JP2021130493A - Article group supply device and article group supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article group supply device and an article group supply method capable of realizing miniaturization in a horizontal direction of the device while suppressing falling shock of an article group.SOLUTION: An article group supply device 11 comprises: a lifting/lowering base 70 which is lifted/lowered between a waiting position WP in which the article group is received together with a bag in a direction in which a mouth part of the bag is set in a lower surface side, and a discharge position DP which is a position below the waiting position WP and in which the article group is discharged; and a lifting/lowering mechanism 80 for lifting/lowering the lifting/lowering base 70. Moreover, the article group supply device 11 comprises: a bag removal mechanism 90 which has a gripping part 91 which grips the bag on the lifting/lowering base 70, and removes the bag gripped by the gripping part 91 from the article group by relative movement in a direction in which the gripping part 91 and the lifting/lowering base 70 are spaced apart from each other; and a discharge mechanism 110 which discharges the article group from the lifting/lowering base 70 at the discharge position DP.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an article group supply device and an article group supply method for supplying an article group contained in a bag separately from the bag.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device for processing the contents of a box, which holds the bag taken out by opening the box and drops the contents from the opening on the lower surface of the bag. In this processing device, the tape attached to the upper surface of the box is cut at the cutting part to open the box, and then the outer flap and the inner flap of the box are opened by the unpacking device, and the contents are stored from the box. Take out the bag. The bag is transferred by the transfer device and then placed on the rail. Then, the lower surface of the bag is cut with a cutter at the bag opening portion to form an opening. The bag is sent to the discharge section while being mounted on the rail, and the discharge gate located at the lower part of the discharge section is opened, so that the contents fall from the opening of the bag by its own weight and are discharged. At this time, the upper part of the bag is pressed by the pressing member, and the contents are forcibly pushed out. In this processing device, the cutting unit, the unpacking device, the transfer device, the rail, the bag opening unit, and the discharging unit are arranged at different positions in the horizontal direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-47555

However, since the processing device described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a bag is cut with a cutter, when the contents of the bag are, for example, a group of articles in which a large number of articles such as parts are housed in the bag, the inside of the bag is contained. There is a risk of damaging the item with a cutter. Further, since the contents are dropped from a high place, when the contents are a group of articles, a large impact is applied to the group of articles when the contents are dropped, and there is a concern that the group of articles may be damaged. Further, in the processing device, the unpacking section, the transfer device, the rail, the bag opening section and the discharging section are arranged at different positions in the horizontal direction, and the processing device is a large device in the horizontal direction. Therefore, a large occupied area is required when the device is grounded in the factory, and it is desired to reduce the size of the device in the horizontal direction.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article group supply device and an article group supply method that are less likely to damage the article group and can be miniaturized in the horizontal direction.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above problems and their actions and effects will be described.
The article group supply device that solves the above-mentioned problems is an article group supply device that takes out an article group contained in a bag and supplies the article group from the bag, and supplies the article group with the mouth of the bag facing the lower surface side. An elevating table that moves up and down between a standby position that receives the entire bag and a discharge position that is below the standby position and discharges the article group, an elevating mechanism that raises and lowers the elevating table, and an elevating table on the elevating table. A bag removing mechanism that has a grip portion that grips the bag and removes the bag gripped by the grip portion from the article group by relative movement of the grip portion and the elevating table in a direction away from each other. It is provided with a discharge mechanism for discharging the article group from the elevating table at the discharge position. The bag removing mechanism may remove the bag independently if the grip portion and the elevating table are relatively moved in a direction away from each other, or the bag may be removed in cooperation with the elevating table by lowering the elevating table. May be removed.

According to this configuration, the elevating table receives the article group together with the bag at the standby position above the discharge position. The drop impact of the can be suppressed to a small size. Further, since the bag received by the lift table is oriented so that the mouth portion is on the lower surface side, the grip portion of the bag removing mechanism can grip a portion other than the mouth portion by gripping the bag on the lift table. Further, since the bag is removed from the article group on the elevating table by the relative movement of the grip portion that grips the bag and the elevating table on which the article group is placed in a direction away from each other, in order to remove the bag. The required horizontal space is small. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the device in the horizontal direction while suppressing the impact of dropping the article group.

In the article group supply device, the bag removing mechanism may remove the bag gripped by the grip portion from the article group with the lowering of the lift. It is sufficient that the elevating table is lowered during at least a part of the period from when the bag is gripped by the gripping portion until the bag and the article group are separated.

According to this configuration, in the process of lowering the lift while holding the bag, the articles group flow in the bag toward the mouth side of the bag by its own weight. Therefore, the load received from the bag can be suppressed to be smaller than that in the configuration in which the bag is pulled up without lowering the lift after gripping the bag. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the frequency of bag removal mistakes caused by the gripped bag coming off due to the weight of the article group.

In the article group supply device, the bag removing mechanism may pull up the bag gripped by the grip portion.
According to this configuration, the behavior of the article group flowing toward the mouth side by its own weight in the bag and the behavior of pulling up the bag to apply tension to the bag can reduce the frequency of bag removal mistakes and also the inside of the bag. It is possible to suppress the residual of the article.

In the article group supply device, the bag removing mechanism lowers the elevating table from the first height position when the grip portion grips the bag to the second height position on the way down from the discharge position. Then, the pulling up of the bag may be started.

According to this configuration, the grip portion starts pulling up the bag after the article group flows toward the mouth side by its own weight due to the descent from the first height position to the second height position of the lift. , The grip of the bag by the grip is hard to come off. Therefore, in addition to the effect that the device can be miniaturized in the horizontal direction while suppressing the drop impact of the article group, the frequency of occurrence of bag removal mistakes can be reduced, and the remaining articles in the bag can be suppressed.

In the article group supply device, the first relative speed, which is the relative speed between the gripping portion that grips the bag and the lift that descends from the first height position to the second height position, is the relative speed of the bag. It may be slower than the second relative speed, which is the relative speed between the grip portion that has started pulling up and the lift.

According to this configuration, in the process of removing the bag from the article group, the first relative velocity, which is the relative velocity between the grip portion and the lift, is set as long as the article group does not sufficiently flow toward the mouth side in the bag. The low speed is set, and the second relative speed, which is the relative speed between the grip portion and the lift, is increased when the article group sufficiently flows toward the mouth portion in the bag. Therefore, the grip portion is less likely to receive an excessive tensile force from the bag. Further, since the bag is pulled by pulling up the bag and the wrinkles of the bag are stretched, it is possible to suppress the residual articles in the bag caused by the wrinkles of the bag. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of articles left in the bag while reducing the mistake of removing the bag from the grip portion.

The article group supply device may have a tubular guide portion that surrounds the elevating passage of the elevating platform.
According to this configuration, the group of articles flowing out of the bag in the process of removing the bag is guided by the tubular guide portion. Therefore, the article flowing out of the bag is prevented from falling from the lift. Therefore, the mounting area of the lift can be reduced, and the article group supply device can be further miniaturized in the horizontal direction.

In the article group supply device, the article group supply device has a configuration in which an article group is taken out from a box containing a bag containing the article group and supplied, and a surface of the box on the mouth side of the bag is formed. A flap opening mechanism for opening a pair of flaps constituting the opening surface of the box supplied with the opened opening surface facing downward is provided, and the elevating table standing by at the standby position has a pair of flap opening mechanisms. By opening the flap, the group of articles dropped from the box may be received together with the bag.

According to this configuration, the separation of the box and the bag and the separation of the bag and the article group can be performed stepwise along the height direction. Even if a mechanism for taking out the bag from the box is provided, the device can be downsized in the horizontal direction.

In the article group supply device, a closed position in which the box supplied with the opening side of the bag on the mouth side of the box opened and the opened surface facing downward and an open position in which the box can be dropped can be placed. A table shutter mechanism having a table that can be opened and closed is provided, and the flap opening mechanism may receive the box that has fallen with the opened surface facing downward by opening the table from the closed position to the open position.

According to this configuration, the opened box can be supplied to a predetermined supply position by sliding it on the table with the opened surface facing downward. For example, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the flap on the opening surface of the box is opened and a group of articles and a part of the bag come out from the box by its own weight.

The article group supply method for solving the above problems is an article group supply method in which the article group contained in the bag is taken out from the bag and supplied, and the article group is supplied with the mouth of the bag facing the lower surface side. The receiving step received by the elevating table in the standby position together with the bag, the gripping step in which the gripping portion grips the bag on the elevating table, and the bag gripped by the gripping portion are held by the gripping portion and the elevating table. When the bag removal step of removing the bag from the article group by relative movement in the direction away from each other and the elevating platform descends to the discharge position located below the standby position, the article group from which the bag has been removed is removed. It is provided with a discharge step for discharging from the lift. According to this method, the same effect as that of the article group supply device can be obtained.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the device in the horizontal direction while suppressing the impact of dropping the article group.

