JP7823901B2 - Laminated sheet take-out and supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stacked sheet take-out and supply device that picks up stacked sheets such as cardboard sheets and supplies them to a boxing machine such as a cardboard caser.

As disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is known a device that picks up stacks of sheets, such as cardboard sheets, stacked on a pallet in units of several sheets and supplies them as a sheet bundle to a caser, cartoner, or other boxing machine.

Patent No. 5918157 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-11835

In the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when stacks are transferred onto a pallet in a stacked state using, for example, a lift, misalignment can occur in the stacked sheets. Once a sheet has shifted, it is extremely difficult to correct the shift, and it is necessary to handle the sheet in a way that prevents it from shifting again. Furthermore, if a sheet is picked up from a misaligned stack and transferred to the sheet supply section of a boxing machine, there is a risk of sheet transport problems in the boxing machine.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stacked sheet take-out and supply device that can efficiently pick up sheets from a stack of sheets and efficiently supply sheets to the sheet hopper of a boxing machine.

The laminated sheet take-out and supply device of the invention according to claim 1 of the present application comprises:
A stacked sheet take-out and supply device that picks up the topmost sheet (10) of a stacked sheet (11) placed on a table (24) one by one by a suction means (19) and supplies the topmost sheet (10) to a sheet hopper (12) of an adjacent boxing machine,
positional deviation detection means (16, 17, 18) for detecting a positional deviation of the uppermost sheet (10) in a horizontal plane;
a first moving means (20) for moving the suction means (19) that has picked up the sheet (10) back and forth in a first direction in which the suction means (19) moves laterally toward the sheet hopper (12), and a second moving means (21) for moving the suction means (19) back and forth in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
a sheet detection means (22) for detecting the amount of stacking of the laminated sheet (11);
a lifter (23) for varying the support height of the table (24) so as to adjust the height of the upper surface of the stacked sheets (11) to a predetermined height based on the amount of stacked sheets (10) detected by the sheet detection means (22);
Each time the uppermost sheet (10) is picked up, the suction means (19) is moved by the first moving means (20) and the second moving means (21) to a sheet suction position (G) determined for each type of sheet (10) in accordance with the sheet position detected by the position deviation detection means (16, 17, 18), and the sheet (10) is sucked and picked up, and the sheet (10) is transported to a predetermined position above the sheet hopper (12).
In the invention according to claim 1, when a sheet is picked up one by one from the stack of sheets, the positional deviation of the sheet is detected each time and the suction means is moved to a sheet suction position determined for each type of sheet to adsorb the sheet, so that even if the sheet is misaligned, the sheet can be picked up properly. Also, even if the sheets stacked on a pallet or other table are misaligned, the suction means corrects its position so that the sheet is adsorbed and picked up at the correct position. Therefore, even if the stack of sheets is misaligned or misaligned relative to the table, the sheet can be properly picked up and delivered to the sheet hopper of the box packing machine.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the positional deviation detection means (18) for detecting either the front or rear end of the sheet (10) in the first direction is provided on the moving section (34) which moves together with the suction means (19) by the first moving means (20).
According to the invention of claim 2, since the positional deviation detection means is provided in the moving section that moves together with the suction means by the first moving means, the positional relationship between the suction means and the positional deviation detection means is always constant, and the suction means can be accurately positioned at the sheet suction position. Furthermore, the positional deviation detection means can detect one edge of the sheet during the return process after the first moving means has transported the sheet to the sheet hopper, thereby determining the positional deviation of the sheet. This allows for good deviation detection without changing the position of the positional deviation detection means even when sheets of different sizes are used interchangeably. Furthermore, the positional deviation detection means for only one of the forward and backward movement directions in the first direction can effectively detect positional deviation of sheets that are symmetrical in the forward and backward directions in the first direction.

