JPH0223315B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an apparatus for cutting the upper edge of a box such as a cardboard box or the vicinity thereof.

(Conventional technology) At product collection and distribution centers, etc., the packed cardboard boxes sent from the production area are opened, each product is taken out in small quantities from the cardboard boxes, and a wide variety of products are delivered to customers. It is being repacked in the box.

By the way, the packed cardboard box mentioned above is
The lid is closed and an adhesive tape or the like is attached to the lid. When removing the product, if the adhesive tape is simply peeled off and the lid is opened, the lid becomes a hindrance to the work. For this reason, a worker uses a cutter to cut the entire circumference of the upper edge of the cardboard box, slightly below it, to remove the lid and completely open the top. Alternatively, a tape may be fixed around the entire circumference of the side wall near the upper edge of the cardboard box, and the lid may be removed by pulling the tape and cutting open the side wall.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The above-mentioned lid removal work was performed manually, resulting in poor work efficiency. In addition, the cardboard boxes transported on the conveyor are unloaded at a work area for removing the lid, and after the lid is removed, they are placed on the conveyor again and transported, so the transport line is interrupted and smooth transport cannot be carried out.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its gist is to provide a conveyor for conveying boxes, and an approximately It is equipped with a pair of rollers arranged at the same position, and a cutter which is arranged after the pair of rollers and cuts the upper edge corner part as the conveyor transports the pair of rollers. The upper edge corner of the box body extends in the conveyance direction, and the upper edge corner portion of the box body rolls into contact with the upper surface and side surface of the box body in the vicinity of the upper edge corner thereof in a press contact state, and the upper edge corner portion of the box body protrudes from between the mutually adjacent end surfaces. According to the present invention, there is provided a box cutting device characterized in that the cutting devices are arranged at a distance from each other.

(Operation) The box is fed by the conveyor, and during this feeding process, a pair of rollers placed above the conveyor come into rotational contact with the top and side surfaces of the box near the upper edge corners. At this time, since the intermediate portion of the roller has a larger diameter than both ends, the pair of rollers deforms the vicinity of the upper edge corner of the box so that the angle between the top surface and the side surface becomes smaller. As a result, the upper edge corner protrudes diagonally upward and outward from between the pair of rollers. A cutter cuts this protruding upper edge corner.

(Example) First, the cardboard box 100 (box body) shown in FIG. 7 that is sent to a product collection and delivery center will be described. A cardboard box 100 stores cargo. Then, a pair of lids 101 are folded, and a pair of lids 102 are further folded on top of them, and the edges of the pair of lids 102 are fixed with adhesive tape 103. Both ends of this adhesive tape 103 are adhered to the sides of the cardboard box 100.

An example of the system used to remove the lids 101 and 102 of the cardboard box 100 is the sixth example.
As shown in the figure. To be more specific, two cutting devices 1 and 1' according to the present invention are connected to L through a table 2.
Connected to glyphs. In one cutting device 1,
Cardboard box 1 while sending cardboard box 100
00, the longer upper edge corner 104 is cut, and the cutting device 1' cuts the shorter upper edge corner 105.
It is for cutting. Further, a pusher 3 is arranged near the table 2. This system is incorporated into a transport line using conveyors 5 and 6.

The conveyor 5 transports the cardboard box 100 sent from the production area to the system, and the conveyor 6 transports the lid 10 in the system.
The cardboard boxes 100 from which the items 1,102 have been removed are taken to a picking workshop (a place where products are taken out little by little from the cardboard boxes 100 and repacked into boxes for customers).
It is intended to be transported to

The cutting devices 1, 1' have the same configuration, and the first
The structure is as shown in Fig. 2. 10 in the figure is a conveyor for conveying the cardboard box 100, and this conveyor 10 has a base 11 and a base 1.
A shaft 12 rotatably supported at both ends of 1.
, two sprockets 13 fixed to each shaft 12, two chains 14 hung between the sprockets 13, a large number of support plates 15 supported between the chains 14, and a predetermined interval between the chains 14. It has a hook 16 supported on each side. The hook 16 has a bent shape, one side edge of which is rotatably supported by the chain 14, and is projected from the conveying surface by a spring (not shown). One shaft 12
is driven by a motor 17, which allows the cardboard box 100 to be transported rightward in the figure.