The schematic side view which shows the article group supply system in one Embodiment. The schematic plan view which shows the article group supply system. The schematic front view which shows the article group supply device. (A) is a perspective view showing a box carried in in an opened state, and (b) is a front view showing a box supplied after inversion. (A) is a schematic front view showing the box reversing mechanism before the reversing operation, and (b) is a schematic front view showing the box reversing mechanism after the reversing operation. (A) is a schematic side view showing a state in which the box is supplied to the table shutter mechanism, and (b) is a schematic side view showing a state in which the table shutter mechanism is opened and the box is dropped onto the flap opening mechanism. (A) is a schematic side view when the flap opening mechanism is in the closed state, and (b) is a schematic side view when the flap opening mechanism is in the open state. (A) is a schematic side view showing a state in which the article group has fallen on the elevating table in the standby position together with the bag, and (b) is a schematic side view showing the state in which the elevating table is lowered to the first height position and the article group is taken out from the box together with the bag. Schematic side view showing the process. (A) is a schematic front view showing a state in which the bag is gripped, and (b) is a schematic front view when the elevating platform reaches the second height position at which the bag is started to be pulled up by the grip portion. (A) is a schematic front view showing a state in which the bag and the article group are separated, and (b) is a schematic side view when collecting the bag removed from the article group. (A) is a schematic front view when the elevating table reaches the discharge position, and (b) is a schematic front view showing how the article group is discharged from the elevating table. The block diagram which shows the electrical composition of the article group supply system. The flowchart which shows the article group supply control. The bag removing mechanism and the elevating table in the modified example are shown. FIG. Schematic front view when the lift is lowered to the position. The bag removing mechanism and the elevating table in the modified example are shown. FIG. Schematic front view when the grip is pulled up to the position.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the article group supply system 10 including the article group supply device 11 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the article group supply system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the height direction of the box 12 is the Z direction, and the long side direction of the opening surface 13 of the box 12 supplied to the supply position SP out of the two directions orthogonal to the Z direction. Is the X direction, and the short side direction is the Y direction. The Z direction is also referred to as the height direction Z.

The article group supply system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 takes out the article group 17 (see FIG. 4) from the supplied box 12 and supplies the article group 17 to another device that requires the article group 17. And a robot 40 that supplies the box 12 to the article group supply device 11 and removes the empty box 12 from which the article group 17 has been taken out. The article group 17 taken out from the box 12 by the article group supply device 11 is housed in the box 12 in a state of being housed in the bag 18 (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the article group supply device 11 separates the box 12 and the bag 18 and separates the bag 18 and the article group 17, and takes out the article group 17 from the box 12.

The box 12 is supplied to the supply position SP with the opening surface, which is the surface on which the tape has been cut and opened in advance, facing downward. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the article group supply device 11, a table shutter mechanism 50, a flap opening mechanism 60, an elevating table 70, and an elevating mechanism 80 are arranged in order from the supply position SP downward. .. Further, a bag removing mechanism 90 is arranged above the supply position SP, and a bag collecting mechanism 100 is arranged on the side of the supply position SP. The lift 70 moves up and down in the tubular guide portion 130 erected directly below the supply position SP.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 40 is fixed to the upper surface of the support base 150 and is arranged at a height position where the work of supplying the box 12 to the supply position SP at a predetermined height is possible. Between the robot 40 and the article group supply device 11, a work table 160 and stairs 161 are arranged so that the worker can perform predetermined work such as recovery work and maintenance when a trouble occurs.

The article group supply device 11 is provided with a work table 160, a staircase 161 for an operator to move up and down to the work table 160, and a handrail portion 162 surrounding a part of the work table 160 between the robot 40 and the robot 40. Has been done. The article group supply device 11 includes an assembly 170 that serves as a skeleton portion thereof. The assembly 170 includes a plurality of column portions 171 and a plurality of beam portions 172 and 173 horizontally laid between the column portions 171. Each mechanism 50, 60, 80, 90, 100, 110 constituting the article group supply device 11 is supported by the assembly 170.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in the article group supply device 11, the bag removing mechanism 90, the table shutter mechanism 50, the flap opening mechanism 60, the lifting table 70, and the lifting mechanism 80 are arranged side by side in the height direction Z. Has been done. Therefore, the article group supply device 11 is a long device having a long dimension in the height direction Z. In other words, the article group supply device 11 is a device that is small in the horizontal direction. When the article group supply device 11 is installed in the factory, its occupied area can be narrowed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the article group supply system 10 includes a transfer device 20 having a conveyor 21 for transporting the box 12 at a position next to the article group supply device 11. The conveyor 21 is, for example, a roller conveyor. The conveyor 21 carries the box 12 to the take-out position AP adjacent to the article group supply device 11. Further, the conveyor 21 is provided with a stopper 22 for stopping the carried-in box 12 at the take-out position AP, and a stopper 23 for stopping the next box 12 at a position upstream of the take-out position AP in the transport direction. .. The conveyor 21 is provided with a carry-in sensor 24 that detects that the box 12 has been carried into the take-out position AP. The carry-in sensor 24 is composed of a non-contact type sensor such as an optical sensor. The carry-in sensor 24 may be a contact type sensor. Further, the conveyor 21 may be a belt conveyor. When the conveyor 21 is a belt conveyor, stoppers 22 and 23 that can move forward and backward along the belt surface are used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article group supply system 10 includes a box supply mechanism 30 that supplies the box 12 carried into the take-out position AP on the conveyor 21 to the article group supply device 11. The box supply mechanism 30 includes the robot 40 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the box reversing mechanism 31 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot 40 is an articulated industrial robot. The robot 40 includes an articulated arm 43 (manipulator) having a rotary table 42 that can rotate about a vertical axis with respect to a base 41 fixed to a support 150. A gripping unit 44 is detachably attached to the tip of the arm 43. The arm 43 rotates about the axis together with the rotary table 42 by the power of the drive source 45 arranged on the base portion 41. Further, the arm 43 includes a plurality of arm portions 43A to 43C that are connected so that the angle can be changed. The angles of the plurality of arm portions 43A to 43C are adjusted via drive links (not shown) by driving a drive mechanism including a servomotor (not shown) arranged at each indirect portion. The gripping unit 44 is detachably attached to a rotating portion 43D in which an arm portion 43C, which is a tip end portion of the arm 43, is provided with a motor (not shown) as a power source so that the shaft can rotate. As described above, the robot 40 of this example is a 6-axis or 7-axis articulated robot.

As shown in FIG. 2, the gripping unit 44 attached to the tip of the arm 43 has a plurality of suction pads 46, and grips the box 12 by a suction force using the negative pressure of the suction pads 46. The gripping unit 44 includes a pressure switching mechanism 47 for switching the introduction / release of negative pressure to the suction pad 46. Further, a positioning member 48 for positioning the position for gripping the box 12 is attached to the end of the gripping unit 44. As shown in FIG. 2, the box 12 is gripped by the gripping unit 44 in a state where one side surface thereof is positioned at a position corresponding to the positioning member 48.

Here, the box 12 carried in by the conveyor 21 will be described with reference to FIG. 4A. The box 12 is, for example, a cardboard box. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the box 12 on the conveyor 21 has been opened. As shown in FIG. 4A, the box 12 is opened by cutting the tape 14 previously attached to the opening surface 13. Therefore, the four flaps 15 forming the opening surface 13 of the box 12 are in a state where they can be opened. The box 12 is conveyed to the take-out position AP on the conveyor 21 in a direction in which the opened surface 13 after opening is the top surface (upper surface). A box opening device (not shown) is arranged upstream of the conveyor 21, and the box 12 is opened by cutting the tape 14 with the cutter of the box opening device.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the box 12 contains a bag 18 for accommodating an article group 17 composed of a large number of articles 16. The bag 18 is an inner bag housed in the box 12. The article group 17 is housed in the box 12 in a state of being housed in the bag 18. Here, the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 that houses the article group 17 in the box 12 is located on the opening surface 13 side. That is, the box 12 is opened so that the surface of the bag 18 on the side where the mouth portion 18A is located is the opening surface 13. Therefore, in the box 12, the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 faces the opening surface 13. The mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 is folded in a state in which the peripheral portion of the mouth portion 18A is folded, or in a state in which the peripheral portion of the mouth portion 18A is slightly twisted. That is, the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 is in a closed state by folding or twisting the peripheral portion of the mouth portion 18A.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the box 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped having a short side dimension L1, a long side dimension L2, and a height dimension L3 of the opened surface 13. For example, boxes 12 having a plurality of sizes may be carried into the conveyor 21.

The take-out position AP and the supply position SP shown in FIG. 2 are located within the working range of the robot 40. When the carry-in sensor 24 detects the box 12, the robot 40 grips the box 12 carried into the take-out position AP and supplies the box 12 to the supply position SP of the article group supply device 11. The robot 40 drives the arm 43 to grip the box 12 at the take-out position AP by sucking it with the suction pad 46 of the grip unit 44, and first supplies it to the box reversing mechanism 31. The box reversing mechanism 31 flips the supplied box 12 upside down. The box 12 inverted by the box inversion mechanism 31 has the opening surface 13 facing downward.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer table 26 is arranged in the middle of the path from the box reversing mechanism 31 to the supply position SP. The robot 40 grips the box 12 inverted by the box reversing mechanism 31 with the gripping unit 44, and slides the opening surface 13 of the box 12 on the upper surface of the transfer table 26 to supply the article group supply device 11. Supply to.

