Box-making apparatus

Abstract

To provide a box-making apparatus capable of making a box from a blank sheet without replacing parts when the size of a bottom panel of the blank sheet is changed.SOLUTION: A box-making apparatus includes, in respective positions corresponding to four corners of a bottom panel of a blank sheet, a first fold back member 18a and a second fold back member 18b capable of moving in a relatively approaching / separating manner in longitudinal and lateral directions. The apparatus includes support members 19 capable of supporting respectively the four corners of an upper face of the bottom panel, the support members capable of moving in a relatively approaching / separating manner in longitudinal and lateral directions. The blank sheet is made into a box by approaching the fold back members 18a, 18b and the support members to each other relatively 19 in a state where the blank sheet is present between the fold back members 18a, 18b and the support members 19. The apparatus includes first adjustment means 20 and second adjustment means 21 capable of relatively position-adjusting the fold back members 18a, 18b and the support members 19 in the longitudinal and lateral directions in accordance with a size of the bottom panel of the blank sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a box-making device for forming a blank sheet into a box-shaped body. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a box-making device that forms blank sheets taken from a sheet hopper into a box-shaped body, and a device is known in which blank sheets taken from a sheet hopper by a robot are pushed into storage sections that open above and below a forming mold using folding members provided on the robot to form a semi-formed box-shaped body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6262173 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The box-making device of Patent Document 1 presses a blank sheet into a storage portion formed in a mold with a size corresponding to the size of the bottom panel of the blank sheet, using a folding member formed with the same size as the bottom panel, to form a box-shaped body. Therefore, when the bottom size of the box-shaped body to be made, i.e., the size of the bottom panel of the blank sheet, is changed due to an order change, a cumbersome task of replacing the mold and folding member with a storage portion of a suitable size is required, which is pointed out as a problem of long lost time. In addition, since a mold and folding member with a storage portion of a suitable size is required for each size of the bottom panel, the cost increases, and the difficulty of storing and managing multiple types of molds and folding members is also pointed out.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a box making device that can make a box from a blank sheet without replacing parts when changing the size of the bottom panel of the blank sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The box making device of the invention according to claim 1 of the present application comprises: A box-making device for forming a blank sheet (10) having a bottom panel (13) with side panels (14) connected to both sides thereof and a top panel (15) connected to one of the side panels (14) on the side opposite to the bottom panel (13) into a box-shaped body (12), a take-out means (17) for taking out a blank sheet (10) from the bottom of a sheet hopper (11) in which a plurality of the blank sheets (10) are stacked, by sucking the lower surface of the bottom panel (13) with a suction means (16); a folding means (18a, 18b, 58) supported so as to be movable relatively toward and away from each other in a first direction in which the bottom panel (13), side panel (14) and top panel (15) of the blank sheet (10) taken out by the take-out means (17) are connected and in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) being capable of contacting the underside of the side panel (14) of the blank sheet (10) sucked by the sucking means (16), a first flap (13a) connected to the front and rear of the bottom panel (13) in the second direction, and a second flap (14a) connected to the front and rear of the side panel (14) in the second direction; a support member (19) capable of supporting portions of the bottom panel (13) attracted by the suction means (16) corresponding to the four corners of the upper surface of the bottom panel (13) and capable of moving relatively toward and away from each other in the first direction and the second direction; a first adjusting means (20) for adjusting the position of the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) in a first direction and a second direction in accordance with the size of the bottom panel (13) of the blank sheet (10), and a second adjusting means (21) for adjusting the position of the support member (19) in the first direction and the second direction in accordance with the size of the bottom panel (13) of the blank sheet (10), The folding means (18a, 18b, 58) and the support member (19), whose positions have been adjusted by the first adjustment means (20) and the second adjustment means (21), are brought relatively close to each other while the blank sheet (10) is being adsorbed by the suction means (16), so that the side panel (14) and the first and second flaps (13a, 14a) are folded by the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) against the bottom panel (13), the upper surface of which is supported by the support member (19), to form the blank sheet (10) into a box-shaped body (12). In the invention according to claim 1, the folding means and the supporting member are each configured to be adjustable in position according to the size of the bottom panel in the blank sheet, so that parts do not need to be replaced when changing the size of the bottom panel, and lost time can be reduced. Also, since a single folding means and supporting member can be used for various sizes, there is no need to prepare folding means and supporting members corresponding to each size of bottom panel, which can reduce costs and save the trouble of storage and management.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that the first adjustment means (20) is configured to adjust the position of the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) to positions corresponding to the four corners of the bottom panel (13) in accordance with the size of the bottom panel (13). According to the invention of claim 2, the blank sheet is assembled into a box by abutting the folding means at positions corresponding to the four corners of the bottom panel, so that the side panels and flaps can be properly folded relative to the bottom panel by the folding means, resulting in a box-shaped body with a neat shape.

[0008] In the invention according to claim 3, there is provided a moving mechanism (43, 47) for moving the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) between a take-out position (N1) below the sheet hopper (11) and a box-making position (N3) spaced from the take-out position (N1); and a lifting means (57) for lifting and lowering the bending means (18a, 18b, 58), The box-making position (N3) is located above the support member (19), and the lifting means (57) raises (18a, 18b, 58) to approach the support member (19), thereby forming a blank sheet (10) into a box. According to the invention of claim 3, the folding means is raised relative to the support member to form the blank sheet into a box, so there is no need to provide a lifting means on the support member located above the folding means, and this makes it possible to prevent the support member from becoming larger and heavier.