In the invention of claim 3, the adsorption means (19) is provided with adsorption bodies (19a, 19b) spaced apart at the front and rear in the second direction, and is provided with the second moving means (21) that can move the adsorption bodies (19a, 19b) independently back and forth, and is characterized in that the positional deviation detection means (16, 17) that detects the front and rear ends of the sheet (10) that are at the front and rear in the second direction are provided on a moving section (30) that is moved by the second moving means (21) together with each adsorption body (19a, 19b).
According to the invention of claim 3, a positional deviation detection means is provided on each moving section that moves together with the adsorbent by the second moving means that moves each adsorbent independently in the second direction.Therefore, even for sheets where the center of the loading table does not coincide with the center of the stacked sheets in the second direction, the positional deviation of each sheet can be detected in response to the placement deviation, and each adsorbent that moves away in the second direction can be positioned in the appropriate position in response to the deviation, thereby allowing the sheets to be removed one by one successfully.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that it includes lifting means (29a, 29b) for independently lifting and lowering the attracting bodies (19a, 19b) spaced apart in the second direction, and the lifting means (29a, 29b) start lifting the attracting bodies (19a, 19b) at different times to pick up the sheet (10).
According to the invention of claim 4, the timing at which the adsorption bodies moving away from each other in the second direction start to rise is varied to tilt the sheet before picking it up, thereby preventing poor lifting such as negative pressure being generated between the sheet being picked up and the sheet below, causing the sheet to overlap with the lower sheet and be lifted up, and the top sheet can be separated well from the sheets below, allowing only one sheet to be picked up.

The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that a receiving portion (43) capable of supporting the sheet (10) dropped and supplied from the suction means (19) is provided above the sheet hopper (12), and an alignment means (44) for positioning the front and rear side edges of the sheet (10) supported by the receiving portion (43) in the first and second directions.
According to the invention of claim 5, the sheet supplied from the suction means is received by the receiving section above the sheet hopper, and the front and rear edges of the sheet in the first and second directions are positioned by the alignment means, so that even if the posture of the sheet changes when it is received by the receiving section from the suction means, the sheet can be supplied to the sheet hopper centered.

In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the receiving portion (43) is configured by a gate (45) capable of closing a passageway for the sheets to fall onto the upper part of the stack of sheets in the sheet hopper (12).
According to the invention of claim 6, the sheet transported to the top of the sheet hopper by the suction means is first received and aligned by a receiving section that blocks the fall passage, and then the gate is opened to allow the sheet to fall to the top of the stack of sheets in the sheet hopper.This shortens the fall distance, suppresses changes in the sheet's posture up to the sheet hopper, and prevents poor delivery.

In the invention of claim 7, the alignment means (44) is characterized by including edge alignment guides (48, 49a, 49b) that press the outsides of the front and rear side edges of the sheet (10) in the first and second directions, respectively, and drive means (51, 53) that operate the edge alignment guides (48, 49a, 49b).
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the position of the sheet can be corrected to coincide with the center of placement on the sheet hopper, and the sheet can be dropped and supplied to the sheet hopper in a state where it is positioned at an appropriate position.

According to this invention, when picking up sheets one by one, the positional deviation of the sheet is detected and, depending on the amount of deviation, the suction means is moved to a sheet suction position determined for the sheet, thereby reducing the occurrence of picking errors. Furthermore, sheets can be supplied smoothly to the sheet hopper of the boxing machine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the take-out supply device. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the take-out supply device. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a take-out feeding device. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between a positional deviation detection unit, a reference placement position, and a sheet adsorption position;

