JPH09267803A - Method and equipment for collecting and boxing article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lower equipment cost by making the equipment small and simple, and also to improve production efficiency by shortening the time necessary for the changeover of article kinds. SOLUTION: An article loading bed 24 where an article fetched by a pusher 16 is moved and loaded is positioned at the side of the fetching position of a bucket conveyor 13. A piling lift 29 for piling a group of articles is positioned at a far side from the bucket conveyor 13 of the article loading bed 24. A boxing station S for positioning a packaging box is set across from the article loading bed 24 with the piling lift 29 in between. A robot 47 is positioned across from the piling lift 29 with the boxing station S in between. The robot 47 transfers the group of articles from the article loading bed 24 to the piling lift 29, and from the piling lift 29 to the packaging box, and also pack the group of articles into the packaging box.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article stacking method and apparatus for stacking a plurality of articles transferred from a previous process in a unit and packing the collected article groups in a batch. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a plurality of articles, each of which is transported while being supported one by one by a transfer conveyor such as a bucket conveyor, are taken out, and the taken out article groups are stacked for a predetermined number of steps. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a group of stacked articles has been packaged in a packaging box.
In this way, a device for taking out a plurality of units and packing them in a stacked state in a packaging box is a device in which a plurality of units are stacked between the transfer conveyor and a stacking unit for stacking a group of products. It is equipped with a take-out / transfer means for taking out the article group and transferring the article group to the stacking means. Further, since there is a gap between the adjacent articles in the group of articles taken out from the transfer conveyor by the transfer means, the width-adjusting means for moving the respective articles to each other in order to eliminate this gap is taken out. -It is provided separately from the transfer means. The group of articles stacked by a predetermined number by the stacking means is taken out from the stacking means by the boxing means and is transferred to the boxing station, and then waits at the station. It is configured to be boxed in.

In the boxing device, there is also a demand for packing the stacked articles into a packaging box in an upper opening state after changing the posture of the articles by 90 degrees. In this case, 9
It is necessary to separately provide a posture changing means for changing the posture by 0 degree, a conveying means for conveying the group of articles from the stacking means to the posture changing means, and a boxing means for transferring the group of articles from the posture changing means to the boxing station for boxing. was there.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the boxing device,
Since the actuating means for performing the required operation is provided corresponding to each process, there is a drawback that the device becomes large and the mechanism becomes complicated and the cost increases. Also, when it is necessary to perform product type switching corresponding to a plurality of types of articles of different sizes, each operating means must be provided with a size changing unit individually, which not only makes the device more complicated but also It is also pointed out that there is a problem that it takes a long time to reduce the production rate.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the above-mentioned prior art, and has been proposed to suitably solve the problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for packing articles in a box, which can reduce the cost, shorten the time required for changing the product type, and improve the production efficiency.

[0006]

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the intended purpose, a method of packing articles according to the present invention collects articles transferred by an article transfer conveyor in a plurality of units. A method of packing in a packaging box, wherein the articles transferred by the article transfer conveyor are taken out in a plurality of units, and the plurality of articles taken out to a predetermined position are
The robot is sandwiched from both sides in the direction in which the articles are aligned by the handling means of the robot so that the opposing surfaces of the articles come into contact with each other. By repeating the transfer of the article group by the robot to the means a predetermined number of times, the article group is stacked by a predetermined number of steps by the stacking means, and the plurality of article groups stacked by the stacking means are transferred to the robot. It is characterized in that it is clamped in a lump by a handling means and is transferred to and packed in a packaging box positioned at a packaging station.

Further, in order to preferably carry out the above-mentioned method, an article accumulating and boxing apparatus according to another invention of the present application is an apparatus for accumulating a plurality of articles transferred by an article transfer conveyor in a unit and packing them in a packaging box. The article loading bed provided on the side of the article transfer conveyor, a take-out means for taking out articles from the article transfer conveyor in a predetermined number of units to the article loading bed, and a predetermined distance from the article loading bed Stacking means provided at separate positions for stacking a group of articles in which a predetermined number of articles are gathered and handling means for sandwiching the article group in the article alignment direction are provided, and the stacking means for stacking articles from the article mounting bed is provided. The group of articles was transferred to the packaging box from the stacking means to the packaging box positioned at the boxing station, and was aligned with the opening of the packaging box. The goods group characterized by being composed of a robot stuffing in the packaging box.

