An automatic opening, folding and sealing system for cartons and a carton production line

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of automatic opening box folding box sealing system and box production line, it is related to packaging automation technical field, and the automatic opening box folding box sealing system includes feeding rack, robot, guide folding mechanism and sealing mechanism;Feeding rack is used to supply multiple stacked box to be handled;Robot is installed with grabbing opening box mechanism, and grabbing opening box mechanism is used to grab and prop open the box to be handled from feeding rack, and robot can drive box to move;Guide folding mechanism is used to guide the folding of the wing of box;Sealing mechanism is used to seal the box with folded wing in folded state.Utilize single robot and grabbing opening box mechanism, complete the grabbing and prop opening of box, and move the box that has been proped open sequentially through guide folding mechanism and sealing mechanism to complete folding box and sealing action, overcome the problem that existing technology generally consists of multiple independent units, resulting in large overall structure, large floor area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of packaging automation technology, and in particular to an automatic box opening, folding and sealing system and a box production line. Background Technology

[0002] In the commodity manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics industries, cardboard boxes are widely used as the primary packaging container. The packaging process involves first unfolding the flattened cardboard board into shape, then folding the four bottom flaps closed, and finally sealing the bottom seams with tape before use.

[0003] Currently, the processes of opening, folding, and sealing cardboard boxes still rely on manual labor. This method is not only labor-intensive and inefficient, but also makes it difficult to guarantee the stability and consistency of packaging quality, thus failing to meet the needs of modern, large-scale production.

[0004] To address these issues, various automated carton opening and sealing machines have emerged on the market. A common automated opening method involves using vacuum suction cups to hold and flatten two opposing sides of the carton, then using a mechanical mechanism to pull the carton open. After being opened, the carton is typically placed on a conveyor belt. During transport, fixed guide rods or cylinder-driven swing arms fold the four flaps at the bottom of the carton into place sequentially, and finally, the sealing mechanism applies the sealing tape.

[0005] Existing equipment typically consists of multiple independent or semi-independent units such as a carton erector, conveyor line, carton folding mechanism, and carton sealing machine. The overall structure is large, occupies a large area, and the connection and control between the units are relatively complex, resulting in high costs.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing automatic box opening, folding and sealing technology to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology. Utility Model Content

[0007] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, one of the objectives of this utility model is to provide an automatic box opening, folding and sealing system. This automatic box opening, folding and sealing system uses a single robot and its onboard gripping and opening mechanism to complete the gripping and opening of the box, and moves the opened box through the guiding folding mechanism and sealing mechanism to complete the folding and sealing actions. This replaces the conveyor line connecting the various independent units in the traditional solution, thus overcoming the problem that existing automatic equipment is usually composed of multiple independent units, resulting in a large overall structure, large footprint, complex control and high cost.

[0008] An automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system includes:

[0009] A feeding rack is used to supply multiple stacked boxes to be processed;

[0010] The robot is equipped with a gripping and opening mechanism, which is used to grip and open the box to be processed from the feeding frame, and the robot can move the box.

[0011] A guide folding mechanism is used to guide the folding of the box body's flaps;

[0012] A sealing mechanism is used to seal the box when the flaps are in the folded state.

[0013] By eliminating multiple independent conveying, positioning, and transplanting mechanisms, the system structure is greatly simplified and becomes more compact, significantly reducing the equipment's footprint. At the same time, the reduction in mechanical transmission links and control nodes lowers the equipment's manufacturing cost and maintenance difficulty, while improving the system's operational stability and integration.

[0014] Furthermore, the grasping and opening mechanism includes:

[0015] A gripping component, connected to the robot, is used to grip the first surface of the box;

[0016] A flip plate, hinged to the gripping assembly, is used to contact the side of the housing adjacent to the first surface;

[0017] A drive component, connected to the flip plate drive, is used to drive the flip plate to perform a flipping motion.

[0018] After the gripping component grasps and secures one of the main surfaces (first surface) of the box, the drive component drives the flipping plate to rotate around the hinge point. This rotation applies an active and powerful pushing force to the side of the box adjacent to the main surface, forcibly opening the flattened box into its original shape. Compared to the traditional method of relying on two suction cups to pull against each other, this active pushing method of opening the box has a more direct and controllable force. Especially for boxes made of harder materials or with narrow dimensions, it can effectively avoid problems such as opening failure, deformation, or tearing caused by uneven stretching, significantly improving the success rate and reliability of the opening action and broadening the applicability of the equipment to different types of boxes.

