Box assembly device

Abstract

The present invention provides a box assembly device that enables mechanical assembly even for boxes whose assembly process includes a step of inserting flaps into slits to lock the side walls together. [Solution] The box assembly device 1 has an insertion bar 7b in the insertion assist section 7 that slides along the front-rear direction X. The flap contact surface 7g of this insertion bar 7b contacts the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14, and through the tip 14a, pushes and bends the first side wall end 12a that is raised from the first connecting section 15, thereby opening the slit 12b. Therefore, it is possible to assist in inserting the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a box assembling device for assembling a box by bending a blank sheet at a predetermined position.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the applicant has proposed a method for manufacturing a cardboard box for assembling a blank sheet by mechanical operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This cardboard box manufacturing method includes a step of placing a substantially H-shaped inner guide on a blank sheet, a step of bending first ear flaps and second ear flaps respectively connected to two side wall portions provided at both ends of the blank sheet so as to rise from each side wall portion and bringing them into contact with both ends of the inner guide, a step of bending the side wall portions so as to rise from a bottom plate portion provided on the blank sheet and moving the first ear flaps and the second ear flaps along the inner guide respectively, and a step of engaging the tip of the first ear flap and the tip of the second ear flap by this movement. And, according to this cardboard box manufacturing method, without depending on manual work, the insertion formed at the tip of the overlapping first ear flap and the insertion formed at the tip of the second ear flap can be inserted into each other and engaged.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, among boxes assembled by folding a blank sheet at predetermined positions, there are some in which the side walls are locked together by inserting flaps into slits that have been pre-formed in the blank sheet. For example, in the side walls of a box, a slit is pre-formed in the first side wall, and a flap that can be inserted into the slit is provided in the second side wall adjacent to the first side wall. When the first and second side walls are raised from the bottom, the flap of the second side wall is inserted into the slit of the first side wall, thereby locking and fixing the first and second side walls together in the raised position. Such boxes can be locked together without using other materials or components such as adhesives or staples, making them easy to dispose of and reuse, and have been attracting attention in recent years.

[0005] However, as mentioned above, the process of inserting flaps into pre-formed slits in the blank sheet and locking the side walls together requires opening the slits before inserting the flaps, making automation difficult with machine operation alone, and thus requiring manual assembly. Consequently, compared to boxes that could be assembled solely by machine operation, the manufacturing time was longer and the production costs were higher.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a box assembly device that enables mechanical assembly even for boxes that include a step in the assembly process of inserting flaps into slits to lock the side walls together. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention assembles a box by folding a blank sheet at a predetermined position, the blank sheet comprising: a bottom portion that forms the bottom surface of the box; a first side wall portion connected to the bottom end portion which is the front-rear end of the bottom portion and forms the first side wall which is the side wall of the box; a second side wall portion connected to the left-right end of the bottom portion and forming the second side wall which is the side wall adjacent to the first side wall; and an insertion flap connected to the front-rear end of the second side wall portion and inserted into a slit formed at the first side wall end portion which is the left-right end of the first side wall portion. A bottom support portion that supports the bottom portion from below; a first side wall forming guide that extends upward from the front-rear side of the bottom support portion; a pressing portion which is a frame that pushes down the bottom portion to the bottom support portion from a position higher than the first side wall forming guide; a second side wall raising portion provided on the side of the bottom support portion and rising from a horizontal position to a vertical position centered on the end closer to the bottom support portion; an insertion flap forming guide provided on the front-rear end of the second side wall raising portion in the horizontal position and extending upward to assist in raising the insertion flap; and a horizontal The device includes an insertion assist portion provided on the front-rear end of the second side wall raising portion of the posture, which slides along the front-rear direction in conjunction with the driving of the second side wall raising portion to assist in the insertion of the insertion flap, wherein the pressing portion, from a state in which the first side wall portion is positioned above the first side wall forming guide and the bottom portion is positioned above the bottom support portion, pushes down the bottom portion along the first side wall forming guide, thereby causing the first side wall portion to be folded and raised from the first connecting portion, which is the connecting portion between the bottom end and the first side wall portion, and the insertion flap The inserting flap forming guide is pressed against the inserting flap forming guide, and the inserting flap is folded up from the flap connecting portion, which is the connection portion between the second side wall portion and the inserting flap. The second side wall raising portion pushes up the second side wall portion from below, with the bottom portion supported by the bottom support portion and the pressing portion, thereby folding up the second side wall portion from the second connecting portion, which is the connection portion between the bottom portion and the second side wall portion, and the inserting assist portion rotates the inserting flap, which has been raised from the flap connecting portion, around the second connecting portion, and the inserting assist portion,The first side wall end, which is raised from the first connecting portion, is pressed and bent to open the slit, thereby assisting in the insertion of the pivoting insert flap into the slit.

[0008] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the insertion assist part follows the rotating insertion flap, presses the tip of the insertion flap against the first side wall end, and pushes and bends the first side wall end through the tip, thereby opening the slit.

[0009] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressing portion has a first side wall support portion that faces the first side wall forming guide when the pressing portion pushes the bottom portion down to the bottom support portion, and the first side wall forming guide and the first side wall support portion support the first side wall portion in the state in which it is raised from the first connecting portion, except for the first side wall side end portion.

[0010] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressing portion has an edge retaining portion that faces the first side wall lower end, which is the lower end of the first side wall side end of the first side wall portion in the raised state when the bottom portion is pressed down to the bottom support portion, and the side surface of the edge retaining portion that faces the first side wall lower end is inclined from the bottom to the top in a direction away from the first side wall lower end.

[0011] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the insertion assist part has an insertion flap retaining guide that follows the rotating insertion flap and presses the side of the insertion flap from above when the insertion flap is inserted into the slit.

[0012] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the second side wall raising portion is a plate-shaped member whose end closest to the bottom support portion is connected to a rotating shaft and which extends horizontally from the rotating shaft in a horizontal position, and the raising speed of the second side wall portion and the rotation speed of the insert flap can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the extension from the rotating shaft.

[0013] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the end of the second side wall raising section closest to the bottom support section is connected to a rotating shaft, the insertion assist section rotates around the rotating shaft in conjunction with the driving of the second side wall raising section and is capable of following the pivoting insertion flap, and the rotational trajectory of the insertion assist section can be adjusted in accordance with the pivotal trajectory of the insertion flap by adjusting the position of the rotating shaft. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention assembles a box by folding a blank sheet at a predetermined position, comprising: a bottom portion that forms the bottom surface of the box; a first side wall portion connected to the bottom end of the bottom portion and forming a first side wall; a second side wall portion connected to the left and right ends of the bottom portion and forming a second side wall adjacent to the first side wall; and an insertion flap connected to the front and rear ends of the second side wall portion and inserted into a slit formed on the first side wall end of the first side wall portion, and further comprising: a bottom support portion that supports the bottom portion from below; a first side wall forming guide that extends upward from the front and rear sides of the bottom support portion; and the first side The device includes a pressing section that pushes the bottom surface down to the bottom support section from a position higher than the wall forming guide, a second side wall raising section provided on the side of the bottom support section that rises from a horizontal position to a vertical position centered on the end closer to the bottom support section, an insertion flap forming guide provided on the front-rear end of the second side wall raising section in the horizontal position that protrudes upward to assist in raising the insertion flap, and an insertion assist section provided on the front-rear end of the second side wall raising section in the horizontal position that slides along the front-rear direction in conjunction with the driving of the second side wall raising section to assist in inserting the insertion flap. Then, the pressing part, with the first side wall positioned above the first side wall forming guide and the bottom surface positioned above the bottom surface support, pushes the bottom surface down along the first side wall forming guide, causing the first side wall to be folded up from the first connecting part, and simultaneously presses the insertion flap against the insertion flap forming guide, causing the insertion flap to be folded up from the flap connecting part. Furthermore, with the bottom surface supported by the bottom surface support and the pressing part, the second side wall raising part pushes the second side wall from below, causing the second side wall to be folded up from the second connecting part, and simultaneously rotates the insertion flap, which has been raised from the flap connecting part, around the second connecting part. Finally, the insertion assist part pushes and bends the side end of the first side wall, which has been raised from the first connecting part, thereby opening the slit and assisting in the insertion of the rotating insertion flap into the slit. As a result, even in boxes where the assembly process includes inserting a flap into a slit to lock the side walls together, the insertion assist unit can be used to open the slit and insert the flap into the opened slit. Therefore, assembly can be done by machine without manual labor. Consequently, the entire box assembly process can be automated by machine, leading to reduced manufacturing time and lower production costs.

