Single-leaf component unpacking device

Abstract

To provide a sheet member unpacking device capable of unpacking a packing body of sheet members packed with a packing material in a stacked state, and capable of taking out the sheet members in the stacked state.SOLUTION: A sheet member unpacking device is configured to: press, by a pressing mechanism 11 paper-made packaging material 2 stored in a stacked state inside a packing material 3 in a packing material-stacked direction; and in that state, while suctioning, by a suction mechanism 13, an outside surface of the packing material 3 orthogonal to an open face 6 of a packing body 5, move, by a movement mechanism 15, a suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 in a direction opposed to the open face 6 of the packing body 5. Thereby, the packing material 3 can be removed from the paper-made packaging material 2 stored in the stacked state inside the packing material 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a single-sheet member unpacking device, particularly to a single-sheet member unpacking device for unpacking a package in which single-sheet members such as paper packaging materials are stacked and packaged with a packaging material.

Background Art

[0002] For example, products in which liquids such as beverages are filled in paper packaging materials (packs) are sold. Such paper packaging materials are, for example, those in a state of being unfolded in a cylindrical shape and made into a case, filled with liquid inside, and then the upper part of the case is sealed to become a product. The paper packaging materials in a material state are packaged in a folded state with a plurality (a large number) stacked. As a supply device for supplying such packaged paper packaging materials to a liquid filling machine, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1 below. In addition, as a device for supplying the folded paper packaging materials in a stacked state to a case-making / filling machine, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 2 below.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the paper packaging supply device described in Patent Document 1 transports a package containing stacked paper packaging materials, and the process of unpacking the package, removing the paper packaging, and supplying it to the filling machine must be done manually. Similarly, while Patent Document 2 can remove paper packaging materials one by one from a stacked state and supply them to a box-making and filling machine, the process of unpacking the paper packaging, removing the stacked paper packaging, and supplying it to the device must also be done manually. In particular, the process of removing a large number of stacked paper packaging materials and carrying them to the device is a physically demanding task that puts a strain on the worker's muscles, and there is a need for an unpacking device that can automate this process. Since folded paper packaging materials are in the form of sheets with a predetermined shape and size, there is a desire for a sheet-fed member unpacking device that can also be applied to sheet-fed members of a similar form.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a sheet member unpacking device that can unpack a package of sheet members that are packed in a stacked state by packing material, and remove the sheet members in a stacked state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, a single-sheet member unpacking device according to one aspect of the present invention is a single-sheet member unpacking device that unpacks a package containing multiple single-sheet members stacked in the thickness direction and packaged in a package material, the entire package forming a rectangular parallelepiped or cube, and removes the stacked single-sheet members, wherein the package has an open surface on at least one face of the rectangular parallelepiped or cube perpendicular to the direction in which the stacked single-sheet members are free from the package material, and a portion of the single-sheet members at both ends of the stacking direction is exposed from the package material, and comprises a pressing mechanism that presses the exposed single-sheet members at both ends of the stacking direction in the direction in which the stacked single-sheet members are stacked to press the stacked single-sheet members, an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the outer surface of the package material from a direction opposite to at least one face of the rectangular parallelepiped or cube perpendicular to the open surface of the package, and a moving mechanism that moves the adsorption portion of the adsorption mechanism in a direction opposite to the open surface of the package. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the single-sheet member unpacking device of the present invention, the pressing mechanism presses the overlapping single-sheet members in the overlapping direction, and in that state, the suction mechanism adsorbs the outer surface of the packaging material, and the moving mechanism moves the suction part of the suction mechanism in a direction opposite to the open surface of the packaging body, thereby allowing the packaging material to be removed from the overlapping single-sheet members contained inside the packaging material. This allows the packaging body of single-sheet members that are packed in an overlapping state to be unpacked, and the single-sheet members to be removed in an overlapping state. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a three-view drawing showing the overall configuration of an example of a paper packaging material supply device to which the sheet-fed member unpacking device of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 5]Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 6] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 7] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 8] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 9] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 10] Figure 1 is a three-view drawing showing an example of a packaging material supplied to a paper packaging material supply device. [Figure 11] This is a schematic three-view drawing showing a first embodiment of a sheet-fed member unpacking device applied to the paper packaging supply device shown in Figure 1 for unpacking the packaging material bundle shown in Figure 10. [Figure 12] Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the sheet-fed member unpacking device. [Figure 13] This is a three-view drawing showing another example of a packaging material supplied to the paper packaging material supply device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 14] This is a schematic three-view drawing showing a second embodiment of a sheet-fed member unpacking device applied to the paper packaging supply device shown in Figure 1 for unpacking the packaging material bundle shown in Figure 13. [Figure 15] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a sheet-fed material unpacking device. [Figure 16] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sheet-sheet unpacking device shown in Figure 14. [Figure 17] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sheet-sheet unpacking device shown in Figure 14. [Figure 18] Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sheet-sheet unpacking device shown in Figure 14. [Figure 19] Figure 14 is a three-view drawing showing another example of the configuration of the sheet-fed member unpacking device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the single-sheet member unpacking device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments illustrate devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. The technical idea of the present invention does not specify the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components in the following embodiments. Also, the drawings are schematic. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationship between the thickness and the planar dimensions, ratios, etc. are different from the actual ones, and there are parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios between the drawings are different. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the technical scope defined by the claims described in the claims.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an example of a paper packaging material supply device 51 to which the single-sheet member unpacking device 1 of this embodiment is applied. FIG. 1a is a plan view, FIG. 1b is a front view, and FIG. 1c is a right side view. In this paper packaging material supply device 51, a package 5 of folded paper packaging materials 2, which are single-sheet members, is supplied from the upper left of FIG. 1a, and the paper packaging materials 2 cut out from the unpacked package 5 are supplied one by one to a case filling machine (not shown) connected in series to the right of FIG. 1a. Examples of the case filling machine include those described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2. That is, the single-sheet member unpacking device (hereinafter referred to as the paper packaging material unpacking device) 1 of this embodiment is disposed in the portion indicated by the broken line in FIG. 1, unpacks the package 5, and takes out the paper packaging materials 2 stacked in a plurality (a large number) of layers. The paper packaging material 2 is, for example, a paper pack for beverages.

