JP7817535B2 - Folding device for foldable container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a folding device for a folding container, and more particularly to a folding device for a folding container that folds a foldable folding container.

Today, folding containers are used in the distribution of goods. These folding containers can be assembled to accommodate goods when transporting them, and can be folded to reduce their volume after transport.
Known examples of such folding containers include a bottom plate, a frame body having an opening, a foldable first side plate provided between the bottom plate and the frame body and positioned opposite the bottom plate, and a second side plate provided between the first side plates and swingable relative to the frame body (see FIG. 3).
To change a folding container having the above configuration from an assembled state (FIG. 3(a)) to a folded state, first the second side plate is tilted inward relative to the frame body (FIG. 3(b)), and then the frame body and the bottom plate are brought closer together while the first side plate is bent inward, thereby achieving the folded state (FIG. 3(c)).
A known folding device for folding such a folding container includes a transport means for transporting the assembled folding container with the frame body facing downward, and a pressing means for pressing the second side plate inward of the frame body (Patent Document 1).
In the folding device of Patent Document 1, the pressing means is composed of an endless chain arranged along the conveying means at a position sandwiching the folding container, and pressing members arranged at equal intervals on the chain to press the upper part of the second side plate.
With this configuration, when the second side plate is pressed inward by the pressing member, the second side plate falls inward under its own weight, and at this time the bottom plate from which the second side plate has been separated attempts to fall under its own weight, but by supporting this falling bottom plate from below by the pressing member, the bending of the first side plate does not hinder the second side plate from falling.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-732

However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the pressing member is configured to press the upper part of the second side plate, so there are cases where the pressing member is unable to sufficiently press the second side plate inward as it falls over.
For this reason, in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a release means consisting of multiple spray nozzles and press the second side plate with water sprayed from the spray nozzles, but there has been a demand for a folding device that can fold a foldable container without requiring such a release means.
In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a folding device for a foldable container that can more reliably collapse the second side panel.

That is, the folding device for a folding container according to the invention of claim 1 is a folding device for folding a folding container having a bottom plate, a frame body having an opening formed therein, a foldable first side plate provided between the bottom plate and the frame body and positioned opposite the bottom plate, and a second side plate provided between the first side plate and the first side plate and swingable relative to the frame body,
A folding device for a folding container, comprising: a conveying means for conveying the assembled folding container with the frame facing downward; and a pressing means for pressing the second side plate inwardly of the frame,
a bottom plate support means for supporting a protruding portion of the bottom plate of the foldable container protruding beyond the second side plate from below and outside the foldable container;
the conveying means conveys the folding container so that the second side plate faces a conveying direction of the conveying means;
the bottom plate support means includes a bottom plate support member provided on a transport path for the folding container in the transport means, and a moving means for moving the bottom plate support member between a supported state in which the bottom plate support member protrudes above the transport surface of the transport means to support a protruding portion of the bottom plate, and a retracted state in which the bottom plate support member retracts below the transport surface,
With the bottom plate support means supporting the bottom plate, the pressing means presses the second side plate toward the inside of the frame body, and when the second side plate falls toward the inside of the frame body, the bottom plate support means detaches from the bottom plate.

According to the above invention, a bottom plate supporting means is provided in addition to the pressing means, and supports the protruding portion of the bottom plate that protrudes beyond the second side plate from below and outside the foldable container.
As a result, even if the pressing means presses the second side plate inward and the second side plate separates from the bottom plate, the bottom plate support means supports the bottom plate from below, preventing the first side plate from bending and preventing the second side plate from being hindered from falling over, making it possible to reliably fold the folding container.