Further, the robot 40 shown in FIG. 2 collaborates with the article group supply device 11 to separate the box 12 and the bag 18 by dropping the article group 17 together with the bag 18 onto the elevating table 70 from the grasped box 12. The box separation work and the box removal work of removing the grasped empty box 12 from the work area of the article group supply device 11 are performed. In this way, the robot 40 constitutes a part of the box supply mechanism 30 and also a part of the box removing mechanism 49 which will be described later to remove the box 12. The box 12 may be conveyed on the conveyor 21 with the opened surface 13 facing downward after opening. In this case, the box reversing mechanism 31 can be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a table shutter mechanism 50 is arranged at the supply position SP. The table shutter mechanism 50 includes a pair of slide-opening / closing tables 51. The pair of tables 51 are arranged at the supply position SP when they are in the closed position shown in FIG. The pair of tables 51 are located at the same height as the transfer table 26, and the robot 40 can supply the box 12 to the supply position SP on the table 51 by sliding the box 12 along the transfer table 26. By sliding the box 12, the box 12 can be supplied to the supply position SP while the downward opening surface 13 is closed. As shown in FIG. 4B, the box 12 is supplied onto the table 51 of the table shutter mechanism 50 with the opening surface 13 facing the mouth 18A of the bag 18 facing the lower surface.

Next, a detailed configuration of the box reversing mechanism 31 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the box reversing mechanism 31 has a fixed table 32 and a movable table 33 that face each other so that the box 12 can be sandwiched. The movable table 33 is supported by the rail member 34 in a state of being movable in a direction in which the distance from the fixed table 32 is changed. The fixed table 32 and the movable table 33 are arranged in a horizontal U shape via the rail member 34, and are rotatably supported around a rotating shaft 35 fixed to the central portion of the back surface of the rail member 34. The box reversing mechanism 31 includes an electric motor 36 as a drive source and a power transmission mechanism 37 that transmits the rotational force of the electric motor 36 to the rotating shaft 35.

In the standby position shown in FIG. 5A, the movable table 33 is arranged on the lower side and the fixed table 32 is arranged on the upper side, and both the tables 32 and 33 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance longer than the height dimension of the box 12. Be placed. When the box 12 is supplied between the two tables 32 and 33 in the standby state, the movable table 33 rises to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5A, and the box 12 is sandwiched between the two tables 32 and 33. Will be done. In this sandwiched state, both tables 32 and 33 rotate 180 degrees around the rotation shaft 35, so that the box 12 is turned upside down as shown in FIG. 5 (b). That is, the box 12 is arranged so that the opened surface 13 after opening faces the lower surface. After reversing, the movable table 33 rises to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5 (b), and when the box 12 is taken out by the robot 40, both the tables 32 and 33 rotate 180 degrees around the rotation axis 35. Return to the standby position.

Next, the article group supply device 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the article group supply device 11 includes a slide opening / closing table shutter mechanism 50 arranged at the supply position SP, and a flap opening mechanism 60 for opening a pair of flaps 15 of the box 12. To be equipped. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the article group supply device 11 is a lift 70 that receives the article group 17 that has fallen from the box 12 together with the bag 18 by opening the pair of flaps 15 by the flap opening mechanism 60. It is provided with an elevating mechanism 80 for elevating and elevating the elevating table 70. Further, the article group supply device 11 has a bag removing mechanism 90 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) for removing the bag 18 from the article group 17 by grasping and pulling up the bag 18 on the lifting table 70, and a bag removing mechanism. 90 includes a bag collection mechanism 100 (see FIG. 1) that collects the bag 18 removed from the article group 17.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the table shutter mechanism 50 has a pair of slide opening / closing type tables 51. When the box 12 is supplied to the supply position SP, the pair of tables 51, 51 are arranged at closed positions where their tips are close to each other. Here, the reason for providing the table shutter mechanism 50 is that the opening surface 13 of the box 12 with the opening surface 13 facing downward is slid on the transfer table 26 to supply the box 12 with the flap 15 closed. This is to move to. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of tables 51 in the closed position are located at the same height as the transfer table 26.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the table shutter mechanism 50 makes it possible to move the pair of tables 51 that open and close by moving in the horizontal direction and the pair of tables 51 in the horizontal direction, respectively. It includes a pair of rails 52 that support it, and a pair of cylinders 53 that are drive sources for driving the opening and closing of the pair of tables 51. The pair of cylinders 53 are arranged so as to face each other, and each piston rod 53A is fixed to the bottom of the pair of tables 51 via a connecting member 54. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the pair of cylinders 53 are extended and driven, the pair of tables 51 are arranged in close positions close to each other. The box 12 supplied to the supply position SP is placed on a pair of tables 51. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the pair of cylinders 53 is contracted and driven, the pair of tables 51 are arranged in the open position. The pair of tables 51 in the open position are separated from each other with a gap wider than the dimension L2 of the short side of the box 12. The box 12 is placed on an opening / closing plate 61 that constitutes a flap opening mechanism 60 that falls by moving a pair of tables 51 from a closed position to an open position and stands by below the pair of tables 51. The opening / closing plate 61 stands by at the closed position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (a).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flap opening mechanism 60 includes a pair of opening / closing plates 61 located below the pair of tables 51 when in the closed position. The pair of opening / closing plates 61 rotate around a rotation shaft 61A fixed to one end of each, and move between the closed position shown in FIG. 7 (a) and the open position shown in FIG. 7 (b). It is provided so that it can be opened and closed. As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of opening / closing plates 61 are provided with a plurality of suction pads 62 that slightly project from the upper surface, which is a surface facing the box 12. In this example, the pair of opening / closing plates 61 are arranged at positions corresponding to the pair of outer flaps 15 constituting the opening surface 13 of the box 12, and three each are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the opening / closing plate 61 (see FIG. 2). ) Is provided. The flap opening mechanism 60 includes a pair of cylinders 63 as a drive source for driving the opening and closing of the pair of opening and closing plates 61. The tip of the piston rod 63A of the cylinder 63 is connected to the rotating shaft 61A via a lever 64.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the cylinder 63 is contracted and driven, the pair of opening / closing plates 61 are arranged in the closed position. The pair of flaps 15 constituting the opening surface 13 of the box 12 are attracted to the suction pads 62 on the pair of opening / closing plates 61. Then, under the state where the suction pad 62 sucks the flap 15, when the cylinder 63 is extended and driven as shown in FIG. 7B, the pair of opening / closing plates 61 are opened, and at this time, the plurality of suction pads 62. A pair of flaps 15 adsorbed on the cylinder open together.

As shown in FIG. 3, the elevating table 70 has a standby position WP (see also FIG. 8) for receiving the article group 17 together with the bag 18 with the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 facing the lower surface side, and a position lower than the standby position WP. It goes up and down between the position and the discharge position DP (see also FIG. 11A) for discharging the article group 17 on the elevating table 70. In this example, the standby position WP is the highest position of the lift 70. The discharge position DP is the lowest position of the lift 70. Further, the article group supply device 11 includes a tubular guide portion 130 that surrounds the elevating passage 130A through which the elevating table 70 moves between the standby position WP and the discharge position DP by the elevating mechanism 80. The lift 70 has a square shape in a plan view, and the guide portion 130 surrounding the side of the lift 70 has a square cylinder shape.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the lifting platform 70 includes a transport belt 71 and a drive unit 72 that drives the transport belt 71. The transport belt 71 is arranged above the lift 70. The lift 70 when in the standby position WP is located below the upper end of the tubular guide portion 130 by a predetermined distance.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the drive unit 72 of the lift 70 is a power transmission that transmits the power of the electric motor 73 that is the drive source of the transfer belt 71 and the power of the electric motor 73 to the transfer belt 71. It has a mechanism 74 and. As shown in FIG. 8A, the elevating table 70 stands by at the standby position WP, and receives the article group 17 dropped from the box 12 together with the bag 18 on the mounting surface 71A which is the upper surface of the transport belt 71. The transport belt 71 constitutes a part of the discharge mechanism 110 (see FIG. 11), which will be described later. The conveyor belt 71 may be replaced with a conveyor other than the belt conveyor. For example, a roller conveyor may be used as long as the article 16 does not fall from the gap between the rollers.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the elevating mechanism 80 is fixed to a pair of guide rods 81 (see FIG. 1), an elevating slider 82 that can move along the pair of guide rods 81, and a slider 82. It is provided with a support rod 83. The lift 70 is supported by the slider 82 via the support rod 83 by fixing the housing 75 that supports the drive unit 72 at the lower portion to the upper end of the support rod 83. The connection between the slider 82 and the lift 70 may be a plate-shaped support plate instead of the support rod 83.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the elevating mechanism 80 converts the rotational force of the elevating electric motor 84 and the electric motor 84, which are the driving sources thereof, into a linear motion of the elevating table 70 in the vertical direction. It is provided with a power transmission mechanism 85. The power transmission mechanism 85 is, for example, a belt type power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism 85 includes a pulley 86 that rotates by rotating the output shaft of the electric motor 84, a pulley 87 that is located a predetermined distance above the pulley 86, and a timing belt that is wound between the two pulleys 86 and 87. It is equipped with 88.

The electric motor 84 is, for example, a servo motor. The electric motor 84 includes an encoder 89 (see FIG. 12) that detects its rotation. The encoder 89 is, for example, a rotary encoder. The control unit 120 recognizes the height position of the lift 70 based on the rotation detection signal input from the encoder 89. When the control unit 120 drives the electric motor 84 in the forward rotation, the elevating table 70 descends, and when the electric motor 84 is driven in the reverse direction, the elevating table 70 rises.

