Box body conveyance device

Abstract

To provide a box body conveyance device capable of conveying a box body in a state where an outer shape of the box body is accurately held.SOLUTION: This box body conveyance device comprises: first and second conveyance mechanisms 21A and 21B for holding and conveying a box body W between both sides in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction in a planar view; first detection means 22A for detecting the position of the end X1 of a first lower outer flap Wc1a of the box body W; second detection means 22B for detecting the end X2 of a second lower outer flap Wc1b of the box body W; and a control device 23 that controls the operations of the first and second conveyance mechanisms 21A and 21B on the basis of the detection information of the first and second detection means 22A and 22B. The control device 23 calculates a misalignment amount between the end X1 and the end X2 in the conveying direction using the detection information, and controls each of conveying speeds of the first and second conveyance mechanisms 21A and 21B so as to suppress the misalignment amount on the basis of a speed difference in conveying speed between the first and second conveyance mechanisms 21A and 21B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a box transport device that transports boxes, which are inserted with both upper and lower side surfaces open, in one direction. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a sealing device has been known which transports a box with an open upper and / or lower side in one direction using a transport device, folds a pair of inner flaps located on both sides of the upper and / or lower side in the transport direction toward the opening, and then folds a pair of outer flaps (a first flap and a second flap) located on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction when viewed in a plane toward the opening, and seals the area where the ends of the pair of outer flaps are butted together with tape (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the sealing device, the box that has been inserted into the device is transported in one direction by a transport device while maintaining the same external shape as when the box was inserted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-171614 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the outer shape of the box may be slightly distorted due to the surrounding environment (temperature, humidity, etc.) or manufacturing errors during production. In such cases, once the box is placed into the sealing device, it is transported by the conveying device with the position of the pair of outer flaps (first flap and second flap) being slightly misaligned along the conveying direction of the conveying device. As a result, when the pair of outer flaps were folded toward the opening during transportation and the point where the ends of the pair of outer flaps were butted together was sealed with tape, there was a risk that the position of the pair of outer flaps would shift or wrinkles would form in the tape, causing the bag to become sealed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the current problems described above, and has an objective of providing a box body conveying device that can convey a box body while precisely maintaining the external shape of the box body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention has been described above, and the means for solving this problem will now be described.

[0007] That is, the box transport device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a box transport device that transports boxes, which are inserted with both upper and lower side surfaces open, in one direction, and includes a first transport mechanism and a second transport mechanism that transport the box by clamping the box from both sides in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction in a plan view, a first detection means that detects the position of an end portion on the downstream side in the transport direction of a first flap that protrudes beyond the area on the first transport mechanism side at the periphery of the upper or lower side of the box, and a second detection means that detects the position of an end portion on the downstream side in the transport direction of a second flap that protrudes beyond the area on the second transport mechanism side. The present invention is characterized in that the device comprises a detection means, a control device that controls the operation of the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism based on detection information detected by the first detection means and the second detection means, and the control device uses the detection information to calculate the amount of deviation along the conveying direction between the position of the end of the first flap and the position of the end of the second flap, and controls the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism so as to suppress the amount of deviation by a speed difference between the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism. With this configuration, even if the external shape of the inserted box is slightly distorted and the positions of the first and second flaps on the upper and / or lower sides of the box are slightly misaligned along the conveying direction, the amount of misalignment between the first and second flaps can be accurately determined based on the detection information from the first and second detection means, and the conveying speeds of the first and second conveying mechanisms can be controlled to reliably suppress the amount of misalignment. In other words, the box can be conveyed without distortion or the like, while accurately maintaining its external shape. Therefore, with the box body conveying device of the present invention, the box body can be transported with the first flap and the second flap protruding from the peripheral edges of both the upper and lower side surfaces at approximately the same positions along the conveying direction.For example, even when the first flap and the second flap are folded toward the opening during transport and the point where the ends of both parts (the first flap and the second flap) are butted together is sealed with tape, the positions of both parts do not shift and wrinkles do not occur in the tape, and the sealing can be achieved with higher quality.

