JPH04267725A - Automatic opening device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify opening work for a packed object, and at the same time, reduce the cost of an automatic opening device. CONSTITUTION:By providing a turning means to turn cutter 48, 48 of an automatic opening device 20, it is made possible to open a packed object 62 by one automatic opening device 20. Also, by providing guides 55, 55 which are confronted with said automatic opening device 20, it is made possible to fix or open the packed object 62. In addition, sensors 68, 69, 70 which detect the dimension of the packed object 62 are provided, and previously mentioned guides 55, 55 and cutters 48, 48 stand by at specified positions to receive the packed object 62 to be carried, conforming to detected values of said sensors, and at the same time, the title automatic opening device is constituted in such a manner that the packed object 62 is fixed by said guides 55, 55, and both sides of the packed object 62 are cut by the cutters 48, 48.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an automatic opening device for packages, and more particularly to an automatic opening device that reduces the cost of the device.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional automatic opening device of this type will be explained with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an automatic opening device, and the automatic opening device 1 is provided with a belt conveyor 4 driven by a motor 3 on a base 2. The belt conveyor 4 is provided with locking portions 5, 5, . It is configured so that it can move from the front to the rear (from the right to the left in FIG. 16).

Furthermore, a lifting device 7 is provided on the side of the base 2, and a slider 8 is attached to the side of the lifting device 7. The slider 8 is slidably attached to slide guides 9, 9 which are vertically protruding from the wall surface of the lifting device 7, and is moved up and down by driving a motor 10 and rotating a screw rod 11. . Further, a frame 12 is fixed to the slider 8 so as to face the upper surface of the base 2, and guides 13, 13a are attached to the frame 12 in the front-rear direction of the base 2.

The inner guide 13 is fixed to the lower surface of the frame 12, and the outer guide 13a is connected to the guide rods 14, 14.
It is formed so that it can be slid left and right by inserting it through it. The guide 13a is moved left and right by driving the screw rod 16 with the motor 15. In addition, the reference numeral 17 in the figure
is a sliding plate, and the sliding plate 17 is fixed to the lower surface of the frame 12 between the guides 13 and 13a.
The upper surface of the package 6 is in contact with the lower surface of the package 6 so that it can slide. Further, cutters 18, 18 are fixed to the inner surfaces of the guides 13, 13a, and the lower ends of the cutters 18, 18 protrude downward from the sliding plate 17.

The motor 3 is operated to drive the belt conveyor 4, and the motors 10 and 15 are operated to adjust the height and width of the package 6, the height of the guides 13 and 13a, and the guide 13. , and 13a, and the package 6 is transported to the automatic opening device 1 by the moving means.
The packaged object 6 is moved forward while its upper surface slides on the sliding plate 17 while its lower portion is pressed by the locking portion 5 of the belt conveyor 4. Further, the guides 13 and 13a guide both sides of the upper part of the package 6. Therefore, the cutters 18, 18 cut both upper side edges of the case 19 of the package 6. Then, by changing the direction of the packaged item 6 and cutting the case 19 with the automatic opening device 1, the upper surface of the case 19 of the packaged item is opened.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The conventional automatic opening device described above uses a motor to adjust the height and spacing of the guides for each packaged item. Furthermore, the package cannot be opened unless the case is cut twice. Therefore, the opening operation becomes complicated and requires a great deal of time and effort, which significantly deteriorates the workability. Further, in order to improve the workability, the cutting operation may be performed by connecting two automatic opening devices. In such a case, the cost of the device increases significantly. Furthermore, the locking part of the belt conveyor presses and moves the packaged item, and this movement presses the case of the packaged item against the cutter and cuts it, so there is no excessive load on the motor that drives the belt conveyor. It's a burden,
Another problem arises in that the motor becomes larger.

[0007] Therefore, to suppress the increase in costs as much as possible,
In addition, there arises a technical problem that must be solved in order to simplify the work of opening the package and to reduce the load on the motor, and the present invention aims to solve this problem.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and provides an automatic opening device that includes a means for moving a package and a cutter for cutting the case of the package. An automatic opening device characterized in that it is provided with a turning means for turning a cutter, and guides for fixing the packaged items are disposed facing each other, and the distance between the guides is configured to be freely changeable. It is characterized by an automatic opening device that clamps and fixes both sides of the package and can open the package, and a sensor that detects the dimensions of the package, and a cutter or guide based on the detected value of the sensor. an automatic opening device, characterized in that the automatic opening device is configured such that the guide waits at a predetermined position, various packages are fixed with the guide, and both sides of the package case can be cut with a cutter, and An automatic opening device characterized in that the guide is provided with a stopper for positioning the package, and the guide is configured to stop the package transported by the moving means when the guide is on standby; It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic opening device characterized in that a cutter is arranged diagonally to the package and is configured to move the cutter in opposite directions to cut both sides of the case of the package. .

