JP7188122B2 - Packaging method for cup products - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of boxing cup products filled with food or the like before shipping them from a production factory.

When shipping conventionally produced products, a plurality of products of the same shape are grouped together and stored in a box such as a cardboard box. In the recent boxing work, efforts have been made to save labor in the boxing work by controlling a robot having a movable arm (manipulator) with multiple joints so as to perform the boxing operation.

As an example of the robot's boxing operation, as shown in Patent Document 1, first, a product-filled cup product such as a manufactured ice cup is placed on a product conveying conveyor connected to a manufacturing line. It is transported to the working area of the robot to form a gathering place for the cup products in the working area of the robot.

Also, the box containing the cup products is arranged such that a part of the conveying path of the conveyor constituting the box-making line is positioned in the work area of the robot, and the opening on the side of inserting the cup products faces upward. I'm trying to make it relative to.

Then, while the cup product is sucked and held by a suction cup device provided at the tip of the working arm of the robot, it is moved to the opening side of the box by the transfer operation of the robot, and when the cup product corresponds to the opening of the box. The suction state is stopped, and compressed air is blown out from the suction cup device to accommodate the cup product.

In this way, the cup product is moved to the box side from the space where the products are temporarily gathered and stored while sucking and holding, and the cup product is put into the box by repeating the movement of canceling the suction and putting the cup product into the box. After that, the box containing the cup products is conveyed to the terminal side of the carton-making line.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 06-246668 (Fig. 8)

However, when considering the use of a robot with a working arm, it is necessary to secure a large space by making the range that the working arm reaches centering on the installation position of the robot an area where people cannot enter. There is a possibility that the work area of the workers involved will be narrowed or that other machines will not be able to be installed.

In addition, cup ice (frozen dessert product) is one of the above cup products, and the following problems arise in sucking and holding this cup product with a sucker device. That is, in the production of this cup ice cream, liquefied ice cream is filled with an ice cream filling machine, and the cup is top-sealed for sealing. After that, the ice cream is cooled and solidified by successively passing it through a freezing tunnel, and the cup products are sent to the boxing work area, where they are packed in cardboard boxes for shipment in a cold state.

Then, in the boxing work area, a robot with a sucker device attached to the tip of its working arm is used to perform the boxing work, or a lifting device with the sucker device attached to the mechanical portion for holding the cup product is used to perform the boxing work. doing.

However, in the case of cup ice, when the cup product reaches the boxing work area through the curing tunnel, depending on how the curing tunnel is used, there may be a lot of frost and condensation on the surface of the product. A cup product with frost or condensation on its outer surface is in a form that is difficult for a suction cup device to handle.

In particular, suction is not performed well at the point where the suction cap abuts, and there is a tendency for suction errors and cup products to fall in front of the box. There was also a problem with the For this reason, it is difficult to automate the work of packing frozen dessert cup products into boxes using a robot equipped with a sucker device or a lifting device. Therefore, at present, workers often manually pack frozen dessert products into boxes.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention provides a method for extracting a cup product into a box such as a cardboard box without introducing a robot with a manipulator, which tends to be widely restricted to workers' access, and without causing the above-mentioned problems caused by a sucker device. The object is to automate the work of packing the cup products into a box such as a cardboard box from the conveyor on which the cup products are conveyed.

(Invention of Claim 1)
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and relates to filled cup products having product side surfaces tapered outward from the product bottom to the product top, which are arranged in a row on a conveyor in one direction. When packing the cup products conveyed by the
A product reservoir in which the above-mentioned boxes are arranged outside the conveying terminal side of the conveyor and within a vertical plane including an extension line in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a plurality of cup products are aligned in a row on the conveyor. A space is formed on the conveying end side of the conveyor,
A gate-shaped frame straddling a product storage space and a plurality of inclined slide plates pivotally supported by the upright portion of the gate-shaped frame are provided, and the sloped slide plates are arranged facing each other with the product storage space in between. Then, a holder is provided between the product accumulating space and the box, in which each of the inclined sliding plates facing each other is in contact with the product side surface of the cup product positioned in the product accumulating space so that the cup product can be supported between the sloping sliding plates. is provided movably within the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor,
aligning a plurality of cup products in a vertical row along the conveying direction of the conveyor in the box in the product storage space where the holder straddles and the inclined sliding plate is positioned correspondingly;
After the tandem set of cup products is formed, the holder is lifted to support each cup product in the tandem set of cup products between the pair of inclined sliding plates. and move upward from the product storage space, and form the product storage space below the cup product tandem set that has been moved upward as a void,
After moving the holders supporting the tandem set of cup products toward the box side in the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor and positioning the holders corresponding to the boxes, the interval between the inclined sliding plates is increased. Release the support of the cup product and drop the cup product tandem set into the box,
To solve the above problem by providing a method for packing cup products into a box, characterized in that the cup products are placed in a box in a state in which the cup products are aligned in the direction of the vertical packing line of the boxes by the dropping. It is.

