JP7305282B2 - Pushing device and cartoning device with the same - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a pushing device for pushing a plurality of articles into an outer box and a boxing device provided with the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a boxing device that stores a plurality of articles inside an exterior box such as a cardboard case (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the boxing device described in Patent Document 1, articles are arranged on an openable and closable floor plate, the articles arranged on the floor plate are sucked by a pushing portion configured to be able to move up and down, and the floor plate is opened and pushed. The push-in portion includes a push-in main body formed in a hollow box shape and an opening formed in the lower wall of the push-in main body. and an annular projection projecting downward from the peripheral edge of the opening, and the suction device is configured to suck the air in the internal space of the pushing main body.

JP 2013-159359 A

In the boxing device described above, the annular protrusion of the push-in portion serves as a suction port for the articles, and the articles arranged on the floor board can be sucked. If there is a change in the length in the alignment direction, there may be cases where some articles cannot be picked up unless the pushing portion is replaced, and there is the problem that the change in the length in the alignment direction of the group of articles cannot be accommodated. In the case of bagged goods, the length in the alignment direction of the group of goods lined up on the floor board varies depending on whether the air volume in the bag is changed and the thickness of each goods is changed, and when the product type is changed. Changes occur due to changes in the thickness of each article, changes in the number of articles to be aligned, and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. The purpose is to provide a device.

In order to achieve the above object, a pushing-in device according to an aspect of the present invention has a pushing-in portion connected to the lower end of a shaft that can be raised and lowered, and a plurality of push-in parts on a pair of floorboards that can be opened and closed in the pushing-in portion. A pushing device for sucking the upper surface of a group of articles arranged in a row and lowering the pushing section in a state where the floor plate is opened to push the group of articles into an outer box arranged at a packing position below the floor plate. The push-in portion includes a push-in body connected to the lower end of the shaft body and formed in a hollow box shape, an opening formed in a lower wall of the push-in main body, and a peripheral edge of the opening. a suction port for sucking the upper surface of the article group by sucking the air in the inner space of the push-in main body through the shaft, the suction device protruding downward from the The push-in main body has a plurality of frame parts including one frame part connected to the shaft, and the other frame parts with respect to the one frame part are arranged in the alignment direction of the group of articles. is slidably fitted to and fixed releasably, and is configured to be able to expand and contract in the alignment direction of the group of articles when the other frame is released from the fixation, and the opening and the suction port are and expanding and contracting the push-in main body in the direction of aligning the group of articles as the body expands and contracts in the direction of aligning the group of articles.

According to this configuration, the operator can release the fixing of the frame portion and expand and contract the push-in body portion in the direction of aligning the group of articles, thereby expanding and contracting the opening and the suction port in the direction of arranging the group of articles. . Therefore, it is possible to set the length of the opening and the suction port in the direction in which the group of articles is aligned according to the length in the direction in which the group of articles is aligned on the floor plate, so that the group of articles can be reliably adsorbed. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the length in the alignment direction of the group of articles aligned on the floor board.

The push-in body portion includes a first frame portion connected to the shaft, and the first frame portion is fitted to the first frame portion from one side in the alignment direction of the article group so as to be slidable in the alignment direction. and a third frame portion fitted to the first frame portion from the other side of the alignment direction of the article group and configured to be slidable in the alignment direction. a first fixing member for releasably fixing the first frame portion and the second frame portion; and releasing the fixing of the first frame portion and the third frame portion. and a second fixation member for releasable fixation.

The suction port includes two rod-shaped protrusions provided to protrude downward from a lower wall of the first frame body portion and provided so as to extend in the alignment direction and face each other, and the second frame. A first U-shaped protrusion protruding downward from the lower wall of the body portion and partly adjacent to the two rod-shaped protrusions, and a lower wall of the third frame body portion. and a second U-shaped protrusion that protrudes downward and is partly adjacent to the two rod-shaped protrusions, and both ends of the first U-shaped protrusion. The first U-shaped protrusion and the second U-shaped protrusion may be arranged such that both ends of the second U-shaped protrusion face each other.