[0009]

[Operation] The invention as set forth in claim 1 is provided with a means for rotating the cutter, so that after the cutter cuts one side of the case of the package, the cutter is rotated by the rotating means and the cutter is rotated again to remove the other side of the case. By cutting in the direction, the package is opened. According to the second aspect of the invention, the guides are arranged opposite to each other, and the distance between the guides is freely changeable. Then, the guides clamp and fix both side edges of the package being conveyed, and the cutter cuts the case of the package. Also, when loading a package into the device, unloading a package, or rotating the cutter, adjust the distance between the guides to be large so that the guides do not interfere with the package. .

[0010] According to the third aspect of the invention, a sensor detects the dimensions of the package to be transported, and the cutter or guide waits at a predetermined position according to the detected value. Then, when the packaged item is transported, the guide clamps and fixes both sides of the packaged item, and the cutter cuts both sides of the packaged item's case in one direction. Furthermore, when turning the cutter to cut both side edges in the other direction of the case, the dimensions in the other direction of the case are also detected, so the mutual relationship between the cutter and the guide is determined based on the detected value. Relax the distance and move to the standby position with respect to the other direction of the case. Then, the guide fixes the package again, and the cutter cuts both sides of the case in the other direction.

[0011] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, a stopper is provided on the guide, and the stopper stops the package transported by the moving means at a predetermined position while the guide is on standby. In the invention as set forth in claim 5, the cutter is disposed on a diagonal of the package fixed to the guide, and the cutter is moved in opposite directions to cut the case of the package. Therefore, deformation of the case can be prevented without applying force in one direction to the case, and the holding force of the guide to the packaged item can be reduced. Furthermore, since the cutter is moved to cut the case, the load on the motor of the means for moving the package can be reduced compared to a conventional belt conveyor in which the package is pressed against the cutter using the locking section. .

0012

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings.
This will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes an automatic opening device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic opening device 20 has a belt conveyor 22 mounted on the top surface of a base 21 and is driven by the operation of a motor 23. Further, a lifting device 24 is provided upright on the side edge of the base 21. A screw rod 25 is erected at the center of the interior of the lifting device 24, and the screw rod 25 is attached to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, and is rotated by the operation of a motor 26.

Further, a slide guide 27 is provided vertically projecting from both side edges of the inner wall of the lifting device 24, and the slide guide 27 has engaging portions 29, 29 provided at the edge of the first frame 28. The first frame 28 is formed to face above the belt conveyor 22 and to be vertically movable by engaging the grooves. Further, a protrusion 30 is formed on the outer surface of the lower edge vertically provided on the first frame 28,
A screw hole 31 having a female thread is formed in the protrusion 30, and the screw rod 25 is screwed into the screw hole 31. Therefore, the first frame 28 is connected to the motor 26.
It moves up and down by the operation of. Although not shown, a balance is connected to the first frame 28 to balance the weight and reduce the burden on the motor 26.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the first frame 28 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view.
A rotating body 33 is supported by support members 33a, 33a, 33a on a circular rail 32 formed at the center of the rotor 8 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. Further, a second frame 34 is fixed to the rotating body 33, and slide rods 35, 35 are installed on the second frame 34.

Then, the slide rods 35, 35 are inserted into the holes 38, 38, 38, 38 formed in the frames 37, 37 of the rodless cylinders 36, 36, and the rodless cylinders 36, 36 are moved from left to right in FIG. It is configured to be movable in any direction. Incidentally, the rodless cylinder 36 can move the seat 39 in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 using air pressure.

Furthermore, a motor 4 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the rotating body 33.
0 is fixedly installed, and a gearbox 41 is fixedly installed on the lower surface. A gear shaft 42 is attached to the gear box 41 in the vertical direction and is formed to be freely rotatable in the horizontal direction. The gear shaft 42 is connected to the motor 40, and a bevel gear 43 is attached to the lower part of the gear shaft 42 within the gear box 41.

Furthermore, both sides of the gearbox 41 and the second
Screw rods 44 are attached to both side edges of the frame 34,
44 to form the screw rod 44 so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction, and the screw rods 44, 44
The frame 37 of the rodless cylinder 36, 36,
They are inserted into screw holes 45, 45 drilled in 37 and screwed together.

