Packaging device

Abstract

When forming the end seal, poor sealing caused by stagnation of film sheet feeding is avoided. In a packaging device, when a film sheet (f) wrapping a packaged object (B) passes between upper and lower sealing blocks (A81, A82), the two sealing blocks (A81, A82) are closed by a clamping drive unit to clamp the film sheet (f), thereby forming an end seal on the film sheet (f). During the formation of the end seal, the feed drive unit moves the two sealing blocks (A81, A82) in the forward and backward directions. By selecting the angle range of the forward / reverse rotation of the servo motor as the power source in the clamping drive unit, the sealing pressure for forming the end seal on the film sheet (f) can be easily adjusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging device. Background Art

[0002] In pillow packaging (palm-sealed bags) widely used for packaging food (packaged objects), a strip of film sheet fed by a roller is bent by a bag-making machine and wrapped around a plurality of packaged objects in sequence. After a center seal is formed on the side of the palm-sealed film sheet and formed into a cylindrical shape, each pair of ends (tail / head) of each packaged object is sealed, i.e., an end seal is formed and the end seal is cut to complete each package.

[0003] The above-mentioned conventional pillow-type packaging device sequentially packages a plurality of packaging objects having the same size and shape during operation, and cannot cope with the packaging of uneven packaging objects having different sizes and shapes during operation.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional pillow type packaging device, a pillow type packaging device shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

[0005] The pillow-type packaging device shown in Patent Document 1 comprises: a packaging device body A1, which is provided with: a center seal portion 1, in order to enclose the packaged object B, so that the two ends of the width direction of the strip-shaped film sheet (film f) are aligned with each other along the long side direction to form a center seal; a head seal portion 2, which is arranged on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the packaged object B, and forms a head seal (end seal) on the above-mentioned film sheet, and the head seal extends in the width direction of the above-mentioned film sheet before and after the above-mentioned film sheet that encloses the packaged object B; and a supply conveyor A2, which is arranged on the upstream side of the packaging device body A1, and supplies the packaged object B to the packaging device body A1 at an appropriate time, and the pillow-type packaging device comprises: a product detection sensor 3, which is arranged on the upstream side of the center seal portion 1, and detects the length of the packaged object; and a control device, based on the length of the packaged object B calculated based on the data detected by the above-mentioned product detection sensor 3, controls the action mode of the sealing unit of the head seal portion 2. The control device calculates the action mode, action timing, and film length required for packaging, and controls the action of the sealing unit based on the calculated action mode, action timing, and required film length, wherein the film length required for packaging is a length obtained by adding the length of the packaged object B calculated based on the data detected by the product detection sensor 3 to the length of the surplus material at the front and rear, and the surplus material length is also determined by the value of the height of the packaged object detected by the product detection sensor 3. When the length of the packaged object B is less than the value of the action trajectory of the sealing unit for sealing the head sealing portion 2, the control device causes the sealing unit to act at a speed faster than the speed in the conveying direction during sealing before and after the sealing. When the length of the packaged object is greater than the value of the action trajectory of the sealing unit for sealing the head sealing portion 2, the control device causes the sealing unit to act at a speed slower than the speed in the conveying direction during sealing before and after the sealing (claims 1, 2 of patent document 1). Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5 ).

[0006] In the pillow-type packaging device shown in patent document 1, even if the packaged objects B of different lengths are continuously supplied from the supply conveyor A2 to the packaging device main body A1 side, there is no need to change the settings each time for each packaged object of different sizes, and aesthetically pleasing packaging that matches the length of the packaged object B can be quickly implemented.

[0007] Therefore, the operator's time and effort can be greatly saved, and the film will not be wasted beyond necessity.

[0008] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a "rotary type" (the "patent document 1") is shown regarding the operation of the sealing unit of the pillow-type packaging device, i.e., a pair of sealing blocks 2a and 2b that are raised and lowered, which forms a head seal by sandwiching and heating the film sheet being conveyed. Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 , paragraphs 0026 to 0028 of the specification), and "box motion" (Patent Document 1 Figure 6~Figure 8 , paragraphs 0029~0037).

[0009] The above-mentioned "rotational" action is briefly described (refer to the above-mentioned description of Patent Document 1 and the appendix of this application). Fig.12 ).

[0010] A head seal 2 is provided downstream of the center seal 1 (see Patent Document 1). Figure 1 ), the head seal portion 2 seals the front and rear of the film f formed into a cylindrical shape by the center seal portion 1 and enclosing the packaged object B inside the cylindrical shape in a manner perpendicular to the conveying direction X in the width direction.

[0011] The head seal portion 2 is configured such that a pair of sealing blocks (sealing units) 2a and 2b are arranged on the end surfaces (near the outer peripheral surface) of the cylindrical bodies 2A and 2B so as to be contactable and separable, and contact the approximate center in the height direction of the packaged object B, and the film f is sealed by a heat sealing portion, that is, a heating unit (electric heater) provided at the front end of the sealing blocks 2a and 2b (Patent Document 1). Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 ).

[0012] In the appendix of this application Fig.12 In (a), M1 represents a driving motor for supplying a conveyor A2, M2 represents a film supply motor for driving a film supply roller pair 8 (film conveying roller) for pulling out a film sheet from a film roll body F (film roll) of a film sheet supply device, M3 represents a center seal driving motor for driving the center seal portion 1, and M4 represents a head seal driving motor for rotating the cylinders 2A and 2B of the head seal portion 2.

[0013] As attached to this application Fig.12 As shown in (a), in the "rotary type" of Patent Document 1, the cylinders 2A and 2B are rotated by the head seal drive motor M4, thereby driving the sealing blocks 2a and 2b in a circular manner, sandwiching the film sheet between the two sealing blocks 2a and 2b to stretch the film sheet forward, and sealing and fusing the film sheet while the film sheet is sandwiched between the two sealing blocks 2a and 2b. Fig.12 Reference numeral 100 in (c) indicates a package body formed by the sealing and fusing. That is, the package body 100 is a finished product after the packaged object B is packaged with a film sheet.

[0014] Attached to this application Fig.12 P shown in (b) is the position of the film sheet for cutting / sealing (welding / melting) the header seal 2 (the predetermined position for forming the header seal, hereinafter referred to as position P only as needed). Fig.12 As shown in (b), the position P has a width in front and back. Since the upper and lower sealing blocks 2a and 2b move in the conveying direction while sandwiching the film sheet, the position P can be said to be a section where the film sheet is moved.

[0015] In the above-mentioned "rotary type" of patent document 1, the moving trajectory of the sealing blocks 2a and 2b provided on the cylindrical bodies 2A and 2B that are rotated by the head seal driving motor M4 is circular (curved) when viewed from the side of the packaging device. Therefore, for a packaged object B having a height (large vertical width), if a large interval is not ensured between the two packaged objects B closest to the predetermined position P before and after the position P for forming the head seal, the above-mentioned closest packaged object B is drawn into the sealing blocks 2a and 2b in front of the above-mentioned position P (upstream side) and is blocked between the sealing blocks 2a and 2b (Appendix 1 of the present application). Fig.12 (c)). In order to avoid the above-mentioned blockage, during the sealing process based on the sealing blocks 2a and 2b, it is necessary to move the nearest packaged object B away from the above-mentioned position P in advance. Correspondingly, it is necessary to ensure that the length of the film sheet between the two nearest packaged objects B before and after the position P is large. By ensuring the length of the above-mentioned film sheet, compared with the package 100 that packages the shorter (smaller vertical width) packaged objects B, a longer front-to-back package body 100 is formed.

[0016] In the above-mentioned "box-shaped motion type" of Patent Document 1, as shown in the attached drawing of the present application, Fig.13 As shown in (a) and (b), the movement trajectory k of each of the sealing blocks 2a and 2b (especially the upper sealing block 2a) is a quadrilateral (when viewed from the side of the packaging device). Regarding the movement trajectory k, by setting the upper and lower movement intervals to be longer, even if the height of the packaged object B is higher, there is no need to significantly change the length of the film sheet between the two packaged objects B before and after the predetermined position P for forming the head seal, compared with the case of packaging a packaged object B with a shorter height.

[0017] The packaging device of Patent Document 1 is an excellent packaging device as described above, but has the following points of caution.

[0018] Specifically, there is a situation as follows: before the packaged object B is supplied from the supply conveyor A2, that is, before the product detection sensor 3 detects the packaged object B on the supply conveyor A2, the packaging device body A1 sometimes waits for the conveyance of the packaged object B in a state where the film sheet is sandwiched by the sealing blocks 2a and 2b at the predetermined position P for forming the head seal (Appendix 1 of the present application). Fig.12 (a)). In the above standby state, before the product detection sensor 3 detects that the subsequent packaged object B has arrived at the packaging device body A1 (passing through the product detection sensor 3), the conveyance of the packaged object B on the packaging device A1 is stagnant, and the position of the film sheet sandwiched by the sealing blocks 2a and 2b is continuously heated by the sealing blocks 2a and 2b and melted, and there is a risk of poor sealing.

[0019] Not only the above-mentioned "rotation type", but also the "box-shaped motion type" of Patent Document 1 has the risk of the above-mentioned sealing failure caused by stagnation (waiting) at the sealing position. Fig.13 (b) shows the above-mentioned standby state in the box-shaped motion type. The inventor of the present application believes that as shown in the appended claims of the present application Fig.13 As shown in (b), when the standby state in which the sealing blocks 2a and 2b are located at the predetermined position P for forming the head seal is continued, as shown in (c) of the figure, as long as the sealing blocks 2a and 2b can be opened, poor sealing will not occur. However, in the box-shaped motion type device of patent document 1, the lifting and lowering (up and down movement) and the movement in the conveying direction X (forward / backward) of the sealing blocks 2a and 2b are also performed by a mechanism that obtains power from the same power source and is driven integrally. Therefore, regardless of the state of movement in the conveying direction X, the sealing blocks 2a and 2b cannot be lifted and lowered (opened).

[0020] If a plurality of objects B of the same size and shape are sequentially conveyed and packaged at a constant interval, even in the conventional rotary packaging device prior to Patent Document 1, it is considered possible to set the timing of supplying the objects B to the packaging device body A1 on the side of the supply conveyor A2 supplying the objects B to be packaged so as not to become the above-mentioned Fig.12 In addition, when using the above-mentioned conventional packaging device, it can be considered that even if there is a change in the size of the packaged object B, as long as the size / shape of the packaged object B after the change is the same, two conveyors (not shown) arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side (on the packaging device main body A1 side) are used as the supply conveyor A2. Even if the conveying speed of the upstream conveyor is the same as before the above-mentioned change of the packaged object B, the downstream conveyor adopts a conveying speed different from that of the upstream conveyor, thereby staggering the timing so that the packaged object B on the packaging device main body A1 is in the appendix of this application. Fig.12 The position shown in (a) does not enter the above-mentioned standby state.

