Box body supply device

Abstract

To provide a box body supply device capable of coping with supply of box bodies different in size and shape by a simple change.SOLUTION: There are provided the sheet accumulating unit 61 that accumulates the sheets Sh in a stacked manner, the sheet taking-out unit 62 that takes out the sheets Sh one by one, the forming unit 63 that forms the box Bx by bending and fixing a part of the sheet Sh and raising the side surfaces other than the surface facing the article accumulating unit 124, the sheet feeding unit 64 that feeds the sheet Sh to the forming unit 63, and the box moving unit 65 that moves the box Bx to the storage area 70s provided in the box conveying unit 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a box supplying device that supplies boxes for storing articles. [Background technology]

[0002] In the boxing device described in JP 2005-145558 A, sheets are assembled into a box shape, and then transported, and articles are inserted laterally through an opening to be boxed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-145558 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such a boxing device, a box moving unit is provided that is tailored to the size of the box, so if the size of the box changes, the box moving unit must be changed accordingly, which requires a large-scale reconfiguration of the device.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a box body supplying device that can be easily modified to supply boxes of different sizes and shapes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the box supply device of the present invention is a box supply device that supplies boxes that can store items from the side, and includes a sheet accumulation section that stacks and accumulates the sheets that make up the box, a sheet removal section that removes the sheets one by one from the sheet accumulation section, a forming section that folds and fixes a portion of the sheet removed from the sheet removal section and raises the side surfaces other than the surface facing the item accumulation section where the items are accumulated to form the box, a sheet feeding section that feeds the sheet removed from the sheet removal section to the forming section, and a box moving section that moves the box to a storage area provided in a box transport section for transporting the box. The forming unit has a stage that can move up and down, a side folding unit that folds the rectangular side wall units adjacent to the sides of the rectangular bottom of the sheet in the conveying direction of the box body, a door folding unit that folds the door units adjacent to both sides of the side wall units in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the box body, and a lid folding unit that folds the lid units adjacent to both sides of the bottom of the sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the box body.The upper surface of the stage is moved to the same height as the upper surface of the sheet feeding unit on which the sheet is placed, and the sheet is moved so that the bottom is positioned at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the stage, and then, with the bottom sandwiched between the box body moving unit and the stage, the side folding units, the door folding units and the lid folding units are raised, and the side wall units, the door units and the lid units of the sheet are folded.

[0007] In the above configuration, the sheet removal unit holds the sheet arranged at the upper end of the sheet accumulation unit and removes the sheet.

[0008] In the above configuration, the sheet feeding section includes a feed roller that contacts the sheet and feeds the sheet, and the sheet feeding section applies adhesive to a portion of the sheet that will be adhered when the box body is formed.

[0009] In the above configuration, the box-body moving unit has a bottom plate holding unit that contacts an upper surface of the bottom of the box from above to hold the bottom, and the box-body moving unit moves to the storage area with the bottom holding unit holding the bottom.

[0010] In the above configuration, the box body moving unit has a bottom holding unit that contacts an upper surface of the bottom of the box body from above and holds the bottom. The stage is movable downward with the bottom holding unit of the box body moving unit in contact with the bottom of the box body. After the stage and the box body moving unit move downward while holding the box body, the box body moving unit moves to the storage area with the bottom holding unit holding the bottom.

[0011] In the above configuration, the box moving section moves the box in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the box in the box conveying section in a plan view, and moves the box to the storage area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a box body supplying device that can be easily modified to supply boxes of different sizes and shapes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a view from the outside showing a transport shuttle holding an article and a single transport shuttle moving along a linear rail. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport shuttle shown in the figure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a view of the transport shuttle as seen from the rear side in the transport direction. [Figure 6] The figure shows the transport shuttle moving on the branch rail of the second transport route as viewed from the rear side in the transport direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which a transport shuttle carrying an article is moving on a first curved rail. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a view from the outside showing a state in which a plurality of articles are being transported by a plurality of transport shuttles. [Figure 9]FIG. 2 is a schematic layout diagram of a box supplying device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic layout diagram of the box supplying device with the sheet removed. [Figure 11] 10 is a schematic layout diagram of the box supplying device with the door portion of the sheet folded. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the seat with the door portion folded. [Figure 13] 10 is a schematic layout diagram of the box supplying device with the side wall portion folded. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the sheet with the side wall portions folded. [Figure 15] 10 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device with the lid portion folded. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the formed box. [Figure 17] 10 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device in a state where boxes have been moved to a storage area. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, directions are defined based on the item processing device A shown in FIG. 1. In the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying apparatus 100 (described later), the clockwise direction is the movement direction of the conveying shuttle 14 (described later), i.e., the conveying direction Tr. Furthermore, the outside Os and the inside Is are defined based on the loop of the first conveying route 11. In the movement direction of the item Pc, the conveying shuttle 14, the box conveying shuttle 702, and the box Bx, the front and rear sides are defined as follows: The side that will arrive in the future relative to the current position is the front side. Conversely, the side that was previously located relative to the current position is the rear side. Furthermore, each surface of the item Pc is defined based on the state of the item being conveyed by the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying apparatus 100. That is, the front side in the conveying direction Tr is the front side Pcf, the rear side is the rear side Pcr, the outer side is the outer side PcO, and the inner side is the inner side PcI. The bottom surface of the item Pc is the bottom side Pct.

[0015] <Item processing device A> FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram of an article processing device A. The article processing device A transports an approximately rectangular parallelepiped article (also referred to as a transported object) Pc, which is made of, for example, paper and filled with a liquid. While transporting the article, the exterior packaging is inspected. An exterior component such as a straw is attached to the article Pc that passes inspection. After that, a predetermined number of articles Pc are accumulated and stored in a box. The box Bx containing the articles Pc is then transported to the outside.

[0016] The article processing device A has an article transport device 100, an article sending device 200, an exterior member attaching device 300, an article removing device 400, an article storage device 500, a box supplying device 600, an article packaging device 700, and a control device 800.

