JP2021172463A - Inverting/non-inverting dual-use paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an inverting/non-inverting dual-use paper feeder capable of feeding even a large-sized corrugated board sheet at high supply speed, in which the relationship in right and left of the corrugated board sheet fed onto a downstream side during paper feeding by inverting is identical to the relationship in right and left of the corrugated board sheet fed onto the downstream side during paper feeding by non-inverting.SOLUTION: According to an inverting/non-inverting dual-use paper feeder, both right and left end portions of stacked sheets 15 placed on an upstream are supported and raised with a first hand 16A and a second hand 16B; and at the time, the stacked sheets 15 are made to be in an upstanding attitude in which the thickness direction of each corrugated board sheet 4 becomes a horizontal direction by rotationally moving and raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B with respect to the horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a paper feed device for both inverting and non-inverting.

Generally, the corrugated cardboard sheets produced by the corrugated board are discharged from the corrugated board in the form of bar-stacked sheets stacked at a predetermined height. Then, the bar stacking sheet discharged from the corrugator has a plurality of bars in order to absorb the difference between the storage line (the production speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet in the corrugated board and the subsequent printing and punching processing speed of the corrugated board sheet in the box making machine). It is conveyed to the paper feed device immediately before the box making machine via the conveyor line that stores the stacked sheets. The paper feed device receives the bar stacking sheet from the upstream side and supplies the corrugated cardboard sheet constituting the bar stacking sheet to the box making machine at a speed corresponding to the processing speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet in the box making machine on the downstream side. It is a device.

Here, the paper feeding device that supplies the corrugated cardboard sheet to the box making machine is roughly classified into three types.

The first of the three types of paper feed devices is dedicated to inversion as in Patent Document 1. In the paper feeding device of Patent Document 1, the entire bar-stacked sheets stacked to a predetermined height are laid sideways so that the upper surfaces of the corrugated cardboard sheets constituting the bar-stacked sheets face forward, and each of the bar-stacked sheets constituting the bar-stacked sheet is further laid down. The corrugated cardboard sheets are tilted so as to fall forward, and the series of corrugated cardboard sheets are gradually sent forward.

In the paper feeding device of Patent Document 1, the vertical direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet sent to the box making machine on the downstream side is opposite to the vertical direction of the bar stacking sheet received from the upstream side. That is, this paper feeding device supplies the corrugated cardboard sheet of the bar stacking sheet upside down to the box making machine.

The second of the three types of paper feed devices is for both inversion and non-inversion as in Patent Document 2. The paper feeding device of Patent Document 2 first tilts the corrugated cardboard sheet so as to be greatly tilted forward while supporting the lower surface and the front side surface of the corrugated cardboard sheet, and then tilts the front end portion of the corrugated cardboard sheet. By lifting the multiple corrugated cardboard sheets, a sheet block consisting of the multiple corrugated cardboard sheets is cut out from the bar stacking sheet, and then the sheet blocks are cut out in the lodging direction in which the front surface of the corrugated cardboard sheet faces downward and the front surface of the corrugated cardboard sheet. The sheet block is selectively laid down in the direction of sloping upward, and the laid-down seat block is sent to the downstream side.

The third of the three types of paper feeding devices uses a robot as in Patent Document 3. The paper feeding device of Patent Document 3 is composed of one robot having a hand for gripping the corrugated cardboard sheet above the bar stacking sheet and an arm for supporting the hand. The hand has a sheet holder that supports the lower surface of the central part in the left-right direction of the stacked sheets in which multiple elongated corrugated cardboard sheets are stacked in the vertical direction, and a sheet holder that holds the upper surface of the central part in the left-right direction of the stacked sheets. Have. Then, with that hand, the stacking sheet placed on the upstream side is lifted and moved, and placed on the downstream side.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-347971 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-189405 U.S. Pat. No. 8777551

By the way, the vertical orientation of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the box making machine (usually, the front liner is the upper surface and the back liner is the lower surface) is the vertical orientation of the corrugated cardboard sheet of the bar stacking sheet (usually, the back liner is the upper surface, Generally, the direction is opposite to the direction in which the front liner is on the bottom surface (reverse paper feeding), but the vertical direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the box making machine is the vertical direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet of the bar stacking sheet. It may need to be in the same orientation (non-reversing paper feed). For example, in a top printing type printing machine, printing is performed on the upper surface of the corrugated cardboard sheet, and the corrugated cardboard sheet discharged from the printing machine is supplied to the top printing type printing machine again (so-called double threading).

In this case, in the paper feed device dedicated to reversing as in Patent Document 1, the front end portion of the bar stacking sheet that has been laid down by the paper feed device so that the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the box making machine is in the non-reversal direction. It is necessary for the worker to carry out the work of lifting the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets located in the above and laying them down in the opposite direction to the original one.

However, it takes a lot of labor for the worker to perform the above work in a straightforward manner.

Alternatively, a reversing machine that inverts the entire bar stacking sheet up and down is installed on the upstream side of the paper feeding device dedicated to reversing as in Patent Document 1, and the bar stacking sheet that has been pre-reversed by the reversing machine is used as the paper feeding device. In some cases, a method of introducing the paper sheet (that is, a method of inverting the cardboard sheet twice with a reversing machine and a paper feeding device dedicated to reversing, resulting in a non-reversing state) may be taken. If a reversing machine is installed separately from the paper feeding device dedicated to reversing, the number of devices increases, which increases the cost and also causes a problem that the maintenance manpower increases.

On the other hand, in a paper feed device for both inversion and non-inversion as in Patent Document 2, it is possible to switch between paper feeding in which the paper is inverted upside down and paper feeding in non-inversion with one device. be. However, in the paper feeding device of Patent Document 2, in order to enable the operation of selectively laying down the corrugated cardboard sheet in the downward direction and the front side of the corrugated cardboard sheet in the upward direction. A configuration is adopted in which a corrugated cardboard sheet is complicatedly delivered in the middle of the device. Therefore, especially when the size of the corrugated cardboard sheet is large, there is a problem that the supply speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet by the paper feeding device is lowered, and it becomes difficult to supply the corrugated cardboard sheet in accordance with the processing speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet in the box making machine. ..

Further, in a paper feeding device using a robot as in Patent Document 3, it is not possible to switch between paper feeding in which the paper is turned upside down and paper feeding in which the paper is not turned upside down. There is a problem that there is no choice but to use it as a non-inverting dedicated paper feed device.

That is, when the hand of one robot grasps the central portion of the stacked sheets placed on the upstream side in the left-right direction, lifts and moves the stacked sheets, and places them on the downstream side, this one unit. If the robot switches between reverse paper feed and non-reverse paper feed, the left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the downstream side when reverse paper feed is performed and the downstream when non-reverse paper feed is performed. The left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the side is reversed from each other. That is, the positions of printing and punching in the box making machine are reversed between the case of reverse paper feeding and the case of non-reversing paper feeding, and it is difficult to perform production control corresponding to this. Therefore, there is a problem that the paper feeding device using one robot as in Patent Document 3 has no choice but to be used as a paper feeding device dedicated to reversing or as a paper feeding device dedicated to non-reversing.

