Tray lid closing device

Abstract

The present invention reduces the burden on workers in the task of covering and fastening trays with lids, and comprises a tray transporting section 2 that transports trays T containing eggs E, a lid covering section 3 that covers the trays T transported by the tray transporting section 2 with lids F, and a lid closing section 4 that fastens the trays T and the lids F placed on the trays T with needles S.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tray lid closing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, trays such as pulp mold trays having egg trays arranged in 5 rows and 6 columns are covered with plastic lids and stapled together before shipping. However, the work of covering the trays with lids and the work of stapling the trays and lids together are done manually, which places a heavy burden on the workers.

[0003] Furthermore, as shown in Patent Document 1, a stapler specifically for egg cartons has been devised that includes an egg carton top stand on which the egg cartons are set, a stapler stand to which the stapler is fixed, and a pressing plate that presses down the staples on the stapler stand.

[0004] However, even with the above device, the worker must place the egg packs on the egg pack loading stand and press the staples with the presser plate, which still places a heavy burden on the worker. Furthermore, since the shape of the area around the position where the tray and lid are stapled is significantly different from the shape of the area around the position where the egg packs are stapled, the above device cannot staple the tray and lid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-83577 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the burden on a worker when placing a lid on a tray and fastening it thereon. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In other words, the tray lid closing device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a tray transporting unit that transports trays containing eggs, a lid covering unit that covers the trays transported by the tray transporting unit with a lid, and a lid closing unit that fastens the tray and the lid covered on the tray with a needle.

[0008] This tray lid closing device can automate the series of operations of putting the lid on the tray and fastening it with staples, thereby reducing the burden on the worker.

[0009] It is desirable that the lid closing section has a lifting section which lifts the tray covered with the lid from the tray transport section, and that the tray and the lid lifted by the lifting section are fastened with needles. With this configuration, the tray and lid are stapled in a lifted state, so the tray transport unit is less likely to get in the way when the lid closing unit performs the staple fastening operation (lid closing operation). Also, since the tray transport unit does not get in the way simply by lifting the tray, the device configuration can be simplified.

[0010] It is desirable that the lid closing section has a needle launching section which launches the needles and a needle foot bending section which bends the foot of the needle launched by the needle launching section, the needle launching section being fixed above the transport section and launching the needles into the tray and the lid which have been lifted by the lifting section, and the needle foot bending section being provided on the lifting section and bending the foot of the needle when the tray and the lid are lifted. With this configuration, since the needle launching section is fixed, the needle loading section that loads the needles into the needle launching section can also be fixed. As a result, the configuration of the peripheral device including the needle launching section and the needle loading section can be simplified. In addition, since the needle foot bending section is provided in the lifting section, the lifting section and the needle foot bending section can have a common configuration, which also simplifies the device configuration. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the burden on the worker in placing the lid on the tray and fastening it can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a tray lid closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic view of the lid closing portion of the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10A and 10B are front views showing a schematic view of a lifting portion of the lid closing portion of the embodiment in a lowered position and in a raised position, respectively. [Figure 4] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of a peripheral structure of a needle loading section in the lid closing section of the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a tray lid closing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in any of the drawings shown below, for the purpose of easy understanding, some parts are omitted or exaggerated in schematic form as appropriate. The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

[0014] <Configuration of the tray lid closing device 100> As shown in Figure 1, the tray lid closing device 100 of this embodiment includes a tray transporting section 2 that transports a tray T containing eggs E, a lid covering section 3 that covers the tray T transported by the tray transporting section 2 with a lid F, and a lid closing section 4 that fastens the tray T and the lid F placed on the tray T with a needle S.

[0015] Here, the tray T in this embodiment is, for example, a pulp mold tray having egg trays arranged in 5 rows and 6 columns, but various other trays made of a material through which the needle S can be pierced can be used. Also, the lid F in this embodiment is, for example, a plastic lid, but various other lids made of a material through which the needle S can be pierced can be used.

[0016] Each part of the device, such as the tray transport section 2, the lid covering section 3, and the lid closing section 4, is controlled by a control unit CTL. The control unit CTL is provided, for example, upstream of the tray transport section 2, and is composed of a computer having a CPU, a memory, an input / output interface, an AD converter, a display device, etc. The control unit CTL may be composed of a physically integrated computer, or may be composed of physically separate computers.

[0017] The tray transport section 2 transports the tray T along a predetermined transport direction X. As shown in Fig. 2, the tray transport section 2 in this embodiment is configured using two conveyors 21 provided along the transport direction X, and each conveyor 21 contacts the bottom surface of each egg seat on both ends of the tray T in the width direction to transport the tray T in the transport direction X. Note that the configuration of the tray transport section 2 is not limited to a configuration using two conveyors 21.

