JP7475641B2 - Bag recovery device and bag recovery method - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act: All cases submitted in the submission of a Certificate of Exception to Loss of Novelty dated April 23, 2020.

The present invention relates to a bag recovery device and a bag recovery method.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inner bag removal device that uses a suction method to hold a bag (inner bag) such as a plastic bag that has been removed by opening a box, and after discharging the contents from the bag, sucks the bag through a suction duct and collects it in a bag collection box.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-254525

However, with the inner bag removal device described in Patent Document 1, although the bags are somewhat compressed by the suction force at the collection destination where they are collected, they return to their original shape and their volume increases. This poses the problem that the collected bags cannot be collected compactly. If the bags cannot be collected compactly, for example, the frequency with which collected bags are removed at collection destinations such as bag collection boxes increases.

The object of the present invention is to provide a bag collection device and a bag collection method that can collect bags compactly while transporting them to the collection destination.

The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below.
The bag recovery device that solves the above problem is a bag recovery device that transports and recovers bags using fluid pressure, and is equipped with a transport section that transports the bag to a winding position using fluid pressure, a winding section that winds up the bag transported to the winding position, and a discharge mechanism that discharges the bag in a rolled state that has been wound around the winding section.

According to this configuration, the bags to be collected are transported to the winding position by the transport unit using fluid pressure. The bags tend to become elongated, for example, due to the flow of fluid along the transport path. The bags transported to the winding position are then wound up by the winding unit. In the process of the winding unit winding up the bag, air tends to escape from the bag, and the bag is wound up in a compact roll. Therefore, the bags can be collected compactly while being transported to the collection destination.

In the bag recovery device, the conveying section has a conveying path on which fluid pressure acts, and the winding section has one or more rods that are arranged at the winding position midway along the conveying path, and the bag may be wound up by eccentrically rotating the rods.

According to this configuration, the bag is transported along the transport path by the transport unit using fluid pressure. The winding unit winds up the bag by eccentrically rotating multiple rods that are positioned at a winding position along the transport path. Since the winding unit is composed of one or multiple rods, the bag body that has been wound up in a wound state can be easily removed from the rod. Therefore, the bag body that has been wound up in a wound state can be easily discharged.

In the bag recovery device, the conveying section includes a suction source that conveys the bag by suction using negative fluid pressure, and the conveying path includes a ventilation partition that is disposed downstream of the winding position in the conveying direction and is blocked by the downstream end of the bag in the conveying direction hitting the ventilation partition, and the bag may be held in the winding position by the downstream end of the bag in the conveying direction blocking the ventilation partition.

With this configuration, the tip of the long bag being sucked and transported along the transport path blocks the ventilation partition, stopping the transport and holding the long bag at the winding position where the winding unit winds it up. As a result, the long bag can be reliably wound up by the winding unit. For example, if fluid pressure continues to act on the transport path, the bag being sucked and transported passes the winding position, and the bag is not present at the winding position, resulting in failure to wind the bag. In contrast, with this configuration, the bag can be held in a long shape at the winding position midway along the transport path. Therefore, the bag can be reliably wound up.

In the bag recovery device, the winding section has a plurality of rods, and the transport section transports the bag to the winding position along a path that passes between the plurality of rods, and the bag transported to the winding position may be inserted between the plurality of rods.

With this configuration, the long bag transported along the transport path is inserted between multiple rods, so the bag can be wound up even if the winding section is made up of multiple rods. This reduces mistakes when winding up the bag by the winding section.

In the bag recovery device, the conveying section includes a guide section located upstream of the winding section in the conveying direction to guide the bag to a path passing between the rods, and the discharge mechanism includes a movement mechanism that moves the rod in the axial direction, and when the winding section finishes winding the bag, the movement mechanism may move the rod in a direction to pull it out of the wound bag.

This configuration allows multiple rods to be pulled out of the bag body that is wound around the multiple rods. As a result, the bag body in the wound state can be easily removed after winding.

The bag recovery method that solves the above problem is a bag recovery method that transports and recovers bags using fluid pressure, and includes a transport step of transporting the bag to a winding position using fluid pressure, a winding step of winding the bag transported to the winding position into a rolled state, and a discharging step of discharging the bag in the rolled state that has been wound in the winding step. This method provides the same effects as the bag recovery device described above.

According to the present invention, the bags can be collected compactly while being transported to the collection destination.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an article group supplying system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the article group supply system. 1A is a schematic front view showing a process in which a group of articles on a lifting platform are removed from a box together with the bag, and FIG. 1B is a schematic front view showing a state in which the bag is being gripped. 1A is a schematic side view showing the state in which the bag and the group of articles have been separated, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view showing when the bag removed from the group of articles is being suctioned. 5A and 5B show a bag winding mechanism in a state where a bag has been transported to a winding position, in which FIG. 5A is a schematic side cross-sectional view, and FIG. 5B is a schematic front cross-sectional view taken along the arrows 5B-5B in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the bag winding mechanism showing a cross section taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 5(a). FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing the bag winding mechanism in a state where the bag is transported to the winding position. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing the bag winding mechanism in the process of winding up a bag. 10B shows a bag winding mechanism with a bag wound up, in which FIG. 10A is a schematic side cross-sectional view, and FIG. 10B is a schematic front cross-sectional view taken along the line 10B-10B in FIG. 11A shows a bag winding mechanism in a state in which the rod is raised after the bag is wound, and FIG. 11B shows a schematic cross-sectional side view, and FIG. 11B shows a schematic cross-sectional front view taken along the arrows 11B-11B in FIG. 12A shows a bag winding mechanism in a state in which the rod has been lowered back to the winding position, and FIG. 12B shows a schematic cross-sectional side view and FIG. 12B shows a schematic cross-sectional front view taken along the arrows 12B-12B in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the article group supply system. 5A to 5C are schematic cross-sectional views showing a modified example of the bag winding mechanism.

An embodiment of an item group supply system 10 equipped with a bag recovery device 60 will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the item group supply system 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vertical direction (gravity direction) is the Z direction, the direction in which bags are transported by the bag winding mechanism 63 (described later) of the two directions perpendicular to the Z direction is the X direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction is the Y direction. The X direction is also referred to as the transport direction X, the Y direction as the width direction Y, and the Z direction as the vertical direction Z.

