JP2006117306A - Method and device for opening box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a device for efficiently and surely opening a paper box which stores a container. <P>SOLUTION: This box opening device for opening a corrugated cardboard box 10 where a container is stored is provided with a side cut unit 42 for cutting a pair of facing side faces of the box 10 by ultrasonic cutters 48a, 48b and an end cut unit 64 for cutting the other pair of facing side faces of the box 10 by ultrasonic cutters 66a, 66b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a box opening method and apparatus for opening a paper box, and more particularly to a box opening method and apparatus for opening a paper box containing a container.

  Liquid products such as beverages, seasonings and oils are sold in metal cans such as steel cans and aluminum cans and containers such as plastic bottles. Containers containing liquid contents are stored in a paper box such as a cardboard box when transported.

  On the other hand, when a product is sold or returned, it is necessary to open the paper box and take out the container from the paper box. In particular, when processing merchandise that has been returned due to reasons such as expiration of the expiration date, it is necessary to take out containers from a large amount of paper boxes.

  Until now, opening of a paper box for taking out a container from the inside of a paper box has been performed manually.

  However, if the paper box was manually opened as in the past, many workers are required to open a large number of paper boxes, and it is not possible to efficiently open the paper box. It was difficult.

  In addition, if the paper box is simply cut and opened with a cutter such as a cutter, the container contained in the paper box is also cut, and there is a risk that liquid contents may leak from the container. .

  Further, as a method for opening the paper box, it is also conceivable to open the paper box by peeling off the glued portion of the paper box without using a blade. However, the position of the glued portion to be peeled differs depending on the form of the paper box. For this reason, it is considered difficult to mechanize and automatically open the paper box by peeling off the glued portion.

  The objective of this invention is providing the box opening method and apparatus which can open the paper box in which the container was accommodated efficiently and reliably.

  The above object is a box opening method for opening a paper box in which a container is stored, and the paper box is cut by a side surface of the paper box without cutting the container with an ultrasonic cutter or a water jet. This is achieved by a box opening method characterized by opening a box.

  In the box opening method, the container may be made of metal or plastic.

  Further, in the above box opening method, the contents of the container may be liquid.

  In the box opening method, the side surface of the paper box may be cut at a position within 2 cm from the upper surface of the paper box.

  Further, the object is a box opening device for opening a paper box in which a container is stored, and cutting by cutting the side surface of the paper box without cutting the container with an ultrasonic cutter or a water jet. It is achieved by a box opening device characterized in that it comprises means.

  According to the present invention, in a box opening method for opening a paper box containing a container, the side of the paper box is cut by an ultrasonic cutter or a water jet without cutting the container. Therefore, the paper box can be reliably opened with high efficiency while avoiding the leakage of the contents due to the cutting of the container stored in the paper box.

[First Embodiment]
A box opening method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a box opening method according to this embodiment.

  The box opening method according to the present embodiment uses an ultrasonic cutter to open a sealed cardboard box in a state in which a container containing liquid contents is contained. The stored cardboard box can be the target of opening.

  First, for example, a cardboard box containing a container such as a plastic bottle whose opening side is thin and whose bottom side is thick can be used as an opening target. In this case, the container may be made of a material that can be cut with an ultrasonic cutter.

  Opening a cardboard box in which a container such as a plastic bottle is stored will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a view for explaining a case where a cardboard box containing a container such as a plastic bottle is cut, and shows a side surface of the cardboard box to be opened.

  A plurality of containers 2 are densely stored in a cardboard box 1 to be opened. The container 2 is, for example, a plastic bottle containing contents such as a beverage.

  Such a corrugated cardboard box 1 is placed in such a manner that the container 2 in which the cardboard box 1 is stood stands so that the opening side of the container 2 having a narrow width faces upward. By placing in this way, at a position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 1, for example, a position within 2 cm from the upper surface of the cardboard box, the distance between the side surface of the cardboard box 1 and the container 2 is wider than other positions. It has become.

  Next, the ultrasonic cutter 3 cuts all four side surfaces of the cardboard box 1 substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 1 at the same position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 1. The position where the side surface is cut is, for example, a position within 2 cm from the upper surface of the cardboard box 1. At this time, the ultrasonic cutter 3 may be moved with respect to the fixed cardboard box 1 to cut the side surface of the cardboard box 1, or the cardboard box 1 may be moved with respect to the fixed ultrasonic cutter 3. The side surface of the cardboard box 1 may be cut.

  Thus, all four side surfaces of the cardboard box 1 are cut substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 1, and the cardboard box 1 is divided into a cut lid 1a which is an upper part and a lower part 1b in which the container 2 is housed. It is done.

