Box-packing device

Abstract

To provide a box-packing device that can prevent damages to articles or partitions and pack them more tightly in a box.SOLUTION: A box-packing device is equipped with supply means 50 for placing first and second articles W and a partition D together, which are held by a moving part 52, into a box B. The moving part 52 has a plurality of suction means 56a, 56b that suck the top surfaces of the articles W being conveyed and hold both articles W in a horizontal prone posture with a spacing L between each other, article spacing changing means 61, 63, 65 that expand the spacing L between the articles W by raising the articles W in a horizontal prone posture and changing them into an upright posture, and partition holding means 54 for holding the partition D, which is supported in an upright posture at a predetermined position P1, between the two articles W with an expanded spacing L. The articles W in the upright posture are changed to the horizontal prone posture before being placed in the box B. The partition D is placed in the box B between both articles W in the prone posture, with the upright posture maintained, after the holding by the partition holding means 54 is released.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a boxing device that stores articles in each space inside a box divided by partitions. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a boxing device that divides the inside of a box made of cardboard or the like with partitions and stores items in each space inside the box divided by the partitions. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a package in which partitions are arranged between the stored items inside the box. For the purpose of restricting the movement of the items inside the box and reducing packaging materials, it is required to pack the items more tightly by reducing the size of the box so that the gap between the side peripheral surface of the box and the items when the items are stored in the box is reduced.

[0003] Incidentally, various methods are adopted for the device for packing the partition and the article in a box. For example, a method may be selected in which the partition is inserted inside the box and then the article is inserted. In this method, a process for fixing the position of the partition inside the box is required, and measures are required to prevent the partition from coming into contact with the article to be inserted later and being significantly displaced or falling over inside the box, resulting in a complicated structure for the entire device.

[0004] As another method of the boxing device, for example, a method of putting the items inside the box and then putting the partition inside can be selected. In this case, there is a concern that when inserting the partition inside the box, problems such as the partition being bent due to resistance from the items or misalignment of the items may occur, causing insertion failure, or the items may be damaged. This problem tends to be more noticeable the more tightly the items are packed in the box.

[0005] As another method of the packing device, for example, a method may be selected in which the partition is sandwiched between the articles and pressed against the article using an insertion guide or the like, and the article and the partition are inserted together into the box. In this case, there is a concern that pressing the article may cause damage or deformation to the article. Therefore, there is a demand for a packing device that can prevent damage to the article or the partition even when the article and the partition are packed tightly inside the box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 03-49927 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a boxing device that can prevent damage to the articles or partitions and can pack the articles more tightly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the packing device of the present invention takes the following measures. First, the invention according to claim 1 relates to a moving section (52) including a plurality of suction means (56a, 56b) for suctioning the upper surfaces of first and second articles (W1, W2) that are conveyed and holding the articles (W1, W2) in a horizontally lying position with a distance (L) between them, an article interval change means (61, 63, 65) for raising at least one of the first article (W1) and the second article (W2) held in the horizontally lying position and changing it to an upright position and holding it, thereby expanding the distance (L) between the first article (W1) and the second article (W2), and a partition holding means (54) for holding a partition (D) supported in an upright position at a predetermined position (P1) between the first article (W1) and the second article (W2) whose distance (L) has been expanded by the article interval change means (61, 63, 65), and and a supply means (50) that collectively supplies the first item (W1) and the second item (W2) held at an increased distance by a spacing change means (61, 63, 65) and the partition (D) held by the partition holding means (54) into a box body (B) by the moving section, and the item (W) in the upright position held by the suction means (56a, 56b) is changed to the lying position by the item spacing change means (61, 63, 65) before being placed in the box body (B), and the partition (D) is released from its holding by the partition holding means (54) and placed in the box body (B) with the upright position maintained between the first item (W1) and the second item (W2) changed to the lying position and the first item (W1) and the second item (W2).

[0009] According to the invention of claim 1, the packing device sucks and holds the first article (W1) and the second article (W2) by the suction means (56a, 56b) provided in the moving section (52), and changes the posture of at least one of the articles (W) to an upright posture by the article interval change means (61, 63, 65). By putting the articles (W) in an upright posture, the opposing side ends (W8) of the articles (W1, W2) are further apart, and a larger gap can be formed between the first article (W1) and the second article (W2). By widening the interval (L) between the articles (W1, W2), interference between the articles (W1, W2) and the partition (D) can be prevented when the partition holding means (54) holds the partition (D) between the first article (W1) and the second article (W2). Furthermore, since the moving section (52) is provided with the suction means (56a, 56b) and the partition holding means (54), the first article (W1), the second article (W2), and the partition (D) can be supplied together into the box body (B) while the upright position of the partition (D) between the first article (W1) and the second article (W2) is maintained. Also, the article (W) that is suction-held in the upright position can be inserted into the box body (B) while the upright position is maintained. In this case, the gap (S3) between the article (W) and the side walls (B5, B6) inside the box body (B) can be made larger, and it is easy to prevent interference between the article (W) entering the box body (B) and the opening edge or the side walls (B5, B6) of the box body (B). Therefore, a box body (B) having a tighter size for the article (W) can be selected. Therefore, it is possible to provide a boxing device which can prevent damage to the articles (W) or the partitions (D) and can pack the articles more tightly.

