JP7735943B2 - Packaging preparation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging preparation method for preparing cartons for packaging a group of cartons, each containing a predetermined number of tissues arranged in a predetermined order, into packs.

Tissue cartons (known as "box tissues") are sold individually or packaged together in packs of several. For example, at least one of five or two cartons may have a different appearance, and these cartons may be wrapped together in film and displayed in stores as a package.
In such a packaging pack in which a predetermined number of cartons are grouped together, the cartons are arranged in a predetermined order that has been set in advance. Specifically, five-color cartons are arranged in the order of red, yellow, green, blue, and orange in the packaging pack, or two-color cartons are arranged in the order of red, blue, red, blue, and red, alternatingly in the packaging pack (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-189213

As described above, when a group of cartons, some of which have a different appearance from the other cartons, among a predetermined number of cartons, are packaged as a unit of one pack, if the cartons are conveyed in a predetermined order along the conveying direction throughout the entire production line and if cartons that are not in the predetermined order are mixed in, a problem occurs in that a group of cartons that are not in the predetermined order will be packaged.To avoid this problem, it is conceivable to inspect the cartons on the production line to see if they are in the predetermined order, and to eject from the production line cartons that include cartons that do not pass the inspection, thereby preparing cartons to be packaged.However, this would result in the problem of complicated processing of the ejected cartons.
Therefore, there is room for improvement in reducing the complexity of preparing cartons to be packaged that make up a carton group.

The packaging preparation method of this case was devised in light of the above-mentioned issues, and one of its objectives is to reduce the complexity of preparing cartons to be packaged that make up a group of cartons. However, this objective is not limited to this. Another objective of this case is to achieve actions and effects derived from the various configurations shown in the "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention" below, which are actions and effects not obtainable with conventional technology.

The packaging preparation method disclosed herein comprises the following components (1) to (5).
(1)
A packaging preparation method for preparing cartons in a pack unit, the cartons being a group of a predetermined number of cartons arranged in a predetermined order containing tissues, wherein at least some of the cartons in the group have different appearances, the method comprising:
a front end process of sequentially supplying the cartons that make up the carton group;
an intermediate process of grouping the cartons supplied in the preceding process into rows of the predetermined number of cartons with the same appearance and arranging the cartons in parallel in the predetermined arrangement order;
a post-process of grouping the cartons arranged in the row in the intermediate process, the cartons at the downstream end in the conveying direction, into the predetermined number to form the carton group arranged in the predetermined order, and sending the carton group to a wrapping process in which the carton group is packaged in units of one pack.
In the intermediate process, the cartons are arranged in the rows along the conveyance direction, i.e., the direction in which the cartons are arranged in each row in the intermediate process is the direction along the conveyance direction of the cartons.
(2)
a sorting step of sorting the cartons supplied in the preceding step to the rows in which the cartons are arranged in the intermediate step,
The packaging preparation method according to (1), wherein the pre-process supplies the cartons that make up the carton group so that the cartons are lined up in series along the conveying direction.
(3)
The carton has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided with a pair of side walls facing each other and a pair of end walls facing each other between a pair of bottom walls facing each other,
The front-end process supplies the carton in a side-front position in which the bottom wall portion faces up and down and the side wall portion faces a conveyance direction,
The sorting step sorts the cartons supplied in the previous step into the rows while the cartons are in the side-forward position,
The packaging preparation method described in (2) is characterized in that the intermediate process includes a first intermediate process of arranging the cartons sorted in the sorting process in the row in the side-front position; a second intermediate process of changing the cartons arranged in the side-front position in the first intermediate process to an end-front position in which the bottom wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveying direction, and rearranging them; and a third intermediate process of changing the cartons changed to the end-front position in the second intermediate process to a vertical position in which the side wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveying direction, and rearranging them.
(4)
The carton has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided with a pair of side walls facing each other and a pair of end walls facing each other between a pair of bottom walls facing each other,
The front-end process supplies the carton in a side-front position in which the bottom wall portion faces up and down and the side wall portion faces a conveyance direction,
The sorting step sorts the cartons supplied in the previous step into the rows while the cartons are in the side-forward position,
The packaging preparation method described in (2) is characterized in that the intermediate process includes a first intermediate process of arranging the cartons sorted in the sorting process in the row in the side-forward position, a second intermediate process of changing the side-forward position of the cartons arranged in the first intermediate process to a vertical position in which the side wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveying direction, and a third intermediate process of rearranging the cartons changed to the vertical position in the second intermediate process.
(5)
The carton has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided with a pair of side walls facing each other and a pair of end walls facing each other between a pair of bottom walls facing each other,
The front-end process supplies the carton in a side-front position in which the bottom wall portion faces up and down and the side wall portion faces a conveyance direction,
the sorting step changes the cartons in the side-forward position supplied in the previous step to an end-forward position in which the bottom wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveying direction, and sorts the cartons into the rows;
The packaging preparation method described in (2) is characterized in that the intermediate process includes a first intermediate process of arranging the cartons sorted in the sorting process in the row in the end-forward position, and a second intermediate process of changing the cartons in the end-forward position to a vertical position in which the side wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveying direction, and rearranging them.

This packaging preparation method reduces the complexity of preparing cartons to be packaged that make up a carton group.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a carton containing tissues. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a packaging pack in which a plurality of cartons are bundled together. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating an outline of a manufacturing process for a packaging pack body. FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing a first packaging preparation part. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a third conveyor in the first packaging preparation section. FIG. 10 is a top view schematically showing the second packaging preparation part. FIG. 10 is a top view schematically showing a third packaging preparation part. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a material preparation method. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a packaging preparation method. 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams illustrating an overview of a first modified example of the manufacturing process of the packaging pack body. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an outline of a second modified example of the manufacturing process of the packaging pack body.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a packaging preparation method for preparing cartons for packaging a group of cartons, each containing a predetermined number of tissues arranged in a predetermined order, into a pack will be described.
The packaging preparation method of this embodiment is a part of a method for manufacturing a packaging pack in which a plurality of cartons containing tissues are packaged together into one pack. In addition to the packaging preparation method, this manufacturing method also includes a method for preparing materials for the carton (material preparation method).

In this manufacturing method, various semi-finished products to be manufactured into the packaging pack body to be manufactured are continuously conveyed, and the packaging pack bodies are manufactured one after another.
In this embodiment, the method used in the description is defined as follows.
The direction of gravity is defined as downward, and the opposite direction of downward is defined as upward. The direction in which various semi-finished products manufactured into a packaging pack are transported is defined as the transport direction, and upstream and downstream are defined based on the transport direction. The horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction is defined as the width direction. The transport direction is the so-called "MD direction," the width direction is the so-called "CD direction," and the direction perpendicular to both the transport direction and the width direction is the so-called "TD direction."

I. ONE EMBODIMENT
In the following embodiment, the configuration related to the manufacturing method of the packaging pack body will be described in item [1], and the action and effect of the configuration of item [1] will be described in item [2].
[1. Configuration]
In this section [1], the packaging pack body to be manufactured is explained in subsection [1-1], the equipment for manufacturing the packaging pack body is explained in subsection [1-2], and the method for manufacturing the packaging pack body using this manufacturing equipment is explained in subsection [1-3].