As shown in FIG. 8A, when the pair of flaps 15 of the box 12 is opened by the flap opening mechanism 60 while the robot 40 is gripping the box 12 with the gripping unit 44, it stands by at the standby position WP. The lift 70 receives the article group 17 that has fallen from the opening 12K of the box 12 together with the bag 18. The standby position WP is set at a height position at which the flap 15 does not interfere with the transport belt 71 when the flap 15 is opened, and at a height position where the drop impact of the article group 17 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 8B, while the robot 40 is gripping the box 12 with the gripping unit 44, the elevating table 70 descends from the standby position WP to the first height position P1 to obtain the box 12. The article group 17 is further discharged together with the bag 18 from the opening 12K. In this state, although a part of the article group 17 remains in the box 12, it is almost discharged from the box 12. Therefore, the empty box 12 is removed from the bag 18 on the lift 70 by moving the box 12 gripped by the robot 40 by the gripping unit 44 along the path indicated by the arrow in FIG. 8 (b).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the robot 40 also serves as the box removing mechanism 49 for removing the box 12. The robot 40 also serves as both a part of the box supply mechanism 30 that supplies the box 12 and a box removal mechanism 49 that removes the box 12. The robot 40 may have a configuration in which only one of the box supply mechanism 30 and the box removal mechanism 49 is used. Further, the robot 40 may be abolished and the box supply mechanism 30 and the box removal mechanism 49 may be configured by a mechanism other than the robot 40.

After the box 12 is removed, the bag removing mechanism 90 performs a bag removing operation for removing the bag 18. This bag removing operation is performed in cooperation with the lowering operation of the elevating table 70 and the pulling operation of the bag 18 by the bag removing mechanism 90. Further, the bag collection mechanism 100 collects the bag 18 removed by the bag removal mechanism 90.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 9, the bag removing mechanism 90 includes a grip portion 91 that is supported so as to be able to move up and down at a position directly above the elevating table 70, and a drive mechanism that raises and lowers the grip portion 91 in the vertical direction. It is equipped with 92. The grip portion 91 of this example is composed of a large suction pad that can grip the bag 18 by suction. The drive mechanism 92 includes a cylinder 93 arranged downward and two guide rods 94 (FIGS. 3 and 9). As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end portion of the cylinder 93 and the pair of guide portions 94A through which the two guide rods 94 are inserted are fixed to the beam portion 173 via the mounting plate 174. As shown in FIG. 9A, the grip portion 91 is supported by the lower end portion of the piston rod 93A of the cylinder 93 and the lower end portion of the two guide rods 94. The grip portion 91 is suspended in a downward state with the suction port 91A facing the elevating table 70.

The grip portion 91 can be raised and lowered with a predetermined stroke capable of lowering the bag 18 on the lifting platform 70 at the first height position P1 shown in FIG. 9A from the standby position shown in FIG. 3 to a height position where the bag 18 can be gripped. be. When the grip portion 91 grips the bag 18 and then returns to the standby position, the gripped bag 18 can be pulled up to a height position that can be separated from the article group 17. Further, the grip portion 91 is connected to a negative pressure source through a tube (not shown), and an electromagnetic switching valve (not shown) provided in the middle of the tube is switched by the control unit 120 to the grip portion 91. The introduction and release of negative pressure can be switched. The grip portion 91 may be a clamp mechanism that grips the bag 18 by sandwiching it.

In the present embodiment, the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated by lowering the elevating table 70 and pulling up the bag 18 by the grip portion 91. When the lift 70 is in the first height position P1, the grip 91 grips the bag 18 on the lift 70. At this time, since the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 is located at the bottom portion sandwiched between the lifting platform 70 and the article group 17, the grip portion 91 grips a portion other than the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18.

In particular, in this example, the lifting table 70 is lowered prior to the pulling operation of the bag 18 by the grip portion 91 (see FIGS. 9A and 9B). Therefore, as the elevating table 70 descends, the article group 17 flows downward by its own weight in the bag 18 to move toward the mouth portion 18A, and the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 begins to open. Then, when the elevating table 70 descends to the second height position P2, the gripping portion 91 starts the pulling operation of the bag 18. At this time, the portion of the bag 18 sandwiched between the lifting platform 70 and the article group 17 is reduced, and the load received from the bag 18 when the grip portion 91 pulls up the bag 18 becomes relatively small. There is.

Here, the heights of the positions through which the elevating platform 70 passes in the descending process have the following relationship. Assuming that the height of the discharge position DP is the reference height Hd (for example, Hd = 0), the height Hw of the standby position WP, the height H1 of the first height position P1, and the height H2 of the second height position P2. The relationship of Hw> H1> H2> H3> Hd is established between the heights H3 of the third height position P3. As shown in FIG. 10A, the third height position P3 indicates the height position of the lift 70 when the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated. Here, the separation of the bag 18 and the article group 17 means that the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated so that the load of the article group 17 is not applied to the bag 18, and the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated in the vertical direction. You don't have to be.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bag collection mechanism 100 has a suction pad 101 that can approach and separate the bag 18 pulled up by the bag removal mechanism 90 from the horizontal direction, and a flexible collection passage that communicates with the suction pad 101. It includes 102 and a cylinder 103 that allows the suction pad 101 to move in and out in the horizontal direction. When the bag 18 is pulled up to a position separated from the article group 17 by the bag removing mechanism 90, the suction pad 101 that generates the suction negative pressure is moved from the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 by extending and driving the cylinder 103. Advance to the collection position shown by the solid line in (b). The control unit 120 releases the grip by the grip unit 91 at the timing when the bag 18 is sucked by the suction pad 101. In this way, the bag 18 is sucked from the suction pad 101 and collected in a predetermined collection box (not shown) through the collection passage 102.

As shown in FIG. 3, the article group supply device 11 includes a discharge mechanism 110 that discharges the article group 17 on the elevator 70 at the discharge position DP. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the discharge mechanism 110 is arranged outside the transport belt 71 of the lift 70, the door 131 that can be opened and closed at the lower part of the guide portion 130, and the door 131. The door is provided with a supply conveyor 111 that receives and transports the article group 17 discharged from the transport belt 71 in the open state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the door 131 is rotatably supported around the rotation shaft 131A at the upper end. The door 131 opens and closes using the cylinder 132 as a drive source. When the cylinder 132 is driven to contract, the door 131 closes, and when the cylinder 132 is driven to extend, the door 131 opens. The supply conveyor 111 has a drive unit 112 including an electric motor 113 as a drive source and a power transmission mechanism 114.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the supply conveyor 111 is arranged at a position lower than the transfer belt 71, and a chute 115 having a slope is provided between the transfer belt 71 and the supply conveyor 111. There is. As shown in FIG. 11B, the article group 17 discharged by the transport belt 71 slides on the slope of the chute 115 and falls to one end on the upstream side on the supply conveyor 111. The second drive speed, which is the drive speed of the supply conveyor 111, is set to be higher than the first drive speed, which is the drive speed of the conveyor belt 71. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the article group 17 discharged from the transport belt 71 in a piled state spreads in one or two layers on the supply conveyor 111 as shown in FIG. 11 (b). It is transported in a state. The supply conveyor 111 may be composed of a group of a plurality of stages of conveyors having a speed difference in which the speed becomes higher downstream in the supply direction. Further, the supply conveyor 111 may be provided as an external device that does not form a part of the article group supply device 11.

As shown in FIG. 11B, a discharge sensor 116 for detecting that all the article groups 17 on the lift table 70 have been discharged is provided near the article group outlet of the lift table 70 at the discharge position DP. There is. The control unit 120 recognizes that all the articles 16 have been ejected from the elevating table 70 if the non-detection state in which the discharge sensor 116 does not detect the articles 16 continues for a certain period of time while the transport belt 71 is being driven. The drive of the transport belt 71 is stopped.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the electrical configuration of the article group supply system 10 will be described. The article group supply system 10 includes a control unit 120. An operation panel 125 is electrically connected to the control unit 120. The operator uses the operation panel 125 to perform an operation of inputting various setting data, an operation of giving instructions such as start and stop of operation to the article group supply system 10. The control unit 120 causes a display unit (not shown) of the operation panel 125 to display a setting screen, a notification screen, and the like. Instead of the operation panel 125, an operation unit such as a keyboard or a pointing device and a monitor provided in a personal computer connected to the control unit 120 or a personal computer constituting a part of the control unit 120 may be used.