[0010] Next, the invention of claim 2, which is dependent on claim 1, is characterized in that the item spacing change means (61, 63, 65) changes the item (W) in the upright position to the lying-down position within the box body (B) so as to reduce the spacing (S1) between the item (W) in the upright position and the partition (D), and places the first item (W1), the second item (W2), and the partition (D) on the box body (B).

[0011] According to the invention of claim 2, the article (W) that is sucked and held in an upright position passes through the opening of the box body (B), and then the position is changed by the article interval changing means (61, 63, 65) so that the article (W) returns to a lying position, and is placed in the box body (B) together with the partition (D). Therefore, the article (W) can be placed in the box body (B) without interfering with the opening edge of the box body (B). In other words, the article (W) and the partition (D) can be placed more easily in the box body (B), and can be packed more tightly.

[0012] Next, the invention of claim 3 dependent on claim 2 is characterized in that a gap (S3) is provided between the article (W) in the upright position that has been placed into the box body (B) by the supply means (50) and a side wall (B5, B6) in the box body (B) that faces the article (W), and the article spacing change means (61, 63, 65) changes the article (W) in the upright position to the lying-down position within the box body (B) so as to reduce the gap (S3) between the article (W) in the upright position and the side wall (B5, B6) in the box body (B).

[0013] According to the invention of claim 3, a gap (S3) is provided between the article (W) that has entered the box body (B) in the upright position and the side walls (B5, B6) of the box body (B), and by returning the article (W) from the upright position in the box body (B) to the lying position, the gap (S3) between the article (W) and the side walls (B5, B6) becomes smaller, and the article (W) and the partition (D) are placed in the box body (B). Therefore, the article (W) can be easily inserted into the box body (B) without interfering with the opening edge of the box body (B). In other words, the article (W) and the partition (D) can be more easily placed in the box body (B) and can be packed more tightly.

[0014] Next, the invention of claim 4 dependent on claim 1 or claim 2 is characterized in that, in the box body (B), a subsequent item (W) is placed on top of each of the first item (W1) and the second item (W2) placed in the lying position on both sides of the partition (D) in the upright position, and each of the subsequent items (W) is held in the lying position by the suction means (56a, 56b) with a distance (L) between the subsequent items (W), and is brought into the upright position by the item distance change means (61, 63, 65) so that the opposing side ends (W8) of the subsequent items (W) are higher, thereby widening the distance (L) between the subsequent items (W), and the subsequent items (W) are supplied into the box body (B) by the supply means (50).

[0015] According to the invention of claim 4, the subsequent articles (W) are stacked on top of the first article (W1) and the second article (W2) placed on both sides of the partition (D) in the box body (B). The subsequent articles (W) are sucked and held so that the side end (W8) located on the partition (D) side is higher, that is, in an upright position inclined in a V-shape, and supplied into the box body (B). When the subsequent articles (W) to be stacked above the bottom layer are supplied into the box body (B), the subsequent articles (W) are placed on both sides of the partition (D) already placed therein. Even if the position of the upper end of the partition (D) becomes misaligned due to some factor inside the box body (B), by supplying subsequent items (W) from the second tier from the bottom onwards into the box body (B) at a tilted V-shape, the upper end of the partition (D) can be guided to the correct position by the inclined underside of the subsequent items (W). Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present invention provides a boxing apparatus that can prevent damage to the items or dividers and can pack tighter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the packing device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a view of the partition supply device of FIG. 1 as seen in the direction of the arrow III. [Figure 4] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing a process of holding an article and a partition by a hand unit. [Diagram 5] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing a process of inserting an article and a partition held by a hand portion into a box body. [Figure 6] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing a process in which the hand unit releases the object and the partition from their holding and places them inside the box. [Figure 7] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing a process of inserting articles to be stored in the second tier from the bottom into the box. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the second lowest article is placed inside the box. FIG. [Figure 9] 11 is a diagram showing an example of setting the distance from a partition to a side wall inside a box body. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The packing device according to the present embodiment is a device that places (contains) a plurality of articles W and a partition D that is maintained in an upright position between the articles W in a substantially rectangular box B. The articles W are substantially rectangular bagged products that are made by filling and sealing a bag with contents such as food.

[0019] 1 and 8, inside the box B according to this embodiment, a partition D is placed (contained) in an upright position in the center of the longitudinal direction of the box B so as to divide the internal space of the box B into two. At this time, inside the box B, both ends of the partition D are in contact with a pair of opposing side panels B3, B4. The area of ​​each of the internal spaces of the box B divided by the partition D is set to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the area of ​​an article W placed in a lateral position with its longitudinal direction aligned along the partition D. A plurality of articles W are stacked and placed (contained) in each internal space of the box B divided by the partition D.