[1-1. Packaging body]
In this section, the carton that forms part of the packaging pack will be described, followed by a description of the packaging pack itself.
As shown in Figure 1, the carton 1 is a box (known as a "box tissue") with a rectangular parallelepiped shape and contains tissues 3 in its internal space. The internal space contains a stack of tissues 3. The stack is folded so that it can be removed in a so-called pop-up manner.

The internal space is surrounded by a plurality of walls 1U, 1B, 1X, and 1Y that form the carton 1. In this carton 1, rectangular walls 1U, 1B, 1X, and 1Y are provided in a planar manner along the surface of a rectangular parallelepiped.
These wall portions 1U, 1B, 1X, and 1Y are roughly classified into the following four types depending on their locations and extending directions.

- Upper bottom wall portion 1U: A horizontal wall portion extending above the carton 1 - Lower bottom wall portion 1B: A horizontal wall portion extending below the carton 1 - Side wall portion 1X: A pair of vertical wall portions facing each other between the bottom wall portions 1U and 1B - End wall portion 1Y: A pair of vertical wall portions facing each other between the bottom wall portions 1U and 1B A pair of bottom wall portions 1U and 1B are provided facing each other, and the three directions in which the pair of bottom wall portions 1U and 1B face each other, the direction in which the pair of side wall portions 1X face each other, and the direction in which the pair of end wall portions 1Y face each other are perpendicular to each other.
In the carton 1 illustrated here, the bottom walls 1U and 1B extend over an area larger than the side walls 1X and the end walls 1Y.

In addition, in the carton 1 illustrated in this embodiment, the bottom wall portions 1U, 1B and the side wall portion 1X have a single structure formed, for example, from a single piece of material, while the end wall portion 1Y has a multi-layer structure in which multiple sheets of material are stacked on top of each other.
An outer flap portion FU and an inner flap portion FD are provided on the end wall portion 1Y, and the outer flap portion FU is disposed outside the inner flap portion FD.

The outer flap portion FU is composed of a pair of flaps, one extending from the upper bottom wall portion 1U and the other extending from the lower bottom wall portion 1B. This outer flap portion FU is a so-called overlap flap type in which a part of the flap on the upper bottom wall portion 1U side overlaps a part of the flap on the lower bottom wall portion 1B side.
The inner flap portion FD is composed of a pair of flaps extending from the side wall portion 1X. The inner flap portion FD is folded inward, and the outer flap portion FU is folded down so as to cover the inner flap portion FD, thereby forming the end wall portion 1Y.

The upper bottom wall portion 1U is provided with an outlet 1T as an opening for pulling out the tissues 3. The outlet 1T is formed by removing a portion 11 of the upper bottom wall portion 1U. More specifically, when the portion 11 of the upper bottom wall portion 1U is cut along a break line, the area of the portion 11 is removed, and the outlet 1T is opened.
A plastic film 12 is attached to the inside of the upper bottom wall 1U so as to cover the outlet 1T. A slit is formed in the film 12 along the front-to-rear direction, and tissues 3 can be removed through the slit.

The carton 1 constructed as described above is colored and has on its surface an external design such as a corporate mark, a character design, or a bar code.
Most of the exterior of this carton 1 is colored, with a design printed on the upper bottom wall 1U and a barcode printed on the lower bottom wall 1B. This barcode is not printed on the other walls 1U, 1X, or 1Y, but only on the lower bottom wall 1B. In other words, the barcode gives the back surface of the carton 1 a unique appearance.

The carton 1 constructed as above is produced by folding a sheet-like material 1' (only one part of which is marked in FIG. 3).
In the material 1', not only the upper and lower bottom walls but also the flaps of the side walls and end walls are in the form of a sheet that is flush with the same plane.
This material 1' is in a state where the side wall 1X of the carton 1 is folded down on one side (the lower left side in FIG. 1) between the side wall 1X and the lower bottom wall 1B, and the side wall 1X is folded down on the other side (the upper right side in FIG. 1) between the side wall 1X and the upper bottom wall 1U. By folding back the folded-down portions, a semi-finished carton 1 is produced from the material 1'.

2, the packaging pack 10 is made up of a plurality of stacked cartons 1 wrapped in a wrapping material 19. Specifically, the cartons 1 are stacked such that the lower bottom wall 1B (see FIG. 1) of one carton faces the upper bottom wall 1U (see FIG. 1) of another carton 1, and the side wall 1X (see FIG. 1) of all the cartons 1 are arranged along the same plane, and the end wall 1Y (see FIG. 1) of all the cartons 1 are arranged along the same plane.
Here, a packaging pack 10 is shown as an example in which five (plural) cartons 1 are bundled together with a wrapping material 19. However, a packaging pack may contain a number of cartons other than five, such as two or four, in one pack.

The colors (main colors) of the cartons 1 packaged in the packaging pack 10 are arranged in a predetermined order along the direction in which the cartons 1 are stacked in the packaging pack 10. Examples of the predetermined arrangement order include the following two patterns.
・Multi-pattern: A pattern in which each carton 1 is set to a different color. ・Bi-pattern: A pattern in which each carton 1 is set to two colors.

In a multi-pattern, each of the cartons 1 that make up the carton group in the packaging pack 10 has a different appearance. In a bi-pattern, at least some of the cartons 1 that make up the carton group in the packaging pack 10 have a different appearance.

In the multi-pattern and bi-pattern, the order of colors of the cartons 1 arranged in the packaging pack 10 in the stacking direction is also set in advance.
In this embodiment, an example will be described in which, when "color A, color B, color C, color D, color E" are each linked to a different color, the order of "color A, color B, color C, color D, color E" is preset as the order in the multi-pattern, and the order of "color A, color B, color A, color B, color A" is preset as the order in the bi-pattern.

Therefore, the following arrangement order in the multi-pattern packaging pack 10 is not a preset arrangement order and is determined to be a defective pattern.
- "Color E, Color A, Color B, Color C, Color D" (one offset)
・"Color A, Color B, Color B, Color D, Color E" (overlap of Color B, missing Color C)
- "Color A, Color C, Color B, Color D, Color E" (Color B and Color C in the wrong order)

Furthermore, the following arrangement order in the bi-pattern packaging pack 10 is not a preset arrangement order and is considered to be a defective pattern.
・"Color B, Color A, Color B, Color A, Color A" (one offset)
- "Color A, Color B, Color A, Color B, Color B" (a series of Color B)
In addition, in the case of a packaging pack 10 in which two cartons 1 are packed into one pack, the multi-pattern can also be called a bi-pattern, and the bi-pattern can also be called a multi-pattern.

In addition, the carton 1 is decorated with a design depending on the color of the carton 1. Specifically, the following five designs A to E form part of the appearance of the carton 1. These designs A to E are arbitrary designs that are different from each other.
・Pattern A: A pattern applied to carton 1 of color A ・Pattern B: A pattern applied to carton 1 of color B ・Pattern C: A pattern applied to carton 1 of color C ・Pattern D: A pattern applied to carton 1 of color D ・Pattern E: A pattern applied to carton 1 of color E

[1-2. Manufacturing equipment]
Next, an apparatus for manufacturing the packaging pack 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
In this manufacturing apparatus, cartons 1 (only one location is marked in FIG. 3) containing bundles of tissues 3 (only one location is marked in FIG. 3) are conveyed toward a wrapping part that wraps a group of cartons arranged in a predetermined order into packs. This manufacturing apparatus is provided with various parts P1 to P5, listed below, along the manufacturing line.
Bundle transport part P1: A part that transports bundles of tissues 3. Material preparation part P2: A part that prepares materials 1' for cartons 1. Cartoner part P3: A part that stores bundles of tissues 3 in cartons 1. Packaging preparation part P4: A part that prepares cartons 1 for packaging packs 10. Wrapping part P5: A part that wraps five (predetermined number) cartons 1.