A boxing device according to an aspect of the present invention includes the pushing device described above.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pushing device and a boxing device having the same, which have the configuration described above and can easily cope with changes in the length of a group of articles arranged on a floor board in the direction of arrangement. It has the effect of being able to

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an example of the boxing device of this embodiment. 2(A) is a front view of the suction box in the boxing apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 2(B) is a bottom view of the suction box, and FIG. 2(B) is a view seen from the direction AA, and FIG. 2(D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2(B). 3(A) is a top view of the suction box of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3(B) is a top view of the suction box of FIG. 2(B). It is the figure emphasized by and shown. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the control system of the cartoning machine. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the cartoning device.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding elements throughout all the drawings, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, the drawings schematically show respective constituent elements for easy understanding, and the shapes, dimensional ratios, and the like may not be accurate representations. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(embodiment)
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an example of the boxing device of this embodiment.

The boxing device 100 of the present embodiment is a device that packs, for example, a plurality of articles W in which foodstuffs are bagged or boxed into an exterior box 110 in a state of being aligned. For the sake of convenience, the cartoning apparatus 100 will be described with the front, rear, left, and right directions as shown in FIG. Note that up and down shown in FIG. 1 are true.

This boxing apparatus 100 includes an alignment conveyor 6 that aligns a plurality (predetermined number) of articles W sequentially supplied from a supply conveyor 200 and conveys them to a predetermined ejection position T, and an ejection plate 70 that pushes out the alignment conveyor 6. A pushing device 7 that pushes out a plurality of articles W from a position T to an article placement position A on a pair of floor plates 11 in an aligned state, and a stopper that abuts on the article group consisting of the plurality of articles W pushed out to the article placement position A. A plate 17, a clamping device 8 that clamps a group of articles pushed out to the article placement position A from a horizontal direction orthogonal to the pushing direction, and a floor opening/closing device that opens and closes a pair of floor plates 11 on which the group of articles is placed. 10, a pushing device 9 for pushing a group of articles into the outer box 110, an outer box placement device 20 for placing the outer box 110 below the floor plate 11, a control device 30 for controlling the operation of the boxing device 100, and an operation display. 50, and a frame 1 for supporting each component of the boxing device 100 at a predetermined position.

[Configuration of supply conveyor]
The supply conveyor 200 is configured by, for example, a belt conveyor, and when a plurality of articles W are sequentially supplied from a preceding device (not shown) such as a packaging machine, the articles W are transported and supplied to the alignment conveyor 6 .

[Construction of alignment conveyor]
The aligning conveyor 6 arranges articles W between a group of partition plates 61 extending on a conveyor consisting of an endless track 60 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor and standing in parallel in the conveying direction. By storing the articles W, a plurality of articles W are arranged in a row on the conveyor.

That is, the aligning conveyor 6 has an endless track 60 for transporting a plurality of articles W in one direction (direction from left to right in FIG. 1) and a transport surface 60a of the endless track provided at intervals in the transport direction. and a plurality of partition plates 61 . A plurality of storage portions 62 capable of storing articles W are continuously formed on the endless track 60 between the partition plates 61 by the plurality of partition plates 61 .

The endless track 60 has four annular chains supported by a pair of sprockets 63 (63A, 63B). The four annular chains are divided into two each to form a first chain group 64 and a second chain group 65 . A plurality of partition plates 61 are attached to each of the first chain group 64 and the second chain group 65 . The first chain group 64 is rotationally driven by one sprocket 63A, and the second chain group 65 is rotationally driven by the other sprocket 63B. Each of the pair of sprockets 63 is driven by a separate driving device (eg, servomotor). As a result, the first chain group 64 and the second chain group 65 can be driven to circulate independently of each other, and one of the chain groups repeatedly stops temporarily to receive the article W in the receiving section 62 at the article take-in position S. and the operation of holding the article W in the storage section 62 stopped at the push-out position T by the other chain group can be performed at the same time.

