JPH04215902A - Article boxing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To box a large number of articles automatically by an inexpensive device by a method wherein articles which are fed from an article feeding device are placed on partitioning plates which are moved one after another, and the articles and the partitioning plate are handled as a single unit, and stacked and stored in a packaging box in multi-layers. CONSTITUTION:A conveyor device 1 intermittently moves partitioning plates 5. A partitioning plate push-up device 10 pushes the partitioning plate 5 by air cylinders 11a, 11c, and places articles 13 from an article feeding device 12 on the front half of the partitioning plate 5. Then, the partitioning plate 5 is moved by an approximate half distance of the placing pitch, and the articles 13 are placed on the rear half of the partitioning plate 5. Then, the partitioning plate 5 is placed on the conveyor device 1 again and moved forward, and when it reaches the leading end, the partitioning plate 5 is placed on a receiving member 14 by operating a cylinder 26. Then, the receiving member 14 is opened to the right and left by a boxing member 16, and a gripping means 21 is lowered by operating a cylinder 22, and the partitioning plate 5 on which the articles 13 are placed is stored in a packaging box 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accommodating and packing a plurality of articles in a packaging box in multiple stages.

Conventional technology In general, in the process of manufacturing various products, parts and intermediate products are packed in packaging boxes and supplied to the next process.For example, after injection molding of plastic parts,
The molded parts are packed into boxes and supplied to the assembly process.

In this case, a plurality of parts are often arranged in a relatively large packaging box and then stacked in multiple stages.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Conventionally, this boxing work was done manually, but it required a lot of manpower and was a low-efficiency work.

In addition, parts have been placed directly into boxes one by one, but it is difficult to stack them in multiple stages, necessitating the use of expensive robots, and the equipment costs are high.

Especially when packaging parts immediately after injection molding,
The parts are easily damaged because they are packed in boxes without enough time to cool down while still hot.

In addition, the robot must be operated in accordance with the injection molding cycle, and in the case of relatively large parts, the molding cycle is long, so there is a lot of play in the robot's operation, which is inefficient despite the high equipment cost. Met.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that can efficiently pack articles such as injection molded parts into boxes without requiring expensive robots. It is.

As a means of solving the problem, the method of the present invention transports the packaging box and holds it in the storage position, while intermittently transporting the partition plate and placing the articles on the partition plate at a predetermined position. It is characterized in that the partition plates with the articles placed thereon are placed in a predetermined arrangement, and the partition plates with the articles placed thereon are housed in a packaging box, and after a predetermined number of articles and partition plates are housed, the packaging box is discharged from the storage position. .

The apparatus of the present invention also includes a conveyor device that moves intermittently, a partition plate supply device that supplies partition plates one by one to the conveyor device, and an article supply device that places articles on the partition plates in a predetermined arrangement. a box transfer means for transferring the packaging box to the storage position; a storage means for gripping the partition plate on which the article sent out from the conveyor device is placed and storing it in the packaging box at the storage position; The present invention is characterized by having a discharging means for discharging the packaging box from the storage position after storing a predetermined number of placed partition plates in the packaging box.

Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The drawing shows an embodiment of the device of the invention.

A conveyor device 1 is provided in the center of the device. A conveyor device 1 shown in the drawings is a belt conveyor, and a belt 2 is wound around rollers 3 and 4, and is driven so that its upper surface moves intermittently from the right to the left in the drawing.

A partition plate supply device 6 that supplies the partition plate 5 to the conveyor device 1 is provided at the rear of the conveyor device 1 (on the right side in the figure).

In this supply device 6, the partition plates 5 are stacked and placed on a stocker 7, and a suction device 9 that moves back and forth along a rail 8 is provided above the stocker 7. This suction device 9 suctions and holds only one partition plate 5 on the stocker 7, moves forward along the rail 8, and releases the partition plate 5 at the rearmost part of the conveyor device 1. , the partition plate 5 is placed on the conveyor device 1.