[0021] Furthermore, if a plurality of objects B of the same shape / size are sequentially conveyed and packaged at a constant interval, it can be considered that in addition to the above-mentioned measures on the supply conveyor A2 side, a method having the objects B on the above-mentioned conveyor A2 side can be used. Fig.12 The packaging device body A1 is configured to have a length dimension (mechanical length) that does not become the above-mentioned standby state at the position shown in (a), or, even when there is a change in the size of the packaged object B, as long as the packaged objects B are the same in size, the packaging device body A1 is configured in such a way that the length of the section between the bag maker (molding machine 10) that bends the film sheet to wrap the packaged object B and the center seal portion 1 can be changed in the conveying direction. As a configuration of the packaging device body A1 that can change the length of the above-mentioned section, the inventors of the present application have also considered the following configuration: with respect to the conveying surface of the above-mentioned section, stainless steel plates are overlapped in advance to form a forming table (work table), and the length of the portion where the stainless steel plates overlap each other is changed, thereby extending or shortening the forming table in the conveying direction to cope with it (not shown).

[0022] However, in the packaging device of patent document 1, which is based on the premise that the sizes, i.e., length and height, of the packaged objects B supplied by the supply conveyor A2 are inconsistent during the operation of the packaging device, in order to reliably avoid the above-mentioned standby state, any of the above-mentioned measures based on the premise of sequentially packaging multiple packaged objects B of the same size are not effective.

[0023] That is, as in the packaging device shown in Patent Document 1, when packaged objects of different sizes are mixed together, a device that controls the movement of the sealing blocks 2a and 2b according to the required length of the film sheet each time (for each package of each packaged object B) cannot achieve the response based on the above-mentioned measures.

[0024] In addition, when two conveyors arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side (on the packaging device main body A1 side) are used as the aforementioned supply conveyor A2, in other words, even when the supply conveyor A2 is simply divided (shared) into two conveyors, if the shapes / sizes of the packaged objects B are inconsistent, the contact area toward the conveying surface is usually different between the packaged objects B. In the downstream conveyor having a conveying speed different from that of the upstream conveyor, the posture (orientation) of the packaged objects B is unstable. In addition, when transferring from the upstream conveyor to the downstream conveyor, there is a situation where the posture (orientation) of the packaged objects B is confused.

[0025] Furthermore, when the supply conveyor A2 is simply divided into two conveyors, the overall structure becomes complicated, and compared with the case where the supply conveyor A2 is set as a single conveyor, it takes more time and effort for cleaning and maintenance, and the cost also increases.

[0026] Furthermore, even in the above-mentioned case where conveyors are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides as supply conveyors to change the conveying speed, not only the conveying speed management but also the position management of the packaged object B is required. In fact, complex control of the conveying is indispensable, and since a driving source and a controller that can perform such control must be used, the cost is further increased.

[0027] Even when the mechanical length and physical length of the packaging device body A1 are selected and adjusted, the problem of the standby state may be avoided when a plurality of packaged objects B of the same size are conveyed and packaged in sequence at constant intervals during driving of the packaging device. However, when the sizes of the conveyed packaged objects B are inconsistent during operation of the packaging device, it is difficult to avoid the problem of the standby state.

[0028] Furthermore, in the packaging device shown in Patent Document 1, when a plurality of packaged objects B (B1 to B6) of different lengths are packaged in sequence by film sheets, regardless of the above-mentioned "rotational type" and "box-shaped motion type", in order to prevent the head seal (end seal) from being bitten into due to the positional deviation of the packaged objects B in a series of strip-shaped film sheets before melting, a positional deviation detection sensor 3a for detecting the positional deviation of the packaged objects B is arranged in front of the predetermined position P for forming the head seal (Appendix 1 of the present application). Fig.14 (a), (c)).

[0029] As mentioned above Fig.14 As shown in (a), it is necessary to change the intervals between the sealing positions n1, n2, and n3 in response to the packaged objects B1 to B6 of different sizes supplied in sequence. In order to detect the sealing positions n1, n2, and n3 in sequence without omission by using the position deviation detection sensor 3a, it is necessary to configure the position deviation detection sensor 3a at a position (the configuration position w1) corresponding to the distance w from the position P to the upstream side of the conveying direction (the length) of the packaged object B5 of the maximum size (length) to be packaged. Fig.14 (c)).

[0030] The position deviation of the packaged object in the film sheet is usually caused by the inertia in the conveying direction. The position deviation of the packaged object B3 that occurs after passing the position deviation detection sensor 3a cannot be detected. Therefore, if the distance w from the above-mentioned position P is increased, there is a risk that undetected position deviations will occur frequently. In addition, due to the above-mentioned undetected position deviations, there is a risk that the packaged object B3 will be bitten into more by the sealing of the position n2 sealed at the above-mentioned position P (this Fig.14 (b)).

[0031] If the distance w is shortened in accordance with smaller packaged objects B2 to B4, that is, the positional deviation detection sensor 3a is arranged closer to the position P, the biting can be suppressed for the smaller packaged objects B2 to B4. However, this cannot be applied to the larger packaged object B5.

[0032] In addition, when the above-mentioned positional deviation occurs, as described above Fig.14 As shown in (b), the sealing blocks 2a and 2b are respectively in a state of retreating to the position of opening the film sheet, and the head sealing part 2 (cylindrical bodies 2A and 2B in the "rotating type" shown in the figure) stops. If the space between the sealing blocks 2a and 2b is not opened, the packaged object B3 cannot pass through the above position P. Therefore, in the above packaging device, packaging cannot be continued after the position deviation occurs.

[0033] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 proposes a technical solution for avoiding the above-mentioned stagnation when forming the end seal (head seal) on the above-mentioned film sheet, which causes poor sealing. That is, in Patent Document 2, the upper and lower heating blocks (sealing blocks) that form the end seal (end seal) on the film sheet are provided with a first servo motor that moves the two heating blocks up and down, and a second servo motor that moves the two sealing blocks forward and backward. When the two sealing blocks stagnate in the conveying direction in the state of sandwiching the film sheet, the two sealing blocks are automatically opened. That is, in the technical solution described in Patent Document 2, by not allowing the two sealing blocks to continue sandwiching the film sheet, there is no need to overheat the film sheet, thereby avoiding the occurrence of poor sealing caused by heating.

[0034] However, in neither of the packaging devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is there any specific technical means for adjusting the sealing pressure for forming the end seal on the film sheet.

[0035] The sealing pressure, the temperature of the welded film sheet, and the time of heating the film sheet are all important factors in determining the sealing strength.

[0036] In Patent Document 2, although forced opening between the sealing blocks during the above-mentioned stagnation can be achieved by providing a second servo motor that opens and closes the sealing blocks, which is different from the second servo motor that moves the sealing blocks forward and backward, there is no specific technical solution for adjusting the sealing pressure required to form an end seal on the film sheet during normal operation.

[0037] In particular, the packaging device of Patent Document 1 is different from the packaging device of Patent Document 2 in that it is envisioned to package sequentially supplied packaged objects of different sizes, and it is considered difficult to provide a simple changing unit for imparting a sealing pressure required for an appropriate sealing strength.

[0038] It should be noted that the appendix to this application Figure 1 to Figure 11 The reference numerals (symbols / signs) described in the patent document 1 and the above-mentioned attached to this application are the same as those in the patent document 1 and the above-mentioned attached to this application. Figure 12~Figure 14 The reference numerals used in the drawings are irrelevant and the two reference numerals do not match.

[0039] Prior art literature

[0040] Patent Literature

[0041] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5325179

[0042] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 5955542 Summary of the invention

[0043] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0044] The present invention provides a specific technical solution for adjusting the sealing pressure required for forming an end seal on a film sheet, and in particular, the above-mentioned sealing pressure can be changed in a packaging device that moves a sealing block (constituent part) in a box shape.

[0045] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0046] The present invention relates to a packaging device, comprising: a supply conveyor for supplying packaging objects, a supply unit for supplying a strip-shaped film sheet for packaging, a bag maker, and an end sealing unit, wherein the long side direction of the strip-shaped film sheet is set as a front-to-back direction, a plurality of the packaging objects supplied by the supply conveyor are placed on the strip-shaped film sheet supplied by the sheet supply unit, and the film sheet is conveyed along the front-to-back direction, the bag maker bends the film sheet in sequence in a width direction orthogonal to the long side direction, after or before the bending, the supply conveyor places the preceding packaging objects and the succeeding packaging objects at intervals, and sequentially places the packaging objects on the film sheet, and the film sheet is sealed by the bent film sheet. The packaged article is wrapped with a material, and the end sealing portion sequentially forms an end seal on the film sheet wrapping the packaged article to seal at least one of the front and rear of each packaged article, and the end sealing portion includes at least two components, namely a first component and a second component, and the end sealing portion includes a clamping drive portion and a feeding drive portion, the first component being arranged near the bent film sheet being conveyed, and the second component being arranged on the opposite side of the first component across the bent film sheet, the clamping drive portion including a motor capable of rotating a rotating shaft forward and reversely within an arbitrary angle range, and the clamping drive portion converts the forward rotation of the rotating shaft of the motor into a linear motion and feeds the two components. The transmission of the at least one of the two components can make the one component approach the other component, and the reversal of the rotating shaft of the motor can make the one component separate from the other component. At least one of the two components is applied with force in the approaching direction by an elastic member capable of elastic deformation. When the film sheet wrapping the packaged object passes between the two components, the clamping drive unit makes at least one of the two components approach the other of the two components to close the two components, and the end seal is formed by clamping the film sheet. During the period when the two components clamp the film sheet, the feeding drive unit causes at least one of the two components to perform the approaching movement. The constituent parts move in the front-to-back direction, and when at least one of the two constituent parts approaches the other, the one and the other of the two constituent parts are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic component, and the pressure to form the end seal is applied to the sandwiched film sheet, and the two constituent parts are set to 0 degrees when they are at the farthest separated position from each other. When at least one of the two constituent parts approaches the other, before the rotating shaft makes a half rotation, that is, a 180-degree forward rotation, the one and the other of the two constituent parts are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic component. The pressure can be adjusted by selecting the angle range of the rotating shaft from the angle range below 180 degrees and changing the range of the linear motion.