The item group supplying system 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes an item group supplying device 11 that removes an item group 13 from a supplied box 12 (see Figure 1) and supplies it to another device, and a robot 20 that supplies boxes 12 to the item group supplying device 11 and removes empty boxes 12. The item group 13 that the item group supplying device 11 removes from the box 12 is contained in a bag 15. Therefore, the item group supplying device 11 removes the item group 13 from the box 12 by separating the box 12 from the bag 15 and separating the bag 15 from the item group 13.

Here, the configuration of the article group supplying device 11 other than the bag recovery device will be described.
The box 12 is supplied to the item supplying device 11 with the opening side, which has previously been opened by cutting the tape, facing downward. The item supplying device 11 includes an assembly 130 having a plurality of pillars 131 and a plurality of beams 132. As shown in Fig. 2, in the item supplying device 11, a table shutter mechanism 30, a flap opening mechanism (not shown), a lifting platform 40, and a lifting mechanism 42 are supported by the assembly 130 in a state aligned in the vertical direction Z in this order from the supply position of the box 12 downward.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 20 is a 6- or 7-axis articulated industrial robot, and is equipped with an articulated arm 21 (manipulator). The robot 20 suction-holds the box 12 with the suction pad 23 of the gripping unit 22 attached to the tip of the arm 21, and supplies the box 12 to the item group supply device 11 by sliding the gripped box 12 over the top surface of a transfer table 25. The robot 20 drops the item group 13 together with the bag 15 from the gripped box 12 onto the lifting platform 40.

As shown in FIG. 2, the table shutter mechanism 30 includes a pair of tables 31 that are closed when the box 12 is placed on the table and open when the group of items 13 is dropped from the box 12, and a pair of cylinders 32 that drive the pair of tables 31 to open and close. When the pair of tables 31 open, the box 12 drops slightly, and the flap opening mechanism opens the flap 12F (see FIG. 3(a)) of the box 12. As a result, the lifting platform 40 waiting below receives the group of items 13 that has fallen from the box 12 on its upper conveyor belt 41.

2, the lifting mechanism 42 moves the support rod 43 supporting the lifting platform 40 up and down, causing the lifting platform 40 to move up and down within the cylindrical guide section 110. The lifting mechanism 42 is, for example, a belt-type drive mechanism 44, and the support rod 43 fixed to a belt 46 that rotates with the power of a lifting motor 45 moves up and down as the lifting motor 45 is driven forward and backward. The lifting platform 40 moves between a standby position (upward position) where it receives the group of items 13 together with the bags 15 that have fallen from the box 12, and a discharge position (downward position) where it discharges the group of items 13.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a bag removal mechanism 50 is disposed above the lifting platform 40. The bag removal mechanism 50 includes a gripping section 51 for gripping the bag 15 from the group of items 13 on the lifting platform 40 in order to lift it up, a cylinder 52 for raising and lowering the gripping section 51 in the vertical direction Z, and two guide rods 53 (Fig. 2). After the lifting platform 40 receives the group of items 13 together with the bag 15, when the cylinder 52 of the bag removal mechanism 50 is extended, the gripping section 51 descends at a predetermined stroke and sucks the bag 15 on the lifting platform 40 with its suction port 51A. By gripping and lifting the bag 15 from the group of items 13 on the lifting platform 40, the bag 15 and the group of items 13 are separated (see Figs. 3 and 4). The gripping section 51 may be a clamping mechanism for gripping the bag 15 by clamping it.

After the bags 15 are removed, the lifting platform 40 descends to the discharge position, and when the cylinder 112 is driven to open the door 111, the conveyor belt 41 is driven and the group of items 13 on the lifting platform 40 is discharged onto the supply conveyor 48. The supply conveyor 48 transports the group of items 13 to the destination device.

The item group supplying device 11 also includes a bag recovery device 60 that recovers the bags 15 separated from the item group 13. The bag recovery device 60 is a device that transports and recovers the bags 15 using fluid pressure. In this example, the fluid pressure is negative fluid pressure (negative pressure). The bag recovery device 60 has a suction hood 61 that sucks in the bags 15 pulled up by the gripping portion 51, and transports the bags 15 sucked from the suction hood 61 using suction airflow. The bag recovery device 60 compactly rolls up the bags 15 at the transport destination and recovers them.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the bag recovery device 60 includes a suction hood 61, a first duct 62, a bag winding mechanism 63, a second duct 64, and a suction source 65 (see Fig. 1) including a blower 66. The bag winding mechanism 63 has a chamber 70 that communicates with the first duct 62 and the second duct 64. In this embodiment, the suction hood 61, the first duct 62, the chamber 70, the second duct 64, and the suction source 65 form a conveying section 67 that conveys the bags 15. Among the components of the conveying section 67, the suction hood 61, the first duct 62, and the chamber 70 form a conveying path 68, which is a passageway along which the bags 15 are conveyed.

The suction hood 61 is positioned at a predetermined height with the suction port 61A facing the separated bag 15. The suction hood 61 and the bag winding mechanism 63 are in communication with each other through a tubular first duct. The bag winding mechanism 63 and the blower 66 are in communication with each other through a tubular second duct 64. The suction source 65 includes the blower 66 and a blower motor 66M that is the drive source of the blower 66. A filter unit 69 that houses a filter (not shown) is connected to the exhaust port of the blower 66. An exhaust section 69A that exhausts the air sent out from the blower 66 through the filter unit 69 is connected to the filter unit 69.

The bag winding mechanism 63 includes the aforementioned chamber 70 that constitutes part of the transport path 68. The chamber 70 is shaped like a rectangular box, and its interior is a chamber in which the winding operation of the bag 15 is performed. Here, the direction in which air flows by suction along the first duct 62 and the second duct 64, etc., that is, the direction in which the bag 15 is transported by suction along the transport path 68, is defined as the suction direction SD. The upstream end of the chamber 70 in the suction direction SD communicates with the downstream end of the first duct 62, and the downstream end of the chamber 70 in the suction direction SD communicates with the upstream end of the second duct 64.