[0009] The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that it is provided with an adsorption means (71) for adsorbing the upper surface of the bottom panel (13) adsorbed by the adsorption means (16) of the removal means (17), and in a state in which the bottom panel (13) is clamped between the upper and lower adsorption means (16, 71), the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) and the support member (19) are brought relatively close to each other to form a blank sheet (10) into a box. According to the invention of claim 4, the side panels and flaps are folded while the bottom panel is clamped between the upper and lower suction means, so that the side panels and flaps can be folded stably relative to the bottom panel without the bottom panel becoming misaligned during box making.

[0010] In the invention according to claim 5, a box moving mechanism (67) is provided which moves a suction means (71) for suctioning the upper surface of the bottom panel (13) between above the box making position (N3) and a transport conveyor (59) for the next process, The box moving mechanism (67) moves the suction means (71) to the transport conveyor (59), thereby supplying the box-shaped body (12) thus made to the transport conveyor (59). According to the invention of claim 5, when the blank sheet is made into a box, the completed box-shaped body is transported to the transport conveyor for the next process by an adsorption means that adsorbs the upper surface of the bottom panel. This eliminates the need for a dedicated means for transporting the box-shaped body to the transport conveyor, thereby simplifying the configuration.

[0011] In the invention according to claim 6, the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) has a folding guide (58) that first folds one of the first flap (13a) and the second flap (14a) as the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) and the support member (19) move toward each other relatively, a gluing means (49) for applying adhesive to at least one of the opposing surfaces of the flap (14a) previously folded by the folding guide (58) and the other flap (13a) overlapping the outside of the flap (14a); The first flap (13a) and the second flap (14a), whose opposing surfaces have adhesive applied thereto by the gluing means (49), are pressed by the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) which are brought relatively close to each other by the first adjustment means (20). According to the invention of claim 6, the first adjustment means, which adjusts the position of the folding means to match the size of the bottom panel, is capable of pressing the overlapping flaps to be glued, thereby making it possible to effectively glue the flaps with a simple structure.

[0012] The invention of claim 7 is characterized in that the first adjustment means (20) is configured to move the folding means (18a, 18b, 58) closer in the first direction to press the opposing side panels (14, 14), while moving closer in the second direction to press the first flap (13a) and the second flap (14a). According to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to prevent the flaps from being glued in a distorted state of the box-shaped body, and it is possible to obtain a box-shaped body with a regular shape. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a box making device that can make a box from a blank sheet without replacing parts when changing the size of the bottom panel of the blank sheet. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a main part of the box making device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view showing a main part of the box making device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a main part of the box making device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a sheet hopper. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the box making unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a box making unit with a portion cut away; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the box making unit in vertical section. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a supporting means. [Figure 9] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between folding members and supporting members when forming a box with respect to a blank sheet. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of making a box from blank sheets. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of making a box from blank sheets. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Next, preferred embodiments of a box making device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the box making device of the embodiment is a device that takes out blank sheets 10, such as unfolded cardboard sheets, one by one from the bottom of a sheet hopper 11 in which the blank sheets 10 are stacked and stored, and forms them into a box-shaped body 12. The blank sheets 10 have side panels 14, 14 connected to both sides of a bottom panel 13 that forms a body when the blank sheets 10 are made into a box, and a top panel 15 connected to one of the side panels 14 on the opposite side of the bottom panel 13. In the state where the blank sheets 10 are stacked and stored in the sheet hopper 11, as shown in Fig. 4, the direction in which the four panels 13, 14, 14, 15 are arranged is referred to as the front-rear direction (first direction), and the direction perpendicular to (intersecting) the front-rear direction is referred to as the left-right direction (second direction). In addition, flaps 13a, 14a, 15a are connected to the front and rear ends of each panel 13, 14, 15 in the left-right direction, respectively. Of the flaps 13a, 14a, and 15a, the flap of the bottom panel 13 is referred to as the first flap 13a, the flap of the side panel 14 is referred to as the second flap 14a, and the flap of the top panel 15 is referred to as the third flap 15a. A glued flap 15b is connected to the top panel 15 on the side opposite to the side connected to the side panel 14. Also, fold lines K are formed at the connected portions of the panels 13, 14, and 15 and the flaps 13a, 14a, 15a, and 15b of the blank sheet 10 (see Figs. 3 and 9).

[0017] As shown in Figures 1, 5 and 8, the box making device of the embodiment includes a take-out means 17 that sucks the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10 with a first suction means (suction means) 16 and takes it out of the sheet hopper 11, a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) folding members (folding means) 18a, 18b that are supported so as to be relatively movable toward and away from the blank sheet 10 taken out by the take-out means 17 in the front-rear and left-right directions and can abut against the undersides of each of the side panels 14, 14 of the blank sheet 10 sucked by the first suction means 16 or two first flaps 13a, 13a connected to the bottom panel 13, and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) folding guides (folding means) 58 that can abut against the undersides of two second flaps 14a, 14a connected to each of the side panels 14, and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) folding guides (folding means) 58 that can support portions corresponding to the four corners of the upper surface of the bottom panel 13 sucked by the first suction means 16 and can relatively move toward and away from the bottom panel 13 in the front-rear and left-right directions. In this embodiment, the system is equipped with support members 19 (four in number), a first adjustment means 20 capable of adjusting the positions of the multiple folding members 18a, 18b and folding guides 58 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions to match the size of the bottom panel 13 in the blank sheet 10, and a second adjustment means 21 capable of adjusting the positions of the multiple support members 19 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions to match the size of the bottom panel 13. By bringing the folding members 18a, 18b and folding guides 58, whose positions have been adjusted by the first adjustment means 20 and the second adjustment means 21, and the support members 19 relatively close to each other while the blank sheet 10 is adsorbed by the first suction means 16, the side panels 14, 14, the first flap 13a and the second flap 14a are folded by the folding members 18a, 18b and the folding guides 58 against the bottom panel 13, the upper surface of which is supported by the support members 19, to form the blank sheet 10 into a box-shaped body 12 that opens upward (see Figure 11).

