JP2019218074A - Container folding method and container folding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container folding method and a container folding device capable of automatically folding a container with a lock mechanism. SOLUTION: A container folding device has a first rotation operation unit that rotates a leaf spring member between a locking position and a retracting position, and a metal fitting that rotates a metal fitting between a locking position and an unlocking position. It is provided with a two-rotation operation unit and a tilting operation unit that is tilted to fold the four side plates. In the container folding method, the first rotation operation unit removes the locking pin at the locking position that locks the metal fitting at the locking position non-rotatably against the urging force of the leaf spring member, and the leaf spring member. The first rotation operation step (S13) for rotating the metal fitting from the locking position to the retracted position, and the second rotation operation step (S14) for the second rotation operation unit to rotate the metal fitting from the lock position to the unlocked position. ), And the tilting operation unit includes a tilting step (S17, S18) in which the four side plates are tilted inward and folded so as to be stacked on the bottom. [Selection diagram] FIG. 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a container folding method and a container folding device for folding a container with a lock mechanism.

  For example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose container folding devices that fold containers. The container has a structure in which two opposing side plates are bent into two. In a state where the container is assembled, the cylinders press the substantially central portions of the two opposing side plates from both sides with a cylinder to bend the side plates and fold the container. Patent Literatures 3 and 4 disclose containers in which four side plates are folded so as to overlap with a bottom plate. In the container described in Patent Literature 3, the four side plates are fixed with locking members such as bolts during assembly. Further, the container described in Patent Literature 4 includes a lock mechanism that locks the four side plates during assembly.

JP-A-6-278726 JP-A-2000-185795 JP 2005-335745 A JP 2013-28375 A

  A container with a lock mechanism may include a mechanism that regulates an operation of releasing the lock in order to prevent the lock of the lock mechanism from being easily released. In a container provided with this type of lock mechanism, the operation of releasing the lock on the lock mechanism whose size is very small as compared with the container is complicated. For this reason, there is a problem that the operator is performing the folding operation of the container with the lock mechanism of this kind.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a container folding method and a container folding device capable of automatically folding a container with a lock mechanism.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
A container folding method for solving the above-mentioned problem is a plurality of locks in which a container folding device locks the four side plates next to each other in an assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates. A container folding method for releasing a mechanism and folding the four side plates on the bottom portion in a state of being overlapped, wherein the lock mechanism is provided on the side plate so as to be rotatable around one end and the side plate is provided with a lock mechanism. A metal fitting rotatable between a lock position engaged with an upper end portion of an adjacent side plate and a lock release position for releasing engagement with the adjacent side plate; A lockable position is provided between a lock position where the metal fitting in the lock position is non-rotatably locked by the lock pin and a retracted position where the metal fitting is allowed to rotate when not locked. And said A leaf spring member urged in a locking direction for locking the metal fitting in the locking position with the locking pin, wherein the container folding device moves the leaf spring member between the locking position and the retracted position. A first rotating operation part for rotating the metal fitting between the lock position and the unlock position, and a first rotating operation part for rotating the metal fitting between the lock position and the unlock position. A tilting operation section, wherein the first rotation operation section presses the locking pin at the locking position to lock the metal fitting at the locking position in a non-rotatable manner by the urging force of the leaf spring member. A first rotating operation step of removing the leaf spring member from the locking position to the retreat position and releasing the metal fitting from the locked position by the second rotating operation portion. A second rotating operation step of rotating to a position, and the tilting operation But it comprises the steps defeated folded state overlaid on the bottom Tilt the four side plates inward. According to this method, the container with the lock mechanism can be automatically folded. In particular, the container can be automatically folded even when locked by a lock mechanism configured to restrict the rotation of the fitting by locking.

  In the container folding method, it is preferable that in the second rotation operation step, the metal fitting is rotated from the lock position to the lock release position while applying an outward force in a rotation radial direction.

According to this method, it is possible to reduce a lock release error of the lock mechanism caused by the hook being hooked on the side plate.
In the above-described container folding method, a container in an assembled state having one square bottom and four side plates is released from a plurality of lock mechanisms in which the container folding device locks the four side plates next to each other. A container folding method for folding the four side plates on top of each other on the bottom portion, wherein the lock mechanism comprises: a slide pin; a protrusion projecting in a direction intersecting an axis of the slide pin; A holding portion that slidably holds the slide pin in the axial direction, and a spring that urges the slide pin from an unlocked position to a locked position, wherein the protrusion has a slide regulating position that regulates the slide of the slide pin, The slide pin is configured to be rotatable around an axis of the slide pin to a slide allowable position allowing the slide, and the container folding device is configured to A slide operation unit that slides a slide pin, a rotation operation unit that rotates the protrusion between the slide restriction position and the slide allowable position, a depressing operation unit that folds down the four side plates to fold them, A first rotation operation step of rotating the protrusion from the slide restriction position to the slide allowance position in a state where the slide pin is at the lock position; A slide operation section for operating the protrusion to slide the slide pin from the lock position to the lock release position, and wherein the rotation operation section includes the slide pin at the lock release position. A second rotation operation step of rotating the protrusion from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position under the state; Under the released state of the serial locking mechanism, and a step Killed folded state overlaid on the bottom Tilt the four side plates inward.

  According to this method, the container with the lock mechanism can be automatically folded. In particular, even if the container is locked by a lock mechanism configured to restrict the slide of the slide pin by the position of the protrusion, the container can be automatically folded.

It is preferable that the container folding method further includes a position detecting step of detecting a position of the lock mechanism before all the steps.
According to this method, the shift of the operation position of the lock release operation with respect to the lock mechanism can be reduced, and the lock release operation can be performed accurately, so that a lock release mistake can be reduced.

  In the container folding method, the tilting step includes a tilting operation step of tilting the side plate while supporting the side plate to a predetermined angle, and a support removing step of tilting the side plate tilted at the predetermined angle by its own weight. Preferably, the container is folded by sequentially performing the tilting operation step and the support removing step.

According to this method, the impact and the impact sound when the four side plates are folded down to be folded can be reduced.
A container folding device that solves the above-described problem releases an assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates by releasing a plurality of lock mechanisms that lock the four side plates next to each other. A container folding device that folds the four side plates in a state of being overlapped on the bottom portion, wherein the lock mechanism is provided on the side plate so as to be rotatable around one end and a side plate adjacent to the side plate. A lock member rotatable between a lock position to be engaged with the upper end portion and a lock release position to release the engagement with the adjacent side plate; The lock is provided so as to be rotatable between a locking position where the metal fitting is non-rotatably locked by the locking pin, and a retracted position where the metal fitting is allowed to be unlocked when unlocked. Said gold in position And a leaf spring member urged in a locking direction in which the locking pin is locked, and a first mechanism for rotating the leaf spring member between the locking position and the retracted position. A first rotating operation unit, a second rotating operation unit configured to rotate the metal fitting from the lock position to the unlock position, and a folding operation unit configured to fold down the four side plates so as to be folded. The moving operation unit includes a detachment operation unit that performs an operation of removing the locking pin at the locking position that locks the metal fitting at the locking position so as not to rotate against the urging force of the leaf spring member. A first rotation operation of rotating the leaf spring member from which the locking pin has been removed to the retracted position, and the lowering operation unit lowers the four side plates inside the container in a predetermined order. And fold it over the bottom. According to this configuration, the container with the lock mechanism can be automatically folded.

