JP7488094B2 - Automatic container assembly equipment - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an automatic container assembly device.

Traditionally, in logistics sites, folding containers are used to deliver items from a delivery source to multiple delivery destinations. These containers can be folded up for storage when not in use, and assembled to contain the items when in use.

As shown in FIG. 18(b), this folding container generally has an upper frame F that is rectangular in plan view, a lower frame B that is also rectangular in plan view and has a bottom, left and right side plates LP, RP that face each other between the upper frame F and the lower frame B to form long side walls, and front and rear side plates FP, BP that face each other between the upper frame F and the lower frame B to form short side walls. The left and right side plates LP, RP are pivotally attached to the upper frame F and the lower frame B and can be bent inwardly via pivot parts between the upper frame F and the lower frame B, and the front and rear side plates FP, BP are pivotally attached to the upper frame F and can engage at their lower ends with one side end of the lower frame B.

In other words, after the folding container is delivered to the delivery destination, it is converted from an assembled form in which each plate is extended upright between the upper and lower frames to an upright position to a folded form in which the upper plate and lower frame are overlapped by bending and rotating each plate to a laid-down position, and after it is returned to its original delivery location, it is converted back from the folded form to the assembled form and used to deliver the delivery item.

In order to automatically assemble such folding containers from a folded form to an assembled form, an automatic folding container assembly device (see, for example, Patent Document 1) has been proposed that includes a holder that engages with the upper frame of the lowest folding container among multiple folded containers stacked in a folded form to hold the upper frame at a predetermined height, a descender that lowers the lower frame by its own weight from the upper frame held at a constant height by the holder to extend the left and right side panels upright, and a front and rear side panel presser that is positioned downstream of the descender and enters the folding container with the left and right side panels in an upright extended state transported from the descender to press the front and rear side panels from the inside to the outside.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-002227

Incidentally, in recent years, folding containers with lids have become widely used in the logistics industry to prevent the intrusion of garbage, rainwater, and other contaminants into the container, so as not to inadvertently damage the commercial value of the delivered goods.

The foldable container with lid (hereinafter simply referred to as the container) is pivoted on the left and right sides of the upper frame in a double door manner as shown in Figures 18(b) and 18(c), and has a pair of opposing left and right upper lids LT and RT that face each other and open and close the rectangular upper opening inside the upper frame F. That is, when the lidded container C is folded, not only are the plates FP, BP, LP, and RP in a lying position as shown in Figure 18(a), but the left and right upper lids LT and RT are also in a closed position.

Therefore, when using the above-mentioned conventional device to change a container from a folded state to an assembled state, it becomes necessary to open the inner upper opening of the upper frame, which is the entry point for the front and rear side plate presser, and this creates a problem of the burden of the lid opening work, such as having to manually position the left and right upper lids in the open position beforehand.

In addition, although conventional devices have consecutive components for each assembly step from the folded form to the assembled form, such as putting each plate in a roughly upright position and pressing the front and rear side plates to complete the upright position of each plate, the structure requires that the components for each assembly step be installed in separate locations, which inevitably results in a problem of larger size and requiring a large installation space at the transport source.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides an assembly device for a folding container with a lid that can accommodate folding containers with lids, and can perform a series of container assembly processes in one place at once, in which the left and right top lids of the container are moved from a closed position to an open position, and the left and right side panels and the front and rear side panels are changed from a lying position to an upright position, thereby changing the container from a folded state to an assembled state, thereby saving space.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the automatic container assembly device of the present invention comprises: (1) an upper frame having a rectangular shape in plan view; a lower frame having a rectangular shape in plan view and a bottom, which is arranged below the upper frame; a pair of left and right side plates which face each other left and right between the upper frame and the lower frame; and a pair of front and rear side plates which face each other front and rear between the upper frame and the lower frame, the pair of left and right side plates being rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame and the lower frame, and being capable of bending inward at predetermined positions in the vertical direction via pivot parts along the longitudinal direction, the pair of front and rear side plates being rotatably connected to the front and rear sides of the upper frame, and their lower ends are engageable with the front and rear ends of the lower frame. and a pair of left and right upper lids rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame for opening and closing an upper opening inside the upper frame. The automatic container assembling device changes a folded configuration in which the left and right upper lids are in a closed position and the left and right side panels and the front and rear side panels are in a laid-down position to an assembled configuration in which the left and right upper lids are in an open position and the left and right side panels and the front and rear side panels are in an upright position. The automatic container assembling device includes a placement section for placing the folded container, and a folding container which is placed on the placement section and engages with the left and right side sections of the upper frame of the folded container placed on the placement section to lift the upper frame in a direction away from the lower frame, and moves the left and right side panels upright. a lifting mechanism for displacing the folded container from a lying position to an upright position; a lid-opening mechanism for engaging with front and rear edge portions of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids in a closed position of the folding container placed on the stationary portion in association with the lifting action of the upper frame by the lifting mechanism, thereby rotating the left and right upper lids in a lid-opening direction, thereby displacing the folded container from a closed position to an open position; and a lid-opening mechanism for engaging with front and rear edge portions of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids in a closed position of the folding container placed on the stationary portion in association with the displacement of the pair of left and right upper lids to an open position by the lid-opening mechanism, which penetrates into the inside of the folding container placed on the stationary portion and abuts against the inner surfaces of the pair of front and rear side plates, while pushing the pair of front and rear side plates apart from the inside to the outside, and displacing the lower ends of the pair of front and rear side plates. and a side plate locking mechanism that engages the front and rear end portions of the lower frame to displace the pair of front and rear side plates from a lying position to an upright position, and a base frame is disposed around the stationary portion, the lifting mechanism is composed of a left lifting mechanism portion and a right lifting mechanism portion disposed on the left and right sides of the base frame, respectively, the lid opening mechanism is composed of a left lid opening mechanism portion and a right lid opening mechanism portion disposed on the left and right sides of the base frame, respectively, and the side plate locking mechanism is composed of a front side plate locking mechanism portion and a rear side plate locking mechanism portion disposed in the upper middle portion between the left and right lifting mechanism portions of the lifting mechanism.

The automatic container assembling device according to the present invention is also characterized in the following respects.
(2) The left and right lifting mechanism is constituted by a pair of upper frame engaging frames extending along the longitudinal direction of the left and right sides of the upper frame of the folding container and capable of engaging with the left and right sides of the upper frame in close proximity, and a pair of frame lifting bodies connected to the pair of upper frame engaging frames at predetermined positions and raised and lowered outside the left and right sides of the folding container to lift and lower the upper frame engaging frames.
(3) The upper frame engaging frame has an engaging protrusion that is inserted into and engages with a recess formed at a predetermined position on the left and right sides of the upper frame.
(4) The left and right lid-opening mechanism is constituted by a pair of lid-opening arms pivoted opposite each other at the front and rear ends of the pair of frame lifting bodies so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a lid receiving claw body pivoted in an inverted manner at the tips of the pair of lid-opening arms, the tips of which can support from below the front and rear edge portions of the free ends of the left and right upper lids of the folding container.
(5) The lid receiving claw body rotates to a tilted position when the tip of the lid receiving claw body comes into contact with the front and rear edges of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids from above and an upward reaction force is applied as the pair of lid opening arms rotate downward, and has a claw body biasing means which returns to an upright position when the upward reaction force is not present.
(6) The side plate locking mechanism is constituted by a support frame arranged above the fixed portion, an arm guide body disposed on the support frame and capable of descending from the support frame to the inside of the folding container, a pair of link rods having base ends rotatably supported at the fore-aft center of the support frame, and a pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms whose base ends are rotatably supported at the tips of the pair of link rods and whose midpoints are rotatably supported at the front and rear end portions of the arm guide body, and which swing back and forth in directions away from each other as the arm guide body descends to press the pair of front and rear side plates downward from the inside to the outside.
(7) Having a container placement means for forming the placement section at a predetermined position on a conveying surface along which the folding container in a folded form is conveyed, and having a conveying mechanism that enables the folding container in an assembled form by the lifting mechanism, the lid opening mechanism, and the side panel locking mechanism to be conveyed downstream of the placement section.
(8) The transport mechanism has a pair of closing guides which extend from the position of the lid opening mechanism toward the downstream side in the transport direction with the distance between them gradually narrowing so as to hold the pair of left and right upper lids rotated in the lid opening direction by the lid opening mechanism at a position higher than the height of the upper frame.

According to the invention of claim 1, the container is placed in an immovable state on the stationary portion, and the upper frame of the container is raised by the lifting mechanism, and the left and right side panels are moved from a fallen position in a folded state to an upright position in an upright extended state. At the same time, the left and right upper covers are moved from a closed position to an open position by the lid opening mechanism, and an entrance for the side panel locking mechanism is secured. The front and rear side panels are engaged with the lower frame by the side panel locking mechanism, and the front and rear side panels are moved from a nearly horizontal fallen position to a nearly vertical upright position, thereby putting the container into an assembled state.

In other words, the lifting mechanism, lid opening mechanism, and side panel locking mechanism are arranged with their relative movements and positions around the stationary section, so that each assembly process for the container can be carried out at one place at a time without the mechanisms interfering with each other, in which the left and right side panels are changed from a lying position to a standing position, the left and right top lids are changed from an open position to an open position, and the front and rear side panels are changed from a lying position to a standing position. This has the effect of dramatically improving the efficiency of assembly work and saving space.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 2, in the lifting mechanism, a pair of upper frame engagement frames can clamp the upper frame from the left and right sides to maintain an engagement state with the left and right sides of the upper frame, which has the effect of preventing the upper frame from accidentally falling when raised by the frame lifting body while maintaining this engagement state. In addition, the position of the container that is placed in the fixed portion and subjected to the operating stress of the lid opening mechanism and side panel locking mechanism can be maintained, and the assembly process can be carried out.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 3, in the lifting mechanism, recesses formed in advance at predetermined positions on the left and right sides of the upper frame for reinforcement and weight reduction in existing containers and for the pivots of the front and rear side panels and the left and right side panels are used as engagement parts into which the engagement protrusions of the upper frame engagement frame are inserted and engaged, which has the effect of more reliably preventing accidents in which the upper frame falls during lifting by the frame lifting body.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 4, in the lid-opening mechanism, the downward rotation of the lid-opening arm positions the tip of the lid receiving claw body below the front and rear edges of the free ends of the left and right upper lids in the closed position, and the lid-opening arm is rotated upward to flip up, so that the tip of the lid receiving claw body supports the left and right upper lids at the front and rear edges and rotates them outward to the open position, ensuring that the upper opening of the upper frame can be opened reliably.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 5, in the lid-opening mechanism, when the lid receiving claw body comes into contact with the front and rear edges of the left and right upper lids from above due to the downward rotation of the lid-opening arm, the tip of the lid receiving claw body can be tilted to a lower position without interfering with the front and rear edges of the left and right upper lids, and furthermore, the claw body biasing means can be used to tilt the tip of the lid receiving claw body to an upright position so that the tip of the lid receiving claw body can be securely inserted and positioned between the front and rear edges of the left and right upper lids and the upper frame.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 6, in the side plate locking mechanism, the downward movement of the arm guide body can be converted into a downward swinging movement of the front and rear side plate pressing arm along the downward rotation trajectory of the front and rear side plates pivoted on the front and rear sides of the upper frame via the link rod, and the front and rear side plate pressing arm can be used to press the front and rear side plates from the inside to the outside, thereby ensuring that the lower ends of the front and rear side plates can be securely engaged with the front and rear ends of the lower frame.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 7, in the transport mechanism, the folded container transported from the upstream side is placed on the placement section formed by the container placement means, and the container assembly work of putting the folded container into the assembled form by each mechanism can be continuously performed.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 8, in the transport mechanism, a pair of closing guides support the pair of left and right upper lids rotated in the opening direction by the opening mechanism downward at a position higher than the height of the upper frame, thereby maintaining the open state of the upper opening of the assembled container, and while sliding the pair of left and right upper lids as the assembled container is transported downstream of the installation surface, the pair of left and right upper lids are rotated in the closing direction at the narrow width portion to place the pair of left and right upper lids in a closed position, thereby closing the upper opening of the container.