1 is a front view of a container cleaning device according to the present embodiment; A perspective view of a folding container 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of changing a foldable container without a lid from an assembled state to a folded state. Front view showing label peeling position Side view showing label peeling position Diagram explaining operation in the folded position Side view showing folded position

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a front view of a container washing device 2 for washing a collapsible container 1. As shown in FIG.
The container cleaning device 2 is configured to transport the folding container 1 by a transport means 3, and along the transport direction of the transport means 3, there are set a supply position A where an operator places the assembled folding container 1, a first cleaning position B where the folding container 1 is cleaned, a label peeling position C where a label attached to the folding container 1 is removed, a second cleaning position D where the folding container 1 is finished cleaned, a folding position E where the assembled folding container 1 is folded, and a discharge position F where the folded folding container 1 is removed.
A housing H is provided from the first cleaning position B to the folding position E so as to cover the conveying means 3 .

The folding container 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The folding container 1 is composed of a rectangular bottom plate 4, a rectangular frame body 5 in which an opening 5a is formed, a foldable first side plate 6 provided between the bottom plate 4 and the frame body 5 and in an opposing position, a second side plate 7 provided between the first side plates 6 and 6 so as to be swingable relative to the frame body 5, and a lid material 8 swingably provided on the frame body 5 and which closes the opening 5a.
2A and 2B show the folding container 1 in an assembled state, with FIG. 2A showing the state in which the lid member 8 is closed, and FIG. 2B showing the state in which the lid member 8 is open.
The lid material 8 is swingably attached to each of the long sides of the rectangular frame body 5, and when closed, the approximately wave-shaped shapes formed at the tip end fit together to close the opening 5a.
On the other hand, when the lid material 8 is swung relative to the frame body 5, the opening 5a of the frame body 5 opens, and the lid material 8 can be opened horizontally relative to the frame body 5, and can also be opened so as to hang down along the first side panel 6.

3A shows the folding container 1 in the assembled state, FIG. 3C shows the folding container 1 in the folded state, and FIG. 3B shows the folding container 1 in the intermediate state. For the sake of explanation, the lid member 8 is omitted from FIG. 3A.
In FIG. 3, the first side plate 6 is located on the long sides of the bottom plate 4 and the frame 5, and its upper and lower ends are connected to the bottom plate 4 and the frame 5 so as to be able to swing relative thereto.
In addition, a hinge 6a is provided in the middle part of the first side plate 6 between the bottom plate 4 and the frame body 5, which bends the first side plate 6 into an L-shape. When the foldable container 1 is folded, the first side plate 6 is bent by the hinge 6a and is accommodated between the approaching bottom plate 4 and frame body 5.

The second side plates 7 are located on the short sides of the bottom plate 4 and the frame body 5, respectively, and their upper ends are connected to the frame body 5 so as to be able to swing, while their lower ends are connected to the bottom plate 4 by engaging protrusions or the like not shown.
In addition, the second side plate 7 is located between the opposing first side plates 6 in the assembled state, thereby preventing the first side plate 6 from bending at the hinge 6a and maintaining the assembled state of the foldable container 1.
The foldable container 1 of this embodiment is configured so that a label L is attached to one of the two second side plates 7 .

To change the foldable container 1 having such a configuration from the assembled state to the folded state, first, the second side plate 7 is swung inward of the foldable container 1 as shown in FIG. 3(b).
When the second side plate 7 falls down until it is parallel to the frame body 5, the second side plate 7 separates from between the first side plate 6 and the first side plate 6, and the first side plate 6 becomes bendable by the hinge 6a.
As the first side plate 6 bends inward in an L-shape, the upper and lower ends of the first side plate 6 also swing relative to the bottom plate 4 and the frame body 5, and ultimately, as shown in Figure 3(c), the folded first side plate 6 is accommodated between the bottom plate 4 and the frame body 5.
In the container cleaning device 2 of this embodiment, the assembled folding container 1 is transported with the opening 5a facing downwards. Therefore, when the second side plate 7 is pressed inward, the second side plate 7 falls under its own weight, and the bottom plate 4 located above falls under its own weight, bending the first side plate 6, and the folding container 1 can be placed in a folded state.