Further, as in Patent Document 3, in a paper feeding device using one robot, when the size of the corrugated cardboard sheet is large, the number of corrugated cardboard sheets that can be lifted at one time is reduced, and the corrugated cardboard sheet in the box making machine is used. There is also a problem that it becomes difficult to supply the corrugated cardboard sheet according to the processing speed of the above.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the downstream side at the time of reverse paper feeding and the left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the downstream side at the time of non-reversing paper feeding are the same. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reversing and non-reversing paper feeding device capable of supplying even a large-sized corrugated cardboard sheet at a high supply speed.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a paper feed device having the following configurations for both inversion and non-inversion.
That is, a first robot having a first hand that grips the left end portion of a stacking sheet in which a plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets elongated in the left-right direction are stacked in the vertical direction, and a first arm that supports the first hand. ,
A second robot having a second hand that grips the right end of the stacking sheet and a second arm that supports the second hand.
It has a control unit that controls the operation of the first robot and the second robot.
The control unit
The first hand and the second hand grip and lift the left and right ends of the stacked sheet placed on the upstream side, and at that time, the first hand and the second hand are horizontally held. A sheet rotation lifting step in which the stacked sheets are raised while rotating in a direction so that the stacked sheets are in an upright posture in which the thickness direction of each corrugated cardboard sheet is horizontal.
After that, a sheet translation step of moving the stacked sheets from the upstream side to the downstream side while holding the stacked sheets in the upright posture, while keeping the stacked sheets lifted,
After that, the stacked sheet is placed on the downstream side, and at that time, by rotating the first hand and the second hand, the stacked sheet is in an inverted state in which the top and bottom are reversed from the original. The sheet rotation mounting step of returning the top and bottom of the stacked sheets to their original non-inverted state is executed.
Provided is a paper feed device for both inverting and non-inverting.

In this way, the first hand of the first robot and the second hand of the second robot grip and lift the left and right ends of the stacking sheet placed on the upstream side, and then stack. The sheets are moved from the upstream side to the downstream side while being lifted, and then the stacked sheets are placed on the downstream side, and at that time, the first hand and the second hand are rotated to stack the sheets. Since the top and bottom of the sheet are reversed or the top and bottom of the stacked sheets are returned to the non-reversed state, the relationship between the left and right of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the downstream side at the time of reverse paper feeding and the non-reversed state. The left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the downstream side at the time of paper feeding is the same. In addition, since the stacking sheet is moved by grasping the left and right ends of the stacking sheet using two robots, even if the size of the corrugated cardboard sheet constituting the stacking sheet is large, it is supplied at a high supply speed. It is possible to do.

Here, when the left and right ends of the stacking sheet are gripped and the stacking sheet is lifted, there is a problem that the corrugated cardboard sheet constituting the stacking sheet may have a dent. That is, especially when the dimensions of the stacking sheet in the left-right direction are large, when the left and right ends of the stacking sheet are gripped and the stacking sheet is lifted, the central portion in the left-right direction hangs down with respect to the left and right end portions of the stacking sheet. Deflection, there is a problem that this deflection may cause a dent in the contact portion of the corrugated cardboard sheet at the lower end of the stacking sheet with respect to the first hand and the second hand. If the corrugated cardboard sheet is dented, for example, when printing is performed on the corrugated cardboard sheet, printing defects such as white spots in the print may occur.

In response to this problem, the paper feeding device having the above configuration horizontally holds the first hand and the second hand when the first hand and the second hand grip and lift the left and right ends of the stacked sheet. By raising the stacked sheets while rotating in the direction, the stacked sheets are placed in an upright position in which the thickness direction of each corrugated cardboard sheet is horizontal, and then the stacked sheets are lifted while maintaining the standing position. I try to move it from the upstream side to the downstream side. That is, the stacked sheets are placed in an upright position so that the corrugated cardboard sheets constituting the stacked sheets are less likely to bend when the stacked sheets are lifted, and the stacked sheets are also raised when the stacked sheets are moved from the upstream side to the downstream side. I try to keep my posture. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that the corrugated cardboard sheet at the lower end of the stacking sheet has a dent in the contact portion with respect to the first hand and the second hand.

The first hand has a first sheet receiver that supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet when gripping the left end portion of the stacking sheet, and a first sheet that presses the upper surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet. It has a retainer and a first sheet stopper facing the side surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet on one side in the front-rear direction.
The second hand has a second sheet receiver that supports the lower surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet when gripping the right end portion of the stacking sheet, and a second sheet that presses the upper surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet. It has a retainer and a second seat stopper facing the one side side surface in the front-rear direction of the right end portion of the stacked sheet.
In the control unit, when the stacked sheet is placed in the upright posture in the sheet rotation lifting step, the first sheet stopper and the second sheet stopper come to the lower side with respect to the stacked sheet. It is preferable to configure the first hand and the second hand to rotate.

In this way, when the stacked sheets are placed in an upright position with the first hand and the second hand, the stacked sheets are held by the first sheet stopper and the second sheet stopper located below the stacked sheets. Since the downward movement of the constituent corrugated cardboard sheets is restricted, it is possible to reliably prevent the corrugated cardboard sheets from unexpectedly falling from the first hand and the second hand.

The first sheet receiving surface has a first sheet receiving surface that contacts and supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheets, and the first sheet receiving surface has an inclination that decreases from the left side to the right side. Provided
The second sheet receiving surface has a second sheet receiving surface that contacts and supports the lower surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheets, and the second sheet receiving surface has an inclination that decreases from the right side to the left side. It is preferable to adopt the provided configuration.

In this way, the first sheet receiving surface that contacts and supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet is provided with an inclination that decreases from the left side to the right side, and the lower surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheet is brought into contact with the lower surface. Since the supporting second sheet receiving surface is provided with an inclination that decreases from the right side to the left side, when the stacked sheet is bent so that the central portion in the left-right direction hangs down from the left and right both ends of the stacked sheet. In addition, it is possible to prevent the first sheet receiver and the second sheet receiver from locally biting into the corrugated cardboard sheet at the lower end of the stacked sheet. Therefore, when the left and right ends of the stacking sheet are gripped and lifted by the first hand and the second hand, the contact portion of the corrugated cardboard sheet at the lower end of the stacking sheet with respect to the first hand and the second hand. It is possible to effectively prevent the formation of dents.

The first sheet receiver has a metal plate that supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet and a cushion member fixed to the upper surface of the metal plate, and the cushion member is the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate. It is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral edge so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge.
The second sheet receiver has a metal plate that supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet and a cushion member fixed to the upper surface of the metal plate, and the cushion member is the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate. It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the outer peripheral edge is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral edge.

In this way, the load acting on the lower surface of the stacking sheet when the first hand and the second hand grip and lift the left and right ends of the stacking sheet is distributed by the cushion member, so that the stacking sheet can be used. It is possible to effectively prevent dents from being formed in the contact portions of the lower end corrugated cardboard sheet with respect to the first hand and the second hand.

The first hand has a locked state that restricts the movement of the first seat stopper in the front-rear direction with respect to the first seat receiver, and the first seat stopper in the front-rear direction with respect to the first seat receiver. It also has a first lock mechanism that can switch between the unlocked state and the unlocked state that allows it to move to.
The second hand has a locked state that restricts the movement of the second seat stopper in the front-rear direction with respect to the second seat receiver, and the second seat stopper in the front-rear direction with respect to the second seat receiver. It is preferable to adopt a configuration further having a second lock mechanism capable of switching between the unlocked state and the movable state.