[0017] <Control device 800> The control device 800 will now be described in detail. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing device A. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 800 has a processing circuit 801 and a memory circuit 802. The processing circuit 801 is a circuit that processes various types of information, and has arithmetic circuits such as a CPU and an MPU. The processing circuit 801 is also connected to the article transport device 100, article output device 200, exterior member mounting device 300, article removal device 400, article storage device 500 and box supply device 600, and controls each device based on the processing results.

[0018] The storage circuitry 802 is a circuit that includes or is connected to semiconductor memory such as ROM, RAM, portable memory such as flash memory, and storage media such as a hard disk. Various programs such as control programs or processing programs may be stored in the storage circuitry 802, and the program corresponding to the processing may be called as needed, and the program may be run by the processing circuitry 801 to perform the processing. The elements connected to the control device 800 and their control will be explained when explaining each element.

[0019] <Item conveying device 100> The details of the item transport apparatus 100 will now be described. Fig. 3 is a view from the outside Os of a transport shuttle 14 holding an item Pc and a single transport shuttle 14 moving along a linear rail 13. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the transport shuttle 14 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view from the rear side in the transport direction Tr of the transport shuttle. Fig. 6 is a view from the rear side in the transport direction of the transport shuttle 14 moving on the branch rail 121 of the second transport route 12. The item transport apparatus 100 has an item transport section 10 including a first transport route 11 and a second transport route 12, and a transport shuttle 14.

[0020] <First Transport Route 11> The first conveying route 11 has a first straight rail 111, a second straight rail 112, a first curved rail 113, and a second curved rail 114. The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are arranged side by side. In the first conveying route 11, both ends of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are connected by the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114, respectively, to form a loop. The first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 have the same structure, and may be collectively referred to as rail 13.

[0021] In the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 is arranged on the outer surfaces Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 of the first transport route 11. The transport shuttle 14 is movable along the circular first transport route 11.

[0022] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s in the conveying direction Tr. The lengths of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 can be changed by changing the number of connected short straight rails 13s.

[0023] Furthermore, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are arc-shaped, but are not limited to this. For example, a portion may be curved. Furthermore, the curved portion is not limited to an arc shape, and may be a so-called clothoid curve. Other curved shapes are also possible. The first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are formed by connecting short curved rails 13c. By preparing short curved rails 13c of different shapes and lengths and combining them to match the loop shape of the article conveying section 10, it is possible to accommodate a variety of shapes.

[0024] <Rail 13> The rail 13 has a main rail 131, a grooved rail 132, and a flat rail 133 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). The main rail 131 is a cylindrical body having a rectangular cross section cut along a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr. The main rail 131 can be made of, for example, some stainless steel, aluminum, and alloys thereof, but is not limited to these.

[0025] The grooved rail 132 is fixed to the upper part of the main rail 131. The grooved rail 132 has a groove portion 134 recessed from the outer surface in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction Tr. The grooved rail 132 has two groove portions 134. The two groove portions 134 are arranged next to each other above and below.

[0026] The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 can be fixed together by welding, screws, or the like, but are not limited to these. The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 may also be formed integrally. The groove portion 134 is disposed on the outer side Os around the entire circumference of the first conveying route 11. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a gap 135 is formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132.

[0027] The flat rail 133 is fixed to the lower part of the main rail 131. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 can be fixed together by welding, screws, etc., but are not limited to these. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 may also be formed integrally.

[0028] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting short straight rails 13s, but may be formed from a single rail. Similarly, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 may also be formed from a single rail.

[0029] <Second transport route 12> 1, the second transport route 12 branches off from the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, turns back, and then merges with the second straight rail 112 of the first transport route 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the second transport route 12 has a branching rail 121, a merging rail 122, and a return rail 123.

[0030] The branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 are straight, and have the same configuration as the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112, except that the groove portion 134 is located on the inner side Is. Therefore, detailed description of the same configuration parts as those of the rail 13 will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

[0031] The rear end of the branch rail 121 in the conveying direction Tr is disposed opposite the outer side Os of the front end of the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11 in the conveying direction Tr. The point where the branch rail 121 and the first straight rail 111 face each other is the branch point P1.

[0032] The front end of the merging rail 122 in the conveying direction Tr is disposed opposite the outside Os of the rear end of the second straight rail 112 of the first conveying route 11 in the conveying direction Tr. The point where the merging rail 122 and the second straight rail 112 face each other is the merging point P2.

[0033] The return rail 123 has the same configuration as the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114. The rear end of the return rail 123 in the conveying direction Tr is arranged opposite the inside Is of the front end of the branch rail 121 in the conveying direction Tr. Similarly, the front end of the return rail 123 in the conveying direction Tr is arranged opposite the inside Is of the rear end of the merging rail 122 in the conveying direction Tr.

[0034] <Transport Shuttle 14> Next, the transport shuttle 14 will be described.

[0035] The transport shuttle 14 has a main body 140 and an article holding section 16. A magnet 152 of the transport linear motor mechanism 15 is disposed in the main body 140. The magnet 152 is housed inside the main body 140 and faces a coil 151 disposed on the main rail 131 in a direction intersecting the transport direction Tr.

[0036] The main body 140 of the transport shuttle 14 has a first surface 144 and a second surface 145. The main body 140 also has a protrusion 143. The protrusion 143 fits into a gap 135 formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132. The protrusion 143 fits into the gap 135, thereby preventing the main body 140 from shifting.

[0037] Two upper rollers 141 are arranged on the main body 140. The two upper rollers 141 are rotatably supported on the main body 140. More specifically, the upper rollers 141 are arranged to be rotatable around a rotation axis that is perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr and parallel to the outer surface of the rail 13. The two upper rollers 141 are spaced apart in the conveying direction Tr and arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 of this embodiment, the upper roller 141 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the conveying direction Tr is arranged at the top.

[0038] Two lower rollers 142 are arranged in the main body 140. The two lower rollers 142 are rotatably supported by the main body 140. The lower rollers 142 are cylindrical. The two lower rollers 142 are spaced apart in the conveying direction Tr and are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 of this embodiment, the lower roller 142 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the conveying direction Tr is arranged at the bottom.

