Boxing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a boxing apparatus capable of performing works different in the boxing form of an article into a box body by one apparatus.SOLUTION: A unit conveying device 16 conveys a first support unit 15 for supporting an accumulated article or a second support unit 53 for supporting a box body 18. When the accumulated article is packed in the box body 18, the parallel link robot transfers the article 10 to the first support unit 15 as the accumulated article, and the shared transfer device collectively picks up the accumulated article of the first support unit 15 and packs it in the empty box body 18 positioned in the box carrying device 19. When directly packing the article 10 into the box body 18, the dual-purpose transfer device transfers the empty box body 18 positioned on the box conveying device 19 to the second support unit 53, the parallel link robot packs the article 10 into the empty box body 18 on the second support unit 53 in a plurality of rows and a plurality of levels, and the dual-purpose transfer device transfers the box body 18 packed with the article 10 to the box conveying device 19.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a boxing machine capable of boxing articles in a stack or individually. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that stacks multiple items transported by a conveyor in a vertical (up-down) position in a lying position to accumulate them in a flat state in a single row, or stacks multiple items in a horizontal (up-down) position in a standing position to accumulate them in a single row with the ends standing up. Patent Document 2 discloses a device that packs a set number of items transported by a conveyor into a box in a flat state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-528779 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-147305 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a dedicated device for stacking multiple items vertically or horizontally in a single line, but is unable to pack the stacked items into boxes. Furthermore, the device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a dedicated device for packing items transported by a conveyor into a box so that they are stacked flat. In other words, in order to perform different tasks, such as stacking items and packing items into boxes, it is necessary to install a dedicated device for each task, which requires a large installation space and is costly.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a packing device that can be used to pack articles into boxes in different formats. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the first means is: A boxing device for packing flat-shaped articles (10) into boxes (18), an article transport device (11) for transporting the article (10); a box conveying device (19) for conveying the box body (18) with an open top; a unit transport device (16) for transporting the support units (15, 53); an article transfer device (17) for transferring the article (10) transported by the article transport device (11); a dual-purpose transfer device (20) for transferring an accumulation (M1, M2) or a box (18) made up of the plurality of articles (10) supported by the support unit (15), The support units (15, 53) include a first support unit (15) that supports the stacks (M1, M2) and a second support unit (53) that supports the box body (18), When the articles (10) conveyed by the article conveying device (11) are packed into the box (18) in a collected state, the article transfer device (17) transfers the articles (10) to the first support unit (15) located on the unit conveying device (16) so that the articles (10) become flat-stacked articles (M2) in a lying position with the flat surfaces (10a) facing up or down, or small-end-standing articles (M1) in an upright position with the small end surfaces (10b) facing up, and the dual-purpose transfer device (20) picks up the collected articles (M1, M2) transferred to the first support unit (15) all at once and packs them into the empty box (18) located on the box conveying device (19); When the items (10) transported by the item transport device (11) are directly packed into the box body (18), the dual-purpose transfer device (20) transfers the empty box body (18) transported by the box transport device (19) to the second support unit (53) located on the unit transport device (16), the item transfer device (17) packs the items (10) transported by the item transport device (11) into the empty box body (18) transferred to the second support unit (53) in multiple rows and multiple stages, and the box body (18) packed with the items (10) is picked up from the second support unit (53) by the dual-purpose transfer device (20) and transferred to the box transport device (19). This configuration allows one device to be used for two different packing methods: packing items into a box as an accumulated pile, and packing items directly into a box, thereby preventing increases in costs and reducing the installation space required for the device. In other words, multiple types of packing work can be performed at low cost.

[0007] The second means includes a unit storage section (56) disposed above or below the unit transport device (16) and capable of storing the first support unit (15) and the second support unit (53); and a unit moving device (82) that moves the first support unit (15) or the second support unit (53) located on the unit conveying device (16) to the unit storage section (56) and moves the first support unit (15) or the second support unit (53) stored in the unit storage section (56) to the unit conveying device (16). According to this configuration, since the storage section for the support units is provided above or below the area where the packing work is carried out, the installation area of ​​the entire device can be made compact.

[0008] The third means is that the dual-purpose transfer device (20) is configured to be exchangeably equipped with an accumulated product support section (40) that collectively supports the accumulated products (M1, M2) accumulated in the first support unit (15) and loads them into the empty box body (18), and a box holding section (72) that holds and transfers the box body (18) between the box conveying device (19) and the second support unit (53), a jig unit storage section (57) disposed above or below the unit conveying device (16) and capable of storing the stacked product support section (40) and the box holder section (72); The unit moving device (82) is characterized in that it is configured to be able to move the stacked product support section (40) and the box holding section (72) between the unit conveying device (16) and the jig unit storage section (57). According to this configuration, the accumulated product support parts and box holders, which are interchangeably attached to the dual-purpose transfer device according to different boxing configurations, are configured to be movable between the jig unit storage part and the unit transport device, thereby shortening the setup time required when switching between boxing configurations. In addition, the accumulated product support parts and box holders can be transported to a position where they can be replaced by the dual-purpose transfer device without manual intervention, thereby reducing the number of personnel required.

[0009] The fourth means is that the first support unit (15) a support (14) having a bottom (12) and a restricting portion (13) rising from the bottom (12) so as to be perpendicular to the bottom (12), and capable of supporting the stacks (M1, M2); a rotation mechanism (21) that can rotate the support (14) around an axis parallel to the bottom (12) and the restricting portion (13), The support (14) is rotated by driving the rotation mechanism (21) with a drive device (22), and is configured to be changeable between a first position in which the article (10) can be placed on the bottom (12) and a second position in which the side of the bottom (12) where the regulating portion (13) is located is displaced downward from the first position so that the article (10) can be placed on the regulating portion (13), When accumulating the articles (10) in the flat-stacked state on the first support unit (15), the article transfer device (17) transfers a plurality of articles (10) onto the support (14) set in the first position by the drive device (22) so that the flat surface (10a) faces the bottom (12), thereby forming the flat-stacked accumulated product (M2); When the articles (10) are accumulated in the short-end standing state in the first support unit (15), the article transfer device (17) transfers a plurality of articles (10) onto the support body (14) which has been set to the second position by the drive device (22) so that the flat surface (10a) faces the regulating portion (13) and the short-end surface (10b) faces the bottom (12), and then the drive device (22) returns the support body (14) to the first position, thereby forming an accumulated product (M1) in which the articles (10) are in the short-end standing state. According to this configuration, the orientation of the support on which the articles are accumulated can be changed between a first orientation and a second orientation. The articles can be transferred to the support so that they are in a flat-stacked or edge-up state by transferring, loading, and placing them. Therefore, the same device can be used to pack the articles stacked in either a flat-stacked or edge-up state. This eliminates the need for separate stacking devices or production lines, one for flat stacking and one for edge-up, reducing installation space and enabling packaging in both states at low cost. Furthermore, the articles are transferred to the support in the second orientation, with their flat surfaces facing the restricting portion and their edge surfaces facing the bottom, so that they are lined up in a row away from the bottom and stacked in multiple layers. Therefore, simply by returning the support to the first orientation, multiple articles can be stacked side by side in edge-up state. This reduces the time required to pack the stacked articles in edge-up state and in multiple layers, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0010] The fifth means is that the second support unit (53) a bottom (61) on which the box (18) is placed; two first holders (62, 62) that face each other at a distance from each other in the front and rear of the box conveying device (19) in the conveying direction across the bottom (61) and that hold the box (18) from the front and rear outer sides; two second holders (63, 63) that are spaced apart from each other on the left and right sides of the bottom (61) and that face each other across the conveying direction and are capable of holding the box (18) from the left and right outer sides; a moving mechanism (64) that moves the two second holders (63, 63) toward and away from each other, The moving mechanism (64) is driven by a drive device (22) to position the two second holders (63, 63) at a holding position where they are close to each other to hold the box body (18), and at a retracted position where they are separated from each other to release the box body (18). According to this configuration, the box transferred to the second support unit can be held in place by the first and second holders, so that the work of packing articles into the box can be carried out smoothly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, different types of packing work can be performed using a single device, so that the installation space can be reduced and multiple types of packing work can be performed at low cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a packing device, in which a parallel link robot (article transfer device) and a dual-purpose transfer device are omitted. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the packing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a main part showing the location of the dual-purpose transfer device in the box packing device, in which the dual-purpose transfer device is positioned above a box stopping position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a unit conveying device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a unit storage section and a unit moving device. [Figure 6]6 is a schematic perspective view of the unit storage section and the unit moving device, seen from a direction different from that of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing a second transfer section of the unit transport device and the unit moving device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing a lower unit storage section and a unit moving device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the upper unit storage section and the unit moving device. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic front view of the essential part showing the transfer portion from the second transfer section of the unit transport device to the lifter of the unit moving device. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a first support unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the first support unit with one side portion removed. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a second support unit. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing a second support unit. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional side view showing a second support unit. [Figure 17] 10 is a schematic front view showing the first jig support unit stored in an upper unit storage section. FIG. [Figure 18] 10 is a schematic front view showing the second jig support unit stored in the upper unit storage section. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the accommodation unit to which the first support member is attached. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the storage unit. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the storage unit equipped with the box holder. [Figure 22] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of stacking articles on a support in a standing state. FIG. [Figure 23] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of accumulating articles in a flat stack on a support body. FIG. [Figure 24] 1(a) is a schematic side view showing a state in which articles are piled up on a support in a standing state, and FIG. 1(b) is a schematic side view showing a state in which articles are piled up flat on a support. [Figure 25] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of storing stacked products in a box with their ends standing up. FIG. [Figure 26] 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a first support unit is moved between a unit transport device and a lower unit storage section. FIG. [Figure 27] 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first jig support unit is moved between the unit transport device and the upper unit storage section. FIG. [Figure 28] 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a box body is supported by the second support unit and box packing is performed. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Next, a preferred embodiment of a packing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0014] 1 to 3, 22, 23, 25, and 28, the packing device of the embodiment includes an article conveying device 11 that conveys flat-shaped articles 10, a box conveying device 19 that conveys boxes 18 with open tops, a unit conveying device 16 that conveys multiple types of support units 15, 53, 54, and 55, an article transfer device 17 that transfers articles 10 conveyed by the article conveying device 11, and a dual-purpose transfer device 20 that transfers stacks M1 and M2 consisting of multiple articles 10 supported by the support units 15 and 53 or boxes 18. In addition, as the support units 15 and 53, a first support unit 15 that supports the stacks M1 and M2 and a second support unit 53 that supports the boxes 18 are provided. In the boxing device, when the articles 10 conveyed by the article conveying device 11 are packed into a box 18 in an aggregated state, the article transfer device 17 transfers the articles 10 to the first support unit 15 located on the unit conveying device 16 so that the articles 10 become flat-stacked articles M2 in a lying position with the flat surfaces facing up or down, or small-end-standing articles M1 in an upright position with the small end surfaces facing up or down, and the dual-purpose transfer device 20 picks up the articles M1 and M2 transferred to the first support unit 15 all at once and transfers them to the empty box 18 located on the box conveying device 19. When the articles 10 transported by the article transporting device 11 are loaded directly into boxes 18, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 transfers the empty boxes 18 transported by the box transporting device 19 to the second support unit 53 located on the unit transporting device 16, and the article transfer device 17 loads the articles 10 transported by the article transporting device 11 into the empty boxes 18 transferred to the second support unit 53 in multiple rows and multiple stages, and the dual-purpose transfer device 20 picks up the boxes 18 loaded with the articles 10 from the second support unit 53 and transfers them to the box transporting device 19.

[0015] The packing device is provided with jig support units 54, 55 as the support units, which can support the accumulated product support unit 40 and the box holder 72 described below, which are replaceably mounted on the dual-purpose transfer device 20 (see FIGS. 17 and 18), and the jig support units 54, 55 are also configured to be transportable by the unit conveying device 16. The packing device is also provided with unit storage units 56, 57 above the unit conveying device 16, which are arranged in multiple levels in the vertical direction and can store three types of support units 15, 53, 54, 55. In this embodiment, a lower unit storage unit 56 is provided directly above the unit conveying device 16 at a distance and can store the first support unit 15 and the second support unit 53, and an upper unit storage unit (jig unit storage unit) 57 is provided above the lower unit storage unit 56 at a distance and can store the jig support units 54, 55. The packing device also includes a unit transport device 82 that moves the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 between the unit transport device 16 and the upper and lower unit storage sections 56 and 57 (see FIG. 1).