  In order to cut the side surface of the cardboard box 1 at a position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 1 where the distance between the side surface of the cardboard box 1 and the container 2 is wide, the cutter blade of the ultrasonic cutter 3 is placed on the container 2 in the cardboard box 1. 3a does not touch. Therefore, even when the container 2 made of the material to be cut by the ultrasonic cutter 3 is stored in the cardboard box 1, the side surface of the cardboard box 1 is cut without cutting the container 2 in the cardboard box 1. be able to. Thereby, the cardboard box 1 can be reliably opened with high efficiency while preventing leakage of contents contained in the container 2 stored in the cardboard box 1.

  In addition, also when the container 2 shown to Fig.1 (a) consists of a material difficult to cut | disconnect with the ultrasonic cutter 3, the cardboard box 1 in which such a container 2 was accommodated can be made into a candidate for opening. In this case, since the cutter blade 3a of the ultrasonic cutter 3 does not contact the container 2 as described above, the cardboard box 1 can be opened without making a blade mark of the ultrasonic cutter 3 on the container 2. .

  Cardboard boxes containing containers with a substantially constant width such as cans also contain containers made of materials that are difficult to cut with an ultrasonic cutter, such as metal cans such as aluminum cans and steel cans. Can be opened.

  The opening of a cardboard box containing a container made of a material having a substantially constant width such as a can and difficult to cut with an ultrasonic cutter will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1B is a view for explaining a case where a cardboard box containing a container having a substantially constant width is opened, and shows a side surface of the cardboard box to be opened.

  A plurality of containers 5 are densely stored in the cardboard box 4 to be opened. The container 5 is, for example, a metal can such as an aluminum can or a steel can containing contents such as beverages. Metal cans are difficult to cut with an ultrasonic cutter.

  Such a cardboard box 4 is placed so that the container 5 in which it is stored stands.

  Next, each of all four side surfaces of the cardboard box 4 is cut substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 4 at the same position in the vicinity of the upper surface of the cardboard box 4 by the ultrasonic cutter 3. Thereby, the cardboard box 4 is separated into a cut lid 4a which is an upper portion and a lower portion 4b in which the container 5 is accommodated.

  Here, unlike the case of FIG. 1A, the container 5 housed in the cardboard box 4 has a substantially constant width. For this reason, even if it is a position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 4, the cardboard box 4 and the container 5 are close to or in contact with each other as in other positions. For this reason, the cutter blade 3 a of the ultrasonic cutter 3 may come into contact with the container 5 in the cardboard box 4. However, even when the cutter blade 3a of the ultrasonic cutter 3 comes into contact with the container 5, the cardboard box 4 can be cut without cutting the container 5 in the cardboard box 4 simply by leaving a blade mark on the surface of the container 5. 4 side surfaces can be cut.

  When the container 5 accommodated in the cardboard box 4 is made of a material that is difficult to cut with the ultrasonic cutter 3, the cutting position on the side surface of the cardboard box 4 is limited to the position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 4. Instead, the side surface of the cardboard box 4 may be cut at an arbitrary height position of the cardboard box 4.

  Thus, even when the container 5 made of a material that is difficult to cut with the ultrasonic cutter 3 is stored in the cardboard box 4, the cardboard box 4 can be cut without cutting the container 5 with the ultrasonic cutter 3. The cardboard box 4 sealed in a state in which the container 5 containing the liquid contents is stored can be reliably opened with high efficiency.

  If the container 5 housed in the cardboard box 4 is made of a material that is difficult to cut with the ultrasonic cutter 3 as described above, the cutter blade 3a of the ultrasonic cutter 3 has a rounded tip. It is desirable that Since the tip portion is rounded, when the cutter blade 3a comes into contact with the container 5 in the cardboard box 4, the cutter blade 3a can be prevented from being deformed or spilled.

[Second Embodiment]
A box opening device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the box opening device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the box cutting portion, the cut lid separating portion, the box tilting portion, and their peripheral portions in the box opening device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the first box cutting unit and the second box cutting unit in the box opening device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 shows the cut lid separating unit in the box opening device according to the present embodiment. Sectional drawing and FIG. 6 are sectional drawings which show the box tilting part in the box opening apparatus by this embodiment.

  The box opening device according to the present embodiment is a target for opening a cardboard box sealed in a state where a metal can such as a steel can or an aluminum can containing a liquid content such as a beverage or a container such as a plastic bottle is contained. It is what.

  First, the overall configuration of the box opening device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The box supply roller conveyor 12 conveys the cardboard box 10 to be opened. A box cutting unit 14 is provided adjacent to the end of the conveyance path of the box supply roller conveyor 12.

