Bag-making packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a bag-making packaging machine that can increase a filling rate of articles also on the downstream side of a lateral sealing mechanism.SOLUTION: The bag-making packaging machine wraps an article A, which is discharged from an article discharge device, into a bag W obtained by molding a film in a cylindrical shape. The bag-making packaging machine includes a horizontal sealing mechanism and a receiving member. The horizontal sealing mechanism performs a first operation by pinching the film from a direction (horizontal direction H) that crosses a direction of conveyance and sealing it. The receiving member is integrally arranged above the horizontal sealing mechanism and receives articles falling inside a packaging material while in contact with an outer surface of the packaging material. A contact surface of the receiving member, which is in contact with the outer surface of the packaging material, is covered with a member that has elasticity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This relates to bag making and packaging machines. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2012-166833 A) discloses a packaging machine (form-fill-seal machine) that seals a predetermined portion of a cylindrically shaped packaging material into which an article has been dropped to produce a bag. The packaging machine of Patent Document 1 includes a pair of sealing jaws that clamp and seal the packaging material in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, and a pair of shutters that clamp the packaging material above the sealing jaws and temporarily block the progress of the article. The shutters of Patent Document 1 shake the clamped packaging material and impart vibrations to the article, thereby filling gaps between the articles upstream of the shutters and improving the filling rate. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] In the packaging machine of Patent Document 1, the vibrated objects are dropped into a bag arranged downstream of the shutter and then packaged. In this way, gaps are again generated between the dropped objects, so the packaging machine of Patent Document 1 has the problem of being unable to sufficiently improve the filling rate.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a bag-making and packaging machine that can increase the filling rate of articles even downstream of the transverse sealing mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A form-fill-seal machine according to a first aspect of the present invention packages articles discharged from an article discharge device into bags formed from packaging material into a cylindrical shape. This form-fill-seal machine includes a transverse sealing mechanism and a receiving member. The transverse sealing mechanism performs a first operation of clamping and sealing the packaging material from a direction intersecting the conveying direction. The receiving member is disposed integrally with the transverse sealing mechanism above the transverse sealing mechanism, and receives articles that come into contact with the outer surface of the packaging material and fall inside the packaging material. The contact surface of the receiving member that comes into contact with the outer surface of the packaging material is covered with an elastic member.

[0006] A form-fill-seal machine according to a second aspect of the present invention is the form-fill-seal machine of the first aspect, wherein the contact surface has a first contact surface and a second contact surface that face each other with the packaging material in between. The first contact surface and the second contact surface are inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The distance between the first contact surface and the second contact surface gradually increases from the bottom to the top.

[0007] A form-fill-seal machine according to a third aspect of the present invention is the form-fill-seal machine according to the first or second aspect, wherein the contact surface is supported by a sliding portion and attached to a fixed portion so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction.

[0008] A form-fill-seal machine according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is any one of the form-fill-seal machines according to the first aspect to the third aspect, further comprising a vertical movement mechanism that moves the horizontal sealing mechanism in the vertical direction.

[0009] A form-fill-seal machine according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is any one of the form-fill-seal machines according to the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a conveying mechanism that conveys the packaging material to the lateral sealing mechanism. The conveying mechanism conveys the packaging material intermittently at a constant cycle.

[0010] A form-fill-seal machine according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is any one of the form-fill-seal machines according to the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a conveying mechanism that conveys the packaging material to the lateral sealing mechanism. The conveying mechanism continuously conveys the packaging material. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The bag making and packaging machine according to the present invention can increase the filling rate of articles even downstream of the transverse sealing mechanism. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a bag-making packaging machine 10. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 and the moving mechanism 16. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a plan view of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 and the moving mechanism 16. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a side view of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 and the moving mechanism 16. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a side view of the bag-making packaging machine 10 for illustrating a receiving member 40. FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a side view for explaining the cycle operation executed by the control unit 17. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a time chart showing changes in the moving speed of a first sealing jaw 56 and a second sealing jaw 57 in a vertical direction V during a cyclic operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment described below is a specific example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0014] (1) Overall structure Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a bag making and packaging machine 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a side view of the bag making and packaging machine 10. An item discharge device 20 is installed above the bag making and packaging machine 10. The item discharge device 20 drops and discharges item A downward. The bag making and packaging machine 10 packages item A that has been discharged from the item discharge device 20 and dropped. The bag making and packaging machine 10 makes a bag W by forming a film F into a cylindrical shape, and packages item A by placing item A in the bag W and sealing it.

