JPH0356964B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an automatic binding device suitable for bundling irregularly shaped and soft objects such as vegetables and flowers.

(Prior Art) A conventional tape binding device places objects to be bound on a special table and winds the tape. When winding objects to be bound in the vertical direction, a groove is provided in the dedicated table and the tape is pulled out along the groove to bind the objects. After the binding is completed, the objects to be bound are taken down from the dedicated table, and the next object to be bound is placed on the dedicated table.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The objects to be bound are bound in this manner, but when there are a large number of objects to be bound, it becomes very hard work to lift them onto a dedicated table. Also, in order to bind the tape at a predetermined location, care must be taken regarding the position where the tape is placed. Furthermore, in the case of long items such as green onions, it is necessary to change the orientation in order to bundle them in several places, which is a complicated task. Moreover, if you change the orientation many times to make it easier to bundle, there is a risk of deformation.
Also, if you tighten it too loosely to avoid damaging it, the load may collapse. For this reason, there has been a demand for a binding device that can reliably bundle objects without damaging or deforming them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the inconveniences of the conventional devices, an object of the present invention is to provide a bundling device that can automatically bind objects.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a transport device having a bucket for placing objects to be bound on which the center or both sides of objects to be bound are placed, and a transport path for the bucket. The cut end of the binding tape provided in the middle is held on the lower stand, and the binding tape hung on the upper head above the bucket is wound around the exposed part of the object to be bound from the bucket, and the binding tape is cut. a binding mechanism that overlaps the end of the winding end and press-cuts the end; a detection switch that detects the bucket approaching the binding mechanism and stops the conveyance device;
A bundling device that holds the objects to be bound on the bucket cart, which is provided facing the stop position of the bucket cart, and the middle part of the binding tape that is taut between the lower stand and the upper head of the binding mechanism are and a lever that projects forward in the transport direction of the objects to be bound and separated from the circumferential surface of the objects to be bound.

(Function) With the above configuration, when the objects to be bound are placed on the bucket, one or several places of the objects are exposed, and the objects are conveyed toward the binding mechanism installed on the conveyance path. Then, the conveyed bucket is stopped at a predetermined position where the binding mechanism is located by the detection switch.

On the other hand, in the binding mechanism, the binding tape is tensioned by an upper head and a lower stand in correspondence with the part of the objects to be bound exposed from the bucket, but when the bucket approaches a predetermined position, a detection switch is activated. The lever is moved forward in the transport direction by the detection signal. As a result, the intermediate portion of the binding tape can be projected forward in the transport direction to reduce the tension applied to the circumferential surface of the binding tape on the object to be bound, and the binding tape can be placed in front of and above the object to be bound. Next, the bundling device holds the exposed portion of the objects to be bound from the bucket to prevent the objects from shaking during binding. Thereafter, when the upper head and lower stand approach each other, the tension by the lever is released, and the binding tape is rewound so that it comes into contact with the entire circumferential surface of the object to be bound. Therefore, the tension of the binding tape does not tighten the objects to be bound. Furthermore, since the cut end is held after winding, continuous work can be performed.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a schematic overall view of the automatic bundling device. In the figures, 1 is a machine base, and the machine base 1 has three chains 2,
3 and 4 are arranged at appropriate intervals. Each chain 2, 3, 4 is stretched over sprockets 9, 10, 11, 12 provided on support shafts 5, 6, 7, 8, respectively. The machine base 1 is provided with a motor 13 and a clutch device 14, and the power of the motor 13 is transmitted via the clutch device 14 to each chain 2,
3 and 4.

Small bucket containers 15 for placing objects to be bound are attached to chain 2 at equal intervals.
Similarly, small buckets 16 and 17 are attached at equal intervals. As shown in FIG. 2, the buckets 15, 16, and 17 on each of the chains 2, 3, and 4 are arranged horizontally in a line and transported in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

A switch 18 is attached to the machine base 1 to detect the position of the bucket 15.
In response to this signal, the bucket device 14 is activated and the transmission of power from the motor 13 to each of the chains 2, 3, and 4 is cut off for a certain period of time.