1 is an overall perspective view showing a configuration of an automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of an automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of an automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. 1 is a front view showing a configuration of an automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a lifting mechanism and a lid-opening mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a lifting mechanism and a lid-opening mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing an operating state of the lifting mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing an operating state of the lid-opening mechanism according to the present invention. 11 is a schematic side view showing the inverting operation of the lid receiving claw body of the lid opening mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a side plate locking mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing the configuration of a side plate locking mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operating state of the side plate locking mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an operating state of the side plate locking mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism according to the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a foldable container with a lid used in an automatic container assembling device according to the present invention. FIG.

The gist of this invention is that it comprises an upper frame that is rectangular in plan view, a lower frame that is rectangular in plan view and has a bottom, which is arranged below the upper frame, a pair of left and right side plates that face each other left and right between the upper frame and the lower frame, and a pair of front and rear side plates that face each other front and rear between the upper frame and the lower frame, the pair of left and right side plates being rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame and the lower frame, and being able to be bent inward at predetermined positions in the vertical direction via pivot parts along the longitudinal direction, the pair of front and rear side plates being rotatably connected to the front and rear sides of the upper frame, the lower ends of which are engageable with the front and rear ends of the lower frame, and further being rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame, An automatic container assembling device for assembling a lidded foldable container having a pair of left and right upper lids that open and close an upper opening inside the upper frame from a folded configuration in which the left and right upper lids are in a closed position and the left and right side panels and the front and rear side panels are in a laid-down position to an assembled configuration in which the left and right upper lids are in an open position and the left and right side panels and the front and rear side panels are in an upright position, the automatic container assembling device comprising: a placement section for placing the foldable container; a lifting mechanism that engages with the left and right side parts of the upper frame of the foldable container placed on the placement section to lift the upper frame in a direction away from the lower frame and displace the left and right side panels from the laid-down position to an upright position; a lid-opening mechanism that engages with front and rear edge portions of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids in the closed position of the folding container placed on the stationary portion in association with the lifting action of the upper frame by the lifting mechanism, thereby rotating the left and right upper lids in the lid-opening direction, thereby changing the position from the closed position to the open position; and a lid-opening mechanism that, as the pair of left and right upper lids change to the open position by the lid-opening mechanism, enters the inside of the folding container placed on the stationary portion and abuts against the inner surfaces of the pair of front and rear side plates, while pushing the pair of front and rear side plates apart from the inside to the outside, and engages the lower ends of the pair of front and rear side plates with the front and rear end portions of the lower frame, respectively, thereby changing the position of the folding container from the closed position to the open position. The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic container assembly device that is configured with a side plate locking mechanism that displaces the pair of front and rear side plates from a lying position to an upright position, and a base frame is arranged around the stationary portion, the lifting mechanism is configured with a left lifting mechanism unit and a right lifting mechanism unit arranged on the left and right sides of the base frame, respectively, the lid opening mechanism is configured with a left lid opening mechanism unit and a right lid opening mechanism unit arranged on the left and right sides of the base frame, respectively, and the side plate locking mechanism is configured with a front side plate locking mechanism unit and a rear side plate locking mechanism unit arranged in the upper middle part between the left and right side lifting mechanism units of the lifting mechanism.

The lifting mechanism is characterized in that the left and right lifting mechanism sections are made up of a pair of upper frame engagement frames that extend along the length of the left and right sides of the upper frame of the folding container and are capable of engaging adjacent to the left and right sides of the upper frame, and a pair of frame lifting bodies that are connected to the pair of upper frame engagement frames at predetermined positions and are raised and lowered on the outside left and right sides of the folding container to lift and lower the upper frame engagement frames.

The upper frame engagement frame is also characterized by having engagement protrusions that are inserted into and engage with recesses formed at predetermined positions on the left and right sides of the upper frame.

The lid-opening mechanism is characterized in that the left and right lid-opening mechanism is made up of a pair of lid-opening arms pivoted to rotate vertically in opposition to each other at the front and rear ends of the pair of frame lifting bodies, and a lid receiving claw body pivoted to be inverted at the tips of the pair of lid-opening arms, the tips of which can support the front and rear edges of the free ends of the left and right upper lids of the folding container from below.

The lid receiving claw body also has a claw body biasing means that rotates to a tilted position when the tip of the lid receiving claw body comes into contact with the front and rear side edges of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids from above and an upward reaction force is applied to the lid receiving claw body as the pair of lid opening arms rotate downward, and returns to an upright position when the upward reaction force is not applied.

The side plate locking mechanism is characterized in that the front and rear side plate locking mechanism is constituted by a support frame arranged above the stationary portion, an arm guide body arranged on the support frame and capable of descending from the support frame to the inside of the folding container, a pair of link rods whose base ends are rotatably supported at the center of the front and rear direction of the support frame, and a pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms whose base ends are rotatably supported at the tips of the pair of link rods and whose mid-portions are rotatably supported at the front and rear ends of the arm guide body, and which swing back and forth in directions away from each other as the arm guide body descends to press the pair of front and rear side plates downward from the inside to the outside.

The system is also characterized by having a container placement means for forming the placement section at a predetermined position on the conveying surface along which the folding container in the folded form is conveyed, and a conveying mechanism that enables the folding container in the assembled form by the lifting mechanism, the lid opening mechanism, and the side panel locking mechanism to be conveyed downstream of the placement section.

The transport mechanism is also characterized by having a pair of closing guides that extend from the position of the lid opening mechanism downstream in the transport direction with the distance between them gradually narrowing so as to hold the pair of left and right upper lids that have been rotated in the lid opening direction by the lid opening mechanism at a position higher than the height of the upper frame.

The present invention will be described below in the following order: [1] Overview of the container; [2] Overall overview of the automatic container assembly device; [3] Lifting mechanism; [4] Lift-opening mechanism; [5] Side panel locking mechanism; [6] Transport mechanism; [7] Electrical configuration and operation of the automatic container assembly device. In addition, for [2] to [7], the sides with opposing front and rear side panels are referred to as the "front side" and "rear side" or the "front side" and "rear side", the sides with opposing left and right side panels are referred to as the "left side" and "right side", the side with the upper frame is referred to as the "upper side" and "flat side", and the side with the lower frame is referred to as the "lower side" and "bottom side".

[1] Schematic Description of Container As shown in Figures 18(a) to 18(c), a container C assembled by an automatic container assembly device A (hereinafter also simply referred to as this device A) is a foldable container C with a lid, which includes an upper frame F having a rectangular shape in plan view, a lower frame B having a rectangular shape in plan view and a bottom and disposed below the upper frame F, a pair of left and right side plates LP, RP bent at the center so as to form a long side wall facing left and right between the upper frame F and the lower frame B, a pair of front and rear side plates FP, BP whose lower ends engage with the lower frame B so as to form a short side wall facing front and rear between the upper frame F and the lower frame B, and a pair of left and right upper lids LT, RT rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame F and facing left and right to open and close a semi-opening of an upper opening F3 having a rectangular shape in plan view inside the upper frame F. Note that even folding containers without lids can be assembled by this device A.

The upper frame F is rectangular in plan view and is composed of front, rear, left and right frames F1, F1', F2, F2'. The left and right frames F1, F1' are recessed inward to form recesses F10 for reinforcement, weight reduction, and pivots of the front and rear side plates FP, BP and the left and right side plates LP, RP. In this embodiment, two recesses F10 are formed on the outside of the front and rear end vicinity of the left and right frames F1, F1' for engaging with the engagement protrusions of the upper frame engagement frame described below. In addition, a finger engagement recess F20 is formed in the center of the upper edge of the front and rear frames F2, F2'. The finger engagement recess F20 causes the front and rear side edges LT10, LT10', RT10, RT10' of the free ends of the left and right upper covers LT, RT to protrude outward from the upper edge of the front and rear frames F2, F2' when the left and right upper covers LT, RT are closed.

The lower frame B has a bottomed, upwardly open U-shape in cross section, and is composed of a bottom plate portion B3 that is a rectangular flat plate in plan view as shown in FIG. 18(b), and front, rear, left and right side frames B1, B1', B2, B2' that are raised along the periphery of the bottom plate portion B3.

As shown in FIG. 18(b) and FIG. 18(c), the pair of left and right side plates LP, RP each have two side plate parts, a long side upper plate part LP1, RP1 arranged on the upper side and a long side lower plate part LP2, RP2 arranged on the lower side. The long side upper plate parts LP1, RP1 are pivotally connected to the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F at the upper end via a pivot part below the upper frame F. The long side lower plate parts LP2, RP2 are pivotally connected to the front and rear frames F2, F2' of the lower frame B at the lower end via a pivot part above the lower frame B. The long side upper plate parts LP1, RP1 and the long side lower plate parts LP2, RP2 are pivotally connected to each other via a pivot part provided on the outside with the end faces of their lower end and upper end butted against each other, so that the left and right side plates LP, RP can be bent inward.

A pair of front and rear side plates FP, BP are connected to the front and rear frames F2, F2' of the upper frame F so as to be rotatable downward. The lower ends of the front and rear side plates FP, BP abut and engage with the inside of the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the lower frame B, respectively. The lower ends of the front and rear side plates FP, BP and the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the lower frame B may be configured to be engageable with each other. In other words, the front and rear side plates FP, BP are pivotally displaced from the upper frame F to engage their lower ends with the upper ends of the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the lower frame B, respectively, and maintain an independent upright position between the upper frame F and the lower frame B, thereby fulfilling the function of supporting columns for the assembled container C.

The pair of left and right upper covers LT, RT are connected to the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F in a double door manner. When closed, the left and right upper covers LT, RT are flush with each other in a closed position so that they close the half-opening of the inner upper opening F3 on the upper frame F, and their free edges face each other in a corrugated shape that can be engaged with each other.

