Automatic carton supply device

Abstract

To take out cartons stored in a state of being vertically stacked, from a box, and to automatically feed them to a cartoner.CONSTITUTION: A carton automatic feeder includes: an inversion guide 27 comprising a holding part 272 that, with respect to a cardboard box 12 for storing a plurality of cartons 13 (carton group 14) stacked vertically, sucks a bottom part 121 of the cardboard box by being inserted into a gap between the cardboard box and the carton group from an upper opening side thereof; a placement part 26 for supporting the carton group relatively moving downward inside the cardboard box, when inverting the cardboard box upside down by the inversion guide; a robot arm 23 for attaching the inversion guide and the placement part thereto; and a second sucker part 31 capable of sucking and holding a bottom surface of the cardboard box in a posture inverted upside down by the inversion guide. The carton automatic feeder is configured to release the suction and holding by the holding part in a state where the cardboard box is sucked onto the second sucker part 31, take out the carton group by lowering the inversion guide, and deliver the carton group mounted on the placement part to a cartoner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic carton supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a device that removes multiple flat cartons for box packaging stored in a cardboard box and automatically supplies them to a cartoner is the device disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this device, multiple cartons are stored in the cardboard box in an upright position, and the device is configured to insert a pair of claw members into the cardboard box to clamp and grip an entire group of multiple cartons, and then remove the pair of claw members from the cardboard box in this state to remove the group of cartons all at once, move the pair of claw members to a predetermined position in the cartoner, and release the grip there to automatically supply the group of cartons to the cartoner.

[0003] On the other hand, when flat cartons are packed in a cardboard box in a stacked state, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot grip the cartons at the bottom, and the horizontal cartons are clamped from the side, which may cause the clamped cartons to come apart and fall or become bent. Therefore, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot be used. Therefore, to feed cartons packed in a cardboard box in such a flat stack state to the cartoner, an operator had to manually remove them from the cardboard box and feed them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3923523 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Manual supply work by workers places a heavy burden on them, making it difficult for them to work continuously for long periods of time, and it is necessary to rotate workers as needed. Furthermore, in order to automatically remove cartons packed flat from a cardboard box using a supply device, for example, a bundle of cartons stacked one on top of the other can be wrapped around a band and packed so that the band is positioned on the upper opening side of the cardboard box. The supply device can then remove the bundle of cartons from the cardboard box by grasping the band or by suction and lifting the exposed portion of the opening, and then set it in a predetermined position in the cartoner.

[0006] However, with such a device, it is necessary to cut the band and remove and collect it after setting the carton in the cartoner, which is cumbersome. Furthermore, because the band goes around the carton once, when set in the cartoner, part of the band gets caught between the carton and the cartoner's loading section, making the mechanisms for removing the band and the mechanisms for processing the removed band complex, and many mechanisms and elements are required for automation.

[0007] The above-mentioned problems are described as being independent of each other, and the present invention does not necessarily have to solve all of the problems described, but it is sufficient if it can solve at least one of the problems. Furthermore, we intend to obtain rights to the configurations for solving these problems separately through divisional applications, amendments, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the automatic carton supply device of the present invention is (1) an automatic carton supply device that removes a group of cartons from a box containing a group of cartons in which multiple cartons are stacked vertically and supplies the cartons to a downstream device, and is configured to include: a reversing guide having a holding part that is inserted from above into the gap between the box and the group of cartons when the box is open at the top and suction-holds the box from the inside; a loading part that supports the group of cartons that move downward relatively within the box when the reversing guide turns the box upside down; a robot arm to which the reversing guide and the loading part are attached; and a suction part that can suction-hold the outside of the box in a position inverted upside down by the reversing guide, and has a function of releasing the suction-holding of the box by the holding part when the box is adsorbed to the suction part and controlling the operation of the robot arm so that the reversing guide and the loading part descend, and the loading part moves to the input side of the device and the group of cartons placed on the loading part are delivered to the device.

[0009] In this manner, the robot arm operates to lower the reversing guide from above the box and insert the holding unit into the box. The reversing guide is then turned upside down while suction-holding the box from the inside, thereby inverting the box's orientation. This causes the carton stack to move downward within the box and onto the placement unit. The robot arm also operates to raise the reversing guide, pressing the bottom of the box against the suction unit to suction-hold the box. In this state, the suction-holding by the holding unit is released, and the reversing guide and placement unit are lowered to remove the carton stack from the placement unit. The placement unit then moves to the loading side of the device, and the carton stack on the placement unit is handed over to the device, automatically removing the carton stack consisting of multiple cartons from the box and feeding it to the device. In this embodiment, the device corresponds to a conveying device located on the loading side of the cartoner. In this embodiment, the suction unit corresponds to the second suction cup unit 31.