[0008] In addition, the box body conveying device of aspect 2 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned aspect 1, further comprises a folding mechanism for folding a first flap and a second flap protruding from the peripheral edge of the upper side and / or lower side of the box body toward the opening side, and the first detection means detects the position of the end of the first flap that is folded toward the opening side first, among the first flap on the upper side and the first flap on the lower side, and the second detection means detects the position of the end of the second flap that is folded toward the opening side first, among the second flap on the upper side and the second flap on the lower side. Here, when sealing a box with both the top and bottom sides open, it is common to first fold the first and second flaps protruding from the periphery of either the top or bottom side toward the opening to seal it, and then leave the first and second flaps protruding from the periphery of the other side open without folding them, to serve as an opening for inserting the contents. On the other hand, in a box, if the first and second flaps protruding from either the upper or lower side walls are sealed at approximately the same position along the conveying direction, the rigidity of the entire box is increased, and the first and second flaps protruding from the other edge are securely held in approximately the same position along the conveying direction. For this reason, in the box body conveying device of the present invention, the positions of the ends of the first flap and the second flap, which are folded toward the opening side first, are detected by a first detection means and a second detection means, and based on the detection information from the first detection means and the second detection means, the amount of misalignment between the first flap and the second flap can be reliably reduced, thereby enabling the box body sealing operation to be performed with higher quality.

[0009] In addition, a box body conveying device according to aspect 3 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned aspect 1 or aspect 2, the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism are composed of a pair of belt conveyors driven by a servo motor. With this configuration, by using a pair of servo motors whose output shaft rotation speed can be arbitrarily changed and independently controlling the rotational drive of each of the pair of servo motors, the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism can be fine-tuned individually, and the amount of misalignment between the first flap and the second flap protruding from the periphery on the upper and / or lower side of the box body can be more reliably suppressed. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The present invention has the following advantages. That is, according to the box transport device of the present invention, the box can be transported while the outer shape of the box is accurately maintained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the overall configuration of a sealing device equipped with a box conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a box body to be sealed by a sealing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the direction of arrow A in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) and FIG.

[0013] [Overall configuration of sealing device 1] First, the overall configuration of a sealing device 1 equipped with a box conveying device 2 embodying the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

[0014] 1(a) and (b), the sealing device 1 in this embodiment is a device that transports a box W, which is inserted with both the top and bottom sides open, in one direction (the direction of arrow A), folds a pair of outer flaps (lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1) protruding from the peripheral edge of the lower side Wq (see FIG. 2) described below toward the opening side (i.e., the lower side Wq side), and seals the butted ends of this pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 with adhesive tape T.

[0015] Here, as shown in Figure 2, the box body W has a side portion Wa formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed in a plane, an upper flap Wb protruding upward from the upper peripheral edge of the side portion Wa, and a lower flap Wc protruding downward from the lower peripheral edge of the side portion Wa.

[0016] In the following description, the upper side Wp of the box body W means the opening surface provided at the upper part of the side portion Wa, and the lower side Wq of the box body W means the opening surface provided at the lower part of the side portion Wa.

[0017] When inserted into the sealing device 1, the side portion Wa has a pair of first side portion Wa1·Wa1 located on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (direction of arrow A) of the box body conveying device 2 in a planar view, and a pair of second side portion Wa2·Wa2 located on both sides of the conveying direction. In addition, the upper flap Wb has a pair of upper outer flaps Wb1·Wb1 located on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed in a plane, and a pair of upper inner flaps Wb2·Wb2 located on both sides in the conveying direction. Furthermore, the lower flap Wc has a pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 located on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed in a plane, and a pair of lower inner flaps Wc2·Wc2 located on both sides in the conveying direction.