As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 120 includes a transfer device 20, a box reversing mechanism 31, a robot 40, a table shutter mechanism 50, a flap opening mechanism 60, an elevating table 70, an elevating mechanism 80, a bag removing mechanism 90, and a bag collecting. The mechanism 100 and the discharge mechanism 110 are electrically connected. Further, the control unit 120 is electrically connected to the carry-in sensor 24 that detects the box 12 carried into the take-out position AP and the discharge sensor 116 that detects that all the articles 16 have been discharged from the elevating table 70. Has been done. Further, the control unit 120 includes an encoder 89 that detects the rotation of the electric motor 84 (see FIG. 1), which is the drive source of the elevating mechanism 80, and outputs a rotation detection signal including a number of pulses proportional to the rotation amount. It is electrically connected. The control unit 120 counts the number of pulse edges of the rotation detection signal input from the encoder 89 with a counter (not shown), and recognizes the height position of the lift 70 from the counted value. Therefore, in the control unit 120, the elevating table 70 is set to the standby position WP, the first height position P1, the second height position P2, the third height position P3, and the discharge position DP based on the count value of the counter. Can be detected. Further, the control unit 120 indicates that the grip portion 91 of the bag removal mechanism 90 grips the bag 18, and the pressure detector on the negative pressure circuit (not shown) that introduces the negative pressure into the grip portion 91 exceeds the threshold value. Is detected. Various sensors (not shown) for detecting the drive positions of the mechanisms 31, 50, 60, 90, and 100 are electrically connected to the control unit 120.

Further, the control unit 120 includes a storage unit 121. The storage unit 121 stores the program PR for controlling the supply of the article group shown in the flowchart in FIG. The control unit 120 incorporates a computer such as a microprocessor. When the computer executes the program PR, the article group supply control for the article group supply system 10 is performed. The control unit 120 may be divided into a transport system controller that controls the transport device 20, a robot controller that controls the robot 40, and an article group supply system controller that controls the article group supply device 11. For example, the controller of the article group supply system may be configured by a programmable controller or a personal computer.

Next, the operation of the article group supply system 10 will be described. The operator operates the operation panel 125 and gives an instruction to start operation. When the control unit 120 receives the instruction to start the operation, the control unit 120 starts the operation of the article group supply system 10. The control unit 120 reads and executes the program PR shown in the flowchart in FIG. 13 from the storage unit 121.

FIG. 3 shows an initial state of the article group supply device 11. The box reversing mechanism 31 is in the standby position. The pair of tables 51 of the table shutter mechanism 50 are in the closed position. The lift 70 is in the standby position WP. The transport belt 71 of the lift 70 is in the stopped state. The bag removing mechanism 90 is in the standby position. The bag collection mechanism 100 is located at the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 and is in a stopped state. The door 131 of the guide portion 130 is in the closed position. The discharge mechanism 110 is in the stopped state.

The control unit 120 receives the box identification information regarding the box 12 carried into the conveyor 21 from the depalletizer that is performing the step-off work of the box 12 on the upstream side of the article group supply system 10. The box specific information includes information such as the product number, shape, and size of the box 12. When the carry-in sensor 24 detects that the box 12 has been carried into the take-out position AP on the conveyor 21, the control unit 120 instructs the robot 40 and the article group supply device 11 to control the article group supply.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 13, the article group supply control performed by the control unit 120 to the robot 40 and the article group supply device 11 will be described. When the robot 40 is in the non-working state and the carry-in sensor 24 detects the box 12 at the take-out position AP, the control unit 120 starts the article group supply work for the box 12.

First, in step S11, the control unit 120 inverts the box 12. When the control unit 120 controls the robot 40, the robot 40 grips the box 12 at the take-out position AP and inserts the box 12 into the box reversing mechanism 31 as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. By driving the box reversing mechanism 31, the box 12 is reversed with the opening surface 13 facing downward (FIGS. 5A and 5B). In the box 12, the bag 18 has the mouth portion 18A facing the lower surface side (FIG. 4B).

In the next step S12, the control unit 120 causes the robot 40 to supply the box 12. When the control unit 120 controls the robot 40, the robot 40 grips the inverted box 12 from the box reversing mechanism 31 and slides the box 12 on the transfer table 26 to transfer the box 12 to the supply position SP. The boxes 12 are arranged on a pair of tables 51 in a closed position (FIG. 6A).

In step S13, the control unit 120 opens the table shutter mechanism 50. The control unit 120 opens the pair of tables 51 by contracting and driving the pair of cylinders 53. At this time, the robot 40 temporarily releases the box 12. As a result, the box 12 is slightly dropped with the opening surface 13 facing downward, and is placed on the opening / closing plate 61 (FIGS. 6 (b) and 7 (a)).

In step S14, the control unit 120 drives the flap opening mechanism 60. The control unit 120 opens the opening / closing plate 61 by switching an electromagnetic switching valve (not shown) to introduce negative pressure into the plurality of suction pads 62 and extending and driving the pair of cylinders 63 (FIG. 7B). .. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the robot 40 is holding the box 12. A pair of flaps 15 sucked on a suction pad 62 provided on the pair of opening / closing plates 61 opens together with the pair of opening / closing plates 61. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the elevating table 70 that stands by at the standby position WP receives the article group 17 that has fallen from the box 12 together with the bag 18. In this embodiment, the process of step S14 corresponds to an example of the receiving step.

In step S15, the control unit 120 lowers the lift 70 to the first height position P1. The control unit 120 drives the electric motor 84 of the elevating mechanism 80 in the forward rotation, and lowers the elevating table 70 from the standby position WP to the first height position P1. When the count value of the counter that counts the height position of the lift 70 reaches the value indicating the first height position P1, the drive of the electric motor 84 is stopped.

In the next step S16, the control unit 120 removes the box 12. The control unit 120 controls the robot 40, transfers the box 12 gripped by the gripping unit 44 of the arm 43 shown in FIG. 8B by the path indicated by the arrow in the figure, and transfers the box 12 on the lift 70. Remove from bag 18. As a result, the bag 18 for accommodating the article group 17 is placed on the elevating table 70.

In step S17, the control unit 120 causes the bag removing mechanism 90 to grip the bag 18. The control unit 120 switches the electromagnetic switching valve (not shown) to a suction state in which a negative pressure is applied to the suction port 91A of the grip unit 91, and extends and drives the cylinder 93 to bring the grip unit 91 under the suction state. Let it go down. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the grip portion 91 reaches the bag 18 on the lift 70, the bag 18 is attracted to the grip portion 91 by negative pressure. The control unit 120 recognizes that the grip unit 91 grips the bag 18 when a negative pressure exceeding the threshold value is detected in the pressure detector on the negative pressure circuit connected to the grip unit 91. When the gripping unit 91 grips the bag 18, the control unit 120 stops driving the cylinder 93. In this embodiment, the process of step S17 corresponds to an example of the gripping step.

In step S18, the control unit 120 lowers the lift 70 at the first speed V1. The control unit 120 drives the electric motor 84 of the elevating mechanism 80 in the forward rotation at the first driving speed, and lowers the elevating table 70 from the first height position P1 at the first speed V1. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the elevating platform 70 descends at the first speed V1 while the gripping portion 91 is stopped at the gripping position when the bag 18 is gripped, so that the bag 18 is held. Within, the article group 17 flows toward the mouth 18A side by its own weight (FIG. 9 (b)). Further, as the article group 17 flows toward the mouth portion 18A in the bag 18, the portion of the peripheral portion of the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 that is sandwiched between the lifting platform 70 and the article group 17 is reduced. , The mouth 18A of the bag 18 begins to open. For example, if the bag 18 is to be pulled up from the state shown in FIG. 9A without lowering the elevating table 70, the bag 18 is greatly pulled by the weight of the article group 17, and the bag 18 is not gripped by the grip portion. there is a possibility. Therefore, in the present embodiment, after the grip portion 91 grips the bag 18, the elevating table 70 is first lowered to cause the article group 17 in the bag 18 to flow to the mouth portion 18A by its own weight. The flowed article group 17 spreads the mouth portion 18A, and the portion of the peripheral portion of the mouth portion 18A that is sandwiched between the lifting platform 70 and the article group 17 is reduced. Therefore, the force with which the grip portion 91 is pulled from the bag 18 is reduced by the weight of the article group 17 when the bag 18 is pulled up.

At this time, the lift 70 descends from the first height position P1 to the second height position P2 at the first speed V1. The first speed V1 may be lower than the speed at which the elevator 70 descends in another section. This is to allow the article group 17 to slowly flow in the bag 18. When the first speed V1 is high, the article group 17 flows at once in the bag 18 and the articles 16 flowing out from the mouth portion 18A are scattered, or the articles 16 collide with the inner wall of the guide portion 130 and are damaged. I'm worried. Further, depending on the size, shape, specific gravity, etc. of the article 16, there is a concern that the article 16 tends to remain in the bag 18. In consideration of these points, the first speed V1 is set to a slower speed. The first speed V1 may be a speed that changes on the way, assuming that the speed is less than the second speed V2, which will be described later. The first speed V1 may be, for example, a very low speed at first, gradually increasing the speed, reaching a constant speed, descending to the second height position P2 at the constant speed, and then stopping.

In step S19, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the second height position P2 has been reached. The control unit 120 determines whether or not the count value of the counter that counts the height position of the lift 70 has reached the value indicating the second height position P2. The control unit 120 continues the descent of the elevating table 70 until the elevating table 70 does not reach the second height position P2. On the other hand, when the elevator 70 reaches the second height position P2, the control unit 120 proceeds to step S20.