[0011] Before explaining the specific configuration of the paper packaging material unpacking device 1 of this embodiment, the configuration and operation of the paper packaging material supply device 51 in FIG. 1 will be described. In addition, for the actuators for driving the components of each device, including the paper packaging material unpacking device 1 described later, well-known drive sources such as air cylinders and electric motors are used, and well-known moving mechanisms and rotating mechanisms are used for the configurations in which those components move linearly or rotate. Therefore, their illustrations and explanations are omitted. In this paper packaging material supply device 51, a roller conveyor 52 for moving the paper packaging material bundle 5 in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1b is arranged on the left side of the device, and the paper packaging material bundle 5 is conveyed from above (the back side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1b) to below (the front side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface) in FIG. 1a. At the tip of the roller conveyor 52 in the direction of the bundle conveyance, a guide rail 55 for conveying the bundle 5 of the paper packaging material 2 and the paper packaging material 2 taken out after unpacking to the case filling machine extends toward the left in FIG. 1b. As shown in FIG. 1c, for example, this guide rail 55 includes two cylindrical lower guide members 53 that support the lower surface (lower side) of the conveyed paper packaging material 2, and cylindrical side guide members 54 arranged one by one on each side surface to support both side surfaces (side sides). The upper surface of the roller conveyor 52 and the upper surface of the lower guide member 53 are set at the same height.

[0012] The paper packaging material unpacking device 1 is arranged on the left side of the guide rail 55. Nearby, there are a loading pusher 56 for moving the paper packaging material bundle 5 and the unpacked paper packaging material 2 in a stacked state to the left in FIG. 1b and changing their directions, and a magazine pusher 58 for cutting out and sending out the paper packaging materials 2 conveyed on the guide rail 55 one by one to the case filling machine in a stacked state. The push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 is made of, for example, an elongated thick plate material, has the same height as the paper packaging material 2 as shown in FIG. 1b, and a width narrower than the interval between the two lower guide members 53 as shown in FIG. 1a. In FIG. 1b, the upper end is obliquely arranged so as to face the rear in the conveyance direction of the paper packaging material 2. This push member 57 is configured to reciprocate between a position to the right of the position shown in FIG. 1b and a position to the left of the roller conveyor 52, and to rotate from the posture shown in FIG. 1b to a posture in which the height direction coincides with the vertical direction.

[0013] The push mechanism 59 of the magazine pusher 58 is composed of a base plate member 60 that is disposed on both outer sides of the two lateral guide members 54 and extends in the height direction, and arm members 61 that extend diagonally to the right from the upper and lower parts of each base plate member 60 toward the center of the width direction of the guide rail 55. Each arm member 61 is attached to the base plate member 60 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and a coil spring (see Figure 5, etc.) 62 is interposed between the arm member 61 and the base plate member 60. Therefore, although the arm member 61 is rotatable around a vertical axis, the end of the arm member 61 opposite to the protruding direction abuts against the base plate member 60 and does not rotate toward the center of the width direction of the guide rail from the state in Figure 1b. That is, when an external force is applied that pushes the arm member 61 toward the width direction of the guide rail 55, it approaches the base plate member 60 and closes, but when the external force is removed, it returns to the position in Figure 1b by the biasing force of the coil spring 62.