(Invention of Claim 2)
Another aspect of the present invention is a cup product filled with product, the product side surface of which is tapered outward from the product bottom to the product top, and which is conveyed in a line in one direction on a conveyor. When packing the above-mentioned cup products into a box that opens at the top in multiple stages,
A product reservoir in which the above-mentioned boxes are arranged outside the conveying terminal side of the conveyor and within a vertical plane including an extension line in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a plurality of cup products are aligned in a row on the conveyor. A space is formed on the conveying end side of the conveyor,
A gate-shaped frame straddling a product storage space and a plurality of inclined slide plates pivotally supported by the upright portion of the gate-shaped frame are provided, and the sloped slide plates are arranged facing each other with the product storage space in between. In addition, the standing portion is arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, and the opposing inclined sliding plates are in contact with the product side surfaces of the cup products positioned in the product storage space to support the cup products between the inclined sliding plates. a holder capable of moving between the product storage space and the box within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor,
The cup products are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of vertically packed cup products in the vertically packed row along the conveying direction of the conveyor in the box in the product storage space where the holder straddles and the inclined sliding plate is positioned correspondingly. ,
Each time a tandem set of cup products is formed, each tandem set of cup products aligned with the number of tandem stacks is formed, the holder is lifted to support each cup product in the tandem set of cup products between the pair of inclined sliding plates. By moving upward from the accumulating space, forming a void in the product accumulating space below the column set of cup products that has been moved upward, the inclined sliding plate serving as the lower stage of the inclined sliding plate for supporting the column set of cup products is formed as described above. Position it corresponding to the empty product storage space,
Formation of the cascade of cup products in the product accumulating space corresponding to the inclined sliding plate and formation of a void in the product accumulating space by lifting the holder accompanied by upward movement of the cascade of cup products are alternately formed. Repeatedly, a plurality of sets of cup products column set corresponding to the number of packing stages in the vertical direction of the box are supported in a state in which they are vertically divided by holders,
The holders supporting the plurality of sets of tandem cup products are moved from the product storage space to the box side within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, and after the holders are positioned corresponding to the boxes, the inclined slide is performed. The support of the cup products is released by expanding the space between the plates facing each other, and the plural sets of cup products are dropped into the box in a vertically overlapping state,
The cup products are arranged in the box by the above-mentioned drop in such a manner that the cup products are arranged in a vertically packed row in a number corresponding to the number of vertically packed boxes and are stacked in accordance with the number of packing stages of the box. The above problem is solved by providing this method for packing cup products.

(Invention of Claim 3)
In the above invention, the conveyors are arranged in rows corresponding to the number of horizontal packing of the cup products in the horizontal packing rows of the boxes, and the product storage space is provided on the conveying end side of each conveyor arranged in parallel. is formed, and the holder includes a plurality of the gate-shaped frames corresponding to each product storage space arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor,
Formation of the column set of cup products in the product accumulating space by each conveyer and formation of the void in the product accumulating space of each conveyor by lifting the holder accompanied by upward movement of the column set of cup products are alternated. Repeatedly, multiple sets of cup product column sets, which are arranged in the number of sets according to the number of packing stages in the vertical direction of the box, are arranged in a state in which they are grouped vertically in each part of the gate-shaped frame arranged side by side. ,
The holders for arranging and supporting the plurality of column sets of cup products at respective portions of the gate-shaped frame are moved from the product storage space to the box side within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, and the holders are moved to the box side. , the support of the cup products is released by expanding the facing interval of the inclined sliding plate, and the plurality of cup product columns are dropped into the box in a state of being vertically overlapped,
By the dropping, the cup products are arranged in a vertically packed row in a number corresponding to the number of vertically packed boxes and stacked according to the number of packed tiers in the box, and in a horizontally packed row in a number corresponding to the number of horizontally packed boxes. can be placed in the box side by side.

(Invention of claim 4)
Also, in the above invention, it is preferable that two holders are provided, and each of the holders is alternately moved between the product storage space and the box.

(Effect of the invention of claim 1)
According to the first aspect of the invention, the slanted sliding plates are mounted so as to face each other on the gantry frame of the holder so as to straddle the product storage space on the conveying end side of the conveyor. The space between the lower ends of the plate abuts against the product side surfaces of the cup products, and when the holder moves upward, the lower ends of the inclined sliding plates abut against the product side surfaces of the plurality of cup products lined up in the product storage space. The cup products are supported, and when the holder rises, the plurality of cup products are moved upward from the product accumulating space while being lined up, and the plurality of cup products previously lined up in the product accumulating space are moved upward. By doing so, the product storage space is made empty.

The holder, while supporting a plurality of cup products, moves in the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, reaches the box side, and supports the cup products when it corresponds to the position of the box. A plurality of cup products are dropped into the box by releasing the support by the pair of inclined sliding plates that had been used, and this drop causes the cup products to be vertically packed in the box (along the conveying direction of the conveyor). They are stored in the box while lined up in rows).

In this way, the inclined sliding plates provided in the holder are brought into contact with the side surfaces of the cup products in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and the pair of inclined sliding plates support the cup products from the side surfaces of both products, thereby creating a product storage space of the conveyor. Since it is moved from the top to the box side, even if there is frost or condensation on the outer surface of the cup product, there will be no problems such as the cup product falling off or the cap coming off the cup product. It has the effect of becoming

(Effect of the invention of claim 2)
According to the invention of claim 2, the inclined sliding plates are attached so as to face each other with the gate-shaped frame of the holder so as to straddle the product storage space on the conveying end side of the conveyor, The space between the lower ends of the sloped slide plate abuts on the product side surface of the cup product, and when the holder moves upward, the lower end of the sloped slide plate is placed on the product side surface of the plurality of cup products lined up in the product storage space. The cup products are supported while being in contact with each other, and as the holder rises, the plurality of cup products are moved upward from the product storage space while being lined up, and the plurality of cup products previously lined up in the product storage space are removed. By moving upward, the product reservoir space becomes empty.

Furthermore, in the empty product storage space, a plurality of cup products are again arranged in a row by conveying the conveyor, and the lined plurality of cup products are moved to the previous inclined sliding plate by raising the holder again. It is moved upward while being similarly supported by the inclined slide plate located at the lower stage of the product storage space to make the product storage space empty. A state in which a plurality of cup products are lined up in the product accumulating space is formed, and the plurality of cup products lined up earlier are moved upward by the rise of the holder to form the product accumulating space as an empty space. is repeated.

By alternately arranging the cup products in the product accumulating space and moving the cup products upward to make the product accumulating space an empty space, each group is formed into a state in which they are grouped vertically. A holder supports a plurality of cup products.