[0047] In addition, the present invention can provide a packaging device, comprising: a control unit, the control unit comprising: a storage unit, storing data for setting the range of the rotation angle; and a drive control unit, controlling the motor, the motor being a servo motor or a stepping motor, the drive control unit controlling the range of the rotation angle of the motor based on the data stored in the storage unit.

[0048] The bag is then conveyed to the user via a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels being conveyed along the conveyor belt being conveyed along the conveyor belt. The package is sealed, the end sealing portion comprising at least two components, namely a first component and a second component, and the end sealing portion comprises a clamping drive portion and a feeding drive portion, the first component portion being arranged near the bent film sheet being conveyed, and the second component portion being arranged on the opposite side of the first component portion across the bent film sheet, when the film sheet wrapping the packaged object passes between the two components, the clamping drive portion brings at least one of the two components close to the other of the two components to close the two components, and forms the end seal by clamping the film sheet, and while the two components clamp the film sheet, the feeding drive portion moves the component that performs at least the approaching action of the two components in the front-rear direction, the clamping drive portion comprising: a first mounting component on which the first component is mounted in a manner opposite to the second component;and a second mounting member, the second component being mounted in a manner facing the first component, the clamping driving unit causing at least one of the two mounting members to approach the other mounting member so as to bring the two components closer to each other, and causing the two components to separate from each other by causing the one mounting member to separate from the other mounting member, either of the two components being mounted on one of the mounting members via an elastic member capable of elastic deformation, at least one of the two components being urged in the approaching direction by the elastic member, when at least one of the two components approaches the other, the one and the other of the two components are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic member, and the pressure for forming the end seal is applied to the sandwiched film sheet, and when the one of the two mounting members approaches the other mounting member from the position where the two mounting members are most separated from each other, before the two mounting members are closest to each other, the one and the other of the two components are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic member, and the pressure can be adjusted by changing the interval between the two mounting members when the two mounting members are closest to each other. ;

[0049] In addition, further, in the present invention, a packaging device is provided, wherein the drive control unit sets approximately the entire interval of movement from the rearmost position to the frontmost position in the front-to-rear direction in the moving trajectory of each of the two components as a linear movement interval in which the two components move forward while sandwiching the film sheet.

[0050] Furthermore, in the present invention, a packaging device is provided, wherein the drive control unit causes the clamping drive unit to perform the approach action between the two components while the component based on the feed drive unit is located at the rearmost position of the forward and backward movement, or while it moves slightly forward from the rearmost position; and the drive control unit causes the clamping drive unit to perform the separation action between the two components while the component based on the feed drive unit is located at the frontmost position of the forward and backward movement, or while it moves slightly forward from the frontmost position, so that when observed from a direction orthogonal to the approach / separation direction of the two components and the forward and backward movement direction of the two components, the components respectively present a roughly rectangular movement trajectory.

[0051] In addition, the present invention provides a packaging device, comprising: a sensing unit, wherein the motor of the clamping drive unit is used as an auxiliary motor, and the feeding drive unit comprises: a main motor, which moves the two components along the conveying direction of the film sheet, and the sensing unit comprises one or more sensors, which can at least detect the position of the packaged object in the front-to-back direction, and the control unit can automatically control the action of the end sealing unit based on the clamping drive unit at least according to the position of the packaged object detected by the sensing unit.

[0052] Moreover, in the present invention, a packaging device is provided, wherein the control unit has a timer, and the timer can detect the locking time of the two components being closed by the drive of the clamping drive unit, or the stagnation time of the movement of the components when the feed drive unit stops. When the timer detects that the locking time or the stagnation time reaches a predetermined time, the control unit drives the clamping drive unit to forcibly open the two components.

[0053] In addition, further, the present invention provides a packaging device, which is provided with a center sealing portion on the downstream side of the bag maker in the conveying direction of the film sheet, and the width direction is set to the left and right direction. The center sealing portion makes the left and right end edges of the film sheet facing upward overlap and seal above the packaged object through the bending, thereby forming a center seal extending in the long side direction of the film sheet on the film sheet, and at least a part of the sensors constituting the sensing portion are size detection sensors arranged more upstream than the center sealing portion and capable of detecting the length and height of the packaged object, and the control portion at least calculates the action mode, action timing, and the length of the film sheet required for packaging of the constituent portion that performs the approach action based on the length of each of the packaged objects in the front-to-back direction calculated based on the data detected by the size detection sensor, and controls the drive of the clamping drive portion and the feed drive portion of the end sealing portion based on the calculated action mode, action timing, and the required length of the film sheet.

[0054] Furthermore, in the present invention, a packaging device is provided, wherein the packaging device is capable of pillow-type packaging, the first constituent part is arranged above the film sheet on which the center seal is formed and conveyed, and the second constituent part is arranged below the film sheet on which the center seal is formed and conveyed, when the film sheet passes between the two constituent parts, the clamping drive part causes the first constituent part to descend and the second constituent part to ascend, and the film sheet is clamped by the two constituent parts, at least one of the two constituent parts has a heating part for heat sealing, one of the two constituent parts has a cutting knife that enters and exits the constituent part, and the other of the two constituent parts has a knife receiving part for receiving the cutting knife, the film sheet is clamped by the two constituent parts, the end seal is formed on the film sheet by the heating part, and the film sheet is cut front and back by the cutting knife and the knife receiving part.

[0055] In addition, the present invention provides a packaging device, comprising: a conveyor, which is arranged on the downstream side of the supply conveyor, and carries out the conveying of the film sheet carrying the packaged object; and an action frame, which can be moved forward and backward along the conveying direction of the film sheet by the feed drive unit, the conveyor comprising a main conveying unit and a secondary conveying unit arranged on the downstream side of the main conveying unit in the conveying direction, the action frame comprising: a pair of left and right longitudinal guides, which are arranged on the left and right of the conveyor and extend up and down; and a pair of upper and lower sealing blocks, which are mounted on the two longitudinal guides and guided by the two longitudinal guides and can perform forward and downward movements by the clamping drive unit, the upper sealing block of the sealing blocks being the first constituent unit, and the lower sealing block being the second constituent unit, and the two sealing blocks are arranged on the main conveying unit. The conveying section and the auxiliary conveying section are opened and closed by performing an up-and-down movement. At least when the two sealing blocks are in an open state, the upper sealing block is located above the conveying surface of the conveyor, and the lower sealing block is located below the conveying surface. The cutting knife extending left and right is provided on one side of the opposite surfaces of a pair of sealing blocks, and the heating section extending left and right respectively forward and backward with the cutting knife as a boundary is provided. The knife receiving section extending left and right is provided on the other side of the opposite surfaces of the two sealing blocks, and the heating section extending left and right respectively forward and backward with the knife receiving section as a boundary is provided. The film sheet is clamped by the two sealing blocks, and the end seal is formed on the film sheet by each of the heating sections, and the film sheet is cut front and back by the cutting knife and the knife receiving section using the end seal.

[0056] Furthermore, the present invention provides a packaging device, wherein the feed drive unit comprises: a feed guide, which is directly or indirectly fixed to the conveyor and extends in the front-rear direction; the main motor is directly or indirectly fixed to the conveyor; a rotating plate, which is rotated by the main motor; and a feed action connecting rod component, wherein the center line of rotation of the rotating plate extends in the left-right direction, one end of the feed action connecting rod component is axially supported on the action frame, and the other end of the feed action connecting rod component is axially supported on the rotating plate at a position deviating from the center of rotation of the rotating plate, so that the feed action connecting rod component connects the action frame and the rotating plate, sets the direction opposite to the conveying direction as the forward path, and sets the direction same as the conveying direction as the return path, and the feed drive unit can The rotation of the rotating plate based on the main motor causes the action frame to reciprocate along the feed guide, and the clamping drive unit comprises: the auxiliary motor is arranged on the action frame; the rotating plate is rotated and reversely rotated by the auxiliary motor; a reversing link component is axially supported on the rotating plate at one end at a position deviating from the center of rotation of the rotating plate; a main shaft extends in the left and right directions and is axially supported on the action frame; a reversing arm is arranged on the main shaft and extends in a direction intersecting with the main shaft, and the front end portion is axially supported on the other end of the reversing link component; a first arm is arranged on the main shaft at a position different from the reversing arm in the left and right directions and extends in a direction intersecting with the main shaft; and a second arm is arranged on the main shaft and extends in a direction intersecting with the main shaft and in a direction different from the first arm.

[0057] The front end of the first arm is connected to the first component directly or via another component, and the front end of the second arm is connected to the second component directly or via another component.

[0058] The center line of rotation of the rotating plate extends in the left-right direction.

[0059] At least a part of the sensors constituting the sensing unit is a position detection sensor for detecting that the packaged object on the main conveying unit approaches the auxiliary conveying unit.

[0060] The position detection sensor is arranged on the action frame,

[0061] Under the control of the control unit that detects the approach of the packaged object through the position detection sensor, the feed drive unit rotates the rotating plate through the main motor and displaces the feed action link member, thereby causing the action frame to start moving on the forward path.

[0062] When the position detecting sensor detects the approach, the auxiliary motor rotates the rotating plate by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit, thereby displacing the reversing link member to rotate the main shaft. The first arm and the second arm rotate integrally with the main shaft, respectively, to lower the first component and to raise the second component. The film sheet is sandwiched between the packaged object approaching the auxiliary conveying portion on the main conveying portion and the packaged object that has been transferred to the auxiliary conveying portion before the packaged object, through the first component and the second component. At least during the period when the first component and the second component sandwich the film sheet, the control unit further rotates the rotating plate through the main motor. The first component and the second component are moved on the return path, and the end seals are formed and the film sheets are cut during the movement of the first component and the second component on the return path. The control unit causes the rotating plate to rotate in the opposite direction through the auxiliary motor, so that the reversal link component after the displacement is restored to the state before the displacement. Along with the restoring action of the reversal link component, the main shaft rotates in the opposite direction, so that the respective directions of the first arm and the second arm are restored to the original state, so that the first component rises and returns to the position before the descent, and the second component falls and returns to the position before the rise.

