JP2017119339A - Partition insertion device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a partition insertion device that can bend a flat partition member into a predetermined shape and insert the partition so that the inside of the box is partitioned in the vertical direction. A robot (1) having an arm with an end effector connected to the tip and a partition holding device (60). The robot 10 has a moving means for removably moving the partition B, and an upper wall 22 having an arm tip 11 a connected to an end effector 20 of the first arm 11, Are provided with end members 21 having plate-like portions 24 protruding outward from the side walls 23b, and the partition holding device 60 has a partition holding surface 61 facing the robot 1. The partition holding surface 61 is provided with holding means for holding the partition B detachably. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a partition insertion device for bending a flat partition material and inserting it into a box.

  As a box making apparatus for assembling flat corrugated cardboards into a box shape and inserting an insole into the box, a robot type apparatus having two arms has been proposed (Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, the end effectors of the two arms each have a suction portion, and the cardboard is formed into a three-dimensional box shape while holding the cardboard folded in a flat plate shape by the suction portions. Further, the insole is held by the suction portion, and the insole is inserted into a cardboard box formed into a box shape.

  Further, there has been proposed an apparatus for boxing articles together with a partition plate for articles that are difficult to pack in a state where they are stacked by multi-stage stacking (Patent Document 2).

JP2013-52925A JP-A-11-11418

  In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a flat insole can be inserted into the box, but the insole is bent so that the flat partition material is folded into a predetermined shape or the box is vertically partitioned. Can't insert.

  Even in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is not possible to bend the partition plate into a predetermined shape or insert only the partition plate into the box before packing the article.

  In contrast to the above-described prior art, the problem of the present invention is that the flat partition can be bent into a predetermined shape and inserted so that the inside of the box is partitioned in the vertical direction, and the operation speed of inserting this partition is Is to increase.

  The present inventor has conceived that the above-described problems can be solved by combining a robot having a specific end effector on an arm and a partition holding device that detachably holds the partition, and has completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention is a partition insertion device that includes a robot having an arm having an end effector connected to the tip and a partition holding device, and folds a flat partition into a predetermined shape and inserts it into a box.
The robot has moving means for detachably moving the partition, and the end effector of the first arm includes an upper wall to which the arm tip is connected, a side wall that intersects the upper wall and a surface direction, and an outer side from the side wall. An end member having a plate-like portion protruding in the direction,
Provided is a partition insertion device that includes a partition holding surface that faces a robot and includes a holding unit that detachably holds the partition.

  According to the partition insertion device of the present invention, a robot having an arm having an end effector connected to the tip and a partition holding device that detachably holds the partition are used together, and as an end effector of the robot arm, Since it has what is provided with the end part member from which the plate-shaped part protrudes, the flat partition can be folded into various shapes including the Z shape, and the partition can be inserted into a predetermined box such as a cardboard box. The box can be partitioned vertically. Compared to the conventional folding device that sequentially folds using folding plates along the conveyor line, it can be folded accurately with a compact device configuration, can be inserted into a box, and it is also a partition. It becomes possible to improve the working speed of bending and insertion.

FIG. 1 is a layout view (plan view) of a box making apparatus provided with a partition insertion device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the robot constituting the partition insertion device of the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an end effector of a first arm. FIG. 3B is a six-sided view of the end effector of FIG. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 5A is a front view of a modification of the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 5B is a right side view of a modified example of the end effector of the first arm. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an end effector of a second arm. FIG. 6B is a six-side view of the end effector of FIG. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the second arm. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the end member forming the end effector of the second arm. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified example of the end member forming the end effector of the second arm. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the box holding device and the partition holding device. FIG. 9B is a top view of the box holding device and the partition holding device. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a Z-shaped partition that is inserted into the box. FIG. 10B is a perspective view of a convex partition that is inserted into the box. FIG. 10C is a perspective view of a C-shaped partition that is inserted into the box. FIG. 11 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box preparation). FIG. 12 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box removal). FIG. 13 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (adsorption of a flat box in the box holding apparatus). FIG. 14 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box opening). FIG. 15 is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box opening). FIG. 16 is a top view of a box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (box opening). FIG. 17A is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 17B is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 17C is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 18A is a top view of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 18B is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 18C is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 19A is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 19B is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 20A is a side view in the vicinity of the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 20B is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom inner flap). FIG. 21 is a perspective view near the box holding device of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 22A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 22B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 22C is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (folding of the bottom outer flap). FIG. 23A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (opening of the upper flap). FIG. 23B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the outer flap bending apparatus of the box making apparatus for explaining the box making process (opening of the upper flap). FIG. 24A is a front view of a flat partition seen from the robot. FIG. 24B is a perspective view of the partition that is bent into a Z shape as viewed from the robot. FIG. 25A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 25B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding as viewed from the robot, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 26A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 26B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding as viewed from the robot, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 27A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 27B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device viewed from the robot, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 28A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 28B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device viewed from the robot, explaining the folding process of the partition. FIG. 29 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the gripping process of the partition. FIG. 30A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the folding process of the partition. FIG. 30B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device viewed from the robot, illustrating the partition holding process. FIG. 31A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the gripping process of the partition. 31B is an xx side view of FIG. 31A. FIG. 32 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the partition holding step. FIG. 33A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 33B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 33A. FIG. 34A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 34B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 34A. FIG. 35A is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device, illustrating the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 35B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 35A. FIG. 36 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 37 is a top view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 38A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. 38B is a top view showing positions of the end effector of the first arm and the end effector of the second arm with respect to the partition in the state of FIG. 38A. FIG. 39 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the partition holding device for explaining the step of inserting the partition into the box. FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the partition holding device. FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the partition holding device. FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the partition holding device.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same numerals indicate the same or equivalent components.

<Overall configuration of box making apparatus with partition insertion device>
FIG. 1 is a layout view of a box making apparatus 1 including a partition insertion device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a robot 10 constituting the partition insertion device 2.

  The partition insertion device of the present invention is a device having a function of bending a flat partition (hereinafter also referred to as a partition member) into a predetermined shape and inserting it into a box. The partition insertion device can be used in the box-making process of the box with the partition, because the box-making, folding of the partition and insertion of the folded partition into the box can be performed in a series of operations. preferable. Therefore, it is preferable that the robot constituting the partition insertion device can be used as a robot that performs box making work. The robot 10 shown in FIG. 1 can perform box making work, folding the partition, Perform both insertions.

  In the present invention, box making means that a box folded in a flat shape (hereinafter also referred to as a box material) is folded into a box shape having a bottom surface and a side surface, and assembled into a three-dimensional shape. Means a device having such a function. The box making apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 uses A-type corrugated cardboard folded into a flat plate shape as the box material A. The box material A is expanded into a rectangular tube shape, and a flap on the bottom side of the box shape box A is formed. A bottom surface is formed by folding to form a box shape.

  On the other hand, the box into which the partition insertion device of the present invention inserts the partition is not limited to the A type, but can be of any type such as a B type one-touch type, a type in which the C type lid and the main body are separated. Further, it may be a folding resin return box or a non-foldable resin container.

  The partition insertion device 2 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a robot 10 and a partition holding device 60, and in order to allow the robot 10 to perform box making work, A flap bending device 70 and an operation panel 80 for operating or stopping individual processes in the box making operation are provided. Further, around the robot 10, a supply device 100 (hereinafter referred to as a box material supply device) for a box A folded in a flat plate shape, a supply device 110 for a flat partition material B (hereinafter referred to as a partition material supply device). And a box conveying device 120 formed into a box shape are arranged, and the whole is compactly configured.

  The box making apparatus 1 is provided with an external controller (not shown) for managing the movement of these apparatuses. The controller includes an image processing device that extracts necessary information from images taken by the imaging devices 15 and 45 included in the robot 10, a box making work management device that determines whether or not each process is executed based on the information, Image the state of box A with an imaging device (not shown) other than the robot, or read information such as a bar code describing the information on box A to monitor the box for abnormalities or supply errors And a safety device that decelerates or stops the operation speed of the robot 10 by a sensor (not shown) that detects a person approaching the box making apparatus 1.