The conveying means 3 includes a first conveying conveyor 11 provided from the supply position A to the second cleaning position D, a second conveying conveyor 12 provided from the folding position E to the discharge position F downstream thereof, and a lid material support member 13 (see Figure 5) provided along the first conveying conveyor 11 and the second conveying conveyor 12 for supporting the lid material 8 of the folding container 1.
The first and second conveyors 11 and 12 are each provided with sprockets 11a and 12a at both ends, chains 11b and 12b stretched in parallel between the sprockets 11a and 12a, and drive means (not shown) for driving the sprockets 11a and 12a.
In this embodiment, the downstream sprocket 11a of the first conveying conveyor 11 and the upstream sprocket 12a of the second conveying conveyor 12 are mounted on the same drive shaft, so that the first conveying conveyor 11 and the second conveying conveyor 12 operate in synchronization.

As shown in Figure 4, the chains 11b that make up the first transport conveyor 11 are arranged at a required interval, and the part of the chain 11b that moves on the upper side forms a transport surface for transporting the folding container 1.
As described above, the folding container 1 is placed on the chain 11b with the opening 5a facing downward, and as shown in Figure 5, the lid material support member 13 is provided at the height of the conveying surface and supports the lid material 8, which is opened approximately 180 degrees, from below, so that the folding container 1 is conveyed from the supply position A to the discharge position F with the lid material 8 in an open state.

Each chain 11b of the first transport conveyor 11 is provided with a plurality of positioning members 14 at predetermined intervals for positioning the folding container 1.
The positioning members 14 are composed of approximately U-shaped members that protrude upward relative to the conveying surface, and the spacing between a pair of positioning members 14 in the conveying direction is set to be approximately the same as the length of the opening 5a of the folding container 1.
With this configuration, when the folding container 1 is placed on the first transport conveyor 11 at the supply position A, the folding container 1 is placed so that the set of positioning members 14 is positioned inside the opening 5 a of the frame 5 .

The first cleaning position B set on the conveying means 3 is provided with a first cleaning means 15 for cleaning the assembled folding containers 1, and in this embodiment, two folding containers 1 are stopped at the first cleaning position B.
The first cleaning means 15 includes a plurality of spray nozzles 15a and a supply means (not shown) for supplying a spray medium to each of the spray nozzles 15a. A cleaning liquid containing a detergent can be used as the spray medium.
The spray nozzles 15a are configured to spray a spray medium onto the outside and inside of the assembled foldable container 1, and although detailed explanation will be omitted, the spray nozzles 15a are provided in a number and arrangement suitable for cleaning the foldable container 1.
In addition, a second cleaning means 16 having a configuration similar to that of the first cleaning means 15 is provided at the second cleaning position D, and at this second cleaning position D, the folding container 1 is rinsed by spraying water as a spray medium from the cleaning nozzle 16a.

A label peeling means 17 for removing the label L attached to the folding container 1 is provided at the label peeling position C set on the first transport conveyor 11, and one folding container 1 is stopped at the label peeling position C.
The label peeling means 17 includes a collapse prevention means 18 that prevents the second side plate 7 of the folding container 1 from collapsing while the label L is being peeled off, an injection nozzle 19 that injects an injection medium onto the second side plate 7 of the folding container 1, a moving means 20 that moves the injection nozzle 19, and a shielding means 21 that prevents the folding container 1 from being damaged by the injected injection medium.
As described above, the label L is affixed to one of the second side plates 7 of the folding container 1, and at the supply position A, the second side plate 7 with the label L affixed thereto is placed so that it faces downstream in the conveying direction of the conveying means 3, so that at the label peeling position C, the label L is positioned downstream in the conveying direction of the folding container 1.

The collapse prevention means 18 includes a downstream collapse prevention member 18a that abuts from the inside against the second side plate 7 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the folding container 1, and an upstream collapse prevention member 18b that abuts from the inside against the second side plate 7 on the upstream side in the conveying direction.
The downstream side anti-tip member 18a is composed of a pair of plate-shaped members arranged in parallel as shown in Figure 5, and is located between the chains 11b that make up the first transport conveyor 11.
In addition, the shape of the tip of the downstream anti-tip member 18a is such that when it comes into contact with the second side plate 7 of the folding container 1 from the inside, the downstream anti-tip member 18a and the second side plate 7 come into line contact in the vertical direction.
Furthermore, a drive shaft 18c is connected to the base end of the downstream anti-tip member 18a, and the drive shaft 18c is arranged below the conveying surface of the first conveying conveyor 11 and is driven by a motor 18d arranged outside the housing H.
By swinging the downstream anti-tip member 18a around the drive shaft 18c, the tip of the downstream anti-tip member 18a protrudes above the conveying surface and abuts against the second side plate 7 from the inside, and moves to a retracted state in which the entire downstream anti-tip member 18a is retracted below the conveying surface.