Then, the holder, while supporting a plurality of vertically grouped cup products, moves in the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, reaches the box side, and when it corresponds to the position of the box. In addition, by releasing the support by the pair of inclined sliding plates that supported the cup products, a plurality of cup products are dropped into the box in a state of being stacked up and down inside the box. The boxes are arranged in vertical rows (rows along the conveying direction of the conveyor) and vertically stacked to be accommodated in the boxes.

In this way, the inclined sliding plates provided in the holder are brought into contact with the side surfaces of the cup products in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and the pair of inclined sliding plates support the cup products from the side surfaces of both products, thereby creating a product storage space of the conveyor. Since it is designed to move from the top to the box side, as in the invention of claim 1, even if frost or condensation adheres to the outer surface of the cup product, the cup product will not fall off or the cap will come off from the cup product. It is effective in that it can be boxed without any troubles.

In addition, since the holder is moved within the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, there is no need to secure a wide space in the boxing work area that restricts the entry of workers, making the boxing work easier. There is an effect that the equipment for performing the operation can be made compact.

Furthermore, by dropping from the holder, the cup products are arranged in the number corresponding to the number of cup products in the vertical packing row of the box and arranged in the box in a stacked state according to the number of packing stages of the box. The effect is that the cup products can be packed efficiently.

(Effect of the invention of claim 3)
According to the invention of claim 3, by dropping from the holder, the cup products are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of cup products in the vertical packing row of the boxes and are stacked according to the number of packing stages of the boxes, Since the cup products are arranged in the box in the number corresponding to the number of cup products in the horizontally packed row of the boxes, the effect is achieved that the cup products can be efficiently packed in the box.

(Effect of the invention of claim 4)
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, two holders are provided, and each of the holders is assumed to move alternately between the product storage space and the box within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor. Therefore, one holder can receive the cup products from the conveyor, and the other holder can drop the cup products into the box, increasing the efficiency of the boxing work. It is effective.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the boxing apparatus which implements the boxing method which concerns on this invention in the state seen from the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of a conveyor. It is an explanatory view similarly showing an example of the boxing device in a state seen from the conveying direction side of the conveyor. It is explanatory drawing which shows the receiving position of the cup product in an example of a boxing apparatus in the state seen from upper direction. It is an explanatory view showing roughly up-and-down arrangement of an inclined sliding board in a portal frame. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the inclined sliding plate in the portal frame and the cup products supported by the inclined sliding plate as viewed from the conveying direction of the conveyor; Fig. 3 shows the rise of the holder at the cup product receiving position and the formation of the cup product tandem set. (B) is an explanatory view showing the state in which the cup product column group is formed between the uppermost inclined sliding plates, (C) is an explanatory view showing the rise of the holder that moves the uppermost cup product column group upward, (D) ) is an explanatory view showing the state in which the column set of cup products is formed between the inclined sliding plates of the next stage, (E) is an explanatory view showing the rise of the holder that moves the column set of cup products upwards on the top and the next stage, ( F) is an explanatory view showing a state in which a series of cup products is formed between the lowermost inclined slide plates, and (G) is an explanatory view showing the holder leaving the cup product receiving position. It shows the holder at the drop position and the drop of the cup product, (A) is an explanatory diagram showing the holder that has reached the drop position, and (B) is the drop of the cup product by canceling the tilt maintenance of the inclined sliding plate. (C) is an explanatory view showing a state in which the holder is separated from the dropping position, and (D) is an explanatory view showing a state in which the wedge member is lowered. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement|sequence of the cup products accommodated in the box.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a boxing device. This boxing device 1 is a device for packing cup products, which are covered with a lid on a cup body filled with ice cream and attached with a decorative material, and which are delivered from a freezing process. It is a device that stores multiple pieces of each in a cardboard box. The shape of the cup product is a tapered shape that opens upward when viewed from the side, and the side surface of the product is inclined outward from the bottom of the product to the top of the product. The cup product is explained as a cup ice (frozen dessert product) filled with ice cream, but the cup product to be boxed using the present invention is not limited to cup ice.

(Boxing device)
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cartoning apparatus 1 embodying the present invention, which includes a space for collecting cup products fed from one direction and a cup product below the space for collecting cup products. A frame 2 having two spaces inside, one for arranging a box to be accommodated, a holder 3 for supporting a plurality of cup products, and the holder 3 being moved in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction (the conveying direction of the cup products). and a mast 4 that can be moved while controlling its position within the vertical plane including.

(mast)
The mast 4 moves the holder 3 from the position for receiving the cup product (receiving position a for the cup product) to the position where the cup product can be accommodated in the box 5 (dropping position d), and then again for receiving the cup product. At the cup product receiving position a, the vertical position of the holder 3 is changed so that the cup products can be received, and a plurality of cup products are moved. After receiving, an upper position b where the holder 3 is lifted, a dropping standby position c where the cup product is moved from the upper position b to the side opposite to the receiving side of the cup product, and a dropping standby position c. The holder 3 is lowered from the box 5 to a dropping position d corresponding to the box 5, and after the cup products are accommodated in the box 5, the holder 3 is moved again to the receiving position a for the cup products. It is. 2, the white arrow below the conveyor 7 indicates the conveying direction of the cup products, and the black arrow next to the mast 4 indicates the movement of the mast 4. As shown in FIG.

The boxing device 1 is provided with two masts 4 , and the holder 3 is supported by each mast 4 . Then, the masts 4 alternately move along the conveying direction of the cups by a conveyor, which will be described later, and the holders 3 supported by the respective masts 4 are moved to the receiving position a, the upper position b, the dropping standby position c, and the dropping position d. , and the positions of the holders 3 on the mast 4 are set in advance so that the holders 3 do not collide with each other during the movement.

