Box-shaped device

Abstract

To provide a boxing device which can enhance boxing capacity by enabling even boxing in which articles are arrayed in the long side direction.SOLUTION: A boxing device 1 includes: a commodity conveyance part 52 for conveying a commodity group X in which commodities A are arrayed in a state of at least part of them being overlapped to a predetermined position PA; a box holding part 20 for holding a cardboard box B having an opening Bp including a long side D and a short side C; and a commodity transfer part 53 for transferring the commodity group X to the inside of the cardboard box B from the predetermined position PA. The box holding part 20 can hold the cardboard box B in a first posture S1 in which the long side D is positioned below and the opening Bp is directed toward the side. The commodity transfer part 53 transfers the commodity group X in a state where the commodity groups X are arrayed in one row along the long side D of the cardboard box B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a boxing device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, a cardboard box is assembled (manufactured into a box) so as to have an opening on one side, aligned products are inserted into the cardboard box, and then the opening is closed with a flap and sealed with tape. A boxing device is known. A predetermined number of products are aligned so that a part of each product overlaps with a part of an adjacent product in the thickness direction and are stacked on a conveyor. The cardboard box waits with the opening facing sideways. The products aligned in a row are pushed into the cardboard box through the opening by a moving insertion plate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Normally, a cardboard box has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a long side and a short side in a plan view (in a posture where the opening faces upward). In the above-described device, the cardboard box is handled with the long side aligned with the conveying direction. The cardboard box waiting for the insertion of products is adjusted to a posture where the short side is positioned downward. The aligned products are stored in the cardboard box in a state of being arranged in the direction of the short side (along the short side). In the conventional device, the aligned products (articles) are inserted a plurality of times, that is, over a plurality of stages, in the direction of the long side of the cardboard. When the number of stages is large like this, it is difficult to increase the boxing ability.

[0005] This disclosure describes a boxing device that can increase the boxing ability by enabling boxing in which articles are arranged in the long side direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure comprises a transport means for transporting a group of articles arranged so that at least some of the articles overlap to a predetermined location; a holding means for holding a cardboard box having an opening including a long side and a short side; and a transport means for transporting the group of articles from the predetermined location into the cardboard box. The holding means can hold the cardboard box in a first position with the long side facing downwards and the opening facing sideways. The transport means transports the group of articles in a row along the long side of the cardboard box.

[0007] Unlike conventional methods, this boxing device holds cardboard boxes in a first orientation with the longer side facing downwards. A transport mechanism then stores rows of items in a single line along the longer side of the cardboard box. This allows for a larger number of items to be stored at once, and also reduces the number of layers as they correspond to the shorter side. Therefore, this boxing device can increase its boxing capacity by enabling boxing where items are arranged along the longer side.

[0008] The boxing apparatus may further include a supply means for supplying cardboard boxes to a holding position where the cardboard boxes are held by a holding means. The supply means may have a first rotating part that selectively rotates the cardboard boxes after boxing to either a first position or a second position with the short side facing downwards and the opening facing sideways. The first rotating part of the supply means can rotate the cardboard boxes to two different positions. This expands the variations in the boxing configuration.

[0009] In the first rotation section, either the first or second orientation may be selected depending on the type of cardboard box. Depending on the type of cardboard box and the type of goods, the appropriate orientation for the rows of goods may differ. With the above configuration, the goods are packed into boxes in an appropriate manner.

[0010] The boxing device may further include a sealing means for closing the opening of a cardboard box containing a group of goods with a flap and applying tape. The sealing means may have a second rotating part that rotates the cardboard box so that the transport direction of the cardboard box aligns with the direction in which the tape is applied. With the second rotating part of the sealing means, even when the goods are packed in a way that they are arranged along the long side, the tape can be easily applied as in the conventional method.