  A container folding device that solves the above-described problem releases an assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates by releasing a plurality of lock mechanisms that lock the four side plates next to each other. A container folding device that folds the four side plates on the bottom portion in a state where the four side plates are overlapped with each other, wherein the lock mechanism includes a slide pin, a protrusion protruding in a direction intersecting an axis of the slide pin, and the slide pin. A holding portion that slidably holds the slide pin in the axial direction, and a spring that urges the slide pin from an unlocked position to a locked position, wherein the protrusion has a slide regulating position that regulates the slide of the slide pin, The slide pin is configured to be rotatable around an axis of the slide pin to a slide allowable position allowing the slide, and the slide pin is operated by operating the protrusion. A sliding operation unit that slides from a lock position to the lock release position, a rotation operation unit that rotates the protrusion between the slide restriction position and the slide allowance position, and 4 when the lock mechanism is released. A folding operation unit for folding and folding the two side plates in a state of being overlapped on the bottom portion, wherein the rotating operation unit moves the protrusion from the slide restriction position in a state where the slide pin is in a lock position. A first rotation operation of rotating the slide pin to the slide allowable position and a second rotation operation of rotating the protrusion from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position in a state where the slide pin is at the lock release position. Do. According to this configuration, the container with the lock mechanism can be automatically folded.

  According to the present invention, a container with a lock mechanism can be automatically folded.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the container folding device according to the first embodiment. The schematic plan view which shows a container folding apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a container with a lock mechanism. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a lock mechanism. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a head. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a head. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a holding device and a container in an unlocked state. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the container folding device. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a container folding method. (A), (b) is a perspective view explaining the 1st rotation operation which releases the lock of a leaf spring member. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a second rotation operation of rotating the metal fitting to the unlock position. (A) is a front view showing the operation of tilting the second panel to the outside, and (b) is a side view explaining the temporary placing operation of the first panel. FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a step of lowering a second panel. The perspective view showing the state where the 2nd panel was folded. FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining a step of lowering the first panel. The perspective view showing the state where the container was folded. The perspective view showing the container with the lock mechanism in a 2nd embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a lock mechanism. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a container folding method. (A)-(d) is a perspective view which shows the procedure which releases the lock of a lock mechanism. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a lock mechanism in an unlocked state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a step of lowering a panel.

(1st Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the container folding device 11 will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, two directions parallel to and orthogonal to the upper surface (horizontal plane) of the bottom of the container 15 to be worked by the container folding device 11 are defined as an X direction and a Y direction. A direction parallel to the direction is defined as a Z direction.

  The container folding device 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 performs a folding operation of folding the assembled container 15 carried into the work position SA by the conveyor 12. The container folding device 11 includes an articulated robot 30 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “robot 30”) and a pair of (only one is shown in FIG. 1) holding devices 40. The robot 30 is provided as a pair on both sides facing each other with the container 15 placed at the work position SA therebetween. The container 15 includes one square bottom 20 and four panels 21 and 22 as an example of a side plate that stands upright with four sides of the bottom 20 aligned. The four panels 21 and 22 include a pair of first panels 21 provided with a lock mechanism 60 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) described later, and a pair of second panels 22 on the side locked by the lock mechanism 60. Consists of The container 15 is in an assembled state because the four panels 21 and 22 are held in a square tubular shape by the locking of the lock mechanism 60.

  The holding device 40 is attached to a pair of support frames 16 constituting the container folding device 11. The pressing device 40 includes a pressing member 41, which presses the second panel 22 from the upper end with the pressing member 41, and holds or tilts the second panel 22 in an upright state to assist the folding operation by the robot 30.

  Since the pair of robots 30 have the same configuration and the lock mechanism 60 needs to be released, the container 15 is arranged at a position where the pair of first panels 21 facing each other face the front of the pair of robots 30. The pair of robots 30 perform an unlocking operation for releasing the lock mechanism 60 on the first panel 21 on the side close to the robot 30 and a folding operation for folding the unlocked panels 21 and 22. In the first embodiment, the pair of robots 30 performs a temporary placement operation of temporarily placing the first panel 21 at a position that does not interfere with the folding operation of the second panel 22, and a panel 21 or 22 as an operation associated with the folding operation. Do the work of defeating in order. Further, a temporary placement unit 17 for temporarily placing the first panel 21 is disposed at a position between the pair of robots 30 and the container 15 at the work position SA. The temporary placement unit 17 includes a holder 18 on which the panel 21 can be temporarily placed.

  Next, the configuration of the robot 30 with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. The pair of robots 30 have basically the same configuration. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the robot 30 includes a platform 31 installed on the upper surface of the mounting table 19 at a predetermined height from the floor, and a main body rotatable about a vertical axis with respect to the platform 31. 32, a multi-joint arm 33 supported by the main body 32, and a multi-joint type industrial robot including a head 50 detachably attached to a distal end of the arm 33. The robot 30 performs a folding operation of folding the container 15 using the head 50.

  The arm 33 has a plurality of arm portions 33A to 33C shown in FIG. The robot 30 is driven by a robot driving unit 35 (see FIG. 8) including an electric motor and an electric cylinder serving as a power source for driving the main body 32, the arm 33, and the like. Control such as angle change and shaft rotation of the arm units 33A to 33C is performed. The head 50 is mounted on the distal end of the third arm 33C, so that the head 50 is supplied with driving air pressure and electric power via the arm 33, and the angle of the third arm 33C is changed and the shaft is rotated. The attitude is controlled according to.

  In the container folding device 11, a replacement head 50 is disposed in the work area of the robot 30. The robot 30 drives the arm 33 to perform a head replacement operation for replacing the head 50 according to the operation content. The detailed configuration of the head 50 will be described later.

  Next, the configuration of the container 15 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the container 15 includes one bottom portion 20 having a square shape in plan view, and four square plate-shaped panels 21 and 22 as an example of four side plates. A pair of first panels 21 facing each other among the four panels 21 and 22 are provided with two lock mechanisms 60 at upper portions on both sides in the width direction. The two lock mechanisms 60 lock between the first panel 21 and two second panels 22 adjacent to the first panel 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom portion 20 has a recess 20 </ b> A having a rectangular shape in a plan view with a relatively shallow depth on its upper surface. The four panels 21 and 22 are erected on the four sides of the inner periphery of the recess 20 </ b> A of the bottom 20 with their lower sides aligned.

  Next, the lock mechanism 60 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the lock mechanism 60 engages with the upper end of the adjacent second panel 22 shown in FIG. 4, and rotates in the second direction R2 (clockwise in FIG. 4) from the lock position. A metal fitting 61 (lock member) rotatable between the locked position and the unlocked position is provided. In addition, the lock mechanism 60 has a locking pin 63 at a distal end for locking the metal fitting 61 disposed at the locking position in a non-rotatable manner, and a locking position at which the locking pin 63 can be locked to the metal fitting 61. The leaf spring member 62 is provided rotatably between a retracted position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 in which the locking pin 63 is retracted from the metal fitting 61 and is urged in the locking direction of the locking pin 63. Prepare. The metal fitting 61 can rotate around a shaft 64 fixed to the outer surface of the first panel 21 within a predetermined angle range. Further, the shaft portion 64 is inserted into a long hole 61 </ b> A extending in the rotation radial direction of the metal fitting 61. For this reason, the metal fitting 61 can be slid in the rotation radial direction. The locking pin 63 of the leaf spring member 62 is inserted into the hole 66 of the first panel 21 through the elongated hole 61A, thereby locking the metal fitting 61 so as not to rotate. The metal fitting 61 has a concave portion 61 </ b> B that fits loosely on the upper end of the second panel 22. In order to remove the metal fitting 61 from the upper end of the second panel 22 fitted in the concave portion 61B, the metal fitting 61 is rotated in the second direction R2 while slightly sliding outward in the rotation radial direction. It is hard to catch on the second panel 22.