[0015] The box assembly device according to the present invention has an insertion assist part that follows the rotating insertion flap, pressing the tip of the insertion flap against the first side wall end, and causing the first side wall end to bend by pushing through the tip of the insertion flap, thereby opening the slit. Therefore, when the insertion assist part pushes and flexes the first side wall end via the tip of the insertion flap, the position on the first side wall end corresponding to the tip of the pivoting insertion flap will bend the most. As a result, when the tip of the insertion flap is closest to the slit formed on the first side wall end, the slit can be opened to its widest extent. Thus, with the assistance of the insertion assist part, the tip of the insertion flap can be smoothly inserted into the slit.

[0016] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention has a pressing portion which, when the bottom portion is pressed down to the bottom support portion, has a first side wall support portion that faces the first side wall forming guide, and this first side wall support portion and the first side wall forming guide support the first side wall portion in the state in which it is raised from the first connecting portion, except for the first side wall end portion. As a result, the first side wall portion, excluding the first side wall end, can be supported by the first side wall forming guide and the first side wall support portion. This prevents the other parts from bending together when the insertion assist portion pushes and bends the first side wall end. Compared to a design where the other parts are not supported, the first side wall end can be easily bent, making it easier to create a larger opening in the slit.

[0017] The box assembly apparatus according to the present invention has a pressing portion which, when the bottom portion is pressed down to the bottom support portion, has an edge retaining portion that faces the first side wall lower end, which is the lower end of the first side wall side end of the first side wall portion in the raised state, and the side surface of this edge retaining portion that faces the first side wall lower end is inclined from the bottom to the top in a direction away from the first side wall lower end. If the side surface of the edge retaining portion facing the lower end of the first side wall is not inclined, the first side wall end, which is pushed by the insertion assist portion and tries to bend, will come into contact with the edge retaining portion, making it difficult to bend it enough to open the slit. Furthermore, if one tries to forcibly bend the first side wall end that is in contact with the edge retaining portion, it may bend. However, if the side surface of the edge retaining portion facing the lower end of the first side wall is inclined from bottom to top in a direction away from the lower end of the first side wall, it is possible to prevent the first side wall end, which is pushed and tries to bend, from coming into contact with the edge retaining portion, thereby avoiding the above-mentioned situation and allowing the first side wall end to bend smoothly.

[0018] The box assembly device according to the present invention has an insertion assist section which includes an insertion flap retaining guide that follows the rotating insertion flap and presses down on the side of the insertion flap from above as the insertion flap is inserted into the slit. Therefore, as the insertion flap is inserted into the slit, the insertion flap retaining guide presses down on the side of the rotating insertion flap from above, making it possible to insert the insertion flap into the slit stably and to make the locking between the insertion flap and the slit stronger.

[0019] The box assembly device according to the present invention has a second side wall raising section, the end closest to the bottom support section connected to the rotation shaft, and a plate-shaped member that extends horizontally from the rotation shaft in a horizontal position. By adjusting the length of the extension from the rotation shaft, the raising speed of the second side wall section and the rotation speed of the insert flap can be adjusted. When the second side wall raising section rises to a vertical position around the rotation shaft, it pushes up the second side wall section from below while the upper corner of the free end, which is the end of the horizontally extending plate-shaped member that is furthest from the bottom support section, comes into contact with the second side wall section. Therefore, by relatively increasing the length of the extension from the rotation shaft of the second side wall raising section, in other words, the length from the axis of the rotation shaft to the free end, the distance traveled on the rotation trajectory of the corner section becomes longer, and the rotation speed of the corner section becomes relatively faster, which in turn allows the raising speed of the second side wall section to be increased. On the other hand, by relatively shortening the length from the axis of rotation to the free end, the distance traveled on the rotational trajectory of the corner is shortened, and the rotational speed of the corner becomes relatively slower, which in turn allows the rising speed of the second side wall to be slowed down. Therefore, by adjusting the length of the second side wall riser that protrudes from the axis of rotation (the length from the axis of rotation to the free end), the rising speed of the second side wall can be adjusted. Furthermore, by adjusting the rising speed of the second side wall, the rotational speed of the insertable flap can also be adjusted. As a result, the rotational speed of the insertable flap can be easily adjusted in accordance with the movement of the insertable auxiliary part.

[0020] In the box assembly apparatus according to the present invention, the end of the second side wall raising section closest to the bottom support section is connected to a rotating shaft, and the insertion assist section rotates around the rotating shaft in conjunction with the driving of the second side wall raising section, enabling it to follow the pivoting insertion flap. By adjusting the position of the rotating shaft, the rotational trajectory of the insertion assist section can be adjusted to correspond to the pivoting trajectory of the insertion flap. Therefore, when it is necessary to correct the rotational trajectory of the insertion assist section provided on the second side wall raising section to correspond to the pivoting trajectory of the insertion flap, the rotational trajectory of the insertion assist section can be easily adjusted simply by adjusting the position of the rotating shaft. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] (a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing an outline of an assembly process in a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a right side view showing a schematic configuration of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view showing only the main configuration of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and it is an explanatory diagram (1) for explaining a process of raising a first side wall portion and an insertion flap in a box assembly process. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view showing only the main configuration of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and it is an explanatory diagram (2) for explaining a process of raising a first side wall portion and an insertion flap in a box assembly process. [Figure 7] It is a perspective view showing only the main configuration of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and it is an explanatory diagram for explaining a process of raising a second side wall portion and inserting an insertion flap into a slit in a box assembly process. [Figure 8] (a) to (g) are enlarged perspective views for explaining an insertion assist portion in a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] (a) is an enlarged plan view showing the relationship between an insertion bar and a taper guide in an insertion assist portion of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is an enlarged front view showing the orbit of the insertion assist portion of a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] (a) to (g) are explanatory diagrams showing the orbit of an insertion assist portion and the orbit of a pivoting insertion flap in a box assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, a box assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings. Figures 1(a) to 1(d) are schematic diagrams illustrating the assembly process from the blank sheet 10 to the box 20 (Figure 1(d)) assembled using a box assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1(a), the blank sheet 10, which is formed by cutting or shaping the box 20 into an unfolded form, is arranged around the rectangular bottom portion 11 that forms the bottom of the box 20, and multiple sheets are stacked and stored. In the box assembly apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the blank sheets 10 are brought in one by one as shown in Figure 1(b), and then assembled into a box 20 by folding at predetermined positions as shown in Figures 1(c) and 1(d). Note that the blank sheet 10 is not limited to paper materials such as cardboard or paperboard, but may also be made of synthetic resin such as so-called plastic corrugated cardboard. Furthermore, in the following description, the longitudinal direction of the bottom portion 11 is defined as the front-to-back direction X, the short direction of the bottom portion 11 is defined as the left-to-right direction Y, and the thickness direction of the blank sheet 10 is defined as the up-to-down direction Z.

[0023] The blank sheet 10 has a first side wall portion 12 that surrounds the four sides of the bottom portion 11 and forms the first side walls 22, which are the front and rear side walls 21 of the box 20, and a second side wall portion 13 that forms the second side walls 23, which are the left and right side walls 21 of the box 20 and adjacent to the first side walls 22 (Figure 1(d)). Specifically, as shown in Figure 1(b), a rectangular first side wall portion 12 with the left-right direction Y as its longitudinal direction is connected to each of the bottom end portions 11a, which are the ends of the bottom portion 11 in the front-rear direction X. A slit 12b, which is a straight cut along the front-rear direction X, is formed in the first side wall end portion 12a, which is the end of each first side wall portion 12 in the left-right direction Y.

[0024] Furthermore, rectangular second side wall portions 13, with the front-to-back direction X as the longitudinal direction, are connected to each of the left-to-right ends Y of the bottom portion 11. Insertable flaps 14, which protrude forward or backward from the second side wall portion 13, are connected to the front-to-back end X of each second side wall portion 13. The blank sheet 10, which has a bottom portion 11, a first side wall portion 12, and a second side wall portion 13, can be folded up by valley folding each first side wall portion 12 from the first connecting portion 15, which is the connection portion between the bottom end portion 11a and the first side wall portion 12, thereby forming the first side wall 22 of the box 20 (Figure 1(c)). Similarly, when each second side wall portion 13 is folded up by valley folding from the second connecting portion 16, which is the connection portion between the bottom portion 11 and the second side wall portion 13, the second side wall 23 of the box 20 can be formed by each second side wall portion 13 (Figure 1(d)). Note that the lower end of the first side wall side end portion 12a of each first side wall portion 12 in the raised state corresponds to the lower end portion 12c of the first side wall (Figure 1(c)).

