JP7765086B2 - carton opener - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a carton opener that uses a cutting blade to cut the entire periphery of the top edge of a carton's side, allowing the top to be opened.

Traditionally, parts and raw materials used in manufacturing plants have been packed and delivered in cartons formed into rectangular boxes using cardboard or thick paper.

In manufacturing plants and other facilities, large numbers of cartons packed with parts, raw materials, etc. are brought in, and the top of each carton is mechanically opened using a carton opener.

This carton opener is capable of processing large quantities of cartons in succession, and uses a cutting blade to cut the top edge of the carton's side at the same height all around, allowing the top of the carton to be opened (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-190932

In a packed carton, outer flaps are formed on the upper end of one pair of opposing sides, and inner flaps are formed on the upper end of the other pair of opposing sides, with the inner flaps folded under the outer flaps and the outer flaps attached to each other with packing tape.

As a result, if the cutting blade is used to cut the entire upper edge of the side of the carton at the same height, as with the conventional carton openers described above, the inner flaps, which are folded lower than the outer flaps, will not be separated from the side and will remain, making it necessary to open the inner flaps manually, which can require a great deal of time and effort to open the carton.

Therefore, in the present invention according to claim 1, in a carton opener that can open the top surface by cutting the entire upper edge of the side of a carton with a cutting blade, the cutting mechanism for cutting the upper edge of the side of the carton is provided in a cartridge, and the cutting unit that houses the cutting blade via a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the cutting blade is detachably provided on a pressing unit that has a belt that presses the upper edge of the side of the carton and a drive source that rotates the belt, and stock means on which a plurality of cartridges are placed is provided, and the cartridges are used for cutting the upper edge of the side where the outer flap is formed and for cutting the upper edge of the side where the inner flap is formed. The position of the cutting blade can be adjusted by a position adjustment mechanism depending on whether the carton is in a forward or backward position, and can be replaced with a plurality of cartridges placed on the stock means . The carton is transported from front to rear by the transport means, and a belt that presses the upper end of the side of the carton from above to below is rotated by a drive source to assisted transport of the carton from front to rear, while the upper end of the side of the carton is cut with the cutting blade, and the upper end of the side of the carton where the inner flap is formed is cut with the cutting blade at a lower position than the upper end of the side of the carton where the outer flap is formed, thereby cutting off the inner flap from the side together with the outer flap.

The present invention achieves the following effects:

In other words, this invention uses a carton opener that cuts the entire upper edge of the side of a carton with a cutting blade to open the top. The cutting blade cuts the upper edge of the side where the inner flaps are formed at a lower position than the upper edge of the side where the outer flaps are formed, and the inner flaps are separated from the side along with the outer flaps. This means that inner flaps that are folded below the outer flaps can also be separated from the side of the carton in the same way as the outer flaps. This eliminates the need for manual opening of inner flaps, as was previously required, and reduces the time and effort required to open a carton.

In particular, if the upper edges of a pair of opposing sides where the inner flaps are formed are cut with a cutting blade, and then the upper edges of a pair of opposing sides where the outer flaps are formed are cut with a cutting blade, the outer flaps remain formed on the upper edges of the sides of the carton even after the inner flaps are cut, and the cut inner flaps are held down by the outer flaps above them, the inner flaps do not fall off the carton alone after cutting, interfering with the cutting of the outer flaps, and the outer flaps can be cut smoothly after cutting the inner flaps.

Furthermore, if the cutting blade is housed in the cartridge via a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the cutting blade, and the position of the cutting blade can be adjusted by the position adjustment mechanism when cutting the upper end of the side surface where the outer flap is formed and when cutting the upper end of the side surface where the inner flap is formed, the position of the cutting blade can be easily adjusted using the position adjustment mechanism provided in the cartridge depending on whether the outer flap or inner flap is being cut.

