Deshlink System

Abstract

To provide an easily maintainable deshrinking system that can be arranged in a space-saving manner.SOLUTION: A deshrinking system 1 comprises: a frame 2 capable of inwardly storing a package 5 covered with a shrink film F; and an arm 3. The frame 2 comprises: an opening 2a, in which the package 5 can be inserted, in a side face; a side face opposed to the opening 2a defined to be a cutting side face 2b; pairs of suction mechanisms 6, 6 each of which is provided at an upper part of the cutting side face 2b, and which is rotatable in a horizontal direction around each side edge of the cutting side face 2b as an axis; and elevating / lowering mechanisms 12 which are provided in a bottom face of the frame and capable of elevating / lowering the package 5. The suction mechanism 6 comprises a suction part 8 capable of approaching the shrink film F and of separating therefrom in a state where the package 5 is stored inside the frame 2, when rotating so as to become parallel to the cutting side face 2b. The arm 3 comprises a hand 9 in which a cutting blade 10 capable of cutting the shrink film F, and a gripper 11 capable of executing suction and holding of the shrink film F are integrally provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0005] , ,

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[0001] The present invention relates to a deshrinking system used to remove a shrink film from a package in which an article is placed on a pallet and the entire article is wrapped with a shrink film.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when transporting articles such as empty cans for beverages together, a large number of articles are arranged in a rectangular shape on a pallet, and further, the arranged articles are stacked in multiple stages to form a rectangular parallelepiped shape, which is then bundled together with a band or the like. Then, in order to prevent dirt and scratches, the whole is packed with a shrink film. While the shrink film is useful for preventing dirt and scratches during transportation, in order to take out the contents at the destination of transportation, the film removal work is essential. When the operator himself / herself performs the film removal work, it takes a lot of time. Therefore, for improving work efficiency, for example, automated unpacking devices as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known.

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 unpacking devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are actually large in size and require a large space at the installation location. In addition, since a plurality of working steps are performed by one device, various working-related configurations are integrally mounted, resulting in a problem that the maintenance of the device becomes complicated.

[0005] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a deshrinkage system that can be installed in a small space and is easy to maintain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the invention described in claim 1 is a de-shrinking system for removing shrink film from a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped package in which the entire package, including a pallet and an article placed on the pallet, is wrapped in shrink film except for the center of the bottom surface, comprising a frame capable of housing the entire package and performing lifting and opening operations of the shrink film in its wrapped state, and an arm that performs cutting and removal operations of the shrink film, The frame has an opening on its side through which a package can be inserted, with one side designated as a cutting side. Above the cutting side, there is a pair of suction mechanisms that are horizontally rotatable about the side edges of the cutting side, and a lifting mechanism is provided on the bottom for raising and lowering the package. The suction mechanism has suction parts that can move closer to and further away from the package, so that when the package is housed inside the frame and rotated parallel to the cutting side, it can suction one side of the shrink film on the cutting side of the package from the cutting side. The arms are equipped with a cutting blade capable of cutting the shrink film and a gripper capable of suctioning and gripping the shrink film, either integrally or separately, so that cutting and removal operations of the shrink film can be performed by one or more arms. Housed in the arm and pushed up by the lifting mechanism, the suction mechanism rotates so as to be parallel to the cutting side, and the suction part approaches the packaging to adsorb the shrink film. As the suction part moves away from the packaging while maintaining the adsorption, a gap of a predetermined distance or more can be formed between the article and the shrink film. With the suction mechanism forming a gap between the article and the shrink film, the arm cuts the shrink film horizontally with the cutting blade from one end of the upper edge of the side where the gap was formed to the other end, and vertically from the center of the upper edge to the center of the lower edge. While maintaining the suction of the shrink film by the suction part, the suction mechanism rotates to open one side of the cut shrink film, thereby opening the shrink film. Furthermore, the arm opens the shrink film. one side The shrink film can be removed by performing at least one of suction and gripping with a gripper on the opposite side, and then pulling the shrink film with an arm towards the side where at least one of suction and gripping was performed. The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the frame is provided with a holding mechanism at the top for preventing the article from tipping over during removal. The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the frame is provided with an auxiliary suction part at a predetermined location below the suction mechanism, which is capable of moving closer to and away from the packaged object. The inventions described in claims 4 and 5 are characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, the frame includes a rotating table that allows the housed package and the pallet to rotate horizontally. The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in addition to the above configuration, it comprises a volume reduction device for reducing the volume of shrink film removed from the packaging. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, by separating the frame and arm of a conventional de-shrinking device, it is possible to install the device in a space-saving manner to suit the installation location, and since the configuration of each device can be made simpler compared to conventional de-shrinking devices, maintenance can be made easier. In addition, by including a volume reduction device, the shrink film removed by the arm can be fed directly into the volume reduction device, thus simplifying the post-processing of the shrink film. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the deshrinkage system of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram showing the frame. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram showing a deshrinking system with packaged goods loaded into the frame. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram showing the frame's appearance during the lifting motion and the cutting line of the shrink film. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram showing the deshrinkage system during the cutting operation. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing the deshrinkage system after the rotary table has rotated. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing the deshrinkage system during the opening process. [Figure 8]This is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the frame and shrink film during the opening process. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing a de-shrink system in which the hand grips the shrink film during the removal operation. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram showing a de-shrinkage system during the removal of shrink film. [Figure 11] This is an explanatory diagram showing a frame equipped with a retaining mechanism. [Figure 12] This is an explanatory diagram showing a frame equipped with an auxiliary suction part. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a frame other than a rectangular prism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the deshrinkage system of the present invention. The de-shrink system 1 is used to remove shrink film F from a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped package 5 (Figure 4, etc.) in which the entire package, including a pallet P and an article 5a placed on the pallet P, is wrapped in shrink film F except for the center of the bottom surface. As shown in Figure 1, it comprises a frame 2, an arm 3, and a volume reduction device 4. The article 5a is, for example, made by arranging multiple empty containers, such as empty cans for canned goods or beverages, in a rectangular shape, and further stacking the multiple empty containers arranged in a rectangular shape in multiple layers using a partition plate D. Note that in Figures 3 to 11, only the partition plate D provided on the top layer of the article 5a is shown, and the empty containers and partition plates D other than the top layer are not shown. The frame 2 is capable of housing the entire package 5 inside and performs the lifting and opening operations of the shrink film F in the packaged state, which will be described later. The arm 3 is, for example, a multi-joint robot and performs the cutting and removal operations of the shrink film F using a hand 9 provided at its tip, which will be described later. The volume reduction device 4 reduces the volume of the shrink film F removed from the packaging 5.