[0019] Furthermore, the grasping component includes:

[0020] The main support frame is connected to the robot;

[0021] The substrate is fixedly connected to the main support frame and is used to contact the first surface of the housing;

[0022] At least one first suction cup, which is fixed to the main support and used to adsorb the first surface of the box;

[0023] The drive assembly includes a cylinder fixed to the gripping assembly and a transmission assembly connected between the cylinder and the tilting plate. The transmission assembly is used to convert the linear motion of the cylinder into the tilting motion of the tilting plate.

[0024] The first suction cup utilizes negative pressure adsorption to provide a stable and reliable gripping force without damaging the surface of the container. The cylinder, as the power source, offers advantages such as fast response, high output force, low cost, and ease of control. The transmission components (such as gear and rack or linkage mechanisms) can precisely convert the powerful linear force provided by the cylinder into the rotational torque and angle required for the tilting plate.

[0025] Furthermore, the gripping and opening mechanism also includes at least one second suction cup disposed on the flip plate, all of which are used to adsorb the side of the box body adjacent to the first surface.

[0026] After the flipping plate completes the action of pushing open the side of the box, the second suction cup on the flipping plate can be activated immediately to adhere to the pushed-open side of the box. In this way, the box is fixed by the first and second suction cups together, and its three-dimensional shape after being opened is forcibly maintained. This effectively overcomes the elasticity of the box material itself, prevents the opened box from deforming or partially shrinking, and ensures that the box maintains a square and stable geometric shape throughout the process of being moved by the robot to the subsequent workstation. This provides a key guarantee for the precise execution of the subsequent folding action and avoids folding failure or jamming problems caused by unstable box shape.

[0027] Furthermore, the feeding frame includes:

[0028] The storage bin has an inclined box placement position for accommodating multiple stacked boxes to be processed, with its bottom end close to the robot.

[0029] At least one balancer, the body of which is disposed near the bottom end of the storage bin, and the output end of which acts on the box located at the top end to apply a continuous force to the stacked boxes.

[0030] The tilted design of the storage bins utilizes gravity, causing the entire stack of bins to tend to slide towards the bottom (retrieving end). However, relying solely on gravity can lead to uncontrollable sliding and impacts. The introduction of a balancer (such as a constant-force spring balancer), whose output acts on the end of the stack of bins, provides a continuous and essentially constant thrust that complements the downward trend of gravity. When the robot removes the foremost bin, the balancer's pull immediately and smoothly propels the entire stack forward one unit distance to fill the empty space.

[0031] Furthermore, the feeding frame also includes:

[0032] Linear slide rails are installed on the storage bin;

[0033] A push plate that can slide along the linear slide rail, the output end of the balancer is connected to the push plate, and the push plate is used to abut against and push the stacked boxes.

[0034] The pusher plate provides a sufficiently large contact area, evenly applying the force output by the balancer to the end surface of the entire stack of boxes, avoiding stress concentration. Simultaneously, the pusher plate is mounted on a linear guide rail, ensuring it can only move along a preset inclined straight line. This ensures the stability of the entire stack of boxes during its advancement, preventing tilting, tipping, or jamming, thus guaranteeing that the foremost box is always accurately presented to the robot's predetermined gripping position, improving the accuracy and stability of the robot's continuous gripping.

[0035] Furthermore, the guide folding mechanism includes a first guide member, a second guide member, and a third guide member that are parallel to each other and arranged sequentially;

[0036] The first guide has a first contact portion for guiding the folding of the first short wing of the housing and a second contact portion for guiding the folding of the first long wing of the housing;

[0037] The second guide is disposed along the length direction of the first guide, and the second guide has a third contact portion for guiding the folding of the second short wing of the housing, the third contact portion being inclined from top to bottom in a direction close to the first guide;

[0038] The third guide is spaced apart from the second guide, and the third guide has a fourth contact portion for guiding the folding of the second long wing of the housing;

[0039] The robot is configured to move the opened box so that the first short wing, the second short wing, the second long wing, and the first long wing of the box successively contact the first contact portion, the third contact portion, the fourth contact portion, and the second contact portion.

