JP6736164B2 - Boxing equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a boxing device for making a buffer box to store articles and closing a lid.

BACKGROUND ART A buffer box (buffer paper box) capable of accommodating easily-damaged boiled eggs and closing the lid is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

14: is a figure which shows an example of the conventional buffer box (buffer paper box) for eggs, FIG. 14(A) is a perspective view in the middle of assembling the buffer box YA1, and FIG. 14(B) shows the assembled state. It is a side view.

As shown in FIG. 14, the buffer box YA1 has, for example, a main body 101 for accommodating an egg XA1 that is an accommodating article and a lid face plate 107, and the main body 101 includes a bottom face plate 102, a holding plate 103, and a side face plate 105. , And a glue plate 106. The holding plate 103 is provided with a holding hole 1031 capable of holding the outer circumference of the egg XA1. In this example, one egg XA1 is held by a pair of holding holes 1031 that are arranged facing each other on the left and right sides of FIG. That is, the buffer box YA1 shown in FIG. 9A can accommodate two eggs XA1 in one box.

Before assembly, the side plate 105 and the holding plate 103 are folded so as to overlap with each other. When the side plate 105 is erected with respect to the bottom plate 102, the holding plate 103 is also erected, and the glue plate 106 is the top surface. A buffer portion 108 having a space inside is created with the side plate 105 and the holding plate 103 as side faces.

Also, a boxing device 200 has been developed in which the buffer box YA1 as described above is mechanically boxed, and the egg XA1 and the like are stored and the lid is closed.

An example of a conventional boxing device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. When the above-mentioned buffer box YA1 is boxed and the eggs XA1 are housed and sealed with the lid plate 107, the buffer boxes YA1 are taken out one by one from the stocker (not shown) that stocks the buffer box YA1 in a developed state by using the suction hand 201, It is supplied to the boxing device 200 (FIG. 15(A)). Then, the buffer box YA1 in the unfolded state is placed, for example, above the rectangular tubular member 205 having an opening at the top and bottom, and the egg XA1 is taken out from the transfer means (not shown) and stored in the buffer box YA1. 202 is brought into contact with the inside of the buffer box YA1 and pushed in from above the tubular member 205. At this time, the guide means 204 provided on the article holding hand 202 contacts the boundary between the bottom plate 102 and the holding plate 103 from the inside of the buffer box YA1 and pushes the boundary to raise the holding plate 103 together with the tubular member 205. .. Then, the side plate 105 is erected upward so as to interlock with the erection of the holding plate 103 to form a box, and the holding hole 1031 holds the egg.

Then, in the subsequent packaging step, an adhesive (for example, a hot-melt adhesive) is applied to each glue plate 106, the lid plate 107 is bent, and the vicinity of the center of the lid plate 107 is pressed to bond it to the glue plate 106 ( FIG. 15C).

JP, 07-223691, A

However, in the conventional boxing device 100, there is a possibility that a defective packaging may occur. That is, the size of the egg XA1 varies depending on the day, the season, etc., while the holding hole 1031 is opened in a predetermined size. The holding plate 103 is allowed to bend to some extent in order to absorb the egg XA1 even if the size of the egg XA1 varies to some extent. Further, there is a space between the holding plate 103 and the side plate 105 in order to provide the buffer section 108. That is, from the original purpose of the holding plate 103, there is a limit in increasing its strength.

Since the lower limit position of the article holding hand 202 that takes out the egg XA1 from the transfer means and stores it in the buffer box YA1 is constant, the center of the egg XA1 may be different depending on the size of the egg when it is stored in the buffer box YA1. The position and the center position of the holding plate 103 (holding hole 1031) may deviate from each other.

When the center position of the egg and the center position of the holding plate 103 (holding hole 1031) are deviated from each other, the side plate 105 is erected while being housed in the holding hole 1031 so as to be pushed in by the hand 202 that holds the egg. An egg comes into contact with an unintended position of 103 from the inside, and as shown in FIG. 12D, the holding plate 103 is bent outward (to the side face plate 105 side) and is bent (projects to the side face plate 105 side). Will end up.

When the holding plate 103 is bent, the glue margin surfaces 106 continuous to the upper end of the holding plate 103 incline so that their inner ends approach the bottom plate 102, and it becomes impossible to maintain a substantially horizontal state with respect to the transport surface of the boxing machine. ..

An adhesive agent is applied to the paste margin surface 106 in the next lid closing step (sealing step), and after bending the lid face plate 107, the vicinity of the center is pressed to close the lid (FIG. 12C. )), if the adhesive margin surface 106 is inclined, the lid surface plate 107 cannot contact the adhesive margin surface 106 to be pressure-bonded, and there is a possibility that a sealing failure may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a boxing device for forming a shock-absorbing box to store articles and closing the lid, in a boxing device for preventing a bending of a holding plate of the article and a lid surface plate and a paste of the shock-absorbing box. It is an object of the present invention to provide a boxing device that surely press-bonds with a substitute surface and prevents defective packaging.

The present invention is a box packing device for carrying an expanded buffer box while transporting the box, and storing an article in the buffer box, wherein the buffer box has a hollow structure provided adjacent to a side plate. A buffer part and a holding part provided in the buffer part, wherein the holding part holds the article at a predetermined position in the box by fitting the article into the hole, A lid is pressed and attached to the top surface of the cushioning section, and a transporting means for transporting the cushioning box, and a storing means for transporting the article to a storing position and storing the article in the cushioning box. A guide means for guiding the bending of the side plate, the article holding means of the accommodating means is configured to be able to adjust the holding position of the article according to the hole portion, and the guide means is the accommodating means. Is a claw portion which is provided upstream from the inside of the buffer box and which abuts a fold line serving as a boundary between the bottom plate and the side plate from the inside of the buffer box through the hole portion .

According to the present invention, in a boxing device for making a buffer box to store an article and closing the lid, the holding plate of the article is prevented from bending and the crimping of the lid surface plate and the paste margin surface of the buffer box is reliably performed. It is possible to provide a boxing device that prevents the occurrence of defective packaging.

It is a top view of the (A) box packing device in embodiment of this invention, and the top view which extracted the (B) accommodating means. It is a figure which shows the buffer box in embodiment of this invention, (A) The top view of the expanded state, (B) The top view of the back side of (A), (C), (D) The external perspective view in the middle of an assembly, (E) It is an external perspective view after assembly. FIG. 3A is a top view and FIG. 3B is a side view showing a temporary folding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a top view and FIG. 3B is a side view showing a temporary folding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a (A) side view and a (B) top view showing a temporary folding unit in an embodiment of the present invention. It is the front view which shows the whole (A) box making unit in the embodiment of the present invention, and the front view which extracts and shows the (B) box making unit. It is a side sectional view showing the outline of the accommodation means in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the outline|summary of the accommodating means in embodiment of this invention, (A) AA line arrow line view of FIG. 7, (B) BB line arrow line view of FIG. It is (A) front view, (B) top view, and (C) sectional view showing an article holding hand in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view (A) and a side view (B) showing an article holding hand in an embodiment of the present invention. It is the (A) side view, the (B) top view, and the (C)-(E) side view which show the raising unit in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the folding guide in embodiment of this invention. It is a (A) top view and a (B)-(G) side view showing a box unit in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a (A) external appearance perspective view explaining a prior art, and (B) side view. It is a side view explaining prior art.

Hereinafter, the boxing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Overall structure>
First, the configuration of the box packaging device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1(A) is a top view of the boxing device 1, and FIG. 1(B) is a top view showing the housing means extracted. In addition, in this figure and each subsequent figure, some configurations are omitted as appropriate to simplify the figure. In addition, in this figure and the following figures, the size, shape, thickness, etc. of the members are appropriately exaggerated.

The boxing device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device that conveys an unfolded (flatly folded and unassembled) buffer box YA1 while standing up a side plate to make a box, and stores an article XA1 for sealing. That is, the carrying means 10, the feeding means 2 for the buffer box YA1, the box making means 3, the housing means 6, the box closing means 7, various sensors (not shown), the control unit (not shown), etc. Have. In the following embodiments, the case where the article XA1 housed in the buffer box YA1 is an egg (boiled egg) will be described as an example.

The transport means 10 includes, for example, a first transport means 10A, a second transport means 10B and a third transport means 10C. In this example, the first transfer means 10A is a finger conveyor, the second transfer means 10B is a pusher device, and the third transfer means 10C is a bucket conveyor. The first transporting means 10A is a transporting means of the box making means 3, and the second transporting means 10B is a transporting means for positioning the front and rear of the buffer box YA1 discharged from the box making means 3 and sending it to the box packaging means 7. In the following description, the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) of the transport surface orthogonal to the transport direction L is transported with reference to the transport direction L (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) of the buffer box YA1 in the first transport means 10A. The width direction W is defined as the width direction W, and the direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface is defined as the conveyance height direction H.

