JP3323234B2 - Wrap round packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called wrap-round package in which articles such as containers are supplied on a blank sheet, and the blank sheet is formed into a box shape and simultaneously wrapped around the container. It concerns the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of wrap round packaging apparatus, articles conveyed on a conveyor are accumulated at a predetermined position, and the articles are stacked on a lifting table at the bottom of blank sheets supplied one by one. Transporting the blank sheet so as to wrap the article in the middle while lowering the article and the blank sheet together with the elevating table by pressing the upper surface of the article with a top pusher in that state. It is widely known that an operation procedure is employed in which a side wall portion is bent upward to form a box shape (see, for example, JP-A-59-134122).

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the steps of accumulating articles on a conveyor and transferring them to the bottom of a blank sheet and the step of pressing down the upper surface of the articles by a top pusher are performed. It is configured in a separate process, during which time it is not structured to continuously support articles, especially when the work speed is increased, etc., when transferring onto the bottom portion of the blank sheet or by the top pusher There is a drawback that the article is likely to fall or to be unsteady when pressed. In addition, since there is only one forming step for packaging the articles while bending the box shape, there is a limit on the working efficiency also from this point. Further, also in terms of configuration, an article stacking apparatus for stacking articles on a conveyor at a predetermined position, a transfer apparatus for transferring the stacked articles onto a bottom portion of a blank sheet, and blank sheets one by one at a predetermined position. In addition to the blank sheet feeding device that supplies the blank sheet, it is necessary to incorporate a lifting table that supports the articles on the blank sheet and the top pusher for pressing in a predetermined portion, so that the structure must be complicated. there were. The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems of the prior art, and can improve the work efficiency, eliminate the possibility of falling down of the articles and the possibility of the scuffing, and also simplify the configuration of the box forming process section. It is an object of the present invention to provide a possible wrap round packaging device.

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides an article stacking unit for stacking the articles carried by the conveyor, the transport
A blank sheet supply unit that is arranged on one side of the conveyor and supplies blank sheets one by one to predetermined left and right positions that are set horizontally shifted so as not to overlap with the article accumulation unit, and to the other side of the transport conveyor. Provided, an article gripper capable of gripping the article, and held by the article gripper.
Article comprising a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the left and right by one case minute, a work robot which is configured as the article gripping means may move between the predetermined position and the article stacking unit, the A plurality of articles accumulated in the article accumulation unit are grasped and lifted into the air by the work robot via the article grasping means, and the left and right moving mechanism is moved in the process of transferring the articles.
By moving the articles one case at a time, the articles were transferred onto the bottom portions of the blank sheets before molding supplied to the predetermined positions on the left and right sides, and the articles transferred onto the bottom sections of the blank sheets were gripped. The left and right blank sheets are simultaneously pressed down to the lower end and formed into a box shape at the same time via the bending guide portion provided on the lowering side, whereby a series of the article gripping means by the working robot is performed. By the operation of, the transfer of the articles from the article stacking section onto the bottom portion of the left and right blank sheets before molding and the bending of the blank sheets on the way down by pressing the articles at the same position are continuously executed. Multiple cases of goods
It is characterized in that it is configured to be packaged in parallel with time .

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided a multi-function device in which an
A number of articles are simultaneously grasped and lifted by the work robot, and the transfer process , that is, transfer to the blank sheet
1 case of goods by right and left movement mechanism at appropriate time in
By moving the blank sheet by a minute, the sheet is transferred onto the bottom portion of the left and right blank sheets supplied to the predetermined position, and is continuously pressed down while holding the article, and the side wall of the blank sheet is wrapped around the article while being lowered. By a series of operations by the working robot that bends the part upwards to form a box, the packaging work from gripping the goods in the goods stacking section to bending the blank sheet does not change the goods in the middle. Since it is performed continuously, the problem of falling or unevenness of articles during transfer of articles, forming of boxes by pressing, or switching from those transfer steps to pressing steps as in the conventional wrap-round packaging apparatus is avoided. It can be surely eliminated. In addition, the molding process of the box, the left and right place
From being executed concurrently in a fixed position, the left and right
The balance is well balanced and the working efficiency can be greatly improved. Further, since it is no longer necessary to incorporate the top pusher and the elevating table into the box forming section as in the prior art, it is effective to simplify the configuration of the forming section.