As shown in FIG. 18(a), a container C having such a configuration undergoes three folding steps: a front and rear side panel collapse step in which the front and rear side panels FP, BP are rotated upward to assume a collapsed position; a left and right side panel collapse step in which the left and right side panels LP, RP are bent inward via their pivots to assume a collapsed position; and a lid closing step in which the left and right upper lids LT, RT above the upper frame F are rotated inward to assume a closed position, and the upper frame F and lower frame B are folded together to transform from the assembled form to the folded form.

Meanwhile, the container C undergoes three assembly steps, as shown in FIG. 18(c), in which the left and right upper covers LT, RT above the upper frame F are rotated outward to assume an open position; the left and right side panel erection step in which the left and right side panels LP, RP are extended upright via the pivots to assume an erect position; and the front and rear side panel erection step in which the front and rear side panels FP, BP are rotated downward to engage their lower ends with the lower frame B to assume an independent erect position. As a result, a pair of long side walls and a pair of short side walls are formed between the upper frame F and the lower frame B by the left and right side panels LP, RP in the erect position and the front and rear side panels FP, BP.

[2] Overall Overview of the Automatic Container Assembling Device Next, an overall overview of the automatic container assembling device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an overall perspective view showing the configuration of the automatic container assembling device, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the automatic container assembling device, Figure 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the automatic container assembling device, and Figure 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the automatic container assembling device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the device A is generally composed of a transport mechanism 5 for transporting containers C, a stationary section 1 for placing containers C in a folded state formed midway along the transport surface of the transport mechanism 5, and a lifting mechanism 2, a lid opening mechanism 3, and a side panel locking mechanism 4 for transforming the containers C placed on the stationary section 1 from the folded state to the containers C in an assembled state.

As shown in Fig. 1, the stationary section 1 and the mechanisms 2, 3, 4, and 5 are disposed at predetermined positions on a base frame 6 assembled from a plurality of vertical and horizontal frame sections 61, 62. In particular, the stationary section 1, the lifting mechanism 2, the lid-opening mechanism 3, and the side panel locking mechanism 4 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4), which are the main assembled parts of the container C, are provided on a rectangular frame 60 in the shape of a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped disposed in the longitudinal center of the base frame 6, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4.

In other words, in this device A, a base frame 60a is disposed around the stationary portion 1, the lifting mechanism 2 is composed of a left lifting mechanism part 2L and a right lifting mechanism part 2R disposed on the left and right sides of the base frame 60a, the lid-opening mechanism 3 is composed of a left lifting mechanism part 3L and a right lifting mechanism part 3R disposed on the left and right sides of the base frame 60a, and the side plate locking mechanism 4 is composed of a front side plate locking mechanism part 4F and a rear side plate locking mechanism part 4B disposed in the upper middle part between the left and right lifting mechanism parts 2L and 2R of the lifting mechanism 2.

In other words, this device A is configured such that the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 are disposed relatively to the left, right, and upper sides of the base frame 60a with the stationary section 1 at the center, so that various automatic assembly operations can be performed in the same location, transforming the container C placed on the stationary section 1 from a folded form to an assembled form by the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4.

The stationary section 1 keeps the folded container C in a stationary position facing a fixed direction, and when each of the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 carries out the corresponding assembly process on the container C, it maintains the fixed position so that the container C, which is subjected to the work stresses of each of the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4, does not inadvertently change position.

In other words, the stationary portion 1 has a stationary surface 10 having a rectangular shape in a plan view, which is approximately the same as the bottom frame B of the container C for placing the container C, and by arranging the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 on the left, right, and upper sides of the stationary surface 10 as the center, it is configured as a virtual square space (the area surrounded by dashed lines in Figures 2 to 4 and 6 ) which is approximately the same as the external shape of the container C in the assembled form.

The stationary section 1 has an imaginary rectangular space with its front and rear sides open, and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the rear opening serves as a container insertion port 11B for inserting a folded container C into the stationary section 1, while the front opening serves as a container removal port 11F for removing the container C that has been transformed from a folded state to an assembled state by the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 within the stationary section 1.

The stationary section 1 is also configured so that the container C placed on the stationary surface 10 can be stationary with its movement restricted in the left-right and front-rear directions in a plan view by the container stationary means 51 that abuts and engages with the front and rear outer sides of the bottom frame B of the container C.

The container placement means may be anything that can abut and engage at least the front and rear outer sides of the lower frame B to hold the position of the container C, and may be, for example, protrusions erected on the front and rear edges of the placement surface 10. Details will be described later, but the container placement means of this embodiment is composed of a pair of front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b that can be inverted on the front and rear edges of the placement surface 10.

Thus, the stationary section 1 functions as an assembly workbench for the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, 4 arranged on the left, right, top, bottom, and right sides thereof to stably carry out the container assembly process. The container C is placed on the stationary surface 10 in the stationary section 1 with its left and right sides parallel to the left and right sides of the stationary section 1 and its front and rear sides parallel to the front and rear sides of the stationary section 1.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the lifting mechanism 2 is configured by arranging a left-side lifting mechanism unit 2L and a right-side lifting mechanism unit 2R on the left and right sides of the base frame 60a, i.e., the left and right sides of the stationary section 1. The lifting mechanism 2 abuts and engages with the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F of the container C placed on the stationary section 1 using the left and right lifting mechanism units 2L, 2R to clamp the upper frame F from the left and right sides and lift it in a direction away from the lower frame B, displacing the left and right side plates LP, RP from a lying-down position to an upright position. In other words, the lifting mechanism 2 executes the left and right side plate erection process in the assembly process of the container C.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lid-opening mechanism 3 is configured by arranging a left lid-opening mechanism unit 3L and a right lid-opening mechanism unit 3R on the left and right sides of the base frame 60a, i.e., the front and rear and left and right sides of the stationary part 1, respectively. As the upper frame is raised by the lifting mechanism 2, the lid-opening mechanism 3 engages with the front and rear edge portions LT10, LT10', RT10, RT10' of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids LT, RT in the closed position of the container C placed on the stationary part 1 by the left and right lid-opening mechanisms 3L, 3R, and rotates the left and right upper lids LT, RT in the lid-opening direction to displace them from the closed position to the open position. In other words, the lid-opening mechanism 3 performs the lid-opening process in the assembly process of the container C.

The lifting mechanism 2 and the lid-opening mechanism 3 are configured to simultaneously perform the opening operation of the left and right upper lids LT and RT of the folded container C by the lid-opening mechanism 3 and the lifting operation of the upper frame F of the folded container C by the lifting mechanism 2, thereby shortening the cycle time of the container assembly process. In other words, the device A is configured to simultaneously perform the left and right side panel erection process and the lid-opening process of the container C by synchronously linking the lifting mechanism 2 and the lid-opening mechanism 3.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the side plate locking mechanism 4 is composed of a front side plate locking mechanism 4F and a rear side plate locking mechanism 4B arranged in the upper intermediate portion between the left and right lifting mechanism parts 2L, 2R of the lifting mechanism 2, i.e., above the stationary part 1. As the left and right upper lids LT, RT are displaced to the open position by the lid opening mechanism 3, the side plate locking mechanism 4 penetrates the inside of the container C placed on the stationary part 1 by the front and rear side plate locking mechanism parts 4F, 4B and abuts against the inner surfaces of the pair of front and rear side plates FP, BP, while pushing the front and rear side plates FP, BP from the inside to the outside, and engages the lower ends of the front and rear side plates FP, BP with the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the bottom plate part B3 to displace the front and rear side plates FP, BP from the lying position to the standing position. In other words, the side plate locking mechanism 4 executes the front and rear side plate standing process in the assembly process of the container C.

As described above, the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 are arranged on the base frame 60a (rectangular frame 60) so as to perform relative operations to realize each assembly process of the container C, with the container C in a folded form fixed in the fixed section 1 in a stationary state at the center. The container C that has been transformed from a folded form to an assembled form by the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 in the fixed section 1 is transported downstream from the fixed section 1 by the transport mechanism 5 shown in Figure 1 and used for storing and delivering the items to be delivered.

[3] Lifting mechanism Next, a specific configuration of the lifting mechanism 2 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lifting mechanism and the lid-opening mechanism, Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of the lifting mechanism and the lid-opening mechanism, Fig. 7(a) is a schematic front view showing the lowered position of the lifting mechanism in an operating state, and Fig. 7(b) is a schematic front view showing the raised position of the lifting mechanism in an operating state.

As shown in Figures 3 to 7(b), the lifting mechanism 2 comprises a pair of upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' that extend along the length of the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F of the container C and are capable of engaging with the left and right frames F1, F1' in close proximity to each other, and a pair of left and right frame lifting bodies 21, 21' that are connected to the pair of left and right upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' at predetermined positions and rise and fall on the outside left and right sides of the container C to lift and lower the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20', constituting the left and right lifting mechanism sections 2L, 2R.

That is, the left and right lifting mechanisms 2L, 2R are composed of frame lifting bodies 21, 21' which are lifted and lowered in conjunction with each other by a lifting drive unit 26, and upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' which are moved in close proximity in conjunction with each other by slide drives 24, 24' connected to the upper ends of the frame lifting bodies 21, 21'.

The left and right lifting mechanism parts 2L, 2R, i.e., the pair of upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' and the pair of frame lifting bodies 21, 21', are arranged symmetrically on the left and right outer sides of the stationary part 1 (stationary surface 10) when viewed from the front, as shown in Figure 6, with respect to a center line (shown by a dashed line in Figure 6) that extends in the front-rear direction from the left-right center of the stationary part 1.

The pair of upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' are long strips extending along the left and right side edges of the stationary portion 1 as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and are connected to the upper portions of the pair of frame lifting bodies 21, 21' via flat brackets 23, 23' fixed to protrude inward of the stationary portion 1, so that the plate surfaces 20a, 20a' that form perpendicular surfaces to the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' face each other as shown in Figure 6.

The pair of upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' can be moved toward the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F from the left and right sides by the sliding stress of slide drive units 24, 24' that operate synchronously as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The slide drive units 24, 24' can be anything that can apply sliding stress to the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20', and may be, for example, a drive cylinder or a drive motor.

The slide drive unit 24, 24' in this embodiment is a drive cylinder 240, 240' having a drive rod 241, 241' that advances and retreats as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), and the drive cylinder 240, 240' is fixed so that the tip direction of the drive rod 241 faces the inside of the stationary part 1 and the advance and retreat direction of the drive rod 241 is along the left and right sides of the stationary part 1. At the tip of this drive rod 241, the plate surfaces 20a, 20a' are opposed to each other and the upper frame engagement frame 20, 20' is provided to form a vertical surface.

The slide drive unit 24 controls the distance the drive rod 241 advances from its most retracted position to its most advanced position so that the plate surfaces 20a, 20a' of the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' connected to the tip of the rod slide parallel to the outer surfaces of the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F of the container C, and the engagement protrusions 25, 25' described below engage with the recesses F10.