In this way, the position of the first seat stopper can be changed and fixed in the front-rear direction with respect to the position of the first seat receiver. When the stacking sheet is gripped and lifted by the second hand, the first seat stopper is opposed to one side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet in the front-rear direction, and the other side of the left end portion of the stacking sheet in the front-rear direction. The portion close to the side surface on the side can be gripped up and down by the first seat receiver and the first seat retainer. Similarly, since the position of the second seat stopper can be changed and fixed in the front-rear direction with respect to the position of the second seat receiver, the stacked sheets having a large size in the front-rear direction can be used as the first hand and the first hand. When gripping and lifting with the second hand, the second seat stopper faces the side surface of one side of the right end of the stacking sheet in the front-rear direction, and the other side of the right end of the stacking sheet in the front-rear direction. The portion close to the side surface of the above can be gripped up and down by the second seat receiver and the second seat retainer. Therefore, when a stacked sheet having a large dimension in the front-rear direction is placed in an upright posture, it is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which each corrugated cardboard sheet constituting the stacked sheet is oriented in either the front-rear direction and creases. ..

The first seat stopper is a front seat stopper that faces the front side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet when gripping the left end portion of the stacking sheet.
The second seat stopper is a front seat stopper that faces the front side surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet when gripping the right end portion of the stacking sheet.
The first hand has a protruding position facing the rear side surface of the left end of the stacked sheet when gripping the left end of the stacked sheet, and moves to the left from the protruding position to the left end of the stacked sheet. It further has a first rear seat stopper movably provided between the rear side surface of the portion and the non-opposing retracted position.
The second hand has a protruding position facing the rear side surface of the right end of the stacked sheet when gripping the right end of the stacked sheet, and moves to the right from the protruding position to the right end of the stacked sheet. It further has a second rear seat stopper movably provided between the rear side surface of the portion and the non-opposing retracted position.
The control unit
When the stacked sheet is placed in the upright position in the sheet rotation lifting step, the first sheet stopper and the second sheet stopper are placed on the lower side with respect to the stacked sheet. The operation of rotating the hand and the second hand, and the first hand so that the first rear seat stopper and the second rear seat stopper are on the lower side with respect to the stacked sheet. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the operation of rotating the second hand is selectively executed according to the dimensions between the front and rear side surfaces of the stacked sheet.

In this way, when the dimensions of the stacked sheets in the front-rear direction are small, the first rear seat stopper and the second rear seat stopper are used to prevent scratches on the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheet. It becomes possible to prevent. That is, when the dimensions of the stacked sheets in the front-rear direction are small, when gripping the stacked sheets in the sheet rotation lifting step, first, from the front side of the stacked sheets, the first sheet receivers are placed on the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheets. After inserting the second seat holder, the first rear seat stopper is moved from the retracted position to the protruding position so as to face the rear side surface of the left end of the stacked seats, and the second rear seat stopper is moved. When the stacking sheet is moved from the retracted position to the protruding position so as to face the rear side surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheet, and then the stacked sheet is placed in the upright position, the first rear seat stopper and the second rear seat stopper are used. The operation of rotating the first hand and the second hand is executed so that the first hand and the second hand come to the lower side with respect to the stacking sheet. Here, when the first sheet receiver and the second sheet receiver are inserted into the lower surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stacking sheet from the front side of the stacking sheet, the first sheet receiver and the first sheet receiver with respect to the lower surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stacking sheet. The insertion distance of the sheet receiver of 2 can be suppressed to the same level as the dimension of the stacked sheets in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the time required to grip the stacked sheets in the sheet rotation lifting step can be suppressed short, which is advantageous in terms of cycle time.

An upstream conveyor that is arranged upstream of the first robot and the second robot and supports a bar-stacked sheet composed of the corrugated cardboard sheets stacked at a predetermined height.
A separator extending horizontally along the front side surface of the bar stacking sheet,
A separator elevating drive device for elevating and lowering the separator,
Among the corrugated cardboard sheets constituting the bar stacking sheet, by pushing the rear side surfaces of a plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets above the upper edge of the separator forward, the corrugated cardboard sheets are above the upper edge of the separator. Further comprising a pusher device for projecting the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets in front of the separator.
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the first hand and the second hand grip and lift the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets protruding in front of the separator as a stacking sheet placed on the upstream side. can.

The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device of the present invention is a first hand of the first robot and a second hand of the second robot, and the left and right ends of the stacking sheet placed on the upstream side. Is gripped and lifted, and then the stacking sheet is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side while being lifted, and then the stacking sheet is placed on the downstream side, in which case the first hand and the second hand are placed. By rotating and, the top and bottom of the stacked sheet are reversed to the original state, or the top and bottom of the stacked sheet are returned to the non-reversed state. The left-right relationship of the sheet and the left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet supplied to the downstream side at the time of non-reversing paper feeding are the same. In addition, since the stacking sheet is moved by grasping the left and right ends of the stacking sheet using two robots, even if the size of the corrugated cardboard sheet constituting the stacking sheet is large, it is supplied at a high supply speed. It is possible to do. In addition, the stacked sheets are placed in an upright position so that the corrugated cardboard sheets constituting the stacked sheets are less likely to bend when the stacked sheets are lifted, and the stacked sheets are also raised when the stacked sheets are moved from the upstream side to the downstream side. Since the posture is maintained, it is possible to prevent the problem that the corrugated cardboard sheet at the lower end of the stacking sheet has a dent in the contact portion with respect to the first hand and the second hand.

The figure which looked at the paper feed apparatus for both reversal and non-reversal of the embodiment of this invention from the upstream side. The view from the right side of the paper feed device of FIG. The first hand of FIG. 2 is enlarged and shown. Sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. Cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. Left side view of FIG. Perspective view of the first hand in FIG. The figure which shows the state which cut out the stacking sheet from the bar stacking sheet by pushing the upper end part of the bar stacking sheet composed of the corrugated cardboard sheet which has a large dimension in the front-rear direction forward by a pusher device. The figure which shows the state which held the stacking sheet shown in FIG. 8 by a 1st hand and a 2nd hand. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the first sheet receiver shown in FIG. 8 as viewed from the downstream side. An enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the first sheet receiver shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the downstream side. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the stacked seats are in an upright posture by raising the first hand shown in FIG. 9 while rotating the first front seat stopper in the downward direction. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the first hand is translated into the vicinity of the feed conveyor in order to invert the stacking sheet shown in FIG. 12 and supply it to the feed conveyor. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the first hand shown in FIG. 13 is rotated in a direction in which the first seat retainer is downward with respect to the first seat receiver. A state in which the first hand shown in FIG. 14 is further rotated in a direction in which the first seat retainer is on the lower side with respect to the first seat receiver, so that the vertical orientation of the stacked sheets is opposite to the original orientation. Figure showing The figure which shows the state which put the stacking sheet on the upper surface of a feed conveyor by moving the 1st sheet presser shown in FIG. 15 downward. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the first hand is translated into the vicinity of the feed conveyor in order to supply the stacking sheet shown in FIG. 12 in a non-inverted state to the feed conveyor. FIG. 17 shows a state in which the first hand shown in FIG. 17 is rotated so that the first seat retainer is upward with respect to the first seat receiver, and the vertical orientation of the stacked sheets is returned to the original orientation. figure FIG. 8 shows a state in which the stacked sheets are placed on the upper surface of the feed conveyor by lowering the first hand shown in FIG. 18 and raising the first sheet retainer. The figure which shows the state which cut out the stacking sheet from the bar stacking sheet by pushing the upper end part of the bar stacking sheet composed of the corrugated cardboard sheet which the dimension in the front-rear direction is small forward with a pusher device. The figure which shows the state which held the stacking sheet shown in FIG. 20 by a 1st hand and a 2nd hand. A view of the vicinity of the stacked sheets shown in FIG. 21 as viewed from the upstream side. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a state in which the stacked seats are in an upright posture by raising the first hand shown in FIG. 21 while rotating the first rear seat stopper in the downward direction. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the first hand is translated into the vicinity of the feed conveyor in order to invert the stacking sheet shown in FIG. 23 and supply it to the feed conveyor. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a state in which the first hand shown in FIG. 24 is rotated in a direction in which the first seat retainer is downward with respect to the first seat receiver. A state in which the first hand shown in FIG. 25 is further rotated in the direction in which the first seat retainer is on the lower side with respect to the first seat receiver, so that the vertical orientation of the stacked sheets is opposite to the original orientation. Figure showing FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which a stacked sheet is placed on the upper surface of a feed conveyor by moving the first sheet retainer shown in FIG. 26 downward.