Like the downstream fall prevention member 18a, the upstream fall prevention member 18b is provided between the chains 11b that make up the first conveying conveyor 11, and by driving the drive shaft 18e provided at its base end by a motor not shown, it is able to move between an abutting state in which it abuts against the second side plate 7 from the inside, and a retracted state in which it is retracted below the conveying surface.
In this embodiment, the upstream anti-tip member 18b is a bent rod-shaped member, and when the upstream anti-tip member 18b is positioned in an activated state, the tip of the upstream anti-tip member 18b comes into contact with the second side plate 7 on the upstream side of the conveying direction of the folding container 1 from the inside.
In addition, the shape of the upstream anti-tip member 18b may be configured in the same manner as the downstream anti-tip member 18a, and if positioning is properly performed by the positioning member 14 provided on the first conveying conveyor 11, the upstream anti-tip member 18b may be omitted.

The spray nozzle 19 is provided on the transport path of the folding container 1 by the first transport conveyor 11, and is provided at a position adjacent to the downstream side of the position where the folding container 1 stops at the label peeling position C.
In addition, the spray nozzle 19 of this embodiment sprays the spray medium toward the upstream side in the conveying direction, thereby peeling off the label L attached to the surface of the folding container 1 on the downstream side in the conveying direction.
In this way, since the spray nozzle 19 in this embodiment is provided on the transport path of the folding container 1, it is moved vertically up and down by the moving means 20, thereby moving between a spraying state in which the spray medium is sprayed onto the label L on the second side plate 7, and a retracted state in which the folding container 1 can pass through.
The injection nozzle 19 of this embodiment is composed of a nozzle body 19a connected to a supply means not shown, and a plurality of nozzles 19b provided in the nozzle body 19a, and by fixing the nozzles 19b facing in a plurality of directions, the injection medium is dispersed and injected.
The spray nozzle 19 sprays water as a spray medium at high pressure to remove the label L attached to the second side plate 7, but a liquid mixed with gas or powder may also be used as the spray medium.

The moving means 20 comprises rotating shafts 20a provided above and below the first transport conveyor 11, a motor 20b provided outside the housing H for driving the rotating shafts 20a, a chain 20c stretched between sprockets provided on each of the upper and lower rotating shafts 20a, and a holding member 20d provided on the chain 20c and to which the nozzle body 19a of the injection nozzle 19 is fixed.
With the above configuration, when the motor 20b drives the rotary shaft 20a, the injection nozzle 19 moves up and down integrally with the holding member 20d.
When the spray nozzle 19 is moved to the retracted state by the moving means 20 , the foldable container 1 being transported by the transport means 3 can pass below the spray nozzle 19 .
On the other hand, when the moving means 20 lowers the spray nozzle 19 from the retracted position, the spray nozzle 19 enters an injection state in which the spray medium sprayed by the spray nozzle 19 is sprayed onto the folding container 1, and the moving means 20 lowers the spray nozzle 19 to a lowered position near the height of the conveying surface as shown by the dashed line in Figure 4.