[0039] The article holding portion 16 is fixed to the upper part of the main body portion 140. The article holding portion 16 has a holding plate portion 161, an article engagement portion 162, and an article support portion 163. The holding plate portion 161 is plate-shaped and is positioned inward Is from the main body portion 140, extending upward. The front side of the holding plate portion 161 in the conveying direction Tr has an inclined surface 164 that slopes inward toward the front. The holding plate portion 161 also has a through hole 1611 and recesses 1612 provided on both ends in the conveying direction Tr. The recesses 1612 are positioned below the through hole 1611 and aligned in the conveying direction.

[0040] The article holding portion 16 has two article engaging portions 162, which are arranged vertically and fixed to the holding plate portion 161. One of each article engaging portion 162 is disposed above the holding plate portion 161, and the other passes through a through-hole 1611 and protrudes outward Os beyond the holding plate portion 161.

[0041] The article engaging portion 162 has a rear pressing portion 165 provided at the front in the conveying direction and a front pressing portion 166 provided at the rear in the conveying direction. The rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 have curved surfaces with intermediate portions in the protruding direction bulging in the conveying direction Tr (see FIG. 4, etc.).

[0042] The article support portion 163 is fixed to the holding plate portion 161. The article support portion 163 has a rear support portion 167 and a front support portion 168. The rear support portion 167 is arranged forward of the rear pressing portion 165 in the conveying direction Tr. The front support portion 168 is arranged rearward of the front pressing portion 166. The upper surfaces of the rear support portion 167 and the front support portion 168 are at the same height. The rear support portion 167 and the front support portion 168 may be formed integrally. The conveying shuttle 14 has the shape shown above.

[0043] <Transport Linear Motor Mechanism 15> In the article transport device 100, the multiple transport shuttles 14 are each independently driven by a transport linear motor mechanism 15. The transport linear motor mechanism 15 has multiple coils 151, magnets 152, and linear drivers 153. The multiple coils 151 are arranged inside the rails 13 that form the first transport route 11 and inside the rails 13 that form the second transport route 12.

[0044] The magnet 152 is a permanent magnet and is arranged in the main body 140 of the transfer shuttle 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet 152 is arranged inside the main body 140. The main body 140 is made of a material that is not attracted to a magnet. Therefore, the magnetic force of the magnet 152 leaks outside the main body 140. The magnet 152 is arranged so that it can mutually apply magnetic force to the coils 151. The magnet 152 arranged in the main body 140 and the multiple coils 151 arranged inside the rail 13 form a linear motor.

[0045] The linear driver 153 is connected to each coil 151 (see FIG. 2). The linear driver 153 is connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). The linear driver 153 is a circuit that controls the power supplied to the coils 151, and includes circuits such as a processing circuit and a power supply circuit that adjusts the voltage and current supplied to each coil 151. The linear driver 153 supplies an appropriate current to each coil 151 based on instructions from the control device 800.

[0046] The control device 800 can independently move the transfer shuttles 14. The control device 800 can operate multiple transfer shuttles 14 individually and also synchronously. The control device 800 can also acquire the position of the transfer shuttles 14.

[0047] In the conveying shuttle 14, the article holding portion 16 is disposed above the main body portion 140. As a result, no components are disposed inside the first surface 144 or outside the second surface 145 of the main body portion 140. As a result, the radial outer edges of the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 protrude inward Is from the first surface 144 and outward Os from the second surface 145.

[0048] As a result, on the first transport route 11, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer sides Os of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114. Also, on the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122. Also, on the second transport route 12, the transport shuttle 14 can move along the outer surface of the return rail 123.

[0049] More specifically, the transport shuttle 14 is movable along the outer side Os of the rail 13 on the first transport route 11. The main body 140 is attracted to the outer side Os of the rail 13 on the first transport route 11 by, for example, the magnetic force of a magnet 152. The rail 13 may be provided with an attraction part made of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or the transport shuttle 14 may be attracted by the magnetic force between the magnet 152 and an iron core provided in the coil 151.

[0050] In the first conveying route 11, the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the rail 13, so that the first surface 144 of the main body 140 is disposed at a fixed distance from the outer surface of the rail 13. In other words, the main body 140 is supported by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that it can move vertically on the outer surface of the rail 13.

[0051] In the transport shuttle 14, the upper rollers 141 and the lower rollers 142 arranged in the transport direction Tr are offset vertically. Therefore, even when the transport shuttle 14 approaches each other in the transport direction Tr, the upper rollers 141 or the lower rollers 142 are unlikely to interfere with each other. Therefore, the transport shuttle 14 can be arranged close to each other in the transport direction Tr and can move in a close state.

[0052] 6, the transport shuttle 14 is movable along the inner side Is of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 on the second transport route 12. The main body 140 is attracted to the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 by the magnetic force of a magnet 152 disposed inside. The rail 13 may be provided with an attraction portion made of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or the transport shuttle 14 may be attracted by the magnetic force between the magnet 152 and an iron core provided in the coil 151.

[0053] The upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122, so that the second surface 145 of the main body 140 is disposed opposite the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122 at a certain distance. In other words, the main body 140 is supported by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 so that the top and bottom of the main body 140 can move on the inner surfaces of the branching rail 121 and the merging rail 122.

[0054] With this configuration, the transport shuttle 14 can branch off at the branch point P1 and merge at the junction point P2 by controlling the coils 151 arranged on the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the branch rail 121, and the merging rail 122. In other words, the configuration is simple and the transport shuttle 14 can be branched and merged with simple control.

[0055] That is, the control device 800 can cause the transport shuttle 14 traveling on the first straight rail 111 to branch off to either the first curved rail 113 or the branch rail 121 at the branch point P1. In addition, the control device 800 can cause the transport shuttle 14 traveling on the merging rail 122 of the second transport route 12 to merge with the second straight rail 112 at the merging point P2.