[0010] (2) The reversing guide and the loading section may be configured as separate members, and the reversing guide may be detachably attached to the robot arm. In this way, after removing the carton group from the box, the reversing guide can be removed and placed in a predetermined position, and the carton group placed on the loading section can be transferred to the device. Since the carton group can be transferred with the robot arm detached from the reversing guide, the configuration is simplified, and the reversing guide does not get in the way during the transfer operation, allowing for transfer with a simple configuration.

[0011] (3) The holding portion may have a function of contacting and adsorbing the bottom of the box, thereby enabling the box to be held firmly.

[0012] (4) The holding part may have a function of contacting and adsorbing the inner surface of the box. In this way, even if the tip of the holding part cannot reach the inner surface of the box due to the shape of the carton or the depth of the box, it can be adsorbed and held, and the box can be turned over. Furthermore, by combining this with the invention of (3), both the bottom and sides of the box can be adsorbed and held, making it possible to hold the box more securely.

[0013] (5) It is preferable to have a moving means for moving the suction unit from a first position where it suctions the box to a second position, and the moving means moves the suction unit to the second position while the box is still in the suction state, and the suction unit releases suction at the second position, so that the box can be transferred to a conveying device. In this way, empty boxes can be automatically transferred to the conveying device, and tasks such as discharging and disposing of the boxes can be easily performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a plurality of cartons stored in a box in a vertically stacked state can be removed from the box and automatically fed to a device such as a cartoner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a preferred embodiment of a system in which an automatic carton supply device according to the present invention is implemented. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a first conveying device that conveys a cardboard box containing a group of cartons, and a second conveying device that constitutes a cartoner. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a robot body. [Figure 4] FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing an example of a carton, and FIG. 1(b) is a plan view showing the carton housed in a cardboard box. [Figure 5] This is a diagram (part 1) explaining the operation. [Figure 6] This is a diagram (part 2) explaining the operation. [Figure 7] This is a diagram (part 3) explaining the action. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0017] 1, 2, etc. show a preferred embodiment of the automatic carton supply device according to the present invention and a box-making system in which the same is implemented. The automatic carton supply device 10 of this embodiment has the function of picking up carton groups 14, each of which is made up of multiple cartons 13 stored in a cardboard box 12 that is sequentially conveyed by a first conveying device 11 located upstream, and supplying the carton groups 14 to a second conveying device 16 located downstream.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4( a) and other figures, the carton 13 to be supplied in this embodiment includes a rectangular bottom 131, side walls 132 arranged adjacent to the four sides of the bottom 131, an outer flap 133 arranged adjacent to the top side of one of the four side walls 132, an inner flap 134 arranged adjacent to the top sides of the remaining three side walls 132, and a glue tab 135 for bonding adjacent side walls together, all of which are formed into a single sheet in an unfolded state. A plurality of such sheet-like cartons 13 are stacked one on top of the other to form a carton group 14, which is stored in a cardboard box 12. In this embodiment, the plurality of cartons 13 are stored in a stacked position without being banded with a strap or the like. When the carton group 14 is stored in the cardboard box 12, as shown in Figure 4(b), etc., gaps are formed between the four corners of the interior of the cardboard box 12 and the four corners of the carton group 14 in a planar view, and the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12 is exposed upward without being hidden by the carton group 14.

[0019] The first conveying device 11 is composed of, for example, a belt conveyor, a finger conveyor, a bucket conveyor, or the like, and controls its operation to, for example, operate intermittently to temporarily stop when the cardboard box 12 is positioned at the downstream discharge location, and to keep the cardboard box 12 at the discharge location for a predetermined time. Alternatively, instead of temporarily stopping the conveyor, a stopper member may be provided that temporarily stops the transport of the cardboard box 12 by contacting the cardboard box 12 during transport, thereby keeping the cardboard box 12 at the discharge location. Furthermore, the cardboard box 12 does not necessarily have to be temporarily stopped at the discharge location, and the automatic carton supply device 10 may perform a predetermined process on the cardboard box 12 while it is moving, but it is preferable to temporarily stop the cardboard box 12 at a predetermined position, as in this embodiment.