In the following description of the embodiment, one holder 3 is described, but the other holder 3 supported by the other mast 4 also performs the same operation while avoiding collision. is provided as follows.

(Box transport section)
In the cartoning apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the empty boxes 5 supplied to accommodate a plurality of cup products in the holder 3 are dropped from the lateral direction of the cartoning apparatus 1 with the upper surface opened. The portions are fed by suitable conveying means, for example roller conveyors. After a predetermined number of cup products are accommodated, the boxes 5 are sent out of the boxing device 1 by a similar conveying means and moved to a step of sealing the upper surface. (Figure 2)

(Conveyor)
As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyors 7 for conveying the cup products 6 filled with products toward the boxing device 1 are arranged in two parallel rows, and each conveyor 7 is arranged in one row in one direction. A cup product 6 is conveyed. The conveying end portion of the conveyor 7 extends to the receiving position a of the cup products in the cartoning device 1, and is located outside the conveying end side of the conveyor 7 and in the conveying direction of the conveyor 7 when viewed from above. The portion where the box 5 is placed is set in the portion overlapping on the extension line of (the portion in the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor 7), and the portion where the box 5 is placed is the above-mentioned cup product It is used as a part to be dropped and accommodated.

In the conveyor 7 that conveys the cup products 6 in a line, when the cup products 6 reach the conveying end side of the conveyor 7, the stopper 8 protrudes from the side of the conveyor 7 and the cup product at the tip in the conveying direction is pushed out. A product accumulating space 9 is formed on the conveying end side of the conveyor 7 so as to stop the movement in order from 6 and in which the cup products 6 are arranged in a line. Two rows of product storage spaces 9 are positioned inside the holder 3 when the cup product 6 is at the receiving position a.

The size of the boxes 5 for storing the cup products 6 in the bookboxing device 1 is set to three in the direction along the conveying direction of the conveyor 7 and the number of the cup products 6 arranged in the direction of the vertical packing row of the boxes 5, The number of cup products 6 to be arranged in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 7 and in the direction of the horizontal packing row of the boxes 5 is set to two. Since the conveyors 7 are arranged in two rows, the product storage spaces 9 are arranged in two rows. It corresponds to each position of the cup products 6 lined up in the direction of the horizontal packing row of the boxes 5.例文帳に追加

The number of cup products 6 to be stopped in each of the product storage spaces 9 is three, which is the same as the number of boxes 5 in the longitudinally packed row. A series of cup products 10 formed by arranging three cup products 6 in a line in the product storage space 9 as a group is formed by placing the holder 3 in the receiving position a of the cup products 6 and moving in the conveying direction of the conveyor 7. They are arranged in two rows in the orthogonal direction, and are accommodated in the box 5 in a state in which the column set of cup products 10 are arranged in two rows by the holder 3 as will be described later.

(holder)
The holder 3 for transferring a plurality of cup products 6 from the product storage space 9 to the box 5 consists of a gate-shaped frame 11 with an open bottom, and inclined slide plates 13 pivotally supported on the upright portions 12 of the gate-shaped frame 11 respectively. In this embodiment, two gate-shaped frames 11 are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 7, and the gate-shaped frame 11 corresponds to each conveyor 7, and each A portal frame 11 is provided so that it can be positioned on each extension line of the conveyor 7 . (See Figures 4 and 5)

(gate type frame)
The portal frame 11 is open at the bottom so that it can straddle the product storage space 9 and the conveyor 7 as described above. In this embodiment, the conveyer 7 for sequentially conveying the cup products 6 is, for example, a belt having the same width as the product bottom of the cup products 6 or a narrow belt. The movement of the cup product 6 is stopped by contacting the product bottom side of the cup product 6 when necessary without colliding with the cup product 6.例文帳に追加The conveyor 7 does not collide with the portal frame 11 either.

(Inclined sliding plate Figures 4 and 5)
In FIG. 4, in one portal frame 11 straddling the product storage space 9, one of the standing portions 12 facing each other in a pair is in a state where the facing surface side of one of the standing portions 12 is visible. The arrangement of the sloping slide 13 is shown schematically. As shown in the figure, each of the inclined sliding plates 13 is positioned on the opposite surface side of each standing portion 12 and arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction of the standing portion 12 . In addition, the inclined sliding plate 13 is elongated along the longitudinal direction of the product storage space 9, and has a length that allows the lower side 14 side to come into contact with all the cup products 6 of the cup product series set 10 formed in the product storage space 9. It has a

As shown in FIG. 5, the inclined sliding plates 13 pivotally supported by the one standing portion 12 and the other standing portion 12 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 7, thereby The sloping sliding plates 13 are arranged opposite to each other with a space between which the storage space 9 can be arranged, and each of the inclined slide plates 13 can be slanted so that the lower ends 14 thereof are in contact with the product side surface 15 of the cup product 6. It is assumed.

In this way, each of the inclined sliding plates 13 is inclined downward from the pivotally supported portion of the upper end toward the center of the portal frame 11 so that the lower end 14 of the inclined sliding plate 13 is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the cup product column set 10 . This cup product 6 can be supported between the inclined sliding plates 13 by contacting the product side surfaces 15 from both directions perpendicular to the direction.

As described above, in each portal frame 11, the inclined sliding plates 13 are arranged in a plurality of stages above and below the standing portion 12, and the pairs of the inclined sliding plates 13 facing each other are arranged in a plurality of stages. It allows the cup product 6 to be supported. The upper and lower sloped slide plates 13 are arranged at intervals such that the upper and lower cup products 6 do not come into contact with each other when the cup products 6 are supported by the paired sloped slide plates 13 in each stage.