[0018] 2 and 3, an accumulation station 23 for stacked sheets 22 formed by stacking blank sheets 10 is provided adjacent to the sheet hopper 11, and the blank sheets 10 are picked up one by one from the top of the stacked sheets 22 in the accumulation station 23 by a sheet transport device 24 and supplied to the sheet hopper 11. The blank sheets 10 are stacked in the accumulation station 23 in the same orientation as in the sheet hopper 11. The sheet transport device 24 detects the front, rear, left and right positions of the topmost blank sheet 10 with a detection sensor (not shown), picks up the blank sheet 10 by suction with an suction section 24a at an appropriate sheet suction position set on the blank sheet 10, and supplies the blank sheet 10 to the sheet hopper 11.

[0019] 2 and 3, a receiving section 32 for temporarily supporting the blank sheets 10 supplied by the sheet transport device 24 and an alignment means 33 for positioning the front, rear, left and right ends of the blank sheets 10 so that the center of the blank sheets 10 supported by the receiving section 32 is aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 11 are provided above the sheet hopper 11. The receiving section 32 is provided with gates 32a, 32a consisting of a pair of horizontally movable bars spaced apart in the left-right direction, which is the short side direction of the blank sheets 10, and capable of closing a drop passage to the top of the stacked sheets supported by support members 25, 25 of the sheet hopper 11, which will be described later. The gates 32a, 32a are moved by an opening / closing mechanism 35 driven by a servo motor 34 between a support position where they approach each other to support the blank sheets 10 from below and an open position where they are spaced apart to allow the blank sheets 10 to drop. The alignment means 33 is provided with front-rear guides 36, 36 facing each other in the front-rear direction and left-right guides 37, 37 facing each other in the left-right direction. The front-rear guides 36, 36 facing each other in the front-rear direction are configured to move by a front-rear movement mechanism 39 driven by a servo motor 38 from an outer retracted position where they do not interfere with the blank sheet 10 supported by the gates 32a, 32a to an alignment position toward the front-rear center of the sheet hopper 11, so that the front-rear center of the blank sheet 10 supported by the gates 32a, 32a can be aligned with the front-rear center of the sheet hopper 11 by pushing and moving the sheet edge. In addition, there are two pairs of left and right guides 37, 37 facing each other in the left-right direction, spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, and each pair of left and right guides 37, 37 is configured to move by a left-right movement mechanism 41 driven by a servo motor 40 from an outer retracted position where it does not interfere with the blank sheet 10 supported by the gates 32a, 32a to an alignment position toward the left-right center of the sheet hopper 11, so that the left-right center of the blank sheet 10 supported by the gates 32a, 32a can be aligned with the left-right center of the sheet hopper 11 by pushing and moving the sheet edge.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the sheet hopper 11 is formed so as to be open in the vertical direction from a pair of support members 25, 25 spaced apart in the left-right direction and supporting the left and right ends of the blank sheet 10 from below, front-rear regulating members 26, 26 extending upward from the support members 25, 25 and arranged opposite each other in the front-rear direction, and left-right regulating members 27, 27 extending upward from the support members 25, 25 and arranged opposite each other in the left-right direction, and is configured so that the front-rear, left-right center of the blank sheet 10 can be aligned with the front-rear, left-right center of the sheet hopper 11 by regulating the positions of the corresponding ends of the blank sheet 10 with the front-rear, left-right regulating members 26, 26, 27, 27.

[0021] The front-rear regulating members 26,26 are supported by a front-rear slide mechanism 29 driven by a servo motor 28 so as to be movable toward and away from each other, and the left-right regulating members 27,27 are supported by a left-right slide mechanism 31 driven by a servo motor 30 so as to be movable toward and away from each other, and are configured to adjust the positions of the front-rear regulating members 26,26 and the left-right regulating members 27,27 by the front-rear slide mechanism 29 and the left-right slide mechanism 31 according to the size of the blank sheet 10, thereby positioning the front-rear, left-right and right edges of blank sheets 10 of various sizes. The pair of support members 25,25 are configured to move integrally with the left-right regulating members 27,27 by the left-right slide mechanism 31, and the support members 25,25 are positioned at positions to support the flaps 13a, 14a, 15a of the blank sheet 10 whose left and right edges are regulated by the left-right regulating members 27,27. In other words, a space is defined between the two support members 25, 25 through which the panels 13, 14, 15 of the blank sheet 10 can pass, and when the blank sheet 10 is removed by the removal means 17, the flaps 13a, 14a, 15a are folded so that the blank sheet 10 can be removed downward from the space.