Further, on the upstream side of the alignment conveyor 6, an article pickup detection device 69 comprising a photoelectric sensor or the like for detecting the presence of the article W transferred to the article pickup position S is provided. The alignment conveyor 6 sequentially receives the articles W transferred from the supply conveyor 200 at the article take-in position S, changes the posture of the articles W from the lying posture to the upright posture, aligns them in a line, and moves to the pushing position T. transport.

[Configuration of Extruder]
The extrusion device 7 includes a flat extrusion plate 70 in which a plurality of slits 71 are formed. The pushing plate 70 is guided by a rail member (not shown) by the driving force of a driving device (not shown), and is positioned along one side of the alignment conveyor 6 at a retracted position and a position of the alignment conveyor 6. It is configured to horizontally advance and retract from a predetermined advanced position on the other side. The plurality of slits 71 extend from the lower end to the upper portion of the push-out plate 70 so as not to contact the plurality of partition plates 61 positioned at the push-out position T when the push-out plate 70 advances from the retracted position to the advanced position (push-out operation). It is formed so as to extend in the vertical direction.

The push-out plate 70 advances (moves in the x direction) from the retracted position (the position shown in the figure) to the advanced position, thereby moving the plurality of articles W aligned on the alignment conveyor 6 along the transfer path 75 . and is pushed out to the article placement position A. The transfer path 75 is formed by the crossover plate 73 and the closed floor plate 11 . A pair of guide plates 74 are provided on both sides of the transfer path 75 to prevent the plurality of articles W pushed out by the push-out plate 70 from scattering.

Therefore, the plurality of articles W accommodated in the series of accommodation portions 62 positioned at the push-out position T are pushed out by the push-out plate 70 in the horizontal direction (x-direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction of the alignment conveyor 6 to be pushed out by the pair of guides. The articles move between the plates 74 and form a group of articles aligned in the same direction as the conveying direction of the aligning conveyor 6 and are placed on the article placement position A set on the closed floor plate 11 .

The article placement position A is an area defined by the pushing plate 70 , the stopper plate 17 and the pair of holding plates 80 when the plurality of articles W are pushed onto the floor plate 11 by the pushing plate 70 . The stopper plate 17 is a plate-like body extending in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the alignment conveyor 6, and is fixed to the frame 1 so as to face the pushing plate 70 positioned at the advanced position. Therefore, the article W pushed out to the article placement position A by the pushing plate 70 comes into contact with the stopper plate 17 and stops on the closed floor plate 11 .

[Configuration of pinching device]
The clamping device 8 has a pair of holding plates 80 . The pair of holding plates 80 are provided to face each other in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of ejection x of the ejection plate 70 . A horizontally extending shaft 81 is provided on the rear surface of each holding plate 80 . Each shaft 81 is configured such that the pair of holding plates 80 move forward and backward in directions toward and away from each other by a driving device (not shown).

The group of articles pushed out in the x-direction by the pushing plate 70 described above abuts against the stopper plate 17 and is placed on the article placement position A in a state in which the pair of holding plates 80 are aligned in the direction Y in which they face each other. By advancing the pair of holding plates 80 toward each other, the group of articles positioned at the article placement position A is pressed between the pair of holding plates 80 in the alignment direction Y. As shown in FIG.

[Configuration of floor opening/closing device]
The floor opening/closing device 10 is provided on the side of the alignment conveyor 6 and has a pair of floorboards 11 extending in the horizontal direction. The pair of floorboards 11 are supported at their edges by a plurality of rollers arranged on the frame 1, and are configured to be movable back and forth so that their opposing end surfaces are in contact with each other and separated from each other. The pair of floorboards 11 are configured to be driven to open and close by the driving force of a driving device (not shown). When the pair of floorboards 11 are driven backward, the end surfaces of the floorboards 11 are separated from each other, and an opening is formed directly below the article placement position A (the floorboards 11 are opened).