Bundles of tissues 3 transported by the bundle transport part P1 are placed into cartons 1 in which materials 1' prepared by the material preparation part P2 have been folded. That is, the bundle transport part P1 and the material preparation part P2 are arranged in parallel, and the transport of bundles of tissues 3 by the bundle transport part P1 and the folding of materials 1' prepared by the material preparation part P2 into cartons 1 are carried out simultaneously. Therefore, the fact that the bundle transport part P1 and the material preparation part P2 are arranged in parallel means that the processes carried out in parts P1 and P2 are carried out in parallel. The manufacturing processes merge at cartoner part P3, downstream of parts P1 and P2.
After the carton part P3, the cartons 1 are aligned in a packaging preparation part P4. Then, five cartons 1 aligned in the packaging preparation part P4 are packaged into one pack in a wrapping part P5.

<Bundle transport part>
The bundle conveying part P1 conveys bundles of tissues 3 that have been folded by a known device such as a multi-stand folding machine (also called a "multi-stand interfolder") or a rotary folding machine. These bundles are cut into product sizes that can be housed in cartons 1, and are conveyed in parallel to the cartons 1 conveyed from the material preparation part P2, which will be described next, at positions corresponding to each carton 1.

<Material preparation part>
The material preparation part P2 has the following parts 21 to 24.
Deposit part 21: A part that places the materials 1' in the carton 1 Stack part 22: A part that stacks the placed materials 1' Store part 23: A part that temporarily stores the stacked materials 1' Feed part 24: A part that sends out the stored materials 1' downstream

In the deposit part 21, the materials 1' corresponding to each carton 1 of the carton group are stacked and arranged in a predetermined order along the conveying direction of the materials 1'. The "predetermined order" here refers to the order corresponding to the previously set order described above in the description of the packaging pack 10.
The deposit parts 21 are provided in a plurality of locations (five locations in this example) according to the number of cartons 1 to be packaged in the packaging pack 10. In each deposit part 21, it is preferable that the portion of the material 1' that corresponds to the removal opening 1T (not shown in FIG. 3, see FIG. 1) of the carton 1 faces upward. In this embodiment, the material 1' is assembled into a carton 1 with the removal opening 1T facing upward.

When a multi-pattern packaging pack 10 is manufactured, the deposit part 21 is provided with the following five parts 2A to 2E.
First part 2A: Deposit part 21 for placing materials 1' of color A
Second part 2B: Deposit part 21 for placing materials 1' of color B
Third part 2C: Deposit part 21 for placing materials 1' of color C
Fourth part 2D: Deposit part 21 for placing materials 1' of color D
Fifth part 2E: Deposit part 21 for placing materials 1' of color E

These parts 2A to 2E are arranged side by side in the conveying direction, and this arrangement is in a predetermined order corresponding to the arrangement sequence.
In addition, when a bi-pattern packaging pack body 10 is manufactured, five parts 2A, 2B, 2A, 2B, 2A are provided in the order of the first part 2A, second part 2B, first part 2A, second part 2B, first part 2A.
In each deposit part 21, a large number of materials 1' are stacked, and the materials 1' are placed one by one onto a conveyor (not shown) located below. Figure 3 shows an example of the inside of a container 2 with an open bottom and a large number of cartons 1 stacked below it.

In the stack part 22, the materials 1' stacked in each deposit part 21 are fed out one by one (one sheet, so to speak) in the conveying direction, and the material 1' fed out from the downstream side in the conveying direction is superimposed on the material 1' fed out from the upstream side in the conveying direction in the deposit part 21. At this time, the materials 1' are superimposed with the part of the carton 1 corresponding to the outlet 1T facing upward.
Specifically, the material 1' of color B arranged in the second part 2B is superimposed on top of the material 1' of color A arranged in the first part 2A. The material 1' of color C arranged in the third part 2C is further superimposed on the material 1' of color A and the material 1' of color B thus superimposed. Similarly, the material 1' of two colors, color D and color E, are superimposed in sequence in the fourth part 2D and the fifth part 2E. In this way, a material set is produced in which five materials 1' are superimposed in an order corresponding to the predetermined arrangement sequence.

In the store part 23, the material sets manufactured in the stack part 22 are stacked one on top of another. Specifically, a material set manufactured later is stacked on top of a material set manufactured earlier.
In the feed part 24, the materials 1' are fed one by one from below the store part 23. The materials 1' fed in the feed part 24 are transported toward the wrapping part P5 (downstream).
In the store part 23, materials 1' are sequentially fed out below while sets of materials are stacked above, so a first-in, first-out system is adopted. In this store part 23, materials 1' are stored only for a temporary period from when the sets of materials are stacked until each material 1' is fed out.

<Cartonapart>
In the carton part P3, the material 1' fed from the feed part 24 is used to successively produce cartons 1 containing bundles of tissues 3.
This carton part P3 is provided with the following parts 31 to 33.
Folding part 31: A part that folds the material 1' from the feed part 24. Storage part 32: A part that stores tissue paper 3 in the folded material 1'. Sealing part 33: A part that seals the material 1' that stores the tissue paper 3.

In the folding part 31, the material 1' fed out from the feed part 24 is folded and assembled into a carton 1 with an end wall 1Y (see Figure 1) open. In the storage part 32, bundles of tissues 3 transported by the bundle transport part P1 are stored into the material 1' (carton 1) assembled in the folding part 31. In the sealing part 33, the end wall 1Y (see Figure 1) of the carton 1 is sealed. These parts 31 to 33 produce cartons 1 each containing a bundle of tissues 3.
The carton 1 manufactured in this manner is transported to the packaging preparation part P4, which will be described next, with the lower bottom wall portion 1B (see Figure 1) placed on the conveyor and the upper bottom wall portion 1U (see Figure 1) facing upward.

<Packaging preparation part>
The packaging preparation part P4 is a part that prepares the carton 1 for packaging the wrapping part P5, and can also be said to be a packaging preparation device incorporated in the production line.
As shown in FIG. 3, the packaging preparation part P4 is provided with the following four parts 41, 42, 43, and 44.
Front part 41: A part that sequentially supplies the cartons 1 that make up the carton group. Sorting part 42: A part that sorts the cartons 1 by color (appearance). Middle part 43: A part that aligns the cartons 1 in five rows 40. Rear part 44: A part that sends the carton group to the wrapping part P5.

The four parts 41, 42, 43, 44 are provided in the order of front part 41, distribution part 42, middle part 43, and rear part 44 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction.
In these four parts 41, 42, 43, 44, the orientation is changed from a horizontal orientation in which the bottom wall portions 1U, 1B of the carton 1 face up and down to a vertical orientation in which the side wall portions 1X of the carton 1 face up and down.