  The leaf spring member 62 is attached rotatably around a shaft 65 fixed to the outer surface of the first panel 21. The leaf spring member 62 has a locking position shown by a solid line in FIG. 4 and a retracted position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 which has been rotated about 180 degrees in the first direction R1 (clockwise in FIG. 4) from the locking position. And rotate between. The leaf spring member 62 at the locking position inserts the locking pin 63 into the hole 66 provided in the first panel 21 through the elongated hole 61A of the metal fitting 61 at the locking position, and moves the metal fitting 61 from the locked position. Restrict rotation. The leaf spring member 62 at the retracted position retracts from the metal fitting 61 and allows the metal fitting 61 to rotate from the locked position. The leaf spring member 62 at the retracted position is held at the retracted position by inserting the locking pin 63 into the hole 67 opened in the first panel 21.

  The locking pin 63 is inserted into the metal fitting 61 at the locked position, and the rotation to the unlocked position is restricted. For this reason, in order to release the lock of the lock mechanism 60, it is necessary to pull out the locking pin 63. As shown in FIG. 4, the leaf spring member 62 has a bulging portion 62A in which a central portion between the shaft portion 65 and the locking pin 63 bulges outward by bending at two locations in the longitudinal direction. In the bulging portion 62A, a gap is formed between the outer surface of the first panel 21 and the leaf spring member 62.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the head 50 mounted on the distal end of the arm 33 of the robot 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. The head 50 mounted on the distal end of the arm 33 of the robot 30 includes a pair of operation actuators 51 for performing a release operation for releasing the lock mechanism 60, a grip unit 52 capable of gripping the panels 21 and 22, and a panel 21. , 22 are provided with a pair of rollers 53 that are used to support the panels 21 and 22 to a predetermined intermediate angle in the process of folding down the folded state from the standing state. The pair of rollers 53 is rotatably supported on a support shaft (not shown) via a bearing. Note that the head 50 is provided with a pair of operation actuators 51 that are responsible for unlocking the left and right lock mechanisms 60, respectively, but FIG. 6 shows only one of them.

  The operation actuator 51 includes a cylinder 55 assembled to a plate-shaped head main body 50A, and an operation tool 56 supported by a distal end portion of a piston rod of the cylinder 55. The operating tool 56 has, for example, an L-shape that can be inserted into a gap between the panel 21 and the leaf spring member 62. Further, the head 50 is mounted on the distal end portion of the third arm portion 33C so as to be axially rotatable. The cylinder 55 is arranged such that when the head 50 is mounted on the third arm portion 33C, the axis thereof is parallel to the axis of rotation of the third arm portion 33C, and the operating tool 56 rotates the shaft of the head 50. Is located at a position off the axis of. Therefore, when the head 50 rotates about the axis, the operation tool 56 performs an arc movement. The radius of the circular motion of the operation tool 56 is approximately matched with the radius of the circular arc locus at the time of rotating the leaf spring member 62 from the locking position to the retracted position.

  The head 50 has a contact piece 57 that presses against the outer surface of the first panel 21 of the container 15. When the contact piece 57 is pressed against the outer surface of the first panel 21, the operation tool 56 is positioned at a position where it can be inserted into the gap between the panel 21 and the leaf spring member 62. The head 50 includes a load detector 71 (see FIG. 8) including a pressure sensor capable of detecting the air pressure in the cylinder 55 when the contact piece 57 is pressed against the first panel 21. When the load detecting section 71 detects a load exceeding the threshold value, it detects that the contact piece 57 has contacted the first panel 21. An electric motor may be used instead of the cylinder 55 as the drive source of the operation actuator 51. In this case, the load detection unit 71 determines the load when the contact piece 57 is pressed against the first panel 21 from the motor current value. What is necessary is just to detect. In addition, as another configuration of the load detection unit 71, a load sensor, a strain sensor, or the like may be used. The contact piece 57 detects the position of the lock mechanism 60 in the Y direction by pressing against the first panel 21. However, the contact piece 57 presses the contact piece against the second panel 22 to detect the position of the lock mechanism 60 in the X direction. Further, the position of the lock mechanism 60 may be more accurately detected based on the detection result of the load detector 71.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the grip unit 52 includes a pair of cylinders 58 and 59 fixed to the head body 50A and a pair of grip portions 52A fixed to the distal ends of the piston rods of the pair of cylinders 58 and 59. , 52B. When the cylinders 58 and 59 are driven to expand and contract, the pair of grippers 52A and 52B open and close between a gripping position where the panels 21 and 22 are gripped and a separated position where the panel 21 is separated. Further, the pair of rollers 53 is disposed at a position between the pair of gripping units 52 and at a position not interfering with the third arm portion 33C to which the head 50 is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the pressing device 40 includes a first cylinder 42 that can be driven to expand and contract in the X direction, a second cylinder 43 that can be driven to expand and contract in the Z direction at the tip of the piston rod of the first cylinder 42, And a pressing member 41 fixed to the distal end of the piston rod of the second cylinder 43. When the second cylinder 43 is driven to extend, the pressing member 41 presses the upper end of the second panel 22 from above and supports the second panel 22 so as not to fall. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the first cylinder 42 is contracted and driven in a state where the lock of the lock mechanism 60 is unlocked and a state where the pressing member 41 presses the upper end of the second panel 22. , The second panel 22 can be tilted outward, and the second panel 22 can be tilted inward by driving the first cylinder 42 to extend.

  Next, an electrical configuration of the container folding device 11 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the container folding device 11 includes a control unit (controller) that controls the robot 30 and the head 50. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the two robots 30 and the pair of holding devices 40. The control unit 70 is electrically connected to the robot driving unit 35 of the robot 30, the operation actuator 51 of the head 50, the grip unit 52, and the load detection unit 71.

  The control unit 70 drives and controls the robot driving unit 35 to control the robot 30 and controls the operation actuator 51 and the grip unit 52 of the head 50 to perform various operations necessary for the folding work of the container 15. Do. The control unit 70 may be configured by two controllers that separately control the two robots 30, or may include a plurality of controllers that separately control the robot 30 and the head 50.

  Next, the operation of the container folding device 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. After the operation of the container folding device 11 starts, the empty container 15 carried into the conveyor 12 is placed at the work position SA on the conveyor 12. The container folding device 11 controls the drive of the robot 30 and assists the work of the robot 30 by holding or tilting the second panel 22 with the pressing device 40, thereby allowing the container 15 placed at the work position SA to be moved. Perform folding work. When the container 15 is at the work position SA, the upper ends of the pair of second panels 22 face the pressing member 41 at the standby position.