[0010] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the frame. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 2 is formed by assembling bar-shaped steel materials into a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an opening 2a through which the package 5 can be inserted is provided on the side. Also, with the side surface facing the opening 2a as the cutting side surface 2b, a pair of suction mechanisms 6, 6 that are bar-shaped bodies extending in the horizontal direction and can rotate horizontally about both side edges of the cutting side surface 2b are provided at the upper part thereof. Furthermore, on the lower surface of the frame 2, a lifting mechanism 12 capable of lifting and lowering the accommodated package 5 and a rotating table 7 capable of rotating in the horizontal direction are provided.

[0011] The suction mechanism 6 includes a suction portion 8 that can expand and contract to approach and separate from the package 5 at a position where, when the package 5 is accommodated inside the frame 2 and rotated to be parallel to the cutting side surface 2b, one surface Fa on the cutting side surface 2b side of the shrink film F of the package 5 can be sucked from the cutting side surface 2b side.

[0012] The arm 3 is an articulated robot driven by a known mechanism, and at the tip, a hand 9 is provided integrally with a cutting blade 10 capable of cutting the shrink film F such as a heat cutter and a gripper 11 capable of sucking and gripping the shrink film F (FIG. 3 etc.). Various sensors such as a distance sensor and a pressure sensor (not shown) are provided on the hand 9, and it is possible to specify the cutting position during the cutting operation of the shrink film F and prevent the article 5a from falling during the removal operation of the shrink film F.

[0013] As described above, in the conventional deshrinking device, by separating the functions that were incorporated as one device into the frame 2 and the arm 3 respectively, it becomes possible to install in a space-saving manner according to the installation location. Also, since the device configurations of the frame 2 and the arm 3 are simpler compared to the conventional deshrinking device that included many functions, maintenance can be easily performed.