[0006]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyor for conveying an article 2 to be packaged, such as a bottle, and 3 denotes an article stacking section connected to an end of the article stacker. It is configured to be accumulated in a state and wait. Reference numerals 4 and 5 denote left and right blank sheet supply units, which take out the blank sheets 6 one by one from a known blank sheet magazine and supply the blank sheets 6 to predetermined positions A and B which are set to be shifted from the article accumulation unit 3 in the horizontal direction. It is configured. In this case, it is not always necessary to match the vertical positional relationship between the article stacking unit 3 and the predetermined positions A and B. Reference numeral 7 denotes a working robot, which includes a robot body 8, a first arm 9 and a second arm 10.
The main part of the second arm 10 is provided with an article gripping mechanism 11. 12 is a box molding part,
When the blank sheet 6 and the article 2 transferred to the bottom thereof are lowered together, the article 2 is bent upward while the side wall portion of the blank sheet 6 is guided by the folding guide portion while descending. This is a working unit that forms a box so as to enclose a box. Reference numeral 13 denotes a gluing / compressing unit, which is a working unit for gluing and pressing a flap portion or the like of the blank sheet 6 formed into a box shape. An unloading conveyor 15 is connected to the back of the gluing and pressing portion 13 via a discharge portion 14 to unload the packaged case.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a left-right moving mechanism of the article gripping mechanism 11, and FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. In the figure, 16a-c and 17a-c are left and right gripping heads symmetrically disposed, respectively, as shown in FIG. It is supported by support shafts 18 and 19. Of these, the gripping heads 16a, b and 17a located on both sides,
b is slidably supported on the support shafts 18 and 19, and the gripping heads 16c and 17c located at the central portion are supported by the support shafts 18 and 19, respectively.
19 is fixed. Each of these gripping heads 1
Each of 6a-c and 17a-c is provided with two suitable gripping means 21 attached to the lower end portion thereof via the shaft portion 20, respectively. It is configured to be able to. Further, the left and right support shafts 18 and 19 are supported by slide portions 24 that engage with guide rails 23 that are horizontally installed on a support frame 22 that forms the outer wall of the article gripping mechanism 11, respectively. It is configured to be able to slide left and right along the guide rail 23. Also, the gripping heads 16a, b and 17 on both sides are provided.
a, b are further provided with two pairs of rollers 25, 25 formed on the upper surface thereof, such as bearings, and plate cams 26a, b to 27 interposed between these rollers 25, 25.
It is guided along a and b. In the figure, reference numerals 28 and 29 denote driving means composed of air cylinders, which drive the gripping heads 16c and 17c left and right via operating rods 30 and 31, respectively. By this driving, the support shafts 18 and 19 move left and right on the guide rail 23 symmetrically, respectively.
a and b are guided by the plate cams 26a and 26b, and the gripping heads 17a and b are guided by the plate cams 27a and 27b. As shown in FIG. The reduced state (b) of the side is taken.

Next, the manner of operation of the above embodiment will be described. When the articles 2 conveyed on the conveyor 1 reach the article accumulating section 3, they are accumulated at a predetermined position in a predetermined state, in this example, in groups of four in three rows . That is, in this embodiment, two
1 case of goods 2 consisting of 6 pieces in 3 rows for 2 cases
It is put on standby in the state of accumulation. The work robot 7 holds the first article 2 in the standby state.
The arm 9 and the second arm 10 are appropriately rotated to move the article gripping mechanism 11 attached to the distal end thereof to the predetermined position. In this case, the air cylinders 28 and 29 are both in a retracted state, and the gripping heads 16a to 16c and 17a
-C are in the expanded state (a) located at the center. Therefore, each of these gripping heads 16a-c, 17a-c
Also, the positional relationship between the gripping means 21 provided at the lower end of the column is in a state in which the rows are expanded at predetermined intervals in accordance with the alignment between the articles 2 in the standby state. An appropriate portion of the article 2, for example, a mouth of a container, is gripped by each gripping means 21, and the first arm 9 and the second arm 10 are operated while maintaining the gripping state, and the article gripping mechanism 11 is held. Is advanced above the blank sheet 6. Thereafter, the air cylinders 28 and 29 are driven in a protruding state, and the gripping heads 16a to 16c and 1 are moved.
7a to 7c are respectively moved to both left and right sides. Thereby, the left and right gripping heads 16a to 16c or 17
a to c are the plate cams 26a, b or 2 as described above.
At the same time as being guided by 7a and b to the reduced state (b),
1 piece consisting of a total of 6 pieces gripped by the gripping means 21
Thus, the articles 2 each of which is positioned above the bottom portion of the blank sheet 6 supplied to the predetermined positions A and B on the left and right. Meanwhile, in the blank sheet supply units 4 and 5 on the left and right sides, the blank robot 6 takes out the blank sheets 6 one by one from a known blank sheet magazine in parallel with the gripping and moving operation of the article 2 by the working robot 7. The work of supplying the left and right predetermined positions A and B is performed.
In this manner, when the articles 2 of one case each gripped by the gripping means 21 are positioned above the bottom of the blank sheet 6 at each of the left and right predetermined positions A and B, the gripping state is maintained. Meanwhile, the second arm 10 of the working robot 7 is further rotated to push down the article 2 and the blank sheet 6 together. As a result, during the downward movement, the side wall portion of the blank sheet 6 is formed into a box shape so as to wrap the article 2 while being bent upward by being guided by the bending guide member, as described above. As described above, the packaging operation from the gripping of the articles 2 in the article stacking section 3 to the folding of the blank sheet 6 is continuously performed by the series of operations by the work robot 7 without switching the articles 2 in the middle. Be executed.