[Construction of pushing device]
The push-in device 9 has a vertically extending shaft 90 and a suction box (pushing portion) 91 to which the lower end of the shaft 90 is joined to the upper surface thereof. The shaft 90 is supported by the frame 1 so as to be able to move up and down, is hollow so as to function as a suction tube, and is connected to the suction device 9A. The shaft 90 and the suction box 91 are configured to move up and down in the vertical direction by the driving force of a driving device (not shown). The pushing device 9 lowers the suction box 91 to come into contact with the upper surface of the article group at the article placement position A and suck the article group. By further lowering the suction box 91 holding the upper surface of the group of articles by suction to a predetermined position, the boxing position P below the floorboards 11 is opened through the opening between the pair of floorboards 11 in the open state. A group of items can be pushed into the outer box 110 located at the .

The suction device 9A can suck the air in the internal space of the suction box 91 (the internal space of the pushing main body) through the shaft 90 . 9 A of suction devices can be comprised with a well-known suction device. For example, the suction device 9A includes a blower, an electric switching valve, and the like, and the control device 30 controls the electric switching valve to control the operation and stop of the suction function of the suction box 91. . Details of the suction box 91 will be described later.

[Structure of Outer Box Arranging Device]
The outer box arranging device 20 has an outer box transport conveyor (an outer box transporter) 22 for horizontally transporting the outer box 110 and an outer box lifting device 21 .

The outer box transport conveyor 22 is a drive roller conveyor provided with a large number of drive rollers 22a, and the outer box 110 is transported in the y direction by the drive rollers 22a.

The outer box lifting device 21 includes a lifting table 24 on which the outer box 110 is placed. The lift table 24 includes a plurality of rods 24a that can be embedded in the gaps between the driving rollers 22a, and connecting members 24b that connect the rods 24a. The lifting platform 24 is supported by a known lifting device (not shown) and configured to be able to move up and down. That is, the lift table 24 moves up and down between a predetermined lowered position where the bar 24a is buried in the gap between the drive rollers 22a and a predetermined raised position. It is configured such that the exterior box 110 on the platform 24 is positioned at a predetermined boxing position P when the platform 24 is at a predetermined elevated position.

A restraining device 23 such as an air cylinder is attached to the lifting platform 24 . The restraining device 23 is provided with a rod 23a that can move back and forth. When the lifting platform 24 is in the lowered position, the rod 23a is advanced to place the outer box 110 conveyed by the outer box conveying conveyor 22. The outer box 110 can be stopped at the box stop position U below the position A, and the outer box 110 can be transported downstream from the box stop position U by retracting the bar 23a. A box detection device 25 such as a photoelectric sensor is attached to the lift table 24 .

[Configuration of control system]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the control system of the cartoning apparatus 100. As shown in FIG.

The control device 30 includes, for example, a control section 31 having a computing unit such as a CPU, and a storage section 32 having memories such as ROM and RAM. An article detection signal output from the article take-in detection device 69 and a box detection signal output from the box detection device 25 are input to the control section 31 . Predetermined control programs are stored in the storage unit 32, and the control unit 31 reads out and executes these control programs to operate the alignment conveyor 6, the pushing device 7, the pressing device 8, the pushing device 9 (suction device 9A), the floor opening/closing device 10, the outer box arranging device 20 (the outer box lifting device 21 and the outer box transport conveyor 22), the operation display 50, and the like. That is, the control device 30 controls the operation of the entire cartoning device 100 . Note that the control device 30 may be composed of a single control device that performs centralized control, or may be composed of a plurality of control devices that cooperate with each other and perform distributed control.

