Article packing device

Abstract

To provide an article packing device that can box articles in sizes, shapes and quantities to be housed by a simple change.SOLUTION: The article packing device includes: a box body transport part 70 that transports a box body Bx in a box transport direction; a box body supply device 600 that supplies the box body to the box body transport part 70; an article take-out device 400 that takes out an article Pc from an article transport part 10 and accumulates the article Pc on an article accumulation part 124; an article storage device 500 that stores the articles accumulated on the article accumulation part 124 in the box body Bx; and a box body feeding part 7 that feeds the box body Bx moving in the box body transport part 70 to the outside. The box body transport device 600, the article take-out device 400, the article storage device 500, and the box body feeding part 7 are adjacent to the box body transport part 70, are operable independently from each other, and are arranged detachably.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article packing device for packing articles in a box body.

Background Art

[0002] In the boxing device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-145558, after assembling a sheet into a box shape, transporting it, and then inserting articles laterally from the opening for boxing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the case of such a boxing device, when the shape of the article or the number of articles to be boxed changes, it is necessary to significantly change the layout of the boxing device, and a major reorganization of the device is required.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an article packing device that can pack articles of different sizes, shapes, or the number of articles to be stored with simple modifications.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the article packing apparatus of the present invention packs the articles conveyed by the article conveying unit into a box. The article packing apparatus includes a box conveying unit that conveys the box filled with the articles in the box conveying direction, a box supply device that supplies the box to the box conveying unit, an article taking-out device that takes out the articles from the article conveying unit, moves them in a taking-out direction intersecting the conveying direction, and accumulates the articles in an article accumulation unit, an article storage device that fills the articles accumulated in the article accumulation unit into the box, and a box sending-out unit that sends out the box moving in the box conveying unit to the outside. The box supply device, the article taking-out device, the article storage device, and the box sending-out unit are each operable independently adjacent to the box conveying unit and are detachably arranged.

[0007] In the above configuration, the box conveying unit includes a linear rail arranged in a loop shape and having stators arranged side by side, and a box conveying shuttle that is movable along the linear rail and is arranged opposite to the stators. The box conveying shuttle holds two surfaces of the box supplied from the box supply device that face the box conveying direction respectively.

[0008] In the above configuration, the box supply device, the article taking-out device, the article storage device, and the box sending-out unit can change their positions in the box conveying direction.

[0009] In the above configuration, a plurality of the article taking-out devices and the article storage devices can be respectively arranged. The number of the article taking-out devices and the article storage devices is the same.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an article packing apparatus that can pack articles of different sizes, shapes, or numbers to be stored with simple modifications.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, directions are defined with reference to the article processing apparatus A shown in FIG. 1. In the article conveyance unit 10 of the article conveyance apparatus 100 described later, the clockwise direction is defined as the moving direction of the conveyance shuttle 14 described later, that is, the conveyance direction Tr. Further, with reference to the loop of the first conveyance route 11, the outside Os and the inside Is are defined. Also, in the moving direction of the article Pc, the conveyance shuttle 14, the box conveyance shuttle 702, and the box body Bx, the front side and the rear side are defined as follows. The side that reaches the future with respect to the current position is the front side. Conversely, the side that was located in the past with respect to the current position is the rear side. Also, in the article Pc, each surface is defined with reference to the state of being conveyed by the article conveyance unit 10 of the article conveyance apparatus 100. That is, the front surface of the conveyance direction Tr is the front surface Pcf, the rear surface is the rear surface Pcr, the outer surface is the outer surface PcO, and the inner surface is the inner surface PcI. Also, the bottom surface of the article Pc is defined as the bottom surface Pct.

[0013] <Article processing apparatus A> FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram of the article processing apparatus A. The article processing apparatus A conveys, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped article (also referred to as an article to be conveyed) Pc formed of paper or the like and filled with a liquid content inside. And while conveying, inspections such as the exterior are performed while conveying. Then, while conveying the article Pc that has passed the inspection, an exterior member such as a straw is attached. After that, a predetermined number of articles Pc are accumulated and stored in a box. Then, the box body Bx in which the article Pc is stored is carried out to the outside.

[0014] The article processing apparatus A includes an article conveyance apparatus 100, an article delivery apparatus 200, an exterior member attachment apparatus 300, an article extraction apparatus 400, an article storage apparatus 500, a box supply apparatus 600, an article packing apparatus 700, and a control apparatus 800.

[0015] <Control apparatus 800> Here, the details of the control device 800 will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the article processing device A. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 800 includes a processing circuit 801 and a memory circuit 802. The processing circuit 801 is a circuit that processes various information and includes arithmetic circuits such as a CPU and an MPU. Further, the processing circuit 801 is connected to the article conveyance device 100, the article delivery device 200, the exterior member attachment device 300, the article extraction device 400, the article storage device 500, and the box supply device 600 based on the processing result, and controls each device.

[0016] The memory circuit 802 is a circuit that includes or is connected to semiconductor memories such as a ROM and a RAM, portable memories such as a flash memory, and storage media such as a hard disk. Various programs such as a control program or a processing program are stored in the memory circuit 802, and a program corresponding to the processing is called as necessary, and the program is operated by the processing circuit 801 to perform the processing. The elements connected to the control device 800 and their control will be described when each element is explained.

[0017] <Article conveyance device 100> The details of the article conveyance device 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a view seen from the outside Os of a state where the conveyance shuttle 14 holding the article Pc and a single conveyance shuttle 14 are moving along the linear rail 13. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the conveyance shuttle 14 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a view seen from the rear side in the conveyance direction Tr of the conveyance shuttle. FIG. 6 is a view seen from the rear side in the conveyance direction of the conveyance shuttle 14 moving on the branch rail 121 of the second conveyance route 12. The article conveyance device 100 includes an article conveyance unit 10 including a first conveyance route 11 and a second conveyance route 12, and a conveyance shuttle 14.