[0016] As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the first support unit 15 includes a support body 14 having a bottom 12 and a first regulating portion (regulating portion) 13 rising from the bottom 12 so as to be perpendicular to the bottom 12, and capable of supporting the collected items M1, M2, and the article transfer device 17 transfers the articles 10 picked up from the article conveying device 11 so as to be collected on the support body 14. In addition, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 picks up the collected items M1, M2 collected on the support body 14 all at once and packs them into an empty box 18. The first support unit 15 is provided with a rotation mechanism 21 capable of rotating the support body 14 around an axis parallel to the bottom 12 and the first regulating portion 13. The packing device also includes a rotation drive device (drive device) 22 that drives a rotation mechanism 21 to rotate the support 14 and change the position of the support 14 between a first position in which the article 10 can be placed on the bottom 12 and a second position in which the side of the bottom 12 on which the first regulating portion 13 is located is displaced downward from the first position, allowing the article 10 to be placed on the first regulating portion 13. In the embodiment, in the second position of the support 14, the first regulating portion 13 tilts upward as it moves away from the bottom 12, allowing the article 10 to be placed on the first regulating portion 13 with one small end face 10b of the article 10 supported by the bottom 12. When the packing device packs a stack M2 in which items 10 are stacked flat in a lying position with the flat surfaces 10a of the items 10 facing up and down into a box body 18, the packing device transfers multiple items 10 to the support body 14 in the first position using the rotation drive device 22, and then packs the stack M2 in a flat state by using the item transfer device 17 so that the flat surfaces 10a face the bottom 12, into the box body 18 using the dual-purpose transfer device 20. In addition, when the packing device is to pack a collection of items M1 in an upright position with the small end faces 10b of the items 10 facing up and down into a box body 18, the packing device is configured to transfer a plurality of items 10 to the support body 14, which has been set to the second position by the rotational drive device 22, by the item transfer device 17 so that the flat surface 10a faces the first regulating section 13 and the small end face 10b faces the bottom 12, and then return the support body 14 to the first position by the rotational drive device 22, so that the collection of items M1, in which the items 10 are in an upright position with the small end faces 10b facing up and down, is packed into the box body 18 by the dual-purpose transfer device 20.In the item conveying device 11, the conveying direction toward the item pick-up area K described later where the item 10 is picked up by the item transfer device 17, the conveying direction of the first support unit 15 on the first straight section 23a described later by the unit conveying device 16 (the running direction of the first support unit 15 described later), and the conveying direction toward the box stop position G described later where the accumulated items M1 and M2 are stored in the box body 18 by the dual-purpose transfer device 20 on the main conveying path 19a described later in the box conveying device 19 are parallel in the embodiment, and the conveying direction of the item 10, the conveying direction of the first support unit 15 and the conveying direction of the box body 18 will be simply referred to as the conveying direction, and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction will be referred to as the width direction (left-right direction). 1 to 16, 19, and 20, in order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments, indications indicating front and rear in relation to the conveying direction of the first support unit 15 in the first straight section 23a of the unit conveying device 16, and indications indicating left and right in the width direction as viewed from the front side (downstream side) of the conveying direction, are shown. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, upstream and downstream are referred to in relation to the running direction of the first support unit 15.

[0017] 1 and 2, the article conveying device 11 of the embodiment is a belt conveyor that circulates an endless belt. Flat articles 10 are supplied from the upstream side and placed in a lying position with their flat surfaces 10a facing the article conveying surface (belt surface). They are then conveyed in a line at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction. The articles 10 are packages in which products are wrapped in a packaging material such as film or paper, or packages in which products are housed in a packaging box. They are generally flat and generally rectangular, and in the embodiment, the articles 10 are placed on the article conveying surface with their short end surfaces 10b, 10b facing each other (longitudinal) along the conveying direction and conveyed. The article conveying device 11 is also provided with an article detection sensor (not shown) that can detect the articles 10 being conveyed, and a discharge section 11a at its downstream end that discharges articles 10 that have passed through the article transfer device 17 without being picked up.

[0018] 1 to 4, the unit transport device 16 is disposed below the article transport device 11 at a distance. The unit transport device 16 includes a circular transport path 23 along which the support units 15, 53, 54, 55 can travel by linear motor drive control, and the unit transport device 16 is configured to be able to drive a plurality of first support units 15 and a plurality of second support units 53 to travel independently at predetermined intervals in the traveling direction. In the embodiment, a case will be described in which three first support units 15 and three second support units 53 are traveled, but two or four or more units may also be used. The circular conveying path 23 is composed of a first straight portion 23a and a second straight portion 23b that extend parallel to the conveying direction and are parallel to each other and spaced apart in the width direction intersecting the conveying direction, and a first transfer portion 23c and a second transfer portion 23d that transfer the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 between the straight portions 23a and 23b, and is configured to circulate the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55. The direction in which the first support unit 15 circulates on the circular conveying path 23 is opposite to the direction in which the second support unit 53 circulates.

[0019] 4, the first straight section 23a is configured so that the first support unit 15 travels in the same direction as the conveying direction toward the article pick-up area K where the article 10 is picked up by the article transfer device 17 in the article conveying device 11, and the second straight section 23b is configured so that the first support unit 15 travels in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the article 10. The first conveying section 23c and the second conveying section 23d are both formed in a straight line capable of positioning one support unit 15, 53, 54, 55. The first conveying section 23c is configured to move in the width direction between the upstream end of the first support unit 15 in the conveying direction on the first straight section 23a and the downstream end of the second straight section 23b, and the second conveying section 23d is configured to move in the width direction between the downstream end of the first support unit 15 in the conveying direction on the first straight section 23a and the upstream end of the second straight section 23b. The first linear section 23a, the second linear section 23b, the first conveying section 23c, and the second conveying section 23d each include a linear guide with a coil installed along its entire length. The support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 are provided with permanent magnets on their bodies, and the magnetic force of the permanent magnets attracts the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 to the surfaces of the linear guides of the first linear section 23a, the second linear section 23b, the first conveying section 23c, and the second conveying section 23d. The operation of the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 is controlled by linear motor drive, in which the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 travel along the linear guides by controlling the supply of current to the coils. In the embodiment, the first support unit 15 rotates in the order of the first straight section 23a → the second conveying section 23d → the second straight section 23b → the first conveying section 23c, whereas the second support unit 53 rotates in the order of the first straight section 23a → the first conveying section 23c → the second straight section 23b → the second conveying section 23d.

[0020] As shown in Figures 11 to 13, the first support unit 15 has a unit main body 25 having a pair of frames 25a, 25b spaced apart in the width direction and a bottom plate 25c connecting the frames 25a, 25b, in which the permanent magnet is provided, and the support body 14 is supported so as to be rotatable around an axis in the width direction (around an axis parallel to the bottom 12 and the first regulating portion 13).

[0021] 11 to 13, the support 14 of the first support unit 15 includes the bottom 12 on which the article 10 can be placed, a first regulating portion 13 located in front of the bottom 12 in the conveying direction (the running direction of the first support unit 15 on the first linear portion 23a) and extending a predetermined length from the bottom 12 upwardly intersecting the conveying direction, and a pair of side portions 26a, 26b facing each other and spaced apart in the width direction (the direction of the rotation axis of the support 14) sandwiching the bottom 12. The first support unit 15 also includes a second regulating portion 27 fixed to the unit body 25, located rearward of the bottom 12 in the conveying direction, and extending a predetermined length from the bottom 12 of the support 14 in the first position upwardly intersecting the conveying direction, and configured to define an article storage section N between the second regulating portion 27 and the support 14 that is open upward (toward the surface of the bottom 12). The first and second restricting portions 13 and 27 are made up of a plurality of rods 13a, 27a spaced apart in the width direction at intervals that will prevent articles 10 from falling out of the article storage portion N, and the bottom portion 12 is provided with comb-tooth portions 12b formed in a comb shape that correspond to the rods 13a, 27a of the first and second restricting portions 13 and 27 at the front and rear ends of the flat body 12a, so as to allow the support members 40a of the first support member 40, which serves as an accumulated article support portion described below, to enter the article storage portion N. In addition, the side portions 26a, 26b are formed in a flat plate shape that can support the left and right ends in the width direction of the articles 10 accumulated in the article storage portion N (see FIGS. 22 to 24). The support body 14 is configured so that its posture can be changed between a first posture (see solid line in FIG. 12) in which the bottom 12 is horizontal along the conveying direction by the rotation mechanism 21 provided in the first support unit 15 while maintaining a right-angle relationship between the bottom 12 and the first regulating portion 13, and a second posture (see chain double-dashed line in FIG. 12) in which the bottom 12 is inclined downward from the rear side to the front side in the conveying direction and the first regulating portion 13 extends so as to incline upward toward the front from the lower end of the inclination of the bottom 12. The width dimension of the bottom 12 is set to a dimension such that the accumulated products M1, M2 (articles 10) shown in FIG. 24 placed on the bottom 12 extend a predetermined length to the left and right from the bottom 12, and the lower surfaces of the extending portions of the accumulated products M1, M2 can be supported without interference by receiving portions 41a, 41a described later in the dual-purpose transfer device 20.Furthermore, the support body 14 is set so that the size of the article storage section N in the first position can support the maximum number of piles M2 of articles 10 that can be stored in the box body 18.

[0022] 13, a threaded shaft 28 extending in the width direction is rotatably supported between the pair of frames 25a, 25b of the first support unit 15, and rotating members 29a, 29b facing each other in the width direction are supported on the threaded shaft 28 at a portion of the threaded shaft 28 that is inside the frames 25a, 25b and where no threads are formed. A bottom 12 is disposed on the rotating members 29a, 29b so that the pair of rotating members 29a, 29b and the support body 14 rotate integrally. An operating gear 30 rotatable relative to the threaded shaft 28 is disposed between one of the rotating members 29a and the corresponding frame 25a so as to rotate integrally with the rotating member 29a. Further, a drive gear 31 meshing with the actuation gear 30 is rotatably supported on one frame 25a, the rotation shaft of the drive gear 31 protruding outside the one frame 25a, and a tilting driven coupling 32 incorporating a magnet to form a magnetic coupling is disposed at the protruding end of the rotation shaft. A tilting drive coupling 37, which is disposed on a tilting drive shaft (described later) of the rotation drive device 22 and constitutes a magnetic coupling, is magnetically coupled to the tilting driven coupling 32 in a non-contact manner by the incorporated magnet. When the drive gear 31 is rotated by the rotation drive device 22, the support 14 rotates together with the rotating members 29a, 29b around the screw shaft 28 under the meshing action with the actuation gear 30. In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism 21 includes the actuation gear 30, the drive gear 31, and the tilting driven coupling 32. The gear ratio between the operating gear 30 and the drive gear 31 is set to a value that prevents the support 14 from moving from the second position due to the weight of the support 14 or the accumulated product M1 when the magnetic connection between the tilting driven coupling 32 and the tilting drive coupling 37 is released.

[0023] As shown in Figure 13, guide shafts 33 are installed parallel to each other between the pair of rotating members 29a and 29b on both sides of the screw shaft 28 in the radial direction, and the pair of side portions 26a and 26b are slidably supported by the guide shafts 33. The pair of side portions 26a and 26b are configured to be movable toward and away from each other by a width adjustment mechanism 34 provided in the first support unit 15, and the distance between the side portions 26a and 26b can be adjusted according to the size of the article 10 (in this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the article 10 (the length of the small end face 10b)). The width adjustment mechanism 34 comprises the screw shaft 28 on which male screw portions 28a and 28b are formed and which are spaced apart in the axial direction and have a mutually reverse-threaded relationship, a pair of female screw members 35a and 35b arranged on the side portions 26a and 26b and screwed into the male screw portions 28a and 28b, and one frame of the screw shaft 28. and a width adjustment driven coupling 36 that is disposed on the shaft end protruding from the shaft 25a and has a magnet built in to form a magnetic coupling. A width adjustment drive coupling 38 that is disposed on a width adjustment drive shaft (described later) of the rotation drive device 22 and forms a magnetic coupling is magnetically connected to the width adjustment driven coupling 36 in a non-contact manner by the built-in magnet. When the screw shaft 28 is rotated by the rotation drive device 22, the pair of female screw members 35a, 35b move toward and away from each other, thereby adjusting the mutual distance between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b.

[0024] As shown in Figures 14 to 16, the second support unit 53 has a unit main body 59 having a pair of frames 59a, 59b spaced apart in the width direction and a bottom plate 59c connecting the frames 59a, 59b, and is provided with the permanent magnet and a box holding means 60 capable of holding the box body 18.