The partition plate 5 is made of cardboard or a resin plate. Usually, a flat one is used, but depending on the shape of the article 13, which will be described later, a concave portion for accommodating the article 13 may be formed therein. Further, the partition plate 5 can be used repeatedly.

Partition plate push-up devices 10 are provided on both sides of the central portion of the conveyor device 1 . This partition plate pushing up device 10 is made up of air cylinders 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, and is designed to support and push up the partition plate 5 that has reached a predetermined position on the conveyor device 1.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an article supply device that supplies articles 13 onto the partition plate 5 pushed up by the partition plate push-up device 10 and places the articles 13 at a predetermined position. The article supplying device 12 can take various forms depending on the shape and nature of the article, the flow of the article during the manufacturing process, and other conditions. For example, if injection molded articles are to be packed in boxes as described above, the molded article take-out machine in the injection molding machine is used as the article supply device 12, and the molded articles taken out from the injection molding machine are placed on the partition plate 5. do it.

In the partition plate lifting device 10 of this embodiment, first, the air cylinders 11a and 11c operate to push up the partition plate 5, place the article 13 on the front half of the partition plate 5, and then use the air The cylinders 11a and 11b are once moved back and the partition plate 5 is placed on the conveyor device 1 again. Then, the belt 2 is transferred by about 1/2 of the loading pitch of the partition plate 5, and then the air cylinders 11b and 11c are operated to push up the same partition plate 5 again, and the articles are placed in the rear half of the partition plate 5. 1
3 is placed thereon, the air cylinders 11b and 11c are moved back again, and the partition plate 5 is returned to the conveyor device 1.

Thereby, two articles 13 can be placed on the partition plate 5 in the front and back direction. Further, by making the transfer pitch of the conveyor device 1 finer and arranging an appropriate number of air cylinders 11, it is also possible to place a larger number of air cylinders in the front-rear direction. In addition, in the width direction, by changing the supply position of the article 13 by the article supply device 12, it is possible to arrange a plurality of articles 13, and by combining these,
The articles 13 can be arranged in a matrix on one partition plate 5. Of course, it goes without saying that it is possible to place a single article 13 on one partition plate.

A receiving member 14 is protruded from the tip of the conveyor device 1, and air cylinders 24, 26 are provided at the rear of the receiving member 14.
The pushing member 15 operated by the conveyor device 1
The partition plate 5 that has reached the tip of the partition plate 5 is sent out onto the receiving member 14 and supported by the receiving member 14.

The receiving member 14 is made up of a pair of left and right bars, which support the partition plate 5 and can be spaced apart from each other in the left and right directions. Note that the receiving member 14 may be provided on a boxing member 16, which will be described later.

A boxing member 16 is provided at the front of the conveyor device 1. This boxing member 16 has a packaging box 17 at the bottom.
A pedestal 18 is provided on which the holder is placed, and a accommodating means 19 is provided on the upper part of the pedestal 18 so as to be movable up and down.

A box transfer means 20 is provided at the bottom of the conveyor device 1. The box transfer means 20 is a belt conveyor that moves slowly, and when an empty packaging box 17 is supplied from the rear, it slowly transfers the packaging box 17 forward, sends it out from its tip, and places it on the table 18.

Even after the packaging box 17 is placed on the stand 18, the box transfer means 20 continues to transfer the packaging box 17, but since the tip of the packaging box 17 on the box transfer means 20 is supported, the box transfer means 20 It slides between and stops without moving.

Note that the belt conveyor is not rotated all the time, but is operated in conjunction with the discharging operation of the packaging box 17, which will be described later.
is accommodated and may be activated when pushed out from the platform 18 laterally.

The storage means 19 has a gripping means 21 that grips the partition plate 5 on which the article 13 is placed, which is placed on the receiving member 14. The gripping means 21 may have an appropriate structure capable of gripping the partition plate 5 without being obstructed by the article 13 on the partition plate 5. In this embodiment, the partition plate 5 is separated and freely adsorbed using a suction cup. The gripping means 21 is attached to the housing means 19 by a cylinder 22 so as to be movable up and down.