[0022] 1, a base 72 that is moved in the left-right direction by a left-right slide mechanism 43 driven by a servo motor 42 is disposed below the sheet hopper 11, and a support base 44 that is moved in the front-back direction by a front-rear slide mechanism 47 driven by a servo motor (not shown) is supported on the base 72. A female mold 45 consisting of the removal means 17, the plurality of bending members 18a, 18b, and the plurality of bending guides 58 is disposed on the support base 44 and configured to move integrally, and a box making unit 73 having the support base 44, the removal means 17, the plurality of bending members 18a, 18b, and the plurality of bending guides 58 is moved in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction by the left-right slide mechanism 43 and the front-rear slide mechanism 47. 3, the left-right slide mechanism 43 is configured to move the base 72 to position the box making unit 73 (the removal means 17 and the female die 45) at a removal position N1 (see solid line in FIG. 1) below the sheet hopper 11 and at an intermediate position N2 spaced to the right from the removal position N1. The front-rear slide mechanism 47 is configured to move the box making unit 73 positioned at the intermediate position N2 in the front-rear direction to position the box making unit 73 at the intermediate position N2 and at a box making position N3 (see two-dot chain line in FIG. 1) spaced rearward from the intermediate position N2. In the embodiment, the left-right slide mechanism 43 and the front-rear slide mechanism 47 form a movement mechanism that moves the folding members 18a, 18b and the folding guide 58 between the removal position N1 and the box making position N3 spaced from the removal position N1.

[0023] 5, 6 and 7, the removal means 17 includes a first suction means 16 and air cylinders 48a, 48b for raising and lowering the first suction means 16. The first suction means 16 includes a plurality of (two in this embodiment) upwardly facing suction cups 16a spaced apart in the left-right direction, and a plate-like support 16b positioned around the periphery of the suction cups 16a and capable of supporting the lower surface of the bottom panel 13 to be sucked by the suction cups 16a. The suction cups 16a and the support 16b are configured to be raised and lowered together by the air cylinders 48a, 48b disposed on the support base 44. The air cylinders 48a, 48b are configured by linearly connecting a first air cylinder 48a and a second air cylinder 48b, and the first air cylinder 48a is configured to raise the suction cup 16a at the removal position N1 to suction the underside of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10, and then lower the suction cup 16a to remove the blank sheet 10 from the sheet hopper 11 and position the blank sheet 10 above the female mold 45 (the folding members 18a, 18b and the folding guide 58) at an outer position where at least the folding members 18a, 18b correspond to the corners of the bottom panel 13 (see FIG. 9). The second air cylinder 48b is configured to raise the first suction means 16, which is suctioning the blank sheet 10 at the box making position N3, to a position where the blank sheet 10 is sandwiched from above and below by a second suction means 71 provided on a male mold 60, which will be described later, and which is equipped with the support member 19 (see FIG. 10(b)). A gluing means 49 is provided on the intermediate position side of the sheet hopper 11 for applying adhesive to the upper surfaces (the surfaces facing the inside of the box-shaped body 12) of the two first flaps 13a of the blank sheet 10 that is taken out by the take-out means 17 and transported together with the box-making unit 73 toward the intermediate position N2 (see FIG. 1). The gluing means 49 applies adhesive to two locations on the first flap 13a that face the two second flaps 14a, 14a when the blank sheet 10 is formed into the box-shaped body 12.

[0024] 5, the box-making unit 73 includes four movable bodies 50 that are positioned corresponding to the four corners of the box-shaped body 12 formed by folding the side panels 14, 14, the first flaps 13a, 13a, and the second flaps 14a, 14a with the bottom panel 13 being attracted by the first suction means 16, and that can move relatively closer to and away from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions. Each movable body 50 is provided with a first folding member 18a and a second folding member 18b that are positioned on the outside corresponding to each corner of the box-shaped body 12 and extend upward by a predetermined length. 9, the folding members 18a, 18b are set so that, when the blank sheet 10 is made into a box, the first folding member 18a comes into contact with the underside of the side panel 14 adjacent to the bottom panel 13 at a position closer to the side panel than the fold line K, and the second folding member 18b comes into contact with the underside of the first flap 13a adjacent to the bottom panel 13 at a position closer to the corner of the bottom panel 13 at a position closer to the first flap than the fold line K. When the folding members 18a, 18b and the support member 19 are used to make a box, the folding members 18a, 18b are moved relatively close to the support member 19, so that the first folding members 18a fold the side panel 14 relative to the bottom panel 13, and the second folding members 18b fold the first flap 13a relative to the bottom panel 13.

[0025] 6 and 7, each movable body 50 is provided with a folding guide 58 that can abut against the second flap 14a of the side panel 14 from below, and extends upward from the first and second folding members 18a, 18b, and when the blank sheet 10 is made into a box, the folding guide 58 folds the second flap 14a before the first flap 13a of the bottom panel 13 is folded by the second folding member 18b, so that the second flap 14a overlaps the inside of the first flap 13a when the box is made (see FIG. 11). The lower surface of the blank sheet 10 taken out of the sheet hopper 11 by the take-out means 17 is supported by the upper ends of the four folding guides 58. In the embodiment, a female die 45 for forming a box-shaped body 12 from a blank sheet 10 is configured by four sets of folding means, in which a first folding member 18a, a second folding member 18b and a folding guide 58 are arranged on a movable body 50. The first suction means 16 is located in the center of the female die 45.