[0025] 14 to 16, the box holding means 60 of the second support unit 53 includes a bottom 61 on which a box 18 can be placed, a pair (two) of first holders 62, 62 that face each other at a distance in front and behind the conveying direction of the box conveying device 19 across the bottom 61 and hold the box 18 from the front and rear outer sides, and a pair (two) of second holders 63, 63 that face each other at a distance in the width direction (left and right) that intersects the conveying direction across the bottom 61 and can hold the box 18 from the left and right outer sides. In addition, the unit main body 59 is provided with a movement mechanism 64 that moves the pair of second holders 63, 63 toward and away from each other. The movement mechanism 64 includes a threaded shaft 65 rotatably supported between the pair of frames 59a, 59b and extending in the width direction, and guide shafts 66, 66 installed in parallel between the pair of frames 59a, 59b on both radial sides of the threaded shaft 65, and a pair of second holders 63, 63 are slidably supported by the guide shafts 66, 66. Male threaded portions 65a, 65b are formed on the threaded shaft 65 and are spaced apart in the axial direction and have a mutually reverse thread relationship, and female threaded members 67a, 67b arranged on the second holders 63, 63 are screwed into the male threaded portions 65a, 65b. The screw shaft 65 is provided with a movement driven coupling 68 that is disposed at the shaft end protruding from one frame 59a and has a built-in magnet to form a magnetic coupling, and the width adjustment drive coupling 38, which is disposed on a width adjustment drive shaft of the rotation drive device 22 described below and forms a magnetic coupling, is magnetically connected to the movement driven coupling 68 in a non-contact manner by the built-in magnet. By rotating the screw shaft 65 with the rotation drive device 22, the pair of female screw members 67a, 67b move toward and away from each other, positioning the pair of second holders 63, 63 at a holding position where they approach each other to hold the box body 18, and at a retracted position where they move away from each other to release the box body 18. The holding position and retracted position of the second holders 63, 63 are variable depending on the width dimension of the box 18.

[0026] 17 and 18, the packing device of the embodiment includes a first jig support unit 54 and a second jig support unit 55 as the jig support units 54, 55, which support different objects. The first jig support unit 54 supports a first article holder 69 that is attached to the article transfer device 17 and used when transferring articles 10 from the article conveying device 11 to the first support unit 15 or the second support unit 53, and a first support member 40 as an accumulated article support that is attached to the dual-purpose transfer device 20 and used when packing accumulated articles M1, M2 from the first support unit 15 into boxes 18. In addition, the second jig support unit 55 supports a second item holding section 71 that is attached to the item transfer device 17 and used when directly transferring (packing) items 10 from the item conveying device 11 into the box body 18, and a box holding section 72 that is attached to the dual-purpose transfer device 20 and used when transferring the box body 18 between the box conveying device 19 and the unit conveying device 16.

[0027] 17 and 18, the first jig support unit 54 and the second jig support unit 55 have the same basic configuration, and both jig support units 54, 55 have a unit main body 73 on which the permanent magnets are disposed and which is transported by linear motor drive on the circular transport path 23 of the unit transport device 16. A first support 74 is erected on the unit main body 73, and a second support 75 is erected, the second support 75 consisting of a pair of supports 75a, 75a spaced apart in the width direction and sandwiching the first support 74. In the first jig support unit 54, the first article holding portion 69 is detachably supported by the first support 74, and the first support members 40, 40 are detachably supported by the second support 75. In the second jig support unit 55, the second article holding portion 71 is detachably supported by the first support 74, and the box holding portions 72, 72 are detachably supported by the second support 75. The first article holding section 69 and second article holding section 71 attached to the article transfer device 17 and the first support member 40 and box holding section 72 attached to the dual-purpose transfer device 20 are provided with attachment sections 77 that can be automatically attached by automatic attachment tools 76 provided on the corresponding article transfer device 17 and dual-purpose transfer device 20, and these first article holding section 69, second article holding section 71, first support member 40 and box holding section 72 are supported by each support tool 74, 75 with their attachment sections 77 facing upward. The first article holding section 69 and second article holding section 71 are provided with suction sections 78 that can suction and hold articles 10, and are configured to be able to hold and transport a required number of articles 10 using the suction sections 78. In addition, the first support members 40 and the box holding portions 72 are supported by the second support device 75 in pairs, spaced apart in the front-to-back direction, and the first support members 40 are formed in a shape that can support both the front and rear sides of the stacked products M1, M2 supported by the support body 14 of the first support unit 15, and the box holding portions 72 are equipped with gripping devices 79 that can grip the front or rear flaps 18a (see Figures 21 and 28) extending upward on the box body 18.

[0028] 2, 5, and 6, the lower unit storage section 56 and the upper unit storage section 57 are disposed above the second transfer section 23d of the unit transport device 16, as described above. The unit storage sections 56, 57 are disposed in two rows spaced apart in the width direction corresponding to the first linear section 23a and the second linear section 23b. In the embodiment, in the two rows of lower unit storage sections 56, 56, the first linear section side is a storage section for the first support unit 15, and the second linear section side is a storage section for the second support unit 53, but this may be reversed. Furthermore, in the two rows of upper unit storage sections 57, 57, the first linear section side is a storage section for the first jig support unit 54, and the second linear section side is a storage section for the second jig support unit 55, but this may be reversed. The upper and lower unit storage sections 56, 57 are provided on a lower first support stand 80 and an upper second support stand 81, which are disposed on the equipment frame and spaced above the unit conveying device 16. When distinguishing the two rows of lower unit storage sections 56, 56 based on the different objects stored therein, the storage section for the first support unit 15 will be referred to as the first lower unit storage section 56A and the storage section for the second support unit 53 will be referred to as the second lower unit storage section 56B, and when distinguishing the two rows of upper unit storage sections 57, 57 based on the different objects stored therein, the storage section for the first jig support unit 54 will be referred to as the first upper unit storage section 57A and the storage section for the second jig support unit 55 will be referred to as the second upper unit storage section 57B.

[0029] 1, 2, and 5 to 10, the unit moving device 82 that moves the various support units 15, 53, 54, 55 between the unit moving device 16 and the upper and lower unit storage sections 56, 57 is disposed downstream of the second transfer section 23d in the unit conveying device 16. The unit moving devices 82 are disposed corresponding to the first straight section 23a and the second straight section 23b, and although both unit moving devices 82 have the same configuration, when distinguishing between them, the device on the first straight section side will be referred to as a first unit moving device 82A and the device on the second straight section side will be referred to as a second unit moving device 82B. The unit moving device 82 includes a lifter 83 that moves the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 up and down, a first moving means 84 that moves the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 between the unit transport device 16 and the lifter 83, a second moving means 85 that moves the first support unit 15 or the second support unit 53 between the lifter 83 and the lower unit storage section 56, and a third moving means 86 that moves the first jig support unit 54 or the second jig support unit 55 between the lifter 83 and the upper unit storage section 57.

[0030] Here, since the unit moving devices 82, 82, lower unit storage sections 56, 56 and upper unit storage sections 57, 57 arranged corresponding to the first straight section 23a and the second straight section 23b, respectively, have the same configuration, we will explain the first unit moving device 82A, first lower unit storage section 56A and first upper unit storage section 57A on the side corresponding to the first straight section 23a, and will omit detailed explanations of the second unit moving device 82B, second lower unit storage section 56B and second upper unit storage section 57B on the side corresponding to the second straight section 23b.

[0031] 5, 6, 7, 10, and 26, the lifter 83 of the first unit moving device 82A is provided with a lifting platform 89 that is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism 88 operated by a drive motor 87 such as a servo motor, and is configured so that one support unit 15, 54 (support units 53, 55 in the case of the second unit moving device 82B) can be movably placed on the lifting platform 89. The lifter 83 is also configured to position the lifting platform 89 at a first height H1 at which the support units 15, 54 can be moved relative to the second transfer section 23d of the unit transport device 16, a second height H2 at which the support units 15, 54 can be moved relative to the first lower unit storage section 56A, and a third height H3 at which the first jig support unit 54 can be moved relative to the first upper unit storage section 57A.

[0032] 7, 10, and 26, the first moving means 84 includes an engaging means 92 disposed on an apparatus base 90 on one side in the left-right direction of the lifting platform 89 positioned at the first height H1 and movable in the front-rear direction. The first moving means 84 moves the engaging means 92 in the front-rear direction between a first position F1 where the engaging means 92 can engage with each support unit 15, 54 positioned on the second transfer section 23d, and a second position F2 (position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10) where the support units 15, 54 engaged with the engaging means 92 have moved from the second transfer section 23d to the lifting platform 89. The engaging means 92 may, for example, be configured to move the support units 15, 54 together with the engaging means 92 by disengaging an engaging pin with an engaging hole formed in the support units 15, 54. In addition, on the lifting platform 89, on the opposite side of the lifting platform 89 from the engagement means 92 positioned at the second position F2, a regulating means 94 is arranged which engages with the support units 15, 54 transferred onto the lifting platform 89 and regulates their movement.

[0033] 8 and 26, the first lower unit storage section 56A is provided with a first fixed rail 95 that is disposed on the first support base 80 and extends a predetermined length in the front-to-rear direction, and is configured so that a plurality (three in this embodiment) of the first support units 15 (second support units 53 in the case of the second lower unit storage section 56B) can be placed side by side in the front-to-rear direction on the first fixed rail 95. The second moving means 85, which has the same structure as the engaging means 92 and can move the engaging means 92 in the front-to-rear direction, is disposed on one side in the left-to-right direction (the same side as the first moving means 84) of the first fixed rail 95. The second moving means 85 is provided with engaging means 92 corresponding to the number and positions of the first support units 15 (or second support units 53) to be placed on the first fixed rail 95. The second moving means 85 moves the engaging means 92, which is located closest to the lifter 83, in the front-to-rear direction between a third position F3 where the engaging means 92 can engage with the first support unit 15 (or the second support unit 53) placed on the lifting platform 89 positioned at the second height H2, and a fourth position F4 where the first support unit 15 (or the second support unit 53) engaged by the engaging means 92 has moved from the lifting platform 89 to a first fixed rail 95. Note that a regulating means 94 having the same structure as the regulating means 94 is fixedly disposed on the first support platform 80, on the opposite side of the first fixed rail 95 from the position where the second moving means 85 is disposed, and which engages with each first support unit 15 (or second support unit 53) moved to the first fixed rail 95 to regulate its movement.

[0034] 9 and 27, the first upper unit storage section 57A is provided with a second fixed rail 98 that is disposed on the second support base 81 and extends a predetermined length in the front-to-rear direction, and is configured so that the first jig support unit 54 (the second jig support unit 55 in the case of the second upper unit storage section 57B) can be placed on the second fixed rail 98. The third moving means 86, which has the same structure as the engaging means 92 and can move the engaging means 92 in the front-to-rear direction, is disposed on one side in the left-to-right direction (the same side as the first moving means 84) of the second fixed rail 98. The third moving means 86 moves the engaging means 92 in the front-to-rear direction between a fifth position F5 at which the engaging means 92 can engage with the first jig support unit 54 (or the second jig support unit 55) placed on the lifting platform 89 positioned at the third height H3, and a sixth position F6 at which the first jig support unit 54 (or the second jig support unit 55) engaged by the engaging means 92 has moved from the lifting platform 89 to the second fixed rail 98. Note that a regulating means 94 having the same structure as the regulating means 94 is fixedly disposed on the second support platform 81, on the opposite side of the second fixed rail 98 from the position at which the third moving means 86 is disposed. The regulating means 94 engages with the first jig support unit 54 (or the second jig support unit 55) moved to the second fixed rail 98 to regulate its movement.

[0035] 1, 2, and 4, a first station S1, a second station S2, a third station S3, a fourth station S4, and a fifth station S5 are provided in this order from upstream to downstream on the circular conveying path 23 of the unit conveying device 16 in relation to the direction in which the first support unit 15 conveys the articles 10 toward the article pick-up area K when the articles 10 are accumulated on the first support unit 15 and rotated around the circular conveying path 23. The first support unit 15 is stopped at each of the stations S1 to S5 in the unit conveying device 16, and a predetermined process, which will be described later, is performed. In this embodiment, the first station S1 is set at a position where the first transfer section 23c is connected to the upstream end of the first straight section 23a, and the fifth station S5 is set at a position where the second transfer section 23d is connected to the downstream end of the first straight section 23a. The rotation drive devices 22 are respectively arranged corresponding to the first station S1, the third station S3, and the fourth station S4 provided on the first linear section 23a. The unit transport device 16 is provided with a unit detection sensor (not shown) that can detect that the first support unit 15, the second support unit 53, or the first and second jig support units 54, 55 are positioned at each of the first to fifth stations S1 to S5.

[0036] When the second support unit 53 is rotated around the circular conveying path 23, the unit conveying device 16 stops the second support unit 53 at the second station S2 or the fourth station S4, and a predetermined process described below is performed.