FIG. 1A is a front view showing the first cutting unit, and FIG. 1B is a right side view showing the first cutting unit. FIG. 10 is a front view of the first cutting unit as seen from the right side, showing the cutting means disposed on the left side of the first cutting unit. Rear view of the same. FIG. 1A is a left side view, and FIG. A front view of the first cutting unit as seen from the right side, showing the stock means arranged on the left side of the first cutting unit (a rear view of the first cutting unit as seen from the right side, showing the cleaning means arranged on the left side of the first cutting unit). Same plan view. FIG. FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the cutting position (outer flap side (a) and inner flap side (b)).

The specific configuration of the carton opener according to the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figure 1, carton opener 1 cuts the entire upper edge of the side of carton 2 while conveying it, allowing the top to be opened. Here, carton 2 has rectangular side surfaces with outer flaps extending lengthwise and depthwise, and rectangular side surfaces with inner flaps extending widthwise and depthwise. Carton opener 1 cuts the upper edge of each side surface (outer flap, inner flap) to allow the top (outer flap and inner flaps) to be opened.

This carton opener 1 has an input conveyor 3, a measuring conveyor 4, a first direction changing conveyor 5, a first cutting unit 6, a second direction changing conveyor 7, a second cutting unit 8, and an output conveyor 9 arranged in this order along the transport path of the cartons 2. The input conveyor 3, measuring conveyor 4, first direction changing conveyor 5, first cutting unit 6, second direction changing conveyor 7, second cutting unit 8, and output conveyor 9 are controlled by a control unit (computer) 10.

The carton opener 1 then transports the carton 2 carried on the infeed conveyor 3 in the lengthwise direction to the measuring conveyor 4, where the size (length, width, and depth) of the carton 2 is measured. The first direction-changing conveyor 5 then changes the direction of transport of the carton 2 by 90 degrees and transports the carton 2 in the widthwise direction to the first cutting unit 6. The first cutting unit 6 cuts the upper end portions of a pair of opposing sides (inner flaps) where the inner flaps of the carton 2 are formed as the carton 2 is being transported. The second direction-changing conveyor 7 then changes the direction of transport of the carton 2 by 90 degrees and transports the carton 2 in the lengthwise direction to the second cutting unit 8. The second cutting unit 8 cuts the upper end portions of a pair of opposing sides (outer flaps) where the outer flaps of the carton 2 are formed as the carton 2 is being transported. The carton is then transported to the outfeed conveyor 9, where the top surface (outer and inner flaps) of the carton 2 is opened. This carton opener 1 can process a large number of cartons 2 continuously, and even if the cartons 2 are different sizes, they can be processed appropriately and efficiently by measuring them on the measuring conveyor 4. The carton opener 1 may accurately measure the size of the cartons 2 on the measuring conveyor 4, or it may measure the approximate size on the measuring conveyor 4 and recognize the exact size of the carton 2 using sensors installed in the first and second cutting units 6, 8.

In this carton opener 1, the first cutting unit 6 and second cutting unit 8, which cut the upper side edges of the carton 2, have roughly the same configuration, and the configuration of the first cutting unit 6 will be described below. Note that the first cutting unit 6 will be described as cutting the upper left and right side edges of the carton 2 while transporting the carton 2 from front to rear, with the face into which the carton 2 is carried being the front.

As shown in Figure 2, the first cutting unit 6 has a conveying means 12 located in the center of a rectangular box-shaped main frame 11, a pair of left and right cutting means 13, 14 located above the conveying means 12, and stocking means 15, 16 and cleaning means 17, 18 located on the left and right sides of the conveying means 12.

The conveying means 12 conveys the cartons 2 from front to rear.

This conveying means 12 has a pair of left and right supports 21, 22 attached to the top of support frames 19, 20 that extend left and right and are installed below the front and rear ends of the main frame 11, and the supports 21, 22 horizontally support a conveyor 23 that extends forward and backward.

The conveying means 12 then transports the cartons 2 that have been brought into the front end of the conveyor 23 from front to rear on the conveyor 23, and delivers them to the rear end of the conveyor 23.

The cutting means 13 and 14 simultaneously cut the upper end portions of opposing sides of the carton 2 while the carton 2 is being transported by the transport means 12.