The bucket 15 is roughly composed of a placement surface 15A, a front wall 15B and a rear wall 15C extending upward from the front and rear ends of the placement surface 15A in the transfer direction, and the upper ends of the front and rear walls 15B and 15C. (The notch on the rear wall 15C is designated by reference numeral 15D in FIG.
Indicated by ), and an upper holding plate 19 that can enter into the notch is disposed at the center of the machine base 1. The other buckets 16 and 17 have a similar configuration, and upper presser plates 20 and 21 that can enter into the notches on the buckets 16 and 17 are arranged, respectively. Upper press plate 19, 20, 2
1 can be adjusted in height by height adjusting means 22. This upper press plate 19, 20, 2
1 serves to press down the upper part of the objects A on the buckets 15, 16, and 17.

In the center of the machine base 1 are buckets 15, 16, 1.
7 is stopped, the buckets 15, 16,
A bundling device 23 is provided to adjust the shape of the objects to be bound in the bundle 17. As shown in FIG. 3, this bundling device 23 includes an arm 25 formed in a substantially L shape and rotatable around a shaft 24, and a cylinder device 26 that rotationally drives the arm 25. It is roughly composed of. The cylinder device 26 is pivotally supported by a bracket 27 attached to the machine base 1.
The arm 25 has a bucket 15 in the central stop position,
16 and between the buckets 16 and 17 in the clockwise direction in FIG. A tightening band 28 is stretched between the tip and base of the arm 25, and when the arm 25 rotates to the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
It is designed to tighten the objects to be bound above. The band 28 can be made of a rubber band, an air tube, a spring, a wire, a combination of a spring and a wire, or the like. Note that instead of the band 28, an elastic body may be attached to the inner surface of the arm 25.

Corresponding to the center stop position of the buckets 15, 16, and 17, the machine base 1 is used to wind the binding tape around the objects to be bound that have been shaped by the bundling device 23, and to overlap the ends of both windings with each other. A binding mechanism 29 is provided for crimping and cutting together. The binding mechanism 29 includes an upper head 30, a lower stand 31, and a tape supply mechanism 32.
It is roughly composed of.

Here, the upper head 30 is a cylinder device 33
It is designed to be driven up and down by. That is, the cylinder device main body 33A is attached to the upper support frame 34 of the machine base 1, and the piston rod 3 protrudes downward from the cylinder device main body 33A.
An upper head 30 is attached to 3B via a guide rod 35. On the other hand, the upper head 30 has a fourth
As shown in the figure, a rack 36 is provided, and the upper support frame 34 of the machine base 1 is provided with a horizontal shaft 38 having a pinion gear 37 that meshes with the rack 36.

As shown in FIG. 3, a sprocket 39 is attached to the horizontal shaft 38, and this sprocket 39 connects to the sprocket 4 provided at the bottom of the machine base 1.
0 via a chain 41. A cam 4 is mounted on the horizontal shaft 42 that supports the sprocket 40.
3 is attached, and the lower stand 31 is attached to this cam 4.
3, it can be moved up and down. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower stand 31 is supported by the machine stand 1 via a guide 44 so as to be able to move up and down, and the roller 45 provided at the bottom of the lower stand 31 is in contact with the cam 43. are doing. The lower stand 31 is always urged downward by a spring 46.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower stand 31 is provided with a tape crimping stand 47, a first tape holding body 48, and a second tape holding body 49. Here, the rotation of the first tape holder 48 in the clockwise direction in the figure is restricted by the restriction piece 50.
The second tape holder 49 is urged toward the first tape holder 48 by a spring 51.

The upper head 30 includes a first pressing rod 52 that can abut against the tape crimping table 47 and a first tape holding body 48.
The first and second pressing rods 52, 53 are provided to be slidable in the vertical direction, respectively, and springs 54, 5 are provided.
5, each is biased downward.