  The box cutting unit 14 includes a first box cutting unit 16 and a second box cutting unit 18. A first box cutting unit 16 is provided adjacent to the end of the conveyance path of the box supply roller conveyor 12. The first box cutting unit 16 cuts a pair of opposing side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 conveyed by the box supply roller conveyor 12 with an ultrasonic cutter substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. A second box cutting unit 18 is provided adjacent to the first box cutting unit 16 on the side opposite to the box supply roller conveyor 12 of the first box cutting unit 16. The second box cutting unit 18 is formed by using an ultrasonic cutter so that the opposite side surfaces of the other set of the corrugated cardboard boxes 12 whose one set of facing side surfaces are cut by the first box cutting unit 16 are substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. Disconnect.

  Adjacent to the second box cutting section 18 on one side of the second box cutting section 18 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the box supply roller conveyor 12, the first box cutting section 16, and the second box cutting section 18. And the cut lid separation part 20 is provided. The cut lid separating unit 20 separates the cut lid that is the upper portion of the cardboard box 10 cut by the box cutting unit 14.

  A box tilting part 22 is provided adjacent to the cut lid separating part 20 on the side opposite to the second box cutting part 18 of the cut lid separating part 20. The box tilting unit 22 tilts the cardboard box 10 from which the cut lid is separated and discharges the container stored in the cardboard box 10.

  A container carry-out belt conveyor 24 is installed on the side of the box tilting part 22 opposite to the cut lid separating part 20. The container carry-out belt conveyor 24 carries out the containers discharged from the cardboard box 10 by the box tilting unit 22. A chute 26 is provided on the container carry-out belt conveyor 24 in the vicinity of the box tilting part 22. The container discharged from the cardboard box 10 tilted by the box tilting part 22 slides on the chute 26 and falls onto the container carry-out belt conveyor 24.

  In the vicinity of the second box cutting unit 18, the cut lid separating unit 20, and the box tilting unit 22 provided in an array, an empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28 is installed. The empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28 carries out the cut lid of the cardboard box 10 and the empty cardboard box 10. The empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28 is installed along the arrangement direction of the second box cutting unit 18, the cut lid separating unit 20, and the box tilting unit 22. A chute 30 is provided between the empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28, the cut lid separation unit 20, and the box tilting unit 22. The cut lid separated in the cut lid separation unit 20 and the cardboard box 10 emptied in the box tilting unit 22 slide on the chute 30 and fall to the empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 24, respectively. The box tilting portion 22 is provided with an empty box pusher 32 that pushes the cardboard box 10 that has been emptied by discharging the container toward the chute 30 side.

  Next, the specific configuration and operation of each part of the box opening device according to the present embodiment, and the cardboard box to be opened will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A is a view taken along the line AA 'in FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is a view taken along the line BB' in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5A is a view taken along CC in FIG. FIG. 5B is a view taken along line DD ′ in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along line E-C ′ in FIG.

(1) Box feed roller conveyor 12
The box supply roller conveyor 12 conveys the cardboard box 10 to be opened placed by an operator to the box cutting unit 14 at a predetermined speed. The box supply roller conveyor 12 is, for example, an accumulator type. When the cardboard box 10 comes into contact with a stopper 38 described later, or the cardboard box 10 placed later comes into contact with the cardboard box 10 placed first. In this case, when the roller under the cardboard box 10 receives a predetermined load, the rotation is stopped.

  The cardboard box 10 to be opened is sealed with a non-paper container such as a metal can such as a steel can or an aluminum can, or a plastic bottle. The container stored in the cardboard box 10 contains liquid contents such as beverages, seasonings and oils. The cardboard box 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The dimensions are within a range of, for example, a width of 185 to 285 mm, a length of 275 to 435 mm, and a height of 95 to 330 mm.

  On the box supply roller conveyor 12, the cardboard boxes 10 are placed one by one at predetermined time intervals by the operator according to the number of opening processes of the cardboard boxes per operating time. For example, in order to perform the opening process of 3000 cardboard boxes 10 in operation for 8 hours a day, when one worker places the cardboard boxes 10 on the box supply roller conveyor 12, one box is obtained every 9 seconds. The cardboard box 10 is placed on the box supply roller conveyor 12. When there are two workers, one cardboard box is placed on the box supply roller conveyor for 18 seconds per worker.

  At this time, the cardboard box 10 is placed so that the longitudinal direction of the cardboard box 10 is along the conveying direction of the cardboard box 10 by the box supply roller conveyor 12.

  Further, when the shape of the container stored in the cardboard box 10 is such that the opening side is narrow like a plastic bottle, the cardboard box 10 is a box so that the narrowed part of the container faces upward. It is placed on the supply roller conveyor 12.

  The box opening device by this embodiment opens the cardboard box 10 of the same shape continuously. For this reason, during the continuous opening process by the box opening device according to the present embodiment, the cardboard box 10 having the same shape and set in advance in the device as an opening object is placed on the box supply roller conveyor 12.