The base end of the suction hood 61 is connected to the upstream end of the first duct 62 in the suction direction SD. The downstream end of the second duct 64 is connected to the suction port of the blower 66. An electric butterfly valve 73 is provided in the middle of the second duct 64 to adjust the suction force from the blower 66 to the chamber 70.

The suction force generated by the operation of the blower 66 sucks the bag 15 through the suction port 61A of the suction hood 61 and transports it through the first duct 62 to the winding position WP (see FIG. 5) in the chamber 70. Then, in the chamber 70, the bag 15 is wound up as a rolled bag body 15W. After the bag 15 is wound up, the door body 74 constituting the lower surface of the chamber 70 opens, and the rolled bag body 15W is discharged downward. The discharged bag body 15W slides on the chute 100 and is collected in the collection box 101 (see FIG. 2). An air nozzle 102 is disposed at a position upstream of the chute 100. The air nozzle 102 blows air at the bag body 15W on the chute 100 in a direction along the slope of the chute 100, causing it to slide down.

As shown in FIG. 2, the item group supplying device 11 has a roller conveyor 103 on its side. The roller conveyor 103 is gently inclined with an inclination angle that decreases toward the right in FIG. 2. Multiple collection boxes 101 are placed on the roller conveyor 103. A spare collection box 101 is placed in the area on the roller conveyor 103 most upstream in the conveying direction. The bag body 15W discharged from the bag winding mechanism 63 is collected in the second collection box 101 placed in the area to the right of that (downstream).

A pressure mechanism 105 is disposed above the collection box 101 during collection of the bag body 15W, which applies pressure to compress the bag body 15W collected in the collection box 101. The pressure mechanism 105 has a cylinder 106, two guide rods 107, and a pressure plate 108 supported by the tip of the piston rod of the cylinder 106 and the lower ends of the two guide rods 107. When the cylinder 106 is extended, the pressure plate 108 descends from the standby position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 to the pressure position shown by the two-dot chain line in the same figure, compressing the bag body 15W in the collection box 101 by applying pressure. The detailed configuration of the bag winding mechanism 63 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), the lifting platform 40 receives the group of items 13, together with the bag 15, that have fallen from the opening 12K of the flap 12F of the box 12 onto the conveyor belt 41. The robot 20 removes the empty box 12 from the bag 15 on the lifting platform 40.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the bag removal mechanism 50 performs a bag removal operation to remove the bag 15. The gripping part 51 is lowered by driving the cylinder 52, and the gripping part 51 grips the bag 15 by suction to the suction port 51A. After the gripping part 51 grips the bag 15, the lifting platform 40 is first lowered slightly, and then the gripping part 51 starts to pull up the bag 15. This reduces the load of pulling up the bag 15, and reduces the frequency of gripping errors caused by the bag 15 coming loose from its grip.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the cylinder 52 is driven to contract, causing the gripping portion 51 to rise and the bag 15 to be pulled up. As a result, the bag 15 gripped by the gripping portion 51 is separated from the group of items 13 on the lifting platform 40.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the bag removal mechanism 50 raises the mouth 15A of the bag 15 to a position where it is separated from the group of items 13, the suction hood 61 generates a negative suction pressure and the gripping part 51 releases the grip on the bag 15. As a result, the bag 15 is sucked through the suction port 61A of the suction hood 61 and transported by suction through the first duct 62 to the winding position WP in the chamber 70 that constitutes the bag winding mechanism 63.

Next, the detailed configuration of the bag winding mechanism 63 will be described with reference to FIG.
5(a), an inlet 71 is formed at the upstream end of the chamber 70 in the suction direction SD, through which the bags 15 transported through the first duct 62 are carried into the chamber 70. An air intake 72 that communicates between the upstream end of the second duct 64 and the chamber 70 is disposed at the downstream end of the chamber 70 in the suction direction SD.

5(a) and (b), the chamber 70 is supported on the lower surface of a support plate 75 fixed to a frame 135. A winding section 76 that winds up the bag 15 in a rolled state is disposed within the chamber 70. The winding section 76 has two rods 77. The bag winding mechanism 63 includes an electric motor 78 that rotates the two rods 77. The two rods 77 are connected in an eccentric state with respect to the output shaft of the electric motor 78. Therefore, when the electric motor 78 is driven, the two rods 77 rotate eccentrically. A rotating bar 79 that rotates integrally with the output shaft of the electric motor 78 is provided. A sensor 80 that detects a detected portion 79A of the rotating bar 79 is provided. The sensor 80 is a non-contact sensor such as a proximity sensor. The sensor 80 may be a contact sensor.

In a standby state before winding begins, the two rods 77 are arranged in standby positions facing each other with a gap in the width direction Y perpendicular to the transport direction X in which the bag 15 is brought into the chamber 70. Because the electric motor 78 is stopped at a position where the sensor 80 detects the detectable portion 79A of the rotating bar 79, the two rods 77 are arranged in standby positions with a gap in the width direction Y. Therefore, the bag 15, which has become elongated by being sucked inside the first duct 62, is transported to the winding position WP through a path that passes between the two rods 77 in the chamber 70.

In particular, in this embodiment, a cylindrical guide section 81 communicating with the first duct 62 is disposed in the chamber 70 at a position upstream of the winding section 76 in the suction direction SD. The guide section 81 extends cylindrically into the chamber 70 and guides the bag 15 to pass through a path between two rods 77 disposed at the standby position. As shown in FIG. 5B, a pair of outer circumferential ends in the width direction Y of the two rods 77 at the standby position are disposed so as to be positioned outside the two positions on the inner peripheral surface of the guide section 81 that are the maximum width. Therefore, the long bag 15 is transported to the winding position WP in the chamber 70 through a path passing between the two rods 77. Then, the two rods 77 are eccentrically rotated by the drive of the electric motor 78, so that the bag 15 is wound around the two rods 77 and is in a wound state (see FIG. 10).

In addition, in this embodiment, the two rods 77 are configured to be movable between an operating position (lowered position) shown in Figures 5(a) and (b) in which they are disposed in the chamber 70, and a retracted position (raised position) shown in Figures 11(a) and (b). That is, the two rods 77 in this example are configured to be able to lower to the operating position and rise to the retracted position.