[0037] 4 and 13, the rotation drive device 22 includes a tilt drive shaft and a width adjustment drive shaft, each having a tilt drive coupling 37 and a width adjustment drive coupling 38 disposed at its end, which can be magnetically coupled to the tilt driven coupling 32 and the width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15, and a drive motor (neither of which is shown) such as a servo motor that rotates and drives each drive shaft. The width adjustment drive coupling 38 can also be magnetically coupled to the movement driven coupling 68 of the second support unit 53. The rotation drive device 22 is configured to move, by a moving device (not shown), between a retracted position spaced apart from the side of the first support unit 15 positioned at the first, third, and fourth stations S1, S3, and S4 and a coupled position where the rotation drive device 22 can magnetically couple the corresponding tilt drive coupling 37 and width adjustment drive coupling 38 to the tilt driven coupling 32 and width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15 positioned at each station S1, S3, and S4 in a non-contact manner. The rotation drive device 22 is configured to change the orientation of the support 14 between the first orientation and the second orientation by rotating the tilt drive coupling 37 while the tilt driven coupling 32 and the tilt drive coupling 37 of the first support unit 15 are coupled. The tilt angle of the first restriction portion 13 with respect to the horizontal plane in the second orientation can be arbitrarily set in relation to the size and center of gravity of the articles 10 to be accumulated on the support 14. In addition, the rotation drive device 22 is configured to be able to adjust the distance between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b and to move the pair of side portions 26a, 26b closer to or farther from each other by a predetermined distance, thereby aligning the left and right ends of the article 10, by rotating the width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15 while the width adjustment drive coupling 38 is connected to the width adjustment driven coupling 36.

[0038] The rotation drive device 22 is configured to move, with respect to the second support unit 53 positioned at the fourth station S4, between a retracted position spaced apart to the side of the second support unit 53 by a movement device and a coupled position where the width adjustment drive coupling 38 can be magnetically coupled in a non-contact manner to the movement driven coupling 68 of the second support unit 53. The rotation drive device 22 moves the pair of second holding bodies 63, 63 toward and away from each other between the holding position and the retracted position by rotating the width adjustment drive coupling 38 in a state where the movement driven coupling 68 of the second support unit 53 and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 are coupled.

[0039] 1, the box conveying device 19 is arranged to surround the first straight section 23a, the first transfer section 23c, and the lifter 83 of the unit conveying device 16. The box conveying device 19 includes a main conveying path 19a extending parallel to the conveying direction of the articles 10 by the article conveying device 11 toward the article pick-up area K and located to the side of the first straight section 23a (to the left in this embodiment), a box supply path 19b connected to the upstream end of the main conveying path 19a and located outside the first transfer section 23c (to the rear in this embodiment), and a box discharge path 19c connected to the downstream end of the main conveying path 19a and located outside the lifter 83 (to the front in this embodiment), and conveys boxes 18 that open upward. In this embodiment, the main conveying path 19a uses an attachment conveyor that pushes the boxes 18 by the travel of pushing sections 52 arranged at predetermined intervals on an endless cord such as an endless chain. Furthermore, the box supply path 19b and the box discharge path 19c are both implemented by belt conveyors arranged to the side of the main conveying path 19a and running in the width direction, and boxes 18 are transferred from the box supply path 19b to the main conveying path 19a and from the main conveying path 19a to the box discharge path 19c by a transfer means (not shown). Furthermore, the main conveying path 19a in the box conveying device 19 is set at a position corresponding to the fourth station S4 in the unit conveying device 16 with a box stop position G where the accumulated products M1, M2 are packed into boxes and where the boxes 18 are transferred to and from the second support unit 53, and the box conveying device 19 is configured to be able to stop and position an empty box 18 at the box stop position G.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, a parallel link robot 17 is disposed above the article transport device 11 and the unit transport device 16 at a position corresponding to the second station S2 on the unit transport device 16, serving as the article transfer device 17. The parallel link robot 17 is equipped with an automatic attachment device 76 at the end of a robot arm 17a that can move freely in three-dimensional space, and is configured so that the automatic attachment device 76 can automatically attach and detach an attachment portion 77 of the first article holder 69 or the second article holder 71, which is provided with a suction portion 78 that can suction an article 10. When transferring an article 10 to the support body 14 of the first support unit 15, the parallel link robot 17 attaches the first article holder 69 with the automatic attachment device 76, holds and picks up each article 10 transported by the article transport device 11 with the suction portion 78, and then horizontally rotates the first article holder 69 so that the orientation of the article 10 held by the suction portion 78 can be changed. In this embodiment, the parallel link robot 17 is configured to horizontally rotate the first article holding unit 69 by 90 degrees about a vertical axis to change the longitudinal direction of the article 10 to the width direction, and then transfer the article 10 to the support 14 located at the second station S2. The parallel link robot 17 can also arbitrarily change the up-down, left-right, and front-to-back tilt of the article 10 held by the suction unit 78 by controlling the movement of the robot arm 17a and the first article holding unit 69. In other words, the parallel link robot 17 is configured to arbitrarily change the orientation and posture of the article 10 picked up from the article transport device 11 and transfer it to the support 14.

[0041] In addition, when the parallel link robot 17 is to pack items 10 into a box 18 held by the box holding means 60 of the second support unit 53, it is configured to attach a second item holding section 71 using an automatic attachment device 76, hold and pick up multiple items 10 (for example, three items) being transported by the item conveying device 11 using an suction section 78, and then transfer (pack) the items into the box 18 held by the second support unit 53 positioned at the second station S2 (see Figure 28).

[0042] The parallel link robot 17 is configured to move the suction part 78 of the first item holding part 69 or the second item holding part 71 above the item pick-up area K when the unit detection sensor detects that the first support unit 15 or the second support unit 53 is positioned at the second station S2 and when the item 10 detected by the item detection sensor arrives at the item pick-up area K set downstream of the item detection position of the item detection sensor in the item transport device 11. The parallel link robot 17 also has an imaging means (not shown) capable of imaging the item 10 in the item pick-up area K, calculates a holding position where the item 10 imaged by the imaging means can be held and picked up by the suction part 78, and controls the movement of the robot arm 17a and the item holding parts 69, 71 so that the item 10 is held and picked up by the suction part 78 at the holding position. In addition, if the unit detection sensor does not detect the first support unit 15 or the second support unit 53 and the item detection sensor detects an item 10, the parallel link robot 17 is configured to pass through without holding the item 10.

[0043] Here, as described below, when packing an accumulated product M1 in which items 10 are piled up with their small ends standing, the parallel link robot 17 transfers the items 10 to the support body 14 in the second position in such a manner that the flat surface 10a faces the first regulating portion 13 and one small end surface 10b faces the bottom 12. 22(a) to 22(d), the article 10 transferred to the support 14 by the parallel link robot 17 is supported by having its lower flat surface 10a in contact with the first restricting portion 13 or the upper flat surface 10a of an article 10 that has already been transferred, and its one small end surface 10b facing the bottom 12 in contact with the bottom 12 or the small end surface 10b of an article 10 that has already been transferred and that faces away from the bottom 12, so that the articles 10 are stacked in multiple layers in an inclined position with their flat surfaces 10a aligned along the first restricting portion 13 and their small end surfaces 10b aligned along the bottom 12. As a result, when the support 14 is returned to the first position, the multiple articles 10 are stacked side by side with their small ends standing (see FIG. 22(e)). In the embodiment, the parallel link robot 17 picks up the item 10 from the item conveying device 11, and by releasing the hold on the support 14 of the item 10, which has been rotated horizontally by 90 degrees around the vertical axis and has a horizontal flat surface 10a, the item 10 is supported on the support 14 in a direction that is 90 degrees horizontal from the direction in which it is conveyed by the item conveying device 11, and its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0044] 2 and 3, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 is disposed above the unit conveying device 16 and the box conveying device 19 at a position corresponding to the fourth station S4 and the box stop position G on the unit conveying device 16. The dual-purpose transfer device 20 includes a pair of first support members 40 (see FIG. 19) capable of supporting both the front and rear sides of the stacks M1 and M2 supported by the support body 14 in the conveying direction of the first support unit 15, a pair of second support members 41 (see FIG. 20) capable of supporting both the left and right sides of the stacks M1 and M2 in the width direction intersecting the conveying direction of the first support unit 15, a first movement mechanism 42 that moves the pair of first support members 40 toward and away from each other, and a second movement mechanism 43 that moves the pair of second support members 41 toward and away from each other. 21 and 28, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 is configured to be able to mount the box holders 72, 72 instead of the first support members 40, 40. The dual-purpose transfer device 20 equipped with the first support members 40, 40 and the second support members 41, 41 is configured to be able to collectively support and pick up the stacks M1, M2 made up of all of the articles 10 stacked on the support body 14 by the first support members 40, 40 and the second support members 41, 41. The dual-purpose transfer device 20 equipped with the box holders 72, 72 instead of the first support members 40, 40 is configured to grip and hold the front and rear flaps 18a, 18a of the box body 18 with the grippers 79, 79 of the box holders 72, 72, and transfer the box body 18. In addition, as shown in Figures 19 and 20, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 is equipped with a regulating member 44 that can abut against the upper surfaces of the stacks M1 and M2 supported by the first support members 40, 40 and the second support members 41, 41, and an up-and-down movement means 45 that moves the regulating member 44 up and down.

[0045] The first support members 40, 40 have a plurality of support members 40a spaced apart in the width direction, which can pass between the rods 13a, 27a that constitute the first and second restricting portions 13 and 27 of the support body 14 and can enter between the teeth of the front and rear comb-tooth portions 12b, 12b of the bottom portion 12. As shown in Fig. 19, the first movement mechanism 42 has a servo motor 42a and a slide mechanism 42b to which a pair of automatic attachment devices 76, 76 that can automatically and detachably attach the first support member 40 or the attachment portion 77 of the box holder 72 are connected, and the pair of automatic attachment devices 76, 76 are configured to move relatively closer to and farther away from each other by driving the slide mechanism 42b with the servo motor 42a. When the first support members 40 are attached to the pair of automatic attachment devices 76, the first moving mechanism 42 moves the pair of first support members 40 between a standby position spaced apart by a distance greater than the front-to-rear dimension of the accumulated items M1, M2 and a support position where the accumulated items M1, M2 can be supported from the front and rear. When the box holders 72 are attached to the pair of automatic attachment devices 76, the first moving mechanism 42 moves the pair of box holders 72 to positions where the front and rear flaps 18a of the box body 18 can be gripped by the grippers 79.

[0046] The second support members 41, 41 have plate-shaped receiving portions 41a at their lower ends that can rotate around an axis in the direction in which the first support members 40, 40 are separated (front-rear direction), and the receiving portions 41a are configured to rotate between a vertical first position and a horizontal second position toward the other second support member by an operating means (not shown) (see FIG. 20). The second movement mechanism 43 has a servo motor 43a and a slide mechanism 43b to which the pair of second support members 41, 41 are linked, and is configured so that the pair of second support members 41, 41 move toward and away from each other by driving the slide mechanism 43b with the servo motor 43a. The second movement mechanism 43 moves the pair of second support members 41, 41 between a standby position spaced apart by a distance greater than the width dimension of the stacks M1, M2 and a support position where the stacks M1, M2 can be supported from both widthwise sides. Then, by rotating the receiving portions 41a from the first position to the second position at the support position, the receiving portions 41a can support the lower surfaces of the portions of the stacks M1, M2 extending to the left and right from the bottom 12. The first moving mechanism 42 and the second moving mechanism 43 are configured to be able to adjust the support positions of the corresponding first support members 40, 40 and second support members 41, 41 in accordance with the sizes of the stacks M1, M2 in the corresponding directions, and to adjust the spacing between the box holding portions 72, 72 in accordance with the front-to-rear size of the box body 18.

[0047] The regulating member 44 is a member that is located in the space surrounded by the first support members 40, 40 and the second support members 41, 41, and can abut approximately at the center of the upper surface of the stacks M1, M2, and is supported via a guide rod 46 so as to be vertically movable on a lifting frame 51 that is moved up and down by a vertical movement mechanism 49 described later. The vertical movement means 45 is composed of an air cylinder 45 whose rod is disposed on the lifting frame 51 facing downward and whose rod is connected to the regulating member 44, and is configured so that the regulating member 44 is moved up and down by operating the air cylinder 45. In addition, when storing the accumulated items M1, M2 in the box body 18, the air cylinder 45 lowers the regulating member 44 to regulate the movement of the accumulated items M1, M2 when the first and second support members 40, 41 that have entered the inside of the box body 18 are pulled out of the box body 18, thereby preventing the accumulated items M1, M2 from falling out of the box body 18 together with the first and second support members 40, 41 (see Figure 25).

