A PACKAGING MECHANISM

[0001] Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a packaging mechanism used in the production processes of television devices.

[0003] The Prior Art

[0004] During the mass production of televisions, operators or automatic machines realize one or some of the processes in the assembly of the device at every point of the production lines. The device, the assembly of which is completed, is conveyed to the packaging point on the production line in order to be packaged.

[0005] Since televisions are heavy and large devices, and sensitive against shaking and impacts, problems are encountered while they are lifted and placed into packages by the workers at the packaging point. The most important of these problems are the adverse effects on the health of the worker, and that the device is damaged or falls down in the lifting and lowering processes of the device.

[0006] In the state of the art, several mechanisms and methods used in the automatic packaging of several products are present at the end of the production processes of these products. However, these mechanisms cannot realize that sensitive electronic devices such as televisions are taken from the production line and packaged without any problems.

[0007] In the state of the art United States of America Patent Document No

US5794417, an automation mechanism is explained, which realizes the products with carton packages to be packed by being disposed into a larger container. At the packaging point, products are lifted on a conveyor and aligned with an open-top box, and are disposed into the box by being pushed therein by a telescoping pushing plate that moves in the horizontal plane.

[0008] In the state of the art Canadian Patent Document No CA1299540, a mechanism for automatically packaging the products is described. The product, which is ready for packaging, is lifted by means of a moving platform and is disposed into the case, which is positioned as its bottom flap is open. [0009] Brief Description of the Present Invention

[0010] The aim of the present invention is to realize an automatic packaging mechanism wherein the electronic devices are prevented from being damaged during packaging.

[0011] The packaging mechanism realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, explicated in the first claim and the respective claims thereof, provides the devices, the assemblies of which are completed, to be taken from the assembly line and disposed into packages without using manpower. A telescopic arm, which ascends by being extended at the lower side of the pallet carrying the device at the end point of the assembly line, lifts the device, and the device, which is conveyed out of the assembly line by a moving line on the ground, is disposed into the package by the telescopic arm being retracted.

[0012] The device, the assembly of which is completed, comes to the packaging point on a pallet having a U-shaped opening thereon. At the packaging point, right under the pallet, a platform is located which comprises the telescopic arm in the retracted position and which carries the package wherein the device will be disposed. On the base of the package, at least one port is situated which opens towards the inside of the package.

[0013] The television device is firstly lifted from the pallet by means of the telescopic arm. For this purpose, the telescopic arm passes through the package by opening the port and is extended upward from the platform. By means of its end compatible with a housing on the bottom surface of the television device, the telescopic arm lifts the device by holding it from below. The device being moved in the horizontal direction is conveyed out of the pallet by being passed through the opening. By the telescopic arm being retracted downward in the last phase of the packaging, the device is disposed in the package and the port is closed while the telescopic arm is getting out of the package after releasing the device into the package.

[0014] Detailed Description of the Present Invention

[0015] The packaging mechanism realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where: [0016] Figure 1 - is the perspective view of the packaging mechanism of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 - is the perspective view of the pallet. [0018] Figure 3 - is the perspective view of a package used by the packaging mechanism of the present invention. [0019] Figure 4 - is the perspective view of the platform when the telescopic arm is retracted. [0020] Figure 5 - is the perspective view of the platform when the telescopic arm is extended. [0021] Figure 6 - is the perspective view of the packaging mechanism of the present invention illustrating the position of the television device before being taken from the production line. [0022] Figure 7 - is the perspective view of the packaging mechanism of the present invention illustrating the position of the television device while being taken from the production line. [0023] Figure 8 - is the perspective view of the packaging mechanism of the present invention illustrating the position of the television device before being packaged (The front portion of the assembly line (A) is not illustrated). [0024] Figure 9 - is the perspective view of the packaging mechanism of the present invention illustrating the position of the television device while being packaged (The front portion of the assembly line (A) is not illustrated). [0025] The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

1. Packaging mechanism

2. Pallet

3. Telescopic arm

4. Platform

5. Conveyor

6. Port

7. Opening

[0026] The packaging mechanism (1) comprises a pallet (2) that carries the device (B), the assembly of which is completed on the assembly line (A), and that has at least one opening (7), a platform (4), on which the package (C) wherein the device (B) will be disposed is placed and which has a telescopic arm (3) that is extended and retracted in the vertical direction, and a conveyor (5) which moves the platform (4) and the package (C) in the horizontal direction (Figure 1).