[0026] 5 and 6, the first adjustment means 20 includes a front-rear adjustment mechanism 51 that moves the movable bodies 50, 50 opposing each other in the front-rear direction closer to and away from each other in the front-rear direction, and a left-right adjustment mechanism 52 that moves the movable bodies 50, 50 opposing each other in the left-right direction closer to and away from each other in the left-right direction. Two front-rear adjustment mechanisms 51 are arranged spaced apart in the left-right direction, and the two movable bodies 50, 50 opposing each other in the front-rear direction are moved closer to and away from each other in the front-rear direction by each front-rear adjustment mechanism 51, and the two front-rear adjustment mechanisms 51, 51 are moved closer to and away from each other in the left-right direction by one left-right adjustment mechanism 52, so that the two sets of movable bodies 50, 50 opposing each other in the left-right direction are moved closer to and away from each other in the left-right direction. The left-right adjustment mechanism 52 includes a servo motor 53 and a slide mechanism 54 to which the two front-rear adjustment mechanisms 51, 51 are linked, and by driving the slide mechanism 54 with the servo motor 53, the front-rear adjustment mechanisms 51, 51, i.e., the second bending members 18b, 18b and bending guides 58, 58 of the movable bodies 50, 50 facing each other in the left-right direction, move relatively closer to and away from each other. The front-rear adjustment mechanism 51 includes a servo motor 55 and a slide mechanism 56 to which the two movable bodies 50, 50 are linked, and by driving the slide mechanism 56 with the servo motor 55, the first bending members 18a, 18a and bending guides 58, 58 of the movable bodies 50, 50 facing each other in the front-rear direction move relatively closer to and away from each other.

[0027] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the left-right adjustment mechanism 52 is supported on the support base 44 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and by moving the left-right adjustment mechanism 52 in the vertical direction by a lifting means 57, such as an air cylinder, arranged on the support base 44, the female mold 45 (bending members 18a, 18b and bending guide 58) is moved in the vertical direction.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, a transport conveyor 59 for transporting the box-shaped body 12 to the next process is disposed on the opposite side of the sheet hopper 11 across the box-making position N3. A male mold 60 is disposed above the transport conveyor 59 and includes the support members 19 for forming the blank sheet 10 into the box-shaped body 12 in cooperation with the female mold 45. The male mold 60 includes the four support members 19 spaced apart in the front-rear and left-right directions and capable of supporting from above the portions of the blank sheet 10 positioned at the box-making position N3 that correspond to the four corners of the upper surface of the bottom panel 13. As shown in FIG. 9, the lower surface of each support member 19 is formed in an L-shape and configured to support the portions close to the fold lines K, K that intersect corresponding to the corners of the bottom panel 13. The second adjustment means 21, which moves the four support members 19 relatively closer to and farther from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions, includes a front-rear adjustment mechanism 61 that moves the support members 19, 19 facing each other in the front-rear direction closer to and farther from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions, and a left-right adjustment mechanism 62 that moves the support members 19, 19 facing each other in the left-right direction closer to and farther from each other in the left-right direction. Two front-rear adjustment mechanisms 61 are arranged spaced apart in the left-right direction, and each front-rear adjustment mechanism 61 moves the two support members 19, 19 facing each other in the front-rear direction closer to and farther from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions, and the two front-rear adjustment mechanisms 61, 61 are moved closer to and farther from each other in the left-right direction by one left-right adjustment mechanism 62. The left-right adjustment mechanism 62 includes a servo motor 63 and a slide mechanism 64 to which the two front-rear adjustment mechanisms 61, 61 are linked, and the front-rear adjustment mechanisms 61, 61, i.e., the support members 19, 19 facing each other in the left-right direction, move closer to and farther from each other by driving the slide mechanism 64 by the servo motor 63. 8, the front-rear adjustment mechanism 61 includes a servo motor 65 and a slide mechanism 66 to which one of the two support members 19, 19 facing each other in the front-rear direction is linked. The other support member 19 facing each other in the front-rear direction is fixed in a fixed position, and by driving the slide mechanism 66 by the servo motor 65, one support member 19 moves toward or away from the other support member 19.

[0029] 1 and 8, the left-right adjustment mechanism 62 is supported by a box moving mechanism 67 so as to move left-right. The box moving mechanism 67 is configured such that the slide mechanism 64 of the left-right adjustment mechanism 62 is linked to a slide mechanism 69 driven by a servo motor 68, and the slide mechanism 69 moves the left-right adjustment mechanism 62 left-right to position the male mold 60 above the box making position N3 and at a box supply position N4 above the transport conveyor 59. The slide mechanism 64 of the left-right adjustment mechanism 62 is supported by a rotation mechanism 70 so as to be rotatable 90 degrees horizontally relative to the slide mechanism 69 of the box moving mechanism 67, and is configured such that the box-shaped body 12 formed above the box making position N3 can be supplied to the transport conveyor 59 by rotating it horizontally 90 degrees while being attracted by a second suction means 71 described later to change its position.

[0030] 1, the male mold 60 is provided at the center of the four support members 19 with a second suction means 71 capable of suctioning the upper surface of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10. The second suction means 71 includes a plurality of (two in this embodiment) downward suction cups 71a spaced apart in the left-right direction, and a plate-shaped support 71b located on the outer periphery of the suction cups 71a and capable of supporting the upper surface of the bottom panel 13 to be suctioned by the suction cups 71a. When the blank sheet 10 is lifted by the first suction means 16 at the boxmaking position N3, the second suction means 71 suctions the upper surface of the bottom panel 13, and the supports 16b, 71b of the first suction means 16 and the second suction means 71 vertically clamp the bottom panel 13 (see FIG. 10(b)).