[0048] 2, 3, 19, and 20, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 includes a left-right movement mechanism 48 that moves a storage unit 47, which includes the first support members 40, 40 or box holders 72, 72, second support members 41, 41, first movement mechanism 42, second movement mechanism 43, regulating member 44, and air cylinder 45, in the width direction and a vertical movement mechanism 49 that moves the storage unit 47 in the vertical direction. The dual-purpose transfer device 20 includes a moving body 50 that is disposed on a machine frame and supported so as to be movable in the width direction, and a lifting frame 51 that is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the storage unit 47 is disposed on the lifting frame 51. The left-right movement mechanism 48 is connected to the moving body 50, and by moving the moving body 50 in the width direction, the storage unit 47 is moved between above the fourth station S4 of the unit transport device 16 and above the box stop position G of the box transport device 19. The vertical movement mechanism 49 is connected to the lifting frame 51, and when the first support members 40, 40 are attached to the first movement mechanism 42, the lifting frame 51 is moved up and down to move the storage unit 47 up and down above the fourth station S4 between a standby position spaced above the first support unit 15 and a receiving position where the first and second support members 40, 40, 41, 41 can support the stacked items M1, M2 consisting of all the articles 10 stacked and supported on the support body 14. The vertical movement mechanism 49 also moves the storage unit 47 up and down above the box stop position G between a standby position spaced above the box body 18 and a storage position where the stacked items M1, M2 supported by the first and second support members 40, 40, 41, 41 can be stored inside the box body (see FIG. 25). The storage position is set at a position that is spaced upward from the inner bottom surface of the box body 18 by a distance that allows the second position receiving portions 41a, 41a of the second support members 41, 41 that have entered the box body together with the accumulated items M1, M2 to return to the first position.

[0049] Furthermore, when the box holders 72, 72 are attached to the first moving mechanism 42, the vertical movement mechanism 49 moves the lifting frame 51 in the vertical direction to vertically move the storage unit 47 between an elevated position above the box stop position G and spaced upward from the box bodies 18 transported by the box conveying device 19, and a lowered position where the front and rear flaps 18a, 18a of the box body 18 stopped at the box stop position G can be grasped by the grippers 79, 79 of the box holders 72, 72. Furthermore, the vertical movement mechanism 49 moves the storage unit 47 above the fourth station S4 between an elevated position above the second support unit 53 and a lowered position where the box bodies 18 held by the box holders 72, 72 can be placed on the bottom 61 of the box holding means 60. In addition, the lowered position of the storage unit 47 above the box stopping position G is the position where the box body 18 filled with items 10 is placed on the box conveying device 19, and the lowered position of the storage unit 47 above the fourth station S4 is also the position where the flaps 18a, 18a of the box body 18 supported by the second support unit 53 and filled with items 10 can be grasped by the grasping devices 79, 79.

[0050] Next, the operation of the packing device according to the embodiment will be described. The packing device of the embodiment is configured to be switchable between a packing mode for the articles 10, in which the articles 10 are stacked and packed using the first support unit 15, and a packing mode for directly packing the articles 10 using the second support unit 53. Therefore, first, a case in which the first support unit 15 is used will be described, followed by a case in which the second support unit 53 is used. In the embodiment, the cases in which the articles 10 are stacked and packed using the first support unit 15 will be described, in which an accumulated product M1 is formed by stacking articles 10 in a box body 18 with their ends standing upright in two rows of six in the conveying direction of the box body 18, and an accumulated product M2 is formed by stacking articles 10 in a flat state in the box body 18 with their sides stacked in five rows of three in the conveying direction of the box body 18. However, the number of articles M1 and M2 arranged in each row and the number of rows can be set arbitrarily depending on the size of the articles 10.

[0051] (When packing items in boxes with the ends standing up) In the first support unit 15 that has been moved from the second linear section 23b of the unit transport device 16 to the first station S1 by the first transfer section 23c, the support 14 is in the first position, as shown in Fig. 2. When the first support unit 15 is positioned at the first station S1, the rotation drive device 22 disposed corresponding to the first station S1 is moved from the retracted position to the coupled position, and the tilting drive coupling 37 and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 of the rotation drive device 22 are coupled in a non-contact manner to the corresponding tilting driven coupling 32 and width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15. The rotation drive device 22 rotationally drives the tilting drive coupling 37 and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 to adjust the distance between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b of the support 14 to match the longitudinal dimension of the article 10, and changes the support 14 from the first position to the second position (see Fig. 22(a)). Then, after the rotary drive device 22 moves to the retracted position, the first support unit 15, whose support 14 has had its posture changed and its width adjusted at the first station S1, is moved by the unit transport device 16 to the second station S2 and stopped there.

[0052] When the unit detection means detects that the first support unit 15 has been positioned at the second station S2 and the item detection sensor of the item transport device 11 detects an item 10, the parallel link robot 17 controls the movement of the robot arm 17a and the first item holding part 69, and when the detected item 10 arrives in the item pick-up area K, the parallel link robot 17 holds the item 10 with the suction part 78 of the first item holding part 69 and picks it up from the item transport device 11. The parallel link robot 17 controls the first item holding part 69 to rotate it horizontally by 90 degrees, thereby changing the orientation of the item 10 held by the suction part 78 by 90 degrees so that the small end faces 10b, 10b extending in the longitudinal direction face forward and backward in the transport direction of the first support unit 15. The parallel link robot 17 then moves the article 10 above the bottom side of the first restricting portion 13 of the support body 14, which is in the second posture, and releases the hold of the article 10 by the suction portion 78, thereby transferring the article 10 to the support body 14. As shown in FIG. 22( a), the article 10, which has been released from hold by the suction portion 78, tilts so that the flat surface 10a follows the slope of the first restricting portion 13, so that the flat surface 10a abuts against and is supported by the first restricting portion 13, and one small end surface 10b of the article 10 abuts against and is supported by the bottom portion 12, and the article 10 is supported in an inclined posture that follows the slope of the first restricting portion 13.

[0053] When the article detection sensor detects the next article 10, the parallel link robot 17 uses the suction unit 78 to hold and pick up the article 10 that has arrived in the article pick-up area K in the same manner as described above, and then moves the second article 10 to above the first article 10 that has been transferred to the support 14, thereby releasing the article 10 from the suction unit 78. As shown in FIG. 22(b), the article 10 that has been released from the suction unit 78 is supported in an inclined position with the opposite flat surface 10a tilted to match the upper flat surface 10a of the first article 10, which is in an inclined position, and one small end surface 10b abutting against the bottom 12. The parallel link robot 17 then moves the third article 10 to above the first restriction unit 13 on the side away from the bottom 12 of the first article 10 that has been transferred to the support 14, thereby releasing the article 10 from the suction unit 78. 22(c), the article 10 released from the suction portion 78 tilts so that the flat surface 10a follows the slope of the first restricting portion 13, so that the flat surface 10a abuts against the first restricting portion 13 and is supported in an inclined position with one small end face 10b of the article 10 abutting against the opposing small end face 10b of the first article 10. Thereafter, the parallel link robot 17 stacks the articles 10 in a staircase-like manner in the same manner as the second and third articles 10, 10, and transfers the last (twelfth) article 10 onto the article 10 located away from the bottom 12 of the previously transferred article 10, thereby forming an accumulated product M1 in which 12 articles 10 are accumulated in an inclined position following the slope of the first restricting portion 13, as shown in FIG.

[0054] When the stack M1 is formed at the second station S2, the unit conveying device 16 moves the first support unit 15 of the second station S2 to the third station S3 and stops it. When the first support unit 15 is positioned at the third station S3, the rotation drive device 22 arranged corresponding to the third station S3 moves from the retracted position to the coupled position, and the tilt drive coupling 37 and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 of the rotation drive device 22 are coupled without contact to the corresponding tilt driven coupling 32 and width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15. The rotation drive device 22 rotationally drives the tilt drive coupling 37 to return the support body 14 from the second position to the first position, and then rotationally drives the width adjustment drive coupling 38 to move the pair of side portions 26a, 26b of the support body 14 toward and away from each other, thereby aligning the left and right edges of the articles 10 constituting the stack M1. As a result, the stack M1 supported by the support 14 with its bottom 12 horizontal is stacked in two horizontal rows of six articles 10 with their short ends standing on the bottom 12 in the conveying direction of the first support unit 15, as shown in Figures 22(e) and 24(a), with the left and right ends of each article 10 aligned. When the support 14 is returned from the second position to the first position, the stack M1, with the articles 10 standing with their short ends standing by the first regulating part 13, is supported on the side opposite to the side supported by the first regulating part 13 by the second regulating part 27 facing the first regulating part 13, and the momentum of the rotation of the support 14 prevents the articles 10 from falling off the support 14, allowing the stacked state to be maintained. After the rotation drive device 22 moves to the retracted position, the first support unit 15, whose support 14 has had its position changed at the third station S3, is moved by the unit transport device 16 to the fourth station S4 and stopped there.

[0055] In the dual-purpose transfer device 20, the storage unit 47 is positioned at a standby position above the fourth station S4, and the first support members 40, 40 and the second support members 41, 41 of the storage unit 47 are both positioned at the standby position. The receiving portions 41 a, 41 a of the second support members 41, 41 are positioned at a vertical first position. When the first support unit 15 is positioned at the fourth station S4, the rotation drive device 22 disposed corresponding to the fourth station S4 is moved from the retracted position to the coupled position, and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 of the rotation drive device 22 is coupled to the corresponding width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15 in a non-contact manner. The rotation drive device 22 rotates only the width adjustment drive coupling 38, moving the pair of side portions 26a, 26b of the support body 14 away from the stack M1 to a spaced position where the second support members 41, 41 of the storage unit 47 can enter between them. When the pair of side portions 26a, 26b move to the spaced position, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 lowers the storage unit 47 from the standby position to the receiving position, and moves the pair of first support members 40, 40 closer to each other from the standby position to the support position using the first movement mechanism 42. The first support members 40, 40 support the front and rear of the stack M1, whose front and rear ends are supported by the first and second restriction portions 13 and 27 of the support body 14, from the front and rear by the struts 40a, 40a that pass through the gaps between the corresponding rods 13a, 13a, 27a, 27a of the first and second restriction portions 13 and 27. Furthermore, the pair of second support members 41, 41 descend from the standby position to the receiving position, thereby getting between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b and the stack M1, and the receiving portions 41a, 41a in the first position face downward below the bottom 12. Then, the pair of second support members 41, 41 are moved closer to each other from the standby position to the support position by the second moving mechanism 43, whereby the left and right side surfaces of the stack M1 are supported by the second support members 41, 41. Furthermore, the receiving portions 41a, 41a are rotated from the first position to the second position, and the receiving portions 41a, 41a support the lower surfaces of the portions of the stack M1 extending to the left and right from the bottom 12.

[0056] The dual-purpose transfer device 20 supports the accumulated items M1 from the front, rear, left, right, and bottom sides using the first support members 40, 40, the second support members 41, 41, and the receiving portions 41 a, 41 a, and then raises the storage unit 47 to a standby position using the vertical movement mechanism 49, thereby picking up the accumulated items M1 all at once from the support body 14. As shown in Figures 25(a) and 25(b), the dual-purpose transfer device 20 uses the horizontal movement mechanism 48 to move the storage unit 47 above an empty box 18 that has stopped and been positioned at box stop position G in the box conveying device 19, and then lowers the storage unit 47 to the storage position using the vertical movement mechanism 49. As the storage unit 47 descends to the storage position, the first support members 40, 40 and second support members 41, 41 enter the box together with the accumulated items M1. Then, by rotating the receiving portions 41a, 41a from the second position to the first position in the storage position, the support from below for the accumulated product M1 is released, and the accumulated product M1 falls while being guided by the first and second support members 40, 41 to the inner bottom surface of the box body 18 and is stored in the box body 18.

[0057] When the dual-purpose transfer device 20 releases the support of the stacked item M1 by the receiving portions 41a, 41a, it uses the vertical movement mechanism 49 to raise the storage unit 47 to a standby position and the air cylinder 45 to lower the regulating member 44 (see Figure 25 (c)), and the regulating member 44 regulates the upward movement of the stacked item M1 together with the first and second support members 40, 41 which are pulled out of the box body 18 by the raising of the storage unit 47. This prevents the stacked item M1 from slipping out of the box body 18 together with the first and second support members 40, 41. Then, inside the box body 18, the stacked item M1 is stored, with six articles 10 lined up horizontally in the conveying direction in two rows, one above the other.