[0015] The bag-making packaging machine 10 mainly includes a film roll support unit 11, a former 12, a pull-down belt 13, a vertical sealing mechanism 14, a horizontal sealing mechanism 15, a moving mechanism 16, and a control unit 17.

[0016] (2) Detailed configuration (2-1) Film roll support section The film roll supporting section 11 supports the film roll FR. The film F is pulled out from the film roll FR supported by the film roll supporting section 11. The film F pulled out from the film roll FR is sent to the former 12 via a plurality of rollers 11a. The film F is an example of a packaging material.

[0017] (2-2)Forma The former 12 forms the film F into a cylindrical shape by bending the film F and overlapping both widthwise ends of the film F. The former 12 has a tube 21 and a sailor 22. The film F sent from the film roll support unit 11 is bent by the sailor 22 and formed into a cylindrical shape by passing between the tube 21 and the sailor 22. The film F formed into a cylindrical shape is guided downward along the tube 21. The article A discharged from the article discharge device 20 falls inside the tube 21 and is sent downward.

[0018] (2-3) Pull-down belt The pull-down belt 13 transports the cylindrical film F from top to bottom along the tube 21 to the horizontal sealing mechanism 15. The pull-down belt 13 is driven by a motor (not shown). The pull-down belt 13 continuously transports the film F. The pull-down belt 13 is an example of a transport mechanism.

[0019] (2-4) Vertical sealing mechanism The vertical sealing mechanism 14 vertically seals the cylindrical film F to create a film tube FT. The portions that are vertically sealed are the portions that are overlapped by the former 12. The vertical sealing mechanism 14 heats the cylindrical film F while pressing it against the tube 21, thereby sealing the cylindrical film F in the vertical direction V. The vertical sealing mechanism 14 has, for example, a heater for sealing the cylindrical film F. As shown in FIG. 1, an article A that is discharged from the article discharge device 20 and falls inside the tube 21 falls inside the film tube FT below the tube 21.

[0020] (2-5) Horizontal sealing mechanism The horizontal sealing mechanism 15 performs a cyclic operation of making a bag W by sandwiching and horizontally sealing the film tube FT from a direction (horizontal direction H) intersecting the conveying direction. The horizontal sealing mechanism 15 has a first sealing jaw 56 and a second sealing jaw 57. The first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 can each move in the horizontal direction H so as to move toward or away from each other. The first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 can also move in the vertical direction V. The horizontal sealing mechanism 15 seals the film tube FT in the horizontal direction H by sandwiching and heating the film tube FT between the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57. The first sealing jaw and the second sealing jaw are an example of a sealing unit. The cyclic operation will be described in detail later.

[0021] (2-6) Movement mechanism The movement mechanism 16 moves the lateral sealing mechanism 15. Specifically, the movement mechanism 16 moves the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 toward or away from each other in the horizontal direction H, and moves the lateral sealing mechanism 15 in the vertical direction V. In addition, the movement mechanism 16 vibrates the lateral sealing mechanism 15 in a vibration operation, thereby applying vibrations to the article A in the film cylinder FT. Details of the vibration operation will be described later.

[0022] (2-7) Control section The control unit 17 controls the pull-down belt 13, the vertical sealing mechanism 14, the horizontal sealing mechanism 15, the moving mechanism 16, the article discharge device 20, and other actuators. The control unit 17 receives and processes signals from various sensors. The control unit 17 is, for example, a microcomputer.