In other words, the slide drive unit 24 drives the drive rods 241, 241' to a position where the engagement protrusions 25, 25' of the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' do not interfere with the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F of the container C when the drive rods 241, 241' are in their most retreated position, and drives the drive rods 241, 241' to a position where the engagement protrusions 25, 25' engage with the recesses F10 of the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F when the drive rods 241, 241' are in their most advanced position.

In addition, the front and rear ends of the opposing plate surfaces 20a, 20a' of the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' are provided with two engagement protrusions 25, 25', totaling four, which are inserted into two recesses F10 formed in the front and rear ends of the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F, as shown in Figures 6 to 7(b).

The engagement projections 25, 25' are generally cylindrical as shown in FIG. 5, and protrude outward from the plate surfaces 20a, 20a' of the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' in the direction of approach to the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper container frame F in the folded state as shown in FIG. 7(a). The protruding length of the engagement projections 25, 25' is less than the groove depth of the recess F10.

The frame lifting body 21 is roughly L-shaped when viewed from the side, and is arranged on the left and right outer sides of the stationary part 1 as shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the frame lifting body 21 is equipped with front and rear vertical frame parts 210a, 210b that extend vertically while maintaining a certain distance between the front and rear sides, and a pair of upper and lower horizontal frame parts 211a, 211b that extend horizontally at the upper and lower ends of the front and rear vertical frame parts 210a, 210b.

Brackets 23, 23' are provided at the center of the upper horizontal frame parts 211a, 211a' facing inward of the stationary part 1. In addition, the upper horizontal frame parts 211a, 211a' are provided with left and right upper cover receiving stays 212, 212' that receive, at their lower parts, the pair of left and right upper covers LT, RT that have been put into the open position by the cover-opening mechanism 3.

The left and right upper cover receiving stays 212, 212' are erected on the front and rear sides of the upper horizontal frame parts 211a, 211a' as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and the tips of the support rods 212b, 212b' are bent in a roughly L-shape when viewed from the front so as to jut out inwardly of the stationary part 1, and the receiving surfaces 212a, 212a' that come into contact with the left and right upper covers LT, RT at the tips are arranged so as to face inwardly and diagonally upwardly of the stationary part 1.

The frame lifting body 21 is configured to be able to rise and fall by the driving force of the lifting drive unit 26 arranged at the bottom of the base frame 60a. The lifting drive unit 26 may be any unit capable of applying lifting power to the frame lifting body 21. In this embodiment, the lifting drive unit 26 is a drive motor 260, which is arranged in the center below the stationary part 1 as shown in Figures 5 to 7(b).

A drive shaft 261 that is driven to rotate by the power of the motor is attached to the drive motor 260 as shown in Figures 6 to 7 (b). The drive shaft 261 extends between the pair of frame lifting bodies 21, 21' with the direction of rotation (the tangential direction of the rotation) along the front-rear direction of the stationary part 1.

As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), cam plates 27, 27', which are elliptical in side view, are pivotally attached to both ends of the drive shaft 261 at the center of gravity of the oval shape so as to rotate together with the drive shaft 261.

A rotor 270, 270' that rotates in the same direction as the cam plate 27, 27' is rotatably attached to the outside of the elliptical tip of the cam plate 27, 27' as a contact, and the rotor 270, 270' is loosely fitted into the cam groove portion 27a, 27a' provided in the lower horizontal frame portion 211b, 211b'.

The cam grooves 27a, 27a' are formed as an L-shaped inner space between the cam follower rails 270a, 270a' and the lower horizontal frame parts 211b, 211b' by arranging the open sides of the L shape of the cam follower rails 270a, 270a', which are L-shaped in cross section and extend forward and backward with approximately the same length as the lower horizontal frame parts 211b, 211b', facing each other and vertically attaching the upper parts of the long sides of the L shape to the lower horizontal frame parts 211b, 211b', as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b).

That is, the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' are linked to the lifting drive unit 26 via a cam structure consisting of the cam plates 27, 27' and the cam grooves 27a, 27a'. As a result, as the cam plates 27, 27' rotate, driven by the drive motor 260 via the drive shaft 261, the rotors 270, 270' at the ends of the cam plates 27, 27' rotate up and down around the drive shaft 261 and move in the front-rear direction while being guided by the cam grooves 27a, 27a', allowing the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' to move up and down.

In addition, two lift guide shafts 28a, 28b extending parallel to the front and rear vertical frame sections 210a, 210b are fixed to the base frame 60a and stand upright on the front and rear sides on the outer left and right sides of the front and rear vertical frame sections 210a, 210b. Guide bushes 29 that fit loosely into the lift guide shafts 28 are fixed to the lower parts of the front and rear vertical frame sections 210a, 210b. In other words, the frame lift body 21 slides up and down while being guided via the lift guide structure formed by the lift guide shafts 28a, 28b and the guide bushes 29a, 29b.

In this way, the frame lifting body 21 converts the driving force transmitted from the lifting drive unit 26 into lifting power via the cam structure of the cam plate 27 and the cam groove portion 27a, and the lifting guide structure of the lifting guide shafts 28a, 28b and the guide bushes 29a, 29b, enabling it to rise outside the left and right sides of the stationary portion 1.

The lifting drive unit 26 controls the movement distance of the frame lifting body 21 from its lowest position to its highest position so that it is the same as the height of the container C in the assembled form, that is, the vertical length of the left and right side plates LP, RP in the upright position shown in Figures 18(b) and 18(c).

In other words, when the frame lifting body 21 is in the lowest position, the lifting drive unit 26 is controlled so that the upper frame engagement frame 20 is positioned opposite the upper frame F of the folded container C placed on the stationary section 1, while when the frame lifting body 21 is in the highest position, the upper frame F engaged with the upper frame engagement frame 20 is lifted up from the lower frame B and positioned at the same height as the vertical length of the left and right side plates LP, RP in an upright position.

In this way, the lifting mechanism 2 engages closely with the left and right frames F1, F1' so as to clamp the upper frame F of the folded container C from the left and right sides, respectively, using the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' of the left and right lifting mechanism parts 2L, 2R, as shown in FIG. 7(a).

In this state, even if the container C is subjected to the operating stresses of the lid opening mechanism 3 and side panel locking mechanism 4 described below, the container C maintains a stable placement position, stabilizing the execution of the assembly process by each assembly mechanism 2, 3, and 4.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7(b), when the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' are raised while the upper frame F of the pair of left and right upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' is kept engaged with the left and right side frames F1, F1', the upper frame F of the container C is lifted up from the lower frame B, and the left and right side plates LP, RP between the upper frame F and the lower frame B are extended upright, allowing the container C to assume an upright position.

[4] Lid Opening Mechanism Next, the specific configuration of the lid opening mechanism 3 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 8 is a schematic front view showing the operating state of the lid opening mechanism, and Fig. 9 is a schematic side view showing the inverted operation of the lid receiving claw body of the lid opening mechanism.

As shown in Figures 5, 6, 8(a) and 8(b), the lid-opening mechanism 3 is made up of a pair of lid-opening arms 30, 30' that are pivotally attached to the front and rear ends of a pair of frame lifting bodies 21, 21' in opposition to each other so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a pair of lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' that are pivotally attached to the tips of the arms so as to be inverted, and whose tips 310, 310 can support the front and rear edge parts LT10, LT10' of the free ends of the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the container C from below, forming the left and right lid-opening mechanism parts 3L, 3R.

That is, the left and right lid-opening mechanisms 3L and 3R are configured with lid-opening arms 30 and 30' that rotate up and down in sync with the lid-opening drive units 32 and 32', and lid receiving claw bodies 31 and 31' that are pivotally supported at the tips of the lid-opening arms 30 and 30' so that they can tilt.

The left and right lid-opening mechanisms 3L, 3R rotate their respective lid-opening arms 30, 30' up and down in sync, and also link and control the vertical rotation of the lid-opening arms 30, 30' to synchronize with the vertical lifting operation of the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' of the left and right lifting mechanisms 2L, 2R described above. This allows the lid-opening mechanism 3 to simultaneously open the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the folded container C and the lifting mechanism 2 to simultaneously lift the upper frame F of the folded container C.

As shown in FIG. 6, the opening arms 30, 30' of the left and right opening mechanism parts 3L, 3R are arranged on the outside of the left and right sides of the stationary part 1 in a plan view, symmetrically with respect to a center line (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 6) that extends in the front-to-rear direction to the left-to-right center of the stationary part 1, and as shown in FIG. 3, a total of four are provided, one pair on the left and right at the rear of the stationary part 1 and one pair on the left and right at the front of the stationary part 1 in a side view.

The opposing state of the pair of lid-opening arms 30, 30' at the front and rear ends of the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' refers to a state in which they are relatively opposed to each other on the left and right sides of the stationary part 1, and also includes a state in which they are arranged point-symmetrically around the center point of the stationary part 1 in a plan view. In other words, at least one each of the two lid-opening arms 30, 30' that correspond to the pair of left and right upper lids LT, RT of the container C is arranged on the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' on the outer left and right sides of the container C.

The lid-opening arms 30, 30' are mounted on the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' at positions where they can rotate up and down at the front and rear outer positions of the container C placed on the stationary section 1 without interfering with the container C, as shown in FIG. 6, and where the tips 310, 310' of the lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' interfere with the front and rear ends of the container C when they rotate up and down.

In other words, the opening arms 30, 30' are disposed on the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' so that the sum of their respective rotation radii is equal to or less than the length of the front and rear edges of the stationary part 1, and their respective rotation directions (tangential directions due to rotation) are parallel to the left and right directions of the stationary part 1 outside the front and rear ends of the stationary part 1.

The lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' are attached to the tips of the lid opening arms 30, 30' at positions where the tip portions 310, 310' overlap the front and rear ends of the stationary part 1, i.e., the front and rear edge portions LT10, LT10' of the free ends of the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the container C placed on the stationary part 1, as shown in FIG. 6, and the inverted displacement direction is along the front and rear direction of the stationary part 1.

That is, the lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' are pivotally mounted on the tips of the lid opening arms 30, 30' with their tips 310, 310' facing the inside of the stationary part 1 and their inverted displacement direction perpendicular to the rotational displacement direction of the lid opening arms 30, 30'.

The pair of lid-opening arms 30, 30' in this relative positional relationship can be rotated up and down by the driving force of the lid-opening drive units 32, 32' provided at the side ends of the frame lifting bodies 21, 21', respectively, as shown in Figures 5, 6, and 8.

Each lid-opening drive unit 32, 32' is a drive motor 320, 320' having a drive shaft 321, 321' that rotates synchronously. Four drive shafts 321, 321' are arranged at the left and right ends of the upper horizontal frame parts 211a, 211a' of the frame lifting body 21, 21' with the axial direction of the drive shafts 321, 321' facing the front and rear sides of the stationary part 1 and the shaft tips facing outward.

