JP7710958B2 - Product packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item packaging device that packs items into a box.

In the boxing device described in JP 2005-145558 A, sheets are assembled into a box shape, transported, and then items are inserted laterally through an opening to box them up.

JP 2005-145558 A

In the case of such a packing device, if the shape of the item or the number of items to be packed changes, the layout of the packing device must be significantly changed, resulting in a major reconfiguration of the device.

Therefore, the objective is to provide an item packaging device that can be easily modified to pack items of any size, shape, or number.

In order to achieve the above object, the item packing device of the present invention packs items transported by an item transport section into a box body. The item packing device includes a box body transport section that transports the box body filled with the items in a box transport direction, a box body supplying device that supplies the box body to the box body transporting section, an item removal device that removes the items from the item transporting section and moves them in a removal direction intersecting the transport direction to accumulate the items in an item accumulation section, an item storage device that fills the box body with items accumulated in the item accumulation section, and a box body sending section that sends the box body moving in the box body transporting section to the outside. The box body supplying device, the item removal device, the item storage device, and the box body sending section are arranged adjacent to the box body transporting section and are each independently operable and detachable.

In the above configuration, the box transport section includes a linear rail arranged in a loop and having stators arranged side by side, and a box transport shuttle having a movable element that is movable along the linear rail and arranged opposite the stator. The box transport shuttle holds two sides of the box supplied from the box supply device that face the box transport direction.

In the above configuration, the box supply device, the item removal device, the item storage device, and the box sending section are capable of changing their positions in the box transport direction.

In the above configuration, a plurality of the item removal devices and the item storage devices can be arranged. The number of the item removal devices and the item storage devices is the same.

The present invention provides an item packaging device that can be easily modified to pack items of any size, shape, or number.

FIG. 2 is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing apparatus. 1 is a view from the outside showing a transport shuttle carrying an article and a single transport shuttle moving along a linear rail. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport shuttle shown in the figure. FIG. 2 is a view of the transport shuttle as seen from the rear in the transport direction. The figure shows the transport shuttle moving on the branch rail of the second transport route, as viewed from the rear side in the transport direction. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a transport shuttle carrying an article moves along a first curved rail. FIG. FIG. 13 is a view from the outside showing a state in which a plurality of articles are being transported by a plurality of transport shuttles. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of an article packaging device. 1 is a schematic diagram of the article packaging device 700 as seen from the rear side in the box conveying direction Tb.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the direction is defined based on the item processing device A shown in FIG. 1. In the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying device 100 described later, the clockwise direction is the movement direction of the conveying shuttle 14 described later, that is, the conveying direction Tr. Furthermore, the outside Os and the inside Is are defined based on the loop of the first conveying route 11. In addition, in the movement direction of the item Pc, the conveying shuttle 14, the box conveying shuttle 702, and the box body Bx, the front side and the rear side are defined as follows. The side that will arrive in the future with respect to the current position is the front side. Conversely, the side that was located in the past with respect to the current position is the rear side. In addition, each surface of the item Pc is defined based on the state in which it is being conveyed by the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying device 100. In other words, the front surface of the conveying direction Tr is the front surface Pcf, the rear surface is the rear surface Pcr, the outer surface is the outer surface PcO, and the inner surface is the inner surface PcI. Additionally, the bottom surface of the item Pc is referred to as the bottom surface Pct.

<Item Processing Apparatus A>
1 is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing device A. The article processing device A transports an approximately rectangular parallelepiped article (also referred to as a transported object) Pc, which is made of, for example, paper or the like and is filled with a liquid content inside. While transporting the article, an inspection of the exterior and the like is performed. Then, an exterior member such as a straw is attached to the article Pc that passes the inspection while transporting it. After that, a predetermined number of the articles Pc are accumulated and stored in a box. Then, the box Bx containing the articles Pc is carried out to the outside.

The item processing device A has an item transport device 100, an item sending device 200, an exterior member mounting device 300, an item removal device 400, an item storage device 500, a box supply device 600, an item packaging device 700, and a control device 800.

<Control device 800>
Here, the control device 800 will be described in detail. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing device A. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 800 has a processing circuit 801 and a memory circuit 802. The processing circuit 801 is a circuit that processes various information, and has arithmetic circuits such as a CPU and an MPU. The processing circuit 801 is also connected to the article transport device 100, the article output device 200, the exterior member mounting device 300, the article removal device 400, the article storage device 500, and the box supply device 600, and controls each device based on the processing results.

The memory circuit 802 is a circuit that includes or is connected to semiconductor memory such as ROM and RAM, portable memory such as flash memory, and storage media such as a hard disk. Various programs such as control programs or processing programs may be stored in the memory circuit 802, and the program corresponding to the processing may be called up as necessary and the processing circuit 801 may run the program to perform the processing. The elements connected to the control device 800 and their control will be explained when explaining each element.

<Item transport device 100>
The details of the item transport device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a view from the outside Os of the transport shuttle 14 holding the item Pc and the transport shuttle 14 alone moving along the linear rail 13. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the transport shuttle 14 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view from the rear side in the transport direction Tr of the transport shuttle. Fig. 6 is a view from the rear side in the transport direction of the transport shuttle 14 moving on the branch rail 121 of the second transport route 12. The item transport device 100 has an item transport section 10 including a first transport route 11 and a second transport route 12, and a transport shuttle 14.