  Even if the cardboard box 10 has the same shape, it may be difficult to open the wet cardboard box 10, the deformed cardboard box 10, and the like. For this reason, it is desirable to exclude such a cardboard box 10 from opening objects.

(2) First box cutting part 16
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, the cardboard box 10 supplied by the box supply roller conveyor 12 is conveyed to the first box cutting unit 16 in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the box supply roller conveyor 12. A roller conveyor 34 is provided.

  Between the rollers on the box supply roller conveyor 12 side of the roller conveyor 34, a vertically movable stopper 36 for temporarily stopping the cardboard box 10 conveyed from the box supply roller conveyor 12 is provided.

  Between the rollers on the second box cutting unit 18 side of the roller conveyor 34, a vertically movable stopper 38 for temporarily stopping the cardboard box 10 to be cut at the first box cutting unit 16 is provided.

  Positioning guides 40 a and 40 b for fixing the position of the cardboard box 10 by sandwiching the lower part of the cardboard box 10 on the roller conveyor 34 are provided on both sides of the roller conveyor 34.

  A side cut unit 42 is provided above the area where the cardboard box 10 is fixed by the stopper 38 and the positioning guides 40a and 40b, as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). The side cut unit 42 is suspended from the lower surface of a fixed plate 44 disposed above the roller conveyor 34. The fixed plate 44 is provided with a height adjusting mechanism 46 that adjusts its height.

  The side cut unit 42 moves in such a manner that the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b and the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b respectively disposed in the vicinity of a pair of opposing side faces that are substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 34 are moved in a horizontal plane. Mechanisms 50a and 50b. The ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b are held at the tips of the arms 52a and 52b attached to the moving mechanisms 50a and 50b, respectively. The ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b are held by the arms 52 a and 52 b so that the cutter blades face each other with a predetermined angle inclined with respect to the side surface of the cardboard box 10.

  The conveyance speed of the roller conveyor 34 is faster than the conveyance speed of the box supply roller conveyor 12. Due to the difference in conveying speed between the roller conveyors 12 and 34, the cardboard box 10 continuously supplied from the box supply roller conveyor 12 is separated.

  The stoppers 36 and 38 are normally located under the rollers of the roller conveyor 34. When the cardboard box 10 is supplied from the box supply roller conveyor 12 to the first box cutting unit 16, the stopper 36 rises from a gap between the rollers of the roller conveyor 34 to a predetermined height. Thereby, the cardboard box 10 on the box supply roller conveyor 12 is stopped and the supply of the cardboard box 10 from the box supply roller conveyor 12 to the first box cutting unit 16 is stopped during the cutting operation in the first box cutting unit 16. .

  The stopper 38 rises to a predetermined height from the gap between the rollers of the roller conveyor 34 as the stopper 36 rises. Thereby, the corrugated cardboard box 10 on the roller conveyor 34 which should cut | disconnect a side surface in the 1st box cutting part 16 is stopped.

  Of the positioning guides 40a and 40b, one positioning guide 40b is a reference guide whose position is fixed. The other positioning guide 40a can change the front-rear position toward the cardboard box 10 side. By changing the position of the positioning guide 40a, the lower portion of the cardboard box 10 stopped by the stopper 38 is held between the positioning guides 40a and 40b. Thereby, the position of the cardboard box 10 whose side surface is to be cut in the first box cutting part 16 is fixed.

  When the cutting operation of the cardboard box 10 in the first box cutting unit 16 is finished, the stopper 38 and the positioning guide 40a are returned to their initial positions to release the cardboard box 10 from being fixed. The cardboard box 10, which has been released from the fixed state, is conveyed to the second box cutting unit 18 by the roller conveyor 34. The stopper 38 also returns to the initial position. As a result, the next cardboard box 10 is supplied from the roller conveyor 12 to the first box cutting unit 16.

  The ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b are capable of cutting an object with high accuracy with a small processing resistance, because the cutter blade vibrates at high speed in the longitudinal direction. The high-speed micro vibrations of the cutter blade are, for example, vibrations of 25,000 to 40000 times per second and an amplitude of 30 to 60 μm.

  The cutter blades of the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b have, for example, a triangular shape, and the blades are formed on two sides of the triangle. The remaining one side is a holding part for fixing the cutter blade to the holder.

  For example, when the container housed in the cardboard box 10 is a hard object such as a metal can, the tip portions of the cutter blades of the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b are rounded. Thereby, when a cutter blade contacts the container in the cardboard box 10 at the time of a cutting operation, it can suppress that a cutter blade deform | transforms or a blade spill occurs.