In each of the gate-shaped frames 11, the inclined sliding plates 13 are arranged in the number of stages corresponding to the number of stages in which the cup products 6 are packed vertically in the box 5, that is, the number of stages in which the cup products 6 are packed (the number of stacked stages). In the case of the box 5, the number of tiers of the cup products 6 is three. 13 is pivotally attached.

In the holder 3, the gate-shaped frames 11 are arranged in parallel in two rows corresponding to the number of cup products (two) in the horizontally packed row of the boxes 5, and are pivotally supported on the standing portions 12 of the respective gate-shaped frames 11. The inclined sliding plates 13 are arranged vertically in three stages, and furthermore, in the product storage space 9 straddled by the gate-shaped frame 11, the cup product cascade set 10 in which three cup products 6 are arranged in a line. are formed so that the cup product cascades 10 are grouped and supported between pairs of ramped slides 13 in the portal frame 11. As shown in FIG.

The fact that there are three cup products 6 constituting the cup product tandem set 10 corresponds to the number of cup products in the tandem row of boxes 5, and the cup products supported by one gate-shaped frame 11. The fact that the tandem group 10 is arranged in three groups vertically corresponds to the number of packing stages of the boxes 5, so that the integrated holder 3 is arranged so that all the cup products 6 contained in the boxes 5 are accommodated in the boxes 5. It is considered that it can be supported by

4 and 5 show one portal frame 11. FIG. 4, reference numeral 13a denotes a hinge for the upright portion 12 to pivotally support the inclined sliding plate 13. As shown in FIG.

(Inclination of Inclined Slide Plate)
When the holder 3 is at the receiving position a for the cup product 6 and the cup product series 10 is formed in the product storage space 9 between the uppermost sloped sliding plates 13 of the portal frame 11, the mast 4 It rises while being guided, and the next pair of inclined slide plates 13 correspond to the product storage space 9. - 特許庁During this ascent, the ascent begins at the receiving position a of the cup products 6 so that the cup product column 10 can be supported and moved upwardly while abutting between the lower ends 14 of the sloping slides 13 . In front, each inclined slide plate 13 is inclined toward the center side of the portal frame 11 so that the space between the lower ends 14 of the inclined slide plates 13 is in contact with the product side surface 15 of the cup product 6 as described above. is provided in

The slope of the slant slide plate 13 is determined when the cup product 6 is raised at the receiving position a, or when the cup product 6 is fed into the product storage space 9 after the holder 3 is placed at the cup product receiving position a. , until just before the cup product 6 is accommodated inside the box 5, and from the time when the holder 3 accommodates the cup product 6 in the box 5 until it returns to the receiving position a of the cup product 6. In between, the movement of the cup product 6 downwards towards the bottom of the box 5, at least upon insertion into the box 5, with the sloping slide 13 depending vertically or near-vertically from the top pivot point. Also, when the cup product 6 descends across the product storage space 9 at the receiving position a, contact with the conveyor 7 is prevented.

(Inclination maintaining means)
The holder 3 has inclination maintaining means 16 for maintaining the inclination of each of the inclined sliding plates 13 . The inclination maintaining means 16 prevents the cup product 6 from being dropped at the dropping position d from the time when the holder 3 rises at the receiving position a of the cup product 6 or the time when the cup product 6 is fed into the product storage space 9 as described above. The inclined slide plate 13 is maintained in the above-described inclined state until the start.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the mechanism of the tilt maintaining means 16. The wedge-shaped member 17 arranged on the lower surface side of each tilted slide plate 13 of each stage and the upright portion 12 are vertically movable. A pair of wedge interlocking arms 18 supporting the wedge member 17 and a horizontal member 19 of the wedge interlocking arm 18 positioned above the portal frame 11 are brought into contact with each other to move the wedge interlocking arm 18 up and down. It consists of a wedge vertical cylinder 20 that As described above, FIG. 4 shows one of the gate-shaped frames 11 arranged side by side for ease of explanation. Means 16 are provided.

When necessary, the wedge vertical cylinder 20 performs an extension operation to pull up the wedge material 17 so that the inclined slide plate 13 is in an inclined state. The sliding plates 13 are made to hang downward, and the wedge-shaped member 17 maintains the inclination of the inclined sliding plates 13 so that the cup product 6 can be supported between the lower ends 14 of the opposing inclined sliding plates 13. As the wedge member 17 descends, the inclined sliding plate 13 hangs down in the vertical direction or in a nearly vertical state, and the space between the lower ends 14 of the opposing inclined sliding plates 13 expands, The space is provided so that the cup product 6 falls without being supported.

(Holder in cup product receiving position, Fig. 6A)
FIG. 6(A) shows the state when the holder 3 is at the receiving position a for the cup product 6 and the cup product 6 is started to be fed into the product storage space 9. The state of tilt maintenance operation is shown. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the holder 3 is arranged at the receiving position of the cup products 6 so that the gate-shaped frame 11 straddles the product storage space 9 of the conveyor 7, the gate-shaped frame 11 is arranged vertically. Of the three pairs of inclined sliding plates 13 , first, the uppermost pair of inclined sliding plates 13 corresponds to the product storage space 9 . (product waiting)

When the holder 3 is arranged at the receiving position a of the cup product 6, the inclination maintaining means 16 raises the wedge-shaped members 17, and the inclined sliding plates 13 are inclined downward toward the center of the portal frame 11. state is inclined. The lower ends 14 of the inclined sliding plates 13 facing each stage are in contact with the product side surfaces 15 of the cup products 6 sent into the product storage space 9 or are slightly separated from the product side surfaces 15, and the holders 3 rises, the cups 6 are supported between the lower ends 14 of the sloping slides 13 so that the cups 6 (the column of cups 10) can be moved upward as the holder 3 rises. .