[0018] Of the pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1, the lower outer flap Wc1 (hereinafter referred to as the "first lower outer flap Wc1a" as appropriate) located on the side of the first conveying mechanism 21A (see Figure 1) described later is an example of a first flap according to the present invention. In other words, the first lower outer flap Wc1a protrudes downward from the peripheral edge of the lower side surface Wq of the box W beyond the area on the first conveying mechanism 21A side.

[0019] Furthermore, in the pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1, the lower outer flap Wc1 (hereinafter referred to as the "second lower outer flap Wc1b" as appropriate) located on the side of the second conveying mechanism 21B (see Figure 1) described later is an example of a second flap according to the present invention. In other words, the second lower outer flap Wc1b protrudes downward from the peripheral edge of the lower side surface Wq of the box W beyond the area on the second transfer mechanism 21B side.

[0020] Then, the box body W is inserted into the sealing device 1 (more specifically, the upstream part in the conveying direction of the box body conveying device 2) with the pair of lower inner flaps Wc2·Wc2 folded toward the opening side (the lower side Wq side) and the rectangular insole member S laid on the lower side Wq.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the sealing device 1 mainly comprises a box body conveying device 2 that conveys a box body W in one direction while folding a pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 toward the opening side (the lower side Wq side), a sealing device 3 that seals adhesive tape T to the ends of the folded pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1, and a control unit 4 that controls the operation of the entire device.

[0022] The box body conveying device 2 includes a first conveying mechanism 21A and a second conveying mechanism 21B for conveying the box body W in one direction, a first detection means 22A and a second detection means 22B for detecting the state of the box body W immediately before it is inserted into the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, and a control device 23 for controlling the operation of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B based on the detection information detected by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B. In addition, the box body conveying device 2 further includes a folding mechanism 24 that folds the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b (since Figure 1(b) is a side view, only the first lower outer flap Wc1a is shown) of the inserted box body W toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side).

[0023] In this embodiment, the first transport mechanism 21A and the second transport mechanism 21B are each constituted by a belt conveyor driven by servo motors 21A3 and 21B3. Specifically, the first conveying mechanism 21A has a pair of pulleys 21A1-21A1, an endless conveying belt 21A2 wound around the pair of pulleys 21A1-21A1, and a servo motor 21A3 connected to one of the pulleys 21A1 via a reducer or the like and driving the pulley 21A1 to rotate. The second conveying mechanism 21B also has a pair of pulleys 21B1-21B1, an endless conveying belt 21B2 wound around the pair of pulleys 21B1-21B1, and a servo motor 21B3 connected to one of the pulleys 21B1 via a reducer or the like and driving the pulley 21B1 to rotate.

[0024] The first transport mechanism 21A and the second transport mechanism 21B are disposed so as to be parallel to each other and extend in the transport direction. Then, the box body W is inserted between the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, and is conveyed toward the conveying direction while being clamped by the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B on both sides of a pair of first side portions Wa1-Wa1 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed in a plane.

[0025] Thus, in this embodiment, the box body conveying device 2 is equipped with a first conveying mechanism 21A and a second conveying mechanism 21B, and these first conveying mechanism 21A and second conveying mechanism 21B are constituted by a pair of belt conveyors driven by servo motors 21A3 and 21B3.

[0026] With this configuration, by using a pair of servo motors 21A3 and 21B3 whose output shaft rotation speed can be arbitrarily changed, and by independently controlling the rotational drive of each of the pair of servo motors 21A3 and 21B3, the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B can be fine-tuned individually.As will be described later, this makes it possible to more reliably suppress the amount of misalignment between the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b protruding from the peripheral edge on the lower side Wq of the box body W (see Figure 2).

[0027] The configurations of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B are not limited to this embodiment, and any configuration may be used as long as the configuration is capable of clamping the box body W from both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed in a plane and conveying the box body W. For example, the device may be configured to include a first clamping member and a second clamping member that can each move independently along the conveying direction by a ball screw mechanism driven by a servo motor or a linear actuator such as a linear servo motor, and to clamp the box body W from both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction when viewed in a plane by these first clamping member and second clamping member, thereby conveying the box body W.

