Automatic carton opening system

Abstract

To provide a carton opening system capable of reducing the burden of packing work by dropping, in a more stable position, an inner bag housed in the carton into the reversing hopper, so that the package can be smoothly taken out from the inner bag without stopping the system or requiring human intervention.SOLUTION: An automated carton opening system includes a separation station 104 which is configured to separate an inner bag N from a carton C through an opened bottom of the carton C, and which includes an inner bag support member 114 that rises from below the carton C and supports from below the inner bag N in the carton C with a bottom thereof being opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a carton automatic opening system for opening a carton containing an inner bag that houses a large number of small items such as a large number of caps for closing the mouth of a container as a package, and further taking out the package from the inner bag.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a factory equipped with a filling line for filling and packaging contents such as beverages in bottle-shaped containers, in order to seal the mouth of the container, caps are sequentially supplied in accordance with the number of containers being filled and conveyed. For such cap supply, a cap feeder with a storage capacity of tens of thousands is prepared on the filling line, and caps are sequentially supplied from the cap feeder to the filling line. Although the weight of each cap is very light, the pressure acting on the caps at the bottom of the cap feeder becomes quite high, and the caps may be deformed. Therefore, there is also a limit to enhancing the storage capacity of the cap feeder.

[0003] Also, recently, the speed of the filling line has been increasing, and there are an increasing number of lines that can fill and cap more than 600 bottles per minute (600 bpm or more). At this processing speed, even if the caps are stored in the cap feeder until it is full, they will be used up in a few tens of minutes. Therefore, depending on the line operation time, for each filling line, it is necessary to perform the operation of opening ten to several hundred cartons every day and putting them into the cap feeder. However, a machine that automatically performs a series of operations from opening this carton to taking out the inner bag, taking out the caps, and disposing of the used inner bag and empty cartons has not yet been developed, and the regular unpacking work of the cartons is still manually performed. At present, the series of operations starting from opening the carton is a burden on the operator.

[0004] Generally, not only bottle caps, but also relatively lightweight items used in large quantities, such as plastic parts (hereinafter referred to as "small items" in this explanation), are distributed by placing the small items in inner bags inside cartons, and then palletizing the cartons. The same problem arises when unpacking cartons and supplying small items to manufacturing lines, etc., as it necessitates similar periodic unpacking work. Generally, various devices have been proposed for opening packaging boxes that cut the flap seal to open the box, such as those shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Furthermore, devices have been proposed that cut the sealing tape on opened boxes and automatically fold and stack cardboard boxes (see, for example, Patent Document 3), as well as robot-equipped depalletizers and uncasers or casers and palletizers (see Patent Document 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-91746 [Patent Document 2] Registered Utility Model No. 3036053 Publication [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-18932 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 3-69432 [Patent Document 5] Patent No. 4058261 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] To address these challenges, the applicant proposed a carton opening system that uses a robotic operator for handling, avoiding reliance on manual labor, having a space-saving and simple structure as much as possible, and enabling the separation of inner bags contained within the carton from the carton, effective removal of packaged goods from the inner bags, and supply to the required production line (see Patent Document 5). This carton opening system solves the above problems, and its space-saving and simple structure reduces the burden on operators during unpacking. However, when the inner bag N is dropped by its own weight from the bottom of carton C into the inversion hopper 141 (temporary hopper 70 in Patent Document 5), the pair of inner flaps 14 open sequentially during the transport of carton C. As shown in Figure 5, the inner flap 14 that opens first loses its support first, causing a force to rotate the inner bag N during the fall, and there was a rare risk that the inner bag N would tilt when placed in the inversion hopper 141. If the inner bag N is tilted when placed in the inversion hopper 141, tilting the inversion hopper 141 may not allow the packaged items to be smoothly removed. In such cases, the system had to be stopped and manual intervention required. Furthermore, as shown in the diagram, there was a risk that the inner bag N would fall out when the reversing hopper 141 was tilted.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a carton opening system that allows for the smooth removal of packaged goods from the inner bag without stopping the system or requiring manual intervention, by dropping the inner bag contained within the carton into the inverting hopper in a more stable position, thereby reducing the burden of unpacking work on the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention relates to an automatic carton opening system comprising: an incoming station into which cartons containing inner bags and with sealed outer flaps at the bottom are brought; a bottom opening station for opening the outer flaps at the bottom of cartons transported from the incoming station; a separation station for separating the inner bags from the carton through the opened bottom of cartons transported from the bottom opening station; and a packaging receiving station for receiving the packaging contained in the inner bags from the inner bags separated from the carton at the separation station, wherein the separation station includes: It is shaped to allow passage between the closed inner flaps of the carton, The aforementioned problem is solved by having an inner bag support member that rises from the bottom of the carton and supports the inner bag inside the carton, which has been opened at the bottom, from below. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the carton automatic opening system of the invention described in claim 1, It is shaped to allow passage between the closed inner flaps of the carton, By having an inner bag support member that rises from the bottom of the carton and supports the inner bag inside the opened carton from below, the inner bag will not fall even when the inner flap is opened, and it will be possible to move it downward as the inner bag support member descends, allowing the inner bag to fall straight down without rotational force being generated while maintaining its position inside the carton. This prevents the inner bag from tilting when it falls into the inversion hopper, allowing for smooth retrieval of the packaged items. This prevents the system from stopping or requiring manual intervention, and also prevents the inner bag from falling out when the inversion hopper is tilted.