Here, the following four positions are exemplified as the positions of the carton 1 used to explain the four parts 41, 42, 43, and 44.
Side-front position: horizontal position in which the side wall portion 1X faces the conveying direction. End-side position: horizontal position in which the end wall portion 1Y faces the conveying direction. First vertical position: vertical position in which the end wall portion 1Y faces the conveying direction. Second vertical position: vertical position in which the bottom wall portions 1U and 1B face the conveying direction.

The front part 41 is a part that sequentially supplies the cartons 1 from the parts P1 to P3 that are upstream in the conveying direction from the packaging preparation part P4 to the sorting part .
In this front part 41, cartons 1 in the side-front position are supplied, and the supplied cartons 1 include cartons 1 of all colors that make up the carton group. In other words, the cartons 1 sequentially supplied in the front part 41 are a mixture of cartons 1 of all colors that make up the carton group. In the front part 41, the cartons 1 in the side-front position are lined up in series and supplied sequentially by a well-known conveying device such as a belt conveyor or roller conveyor. Here, "lined up in series" means that the cartons 1 are lined up one by one in the conveying direction.

The sorting part 42 sorts the cartons 1 supplied by the front part 41 into rows 40 of the middle part 43 by color. In this sorting part 42, the cartons 1 are sorted into the rows 40 while remaining in the side-front position, or the cartons 1 are sorted into the rows 40 while changing their position from the side-front position to the end-side position.
The middle part 43 is a part that transports the cartons 1 sorted by the sorting part 42 to the rear part 44.

In this middle part 43, five rows 40 are provided along the conveying direction, and the colors of the cartons 1 to be sorted into each row 40 are set in advance.
When a multi-pattern is set as the predetermined arrangement order, the following five rows 40 are arranged side by side.
First row 4A: A row 40 in which cartons 1 of color A are arranged together
Second row 4B: row 40 in which cartons 1 of color B are arranged together
Third row 4C: A row 40 in which cartons 1 of color C are arranged together
Fourth row 4D: row 40 in which cartons 1 of color D are arranged together
Fifth row 4E: A row 40 in which cartons 1 of color E are arranged together
The rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E are arranged in a predetermined order. That is, in the middle part 43, the cartons 1 are arranged in parallel in the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in a predetermined order. Here, "arranged in parallel" means arranged in the width direction.

When a bi-pattern is set as the predetermined arrangement order, the following five columns 40 are arranged side by side.
First row 4A: A row 40 in which cartons 1 of color A are arranged together
Second row 4B: row 40 in which cartons 1 of color B are arranged together
Third row 4C: A row 40 in which cartons 1 of color A are arranged together
Fourth row 4D: row 40 in which cartons 1 of color B are arranged together
Fifth row 4E: row 40 in which cartons 1 of color A are arranged together

That is, in the middle part 43, the sorting part 42 sorts the cartons 1 of the set colors into the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, so that the cartons 1 of the same color are grouped together in each of the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, and the cartons 1 are arranged in parallel in a predetermined order. Note that in the middle part 43, the cartons 1 are arranged in the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E along the conveyance direction. That is, the direction in which the cartons 1 are arranged in each of the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the middle part 43 is the direction along the conveyance direction of the cartons 1.
In the following, the present embodiment will be mainly described with reference to a case where the multi-patterns are set in a predetermined order.

Of the cartons 1 arranged in each of rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the middle part 43, one carton 1 at the downstream end in the conveying direction is sent to the rear part 44 in the first vertical position as one of five carton groups.
The rear part 44 is a part that feeds the five cartons 1 in the first vertical position sent out from the middle part 43 to the wrapping part P5 in the second vertical position. In the rear part 44, the five cartons 1 in the second vertical position are fed in a predetermined order by a well-known conveying device such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor.

In this embodiment, three types of packaging preparation parts P4, namely, a first packaging preparation part P41, a second packaging preparation part P42, and a third packaging preparation part P43, will be described as examples of the packaging preparation part P4.
==First Packaging Preparation Part==
As shown in Figure 4, the first packaging preparation part P41 is a packaging preparation part P4 that changes the position of the carton 1 (only one part in Figure 4 is marked) from a side-front position to an end-front position in the middle part 43 and then changes it to the first vertical position.

The front part 41 of the first packaging preparation part P41 sequentially supplies cartons 1 in a side-forward position.
In the sorting part 42 of the first packaging preparation part P41, the cartons 1 sequentially supplied by the front part 41 are sorted into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E while still in the side-forward position.
The sorting part 42 is provided with a known sorting mechanism such as an automatic line sorting device (a so-called "channelizer") using known optical devices such as a color sensor or a camera, a robot arm, or an air blowing mechanism. For example, the color of the cartons 1 sequentially supplied by the front part 41 is detected by a known optical device, and the cartons 1 are sorted into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E by a known sorting mechanism according to the detected color.

The middle part 43 of the first packaging preparation part P41 is subdivided into the following three parts 6A, 6B, and 6C depending on the posture of the arranged cartons 1.
First middle part 6A: A part that arranges the allocated cartons 1 in a side-front position. Second middle part 6B: A part that changes the cartons 1 in a side-front position to an end-front position and rearranges them. Third middle part 6C: A part that changes the cartons 1 in an end-front position to the first vertical position and rearranges them.

These intermediate parts 6A, 6B, and 6C are provided adjacent to each other in the conveying direction and form parts of rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E.
Specifically, of the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, the first middle part 6A forms a portion of the upstream side in the conveying direction, the third middle part 6A forms a portion of the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the second middle part 6B forms a portion between the first middle part 6A and the third middle part 6A (i.e., the midstream part in the conveying direction).

The middle sections 6A, 6B, and 6C illustrated here are provided with three types of conveyors 7A, 7B, and 7C (only one in row A is marked with a reference number in FIG. 4) as mechanisms for conveying the cartons 1 arranged in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. The conveyors 7A, 7B, and 7C are made of well-known conveying devices such as belt conveyors and roller conveyors.
First conveyor 7A: conveyor provided in the first middle part 6A. Second conveyor 7B: conveyor provided in the second middle part 6B. Third conveyor 7C: conveyor provided in the third middle part 6C.

The direction in which the first conveyor 7A extends (i.e., the extension direction) and the direction in which the second conveyor 7B and the third conveyor 7C extend (i.e., the extension direction) are set to be orthogonal in a top view. That is, the direction in which the cartons 1 are arranged and the direction in which the cartons 1 are transported in the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E are set to be orthogonal to each other for the first conveyor 7A, the second conveyor 7B, and the third conveyor 7C.
The first conveyor 7A and the second conveyor 7B are disposed at the same vertical position, while the third conveyor 7C is disposed at a vertically lower position than the first conveyor 7A and the second conveyor 7B.

These conveyors 7A, 7B, and 7C are provided in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, respectively. The conveyors 7A, 7B, and 7C are provided in the same manner in each of rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. Therefore, the following description will focus on row A among rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E.
In row A, the upstream end of the second conveyor 7B in the conveying direction is arranged adjacent to the downstream end of the first conveyor 7A in the conveying direction, and the upstream end of the third conveyor 7C in the conveying direction is arranged adjacent to the downstream end of the second conveyor 7B in the conveying direction.