[0014] Next, the operation of the paper packaging supply device 51 will be explained. Figure 2 shows the state after the stacked paper packaging materials 2 have been dispensed from the paper packaging unpacking device 1, with Figure 2a being a plan view and Figure 2b being a front view. In the following explanatory diagrams of the operation of the paper packaging supply device 51, Figure a is a plan view and Figure b is a front view. When the paper packaging materials 2 are dispensed from the paper packaging unpacking device 1 in this manner, the packaged bodies 5 of the paper packaging materials 2, which are mounted on the roller conveyor 52 on the front side in the transport direction (the back side in the vertical direction of the paper in Figure 2b), are transported toward the front side in the transport direction (the front side in the vertical direction of the paper in Figure 2b), as shown in Figure 2a. Before the packaged bodies 5 of the paper packaging materials 2 are transported on the roller conveyor 52, the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 is moved to the left side of the roller conveyor 52, that is, to the opposite side of the guide rail 55. Furthermore, approximately one package's worth of paper packaging material 2 remains stacked on the guide rail 55, and even while new paper packaging material 2 is being added, the magazine pusher 58 can cut out the paper packaging material 2 one by one from this stacked state and supply it to the box-making and filling machine.

[0015] Figure 3 shows the state after the transport of the paper packaging 2 package 5 on the roller conveyor 52 described in Figure 2 is completed. That is, the transport of the package 5 on the roller conveyor 52 is completed when the package 5 is aligned with the extension direction of the guide rail 55, and thereafter the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 feeds the package 5 towards the guide rail 55. Figure 4 shows the state after the transport (feeding) of the paper packaging 2 package 5 by the loading pusher 56 described in Figure 3 is completed. That is, the transport of the package 5 by the loading pusher 56 is completed when the package 5 has been fed to the position of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 located on the guide rail 55, and thereafter, as will be described later, the paper packaging unpacking device 1 removes the packaging material 3 from the package 5 and removes the paper packaging 2 that was contained inside in a stacked state. In Figure 4, the upper end of the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 is set to be angled toward the rear in the direction of transporting (feeding) the packaged body. However, in this case, the push member 57, which is made of a long, slender plate as described above, may be in a position that extends vertically.

[0016] Figure 5 shows the state in which the stacked paper packaging materials 2, which have been removed in an overlapping state after unpacking, are being transported (pushed out) by the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 to the right side of the figure, that is, towards the stacked paper packaging materials 2 remaining on the guide rail 55. At this time, by setting the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 at an angle so that the upper end of the push member 57 is towards the rear in the direction of transporting (pushing out) the paper packaging materials, that is, so that the lower end is leading, the center of gravity of the paper packaging materials 2 can be supported from below in the transport direction, thereby preventing the upper end of the stacked paper packaging materials 2 from tipping forward in the transport direction, a so-called forward tilting posture. When the stacked paper packaging materials 2 have approached the remaining stacked paper packaging materials 2 further forward in the transport direction to the extent that they do not tip forward, the upper end of the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 is rotated toward the forward direction in the transport direction relative to the lower end, as shown in Figure 6. This orients the extension direction of the push member 57, which is made of plate material, vertically, and also causes each of the overlapping paper packaging materials 2 to stand upright in a vertical position.

[0017] Once the unpacked, stacked paper packaging materials 2 are raised to a vertical position, the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 is moved to the right in the figure to transport (push out) the unpacked, stacked paper packaging materials 2, and as shown in Figure 7, the unpacked, stacked paper packaging materials 2 are brought into contact with the remaining stacked paper packaging materials 2 ahead in the transport direction. During this time, the push mechanism 59 of the magazine pusher 58 is retracted to the left in Figure 7, that is, to the rear in the paper packaging material transport (supply) direction. At this time, the arm member 61 of the push mechanism 59 is pushed by the side (side) of the stacked paper packaging materials 2 and tilts toward the base member 60, so as not to interfere with the retracted movement. Then, as shown in Figure 8, once the push mechanism 59 of the magazine pusher 58 is retracted to the rear in the transport (supply) direction of the unpacked, stacked paper packaging materials 2, as shown in Figure 9, the push mechanism 59 of the magazine pusher 58 is moved to the right in the figure, so that the arm member 61 comes into contact with the paper packaging material 2 at the very rear in the transport direction of the unpacked, stacked paper packaging materials 2, and the push member 57 of the loading pusher 56 is retracted to the left in the figure, i.e., to the rear in the transport (supply) direction of the paper packaging materials. From this point onward, the push mechanism 59 of the magazine pusher 58 supplies the paper packaging material 2 at the very front in the transport (supply) direction one by one to the box-making and filling machine.