A centering mechanism 20 for moving the cardboard box 100 to the center of the conveyor 10 is provided on the starting end side of the conveyor 10, that is, on the left side in the figure. This centering mechanism 20 has a pair of push plates 21 and a moving mechanism 22 that moves the push plates 21 closer to each other or away from each other.

The moving mechanism 22 includes an air cylinder 23 whose base end is rotatably supported by the base 11. One end of a link 24 is rotatably connected to the rod 23a of the air cylinder 23. this link 2
The other end of 4 is fixed to the lower end of a vertical shaft 25 rotatably supported on the base 11. A center portion of a link 26 is fixed to the upper end of the vertical shaft 25, and one end of a link 27 is rotatably connected to each end of the link 26.
One end of a bell crank 28 is rotatably connected to the other end of the pair of links 27 on both sides of the conveyor 10, respectively. A central portion of the bell crank 28 is fixed to a lower end portion of a vertical shaft 29 rotatably supported on the base 11. One end of a link 30 is rotatably connected to the other end of the bell crank 28, and one end of a link 31 is connected to the other end of this link 30. The other end of the link 31 has a vertical shaft 32 rotatably supported on the base 11 fixed to its lower end. The vertical shafts 29, 32 are spaced apart from each other, and each vertical shaft 29, 32 has an arm 3.
One end of 3, 34 is fixed, and this arm 3
The other ends of 3 and 34 are rotatably connected to the outer surface of the push plate 21. The arms 33, 34 and the push plate 21 constitute a parallel link mechanism.

The centering mechanism 20 is on standby in the illustrated state. To be more specific, in this standby state, the rod 23a of the air cylinder 23 is furthest back, the arms 33 and 34 are parallel to the conveyance direction of the conveyor 10, and the pair of push plates 21 are farthest from each other.

When the rod 23a is extended from the standby state by the operation of the air cylinder 23, the link 24, shaft 25 and link 26 rotate clockwise in FIG. 2, pulling the pair of links 27 toward the center of the conveyor 10. When the link 27 is pulled, this force is transmitted to the arm 33 via the bell rank 28 and shaft 29, and this arm 33 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Also, the above force is bell crank 2
8, it is also transmitted to the arm 34 via the links 30, 31 and the shaft 32, and this arm 34 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. As a result, a pair of push plates 21
move toward each other, that is, toward the center of the conveyor 10. Note that when the arms 33 and 34 are rotated until they are perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the conveyor 10, the push plates 21 come closest to each other as shown by imaginary lines.

Contrary to the above, the rod 23a of the air cylinder 23
When the push plates 21 are moved backward, the push plates 21 move away from each other.

The conveyor 10 includes a centering mechanism 20.
A cutting mechanism 40 for cutting the cardboard box 100 is provided next to the cardboard box 100 . This cutting mechanism 40 has a grid-like horizontal frame 41 arranged above the conveyor 10. The horizontal frame 41 is raised and lowered by a pair of pantograph-type lifting mechanisms 42 arranged on both sides of the conveyor 10.

Each lifting mechanism 42 serves as a pantograph mechanism by rotatably connecting the central portions of two arms 43 and 44. The upper end of one arm 43 is rotatably connected to a bracket 43a fixed to the lower surface of both side edges of the horizontal frame 41, and the lower end is rotatably connected to a slider 45. The lower end of the other arm 44 is attached to the base 1
It is rotatably connected to a bracket 44a fixed to the side surface of the slider 1, and its upper end is rotatably connected to a slider 46. The slider 45 is
The base 11 is supported movably along the transport direction of the conveyor 10 by rails 47 provided on both sides. Further, the slider 46 is supported movably along the transport direction of the conveyor 10 by rails 48 provided on the lower surface of both side edges of the horizontal frame 11. An air cylinder 49 is installed on the base 11.
The rod 49a of the air cylinder 49 is rotatably connected to the slider 45.

The lifting mechanism 42 is on standby in the state shown in the figure. In this standby state, the rod 49a of the air cylinder 49 is at its most retracted position, and the horizontal frame 41 is at its upper limit position.