[0018] <First conveyance route 11> The first transfer route 11 has a first straight rail 111, a second straight rail 112, a first curved rail 113, and a second curved rail 114. The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are arranged side by side. In the first transfer route 11, both ends of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are connected by the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 respectively to form an annular shape. The first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 have the same structure, and may be collectively referred to as rail 13 for the sake of representation.

[0019] In the first transfer route 11, the transfer shuttle 14 is arranged on the outer Os surface of the first straight rail 111, the second straight rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114 of the first transfer route 11. And the transfer shuttle 14 is movable along the annular first transfer route 11.

[0020] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting straight short rails 13s in the transfer direction Tr. By changing the number of connected straight short rails 13s, the lengths of the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 can be changed.

[0021] Furthermore, although the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are arc-shaped, they are not limited to this. For example, a part may be formed in a curved shape. Also, as the curved part, it is not limited to an arc shape, and may be a so-called cycloid curve shape. Also, it may be a curved shape other than these. The first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 are formed by connecting curved short rails 13c. By preparing curved short rails 13c with different shapes and lengths and combining them according to the loop shape of the article transfer unit 10, it is possible to cope with various shapes.

[0022] <rail 13> The rail 13 has a main rail 131, a grooved rail 132, and a flat rail 133 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). The main rail 131 is a cylindrical body with a rectangular cross-section obtained by cutting it along a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction Tr. The main rail 131 can be made of, for example, but not limited to, some stainless steels, aluminum, and their alloys.

[0023] The grooved rail 132 is fixed to the upper part of the main rail 131. The grooved rail 132 has a groove portion 134 recessed from the outer surface in a direction intersecting the conveying direction Tr. The grooved rail 132 has two groove portions 134. The two groove portions 134 are arranged one above the other.

[0024] Note that the fixing of the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 can employ welding, screwing, etc., but is not limited thereto. The main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132 may be integrally formed. Throughout the entire circumference of the first conveying route 11, the groove portion 134 is arranged on the outer side Os. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a gap 135 is formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132.

[0025] The flat rail 133 is fixed to the lower part of the main rail 131. Note that the fixing of the main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 can employ welding, screwing, etc., but is not limited thereto. The main rail 131 and the flat rail 133 may be integrally formed.

[0026] The first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112 are formed by connecting straight short rails 13s, but may be formed of a single rail. Similarly, the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114 may also be formed of a single rail.

[0027] <The second conveying route 12> As shown in FIG. 1, the second conveyance route 12 branches off from the first straight rail 111 of the first conveyance route 11, turns back, and then merges into the second straight rail 112 of the first conveyance route 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the second conveyance route 12 includes a branch rail 121, a merge rail 122, and a return rail 123.

[0028] The branch rail 121 and the merge rail 122 are straight and have the same configuration as the first straight rail 111 and the second straight rail 112, except that the groove portion 134 is disposed on the inner side Is. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the portions with the same configuration in the configuration of the rail 13 are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

[0029] The rear end of the branch rail 121 in the conveyance direction Tr is disposed to face the outer side Os of the front end of the first straight rail 111 of the first conveyance route 11 in the conveyance direction Tr. The portion where the branch rail 121 and the first straight rail 111 face each other is the branch point P1.

[0030] The front end of the merge rail 122 in the conveyance direction Tr is disposed to face the outer side Os of the rear end of the second straight rail 112 of the first conveyance route 11 in the conveyance direction Tr. The portion where the merge rail 122 and the second straight rail 112 face each other is the merge point P2.

[0031] The return rail 123 has the same configuration as the first curved rail 113 and the second curved rail 114. The rear end of the return rail 123 in the conveyance direction Tr is disposed to face the inner side Is of the front end of the branch rail 121 in the conveyance direction Tr. Similarly, the front end of the return rail 123 in the conveyance direction Tr is disposed to face the inner side Is of the rear end of the merge rail 122 in the conveyance direction Tr.

[0032] <Conveyance shuttle 14> Next, the conveyance shuttle 14 will be described.

[0033] The transfer shuttle 14 has a main body 140 and an article holding part 16. A magnet 152 of a transfer linear motor mechanism 15 is arranged on the main body 140. Note that the magnet 152 is housed inside the main body 140 and faces a coil 151 arranged on the main rail 131 in a direction intersecting the transfer direction Tr.

[0034] The main body 140 of the transfer shuttle 14 has a first surface 144 and a second surface 145. The main body 140 also has a convex part 143. The convex part 143 fits into a gap 135 formed between the main rail 131 and the grooved rail 132. By fitting the convex part 143 into the gap 135, displacement of the main body 140 is suppressed.

[0035] Two upper rollers 141 are arranged on the main body 140. The two upper rollers 141 are rotatably supported by the main body 140. More specifically, the upper roller 141 is arranged to be rotatable around a rotation axis that is orthogonal to the transfer direction Tr and parallel to the outer surface of the rail 13. The two upper rollers 141 are separated from each other in the transfer direction Tr and are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 in the present embodiment, the upper roller 141 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the transfer direction Tr is arranged to be upward.

[0036] Two lower rollers 142 are arranged on the main body 140. The two lower rollers 142 are rotatably supported by the main body 140. The lower roller 142 is cylindrical. The two lower rollers 142 are separated from each other in the transfer direction Tr and are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. In the main body 140 in the present embodiment, the lower roller 142 (see FIG. 3) on the front side in the transfer direction Tr is arranged to be downward.

[0037] The article holding part 16 is fixed to the upper part of the main body part 140. The article holding part 16 has a holding plate part 161, an article engaging part 162, and an article supporting part 163. The holding plate part 161 is plate-shaped, is arranged inside Is than the main body part 140, and extends upward. The front side in the conveying direction Tr of the holding plate part 161 has an inclined surface 164 inclined inward toward the front side. The holding plate part 161 also has a through hole 1611 and recesses 1612 provided at both ends in the conveying direction Tr. The recesses 1612 are arranged side by side in the conveying direction below the through hole 1611.