[0011] The second rotating section may rotate the cardboard box by 90 degrees around an axis extending vertically so that the longer side faces the transport direction when the cardboard box is held in the first position. This configuration minimizes the changes required from conventional devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to this disclosure, it is possible to improve packing capacity by enabling packing in a way that arranges items along the longer side of the box. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a boxing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the flow of cardboard boxes and products in a boxing machine. [Figure 3] Figures 3(a) to 3(c) show the procedure for rotating the cardboard box to the first position by the first rotating part of the supply means. [Figure 4] Figures 4(a) and 4(b) show the procedure for rotating the cardboard box to the second position by the first rotating part of the supply means. [Figure 5] Figures 5(a) to 5(e) illustrate the procedure for transporting a group of items using a transport means. [Figure 6] Figure 6(a) shows the transfer of a group of items to a cardboard box in the first orientation, and Figure 6(b) shows the transfer of a group of items to a cardboard box in the second orientation. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the procedure for rotating the cardboard box by the second rotating part of the sealing mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. For convenience, the front-to-back, up-and-down, and left-to-right directions will be used in the following description with respect to the packing device 1. In some figures, three-dimensional orthogonal axes indicating these directions are shown. For example, the position where the box material Z is placed and the position where the sealed cardboard box B is discharged is the front of the packing device 1. The position where the product supply means 50 is provided is the rear of the packing device 1. The front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction are both directions that extend horizontally. The up-and-down direction is equal to the vertical direction.

[0015] First, the overall configuration of the boxing device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the boxing device 1 is a device that assembles (makes) cardboard boxes B, inserts multiple products (articles) A ​​into the cardboard boxes B, and seals the cardboard boxes B containing these products A. The boxing device 1 assembles each of the multiple box materials Z stored in the box material storage section 11, and stores the multiple products A, which are supplied from the outside by the product supply means 50 and brought in sequentially, into the cardboard boxes B in an aligned state.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the box packing device 1 includes a box supply means (supply means) 10 for assembling cardboard boxes B and supplying them to a holding position PB, a box holding section (holding means) 20 for holding the cardboard boxes B at the holding position PB, and a sealing means 30 for transporting and sealing the cardboard boxes B containing the product group (item group) X (see Figure 5(e)). The box packing device 1 further includes a product supply means 50 for sequentially supplying multiple products A. The following describes each component of the box packing device 1.

[0017] The box supply means 10 is generally located at the top and front of the box packing device 1. The box supply means 10 includes a box material storage section 11 for storing multiple box materials Z, a box-making section 12 for assembling the box body Ba of the cardboard box B, a first rotating section 13 for rotating the assembled box body Ba, and a box-down conveying section 14 for conveying the box body Ba downward. The box material storage section 11 is, for example, located at the front end of the box packing device 1 and above the sealing section 32, which will be described later. The box material storage section 11 supports multiple stacked box materials Z by a support section (not shown). The box material storage section 11 includes a lifting mechanism 11a for taking out one box material Z at a time. Each box material Z taken out by the lifting mechanism 11a is conveyed to the rear by a conveyor (not shown). The box-making unit 12 receives each box material Z, unfolds the box material Z into a cylindrical shape, folds in the bottom flap Bf, and applies tape to the bottom surface Bc. This allows the box body Ba to be transported further backward with the opening Bp facing upward. In this specification, "box making" of the corrugated cardboard box B means that a rectangular box body Ba is formed. Therefore, "box making" does not necessarily require the top flap Bf to be folded in. The box-making unit 12 may include a suction rotation mechanism 12a that rotates the box body Ba so that the long side D of the box body Ba faces the transport direction. The remaining amount of box material Z stored in the box material storage unit 11 may be monitored by a sensor or the like, and the box material Z may be automatically replenished according to the remaining amount. The box material Z may also be replenished by an operator or the like.

[0018] In this specification, a "suction rotation mechanism" may be used in multiple locations. The "suction rotation mechanism" includes a main shaft, a suction part connected to the main shaft and rotatable around a predetermined axis, and a suction pressure applying means for applying suction pressure (negative pressure) to the suction part. The main shaft and the suction part may be slid together horizontally or in other directions by a sliding mechanism. In addition, known configurations other than the "suction rotation mechanism" may be used to rotate the cardboard box B or change the orientation of the cardboard box B. Naturally, the weight of the cardboard box B to be rotated will change depending on whether the box body Ba is empty or if the product group X is stored inside the box body Ba, so the power or specifications of the "suction rotation mechanism" will be determined taking these weights into consideration.

