reduced and the inside of the carton is reduced. It is possible to properly secure the storage capacity of the bagged products. In addition, since the bag-packed products are stacked in the carton in a lying position, even the bag-packed products with weak shape retention can be accommodated as a neatly arranged aggregate product without disturbing the individual postures. Therefore, even if the carton made by sticking the second side panel and the glue flap is placed in a posture in which the opening is upward, it is possible to suppress the state of gathering of the articles in the carton from being disturbed.

According to the present invention, since a plurality of stages of articles are not stacked and supplied into the carton, when the articles are stored, the postures of the articles that are gathered in a vertically overlapping relationship at the time of storage are prevented from being disturbed and arranged. It can be packed in a box as an aggregate in a fresh state.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the whole structure of the article supply apparatus. It is a schematic side view which shows the main part of the article supply apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the carton conveyor, (a) shows the relationship between a traveling endless chain and a support, and (b) shows the relationship between a carton and a support member and a support member. It is a schematic side view which shows the relationship between a carton and a habituation means in an opening station. It is a schematic front view which shows the habituation means. It is a schematic side view which shows the relationship between a carton and a picking robot in an article supply station. It is a schematic front view which shows the relationship between a carton and a bending means in a flap bending station. It is a schematic side view which shows the relationship between a carton and a second gluing means. It is a schematic side view which shows the relationship between a carton and a sticking means in a sticking station. It is a schematic plan view of the main part in a state where the sticking means is positioned at the sticking position. It is a schematic side view of the main part which shows the state which the 2nd side panel and the 2nd glue flap are stuck by the sticking means. It is a schematic side view which shows the relationship between a carton and a 2nd transfer robot in a take-out station. (a) is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an article is housed in a semi-boxed carton and an orientation of the article housed in the carton, and (b) is a state in which the boxed carton is transported. It is explanatory drawing which shows.

Next, a preferred embodiment of the article supply device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As illustrated in FIG. 13B, the carton 10 handled by the article supply device according to the embodiment is a box-shaped carton tray 10 developed in a sheet shape, and the sheet 20 is a box-shaped product. The first side panel 13 and the second side panel 14 are connected to each other on one opposite side of the bottom panel 11 having a quadrangular shape with the first fold rules 12 and 12 as boundaries, and on the other opposite side of the bottom panel 11. The three side panels 16 and the fourth side panel 17 are connected to each other with the second fold rules 15 and 15 as boundaries, and the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 have a pair of glue flaps 16a and 16b, respectively. 17a and 17b are connected to each other with the third folding rule 18 and 18 as boundaries. Then, the side panels 13, 14, 16, 17 are bent at the respective folding lines 12, 15, 18 of the sheet 20, and the first side panel 13 and the second side panel 14 are attached to the glued flaps 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b. By doing so, a small box made of a carton tray in which the top side of the bottom panel 11 opens is constructed. Further, the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 refer to the downstream side as the third side panel 16 and the upstream side as the fourth side panel 17 in relation to the transport direction in the carton conveyor 27 described later. Is designated as. Regarding the glued flaps 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b that are connected to the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17, the ones that are attached to the first side surface panel 13 are referred to as the first glued flaps 16a, 17a. Those that are designated and attached to the second side surface panel 14 are designated as the second glued flaps 16b and 17b. Further, in the present embodiment, the article W is supplied to the carton tray 10 in a semi-box-made state in which the side surface closed by the top side and the second side panel 14 is open, and the semi-box-made carton tray 10 is configured. In, the opening on the top side is referred to as the accommodating opening 10a, and the opening on the side surface closed by the second side surface panel 14 is referred to as the side opening 10b.

In the embodiment, as the article W, as shown in FIG. 13A, side seal portions 19b and 19b are formed so that the three sides around the bag 19 intersect the top seal portion 19a and both edges of the top seal portion 19a. , A gusset 19c is formed at the bottom of the bag, and the inside of the bag is filled with powder. The bag-packed product W manufactured by a bag-making filling machine or the like will be described. The form is not limited to this.