[0038] The article holding part 16 has two article engaging parts 162, which are fixed to the holding plate part 161 side by side vertically. One of each article engaging part 162 is arranged above the holding plate part 161, and the other penetrates through the through hole 1611 and protrudes outside Os than the holding plate part 161.

[0039] The article engaging part 162 has a rear surface pressing part 165 provided at the front part in the conveying direction and a front surface pressing part 166 provided at the rear part in the conveying direction. The rear surface pressing part 165 and the front surface pressing part 166 are in a curved surface shape in which the middle part in the protruding direction bulges in the conveying direction Tr (see FIG. 4 etc.).

[0040] The article supporting part 163 is fixed to the holding plate part 161. The article supporting part 163 has a rear part supporting part 167 and a front part supporting part 168. The rear part supporting part 167 is arranged on the front side of the rear surface pressing part 165 in the conveying direction Tr. Also, the front part supporting part 168 is arranged on the rear side of the front surface pressing part 166. The upper surfaces of the rear part supporting part 167 and the front part supporting part 168 are at the same height. Note that the rear part supporting part 167 and the front part supporting part 168 may be integrally formed. The conveying shuttle 14 has the shape shown above.

[0041] <Conveying linear motor mechanism 15> In the article conveying device 100, the plurality of conveying shuttles 14 are each independently driven by a conveying linear motor mechanism 15. The conveying linear motor mechanism 15 includes a plurality of coils 151, a magnet 152, and a linear driver 153. The plurality of coils 151 are arranged inside the rails 13 that constitute the first conveying route 11 and inside the rails 13 that constitute the second conveying route 12.

[0042] The magnet 152 is a permanent magnet and is disposed on the main body 140 of the conveying shuttle 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet 152 is disposed inside the main body 140. The main body 140 is formed of a material that is not attracted by the magnet. Therefore, the magnetic force of the magnet 152 leaks to the outside of the main body 140. The magnet 152 is arranged so as to be able to apply magnetic force to the coil 151. A linear motor is formed by the magnet 152 disposed on the main body 140 and the plurality of coils 151 disposed inside the rail 13.

[0043] The linear driver 153 is connected to each coil 151 (see FIG. 2). The linear driver 153 is connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). The linear driver 153 is a circuit that controls the power supplied to the coil 151, and includes a circuit such as an arithmetic processing circuit and a power supply circuit that adjusts the voltage and current supplied to each coil 151. The linear driver 153 supplies an appropriate current to each coil 151 based on an instruction from the control device 800.

[0044] The control device 800 can move the conveying shuttle 14 independently. Note that the control device 800 can operate the plurality of conveying shuttles 14 individually and can also operate them synchronously. Further, the control device 800 can acquire the position of the conveying shuttle 14.

[0045] In the transfer shuttle 14, the article holding part 16 is arranged above the main body part 140. From this, no constituent members are arranged inside the first surface 144 and outside the second surface 145 of the main body part 140. Therefore, the radially outer edge parts of the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 protrude inward Is from the first surface 144 and outward Os from the second surface 145.

[0046] Accordingly, in the first transfer route 11, the transfer shuttle 14 can move along the outside Os of the first linear rail 111, the second linear rail 112, the first curved rail 113, and the second curved rail 114. Also, the transfer shuttle 14 can move along the inner surface of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 in the second transfer route 12. Further, the transfer shuttle 14 can move along the outer surface of the return rail 123 in the second transfer route 12.

[0047] More specifically, the transfer shuttle 14 is movable along the outside Os of the rail 13 in the first transfer route 11. The main body part 140 is attracted to the outside Os of the rail 13 of the first transfer route 11 by the magnetic force of, for example, the magnet 152. Note that the rail 13 may be provided with an attracting part formed of a metal such as iron that attracts the magnet, or may be attracted by the magnetic force between the iron core provided in the coil 151 and the magnet 152.

[0048] In the first transfer route 11, when the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the rail 13, the first surface 144 of the main body part 140 is arranged at a certain interval from the outer surface of the rail 13. That is, the main body part 140 is movably supported on the outer surface of the rail 13 by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 in the vertical direction.

[0049] The conveying shuttle 14 has an upper roller 141 and a lower roller 142 arranged in the conveying direction Tr that are vertically offset. For this reason, even when the conveying shuttle 14 approaches in the conveying direction Tr, it is difficult for the upper rollers 141 or the lower rollers 142 to interfere with each other. Therefore, the conveying shuttle 14 can be arranged to approach back and forth in the conveying direction Tr and can move in the approaching state.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, the conveying shuttle 14 can move along the inner side Is of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 in the second conveying route 12. The main body 140 is attracted to the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 by the magnetic force of the magnet 152 arranged inside. Note that it may be provided with an adsorption portion formed of a metal such as iron that adsorbs a magnet to the rail 13, or it may be adsorbed by the magnetic force between the iron core provided in the coil 151 and the magnet 152.

[0051] When the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 come into contact with the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122, the second surface 145 of the main body 140 is arranged to face the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 with a certain interval therebetween. That is, the main body 140 is movably supported on the inner surfaces of the branch rail 121 and the merging rail 122 by the upper roller 141 and the lower roller 142 in the vertical direction.

[0052] With such a configuration, by controlling the coils 151 arranged on the first linear rail 111, the second linear rail 112, the branch rail 121, and the merging rail 122, the conveying shuttle 14 can be branched at the branch point P1 and can be merged at the merging point P2. That is, with a simple configuration and simple control, the conveying shuttle 14 can be branched and merged.