<First transport route 11>
The first transport route 11 has a first straight rail 111, a second straight rail 112, a first curved rail 113, and a second curved rail 114. The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are arranged side by side. In the first transport route 11, both ends of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are connected by the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114, respectively, to form a ring shape. The first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 have the same structure, and may be collectively referred to as rail 13.

In the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 is arranged on the outer surface Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 of the first transport route 11. The transport shuttle 14 is movable along the circular first transport route 11.

The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s in the transport direction Tr. By changing the number of connected short straight rails 13s, the length of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 can be changed.

Furthermore, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are arc-shaped, but are not limited to this. For example, a portion may be formed in a curved shape. Furthermore, the curved portion is not limited to an arc shape, and may be a so-called clothoid curve shape. Furthermore, other curved shapes are also possible. The first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are formed by connecting short curved rails 13c. By preparing short curved rails 13c of different shapes and lengths and combining them to match the loop shape of the item conveying section 10, it is possible to accommodate a variety of shapes.

<Rail 13>
The rail 13 has a main rail 131, a grooved rail 132, and a flat rail 133 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). The main rail 131 is a cylinder having a rectangular cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr. The main rail 131 may be made of, for example, some stainless steel, aluminum, and alloys thereof, but is not limited to these.

The grooved rail 132 is fixed to the upper part of the main rail 131. The grooved rail 132 has a groove portion 134 recessed from the outer surface in a direction intersecting the transport direction Tr. The grooved rail 132 has two groove portions 134. The two groove portions 134 are arranged next to each other above and below.

The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 can be fixed together by welding, screwing, or the like, but are not limited to these methods. The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 may be formed integrally. Around the entire circumference of the first conveying route 11, the groove portion 134 is disposed on the outer side Os. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, a gap 135 is formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132.

The flat rail 133 is fixed to the lower part of the main rail 131. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 can be fixed to each other by welding, screws, etc., but are not limited to these. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 may be formed integrally.

The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s, but may be formed from a single rail. Similarly, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 may also be formed from a single rail.

<Second transport route 12>
1, the second transport route 12 branches off from the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, turns back, and then merges with the second straight rail 112 of the first transport route 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the second transport route 12 has a branching rail 121, a merging rail 122, and a return rail 123.

The branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 are straight and have the same configuration as the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112, except that the groove portion 134 is disposed on the inner side Is. Therefore, detailed explanations of the parts having the same configuration as those of the rail 13 will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

The rear end of the branch rail 121 in the transport direction Tr is disposed opposite the outer side Os of the front end of the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11 in the transport direction Tr. The point where the branch rail 121 and the first straight rail 111 face each other is the branch point P1.

The front end of the merging rail 122 in the transport direction Tr is positioned opposite the outer side Os of the rear end of the second straight rail 112 of the first transport route 11 in the transport direction Tr. The part where the merging rail 122 and the second straight rail 112 face each other is the merging point P2.

The return rail 123 has the same configuration as the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114. The rear end of the return rail 123 in the transport direction Tr is arranged opposite the inner side Is of the front end of the branch rail 121 in the transport direction Tr. Similarly, the front end of the return rail 123 in the transport direction Tr is arranged opposite the inner side Is of the rear end of the merging rail 122 in the transport direction Tr.

<Transport shuttle 14>
Next, the transport shuttle 14 will be described.

The transport shuttle 14 has a main body 140 and an item holding section 16. The magnet 152 of the transport linear motor mechanism 15 is disposed in the main body 140. The magnet 152 is housed inside the main body 140 and faces the coil 151 disposed on the main rail 131 in a direction intersecting the transport direction Tr.

The main body 140 of the transport shuttle 14 has a first surface 144 and a second surface 145. The main body 140 also has a protruding portion 143. The protruding portion 143 fits into a gap 135 formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132. The protruding portion 143 fits into the gap 135, thereby preventing the main body 140 from shifting.

Two upper rollers 141 are arranged on the main body 140. The two upper rollers 141 are rotatably supported on the main body 140. To explain in more detail, the upper rollers 141 are arranged to be rotatable around a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the transport direction Tr and parallel to the outer surface of the rail 13. The two upper rollers 141 are spaced apart in the transport direction Tr and arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 in this embodiment, the upper roller 141 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the transport direction Tr is arranged on top.

Two lower rollers 142 are arranged on the main body 140. The two lower rollers 142 are rotatably supported on the main body 140. The lower rollers 142 are cylindrical. The two lower rollers 142 are spaced apart in the transport direction Tr and arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 in this embodiment, the lower roller 142 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the transport direction Tr is arranged at the bottom.

The item holding section 16 is fixed to the upper part of the main body section 140. The item holding section 16 has a holding plate section 161, an item engagement section 162, and an item support section 163. The holding plate section 161 is plate-shaped, is disposed on the inner side Is of the main body section 140, and extends upward. The front side of the holding plate section 161 in the transport direction Tr has an inclined surface 164 that is inclined inward toward the front side. The holding plate section 161 also has a through hole 1611 and recesses 1612 provided on both ends in the transport direction Tr. The recesses 1612 are disposed below the through hole 1611 and aligned in the transport direction.