The carton in the article supply device according to the embodiment is the semi-box-making carton tray 10 shown in FIG. 13 (a), in which the first side panel 13 is attached to the first gluing flaps 16a and 17a, and the first 2 The side panel 14 is not attached to the second glued flaps 16b and 17b, and consists of a carton tray in which the storage port 10a and the side opening 10b are opened. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article supply device is a carton tray. The molding means 21 for bending and molding the 10 from the sheet 20, the carton supporting means 22 for diagonally supporting the semi-boxed carton tray 10, and the habit of expanding the unattached second glued flaps 16b and 17b to the outside. The means 23, a support member 24 that supports the second side panel 14 so as to expand outward, and a picking robot 25 that supplies the article W into the carton tray 10 of the semi-box making are provided. In the carton support means 22, the carton tray 10 has the first side panel 13 arranged downward and the storage port 10a located in the front, which is the article supply side facing the front of the bottom panel 11 arranged in the rear, facing diagonally upward. It is provided with a support portion (first support portion) 42 for supporting the third side panel 16 and a support portion (second support portion) 41b for supporting the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 from the outside. Further, the picking robot 25 is supported by the carton supporting means 22 and the supporting member 24, and the bag-filled product W held by the robot hand 25a is supported by the carton supporting means 22 and the supporting member 24, and is opened forward and upward to be inclined. The operation of the robot hand 25a is controlled so as to be sequentially stacked and accommodated on one side panel 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the article supply device includes a supply conveyor 26 for transporting a bagged article W as an article and the carton support means 22, and the carton support means 22 supports a semi-boxed carton tray 10. The carton conveyor 27 that conveys the product and the conveyor 28 that conveys the carton tray 10 that has been box-made and contains the bagged product W are arranged in parallel. The carton conveyor 27 is located between the supply conveyor 26 and the transfer conveyor 28, and the transfer direction of the carton conveyor 27 is set so that the upstream and downstream directions of the supply conveyor 26 and the transfer conveyor 28 are opposite to each other. Both the supply conveyor 26 and the transfer conveyor 28 are composed of endless belt conveyors. Further, the article supply device includes the unattached second gluing flaps 16b and 17b and the second side surface connected to the third side surface panel 16 and the fourth side surface panel 17 in the carton transport path of the carton conveyor 27. A bending means 29 for bending the panel 14 inward, and a sticking means 30 for sticking the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b to the second side surface panel 14 are provided. A unloading conveyor 31 whose transport directions intersect is connected to the downstream end of the transport conveyor 28.

As shown in FIG. 2, the article supply device includes a magazine 32 in which the sheet 20 is stored and a sheet take-out device 33 for taking out the sheet 20 from the magazine 32, and the magazine 32 has one sheet 20 from the take-out port. Stacked so that they can be taken out one by one. The sheet taking-out device 33 is provided with a suction tool 33b which is arranged on the operating member 33a and sucks and takes out the sheet 20 from the magazine 32 and transfers the sheet 20 so as to be positioned at the sheet inheritance position N1 described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the molding means 21 is provided in front of the magazine 32 in the sheet taking-out direction. The molding means 21 includes a molding die 34, a folding member 35 that semi-manufactures the sheet 20 in cooperation with the molding die 34, and a sheet transferring means 36 that horizontally moves the folding member 35 in the lateral direction. Provided. The sheet transfer means 36 has a first moving motor 36a as a driving means for moving the folding member 35 between the sheet joining position N1 and the molding position N2 above the molding die 34. Further, the folding member 35 is provided with a second moving motor 36b as a driving means for moving up and down between the molding position N2 and the pushing position N3 in which the sheet 20 is pushed below the molding die 34.

In the embodiment, the folding member 35 is formed in a box shape that opens downward, and inside the folding member 35, a suction tool 35a capable of sucking the sheet 20 at the sheet jointing position N1 is provided. Further, the folding member 35 can be inserted into and removed from the molding hole 38a described later in the molding die 34, and its outer shape is formed in a shape corresponding to the bottom panel 11 of the sheet 20. The bottom panel 11 Each side of the folding member 35 is adapted to the folding rule position with each of the side panels 13, 14, 16, and 17 which are continuously provided in the above. Further, a first adhesive means 37 is provided in the sheet transfer path between the sheet transfer position N1 and the molding position N2, and when the sheet 20 is laterally transferred by the sheet transfer means 36, the first adhesive means 37 is provided. Glue such as hot melt is applied corresponding to the folding position of the first gluing flaps 16a and 17a on the 3 side panel 16 and the 4th side panel 17.

The molding die 34 is provided with molding holes 38a which are defined by a plurality of guides 38 and open in the vertical direction. The molding holes 38a are formed in an opening shape (square shape in the embodiment) corresponding to the size and shape of the bottom panel 11 in the sheet 20, and the bottom panel 11 of the sheet 20 pushed by the folding member 35 is a molding mold 34. Allow to pass through. Then, when the bottom panel 11 is pushed and passes through the forming holes 38a, the side panels 13, 14, 16, 17 and the gluing flaps 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b are bent and formed by the corresponding guides 38. .. When the sheet 20 on which the bottom panel 11 is attracted by the folding member 35 is pushed into the molding hole 38a, the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 are bent so as to stand up from the bottom panel 11 and are bent. The first glued flaps 16a and 17a are internally folded, respectively, and the first side panel 13 is folded and attached to the first glued flaps 16a and 17a. When the second glued flaps 16b and 17b and the second side surface panel 14 also pass through the molding holes 38a, the sheet 20 is bent in the same manner as the first glued flaps 16a and 17a and the first side surface panel 13. Although it is formed, glue is not applied to the folded surfaces thereof, so that a crease is imparted to the connection base between the panel and the flap in the sheet 20 that has passed through the molding hole 38a and has come out downward. Is formed as a semi-box-shaped carton tray 10 having an opening above the bottom panel 11, which serves as a storage port for the carton tray without being combined with each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, a first transfer robot 39 as a carton delivery means is arranged below the molding die 34. The first transfer robot 39 is composed of a robot having two degrees of freedom in which the first and second arms 39a and 39b can be rotated and controlled up and down, respectively, and is arranged at the tip of the first arm 39a. The bottom panel 11 of the semi-box carton tray 10 formed by coming out from below the molding hole 38a is sucked and held from below by the suction tool 39c, and the carton tray 10 is held by the first gluing flaps 16a and 17a. The attached first side surface panel 13 is received by the carton support means 22 in a posture in which the storage port 10a faces the front side facing the supply conveyor 26 (the side orthogonal to the transport direction of the carton conveyor 27) with the first side surface panel 13 attached to the lower side. The operation is controlled to pass.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the carton conveyor 27, a plurality of supports 41 capable of supporting the semi-boxed carton tray 10 are supported on the traveling endless chain (endless cord) 40 at predetermined intervals. In the embodiment, in relation to the transport direction of the carton tray 10 by the carton conveyor 27, a processing station including a receiving station S1, an opening station S2, an article supply station S3, a flap bending station S4, an attachment station S5, and an extraction station S6. Are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side. Then, each support 41 is intermittently stopped at each processing station S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 by the intermittent running of the running endless chain 40.