[0028] The first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B are each constituted by, for example, a triangulation type laser displacement sensor. The first detection means 22A is positioned near the upstream side of the first conveying mechanism 21A in the conveying direction so that the irradiation direction of the laser light La is horizontal toward the second conveying mechanism 21B and perpendicular to the conveying direction in a planar view. In addition, the second detection means 22B is positioned near the upstream side of the second conveying mechanism 21B in the conveying direction so that the irradiation direction of the laser light Lb is horizontal toward the first conveying mechanism 21A and perpendicular to the conveying direction in a planar view. Furthermore, the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B are disposed at approximately the same position in the conveying direction.

[0029] The first detection means 22A is configured to be able to detect the position of an end X1 of the first lower outer flap Wc1a on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the box body W immediately before it is inserted into the box body conveying device 2. In addition, the second detection means 22B is configured to be able to detect the position of the end X2 (see Figure 2) of the second lower outer flap Wc1b on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the box body W immediately before it is inserted into the box body conveying device 2.

[0030] As described above, the control device 23 controls the operation of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B based on the detection information detected by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B, and in this embodiment, it also functions as a control unit 4 that controls the operation of the entire sealing device 1. The configuration of the control device 23 is not limited to that of the present embodiment, and may be provided separately from the control unit 4, for example.

[0031] The control device 23 includes an arithmetic processing unit constituted by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a memory unit constituted by a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc., and the memory unit pre-stores programs for controlling the operation of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, and a program for controlling the operation of the sealing device 3, etc.

[0032] The control device 23 then receives detection information detected by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B, and uses the detection information to calculate the amount of deviation along the conveying direction between the position of the end X1 of the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the position of the end X2 of the second lower outer flap Wc1b, and then controls the respective conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B (more specifically, the rotational speeds of the output shafts of the servo motors 21A3 and 21B3) so as to suppress the amount of deviation by the speed difference between the conveying speeds between the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B. In addition, the control device 23 starts operation of the sealing device 3 when the box body W transported by the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B reaches a predetermined position (a position near the upstream side of the sealing zone Z3 described later in the conveying direction).

[0033] The control device 23 may be provided with an input means such as a touch panel, and an output means such as a monitor.

[0034] The folding mechanism 24, for example, consists of a pair of first guide member 24a and second guide member 24b extending in the conveying direction, and is positioned directly below the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, in the center of the conveying direction (i.e., upstream of the sealing zone Z3 in the conveying direction).

[0035] The first guide member 24a and the second guide member 24b are disposed on both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in a plan view. The first guide member 24a and the second guide member 24b are disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction and inclined toward the center line L between the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B.

[0036] Then, the box body W transported by the first transport mechanism 21A and the second transport mechanism 21B passes through the folding mechanism 24 with the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b inserted between the first guide member 24a and the second guide member 24b. As a result, the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b, which protrude from the peripheral edge of the lower side Wq of the box body W, are gradually folded toward the opening side (the lower side Wq side) by the folding mechanism 24 as they are moved downstream in the conveying direction.

[0037] The configuration of the folding mechanism 24 is not limited to this embodiment, and may be, for example, a folding device equipped with a pair of arm mechanisms that forcibly folds the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b of the box body W toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side) from both sides perpendicular to the conveying direction in a planar view.

[0038] The sealing device 3 has, for example, a support shaft 31 that supports the adhesive tape T wound into a ring shape, a number of idlers 32·32··· that change the path of the pulled-out adhesive tape T, a head roller 33 that holds the tip of the pulled-out adhesive tape T, and a tape cutter 34 located near the downstream side of the head roller 33 in the conveying direction.

[0039] The head roller 33 is disposed so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is disposed in a state in which it is biased upward by a biasing means (not shown). The tape cutter 34 is arranged so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction by an actuator (not shown) or the like.