[0020] Furthermore, the cardboard boxes 12 containing the carton groups 14 are sequentially set into the system in an unopened, packed state. Therefore, this system has a function of opening the top of the cardboard box 12 during transport by the first conveying device 11 or at a predetermined position upstream of the first conveying device 11, and folding back the outer flaps 122 and inner flaps 123 outward to open the top of the cardboard box 12. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, the cardboard box 12 moving on the discharge side of the first conveying device 11 is in an open position with the outer flaps 122 and inner flaps 134 open outward, and the tops of the carton groups 14 contained in the cardboard box 12 that is temporarily stopped at the discharge location are exposed, and the four corners of the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12 that are not hidden by the cartons 13 are also exposed upward.

[0021] The second conveying device 16 includes two endless belts 20 arranged at a predetermined interval in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, pulleys 21 (only the upstream pulleys are shown in the figure) arranged at the front and rear along the conveying direction around which the two endless belts 20 are respectively stretched, and buckets 22 attached so as to straddle the two left and right endless belts 20. The buckets 22 are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the conveying direction, and the automatic carton supplying device 10 supplies a group of cartons 14 removed from a cardboard box 12 into the bucket 22 in a state in which multiple cartons 13 are stacked one on top of the other. The group of cartons 14 is then conveyed together with the bucket 22, which moves following the rotation of the endless belts 20, and is assembled into a box.

[0022] The bucket 22 also has a bottom plate 221 and side wall plates 222 that are provided on the left and right ends of the bottom plate 221 and stand upright away from the endless belt 20. The bottom plate 221 has two recessed cutouts on the left and right sides that extend from the rear end in the conveyance direction to the front, so that the bottom plate 221 has three legs, side portions 2211 on both left and right edges and a central portion 2212, that are connected at the front end and extend rearward in a plan view. These three legs support the bottom of the carton group 14, and the left and right side wall plates 222 guide the left and right sides of the carton group 14, ensuring stable conveyance while preventing the stacked cartons 13 from collapsing.

[0023] The automatic carton supply device 10 of this embodiment comprises a robot body 24 having a robot arm 23 that can move along a predetermined trajectory in three-dimensional space, and a box recovery device 25 that recovers the cardboard box 12 in which the carton group 14 is stored.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3 etc., the robot body 24 is provided with a placing section 26 on which the carton 13 (carton group 14) can be placed, and a reversing guide 27 that holds the cardboard box 12, attached to the robot hand at the tip of the robot arm 23.

[0025] The placement unit 26 includes two support rods 261 spaced a predetermined distance apart and a connecting member 262 that cantilevers the support rods 261, and the connecting member 262 is connected to the tip of the robot arm 23. In this embodiment, the posture and position of the placement unit 26 are controlled by the robot arm 23. For example, when the two support rods 261 are positioned horizontally and a group of cartons 14 is placed on the two support rods 261, the group of cartons 14 can be stably supported. The distance between the two support rods 261 may be narrower than the width of the bottom 131 of each carton 13, so that both support rods 261 can simultaneously contact and support the bottom 131. Although the number of support rods 261 is two in this embodiment, it may be three or more. Having three or more support rods makes it easier to support cartons 13 of different dimensions and shapes, and it is preferable that each support rod 261 be positioned on the same plane. In addition, in the embodiment, the support rod 261 is in the shape of a round bar, but the shape may be arbitrary, and it may be in various forms such as a plate shape.

[0026] The reversing guide 27 has holding portions 272 at the four corners of one surface of a flat, rectangular base member 271. The holding portion 272 has a rod-shaped guide portion 2721 and a first suction cup portion 2722 attached to the tip of the guide portion 2721. The guide portion 2721 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape with both ends open, and has a passage for air to be sucked in by the first suction cup portion 2722. Furthermore, a pipe connected to the air passage of the guide portion 2721 is provided inside the base member 271, and when the reversing guide 27 is attached to the robot arm 23 side, the pipe is connected to a pipe connected to a suction device such as a vacuum pump on the robot arm 23 side. As a result, by connecting to the suction device, an object can be sucked and held by the suction surface at the tip of the first suction cup portion 2722.