The article holding section 16 has two article engagement sections 162, which are arranged vertically and fixed to the holding plate section 161. One of the article engagement sections 162 is disposed above the holding plate section 161, and the other passes through the through hole 1611 and protrudes outward Os beyond the holding plate section 161.

The article engagement portion 162 has a rear pressing portion 165 provided at the front in the conveying direction and a front pressing portion 166 provided at the rear in the conveying direction. The rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 have a curved surface shape with the intermediate portion in the protruding direction bulging in the conveying direction Tr (see FIG. 4, etc.).

The item support portion 163 is fixed to the holding plate portion 161. The item support portion 163 has a rear support portion 167 and a front support portion 168. The rear support portion 167 is disposed forward of the rear pressing portion 165 in the transport direction Tr. The front support portion 168 is disposed rearward of the front pressing portion 166. The upper surfaces of the rear support portion 167 and the front support portion 168 are at the same height. The rear support portion 167 and the front support portion 168 may be formed integrally. The transport shuttle 14 has the shape shown above.

<Transport linear motor mechanism 15>
In the article transport device 100, the multiple transport shuttles 14 are each independently driven by a transport linear motor mechanism 15. The transport linear motor mechanism 15 has multiple coils 151, a magnet 152, and a linear driver 153. The multiple coils 151 are arranged inside the rails 13 that form the first transport route 11 and inside the rails 13 that form the second transport route 12.

The magnet 152 is a permanent magnet and is arranged in the main body 140 of the transport shuttle 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet 152 is arranged inside the main body 140. The main body 140 is made of a material that does not attract magnets. Therefore, the magnetic force of the magnet 152 leaks outside the main body 140. The magnet 152 is arranged so that it can mutually apply magnetic force to the coil 151. The magnet 152 arranged in the main body 140 and the multiple coils 151 arranged inside the rail 13 form a linear motor.

The linear driver 153 is connected to each coil 151 (see FIG. 2). The linear driver 153 is connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). The linear driver 153 is a circuit that controls the power supplied to the coils 151, and includes circuits such as a calculation processing circuit and a power supply circuit that adjusts the voltage and current supplied to each coil 151. The linear driver 153 supplies an appropriate current to each coil 151 based on instructions from the control device 800.

The control device 800 can move the transport shuttles 14 independently. The control device 800 can operate multiple transport shuttles 14 individually and can also operate them synchronously. The control device 800 can also obtain the position of the transport shuttles 14.

In the transport shuttle 14, the item holding section 16 is disposed above the main body section 140. As a result, no components are disposed inside the first surface 144 or outside the second surface 145 of the main body section 140. Therefore, the radial outer edges of the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 protrude inward Is from the first surface 144 and outward Os from the second surface 145.

As a result, in the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer sides Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114. In addition, in the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122. In addition, in the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer surface of the return rail 123.

To explain in more detail, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer side Os of the rail 13 on the first transport route 11. The main body 140 is attracted to the outer side Os of the rail 13 on the first transport route 11, for example, by the magnetic force of the magnet 152. Note that the rail 13 may be provided with an attraction part made of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or may be attracted by the magnetic force between the iron core provided in the coil 151 and the magnet 152.

In the first transport route 11, the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the rail 13, so that the first surface 144 of the main body 140 is positioned at a fixed distance from the outer surface of the rail 13. In other words, the main body 140 is supported by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that it can move vertically on the outer surface of the rail 13.

The transport shuttle 14 has upper rollers 141 and lower rollers 142 arranged in the transport direction Tr that are offset vertically. Therefore, even when the transport shuttle 14 approaches in the transport direction Tr, the upper rollers 141 or the lower rollers 142 are unlikely to interfere with each other. Therefore, the transport shuttle 14 can be positioned close to each other in the transport direction Tr and can move in a close state.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the inner side Is of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 on the second transport route 12. The main body 140 is attracted to the inner surface of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 by the magnetic force of the magnet 152 arranged inside. The rail 13 may be provided with an attraction part made of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or may be attracted by the magnetic force between the iron core provided in the coil 151 and the magnet 152.

By the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 coming into contact with the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122, the second surface 145 of the main body 140 is positioned facing the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 at a fixed distance. In other words, the main body 140 is supported by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that it can move vertically on the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122.

By configuring in this way, the transport shuttle 14 can be branched at the branch point P1 and can be merged at the junction point P2 by controlling the coils 151 arranged on the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the branch rail 121, and the junction rail 122. In other words, the transport shuttle 14 can be branched and merged with a simple configuration and simple control.

In other words, the control device 800 can branch the transport shuttle 14 traveling on the first straight rail 111 to either the first curved rail 113 or the branch rail 121 at the branch point P1. The control device 800 can also cause the transport shuttle 14 traveling on the junction rail 122 of the second transport route 12 to merge with the second straight rail 112 at the junction point P2.

<Holding of item Pc by conveyor shuttle 14>
Next, a description will be given of how the article Pc is held by the transport shuttles 14. The article Pc is held from the front and rear in the transport direction Tr by two transport shuttles 14 arranged side by side in the transport direction Tr.