The cutting means 13, 14 comprise a support frame 24 extending left and right, erected midway along the upper end of the main frame 11, with horizontal sliders 29, 30 attached to it via a pair of left and right supports 25, 26 (27, 28) extending up and down. Vertical sliders 31, 32 extending up and down are attached to the horizontal sliders 29, 30 so that they can move vertically up and down and horizontally left and right. Cutting mechanisms 33, 34 are attached to the lower ends of the left and right vertical sliders 31, 32. This allows the left and right horizontal sliders 29, 30 and vertical sliders 31, 32 to adjust the left and right spacing and height of the cutting mechanisms 33, 34 according to the size of the carton 2, enabling the cutting mechanisms 33, 34 to simultaneously cut the upper edge of the left and right side of the carton 2.

The pair of cutting mechanisms 33, 34 provided on the left and right sides of these cutting means 13, 14 have roughly the same configuration, and the configuration of the cutting mechanism 33 provided on the cutting means 13 located on the left side will be described below. Note that the cutting means 13 will be described as cutting the upper edge of the side of the carton 2 while transporting the carton 2 from left to right, with the surface viewed from the right side of the first cutting unit 6 being the front.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the cutting mechanism 33 has a support 35 attached horizontally to the lower end of the vertical slider 31. A cutting section 36 is formed on the lower rear side of the support 35 for cutting the upper edge of the side of the carton 2, and a pressing section 37 is formed on the front end of the support 35 for pressing the upper corner of the side of the carton 2.

The cutting section 36 has a connector 38 attached to the lower rear of the support 35, and a connector 39 attached to the lower end of the connector 38.

The cutting unit 36 houses a cutting tool 42 with a cutting blade 41 in a cartridge 40, which is a hollow rectangular box with openings at the front and rear, via a position adjustment mechanism 43. This position adjustment mechanism 43 can move the cutting tool 42 in the vertical and front-to-back directions, as well as in the vertical and rotational directions, relative to the cartridge 40. This allows the cutting unit 36 to use the position adjustment mechanism 43 to adjust the position (vertical height, front-to-back projection, and tilt angle) of the cutting blade 41 of the cutting tool 42. A connecting device 44 is attached to the top end of the cartridge 40. The cutting tool 42 is an ultrasonic cutter that applies ultrasonic vibrations to the cutting blade 41 to enable cutting.

The cutting unit 36 detachably connects a connector 39 provided on the support 35 side with a connector 44 provided on the cartridge 40 side, allowing the cutting blade 41 used in the cutting means 13 (cutting mechanism 33) to be replaced for each cartridge 40.

The pressing section 37 is formed by attaching a body 45 extending laterally to the lower front end of the support body 35 via supports 46. Upper pressing devices 47 are formed around the body 45 to press the upper corners of the side surfaces of the carton 2 downward, and side pressing devices 48 are formed below the body 45 to press the upper corners of the side surfaces of the carton 2 laterally (towards the center of the carton 2).

The upper pressing device 47 has a pair of front and rear arms 49, 50 (51, 52) attached to the left and right front and rear sides of the body 45, extending left and right. A driven roller 53 is rotatably attached between the front and rear arms 49, 50 on the left side via a driven shaft 54 extending forward and backward, and a drive roller 55 is attached between the front and rear arms 51, 52 on the right side via a drive shaft 56 extending forward and backward. A drive gear 57 is attached to the drive shaft 56 on the rear side of the drive roller 55, and the drive gear 57 is connected via a drive belt 59 to a drive source 58 attached to the upper right side of the support body 35.

The upper pressing device 47 has tension rollers 60, 61 attached to the upper left and right sides of the main body 45, and a pressing body 62 made of an elastic material that extends left and right attached to the lower part of the main body 45.

The upper pressing device 47 has an endless belt 63 rotatably wound around the pressing body 62, drive roller 55, driven roller 53, and tension rollers 60 and 61. The upper pressing device 47 presses the upper corners of the carton 2 from above downward by bringing the belt 63 into contact with the upper surfaces (outer flaps) of the upper corners of the side surfaces of the carton 2. Moreover, the belt 63 presses the upper corners of the side surfaces of the carton 2 from above downward while rotating around the body 45 due to the drive source 58, and also assists in transporting the carton 2 from the front to the rear of the first cutting unit 6 (from the left side to the right side of the cutting means 13 (cutting mechanism 33)). As a result, even if the carton 2 encounters resistance when the cutting blade 41 cuts the upper edge of the side of the carton 2 while it is being conveyed, the carton 2 can be conveyed smoothly by the conveyor 23 of the conveying means 12 and the belts 63 of the cutting means 13, 14.