[0018] Next, a first embodiment of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 applied to the paper packaging supply device 51 in Figure 1 will be described. Before that, however, the packaging material 3 unpacked by this paper packaging unpacking device 1 will be described using Figure 10. Figure 10a is a front view of the packaging body 5 in which the overlapping paper packaging material 2 is packed with the packaging material 3, Figure 10b is its left side view, and Figure 10c is its top view. In this embodiment, the paper packaging material 2 is folded from the left and right directions in the front view in Figure 10a, and for example, in the left side view in Figure 10, it is a rectangle that is long in the vertical direction and short in the horizontal direction. The folded paper packaging material 2 is then overlapped in multiple (many) layers in the thickness direction, and the whole thing forms a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The packaging material 3 used in this embodiment has a square cross-section that continuously covers four sides of the entire paper packaging material 2, which forms a rectangular parallelepiped in the overlapping state, excluding the top and bottom surfaces, and the overlapping paper packaging material 2 is relatively tightly contained inside it. Therefore, the packaged body 5 (packaging form) in which multiple stacked paper packaging materials 2 are packed with packing material 3 also forms a rectangular parallelepiped, and the stacked paper packaging materials 2 contained within it are open on its top and bottom surfaces, forming open surfaces 6.

[0019] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10b, the lower ends of the left and right sides of the packaging material 3 that packs the stacked paper packaging materials 2, that is, the surfaces located on both sides in the direction of overlapping the packaging materials, are provided with notches 7 that communicate with the lower surface constituting the open surface 6 of the packaging material packing body 5, and the paper packaging materials 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction are exposed at these notches 7. Although not essential, the lower end of the left side of Figure 10b, which is one side in the direction of overlapping the packaging materials, also exposes the stacked paper packaging materials 2. Note that the folded form of the paper packaging materials 2 is not necessarily the simple shape described above. Also, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the packaging material 3 does not need to be open to the stacked paper packaging materials 2 contained within. That is, in the case of packaging material 3 with a square cross-section, it is sufficient to wrap and restrict the stacked paper packaging materials 2 with the four surfaces constituting the square, and of the remaining two surfaces, it is sufficient that one surface from which the stacked paper packaging materials 2 are removed, the lower surface in this embodiment, is open. The lower surface of the open surface 6 of this packaging 5 is mounted on (or facing) the upper surface of the guide rail 55, which is the transport path. The same structural requirements are also required when the shape of the packaging 5 is a cube.

[0020] Figure 11 shows a schematic configuration of a paper packaging unpacking device 1 of a first embodiment, which removes the packaging material 3 from the packaging body 5 of Figure 10 and removes the contained paper packaging material 2 in an overlapping state. Figure 11a is a front view of the device including the packaging body 5, Figure 11b is a right side view thereof, and Figure 11c is a top view thereof. In the following explanatory diagrams of the operation of the paper packaging unpacking device 1, Figure a is a front view and Figure b is a right side view. The paper packaging unpacking device 1 of this embodiment includes a pressing mechanism 11 that presses the paper packaging material 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction of the packaging material, which are exposed through the notches 7 of the packaging material 3, in the overlapping direction to press the paper packaging material 2 in an overlapping state. Specifically, a pressing part 12 that can be inserted into the notches 7 of the packaging material 3 is pressed against the overlapping paper packaging material 2 from both sides in the overlapping direction by a pressing mechanism 11 such as a well-known linear motion mechanism. As will be described later, this pressing mechanism 11 is used to hold down the packaging material 3 so that it does not move along with the packaging material 3 when it is pulled up to the top of Figure 10a and removed from the paper packaging material 2 that contains it.