The cartons 1 in the side-forward position sorted by the sorting part 42 are sequentially placed on the first conveyor 7A from the upstream side in the conveying direction. The cartons 1 thus placed are transported horizontally by the first conveyor 7A and sent out one by one to the second conveyor 7B.
Because the second conveyor 7B extends perpendicular to the first conveyor 7A, the cartons 1 sent from the first conveyor 7A, which transports the cartons 1 in a side-front position, are placed on the second conveyor 7B in a front-end position. The cartons 1 placed on the second conveyor 7B are transported in a front-end position. In other words, the arrangement of the first conveyor 7A and the second conveyor 7B changes the transport position of the cartons 1 by bending the transport direction at a right angle without changing the orientation of the cartons 1 when viewed from above.

The second conveyor 7B conveys the cartons 1 in the end-forward position as placed above. The cartons 1 conveyed by the second conveyor 7B are sent out one by one to the third conveyor 7C.
As shown in FIG. 5, the third conveyor 7C has conveyors 71 and 72 at different vertical positions arranged side by side in at least a portion of the same conveying direction area to change the cartons 1 from the end-forward position to the first vertical position.

Specifically, an upper conveyor 71 is provided on one side in the width direction (the upper right half in Figure 5), which is at the same vertical position as the second conveyor 7B, and a lower conveyor 72 is provided on the other side in the width direction (the lower left half in Figure 5), which is at a lower vertical position than the upper conveyor 71.
The upper conveyor 71 extends to an area overlapping only one of the right and left halves of the cartons 1 in the front-end position on the second conveyor 7B when viewed from the downstream side in the conveying direction. The lower conveyor 72 extends below an area overlapping at least the other of the right and left halves of the cartons 1 in the front-end position on the second conveyor 7B when viewed from the downstream side in the conveying direction.

The carton 1 sent from the second conveyor 7B to the third conveyor 7C in an end-forward position is temporarily placed on only one side in the width direction on the upper conveyor 71 while the other side in the width direction falls toward the lower conveyor 72, and one of the side wall portions 1X is placed on the lower conveyor 72, thereby changing from the end-forward position to the first vertical position.
The cartons 1 in the first vertical position are transported by the lower conveyor 72, and the cartons 1 transported by the lower conveyor 72 are sent out one by one to the rear part 44 (see FIG. 4).

The timing at which the cartons 1 are sent from the lower conveyor 72 of the first row 4A to the rear part 44 is synchronized with the timing at which the cartons 1 are sent from the other four rows 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E to the rear part 44. In this way, a group of five cartons in the first vertical position arranged in a predetermined order is sent to the rear part 44.
The timing of carton 1 being sent from rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E to the rear part 44 can be synchronized using known methods such as a stopper that temporarily stops the sending of carton 1 or a sensor for controlling the sending timing.

4, the rear parts 44 are disposed adjacent to the downstream portions of the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the conveying direction of the lower conveyor 72. The conveying direction of the rear parts 44 illustrated here is set to be perpendicular to the conveying direction of the cartons 1 by the lower conveyor 72 in a top view.
When a belt conveyor or roller conveyor is used in the rear part 44, the extending direction of the conveyor used is perpendicular to the extending direction of the lower conveyor 72 in a top view.
Since the rear part 44 is perpendicular to the lower conveyor 72, the carton 1 sent out from the lower conveyor 72, which transports the carton 1 in the first vertical position, is placed in the second vertical position on the conveyor used for the rear part 44 and is sent to the wrapping part P5 (see Figure 3) in the second vertical position.

==Second Packaging Preparation Part==
As shown in Figure 6, the second packaging preparation part P42 is a packaging preparation part P4 that changes the position of the carton 1 (only one part in Figure 6 is marked) from the side-front position to the first vertical position in the middle part 43'.
The front part 41' and the sorting part 42' of the second packaging preparation part P42 are provided in the same manner as the front part 41 and the sorting part 42 of the first packaging preparation part P41.

The middle part 43' of the second packaging preparation part P42 is subdivided into the following three parts 6A', 6B', and 6C' depending on the posture of the arranged cartons 1.
First intermediate part 6A': A part that arranges the sorted cartons 1 in a side-forward position. Second intermediate part 6B': A part that changes the cartons 1 in a side-forward position to a first vertical position. Third intermediate part 6C': A part that rearranges the cartons 1 in the first vertical position.

The intermediate parts 6A', 6B', and 6C' are provided adjacent to each other along the conveying direction and form part of the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E.
A first conveyor 7A' is provided in the first intermediate section 6A', and a third conveyor 7C' is provided in the third intermediate section 6C'. These conveyors 7A', 7C' are mechanisms for transporting the cartons 1 arranged in the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. Known transport devices such as belt conveyors and roller conveyors are used as the conveyors 7A', 7C'.
On the other hand, the second middle part 6B' is provided with a chute 7B' for changing the position of the carton 1.

The first conveyor 7A' and the chute 7B' extend in the same direction when viewed from above. The third conveyor 7C' extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first conveyor 7A' and the chute 7B' extend.
The first and third conveyors 7A' and 7C' are arranged horizontally, with the third conveyor 7C' being positioned vertically lower than the first conveyor 7A'. The chute 7B' is arranged so that its vertical position decreases from the downstream end of the first conveyor 7A' to the upstream end of the third conveyor 7C'. For example, a guide member 70' having a quarter-circular arc shape in a side view is provided on the chute 7B'.
4 shows the first and third intermediate parts 6A' and 6C' in a top view, while showing the second intermediate part 6B' in a side view. For convenience of illustration, the second intermediate part 6B' also shows a downstream portion (part) of the first conveyor 7A' provided in the first intermediate part 6A' and an upstream portion (part) of the third conveyor 7C' provided in the third intermediate part 6C'.

In row A, the upstream end of chute 7B' in the conveying direction is arranged adjacent to the downstream end of chute 7B' in the conveying direction, and the upstream end of third conveyor 7C' in the conveying direction is arranged adjacent to the downstream end of chute 7B' in the conveying direction.
The cartons 1 in the side-forward position sorted by the sorting part 42' are sequentially placed on the first conveyor 7A' from the upstream side in the conveying direction. The cartons 1 thus placed are transported horizontally by the first conveyor 7A' and sent out one by one to the chute 7B'.

In the chute 7B', the carton 1 is guided for conveyance and dropping by the guide member 70', and the position of the carton 1 is changed from the side-front position to the first vertical position. The carton 1 whose position has been changed by the chute 7B' is placed on the third conveyor 7C'.
As with the lower conveyor 72 of the first packaging preparation part P1, the cartons 1 in the first vertical position are transported by the third conveyor 7C', and the cartons 1 transported by the third conveyor 7C' are sent out one by one to the rear part 44'. Specifically, the cartons 1 placed in the second vertical position on the conveyor used in the rear part 44' are sent to the wrapping part P5 (see FIG. 3).

==Third Packaging Preparation Part==
As shown in FIG. 7, the third packaging preparation part P43 is a packaging preparation part P4 that changes the position of the carton 1 (only one position in FIG. 7 is marked) from the side-front position to the end-front position in the sorting part 42″, and then changes it to the first vertical position in the middle part 43″.
The front part 41'' of the third packaging preparation part P43 is provided in the same manner as the front parts 41, 41' of the first packaging preparation part P41 and the second packaging preparation part P42 described above.