[0040] The complex folding motion is broken down into a single continuous movement of the robot and the interaction between the box's folding wings and a set of unpowered, fixed, irregularly shaped guides. The robot's motion trajectory is precisely programmed so that during the movement of the box, the four folding wings at its bottom are sequentially "flicked" or "guided" by the corresponding guides in a preset order, thus completing the folding. This utilizes the robot's high-precision motion capabilities to replace multiple independent cylinders, swing arms, and other moving folding components in traditional solutions. This eliminates the need for any power components in the folding mechanism itself, greatly simplifying the structure and fundamentally eliminating the wear, malfunctions, and maintenance problems that can arise from moving parts. While reducing costs, it significantly improves the reliability and durability of the folding process.

[0041] Furthermore, the sealing mechanism includes:

[0042] A guide plate, connected to the guide folding mechanism, is used to maintain the folded state of the box body flaps;

[0043] The sealing mechanism located within the guide plate is used to seal the box.

[0044] After the box is folded, the connecting guide plate continues to physically restrain the folded flaps, preventing them from springing open before entering the sealing mechanism. The robot continues to move the box along the guide plate and through the sealing mechanism, where the sealing mechanism automatically completes the tape application and cutting. The non-powered guide plate maintains the folded shape, ensuring the folding effect is reliably solidified into a final tape seal, guaranteeing the sealing quality.

[0045] The second objective of this utility model is to provide a box production line, including the automatic box opening, folding and sealing system as described above.

[0046] Applying this system to the box production line can effectively improve the automation level of the entire production line and the capacity of bottleneck processes, optimize the production line layout, reduce the overall complexity and footprint of the production line, thereby bringing significant economic benefits to users.

[0047] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0048] This utility model provides an automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system, which includes a feeding frame, a guiding folding mechanism, a sealing mechanism, a robot, and a gripping and opening mechanism mounted on the robot. By using the robot as the core execution unit, a series of actions such as gripping, opening, transferring, folding, and sealing of boxes are completed uniformly. The robot grips flat boxes through the gripping and opening mechanism and opens them, then moves the boxes, causing them to pass sequentially through the fixed guiding folding mechanism and sealing mechanism. This integrates material conveying functionality into the robot's actions, completely replacing the independent conveyor lines used in traditional solutions to connect different workstations. This results in a highly integrated and compact system structure, significantly reducing the overall size and floor space of the equipment, thus saving production space. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic box opening, folding and sealing system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 2 This is a top view of the automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0051] Figure 3 This is a plan view of the box-opening mechanism near the main support in this embodiment of the application;

[0052] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the box-opening mechanism in the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 5 This is a plan view of the gripping and unpacking mechanism on one side perpendicular to the substrate plane in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 6 This is a top view of the guiding folding mechanism and the sealing mechanism in the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the guiding folding mechanism and the sealing mechanism in the embodiments of this application;

[0056] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the guiding folding mechanism and the sealing mechanism in the embodiments of this application from another angle;

[0057] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding frame in the embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 10 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding frame from another angle in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 11 This is a side view of the feeding frame in an embodiment of this application.

[0060] Figure label:

[0061] 10. Feeding frame; 11. Storage bin; 12. Balancer; 13. Linear guide rail; 14. Push plate;

[0062] 20. Robot;

[0063] 30. Grasping and opening mechanism; 31. Grasping component; 311. Main support; 312. Base plate; 313. First suction cup; 32. Flipping plate; 33. Drive component; 331. Cylinder; 332. Transmission component;

[0064] 40. Guide folding mechanism; 41. First guide member; 411. First contact portion; 412. Second contact portion; 42. Second guide member; 421. Third contact portion; 43. Third guide member; 431. Fourth contact portion;

[0065] 50. Sealing mechanism; 51. Guide plate; 52. Sealing core. Detailed Implementation

[0066] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0067] Example 1

[0068] See Figure 1 This application provides an automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system. This system can automatically complete the entire process of opening, bottom folding, and tape sealing of a box in a flattened, folded state. The system includes: a feeding frame 10, a robot 20, a guiding folding mechanism 40, and a sealing mechanism 50.