The operation display unit 50 is configured using, for example, a touch panel display or the like, and displays functions of an operation device for performing operations such as operation start/stop of the cartoning device and setting of operation parameters, etc., and setting information of the cartoning device. It has the function of a display device for displaying on a screen (display screen).

The control device 30 also receives signals from the operation display 50 and outputs signals such as data to be displayed on the operation display 50 .

[Operation of cartoning device]
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the cartoning device 100. As shown in FIG. This operation is realized by processing of the control device 30 .

When an operator operates, for example, an operation switch of the operation display 50 to start the operation of the cartoning apparatus 100, the controller 30 controls the alignment conveyor 6 in step S1 to sequentially supply from the supply conveyor 200. The articles W are stored one by one in each of the storage sections 62, and when the articles are stored in all of the predetermined number of storage sections 62, they are transferred to the push-out position T. As shown in FIG.

Next, in step S2, the control device 30 controls the push-out device 7 to move the push-out plate 70 from the retracted position to the advanced position, thereby pushing out the articles W aligned at the push-out position T onto the floor plate 11. . As a result, an article group consisting of a plurality of articles W is placed on the article placement position A in an aligned state, and both ends of each article W in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the alignment direction Y are separated by the pushing plate 70 and the stopper plate 17. be in an aligned state.

Next, in step S3, the control device 30 controls the clamping device 8 to move the pair of holding plates 80 toward each other. As a result, the group of articles is clamped by the pair of holding plates 80 in the alignment direction Y thereof.

Next, in step S4, the control device 30 controls the pushing device 9 (including the suction device 9A) to lower the suction box 91 so as to come into contact with the upper surface of the clamped group of articles, thereby removing the group of articles. Adsorb the top surface of the The article group is thereby held in the suction box 91 .

Next, in step S5, the control device 30 controls the floor opening/closing device 10 to move the pair of floorboards 11 backward to open the floorboards 11 . As a result, an opening is formed immediately below the group of articles positioned at the article placement position A. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when the operation is started, the control device 30 causes the outer box transport conveyor 22 to start the transport operation, and in parallel with the above process, the outer box placement process of step S6 is performed. In this outer box arrangement processing, the bar 23a of the restraining device 23 is set to the advanced position in advance, and the outer box 110 carried in by the outer box conveying conveyor 22 is stopped at the box stop position U.例文帳に追加When a box detection signal is input from the box detection device 25, the control device 30 raises the lifting table 24 and positions the exterior box 110 at the box stop position U to the packing position P. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the next outer box transported to the box stop position U by the outer box transport conveyor 22 is stopped at a position upstream of the box stop position U by a stopping device (not shown).

After opening the floor plate 11 in step S5, the control device 30 controls the pushing device 9 to lower the suction box 91 sucking the group of articles in step S7. The group of articles is pushed into the outer box 110 at the position P. At this time, the articles W at both ends of the article group slide over the surface of the holding plate 80 .

Next, in step S8, the control device 30 restores the pushing device 7, the pinching device 8, the pushing device 9, the floor opening/closing device 10, etc. to their original states. For example, the pushing plate 70 is returned to the retracted position, and the holding plate 80 is retracted and returned to its original position. Also, after the suction function of the suction box 91 of the pushing device 9 is stopped, the suction box 91 is raised above the article group forming position. After the suction box 91 is lifted, the floor plate 11 is closed.

In parallel with the return processing of step S8, the control device 30 performs the unloading processing of step S9. In this step S9, after the lifting table 24 is lowered to position the outer box 110 containing the group of articles at the box stop position U, the bar 23a of the restraining device 23 is withdrawn from the conveying path, and the outer box conveying conveyor 22 is moved. , the outer box 110 is carried out from the boxing apparatus 100 by the carrying operation of . Then, the blocking operation of the blocking device (not shown) upstream of the box stop position U of the outer box transport conveyor 22 is released, and the next outer box is transported to the box stop position U.