<Robot>
In the partition insertion device of the present invention, it is preferable to use a plurality of robots. A plurality of robots may be used separately, or a plurality of robots may be installed on one base. The type of robot may be a parallel link robot or a serial link robot, but is preferably a serial link vertical articulated robot with 6 or 7 axes. In the partition insertion device 2 of the present embodiment, a double-arm robot having a first arm 11 and a second arm 12 which are vertical articulated types is provided. That is, two robots are provided in one base 13 and the number of axes of each arm is six. By providing a rotation axis at the base 13 of the robot to which the arm is connected, even if the number of axes of the arm is 6, the posture of the arm itself, for example, the position of the elbow can be controlled in the same manner as in the case of 7 axes. it can. Also, the operating range of the arm can be widened.

(First arm)
The first arm 11 has six axes as described above, and the end effector 20 is connected to the distal end portion 11a. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the end effector 20 includes an end member 21 and suction means 40 attached to the end member 21.

  An imaging device 45, a lighting device 46, or the like may be attached to the end member 21. When the dual-arm robot is regarded as a humanoid, it is read by an obstacle near the end effector 20 when the arm 11 is in an arbitrary posture simply by providing an imaging device at a position corresponding to the face. However, the robot 10 recognizes necessary information by providing the imaging device 45 and the illumination device 46 on the end member 21 of the end effector 20. It becomes easy.

  The end member 21 has a pair of side walls 23a and 23b on the opposite side to the arm, with the surface direction intersecting the upper wall 22 and the upper wall 22 to which the tip of the arm 11 is connected. The outer shapes of the side walls 23a and 23b are rectangular, and the circumscribed shape of each surface constituting the end member 21 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. When the side wall 23a, 23b is used to fold and push the box flap in the box making process, the surface of the side wall 23a, 23b should be smooth and the corners should be rounded to prevent damage to the flap. It is preferable to keep it.

  Of the region sandwiched between the pair of opposing long sides of the pair of side walls 23a, 23b, the region opposite to the connection end of the arm 11 is open and crosses the longitudinal direction (a direction) of the side walls 23a, 23b. The end member 21 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. As described above, by using the end member 21 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, the end member 21 can be reduced in weight, and the imaging device 45 and the like can be easily attached.

  A plate-like portion 24 projects from the upper wall 22 side of one side wall 23 b of the end member 21 so as to extend to the upper wall 22. As will be described later, the plate-like portion 24 protrudes from the side wall 23b when the end effector 20 is used to perform a folding operation that draws the divider toward the robot in order to make the divider a Z shape or the like. Folding into a Z shape or the like is easy. In the end portion 24a of the plate-like portion 24, it is preferable to chamfer or round the corner portion to make the thickness 2 mm or more in order not to damage the surface or end surface of the partition B or the box A. . Further, the thickness of the plate-like portion 24 is set to 30 mm or less so that interference with the surroundings does not occur when the end effector 20 is operated, and further, the weight is not increased and the high-speed operation is not hindered. It is preferable. Next, the projection length of the plate-like portion 24 is preferably 15 mm or more in order to be surely folded, and is preferably 60 mm or less so that interference with the surroundings does not occur when the end effector 20 is operated. .

  The protruding position of the plate-like portion 24 on the side wall 23b may be an edge portion on the upper wall 22 side, or may be close to the opening portion of the end member 21 on the opposite side to the upper wall 22. If the projecting position of the plate-like portion 24 is near the end of the end effector 20, that is, near the opening of the end member 21, the plate-like portion 24 easily interferes with the surroundings when the end effector 20 is operated by the arm. Since movement may be restricted, the protruding position of the plate-like portion 24 is preferably provided on the upper wall 22 side.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the member structure of the edge part member 21. FIG. For example, when the end member 21 including the plate-like portion 24 is manufactured, as shown in FIG. 4A, a bar 25 having a U-shaped cross section and a strip-like plate 26 may be combined, as shown in FIG. 4B. The bar 25 having a U-shaped cross section and the bar 27 having an L-shaped cross section may be combined. As shown in FIG. 4C, the bar 28 having the L-shaped cross section, the upper wall 22 of the end member 21, and the plate shape You may combine the flat bar | plate material 29 which forms the part 24. FIG.

  Examples of the material for forming the end member 21 include metals such as stainless steel and aluminum, and engineering plastics having excellent strength such as MC nylon (registered trademark).

  The tip of the suction means 40 is formed by a suction pad 41, and a part of the suction pad 41 is an end member on the side opposite to the arm tip 11a in the short direction of the side walls 23a, 23b (c direction in FIG. 3B). Protrudes from 21. As a result, an article such as a cardboard folded in a flat shape is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 41, and when the adsorption pad 41 is crushed and pulled in the b direction, a gap is formed between the end member 21 and the article. It becomes possible to do. Accordingly, the article can be reliably sucked and held by the suction pad 41, and the end member 21 can be prevented from being damaged during the suction. On the other hand, if the gap between the end member 21 and the article is too large at the time of suction, the suction pad 41 may become an obstacle in the box making operation. Therefore, a preferable gap between the end member 21 and the article at the time of adsorption can be 1 to 3 mm. Further, the protrusion amount L1 of the suction pad 41 during non-suction for securing this gap can be determined according to the material of the suction pad 41, the strength of suction, etc. For example, the suction pad 41 is formed from NBR. If it is, it can be 1 to 3 mm. When the suction pad 41 is made of soft silicone rubber, it can be set to 2 to 5 mm.

  The suction means 40 provided in the end effector 20 detachably holds the partition in a box making operation, folding operation of the partition, insertion work of the folded partition into the box, etc. It functions as a moving means for moving to a position. In addition, as a means for holding the partition, a means for detachably holding the partition may be provided.

  In projecting a part of the suction pad 41 from the end member 21 in the lateral direction of the side walls 23a, 23b, the gap between the end member 21 and the article when the article is sucked may be zero. Thereby, the article sucked by the suction pad 41 comes into contact with the end member 21, and the state held by friction is stabilized. Therefore, even when the article is moved at a high speed, it is possible to prevent the article from being laterally shifted.

  The suction pad 41, which is the tip of the suction means 40, also protrudes from the end member 21 on the tip side in the longitudinal direction (direction a) of the side walls 23a, 23b. Thus, as will be described later, when the end effector 20 pushes the partition into the box, the end member 21 can be pushed by the suction pad 41 without being a hindrance to pushing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the partition from slipping off the end effector 20 and to prevent the partition from being damaged by pushing. On the other hand, if the protruding amount is too large, it is difficult to attach the suction pad to the end member 21. Therefore, the preferable protruding amount L2 is 20 to 80% of the remaining length obtained by subtracting the length L4 of the attachment portion at the center of the suction pad 41 from the diameter L3 of the tip of the suction pad 41 (FIG. 3B).

  The tip diameter L3 of the suction pad 41 is preferably 60 to 90% of the inner length L5 of the short side of the end member 21 in the front view of the end effector 20 (FIG. 3B).

  The type of the suction pad 41 is not particularly limited, but a flat type, a bellows type, or the like can be used from the viewpoint that the object can be reliably held after the suction.

  A plurality of suction means 40 may be provided in one end effector 20. From the point which enlarges the diameter of a suction pad, 1-2 are preferable, and especially 1 is preferable. On the other hand, if the material to be adsorbed, which is a box material or a partition material, is bent or has irregularities on its surface, three or more adsorbing means 40 are provided, and some of them do not contribute to adsorption It is preferable that the adsorbing material can be adsorbed as the entire adsorbing means. Further, the suction means 40 may be provided with a buffer that expands and contracts in the suction direction. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when a plurality of suction means 40 having a stepped bellows-type suction pad 42 and a buffer 43 that can expand and contract in the suction direction are used, The amount of shrinkage increases, and even a material that is bent or has irregularities on the surface can be reliably adsorbed.