The upper head 30 has first and second clamping bodies 48, 4.
An operating portion (here, a cam) 56 is provided for moving the tape release member 9, and a cutting blade 57 and a tape relief rod 58 are fixed to the upper head 30. A tape push rod 59 is pivotally attached to the second tape push rod 53 and is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 6 by a spring 60.

As shown in FIG. 4, a sprocket 61 is attached to the horizontal shaft 38, and a reel support shaft 62 is rotatably provided on the upper support frame 34 of the machine base 1. A sprocket 63 is rotatably provided, and both sprockets 61, 63
A tape reel 65 is rotatably provided on the reel support shaft 62 to which the tape reel 65 is connected via a chain 64.
A friction clutch 66 is provided between the clutch 5 and the clutch 5.

A rotation transmission/intermittent means 67 such as an electromagnetic clutch is provided between the sprocket 63 and the reel support shaft 62. The rotation transmission interrupting means 67 is configured to interrupt rotation transmission between the sprocket 63 and the reel support shaft 62 when the upper head 30 is in the upper standby position and while moving upward from the lower position. Note that the rotation transmission disconnection means 67 is not limited to the electromagnetic clutch, and may be provided at any location along the rotation transmission path between the horizontal shaft 38 and the tape reel 65.

The reel support plate 34A of the upper support frame 34 has a guide roller 69 for guiding the binding tape (self-adhesive tape, pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, heat-sensitive tape, etc.) 68 pulled out from the tape reel 65 to the upper head 30. A guide plate 71 with 70 is provided. The tape 68 passes through guide rollers 69 and 70,
It is guided by rollers 71' provided on the upper head 30, and is pulled out further downward to form the first and second clamping bodies 4.
It is sandwiched between 8 and 49.

A tape pull lever 72 is supported on the upper support frame 34 so as to be able to swing freely on the side of the upper head 30 via a shaft 72A. A roller 73 is attached to guide the roller 68. An arm portion 74 is integrally provided on the lever 72.
The horizontal shaft 38 is provided with a cam plate 75 that can be engaged with a pin 74A provided at the tip of the arm portion 74. The lever 72 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by a spring 76, but the upper head 30
As shown in the figure, when it is in the upper standby position, it is located to the left of the lower base 31 under the action of the cam plate 75, and when the upper head 30 is lowered, it reaches the position shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 3. Moving. This lever 72 is used to make it easy and reliable to wind the tape 68 around the object A, and when the tape is an adhesive tape, it allows the object A to come into contact with the appropriate position of the tape 68. This prevents the clamping end of the tape from coming off during winding, and prevents the tape from being improperly tightened.

Next, the operation of the above binding device will be explained.

Buckets 15, 16, 17 with objects to be bound A placed on them
switch 1 when it moves to the center of machine base 1.
8 detects and stops the movement of buckets 15, 16, and 17. At this time, the tape is projected forward from the stop position of the bucket carts 15, 16, and 17 by the lever 72, and the tape stretched between the tape tip and the upper head is positioned above the object A to be bound. This prevents the tape from coming into pressure contact with the object A to be bound under tension. Next, the cylinder device 26 is operated, and as shown in FIG. 3, the band 28 stretched on the arm 25 tightens and shapes the objects A on the bucket bags 15, 16, 17.

Next, the cylinder device 33 is actuated and the upper head 30 is pushed down. At this time, the pinion gear 37 is rotated by the rack 36, and the cam plate 75 pushes the pin 74A to move the lower end of the lever 72 to the right in FIG. 3 of the upper head 30. This causes the tape to form a ring around the object to be bound.
Further, the rotation of the horizontal shaft 38 is transmitted to the cam 43,
As the cam 43 rotates, the lower base 31 is pushed upward. For this reason, the tape 68 between the upper head 30 and the lower stand 31 is slackened, but the tape 68 is loosened by the tape rewinding rotation (clockwise rotation in FIG. 3) of the tape reel 65 accompanying the rotation of the horizontal shaft 38. The tape is prevented from sagging, and the tape is brought into contact with the circumferential surface of the object A to be bound.