[0008]

The articles transferred by the article conveyor are picked up in plural units to a predetermined position, and then sandwiched by the handling means of the robot so that the facing surfaces of the articles are brought into contact with each other. To be done. The group of articles that have been width-shifted are transferred to the stacking means by a robot. Then, the transfer of the article group to the stacking means by the robot is repeated a predetermined number of times, so that the article group is stacked on the stacking means by a predetermined number of steps. Further, the group of articles stacked on the stacking means is transferred to the packaging box positioned at the packaging station in a state of being sandwiched by the handling means of the robot in a lump and is packed in the packaging box.

Further, while the group of articles is transferred to the packaging box by the robot, the article group sandwiched by the handling means is changed in posture by 90 degrees in the vertical direction, so that the packaging box is opened upward. It is possible to pack a group of articles after changing the posture. Furthermore, by posture-changing the article group sandwiched by the handling means in the horizontal direction by 90 degrees, the article group can be packed in the packaging box in the posture after the posture group is vertically and horizontally changed.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, a method of packing articles according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in relation to an apparatus capable of suitably carrying out the method.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall structure of an article stacking and boxing apparatus according to an embodiment. The apparatus 10 is provided in an endless chain 11 which circulates in a required direction and is arranged at predetermined intervals in the running direction. The bucket conveyor 13 is provided as an article transfer conveyor on which the L-shaped holding member 12 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, on the upstream side of the bucket conveyor 13, a supply conveyor 15 that conveys the articles 14a at a predetermined interval is arranged in series, and the downstream end thereof is located close to the upstream end of the bucket conveyor 13. The articles 14a conveyed by the supply conveyor 15 are configured to be supplied one by one from the downstream end of the conveyor 15 to the adjacent holding members 12, 12 of the bucket conveyor 13. In the embodiment, the holding members 12, 12
The rectangular article 14a having a flat rectangular shape supplied between the sheets is set to be transported in a state of being held in a laterally standing state in which the surface corresponding to the long side is the lower side.

Above the take-out position set at a predetermined position of the bucket conveyor 13, a predetermined number (five in the embodiment) of articles 14a are transferred from the conveyor 13 to the conveyor 13.
A pusher 16 is provided as a take-out means for taking out the article in a direction intersecting with the article transfer direction. That is,
As shown in FIG. 4, a gate-shaped stand 17 that straddles the upper portion of the bucket conveyor 13 is arranged on the conveyor frame 18.
A guide rail 19 is arranged on one side of the stand 17 so as to intersect the article transfer direction. A first air cylinder 21 is vertically arranged on a movable body 20 slidably arranged on a guide rail 19, and is arranged on an endless chain 11 on a piston rod 21a directed downward of the cylinder 21. A comb-shaped pushing member 22 corresponding to the distance between the holding members 12 and 12 is provided (see FIG. 2). Further, the second air cylinder 23 is horizontally arranged on the stand 17,
The piston rod (not shown) is connected to the moving body 20. Then, by biasing the second air cylinder 23 in the forward and reverse directions, the pushing member 2 disposed on the moving body 20 is pushed.
2 reciprocates between a standby position (FIG. 11) facing one side and an operating position (FIG. 12) facing the other side of the bucket conveyor 13 which intersects the article transfer direction, and moves from the standby position to the operating position. In the process of moving, a predetermined number of articles 14a held by the holding members 12, 12 are pushed toward the outside of the bucket conveyor 13. In addition, the pushing member 2
2 is lowered by the first air cylinder 21 to the pushing position where it can contact the article 14a when moving from the standby position to the operating position, and by the first air cylinder 21 when returning from the operating position to the standby position. It is lifted to a retracted position where it does not interfere with the article 14a.

On the operating position side of the pushing member 22 corresponding to the take-out position of the bucket conveyor 13, an article placing bed 24 for supporting the lower surface of the predetermined number of article groups 14 taken out by the pusher 16 is arranged. ing. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of guide plates 25, 25 are formed on the upper surface of the article placing bed 24 in the vicinity of the bucket conveyor 13 at a predetermined interval in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the pushing member 22 to form a V shape. It is erected so as to face each other. Then, the predetermined number of articles 14a pushed by the pushing member 22 is
In the process of passing between the pair of guide plates 25, 25, the widths of the guide plates 25 are made closer to each other in the alignment direction. In the article group 14 that has been pushed to the stop position of the article placing bed 24 by passing between the guide plates 25, 25, the width is not adjusted until the facing surfaces of the articles 14a come into contact with each other. The final width adjustment is performed by a robot 47 described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, a rear plate 26 that hangs downward is formed by bending at the end of the article loading bed 24 that is separated from the bucket conveyor 13.
A pair of support stays 27, 27, which are vertically spaced apart and horizontally extend outward by a predetermined length, are arranged at both ends of the width direction 6 (alignment direction of the plurality of articles 14a). . Further, the front plate 2 is provided between the extended end portions of the four support stays 27.
8 is disposed in parallel with the rear plate 26, and guides the front and rear of the article group 14 (front and rear with respect to the pushing direction of the article 14 by the pushing member 22) stacked by the stacking lift 29 described later by the front and rear plates 28, 26. Is configured to. In addition, the upper end of the front plate 28 is the bed 2
4 and the upper surface of No. 4 are set to be substantially the same level.

