JP2021059347A - Box supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a box supply system that supplies a cardboard box formed by opening a cardboard sheet and can suppress an occurrence of a problem in which flaps of the cardboard box are unintentionally closed.SOLUTION: A box supply subsystem includes an opening mechanism 130 including first suckers 131, second suckers, and a support member drive portion relatively moving the first suckers and the second suckers. The opening mechanism relatively moves the first suckers holding a first side surface T1 of a folded cardboard sheet S and the second suckers holding a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface by the support member drive member to open the cardboard sheet in a state where a pair of openings is disposed vertically. The box supply subsystem includes a guide 140. The guide contacts an outer surface F14o of a flap F14 of the cardboard sheet disposed in a first opening of the cardboard sheet during opening by the opening mechanism and tilts the flap F14 inward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

The present invention relates to a box supply system, particularly a box supply system that supplies a cardboard box formed by opening a folded cardboard sheet.

Conventionally, a box supply system as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-12300) is known. In the box supply system disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-12300), the folded cardboard sheet is opened by the box opening mechanism in a posture in which the openings are arranged vertically. The box supply system supplies the opened cardboard box to the article filling site. At the article filling place, a predetermined amount of articles is filled into the inside of the cardboard box through the open opening of the cardboard box. At the article filling site, the flaps are opened and / or kept open so that the flaps located adjacent to the opening of the cardboard box do not interfere with the article filling.

However, if the flap of the cardboard box is excessively tilted inward while the cardboard sheet is being opened, there is a possibility that the flap cannot be opened at the article filling place.

An object of the present invention is a box supply system that supplies a corrugated cardboard box formed by opening a folded corrugated cardboard sheet, and suppresses the occurrence of a problem that the flap of the corrugated cardboard box is unintentionally closed. It is to provide a possible box supply system.

The box supply system according to the first aspect includes a box opening mechanism. The box opening mechanism includes a first cage, a second cage, and a drive unit. The first cage holds the first side surface of the adjacent first side surface and second side surface of the cardboard sheet. The second cage holds the second side surface. The drive unit moves the first cage and the second cage relative to each other. The box-opening mechanism drives a first cage that holds the first side surface of the folded cardboard sheet and a second cage that holds the second side surface of the folded cardboard sheet. Open the cardboard sheet with the pair of openings arranged one above the other. The box supply system is equipped with a guide. During the opening by the box opening mechanism, the guide contacts the outer surface of the first flap of the cardboard sheet arranged in the first opening, which is one of the openings of the cardboard sheet, and tilts the first flap inward.

In the box supply system according to the first aspect, the first flap is set to fall inward by a guide while the cardboard sheet is being opened, so that the first flap functions as a fall suppressing portion. The first flap as a fall suppressing portion suppresses excessive inward fall of the second flap adjacent to the first flap. Therefore, in this box supply system, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem that the second flap is unintentionally excessively tilted inward.

The box supply system according to the second aspect is the box supply system according to the first aspect, and the guide comes into contact with the inner surface of the second flap of the cardboard sheet and is tilted outward during opening by the box opening mechanism. The second flap is arranged adjacent to the first flap in the first opening of the cardboard sheet.

In the box supply system according to the second aspect, since the guide tilts the second flap outward, it is easy to prevent the second flap from tilting inward and the first opening being closed.

The box supply system according to the third aspect is the box supply system according to the second aspect, and the guide is arranged outside the opened cardboard sheet when the opening by the box opening mechanism is completed.

In the box supply system according to the third aspect, since the guide is arranged on the outside of the opened cardboard sheet when the box opening is completed, the guide does not adversely affect the transportation of the opened cardboard sheet.

The box supply system according to the fourth aspect is any of the box supply systems from the first aspect to the third aspect, and the first opening is arranged upward when the cardboard sheet is opened by the box opening mechanism. ..

In the box supply system according to the fourth aspect, the excessive fall of the second flap on the first opening side, which tends to fall inward due to gravity, can be suppressed by the first flap.

The box supply system according to the fifth aspect is any of the box supply systems from the first aspect to the fourth aspect, and further includes a flap opening mechanism including the first member. The first member contacts the second flap of the cardboard sheet and opens outward. The second flap is arranged adjacent to the first flap in the first opening of the cardboard sheet.

In the box supply system according to the fifth aspect, the presence of the guide suppresses the occurrence of a problem that the second flap cannot be opened by the flap opening mechanism and the first opening is unintentionally closed by the flap. it can.

The box supply system according to the sixth aspect is the box supply system according to the fifth aspect, and further includes a bottom lid forming mechanism and a rotation mechanism. The bottom lid forming mechanism closes a flap arranged in a second opening different from the first opening of the cardboard sheet opened by the box opening mechanism to form a bottom lid, and manufactures a cardboard box having a bottom lid. .. The rotation mechanism rotates the cardboard box having the bottom lid so that the first opening faces sideways. The first member contacts the second flap of the cardboard box after being rotated by the rotating mechanism and opens the second flap outward.

The box supply system according to the seventh aspect is the box supply system according to the sixth aspect, and the rotation mechanism rotates the cardboard box so that the first flap is arranged below the first opening.

In the box supply system according to the seventh aspect, centrifugal force due to rotation acts on the first flap that has fallen inward by the guide in the direction of opening outward. Therefore, in this box supply system, even if the second flap is tilted inward so as to cover the first flap that is tilted inward, the first flap is previously used for the first flap before the second flap is opened by the flap opening mechanism. 2 The flap can be pushed outward. Therefore, in this box supply system, it is easy to suppress the occurrence of a problem that the second flap cannot be opened by the flap opening mechanism.

The box supply system according to the eighth aspect is any of the box supply systems according to the fifth to seventh aspects, and the flap opening mechanism further includes a second member that opens the first flap outward.

In the box supply system according to the eighth aspect, since the first flap is also opened to the outside by the second member, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem that the first opening is closed by the flap even though it is not intended. ..

The box supply system according to the ninth aspect is any of the box supply systems from the first aspect to the eighth aspect, and further includes a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the guide.

In the box supply system according to the ninth aspect, the height position of the guide can be changed according to the size of the cardboard sheet and the necessity / unnecessity of the guide, so that the system is highly versatile.

In the box supply system according to the present invention, the first flap is tilted inward with a guide while the cardboard sheet is being opened, so that the first flap is tilted inward excessively to the second flap adjacent to the first flap. It functions as a fall suppression part. Therefore, in this box supply system, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem that the second flap is unintentionally closed.

It is a block diagram of the boxing system which comprises the box supply subsystem which concerns on one Embodiment of the box supply system of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view of the boxing system of FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic the movement of the corrugated cardboard sheet / corrugated cardboard box and an article in the boxing system of FIG. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic perspective view of a cardboard sheet opened in a box-making part of a box supply subsystem as viewed from the left front side. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic front view of the cardboard sheet supplied to the box making section of the box supply subsystem as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of the cardboard sheet supplied to the box-making portion of the box supply subsystem in the boxing system of FIG. 2 as viewed from the rear side. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic plan view of a state in which the box opening mechanism of the box supply subsystem receives a cardboard sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit of the box supply subsystem as viewed from above. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, the boxing mechanism of the box supply subsystem is a schematic plan view of a state in which the cardboard sheet has been opened, as viewed from above. It is a block diagram of the box opening mechanism of the box making part of the box supply subsystem of FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a guide of a box feeding subsystem attached to the boxing system of FIG. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, the guide and the cardboard sheet opened by the box opening mechanism are schematic plan views viewed from above, and the state in which the box opening mechanism receives the folded cardboard sheet is drawn. It is a plan view. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic plan view of the guide and the cardboard sheet opened by the box opening mechanism as viewed from above, and is a schematic plan view depicting the timing when the guide tilts the flap F14 inward. is there. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic plan view of a guide and a cardboard sheet opened by a box opening mechanism as viewed from above, and is a schematic plan view depicting the timing at which the guide tilts the flap F13 outward. is there. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, the guide and the cardboard sheet opened by the box opening mechanism are schematic plan views viewed from above, and is a schematic plan view depicting a state in which the cardboard sheet has been opened. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic rear view of a guide and a cardboard sheet opened by a box opening mechanism as viewed from the rear side, and a state in which the box opening mechanism receives a folded cardboard sheet is drawn. It is a schematic rear view. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic front view of the transport section of the box supply section of the box supply subsystem viewed from the front side, and the state when the transport section receives the cardboard box supplied from the front side is drawn. ing. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic front view of the transport section of the box supply section of the box supply subsystem as viewed from the front side, and shows a state in which the cardboard box received by the transport section is sandwiched between transport belts and held. I'm drawing. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the possible state in the corrugated cardboard box when the position of the upper surface of the corrugated cardboard box carried by a transport part is higher than the position of the upper end of the holding surface of the transport belt of a transport part. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic perspective view of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem as viewed from the front right. It is a block diagram of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem of FIG. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem viewed from the right, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the flap opening mechanism to open the upper lid side flap. .. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem viewed from the right, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the flap opening mechanism to open the upper lid side flap. .. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem viewed from the right, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the flap opening mechanism to open the upper lid side flap. .. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem viewed from the right, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the flap opening mechanism to open the upper lid side flap. .. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the flap opening mechanism of the box supply part of the box supply subsystem viewed from the right, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the flap opening mechanism to open the upper lid side flap. .. FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of the article insertion portion of the article supply subsystem as viewed from the rear in the boxing system of FIG. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic plan view of the article insertion part of the article supply subsystem viewed from above, and the state of the article insertion part before the start of pushing the article into a cardboard box is drawn. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic plan view of the article insertion part of the article supply subsystem viewed from above, and the state of the article insertion part during pushing into a cardboard box of an article is drawn. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the article pushing part of the article supply subsystem viewed from the right, and the state of the article pushing part while pushing the article into the cardboard box is schematically drawn. .. In the boxing system of FIG. 2, it is a schematic side view of the periphery of the second posture changing part of the article supply subsystem viewed from the right, and the shutters of the second posture changing part and the article insertion part while rotating the cardboard box. The state is schematically drawn. It is another example of the cardboard box used in the boxing system which concerns on modification D. It is a figure for demonstrating how to close the flap on the upper lid side of the corrugated cardboard box of FIG. It is still another example of the cardboard box used in the boxing system which concerns on modification D. It is a figure for demonstrating how to close the flap on the upper lid side of the corrugated cardboard box of FIG.

The box supply system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

The embodiments described below are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. It will be appreciated that various modifications of form and detail are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims.

Further, in the following description, in order to explain the positional relationship and orientation, expressions such as top, bottom, front (front), back (back), left, and right may be used for convenience. Unless otherwise specified, the directions indicated by these expressions follow the directions of the arrows shown in the drawings.

Further, in the following description, expressions such as parallel, orthogonal, vertical, horizontal, and vertical may be used, but in a strict sense, these expressions have a relationship of parallel, orthogonal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, etc. The relationship is not limited to, and includes cases where the relationship is substantially parallel, orthogonal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, or the like.

(1) Overall Configuration The overall outline of the boxing system 1 including the box supply subsystem 100 according to the embodiment of the box supply system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the boxing system 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the boxing system 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the movements of the cardboard sheet S / cardboard box B and the article G in the boxing system 1.

Outlined, the boxing system 1 is a system in which a cardboard sheet S is opened to make a cardboard box B, a boxed cardboard box B is filled with an article G, and a cardboard box B filled with the article G is sent out.

