This application is the U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/JP2018/040738, filed Nov. 1, 2018. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-029351, filed Feb. 22, 2018. The contents of that application are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The present invention relates to a box packing device for packing articles into boxes.
Conventionally, a box packing device for packing articles into boxes, such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-155428 A, has been known. This box packing device pushes articles into a box conveyed thereto in a state in which an opening thereof faces sideways, thereafter lowers the box, and then pushes more articles into the box in the space above the articles that has just been pushed in. That is, this box packing device pushes the articles into the box by repeatedly performing an operation in which it pushes the articles into the box and an operation in which it lowers the box.
However, in a case where the articles are sealed bags, the articles are sometimes compressed by a stopper to ensure that the articles do not stick out of the boxes when the articles are pushed into the boxes. In this case, when lowering the boxes, sometimes the articles freed from the stopper expand and stick out of the boxes a little. Additionally, there is the concern that portions of the articles sticking out of the box will get caught so that the articles end up rotating inside the box. As a result, there is the potential for the articles to not be properly packed and for the articles to end up sustaining damage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a reliable box packing device that inhibits the occurrence of a problem where, when packing articles into boxes, the articles end up rotating in the boxes.
A box packing device pertaining to the invention includes a push-in mechanism, a retention mechanism, a guide, and a control unit. The push-in mechanism pushes, into a box that is in a state in which an opening thereof faces sideways, an article through the opening. The retention mechanism retains the box that is in a state in which the opening faces sideways and lowers the box after the article have been pushed into the box by the push-in mechanism. The guide opposes the opening and is a member for preventing the article from falling out from the opening of the box that has been lowered by the retention mechanism. The control unit temporarily increases the distance between the box and the guide after the article have been pushed into the box by the push-in mechanism.
The box packing device pertaining to the invention inhibits the articles from getting caught on the guide and rotating in a case where the articles have expanded in the box by temporarily moving the box away from the guide after the box packing device has pushed the articles into the box that is in a state in which the openings face sideways. Consequently, the reliability of the box packing device pertaining to the invention can be improved.
Furthermore, in the box packing device pertaining to the invention, it is preferred that the control unit temporarily tilt the box so that the opening faces upward.
In this case, the box packing device can temporarily move the box away from the guide simply by tilting the box.
Furthermore, it is preferred that the box packing device pertaining to the invention further include a shutter. The shutter is a member that is temporarily inserted inside the box while the push-in mechanism is pushing the article into the box. The push-in mechanism pushes the article resting on top of the shutter into the box.
In this case, the box packing device can smoothly push the articles into the box by using the shutter.
Furthermore, in the box packing device pertaining to the invention, it is preferred that the control unit remove the shutter from the box before temporarily increasing the distance between the box and the guide and, after temporarily increasing the distance between the box and the guide, control the retention mechanism to lower the box, return the distance between the box and the guide to what it was before, and thereafter insert the shutter inside the box.
In this case, the box packing device can appropriately control the distance between the box and the guide by removing and inserting the shutter at appropriate timings.
Furthermore, in the box packing device pertaining to the invention, it is preferred that the control unit, after inserting the shutter inside the box after having returned the distance between the box and the guide to what it was before, raise the box to a position in which the article that have been pushed into the box come into contact with the shutter.
In this case, the box packing device can efficiently pack the articles into the box.
Furthermore, it is preferred that the box packing device pertaining to the invention further include a rotation mechanism. The rotation mechanism rotates the box to switch the box between a state in which the opening faces sideways and a state in which the opening faces upward. The control unit controls the rotation mechanism to temporarily increase the distance between the box and the guide.
In this case, the box packing device can easily control the distance between the box and the guide using the rotation mechanism.
Furthermore, in the box packing device pertaining to the invention, it is preferred that the rotation mechanism have a servo motor for controlling the rotational speed of the box.
In this case, the box packing device can easily control the distance between the box and the guide using the servo motor of the rotation mechanism.
Furthermore, in the box packing device pertaining to the invention, it is preferred that the guide have a shape that recedes upward from the box.
In this case, the box packing device can inhibit the articles from getting caught on the guide and rotating in a case where the articles have expanded in the box.
The box packing device pertaining to the invention inhibits the occurrence of a problem where, when packing articles into boxes, the articles end up rotating in the boxes, so an improvement in reliability can be expected.
An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is a specific example of the invention and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the invention.