(Formation of tandem group of cup products at top level Fig. 6B)
In FIG. 6(B), the cup products 6 are sent into the product storage space 9 between the uppermost sloped slide plates 13, and the individual cup products 6 are stopped, and three cup products 6 are produced. A cup product column set 10 is shown formed by . As described above, when the lower end 14 of the inclined sliding plate 13 is in contact with the product side surface 15 of the cup product 6 , the lower end 14 of the inclined sliding plate 13 is positioned against the product side surface 15 of the cup product 6 . 6 (forming cup product cascades) without interfering with it. Further, when the required number of cup products 6 are arranged in a line to form the cup product tandem set 10, the conveying operation of the conveyor 7 is temporarily stopped. (1st stage accumulation)

(Upward movement of the top row of cup products Fig. 6C)
FIG. 6(C) shows that while supporting the cup product tandem set 10 formed between the pair of inclined slide plates 13 on the uppermost stage, the holder 3 is lifted by the operation of the mast 4, and the lower part of the uppermost stage is shown. , the next pair of inclined slide plates 13 correspond to the product storage space 9 . As the holder 3 rises in this way, the column set 10 of cup products previously formed as a set moves upward, and the product storage space 9 becomes empty. When the inclined slide plate 13 of the next stage is positioned corresponding to the vacant product storage space 9 after the column set 10 of cup products previously formed moves upward, the ascending of the holder 3 stops, and the conveying operation of the conveyor 7 is stopped. resumed. (1 step up)

(Medium cup product tandem formation Figure 6D)
In FIG. 6(D), the cup products 6 are sent into the product storage space 9 between the inclined sliding plates 13 of the next stage, and the cup product tandem set 10 is formed in the same manner as the previously formed set. State shown (formation of medium cup product cascade). Then, when the middle cup product tandem set 10 is formed in the product storage space 9 between the pair of inclined sliding plates 13, the conveying operation of the conveyor 7 is temporarily stopped. (Second-stage accumulation)

(upward movement of the middle cup product cascade Figure 6E)
FIG. 6(E) shows holders 3 in the same manner as described above while supporting two uppermost and middle cup product tandem sets 10 formed between uppermost and next sloping slide plates 13 . , the lowermost pair of inclined slide plates 13 correspond to the product storage space 9, and the holder 3 stops rising. When the lowermost sloping sliding plate 13 is positioned corresponding to the empty product storage space 9 after the previously formed intermediate cup product column set 10 has moved upward, the holder 3 stops rising and the conveyor 7 is moved. The transport operation is resumed. (1 step up)

(Formation of tandem assembly of cup products at the bottom Fig. 6F)
In FIG. 6(F), the cup products 6 are sent into the product storage space 9 between the lowermost inclined sliding plates 13, and the cup product tandem set 10 is formed in the same manner as the previously formed set. State (formation of bottom cup product cascade). Then, when the lowest cup product tandem set 10 is formed in the product storage space 9, the conveying operation of the conveyor 7 is temporarily stopped. (3rd stage accumulation)

(Support for three-tiered cup product tandem assembly Figure 6G)
FIG. 6G shows the holder 3 supporting the cascade of cups 10 between all three tiers of ramps 13 such that the motion of the mast 4 brings the holder 3 into the receiving position for the cups 6 . a, an upper position b, a dropping standby position c in the direction along the conveying direction of the conveyor 7 and above the box 5, and after descending from the dropping standby position c toward the box 5 The holder 3 stops temporarily at the top surface of the box 5, and after temporarily stopping at the top surface of the box 5, it descends into the box 5 so as to contact the bottom surface of the box 5, and the movement of the holder 3 is stopped at the dropping position d. be. (accumulation completed)

(Dropping position in the holder box Fig. 7A)
FIG. 7(A) shows a state in which the holders 3 supporting the three cup products tandem groups 10 that are vertically grouped have moved to the drop position d for the cup products 6 . The position where the holder 3 descends is set along one side of the box 5 .

(Dropping of cup product Fig. 7B, Fig. 7D)
(B) of FIG. 7 shows a state in which the holder 3 at the drop position of the cup products 6 has stacked and dropped the vertical three sets of cup products 10 . When the cup product tandem set 10 is dropped, as shown in FIG. 7D, the tilt maintaining means 16 is provided so that all the wedge members 17 move downward from the position where the tilted slide plate 13 is maintained tilted. By lowering the wedge member 17, each of the inclined sliding plates 13 hangs vertically or almost vertically from the pivotally supported upper end portion, and the lower ends of the opposing inclined sliding plates 13 The space 14 is made wider than the longest width of the cup product 6 (for example, the width of the upper part of the product).

Since each cup product 6 in the upper and lower three cup product columns 10 is released from the support by the inclined sliding plate 13, it moves downward while opening the inclined sliding plate 13 by its own weight, and the boxes are stacked in three stages. 5 is placed inside.

(Rising from the box of the holder Fig. 7C, Fig. 7D)
(C) of FIG. 7 shows a state in which the holders 3 that have released the support for the respective cup products 6 are raised from the box 5 by the operation of the mast 4 . The holder 3, with the inclined sliding plate 13 suspended, moves to the receiving position a for the cup product 6 by the operation of the mast 4. As shown in FIG. The wedge 17 is in the lowered position as shown in FIG. 7D.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the direction X (the direction along the conveying direction of the conveyor 7) of the vertically packed rows of boxes 5 into which the cup products 6 have been dropped, the number (three) corresponding to the size of the boxes 5 ), the cup products 6 are arranged vertically, and in the direction Y of the horizontally packed row of the boxes 5, the number of cup products 6 is arranged side by side according to the size of the box 5 (two pieces), and further, The cup products 6 are stored in a stacked state with the number of packing stages (three stages) corresponding to the size of the box 5.例文帳に追加In this way, by dropping the cup products 6 from the holder 3 once, the cup products 6 matching the number of cup products to be stored in the box 5 are arranged according to the size of the box 5 and stored. . The box 5 in which the cup products 6 are dropped in a predetermined arrangement and number of stages is delivered from the box packing device 1 and moved to the next sealing process.