  Furthermore, a drop prevention check valve that stops the inflow of air when the adsorption fails may be provided in the adsorption means 40.

  The type of the material for forming the suction pad 41 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include sponge materials such as NBR, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, fluorine rubber, and chloroprene rubber, but it is preferable to use inexpensive and durable NBR.

  The tip of the suction means 40 is replaced with a suction pad 41 instead of a suction pad 41, a sponge suction member having a plurality of suction parts on a rectangular sponge, a suction member having fine holes made by sintering, while blowing air You may form from Bernoulli chuck etc. which perform adsorption.

(Second arm)
In the present embodiment, the second arm 12 also has six axes, and the end effector 30 is connected to the distal end portion 12a (FIG. 2). As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 includes an end member 31, an imaging device 45 attached to the end member 31, an illumination device 46, and a pusher 47. The imaging device 45 and the illumination device 46 can read a bar code, a code, and the like in the vicinity of the end effector 30 in the same manner as that attached to the end member 21 of the first arm 11.

  The end member 31 also has an upper wall 32 to which the distal end portion 12a of the arm 12 is connected, and a pair of side walls 33a and 33b that intersect the upper wall 32 in the surface direction. The outer shapes of the side walls 33a and 33b are rectangular, and the circumscribed shape of each surface constituting the end member 31 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The side walls 33a and 33b are smooth and the corners are rounded so that the flaps are not damaged when the side walls 33a and 33b are used to bend and push the box flaps in the box making process. It is preferable to keep it.

  The cross section of the end member 31 that crosses the longitudinal direction (a direction) of the side walls 33a, 33b is substantially U-shaped. By making the cross section of the end member 31 U-shaped, the end member 31 can be reduced in weight, and the imaging device 45 or the like can be easily attached. Furthermore, as will be described later, the operation of pushing and pulling using the U-shaped inner surface S is facilitated.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, a bar 34 having a U-shaped cross section may be used as the member structure of the end member 31, and a bar 35 having an L-shaped cross section and a flat bar as shown in FIG. 7B. The materials 36 may be combined.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the end member 31 constituting the second arm 12 is similar to the plate-like portion 24 of the end member 21 of the first arm 11, as shown in FIG. The plate-like portion 37 may be protruded outwardly. Thereby, it becomes easy to fold the flat partition into the convex partition Bt (FIG. 10B).

  Similar to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11, the imaging device 45 and the illumination device 46 in the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are provided to improve the operation accuracy of the end effector.

  The pusher 47 presses the operation panel 80 for operating or stopping individual processes in the box making operation, and performs panel operation. It is also possible to press a push button switch (not shown) for operating or stopping each device. When the pusher 47 is provided in the vicinity of the tip of the end member 31, the panel operation by the pusher 47 is facilitated. The size and shape of the pusher 47 are not particularly limited, but a thin rod shape is preferable because it does not interfere with the work performed by the end effector 30. The protrusion amount L6 (FIG. 6B) of the pusher 47 from the end member 31 is preferably 30 to 150 mm, more preferably 60 to 100 mm. The thickness of the pusher 47 is preferably about a human finger because the operation panel and the push button are assumed to be operated by a person, and is, for example, 4 to 30 mm, more preferably 5 to 15 mm. The material of the pusher is not particularly limited, and a light metal such as aluminum, an engineering plastic, a metal or resin pipe, or a metal long wound in a coil shape can be used so as to obtain light weight and strength.

  The pusher 47 may be provided with a direction control drive unit capable of freely controlling the direction at the base portion thereof, and may be provided with an automatic expansion / contraction mechanism so as not to obstruct the work. In addition, a shock absorber is provided, or the tip is covered with an elastic body such as rubber so as not to damage the operation object such as the operation panel 80 or the box making work object such as the box A or the partition B. It is preferable.

  In addition to centralized work management by an external controller, if the operation panel 80 can be used to advance or stop work, a robot that is manually operated when trouble occurs in the robot 10 or when maintenance is required. Ten work surrogates can be easily performed, which is preferable.

  By using the robot 10 having the first and second arms 11 and 12 having the end effectors 20 and 30 described above and the partition holding device 60 described later, the partition can be folded and inserted into the box. It becomes possible to perform accurately and at high speed, and further, by using the box holding device 50 together, it becomes possible to perform box making work accurately and at high speed.

(base)
The first arm 11 and the second arm 12 are connected to the base 13 (FIG. 2). The base portion 13 has a horizontal rotating portion 14, and the upper portion can be horizontally rotated from the horizontal rotating portion 14. As a result, devices such as the box holding device 50, the partition holding device 60, the operation panel 80, the box material supply device 100, the partition material supply device 110, and the box conveying device 120 formed into a box shape are transferred to the robot 10. It becomes possible to arrange | position compactly so that it may surround. Furthermore, since the robot 10 can move to these devices only by horizontal rotation, the time required for the robot 10 to move toward the device is reduced, and box making can be performed at high speed. Furthermore, if the base portion 13 has a lifting mechanism or a mechanism that can take an elevation angle and a depression angle, it is possible to widen the work range in the vertical direction.

  The base 13 is installed on the moving device 16. Since the maintenance is easy and the articulated robot 10 can be used for another work, it is preferable to install it on the moving device 16. The moving device 16 may be movable manually or may be an automatic transport vehicle. To reproduce the motion of the articulated robot 10 when it is returned to its original position after moving, a method of completely reproducing the position with a guide or abutting member, etc. There is a method of finely adjusting the position by picking up an image of the surroundings with an image pickup apparatus or picking up and recognizing surrounding markers.

  When the articulated robot 10 is used as a dedicated machine for box making work, the base 13 may be installed.

(Imaging device)
Above the base 13, an imaging device 15 is provided at a position corresponding to the face of the humanoid robot at the center in the width direction in the front view of the robot 10. The imaging device 15 is a stereo camera that captures an object to be photographed from the left and right imaging units, and markers attached to the box material supply device 100, the partition material supply device 110, the operation panel 80, and the like around the robot 10. By capturing an image and recognizing the image, the positional relationship between the robot 10 and a peripheral device or the like to which the marker is attached is measured, and the operation of the robot can be corrected. Further, the imaging device 15 can recognize not only the position of the article such as the box material or the box A and the partition material or the partition B but also the information such as the discrimination of the color and shape of the article and the reading of the barcode. And

  Between the imaging device 15 and the base 13, a left and right neck rotating unit 17 that rotates the neck left and right and a vertical swing unit 18 that swings the neck up and down are provided.

<Box holding device>
In the box making apparatus of the present invention, the box holding device 50 has a box holding surface facing the robot 10, and the box holding surface is provided with suction means for sucking and holding the box in a detachable manner (FIG. 1). . As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9B, the box holding device 50 of the box making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a first box holding surface 51A and a first 2 box holding surfaces 51B. More specifically, the first box holding surface 51 </ b> A faces the base portion 13 on the front surface of the robot 10 and can be operated by the robot 10. In the first box holding surface 51A, the extending direction of the surface is the vertical direction. Similarly to the first box holding surface 51A, the second box holding surface 51B is at a position where it can be operated by the articulated robot 10. The angle formed between the second box holding surface 51B and the first box holding surface 51A is a right angle, and the extending direction of the surface of the second box holding surface 51B is also a vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the extending direction of the surface of the first box holding surface 51A is the vertical direction, but in the present invention, the extending direction of the first box holding surface 51A may be horizontal or oblique. Even if the extending direction of the first box holding surface 51A is horizontal or oblique, the angle formed between the second box holding surface 51B and the first box holding surface 51A is preferably a right angle. On the other hand, as the extending direction of the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B, an optimal one such as vertical, horizontal, or diagonal is appropriately selected depending on the type and installation position of the robot. As in this embodiment, when the extending direction of the first box holding surface 51A and the second box holding surface 51B is the vertical direction, the combination of the moving device of the box holding device 50 described later, This is most preferable because the installation area can be minimized.