[0025] In the process of raising the first side wall portion 12, as shown in Figure 1(c), as the first side wall portion 12 is raised, the insert flap 14 is folded in a valley fold and raised from the flap connection portion 17, which is the connection portion between the second side wall portion 13 and the insert flap 14. Furthermore, in the process of raising the second side wall portion 13, as shown in Figure 1(d), as the second side wall portion 13 is raised, the insert flap 14, which is raised from the flap connection portion 17, rotates around the second connection portion 16 and is inserted into the slit 12b formed in the first side wall end portion 12a of the first side wall portion 12. When the insert flap 14 is inserted into the slit 12b in this way, the hook-shaped tip portion 14a of the insert flap 14 is locked into the slit 12b. As a result, the first side wall portion 12 and the second side wall portion 13, which are in an upright position, are held in that position, thereby forming the first side wall 22 and the second side wall 23 and completing the box 20.

[0026] Figures 2 to 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the schematic configuration of a box assembly device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a right side view of the box assembly device 1, Figure 3 is a front view of the box assembly device 1, and Figure 4 is a top view of the box assembly device 1. The box assembly device 1 transports blank sheets 10, which have been brought in from the rear side of the box assembly device 1 (right side in Figures 2 and 4), one sheet at a time to the front side of the box assembly device 1 (left side in Figures 2 and 4), where it folds various parts and assembles a box 20 as shown in Figure 1(d). The assembled box 20 can then be transported out of the box assembly device 1 by a transport means 30 (Figures 2 and 3), such as a belt conveyor, which is provided on the underside of the box assembly device 1.

[0027] Furthermore, the box assembly device 1 mainly includes a bottom support section 2 that supports the bottom section 11 from below, a first side wall forming guide 3 that assists in folding and raising the first side wall section 12, a pressing section 4 which is a frame for raising the first side wall section 12 together with the first side wall forming guide 3, a second side wall raising section 5 that folds and raises the second side wall section 13, an insertion flap forming guide 6 that assists in folding and raising the insertion flap 14, and an insertion assist section 7 that assists in inserting the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b.Therefore, below, each component will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 5 to 10 which illustrate only the main components of the box assembly device 1 described above.

[0028] The bottom support section 2 has two front bottom support sections 2a arranged in parallel with a gap between them on the left and right sides at the front of the box assembly device 1, and two rear bottom support sections 2b arranged in parallel with a gap between them on the left and right sides at the rear of the box assembly device 1 (Figure 5, etc.). Each front bottom support section 2a and each rear bottom support section 2b are rectangular plate-shaped members with the front-to-back direction X as their longitudinal direction, and they support at least the four corners of the bottom section 11, which is pushed down from above by the pressing section 4 described later, from below. Specifically, each front bottom support section 2a is arranged to support the left and right ends of the front bottom end 11a of the bottom section 11, and each rear bottom support section 2b is arranged to support the left and right ends of the rear bottom end 11a of the bottom section 11. Furthermore, the bottom support section 2 is equipped with a drive device (not shown) such as an actuator for moving each of the front bottom support sections 2a and each of the rear bottom support sections 2b. Therefore, after the box 20 is completed, the front bottom support sections 2a are moved diagonally downward so as to separate from each other, and the rear bottom support sections 2b are also moved diagonally downward so as to separate from each other, thereby allowing the box 20 to be dropped into the transport means 30 provided below the bottom support section 2. Once this is done, the box 20 can be automatically transported out by the transport means 30. Furthermore, the method for dropping the box 20 to the transport means 30 is not limited to the method of moving each front bottom support 2a and each rear bottom support 2b as described above. For example, each front bottom support 2a and each rear bottom support 2b may be provided to be rotatable downwards like double doors, and the box 20 may be dropped into the transport means 30 by rotating them from a horizontal position (Figure 5, etc.) supporting the bottom surface 11 to a vertical position. Note that the above-mentioned "horizontal position" and "vertical position" do not mean only perfectly horizontal or vertical, respectively, but also include positions that are roughly close to horizontal and positions that are roughly close to vertical.

[0029] A first sidewall forming guide 3 is provided on the side of the bottom support portion 2 in the front-rear direction X, extending upward. The first sidewall forming guide 3 is a plate-shaped member with the left-right direction Y as the thickness direction, and consists of two front first sidewall forming guides 3a provided in front of the front bottom support portion 2a, and two rear first sidewall forming guides 3b provided behind the rear bottom support portion 2b. Each front first sidewall forming guide 3a is arranged in parallel with a gap between them, and in front of these front bottom support portions 2a. In other words, as shown in Figure 3, each front first sidewall forming guide 3a is positioned between the left and right first sidewall end portions 12a, facing each other except for the left and right first sidewall end portions 12a of the first sidewall portion 12 in its raised state. Furthermore, each rear first side wall forming guide 3b is arranged in parallel with a gap between them, between each rear bottom support portion 2b, and behind these rear bottom support portions 2b. In other words, each rear first side wall forming guide 3b is also arranged between the left and right first side wall end portions 12a, facing the left and right first side wall end portions 12a of the first side wall portion 12 in its raised state. Each front first side wall forming guide 3a is formed in an arc shape, curving forward towards the upper end portion 3c above the height position where the bottom support portion 2 is provided, and each rear first side wall forming guide 3b is formed in an arc shape, curving backward towards the upper end portion 3d above the height position where the bottom support portion 2 is provided (Figure 2, etc.).

[0030] The pressing part 4 is fixed to a lifting device 40 equipped with a drive device such as an actuator, and is a frame that moves up and down from a predetermined position higher than the upper ends 3c, 3d of the first side wall forming guide 3 to the upper surface of the bottom support part 2. Specifically, it contacts the bottom end 11a of the bottom part 11 and pushes the bottom part 11 down to the upper surface of the bottom support part 2. The pressing part 4 comprises a central plate 4a, which is a plate-shaped member fixed to the lifting device 40 and extending along the front-rear direction X; a front plate part 4b and a rear plate part 4c, which are plate-shaped members extending along the left-right direction Y from the front and rear ends of the central plate 4a; a first side wall support part 4d and a second side wall forming auxiliary part 4e, which are plate-shaped members provided on the front plate part 4b and the rear plate part 4c respectively and extending downward; and an edge retaining part 4f, which is fixed straddling the lower end of the first side wall support part 4d and the lower end of the second side wall forming auxiliary part 4e. The pressing part 4 pushes down the bottom end 11a along the first side wall forming guide 3 from a state where the first side wall portion 12 of the blank sheet 10 is positioned above the upper ends 3c,3d of the first side wall forming guide 3, and the bottom end 11a of the blank sheet 10 is positioned above the bottom support portion 2. This allows the first side wall portion 12 to be folded and raised from the first connecting portion 15 in the direction of arrow A1 shown in Figure 5, and then in the direction of arrow A2 shown in Figure 6.

[0031] The first side wall support portion 4d is formed in a rectangular shape with the front-to-back direction X as the thickness direction and the up-to-down direction Z as the longitudinal direction. Two first side wall support portions 4d are provided at the front end of the front plate portion 4b and the rear end of the rear plate portion 4c, spaced apart on the left and right. Specifically, two first side wall support portions 4d are fixed to the front end of the front plate portion 4b, positioned to face each front first side wall forming guide 3a, and two first side wall support portions 4d are fixed to the rear end of the rear plate portion 4c, positioned to face each rear first side wall forming guide 3b. Furthermore, the first side wall support portions 4d are positioned to face the first side wall forming guide 3 when the bottom end portion 11a is pushed down to the bottom support portion 2 by the pressing portion 4. Specifically, the first side wall support portion 4d is positioned between the left and right first side wall end portions 12a, facing the left and right first side wall end portions 12a of the first side wall portion 12 in the raised state, similar to the first side wall forming guide 3. When the bottom end portion 11a of the blank sheet 10 is pushed down to the bottom support portion 2 as described above, the lower end of the first side wall support portion 4d comes into contact with the front end of the front bottom end portion 11a and the rear end of the rear bottom end portion 11a as the lifting device 40 is driven, pushing down the bottom end portion 11a along the first side wall forming guide 3. When the bottom end portion 11a is pushed down by the lower end of the first side wall support portion 4d, the first side wall portion 12 guided by the first side wall forming guide 3 is raised from the first connecting portion 15 in a valley fold. Subsequently, the area of ​​the first side wall portion 12 in its raised state, excluding the first side wall end portion 12a, that is, the area between the left and right first side wall end portions 12a of the first side wall portion 12 in its raised state, is supported by the first side wall forming guide 3 and the first side wall support portion 4d.