Bevel gears 46, 46 are fixedly installed in the gear box 41 at the tips of the screw rods 44, 44, and the bevel gears 46 of the gear shaft 42
It fits into 3. Therefore, by operating the motor 40, the rodless cylinders 36, 36 can be moved in the left-right direction in FIG. Since the left and right screw rods 44, 44 in FIG. 2 rotate in opposite directions, when the left rodless cylinder 36 moves to the right, the right rodless cylinder 36 moves to the left.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a bracket 47 is provided on the upper surface of the seats 39, 39 of the rodless cylinders 36, 36.
, 47 are fixedly attached to the brackets 47, 47, and circular cutters 48, 47 are mounted inside the rodless cylinders 36, 36.
48 is rotatably pivoted. Moreover, the cutter 48,
48 is provided diagonally laterally from the top toward the bottom. The angles of the cutters 48, 48 can be adjusted using nuts. The mutual cutters 48, 48 are arranged at opposite positions of the rodless cylinders 36, 36, as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, on the side surface of the rodless cylinder 36 at the rear (left side in FIG. 2), as shown in FIGS. A second gear 50 is pivotally connected thereto, and a stopper 51 is fixed to the second gear 50. And the first gear 49
An air cylinder 52 is fixed above with a bracket 53, and the tip of the cylinder rod 54 of the air cylinder 52 is pivotally connected to the peripheral edge of the first gear 49. Therefore,
The stopper 51 rotates up and down as the air cylinder 52 expands and contracts.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, guides 55, 55 formed of L-shaped steel are fixedly extended in the longitudinal direction on the inner surface of the lower part of the frame 37 of the rodless cylinders 36, 36. has been done. Elongated holes 56, 56 are opened in the longitudinal direction on the upper surfaces of the guides 55, 55, and the cutters 48
, 48 are inserted into the elongated holes 56, 56 and protrude downward, and the guides 55, 55 are inserted into the cutters 48, 48.
It is formed so as not to interfere with the

On the other hand, the rotating body 3 of the first frame 28
An air actuator 57 is fixedly installed on the left side of 3, and a pinion gear 58 is attached to the rotating shaft of the air actuator 57.
is attached. Further, a 90 degree rack gear 59 is fixed to the peripheral edge of the rotating body 33 from the left side to the rear,
The rack gear 59 and pinion gear 58 are in mesh with each other. Therefore, the rotating body 33 is rotated within an angular range of 90 degrees by the operation of the air actuator 57. Although not shown, a locking portion is provided on the first frame 28 to restrict excessive rotation of the rotating body 33 and prevent the pinion gear 58 and rack gear 59 from coming apart.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the line for opening packages includes a centering conveyor 60 in front of the automatic opening device 20, and a supply roller conveyor in front of the centering conveyor 60. 61 are installed. The centering conveyor 60 has rollers divided into left and right sides from the center arranged side by side, and the rollers are formed into a conical shape that becomes narrower toward the center of the centering conveyor 60. If the centering conveyor 60 is connected to the belt conveyor 22 of the automatic opening device 20 and the package 62 is conveyed by the centering conveyor 60, the package 62 is positioned at the center of the centering conveyor 60 and is always kept at a constant level. The packaged object 62 is supplied to a certain position of the automatic opening device 20 in this posture.

Further, a roller conveyor 63 for discharging is disposed behind the automatic opening device 20, and the opened package 62 is disposed on a roller conveyor 63 for discharging.
transport. Further, a first stopper 64 and a second stopper 64a that can freely protrude and retract from the upper surface are attached to the front and rear ends of the centering conveyor 60, and the first stopper 64
and the second stopper 64a is a stopper cylinder 65,
It moves up and down by the operation of 65a.

On the other hand, support members 66, 66, 67 are fixedly installed at the front position of the centering conveyor 60, and sensors 68, 68, 69, 70 are attached to the support members 66, 66, 67.
is installed. Sensors 68 , 68 on both sides of the centering conveyor 60 detect the width of the package 62 , and a sensor 69 above the centering conveyor 60 detects the height of the package 62 . Sensor 70 detects the length of package 62. still,
The sensor 70 is formed by a rodless cylinder 71 and is movable up and down, and moves according to the size of the packaged item 62.

The opening of the package 62 will now be explained with reference to the timing chart of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the package 62 is first conveyed from a loading area or the like to a centering conveyor 60 by a roller conveyor 61. As shown in FIGS. The package 62 is stopped in front of the centering conveyor 60 by a first stopper 64 . and,
The stopper cylinder 65 operates and the first stopper 6
4 descends, the package 62 is centered by the centering conveyor 60 and moved to the front of the belt conveyor 22 of the automatic opening device 20. The supply roller conveyor 61 stops simultaneously with the lowering of the first stopper 64.