  The first box holding surface 51A and the second box holding surface 51B are provided with suction means 52A and 52B for sucking and holding the box in a detachable manner, and the tips of the suction means 52A and 52B become suction pads 53A and 53B. ing. The type and number of suction pads 53A and 53B are not particularly limited, but it is simple and preferable to use one large-sized flat type. As an example of selecting a large vacuum pad, a vacuum pad having a diameter of about 100 to 200 mm is selected. Since it is a large size, it can be adsorbed quickly by using a flat type. The suction pads 53A and 53B may be the same or different, but when the suction pad 53B is used, the box is held by the suction pad 53A, so there is no problem even if the suction force of the suction pad 53B is small, and the size is reduced. You can also

  When the box holding device having the box holding surfaces whose surface directions intersect with each other and having the suction means provided on each box holding surface is provided in the box making device, the side surface of the flat box that extends into the box shape Of these, by adsorbing and holding the adjacent length surface A1 and width surface A2 to the first box holding surface 51A and the second box holding surface 51B, respectively, the box shape expanded into a rectangular tube shape can be accurately determined. And it can form easily (FIG. 16).

  The box holding device 50 is attached to a vertical moving device 54 that can slide and move the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B along the extending direction of the surface without changing the direction thereof. The vertical movement device 54 has a box holding device between a work position when a box folded into a flat plate shape is expanded into a rectangular tube shape and a work position at which a bottom flap is folded to form a bottom surface of the box. The 50 box holding surfaces 51A and 51B can be moved up and down freely. As a result, it is possible to perform a folding operation of the partition just above the box having the bottom surface, and to quickly insert the folded partition into the box.

  In the present invention, the sliding direction of the box holding surface is not limited to the vertical direction, and may be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal according to the extending direction of the surface of the first box holding surface 51A. Moreover, it is good also as an up-down direction, horizontal, and diagonal, not matching with the extension direction of the surface of the 1st box holding surface 51A. Depending on the type and installation position of the robot, the optimal sliding direction such as up / down, horizontal, and diagonal is appropriately selected. Most preferred is a combination in which the extending direction of the surface of the first box holding surface 51A is vertical, and the slide moving direction is also the same direction. Thereby, the installation area of the box holding device 50 can be minimized.

  In the vertical movement device 54, a mechanism for sliding the box holding surface is not particularly limited. For example, a linear motion guide that is driven by a servomotor or stepping motor to transmit the driving force by a ball screw or wire, an electric cylinder, an air or hydraulic cylinder, a robot, etc. Can be mentioned. Among them, the speed and stop position can be easily adjusted, high-speed movement is possible, and the durability is excellent. Most preferred.

  As described above, when the box holding device 50 and the arms 11 and 12 of the robot 10 are provided, a folded plate having a vacuum pad, a hooking portion, or the like, or a simple plate-shaped folded plate, as will be understood from the box making operation described later. Compared with a device that spreads a flat folded box into a box shape using a device, etc., and a device that spreads a flat folded box into a box shape with a fixed folded plate while moving it with a conveyor etc. With a very compact device configuration, it is possible to perform box making operations with a simple operation.

  In addition, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the box specifications, such as changing the box size, opening position, opening direction, and changing to a box type other than the A type. For example, it is possible to cope with changes in specifications of various boxes simply by changing the robot arm operation.

<Partition holding device>
In the partition insertion device 2 of the embodiment, the partition holding device 60 is used when the flat partition B is folded into a predetermined shape and when the folded partition B is inserted into the box.

  Examples of types of the partition B handled by the partition holding device 60 include a Z-shaped partition Bz shown in FIG. 10A, a convex partition Bt shown in FIG. 10B, and a C-shaped partition Bc shown in FIG. 10C. .

  The material of the partition B is not particularly limited. For example, corrugated paper, plastic corrugated board, a resin board, etc. are mentioned.

  The partition device 60 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B has a partition holding surface 61 at a position facing the base portion 13 of the robot 10, that is, a position operable by the robot 10, and the partition holding surface 61 is a partition material. Alternatively, as the holding means for detachably holding the middle partition B, an adsorption means 62 for sucking and holding the middle partition material or the middle partition B is provided. The suction means 62 has a suction pad 63 at the tip. The type and number of the suction pads 63 are not particularly limited, but it is simple and preferable to use one large flat type. As an example of selecting a large vacuum pad, a vacuum pad having a diameter of about 100 to 200 mm is selected. Since it is a large size, it can be adsorbed quickly by using a flat type.

  Further, the inner partition holding device 60 has corner portions 64a and 64b corresponding to the folding positions of the inner partition B on both sides of the inner partition holding surface 61, and side surfaces 65a and 65b extend from the corner portions 64a and 64b. The angle formed between the partition holding surface 61 and the side surfaces 65a and 65b is substantially a right angle. 9A and 9B show an example in which the partition holding surface 61 and the side surfaces 65a and 65b on both sides of the partition holding device 60 are formed by members bent in a U shape. Thereby, the partition holding surface 61 can be easily created by bending a metal plate. These surfaces may be formed not by bending but by a plate-like member having a large plate thickness.

  The middle partition holding surface 61 is installed above the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B. Thereby, the folding operation of the partition material B and the inserting operation of the partition B do not interfere with the box making operation of forming a flat box into a box shape, and the partition is inserted into the box molded into a box shape. It becomes possible to work quickly.

  As can be seen from the description of the folding operation of the partition, which will be described later, when the partition folding device is configured from the partition holding device 60 and the arms 11 and 12 of the robot 10, for example, a stopped flat partition is formed. On the other hand, compared to a device that folds by the operation of a folding plate or a device that folds with a fixed folding plate while moving the flat partition, it folds the partition with a simple operation with a very compact device configuration. be able to.

Moreover, it is possible to easily cope with changes in the specifications of the partition, such as changes in the size, folding position, bending direction, and folding shape of the partition plate. Specifically, the width L7 of the partition holding surface is changed, the partition holding surface 61 and the corners 64a and 64b, etc. of the partition holding device 60 are changed to a shape product that meets the specifications, and the robot arm By changing the operation, it is possible to respond to changes in the specifications of the partition.
<Operation panel>
On the operation panel 80, as buttons that the robot 10 operates with a pusher 47 provided on the end effector, buttons for raising and lowering the box holding surfaces 51A and 51B of the box holding device 50, and buttons for suctioning or releasing them by the suction pads 53A and 53B In addition, a button or the like for operating or stopping the belt conveyor 121 is provided. By performing individual work processes in the box making apparatus 1 not only by the arithmetic device that manages the movement of the box making apparatus 1 but also from the operation panel 80, when trouble occurs in the robot 10, When maintenance is required, it is preferable because a person can operate by operating the box holding device 50 or the like instead of the robot 10.

<Bottom side outer flap folding device>
The bottom side outer flap bending apparatus 70 (FIGS. 1 and 21) includes an outer flap folding base 71 and a pair of outer flap bending plates 72. The outer flap folding stand 71 has a width shorter than the short side of the bottom of the box A and a length longer than the long side of the bottom of the box. The outer flap folding stand 71 is cantilevered from the base side of the inner flap of the box A. The cantilever support 73 is provided on the side opposite to the direction in which the box A is sent to the next process. On the non-cantilever side of the outer flap folding stand 71, a box conveying device 120 folded in a box shape is installed.

  The outer flap bending plate 72 is formed of a rectangular plate, and a pair of long sides thereof are arranged along each side in the longitudinal direction of the outer flap folding base 71, and a rotating shaft 74 in the vicinity of the long side is arranged. Each center is oscillated by a motor, an air cylinder (not shown) or the like.

<Box supply device>
As shown in FIG. 1, when the installation side of the imaging device 15 in the robot 10 is the front of the robot, the box material supply device 100 that supplies a box material that is a box folded in a flat plate shape is a first arm. It is arranged obliquely behind 11 and holds the box material A in a stacked state. The box material supply apparatus 100 is supplied with the box material A from the opposite side of the apparatus 100 to the robot 10. Further, the box material supply device 100 has a pressing function of pressing the standing box material A in the take-out direction so that the stacked state of the standing box material A is not collapsed, so that the bottom plate 101 moves in the taking-out direction of the box material A. It is a downward slope and is provided with a guide 102. The pressing function may be obtained by a linear pushing device such as an air cylinder that pushes the box in the robot direction, or a belt conveyor installed at the bottom of the box.