Next, a preferred embodiment of the laminated sheet take-out and supply device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the take-out/feeding device of this embodiment picks up sheets 10 one by one from the top of a stack 11 of unfolded sheets 10, such as cardboard sheets, and supplies them to a sheet hopper 12 of a boxing machine. The sheets 10 are unfolded sheets before being made into a box by the boxing machine. As shown in FIG. 2, the arrangement direction of the four panels that make up the body of the box, namely, the bottom panel 13, the side panels 14, 14, and the top panel 15, is referred to as the front-to-back direction (second direction), and the direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction, along which the flaps 13a, 14a, 14a, 15a connected to each panel 13, 14, 14, 15 extend, is referred to as the left-to-right direction (first direction). A glued flap 15b is connected to the top panel 15 on the side opposite to the side to which the side panel 14 is connected. In addition, fold lines K are formed at the connecting portions of each panel 13, 14, 15 and flaps 13a, 14a, 15a, 15b, and slits are formed between adjacent flaps 13a, 14a, 14a, 15a in the front-to-rear direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the take-out and supply device comprises positional deviation detection means 16, 17, 18 that detect positional deviation in the horizontal plane of the topmost sheet 10 of the stacked sheets 11 that has been sent to the pallet station P and placed on the pallet (mounting table) 24; a suction means 19 that adsorbs and picks up the topmost sheet 10; a left-right movement means (first movement means) 20 that moves the suction means 19 back and forth (horizontally, back and forth in the first direction, which is the sheet supply direction) between the pallet station P and the adjacent sheet hopper 12; and a front-back movement means (second movement means) 21, 21 that moves in a direction perpendicular to the left-right movement means 20 (second direction); and a lifter 23 that changes the support height of the pallet 24 so as to maintain the top end position (top surface height) of the stacked sheets 11 at a predetermined height due to reduction in the stacked sheets 11 based on detection by a sheet detection means 22, such as a photoelectric sensor, that detects the top end position of the sheets 10 in the stacked sheets 11. The take-out supply device then uses the left-right movement means 20 and the front-rear movement means 21, 21 to move and align the suction means 19 to sheet suction position G, which is determined to correspond to different types of sheets 10, depending on the sheet position detected by the misalignment detection means 16, 17, 18, taking into account differences in the size of the flaps and panels of the sheets 10, the sheet thickness, the positional relationship with the flaps and fold lines, and other differences in box sizes. The take-out supply device then uses the left-right movement means 20 to move the suction means 19 to pick up the top sheet 10, and uses the left-right movement means 20 to position the suction means 19 above the sheet hopper 12 so that the left-right center of the sheet 10 is aligned with the left-right center of the sheet hopper 12. The suction of the sheet 10 by the suction means 19 is then released, allowing the sheet 10 to be supplied to the sheet hopper 12.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the lifter 23 comprises a pair of lifting members 25, 25 that support from below the front and rear edges of the pallet 24 on which the stacked sheets 11 are placed, and a pair of linear slide mechanisms 27, 27 driven by a servo motor 26 so that each lifting member 25 can be raised and lowered. The lifter 23 is also configured so that the sheet detection means 22 detects the amount of stacked sheets 10 and changes (varies) the support height of the pallet 24, thereby adjusting the height level (upper position, top surface height) of the topmost sheet 10 of the stacked sheets 11 to a predetermined position.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a sheet transfer device 28 is provided above a pallet 24 supported by a lifter 23 in the pallet station P. The sheet transfer device 28 is provided with an adsorption means 19 having two sets of adsorption bodies 19a, 19b spaced apart in the front-rear direction. The sheet transfer device 28 includes a front-rear movement means 21 that moves the front adsorption body 19a and the rear adsorption body 19b independently in the front-rear direction, and a left-right movement means 20 that moves the front adsorption body 19a and the rear adsorption body 19b together in the left-right direction. The front-rear movement means 21 includes a front-rear slide mechanism 32 driven by a servo motor 31, which moves a holder (moving unit) 30 that is provided with elevating means 29a, 29b, such as an air cylinder, that raises and lowers the adsorption means 19. Each of the front-rear slide mechanisms 32 is provided with a front adsorption body 19a and a rear adsorption body 19b that are spaced apart in the left-right direction and are arranged on a support member 33. The front and rear lifting means 29a, 29b are configured to pick up the sheet 10 by varying the timing at which either the front or rear attraction body 19a, 19b that has attracted the sheet 10, starts to rise. The front-rear movement means 21, 21 are arranged spaced apart in the front-rear direction on the slide member (moving section) 34, and the front-rear movement means 21, 21 are configured to move together in the left-right direction by moving the slide member 34 using the left-right movement means 20. The left-right movement means 20 includes a left-right slide mechanism 36 that supports the slide member 34 so that it can move left-right. It is driven by a servo motor 35.