Meanwhile, in the sorting part 42'' of the third packaging preparation part P43, the cartons 1 in the side-forward position supplied in the previous process 41'' are changed to the end-forward position and sorted into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E.
The sorting part 42" is provided with a known sorting mechanism, such as a robot arm, pusher, or air blowing mechanism, which uses known optical equipment such as a color sensor or camera. For example, the color of the cartons 1 sequentially supplied by the front part 41" is detected by a known optical equipment, and the cartons 1 are sorted into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E by a known sorting mechanism according to the detected color.

The middle part 43'' of the third packaging preparation part P43 is subdivided into the following two parts 6A'' and 6B'' depending on the posture of the arranged cartons 1.
- First middle part 6A": A part that arranges the allocated cartons 1 in an end-to-front position. - Second middle part 6B": A part similar to the third middle part 6C described above. The first middle part 6A" is provided with a first conveyor 7A", similar to the second conveyor 7B provided in the second middle part 6B of the first packaging preparation part P41.

The second intermediate part 6B'' is provided with a second conveyor 7B'' similar to the third conveyor 7C provided in the third intermediate part 6C of the first packaging preparation part P41.
The cartons 1 in the first vertical position transported by the second conveyor 7B'' are sent out one by one to the rear part 44''. Specifically, the cartons 1 placed in the second vertical position on the conveyor used in the rear part 44'' are sent to the wrapping part P5 (see Figure 3).

<Wrapping part>
3, in the wrapping part P5, a group of cartons 1 containing bundles of tissues 3 arranged in a predetermined order are packaged as a pack. In this wrapping part P5, five cartons 1 are packaged in groups of five with a wrap material 19.
In this manner, the packaging pack 10 is manufactured.

Figure 3 shows an example in which a large number of cartons 1 (here, five or more) fed from the rear part 44 are collected in an intermediate part P45 between the packaging preparation part P4 and the wrapping part P5, and the collected cartons 1 are then sorted into groups of five before being processed in the wrapping part P5.
10, the five cartons 1 fed from the rear part 44 may be fed directly to the wrapping part P5 without providing the intermediate part P45. That is, a packaging machine disposed immediately after the packaging preparation part P4 may be provided in the wrapping part P5. In this case, by temporarily stopping the carton 1 furthest downstream (i.e., the leading carton) among the five cartons 1 fed in the rear part 44, the five cartons 1 can be placed next to each other and in contact with each other.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 11, five cartons 1 may be fed to the wrapping part P5 in the rear part 44 while still in the first vertical position. In other words, the rear part 44 is not limited to feeding cartons 1 in the second vertical position (so-called "horizontal feeding") as illustrated in Figures 3 and 10, but may also feed cartons 1 transported from the middle part 43 without changing their position, as illustrated in Figure 11.

By feeding cartons 1 of the same color lined up in the conveying direction to the wrapping part P5 as described above, it is possible to avoid problems caused by feeding cartons 1 of different colors lined up in the conveying direction, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 10. One example of this problem is when, when a known method is used to inspect whether the cartons lined up in the conveying direction from the rear part 44 to the wrapping part P5 are in the specified order, five cartons that are not in the specified order are discharged from the production line together. In other words, the feeding configuration illustrated in Figure 11 makes it possible to avoid the problem of five cartons being discharged from the production line together, even if the specified order is inspected from the rear part 44 to the wrapping part P5.

[1-3. Manufacturing method]
Next, a description will be given of a method for manufacturing the packaging pack 10. In this manufacturing method, a wrapping process is carried out in a wrapping part P5, in which a group of five cartons 1 arranged in a predetermined order is packaged as one pack, and the cartons 1 are transported to this wrapping process.
Here, we will explain the material preparation method performed in the material preparation part P2 and the packaging preparation method performed in the packaging preparation part P4. In these methods, the processes in which the word "part" in the name is replaced with "process" are performed in each of the above-mentioned parts as the configuration of the manufacturing equipment in item [1-2].

In the material preparation method, a deposit step is carried out in a deposit part 21 and then a stack step is carried out in a stack part 22.
In the packaging preparation method, a pre-process is carried out in a pre-part 41, then a sorting process is carried out in a sorting part 42, then a middle process is carried out in a middle part 43, and finally a post-process is carried out in a post-part 44.

In the intermediate processes of the first packaging preparation part P41 and the second packaging preparation part P42, the first intermediate process is carried out by the first intermediate parts 6A, 6A', then the second intermediate process is carried out by the second intermediate parts 6B, 6B', and finally the third intermediate process is carried out by the third intermediate parts 6C, 6C'.
In the intermediate process of the third packaging preparation part P43, the first intermediate process is carried out by the first intermediate part 6A'' and then the second intermediate process is carried out by the second intermediate part 6B''.

<How to prepare materials>
The material preparation method is a method for preparing materials 1' for cartons 1 that are continuously conveyed to the wrapping process.
In this material preparation method, as shown in Figure 8, the steps are carried out in the order of deposit step (step A1), stack step (step A2), store step (step A3), and feed step (step A4). After these steps are carried out, the cartoner step is carried out.

In the depositing step, materials 1' corresponding to each of the cartons 1 constituting the carton group of the packaging pack 10 are stacked and arranged in a predetermined order along the conveying direction.
In the stacking process, the materials 1' stacked in each of the depositing processes are fed out one by one in the conveying direction, and the material 1' fed out from the downstream side is superimposed on the material 1' fed out from the upstream side in the depositing process.
In the storing step, the material sets, which are the materials 1' that have been stacked in the stacking step, are stacked. In this storing step, the material sets are stacked on top of each other.
In the feeding step, the material sets that have been stacked in the storing step are fed toward the wrapping step. In this feeding step, the materials 1' that make up each material set are fed one by one from the bottom.

<Packaging preparation method>
The packaging preparation method is a method for preparing cartons 1 with different appearances in order to package a group of cartons, each of which has a predetermined number of cartons 1 arranged in a predetermined order, as a pack.
In this packaging preparation method, as shown in Figure 9, the steps are carried out in the order of a pre-process (step B1), a sorting process (step B2), a middle process (step B3), and a rear part 44 (step B4). After these steps are carried out, a wrapping process is carried out.

In the pre-process, cartons 1 forming a group of cartons are supplied in sequence.
In the sorting process, the cartons 1 supplied in the preceding process are sorted into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in which cartons are arranged in the intermediate process.
In the sorting step of the packaging preparation method by the first packaging preparation device P41 and the second packaging preparation device P42, the cartons 1 supplied in the previous step are sorted while still in the side-forward position.
In the sorting step of the packaging preparation method by the third packaging preparation device P43, the cartons 1 in the side-front position supplied in the previous step are changed to the end-front position and then sorted.

In the intermediate process, the cartons 1 sorted in the sorting process (cartons supplied in the previous process) are grouped in five rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, with the cartons 1 of the same color grouped together, and the cartons 1 are arranged in parallel in a predetermined order.
In the subsequent process, of the cartons 1 arranged in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the intermediate process, the cartons 1 at the downstream end in the conveying direction are grouped into five cartons arranged in a predetermined order, and then sent to a wrapping process in which the carton groups are packaged in units of one pack.