The support 41 is a first support surface portion 41a and a bottom panel 11 that support the semi-boxed carton tray 10 delivered by the first transfer robot 39 at the receiving station S1 with the bottom panel 11 standing up. The semi-boxed carton tray 10 provided with the second support surface portion 41b for supporting the left and right third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 from the outside and transferred from the first transfer robot 39 to the support 41 The side opening 10b opens obliquely upward by supporting the second side panel 14 by expanding it outward by the support member 24, and the carton tray 10 has an opening for accommodating the second side panel 14, as shown in FIG. It is supported in a state of being continuously widely opened up to the mouth 10a. In the carton tray 10, the storage port 10a is directed diagonally upward on one side intersecting the transport direction of the carton conveyor 27, and the second side panel 14 is opened without being folded, and the side opening 10b is upward. Depending on the facing posture, the bottom panel 11, the third side panel 16, and the fourth side panel 17 are supported by the support 41.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the carton conveyor 27 is a support member on which a first side panel 13 located below the carton tray 10 supported and conveyed by the support 41 is placed and conveyed. 42 is provided. The support member 42 extends a first side panel 13 located below the carton tray 10, which is conveyed from the receiving station S1 to the taking-out station S6, with a length that can be supported from below. Further, the height position of the support member 42 can be adjusted by the height adjusting means 43. The height adjusting means 43 is provided on a plurality of adjusting screws 45 rotatably supported by the conveyor frame 44 and extending in the vertical direction, and an adjusting screw 45 arranged on a movable member 46 on which the supporting member 42 is arranged. A female screw member 47 screwed into the screw member 47 and an adjustment handle 48 for rotating the adjustment screw 45 are provided, and by rotating the adjustment handle 48 in the forward and reverse directions, the adjustment screw 45 and the female screw member 47 are screwed together. In addition, the receiving height position of the first side surface panel 13 by the support member 42 is adjusted. In the embodiment, the support member 42 is a first support portion that supports the carton tray 10 in an inclined manner in a posture in which the first side surface panel 13 is placed and the opening of the storage port 10a is obliquely upward. The second support surface portions 41b, 41b are second support portions that support the third side surface panel 16 and the fourth side surface panel 17 in the carton tray 10 from the outside, and the support member 42 and the second support surface portions 41b, 41b to the carton. The support means 22 is configured.

The opening station S2 is provided with habituation means 23 for folding the second gluing flaps 16b, 17b of the carton tray 10 supported by the carton support means 22 to the outside by the third fold rules 18, 18. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the habituation means 23 includes a first cylinder 49 arranged on one side of the carton conveyor 27, a first moving member 50 that moves forward and backward by the first cylinder 49, and a first. The rotary actuators 51 and 51 supported by the moving member 50, the rotating arm 52a connected to the rotating shaft of each rotary actuator 51, and a rod-shaped habit arranged orthogonally to the extending end of the rotating arm 52a. It includes a member 52b. Further, the first moving member 50 is provided with a pair of support members 53, 53 capable of supporting the inner surfaces of the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17. At the position where the carton tray 10 is intermittently stopped at the opening station S2, the habituation member 52b and the support member 53 are separated from the accommodating port 10a of the carton tray 10 in front by the operation of the first cylinder 49, and act on the carton. It is configured to move back and forth between positions. When the habituation member 52b is positioned at the action position, the support member 53 enters the inside of the third side surface panel 16 and the fourth side surface panel 17, and the third and fourth side surfaces are formed by the support 41. The panels 16 and 17 are sandwiched and supported, and the habituation member 52 moves to a bending position (two-dot chain line position in FIG. 5) at which the corresponding side panels 16 and 17 are bent outward.