[0021] Furthermore, this paper packaging unpacking device 1 is equipped with an adsorption mechanism 13 that adsorbs the outer surface of the packaging material 3 from a direction opposite to one side of a rectangular parallelepiped perpendicular to the open surface (bottom surface) 6 of the packaging body 5, specifically the right side in Figure 11b. Specifically, a total of six suction cup-shaped adsorption parts 14, arranged in two rows vertically in Figure 11b and three columns horizontally in Figure 11c, are pressed against the right side of the packaging body 5 shown in Figure 11b to adsorb to the right side of the packaging body 5. When adsorbing, after pressing the suction cup-shaped adsorption parts 14 against the right side of the packaging body 5, the air inside the suction cups may be sucked out to increase the adsorption force. In addition, this paper packaging unpacking device 1 is equipped with a moving mechanism 15 consisting of a linear motion mechanism or the like that moves the adsorption parts 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 in the vertical direction in Figure 11b, that is, in the direction opposite to the bottom surface, which is the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 15 is further connected to an individual discharge moving mechanism, which is configured to move (discharge) the removed packaging material 3 to the outside of the guide rail 55, as described later. Furthermore, each of these mechanisms is configured to be moved out of the transport path at least during transport so as not to obstruct the transport of the packaging material 5 or the stacked paper packaging material 2 being transported on the guide rail 55, and this retracted position is considered the original position.

[0022] Figure 11 shows the state in which the pressing part 12 of the pressing mechanism 11 of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 of this embodiment is pressed against the paper packaging 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction, pressing the overlapped paper packaging 2 in the overlapping direction, and the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is adsorbed to the right side (outer surface) of the packaging material 3 in Figure 11b, which is perpendicular to the bottom surface, which is the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5. From this state, as shown in Figure 12, the moving mechanism 15 moves the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 in the direction opposite to the bottom surface, which is the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, i.e., upward. As a result, the overlapped paper packaging 2 that is pressed in the overlapping direction by the pressing mechanism 11 remains in place, and only the packaging material 3 that is adsorbed by the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is moved upward and removed from the paper packaging 2, and the remaining paper packaging 2 is taken out onto the guide rail 55 in an overlapped state. Once the stacked paper packaging materials 2 are removed, the unpacked, stacked paper packaging materials 2 are transported as shown in Figures 5 to 9 above. The removed packaging materials 3 are then moved (discharged) to the outside of the guide rail 55 by individual discharge mechanisms.

[0023] Thus, in the paper packaging unpacking device 1 of this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 11 presses the overlapping paper packaging materials 2 in the direction of overlapping packaging materials, and in that state, the suction mechanism 13 adsorbs the outer surface of the packaging material 3 perpendicular to the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, and the moving mechanism 15 moves the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 in a direction facing the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, thereby allowing the packaging material 3 to be removed from the overlapping paper packaging materials 2 contained inside the packaging material 3. Therefore, the packaging body 5 containing the paper packaging materials 2 that are packed by the packaging material 3 in an overlapping state can be unpacked, and the paper packaging materials 2 can be removed in an overlapping state. Furthermore, by placing the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5 on or opposite the upper surface of the guide rail 55 (transport path) that transports the stacked paper packaging materials 2, the removed stacked paper packaging materials 2 can be transported directly on the guide rail 55.

[0024] Next, a second embodiment of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 applied to the paper packaging supply device 51 of Figure 1 will be described. Before that, however, the packaging material 3 unpacked by this paper packaging unpacking device 1 will be described using Figure 13. Figure 13a is a front view of the packaging body 5 in which the overlapping paper packaging material 2 is packed with packaging material 3 and binding material 4, Figure 13b is its left side view, and Figure 13c is its top view. The folded and overlapping states of the paper packaging material 2 in this embodiment are the same as those described using Figure 10. The packaging material 3 used in this embodiment has a U-shaped cross-section that continuously covers three sides of the entire paper packaging material 2, which forms a rectangular parallelepiped in the overlapping state, excluding the top and bottom surfaces and the left side in Figure 13b. The overlapping paper packaging material 2 is relatively tightly contained inside, and the packaging material 3 is covered with binding material 4 that continuously covers at least a part of each of the four sides of the rectangular parallelepiped excluding the top and bottom surfaces, thereby binding the entire package. The binding material 4 is made of, for example, a vinyl band. Therefore, the package 5 (packaging form) in which multiple overlapping paper packaging materials 2 are wrapped with the packaging material 3 and binding material 4 also forms a rectangular parallelepiped, and the overlapping paper packaging materials 2 contained within the top and bottom surfaces are opened up to form the open surface 6.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 13b, the lower ends of the left and right surfaces of the packaging material 3 that packs the stacked paper packaging materials 2, located on both sides in the direction of overlapping the packaging materials, are provided with notches 7 that communicate with the lower surface constituting the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, and the paper packaging materials 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction are exposed through these notches 7. Also, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the packaging material 3 does not need to be open to the stacked paper packaging materials 2 contained within. That is, in the case of a packaging material 3 with a U-shaped cross-section, the paper packaging materials 2 can be covered and restricted from both sides in the overlapping direction by two opposing surfaces of the three surfaces constituting the U-shape, and in that state, the four surfaces excluding the top and bottom surfaces are covered with binding material 4 to pack the whole, and it is sufficient that the one surface from which the stacked paper packaging materials 2 are removed, the bottom surface in this embodiment, is open. Therefore, for example, the upper surface of the packaging body 5 may be covered by binding material 4. The lower surface that constitutes the open surface 6 of this packaging body 5 is mounted on (or opposite) the upper surface of the guide rail 55, which is the transport path. In other words, the binding material 4 is also part of the packaging material 3. The same constituent requirements are also necessary when the shape of the packaging body 5 is a cube.