The side pressure device 48 has two brackets 64, 64 extending vertically attached to the left and right rear sides of the body 45, spaced apart from each other. Two guide bodies 65, 66 extending horizontally are attached to the left and right brackets 64, 64, also spaced apart from each other. The guide bodies 65, 66 have multiple cylindrical rollers 67 extending vertically attached to them, jutting out forward and rotatably mounted side by side. A gap is formed between the left and right guide bodies 65, 65 (66, 66), allowing the tip (cutting blade 41) of the cutting tool 42 housed in the cartridge 40 to protrude from this gap forward of the guide bodies 65, 65 (66, 66) and downward from the belt 63.

The side pressure devices 48 press the upper corners of the side surfaces of the cartons 2 in the lateral direction by bringing the rollers 67 of the guide bodies 65, 66 into contact with the side surfaces of the upper corners of the cartons 2. Furthermore, the guide bodies 65, 66 are designed so that the rollers 67 roll in the conveyance direction as the cartons 2 are conveyed. This allows the cartons 2 to be conveyed smoothly without being impeded.

In this way, the cutting means 13, 14 press the upper corners of opposing side surfaces of the carton 2 being transported by the transport means 12 from above with the upper pressure tool 47 and from the side with the side pressure tool 48, while simultaneously cutting the upper edges of the opposing side surfaces of the carton 2 with the left and right cutting blades 41, 41 that abut against the transported carton 2. Note that the cutting means 13, 14 only need to be able to move the upper edge of the side surface of the carton 2 relative to the cutting blade 41 so that the cutting blade 41 can cut the upper edge of the side surface; the cutting blade 41 may also be configured to move while the carton 2 is stationary.

The stock means 15, 16 are used to store and replace a plurality of (here, four) cartridges 40 that are detachably attached to the cutting means 13, 14.

The stock means 15, 16 are provided on the left and right sides of the conveying means 12 corresponding to the left and right cutting means 13, 14, respectively, and are attached to left and right support frames 68, 69 extending forward and backward and installed between support frames 19, 20 at the lower front and lower rear ends of the main frame 11. The left and right stock means 15, 16 are arranged symmetrically about the conveyor 23 extending forward and backward on the conveying means 12, and are generally configured similarly. The configuration of the left stock means 15 will be described below. Note that the stock means 15 will be described assuming that the surface viewed from the right side of the first cutting unit 6 is the front, and that cartridges 40 are placed side by side in the left-right direction (the direction in which the cartons 2 are conveyed).

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the stock means 15 has a slider 70 attached to the top of the support frame 68, extending left and right, and a support body 72 attached horizontally to the top of a slide body 71 that is attached to the top of the slider 70 and can move horizontally left and right.

The stock means 15 also has multiple (four in this example) pistons 73 attached to the front of the support 72 at intervals on the left and right, extending up and down, and a platform 75 attached horizontally to the upper end of each piston 73's lift rod 74, which can move vertically (up and down).

The stocking means 15 can place cartridges 40 on each of multiple lifting platforms 75, and can move the platforms 75 left and right to preset positions using sliders 70, and can also raise and lower the platforms 75 at preset positions. With the platform 75 raised to a predetermined height at a predetermined position, the stocking means 15 receives a cartridge 40 that has been disconnected from the cutting means 13 on the platform 75, or connects a cartridge 40 placed on the platform 75 to the cutting means 13. With the platform 75 lowered to a predetermined height at a predetermined position, the stocking means 15 uses the cleaning means 17 to clean the cutting blade 41 of the cartridge 40 placed on the platform 75.

The cleaning means 17, 18 clean the cutting blades 41 of the cartridges 40 that have been replaced from the cutting means 13, 14 and placed in the storage means 15, 16.