[0063] In addition, further in the present invention, a packaging device is provided, wherein the main conveying section comprises a first tail pulley arranged on the upstream end side, a first head pulley arranged on the downstream end side, an annular first belt mounted on the two pulleys, and a conveyor power source, wherein the conveyor power source is an electric motor, and by directly or indirectly transmitting a rotational force from the conveyor power source, the first head pulley rotates on itself, and the first head pulley can drive the annular first belt to circulate through the rotation, and in the upper section of the circulating first belt, the upper surface of the first belt constitutes a part of the conveying surface, and the first head pulley is supported by an axis. The first belt is moved back and forth along the conveying direction by the first belt adjusting pulley and the first belt adjusting pulley is moved back and forth along the conveying direction by the first belt adjusting pulley. The second conveyor belt is a belt conveyor belt having a plurality of belts, each of which is ... The auxiliary conveying section moves forward and backward in the conveying direction, and the auxiliary conveying section includes a second length adjustment pulley, which is arranged on the inner side of the annular second belt in the lower section of the circulating second belt and is provided with the second belt. The second length adjustment pulley can be displaced in the up and down directions. By displacing the second length adjustment pulley downward, the second belt can be pulled out downward, so that the second tail pulley can be moved forward, that is, downstream, in the conveying direction. By displacing the second length adjustment pulley upward, the second belt can be returned upward, so that the second tail pulley can be moved backward, that is, upstream, in the conveying direction.

[0064] Effects of the Invention

[0065] The invention provides a technical solution for changing the sealing pressure for forming an end seal on a film sheet. In particular, in the present invention, with respect to the sealing block (first and second components), a specific technical solution for adjusting the sealing pressure of a packaging device that performs box-like movement is provided.

[0066] In the fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the above effect, the first and second components can ensure that the interval between the film sheet and the second component is relatively large, and the timing of welding (sealing) and cutting of the film sheet can be easily obtained. Therefore, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to strictly cooperate with the feed drive unit to control the movement of the clamping drive unit.

[0067] Furthermore, in the present invention according to the fourth aspect, the movement of the first and second components in the above-mentioned section can contribute to the conveyance of the film sheet.

[0068] In the fifth aspect of the present invention, based on the above-mentioned effect, a substantially rectangular moving track is drawn as the name of the box-like motion, so that it is also possible to package a packaged object with a relatively large width (having a height) up and down. That is, in a state where the two components are almost not moving forward and backward at the rearmost position in the front-back direction, the two components are close to each other, and in a state where the two components are almost not moving at the frontmost position in the front-back direction, the two components are separated, so that the moving track can be made substantially rectangular.

[0069] For example, in the packaging device of Patent Document 2, although it is said to be a box-like motion in normal operation, as long as its Figure 4 (a), the trajectory of the sealing block does not describe a rectangle. Therefore, the packaging device of Patent Document 2 cannot be said to be suitable for the packaging of relatively high packaged objects. In particular, in order to obtain a nearly circular trajectory described by the sealing block of the packaging device shown in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to make the timing of the drive of the first servo motor (feed drive unit) strictly cooperate with the second servo motor (clamping drive unit), and the motion control of the two motors becomes complicated. Moreover, if the moving trajectory of the two sealing blocks (two components) is made circular, the contact point of the film sheet when the two sealing blocks approach becomes a short interval before and after the approach point, requiring extremely strict control of the two servo motors. In this regard, in the present invention described in the fourth mode, as described above, there is no need to perform motion control of the clamping drive unit in strict cooperation with the feed drive unit.

[0070] In addition, the fifth aspect of the present invention is also similar to the fourth aspect of the present invention, which can ensure that the interval between the first and second components clamping the thin film sheet is relatively large, and it is easy to obtain the timing of welding (sealing) and cutting the thin film sheet. Therefore, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to strictly control the action of the clamping drive unit in cooperation with the feed drive unit. In addition, the fifth aspect of the present invention can also help transport the thin film sheet by moving the first and second components in the above-mentioned interval.

[0071] In the sixth aspect of the present invention, based on the above-mentioned effect, a specific technical solution is provided as follows: with respect to a pair of components constituting the end sealing portion and sandwiching the film sheet to form the end seal, when the movement of the two components in the conveying direction is stagnant in the state of sandwiching the film sheet, the two components can be automatically opened so that the two components do not continue to form a seal on the film sheet. Therefore, by implementing the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to heat the film sheet to a degree more than necessary, and the occurrence of poor sealing caused by heating can be avoided.

[0072] In particular, in the present invention described in the sixth embodiment, a specific technical solution is provided as follows: regarding a pair of components that constitute an end sealing portion and clamp a film sheet to form an end seal, in addition to the movement of the two components that assist in the transportation of the film sheet while clamping the film sheet, the two components can also be controlled to automatically open.

[0073] That is, in the packaging device according to the present invention described in the sixth aspect, the two components can be set so as to perform the separation operation of the two components independently of the movement in the front-rear direction along the conveying direction.

[0074] As described above, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the opening and closing between the two components can be controlled regardless of the conveying state (position on the conveying path) of the packaged object, even in the packaging of packaged objects of different sizes, it will not be constrained by the size (especially the length) of the largest packaged object, and the sensor for detecting the position deviation of the packaged object in the conveyed film sheet can be arranged in the conveying direction at the nearest upstream side of the predetermined position for forming the end seal of the two components clamping the film sheet (the aforementioned predetermined position for forming the head seal P) to deal with it. That is, the two components can open the two components independently of the movement toward the conveying direction, so even if the position deviation is detected near the above-mentioned position P, the two components can be immediately opened to deal with it. Therefore, in the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the missed detection of the above-mentioned position deviation and prevent the occurrence of biting of the packaged object.

[0075] In the second aspect of the present invention, even if the positional deviation is detected immediately before the two components, the action (sealing action) of the two components sandwiching the film sheet can be stopped. The following control can be implemented: in the state where the sealing action is stopped, after the packaged object with positional deviation passes between the two open components, when the sensor detects the arrival of the packaged object without positional deviation, the packaging can be automatically restarted.

[0076] As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the control unit can perform the following control: open the space between the two components, allow the packaged object with positional deviation to pass through, and then wait for the packaged object to reach the appropriate position to restart the sealing action (opening and closing action of the two components).

[0077] In each of the inventions described in the first to seventh aspects, the above-mentioned effect regarding the sealing pressure adjustment can be obtained regardless of whether the sizes of the plurality of packaged objects to be packaged are the same or different during the operation of the packaging device.

[0078] On the other hand, in the implementation of the present invention described in the eighth mode, in particular, in the packaging of a plurality of inconsistently sized packaged objects, a film sheet having a length matching each packaged object is automatically allocated to prevent waste of the film sheet. Of course, the present invention does not exclude the packaging of a plurality of consistently sized packaged objects by a packaging device that automatically allocates a film sheet having a length matching each packaged object to a plurality of inconsistently sized packaged objects.

[0079] In the present invention described in the ninth aspect, the above-mentioned effects are achieved particularly in pillow packaging.

[0080] Furthermore, in the present invention described in the tenth to twelfth aspects, a specific technical solution is provided for realizing the aforementioned "box-shaped moving" packaging device to achieve the above-mentioned effects.

[0081] In the present invention described in the eleventh aspect, by providing the position sensor on the operation frame, it is possible to detect whether or not there is positional deviation of the packaged object immediately before the sealing of the two components.

[0082] In particular, in the present invention described in the eleventh embodiment, in the clamping drive portion, the electric motor is not used to rotate the auxiliary power source in only one direction, but can rotate forward / reverse. The forward / reverse rotation of the auxiliary motor is transmitted to the main shaft as the base axis for opening and closing the two components through the reversing connecting rod component. By rotating / reversely rotating the main shaft, the main shaft can be converted into reverse rotation without rotating to 180 degrees.

[0083] That is, in the present invention of the eleventh aspect, the two components can be brought close to or separated from each other without the first mounting member reaching the lower dead point (the second mounting member being set to the upper dead point). The gap between the two components that is generated when the two components are closest to each other due to the failure to reach the lower dead point (upper dead point) can be solved by arranging each component on the action frame via a known force-applying unit such as a spring or a shock absorber and setting the two components to press each other. As a result, the two components can be closed by rotating the main shaft at an angle slightly smaller than the above 180 degrees, and the pressing force (sealing pressure) of the film sheet can be adjusted by selecting the angle.

[0084] In the present invention, the above-mentioned effects are achieved particularly through the improvement of the end sealing portion, without the need to use two or more conveyors as supply conveyors for supplying the packaged objects to the packaging device body, or to modify the conveying path of the packaged objects up to the above-mentioned end sealing portion in the packaging device body for length adjustment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] Figure 1 (a) is an overall plan view of a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 (b) is about Figure 1 (a) is a schematic side view of the packaging device showing a state immediately before an end seal is formed on the film sheet. Figure 1 (c) is about Figure 1 (a) is a schematic side view of the packaging device showing a state in which the end seal is being formed (the two components are closed).

[0086] Figure 2 (a) is about Figure 1 The packaging device of the present invention shows a partially enlarged schematic side view of a state in which a film sheet is cut (two components are closed), Figure 2 (b) is about Figure 1 The packaging device shows a partially enlarged schematic side view of a state where the film sheet is cut and completed (the two components are open).

[0087] Figure 3 (a) is Figure 2 (a) is a schematic top view of the packaging device shown in FIG. Figure 3 (b) is Figure 2 (b) is a rough top view of the packaging device shown.

[0088] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A partially cut-away front view of an operating frame of the packaging device shown (showing the open and closed states of the two components).

[0089] Figure 5It is omitted Figure 4 A top view of a portion of the action frame is shown.

[0090] Figure 6 (a) is Figure 4 A side view of the action frame shown, Figure 6 (b) is Figure 6 (a) is a side view of the main part of the action frame when the two components are open. Figure 6 (c) is Figure 6 (a) is a side view of the main part of the action frame when the two components are closed.

[0091] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 4 A partially cutaway schematic perspective view of the main portion of the action frame in a state where the space between the two components is open.

[0092] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 4 A partially cutaway schematic three-dimensional view of the main portion of the action frame in a state where the two components are closed.

[0093] Fig. 9 The control unit is shown as the center Figure 1 A block diagram of the various components of the packaging device shown.

[0094] Fig.10 (a) is an explanatory diagram of the movement trajectory of the sealing block when viewed from the side during normal operation. Fig.10 (b) to (d) are side views Figures 1 to 9 The diagram is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the main parts of the packaging device shown.

[0095] Fig.11 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing control states of the supply conveyor drive motor M1 , the size detection sensor A91 , the transport motor M2 , the center drive motor M3 , and the center heating heater H1 , respectively. Fig.11 (b) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between the movement speed and the distance when the film supply speed (film supply amount / unit time) is constant, in the movement mode of the sealing block performing the "box-like movement". Fig.11 (a) is a graph showing various operation modes for short packages. Fig.11 (c) shows the ratio Fig.11 (a) Graph of various motion modes of the long packaged object, Fig.11 (b) shows the ratio Fig.11 (a) length ratio Fig.11 (c) Graph of various motion modes of short packaged objects.