[0069] The feeding rack 10 is used to accommodate multiple stacked boxes to be processed and can sequentially supply the boxes to a preset picking position. For example, the preset picking position can be the lowest point of the discharge end of the feeding rack 10. At this position, the box that is foremost in the stack will be stably positioned, and its main surface to be gripped will be exposed within the working range of the robot 20 so that the gripping and opening mechanism 30 on the robot 20 can accurately identify and adsorb it.

[0070] Robot 20, for example, a six-axis industrial robot, has a specially designed gripping and opening mechanism 30 installed on its end flange. Robot 20 controls the gripping and opening mechanism 30 through a preset program, enabling it to grip a box to be processed from the front end of the feeding frame 10 and then unfold it into its desired shape. Utilizing its highly flexible multi-degree-of-freedom motion capabilities, after gripping and unfolding the box, robot 20 can move the box sequentially through subsequent processing stations.

[0071] The guide folding mechanism 40 is a set of fixed, non-powered components set on the working path of the robot 20. It is used to guide the bottom folding wings (usually including two short wings and two long wings) of the box to fold in a predetermined order during the process of the robot 20 moving the box.

[0072] The sealing mechanism 50 is located downstream of the guide folding mechanism 40 and is used to seal the bottom of the box with tape when the folding wings are already in the folded state.

[0073] More specifically, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the feeding frame 10 is located on one side of the robot 20, and the guiding folding mechanism 40 and the sealing mechanism 50 together form an L-shaped working platform, which is set on the other side of the robot 20, also within its working range. This robot-centric radial (or workstation) layout replaces the traditional linear conveyor belt layout. Traditional solutions require feeding, unpacking, folding, and sealing units to be arranged along a straight line and connected by a conveyor belt, resulting in a very long overall equipment length. After the robot 20 grabs and unfolds the box from the feeding frame 10, it can directly and precisely move the box to the entrance of the guiding folding mechanism 40. This improves the processing efficiency of a single box and the overall system capacity.

[0074] In the overall workflow of this embodiment, robot 20 is the core execution unit. It not only completes the two key actions of grasping and opening boxes, but also acts as a conveyor belt in a traditional production line, moving the boxes between different workstations. This highly integrated design eliminates the need for independent conveying, positioning, and transfer mechanisms connecting each workstation, resulting in an extremely compact system structure and significantly reduced equipment footprint. Simultaneously, by reducing a large number of mechanical transmission links and control nodes, the system's manufacturing cost and maintenance difficulty are lowered, while the overall operational stability and integration are greatly improved.

[0075] Example 2

[0076] See Figure 2 Based on Embodiment 1, this embodiment provides a detailed description of the structure of the gripping and opening mechanism 30. The gripping and opening mechanism 30 includes a gripping component 31, a flipping plate 32, and a driving component 33.

[0077] The gripping component 31 is used to connect to the end of the robot 20 and grip the main body of the box.

[0078] In this embodiment, the grasping component 31 specifically includes:

[0079] The main support 311 is connected to the robot 20;

[0080] The base plate 312, which is fixed on the main support 311, has a working surface for contacting and adsorbing the first surface of the box (i.e., a main surface of the box).

[0081] At least one first suction cup 313 is fixed to the main support 311. The first suction cup 313 generates negative pressure by connecting to a vacuum generator, thereby reliably adsorbing the first surface of the box.

[0082] One side of the flip plate 32 is hinged to the gripping assembly 31 (e.g., the edge of the substrate 312), enabling it to flip about the hinge axis. Its working surface is used to contact the side of the housing adjacent to the first surface.

[0083] The drive assembly 33 is connected to the flip plate 32 and is used to provide power to drive the flip plate 32 to flip.

[0084] Specifically, the drive assembly 33 includes a cylinder 331 and a transmission assembly 332 connected between the cylinder 331 and the tilting plate 32. The transmission assembly 332 (e.g., a rack and pinion mechanism or a crank-connecting rod mechanism) is used to precisely convert the linear extension and retraction motion of the cylinder 331 into the tilting motion (e.g., a 90° rotation) of the tilting plate 32.

[0085] During operation, the robot 20 first controls the first suction cup 313 to suck up the first surface of the box, then the drive component 33 starts, the cylinder 331 moves, and the flip plate 32 is driven to flip through the transmission component 332, thereby actively pushing open the side of the box to achieve the expansion and shaping of the box.