As shown in Figs. 5(a) and (b), the electric motor 78 is disposed on the upper surface of a lift plate 82 that can be raised and lowered. A main body 83A of a first cylinder 83 is fixed to one end of the upper surface of the lift plate 82 in a downward position. The tip (lower end) of a downward piston rod 83B of the first cylinder 83 is connected to a support plate 75 to which the upper surface of the chamber 70 is fixed. A guide rod 84 that guides the lift plate 82 to be movable in the vertical direction Z is attached to the end of the lift plate 82 opposite the assembly position of the first cylinder 83. The lower end of the guide rod 84 is fixed to the support plate 75. In this embodiment, the first cylinder 83 and the guide rod 84 constitute a moving mechanism 56.

For this reason, as shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), when the first cylinder 83 is in a contracted state, the lift plate 82 is in a lowered position, and the two rods 77 are lowered to their operating positions. Also, as shown in Figures 11(a) and (b), when the first cylinder 83 is in an extended state, the lift plate 82 is in a raised position, and the two rods 77 are raised to their retracted positions. In this way, when the first cylinder 83 is driven to contract, the two rods 77 are lowered to their operating positions, and when the first cylinder 83 is driven to extend, the two rods 77 are raised to their retracted positions.

As shown in Figs. 5(a) and (b), an outlet 70A is provided on the underside of the chamber 70. The outlet 70A is an opening for discharging the wound bag 15 from the chamber 70. When the outlet 70A is in the closed position, the inside of the chamber 70 is kept airtight by a rubber seal 85.

5(a) and (b), the door body 74 is supported so as to be rotatable about a pivot shaft 87 supported by a pair of bearings 86. The door body 74 is connected to the pivot shaft 87 at two points on both axial sides thereof via connecting members 88 (see also FIG. 7). A second cylinder 89 is supported facing downward on the side of one of the frames 135. The body 89A of the second cylinder 89 is connected to the outer side of one of the rectangular cylindrical frames 135. The tip (lower end) of the piston rod 89B of the second cylinder 89 is connected to the pivot shaft 87 via a bar-shaped pivot member 90. In other words, the tip of the piston rod 89B is pivotally connected to the other end of the pivot member 90, one end of which is fixed to the pivot shaft 87.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), when the second cylinder 89 is in an extended state, the door body 74 is disposed in a closed position, and as shown in Figures 11(a) and (b), when the second cylinder 89 is in a retracted state, the door body 74 is disposed in an open position. In this way, when the second cylinder 89 is driven to extend, the door body 74 moves from the open position to the closed position, and when the second cylinder 89 is driven to retract, the door body 74 moves from the closed position to the open position.

As shown in FIG. 6, the support plate 75 is rectangular in plan view. A disk-shaped bearing 91 is attached to the center of the support plate 75. The bearing 91 has an annular outer 92 fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 75, an annular inner 93 connected to the inside of the outer 92 so as to be rotatable relative to the outer 92, and a plurality of balls (not shown) interposed between the outer 92 and the inner 93. A disk-shaped rotating plate 94 is fixed to the inner periphery of the inner 93. Two cylindrical bearings 95 are fixed to the rotating plate 94 on both sides of the center, and two rods 77 are inserted into the cylinders of these two cylindrical bearings 95. Therefore, the two rods 77 rotate together with the rotating plate 94 to which the two cylindrical bearings 95 through which they are inserted are fixed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first cylinders 83 and guide rods 84 are arranged in pairs on both sides of the bearing 91 on the support plate 75. The pair of first cylinders 83 are provided at two positions that are point symmetrical with respect to the center of the rotating plate 94. The pair of guide rods 84 are provided at two positions that are point symmetrical with respect to the center of the rotating plate 94.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the door body 74 is in the closed position, the inside of the chamber 70 is kept airtight by the rubber seal 85 except for the inlet 71 (see FIG. 5B) at the upstream end and the intake port 72 at the downstream end. As shown in FIG. 7, the intake port 72 is provided with a porous partition 96 as an example of a ventilated partition with a plurality of holes 96A (e.g., punch holes). The porous partition 96 is a circle of a predetermined size, and is provided at a position where the center of the transport path of the bag 15 coincides with the center of the porous partition 96. The hole 96A of the porous partition 96 is large enough that the bag 15 cannot pass through. Therefore, the bag 15 does not pass through the intake port 72. The tip portion 15B (see FIG. 8) of the bag 15 that has reached the porous partition 96 is held in that position without being transported further downstream in the suction direction SD. The porous partition 96 is made of, for example, punched metal, but instead, the ventilation partition may be made of a mesh partition such as a wire mesh.

8, when the tip 15B of the bag 15 hits the porous partition 96, the part of the porous partition 96 that the bag 15 hits is blocked, and the suction force acting on the chamber 70 gradually decreases according to the proportion of the blocked part. Then, when the tip part of the bag 15 completely blocks the porous partition 96, no further suction force acts on the bag 15, so the long bag 15 is held in that position. The position of the bag 15 at this time is the winding position where a part of the bag 15 is inserted between the two rods 77. In this way, the long bag 15 transported into the chamber 70 of the bag winding mechanism 63 is transported to the winding position WP where a part of the bag 15 is inserted between the two rods 77. Then, the long bag 15 transported to the winding position WP is held in a state where it is inserted between the two rods 77.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the two rods 77 rotate, the long bag 15 is wound up. When the two rods 77 start to rotate and reach a predetermined amount of rotation, the butterfly valve 73 is driven from the open position to the closed position, and the suction force is no longer applied to the second duct 64. In other words, the suction force of the blower 66 no longer applies to the part of the second duct 64 upstream of the butterfly valve 73 in the suction direction SD, and the suction force is no longer applied to the chamber 70. Therefore, the bag 15 is wound up in a wound state to both ends in the longitudinal direction.