[0032] The second side wall forming assist portion 4e is formed in a rectangular shape with the left-right direction Y as the thickness direction and the up-down direction Z as the longitudinal direction. One second side wall forming assist portion 4e is provided at each of the left and right ends of the front plate portion 4b, and one at each of the left and right ends of the rear plate portion 4c. The lower end of each second side wall forming assist portion 4e abuts against the left and right ends of the front bottom edge 11a and the left and right ends of the rear bottom edge 11a when pushing down the bottom edge 11a of the blank sheet 10 to the bottom support portion 2, thereby assisting in pushing down the bottom edge 11a. Furthermore, when the second side wall portion 13 is raised by the second side wall raising portion 5, which will be described later, the second side wall forming assist portion 4e faces the second side wall raising portion 5, which has been raised to a vertical position, and assists in raising and forming the second side wall portion 13. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, each second side wall forming auxiliary portion 4e is positioned inward in the front-rear direction X by the thickness of the first side wall support portion 4d compared to the first side wall support portion 4d. Therefore, when the first side wall end portion 12a of the raised first side wall portion 12 is bent as described later, the bent first side wall end portion 12a does not come into contact with the second side wall forming auxiliary portion 4e, so the first side wall end portion 12a can be bent without force. This makes it easier to open the slit 12b formed in the first side wall end portion 12a.

[0033] The edge retaining portion 4f is a member whose vertical direction Z is the thickness direction and whose horizontal direction Y is the longitudinal direction, and the cross section obtained by cutting along its longitudinal direction is formed in a trapezoidal shape. The edge retaining portions 4f are provided corresponding to the four corners of the bottom surface portion 11, and are positioned to face the lower end portion 12c of the first side wall at each raised first side wall end portion 12a (Figure 1(d)) when the bottom surface end portion 11a is pushed down to the bottom surface support portion 2. The edge retaining portions 4f assist in raising and forming the first side wall portion 12 and the second side wall portion 13 by pressing down the four corners of the bottom surface portion 11 when the bottom surface end portion 11a is pushed down to the bottom surface support portion 2. Furthermore, the edge retaining portion 4f has a trapezoidal cross-section when its longitudinal direction is cut, and the side surface 4g facing the lower end 12c of the first side wall when the bottom end 11a is pushed down to the bottom support portion 2 is inclined from the bottom to the top in a direction away from the lower end 12c of the first side wall. This inclined side surface 4g allows the first side wall end 12a, which is pushed and bent by the insertion assist portion 7 described later, to bend without contacting the edge retaining portion 4f, thus allowing the first side wall end 12a to bend without undue force. In addition, the shape of the cross-section when the longitudinal direction of the edge retaining portion 4f is cut is not limited to the trapezoidal shape described above, but may be other polygonal shapes such as a triangular shape. However, when the side surface 4g facing the lower end 12c of the first side wall is inclined in a direction away from the lower end 12c of the first side wall, a trapezoidal or triangular shape is preferable. Furthermore, in the pressing portion 4, the lower end of the first side wall support portion 4d, the lower end of the second side wall forming auxiliary portion 4e, and the lower end of the edge pressing portion 4f are all positioned at the same height, so all of these components press down on the bottom edge portion 11a.

[0034] The second side wall support portion 5 is a plate-shaped member with the vertical direction Z as the thickness direction and the front-to-back direction X as the longitudinal direction. In the left-to-right direction Y, one second side wall support portion 5 is provided on each side of the bottom support portion 2, sandwiching the front bottom support portion 2a and the rear bottom support portion 2b, which are the bottom support portion 2. Specifically, the second side wall support portion 5 is composed of a right second side wall support portion 5a located to the right of the bottom support portion 2 (to the right of the front bottom support portion 2a and the rear bottom support portion 2b located on the right side) and a left second side wall support portion 5b located to the left of the bottom support portion 2 (to the left of the front bottom support portion 2a and the rear bottom support portion 2b located on the left side). The end of the right second side wall support portion 5a and the left second side wall support portion 5b, which is closer to the bottom support portion 2, is connected to the rotation axis 8a, and they are formed as plate-shaped members that extend horizontally laterally from the rotation axis 8a. Therefore, the right second side wall raising portion 5a and the left second side wall raising portion 5b are each formed with the end furthest from the bottom support portion 2 as a free end, and are rotatably mounted around the end closest to the bottom support portion 2.

[0035] Furthermore, the right second side wall raising section 5a and the left second side wall raising section 5b are supported from below by a drive device 8 such as an actuator. As the drive device 8 is driven, they can be raised from a horizontal position (Figures 5 and 6) positioned at the same height as the bottom support section 2 to a vertical position (Figure 7) by rotating approximately 90 degrees around the end closer to the bottom support section 2 (rotation axis 8a). Therefore, when the drive device 8 is driven with the bottom end 11a, which is pushed down from above by the pressing part 4, supported by the bottom support part 2 and the pressing part 4, and with each second side wall portion 13 resting on the right second side wall raising portion 5a and the left second side wall raising portion 5b respectively, the right second side wall raising portion 5a and the left second side wall raising portion 5b, which are in a horizontal position, rise up to a vertical position, pushing the second side wall portion 13 up from below in the direction of arrow A3 shown in Figure 7, and allowing the second side wall portion 13 to be folded and raised from the second connecting portion 16. In addition, when the drive device 8 is driven to raise the right second side wall raising portion 5a and the left second side wall raising portion 5b, the insert flap 14, which is raised from the flap connecting portion 17, can be rotated around the second connecting portion 16 along with the raising of the second side wall portion 13.

[0036] Furthermore, the right second side wall raising section 5a and the left second side wall raising section 5b each have a front end 5c that extends forward from the front end of the front bottom support section 2a and a rear end 5d that extends backward from the rear end of the rear bottom support section 2b. In the horizontal position, the right second side wall raising section 5a and the left second side wall raising section 5b are fixed above the front end 5c and above the rear end 5d, respectively, where the insert flap forming guide 6 and the insert assist section 7, which will be described later, are fixed. Furthermore, the "horizontal posture" and "vertical posture" in the second side wall support section 5 do not mean exactly horizontal or vertical, respectively, as in the case of the bottom support section 2 described above, but rather include postures that are roughly close to horizontal and postures that are roughly close to vertical.

[0037] Furthermore, it is preferable that the right second side wall raising portion 5a and the left second side wall raising portion 5b be configured to allow adjustment of the length they extend from the rotation shaft 8a. Specifically, although not shown in the figures, for example, each of the right second side wall raising portion 5a and the left second side wall raising portion 5b is constructed using two or more plate-shaped members, and these plate-shaped members are connected so as to be slidable in the direction they extend from the rotation shaft 8a using fasteners such as screws and connecting members having elongated holes through which these fasteners pass, or connecting parts such as slide rails equipped with a locking mechanism, thereby allowing adjustment of the length they extend from the rotation shaft 8a. The length that extends from the rotation shaft 8a, specifically the length D1 (Figure 9(b)) from the axis 8b of the rotation shaft 8a to the free end portion 5e, which is the end furthest from the bottom support portion 2, can be arbitrarily adjusted. With this configuration, in the box assembly device 1, the rising speed of the second side wall 13 and the rotation speed of the insert flap 14 can be adjusted simply by adjusting the length (length D1 from the axis 8b to the free end 5e) of the second side wall raising section 5 (right second side wall raising section 5a and left second side wall raising section 5b) that extends from the rotation axis 8a. The mechanism for this will be described later. In addition to configuring the length (length D1 from the axis 8b to the free end 5e) of the second side wall raising section 5 to extend from the rotation axis 8a as described above by slidably connecting two or more plate-shaped members, the adjustment can also be made by, for example, adjusting the connection position with the rotation axis 8a or by using the right second side wall raising section 5a and left second side wall raising section 5b of different sizes.