[0040] Then, the box body W that has passed through the folding mechanism 24 passes through the head roller 33 while pushing the head roller 33 downward, with the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b folded toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side). As a result, the adhesive tape T is sealed along the butted ends of the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b. Thereafter, when the second side surface portion Wa2 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the box body W has completely passed the head roller 33, the tape cutter 34 rotates upward to cut the adhesive tape T.

[0041] [Sealing device 1 operation procedure] Next, the procedure for sealing the box W by the sealing device 1 will be described with reference to Figs.

[0042] In the sealing device 1 of this embodiment, a box-standing zone Z1 for performing box-standing work on the box bodies W is provided near the upstream side in the conveying direction (direction of arrow A), and in this box-standing zone Z1, a box-standing device (not shown) is arranged to shape the box bodies W, which have been folded into a plate-like shape, into a rectangular box shape with both the upper and lower sides (upper side Wp and lower side Wq) open. In addition, a filling zone Z2 where the contents are filled is provided at the upstream end of the sealing device 1 in the conveying direction, and a robot arm device (not shown) is disposed in the filling zone Z2 which grasps the contents collected at a predetermined position and fills (injects) them into the box body W. Furthermore, at the downstream end in the conveying direction of the sealing device 1, a sealing zone Z3 for sealing the box bodies W is provided, and the sealing device 3 described above is disposed in the sealing zone Z3.

[0043] In this embodiment, the loading operation of loading the box body W, which has been set up into a rectangular box shape in the box-setting zone Z1, into the filling zone Z2 is performed by the above-mentioned robot arm device, but this is not limited to this, and for example, a separate loading device that performs only this loading operation may be provided.

[0044] Before the sealing operation of the box bodies W is performed, the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B in the box body conveying device 2 are both in a stopped state.

[0045] When the sealing work of the box body W is started, first, in the box-standing zone Z1, the box-standing work is carried out by the box-standing device, and the box body W, which has been folded into a plate-like shape, is formed into a rectangular box shape with both the top and bottom sides open. Thereafter, the box W is gripped by the robot arm device and then inserted into the upstream portion in the conveying direction between the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, that is, into the filling zone Z2.

[0046] Here, just before the box body W is inserted into the filling zone Z2, the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B respectively detect the positions of the ends X1 and X2 of the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b in the box body W, and transmit the detection information to the control device 23. In addition, the control device 23, which has received the above detection information, uses the detection information to calculate the amount of deviation along the conveying direction between the position of the end X1 of the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the position of the end X2 of the second lower outer flap Wc1b.

[0047] When the box W is placed in the filling zone Z2, the robot arm device continues to grasp the contents collected at a predetermined position and fills the contents into the box W from above.

[0048] Then, when a predetermined number of contents are filled into the box W, the robot arm device ends its operation. On the other hand, the control device 23 calculates the respective conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B based on the calculated deviation amount so as to suppress the deviation amount by the speed difference between the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, and sends drive signals to the servo motors 21A3 and 21B3, respectively.

[0049] The servo motors 21A3 and 21B3 each receive the drive signals and start to rotate their output shafts. As a result, the first transport mechanism 21A and the second transport mechanism 21B are driven at designated transport speeds based on the drive signals.

[0050] When the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B start to drive at their respective conveying speeds, the box body W is conveyed in the conveying direction by the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B while being clamped by a pair of first side portions Wa1·Wa1.

[0051] As a result, the amount of misalignment along the conveying direction between the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b of the box body W is gradually reduced while the box body W is conveyed by the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, at least until the box body W reaches the sealing device 3.

[0052] As described above, the box body W transported by the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B passes through the folding mechanism 24, so that the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b are gradually folded toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side). Thereafter, the box body W is placed in the sealing zone Z3, and the sealing device 3 seals the adhesive tape T along the butted ends of the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b.

[0053] Then, when the second side surface portion Wa2 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the box body W has completely passed the head roller 33, the tape cutter 34 rotates upward to cut the adhesive tape T. This completes a series of steps for sealing the box bodies W by the sealing device 1, and the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B both stop driving.