A stacking lift 29 as a stacking means for stacking the article groups 14 is arranged on the side opposite to the position where the bucket conveyor 13 is arranged with the article loading bed 24 interposed therebetween. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 31 is disposed and fixed to the device frame 30 facing below the article placing bed 24, and the lower surface of the mounting portion 31 a that extends horizontally toward the front plate 28 of the bracket 31. An elevating cylinder 32 is vertically installed. The lower surface of the stacking plate 33 facing between the front and rear plates 28 and 26 is connected to the piston rod 32a extending upward from the mounting portion 31a of the elevating cylinder 32, and the forward and reverse urging force of the elevating cylinder 32 is applied. It is configured to move up and down. A guide rod 34 is vertically provided on the lower surface of the stacking plate 33, and the guide rod 34 is slidably inserted into a support cylinder 31b provided on the bracket 31 to raise and lower the stacking plate 33 in a horizontal posture. It works as expected.

As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus frame 30 is provided with a pair of side plates 35, 35 standing upright in the width direction with the bracket 31 sandwiched therebetween, and between the side plates 35, 35 in the axial direction. An adjusting screw 36, which has a left-hand threaded portion 36a and a right-handed threaded portion 36b formed on the left and right with the center of the left and right sides interposed, is rotatably installed. A guide rail 37 is arranged in parallel with the adjusting screw 36 on the device frame 30 between the side plates 35, 35, and a pair of moving members 38, 38 are slidable on the guide rail 37 with the bracket 31 interposed therebetween. It is arranged. The one moving member 38 is
A nut is provided on the left-hand thread portion 36a of the adjusting screw 36.
The other moving member 38 is screwed to the right-hand threaded portion 36b of the adjusting screw 36 via a nut (not shown). Further, each moving member 38 is provided with a pair of side plates 39, 39, which are spaced apart from each other between the front and rear plates 28, 26. The side plates 39 are set so as not to interfere with the stacked plates 33, and the upper ends thereof are set to face slightly below the upper surface of the article placing bed 24. The article group 14 stacked on the stacking plate 33 is guided from the front and rear and the side by the front and rear plates 28 and 26 and the four side plates 39 and 39.

An adjusting motor 41 is connected to the adjusting screw 36 via a transmission means 40 consisting of a pulley and a sprocket. By rotating the motor 41 in the forward and reverse directions, the left screw portion 36a of the adjusting screw 36 is connected. The pair of moving members 38, 38 screwed to the right screw portion 36b and the right screw portion 36b move toward and away from each other, and the spacing between the side plates 39, 39 facing left and right (width direction) is adjusted. A pulse counter 42 is connected to the adjusting screw 36, and the interval between the side plates 39, 39 is detected by the number of output pulses from the counter 42.

As shown in FIG. 5, the left and right support stays 27,
27, article sensors 44 and 45 such as photoelectric sensors that form a pair via the sensor holders 43 and 43 are stacked on the plate 3
3 are arranged so as to face each other, and are configured to detect the presence of the article group 14 located between the two sensors 44 and 45. The article sensors 44 and 45 are provided on the stack plate 33.
The stacking plate 3 with the upper surface thereof facing the standby position where the upper surface thereof is substantially at the same level as the upper surface of the article placing bed 24.
It is positioned at a height position where the article group 14 for one stage transferred to the No. 3 can be detected. Further, the lifting cylinder 32
Is capable of stopping and positioning the piston rod 32a at an arbitrary position, and when the article sensors 44 and 45 detect the article group 14, the piston rod 32a is urged in the direction of pulling the stacked plate 33. With lowering
When the article sensors 44 and 45 no longer detect the article group 14 (when the article group 14 falls below the detection level of both sensors 44 and 45), the operation is stopped and the stacking plate 33 is stopped and positioned. ing. Further, the elevating cylinder 32 performs the operation of lowering the stacking plate 33 a predetermined number of times, and then the piston rod 3
The stacking plates 33 are controlled so as to be raised to the standby position by urging the 2a in the extending direction (see FIG. 17).