1 and 2 show a paper feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This paper feeding device is a device that supplies the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 from the bar stacking sheet 2 supported by the upstream conveyor 1 to the feed conveyor 3 (see FIG. 2) installed on the downstream side. The feed conveyor 3 is a conveyor immediately before the box making machine (not shown). Further, in this paper feeding device, the vertical direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 supplied to the downstream feed conveyor 3 (see FIG. 2) is above and below the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the bar stacking sheet 2 of the upstream conveyor 1. The vertical direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 supplied to the downstream feed conveyor 3 (see FIG. 2) is the same as the reverse feeding (reversed paper feeding), which is opposite to the orientation. This is a reversing and non-reversing paper feeding device that can switch between non-reversing supply (non-reversing paper feeding), which is the same direction as the vertical direction of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the sheet 2.

The paper feeding device extends horizontally along the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B (see FIG. 1), the upstream conveyor 1 that supports the bar stacking sheet 2, and the front side surface of the bar stacking sheet 2. Of the separator 6, the separator elevating drive device 7 for raising and lowering the separator 6, and the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the bar stacking sheet 2, the side surface on the rear side of a plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 above the upper edge of the separator 6. Has a pusher device 8 for pushing forward.

The bar stacking sheet 2 is formed by stacking elongated square corrugated cardboard sheets 4 on the left and right at a predetermined height. In a corrugated board (not shown) that produces a corrugated cardboard sheet 4, the corrugated board sheets 4 are stacked by a sheet stacker (not shown) installed at the downstream end of the corrugated board, and the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is discharged each time the corrugated cardboard sheets 4 are stacked to a predetermined height. Will be done. The corrugated cardboard sheet 4 stacked to the predetermined height is the corrugated cardboard sheet 2, and the corrugated cardboard sheet 2 is the storage line (the production speed of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the corrugator and the printing of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the box making machine). It is sent to the upstream conveyor 1 via a conveyor line for accumulating a plurality of bar stacking sheets 2 in order to absorb a difference from the processing speed of corrugated cardboard and punching (not shown). The height of the bar stacking sheet 2 fed to the upstream conveyor 1 is usually 1 m or more (for example, about 1.5 m). The upstream conveyor 1 is arranged upstream with respect to the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, the separator 6 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the upstream conveyor 1. The separator 6 is a member elongated horizontally extending in the left-right direction, and a projecting piece 6a protruding rearward from the center in the left-right direction is integrally formed. The left and right ends of the separator 6 are supported by a linear guide 9 so as to be slidable up and down. Further, a separator elevating drive device 7 for driving the separator 6 in the vertical direction is connected to the separator 6. The separator elevating drive device 7 is a screw shaft 10 extending in the vertical direction, an electric motor 11 for rotating the screw shaft 10, and a nut 12 for screw engagement with the screw shaft 10. The nut 12 is fixed to the separator 6.

The pusher device 8 includes a pusher hand 13 that presses the rear side surface of the bar stacking sheet 2, and a third robot 14 that drives the pusher hand 13. As the third robot 14, a 6-axis articulated robot is used as in the case of the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first robot 5A has a first hand 16A that grips the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15 and a first arm 17A that supports the first hand 16A. The second robot 5B has a second hand 16B that grips the right end portion of the stacking sheet 15 and a second arm 17B that supports the second hand 16B.

The stacking sheet 15 is a plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 stacked to a predetermined thickness. The thickness of the stacking sheet 15 can be set in an arbitrary range, for example, in a range of 60 cm or less. The left end of the stacking sheet 15 refers to the left end of the stacking sheet 15 when viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side as shown in FIG. 1, and the right end of the stacking sheet 15 is from the upstream side as shown in FIG. The right end of the stacking sheet 15 when viewed on the downstream side. Similarly, the left-right direction when defining the shape and the positional relationship means the left-right direction when the downstream side is viewed from the upstream side. Further, in the front-rear direction when defining the shape and the positional relationship, the direction from the upstream side to the downstream side is the front, and the direction from the downstream side to the upstream side is the rear.

The first robot 5A is a 6-axis articulated robot capable of arbitrarily changing and moving the posture of the first hand 16A supported by the tip of the first arm 17A. Similarly, the second robot 5B is also a 6-axis articulated robot capable of arbitrarily changing and moving the posture of the second hand 16B supported by the tip of the second arm 17B. The first robot 5A and the second robot 5B have the same symmetrical configuration. Therefore, the first robot 5A will be described below, and the second robot 5B will be described by adding the same code or a code in which the alphabet A at the end is replaced with B in the part corresponding to the first robot 5A. Is omitted.

The first arm 17A has a base portion 19 rotatably supported around the axis in the vertical direction with respect to the installation surface 18, and a lower portion rotatably connected to the base portion 19 around the axis in the horizontal direction. The arm portion 20 and the upper arm portion 21 rotatably connected to the tip of the lower arm portion 20 in the horizontal direction and the tip of the upper arm portion 21 are rotatably connected to the tip of the upper arm portion 21 in the longitudinal direction of the upper arm portion 21. It has a wrist base portion 22 that has been formed, a wrist tip portion 23 that is flexibly connected to the wrist base portion 22, and a hand attachment portion 24 that is rotatable with respect to the wrist tip portion 23. A first hand 16A is attached to the hand attachment portion 24. Joint axis between installation surface 18 and base 19, joint axis between base 19 and lower arm 20, joint axis between lower arm 20 and upper arm 21, upper arm 21 and wrist base 22 Each joint axis is driven to a total of six joint axes, that is, the joint axis between the wrist base 22 and the wrist tip 23, and the joint axis between the wrist tip 23 and the first hand 16A. An electric motor (not shown) is incorporated. The first robot 5A controls the electric motors of the six joint axes to arbitrarily control the posture of the first hand 16A, and the upstream conveyor 1 (see FIG. 2) and the downstream feed conveyor. It is possible to move the first hand 16A to and from 3 (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 2, the first hand 16A includes a hand frame 25 connected to the first arm 17A, a first seat receiver 26A fixed to the lower end of the hand frame 25, and a first hand. A first seat retainer 27A supported so as to be movable up and down above the seat receiver 26A, a first front seat stopper 28A provided at the front end of the hand frame 25, and a rear end of the hand frame 25. It also has a first rear seat stopper 29A.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hand frame 25 has an upper frame 30 and a lower frame 31 facing vertically, and a front frame 32 and a rear frame 33 facing each other in the front-rear direction. The upper ends of the front frame 32 and the rear frame 33 are fixed to the upper frame 30, and the lower ends of the front frame 32 and the rear frame 33 are fixed to the lower frame 31. The upper frame 30, the lower frame 31, the front frame 32, and the rear frame 33 form a rectangular frame.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first seat receiver 26A is provided so as to project from the lower frame 31 of the hand frame 25 in the direction toward the second hand 16B (to the left in the drawing). The first seat receiver 26A has a metal plate 34 that supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15, and a cushion member 35 that is fixed to the upper surface of the metal plate 34.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first seat receiving surface 26A has a first seat receiving surface 36A that contacts and supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheets 15. The first sheet receiving surface 36A is provided with an inclination that decreases from the left side to the right side (from the right side to the left side in the figure). The horizontal inclination angle of the first sheet receiving surface 36A can be set to 2 ° or more and 8 ° or less.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cushion member 35 is provided so as to extend outward from the outer peripheral edge so as to cover the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate 34 (the leading edge, the leading edge, and the trailing edge of the rectangular metal plate 34 in the figure). ing. As the cushion member 35, for example, a non-foamed resin sheet (fluororesin sheet, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene sheet, etc.) may be bonded to the upper surface of a plate-shaped member made of foamed resin or foamed rubber.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first seat retainer 27A is arranged above the first seat receiver 26A so as to face the first seat receiver 26A vertically. Like the first seat receiver 26A, the first seat retainer 27A has a metal plate 37 that supports the upper surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet 15 and a cushion member 38 that is fixed to the lower surface of the metal plate 37. The cushion member 38 is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate 37 so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge.