[0027] 1 etc., the four holding portions 272 are arranged so as to face the four corners of the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12, and are formed with dimensions and shapes that allow them to enter the gaps formed between the carton group 14 and the inner peripheral surface of the cardboard box 12. Furthermore, the length of the holding portions 272 is preferably the same as or longer than the depth of the cardboard box 12, and is set to a length such that when the four holding portions 272 are inserted into the cardboard box 12 from above, the suction surfaces at the tips of the first suction cup portions 2722 come into contact with the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reversing guide 27 is detachably attached to the robot hand at the tip of the robot arm 23 via a hand changer tool (not shown). When the reversing guide 27 is attached, it is connected to the piping on the robot arm 23 side as described above, and is capable of being sucked by the suction surface at the tip of the first suction cup portion 2722 when the suction device is activated. When the reversing guide 27 is released from its connection, it can be separated from the robot arm 23. When the robot arm 23 is separated from the released reversing guide 27, only the placement portion 26 is attached to the tip of the robot arm 23.

[0029] The box recovery device 25 includes a lever 32 with a second suction cup 31 at one end and a third conveying device 33 that conveys empty cardboard boxes 12. The lever 32 is configured to rotate forward and backward around the other end as a rotation center. The lever 32 is configured to rotate forward and backward within an angular range of 180 degrees in a vertical plane, and alternates between a second position in which the second suction cup 31 is located on the upper side and a first position in which the second suction cup 31 is located on the lower side. The third conveying device 33 is a belt conveyor including a pair of endless belts 331 arranged on the left and right. When the lever 32 is located in the second position, the suction surface of the second suction cup 31 is located between the pair of endless belts 331 with the suction surface facing upward. When the lever 32 is located in the first position, the suction surface of the second suction cup 31 is located away from the third conveying device 33 with the suction surface facing downward.

[0030] The automatic carton supply device 10 configured as described above controls the robot body to operate as follows, removing a group of cartons 14 stored in a cardboard box 12 from the cardboard box 12 and supplying them into the bucket 22 of the second conveying device 16.

[0031] First, when the cardboard box 12 containing the group of cartons 14 is temporarily stopped and waiting at the discharge location of the first conveying device 11, the robot main body 24 operates, and the robot arm 23, with the placing unit 26 and the reversing guide 27 attached to its tip, moves along a predetermined trajectory, and positions the reversing guide 27, with the holding unit 272 extending below the base member 271, above the cardboard box 12 waiting at the discharge location, as shown in FIG. 5(a). Next, the robot main body 24 lowers the tip of the robot arm 23, and therefore the reversing guide 27, to insert the holding unit 272 into the cardboard box 12, bringing the suction surface of the first suction cup 2722 into contact with the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12, and the first suction cup 2722 performs suction to suction and hold the four corners of the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12 (see FIG. 5(b)). In this state, the four holding portions 272 are each positioned within the gap formed between the carton group 14 and the cardboard box 12 , and the upper opening of the cardboard box 12 is covered by the base member 271 .

[0032] Next, the robot main body 24 moves the reversing guide 27 upward while still holding the cardboard box 12 by suction, and turns the cardboard box 12 upside down, thereby turning the cardboard box 12 upside down so that the opening faces downward. As a result, the group of cartons 14 inside the cardboard box 12 moves downward relative to the cardboard box 12 due to gravity, and is placed on the placement section 26 (see FIG. 5(c)).

[0033] Next, the upside-down cardboard box 12 is moved to the box recovery device 25, and the outer bottom surface of the cardboard box 12 is pressed against the second suction cup unit 31 provided above (see FIG. 5(d)). In this state, the second suction cup unit 31 performs suction, and the cardboard box 12 is sucked by the second suction cup unit 31.

[0034] In this state, the suction of the first suction cup portion 2722 of the reversing guide 27 is stopped, and the robot hand is lowered. Accordingly, the reversing guide 27 and the placement portion 26 are lowered, and the carton group 14 placed on the placement portion 26 is also lowered following this, and is removed from the cardboard box 12 (see FIG. 6(a)).

[0035] Next, the robot body 24 operates the robot arm 23 to position the reversing guide 27, with the holding portion 272 facing upward, above the reversing guide storage area 35, and places the reversing guide 27 on the reversing guide storage area 35 (see FIG. 6(b)). In this state, the hand changer tool is operated to detach the reversing guide 27 from the robot hand. Thereafter, the robot arm 23 is operated to move the placement unit 26 upward. As a result, the group of cartons 14 placed on the placement unit 26 also rises and moves out of the reversing guide 27 (see FIG. 6(c)). In this state, the group of cartons 14 is supported by the two support rods 261 that constitute the placement unit 26 (see FIG. 6(d)). Then, the robot body 24 operates the robot arm 23 to move the placement unit 26 along a predetermined trajectory to the loading position of the second transport device 16. As a result, the carton group 14 placed on the placement section 26 is also conveyed to the carry-in portion of the second conveying device 16.