  Hereinafter, the container folding method performed by the robot 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the container 15 carried in by the conveyor 12 stops at the work position SA, the container folding device 11 starts folding work for folding the container 15.

  First, in step S11, the control unit 70 presses and supports the second panel 22. That is, the control unit 70 causes the second cylinder 43 of the pressing device 40 to extend and drive, and presses the upper end of the second panel 22 with the pressing member 41 from above. For this reason, even if the lock mechanism 60 of the container 15 is released, the second panel 22 is held in an upright state without falling down.

  In step S12, the control unit 70 detects the position of the lock mechanism 60. In other words, the control unit 70 controls the arm 33 of the robot 30 and presses the contact piece 57 of the head 50 against the outer surface of the first panel 21 to detect the position at which a load exceeding the threshold is detected at that time. The position of the lock mechanism 60 in the Y direction is determined based on the detected position of the first panel 21 as a reference. A contact piece (not shown) for detecting the position of the second panel 22 is pressed against the outer surface of the second panel 22 to detect the position, and the position of the lock mechanism 60 is detected in both the X direction and the Y direction. May be.

  In step S13, the control unit 70 performs an operation of releasing the locking of the leaf spring member 62. The robot 30 inserts the operating tool 56 into the gap between the leaf spring member 62 and the first panel 21 from the direction of the arrow A indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. In the direction of the arrow B indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. The operation tool 56 is moved by, for example, moving the arm 33 of the robot 30 in the X direction. Next, the cylinder 55 is contracted and the operating tool 56 is separated from the first panel 21 by pulling a predetermined amount in the direction indicated by the dashed line arrow C in FIG. Then, the operating tool 56 is turned about 180 degrees in the first direction R1 about the turning axis of the head 50 in the first direction R1 as shown by an arrow D in FIG. As a result, the leaf spring member 62 from which the locking pin 63 has been removed rotates from the locked position shown in FIG. 10A to the retracted position shown in FIG. Further, by returning the operation tool 56 to the direction approaching the first panel 21 side indicated by the dashed line arrow E in FIG. 10B, the locking pin 63 of the leaf spring member 62 is inserted into the hole 67. Next, the operating tool 56 is moved in the direction of the dashed-dotted arrow F in FIG. 10B, and the operating tool 56 is pulled out from the gap between the first panel 21 and the leaf spring member 62. The pair of robots 30 perform a first rotation operation of releasing the locking of the leaf spring members 62 and rotating to the retreat position with respect to the left and right lock mechanisms 60 provided on the first panel 21 located in front of each other. Do. In the present embodiment, the processing in step S13 corresponds to an example of a first rotation operation step. This step S13 can also be said to be an unlocking step of unlocking the leaf spring member 62 with the metal fitting 61. Further, the robot 30 and the operation actuator 51 of the head 50 (the cylinder 55, the operation tool 56, and the like) correspond to an example of a first rotation operation unit. In addition, the cylinder 55, the operation tool 56, and the like in the first rotation operation unit correspond to an example of a detachment operation unit.

  In the next step S14, the controller 70 releases the engagement of the metal fitting 61. More specifically, the control unit 70 controls the arm 33 and the grip unit 52 of the robot 30, grips the metal fitting 61 with the grip unit 52, and rotates the gripped metal fitting 61 through the rotation of the head 50 as shown in FIG. Is performed from the lock position shown in FIG. 11 to the unlock position shown in FIG. 11 in the second direction R2. At this time, the grip unit 52 rotates the metal fitting 61 from the locked position to the unlocked position while applying a force outward in the rotation radial direction to the metal fitting 61. For this reason, the metal fittings 61 are less likely to be caught on the second panel 22, and an unlocking operation error of the metal fittings 61 can be reduced. Here, the second direction R2 for releasing the metal fitting 61 is the same direction as the first direction R1 for releasing the locking of the leaf spring member 62. In addition, for the other lock mechanism 60 attached to the first panel 21, the first direction R1 and the second direction R2 are opposite to the directions shown in FIGS. In the present embodiment, the processing in step S14 corresponds to an example of a second rotation operation step. Further, the robot 30 and the grip unit 52 of the head 50 correspond to an example of a second rotation operation unit that rotates the metal fitting 61 from the lock position to the unlock position.

  In step S15 shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 70 tilts the second panel 22 outward. More specifically, the control unit 70 moves the second panel 22 from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Tilt to the position shown by the solid line in the figure. The pair of holding devices 40 are controlled together to tilt the pair of second panels 22 outward as shown in FIG.

  In the next step S16, the control unit 70 temporarily places the first panel 21. That is, the control unit 70 controls the gripping unit 52 of the robot 30 and the head 50, grips the first panel 21 with the gripping unit 52 as shown in FIG. First, the first panel 21 is temporarily placed on the holder 18 of the temporary placement unit 17. In step S15, since the second panel 22 is tilted outward and retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the temporary placing operation of the first panel 21, when the robot 30 moves the first panel 21 lifted to the holder 18 side, The collision of the first panel 21 with the second panel is avoided. Steps S15 and S16 correspond to an example of the temporary placement step.

  In step S17, the control unit 70 lowers the second panel 22. The controller 70 drives the first cylinder 42 of the pressing device 40 to extend and tilt the second panel 22 inward, and then drives the second cylinder 43 to contract and drive the pressing member 41 away from the second panel 22. As a result, the second panel 22 falls under its own weight. At this falling timing, the control unit 70 controls the robot 30 to bring the head 50 closer to the second panel 22 from the inner surface side via the arm 33, and The panel 22 is picked up from the inside. Then, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 13, the picked-up roller 53 supports the inner surface of the second panel 22.

  The robot 30 moves the roller 53 supporting the second panel 22 outward (in the upper end side) in the tilt radial direction of the second panel 22 while moving down. As a result, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 13, the second panel 22 tilts to a predetermined angle θ while being supported by the roller 53, and then falls off from the predetermined angle θ by its own weight when the support of the roller 53 is released. As a result, the impact and the impact sound when the second panel 22 falls on the upper surface of the bottom 20 can be reduced. Next, the robot 30 similarly supports the other second panel 22 to the predetermined angle θ in the middle with the roller 53 and then falls down by its own weight. When the robot 30 successively lowers the pair of second panels 22, the pair of second panels 22 are folded so as to overlap the upper side of the bottom part 20 as shown in FIG. 14.

  In step S18, the control unit 70 lowers the first panel 21. The robot 30B shown in FIG. 15 grips the upper end of the first panel 21 temporarily placed in the temporary placement unit 17 in front of itself by the gripping unit 52, lifts the first panel 21 from the holder 18, and then moves forward (inward). ), The lower edge of the first panel 21 is positioned so as to match the lower edge of the concave portion 20A of the bottom portion 20A, and the first panel 21 is lowered in a straight up state. Then, the control unit 70 controls the robot 30B to move the holding unit 52 holding the first panel 21 inward (to the left in FIG. 15) as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is tilted inward about its lower end. At this time, the control unit 70 drives the arm 33 of the robot 30A on the other side to go to the first panel 21 with the roller 53 of the head 50 as shown by the solid line in FIG. Then, the picked-up roller 53 supports the inner surface of the second panel 22.