The buffer box supply means 2 is, for example, a hopper 2 of the buffer box YA1, and a stocker 21 for stocking the expanded buffer box YA1 in an upright state, and a holding means for the buffer box YA1 that takes out the buffer box YA1 from the stocker 21 ( Buffer box holding hand) 22. Although the buffer box holding hand 22 is a suction hand that holds the buffer box YA1 by the suction means in this example, it may be a hand that holds (holds) the buffer box YA1. The hopper 2 takes out the buffer boxes YA1 unfolded one by one from the stocker 21, and supplies the buffer boxes YA1 on the transfer means 10 (first transfer means 10) in a flatly folded state.

The box-making means 3 is a box-making unit (or a box-making apparatus) that three-dimensionalizes the unfolded buffer box YA1 into a box body, and the first conveying means 10A, the temporary folding means 4, the box-raising means 5, etc. Have.

The provisional folding unit 4 is provided on the upstream side of the box raising unit 5 and provisionally folds the expanded buffer box YA1 supplied onto the first transporting unit 10A by the hopper 2 along a predetermined fold line ( Or a temporary folding device), which is a first folding guide 41 (first guide means) which is a guide means for temporarily folding, and a second folding guide 42 (first guide means) which is another guide means for temporarily folding. 2 guide means (not shown in FIG. 1), and driving means for the second folding guide 42.

The boxing means 5 is a boxing unit (also a boxing device) for boxing a side plate (which will be described later) of the buffer box YA1 that has been temporarily folded to form a box body. A third folding guide 51 (not shown in FIG. 1) that is another guide means for moving the sheet, and a fourth folding guide 52 (not shown in FIG. 1) that is another guide means for performing accurate boxing. And so on.

The accommodating means 6 is, for example, a rotary accommodating robot 6 for accommodating the article XA1 and accommodating it in the buffer box YA1 that is opened, and as shown in FIG. A disk-shaped base (rotational base portion) 61 that rotates and moves in a horizontal plane, and is attached so as to extend in the vertical direction (conveyance height direction H) with respect to the base 61, and simultaneously in the vertical direction (conveyance height). It has a plurality of (two in this example) article holding means (article holding hands 62) that can move in the depth direction H). The accommodation means 6 will be described in detail later.

The article XA1 is transferred from the predetermined position to the position of the storage robot 6 by the transfer unit 60. The transfer unit 60 is, for example, a servo loop conveyor that cyclically moves a plurality of buckets 601. In this example, the articles XA1 (eggs) are placed one by one in each bucket 601. Although illustration is omitted, although the article XA1 of each bucket 601 is taken out from a stocker or the like by a worker who is at a predetermined position and placed on each bucket 601, each bucket 601 is automatically operated by another supply means or the like. The article XA1 may be placed on the.

In the housing robot 6, for example, in the descending operation, one article holding hand 62 sucks and holds the article XA1 from the transfer means (servo loop conveyor) 60, and another article holding hand 62 stores the article XA1 in the buffer box YA1. Make boxes.

Specifically, in the storage robot 6, one of the plurality of article holding hands 62 is located directly above a part of the article XA1 transferred by the transfer means 60, and the other one is located directly above the raising unit 5. For example, it is arranged at the position of the broken line in FIG. The article holding hand 62 descends on the transfer means 60 to hold the article XA1 in the bucket 601, and rises to take out the article XA1. Then, for example, the base 61 is rotated counterclockwise as shown in the drawing, and is temporarily stopped above the raising unit 5 and lowered. The article holding hand 62 holds the article XA1 and holds the article XA1 in the buffer box YA1 waiting in the raising unit 5 while pushing the buffer box YA1 downward to release the article XA1 at a predetermined position below. .. The buffer box YA1 is raised by pushing the article holding hand 62 downward, and the article XA1 is stored in the box. That is, a part of the storage robot 6 (the article holding hand 62) also functions as a part of the raising unit 5.

The sealing means 7 is a sealing unit (or a sealing device) for applying an adhesive to a part of the main body 101 of the buffer box YA1 in which the article XA1 is housed and closing/adhering the lid body (lid face plate) 107. No. 7, and has a third conveying means 10C, an adhesive applying unit 8, a pressing means 9 for pressing the cover plate 107, and the like. The pressing means 9 is, for example, a plurality of rollers 91 (91A, 91B) that abut against a part of the lid surface plate 107 to press the lid surface plate 107, and draw the rollers 91 while pressing the lid surface plate 107 of the buffer box YA1 upstream of the rollers 91. It has a holding means 92 and the like.

<buffer box>
The buffer box YA1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same figure (A) is a top view (plan view) of the inner side surface of the expanded (folded flat) buffer box YA1, and the same figure (B) is the back side of the same figure (A). FIG. 3C is a top view (plan view) of the outer side surface of the buffer box YA1, which is a perspective view of the buffer box YA1 during assembly (raising). E) is an external perspective view of the buffer box YA1 after assembly. Note that the illustration of the article (egg) XA1 accommodated in FIG. 2 is omitted.

The buffer box YA1 is, for example, a paper box body (buffer paper box) in which a crease line is formed in advance, and a crease or crease can be formed by the box making unit 3, and a main body that stores an article (egg) XA1. The main body 101 includes a bottom plate 102 (outer bottom plate 102A, inner bottom plate 102B), a holding plate 103 (front holding plate 103A, rear holding plate 103B), and a side auxiliary plate 104. (104A to 104F), side plate 105 (front side plate 105A, rear side plate 105B), and glue plate 106 (front paste plate 106A, rear paste plate 106B).

Further, a hole portion (holding hole (article holding hole)) 1031 capable of holding the article XA1 is provided in the center of the holding plate 103. In the buffer box YA1, the article XA1 is fitted into the holding hole 1031 to hold the article XA1 at a predetermined position in the box. In this example, an article (egg) XA1 is fitted into a pair of holding holes 1031 that are arranged to face each other in the upper and lower parts of FIG. Hold XA1. That is, the buffer box YA1 shown in the figure can accommodate two (two) articles XA1 in one box. However, the number of articles XA1 to be stored is not limited to this, and may be one or three or more.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the side of the buffer box YA1 where the cover plate 107 is not provided (the same figure (A), the lower side in the same figure (B), the lower side in the same figure (C)-(E)). The left side) is defined as “front”, and the side facing the “front” (upper side in FIG. (A), right side in FIG. (C) to (E)) is defined as “rear”. The terms "rear" and "rear" are for convenience of description and may be interchanged.

In the unfolded state, the side plate 105 and the holding plate 103 are folded so that the front side and the rear side overlap with each other before assembly (FIG. (A)).

The outer lid face plate 107, the front side face plate 105A, the outer bottom face plate 102A, the rear side face plate 105B, and the side face auxiliary plate 104 of the main body 101 constitute an outer face 101A whose appearance can be visually confirmed when the box is made and the lid is closed. Further, the front glue plate 106A, the front holding plate 103A, the inner bottom plate 102B, the rear holding plate 103B, and the rear glue plate 106B (and the inner lid plate 107) of the main body 101 are not visible when the box is made and the lid is closed. Alternatively, the inner side surface 101B, which is difficult to visually recognize, is formed.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the inner side surface 101B has a front paste margin plate 106A and a front holding plate along the first direction from the front side to the rear side (from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing) in the deployed state. The plate 103A, the inner bottom plate 102B, the rear holding plate 103B, the rear sizing plate 106B, and the cover plate 107 are consecutively arranged in this order through the fold lines a, b, c, d, and h that are between them. ..

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1B, the outer side surface 101A has a front side surface plate 105A and an outer bottom surface plate 102A along the first direction from the front side to the rear side (from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing) in the deployed state. The rear side surface plate 105B and the lid surface plate 107 are connected in this order through the fold lines f, g, and h that are between them.

Further, side surface auxiliary plates 104A and 104D are continuously provided on both sides of the front side surface plate 105A along the second direction (direction orthogonal to the first direction) via fold lines i and l, respectively. Side auxiliary plates 104B and 104E are continuously provided on both sides along the two directions via fold lines j and m, respectively, and side auxiliary plates 104C and 104F are on the both sides along the second direction of the rear side plate 105B, respectively. They are connected in series via k and n. The length of the side surface auxiliary plate 104 (104A to 104F) in the third direction BH is shorter than the length of the side surface plate 105 in the third direction BH, which allows the article (egg) XA1 to be opened when the box is made and the lid is closed. It is visible (see FIGS. 13D to 13F).

The outer side surface 101A and the inner side surface 101B are connected at both ends to a front side surface plate 105A and a front glue plate 106A via a fold line e, and a rear glue plate 106B and a rear side plate 105B via a fold line h. It is connected.

Then, when the folding lines a to h are folded and opened so that the front holding plate 103A and the rear holding plate 103B face each other in the upright state ((C) to (D) in the figure), the article (egg ) XA1 is boxed so that it can be accommodated.