After a predetermined period of time, the first stopper 64
That is, after the packaged item 62 passes the first stopper 64, it is raised by the operation of the stopper cylinder 65. After the stopper 64 is raised, the supply roller conveyor 61
starts driving again. Also, centering conveyor 60
The width, height, and length of the package 62 are detected by sensors 68, 68, 69, and 70 at the front of the package 62 and stored in the memory.

The package 62 that has been stopped in front of the belt conveyor 22 is moved from the centering conveyor 60 to the belt conveyor 22 when the second stopper 64a is lowered by the operation of the stopper cylinder 65a. The centering conveyor 60 is normally driven at a speed of 30 m/min, but when moving the package 62 to the belt conveyor 22, it is driven at a speed of 60 m/min. The second stopper 64a is raised by actuation of the stopper cylinder 65a after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, that is, after the package 62 has passed.

On the other hand, at the same time as the second stopper 64a is lowered, the first frame 28 which was in the initial raised position
is lowered by the lift motor 40 to the standby position of the guides 55, 55 (approach). Further, the guides 55, 55, which have been expanded to the maximum in the initial position, come to the standby width and wait (approach) by the operation of the guide width adjustment motor 40. These approaches use sensors 68, 68, 69
, 70, the guides 55, 55 move the package 6
The upper and lateral spacing approaching 2 is controlled. In addition, the rodless cylinders 36, 36 are in the initial position when the package 62 is
They are placed parallel to each other, directly in line with the direction of progress.

The stopper 51 is attached to the rear rodless cylinder 36 and is rotated upward. The stopper 51 is connected to the guide 55 described above.
, 55, and is rotated downward by the operation of the air cylinder 52. Stopper 51 rotated downward
The package 62 moving on the belt conveyor 22 is stopped at a predetermined position near the guides 55, 55.

After that, the belt conveyor 22 stops, and the guides 55, 55 are lowered by the lifting motor 26 to the height of the packaged item 62 based on the detected value, and
The guide width adjustment motor 40 is operated to bring the distance to both sides of the packaged item 62. Therefore, the guides 55 , 55 sandwich the upper and front sides of the package 62 to fix the package 62 on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 22 .

When the package 62 is secured, the rodless cylinders 36, 36 begin to operate and move the cutters 48, 48. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, since the cutters 48, 48 are provided obliquely outward, the front and rear edges of the upper surface of the case 72 can be cut without damaging the contents inside the case 72. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, cutters 48, which are disposed at diagonal positions of the package 62,
48 moves in the opposite direction and the case 72 of the package 62
Since the package 62 and the guides 55, 5 are cut,
No unidirectional force is applied to the package 62, thereby preventing the package 62 from deforming or the like.

When the package 62 has been cut in one direction (for example, in the horizontal direction of the package 62 in this embodiment), the lifting motor 26 and the guide width adjustment motor 40 are turned off.
rotates in the opposite direction to raise the guides 55, 55 and relax laterally. Next, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 15,
The air actuator 57 of the first frame 28 operates to rotate the rotating body 33 by 90 degrees.

By rotating the rotary body 33 by 90 degrees, the rodless cylinders 36, 36 are arranged parallel to the traveling direction of the packaged item 62 (the front-rear direction of the packaged item 62). Then, the lifting motor 26 and the guide width adjustment motor 4 are operated again.
0 to lower the guides 55, 55, and while moving the guides 55, 55 closer to each other, the left and right sides of the upper part of the package 62 are clamped, and the package 62 is fixed. Then, the rodless cylinders 36, 36 are operated again to cut the upper surface of the package 62 in the front and rear directions on both the left and right sides. Therefore, the package 62 has an open top surface.

After the opening is completed, the guide width adjusting motor 40 rotates in the opposite direction to spread the guides 55, 55 and relax them to the initial spacing. Further, the lifting motor 26 is also reversely rotated to raise the guides 55, 55 to the height of the initial position. When the ascent ends, the air actuator 57 reverses the pinion gear 58 to rotate the rotating body 33 in the opposite direction to the above, and the guides 55, 55 return to their initial positions. Moreover, the belt conveyor 22 starts driving and the packaged items 6 are removed from the automatic opening device 20.
2 is discharged, and the package 62 is transferred to a roller conveyor 6 for discharge.
3, it is transported to a predetermined location. These operations are then repeated to sequentially open the package.

The above-mentioned lifting motor 29 and guide adjustment motor 40 are operated by the screw rods 25 and 4.
The automatic opening device 20 is controlled by a rotary encoder disposed on the bearing 4, etc., so that the automatic opening device 20 can operate accurately.