The front support portion 168 of the conveying shuttle 14, which is positioned at the front in the conveying direction Tr, supports the inside of the front part of the bottom surface of the item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the item Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the conveying shuttle 14, which is positioned at the front in the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc, supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc. At this time, the inner surface PcI of the item Pc comes into contact with the holding plate portion 161.

When the item Pc is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped filled with liquid inside, the front surface Pcf of the item Pc is pressed by the front surface pressing portion 166, causing the middle portion to be recessed. Similarly, the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc is pressed by the rear surface pressing portion 165, causing the middle portion to be recessed. In this way, the front surface Pcf and Pcr are pressed by the front surface pressing portion 166 and the rear surface pressing portion 165, respectively, causing them to be recessed, thereby restricting the movement of the item Pc to the outside Os. In addition, the inner surface PcI of the item Pc comes into contact with the holding plate portion 161, causing the movement of the item Pc to the inside Is as well. This allows the two conveying shuttles 14 to hold the item Pc securely. Note that the conveying shuttles 14 arranged in front of and behind the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc have the same shape.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the state in which the conveying shuttle 14 holding the item Pc is moving on the first curved rail 113. Since the rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 are each substantially curved and bulging outward, the front surface Pcf and rear surface Pcr of the item Pc can be appropriately pressed even when the protruding directions of the item engagement portion 162 are not parallel. Therefore, the conveying shuttle 14 can hold the item Pc even when moving on a curved portion such as the first curved rail 113 as shown in Figure 7. The curvature of the curved portion along which the conveying shuttle 14 can move while holding the item Pc varies depending on the shapes of the rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166.

Figure 8 is a view from the outside Os of a state in which multiple items Pc are being transported by multiple transport shuttles 14. Figure 8 shows a state in which two items are being held by three transport shuttles 14 lined up in the transport direction Tr. As shown in Figure 8, the front support portion 168 of the transport shuttle 14 at the front of the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the front part of the bottom of the front item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the front item Pc. In addition, the rear support portion 167 of the transport shuttle 14 at the center of the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom of the front item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the front item Pc. This holds the front item Pc.

Furthermore, the front support portion 168 of the conveying shuttle 14 at the center in the conveying direction Tr supports the inside of the front part of the bottom of the rear item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the rear item Pc. Also, the rear support portion 167 of the conveying shuttle 14 at the rear in the conveying direction Tr supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom of the rear item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the rear item Pc. This holds the rear item Pc. As shown in FIG. 8, by arranging three conveying shuttles 14 in the circumferential direction, two items Pc can be held. Note that the number of items Pc that can be held is not limited to two, and may be three or more. In other words, by preparing conveying shuttles 14 in the number of items Pc + 1, multiple items Pc can be held.

In the item processing device A, when on the branch rail 121 of the second transport route 12, multiple transport shuttles 14 can move in the transport direction Tr while holding multiple items Pc. When on the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, multiple transport shuttles 14 may hold multiple items Pc. Also, when moving from the first transport route 11 to the second transport route 12 at the branch point P1, a predetermined number of items Pc may be bundled together. Bundling one or a small number of items Pc is referred to as consolidating. As shown in FIG. 1, in the item transport device 100, a consolidation area Ar1 is set in the portion between the branch point P1 of the branch rail 121 and the item stacking section 124 described later.

<Article delivery device 200>
As shown in Fig. 1, the item delivery device 200 has an item supply section 20, an item delivery section 21, and a transfer lane 22. The item Pc is transported by the item supply section 20 from a previous process, such as a content filling process, to the item processing device A. The item supply section 20 is a conveyor that transports the approximately rectangular parallelepiped item Pc. With the item Pc placed on the upper surface of the item supply section 20, the upper surface is moved, whereby the item Pc moves along the item supply section 20. The direction in which the item Pc moves in the item supply section 20 is referred to as a supply direction Ts.

The item supply unit 20 can use a general transport conveyor such as a belt conveyor or a top chain conveyor. Here, the item supply unit 20 has a supply conveyor 201 that uses a belt conveyor (see FIG. 1, etc.). The supply conveyor 201 of the item supply unit 20 is connected to the control device 800 and is driven according to instructions from the control device 800. Typically, the supply conveyor 201 is driven so as to be able to transport items at a constant speed.

The item output section 21 is disposed at the front end of the item supply section 20 in the conveying direction Tr. The item output section 21 has a number of nip rollers 211 arranged in pairs, and a transfer lane 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the nip rollers 211 are arranged in pairs in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction Ts of the item supply section 20, and contact the side of the item Pc (here, the inner surface PcI and the outer surface PcO). The surface of the nip roller 211 is formed of a material that provides high friction with the surface of the item Pc. In the item output section 21, three pairs of nip rollers 211 are arranged at equal intervals along the supply conveyor 201.

The nip roller 211 is rotated by a roller motor 212 (see FIG. 2) connected to the control device 800. The rotation of the roller motor 212 is controlled by the control device 800, and the rotation speed of the nip roller 211 is adjusted. This causes the item Pc to accelerate or decelerate in the supply direction Ts. Then, the item Pc, which has been accelerated or decelerated by the paired nip roller 211, moves to the transfer lane 22.

The item Pc moves on the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts. The front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is the transfer section R1. At the transfer section R1, the item Pc is held by the transport shuttles lined up in the supply direction Ts. The item Pc is transported along the first transport route 11 while being held by the transport shuttle 14.