[0038] As described above, the insertable flap forming guide 6 is an L-shaped member fixed on the front end 5c and rear end 5d of the second side wall raising portion 5 in a horizontal position. The insertable flap forming guide 6 has a plate-shaped fixing portion 6a fixed on the front end 5c and rear end 5d, and a plate-shaped forming portion 6b that extends upward from the end of the fixing portion 6a (Figure 8(a)), and the cross section is formed in an L shape by these fixing portion 6a and forming portion 6b. Furthermore, the insertable flap forming guide 6 on the front end 5c and the insertable flap forming guide 6 on the rear end 5d are fixed with their forming portions 6b facing each other. In addition, the insertable flap forming guide 6 on the front end 5c and the insertable flap forming guide 6 on the rear end 5d are positioned such that the distance between the opposing forming portions 6b is slightly longer than the total length in the front-rear direction X of the second side wall portion 13 of the blank sheet 10.

[0039] Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, when the bottom end 11a is pushed down to the bottom support portion 2 by the pressing portion 4, the second side wall portion 13 fits between the insertion flap forming guide 6 on the front end 5c and the insertion flap forming guide 6 on the rear end 5d, and the insertion flap 14 is pressed against the upper end of the forming portion 6b (insertion flap forming guide 6) and is folded up from the flap connecting portion 17. At this time, since the distance between the opposing forming portions 6b is slightly longer than the total length of the second side wall portion 13 in the front-rear direction X, the insertion flap 14 pressed against the forming portion 6b does not rise vertically from the flap connecting portion 17, but is raised in a state that is slightly inclined outward in the front-rear direction X. In this case, when the raised insertion flap 14 rotates around the second connecting portion 16, it is avoided from hitting the raised first side wall portion 12, and the insertion flap 14 can be rotated smoothly. Furthermore, the insertable flap forming guide 6 does not have to be L-shaped; as long as it has a portion that protrudes upward, such as the forming section 6b, it may be, for example, a polygonal prism-shaped member with a triangular or square cross-section laid on its side.

[0040] The insertion support portion 7 is provided on the front end portion 5c and the rear end portion 5d of the horizontally positioned second side wall raising portion 5. To explain the insertion support portion 7 using, for example, the insertion support portion 7 fixed to the front end portion 5c of the right second side wall raising portion 5a shown in Figure 8(a) as an example, comprises a rectangular prism-shaped mounting base 7a that protrudes upward, an insertion bar 7b passed through a through hole (not shown) that penetrates the upper part of the mounting base 7a in the front-rear direction X, and a spring 7c which is an elastic member for biasing the insertion bar 7b outward in the front-rear direction X (forward in the case of the insertion support portion 7 fixed to the front end portion 5c of the right second side wall raising portion 5a shown in Figure 8(a)), with a shaft portion 7d passed through its inside. Each mounting base 7a is fixed at the front end 5c of the second side wall raising section 5 slightly forward of the fixing portion 6a of the insertable flap forming guide 6 fixed to the front end 5c, and at the rear end 5d of the second side wall raising section 5 slightly rearward of the fixing portion 6a of the insertable flap forming guide 6 fixed to the rear end 5d.

[0041] The insertion bar 7b is a cylindrical member with its axis oriented in the front-rear direction X, and is passed through a through hole in the mounting base 7a. It slides along the front-rear direction X as the second side wall raising portion 5 is raised (driven). The insertion bar 7b has a shaft portion 7d that passes through the through hole, a flap contact portion 7e which is one end of the shaft portion 7d in the front-rear direction X and has a larger outer diameter than the shaft portion 7d, and a guide contact portion 7f which is the other end of the shaft portion 7d and has a larger outer diameter than the shaft portion 7d. The tip of the flap contact portion 7e is chamfered and has a flap contact surface 7g which contacts the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14 raised by the insertion flap forming guide 6 when the insertion bar 7b slides along the front-rear direction X (Figures 8(a) and 9(a)). As the second side wall raising portion 5 rises, the flap contact surface 7g contacts the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14, pushing the first side wall end portion 12a via the tip portion 14a and causing the first side wall end portion 12a to flex. This flexing of the first side wall end portion 12a allows the slit 12b to open, thus assisting in the insertion of the tip portion 14a (insertion flap 14) into the slit 12b. Furthermore, as will be described later, the insertion bar 7b follows the insertion flap 14, bringing the flap contact surface 7g into contact with the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14. The chamfered flap contact surface 7g allows for smooth contact without catching on the insertion flap 14. On the other hand, the guide contact portion 7f has a hemispherical tip and contacts the tapered guide 9 for sliding the insertion bar 7b as the second side wall raising portion 5 is raised (driven).

[0042] As shown in Figure 9(a), the tapered guide 9 is a pentagonal prism-shaped member whose plan view is a home plate-shaped pentagon, and is provided next to each insertion support portion 7, specifically inward in the left-right direction Y from the guide contact portion 7f of the insertion bar 7b (Figures 5 to 7). For example, the tapered guide 9 corresponding to the insertion support portion 7 fixed to the front end portion 5c of the right second side wall riser portion 5a shown in Figure 9(a) has a tapered portion 9a that protrudes toward the rear in the front-rear direction X. The tapered portion 9a is formed in a tapered shape that protrudes toward the rear from both the left and right ends of the tapered guide 9. Specifically, the tapered portion 9a has a first inclined surface 9c that slopes from the right end of the tapered guide 9 to the flat portion 9b which is the rear end of the tapered portion 9a, and a second inclined surface 9d that slopes from the flat portion 9b to the left end of the tapered guide 9. Furthermore, the shape of the tapered guide 9 is not limited to a pentagonal prism shape which is a symmetrical pentagon in plan view, but can be any other polygonal prism shape, such as a triangular prism, as long as it is formed in a tapered shape that extends toward the rear and has a flat surface 9b, a first inclined surface 9c, and a second inclined surface 9d.

[0043] Then, as shown in Figure 9(b), when the drive device 8 is driven and the mounting base 7a of the insertion assist part 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A4 as the second side wall raising part 5 is raised (driven), as shown in Figure 9(a), the guide contact part 7f of the insertion bar 7b that is passed through the mounting base 7a comes into contact with the first inclined surface 9c, the flat part 9b and the second inclined surface 9d of the tapered part 9a, thereby allowing the insertion bar 7b to slide along the first inclined surface 9c, the flat part 9b and the second inclined surface 9d in the front-rear direction X. Specifically, when the mounting base 7a starts to rotate as the second side wall raising part 5 is raised, the guide contact part 7f of the insertion bar 7b first comes into contact with the first inclined surface 9c of the tapered part 9a. As the second side wall raising section 5 continues to stand upright, the mounting base 7a also continues to rotate, pushing the insertion bar 7b toward the rear as it is pushed toward the first inclined surface 9c. Subsequently, when the guide contact section 7f reaches the flat section 9b of the tapered section 9a, the insertion bar 7b is pushed toward its furthest rearward position. Furthermore, when the guide contact section 7f exceeds the flat section 9b of the tapered section 9a, the restoring force of the spring 7c, which had been compressed by the rearward sliding of the insertion bar 7b, causes the insertion bar 7b to slide toward the front while keeping the guide contact section 7f in contact with the second inclined surface 9d. In this way, the insertion bar 7b slides along the front-rear direction X due to the pushing force from the tapered section 9a of the tapered guide 9 and the restoring force of the spring 7c. Furthermore, the spring 7c that biases the insertion bar 7b outward in the front-rear direction X (forward in the case of the insertion auxiliary part 7 fixed to the front end 5c of the right second side wall raising part 5a shown in Figure 9(a)) may be replaced with other elastic members such as rubber or other mechanisms using compressed air, as long as they can generate a force that biases the insertion bar 7b.

[0044] Furthermore, as described above, the insertion bar 7b, which slides along the front-rear direction X, has its flap contact surface 7g of the flap contact portion 7e come into contact with the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14, and through this tip portion 14a, pushes and bends the first side wall end portion 12a of the first side wall portion 12, which is raised from the first connecting portion 15. Specifically, as shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(g) and 10(a) to 10(g), the insertion bar 7b, which is pushed out by the first inclined surface 9c and the flat portion 9b of the tapered portion 9a, comes into contact with the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14, which rotates around the second connecting portion 16, as the mounting base 7a of the insertion auxiliary portion 7 begins to rotate in conjunction with the raising (driving) of the second side wall raising portion 5. Therefore, when the guide contact portion 7f of the insertion bar 7b comes into contact with the first inclined surface 9c of the tapered portion 9a, and the insertion bar 7b is pushed out and begins to slide backward, the flap contact surface 7g of the flap contact portion 7e begins to come into contact with the tip portion 14a, as shown in Figures 8(b) and 10(b).

