JP3545495B2 - Container folding apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a container folding device and a container folding method for folding a foldable container which is frequently used when transporting various types of cargo. More specifically, the present invention relates to a container folding apparatus and method for automatically folding a synthetic resin folding container.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, foldable containers are frequently used in order to increase the transportation efficiency of various types of cargo. Recently, a foldable container 100 as shown in FIG. 5 has been used to facilitate storage of the container or transportation of the container itself.
[0003]
The container 100 is formed by folding a synthetic resin frame and a plate-like body in a foldable manner. First and second side plates 102 and 103 are arranged on a pair of opposing sides of a rectangular bottom plate 101. . A frame 120 is arranged on the upper side of the first and second side plates 102 and 103. The first and second side plates 102 and 103 are detachable from the bottom plate 101 and have no connection relationship, are connected to the frame 120, and are rotatably supported inside the frame 120 so as to be rotatable. I have.
[0004]
The third and fourth side plates 104 and 105 are pivotally supported on one side of each of the other pair of opposite sides of the bottom plate 101. The sides of the third and fourth side plates 104 and 105 facing the bottom plate 101 are pivotally supported by the frame 120, and the central portions of the third and fourth side plates 104 and 105 are parallel to the bottom plate 101. Further, it can be bent by a hinge 110 protruding toward the bottom plate 101 side.
[0005]
When folding the container 100, first, as shown in FIG. 6, the lock between the first and second side plates 102 and 103 and the bottom plate 101 is released, and the first and second side plates 102 and 103 are rotated inward. And raise it to the same height as the frame portion 120 to make it substantially horizontal. Next, the third and fourth side plates 104 and 105 are bent inward from the hinge 110. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the third and fourth side plates are folded flat by being crushed by their own weight and the weight of the frame 120.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the above-mentioned container 100 takes time and labor to fold manually, so a folding device for automatically folding is used (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-28172, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-43783). . However, in the conventional folding device, since the container 100 in the assembled state is stopped at a predetermined place and then folded, the configuration becomes complicated, and it is not possible to move to the next until one folding is completed. However, there is a problem that the entire folding time is long.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a container folding apparatus and a container folding method capable of simplifying the configuration and shortening the folding time.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An object of the present invention, in the folding apparatus of a universal container folding having a third and fourth possible side plates bent in the adjacent first and second side plates and the side plates to maintain the assembled state, the container, the Transport means for transporting the first and second side plates so as to be substantially parallel to the transport direction and the fourth side plate to be on the front side in the transport direction ; and transport means arranged on the transport means and transported in an assembled state. Unlocking means for applying an impact to the first and second side plates of the container from the outside to unlock the container from the bottom plate, and a second device disposed downstream of the unlocking device and unlocked from the bottom plate. lift the first and second side plates on the inside, and the side plate lifting means enabling state bent third and fourth side plates, disposed downstream of the side plate lifting means, on the fourth side plates of the container during transport Of the frame part temporarily hooked, and stopper means for folding the third and fourth side plate in a predetermined direction by applying an impact is positioned downstream of the stopper means, the lower side of the fourth side plates of the container during transport Can be achieved by temporarily stopping the bottom plate of the above, applying an impact to urge the frame portion forward by the inertia in the transport direction, and another stopper means for further bending the third and fourth side plates .
[0008]
Note that, among these stopper means, the downstream stopper means may be disposed at a position protruding from the transport surface of the transport means.
[0009]
As a method of executing the apparatus having the above-described configuration, the method includes folding a foldable container having first and second side plates that maintain an assembled state and third and fourth foldable side plates adjacent to the side plates. And transporting the container by the transporting means such that the first and second side plates are substantially parallel to the transport direction and the fourth side plate is forward in the transport direction. The first and second side plates of the container conveyed in the above are unlocked with the bottom plate of the container by applying an impact from outside to the first and second side plates by the unlocking means, and the first and second unlocked states are provided downstream of the unlocking means. lifting the container inside the side plate lifting means 2 of the side plates, to allow a state bent third and fourth side plates, downstream of the side plate lifting means, on the fourth side plates of the container during transport Of the frame part temporarily hooked by the stopper means, folding the third and fourth side plate in a predetermined direction by bombarding, downstream of the stopper means, the lower side of the fourth side plates of the container during transport There is a method in which the bottom plate is temporarily hooked by another stopper means, an impact is applied to urge the frame portion forward in the transport direction by inertia, and the third and fourth side plates are further bent.