[0056] <Holding of item Pc by transport shuttle 14> Next, a description will be given of how the article Pc is held by the transport shuttles 14. The article Pc is held from the front and rear in the transport direction Tr by two transport shuttles 14 arranged side by side in the transport direction Tr.

[0057] The front support portion 168 of the conveying shuttle 14, which is arranged at the front side in the conveying direction Tr, supports the inside of the front part of the bottom surface of the item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the item Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the conveying shuttle 14, which is arranged at the front side in the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc, supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom surface Pct of the item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc. At this time, the inner surface PcI of the item Pc comes into contact with the holding plate portion 161.

[0058] Here, when the article Pc is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped filled with a liquid content, the front surface Pcf of the article Pc is pressed by the front surface pressing portion 166, causing a depression in the middle portion. Similarly, the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc is pressed by the rear surface pressing portion 165, causing a depression in the middle portion. In this way, the front surface Pcf and Pcr are pressed and depressed by the front surface pressing portion 166 and the rear surface pressing portion 165, respectively, thereby restricting movement of the article Pc toward the outside Os. Furthermore, the inner surface PcI of the article Pc comes into contact with the holding plate portion 161, thereby restricting movement of the article Pc toward the inside Is. This allows the two conveying shuttles 14 to firmly hold the article Pc. The conveying shuttles 14 arranged before and after the conveying direction Tr of the article Pc have the same shape.

[0059] 7 is a plan view showing the state in which the conveying shuttle 14 holding the article Pc is moving on the first curved rail 113. Because the rear surface pressing portion 165 and the front surface pressing portion 166 each have a generally curved shape that bulges outward, they can appropriately press the front surface Pcf and rear surface Pcr of the article Pc even when the protruding directions of the article engaging portions 162 are not parallel. Therefore, the conveying shuttle 14 can hold the article Pc even when moving on a curved portion such as the first curved rail 113 shown in FIG. 7. Note that the curvature of the curved portion along which the conveying shuttle 14 can move while holding the article Pc varies depending on the shapes of the rear surface pressing portion 165 and the front surface pressing portion 166.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a view from the outside Os showing a state in which multiple items Pc are being transported by multiple transport shuttles 14. FIG. 8 shows a state in which two items are being held by three transport shuttles 14 lined up in the transport direction Tr. As shown in FIG. 8, the front support portion 168 of the transport shuttle 14 at the front in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the front part of the bottom of the front item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the front item Pc. In addition, the rear support portion 167 of the transport shuttle 14 at the center in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the rear part of the bottom of the front item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the front item Pc. This holds the front item Pc.

[0061] Furthermore, the front support portion 168 of the conveying shuttle 14 at the center in the conveying direction Tr supports the inside of the front portion of the bottom of the rear-side item Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the rear-side item Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the conveying shuttle 14 at the rear in the conveying direction Tr supports the inside of the rear portion of the bottom of the rear-side item Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the rear-side item Pc. This holds the rear-side item Pc. As shown in FIG. 8, by arranging three conveying shuttles 14 in the circumferential direction, two articles Pc can be held. Note that the number of articles Pc that can be held is not limited to two, and may be three or more. In other words, by providing one more conveying shuttle 14 than the number of articles Pc, multiple articles Pc can be held.

[0062] In the item processing device A, when on the branch rail 121 of the second conveying route 12, multiple conveying shuttles 14 can move in the conveying direction Tr while holding multiple items Pc. Note that when on the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11, multiple conveying shuttles 14 may also hold multiple items Pc. Also, when moving from the first conveying route 11 to the second conveying route 12 at branch point P1, a predetermined number of items Pc may be grouped together. Grouping one or a small number of items Pc together is referred to as "aggregating." Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, in the item conveying device 100, a collection area Ar1 is set in the section between branch point P1 of the branch rail 121 and an item accumulation section 124, which will be described later.

[0063] <Article delivery device 200> As shown in FIG. 1, the item delivery device 200 has an item supply section 20, an item output section 21, and a transfer lane 22. Items Pc are transported by the item supply section 20 from a previous process, such as a storage item filling process, into the item processing device A. The item supply section 20 is a conveyor that transports items Pc having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. When the items Pc are placed on the upper surface of the item supply section 20, the upper surface is moved, causing the items Pc to move along the item supply section 20. The direction in which the items Pc move in the item supply section 20 is referred to as the supply direction Ts.

[0064] The item supply unit 20 can use a general transport conveyor such as a belt conveyor or a top chain conveyor. Here, the item supply unit 20 has a supply conveyor 201 that uses a belt conveyor (see FIG. 1, etc.). The supply conveyor 201 of the item supply unit 20 is connected to a control device 800 and is driven in accordance with instructions from the control device 800. Typically, the supply conveyor 201 is driven so as to be able to transport items at a constant speed.

[0065] The article output section 21 is arranged at the front end of the article supply section 20 in the conveying direction Tr. The article output section 21 has a plurality of nip rollers 211 arranged in pairs and a transfer lane 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the nip rollers 211 are arranged in pairs in a direction perpendicular to the supply direction Ts of the article supply section 20, and come into contact with the side surfaces (here, the inner surface PcI and the outer surface PcO) of the article Pc. The surface of the nip rollers 211 is formed from a material that provides high friction with the surface of the article Pc. In the article output section 21, three pairs of nip rollers 211 are arranged side by side at equal intervals along the supply conveyor 201.

[0066] The nip roller 211 is rotated by a roller motor 212 (see FIG. 2) connected to the control device 800. The rotation of the roller motor 212 is controlled by the control device 800, and the rotation speed of the nip roller 211 is adjusted. This causes the article Pc to accelerate or decelerate in the supply direction Ts. Then, the article Pc, which has been accelerated or decelerated by the paired nip rollers 211, moves to the transfer lane 22.

[0067] The item Pc moves on the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts. The front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is the transfer section R1. At the transfer section R1, the item Pc is held by conveying shuttles lined up in the supply direction Ts. The item Pc is conveyed along the first conveying route 11 while being held by the conveying shuttle 14.