Next, the blank sheet 6 formed into a box shape as described above is subjected to a gluing operation on a flap portion or the like in a gluing / compression unit 13, and is carried out by a carrying-out conveyor 15 through a discharge unit 14. You. Then, after the above-described work of pressing the article 2 and the blank sheet 6, the working robot 7 again operates the first arm 9 and the second arm 10.
Is rotated appropriately to return the article gripping mechanism 11 to the predetermined position where the next article 2 is on standby, and the above operation is repeated. The plate cams 26a, 26b and 27
Needless to say, the specific shapes of a and b are selected in accordance with the alignment state of the articles 2 waiting in the article stacking section 3, the positional relationship of the bottom portion of the blank sheet 6, the desired storage state, and the like. In this case, the article 2 in the article accumulation unit 3
When the positional relationship between the respective rows of the gripping heads matches the positional relationship between the respective rows in the stored state, the gripping heads 16a, b through 1
The sliding structure and cam mechanism for the shafts 18 and 19 of 7a and 7b can be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention, which is characterized by the driving means for the left and right gripping heads 16a-c and 17a-c in the left-right direction. Is the same as That is, for the was driven by using the two air cylinders 28, 29 in the embodiment, in this embodiment, on one of the gripping head 16c or 17c that is fixed to the support shaft 18, 19 One connected cylinder 32 and their gripping heads 16c and 1
It is characterized in that both are driven by a wire rope 33 and pulleys 34a, 34b which are linked to each other in order to link 7c. For example, when shifting from the expanded state (a) to the contracted state (b) indicated by the two-dot chain line, the air cylinder 3
2 is driven to extend the operating rod 35 to a projected state. Thereby, the gripping head 17c moves to the right side in the figure. Accordingly, the wire rope 33 connected to the gripping heads 16c and 17c via the respective fixing portions 36 also operates, so that the other gripping head 16c
Moves to the left side at the same time. Therefore, the spindle 1
8 and 19 also move to the left and right sides, respectively, and accordingly, the gripping heads 16a, b and 17a, b are guided to the plate cams 26a, b or 27a, b, respectively, as in the above-described embodiment. By sliding on the support shafts 18 and 19, the state shifts to the reduced state (b).