[0020] The "standing position" according to the present invention expresses the position when the partition D is supported or held by, for example, the support means 34 or the gripping means 54 (partition holding means) described later, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or when it is placed on the bottom B7 of the box body B as shown in Fig. 6. The plane of the partition D in the "standing position" state is approximately perpendicular to the surface of the bottom B7 of the box body B. The "lying position" and the "standing position" express the position of the article W. The "lying position" includes, for example, a horizontal position or a position slightly inclined from the horizontal position when the article W is held by the hand unit 52 (moving unit) described later, as shown in Fig. 2. Furthermore, the "lying position" also includes a flat position or a position slightly inclined from the flat position when the article W is placed (contained) in the box body B or placed on a conveying surface such as a conveyor. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the "raised position" is, for example, a position that is more inclined than the lying-down position when the article W is held by the hand portion 52, and also includes a position in which the distance L between the articles W is increased, such as when the inclination angle is 90 degrees.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the packing device includes a first conveying device 10 that conveys an item W, a partition supplying device 30 that supplies a partition D to a transfer position P1 (predetermined position), a robot 50 (supply means) that supplies the item W and the partition D to a box body B, and a second conveying device 20 that conveys the box body B. An item detection means (not shown) and an item attitude detection means (not shown) are disposed near the first conveying device 10. A packing position P2 is set on the second conveying device 20, and partition pressing devices 24 are disposed on both side edges of the conveying surface 21 at the packing position P2. The packing device also includes a control unit (not shown) that issues operation commands to each device.

[0022] The first conveying device 10 is a belt conveyor that forms a conveying surface 14 with an endless belt and conveys articles W placed on the conveying surface 14 in a lying position (e.g., a flat position) at predetermined intervals. The conveying surface 14 is capable of transmitting LED light irradiated from an article position detection means. A specific area of ​​the conveying surface 14 that is larger than the area on which the articles W are placed is set as an irradiation area 14a for irradiating the LED light. The article detection means detects each article W conveyed by the first conveying device 10 in sequence.

[0023] The article orientation detection means acquires the orientation information of the articles W conveyed in sequence. Specifically, the timing of arrival of the article W is obtained from the article detection information by the article detection means and the article feed information by the encoder pulse attached to the first conveying device 10. Then, LED light is irradiated from the back surface of the conveying surface 14 toward the illumination area 14a in accordance with the timing of arrival of the article W, and the light transmitted through the belt is detected by a camera disposed above the first conveying device 10, and the brightness information of the specific area is analyzed. In this way, the article orientation detection means acquires information regarding the outline of the article W and the position of the article W on the conveying surface 14, and inclination information of the article W with respect to the conveying direction X, such as how the article W is oriented and placed with respect to the conveying direction X.

[0024] The partition supply device 30 is a device that supplies the partition D to the delivery position P1, and is arranged in parallel with the first conveying device 10. The delivery position P1 is a position where a hand unit 52 of a robot 50 described later grips and picks up the partition D, and is adjacent to the boxing position P2 of the second conveying device 20. The partition supply device 30 includes a magazine (not shown) that stores the partitions D in a stacked manner, a removal means 31 that removes the partitions D stored in the magazine as shown in FIG. 3, a transport means 32 that transports the removal means 31 together with the removed partition D toward the delivery position P1, a posture changing means that changes the posture of the partition D to an upright posture, and a support means 34 that supports the partition D at the delivery position P1.

[0025] The transport means 32 transports the removal means 31 together with the removed partition D toward the delivery position P1. The transport means 32 is composed of an electric slider, and includes a slider body 35 on which the removal means 31 is disposed, and a linear guide 37. The electric slider operates in response to a command from a control unit (not shown), so that the slider body 35 can be guided by the linear guide 37 to move repeatedly in a straight line.

[0026] The removal means 31 is configured to suck and remove the bottommost partition D housed in the magazine. The removal means 31 includes a rotating shaft 41 (drive shaft) extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the moving direction of the slider body 35, a pair of pivot arms 42 each having one end connected to the rotating shaft 41, and an air cylinder 46 disposed on the pivot arm 42. A plurality of first suction devices 45 are disposed on a piston tip portion 43 of the air cylinder 46. The air cylinder 46 is actuated upon receiving a command from the control unit, thereby allowing the plurality of first suction devices 45 to move forward and backward. The removal means 31 is disposed on the slider body 35 and can move integrally therewith.

[0027] Each first suction tool 45 rises due to the extension operation of the air cylinder 46 and comes into contact with the lowest partition D contained in the magazine. When each first suction tool 45 comes into contact with the partition D, a suction force is applied to each first suction tool 45 by an operation switching command from the control unit. This suction force is maintained until the support means 34, which will be described later, clamps the partition D. When the first suction tool 45 comes into contact with the partition D and adsorbs it, the first suction tool 45 is lowered by the operation of the air cylinder 46, and one of the lowest partitions D is removed from the magazine.