  When cutting the side surface of the cardboard box 10, first, the ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b are moved by the moving mechanisms 50 a and 50 b to the position where the cutter blade contacts the side surface of the cardboard box 10, respectively. Furthermore, the ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b move substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 along the side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 while the cutter blades are in contact with the side surfaces by the moving mechanisms 50 a and 50 b. As a result, the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b have a pair of opposed side surfaces, which are substantially parallel to the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 34, on the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 at a predetermined height. Cut in parallel.

  The height of the cutting position of the side surface of the cardboard box 10 by the ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b is adjusted by changing the height of the fixed plate 44 by the height adjusting mechanism 46. Thereby, a cutting position can be adjusted according to the size etc. of the cardboard box 10 to be opened.

  The cutting position on the side surface of the cardboard box 10 is a position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 10, for example, a position within 2 cm from the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. At such a position, the distance between the side surface of the cardboard box 10 and the container is wide. Therefore, it can be avoided that the cutter blades of the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b come into contact with the container in the cardboard box 10 during the cutting operation and the container is cut. Thereby, the cardboard box 10 can be reliably opened while avoiding leakage of the contents of the container stored in the cardboard box 10. Moreover, when the container accommodated in the cardboard box 10 is hard, it can avoid that the cutter blade of ultrasonic cutter 48a, 48b contacts a hard container, and a cutter blade deform | transforms and a blade spill occurs. Thereby, the cardboard box 10 can be opened with high work efficiency.

  For example, when the shape of the container housed in the cardboard box 10 is such that the opening side is narrow like a plastic bottle, as described above, the cardboard so that the narrowed portion of the container faces upward. Box 10 is placed on roller conveyor 34. For this reason, the distance between the side surface of the cardboard box 10 and the container is wide at a position near the upper surface, for example, a position within 2 cm from the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. Therefore, by setting such a position as the side cutting position, it is possible to avoid leakage of contents due to the cutting of the container.

(3) Second box cutting unit 18
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the cardboard box 10 conveyed by the roller conveyor 34 of the first box cutting unit 16 is placed in the second box cutting unit 18 in the same direction as the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 34. A roller conveyor 54 is provided for transporting to the center. A direction changing conveyor 56 is provided in the gap between the rollers of the roller conveyor 54. The direction changing conveyor 56 is provided side by side along the gap, and includes a plurality of rollers that freely rotate in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 54. A pusher claw 58 that pushes the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 on the roller conveyor 54 toward the cut lid separating unit 20 is provided in the gap between the rollers of the roller conveyor 54.

  Further, between the rollers on the first box cutting section 16 side of the roller conveyor 54, a vertically movable stopper 60 for temporarily stopping the cardboard box 10 to be cut at the second box cutting section 18 is provided.

  On the opposite side of the roller conveyor 54 from the first box cutting portion 16, a positioning guide 62 is provided for pressing the lower portion of the cardboard box 10 and fixing the position of the cardboard box 10.

  An end cut unit 64 is provided above the area where the cardboard box 10 is fixed by the stopper 60 and the positioning guide 62, as shown in FIG. The end cut unit 64 is suspended from the lower surface of the fixed plate 44 disposed above the roller conveyor 54.

  The end cut unit 64 moves the ultrasonic cutters 66a and 66b and the ultrasonic cutters 66a and 66b disposed in the vicinity of a set of opposing side faces that are substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 54, respectively, in a horizontal plane. Mechanisms 68a and 68b. The ultrasonic cutters 66a and 66b are held at the tips of arms 70a and 70b attached to the moving mechanisms 68a and 68b, respectively. The ultrasonic cutters 66 a and 66 b are held by the arms 70 a and 70 b so that the cutter blades face each other with a predetermined angle inclined with respect to the side surface of the cardboard box 10.

  Further, the end cut unit 64 is provided with an upper lid pressing pad 72 for pressing the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 downward.

  The stopper 60 is normally located under the rollers of the roller conveyor 54. When the cardboard box 10 is conveyed from the first box cutting unit 16 to the second box cutting unit 18, the stopper 60 rises from the roller gap of the roller conveyor 54 to a predetermined height.

  The positioning guide 62 can change the front-rear position toward the cardboard box 10 side. By changing the position of the positioning guide 62, the lower portion of the cardboard box 10 is held between the positioning guide 62 and the stopper 60. Thereby, the position of the cardboard box 10 whose side surface is to be cut in the second box cutting part 18 is fixed.

  The upper lid pressing pad 72 presses the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 whose position is fixed by the positioning guide 62 and the stopper 60 in the cutting operation. Thereby, it becomes possible to stably cut the opposite side surfaces of the other set of the corrugated cardboard box 10 in which the pair of opposite side surfaces are cut in the first box cutting portion 16.