[0054] In this embodiment, the box body W is first sealed by folding a pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 toward the opening side (upper side Wp side) by the sealing device 1, and then is transported out of the sealing device 1 with the upper side Wp open and sent to a specified subsequent process.

[0055] Then, in the above-mentioned subsequent process, the pair of upper inner flaps Wb2·Wb2 of the box body W are folded toward the opening side (toward the upper side Wp), and subsequently, after the pair of upper inner flaps Wb2·Wb2 are folded toward the opening side (toward the upper side Wp), adhesive tape T is sealed along the butted ends of the first upper outer flap Wb1a and the second upper outer flap Wb1b. As a result, both the open upper side surface Wp and the open lower side surface Wq of the box body W are sealed.

[0056] In this embodiment, as described above, the filling operation of the contents in the filling zone Z2 is performed from above the box body W, so that the pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 are folded toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side) to seal the box body W, but this is not limited to this.

[0057] For example, as one example of another embodiment of the present invention, the filling operation of the contents in the filling zone Z2 may be performed from below the box body W, and in this case, the folding mechanism (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as the "upper folding mechanism") and the sealing device (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as the "upper sealing device") are disposed directly above the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B, and the upper sealing device is configured to be vertically symmetrical with respect to the sealing device 3 in this embodiment.

[0058] In the sealing device having the above-mentioned configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "first separate sealing device" as appropriate), the pair of upper outer flaps Wb1-Wb1 in the upper flap Wb of the box body W corresponds to the first flap and second flap of the present invention. In addition, the upper folding mechanism folds a pair of upper outer flaps Wb1·Wb1 (more specifically, a first upper outer flap (first flap) Wb1a and a second upper outer flap (second flap) Wb1b described later) protruding from the peripheral edge of the upper side Wp of the box body W toward the opening side (the upper side Wp side).

[0059] The first detection means 22A detects the position of the downstream end X3 in the conveying direction of the upper outer flap Wb1 (hereinafter referred to as the "first upper outer flap Wb1a" as appropriate) located on the first conveying mechanism 21A side, and the second detection means 22B detects the position of the downstream end X4 in the conveying direction of the upper outer flap Wb1 (hereinafter referred to as the "second upper outer flap Wb1b" as appropriate) located on the second conveying mechanism 21B side.

[0060] The box body W, which has first been sealed by folding a pair of upper outer flaps Wb1·Wb1 toward the opening side (the lower side Wq side) by the first separate sealing device, is then transported out of the first separate sealing device with the lower side Wq open and sent to a specified subsequent process.

[0061] Then, in the above-mentioned subsequent process, the pair of lower inner flaps Wc2·Wc2 of the box body W are folded toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side), and then, after the pair of lower inner flaps Wc2·Wc2 are folded toward the opening side (the lower surface Wq side), adhesive tape T is sealed along the butted ends of the first lower outer flap Wc1a and the second lower outer flap Wc1b. As a result, both the open upper side surface Wp and the open lower side surface Wq of the box body W are sealed.

[0062] In addition, as another embodiment of the present invention, a configuration may be adopted in which both the pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 and the pair of upper outer flaps Wb1·Wb1 of the box body W are folded in sequence and sealed by a sealing device.

[0063] In the sealing device having the above-mentioned configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "second separate sealing device" as appropriate), when the filling operation of the contents in the filling zone Z2 is performed from above into the box body W, first the pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 are folded and sealed, and then the pair of upper outer flaps Wb1·Wb1 are folded and sealed. Therefore, in the second separate sealing device, the folding mechanism 24 and sealing device 3 in the sealing device 1 of this embodiment, as well as the upper folding mechanism and upper sealing device in the first separate sealing device described above, are arranged in sequence toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0064] The first detection means 22A detects the position of the end X1 of the first lower outer flap (first flap) Wc1a, which is folded toward the opening side (lower side Wq side) first, and the second detection means 22B detects the position of the end X2 of the second lower outer flap (second flap) Wc1b, which is folded toward the opening side (lower side Wq side) first.