The first seat retainer 27A is a linear guide 39 (see FIG. 3) attached to the hand frame 25 so as to extend vertically between the upper frame 30 and the lower frame 31, and can slide up and down with respect to the hand frame 25. Is supported by. Further, a seat retainer vertical drive device 40 for moving the first seat retainer 27A up and down with respect to the hand frame 25 is connected to the first seat retainer 27A. In the figure, the seat holding vertical drive device 40 is composed of an electric motor 41, a screw shaft 42 to which the rotation of the electric motor 41 is input, and a nut member 43 screw-engaged with the screw shaft 42. The screw shaft 42 is supported axially immovably and rotatably with respect to the hand frame 25. The nut member 43 is fixed to the first seat retainer 27A.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first front seat stopper 28A is supported by a linear guide 44 attached to the hand frame 25 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the hand frame 25. The linear guide 44 includes a linear shaft 45 extending in the front-rear direction and a linear block 46 that slidably supports the linear shaft 45. The front end of the linear shaft 45 is fixed to the first front seat stopper 28A. The linear block 46 is fixedly provided to the hand frame 25.

Further, the hand frame 25 has a clamp that switches between a state in which the linear shaft 45 is clamped to prevent the movement of the linear shaft 45 and a state in which the linear shaft 45 is released from the clamp to allow the movement of the linear shaft 45. The device 47 is attached. As the clamping device 47, an air-driven device that clamps the outer circumference of the linear shaft 45 by air pressure can be used. The clamp device 47 has a locked state that restricts the movement of the first front seat stopper 28A with respect to the first seat receiver 26A in the front-rear direction, and the first front seat stopper 28A with respect to the first seat receiver 26A. It constitutes a first locking mechanism that can switch between an unlocked state that allows movement in a direction.

Further, the hand frame 25 is provided with a seat stopper driving device 48 that drives the first front seat stopper 28A in the front-rear direction. The front seat stopper drive device 48 is connected to the rear end of the linear shaft 45. The front seat stopper drive device 48 may employ an air cylinder that operates pneumatically.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first rear seat stopper 29A is a linear guide 49 provided on the hand frame 25 and has a retracted position (position shown by a solid line in the figure) and a protruding position (position shown by a chain line in the figure). It is supported so that it can move in the left-right direction. Further, the hand frame 25 is provided with a rear seat stopper driving device 50 that moves the first rear seat stopper 29A between the retracted position and the protruding position. The rear seat stopper drive device 50 can employ an air cylinder that operates pneumatically.

As shown in FIG. 22, the protruding position of the first rear seat stopper 29A (the position indicated by the chain line in FIG. 6) is the rear side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15 when the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15 is gripped. The retracted position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 6) is a position that moves to the left from the protruding position shown in FIG. 22 and is not opposed to the rear side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15. be.

As shown in FIG. 6, the moving direction of the first rear seat stopper 29A is inclined with respect to the horizontal so that the protruding position is lower than the retracted position. Due to this inclination, when the first rear seat stopper 29A is in the retracted position, the lower end of the first rear seat stopper 29A is above the first seat receiving surface 36A, while the first rear seat. When the stopper 29A moves from the retracted position to the protruding position, the lower end of the first rear seat stopper 29A comes to the same height as or lower than the first seat receiving surface 36A.

The first robot 5A and the second robot 5B shown in FIG. 1 are cooperatively controlled by the control unit 51 so as to perform synchronized operations. The control unit 51 controls the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B so that the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B perform the same symmetrical operation.

An operation example in which the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction is supplied from the bar stacking sheet 2 of the upstream conveyor 1 to the feed conveyor 3 on the downstream side by using the above-mentioned paper feeding device will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the separator 6 is placed at a position lower than the upper end of the bar stacking sheet 2 by a predetermined height difference (height difference corresponding to the thickness of the stacking sheet 15). Positioning of 6 in the vertical direction is performed. Next, the pusher device 8 pushes the rear side surfaces of the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 above the upper edge of the separator 6 forward, and pushes the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 in front of the separator 6. Let me put it out. At this time, the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 protruding in front of the separator 6 become the stacked sheets 15 that are gripped and lifted by the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. After that, the operations of the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B are controlled, and the following seat rotation lifting step, sheet translation step, and seat rotation mounting step are executed in order.

<Seat rotation lifting step>
First, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B grip the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 placed on the upstream side. Specifically, first, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the upper surface of the rear end portion of the first sheet receiver 26A faces the lower surface of the portion protruding in front of the separator 6 of the stacking sheet 15. Move the first hand 16A to. The second hand 16B also operates in the same manner as the first hand 16A.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, by raising the first hand 16A, the first hand 16A protrudes in front of the separator 6 of the stacking sheet 15 on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the first sheet receiver 26A. Lift the underside of the part. The second hand 16B also operates in the same manner as the first hand 16A. Subsequently, by moving the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B rearward, the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B are slid with respect to the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheet 15. , The front and rear total lengths of the first sheet receiver 26A and the second sheet receiver 26B support the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheet 15. At this time, the clamp of the linear shaft 45 by the clamping device 47 (see FIG. 5) is released, and the first front seat stopper 28A and the second front seat stopper 28B are placed on the front side of the left and right end portions of the stacked sheet 15. By contacting the side surface, the first front seat stopper 28A and the second front seat stopper 28B are slid with respect to the hand frame 25. As a result, the first front seat stopper 28A and the second front seat stopper 28B face each other on the front side surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stacking sheet 15 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction, and after the left and right end portions of the stacking sheet 15. It is possible to grip the position close to the side surface up and down. After that, the first seat retainer 27A and the second seat retainer 27B are lowered to press the upper surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheet 15. Further, by clamping the linear shaft 45 with the clamping device 47 (see FIG. 5), the first front seat stopper 28A and the second front seat stopper 28B are locked so as not to move in the front-rear direction.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the stacking sheet 15 is lifted by raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. At that time, by raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B while rotating in the horizontal direction, the stacked sheets 15 are placed in an upright posture in which the thickness direction of each corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is in the horizontal direction. And. Here, the fact that the thickness direction of each cardboard sheet 4 is horizontal does not mean that the thickness direction of the cardboard sheet 4 is required to be horizontally aligned in a mathematically strict sense, but is a mathematically strict meaning. It means that an error of about -10 ° to 10 ° (preferably -5 ° to 5 °) is allowed with respect to the horizontal in. The rotation direction of the first hand 16A when lifting the stacking sheet 15 is such that the first front seat stopper 28A comes to the lower side with respect to the stacking sheet 15, that is, the side surface on the rear side of the stacking sheet 15. This is the rotation direction (clockwise rotation direction in the figure) in which the front side surface of the stacked sheet 15 faces upward and downward.