The shielding means 21 is provided at a position adjacent to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the folding container 1 stopped at the label peeling position C as shown in Figure 4, and is composed of a plate-shaped shielding plate 21a and a driving means 21b that moves the shielding plate 21a up and down.
The shielding plate 21a is arranged to be swingable around a drive shaft that constitutes a drive means 21b provided below the conveying surface of the first conveying conveyor 11, and the drive means 21b moves the shielding plate 21a between a shielding state in which it protrudes above the conveying surface and a retracted state in which it is retracted below the conveying surface.
More specifically, when the shielding plate 21a is in the shielding state, it is positioned between the spray nozzle 19 that has descended to the lowered position and the connecting portion between the frame body 5 and the second side plate 7 of the folding container 1 that has stopped at the label peeling position C.
This prevents the connection portion between the frame 5 and the second side plate 7 of the foldable container 1 from being damaged by the injection medium injected at high pressure from the injection nozzle 19 .
When the injection nozzle 19 is retracted to the retracted state, the shielding plate 21a also moves to the retracted state below the conveying surface, and even if the folding container 1 is subsequently moved by the first conveying conveyor 11, collision with the shielding plate 21a is prevented.

Next, the folding means 31 as a folding device according to the present invention provided at the folding position E will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the folding means 31, and Figure 7 is a side view of the folding position E.
The second conveyor 12 that passes through the folding position E is not provided with a positioning member 14 like the first conveyor 11, and the folding container 1 cleaned by the second cleaning means 16 is transferred from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12 while maintaining its assembled state.

The folding means 31 includes a bottom plate support means 32 that supports the bottom plate 4, a positioning means 33 that positions the folding container 1 together with the bottom plate support means 32, and a pressing means 34 that is provided above and presses the second side plate 7 of the folding container 1 inward.
The bottom plate support means 32 includes a bottom plate support member 35 provided adjacent to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the folding container 1 stopped at the folding position E by the second conveying conveyor 12, and a moving means 36 for moving the bottom plate support member 35.
As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom plate support member 35 is composed of a pair of members arranged in parallel, and as shown in FIG. 6, a hook-shaped support portion 35a is formed at the tip of each member.
The moving means 36 is composed of a drive shaft 36a that swings the bottom plate support member 35 and a motor 36b that drives the drive shaft 36a, and the drive shaft 36a is provided below the conveying surface of the chain 12b that constitutes the second conveying conveyor 12.

With this configuration, when the drive shaft 36a is driven by the motor 36b, the bottom plate support member 35 swings and moves between a supporting state (Figures 6(a) to (d)) in which it protrudes above the conveying surface and supports the bottom plate 4, and a retracted state (Figure 6(e)) in which it is retracted below the conveying surface.
Here, in the assembled folding container 1, a step is formed between the bottom plate 4 and the second side plate 7, and specifically, the bottom plate 4 has protruding portions 4a formed in both the front and rear directions of the conveying direction relative to the second side plate 7 (see Figure 6 (A)).
When the bottom plate support member 35 is in the supported state, the support portion 35a of the bottom plate support member 35 is located below the protruding portion 4a of the bottom plate 4, preventing the bottom plate 4 from falling.

The positioning means 33 is provided upstream in the conveying direction of the folding container 1 stopped at the folding position E by the second conveying conveyor 12, and is equipped with a positioning member 37 that is swingably provided and a moving means 38 that moves the positioning member 37.
The moving means 38 is composed of a drive shaft 38a that swings the positioning member 37 and a motor (not shown) that drives the drive shaft 38a, and the drive shaft 38a is provided below the conveying surface of the chain 12b that constitutes the second conveying conveyor 12.
With this configuration, when the drive shaft 38a is driven by the motor, the positioning member 37 swings and moves between a retracted state in which it is retracted below the conveying surface (Figures 6(a) and (e)), and a positioned state in which it protrudes above the conveying surface and abuts against the folding container 1 from the upstream side in the conveying direction (Figures 6(b) to (d)).
When the positioning member 37 is in the positioning state, the frame body 5 of the folding container 1 is clamped between the bottom plate support member 35 in the supporting state and the positioning member 37 from the upstream and downstream sides in the conveying direction, thereby preventing the folding container 1 from shifting out of position.