[0023] Although details will be described later, the control unit 17 causes the bag making and packaging machine 10 to form bags W and package the items A. At this time, the control unit 17 also controls the movement mechanism 16 to execute a vibration operation before the completion of a first operation (described later) included in the cycle operation.

[0024] (3) Details of the horizontal sealing mechanism and the movement mechanism 2 and 3 are plan views of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 and the moving mechanism 16. Fig. 4 is a side view of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 and the moving mechanism 16. The horizontal sealing mechanism 15 mainly has a receiving member 40, a stand 51, a horizontally moving frame 52, a sliding member 53, a first seal jaw 56, and a second seal jaw 57. The moving mechanism 16 mainly has a horizontally moving mechanism 54 and a vertically moving mechanism 55. Note that the receiving member 40 is omitted from illustration in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

[0025] (3-1) Mounting stand The frame 51 has a first side frame 61, a second side frame 62, a first connecting member 63, a second connecting member 64, and a plurality of guides 65. The first connecting member 63 and the second connecting member 64 connect the first side frame 61 and the second side frame 62. The guide 65 is fixed to the first side frame 61 or the second side frame 62.

[0026] (3-2) Horizontal movement frame The horizontally moving frame 52 is movable in the horizontal direction H relative to the base 51. The horizontally moving frame 52 has a first sliding rod 71, a second sliding rod 72, a first base member 73, and a second base member 74. The first sliding rod 71 is disposed so as to extend along the first side frame 61. The second sliding rod 72 is disposed so as to extend along the second side frame 62. A first base member 73 and a second base member 74 are fixed to both ends of the first sliding rod 71 and the second sliding rod 72, respectively. The first sliding rod 71 and the second sliding rod 72 are supported by a guide 65 of the base 51 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction H.

[0027] (3-3) Sliding members The sliding member 53 is bridged between a first sliding rod 71 and a second sliding rod 72. Sliders 75 are provided on both ends of the sliding member 53. The sliders 75 are slidable in the horizontal direction H relative to the first sliding rod 71 and the second sliding rod 72.

[0028] (3-4) Horizontal movement mechanism The horizontal movement mechanism 54 has a horizontal movement motor 58 and a horizontal link mechanism 80 .

[0029] The horizontal movement motor 58 generates power to move the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 in the horizontal direction H. The horizontal movement motor 58 is capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions.

[0030] The horizontal link mechanism 80 transmits the power of the horizontal movement motor 58 to the horizontal movement frame 52 and the sliding member 53. As shown in FIG.

[0031] A rotating shaft 58a is fixed to the center of the first link 81. The rotating shaft 58a is rotated by the horizontal movement motor 58. The rotating shaft 58a can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The rotating shaft 58a may be a shaft directly connected to the rotor of the horizontal movement motor 58. The rotating shaft 58a may be a shaft rotated by a gear box or a belt attached to the horizontal movement motor 58. The first link 81 also rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 58a.

[0032] A second link 82 and a third link 83 are rotatably connected to both ends of the first link 81. The second link 82 is connected to the second base member 74. The third link 83 is connected to the sliding member 53.

[0033] (3-5) First seal jaw and second seal jaw The first and second sealing jaws sandwich and press the film tube FT while applying heat to perform a horizontal seal. The first sealing jaw 56 is attached to the first base member 73 of the horizontally moving frame 52. The second sealing jaw 57 is attached to the sliding member 53. The first and second sealing jaws 56 and 57 are provided with heaters (not shown). At least one of the first and second sealing jaws 56 and 57 is provided with a movable knife (not shown).

[0034] In Fig. 2, the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 are in a position close to each other. In Fig. 3, the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 are in a position spaced apart from each other. When the rotating shaft 58a rotates by a predetermined angle in the state shown in Fig. 2, the horizontal link mechanism 80 is disposed in the state shown in Fig. 3. When the rotating shaft 58a rotates by a predetermined angle in the state shown in Fig. 3, the horizontal link mechanism 80 is disposed in the state shown in Fig. 2.