Above the carton conveyor 27, the support member 24 is provided so as to extend from the downstream side of the opening station S2 to the front side of the attachment station S5. As shown in FIG. 3B, the support member 24 supports the second side panel 14 of the carton tray 10 delivered to the support 41 at the receiving station S1 by expanding it so as to tilt rearward. The side opening 10b opens obliquely upward, and the carton tray 10 is supported with the opening continuously wide open to the storage opening 10a (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 6, the picking robot 25 is arranged corresponding to the article supply station S3. The picking robot 25 is composed of a parallel link robot, and has a robot hand 25a that can freely move in a three-dimensional moving space within the movable range thereof. The robot hand 25a includes a suction tool 25b such as a suction cup capable of sucking the bagged product W, and the picking robot 25 holds the bagged product W mounted on the supply conveyor 26 and conveyed to the robot hand 25a. The bagged product W is picked up one by one by the suction tool 25b provided in the above, and the bagged product W is sequentially stacked on the first side panel 13 in the semi-boxed carton tray 10 which is intermittently stopped at the article supply station S3. The operation is controlled so that it can be accommodated. Further, when the bagged product W is housed in the carton tray 10, the picking robot 25 lowers the robot hand 25a diagonally downward from above the carton tray 10 with respect to the carton tray 10 that opens upward and forward. By moving along a trajectory that reaches the inside of the carton, the bagged product W held by the robot hand 25a is brought closer to the bottom panel 11 while descending toward the first side panel 13, and the side opening 10b and the storage port 10a are opened. The bagged product W descends diagonally from the outside of the box into the inside of the box and passes through it.

Here, in the supply conveyor 26 of the embodiment, the bagged product W is lined up in a certain direction so that the upper portion and the bottom face in the left-right direction intersecting the transport direction, and the front surface and the back surface face upward. It is placed and transported at predetermined intervals in the transport direction in the posture. On the other hand, the carton tray 10 supported by each support 41 of the carton conveyor 27 is formed so as to accommodate the bag-packed product W in a posture in which the top and bottom of the bag face each other upstream and downstream in the transport direction. ing. That is, the operation of the picking robot 25 is controlled so as to change the direction of the bagged product W until the bagged product W picked up from the supply conveyor 26 is stored in the carton tray 10. Further, in the article supply device of the embodiment, the bagged product W housed in the carton tray 10 is oriented by horizontally turning the bagged product W so that the bottoms thereof are stacked so as to be staggered according to the number of stacked bags. It can be changed before it is reprinted (see FIG. 13).

Flap folding by a front folding guide 54 for inwardly bending the second glued flaps 16b and 17b of the carton tray 10 supported and conveyed by the carton supporting means 22 to the flap bending station S4, and a rear folding body 55. Bending means 72 is provided. As shown in FIG. 7, in the front folding guide 54, when the carton tray 10 supported and conveyed by the carton supporting means 22 moves to the flap bending station S4, the second glued flap 16b hits the front folding guide 54. By advancing in contact, the second gluing flap 16b is bent inward. The rear-folding body 55 has the same configuration as the habituation means 23, and has a second cylinder 56 arranged on one side of the carton conveyor 27 and a second moving member that moves forward and backward by the second cylinder 56. 57, a rotary actuator 58 supported by the second moving member 57, a rotating arm 59a connected to the rotating shaft of the rotary actuator 58, and a rod-shaped arrangement orthogonal to the extending end of the rotating arm 59a. It is provided with a rear bending member 59b. The second cylinder 56 has a standby position in front of the accommodation port 10a in the carton tray 10 in which the rear bending member 59b is intermittently stopped at the flap bending station S4, and a forward position facing the outside of the fourth side panel 17 on the upstream side. Move back and forth between and. When the rear bending member 59b is positioned in the forward position, the rotary actuator 58 moves the rear bending member 59b to the bending position (two-dot chain line position in FIG. 7) for bending the fourth side panel 17 inward. .. The front folding guide 54 extends to the downstream of the sticking station S5, and the two inwardly bent second gluing flaps 16b and 17b are stuck to the second side panel 14 at the sticking station S5. It is configured to maintain the bent state until it reaches the end.

A second gluing means 61 is provided between the flap bending station S4 and the attachment station S5. As shown in FIG. 8, the second gluing means 61 includes a second side panel 14 extending above the carton tray 10 supported and conveyed by the carton supporting means 22, and second gluing flaps 16b and 17b. Apply glue such as hot melt to the overlap margin.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the attachment station S5 is provided with a panel bending means 62 for inwardly bending the second side panel 14 of the carton tray 10 intermittently stopped at the attachment station S5. A sticking means 30 is provided in which the bent second side surface panel 14 and the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b are pressure-welded and stuck with the glue applied by the second gluing means 61. The panel bending means 62 includes a third cylinder 63 located on the back side of the carton tray 10 at the attachment station S5, and a panel bending member 64 that reciprocates in the advancing / retreating direction with respect to the carton tray 10 by the third cylinder 63. Be prepared. The third cylinder 63 has a standby position (position in FIG. 9) in which the panel bending member 64 is intermittently stopped at the attachment station S5 and is separated from the second side surface panel 14 on the back side of the carton tray 10, and a third cylinder 63 is located at a right angle. 2 The side panel 14 reciprocates with the bending position (position in FIG. 11) advanced until it is bent 90 degrees inward with respect to the bottom panel 11. In the embodiment, the flap bending means 72 (front folding guide 54 and the rear folding body 55) provided in the flap bending station S4 and the panel bending means 62 provided in the attachment station S5 are used to form a third side panel. The unattached second gluing flaps 16b and 17b connected to the 16 and the fourth side panel 17 and the bending means 29 for bending the second side panel 14 inward are configured.

As shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the sticking means 30 is provided by a fourth cylinder 65 arranged in front of the storage port 10a of the carton tray 10 at the sticking station S5 and the fourth cylinder 65. An air chuck 67 is provided as a holding means arranged so as to be movable in close proximity to the carton tray 10. The air chuck 67 includes a pair of opening / closing members 68, 68 that open / close in the vertical direction by air. Then, in the fourth cylinder 65, the opening / closing members 68, 68 are separated from the accommodating port 10a in the carton tray 10 intermittently stopped at the attachment station S5, and the second side surface panel 14 and the second gluing flap. It reciprocates from the attachment position (position in FIG. 9) where the overlapping portions of 16b and 17b can be sandwiched from above and below. The opening / closing member 68 is composed of an inner piece 69 facing the inside of the carton tray 10 and an outer piece 70 facing the outside at the attachment position, and the opening / closing member 68 is separated from each other by the air cylinder 67a (FIG. 11-2). It opens and closes between the dotted line position) and the sandwiching position (solid line position in FIG. 11) that is close to each other. Further, the opening / closing member 68 is composed of a pair of holding bodies 69a, 69b, 70a, 70b separated in the transport direction, and the holding bodies 69a, 69b, 70a, 70b form a second side surface panel 14 and each second glued flap 16b. , 17b can be sandwiched. Further, the panel bending member 64 moves forward and backward without interfering between the holding bodies 70a and 70b of the outer piece 70. Further, each of the holding bodies 70a and 70b of the outer piece 70 is provided with a recess 70c on the surface of the inner piece 69 facing the holding bodies 69a and 69b so as to avoid interference with the front folding guide 54.

As shown in FIG. 12, as a transfer means for taking out the carton tray 10 containing the bagged product W and making a box above the take-out station S6 from the support 41 and sending it to the conveyor 28. The second transfer robot 71 is arranged. Like the first transfer robot 39, the second transfer robot 71 is also composed of a robot having two axes of freedom in which the first and second arms 71a and 71b can be rotated and controlled up and down, respectively. The storage port 10a upwards the carton tray 10 on which the first side panel 13 of the carton tray 10 supported by the carton supporting means 22 is sucked by the suction tool 71c provided at the extending end of the first arm 71a. The operation is controlled so that the robot is placed on the conveyor 28 after being converted into a posture facing toward. In the take-out station S6, the support member 42 is configured to support the first side surface panel 13 at a position that does not interfere with the suction portion of the suction tool 71c of the second transfer robot 71.

Next, the operation of the article supply device according to the embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the sheet 20 taken out from the magazine 32 by the sheet taking-out device 33 is positioned at the sheet receiving position N1, the bottom surface of the sheet 20 is formed by the suction tool 35a of the folding member 35 of the sheet transferring means 36. Adsorbs the inner surface of the panel 11. The folding member 35 is laterally moved toward the molding position N2 by the first moving motor 36a of the sheet transferring means 36. While the folding member 35 is moved to the molding position N2, the first gluing means 37 applies glue to the inner surfaces of the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17.

When the folding member 35 reaches the molding position N2, the folding member 35 is lowered toward the pushing position N3 by the second moving motor 36b of the sheet transferring means 36, and the sheet is attracted by the folding member 35 sucking the bottom panel 11. By pushing 20 into the molding hole 38a of the molding die 34, the side panels 13, 14, 16, 17 and the gluing flaps 16a, 16b, 17a, 17b are bent in a predetermined order, and only the first side panel 13 is bent. Is attached to the corresponding first gluing flaps 16a and 17a to form a semi-box carton tray 10 having an upper opening. In the semi-box-making carton tray 10, the outer surface of the bottom panel 11 is sucked by the suction tool 39c of the first transfer robot 39, and the first transfer robot 39 is operated to suck the semi-box-making carton. The tray 10 is delivered to the support 41 that is intermittently stopped at the receiving station S1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the semi-boxed carton tray 10 delivered to the support 41 is in a posture in which the first side panel 13 is on the lower side and the storage port 10a is in front of the supply conveyor 26 side. The standing bottom panel 11, the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 are supported from the outside by the first support surface portion 41a and the second support surface portion 41b. Further, the first side surface panel 13 is supported by the support member 42 from below so as to be inclined upward toward the accommodation port 10a.