[0028] The partition supply device 30 is provided with a cam mechanism 38. When the slider body 35 of the transport means 32 travels toward the delivery position P1, a pair of pivot arms 42 of the take-out means 31 engage with the cam mechanism 38 and rotate. As a result, the partition D sucked by the first suction tool 45 of the take-out means 31 rises up as it moves toward the delivery position P1, and assumes an upright position at the delivery position P1. In this way, the configuration for changing the position of the partition D from a horizontally lying position to an upright position corresponds to a position changing means.

[0029] At the delivery position P1, there are provided a support means 34 for supporting the lower part of the partition D that has been put into an upright position by the position changing means, and a detection means (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the partition D. The support means 34 is composed of a pair of chuck members that rotate about a rotation shaft 48, and supports the lower end part of the partition D in the upright position by clamping it from both sides. When the support means 34 supports the partition D, the first suction device 45 in the removal means 31 releases the suction of the partition D. Then, by returning the slider body 35 to its original position, the pair of rotating arms 42 rotate due to the engagement of the cam mechanism 38, and the orientation of the first suction device 45 returns to the original position.

[0030] 1, in this embodiment, a robot 50 is disposed adjacent to a delivery position P1 as a supplying means. The robot 50 is a SCARA robot equipped with an articulated arm 51 and a hand unit 52 (moving unit) rotatably attached to the tip of the arm 51, and is configured so that the hand unit 52 can be freely moved within an operating range.

[0031] 2, the hand unit 52 includes a main body 53, a gripping means 54 (partition holding means) provided near the center of the lower portion of the main body 53, and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) suction means 56a, 56b disposed on both sides of the lower portion of the main body 53, facing and spaced apart via the gripping means 54. The hand unit 52 can suck and hold two articles W, one each by the two suction means 56a, 56b, and can also grip a partition D by the gripping means 54.

[0032] The gripping means 54 includes an air slider and a pair of gripping tools 54b arranged on the air slider. The pair of gripping tools 54b can move close to or away from each other when the air slider is operated by an operation switching command from the control unit. The gripping means 54 is normally in a state in which the gripping tools 54b are spaced apart from each other, and when the air slider is operated upon receiving a command from the control unit, the two gripping tools 54b move close to each other and grip the upper part of the partition D supported in an upright position by pinching it from both sides. The gripping means 54 functions as a partition holding means that holds the partition D.

[0033] Each of the suction means 56a, 56b includes a support block 61 made of resin and having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of second suction devices 62 arranged at predetermined intervals on the underside of the support block 61. Each of the second suction devices 62 is composed of a bellows and a suction pad formed at the tip of the bellows. Each of the second suction devices 62 communicates with an air supply source provided on the main body side of the robot 50 through an air flow path formed inside the support block 61. The suction means 56a, 56b are configured to suck air by each of the second suction devices 62 in response to an operation switching command from the control unit.

[0034] These suction means 56a, 56b are configured to suck the top surface of one article W (e.g., the first article W1) among the multiple articles W transported by the first conveying device 10 with one suction means 56a, and then suck the top surface of the next article W (e.g., the second article W2) with the other suction means 56b, and hold these articles W in a horizontally lying position with a distance L1 between them. The distance L1 between the two articles W (the first article W1 and the second article W2) held in the horizontally lying position is set to be the same dimension as the thickness of the partition D or slightly wider than the thickness of the partition D.

[0035] Here, when the suction means 56a, 56b suction and hold two articles W in a lying position, the mutually opposing side ends W8 of both articles W, i.e., the side end W8 located near the center of the hand unit 52, are defined as the "inner side end". The distance L between the two articles is the horizontal distance between the inner side ends W8. Also, for each article W, the side end W9 located opposite the inner side end W8, i.e., the side end W9 located on the opposite side, is defined as the "outer side end". When the article W is placed (stored) in the box body B, the inner side end W8 faces the partition D, and the outer side end W9 faces the side walls B5, B6 of the box body B.

[0036] Each support block 61 is supported by a pivot link 65 to be rotatable with respect to the main body 53 of the hand unit 52. Furthermore, each support block 61 is connected to an air cylinder 63 disposed in the main body 53 of the hand unit 52, and the angle of inclination of the lower surface of the support block 61 can be changed by switching the operation of each air cylinder 63 according to an operation switching command from the control unit. Specifically, the support block 61 can be changed to a horizontally lying position in which the lower surface of the support block 61 is approximately parallel to the conveying surface 14, and an upright position in which the outer end of each support block 61 is inclined at a predetermined angle so that it is lower than the inner end (the center side of the hand unit 52). These configurations function as an article interval changing means, and at least one of the articles W held in the horizontally lying position can be raised and changed to an upright position and held. Furthermore, by changing the articles W to an upright position, the interval L between the articles W held by suction can be expanded, that is, these articles W can be held in a state of an interval L2 expanded from the interval L1 in the horizontally lying position.