The cardboard box B (cardboard sheet S) used in the main boxing system 1 includes a reused cardboard box B in addition to an unused new cardboard box B.

In the present embodiment, the article G is a bag containing snacks and the like. However, the article G is not limited to the food packaged in the bag, and may be the food product contained in the packaging box. Further, the article G (contents contained in the package) is not limited to food, and may be other than food.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the boxing system 1 has a first handling region HA1 and a second handling region HA2. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the first handling area HA1 is arranged on the front side of the boxing system 1, and the second handling area HA2 is arranged on the rear side of the boxing system 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a box supply subsystem 100 and a box holding / sealing subsystem 300 are arranged in the first handling region HA1. The box supply subsystem 100 is located above the box holding / sealing subsystem 300, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article supply subsystem 200 is arranged in the second handling region HA2. The boxing system 1 has a frame 10 as shown in FIG. The frame 10 supports a box feeding subsystem 100, an article feeding subsystem 200, and a box holding / sealing subsystem 300.

In the boxing system 1, the box supply subsystem 100, the article supply subsystem 200, and the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 operate in cooperation with each other to function as the boxing system 1 as a whole. The operation of each part of the box supply subsystem 100, the article supply subsystem 200, and the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 is controlled by the controller 400 (see FIG. 1). The controller 400 is, for example, a computer having a CPU and a storage device. The controller 400 may include a plurality of computers that are communicably connected. In the controller 400, the CPU executes a control program of the boxing system 1 stored in the storage device, and each part of the box supply subsystem 100, the article supply subsystem 200, and the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 Control the operation. The controller 400 that controls the operation of the boxing system 1 may not be realized by software, may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware.

It should be noted here that the boxing system 1 is described as including three subsystems of the box supply subsystem 100, the box holding / sealing subsystem 300, and the article supply subsystem 200, but each subsystem is further described. It may be divided into small functional blocks.

The functions of the box supply subsystem 100, the article supply subsystem 200, and the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 will be outlined.

The box supply subsystem 100 manufactures a cardboard box B and supplies it to the box holding / sealing subsystem 300. Specifically, the box supply subsystem 100 opens a folded cardboard sheet S in a state where a pair of openings are arranged vertically, and is formed by a bottom lid BC (a bottom lid side flap F2 described later). Assemble into a cardboard box B having a lid). The box supply subsystem 100 transports the cardboard box B having the bottom lid BC to the boxing position in the box holding / sealing subsystem 300.

Here, opening the cardboard sheet S means an operation of opening the folded cardboard sheet S and forming it into a cardboard box B having both ends open. Further, in the following, the term of making a cardboard box B may be used. Here, to make a cardboard box B means that a folded cardboard sheet S is opened and molded into a cardboard box B having both ends open, and a bottom lid BC is further formed in the cardboard box B to form a bottom lid. It means a series of operations for assembling into a cardboard box B having BC. Further, here, the boxing position means a position where the article G is filled in the boxed cardboard box B.

The pair of openings in the cardboard sheet S opened by the box supply subsystem 100 include a first opening OP1 and a second opening OP2. The first opening OP1 is an opening for putting the article G inside the cardboard box B at the boxing position. The second opening OP2 is an opening closed by the bottom lid BC. The second opening OP2 is closed by the bottom lid BC when the article G is packed inside the cardboard box B at the boxing position. In the box supply subsystem 100, the cardboard box B is rotated so that the first opening OP1 arranged upward at the time of opening the box faces sideways (rear in FIGS. 2 and 3), and the cardboard box B after rotation is rotated. Is supplied to the box holding / sealing subsystem 300.

The article supply subsystem 200 is a system that supplies the article G to the boxing position. Specifically, the article supply subsystem 200 transports the articles G supplied from the upstream process to a predetermined position so that a predetermined number of groups of articles G are partially overlapped with each other. A group of articles G is pushed into the cardboard box B held in the boxing position.

The box holding / sealing subsystem 300 holds the cardboard box B in the boxing position, and when the article G is filled in the cardboard box B by a predetermined amount, the top lid of the cardboard box B is closed to seal the box. It is a system that sends out the cardboard box B that has been made. Specifically, the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 laterally supplies the first opening OP1 supplied by the box supply subsystem 100 when the article supply subsystem 200 packs a predetermined amount of the article G into the cardboard box B. Hold the cardboard box B facing toward. Then, the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 rotates the cardboard box B so that the first opening OP1 faces upward after the boxing of the predetermined amount of the article G in the cardboard box B is completed. Further, the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 closes the first opening OP1 with the upper lid UC (a lid formed by the upper lid side flap F1 described later) while transporting the cardboard box B, and closes the first opening OP1 with the upper lid UC. The closed cardboard box B is discharged to the outside of the boxing system 1.

(2) Details of the cardboard sheet / cardboard box Below, the folded cardboard sheet S (cardboard box before opening) and the cardboard box B opened in the box supply subsystem 100 are shown in FIGS. 4 to 4 to 4. This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cardboard box B in a state where the pair of openings (first opening OP1 and second opening OP2) are open. Specifically, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the cardboard sheet S opened in the box-making portion 120 described later in the box supply subsystem 100 in the boxing system 1 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the left front side. .. As will be described later, in the bookcase supply subsystem 100, the flap F14 is tilted inward by the guide 140 when the cardboard sheet S is opened, but FIG. 4 does not reflect this state.

FIG. 5 is a view of the folded cardboard sheet S as viewed from one side. FIG. 6 is a view of the folded cardboard sheet S as viewed from the side opposite to that of FIG. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows an outline of the corrugated cardboard sheet S supplied from the sheet supply unit 110 to the box making unit 120 of the box supply subsystem 100, which will be described later, as viewed from the front side in the boxing system 1 of FIG. It is a front view. FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of the cardboard sheet S supplied from the sheet supply unit 110 of the box supply subsystem 100 to the box making unit 120 in the boxing system 1 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the rear side.

(2-1) Cardboard Box The cardboard box B (opened cardboard sheet S) mainly has a side surface portion T, an upper lid side flap F1, and a bottom lid side flap F2, as shown in FIG. ..

The side surface portion T is a square tubular portion having a pair of openings (first opening OP1 and second opening OP2). The side surface portion T constitutes the side surface of the cardboard box B. As shown in FIG. 4, the side surface portion T includes a first side surface T1, a second side surface T2, a third side surface T3, and a fourth side surface T4. The first side surface T1, the second side surface T2, the third side surface T3, and the fourth side surface T4 are connected in this order on a loop (see FIG. 4). In short, the first side surface T1 is connected to the second side surface T2, the second side surface T2 is connected to the third side surface T3, the third side surface T3 is connected to the fourth side surface T4, and the fourth side surface T4 is connected to the first side surface T1. Is connected to. The two adjacent sides of the side surface T of the cardboard box B, in other words, the two sides connected to each other, are orthogonal to each other. Further, in the side surface portion T of the cardboard box B, the first side surface T1 and the third side surface T3 are parallel, and the second side surface T2 and the fourth side surface T4 are parallel.

The upper lid side flap F1 is connected to the edge portion of the side surface portion T on the first opening OP1 side. The upper lid side flap F1 is folded so as to cover the first opening OP1 and becomes the upper lid of the cardboard box B that closes the first opening OP1. The top lid side flap F1 includes flaps F11, flaps F12, flaps F13, and flaps F14, as shown in FIG. The flap F11, the flap F12, the flap F13, and the flap F14 are each a rectangular flat plate-shaped member. The flap F11 extends from the connecting portion F11a with the first side surface T1 to the edge portion F11b in a direction orthogonal to the connecting portion F11a (a direction away from the first side surface T1). The flap F12 extends from the connecting portion F12a with the second side surface T2 to the edge portion F12b in the direction orthogonal to the connecting portion F12a. The flap F13 extends from the connecting portion F13a with the third side surface T3 to the edge portion F13b in the direction orthogonal to the connecting portion F13a. The flap F14 extends from the connecting portion F14a with the fourth side surface T4 to the edge portion F14b in the direction orthogonal to the connecting portion F14a.

In the present embodiment, of the upper lid side flaps F1, the flaps F11 and the flaps F13 are major flaps, and the flaps F12 and the flaps F14 are minor flaps. A major flap is a flap that is longer than a minor flap. The length of each flap is approximately equal to the length of the connection with the side surface to which the flap is connected. For example, the length of the major flap is substantially equal to the length of the connecting portion F11a between the flap F11 and the first side surface T1. Further, the length of the minor flap is substantially equal to the length of the connecting portion F12a between the flap F12 and the second side surface T2.

In the present embodiment, when the pair of major flaps F11 and F13 are tilted so as to cover the first opening OP1, the first opening OP1 is substantially covered by the major flaps F11 and F13 (substantially closed state). It becomes. Further, in the present embodiment, even if the pair of minor flaps F12 and F14 are tilted so as to cover the first opening OP1, a gap is formed between the flaps F12 and the flaps F14, and the first opening OP1 has the minor flaps F12 and F14. It does not become closed with.

The bottom lid side flap F2 is arranged at the edge portion of the side surface portion T on the second opening OP2 side. The bottom lid side flap F2 is folded so as to cover the second opening OP2, and becomes the bottom lid BC of the cardboard box B that closes the second opening OP2. The bottom lid side flap F2 includes a flap F21, a flap F22, a flap F23, and a flap F24, as shown in FIG. The flap F21, the flap F22, the flap F23, and the flap F24 are rectangular flat plate members, respectively. Each of the flaps F21 to F24 is the same as the flaps F11 to F14 except that they are arranged not at the edge of the side surface portion T on the first opening OP1 side but at the edge portion of the side surface portion T on the second opening OP2 side. Therefore, the description is omitted here in order to avoid duplication of description.

(2-2) Cardboard sheet The cardboard sheet S is a cardboard box B folded in a plane. In the cardboard sheet S, in the cardboard box B, the side surface portion T having a square cylinder shape is folded flat. The cardboard sheet S is a sheet supply of the box supply subsystem 100, which will be described later, in a state in which the top lid side flap F1, the side surface portion T, and the bottom lid side flap F2 are arranged in substantially the same virtual plane. It is stored in the sheet storage unit 112 of the unit 110.

Specifically, the cardboard sheet S is bent along a crease at the boundary between the first side surface T1 and the second side surface T2 and a crease at the boundary between the third side surface T3 and the fourth side surface T4. It is in a state. In the cardboard sheet S, the angle formed by the inner surface of the first side surface T1 and the inner surface of the second side surface T2 is bent so as to be substantially 0 °. Further, in the cardboard sheet S, the angle formed by the inner surface of the third side surface T3 and the inner surface of the fourth side surface T4 is bent so as to be substantially 0 °. In other words, the cardboard sheet S is folded so that the inner surface of the first side surface T1 and the inner surface of the second side surface T2 are close to each other, and the inner surface of the third side surface T3 and the inner surface of the fourth side surface T4 are close to each other. Further, in the cardboard sheet S, the inner surface of the first side surface T1 and the inner surface of the fourth side surface T4 are substantially separated by about 180 °, and the inner surface of the second side surface T2 and the inner surface of the third side surface T3 are substantially separated from each other. It is folded so that it is separated by about 180 °.

(3) Detailed Configuration of Boxing System The box supply subsystem 100, the article supply subsystem 200, and the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 of the boxing system 1 will be described in detail below.

(3-1) Box Supply Subsystem The box supply subsystem 100 mainly includes a sheet supply unit 110, a box making unit 120, a first posture changing unit 160, and a box supply unit 170. (See FIGS. 1 to 3).

