JP3030297U - Automatic folding device for foldable containers - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To provide an automatic folding device that realizes automatic folding and stacking of foldable containers and dramatically improves folding work efficiency. SOLUTION: A container 2 is provided at a substantially central portion of a body frame 4.
The container 3 is formed in the same shape and size as the above, and forms a space 3 into which the container 2 can be inserted from above and the container 2 can drop to the lower bottom portion. Stretchable pushing members 8, 8 for pushing inward the left and right side plates 22, 23 of the container 2 upside down supported by the stopper 5 on the upper portion of the void 3 are located on both the left and right sides of the void 3 from the stopper 5. It is installed at the inner ends of the cylinders 17 and 18 at the upper position. Front and back plates 24, 2 of container 2
The retractable push-in members 9, 9 for pushing 5 inward,
It is installed at the inner and inner ends of the cylinders 15 and 16 above the stopper 5 at the front and rear positions of the void 3.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the device belongs]

 This invention is an automatic folding device used for automatically folding a container that can be folded into a small shape when it is not used and that is assembled in its original form when it is used for transporting items. Regarding

[0002]

[Prior art]

 The container illustrated in FIG. 6 which is foldable and convenient for storage and the like has been frequently used (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-36350). In this container 2, the left side plate 22 and the right side plate 23 in the lateral direction are connected to the upper frame 20 by pins so as to be rotatable. Therefore, by pushing the left and right side plates 22 and 23 inward, the side plates 22 and 23 are rotated inward. A front plate 24 and a rear plate 25 in the longitudinal direction are also rotatably connected to the upper frame 20 and the bottom plate 21 by pins, and these front and rear plates 24 and 25 are respectively arranged above and below the upper and lower two. It is composed of a single plate, and an intermediate portion between the upper and lower plates is rotatably connected by a connecting portion 26 with a pin. Therefore, when the front and back plates 24, 25 are pushed inward, the position of the connecting portion 26 is folded inward so that the container 2 is about 1/3 to 1 / th compared to the time of assembly. Folds flat to size 4.

Conventionally, all the folding work of the container 2 is performed manually by a worker. The folding operation of the side plates 22 and 23 and the front and rear plates 24 and 25 is performed while the container 2 is in a normal use state, that is, in a state in which the top and bottom of the container 2 remain open. The folded containers 2 are also manually stacked by a worker one by one on a trolley or the like.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the present invention]

 When folding the container 2 with the opening of the container 2 facing up, the left and right ends of the front and back plates 24, 25 must be prevented from being caught by the left and right ends of the side plates 22, 23. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to push the both side plates 22 and 23 inward by hand, and to support the pushed both side plates 22 and 23 in some way so as to temporarily fix the state of being pushed in the substantially horizontal posture. It is troublesome. In addition, stacking work in which the folded containers 2 are stacked one by one on a trolley is also troublesome. In other words, there has been a long-felt need for mechanization of the conventional manual folding work of containers.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic folding device that realizes mechanical and automatic folding and stacking of a foldable container and dramatically improves the folding work efficiency. It is in.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the automatic folding device for a foldable container according to the invention described in claim 1 is such that upper portions of the left side plate 22 and the right side plate 23 are respectively connected to the upper frame 20 by pins. The front plate 24 and the rear plate 25 are pin-connected to the upper frame 20 and the bottom plate 21, respectively, and the intermediate connecting portion 26 is also pin-foldable so that it can be folded inward. A device that automatically folds a container 2 configured to be inwardly foldable inward. (A) When viewed in plan, the container 2 and the container 2 are substantially centered at a predetermined height. The container 2 is formed in the same shape and the same size so that the container 2 can be inserted from above, and the space 3 in which the container 2 can fall to the lower bottom is formed in the vertical direction. The bottom A stopper 5 that can be freely moved in and out is supported on the upper portion of the empty space 3 and is attached to the upper portion of the body frame 4. (c) The left side plate 22 and the right side of the container 2 supported by the stopper 5 on the upper portion of the empty space 3 Stretchable pushing members 8, 8 for pushing the plate 23 inward are respectively provided at the inner ends of the cylinders 17, 18 provided on the main body frame 4 at positions on the left and right sides of the space 3 and above the stopper 5, respectively. When installed, the retractable pushing members 9, 9 for pushing the front plate 24 and the back plate 25 of the container 2 inward are provided at the main and rear positions of the space 3 and above the stopper 5. It is characterized in that they are installed at the inner ends of the cylinders 15 and 16 provided in the frame 4, respectively.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic folding device for a foldable container, wherein the automatic folding device according to the first aspect is configured to vertically move along both left and right sides of the empty space 3 and the front and rear surfaces. The guide bars 10, 11, 12, and 13 arranged in the respective directions are attached to the main body frame 4, respectively, and only the guide bar 12 on one side is attached to the main body frame 4 in an openable and closable state.