Here, the descending distance (= H1-H2) from the first height position P1 to the second height position P2 is set to, for example, a value that is ½ or more of the dimension L1 of the short side of the opening surface 13. There is. When the lowering distance is ½ or more of the dimension L1 of the short side of the opening surface 13, the load applied to the grip portion 91 when the grip portion 91 pulls up can prevent the bag 18 from being gripped. Can be made as small as possible. With the grip portion 91 gripping a part of the bag 18, the lifting table 70 lowers, so that the article group 17 flows toward the mouth portion 18A side by its own weight in the bag 18, and the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 is gradually moved. Can be opened. In this case, the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 starts to open or becomes slightly open. Further, at this time, the portion of the bag 18 sandwiched between the lift 70 and the article group 17 is reduced by about half or more. Therefore, the force with which the grip portion 91 is pulled from the bag 18 is suppressed to be small when the grip portion 91 is pulled up, so that it is possible to reduce the bag removal error that occurs when the grip portion 91 disengages the bag 18. The descending distance may be a value less than 1/2 of the dimension L1 of the short side of the opening surface 13. Further, the descending distance (= H1-H2) may be ½ or more of the dimension L1 of the short side of the box 12 of the specified size, or may be changed according to the size of the box 12. Further, the first speed V1 may also be changed according to the type of the article group 17.

In step S20, the control unit 120 performs a bag pulling operation by the bag removing mechanism 90. The control unit 120 starts the contraction drive of the cylinder 93 from the position shown in FIG. 9B, and starts the raising of the grip portion 91 to start the pulling operation of the bag 18. In the present embodiment, the pulling operation of the bag 18 is performed in parallel with the lowering operation of the lifting table 70.

In step S21, the control unit 120 shifts the lift 70 from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2. When the elevating table 70 descending at the first speed V1 reaches the second height position P2, the control unit 120 shifts the descending speed of the elevating table 70 from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2. For example, the second speed V2 may be faster than the first speed V1 (V1 <V2). The shift position from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 is not limited to the second height position P2, which is the pulling start position of the grip portion 91, and the first height at which the elevating table 70 starts descending. It may be a position between the position P1 and the third height position P3 where the removal of the bag 18 is completed. In this embodiment, the processes of steps S18 to S21 correspond to an example of the bag removal step.

Here, the first relative velocity Vr1, which is the relative velocity between the grip portion 91 that grips the bag 18 and the elevating platform 70 that descends from the first height position P1 to the second height position P2, is V1 (Vr1 = V1). ). Assuming that the speed at which the grip portion 91 pulls up the bag 18 is Vu, the second relative speed Vr2, which is the relative speed between the grip portion 91 for pulling up the bag 18 and the lift 70, is V2 + Vu (Vr2 = V2 + Vu). In this example, the first relative velocity Vr1 is slower than the second relative velocity Vr2. The lift 70 may descend from the first height position P1 to the discharge position DP at a constant first speed V1. Also in this case, the first relative velocity Vr1 (= V1) is lower than the second relative velocity Vr2 (= V1 + Vu). As described above, when the first relative velocity Vr1 is lower than the second relative velocity Vr2, the force with which the grip portion 91 is pulled from the bag 18 is suppressed to be small, and the bag 18 is not gripped by the grip portion 91. Removal mistakes are reduced. The first relative velocity Vr1 and the second relative velocity Vr2 may have different values, and for example, they may be set to values satisfying Vr1> Vr2. Further, Vr1 = Vr2 may be set.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10A, after the elevating table 70 reaches the third height position P3 where the removal of the bag 18 is completed, the elevating table 70 descends at the third speed V3. After the bag 18 is removed, there is no concern about a bag removal error, so that the third speed V3 may be set to a speed higher than the second speed V2 in order to give priority to efficiency. Further, the third speed V3 may be the same speed as the second speed V2.

In step S22, the control unit 120 collects the bag 18. The control unit 120 extends and drives the cylinder 103 in a state where the suction pad 101 of the bag collection mechanism 100 generates a suction force, whereby the suction pad 101 is shown in FIG. 10 (b) from the avoidance position shown in FIG. Advance to the collection position. As a result, the bag 18 is sucked into the suction port 101A by the suction force of the suction pad 101, and is collected in the collection box (not shown) through the collection passage 102.

In step S23, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the lift 70 has reached the discharge position DP. The control unit 120 determines whether or not the count value of the counter that counts the height position of the lift 70 has reached the value indicating the discharge position DP. The control unit 120 continues the descent of the elevating table 70 if the elevating table 70 has not reached the discharge position DP. During this time, above the lifting table 70, the bag removing mechanism 90 pulls up the bag 18 and the bag collecting mechanism 100 collects the bag 18. When the elevator 70 reaches the discharge position DP, the control unit 120 proceeds to the process of step S24.

In step S24, the control unit 120 stops the lift 70. The control unit 120 stops the elevating table 70 at the discharge position DP by stopping the drive of the electric motor 84 of the elevating mechanism 80.

In step S25, the control unit 120 performs a discharge operation of the article group 17. When the control unit 120 detects that the elevating table 70 has stopped at the discharge position DP, it extends and drives the cylinder 132 to open the door 131 and drives the transport belt 71 and the supply conveyor 111. As shown in FIG. 11B, the article group 17 is discharged from the transport belt 71 on the elevator 70, and the article group 17 that has slipped down the chute 115 falls to the upstream end of the supply conveyor 111 and is supplied. It is conveyed by the conveyor 111. At this time, since the transfer speed of the supply conveyor 111 is higher than the transfer speed of the transfer belt 71, the article group 17 on the supply conveyor 111 spreads in one or two layers and is conveyed to the supply destination. In this embodiment, the process of step S25 corresponds to an example of the discharge step.

When the discharge sensor 116 detects that all the article group 17 on the lift 70 has been ejected, the control unit 120 finishes the article group supply process for one box. When the discharge sensor 116 detects the completion of discharge of the article group 17, the control unit 120 closes the door 131 by contracting the cylinder 132 and reversely drives the electric motor 84 to put the lift 70 in the standby position. Raise to WP. After that, the same article group supply process is sequentially performed for the subsequent boxes 12.

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The article group supply device 11 has a standby position WP that receives the article group 17 together with the bag 18 with the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 facing the lower surface side, and an article group 17 that is located below the standby position WP. An elevating table 70 for elevating and lowering between the elevating position DP and the elevating position DP for discharging and an elevating mechanism 80 for raising and lowering the elevating table 70 are provided. Further, the article group supply device 11 has a grip portion 91 that grips the bag 18 on the elevating table 70, and the grip portion 91 is gripped by the relative movement of the grip portion 91 and the elevating table 70 in a direction away from each other. A bag removing mechanism 90 for removing the bag 18 from the article group 17 and a discharging mechanism 110 for discharging the article group 17 on the lift 70 at the discharging position DP are provided.

According to this configuration, the elevating table 70 receives the article group 17 together with the bag 18 at the standby position WP above the discharge position DP, so that the elevating table 70 receives the article group 17 together with the bag 18 at the discharge position DP. , The drop impact when the article group 17 is received together with the bag 18 can be suppressed to a small size. Further, since the bag 18 received by the elevating table 70 has the mouth portion 18A facing the lower surface side, if the grip portion 91 of the bag removing mechanism 90 grips the bag 18 on the elevating table 70, the bag 18 other than the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 can be gripped. Can be grasped. Further, the bag 18 is removed from the article group 17 on the elevating table 70 by the relative movement of the grip portion 91 that grips the bag 18 and the elevating table 70 on which the article group 17 is placed in the vertical direction. Therefore, the space required in the horizontal direction of the device can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the device in the horizontal direction while suppressing the drop impact of the article group 17.

(2) The bag removing mechanism 90 completes the removal of the bag 18 when the lift 70 is at a position lower than the standby position WP. Therefore, the lifting platform 70 receives the article group 17 together with the bag 18 at the standby position WP, and then descends from the standby position WP by the time the bag 18 and the article group 17 are completely separated. Therefore, the space required for separating the bag 18 and the article group 17 in the height direction can be shortened. As a result, compared to the configuration in which the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated only by the operation of grasping and pulling up the bag 18 in the standby position WP, the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated by the amount that the elevating table 70 is lowered. The space required in the height direction can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the device in the horizontal direction and the height direction while suppressing the drop impact of the article group 17.

(3) The bag removing mechanism 90 removes the bag 18 gripped by the gripping portion 91 from the article group 17 with the lowering of the elevating table 70. In the process of lowering the lift 70 while holding the bag 18, the article group 17 flows toward the mouth 18A side by its own weight in the bag 18. Therefore, the load received by the grip portion 91 from the bag 18 can be suppressed to be smaller than that in the configuration in which the bag 18 is pulled up without lowering the lifting table 70 after gripping the bag 18. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the frequency of bag removal mistakes caused by the bag 18 gripped by the grip portion 91 being disengaged by the weight.

(4) The bag removing mechanism 90 pulls up the bag 18 gripped by the grip portion 91. Therefore, the residual article 16 in the bag 18 can be suppressed by the behavior of the article group 17 flowing toward the mouth portion 18A side by its own weight in the bag 18 and the behavior of pulling up the bag 18 to apply tension to the bag 18.

(5) When the bag removing mechanism 90 descends from the first height position P1 when the grip portion 91 grips the bag 18 to the second height position P2 while the elevating table 70 descends to the discharge position DP, the bag is removed. Start raising 18 Therefore, after the article group 17 flows toward the mouth portion 18A side by its own weight due to the lowering of the elevating table 70, the bag 18 is started to be pulled up, so that the bag 18 is hard to come off from the grip portion 91. Therefore, the frequency of bag removal errors can be reduced, and the remaining article 16 in the bag 18 can be suppressed.