[0096] Fig.12(a) is a generally overall side view of a conventional (rotary) packaging device. Fig.12 (b) is the side view Fig.12 (a) is an explanatory diagram of the movement trajectory of the rotary sealing block of the packaging device shown in FIG. Fig.12 (c) shows Fig.12 (b) is an explanatory diagram of a problem of a rotary seal block, when a main part of a packaging device is viewed from the side.

[0097] Fig.13 (a) is an explanatory diagram of the moving trajectory of the box-shaped moving sealing block when viewed from the side. Fig.13 (b) is an explanatory diagram of the operating state of the sealing block of the box-shaped moving packaging device when viewed from the side. Fig.13 (c) is an explanatory diagram showing the side view of the movement trajectory of the sealing block opening in the transport standby state, which cannot be achieved by the conventional box-shaped moving type packaging device.

[0098] Fig.14 (a) to (c) of FIG. 1 are explanatory diagrams showing problems of a conventional packaging device when the packaging device is viewed from the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0100] (Overall composition)

[0101] The packaging device A according to the present invention includes a packaging device main body A1 and a supply conveyor A2.

[0102] The packaging device body A1 includes a sheet supply unit A3, a conveyor A4, a bag maker A5, a palm closing unit A6, a center seal unit A7, an end seal unit A8, a sensor unit A9, and a control unit A10 ( Figure 1 to Figure 10 ).

[0103] Here, an example in which the present invention is implemented in a packaging device that performs packaging generally called horizontal (horizontal type) pillow packaging is shown.

[0104] Next, the configuration of each of the above-mentioned parts will be described in detail.

[0105] (Supply conveyor A2)

[0106] The supply conveyor A2 supplies the packaging object B to be packaged to the packaging device body A1 ( Figure 1 (a) to (c)). In this example, the supply conveyor A2 is a belt conveyor. However, the supply conveyor A2 is not limited to a belt conveyor, and other known conveyors can also be used.

[0107] The (conveyor belt of) the feed conveyor A2 is driven by a motor (feed conveyor drive motor M1 ).

[0108] The supply conveyor drive motor M1 can be a synchronous motor, and may be a motor other than a synchronous motor as long as it can be ON-OFF controlled by a control unit A described later.

[0109] The supply conveyor A2 sequentially supplies a plurality of packaged objects B of different sizes to the packaging device body A1. As packaging of a plurality of packaged objects B of different sizes, if agricultural products are taken as an example, the packaging of different types of products of different sizes and shapes such as onions, potatoes, white radishes, and carrots can be listed. Even for the same type of products, the packaging of products of different sizes, such as a plurality of root vegetables of different lengths, can be listed.

[0110] The supply conveyor A2 keeps the above-mentioned objects to be packaged B spaced apart from each other and sequentially supplies the objects to be packaged B to the packaging device main body A1.

[0111] (Sheet feeding section A3)

[0112] The sheet supply device A3 pulls out the strip-shaped film sheet f from a cylindrical film roll F formed by winding the strip-shaped film sheet f multiple times, and supplies it to the conveyor A4 ( Figure 1 (a)~(c)).

[0113] Specifically, the sheet supply device A3 includes a pair of rollers A31 (a pair of pull-out rollers A31) that are rotated by a motor (conveying motor M2), and the pair of rollers A31 clamps and pulls out the film sheet f from the film roll F and supplies it to the upstream end of the conveying direction X of the above-mentioned conveyor A4.

[0114] The (central) axis of the above-mentioned pulling roller A31 extends in the left-right direction.

[0115] (Conveyor A4)

[0116] In the conveying conveyor A4, with respect to the conveying direction X of the conveying conveyor A4, the upstream side of the conveying conveyor A4 is set to the rear side of the packaging device main body A1, and the downstream side of the conveying conveyor A4 is set to the front side of the packaging device main body A1, and the film sheet f supplied by the sheet supply part A3 is conveyed from the rear to the front.

[0117] The strip-shaped film sheet f drawn and conveyed on the conveyor A4 has its longitudinal direction along the conveying direction X of the conveyor A4 . That is, the longitudinal direction of the film sheet f is the front-rear direction of the conveyor A4 (packaging device body A1 ).

[0118] The supply conveyor A2 is arranged at the rear of the packaging device body A1, and sequentially places a plurality of packaging objects B at intervals as described above on the film sheet f pulled out to the upstream end of the transport conveyor A4 of the packaging device body A1 (the bag maker A5 described later).

[0119] The conveyor A4 includes a main conveyor unit A41, an auxiliary conveyor unit A42, and a conveyor power source. The main conveyor unit A41 and the auxiliary conveyor unit A42 are driven by the conveyor power source.

[0120] The conveyor power source can be an electric motor.

[0121] In this example, the conveying motor M2 driving the sheet feeding device A3 also serves as the conveyor power source, but a dedicated motor different from the conveying motor M2 that can synchronize the sheet feeding device A3 and the conveyor A4 may be used as the conveyor power source.

[0122] The auxiliary conveying section A42 is located on the downstream side of the main conveying section A41.

[0123] A gap is provided between the main transport portion A41 and the auxiliary transport portion A42.

[0124] The main conveying section A41 includes a first tail pulley A411 disposed on the upstream end side in the conveying direction X, a first head pulley A412 disposed on the downstream end side, and an endless first belt A413 ( Figure 1 (b), (c) and Figure 2 (a), (b)).

[0125] The first head pulley A412 can receive direct or indirect rotational force from the above-mentioned conveyor power source and rotate. The first head pulley A412 can circulate and drive the endless first belt A413 through the rotation of the first head pulley A412.

[0126] In the upper section of the circulating first belt A413, the upper surface of the first belt A413, together with the film sheet f, constitutes a part (upstream side) of the conveying surface on which the packaged objects B are placed and conveyed.

[0127] The first leading pulley A412 is axially supported by a moving frame A85 described later and moves forward and backward in the conveying direction together with the moving frame A85.

[0128] Furthermore, the main conveying section A41 includes a length adjustment pulley A414 in a section below the circulating first belt. The length adjustment pulley A414 is arranged inside the endless first belt A413 and spans the first belt A413.

[0129] The first length adjustment pulley A414 is displaceable in the up-down direction. The first length adjustment pulley A414 can pull the first belt A413 downward by displacing downward, so that the first head pulley A412 moves backward in the conveying direction X, that is, upstream.

[0130] The first length adjustment pulley A414 can return the first belt A413 upward and move the first head pulley A412 forward in the conveying direction X, that is, downstream, by being displaced upward.

[0131] The auxiliary conveying section A42 includes a second rear pulley A421 arranged on the upstream end side in the conveying direction X, a second head pulley A422 arranged on the downstream end side, and an endless second belt A423 stretched between the second rear pulley A421 and the second head pulley A422.

[0132] The second head pulley A422 can also receive direct or indirect rotational force from the above-mentioned conveyor power source and rotate. The second head pulley A422 can circulate and drive the endless second belt A423 through the rotation of the second head pulley A422.

[0133] In the upper section of the circulating second belt A423, the upper surface of the second belt A423, together with the film sheet f, also constitutes another part (downstream side) of the conveying surface on which the packaged objects B are placed and conveyed.

[0134] The second tail pulley A421 is also axially supported by the above-mentioned action frame A85 and moves forward and backward in the conveying direction together with the action frame A85.

[0135] Preferably, the upper surface of the second belt A423 and the upper surface of the first belt A413 are located at the same height, and the two belts A423 and A413 extend approximately horizontally along the conveying direction X. However, it is also possible that the upper surface of the first belt A413 at the position mounted on the first head pulley A412 is only at the same height as the upper surface of the second belt A423 at the position mounted on the second head pulley A422, and the first belt A413 and the second belt A423 are slightly inclined relative to the above-mentioned level. In addition, it is also possible that the upper surface of the first belt A413 at the position mounted on the first head pulley A412 is located at a position slightly higher than the upper surface of the second belt A423 at the position mounted on the second head pulley A422.

[0136] Furthermore, the auxiliary transport section A42 includes a second length adjustment pulley A424 in a section below the circulating second belt A423. The second length adjustment pulley A424 is arranged on the inner side of the ring-shaped second belt A423 and spans the second belt A423.

[0137] The second length adjustment pulley A424 is displaceable in the up-down direction.

[0138] By displacing the second length adjustment pulley A424 downward, the second belt A423 can be pulled downward, and the second tail pulley A422 can be moved forward in the conveying direction X, that is, to the downstream side.

[0139] By displacing the second length adjustment pulley A424 upward, the second belt A423 can be returned upward, and the second tail pulley A422 can be moved rearward in the conveying direction X, that is, upstream.

[0140] The second tail pulley A421 is axially supported by the later-described action frame A85 at a distance in front and behind the first head pulley A412, thereby ensuring the aforementioned gap of constant width that does not change between the main conveying part A41 and the auxiliary conveying part A42.

[0141] (Bag Maker A5)

[0142] The bag maker A5 (molding machine) sequentially bends the film sheet f in the width direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped film sheet f. The bag maker A5 is provided at the upstream end of the transport conveyor A4 (main transport unit A41).

[0143] Specifically, the bag maker A5 is provided at the upstream end of the main conveying section A41. The bag maker A5 comprises: a pair of left and right rising plates A51, which are respectively close to the left and right sides of the strip-shaped film sheet 3 pulled out by the pulling roller A31, so as to bend the film sheet f into a U-shape; and a reversing plate A52, which constitutes a part of the rear part of the packaging device body A1 ( Figure 1 (a)~(c)).

[0144] The pair of rising plates A51 are provided on the left and right of the conveying surface of the main conveying portion A41 so as to sandwich the conveying surface of the main conveying portion A41, and are respectively extended obliquely so that the intervals therebetween gradually increase upward from the conveying surface.

[0145] The distance between at least the base ends of the two upright plates A51 is narrower than the left and right width of the strip-shaped film sheet f. The reversing plate A52 faces the plate surface from the packaging device body A1 to the rear, and protrudes downward from the base ends of the two upright plates A51 compared to the conveying surface of the main conveying part A41.

[0146] In the packaging device body A1 , the sheet supply unit A3 is disposed below the transport conveyor A4 (main transport unit A41 ), and the pull-out roller A31 is located ahead of the reversing plate A52 and the film roll F below the main transport unit A41 of the transport conveyor A4 .