  The robot 30 </ b> A moves the roller 53 supporting the first panel 21 outward (upper end side) in the tilting radial direction of the first panel 21 while lowering the roller 53. As a result, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 15, the first panel 21 is tilted to a predetermined angle θ while being supported by the rollers 53, and then falls off from the predetermined angle θ by its own weight by the support of the rollers 53 being released. As a result, the impact and the impact sound when the first panel 21 falls on the upper surface of the bottom 20 can be reduced. Next, the pair of robots 30 change roles and similarly support the other first panel 21 with the roller 53 to a predetermined angle θ in the middle, and then fall down by its own weight. When the robot 30 sequentially lowers the pair of first panels 21, the pair of first panels 21 further overlaps the upper side of the second panel 22 folded first on the upper side of the bottom 20, as shown in FIG. 16. Folded into a state. Thus, the container 15 is folded.

  Note that the processing in steps S17 and S18 corresponds to an example of the defeating step. In step S17 or step S18, the process of tilting the panels 21 and 22 while supporting them up to the predetermined angle θ corresponds to an example of a tilting operation step, and removes the support for the panels 21 and 22 tilted at the predetermined angle θ and uses its own weight. The defeating process corresponds to an example of the unsupporting step. The predetermined angle θ for tilting while supporting the panels 21 and 22 may be the same or different between the first panel 21 and the second panel 22. In the present embodiment, the pair of robots 30, the grip unit 52 of the head 50 on which each robot 30 is mounted on the arm 33, and the rollers 53 correspond to an example of a tilting operation unit. Specifically, the tilting operation unit includes a first tilting operation unit that tilts down while supporting the first panel 21 halfway, and a second tilting operation unit that tilts down while supporting the second panel 22 halfway. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the main operation side robot 30 </ b> B holding and tilting the first panel 21 by the holding unit 52, the holding unit 52 of the head 50, the sub operation side robot 30 </ b> A and the roller 53 of the head 50 Corresponds to an example of the first tilting operation unit. The robot 30, the rollers 53 of the head 50, and the pressing device 40 correspond to an example of a second tilting operation unit.

As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The container folding device 11 automatically folds the container 15 having the lock mechanism 60 including the function of restricting the rotation of the metal fitting 61 in the unlocking direction. The container folding method includes a first rotation operation step (S13), a second rotation operation step (S14), and a falling step (S17, S18). In the first rotation operation step, the first rotation operation portion presses the locking pin 63 at the locking position for locking the metal member 61 at the locking position so as not to rotate, against the urging force of the leaf spring member 62. Then, the leaf spring member 62 is rotated from the locking position to the retracted position. In the second rotation operation step, the second rotation operation section rotates the metal fitting 61 from the locked position to the unlocked position. In the tilting step, the tilting operation unit tilts the four panels 21 and 22 inward and folds the panels 21 and 22 so as to overlap the bottom 20. Therefore, the container 15 having the lock mechanism 60 of the type in which the rotation of the metal fitting 61 at the lock position is restricted by the locking pin 63 can be automatically folded.

  (2) The container folding device 11 includes a robot 30 and a holding device 40. The first rotation operation unit includes the robot 30, the operation actuator 51 of the head 50, and the like. The second rotation operation unit includes the robot 30, the grip unit 52 of the head 50, and the like. The tilting operation unit includes the robot 30, the grip unit 52 of the head 50, the roller 53, the pressing device 40, and the like. Therefore, the robot 30 can control the head 50 and automatically fold the container 15.

  (3) In the second rotation operation step, the metal fitting 61 is rotated from the lock position to the unlock position while applying a force outward in the rotation radial direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a lock release error of the lock mechanism 60 due to the metal fitting 61 being hooked on the second panel 22.

  (4) The container folding device 11 rotates the first rotating operation part for rotating the leaf spring member 62 between the locking position and the retracted position, and rotating the metal fitting 61 between the locked position and the unlocked position. A second rotating operation unit for causing the panel to be folded and a folding operation unit for folding the four panels and 22 down. A detachment operation unit (a cylinder 55 and an operation unit) that removes the locking pin 63 at the locking position that restricts the rotation of the metal fitting 61 at the lock position against the urging force of the leaf spring member 62. Tool 56), and the leaf spring member 62 from which the locking pin 63 has been removed is rotated from the locking position to the retracted position by the release operation portion. The second rotation operation section rotates the metal fitting 61 from the locked position to the unlocked position. The tilting operation unit tilts the four panels 21 and 22 inward and folds them in a state of being stacked on the bottom 20. Therefore, the container 15 provided with the lock mechanism 60 can be automatically folded by the container folding device 11.

  (5) The container folding method includes a position detecting step of detecting the position of the lock mechanism 60 before all the steps. Therefore, the shift of the operation position of the unlocking operation with respect to the lock mechanism 60 can be reduced, and the unlocking operation can be performed accurately, so that the unlocking mistake can be reduced.

  (6) The tilting step includes a tilting operation step of tilting the panels 21 and 22 while supporting the panels 21 and 22 to a predetermined angle, and a support removing step of tilting the panels 21 and 22 tilted at a predetermined angle by their own weight. The container 15 is folded by sequentially performing the tilting operation step and the unsupporting step for the four panels 21 and 22. Therefore, the impact and the impact sound when the panels 21 and 22 are folded down to be folded can be reduced.

(2nd Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, the lock mechanism of the container 15 to be folded by the container folding device 11 is different. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. That is, the container folding device 11 of the present embodiment includes the pair of robots 30 and the pair of pressing devices 40 illustrated in FIG. 1, and the configuration of the head 50 mounted on the robot 30 is partially different.

  First, the container 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The container 15 includes a bottom portion 20 and four panels 21 and 22 as an example of four side plates. Lock mechanisms 80 are attached to the pair of first panels 21 on both sides in the width direction. The lock mechanism 80 differs from the first embodiment in that the lock mechanism 80 is of a type that locks a slide pin. In the container 15 of the present embodiment, the four panels 21 and 22 are assembled by locking the adjacent second panel 22 via the lock mechanisms 80 attached to both widthwise sides of the first panel 21. It is kept in the assembled state.

  Next, the configuration of the lock mechanism 80 will be described with reference to FIG. The lock mechanism 80 includes a slide pin 81, an operation lever 81 </ b> A as an example of a protrusion projecting from the slide pin 81 in a direction intersecting the axial direction thereof, and a holding mechanism that holds the slide pin 81 slidably in the axial direction. And a spring 83 for urging the slide pin 81 to the lock position. The holding portion 82 can rotate the operation lever 81A of the slide pin 81 to two positions around the axis of the slide pin 81. That is, the operation lever 81A can rotate to two positions: a slide restriction position for restricting the slide of the slide pin 81, and a slide allowable position for allowing the slide. In the configuration shown in FIG. 18, the operation lever 81A can be turned in any direction from the slide allowable position, and the operation lever 81A is located at the slide restriction position regardless of the direction in which the operation lever is turned. However, when the operation lever 81A rotates from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position, it is normally operated downward as shown in FIGS. Also, under the state where the operation lever 81A is at the slide allowable position rotated about 90 degrees from the slide restriction position shown in FIGS. 18 and 21, the slide pin 81 is in the lock position shown in FIG. It can slide between the unlocked position. When moving the slide pin 81 from the locked position to the unlocked position, it is necessary to slide the slide pin 81 against the urging force of the spring 83.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, strip-shaped plate portions 22A that bend in a direction perpendicular to the outer surface and extend in the vertical direction are provided at both ends in the width direction of the second panel 22. As shown in FIG. 18, when the slide pin 81 is at the lock position, the slide pin 81 is locked to the second panel 22 by being partially disposed on the outer surface of the plate portion 22A. That is, as shown in FIG. 18, when the slide pin 81 is in the lock position, a part of the slide pin 81 is engaged with the plate portion 22A, whereby the inward tilt of the first panel 21 is restricted. . Therefore, when the four lock mechanisms 80 are in the locked state in which the slide pins 81 shown in FIG. 18 are arranged at the locked positions, the container 15 is held in the assembled state shown in FIG. The plate portion 22A has a protrusion 22B below the slide pin 81 at the lock position.