(Boxing method)
A method of cartoning using the cartoning apparatus 1 will be described below. In this method, the conveyor 7 is installed so that the transport terminal side is located inside the boxing device 1, and as described above, the vertical plane that is outside the transport terminal side and includes the transport direction of the conveyor 7 is installed. , the box 5 is arranged at a position where the cup product 6 is dropped below the dropping standby position c. In addition, the conveyors 7 for feeding the cup products 6 to the cartoning device 1 are arranged in parallel in two rows corresponding to the number of horizontally packed cup products 6 (two) in the direction Y of the horizontally packed rows of the boxes 5. .

In the portion on the conveying end side of the conveyor 7 entering the inside of the cartoning device 1, the movement of the three cup products 6 is stopped by the stopper 8 in the order in which they are conveyed on the conveyor 7, and the three cup products 6 are arranged in a line. A product storage space 9 is formed which aligns with each other. Of course, this product storage space 9 is formed in the space inside the cartoning device 1 .

The inside of the boxing device 1 is provided with the above-mentioned gate-shaped frame 11 whose lower part is open so as to straddle the product storage space 9 and the above-mentioned inclined slide plate 13 pivotally supported by the standing portion 12 of this gate-shaped frame 11. There are holders 3, and gate-shaped frames 11 corresponding to respective product storage spaces 9 are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor 7. - 特許庁Further, the boxing device 1 has the masts 4 each capable of moving along the conveying direction of the conveyor 7, and each of the masts 4 supports the holder 3 so as to be vertically movable. Therefore, this cartoning device 1 is provided with two holders 3 .

As described above, the inclined slide plates 13 of the holder 3 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction with a gap between them so that the product storage space 9 can be arranged, and the upright portions 12 are arranged vertically. The inclined sliding plates 13 are arranged in three stages in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the inclined sliding plates 13 are inclined so that the lower ends 14 of the inclined sliding plates 13 facing each other in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction are in contact with the product side surface 15 of the cup product 6. to enable the cup product 6 to be supported between the inclined sliding plates 13.

While each holder 3 is supported by a mast 4, it is adapted to move between the product storage space 9 and the box 5 within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor. It moves from the receiving position a of the product 6 to the rising position b, from the rising position b to the dropping standby position c, from the dropping standby position c to the dropping position d, and from the dropping position d to the receiving position a.

When the holder 3 reaches the receiving position a of the cup product 6, the gate-shaped frame 11 straddles the product accumulating space 9 and positions the uppermost inclined slide plate 13 corresponding to the product accumulating space 9. - 特許庁Then, in the product storage space 9 corresponding to the uppermost inclined slide plate 13, the cup products 6 are divided into three according to the number of the cup products 6 in the vertical packing line along the conveying direction of the conveyor 7 in the box 5. align.

The holder 3 is lifted every time a cup product tandem set 10 is formed by forming a set of cup products 6 arranged vertically in two rows of product storage spaces 10.例文帳に追加As the holder 3 rises, each cup product 6 of the cup product column set 10 is supported between the pair of opposing inclined slide plates 13 and moved upward from the product storage space 10, and the cup product moved upward. The product reservoir space 9 below the cascade 10 is formed as a void. Then, the inclined sliding plate 13, which is the lower stage of the inclined sliding plate 13 for supporting the cup product tandem set 10, is positioned corresponding to the empty product storage space 9. - 特許庁

At the receiving position a of the cup products 6, the cup products column set 10 is formed in the product accumulating space 9 by the conveyance of each conveyor 7, and the product accumulating space is formed by lifting the holder 3 accompanied by upward movement of the cup product column set 10. 9, alternating with the formation of voids in each. The holders 3 are arranged in parallel with each of the gate-shaped frames 11, and are arranged in a state in which three cup product column sets 10 corresponding to the number of packing stages in the vertical direction of the boxes 5 are grouped vertically. To support.

Next, the holders 3, which support the upper and lower three sets of cup product cascades 10 on each of the gate-shaped frames 11, move from the receiving position a straddling the product storage space 9 to the upper position b, drop-in standby position c, and drop-in position d. It moves to the box 5 side within the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor 7.

Then, at the dropping position d, three sets of cup product column sets 10, which are grouped vertically in the number of sets corresponding to the number of packing stages of the boxes 5 for each gate-shaped frame 11, are positioned corresponding to the boxes 5, and the inclined slide plate 13. The interval between the lower ends 14 of the cups is expanded as described above, the support of the cup products 6 is released, and a total of six series of cup products 10 arranged in parallel with the three pairs vertically overlapping are dropped into the box 5. .

By the dropping, the cup products 6 are aligned in the direction X of the vertically packed row in the number corresponding to the number of vertical packing of the boxes 5, and are stacked according to the number of packing stages of the boxes 5, and the boxes 5 are horizontally packed. The number corresponding to the number is arranged in the box 5 side by side in the direction Y of the horizontally packed row. See Figure 8

In the above embodiment, the inside of the box 5 is the drop position d, but the drop position d is a position close to the open upper surface of the box 5, and the holder 3 does not fall inside the box 5 and is close to the open upper surface. It is also possible to stop at a position where the cup product 6 is dropped at that position.