When the rod 49a is extended by the operation of the air cylinder 49, the sliders 45 and 46 move against the rails 47 and 4.
8 to the right in the figure and move the arms 43 and 44.
collapses and the horizontal frame 41 descends. On the contrary, when the rod 49a retreats, the arms 43, 4
4 stands up, and the horizontal frame 41 rises.

An elongated upper regulating plate 50 extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor 10 is arranged below the horizontal frame 41. This upper regulating plate 50 is the bracket 5
1 and 52 to the front and rear ends of the horizontal frame 41.

An upper regulating plate 5 is provided below the horizontal frame 41.
A pair of moving frames 55 are arranged on both sides of 0. These moving frames 55 are formed long in the conveying direction of the conveyor 10, are slidably supported by rails (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the horizontal frame 41, and are moved perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the conveyor 10 by a moving mechanism 60. It is now possible to move in any direction.

The moving mechanism 60 includes a pair of vertical shafts 61 and 62 rotatably supported by a horizontal frame 41.
have. These vertical shafts 61, 62
are apart from each other in the transport direction of the conveyor 10. Each vertical shaft 61, 62 has a link 6
The central portions of the links 63 and 64 are fixed, and links 6 are provided between both sides of the links 63 and 64, respectively.
5 and 66 are rotatably connected. Link 6
4 further extends from the connection point of the link 66,
At its end, there is a rod 67a of the air cylinder 67.
are connected. The base end of the air cylinder 67 is rotatably connected to the upper surface of the horizontal frame 41. Further, the center portions of links 68 are fixed to the shafts 61 and 62, respectively, and one end of a link 69 is rotatably connected to both ends of each of the links 68. The other end of each link 69 is rotatably connected to the moving frame 55.

The moving mechanism 60 is on standby in the illustrated state. In this standby state, the rod 67a of the air cylinder 67 is at the farthest position, and the pair of moving frames 55 are at the farthest position.

When the rod 67a is extended by the operation of the air cylinder 67, the link 64 and the vertical shaft 62 rotate counterclockwise, and the link 63 and the vertical shaft 61 rotate in the same direction via the links 65 and 66. When the vertical shafts 61 and 62 rotate, the link 68 rotates, and the link 69 connected to the link 68 is pulled toward the center of the conveyor 10.
As a result, the pair of moving frames 55 move toward the conveyor 1.
They move toward the center of 0 and approach each other.

Contrary to the above, the rod 67a of the air cylinder 67
When the conveyor 10 moves backward, the moving frames 55 move toward both side edges of the conveyor 10 and separate from each other.

Each of the pair of moving frames 55 is provided with a free conveyor 70 as a side regulating means. This free conveyor 70 has a pair of rollers 71 rotatably supported by a moving frame 55.
and a belt 72 hung between these rollers 71.
It is composed of.

A guide plate 74 is fixed to the front end of each moving frame 55 by a bracket 73. As shown in FIG. The inner surface of this guide plate 74 is arranged to be flush with the inner surface of the belt 72 of the free conveyor 70.

A pair of edge rollers 81 and 82 are provided at the front end of each moving frame 55. These rollers 81 and 82 are rotatably supported by brackets 83 and 84 fixed to the movable frame 55, respectively, and one of these rotation axes is vertical and the other is horizontal. As shown in FIG. 3, the middle part in the axial direction of the roller 81 having a vertical rotation axis and the part above the center part has a larger diameter than both end parts, and from the large diameter part 81a to both ends. The outer peripheral surface of the roller 81 is curved so that the diameter becomes gradually smaller toward the side. Similarly, a large-diameter portion 82 is located in the middle of the roller 82 having a horizontal rotation axis and is located outside the center.
a is formed, and the outer peripheral surface of the roller 82 is also curved. The large diameter portion 81a of the roller 81 projects inward from the inner surface of the free conveyor 70 and the inner surface of the side guide plate 74, that is, toward the center of the conveyor 10. In addition, the large diameter portion 8 of the roller 82
2 a projects downward from the lower surface of the upper regulating plate 50 . A gap 85 is formed between the rollers 81 and 82.