[0026] Figure 14 shows a schematic configuration of a paper packaging unpacking device 1 of a second embodiment, which removes the packaging material 3 from the packaging body 5 of Figure 13 and removes the contained paper packaging material 2 in a stacked state. Figure 14a is a front view of the device including the packaging body 5, Figure 14b is a right side view thereof, and Figure 14c is a top view thereof. In the following explanatory diagrams of the operation of the paper packaging unpacking device 1, Figure a is a front view and Figure b is a right side view. In addition to the main configuration of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 10, this embodiment of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 includes a holding mechanism 16 that is positioned on the opposite side of the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, i.e., above, at the position of the left and right sides of Figure 14a, and moves away from the packaging body 5.

[0027] The holding mechanism 16 has solid, round bar-shaped holding portions 17 that abut against the upper ends of the left and right sides of the packaging body 5 in Figure 14a, and these holding portions 17 are movable in the vertical direction of Figure 14a by a moving mechanism such as a linear motion mechanism. In this embodiment, the suction portion 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is also capable of adhering to the outer surface of the binding material 4. In this embodiment as well, an individual discharge moving mechanism is connected to the moving mechanism 15 that moves the suction portion 14 of the suction mechanism 13, and is configured to move (discharge) the removed packaging material 3 to the outside of the guide rail 55 as described later. Furthermore, each mechanism of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 in this embodiment is configured to be moved out of the transport path at least during transport so as not to obstruct the transport of the packaging body 5 or the stacked paper packaging material 2 being transported on the guide rail 55, and this retracted position is considered the original position.

[0028] Next, Figure 15 shows a flowchart of the calculation process performed in a control device (controller) (not shown) to unpack the packaging body 5 using the paper packaging unpacking device 1 of this embodiment. This control device is configured to include a computer system, such as a programmable control unit. As is well known, the computer system includes, in addition to high calculation processing capabilities, a storage device for storing programs and data, and input / output devices for exchanging signals with various sensors and switches. This calculation process is performed, for example, when the packaging body 5 is fed into the paper packaging unpacking device 1. First, in step S1, the holding portion 17 of the holding mechanism 16 is brought into contact with two opposing vertical surfaces of the packaging body 5, in this case the upper ends of the left and right sides in Figure 14a. The holding portion 17 may be positioned nearby, waiting slightly above the upper ends of the left and right sides.

[0029] Next, the process moves to step S2, where the adsorption part 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 adsorbs the outer surface of the binding material 4. Next, the process moves to step S3, where the adsorption part 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is moved upward by the moving mechanism 15. Next, the process moves to step S4 to determine whether the upward movement by the movement mechanism 15 has been completed. If the upward movement has been completed, the process moves to step S5; otherwise, the process moves to step S3. In step S5, the adsorption by the adsorption part 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is released.

[0030] Next, the process moves to step S6, where the pressing portion 12 of the holding mechanism 16 applies pressure to the overlapping paper packaging material 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction, thereby pressing the overlapping paper packaging material 2. Next, the process moves to step S7, where the adsorption part 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is moved downward by the moving mechanism 15. Next, the process moves to step S8 to determine whether the downward movement by the movement mechanism 15 has been completed. If the upward movement has been completed, the process moves to step S9; otherwise, the process moves to step S7. In step S9, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 simultaneously suctions the outer surface of the packaging material 3 and the outer surface of the binding material 4.