As shown in Figure 3, each of the holders 30 moved by the forward/backward movement means 21, 21 is integrally provided with a positional deviation detection means 16, 17 such as a photoelectric sensor that can detect the front edge (front end) or rear edge (rear end) of the topmost sheet 10 in the stacked sheets 11. Furthermore, a positional deviation detection means 18 such as a photoelectric sensor that can detect one of the left-right side edges of the topmost sheet 10 in the stacked sheets 11 (the right edge (right end) in the illustrated example)) is integrally provided with the slide member 34 moved by the left-right movement means 20. The three positional deviation detection means 16, 17, 18 will be distinguished by referring to the positional deviation detection means disposed on the holder 30 of the front front-rear movement means 21 as the front positional deviation detection means 16, the positional deviation detection means disposed on the holder 30 of the rear front-rear movement means 21 as the rear positional deviation detection means 17, and the positional deviation detection means disposed on the slide member 34 of the left-right movement means 20 as the left-right positional deviation detection means 18. In the take-out supply device, detection signals from the three positional deviation detection means 16, 17, 18 are input to a control unit not shown. The left-right position deviation detection means 18 consists of two sensors 18a, 18a arranged at a distance in the front-to-rear direction relative to an attachment member 37 that is disposed on the slide member 34 and extends in the front-to-rear direction. The control unit determines the position of the right edge of the sheet 10 by using the sensors 18a, 18a, which are moved by the left-to-right movement means 20, to detect the right edge of the sheet 10 with one sensor 18a, and then immediately detect the right edge of the sheet 10 with the other sensor 18a, which is spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction.

4, in this embodiment, the preferred sheet suction position G at which the sheet 10 is suctioned by the suction means 19 is input and set as numerical data relating to the distance from the right edge, front edge, and rear edge of the sheet 10. The sheet suction position G is the position at which the flaps 13a, 14a, 15a, 15b and the panels 13, 14, 15 that do not face the fold line K are suctioned, and is set for each type of sheet 10. Then, depending on the position of the right edge of the sheet 10 (sheet position) detected by the left-right position deviation detection means 18, the left-right movement means 20 is controlled to move the suction bodies 19a, 19b a distance based on the set data, and position them left-right to match the sheet suction position G. Furthermore, the front-rear movement means 21, 21 are operated and controlled in response to the positions (sheet position) of the front and rear edges of the sheet 10 detected by the front positional deviation detection means 16 and the rear positional deviation detection means 17, to move the front and rear attractors 19a, 19b a distance based on set data and align the front-rear position with the sheet attraction position G. The attraction means 19, aligned in the front-rear and left-right directions, is then lowered, whereby the sheet 10 is attracted to the sheet attraction position G by the attraction means 19. The attraction means 19, aligned in the left-right direction with the sheet attraction position G, is then moved by the left-right movement means 20 to a position where the center of the attracted sheet 10 in the left-right direction is aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 12. It is more preferable that the attraction means 19 be moved by the front-rear movement means 21, 21, to correct the position of the center of the sheet 10 in the front-rear direction to a position aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 12 in the front-rear direction before the attraction means 19 transfers the sheet 10 to the predetermined position in the sheet hopper 12.

When changing the suction position of the sheet 10 to accommodate different sheet sizes or other types during product type setting, data is input and set regarding the distance from the positions of the right edge, front edge, and rear edge of the sheet 10, as determined during product type setting, to the sheet suction position G determined for the sheet 10.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sheet hopper 12 of the box packing machine is disposed adjacent to one side of the lifter 23. The sheet hopper 12 extends upward from a support member 38 that supports the sheets 10 from below, and is configured to open upward from front-to-rear regulating members 39, 39 (only one shown) arranged opposite and spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, and left-to-right regulating members 40, 40 arranged opposite and spaced apart in the left-to-right direction. The front-to-rear and left-to-right regulating members 39, 39, 40, 40 regulate the position of the corresponding edges of the sheet 10, thereby aligning the front-to-rear and left-to-right centers of the sheet 10 with the front-to-rear and left-to-right centers of the sheet hopper 12. The front-to-rear regulating members 39, 39 and left-to-right regulating members 40, 40 are configured to be position adjustable by corresponding front-to-rear adjustment means 41 and left-to-right adjustment means 42 according to the size of the sheet 10.