When the upper head 30 and lower stand 31 come into contact,
As shown in Figures 6 and 7 A and B, the tape 6
The winding ends 68A and 68B of No. 8 to the object to be bound A are overlapped with each other, and the crimping table 47 and the first pressing rod 52
The cutting blade 57 cuts the upper tape near the winding end. At this time, the tape 68 is cut using the first and second tape holding rods 48 and 49.
It takes place between. The tape cut end 68C on the winding end side and the original clamping end 68D are pulled out from between the clamping rods 48 and 49 by the tape relief rod 58. The cut end 68E of the tape 68 on the tape reel side becomes the next clamping end. This cut end 68E is held between the tape pushing rod 59 and the first tape holding body 48, but when the upper head 30 rises, the first tape holding member 48
It is held between second tape holding bodies 48 and 49.

Since the tape 68 is cut at a position closer to the crimping table 47 than the clamping position, a positional shift occurs between the tape cut end 68C and the original clamping end 68D, and the tape 68
The adhesive side will be exposed. Therefore, this adhesive surface can be attached to the object A side to be bound.

When the upper head 30 has been lowered to the position shown in FIG. Along with this, the lower stand 31 descends, and the lever 7
2 moves to the left side of the lower stand 31 and returns to the original position shown in FIG. On the other hand, the arm 25 returns to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
7 starts moving again and the next bucket 15,1
6 and 17 move to the center of the machine base 1, and the above-mentioned binding operation is performed. The bound objects A that have been bound are carried by buckets 15, 16, and 17 to the left end of the machine 1 in FIG. 1, and are discharged from the buckets 15, 16, and 17.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 to 7 indicate the same components as in the above embodiment.

In this example, the end 68 of the tape 68 on the side of the object to be bound
C, 68D are automatically pasted on the side of the objects to be bound A on the buckets 15, 16, and 17.
When the arms 5, 16, and 17 stop, the regulating arm 7
The arm 7 is rotated by the cylinder device 78 about the shaft 79 to the position shown by the solid line in the figure.
The band 80 stretched on the belt 7 presses the object A to the rear wall side of the bucket 15, 16, 17, and then the tape end sticking arm 81 presses the object A against the rear wall side of the bucket 15, 16, 17.
The brush 84 attached to the lever 83 pivoted to the tip of the tape end sticking arm 81 moves upward along the rear surface of the object A. By moving the tape 68 to the end 68D side, the adhesive surface exposed on the end 68D side is attached to the object A side. After the lever 83 comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide plate 85, the lever 83 rotates counterclockwise in the figure against the spring force of the spring 87 about the pin 86, and moves along the upper surface of the object A as shown in the figure. Move to the center left. Therefore, even if the end 68D of the tape 68 is long and reaches the upper surface of the object A, the attachment process can be performed smoothly.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes, for example, the following modifications.

(1) In the above embodiment, the objects to be bound are bound in two places with two binding tapes, but the object is not limited to this, and may be bound with one or three or more binding tapes. . In this case, the number of upper heads, lower stands, etc. may be set to the required number.

(2) In the above embodiment, the buckets are arranged in three rows, but they may be arranged in one, two, four or more rows.

(3) The binding mechanism may be of any form other than the above-mentioned embodiments, as long as it winds the binding tape around the object to be bound, overlaps the ends of both windings, and press-cuts them.

(4) In the above embodiment, both the upper head and the lower stand are movable, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lower stand may be fixed. In this case, by positioning the lower stand near the bottom surface of the objects to be bound, there will be no hindrance to the transportation of the objects to be bound, and the gap between the winding end of the tape and the outer periphery of the objects to be bound can be avoided. This is convenient because the space between them is small.

(5) When moving the upper head and the lower table, for example, the shafts 42, 38 are rotationally driven using the power of the transport drive motor, and the upper head is moved by the rotation of these shafts 38, 42. The head and the lower stand may be moved up and down. In this case, the cylinder device for driving the upper head can be omitted.