[0014] Next, we will explain the de-shrinking process, which involves removing the shrink film F from the package 5 using the de-shrinking system 1. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the deshrink system with the package loaded into the frame. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the frame during the lifting operation and the cutting line of the shrink film. Figures 5, 6, and 7 are explanatory diagrams showing the deshrink system during the cutting operation, after the rotary table has rotated, and during the opening operation, respectively. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the frame and shrink film during the opening operation. Figures 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the hand gripping the shrink film and the deshrink system during the removal operation, respectively. First, as shown in Figure 3, the packaged body 5, along with the pallet P, is transported into the frame 2 through the opening 2a. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the packaged body 5 is transported by a self-propelled rail (not shown) that extends to the bottom of the frame 2, but it may also be transported by a worker using a forklift or the like.

[0015] Next, the shrink film F is cut. As shown in Figure 4, the suction mechanisms 6,6 rotate so that they are parallel to the cutting side surface 2b. Subsequently, the suction part 8 extends to approach one side Fa of the shrink film F and adsorbs the shrink film F by reduced pressure suction. Then, while the shrink film F is still adsorbed, the suction part 8 contracts, creating a gap between one side Fa of the shrink film F and the article 5a that is sufficient to cut only the shrink film F without the cutting blade 10 touching the article 5a when the shrink film F is cut by the cutting blade 10 (lifting operation). Furthermore, before the shrink film F is cut, the packaging body 5 is pushed up by the lifting mechanism 12. This makes it possible to cut the shrink film F with the cutting blade 10, which will be described later, without leaving any uncut edges of the shrink film F that wrap around the periphery except for the center of the underside of the pallet P.

[0016] Next, as shown in Figure 5, the cutting blade 10 cuts one side Fa of the shrink film F. The cutting blade 10, provided on the hand 9 of the arm 3, cuts the upper edge of one side Fa of the shrink film F horizontally from one end to the other in a T-shape, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 4, and then cuts vertically from the center of the upper edge to the center of the lower edge (cutting operation). After one side Fa of the shrink film F is cut, the rotary table 7 is driven, and the frame 2 and the packaged body 5 rotate 180 degrees horizontally, as shown in Figure 6. Then, the suction mechanisms 6,6 rotate to open one side Fa of the cut shrink film F while maintaining the suction state of the shrink film F by the suction part 8, thereby opening the shrink film F as shown in Figures 7 and 8 (opening operation).

[0017] Finally, as shown in Figure 9, the arm 3 uses the gripper 11 provided on the hand 9 to adsorb and grip the center of the upper edge of one surface Fa of the shrink film F and the surface Fb facing it, and as shown in Figure 10, the shrink film F is pulled out to the outside of the frame 2 on the opening 2a side of the frame 2, thereby removing the shrink film F (removal operation). The removed shrink film F is then moved by arm 3 to volume reduction device 4, where its volume is reduced to facilitate post-processing.

[0018] The de-shrink system 1 described above is for removing shrink film F from a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped package 5 in which the entire package 5, including a pallet P and an article 5a placed on the pallet P, is wrapped in shrink film F except for the center of the bottom surface. It comprises a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped frame 2 that can accommodate the entire package 5 inside and performs lifting and opening operations of the shrink film F in its wrapped state, and an arm 3 that performs cutting and removal operations of the shrink film F, wherein the frame 2 has sides through which the package 5 can be inserted. The frame has an opening 2a, and the side opposite the opening 2a is designated as the cutting side 2b. A pair of suction mechanisms 6, 6 are provided on the upper part of the cutting side 2b, which are rod-shaped bodies extending horizontally and rotatable horizontally around the side edges of the cutting side 2b as axes. A lifting mechanism 12 is provided on the lower surface that can raise and lower the package 5. When the package 5 is housed inside the frame 2 and rotated so as to be parallel to the cutting side 2b, the suction mechanism 6 is positioned to suction the shrink film F of the package 5 from the cutting side 2b side to one side Fa on the cutting side 2b side. The arm 3 is equipped with a suction part 8 that can move towards and away from the shrink film F, and the arm 3 is equipped with a hand 9 which is integrally provided with a cutting blade 10 capable of cutting the shrink film F and a gripper 11 capable of adsorbing and gripping the shrink film F, so that cutting and removal operations of the shrink film F can be performed, and with the package body 5 housed in the frame 2 and pushed up by the lifting mechanism 12, the suction mechanisms 6,6 rotate so as to be parallel to the cutting side surface 2b, and the suction part 8 moves towards the package body 5 and adsorbs one side of the shrink film F The suction mechanism 6,6 adsorbs Fa, and while maintaining the adsorption state, the suction part 8 moves away from the packaging body 5, thereby creating a gap between the article 5a and the shrink film F. With the suction mechanism 6,6 creating a gap between the article 5a and the shrink film F, the arm 3 uses the cutting blade 10 to cut the shrink film F horizontally from one end to the other of the upper edge of one side Fa, and vertically from the center of the upper edge to the center of the lower edge, while maintaining the adsorption of one side Fa of the shrink film F by the suction part 8.The shrink film F can be opened by rotating part 6 to open one side Fa of the cut shrink film F, and furthermore, the shrink film F can be removed by the gripper 11 performing suction and gripping of the side Fb of the shrink film F opposite to the opened side Fa of the shrink film F, and subsequently pulling the shrink film F toward the opening 2a of the frame 2. Furthermore, the frame 2 is equipped with a rotating table 7 that allows the housed package 5 and the pallet P to rotate horizontally. Therefore, by separating the functions that conventional de-shrinking devices comprehensively into frame 2 and arm 3, it becomes possible to install the device in a space-saving manner to suit the installation location, and the configuration of each device can be made simpler compared to conventional de-shrinking devices, making maintenance easier.