[0010] According to the configuration described in claim 2, the inner bag is precisely supported by the inner bag support member until it reaches the bottom of the inversion hopper, making it possible to further suppress changes in the posture of the inner bag. Claim 3 The inventionAccording to this, the inner flap guide keeps the inner flap in a closed state during the transfer of the carton, and is provided so as to be movable to a position where the inner flap can be freely opened. Thus, with the inner flap in the closed state, the inner bag can reach the dropping position (above the inversion hopper) while being supported inside the carton. By quickly moving the inner flap guide and opening the inner flap while the carton is stationary at the dropping position, the inner bag can drop straight down without generating a rotational force while maintaining its posture inside the carton. According to the configuration described in claim 4, since the outer flap guide is arranged at a position lower than the inner flap guide on both sides of the inner flap guide, it is possible to open the outer flap to the minimum necessary extent, and the peripheral space for the movement of the carton can be reduced. According to the configuration described in claim 5, one working robot can handle many different operations, and the entire system can have a space-saving and simple structure.

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of a carton automatic opening system which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Side explanatory view of the bottom opening station and the separation station in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] Plan explanatory view of the bottom opening station and the separation station in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] Perspective view of the carton C seen from obliquely below. [Figure 5] Explanatory diagram of the rotation of the inner bag when dropped into the inversion hopper.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

Examples

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the carton automatic opening system 100 is configured by arranging a working robot 109 at the central position and arranging a plurality of stations for performing operations necessary for opening the carton C around the working robot 109. The carton C is a box that, as a packaging item, packs lightweight small items such as the caps of bottles in a scattered manner in the inner bag N. Preferably, the entire working space is set in a clean room that is blocked from the outside and has controlled air conditioning. However, the surrounding environment only needs to be clean enough so that no foreign matter mixes into the caps, and it is not limited to being inside the clean room.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 4, the carton C dealt with in this embodiment is composed of a rectangular tube-shaped body side plate portion 11, a bottom flap 12 formed so as to be foldable along a fold line formed along the lower end of the side plate portion 11, and a top flap 13 formed so as to be foldable along a fold line formed along the upper end of the side plate portion 11. The structure itself has no difference from the conventional structure. The bottom flap 12 is composed of inner flaps 14, 14 that form one pair and are first folded inside the carton 10, and outer flaps 15, 15 that form the other pair and are overlapped on the two inner flaps 14, 14 and sealed.

[0014] In the illustrated example, the sealing between the inner flaps 14, 14 and the outer flaps 15, 15 is performed by sticking the joint 15b of the two outer flaps 15, 15 with a tape 18. When there is a risk that the seal of the bottom flap 12 may be broken by the load of the packaged items only by the seal of the bottom flap 12 with the tape 18, a tape 18a is stuck across the side end portions 15a of each outer flap 15 and the side plate portion 11, and the tape 18 and the tape 18a are combined to perform a seal in an overall H shape, thereby reinforcing the sealing force of the bottom flap 12 of the carton 10. The seals on both the inner and outer flaps may be formed by bonding with an adhesive 19 such as hot melt instead of using tapes 18 and 18a. The top flap 13, like the bottom flap 12, consists of inner flaps 16, 16 and outer flaps 17, 17 that are overlapped on the inner flaps 16, 16 and sealed with tape 88. To improve the sealing performance of the top flap 13, tape 88a is applied across the side edge 17a of each outer flap 17 and the side plate portion 11, so that the tape 88 and tape 88a together form an H-shape seal overall.