[0068] <Exterior member mounting device 300> The external member attaching device 300 is disposed on the outside Os of the item conveying section 10 of the item conveying apparatus 100, and attaches an external member Th to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc (see FIG. 3). Here, the external member Th is a straw, but is not limited to this. The external member attaching device 300 is attached to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc while it is housed in a resin bag. The external member attaching device 300 is disposed on the outside Os of the first straight rail 111 of the first conveying route 11. Then, the external member attaching device 300 attaches (attaches) the external member Th to the outer surface PcO of the item Pc held by the conveying shuttle 14 moving along the first straight rail 111.

[0069] The exterior component mounting device 300 has an inspection unit 30 and a mounting unit 31. The inspection unit 30 inspects the condition of the item Pc. For example, the inspection unit 30 acquires an image using an imaging unit (not shown) and determines whether the condition of the item Pc is acceptable based on the image processing results of the captured image. If the item Pc is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped container made of a paper base material, the inspection unit 30 checks the condition of the adhesive joints, whether there is any scorching due to heating during bonding, etc.

[0070] The attachment unit 31 has a drive motor 310 (see FIG. 2) that drives the device. The external member attachment device 300, by operation of the drive motor 310, attaches the external member Th to the side surface of the outside Os of the moving article Pc.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection unit 30 and drive motor 310 of the outer packaging member attachment device 300 are connected to a control device 800. The control device 800 operates the drive motor 310 so that outer packaging members Th are attached only to articles that have passed the inspection unit 30. The control device 800 also acquires the position of the transport shuttle 14, for example, based on information from a linear driver 153. The control device 800 drives the drive motor 310 based on the position of the transport shuttle 14. This causes the control device 800 to drive the drive motor 310 in synchronization with the speed of the transport shuttle 14 in the transport direction Tr. As a result, the outer packaging member Th can be attached while maintaining the movement speed of the transport shuttle 14, i.e., the article Pc.

[0072] The control device 800 acquires the position of the article Pc, in other words, the moving speed, and operates the drive motor 310 based on the position of the article Pc, so even if an article Pc without an exterior member Th is included, the conveying speed of the article Pc does not need to be reduced. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the production efficiency of the article processing device A.

[0073] Note that an item Pc determined to be a defective item by the inspection unit 30 is conveyed from the branch point P1 via the first curved rail 113 to the second straight rail 112 while being held between the conveying shuttles 14. The item determined to be a defective item is then collected by a defective item collection unit (not shown) arranged close to the second straight rail 112. The item Pc determined to be a defective item can be collected by dropping it downward, but this is not a limitation.

[0074] <Box supply device 600> FIG. 9 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device 600. FIG. 10 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device 600 in a state where the sheet Sh has been removed. FIG. 11 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device 600 in a state where the door portion Sh3 of the sheet Sh is folded. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the sheet Sh in a state where the door portion Sh3 is folded. FIG. 13 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device 600 in a state where the side wall portion Sh2 is folded. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the sheet Sh in a state where the side wall portion Sh2 is folded. FIG. 15 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device 600 in a state where the lid portion Sh4 is folded. FIG. 16 is a plan view of a formed box body Bx. FIG. 17 is a schematic layout diagram of the box body supplying device 600 in a state where the box body Bx has been moved to the storage area 70s.

[0075] The box body Bx for storing the items Pc is formed by folding a sheet Sh made of paper such as cardboard. The box body supply device 600 takes out the sheet Sh accumulated in the sheet accumulation section 61, and forms the box body Bx by folding and gluing the sheet Sh. The box body Bx is a container having a surface other than the surface on the branch rail 121 side in the take-out direction Pu. The surface of the box body Bx on the branch rail 121 side is a storage surface for storing the items Pc.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 9 and other figures, the box body supplying device 600 has a sheet accumulation unit 61, a sheet removal unit 62, a forming unit 63, a sheet feeding unit 64, and a box body moving unit 65. The sheet accumulation unit 61 stacks and accumulates the sheets Sh that make up the box body Bx. The sheet accumulation unit 61 is arranged on sheet rails 610 and moves on the sheet rails 610 (see FIG. 1). Note that in the box body supplying device 600 of this embodiment, the sheet rails 610 are arranged along linear rails 701 (described later) of the item packing device 700, but are not limited to this. The sheet accumulation unit 61 is movable up and down so that the top surface of the uppermost sheet Sh remains at the same position regardless of the number of sheets Sh to be accumulated.

[0077] The sheet removal unit 62 removes the sheets Sh accumulated in the sheet accumulation unit 61 one by one. More specifically, the sheet removal unit 62 has a main body unit 621, a sliding unit 622, and an adsorption unit 623. The main body unit 621 is disposed above the sheet accumulation unit 61. The sliding unit 622 is slidable relative to the main body unit 621. The sliding direction is a direction from the main body unit 621 to approach and move away from a storage area 70s (described later) of the item packing device 700.

[0078] The suction unit 623 has a configuration capable of adsorbing the sheet Sh, such as a suction cup, etc. The suction unit 623 adsorbs the sheet Sh arranged at the top of the sheet accumulation unit 61 and lifts it from the sheet accumulation unit 61.

[0079] The sheet feeding section 64 has a feed roller 641 on its lower surface. The feed roller 641 comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet Sh. When the feed roller 641 rotates, the sheet Sh is fed.

[0080] The forming unit 63 folds a portion of the sheet Sh to form a box body Bx. Here, the sheet Sh will be described. As shown in Fig. 12 etc., the sheet Sh has a rectangular bottom Sh1, a rectangular side wall Sh2 adjacent to the sides of the bottom Sh1 in the box conveying direction Tb, a door Sh3 adjacent to both sides of the side wall Sh2 in the direction perpendicular to the box conveying direction Tb of the branch rail 121, and a lid Sh4 adjacent to both sides of the bottom Sh1 of the sheet Sh in the direction perpendicular to the box conveying direction Tb.