This accommodation means 19 is arranged on a support 2 that is erected on the stand 18.
3, it is attached so that it can freely slide up and down.

Further, on the side of the table 18, there is a discharge means (not shown) such as an air cylinder for discharging the packaging box 17 on the table 18.
is provided, and after a predetermined number of partition plates 5 and articles 13 are housed in the packaging box 17, the packaging box 17 is pushed out laterally from the stand 18 and discharged.

action Next, the operation of the device of the present invention will be explained.

First, the partition plates 5 are stored in the stocker 7, and the suction device 9 suctions the topmost partition plate 5. The suction device 9 moves forward along the rail 8 and picks up the top partition plate 5 above the rear end of the conveyor device 1. The partition plate 5 that has been sucked is released and placed on the belt 2.

Here, the conveyor device 1 is driven intermittently to transport the partition plate 5 forward.

Then, the partition plate 5 is brought to that position by the partition plate push-up device 10.
is pushed up, and the article 13 is placed on the partition plate 5 by the article supply device 12.

In the embodiment, first, the air cylinders 11a, 11
c operates to push up the partition plate 5, and the article 13 is placed on the front half of the partition plate 5 pushed up by the article supply device 12. Then, the air cylinders 11a and 11c are once retracted to return the partition plate 5 onto the belt 2, and the partition plate 5 is transferred by a distance of approximately half of the mounting pitch of the partition plate 5.

Next, the air cylinders 11b and 11d are operated to push up the partition plate 5 again, and the article 13 is placed in the rear half of the partition plate 5.
Place. Then, the air cylinders 11b and 11d are moved backward, and the partition plate 5 is returned onto the belt 2.

As a result, two articles 13 are placed on the partition plate 5 in the front and back direction.
will be placed side by side. As mentioned above, by adjusting the function of the article supply device 12, it is possible to place a plurality of articles 13 in the width direction of the partition plate 5, and to arrange three or more articles 13 in the front-back direction. It is.

The partition plate 5 on which the articles 13 are placed is placed on the belt 2 and is transported forward as the conveyor device 1 is intermittently driven.

If the article 13 is hot immediately after injection molding as described above, it will be sufficiently cooled during this transfer.

When the partition plate 5 on which the article 13 is placed reaches the tip of the conveyor device 1, the pushing member 15 is activated, and the rod 25 is first moved down to the rear part of the partition plate 5 by the cylinder 24, and then the cylinder 26 is moved downward. The partition plate 5 is actuated to be sent forward and placed on the receiving member 14.

On the other hand, the packaging box 17 is supplied from the rear of the apparatus and is transferred to the front by the box transfer means 20. and box transport means 20
is pushed out from the tip and placed on the table 18. Furthermore, the packaging boxes 17 that are transferred from the rear are supported by their leading ends being on the stand 18, slide on the box transfer means 20, and are accumulated on the box transfer means 20.

In the boxing member 16, the gripping means 21 moves downward to attract the partition plate 5, and holds the article 13 while being placed on the partition plate 5. In this state, the receiving member 14 opens left and right, and the storage means 19 moves downward along the support column 23 and stops above the packaging box 17 on the stand 18. At this point, the cylinder 22 is actuated to move the gripping means 21 downward, and the partition plate 5 enters the packaging box 17. When the storage means 19 releases the partition plate 5, the partition plate 5 on which the article 13 is placed is stored in the packaging box 17.

Then, the storage means 19 moves upward again, and the interval between the receiving members 14 narrows in preparation for the next partition plate 5 to be transferred.

The storage means 19 grips the partition plate 5 on which the articles 13 are placed one after another and stores them in the packaging box 17. Inside the packaging box 17, the partition plates 5 on which the articles 13 are placed are stacked, and the articles 13 are stacked with the partition plates 5 in between.
They will be stored in multiple stacks.