[0019] The box body Ba of the cardboard box B is a rectangular parallelepiped. That is, the box body Ba includes four side edges that extend in the vertical direction, are parallel to each other, and have equal lengths in the reference posture with the top surface Bd (refer to the sealed cardboard box B shown in the lower right of FIG. 2) facing upward. On the other hand, the box body Ba has a top surface Bd and a bottom surface Bc that are congruent rectangular shapes respectively. The top surface Bd and the bottom surface Bc each include a pair of short sides C and a pair of long sides D. Incidentally, in the state where the flap Bf is open on the top surface Bd, the box body Ba has an opening Bp. This opening Bp also includes a pair of short sides C and a pair of long sides D, similar to the top surface Bd. (Strictly speaking, there is a difference in the thickness of the box material Z between the top surface Bd and the opening Bp, but they are not distinguished in this specification.)

[0020] Subsequently, referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the first rotating part 13 will be described. FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c) are diagrams showing the rotation procedure of the cardboard box B to the first posture S1 by the first rotating part 13. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams showing the rotation procedure of the cardboard box B to the second posture S2 by the first rotating part 13. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first rotating part 13 rotates the cardboard box B after box making to a predetermined posture. More specifically, the first rotating part 13 rotates the cardboard box B after box making selectively to either the first posture S1 (refer to FIG. 3(c)) with the long side D positioned downward and the opening Bp facing sideways, or the second posture S2 (refer to FIG. 4(b)) with the short side C positioned downward and the opening Bp facing sideways. Which posture the cardboard box B is rotated (or posture-converted) to is determined (selected) and controlled, for example, by a controller 60 described later.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3(a) to 3(c), the first rotating section 13 includes, for example, a first suction rotating mechanism 13a that rotates the box body Ba by 90 degrees around an axis extending in the vertical direction, and a second suction rotating mechanism 13b that rotates the box body Ba by 90 degrees around an axis extending in the horizontal direction. First, the side Bb on the short side C (the side located at the rear) is held by the first suction rotating mechanism 13a, and the box body Ba is rotated by 90 degrees (see Figures 3(a) and 3(b)). At this time, the opening Bp remains facing upward. Subsequently, the side Bb on the long side D (the side located at the rear) is held by the second suction rotating mechanism 13b, and the box body Ba is rotated by 90 degrees (see Figures 3(b) and 3(c)). At this time, the opening Bp is facing to the side (rear).

[0022] After the two rotational movements described above, the orientation of the box body Ba will be the first orientation S1, with the long side D facing downwards and the opening Bp facing to the side (rear). Note that the rotational movement in the first rotating part 13 is not limited to the above; the box body Ba may first be rotated around an axis extending in the left-right direction, and then around an axis extending in the up-down direction. Alternatively, the box body Ba may be rotated all at once by a multi-jointed robot hand with a suction part at its tip.

[0023] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), when the controller 60 determines that the cardboard box B should be rotated to the second position S2, the box body Ba is directly transported to the position of the second suction rotation mechanism 13b without being rotated by the first suction rotation mechanism 13a. The box body Ba is held by the second suction rotation mechanism 13b at the short side C side Bb (the side located at the rear), and the box body Ba is rotated by 90 degrees. At this time, the opening Bp is directed to the side (rear).

[0024] After this rotational movement, the orientation of the box body Ba becomes a second orientation S2, with the shorter side C facing downwards and the opening Bp facing to the side (rear).

[0025] In the first rotating section 13, either the first orientation S1 or the second orientation S2 is selected, corresponding to the type of cardboard box B. One example of this selection criterion is whether or not the cardboard box B is a type that is compatible with retail display packaging (hereinafter referred to as RRP (Retail Ready Package)). If the cardboard box B is an RRP-compatible type, the first orientation S1 may be selected. Otherwise, the second orientation S2 may be selected. In RRP-compatible cardboard boxes B, perforations or other break lines are formed on the box body Ba. When the cardboard box B is placed in a store, all or part of the top surface Bd and the side surface Bb on the short side C (the side that is positioned in front when the product is displayed) are removed. This exposes the contained product A. At this time, the product group X is pre-placed in the cardboard box B in a predetermined orientation so that the surface (front side) of product A faces the side surface C.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the box-under conveying unit 14 conveys the box body Ba downward. The box-under conveying unit 14 can convey the box body Ba in both the first orientation S1 and the second orientation S2. The box-under conveying unit 14 is located at the rear end of the box supply means 10. For example, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the box-under conveying unit 14 includes a pair of upper and lower conveying belts 14a. The pair of upper and lower conveying belts 14a are spaced apart in the left-right direction, and this spacing distance can be adjusted. The box-under conveying unit 14 can grip the box body Ba with the pair of upper and lower conveying belts 14a. The box-under conveying unit 14 conveys the box body Ba downward by running the pair of upper and lower conveying belts 14a.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the box holding section 20 holds the cardboard box B in the holding position PB. For example, a part (lower part) of the box lower transport section 14 described above is the holding means for holding the cardboard box B. The box holding section 20 can hold the cardboard box B in the first position S1 or in the second position S2. In both the first position S1 and the second position S2, the opening Bp of the box body Ba is facing rearward.