A boxing station S is set on the opposite side of the article loading bed 24 with the stacking lift 29 interposed therebetween, and a packaging box 46 opened upward in the previous step is transferred and positioned at the station S. It has become so. Stacking lift 2 sandwiching this boxing station S
As shown in FIG. 1, an articulated robot 47 having a plurality of degrees of freedom is arranged on the opposite side of the robot 9. A wrist 49 is rotatably supported at the tip of an arm 48 of the robot 47, and the wrist 49 is set to reciprocally rotate within a range of 90 degrees by a first rotary cylinder 50 as a posture changing means, which will be described later. The holding device 52 is configured to rotate in the horizontal direction. Further, a holder 51 is pivotally supported on the wrist 49 so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the wrist 49, and a holding device 52 as a handling means for holding the article group 14 on the holder 51.
Are arranged.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a rotary cylinder 53 for opening and closing is arranged and fixed to a holder 51, and a base plate 54 of a required length is arranged on a main body 53a of the cylinder 53, and the base plate 54 is also arranged. Support plates 55, 55 are erected so as to face each other at both ends in the longitudinal direction. A pair of guide rods 56, 56 are installed in parallel between the support plates 55, 55 with a predetermined gap therebetween, and a pair of slide bodies 57, 57 are slidably arranged on the guide rods 56, 56. ing. In addition, the rotary cylinder 53 for opening and closing
Output shaft 5 facing between both guide rods 56, 56 in
The operating plate 58 is disposed on 3b so as to rotate integrally. As shown in FIG. 7, the operating plate 58 has an output shaft 53
A link rod 59 whose one end is rotatably connected to the left end sandwiching b.
The other end of the link rod 60 is rotatably connected to the left slide body 57, and the other end of the link rod 60 is rotatably connected to the right end of the operating plate 58 sandwiching the output shaft 53b. It is rotatably connected to the body 57. Therefore, by urging the opening / closing rotary cylinder 53 in the forward and reverse directions, the operating plate 58 rotates in the forward and reverse directions together with the output shaft 53b, and the pair of slide members connected via the link rods 59 and 60. 57 and 57 move toward and away from each other along the guide rods 56 and 56.

Plate-shaped hand plates 61, 61 extending parallel to the axial direction of the output shaft 53b of the opening / closing rotary cylinder 53 are detachably attached to the slide bodies 57, 57, respectively. By bringing the slide bodies 57, 57 close to each other, both hand plates 61, 6
It is configured to sandwich the article group 14 facing between 1 (see FIG. 12). As shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, the hand plate 61 has the dimensions of the article 14a and the article group 1
The size corresponding to the stacking number of 4 is selected and attached at the time of switching the type. The external dimensions of the portion of the hand plate 61 extending from the slide body 57 are
As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the outer shape of the entire group of articles stacked in a corresponding number of steps (in the case of one step, the article 1
4a) and is set so that the hand plate 61 can be inserted into the packaging box 46 together with the article group 14.

The opening / closing rotary cylinder 53 includes an article group 14 in which a preset number of articles 14a are assembled,
The hand plates 61, 61 are configured so as to reliably sandwich the articles in the article alignment direction. In other words, the opening / closing rotary cylinder 53 starts from the reference position where the hand plates 61, 61 are most opened and the preset number of articles 14
A closed position sandwiching the width a of the group of articles 14 in which a is assembled and having a wider interval than the width dimension of the group of articles 14 in which a number of articles 14a that are smaller by one is set (for example, 5 articles 14a are assembled. In the case of an article group 1 in which a set number of articles 14a are gathered, which are set to be moved closer to each other (by an interval of 4.5 pieces)
4 is a hand plate 6 that is urged by the cylinder 53
It is configured so as to be securely sandwiched by 1, 61. As a result, a predetermined number of articles 14a can be squeezed to the position where the opposing surfaces abut each other, and the group of articles 14 can be reliably sandwiched, so that the article widths in the alignment direction are switched to different types. In this case, size change such as adjustment of the distance between the pair of guide plates 25, 25 can be eliminated unless the widths are significantly different. In addition, the hand plate 61,
When 61 has reached the closed position, it is determined that there is a missing item, an abnormal alarm is issued, and the apparatus 10 is temporarily stopped. In addition, the hand plate 6
It is also possible to detect out-of-stock items by detecting the amount of movement of 1,61 by a sensor provided separately.