Next, the electrical configuration of the item group supply system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. The item group supply system 10 includes a control unit 120. The control unit 120 is electrically connected to an operation panel 121, a robot 20, a table shutter mechanism 30, a lifting platform 40, a lifting mechanism 42, a bag removal mechanism 50, and a bag recovery device 60. The control unit 120 is also electrically connected to an electric motor 78, a first cylinder 83, a second cylinder 89, a sensor 80, a blower 66, a butterfly valve 73 (damper valve), an air nozzle 102, and a pressure mechanism 105, which constitute a bag winding mechanism 63. The control unit 120 controls the switching of an electromagnetic switching valve (not shown) provided in the air circuit, thereby controlling the drive of the first cylinder 83, the second cylinder 89, the air nozzle 102, the cylinder 106 of the pressure mechanism 105, and the like.

The control unit 120 raises and lowers the gripper 51 by driving the cylinder 52 to extend and retract. The control unit 120 switches between introducing and releasing negative pressure to the gripper 51 by switching an electromagnetic switching valve of an air pressure circuit (not shown). The control unit 120 drives the blower 66 when the gripper 51 is in a specified position. The blower 66 may be driven continuously while the item group supplying device 11 is in operation.

The electric motor 78 is stopped at the position where the sensor 80 is turned on. When it is time to start winding, the control unit 120 rotates the electric motor 78 a predetermined number of revolutions that allows the two rods to wind up the bag 15. The control unit 120 stops driving the electric motor 78 at the position where the sensor 80 is turned on. As a result, the two rods 77 stop facing each other with their directions perpendicular to the suction direction SD (see Figures 5(b) and 8). The control unit 120 closes the butterfly valve 73 at the beginning of winding when the electric motor 78 has rotated a predetermined amount after winding of the bag 15 has started.

When the control unit 120 has finished winding the bags 15, it controls the switching of the electromagnetic switching valve to sequentially drive the first cylinder 83, the second cylinder 89, and the air nozzle 102 to discharge the wound bag body 15W. Each time the count value of the counter that counts the number of wound bags 15 reaches a predetermined value, the control unit 120 drives the cylinder 106 of the pressure mechanism 105, and applies pressure to the bag body 15W in the collection box 101 via the pressure plate 108, compressing it.

Next, the operation of the bag recovery device 60 in the article group supply system 10 will be described.
During operation of the article group supply system 10, the gripper 51 grips the bag 15 on the lifting platform 40 by suction (see FIG. 3(b)), and the bag 15 gripped by the gripper 51 is lifted up (FIG. 4(a)). The control unit 120 opens an electromagnetic switching valve of a negative pressure circuit (not shown) to generate suction force in the suction hood 61. As a result, the bag 15 is sucked from the suction port 61A by the suction force of the suction hood 61 (FIG. 4(b)), and is transferred through the conveying path 68 into the chamber 70.

By the suction force generated by the operation of the blower 66, the bag 15 is sucked through the suction port 61A of the suction hood 61 and transported through the first duct 62 to the winding position WP (see FIG. 5) in the chamber 70. The bag 15 is sucked along the transport path 68, so it is transported in a long shape extending in the suction direction SD.

In the chamber 70, the two rods 77 constituting the winding section 76 are arranged in a standby position spaced apart in the width direction Y perpendicular to the suction direction SD. Therefore, the long bag 15, which is sucked through the first duct 62, is transported to the winding position WP via a path that passes between the two rods 77 in the chamber 70. At this time, the long bag 15 is guided to a path that passes between the two rods 77 by being guided by the cylindrical guide section 81 in the chamber 70. Therefore, the long bag 15 is more reliably transported to the winding position WP via a path that passes between the two rods 77 in the chamber 70.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the tip 15B of the bag 15 hits the porous partition 96, the part of the porous partition 96 that the bag 15 hits is blocked, and the suction force acting on the chamber 70 gradually decreases according to the proportion of the blocked part. Then, when the part on the tip side of the bag 15 completely blocks the porous partition 96, no further suction force acts on the bag 15. The long bag 15 is held in the winding position WP with a part of it inserted between the two rods.

Then, the two rods 77 rotate eccentrically by the drive of the electric motor 78, and as shown in FIG. 9, the long bag 15 is wound up on the two rods 77. When the two rods 77 start to rotate and reach a predetermined rotation amount, the butterfly valve 73 is driven from the open position to the closed position, and the suction force is no longer applied to the second duct 64. Therefore, the suction force is no longer applied to the chamber 70, and the suction of the tip end 15B of the long bag 15 to the porous partition wall 96 is released. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) and (b), the long bag 15 is wound up in a wound state to both ends in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the bag 15 is wound up in the chamber 70 to become the wound bag body 15W. When the winding is completed as the wound bag body 15W, the electric motor 78 stops at the rotation position where the sensor 80 detects the detected part 79A. As a result, the two rods 77 stop at a standby position spaced apart in the width direction Y (see Figures 5 and 8).

After being wound into the rolled bag body 15W, the door 74 constituting the lower surface of the chamber 70 opens, and the rolled bag body 15W is discharged downward by its own weight. The bag recovery device 60 of this embodiment includes a discharge mechanism 55 that discharges the rolled bag body 15W from the chamber 70. This discharge mechanism 55 includes a moving mechanism 56 including a first cylinder 83 that moves the rod 77 in the axial direction (vertical direction Z). In other words, the discharge mechanism 55 includes a moving mechanism 56 that moves the two rods 77 in the axial direction by the first cylinder 83, and a door 74 that is driven to open and close by the second cylinder 89.

When the second cylinder 89 is contracted from the extended state shown in FIG. 10, the door 74 opens as shown in FIG. 11. When the first cylinder 83 is extended, the two rods 77 move axially upward from the operating position (lowered position) to the retracted position as shown in FIGS. 11(a) and (b), and are pulled out of the rolled bag body 15W. As a result, the rolled bag body 15W falls under its own weight and is discharged downward from the discharge port 70A.

However, even if the two rods 77 are pulled out of the bag body 15W, the bag body 15W may get caught on the tip of the rod 77 or near the discharge port 70A. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 12(a) and (b), the first cylinder 83 constituting the moving mechanism 56 is driven to contract, so that the two rods 77 move down from the retracted position to the operating position and are reinserted into the chamber 70. As a result, the bag body 15W remaining in the chamber 70 in a rolled state is forcibly pushed out of the discharge port 70A by the two rods 77.