[0019] Furthermore, the de-shrink system 1 includes a volume reduction device 4 for reducing the volume of the shrink film F removed from the packaging 5. Therefore, the shrink film F removed by arm 3 can be directly fed into volume reduction device 4, thus simplifying the post-processing of the shrink film F.

[0020] The de-shrink system 1 may include a holding mechanism 13 and an auxiliary suction part 14 to prevent the article 5a from tipping over and to facilitate the removal of the shrink film F. Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a frame equipped with a holding mechanism. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a frame equipped with an auxiliary suction part. As shown in Figure 11, the pressing mechanism 13 is a roller-like body that can rotate horizontally and is provided on the upper part of the frame 2, projecting downwards on the side that faces the surface Fb of the shrink film F during the removal operation, such that its lower end is positioned below the upper end of the article 5a. This prevents the article 5a from tipping over in the direction of pulling out the shrink film F due to friction between the shrink film F and the article 5a, as the pressing mechanism 13 comes into contact with the partition plate D positioned above the article 5a. Furthermore, because the pressing mechanism 13 is rotatable, the coefficient of friction with the shrink film F is reduced, allowing for a smooth removal operation.

[0021] As shown in Figure 12, the auxiliary adsorption part 14 is provided on the lower part of the frame 2 during the removal operation, on the side Fa of one side of the shrink film F, in a direction perpendicular to the pulling direction of the shrink film F, and on the lower part of the side Fb of the shrink film F facing the side Fa, in the pulling direction of the shrink film F, so as to be able to move closer to and further away from the packaged body 5. During the removal operation, each auxiliary suction part 14 approaches the package 5 and adsorbs the cut shrink film F. As the auxiliary suction parts 14 move away from the package 5 while remaining adsorbed, the article 5a and pallet P are pulled away from the shrink film F, assisting the arm 3 in pulling out the shrink film F.

[0022] The present invention has been described above based on illustrated examples, and its technical scope is not limited thereto. For example, the shape and arrangement of the frame, arm, and volume reduction device can be arbitrarily designed as long as the shrink film can be removed from the package. The shape of the frame is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped, and may be a complex shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped with a deformed part, or a polygonal face, or a face composed of curved edges, as shown as frame 21 in Figure 13. Depending on the arrangement of the frame and arm, if rotation of the frame is not required in the de-shrinking operation, the rotary table may be omitted. If it is not necessary to reduce the volume of the removed shrink film in an assembly line process, the volume reduction device may be omitted. Furthermore, the driving force for each component of the descaling system can be any power source, such as hydraulics, pneumatics, or electric motors. Any driving mechanism can also be selected. Furthermore, the frame may have multiple openings. In addition, the openings and the cutting surfaces may be adjacent to each other or on the same plane. Furthermore, the mechanism and shape of the arm are not limited, as long as the hand can be moved to any desired location. For example, it may be mounted on a movable base. In addition, if the cutting blade and gripper are mounted on separate hands, they may be switched between using a single arm depending on the work process, or they may be mounted on different arms. Furthermore, the suction mechanism and suction part only need to be able to form a gap between the shrink film and the article, and to open the cut shrink film so that it can be removed by the arm; their shape and number are not limited. In the embodiment, the suction part is directly provided on the rod-shaped body constituting the suction mechanism, but for example, a unit with a suction part is provided on the tip side of a horizontally extending pipe. Furthermore, the holding mechanism only needs to prevent the item from tipping over during the removal operation, and its shape, mounting location, and number can be designed arbitrarily. For example, it may contact the item from two or more directions, or it may use a mechanical mechanism to drive it from a predetermined retracted state to a position where it contacts the item in conjunction with the pulling out of the shrink film. In addition to being roller-shaped, it may also be a columnar body with a semicircular cross-section, for example, as long as the coefficient of friction with the shrink film can be reduced. Furthermore, the auxiliary suction unit can assist in the removal of the shrink film by the arm during the removal operation, and its installation location, number, and direction are not limited. Furthermore, the rotation angle of the frame and packaging by the rotary table can be arbitrarily set to suit the surrounding environment, such as the arrangement of the frame and arms. The volume reduction device can be arbitrarily selected from existing volume reduction devices. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0023] 1. Deshrink system, 2. 21. Frame, 3. Arm, 4. Volume reduction device, 5. Packaging, 5a. Article, 6. Suction mechanism, 7. Rotary table, 8. Suction part, 9. Hand, 10. Cutting blade, 11. Gripper, 12. Lifting mechanism, 13. Holding mechanism, 14. Auxiliary suction part.