(6) The distance that the elevating table 70 descends from the first height position P1 to the second height position P2 may be ½ or more of the dimension L1 of the short side of the opening surface 13 of the box 12. The portion of the bag 18 sandwiched between the lift 70 and the article group 17 is reduced, and the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 begins to open. Therefore, since the load received by the grip portion 91 when the bag 18 is pulled up is small, the frequency of occurrence of bag removal errors can be effectively reduced.

(7) The first relative speed Vr1, which is the relative speed between the grip portion 91 that grips the bag 18 and the elevating platform 70 that descends from the first height position P1 to the second height position P2, and the grip portion that pulls up the bag 18. The second relative speed Vr2, which is the relative speed between the 91 and the lift 70, is different. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a bag removal error in which the bag 18 comes off from the grip portion 91. Further, since the wrinkles are stretched by the tension when the bag 18 is pulled up, the remaining article 16 in the bag 18 can be suppressed.

(8) In particular, in the present embodiment, the first relative velocity Vr1 is lower than the second relative velocity Vr2. Therefore, in the process of removing the bag 18 from the article group 17, the relative speed between the grip portion 91 and the lift 70 is set to be low until the article group 17 sufficiently flows toward the mouth portion 18A in the bag 18. When the article group 17 sufficiently flows toward the mouth portion 18A in the bag 18, the relative speed between the grip portion 91 and the lifting platform 70 is increased. Further, the wrinkles of the bag 18 are stretched by the tension when the bag 18 is pulled up. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the remaining of the article 16 in the bag 18 while reducing the removal error of the bag 18.

(9) It has a tubular guide portion 130 that surrounds the elevating passage 130A of the elevating platform 70. The article group 17 that has flowed out of the bag 18 in the process of removing the bag 18 is guided by the tubular guide portion 130. Therefore, the article 16 that has flowed out of the bag 18 is prevented from falling from the lift 70. Therefore, the mounting area of the elevating table 70 can be reduced, and the article group supply device 11 can be further miniaturized in the horizontal direction. Further, since the position of the elevating table 70 when the removal of the bag 18 is completed is lower than the standby position WP, many parts of the guide portion 130 higher than the elevating table 70 can be formed, and the article 16 falls from the elevating table 70. It can be further suppressed.

(10) The article group supply device 11 has a configuration in which the bag 18 containing the article group 17 is taken out from the box 12, and then the article group 17 is further taken out from the bag 18 and supplied. The article group supply device 11 includes a flap opening mechanism 60 that opens a pair of flaps 15 of the box 12 supplied with the opening surface 13 having the opening surface 13 of the bag 18 on the mouth 18A side of the box 12 opened. The lift 70, which stands by at the standby position WP, receives the article group 17 that has fallen from the box 12 together with the bag 18 when the pair of flaps 15 opens. Therefore, the separation of the box 12 and the bag 18 and the separation of the bag 18 and the article group 17 can be performed stepwise along the height direction Z. Therefore, even if the bag 18 is provided with a mechanism for taking out the bag 18 from the box 12, the article group supply device 11 can be downsized in the horizontal direction.

(11) The article group supply device 11 is a table shutter having a table 51 that can be opened and closed at a closed position where the box 12 supplied with the opening surface 13 facing downward can be placed and an open position where the box 12 can be dropped. A mechanism 50 and a flap opening mechanism 60 for receiving the dropped box 12 by opening the table 51 from the closed position to the open position with the opening surface 13 facing downward are provided. Therefore, when the opening surface 13 of the box 12 is slid on the table 51 with the opening surface 13 facing downward, the flap 15 of the box 12 is opened and a part of the article group 17 and the bag 18 comes out from the box 12 by its own weight. The box 12 can be supplied to the supply position SP while suppressing the above.

(12) The box removing mechanism 49 is a robot 40 having a gripping unit 44 capable of gripping the box 12. The robot 40 removes the empty box 12 that it has grasped after the article group 17 falls from the box 12 together with the bag 18 onto the lift 70. Therefore, the box 12 and the bag 18 can be separated, and the separated empty box 12 can be removed.

(13) The article group supply method includes a receiving step (step S14) in which the elevating table 70 at the standby position WP receives the article group 17 together with the bag 18 with the mouth portion 18A of the bag 18 facing the lower surface side, and the elevating table 70. A gripping step (step S17) in which the gripping portion 91 grips the upper bag 18 is provided. Further, a bag removing step (steps S18 to S21) for removing the bag 18 gripped by the grip portion 91 from the article group 17 by relative movement of the grip portion 91 and the lifting table 70 in a direction away from each other, and a lifting table 70. Is provided with a discharge step (step S25) for discharging the article group 17 on the elevating table 70 when the vehicle descends to the discharge position DP located below the standby position WP. Therefore, the same effect as that of the article group supply device 11 shown in (1) above can be obtained.

The embodiment is not limited to the above, and may be changed as follows.
When the bag removal mechanism 90 removes the bag 18 gripped by the grip portion 91 from the article group 17 with the lowering of the lifting table 70, the bag removal mechanism 90 does not have to involve the pulling operation of the bag 18 by the grip portion 91. For example, as shown in FIG. 14 (a), after the grip portion 91 grips the bag 18, the bag 18 is not pulled up, and as shown in FIG. 14 (b), the lift 70 is raised to the fourth height. The article group 17 and the bag 18 may be separated by lowering to the position P4. After the separation, the bag 18 may be collected by performing a pulling operation by the grip portion 91.

-It suffices for the bag removing mechanism 90 to complete the removal of the bag 18 when the elevating table 70 is at a position lower than the standby position WP. For example, before the grip portion 91 of the bag removing mechanism 90 grips the bag 18, the lift 70 may be lowered to a predetermined position on the way from the standby position WP to the discharge position DP. The predetermined position may be a position where the lift 70 is lowered in order to remove the box 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), after the grip portion 91 grips the bag 18, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), the bag 18 is gripped by the grip portion 91 without lowering the lifting platform 70. The bag 18 and the article group 17 may be separated by performing a pulling operation. That is, the grip portion 91 may simply grip and pull up the bag 18 while the lift 70 is stopped at the first height position P1. In this case, the removal of the bag 18 is completed when the lift 70 is at the first height position P1 lower than the standby position WP.

The speed at which the lift 70 is lowered from the first height position P1 to the discharge position DP may be a constant speed. That is, the first speed V1 and the second speed V2 may be the same (V1 = V2).
The bag removing mechanism 90 may be configured such that the grip portion 91 can move in the horizontal direction. In this case, the grip portion 91 advances horizontally from the retracted position to the grip position above the opening of the elevating passage 130A, and grips the portion of the bag 18 on the elevating table 70 that is exposed above the guide portion 130.

The pulling operation of the bag 18 and the lowering operation of the elevating table 70 by the bag removing mechanism 90 may be started at the same time. Further, the pulling operation of the bag 18 by the bag removing mechanism 90 may be started first, and the lowering operation of the elevating table 70 may be started later than the pulling operation.

The pulling speed of the bag 18 by the bag removing mechanism 90 and the lowering speed of the lifting table 70 may be the same or different. In this case, the pulling speed of the bag 18 by the bag removing mechanism 90 may be faster or slower than the lowering speed of the lifting table 70.

-At least a part of each operation period was overlapped so that the lifting operation of the bag 18 and the lowering operation of the elevating table 70 by the bag removing mechanism 90 were performed at least partly at the same time. The operation period with the descending operation of 70 does not have to overlap at all. For example, the grip portion 91 may perform the lifting operation of the bag 18 after the lowering operation of the lifting table 70 is performed first. On the contrary, for example, the bag removing mechanism 90 may pull up the bag 18 gripped by the gripping portion 91, and then lower the elevating table 70.

When lowering the lift 70 in the process of removing the bag 18, at least a part of the period from when the bag 18 is gripped by the grip portion 91 until the bag 18 and the article group 17 are separated. It suffices if the lift 70 descends.

The bag removing mechanism 90 may remove the bag 18 by itself if the grip portion 91 and the elevating table 70 are relatively moved in a direction away from each other, or the elevating table 70 and the elevating table 70 can be moved by the movement of the elevating table 70. The bag 18 may be removed in cooperation.

When the elevating table 70 is in the standby position WP, the box 12 may be removed by the box removing mechanism 49 and the bag 18 may be gripped by the grip portion 91.
-The robot 40 may be provided with a gripping portion capable of gripping the bag 18, and may also serve as a bag removing mechanism 90 in which the robot 40 pulls up and removes the bag 18. In this case, in the robot 40, the gripping unit 44 that grips the box 12 may also serve as the gripping portion 91 that grips the bag 18, or the gripping unit 44 and the gripping portion 91 may be mounted separately. If the bag removing mechanism 90 can be abolished from the article group supply device 11 by the robot 40 also serving as the bag removing mechanism 90, the article group supply device 11 can be further miniaturized in the height direction Z.

The lift 70 may be configured not to have a conveyor such as a conveyor belt 71. When the elevating table 70 descends to the discharge position DP, the article group 17 on the mounting surface 71A of the elevating table 70 may be pushed out with a pusher and discharged. Further, if it is a lightweight article 16, air may be blown to discharge the article group 17.