  A plurality of short stoppers 103 that hold the top, bottom, left, and right edges of the box material A are installed at the take-out port of the box material A on the robot side so that the boxes folded flat can be taken out one by one.

<Partition material supply device>
As shown in FIG. 1, the partition material supply device 110 is installed between the box material supply device 100 and the box holding device 50, in a state where the partition material B, which is a flat partition, is erected and stacked. Hold. The partition material supply device 110 is supplied with the partition material from the opposite side of the device 110 to the robot 10. Also in the partition material supply device 110, a bottom plate 111 and a guide 112 that are inclined downward in the take-out direction of the standing partition material B are provided so that the stacked state of the standing partition material B does not collapse. In addition, a stopper 113 is provided at the robot-side partition member takeout port so that the partition members B can be taken out one by one.

<Conveyor for box molded into box shape>
A box conveying device 120 that conveys a box formed into a box shape includes a belt conveyor 121 that is formed into a box shape and carries out a box in which a partition is inserted. A roller conveyor or the like may be provided instead of the belt conveyor. On the belt conveyor 121, a flat inner flap regulating guide 122 is provided for pressing the upper inner flap of the box expanded in a box shape to the outside of the box (FIGS. 1 and 21). The entrance side of the inner flap regulation guide 122 is bent upward so that the box A can easily enter between the belt conveyor 121 and the inner flap regulation guide 122. By passing the box A through this interval, the opening of the upper inner flap to the outside is ensured. By this outward opening, the upper inner flap does not get in the way in the boxing operation in the next step, and the operation is facilitated.

  The belt conveyor 121 may be always operated, or may be operated by a sensor detecting that there is a box near the entrance of the conveying device 120. The belt conveyor 121 may be operated by the end effector 30 of the second arm 12. The attached pusher 47 may be operated by pressing a push button on the operation panel 80.

<Box making (before inserting the partition)>
Using the box making apparatus 1 including the partition insertion device 2 of the present embodiment, each operation of box making, folding the partition, and inserting the partition can be performed as follows.

(Process 1: Preparation of box material)
As shown in FIG. 11, a box (box material) A folded in a flat plate shape is set on the box material supply device 100 in a standing state. Moreover, it sets with the flat partition (partition material) B standing in the partition supply apparatus 110 as needed. In FIG. 11 and the like, the arm of the robot 10 is omitted from the drawing for easy understanding of the operation of the end effector 20 and the end effector 30 and the molding state of the box material A and the partition material B.

  The horizontal rotation unit 14 of the robot 10 rotates and the first arm 11 extends to a position where the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 can suck the box material A from the box material supply device 100.

  The imaging device 45 attached to the end effector 20 uses a lighting device 46 as necessary, and displays characters, patterns, symbols, barcodes, etc. of the box material A set in the box material supply device 100. The image is taken, the image information is sent to the image processing apparatus, the type of box material A is confirmed by the box making work management apparatus, and it is determined whether or not to continue the work.

(Process 2: Taking out the box material)
When it is decided to continue the work in the box making work management device, the robot 10 further extends the first arm 11 to bring the suction pad 41 into contact with the box material A at the take-out position of the box material supply device 100 to suck it. The box material A is adsorbed by the pad 41, and the box material A is taken out from the box material supply apparatus 100. At this time, the box material A is slightly deformed, so that the box material A passes through the stopper 113 holding the box material at the take-out position, and is taken out from the box material supply apparatus 100 as shown in FIG. Further, the next folded box material is set at the take-out position along the guide 112 by a pressing function provided in the box material supply device 100.

  The part of the box material A to which the suction pad 41 adsorbs when the box material is taken out is not particularly limited. The left side when viewed from the robot of the length plane A1.

(Process 3: Adsorption of flat box material by box holding device)
After taking out the box material, the robot 10 rotates the horizontal rotating unit 14 toward the box holding device 50 so that the box material A approaches the first box holding surface 51A of the box holding device 50, as shown in FIG. Then, the length surface opposite to the length surface A1 of the sucked box material is attracted to the suction pad 53A of the suction means 52A of the first box holding surface 51A. In FIG. 13, the description of the partition holding device 60 is omitted. At this time, the side of the width surface A2 that faces the robot 10 (the side that is the folded mountain Ap of the folded box) is brought close to the first box holding surface 51B. Further, the upper wall 32 of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is directed upward, and the side wall 33b is brought close to the fold mountain Aq of the box material at a position away from the first box holding surface 51B.

(Process 4: Box opening in box holding device)
As shown in FIG. 14, the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 slightly moves toward the second box holding surface 51 </ b> B side of the box holding device 50 while adsorbing the length surface A <b> 1 of the box material. Then, the box A folded in a flat shape is opened a little, the suction pad 41 is vacuum-breaked to release the suction of the box, and the end effector 20 is immediately put on the second box holding surface from the box length surface A1. Retreat to the 51B side.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is slightly delayed from the retracting of the end effector 20 of the first arm, as shown in FIG. While holding Aq, it moves to the second box holding surface 51B side, and opens the box A to form a cylinder. In this embodiment, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is moved with the upper wall 32 facing upward, but the upper wall 32 is moved vertically or obliquely as necessary to avoid interference with the surroundings. You may turn to.

  In this way, when the box A is opened, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is retracted from the length surface A1 of the box, so that the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the box A to be opened are opened. It is possible to prevent failure to open the box A due to interference or damage to the box A.

  As another method, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is placed on the length surface A1 of the box facing the robot 10 so that the box A does not come off the box holding device 50 when the box A is opened. Further, the end effector 20 may be moved toward the second box holding surface 51B while being in contact with the box A in the vicinity of the fold mountain Ar of the width surface A2, and the end effector 20 may maintain the state where the fold mountain Ar of the box A is pressed. .

  On the other hand, in the box material supply apparatus 100, the entire stacked box material moves to the box material takeout port side, and the next box material can be taken out.

  When the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 moves the mountain fold Aq of the box material to the second box holding surface 51B side and the box A is further opened, the side wall 33b of the end effector 30 is as shown in FIG. While maintaining substantially parallel to the width surface A2 of the box A, the box width surface A2 is pushed on the end side of the side wall 33b, and the folding mountain Aq on the right side of the box as viewed from the robot moves to the left front side. When the box A is opened and the width surface A2 and the length surface A1 become vertical, the suction pad 53B of the suction means 52B of the second box holding surface 51B sucks the width surface A2 of the box facing the box A, and the box A Is fixed in an open state in which the opening surface is opened in a rectangular shape, and a cylindrical box A main body is formed.

(Step 5: Bending the bottom inner flap)
As shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 move to the bottom side of the box A. 18A and 18B, the plate-like portion 24 protruding from the side wall 23b of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the side wall 33a of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are respectively located on the bottom side. The inner flap A3 is pushed, the end effectors 20 and 30 move so as to approach each other, and as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the distal end side of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the second arm 12 end effectors 30 are operated so that the front end side thereof faces upward, and the bottom inner flap A3 is folded so as to rotate around the folding line. At this time, when the arms 11 and 12 are operated so that the arm end side, which is the connection end of the end effectors 20 and 30 of the left and right arms 11 and 12, is slightly lower than when the bottom side inner flap A3 was pushed so far. The inner flap A3 is naturally folded, which is preferable. The inner flap A3 is folded to the inside of the box A until the folding angle θ1 exceeds 90 °. When the bending angle θ1 exceeds 90 °, the front end of the inner flap A3 reaches the inside of the trunk of the opened box A and is held inside the box A without returning to the original state. Moreover, when the bending angle exceeds 90 °, it is possible to prevent the inner flap A3 from interfering when the outer flap A4 is folded next time.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 20A, the end side of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end side of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are directed downward, and both end effectors 20, The arms 11 and 12 operate so that the position of the entire 30 is lowered. Then, as shown in FIG. 20B, both end effectors 20 and 30 move away from each other, and are completely detached from the box A. At this time, folding of the inner flap A3 returns the tip of the inner flap A3 to a horizontal level by the reaction force of the bent portion.