[0053] That is, the control device 800 can branch the transfer shuttle 14 moving on the first linear rail 111 to either the first curved rail 113 or the branch rail 121 at the branch point P1. Also, the control device 800 can merge the transfer shuttle 14 moving on the merging rail 122 of the second transfer route 12 into the second linear rail 112 at the merging point P2.

[0054] <Holding of the article Pc by the transfer shuttle 14> Next, the holding of the article Pc by the transfer shuttle 14 will be described. The article Pc is held from the front and rear in the transfer direction Tr by two transfer shuttles 14 arranged side by side in the transfer direction Tr.

[0055] The front support portion 168 of the transfer shuttle 14 arranged on the front side in the transfer direction Tr supports the inside of the front portion of the bottom surface of the article Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the article Pc. The rear support portion 167 of the transfer shuttle 14 arranged on the front side in the transfer direction Tr of the article Pc supports the inside of the rear portion of the bottom surface Pct of the article Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc. At this time, the inner surface PcI of the article Pc contacts the holding plate portion 161.

[0056] Here, when the article Pc is in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape filled with a liquid-containing substance inside, the front surface Pcf of the article Pc is pressed by the front pressing portion 166 and the middle portion is recessed. Similarly, the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc is pressed by the rear pressing portion 165 and the middle portion is recessed. In this way, by the front surfaces Pcf and Pcr being pressed by the front pressing portion 166 and the rear pressing portion 165 respectively and being recessed, the movement of the article Pc to the outside Os is restricted. Also, by the inner surface PcI of the article Pc contacting the holding plate portion 161, the movement of the article Pc to the inside Is is restricted. Thereby, the two transfer shuttles 14 can firmly hold the article Pc. Note that the transfer shuttles 14 arranged before and after the article Pc in the transfer direction Tr have the same shape.

[0057] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which the transport shuttle 14 holding the article Pc is moving on the first curved rail 113. Since the rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166 are each substantially curved and bulging outward, even when the protruding directions of the article engaging portions 162 are not parallel, the front surface Pcf and the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc can be appropriately pressed. Therefore, even when moving on a curved portion such as the first curved rail 113 as shown in FIG. 7, the transport shuttle 14 can hold the article Pc. Note that the curvature of the curved portion on which the transport shuttle 14 can hold and move the article Pc varies depending on the shapes of the rear pressing portion 165 and the front pressing portion 166.

[0058] FIG. 8 is a view seen from the outside Os of a state in which a plurality of articles Pc are being transported by a plurality of transport shuttles 14. FIG. 8 shows a state in which two articles are held by three transport shuttles 14 arranged in the transport direction Tr. As shown in FIG. 8, the front support portion 168 of the transport shuttle 14 on the front side in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the front portion of the bottom of the front article Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the front article Pc. Also, the rear support portion 167 of the transport shuttle 14 in the center in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the rear portion of the bottom of the front article Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the front article Pc. Thereby, the front article Pc is held.

[0059] Furthermore, the front support portion 168 of the transport shuttle 14 in the center in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the front portion of the bottom of the rear article Pc, and the front pressing portion 166 presses the front surface Pcf of the rear article Pc. Also, the rear support portion 167 of the transport shuttle 14 on the rear side in the transport direction Tr supports the inside of the rear portion of the bottom of the rear article Pc, and the rear pressing portion 165 presses the rear surface Pcr of the rear article Pc. Thereby, the rear article Pc is held. As shown in FIG. 8, the transport shuttles 14 can hold two articles Pc by arranging three in the circumferential direction. Note that the number of articles Pc that can be held is not limited to two, and may be three or more. That is, by preparing the transport shuttles 14 in the number of the articles Pc + 1, a plurality of articles Pc can be held.

[0060] In the article processing apparatus A, when it is at the branch rail 121 of the second transport route 12, a plurality of transport shuttles 14 can hold a plurality of articles Pc and move in the transport direction Tr. When it is at the first straight rail 111 of the first transport route 11, the plurality of transport shuttles 14 may hold a plurality of articles Pc. Also, when moving from the first transport route 11 to the second transport route 12 at the branch point P1, a predetermined number of articles Pc may be grouped together. Grouping one or a small number of articles Pc together is called aggregating. As shown in FIG. 1, in the article transport apparatus 100, an aggregation region Ar1 is set in the portion between the branch point P1 of the branch rail 121 and an article accumulation unit 124 described later.

[0061] <Article delivery device 200> As shown in FIG. 1, the article delivery device 200 includes an article supply unit 20, an article delivery unit 21, and a transfer lane 22. The article Pc is carried into the article processing apparatus A by the article supply unit 20 from a previous process such as a container filling process. The article supply unit 20 is a conveyor that transports the substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped article Pc. With the article Pc placed on the upper surface of the article supply unit 20 and the upper surface moved, the article Pc moves along the article supply unit 20. Here, the moving direction of the article Pc in the article supply unit 20 is defined as the supply direction Ts.

[0062] As the article supply unit 20, a general conveyor such as a belt conveyor or a top chain conveyor can be used. Here, the article supply unit 20 has a supply conveyor 201 using a belt conveyor (see FIG. 1 etc.). The article supply unit 20, and the supply conveyor 201 is connected to the control device 800 and is driven according to an instruction from the control device 800. Usually, the supply conveyor 201 is driven so as to be able to transport articles at a constant speed.

[0063] The article delivery unit 21 is arranged at the front end of the article supply unit 20 in the conveying direction Tr. The article delivery unit 21 has a plurality of nip rollers 211 arranged in pairs and a transfer lane 22. As shown in FIG. 1, the nip rollers 211 are arranged in pairs in a direction orthogonal to the supply direction Ts of the article supply unit 20 and contact the side surfaces (here, the inner surface PcI and the outer surface PcO) of the article Pc. Note that the surface of the nip roller 211 is formed of a material with high friction against the surface of the article Pc. In the article delivery unit 21, three pairs of nip rollers 211 are arranged at equal intervals along the supply conveyor 201.