[0015] In the automatic carton opening system 100 shown in Figure 1, multiple cartons C are stacked on a pallet and palletized before being delivered to the receiving station 101. Carton C, once delivered to receiving station 101, is transferred by the work robot 109 from receiving station 101 to pre-opening station 103 or directly to bottom opening station 102, where the seal on the bottom flap of carton C is opened. Carton C, with its bottom flap seal opened, is then transferred to separation station 104, where the inner bag N is separated from carton C through the already opened bottom flap. The inner bag N, separated from carton C at separation station 104, is then received by the packaging receiving station 105, where the cap, which is the packaged item, is received. Each station is positioned within the work area (shown as a circle in Figure 1) surrounding the work robot 109. This arrangement minimizes the amount of movement of carton C between stations and the work of the work robot 109 at each station, resulting in shorter travel distances and travel times for carton C, and improving the work efficiency of the work robot 109.

[0016] To collect the empty bags that have been separated at the separation station 104 and from which their contents have been removed, an empty bag collection station 106 can be provided to collect the empty bags by sucking them out from the separation station 104 through the vacuum duct 171. Empty bags can be easily collected by suctioning them from the separation station 104 through the vacuum duct 171. Additionally, a top flap opening station 107 is provided for opening the seal on the top flap of the empty carton C that has been separated from the inner bag N at the separation station 104, and an empty carton collection station 108 is provided for collecting the empty carton C that has had its top flap seal opened and flattened at the top flap opening station 107. Since the empty carton C separated from the inner bag N at the separation station 104 is bulky as is, it is preferable to open the seal on the top flap of the empty carton C at the top opening station 107, flatten the empty carton C which has become cylindrical after the seal on the top flap has been opened to reduce its volume, and then collect the reduced-volume empty carton C at the empty carton collection station 108.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the bottom opening station 102 is equipped with a bottom seal opener 121 fixed to the movement path of the carton C. By moving the carton C relative to the bottom seal opener 121, the outer flap of the bottom flap of the carton C is biased downward, creating a gap between it and the inner flap. The bottom seal opener 121 then penetrates between the outer and inner flaps and moves relative to them, opening the seal on the bottom flap. The mutual restraint between the inner and outer flaps is released, and both outer flaps are separated from the inner flap.

[0018] A fixed flap guide 110 is provided from the bottom opening station 102 to the separation station 104. The fixed flap guide 110 consists of a fixed outer flap guide 110b that guides the outer flap of the opened carton C at the bottom, and a fixed inner flap guide 110a that guides the inner flap of the opened carton C at the bottom. The fixed inner flap guide 110a is positioned in the center of the carton C's movement path and is configured to keep the inner flap closed at all times during the transport of the carton C. The fixed outer flap guide 110b is positioned so as to gradually move away from the vicinity of the fixed inner flap guide 110a on the bottom opening station 102 side, and is positioned so as to extend diagonally on both sides of the fixed inner flap guide 110a to a position lower than the fixed inner flap guide 110a, and is configured to open the outer flap as the carton C is transported. In this embodiment, both the fixed inner flap guide 110a and the fixed outer flap guide 110b are made of smooth metal rods because they slide against the inner and outer flaps of the carton C.

[0019] Above the reversing hopper 141 of the separation station 104, there is an internal flap guide 111 that keeps the internal flap closed at all times during the transfer of carton C, which is continuous with the fixed internal flap guide 110a, and an external flap guide 112 that keeps the external flap open during the transfer of carton C, which is continuous with the fixed external flap guide 110b. The inner flap guide 111 is configured to be movable by the flap guide moving mechanism 113 to a position where the inner flap can be freely opened (in this embodiment, it is slidable to the left as shown in the figure), and the inner bag N containing the packaged goods is configured to fall by its own weight into the inverting hopper 141 located below. Carton C, which has been transported to the top of the inversion hopper 141 of the separation station 104, remains supported by the work robot 109, but as the inner flap guide 111 moves, the bottom flap of carton C is immediately opened by the load of the inner bag N, and the inner bag N falls through the opened bottom flap and is fed into the inversion hopper 141. The gap between the inner flap guide 111 and the bottom surface of carton C during carton C's movement can be appropriately adjusted by the work robot 109, taking into consideration the ease with which the inner bag N falls out, the dimensional tolerance of carton C, the weight of the inner bag N, and the ease with which the inner flap can be opened when the inner flap guide 111 is opened. For example, if the inner bag N contains loosely packed bottle caps, it is preferable to adjust the gap between the inner flap guide 111 and the bottom of the carton C to approximately 0-100 mm. In this embodiment, the outer flap guide 112 is configured to slide integrally with the inner flap guide 111, but the inner flap guide 111 may be moved independently. Furthermore, the mechanism and structure for movement may be of any kind.