In the following description, as shown in FIG. 7E, the depth (thickness direction) is defined as the first direction BD, the first direction BD, and the first direction BD, as the absolute direction that does not depend on the direction in the course of transportation in the boxed and three-dimensional buffer box YA1. The width direction orthogonal to the one direction BD will be described as the second direction BW, and the height direction orthogonal to any of the first direction BD and the second direction BW will be described as the third direction BH. In the example of the figure, one article (egg) XA1 is held by holding holes 1031 facing each other in the first direction BD such that the first direction BD is the major axis direction. Further, the buffer box YA1 shown in the figure is capable of accommodating two articles XA1 in one box, and accommodates two articles XA1 side by side along the second direction BW.

The front holding plate 103A and the rear holding plate 103B stand upright from the inner bottom plate 102B, and the front side plate 105A and the rear side plate 105B stand upright from the outer bottom plate 102A. That is, the inner bottom plate 102B has a smaller length in the first direction BD than the outer bottom plate 102A, and the front holding plate 103A and the front side plate 105A, and the rear holding plate 103B and the rear side plate 105B are respectively the inner bottom plate. 102B and the outer bottom plate 102A are separated by half the difference in the first direction BD. Further, a front paste margin plate 106A and a rear paste margin plate 106B are arranged so as to face the outer bottom plate 102A which does not overlap the inner bottom plate 102B. As a result, between the holding plate 103 and the side surface plate 105, a buffer portion 108 (front buffer portion 108A, rear buffer portion 108B) having a hollow structure capable of buffering the external force related to the article XA1 is created.

By holding the article XA1 in the holding plate 103 (holding hole 1031) while opening the buffer box YA1, the article XA1 is held in the holding hole in the state after the opening (FIGS. (D) and (E)). It is supported only by 1031 and is in a non-contact state with any of the bottom plate 102, the side plate 105, and the lid plate 107. This makes it possible to reduce the impact from the outside of the main body 101 (impact received during normal transportation, display, etc.), and is a box body suitable for accommodating a fragile article XA1 such as a boiled egg.

<Box making unit/Temporary folding unit>
Details of the box manufacturing unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing a state in which the buffer box YA1 expanded from the hopper 2 to the box making unit 3 is supplied. FIG. 3A is a top view and FIG. 3B is an upstream side (see FIG. ) Is a side view seen from the left).

Further, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state after the buffer box YA1 is supplied onto the first transfer means 10A. FIG. 4A is a top view and FIG. 4B is an upstream side (FIG. 4A). ) Is a side view seen from the left).

Further, FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the buffer box YA1 in the temporary folding unit 4, and FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of FIG. 4) is a top view of FIG. Further, FIG. 6 is a front view of the box manufacturing unit 3 as seen from the transfer means 60 side (downward in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the first transporting means 10A of the box making unit 3 is spanned by a plurality of sprockets 11 including the sprockets 11 arranged at the front and rear in the transport direction L and the plurality of sprockets 11. The endless chain 12, the plurality of pushing fingers 13 attached to the endless chain 12 at a predetermined pitch, the rails 15 serving as the transport surface of the buffer box YA1, and the like. As a result, when the pushing finger 13 hits the rear portion of the buffer box YA1 in the traveling direction, the buffer box YA1 also moves forward on the rail 15 as the pushing finger 13 moves.

As shown in FIG. 3, the buffer box holding hand 22 of the hopper 2 is configured to be swingable around the joint portion of the arm 23, or the arm 23 is movable in three axial directions, and is deployed. The buffer box YA1 is suction-held from the stocker 21 which stocks the buffer box YA1 in the upright state, and supplies the buffer boxes YA1 one by one to the supply position P0 of the first conveying unit 10A (the supply position P0 of the temporary folding unit 4). The buffer box holding hand 22 supplies the buffer box YA1 to the supply position P0 so that the second direction BW of the buffer box YA1 is along the transport direction L, and the buffer box YA1 is transported so that the second direction BW of the buffer box YA1 is along the transport direction L. (See FIG. 4A).

The temporary folding unit 4 has a first folding guide 41 (first guide means), a second folding guide 42 (second guide means), and driving means for these (see FIG. 3 ). The first folding guide 41 is a claw portion attached to the buffer box holding hand 22 of the hopper 2, moves integrally with the buffer box holding hand 22, and at the supply position P0 of the temporary folding unit 4, the buffer box. A temporary folding (moving in the vertical direction relative to the holding hand 22) for abutting the vicinity of the boundary between the bottom plate 102 and the side plate 105 of the buffer box YA1 from the inner surface 101B side to facilitate bending of the side plate 105 ( Bending guide).

The second folding guide 42 is a plate member configured to be movable back and forth from below the rail 15 to above the rail 15, and is externally attached to the side plate 105 of the buffer box YA1 in synchronization with the operation of the first folding guide 41. Temporary folding (bending guide) is performed to abut the side surface 101A to facilitate bending of the side surface plate 105.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the second folding guide 42 has a side surface 42A standing upright with respect to the rail 15 and an upper end portion of the side surface 42A such that the side surface 42A has a larger opening toward the upper side. It has an inclined surface 42B inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to. The side surface 42A and the inclined surface 42B are arranged opposite to each other across the rail 15 so as to correspond to the side surface plate 105 of the buffer box YA1. The distance between the side surfaces 42A arranged opposite to each other (the distance in the transport width direction W) is such that the opened buffer box YA1 can be received and the side surface plate 105 of the buffer box YA1 can be contacted. It is set to be slightly larger than the distance between the side plates 105.

Further, auxiliary side surfaces 42C are provided at both ends of the inclined surface 42B along the transport direction L. The auxiliary side surface 42C is arranged so as to face the side surface auxiliary plates 104A, 104C, 104D, 104F of the buffer box YA1. Distance (distance in the transport direction L) between auxiliary side surfaces 42C (for example, auxiliary side surfaces 42C corresponding to the side surface auxiliary plates 104A and 104D) opposed to each other on one inclined surface 42B (for example, the left side of FIG. 5A). Is slightly smaller than the distance in the second direction BW of the side plate 105 of the buffer box YA1 to the extent that it can receive the opened buffer box YA1 and can contact the side auxiliary plates 104A and 104D of the buffer box YA1. It is set large.

Further, the distance (in the transport direction L) between the auxiliary side surfaces 42C (for example, the auxiliary side surfaces 42C corresponding to the side surface auxiliary plates 104C and 104F) opposed to each other on the other inclined surface 42B (for example, the right side in FIG. 5A). Distance) is larger than the distance in the second direction BW of the side plate 105 of the buffer box YA1 so that the opened buffer box YA1 can be received and the side auxiliary plates 104C and 104F of the buffer box YA1 can be contacted. It is set slightly larger.

The open end of the auxiliary side surface 42C is arranged so as to project above the open end of the inclined surface 42B, and the side surface auxiliary plates 104A, 104C, 104D, 104F are bent before the side surface plate 105.

The first folding guide 41 provided on the buffer box holding hand 22 extends in the axial direction of the buffer box holding hand 22, and the tip thereof is located, for example, in substantially the same plane as the suction surface of the buffer box holding hand 22. It has been fixed to.

On the other hand, the second folding guide 42 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the rail 15 by the driving means 43 (for example, the crank mechanism shown in FIG. 6A), and before the supply of the buffer box YA1, The inclined surface 42B is retracted below the rail 15 so as not to project from the rail 15, and when the first folding guide 41 descends, the inclined surface 42B rises to project above the rail 15 in synchronization with this (FIG. 4). reference). As a result, the buffer box YA1 is provisionally folded so as to be sandwiched between the first folding guide 41 and the second folding guide 42.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5, the first folding guide 41 is provided at a plurality of locations (four locations in this example) in the vicinity of the corner of the buffer box holding hand 22, and the position thereof is the supply position. The buffer box YA1 placed on P0 is set at a position where it comes into contact with the folding line g and the folding line f from the inner surface 101B side through the holding hole 1031. As described above, the fold lines g and f are the boundaries between the side plate 105 and the bottom plate 102, and are located outside the fold lines b and c that are the boundaries between the holding plate 103 and the bottom plate 102.

Further, the rail 15 of the first transport means 10A has a length (width) in the transport width direction W that is the distance between the front side surface plate 105A and the rear side surface plate 105B of the buffer box YA1 (distance in the first direction BD), That is, it is smaller than the distance between the fold lines g and f. Further, the distance between the facing side surfaces 42A of the second folding guide 42 is larger than the length of the rail 15 in the transport width direction W.

Then, the buffer box holding hand 22 moves the buffer box YA1 onto the rail 15 so that the center of the rail 15 in the transport direction L and the center of the bottom plate 102 in the second direction BW of the buffer box YA1 coincide with each other at the supply position P0. Place it.