  Also, the four side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 are cut substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 by the first box cutting part 16 and the second box cutting part 18, and a cut lid 10 a that is the upper part of the cardboard box 10 is cut off. Will be carved out. By holding the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 downward by the upper lid pressing pad 72, the position of the cut lid 10a is maintained, and the position of the cut lid 10a is prevented from being greatly displaced or the cut lid 10a being dropped. can do.

  When the cutting operation of the cardboard box 10 in the second box cutting unit 18 is completed, the stopper 60 and the positioning guide 62 are returned to the initial positions, respectively, and the cardboard box 10 is fixed. Further, the upper lid pressing pad 72 releases the pressing of the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. The bottom of the corrugated cardboard box 10 that has been released is pushed toward the cut lid separating portion 20 by the pusher claw 58 and sent to the cut lid separating portion 20 by the direction changing conveyor 56.

  The ultrasonic cutters 66 a and 66 b are the same as the ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b in the first box cutting unit 16.

  When cutting the side surface of the cardboard box 10, first, the ultrasonic cutters 66 a and 66 b are moved by the moving mechanisms 68 a and 68 b to the positions where the cutter blade contacts the side surface of the cardboard box 10, respectively. Further, the ultrasonic cutters 66 a and 66 b are moved substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 along the side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 while the cutter blades are in contact with the side surfaces by the moving mechanisms 68 a and 68 b. As a result, the ultrasonic cutters 66a and 66b are arranged such that, among the side surfaces of the cardboard box 10, other sets of opposing side surfaces orthogonal to the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 54 that are not cut by the first box cutting unit 16 The cardboard box 10 is cut substantially parallel to the top surface at the height position.

  Here, the end cut unit 64 is hung on the fixed plate 44 on which the side cut unit 42 in the first box cutting portion 16 is hung. Thereby, the ultrasonic cutters 66 a and 66 b of the end cut unit 64 cut the side surface of the cardboard box 10 at the same height as the ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b of the side cut unit 42. As a result, the four side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 are cut at the same height and substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. Thereby, the cut lid 10a which is the upper part thereof is cut out from the cardboard box 10.

  The ultrasonic cutters 66 a and 66 b cut the side surface of the cardboard box 10 at the same height as the ultrasonic cutters 48 a and 48 b in the first box cutting unit 16. Therefore, similarly to the ultrasonic cutters 48a and 48b, the cutter blades of the ultrasonic cutters 66a and 66b can be prevented from coming into contact with the container in the cardboard box 10 and cutting the container. Thereby, the cardboard box 10 can be reliably opened while avoiding leakage of the contents of the container stored in the cardboard box 10. When the container stored in the cardboard box 10 is hard, it is possible to avoid the cutter blades of the ultrasonic cutters 66a and 66b coming into contact with the hard container and causing the cutter blade to be deformed or spilled. Thereby, the cardboard box 10 can be opened with high work efficiency.

(4) Cut lid separating unit 20
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5A, the cardboard box 10 sent from the second box cutting unit 18 by the direction changing conveyor 56 and the pusher claw 58 is supplied to the cut lid separating unit 20. A roller conveyor 74 is provided for conveying in the same direction as the direction from which the paper is fed. In the gap between the rollers on the box tilting portion 22 side of the roller conveyor 74, a vertically movable stopper 76 for temporarily stopping the cardboard box 10 during the separation operation of the cut lid 10a is provided.

  Above the roller conveyor 74, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), a vacuum pad 78 for separating the cut lid 10a of the carved cardboard box 10 is disposed. The vacuum pad 78 is fixed to the fixed plate 44 via a pad lifting cylinder 80 that lifts and lowers the vacuum pad 78 and a pad traversing cylinder 82 that moves the vacuum pad 78 to the chute 30 side.

  The stopper 76 is normally positioned below the rollers of the roller conveyor 74. When the cardboard box 10 is supplied from the second box cutting unit 18 to the cut lid separating unit 20, the stopper 76 rises from the gap between the rollers of the roller conveyor 74 to a predetermined height. Thereby, the cardboard box 10 on the roller conveyor 74 is stopped at the time of the separation operation of the cut lid 10a in the cut lid separation unit 20.

  After the separation operation of the cut lid 10a in the cut lid separation unit 20, the stopper 76 returns to the initial position and releases the stop of the cardboard box 10. The cardboard box 10 from which the stop has been released is conveyed to the box tilting section 22 by the roller conveyor 74.