[0037] As described above, the hand unit 52 is configured to include the suction means 56a, 56b and the item interval change means, so that the item W is suctioned and held in a lying position by the suction means 56a, 56b and changed to an upright position by the item interval change means. The upright position of the item W held by the suction means 56a, 56b is changed to a lying position by the item interval change means before it is placed (stored) in the box body B.

[0038] 1, the second conveying device 20 is a belt conveyor that forms a conveying surface 21 with an endless belt and conveys the box bodies B placed on the conveying surface 21 at predetermined intervals. The second conveying device 20 is disposed so as to cross the first conveying device 10 at an intersection. The second conveying device 20 conveys the box bodies B with their tops open to a preset packing position P2.

[0039] The partition pressing device 24 is a device that maintains the attitude of the partition D placed inside the box body B in an upright position at the packing position P2. The partition pressing device 24 is equipped with a third suction tool 25 that can suck the side panels B3 and B4 of the box body B from the outside. After the partition D is inserted inside the box body B placed at the packing position P2, the partition pressing device 24 sucks the lower parts of the pair of side panels B3 and B4 of the box body B from the outside of the box body B with the third suction tool 25. The suction positions of the side panels B3 and B4 are set to positions (four positions) that are separated to the left and right from the position where the partition D makes line contact inside the box body B, for example. That is, by pressing the lower parts (four positions) of the pair of side panels B3 and B4 from the outside, the contact resistance between the partition D in an upright position and the side panels B3 and B4 inside the box body B increases, thereby stabilizing the position and attitude of the partition D.

[0040] The control unit stores and updates, as required, the detection information of the article W detected by the article detection means, the article feed information obtained from the encoder pulse attached to the first conveying device 10, the information on the outline of the article W and the position of the article W on the conveying surface 14 obtained by the article orientation detection means, and the inclination information of the article W with respect to the conveying direction X. The control unit also issues operation commands (control) to the hand unit 52 of the robot 50 and the like based on the information acquired by the article orientation detection means. Furthermore, the control unit issues operation switching commands (control) to the electric slider 36 and the first suction tool 45 in the partition supply device 30. The control unit also issues operation commands (control) to the third suction tool 25 of the partition holding device 24.

[0041] Next, the flow up to placing (storing) the items W and the partition D in the box body B will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of items W are placed on the conveying surface 14 and conveyed such that the longitudinal direction of the items W faces the conveying direction X of the first conveying device 10. The item detection means detects the arriving items W. The item orientation detection means acquires the outline of the items W, position information of the items W on the conveying surface 14, and inclination information of the items W with respect to the conveying direction X.

[0042] Further, the partition D is supplied to the delivery position P1 by the partition supply device 30. The partition D is supported in an upright position at the delivery position P1 by the support means 34. Further, the second conveying device 20 conveys the box body B with the top open to the boxing position P2.

[0043] The robot 50 (supply means) receives an operation command based on the position information of the article W and the inclination information of the article W with respect to the conveying direction X, rotates the arm 51, and adsorbs and picks up one article W (first article W1) placed on the conveying surface 14 with one suction means 56a of the hand unit 52. Then, when the next article W (second article W2) arrives, the robot 50 receives an operation command based on the position information of the second article W2 and the inclination information of the second article W2 with respect to the conveying direction X, rotates the arm 51, and adsorbs and picks up the second article W2 placed on the conveying surface 14 with the other suction means 56b of the hand unit 52.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the first article W1 and the second article W2 picked up by the hand unit 52 are spaced apart enough to be inserted through the opening of the box body B, that is, are held by suction in a lying-down position with a distance L1 between them. As shown in FIG. 4, after picking up the first article W1 and the second article W2, the hand unit 52 puts them in an upright position in which the lower surfaces of the support blocks 61 of the hand unit 52 are inclined, and suction holds the first article W1 and the second article W2 in a state in which the distance L between them is expanded (a state in which the distance is expanded to the distance L2 shown in FIG. 4). In this embodiment, the articles W1 and W2 on both sides held by the suction means 56a and 56b are inclined by a predetermined angle so that the inner side end W8 facing each other between the first article W1 and the second article W2 is higher than the opposite (outer) side end W9, thereby putting them in an upright position. That is, the positions of both articles W1 and W2 are changed to be approximately V-shaped.

[0045] Next, the robot 50 rotates the arm 51 to move the hand unit 52 holding the first article W1 and the second article W2 in a V-shaped position (standing position) above the transfer position P1. As shown in FIG. 4, at the transfer position P1, the partition D is supported in an upright position by the support means 34. The robot 50 lowers the hand unit 52 so that the upper edge of the partition D in the upright position enters the gap (for example, between the side ends W8 expanded to the interval L2) formed between the first article W1 and the second article W2 held in the upright position by the hand unit 52, and then grips the upper part of the partition D with the gripping means 54.

[0046] When the support means 34 in the partition supply device 30 releases the support of the partition D, the robot 50 raises the hand unit 52 and rotates the arm 51 to move the partition D, the first item W1, and the second item W2 above the opening of the box body B placed at the packing position P2. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the hand unit 52 is lowered to allow the two items W1 and W2, which are maintained in a V-shaped position (standing position), and the partition D, which is maintained in an upright position, to enter the box body B together. A gap S3 is provided between the two items W1 and W2 in the standing position that have entered the box body B and the side walls B5 and B6 of the box body B that face the respective items W1 and W2.