The cleaning means 17, 18 are provided on the left and right sides of the conveying means 12, corresponding to the left and right cutting means 13, 14 and stocking means 15, 16, respectively, and are attached to left and right support frames 76, 77 extending forward and backward and suspended between support frames 19, 20 at the lower front and lower rear ends of the main frame 11. The left and right cleaning means 17, 18 are provided symmetrically about the conveyor 23 extending forward and backward on the conveying means 12, and are generally configured similarly. The configuration of the left cleaning means 17 will be described below. The cleaning means 17 is provided opposite the stocking means 15, and the side viewed from the left side of the first cutting unit 6 (the back of the stocking means 15) will be described as the front.

As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the cleaning means 17 has a support 79 attached horizontally to the top of the support frame 76 via a connecting base 78, an inclined base 80 attached to the top of the support 79, and a base 81 attached to the upper end of the inclined base 80, which slopes low in the front and high in the rear, so that the inclination angle, height, and position can be adjusted.

The cleaning means 17 also includes a cleaning mechanism 82 for cleaning the cutting blade 41 on the left side (right side in Figure 6) of the top surface of a base 81 that slopes low in the front and high in the rear, and a supply mechanism 83 on the right side (left side in Figure 6) of the top surface of the base 81 for supplying detergent for cleaning the cutting blade 41 to the cleaning mechanism 82.

The cleaning mechanism 82 has a slider 84 that extends forward and backward attached to the left side of the top surface of the base 81, and a cleaning tool 86 attached to the upper front end of a slide body 85 that is attached to the top of the slider 84 and can move forward and backward at an incline (horizontally forward and backward relative to the base 81). This cleaning tool 86 has a pair of upper and lower opening/closing bodies 87, 88 that extend left and right and can be opened and closed vertically, and soft cleaning bodies 89, 90 are attached to the opposing surfaces of each opening/closing body 87, 88 (the lower surface of the upper opening/closing body 87 and the upper surface of the lower opening/closing body 88).

The cleaning mechanism 82 advances the cleaner 86 to a preset position using the slider 84 and closes the upper and lower cleaning bodies 89, 90 using the opening and closing bodies 87, 88 of the cleaner 86, thereby sandwiching the cutting blade 41 of the cutting tool 42. The cleaner 86 is then moved back and forth at an angle using the slider 84, causing the cleaning bodies 89, 90 to move along the cutting blade 41 from the base to the tip, and the cleaning bodies 89, 90 remove chips, adhesive, and other deposits from both the front and back of the cutting blade 41, thereby cleaning the cutting blade 41.

The supply mechanism 83 has a slider 91 attached to the right side of the top surface of the base 81, which extends forward and backward, and a supply tool 93 attached to the upper front end of a slide body 92 attached to the top of the slider 91, which is movable at an incline forward and backward (horizontally forward and backward relative to the base 81). A tank containing detergent is connected to this supply tool 93, and a preset amount of detergent is supplied from the tank to the supply tool 93, which is then ejected from a supply needle 94 attached to the supply tool 93, which extends forward and backward.

The supply mechanism 83 then advances the supply tool 93 to a preset position using the slider 91, and then retracts the cleaning tool 86 to a preset position using the slider 84 of the cleaning mechanism 83, while the opening and closing bodies 87, 88 of the cleaning tool 86 close the upper and lower cleaning bodies 89, 90, thereby clamping the supply needle 94 of the supply tool 93 and supplying detergent from the supply needle 94 to the cleaning bodies 89, 90 that are clamping the supply needle 94.

The first cutting unit 6 is configured as described above, and while the conveying means 12 continuously and intermittently conveys cartons 2 one by one, the left and right cutting means 13, 14 move up and down and left and right according to the size of each carton 2, and the left and right cutting means 13, 14 simultaneously press against the upper end of the opposing sides of the carton 2 to cut it.

Furthermore, after cutting a preset number of cartons 2, the first cutting unit 6 replaces the cartridge 40 by placing the cartridge 40 attached to the cutting means 13, 14 on an empty mounting table 75 of the stocking means 15, 16 and attaching the cartridge 40 previously placed on the stocking means 15, 16 to the cutting means 13, 14.