Each moving frame 55 has the rollers 81 and 82.
Further forward, a pair of cutters 91, 92
is provided. These cutters 91 and 92 are circular, and as shown in FIG.
The bracket 93 is fixed at an angle of 45 degrees. Note that this fixed position may be adjustable. One cutter 91 has a cutting edge 91a on the lower surface, and the other cutter 92 has a cutting edge 92a on the upper surface. and,
As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the lower surface of the cutter 91 and a portion of the upper surface of the cutter 92 are in contact with each other, thereby connecting the cutting blades 91a and 92a. The contact portion of the cutting blades 91a and 92a is the roller 8.
It is located at a position corresponding to the gap 85 between 1 and 82.

Note that the aforementioned side guide plate 74 is formed with a notch (not shown), and the rollers 81 and 82 and the cutters 91 and 92 are arranged in this cutting edge.

In the above configuration, the packed cardboard box 100 is delivered from the conveyor 5 to the conveyor 10 of the cutting device 1 . At this time, the cardboard box 100 is placed on the hook 16 and the support plate 15 by folding down the hook 16.

When the cardboard box 100 reaches the installation location of the centering mechanism 20, this centering mechanism 20
starts operating from the illustrated standby state. That is, the air cylinder 23 is operated, the rod 23a is extended, and the pair of push plates 21 are moved toward the center. If the cardboard box 100 is offset from the center of the conveyor 10, one push plate 21 will first push the cardboard box 10 away from the center.
This cardboard box 100 is moved toward the center by one side of the cardboard box 100. And both push plates 21
When the two sides of the cardboard box 100 hit, the cardboard box 100 is placed at the center of the conveyor 10. At this time, the limit switches provided on each of the pair of push plates 21 detect the cardboard box 100 and actuate the air cylinder 23 in the reverse direction. As a result, the rod 23a retreats and the push plate 21 returns to its original standby position.

As described above, when the pair of push plates 21 approach each other from the standby state, the cardboard box 10
Even if the width of 0 changes, centering can be performed reliably in response to this change.

When the cardboard box 100 is placed on the conveyor 10 and reaches the cutting mechanism 40, the air cylinder 49 of the lifting mechanism 42 is activated, the rod 49a is extended, and the horizontal frame 41 is lowered. And upper regulation plate 5
0 reaches near the top of the cardboard box 100,
The optical sensor provided on the upper regulating plate 50 detects this and switches the air supply pressure to the air cylinder 49 to a low pressure. As a result, the upper regulation plate 50 is
The cardboard box 100 is held down with a constant force. When the cardboard box 100 is restrained by the upper regulating plate 50, it slips against the support plate 15 and hook 16 of the conveyor 10 for a while, but eventually
The hook 16 in the upright position located at the rear of the cardboard box 100 hits the rear end of the cardboard box 100, and the conveyance is restarted.

Next, the air cylinder 67 of the moving mechanism 60 is operated to extend the rod 67a, move the moving frame 55 closer to the center, and by the same control as the upper regulating plate 50, the belts 72 of the pair of free conveyors 70 are moved on both sides of the cardboard box 100. press it against the surface.

As mentioned above, the upper regulating plate 50 is connected to the cardboard box 1.
00, and since the free conveyor 70 touches both sides of the cardboard box 100, the edge roller 8
1 and 82 and the cutters 91 and 92 are accurately positioned relative to the cardboard box 100.

The cardboard box 100 is conveyed by the conveyor 10 with both sides regulated by the free conveyor 70 and the top surface regulated by the upper limit plate 50, and the front part of the box 100 eventually passes the edge rollers 81, 82. At this time, the large diameter portion 81 of the edge rollers 81, 82
a, 82a protrude inwardly and downwardly from the free conveyor 70 and the upper regulating plate 50, respectively. The wall (lid 102) is recessed. As a result, near the upper edge corner 104, the angle between the side wall and the upper wall (lid 102) of the cardboard box 100 is deformed to become smaller, and due to such deformation, the upper edge corner is bent upward. Approximately 2 between wall and side wall
It protrudes outward in the direction of the equidistant line and enters the gap 85.