[0031] Next, the process moves to step S10, where the retaining portion 17 of the retaining mechanism 16 is retracted upward. Next, the process moves to step S11, where the adsorption part 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is moved upward by the moving mechanism 15. Next, the process moves to step S12 to determine whether the upward movement by the movement mechanism 15 has been completed. If the upward movement has been completed, the process moves to step S13; otherwise, the process moves to step S11. In step S13, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is moved by the discharge moving mechanism so that the removed packaging material 3 and binding material 4 are moved to the outside of the guide rail 55.

[0032] Next, the process moves to step S14, where the adsorption by the adsorption part 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is released. Next, the process moves to step S15, where the entire mechanism of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 is returned to its original position before being returned to its original position. Figure 14 shows the state in which the holding portion 17 of the holding mechanism 16 of the paper packaging unpacking device 1 of this embodiment is in contact with the upper ends of two opposing vertical surfaces of the packaging body 5 (left and right sides in Figure 14a), and the suction portion 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is adsorbed to the right side (outer surface) of the binding material 4 in Figure 14b, which is perpendicular to the lower surface, which is the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5. From this state, as shown in Figure 16, the moving mechanism 15 moves the suction portion 14 of the suction mechanism 13 in the direction opposite to the lower surface, which is the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, i.e., upward. As a result, the paper packaging 2, which is overlapping with the packaging material 3, which is in contact with the upper ends of the left and right sides of the holding portion 17 of the holding mechanism 16, remains in place, and only the binding material 4, which is adsorbed by the suction portion 14 of the suction mechanism 13, is moved upward and slid away from each side of the packaging material 3. In this state, the suction by the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is released, and in this state, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is moved downward by the moving mechanism 15, and simultaneously, the pressing part 12 of the pressing mechanism 11 is pressed against the paper packaging material 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction, thereby pressing the overlapped paper packaging material 2 in the overlapping direction.

[0033] Next, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is pressed against the right side of the packaging body 5 in Figure 17b, simultaneously adsorbing the right side (outer surface) of the packaging material 3 and the right side (outer surface) of the binding material 4. From this state, as shown in Figure 18, for example, the restraining part 17 of the restraining mechanism 16 is retracted upward, and in this state, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is moved by the moving mechanism 15 in the direction opposite to the bottom surface, which is the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, i.e., upward. As a result, only the overlapping paper packaging material 2, which is being pressed in the overlapping direction by the pressing mechanism 11, remains in place, and the binding material 4 and packaging material 3, which are adsorbed by the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13, are moved upward and removed from the paper packaging material 2, and the remaining paper packaging material 2 is removed onto the guide rail 55 in an overlapping state. Once the overlapping paper packaging material 2 has been removed in this way, the unpacked, overlapping paper packaging material 2 is transported as shown in Figures 5 to 9 above. Furthermore, the removed packaging material 3 is individually moved (discharged) to the outside of the guide rail 55 by a discharge mechanism. The holding portion 17 of the holding mechanism 16 may be moved upward simultaneously with the suction portion 14 of the suction mechanism 13.

[0034] According to this embodiment of the paper unpacking device 1, in addition to the effects of the paper unpacking device 1 of the first embodiment, when the packaging material 3 is covered with a binding material 4 that covers at least a part of each of the four sides of a rectangular parallelepiped adjacent to the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5, the device is equipped with a holding mechanism 16 that is positioned on the opposite side of the open surface 6 of the packaging body 5 at the position of at least two opposing sides of the four sides and moves away from the packaging body 5, and the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is also made able to adhere to the outer surface of the binding material 4, so that the binding material 4 is first slid away from the packaging material 3, and then the binding material 4 and packaging material 3 are removed, and the paper packaging material 2 is removed in an overlapping state. Furthermore, with the restraining portion 17 of the restraining mechanism 16 in contact with two vertically opposing surfaces of the packaging body 5 and the outer surface of the binding material 4 being adsorbed by the adsorption portion 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13, the adsorption portion 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is moved by the moving mechanism 15 in a direction away from the open surface 6. When the adsorption by the adsorption portion 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is released, the adsorption portion 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is moved by the moving mechanism 15 in a direction approaching the open surface, the restraining portion 17 of the restraining mechanism 16 is moved away from the packaging body 5, the paper packaging material 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction is pressed in the overlapping direction by the pressing portion 12 of the pressing mechanism 11, and with at least the outer surface of the packaging material 4 being adsorbed by the adsorption portion 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13, the adsorption portion 14 of the adsorption mechanism 13 is moved by the moving mechanism 15 in a direction away from the open surface 6. As a result, the binding material 4 is first slid up from the packaging body 5, then the packaging material 3 and binding material 4 are removed, and the overlapping paper packaging material 2 is taken out.