The pressing means 34 is provided above the folding container 1 stopped at the folding position E by the second conveying conveyor 12, and is equipped with a pair of pressing members 39 that are swingably provided, and a moving means 40 that moves the pressing members 39.
As shown in Figure 6, the pressing member 39 is arranged to press the second side plates 7 on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction of the folding container 1, and as shown in Figure 7, the pressing member 39 is composed of a pair of members arranged in parallel.
The pressing member 39 has a shape that is bent in a roughly L-shape, and is shaped so that when the second side plate 7 is pressed inward as shown in Figure 6 (c), the pressing member 39 does not come into contact with the bottom plate 4.
The moving means 40 is composed of a drive shaft 40a that oscillates the pressing member 39 and a motor 40b that drives the drive shaft 40a, and the drive shaft 40a is positioned above the folding container 1 transported by the second transport conveyor 12.
With this configuration, when the drive shaft 40a is driven by the motor 40b, the pressing member 39 swings and moves between a retracted state (Figures 6(a)(b)(d)(e)) in which it is retracted above the folding container 1 and a pressing state (Figure 6(c)) in which it presses the second side plate 7 of the folding container 1 inward.
When the pressing member 39 is positioned in a retracted state, the assembled folding container 1 can be moved to the folding position E without coming into contact with the pressing member 39, and when the pressing member 39 is moved to the pressing state, the tip of the pressing member 39 presses the second side plate 7 toward the inside of the folding container 1.

The operation of the container cleaning device 2 having the above-described configuration will now be described. First, an operator assembles a used folding container 1 and places it at the supply position A of the conveying means 3 with the frame 5 facing downward.
At this time, the folding container 1 is placed so that a set of positioning members 14 provided on the first transport conveyor 11 is positioned inside the opening 5a formed in the frame 5 of the folding container 1, and the folding container 1 is positioned.
The worker also places the second side panel 7 of the folding container 1, with the label L affixed to it, facing downstream in the conveying direction of the conveying means 3, and also places the lid materials 8 in an open state, and places each lid material 8 on top of a lid material support member 13 provided along the conveying means 3.

The first transport conveyor 11 moves the folding container 1 placed at the supply position A to the first cleaning position B while maintaining the assembled state, and at this time, the lid material 8 is supported from below by the lid material support member 13, so the lid material 8 is transported while maintaining an open state.
When the folding container 1 moves intermittently to two first cleaning positions B and stops, the multiple spray nozzles 15a constituting the first cleaning means 15 spray the spray medium at each stopping position to clean the folding container 1.

After cleaning at the first cleaning position B, the folding container 1 is moved by the first transport conveyor 11 to the label peeling position C downstream while maintaining the assembled state.
When the folding container 1 stops at the label peeling position C, the collapse prevention means 18 of the label peeling means 17 is activated, and the downstream collapse prevention member 18a and the upstream collapse prevention member 18b, which were in a retracted state, move to their supporting states.
As a result, the downstream anti-tip member 18a and the upstream anti-tip member 18b each come into contact with the two second side plates 7 of the folding container 1 from the inside, preventing the second side plates 7 from tipping over.
Subsequently, the label peeling means 17 is activated, the spray nozzle 19 is lowered from the retracted state by the moving means 20 and moved to the spraying state, and the spray medium is sprayed from the spray nozzle 19.
The spray nozzle 19 is lowered to a lowered position by the moving means 20, and then rises toward the retracted state, during which the label L affixed to the second side plate 7 is removed by the spray medium sprayed by the spray nozzle 19.
At this time, the second side plate 7 is pressed inward by the pressure of the injection medium injected from the injection nozzle 19, but since the downstream anti-collapse member 18a is in contact with the inner side of the second side plate 7, the second side plate 7 does not collapse inward, and the assembled state of the folding container 1 is maintained.
Furthermore, since the downstream anti-collapse member 18a is in line contact with the second side plate 7 in the vertical direction, the second side plate 7 is prevented from being deformed by the pressure of the ejection medium, making it possible to reliably remove the label L.