When the support 41 running on the carton conveyor 27 and supporting the carton tray 10 is intermittently stopped at the opening station S2, as shown in FIG. 4, the habituation members 52, 52 are provided by the first cylinder 49 of the habituation means 23. And the support members 53, 53 are moved from the standby position to the action position. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the pair of rotary actuators 51, 51 of the habituation means 23 moves the habituation members 52, 52 from the retracted position to the bent position, thereby moving the corresponding second gluing flaps 16b, 17b. Each of the above is bent outward, and the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b are bent outward in the third fold rules 18 and 18. When the second glued flaps 16b and 17b are bent, the third side panel 16 and the fourth side panel 17 are supported from the inside and outside by the second support surface portions 41b and 41b and the support members 53 and 53. A habit can be preferably attached to 18 and 18.

When the habituation members 52, 52 and the support members 53, 53 are moved from the action position to the standby position by the first cylinder 49 and then traveled on the carton conveyor 27, the carton tray 10 supported by the support 41 The second side surface panel 14 extending upward is expanded toward the outside (rear) by the support member 24 and is supported so that the side surface opening 10b opens upward. When the support 41 supporting the carton tray 10 is intermittently stopped at the article supply station S3, the bag-filled products W conveyed by the supply conveyor 26 by the robot hand 25a of the picking robot 25 are picked up one by one and inside the carton. In order to stack on the first side panel 13. At this time, the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b located above are expanded outward, the second side surface panel 14 is supported by the support member 24 so as to expand outward, and the side opening 10b is greatly opened upward. Therefore, when the article is supplied by the robot hand 25a, the bagged product W can be suitably accommodated without interfering with the carton tray 10.

Further, the picking robot 25 sucks the upper surface of the bagged product W, which is placed and conveyed on the supply conveyor 26 in a lying position with the bottom and the top facing in the left-right direction, by the suction tool 25b of the robot hand 25a. In the lying position, the bagged product W is accommodated in the carton tray 10 by changing the direction of the bagged product W so that the bottom and the top face the upstream and downstream in the transport direction of the carton conveyor 27. Further, when the picking robot 25 accommodates the bagged product W in the carton tray 10, the picking robot 25 packs the bagged product W horizontally during transfer for each number of stacked bags so that the bottoms of the bagged product W are stacked alternately. The orientation of the product W is changed (see FIG. 13A). As a result, the volume of the bagged product W whose bottom is swollen with respect to the upper part of the bag is reduced and accommodated in the carton.

When the support 41 supporting the carton tray 10 packed with a predetermined number of bagged products W at the article supply station S3 is conveyed to the flap bending station S4, as shown in FIG. 7, the downstream side The second gluing flap 16b abuts on the front folding guide 54 and is bent inward. Then, when the support 41 intermittently stops at the flap bending station S4, the rear bending member 59b is moved from the standby position to the forward position by the second cylinder 56 of the rear bending body 55. Then, the rotary actuator 58 of the rear-folding body 55 moves the rear-folding member 59b from the retracted position to the bent position, so that the second glued flap 17b on the upstream side is bent inward. When the support 41 moves downstream from the flap bending station S4, the second glued flap 17b bent inward by the rear folding body 55 is maintained in the bent state by the front folding guide 54.

Before the support 41 moves to the attachment station S5, the second gluing means 61 applies glue to the inner surface of the second side panel 14 where the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b are to be attached. To. When the support 41 intermittently stops at the attachment station S5, as shown in FIG. 10, the panel bending member 64 is moved from the standby position to the bending position by the third cylinder 63 of the panel bending means 62. The second side panel 14 is bent inward. Next, the opening / closing member 68 inside and outside the opening / closing position is moved from the standby position to the sticking position by the fourth cylinder 65 of the sticking means 30. As a result, the second side surface panel 14 and the second glued flaps 16b, 17b overlapping on the lower side face between the corresponding holding bodies 69a, 69b, 70a, 70b in the inner and outer opening / closing members 68. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, by moving the inner and outer opening / closing members 68 from the open position to the sandwiching position by the air cylinder 67a, the second side panel 14 and the second glued flaps 16b and 17b that are vertically overlapped with each other are sandwiched bodies. It is sandwiched between 69a, 69b, 70a, and 70b, and is attached by the glue applied by the second gluing means 61. Since the second side panel 14 and the second glued flaps 16b, 17b are sandwiched and attached to the third side panel 16 and the second side panel 17 from inside and outside by the sandwiching bodies 69a, 69b, 70a, 70b, unnecessary force is applied to the third side panel 16 and the second side panel 17. Is not added, and the carton tray 10 is box-made without being distorted in shape. Further, since each of the sandwiching bodies 70a and 70b of the outer piece 70 is provided with a recess 70b on the surface of the inner piece 69 facing the sandwiching bodies 69a and 69b, the second side surface does not interfere with the front folding guide 54. The panel 14 and the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b can be sandwiched.

When the carton conveyor 27 travels and the boxed carton tray 10 intermittently stops at the take-out station S6, as shown in FIG. 12, the carton tray to which the first side panel 13 is sucked by the second transfer robot 71. The 10 is taken up from the support 41, and the storage port 10a is converted into an upward posture and transferred to the conveyor 28. The carton tray 10 placed on the transfer conveyor 28 is transported to the downstream end and then carried out to the next process via the carry-out conveyor 31.