The rolled bag 15W thus discharged slides along the chute 100 and is collected in the collection box 101 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the air nozzle 102 located upstream of the chute 100 blows air toward the bag 15W on the chute 100, so that the bag 15W slides down the chute 100 and is collected in the collection box 101. Thereafter, the bag collection device 60 repeats the same bag collection operation each time the gripper 51 of the item group supply device 11 pulls up a bag 15 removed from the item group 13.

Whenever a predetermined time is reached during collection of the bags 15, the pressure mechanism 105 shown in FIG. 2 is driven. When the cylinder 106 is extended, the pressure plate 108 descends from the standby position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 to the pressure position shown by the two-dot chain line in the same figure, compressing the group of bags 15W collected in the collection box 101 by pressure.

As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The bag recovery device 60 includes a conveying section 67 that conveys the bag 15 to the winding position WP by fluid pressure, a winding section 76 that winds up the bag 15 conveyed to the winding position WP, and a discharge mechanism 55 that discharges the bag 15 wound up by the winding section 76. The bag 15 to be recovered is conveyed to the winding position WP by the conveying section 67 by fluid pressure. The bag 15 tends to become elongated, for example, due to the flow of fluid along the conveying path 68. The bag 15 conveyed to the winding position WP is wound up by the winding section 76. In the process of winding up the bag 15 by the winding section 76, air is easily released from the bag 15, and the bag 15 can be wound up in a compact winding state. Therefore, the bag 15 can be collected compactly while being conveyed to the collection destination. For example, the frequency of discharge operations such as discharging the collection box 101 every time it becomes full of the bag body 15W can be reduced.

(2) The conveying section 67 has a conveying path 68 on which fluid pressure acts. The winding section 76 has multiple rods 77 that are eccentrically rotatably arranged at a winding position WP midway along the conveying path 68. The winding section 76 winds up the bag 15 by the eccentric rotation of the multiple rods 77 at the winding position WP. Therefore, since the winding section 76 is composed of multiple rods 77, it is easy to remove the wound bag body 15W from the rods 77. Therefore, the bag body 15W can be easily removed from the chamber 70 after winding.

(3) The conveying section 67 conveys the bag 15 by suction using negative fluid pressure. In the conveying path 68, an intake port 72 having a porous partition 96 that is blocked by the downstream end (tip 15B) of the bag 15 in the conveying direction X, is disposed at a position downstream of the winding position WP in the conveying direction X. The downstream end (tip 15B) of the long bag 15 conveyed along the conveying path 68 in the conveying direction X blocks the porous partition 96, so that fluid pressure no longer acts on the conveying path 68 such as the chamber 70, and the conveying of the bag 15 stops at that point. Thus, the long bag 15 can be held at the winding position WP in the chamber 70. As a result, the long bag 15 can be reliably wound by the winding section 76. For example, if the bag 15 conveyed by suction passes the winding position WP, winding of the bag 15 fails. In this embodiment, the bag 15 can be stopped at the winding position WP in the chamber 70, which is midway along the transport path 68, so the bag 15 can be wound up reliably.

(4) The winding unit 76 has multiple rods 77. The transport unit 67 transports the bag 15 to the winding position WP via a path that passes between the multiple rods 77. The bag 15 transported to the winding position WP is inserted between the multiple rods 77. Therefore, the long bag 15 transported along the transport path 68 is inserted between the multiple rods 77, so that even if the winding unit 76 is composed of multiple rods 77, the bag 15 can be wound up. This reduces errors in winding the bag 15 by the winding unit 76.

(5) The conveying section 67 is provided with a guide section 81 located upstream of the winding section 76 in the conveying direction X, which guides the bag to a path passing between the multiple rods 77. The discharge mechanism is provided with a moving mechanism 56 which moves the rod 77 in the axial direction. When the winding section 76 has finished winding the bag 15, the moving mechanism 56 moves the rod 77 in a direction in which it is pulled out from the wound bag 15. Thus, the multiple rods 77 can be pulled out from the wound bag body 15W wound around the multiple rods 77. As a result, the wound bag body 15W can be easily discharged from the chamber 70 after winding.

(6) The rod 77 extends in a direction such that the tip is located below the vertical direction Z. In other words, the rod 77 is arranged with its axis parallel to the vertical direction Z. The discharge mechanism 55 pulls out the rod 77 in the direction opposite (upward) to the vertical direction Z (gravity direction) by driving the first cylinder 83 constituting the moving mechanism 56. Thus, the bag body 15W in the rolled state from which the rod 77 has been pulled out can be discharged from the discharge port 70A of the chamber 70 by dropping it under its own weight. In this way, the pulling out of the rod 77 from the bag body 15W and the bag body 15W's own weight are utilized, so that the bag body 15W can be more reliably discharged from the discharge port 70A of the chamber 70 after winding.

(7) The discharge mechanism 55 drives the first cylinder 83 constituting the moving mechanism 56, and pulls out the rod 77 and then reinserts it. This allows the bag body 15W in a rolled state to be more reliably discharged from the discharge port 70A of the chamber 70 after winding.

(8) The chamber 70, which constitutes part of the conveying path 68, is provided with an outlet 70A for discharging the bag body 15W in a rolled state with the rod 77 pulled out, and a door 74 that can open and close the outlet 70A. Therefore, the chamber 70 can be kept airtight while the bag 15 is being conveyed along the conveying path 68, and the bag 15 can be conveyed to the winding position WP within the chamber 70. After winding, the bag body 15W in a rolled state can be easily discharged from the chamber 70 via the outlet 70A.

(9) The bag recovery method in which the bag 15 is transported and recovered by fluid pressure includes a transport step, a winding step, and a discharging step. In the transport step, the bag 15 is transported to the winding position WP by fluid pressure. In the winding step, the bag 15 transported to the winding position WP is wound up in a rolled state. In the discharging step, the bag 15 (bag body 15W) in the rolled state wound up in the winding step is discharged. This bag recovery method similarly achieves the above-mentioned effect (1) of the bag recovery device 60.