[0047] 6, the robot 50 uses the item interval change means to change both articles W1 and W2 from an upright position to a lying position so as to reduce the interval S1 between each of the articles W1 and W2 and the partition D within the box body B. That is, when the lower ends of both articles W1 and W2 held in a V-shaped position enter near the middle of the box body B, the robot 50 changes the support block 61 of the hand unit 52 to a horizontal position (lying position) and aligns the lower surfaces of both articles W1 and W2 so that they are horizontally aligned in a line. Then, the hand unit 52 is lowered until the partition D reaches the bottom B7 of the box body B.

[0048] When the partition D reaches the bottom B7, the partition pressing device 24 sucks the lower portions (four locations) of the side panels B3 and B4 of the box body B from the outside of the box body B and presses them inward. After that, the robot 50 releases the gripping (holding) of the partition D by the gripping means 54 and releases the suction of the two items W1 and W2 by the suction means 56a and 56b. That is, the partition D is released from the gripping means 54 and placed (contained) in the interior (bottom B7) of the box body B, together with the first item W1 and the second item W2 in a lying position, between the two items W1 and W2 in an upright position, with the holding by the gripping means 54 released. The partition D placed on the box body B is supported by the items W1 and W2 placed (contained) on the bottom B7 of the box body B, so that the lower end of the partition D can be maintained in an appropriate position even after the support by the hand unit 52 is released.

[0049] Inside the box body B, the first article W1 and the second article W2 are placed (stored) in a horizontally lying position on both sides of the partition D in an upright position, and the subsequent articles W are placed (stored) on each of them. After the robot 50 releases the grip (holding) of the partition D and the suction and holding of the first article W1 and the second article W2, the robot 50 raises the hand unit 52 and moves them out of the box body B. Then, the robot 50 moves the hand unit 52 above the first conveying device 10. The robot 50 picks up the subsequent articles W to be stacked in the second and subsequent layers from the bottom by sequentially suctioning them with the suction means 56a, 56b of the hand unit 52 in the same manner as the articles W1, W2 placed (stored) on the bottom layer inside the box body B. The subsequent articles W are held in a horizontally lying position with a distance L between each of the articles W.

[0050] 7, the subsequent articles W held by the suction means 56a, 56b are put into an upright position by the article interval change means so that the positions of the opposing side ends W8 of the subsequent articles W are raised, and the interval L between the subsequent articles W is expanded (to the interval L2 state shown in FIG. 7). That is, the subsequent articles W are suctioned and held in a V-shaped position. Without gripping the partition D, the robot 50 moves the hand unit 52 above the opening of the box body B, and then lowers the hand unit 52 to allow the two subsequent articles W held in the upright position (V-shaped) to enter the box body B.

[0051] When the lower ends of the two following articles W, which are maintained in the V-shaped position, enter the box body B, the robot 50 sets the support block 61 of the hand unit 52 in a horizontal position (lying down position) and aligns the lower surfaces of the two following articles W so that they are horizontally aligned in a line. Then, as shown in Fig. 8, the hand unit 52 is lowered until the following article W held by the hand unit 52 reaches the upper surfaces of the first article W1 and the second article W2 that have been placed (contained) in the box body B in advance, and then the suction of the following article W by the suction means 56a, 56b is released.

[0052] When the robot 50 has finished releasing the suction of the two succeeding articles W, it raises the hand unit 52 and moves it out of the box body B. Then, it moves the hand unit 52 above the first conveying device 10 again. In other words, the supply of the succeeding articles W from the second tier from the bottom onwards is an operation of packing only the articles W into the box body B without gripping the partitions D, and this is repeated until the number of articles W reaches the stack number.