[0081] 9 to 17, the forming unit 63 has a stage 631, a door folding unit 632, a lid folding unit 633, and a side folding unit 634. The bottom part Sh1 of the sheet Sh is placed on the stage 631. The sheet feeding unit 64 feeds the sheet Sh so that the bottom part Sh1 is placed above the stage 631.

[0082] The door folding unit 632 is movable up and down and folds the door unit Sh3 on the opposite side of the branch rail 121 against the side wall unit Sh2. The lid folding unit 633 is movable up and down and folds the lid unit Sh4 against the bottom unit Sh1. The side folding unit 634 folds the side wall unit Sh2 against the bottom unit Sh1. The stage 631 moves downward when the box body Bx is formed. By moving the stage 631 downward, the side wall unit Sh2 of the sheet Sh can be positioned.

[0083] The box body moving unit 65 holds the bottom of the box body Bx formed by the molding unit 63 and moves the box body Bx to the storage area 70s. The box body moving unit 65 has, for example, a bottom holding unit 651 that has a protrusion that can engage with a hole provided in the bottom of the box body Bx and moves the box body Bx by moving with the protrusion engaged.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 9 and other figures, the box moving unit 65 is a two-arm robot, but is not limited to this. A wide variety of configurations are available that allow linear movement in the vertical direction and in the direction in which the box Bx is supplied. The bottom holding unit 651 is configured to hold the bottom of the box Bx, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to suck a part of the box Bx, such as the bottom.

[0085] 2, the box body supplying device 600 is connected to the control device 800. The box body supplying device 600 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, after the box conveying shuttle 702 of the box body conveying section 70 moves to the storage area 70s, the control device 800 causes the box body moving section 65 to move the box body Bx formed in the forming section 63 to the storage area 70s.

[0086] An article stacking section 124 is provided adjacent to the branch rail 121 on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121. Articles Pc transported along the branch rail 121 are placed in the article stacking section 124. Note that multiple articles Pc are temporarily stored in the article stacking section 124. The action of gathering and temporarily storing multiple articles Pc in this manner is referred to as accumulating articles. The article stacking section 124 has a guide wall section 1241 and a retaining wall section 1242.

[0087] The guide wall 1241 extends along the removal direction Pu in which the articles are removed. The guide wall 1241 is arranged in the article stacking section 124 and is movable in the conveying direction and can be fixed in place. The retaining wall 1242 is arranged at the rear end of the article stacking section 124 in the removal direction Pu, and can be hidden below the floor surface 1240 of the article stacking section 124 and can protrude upward.

[0088] The supply operation of the box body Bx by the box body supply device 600 will be described in detail. The control device 800 operates the sheet take-out unit 62 to adsorb the sheet Sh at the top end of the sheet accumulation unit 61 with the adsorption unit 623. Then, the slide unit 622 slides to deliver the sheet Sh to the sheet feeding unit 64. Specifically, the sheet Sh is brought into contact with the feed roller 641 of the sheet feeding unit 64 (see FIG. 10).

[0089] The control device 800 controls the feed rollers 641 of the sheet feed unit 64 to feed the sheet Sh to the forming unit 63. Specifically, the sheet Sh is fed so that the bottom part Sh1 of the sheet Sh stops at a predetermined position on the stage 631 (see FIG. 11). At this time, the stage 631 is positioned at an elevated position so that the height of the stage 631 is the same as that of the support surfaces that face the feed rollers 641 of the sheet feed unit 64 in the vertical direction.

[0090] In this state, the control device 800 moves the box body moving part 65 to press the bottom part Sh1 of the sheet Sh from above (see FIG. 11). As a result, the sheet Sh is held by the stage 631 and the box body moving part 65. The control device 800 raises the door folding part S (see FIG. 11). At this time, the door folding part 632 first comes into contact with the door part Sh3 on the opposite side of the branch rail 121 of the sheet Sh, and folds the door part Sh3 upward (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

[0091] After the door portion Sh3 is folded, the control device 800 raises the side folding portion 634 (see FIG. 13). As a result, the side wall portion Sh2 of the door portion Sh3 in its folded state comes into contact with the side folding portion 634, and the side wall portion Sh2 is folded upward relative to the bottom portion Sh1 (see FIG. 14). As a result, the side wall portion Sh2 protrudes upward from the bottom portion Sh1, and further, the door portion Sh3 on the side opposite the branch rail 121 of the side wall portion Sh2 is folded inward (see FIG. 14).

[0092] Then, the lid folding unit 633 rises, causing the lid portion Sh4 to be folded upward relative to the bottom portion Sh1. At this time, the control device 800 moves the stage 631 and the box body moving unit 65 downward. This ensures that the side wall portion Sh2 and the lid portion Sh4 are folded. Note that adhesive is applied to the lid folding unit 633 when the sheet is fed by the sheet feeding unit 64. Then, when the lid portion Sh4 is folded, it is adhered to the door portion Sh3. Note that when the lid portion Sh4 is adhered to the door portion Sh3, the door portion Sh3 is pressed by the box body moving unit 65. This ensures that the lid portion Sh4 is adhered to the door portion Sh3. As a result, a box body Bx is formed with the face on the branch rail 121 side open (see FIG. 16).

[0093] Then, by moving the box moving section 65 to the branch rail 121 side, the box Bx is moved to the storage area 70s (see FIG. 17).

[0094] In the box body supply device 600, the box body moving part 65 moves the box body Bx by engaging with a part of the box body Bx formed by the molding part 63. Therefore, within the range in which the box body moving part 65 can engage, box bodies Bx of different shapes and sizes can be moved.

[0095] Furthermore, when moving to the next process as shown in Figure 17, the box body Bx may be required to be moved to a reference position, but even in such cases, it can be moved flexibly, so it can accommodate box bodies Bx of different shapes and sizes.

[0096] That is, the box body supplying device 600 of this embodiment can be used to supply box bodies Bx of different sizes and shapes simply by changing the positions of the stage 631, the door folding unit 632, the lid folding unit 633, and the side folding unit 634 of the forming unit 63. In other words, the box body supplying device 600 of this embodiment can accommodate a wide variety of box bodies Bx and is highly versatile.