[0035] (3-6) Supporting member 5 is a side view of the bag-making packaging machine 10 for explaining the receiving member 40. The receiving member 40 receives the article A that comes into contact with the outer surface of the film tube FT and falls inside the film tube FT. By receiving the article A, the receiving member 40 reduces the impact when the article A that has fallen inside the film tube FT hits the film tube FT, suppressing damage to the article A inside the film tube FT and to the film tube FT. The receiving member 40 is disposed above the lateral sealing mechanism 15 and integrally with the lateral sealing mechanism 15. Specifically, the receiving member 40 is disposed above the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 and integrally with the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57.

[0036] The receiving member 40 has a first receiving portion 18 and a second receiving portion 19. The receiving member 40 receives the article A falling inside the film tube FT by sandwiching the film tube FT between the first receiving portion 18 and the second receiving portion 19, and prevents the article A from falling below the receiving member 40.

[0037] The first receiving portion 18 mainly has a first fixed portion 18a, a first sliding portion 18b, and a first contact portion 18c. The first fixed portion 18a is attached to the upper surface of the sliding member 53 of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15. The first sliding portion 18b penetrates the first fixed portion 18a and is slidable in the horizontal direction H relative to the first fixed portion 18a. The first contact portion 18c is supported by the first sliding portion 18b. When the receiving member 40 receives the article A, the first contact portion 18c comes into contact with the outer surface of the film tube FT. As shown in FIG. 5, when the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 are not separated from each other to form the film tube FT, the first contact portion 18c is supported by the first sliding portion 18b so as to be located closer to the film tube FT than the first seal jaw 56. The first sliding portion 18b slides in the horizontal direction H relative to the first fixed portion 18a, so that the first contact portion 18c can slide in the horizontal direction H relative to the first seal jaw 56.

[0038] The second receiving portion 19 mainly has a second fixed portion 19a, a second sliding portion 19b, and a second contact portion 19c. The second fixed portion 19a is attached to the upper surface of the first base member 73 of the horizontally moving frame 52 of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15. The second sliding portion 19b penetrates the second fixed portion 19a and is slidable in the horizontal direction H relative to the second fixed portion 19a. The second contact portion 19c is supported by the second sliding portion 19b. The second contact portion 19c comes into contact with the outer surface of the film tube FT when the receiving member 40 receives the article A. As shown in FIG. 5, the second contact portion 19c is supported by the second sliding portion 19b so as to be located closer to the film tube FT than the second sealing jaw 57 when the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 are not separated from each other to form the film tube FT. The second sliding portion 19b slides in the horizontal direction H relative to the second fixed portion 19a, so that the second contact portion 19c can slide in the horizontal direction H relative to the second seal jaw 57.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 1, the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c face each other with the film cylinder FT in between. The surfaces of the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c that face the outer surface of the film cylinder FT are contact surfaces that come into contact with the outer surface of the film cylinder FT. The contact surfaces are inclined with respect to the vertical direction V. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, in the horizontal direction H, the distance between the contact surface of the first contact portion 18c and the contact surface of the second contact portion 19c gradually increases from the bottom to the top.

[0040] When receiving member 40 receives article A, film cylinder FT is sandwiched between the contact surface of first contact portion 18c and the contact surface of second contact portion 19c. Article A falling inside the film cylinder FT hits the film cylinder FT and is received by receiving member 40 at the height position where article A is sandwiched between first contact portion 18c and second contact portion 19c.

[0041] The first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c come into contact with the outer surface of the film cylinder FT before the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 come into contact with the film cylinder FT in a first operation (described below).

[0042] The contact surfaces of first contact portion 18c and second contact portion 19c are covered with an elastic member such as a sponge, which reduces the impact of object A hitting the film cylinder FT when object A falls inside the film cylinder FT and is received by receiving member 40.