[0028] Next, the product supply means 50 will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 5(a) to 5(e). The product supply means 50 is generally located at the rear end of the boxing device 1. The product supply means 50 includes a product receiving section 51, a product transport section 52, and a product transfer section 53. The product receiving section 51 is located downstream of processes such as weight, sealability, and foreign matter contamination inspections, and receives products A that have passed the inspections, passing each product A to the product transport section 52. The product receiving section 51 includes a product introduction conveyor 51a and a product receiving conveyor 51b located downstream of the product introduction conveyor 51a. Each product A is passed from the product introduction conveyor 51a to the product receiving conveyor 51b, where it is transported along a support wall (not shown).

[0029] The product transport unit 52 receives each product A, adjusted to a predetermined position, from the product receiving unit 51, forming a product group X consisting of multiple products A. As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), the product transport unit 52 includes a first alignment conveyor 52a that transports products A by a predetermined pitch L, a second alignment conveyor 52b that receives multiple products A from the first alignment conveyor 52a with parts of the products A overlapping and transports them, and a third alignment conveyor 52c that transports multiple products A toward an upright conveyor 52e, thereby raising the multiple products A and forming a product group X. When multiple products A are aligned on the third alignment conveyor 52c, a pushing plate 52f located near the third alignment conveyor 52c may rotate to press the product group X toward the upright conveyor 52e.

[0030] The first alignment conveyor 52a and the second alignment conveyor 52b are each inclined at a predetermined angle, and the third alignment conveyor 52c is arranged horizontally, for example. The inclination angles of the first alignment conveyor 52a and the second alignment conveyor 52b may be adjustable. As shown in Figure 5(d), when a group of goods X is formed on the third alignment conveyor 52c, the next goods A are sequentially supplied on the first alignment conveyor 52a, and some of the goods A are transferred to the second alignment conveyor 52b. The mechanism for forming the group of goods X in the goods transport section 52 can be realized, for example, by known structures and methods described in Patent Document 1.

[0031] The product transport unit 52 is a transport means that transports a group of products X, in which at least some (all or some) of the products A overlap each other, to a predetermined position PA. As shown in Figure 5(e), the row of product group X, consisting of multiple products A, is arranged in a single line in the left-right direction. The number of products A included in the product group X formed by the product transport unit 52 is controlled by the controller 60 according to the selection of the posture (first posture S1 or second posture S2) in the first rotating unit 13 described above. When the first posture S1 is selected, the number of products A is relatively large, and when the second posture S2 is selected, the number of products A is relatively small.

[0032] The product transport unit 52 holds the product group X at a predetermined position PA, which faces the predetermined position PA of the cardboard box B held by the box holding unit 20 in the front-to-back direction. That is, the height of the predetermined position PA and the height of the holding position PB (more precisely, the height of the space in the cardboard box B into which the product group X should be inserted) are equal.

[0033] The product transfer unit 53 is a transfer means for transferring the product group X from a predetermined position PA into the box body Ba (inside the cardboard box B). As shown in Figures 2 and 5(e), the product transfer unit 53 has a transfer plate 53a that is slidable in the front-rear direction and includes a plate-like portion facing forward. The transfer plate 53a is driven by the controller 60 and moves forward to push (transfer) the product group X into the box body Ba when the cardboard box B is held by the box holding unit 20 and the product group X is formed by the product transport unit 52.

[0034] The transfer of product group X according to the orientation of the cardboard box B (first orientation S1 or second orientation S2) will be described. As shown in Figure 6(a), when the box body Ba is held with its long side D facing downwards (first orientation S1), product group X, including, for example, eight products A, is formed in the product transport unit 52. The number of products in this case corresponds to the length of the long side D of the box body Ba. The product transport unit 53 transports product group X forward with the rows of product group X lined up in a row along the long side D of the box body Ba, and stores product group X inside the box body Ba through the opening Bp. In this way, when the cardboard box B is held in the first orientation S1, the number of products A that can be stored at one time is relatively large.