The sheet supply unit 110 stores the cardboard sheet S and supplies the cardboard sheet S to the box making unit 120. The box-making unit 120 opens the cardboard sheet S, forms the bottom lid BC, and manufactures the cardboard box B. The first posture changing unit 160 changes the posture of the cardboard box B so that the first opening OP1 which is opened upward faces sideways (rearly). The box supply unit 170 supplies the cardboard box B to the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 with the first opening OP facing sideways, which the first posture changing unit 160 has changed its posture.

The details of the sheet supply unit 110, the box making unit 120, the first posture changing unit 160, and the box supply unit 170 will be described below.

(3-1-1) Seat Supply Unit The seat supply unit 110 mainly includes a seat storage unit 112 and a seat elevating mechanism 114, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cardboard sheet S is stored in the sheet storage unit 112. As shown in FIG. 3, the cardboard sheet S is stored in the sheet storage unit 112 in an upright state so that the top lid side flap F1 is arranged on the upper side and the bottom lid side flap F2 is arranged on the lower side. .. Further, the cardboard sheet S is stored in the seat storage unit 112 in such a posture that the third side surface T3 is arranged on the right side and the second side surface T2 is arranged on the left side when viewed from the front side. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the corrugated cardboard sheets S are stored side by side in the sheet storage section 112 so that the adjacent corrugated cardboard sheets S overlap each other.

The seat elevating mechanism 114 holds the leading (most rearward) cardboard sheet S one by one among the cardboard sheets S arranged in the seat storage portion 112, and moves to the box making portion 120 located at the upper rear side. Transport. The seat elevating mechanism 114 conveys the cardboard sheet S to the box making section 120 without particularly changing the posture of the cardboard sheet S stored in the seat storage section 112.

(3-1-2) Box-making part As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the box-making part 120 mainly includes a box-opening mechanism 130, a guide 140, and a bottom lid forming mechanism 150.

Generally speaking, the box opening mechanism 130 receives the cardboard sheet S supplied by the seat elevating mechanism 114, opens the cardboard sheet S, and transforms it into a square tubular cardboard box B. Specifically, the box-opening mechanism 130 receives the cardboard sheet S supplied by the seat elevating mechanism 114, opens the box, and the cardboard is arranged with the first opening OP1 at the top and the second opening OP2 at the bottom. Form box B. In the present embodiment, the box opening mechanism 130 changes its posture so that the side surface portion T extends in the vertical direction when receiving the cardboard sheet S supplied in a state where the seat elevating mechanism 114 is tilted with respect to the vertical direction. To do. Then, the box opening mechanism 130 opens the cardboard sheet S with the cardboard sheet S standing in the vertical direction.

During the opening of the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130, the guide 140 comes into contact with one outer surface of the flap of the cardboard sheet S arranged in the first opening OP1 and tilts the flap inward. In the present embodiment, the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface F14o of the flap F14 of the cardboard sheet S arranged in the first opening OP1 while the cardboard sheet S is opened by the box opening mechanism 130, and the flap F14 is moved inward. knock down.

The bottom lid forming mechanism 150 closes the bottom lid side flap F2 of the cardboard sheet S opened by the box opening mechanism 130 to form the bottom lid BC.

The details of the box opening mechanism 130, the guide 140, and the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 will be described below.

(3-1-2-1) Box-opening mechanism The box-opening mechanism 130 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 in addition to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the boxing system 1 in which the box opening mechanism 130 receives the cardboard sheet S (cardboard sheet S before opening the box) supplied from the sheet supply unit 110, as viewed from above. .. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the boxing system 1 in which the box opening mechanism 130 has finished opening the cardboard sheet S from above. In addition, in FIGS. 7 and 8, drawing of the top lid side flap F1 and the bottom lid side flap F2 of the cardboard sheet S is omitted in order to avoid complicating the drawings. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the box opening mechanism 130 of the box making portion 120.

The box opening mechanism 130 includes a first suction cup 131, a second suction cup 132, a first suction drive unit 131a, a second suction drive unit 132a, a first support member 133, a second support member 134, and a support member. It mainly has a drive unit 135 (see FIGS. 7 to 9).

The first suction cup 131 is an example of the first holding portion. The first suction cup 131 holds the first side surface T1 of the adjacent first side surface T1 and second side surface T2 of the cardboard sheet S. Specifically, the first suction cup 131 is attracted to the first side surface T1 of the cardboard sheet S to hold the first side surface T1. The first suction cup 131 is attached to the first support member 133 and is supported by the first support member 133. The first support member 133 is an arm-shaped member, although the shape is not limited. The second suction cup 132 is an example of the second holding portion. The second suction cup 132 holds the second side surface T2 of the adjacent first side surface T1 and second side surface T2 of the cardboard sheet S. Specifically, the second suction cup 132 is attracted to the second side surface T2 of the cardboard sheet S to hold the second side surface T2. The second suction cup 132 is attached to the second support member 134 and is supported by the second support member 134. The second support member 134 is an arm-shaped member, although the shape is not limited. In FIGS. 7 and 8, two first suction cups 131 and two second suction cups 132 are drawn, but the number of the first suction cups 131 and the second suction cups 132 is limited to the number shown. Instead, it may be decided as appropriate.

The first suction drive unit 131a sucks the air existing between the suction surface of the suction cup of the first suction cup 131 and the cardboard sheet S so that the first suction cup 131 sticks to the first side surface T1 of the cardboard sheet S. It is a vacuum generator. The second suction drive unit 132a sucks the air existing between the suction surface of the suction cup of the second suction cup 132 and the cardboard sheet S so that the second suction cup 132 attracts to the second side surface T2 of the cardboard sheet S. It is a vacuum generator. Although not limited to this, the first suction drive unit 131a and the second suction drive unit 132a are vacuum pumps.

The support member drive unit 135 is an example of a drive unit that relatively moves the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132. The support member drive unit 135 is, but is not limited to, an air cylinder or a motor. In the present embodiment, the support member driving unit 135 causes the first suction cup 131 to be second by rotating the first support member 133 to which the first suction cup 131 is attached around a predetermined rotation axis O (see FIG. 3). Move with respect to suction cup 132. Here, the rotation axis O extends in the vertical direction. The drive unit that relatively moves the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132 rotates the second support member 134 around a predetermined rotation axis (not shown) instead of moving the first suction cup 131. Then, the second suction cup 132 may be moved with respect to the first suction cup 131. Further, the drive unit that relatively moves the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132 rotates both the first support member 133 and the second support member 134 so that the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132 are relative to each other. You may move it. Further, the drive unit that relatively moves the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132 uses a link mechanism (not shown) or the like to support the first support member 133 instead of turning the first support member 133 around a predetermined rotation axis O. The member 133 may be moved in a predetermined orbit.

The support member drive unit 135 is preferably designed to move the first support member 133 in a trajectory such that the first suction cup 131 rotates about the virtual straight line A as the rotation center (FIGS. 4 to 8). reference). The virtual straight line A is a virtual straight line extending along the connecting portion between the first side surface T1 and the second side surface T2, or a connecting portion extending parallel to the connecting portion between the first side surface T1 and the second side surface T2. It is a virtual straight line that passes in the vicinity. When the support member drive unit moves the second suction cup 132, the support member drive unit moves the second support member 134 in a trajectory such that the second suction cup 132 rotates about the virtual straight line A as the rotation center. It is preferably designed to allow.

The box opening mechanism 130 has a first suction cup 131 holding the first side surface T1 of the folded cardboard sheet S and a second suction cup 132 holding the second side surface T2 of the folded cardboard sheet S. And are relatively moved by the support member driving unit 135, and the cardboard box B is opened with the first opening OP1 arranged upward and the second opening OP2 arranged downward (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Specifically, the support member driving unit 135 secondly attaches the first suction cup 131 so that the angle α formed by the inner surface of the first side surface T1 and the inner surface of the second side surface T2 changes from approximately 0 ° to 90 °. It is moved relative to the suction cup 132 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). In the present embodiment, the box opening mechanism 130 opens the cardboard sheet S with the cardboard sheet S standing vertically. Therefore, when the opening of the cardboard sheet S is completed, the second opening OP2 of the cardboard box B is arranged directly below the first opening OP1 of the cardboard box B.

(3-1-2-2) The guide guide 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the guide 140 attached to the boxing system 1. Note that in FIG. 10, drawing of various configurations of the sheet supply unit 110 and the box opening mechanism 130 is omitted. 11A to 11D are schematic views of the cardboard sheet S opened by the guide 140 and the box opening mechanism 130 as viewed from above. 11A to 11D are diagrams showing stepwise from the folded state (see FIG. 11A) to the opened state (see FIG. 11D) of the cardboard sheet S. In addition, in FIGS. 11A to 11D, drawing of the constituent members of the box opening mechanism 130 other than the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132 is omitted. Further, in FIGS. 11A to 11D, in order to avoid complicating the drawings, the flaps F1 and F2 of the cardboard sheet S are not drawn and only the side surface portion T is drawn. Further, in FIGS. 11A to 11D, the drawing of the frame 10 of the boxing system 1 and the upper member 156 attached to the frame 10 to be described later is omitted. FIG. 12 is a schematic rear view of the folded cardboard sheet S held by the guide 140 and the box opening mechanism 130 as viewed from the rear side. In FIG. 12, the drawing of the constituent members of the box opening mechanism 130 other than the first suction cup 131 and the first support member 133 is omitted. Further, in FIG. 12, the drawing of the frame 10 of the boxing system 1 and the upper member 156 attached to the frame 10 is omitted.

The guide 140 is a member that comes into contact with the outer surface F14o of the flap F14 of the cardboard sheet S arranged in the first opening OP1 and tilts the flap F14 inward while the cardboard sheet S is opened by the box opening mechanism 130. In other words, the guide 140 is arranged in the path through which the flap F14 of the cardboard sheet S passes during the opening of the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130, and is in contact with the outer surface F14o to tilt the flap F14 inward. Is.

The guide 140 is, for example, a flat plate-shaped member as shown in FIG. However, the shape of the guide 140 is not limited to the flat plate shape, and may be appropriately selected. The guide 140 may be made of, for example, metal, resin, or rubber.

The guide 140 is attached to, for example, the upper member 156. However, the guide 140 may not be indirectly fixed to the frame 10 via the upper member 156, but may be directly fixed to the frame 10.

The upper member 156 is a member attached to the frame 10 of the boxing system 1. In the upper member 156, when the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 described later forms the bottom lid BC on the cardboard box B, the bottom lid side flap F2 is pushed by the member constituting the bottom lid forming mechanism 150, and the cardboard box B is moved upward. It is a member that suppresses the movement to. Specifically, the upper member 156 is a member whose bottom surface regulates the upward movement of the cardboard box B when the bottom lid BC of the cardboard box B is formed.

It is preferable that the height position of the upper member 156 can be adjusted so as to correspond to the difference in size of the cardboard sheet S handled by the box supply subsystem 100. The difference in the size of the cardboard sheet S here means the difference in the length from the edge of the top lid side flap F1 to the edge of the bottom lid side flap F2. In other words, the box supply subsystem 100 adjusts the height position of the upper member 156 (particularly, the height position of the bottom surface of the upper member 156 facing the cardboard box B when the bottom lid BC is formed). (See FIG. 10). The position adjusting mechanism 158 is a mechanism capable of moving the upper member 156 up and down with respect to the frame 10 by using, for example, a ball screw or a cylinder. However, the position adjusting mechanism 158 is not limited to a specific type of mechanism as long as the height position of the upper member 156 can be adjusted. Further, the position adjusting mechanism 158 may be a mechanism capable of adjusting the height position of the upper member 156 by using a motor or air pressure, or a mechanism capable of manually adjusting the height position of the upper member 156 (upper member 156). A mechanism that can be fixed at different height positions with respect to the frame 10) may be used.