In the article supply device of the embodiment, the bag-filled products W transported by the supply conveyor 26 are held and housed one by one by the robot hand 25a in the carton of the semi-box made from the sheet 20. Since the semi-boxed carton tray 10 is continuously wide open at the front and the upper side, the allowable range of the transfer locus when the bagged product W is housed in the carton tray 10 by the robot hand 25a is wide, and the goods are supplied. Occasionally, the bagged product W does not interfere with the carton tray 10 and the transfer locus of the bagged product W can be shortened to support high-speed processing. Further, since the bagged product W held by the robot hand 25a is obliquely lowered from the outside of the box into the box, passes through the front and upper openings, and is stacked above the first side panel 13, the robot hand The transfer locus of the packaged product W in the carton by 25a can be shortened to reduce the transfer time, and a high-speed and stable supply of goods can be achieved.

Here, in the bag-packed product W manufactured by the bag-making filling machine, the thickness is different between the bottom and the top of the bag due to the contents being biased to the bottom, so that the bottoms of the plurality of bag-packed products W overlap. When housed in a carton, the stacking size on the bottom side becomes large, and the number of pieces housed in the carton decreases. On the other hand, in the article supply device of the embodiment, when the bagged product W having a bulging bottom is targeted, the bagged product W is accommodated in the carton with the bottoms alternately overlapping. Therefore, the volume can be reduced and the bag can be accommodated, and the capacity of the bagged product W in the carton can be appropriately secured. Further, since the bag-filled product W, which is conveyed while lying down by the supply conveyor 26, is stacked above the first side panel 13 while lying down in the carton, the bag has weak shape retention. Even if it is a stuffed product, it can be stored as a neatly arranged aggregate without disturbing each posture. Therefore, the carton tray 10 made by adhering the second side panel 14 and the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b in the semi-boxed carton tray 10 containing a predetermined number of bags is taken out at the take-out station S6. When the storage port 10a is transferred to the transport conveyor 28 in an upward posture, it is possible to prevent the bagged product W in the carton from being disturbed. That is, even when high-speed processing is required, the bagged products W to be housed in the carton can be satisfactorily packed in a state of being assembled in a plurality of packages without causing disturbance.

Further, in the article supply device of the embodiment, the bagged products W transported by the supply conveyor 26 are held by the picking robot 25 and housed one by one in the carton tray 10, and a plurality of bagged products are stored in the carton. Since the Ws are assembled, it is not necessary to separately install a collecting device for the bagged product W, and the structure is simple and highly versatile. That is, since a plurality of pre-assembled bagged items W are not collectively grasped and stored in the carton, problems such as disorder of the posture of individual articles due to the supply of the assembled items into the carton may occur. There is no such thing, and the bag-packed items W can be packed in a well-organized state in the carton.

The carton conveyor 27 is configured so that the carton tray 10 supported and conveyed by the carton supporting means 22 is intermittently stopped at each station S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, so that the carton at the receiving station S1 is stopped. Receiving processing of the tray 10, habituation processing of the second gluing flaps 16b, 17b at the opening station S2, article supply processing at the article supply station S3, second gluing flaps 16b, 17b at the flap bending station S4. The bending process, the attachment process of the second side surface panel 14 and the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b at the attachment station S5, and the removal process of the carton tray 10 at the removal station S6 can be stably performed. Further, since the carton conveyor 27 is arranged between the supply conveyor 26 and the transfer conveyor 28 and the transfer direction of the carton conveyor 27 is opposite to the transfer direction of the supply conveyor 26 and the transfer conveyor 28, the installation space of the device is increased. It can be made smaller, and a plurality of packed products W can be packed into the carton tray 10 with high efficiency.

Before the carton tray 10 is conveyed to the article supply station S3, the second gluing flaps 16b and 17b are habituated so as to be expanded outward by the habituation means 23, and from the upstream side of the article supply station S3. Since the second side panel 14 is supported by the support member 24 so as to expand outward over the downstream side, the side opening 10b of the carton tray 10 can be maintained in the open state when the picking robot 25 supplies articles. The bagged product W can be smoothly supplied by the picking robot 25. Further, the unattached second glued flaps 16b and 17b and the second side panel 14 in the semi-boxed carton tray 10 in which a predetermined number of bagged products W are packed in the article supply station S3 are attached to the carton tray 10. Is attached to the take-out station S6 to finish the box-making process, so that the box-making can be performed with high efficiency and good quality.

Further, in the article supply device of the embodiment, a support member 42 that supports the first side panel 13 of the carton tray 10 conveyed by the carton conveyor 27 from below is extended from the receiving station S1 to the taking-out station S6, and the support member 42 is extended. Since the receiving height position of the first side panel 13 by the support member 42 can be adjusted by the height adjusting means 43, it is not necessary to individually provide each support 41 with a member for supporting the first side panel 13. By simply adjusting the height of the support member 42, it is possible to easily respond to the size change of the carton tray 10.