[0065] On the other hand, in the second separate sealing device having the above-mentioned configuration, when the filling operation of the contents in the filling zone Z2 is performed from below the box body W, first a pair of upper outer flaps Wb1·Wb1 are folded and sealed, and then a pair of lower outer flaps Wc1·Wc1 are folded and sealed. Therefore, in the second separate sealing device, the upper folding mechanism and upper sealing device in the first separate sealing device described above, and the folding mechanism 24 and sealing device 3 in the sealing device 1 of this embodiment are arranged in sequence toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0066] Then, the first detection means 22A detects the position of the end X3 of the first upper outer flap (first flap) Wb1a which is folded toward the opening side (upper surface Wp side) first, and the second detection means 22B detects the position of the end X4 of the second upper outer flap (second flap) Wb1b which is folded toward the opening side (upper surface Wq side) first.

[0067] Thus, in the box body conveying device 2 of the sealing device 1 in this embodiment, and the box body conveying devices of the first separate sealing device and the second separate sealing device described above, the first detection means 22A detects the position of the end (end X1 or end X3) of the first flap that is folded first to the opening side (upper side Wp side or lower side Wq side) among the first upper outer flap (first flap) Wb1a on the upper side Wp and the first lower outer flap (first flap) Wc1a on the lower side Wq, and the second detection means 22B is configured to detect the position of the end (end X2 or end X4) of the second upper outer flap (second flap) Wb1b on the upper side Wp and the second lower outer flap (second flap) Wc1b on the lower side Wq, which is folded first to the opening side (upper side Wp side or lower side Wq side).

[0068] As described above, in sealing a box W having openings on both the upper and lower sides (upper side Wp and lower side Wq), it is common to first fold the first and second flaps protruding from the periphery of either the upper side Wp or the lower side Wq toward the opening to seal it, and to leave the first and second flaps protruding from the periphery of the other side unfolded, leaving them open to serve as an opening for inserting the contents.

[0069] On the other hand, in the box body W, if the first and second flaps protruding from either the upper or lower side walls are sealed at approximately the same position along the conveying direction, the rigidity of the entire box body W is increased, and the first and second flaps protruding from the other edge are securely held in approximately the same position along the conveying direction.

[0070] For this reason, in the box body conveying device 2 of the sealing device 1 in this embodiment, and the box body conveying devices of the first separate sealing device and the second separate sealing device described above, the positions of the ends of the first flap and the second flap, which are folded toward the opening side first, are detected by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B, and based on the detection information by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B, the amount of misalignment between the first flap and the second flap can be reliably suppressed, and the sealing work of the box body W can be performed with higher quality.

[0071] As described above, the box body conveying device 2 of the sealing device 1 in this embodiment, and the box body conveying devices of the first and second separate sealing devices described above, are box body conveying devices that convey the box body W, which is inserted with both upper and lower side surfaces (upper side surface Wp and lower side surface Wq) open, in one direction (the direction of arrow A), and include a first conveying mechanism 21A and a second conveying mechanism 21B that sandwich the box body W from both sides in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in a plan view and convey the box body W, and a first flap (first upper outer flap W) that protrudes from the area on the first conveying mechanism 21A side at the periphery of the upper side surface Wp or the lower side surface Wq of the box body W. The conveying mechanism 21A is equipped with a first detection means 22A that detects the position of the end portion (end portion X1 or end portion X3) of the second flap (second upper outer flap Wb1b or second lower outer flap Wc1a) downstream in the conveying direction, a second detection means 22B that detects the position of the end portion (end portion X2 or end portion X4) of the second flap (second upper outer flap Wb1b or second lower outer flap Wc1b) protruding from the area on the second conveying mechanism 21B side, and a control device 23 that controls the operation of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B based on the detection information detected by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B.