[0035] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(b), when the box body Ba is held with its short side C facing downwards (second posture S2), a group of goods X containing, for example, five goods A is formed in the goods transport section 52. The number of goods in this case corresponds to the length of the short side C of the box body Ba. The goods transfer section 53 transports the group of goods X forward with the row of goods X aligned in a single line along the short side C of the box body Ba, and stores the group of goods X inside the box body Ba through the opening Bp. Note that the upright conveyor 52e is not shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b).

[0036] Next, the sealing means 30 will be described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 7. The sealing means 30 is generally located at the lower and front part of the boxing device 1. The box holding part 20 is positioned midway between the rear end of the box supply means 10 and the rear end of the sealing means 30 located below it. Figure 7 illustrates the case where the box body Ba is held in the first position S1. For example, the bottom surface Bc is held by the suction rotation mechanism 31a, and as the suction rotation mechanism 31a descends, the box body Ba containing the product group X reaches the entrance of the sealing means 30.

[0037] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sealing means 30 includes a second rotating part 31 that rotates the box body Ba containing the product group X, a discharge conveyor 33 that transports the box body Ba forward, and a sealing part 32 that acts on the box body Ba on the discharge conveyor 33 to close the opening Bp with a flap Bf and apply tape. As shown in Figure 7, the second rotating part 31 includes a suction rotating mechanism 31a that rotates the box body Ba by 90 degrees around an axis extending in the left-right direction, and a transport rotating mechanism 31b that rotates the box body Ba by 90 degrees around an axis extending in the up-down direction. First, the bottom surface Bc is held by the suction rotating mechanism 31a, and the box body Ba is rotated by 90 degrees. At this time, the opening Bp is directed upward. The second rotating section 31 includes an eccentric conveyor 31c that supports the box body Ba at an eccentric position offset from the center of gravity of the box body Ba and transports the box body Ba forward, and a restricting roller 31e that is erected to the right of the eccentric conveyor 31c and contacts the corner portion of the box body Ba to restrict the forward movement of that portion. The left portion of the box body Ba is transported forward by the eccentric conveyor 31c, and at this time the right portion of the box body Ba is pressed down by the restricting roller 31e, causing the box body Ba to rotate by 90 degrees. As a result, the long side D of the box body Ba is directed in the direction of transport by the discharge conveyor 33.

[0038] In this way, the second rotating section 31 rotates the cardboard box B so that the transport direction of the cardboard box B aligns with the direction in which the tape is applied by the sealing section 32. More specifically, when the cardboard box B is held in the first position S1, the transport rotation mechanism 31b rotates the cardboard box B 90 degrees around an axis extending in the vertical direction so that the long side D faces the transport direction.

[0039] The rotation mechanism in the second rotating section 31 is not limited to the example described above, and various other known mechanisms may be used. For example, a turntable mechanism may be used in place of the transport rotation mechanism 31b in the second rotating section 31. Alternatively, a suction rotation mechanism similar to that of the box-making section 12 may be used in place of the transport rotation mechanism 31b in the second rotating section 31.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, the sealing section 32 folds the top flap Bf onto the box body Ba being transported by the discharge conveyor 33 and applies tape to the top surface Bd. The direction in which the tape is applied by the tape application section 34 is equal to the transport direction of the discharge conveyor 33. A known mechanism may also be used for this tape application section 34, for example, the mechanism described in Patent Document 1 above may be used. The sealed cardboard box B is discharged from the front end of the box packing device 1.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1, the boxing device 1 includes a controller 60 that controls the operation of each part of the box supply means 10, box holding unit 20, sealing means 30, and product supply means 50. The controller 60 is configured as a computer device including a processor such as a CPU, memory such as ROM and RAM, storage, and communication devices. In the controller 60, the processor executes predetermined software (programs) loaded into memory, etc., and controls the reading and writing of data in memory and storage, as well as communication by the communication devices, thereby realizing the various controls described above.

[0042] In this embodiment of the box packing device 1, unlike conventional methods, the cardboard box B is held in a first position S1 with its long side D facing downwards. The product transfer unit 53 then stores the rows of product group X in a single line along the long side D of the cardboard box B (see Figure 6(a)). The number of products A stored at once is greater than in conventional methods, and the number of layers is also reduced as it corresponds to the short side C. Therefore, the box packing device 1 can increase its box packing capacity by enabling box packing in a way that products A are lined up along the long side D.