  The container folding device 11 has the same configuration as the first embodiment shown in FIGS. However, the configuration of the head 50 is partially different from that of the first embodiment. The head 50 includes the same pair of gripping units 52 and a pair of rollers 53 as those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The head 50 includes an operation actuator 91 shown in FIG. 20 instead of the operation actuator 51 shown in FIGS. However, in FIG. 20, the head 50 shows only a part of the portion where the operation actuator 91 is attached. The head 50 is provided with a pair of operation actuators 91 for each of the left and right lock mechanisms 80, but FIG. 20 shows only one of them.

  The head 50 shown in FIG. 20 includes an operation actuator 91 used for a lock release operation for releasing the lock mechanism 80. The operation actuator 91 performs a rotation operation and a slide operation for operating the operation lever 81A constituting the lock mechanism 80 to operate the slide pin 81 from the lock position to the unlock position.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the operation actuator 91 includes a gripping member 92 that engages with and operates the operation lever 81A, a cylinder 93 that slides the gripping member 92, and pivots the gripping member 92 within a predetermined angle range. And an electric motor 94 for driving. An electric motor 94 is provided coaxially at the tip of the piston rod of the cylinder 93. The base of a gripping member 92 is connected to the output shaft of the electric motor 94. The gripping member 92 has a crank-shaped shaft and a U-shaped tip. The gripping member 92 is engageable with the operation lever 81A so as to sandwich the operation lever 81A from both sides in the rotation direction at the U-shaped portion.

  As shown in FIG. 20A, when the electric motor 94 is driven to rotate in the forward direction in a state where the gripping member 92 is engaged with the operation lever 81A, the gripping member 92 is indicated by a bold arrow around the axis of the slide pin 81 in FIG. The operation lever 81A that rotates in the direction shown and engages with the gripping member 92 rotates upward by about 90 degrees. As a result, the operation lever 81A is rotated from the slide restriction position to the slide allowable position shown in FIG. When the cylinder 93 is driven to extend in the state shown in FIG. 20B, the gripping member 92 moves the operation lever 81A from the locked position against the urging force of the spring 83 to release the lock shown in FIG. Slide to position. When the electric motor 94 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction in the state shown in FIG. 20C, the gripping member 92 rotates about the axis of the slide pin 81 in the direction indicated by the thick arrow in FIG. When the operating lever 81A is rotated downward by about 90 degrees, the operating lever 81A is rotated from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position shown in FIG. In addition, the head 50 includes a contact piece 95 used to press against the outer surface of the second panel 22 and a contact piece (not shown) used to press against the outer surface of the first panel 21.

  The electrical configuration of the container folding device 11 is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment, except that the operation actuator 51 is replaced with the operation actuator 91 in FIG. The control unit 70 controls a cylinder 93 and an electric motor 94 that constitute the operation actuator 91. Further, the control unit 70 determines the position of the lock mechanism 80 based on the position when the load detection unit 71 detects the load when the contact piece 95 or the like provided on the head 50 is pressed against the outer surfaces of the panels 21 and 22. Find out. For this reason, the displacement of the operation position of the gripping member 92 arranged for operating the operation lever 81A can be suppressed to a small value. The control unit 70 stores a program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 19 in a memory. The CPU in the control unit 70 executes the program, thereby controlling the robot 30 and the pressing device 40 to control the container 15. Perform folding work. Hereinafter, a method of folding the container 15 having the lock mechanism 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 19.

  First, each processing of step S11 and step S12 in FIG. 9 is performed. That is, when the container 15 is placed at the work position SA by the conveyor 12, in step S <b> 11, the control unit 70 controls the pressing device 40 so that the pair of pressing members 41 press the pair of second panels 22.

  Next, in step S12, the control unit 70 detects the position of the lock mechanism 80. That is, the control unit 70 controls the robot 30 to push the contact piece 95 against the outer surface of the second panel 22 and to set the lock mechanism 80 in the X direction based on the position when the load detection unit 71 detects a load exceeding the threshold. Detect the position of. Further, the position of the lock mechanism 80 in the Y direction may be detected by pressing the contact piece 95 or the like against the outer surface of the first panel 21. Next, in steps S21 to S23 in FIG. 19, the control unit 70 performs a lock release operation of controlling the robot 30 and the head 50 to release the lock of the lock mechanism 80.

  First, in step S21, the control unit 70 rotates the operation lever 81A of the slide pin 81 to the slide allowable position. That is, the control unit 70 controls the robot 30 to engage the gripping member 92 with the operation lever 81A as shown in FIG. Then, the electric motor 94 is driven to rotate forward to rotate the gripping member 92 in the direction indicated by the thick arrow in FIG. 20B, thereby rotating the operation lever 81A from the slide restriction position to the slide allowable position. In the present embodiment, the processing in step S21 corresponds to an example of a first rotation operation step.

  In step S22, the control unit 70 slides the slide pin 81 from the locked position to the unlocked position. More specifically, the control unit 70 causes the cylinder 93 to extend and drive from the state shown in FIG. 20B to move the operation lever 81A by the gripping member 92 against the urging force of the spring 83, thereby causing the slide pin 81 to move. Slide from the locked position shown in FIG. 20 (b) to the unlocked position shown in FIG. 20 (c). In the present embodiment, the processing in step S22 corresponds to an example of a slide release operation step.

  In step S23, the control unit 70 rotates the operation lever 81A of the slide pin 81 to the slide restriction position. More specifically, the controller 70 drives the electric motor 94 in the reverse direction from the state shown in FIG. 20C to rotate the gripping member 92 downward, thereby allowing the operation lever 81A to slide as shown in FIG. From the position to the slide restriction position shown in FIG. Thus, the lock mechanism 80 is brought into the unlocked state shown in FIG. Then, the pair of robots 30 performs the processing of steps S21 to S23 on the lock mechanisms 80 on both sides in the width direction of the first panel 21 on the near side of the robot 30 and releases the locks on all the four lock mechanisms 80. . In the present embodiment, the processing in step S23 corresponds to an example of a second rotation operation step.