[0064] The nip roller 211 is rotated by a roller motor 212 (see FIG. 2) connected to the control device 800. The rotation of the roller motor 212 is controlled by the control device 800, and the rotation speed of the nip roller 211 is adjusted. Thereby, the article Pc is accelerated or decelerated in the supply direction Ts. Then, the article Pc accelerated or decelerated by the paired nip rollers 211 moves to the transfer lane 22.

[0065] The article Pc moves in the supply direction Ts on the transfer lane 22. The front end of the transfer lane 22 in the supply direction Ts is the transfer part R1. The article Pc is held by the transfer shuttles arranged in the supply direction Ts at the transfer part R1. The article Pc is conveyed along the first conveyance route 11 while being held by the transfer shuttle 14.

[0066] <Exterior member mounting device 300> The exterior member mounting device 300 is arranged outside Os of the article conveyance unit 10 of the article conveyance device 100 and attaches an exterior member Th to the outer surface PcO of the article Pc (see FIG. 3). The exterior member Th is a straw here, but is not limited thereto. The exterior member mounting device 300 is attached to the outer surface PcO of the article Pc in a state of being stored in a resin bag. The exterior member mounting device 300 is arranged outside Os of the first linear rail 111 of the first conveyance route 11. Then, the exterior member Th is attached (pasted) to the outer surface PcO of the article Pc held by the transfer shuttle 14 moving along the first linear rail 111.

[0067] The exterior member attaching device 300 includes an inspection unit 30 and an attachment unit 31. The inspection unit 30 inspects the state of the article Pc. The inspection unit 30, for example, acquires a captured image with an imaging unit (not shown) and determines the acceptability of the state of the article Pc based on the image processing result of the captured image. When the article Pc is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped container made of a paper base material, the inspection unit 30 checks the state of the bonding portion and the burning due to heating during bonding.

[0068] The attachment unit 31 has a drive motor 310 (see FIG. 2) that drives the device. The exterior member attaching device 300 attaches the exterior member Th to the side surface of the outer side Os of the article Pc that is moving by the operation of the drive motor 310.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection unit 30 and the drive motor 310 of the exterior member attaching device 300 are connected to the control device 800. The control device 800 operates the drive motor 310 so as to attach the exterior member Th only to the articles that have passed the inspection by the inspection unit 30. Further, the control device 800 acquires the position of the transfer shuttle 14, for example, based on the information from the linear driver 153. Based on the position of the transfer shuttle 14, the drive motor 310 is driven. Thereby, the control device 800 drives the drive motor 310 in synchronization with the speed in the transfer direction Tr of the transfer shuttle 14. As a result, the exterior member Th can be attached while maintaining the transfer speed of the transfer shuttle 14, that is, the article Pc.

[0070] Since the control device 800 acquires the position of the article Pc, in other words, the moving speed, and operates the drive motor 310 based on the position of the article Pc, even when there are articles Pc to which the exterior member Th is not attached, it is not necessary to reduce the conveyance speed of the article Pc. Thereby, a decrease in the production efficiency of the article processing apparatus A can be suppressed.

[0071] Note that the article Pc determined to be a defective product by the inspection unit 30 is conveyed from the branch point P1 to the second straight rail 112 via the first curved rail 113 while maintaining the state of being sandwiched by the transfer shuttle 14. Then, the article determined to be a defective product is collected by a defective product collection unit (not shown) disposed close to the second straight rail 112. The article Pc determined to be a defective product can be collected by dropping it downward, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0072] <Box supply device 600> The box Bx for storing the article Pc is formed by bending a paper sheet Sh such as cardboard. The box supply device 600 forms the box Bx by bending and adhesively fixing the sheet Sh. At this time, surfaces other than the surface on the side of the branch rail 121 in the take-out direction Pu are formed. The surface on the side of the branch rail 121 of the box Bx is a storage surface for storing the article Pc.

[0073] The box supply device 600 includes a sheet storage unit 61, a sheet take-out unit 62, a forming unit 63, a sheet feed unit 64, and a box moving unit 65. The sheet Sh is stored in the sheet storage unit 61. The sheet storage unit 61 is moved by a sheet rail 610. The sheet Sh stored in the sheet storage unit 61 is taken out by the sheet take-out unit 62. Then, the sheet Sh is sent to the forming unit 63 by the sheet feed unit 64. In the forming unit 63, a part of the sheet Sh is bent and adhered to form a box Bx having walls other than the wall portion close to the article accumulation unit 124. Then, the box Bx formed in the forming unit 63 is sent to a storage area 70s (to be described later) of the article packing device 700 by the box moving unit 65.

[0074] The box supply device 600 is connected to the control device 800. The box supply device 600 operates based on the instructions of the control device 800. For example, when the control device 800 confirms that there is no box Bx in the molding unit 63, it operates the sheet extraction unit 62 to extract the sheet Sh, operates the sheet feeding unit 64 to feed the sheet Sh to the molding unit 63, and operates the molding unit 63 to form the box Bx. Then, after the box transfer shuttle 702 (described later) of the box transfer unit 70 moves to the storage area 70s, the box moving unit 65 is operated to move the box Bx in the molding unit 63 to the storage area 70s.

[0075] On the outer side Os of the branch rail 121, an article accumulation unit 124 is provided adjacent to the branch rail 121. The article accumulation unit 124 arranges the articles Pc conveyed along the branch rail 121. Note that a plurality of articles Pc are temporarily stored in the article accumulation unit 124. In this way, the operation of collecting and temporarily storing a plurality of articles Pc is referred to as article accumulation. The article accumulation unit 124 has a guide wall portion 1241 and a retaining wall portion 1242.