On the other hand, when the injection nozzle 19 starts to descend by the moving means 20, the shielding means 21 is actuated, and the driving means 21b moves the shielding plate 21a from the retracted state to the shielding state.
As a result, when the injection nozzle 19 descends to the lowered position, the injection medium injected from the injection nozzle 19 is blocked by the shielding plate 21a, thereby preventing the connecting portion 7a between the frame body 5 and the second side plate 7 from being damaged by the high-pressure injection medium.

When the injection nozzle 19 rises from the lowered position to the retracted state, the injection of the injection medium from the injection nozzle 19 stops, and at the same time, the shielding plate 21a of the shielding means 21 moves to the retracted state.
Furthermore, when the downstream anti-tip member 18a and the upstream anti-tip member 18b of the anti-tip means 18 move from the support state to the retracted state, the first transport conveyor 11 moves the folding container 1, which remains in the assembled state, to the second cleaning position D.

When the collapsible container 1 is moved to the second cleaning position D, the multiple spray nozzles 16a that make up the second cleaning means 16 are cleaned with water as the spray medium, and the collapsible container 1 is rinsed.

When cleaning is completed at the second cleaning position D, the folding container 1 transported on the first transport conveyor 11 is transferred to the second transport conveyor 12 while remaining in the assembled state, and is then moved to the folding position E by the second transport conveyor 12.
As shown in Figure 6 (a), the bottom plate support means 32 constituting the folding means 31 positions the bottom plate support member 35 in a supported state by the moving means 36, while the positioning means 33 and the pressing means 34 are in a retracted state.
As a result, the folding container 1 transported by the second transport conveyor 12 collides with the bottom plate support member 35 from the upstream side in the transport direction and stops without coming into contact with the positioning member 37 or the pressing member 39.
When the foldable container 1 is stopped by the bottom plate support member 35 , the support portion 35 a of the bottom plate support member 35 is positioned below the protruding portion 4 a of the bottom plate 4 of the foldable container 1 .

Next, as shown in Figure 6 (b), the positioning member 37 of the positioning means 33 moves from the retracted state to the positioning state, whereby the frame 5 of the folding container 1 is clamped from the upstream and downstream sides in the conveying direction and positioned.
Next, as shown in Figure 6 (c), the pressing means 34 changes from the retracted state to the pressing state, whereby the pressing member 39 presses the second side plates 7 located upstream and downstream in the conveying direction of the folding container 1 inward.
The second side plate 7 is provided so as to be swingable relative to the frame body 5, so that when pressed by the pressing member 39, the second side plate 7 swings and falls around the connecting portion with the frame body 5.
Here, when the second side plate 7 swings and separates from the bottom plate 4, the bottom plate 4 attempts to fall downward due to its own weight, but the bottom plate support member 35 supports the protruding portion 4a of the bottom plate 4 from below, preventing the bottom plate 4 from falling.

Figure 6 (d) shows the state in which the pressing means 34 has moved to the retracted state, and at the same time shows the state in which the second side plate 7 pressed by the pressing member 39 has fallen toward the inside of the folding container 1 due to its own weight.
At this time, the bottom plate support member 35 prevents the bottom plate 4 from falling, so the first side plate 6 can be maintained in an unbent state, and the first side plate 6 does not hinder the second side plate 7 from falling down.
Figure 6(e) shows the state in which the bottom plate support means 32 has been retracted from the supporting state, and as the bottom plate support member 35 detaches from the bottom plate 4, the bottom plate 4 falls downward under its own weight, causing the first side plate 6 to bend inward, and the foldable container 1 to enter a folded state.
At the same time, the positioning means 33 also retracts, and then the second transport conveyor 12 transports the folded foldable container 1 to the discharge position F, where it is removed by an operator.