Furthermore, after replacement, the first cutting unit 6 cleans the cutting blade 41 of the cartridge 40 placed on the mounting table 75 of the stock means 15, 16 using the cleaning means 17, 18.

The replacement of the cartridge 40 and the cleaning of the cutting blade 41 can be performed simultaneously on both the left and right cutting means 13, 14, the stock means 15, 16, and the cleaning means 17, 18, or can be performed independently on each side. The cleaning of the cutting blade 41 can also be performed simultaneously with the replacement of the cartridge 40, or simultaneously with the cutting of the carton 2.

The second cutting unit 8, like the first cutting unit 6, cuts the cartons 2, replaces the cartridge 40, and cleans the cutting blade 41; however, while the first cutting unit 6 cuts the upper end of the side of the carton 2 where the inner flap 95 is formed (inner flap 95) as shown in Figure 10(a), the second cutting unit 8 cuts the upper end of the side of the carton 2 where the outer flap 96 is formed (outer flap 96) as shown in Figure 10(b).

For this reason, the position of the cutting blade 41 of the cutting tool 42 in the first cutting unit 6 is adjusted by the respective position adjustment mechanisms 43 so that it is lower than the position of the cutting blade 41 of the cutting tool 42 in the second cutting unit 8.

As explained above, the carton opener 1 is configured to cut the upper edge of the side of the carton 2, where the inner flap 95 is formed, with the cutting blade 41 at a position lower than the upper edge of the side where the outer flap 96 is formed, thereby separating the inner flap 95 together with the outer flap 96 from the side.

As a result, with the carton opener 1 configured as described above, the inner flaps 95, which are folded lower than the outer flaps 96, can also be separated from the side of the carton 2 in the same way as the outer flaps 96. This eliminates the need for the manual opening of the inner flaps 95 that was previously required, reducing the time and effort required to open the carton 2.

The carton opener 1 is configured to cut the upper end portions of a pair of opposing side surfaces on which the inner flaps 95 are formed with the cutting blades 41, 41, and then cut the upper end portions of a pair of opposing side surfaces on which the outer flaps 96 are formed with the cutting blades 41, 41.

As a result, with the carton opener 1 configured as described above, the outer flaps 96, 96 remain formed on the upper edge of the side of the carton 2 even after the inner flaps 95, 95 are cut. Because the cut inner flap 95 is held down by the outer flaps 96, 96 above it, the inner flap 95 does not fall off the carton 2 after cutting, preventing the outer flaps 96, 96 from being cut. This allows the outer flaps 96, 96 to be cut smoothly after the inner flaps 95, 95 are cut.

The carton opener 1 also accommodates the cutting blade 41 in the cartridge 40 via a position adjustment mechanism 43 for adjusting the position of the cutting blade 41, and is configured so that the position of the cutting blade 41 can be adjusted by the position adjustment mechanism 43 when cutting the upper end of the side where the outer flap 96 is formed and when cutting the upper end of the side where the inner flap 95 is formed.

For this reason, with the carton opener 1 configured as described above, the position of the cutting blade 41 can be easily adjusted using the position adjustment mechanism 43 provided on the cartridge 40 depending on whether the outer flap 96 or the inner flap 95 is being cut.

The carton opener 1 also includes cutting means 13, 14 for moving the upper edge of the side of the carton 2 relative to the cutting blade 41 to cut the upper edge of the side with the cutting blade 41, and cleaning means 17, 18 for cleaning the cutting blade 41 provided on the cutting means 13, 14.

As a result, with the carton opener 1 configured as described above, even if chips or adhesive adhere to the cutting blades 41 of the cutting means 13, 14 when cutting cartons 2, the cutting blades 41 can be cleaned with the cleaning means 17, 18, allowing the upper side edges of a large number of cartons 2 to be cut successfully.

The carton opener 1 also has replaceable cartridges 40 containing cutting blades 41 mounted on the cutting means 13, 14, and is also provided with stock means 15, 16 for storing cartridges 40. After the cartridge 40 is replaced, the cutting blades 41 of the cartridges 40 mounted on the stock means 15, 16 are cleaned by cleaning means 17, 18.