1 and 2, above the sheet hopper 12, there is provided a receiving portion 43 that temporarily supports the sheet 10 transferred by the sheet transfer device 28, and an alignment means 44 that positions the front, rear, left, and right side edges of the sheet 10 so that the center of the sheet 10 supported by the receiving portion 43 is aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 12. The receiving portion 43 has gates 45, 45 consisting of a pair of horizontally movable bars that are spaced apart in the left-right direction, which is the short direction of the sheet 10, to close the path for the sheet 10 to fall to the top of the stack of sheets in the sheet hopper 12. The gates 45, 45 are moved by an opening/closing mechanism 47 driven by a servo motor 46 between a support position where they approach each other to support the sheet 10 from below and an open position where they are spaced apart to allow the sheet 10 to fall. The alignment means 44 has front and rear guides (edge alignment guides) 48, 48 that face each other in the front-rear direction, and left and right guides (edge alignment guides) 49a, 49b that face each other in the left-right direction. The front and rear guides 48, 48 facing each other in the front-to-rear direction are configured to be pushed by a front-to-rear movement mechanism (drive means) 51 driven by a servo motor 50 from an outer position of the sheet 10 supported by the gates 45, 45, to press both front and rear edge portions of the sheet 10 to align it with the front-to-rear center of the sheet hopper 12. The left and right guides 49a, 49b facing each other in the left-to-right direction comprise a pair of guide plates spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction corresponding to the longitudinal direction of the sheet 10, and each pair of left and right guides 49a, 49b is moved by a left-to-right movement mechanism (drive means) 53 driven by a servo motor 52 from an outer position of the sheet 10 supported by the gates 45, 45, to push both outer edges of the sheet 10 in the short direction, to align it with the left-to-right center of the sheet hopper 12.

Next, the operation of the stacked sheet take-out and supply device according to the embodiment will be described. In Figure 4, a virtual sheet 10a whose center is aligned with the reference placement position X of the pallet 24 is represented by a two-dot chain line, and the sheet suction position G defined for the virtual sheet 10a is represented by a white circle. A sheet 10 whose center is not aligned with the reference placement position X of the pallet 24 is represented by a solid line, and the sheet suction position G defined for the sheet 10 is represented by a black circle.

When the top sheet 10 (solid line in Figure 4) is picked up from the stacked sheets 11 placed on the pallet 24, the left-right movement means 20 moves the left-right position misalignment detection means 18 from an area outside the right edge of the stacked sheets 11 toward the inside, and the left-right position misalignment detection means 18 detects the right edge of the sheet 10.The left-right movement means 20 then moves the suction means 19 to a predetermined target position using the detection position as a base point and stops it, so that the suction position of the two suction bodies 19a, 19b in the suction means 19 is positioned at a distance from the right edge of the sheet 10 that is preset in data corresponding to the middle position of the sheet 10 in the left-right direction. Then, after the suction means 19 is moved to the target position by the left-right moving means 20, the front and rear forward/backward moving means 21 move the front position deviation detection means 16 and the rear position deviation detection means 17 from the outer area of the front edge and rear edge of the laminated sheet 11 toward the inside, and when the front edge and rear edge of the sheet 10 are detected by the front position deviation detection means 16 and the rear position deviation detection means 17, the front and rear forward/backward moving means 21 move the suction bodies 19a, 19b to the predetermined target positions using the detected position as a base point so that they are positioned at distances from the front edge and rear edge of the sheet 10 that are preset as data as the distances from the front edge and rear edge of the sheet 10, and stop them. That is, based on the detection signals from the three misalignment detection means 16, 17, 18, the suction means 19 is moved by the left-right movement means 20 and the front-rear movement means 21, 21, and the suction bodies 19a, 19b of the suction means 19 are aligned with sheet suction position G, indicated by a black circle, which is a pre-set suction position corresponding to the type of sheet 10. In this way, each time the topmost sheet 10 of the stack of sheets 11 is removed, the suction bodies 19a, 19b of the suction means 19 can be positioned to the pre-set desired positions for the sheet 10 in response to the misalignment of each sheet.