[0031] Next, the operation of the box making device according to the embodiment will be described.

[0032] The blank sheets 10 stacked in the accumulation station 23 are picked up one by one from the top by the sheet transfer device 24 and delivered to the receiving section 32 located above the sheet hopper 11. When the blank sheet 10 is delivered to the receiving section 32, the front and rear guides 36, 36 and the left and right guides 37, 37 of the alignment means 33 are moved by the corresponding moving mechanisms 39, 41 from retracted positions outside the blank sheet 10 to an alignment position on the central side, and the front, rear, left and right edges of the blank sheet 10 are pressed against the guides 36, 36, 37, 37 in accordance with the size of the blank sheet 10, so that the blank sheet 10 is not tilted in the horizontal plane and the center of the sheet hopper and the center of the blank sheet are aligned. When the blank sheet 10 is aligned by the alignment operation of the front, rear, left and right guides 36, 36, 37, 37, the gates 32a, 32a of the receiving portion 32 are moved away from each other to the open position, whereby support for the blank sheet 10 is released and the blank sheet 10 falls and is transferred to the top of a predetermined amount of blank sheets 10 stacked on the support members 25, 25 of the sheet hopper 11.

[0033] 4, the front, rear and left and right regulating members 26, 26, 27, 27 of the sheet hopper 11 are positioned by the corresponding slide mechanisms 29, 31 at positions that regulate the corresponding edges according to the size of the blank sheets 10, and the blank sheets 10 dropping from the receiving section 32 are guided by the front, rear and left and right regulating members 26, 26, 27, 27, and transferred onto a predetermined amount of blank sheets 10 stacked on the support members 25, 25 with the center of the blank sheet 10 aligned with the center of the sheet hopper 11. In this way, the sheet transfer device 24 and the receiving section 32 repeatedly supply blank sheets 10 to the sheet hopper 11, and even if the number of blank sheets 10 in the sheet hopper 11 decreases due to use in the box making device, the sheet hopper 11 is satisfactorily replenished with blank sheets 10 one by one.

[0034] When the box-making unit 73 takes out the blank sheet 10, the folding members 18a, 18b, whose positions have been adjusted by the left-right slide mechanism 43 and the front-rear slide mechanism 47 according to the size of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10, are positioned at a take-out position N1 facing below an outer position close to a corner of the bottom panel 13. Then, the take-out means 17 raises the first suction means 16 by the first air cylinder 48a, and after the first suction means 16 sucks the underside of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10, the first air cylinder 48a lowers the first suction means 16, thereby taking out the blank sheet 10 from the bottommost part of the sheet hopper 11. The lowering of the first suction means 16 is stopped at a position where the blank sheet 10 is supported by the upper ends of the four folding guides 58 of the female die 45 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The four folding guides 58 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the four second flaps 14a of the blank sheet 10. The blank sheet 10 attracted by the first suction means 16 is held so that the folding members 18a, 18b of the female die 45 face outer positions close to the corners of the bottom panel 13.

[0035] The box making unit 73 is moved from the take-out position N1 to the intermediate position N2 by the left-right slide mechanism 43, and then moved from the intermediate position N2 to the box making position N3 by the front-rear slide mechanism 47. Adhesive is applied by the gluing means 49 to the upper surface of each first flap 13a of the blank sheet 10 that is transported together with the box making unit 73 from the take-out position N1 to the intermediate position N2. As shown in Fig. 10(a), a male die 60 is positioned above the box making position N3, and the blank sheet 10 transported by the box making unit 73 is positioned at the box making position N3 where the support members 19 of the male die 60 can abut against the four corners of the bottom panel 13. In the box making unit 73 that has moved to the box making position N3, the first suction means 16 is raised by the second air cylinder 48b, so that the upper surface of the bottom panel 13, the lower surface of which is suctioned by the first suction means 16, comes into contact with and is sucked by the second suction means 71 from below, and the bottom panel 13 is clamped in the vertical direction by the supports 16b, 71b of the first suction means 16 and the second suction means 71 (see FIG. 10(b)). In addition, the support members 19 come into contact with and support the four corners of the upper surface of the bottom panel 13, restricting the upward movement of the bottom panel 13.

[0036] When the bottom panel 13 is clamped by the suction means 16, 71 and the four corners of the top surface are abutted and supported by the support member 19, as shown in Figure 11 (a), the female mold 45 is lifted by the lifting means 57 and approaches the support member 19, and the side panel 14, first flap 13a and second flap 14a of the blank sheet 10 are each folded in a predetermined order at the fold line K to form a box-shaped body 12 that opens upward. That is, first, the second flap 14a of each side panel 14 is folded relative to the side panel 14 at the fold line K by the folding guide 58, then the side panel 14 is folded relative to the bottom panel 13 at the fold line K by the second folding member 18b, and the first flap 13a is folded relative to the bottom panel 13 at the fold line K by the first folding member 18a, so that the first flap 13a is overlapped on the outside of the second flap 14a, thereby forming the box-shaped body 12.

[0037] After the blank sheet 10 is formed into a box shape, the first folding members 18a, 18a facing each other in the front-to-back direction of the female mold 45 are moved by the front-to-back adjustment mechanism 51 so as to be closer than when the side panels 14, 14 were folded, and after the side panel 14 is held in a state folded at approximately a right angle to the bottom panel 13, the second folding members 18b, 18b facing each other in the left-to-right direction of the female mold 45 are moved by the left-to-right adjustment mechanism 52 so as to be closer than when the first flaps 13a, 13a were folded, and the adhesive-applied surface of the first flap 13a that overlaps the outside of the second flap 14a is pressed against the second flap 14a by the second folding member 18b, effectively gluing both flaps 13a, 14a.