[0043] The box supply means 10 has a first rotating part 13 that selectively rotates the corrugated cardboard box B after box making to either a first position S1 or a second position S2. The first rotating part 13 allows the corrugated cardboard box B to be rotated to two different positions. Thus, the variations in the form of boxing are expanded. For example, when the boxing device 1 handles a corrugated cardboard box B that is RRP compatible, the controller 60 performs RRP-type boxing in which the surface (front side) of product A faces the side with the short side C (see Figure 6(a)). In other cases, the controller 60 performs conventional boxing in which the orientation of product A is 90 degrees different from RRP-type boxing (see Figure 6(b)).

[0044] In the first rotating section 13, either the first orientation S1 or the second orientation S2 is selected, corresponding to the type of cardboard box B. Depending on the type of cardboard box B and the type of product A, the appropriate orientation for the rows of product group X may differ. With the above configuration, the products are packed into boxes in an appropriate manner.

[0045] The sealing means 30 has a second rotating part 31 that rotates the cardboard box B so that the transport direction of the cardboard box B is aligned with the direction in which the tape is applied. With the second rotating part 31, even when the products A are arranged in the direction of the long side D, the tape can be easily applied in the same way as in the conventional method.

[0046] In this regard, if we consider a configuration without the second rotating part 31, simply rotating the cardboard box B 90 degrees around an axis extending in the left-right direction from the first posture S1 shown at the left end of Figure 7 will result in the longer side not coinciding with the transport direction (it will be perpendicular). In this case, there is a problem in that it becomes difficult to apply the tape. With the second rotating part 31, such a problem is solved, and it is easy to apply the tape.

[0047] The second rotating section 31 rotates the cardboard box B by 90 degrees around its vertically extending axis so that its long side D faces the transport direction, when the cardboard box B is held in the first position S1. This configuration eliminates the need for any changes to the discharge conveyor 33 or the sealing section 32 of the conventional device. Therefore, the changes from the conventional device are kept to a minimum.

[0048] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the rotation that aligns the application direction and the transport direction by the second rotating part 31 (the rotation shown in Figure 7) may be omitted. In that case, the transport rotation mechanism 31b is omitted. The sealing part has a mechanism for applying tape in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0049] Furthermore, the first rotating unit 13 may rotate the cardboard box B to only the first position S1 (for example, when the boxing device 1 is a dedicated RRP machine). In that case, the controller 60 does not need to select the position according to the type of cardboard box.

[0050] In the boxing device 1, the box supply means 10 may be omitted. In the boxing device 1, the sealing means 30 may be omitted. The configuration of the product supply means 50 may be appropriately modified from the above embodiment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1...Box packing device, 10...Box supply means (supply means), 13...First rotating part, 20...Box holding part (holding means), 30...Sealing means, 31...Second rotating part, 50...Product supply means, 51...Product loading part, 52...Product transport part (transport means), 53...Product transfer part (transfer means), 60...Controller, A...Product (article), B...Cardboard box, Bp...Opening, C...Short side, D...Long side, PA...Determined position, S1...First posture, S2...Second posture, X...Product group (article group).

Claims

1. A transport means for transporting a group of items arranged so that at least some of the items overlap to a predetermined location, A supply means for supplying a cardboard box having an opening including the long side and the short side to a holding position, A holding means for holding the cardboard box in the holding position, The system includes a transfer means for transferring the group of articles from the predetermined location into the cardboard box, The holding means can hold the cardboard box in a first position with the long side facing downwards and the opening facing sideways. The transport means transports the group of articles in a row along the long side of the cardboard box, The supply means is a boxing device having a first rotating part that selectively rotates the cardboard box after box formation to either the first position or a second position with the short side facing downwards and the opening facing sideways.

2. The box packing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotating section selects either the first or second posture in accordance with the type of cardboard box.

3. The cardboard box containing the aforementioned group of articles is further provided with a sealing means for closing the opening with a flap and applying tape, The box packing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing means has a second rotating part that rotates the cardboard box so that the direction of transport of the cardboard box is aligned with the direction of application of the tape.

4. The box packing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second rotating part rotates the cardboard box by 90 degrees around an axis extending in the vertical direction so that the long side faces the transport direction when the cardboard box is held in the first position.

Images