<Sheet translation step>
As shown in FIG. 12, the stacking sheet 15 is lifted into an upright posture, and then the lifted stacking sheet 15 is moved to the vicinity of the feed conveyor 3 as shown in FIG. At this time, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B hold the stacking sheet 15 from the upstream side while holding the stacking sheet 15 in an upright posture so that the corrugated cardboard sheets 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 do not fall horizontally. Move to the downstream side.

<Sheet rotation mounting step>
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are rotated in the horizontal direction to bring the stacking sheet 15 into an inverted state in which the top and bottom of the stacking sheet 15 are reversed from the original. Here, as shown in FIG. 14, when the stacking sheet 15 in the standing posture is rotated by the rotational operation of the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B to bring it into a horizontally tilted state, the stacking sheet 15 The lower front surface of the central portion in the left-right direction of the feed conveyor 3 faces the outer periphery of the roller 3a arranged at the upstream end of the feed conveyor 3, and the first hand 16A rotates so that the stacking sheet 15 rotates around the roller 3a. And it is preferable to move the second hand 16B. In this way, when the center portion of the stacking sheet 15 in the left-right direction hangs down due to the deflection of the stacking sheet 15, the center portion of the stacking sheet 15 in the left-right direction is supported by the outer periphery of the roller 3a. When the stacking sheet 15 having a large dimension in the direction is rotated and tilted horizontally, it is possible to prevent the cardboard sheet 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 from being dented due to the deflection of the stacking sheet 15.

After that, as shown in FIG. 16, by moving the first seat retainer 27A and the second seat retainer 27B away from the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B, the first hand The stacking sheet 15 is released from being gripped by the 16A and the second hand 16B. As a result, the stacking sheet 15 is placed on the upper surface of the feed conveyor 3. After that, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are retracted from the stacking sheet 15 placed on the feed conveyor 3.

By repeating the above operation, the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction can be reverse-fed.

On the other hand, the non-reversing paper feeding of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction can be performed, for example, as follows.

As in the case of reverse paper feeding, first, as shown in FIG. 8, in the vertical direction of the separator 6 so that the upper edge of the separator 6 comes to a position lower than the upper end of the bar stacking sheet 2 by a predetermined height difference. Positioning. Next, the pusher device 8 pushes the rear side surfaces of the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 above the upper edge of the separator 6 forward, and pushes the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 in front of the separator 6. Let it stick out. After that, the operations of the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B are controlled, and the sheet rotation lifting step, the sheet translation step, and the sheet rotation mounting step are performed in the same manner as in the case of reverse paper feeding. Execute in order. Here, since the steps up to the sheet rotation lifting step are the same as in the case of reverse paper feeding, the sheet translation step and the sheet rotation placement step will be described below.

<Sheet translation step>
As shown in FIG. 12, the stacking sheet 15 is lifted into an upright posture, and then the lifted stacking sheet 15 is moved to the vicinity of the feed conveyor 3 as shown in FIG. At this time, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B hold the stacking sheet 15 from the upstream side while holding the stacking sheet 15 in an upright posture so that the corrugated cardboard sheets 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 do not fall horizontally. Move to the downstream side.

<Sheet rotation mounting step>
As shown in the chain line of FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are rotated in the horizontal direction so that the stacking sheet 15 is returned to its original non-inverted state.

After that, as shown in FIG. 19, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are lowered to bring the lower surface of the stacking sheet 15 into contact with the upper surface of the feed conveyor 3, and the first sheet retainer 27A and the second. By moving the seat retainer 27B in the direction away from the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B, the gripping of the stacked seats 15 by the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B is released. As a result, the stacking sheet 15 is placed on the upper surface of the feed conveyor 3. After that, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are retracted from the stacking sheet 15 placed on the feed conveyor 3.

By repeating the above operation, non-reversing paper feeding of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction can be performed.

Next, an operation example will be described in which the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 having a small size in the front-rear direction is supplied from the bar stacking sheet 2 of the upstream conveyor 1 to the feed conveyor 3 on the downstream side by using the above-mentioned paper feeding device.

First, as shown in FIG. 20, the separator 6 is positioned in the vertical direction so that the upper edge of the separator 6 comes to a position lower than the upper end of the bar stacking sheet 2 by a predetermined height difference. Next, the pusher device 8 pushes the rear side surfaces of the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 above the upper edge of the separator 6 forward, and pushes the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets 4 in front of the separator 6. Let it stick out. After that, the operations of the first robot 5A and the second robot 5B are controlled, and the following seat rotation lifting step, sheet translation step, and seat rotation mounting step are executed in order.

<Seat rotation lifting step>
First, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B grip the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 placed on the upstream side. Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 20, the first upper surface of the rear end portion of the first sheet receiver 26A faces the lower surface of the portion protruding in front of the separator 6 of the stacking sheet 15. Hand 16A is moved. The second hand 16B also operates in the same manner as the first hand 16A.

Next, as shown in FIG. 21, by raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B, the stacked sheets are placed on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the first sheet receiver 26A and the second sheet receiver 26B. Lift the lower surface of the portion protruding in front of the separator 6 of 15. Subsequently, by moving the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B rearward, the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B are slid with respect to the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheet 15. In the region including the rear ends of the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B, the lower surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stacked sheet 15 are supported over the entire length in the front-rear direction. At this time, the first rear seat stopper 29A and the second rear seat stopper 29B are retracted to a retracted position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 6) which is not opposed to the rear side surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stacked sheet 15. Let me do it. After that, the first seat retainer 27A and the second seat retainer 27B are lowered to press the upper surfaces of the left and right ends of the stacked sheet 15 over the entire length in the front-rear direction.

After that, as shown in FIG. 22, the first rear seat stopper 29A and the second rear seat stopper 29B are moved to protruding positions facing the rear side surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stacked sheet 15.

After that, as shown in FIG. 23, the stacking sheet 15 is lifted by raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. At that time, by raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B while rotating in the horizontal direction, the stacked sheets 15 are placed in an upright posture in which the thickness direction of each corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is in the horizontal direction. And. Here, the rotation direction of the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B when lifting the stacking sheet 15 is the direction in which the first rear seat stopper 29A comes to the lower side with respect to the stacking sheet 15, that is, The front side surface of the stacking sheet 15 faces upward, and the rear side surface of the stacking sheet 15 faces downward (counterclockwise rotation direction in the figure).

<Sheet translation step>
As shown in FIG. 23, the stacking sheet 15 is lifted into an upright posture, and then the lifted stacking sheet 15 is moved to the vicinity of the feed conveyor 3 as shown in FIG. 24. At this time, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B hold the stacking sheet 15 from the upstream side while holding the stacking sheet 15 in an upright posture so that the corrugated cardboard sheets 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 do not fall horizontally. Move to the downstream side.

<Sheet rotation mounting step>
As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are rotated in the horizontal direction to bring the stacking sheet 15 into an inverted state in which the top and bottom of the stacking sheet 15 are reversed from the original.

Then, as shown in FIG. 27, the first hand is moved by moving the first seat retainer 27A and the second seat retainer 27B away from the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B. The stacking sheet 15 is released from being gripped by the 16A and the second hand 16B. As a result, the stacking sheet 15 is placed on the upper surface of the feed conveyor 3. After that, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B are retracted from the stacking sheet 15 placed on the feed conveyor 3.