The lid-opening drive unit 32 is controlled to position the tip ends 310, 310' of the lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' at the tips of the lid-opening arms 30, 30' below the front and rear edge portions LT10, LT10' of the free ends of the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the folded container C placed on the stationary portion 1 in the lowest rotational position where the lid-opening arms 30, 30' are in a lying-down position as shown in FIG. 8(b).

The lid-opening drive unit 32 is controlled to raise the lid-opening arms 30, 30' at the uppermost rotational position in which the lid-opening arms 30, 30' are in an upright position as shown in FIG. 8(a) at an opening angle that ensures a path for the assembled container C placed on the stationary part 1 to move forward and backward from the stationary part 1.

As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), each of these lid-opening drive units 32, 32' synchronizes the operation of each lid-opening arm 30, 30', and controls each lid-opening arm 30, 30' to rotate downward to a lying position and to rotate upward to an upright position.

In addition, in the lifting mechanism 2, when the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' of the lifting mechanism 2 are in the lowest position as shown in FIG. 8(a), the lid-opening arms 30, 30' are positioned in the lowest rotation position and are in a lying position, and as the frame lifting body 21 rises, the lid-opening arms 30, 30' are rotated upward, and when the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' are in the highest position as shown in FIG. 8(b), the lid-opening arms 30, 30' are positioned in the highest rotation position and are in an upright position. Each lid-opening drive unit 32, 32' is configured to be synchronously linked with the lifting drive unit 26 via a control unit.

This eliminates the time lag between the process of raising the left and right side panels of container C using the lifting mechanism 2 and the process of opening the lid of container C using the lid-opening mechanism 3, making it a one-step process, thereby making it possible to shorten the cycle time of the container assembly process.

As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the opening arms 30, 30' are plates that are roughly L-shaped when viewed from the side, and include a roughly circular arm base portion 300, 300' that corresponds to the short side of the L, and a roughly long, strip-shaped arm body portion 301, 301' that corresponds to the long side of the L.

The cover-opening arm 30 has its plate surface facing the front and rear of the stationary part 1, and is connected to the drive shaft 321 of the cover-opening drive part 32 at the arm base 300, so that it rotates integrally with the drive shaft 321, and the rotation direction of the arm main body part 301 (the tangent direction due to the rotation) is directed to the left and right of the stationary part 1.

The length of the pair of opposing left and right opening arms is set so that when the opening arms 30, 30' are rotated downward by the opening drive unit 32 and placed in a lying position as shown in FIG. 8(a), the tips 310, 310' of the lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' are positioned below the front and rear side edges LT10, LT10' of the free ends of the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the container C in the folded state.

As shown in Figures 9(a) to 9(c), the lid receiving claw body 31 is pivotally supported at the base 312 via a pivot 34 on a bearing 33 attached to the tip of the lid opening arm 30 so that it can tilt backward.

As shown in Figure 6 and Figures 9(a) to 9(c), the lid receiving claw body 31 is a hook-shaped member that is roughly Z-shaped in side view and has a predetermined thickness, and is composed of a tip portion 310 on which the left and right upper lids LT and RT are placed, an upright portion 311 that extends downward from the base end of the tip portion 310, and a base portion 312 that extends from the bottom end of the upright portion 311 in the opposite direction to the extension direction of the tip portion 310.

The tip 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31 is formed as a flat surface so that the upper surface 310a is a horizontal plane when the lid receiving claw body 31 is in an upright position (when the upright portion 311 of the lid receiving claw body 31 is in a substantially vertical position) as shown in Figures 9(b) and 9(c), allowing the left and right upper lids LT and RT of the container C to be placed on it. In addition, the tip 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31 is formed as a vertical surface at the rear surface 310b that is perpendicular to the upper surface 310a and continues to the outer surface of the upright portion 311.

9B, the base 312 of the lid receiving claw body 31 has a lower surface 312a that is flat and parallel to the upper surface 310a of the tip portion 310, and a rear end edge 312b that is formed in a semicircular arc shape in side view that follows the rotation trajectory of the pivot 34. The rear portion 312c of the base 312 of the lid receiving claw body 31 forms a pivot portion through which the pivot 34 is inserted, the center position of an imaginary circle formed by the semicircular arc shape of the rear end edge 312b in side view.

The bearing 33 has an upwardly open U-shape in cross section, and has a bottom wall portion 330 with the inner bottom surface 330a formed as a flat surface, and left and right side walls 331, 331' erected on the left and right sides of the bottom wall portion 330 with a gap equal to the thickness of the lid receiving claw body 31.

That is, the lid receiving claw body 31 is pivotally attached to the left and right side walls 331, 331' of the bearing 33 at the rear 312c of the base 312 via the pivot 34, with the base 312 positioned between the left and right side walls 331, 331' and the lower surface 312a of the base 312 in surface contact with the inner bottom surface 330a of the bottom wall 330 of the bearing 33, as shown in FIG. 9(b).

As a result, the lid receiving claw body 31 is in an upright position with the upper surface 310a of the tip 310 horizontal, with the lower surface 312a of the base 312 face-to-face engaged with the inner bottom surface 330a of the bearing 33 and supported by the bearing 33. On the other hand, when upward stress is applied to the tip 310, the lid receiving claw body 31 rotates backward about the pivot 34, and the lower surface 312a of the base moves away from the inner bottom surface 330a of the bearing 33 and assumes a tilted position tilted backward.

As shown in Figures 9(a) to 9(c), the lid receiving claw body 31 comes into contact with the front and rear side edges LT10, LT10' of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids LT, RT from above as the pair of lid opening arms 30, 30' rotate downward, and rotates to a tilted position when an upward reaction force is applied, and has a claw body biasing means 35 that returns to an upright position when there is no upward reaction force.

The claw body biasing means 35 may be any device capable of applying a biasing force that causes the lid receiving claw body 31 to assume a tilted position when an upward reaction force is applied to the tip 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31, and returns the lid receiving claw body 31 to an upright position when no upward reaction force is applied.

The claw body biasing means 35 may be, for example, a spring, a leaf spring, an elastic body such as resin, or a drive cylinder. Also, the weight of the tip 310 may be made greater than that of the upright portion 311 and the base portion 312, thereby positioning the center of gravity at the tip 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31, and the center of gravity may be made eccentric toward the tip side based on the axis mounting position.

The claw body biasing means 35 in this embodiment is a pressure spring cylinder 350 equipped with a pressure rod 352 that is constantly biased outward by an internally fitted spring 351, and the pressure spring cylinder 350 is interposed between the bearing 33 and the lid receiving claw body 31.

Specifically, the pressure spring cylinder 350 is fixed to the rear upper surface of the bearing 33 by pressing the tip of the pressure rod 352 against the rear surface 310b of the tip portion 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31, so that it is interposed between the bearing 33 and the lid receiving claw body 31.

As a result, when the tip 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31 comes into contact with the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the container C at its underside as the lid opening arm 30 rotates downward as shown in FIG. 9(a), the left and right upper lids LT, RT apply an upward reaction force against the contracting elastic force of the spring 351, causing the lid receiving claw body 31 to rotate backward around the pivot 34 and assume a tilted position tilted backward.

At this time, the lid receiving claw body 31 slides the tip surface of the tip portion 310 against the outer surface of the front and rear edge portions LT10, RT10 of the left and right upper lids LT, RT, while receiving an upward reaction force against the biasing force of the claw body biasing means 35, and maintains the tilted posture and moves toward the lower position of the front and rear edge portions LT10, RT10.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the lid receiving claw body 31 is constantly subjected to an outward pressing force from the rear end of the tip portion 310 to the tip end by the contracting elastic force of the spring 351 via the pressure rod 352, causing it to rotate around the pivot 34 and take an upright position with the top surface 310a of the tip portion 310 horizontal.

That is, when the tip 310 of the lid receiving claw body 31 fits into the finger engagement recess F20 below the front and rear side edges LT10 and RT10 and the upward reaction force from the front and rear side edges LT10 and RT10 disappears, the lid receiving claw body 31 returns to the upright position due to the biasing force of the claw body biasing means 35.

The lid receiving claw body 31 in an upright position with the tip 310 positioned below the front and rear edge portions LT10, RT10 can support the left and right upper lids LT, RT downwards by abutting and engaging the upper surface 310a of the tip 310 against the lower surfaces of the front and rear edge portions LT10, RT10 of the left and right upper lids LT, RT as the lid opening arm 30 rotates upward, as shown in Figure 9 (c).

In this way, the lid-opening mechanism 3 rotates the left and right top lids LT and RT, which are in the closed position, outward to the open position using the lid-opening arms 30 and 30' of the left and right lid-opening mechanism parts 3L and 3R, respectively, to perform the lid-opening process of the container C, which opens the upper opening F3 of the upper frame F. In addition, the left and right top lids LT and RT in the open position are held in an expanded position inclined outward in front view by the left and right lid receiving stays 212 and 212', as shown in Figure 8 (b).

[5] Side Plate Locking Mechanism Next, a specific configuration of the side plate locking mechanism 4 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the side plate locking mechanism, Fig. 11 is an enlarged front view showing the configuration of the side plate locking mechanism, and Figs. 12 and 13 are schematic side views showing the operation state of the side plate locking mechanism.

As shown in Figures 10 to 13(b), the side plate locking mechanism 4 is made up of a support frame 40 arranged above the stationary section 1, an arm guide body 41 arranged on the support frame 40 and capable of descending from the support frame 40 to the inside of the container C, a pair of front and rear link rods 42a, 42b whose base ends are rotatably supported at the center of the support frame 40 in the fore-aft direction, and a pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b whose base ends are rotatably supported at the tips of the pair of front and rear link rods 42a, 42b and whose mid-portions are rotatably supported at the front and rear ends of the arm guide body 41, constituting the front and rear side plate locking mechanism parts 4F, 4B.

That is, the front and rear side plate locking mechanism parts 4F, 4B are configured with front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b that swing in synchronization with the arm guide body 41 that is raised and lowered by the lifting drive part 44 via link rods 42a, 42b.

The support frame 40 is configured by fixing a base 400, which is a square plate in plan view, to the center of the upper surface of the base frame 60a shown in Figures 2 to 4, and the stationary part 1 is disposed below it in the center of the square frame 60 as described above.

As shown in FIG. 10, the support frame 40 is provided with a lifting drive unit 44 that allows the arm guide body 41 to be lowered. In other words, the arm guide body 41 is configured to be liftable and lowerable by the lifting power of the lifting drive unit 44.

The lifting drive unit 44 may be, for example, a drive cylinder, as long as it can impart lifting power to the arm guide body 41. In this embodiment, the lifting drive unit 44 is a drive motor 440 as shown in FIG. 11, and is disposed on the base 400 of the support frame 40 with the drive shaft 441 facing the left and right directions of the stationary part 1.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the arm guide body 41 is a body that is U-shaped with an open downward cross section and a generally convex shape in side view, and has left and right side wall portions 410, 410' that correspond to the upper and lower horizontal sides of the U shape and are arranged at a regular interval, and an upper wall portion 411 that corresponds to the vertical side of the U shape and extends between the upper ends of the left and right side wall portions 410, 410'.