For this reason, with the carton opener 1 configured as described above, after replacing the cartridge 40, the cutting means 13, 14 can use the cartridge 40 that was placed in the stock means 15, 16 to cut the carton 2, while the cleaning means 17, 18 can clean the cutting blade 41 of the cartridge 40 placed in the stock means 15, 16. This reduces loss (interruption) of cutting work by the cutting means 13, 14 and allows the cleaning means 17, 18 to efficiently clean the cutting blade 41.

The carton opener 1 also has a pair of cleaning bodies 89, 90 that can be opened and closed by the cleaning means 17, 18 and can move along the cutting blade 41. Detergent can be supplied to the cleaning bodies 89, 90, and the cleaning bodies 89, 90 are moved from the base of the cutting blade 41 toward the tip while sandwiching the cutting blade 41 between the cleaning bodies 89, 90 to which detergent has been supplied, thereby cleaning the cutting blade 41.

As a result, with the carton opener 1 configured as described above, chips and adhesive adhering to the cutting blade 41 can be removed from the cutting blade 41, and the cutting blade 41 can be cleaned well using the cleaning means 17, 18.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Carton opener 2 Carton 3 Incoming conveyor 4 Measuring conveyor 5 First direction changing conveyor 6 First cutting unit 7 Second direction changing conveyor 8 Second cutting unit 9 Outgoing conveyor 10 Control unit
11 main frame 12 conveying means
13,14 Cutting means 15,16 Stocking means
17, 18 Cleaning means 19, 20 Support frame
21, 22 Support 23 Conveyor
24 Support frame 25, 26, 27, 28 Supports
29,30 Horizontal slider 31,32 Vertical slider
33,34 Cutting mechanism 35 Support
36 Cutting section 37 Pressing section
38 Connector 39 Connector
40 Cartridge 41 Cutting blade
42 Cutting tool 43 Position adjustment mechanism
44 Connector 45 Frame
46 Supporting tool 47 Upper pressing tool
48 Side pressure tool 49, 50, 51, 52 Arm
53 driven roller 54 driven shaft
55 Drive roller 56 Drive shaft
57 Drive gear 58 Drive source
59 Drive belt 60,61 Tension roller
62 pressing body 63 belt
64,64 Bracket 65,66 Guide body
67 Roller 68,69 Support frame
70 Slider 71 Slide body
72 support 73 piston
74 Lifting rod 75 Stand
76,77 Support frame 78 Connecting base
79 Support 80 Slope
81 Base 82 Cleaning mechanism
83 Supply mechanism 84 Slider
85 Slide body 86 Cleaning tool
87,88 Opening and closing body 89,90 Cleaning body
91 Slider 92 Slide body
93 Supply tool 94 Supply needle
95 Inner flap 96 Outer flap

Claims (1)

A carton opener that cuts the entire upper edge of the side of a carton with a cutting blade to open the top surface.
As a cutting mechanism for cutting the upper end of the side of the carton, a cutting unit that houses a cutting blade via a position adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the cutting blade in a cartridge is detachably provided on a pressing unit that has a belt that presses the upper end of the side of the carton and a drive source that rotates the belt,
a stock means on which a plurality of cartridges are placed;
The cartridge is configured such that the position of the cutting blade can be adjusted by a position adjustment mechanism depending on whether the cutting blade is to cut the upper end of the side surface where the outer flap is formed or the upper end of the side surface where the inner flap is formed, and is replaceable with a plurality of cartridges placed on the stock means;
The carton is conveyed from front to rear by the conveying means, and the upper end of the side of the carton is cut with a cutting blade while the carton is conveyed from front to rear in an auxiliary manner by rotating a belt that presses the upper end of the side of the carton from above to below by a drive source.
This carton opener is characterized in that it cuts the upper end of the side surface where the inner flap is formed with a cutting blade at a position lower than the upper end of the side surface where the outer flap of the carton is formed, thereby cutting off the inner flap together with the outer flap from the side surface.