An automatic folding device for a foldable container according to a third aspect of the present invention is the automatic folding device according to the first or second aspect, in which a trolley 14 is preliminarily arranged at a lower bottom portion of the empty space 3. The container 2 folded at the upper part of the above is dropped in the empty space 3 by its own weight by letting the stopper 5 supporting the container 2 escape, and a plurality of containers 2 are loaded on the carriage 14.

[0009]

[Embodiment of device]

 INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applied to the folding work of an article transport container in which the assembled state when in use and the folded state when not in use are repeatedly repeated. In the container 2, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper part of the left side plate 22 and the right side plate 23 are usually pin-connected to the upper frame 20 so that the container 2 can be rotated inward to be folded. The rear plate 25 is connected to the upper frame 20 and the bottom plate 21 by pins, and the intermediate connecting portion 26 is also foldably connected so as to be inwardly foldable.

As described in claim 1, the automatic folding apparatus according to the present invention has a substantially central portion of the base plate 1 forming the upper surface of the main body frame 4 having a height that is easy for an operator to work on. A void 3 is formed in the part. When viewed in plan as shown in FIG. 3, the cavity 3 is formed to have substantially the same shape and size as the foldable container 2 so that the container 2 can be inserted from above, and as shown in FIG. From the perspective, the container 2 is formed in the vertical direction of the device so that it can be dropped to the lower bottom part. On the upper part of the main body frame 4 is attached a stopper 5 which can freely move in and out for supporting the lower part of the container 2 at the upper position of the space 3 (FIG. 1). Cylinders 17 and 18 are provided below the base plate 1 at positions on both the left and right sides of the empty space 3, and the left and right side plates 22 and 23 of the container 2 are pushed inward. , 8 are installed at the inner ends of the cylinders 17 and 18 (FIGS. 3 and 2). Cylinders 15 and 16 are provided at the front and rear positions of the cavity 3 and below the base plate 1, and extendable and retractable pushing members 9 for pushing the front and rear plates 24 and 25 of the container 2 inward. 9 are installed at the inner ends of the cylinders 15 and 16, respectively. In the automatic folding device, the cylinders 15, 16, 17, 18 are all contracted when the operation switch 30 (see FIG. 2) attached to the outer main body frame 4 is in the OFF state, so that the pushing members 8, 8, 9 and 9 are all accommodated, on the contrary, the guide cylinder 7 is extended and the stopper 5 is normally projected.

The automatic folding device is moved to a predetermined position by using the casters 6 to be fixed, and the used containers 2 are turned upside down in advance, and 4 to 5 pieces are placed on the carriage 14. Stack them and move them near the device (Fig. 1). The uppermost container 2 is taken out, loaded inside the empty space 3 of the device while being turned over, and placed on the stopper 5. It is also possible to move the container 2 onto the stopper 5 by a robot hand (not shown) without manual work. When the operation switch 30 is turned on, first, the cylinders 17 and 18 extend to push out the left and right pushing members 8 and 8, and the left and right side plates 22 and 23 of the container 2 are pushed inward. Be done. At that time, since the container 2 is turned upside down, the left and right side plates 22 and 23 pin-connected to the upper frame 20 located on the lower side are slanted inwardly due to their own weight. Keep the state (Fig. 2). Therefore, when the cylinders 15 and 16 continue to extend, the push-in members 9 and 9 push the forward and rear plates 24 and 25 of the container 2 inwardly at the connecting portion 26 in the state of being bent inward, and the weight effect is exerted. And the container 2 is immediately folded (Fig. 4). In this way, when the folding work is quickly completed, all the cylinders 15, 16, 17, 18 contract at the same time, and all the pushing members 8, 8, 9, 9 escape. Next, the stopper 5 is retracted as shown by the broken line in FIG. Therefore, the folded container 2 supported by the stopper 5 falls vertically in the space 3 due to its own weight. The stopper 5 returns to the original protruding state after a few seconds.