[0037]

Effects of the Invention The invention as claimed in claim 1 is provided with a means for rotating the cutter, so after the cutter cuts one side of the package case, the cutter is rotated by the rotating means to close the case again. By cutting in the other direction, the package is opened. Therefore, it is possible to open the package with one automatic opening device without having to cut the package twice and without having to install two automatic opening devices, thereby preventing an increase in cost and simplifying the opening operation. .

[0038] According to the second aspect of the invention, guides are disposed facing each other, and the packaged items can be fixed and opened by the guides. Therefore, when cutting a packaged item with a cutter, the packaged item is fixed, and when carrying the packaged item into the device, when discharging the packaged item, or when rotating the cutter, etc. Adjust the distance between the guides so that they do not interfere with the packaged items.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the sensor detects dimensions such as the length, height, and width of the package being transported. The cutter or guide waits at a predetermined position according to the detected value, and when the package is transported, the guide clamps and fixes both sides of the package, and the cutter cuts one part of the case of the package. Cut both sides in the direction (for example, width direction). Furthermore, when turning the cutter to cut both edges of the package in the other direction, the dimensions of the case in the other direction (for example, the length direction) are detected, so the detected value is used to determine the size of the package. The distance between the cutter and the guide is relaxed, and the cutter and the guide are moved to a standby position with respect to the other direction of the case. Then, the guide fixes the package again, and the cutter cuts both sides of the case in the other direction. Therefore, since no human labor is required, automation is promoted to reduce costs and improve production efficiency.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the guide is provided with a stopper, and the stopper stops the transported package at a predetermined position while the guide is on standby, so that the automatic opening of the package can be carried out. It can be done smoothly. Claim 5
In the described invention, the cutter is arranged diagonally to the package and the cutter is moved in opposite directions to cut the case of the package, so no force is applied in one direction to the case. This prevents the case of the package from being deformed, and eliminates the need for the guide to have a large holding force against the package.

Furthermore, since the cutter is moved to cut the case, the load on operating means such as a motor is reduced compared to a conventional belt conveyor in which the package is pressed against the cutter using a locking section. Can be done. Therefore, the present invention has remarkable effects such as reducing the cost of the device and simplifying the configuration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of an automatic opening device.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the automatic opening device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the automatic opening device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of main parts showing a state in which a cutter is attached to a rodless cylinder.

FIG. 5 is a side view of main parts showing a state in which a stopper is attached to a rodless cylinder.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of main parts showing a state in which a stopper is attached to a rodless cylinder.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway left side side view of a line for opening packages.

FIG. 8 is a right-side side view of a line for opening packages.

FIG. 9 is a left side plan view of a line for opening packages.

FIG. 10 is a right side plan view of a line for opening packages.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart for opening the package.

FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway left side side view of the line for opening packages, showing a state in which the rotating body of the automatic opening device has rotated 90 degrees.

FIG. 13 is a right side side view of the line for opening packages, showing a state in which the rotating body of the automatic opening device has rotated 90 degrees.

FIG. 14 is a left side plan view of the line for opening packages, showing a state in which the rotating body of the automatic opening device has rotated 90 degrees.

FIG. 15 is a right side plan view of the line for opening packages, showing a state in which the rotating body of the automatic opening device has rotated 90 degrees;

FIG. 16 is a side view of a conventional automatic opening device.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a conventional automatic opening device.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 Automatic opening device 22 Belt conveyor 33 Rotating body 48 Cutter 51 Stopper 55 Guide 57 Air actuator 60 Centering conveyor 61, 63 Roller conveyor 62 Packaging 68, 69, 70 sensor 72 case

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claim 1: An automatic opening device comprising a means for moving a packaged item and a cutter for cutting a case of the packaged item, comprising:
An automatic opening device comprising a turning means for turning the cutter. [Claim 2] Guides for fixing the package are disposed facing each other, and their spacing between them is changeable, so that the guides can clamp and fix both sides of the package and open the package. The automatic opening device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. A sensor is provided for detecting the dimensions of the package, and a cutter or a guide waits at a predetermined position based on the detected value of the sensor, and the guide fixes various packages, and the cutter is configured to wait at a predetermined position. The automatic opening device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the automatic opening device is configured to be able to cut both sides of a case of a packaged item. 4. The guide according to claim 2, wherein the guide is provided with a stopper for positioning the package, and the guide is configured to stop the package transported by the moving means when the guide is on standby. or the automatic opening device described in 3. 5. A structure according to claim 1, characterized in that cutters are arranged diagonally on the fixed package and the cutters are moved in opposite directions to cut both sides of the package case. 3. The automatic opening device described in 3.