[0086] This proactive "grab one side, push the other" unpacking method has a direct and controllable force. Compared with the traditional double-sided stretching method, it can effectively avoid unpacking failure or box deformation caused by uneven force. It is especially suitable for narrow and long boxes or boxes made of hard materials, and significantly improves the success rate and reliability of unpacking.

[0087] As a preferred embodiment, the gripping and opening mechanism 30 further includes at least one second suction cup disposed on the flipping plate 32. After the flipping plate 32 completes its flipping action and opens the side of the box into place, the second suction cup is activated to adhere to that side. This effectively counteracts the rebound force of the box material itself, forcibly maintaining the square shape of the box after it is opened, preventing it from deforming or shrinking during subsequent movement, and providing a crucial guarantee for subsequent precise folding.

[0088] More specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, the flip plate 32 is also provided with a mounting base for mounting at least one second suction cup.

[0089] More specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the main support 311 is provided with a U-shaped bridge structure, which has multiple mounting holes for rigid connection with the end flange of the robot 20, serving as the force and installation reference for the entire mechanism. The main support 311 is provided with four first suction cups 313, which are evenly distributed and fixed to the base plate 312. Each first suction cup 313 is connected to a vacuum generator via an air pipe. During operation, it generates negative pressure suction, firmly adsorbing the first surface of the box onto the base plate 312. The base plate 312 is a flat plate, fixedly connected to the main support 311 via a connecting rod. Holes are provided on the base plate 312 corresponding to each first suction cup 313, providing working space for the first suction cups 313. Placing the first suction cups 313 within the plate surface area not only ensures the rigidity of the gripping component 31 itself but also effectively ensures the posture stability and force stability of the box when the gripping component 31 grips the box.

[0090] More specifically, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the flip plate 32 is a plate independent of the substrate. One side of it is hinged to the edge of the substrate 312 of the gripping assembly 31, thereby enabling it to flip around the hinge axis.

[0091] More specifically, such as Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, cylinder 331 is fixed to base plate 312 via a connecting bracket. Transmission assembly 332 is a linkage mechanism. The end of piston rod of cylinder 331 is hinged to one end of transmission assembly 332, and the other end of transmission assembly 332 is hinged to one side of flip plate 32.

[0092] The robot 20 drives the entire gripping and unpacking mechanism 30 to move, so that the four first suction cups 313 on the substrate 312 contact the first surface of the box at the front end of the feeding frame 10.

[0093] The first suction cup 313 activates to create a vacuum, firmly adhering the box to the vacuum.

[0094] Subsequently, the piston rod of cylinder 331 extends, pushing the transmission assembly 332.

[0095] The transmission assembly 332 converts the linear motion of the cylinder 331 into the flipping motion of the tilting plate 32 around its hinge axis. The tilting plate 32 flips outward by about 90 degrees, and its working surface forcefully pushes open the side of the box, thereby forcibly opening the originally flattened box into shape.

[0096] Example 3

[0097] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 ,as well as Figures 9 to 11 Based on Embodiment 1, this embodiment provides a detailed description of the innovative structure of the feeding frame 10. The feeding frame 10 is designed to achieve a non-powered, automatically compensated box feeding system, and its core components include a storage bin 11, a balancer 12, a linear guide rail 13, and a pusher plate 14.

[0098] See Figure 11 The overall frame of the storage bin 11 causes the internal boxes to be placed at an angle. Specifically, the feeding end is higher, while the discharging end, that is, the end closer to the robot 20, is lower. Gravity causes the stacked boxes to have a tendency to slide down the slope (towards the discharging end).

[0099] To precisely and smoothly control this slippage tendency, a collaborative guiding and power mechanism was introduced. See also Figure 9 and Figure 11 On the side wall of the storage bin 11, two linear slide rails 13 are fixedly installed along the inclined direction of the stacked boxes. A push plate 14 is slidably mounted on the two linear slide rails 13 via a slider. The push plate 14 has a sufficiently large surface area to abut against and evenly act on the last box in the stack. The presence of the linear slide rails 13 ensures that the push plate 14 can only move along a preset straight path when pushing the stack of boxes forward, thus effectively preventing the stack of boxes from tilting or jamming during movement.