[0053] <Effects of the embodiment> (1) The packing device sucks and holds the first article W1 and the second article W2 by the suction means 56a, 56b provided in the hand unit 52 (moving unit), and changes the posture of these articles W1, W2 to an upright posture by the article interval change means. By putting the articles W in an upright posture, the opposing side ends (inner side ends W8) of the articles W1, W2 are further apart, and a larger gap can be formed between the first article W1 and the second article W2. By widening the interval L between the articles W1, W2, when the partition D is held between the first article W1 and the second article W2 by the gripping means 54 (partition holding means), interference between the articles W1, W2 and the partition D can be prevented. Furthermore, since the hand unit 52 is provided with the suction means 56a, 56b and the gripping means 54, the first article W1, the second article W2, and the partition D can be supplied together into the box body B while the upright position of the partition D between the first article W1 and the second article W2 is maintained. Also, the articles W1, W2 suction-held in the upright position can enter the box body B while maintaining the upright position. This makes it possible to increase the gap S3 between the article W and the side walls B5, B6 inside the box body B, and makes it easier to prevent interference between the articles W1, W2 entering the box body B and the opening edge or the side walls B5, B6 of the box body B. Therefore, a box body B having a tighter size for the article W can be selected. Therefore, it is possible to provide a boxing device that can prevent damage to the articles W1, W2 or the partition D and can pack the articles more tightly. (2) After passing through the opening of box body B, articles W1 and W2, which are sucked and held in an upright position, are changed in position by the article spacing change means to return to a lying position, and are placed in box body B together with partition D. Therefore, articles W1 and W2 can be placed in box body B without interfering with the opening edge of box body B. In other words, it becomes easier to place (store) articles W1 and W2 and partition D in box body B, and they can be packed more tightly. (3) A gap S3 is provided between the article W that has entered the box B in the upright position and the side walls B5, B6 of the box B. By returning the article W from the upright position inside the box B to the lying position, the gap S3 between the article W and the side walls B5, B6 becomes smaller, and the article W and the partition D are placed inside the box B. This makes it easier for the article W to enter the box B without interfering with the opening edge of the box B. In other words, the article W and the partition D can be more easily placed inside the box B and can be packed more tightly. (4) According to the packing device of the above embodiment, the subsequent articles W are stacked on top of the first article W1 and the second article W2 placed on both sides of the partition D in the box body B. The subsequent articles W are sucked and held so that the side ends (inner side ends W8) located on the partition D side are higher, that is, in an upright position inclined in a V-shape, and supplied into the box body B. When the subsequent articles W to be stacked above the bottom tier are supplied into the box body B, the subsequent articles W are placed on both sides of the partition D already placed thereon. Even if the position of the upper end of the partition D is shifted due to some factor inside the box body B, when the subsequent articles W are stacked on the second tier from the bottom onwards, they are supplied into the box body B inclined in a V-shape, so that the upper end of the partition D can be guided to an appropriate position by the inclined lower surface of the subsequent articles W. (5) By tilting the two articles W held by the hand unit 52 at a predetermined angle to put them in a V-shaped upright position, the inner side ends W8 of the two articles W facing each other are further apart, and a large gap can be formed between the two articles W. In addition, the distance between the outer side ends W9 facing the inner side ends W8 can be shortened. Therefore, when the two articles W are inserted into the box body B while maintaining the V-shaped upright position, a large gap S3 can be formed between the outer side ends W9 of the two articles W and each inner wall of the box body B. Therefore, even if the size of the box body B is tight for the articles W, that is, even if the gap S3 between the articles W and the side walls B5 and B6 of the box body B when the articles W are placed (stored) is relatively small, it is possible to prevent interference between the articles W entering the box body B and the opening edge and the side walls B5 and B6 of the box body B. (6) At the packing position P2, after the partition D is placed on the bottom B7 of the box body B, the partition pressing device 24 presses the lower parts (four locations) of a pair of side panels B3, B4 of the box body B from the outside, thereby increasing the contact resistance between the partition D in an upright position inside the box body B and the side panels B3, B4, and stabilizing the position and posture of the partition D.