[0045] Subsequently, when the tilt of the mounting base 7a and insertion bar 7b exceeds approximately 30 degrees (Figures 8(c) and 10(c)), the flap contact surface 7g of the insertion bar 7b, which is pushed significantly backward, begins to press the tip 14a of the rotating insertion flap 14 against the first side wall end 12a. Then, in the state shown in Figures 10(d) to 10(e), as shown in Figures 8(d) to 8(e), the tip 14a is pressed against the first side wall end 12a by the flap contact surface 7g, causing the first side wall end 12a to begin to bend. When the tip 14a of the rotating insertion flap 14 is inserted into the slit 12b (Figures 8(e) and 10(e)), the first side wall end 12a is bent to its greatest extent, allowing the slit 12b to open wide. This allows the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14, which rotates in conjunction with the raising of the second side wall raising section 5, to be easily inserted into the slit 12b. In this way, the insertion assist section 7 can assist in inserting the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b by the insertion bar 7b, which slides in the front-rear direction X in conjunction with the raising (driving) of the second side wall raising section 5. In this embodiment of the box assembly device 1, an example was shown in which the flap contact surface 7g begins to press the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 against the first side wall end 12a when the inclination of the mounting base 7a and the insertion bar 7b exceeds approximately 30 degrees, but the inclination at which the flap contact surface 7g begins to press the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 against the first side wall end 12a is arbitrary. Furthermore, when pressing the tip portion 14a against the first side wall end portion 12a to flex the first side wall end portion 12a, as shown in Figure 7, the first side wall portion 12 is supported by the first side wall support portion 4d and the first side wall forming guide 3, except for the first side wall end portion 12a. Therefore, only the first side wall end portion 12a can be easily flexed. As a result, the slit 12b can be opened wider compared to a case where only the first side wall end portion 12a is supported.

[0046] Then, after the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 begins to be inserted into the slit 12b of the first side wall end 12a, the second side wall raising part 5 rises further and the mounting base 7a of the insertion assist part 7 continues to rotate, causing the insertion bar 7b to begin sliding forward due to the restoring force of the spring 7c (Figure 9(a)), and the flap contact surface 7g separates from the tip 14a. At this point, the pressure of the tip 14a against the first side wall end 12a is released, and the deflection of the first side wall end 12a is eliminated. At this time, the flap contact surface 7g begins to separate from the tip 14a when the inclination of the mounting base 7a and insertion bar 7b exceeds approximately 65 degrees. In this embodiment of the box assembly apparatus 1, an example was shown in which the flap contact surface 7g begins to separate from the tip portion 14a when the inclination of the mounting base 7a and insertion bar 7b exceeds approximately 65 degrees. However, the inclination at which the flap contact surface 7g begins to separate from the tip portion 14a is arbitrary. Then, after going through the states shown in Figure 8(f) and Figure 10(f), when the second side wall raising section 5 is raised until it is vertical, as shown in Figure 8(g) and Figure 10(g), the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 is fully inserted into the slit 12b, and the insertion flap 14 and the slit 12b are locked together.

[0047] In the insertion assist section 7, as shown in Figures 10(a) to 10(g), the mounting base 7a and insertion bar 7b are positioned so that the trajectory of the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14 and the trajectory of the flap contact surface 7g do not coincide. As a result, the flap contact surface 7g of the insertion bar 7b, which rotates to follow the tip portion 14a, contacts the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14 near the side portion 14b. This prevents the flap contact surface 7g from contacting the slit 12b before the tip portion 14a of the rotating insertion flap 14, allowing the tip portion 14a to be smoothly inserted into the slit 12b.

[0048] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(g), the insertion assist part 7 has an insertion flap retaining guide 7h, which is a plate-shaped member that protrudes from the mounting base 7a in the direction in which the flap contact part 7e protrudes. The insertion flap retaining guide 7h rotates together with the mounting base 7a and follows the pivoting insertion flap 14, pressing down on the side portion 14b of the insertion flap 14 from above to assist in inserting the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b. Specifically, when the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14 is inserted into the slit 12b, as shown in Figures 8(g) and 10(g), the insertion flap retaining guide 7h, which rotates together with the mounting base 7a as the second side wall raising part 5 is raised (driven), presses down on the side portion 14b of the insertion flap 14 from above until it is horizontal, assisting in inserting it into the slit 12b. In particular, in the states shown in Figures 8(f) and 8(g), and Figures 10(f) and 10(g), the flap contact surface 7g of the flap contact portion 7e of the insertion bar 7b is separated from the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14 (Figure 9(a)). Therefore, by assisting the insertion of the tip portion 14a with the insertion flap retaining guide 7h, the tip portion 14a can be firmly inserted into the slit 12b. Furthermore, if the blank sheet 10 is made of relatively thin paper such as cardboard, the rigidity of the insertion flap 14 may change due to temperature and humidity, and the rotating insertion flap 14 may bend due to the resistance force when it comes into contact with the first side wall end 12a around the slit 12b, making it impossible to fully insert the tip 14a into the slit 12b. However, the insertion flap retaining guide 7h presses down on the side 14b of the insertion flap 14 from above when inserting the tip 14a into the slit 12b, allowing the tip 14a to be stably inserted into the slit 12b. In addition, by pressing down on the side 14b of the rotating insertion flap 14 from above to securely insert the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b, the locking between the insertion flap 14 and the slit 12b can be made stronger. Note that "until horizontal" does not only mean becoming perfectly horizontal, but also includes the side 14b being in a state that is approximately horizontal.Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(a), the tip 7i of the insert flap retaining guide 7h is formed to protrude beyond the molding portion 6b of the insert flap molding guide 6, and to a length that does not come into contact with the first side wall end portion 12a when it is raised when rotated together with the mounting base 7a.

[0049] Furthermore, in the box assembly apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, as described above, the insertion auxiliary section 7 having an insertion bar 7b and an insertion flap retaining guide 7h can rotate around the rotation axis 8a in conjunction with the raising (driving) of the second side wall raising section 5, and can follow the pivoting insertion flap 14. At this time, the rotational trajectory of the tip 14a of the rotating insertable flap 14 is determined by the size and position of the insertable flap 14 on the blank sheet 10. Specifically, it is determined by, for example, the length from the flap connecting portion 17 to the tip 14a of the insertable flap 14, and the distance from the second connecting portion 16 to the position where the insertable flap 14 is installed. On the other hand, the rotational trajectory of the insertion support part 7, for example, the rotational (swiveling) trajectory of the insertion bar 7b provided on the insertion support part 7, is determined by the height H1 from the upper surface of the second side wall support part 5 (right second side wall support part 5a) to which the mounting base 7a is fixed in the vertical direction Z to the axis 7j of the insertion bar 7b, and the length D2 from the position of the axis 8b of the rotation shaft 8a to which the second side wall support part 5 (right second side wall support part 5a) is connected to the position of the axis 7j of the insertion bar 7b in the left-right direction Y. The height H1 and length D2 are calculated by geometric calculation to determine the optimal dimensions for the design and are determined on the design drawing.

[0050] However, in order to partially overlap the rotational (rotational) trajectory of the tip portion 14a and the rotational (rotational) trajectory of the insertion bar 7b, so that the insertion bar 7b can catch up with the tip portion 14a of the rotating insertion flap 14 and stably bring the flap contact surface 7g of the insertion bar 7b into contact with the tip portion 14a of the insertion flap 14, it may be necessary to adjust the rotational trajectory of the insertion bar 7b. In such cases, the positional relationship between the second connecting portion 16, which is the center of the rotational trajectory of the insertion flap 14, and the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a to which the second side wall raising portion 5 (right second side wall raising portion 5a in Figure 9(b)) is connected, specifically the position of the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a relative to the second connecting portion 16, becomes important. Therefore, in the box assembly device 1, the rotating shaft 8a is configured to be movable along the left-right direction Y and the up-down direction Z, and the second side wall raising section 5 connected to the rotating shaft 8a, the insertion flap forming guide 6 and insertion assist section 7 fixed to the second side wall raising section 5, and the drive device 8 supporting the second side wall raising section 5 are configured as a single integrated unit, and this entire unit is configured to move in conjunction with the movement of the rotating shaft 8a. As a result, by adjusting the position of the axis 8b of the rotating shaft 8a relative to the second connecting section 16, specifically, the height H2 from the position of the second connecting section 16 to the position of the axis 8b in the up-down direction Z, and the length D3 from the position of the second connecting section 16 to the position of the axis 8b in the left-right direction Y, it becomes possible to adjust the rotational trajectory of the insertion assist section 7, in particular the rotational (rotational) trajectory of the insertion bar 7b, in accordance with the rotational trajectory of the tip section 14a.