[0097] <Item take-out device 400 and item storage device 500> The item take-out device 400 moves the items Pc lined up in the conveying direction Tr in a take-out direction Pu that intersects with the conveying direction Tr, and accumulates them in the item accumulation section 124. In the item processing device A, the take-out direction Pu is outward and perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr.

[0098] The article takeout device 400 has an article rear pushing portion 41 and an article abutment portion 42. The article rear pushing portion 41 supports the article Pc with the article Pc being in contact with the inner surface PcI of the article Pc and the article abutment portion 42 being in contact with the outer surface PcO of the article Pc. In this way, the article rear pushing portion 41 and the article abutment portion 42 move in the takeout direction Pu while maintaining the article Pc being supported. In other words, the article takeout device 400 moves the accumulated and transported articles Pc from the branch rail 121 to the article accumulation portion 124.

[0099] As shown in Fig. 2, the article pickup device 400 is connected to a control device 800. The article pickup device 400 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the article pickup device 400 after confirming that the transport shuttle 14 has reached the pickup position on the branch rail 121. Note that the control device 800 may operate the article pickup device 400 based on information other than the position of the transport shuttle 14.

[0100] The item storage device 500 moves a certain number of items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 together into a box body Bx. The operation of moving a plurality of items Pc together into a box body Bx is referred to as storing items.

[0101] The item storage device 500 has a rear contact portion 51, a side contact portion 52, and a front contact portion 53. The rear contact portion 51 contacts the inner surface PcI of the item Pc arranged at the innermost side Is. The side contact portion 52 contacts the front surface Pcf of the item Pc arranged at the front end of the item Pc in the conveying direction Tr of the item Pc and the rear surface Pcr of the item Pc arranged at the rear end. The front contact portion 53 contacts the outer surface PcO of the item Pc arranged at the outermost side Os of the front end.

[0102] The rear contact portion 51, the side contact portion 52, and the front contact portion 53 move in the removal direction Pu while maintaining contact with the outer surface PcO of the outermost article Pc, the front surface Pcf of the frontmost article Pc, the rear surface Pcr of the rearmost article Pc, and the inner surface PcI of the innermost article Pc, with adjacent articles Pc in contact with each other. As a result, the accumulated multiple articles Pc are stored in the box body Bx.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 2, the item storage device 500 is connected to the control device 800. The item storage device 500 operates based on instructions from the control device 800. For example, the control device 800 operates the item storage device 500 after confirming that a predetermined number of items Pc have been accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 based on the operation of the item takeout device 400. To explain further, the item takeout device 400 may move the items Pc to the item accumulation section 124 a predetermined number of times, and then operate the item storage device 500 after the item takeout device 400 has retracted. Note that the control device 800 may operate the item storage device 500 based on operation information of the item takeout device 400.

[0104] The article processing device A has one or more article stacking units 124. Each of the article stacking units 124 has one article take-out device 400 and one article storage device 500 disposed therein.

[0105] The pressing wall portion 55 comes into contact with the front end of the box body Bx in the take-out direction Pu, and suppresses movement of the box body Bx when storing the article Pc. The pressing wall portion 55 is movable up and down.

[0106] <Item Packaging Device 700> The item processing device A has an item packing device 700. The item packing device 700 packs items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 into a box body Bx. Note that packing refers to the operation from storing a predetermined number of items Pc into the box body Bx until the box body Bx is completed.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 1, the article packing apparatus 700 has a box body transport section 70, an article take-out device 400, an article storage device 500, a box body supply device 600, and a box body send-out section 7.

[0108] The box body supply device 600 folds the sheet Sh to form a box body Bx, and supplies the box body Bx to the box body conveying section 70. The box body conveying section 70 is disposed on the outer side Os of the branch rail 121. The box body conveying section 70 has a configuration that utilizes a box body linear motor mechanism, and has a linear rail 701 and a box conveying shuttle 702.

[0109] In the box transport section 70, the direction in which the linear rail 701 extends is the transport direction of the box Bx, that is, the box transport direction Tb. At least a part of the linear rail 701 is arranged parallel to the branch rail 121.

[0110] The box conveying shuttle 702 holds the box body Bx from the front and rear sides in the box conveying direction Tb and moves in the box conveying direction Tb to convey the box body Bx in the box conveying direction Tb. The box conveying section 70 has box guide rails 76 arranged along the box conveying direction Tb (see FIG. 1). The box conveying section 70 has multiple box guide rails 76, and the box body Bx is arranged on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. When conveyed by the box conveying shuttle 702, the box body Bx is slidably arranged on the upper part of the box guide rails 76. In other words, the box guide rails 76 support the box body Bx from below.

[0111] In the box conveying section 70, the box conveying shuttle 702 is stopped in a storage area 70s that receives the box Bx. With the box conveying shuttle 702 stopped, the box Bx is sent from the box supply device 600 to the storage area 70s. Then, while the box conveying shuttle 702 maintains its front and rear orientation in the box conveying direction Tb, the box conveying shuttle 702 conveys the box Bx in the box conveying direction Tb. The box conveying shuttle 702 stops so that the box Bx is placed in a receiving area 70t adjacent to the item stacking section 124.

[0112] In the box transport section 70, the multiple box transport shuttles 702 are each independently driven by a box linear motor mechanism 72. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the box linear motor mechanism 72 has multiple coils 721, magnets 722, and a box transport linear driver 723. The multiple coils 721 are arranged inside the linear rail 701 in the box transport direction Tb. The control device 800 is connected to the box transport linear driver 723 and controls the box transport linear driver 723. This causes the box transport shuttles 702 to move along the linear rail 701. The control device 800 can independently control each of the box transport shuttles 702.