The front and rear attractors 19a, 19b, aligned at sheet attraction position G, are then lowered by the lifting means 29a, 29b to attract the sheet 10. The front and rear attractors 19a, 19b are then operated so that their rising timing differs, lifting the sheet 10 at an angle in the front-to-rear direction. The attractor 19, which has picked up the sheet 10, is then moved by the left-to-right movement means 20 to above the sheet hopper 12 of the packing machine, which is adjacent to the pallet station P. When the attractor 19 reaches above the sheet hopper 12, the left-to-right movement means 20 moves and stops the attractor 19 a distance such that the left-to-right center of the sheet 10 being attracted and transported by the attractor 19 is aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 12. The attractor 19 then releases its attraction, and the sheet 10, with its left-to-right center aligned with the left-to-right center of the sheet hopper 12, is delivered to the gates 45, 45 positioned at the support position. Furthermore, when the sheet detection means 22 detects that the stacked height of the stacked sheets 11 has decreased as sheets 10 are removed from the stacked sheets 11, the pallet 24 is raised by the lifter 23, and the height level of the stacked sheets 11 placed on the pallet 24 is maintained.

As shown in Figure 2, the front and rear guides 48, 48 and left and right guides 49a, 49b of the alignment means 44 are moved by the corresponding movement mechanisms 51, 53 from retracted positions outside the sheet 10 to a central alignment position, and the front, rear, left, and right edges of the sheet 10 are pressed against the guides 48, 48, 49a, 49b to match the size of the sheet 10. This corrects any misalignment of the sheet 10, including any tilt in the horizontal plane, and aligns the sheet center with the center of the sheet hopper. After the sheet 10 is aligned by the alignment operation of the front, rear, left, and right guides 48, 48, 49a, 49b, the gates 45, 45 are moved away from each other to their open positions, releasing support for the sheet 10. The sheet 10 falls, guided by the front, rear, and left and right regulating members 39, 39, 40, 40, and is transferred to the top of a predetermined number of sheets 10 stacked on the support members 38 of the sheet hopper 12. In this way, sheets 10 are repeatedly supplied to the sheet hopper 12, and even if the number of sheets in the sheet hopper 12 decreases due to use in the boxing machine, sheets 10 are efficiently replenished one by one in the sheet hopper 12.

In the embodiment of the take-out/feeding device, when sheets 10 are picked up one by one from the stack of sheets 11, the device detects the misalignment of each sheet and aligns the suction means 19 to the desired sheet suction position G to pick up the sheet 10, taking into account various conditions, such as differences in the size of the sheet 10's flaps and panels, sheet thickness, the positional relationship with the flaps and fold lines, and other differences in box sizes. This allows for proper pick-up of the sheet 10 even if the sheet center is misaligned with the reference loading position X. In other words, even if some sheets 10 in the stack of sheets 11 stacked on the pallet 24 are misaligned, proper pick-up can be achieved by accommodating the misalignment of each sheet. The removed sheets can then be properly delivered one by one to their destination. Furthermore, because the sheet detection means 22 maintains the top position of the stack of sheets 11, the pick-up position of the sheet 10 by the suction means 19 does not change, allowing the topmost sheet 10 to be properly picked up by the suction means 19. Furthermore, since the positional deviation detection means 16, 17, 18 are configured to move integrally with the suction means 19, the positional relationship between the suction means 19 and the positional deviation detection means 16, 17, 18 is always constant, and the suction means 19 can be accurately positioned at the sheet suction position G. Furthermore, since the suction bodies 19a, 19b at the front and rear of the suction means 19 are configured to move independently by the front-rear movement means 21, 21, even if the distance from the front edge of the front sheet suction position G and the distance from the rear edge of the rear sheet suction position G are set to different positions due to differences in the front and rear shapes of the sheet 10, the suction bodies 19a, 19b can be appropriately positioned at the sheet suction position G for the corresponding sheet 10. Furthermore, the control unit determines that the edge of the sheet 10 has been detected by detecting the right edge of the sheet 10 when the two sensors 18a, 18a, which are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, move in one direction of the left-to-right positional deviation detection means 18. This prevents malfunctions when the detection position of one of the sensors 18a coincides with the position of the slit between the flaps 13a, 14a, and 15a of the sheet 10.