<Exterior member mounting device 300>
The exterior member mounting device 300 is disposed on the outside Os of the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying device 100, and mounts an exterior member Th on the outer surface PcO of the item Pc (see FIG. 3). The exterior member Th is a straw in this case, but is not limited thereto. The exterior member mounting device 300 is attached to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc in a state where it is housed in a resin bag. The exterior member mounting device 300 is disposed on the outside Os of the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11. Then, the exterior member Th is mounted (attached) to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc held by the conveying shuttle 14 moving along the first straight rail 111.

The exterior component mounting device 300 has an inspection unit 30 and a mounting unit 31. The inspection unit 30 inspects the condition of the item Pc. For example, the inspection unit 30 acquires an image using an imaging unit (not shown), and judges whether the condition of the item Pc is acceptable or not based on the results of image processing of the captured image. When the item Pc is a roughly rectangular container made of a paper base material, the inspection unit 30 checks the condition of the adhesive joints, scorching due to heating during adhesion, etc.

The mounting unit 31 has a drive motor 310 (see FIG. 2) that drives the device. The exterior member mounting device 300 attaches the exterior member Th to the side of the outer side Os of the moving item Pc by the operation of the drive motor 310.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection section 30 and the drive motor 310 of the exterior member attachment device 300 are connected to the control device 800. The control device 800 operates the drive motor 310 so that the exterior member Th is attached only to the items that have passed the inspection section 30. The control device 800 also acquires the position of the conveying shuttle 14, for example, based on information from the linear driver 153. Based on the position of the conveying shuttle 14, the control device 800 drives the drive motor 310. As a result, the control device 800 drives the drive motor 310 in synchronization with the speed of the conveying shuttle 14 in the conveying direction Tr. As a result, the exterior member Th can be attached while maintaining the moving speed of the conveying shuttle 14, i.e., the item Pc.

The control device 800 acquires the position of the item Pc, in other words, the moving speed, and operates the drive motor 310 based on the position of the item Pc, so even if an item Pc that does not have an exterior member Th attached is included, there is no need to reduce the conveying speed of the item Pc. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the production efficiency of the item processing device A.

Items Pc determined to be defective by the inspection unit 30 are transported from branch point P1 to the second straight rail 112 via the first curved rail 113 while remaining clamped by the transport shuttle 14. The items determined to be defective are then collected by a defective item collection unit (not shown) located close to the second straight rail 112. Items Pc determined to be defective can be collected by dropping them downward, but this is not a limitation.

<Box supply device 600>
The box body Bx for storing the items Pc is formed by folding a sheet Sh made of paper such as cardboard. The box body supplying device 600 forms the box body Bx by folding and gluing the sheet Sh. At this time, a surface other than the surface on the branch rail 121 side in the removal direction Pu is formed. The surface of the box body Bx on the branch rail 121 side is a storage surface for storing the items Pc.

The box supplying device 600 has a sheet accumulation section 61, a sheet removal section 62, a forming section 63, a sheet feed section 64, and a box moving section 65. Sheets Sh are accumulated in the sheet accumulation section 61. The sheet accumulation section 61 is moved by a sheet rail 610. The sheets Sh accumulated in the sheet accumulation section 61 are removed by the sheet removal section 62. The sheets Sh are then sent to the forming section 63 by the sheet feed section 64. In the forming section 63, a part of the sheet Sh is folded and glued to form a box Bx having walls other than the wall close to the item stacking section 124. The box Bx formed in the forming section 63 is then sent to a storage area 70s (described later) of the item packaging device 700 by the box moving section 65.

The box body supplying device 600 is connected to the control device 800. The box body supplying device 600 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, when the control device 800 confirms that there is no box body Bx in the forming section 63, it operates the sheet removal section 62 to remove the sheet Sh, operates the sheet feed section 64 to feed the sheet Sh to the forming section 63, and operates the forming section 63 to form the box body Bx. Then, after the box conveying shuttle 702 of the box body conveying section 70 described later moves to the storage area 70s, it operates the box body moving section 65 to move the box body Bx in the forming section 63 to the storage area 70s.

An item stacking section 124 is provided adjacent to the branch rail 121 on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121. Items Pc transported along the branch rail 121 are placed in the item stacking section 124. Note that multiple items Pc are temporarily stored in the item stacking section 124. The action of collecting and temporarily storing multiple items Pc in this manner is referred to as stacking items. The item stacking section 124 has a guide wall section 1241 and a retaining wall section 1242.

The guide wall portion 1241 extends along the removal direction Pu in which the items are removed. The guide wall portion 1241 is disposed in the item stacking section 124 and is movable in the conveying direction and can be fixed. The retaining wall portion 1242 is disposed at the rear end of the item stacking section 124 in the removal direction Pu and can be hidden below the floor surface 1240 of the item stacking section 124 and can protrude upward.

<Item removal device 400 and item storage device 500>
The item take-out device 400 moves the items Pc lined up in the conveying direction Tr in a take-out direction Pu that intersects with the conveying direction Tr, and accumulates them in the item accumulation section 124. In the item processing device A, the take-out direction Pu is an outward direction that is perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr.