The following describes the contents of the intermediate process and the subsequent process, including the first packaging preparation part P41, the second packaging preparation part P42, and the third packaging preparation part P43.
==First packaging preparation method==
In the first packaging preparation method using the first packaging preparation device P41, the intermediate steps are performed in the order of a first intermediate step (step B31), a second intermediate step (step B32), and a third intermediate step (step B33).

In the first intermediate process, the cartons 1 sorted in the sorting process are arranged in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in a side-front position. In the second intermediate process, the cartons 1 arranged in the side-front position in the first intermediate process are changed to an end-front position and rearranged. In the third intermediate process, the cartons 1 changed to the end-front position in the second intermediate process are changed to a first vertical position and rearranged.
In the subsequent process, the cartons 1 in the first vertical position that have been rearranged in the third intermediate process are sent to the wrapping process in the second vertical position.

==Second packaging preparation method==
In the second packaging preparation method using the second packaging preparation device P42, the intermediate steps are performed in the order of a first intermediate step (step B31), a second intermediate step (step B32), and a third intermediate step (step B33).
In the first intermediate process, similar to the first packaging preparation device P41, the cartons 1 sorted in the sorting process are arranged in the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in a side-forward position. In the second intermediate process, the cartons 1 arranged in the side-forward position in the first intermediate process are changed to a first vertical position. In the third intermediate process, the cartons changed to the first vertical position in the second intermediate process are rearranged.
In the subsequent process, similarly to the first packaging preparation device P41, the cartons 1 rearranged in the third intermediate process in the first vertical position are fed to the wrapping process in the second vertical position.

==Third packaging preparation method==
In the third packaging preparation method using the third packaging preparation device P43, the third intermediate step is not performed in the intermediate steps, and each step is performed in the order of the first intermediate step (step B31) and the second intermediate step (step B32).
In the first intermediate process, the cartons 1 sorted in the sorting process are arranged in the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the end-forward position. In the second intermediate process, similar to the third intermediate process of the first packaging preparation device P41, the cartons 1 in the end-forward position are changed to the first vertical position and rearranged.
In the subsequent process, the cartons 1 in the first vertical position that have been rearranged in the second intermediate process are sent to the wrapping process in the second vertical position.

[2. Action and Effects]
Since this embodiment is configured as described above, the following actions and effects can be obtained.
In this section [2], material preparation methods are described in subsection [2-1], and packaging preparation methods are described in subsection [2-2].

[2-1. How to prepare materials]
(1) According to the material preparation method, in the depositing step, the materials 1' corresponding to each carton 1 of the packaging pack 10 are stacked and arranged in a predetermined order along the conveying direction. Then, in the stacking step, materials 1' fed one by one from the upstream side are superimposed one by one on materials 1' fed from the downstream side. Therefore, the materials 1' for the carton 1 can be prepared in an order corresponding to the predetermined order.
Therefore, the materials 1' for the carton 1 can be efficiently prepared in an order corresponding to the predetermined arrangement order.

(2) Since the material sets, which are the materials 1' stacked in the stacking process, are stacked in the storing process, the materials 1' can be stacked in an order corresponding to a predetermined arrangement order. This reduces the space required to supply these materials 1' compared to when the materials 1' (material sets) are arranged side by side in the conveying direction, contributing to space saving.
(3) In the feeding process, the materials 1' stacked on top of each other in the storing process are fed one by one from the bottom toward the wrapping process. This first-in, first-out method allows the materials 1' to be continuously fed (prepared) in a predetermined order, which ultimately contributes to improving the manufacturing efficiency of the packaging pack 10.

[2-2. Packaging preparation method]
(1) According to the packaging preparation method, cartons 1 arranged in series along the conveying direction are sequentially supplied in a front-end process, and the supplied cartons 1 are sorted by color into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in a sorting process. In a middle process, cartons 1 of the same color are grouped together in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, and the cartons 1 are arranged in parallel in a predetermined order. Then, in a rear-end process, the cartons 1 at the downstream end of the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the conveying direction are grouped into five groups, and these groups are sent to a wrapping process.

Therefore, it can be said that the colors of the cartons 1 arranged in each row 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E are inspected by the sorting process that sorts the cartons 1 supplied in the previous process into rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E corresponding to each color.
Therefore, even if cartons 1 are supplied in a previous process out of the specified order, for example, because multiple materials 1' of the same color that should be fed one by one in the material preparation method are fed out, or because a carton 1 falls off or is ejected from the production line, a group of five cartons 1 in the specified order can be sent to the wrapping process.

Furthermore, it is possible to omit the step of inspecting whether the five cartons 1 making up a carton group are arranged in a predetermined order, thereby avoiding the need for complicated processing due to the carton 1 not meeting the inspection or the carton group including this carton 1 being discharged from the production line.
Therefore, the preparation of the cartons to be packaged that make up the carton group can be made less complicated.

(2) According to the packaging preparation method of this embodiment, the cartons 1 supplied in a side-forward position in the previous process can be arranged in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, and then sent out in a vertical position suitable for packaging in the wrapping process.
Therefore, the cartons to be packaged that make up the carton group can be prepared efficiently.
(3) According to the first packaging preparation method, the cartons 1 in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E are arranged in a side-front position by the first intermediate process, then rearranged by changing from the side-front position to the end-front position by the second intermediate process, and then rearranged by changing from the end-front position to the first vertical position by the third intermediate process.

In this way, by changing the orientation of the cartons 1 once while still in the horizontal orientation and then again to the vertical orientation, the period during which the cartons 1 are lined up in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E in the vertical orientation, which is more unstable than the horizontal orientation, can be reduced, thereby preventing the cartons 1 from tipping over from the vertical orientation to the horizontal orientation in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E.
According to the first packaging preparation part P41 exemplified in this embodiment, all of the first intermediate step, second intermediate step, and third intermediate step can be performed by a general-purpose conveyor such as a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor.

(4) According to the second packaging preparation method, the cartons 1 in rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E are arranged in a side-front position in the first intermediate step, then changed from the side-front position to the first vertical position in the second intermediate step, and the cartons 1 changed to the first vertical position are rearranged in the third intermediate step. In this way, the cartons 1 are changed from the side-front position to the first vertical position without being arranged in an end-front position, which contributes to a simpler configuration than the first packaging preparation part P41.

(5) According to the third packaging preparation method, the cartons 1 are sorted into the rows 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E while being changed from the side-front position to the end-side position, and the sorted cartons 1 are arranged in the end-front position in the first intermediate step, and then changed from the end-front position to the first vertical position and rearranged in the second intermediate step. By changing the position from the side-front position to the end-front position in the sorting step in this way, the cartons 1 are changed from the end-front position to the first vertical position without being arranged in the side-front position, which contributes to a simpler configuration than the first packaging preparation part P41.
(6) The packaging preparation part P4 can also provide the same functions and effects as the above-described packaging preparation method.

II. Modifications
The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not explicitly stated in this embodiment. Each configuration of this embodiment can be modified and implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, it is possible to select and combine as needed.

For example, the third intermediate section of the first packaging preparation section and the second intermediate section of the third packaging preparation section are not limited to the configuration provided with an upper conveyor and a lower conveyor as described above, and can use a known configuration that can change the position of the carton from the end-forward position to the first vertical position. An example of such a known configuration is a guide bar.