  The vacuum pad 78 is lowered to the position of the cut lid 10a of the cardboard box 10 by the pad lifting cylinder 80 during the separation operation of the cut lid 10a, and sucks the upper surface of the cut lid 10a of the cardboard box 10. When the vacuum pad 78 adsorbs the cut lid 10a, the vacuum pad 78 is raised by the pad lifting cylinder 80 while adsorbing the cut lid 10a. Further, the vacuum pad 78 is moved above the chute 30 by the pad traversing cylinder 82. The vacuum pad 78 releases the suction of the cut lid 10 a above the chute 30 and drops the cut lid 10 a onto the chute 30. The cut lid 10 a dropped on the chute 30 slides down the chute 30 and is discharged to the empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28.

(5) Box tilting part 22
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the box tilting part 22 is provided with a gantry 84 on which the cardboard box 10 sent from the cut lid separating part 20 is placed. The gantry 84 is slightly inclined downward toward the container carry-out belt conveyor 24.

  The gantry 84 is provided with a free roller 86 in which rollers that freely rotate in the same direction as the conveying direction of the roller conveyor 74 are arranged side by side.

  A support wall 88 that supports the side surface of the corrugated cardboard box 10, which has been tilted down by the free rollers 86, is provided substantially perpendicularly to the gantry 84 on the container carry-out belt conveyor 24 side of the gantry 84. .

  There is a gap between the free rollers 86. Below the gantry 84, a vacuum pad 90 is provided for adsorbing the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 through a gap between the free rollers 86 when the cardboard box 10 is tilted. The vacuum pad 90 is provided with a pad lifting cylinder (not shown) that lifts and lowers the vacuum pad 90 through a gap between the rollers of the free roller 86.

  The gantry 84 is provided with a tilting mechanism 92 that tilts the cardboard box 10 together with the gantry 84 in a vertical plane while the cardboard box 10 is sucked by the vacuum pad 90.

  An empty box pusher 32 is provided on the opposite side of the gantry 84 from the belt conveyor 24 to push the side surface of the empty cardboard box 10 and drop the cardboard box 10 onto the chute 30.

  The vacuum pad 90 is normally located under the roller of the free roller 86. When the cardboard box 10 conveyed from the cut lid separating unit 20 slides down the frame 84 and is supported by the support wall 88, the vacuum pad 90 is supported by the pad lift cylinder (not shown). It rises toward the bottom of the box 10. Then, the vacuum pad 90 comes into contact with and adsorbs to the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 through the gap between the free rollers 86. In this way, the cardboard box 10 is tilted while the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 is adsorbed by the vacuum pad 90.

  After completion of the tilting operation of the cardboard box 10 in the box tilting portion 22, the vacuum pad 90 is released from the suction of the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 and lowered to the initial position by a pad lifting cylinder (not shown).

  In the state where the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 is adsorbed by the vacuum pad 90 and the cardboard box 10 is fixed to the gantry 94, the tilting mechanism 92 moves the cardboard box 10 together with the gantry 84 in a vertical plane as shown in FIG. Tilt. The tilt angle of the cardboard box 10 is, for example, 110 °.

  By tilting the cardboard box 10 from which the pad lid 10 a is separated by the tilting mechanism 92, the container in the cardboard box 10 is dropped onto the chute 26. The container dropped on the chute 26 slides down the chute 26 and is discharged to the container carry-out belt conveyor 24.

  When the container in the cardboard box 10 is discharged, the tilting mechanism 92 returns the gantry 84 and the cardboard box 10 to the initial tilted state.

  The empty box pusher 32 finishes the tilting operation, and the gantry 84 and the cardboard box 10 return to the initial tilted state. After the suction of the bottom surface of the cardboard box 10 by the vacuum pad 90 is released, the container is discharged and empty. The corrugated cardboard box 10 is pushed to the chute 30 side. Thereby, the empty cardboard box 10 falls. The cardboard box 10 dropped onto the chute 30 is discharged to an empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28.

(7) Container carrying belt conveyor 24, empty box / cut lid carrying belt conveyor 28
The container carry-out belt conveyor 24 carries out the containers discharged from the box tilting part 22 via the chute 26 for the next processing step or the like.

  The empty box / cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 28 includes a cut lid 10a of the cardboard box 10 discharged from the cut lid separation unit 20 via the chute 30 and an empty cardboard discharged from the box tilting part 22 via the chute. The box 10 is unloaded for the next processing step.

  In addition, the operation | movement of each said part in the box opening apparatus by this embodiment is the control part to which the setting regarding opening processing, such as the width | variety, length, height information of 10 and the opening processing speed of the corrugated cardboard box used as opening object, is input (It is automated) by (not shown).

  As described above, the box opening device according to the present embodiment uses the ultrasonic cutters 48a, 48b, 66a, and 66b, and is a cardboard box that is sealed in a state where a container containing liquid contents is contained. The main feature is to open 10.