The guide 140 is attached to the upper member 156 as described above. Therefore, the position adjusting mechanism 158 also functions as a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the guide 140. In short, the presence of the position adjusting mechanism 158 makes it possible to adjust the height position of the guide 140 with respect to the frame 10. Since the height position of the guide 140 with respect to the frame 10 can be adjusted by the position adjusting mechanism 158, the guide 140 can be adjusted according to the size of the cardboard sheet S and the necessity / unnecessity of using the guide 140 as described later. The height position can also be adjusted.

Further, it is preferable that the height position of the guide 140 can be adjusted with respect to the upper member 156. In other words, the guide 140 preferably includes a position adjusting mechanism 142 that adjusts the height position with respect to the upper member 156. For example, the position adjusting mechanism 142 includes a hinge. The guide 140 is connected to the upper member 156 via the hinge of the position adjusting mechanism 142, and the guide 140 is rotated by the hinge, so that the height position of the guide 140 with respect to the upper member 156 can be changed. However, the position adjusting mechanism 142 does not have to include a hinge, and is not limited to a specific type of mechanism as long as the height position of the guide 140 with respect to the upper member 156 can be adjusted. Further, the position adjusting mechanism 142 may be a mechanism capable of adjusting the height position of the guide 140 by using a motor or air pressure, or a mechanism capable of manually adjusting the height position of the guide 140 (the guide 140 is an upper member 156). It may be a mechanism that can be fixed at different height positions.

Since the height position of the guide 140 can be adjusted by the position adjusting mechanism 142, the height position where the guide 140 contacts the flap F14 can be adjusted. Further, since the height position of the guide 140 can be adjusted by the position adjusting mechanism 142, whether or not the guide 140 is brought into contact with the flap F14 can be changed according to the necessity / unnecessity of using the guide 140 as described later. it can.

How the guide 140 contacts the cardboard sheet S during the opening of the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11D.

Here, it is assumed that the guide 140 is arranged at a height position where it can contact the flap F14 of the cardboard sheet S (see the guide 140 shown by the solid line in FIG. 12). The position of the guide 140 does not change during the opening of the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130. In other words, the guide 140 is an immovable member during the opening of the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130.

Before the start of opening the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130, the guide 140 is behind the flap F14 arranged in the first opening OP1 of the cardboard sheet S, as shown by the solid line in FIG. Have been placed. The first opening OP1 is arranged upward when the cardboard sheet S is opened by the box opening mechanism 130. The flap F14 is a minor flap as described above. In this state, the box opening mechanism 130 starts opening the folded cardboard sheet S. Specifically, the support member driving unit 135 holds the first suction cup 131 holding the first side surface T1 of the cardboard sheet S and the second suction cup 131 holding the second side surface T2 of the cardboard sheet S in the top view. Move with respect to suction cup 132. The first suction cup 131 preferably rotates about the above-mentioned virtual straight line A as the center of rotation.

When the first suction cup 131 rotates about an imaginary straight line A by a certain angle, the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface F14o (see FIG. 12) of the flap F14. When the first suction cup 131 further rotates about the virtual straight line A as the center of rotation, the guide 140 pushes the outer surface F14o of the flap F14 and tilts the flap F14 inward (see FIG. 11B). In short, the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface F14o of the flap F14 of the cardboard sheet S and is tilted inward during the opening of the box by the box opening mechanism 130. The following effects can be obtained by causing the flap F14 to fall inward before the flaps F11 and F13 arranged adjacent to the flap F14 in the first opening OP1 of the cardboard sheet S. The flaps F11 and F13 may be tilted inward due to the influence of gravity or the like. However, since the flap F14 that has been tilted first exists inside the flaps F11 and F13, the flap F14 is on the inner surface of the flap F11 and the inner surface F13i of the flap F13 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that are tilted inward. Contact. Therefore, the flaps F11 and F13 do not fall any further, and when the cardboard sheet S is opened, it is easy to prevent the flaps F11 and F13 from getting inside the side surface portion T of the cardboard sheet.

Returning to the explanation at the time of opening the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130. When the first suction cup 131 rotates about the virtual straight line A as the rotation center by a certain angle from the state of FIG. 11B, the guide 140 is arranged adjacent to the flap F14 in the first opening OP1 of the cardboard sheet S. Contact the inner surface F13i of the flap F13. When the first suction cup 131 further rotates about the virtual straight line A as the center of rotation, the guide 140 pushes the inner surface F13i of the flap F13 and tilts the flap F13 outward (see FIG. 11C). In short, the guide 140 comes into contact with the inner surface F13i of the flap F13 of the cardboard sheet S and is tilted outward during the opening of the box by the box opening mechanism 130.

The box-opening mechanism 130 completes the box-opening operation when the support member drive unit 135 rotates the first suction cup 131 by about 90 ° about the virtual straight line A as the rotation center from the start of opening the cardboard sheet S. .. When the box opening by the box opening mechanism 130 is completed, the angle α formed by the inner surface of the first side surface T1 and the inner surface of the second side surface T2 is approximately 90 °. When the box opening by the box opening mechanism 130 is completed, the guide 140 is arranged outside the area surrounded by the opened cardboard sheet S (cardboard box B).

By the way, as described above, the main purpose of the guide 140 to tilt the flap F14 inward is to prevent the flaps F11 and F13 adjacent to the flap F14 from entering the inside of the side surface portion T of the cardboard sheet S. There is. The state in which the flaps F11 and F13 have entered the inside of the side surface portion T of the cardboard sheet S is particularly likely to occur when the cardboard sheet S is a reused product.

On the other hand, when the cardboard sheet S is an unused item (new), the flaps F1 have not yet been folded (they have no creases) with respect to the side surface portion T, so that the flaps F11 and F13 are the side surface portions of the cardboard sheet S. The state of getting inside the T is unlikely to occur. Further, when the cardboard sheet S is an unused item, the flap F1 has not yet been folded with respect to the side surface portion T. Therefore, when the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface F14o of the flap F14, the flap F14 becomes the fourth side surface T4. There is a risk of deformation without breaking well at the connection with. Therefore, for example, when the cardboard sheet S is an unused item, it may be better not to use the guide 140.

Therefore, when the guide 140 is unnecessary, the height position of the guide 140 is adjusted by the position adjusting mechanism 158 or the position adjusting mechanism 142, so that the guide 140 becomes the flaps F14 and F13 as shown by the broken line in FIG. Is preferably adjusted to a height position where it does not touch.

(3-1-2-3) Bottom lid forming mechanism The bottom lid forming mechanism 150 is a cardboard sheet S (cardboard box B in which the first opening OP1 and the second opening OP2 are open) in which the box opening mechanism 130 is opened. A closing member (not shown) is brought into contact with the bottom lid side flap F2 to close the bottom lid side flap F2. In other words, the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 closes the bottom lid side flap F2 arranged in the second opening OP2 of the cardboard sheet S opened by the box opening mechanism 130 to form the bottom lid BC, and forms the bottom lid BC. The cardboard box B to be held is manufactured. Specifically, the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 is a closing member (not shown), and a part of the flap F22 is on the outer surface of the flap F21, a part of the flap F23 is on the outer surface of the flap F22, and a flap F24 is on the outer surface of the flap F23. The bottom lid side flap F2 is folded so that a part of the flap F21 partially overlaps the outer surface of the flap F24 to form the bottom lid BC. In other words, the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 folds the bottom lid side flap F2 so-called.

The method for forming the bottom lid BC is only an example. For example, the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 may fold the bottom lid side flap F2 so that the flap F22 and the flap F24 are arranged on the inside and the flap F21 and the flap F23 are arranged on the outside. Then, the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 is a tape attaching mechanism (not shown), and tapes (not shown) are attached to the fourth side surface T4, the boundary portion between the flaps F21 and the flaps F23, and the second side surface T2 in this order. The bottom lid BC of the cardboard box B may be formed.

In addition, in order to prevent the cardboard box B from being displaced upward when the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 comes into contact with the bottom lid side flap F2, the cardboard box B is placed above the cardboard box B formed by the bottom lid forming mechanism 150. Is preferably arranged with the above-mentioned upper member 156. It is preferable that at least a part of the bottom surface of the upper member 156 is arranged above the vicinity of the end portion of the upper lid side flap F1 of the cardboard box B on which the bottom lid BC is formed by the bottom lid forming mechanism 150.

The cardboard box B in which the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 forms the bottom lid BC is conveyed rearward to the first posture changing portion 160 by a moving mechanism (not shown).

(3-1-2-4) First posture changing unit The first posture changing unit 160 is an example of a rotation mechanism. The first posture changing portion 160 is arranged behind the box making portion 120. The first posture changing portion 160 rotates the cardboard box B on which the bottom lid BC is formed by the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 so that the first opening OP1 faces sideways. Specifically, the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B, which is conveyed rearward after the bottom lid BC is formed by the bottom lid forming mechanism 150, by approximately 90 ° in the conveying direction. In other words, the first posture changing portion 160 is rotated by 90 ° around a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction so that the first opening OP1 arranged above the cardboard box B faces rearward.

The flap F14, which is tilted inward by the guide 140 as described above, is arranged behind the upper part of the cardboard box B before being rotated by the first posture changing portion 160, and is rotated by 90 ° by the first posture changing portion 160. Later, it is arranged behind the lower part of the cardboard box B. In other words, the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B so that the first opening OP1 faces sideways, and then the flap F14 is arranged below the first opening OP1 so that the cardboard box B is arranged. To rotate. When the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B as described here, the direction in which the flap F14 opens outward coincides with the rotation direction of the cardboard box B. Therefore, when the first posture changing portion 160 rotates the cardboard box B, a centrifugal force is applied to the flap F14 that has fallen inward in the direction of opening outward. Therefore, when the first posture changing portion 160 rotates the cardboard box B, the flap F14 tends to fall outward or to be in a substantially horizontal state.

It is also possible that the flaps F11 and F13, which are major flaps, may fall inward after opening the box due to the influence of gravity or the like. However, even if the flaps F11 and F13 are tilted inward, the flaps F14 that are tilted inward by the guide 140 as described above exist inside the flaps F11 and F13. Therefore, when the first posture changing portion 160 rotates the cardboard box B, the inner surfaces of the flaps F11 and F13 are pushed by the flaps F14 that are urged to open outward by centrifugal force, and the flaps F11 and F13 are outside. It is urged to open in the direction.

As described above, in the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the flaps F14 and the flaps F11 and F12 are unlikely to fall down toward the inside of the cardboard box B. Therefore, even if a relatively simple structure is adopted for the flap opening mechanism 190 described later, it is easy to open the upper lid side flap F1 outward, and the cost of the boxing system 1 is likely to be reduced. Further, in the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, since a relatively simple structure can be adopted for the flap opening mechanism 190 described later, the boxing system 1 can be easily made compact.

The cardboard box B rotated by the first posture changing unit 160 is conveyed rearward to the box supply unit 170 by a moving mechanism (not shown).

(3-1-2-5) Box supply unit The box supply unit 170 is arranged behind the first posture change unit 160. The box supply unit 170 supplies the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 directed to the rear by the first posture change unit 160 to the box holding / sealing subsystem 300. The box supply unit 170 mainly includes a transport unit 180 and a flap opening mechanism 190.