[0051] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the flap contact surface 7g of the insertion bar 7b stably contacts the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14, and that the side portion 14b of the insertion flap 14 is stably held down by the insertion flap retaining guide 7h, it is necessary to adjust the rotational speed of the tip 14a in accordance with the rotational speed of the insertion auxiliary part 7 (insertion bar 7b). In particular, in the box assembly device 1, the insertion auxiliary part 7 rotates to follow the rotating insertion flap 14, and the insertion bar 7b catches up with the tip 14a so that the flap contact surface 7g contacts the tip 14a. Therefore, adjusting the rotational speed of the tip 14a is important. Therefore, in the box assembly device 1, the rotation speed of the rotating insert flap 14 can be easily adjusted to match the rotation speed of the insert assist part 7. Specifically, taking the right second side wall raising part 5a shown in Figure 9(b) as an example, in the box assembly device 1, when the right second side wall raising part 5a (second side wall raising part 5) rises from a horizontal position to a vertical position around the end (rotation axis 8a) on the side closer to the bottom support part 2, the upper corner 5f of the free end 5e, which is the end of the right second side wall raising part 5a that is farther from the bottom support part 2, comes into contact with the second side wall part 13, pushing up the second side wall part 13 from below and raising it. Here, by relatively increasing the length of the right second side wall extension 5a (second side wall extension 5) that extends from the rotation axis 8a, that is, the length D1 from the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a to the free end 5e, the distance traveled by the corner 5f on the rotational trajectory, that is, the distance traveled on the circumference of the virtual circle VC centered on the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a, becomes longer, and the rotational speed of the corner 5f can be relatively increased. This allows the rising speed of the second side wall 13 to be increased. On the other hand, by relatively shortening the length D1 from the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a to the free end 5e, the distance traveled by the corner 5f on the rotational trajectory (distance traveled on the circumference of the virtual circle VC) becomes shorter, and the rotational speed of the corner 5f can be relatively decreased. This allows the rising speed of the second side wall 13 to be decreased. Therefore, by configuring the length of the right second side wall raising section 5a (second side wall raising section 5) that extends from the rotation axis 8a (length D1 from the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a to the free end 5e) to be adjustable, it becomes possible to adjust the raising speed of the second side wall section 13 and the rotation speed of the insertion flap 14. In this way, the raising speed of the second side wall section 13 and the rotation speed of the insertion flap 14 can be easily adjusted so that the insertion bar 7b and the insertion flap retaining guide 7h can catch up with the insertion flap 14 in accordance with the movement of the insertion assist section 7 and assist in inserting it into the slit 12b. In the above explanation, we mainly used the right second side wall raising section 5a as an example to describe the insertion assist section 7 fixed to the front end 5c, the tapered guide 9 corresponding to this insertion assist section 7, the adjustment of the length protruding from the rotation axis 8a in the second side wall raising section 5 (the length D1 from the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a to the free end 5e), and the adjustment of the rotational trajectory of the insertion bar 7b (insertion assist section 7). However, the same applies to the other insertion assist sections 7, the corresponding tapered guides 9, the second side wall raising section 5, etc., so their explanations will be omitted.

[0052] The box assembly device 1 is configured as described above. Next, the operation of the box assembly device 1 will be explained. In the box assembly device 1, blank sheets 10 are stacked and stored on a sheet supply table (not shown) as shown in Figure 1(a). These stacked blank sheets 10 are transported one by one by a transport roller (not shown) as shown in Figure 1(b) and positioned as shown in Figure 5. Specifically, while remaining horizontal, the blank sheet 10 is positioned in the vertical direction Z between the pressing part 4 and the first side wall forming guide 3 such that the first side wall portion 12 is positioned above the first side wall forming guide 3 and the bottom end portion 11a is positioned above the bottom support portion 2. Then, the lifting device 40 is driven to lower the pressing part 4, and the pressing part 4 pushes down the bottom end portion 11a along the first side wall forming guide 3. As a result, the first side wall support portion 4d and the first side wall forming guide 3 cause the first side wall portion 12 to be folded up from the first connecting portion 15 in the direction of arrow A1 in Figure 5 and arrow A2 in Figure 6. Furthermore, the four corners of the bottom surface 11 are firmly pressed by the edge retaining portion 4f of the pressing portion 4 and the bottom surface support portion 2, so that the first side wall portion 12 is formed as the first side wall 22 (Figure 6). At this time, the insertion flap 14 is pressed against the molding portion 6b of the insertion flap molding guide 6, causing it to be folded up from the flap connecting portion 17.

[0053] Next, as shown in Figure 7, when the second side wall raising section 5 is raised (driven) while the bottom end 11a is supported by being sandwiched between the pressing section 4 and the bottom support section 2, the second side wall raising section 5 pushes up the second side wall section 13 from below in the direction of arrow A3 shown in Figure 7, and it is folded and raised from the second connecting section 16. The second side wall section 13 raised from the second connecting section 16 is supported by the second side wall forming auxiliary section 4e of the pressing section 4 and the second side wall raising section 5, and is formed as the first side wall 22. At this time, the insert flap 14, which is raised from the flap connecting section 17, rotates around the second connecting section 16 as the second side wall raising section 5 is raised (driven).

[0054] Furthermore, in the insertion assist section 7, the flap contact portion 7e of the insertion bar 7b, which is pushed out by the tapered guide 9 while following the tip portion 14a of the rotating insertion flap 14, contacts the tip portion 14a and pushes and bends the first side wall end portion 12a via the tip portion 14a. As a result, the slit 12b formed in the first side wall end portion 12a opens, and the tip portion 14a of the rotating insertion flap 14 can be inserted into this opened slit 12b. Then, the side portion 14b of the rotating insertion flap 14 is pressed from above by the insertion flap retaining guide 7h, and the insertion flap 14 and the slit 12b are locked together (Figure 8(g)). In this way, the box 20 is formed from the blank sheet 10. Furthermore, the assembled box 20 falls below the bottom support 2 as the bottom support 2 moves, and is automatically transported out by the transport means 30 provided below the bottom support 2.

[0055] Next, I will explain the effects of the box assembly device 1. The box assembly device 1 has an insertion bar 7b in the insertion assist section 7 that slides along the front-rear direction X. The flap contact surface 7g of this insertion bar 7b contacts the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14, and through the tip 14a, pushes and bends the first side wall end 12a, which is raised from the first connecting section 15, thereby opening the slit 12b. This assists in inserting the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b. Furthermore, with the assistance of this insertion assist section 7, the position of the first side wall end 12a corresponding to the tip 14a of the pivoting insertion flap 14 can be bent the most, so that when the tip 14a is closest to the slit 12b formed in the first side wall end 12a, the slit 12b can be opened wide. Therefore, the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 can be smoothly inserted into the slit 12b. Therefore, even in the case of box 20, which includes a step in the assembly process in which the insert flap 14 is inserted into the slit 12b to lock the first side wall portion 12 and the second side wall portion 13 together to form the first side wall 22 and the second side wall 23, the insert assist portion 7 provides assistance, enabling assembly by machine operation without manual labor, as well as shortening manufacturing time and reducing production costs.

[0056] Furthermore, in the box assembly device 1, the first side wall forming guide 3 and the first side wall support portion 4d of the pressing portion 4 support all but the first side wall end portion 12a of the first side wall portion 12 in the state raised from the first connecting portion 15. Therefore, when the insertion bar 7b of the insertion assist portion 7 pushes and bends the first side wall end portion 12a via its tip portion 14a, it is possible to prevent all but the first side wall end portion 12a from bending together. As a result, compared to a case where all but the first side wall end portion 12a are not supported, only the first side wall end portion 12a can be bent more easily, making it easier to open the slit 12b to a larger size. Furthermore, in the box assembly device 1, the side surface 4g of the edge retaining portion 4f facing the lower end 12c of the first side wall is inclined from bottom to top in a direction away from the lower end 12c of the first side wall. As a result, the first side wall end 12a, which is pushed by the insertion bar 7b of the insertion assist portion 7 and attempts to bend, does not come into contact with the edge retaining portion 4f, allowing the first side wall end 12a to bend smoothly. In addition, when the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14 is inserted into the slit 12b, the insertion flap retaining guide 7h presses down on the side 14b of the rotated insertion flap 14 from above, making it possible to stably insert the tip 14a into the slit 12b and to make the locking between the insertion flap 14 and the slit 12b stronger.