[0100] See Figure 9 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 Two balancers 12 are provided, with their main bodies respectively located on the lower part of both sides of the feeder frame 10 near the discharge end. The output end of the balancer 12, such as an automatically retractable steel cable, is connected to the push plate 14. In this embodiment, the balancer 12 can specifically be a constant force spring balancer.

[0101] For more details, see Figure 9 , Figure 10 and Figure 11In order to ensure the stability of the stacked boxes to be processed in the storage bin 11, the push plate 14 is inclined from the discharge end of the storage bin 11 to the replenishment end of the storage bin 11. A stop block higher than the placement plane inside the storage bin 11 is also set at the discharge end of the storage bin 11. This makes the state of the boxes to be processed in the storage bin 11 inclined from the discharge end to the replenishment end, thus achieving a more stable supply of boxes.

[0102] The working process of the feeding frame 10 in this embodiment is as follows:

[0103] When the operator loads a stack of flattened boxes from the rear (higher) of the storage bin 11, the stack of boxes pushes the push plate 14 backward. The push plate 14 slides upward along the linear slide rail 13, while simultaneously stretching the steel cable of the balancer 12 to store energy for the balancer 12.

[0104] After the material is loaded, under the combined action of the component of gravity and the continuous and stable pulling force provided by the balancer 12, the pusher 14 will push the entire stack of boxes to move forward slowly and without impact until the frontmost box reaches the predetermined material picking position at the discharge end.

[0105] When the gripping and opening mechanism 30 of robot 20 extends and grabs the frontmost box, a space equal to the thickness of the box instantly appears at the front. The tension stored in the balancer 12 immediately drives the pusher 14, pushing the entire stack of boxes behind to slide forward smoothly, so that the next box is pushed to the picking position, waiting for the next gripping by robot 20.

[0106] The feeding frame 10 disclosed in this embodiment achieves a highly efficient and reliable automatic feeding solution without power through the ingenious combination of an inclined structure, a balancer, a slide rail, and a pusher plate. It achieves automatic compensation and sequential feeding of the boxes without the need for motors, reducers, sensor arrays, or complex PLC control programs. This greatly simplifies the structure of the mechanism, significantly reduces manufacturing costs, and completely eliminates the risks of energy consumption and electrical control failures. The continuous and constant thrust provided by the balancer avoids end-impact and acceleration problems that may occur if gravity is relied upon alone, ensuring a smooth and gentle feeding process and effectively protecting the boxes from damage. The guiding role of the linear slide rail 13 and the pusher plate 14 ensures the stability and precise alignment of the entire stack of boxes during the feeding process, providing a solid foundation for the continuous, high-speed, and high-success-rate grasping of the robot 20.

[0107] Example 4

[0108] See Figure 1 , Figure 4 as well as Figures 6 to 8Based on Embodiment 1, this embodiment provides a detailed description of the structure and working process of the guide folding mechanism 40. The guide folding mechanism 40 is a set of fixed, non-powered structures with an overall L-shaped layout, mainly including a first guide member 41, a second guide member 42, and a third guide member 43 arranged sequentially along the moving path of the robot 20.

[0109] The first guide member 41 has a first contact portion 411 for guiding the folding of the first short wing of the housing and a second contact portion 412 for guiding the folding of the first long wing of the housing.

[0110] The second guide member 42 is arranged along the length direction of the first guide member 41 and has a third contact portion 421 for guiding the folding of the second short wing of the housing.

[0111] The third guide member 43 is spaced apart from the second guide member 42 and has a fourth contact portion 431 for guiding the folding of the second long wing of the housing.

[0112] The robot 20 is configured to move the unfolded box so that its bottom flaps, in a predetermined sequence, such as "first short flap, second short flap, second long flap, first long flap," successively contact the first contact portion 411, the third contact portion 421, the fourth contact portion 431, and the second contact portion 412 on the guide member. Driven by the robot 20, the box flaps move relative to these statically shaped contact portions, thereby being naturally guided and moved to the folded position.