[0010]
[Action]
In the container folding apparatus and method according to the present invention, while the assembled container is being conveyed on the conveying means, the unlocking means applies an impact to the first and second side plates to lock the container with the bottom plate. Is released, and then the first and second side plates are lifted inward by the side plate lifting means on the downstream side, so that the first and second side plates can be bent. Subsequently, as soon as any of the containers becomes bendable by the impact of the stopper means disposed at a position in contact with the upper portion of the container, the container is half-folded in the same direction. Then, the container collides with stopper means disposed further downstream and protruding from the transport surface of the transport means, and the container falls down due to the impact, and is brought into a completely folded state.
[0011]
In this container device and method, since the folding is performed while the container is being conveyed by the conveying means, it is not required to move the position of each means used for folding, and the configuration of the device can be simplified. Can be. Further, since the folding operation is performed continuously, the folding time as a whole can be reduced.
[0012]
【Example】
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a container folding device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a perspective view showing a container folding device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1, and FIG. is there.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the container folding apparatus 1 according to the present invention is provided with a roller conveyor 11 as a transport means for transporting a foldable container 100 (FIG. 5). Since the configuration of the container 100 is the same as the conventional one, the description is omitted here. The container 100 is placed on the roller conveyor 11 such that the first and second side plates 102 and 103 are parallel to the transport direction.
A plate-shaped first stopper 12 is provided on the upstream end side of the roller conveyor 11 to temporarily stop the container 100 in an assembled state. The first stopper 12 is moved up and down by the cylinder 13 so as to come into contact with the inner surface of the container 100 on the upstream side.
[0014]
The lock between the first and second side plates 102 and 103 and the bottom plate 101 of the container 100 temporarily stopped by the first stopper 12 is released by the hammer 14 serving as the lock release means. The hammer 14 is adapted to be rotated by a suitable driving means (not shown). The first and second side plates 102 and 103 are hit with the hammer 14 from the outside to apply an impact, so that the hammer 14 is connected to the bottom plate 101. Is to be unlocked.
[0015]
After the lock between the first and second side plates 102 and 103 of the container 100 and the bottom plate 101 is released, the first stopper 12 is raised and the container 100 is transported. A cylinder 17 serving as a side plate lifting means is disposed downstream of the hammer 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the first and second side plates 102 and 103 are pushed up from the diagonally lower side by the rod 18 of the cylinder 17 arranged diagonally below, and substantially centered on the connection with the frame 120. Rotate and lift until level. This allows the foldable third and fourth side plates 104, 105 between the first and second side surfaces 102, 103 to be bent from the hinge 110.
[0016]
FIG. 1 shows a case where two containers 100 are simultaneously processed, and the first and second side plates 102 and 103 of the two containers 100 are simultaneously pushed up by the rods 18 of the cylinders 17. However, the second stopper 15 can process the containers 100 one by one or three or more.
Here, a second stopper 15 for folding the container is arranged at a position where the rod 18 comes into contact with the container 100 simultaneously when the rod 18 is pushed up. The second stopper 15 is also mounted to be vertically movable by the cylinder 16.
[0017]
Now, after the first and second side plates 102 and 103 are made substantially horizontal by pushing up the rod 18, the rod 18 is retracted. Then, the weight of the frame portion 120 and the first and second side plates 102 and 103 act on the third and fourth side plates 104 and 105, and the third and fourth side plates 104 and 105 bend from the hinge 110. Transition to the state. At this time, since each roller of the roller conveyor 11 is being conveyed and rotated, the bottom plate 101 in contact with each roller is pushed and moved in the conveying direction as shown in FIG.
[0018]
Then, the frame portion 120 is pressed by the second stopper 15, and as shown in FIG. 3, the frame portion 120 descends in a state of being laterally shifted with respect to the bottom plate 101, and becomes a half-folded state. As a result, the frame portion 120 is lower than the second stopper 15, and the container 100 is conveyed by the roller conveyor 11 under the second stopper 15.
The container 100 that has passed the position of the second stopper 15 is stopped by the bottom plate 101 colliding with the third stopper 19 while being conveyed by the roller conveyor 11. As shown in FIG. 4, the third stopper 19 is configured to be able to move up and down by the cylinder 20 with the conveyance surface interposed between the rollers of the roller conveyor 11.