[0058] After the first support unit 15 has picked up the stack M1 from the support 14 at the fourth station S4, it is moved by the unit transport device 16 to the fifth station S5, where it is moved from the first straight section 23a to the second transfer section 23d located at the fifth station S5. After moving the second transfer section 23d to a position where it connects to the upstream end of the second straight section 23b, the first support unit 15 located at the second transfer section 23d moves along the second straight section 23b to the first transfer section 23c located at the downstream end of the second straight section 23b. The first support unit 15 located at the first transfer section 23c then moves the first transfer section 23c to a position where it connects to the upstream end of the first straight section 23a, where it is again located at the first station S1.

[0059] (When items are stacked flat and packed into boxes) Next, the case where the flat-stacked products M2 are packed into the box 18 will be described, mainly focusing on the differences from the case where the products are packed into the box 18 with their ends standing.

[0060] The support 14 of the first support unit 15 positioned at the first station S1 by the first transfer section 23c is in a first position, and at the first station S1, only the spacing between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b of the support 14 is adjusted by the rotation drive device 22. After the spacing of the support 14 has been adjusted at the first station S1, the first support unit 15 is moved by the unit transport device 16 to the second station S2 and stops there.

[0061] As described above, when the unit detection means detects that the first support unit 15 has been positioned at the second station S2 and the item detection sensor detects the item 10, the parallel link robot 17 controls the movement of the robot arm 17a and the first item holding unit 69, holds and picks up the item 10 that has arrived in the item pick-up area K with the suction unit 78, and rotates the first item holding unit 69 horizontally by 90 degrees to change the orientation of the item 10 held by the suction unit 78 by 90 degrees. Then, as shown in FIG. 23(a), the parallel link robot 17 transfers the item 10 to the support body 14 on the second regulating unit side of the bottom 12 of the support body 14 in the first posture, with the flat surface 10a facing the bottom 12 and one small end face 10b facing the second regulating unit 27.

[0062] When the parallel link robot 17 detects the next item 10 via the item detection sensor, it holds and picks up the item 10 that has arrived in the item pick-up area K using the suction portion 78, as described above, and transfers the item 10 to the support body 14 on the side away from the second regulating portion 27 of the first item 10 transferred to the support body 14, with the flat surface 10a facing the bottom 12 and one small end face 10b facing the other small end face 10b of the first item 10. Furthermore, when the article detection sensor detects the next article 10, the parallel link robot 17 holds and picks up the article 10 that has arrived in the article pick-up area K using the suction portion 78, as described above, and transfers the article 10 to the support body 14 on the side away from the second regulating portion 27 of the second article 10 transferred to the support body 14, in an orientation where the flat surface 10a faces the bottom 12 and one small end face 10b faces the other small end face 10b of the second article 10 (see Figure 23(b)). Thereafter, the parallel link robot 17 stacks the articles 10 in the same orientation in order on top of the first to third articles 10, thereby forming an accumulation M2 in which 15 articles 10 are accumulated in a flat stack, as shown in Figure 23(c).

[0063] When the stack M2 is formed at the second station S2, the unit conveying device 16 moves the first support unit 15 of the second station S2 to the third station S3 and stops there. When the first support unit 15 is positioned at the third station S3, the rotation drive device 22 arranged corresponding to the third station S3 moves from the retracted position to the coupled position, and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 of the rotation drive device 22 is coupled without contact to the corresponding width adjustment driven coupling 36 of the first support unit 15. The rotation drive device 22 rotates only the width adjustment drive coupling 38 to move the pair of side portions 26a, 26b of the support body 14 toward and away from each other, thereby aligning the left and right edges of the articles 10 constituting the stack M2 (see FIG. 24(b)). Then, after the rotation drive device 22 moves to the retracted position, the first support unit 15 of the third station S3 is moved by the unit conveying device 16 to the fourth station S4 and stops there. The packing process by the dual-purpose transfer device 20 of the stacked items M2 supported on the support body 14 of the first support unit 15 positioned at the fourth station S4 is the same as that of the stacked items M1 in the end-standing state described above.

[0064] Next, the case where articles 10 are directly packed into boxes 18 using the second support unit 53 will be described with reference to Figures 10, 26 to 28. The upstream end and downstream end of the straight sections 23a, 23b of the unit conveying device 16 are named in relation to the traveling direction of the first support unit 15 when packing the articles into boxes using the first support unit 15.

[0065] When the second support unit 53 is used to switch the packing form for the boxes 18, an operation button (not shown) provided on a control means of the packing device is operated, and the control means controls each means to automatically replace the first support unit 15 with the second support unit 53 and replace parts (69, 71, 40, 72) in the parallel link robot 17 and the dual-purpose transfer device 20. First, all (three in this embodiment) first support units 15 located on the unit transport device 16 are collected and stored in the first lower unit storage section 56A. That is, the first support units 15 located on the circular transport path 23 of the unit transport device 16 are moved one by one to the second transfer section 23d located at the downstream end (fifth station S5) of the first straight section 23a (see FIGS. 10 and 26). Then, with the lifting platform 89 of the lifter 83 in the first unit moving device 82A positioned at the first height H1, the first moving means 84 moves the engaging means 92 from the second position F2 to the first position F1, and the engaging means 92 engages with the first support unit 15 located in the second transfer section 23d. When the engaging means 92 is moved from the first position F1 to the second position F2 by the first moving means 84, the first support unit 15 is drawn into the lifting platform 89, and the first support unit 15 is transferred to the lifting platform 89.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 26 , when the first support unit 15 is transferred to the lifting platform 89, movement of the first support unit 15 on the lifting platform 89 is restricted by a restricting means 94 (see FIGS. 7 and 9 ) disposed on the lifting platform 89. The lifter 83 raises the lifting platform 89 to a second height H2 corresponding to the first lower unit storage section 56A (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 26 ). When the lifting platform 89 is positioned at the second height H2, the second moving means 85 of the first lower unit storage section 56A moves the engaging means 92 from the fourth position F4 to the third position F3, and the engaging means 92 engages with the first support unit 15 located on the lifting platform 89. Note that the restriction on movement of the first support unit 15 by the restricting means 94 disposed on the lifting platform 89 is released before the engaging means 92 engages with the first support unit 15. When the engaging means 92 is moved from the third position F3 to the fourth position F4 by the second moving means 85, the first support unit 15 is transferred and mounted on the first fixed rail 95. The movement of the first support unit 15 transferred and mounted on the first fixed rail 95 is restricted by the restricting means 94 disposed on the first support base 80. Note that the engagement of the first support unit 15 by the engaging means 92 is released after the first support unit 15 is transferred and mounted on the first fixed rail 95.

[0067] As described above, the three first support units 15 located on the circular conveying path 23 are moved in sequence to the first lower unit storage section 56A. When the second moving means 85 retracts the second first support unit 15 from the lifting platform 89, the restriction on movement by the regulating means 94 on the first fixed rail is released, and the engagement means 92 on the lifter side of the second moving means 85 engages with the first support unit 15 located on the lifting platform 89, while the adjacent engagement means 92 engages with the first support unit 15 previously transferred to the first fixed rail 95. As a result of the engagement means 92 moving from the third position F3 to the fourth position F4, the two first support units 15, 15 move integrally on the first fixed rail 95. The same applies when the third first support unit 15 is retracted onto the first fixed rail 95.

[0068] 27, the empty first jig support unit 54 that is located in the first upper unit storage section 57A and does not support the first item holding section 69 or the first support member 40 is moved to the unit transport device 16 by the first unit moving device 82A. That is, the lifting platform 89 is positioned at the third height H3, and the restriction on movement of the first jig support unit 54 by the restriction means 94 (see FIG. 9) disposed on the second support platform 81 is released. Then, the engaging means 92 of the third moving means 86 engages with the first jig support unit 54 and moves from the sixth position F6 to the fifth position F5, whereby the first jig support unit 54 is pushed out onto the lifting platform 89. When the first jig support unit 54 is transferred to the lifting platform 89, the engagement by the engaging means 92 of the third moving means 86 is released, and the movement of the first jig support unit 54 is restricted by the restricting means 94 of the lifting platform 89.

[0069] After the engaging means 92 of the third moving means 86 moves to the sixth position F6, the lifter 83 of the first unit moving device 82A is operated to lower the lifting platform 89 to the first height H1, and the first moving means 84 pushes the first jig support unit 54 on the lifting platform to the second transfer section 23d. Once the first jig support unit 54 is transferred to the second transfer section 23d, the unit transport device 16 moves the first jig support unit 54 to the fourth station S4 and stops it. At the fourth station S4, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 moves above the first jig support unit 54 and supports the first support members 40, 40 attached to the automatic installation tools 76, 76 so that they are placed on the second support tools 75 of the first jig support unit 54, and removes the first support members 40, 40 from the automatic installation tools 76, 76. In addition, the unit conveying device 16 moves the first jig support unit 54 to the second station S2 and stops it, and at the second station S2, the parallel link robot 17 moves above the first jig support unit 54 and supports the first item holding part 69 attached to the automatic mounting fixture 76 so that it is placed on the first support fixture 74 of the first jig support unit 54, and removes the first item holding part 69 from the automatic mounting fixture 76.

[0070] When the first support members 40, 40 and the first article holding section 69 are supported by the first jig support unit 54, the unit transport device 16 moves the first jig support unit 54 in the order of the first straight section 23a, the first transfer section 23c, and the second straight section 23b, and then moves it to the second transfer section 23d which has been moved to the upstream end side of the second straight section 23b.Then, the second transfer section 23d is moved in the width direction and positioned at the downstream end of the first straight section 23a. The first unit moving device 82A operates the first moving means 84, the lifter 83 and the third moving means 86 in the reverse order of when moving the first jig support unit 54 from the first upper unit storage section 57A to the second transfer section 23d, and returns the first jig support unit 54, on which the first support members 40, 40 and the first item holding section 69 are supported, to the first upper unit storage section 57A for storage.

[0071] Next, the second unit moving device 82B supports the second item holding section 71 and the box holding sections 72, 72, and moves the second jig support unit 55 stored in the second upper unit storage section 57B to the second transport section 23d positioned at the upstream end of the second straight section 23b by operating the third moving means 86, the lifter 83, and the first moving means 84, in the same manner as when the first unit moving device 82A moves the first jig support unit 54 to the unit transport device 16. Once the second jig support unit 55 has been moved to the second transport section 23d, the unit transport device 16 moves the second jig support unit 55 along the second straight section 23b, the first transport section 23c, and the first straight section 23a in that order, and stops the second jig support unit 55 at the second station S2. At the second station S2, the parallel link robot 17 moves above the second jig support unit 55, and the automatic attachment tool 76 automatically attaches the attachment part 77 of the second item holder 71 supported by the first support tool 74 of the second jig support unit 55, and then removes the second item holder 71 from the first support tool 74. The unit transport device 16 also moves the second jig support unit 55 to the fourth station S4 and stops it. At the fourth station S4, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 moves above the second jig support unit 55, and the automatic attachment tools 76 automatically attach the attachment parts 77 of the box holders 72 supported by the second support tool 75 of the second jig support unit 55, and then removes the box holders 72 from the second support tool 75.

[0072] When the second item holder 71 and the box holders 72, 72 are removed from the second jig support unit 55, the unit transport device 16 moves the empty second jig support unit 55 to the second transfer section 23d positioned at the downstream end of the first straight section 23a, and positions the second transfer section 23d at the upstream end of the second straight section 23b. Thereafter, the first moving means 84, the lifter 83, and the third moving means 86 of the second unit moving device 82B are operated in the reverse order to when the second jig support unit 55 was moved from the second upper unit storage section 57B to the second transfer section 23d, and the empty second jig support unit 55 is returned to the second upper unit storage section 57B for storage.

[0073] When the replacement of parts (69, 71, 40, 72) of the parallel link robot 17 and the combined transfer device 20 is completed, the packing device moves the three second support units 53 stored in the second lower unit storage section 56B to the unit transport device 16 by the second unit moving device 82B. That is, the lifting platform 89 of the lifter 83 of the second unit moving device 82B is positioned at the second height H2, the second support units 53 are transferred to the lifting platform 89 by the second moving means 85, and then the lifting platform 89 is positioned at the first height H1, and the second support units 53 are transferred from the lifting platform 89 to the second transfer section 23d by the first moving means 84. By repeating this operation, the three second support units 53 are moved to the unit transport device 16. The procedure for replacing the second support unit 53 located on the unit transport device 16 with the first support unit 15 is the reverse of the procedure for replacing the first support unit 15 with the second support unit 53.

[0074] (When packing items directly into a box) Next, a case where the articles 10 are packed into the container 18 using the second support unit 53 moved to the unit conveying device 16 will be described.