[0036] Meanwhile, the second conveying device 16 operates intermittently, and when it temporarily stops, the empty bucket 22 waits at the carry-in area. As shown in Fig. 1, the bottom plate 221 of the bucket 22 has a shape in which three legs, consisting of side portions 2211 arranged on the left and right and a central portion 2212, extend rearward from the front edge, and the robot main body 24 operates the robot arm 23 so that the two support rods 261 of the placement unit 26 pass from above to below through the notch between the central portion 2212 and the side portions 2211. As a result, the group of cartons 14 placed on the placement unit 26 are transferred onto the bottom plate 221 of the bucket 22, and thereafter are transported together with the bucket 22 as it moves to the second conveying device 16, where they are folded and made into boxes by a cartoner.

[0037] On the other hand, when the box recovery device 25 attracts a cardboard box 12 in the first position where the second suction cup 31 faces downward, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 , it rotates the lever 32 180 degrees to move to the second position. During this time, the second suction cup 31 continues to apply suction. As a result, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 , the second suction cup 31 is positioned between the pair of left and right endless belts 331 of the third conveying device 33, and the bottom of the cardboard box 12 is placed so that it is stretched across the pair of left and right endless belts 331. In this state, the suction of the second suction cup 31 is released. Thereafter, the empty cardboard box 12 is transported by the conveying force of the third conveying device 33. If, for example, a device for compressing cardboard is located downstream of the third conveying device 33, the operations of removing cartons 13 from the cardboard boxes 12 and feeding them to the cartoner, and collecting the empty cardboard boxes 12 after the cartons have been removed, can be fully automated. Alternatively, the collection work may not be automated, and the cardboard boxes 12 transported by the third transport device 33 may be collected by workers.

[0038] In this embodiment, the reversing guide 27 is configured to be detachable, so when transferring the carton group 14 to the second conveying device 16, it is only necessary to move the two support rods 261 from above to below the bottom plate 221 of the bucket 22. Furthermore, it is easy to change the size to accommodate, for example, different dimensions and shapes of the cartons 13.

[0039] In the present invention, the reversing guide does not necessarily need to be detachable; the reversing guide 27 may remain attached while the group of cartons 14 is moved to the second conveying device 16 and supplied. In this case, for example, the placement unit 26 may be configured as a separate member from the reversing guide 27 as in the above-described embodiment, but it is preferable to use the base member 271 of the reversing guide 27 as the placement unit. It is also preferable to change the shape of the base member 271 to a flat rectangular shape so as not to interfere with the structure of the supply position on the cartoner side. Furthermore, if the reversing guide 27 is left attached, the device configuration is simplified because an attachment / detachment mechanism is not required, and the holding portion 272 functions as a guide to prevent lateral displacement while the group of cartons 14 removed from the cardboard box 12 is being moved horizontally.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the carton 13 is an airplane type, which creates relatively large gaps at the four corners when the carton is stored in the cardboard box 12. Therefore, four holding portions 272 are provided, each of which is configured as a round rod. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of carton 13 and can be applied to cartons of various shapes. Even if there is little or no gap between the carton and the cardboard box, for example, the shape of the holding portion may be such that the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction is flat and thin, or when inserting the holding portion into the cardboard box, the cardboard box is tilted to move the carton to one side, thereby forming a gap. A holding portion with a suction portion at its tip is inserted into the gap and suction-holds the bottom 121.

[0041] Furthermore, while a layout in which four holding parts are provided and arranged at the four corners as in the embodiment is preferable because it allows the cardboard box to be held stably, it is also possible to reduce the number of parts and hold the box by suction in two or one place. In particular, when the cardboard box is tilted, such as when the gap that is originally formed is narrow, as in the above-mentioned modified example, it is preferable to configure the box so that one or more holding parts are inserted on the upper side where the gap is formed.

[0042] Furthermore, the surface to be sucked is preferably the bottom 121 of the cardboard box 12 as in the embodiment, but instead of that, or in addition, the inner peripheral surface of the cardboard box may also be sucked. For example, a flat portion may be provided on at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 2721 constituting the holding portion 272, in a region facing the inner surface of the cardboard box, and a suction hole may be provided there so that the inner surface of the cardboard box is sucked.