As described in claim 2, the guide bars 10, 11, 12, 13 are attached in the vertical direction along the left and right sides of the space 3 and the front and back surfaces, and one side (for example, right side) of the guide bars is attached. By mounting only the guide bar 12 in the openable state (see FIG. 3), the container 2 falling in the space 3 is smoothly guided while being guided along the guide bar 10, 11, 12, 13 concerned. Can be dropped.

Further, as described in claim 3, by arranging the carriage 14 in advance on the lower bottom portion of the empty space 3, the inside of the empty space 3 is guided by four guide bars 10, 11, 12, 13. The container 2 that has fallen down while being planned can be loaded on the cart 14 as it is without any trouble (Fig. 4). Thus, the folding operation of the plurality of containers 2 in which the empty space 3 of the automatic folding device is filled from the bottom to the top (usually, nine folded containers 2 are placed on the carriage 14) is repeated one after another. When the empty space 3 is filled with the container 2, the right side guide bar 12 in the closed state is rotated to be opened to secure the exit of the trolley 14, and a plurality of containers 2 loaded on the trolley 14 ... You can move to and finally to your destination.

[0014]

【Example】

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The body frame 4 is assembled by connecting synthetic resin-coated steel pipes such as ABS and AAS with joints, and the upper surface is formed on the flat steel base plate 1. The height is about 1m for easy operation. A plurality of casters 6 for movement are attached to the lower end of the body frame 4.

The void 3 is formed in the vertical direction up to the lower end with the substantially central portion of the base plate 1 as an upper opening (FIGS. 1 and 3). When viewed in plan as shown in FIG. 3, the space 3 has a size and width of 535 mm, which is necessary and sufficient for inserting the rectangular container 2 (width: 530 mm, depth: 365 mm). It is formed in a rectangular shape with a depth of 370 mm (see Fig. 2).

The stopper 5 is formed in an angular shape by a steel plate having a width of about 500 mm as a projectable member, and is attached to the main body frame 4 at a position about 150 mm below the base plate 1. The stopper 5 is connected to a guide cylinder 7 fixed to the main body frame 4, and is configured to be able to move in and out according to the expansion and contraction operation of the guide cylinder 7.

The pushing members 8 and 9 are also capable of projecting, and are formed in an angle shape by a steel plate having a width of about 100 mm (FIGS. 2 and 4), and are arranged in a cross shape in four directions on the left and right sides and the front and back surfaces, respectively. It is provided (Fig. 3). As shown in FIG. 2, the pushing members 8, 8 on both the left and right sides are connected to the inner ends of the cylinders 17, 18 that are bolted to the lower surface of the base plate 1 so as to face inwardly. . Therefore, the structure is such that the cylinders 17 and 18 in the left and right positions operating simultaneously can be expanded and contracted inward from both side surfaces in response to the expansion and contraction operation. Similarly, the pushing members 9, 9 on the front and back sides are connected to the inner ends of the cylinders 15, 16 which are bolted to the lower surface of the base plate 1 and are inwardly arranged. Therefore, the structure is such that it can be expanded and contracted inward from both sides of the normal and rear surfaces in response to the expansion and contraction operations of the cylinders 15 and 16 in the normal and rear surface positions that operate simultaneously.