A bearing 450 is mounted in the center of the upper wall portion 411 of the arm guide body 41 to which the tip of the connecting rod 45 (described later) is rotatably attached.

As shown in Figures 11 to 13(b), a crankshaft 46 is pivotally attached to the tip of the drive shaft 441 of the drive motor 440 so as to rotate together with the drive shaft 441.

The crankshaft 46 has its base end pivotally attached to the tip of the drive shaft 441 of the drive motor 440, and its tip is pivotally attached to the base end of a connecting rod 45 inserted into the elongated insertion hole 401 of the base 400, as shown in FIG. 10.

The tip of the connecting rod 45 is pivotally attached to a bearing 450 at the base end of the arm guide body 41. In other words, the arm guide body 41 is linked to the lifting drive unit 44 via a crank structure formed by the crankshaft 46 and the connecting rod 45.

Two lift guide shafts 47a, 47b are erected at the front and rear ends of the upper wall portion 411 of the arm guide body 41, as shown in Figures 10 to 13(b).

In addition, two shaft insertion holes are provided on the front and rear sides of the upper surface of the base 400 of the support frame 40, and guide bushes 48a, 48b are provided in communication with the shaft insertion holes and inserted into the lift guide shafts 47a, 47b. In other words, the arm guide body 41 is guided to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction via the lift guide structure made up of the lift guide shafts 47a, 47b and the guide bushes 48a, 48b.

In this way, the arm guide body 41 converts the driving force from the lift drive unit 44 into lift power via the crank structure of the crankshaft 46 and the connecting rod 45, and the lift guide structure of the lift guide shafts 47a, 47b and the guide bushes 48a, 48b, allowing it to be lowered from the support frame 40 toward the center of the stationary part 1.

The lifting drive unit 44 controls the descent distance of the arm guide body 41 from its highest position to its lowest position so that it does not interfere with the bottom of the container C, and also controls the length between the tips of the pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b pivotally attached to the arm guide body 41 so that when the pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b swing away from each other as the arm guide body 41 descends, the length between the tips of the pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b is equal to or less than the length of the container C in the fore-and-aft direction.

In other words, the lifting drive unit 44 is controlled so that when the arm guide body 41 is in the highest raised position, the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are bent to position the arm guide body 41 and the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b in a position that does not interfere with the container C, and when the arm guide body 41 is in the lowest lowered position, the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are extended to position the arm tips in the front and rear positions when the front and rear side plates of the container C are in an upright position.

In addition, at the center of the base 400 of the support frame 40 in a side view and at the lower left and right ends in a front view, two bearings 420, 420' for rotatably supporting a pair of link rods 42a, 42b are vertically installed outside the left and right sides of the arm guide body 41, as shown in Figures 12(a) to 13(b).

As shown in FIG. 11, two link rods 42a, 42b are pivotally attached at their base ends to one bearing 420 so that their tip directions are different and their swing direction is along the front-rear direction of the stationary part 1. That is, a pair of front and rear link rods 42a, 42b are paired together and are pivotally attached to the two bearings 420, 420' of the support frame at the left and right outer positions of the arm guide body 41 so that one pair is pivotally attached to each of the two bearings 420, 420' of the support frame.

Two link rods, each with a base end pivotally attached to one bearing 420, consist of a front link rod 42a with its tip facing the front side of the stationary part 1 and a rear link rod 42b with its tip facing the rear side of the stationary part 1, and a pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are pivotally attached to the tips of the link rods so that their base ends can be rotated.

As shown in Figures 10 and 12(a) to 13(b), each front and rear side panel pressing arm 43a is a flat plate member that is roughly L-shaped when viewed from the side, and has an L-shaped short side portion 430a and an L-shaped long side portion 431a.

When the arm guide body 41 is in the raised position as shown in FIG. 12(a), the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b have the tips of the L-shaped short side portions 430a, 430b facing downward, and the base ends of the L-shaped long side portions 431a, 431b are pivotally attached to the tips of the link rods 42a, 42b via pivot shafts 433a, 433b, while the middle portions are pivotally attached to the front and rear ends of the lower left and right side wall portions 410, 410' of the arm guide body 41 via pivot shafts 434a, 434b.

That is, the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are linked to the support frame 40 and the arm guide body 41 by a link structure consisting of link rods 42a, 42b that are rotatably fixed at their base ends via a pivot to the bearing 420, and pivot shafts 434a, 434b at the front and rear ends of the arm guide body 41 that moves up and down.

In other words, the front and rear side plate locking mechanism parts 4F, 4B have front and rear side plate pressing parts 40F, 40R that operate to press the front and rear side plates using front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b and link rods 42a, 42b, respectively, and the front and rear side plate pressing parts 40F, 40R are configured to expand and contract in response to the lifting and lowering movement of the arm guide body 41.

When viewed from the side, the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are arranged at front and rear positions that are linearly symmetrical about a virtual center line (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 12(a)) that extends through the center of the arm guide body 41 in the front-to-rear direction as shown in FIG. 12(a). Also, when viewed from the front, the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are arranged at left and right positions that are linearly symmetrical about a virtual center line (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 11) that extends through the center of the arm guide body 41 in the left-to-right direction.

In other words, there are a total of four front and rear side panel pressing arms: a pair of left and right arms 43a, 43a' at the front of the stationary part 1, and a pair of left and right arms 43b, 43b' at the rear of the stationary part 1.

The "pair" of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b also includes the state in which the arms are arranged on the front and rear sides in point symmetry with respect to the center point of the stationary part 1 in a plan view in terms of relative positional relationship. In short, it is sufficient that at least one front and rear side plate pressing arm is arranged on the front and rear sides of the arm guide body 41 so as to press against each of the pair of front and rear front and rear side plates FP, BP.

The tips 49a, 49b of the L-shaped short sides 430a, 430b of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b function as pressing parts that move outward in the front-rear direction of the stationary part 1 in a rotational trajectory as the arm guide body 41 descends from the raised position, contacting and pressing against the inner surfaces of the pair of front and rear side plates FP, BP.

When the arm guide body 41 is in the raised position, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the link rods 42a, 42b are in an open position with their tips facing outward in the front-rear direction of the stationary part 1, and the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are pulled upward at their midpoints by the arm guide body 41, and are in a folded position with their tips 49a, 49b facing downward. In other words, when the arm guide body 41 is in the raisedmost position, the side plate locking mechanism 4 causes the front and rear side plate pressing parts 40F, 40R formed by the link rods 42a, 42b and the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b to be in a folded and contracted position.

On the other hand, when the arm guide body 41 descends from the raised position, the link rods 42a, 42b rotate and assume a downward extension position as shown in Figures 12(b) to 13(b), and the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b rotate and assume an expanded position via the pivots 434a, 434b of the arm guide body 41, causing the tips 49a, 49b to swing downward outward in the front and rear directions. In other words, when the arm guide body 41 is at its lowest position, the side plate locking mechanism 4 places the front and rear side plate pressing parts 40F, 40R, which are formed by the link rods 42a, 42b and the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b, in an expanded extension position.

The downward swing trajectory of the tips 49a, 49b of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b that accompanies the downward movement of the arm guide body 41 draws a curved line extending from the top to the bottom toward the outside in the front-to-rear direction of the stationary part 1, following the downward rotation trajectory of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b, as shown in Figures 12(b) to 13(b).

The tips 49a, 49b of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are provided with a cushion to prevent inadvertent damage to the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b when they come into contact with the inner surfaces of the front and rear side plates FP, BP. In this embodiment, elastic resin rotating rollers 490a, 490b are used.

The rotating rollers 490a, 490b are pivotally attached to the tips of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b so that the rotation direction (tangential direction) rotates along the front and rear direction of the stationary portion 1, and the roller surfaces serve as the pressing surfaces of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b. The rotating rollers 490a, 490b may be configured to have a driving source such as a drive motor and to be driven to rotate in the direction opposite to the downward pressing direction of the front and rear side plates FP, BP, i.e., the downward rotation direction of the pressing front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b.

In this way, the side plate locking mechanism 4 converts the downward movement of the arm guide body 41 via the front and rear side plate locking mechanism parts 4F and 4B, and the movement of the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a and 43b via the link rods 42a and 42b, into a swing along the downward rotation trajectory of the front and rear side plates FP and BP.

That is, when the lifting drive unit 44 is driven, as shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the arm guide body 41 is lowered toward the inside of the container C, whose lid has been opened by the lid-opening mechanism 3 and whose left and right side plates LP, RP have been raised by the lifting mechanism 2, via a crank structure consisting of a connecting rod 45 and a crankshaft 46, and a lifting guide structure consisting of lifting guide shafts 47a, 47b and guide bushes 48a, 48b.

As the arm guide body 41 descends, the pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b swing apart and move away from each other via a link structure consisting of link rods 42a, 42b and pivot shafts 434a, 434b at the front and rear ends of the arm guide body 41.

That is, the tips 49a, 49b of the pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b move downward in a front-rear outward direction while contacting the inner surfaces of the front and rear side plates FP, BP, respectively, as shown in Figures 12(b) to 13(a).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 13(a), the front and rear side panels FP, BP are engaged at their lower ends with the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the lower frame B, maintaining the upright state between the upper frame F and the lower frame B, completing the assembly of the container C. In this way, the side panel locking mechanism 4 executes the front and rear side panel erection process.

After the front and rear side panel raising process is completed, the front and rear side panel pressing arms 43a, 43b move in a trajectory opposite to the downward swing trajectory as the arm guide body 41 rises, as shown in FIG. 13(b), and assume a folded position at the upper position.

In other words, when the lifting drive unit 44 is driven, the arm guide body 41 is raised from inside the container C, which has its left and right side plates LP, RP and front and rear side plates FP, BP in an upright position, via the crank structure and the lifting guide structure.

As the arm guide body 41 rises, the pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b contract and swing closer to each other via the link structure.

In this way, the side plate locking mechanism 4 stores and arranges the arm guide body 41 and the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b above the container C that has been assembled in the stationary section 1, making it possible to remove the assembled container C from the front side of the stationary section 1 in the fore-and-aft direction of the stationary section 1, and to place the next folded container C on the stationary section 1 from the rear side of the stationary section 1.

[6] Transport Mechanism Next, the configuration of the transport mechanism 5 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 14 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the transport mechanism, and Fig. 15 is a top perspective view showing the configuration of the transport mechanism.

The transport mechanism 5 has a container placement means 51 for forming a placement section 1 at a predetermined position on the transport surface 50 along which the folded container C is transported, as shown in FIG. 1, and enables the container C in an assembled form to be transported downstream of the placement section 1 by the lifting mechanism 2, the lid opening mechanism 3, and the side panel locking mechanism 4.

The transport mechanism 5 is attached to a horizontal frame section 62 that is horizontally spaced apart at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction in the center of the base frame 6, and is configured to transport the container C using a drive conveyor 52 whose upper surface serves as a horizontal transport surface 50.