The box supply unit 170 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 13 to 17.

FIG. 13A is a schematic front view of the transport unit 180 of the box supply unit 170 as viewed from the front side, and depicts a state when the transport unit 180 receives the cardboard box B supplied from the first posture change unit 160 side. ing. FIG. 13B is a schematic front view of the transport unit 180 of the box supply unit 170 as viewed from the front side, and depicts a state in which the cardboard box B received by the transport unit 180 is sandwiched and held by the transport belt 182a described later. ing. FIG. 14 is a schematic view for explaining a state that may occur in the cardboard box B when the position of the upper surface of the cardboard box B transported by the transport unit 180 is higher than the height of the upper end of the transport belt 182a of the transport unit 180. Is. 14 is also a schematic front view of the transport unit 180 of the box supply unit 170 as viewed from the front side, similarly to FIGS. 13A and 13B. FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view of the flap opening mechanism 190 of the box supply unit 170 as viewed from the front right. FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the flap opening mechanism 190. 17A to 17E are schematic side views of the flap opening mechanism 190 of the box supply unit 170 as viewed from the right, and are views for explaining the operation of the flap opening mechanism 190 opening the upper lid side flap F1.

The transport unit 180 is a mechanism that receives the cardboard box B transported by a moving mechanism (not shown) after being rotated by the first posture changing unit 160 and transports the cardboard box B to the lower box packing position. The boxing position is a position in which the article G is boxed in the cardboard box B in the box holding / sealing subsystem 300. The flap opening mechanism 190 is arranged behind the transport portion 180. The flap opening mechanism 190 is a mechanism for opening the upper lid side flap F1 of the cardboard box B received by the transport unit 180 to the outside. By using the flap opening mechanism 190, the cardboard box B is conveyed to the lower boxing position with the upper lid side flap F1 opened outward. The transport unit 180 and the flap opening mechanism 190 will be described in detail.

(A) Transport unit The transport unit 180 includes a pair of transport belt mechanisms 182, a protrusion 184 provided on the transport belt 182a of each transport belt mechanism 182, and a photoelectric sensor 186 for detecting the protrusion 184 (. See FIG. 13A). Although FIG. 13A depicts a mode in which only one protrusion 184 is provided on each transport belt 182a, a plurality of protrusions 184 may be provided on each transport belt 182a. Further, in FIG. 13A, the photoelectric sensor 186 is arranged above the transport belt mechanism 182, but the installation position of the photoelectric sensor 186 is not limited to the drawn position, and the position of the protrusion 184 can be grasped. If possible, it may be changed to another position as appropriate.

Each of the pair of transport belt mechanisms 182 is arranged side by side substantially symmetrically with a space left and right. Each transport belt mechanism 182 includes a transport belt 182a, a roller group including a plurality of rollers 182b, a roller drive unit (not shown) connected to at least a part of the rollers 182b and rotating the connected rollers 182b. Mainly includes. The material of the transport belt 182a is not limited, but it is made of rubber, for example. A transport belt 182a is hung around the rollers 182b of the roller group of each transport belt mechanism 182. The roller drive unit is not limited to the type of drive unit, but is, for example, a motor.

The pair of transport belt mechanisms 182 are configured to be movable by using a moving device (not shown) so as to approach each other and separate from each other. In the present embodiment, the transport belt 182a is configured to be movable in the left-right direction by a moving device. The type of the mechanism moving device is not limited, but for example, a cylinder using air pressure or a motor can be used. When receiving the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 transported from the front facing the rear, the pair of transport belt mechanisms 182 allow the cardboard box B to enter between the pair of transport belt mechanisms 182. , The pair of transport belt mechanisms 182 stand by in a state of being separated from the width of the cardboard box B in the left-right direction (see FIG. 13A). Specifically, when receiving the cardboard box B transported from the front, the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of one transport belt mechanism 182 and the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of the other transport belt mechanism 182. Is in a state of being separated from the width of the cardboard box B in the left-right direction. The holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a is a surface that comes into contact with the side surface portion T of the cardboard box B when the transport belt mechanism 182 holds the cardboard box B. When the controller 400 described above detects that the cardboard box B has been supplied between the pair of transport belt mechanisms 182 by, for example, a photoelectric sensor (not shown), the pair of transport belt mechanisms 182 are brought close to each other (see FIG. 13B). Then, the transport unit 180 holds the side surface portion T of the cardboard box B between the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of one transport belt mechanism 182 and the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of the other transport belt mechanism 182. Hold by sandwiching. Specifically, the transport unit 180 uses the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of one transport belt mechanism 182 as the third side surface T3 and the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of the other transport belt mechanism 182 as the first side surface T1. The cardboard box B is sandwiched and the cardboard box B is held. When the roller drive unit is driven with the cardboard box B sandwiched between the pair of transport belts 182a, the transport belts 182a rotate. Specifically, when the roller drive unit is driven, the transport belt 182a arranged on the right side rotates counterclockwise and the transport belt 182a arranged on the left side rotates clockwise when viewed from the front side. As a result of the rotation of the transfer belt 182a in this way, the cardboard box B sandwiched between the transfer belts 182a is conveyed downward as the transfer belt 182a rotates.

It should be noted that preferably, in the transport unit 180, the upper end position H1 of the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of the transport belt mechanism 182 is the upper surface BT of the cardboard box B to which the transport unit 180 conveys (the second side surface T2 in this embodiment). It is designed to be higher than the position of (see FIG. 13A). Further, even if the size of the cardboard box B changes, the height position of the transport belt mechanism 182 is adjusted so that the upper end position H1 of the holding surface 182a1 is higher than the position of the upper surface BT of the cardboard box B to be transported by the transport unit 180. It is more preferable that it is possible.

The advantage obtained by having the upper end position H1 of the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of the transport belt mechanism 182 higher than the position of the upper surface BT of the cardboard box B to be conveyed by the transport unit 180 will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 14, it is assumed that the upper end position H1 of the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a is lower than the position of the upper surface BT of the cardboard box B to be transported by the transport unit 180. In this case, when the cardboard box B is held by being sandwiched between the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of one transport belt mechanism 182 and the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a of the other transport belt mechanism 182, The cardboard box B may be deformed. The reason is that the corner portion B1 of the relatively strong cardboard box B on the upper side of the cardboard box B is arranged at a position higher than the upper end position H1 of the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a, and the holding surface 182a1 is the cardboard box B. This is because the relatively low-strength part of the corrugated cardboard is sandwiched. If the cardboard box B is deformed, the cardboard box B cannot be firmly gripped between the holding surfaces 182a1 of the transport belt 182a, and the transport belt 182a may not be able to transport the cardboard box B to a predetermined position. There is.

On the other hand, when the upper end position H1 of the holding surface 182a1 is higher than the position of the upper surface BT of the cardboard box B transported by the transport unit 180, as in the transport unit 180 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 13B, FIG. Deformation of the cardboard box B in the above mode is unlikely to occur. Therefore, it is easy to suppress the occurrence of problems such as the cardboard box B cannot be firmly gripped between the holding surfaces 182a1 of the transport belt 182a and the cardboard box B cannot be transported to a predetermined position by the transport belt 182a.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13B, the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a is provided with a protrusion 184 protruding from the holding surface 182a1. Then, in the controller 400 described above, when the transport unit 180 starts transporting the cardboard box B, the transport belt is arranged so that the protrusion 184 is arranged on the upstream side of the cardboard box B in the transport direction of the transport belt 182a. It controls the operation of the mechanism 182 (particularly the roller drive unit). Further, the controller 400 controls the operation of the transport belt mechanism 182 (particularly the roller drive portion) so that the protrusions 184 are arranged symmetrically when the transport unit 180 starts transporting the cardboard box B. .. The controller 400 grasps the position of the protrusion 184 based on the detection result of the protrusion 184 by the photoelectric sensor 186. The protrusion 184 is arranged on the holding surface 182a1, and the transport belt mechanism 182 is controlled as described above. Therefore, when the cardboard box B is transported, the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a and the side surface portion T of the cardboard box B are brought into contact with each other. Even if slippage occurs between the boxes, the upper surface BT of the cardboard box B can be pushed down by the protrusion 184 to convey the cardboard box B to the boxing position. If slip does not occur between the holding surface 182a1 of the transport belt 182a and the side surface portion T of the cardboard box B, the protrusion 184 does not come into contact with the cardboard box B when the cardboard box B is transported by the transport unit 180.

(B) Flap opening mechanism As shown in FIG. 16, the flap opening mechanism 190 includes a first arm 191 and a second arm 192, a third arm 193, a fourth arm 194, an air nozzle 195, a first arm drive unit 191a, and a second arm. The arm drive unit 192a, the third arm drive unit 193a, the fourth arm drive unit 194a, and the shutoff valve 195a are included.

The first arm drive unit 191a, the second arm drive unit 192a, the third arm drive unit 193a, and the fourth arm drive unit 194a are the first arm 191 and the second arm 192, the third arm 193, and the fourth arm, respectively. It corresponds to the arm 194. Each of the first arm drive unit 191a, the second arm drive unit 192a, the third arm drive unit 193a, and the fourth arm drive unit 194a is a drive unit that causes the corresponding arm to perform an operation as described later. Although the type of the drive unit is not limited, the arm drive units 191a to 194a are, for example, air cylinders. The air nozzle 195 communicates with a tube (not shown) that delivers compressed air. The tube is provided with a shutoff valve 195a, and when the shutoff valve 195a is open, compressed air is ejected from the air nozzle 195. When the shutoff valve 195a is closed, compressed air does not blow out from the air nozzle 195.

The functions of the first arm 191 and the second arm 192, the third arm 193, the fourth arm 194, and the air nozzle 195 will be described.

The first arm 191 is an arm for opening the flap F11. The first arm 191 is moved by the first arm driving unit 191a at a predetermined timing, and pushes the inner surface of the flap F11 outward so that the flap F11 falls outward.

The second arm 192 is an arm for opening the flap F12. The second arm 192 is moved by the second arm driving unit 192a at a predetermined timing, and pushes the inner surface of the flap F12 outward so that the flap F12 falls outward. The second arm 192 pushes the inner surface of the flap F12 upward so that the flap F12 falls outward. The second arm 192 is provided with an air nozzle 195 as shown in FIG. The air nozzle 195 blows air to the left and right.

The third arm 193 is an arm for opening the flap F13. The third arm 193 is moved by the third arm driving unit 193a at a predetermined timing, and pushes the inner surface of the flap F13 outward so that the flap F13 falls outward.

The fourth arm 194 is an arm for opening the flap F14. The fourth arm 194 is moved by the fourth arm driving unit 194a at a predetermined timing, and pushes the inner surface of the flap F14 outward so that the flap F14 falls outward. The fourth arm 194 pushes the inner surface of the flap F14 downward so that the flap F14 falls outward.

Next, the operations of the first arm 191 and the second arm 192, the third arm 193, and the fourth arm 194, and the timing of air ejection from the air nozzle 195 will be described.

When the transport unit 180 receives the cardboard box B and the transport unit 180 sandwiches and holds the cardboard box B between the pair of transport belts 182a, the controller 400 operates the arms 191 to 194 and the air nozzle 195 in the following order.