[0019]
When the bottom plate 101 collides with the third stopper 19, the entire frame portion 120, the third side plate 104, and the upper half of the fourth side plate 105 are urged forward by inertia. By this urging force, the third side plate 104 is bent from the connection portion with the bottom plate 101 and falls forward, and the fourth side plate 105 is bent from the hinge 110 and falls forward. Then, as shown by a two-dot chain line in the drawing, the folding of the container 100 is completed in a state where the frame portion 120 is overlaid on the bottom plate 101. When the folding of the container 100 is completed, the cylinder 20 operates to lower the third stopper 19, and the container 100 is transported by the roller conveyor 11.
[0020]
The folding device 1 releases the lock of the first and second side plates 102 and 103, rotates the first and second side plates 102 and 103, and rotates the third and third portions while the container 100 is being conveyed by the roller conveyor 11. Since the half bending of the fourth side plates 104 and 105 and the complete bending of the third and fourth side plates 104 and 105 are sequentially performed, each process is simplified and the configuration can be simplified. In addition, since the folding of the container 100 is performed continuously, the entire folding time is reduced.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the container folding apparatus and the container folding method of the present invention move the container on the transporting means, and lock the side plate unlocking means, the side plate lifting means, and the stopper means for assisting folding. They are arranged along the flow.
Therefore, since the unlocking process of the side plate, the lifting process of the side plate, and the folding process are sequentially performed along the conveyance, each process is simplified, and the configuration can be simplified. Further, since the containers are continuously folded, the overall folding time is reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container folding device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation of a third stopper.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a general container.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the container is being folded.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a completely folded state of the container.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Container Folding Device 11 Roller Conveyor 12 First Stopper 14 Hammer 17 Cylinder 19 Third Stopper 100 Container 101 Bottom Plate 102, 103 First and Second Side Plates 104, 105 Foldable Third and Fourth Side Plates 120 Frame

Claims (2)

Folding of a foldable container (100) having first and second side plates (102, 103) for maintaining an assembled state and third and fourth foldable side plates (104, 105) adjacent to the side plates. In the device,
The container is transported such that the first and second side plates (102, 103) are substantially parallel to the transport direction and the fourth side plate (105) is forward in the transport direction. Transport means (11) for performing
The first and second side plates (102, 103) of the container (100) arranged on the conveying means (11) and conveyed in an assembled state are impacted from the outside to the bottom plate (101) of the container. Unlocking means (14) for unlocking the
The first and second side plates (102, 103), which are arranged downstream of the lock release means (14) and are unlocked with the bottom plate (101), are lifted inward to form the third and fourth side plates. Side plate lifting means (17, 18) for making the side plates (104, 105) bendable;
The frame (120) disposed on the downstream side of the side plate lifting means (17, 18) and on the upper side of the fourth side plate (105) of the container (100) being conveyed is temporarily hooked to give an impact. Stopper means (15) for bending the third and fourth side plates (104, 105) in a predetermined direction;
The bottom plate (101), which is disposed downstream of the stopper means (15) and is below the fourth side plate (105) of the container (100) being conveyed, is temporarily hooked to give an impact to the frame portion. (12) another stopper means (19) for urging the (120) forward in the transport direction by inertia and further bending the third and fourth side plates (104, 105);
A container folding device, comprising: Folding of a foldable container (100) having first and second side plates (102, 103) for maintaining an assembled state and third and fourth foldable side plates (104, 105) adjacent to the side plates. In the method,
The container is moved by the conveying means (11) so that the first and second side plates (102, 103) are substantially parallel to the conveying direction, and the fourth side plate (105) is moved to the front side in the conveying direction. And transport it,
The first and second side plates (102, 103) of the container (100) conveyed in the assembled state are subjected to an impact from the outside by a lock releasing means (14) to lock the container with the bottom plate (101). And cancel
Downstream of the unlocking means (14), the first and second side plates (102, 103) in the unlocked state are lifted inside the container by the side plate lifting means (17, 18), and the third and fourth side plates are lifted. Making the side plates (104, 105) bendable,
Downstream of the side plate lifting means (17, 18), the upper frame (120) of the fourth side plate (105) of the container (100) being transported is temporarily hooked by stopper means (15) , By applying an impact, the third and fourth side plates (104, 105) are bent in a predetermined direction,
Downstream of the stopper means (15), the bottom plate (101) below the fourth side plate (105) of the container (100) being conveyed is temporarily hooked by another stopper means (19), and the impact is prevented. To urge the frame portion forward in the transport direction by inertia, and further bend the third and fourth side plates (104, 105).
A method for folding a container, comprising:

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