The wrist 49 is provided with a second rotary cylinder 62 as a posture changing means, and an output shaft 62a of the cylinder 62 is connected to the holder 51. Then, by biasing the second rotary cylinder 62 forward and backward, the holder 51 and the holding device 52 are set to reciprocally rotate in the range of 90 degrees in the vertical direction (see FIG. 8). When the holding device 52 holds the article group 14 placed on the article placing bed 24 or the stacking plate 33, the holding device 52 outputs an output from the opening / closing rotary cylinder 53 with respect to the rotation center axis of the wrist 49. The pair of hand plates 61, 61 are positioned in the horizontal posture shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
8 is packed in the packaging box 46, the axis line of the output shaft 53b of the rotary cylinder 53 for opening and closing becomes parallel to the rotation center line of the wrist 49, and the pair of hand plates 61, 61 are vertical as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is configured to be positioned in a posture.

A robot 47 having the holding device 52.
Holds the plurality of articles 14a pushed by the pushing member 22 to the stop position of the article loading bed 24 by the holding device 52, and transfers the article group 14 to the stacking plate 33 in the stacking lift 29 and transfers it. A device 5 for holding and stacking the article groups 14 stacked on the stacking lift 29.
The operation is controlled so as to be clamped collectively by 2 and transferred to above the packaging box 46 positioned at the packaging station S. In addition, the group of articles 14 aligned with the opening 46a of the packaging box 46 is packaged with the hand plates 61, 61 in which the holding device 52 is changed to the vertical posture.
6 is set so that the article group 14 is packed. In the stacking lift 29, stacking of a predetermined number of stacks of articles 14 on the stacking plate 33 is completed,
When the plate 33 rises, the hand plates 61, 61 are aligned with the rising portion of the stacking plate 33 and controlled so as to guide both side surfaces of the article group 14.

In the article stacking and packaging apparatus 10, the hand plates 61, 61 of the robot 47 are replaced and other The operation of each mechanism and switching settings such as size changes can be handled by switching settings such as one product type switching switch provided in the boxing device 10. For example, an input means (not shown) provided with a ten-key pad or the like is arranged in a control means (not shown) in which the setting data for each kind of the box packing device 10 is input and stored, and the kind obtained by the input means is used. By the switching setting, the operation of the robot 47 and each mechanism is automatically changed according to the selected product type.

[0026]

Operation of the Embodiment Next, the operation of the article stacking and packaging apparatus according to the embodiment will be described in relation to the packaging method. It is to be noted that a case will be described in which the article group 14 in which the five articles 14a are gathered side by side is packed in a box in a state of being stacked vertically in two stages.

In the stand-by state of the box packing operation, as shown in FIG. 11, the pushing member 22 of the pusher 16 faces the stand-by position on the opposite side of the bucket conveyor 13 with the article placing bed 24 in between and the stacking lift 29. The stacking plate 33 of 1 faces the most raised standby position. In addition, the gripping device 52 arranged in the robot 47 uses the horizontal hand plates 61, 61 that are open to the reference position,
It is assumed that the article placing bed 24 faces the stop position.

The articles 14a supplied from the supply conveyor 15 to the bucket conveyor 13 are supplied one by one between the holding members 12, 12 of the conveyor 13, so that the articles 14a are laid in a lateral standing state to the downstream side. Transferred to. When the five articles 14a are transferred to the take-out position of the bucket conveyor 13, the second air cylinder 23 of the pusher 16 is urged to move the pushing member 22 toward the working position as shown in FIG. By doing so, the five articles 14a are taken out from the bucket conveyor 13 and transferred to the article placing bed 24 in the standing state. The five articles 14a pushed by the pushing member 22 to the stop position of the article placing bed 24 pass through between the pair of guide plates 25, 25 standing on the bed 24, so that the five articles 14a are mutually aligned in the alignment direction. It will move to the stop position after being moved to.