As a premise, before the flap opening mechanism 190 starts the operation of opening the upper lid side flap F1, the arms 191 to 194 are on standby at the standby position as shown in FIG. 17A. The arms 191 to 194 waiting in the standby position are not normally in contact with the upper lid side flap F1. Further, before the flap opening mechanism 190 starts the operation of opening the upper lid side flap F1, the shutoff valve 195a is closed and no air is blown out from the air nozzle 195. Before the flap opening mechanism 190 starts the operation of opening the upper lid side flap F1, the flap F12 arranged above is affected by the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the cardboard box B by the first posture changing portion 160 and the gravity. As a result, it is generally in a state of falling inward (see FIG. 17A). On the other hand, the flap F14 arranged below is generally in a state of being tilted outward due to the influence of gravity and the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the cardboard box B by the first posture changing portion 160 (Fig.). See 17A).

The controller 400 first controls the second arm drive unit 192a so that the second arm 192 opens the flap F12 upward, as shown in FIG. 17B. Further, at this timing, the controller 400 opens the closed shutoff valve 195a and blows air from the air nozzle 195 in the left-right direction (in other words, toward the major flaps F11 and F13). By hitting the inner surfaces of the major flaps F11 and F13 with the air blown from the air nozzle 195 in this way, even if the second arm 192 operates and the flap F12 is not in a state of being tilted inward as shown in FIG. 17A, the major flaps F11, F13 does not easily fall inward.

Next, in the controller 400, as shown in FIG. 17C, the first arm driving unit 191a and the third arm drive unit 191a and the third arm 191 open the flap F11 to the left and the third arm 193 opens the flap F13 to the right. It controls the arm drive unit 193a. When the first arm 191 opens the flap F11 to the left and the third arm 193 opens the flap F13 to the right, the controller 400 closes the shutoff valve 195a and stops the air blowout from the air nozzle 195.

Next, the controller 400 controls the fourth arm drive unit 194a so that the fourth arm 194 opens the flap F14 downward as shown in FIG. 17D.

When the upper lid side flap F1 is opened by the operation of the arms 191 to 194 as described above, the transport unit 180 transports the cardboard box B to the lower boxing position while maintaining the state as shown in FIG. 17E. To do.

(3-2) Article Supply Subsystem The article supply subsystem 200 mainly includes an article carrying-in section 210, an article aligning section 220, and an article pushing section 230 (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

The article carrying-in section 210 receives the supply of the article G supplied from the upstream process and conveys it to the article aligning section 220. The article aligning unit 220 conveys the article G to a predetermined position while accumulating the article G. The article pushing unit 230 pushes the articles G aligned by the article aligning unit 220 into the cardboard box B placed at the boxing position in the box holding / sealing subsystem 300 to pack the articles.

The details of the article carrying-in section 210, the article aligning section 220, and the article pushing section 230 will be described below.

(3-2-1) Goods carry-in section As shown in FIG. 2, the article carry-in section 210 has an article introduction conveyor 211 and a carry-in conveyor 212. The article introduction conveyor 211 and the carry-in conveyor 212 are conveyors that convey the article G. Although the type of conveyor is not limited, the article introduction conveyor 211 and the carry-in conveyor 212 are, for example, belt conveyors.

The article introduction conveyor 211 receives the supply of the article G sent to the boxing system 1 through the upstream process (for example, various inspections related to the article G), and guides the received article G to the carry-in conveyor 212.

The carry-in conveyor 212 receives the article G conveyed from the article introduction conveyor 211, and conveys the received article G to the article alignment unit 220.

(3-2-2) Article Alignment Unit The article arranging unit 220 has a plurality of arranging conveyors 222 and 223 as shown in FIG. The article aligning unit 220 conveys the article G to the article pushing unit 230 while performing an accumulation operation with respect to the article G.

(3-2-3) Article Pushing Section The article pushing section 230 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 21 in addition to FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic rear view of the article pushing portion 230 as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 19A is a schematic plan view of the article pushing portion 230 as viewed from above, and depicts a state before the article pushing portion 230 pushes a group of articles G into the cardboard box B. FIG. 19B is a schematic plan view of the article pushing section 230 as viewed from above, and depicts the state of the article pushing section 230 while the article pushing section 230 is pushing a group of articles G into the cardboard box B. FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of the article pushing section 230 as viewed from the right, and schematically depicts the state of the article pushing section 230 during pushing of a group of articles G into the cardboard box B.

The article pushing section 230 packs a group of articles G aligned in a row on the aligning conveyor 223 of the article aligning section 220 into the cardboard box B.

The article pushing portion 230 mainly includes an upright conveyor 231, a first guide 232, a second guide 233, a shutter 234, and a pushing member 235.

The upright conveyor 231 is provided at the downstream end of the alignment conveyor 223 and regulates the movement of the articles G transported in a row in the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 223. Further, the upright conveyor 231 moves the transport surface vertically upward, so that particularly the leading article G (the article G on the most downstream side in the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 223 among the group of articles G) can be seen in FIG. It leads to the upright state as shown in FIG. 18 instead of the collapsed state as drawn in. On the alignment conveyor 223, a group of articles G are accumulated in an upright state. Although 6 articles are drawn as a group of articles G in FIGS. 18 to 19, the number of articles G included in the group of articles G may be appropriately determined. Further, the upright conveyor 231 guides the movement of the group of articles G on the right side when the group of articles G is pushed into the cardboard box B by using the pushing member 235.

The first guide 232 and the second guide 233 are provided at the upstream end of the alignment conveyor 223, and when the group of articles G is pushed into the cardboard box B by using the pushing member 235, the movement of the group of articles G is on the left side. It is a member to be guided by. The first guide 232 and the second guide 233 are, for example, flat plate-shaped members. When the article G is accumulated on the alignment conveyor 223, the first guide 232 is parallel to the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 223 so as not to hinder the movement of the article G, as depicted in FIGS. 18 and 19A. In this state, it is arranged on the front end side of the alignment conveyor 223. When the article G is accumulated on the alignment conveyor 223, the second guide 233 is parallel to the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 223 so as not to hinder the movement of the article G, as depicted in FIGS. 18 and 19A. In the state, it is arranged on the rear end side of the alignment conveyor 223.

When a group of articles G are accumulated on the alignment conveyor 223, the first guide 232 is such that the first guide 232 projects on the transport path of the alignment conveyor 222 with the vertical direction as the rotation axis direction (clockwise when viewed from above). Rotate about 90 ° (around) (see First Guide 232, drawn solid in FIGS. 18 and 19). Further, when a group of articles G are accumulated on the alignment conveyor 223, the second guide 233 projects the second guide 233 on the transport path of the alignment conveyor 223 with the vertical direction as the rotation axis direction (viewed from above). Rotate about 90 ° (counterclockwise) (see the second guide 233 drawn in solid lines in FIGS. 18 and 19).

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19A, the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 rotate with the vertical direction as the rotation axis direction, and are in a state of protruding from each other on the transport path of the alignment conveyor 223. Even when it is, there is a gap between the first guide 232 and the second guide 233. When a group of articles G is pushed by the cardboard box B by the pushing member 235 in such a state, the articles G are caught in the gap between the first guide 232 and the second guide 233, and the bag for packaging the articles G is broken. There is a risk of problems such as. Therefore, it is preferable that such a gap is as small as possible.

Such a gap can be eliminated by increasing the lengths of the first guide 232 and the second guide 233, for example. However, when the lengths of the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 are simply increased, the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 are in a state parallel to the transport direction of the alignment conveyor 223, and the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 are simply lengthened. And the second guide 233 comes into contact with the alignment conveyor 222 which is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to increase the length of the alignment conveyor 223, which causes another problem of increasing the size of the article supply subsystem 200.

Therefore, preferably, as in the present embodiment, the second guide 233 is operated by a drive unit (for example, a cylinder) (not shown) in conjunction with the pushing member 235 moving forward to push the article G into the cardboard box B. It is preferable to move it forward. With such a configuration, when the article G is pushed by the pushing member 235, the gap between the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 can be eliminated or the gap can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defects due to the existence of a large gap between the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 while avoiding an increase in the size of the article supply subsystem 200.

The shutter 234 is a flat plate-shaped member that guides the movement of the article G inserted inside the cardboard box B downward when the group of articles G is pushed into the cardboard box B by the pushing member 235. The upper surface (guide surface) of the shutter 234 is preferably a substantially horizontal surface. The shutter 234 is driven by a shutter drive unit (not shown) and is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction. Although the type of the drive unit is not limited, the shutter drive unit is, for example, an air cylinder or a motor.

When the pushing member 235 pushes a group of articles G into the cardboard box B, the shutter 234 is driven by a shutter drive unit (not shown) to move forward and is inserted to the vicinity of the bottom lid BC of the cardboard box B as shown in FIG. .. Then, when the pushing of the group of articles G by the pushing member 235 is completed, the goods G are driven by the shutter drive unit to move backward and move to the outside of the cardboard box B.

The pushing member 235 is a member for pushing a group of articles G on the alignment conveyor 222 into the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 facing sideways (rearward). The push-in member 235 is moved by a push-in plate drive unit (not shown) so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The pushing member 235 is, for example, a flat plate-shaped member. The pushing surface (the surface in contact with the article G) of the pushing member 235 is a vertical surface. The push-in plate drive unit is not limited to the type of drive unit, but is, for example, an air cylinder.

In the pushing member 235, the standing conveyor 231 is arranged on the right side, the first guide 232 and the second guide 233 are arranged on the left side, and the shutter 234 is arranged in the cardboard box B with respect to the group of articles G on the alignment conveyor 223. In the inserted state, the article G is pushed from the rear to the front, and the article G is pushed into the cardboard box B held in front of the pushing member 235.

(3-3) Box Holding / Sealing Subsystem The box holding / sealing subsystem 300 mainly includes a box holding portion 310, a second posture changing portion 320, and a sealing portion 330 (FIGS. 1 to 1). (See FIG. 3).

The box holding unit 310 receives the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 supplied by the box supply subsystem 100 facing rearward, and when the article supply subsystem 200 packs a predetermined number of articles G into the cardboard box B, the cardboard box Hold B. The second posture changing unit 320 changes the posture so that the first opening OP1 of the cardboard box B faces upward after the packing of the article G with respect to the cardboard box B is completed. The sealing portion 330 closes the flap F1 of the first opening OP1 of the cardboard box B to form the upper lid UC while the second posture changing portion 320 conveys the cardboard box B whose posture has been changed.

The box holding portion 310, the second posture changing portion 320, and the sealing portion 330 will be described in detail below.

(3-3-1) Box Holding Unit The box holding unit 310 holds the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 facing rearward by the holding mechanism 312 (see FIG. 20).

The holding mechanism 312 is a member formed in an L shape when viewed from the right side. The holding mechanism 312 has a suction cup (not shown). The holding mechanism 312 holds the outer surface of the cardboard box B with a suction cup while supporting the cardboard box B with an L-shaped member. Specifically, the holding mechanism 312 supports the side plate (here, the fourth side surface T4) arranged below the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 facing rearward from below and holds it with a suction cup. Further, the holding mechanism 312 supports the bottom lid BC arranged below the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 facing rearward from the front and holds it with a suction cup. The holding mechanism 312 holds the cardboard box B so that the first opening OP1 of the cardboard box B faces the pushing member 235 of the article pushing portion 230. The article pushing unit 230 pushes a predetermined number of groups of articles G from the first opening OP1 into the cardboard box B at a time.