The discharge mechanism 110 replaces a conveyor such as a conveyor belt 71, and tilts the mounting portion or the lifting platform 70 itself on which the article group 17 of the lifting table 70 is placed by the driving force of a driving unit such as a motor or a cylinder. The group 17 may be ejected by sliding it down, or the lift 70 may be inverted to eject the article group 17. Further, the elevating table 70 may be provided with a chute having a slope instead of the transport belt 71. In this case, when the door 131 opens the article group 17 received on the slope at the standby position WP, the elevator 70 slides on the slope of the chute and flows out to the supply conveyor 111. According to this configuration, a drive unit such as an actuator for discharging the article group 17 to the elevating table 70 becomes unnecessary.

-When opening the pair of tables 51, the box 12 may be placed on the pair of opening / closing plates 61 by lowering the arm 43 while the robot 40 holds the box 12.
The table 51 of the table shutter mechanism 50 may be a single-opening type in which one piece opens and closes instead of a double-opening type in which a pair opens and closes on both sides.

The table shutter mechanism 50 may be mounted on the robot 40 side. The robot 40 is equipped with a gripping unit having a table shutter mechanism 50, and moves the table 51 of the table shutter mechanism 50 from the open position to the closed position to scoop up the box 12 on the table 51 with the opening surface 13 facing downward. The box 12 carried to the supply position SP is placed on the flap opening mechanism 60 by opening the table 51 of the table shutter mechanism 50.

-In the above embodiment, the stop is made at the first height position P1, but it may be lowered to the discharge position DP via the second height position P2 without stopping.
-In the above embodiment, the elevating table 70 is lowered from the first height position P1 to the discharge position DP without being temporarily stopped in the middle, but may be temporarily stopped in the middle. For example, the lift 70 may be temporarily stopped at the second height position P2.

The table shutter mechanism 50 and the flap opening mechanism 60 may be abolished. For example, an opening in which the inside of the cylinder of the guide portion 130 is arranged directly below is exposed at the supply position SP, and when the robot 40 supplies the box 12 to the supply position SP, the article group 17 falls from the box 12 together with the bag 18. The elevating table 70, which stands by at the standby position WP, receives the article group 17 together with the bag 18. In this case, the robot 40 may shake the box 12 at the supply position SP to assist the article group 17 to easily fall from the box 12 together with the bag 18. Further, instead of the robot 40, the operator supplies the box 12 to the supply position SP, and drops the article group 17 together with the bag 18 from the box 12 by its own weight, or at that time, shakes the box 12 to cause the article group 17 to drop. You may promote the fall of each bag 18.

-The worker may supply the box 12 to the supply position SP with the opening surface 13 after opening facing downward. In this case, the operator may place the box 12 on the opening / closing plate 61 of the flap opening mechanism 60, and the table shutter mechanism 50 may be abolished.

The bag removing mechanism 90 is not limited to the grip portion 91 that is gripped by suction. The grip portion 91 may be a clamp type that sandwiches the bag 18.
-The robot 40 may have a clamp method in which the gripping unit 44 mounted on the tip of the arm 43 is gripped by sandwiching the box 12.

-The location where the bag 18 is gripped may be any location other than the mouth portion 18A as long as the article group 17 and the bag 18 can be separated.
The articles 16 constituting the article group 17 include parts such as container caps, molded article precursors such as preforms, etc. that are housed in a bag in an unaligned state, cup groups that are stacked like cups, and the like. A group of articles may be housed in one or more bags in an aligned state. Further, the article is not limited to the parts, and may be a product or a semi-finished product in which a plurality of articles are stored in a bag. Further, the articles stored in a large number in the bag may be foods, parts of electric appliances, and stationery. Further, granules such as beans and beads may be used.

-The robot 40 is not limited to articulated robots such as vertical articulated robots and horizontal articulated robots, but is an industrial robot using other mechanisms such as orthogonal coordinate type, cylindrical coordinate type, polar coordinate type, and parallel link type. It may be.

-The box 12 is not limited to a paper cardboard box, but may be a plastic cardboard box.

10 ... Goods group supply system, 11 ... Goods group supply device, 12 ... Box, 12K ... Opening, 13 ... Opening surface, 14 ... Tape, 15 ... Flap, 16 ... Goods, 17 ... Goods group, 18 ... Bags, 18A ... Mouth, 20 ... Conveyor, 21 ... Conveyor, 22, 23 ... Stopper, 24 ... Carry-in sensor, 30 ... Box supply mechanism, 31 ... Box reversing mechanism, 32 ... Fixed table, 33 ... Movable table, 34 ... Rail member, 35 ... Rotating shaft, 36 ... Electric motor, 37 ... Power transmission mechanism, 40 ... Robot that constitutes a box supply mechanism and an example of a box removal mechanism, 43 ... Arm, 44 ... Gripping unit, 45 ... Drive unit, 46 ... Suction pad, 47 ... Pressure switching mechanism, 48 ... Positioning member, 49 ... Box removal mechanism, 50 ... Table shutter mechanism, 51 ... Table, 52 ... Rail, 53 ... Cylinder, 60 ... Flap opening mechanism, 61 ... Opening and closing plate, 62 ... Suction pad, 63 ... Cylinder, 70 ... Lifting table, 71 ... Conveying belt, 71A ... Mounting surface, 72 ... Drive unit, 73 ... Electric motor, 80 ... Lifting mechanism, 81 ... Guide rod, 82 ... Slider, 83 ... Support rod, 84 ... Electric motor, 85 ... Power transmission mechanism, 86, 87 ... Pulley, 88 ... Timing belt, 90 ... Bag removal mechanism, 91 ... Grip, 91A ... Suction port, 92 ... Drive mechanism, 93 ... Cylinder , 94 ... guide rod, 100 ... bag collection mechanism, 101 ... suction unit, 101A ... suction port, 102 ... collection passage, 110 ... discharge mechanism, 111 ... supply conveyor, 115 ... chute, 116 ... discharge sensor, 120 ... control unit , 121 ... Storage unit, 125 ... Operation panel, 130 ... Guide unit, 130A ... Elevating passage, 131 ... Door, 131A ... Rotating shaft, AP ... Extraction position, SP ... Supply position, WP ... Standby position, P1 ... First Height position, P2 ... 2nd height position, P3 ... 3rd height position, P4 ... 4th height position, DP ... Discharge position, PR ... Program, V1 ... 1st speed, V2 ... 2nd speed, Vr1 ... 1st relative speed, Vr2 ... 2nd relative speed, X ... transport direction, Y ... width direction, Z ... height direction.

Claims (9)

An article group supply device that takes out an article group contained in a bag from the bag and supplies the article group.
An elevating platform that moves up and down between a standby position that receives the article group together with the bag with the mouth of the bag facing the lower surface side and a discharge position that is below the standby position and discharges the article group. When,
An elevating mechanism that elevates the elevating platform and
A bag having a grip portion for gripping the bag on the lift table, and removing the bag gripped by the grip portion from the article group by relative movement of the grip portion and the lift table in a direction away from each other. Removal mechanism and
An article group supply device including a discharge mechanism for discharging the article group on the lift at the discharge position. The article group supply device according to claim 1, wherein the bag removing mechanism removes the bag gripped by the grip portion from the article group with the lowering of the elevating table. The article group supply device according to claim 2, wherein the bag removing mechanism pulls up the bag gripped by the grip portion. When the elevating platform descends from the first height position when the grip portion grips the bag to the second height position on the way down to the discharge position, the bag removing mechanism pulls up the bag. The article group supply device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the article group supply device is started. The first relative speed, which is the relative speed between the grip portion that grips the bag and the elevating platform when descending from the first height position to the second height position, is the same as the grip portion that pulls up the bag. The article group supply device according to claim 4, wherein the speed is lower than the second relative speed, which is the relative speed with the lift. The article group supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a tubular guide portion that surrounds the elevating passage of the elevating platform. The article group supply device has a configuration in which an article group is taken out from a box containing a bag for accommodating the article group and supplied.
A flap opening mechanism for opening a pair of flaps constituting the opened surface of the box, which is supplied with the opened surface of the box on the mouth side of the bag opened, is provided.
Claims 1 to 6, wherein the lift platform that stands by at the standby position receives the group of articles that have fallen from the box together with the bag by opening the pair of flaps by the flap opening mechanism. The article group supply device according to any one of the above items. A table that can be opened and closed at a closed position where the box can be placed and an open position where the box can be dropped. Equipped with a table shutter mechanism
The article group supply device according to claim 7, wherein when the table is opened from a closed position to an open position, the flap opening mechanism receives the box that has fallen with the opened surface facing downward. This is an article group supply method in which an article group contained in a bag is taken out from the bag and supplied.
A receiving step in which the lifting platform in the standby position receives the article group together with the bag with the mouth of the bag facing the lower surface side.
A gripping step in which the gripping portion grips the bag on the lift,
A bag removing step of removing the bag gripped by the grip portion from the article group by relative movement of the grip portion and the elevating table in a direction away from each other.
A method for supplying a group of articles, which comprises a discharge step for discharging the group of articles on the elevator when the elevator descends to a discharge position located below the standby position.

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