Patent Application
20100115886
This national phase application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2006-261586 and 2006-261587 both filed on Sep. 26, 2006. The entire disclosures of Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2006-261586 and 2006-261587 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
1 Technical Field
The present invention relates to a boxing device that packs a predetermined weight or a predetermined number of articles in a box by collecting a plurality of articles as a group and gathering a plurality of such groups. In addition, the present invention relates to a packaging device that packages a plurality of articles whose weights are known in a packaging material.
2. Background Art
As a boxing device that packs a predetermined weight or a predetermined number of articles in a box, technology to improve the adequacy of the weight of articles to be packed in a box has been proposed, in which the weights of individual articles are measured and a combination of articles having a target weight is attained based on the measured weights (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. H2-109826).
Incidentally, with a type of boxing device that packs a predetermined weight or a predetermined number of articles in a box by collecting some of articles to be packed as a group and gathering a plurality of such groups, there are cases where an article gets stuck while being conveyed before being added to a group and therefore does not reach a predetermined position, and where articles grouped together fall apart because the articles are bag-shaped or the like. In such cases, a predetermined weight or a predetermined number of articles are not put in a box. Therefore, the gross weight is checked after box packing is completed in order to confirm the adequacy of the weight (number) of articles packed in the box.
However, when the gross weight is checked after box packing is completed and the weight (number) of the articles packed in the box is turned out to be inadequate, the whole box with the articles packed therein needs to be eliminated from the production line, causing a decrease in production efficiency. In addition, when the total number of articles to be packed in one box is large and variations in the weights of individual articles are accumulated, it is not possible to distinguish whether an error in the weight of the whole box is caused by missing of some articles or by the variations in the weights of the individual articles, and thus any box having such an inadequate weight had to be regarded uniformly as a defective and eliminated from the production line.
In view of such situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a boxing device that packs a predetermined weight or a predetermined number of articles in a box by collecting a plurality of articles as a group and gathering a plurality of such groups, in which the weight (number) of the group to be packed in a box is checked after the weights of individual articles are obtained and before these articles are packed in a box in order to prevent a reduction in production efficiency.
Further, when the packaging material used for packaging is a cardboard container or a recyclable container, the weight thereof may greatly change due to the humidity, aged deterioration, and other reasons, and therefore the range of the change in the weight of the packaging material may be greater than the weight of each article. Consequently, because of the change in the weight of the packaging material, there has been a case, for example, where the weight of packaged articles is erroneously determined to be adequate even when some of a plurality of articles to be packaged were left out before being packaged and therefore are not included in the packaging material. In other words, even when the gross weight with tare included is checked after packaging is completed, it has not been possible to confirm the adequacy of the weight (number) of articles themselves that are packaged.
In view of such situation, another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging device that packages a plurality of articles whose weights are known in a packaging material, in which the gross weight with tare included is checked after packaging is completed, thereby allowing to confirm the adequacy of the weight (number) of articles that are packaged.
A boxing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a collecting unit, a group weight measuring unit, a determination unit, and a boxing unit, and adapted to pack a predetermined weight or a predetermined number of articles in a box. The collecting unit is configured and arranged to collect articles as a group. The group weight measuring unit is configured and arranged to measure a weight of the group. Based on the weight measured by the group weight measuring unit, the determination unit is configured and arranged to determine whether or not the group of the articles is appropriate to be packed in the box. The boxing unit is configured and arranged to pack, in the box, a plurality of the groups of the articles determined by the determination unit to be appropriate to be packed in the box.
A boxing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the boxing device according to the first aspect of the present invention, further including an individual weight measuring unit. The individual weight measuring unit is configured and arranged to measure a weight of each of the articles. The individual weight measuring unit is positioned on the upstream side of the group weight measuring unit.
A boxing device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the boxing device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, further including a replenishment unit. The replenishment unit has a stocking area for stocking the articles. In addition, the replenishment unit is configured and arranged to replenish, when the group of the articles is determined by the determination unit to be not appropriate to be packed in the box because of a shortage in the number of the articles, the shortage with the article stocked in the stocking area.
A packaging device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a tare weight obtaining unit, a packaging unit, and a weight checking unit. The tare weight obtaining unit is configured and arranged to obtain a weight of a packaging material. The packaging unit is configured and arranged to package a plurality of articles whose weights are known in the packaging material. The weight checking unit is configured and arranged to check a weight of the plurality of articles packaged in the packaging material, using a sum of the weight obtained by the tare weight obtaining unit and the known weights of the articles as a reference.