(Change example)
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the examples, and can be modified as follows, for example. Further, not limited to the following modified examples, various embodiments may be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention for the configurations described in the examples.
(1) In the embodiment, the article is supplied by the robot to the semi-boxed carton tray supported by the carton supporting means provided on the carton conveyor, but the carton supporting means is not provided on the carton conveyor, for example. By the carton supporting means arranged at the fixed position, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the accommodating port of the carton is supported so as to be inclined diagonally upward.
(2) In the case of bagged products with different thicknesses at the bottom and top, the bottoms are stacked so that they are staggered. However, regarding the orientation of the articles in the carton, the form according to the shape of the articles etc. It should be adopted.
(3) In the embodiment, a plurality of articles are housed in the carton so as to be lined up in a vertical row, but the goods may be housed in the carton so as to be lined up in a plurality of rows. It is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. Further, if the articles are supplied one by one, the individual articles in each row may be collectively divided into a plurality of rows.
(4) In the embodiment, a carton in which the top surface opens when the box is made is given as an example, but the top surface opening is connected to the second side panel when the box is made. It can target cartons that are closed by a panel.
(5) The gluing flap for attaching the second side panel to the third side panel and the fourth side panel may be continuously provided to the second side panel.
(6) A support member for supporting the first side panel was provided separately from the support for supporting the bottom panel, the third side panel, and the fourth side panel of the carton, but the support bottom was provided with the transport bottom surface of the carton. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the receiving support member is integrally provided.

10 carton tray, 10a storage port (front opening), 10b side opening (upper opening)
11 Bottom panel, 13 1st side panel, 14 2nd side panel 16 3rd side panel, 16a 1st glue flap (glue flap)
16b 2nd glue flap (glue flap), 17 4th side panel 17a 1st glue flap (glue flap)
17b 2nd gluing flap (gluing flap), 19 bags, 20 sheets 21 molding means, 22 carton support means, 24 support members, 25a robot hand 26 supply conveyor, 27 carton conveyor, 29 bending means, 30 gluing means 41b 2 Support surface part (support part), 42 Support member (support part), W article (bagged product)
S1 receiving station, S3 goods supply station, S6 taking out station

Claims (6)

A first side panel and a second side panel are connected to one opposite side of a quadrangular bottom panel, and a third side panel and a fourth side panel are connected to the other opposite side of the bottom panel. A sheet having a series of gluing flaps to which the first side panel and the second side panel are attached is bent and formed on the third side panel and the fourth side panel, and the first side panel is glued. The second side panel is attached to the third side panel and the fourth side panel by the flap, and the second side panel bent from one side of the bottom panel is attached to the third side panel and the fourth side panel by the glue flap. A molding means for molding a semi-box carton without wearing it,
A support portion that supports the carton with the front opening facing diagonally upward, which is an article supply side facing the front of the bottom panel arranged below and behind the first side panel, and the third side panel. And a carton support means including a support portion for supporting the fourth side panel from the outside, and
A support member that expands the second side panel of the carton supported by the carton support means to the outside and tilts the second side panel rearward so as to open the upper part of the carton.
Operation control so that the held articles are sequentially stacked and housed in the carton on the first side panel of the carton which is supported by the carton support means and the support member and is inclined forward and upward. An article supply device characterized by being equipped with a robot hand. By sequentially controlling the operation of the robot hand so that the articles held by the robot hand approach the bottom panel while descending toward the first side panel when the articles are sequentially stacked on the first side panel. The article supply device according to claim 1, wherein the article is obliquely lowered from the outside of the box to the inside of the box and passes through the front and upper openings. A supply conveyor that conveys the article and
A carton conveyor is provided, which is located below the first side panel, supports the third side panel and the fourth side panel from the outside, and has a support portion for transporting the carton at predetermined intervals.
The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the articles being conveyed by the supply conveyor are individually picked up by the robot hand, and the articles are stacked on the first side panel of the carton conveyed by the carton conveyor. Goods supply device. Each processing station including a receiving station for receiving the carton on the support portion, an article supply station for supplying the article to the carton supported by the support portion, and an taking-out station for taking out the carton containing the article from the support portion. , Arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the carton conveyor.
The carton conveyor intermittently conveys the carton to each processing station so as to carry out processing at each processing station while the transportation of the carton supported by the support portion is stopped, and conveys the carton to the processing station in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the supply conveyor. Configure to
The article supply device according to claim 3, wherein the articles to be conveyed by the supply conveyor are individually picked up by the robot hand and sequentially stacked in the carton whose transfer is stopped at the article supply station. While the carton transported by the carton conveyor is transported from the article supply station to the take-out station, the unattached gluing flaps connected to the third side panel and the fourth side panel and the second The article supply device according to claim 4, further comprising a folding means for bending the side panel inward and a sticking means for sticking the bent glue flap to the second side panel. The article is a bagged product in which the thickness of the bottom is increased with respect to the top of the bag and the bag is inflated.
The robot hand picks up the bagged products that are transported side by side in a fixed direction on the supply conveyor and stores the bagged products in the carton in a lying position by horizontally turning the bagged products to a bag. The article supply device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the bag orientation is changed for each number of stacked bags so that the bottoms are staggered so that the bags are stacked.

Images