[0057] Furthermore, if the length of the second side wall raising section 5 that extends from the rotation axis 8a (the length D1 from the axis 8b of the rotation axis 8a to the free end 5e) is made adjustable, then the raising speed of the second side wall section 13 and the rotation speed of the insertion flap 14 can be easily adjusted simply by adjusting this length D1. In this way, by adjusting the raising speed of the second side wall section 13 and the rotation speed of the insertion flap 14 in accordance with the movement of the insertion assist section 7, the insertion assist section 7 can smoothly assist in inserting the insertion flap 14 into the slit 12b. In addition, by simply adjusting the position of the rotation axis 8a to which the second side wall raising section 5 is connected, the rotation (rotation) trajectory of the insertion assist section 7 (insertion bar 7b) provided on the second side wall raising section 5 can be adjusted to correspond to the rotation trajectory of the insertion flap 14 (tip 14a).

[0058] As described above, embodiments of the present invention have been detailed, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the claims.

[0059] For example, in the insertion assist part 7, the insertion bar 7b is shown to follow the tip 14a of the pivoting insertion flap 14 and press the tip 14a against the first side wall end 12a, thereby opening the slit 12b by pushing and bending the first side wall end 12a via the tip 14a. However, the insertion assist part 7 may also be configured so that the insertion bar 7b does not follow the tip 14a of the insertion flap 14, but instead directly contacts the first side wall end 12a, pushing and bending the first side wall end 12a. Furthermore, for example, the insertion assist part 7 may not have an insertion flap retaining guide 7h, the pressing part 4 may not have a first side wall support part 4d or an edge retaining part 4f, or the side surface 4g of the edge retaining part 4f of the pressing part 4 may not be inclined. Furthermore, in the second side wall raising section 5, the length D1 from the axis 8b of the rotating shaft 8a to the free end 5e may not be adjustable, and the raising speed of the second side wall section 13 and the rotation speed of the insertion flap 14 may not be changeable. Also, the movement of the rotating shaft 8a may be restricted, making it impossible to adjust the rotation trajectory of the insertion auxiliary section 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Box Assembly Device 2 Bottom support part 2a Front bottom support part 2b Rear bottom support part 3. First sidewall forming guide 3a Front first side wall forming guide 3b Rear first side wall forming guide 3c Upper end (front first side wall forming guide) 3D upper end (rear first side wall forming guide) 4 Pressing part 4a center plate 4b Front plate part 4c Rear plate part 4d 1st side wall support part 4e 2nd side wall forming auxiliary part 4f Edge retaining section 4g Side (edge ​​retaining part) 5. Second side wall raising section 5a Right second side wall raised section 5b Left second side wall raised section 5c Front end (second side wall raised section) 5d Rear end (second side wall raised section) 5e Free end (second side wall raised section) 5f Corner section (second side wall raised section) 6. Insert flap forming guide 6a Fixed part 6b Molding part 7 Insertion support part 7a Mounting base 7b Insertion bar 7c spring 7d shaft 7e Flap contact area 7f Guide contact area 7g flap contact surface 7h Insert flap retainer guide 7i Tip (Insertion flap retaining guide) 7j shaft center (insertion bar) 8. Drive system 8a Rotation axis 8b Axis center (rotating axis) 9 Taper Guide 9a Tapered section 9b Plane part 9c 1st slope 9d 2nd slope 10 Blank Sheets 11 Bottom part 11a Bottom edge 12 First side wall section 12a First side wall side end 12b Slit 12c Lower end of first side wall 13. Second side wall section 14 Insert Flap 14a Tip (insertion flap) 14b Side (insertion flap) 15 1st connection part 16 2nd connection part 17 Flap connecting section 20 boxes 21 Side wall 22 First side wall 23 Second side wall 30 Means of transport 40 Lifting device A1,A2,A3,A4 direction D1 Length D2 Length D3 Length H1 Height H2 Height VC Virtual Yen X Anteroposterior direction Y left / right direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. A box assembly device for assembling a box by folding a blank sheet at a predetermined position, comprising: a bottom portion that forms the bottom surface of the box; a first side wall portion connected to the bottom end portion which is the front-rear end of the bottom portion and forms a first side wall which is the side wall of the box; a second side wall portion connected to the left-right end of the bottom portion and forming a second side wall which is the side wall adjacent to the first side wall; and an insertion flap connected to the front-rear end of the second side wall portion and inserted into a slit formed in the first side wall end portion which is the left-right end of the first side wall portion, A bottom support portion that supports the bottom portion from below, The first side wall forming guide extends upward from the side in the front-rear direction of the bottom support portion, A pressing portion which is a frame that pushes down the bottom portion from a position higher than the first side wall forming guide to the bottom support portion, A second side wall raising section is provided on the side of the bottom support section and rises from a horizontal position to a vertical position, centering on the end closest to the bottom support section. An insert flap forming guide is provided on the front-rear end of the second side wall raising portion in a horizontal position, and extends upward to assist in raising the insert flap, The device includes an insertion assist portion provided on the front-rear end of the second side wall raising portion in a horizontal position, which slides along the front-rear direction in conjunction with the driving of the second side wall raising portion to assist in the insertion of the insertion flap, The pressing part, starting from a state in which the first side wall portion is positioned above the first side wall forming guide and the bottom portion is positioned above the bottom support portion, pushes the bottom portion down along the first side wall forming guide, thereby folding the first side wall portion up from the first connecting portion, which is the connecting portion between the bottom end and the first side wall portion, and also presses the insertion flap against the insertion flap forming guide, thereby folding the insertion flap up from the flap connecting portion, which is the connecting portion between the second side wall portion and the insertion flap, The second side wall raising portion, with the bottom portion supported by the bottom support portion and the pressing portion, pushes up the second side wall portion from below, thereby raising the second side wall portion by valley folding from the second connecting portion, which is the connecting portion between the bottom portion and the second side wall portion, and also rotates the inserted flap, which is raised from the flap connecting portion, around the second connecting portion. The insertion assist portion pushes and bends the first side wall end portion, which is raised from the first connecting portion, thereby opening the slit and assisting in the insertion of the pivoting insertion flap into the slit. A box assembly device characterized by the following features.

2. The insertion assist portion follows the rotating insertion flap, pressing the tip of the insertion flap against the first side wall end, and causing the first side wall end to bend through the tip, thereby opening the slit. The box assembly apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The pressing portion has a first side wall support portion that faces the first side wall forming guide when the bottom portion is pressed down to the bottom support portion. The first sidewall forming guide and the first sidewall support support the first sidewall portion, which is raised from the first connecting portion, except for the first sidewall end portion. The box assembly apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The pressing portion has an edge-retaining portion that faces the lower end of the first side wall, which is the lower end of the first side wall side end of the first side wall portion in the raised state when the bottom portion is pushed down to the bottom support portion. The side surface of the edge retaining portion facing the lower end of the first side wall is inclined from the bottom to the top in a direction away from the lower end of the first side wall. The box assembly apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The insertion assist portion has an insertion flap retaining guide that follows the rotating insertion flap and presses down on the side of the insertion flap from above when the insertion flap is inserted into the slit. The box assembly apparatus according to feature 1.

6. The second side wall raising portion is a plate-shaped member whose end closest to the bottom support portion is connected to the rotation shaft, and which extends horizontally from the rotation shaft in a horizontal position. By adjusting the length of the extension from the rotation shaft, the raising speed of the second side wall portion and the rotation speed of the insert flap can be adjusted. The box assembly apparatus according to claim 2 or 5.

7. The end of the second side wall support portion that is closer to the bottom support portion is connected to the rotation shaft. The insertion assist portion rotates around the rotation axis in conjunction with the driving of the second side wall raising portion, and is capable of following the pivoting insertion flap. By adjusting the position of the rotation axis, the rotational trajectory of the insertion assist part can be adjusted to correspond to the rotational trajectory of the insertion flap. The box assembly apparatus according to claim 2 or 5.

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