That is, in the buffer box YA1 at the supply position P0, there is no support below the fold lines g and f, and the buffer box YA1 is placed on the rail 15 in a hollow state. Then, in this state, the first folding guide 41 abuts from the inner side surface 101B of the buffer box YA1 at two points on the fold line g and at two points on the fold line f, and pushes the fold line g and the fold line f downward. put out. At the same time, the inclined surfaces 42B of the second folding guide 42 rise from both sides of the rail 15 in the conveyance width direction W.

As a result, in the state where the outside of the side plate 105 of the buffer box YA1 is in contact with and supported by the inclined surface 42B of the second folding guide 42, the vicinity of the boundary between the side plate 105 and the bottom plate 102 of the buffer box YA1 (fold line g And the fold line f and its vicinity) are sandwiched between the tip of the first folding guide 41 and the side surface 42A of the second folding guide 42, whereby the fold line g and the fold line f are provisionally folded.

Further, when the second folding guide 42 rises and the outside of the side surface plate 105 abuts and is supported by the inclined surface 42B of the second folding guide 42, the side surface auxiliary plates 104A, 104C, 104D, 104F of the buffer box YA1 are The auxiliary side surface 42C pushes it up from below, and the fold lines i, k, l, and n are similarly temporarily folded.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first folding guide 41 and the second folding guide that contact the vicinity of the boundary between the bottom plate 102 and the side plate 105 to guide the temporary folding of the side plate 105 prior to the standing of the side plate 105. Since temporary folding is performed by the temporary folding unit 4 having 42, when holding the article (egg) XA1 in the downstream folding unit 5 described later in detail, it is possible to avoid folding of the holding plate 103 and raise the box.

The buffer box holding hand 22 temporarily stops the buffer box YA1 at the supply position P0 and does not open the buffer box YA1 until the temporary folding of the first folding guide 41 is completed. That is, while the temporary folding is being performed, the buffer box holding hand 22 also holds the vicinity of the center of the bottom of the buffer box YA1. Accordingly, even when the cushion box YA1 has a strong stiffness (a large repulsive force), it is possible to prevent the repulsion and the positional displacement due to the repulsion and perform the temporary folding.

In the temporary folding of the temporary folding unit 4, the side surface plate 105 is not completely in the upright state, and the side surface plate 105 is slightly raised above the side surface plate 105 (in the direction of the adhesive margin plate 106) and is raised. It is conveyed to the unit 5 (see FIG. 6).

An adhesive is applied to each of the side surface auxiliary plates 104 of the buffer box YA1 by the application unit 16 (see FIG. 1A) arranged between the temporary folding unit 4 and the box raising unit 5.

<Box making unit/Crafting unit>
The raising unit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11. 6 is a front view of the box making unit 3 as described above, FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing an outline of the storage robot 6, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a drive mechanism of the storage robot 6. 7A is a view taken along the line AA of FIG. 7, and FIG. 7B is a view taken along the line BB of FIG. 9A and 9B are views showing the article holding hand 62, FIG. 9A is a schematic front view, FIG. 9B is a top view showing a part thereof, and FIG. 9C is an article. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a suction unit 637 of the holding hand 62. FIG. 10A is a schematic front view of the article holding hand 62, and FIG. 10B is a side view of the article holding hand 62. Further, FIG. 11 is a (A) side view, a (B) top view, and (C) to (E) side views illustrating the article holding hand 62. Note that the article holding hand 62 is configured to be rotatable, and the “front” and “side” in FIGS. 9 to 11 are merely convenient directions indicating that they are different surfaces.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the raising unit 5, the side plate 105, the holding plate 103, and the side auxiliary plate 104 of the temporarily folded buffer box YA1 are erected substantially vertically to the bottom plate 102 to form a three-dimensional box. It is a unit to be a body and has a third folding guide 51 and a fourth folding guide 52 which are guide means for raising the side plate 105.

An opening OP is provided at the downstream end of the rail 15. The opening OP is slightly larger than the size of the outer bottom plate 102A of the buffer box YA1, and the length along the transport direction L is also the length along the transport direction L of the buffer box YA1 in the temporarily folded state (buffer box The length is smaller than the length of YA1 in the second direction BW). The length of the buffer box YA1 in the temporary folding state along the transport direction L is longer than the length of the bottom plate 102 along the transport direction L because the side surface auxiliary plate 104 is not completely in the upright state. There is.

Further, below the opening OP, a rectangular tubular portion 55 having a cross-section that is horizontal to the transport surface (rail 15) has the same size as the opening OP.

In the buffer box YA1 in the temporarily folded state which is conveyed on the first conveying means 10A, the side surface auxiliary plates 104 (particularly the side surface auxiliary plates 104B and 104E) are locked to the rails 15 on the opening OP, and the bottom surface plate 102 floats. It is held by the rail 15 in the closed state (FIG. 6(A)).

Then, with the article holding hand 62 of the storage robot 6 holding the article (egg) XA1, the article holding hand 62 descends toward the buffer box YA1 locked at the opening OP, and the buffer box YA1 is moved below the tubular portion 55. By pushing inward, the holding plate 103 is erected substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate 102 on the inner side surface 101B of the main body 101, and the side plate 105 is substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate 102 on the outer side surface 101A. The cushioning box YA1 is erected by erected and in addition all the side auxiliary plates 104 are erected substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate 102.

Simultaneously with the opening of the box, the article XA1 is held by fitting the article XA1 into the holding hole 1031 of the holding plate 103, and the article XA1 is stored in the buffer box YA1 (FIG. 6(B)).

At this time, the buffer box YA1 is guided by the third folding guide 51 and the fourth folding guide 52 of the box raising unit 5.

The third folding guide 51 is a claw provided on the article holding hand 62 of the storage robot 6, moves in conjunction with the article holding hand 62, and moves from the inner side surface 101B of the buffer box YA1 to the holding plate 103 and the inner bottom plate. Fold line b and fold line c with 102B are extruded downward.

The fourth folding guide 52 is a plate member provided at the upper end of the tubular portion 55, and is brought into contact with the outer side surface 101A of the buffer box YA1 excluding the bottom portion thereof so that the side surface plate 105 and the side surface auxiliary plate 104 stand upright. Assist the installation. The buffer box YA1 is pushed down by the article holding hand 62 to descend the tubular portion 55 having a predetermined length, and the side surface plate 105 and the side surface auxiliary plate 104 are held upright by the tubular portion 55 during the descent. ..

The storage robot 6 and the article holding hand 62 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 11. Note that FIG. 11A and FIGS. 11C to 11E are side views in the same direction as FIG. 10B.

As shown in FIG. 7, the accommodating robot 6 has a disk-shaped base (rotational base portion) 61, and the base 61 is rotationally moved in a plane (a plane horizontal to the transportation surface of the transportation device 10 ). A main shaft 603 extending vertically downward with respect to the base 61 is provided in a central portion of the base 61, and the main shaft 603 is rotatably supported by a bracket 605 attached to the machine frame F. A gear 621 is attached to the upper end side of the main shaft 603 connected to the base 61, and a gear 627 is attached to the lower end side.

The main shaft 603 has a shaft 607 that penetrates through the hollow interior, and the lower end of the shaft 607 is attached to a lever 609 that swings in the vertical direction, and by swinging the lever 609 by a cam mechanism (not shown), The article holding hand 62 can be raised and lowered. On the other hand, the upper end of the shaft 607 projects from the base 61, and the engaging member 611 is attached. The engaging member 611 is separated from the base 61 and is located above it.

A mounting plate 617 having a cam follower 613 at its end is arranged near the engaging member 611, and the cam follower 613 engages with the engaging member 611. The mounting plate 617 moves up and down along a guide 673 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the base 61.

A spline shaft 619 extending vertically is arranged below the mounting plate 617. The spline shaft 619 is attached to the base 61 by a rotary ball spline 675 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the vertical direction. The article holding hand 62 is attached to the lower end and the upper end is attached. It is rotatably attached to the plate 617.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a drive pulley 661, an article holding hand pulley 663, and a tension pulley 665 are attached to the upper surface side of the base 61, and a timing belt 667 is stretched around these.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, a gear 623 and a gear 625 are attached to the base 61 on the lower surface side of the base 61. The gear 623 meshes with the gear 621 and also meshes with the gear 625, and the gear 625 drives the drive pulley 661. Further, the article holding hand pulley 663 rotates the article holding hand 62. With such a configuration, when the gear 627 attached to the lower end side of the main shaft 603 rotates, the gear 621 attached to the upper end side of the main shaft 603 rotates, and the base 61 rotates 180 degrees about the main shaft 603. When the base 61 rotates 180 degrees around the main shaft 603, the drive pulley 661 rotates via the gears 623 and 625, and the article holding hand pulley 663 rotates 180 degrees relative to the base 61.