[0072] The control device 23 uses the detection information to calculate the amount of deviation along the conveying direction between the position of the end (end X1 or end X3) of the first flap (first upper outer flap Wb1a or first lower outer flap Wc1a) and the position of the end (end X2 or end X4) of the second flap (second upper outer flap Wb1b or second lower outer flap Wc1b), and is configured to control the respective conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B so as to suppress the amount of deviation by the speed difference between the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B.

[0073] With this configuration, even if the outer shape of the inserted box body W is slightly distorted and the positions of the first flap (the first upper outer flap Wb1a or the first lower outer flap Wc1a) and the second flap (the second upper outer flap Wb1b or the second lower outer flap Wc1b) on the upper side Wp and / or the lower side Wq of the box body W are slightly misaligned along the conveying direction, the amount of misalignment between the first flap and the second flap can be accurately grasped based on the detection information by the first detection means 22A and the second detection means 22B, and the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism 21A and the second conveying mechanism 21B can be controlled to reliably suppress the amount of misalignment. In other words, the box body W can be conveyed while accurately maintaining the outer shape of the box body W without distortion or the like.

[0074] Therefore, according to the box body conveying device 2 of the sealing device 1 in this embodiment, and the box body conveying devices of the first and second separate sealing devices described above, the box body W can be conveyed with the positions along the conveying direction of the first flap (first upper outer flap Wb1a or first lower outer flap Wc1a) and the second flap (second upper outer flap Wb1b or second lower outer flap Wc1b) protruding from the peripheral edges of both the upper and lower sides (upper side Wp and lower side Wq) being approximately equal to each other.For example, even when the first flap and the second flap are folded toward the opening during conveying, and the point where the ends of both parts (first flap and second flap) are butted together is sealed with adhesive tape T, the positions of both parts do not shift or wrinkles occur in the tape, and sealing can be performed with higher quality.

[0075] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, which is merely illustrative, and it is of course possible to embody the present invention in various other forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the description of the claims, and further includes the equivalent meanings described in the claims, and all modifications within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 2 Box transport device 21A First conveying mechanism 21B Second conveying mechanism 22A First detection means 22B Second detection means 23 Control device 24 Bending mechanism W box body Wb1a 1st upper outer flap (1st flap) Wb1b 2nd upper outer flap (2nd flap) Wc1a 1st lower outer flap (1st flap) Wc1b Second lower outer flap (second flap) Wp top side Wq Lower side X1, X2, X3, X4 ends

Claims

1. A box conveying device that conveys a box in one direction, the box being inserted with both upper and lower side surfaces open, a first conveying mechanism and a second conveying mechanism that sandwich the box body from both sides in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction in a plan view and convey the box body; a first detection means for detecting a position of an end portion of a first flap on a downstream side in the conveying direction protruding from an area on the first conveying mechanism side at a periphery of an upper side or a lower side of the box body, and a second detection means for detecting a position of an end portion of a second flap on a downstream side in the conveying direction protruding from an area on the second conveying mechanism side; a control device that controls operations of the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism based on detection information detected by the first detection means and the second detection means, The control device includes: calculating a deviation amount between a position of the end of the first flap and a position of the end of the second flap along the conveying direction using the detection information; controlling a conveying speed of each of the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism so as to suppress the amount of deviation due to a speed difference between the conveying speeds of the first conveying mechanism and the second conveying mechanism; A box transport device characterized by the above.

2. The box further includes a folding mechanism that folds a first flap and a second flap protruding from a peripheral edge of an upper surface and / or a lower surface of the box toward an opening side, The first detection means is Detecting a position of an end of the first flap that is to be folded toward the opening side first among the first flap on the upper side and the first flap on the lower side; The second detection means is Detecting a position of an end of the second flap that is to be folded toward the opening side first among the second flap on the upper side and the second flap on the lower side; 2. The box transport device according to claim 1, wherein the box transport device is a box-type container.

3. The first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism are A pair of belt conveyors driven by servo motors.

3. The box transport device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that:

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