[0147] As mentioned above, after being pulled out by the pulling roller A31, the film sheet f is further pulled out by the driving of the driving roller A61 pair of the palm-jointing part A6 described later, and moves along the above-mentioned plate surface of the reversal plate A52, passes between the above-mentioned plate surface of the reversal plate A52 and the supply conveyor A2, and is reversed forward toward the conveying surface of the main conveying part A41, and together with the packaged objects B supplied in sequence by the supply conveyor A2, passes between the left and right vertical plates A51 and is supplied to the conveying surface of the main conveying part A41.

[0148] On the main conveying portion A41 of the conveying conveyor A4, the supply conveyor A2 places intervals between the preceding packaged object B and the succeeding packaged object B as described above, so that the packaged objects B are sequentially placed on the film sheet f.

[0149] The two rising plates A51 of the bag maker A5 make the left and right ends of the film sheet f on which the pulled-out packaged object B is placed face upward so that the film sheet f is U-shaped as described above, thereby wrapping the packaged object B with the film sheet f.

[0150] The two driving rollers A61 pair of the palm-jointing portion A6 described later and the heating rollers A71 pair of the center sealing portion A7 overlap the left and right ends of the above-mentioned film sheet f bent into the above-mentioned U-shape and facing upward, clamp the left and right ends of the above-mentioned film sheet f and rotate them, thereby wrapping the packaged object B on the conveying surface of the main conveying portion A41, and further pulling out the film sheet f as described above.

[0151] Although not shown in the figure, it is preferred that a film guide for limiting the position of the upper end of the film sheet f is provided between the bag maker A5 and the palm-closing portion A6 in the conveying direction X, so that the film sheet f reversed by the bag maker A5 (reversal plate A52) can smoothly cover the packaged object B.

[0152] (Palm section A6)

[0153] The palm-joining section A6 is composed of a pair of left and right driving rollers A61, which are arranged above the conveying surface of the main conveying section A41 and on the downstream side of the bag maker A5 in the conveying direction X. As described above, the left and right ends of the film sheet f bent into a U-shape are sandwiched and overlapped, that is, in a cylindrical shape after palm-joining, and the film sheet f is further pulled out to the downstream side in the conveying direction X. In a plan view of the packaging device body A1, the palm-joining section A6 is arranged in the central part of the main conveying section A41 in the width direction, and the rotation axes of the two driving rollers A61 extend up and down.

[0154] (Center seal A7)

[0155] The center seal section A7 includes a pair of left and right rollers as a pair of heating rollers A71. The pair of left and right rollers are arranged above the conveying surface of the main conveying section A41 and downstream of the palm-jointing section A6 in the conveying direction X, and have a built-in heater (center heating heater H1). The pair of heating rollers A71 is located directly in front of the pair of driving rollers A61, and the rotating shafts of the two heating rollers A71 extend up and down. The heating rollers A71 heat the palm-jointed portion of the film sheet f and seal the palm-jointed portion of the film sheet f. The sealed portion of the film sheet f is the center seal Ss of the pillow package, which extends along the long side direction of the film sheet f ( Figure 1 (a)~(c) and Figure 2 (a), (b)).

[0156] The central heating heater H1 is controlled by a control unit A10 ( Fig. 9 ) is controlled to maintain the heating roller pair A71 heated to an arbitrary temperature. Specifically, the heating roller pair A71 can be implemented as a component with a temperature sensor. In addition, the central heating heater H1 may be automatically turned on and off by a thermostat to maintain a temperature suitable for sealing instead of being controlled by the control unit A10.

[0157] The heating roller A71 may be formed of another type of member that can be sealed, other than the electric heater, for example, a member using ultrasonic waves, a member using induction heating called IH, or a member using far infrared rays.

[0158] In this example, the driving roller A61 of the palm-joining portion A6 and the heating roller A71 of the center seal portion A7 are driven by receiving driving force transmitted from the same motor (center driving motor M3 ).

[0159] It is preferred that the driving roller A61 of the palm-jointing portion A6 and the heating roller A71 of the center seal portion A7 are preliminarily arranged so that the positions in the vertical direction can be adjusted. For example, the driving roller A61 and the heating roller A71 are preliminarily mounted on a supporting member (not shown) that can change the positions in the vertical direction. In particular, it is preferred that the driving roller A61 and the heating roller A71 are respectively mounted on the same supporting member so that the vertical position of the heating roller A71 can be changed integrally with the driving roller A61.

[0160] It is also possible to configure the supporting member to automatically move up and down according to the height of the packaged object B detected by the sensing portion A9 (size detection sensor A91) described in detail later. However, the left and right widths of the film sheet f are constant. Even if the height of the upper end of the bent film sheet f changes slightly due to the size of the wrapped packaged object, it is usually not necessary to significantly change the height of the supporting member. Therefore, before the packaging device A is operated, it is sufficient to adjust the height of the supporting member based on the average height of a plurality of packaged objects B of different sizes or the median value of the heights of the plurality of packaged objects B.

[0161] It should be noted that the height adjustment described above can be implemented by attaching an adjustment knob for adjusting the height of the support member to the support member (not shown).

[0162] In a relatively thick or strong film sheet f, the center seal Ss formed by sealing the above-mentioned part of the film sheet f after the palm is closed is generally erected like a cockscomb (Tosaka) immediately after being formed on the upper part of the bent and rolled film sheet f. Figure 1 (a)~(c) and Figure 2 Although not shown in the figure, it is preferred that a pressing member is provided in advance on the downstream side of the pair of heating rollers A71 in the conveying direction X, and the pressing member abuts against the conveyed center seal Ss to tilt the erected center seal Ss.

[0163] The pressing member is arranged at a fixed position in the conveying direction X, and may be a roller that can move up and down and is urged downward by an elastic member such as a spring, or may be a member that can follow the upper part of the film sheet f that moves due to the conveyance of other film sheets f.

[0164] (End seal A8)

[0165] The end seal portion A8 is provided on the downstream side of the center seal portion A7 (or the pressing member when the pressing member is provided) in the conveying direction X. The end seal portion A8 seals the preceding packaged object B and the succeeding packaged object B with respect to the film sheet f after bending and forming the center seal Ss, thereby sequentially forming the end seals Ts ( Figure 1 to Figure 8 ).

[0166] The above-mentioned end sealing part A8 includes an upper sealing block A81 as a first component (corresponding to the "upper sealing block" in the claims), a lower sealing block A82 as a second component (corresponding to the "lower sealing block" in the claims), a feed drive part A83, a clamping drive part A84, and an action frame A85.

[0167] The action frame A85 is a substantially rectangular frame body connecting the main conveying section A41 and the auxiliary conveying section A42 when viewed from the front, and constitutes a gate through which the packaged objects B pass when transferring from the main conveying section A41 to the auxiliary conveying section A42. That is, when transferring from the main conveying section A41 to the auxiliary conveying section A42, the packaged objects B pass through the space inside the action frame A85 which is a rectangular frame body.

[0168] The action frame A85 can be driven by the feed drive unit A83 to move forward and backward along the conveying direction X. That is, the action frame A85 can move forward and backward in the conveying direction X relative to the first tail pulley A411 and the second head pulley A422 that are stationary together with the first head pulley A412 and the second tail pulley A421 that are axially supported on the action frame A85.

[0169] Specifically, the first leading pulley A412 and the second trailing pulley A421 are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-back direction, and cross the left and right side portions A853 of the action frame A85, and the left and right ends of the central axes of the first leading pulley A412 and the second trailing pulley A421 are supported by the two side portions A853. Figure 1~Figure 3 In the figure, the action frame A85 is only shown in position by a single-dot chain line, and in order to avoid the complexity of the drawing, the components described later that are set in the action frame A85 are omitted.

[0170] The details of each component set in the action frame A85 are as follows Figure 4~Figure 6 In addition, Figure 7 and Figure 8 Various components provided in the action frame A85 are also shown; however, since the main purpose is to explain the actions of the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82, they are simplified compared to the actual components.

[0171] Furthermore, the packaging device body A1 (transport conveyor A4) includes a guide rail A40 (non-moving) that does not change the front-rear position relative to the operating frame that moves back and forth as described above. Figure 3 (a), (b)). A pair of guide rails A40 are provided on the left and right sides of the conveyor A4, and extend along the conveying direction X. A guided portion A80 guided by the guide rails A40 is provided on the motion frame A85. The guided portion A80 can be made of a groove-shaped material having a U-shaped or L-shaped cross section.

[0172] The guided portion A80 is embedded in the guide rail A40 and can move forward and backward along the guide rail A40. In this example, the guide rail A40 has a pair of first protrusions A43 protruding to the left and right on the upstream side of the action frame A85, and a pair of second protrusions A44 protruding to the left and right on the downstream side of the action frame A85.

[0173] A first guide bar A45 extending toward the upstream side in the conveying direction X at a distance from the guide rail A40 is provided on each first protrusion A43.

[0174] A second guide bar A46 extending toward the downstream side in the conveying direction X at a distance from the guide rail A40 is provided on each second protruding portion A44.

[0175] The guided part A80 includes a first receiving part 801 and a second receiving part A802. The first receiving part 801 protrudes to the left and right from the rear side of each guided part A80 and includes a through part for the first guide rod A45 to pass through. The second receiving part A802 protrudes to the left and right from the front side of each guided part A80 and includes a through part for the second guide rod A46 to pass through.

[0176] When the guided part A80 moves forward and backward together with the action frame A85 through the above-mentioned forward and backward movement of the action frame A85, the first receiving part A801 ​​can move forward and backward along the first guide rod A45. In addition, the second receiving part A802 can move forward and backward along the second guide rod A46, thereby guiding the above-mentioned movement of the action frame A85.

[0177] Regarding the guidance of the forward and backward movement of the action frame A85, the feed guide A830 described later is also a member for guiding the forward and backward movement of the action frame A85. In this example, the feed guide A830 guides the bottom A852 described later of the action frame A85, and the first guide rod A45 and the second guide rod A46 guide at a position higher than the bottom (at a position substantially at the same height as the conveying surface of the packaged object B).

[0178] However, the first guide rod A45 and the second guide rod A46 may be omitted and only the feed guide A830 may be provided, or the feed guide A830 may be omitted and only the first guide rod A45 and the second guide rod A46 may be provided. In the example where the feed guide A830 is not provided, the first guide rod A45 and the second guide rod A46 correspond to the "feed guide" in the claims.

[0179] In practice, it is preferable to provide the feed guide A830 and both the first guide rod A45 and the second guide rod A46.

[0180] As described above, the action frame A85 is a frame body that is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front, and is composed of a top portion A851 having the upper side of the rectangle, a bottom portion A852 (described above) having the lower side of the rectangle, and a pair of left and right side portions A853 (described above) having the side sides of the rectangle. Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 (a)).