  The observation directions in FIGS. 18B, 19A, and 20B are the same as those in FIG. 17B, and the observation directions in FIGS. 18C, 19B, and 20A are the same as those in FIG. 17C.

(Process 6: Descent of the box)
The pusher 47 attached to the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 pushes the lowering button of the box holding device 50 provided on the operation panel 80, thereby lowering the box holding device 50 as shown in FIG. Then, the folding mountain of the inner flap A3 is brought into contact with the outer flap folding base 71 of the bottom side outer flap folding device 70.

  In addition, it is preferable to separately provide the lowering button and the raising button of the box holding device 50 on the operation panel 80 because the operation registration of the robot 10 becomes easy.

(Step 7: Bending the bottom outer flap)
As shown in FIG. 21, when the box A descends on the outer flap folding base 71 and comes into contact with the outer flap folding base 71, the bottom outer flap A4 of the box A hangs down. 22A is a sectional view taken along line xx of FIG.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22B, the outer flap bending plate 72 is swung to the inside of the box about the rotation shaft 74, and the bottom outer flap A4 is made to be substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. 22C. Fold it so that

  When the folding of the bottom outer flap A4 is completed, the bottom of the box A is, in order from the bottom, the bottom outer flap bending plate 72, the bent bottom outer flap A4, the outer flap folding stand 71, and the bent bottom. The positional relationship is the side flap A3.

<Bending the partition and inserting it into the box>
When the box formed into a box shape is used as a box without inserting a partition inside, the upper inner flap A3t is opened to the outside of the box A and sent to the conveying device 120 as shown in FIG. 23A. In the present invention, the partition is folded into a predetermined shape, and the partition is inserted into the box. In this embodiment, as an example, an operation of bending a flat partition into a Z shape and inserting it into a box will be described.

(Process A1: Preparation of partition)
As shown in FIG. 24A, the flat partition Bz has two folding lines La and Lb, and a first surface Bz1, a second surface Bz2, and a third surface Bz3 separated by them. In the box making apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 24B, when viewed from the robot 10, the folding line La is folded in a mountain and the folding line Lb is folded in a valley, thereby forming a Z-shaped partition Bz. That is, in the middle partition Bz, the first surface Bz1 and the third surface Bz3 that are narrower than the second surface Bz2 are bent on both sides of the center wide second surface Bz2 to the opposite side via the folding lines La and Lb, respectively. While connected.

  The horizontal rotation unit 14 of the robot 10 is rotated to a position where the partition material B can be taken out from the partition material supply device 110 (FIG. 1) by the suction pad 41 attached to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11. To do.

  The robot 10 makes the suction pad 41 face the plate surface of the partition material B at the take-out port of the partition material supply device 110 and sucks it, and takes out one sheet of the partition material B from the partition material supply device 110. . This removal is performed by slightly deforming the partition material B and passing through the stopper 113. In the partition material supply device 110 after the partition material B is taken out, the partition material B remaining therein moves along the guide 112, and a new partition material is set at the removal position.

(Process A2: Bending the partition)
The robot 10 rotates the horizontal rotating unit 14 to a position where the flat partition B that is sucked by the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 can be transferred to the partition holding device 60. The partition B is brought close to the middle partition holding device 60, and the back side of the second surface of the middle partition B is sucked to the suction pad 63 of the middle partition holding device 60. At this time, the corner portions 64a and 63b of the partition divider holding device 60 are aligned with the folding lines La and Lb of the partition.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, an edge 33a1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 33a of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is made substantially parallel to the folding line La of the partition, and the edge 33a1 is divided into the partition. The first surface Bz1 of the middle partition is folded using the corner portion 64a of the partition holding device 60. That is, the first surface Bz1 of the partition is pushed along the side surface 65a of the partition holding device 60 at the edge 33a1 of the end effector 30, and the folding line La is mountain-folded as viewed from the robot 10.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, the edge 23b1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the side wall 23b of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is made substantially parallel to the folding line Lb of the partition, and this edge 23b1 is divided into the partition. The third surface Bz3 of the inner partition is folded using the corner 64b of the inner partition holding device 60. That is, the third surface Bz3 of the partition is pushed along the side surface 65b of the partition holding device 60 at the edge 23b1 of the end effector 20, and the folding line Lb is mountain-folded when viewed from the robot 10.

  When the folding of the partition is completed by the operations so far, a C-shaped partition Bc (FIG. 10C) can be obtained.

  Immediately after the third surface Bz3 of the inner partition is pushed along the side surface 65b of the inner partition holding device 60, as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, the edge 33a1 of the side wall 33a of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is obtained. 33b1, while pressing the second surface Bz2 of the partition B along the fold line Lb, the plate-like portion 24 protruding from the side wall 23b of the end member 21 of the first end effector 20 is the third surface Bz3 of the partition. The third surface Bz3 is folded back in the direction close to the robot 10 while being in contact with the back side of the inner wall, and the partition is folded into a Z shape as shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B. In this way, when the third surface Bz3 of the inner partition is folded back, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 holds the inner partition B along the fold line Lb so that the inner partition is separated from the suction pad 63 of the inner partition holding device 60. B can be prevented from coming off, and the partition B can be neatly folded along the fold line Lb. Further, the flat partition B is once folded into a C shape and then folded into a Z shape, that is, once folded in a direction opposite to the desired folding direction, the strength at the folding line portion of the partition is lowered and folded back. In this case, it can be prevented from being broken at a place different from the broken line. Furthermore, by using the plate-like portion 24 of the end member 21 of the first end effector 20 when folding the partition, the end member 21 of the first end effector 20 can be easily reciprocated by pushing and returning. The third surface Bz3 can be quickly bent toward the robot 10 side.

  The end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is raised in a state where the second surface Bz2 of the partition is pressed by the edges 33a1, 33b1 of the side walls 33a, 33b of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12. The upper side of the back surface of the third surface Bz3 of the partition is sucked by the suction pad 41 provided on the front side. At this time, about 1/2 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is overlapped in the height direction with the third surface Bz3 of the partition. Further, as shown in FIG. 29, about half of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is made slightly open by the reaction force over the first surface Bz1 of the middle partition. And are made to abut on the first surface Bz1.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 30A and 30B, the first surface Bz1 of the partition is pushed by the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12, and the fold line La is bent by about 90 °. Thus, when the upper end of the partition B is held by the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12, the first arm is provided when the partition B is installed in the box A. 11 end effector 11 and end effector 30 of second arm 12 can be prevented from interfering.

(Process A3: Grasping the partition)
As shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B, the third surface Bz3 is further folded while sucking the upper side of the back side of the third surface Bz3 of the partition with the suction pad 41 attached to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11. The angle θ3 formed between the third surface Bz3 and the second surface Bz2 is an acute angle. Then, the end member 31 is inclined so that the distal end side of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is slightly separated from the first surface Bz1, and the center portion of the edge 33b1 Only 33b1Q is in contact with the upper side of the first surface Bz1. At this contact portion, the central portion 33b1Q of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 is slightly recessed into the upper side of the first surface Bz1 of the partition, so that the partition is held without sliding or dropping.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 32, vacuum suction of the suction pad 63 of the partition holding device 60 is performed to release suction. Then, the partition B held by the end member 21 of the first arm 11 and the end member 31 of the second arm 12 is brought close to the second arm 12 side of the robot 10, and the partition divider holding device 60 Lower the partition B.