A packaging device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a tare weight obtaining unit, a packaging unit, a gross weight measuring unit, and a determination unit. The tare weight obtaining unit is configured and arranged to obtain a weight of a packaging material. The packaging unit is configured and arranged to package a plurality of articles whose weights are known in the packaging material. The gross weight measuring unit is configured and arranged to measure a weight of the plurality of articles packaged in the packaging material. The determination unit is configured and arranged to determine whether or not the plurality of articles are adequately packaged in the packaging material based on a sum of the weight obtained by the tare weight obtaining unit and the known weights of the articles, and the weight measured by the gross weight measuring unit.
A packaging device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the tare weight obtaining unit is configured and arranged to measure the weight of the packaging material.
A packaging device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the packaging material has a storage medium in which the weight of the packaging material is stored. The tare weight obtaining unit is configured and arranged to read the weight of the packaging material stored in the storage medium.
A packaging device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to any one of the fourth through seventh aspects of the present invention, wherein the packaging unit is configured and arranged to package the articles in a cardboard container as the packaging material.
A packaging device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to any one of the fourth through eighth aspects of the present invention, wherein the packaging unit is configured and arranged to package the articles in a recyclable container as the packaging material.
The first aspect accomplishes a beneficial effect as follows. Because the weight of a group of articles is measured and the adequacy of the weight (number) of the articles to be packed in a box is determined based on the measured weight, it is possible to detect problems such as a defective article and the like before box packing is performed and take an appropriate countermeasure. As a result, the present invention is more efficient than the conventional boxing device that determines the adequacy of the weight (number) after box packing is completed and eliminates a whole box in which a problem is found from the production line. In addition, even when a total number of the articles to be packed in one box is large and variations in the weight of each article are multiply added, it is possible to prevent a box whose weight turned out to be significantly different due to the variations in the weight of each article from being regarded as a defective box because the articles to be packed in the box are separated into a plurality of groups and the weight is checked for each group having a small number of bags.
The second aspect accomplishes a beneficial effect as follows, in addition to the effect accomplished by the first aspect. Because the weight of each individual article is actually measured, it is possible to more accurately determine the weight of a group of articles.
The third aspect accomplishes a beneficial effect as follows, in addition to the effects accomplished by the first and second aspects. When it is determined that there is a shortage in the number of articles, the shortage of the articles is automatically replenished. Therefore, even when an article to be packed in a box is left out, it is possible to maintain good productivity.
The fourth through ninth aspects accomplish beneficial effects as follows. Because the sum of the known weights of the plurality of articles to be packed and the weight measured by the tare weight obtaining unit is used as a reference when checking the weight of the plurality of articles packaged in the packaging material, even when the tare weight significantly changes due to the humidity, aged deterioration, and other reasons, it is possible to confirm the adequacy of the weight (number) of the articles that are packaged by checking the gross weight with tare included after packaging is completed. In particular, even when the packaging material is made of cardboard (made of paper) that is highly hygroscopic and the weight easily changes due to the effect of humidity, or even when the packaging material is a recyclable container and there is a concern for the change in the weight due to long-term use, the adequacy of the weight or the number of the articles that are packaged is guaranteed.
Below, a boxing device (packaging device) 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.
The boxing device 100 according to this embodiment is a packaging device that collects, as a group G, a plurality (6) of individual bags (articles) B sequentially supplied from a bag-manufacturing and packaging apparatus (not shown) in the upstream process, and repeatedly packs a plurality (2) of groups G of bags in a box C of a defined size. With this device, as shown in
As shown in
The individual weight checker 1 is the individual weight obtaining unit configured and arranged to obtain a weight wn of each individual bag B while sequentially conveying the individual bags B, which are continuously supplied from the upstream process, to the downstream side at a predetermined speed. Specifically, a transport conveyor 11 that receives the individual bags B supplied and conveys the same to the downstream side, and a weighing transport conveyor 12 that measures, by a load cell 12a, the weight wn of each individual bag B discharged from the transport conveyor 11 and that conveys the same to the downstream side are arranged in line. Based on a weight information signal received from the load cell 12a, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the weight wn of the individual bag B is within a predetermined weight range (upper weight limit wU, lower weight limit wL). When the weight wn, of the individual bag B is outside the predetermined weight range, the control unit 10 discharges the bag B as a defective product to the outside of the process by the defective bag sorting unit 3 (described later). In addition, in order to determine the adequacy of the weight or the number of the individual bags B included in the group G of bags (i.e., that there are no bags that are left out from the group G of bags and the like) based on a weight Wg of the group G of bags measured by the group weight checker 6 in the downstream process, the control unit 10 calculates, in advance, a group weight W2 of such group G of bags, by adding the weights wn of the plurality of bags B included in that group G of bags whose weight Wg is measured by the group weight checker 6.