The item removal device 400 has an item rear push section 41 and an item abutment section 42. The item rear push section 41 supports the item Pc in a state in which it is in contact with the inner surface PcI of the item Pc and the item abutment section 42 is in contact with the outer surface PcO of the item Pc. In this way, the item rear push section 41 and the item abutment section 42 move in the removal direction Pu while maintaining the item Pc supported. In other words, the item removal device 400 moves the accumulated and transported items Pc from the branch rail 121 to the item stacking section 124.

As shown in FIG. 2, the item removal device 400 is connected to the control device 800. The item removal device 400 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the item removal device 400 after confirming that the transport shuttle 14 has reached the removal position of the branch rail 121. Note that the control device 800 may operate the item removal device 400 based on information other than the position of the transport shuttle 14.

The item storage device 500 moves a certain number of items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 together into a box body Bx. The operation of moving multiple items Pc together into a box body Bx is referred to as storing items.

The item storage device 500 has a rear contact portion 51, a side contact portion 52, and a front contact portion 53. The rear contact portion 51 contacts the inner surface PcI of the item Pc arranged at the innermost side Is. The side contact portion 52 contacts the front surface Pcf of the item Pc arranged at the front end of the item Pc in the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc and the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc arranged at the rear end. The front contact portion 53 contacts the outer surface PcO of the item Pc arranged at the outermost side Os of the front end.

The rear contact portion 51, the side contact portion 52, and the front contact portion 53 move in the removal direction Pu while maintaining contact with the outer surface PcO of the outermost item Pc, the front surface Pcf of the frontmost item Pc, the rear surface Pcr of the rearmost item Pc, and the inner surface PcI of the innermost item Pc, with adjacent items Pc in contact with each other. As a result, the accumulated multiple items Pc are stored in the box body Bx.

2, the item storage device 500 is connected to the control device 800. The item storage device 500 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the item storage device 500 after confirming that a predetermined number of items Pc have been accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 based on the operation of the item removal device 400. In further explanation, the item removal device 400 may move the items Pc to the item accumulation section 124 a predetermined number of times, and operate the item storage device 500 after the item removal device 400 has retreated. The control device 800 may operate the item storage device 500 based on operation information of the item removal device 400.

The item processing device A has one or more item stacking sections 124. Each item stacking section 124 has one item removal device 400 and one item storage device 500 arranged therein.

The pressing wall portion 55 contacts the front end of the box body Bx in the removal direction Pu to suppress movement of the box body Bx when storing the item Pc. The pressing wall portion 55 is movable up and down.

<Item Packing Device 700>
The item processing device A has an item packing device 700. The item packing device 700 packs items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 into a box body Bx. Note that packing refers to the operation from storing a predetermined number of items Pc in the box body Bx to completing the box body Bx.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the item packing device 700. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the item packing device 700 as viewed from the rear side in the box transport direction Tb. Note that in Figures 9 and 10, the up-down direction is approximately vertical. As shown in Figure 9, the item packing device 700 has a box transport section 70, an item removal device 400, an item storage device 500, a box supply device 600, and a box sending section 7.

The box body supplying device 600 folds the sheet Sh to form a box body Bx, and supplies the box body Bx to the box body conveying section 70. The box body conveying section 70 is disposed on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121. The box body conveying section 70 has a configuration that utilizes a box body linear motor mechanism, and has a linear rail 701 and a box conveying shuttle 702.

<Linear rail 701>
As shown in Fig. 9, the linear rail 701 is formed in a loop shape having horizontal portions above and below. The linear rail 701 has a main rail 71, a grooved rail 73, and a flat rail 74. The linear rail 701 has substantially the same configuration as the rail 13. Therefore, the correspondence between each part of the linear rail 701 and each part of the rail 13 will be described, and a detailed description will be omitted. The main rail 71 of the linear rail 701 corresponds to the main rail 131 of the rail 13.

The grooved rail 73 of the linear rail 701 corresponds to the grooved rail 132 of the rail 13. Furthermore, the groove portion 731 of the grooved rail 73 corresponds to the groove portion 134 of the grooved rail 132. The flat rail 74 corresponds to the flat rail 133. The gap 75 of the linear rail 701 corresponds to the gap 135 of the rail 13. Furthermore, in the linear rail 701, the grooved rail 73 and the flat rail 74 are arranged adjacent to each other across the main rail 71 in a direction intersecting the box conveying direction of the main rail 71.

The box transport shuttle 702 holds the box body Bx from the front and rear sides of the box transport direction Tb and transports the box body Bx in the box transport direction Tb by moving in the box transport direction Tb. The box transport section 70 has box guide rails 76 arranged along the box transport direction Tb. The box transport section 70 has multiple box guide rails 76, and the box body Bx is arranged on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. When the box body Bx is transported by the box transport shuttle 702, it is slidably arranged on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. In other words, the box guide rails 76 support the box body Bx from below.

In the box transport section 70, the direction in which the linear rail 701 extends is the transport direction of the box Bx, i.e., the box transport direction Tb. At least a portion of the linear rail 701 is arranged parallel to the branch rail 121. In the straight portion of the upper part of the linear rail 701, a storage area 70s is provided behind the box transport direction Tb. In addition, a receiving area 70t is provided ahead of the storage area 70s in the box transport direction Tb.