[0043] (3-7) Vertical movement mechanism The vertical movement mechanism 55 has a vertical movement motor 59 and a vertical link mechanism 90 .

[0044] The vertical movement motor 59 generates power to drive the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 to move in the vertical direction V. The vertical movement motor 59 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The vertical movement motor 59 is an example of a drive motor.

[0045] The vertical link mechanism 90 transmits the power of the vertical movement motor 59 to the base 51. The vertical link mechanism 90 has a first link 91 and a second link 92.

[0046] A rotating shaft 59a is fixed to one end of the first link 91. The rotating shaft 59a is rotated by the vertical movement motor 59. The rotating shaft 59a can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The rotating shaft 59a may be a shaft directly connected to the rotor of the vertical movement motor 59. The rotating shaft 59a may be a shaft rotated by a gear box or a belt attached to the vertical movement motor 59. The first link 91 also rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft 59a.

[0047] A second link 92 is rotatably connected to the other end of the first link 91. The second link 92 is connected to the first side frame 61 or the second side frame 62 of the base 51. When the rotating shaft 59a rotates, the base 51 moves in the vertical direction V. When the base 51 moves in the vertical direction V, the first seal jaw 56, the second seal jaw 57 and the receiving member 40 also move in the vertical direction V. Although details will be described later, the vertical movement mechanism 55 repeatedly drives the base 51 back and forth in the vertical direction V, thereby achieving a vibration motion.

[0048] (4) Cycle operation FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the cycle operation executed by the control unit 17. For convenience, FIG. 6 shows only the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 and the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the change in the moving speed of the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 in the vertical direction V in the cycle operation. Note that FIG. 6 shows the order of the movements of the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 and the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c before and after the cycle operation. For this reason, the time length of the movements of each part in the cycle operation may not be exactly the same as the scale of FIG. 6. Also, in FIG. 7, the moving speed of the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 is shown for convenience, but the receiving member 40 arranged integrally with the first seal jaw 56 and the second seal jaw 57 also moves at the same speed.

[0049] The cycle operation includes a first operation and a second operation. The first operation is made up of a first phase and a second phase. As shown in Fig. 6, before the start of the first phase, an amount of articles A to be packaged in one bag W has already been placed inside the film cylinder FT below the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57.

[0050] During the cyclic operation, the pull-down belts 13 continuously transport the film F to the lateral sealing mechanism 15. Therefore, in the first and second phases, the control unit 17 controls the vertical movement mechanism 55 to appropriately change the position of the lateral sealing mechanism 15 in the vertical direction V in accordance with the movement of the film cylinder FT in the vertical direction V.

[0051] (4-1) First action The first operation is initiated by the control unit 17 causing the horizontal movement mechanism 54 to move the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 in the horizontal direction H so as to move them closer to each other. The first operation is completed by the control unit 17 moving the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57, which have applied heat to the sandwiched film tube FT to perform a lateral seal, away from each other.

[0052] (4-1-1) Phase 1 At the start of the first phase, the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 are spaced apart from each other and do not contact the film cylinder FT. In addition, the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c are also spaced apart from each other and do not contact the film cylinder FT.

[0053] In the first phase, the control unit 17 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 54 to move the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 in the horizontal direction H so that they approach each other. As a result, the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c of the receiving member 40, which are integrally arranged with the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57, also move in the horizontal direction H so that they approach each other. When the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c come into contact with the film cylinder FT, the first phase ends and the second phase begins.

[0054] (4-1-2) Phase 2 In the second phase, before the first operation is completed (in other words, before the second phase is completed), the control unit 17 executes a vibration operation that causes the vertical movement mechanism 55 to vibrate the lateral sealing mechanism 15, and also causes the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 to transversely seal the film tube FT. In addition, when the second phase starts, the control unit 17 causes the article discharge device 20 to discharge the amount of articles A to be packaged in one bag W.