By repeating the above operation, the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 having a small size in the front-rear direction can be reverse-fed.

Here, the control unit 51 (see FIG. 1) takes the first front seat stopper 28A (and the second front) as shown in FIG. 12 when the stacked seats 15 are in the upright posture in the seat rotation lifting step. The operation of rotating the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B so that the seat stopper 28B) is on the lower side with respect to the stacked sheet 15, and as shown in FIG. 23, the first rear seat stopper 29A. The operation of rotating the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B so that (and the second rear seat stopper 29B) is on the lower side with respect to the stacking sheet 15 is performed on the front and rear side surfaces of the stacking sheet 15. It is selectively executed according to the dimensions between them.

That is, in the control unit 51, the dimension between the front and rear side surfaces of the stacking sheet 15 acquired from the production control device (not shown) is a predetermined dimension (for example, between the first front seat stopper 28A and the first rear seat stopper 29A. When it is larger than the distance in the front-rear direction), as shown in FIG. 12, the first front seat stopper 28A and the second front seat stopper 28B perform a rotating operation in which the first front seat stopper 28A and the second front seat stopper 28B come downward, while the stacked seats are stacked. When the dimension between the front and rear side surfaces of 15 is smaller than the predetermined dimension, as shown in FIG. 23, the first rear seat stopper 29A and the second rear seat stopper 29B perform a rotating operation in which the second rear seat stopper 29B comes to the lower side. do.

This paper feeding device grips the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 mounted on the upstream side by the first hand 16A of the first robot 5A and the second hand 16B of the second robot 5B. Then, the stacking sheet 15 is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side while being lifted, and then the stacking sheet 15 is placed on the downstream side. At that time, the first hand 16A and the second hand By rotating the 16B, the stacking sheet 15 is placed in an inverted state in which the top and bottom of the stacking sheet 15 are reversed from the original state, or the stacking sheet 15 is placed in a non-reversing state in which the top and bottom of the stacking sheet 15 are returned to their original positions. The left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is the same as the left-right relationship of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 supplied to the downstream side at the time of non-reversing paper feeding. Therefore, the left-right relationship of the printing and punching positions in the box making machine can be made common between the case of reverse paper feeding and the case of non-reversing paper feeding.

Further, since this paper feeding device uses two robots 5A and 5B to grip the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 and move the stacking sheet 15, the size of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 It is possible to supply at a high supply rate even when the value is large.

Here, when the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 are gripped and the stacking sheet 15 is lifted, there is a problem that the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 may be dented. That is, especially when the dimensions of the stacking sheet 15 in the left-right direction are large, when the stacking sheet 15 is lifted by grasping the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 22, the left and right sides of the stacking sheet 15 are left and right. The central portion in the left-right direction is bent so as to hang down with respect to both end portions, and this deflection may cause a dent in the contact portion of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 at the lower end of the stacking sheet 15 with respect to the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. There is a problem that there is. If the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is dented, for example, when printing is performed on the corrugated cardboard sheet 4, printing defects such as white spots in the print may occur.

In response to this problem, the paper feed device having the above configuration has the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B as shown in FIGS. 12 and 23 when the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 are gripped and lifted. By raising the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B while rotating in the horizontal direction, the stacked sheets 15 are placed in an upright position in which the thickness direction of each corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is horizontal. After that, while maintaining the standing posture, the stacking sheet 15 is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side while being lifted. That is, when the stacking sheet 15 is placed in an upright posture so that the corrugated cardboard sheets 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 are less likely to bend when the stacking sheet 15 is lifted, and further, when the stacking sheet 15 is moved from the upstream side to the downstream side. Also, I try to keep that standing posture. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 at the lower end of the stacking sheet 15 has a dent in the contact portion with respect to the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the first hand feeding device is located below the stacked sheet 15 when the stacked sheet 15 is in the upright position with the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. Since the front sheet stopper 28A and the second front sheet stopper 28B restrict the downward movement of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15, the stacking sheet 15 by the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B By setting the gripping force of the cardboard sheet 15 to be small, the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15 is prevented from being dented, and the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is surely dropped from the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. It is possible to prevent it.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 23, when the stacking sheet 15 is in the upright position with the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B, the first rear seat stopper 29A located below the stacking sheet 15 And the second rear seat stopper 29B restricts the downward movement of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 constituting the stacking sheet 15, so that the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 suddenly falls from the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B. Can be reliably prevented.

Further, in this paper feeding device, the first sheet receiving surface 36A that contacts and supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15 is provided with an inclination that decreases from the left side to the right side, and the right end portion of the stacking sheet 15 is provided. Since the second sheet receiving surface 36B that contacts and supports the lower surface of the corrugated cardboard is provided with an inclination that decreases from the right side to the left side, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 22, the left and right ends of the stacked sheet 15 On the other hand, when the stacking sheet 15 is bent so that the central portion in the left-right direction hangs down, the first sheet receiver 26A and the second sheet receiver 26B locally bite into the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 at the lower end of the stacking sheet 15. Can be prevented. Therefore, when the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 are gripped and lifted by the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B, the first hand 16A and the second hand 16A and the second hand 16A of the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 at the lower end of the stacking sheet 15 are lifted. It is possible to effectively prevent a dent from being formed in the contact portion with respect to the hand 16B.

Further, since this paper feeding device employs the first sheet receiver 26A and the second sheet receiver 26B having a structure in which the cushion member 35 protrudes outside the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate 34, the first sheet receiver 26B is adopted. The load acting on the lower surface of the stacking sheet 15 when the hand 16A and the second hand 16B grip and lift the left and right ends of the stacking sheet 15 is distributed by the cushion member 35. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the corrugated cardboard sheet 4 at the lower end of the stacking sheet 15 from having a dent in the contact portion with respect to the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B.

Further, when the stacking sheet 15 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction is gripped and lifted by the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B, this paper feeding device is attached to the front side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet 15. The first front seat stopper 28A can be opposed to each other, and the portion near the rear side surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet 15 can be gripped up and down by the first seat receiver 26A and the first seat retainer 27A. .. Similarly, the second front seat stopper 28B faces the front side surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet 15, and the portion close to the rear side surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet 15 is formed by the second seat receiver 26B and It can be gripped up and down with the second seat retainer 27B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, when the stacked sheets 15 having a large dimension in the front-rear direction are placed in the upright posture, the corrugated cardboard sheets 4 constituting the stacked sheets 15 are in either the front-rear direction and creases are formed. Can be reliably prevented.

Further, when the size of the stacking sheet 15 in the front-rear direction is small, the paper feed device first grips the stacking sheet 15 in the sheet rotation lifting step from the front side of the stacking sheet 15 to the left and right of the stacking sheet 15. After inserting the first seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B into the lower surfaces of both ends, the first rear seat stopper 29A is moved from the retracted position to the protruding position to the rear side of the left end portion of the stacked sheet 15. The second rear seat stopper 29B is moved from the retracted position to the protruding position to face the rear side surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheet 15, and then the stacked sheet 15 is placed in an upright posture. Occasionally, the operation of rotating the first hand 16A and the second hand 16B so that the first rear seat stopper 29A and the second rear seat stopper 29B are on the lower side with respect to the stacked sheet 15 is performed. Run. Here, when the first sheet receiver 26A and the second sheet receiver 26B are inserted into the lower surfaces of the left and right end portions of the stack sheet 15 from the front side of the stack sheet 15, the first sheet receiver 15 with respect to the lower surfaces of the left and right end portions. The insertion distance between the seat receiver 26A and the second seat receiver 26B is suppressed to the same extent as the dimensions of the stacked sheet 15 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the time required to grip the stacked seats 15 in the seat rotation lifting step can be suppressed short, which is advantageous in terms of cycle time. Further, if the insertion distance between the first sheet receiver 26A and the second sheet receiver 26B is reduced and reverse paper feeding is performed, the stacked sheets 15 can be carried farther, so that the movable range of the robots 5A and 5B It will be advantageous from the viewpoint of.