[0113] The item take-out device 400 and the item storage device 500 are arranged near the item accumulation section 124. The item take-out device 400 moves the items Pc transported on the branch rail 121 to the item accumulation section 124 and accumulates the items Pc. The item storage device 500 stores the items Pc accumulated in the item accumulation section 124 in a box Bx that has been moved to the receiving area 70t.

[0114] <Flip-over part 77> The item packaging device 700 has a lid folding unit 77 that folds the lid portion of the box body Bx on the item accumulation unit 124 side. When the storage of the items Pc is complete, the box body Bx closes the door portion of the box using a box closing mechanism 127. The door portion is formed integrally with the side wall and is a part that can be folded inward. The box body Bx is moved along the box body conveying unit 70 with the door portion closed. The box body Bx with the door portion closed moves to the lid folding unit 77. The lid folding unit 77 folds the lid portion toward the outside of the door portion and bonds the door portion and lid portion together to complete a package Cx in which the items Pc are packed. The lid folding unit 77 presses the lid portion of the box body Bx from below, folding it and bonding the lid portion to the door portion.

[0115] <Box delivery section 7> The box body output section 7 is arranged in an output area 70x at the rear end of the box body conveying section 70 in the box conveying direction Tb. The box body output section 7 has a push-out section 78. The package Cx completed by the lid folding section 77 is inspected, and if it passes the inspection, the outside Os of the package Cx is pushed by the push-out section 78 and it is sent to the OK side (upper side in Figure 1). If it fails the inspection, the inside Is of the package Cx is pushed by the push-out section 78 and it is sent to the NG side (lower side in Figure 1). The package Cx sent to the OK side is sent to the next process.

[0116] In the item processing device A, the inspection at the box body output section 7 mainly inspects the boxes and the state of the items Pc inside. The items Pc themselves have passed the exterior member mounting device 300. In other words, even if an item fails the inspection at the box body output section 7, the items Pc contained therein are often acceptable products. Therefore, even when the package Cx is sent to the NG side, the package Cx is handled so as not to damage the items Pc inside the package Cx.

[0117] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. Furthermore, various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] A. Material handling equipment Bx box body Cx packaging PC goods Pcf front PCR back side 100 Item transport device 11 First Transport Route 111 First straight rail 112 Second straight rail 113 First curved rail 114 Second curved rail 12 Second Transport Route 121 Branch Rail 122 Merging Rail 123 Return Rail 124 Goods Collection Section 13 Rail 131 Main Rail 132 grooved rail 133 Flat Rail 134 Groove 135 Gap 13c curved short rail 13s straight short rail 14 Transport Shuttle 140 Main body 141 Upper roller 142 Lower Roller 143 Convex 144 Inside 145 Exterior 15. Linear motor transport mechanism 151 Coil 152 Magnet 153 Linear Driver 16 Article holding part 161 Holding plate part 1611 Through hole 1612 recess 162 Item engagement part 163 Article support part 164 Slope 165 Rear pressing part 166 Front pressure part 167 Rear support 168 Front support 200 Article delivery device 20 Goods Supply Department 21 Nip roller 211 Roller motor 22 Transfer Lane 300 Exterior component mounting device 30 Inspection Department 31 Drive motor Th straw 400 Article removal device 41 Article rear pusher 42 Item contact part 500 Item storage device 51 Rear contact part 52 Side abutment 53 Front abutment part 600 Box feeding device 61 Sheet accumulation unit 610 seat rail 62 Sheet removal section 621 Main body 622 Slide part 623 Adsorption part 63 Molding section Stage 631 632 Door folding section 633 Lid folding part 634 Side fold 64 Sheet feeding section 641 Feed roller 65 Box moving part Sh sheet Sh1 bottom Sh2 side wall Sh3 door section Sh4 lid 700 Item Packaging Equipment 70 Box transport section 701 Linear Rail 702 Box Transport Shuttle 70s storage area 70t receiving area 7 Box delivery section 800 control device 801 Processing Circuit 802 Memory circuit

Claims

1. A box supplying device that supplies boxes that can store items from the side, a sheet accumulation unit that accumulates the sheets that constitute the box body in a stacked manner; a sheet take-out unit that takes out the sheets one by one from the sheet accumulation unit; a forming section that folds and fixes a portion of the sheet taken out from the sheet take-out section, and forms the box body by raising the side surfaces other than the surface facing the article accumulation section where the articles are accumulated; a sheet feeding unit that feeds the sheet taken out from the sheet take-out unit to the forming unit; a box body moving unit that moves the box body to a storage area provided in a box body transport unit that transports the box body, The molding portion is A stage that can be moved up and down, a side folding portion that folds a rectangular side wall portion of the rectangular bottom of the sheet adjacent to a side of the box body in the conveyance direction; a door folding portion that folds a door portion adjacent to both sides of the side wall portion in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the box body; a lid folding portion that folds a lid portion adjacent to both sides of the bottom of the sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the box body, A box body supply device that moves the upper surface of the stage to the same height as the upper surface on which the sheet of the sheet feed unit is placed, moves the sheet so that the bottom is positioned at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the stage, and then, with the bottom sandwiched between the box body moving unit and the stage, raises the side folding unit, the door folding unit, and the lid folding unit, thereby folding the side wall unit, the door unit, and the lid unit of the sheet.

2. The box supplying device according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet take-out section holds the sheet arranged at the upper end of the sheet accumulation section and takes out the sheet.

3. the sheet feeding section has a feed roller that contacts the sheet and feeds the sheet, 3. The box supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding section applies adhesive to a portion of the sheet that is to be adhered when the box is formed.

4. the box-body moving unit has a bottom holding unit that contacts an upper surface of the bottom of the box body from above and holds the bottom, The molding unit has a stage that is movable up and down, the stage is movable downward in a state in which a bottom holding portion of the box body moving portion is in contact with the bottom of the box body, The box supply device of claim 1, wherein the stage and the box moving unit move downward while holding the box, and then the box moving unit moves to the storage area while the bottom holding unit holds the bottom.

5. The box body supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the box body moving section, in a plan view, moves the box body in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the box body in the box body transport section, and moves the box body to the storage area.

Images