In this way, the storage robot 6 rotates (rotates) the article holding hand 62 in the horizontal plane with the rotation of the base 61, and also moves the article holding hand 62 up and down. Specifically, the article holding hand 62 is lowered on the transfer means (for example, a servo loop conveyor) 60 to hold the article XA1 in the bucket 601. Then, the storage robot 6 raises the article holding hand 62 to take out the article XA1 from the bucket 601. Further, the storage robot 6 rotates the base 61, temporarily stops above the raising unit 5, lowers the article holding hand 62 holding the article XA1, and stores the article XA1 in the buffer box YA1. At this time, the storage robot 6 can store the article XA1 taken out of the bucket 601 of the transfer means 60 in the buffer box YA1 without changing the direction of the article XA1.

The article holding hand 62 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. 9A is a schematic front view of the article holding hand 62, FIG. 9B is a top view of the lower limit stopper 655, and FIG. 9C is a sectional view of the suction portion 637. Note that the third folding guide 51 is omitted in FIG.

The article holding hand 62 includes a suction section 637 that suctions and holds the article XA1, a support section 651 that supports the suction section 637, a biasing mechanism (buffer mechanism) 631 for the suction section 637, and a position adjusting means 645. The lower limit stopper 655, the link mechanism 653, the third folding guide 51 (see FIGS. 9 and 10), and the like.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the support portion 651 is fixed by inserting one end (lower end portion) of the spline shaft 619 in the center. A shaft 619A penetrating the hollow central portion of the spline shaft 619 projects below the supporting portion 651, and a link mechanism 653 for driving the third folding guide 51 (not shown here) is attached to the tip (lower end portion) of the shaft 619A. ..

A lower limit stopper 655 that holds the suction portion 637 is attached to the support portion 651. The lower limit stopper 655 regulates an arbitrary downward movement so that the position of the suction portion 637 remains at a predetermined lower limit. For example, as shown in the same figure, a plurality of (two in this example) suction portions 637 are attached to one support portion 651, but a single (one) suction portion is attached to one support portion 651. A configuration in which 637 is attached may be used.

The suction unit 637 (the suction nozzle 637B thereof) is connected to an air pipe (not shown) via a rotary joint 641 and is connected to a suction unit (not shown). A suction pad 637A is provided at the lower end of the suction nozzle 637B, and a stopper 633 is attached at the upper end. The lower limit stopper 655 is formed by bending, for example, a plate-like member into a U shape in a side view as shown in FIGS. (A) and (B), and a tip portion (lower end portion) 655A thereof is viewed from above. A part is cut out so as to have a U-shape. The area of the notch is larger than the diameter of the suction nozzle 637B and smaller than the size (diameter) of the stopper 633 ((B) of the same figure). Therefore, the suction nozzle 637B is movable in the vertical direction inside the tip portion 655A (a cutout region), but when the stopper 633 contacts the tip portion 655A, the lower limit of the suction nozzle 637B and the suction pad 637A is reached. Movement of the position is restricted so as not to lower than a predetermined position.

Further, the lower limit stopper 655 is provided with a position adjusting means 645 at the upper end portion in this example, whereby the relative vertical position of the lower limit stopper 655 with respect to the support portion 651 can be adjusted. The position adjusting means 645 is, for example, a position adjusting screw, and the lower limit stopper 655 moves up or down relative to the support portion 651 by fastening or loosening. That is, the position adjusting means 645 can adjust the position of the tip portion 655A of the lower limit stopper 655, that is, the lower limit position of the suction nozzle 637B and the suction pad 637A within a predetermined range. As a result, the lower limit position (lower limit position from the support portion 651) of the suction portion 637 (suction surface of the suction pad 637A) is adjusted in accordance with the position of the holding hole 1031 of the buffer box YA1 according to the size of the article (egg) XA1. It can be displaced, and the article XA1 can be fitted into the holding hole 1031 of the buffer box YA1.

Note that the position adjusting means 645 is not limited to the position adjusting screw as long as it has a configuration capable of adjusting the vertical position of the lower limit stopper 655.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6C, the suction portion 637 is biased downward, for example, by a biasing mechanism (buffer mechanism) 631. Specifically, the biasing mechanism 631 is fixed to the support member 647 with a nut 629 or the like. The support member 647 is fixed to the side plate 671 so that its relative position does not change with respect to the lower limit stopper 655. A biasing means (for example, a coil spring) 635 is incorporated inside the housing 631A of the biasing mechanism 631, and a suction nozzle 637B is vertically movably inserted. An internal stopper 639 is fixed to a predetermined position of the suction nozzle 637B (a predetermined position inside the housing 631A). The internal stopper 639 is configured so as to stop at the lower end of the housing 631A and not be exposed to the outside. The lower end of the biasing means 635 is connected to the internal stopper 639 and biases it downward, for example. ..

As a result, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 7C, when the stopper 633 at the upper end of the suction nozzle 637B is in contact with the tip portion 655A of the lower limit stopper 655, the inner stopper 639 is moved downward by the biasing mechanism 631. The suction portion 637 (suction pad 637A) is urged and is in the most lowered state (lower limit position).

On the other hand, when an (unexpected) load (pressing force) is applied to the article XA1 when the article XA1 is taken out from the bucket 601 of the transfer means 60 or when the article XA1 is stored in the buffer box YA1, the same figure ( C) As shown in the right figure, the urging means 635 contracts and the suction portion 637 can be raised relative to the lower limit stopper 655. As a result, the load (pressing force) can be absorbed to some extent.

The third folding guide 51 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10A is, for example, a front view of the article holding hand 62, and FIG. 10B is a side view when the same is used as the front.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the drive shaft 643 is inserted into one end of the link mechanism 653. Note that, in FIG. 9A, the suction portion 637, the biasing mechanism (buffer mechanism) 631, the position adjusting means 645, and the lower limit stopper 655 are not shown.

Two third folding guides 51 are attached to one support portion 651, and are arranged so as to face each other with a link mechanism 653 (and two suction portions 637 (not shown here)) interposed therebetween. All the third folding guides 51 have the same configuration and have two openable/closable guide pieces 51A.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10(A), two third folding guides 51 are arranged side by side in one direction (left and right direction in FIG. 10(A)) in one support portion 651, and each third The guide piece 51A of the folding guide 51 can be opened and closed so that its tip approaches and separates along a direction perpendicular to one direction (a left-right direction in FIG. 10B) as shown in FIG. 10B. Has become.

Specifically, the third folding guide 51 of the article holding hand 62 moves the shaft 619A passing through the spline shaft 619 by the cylinder 615 (see FIG. 7) to move the link mechanism 653 of the article holding hand 62. Then, in FIG. 10(B), it is opened and closed along the left-right direction so that the tips thereof approach and separate.

When the suction portion 637 sucks the article XA1 on the bucket 601 of the servo loop conveyor 60, the guide pieces 51A are opened so that their tips are separated from each other as indicated by the broken line in FIG. After adsorbing, the solids are closed so that their tips are close to each other as shown by the solid line in FIG. Then, in a state in which the guide piece 51A is held while holding the article XA1, the guide piece 51A is configured to abut or approach the side surface of the article XA1. In other words, the third folding guide 51 also serves as a supporting unit that suppresses the shaking of the article XA1 held by the suction unit 637 during conveyance and the fall caused by the shaking.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 10B, the tip (claw portion 51B) of the third folding guide 51 (guide piece 51A) slightly protrudes from the lower end portion of the article XA1 in the state where the third folding guide 51 is closed. Is set. Further, as shown in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B), the positions of the claw portions 51B with the third folding guide 51 closed should be aligned with the fold line b or the fold line c. It is set.

Thus, when the side surface plate 105 is opened while pushing the buffer box YA1 with the article holding hand 62, the claw portion 51B of the third folding guide 51 serves as a boundary between the holding plate 103 of the buffer box YA1 and the inner bottom plate 102B. The line b and the fold line c are contacted from the inner side surface 101B, and the fold line b and the fold line c are pushed downward (FIGS. 11A and 11B).

In addition, the fourth folding guide 52 (upper end portion of the tubular portion 55) provided perpendicularly to the transport surface (the bottom surface plate 102 of the buffer box YA1) contacts the side surface plate 105 (and the side surface auxiliary plate 104) from the outside. The side surface plate 105 is erected substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface plate 102 by being contacted and guided by the tubular portion 55, so that the holding plate 103 is also erected substantially perpendicularly to the bottom surface plate 102. Become.

In the buffer box YA1 of the present embodiment, in order to create the buffer portion 108, the side surface part to be erected at the time of raising the box is not the single side surface plate 105, but the side plate 105 and the holding plate 103 sandwiching a space (gap). It has a heavy structure. Then, with respect to one bottom plate 102, the holding plate 103 stands up inside (fold lines b, c) of the box in the first direction BD, and the side plate 105 stands outside (fold lines f, g) of the box. It has a structure.

That is, although the side plate 105 and the holding plate 103 have different crease lines, they must be erected in one step in the raising unit 5.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 15(B), the raising is performed only by the guide means 204 attached to the article holding hand 202 and the tubular member 205 (corresponding to the tubular portion 55 of the present embodiment) supporting the outside. It was The guide means 204 is also a support means for preventing the shaking of the article XA1 held like the third folding guide 51 of the present embodiment, and in the state where the article XA1 is held, only the fold lines b and c can be pushed in, That is, in the raising unit 5, the holding plate 103 is erected by pushing the crease lines b and c, and the side plate 105 is erected in conjunction with this (pulling).