In the box transport section 70, the box transport shuttle 702 is stopped in a storage area 70s that receives the box Bx. With the box transport shuttle 702 stopped, the box Bx is sent from the box supply device 600 to the storage area 70s. Then, while the box transport shuttle 702 holds the front and rear of the box transport direction Tb, the box transport shuttle 702 transports the box Bx in the box transport direction Tb. The box transport shuttle 702 stops so that the box Bx is placed in a receiving area 70t adjacent to the item stacking section 124.

In the box transport section 70, the multiple box transport shuttles 702 are each independently driven by a box linear motor mechanism 72. The box linear motor mechanism 72 has the same configuration as the transport linear motor mechanism 15. The box linear motor mechanism 72 has multiple coils 721 arranged on the linear rail 701, magnets 722 (see FIG. 10, etc.) arranged on the box transport shuttle 702, and a box transport linear driver 723 (see FIG. 2). The box transport linear driver 723 supplies an appropriate current to each coil 721 based on instructions from the control device 800. By supplying a current to the coils 721, the coils 721 and the magnets 722 form a linear motor, and the box transport shuttle 702 moves along the linear rail 701. The control device 800 can independently control each box transport shuttle 702.

<Box Transport Shuttle 702>
The box transport shuttle 702 is disposed on the outer surface of the linear rail 701 and is movable along the linear rail 701. The box transport shuttle 702 includes a main body 703, a sheet holding arm 704, two grooved rollers 705, and two flat rollers 706. A magnet 722 of the box linear motor mechanism 72 is disposed in the main body 703. The magnet 722 is housed inside the main body 703 and faces a coil 721 disposed on the linear rail 701 in a direction intersecting the transport direction.

The two grooved rollers 705 are spaced apart in the conveying direction and are offset in a direction intersecting the box conveying direction Tb. The grooved rollers 705 rotate by fitting into the grooves 731 of the grooved rail 73. The two flat rollers 706 are spaced apart in the conveying direction and are offset in a direction intersecting the box conveying direction Tb. The flat rollers 706 rotate in contact with the flat rail 74. In the box conveying shuttle 702, the grooved rollers 705 and the flat rollers 706 are located at both ends in a direction intersecting the conveying direction.

The sheet holding arm 704 protrudes from the main body 703 outward from the box transport section 70. The sheet holding arm 704 is rod-shaped and comes into contact with the box Bx.

The straight portion of the linear rail 701 can be divided into short straight linear rails 701s. Therefore, the length of the linear rail 701 can be adjusted within a certain range. The box transport unit 70 can drive the box transport shuttle 702 using the linear transport mechanism, and the length of the linear rail 701 can be adjusted, making it easy to adjust the length of the work area of the item packaging device 700.

<Lid folding portion 77>
The item packaging device 700 has a lid folding section 77 that folds the lid of the box body Bx on the item stacking section 124 side. When the storage of the items Pc is completed, the box body Bx closes the door of the box by a box closing mechanism 127. The door is formed integrally with the side wall and is a part that is folded inward. The box body Bx is moved along the box body conveying section 70 with the door closed. The box body Bx with the door closed moves to the lid folding section 77. The lid folding section 77 folds the lid to the outside of the door and bonds the door and lid together to complete the package Cx in which the items Pc are packed. The lid folding section 77 pushes the lid of the box body Bx from below, folding it and bonding the lid to the door.

<Box delivery section 7>
The box body output section 7 is disposed in a discharge area 70x at the rear end of the box body transport section 70 in the box transport direction Tb. The box body output section 7 has a push-out section 78. The completed package Cx is inspected by the lid folding section 77, and if it passes the inspection, the outside Os of the package Cx is pushed by the push-out section 78 and sent to the OK side (upper side in FIG. 1). If it fails the inspection, the inside Is of the package Cx is pushed by the push-out section 78 and sent to the NG side (lower side in FIG. 1). The package Cx sent to the OK side is sent to the next process.

In the item processing device A, the inspection at the box body output section 7 mainly inspects the boxes and the state of the items Pc inside. The items Pc themselves have passed the exterior member mounting device 300. In other words, even if the items Pc fail the inspection at the box body output section 7, the items Pc stored therein are often passing products. Therefore, even if the package Cx is sent to the NG side, it is handled so that the items Pc inside the package Cx are not damaged.

As shown in FIG. 9, the item packaging device 700 has a frame 900. The frame 900 is disposed above the branch rail 121 and the box transport section 70 (see FIG. 9). The frame 900 has a beam section 91 that extends along the box transport direction Tb.

As shown in FIG. 9, the item removal device 400 has a main body 40 to which an item rear pushing portion 41 and an item contact portion 42 are attached. The item removal device 400 also has a two-arm robot portion 401 with the main body 40 at its tip. An attachment portion 402 is provided on the upper portion of the two-arm robot 401. The attachment portion 402 is detachable from the beam portion 91 of the frame 900.

As shown in FIG. 9, the item storage device 500 has a main body 50 to which a rear contact portion 51, a side contact portion 52, and a front contact portion 53 are attached. The item storage device 500 also has a two-arm robot portion 501 with the main body portion 50 at its tip. An attachment portion 502 is provided on the upper portion of the two-arm robot 501. The attachment portion 502 is detachable from the beam portion 91 of the frame 900.