A boxed product in which a plurality of articles W are accommodated in the exterior box 110 is produced by the above-described boxing operation. Then, the same boxing operation as described above is sequentially repeated.

Next, an example of the detailed configuration of the suction box 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the suction box 91. As shown in FIG. 2(A) is a front view of the suction box 91 in the boxing apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 2(B) is a bottom view of the suction box 91, and FIG. 2(C). 2B is a view taken along line A--A in FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2B. 3(A) is a view of the suction box 91 viewed from above, and FIG. 3(B) is a view of the suction box 91 viewed from below in FIG. 2(B). is a diagram in which each bottom plate portion 98 of is emphasized by thick lines (thick dashed line and solid line).

The suction box 91 is attached to a fixed frame portion (first frame portion) 91A, two movable frame portions (second and third frame portions) 91B and 91C, and the fixed frame portion 91A. a U-shaped projection P3 attached to the movable frame portion 91B; and a U-shaped projection P4 attached to the movable frame portion 91C. ing.

The fixed frame body portion 91A includes frames 92a and 92b with rectangular cross sections that are horizontally opposed and arranged in parallel, a top plate portion 93 that is fixed to the upper surfaces of the frames 92a and 92b and connects the frames 92a and 92b, It has rectangular bottom plate portions 94a and 94b fixed to the lower surfaces of the frames 92a and 92b, respectively. A hole 93a for mounting a shaft is provided in the center of the top plate portion 93 (see also FIG. 3A). The internal space of the suction box 91 and the internal space of the shaft body 90 are communicated with each other. Projections P1 and P2 are fixed to the bottom plate portions 94a and 94b by welding or screwing, respectively. The two projections P1, P2 are mounted in parallel. A protrusion P1 is attached so as to protrude downward along the edge 94ae of the long side portion inside the rectangular bottom plate portion 94a, and along the edge 94ae of the long side portion inside the rectangular bottom plate portion 94b. A protrusion P2 is attached along the portion 94be so as to protrude downward.

The two movable frame parts 91B and 91C have the same structure and are arranged symmetrically as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B). Here, the movable frame portion 91B will be mainly described.

The movable frame portion 91B includes a U-shaped frame 96 formed by connecting three frames 96a, 96b, and 96c each having a rectangular cross section, and a U-shaped top plate portion 97 ( 3A) and a U-shaped bottom plate portion 98 fixed to the lower surface of the frame 96 (see also FIG. 3B). The frame 96 is configured in a U shape by frames 96a and 96b that are horizontally opposed and arranged in parallel, and a frame 96c that connects the ends of the two frames 96a and 96b. A U-shaped protrusion P3 is fixed by welding, screwing, or the like along the inner edge of the U-shaped bottom plate portion 98 so as to protrude downward.

The movable frame portion 91C has a configuration similar to that of the movable frame portion 91B, and has a U-shaped protrusion P4 that protrudes downward along the inner edge of the U-shaped bottom plate portion 98. It is fixed by welding or screwing.

The movable frame portion 91B and the movable frame portion 91C are fitted to the fixed frame portion 91A from the left and right so as to face each other symmetrically. The fixed frame portion 91A and the movable frame portions 91B and 91C are fixed by tightening the top plate portion 93 of 91A, the top plate portion 97 of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C, and the pressing plate 99 with bolts BL and nuts NT. is fixed. The top plate portion 93 and the pressing plate 99 of the fixed frame portion 91A are provided with holes through which the bolts BL are inserted. In this example, the pressing plate 99, the bolt BL and the nut NT constitute the first and second fixing members.

Further, when the bolt BL and the nut NT are loosened, the fixing is released, and the movable frame portions 91B and 91C can be slid in the alignment direction Y of the article group with respect to the fixed frame portion 91A. Therefore, the positions in the alignment direction Y of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C can be changed with respect to the fixed frame portion 91A. As a result, the positions of the U-shaped protrusions P3 and P4 fixed to the movable frame portions 91B and 91C are changed.