In addition, the holding plate 103 is provided with a hole (holding hole) 1031, which reduces the strength (waist) of the holding plate 103. Further, even if there is a tubular member 205 in the related art, it is the guide means 204 that directly applies the pressing force that contributes to the standing of the side surface plate 105 and the holding plate 103, and the fold line b by the guide means 204, Only by pushing in c, it is not possible to reliably erect up to the side surface plate 105 where the crease lines f and g have no crease.

In particular, when the size or shape of the article (egg) XA1 varies (when the shape or size of the egg does not match the holding hole 1031), an excessive pressing force is applied to the weak holding plate 103. Therefore, there is a problem that the holding plate 103 is bent so as to project outward.

In the present embodiment, prior to the opening (final folding) by the opening unit 5, the temporary folding unit 4 cannot make contact at the time of opening the making unit 5 (the third folding guide 51 cannot make contact). Temporary folding is performed to give a crease to the crease lines f and g.

Even when the provisional folding unit 4 gives the creases to the crease lines f and g, the third folding guide 51 in the folding unit 5 contacts only the crease lines b and c to give the creases. The fold lines f and g that cannot be contacted by the third folding guide 51 can also be easily folded, and bending of the holding plate 103 due to excessive pressing force on the holding plate 103 is avoided. can do.

Further, according to this embodiment, the lower limit position of the suction portion 637 (suction surface of the suction pad 637A) can be changed (adjusted) by the lower limit stopper 655. Therefore, even if the shape or size of the article (egg) XA1 is changed, the lower limit position of the suction portion 637 is appropriately changed so that the article XA1 is accommodated in a position that fits the holding hole 1031 of the buffer box YA1 ( Can be adjusted).

The adjustment of the lower limit position of the suction portion 637 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11C to 11E.

The position of the holding hole 1031 of the holding plate 103 of the buffer box YA1 is a certain fixed position common to all the boxes. Alternatively, even if a plurality of types of buffer boxes YA1 having different positions of the holding holes 1031 corresponding to variations in the shape and size of the article (egg) YA1 are prepared, they are roughly classified into, for example, 2 to 4 types.

In any case, the holding hole 1031 is provided so that its center coincides with the center of the buffer box YA1 in the height (third direction BH) direction. Then, the suction portion 637 assumes that the article XA1 has a predetermined shape and size (for example, for convenience of description, the shape and size shown by “M” in FIG. 11C), and the suction surface thereof is at the lower limit position. In the case of PL (indicated by the one-dot chain line), the article XA1 is set to fit the holding hole 1031 (the center of the article XA1 matches the center of the holding hole 1031) (see FIG. 11C). ).

In such a situation, when holding an article XA1 having a shape and size different from the assumed shape (for example, for convenience of description, the article XA1 having a shape and size shown by “L” shown in FIG. 11D) is conventionally sucked. Since the lower limit position PL of the part 637 could not be adjusted, even if the suction part 637 was moved to the lower limit position PL, there was a problem that the center position of the article XA1 and the center position of the holding hole 1031 were not always aligned.

The egg that is the article XA1 has a large variation in shape and size depending on the season and day. For example, as shown in FIG. 11D, if the article XA1 is larger than expected (see FIG. 11C), the adsorption unit 637 is used. At the lower limit position PL, the center of the article XA1 is lower than the center of the holding hole 1031, and the positions of the holding hole 1031 and the article XA1 do not match. For example, in the same figure (D), the lower end of the holding hole 1031 is in contact with the article XA1, and if the article holding hand 62 is forcibly pushed down to raise the box in this state, the article XA1 moves to the weak holding plate 103. Since it abuts and a pressing force is applied, there is a problem that the holding plate 103 is also bent due to this.

However, in the present embodiment, since the lower limit position of the suction portion 637 (suction surface of the suction pad 637A) can be adjusted by the lower limit stopper 655, even if the shape or size of the article XA1 is changed, the holding hole 1031 can be easily obtained. Can be adjusted to a position that fits.

For example, when the article XA1 is larger than the size assumed for the holding hole 1031, the lower limit position PL of the suction portion 637 (suction surface of the suction pad 637A) is moved upward (third direction BH, conveyance) as shown in FIG. By changing to the height direction H), the center position of the article XA1 and the center position of the holding hole 1031 can be matched.

That is, the lower limit position of the suction portion 637 (suction surface of the suction pad 637A) is adjusted to the position of the holding hole 1031 of the buffer box YA1 so that the article XA1 can be fitted into the holding hole 1031 of the buffer box YA1. The lower limit position from the support portion 651) can be displaced.

Accordingly, even when the buffer box YA1 is pushed up by the article holding hand 62 while being raised, the bending of the holding plate 103 can be prevented.

Although illustration is omitted, in the case of the article XA1 smaller than expected, when the storage robot 6 takes out the article XA1 from the bucket 601 of the transfer means 60, even if the suction unit 637 is lowered to the lower limit position, the article XA1 contacts the article XA1. There is a problem that it cannot be taken out and it is difficult to take out. Even in such a case, since the lower limit stopper 62 of the present embodiment can adjust the lower limit position, the article XA1 accommodated in the bucket 601 of the transfer means 60 can be reliably held and taken out.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the first folding guide 41. FIG. 7A shows another example of the temporary folding unit 4, and FIG. 9B shows another example of the box raising unit 5.

The first folding guide 41 may be suction means that sucks the vicinity of the boundary between the side surface plate 105 and the outer bottom surface plate 102A from the outer surface 101A of the buffer box YA1. In this case, the buffer box YA1 is located at a position where the fold line g and the fold line f cannot be visually recognized from the holding hole 1031 of the expanded buffer box YA1 (the first folding guide 41 has the fold line g and the fold line g of the buffer box YA1 in the expanded state). It may be formed on the fold line f at a position where it cannot contact via the holding hole 1031), or may be a buffer box YA1 in which the holding hole 1031 is not provided.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the suction means is adopted as the first folding guide 41 in the temporary folding unit 4, the first folding guide 41 rises from below the first conveying means 10A (rail 15), For example, the outer bottom plate 102A near the fold lines f and g is suction-held. Then, by descending in a state of being adsorbed, it is possible to give a crease to the fold lines f and g (temporary folding). Further, it is more preferable to raise the above-mentioned second folding guide 42 in synchronization with the suction of the first folding guide 41.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, in the raising unit 5, the first folding guide 41 of the suction means may be adopted in addition to the third folding guide 51 and the fourth folding guide 52. In this case, in the raising unit 5, the third folding guide 51 provided on the article holding hand 62 pushes the fold lines b and c of the buffer box YA1 from the inner side surface 101B of the buffer box YA1 in accordance with the timing of the first folding from the bottom. The folding guide 41 is moved up, and for example, the outer bottom plate 102A near the fold lines g and f is suction-held, and the first folding guide 41 is sucked in accordance with the pressing by the third folding guide 51 (article holding hand 62). While moving down.

That is, when the article XA1 is accommodated in the buffer box by the article holding hand 62 (main folding of the fold lines b and c), the first folding guide 41 may guide the fold lines e and f. ..

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the temporary folding unit 4 is provided has been described, but the temporary folding unit 4 is omitted and only the raising unit 5 is provided with the first folding guide 41 of the suction means shown in FIG. 12B. May be provided. Even when the temporary folding unit 4 is omitted, the third folding guide 51 and the fourth folding guide 52 come into contact with the vicinity of the boundary between the bottom plate 102 and the side plate 105 when the side plate 105 is erected to bend the side plate 105. Therefore, when the article (egg) XA1 is housed, the holding plate 103 can be avoided from bending and can be opened. In this case, the box is not limited to the buffer box YA1 and may be a box without the holding plate 103. Further, in this case, the article XA1 may be supplied after box making.

<Sealing unit>
Next, the box unit 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A is a top view of the sealing unit 7, and FIGS. 8B to 8F are views seen from the upstream side at the respective positions P2 to P4 on the transport path of FIG. It is a side view, and the same figure (G) is a side view which shows another example.

As shown in FIG. 6, the buffer box YA1 which has passed through the tubular portion 55 of the box raising unit 5 and has been raised in a three-dimensional state and discharged downward is conveyed on the second conveying means 10B and sealed. It reaches the upstream end of the unit 7.

The adhesive is applied to each of the side surface auxiliary plates 104 of the buffer box YA1 by the application unit 16 (see FIG. 1A) arranged between the temporary folding unit 4 and the box raising unit 5.

As shown in FIG. 13(A), the sealing unit 7 has a third conveying unit 10C, a coating unit 8, and a pressing unit 9. The buffer box YA1 is transported by the third transport means 10C (bucket conveyor) such that the second direction BW of the box coincides with the transport direction L in the third transport means 10C.