[0038] 11(b), in a state in which the upper surface of the bottom panel 13 of the box-shaped body 12 is sucked by the second suction means 71, the suction by the first suction means 16 is released, the first suction means 16 is lowered by the second air cylinder 48b, and the female mold 45 is lowered by the lifting means 57 to be removed downward from the outside of the box-shaped body 12. The male mold 60 is moved to above the transport conveyor 59 by the box moving mechanism 67, and is rotated 90 degrees horizontally by the rotation mechanism 70 to change the orientation of the box-shaped body 12. Then, the suction by the second suction means 71 is released, and the box-shaped body 12 is transferred to the transport conveyor 59.

[0039] When the size of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10 is changed due to an order change, as shown in Fig. 5, the first adjustment means 20 adjusts the first folding member 18a and the second folding member 18b of the female die 45 to be positioned at outer positions corresponding to the four corners (corners of the bottom panel 13) of the box-shaped body 12 according to the size of the bottom panel 13. The second adjustment means 21 adjusts the support member 19 of the male die 60 to be positioned at a position corresponding to the four corners of the bottom panel 13 according to the size of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10. Then, by using the female die 45 and the male die 60 in which the folding members 18a, 18b and the support member 19 have been adjusted by the first and second adjustment means 20, 21, the blank sheet 10 after the size change can be appropriately boxed.

[0040] In the box making device of the embodiment, the folding members 18a, 18b, the folding guide 58, and the support member 19 for making the box-shaped body 12 from the blank sheet 10 are configured to be adjustable to positions according to the size of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10, so that parts do not need to be replaced when changing the size of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10, and loss time can be reduced. In addition, a single female die 45 having the folding members 18a, 18b and the folding guide 58 and a single male die 60 having the support member 19 can be used for various sizes, so that it is not necessary to prepare female dies 45 and male dies 60 corresponding to each size of the bottom panel 13, which can reduce costs and save the effort of storage and management. In addition, the box making unit 73 having the female die 45 is provided with the removal means 17, so that the folding members 18a, 18b of the female die 45 can be positioned at appropriate positions corresponding to the corners of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10 removed from the sheet hopper 11. Furthermore, since the blank sheet 10 is adsorbed by the first suction means 16 until it is made into a box, the relative positions of the blank sheet 10 and each folding member 18a, 18b of the female mold 45 do not change while the box making unit 73 moves from the removal position N1 to the box making position N3, and the blank sheet 10 can be made into a box properly.

[0041] In the box-making device of the embodiment, during box-making, the four corners of the bottom panel 13 are supported by the support members 19, and the folding members 18a, 18b are brought into contact with the outer positions of the side panels 14 and first flaps 13a connected to the bottom panel 13 that correspond to the four corners of the bottom panel 13 to make a box out of the blank sheet 10, so that the side panels 14 and first flaps 13a can be properly folded relative to the bottom panel 13 by the folding members 18a, 18b, and a neatly shaped box-shaped body 12 can be obtained. Also, during box-making, the side panels 14 and first flaps 13a are folded while the bottom panel 13 is sandwiched between the upper and lower suction means 16, 71, so that the side panels 14 and first flaps 13a can be stably folded relative to the bottom panel 13 without the position of the bottom panel 13 shifting.

[0042] In the box making device of the embodiment, the first flap 13a and the second flap 14a to be glued are pressed using the first adjustment means 20 that adjusts the position of the second folding member 18b to match the size of the bottom panel 13 of the blank sheet 10, so that a dedicated means for pressing is not required and the flaps 13a, 14a can be effectively glued with a simple structure. Also, in a state in which the side panels 14, 14 are folded at right angles to the bottom panel 13 by the first folding members 18a, 18a, the first flap 13a and the second flap 14a are pressed by the second folding members 18b, 18b, so that the first flap 13a and the second flap 14a are not glued at an angle, and a box-shaped body 12 with a regular shape can be obtained.

[0043] In the box making device of the embodiment, the female mold 45 (folding members 18a, 18b and folding guide 58) is raised relative to the male mold 60 (support member 19) positioned above the box making position to make a blank sheet 10, so there is no need to provide a lifting means on the male mold 60 side located above the female mold 45, and it is possible to suppress the male mold 60 side from becoming larger and heavier. In addition, when the blank sheet 10 is made into a box, the second suction means 71 that suctions the upper surface of the bottom panel 13 transfers the made box-shaped body 12 to the transport conveyor 59 for the next process, so there is no need for a dedicated means for transferring the box-shaped body 12 to the transport conveyor 59, and the configuration can be simplified.