The seal checker 2 is a thickness detection unit configured and arranged to apply pressure on each individual bag B in a thickness direction thereof and detects a thickness dn of the individual bags B at the time of pressure application, while sequentially conveying the individual bags B continuously supplied from the individual weight checker 1 to the downstream side at a predetermined speed. The seal checker 2 is used for a determination of the adequacy of sealing of the individual bags B based on the thickness. Specifically, the seal checker 2 includes a transport conveyor 21 that conveys, to the downstream side, the individual bags B continuously supplied from the individual weight checker 1 in the upstream process; a bag leveling unit 22 that applies pressure using a pressing member 221 to each individual bag B conveyed on the transport conveyor 21 to level out the entire individual bag to a uniform thickness; and a thickness detection unit 23 that applies pressure, using a pressing member 231 driven by a servo motor 233, to the individual bag B whose thickness is leveled out by the bag leveling unit 22, detects a thickness dn of the individual bag based on the angular displacement of the servo motor 233, and transmits a thickness information signal.
As shown in
Here, based on the thickness information signal received from the thickness detection unit 23, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the thickness dn of each individual bag B is within a predetermined thickness range (upper limit dU, lower limit dL). When the thickness dn of the individual bag B is outside the predetermined thickness range, it may be due to an air leakage due to sealing failure or an excess or deficiency in the amount of charged air. Thus, the control unit 10 transmits a control signal to the defective bag sorting unit 3 in the downstream process so as to discharge such individual bag B as a defective product to the outside of the process. In addition, as a calculation unit configured and arranged to add up the thicknesses dn of a plurality of individual bags B that are collected as a group G of bags by the collecting unit 5 in the downstream process in order to calculate a thickness d of the group G of bags, the control unit 10 serves as the determination unit configured and arranged to determine, in advance, whether or not it is adequate to pack the group G of bags in the box C of the defined size based on a result of the addition.
When it is determined by the control unit 10 that the weight wn of the individual bag B obtained by the individual weight checker 1 is outside the predetermined weight range, or when it is determined by the control unit 10 that the thickness dn of the individual bag B detected by the seal checker 2 is outside the predetermined thickness range, the defective bag sorting unit 3 discharges such individual bag B to the outside of the process based on the control signal from the control unit 10. Specifically, an air jet nozzle (not shown) is disposed on the lateral side of a transport conveyor 31, and thereby a defective bag that passes through on the transport conveyor 31 is blown out in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. Note that when the weight of the individual bag B is large and cannot be easily discharged by the air jet, the individual bag B may be pushed out to the side by an elastic cylinder or the like.
As shown in
When the thickness of the group G of bags (=a sum of the thicknesses of a plurality of individual bags BG1-G6 that constitute a group) that are collected by the collecting unit 5 is too large (or too small) and it is determined in advance that it is inadequate to pack such group in the cardboard box C of the defined size, the stock unit 4 selects an individual bag BGn to be replaced from the group G of bags and discharges it. At the same time, as an individual bag to be added to the group G of bags, the stock unit 4 selects an individual bag from the spare bags BS1-S4, whose thickness is smaller (or larger) than the individual bag BGn to be replaced and with which the thickness of the group G of bags can be corrected to be within the predetermined range, and inserts the bag to the group. As a selection unit, the control unit 10 selects an individual bag BGn to be replaced and a bag Bsn to be added to the group G of bags instead thereof. However, with this boxing device 100, a sum of the thickness of the group G of bags is identified after the last individual bag BG6 among the plurality of individual bag BG1-G6 which constitute the group G of bags passes through the seal checker 2, i.e., at the time when the state shown in
Here, for example, when the individual bag BS1 among the spare individual bags BS1-S4 is selected as the individual bag B to be added instead of the individual bag BG6 to be replaced, first, as shown in
Here, in view of the balance between the installation space of the stock unit 4 and the timing to change the position of the conveyors, the transport conveyors are set in 2 pairs×3 lines: however, the same number (4) of spare bags can be secured even with 1 pair×5 lines or 4 pairs×2 lines of the transport conveyors. Further, the number of spare individual bags Bsn may be increased by additionally installing a slide rail or a conveyor. By so doing, the occurrence of the situation where a group G of bags must be discharged as described above is reduced, improving process efficiency. In addition, when a conveyor like the transport conveyor 31 is additionally installed between the seal checker 2 and the stock unit 4, it is possible to arrange more individual bags B in a standby manner in front of the stock unit 4, and thus the BG1-G5 in addition to the BG6 can be subject to replacement.