  When the middle partition B is lowered to a position lower than the middle partition holding device 60, the end effector 30 of the second arm moves to the base 13 side of the robot 10, and the middle partition holding device 60 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is moved. Move to the side. At this time, the second surface Bz2 of the partition faces the robot 10.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 33A, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 moves upward, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 moves downward, and the second partition 12 of the partition B is viewed from the robot 10. The partition B is tilted so that the second arm 12 side is upward and the first arm 11 side is downward. In FIG. 33A, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm are omitted. On the other hand, FIG. 33B is a top view showing the positions of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 with respect to the partition B in the state of FIG. 33A.

  In this state, the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 are lowered, and the vicinity of the fold line (back side of the third surface Bz3) of the folding line Lb of the partition B is close. The upper side flap A3t of the box A is brought into contact with the vicinity of the upper side of the side wall of the box A. The fold line Lb portion of the inner partition B has an acute angle and is inclined so that the back surface side of the fold line Lb of the inner partition B can be brought into contact with the inside of the box A with certainty.

(Process A4: Inserting the partition)
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is lowered while the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is maintained at substantially the same height. Accordingly, the lower end of the first surface Bz1 of the partition B is inserted into the width surface side in the box A. In addition, after the contact of the fold line of the fold line Lb described above, the suction surface of the suction pad 41 attached to the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 becomes parallel to the width surface A2 of the box A, and the fold line Lb of the partition B The angle at is opened from an acute angle and approaches 90 °. At the same time, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is moved to the left front as viewed from the robot, and the angle of the partition B at the fold line La is set to an acute angle. Similarly to FIGS. 33A and 33B, the end effectors 20 and 30 are not shown in FIG. 34A, and the arrangement of the end effectors 20 and 30 is shown in FIG. 34B.

  When the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is further lowered, the first surface Bz1 of the partition B is substantially parallel to the width surface of the box. enter. When the upper surface of the middle partition B becomes substantially horizontal, the lowering of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 stops. Here, the inclination is returned so that the distal end side of the edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 of the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is in contact with the first surface Bz1 of the partition B, and the side wall 33b of the end member 31 is returned. The direction in which the edge 33b1 extends is the vertical direction. Then, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 moves forward as viewed from the robot 10, and as shown in FIGS. 35A and 35B, the inner side surface S of the end member 31 that forms the end effector 30 is the first partition wall. Abuts against the second surface Bz2, and pushes forward the fold mountain of the fold line La of the partition as seen from the robot.

  On the inner surface S of the end member 31 that forms the end effector 30 of the second arm 12, the fold line La side of the second surface Bz2 of the partition B is pushed forward of the robot 10, and as shown in FIG. When the angle at La and the broken line Lb becomes approximately 90 °, the pressing by the inner surface S is finished. At this time, the first surface Bz1 of the inner partition B is in contact with the inner surface of the width surface of the box, and the second surface Bz2 of the inner partition is parallel to the length surface of the box as viewed from above. As described above, the inner surface S of the end member 31 can easily perform an operation of pushing or pulling the object.

  By the operation so far, the partition becomes the target Z-shape, and a stable state in which about 1/3 below the partition has entered the box.

(Process A5: Preparation for pushing in the partition)
As shown in FIG. 37, the end effector 30 advances forward so that the end effector 30 turns around until the upper wall 32 of the end member 31 of the end effector 30 of the second arm is parallel to the first surface Bz1 of the partition. The edge 33b1 of the side wall 33b of the end member 31 is brought into contact with the first surface Bz1 of the partition. At this time, the short side of the upper wall 32 on the distal end side of the end member 31 faces downward, and the distal end of the pusher 47 opens the inner flap of the box to the outside. The pusher 47 is provided with a shock absorber. 47, the upper inner flap of the box is not damaged.

  On the other hand, the suction of the suction pad 41 attached to the first arm 11 is released by vacuum break, and the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is separated from the partition B. 38A and 38B, the end member 21 of the end effector of the first arm is moved to the upper part of the partition B. Even if the suction by the suction pad 41 of the first arm 11 is cancelled, the partition B hardly moves because the lower part of the partition B is in a stable state where it enters the box A by about 1/3.

(Process A6: Pushing the partition)
As shown in FIG. 39, the short side 23a1 on the distal side of the side wall 23a of the end member 21 of the end effector 21 of the first arm 11 or the end surface of the suction pad 41 is placed from above the second surface Bz2 of the partition B. The middle partition B is brought into contact with the middle partition B, and the middle partition B is pushed into the box A. At this time, the partition B moves downward while sliding while the first surface Bz1 is in contact with the inner surface S of the end member 31 attached to the distal end portion 12a of the second arm 12.

  In the pushing of the partition B, the suction pad 41 protrudes from the end member 21 to the distal end side in the longitudinal direction (direction a) of the side walls 23a, 23b. It becomes possible to push in without damaging.

  The end effector 20 of the first arm 11 moves down until the partition B comes into contact with the bottom of the box A. Since the suction pad 41 can be deformed, the middle partition B can be surely in contact with the bottom without damaging the middle partition B even if pushed down slightly. Thus, the partition B is installed at a predetermined position in the box A.

<Box making (after inserting the divider)>
(Step 8: Open the upper inner flap)
After the insertion of the partition B is completed, the upper inner flap is opened (step 8) and the box is discharged (step 9).

  In the opening process of the upper inner flap, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 folds one upper inner flap A3t to the outside of the box, and as shown in FIG. 23B, on the inner surface of the other upper inner flap A3t It is preferable to suck the suction pad 41 of the suction means 40 provided on the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 and bend its upper inner flap A3t to the outside of the box. The bending angle θ2 of the upper inner flap A3t is preferably 60 ° or more, more preferably 80 ° or more so that the upper inner flap can be sufficiently opened, and is preferably 135 from the standpoint that there is no trouble in the subsequent sealing operation. Is within °. If it is bent at 80 to 135 °, even if the end effectors 20 and 30 are separated from the upper inner flap A3t, the upper inner flap opens about 40 to 70 °, which facilitates the supply of articles to the box.

(Process 9: Discharge of the box)
The suction pads 53A and 53B of the suction means 52A and 52B provided in the box holding device 50 are vacuum broken to release the suction. This vacuum break command may be issued when the pusher 47 attached to the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 pushes the push button of the operation panel 80.

  After the suction of the box by the box holding device 50 is released, the end effector 20 is slightly pushed toward the transport device 120 side of the box while the suction pad 41 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 is being sucked. The suction is released by vacuum breakage of the suction pad 41, the width of the box is pressed with the short side of the end member 21 of the first arm 11, and the box is pushed out onto the belt conveyor 121. When the upper inner flap of the box bent outward reaches the lower side of the inner flap regulating guide 122, the end effector 30 of the second arm 12 is retracted from the upper inner flap of the box, and the end effector 30 is moved to the inner flap regulating guide. Do not collide with 122. Since the upper inner flap of the box is folded outward, the lower portion of the inner flap regulating guide 122 can pass smoothly.

  Sealing of the bottom flap of the box is performed when the outer flap folding base 71 is discharged to the transport device 120, during the transport by the transport device 120, or when moving from the transport device 120 to the next transport device. It is carried out with a paste such as tape sticking or hot melt.

  Further, since the upper inner flap is opened to the outside by the inner flap regulating guide 122 while the box passes through the transport device 120, it is easy in the next process after the box passes through the transport device 120. The contents are supplied to the box. After the contents are supplied, the upper inner flap and the upper outer flap of the box are closed and sealed with a folding plate or the like, and the boxing is completed.

<Modified aspect of partition insertion device>
The partition insertion device 2 of the present invention can appropriately change the shape of the end member of the first arm and the shape of the end member of the second arm according to the form of the partition to be inserted into the box. .

  For example, when the flat partition is folded into the convex partition Bt shown in FIG. 10B and inserted into the box, as shown in FIG. 3A as the end member of the end effector of the first arm. While using the end member 21 having the plate-like portion 24, as the end member of the end effector of the second arm, one having the plate-like portion 37 as shown in FIG. 8 can be used.