In the take-out supply device of the embodiment, the front and rear suction bodies 19a, 19b are configured to start rising at different times to pick up the sheets 10 at an angle. This prevents the uppermost sheet 10 from being lifted up along with the lower sheets due to a vacuum created when separating it from the lower sheets 10, allowing the sheets to be picked up one by one. Furthermore, the sheets 10 picked up by the suction means 19 are first supplied to the receiving section 43 located above the sheet hopper 12, and the center of the sheet 10 on the receiving section 43 is aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 12 by the alignment means 44. This corrects any misalignment or tilt in the horizontal plane when the sheets are dropped from the suction means 19, allowing the sheets 10 to be supplied to the sheet hopper 12 in the correct orientation. The receiving section 43 is composed of gates 45, 45 made up of bars that open and close, which reduces contact resistance with the sheet 10 when opened and prevents the sheet 10 supported on the gates 45, 45 from tilting when the gates 45, 45 are opened, allowing the sheet 10 to be dropped and supplied smoothly into the sheet hopper 12. Furthermore, the alignment means 44 uses front-to-rear and left-to-right guides 48, 48 and left-to-right guides 49a, 49b, which are moved by movement mechanisms 51, 53, to push the sheet 10 from the outside of the sheet 10, aligning the front-to-rear and left-to-right positions of the sheet 10. Therefore, the sheet 10 can be positioned in the appropriate position in the sheet hopper 12 after its posture is corrected.

Here, in the take-out supply device of the embodiment, during the return process in which the sheet 10 picked up by the suction means 19 is transported to the sheet hopper 12 by the left-right movement means 20, the left-right positional deviation detection means 18 detects one end (left edge) of the sheet 10 in the left-right direction, and the positional deviation (sheet position) of the sheet 10 can be determined. This allows for accurate deviation detection without changing the position of the left-right positional deviation detection means 18, even when sheets with large size differences are used interchangeably. Furthermore, using the positional deviation detection means 18 in only one of the left and right directions allows accurate detection of positional deviation of the sheet 10 that is symmetrical in the front and back directions in the left-right direction.

(Example of change)
The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the examples, and can be modified as follows, for example: Furthermore, the configurations described in the examples are not limited to the following modifications, and various embodiments can be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
(1) The detection points of the misalignment detection means 16, 17, 18 may be the front edge, rear edge, and left edge of the sheet 10. Also, the misalignment detection means 16, 17, 18 may employ image sensors such as cameras instead of the photoelectric sensors used in the embodiments.
(2) Instead of the positional deviation detecting means 16, 17, 18 being configured to move integrally with the suction means 19, a configuration can be adopted in which the positional deviation of the sheet 10 is detected by being disposed at a fixed position.
(3) The means 20, 21 for moving the suction means 19 back and forth and left and right are not limited to the slide mechanisms 32, 36 driven by the servo motors 31, 35, but may be a linear actuator capable of controlling the position, such as a servo cylinder, or any other type of moving means.
(4) The receiving portion 43 and the aligning means 44 provided above the sheet hopper 12 of the packing machine are not limited to those described in the embodiment, and various other configurations may be adopted. Furthermore, the receiving portion 43 and the aligning means 44 may be provided as needed.
(5) In the embodiment, the two sets of adsorption bodies 19a, 19b are configured to start rising at different times to pick up the sheet 10. However, the configuration of differentiating the timing at which the adsorption bodies 19a, 19b start rising may be adopted as needed. For example, the adsorption bodies 19a, 19b may be rotated to lift up the sheet to pick it up.
(6) The number of adsorbents 19a, 19b in the adsorption means 19 may be determined according to the shape of the adsorbents 19a, 19b, other adsorption conditions, and sheet size, or a suction box may be used.
(7) In the embodiment, the laminated sheet 11 is placed on the pallet 24 that is sent to the pallet station P, but the placing table may be another type of placing table, such as a transport cart on which the laminated sheet 11 is placed, instead of the pallet 12.