[0020] Separation Station 104 The inverting hopper 141 is equipped with an inner bag support member 114 that rises from below to support the inner bag N inside the carton C, which is located above the carton C, and whose bottom has been opened. The inner bag support member 114 rises to a position where it contacts the inner bag N just before the inner flap guide 111 moves, and then descends after the inner flap guide 111 moves, thereby suppressing changes in the posture of the inner bag N when it falls. In this embodiment, the inner bag support member 114 is configured as two rod-shaped members that pass between the inner flap guide 111 and the outer flap guides 112 on both sides, and is shaped to pass between the bottom of the reversing hopper 141 and the closed inner flap of the carton C, with each upper end surface configured to be adsorbed to the inner bag N by a vacuum mechanism. This allows for a more stable posture of the inner bag N during descent.

[0021] The inner surface (bottom and sides) of the inverting hopper 141 is provided with a suction fixing section 143 that introduces negative pressure to hold the inner bag N to the inner surface, preventing the inner bag N from falling out during the inverting drive. The reversing hopper 141 is driven to reverse toward the packaging receiving station 105, and the cap is removed from the inner bag N to the packaging receiving station 105. The bottom of the reversing hopper 141 is provided with a suction hole 142 that connects to the vacuum duct 171 when the hopper is upright. After the cap has been removed, the inverting hopper 141 returns to its original upright position, and the empty bag is collected at the empty bag collection station 106 through the vacuum duct 171 connected to the suction port 142. The vacuum duct 171 is configured to be selectively connected to the suction hole 142, the inner bag support member 114, and the suction fixing part 143 by a switching mechanism (not shown) such as a damper that switches between three systems, and is configured to be switched by an air cylinder or the like. The reversing hopper 141 may be driven to reverse by the work robot 109, or it may be equipped with a separate drive mechanism. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 100 ··· Automatic carton opening system 101 ··· Receiving Station 102 ··· Bottom opening station 103... Reserve Opening Station 104 ··· Separation Station 105 ··· Package receiving station 106 ··· Empty bag collection station 107 ··· Tenbu Kaihatsu Station 108 ··· Empty carton collection station 109 ··· Work robot 110 ··· Fixed flap guide 110a... Fixed internal flap guide 110b... Fixed external flap guide 111 ··· Internal flap guide 112 ··· External flap guide 113... Flap guide movement mechanism 114 ··· Inner bag support member 121... Bottom seal opener 141 ··· Reversing hopper 142... Suction hole 143... Suction fixing part 171 ··· Vacuum duct C ··· Carton N ··· Inner bag 14 ··· Inner flap 15 ··· Outer flap

Claims

1. An automatic carton opening system comprising: an incoming station into which cartons containing inner bags and with the bottom outer flap sealed are brought; a bottom opening station that opens the bottom outer flap of the cartons transported from the incoming station; a separation station that separates the inner bags from the carton through the opened bottom of the cartons transported from the bottom opening station; and a packaging receiving station that receives the packages contained in the inner bags from the inner bags separated from the carton at the separation station, The carton automatic opening system is characterized in that the separation station has an inner bag support member that is shaped to pass between the closed inner flaps of the carton, rises from below the carton and supports the inner bag inside the carton from below.

2. The separation station has an inversion hopper that supports the inner bag separated from the carton and inverts it to discharge the packaged material from the inner bag to the packaged material receiving station. The carton automatic opening system according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner bag support member is configured to be able to pass through the bottom of the inversion hopper and rise.

3. An automatic carton opening system comprising: an incoming station into which cartons containing inner bags and with the bottom outer flap sealed are brought; a bottom opening station for opening the bottom outer flap of the cartons transported from the incoming station; a separation station for separating the inner bags from the cartons through the opened bottom of the cartons transported from the bottom opening station; and a packaging receiving station for receiving the packaging contained in the inner bags from the inner bags separated from the cartons at the separation station, wherein The separation station has an inner bag support member that rises from below the carton and supports the inner bag inside the carton with the bottom opened from below. The separation station includes an outer flap guide for guiding the opened outer flap at the bottom of the carton, and an inner flap guide for guiding the inner flap at the bottom of the carton. The outer flap guide is positioned to open the outer flap during carton transport. The carton automatic opening system is characterized in that the inner flap guide is provided to keep the inner flap closed during carton transport and to be movable to a position where the inner flap can be freely opened.

4. The aforementioned internal flap guide is positioned in the center of the carton's movement path. The outer flap guide is positioned on both sides of the inner flap guide. The carton automatic opening system according to claim 3, characterized in that the inner bag support member is configured to be able to move up and down between the inner flap guide and the outer flap guide.

5. The carton automatic opening system has a working robot, Each of the aforementioned stations is arranged around the work robot. The automatic carton opening system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the work robot is configured to grasp cartons and move cartons within and between each station.

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