[0027] The packaging mechanism (1) of the present invention is situated at the packaging point wherein the devices (B), which are located at the end of the assembly line (A) and the assemblies of which are completed, will be disposed into packages (C).

[0028] The pallet (2) carries the device (B) along the assembly line (A). The pallet (2) is preferably a rectangular plane which is wider than the base of the television device (B). The pallet (2) has a U-shaped opening (7) which extends from the pallet (2) side, facing the point the assembly line (A) is over, as far as to the center of the pallet (2), and which has a width that the telescopic arm (3) can pass therethrough (Figure 2).

[0029] The telescopic arm (3) remains completely inside the platform (4) when retracted (Figure 4). The telescopic arm (3) gets out of the platform (4) and is extended upward (Figure 5). Opposite snap structures are situated at the end of the telescopic arm (3) and on the base of the television device (B). Preferably, the structure at the end of the telescopic arm (3) is shaped as a conical protrusion, and the structure under the television device (B) is shaped as a housing compatible with the conical structure. By means of the opposite snap structures, the telescopic arm (3) can carry the device (B) in a balanced manner while lifting it, and is detached from the device (B) by its end being freed from the housing while releasing the device (B) into the package (C).

[0030] The conveyor (5) consists of at least one line which is under the assembly line (A) and parallel to the assembly line (A), and which can move in both directions in the moving direction of the assembly line (A). The platform (4) and the package (C) wherein the television device (B) will be disposed are located on the conveyor (5).

[0031] The packaging process starts when the television device (B) on the pallet (2) comes to the packaging position at the end of the assembly line (A). Meanwhile, the package (C) with open top flaps and the platform (4) carrying the package (C) are positioned under the pallet (2) such that their centers will be aligned with the center of the pallet (2) (Figure 6).

[0032] On the base of the package (C), at least one port (6) is situated which opens towards the inside of the package (C) and through which the telescopic arm (3) can pass (Figure 3). The port (6) opens upward during the extending of the telescopic arm (3) and thus, allows the telescopic arm (3) to pass through the package (C). Thus, the telescopic arm (3) extending upward ascends from the inside of the package (C) and passes towards the opening (7) on the pallet (2), and lifts the television device (B) upward from the bottom of the device (B). The contact of the device (B), which is lifted by means of the telescopic arm (3), with the pallet (2) is broken (Figure 7). Afterwards, by the conveyor (5) moving away from the assembly line (A), the platform (4), the package (C) thereon, the extended telescopic arm (3) passing through the opening (7) on the pallet (2) and the television device (B) carried by the arm (3) are taken out of the assembly line (A) (Figure 8). In the last step of the packaging process, the telescopic arm (3) is retracted towards the inside of the package (C) and thus, places the device (B) thereon into the package (C) (Figure 9). The port (6) closes during the retracting of the telescopic arm (3) when the telescopic arm (3) is retracted by passing through the package (C). Before the next packaging process, empty packages (C) wherein the devices (B), the assemblies of which are completed, will be disposed, the platform (4) and the retracted telescopic arm (3) are conveyed towards the assembly line (A) by means of the conveyor (5) such that they will be aligned with the pallet (2).

[0033] By means of the abovementioned packaging mechanism (1), the television devices (B), the assemblies of which are completed, are packaged without the need for an additional manpower. Furthermore, since the devices (B) are disposed into a package (C), the bottom flaps of which are closed, the process of closing the bottom flaps during packaging is eliminated.