The collecting unit 5 is a device that receives individual bags sequentially supplied from the upstream process and collects them as the group G of bags in a state capable of being packed in a box. As shown in
The holding unit 52 includes a plurality of pairs of sandwich structures 522 on the conveying surface of a transport conveyor 521, which sandwich, from the both sides, the group G of bags in a collected state in the thickness direction, and each sandwich structure 522 includes two sandwich members 522a, 522b disposed with a space therebetween which corresponds to the thickness of the group G of bags. The two sandwich members 522a, 522b move in the conveying direction. The sandwich member 522a moves while supporting the bags B sequentially supplied in the standing position from the receiving unit 51. After the group G of bags is collected, the sandwich member 522b holds the group G of bags from behind to sandwich the same with the sandwich member 522a. Then, keeping the state the way it is, they move to a bag delivery position (position P3 in
The group weight checker 6 is the group weight obtaining unit configured and arranged to receive the group G of bags supplied from the collecting unit 5 in the upstream process and to obtain the weight Wg of the group G of bags by measuring by a load cell 61a disposed at the lower portion of the tray 61. The group weight checker 6 includes a boxing member (not shown) that pushes the group G of bags in the horizontal direction into the box C set in the boxing/sealing unit 7 in the downstream process, and the discharge member (not shown) that discharges the group G of bags by pushing out to the outside of the process. As described above, the control unit 10 adds up the weights wn of the individual bags B included in the group G of bags and calculates, in advance, the group weight W2, which is the sum of the addition. Based on this sum and the weight Wg, the control unit 10 determines the adequacy of the weight or the number of the individual bags B included in such group G of bags.
When the group weight W2 is equal to the measured weight Wg, the control unit 10 determines that the weight or the number of the individual bags B included in such group G of bags is adequate and also transmits a control signal to the above described boxing member so as to pack the group G of bags in the box C. In addition, when the group weight W2 is not equal to the measured weight Wg, the control unit 10 determines that the weight or the number of the individual bags B included in such group G of bags is not adequate, i.e., that accidents such as that all or some of the individual bags in the group G of bags are left out in the course of the process and the like occurred. The control unit 10 also transmits a control signal to the above described discharge member so as to discharge the entire group G of bags to the outside of the process.
The boxing/sealing unit 7 sets the empty box C in a state in which the box C is opened toward the group weight checker 6; and includes a boxing table 71 whose height is variable according to the number of lines (rows) of the groups G of bags pushed in from the group weight checker 6 and a sealing device 72 that seals the box C in which a predetermined number of rows of the groups G of bags are packed by the boxing table 71. In order to allow the height of the boxing table 71 to be variable according to the number of rows of the groups G of bags to be pushed in, the boxing table 71 is disposed with a base 711 and a lifting and lowering table 712 disposed to be capable of moving upward and downward with respect to the base 711. When the bags G on the first row are packed in the box, as shown in
Therefore, the predetermined number of rows of the bags G are packed in the box as shown in
The gross weight checker 8 is a weighing transport conveyor equipped with a load cell 8a. As a conveying unit, the gross weight checker 8 conveys the box C supplied from the boxing/sealing unit 7 to the downstream process, and as the gross weight obtaining unit, the gross weight checker 8 measures and obtains a weight Wh of the packaging material and a predetermined number of individual bags B packaged in the packaging material, and transmits the weight information signal to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 calculates a sum of the addition of that gross weight W1 of the predetermined number of rows of groups G of bags which is obtained from the weights Wg measured by the group weight checker 6 and the tare weight Wp measured by the weighing transport conveyor 73, and this sum is used as a reference for the weight check of the plurality of individual bags B packaged in the packaging material. In other words, when the sum of the known gross weight W1 and the tare weight Wp is equal to the weight Wh measured by the gross weight checker 8, it is determined that all the individual bags B are adequately packaged in the box C. When they are not equal to each other, it is determined that some of the individual bags B are left out or the like and not adequately packaged. Based on such determination, the control unit 10 transmits a control signal to the defective box sorting unit 9.