[0055] More specifically, the control unit 17 starts the vibration operation before the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c of the receiving member 40 come into contact with the outer surface of the film cylinder FT and the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 come into contact with the film cylinder FT. In the vibration operation, the control unit 17 causes the vertical movement motor 59 of the vertical movement mechanism 55 to repeatedly rotate forward and backward at a predetermined amplitude. As a result, the stand 51 reciprocates in the vertical direction V, so that the first sealing jaw 56, the second sealing jaw 57 of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15, and the receiving member 40 vibrate in the vertical direction V. As a result, vibration is imparted to the article A in the film cylinder FT before the first operation is completed.

[0056] At the same time, the horizontal movement mechanism 54 moves the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 in the horizontal direction H until the film cylinder FT is sandwiched therebetween.

[0057] The first and second sealing jaws 56 and 57, which sandwich the film tube FT, apply heat to the film tube FT while pressing it, sealing it laterally. At this time, a bag W containing an item A is made below the horizontal seal portion, which is the horizontally sealed portion of the film tube FT. Next, a movable knife provided on the first or second sealing jaw 56 or 57 cuts the horizontal seal portion in the horizontal direction H, completing the second phase. When the horizontal seal portion is cut, the bag W is separated from the upper film tube FT and falls.

[0058] The control unit 17 causes the vertical movement mechanism 55 to stop the vibration applied to the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 before the first operation is completed, and ends the vibration operation.

[0059] Here, the time when the first operation is "completed" refers to the time immediately before the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57, which have applied heat to the sandwiched film cylinder FT to perform a lateral seal, start to move away from each other.

[0060] As described above, the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c of the receiving member 40 are in contact with the outer surface of the film tube FT before the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 contact the film tube FT. Therefore, the first contact portion 18c and the second contact portion 19c can sandwich the film tube FT before the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 sandwich the film tube FT, and can receive the article A falling inside the film tube FT. During the vibration operation, the receiving member 40 also vibrates in the vertical direction V, so that the article A received by the receiving member 40 is also vibrated.

[0061] In the second phase, the make-fill-seal machine 10 performs a squeezing operation before starting the vibration operation. The squeezing operation is an operation for dropping the article A etc. adhering to the inner surface of the film tube FT to prevent the article A etc. from getting caught in the lateral seal section. In the squeezing operation, the control unit 17 causes the vertical movement mechanism 55 to move the lateral seal mechanism 15 downward a predetermined distance and then return it to the original height (see FIG. 7). The make-fill-seal machine 10 does not have to perform the squeezing operation.

[0062] (4-2)Second operation When the first operation is completed, the control unit 17 starts the second operation. In the second operation, the control unit 17 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 54 to move the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 in the horizontal direction H so that they are spaced apart from each other and do not contact the film cylinder FT, as was the case at the start of the first phase. At the same time, the control unit 17 controls the vertical movement mechanism 55 to return the positions of the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 in the vertical direction V to the positions they had at the start of the first phase. This completes the second operation and the cycle operation.

[0063] The bag making and packaging machine 10 can continuously produce bags W in which the articles A are packaged by repeating the above-mentioned cyclic operation.

[0064] The timing for starting the vibration operation is not limited as long as it is after the start of the second phase (when first contact portion 18c and second contact portion 19c come into contact with film cylinder FT) and before the first operation is completed.

[0065] Parameters of the vibration operation such as amplitude, period, and number of vibrations are appropriately set based on the weight and shape of the article A, the material of the film F, the shape of the bag W, and the like. The amplitude of the vibration operation can be, for example, about 10 mm to 50 mm. The vibration period can be, for example, about 50 ms to 100 ms. The vibration number can be, for example, about 1 time to 10 times.