[0075] The unit transport device 16 moves the second support unit 53 along the first linear portion 23a in the opposite direction to that of the first support unit 15, and positions it at the fourth station S4. At the fourth station S4, the rotation drive device 22 moves the second holders 63 of the box holding means 60 to the retracted position. The dual-purpose transfer device 20 moves the storage unit 47 above the empty box 18 that has been transported to and stopped at the box stop position G by the box transport device 19, and uses the box holders 72 to grasp the front and rear flaps 18a of the box 18 and lift it from the box transport device 19. The dual-purpose transfer device 20 then transfers the empty box 18 to the bottom 61 of the box holding means 60, where the second holders 63 have been moved to the retracted position (see FIGS. 14 and 28). When the box 18 is placed on the bottom 61, the second holders 63, 63 of the box holding means 60 are moved by the rotation drive device 22 to the holding position, and the box 18 is held by the holders 62, 62, 63, 63 from the front, back, left and right.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 28 , the second support unit 53, with an empty box 18 held by the box holding means 60, is moved to the second station S2 by the unit conveying device 16 and stopped there. When the item detection sensor detects an item 10 while the unit detection means detects that the second support unit 53 has been positioned at the second station S2, the parallel link robot 17 controls the movement of the robot arm 17a and the second item holding part 71, and repeats the operation of holding and picking up the item 10 that has arrived in the item pick-up area K with the suction part 78 three times, thereby holding three items 10 in the suction part 78. The parallel link robot 17 then directly packs the items 10 into the empty box 18. The parallel link robot 17 picks up the items 10 transported by the item conveying device 11 and repeats the operation of packing them into the box 18 a predetermined number of times, thereby packing the items 10 into the box 18 in multiple rows and multiple stages.

[0077] When a predetermined number of articles 10 have been packed into the boxes 18 at the second station S2, the unit conveying device 16 moves the second support unit 53 of the second station S2 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first support unit 15, and stops it at the fourth station S4. When the second support unit 53 is positioned at the fourth station S4, the rotation drive device 22 arranged corresponding to the fourth station S4 is moved from the retracted position to the coupled position, and the width adjustment drive coupling 38 of the rotation drive device 22 is coupled in a non-contact manner to the corresponding movement driven coupling 68 of the second support unit 53. The rotation drive device 22 rotationally drives only the width adjustment drive coupling 38 to move the pair of second holders 63, 63 of the second support unit 53 to the retracted position, thereby releasing the hold of the boxes 18. Then, the dual-purpose transfer device 20 grips the front and rear flaps 18a, 18a of the box body 18 with the box holding parts 72, 72, lifts the box body 18 from the second support unit 53, and transfers it to the box conveying device 19. Once the box body 18 packed with the articles 10 has been transferred to the box conveying device 19, the box conveying device 19 conveys the box body 18 to the box discharge path 19c.

[0078] In the packing device of the embodiment, the position of the support 14 on which the articles 10 are accumulated is changeable between a first position and a second position, and the parallel link robot 17 transfers the articles 10 onto the support 14 so that they are in a flat-stacked state or a short-end standing state, so that the same device can pack the accumulated products M1, M2 that have been accumulated by selecting either a flat-stacked state or a short-end standing state. In other words, there is no need to provide two accumulation devices or production lines, one for flat stacking and one for short-end standing, which reduces the installation space and allows packing in both states at low cost. Furthermore, the parallel link robot 17 transfers the articles 10, with the flat surface 10a facing the first regulating section 13 and the small end surface 10b facing the bottom 12, to the support body 14 in the second position so that the articles 10 are lined up in a row away from the bottom 12 and stacked in multiple tiers.Therefore, with a simple configuration that simply returns the support body 14 to the first position, the articles 10 can be stacked in a row side by side with their small ends standing, thereby reducing the time required to pack the accumulated product M1 with the articles 10 standing in a row and in multiple tiers, thereby improving work efficiency. In addition, in the embodiment, with respect to the support body 14 in the second position, the second item 10 is transferred onto the first item 10 transferred onto the first regulating section 13 which slopes downward toward the bottom 12, and then the third item 10 is transferred onto the side of the first item 10 away from the bottom 12, and thereafter the items 10 are stacked in order in a staircase-like manner.Therefore, the movement of the third and subsequent items 10 transferred onto the side away from the bottom 12 is restricted by the items 10 already transferred to the bottom side, so that the later transferred items 10 do not ride up on the items 10 transferred earlier to the bottom side, and the items 10 can be stacked without disrupting the stacked state.

[0079] In the packing device of the embodiment, among the multiple stations S1-S5 provided in the unit conveying device 16, the rotation drive device 22 is provided only in at least the first station S1, the third station S3, and the fourth station S4, where the position of the support 14 needs to be changed. This reduces the number of parts, suppresses increases in costs, and simplifies the configuration. Furthermore, since the rotation drive devices 22 are provided in stations S1, S3, and S4, and the first support unit 15 is provided with only the rotation mechanism 21 driven by the rotation drive device 22, the configuration of the first support unit 15 can be simplified, and there is no need to provide a configuration for supplying power to the moving first support unit 15, simplifying the configuration of the entire device. Furthermore, since the rotation drive device 22 is configured to be connected to the rotation mechanism 21 of the first support unit 15 and driven without contact, a decrease in durability due to wear at the connection portion can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the rotation drive device 22 is separated from the first support unit 15 except when necessary (when connected), the rotation drive device 22 does not come into contact with the first support unit 15 moving on the first straight section 23a or the first transfer section 23c connected to the first straight section 23a, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the first support unit 15 or the rotation drive device 22. Furthermore, since the unit transport device 16 is configured to run the first support unit 15 by linear motor drive control, the degree of freedom in the transport operation of the first support unit 15 is high.

[0080] In the packing device of the embodiment, the distance between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b constituting the support 14 is adjustable by the width adjustment mechanism 34, so it can easily accommodate articles 10 of various sizes. Furthermore, the width adjustment mechanism 34 is configured to be driven by the rotation drive device 22, similar to the rotation mechanism 21, so the configuration of the first support unit 15 can be simplified. Furthermore, the support 14 is set to a size capable of supporting an accumulation M2 of the maximum number of articles 10 that can be accommodated in the box 18, so it can also be used as the support 14 for an accumulation M1 of articles 10 fewer than the maximum number. Furthermore, a parallel link robot is used as the article transfer device 17, and the first article holding portion 69 is configured to be able to rotate to change the orientation of the held articles 10. This makes it easy to accommodate cases where the orientation of the articles 10 transported by the article conveying device 11 differs from the orientation of the articles 10 transferred to the support 14.

[0081] In the packing device of the embodiment, the widthwise ends of each of the articles 10 in the stacks M1, M2 stacked on the support 14 positioned at the third station S3 are aligned by moving the pair of side portions 26a, 26b closer to or farther apart using the rotary drive device 22 and the width adjustment mechanism 34, so that the aligned stacks M1, M2 can be stored in the box 18. Furthermore, because the ends of the articles 10 are aligned using the width adjustment mechanism 34 that adjusts the distance between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b, there is no need to provide a dedicated device for aligning the ends of the articles 10, which prevents the configuration from becoming complicated and the entire device from becoming large and long.

[0082] In the packing device of the embodiment, the tilt angle of the first regulating portion 13 in the second position of the support 14, whose position is changed by the rotation drive device 22, can be set to any angle, so that by changing the tilt angle of the second position in accordance with the relationship with the size and center of gravity of the article 10, articles 10 of various sizes can be stacked on the support 14 in a state where they are aligned with their short ends standing. Furthermore, since the rotation drive device 22 is configured to be able to change the position of the support 14 and adjust the spacing between the pair of side portions 26a, 26b, there is no need to provide separate stations for changing the position and adjusting the spacing, which simplifies the device configuration and prevents the line from becoming too long.

[0083] In the packing device of the embodiment, by selectively using the first support unit 15 and the second support unit 53, two types of packing can be performed with one device: one in which the articles 10 are packed into boxes 18 as accumulated products M1, M2, and the other in which the articles 10 are directly packed into boxes 18. This prevents costs from increasing and reduces the installation space required for the device. In other words, multiple types of packing operations can be performed at low cost. In addition, a lower unit storage section 56 for storing support units 15, 53 is provided above the unit conveying device 16 that performs the packing operation. This eliminates the need for a large space to store unused support units 15, 53, and allows the installation area of ​​the entire device to be compact. Furthermore, since the upper unit storage section 57 for storing the jig support units 54, 55 supporting the first support members 40 and box holders 72 that are interchangeably attached to the dual-purpose transfer device 20 according to different boxing forms is provided above the lower unit storage section 56, a large space is not required to store the unused first support members 40 or box holders 72, and the installation area of ​​the entire device can be made more compact. Also, the second support unit 53 used when packing the items 10 directly into boxes 18 is configured to move the second holders 63, 63 toward and away from each other using the rotation drive device 22. Therefore, the second support unit 53 only needs to be provided with the movement mechanism 64 driven by the rotation drive device 22. This simplifies the configuration of the second support unit 53 and also negates the need for a configuration to supply power to the moving second support unit 53, simplifying the configuration of the entire device. Furthermore, the unit conveying device 16 is configured to move each of the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55 by linear motor drive control, providing a high degree of freedom in the conveying operation of each of the support units 15, 53, 54, and 55. Furthermore, the unit conveying device 16 is configured to move the second support unit 53 on the first linear section 23a from the fourth station S4 to the second station S2 in the opposite direction to that of the first support unit 15, so that the second support unit 53, onto which the empty box 18 has been transferred at the fourth station S4, can be positioned in the shortest distance to the second station S2 to which the article 10 is to be transferred.Therefore, the cycle from the transfer of the empty container 18 to the second support unit 53 to the completion of packing the container 18 with the articles 10 can be minimized, and work efficiency can be improved.

[0084] The jig support units 54, 55 that support the first support member 40 and the box holder 72 replaceably mounted on the dual-purpose transfer device 20 are configured to be movable between the upper unit storage section 57 and the unit transport device 16, thereby shortening the setup time required to switch between boxing configurations. Furthermore, the first support member 40 and the box holder 72 for the dual-purpose transfer device 20 can be replaced without manual intervention, thereby reducing the number of workers required. In this embodiment, the first item holder 69 and the second item holder 71 for the parallel link robot 17 can also be replaced without manual intervention, thereby enabling efficient switching between boxing configurations. Furthermore, the boxes 18 transferred to the second support unit 53 can be held in a fixed position by the box holder means 60, so the boxes 18 do not shift position when the second support unit 53 moves, allowing for smooth loading of items 10 into the boxes 18. The second support unit 53 of the embodiment can be used as a unit for accumulating the articles 10 in a flat pile, instead of placing the boxes 18 thereon.

[0085] In the packing device of the embodiment, the unit moving devices 82 and the unit storage sections 56, 57 are arranged corresponding to the first straight section 23a and the second straight section 23b of the unit conveying device 16, so that the lifting platform 89 of the lifter 83 of each unit moving device 82 can be moved to a position corresponding to the unit conveying device 16 or the unit storage sections 56, 57, thereby shortening the time required for switching between packing forms. Also, while one unit moving device 82 is moving the support units 15, 53 or the jig support units 54, 55 to or from the unit conveying device 16, the other unit moving device 82 can also be moving the support units 15, 53 or the jig support units 54, 55 to or from the unit conveying device 16 in parallel, so that the time required for switching between packing forms can be further shortened.

[0086] In the packing device of the embodiment, when switching the packing form into the box body 18, by operating an operation button provided on the control means, the first support unit 15 and the second support unit 53 are replaced, and the parts (69, 71, 40, 72) in the parallel link robot 17 and the dual-purpose transfer device 20 are replaced automatically, so that replacement can be easily performed without the need for an operator to replace or attach / detach parts.