Each of the guide bars 10, 11, 12, and 13 is made of a synthetic resin-coated steel pipe having a length of about 650 mm, and as shown in FIG. 3, the guide frame 10 has a body frame 4 substantially along the left side surface of the cavity 3. Two left side guide bars 10 and 10 are fixed to the two upper and lower frames 43, 43, respectively, and two front guide bars are attached to the two upper and lower frames 44, 44 substantially along the front surface of the space 3. 13 and 13 are fixed to each other, and two rear guide bars 11 and 11 are fixed to two upper and lower frames 45 and 45 substantially along the rear surface of the space 3. On the right side surface of the space 3, one right side guide bar 12 is fixed to the upper and lower frames 42 in a position avoiding the right side surface so as to be openable and closable. That is, the right guide bar 12 supports a vertical guide pipe 12a and the guide pipe 12a rotatably on the upper and lower frames 42 about the upper and lower frames 42 as shown in FIG. It is composed of a horizontal support pipe 12b and a locking pipe 12c extending on the support pipe 12b and capable of locking the lock member 19. The leg opening angle between the support pipe 12b and the locking pipe 12c is about 100 degrees (see FIG. 3). A lock member 19 having a locking portion capable of locking the locking pipe 12c is attached to a horizontal pipe 47 above the upper and lower frames 42. Therefore, by locking the locking pipe 12c to the lock member 19, the guide pipe 12a is fixed in the closed position along the right side surface of the void 3 (FIGS. 1 and 3), and is folded into a container. It can guide 2 when it falls. By pushing the locking member 19 downward, the locked state of the locking pipe 12c to the locking member 19 is released, the upper and lower pipes 12a are rotated and opened, and the doorway of the carriage 14 is secured (FIG. 5). ).

[0019]

[Effects of the present invention]

 According to the automatic folding device of the present invention, the foldable container 2 can be folded automatically and in a short time, which contributes to a dramatic improvement in folding work efficiency. When this device is used, it is only necessary to place the container 2 on the upper end of the space 3 of the base plate 1 and the rest is mechanically folded, so that even an unskilled person can easily operate it and workability is improved. In addition to being excellent, it also contributes to reducing labor costs. The folded container 2 is immediately stacked on the trolley 14 in the device and is easy to move, so that it can be reused and stored quickly, which is convenient.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing how to set a container in an automatic folding device.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a folded state of both side plates of the container.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the automatic folding device with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 4 is a partially omitted side view showing a folded state of a front back plate of the container.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state where folding of the container is completed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a foldable container.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 container 20 upper frame 21 bottom plate 22 left side plate 23 right side plate 24 front side plate 25 back side plate 3 vacant space 4 body frame 5 stopper 8, 9 pushing member 10, 11, 12, 13 guide bar 14 bogie 15, 16, 17, 18 Cylinder

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. The upper parts of the left side plate and the right side plate are pin-connected to the upper frame so that they can be folded inward by rotating inward, and the front plate and the back plate are pin-connected to the upper frame and the bottom plate, respectively. A device for automatically folding a container having a configuration in which a substantially middle connecting portion is also pin-connectable so as to be capable of being folded inward and is foldable inward, and (a) a substantially central portion of a main body frame having a predetermined height, When seen in a plan view, the container is formed to have substantially the same shape and the same size as the container, the container can be inserted from above, and a space in which the container can drop to the lower bottom is formed in the vertical direction, (b) A stopper that supports the lower part of the container upside down at the upper part of the empty space is attached to the upper part of the body frame, and (c) the container is supported at the upper part of the empty space by the stopper. A retractable pushing member that pushes the left side plate and the right side plate inward is installed at the inner ends of the cylinders provided on the body frame at the left and right sides of the void and above the stopper. In addition, the expandable push-in member for pushing the front plate and the rear plate of the container inward is provided at the inner and outer ends of the cylinder provided on the main body frame at the positions of the front and rear sides of the empty space and above the stopper. An automatic folding device for a foldable container, characterized by being installed in each. 2. Guide bodies vertically arranged along the left and right sides and the front and rear surfaces forming a void are attached to the body frame, and only one side guide bar can be opened and closed. The foldable container automatic folding device according to claim 1, wherein the foldable container automatic folding device is mounted on a frame. 3. A container in which a trolley is preliminarily arranged at the lower bottom of the vacant space, and the container folded at the upper part of the vacant space falls under its own weight due to the escape of the stopper supporting the container, so that the trolley is placed above the trolley. It is characterized by loading multiple
An automatic folding device for a foldable container according to claim 1 or 2.