In the above description, as an embodiment of the working robot 7, a robot body 8 and a first arm 9 pivotally attached to the robot body 8 are described.
An example is shown in which the second element 10 and the second arm 10 pivotally attached to the first arm 9 are configured as main elements, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the robot main body is formed as a support frame, and the robot main body, a fixed support arm fixed to the robot main body and extending in the horizontal direction, mounted on the fixed support arm, and slid horizontally along the support fixed arm. A so-called XY drive type working device, which comprises, as main components, a movable X-direction sliding body and a Y-direction sliding body mounted on the X-direction sliding body and capable of moving up and down. A robot may be employed. In this case, the direction of the supporting fixed arm is defined as a direction connecting the predetermined position where the articles 2 are accumulated in advance and the central portion of the left and right predetermined positions A and B where the blank sheet 6 is supplied. Set to match. Then, first, the X
The directional slide is moved to a position immediately above a predetermined position where the article 2 waits, and at this position, the Y-directional slide is lowered, and the article 2 is held by the gripping means 21 provided at the lower end of the Y-directional slide. Then, while holding the article 2, the Y-direction sliding body is raised, and the X-direction sliding body is further slid horizontally, and the left and right gripping heads 16 a to 16 c are moved by the above-described left and right moving mechanism. , 17a, and b are moved to both sides to shift to the reduced state (b), so that the articles 2 for one case each are
When the article 2 is placed on the bottom portion of the left and right blank sheets 6 by moving the Y-direction sliding body at this position to the position just above the predetermined left and right positions A and B where At the same time, the work cycle of forming the box shape simultaneously and in parallel is repeated as in the case of the above-described embodiment while further descending. The working robot 7
The air cylinders 28, 29, 32 are automatically controlled in accordance with preset operating conditions. Air cylinder 2
It is also possible to employ other driving means instead of 8, 29 and 32.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained based on the above constitution. (1) An article is gripped by a work robot and transferred to the bottom portions of the left and right blank sheets horizontally separated from the article stacking section, and then continuously pressed down while holding the article. that forming a box, the series of operations by the work robot, follicles from the gripping of the article in the article stacking unit to bending formation of the blank sheet
Since the loading operation is continuously performed without changing the articles on the way, as in the above-described conventional technique, there is no room for the articles to fall down or to become uneven during the transfer of the articles or during the molding of the box. Can speed up work. (2) Moreover, the above-described box forming process is performed by a left-right moving mechanism.
Move the articles one case at a time to the left and right
From being executed Oite concurrently, the robot
The balance between left and right in the series of operations of the
Work efficiency can be greatly improved stably . (3) Furthermore, a blank sheet is placed on one side of the conveyor.
Since a work robot was installed on the other side of the
Reduce the distance from the bot body to the article gripping means.
Can improve the operability as a robot.
In addition, the working efficiency can be further improved. (4) Further, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to incorporate the top pusher and the elevating table into the box forming process section, so that the configuration of the forming process section can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a left-right moving mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an XX vertical sectional view of the left-right moving mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a left and right moving mechanism according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyor, 2 ... Article 3, 3 ... Article accumulation part, 4 ... Left blank sheet supply part, 5 ... Right blank sheet supply part, 6 ... Blank sheet, 7 ... Work robot, 8
... Robot body, 9 ... First arm, 10 ... Second arm,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Article gripping mechanism, 12 ... Box forming part, 13 ... Glue crimping part, 14 ... Discharge part, 15 ... Conveying conveyor, 16a-c
... left gripping head, 17a-c ... right gripping head,
18 left support shaft, 19 right support shaft, 20 shaft part, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Grip means, 22 ... Support frame, 23 ... Guide rail, 2
4 ... Slide part, 25 ... Roller, 26a, b ... Plate cam,
27a, b: plate cam, 28, 29: air cylinder, 3
0, 31: operating rod, 32: air cylinder, 33: wire rope, 34a, b: pulley, 35: operating rod, 36: fixed part

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-54-123389 (JP, A) JP-A-48-6896 (JP, A) JP-A-57-17901 (JP, U) JP-B-48-4429 (JP) , B1) JP40-2237 (JP, B1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65B 5/00-5/12 B65B 21/00-21/26

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An article stacking section for stacking articles conveyed by a conveyor, and an article stacker provided on one side of the conveyor.
Is a blank sheet supply unit for supplying a blank sheet one by one to a predetermined position of the left and right set shifted in the horizontal direction so as not polymerized with the article stacking unit, the other conveyor
Is arranged on the side, provided with a horizontal movement mechanism for moving the article held by the <br/> right one case minute by said article gripping means can be gripped articles and article gripping means, said article holding means a work robot which is configured to be able to move between said predetermined position and said article stacking unit by the work robot, a plurality of articles which are integrated into the article stacking unit via the said article gripping means lifted in the air by gripping the, the
In the process of transfer, the left and right movement mechanism moves the article for one case.
Each move, the addition to transferring the left and right on the bottom portion of the blank sheet before forming supplied to a predetermined position, falling edge and subsequently while gripping the article transported on the bottom portion of their blank sheet by pressing up, by molding at the same time a box shape the left and right blank sheet through the folding guide portion is disposed in its lowered developing, by a series of operations of said article gripping means according to the working robot, said article The transfer of the articles from the stacking section onto the bottom portions of the left and right blank sheets before forming and the bending of the blank sheets during the downward movement by pressing the articles at the same position are continuously executed to obtain articles for a plurality of cases. A wrap round packaging apparatus characterized in that packaging is performed simultaneously and in parallel .