A predetermined number of groups of articles G may be pushed into the cardboard box B only once by the article pushing section 230. Further, as shown in FIG. 20, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, a predetermined number of groups of articles G may be pushed into the cardboard box B a plurality of times by the article pushing section 230. When the article pushing portion 230 pushes a predetermined number of sets of articles G into one cardboard box B a plurality of times, the article pushing unit 230 pushes a predetermined number of articles G into the cardboard box B with the first opening OP1 facing sideways in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. Article G is packed in a box (in the third row in FIG. 20). When the article pushing section 230 pushes a group of articles G into one cardboard box B a plurality of times, the article pushing section 230 adjusts the height position of the holding mechanism 312 by using an elevating mechanism (not shown). Is preferable. The elevating mechanism is, for example, an air cylinder or a motor. The elevating mechanism changes the height position of the cardboard box B held by the holding mechanism 312 so that the height position of the pushing member 235 coincides with the height position for pushing the article G into the cardboard box B. More specifically with reference to FIG. 20, when a predetermined number of groups of articles G of the first layer (lower stage) are inserted into the cardboard box B, the elevating mechanism is placed in the cardboard box B. The holding mechanism 312 is lowered by a predetermined distance so that the height of the upper end of the article G in the layer is substantially equal to the height position of the shutter 234. In this state, the shutter 234 is inserted into the cardboard box B held by the holding mechanism 312, and then a predetermined number of groups of articles G are pushed by the pushing member 235. When a group of articles G of the second layer (middle stage) is inserted into the cardboard box B, the elevating mechanism adjusts the height of the upper end of the article G of the second layer contained in the cardboard box B to the shutter 234. The holding mechanism 312 is lowered by a predetermined distance so as to be substantially equal to the height position of. In this state, the shutter 234 is inserted into the cardboard box B held by the holding mechanism 312, and then a predetermined number of groups of articles G are pushed by the pushing member 235. Here, the case where the article G is put in the cardboard box B in three stages has been described as an example, but the same packing operation is executed when the article G in two or four or more stages is put in the cardboard box B. Just do it.

(3-3-2) Second Posture Change Unit The second posture change unit 320 will be described with reference to FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of the periphery of the second posture changing portion 320 as viewed from the right, and schematically shows the state of the shutter 234 of the second posture changing portion 320 and the article pushing portion 230 while rotating the cardboard box B. It is drawn in.

As shown in FIG. 21, the second posture changing portion 320 has a support member 322 that supports the holding mechanism 312 of the box holding portion 310. The second posture changing unit 320 rotates the support member 322 by a driving unit (not shown) by 90 ° around the rotation axis O2 extending horizontally in the left-right direction (counterclockwise in the right side view). As a result, the holding mechanism 312 supported by the support member 322 also rotates 90 ° (counterclockwise in the right side view) around the rotation axis O2 extending horizontally in the left-right direction. In this way, the second posture changing unit 320 rotates the holding mechanism 312 to change the posture of the cardboard box B packed with the article G from the state in which the first opening OP1 is directed backward to the state in which the first opening OP1 is directed upward. Change to.

When the second posture changing unit 320 rotates the cardboard box B, the article G in the cardboard box B may jump out due to the influence of inertia. In particular, in the uppermost article G away from the rotation center of the support member 322, the article G in the cardboard box B tends to jump out due to the influence of inertia. Therefore, in the boxing system 1 of the present embodiment, the shutter 234 is projected forward and the article G is pushed from the rear in accordance with the rotation of the cardboard box B by the second posture changing unit 320, and the cardboard box B of the article G is pushed. Suppresses popping out from. For example, in the boxing system 1, if the position of the cardboard box B is estimated from the rotational angular acceleration of the cardboard box B and the operating acceleration and speed of the shutter 234 are set accordingly, the article in the cardboard box B can be set. The article G can be pressed by the shutter 234 so as to chase G. The shutter 234 preferably presses the uppermost article G in the cardboard box B from behind.

(3-3-3) Sealing section The sealing section 330 includes a discharge conveyor 332 that conveys the cardboard box B and discharges it from the boxing system 1, and an upper lid forming mechanism 334, as shown in FIG.

The upper lid forming mechanism 334 folds the upper lid side flap F1 of the cardboard box B conveyed by the discharge conveyor 332 so that the flaps F12 and F14 are arranged on the inside and the flaps F11 and F13 are arranged on the outside. The upper lid forming mechanism 334 is a tape sticking mechanism (not shown), and tapes (not shown) are stuck to the second side surface T2, the boundary portion between the flaps F11 and the flaps F13, and the fourth side surface T4 in this order, and cardboard. The top lid UC of the box B is formed.

However, the above method for forming the upper lid UC is only an example. Similar to the bottom lid forming mechanism 150, the upper lid forming mechanism 334 has a part of the flap F12 on the outer surface of the flap F11, a part of the flap F13 on the outer surface of the flap F12, and a part of the flap F14 on the outer surface of the flap F13. The upper lid side flap F1 may be folded so that a part of the flap F11 overlaps the outer surface of the flap F14 to form the upper lid UC.

(4) Features (4-1)
The box supply subsystem 100 of this embodiment is an example of a box supply system. The box supply subsystem 100 includes a box opening mechanism 130. The box opening mechanism 130 includes a first suction cup 131 as an example of the first cage, a second suction cup 132 as an example of the second cage, and a support member drive unit 135 as an example of the drive unit. The first suction cup 131 holds the first side surface T1 of the adjacent first side surface T1 and second side surface T2 of the cardboard sheet S. The second suction cup 132 holds the second side surface T2. The support member drive unit 135 relatively moves the first suction cup 131 and the second suction cup 132. The box opening mechanism 130 has a first suction cup 131 holding the first side surface T1 of the folded cardboard sheet S and a second suction cup 132 holding the second side surface T2 of the folded cardboard sheet S. And are relatively moved by the support member driving unit 135 to open the cardboard sheet S in a state where the pair of openings (first opening OP1 and second opening OP2) are arranged vertically. The box supply subsystem 100 includes a guide 140. During the opening of the box by the box opening mechanism 130, the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface F14o of the flap F14 of the cardboard sheet S arranged in the first opening OP1 which is one of the openings of the cardboard sheet S, and the flap F14 is moved inward. knock down.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the flap F14 is set to fall inward by the guide 140 while the cardboard sheet S is opened, so that the flap F14 functions as a fall suppressing unit. The flap F14 as a fall suppressing portion suppresses excessive inward fall of the flaps F11 and F13 adjacent to the flap F14. Therefore, in the box supply subsystem 100, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem that the flaps F11 and F13 are unintentionally tilted inward excessively.

In this embodiment, the flap F14 is a minor flap. The flaps F11 and F13 are major flaps that are longer than the minor flaps.

(4-2)
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the guide 140 comes into contact with the inner surface F13i of the flap F13 of the cardboard sheet S and is tilted outward during the opening of the box by the box opening mechanism 130. The flap F13 is arranged adjacent to the flap F14 in the first opening OP1 of the cardboard sheet S.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, since the guide 140 tilts the flap F13 outward, it is easy to prevent the flap F13 from tilting inward and the first opening OP1 being blocked.

(4-3)
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the guide 140 is arranged outside the opened cardboard sheet S when the box opening by the box opening mechanism 130 is completed.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, since the guide 140 is arranged outside the opened cardboard sheet S when the box opening is completed, the guide 140 adversely affects the transportation of the opened cardboard sheet S. There is no.

(4-4)
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the first opening OP1 is arranged upward when the cardboard sheet S is opened by the box opening mechanism 130.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the flaps F14 can suppress excessive tilting of the flaps F11 and F13 on the first opening OP1 side, which tend to fall inward due to gravity.

(4-5)
The box supply subsystem 100 of this embodiment includes a flap opening mechanism 190. The flap opening mechanism 190 includes a first arm 191 and a third arm 193 as an example of the first member. The first arm 191 comes into contact with the flap F11 of the cardboard sheet S and opens outward. The third arm 193 comes into contact with the flap F13 of the cardboard sheet S and opens outward. The flaps F11 and F13 are arranged adjacent to the flap F14 in the first opening OP1 of the cardboard sheet S.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the presence of the guide 140 prevents the flaps F11 and F13 from being opened by the flap opening mechanism 190, and the first opening OP1 is unintentionally closed by the flaps F11 and F13. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems that result in a state.

(4-6)
The box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment includes a bottom lid forming mechanism 150 and a first posture changing portion 160 as an example of a rotating mechanism. The bottom lid forming mechanism 150 closes the bottom lid side flap F2 arranged in the second opening OP2 different from the first opening OP1 of the cardboard sheet S opened by the box opening mechanism 130 to form the bottom lid BC. A cardboard box B having a bottom lid BC is manufactured. The first posture changing portion 160 rotates the cardboard box B having the bottom lid BC so that the first opening OP1 faces sideways. The first arm 191 of the flap opening mechanism 190 comes into contact with the flap F11 of the cardboard box B after being rotated by the first posture changing portion 160, and opens the flap F11 outward. The third arm 193 of the flap opening mechanism 190 comes into contact with F13 of the cardboard box B after rotation by the first posture changing portion 160, and opens the flap F13 outward.

(4-7)
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B so that the flap F14 is arranged below the first opening OP1.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, a centrifugal force due to rotation acts on the flap F14 that has been tilted inward by the guide 140 in a direction that opens outward. Therefore, in this box supply subsystem 100, even if the flaps F11 and F13 are tilted inward so as to cover the flaps F14 that are tilted inward, the flaps F14 are before the flaps F11 and F13 are opened by the flap opening mechanism 190. The flaps F11 and F13 can be pushed outward in advance. Therefore, in the box supply subsystem 100, the occurrence of a problem that the flaps F11 and F13 cannot be opened by the flap opening mechanism 190 is particularly likely to be suppressed.

(4-8)
In the box supply subsystem 100 of this embodiment, the flap opening mechanism 190 includes a fourth arm 194 as an example of a second member that opens the flap F14 outward.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, since the flap F14 is also opened to the outside by the fourth arm 194, the first opening OP1 is closed by the upper lid side flap F1 even though it is not intended. Can be suppressed.

(4-9)
The box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment includes a position adjusting mechanism 158 as an example of a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the guide 140. Further, the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment includes a position adjusting mechanism 142 as an example of a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the guide 140.

In the box supply subsystem 100 of the present embodiment, the height position of the guide 140 can be changed according to the size of the cardboard sheet S and the necessity / unnecessity of the guide, so that the system is highly versatile.

(5) Modification Example The following is a modification of the above embodiment. The configuration of a part or all of the modifications shown below may be arbitrarily combined with the configuration of a part or all of the other modifications as long as they do not contradict each other.

(5-1) Modification A
In the above embodiment, the box supply subsystem 100 includes a case where the box opening mechanism 130 opens the folded cardboard sheet S in a state where the first opening OP1 and the second opening OP2 are aligned in the vertical direction. Explaining. In other words, in the above embodiment, the box supply subsystem 100 will be described by taking as an example a case where the box opening mechanism 130 opens the folded cardboard sheet S with the side surface portion T standing in the vertical direction. ing.

However, the box supply system of the present disclosure is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, in the box supply subsystem 100, the box opening mechanism 130 opens the folded cardboard sheet S with the side surface portion T tilted with respect to the vertical direction (for example, a state in which the folded cardboard sheet S is tilted by an angle of 30 ° or less). It may be something to do. Even in such a configuration, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained by tilting the flap F14 inward with the guide 140.

(5-2) Modification B
In the above embodiment, the guide 140 is described as a member that tilts the flap F14, which is a minor flap, inward. However, the guide is not limited to the member that tilts the minor flap. For example, if you want to prevent the minor flaps from falling inward, the guide can use one of the major flaps to tilt inward and use the major flaps that have been tilted inward to prevent the minor flaps from falling inward. You may suppress the inward fall. Also, even if the flaps are all the same length (that is, even if the flaps do not distinguish between minor flaps and major flaps), one of the flaps is tilted inward as in the above embodiment, and this flap is used. It may be possible to prevent the adjacent flaps from falling inward.