First, the appearance inspection is performed by the sensor S at the position P1 at the upstream end of the sealing unit 7. In the visual inspection, the box-making defect of the buffer box YA1 is checked, and the defective buffer box YA1 is carried out of the transportation route. At this time, the state (degree of inclination with respect to the bottom plate 102) of the glue margin plate 106 that connects the side plate 105 and the holding plate 103 is also confirmed.

In the present embodiment, the bending of the holding plate 103 is suppressed in the above-described box making process. However, if the holding plate 103 is bent, the glue margin plate forming the top surface of the buffer section 108 having a hollow structure is provided. In some cases, 106 is inclined with respect to the bottom plate 102, so that the box cannot be satisfactorily sealed. Further, when the outer appearance of the buffer box YA1 is deformed, it may cause a problem such as being caught on the conveyance system path.

Therefore, the state of the buffer box YA1 is detected at the position P1, and when a defect occurs, the buffer box YA1 is discharged to the outside of the transport path, and only the normal buffer box YA1 is transported to the coating unit 8. The sensors S are arranged, for example, in three rows in the conveyance width direction W so that detection from multiple directions is possible.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the application unit 8 applies the adhesive at the position P2. The coating unit 8 has a nozzle 8A, and sprays an adhesive (for example, a hot melt adhesive) onto the paste margin plate 106 of the buffer box YA1 at the position P2 to apply the adhesive.

After that, the lid plate 107 is folded from the fold line h by the closing means 17 provided on the side of the third conveying means 10C so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the third conveying means 10C, and the buffer box YA1 is closed. Covered. A part of the lid plate 107 is in close contact with the paste margin plate 106.

As shown in (A) and (C) to (E) of the same drawing, the pressing means 9 provided on the downstream side of the coating unit 8 conveys the buffer box YA1 (during movement) to the cover plate 107. Is a pressing unit (or a pressing device) that presses a part of the cover plate 106 to surely bond it to the paste margin plate 106, and presses a part of the lid plate 107 from above, pressing means 92, and pressing means 92. The driving means 92 (not shown) and the like are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, a pressing means 92 is provided at the upstream end of the pressing unit 9. The pressing means 92 is provided separately from the rollers 91A and 91B, for example, and is configured to be movable back and forth (in the transport direction L) with respect to the buffer box YA1. Specifically, the pressing means 92 advances upstream (at the position P3 upstream of the rollers 91A and 91B) immediately after the cover plate 107 is closed, and presses the downstream end of the cover plate 107. , And retreat to the roller 91 side in synchronization with the conveyance of the buffer box YA1. Since the hot-melt adhesive cannot be re-adhered and it is difficult to be instantaneously adhered, a certain pressing force or a lapse of time in a closely contacted state is required. In the present embodiment, the adhesive agent plate 106 is applied with an adhesive agent by the application unit 8 and the lid is closed. Immediately after that, the adhesive agent is applied by the application unit depending on the repulsive force of the buffer box YA1 or the result of the appearance inspection. There is a case where the lid is opened due to a case where it is not present, and in that case, there is a risk that the rollers 91A and 91B are caught.

Therefore, immediately after the adhesive margin plate 106 is coated with the adhesive and the lid is closed, until the rollers 91A and 91B come into contact with a part of the lid face plate 107, the holding means 92 holds the lid face plate 107 to open the lid. While avoiding, it pulls in below roller 91A, 91B.

After that, as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8D, and 8E, the lid 91 on the glue plate 106 is pressed by the rollers 91 (91A, 91B). In this example, the rollers 91</b>A and 91</b>B are a group of rollers corresponding to the front paste margin plate 106</b>A and the rear paste margin plate 106</b>B and spaced apart in the first direction BD of the buffer box YA<b>1. In the present embodiment (at least in the pressing unit 9), the buffer box YA1 is conveyed so that the second direction BW is along the conveyance width direction W, and the rollers 91A and 91B are the front paste margin plate 106A and the rear paste. It can also be said that the rollers are arranged so as to face each other in the conveyance width direction W so as to be opposed to each other and correspond to the substitute plate 106B.

In addition, the rollers 91A and 91B correspond to the rectangular (rectangular) surface front paste margin plate 106A and the rear glue margin plate 106B whose length in the first direction BD is shorter than the length in the second direction BW. It is configured to be long along the transport direction L (at least longer than the length of the buffer box YA1 in the second direction BW). In this example, the buffer box YA1 capable of accommodating two articles XA1 in one box is shown, but the same applies to the buffer box YA1 capable of accommodating one article XA1 in one box.

As an example, each row of rollers (roller group) 91A, 91B is composed of a plurality of rollers 91AA, 91BB. Each of the plurality of rollers 91AA and 91BB is provided with a rotary shaft 94 having a central axis extending in the conveyance width direction W on a support body 93 extending in the conveyance direction L, and arranged adjacent to each other in each row in the radial direction.

The time until the applied adhesive is solidified is determined by the length of the buffer box YA1 in the transport direction and the processing capacity. Therefore, the length of the rollers (roller group) 91A, 91B in the transport direction L is equal to that of the adhesive. Is set to a length that allows sufficient time for the solidification of the.

With this configuration, in the present embodiment, while moving the buffer box YA1 along the transport direction L (without stopping), the upper portion of the paste margin plate 106 is provided with the roller (roller group) 91A via the lid plate 107. , 91B, and a part of the lid surface plate 107 can be bonded to the paste margin plate 106.

The positions of the rollers 91A, 91B are set so that they can efficiently (only) press on the glue margin plate 106. Specifically, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 6E, the position of the pressing surface of the outer peripheral surfaces of the rollers 91A and 91B in the transport height direction H (the height from the transport surface of the third transport means 10C). H1) is set at a position slightly lower (for example, 1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 2 mm to 3 mm lower) than the height H2 of the buffer box YA1 in the third direction BH. That is, the buffer box YA1 is configured to be slightly pressed downward (direction of the transport surface) by the rollers 91A and 91B. As a result, the buffer box YA1 can be transported downstream while abutting and pressing a part of the lid surface plate 107 on the glue plate 106. Since the position of the pressing surface (height H1) is related to the pressing force, the buffer box YA1 is not deformed, and the lid surface plate 107 can be sufficiently pressed onto the paste margin plate 106, and the buffer box YA1 can be smoothly moved. A height H1 that can be conveyed downstream is appropriately selected.

Further, the pressing surfaces of the rollers 91A and 91B (each of the rollers 91AA and 91BB) in the transport width direction W are an area narrower than the length of the buffer box YA1 (cover surface plate 107) in the first direction BD, and the first surface of the cover surface plate 107. It is set so as to press a region inside both ends (fold lines e, h) in the direction BD. Specifically, all the end portions of the pressing surfaces of the rollers 91A and 91B (each of the rollers 91AA and 91BB) on the support body 93 side (outside) are both end portions (fold lines e and h) of the buffer box YA1 in the first direction BD. ) Is set slightly inside (for example, 1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 2 mm to 3 mm). The position of the inner end of the pressing surface of each roller 91AA, 91BB is arbitrary, but slightly outside the inner end (fold line a, d) of the glue plate 106 (center side of the glue plate 106, for example, 1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 2 mm to 3 mm outside) is preferable because the pressing force applied to the glue plate 106 can be concentrated.

The rollers 91A and 91B are configured such that their positions can be adjusted in the transport width direction W according to the size of the buffer box YA1.

As described above, in order to bond the hot melt adhesive well, it is necessary to increase the pressing force or take time, but there is a limit in increasing the pressing force without impairing the appearance. Further, in the past, in the box-sealing step, the buffer box YA1 coated with the adhesive was once stopped, and the vicinity of the center of the lid plate 107 was pressed by a single pressing means to bond them. However, in this case, the processing capacity cannot be improved, and the pressing force of the pressing means does not reach the entire area of the glue margin plate 106 at the end where the bonding is required, which may result in insufficient bonding. In particular, when the glue plate 106 is inclined, the single pressing means cannot press to a position lower than the height H2 of the side surface plate 105, so that the adhesion may be insufficient.

Further, as described above, especially when the holding plate 103 of the buffer box YA1 is bent and the glue plate 106 is inclined with respect to the bottom plate 102, a single pressing is applied to the vicinity of the center of the lid plate 107. The method of pressing by means has a problem that adhesion defects increase.

In the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction (second direction BW) of the rectangular glue margin plate 106 is aligned with the transport direction L, and the rollers 91A and 91 press the buffer box YA1 while transporting the buffer box YA1 downstream. Even with a hot-melt adhesive material that requires a time required for adhesion, it is possible to take a sufficient time and perform reliable adhesion while using the time during transportation. In addition, the pressing force of the rollers 91A and 91B can be efficiently applied only on the adhesive margin plate 106 to be adhered without being dispersed. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the risk of appearance failure (deformation, scratches, etc.) of the buffer box YA1 caused by pressing up to a place where adhesion is unnecessary, and to perform the adhesion efficiently.