In the above embodiment, the masts 4 are two bodies and two holders 3 alternately pack the masts 4, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, one holder 3 supported by one mast 4 may be used for packing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Cartoning device 3... Holder 4... Mast 5... Box 6... Cup product 7... Conveyor 8... Stopper 9... Product storage space 10... Cup product tandem set 11... Portal frame 12... Standing part 13... Inclined sliding plate 14... Lower end of inclined sliding plate 15 Product side surface of cup product 16 Inclination maintaining means 17 Wedge-shaped member a Receiving position of cup product b Lift position c Standby position for dropping d Drop position X Direction of vertical packing row Y Horizontal column direction

Claims (4)

Filled cup products with side surfaces tapered outward from the bottom to the top of the product, and the cup products conveyed in a row on a conveyor in one direction are placed in a box that opens upward. When packing,
A product reservoir in which the above-mentioned boxes are arranged outside the conveying terminal side of the conveyor and within a vertical plane including an extension line in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a plurality of cup products are aligned in a row on the conveyor. A space is formed on the conveying end side of the conveyor,
A gate-shaped frame straddling a product storage space and a plurality of inclined slide plates pivotally supported by the upright portion of the gate-shaped frame are provided, and the sloped slide plates are arranged facing each other with the product storage space in between. Then, a holder is provided between the product accumulating space and the box, in which each of the inclined sliding plates facing each other is in contact with the product side surface of the cup product positioned in the product accumulating space so that the cup product can be supported between the sloping sliding plates. is provided movably within the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor,
aligning a plurality of cup products in a vertical row along the conveying direction of the conveyor in the box in the product storage space where the holder straddles and the inclined sliding plate is positioned correspondingly;
After the tandem set of cup products is formed, the holder is lifted to support each cup product in the tandem set of cup products between the pair of inclined sliding plates. and move upward from the product storage space, and form the product storage space below the cup product tandem set that has been moved upward as a void,
After moving the holders supporting the tandem set of cup products toward the box side in the vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor and positioning the holders corresponding to the boxes, the interval between the inclined sliding plates is increased. Release the support of the cup product and drop the cup product tandem set into the box,
A method for packing cup products into boxes, wherein the cup products are placed in a box in a state in which the cup products are aligned in the direction of the vertical packing line of the boxes by the dropping. Filled cup products with side surfaces tapered outward from the bottom to the top of the product, and the cup products conveyed in a row on a conveyor in one direction are placed in a box that opens upward. When packing in multiple layers,
A product reservoir in which the above-mentioned boxes are arranged outside the conveying terminal side of the conveyor and within a vertical plane including an extension line in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a plurality of cup products are aligned in a row on the conveyor. A space is formed on the conveying end side of the conveyor,
A gate-shaped frame straddling a product storage space and a plurality of inclined slide plates pivotally supported by the upright portion of the gate-shaped frame are provided, and the sloped slide plates are arranged facing each other with the product storage space in between. In addition, the standing portion is arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, and the opposing inclined sliding plates are in contact with the product side surfaces of the cup products positioned in the product storage space to support the cup products between the inclined sliding plates. a holder capable of moving between the product storage space and the box within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor,
The cup products are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of vertically packed cup products in the vertically packed row along the conveying direction of the conveyor in the box in the product storage space where the holder straddles and the inclined sliding plate is positioned correspondingly. ,
Each time a tandem set of cup products is formed, each tandem set of cup products aligned with the number of tandem stacks is formed, the holder is lifted to support each cup product in the tandem set of cup products between the pair of inclined sliding plates. By moving upward from the accumulating space, forming a void in the product accumulating space below the column set of cup products that has been moved upward, the inclined sliding plate serving as the lower stage of the inclined sliding plate for supporting the column set of cup products is formed as described above. Position it corresponding to the empty product storage space,
Formation of the cascade of cup products in the product accumulating space corresponding to the inclined sliding plate and formation of a void in the product accumulating space by lifting the holder accompanied by upward movement of the cascade of cup products are alternately formed. Repeatedly, a plurality of sets of cup products column set corresponding to the number of packing stages in the vertical direction of the box are supported in a state in which they are vertically divided by holders,
The holders supporting the plurality of sets of tandem cup products are moved from the product storage space to the box side within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, and after the holders are positioned corresponding to the boxes, the inclined slide is performed. The support of the cup products is released by expanding the space between the plates facing each other, and the plural sets of cup products are dropped into the box in a vertically overlapping state,
The cup products are arranged in the box by the above-mentioned drop in such a manner that the cup products are arranged in a vertically packed row in a number corresponding to the number of vertically packed boxes and are stacked in accordance with the number of packing stages of the box. boxing method. The conveyors are arranged in rows corresponding to the number of horizontal packing of the cup products in the horizontal packing rows of the boxes, and the product storage space is formed on the conveying end side of each conveyor arranged in parallel, The holder comprises a plurality of portal frames corresponding to each product storage space arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor,
Formation of the column set of cup products in the product accumulating space by each conveyer and formation of the void in the product accumulating space of each conveyor by lifting the holder accompanied by upward movement of the column set of cup products are alternated. Repeatedly, multiple sets of cup product column sets, which are arranged in the number of sets according to the number of packing stages in the vertical direction of the box, are arranged in a state in which they are grouped vertically in each part of the gate-shaped frame arranged side by side. ,
The holders for arranging and supporting the plurality of column sets of cup products at respective portions of the gate-shaped frame are moved from the product storage space to the box side within a vertical plane including the conveying direction of the conveyor, and the holders are moved to the box side. , the support of the cup products is released by expanding the facing interval of the inclined sliding plate, and the plurality of cup product columns are dropped into the box in a state of being vertically overlapped,
By the dropping, the cup products are arranged in a vertically packed row in a number corresponding to the number of vertically packed boxes and stacked according to the number of packed tiers in the box, and in a horizontally packed row in a number corresponding to the number of horizontally packed boxes. 3. The method of packaging according to claim 2, wherein the boxes are placed in the box side by side. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising two holders, each of which moves alternately between the product storage space and the box.

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