If the gripping means 21 moves down excessively within the packaging box 17, the articles 13 already accommodated in the packaging box 17 may be damaged, so it is necessary to stop the downward movement at an appropriate position and release the partition plate 5. However, the position can also be determined by sensing the topmost item 13 in the packaging box 17 with a suitable sensor and releasing it just above that, or by counting the number of partition plates 5 to be accommodated. You can also set the release position for each count.

Once a predetermined number of partition plates 5 and the articles 13 placed thereon have been accommodated in the packaging box 17, the discharge device is activated to push the packaging box 17 sideways from the stand 18 and discharge it. Packaging box 17
A new empty packaging box 17 is transferred from the box transfer means 20 to the stand 18 after the product has been discharged, and the next partition plate 5 and article 13 are transferred to the table 18.
features in preparation for accommodation.

In the examples, preferred specific structures of the apparatus of the present invention are shown, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, as the boxing member 16, the storage means 19 is made up of a pair of substantially L-shaped support bars that also serve as the receiving members 14, and the support bars support the partition plate 5 on which the article 13 is placed, and the partition plate 5 on which the article 13 is placed is supported by the support bar. move it and insert it into the packaging box 17,
In the packaging box 17, the support bar opens laterally and the partition plate 5
It is also possible to release the support bar and move the support bar upward along the inner wall of the packaging box 17 to remove it from the packaging box 17.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the articles 13 supplied from the article supply device 12 are placed on the partition plates 5 that are sequentially transferred, and the articles 13 placed on the partition plates 5 and the partition plates 5 are Since the items 13 are treated as one body and stored in the packaging R17, a large number of items 13 can be stacked and stored in multiple stages in the packaging box 17, and it is not necessary to consider the arrangement of the individual items 13 when storing them. Since the articles 13 can be automatically packed into boxes using a simple and inexpensive device without using expensive robots or the like, the boxing work can be carried out economically without requiring a large amount of manpower as in the past. It can be carried out.

Further, after the article 13 is placed on the partition plate 5, all handling thereof is performed in units of the partition plate 5, and the article 13 does not come into contact with the apparatus, so that the article 13 is not damaged. In addition, when handling parts that are easily damaged immediately after injection molding as mentioned above, or parts where the paint has not completely dried after painting, there is no risk of damage to the parts or peeling of the paint, and there is no need to use a partition plate. By adjusting the transfer distance after the article 13 is placed on the article 5, cooling and drying can be made more complete during that time.

Furthermore, inside the packaging box 17, the articles 13 stacked in multiple stages are always sandwiched with the partition plate 5 between them.
The articles 13 do not come into contact with each other in the packaging box 17 or collapse, and damage is less likely to occur, and removal work in the next process is easy.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawing is a side view showing one embodiment of the device of the present invention. 1... Conveyor device 5... Partition plate 6... Partition plate supply device 12... Goods supply device 13...
Article 17...Packaging box

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: The packaging box (17) is transferred and held at the storage position, while the partition plate (5) is intermittently transferred and the article (13) is placed on the partition plate (5) at a predetermined position. ) are placed in a predetermined arrangement, and the partition plate (
5) in a packaging box (17), and after accommodating a predetermined number of articles (13) and partition plates (5), the packaging box (17) is discharged from the storage position. Claim 2: A conveyor device (1) that moves intermittently;
A partition plate supply device (6) that supplies the partition plates (5) one by one to the conveyor device (1), and a partition plate supply device (6) that supplies the partition plates (5) one by one to the conveyor device (1);
13) in a predetermined arrangement, and a box transfer means (2) that transfers the packaging boxes (17) to a storage position.
0) and the article (1) sent out from the conveyor device (1).
A storage means (19) that grips the partition plate (5) on which the article (3) is placed and stores it in the packaging box (17) at the storage position, and a partition plate (5) on which the article (13) is placed. A boxing device for articles, characterized in that it has a discharging means for discharging a predetermined number of packaging boxes (17) from a storage position after storing the packaging boxes (17) in a predetermined number.