(1) Configuration and Operation of Box Packing Device
The box packing device 10 mainly includes a box making unit 1, a box packing unit 2, and a box closing unit 3.
In the following description, terms such as upper, lower, left, right, front (front surface), and rear (back surface) are used to describe directions and positions. These terms, unless otherwise specified, mean up, down, left, right, front, and rear indicated by arrows in the drawings. “Right” is the right side in a case where the box packing device 10 is viewed from the front side, and “left” is the left side in a case where the box packing device 10 is viewed from the front side.
(1-1) Box Making Unit
The box making unit 1 makes the cardboard boxes C having just one side open by opening cardboard sheets S, which are the cardboard boxes C in a collapsed state, closing bottom lids B of the cardboard boxes C, and sealing the bottom lids B shut with tape T.
The cardboard boxes C made by the box making unit 1 are conveyed by a conveyor (not shown in the drawings) to the box packing unit 2. The box making unit 1 feeds one after another the cardboard boxes C it has made to the box packing unit 2.
(1-2) Box Packing Unit
The box packing unit 2 puts a plurality of the articles A into the cardboard boxes C and thereby box packs them.
The cardboard boxes C that are in a state in which the openings Op face sideways are supplied to the box packing unit 2 by the conveyor of the box making unit 1. Specifically, the cardboard boxes C having the bottom lids B formed on the front surface side of the box packing device 10 and having the openings Op formed on the back surface side of the box packing device 10 are supplied to the box packing unit 2.
As shown in
At the point in time when the cardboard box C is supplied to the box packing unit 2, the flaps C25 to C28 on the front surface side of the box packing device 10 have been closed and sealed shut with the tape T by the box making unit 1 to form the bottom lid B. However, at the point in time when the cardboard box C is supplied to the box packing unit 2, the flaps C21 to C24 on the back surface side of the box packing device 10 are open outward. That is, the opening Op of the cardboard box C supplied to the box packing unit 2 faces rearward (the back surface side). The cardboard box C is supplied to the box packing unit 2 in a state in which the side surface C14 faces downward as shown in
The box packing unit 2 mainly has a drop mechanism 20, a retention mechanism 30, a rotation mechanism 40, a push-in mechanism 50, a shutter 60, a guide 70, an article conveyance mechanism 80, and a box conveyance mechanism 90.
The drop mechanism 20 drops the cardboard boxes C supplied one after another from the box making unit 1. Because of the drop mechanism 20, the cardboard boxes C drop in a state in which the side surface portion C14 faces downward and the opening Op faces rearward.
The retention mechanism 30 retains, in the place where the articles A are packed into the cardboard boxes C, the cardboard boxes C that have been dropped by the drop mechanism 20. Furthermore, the retention mechanism 30 moves the cardboard boxes C that have been packed with the articles A from the place where the articles A were packed to a conveyor belt of the box conveyance mechanism 90. The retention mechanism 30 has a mechanism that rotates the cardboard boxes C about a predetermined axis.
The rotation mechanism 40 rotates the cardboard boxes C to switch them between a state in which the opening Op faces sideways (rearward) as shown in
The push-in mechanism 50 puts the articles A, which have been conveyed by the article conveyance mechanism 80, through the openings Op of the cardboard boxes C into the cardboard boxes C being retained by the retention mechanism 30. The push-in mechanism 50 puts the articles A into the cardboard boxes C by forwardly pushing off the articles A using a push-off plate.
The shutter 60 is a tabular member for inhibiting the articles A that have already been put into the cardboard boxes C from obstructing the input of the articles A when the articles A are put into the cardboard boxes C. The shutter 60 is inserted into the cardboard boxes C and is removed from the cardboard boxes C as a result of being driven in the front and rear direction by an air cylinder or the like.
The guide 70 prevents the articles A that have already been put into the cardboard boxes C from spilling and falling out of the cardboard boxes C that are in a state in which the opening Op faces sideways. As shown in
The article conveyance mechanism 80 conveys the articles A before they are put into the cardboard boxes C. The article conveyance mechanism 80 conveys the articles A by means of a conveyor belt at predetermined timings so that the articles A are conveyed to the front of the push-off plate of the push-in mechanism 50.
The box conveyance mechanism 90 conveys, in the horizontal direction by means of a conveyor belt, the cardboard boxes C that have been moved by the retention mechanism 30 and which are in a state in which the opening Op faces upward and supplies them to the box closing unit 3.