Claims

1. A de-shrinking system for removing shrink film from a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped package in which the entire pallet and the articles placed on the pallet are wrapped in shrink film except for the center of the bottom surface, The package comprises a frame capable of housing the entire package inside and performing lifting and opening operations of the shrink film in its packaged state, and an arm that performs cutting and removing operations of the shrink film, The frame has an opening on its side through which the package can be inserted, with one of the sides designated as a cutting side, and on the upper part of the cutting side a pair of suction mechanisms are provided, which are rod-shaped bodies extending horizontally and rotatable horizontally about the side edges of the cutting side as axes, and a lifting mechanism is provided on the lower surface that can raise and lower the package. The suction mechanism is provided with a suction portion that can move closer to and further away from the packaging body when the packaging body is housed inside the frame and rotated so as to be parallel to the cutting side, and is positioned to suction one side of the shrink film on the cutting side of the packaging body from the cutting side. The arm comprises a hand that is integrally or separately provided with a cutting blade capable of cutting the shrink film and a gripper capable of performing at least one of the adsorption and gripping of the shrink film, so that the cutting operation and the removal operation of the shrink film can be performed by one or more of the arms. With the packaged body housed in the frame and pushed up by the lifting mechanism, the suction mechanism rotates so as to be parallel to the cutting side surface, and the suction portion approaches the packaged body to adsorb the shrink film. As the suction portion moves away from the packaged body while remaining adsorbed, a gap of a predetermined distance or greater can be formed between the article and the shrink film. With the suction mechanism forming the gap between the article and the shrink film, the arm uses the cutting blade to cut the shrink film horizontally from one end of the upper edge of the side forming the gap to the other end, and vertically from the center of the upper edge to the center of the lower edge, while maintaining the suction of the shrink film by the suction part, the suction mechanism rotates to open one side of the cut shrink film, thereby enabling the shrink film to be opened. Furthermore, the de-shrink system is characterized in that the arm performs at least one of suction and gripping of the shrink film on the side facing the opened side with the gripper, and subsequently the shrink film can be removed by pulling the shrink film with the arm toward the side where at least one of suction and gripping was performed.

2. The deshrink system according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame is provided with a retaining mechanism at its upper part to prevent the article from tipping over during the removal operation.

3. The deshrink system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the frame is provided with an auxiliary adsorption portion at a predetermined location below the adsorption mechanism, which is capable of moving closer to and away from the packaged body.

4. The deshrinking system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the frame comprises a rotating table capable of rotatably rotating the packaged body contained within it.

5. The deshrinking system according to claim 3, characterized in that the frame includes a rotating table capable of rotating the contained package horizontally.

6. The deshrink system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a volume reduction device for reducing the volume of the shrink film removed from the packaging.

7. The de-shrink system according to claim 3, further comprising a volume reduction device for reducing the volume of the shrink film removed from the packaging.

8. The de-shrink system according to claim 4, further comprising a volume reduction device for reducing the volume of the shrink film removed from the packaging.

9. The de-shrink system according to claim 5, further comprising a volume reduction device for reducing the volume of the shrink film removed from the packaging.

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