Further, by configuring the rollers (roller group) 91A, 91B with a plurality of rollers 91AA, 91BB, even a slight distortion (deformation) of the cover plate 107 of the buffer box YA1 to the extent that it does not become defective, and the paste margin plate 106. Even if a tilt or the like occurs, the individual rollers 91AA and 91BB can flexibly follow the deformation and the tilt, and can sufficiently press the rollers.

The rollers 91AA and 91BB are preferably made of, for example, silicon rubber. This prevents scratches on the buffer box YA1 and can absorb the above deformation and inclination even if they are present (can absorb a change in shape, etc.), and the buffer box YA1 slides too much (pressing force). Can be prevented).

The length (pressing time) and pressing force (height H1 from the transport surface) of the rollers 91A and 91B are determined by the type of adhesive applied to the glue plate 106, the time required for bonding, the material of the buffer box YA1, and the like. Is appropriately selected according to

Further, although the rollers 91A and 91B described above are aggregates of a plurality of rollers 91AA and 91BB, respectively, single rollers 91A and 91B that are long in the transport direction L may be arranged in two rows. Even in this case, the height H1 of the pressing surfaces of the rollers 91A and 91B is slightly lower than the height H2 of the buffer box YA1 in the third direction BH, and the pressing surfaces of the rollers 91A and 91B are located on the support 93 side. Each of the (outer) ends is set to a position slightly inside the both ends (fold lines h and e of the glue margin plate 106) in the first direction BD of the buffer box YA1.

Alternatively, a single roller 91 may be pressed as shown in FIG. Even in this case, the height H1 of the pressing surface of the roller 91 is slightly lower than the height H2 of the buffer box YA1 in the third direction BH, and the end of the pressing surface of the roller 91 on the support body 93 side (outside). Each of the parts is set to a position slightly inside the both ends of the buffer box YA1 in the first direction BD (fold lines h and e of the glue margin plate 106).

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the pressing means 92 is provided separately from the rollers 91A and 91B, and has a configuration in which the pressing means 92 advances with respect to the buffer box YA1 and retreats synchronously while pressing the buffer box YA1.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pressing means 92 is configured to stand by at a predetermined position after advancing with respect to the buffer box YA1 and slide below the buffer box YA1 to reach the rollers 91A and 91B. May be. In this case, the pressing means 92 retracts to the standby position after reaching the rollers 91A and 91B.

Further, the pressing means 92 may be a part of the rollers 91 (91A, 91B). For example, the roller 91 is configured to move entirely along the transport direction L, or a part of the upstream side is configured to be expandable/contractible along the transport direction L.

Immediately after the adhesive is applied and the lid plate 107 is closed, the roller 91 advances to the position of the buffer box YA1, and while pushing down the upper portion of the lid plate 107, the roller 91 is pulled below the roller 91. Good.

Furthermore, the rollers 91A and 91B can be tilted so that the inner side (the tip of the rotating shaft 94 on the opposite side to the supporting body 93 side) is located below the outer side (the supporting body 93 side) ( The inclination angle can be adjusted). As a result, even if the buffer box YA1 having a large degree of inclination of the glue plate 106 due to the bending of the holding plate 103 is conveyed without being a defective product, the rotary shaft 94 of the rollers 91A and 91B is not affected. By adjusting so as to incline in accordance with the inclination of the glue allowance plate 106, the pressing surfaces of the rollers 91A and 91B can be brought into contact with the glue allowance plate 106 substantially horizontally.

Further, after closing the lid by the closing means 17 without providing the pressing means 92, the buffer box YA1 slides below the closing lid 17 without returning the closing means 17 to the standby position to move the roller 91A and the roller 91A. It may be configured to reach 91B.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the outer shape of the article XA1 may be a sphere, a cylinder, a rectangular parallelepiped, or the like, and the article XA1 is not limited to food and may be non-food.

Further, the buffer box YA1 is not limited to the configuration in which two articles (eggs) XA1 are accommodated, and the buffer box YA1 may accommodate one article (eggs) XA1. In this case, the accommodating means 6 is provided with four article holding hands 62, and the supply means 2 of the buffer box YA1 is arranged at two places so that one accommodating means 6 can make the boxes at two places. Good.

Further, the buffer box YA1 may house a plurality of articles XA1 along the transport width direction W.

Further, the rollers 91 (91A, 91B) are not limited to being arranged linearly, and may be arranged in a staggered manner. In this case, for example, the rollers 91A are arranged so as to be separated from each other by a plurality of blocks along the conveyance direction L, and the rollers 91B are arranged so as to be separated from each other at a plurality of blocks along the conveyance direction L. They may be arranged in a staggered pattern. Alternatively, the individual rollers 91AA forming the rollers 91A may be arranged in a staggered manner, and the individual rollers 91BB forming the rollers 91B may be arranged in a staggered manner.

The transfer means 60 is not limited to the servo loop conveyor, but may be a bucket conveyor.

Further, the accommodating means 6 is not limited to a rotary robot, and may be a robot that reciprocates a plurality of article holding hands 62 or a robot that can arbitrarily move the article holding hands 62 with three axes.

The box-sealing unit 7 (boxing device 1) of the present invention is not limited to the case where the buffer box YA1 is boxed, but is also applicable to the case where the box not provided with the holding plate 103 holding the article XA1 is boxed. .. For example, in the case of a box having a lid and an inner flap provided along the transport direction, the lid and the inner flap are reliably bonded over a sufficient time while using the time during transport. be able to. In particular, it is effective when the article is small with respect to the box and there is a space above the article and the lid cannot be pressed against the article to be sealed.

1 Box packing device 2 Supply means (hopper)
3 Box making means (box making unit)
5 Boxing means (boxing unit)
6 Housing means (housing robot)
7 Boxing means (boxing unit)
8 Coating unit 8A Nozzle 9 Pressing means (pressing unit)
10 Conveying Means 10A Conveying Means 10B Conveying Means 10C Conveying Means 11 Sprocket 12 Endless Chain 13 Pushing Fingers 15 Rails 21 Stockers 22 Buffer Paper Box Holding Hands 41 First Folding Guides 42 Second Folding Guides 42A Sides 42B Slopes 42C Auxiliary Sides 51 Third Folding guide 51A Guide piece 51B Claw portion 52 Fourth folding guide 55 Cylindrical portion 60 Transfer means 61 Base 62 Article holding hands 91, 91A, 91B, 91AA, 91BB Roller 101 Main body 101A Outer side surface 101B Inner side surface 102A Outer bottom surface plate 102B Inner side Bottom plate 103 Holding plate 103A Front holding plate 103B Rear holding plate 104 Side auxiliary plate 105A Front side plate 105B Rear side plate 106 Paste side plate 106A Front paste side plate 106B Back side paste plate 107 Lid face plate 108 Buffer section 108A, Front buffer section 108B Rear shock absorber 200 Box packing device 603 Main shaft 605 Bracket 607 Shaft 609 Lever 611 Engaging member 613 Cam follower 615 Cylinder 617 Mounting plate 619 Spline shaft 621 Gear 623 Gear 625 Gear 627 Gear 629 Nut 631 Energizing mechanism 631A Housing 633 Stopper 635 Energizing means 637 Suction part 637A Suction pad 637B Suction nozzle 639 Internal stopper 641 Rotary joint 643 Drive shaft 645 Position adjusting means 647 Support material 651 Support part 653 Link mechanism 655 Lower limit stopper 655A Tip part 661 Drive pulley 663 Pulley 665 for article holding hand Tension pulley BD First direction BW Second direction BH Third direction XA1 Article YA1 Buffer box

Claims (3)

A box packing device for manufacturing a box while transporting an expanded buffer box, and storing articles inside the buffer box,
The buffer box has a hollow structure buffer portion provided adjacent to the side plate, and a holding portion provided in the buffer portion, and the holding portion allows the article to be fitted into a hole portion. By holding the article in a predetermined position in the box by, the lid is pressed and attached to the top surface of the buffer portion,
Conveying means for conveying the buffer box,
Storage means for conveying the article to the storage position and storing it in the buffer box,
Guide means for guiding the bending of the side plate,
Equipped with
The article holding means of the accommodating means is configured to be able to adjust the holding position of the article in accordance with the hole portion ,
The guide means is a claw portion provided upstream of the accommodating means and coming into contact with a fold line serving as a boundary between the bottom plate and the side plate from the inside of the buffer box through the hole.
A boxing device characterized by that. In the buffer box, a holding plate having the holding portion is erected inside the main body, and the side surface plate is erected so as to be erected outside the main body,
The article holding means has other guide means for guiding the bending of the holding plate,
The boxing device according to claim 1, wherein The guide means is a first guide means,
Synchronously with the first guide means, having a second guide means for abutting the side plate from the outside of the buffer box to guide the bending of the side plate,
The boxing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

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