[0054] <Example of change> The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. (1) In the boxing device according to the present invention, when an article W filled with, for example, a highly fluid or easily deformed content is laid flat inside a box B, the article W itself is deformable when it abuts against the side walls B5, B6 or the partition D inside the box B, so that the article W can be tightly packed into the box. On the other hand, when an article W that is difficult to deform, such as an article W made of a small box, is packed into the box B, it is preferable to set the distance from the partition D to the side walls B5, B6 to the distance at which the article W is longest in the horizontal direction (e.g., equivalent to the diagonal length) in the process of rotating the article W inside the box B, as shown in FIG. 9. In other words, it is preferable to set the distance from the partition D to the side walls B5, B6 according to the material, shape, strength, etc. of the article W. (2) The number and shape of the suction devices provided on the hand portion 52 are appropriately selected depending on the material and shape of the article W to be picked up. (3) The number of articles W picked up by the hand unit 52 may be changed as appropriate. For example, after holding three articles W placed in a lying position in a row, the articles W held on both outer sides of the hand unit 52 among the held articles W may be tilted, and the partitions D supported in an upright position may be grasped between each of the articles W. Also, this may be adopted in a configuration in which the articles W are stacked in multiple rows and multiple columns in the box body B. (4) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which a gripping means 54 for chucking the partition D was provided as a partition holding means. However, instead of this, the partition D may be adsorbed and held by suction means 56a, 56b. (5) In the above embodiment, the hand unit 52 picks up the article W with the suction means 56a, 56b, and then tilts the article W so that the center of the hand unit 52 is higher and holds it in a V-shaped position. However, for example, the article W may be tilted so that the center of the hand unit 52 is lower and held in an inverted V-shaped position. Also, each article W may be held tilted in the same direction. Also, only one of the articles W may be tilted. (6) In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the articles W transported by the first transport device 10 are sucked and held one by one in sequence by the hand unit 52, but instead, a mode in which multiple articles W are picked up at once can be selected. For example, if the front-to-rear spacing of the articles W transported by the first transport device 10 is adjusted to the support spacing of the articles W by the hand unit 52, it is also possible to suck and hold the articles W collectively and pick them up. (7) In the above embodiment, an example of a configuration in which the support block 61 of the hand unit 52 is tilted by the pivot link 65 is shown. However, instead of this, for example, the support block 61 may be directly connected to a motor shaft or may be tilted by rotating via a gear. (8) In the above embodiment, the article W held by the suction means 56a, 56b in an upright position is entered into the box body B and then put into a lying position within the box body B. However, the timing for changing the article W from the upright position to a lying position can be set as appropriate. That is, the article W held in the upright position can be changed into a lying position by the article spacing change means at any timing before the article W is placed (stored) in the box body B. For example, if the article W is to be placed in a box body B that has a relatively large space for the size of the article W, the article W in the upright position may be put into a lying position before entering the box body B, and the article W maintained in the lying position may be entered into the box body B. (9) The conveying device for conveying the article W or the box B is not limited to a belt conveyor, and various other conveyors may be used. (10) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the hand unit 52 of the robot 50 was configured as the moving unit to be able to move freely in three-dimensional space, but other configurations may be selected instead of the robot. For example, in a case where a conveying means is employed for conveying the article W so that the orientation of the article W with respect to the conveying direction X of the article W is always the same, the moving unit may be moved linearly along each of the horizontal directions of the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction, so that the article W can be packed together with the partition D into a box. (11) The gripping means 54 of the hand unit 52 may be configured to rotate about a vertical axis. In this case, when the hand unit 52 supplies the partition D into the box body B, the hand unit 52 may rotate the partition D about the vertical axis so as to be non-parallel to the side walls B5 and B6 of the box body B, and after the partition D enters the box body B, the hand unit 52 may rotate the partition D about the vertical axis so as to be parallel to the side walls B5 and B6 of the box body B. (12) The article orientation detection means may employ various methods, such as capturing an image of the article W from above with a camera to obtain information on the inclination of the article W relative to the conveying direction X, or detecting the article W with a 3D sensor or the like and processing the image to obtain information on the inclination of the article W relative to the conveying direction X. (13) The articles according to the present invention include various products such as film-packaged products, pouch-packaged products, and products packaged in small boxes. In addition, the shapes of the articles include not only approximately rectangular parallelepiped products, but also flat products and products with non-uniform thickness. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] B: Box body B3, B4: Side panels B5, B6: Side walls B7: Bottom of box body D: Partition L: Distance between items P1: Delivery position (predetermined position) P2: Packing position S1: Distance between item and partition S3: Gap between item and side wall W: Item W1: First item W2: Second item W8: Inner side edge W9: Outer side edge 10: First conveying device 14: Conveying surface 14a: Irradiation area 20: Second conveying device 24: Partition holding device 25: Third suction device 30: Partition supply device 31: Removal means 32: Transport means 34: Support means 45: First suction tool 50: Robot (supply means) 52: Hand unit (moving unit) 54: Gripping means (partition holding means) 54b: Gripping tool 56a, 56b: Suction means 61: Support block (item interval changing means) 62: Second suction device 63: Air cylinder (item interval change means) 65: Rotating link (item interval change means)

Claims

1. a plurality of suction means for suctioning the upper surfaces of the first and second articles conveyed thereto, respectively, and holding the articles in a horizontal position with a gap between them; an article spacing change means for changing the posture of at least one of the first article and the second article held in the lying position to a standing posture and holding the first article and the second article at a larger distance from each other; a moving unit including a partition holding means for holding a partition supported in an upright position at a predetermined position between the first item and the second item whose distance from each other has been increased by the item distance changing means; a supply means for supplying the first and second objects held at an increased interval by the object interval changing means and the partition held by the partition holding means together into a box body by the moving unit, The article in the upright position held by the suction means is changed to the lying position by the article interval changing means before being placed in the box body, A box packing device in which the partition is released from its holding means and placed within the box body while the upright position is maintained between the first item and the second item which have been changed to the lying position and between the first item and the second item.

2. 2. The box packing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the item spacing change means places the item in the upright position in the box body in the lying position so as to reduce the spacing between the item in the upright position and the partition, and places the first item, the second item, and the partition on the box body.

3. a gap is provided between the article in the upright position that has been placed in the box by the supply means and a side wall of the box facing the article; 3. The box packing device according to claim 2, wherein the item spacing change means changes the article from the upright position to the lying-down position within the box so as to reduce the gap between the article in the upright position and a side wall within the box.

4. In the box body, the first article and the second article are placed in the lying position on both sides of the partition in the upright position, and subsequent articles are stacked on each of the first article and the second article and placed in the box body, 3. The box packing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the subsequent articles is held in the lying position by the suction means with a gap between the subsequent articles, and is brought into the upright position by the article spacing change means so that the opposing side ends of the subsequent articles are higher, thereby widening the gap between the subsequent articles, and is then supplied into the box by the supply means.

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