(6) It is also possible to arrange the upper head and the lower stand upside down from the above embodiment. In this case, the adhesive surface on the end 68D side of the tape 68 will be exposed below, so if the tape end sticking arm 81 is provided, the arm 81 will be
The tape may be arranged so that the ends of the tape are applied from top to bottom on the object to be bound.

(7) It goes without saying that the manner in which the lever 72 is moved and the manner in which the tape reel is rewound and rotated are not limited to the embodiments described above.

(8) The bundling arm 25 may be configured to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 42. In this case, the shaft 42 and the shaft 24 of the arm 25 may be connected by a sprocket and a chain, or a pulley and a belt, or the like. With such a configuration, a cylinder device for driving the arm can be omitted.

(9) The conveyance device is not limited to one that uses a chain, but may also use, for example, a belt. Further, the conveyance device is not limited to one having a bucket; for example, as shown in FIG. 9, plates 15' for supporting objects to be bound,
16' may be provided at intervals to place and convey the objects A to be bound.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the plate 15'' for supporting the objects to be bound may have a shape in which the upper part extends in the shape of a canopy toward the front in the transport direction.In this case, the plate 15' Since the eave-shaped portion serves to press down the upper part of the object to be bound A, the upper pressing plate 19 and the like in the above embodiment can be omitted.

(10) In the above embodiment, the bundling device is provided on the machine base, but this is not restrictive; for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a bucket 15 may also serve as the bundling device. That is, Bucket 1
5 consists of a pair of arms 15A, 15B, and both arms 15A, 15B are connected to pin 1.
The arms 15A and 15B are connected rotatably around the center 5C, and both arms 15A and 15B are connected to a conveyor 2' such as a belt.
Cylinder device, solenoid, etc. installed on 15D
The opening/closing operation may be performed by
In this case, a tightening band 15E or the like is stretched between the upper ends of both arms 15A and 15B, or
Elastic bodies may be attached to the inner surfaces of both arms 15A, 15B.

Alternatively, one of the pair of arms 15A, 15B may be fixed and the other may be moved to open and close.

(11) In the above embodiment, the conveyance device is configured to intermittently transport the objects to be bound, and the binding operation and the operation of pasting the end of the tape to the objects to be bound are performed while the transportation of the objects to be bound is stopped. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the binding operation and tape end pasting operation may be performed while continuously conveying the objects to be bound.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, the present invention allows objects to be bound to be bound while they are placed, so even soft objects such as vegetables and flowers with curls can be applied with tape tension. Since it does not affect the bundled items, it can be bundled without causing damage or deformation.
Therefore, complete automatic binding and conveyance using the binding tape can be achieved, and labor can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatic binding device showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of main parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the vicinity of the lower stand in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional front view of the upper head and lower stand in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. 7A and 7B are vertical cross-sectional front views of the upper head and the lower stand, respectively, showing the operating state of the main parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a front view of essential parts of an automatic bundling device showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of essential parts of an automatic binding device showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 10 and 11 are front views of essential parts of an automatic bundling device showing other embodiments of the present invention, respectively. 2, 3, 4... Chain (transport device), 15, 1
6, 17...Bucket (transport device), 23...Bundling device, 28...Binding tape, 29...Binding mechanism, 30...Upper head, 31...Lower stand, 72
...Lever, A...Object to be bound.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A conveyance device having a bucket for placing objects to be bound on which the center or both sides of objects to be bound are placed; The binding tape hung on the upper head above the bucket is wound around the exposed part of the object to be bound, the cut end of the binding tape is overlapped with the wound end, and the cut end is crimped and cut. a detection switch that detects the bucket cart approaching the binding mechanism and stops the conveyance device; and an arrangement that holds objects to be bound on the bucket cart, which is provided facing a stop position of the bucket cart. The middle part of the binding tape tensioned between the bundling device and the lower stand and the upper head of the binding mechanism is made to protrude forward in the conveyance direction of the objects to be bound in the stopped bucket, so as to separate it from the circumferential surface of the objects to be bound. An automatic tying device characterized by having a lever configured to release the tying device.