[0087] (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the examples, and can be modified as follows, for example: Furthermore, the configurations described in the examples are not limited to the following modifications, and various embodiments can be adopted within the scope of the gist of the present invention. (1) The support 14 may have at least the bottom 12 and the first restricting portion (restricting portion) 13, and may be configured to be able to support the stack M1 in the second position without causing it to fall. (2) The second posture of the support 14 is not limited to a configuration in which the first regulating portion (regulating portion) 13 is inclined downward toward the bottom 12 with respect to the horizontal plane. The first regulating portion 13 may be horizontal. However, it is preferable that the rotation angle of the support 14 in the second posture relative to the first posture be less than 90 degrees. Alternatively, the arrangement of the first regulating portion 13 and the second regulating portion 27 in the first support unit 15 may be reversed, so that the bottom 12 in the second posture is inclined downward from the front to the rear in the conveying direction. Alternatively, the first regulating portion 13 and the second regulating portion 27 may be arranged to face each other in the width direction (a state in which the support 14 in the embodiment is horizontally rotated 90 degrees), and the support 14 may be rotated around an axis along the conveying direction to take the first and second postures. When adopting such a configuration, the position of the rotation drive device 22, the direction in which the parallel link robot 17 transfers and loads the article 10, and other factors may be changed accordingly. (3) The article transport device 11 may use various types of conveyors, such as an attachment conveyor or a linear motor drive control conveyor, instead of a belt conveyor. (4) In the embodiment, the rotation mechanism 21 and the movement mechanism 64 are connected to the rotation drive device 22 in a non-contact manner, but a contact-type connection may be adopted. (5) The article transfer device is not limited to the parallel link robot 17, and various other articulated robots can be used. However, in terms of increasing processing speed, a parallel link robot is preferable. (6) A configuration can be adopted in which a parallel link robot (article transfer device) 17 holds multiple articles 10 and transfers them to the support 14. Furthermore, when the parallel link robot 17 transfers the articles 10 from the article transport device 11 to the support 14, the orientation is changed by rotating the articles 10 horizontally by 90 degrees in the embodiment, but a configuration can be adopted in which the articles 10 are transferred to the support 14 in the same orientation as the articles 10 transported by the article transport device 11. Furthermore, when the parallel link robot 17 transfers the articles 10 to the support 14 in the second orientation, a configuration can be adopted in which the orientation of the held articles 10 is changed to an orientation in which the small end surface 10b and the flat surface 10a corresponding to the inclined bottom 12 and first restriction portion 13 are facing, and then the articles 10 are transferred.

[0088] (7) The order in which the items 10 are stacked on the support 14 in the second position is not limited to the order in the embodiment, as long as the stacked state of the items 10 is not disturbed or collapsed. For example, the items 10 may be transferred to the bottom 12 side of the first regulating section 13 in a set number of layers, and then transferred to the side away from the bottom 12 in a set number of layers. (8) In the embodiment, after the articles 10 are stacked on the support 14, the pair of side portions 26a, 26b are moved toward or away from each other by a predetermined distance to align the left and right ends of the articles 10, but this configuration may be provided as needed. (9) The first regulating portion 13 and the second regulating portion 27, which face each other in the conveying direction in the first position of the support 14, can be configured to be able to move toward and away from each other, and a driving means can be provided to move the two regulating portions 13, 27 toward and away from each other, thereby aligning the front and rear ends of the stacked products M1, M2 in the conveying direction supported by the support 14. (10) The multipurpose transfer device 20 may be configured so that the support members 40, 40, 41, 41 do not move close to or away from each other, as long as the multipurpose transfer device 20 is configured to hold the stacks M1, M2 in an aligned state. (11) In the combined transfer device 20, if the support members 40, 40, 41, 41 can hold the stacked products M1, M2, the receiving portions 41a, 41a can be omitted. (12) Instead of an attachment conveyor, the box conveying device 19 may employ various other conveyors, such as a belt conveyor or a conveyor controlled by a linear motor drive. (13) When returning the support 14 on which the articles 10 are accumulated from the second position to the first position, the pair of side portions 26a, 26b can be moved toward and away from each other at the same time as the position is returned, so that the left and right edges of the articles 10 are aligned.

[0089] (14) In the embodiment, the item holding units 69, 71 attached to the parallel link robot 17 are described as being different when the first support unit 15 is used and when the second support unit 53 is used, but the same first item holding unit 69 or second item holding unit 71 may be used in either case. (15) In the embodiment, the rotation direction of the second support unit 53 is opposite to that of the first support unit 15, but it may be the same direction. In addition, the item conveying speed of the item conveying device 11 and the box conveying speed of the box conveying device 19 may be detected, and the second straight section 23b of the circular conveying path 23 may be used as a portion for storing the second support unit 53, thereby determining the rotation direction of the second support unit 53. (16) In the packing device, switching between a packing mode using the first support unit 15 and a packing mode using the second support unit 53 can be performed by having the operator perform one replacement operation each time he or she operates an operation button, or by selecting the support unit 15, 53 to be used with a button, all replacement operations can be performed. For example, the following operations are performed for each button operation. 1. Button operation → Either the first support unit 15 or the second support unit 53 located on the unit transport device 16 is moved to the lower unit storage section 56. 2. Button operation → An empty jig support unit 54, 55 is moved from the upper unit storage section 57 to the unit conveying device 16, and the item holding sections 69, 71, first support members 40, 40 and box holding sections 72, 72 attached to the parallel link robot 17 or the combined transfer device 20 are supported by the corresponding jig support unit 54, 55, and the jig support unit 54, 55 is then returned to the upper unit storage section 57, after which the jig support unit 54, 55 stored in the upper unit storage section 57 and supporting the item holding sections 69, 71, first support members 40, 40 and box holding sections 72, 72 is moved to the unit conveying device 16, and the item holding sections 69, 71, first support members 40, 40 and box holding sections 72, 72 are attached to the parallel link robot 17 or the combined transfer device 20, and then the empty jig support unit 54, 55 is returned to the upper unit storage section 57. 3. Button operation → The first support unit 15 or the second support unit 53 stored in the lower unit storage section 56 is moved to the unit transport device 16. Furthermore, a single button operation performs all of the above steps 1, 2 and 3 in a series. (17) The configuration of the lower unit storage section 56 and the upper unit storage section 57 can be reversed to store the support units 15, 53 in the upper unit storage section 57 and store the jig support units 54, 55 in the lower unit storage section 56. Also, the configuration of the upper unit storage section 57 may be the same as that of the lower unit storage section 56, so that both the support units 15, 53 and the jig support units 54, 55 can be stored in both unit storage sections 56, 57. (18) In the embodiment, one of two types of support units 15, 53 is moved by the unit conveying device 16 to perform box packing work of different shapes, but it is also possible to use one type of support unit 15, 53 and detect the item conveying speed of the item conveying device 11 and the box conveying speed of the box conveying device 19 to increase or decrease the number of support units 15, 53 moved by the unit conveying device 16. (19) In the embodiment, when replacing the parts (69, 71, 40, 72) of the parallel link robot 17 and the combined transfer device 20, the replacement is performed in the order of the combined transfer device 20 → the parallel link robot 17, but the order may be reversed. (20) A configuration can be adopted in which a sensor or the like is placed in the movement area of ​​the support units 15, 53 in the unit conveying device 16 to check the status of the items 10 accumulated on the support body 14 or the items 10 packed in the boxes 18, and if the sensor detects that the status of the items 10 is not appropriate, the items 10 or boxes 18 supported by the corresponding support units 15, 53 are ejected. (21) In the embodiment, the unit storage sections 56, 57 are provided above the unit transport device 16, but a configuration in which they are provided below the unit transport device 16 can also be adopted. (22) In the embodiment, the unit moving devices 82 are arranged in two rows corresponding to the first straight section 23a and the second straight section 23b of the unit conveying device 16, respectively. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the unit storage sections 56, 57 for storing the support units 15, 53 and the jig support units 54, 55 are provided in multiple stages, and one unit moving device 82 is provided at a position corresponding to the first straight section 23a or the second straight section 23b. (23) The movement of the support units 15, 53 and the jig support units 54, 55 between the lifting platform 89 of the lifter 83 and the second transfer section 23d, the lower unit storage section 56, and the upper unit storage section 57 is not limited to a mechanism that moves by engaging an engaging pin, but various other means can be used, such as a pusher or a linear motor drive control means. (24) The box holder 72 is not limited to a configuration in which the flap 18a of the box 18 is held by the gripper 79, but may be configured to hold the body of the box 18 by clamping or sucking it. (25) In a configuration in which the unit storage sections 56, 57 and the unit moving devices 82 are arranged in two rows, a separate transfer section can be provided that can move from outside the circular conveying path 23 of the unit conveying device 16 to the downstream end of the first straight section 23a or the upstream end of the second straight section 23b, and when the packing form is changed, a transfer section other than the second transfer section 23d can be positioned at the downstream end of the first straight section 23a and the upstream end of the second straight section 23b, so that the movement of the first support unit 15 from the unit conveying device 16 by the first unit moving device 82A and the movement of the second support unit 53 to the unit conveying device 16 by the second unit moving device 82B can be performed in parallel. (26) In the embodiment, two types of jig support units are provided for part replacement: the first jig support unit 54 that supports the first item holding portion 69 and the first support member 40, and the second jig support unit 55 that supports the second item holding portion 71 and the box holding portion 72. However, it is also possible to use a single type of jig support unit that can support the first item holding portion 69, the first support member 40, the second item holding portion 71, and the box holding portion 72, and adopt a configuration in which part replacement is performed simultaneously at the fourth station S4 and the second station S2 using the parallel link robot 17 and the dual-purpose transfer device 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10 article, 10a flat surface, 10b small end surface, 11 article conveying device 12 bottom portion, 13 first restricting portion (restricting portion), 14 support body, 15 first support unit 16 Unit transport device, 17 Parallel link robot (item transfer device), 18 Box body 19 Box conveying device, 20 Dual-purpose transfer device, 21 Rotation mechanism 22 rotation drive device (drive device), 40 first support member (support portion for integrated product) 53 second support unit, 56 lower unit storage section (unit storage section) 57 upper unit storage section (jig unit storage section), 61 bottom section, 62 first holder 63 second holder, 64 movement mechanism, 72 box holder, 82 unit movement device M1 accumulation product, M2 accumulation product

Claims

1. A boxing device that packs flat-shaped articles into a box, an article transport device that transports the article; a box conveying device that conveys the box body with an open top; a unit transport device that transports the support unit; an article transfer device that transfers the article to be transported by the article transport device; a dual-purpose transfer device for transferring an accumulation or a box made up of the plurality of articles supported by the support unit, The support units include a first support unit that supports the stack and a second support unit that supports the box body, When the items transported by the item transport device are packed into the box in a collected state, the item transfer device transfers the items to the first support unit located on the unit transport device so that the items are piled up flat with their flat surfaces facing up and down or piled up in a short-end standing state with their small end surfaces facing up and down, and the dual-purpose transfer device picks up the piles transferred to the first support unit all at once and packs them into the empty box located on the box transport device, When the items transported by the item transporting device are directly packed into the box body, the dual-purpose transfer device transfers the empty box body transported by the box transporting device to the second support unit located on the unit transporting device, the item transfer device packs the items transported by the item transporting device into the empty box transferred to the second support unit in multiple rows and multiple stages, and the box body packed with the items is picked up from the second support unit by the dual-purpose transfer device and transferred to the box transporting device. A packing device characterized by:

2. a unit storage section disposed above or below the unit transport device and capable of storing the first support unit and the second support unit; 2. The packing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit moving device that moves the first support unit or the second support unit located on the unit conveying device to the unit storage section, and moves the first support unit or the second support unit stored in the unit storage section to the unit conveying device.

3. the dual-purpose transfer device is configured to be exchangeably equipped with an accumulated product support unit that collectively supports the accumulated products accumulated on the first support unit and loads them into the empty box, and a box holding unit that holds and transfers the box between the box conveying device and the second support unit, a jig unit storage section disposed above or below the unit transport device and capable of storing the stacked product support section and the box holding section; 3. The boxing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the unit moving device is configured to move the stacked product support section and the box holding section between the unit transporting device and the jig unit storage section.

4. The first support unit is a support member having a bottom and a restricting portion rising from the bottom so as to be perpendicular to the bottom, the support member being capable of supporting the accumulated product; a rotation mechanism that can rotate the support around an axis parallel to the bottom portion and the restricting portion, The support is rotated by driving the rotation mechanism with a drive device, and is configured to be changeable between a first position in which the article can be placed on the bottom and a second position in which the side of the bottom where the regulating portion is located is displaced downward from the first position so that the article can be placed on the regulating portion, When accumulating articles in the flat stack state on the first support unit, the article transfer device transfers a plurality of articles onto the support body that has been set to the first posture by the drive device so that the flat surface faces the bottom, thereby forming an accumulated product in the flat stack state; The packing device of claim 1, wherein when stacking items in the first support unit in the short-end standing state, the support body is set to the second position by the drive device, and the item transfer device transfers multiple items to the support body so that the flat surface faces the regulating portion and the short-end surface faces the bottom, and then the drive device returns the support body to the first position, thereby forming a stack of items in the short-end standing state.

5. The second support unit is a bottom portion on which the box body is placed; two first holders that face each other at a distance from each other in the conveying direction of the box conveying device across the bottom and that hold the box body from the front and rear outer sides; two second holders that are spaced apart from each other on the left and right sides intersecting the conveying direction with the bottom portion therebetween and are capable of holding the box body from the left and right outer sides; a moving mechanism that moves the two second holders toward and away from each other, The packing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the moving mechanism is driven by a drive device to position the two second holders at a holding position where they are close to each other to hold the box body, and at a retracted position where they are separated from each other to release the box body.

Images