The drive conveyor 52 may be any type capable of driving and transporting the folded or assembled container C from the upstream side to the downstream side, and may be, for example, a belt conveyor capable of driving and transporting. The drive conveyor 52 in this embodiment employs a pair of left and right chain conveyors 520, 520'.

That is, the drive conveyor 52 is a pair of left and right chain conveyors 520, 520' that are laid parallel to each other at a fixed interval in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and have a drive source to move in the conveying direction, and the conveying surface 50 is an imaginary plane formed by the upper surfaces of the pair of chain conveyors 520, 520'. The pair of chain conveyors 520, 520' are rotated by being endlessly wound around drive sources provided at predetermined positions on the base frame 6.

The container placement means 51 may be any means capable of placing the folded container C in the center of the rectangular frame 60 to form the placement section 1. For example, it may be a lift that moves the container C from the drive conveyor 52 to an upper position, or a control unit that intermittently stops the drive conveyor 52.

The container placement means 51 of this embodiment is composed of a pair of front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b that can protrude and retract above and below the conveying surface 50 as shown in Figures 1 and 14. The container stopper 510a is a claw body that is approximately trapezoidal in side view as shown in Figure 14, and is pivotally attached at its base end to a bearing 513a provided below the conveying surface 50 so that it can rotate up and down. The container stopper 510 is also configured to rotate up and down by a drive source such as a drive motor.

There are four container stoppers 510a, 510b in total: two on the left and right sides between the pair of left and right chain conveyors 520, 520' when viewed from the front, and two near the front and rear ends of the square frame 60 when viewed from the side as shown in Figure 14.

When the pair of front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b are in an upright position exposed above the conveying surface 50 as shown in FIG. 14, their respective engagement surfaces 511a, 511b are vertical surfaces that face each other in the conveying direction. That is, when in an upright position, the container stoppers 510a, 510b abut and engage with the outer surfaces of the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the lower frame B of the container C being conveyed from the upstream side, thereby restricting the container conveyance by the drive conveyor 52.

On the other hand, the pair of front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b are designed not to interfere with the container C being transported when it is in a lying-down position buried below the transport surface 50.

The distance between the pair of front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b is set so that the distance between the engagement surfaces 511a, 511b exposed at an upper position above the conveying surface 50 as shown in FIG. 14 is equal to or greater than the front-to-rear length of the container C.

The container stationary means 51 is controlled to work in conjunction with each of the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4. When a folded container C is transported, a pair of front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b take an upright position and engage with the container C via the engagement surfaces 511a, 511b exposed above the conveying surface 50, stopping the container C and forming a stationary section 1 (stationary surface 10) on the conveying surface 50.

On the other hand, when the container C is assembled by each assembly mechanism 2, 3, and 4 at the fixed section 1, the container stoppers 510a, 510b assume a lying down position and are buried below the conveying surface 50, thereby allowing the container C to be grounded on the drive conveyor 52 and transported downstream from the fixed section 1.

In this way, the transport mechanism 5 is configured to place the folded container C transported from the upstream side on the placement section 1 formed by the container placement means 51, and to reliably carry out the assembly process by each assembly mechanism 2, 3, and 4, and to sequentially and continuously carry out the assembly process of the container C from the folded form to the assembled form.

The transport mechanism 5 has a next-container stopping means 55, which is located midway in the transport direction between the top side in the transport direction and the container placing means 51 as shown in FIG. 1, for stopping the next folded container C in front of the container placing means 51 and waiting until the folded container C placed in the placing section 1 is assembled by the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 and transported downstream. The next-container stopping means 55 is configured as a plate-shaped next-container stopper 550 with an engagement surface facing the downstream side in the transport direction and can be moved up and down from the transport surface 50 by a drive source such as a drive motor.

The transport mechanism 5 also has a pair of closing guides 53, 53' that extend from the position where the lid opening mechanism 3 is installed downstream in the transport direction with the distance between them gradually narrowing so as to hold a pair of left and right upper lids LT, RT that have been rotated in the lid opening direction by the lid opening mechanism 3 at a position higher than the height of the upper frame F of the container C, as shown in Figure 15.

The container C, which has been placed on the stationary section 1 and transformed from the folded form to the assembled form by the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4, is in a state in which the delivery item is stored, with the pair of left and right upper lids LT and RT in the open position and the upper opening F3 open.

For example, in order to prevent garbage from entering the assembled container C during transport, or when a delivery item storage device that stores the delivery items inside the assembled container C or a worker places the delivery item storage means downstream of the fixed section 1 in the transport direction, it is necessary to close the container C. Therefore, a pair of left and right closing guides 53, 53' are suspended side by side from the base frame 6 at a constant height and a constant interval so as to form a narrow portion downstream of the delivery item storage means.

The lid-closing guides 53, 53' are elongated steel rods with a circular cross section and a predetermined length. As shown in FIG. 15, they have base straight sections 530, 530' that extend linearly over a long distance and are located on the left and right sides of the stationary section 1, inclined sections 531, 531' that are located downstream of the stationary section 1 and bend at the tips of the base straight sections 530, 530' to extend at an angle, and tip straight sections 532, 532' that are located downstream of the stationary section 1 and bend at the tips of the inclined sections 531, 531' to extend a short distance parallel to the base straight sections 530, 530'.

As shown in FIG. 15, the pair of left and right closing guides 53, 53' face each other with their straight end portions 532, 532' facing the inside of the conveying surface 50, and are arranged symmetrically about the conveying center line (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 15) that extends along the conveying direction at the center of the width of the conveying surface 50. This forms a closing section 54 (the area surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 15) with a gradually narrower gap between the opposed inclined portions 531, 531' and the straight end portions 532, 532' along the downstream side in the conveying direction.

The distance between the closing guides 53, 53' is such that the inclined portions 531, 531' and the straight end portions 532, 532' do not interfere with the opposing left and right upper lids LT, RT, i.e., the distance is such that the left and right upper lids LT, RT can be freely closed between the closing portions 54.

The height position of the closing guides 53, 53' is higher than the height of the upper frame F and is located on the outer left and right sides of the upper frame F, so that when the left and right upper covers LT, RT are rotated and displaced, the left and right upper covers LT, RT are supported downward above the upper frame F.

The lid-closing guides 53, 53' may be configured such that the portions of the base-end straight sections 530, 530' that extend to the left and right sides of the stationary section 1 are formed by the left and right upper lid support stays 212, 212', and may be configured to connect to the lower-hand portions of the base-end straight sections 530, 530' or the inclined sections 531, 531' when the lifting mechanism 2 is in the uppermost position.

In this way, the transport mechanism 5 maintains the pair of left and right upper lids LT, RT rotated in the lid opening direction by the lid opening mechanism 3 at a position higher than the height of the upper frame F by a pair of closing guides 53, 53' arranged on the left and right sides in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, while maintaining the open state of the upper opening of the assembled container C, and as the assembled container is transported downstream of the installation surface, the pair of left and right upper lids slide and are rotated in the lid closing direction by the closing portion 54 of the narrow width portion, bringing the left and right upper lids LT, RT into a closed position and closing the upper opening of the container.

[7] Description of Electrical Configuration and Operation of Automatic Container Assembly Device Next, the electrical configuration and operation of this device A will be described. Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of this device, and Fig. 17 is a flow chart showing the operation of this device. This device A executes the assembly process of transforming the container from the folded form to the assembled form by controlling the operation of each mechanism 2, 3, 4, 5 in conjunction with each other , for example, by the following control unit 70. The control unit 70 also intends to configure the stationary unit 1 and each mechanism unit 2, 3, 4, 5 with sensors that confirm the position and form of the container, and links the respective operations.

As shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 70 is connected to the slide drive unit 24 and lift drive unit 26 of the lifting mechanism 2, the lid opening drive unit 32 of the lid opening mechanism 3, the lift drive unit 44 of the side plate locking mechanism 4, the container placement means 51 of the transport mechanism 5, the drive conveyor 52, the next container stopping means 55, the container sensor 56 installed at a predetermined position of the device A, and the operation panel 74, and is configured to be referenced and controlled and driven according to the execution status of the program in the control unit 70.

The control unit 70 also includes a CPU 71, a ROM 72, a RAM 73, etc., and is capable of executing the programs necessary for the operation of the device A. The RAM 73 stores various tables that define the operating speed and start timing of each drive unit and means in each of the mechanisms 2, 3, 4, and 5. For example, the RAM 73 stores a table that synchronizes the operation of each drive unit, such as rotating the lid-opening drive unit 32 upward when the lifting drive unit 26 starts to rise. The ROM 72 also stores programs and the like required for the processing of the CPU 71. The control unit 70 causes each of the mechanisms 2, 3, 4, and 5 to operate as follows to perform the assembly process for the folded container C.

First, when a folded container C is transported from the upstream side of the transport mechanism 5, the control unit 70 receives a container approach signal from the container sensor 56 and sends an operation signal to the container placement means 51 of the transport mechanism 5 to operate the container placement means 51, changing the container stoppers 510a, 510b from a lying-down position buried below the transport surface 50 to an upright position exposed above the transport surface 50 (step S10).

By executing step S10, the container stoppers 510a, 510b on the front and rear sides of the container C in the folded form are brought into an upright position and are engageable with the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the bottom frame B of the container C in the folded form, thereby forming the stationary portion 1 on the conveying surface 50. In step S10, the front container stopper 510a is first raised, and then the rear container stopper 510b is raised, so that the container C in the folded form is positioned between the front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b. In step S10, the front and rear container stoppers 510a, 510b maintain the upright position.

In addition, the control unit 70 synchronizes with step S10 and transmits an operation signal to the next container stopping means 55 of the conveying mechanism 5 to link the next container stopping means 55, and changes the next container stopper 550 from a lying-down position buried below the conveying surface 50 to an upright position exposed above the conveying surface 50 (step S11).

By executing step S11, as shown in FIG. 14, the folded containers C, which are sequentially transported from the upstream side in the transport direction, are stopped by the next container stopper 550 in an upright position on the transport surface 50, and the folded containers C placed in the downstream stationary section 1 can be assembled by the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4. In step S11, the next container stop means 55 maintains the container stopped state.

Next, the control unit 70 advances the slide drive unit 24 of the lifting mechanism 2 to bring the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' closer to the left and right frames F1, F1' (step S20).

By executing step S20, the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' approach the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F, as shown in FIG. 7(a), and the engagement protrusions 25, 25' engage with the recesses F10. Note that when step S20 is executed, the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' are in the lowest position. Also, in step S20, the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' maintain their proximity to the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F.

The control unit 70 also transmits an operation signal to the lid-opening drive unit 32 of the lid-opening mechanism 3 in synchronization with step S20, and links the lid-opening drive unit 32 to the slide drive unit 24 to rotate the lid-opening arms 30, 30' downward from the upright position to the laid-down position (step S21).