[0181] The top A851 extends laterally to the left and right above the conveying surface of the conveyor A4, the bottom A852 extends laterally to the left and right below the conveyor A852, and the left and right side parts A853 extend vertically upward and downward on the left and right sides of the conveyor A4.

[0182] In addition, the action frame A85 as a frame body has a pair of left and right longitudinal guides A86, which extend in the vertical direction ( Figure 4 , Figure 6 (a) and Figure 7 ). The upper ends of the two longitudinal guide members A86 are fixed to the top A851 of the action frame A851, and the lower ends of the two longitudinal guide members A86 are fixed to the bottom A852 of the action frame A85.

[0183] It should be pointed out that Figure 7 In the figure, the top A851 and the two side parts A853 of the action frame A85 are omitted, and the longitudinal guide A86 is also drawn as a partially cut-away state. Figure 8 In order to show the structure of the space set inside the action frame A85, the action frame A85 itself as a frame body is omitted.

[0184] In the inner space of the operating frame A85, the upper sealing block A81 is arranged above the lower sealing block A82.

[0185] Specifically, the upper sealing block A81 (first component) and the lower sealing block A82 are both mounted between the two longitudinal guides A86 on the left and right, and are guided by the two longitudinal guides A86. The clamping drive unit A83 moves the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82 up and down, thereby opening and closing the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 ( Figure 2 (a), (b), Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 ).

[0186] It should be pointed out that Figure 4 In the figure, in the center portion in the up-down direction, the left half shows a state where the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are opened, and the right half shows a state where the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are closed.

[0187] The mounting structure of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to the longitudinal guide A86 will be described in detail later.

[0188] At least when the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 is opened, the upper sealing block A81 is located above the conveying surface of the conveyor A4, and the lower sealing block A82 is arranged below the conveying surface.

[0189] A cutting blade A81a extending horizontally is provided on one of the surfaces of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 facing each other, that is, on the lower surface of the upper sealing block A81.

[0190] Furthermore, on the lower surface, a heat generating portion A81b extending to the left and right is provided in front and behind with the cutting blade A81a as a boundary.

[0191] The other side of the surfaces of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 facing each other is provided with a knife receiving portion A82a extending to the left and right. In addition, on the surface of the other side, a heating portion A82b extending to the left and right is provided respectively before and after the knife receiving portion A82a.

[0192] The heating parts A81b and A82b can be electric heaters. The heating parts A81b and A82b can also be implemented by using a known technical solution other than an electric heater that can heat-seal the film sheet f.

[0193] A film sheet f having a center seal Ss is sandwiched between the opposing surfaces of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82. The film sheet f is heated by the heat generated by the heating portions A81b and A82b of the opposing surfaces to form the end seal Ts. The film sheet f is cut front and back at the end seal Ts by the cutting knife A81a and the knife receiving portion A82a. Figure 2 (a), (b)).

[0194] The front side of the end seal Ts after the cutting is the tail seal Ta of the package 100 formed by the cutting, and the rear side of the end seal Ts after the cutting is the head seal To of the film sheet f as the next package 100 .

[0195] In addition, the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82 arranged in the inner space of the action frame A85 as a frame body are located between the conveying section A41 and the auxiliary conveying section A42 in the conveying direction X ( Figure 1 (a)~(c) Figure 2 (a), (b), Figure 3 (a), (b)).

[0196] In this example, the upper seal block A81 is mounted on the two longitudinal guides A86 via the upper mounting member A811, and the lower seal block A82 is mounted on the two longitudinal guides A86 via the lower mounting member A821. Figure 7 ).

[0197] Specifically, the upper mounting member A811 (first mounting member) whose left and right lateral directions are set as the long-side direction is mounted on the two longitudinal guide members A86, and similarly, the lower mounting member A821 whose left and right lateral directions are set as the long-side direction is mounted on the two longitudinal guide members A86. Through holes A812 and A822 penetrating vertically are respectively provided near the left and right ends of the upper mounting member A811 and the lower mounting member A821, and the longitudinal guide members A86 formed in a rod shape are passed through the through holes A812 and A822, respectively, so that the upper mounting member A811 and the lower mounting member A821 can move vertically along the two longitudinal guide members A86.

[0198] In this example, the upper seal block A81 is mounted to the lower portion of the upper mounting member A811 via a pair of left and right suspensions A813 (a coilover suspension system in this example).

[0199] The suspension A813 acts as a shock absorber, that is, a buffer to converge (attenuate) the periodic vibration of the upper seal block A81. In addition, the suspension A813 acts as an elastic member that can be elastically deformed to urge the upper seal block A81 toward the lower seal block A82.

[0200] In this example, an upper seal block A81 is mounted on the lower surface of a plate-shaped or rod-shaped mounting base A811b whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction, and the front ends (lower ends) of both suspensions A813 are mounted on the upper surface of the mounting base A811b.

[0201] On the other hand, the lower sealing block A82 is attached to the upper part of the lower mounting member A821 (second mounting member) whose longitudinal direction is the horizontal direction. In this example, the lower sealing block A82 is directly provided on the upper surface of the lower mounting member A821.

[0202] The feed drive unit A83 includes the feed guide A830, a motor as a main motor A831, a rotating plate A833 provided on the rotating shaft A832 and rotating thereon, and a feed operation link member A834 ( Figure 2 (a), (b), Figure 5 , Figure 6 (a) and Figure 7 ).

[0203] In this example, the main motor A831 is an electric motor having a rotating shaft A832 extending horizontally. Hereinafter, the main motor A831 will be referred to as the electric motor A831 as needed.

[0204] The motor A831 corresponds to the "main power source" in the claims, and is fixed to a stationary portion (a portion that does not move forward and backward) of the packaging device body A1 (transport conveyor A4) or the ground on which the packaging device body A1 is installed relative to the forward and backward moving frame A85. Therefore, even if the moving frame A85 moves in the forward and backward direction along the conveying direction X, the moving motor A831 does not move in any direction.

[0205] One end of the feed action link component A834 is axially supported on the action frame A85, and the other end of the feed action link component A834 is axially supported on the rotating plate A833 at a position deviated from the center of rotation of the rotating plate A833, that is, eccentric from the center, so that the feed action link component A834 connects the action frame A85 and the rotating plate A833.

[0206] In the feed drive unit A83, the direction opposite to the conveying direction X is set as the forward path, and the direction in the same direction as the conveying direction X is set as the return path. The rotation of the rotating plate A833 caused by the motor A831 pushes and pulls the action frame A85 along the first guide rod A45 and the second guide rod A46 (feed guide), so that the action frame A85 performs a reciprocating motion ( Figure 2 (a), (b)).

[0207] A guide receiving portion A854 ( Figure 6 (a) and Figure 7 ).

[0208] The feed guide A830 is fixed to a stationary portion (a portion that does not move forward and backward) of the packaging device body A1 (transport conveyor A4) or the ground on which the packaging device body A1 is installed relative to the action frame A85 that moves forward and backward, and extends forward and backward.

[0209] The guide receiving portion A854 moves forward and backward along the feed guide A830 together with the action frame A85. As described above, the action frame A85 guides the forward and backward movement through the feed guide A830.

[0210] In this example, the guide receiving part A854 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom A852 of the action frame A85 near the left and right ends of the bottom A852, and has a through-portion that passes through the front and back. The feed guide A830 is a pair of left and right rod-shaped bodies that pass through the through-portion of the guide receiving part A854 and extend forward and backward, respectively. The front end and the rear end of each feed guide A830 are fixed to the above-mentioned fixed part of the packaging device body A1 (transport conveyor A4) or the above-mentioned fixed part A830a on the ground.

[0211] The clamping drive part A84 includes: a motor serving as an auxiliary motor A841; a rotating plate A843 arranged on the rotating shaft A842; a reversal connecting rod part A844; a main shaft A845 extending to the left and right directions and mounted on the inner space of the action frame A85; a reversal arm A846 arranged on the main shaft A845; two first arms A847a arranged on the main shaft A845; a pair of left and right first connecting parts A848a that respectively connect the first arm A847a to the upper sealing block A81; two second arms A847b arranged on the main shaft A845; and a pair of left and right second connecting parts A848b that respectively connect the second arm A847b to the lower sealing block A82.

[0212] In this example, the auxiliary motor A841 is a servo motor having a rotation shaft A842 extending to the left and right. Hereinafter, the auxiliary motor A841 will be referred to as the servo motor A841 as needed.

[0213] The servo motor A841 is provided on the action frame A85 to rotate (forward) and reverse (reverse) the rotating shaft A842. The servo motor A841 corresponds to the "auxiliary power source" described in the claims and is a motor different from the electric motor A831 (main power source).

[0214] It should be noted that in this example, the auxiliary motor A841 can be any motor that can rotate and reverse the rotating plate A853 at a predetermined rotation angle, and other known motors other than the above-mentioned servo motor can be used, for example, a stepping motor or a linear motor can be used as the auxiliary motor A841. In other words, the auxiliary motor A841 can be any motor that can control the rotation range.

[0215] It should be noted that when the auxiliary motor A853 is set as a linear motor, the rotating plate A843 can be rotated and the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be directly moved linearly.

[0216] The reversing link member A844 has one end axially supported on the rotating plate A853 at a position deviated from the center of rotation of the rotating plate A853, that is, at a position eccentric from the center.

[0217] The main shaft A845 is axially supported by the action frame A85 and is rotatable. In this example, the main shaft A845 is supported by a pair of left and right bearings A845a at the bottom A852 ( Figure 4 and Figure 5 ). In addition, the main shaft A845 may have both end portions axially supported on the side portions A853 of the action frame A85.

[0218] It should be pointed out that Figure 7 and Figure 8In order to avoid complexity of the drawings, the above-mentioned bearing A845a is omitted.

[0219] In addition, as mentioned above, Figure 7 and Figure 8 In order to focus on the operation of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, the various parts are simplified compared to the actual situation. In order to achieve smooth and stable operation of the action frame A85 and the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, it is actually preferred to Figure 7 In addition to the feed guide A830 and guide receiving portion A854, the guide rail A40 and the guided portion A80, the first and second guide rods A45, A46 and the first and second receiving portions A801, A802, the longitudinal guide 86 and the upper and lower mounting components A811, A821 shown in the figure, guides and guide units for the operation of each part are provided to implement the operation ( Figure 7 , Figure 3 (a), (b)).

[0220] The above-mentioned reversing arm A846 is provided on the main shaft A845, and extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the main shaft A845 extends as described above, and the front end portion is axially supported by the other end of the reversing link portion A844 ( Figure 7 and Figure 8 ).