The defective box sorting unit 9 is a transport conveyor. The defective box sorting unit 9 conveys the box C in which the individual bags B are adequately packaged to a next process based on the control signal from the control unit 10, and at the same time operates an elastic cylinder (not shown) disposed on the lateral side of the transport conveyor to discharge the box C, in which the individual bags B are not adequately packaged, to the outside of the process.
Next, a determination process flow by the control unit 10 in the boxing device 100 configured as described above is described. Principally, the control unit 10 integrally and simultaneously performs a determination process regarding the thickness of the individual bag B and the thickness of the group G of bags which is obtained as the sum of thicknesses of the individual bags B, and another determination process regarding the weight of the individual bag B, the weight of the group G of bags, and the weight of the packaging material in which the predetermined number of rows of the bags G are packaged: however, for the sake of simplicity of description, these determination process flows are described separately.
When the number of the individual bags B whose thicknesses are added reaches the number N, whether or not it is adequate to pack the group G of bags in the box C is determined. Specifically, whether the thickness sum d of the group G of bags is too small (step A12) or large (step A13) compared to the width dimension D of the box C is determined. A value 8 in step A12 is selected based on the width dimension D of the box C, the number N of bags in a group G, and the like, and it is an empirical value that indicates a possible occurrence of damage of a bag and a pinhole when the difference between the width dimension D and the bag thickness sum d (space between the box C and the group G of bags) is greater than the value 8. When it is determined that the thickness of the group G of bags is adequate for packing in the box C, such bags G of the first row are packed in the box (step A14). When it is determined to be inadequate, a determination is made as to whether or not there is an individual bag B having the thickness with which the thickness of the group G of bags can be corrected to be within the predetermined range, among the plurality of spare bags B stocked in the stock unit 4 (step A15).
When it is determined in step A15 that there is such an individual bag B, the bag B to be replaced is discharged from the group G of bags to the stock unit 4. At the same time, the individual bag B to be added is selected from the stock unit 4 and inserted to the group G of bags. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no such an individual bag B, a warning that such group G of bags is inadequate to be packed in the box is displayed on the touch panel display 20 (step A17), and such group G of bags is discharged to the outside of the process when reached the group weight checker 6 (step A18). Thereafter, the determination process after step A4 is repeated until the boxing device 100 is stopped.
When the number of the individual bags B whose weights wn are added reaches the number N, the weight Wg of the group G of bags is detected by the group weight checker 6 (step B14), and whether or not the weight Wg is equal to the group weight W2 is determined (step B16). When they are equal to each other, such group of bags is packed in the box (step B17), the number k of rows to be packed in the box is counted (step B18), the weight Wg is added to the gross weight W1 (step B19), and this process is repeated until the number K of rows set in the step B1 is reached (step B20). Note that when the group weight W2 is not equal to the weight Wg, such group G of bags is discharged to the outside of the process (step B13), and the process for a new group G of bags is started (step B6).
When the number k of rows to be packed in the box reaches the set number K, the weight Wh of the whole box is detected by the gross weight checker 8 (step B22), and whether or not the weight Wh is equal to the sum of the gross weight W1 and the tare weight Wp (measured in advance by the weighing transport conveyor 73) is determined (step B23). When it is determined that they are equal to each other, such box C is conveyed to a next process (step B24); and when it is determined that they are not equal to each other, such box C is discharged, as a defective product, to the outside of the process (step B 25). Thereafter, the determination process after step B4 is repeated until the boxing device 100 is stopped.
As a result of the above described configuration, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment has the following characteristics.
First, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the thickness detection unit (seal checker 2) to detect the thickness dn of the each of individual bags B, and the calculation unit (control unit 10) to add the thicknesses dn of individual bags B detected by the thickness detection unit before the group G of bags, which is formed by collecting a plurality of individual bags B to be packed in the box C of the defined size, is packed in the box. Therefore, it is possible to detect, in advance, a possibility of occurrence of problems such as breakage of a bag during box packing, formation of a pinhole in the course of conveyance after box packing, and the like.
Second, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the determination unit (control unit 10) to determine whether or not it is adequate to pack the group G of bags in the box C of the defined size based on the result of addition by the calculation unit. Therefore, it is possible to take an appropriate countermeasure, based on the determination result, to prevent problems such as breakage of a bag during box packing, formation of a pinhole in the course of conveyance after box packing, and the like.
Third, as a characteristic, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the selection unit (control unit 10) that is configured such that when the group G of bags is determined by the determination unit that it is inadequate to be packed in the box C of the defined size, the selection unit selects a bag to be replaced from such group G of bags. Therefore, it is possible to easily take an appropriate countermeasure to prevent problems such as breakage of a bag, a pinhole, and the like.
Fourth, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the stock unit 4 to stock spare individual bags B and the selection unit (control unit 10) to select an individual bag B among spare individual bags B, which is to be added to the group G of bags instead of the bag to be replaced. Therefore, it is possible to further easily take an appropriate countermeasure to prevent problems such as breakage of a bag, a pinhole, and the like.
Fifth, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment automatically discharges the bag to be replaced from the group G of bags to the stock unit 4 and automatically inserts a bag to be added instead of the replaced bag from the stock unit 4. Therefore, occurrence of a broken bag, a pinhole, and the like is reliably prevented, without stopping the device or taking the time of an operator.
Sixth, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment is configured such that when an appropriate countermeasure cannot be taken with a spare individual bag B for the group G of bags determined to be inappropriate to be packed in the box C, the boxing device 100 discharges such group G of bags and issues a warning on the touch panel display 20. Therefore, even when there is not any appropriate individual bag B in the stock unit 4, occurrence of a broken bag, a pinhole, and the like is reliably prevented. Note that the device may be stopped along with displaying a warning, instead of discharging the group G of bags.
Seventh, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment serves as the thickness detection unit by utilizing the seal checker 2 to apply pressure to each individual bag B in the thickness direction thereof to detect the bag thickness dn at the time of pressure application and then determine whether or not the bag is adequately sealed based on the thickness dn. Therefore, it is possible to produce the device at low cost, compared to the case where the thickness detection unit is separately provided.
Eighth, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the individual weight obtaining unit (individual weight checker 1) to obtain the weight wn of the individual bag B; the group weight obtaining unit (group weight checker 6) to measure the weight Wg of the group G of bags, which is formed by collecting a plurality of individual bags B to be packed in the box; and the determination unit (control unit 10) to determine the adequacy of the weight or the number of articles to be packed in the box based on the weight Wg. Therefore, it is possible to detect problems before box packing and take an appropriate countermeasure.
Ninth, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment is configured such that the individual weight obtaining unit is the individual weight checker 1 disposed on the upstream side of the group weight obtaining unit. Therefore, it is possible to actually measure the weight of each individual bag B and more accurately determine the weight of the group G of bags.
Tenth, the boxing device 100 according to this embodiment includes the tare weight obtaining unit (weighing transport conveyor 73) that measures the weight Wp of the box C that is a packaging material, and the sum of the known gross weight W1 and the weight Wp measured by the tare weight obtaining unit is used as a reference for the weight check of the plurality of individual bags B packaged (packed) in the box C. Therefore, even when the tare weight of the box C that is a cardboard recyclable container significantly changes due to the humidity, aged deterioration, and other reasons, it is possible to confirm the adequacy of the weight or the number of the individual bags B that are packaged by checking the actual gross weight Wh with the tare weight Wp included after packaging is completed. As a result, when some of the individual bags B are left out at the time of packaging, it is possible to reliably detect such a situation. In other words, it is possible to determine whether or not a plurality of individual bags (articles) is adequately packaged in the packaging material.