[0076] The guide wall portion 1241 extends along the extraction direction Pu for taking out the articles. The guide wall portion 1241 is arranged in the article accumulation unit 124, is movable and fixable in the conveyance direction. The retaining wall portion 1242 is arranged at the tip behind the extraction direction Pu of the article accumulation unit 124. The retaining wall portion 1242 can be hidden below the floor surface 1240 of the article accumulation unit 124 and can project upward.

[0077] <Article extraction device 400 and article storage device 500> The article extraction device 400 moves the articles Pc arranged in the conveyance direction Tr to the extraction direction Pu intersecting the conveyance direction Tr and accumulates them in the article accumulation unit 124. In the article processing device A, the extraction direction Pu is an outward direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction Tr.

[0078] The article extraction device 400 has an article rear pressing part 41 and an article contact part 42. The article rear pressing part 41 contacts the inner surface PcI of the article Pc, and supports the article Pc in a state where the article contact part 42 contacts the outer surface PcO of the article Pc. In this way, while maintaining the state of supporting the article Pc, the article rear pressing part 41 and the article contact part 42 move in the extraction direction Pu. That is, the article extraction device 400 moves the articles Pc that are accumulated and conveyed from the branch rail 121 to the article accumulation part 124.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 2, the article extraction device 400 is connected to the control device 800. The article extraction device 400 operates based on an instruction from the control device 800. For example, after the control device 800 confirms that the transfer shuttle 14 has reached the extraction position of the branch rail 121, the control device 800 operates the article extraction device 400. Note that the control device 800 may operate the article extraction device 400 based on information other than the position of the transfer shuttle 14.

[0080] The article storage device 500 collectively moves a certain number of articles Pc accumulated in the article accumulation part 124 to the box body Bx. Note that the operation of collectively moving a plurality of articles Pc to the box body Bx is referred to as article storage.

[0081] The article storage device 500 has a rear contact part 51, a side contact part 52, and a front contact part 53. The rear contact part 51 contacts the inner surface PcI of the article Pc arranged at the innermost side Is. The side contact part 52 contacts the front surface Pcf of the article Pc arranged at the front end in the conveyance direction Tr of the article Pc and the rear surface Pcr of the article Pc arranged at the rear end. The front contact part 53 contacts the outer surface PcO of the article Pc arranged at the outermost side Os at the front end.

[0082] The rear contact part 51, the side contact part 52, and the front contact part 53 maintain the state of contacting the outer surface PcO of the outermost article Pc, the front surface Pcf of the frontmost article Pc, the rear surface Pcr of the rearmost article Pc, and the inner surface PcI of the innermost article Pc in a state where adjacent articles Pc are in contact with each other, and move in the extraction direction Pu. Thereby, the plurality of accumulated articles Pc are accommodated in the box body Bx.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 2, the article storage device 500 is connected to the control device 800. The article storage device 500 operates based on the instructions of the control device 800. For example, after the control device 800 confirms that a predetermined number of articles Pc have been accumulated in the article accumulation unit 124 based on the operation of the article extraction device 400, the control device 800 operates the article storage device 500. To explain further, the article extraction device 400 may move the article Pc to the article accumulation unit 124 a predetermined number of times, and the article storage device 500 may be operated after the article extraction device 400 has retracted. Note that the control device 800 may operate the article storage device 500 based on the operation information of the article extraction device 400.

[0084] The article processing device A has one or more article accumulation units 124. In each of the article accumulation units 124, one article extraction device 400 and one article storage device 500 are arranged respectively.

[0085] The pressing wall portion 55 contacts the front end portion of the box body Bx in the extraction direction Pu, and suppresses the movement of the box body Bx when storing the article Pc. The pressing wall portion 55 is movable up and down.

[0086] <Article packing device 700> The article processing device A has an article packing device 700. The article packing device 700 packs the articles Pc accumulated in the article accumulation unit 124 into the box body Bx. Note that packing refers to the operation until the box body Bx is completed after storing a predetermined number of articles Pc in the box body Bx.

[0087] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the article packing device 700. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the article packing device 700 viewed from the rear side in the box conveyance direction Tb. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the vertical direction is substantially the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the article packing device 700 includes a box conveyance unit 70, an article extraction device 400, an article storage device 500, a box supply device 600, and a box delivery unit 7.

[0088] The box supply device 600 folds the sheet Sh to form the box Bx and supplies the box Bx to the box conveyance unit 70. The box conveyance unit 70 is disposed outside Os of the branch rail 121. The box conveyance unit 70 has a configuration using a box linear motor mechanism and includes a linear rail 701 and a box conveyance shuttle 702.

[0089] <Linear rail 701> As shown in FIG. 9, the linear rail 701 is formed in a loop shape having horizontal portions vertically. The linear rail 701 includes a main rail 71, a grooved rail 73, and a flat rail 74. The linear rail 701 has substantially the same configuration as the rail 13. Therefore, while explaining the correspondence between each part of the linear rail 701 and each part of the rail 13, detailed description is omitted. The main rail 71 of the linear rail 701 corresponds to the main rail 131 of the rail 13.

[0090] The grooved rail 73 of the linear rail 701 corresponds to the grooved rail 132 of the rail 13. Further, the groove portion 731 of the grooved rail 73 corresponds to the groove portion 134 of the grooved rail 132. The flat rail 74 corresponds to the flat rail 133. The gap 75 of the linear rail 701 corresponds to the gap 135 of the rail 13. Note that in the linear rail 701, the grooved rail 73 and the flat rail 74 are disposed adjacent to each other with the main rail 71 interposed therebetween in a direction intersecting the box conveyance direction of the main rail 71.

[0091] The box conveyance shuttle 702 holds the box Bx from the front side and the rear side in the box conveyance direction Tb and conveys the box Bx in the box conveyance direction Tb by moving in the box conveyance direction Tb. The box conveyance unit 70 has a box guide rail 76 disposed along the box conveyance direction Tb. The box conveyance unit 70 has a plurality of box guide rails 76, and the box Bx is disposed above the box guide rails 76. When the box Bx is conveyed to the box conveyance shuttle 702, it is slidably disposed above the box guide rails 76. That is, the box guide rails 76 support the box Bx from below.