  In the middle partition holding device, like the middle partition holding device 60P shown in FIG. 40, the middle partition holding surface 61 and the side surfaces 65 on both sides thereof may be formed from a thick material. This partition holding device 60P can be easily manufactured by cutting out from a material with good workability such as a resin plate. It may be created by a 3D printer.

  Further, as in the partition device 60Q shown in FIG. 41, by connecting the side surfaces 65 on both sides of the partition partition holding surface 61 to the adjustment bracket 66, the width L7 of the partition partition holding surface 61 can be reduced. You may enable it to adjust according to length. The adjustment mechanism is not particularly limited. For example, a long hole (not shown) may be provided in the adjustment bracket 66 so that the side surface 65 can be fixed at a desired position by screwing on the back side of the side surface 65. In addition, the adjustment bracket 66 is a round bar, and a connection portion that can fix the round bar is provided on the back side of the side surface 65, and the side surface 65 can be fixed at a desired position by sliding the connection portion with respect to the round bar. Also good.

  Further, in the above-described partition divider holding devices 60, 60P, and 60Q, the angle formed by the partition divider holding surface 61 and the side surfaces 65, 65a, and 65b is not limited to a right angle, and a predetermined angle corresponding to the required folding angle of the partition divider. It can be an angle. For example, when the intended folding angle of the partition is a right angle, it is preferable that the angle be about 60 to 75 °, which is acute than the right angle, in consideration of the return of the folding due to the reaction force. Similarly, when the target folding angle of the inner partition is not a right angle, the angle may be smaller by 15 ° to 30 ° than the target folding angle.

  As in the partition divider holding device 60R shown in FIG. 42, assuming a virtual side surface 65 ′ (hatched portion) on both sides of the partition divider holding surface 61, at least the upper side 65p ′ and the lower side 65q of the virtual side surface 65 ′. 'May be occupied by the bar 67, and for that purpose, a frame may be formed of the bar. The bar 67 may be a square bar or a round bar. In this way, according to the partition holding device 60R having the virtual side surface 65 ′ formed of the bar 67, when the folding angle of the partition is to be adjusted, the virtual side surface is obtained by bending the bar 67 by hand. The angle θ4 formed by 65 ′ and the partition holding surface 61 can be easily adjusted.

  The end member 21 of the end effector 20 of the first arm 11 may be provided with the side wall 23b for projecting the plate-like portion 24, and may not necessarily include the pair of side walls 23a and 23b. When the suction means 40 is provided on one arm 11, a pair of side walls may be provided in order to stabilize the holding state of the article by suction by bringing the article sucked by the suction pad 41 into contact with the end member 21. preferable.

  When the suction means is provided at the end factor at the end of the arm of the robot 10 as the moving means for detachably moving the partition, the position of the suction means is the end member of the first arm 20 having the plate-like portion 24. It may be provided between a pair of side walls of the end member 31 of the 2nd arm 12, and may be provided in both.

  In the box making apparatus 1 provided with the partition insertion device 2, the installation positions of the box supply device 100 and the partition supply device 110 may be switched as the device configuration around the robot 10, and the box supply device 100 and The partition supply device 110 may be installed up and down.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Box making apparatus 2 Partition divider insertion apparatus 10 Robot 11 1st arm 11a The front-end | tip part of 1st arm 12 2nd arm 12a The front-end | tip part of 2nd arm 13 Base 14 Horizontal rotation part 15 Imaging device 16 Moving device 17 Left and right neck rotation part 18 Vertical swinging part 20 End effector 21 of first arm 21 End member 22 Upper wall 23a, 23b Side wall 23a1, 23b1 Long side of side wall, edge extending in the longitudinal direction of side wall 24 Plate-like part 24a Plate End portion 25-shaped bar material 26 Strip-shaped plate material 27 Cross-section L-shaped bar material 28 Cross-section L-shaped bar material 29 Flat bar material 30 End effector 31 of second arm 31 End member 32 Top Wall 33a, 33b Side wall 33a1, 33b1 Side wall edge 33b1Q Central part of side wall edge 34 Cross section U-shaped bar 35 Cross section L-shaped bar 36 Plate-shaped Material 37 Plate-like part 40 Suction means 41 Suction pad 42 Bellows type suction pad 43 Buffer 45 Imaging device 46 Illumination device 47 Pusher 50 Box holding device 51A First box holding surface 51B Second box holding surface 52A, 52B Suction means 53A , 53B Suction pad 54 Vertical movement device 60, 60P, 60Q, 60R Middle partition holding device 61 Middle partition holding surface 62 Suction means 63 Suction pad 64a, 64b Corner portion 65, 65a, 65b Side surface 65 'Virtual side surface 65p', 65q 'virtual side upper and lower sides 66 bracket 67 bar 70 bottom outer flap folding device 71 outer flap folding stand 72 outer flap bending plate 73 cantilever support portion 74 rotating shaft 80 operation panel 100 box material supply device 101 bottom plate 102 Guide 103 Stopper 110 Middle partition material supply device 1 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Bottom plate 112 Guide 113 Stopper 120 Conveyor device 121 Belt conveyor 122 Inner flap regulation guide a Longitudinal direction of side wall of end member b Short side direction of side wall of end member A Box, box material A1 Long side of box A2 Box length Width surface A3 Inner flap A3t Upper inner flap A4 Outer flap Ap, Aq, Ar Box fold mountain B Middle partition, partition material Bz Z-shaped partition Bz1 First surface of Z-shaped partition Bz2 Second surface of Z-shaped partition Bz3 Third surface of the Z-shaped partition Bt Convex-shaped partition Bc C-shaped partition L1 The amount of protrusion of the tip of the suction means from the end member in the longitudinal direction of the end member L2 The end of the tip of the suction means Projection amount of end member from end member in short direction L3 Diameter of tip of suction pad L4 Length of attachment portion at center of suction pad L5 Length of inner side of short side of end member L6 End of pusher Part Projection amount from L7 Width of inner partition holding surface La, Lb Folding line S Inner surface θ1 Bending angle of bottom inner flap θ2 Bending angle of upper inner flap θ3 Angle formed by third and second surfaces of inner partition θ4 Middle partition Angle between holding surface and virtual side

Claims (11)

A partition insertion device comprising a robot having an arm with an end effector connected to the tip and a partition holding device, and bending the flat partition into a predetermined shape and inserting it into a box,
The robot has moving means for detachably moving the partition, and the end effector of the first arm includes an upper wall to which the arm tip is connected, a side wall that intersects the upper wall and a surface direction, and an outer side from the side wall. An end member having a plate-like portion protruding in the direction,
A partition insertion device, wherein the partition partition holding device has a partition partition holding surface facing the robot, and includes a holding unit that detachably holds the partition.   The partition insertion device according to claim 1, further comprising suction means provided on the end effector as the moving means.   3. The partition according to claim 1, wherein the robot includes an end wall having an upper wall connected to the end of the arm and a pair of side walls intersecting the upper wall in a plane direction to the end effector of the second arm. Insertion device.   The partition insertion device according to claim 3, wherein the end effector of the second arm has a suction means.   The partition insertion device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the end member of the end effector of the second arm has a U-shaped cross section.   The end member of the end effector of the first arm has suction means, and the tip of the suction means protrudes from the end member in the lateral direction of the side wall from the end member. The partition insertion device described in 1.   The end member of the end effector of the first arm has suction means, and the tip of the suction means protrudes from the end member in the longitudinal direction of the side wall of the end member. The partition insertion device described in 1.   The partition insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plate-like portion of the end member of the end effector of the first arm is extended from the upper wall.   The partition divider insertion device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the partition divider holding device has side surfaces forming a predetermined angle with respect to the partition divider holding surface on both sides of the partition divider holding surface.   10. The partition insertion device according to claim 9, wherein an angle formed between the partition holding surface and the side surface is substantially a right angle.   9. The medium partition holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the middle partition holding device has bars disposed on both sides of the middle partition holding surface and spaced apart from the middle partition holding surface at a predetermined angle with the middle partition holding surface. Partition insertion device.

Images