[0043] In particular, for example, in a case where only two pieces can be placed on one side, it is advisable to flatten the two holding portions 272 (guide portions 2721) so that at least the portions facing the inside surface of the cardboard box are flat, and so that the inside surface of the box can also be adsorbed. In this case, it is advisable to provide a suction cup portion at the tip of guide portion 2721, but this is not necessarily required.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the multiple cartons 13 are stored in the cardboard box 12 in a stacked position without being banded with bands or the like, and even a group of cartons 14 that is not banded can be automatically removed from the cardboard box 12 and fed to the cartoner, but the present invention does not exclude application to a group of cartons 13 that are banded with bands.

[0045] When applied to the banded type, the band needs to be cut and collected. This can be done after the carton is set in the cartoner as in the conventional method. However, in this embodiment, the cardboard box 12 is sucked and held by the reversing guide 27 and inverted, and the group of cartons 14 placed on the loading section 26 is then removed from the cardboard box. Therefore, the cutting and collection of the band may be done while the cardboard box is being removed from the cardboard box or while the robot arm 23 is moving toward the cartoner after removal. For example, a cutter device for cutting the band may be disposed along the moving path, and the robot arm 23 may be operated so that the band comes into contact with the cutter and is cut. Furthermore, when applied to the banded type, a convex portion may be provided on the loading surface of the loading section 26 to lift the group of cartons 14 above the loading surface to facilitate collection of the band.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the second suction cup 31 is attached to a lever 32 that rotates 180 degrees forward and backward in a vertical plane, and is displaced between a first position in which it faces downward and a second position in which it faces upward. At the second position, the second suction cup 31 is positioned at the same level as or below the conveying surface of the third conveying device 33, thereby maintaining suction at the second position and facilitating transfer to the third conveying device 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the direction of movement is arbitrary. Furthermore, the box may be transferred to the conveying device in a downward or sideways position without being turned upright as in the embodiment.

[0047] While various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments, it should be noted that these embodiments and descriptions are provided to aid in understanding the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the structures and manufacturing methods explicitly described in the specification, but also encompasses combinations of various aspects of the present invention disclosed herein. While the structures of the present invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the appended claims, it is hereby expressly stated that structures not currently specified in the claims may be claimed in the future as disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10: Automatic carton supply device 11: First conveying device 12: Cardboard box 121: Bottom 13: Carton 14: Carton group 16: Second conveying device 23: Robot arm 24: Robot body 25: Box collection device 26: Placement section 261: Support rod 262: Connecting member 27: Reverse guide 271: Base material 272: Holding part 2721: Guide part 2722: First suction cup 31: Second suction cup part 32: Lever 33: Third conveying device 35: Reversal guide storage area

Claims

1. An automatic carton supply device that removes a group of cartons, each of which is a stack of cartons, from a box containing the group and supplies the group of cartons to a downstream device, comprising: a reversing guide including a holding portion that is inserted into a gap between the box and the group of cartons from above the box with the top open and that holds the box by suction from the inside; a loading section that supports the group of cartons that moves downward relatively within the box when the box is turned upside down by the turning guide; a robot arm that attaches the reversing guide and the placement unit; a suction portion capable of suction-holding the outer side of the box in a position inverted upside down by the inversion guide; a function of releasing the suction hold of the box by the holding unit while the box is being sucked by the suction unit, and controlling the operation of the robot arm so that the reversing guide and the placement unit are lowered; 1. An automatic carton supplying device, comprising: a loading section that is moved to a carry-in side of the device; and a group of cartons loaded on the loading section that is transferred to the device.

2. The reversing guide and the placing section are configured as separate members, 2. The automatic carton supply device according to claim 1, wherein the reversing guide is detachably attached to the robot arm.

3. 3. The automatic carton supply device according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion has a function of contacting and adsorbing the bottom of the box.

4. 4. The automatic carton supply device according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion has a function of contacting and adsorbing the inner surface of the box.

5. a moving means for moving the suction unit from a first position where the suction unit suctions the box to a second position, 5. The automatic carton supply device according to claim 1, wherein the moving means moves the box to the second position while the suction unit is still holding the box, and the suction unit releases suction at the second position, thereby enabling the box to be transferred to a conveying device.

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