Furthermore, the orientation in which cartons are fed in the subsequent process of the packaging preparation method is not limited to the second vertical orientation, but may also be the first vertical orientation. The subsequent process of feeding cartons in the first vertical orientation to the wrapping process can be carried out by a conveyor (rear part) extending along the conveying direction in the third intermediate process of the first packaging preparation part or the second intermediate process of the third packaging preparation part. In other words, the orientation of the cartons fed to the wrapping process can be set to an appropriate orientation depending on the type of packaging device used in the wrapping process.

Furthermore, it is sufficient that at least all of the cartons making up the carton group are mixed and supplied sequentially in the preceding process; cartons may be supplied in a different order than specified, and the position in which they are supplied is not limited to the side-forward position.
Alternatively, if the number of cartons arranged in the first row is smaller than the number of cartons arranged in the other rows, feedback control may be performed to supply more materials for the cartons of the color arranged in the first row. In this way, the packaging preparation method may include a step of adjusting the amount of material supplied depending on the relative number of cartons 1 arranged in the rows in the intermediate process.

In addition, defective cartons that are inverted or damaged may be removed from the production line using a known defect detection method. The defective cartons may be removed after sorting into rows in the sorting process, or at an appropriate timing upstream in the conveying direction from the previous process.
If a process dedicated to producing cartons of each color that make up the carton group is installed in the preceding process, the sorting process can be omitted. In this case, even if one of the production lines installed in the preceding process stops, the entire production line for packaging packs will stop, but the configuration can be simplified in that the sorting part that performs the sorting process can be omitted.

1 Carton 1B Lower bottom wall (bottom wall)
1T Outlet 1U Upper bottom wall (bottom wall)
1X Side wall portion 1Y End wall portion 1' Material 10 Packaging pack body 19 Wrap material 21 Deposit part 22 Stack part 23 Store part 24 Feed part 3 Tissue paper 31 Folding part 32 Storage part 33 Sealing part 40 Row 4A First row 4B Second row 4C Third row 4D Fourth row 4E Fifth row 41 Front part 42 Sorting part 43 Middle part 44 Rear part 6A First middle part 6B Second middle part 6C Third middle part 70' Guide member 71 Upper conveyor 72 Lower conveyor 7A First conveyor 7B Second conveyor 7B' Chute 7C Third conveyor P1 Bundle transport part P2 Material preparation part P3 Cartoner part P4 Packaging preparation part (packaging preparation device)
P41 First packaging preparation part P42 Second packaging preparation part P43 Third packaging preparation part P5 Wrapping part

Claims (3)

A packaging preparation method for preparing cartons in a pack unit, the cartons being a group of a predetermined number of cartons arranged in a predetermined order containing tissues, wherein at least some of the cartons in the group have different appearances, the method comprising:
a front end process of sequentially supplying the cartons that make up the carton group;
an intermediate process of grouping the cartons supplied in the preceding process into rows of the predetermined number of cartons with the same appearance and arranging the cartons in parallel in the predetermined arrangement order;
a post-process of assembling the predetermined number of cartons arranged in the row in the intermediate process at the downstream end in the conveying direction to form the carton group arranged in the predetermined order, and sending the carton group to a wrapping process in which the carton group is packaged in units of one pack;
a sorting process for sorting the cartons supplied in the preceding process to the rows in which the cartons are arranged in the intermediate process ,
the pre-processing includes supplying the cartons that make up the carton group so that the cartons are arranged in series along a conveyance direction;
The carton has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided with a pair of side walls facing each other and a pair of end walls facing each other between a pair of bottom walls facing each other,
The front-end process supplies the carton in a side-front position in which the bottom wall portion faces up and down and the side wall portion faces a conveyance direction,
The sorting step sorts the cartons supplied in the previous step into the rows while the cartons are in the side-forward position,
The intermediate process includes a first intermediate process of arranging the cartons sorted in the sorting process in the row in the side-front position; a second intermediate process of changing the cartons arranged in the side-front position in the first intermediate process to an end-front position in which the bottom wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveyance direction, and rearranging the cartons; and a third intermediate process of changing the cartons whose position has been changed to the end-front position in the second intermediate process to a vertical position in which the side wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveyance direction, and rearranging the cartons.
A method for preparing packaging. A packaging preparation method for preparing cartons in a pack unit, the cartons being a group of a predetermined number of cartons arranged in a predetermined order containing tissues, wherein at least some of the cartons in the group have different appearances, the method comprising:
a front end process of sequentially supplying the cartons that make up the carton group;
an intermediate process of grouping the cartons supplied in the preceding process into rows of the predetermined number of cartons with the same appearance and arranging the cartons in parallel in the predetermined arrangement order;
a post-process of assembling the predetermined number of cartons arranged in the row in the intermediate process at the downstream end in the conveying direction to form the carton group arranged in the predetermined order, and sending the carton group to a wrapping process in which the carton group is packaged in units of one pack;
a sorting process for sorting the cartons supplied in the preceding process to the rows in which the cartons are arranged in the intermediate process ,
the pre-processing includes supplying the cartons that make up the carton group so that the cartons are arranged in series along a conveyance direction;
The carton has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided with a pair of side walls facing each other and a pair of end walls facing each other between a pair of bottom walls facing each other,
The front-end process supplies the carton in a side-front position in which the bottom wall portion faces up and down and the side wall portion faces a conveyance direction,
The sorting step sorts the cartons supplied in the previous step into the rows while the cartons are in the side-forward position,
The intermediate process includes a first intermediate process of arranging the cartons sorted in the sorting process in the row in the side-front position, a second intermediate process of changing the cartons arranged in the side-front position in the first intermediate process to a vertical position in which the side wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveyance direction, and a third intermediate process of rearranging the cartons changed to the vertical position in the second intermediate process.
A method for preparing packaging. A packaging preparation method for preparing cartons in a pack unit, the cartons being a group of a predetermined number of cartons arranged in a predetermined order containing tissues, wherein at least some of the cartons in the group have different appearances, the method comprising:
a front end process of sequentially supplying the cartons that make up the carton group;
an intermediate process of grouping the cartons supplied in the preceding process into rows of the predetermined number of cartons with the same appearance and arranging the cartons in parallel in the predetermined arrangement order;
a post-process of assembling the predetermined number of cartons arranged in the row in the intermediate process at the downstream end in the conveying direction to form a carton group arranged in the predetermined order, and sending the carton group to a wrapping process in which the carton group is packaged in units of one pack;
a sorting process for sorting the cartons supplied in the preceding process to the rows in which the cartons are arranged in the intermediate process ,
the pre-processing includes supplying the cartons that make up the carton group so that the cartons are arranged in series along a conveyance direction;
The carton has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is provided with a pair of side walls facing each other and a pair of end walls facing each other between a pair of bottom walls facing each other,
The front-end process supplies the carton in a side-front position in which the bottom wall portion faces up and down and the side wall portion faces a conveyance direction,
the sorting step changes the cartons in the side-forward position supplied in the previous step to an end-forward position in which the bottom wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveying direction, and sorts the cartons into the rows;
The intermediate process includes a first intermediate process of arranging the cartons sorted in the sorting process in the row in the end-forward position, and a second intermediate process of changing the cartons in the end-forward position to a vertical position in which the side wall portions face up and down and the end wall portions face the conveyance direction, and rearranging the cartons.
A method for preparing packaging .