[0092] In the box conveying unit 70, the direction in which the linear rail 701 extends is the conveying direction of the box body Bx, that is, the box conveying direction Tb. The linear rail 701 is arranged at least partially parallel to the branch rail 121. In the straight part above the linear rail 701, a storage area 70s is provided on the rear side in the box conveying direction Tb. Also, a receiving area 70t is provided on the front side in the box conveying direction Tb of the storage area 70s.

[0093] In the box conveying unit 70, the box conveying shuttle 702 stops at the storage area 70s that receives the box body Bx. With the box conveying shuttle 702 stopped, the box body Bx from the box supply device 600 is sent to the storage area 70s. Then, while the box conveying shuttle 702 holds the front and rear in the box conveying direction Tb, the box conveying shuttle 702 conveys the box body Bx in the box conveying direction Tb. The box conveying shuttle 702 stops so that the box body Bx is arranged in the receiving area 70t close to the article stacking unit 124.

[0094] In the box conveying unit 70, the plurality of box conveying shuttles 702 are each independently driven by a box linear motor mechanism 72. The box linear motor mechanism 72 has the same configuration as the conveying linear motor mechanism 15. The box linear motor mechanism 72 includes a plurality of coils 721 arranged on the linear rail 701, a magnet 722 (see FIG. 10 etc.) arranged on the box conveying shuttle 702, and a box conveying linear driver 723 (see FIG. 2). The box conveying linear driver 723 supplies an appropriate current to each coil 721 based on an instruction from the control device 800. By supplying current to the coil 721, a linear motor is formed by the coil 721 and the magnet 722, and the box conveying shuttle 702 moves along the linear rail 701. Note that the control device 800 can control the box conveying shuttles 702 independently.

[0095] <Box conveying shuttle 702> The box transfer shuttle 702 is arranged on the outer surface of the linear rail 701 and is movable along the linear rail 701. The box transfer shuttle 702 includes a main body 703, a seat holding arm 704, two grooved rollers 705, and two flat rollers 706. A magnet 722 of the box linear motor mechanism 72 is arranged in the main body 703. The magnet 722 is housed inside the main body 703 and faces the coil 721 arranged on the linear rail 701 in a direction intersecting the transfer direction.

[0096] The two grooved rollers 705 are separated in the transfer direction and are offset in a direction intersecting the box transfer direction Tb. The grooved rollers 705 fit into the groove portions 731 of the grooved rail 73 and rotate. The two flat rollers 706 are separated in the transfer direction and are offset in a direction intersecting the box transfer direction Tb. The flat rollers 706 rotate in contact with the flat rail 74. In the box transfer shuttle 702, the grooved rollers 705 and the flat rollers 706 are arranged at both ends in the direction intersecting the transfer direction.

[0097] The seat holding arm 704 protrudes outward from the main body 703 to the outside of the box transfer unit 70. The seat holding arm 704 is rod-shaped and contacts the box body Bx.

[0098] The straight portion of the linear rail 701 can be divided into straight short linear rails 701s. Therefore, the length of the linear rail 701 can be adjusted within a certain range. The box transfer unit 70 can drive the box transfer shuttle 702 using the linear transfer mechanism, and the length of the linear rail 701 can be adjusted, so that it is easy to adjust the length of the working area of the article packing device 700.

[0099] <Cover folding portion 77> In the article packing device 700, there is a lid folding part 77 that folds the lid part on the article accumulation part 124 side of the box body Bx. When the storage of the article Pc in the box body Bx is completed, the box closing mechanism 127 closes the door part of the box. The door part is integrally formed with the side wall and is a part that is folded inward. The box body Bx is moved along the box body conveying part 70 with the door part closed. The box body Bx with the door part closed moves to the lid folding part 77. The lid folding part 77 folds the lid part outside the door part, adheres the door part and the lid part, and completes the packed body Cx in which the article Pc is packed. The lid folding part 77 pushes the lid part of the box body Bx from below, folds it, and adheres the lid part to the door part.

[0100] <Box body delivery part 7> The box body delivery part 7 is arranged in the unloading area 70x at the rear end of the box body conveying part 70 in the box conveying direction Tb. The box body delivery part 7 has a pushing part 78. It inspects the packed body Cx completed by the lid folding part 77. When it passes the inspection, it pushes the outer side Os of the packed body Cx with the pushing part 78 and sends it out to the OK side (upper side in Fig. 1). When it fails the inspection, it pushes the inner side Is of the packed body Cx with the pushing part 78 and sends it out to the NG side (lower side in Fig. 1). The packed body Cx sent to the OK side is carried out to the next process.

[0101] In the inspection of the box body delivery part 7 in the article processing device A, mainly the inspection of the box and the entry state of the article Pc are inspected. The article Pc itself has passed the inspection by the exterior member mounting device 300. That is, even if it fails the inspection of the box body delivery part 7, the article Pc stored inside is often a qualified product. Therefore, even when the packed body Cx is sent to the NG side, the article Pc inside the packed body Cx is handled so as not to be damaged.