[0018] A conveyor (not shown) for a previous process is connected to the upstream end 2a of this tray transport section 2, and trays T containing eggs E are supplied thereto. Note that a worker may supply the trays T containing eggs E to the upstream end 2a of the tray transport section 2.

[0019] On the other hand, a conveyor (not shown) for the next process is connected to the downstream end 2b of the tray transport section 2, and the tray T with the lid closed is supplied to the next process. Note that an operator may take out the tray T with the lid closed from the downstream end 2b of the tray transport section 2.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the lid applying section 3 is provided above the tray transport section 2, and inserts a lid F onto the tray T transported by the tray transport section 2 to cover it.

[0021] Specifically, the lid application section 3 has a lid setting section 31 in which multiple lids F are set in a stacked state before use, a lid removal section 32 which removes the lids F one by one from the lid setting section 31, and a lid insertion section 33 which inserts the removed lids F into the tray T.

[0022] The lids F removed from the lid removal section 32 are supplied to the lid insertion section 33 via the lid guide section 34. The lid insertion section 33 inserts the lids F onto the trays T stopped at a predetermined lid insertion position (directly below the lid insertion section 33) by the tray transport section 2. Here, the tray transport section 2 is provided with a first tray stop section 5 for temporarily stopping the transported tray T at the lid insertion position. The first tray stop section 5 has, for example, a contact section 51 that contacts the transport side tip of the tray T, and an actuator 52 that moves the contact section 51.

[0023] 1, the lid closing unit 4 is provided downstream of the lid covering unit 3 in the tray conveying unit 2. After lifting the tray T covered with a lid F from the tray conveying unit 2, the lid closing unit 4 fastens the tray T and the lid F placed on the tray T with a staple S. The lid closing unit 4 of this embodiment fastens the tray T and the lid F by piercing a U-shaped staple S through the tray T and the lid F and bending the staple foot inward.

[0024] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the lid closing unit 4 has a lifting unit 41 that lifts the tray T covered with a lid F from the tray conveying unit 2, and fastens the tray T and lid F lifted by the lifting unit 41 with needles S.

[0025] The lifting section 41 has a plurality of support columns 411 that contact the lower surface of the tray T to support the tray T, and an elevation movement section 412 that moves the plurality of support columns 411 up and down.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the plurality of support columns 411 are provided on two opposing sides of the tray T having a substantially rectangular shape, totaling four. The lifting and moving section 412 lifts and moves the support column 411 between a lowered position Q (see Fig. 3(a)) where the upper end surface of the support column 411 is located below the tray transport section 2, and an elevated position P (see Fig. 3(b)) where the upper end surface of the support column 411 is located above the tray transport section 2 and the tray T and the lid F are fastened by a pin S. The lifting and moving section 412 has a base member 412a on which the plurality of support columns 411 are erected, and an actuator 412b such as an air cylinder that lifts and moves the base member 412a. The lifting and moving of the base member 412a is guided by a guide section (not shown).

[0027] 1 to 3, the tray conveying section 2 is provided with a second tray stopping section 6 for temporarily stopping the conveyed tray T at a predetermined lid closing position. The second tray stopping section 6 has, for example, a contact section 61 that contacts the conveyance side leading end of the tray T, and an actuator 62 that moves the contact section 61. When the tray T is stopped at the predetermined lid closing position by the second tray stopping section 6, the lifting section 41 lifts the tray T from the tray conveying section 2.

[0028] Further, the lid closing section 4 has a needle launching section which launches the needle S, and a needle foot bending section 43 which bends the needle foot of the needle S launched by the needle launching section as shown in FIGS.

[0029] The staple pushing unit 42 is fixed above the tray transport unit 2 and pushes staples S toward the tray T and lid F lifted by the lifting unit 41. As shown in FIG. 2, a total of four staple pushing units 42 are provided, two on each of two opposing sides of the tray T. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the staple pushing unit 42 has a push plate 421 that pushes staples S loaded in the staple loading unit 44 from above toward the tray T and the lid F, and an actuator 422, such as an air cylinder, that drives the push plate 421. The staple loading unit 44 is fixed to the support member 40 together with the staple pushing unit 42.

[0030] The needle foot bending section 43 is provided in the lifting section 41 and bends the needle foot of the needle S pierced through the tray T and the lid F. Specifically, the needle foot bending section 43 is provided at the upper end of the support section 411 of the lifting section 41. That is, when the support section 411 of the lifting section 41 is raised to the raised position P, the tray T and the lid F are sandwiched between the needle foot bending section 43, which is the upper end of the support section 411, and the needle firing section 42. In this state, the needle firing section 42 fires the needle S, so that the tray T and the lid F are fastened by the needle S. In this way, in this embodiment, the lid F is fastened by the needle S at four points to the rectangular tray T. Thereafter, the lifting section 41 descends to the lowered position Q, so that the tray T and the lid F fastened by the needle S are placed again on the tray conveying section 2 and conveyed toward the downstream end 2b.