According to the above embodiment, the thicknesses dn of the individual bags B detected by the thickness detection unit are added and whether or not it is adequate to pack the group G of bags in the box C is determined based on the result of the addition and the width dimension D of the box C. However, instead of this arrangement, as shown in
According to the above embodiment and the above alternative embodiment, whether or not it is adequate to pack the group G of bags in the box C of the defined size is determined when addition or subtraction from a predetermined value is finished for all of the individual bags B constituting the group G of bags. However, when the number N of the individual bags B included in the group G of bags is large and when most of the individual bags B have the thicknesses dn close to either the upper limit or lower limit in the predetermined thickness range, it may be possible to determine that the group G of bags is inadequate to be packed in the box C before finishing addition or subtraction for all the individual bags B. For example, when the individual bags B each of which has the thickness close to the upper limit are continuously supplied, even if all the rest of the individual bags B to constitute the group G of bags have thicknesses dn close to the lower limit, there is a case where these individual bags B do not fit in the remaining space d1 in the box C and thus cannot be packed therein.
In such a case, nothing can be done even with a spare individual bag stocked in the stock unit 4. Therefore, all the bags in the group G need to be discharged, which may reduce process efficiency. To solve this problem, before addition or subtraction is finished for all of the individual bags B, a check may be performed to determine whether the remaining space is too small even if all the rest of the individual bags B are the ones each of which has the thickness dn close to the lower limit, or the remaining space is too large even if all the rest of the individual bags B are the ones each of which has the thickness dn close to the upper limit, and determine whether or not it is adequate to pack the group G of bags in the box C. By so doing, it is possible to take an adequate countermeasure at an early stage, and a reduction in process efficiency is prevented.
According to the above embodiment and the above alternative embodiment, when the group weight W2 is not equal to the weight Wg measured by the group weight checker 6, such group G of bags is discharged to the outside of the process. However, when the reason for the discrepancy is determined based on the weight Wg, the thickness d, or the like to be a shortage of the number of bags which is caused as some of the individual bags are left out, the shortage may be replenished from the stock unit 4 (replenishment unit). When it is determined that there is a shortage in the number of articles, the amount of the shortage is automatically replenished. Thereby, a high productivity can be maintained.
According to the above embodiment and the above alternative embodiment, the weight wn of the individual bag B is measured by the individual weight checker 1 disposed in the upstream side of the group weight checker 6. However, a defined weight (for example, the median of a defined weight range) of the individual bag B may be used as the weight wn. Note that, here, when the defined number of individual bags B to be packed in the box is large, variations in the weights of the individual bags B each of which is in the defined weight range are accumulated so that the weight Wh of the whole box may have an error greater than the weight corresponding to one individual bag B. This situation is difficult to be distinguished from the situation where some bags are missing. However, with the present invention, because the individual bags B to be packed in the box are weight-checked on a predetermined small number basis by separating such individual bags B into a plurality of groups each of which has the predetermined small number of bags B, it is possible to reliably prevent from erroneously regarding the variations in the weights of the individual bags B as the occurrence of missing of some bags B.
According to the above embodiment and the above alternative embodiment, the packaging material to be used is the box C of the defined size, which is a cardboard recyclable container. However, it is not limited thereto. A container may be formed by a material other than a cardboard. For example, it may be a plastic container, and it may not need to be a recyclable container. In addition, it may be a container having a different shape such as a bag shape other than a box shape.
In the above embodiment and the above alternative embodiment, a storage medium (memory device) that stores the weight Wp of the box C may be mounted to the box C, and a transport conveyor having a function to read the tare weight Wp from the storage medium may be disposed instead of the weighing transport conveyor 73. For example, an IC tag in which the weight Wp of the box C is stored may be attached to the box C, and an IC tag reader may be disposed to the transport conveyor provided instead of the weighing transport conveyor 73. Alternatively, a barcode (including a QR code) in which the weight Wp of the box C is stored may be attached to the box C, and a bar code reader may be disposed to the transport conveyor provided instead of the weighing transport conveyor 73. Note that the transport conveyor used instead of the weighing transport conveyor 73 is preferably incorporated into the box-packing process line of the boxing device 100, in a manner in which the transport conveyor can smoothly perform the process to read the tare weight Wp. In addition, the tare weight Wp that is read out is transmitted to the control unit 10, and thereafter the same process as described in the above embodiment is performed.
Additionally, the boxing device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-261586 | Sep 2006 | JP | national |
| 2006-261587 | Sep 2006 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2007/068446 | 9/21/2007 | WO | 00 | 12/16/2009 |