(5-3) Modification C
In the above embodiment, the guide 140 is used to tilt the flap adjacent to the first opening OP1 arranged on the upper side when the cardboard sheet S is opened, but the guide 140 is not limited to this. If necessary, the guide may be used to tilt the flap adjacent to the opening arranged on the lower side when the cardboard sheet S is opened.

(5-4) Modification D
In the above embodiment, the cardboard box B supplied by the box supply subsystem 100 is a type of cardboard box in which the flaps F11 to F14 of the upper lid side flap F1 all have a rectangular shape. However, the cardboard box supplied by the box supply subsystem 100 may be a cardboard box in which at least a part of the flaps F11 to F14 of the upper lid side flap F1 does not have a rectangular shape.

For example, the cardboard box Ba supplied by the box supply subsystem 100 may be a cardboard box in which the upper lid side flap 1F1 has flaps 1F11 to 1F14 having the shapes as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the cardboard box Ba before folding the upper lid side flap 1F1. Further, FIG. 23 is a perspective view in which the process of folding the upper lid side flap 1F1 in the cardboard box Ba of FIG. 22 is drawn in three stages.

The upper lid side flap 1F1 includes a pair of major flaps 1F11, 1F13 facing each other and a pair of minor flaps 1F12, 1F14 facing each other. The lengths of the major flaps 1F11 and 1F13 are longer than the lengths of the minor flaps 1F12 and 1F14.

The major flap 1F13 is provided with a bending line L in advance at a portion that becomes the top of the mountain when it is bent into a mountain shape. Of the major flaps 1F13, the surface closer to the free end than the bending line L is called the first surface X1, and the surface closer to the fixed end than the bending line L is called the second surface X2. The minor flaps 1F12 and 1F14 are formed with slits into which the major flaps 1F13 are inserted. The slit on the minor flap 1F12 side is called the slit 1F12a, and the slit on the minor flap 1F14 side is called the slit 1F14a. The slits 1F12a and 1F14a are L-shaped.

As shown in FIG. 23, the upper lid side flap 1F1 is first folded with the major flap 1F11, then with the minor flaps 1F12 and 1F14, and finally with the major flap 1F13. When folding the major flap 1F13, the major flap 1F13 is bent in a mountain shape so that the bending line L is at the top, and the major flap 1F13 is extended after inserting the tip of the major flap 1F13 into the slits 1F12a and 1F14a. The upper lid is completed by sliding from the slits 1F12a and 1F14a to the lower surface of the major flap 1F11.

When such a cardboard box Ba is used, for example, the box opening mechanism 130 of the box supply subsystem 100 is folded with the first suction cup 131 holding the first side surface T1 of the folded cardboard sheet S. The second suction cup 132 holding the second side surface T2 of the corrugated cardboard sheet S and the second suction cup 132 are relatively moved by the support member driving unit 135 to open the corrugated cardboard sheet S in a state where a pair of openings are arranged vertically. At this time, for example, the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface 1F14o of the flap 1F14 of the cardboard sheet S arranged in the first opening OP1 which is one of the openings of the cardboard sheet S during the opening of the box by the box opening mechanism 130. Flap 1F14 inward.

Further, for example, the cardboard box Bb supplied by the box supply subsystem 100 may be a cardboard box in which the upper lid side flap 2F1 has flaps 2F11 to 2F14 having the shapes as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the cardboard box Bb before folding the upper lid side flap 2F1. Further, FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the process of folding the upper lid side flap 2F1 in three stages in the cardboard box Bb of FIG. 24.

In the cardboard box Bb, the upper lid side flaps 2F1 include a pair of major flaps 2F11 and 2F13 facing each other and a pair of minor flaps 2F12 and 2F14 facing each other (see FIG. 24). The lengths of the major flaps 2F11 and 2F13 are longer than those of the minor flaps 2F12 and 2F14.

As shown in FIG. 24, one of the pair of major flaps 2F11 and 2F13 is provided with a concave notch 2F11a, and the other major flap 2F13 is provided with a convex protruding piece 2F13a.

The upper lid side flap 2F1 is folded in the order shown in FIG. First, the major flap 2F11 is folded, then the pair of minor flaps 2F12 and 2F14 are folded, and finally the major flap 2F13 is folded. At this time, the major flap 2F13 is pushed into the cardboard box B, and the convex protruding piece 2F13a exceeds the concave notch 2F11a of the major flap 2F11 and hits the inner surface of the major flap 2F11 to stop. As a result, the four upper lid side flaps 2F1 interfere with each other and are locked.

When such a cardboard box Bb is used, for example, the box opening mechanism 130 of the box supply subsystem 100 is folded with the first suction cup 131 holding the first side surface T1 of the folded cardboard sheet S. The second suction cup 132 holding the second side surface T2 of the corrugated cardboard sheet S and the second suction cup 132 are relatively moved by the support member driving unit 135 to open the corrugated cardboard sheet S in a state where a pair of openings are arranged vertically. At this time, for example, the guide 140 comes into contact with the outer surface 2F14o of the flap 2F14 of the cardboard sheet S arranged in the first opening OP1 which is one of the openings of the cardboard sheet S during the opening of the box by the box opening mechanism 130. Flap 1F14 inward.

(5-5) Modification E
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the above embodiment, after the bottom lid forming mechanism 150 forms the bottom lid BC, the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B, and the box supply subsystem has such an embodiment. It is not limited. For example, the box supply subsystem is configured such that the bottom lid forming mechanism forms the bottom lid BC after the first posture changing portion rotates the cardboard box B so that the first opening OP1 faces sideways. May be good.

(5-6) Modification F
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the above embodiment, the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B by 90 °, but the first posture changing unit 160 is not limited to such a configuration. The angle at which the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B may be appropriately determined according to the posture of the cardboard box B before the posture change and the posture of the cardboard box B required after the posture change.

(5-7) Modification G
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the above embodiment, the first posture changing unit 160 rotates the cardboard box B so that the first opening OP1 facing upward faces the side, and the box supply subsystem 100 rotates the cardboard box B. It is not limited to such a configuration. For example, when the boxing system 1 is configured to put the article G in the cardboard box B that opens upward at the boxing position, the box supply subsystem 100 does not have the first posture changing unit 160. You may.

(5-8) Modification H
In the box supply subsystem 100 of the above embodiment, the guide 140 tilts the flap F14 arranged below the first opening OP1 inward after being rotated by the first posture changing unit 160. In other words, in the box supply subsystem 100 of the above embodiment, the guide 140 is arranged adjacent to the first opening OP1 on the downstream side of the first opening OP1 in the rotation direction of the cardboard box B by the first posture changing unit 160. Tilt the flap F14 inward. In other words, in the box supply subsystem 100 of the above embodiment, in the guide 140, the rotation direction of the flap when the flap that has been tilted inward is tilted outward is the rotation of the cardboard box B by the first posture changing unit 160. Tilt the flap F14 that matches the direction inward. With such a configuration, when the first posture changing portion 160 rotates, it is easy to apply a centrifugal force that opens outward to the flap that the guide has tilted inward.

However, the flap that the guide 140 tilts inward does not have to be arranged at a position that is arranged below the first opening OP1 after being rotated by the first posture changing portion 160. For example, the guide 140 is a member that tilts the flap arranged at the position of the flap F11 in the above embodiment (that is, the flap arranged on the side of the first opening OP1 after rotation by the first posture changing portion 160) inward. There may be. Here, the flap arranged at the position of the flap F11 on which the guide 140 is tilted may be a major flap like the flap F11 of the above embodiment. Further, the box opening mechanism 130 may be appropriately designed so that the flap arranged at the position of the flap F11 on which the guide 140 is tilted becomes a minor flap like the flap F14 of the above embodiment.

(5-9) Modification I
In the above embodiment, the guide 140 contacts the outer surface F14o of the flap F14 for a predetermined period during the opening of the cardboard sheet S by the box opening mechanism 130 to tilt the flap F14 inward, but the guide 140 flaps for a longer period of time. It may come into contact with the outer surface F14o of F14. For example, the guide 140 is formed in a rail shape extending along the transport path of the opened cardboard box B, and is immediately before the cardboard box B is rotated by the first posture changing portion 160 from a predetermined time during the opening of the box. It may be configured to come into contact with the outer surface F14o of the flap F14.

The present invention is widely applicable and useful in a box supply system that supplies a corrugated cardboard box formed by opening a corrugated cardboard sheet.

100 Box Supply Subsystem (Box Supply System)
130 Box opening mechanism 131 1st suction cup (1st cage)
132 2nd suction cup (2nd cage)
135 Support member drive unit (drive unit)
140 Guide 142 Position adjustment mechanism 150 Bottom lid formation mechanism 158 Position adjustment mechanism 160 First posture change part (rotation mechanism)
190 Flap opening mechanism 191 First arm (first member)
193 3rd arm (1st member)
194 4th arm (2nd member)
B Cardboard box BC Bottom lid F11, 1F11, 2F11 Flap (2nd flap)
F13, 1F13, 2F13 flap (second flap)
F13i inner surface (inner surface of the second flap)
F14, 1F14, 2F14 flaps (1st flap)
F14o, 1F14o, 2F14o outer surface (outer surface of the first flap)

JP-A-2018-12300

Claims (9)

Of the adjacent first side surface and second side surface of the cardboard sheet, the first cage that holds the first side surface, the second cage that holds the second side surface, the first cage, and the second It is equipped with a box opening mechanism that includes a drive unit that moves the cage relative to it.
The box opening mechanism holds the first side surface of the folded cardboard sheet and the second side surface of the folded cardboard sheet. The corrugated cardboard sheet is opened by moving the cage and the cage relative to each other by the drive unit so that the pair of openings are arranged vertically.
It ’s a box supply system,
A guide that contacts the outer surface of the first flap of the cardboard sheet arranged in the first opening, which is one of the openings of the cardboard sheet, and tilts the first flap inward during opening by the box opening mechanism. ,
With box supply system. During opening by the box opening mechanism, the guide comes into contact with the inner surface of the second flap of the cardboard sheet arranged adjacent to the first flap in the first opening of the cardboard sheet and is tilted outward. ,
The box supply system according to claim 1. The guide is arranged on the outside of the opened cardboard sheet when the opening by the opening mechanism is completed.
The box supply system according to claim 2. The first opening is arranged upward when the cardboard sheet is opened by the box opening mechanism.
The box supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A flap opening mechanism including a first member which is arranged adjacent to the first flap in the first opening of the cardboard sheet and opens outward in contact with the second flap of the cardboard sheet is further provided.
The box supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A bottom lid is formed by closing a flap arranged in a second opening different from the first opening of the cardboard sheet opened by the box opening mechanism to form a bottom lid, and a cardboard box having the bottom lid is manufactured. Formation mechanism and
A rotating mechanism that rotates the cardboard box having the bottom lid so that the first opening faces sideways.
Further prepare
The first member comes into contact with the second flap of the cardboard box after being rotated by the rotation mechanism, and opens the second flap outward.
The box supply system according to claim 5. The rotation mechanism rotates the cardboard box so that the first flap is arranged below the first opening.
The box supply system according to claim 6. The flap opening mechanism further includes a second member that opens the first flap outward.
The box supply system according to any one of claims 5 to 7. A position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the height position of the guide is further provided.
The box supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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