[0113] Specifically, after the box-opening mechanism 30 on robot 20 unfolds the box into shape, robot 20, holding the box (with its four bottom flaps hanging down naturally), moves it to the entrance of the guide folding mechanism 40. The entire folding process can be broken down into the following consecutive steps:

[0114] like Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, robot 20 first propels the box forward in a straight line along the direction of the first guide member 41. The first guide member 41 is an elongated guide rod or guide plate, the front end of which forms a first contact portion 411 for guiding the folding of the box's first short wing (i.e., the front short wing in the forward direction). As the box moves forward, its front short wing first contacts the guiding surface or curved surface of the first contact portion 411. As the box continues to move, the front short wing is folded inward to a horizontal position.

[0115] After the front short wing is folded, robot 20 continues to move the box forward in the original direction. At this time, the second short wing of the box (i.e., the rear short wing in the forward direction) will contact the second guide member 42 located in the center of the path. Figure 8As shown, the second guide 42 may consist of one or more small guide blocks with guide ramps, which form the third contact portion 421 for guiding the folding of the second short wing. Folding is completed as the housing moves past it. At this point, both short wings of the housing are folded into place.

[0116] After the short wings are folded, robot 20 moves the housing towards the third guide 43. The third guide 43 is a long guide rod that is roughly parallel to the first guide 41, forming the fourth contact part for guiding the folding of the second long wing (i.e., the long wing away from the first guide 41). During the housing's translation, the lower edge of its outer long wing contacts the third guide 43, and as the translation continues, the entire long wing is completely folded over and covers the two short wings.

[0117] Finally, robot 20 moves the housing in the opposite direction, moving it away from the third guide 43 and closer to the first guide 41. At this point, the only remaining folded first long wing of the housing (the long wing closest to the first guide 41) contacts the side wall of the first guide 41, which forms a second contact portion 412 to guide the folding of the first long wing. As the housing is precisely "attached" to the first guide 41 by robot 20, its inner long wing is also successfully folded into place, covering the second long wing.

[0118] After the above four steps, all four folding wings at the bottom of the box are folded. Throughout the process, the folding action relies entirely on the precise path planning and movement of the robot 20, as well as the physical interaction between the box and these unpowered, fixed guide components.

[0119] The complex folding motion is transformed into a single continuous movement of the robot and a simple physical interaction with a set of unpowered guides. This eliminates the need for any power components or transmission parts in the folding mechanism itself, greatly simplifying the structure and fundamentally eliminating the wear, malfunctions, and maintenance problems that may arise from moving parts. While reducing costs, this significantly improves the reliability and durability of the folding process.

[0120] Example 5

[0121] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 Based on embodiments one to four, this embodiment describes the structure of the sealing mechanism 50.

[0122] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sealing mechanism 50 is physically located immediately downstream of the guide folding mechanism 40. In this embodiment, as an example, the sealing mechanism 50 mainly includes a guide plate 51 and a sealing core 52 embedded therein.

[0123] In this embodiment, the guide plate 51 is specifically a flat platform, the height of which is level with the reference plane of the guide folding mechanism 40 (i.e., the plane on which the bottom of the box slides). Figure 6 As shown, the edge of the guide plate 51 connects seamlessly with the exit end of the guide folding mechanism 40, particularly the first guide member 41, forming a continuous support plane. Alternatively, it can have a certain gap, as long as the gap is set so that the originally closed folding wings do not unfold. When the robot 20 pushes the box with the folded wings already completed to continue moving forward, the bottom of the box will smoothly slide from the guide folding mechanism 40 onto the surface of the guide plate 51.

[0124] The guide plate 51 provides solid physical support for the four folded flaps at the bottom of the box, which are already folded in place. This support maintains the folded state of the flaps, effectively counteracting the rebound force of the cardboard material itself and preventing the flaps from rebounding or unraveling at any angle before entering the sealing mechanism 52.

[0125] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the sealing mechanism 52 is installed inside the guide plate 51. The sealing mechanism 52 is a standard industrial component for achieving tape sealing, and typically includes a feed roller, a pressure roller, and an automatic cutter.

[0126] The entire sealing process is a continuous motion led by robot 20. With the bottom of the box reliably supported by guide plate 51, robot 20 continues to move the box forward at a stable speed, allowing it to slide uniformly past sealing mechanism 52. During this process, sealing mechanism 52 is passively triggered and automatically completes a series of standard actions: attaching tape to the bottom of the box, pressing the tape firmly with pressure rollers, and finally automatically cutting the tape as it passes the rear of the box.