According to the container washing apparatus 2 having the above-described configuration, the assembled foldable container 1 is conveyed with the second side plate 7 to which the label L is affixed directed downstream in the conveying direction.
This makes it possible to transport the lid material 8 of the folding container 1 in an open state in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport means 3, preventing interference between the lid materials 8 of adjacent folding containers 1 on the upstream and downstream sides.
On the other hand, in the folding position E, the bottom plate support means 32 first supports the protruding portion 4a of the bottom plate 4 of the assembled folding container 1 from below, and when the pressing means 34 presses the second side plate 7 inward in this state, the second side plate 7 that has detached from the bottom plate 4 falls down without being hindered by the bent first side plate 6.
In particular, since the bottom plate support means 32 supports the protruding portion 4a of the bottom plate 4, the pressing member 39 of the pressing means 34 can reliably press the second side plate 7 to a position where it collapses, eliminating the need for a release means such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1.
Furthermore, when folding the foldable container 1 using the folding means 31, the foldable container 1 is clamped between the bottom plate support member 35 and the positioning means 33, making it possible to reliably press the second side plate 7 using the pressing means 34.

In the above embodiment, a folding container 1 having a lid member 8 is cleaned, but a folding container 1 not having such a lid member 8 can also be cleaned.
In the above embodiment, the bottom plate support means 32 is provided downstream of the folding container 1 at the folding position E, but the bottom plate support means 32 may be provided upstream of the folding container 1 in the conveying direction, and the positioning means 33 may be provided downstream in the conveying direction.
In this case, at the folding position E, the positioning member 37 of the positioning means 33 is first placed in a positioning state, and when the folding container 1 abuts against the positioning member 37, the bottom plate support member 35 is placed in a supporting state to support the protruding portion 4a of the bottom plate 4.
Furthermore, the positioning means 33 in the above embodiment may be provided in place of the bottom plate support means 32. With this configuration, the protruding portion 4a of the bottom plate 4 can be supported from below from both the upstream and downstream sides in the conveying direction. Even in this case, the folding container 1 can be positioned by being sandwiched between the two bottom plate support members 35 from both the upstream and downstream sides.

The motors that drive the downstream side fall prevention member 18a and the upstream side fall prevention member 18b that constitute the fall prevention means 18 can be of a conventionally known configuration, for example, a combination of an air cylinder and a lever.
Similarly, the driving means 21b for driving the shielding plate 21a, the moving means 36 for the bottom plate support means 32, the moving means 38 for the positioning means 33, and the moving means 40 for the pressing means 34, which constitute the folding means 31, can also be of a conventionally known configuration, for example, a combination of air cylinders and levers.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Foldable container 2 Container cleaning device 3 Conveying means 4 Bottom plate 4a Protruding portion 6 First side plate 7 Second side plate 31 Folding means (folding device)
32 Bottom plate supporting means 33 Positioning means 34 Pressing means 35 Bottom plate supporting member 36 Moving means 37 Positioning member 38 Moving means 39 Pressing member

Claims (2)

A folding container folding device for folding a folding container having a bottom plate, a frame body having an opening formed therein, a foldable first side plate provided between the bottom plate and the frame body and positioned opposite the bottom plate, and a second side plate provided between the first side plate and the first side plate and swingable relative to the frame body,
A folding device for a folding container, comprising: a conveying means for conveying the assembled folding container with the frame facing downward; and a pressing means for pressing the second side plate inwardly of the frame,
a bottom plate support means for supporting a protruding portion of the bottom plate of the foldable container protruding beyond the second side plate from below and outside the foldable container;
the conveying means conveys the folding container so that the second side plate faces a conveying direction of the conveying means;
the bottom plate support means includes a bottom plate support member provided on a transport path for the folding container in the transport means, and a moving means for moving the bottom plate support member between a supported state in which the bottom plate support member protrudes above the transport surface of the transport means to support a protruding portion of the bottom plate, and a retracted state in which the bottom plate support member retracts below the transport surface,
A folding device for a folding container, characterized in that, while the bottom plate support means supports the bottom plate, the pressing means presses the second side plate toward the inside of the frame body, and when the second side plate falls toward the inside of the frame body, the bottom plate support means detaches from the bottom plate. the bottom plate support means is provided on either the upstream side or the downstream side of the conveying means in the conveying direction of the foldable container,
2. The folding device for a folding container according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning means for clamping the folding container between the bottom plate support member positioned in the supporting state and the positioning means on the opposite side of the folding container from the bottom plate support means.