(1-3) Box Closing Unit
The box closing unit 3 closes the flaps C21 to C24 of the cardboard boxes C supplied from the box conveyance mechanism 90 of the box packing unit 2 and whose openings Op face upward and seals them shut with tape or the like to form upper lids. The cardboard boxes C whose upper lids have been formed by the box closing unit 3 are conveyed out from the box packing device 10.
(2) Configuration and Operation of Box Packing Unit
The detailed configuration of the box packing unit 2 will be described.
The control unit 100 controls the rotation mechanism 40 to adjust the posture of the cardboard boxes C. Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the angle of the cardboard boxes C so that the posture of the cardboard boxes C becomes an arbitrary posture between a state in which the opening Op faces sideways and a state in which the opening Op faces upward. The rotation mechanism 40 has a servo motor 41. The control unit 100 controls the servo motor 41 to control the rotational speed of the cardboard boxes C when changing the angle of the cardboard boxes C.
The detailed operation of the box packing unit 2 will be described with reference to
Next, as shown in
Next, as indicated by the arrow in
Next, the retention mechanism 30 moves the cardboard box C downward. Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the retention mechanism 30 to move the cardboard box C downward and thereby move the cardboard box C to a position in which a second layer of two rows of the articles A can be pushed one row at a time into the cardboard box C as shown in
Next, as indicated by the arrow in
Next, the retention mechanism 30 moves the cardboard box C downward. Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the retention mechanism 30 to move the cardboard box C downward and thereby move the cardboard box C to a position in which a third layer of two rows of the articles A can be pushed one row at a time into the cardboard box C as shown in
Next, as indicated by the arrow in
Next, the control unit 100 controls the shutter 60 to remove the shutter 60 from the opening Op of the cardboard box C. Next, the control unit 100 controls the retention mechanism 30 to move the cardboard box C downward and at the same time controls the rotation mechanism 40 to rotate the cardboard box C 90°. Because of this, the cardboard box C transitions from a state in which the opening Op faces sideways to a state in which the opening Op faces upward. Next, the control unit 100 controls the retention mechanism 30 to move the cardboard box C and place the cardboard box C onto the conveyor belt of the box conveyance mechanism 90 as shown in
In this way, the box packing unit 2 puts the articles A in multiple layers into the cardboard box C. Specifically, the box packing unit 2 pushes the articles A one row at a time six times into the cardboard box C while moving the cardboard box C in the up and down direction. Furthermore, the box packing unit 2 pushes the articles A two times per layer into the cardboard box C. For that reason, the operation of moving the cardboard box C in the up and down direction to change the position (layer) in which the articles A are put into the cardboard box C is performed the same number of times as the number of layers (three layers) of the articles A packed into the cardboard box C.
Next, details of the operation by which the retention mechanism 30 moves the cardboard box C downward in order for the next layer of the articles A to be pushed into the cardboard box C after the first layer or the second layer of the articles A has been pushed into the cardboard box C will be described.
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, the control unit 100 controls the push-in mechanism 50 to move the push-off plate of the push-in mechanism 50 rearward. Additionally, one row's worth of the articles A to be pushed next into the cardboard box C is conveyed by the article conveyance mechanism 80 to the rear of the opening Op of the cardboard box C and the front of the push-off plate of the push-in mechanism 50. This results in the state shown in
The above operation described with reference to
(3) Characteristics
(3-1)
The box packing device 10 performs an operation in which, after it has pushed the articles A into the cardboard box C that is in a state in which the opening Op faces sideways, it temporarily moves the cardboard box C away from the guide 70 while moving the cardboard box C downward as shown in
The box packing device 10 inhibits, by means of the operation of temporarily moving the cardboard box C away from the guide 70, the articles A from getting caught on the guide 70 or the like and rotating in a case where the articles A have expanded in the cardboard box C while the box packing device 10 is moving the cardboard box C downward. For example, in a case where the sum of the front and rear direction dimensions of two rows of the articles A that have been put into the same layer in the cardboard box C is longer than the front and rear direction dimension of the cardboard box C, the two rows of the articles A just after having been put into the same layer in the cardboard box C by the push-in mechanism 50 become compressed in the front and rear direction. When the cardboard box C is moved downward in that state, the compressed articles A become freed from the push-in mechanism 50 as shown in
The box packing device 10 ensures, by means of the operation of temporarily moving the cardboard box C away from the guide 70, that the articles A do not contact the guide 70 even if the articles A expand in the cardboard box C. Consequently, the box packing device 10 inhibits the occurrence of a problem where, when packing the articles A into the cardboard boxes C, the articles A end up rotating inside the cardboard boxes C, so reliability can be improved. Furthermore, because of this, the box packing device 10 can inhibit the occurrence of a state in which the articles A are not properly packed into the cardboard boxes C.