  In step S24, the control unit 70 lowers the first panel 21. The robot 30 holds the upper end of the first panel 21 by the holding unit 52 of the head 50 and moves the holding unit 52 to the inside of the container 15 to tilt the first panel 21 inward about the lower end thereof. At this time, similarly to FIG. 15 in the first embodiment, since the other robot 30 picks up the first panel 21 from the inner surface side with the roller 53, the first panel 21 is held at the predetermined angle θ while being supported by the roller 53. From the predetermined angle θ, it falls under its own weight. The pair of robots 30 alternate roles and turn down the first panels 21 in order, so that the pair of first panels 21 is folded so as to overlap the upper side of the bottom 20 as shown in FIG. The step of releasing the lock of the lock mechanism 80 (steps S21 to S23) and the step of lowering the first panel 21 (step S24) may be repeated for each first panel 21.

  In step S25, the control unit 70 lowers the second panel 22. The control unit 70 drives the pressing device 40 to tilt the second panel 22 inward, and then separates the pressing member 41 from the second panel 22. The control unit 70 controls the robot 30 so that the rollers 53 of the head 50 go on the second panel 22 from the inner surface side. Then, the second panel 22 is tilted to a predetermined angle θ while supporting the second panel 22 with the roller 53, and then the support by the roller 53 is removed, whereby the second panel 22 falls down by its own weight from the predetermined angle. The other second panel 22 is similarly tilted down while supporting it to a predetermined angle θ. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22, the pair of second panels 22 are folded from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the direction indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 22, whereby the container 15 is folded. It is. In the present embodiment, the processing in steps S24 and S25 corresponds to an example of the defeating step.

  In the second embodiment, the robot 30 and the operation actuator 91 (including the rotation motor 94) of the head 50 rotate the operation lever 81A between the slide restriction position and the slide allowable position, and perform the first rotation. This corresponds to an example of a rotation operation unit that performs an operation and a second rotation operation. The robot 30 and the operation actuator 91 (including the slide cylinder 93) of the head 50 correspond to an example of a slide operation unit that engages with the operation lever 81A to slide the slide pin 81. Further, the pair of robots 30 and the gripping unit 52 and the rollers 53 of the head 50 on which the robots 30 are mounted on the arms 33 fall down while supporting the four panels 21 and 22 halfway, as in the first embodiment. This corresponds to an example of the tilting operation unit. The robot 30 of the main operation, the grip unit 52 of the head 50, the robot 30 of the sub-operation, and the rollers 53 of the head 50 form a first tilting operation unit that tilts down while supporting the first panel 21 halfway. This corresponds to an example. Further, the robot 30, the roller 53 of the head 50, and the pressing device 40 correspond to an example of a second tilting operation unit that tilts the second panel 22 while supporting it halfway.

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(7) The container folding device 11 automatically folds the container 15 provided with the lock mechanism 80 including the function of restricting the slide pin 81 from sliding in the unlocking direction. The container folding method includes a first rotation operation step (S21), a slide release operation step (S22), a second rotation operation step (S23), and a falling step (S24, 25). In the first rotation operation step, the rotation operation unit rotates the operation lever 81A (an example of the protrusion) from the slide restriction position to the slide allowable position while the slide pin 81 is in the lock position. In the slide release operation step, the slide operation section operates the operation lever 81A to slide the slide pin 81 from the lock position to the lock release position. In the second rotation operation step, the rotation operation section rotates the operation lever 81A from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position while the slide pin 81 is in the unlocked position. In the lowering step, the lowering operation unit lowers the four panels 21 and 22 inward and folds the four panels 21 and 22 on the bottom 20 under the unlocked state of the lock mechanism 80. Therefore, the container 15 provided with the lock mechanism 80 including the mechanism for restricting the slide of the slide pin 81 at the lock position can be automatically folded.

  (8) The container folding device 11 operates the operation lever 81A to slide the slide pin 81 from the lock position to the unlock position, and rotates the operation lever 81A between the slide restriction position and the slide allowable position. It includes a rotating operation unit for moving, and a folding operation unit for folding and folding the four panels 21 and 22 under the released state of the lock mechanism 80. The rotation operation section performs a first rotation operation of rotating the operation lever 81A from the slide restriction position to the slide allowable position with the slide pin 81 at the lock position, and an operation with the slide pin 81 at the lock release position. A second rotation operation of rotating the lever 81A from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position is performed. Therefore, the container 15 provided with the lock mechanism 80 can be automatically folded.

The embodiment is not limited to the above, and may be changed to the following modes.
The container folding device according to the first embodiment may not include the robot 30. For example, a first rotating operation portion provided with an actuator for rotating the leaf spring member 62 from the locking position to the retracted position after removing the locking pin 63, and a locking position to the unlocking position by gripping the metal fitting 61. A second rotation operation unit provided with an actuator for rotating, and a depressing operation unit for lowering the panels 21 and 22 while supporting them halfway may be provided. In addition, it is preferable that the second rotation operation unit is configured to rotate the metal fitting 61 while applying a force outward in the rotation radial direction. With this configuration, the container 15 having the lock mechanism 60 can be automatically folded.

  In the first embodiment, after the leaf spring member 62 is gripped and pulled by the dedicated grip unit provided separately from the panel grip unit 52 to remove the locking pin 63, the leaf spring member 62 is gripped. It may be configured to rotate about 180 degrees from the locked position to the retracted position.

  In the first embodiment, the metal fitting 61 may be gripped by a dedicated gripping unit provided separately from the panel gripping unit 52 and rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position.

  The container folding device according to the second embodiment may be configured not to include the robot 30. For example, the container folding device engages with a rotation operation unit including an actuator that rotates an operation lever 81A of a slide pin 81 of a lock mechanism 80 between a slide restriction position and a slide allowable position, and the operation lever 81A. And a slide release operation unit having an actuator for sliding the slide pin 81 from the lock position to the unlock position. Furthermore, the container folding device is provided with a depressing operation unit that depresses the four panels in order while supporting them halfway. With this configuration, the container 15 having the lock mechanism 80 can be automatically folded.

  In the second embodiment, the operation lever 81A is gripped by a dedicated gripping unit separately from the panel gripping unit 52, and the first rotation operation step, the slide release operation step, and the second rotation operation step are performed. Is also good. Further, the first rotation operation and the second rotation operation may be performed using different operation tools.

  A method in which the position of the lock mechanism 60 is detected by the load detecting unit 71 that detects a load when the contact piece 57 or the contact piece 95 is pressed against the side plate is replaced with a camera provided on the head 50 or the arm 33 and the lock mechanism is used. The positions of the lock mechanisms 60 and 80 may be detected by analyzing the captured image.

・ You may push down the side plate to defeat it. Alternatively, the side plate may be tilted down by its own weight, received once in the middle of the side plate, decelerated or stopped, and then separated again to fall down by its own weight.
A suction pad is provided on the head mounted on the arm 33 of the robot 30, the outer surface of the side plate is sucked by the suction pad, and the arm 33 of the robot 30 tilts while supporting the side plate by suction halfway, and then falls down by its own weight. A method may be adopted. Of course, the side plate may be placed on the bottom or on the side plate that has been previously fallen on the bottom while being suctioned by the suction pad.

  -The lock mechanism may have another structure. What is necessary is just a structure provided with the regulation mechanism which regulates operation which releases the lock of a lock mechanism. A restriction release operation section (restriction release operation step) for operating the restriction mechanism from an operation restriction position for restricting the operation of releasing the lock to an operation allowable position for releasing the restriction, and a lock member of the lock mechanism for which the operation restriction is released. A lock release operation (lock release step) for moving from the lock position to the lock release position may be provided.