10 Sheet, 11 Stacked sheet, 12 Sheet hopper 16 Front position deviation detection means (position deviation detection means)
17 Rear position deviation detection means (position deviation detection means)
18 Left-right position deviation detection means (position deviation detection means), 19 Adsorption means 20 Left-right movement means (first movement means), 21 Front-back movement means (second movement means)
22 sheet detection means, 23 lifter, 24 pallet (mounting table)
29a, 29b lifting means, 30 holder (moving part), 34 slide member (moving part)
43 Receiving portion, 44 Alignment means, 45 Gate, 48 Front and rear guide (edge alignment guide)
49a, 49b Left and right guides (edge alignment guides), 51 Front and rear movement mechanism (driving means)
53 Left-right movement mechanism (driving means), G sheet suction position

Claims (7)

A stacked sheet take-out and supply device that picks up the topmost sheet of a stacked sheet placed on a loading table one by one by a suction means and supplies the sheet to a sheet hopper of an adjacent boxing machine,
a positional deviation detection means for detecting a positional deviation of the uppermost sheet in a horizontal plane;
a first moving means for moving the suction means that has picked up the sheet back and forth in a first direction in which the suction means moves laterally toward the sheet hopper, and a second moving means for moving the suction means back and forth in a second direction that intersects with the first direction;
a sheet detecting means for detecting the stacking amount of the laminated sheets;
a lifter that changes the support height of the table so as to adjust the height of the top surface of the stacked sheets to a predetermined height based on the amount of stacked sheets detected by the sheet detection means,
a stacked sheet take-out and supply device characterized in that, each time the topmost sheet is picked up, the first moving means and the second moving means move the suction means to a sheet suction position determined for each type of sheet in accordance with the sheet position detected by the positional deviation detection means, suctions and picks up the sheet, and transports the sheet to a predetermined position above the sheet hopper. The laminated sheet take-out and supply device described in claim 1, characterized in that the positional deviation detection means for detecting either the front or rear end of the sheet in the first direction is provided on a moving section that moves together with the suction means by the first moving means. The stacked sheet take-out and supply device described in claim 1, characterized in that the suction means includes suction bodies spaced apart from each other in the front and rear of the second direction, the second moving means is capable of independently moving the suction bodies back and forth, and the positional deviation detection means for detecting the front and rear edges of the sheets in the second direction is provided on a moving section moved by the second moving means together with each suction body. The laminated sheet take-out and supply device according to claim 3, further comprising a lifting means for independently lifting and lowering the adsorbents spaced apart in the second direction, and wherein the lifting means starts lifting the adsorbents at different times to pick up the sheets. A stacked sheet take-out and supply device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a receiving section capable of supporting sheets dropped and supplied from the suction means is provided above the sheet hopper, and alignment means are provided to position the front and rear side edges of the sheets supported by the receiving section in the first and second directions. The stacked sheet take-out and supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that the receiving section is configured as a gate capable of closing the drop passage to the top of the stacked sheets in the sheet hopper. The laminated sheet take-out and supply device according to claim 5, characterized in that the alignment means includes an edge alignment guide that presses against the outside of the front and rear side edges of the sheets in the first and second directions, and a drive means that operates the edge alignment guide.