[0066] (5) Features (5-1) The bag-making and packaging machine 10 packages the object A discharged from the object discharge device 20 into a bag W formed by forming a film F into a cylindrical shape. The bag-making and packaging machine 10 includes a horizontal sealing mechanism 15, a movement mechanism 16, and a control unit 17. The horizontal sealing mechanism 15 performs a first operation of sandwiching and sealing the film F from a direction (horizontal direction H) intersecting the conveying direction. The movement mechanism 16 moves the horizontal sealing mechanism 15. The control unit 17 controls the movement mechanism 16 to vibrate the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 before the first operation is completed, thereby performing a vibration operation that applies vibration to the object A in the film tube FT.

[0067] In the bag-making packaging machine 10, the control unit 17 executes a vibration operation, which causes vibrations to be applied to the articles A in the film cylinder FT before the first operation is completed. As a result, before the first operation is completed, the articles A downstream of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 (below in the vertical direction V) are moved downward while closing the gaps between them, so that the filling rate of the articles A can be increased even downstream of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15.

[0068] Furthermore, in the bag-making packaging machine 10, a vibration operation is performed during the first operation. Therefore, compared to a case in which an operation of vibrating the article A is performed separately from the first operation, the filling rate of the article A can be increased without reducing production capacity.

[0069] Furthermore, in the form-fill-seal machine 10, the vibration operation is achieved using the moving mechanism 16 for moving the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 in the first operation. Therefore, there is no need to provide a special device for vibrating the article A, such as a shaker, and the filling rate of the article A can be increased while keeping the manufacturing cost of the packaging machine low.

[0070] (5-2) The control unit 17 causes the moving mechanism 16 to drive the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 to reciprocate in the vertical direction V during the vibration operation.

[0071] (5-3) The receiving member 40 is disposed above the lateral sealing mechanism 15 and integrally therewith, and receives the article A that comes into contact with the outer surface of the film cylinder FT and falls inside the film cylinder FT. In the vibration operation, the control unit 17 causes the moving mechanism 16 to vibrate the receiving member 40 together with the lateral sealing mechanism 15.

[0072] In the bag making and packaging machine 10, the receiving member 40 is vibrated together with the lateral sealing mechanism 15 during the vibration operation, so that the article A received on the receiving member 40 is also vibrated. This makes it possible to effectively increase the filling rate of the article A on both the upstream side (upward in the vertical direction V) and downstream side of the lateral sealing mechanism 15.

[0073] (5-4) The horizontal sealing mechanism 15 has a first sealing jaw 56 and a second sealing jaw 57 that sandwich the film tube FT in the first operation.

[0074] (5-5) In the first operation, the receiving member 40 comes into contact with the outer surface of the film tube FT before the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 come into contact with the film tube FT. The control unit 17 starts the vibration operation when the receiving member 40 comes into contact with the outer surface of the film tube FT and before the first sealing jaw 56 and the second sealing jaw 57 come into contact with the film tube FT.

[0075] (5-6) The movement mechanism 16 has a vertical movement motor 59 that rotates and drives the lateral sealing mechanism 15. In the vibration operation, the control unit 17 causes the movement mechanism 16 to vibrate the lateral sealing mechanism 15 by rotating the vertical movement motor 59 forward and reverse.

[0076] (5-7) The bag-making packaging machine 10 includes a pull-down belt 13. The pull-down belt 13 transports the film F continuously.

[0077] (6) Variations (6-1) Variation A The direction in which the lateral sealing mechanism 15 is reciprocated may be at least one of the vertical direction V and the horizontal direction H.

[0078] When driving the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 back and forth in the horizontal direction H, a drive motor (not shown) is provided to drive the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 back and forth in the horizontal direction H, and the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 is vibrated by rotating the drive motor forward and backward.

[0079] (6-2) Variation B Before the first operation is completed, the control unit 17 may cause the vertical movement mechanism 55 to move the lateral sealing mechanism 15 slightly upward to perform an operation (browsing operation) to inflate the bag W. At this time, the control unit 17 causes the vertical movement mechanism 55 to vibrate the first sealing jaw 56, the second sealing jaw 57, and the receiving member 40 of the lateral sealing mechanism 15 moving upward, thereby further increasing the filling rate of the articles A.