By executing step S21, the lid-opening arms 30, 30' change from an upright position to a laid-down position as shown in FIG. 8(a), and the tips 310, 310' of the lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' at the tips of the lid-opening arms 30, 30' are positioned in the finger engagement recesses F20 below the front and rear edge portions LT10, LT10' of the free ends of the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the container C in the folded form as shown in FIG. 9(b).

Next, the control unit 70 operates the lifting drive unit 26 of the lifting mechanism 2 to lift the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' via the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' (step S30).

By executing step S30, the upper frame F is raised from the lower frame B via the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' as shown in FIG. 7(b), and the left and right side plates LP, RP between the upper frame F and the lower frame B are in an upright, extended position. In step S30, the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' are maintained in the highest raised position via the frame lifting bodies 21, 21'.

The control unit 70 also transmits an operation signal to the lid-opening drive unit 32 of the lid-opening mechanism 3 in synchronization with step S30, and links the lid-opening drive unit 32 to the lifting drive unit 26 to rotate the lid-opening arms 30, 30' upward from the lying-down position to the standing position (step S31).

By executing step S31, the front and rear edge portions LT10, LT10' of the left and right upper lids LT, RT of the folded container C are supported downward by the tips 310, 310' of the lid receiving claw bodies 31, 31' at the tips of the lid-opening arms 30, 30' as shown in FIG. 9(c), and as the lid-opening arms 30, 30' rotate upward to change from a lying-down position to an upright position as shown in FIG. 8(b), the left and right upper lids LT, RT rotate upward to change from a closed position to an open position.

In other words, the cover-opening mechanism 3 is connected to the lifting mechanism 2 and simultaneously lifts the upper frame F and opens the left and right covers LT and RT, so the rotation trajectory of the cover-opening arms 30, 30' that rotate upward while rising together with the frame lifting bodies 21, 21' is approximately the same as the rotation trajectory in the cover-opening direction of the left and right covers LT and RT that rise together with the upper frame F. In step S31, the cover-opening arms 30, 30' maintain an upright position at the uppermost rotation position.

Next, the control unit 70 operates the lifting drive unit 44 of the side plate locking mechanism 4 to lower, and swings the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b downward toward the front and rear outward from the folded position to the unfolded position via the lowering of the arm guide body 41 (step S40).

By executing step S40, the downwardly swinging front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b are put into an open position as shown in Figures 12(a) to 13(b), and their tips 49a, 49b press the front and rear side plates FP, BP from the inside to the outside, respectively, and the lower ends of the front and rear side plates FP, BP engage with the front and rear frames B2, B2' of the lower frame B.

Through the relative operations of the assembly mechanisms 2, 3, and 4 from step S20 to step S40, the folded container C is subjected to three assembly steps: a lid opening step in which the left and right upper lids LT and RT above the upper frame F are rotated outward to assume an open position; a left and right side panel erection step in which the left and right side panels LP and RP are extended upright via pivots to assume an erect position; and a front and rear side panel erection step in which the front and rear side panels FP and BP are rotated downward to engage their lower ends with the lower frame B to assume a self-supporting erect position, thereby obtaining the assembled container C.

Next, the control unit 70 operates the lifting drive unit 44 of the side plate locking mechanism 4 to raise, and swings the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b upward from the unfolded position to the folded position via the lifting of the arm guide body 41 (step S50). In step S31, the front and rear side plate pressing arms 43a, 43b maintain the folded position via the arm guide body 41 in the highest position.

The control unit 70 also transmits a signal to the slide drive unit 24 of the lifting mechanism 2 in synchronization with step S50, and retracts the slide drive unit 24 in conjunction with the lifting operation of the lifting drive unit 26, thereby moving the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' away from the left and right frames F1, F1' of the assembled container C (step S51).

By executing step S51, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' move away from the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F, releasing the engagement between the engagement protrusions 25, 25' and the recesses F10. Note that in step S20, the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' maintain their position of separation from the left and right frames F1, F1' of the upper frame F.

Next, the control unit 70 operates the lifting drive unit 26 of the lifting mechanism 2 to lower the upper frame engagement frames 20, 20' via the lowering frame lifting bodies 21, 21' (step S60).

The control unit 70 also transmits an operation signal to the container placement means 51 of the transport mechanism 5 in synchronization with step S60, and links the container placement means 51 to the descending operation of the lift drive unit 26 to change the position of the container stoppers 510a, 510b from an upright position to a lying position (step S61).

By executing step S61, the engagement between the container stoppers 510a, 510b of the container stationary means 51 and the assembled container C is released, restoring the stationary portion 1 to the conveying surface 50, and the assembled conveyor C is conveyed downstream by the conveying surface 50.

The control unit 70 also transmits a stop signal to the next container stopping means 55 of the transport mechanism 5 in synchronization with steps S60 and S61, and causes the next container stopper 550 of the next container stopping means 55 to assume a lying-down position (step S62). By executing step S62, the container stop state by the next container stopping means 55 is released, and the container C in a new folded state is transported to the container placement means 51.

The conveyor C in the assembled form transported downstream of the stationary section 1 may also change the pair of left and right upper covers LT, RT from the open position to the closed position by the cover closing guides 53, 53' without relying on the control section 70 (step S70).

By repeating steps S10 to S62 in this manner, the container assembly work can be carried out continuously, in which the folded container is converted into an assembled form by each mechanism.

In other words, this invention can accommodate folding containers with lids, and the entire process of assembling the container from a folded state to an assembled state by changing the left and right top lids of the container from a closed state to an open state, and changing the left and right side panels and the front and rear side panels from a lying down state to an upright state, can be carried out in one place at once, thereby saving space.

A Automatic container assembly device C Folding container with lid 1 Stationary section 2 Lifting mechanism 2L Left side lifting mechanism section 2R Right side lifting mechanism section 3 Lid opening mechanism 3L Left side lifting mechanism section 3R Right side lifting mechanism section 4 Side plate locking mechanism 4L Front side plate locking mechanism section 4R Rear side plate locking mechanism section 5 Transport mechanism

Claims (8)

an automatic container assembling device for a lidded folding container comprising an upper frame having a rectangular shape in plan view, a lower frame having a rectangular shape in plan view and a bottom arranged below the upper frame, a pair of left and right side plates facing each other left and right between the upper frame and the lower frame, and a pair of front and rear side plates facing each other front and rear between the upper frame and the lower frame, the pair of left and right side plates being rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame and capable of being bent inwardly at predetermined positions in the vertical direction via pivot parts along the longitudinal direction, the pair of front and rear side plates being rotatably connected to the front and rear sides of the upper frame and having lower ends engageable with front and rear ends of the lower frame, and a pair of left and right upper lids being rotatably connected to the left and right sides of the upper frame for opening and closing an upper opening inside the upper frame,
A stationary portion for stationary the folding container;
a lifting mechanism that engages with left and right side portions of the upper frame of the folding container placed on the stationary portion to lift the upper frame in a direction away from the lower frame and displace the left and right side panels from a laid-down position to an upright position;
a lid-opening mechanism that engages with front and rear edge portions of free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids in a closed lid position of the folding container placed on the stationary portion in response to a lifting operation of the upper frame by the lifting mechanism, thereby rotating the left and right upper lids in a lid-opening direction to displace the folding container from the closed lid position to an open lid position;
a side plate locking mechanism that, when the pair of left and right upper lids are displaced to an open position by the lid-opening mechanism, enters the inside of the folding container placed on the stationary portion, abuts against the inner surfaces of the pair of front and rear side plates, and spreads the pair of front and rear side plates from the inside to the outside, engaging the lower ends of the pair of front and rear side plates with the front and rear end portions of the lower frame, respectively, to displace the pair of front and rear side plates from a lying-down position to an upright position;
A base frame is disposed around the stationary portion,
the lifting mechanism is composed of a left lifting mechanism unit and a right lifting mechanism unit disposed on the left and right sides of the base frame, respectively;
The cover opening mechanism is composed of a left cover opening mechanism unit and a right cover opening mechanism unit disposed on the left and right sides of the base frame, respectively;
a side plate locking mechanism for locking a front side plate from a left side plate to a right side plate, the side plate locking mechanism being arranged in an upper intermediate portion between the left side lifting mechanism and the right side lifting mechanism of the lifting mechanism; The lifting mechanism includes:
a pair of upper frame engagement frames extending along the longitudinal direction of the left and right side portions of the upper frame of the folding container and capable of engaging with the left and right side portions of the upper frame in close proximity thereto;
a pair of frame lifting bodies that are connected to the pair of upper-frame engaging frames at predetermined positions and that lift up and down on the outside of the left and right sides of the folding container to lift up and down the upper-frame engaging frames;
2. The automatic container assembling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the left lifting mechanism and the right lifting mechanism are configured by: The automatic container assembly device according to claim 2, characterized in that the upper frame engagement frame has engagement protrusions that are inserted into and engaged with recesses formed at predetermined positions on the left and right sides of the upper frame. The lid opening mechanism includes:
A pair of opening arms pivotally mounted on front and rear ends of the pair of frame lifting bodies so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction in opposition to each other;
a lid receiving claw body that is pivotally attached to the tip of the pair of lid opening arms so as to be inverted and that can support front and rear edge portions of the free end portions of the left and right upper lids of the folding container from below at its tip;
4. The automatic container assembling device according to claim 2, wherein the left side lid opening mechanism and the right side lid opening mechanism are configured by: The automatic container assembly device according to claim 4, characterized in that the lid receiving claw body rotates to a tilted position when the tip of the lid receiving claw body comes into contact with the front and rear side edges of the free ends of the pair of left and right upper lids from above and receives an upward reaction force as the pair of lid opening arms rotate downward, and has a claw body biasing means that returns to an upright position when the upward reaction force is not applied. The side plate locking mechanism is
A support frame disposed above the stationary portion;
an arm guide body disposed on the support frame and capable of descending from the support frame to an inside of the folding container;
A pair of link rods whose base ends are pivotally supported at a central portion of the support frame in the front-rear direction;
a pair of front and rear side plate pressing arms, each of which has a base end pivotally supported by a tip end of the pair of link rods and a middle portion pivotally supported by a front and rear end portion of the arm guide body, and which swing back and forth in directions away from each other as the arm guide body descends to press the pair of front and rear side plates downward from the inside to the outside;
The automatic container assembling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the front side plate locking mechanism and the rear side plate locking mechanism are configured by The automatic container assembly device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it has a container placement means for forming the placement section at a predetermined position on a conveying surface along which the folding container in the folded form is conveyed, and has a conveying mechanism that enables the folding container in the assembled form by the lifting mechanism, the lid opening mechanism, and the side plate locking mechanism to be conveyed downstream of the placement section. The automatic container assembly device according to claim 7, characterized in that the transport mechanism has a pair of closing guides that extend from the position of the opening mechanism downstream in the transport direction with the distance between them gradually narrowing so as to hold the pair of left and right upper lids that have been rotated in the opening direction by the opening mechanism at a position higher than the height of the upper frame.

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