Next, the rotary cylinder 53 for opening and closing of the holding device 52 is urged to move the pair of hand plates 61, 61 standing by at the reference position closer to each other to reach the stationary position. The individual articles 14a are squeezed and pinched so that the facing surfaces contact each other.
At this time, if the pair of hand plates 61, 61 do not move close to the closed position, it is judged that there are certainly five articles 14a, and the clamping device 52 is stacked as shown in FIG. The robot 47 is controlled to move toward the lift 29. And the hand plates 61, 61
By releasing the holding of the article group 14 by the above, the article group 14 is transferred to the stacking plate 33 of the stacking lift 29 in the same posture as the stop position. The pushing member 22 is raised to the retracted position by the first air cylinder 21, returned to the standby position by the second air cylinder 23, and then lowered to the pushing position by the first air cylinder 21. Wait for the next item to be taken out. After the article group 14 is transferred to the stacking lift 29, the pinching device 52 moves on a path that does not interfere with the article group 14 and returns to the stop position again to wait for the next article group 14 to be pinched (FIG. 1
4).

When the hand plates 61, 61 have reached the closed position, it is judged that the five articles 14a have not been taken out to the stopping position of the article placing bed 24, and the abnormal alarm is issued. And the apparatus 10 is temporarily stopped.

In the stacking lift 29, when the article group 14 of the first stage is transferred onto the stacking plate 33, the article sensors 44 and 45 detect the article group 14 to cause the lifting cylinder 32 to move. Is urged to lower the stacking plate 33. When the plate group 33 moves down, the article group 14 moves below the detection positions of the article sensors 44 and 45, and when the sensors 44 and 45 no longer detect the article group 14, the lifting cylinder 32 stops operating and the stacking plate Three
Positioning of 3 is stopped. At this time, the first-stage article group 1
The upper end of 4 is substantially at the same level as the upper surface of the article placing bed 24.

The article group 14 taken out from the bucket conveyor 13 by the pusher 16 and transferred to the article loading bed 24 is stacked in a state of being clamped by the clamping device 52 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. 1 transferred to the lift 29 and already placed on the stacking plate 33
The articles are stacked on the article group 14 in the step. In the embodiment, since the article group 14 is stacked in two stages, when the article group 14 in the second stage is detected by the article sensors 44 and 45, the elevating cylinder 32 is urged to set the stacking plate 33 to the standby position. (See FIG. 17). At this time, the hand plates 61, 61 of the holding device 52 face the rising portion of the stacking plate 33 in a state where the hand plates 61, 61 are opened to the reference position. Guided by the hand plates 61, 61, it is prevented from collapsing while rising.

The two-stage article groups 14 stacked on the stacking lift 29 are collectively clamped by the hand plates 61, 61 and transferred to above the packaging box 46 positioned at the packaging station S. The posture is changed on the way. First, the second rotary cylinder 6
2 is biased and the holding device 52 is rotated 90 degrees in the vertical direction, the hand plates 61, 61 are changed from the horizontal position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 8 to the vertical position shown by the solid line. The posture of the article group 14 sandwiched between the plates 61 and 61 is also changed by 90 degrees in the vertical direction. That is, in the embodiment, the surface corresponding to the short side of the article 14a has a vertical standing posture in which the surface is directed downward. Further, the wrist 49 of the robot 47 is rotated 90 degrees by the urging of the first rotary cylinder 50, and the hand plates 61, 61 are moved.
The article group 14 sandwiched between the
It is converted once.

As described above, the article group 14 whose vertical and horizontal postures have been changed is positioned above the opening 46a of the upwardly opened packaging box 46 positioned at the boxing station S by the robot 47. To be done. Then, as shown in FIG. 18, after the article group 14 is inserted into the packaging box 46 together with the hand plates 61, 61, the holding by the plates 61, 61 is released, and the hand plates 61, 61 are removed from the packaging box 46. By pulling out, the packing of the article group 14 is completed. By inserting the hand plates 61, 61 holding the article group 14 into the packaging box 46, the article group 14 can be reliably packed.

Next, by switching the product type, one-stage article group 14
When packing the boxes, the hand plates 61, 61 of the holding device 52 are replaced with those having the corresponding sizes (see FIG. 9), and the type switching setting is performed by the input means of the control device so that the robot 47 and each Automatically change the operation of the mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 19, the gripping device 52 provided in the robot 47 is provided with the horizontal hand plates 61, 61 which are open to the reference position and which are mounted on the article loading bed 24.
To the stop position in. When the five articles 14 a are transferred to the take-out position of the bucket conveyor 13, the five articles 14 a are taken out by the pusher 16 and are waiting on the article placing bed 24.
It is pushed up to between 1,61 (see FIG. 20). Next, the hand plates 61, 61 are moved closer to each other, so that the article 14a is width-shifted and pinched.