  For the position detection of the lock mechanism, a camera may be provided in the container folding device 11, and the position of the lock mechanism may be detected by analyzing an image captured by the camera. For example, a camera is provided on the head 50.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Container folding apparatus, 12 ... Conveyor, 15 ... Container, 20 ... Bottom part, 21 ... 1st panel as an example of a side plate, 22 ... 2nd panel as an example of a side plate, 22A ... Plate part, 30 ... as an example Articulated robot, 33 ... Arm constituting an example of a first rotating operation unit and a second rotating operation unit, 33C ... A third arm unit, 40 ... Pressing device constituting an example of a tilting operating unit, 41 ... Pressing member , 17 ... Temporary placement unit, 50 ... Head, 51 ... Operation actuator, 52 ... Grip unit, 53 ... Roller, 55 ... Cylinder as an example of a first rotation operation unit and release operation unit, 56 ... Operation tool, 57 ... Contact piece, 60 lock mechanism, 61 fitting, 61A long hole, 61B recess, 62 leaf spring member, 63 locking pin, 66, 67 hole, 70 control part, 71 load detection part , 8 ... Lock mechanism, 81 ... Slide pin, 81A ... Operation lever as an example of a protrusion, 82 ... Holding part, 83 ... Spring, 91 ... Operation actuator, 92 ... Grip member, 93 ... Cylinder constituting an example of a slide operation part , 94... An electric motor which constitutes an example of a rotating operation unit, 95... Contact pieces, XX... X direction (width direction), Y... Y direction, Z... Z direction, R1. .

Claims (7)

The assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates is placed on the bottom by releasing a plurality of locking mechanisms that lock the four side plates next to each other by the container folding device. A container folding method for folding the four side plates in an overlapping state,
The lock mechanism is provided on the side plate so as to be rotatable around one end, and is engaged with an upper end of a side plate adjacent to the side plate, and a lock for releasing engagement with the adjacent side plate. A metal fitting that is rotatable between a release position, a locking position having a locking pin at a tip end, and a locking position for locking the metal fitting in the locking position with the locking pin so that the metal fitting cannot rotate. A plate that is rotatably provided between a retracted position that is disposed when unlocked and that allows rotation, and that is biased in a locking direction in which the locking pin locks the metal fitting in the locked position. And a spring member,
The container folding device is configured to rotate the leaf spring member between the locking position and the retracted position, and rotate the metal fitting between the locked position and the unlocked position. A second rotation operation unit for moving, and a folding operation unit for folding down the four side plates to fold them,
The first pivoting operation unit detaches the locking pin at the locking position for locking the metal fitting at the locking position in a non-rotatable manner against the urging force of the leaf spring member; A first rotating operation step of rotating a spring member from the locking position to the retracted position;
A second rotation operation step in which the second rotation operation section rotates the metal fitting from the lock position to the unlock position;
A lowering step of lowering the four side plates inward by folding the four side plates in an overlaid state on the bottom portion,
A container folding method, comprising:   2. The container folding device according to claim 1, wherein in the second rotation operation step, the metal fitting is rotated from the lock position to the lock release position while applying a force outward in a rotation radial direction. 3. Method. An assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates is placed on the bottom by releasing a plurality of locking mechanisms that lock the four side plates next to each other by the container folding device. A container folding method for folding the four side plates in an overlapping state,
The lock mechanism includes a slide pin, a protrusion protruding in a direction intersecting with an axis of the slide pin, a holding portion that holds the slide pin slidably in the axial direction, and a lock position from an unlocked position to a locked position. A spring for biasing the slide pin, and the protrusion is configured to be rotatable around an axis of the slide pin between a slide restriction position for restricting slide of the slide pin and a slide allowable position for allowing the slide. And
The container folding device is configured to fold a slide operation unit that slides the slide pin, a rotation operation unit that rotates the protrusion between the slide restriction position and the slide allowable position, and the four side plates. And a depressing operation unit,
A first rotation operation step of rotating the protrusion from the slide restriction position to the slide allowable position under a state where the slide pin is at the lock position;
A slide release operation step in which the slide operation unit operates the protrusion to slide the slide pin from the lock position to the lock release position;
A second rotation operation step of rotating the protrusion from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position under a state where the slide pin is at the lock release position;
A step of folding the four side plates inward and folding the four side plates on the bottom under the released state of the lock mechanism,
A container folding method, comprising:   The container folding method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a position detection step of detecting a position of the lock mechanism before all the steps. The tilting step is a tilting operation step of tilting while supporting the side plate to a predetermined angle,
Removing the side plate inclined at the predetermined angle by its own weight, and removing the support,
Folding the container by sequentially performing the tilting operation step and the unsupporting step on the four side plates,
The container folding method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: An assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates is provided with four side plates on the bottom by releasing a plurality of locking mechanisms that lock the four side plates next to each other. Container folding device that folds in a stacked state,
The lock mechanism is provided on the side plate so as to be rotatable around one end, and is engaged with an upper end of a side plate adjacent to the side plate, and a lock for releasing engagement with the adjacent side plate. A metal fitting that is rotatable between a release position, a locking position having a locking pin at a tip end, and a locking position for locking the metal fitting in the locking position with the locking pin so that the metal fitting cannot rotate. A plate that is rotatably provided between a retracted position that is disposed when unlocked and that allows rotation, and that is biased in a locking direction in which the locking pin locks the metal fitting in the locked position. And a spring member.
A first rotating operation unit that rotates the leaf spring member between the locking position and the retracted position;
A second rotation operation unit that rotates the metal fitting from the lock position to the unlock position;
A folding operation unit for folding down the four side plates to fold them,
The first rotation operation portion performs an operation of removing the locking pin at the locking position for locking the metal fitting at the locking position so as not to rotate against the urging force of the leaf spring member. Performing a first rotation operation of rotating the leaf spring member from which the locking pin has been removed to the retracted position, comprising:
The tilting operation unit is configured to tilt the four side plates inward in the container in a predetermined order and fold the side plates on the bottom part,
A container folding device characterized by the above-mentioned. An assembled container having one square bottom and four side plates is provided with four side plates on the bottom by releasing a plurality of locking mechanisms that lock the four side plates next to each other. Container folding device that folds in a stacked state,
The lock mechanism includes a slide pin, a protrusion protruding in a direction intersecting with an axis of the slide pin, a holding portion that holds the slide pin slidably in the axial direction, and a lock position from an unlocked position to a locked position. A spring for biasing the slide pin, and the protrusion is configured to be rotatable around an axis of the slide pin between a slide restriction position for restricting slide of the slide pin and a slide allowable position for allowing the slide. And
A slide operation unit that operates the protrusion to slide the slide pin from the lock position to the unlock position;
A rotation operation unit that rotates the protrusion between the slide restriction position and the slide allowance position,
A folding operation unit for folding and folding the four side plates in a state of being stacked on the bottom under the released state of the lock mechanism,
The rotation operation section includes a first rotation operation of rotating the protrusion from the slide restriction position to the slide allowable position in a state where the slide pin is in the lock position, and the slide pin being in the lock release position. Performing a second rotation operation of rotating the protrusion from the slide allowable position to the slide restriction position in a certain state;
A container folding device characterized by the above-mentioned.