The embodiment is not limited to the above and may be modified as follows.
The number of rods 77 is not limited to two, and may be three or more. For example, as shown in FIG. 14(a), the number of rods 77 may be four. In the example shown in FIG. 14(a), four rods 77 are arranged at positions that are vertices of a rectangle in a plan view. Therefore, similar to when there are two rods 77, the transported long bag can be inserted between the multiple rods 77. In this respect, an even number of rods 77 is preferable, but an odd number may also be used. The number of rods 77 may be three or five.

14B, there may be only one rod 77. By eccentrically rotating even one rod 77, the bag can be wound into a rolled state.
As shown in FIG. 14C, the plurality of rods 77 may be configured to have a variable spacing. The two rods 77 can be switched between a first position with a wide spacing and a second position with a narrow spacing. When receiving a bag, the two rods 77 are placed in the first position and wait. Since the spacing between the two rods 77 is wide, the bag can be inserted between the two rods 77. Then, when winding, the two rods 77 are placed in the second position and winding is performed. With this configuration, the bag body can be wound with a small winding radius. Also, the bag is wound by rotating the two rods 77 while remaining placed in the first position. After winding is completed, the two rods 77 are switched from the first position to the second position and then the discharge operation is performed. With this configuration, by switching the two rods 77 from the first position to the second position, a gap is created between the two rods 77 and the wound bag body, making it easier for the bag body to fall from the two rods 77 by its own weight.

The rotation of the rod 77 is not limited to eccentric rotation. For example, one rod 77 may rotate on an axis. For example, the rod 77 has multiple arms protruding from its outer periphery in the direction of the rotation radius of the axis at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The multiple arms are configured to be able to protrude from the outer periphery of the rod, and when winding, the arms are protruded, and the bag is wound up on the arms as the rod 77 rotates on its axis, and after winding, the arms are retracted into the rod 77. In addition, instead of a configuration in which the arms protrude, a configuration in which the radial dimension of the multiple arms protruding toward the discharge direction becomes shorter may be used. With this configuration, even with a rod having arms, it is easier to remove the bag body 15W in a wound state by its own weight. In addition, in a configuration in which multiple arms can protrude and retract, the protrusion and retraction of the multiple arms may be controlled by the control unit 120, and in this case, a motor, solenoid, cylinder, etc. may be used as a driving source.

The discharge mechanism 55 is not limited to a configuration that utilizes reinsertion of the rod 77, but may be a pusher that pushes the bag body 15W in the discharge direction separately from the rod 77. It may also be an air discharge method that ejects the bag body 15W by injecting air.

- The rod 77 may be arranged horizontally. In this case, it may be difficult to remove the bag body 15W wound around the rod 77 by using its own weight, but it may be possible to remove it using another mechanism such as a pusher.

- The fluid pressure applied to the bag 15 in order to transport the bag 15 is not limited to negative pressure. In other words, the transport of the bag 15 is not limited to suction transport. The fluid pressure applied to the bag 15 may be positive fluid pressure (positive pressure). In other words, the bag 15 may be pressure-fed by transporting it with a pressurized fluid.

- The suction hood 61 having the suction port 61A may be configured to be movable. In the above embodiment, the suction hood 61 is fixed and the suction port 61A is arranged at a predetermined position that does not interfere with the movement path of the boxes 12 and bags 15. However, the suction hood 61 may be configured to be movable in a direction intersecting (e.g. perpendicular to) the lifting direction (vertical direction Z) of the gripper 51, and the suction port 61A may approach and suck the bag 15 pulled up by the gripper 51. In this case, the suction hood 61 may be moved by the driving force of a driving source such as an electric motor or cylinder between a retracted position where it does not interfere with the boxes 12 and bags 15 in the working area of the lifting platform 40 or bag removal mechanism 50 and a suction position where it sucks the bag 15.

The bag recovery device 60 is not limited to a configuration in which it is used in combination with the item group supply device 11. The bag recovery device 60 may be combined with another device having a separation function for separating the bags 15. In addition, the bag 15 may be recovered by an operator carrying the bag 15 manually separated from the item group 13 or an item close to the suction port 61A of the suction hood 61. In other words, the bag recovery device 60 may be used alone.

The bag 15 is not limited to the one removed from the box 12. For example, the inner bag may be removed from a container and collected.
The items 14 constituting the item group 13 may be parts such as container caps, molded product precursors such as preforms, etc. that are stored in a bag in an unaligned state, or items such as stacked cups, etc., that are stored in an aligned state in a bag, one or more of which may be stored in a bag. The items are not limited to parts, but may be finished products or semi-finished products that are stored in a bag in multiple pieces. Items stored in large numbers in a bag may be food, electrical appliance parts, or stationery. Items may also be granular materials such as beans or beads. The bag recovery device 60 can be widely used to recover bags 15 separated from these items.

-The box 12 is not limited to a cardboard box made of paper, but may also be a plastic cardboard box.

10...Item group supply system, 11...Item group supply device, 12...Box, 12K...Opening, 12F...Flap, 13...Item group, 14...Item, 15...Bag, 15A...Mouth, 15B...Tip, 15W...Bag body, 20...Robot, 21...Arm, 22...Gripping unit, 23...Suction pad, 30...Table shutter mechanism, 31...Table, 32...Cylinder, 40...Lifting platform, 41...Conveyor belt, 42...Lifting mechanism, 43...Support rod, 44...Belt-type drive mechanism, 45...Lifting motor, 46...Belt, 48...Supply conveyor, 50...Bag removal mechanism, 51...Gripping portion, 51A...Suction port, 52...Cylinder, 53...Guide rod, 55 ...discharge mechanism, 56...movement mechanism, 60...bag recovery device, 61...suction hood, 61A...suction port, 62...first duct, 63...bag winding mechanism, 64...second duct, 65...suction source, 67...transport section, 68...transport path, 70...chamber, 70A...discharge port, 72...intake port, 74...door body, 76...winding section, 77...rod, 78...electric motor, 81...guide section, 83...first cylinder, 89...second cylinder, 96...perforated partition wall as an example of a ventilated partition wall, 100...chute, 110...guide section, 111...door, 120...control section, 121...operation panel, SD...suction direction, WP...winding position, X...transport direction, Y...width direction, Z...vertical direction.