1 Upstream conveyor 2 Bar stacking sheet 4 Corrugated cardboard sheet 5A First robot 5B Second robot 6 Separator 7 Separator elevating drive device 8 Pusher device 15 Stacking sheet 16A First hand 16B Second hand 17A First arm 17B 2nd arm 26A 1st seat receiver 26B 2nd seat receiver 27A 1st seat retainer 27B 2nd seat retainer 28A 1st front seat stopper 28B 2nd front seat stopper 29A 1st rear seat stopper 29B Second rear seat stopper 34 Metal plate 35 Cushion member 36A First seat receiving surface 36B Second seat receiving surface 51 Control unit

Claims (7)

A first hand (16A) that grips the left end of a stacking sheet (15) in which a plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets (4) elongated in the left-right direction are stacked in the vertical direction, and a first hand that supports the first hand (16A). A first robot (5A) having an arm (17A) and
A second robot (5B) having a second hand (16B) for gripping the right end of the stacking sheet (15) and a second arm (17B) for supporting the second hand (16B). ,
It has a first robot (5A) and a control unit (51) that controls the operation of the second robot (5B).
The control unit (51)
The first hand (16A) and the second hand (16B) grip and lift both left and right ends of the stacking sheet (15) placed on the upstream side, and at that time, the first hand. By raising the (16A) and the second hand (16B) while rotating in the horizontal direction, the stacking sheet (15) is raised in the horizontal direction in the thickness direction of each corrugated cardboard sheet (4). The seat rotation lifting step to be in the standing posture and
After that, a sheet translation step of moving the stacked sheet (15) from the upstream side to the downstream side while holding the stacked sheet (15) in the upright posture, while keeping the stacked sheet (15) lifted,
After that, the stacking sheet (15) is placed on the downstream side, and at that time, the stacking sheet (15) is rotated by rotating the first hand (16A) and the second hand (16B). The sheet rotation mounting step of reversing the top and bottom of the stacking sheet (15) or returning the top and bottom of the stacked sheet (15) to the non-reversed state is executed.
A paper feed device for both inverting and non-inverting. The first hand (16A) includes a first sheet receiver (26A) that supports the lower surface of the left end of the stacking sheet (15) when gripping the left end of the stacking sheet (15), and the stacking. A first seat retainer (27A) that presses the upper surface of the left end portion of the seat (15) and a first seat stopper (28A) that faces the side surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet (15) on one side in the front-rear direction. And have
The second hand (16B) includes a second seat receiver (26B) that supports the lower surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet (15) when gripping the right end portion of the stacking sheet (15), and the stacking. A second seat retainer (27B) that presses the upper surface of the right end portion of the seat (15) and a second seat stopper (28B) that faces the one side side surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheet (15) in the front-rear direction. ) And,
The control unit (51) receives the first seat stopper (28A) and the second seat stopper (28B) when the stacked seats (15) are placed in the upright posture in the seat rotation lifting step. The first hand (16A) and the second hand (16B) are rotated so that the first hand (16A) is on the lower side with respect to the stacking sheet (15).
The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device according to claim 1. The first sheet receiving surface (26A) has a first sheet receiving surface (36A) that contacts and supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacked sheet (15), and the first sheet receiving surface (36A). ) Has a slope that decreases from the left side to the right side.
The second sheet receiving surface (26B) has a second sheet receiving surface (36B) that contacts and supports the lower surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheet (15), and the second sheet receiving surface (36B). ) Has a slope that decreases from the right side to the left side,
The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device according to claim 2. The first sheet receiver (26A) includes a metal plate (34) that supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet (15), and a cushion member (35) fixed to the upper surface of the metal plate (34). The cushion member (35) is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate (34) so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge.
The second sheet receiver (26B) includes a metal plate (34) that supports the lower surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet (15), and a cushion member (35) fixed to the upper surface of the metal plate (34). The cushion member (35) is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral edge of the metal plate (34) so as to protrude outward from the outer peripheral edge.
The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device according to claim 2 or 3. The first hand (16A) has a locked state that restricts the movement of the first seat stopper (28A) in the front-rear direction with respect to the first seat receiver (26A), and the first seat receiver (26A). It further has a first locking mechanism capable of switching between an unlocked state that allows the first seat stopper (28A) to move in the front-rear direction.
The second hand (16B) has a locked state that restricts the movement of the second seat stopper (28B) in the front-rear direction with respect to the second seat receiver (26B), and the second seat receiver (26B). It further has a second locking mechanism capable of switching between an unlocked state that allows the second seat stopper (28B) to move in the front-rear direction.
The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The first seat stopper (28A) is a front seat stopper that faces the front side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet (15) when gripping the left end portion of the stacking sheet (15).
The second seat stopper (28B) is a front seat stopper that faces the front side surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet (15) when gripping the right end portion of the stacking sheet (15).
The first hand (16A) has a protruding position facing the rear side surface of the left end of the stacked sheet (15) when gripping the left end of the stacked sheet (15), and a left side from the protruding position. Further has a first rear seat stopper (29A) movably provided between the rear side surface of the left end portion of the stacking sheet (15) and the non-opposing retracted position.
The second hand (16B) has a protruding position facing the rear side surface of the right end portion of the stacked sheet (15) when gripping the right end portion of the stacked sheet (15), and a right side from the protruding position. Further has a second rear seat stopper (29B) movably provided between the rear side surface of the right end portion of the stacking sheet (15) and the non-opposing retracted position.
The control unit (51)
When the stacked sheet (15) is placed in the upright posture in the sheet rotation lifting step, the first seat stopper (28A) and the second seat stopper (28B) are attached to the stacked sheet (15). The operation of rotating the first hand (16A) and the second hand (16B) so as to come to the lower side, the first rear seat stopper (29A), and the second rear seat. The operation of rotating the first hand (16A) and the second hand (16B) so that the stopper (29B) is on the lower side with respect to the stacking sheet (15) is performed on the stacking sheet. Selectively execute according to the dimension between the front and rear side surfaces of (15).
The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device according to any one of claims 2 to 5. A bar-stacked sheet (2) composed of the corrugated cardboard sheets (4) arranged upstream of the first robot (5A) and the second robot (5B) and stacked at a predetermined height. Supporting upstream conveyor (1) and
A separator (6) extending horizontally along the front side surface of the bar stacking sheet (2) and
A separator elevating drive device (7) that elevates and elevates the separator (6),
Of the corrugated cardboard sheets (4) constituting the bar stacking sheet (2), the rear side surfaces of the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets (4) above the upper edge of the separator (6) are pushed forward. Further, the pusher device (8) for causing the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets (4) above the upper edge of the separator (6) to protrude in front of the separator (6) is further provided.
The first hand (16A) and the second hand use the plurality of corrugated cardboard sheets (4) protruding in front of the separator (6) as stacked sheets (15) placed on the upstream side. Grip and lift with (16B),
The reversing and non-reversing paper feed device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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