By attaching the movable frame portion 91B and the movable frame portion 91C so as to face each other symmetrically, both ends of the U-shaped protrusion P3 and both ends of the U-shaped protrusion P4 face each other. placed in Further, each of the projections P3 and P4 is configured such that a portion thereof adjoins along the two rod-like projections P1 and P2.

As described above, the push-in main body portion composed of the fixed frame portion 91A and the movable frame portions 91B, 91C and the like is formed in a hollow box shape, and the opening portion 9S is formed in the lower wall thereof. The opening 9S is an area surrounded by bottom plate portions 94a and 94b that are the lower walls of the fixed frame portion 91A and bottom plate portions 98 that are the lower walls of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C.

A suction port PS is provided that protrudes downward from the peripheral edge of the opening 9S. The suction port PS is a suction port formed by portions of the protrusions P1 to P4 along the periphery of the opening 9S. The protrusions P1 to P4 are made of, for example, stainless steel members. The protrusions P1 to P4 may be made of a rigid material such as stainless steel, or may be made of a flexible material depending on the properties of the article W to be sucked.

Then, before the operator starts operation for a setup change or the like, as one of the setup changes, according to the length of the plurality of articles W aligned in the article placement position A in the alignment direction Y, the suction port PS is adjusted. The length in the alignment direction Y can be changed. Specifically, the operator loosens the tightening of the bolt BL and the nut NT to release the fixation between the fixed frame portion 91A and the movable frame portions 91B and 91C, and the movable frame portion 91B is removed from the fixed frame portion 91A. , 91C are slid in the direction Y of arranging the article group to a desired position, and the length of the suction port PS in the arranging direction Y is changed by tightening the bolt BL and the nut NT. At this time, the length of the opening 9S in the alignment direction Y is also changed together with the suction port PS.

Here, the fact that the positions of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C can be changed by sliding them relative to the fixed frame portion 91A in the alignment direction Y of the article groups is due to the fixed frame portion 91A and the movable frame portions 91B and 91C. It is that the pressing main body portion to be inserted is configured to be extendable in the alignment direction Y. Therefore, as the pusher main body expands and contracts in the alignment direction Y, the suction port PS and the opening 9S are configured to expand and contract in the alignment direction Y as well.

2 and 3 show the state in which the two movable frame parts 91B and 91C are attached at the furthest distance. Therefore, when the two movable frame parts 91B and 91C are slid closer to each other from this state and fixed again, the length of the suction port PS and the opening 9S in the alignment direction Y is shortened.

In this embodiment, the operator releases the fixing between the fixed frame portion 91A and the movable frame portions 91B and 91C, slides the movable frame portions 91B and 91C in the alignment direction Y of the article group, and pushes the main body portion. is expanded and contracted in the alignment direction Y, the suction port PS and the opening 9S can be expanded and contracted in the alignment direction Y. That is, the lengths of the suction port PS and the opening 9S in the alignment direction Y of the group of articles aligned on the floor board 11 can be set according to the length of the group of articles aligned in the direction Y of the alignment direction Y. It is possible to reliably pick up a group of articles to be picked up. Therefore, in the case of bagged articles, the thickness of each article is changed by changing the amount of air in the bag, the thickness of each article is changed by changing the type of article, and the number of articles to be arranged is changed. It is possible to easily cope with a change in the length in the alignment direction Y of the group of articles aligned on the floor board 11 due to a change or the like.

[Modification]
In the above example, the U-shaped projections P3 and P4 of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C are arranged along the inner sides of the two rod-shaped projections P1 and P2 of the fixed frame portion 91A. However, the U-shaped projections P3 and P4 may be arranged along the outer sides of the two rod-shaped projections P1 and P2. In this case, the movable frame portions 91B and 91C can be fitted to the outside of the fixed frame portion 91A so as to be slidable in the alignment direction Y. As shown in FIG.