Claims (8)

A bag recovery device that conveys and recovers bags using fluid pressure,
a conveying section that conveys the bag to a winding position by fluid pressure;
a winding section that winds up the bag transported to the winding position;
a discharge mechanism that discharges the bag in a rolled state wound on the winding section ,
the conveying section includes a conveying path on which fluid pressure acts, a suction source that suctions and conveys the bag by negative fluid pressure, and an air-permeable partition that is closed when a downstream end of the bag in the conveying direction hits a position on the conveying path downstream of the winding position in the conveying direction,
The winding section has one or more rods that are arranged at the winding position, and the bag recovery device is characterized in that the bag is wound up by eccentrically rotating the one or more rods while the downstream end of the bag in the conveying direction blocks the ventilation partition, thereby holding the bag at the winding position . A bag recovery device that conveys and recovers bags using fluid pressure,
a conveying section that conveys the bag to a winding position by fluid pressure;
a winding section that winds up the bag transported to the winding position;
a discharge mechanism that discharges the bag in a rolled state wound on the winding section ,
the winding section has a plurality of rods arranged at the winding position,
the conveying section includes a conveying path on which a fluid pressure acts, and a guide section, which is located upstream of the winding section in the conveying direction and which guides the bag to a path passing between the plurality of rods;
the conveying unit conveys the bag to the winding position so as to pass between the plurality of rods along a path passing between the plurality of rods;
the winding unit winds up the bag by eccentrically rotating the plurality of rods,
The discharge mechanism is equipped with a moving mechanism that moves the multiple rods in the axial direction, and when the winding section has finished winding the bag, the moving mechanism moves the multiple rods in a direction to pull them out of the bag in the wound state . A bag recovery device that conveys and recovers bags using fluid pressure,
a conveying section that conveys the bag to a winding position by fluid pressure;
a winding section that winds up the bag transported to the winding position;
a discharge mechanism that discharges the bag in a rolled state wound on the winding section ,
the conveying section includes a conveying path on which a fluid pressure acts,
the winding unit has one or more rods that are arranged at the winding position, and winds up the bag by eccentrically rotating the one or more rods;
The discharge mechanism is equipped with a moving mechanism that moves the one or more rods in the axial direction, and when the winding section has finished winding the bag, the moving mechanism moves the one or more rods in a direction to pull them out of the bag in the wound state.This bag recovery device is characterized by this. A bag recovery device that conveys and recovers bags using fluid pressure,
a conveying section that conveys the bag to a winding position by fluid pressure;
a winding section that winds up the bag transported to the winding position;
a discharge mechanism that discharges the bag in a rolled state wound on the winding section ,
the winding section has a plurality of rods arranged at the winding position,
the conveying section includes a conveying path on which a fluid pressure acts, and a guide section that extends toward the plurality of rods along the conveying direction at a position upstream of the winding section in the conveying direction and guides the bag to a path passing between the plurality of rods,
the conveying unit conveys the bag to the winding position so as to pass between the plurality of rods along a path passing between the plurality of rods;
The bag recovery device , wherein the winding section winds up the bags by eccentrically rotating the plurality of rods . A bag recovery method for transporting and recovering bags by fluid pressure, comprising the steps of:
a conveying step of conveying the bag to a winding position by means of a fluid pressure;
a winding step of winding the bag conveyed to the winding position into a rolled state;
a discharge step of discharging the bag in the rolled state that has been rolled up in the winding step ,
a step in which, when the bag is suction-conveyed by negative fluid pressure along a conveying path on which fluid pressure acts, a downstream end of the bag in the conveying direction hits and is blocked by a ventilation partition provided at a position downstream of the winding position in the conveying path in the conveying direction;
The bag recovery method is characterized in that, in the winding process, the bag is held at the winding position by blocking the downstream end of the bag in the conveying direction against the ventilation partition, and the bag is wound up by eccentrically rotating one or more rods arranged at the winding position. A bag recovery method for transporting and recovering bags by fluid pressure, comprising the steps of:
a conveying step of conveying the bag to a winding position by means of a fluid pressure;
a winding step of winding the bag conveyed to the winding position into a rolled state;
a discharge step of discharging the bag in the rolled state that has been rolled up in the winding step ,
a step of eccentrically rotating a plurality of rods disposed at the winding position to wind up the bag in the winding step;
a step of guiding the bag to a path passing between the plurality of rods at a position upstream of the winding position in a conveying direction in the conveying step, and conveying the bag to the winding position so as to pass between the plurality of rods on the path passing between the plurality of rods;
The bag recovery method is characterized in that, in the discharge process, when winding of the bag in the winding process is completed, the discharge process includes a process of moving the multiple rods in an axial direction to pull them out from the wound bag . A bag recovery method for transporting and recovering bags by fluid pressure, comprising the steps of:
a conveying step of conveying the bag to a winding position by means of a fluid pressure;
a winding step of winding the bag conveyed to the winding position into a rolled state;
a discharge step of discharging the bag in the rolled state that has been rolled up in the winding step ,
a step of eccentrically rotating one or more rods disposed at the winding position to wind up the bag in the winding step;
The bag recovery method is characterized in that, in the discharge process, when winding of the bag in the winding process is completed, the discharge process includes a process of moving the one or more rods in an axial direction to pull them out from the bag in the wound state . A bag recovery method for transporting and recovering bags by fluid pressure, comprising the steps of:
a conveying step of conveying the bag to a winding position by means of a fluid pressure;
a winding step of winding the bag conveyed to the winding position into a rolled state;
a discharge step of discharging the bag in the rolled state that has been rolled up in the winding step ,
a step of guiding the bag to a path passing between the plurality of rods using a guide portion extending toward the plurality of rods along the conveying direction at a position upstream of the winding position in the conveying direction in a conveying path where a fluid pressure acts, and conveying the bag to the winding position so as to pass between the plurality of rods on the path passing between the plurality of rods;
The bag recovery method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of winding up the bags by eccentrically rotating the plurality of rods arranged at the winding position in the winding step .