[0035] Furthermore, when removing the binding material 4 and packaging material 3 using the suction part 14 and moving mechanism 15 of the suction mechanism 13, the suction part 14 simultaneously suctions the binding material 4 and packaging material 3, ensuring that they can be reliably removed from the overlapping paper packaging material 2. Although the paper packaging unpacking device 1 according to the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 10b and 14b, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 is described as being arranged only on the right side of the packaging body 5, but the layout of the suction part 14 is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in Figure 19, the suction part 14 of the suction mechanism 13 may be arranged to face all four sides of the packaging body 5 except the top and bottom surfaces. Similarly, since the purpose of the pressing part 12 of the pressing mechanism 11 is to press the paper packaging 2 at both ends in the overlapping direction in the overlapping direction and press them, it is not essential to press only the lower end of the paper packaging 2, for example.

[0036] Furthermore, although the above embodiment only described an example of unpacking a packaging body 5 in which multiple (many) folded paper packaging materials 2 are stacked in the thickness direction and then packaged with packaging material 3, the packaging body 5 to be unpacked by the unpacking device 1 of the present invention is not limited to a packaging body 5 of paper packaging materials 2. Since the folded paper packaging materials 2 are so-called sheet members of the same size and shape, any packaging body 5 in which similar sheet members are stacked and then packaged with packaging material 3 can be unpacked using the unpacking device of the present invention. Examples of such sheet members include paper packaging materials such as beverage cartons and flexible packaging materials such as refill pouches. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 1. Unpacking device for paper packaging materials (single-sheet components) 2 Paper packaging material 3 Packaging materials 4. Binding material (packaging material) 5 Packaging 6 Open surface 7. Notched section (exposed section) 11. Pressing mechanism 12 Pressing part 13 Adsorption mechanism 14 Adsorption part 15 Moving mechanism 16. Retaining mechanism 17. Retainer 55 Guide rail (transport route)

Claims

1. A sheet member unpacking device for unpacking a package in which multiple sheet members stacked in the thickness direction are packaged with packaging material and the entire package forms a rectangular parallelepiped or cube, and for removing the stacked sheet members, The packaging has an open surface on at least one face of the rectangular parallelepiped or cube perpendicular to the overlapping direction of the individual sheets, from which the overlapped individual sheets are free from the packaging material, and a portion of the individual sheets at both ends of the overlapping direction of the individual sheets is exposed from the packaging material, and the packaging material is covered with a binding material that continuously covers at least a portion of each of the four faces of the rectangular parallelepiped or cube adjacent to the open surface. A pressing mechanism that presses the exposed sheet members at both ends in the overlapping direction in the sheet member overlapping direction to press the sheet members in an overlapping state, A suction mechanism that adsorbs the outer surface of the packaging material from a direction opposite to at least one face of the rectangular parallelepiped or cube that is perpendicular to the open surface of the packaging body, A moving mechanism that moves the suction portion of the suction mechanism in a direction facing the open surface of the packaging body, The package is equipped with a restraining mechanism positioned on the opposite side of the open surface of the package at least two of the four opposing surfaces, and which moves away from the package. The sheet member unpacking device is characterized in that the adsorption part of the adsorption mechanism is capable of adsorbing to the outer surface of the binding material.

2. The unpacking device for sheet members according to claim 1, characterized in that the open surface of the packaging body is mounted on or positioned opposite to the upper surface of the transport path for transporting the sheet members in the stacked state.

3. The sheet member unpacking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pressing portion of the pressing mechanism is in contact with or positioned near at least the side of the two surfaces opposite to the open surface, and the suction portion of the suction mechanism is moved by the moving mechanism in a direction away from the open surface while the outer surface of the binding material is adsorbed to the suction portion of the suction mechanism, the suction portion of the suction mechanism is moved by the moving mechanism in a direction approaching the open surface while the suction of the suction portion of the suction mechanism is released from the suction of the binding material, the pressing portion of the pressing mechanism is moved away from the packaging body, and the sheet members at both ends in the overlapping direction are pressed in the overlapping direction by the pressing portion of the pressing mechanism, and the suction portion of the suction mechanism is moved by the moving mechanism in a direction away from the open surface while at least the outer surface of the packaging material is adsorbed to the suction portion of the suction mechanism.

4. The sheet member unpacking device according to claim 3, characterized in that when the outer surface of the packaging material is adsorbed to the adsorption part of the adsorption mechanism, the outer surface of the binding material is also adsorbed to the adsorption part of the adsorption mechanism.

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