When packing the article group 14 in one stage, the article group 14 clamped by the clamping device 52 is not transferred to the stacking lift 29 but directly above the packaging box 46 positioned at the packaging station S. Transfer. Then, during this transfer, the clamping device 52 is rotated 90 degrees in the vertical direction by the second rotary cylinder 62, and the hand plates 61, 61 are changed from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture. The posture of the article group 14 sandwiched in the vertical direction is changed by 90 degrees in the vertical direction. The article group 14 whose posture has been changed in the vertical direction is moved by the robot 47.
Thus, the packaging box 46 positioned in the boxing station S is positioned above the opening 46a of the packaging box 46 in the open state. Then, as shown in FIG. 21, the article group 1
4 is inserted into the packaging box 46 together with the hand plates 61, 61, the holding by the plates 61, 61 is released, and the hand plates 61, 61 are pulled out from the packaging box 46 to pack the article group 14. Is completed. In addition, the hand plates 61 and 6 holding the article group 14 therebetween.
1 is changed according to the size of the packaging box 46, so that the plates 61, 61 are inserted into the packaging box 46 and the article group 1
It is possible to reliably carry out the packing of No. 4.

Further, by switching the product type, a four-stage article group 14
When packing the boxes, the hand plates 61, 61 of the holding device 52 are replaced with those having the corresponding dimensions (see FIG. 10), and the type switching setting is performed by the input means of the control device so that the robot 47 and each Automatically change the operation of the mechanism. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the article group 14 stacked in four stages is sandwiched by the hand plates 61, 61 in the horizontal posture, and then the hand plates 61, 61 are vertically and horizontally oriented. It is packed in the packaging box 46 in a vertical standing posture by rotating by 90 degrees and changing its posture.

A group of articles 14 stacked in two or four layers
In the embodiment of packing the boxes, the case in which the posture of the article group 14 is changed to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction has been described, but depending on the posture of the packaging box 46 positioned at the boxing station S, only the posture change in the vertical direction may be performed. It can also be boxed by doing. Further, in the embodiment in which the one-stage article group 14 is boxed, it is possible to box the article group 14 whose posture is changed vertically and horizontally depending on the posture of the packaging box 46 positioned at the boxing station S.

In the above-described embodiment, the rotary cylinder is taken as an example of the posture changing means for changing the posture of the holding device, but a position controllable motor may be used. A motor or a linear type cylinder can be used as a means for moving the pair of hand plates close to or apart from each other.

[0041]

As described above, according to the article stacking method and apparatus of the present invention, the group of articles taken out from the article transfer conveyor is transferred to the stacking means and the group of stacked articles is boxed. By configuring to transfer to the station and box by a robot,
The number of actuating means required for each process can be reduced, the size of the device can be reduced, and the cost of the device can be reduced. Also, since the group of items is moved closer by the robot,
It is not necessary to separately provide a width adjusting means, and the device can be further simplified and the cost can be reduced. In addition, even if the product widths are different due to the product type switching, the robots perform the product width adjustment, so that the product size switching time can be shortened without requiring mechanical adjustment of the product width adjustment dimension.

Further, the product type switching setting is required corresponding to a plurality of types of articles of different sizes, and the article group after stacking is set to 9
In the case of box packing after changing the posture by 0 degree,
It is possible to omit the means for changing the posture of the article group by 90 degrees, the means for transferring the article group from the stacking means to the posture changing means, and the like. That is, by carrying out the transfer of the group of articles and the posture change by one robot, it is possible to achieve the downsizing of the device and also reduce the cost of the device. Also,
The time required for product type switching can also be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of an article stacking box packing device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the article stacking box packing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a main part of the article stacking box packing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a main part of the article stacking box packaging device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a stacking lift according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a pinching device arranged in the robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic bottom view of a holding device provided in the robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of a holding device provided in the robot according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the hand plate of the holding device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another modification of the hand plate of the holding device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles and stacking the stacked articles by the article stacking and packaging apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking boxing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking and boxing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking and boxing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking and packaging apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking and boxing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking and boxing device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an operation explanatory diagram of stacking articles in a stack and packing the articles in a stack by the article stacking and packaging apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of packing a one-stage group of articles by the article accumulation boxing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of packing a one-stage group of articles by the article accumulation boxing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of packing a one-stage group of articles by the article accumulation boxing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of packing a 4-stage group of articles by the article stacking boxing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of packing a 4-stage group of articles by the article stacking boxing apparatus according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 bucket conveyor (article transfer conveyor) 14 article group 14a article 24 article loading bed 29 stacking lift (stacking means) 33 stacking plate 46 packaging box 46a opening 47 robot 50 first rotary cylinder (posture changing means) 52 Clamping device (handling means) 62 Second rotary cylinder (posture changing means) S Boxing station