Further, the lengths of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C and their U-shaped protrusions P3 and P4 in the alignment direction Y are increased without providing the protrusions P1 and P2 on the fixed frame portion 91A, and the protrusions are The widths of the U-shapes of P3 and P4 (the length in the direction orthogonal to the alignment direction Y) may be varied so that these protrusions P3 and P4 are adjacent to each other. In this case, one of the movable frame portions 91B is fitted to the outside of the fixed frame portion 91A so as to be slidable in the alignment direction Y, and the other movable frame portion 91C is fitted to the movable frame portion 91B. It can be configured so that it can be slidably fitted in the alignment direction Y to the outside of the movable frame portion 91B and the fixed frame portion 91A by partially overlapping each other.

Alternatively, only one of the movable frame portions 91B and 91C may be provided. For example, when the movable frame portion 91B is provided and the movable frame portion 91C is not provided, the fixed frame portion 91A and the movable frame portion 91C are united (integrated) to simplify the configuration, for example, the projection portion. The P1, P2 and the projection P4 can be combined and simplified to form a single large U-shaped projection.

From the above description many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description is to be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. Substantial details of construction and/or function may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful as a pushing device that can easily cope with a change in length in the alignment direction of a group of articles aligned on a floorboard, a boxing device equipped with the same, and the like.

9 Pushing device 9A Suction device 10 Floor opening/closing device 11 Floor plate 90 Shaft 91 Suction box 91A Fixed frame body parts 91B, 91C Movable frame body part 99 Pressing plate 100 Boxing device 110 Outer box 9S Openings P1 to P4 Projection PS Suction port Y alignment direction

Claims (4)

A push-in portion connected to the lower end of a vertically movable shaft is provided, and the upper surface of a group of articles in which a plurality of articles are arranged on a pair of openable and closable floor plates is attracted to the push-in portion to release the floor plates. a pushing device for pushing the group of articles into the outer box arranged at the boxing position below the floor plate by lowering the pushing section in the state where the
The pushing part is
a pushing main body formed in a hollow box shape connected to the lower end of the shaft;
an opening formed in the bottom wall of the pushing body;
a suction port protruding downward from the peripheral edge of the opening for sucking the upper surface of the article group by a suction device sucking the air in the internal space of the push-in main body through the shaft; has
The push-in main body has a plurality of frame parts including one frame part connected to the shaft, and the other frame parts are aligned with respect to the one frame part to align the group of articles. slidable in the direction and fixed so as to be unfixable, and configured to be expandable and contractable in the alignment direction of the article group when the fixing of the other frame body is released,
The opening and the suction port are configured to expand and contract in the direction in which the group of articles are aligned as the pusher main body expands and contracts in the direction in which the group of articles is aligned,
indentation device. The pushing main body includes: a first frame connected to the shaft;
a second frame portion that is fitted to the first frame portion from one side in the alignment direction of the article group and configured to be slidable in the alignment direction;
a third frame portion that is fitted to the first frame portion from the other side in the alignment direction of the article group and configured to be slidable in the alignment direction;
a first fixing member for releasably fixing the first frame portion and the second frame portion;
a second fixing member that releasably fixes the first frame portion and the third frame portion;
2. Pushing device according to claim 1. The suction port is
two bar-shaped protrusions protruding downward from the lower wall of the first frame body portion and provided so as to extend in the alignment direction and face each other;
a first U-shaped protrusion protruding downward from the lower wall of the second frame body part and partially adjacent to the two rod-shaped protrusions;
a second U-shaped projection provided on the lower wall of the third frame portion and protruding downward, a portion of which is adjacent along the two rod-shaped projections;
The first U-shaped projection and the second U-shaped projection are arranged so that both ends of the first U-shaped projection and both ends of the second U-shaped projection face each other. a projection is arranged,
3. Pushing device according to claim 2. A cartoning device comprising a stuffing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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