[0080] (6-3) Variation C The pull-down belts 13 may transport the film F intermittently at a constant cycle.

[0081] In this case, the control unit 17 basically does not need to cause the vertical movement mechanism 55 to change the position of the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 in the vertical direction V in the cyclic operation other than by the vibration operation.

[0082] (6-4) Variation D The moving mechanism 16 that vibrates the horizontal sealing mechanism 15 may be an electromagnetic feeder.

[0083] In this case, the movement mechanism 16 has, in addition to the horizontal movement mechanism 54 and the vertical movement mechanism 55, an electromagnetic feeder (not shown) that can vibrate the lateral sealing mechanism 15. The control unit 17 may cause the electromagnetic feeder to vibrate the lateral sealing mechanism 15 at a predetermined timing while causing the lateral sealing mechanism 15 to perform the first operation using the horizontal movement mechanism 54 and the vertical movement mechanism 55.

[0084] This electromagnetic feeder may vibrate the horizontal sealing mechanism 15, or may vibrate a frame (not shown) of the bag-making packaging machine 10 that supports the horizontal sealing mechanism 15.

[0085] (6-5) Variation E The form-fill-seal machine (not shown) according to modification D of the present invention may be a rotary-type form-fill-seal machine equipped with two horizontal sealing mechanisms that rotate around a rotation axis.

[0086] The horizontal sealing mechanism of the bag-making packaging machine according to variant D has a receiving member and a sealing unit. This receiving member is disposed integrally with the horizontal sealing mechanism above the horizontal sealing mechanism and contacts the outer surface of the packaging material to receive articles that fall inside the packaging material. The sealing unit clamps and seals the packaging material in a first operation. The moving mechanism is a rotating mechanism that rotates the horizontal sealing mechanism. In a vibration operation, the control unit causes the moving mechanism to rotate the rotating mechanism forward and backward to vibrate the receiving member together with the horizontal sealing mechanism. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 10 Bag making and packaging machine 13 Pull-down belt (transport mechanism) 15 Horizontal sealing mechanism 16 Moving mechanism 17 Control section 40 Receiving member 20 Article discharge device 55 Vertical movement mechanism (movement mechanism) 56 First seal jaw (seal part) 57 Second seal jaw (seal part) 59 Vertical movement motor (drive motor) A Goods F film (packaging material) FT Film Tube W bag [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0088] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-166833 A

Claims

1. A bag making and packaging machine that packages an article discharged from an article discharge device into a bag formed by forming a packaging material into a cylindrical shape, a lateral sealing mechanism that performs a first operation of sandwiching and sealing the packaging material in a direction intersecting the conveying direction; a receiving member that is disposed integrally with the lateral sealing mechanism above the lateral sealing mechanism and that contacts an outer surface of the packaging material to receive the article that falls inside the packaging material; Equipped with A bag-making packaging machine, wherein the receiving member has a contact surface that comes into contact with the outer surface of the packaging material, the contact surface being covered with a member having elasticity.

2. The contact surface includes a first contact surface and a second contact surface that face each other with the packaging material therebetween, the first contact surface and the second contact surface are inclined with respect to a vertical direction, The bag making and packaging machine according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first contact surface and the second contact surface gradually increases from the bottom to the top.

3. The contact surface is supported by a sliding portion and attached to a fixed portion so as to be horizontally slidable. The bag making and packaging machine according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Further comprising a vertical movement mechanism for moving the horizontal sealing mechanism in a vertical direction. The bag making and packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A conveying mechanism that conveys the packaging material to the transverse sealing mechanism is further provided. The conveying mechanism intermittently conveys the packaging material at a constant cycle. The bag making and packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A conveying mechanism that conveys the packaging material to the transverse sealing mechanism is further provided. The conveying mechanism continuously conveys the packaging material. The bag making and packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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