  By using the ultrasonic cutters 48a, 48b, 66a, 66b, the side surface of the cardboard box 10 can be cut with a small processing resistance, and the cardboard box 10 can be opened with high efficiency.

  Further, the box opening device according to the present embodiment also opens the cardboard box 10 by cutting the four side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 at a position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 10. There are features.

  At a position near the upper surface of the cardboard box 10, the distance between the side surface of the cardboard box 10 and the container is wide. Accordingly, by cutting the side surface of the cardboard box 10 substantially parallel to the upper surface of the cardboard box 10 at such a position, it is possible to avoid leakage of contents due to the cutting of the container housed in the cardboard box 10, while 10 can be opened reliably.

  In the present embodiment, the case has been described in which each of the first box cutting unit 16 and the second box cutting unit 18 cuts two opposite side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 and cuts four side surfaces of the cardboard box 10. The aspect of cutting the side surface of the cardboard box 10 is not limited to the case of cutting two side surfaces separately. For example, you may cut | disconnect four side surfaces of the cardboard box 10 simultaneously using four ultrasonic cutters.

  In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic cutters 48a, 48b, 66a, 66b are moved relative to the cardboard box 10 to cut the side surfaces of the cardboard box 10, but the ultrasonic cutters 48a, 48b, 66a, The side surface of the cardboard box 10 may be cut such that the cardboard box 10 moves relative to 66b.

[Modified Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a case where a cardboard box containing a metal can, a plastic bottle or the like is opened has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a non-paper container such as a metal container, a resin container, or a glass container. The present invention can be widely applied to the opening of paper boxes that are stored and sealed.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the liquid content was contained in the container accommodated in the cardboard box, the content contained in the container is not limited to a liquid thing. . For example, the present invention can be applied even when powdery contents are contained in a container or when the container is empty.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the side surface of a cardboard box was cut | disconnected using an ultrasonic cutter, the cutting | disconnection means which cut | disconnects the side surface of a cardboard box is not limited to an ultrasonic cutter. For example, as a cutting means for cutting the side surface of the cardboard box, a water jet that cuts the cutting object by spraying pressurized water from the small diameter nozzle onto the cutting object can be used. The water jetted by the water jet may appropriately contain abrasive grains depending on the hardness of the box to be opened.

It is a figure explaining the box opening method by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the box opening apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which expands and shows a box cutting part, a cut lid separation part, a box tilting part, and these peripheral parts in a box opening device by a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st box cutting part and the 2nd box cutting part in the box opening apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the cut lid separation part in the box opening apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the box tilting part in the box opening apparatus by 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cardboard box 1a ... Cut lid 1b ... Lower part 2 ... Container 3 ... Ultrasonic cutter 3a ... Cutter blade 4 ... Cardboard box 4a ... Cut lid 4b ... Lower part 5 ... Container 10 ... Cardboard box 10a ... Cut lid 12 ... box supply roller conveyor 14 ... box cutting part 16 ... first box cutting part 18 ... second box cutting part 20 ... cut lid separating part 22 ... box tilting part 24 ... container carry-out belt conveyor 26 ... chute 28 ... empty box Cut lid carry-out belt conveyor 30 ... Chute 32 ... Empty box pusher 34 ... Roller conveyor 36 ... Stopper 38 ... Stopper 40a, 40b ... Positioning guide 42 ... Side cut unit 44 ... Fixed plate 46 ... Height adjustment mechanism 48a, 48b ... Ultrasonic Cutters 50a, 50b ... moving mechanisms 52a, 52b ... arms 54 ... roller conveyors 56 ... direction change conveyors 58 ... pushers -Claw 60 ... Stopper 62 ... Positioning guide 64 ... End cut units 66a, 66b ... Ultrasonic cutters 68a, 68b ... Moving mechanisms 70a, 70b ... Arm 72 ... Upper lid pressing pad 74 ... Roller conveyor 76 ... Stopper 78 ... Vacuum pad 80 ... Pad lifting cylinder 82 ... Pad traversing cylinder 84 ... Stand base 86 ... Free roller 88 ... Support wall 90 ... Suction pad 92 ... Tilt mechanism

Claims (5)

A box opening method for opening a paper box containing a container,
A box opening method, wherein the paper box is opened by cutting a side surface of the paper box without cutting the container with an ultrasonic cutter or a water jet. In the box opening method of Claim 1,
The box is made of metal or plastic. In the box opening method according to claim 1 or 2,
The container opening method is characterized in that the contents of the container are liquid. In the box opening method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A box opening method comprising cutting a side surface of the paper box at a position within 2 cm from an upper surface of the paper box. A box opening device for opening a paper box containing a container,
A box opening device comprising cutting means for cutting a side surface of the paper box without cutting the container with an ultrasonic cutter or a water jet.

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