[0127] Through the robot 20's dominant movements, combined with the unpowered guide plate 51 and the standard sealing mechanism 52, a reliable connection between the folding and sealing processes is achieved. This ensures that the folding results achieved by the guiding folding mechanism 40 are solidified through tape sealing, thereby guaranteeing the sealing quality and consistency of each box. The entire process is smooth and seamless, further improving the overall automation efficiency and operational stability of the system.

[0128] Furthermore, this application also provides a carton production line, which includes the automatic carton opening, folding, and sealing system described in any of the above embodiments. Due to the high integration and efficiency of this system, it can be seamlessly embedded as a key module into a larger-scale automated packaging production line, thereby improving the automation level and production efficiency of the entire production line.

[0129] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. Any specific values ​​in all examples shown and discussed herein should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0130] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" is merely for ease of distinction, and unless otherwise stated, these terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0131] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. An automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system, characterized in that, include: Feeding rack (10) for feeding multiple stacked boxes to be processed; Robot (20), on which a gripping and opening mechanism (30) is installed, the gripping and opening mechanism (30) is used to grip and open the box to be processed from the feeding frame (10), and the robot (20) can drive the box to move; A guide folding mechanism (40) is used to guide the folding of the box body's flaps; A sealing mechanism (50) is used to seal the box when the flaps are in a folded state.

2. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grabbing and opening mechanism (30) includes: A gripping component (31), connected to the robot (20), is used to grip the first surface of the box; A flip plate (32), hinged to the gripping assembly (31), is used to contact the side of the housing adjacent to the first surface; The driving component (33) is connected to the flip plate (32) and is used to drive the flip plate (32) to perform a flipping motion.

3. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The crawling component (31) includes: The main support frame (311) is connected to the robot (20); The base plate (312) is fixedly connected to the main support (311) and is used to contact the first surface of the housing; At least one first suction cup (313), all first suction cups (313) are fixed to the main body support (311) for adsorbing the first surface of the box; The drive assembly (33) includes a cylinder (331) fixed on the gripping assembly (31) and a transmission assembly (332) connected between the cylinder (331) and the flipping plate (32). The transmission assembly (332) is used to convert the linear motion of the cylinder (331) into the flipping motion of the flipping plate (32).

4. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gripping and opening mechanism (30) further includes at least one second suction cup disposed on the flip plate (32), the second suction cup being used to adsorb the side of the box body adjacent to the first surface.

5. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding frame (10) includes: Storage bin (11) has an inclined box placement position for accommodating multiple stacked boxes to be processed, and its bottom end is close to the robot (20). At least one balancer (12) is provided with its body located near the bottom end of the storage bin (11), and the output end of the balancer (12) acts on the box located at the top end to apply a continuous force to the stacked boxes.

6. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding frame (10) also includes: Linear slide rail (13) is provided on the storage bin (11); A push plate (14) that can slide along the linear slide rail (13), the output end of the balancer (12) is connected to the push plate (14), and the push plate (14) is used to abut against and push the stacked boxes.

7. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide folding mechanism (40) includes a first guide member (41), a second guide member (42), and a third guide member (43) that are parallel to each other and arranged sequentially; The first guide member (41) has a first contact portion (411) for guiding the folding of the first short wing of the box and a second contact portion (412) for guiding the folding of the first long wing of the box; The second guide (42) is arranged along the length direction of the first guide (41), and the second guide (42) has a third contact portion (421) for guiding the folding of the second short wing of the box body, the third contact portion (421) being inclined from top to bottom in a direction close to the first guide (41); The third guide (43) is spaced apart from the second guide (42), and the third guide (43) has a fourth contact portion (431) for guiding the folding of the second long wing of the housing; The robot (20) is configured to move the opened box so that the first short wing, the second short wing, the second long wing and the first long wing of the box successively contact the first contact part (411), the third contact part (421), the fourth contact part (431) and the second contact part (412).

8. The automatic box opening, folding, and sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing mechanism (50) includes: The guide plate (51) is connected to the guide folding mechanism (40) and is used to maintain the folded state of the box body flaps; The sealing mechanism (52) located in the guide plate (51) is used to seal the box.

9. A box-type production line, characterized in that, Includes an automatic box opening, box folding and sealing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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