[0031] Next, the structure surrounding needle loading section 44 will be described with reference to FIG. The staple loading section 44 can accommodate a predetermined number of linked staples S (linked staples CS), and its tip is configured so that the staples S can be driven out one by one by the staple driving section 42. The rear end of the staple loading section 44 has a pressing section 45 that presses the stored staples S toward the tip. The pressing section 45 has a pressing body 451 that presses the linked staples CS toward the tip of the staple loading section 44 via an elastic body 452, and a pressing body moving section 453 that moves the pressing body 451 toward the rear end of the staple loading section 44. The pressing body moving section 453 can be configured using, for example, an air cylinder.

[0032] In addition, as shown in Fig. 4, the cover closing section 4 has a staple number detection section 48 that detects when the number of staples S housed in the staple loading section 44 falls below a predetermined number. This staple number detection section 48 detects when the number of housed staples S falls below a predetermined number by detecting the position of the pressing body 451 of the pressing section 45. The staple number detection section 48 may be, for example, a reflective photointerrupter. When the staple number detection section 48 detects that the number of staples S falls below a predetermined number, the control unit CTL issues an alarm to prompt the user to replenish the linked staples CS.

[0033] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the tray lid fastening device 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to automate a series of operations for covering the tray T with the lid F and fastening it with the staples S. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the worker.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the tray T and lid F are fastened with the needles S in a lifted state, so the tray transport section 2 is unlikely to get in the way when the lid closing section 4 performs the lid closing operation. Also, since the tray transport section 2 does not get in the way simply by lifting the tray T, the device configuration can be simplified.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the needle launching unit 42 is fixed, the needle loading unit 44 that loads the needles S into the needle launching unit 42 can also be fixed. As a result, it is possible to simplify the device configuration around the needle launching unit 42 and the needle loading unit 44. Also, since the needle foot bending unit 43 is provided in the lifting unit 41, the lifting unit 41 and the needle foot bending unit 43 can have a common configuration, which also simplifies the device configuration.

[0036] <Modified embodiment of the present invention> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0037] For example, the lid closing section 4 may be configured so that the staple firing section 42 fires the staples S after moving downward relative to the raised tray T and lid F.

[0038] Also, the stapler (staple driving section 42 and staple leg bending section 43) of the lid closing section 4 may be configured to move laterally relative to the raised tray T and lid F and fasten them with staples S.

[0039] In addition, in the above embodiment, the tray T and the lid F are fastened at four points by the pins S, but the number of points is not limited to four, and the tray T and the lid F may be fastened at one or more points.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the needle foot bent portion 43 is provided at the upper end of the support portion 411 of the lifting portion 41 , but the needle foot bent portion 43 may be provided on a member separate from the support portion 411 .

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lid closing section 4 is disposed downstream of the lid covering section 3 in the tray transport section 2, but the lid covering section 3 and the lid closing section 4 may be disposed in the same position in the tray transport section 2.

[0042] In addition, two or more lid covering units 3 may be provided in the tray transport unit 2, and two or more lid closing units 4 may be provided. In this case, it is conceivable to provide two or more lid covering units 3 in succession and provide two or more lid closing units 4 downstream of them.

[0043] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] According to the present invention, the burden on a worker in the task of covering and fastening a lid on a tray can be reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100 Tray lid closing device E...egg T···Tray F...Lid S...needle 2 Tray conveyor 3 Lid Cover 4. Lid Closing Section 41 Lifting section 42 Needle ejection section 43 Needle foot bend

Claims

1. a tray conveying unit that conveys trays containing eggs and covered with lids; a lid closing part that fastens the tray and the lid that is placed on the tray with a needle, The lid closing portion is A plurality of support columns for supporting a lower surface of the tray covered with the lid; A lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers the plurality of support columns; a staple foot bending portion provided at an upper end of the support portion for bending the staple foot of the staple.

2. The lifting and lowering moving unit lifts the tray by the plurality of support columns, 2. The tray lid closing device according to claim 1, wherein the staple leg bending section bends the staple legs of the staples while the tray and the lid are in a raised state.

3. The lid closing unit further includes a needle pressing unit that presses the needle, 3. The tray lid closing device according to claim 2, wherein the staple driving section is fixed above the tray transport section and drives the staples against the tray and the lid lifted by the lifting and moving section.

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