As shown in FIG. 9, the box body supplying device 600 has a box body moving section 65 with a two-arm robot. The box body moving section 65 is detachable from the beam section 91 of the frame 900. In addition, the positions of the sheet accumulation section 61, the sheet removal section 62, the forming section 63, and the sheet feeding section 64 of the box body supplying device 600 can be changed to match the position of the box body moving section 65.

As shown in FIG. 9, the box sending section 7 has a two-arm robot 781. The push-out section 78 is attached to the tip of the two-arm robot 781. An attachment section 782 is provided on the upper part of the two-arm robot 781. The attachment section 782 is detachable from the beam section 91 of the frame 900.

As described above, in the item packaging device 700, the item removal device 400, the item storage device 500, the box body supply device 600, and the box body sending section 7 are detachably attached to the beam section 91. The box body transport section 70, the item removal device 400, the item storage device 500, the box body supply device 600, and the box body sending section 7 are arranged so that they can operate independently.

As a result of the above, in the item packaging device 700, it is easy to adjust the length of the box body transport section 70 and change the installation positions of the item removal device 400, item storage device 500, box body supply device 600, and box body output section 7. Furthermore, the number of installed item removal devices 400, item storage devices 500, box body supply devices 600, and box body output sections 7 can be easily changed.

In particular, by employing a box body conveying section 70 using a box linear motor mechanism 72, it is easy to change the length and layout of the box body conveying section 70. By adjusting the positions of the item removal device 400, item storage device 500, box body supply device 600 and box body output section 7 according to the length and layout of the box body conveying section 70, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the item packaging device 700. As a result, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the design of the work line of the item processing device A.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this content. Furthermore, various modifications can be made to the embodiment of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A Item processing device Bx Box Cx Package Pc Item Pcf Front surface Pcr Rear surface 100 Item transport device 11 First transport route 111 First straight rail 112 Second straight rail 113 First curved rail 114 Second curved rail 12 Second transport route 121 Branch rail 122 Merging rail 123 Return rail 124 Item accumulation section 13 Rail 131 Main rail 132 Grooved rail 133 Flat rail 134 Groove 135 Gap 13c Curved short rail 13s Straight short rail 14 Transport shuttle 140 Main body 141 Upper roller 142 Lower roller 143 Convex portion 144 Inner surface 145 Outer surface 15 Transport linear motor mechanism 151 Coil 152 Magnet 153 Linear driver 16 Item holding section 161 Holding plate section 1611 Through hole 1612 Recess 162 Item engagement section 163 Item support section 164 Inclined surface 165 Rear pressing section 166 Front pressing section 167 Rear support section 168 Front support section 200 Item delivery device 20 Item supply section 21 Nip roller 211 Roller motor 22 Transfer lane 300 Exterior member attachment device 30 Inspection section 31 Attachment section 310 Drive motor Th Straw 400 Item removal device 41 Item rear pressing section 42 Item abutment section 500 Item storage device 51 Rear abutment section 52 Side abutment section 53 Front abutment section 600 Box supply device 61 Sheet accumulation section 610 Sheet rail 62 Sheet removal section 63 Forming section 64 Sheet feeding section 65 Box moving section Sh Sheet 700 Article packaging device 70 Box transport section 701 Linear rail 702 Box transport shuttle 703 Main body section 704 Sheet holding arm 705 Grooved roller 706 Flat roller 70s Storage area 70t Receiving area 71 Main rail 72 Box linear motor mechanism 721 Coil 722 Magnet 723 Box transport linear driver 73 Grooved rail 74 Flat rail 75 Gap 76 Guide rail 7 Box sending section 800 Control device 801 Processing circuit 802 Memory circuit

Claims (4)

An article packaging device that packages an article transported by an article transport unit into a box,
a box conveying section disposed on an upper portion of a box guide rail and configured to convey a box filled with the articles in a box conveying direction;
a box body supplying device for supplying the box body to the box body conveying section;
an article removal device that removes the article from the article conveying section and moves the article along an upper surface of the box guide rail in a removal direction that intersects with the box conveying direction to stack the article in an article stacking section;
an article storage device that moves the articles accumulated in the article accumulation section in the removal direction and stores them in the box body arranged on the upper part of the box guide rail ;
a box body sending section that pushes the box body moving in the box body conveying section along an upper surface of the box guide rail and in a direction intersecting the box conveying direction, and sends the box body out;
a beam portion adjacent to the box body conveying portion, disposed above the box body conveying portion, and extending in a box conveying direction;
The box supply device, the item removal device, the item storage device and the box sending section are arranged in a line in the box transport direction at the bottom of the beam section, and are each independently operable and detachably arranged in an item packaging device. The box transport unit includes:
a linear rail arranged in a loop and having stators arranged side by side;
a box-conveying shuttle having a movable element that is movable along the linear rail and that is disposed opposite the stator;
2. The article packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the box transport shuttle holds two faces of the box supplied from the box supply device that face each other in the box transport direction. The item packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the box supply device, the item removal device, the item storage device, and the box sending section are capable of changing their positions in the box transport direction. A plurality of the item take-out devices and a plurality of the item storage devices may be arranged,
4. The article packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of the article pick-up devices and the number of the article storage devices are the same.