[0102] As shown in Fig. 9, the article packing device 700 has a frame 900. The frame 900 is arranged above the branch rail 121 and the box body conveying part 70 (see Fig. 9). The frame 900 has a beam part 91 extending along the box conveying direction Tb.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 9, the article taking-out device 400 has a main body portion 40 to which an article rear pressing portion 41 and an article abutting portion 42 are attached. And the article taking-out device 400 has a two-arm robot portion 401 with the main body portion 40 provided at its tip. An attachment portion 402 is provided at the upper part of the two-arm robot 401. The attachment portion 402 is detachable from the beam portion 91 of the frame 900.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 9, the article storage device 500 has a main body portion 50 to which a rear contact portion 51, a side contact portion 52, and a front contact portion 53 are attached. And the article storage device 500 has a two-arm robot portion 501 with the main body portion 50 provided at its tip. An attachment portion 502 is provided at the upper part of the two-arm robot 501. The attachment portion 502 is detachable from the beam portion 91 of the frame 900.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 9, the box supply device 600 has a box moving portion 65 having a two-arm robot. The box moving portion 65 is detachable from the beam portion 91 of the frame 900. Also, the sheet storage portion 61, the sheet taking-out portion 62, the forming portion 63, and the sheet feeding portion 64 of the box supply device 600 can be changed in position according to the position of the box moving portion 65.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 9, the box delivery portion 7 has a two-arm robot 781. The extrusion portion 78 is attached to the tip of the two-arm robot 781. An attachment portion 782 is provided at the upper part of the two-arm robot 781. The attachment portion 782 is detachable from the beam portion 91 of the frame 900.

[0107] As described above, in the article packing device 700, the article taking-out device 400, the article storage device 500, the box supply device 600, and the box delivery portion 7 are detachably attached to the beam portion 91. And the box conveyance portion 70 and the article taking-out device 400, the article storage device 500, the box supply device 600, and the box delivery portion 7 are arranged so as to be independently operable.

[0108] From the above, in the article packing device 700, it is easy to adjust the length of the box body conveying unit 70 and change the mounting positions of the article taking-out device 400, the article storage device 500, the box body supply device 600, and the box body sending-out unit 7. Furthermore, the number of mounted units of the article taking-out device 400, the article storage device 500, the box body supply device 600, and the box body sending-out unit 7 can be easily changed.

[0109] In particular, by adopting the box body conveying unit 70 using the box linear motor mechanism 72, it is easy to change the length and layout of the box body conveying unit 70. By adjusting the positions of the article taking-out device 400, the article storage device 500, the box body supply device 600, and the box body sending-out unit 7 according to the length and layout of the box body conveying unit 70, the degree of freedom in the layout of the article packing device 700 can be increased. As a result, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the design of the work line of the article processing device A.

[0110] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to this content. Also, various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0111] A Article processing device Bx Box body Cx Packaged body Pc Article Pcf Front surface Pcr Rear surface 100 Article conveying device 11 First conveying route 111 First linear rail 112 Second linear rail 113 First curved rail 114 Second curved rail 12 Second conveying route 121 Branch rail 122 Confluence rail 123 Return rail 124 Article accumulation section 13 Rail 131 Main rail 132 Grooved Rail 133 Flat Rail 134 Groove 135 Gap 13c Curved Short Rail 13s Straight Short Rail 14 Conveyor Shuttle 140 Main Body 141 Upper Roller 142 Lower Roller 143 Protrusion 144 Inner Surface 145 Outer Surface 15 Conveyor Linear Motor Mechanism 151 Coil 152 Magnet 153 Linear Driver 16 Article Holding Part 161 Holding Plate Part 1611 Through Hole 1612 Recess 162 Article Engaging Part 163 Article Support Part 164 Inclined Plane 165 Rear Pressing Part 166 Front Pressing Part 167 Rear Support Part 168 Front Support Part 200 Article Delivery Device 20 Article Supply Part 21 Nipper Roller 211 Roller Motor 22 Transfer Lane 300 Exterior Member Mounting Device 30 Inspection Part 31 Mounting Part 310 Driving Motor Th Straw 400 Article Removal Device 41 Article Rear Pushing Part 42 Article Contacting Part 500 Article Storage Device 51 Rear Contacting Part 52 Side Contacting Part 53 Front Contacting Part 600 Box Supply Device 61 Sheet storage section 610 Sheet rail 62 Sheet extraction section 63 Forming section 64 Sheet feeding section 65 Box moving section Sh Sheet 700 Article packing device 70 Box conveying section 701 Linear rail 702 Box conveying shuttle 703 Main body section 704 Sheet holding arm 705 Grooved roller 706 Flat roller 70s Storage area 70t Receiving area 71 Main rail 72 Box linear motor mechanism 721 Coil 722 Magnet 723 Box conveying linear driver 73 Grooved rail 74 Plane rail 75 Gap 76 Guide rail 7 Box sending-out section 800 Control device 801 Processing circuit 802 Memory circuit

Claims

1. An article packing device for packing an article conveyed by an article conveying unit into a box, comprising: a box conveying unit disposed above a box guide rail for conveying a box filled with the articles in a box conveying direction; a box supply device for supplying the box to the box conveying unit; an article taking-out device for taking out the articles from the article conveying unit, moving them along the upper surface of the box guide rail in a taking-out direction intersecting the box conveying direction, and accumulating the articles in an article accumulating unit; an article storing device for moving the articles accumulated in the article accumulating unit in the taking-out direction and storing them in the box disposed above the box guide rail; a box sending-out unit for pushing the box moving in the box conveying unit along the upper surface of the box guide rail in a direction intersecting the box conveying direction and sending the box out to the outside; a beam portion adjacent to the box conveying unit and disposed above the box conveying unit and extending in the box conveying direction; The box supply device, the article taking-out device, the article storing device, and the box sending-out unit are arranged side by side in the box conveying direction below the beam portion, each being independently operable and detachably arranged article packing device.

2. The box conveying unit includes: a linear rail arranged in a loop shape and having stators arranged side by side; a box conveying shuttle movable along the linear rail and having a mover arranged opposite to the stator; The box conveying shuttle holds two surfaces of the box supplied from the box supply device facing the box conveying direction, respectively. The article packing device according to claim 1.

3. The box supply device, the article taking-out device, the article storing device, and the box sending-out unit can change their positions in the box conveying direction. The article packing device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A plurality of the article taking-out devices and the article storing devices can be respectively arranged, The number of the article taking-out devices and the article storing devices is the same. The article packing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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