Next, the upper edge corner 104 of the cardboard box 100 reaches the cutters 91 and 92, where it is cut. At this time, since the upper edge corner portion 104 is projected by the rollers 81 and 82 as described above, cutting can be performed reliably. In addition, the upper edge corner portion 104 of the cardboard box 104
Even if the roller 8 is partially crushed,
To wake up at 1,82, definitely cutlet 91,92
It can be cut with Furthermore, since the upper edge corner portion 104 is cut with the protrusion, the items stored in the cardboard box 100 are cut into the cutters 91, 92.
This can prevent damage caused by.

The cardboard box 100 has the above-mentioned cutters 91 and 92.
However, since the cardboard box 100 is forcibly pushed by the hook 16, the cutting can be performed reliably. Also, during the above cutting, the regulating plate 5
0 can prevent the cardboard box 100 from floating up, and the pair of free conveyors 70 can also prevent large lateral vibrations.

As described above, the horizontal frame 41 waits at the upper limit position and is lowered by the lifting mechanism 42, and the movable frames 52 wait at the farthest positions from each other and move closer to each other by the operation of the moving mechanism 60. Even if the height and width of the cardboard box 100 change, the upper regulating plate 5 follows this change.
0 and Marie conveyor 70 and cardboard box 10
0 can be reliably suppressed, and the edge rollers 81 and 82 and the cutters 91 and 92 can be accurately positioned.

The cardboard box 100 whose longer upper edge corner portion 104 has been cut as described above is guided by the guide plate 73 and sent to the table 2 in FIG. 6. next,
This cardboard box 100 is sent by the pusher 3 to the cutting device 1', where the shorter upper edge corner 105 is cut in the same way as described above. As a result, the upper edge corners 104 and 105 are cut all around, the lids 101 and 102 are removed, and the upper part of the cardboard box 100 is completely opened.

Next, the cardboard box 100 is cut into the cutting device 1'.
From there, it is transferred to conveyor 6 and sent to the picking work area.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various embodiments are possible. For example, in the embodiment described above, two devices for cutting each of the two sides of the upper edge corner of the box were successively installed in the conveyance line, but each of the two sides may be cut on a separate line.

The box body may not be transported from the conveyor of the line to the conveyor of the cutting device, but may be manually placed on the conveyor of the cutting device.

The shape of the cutter is not limited to circular, and can be arbitrarily selected.
Further, the cutting may be performed with one cutter instead of using two cutters.

The elevating mechanism for the horizontal frame is not limited to the pantograph type, and other types may be adopted. For example, the horizontal frame may be guided by vertical posts and raised and lowered directly by a hydraulic cylinder such as an air cylinder.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the present invention, the upper edge corner of the box can be efficiently cut using the conveyor and the cutter, and the lid removal operation of the box can be efficiently performed. Furthermore, when cutting the upper edge corner of the box with the cutter, the upper edge corner is made to protrude diagonally upward and outward in advance using a pair of rollers, so that the items stored inside the box can be cut off. can be prevented from being damaged by the cutter.

Furthermore, if the device of the present invention is incorporated into a conveyance line,
The transport of the box can be carried out smoothly without being hindered by the lid removal work.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings from Fig. 1 to Fig. 7 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of the cardboard cutting device, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a edging roller. Figure 4 is a front view explaining the action of the cutter, Figure 5 is a partially enlarged front view of the cutter, and Figure 6 is a lid using the cutting device in Figures 1 and 2. A schematic plan view showing the entire removal system, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cardboard in a packed state. 1, 1'... Cutting device, 10... Conveyor, 4
0...Cutting mechanism, 81, 82...Edging roller (roller), 91, 92...Cut, 100...Box (cardboard box), 104, 105...Upper edge corner of the box.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conveyor that conveys the boxes, a pair of rollers placed above this conveyor at substantially the same position in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and a roller placed downstream of this pair of rollers, which It is equipped with a cutter that cuts during transportation.
The pair of rollers rolls into pressure contact with the top and side surfaces near the upper edge corner of the box extending in the conveyance direction of the conveyor, and rolls into contact with the box from between adjacent end surfaces. A box cutting device characterized in that the boxes are arranged at a distance from each other so that the upper edge corners protrude.