(3-2)
The box packing device 10 temporarily tilts the cardboard box C so that the opening Op of the cardboard box C faces upward to perform the operation of temporarily moving the cardboard box C away from the guide 70 while moving the cardboard box C downward. Specifically, the box packing device 10 can temporarily move the cardboard box C away from the guide 70 by tilting the cardboard box C using the rotation mechanism 40. The rotation mechanism 40 is also used to place the cardboard box C packed with the articles A onto the conveyor belt of the box conveyance mechanism 90 as shown in
(3-3)
The box packing device 10 returns the distance between the cardboard box C and the guide 70 to what it was before and reinserts the shutter 60 inside the cardboard box C as shown in
(3-4)
The box packing device 10 includes the guide 70 for preventing the articles A that have already been put into the cardboard box C from spilling and falling out. As shown in
(4) Example Modification
An embodiment of the invention has been described above, but the invention is not limited to the embodiment and various changes can be made thereto in a range that does not depart from the spirit of the invention.
An example modification of the box packing device 10 will be described. The box packing device 10 of the embodiment rotates the cardboard box C a predetermined angle to a tilted state as shown in
For example, after rotating the cardboard box C a predetermined angle to a tilted state, the box packing device 10 can perform an operation in which it moves the cardboard box C a predetermined distance forward to move it away from the guide 70. In this case, the box packing device 10 next moves the cardboard box C downward along the up and down direction, thereafter moves the cardboard box C a predetermined distance rearward to bring it closer to the guide 70, and thereafter rotates the cardboard box C a predetermined angle again to return the posture of the cardboard box C to what it was before. That is, the box packing device 10 further performs, in addition to the operation of rotating the cardboard box C to temporarily move the cardboard box C away from the guide 70, an operation in which it moves the cardboard box C in the front and rear direction to temporarily move the cardboard box C away from the guide 70. By means of these operations, the box packing device 10 can sufficiently move the cardboard box C away from the guide 70 when moving the cardboard box C downward.
In this example modification, the box packing device 10 can also rotate the cardboard box C a predetermined angle to a tilted state after performing the operation of moving the cardboard box C a predetermined distance forward to move it away from the guide 70. In this case, the box packing device 10 next moves the cardboard box C downward along the up and down direction, thereafter rotates the cardboard box C a predetermined angle again to return the posture of the cardboard box C to what it was before, and thereafter moves the cardboard box C a predetermined distance rearward to bring it closer to the guide 70.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2018-029351 | Feb 2018 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2018/040738 | 11/1/2018 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2019/163206 | 8/29/2019 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2024503 | Bickford | Dec 1935 | A |
3735561 | Wood | May 1973 | A |
5732536 | Lin | Mar 1998 | A |
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7721509 | Vissers | May 2010 | B2 |
9908652 | Yokota | Mar 2018 | B2 |
10549872 | Yokota | Feb 2020 | B2 |
10787281 | Iwasa | Sep 2020 | B2 |
10875674 | Yokota | Dec 2020 | B2 |
10981683 | Iwasa | Apr 2021 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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3248893 | Nov 2017 | EP |
H4-311406 | Nov 1992 | JP |
2004-155428 | Jun 2004 | JP |
2005-145558 | Jun 2005 | JP |
2009-249017 | Oct 2009 | JP |
2011-131901 | Jul 2011 | JP |
2014-061904 | Apr 2014 | JP |
2018-008717 | Jan 2018 | JP |
2017109941 | Jun 2017 | WO |
Entry |
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The Search Report from the corresponding International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2018/040738 dated Dec. 18, 2018. |
The Written Opinion of the Search Report from the corresponding International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2018/040738 dated Dec. 18, 2018. |
The Search Report from the corresponding European Patent Application No. 18906795.2 dated Feb. 26, 2021. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210061505 A1 | Mar 2021 | US |