[0044] (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) In the embodiment, the folding members 18a, 18b are configured to be positioned at outer positions corresponding to the four corners of the box-shaped body 12. However, the folding members do not have to be positioned at the corners as long as they can cooperate with the support member 19 to fold the side panel 14 or the first flap 13a. (2) In the embodiment, the first folding member 18a and the second folding member 18b are disposed on the movable body 50 and are configured to move together, but a configuration in which the first folding member 18a and the second folding member 18b are moved by separate adjustment mechanisms may be adopted. Also, the folding guide 58 may be moved by a separate adjustment mechanism from the folding members 18a and 18b. Note that, as long as the folding guide 58 can abut against the second flap 14a, it may be fixed at a common position when the size of the bottom panel 13 is changed within a predetermined range, and only the folding members 18a and 18b may be adjusted to match the size of the bottom panel 13. (3) In the embodiment, the second flap 14a is folded by the folding guide 58 prior to the folding timing of the first flap 13a, so that the first flap 13a is overlapped and glued to the outside of the second flap 14a. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the folding of the second flap 14a by the folding guide 58 is performed after the folding timing of the first flap 13a, and adhesive is applied by the gluing means 49 to either one of the opposing surfaces of the first flap 13a and the second flap 14a, so that the second flap 14a is overlapped and glued to the outside of the first flap 13a. (4) In the embodiment, the female mold 45 is moved to the right from the removal position N1 and then moved backward to be positioned at the box-making position N3. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the intermediate position N2 in the embodiment is set as the box-making position N3 and the male mold 60 is positioned above the box-making position N3. (5) In the embodiment, the female die 45 is raised relative to the male die 60 to form the blank sheet 10 into a box. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the male die 60 is lowered relative to the female die 45 to form the blank sheet 10 into a box. (6) In the embodiment, the front-to-rear adjustment mechanism 61 of the second adjustment means 21 is configured to move one support member 19 toward or away from the other support member 19 that is fixedly positioned, but a configuration in which two opposing support members 19, 19 facing each other in the front-to-rear direction are moved toward or away from each other can be adopted. (7) The number of suction cups 16a, 71a in the first and second suction means 16, 71 may be one or three or more depending on the shape of the suction cups 16a, 71a, other suction conditions, and the sheet size. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 blank sheet, 11 sheet hopper, 12 box-shaped body, 13 bottom panel 13a first flap, 14 side panel, 14a second flap, 15 top panel 16 first suction means (suction means), 17 removal means 18a: first bending member (bending means), 18b: second bending member (bending means) 19 Support member, 20 First adjustment means, 21 Second adjustment means 43 Left and right slide mechanism (movement mechanism), 47 Front and rear slide mechanism (movement mechanism) 49 Gluing means, 57 Lifting means, 58 Folding guide (folding means) 59 Transport conveyor, 67 Box moving mechanism, 71 Second suction means (suction means) N1 Take-out position, N3 Box-making position

Claims

1. A box-making device that forms a blank sheet into a box-shaped body, the blank sheet having a bottom panel and side panels connected to both sides of the bottom panel and a top panel connected to one of the side panels on an opposite side to the bottom panel, a take-out means for taking out a blank sheet from a lowermost portion of a sheet hopper in which a plurality of the blank sheets are stacked, by sucking the lower surface of the bottom panel with a suction means; a folding means supported so as to be movable relatively toward and away from each other in a first direction in which the bottom panel, side panels and top panel of the blank sheet taken out by the taking-out means are connected and in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and capable of contacting an underside of the side panel of the blank sheet sucked by the suction means, a first flap connected to the front and rear of the bottom panel in the second direction, and a second flap connected to the front and rear of the side panel in the second direction; a support member capable of supporting portions of the bottom panel that correspond to four corners of the top surface of the bottom panel attracted by the suction means and that is movable relatively toward and away from the bottom panel in the first direction and the second direction; a first adjusting means for adjusting the position of the folding means in a first direction and a second direction in accordance with a size of a bottom panel of a blank sheet, and a second adjusting means for adjusting the position of the support member in the first direction and the second direction in accordance with a size of a bottom panel of a blank sheet, The folding means and the support member, the positions of which have been adjusted by the first and second adjusting means, are brought relatively close to each other while the blank sheet is being sucked by the sucking means, so that the side panels and the first and second flaps are folded by the folding means against the bottom panel, the upper surface of which is supported by the support member, to form the blank sheet into a box-shaped body. A box making device characterized by:

2. 2. The box making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first adjustment means is configured to adjust the position of the folding means so as to position the folding means at positions corresponding to the four corners of the bottom panel in accordance with the size of the bottom panel.

3. a moving mechanism for moving the folding means between a take-out position below the sheet hopper and a box-making position spaced from the take-out position; a lifting means for lifting and lowering the bending means, 2. The box making device according to claim 1, wherein the folding means is raised by the lifting means to approach the support member located above the box making position, thereby forming a box from the blank sheets.

4. 2. A box making device as described in claim 1, further comprising an adsorption means for adsorbing the upper surface of the bottom panel adsorbed by the adsorption means of the removal means, and configured to make a blank sheet into a box by bringing the folding means and the support member relatively close together while the bottom panel is held between the upper and lower adsorption means.

5. a box moving mechanism for moving a suction means for suctioning an upper surface of the bottom panel between above the box making position and a transport conveyor for a next process; 5. The box making device according to claim 4, wherein the box moving mechanism moves the suction means to the transport conveyor, thereby supplying the completed box-shaped body to the transport conveyor.

6. the folding means has a folding guide for folding one of the first flap or the second flap first as the folding means and the support member move closer to each other relative to each other; a gluing means for applying adhesive to at least one of the opposing surfaces of the flap previously folded by the folding guide and the other flap overlapping the outer side of the first flap; 2. A box making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first flap and the second flap, the opposing surfaces of which have adhesive applied by the gluing means, are pressed by the folding means which is brought closer to each other by the first adjustment means.

7. 7. A box making apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first adjustment means is configured to move the folding means in the first direction to press the opposing side panels while moving in a second direction to press the first and second flaps.

Images