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A method of accumulating a plurality of articles (14a) transferred by an article transfer conveyor (13) into a packaging box (46) and packing the articles (14a) by the article transfer conveyor (13). Items (1
4a) is taken out in units, and the plurality of articles (14a) taken out to a predetermined position are handled by the robot (47) handling means (5) from both sides in the article alignment direction.
2) The products are squeezed by sandwiching them so that the facing surfaces of the articles (14a) come into contact with each other, and the shunted article group (14) is transferred to the stacking means (29). Article group (14) by means of robot (47) to means (29)
By repeating the transfer of a predetermined number of times, the article group (14) is stacked by a predetermined number by the stacking means (29), and the plurality of article groups (14) stacked by the stacking means (29).
, The robot (47) is collectively clamped by the handling means (52) and transferred to the packing box (46) positioned at the packing station (S) for packing. Boxing method. 2. The article group (14) sandwiched by the handling means (52) is vertically moved while the article group (14) is transferred to the packaging box (46) by the robot (47). Change the posture by 90 degrees, transfer it to the upper part of the packaging box (46) in the upper opening state, and pack the article group (14) after the posture change aligned with the opening (46a) of the packaging box (46). Claim 1
The method of packing the goods according to the description. 3. The article group (14) sandwiched by the handling means (52) is horizontally moved while the article group (14) is transferred to the upper part of the packaging box (46) by the robot (47). The method of packing an article accumulating box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture is changed by 90 degrees. 4. A device for accumulating a plurality of articles (14a) transferred by an article transfer conveyor (13) into a packaging box (46) and packing the articles (14a) in a unit, the side of the article transfer conveyor (13). An article placing bed (24) provided on one side, a take-out means (16) for taking out the articles (14a) from the article transfer conveyor (13) in a predetermined number unit to the article placing bed (24), and the article placing bed (24). Stacking means (29) provided at a position separated from the bed (24) by a predetermined distance and stacking a predetermined number of articles (14a) in a stack, and the article group (14) A handling means (52) for holding the article group (14) from the article placing bed (24) to the stacking means (29) is provided with a handling means (52) for sandwiching from the alignment direction and a stacking means (2).
Packaging boxes positioned from 9) to the packaging station (S)
The group of articles (14) is transferred to (46) and the packaging box (46)
And a robot (47) for packing the article group (14) aligned with the opening (46a) of the article into the packaging box (46). 5. A group of articles (14) stacked on the robot (47) by a stacking means (29) by a handling means (47).
A posture changing means (62) for changing the posture of the group of articles (14) by 90 degrees in the vertical direction is provided on the way of transporting the package group (14) by sandwiching them all together. Under the position of the article group (14) after the posture change is aligned with the upper part of the packaging box (46) whose upper side is positioned in (S), the packaging box (14) 46. The article stacking box packing device according to claim 4, which is configured to be packed in a box 46). 6. The robot (47) has a handling means.
At the time of transferring the article group (14) sandwiched by (47) to the upper part of the packaging box (46), a posture changing means (50) for horizontally changing the posture of the article group (14) by 90 degrees is provided. The article accumulation box packing device according to claim 4 or 5. 7. The robot (47) is set on the article loading bed (24) when a plurality of types of product types are set to be switched and a product type that does not stack the article group (14) is selected. The packing station for holding the taken out article group (14)
After being transferred to the packaging box (46) positioned in (S), the group of articles (14) aligned with the opening (46a) of the packaging box (46) is packed in the packaging box (46). 7. The article stacking box packaging device according to claim 4, which is set so as to perform an inserting operation. 8. The stacking means (29) is provided with a stacking plate (33) on which the group of articles (14) is placed and which can be raised and lowered, and the group of articles for each stage on the plate (33). The stacking plate (33) descends every time (14) is placed, and the article group (14)
The stacking plate (33) is set to be lifted when a predetermined number of articles are stacked, and the handling means (47) of the robot (47) is configured to stack the article group (14) of a predetermined number of sheets. When completed and the stacking plates (33) are raised, the articles (14)
7. The article stacking boxing device according to claim 4, which is set so as to be aligned with the rising portion of the stacking plate (33) so as to guide both side surfaces of the article aligning direction.