[0221] The two first arms A847a are provided on the main shaft A845 at positions different from the reversing arm A846 in the left-right direction, and extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the main shaft A845 extends as described above. One of the two first arms A847a is provided near the left end of the main shaft A845 extending left-right, and the other of the two first arms A847a is provided near the right end of the main shaft A845 extending left-right.

[0222] In this example, the second arm A847b is provided at the same position as the first arm A847b in the left-right direction of the main shaft A845 and extends in the opposite direction to the first arm A847b. That is, the second arm A847b extends on the outer peripheral surface of the main shaft A845 so as to have an angle of approximately 180 degrees with the first arm A847a.

[0223] like Figure 7As shown, in a state where the central part of the long side direction of the main shaft A845 is penetrated, one end side of the rod-shaped body or plate-shaped body formed on the main shaft A845 can be set as the above-mentioned first arm A847a, and the other end side of the rod-shaped body (plate-shaped body) can be set as the above-mentioned second arm A847b. However, it is not limited to the pair of the first arm A847a and the second arm A847b being constituted by one of the above-mentioned rod-shaped body (plate-shaped body). The second arm A847b can also be set at a different position in the left-right direction on the main shaft A845 relative to the first arm A847a. In addition, the angle between the first arm A847a and the second arm A847b can also be an obtuse angle other than the above-mentioned 180 degrees.

[0224] Each of the first connecting portions A848a has one end connected to the front end portion of each of the first arms A847a, and the other end attached to the upper sealing block A81 (first component).

[0225] In this example, each first connection portion A848a is not directly connected to the upper sealing block A81, but the other end of each first connection portion A848a is mounted on the upper mounting component A811 provided with the upper sealing block A81.

[0226] Specifically, the first connecting portion A848a is composed of a longitudinal portion A848aa extending up and down and fixing the upper end to the vicinity of the left and right ends of the upper mounting member A811, and a transverse portion A848ab extending from the lower end of the longitudinal portion A848a and extending from the lower end in the front-rear direction (in this example, the rear in the front-rear direction), and is formed in a longitudinally long L shape ( Figure 6 (b), (c), Figure 7 and Figure 8 ).

[0227] The lateral portion A848ab is provided with a sliding guide portion A848ac extending forward and backward along the long side direction of the lateral portion A848ab. In this example, the sliding guide portion A848ac is a long hole that passes through the lateral portion A848a from left to right and extends forward and backward along the long side direction of the lateral portion A848ab, but it may also be formed as a groove extending forward and backward along the long side direction of the lateral portion A848ab.

[0228] A guide portion A847aa guided by the above-mentioned sliding guide portion A848ac is provided at the front end portion of the first arm A847a.

[0229] In this example, the guide portion A847aa is a protrusion inserted into the long hole of the sliding guide portion A848ac. The guide portion A847aa can be displaced in the front-rear direction of the sliding guide portion A848ac as the spindle A845 rotates or reverses.

[0230] One end of each second connection portion A848b is axially supported by the front end portion of each second arm A847b, and the other end is attached to the lower seal block A82 (second component).

[0231] In this example, each second connection portion A848b is composed of a connection link member A848ba and a plate-shaped lower protruding piece A848bb which is provided on the lower surface of the lower mounting member A821 and protrudes downward.

[0232] One end of the connecting link member A848ba is axially supported by the front end portion of the second arm A847b, and the other end of the connecting link member A848ba is axially supported by the lower end portion of the lower protruding piece A848bb.

[0233] When the position of the rotating plate A853 supported by the reversing link member A844 is the farthest from the main axis A845, the angle between the reversing link member A844 and the reversing arm A846 is the largest. In this example, the angle is an obtuse angle of 180 degrees or close to 180 degrees ( Figure 7 At this time, the upper sealing block A81 is located at the uppermost point that can move in the up-down direction, and the front end side of the first arm A847a is oriented in a direction that is substantially the same as the extension (front-back) direction of the lateral portion A848ab ( Figure 7 ), the sliding portion A847aa is located in the sliding guide portion A848ac at a position farthest from the longitudinal portion A848aa in the long side direction of the transverse portion A848ab ( Figure 6 (b) and Figure 7 ).

[0234] On the other hand, when the position of the rotating plate A843 supported by the reversing link member A844 is the closest to the main shaft A845, the angle between the reversing link member A844 and the reversing arm A846 is the smallest. In this example, the angle is an acute angle ( Figure 8 At this time, the upper sealing block A81 is located at the lowest point that can move in the up-down direction, and the front end side of the first arm A847a is inclined downward relative to the horizontal portion A848ab extending forward and backward ( Figure 8 ), the sliding portion A847aa is located in the sliding guide portion A848ac at a position closest to the longitudinal portion A848aa in the long side direction of the transverse portion A848ab ( Figure 6 (c)).

[0235] The rotating plate A843 rotates together with the rotating shaft A842 by the rotation of the servo motor A841. The position of the rotating plate A843 supported by the reversing link member A844 is displaced in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate A846. For example, in the servo motor A841, the position of the rotating plate A853 supported by the reversing link member A844 is located at the farthest position from the main shaft A845 ( Figure 7 ), through the rotation of the servo motor A841, it is displaced to the position closest to the spindle A845 mentioned above ( Figure 8 ).

[0236] With the above-mentioned displacement of the reversal connecting rod component A844, the longitudinal portion A848a is pulled downward by the guiding portion A847aa of the first arm A847a, and the upper sealing block A81 descends together with the upper mounting component A811. At this time, the guiding portion A847aa is surrounded by the action of the first arm A847a and displaced backward in the front-to-rear direction extending from the sliding guide portion A848ac as described above relative to the sliding guide portion A848ac. The first arm A847a rotates due to the rotation of the main shaft A845.

[0237] In addition, as the reversing link member A844 is displaced, the second arm A847b rotates, increasing the angle between the second arm A847b and the connecting link member A848ba, thereby pushing up the connecting link member A848ba. By pushing up the connecting link member A848ba, the lower protruding piece A821 is pushed upward, and the lower sealing block A82 rises together with the lower mounting member A821 ( Figure 6 (b), (c) and Figure 8 ).

[0238] When the shaft-supported position reaches the above-mentioned closest position to the main shaft A845 through the above-mentioned displacement of the reversing connecting rod component A844, the upper sealing block A81 reaches the lowest point that can be descended, and the lower sealing block A82 reaches the highest point that can be ascended, and the upper sealing block A81 approaches the lower sealing block A82, and the film sheet f is sandwiched between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, and the end seal Ts is formed on the film sheet f by the heat generated by the heating parts A81b and A82b of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82.

[0239] While the end seal Ts is formed by the heating parts A81b and A82b, the end seal Ts is clamped by the cutting knife 81a and the knife receiving part 81b, and the end seal Ts is cut, thereby cutting the film sheet f front and back to form a packaging body 100 ( Figure 2 (a), (b) and Figure 8 ).

[0240] In this example, when the upper mounting component A811 descends and the lower mounting component A821 rises, the upper sealing block A81 abuts against the lower sealing block A82 before the upper mounting component A811 reaches the lowest position (lowest point) of the movable range and the lower mounting component A821 reaches the highest position (upper point) of the operating range, and due to the force of the above-mentioned suspension A813 with a spring, the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 begin to push each other and interfere with each other.

[0241] It is preferred that the lowermost position of the upper mounting component A811 and the uppermost position of the operating range of the lower mounting component A821 are selected and set so that the width of the overlap between the upper and lower sealing blocks A81 and A82 is approximately within the range of 1 to 3 mm, assuming that the positions of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the front-to-back direction are different and do not interfere with each other. However, the (overlapping) width may be changed to other values ​​as long as it can properly seal.

[0242] In particular, in this example, the auxiliary motor A841 is set to be a motor that can rotate forward / reverse, and through the aforementioned operator's prior operation of the data in the above-mentioned storage unit, the rotation range of the rotating shaft A842 of the auxiliary motor A841 is selected to be slightly smaller than 180 degrees. Before the two mounting components A811 and A812 respectively reach the lower dead point of the upper mounting component A811 and the upper dead point of the lower mounting component A8 when it is assumed that the rotating shaft A842 can rotate 180 degrees (one rotation), the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82 abut against each other and begin to push against each other. Before the above-mentioned arrival, the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can clamp the film sheet f with appropriate pressure to form an end seal Ts.

[0243] When the lower dead point of the upper mounting component A811 and the upper dead point of the lower mounting component A821 are respectively set as the lowermost position (lowermost point) of the movable range of the upper mounting component A811 and the uppermost position (uppermost point) of the operating range of the lower mounting component A821, it is difficult to change the sealing pressure for forming the end seal Ts due to the selection of the above-mentioned rotation angle, and the sealing pressure cannot be easily changed.

[0244] In this example, the lifting drive unit A81a supporting the cutting blade A81a is provided on the upper mounting member A811 ( Figure 7 and Figure 8 ). The lifting drive unit A811a lifts and lowers the cutting blade A81a relative to the mounting base A811b and the upper sealing block A81.

[0245] An insertion portion A811c that vertically penetrates the mounting base A811b and the upper sealing block A81 and accommodates the cutting blade A81a is provided between the mounting base A811b and the upper sealing block A81 ( Figure 2 (a), (b), Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 ).

[0246] The lifting drive unit A811a can be composed of a piston rod fixing the cutting knife A81a to the front end (lower end), and a cylinder body, which accommodates the piston rod and moves the piston rod in and out downward by fluid pressure such as gas or liquid.

[0247] When the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are close to each other, the cutting knife A81a contained in the insertion portion A811c is lowered by the lifting drive unit A811a toward the formed end seal Ts, so that the cutting knife A81a is protruded downward from the lower surface of the upper sealing block A81 and contacts the knife receiving portion A82a, thereby performing the above-mentioned cutting of the film sheet f. When the above-mentioned cutting is completed, the lifting drive unit A811a raises the cutting knife A81a and sinks the cutting knife A81a into the insertion portion A811c.

[0248] The lifting drive unit A811a can be implemented as a component that mechanically lifts the cutting blade A81a using a motor in addition to the above-mentioned piston rod and cylinder.

[0249] By the displacement of the reversing link member A844, the position supported by the shaft reaches the closest position to the main shaft A845. When the end seal Ts and the cutting are completed by the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, the servo motor A841 performs reverse rotation. By the reverse rotation of the servo motor A841, the position supported by the shaft changes from the state where it is located at the closest position to the main shaft A845 ( Figure 8 ) is displaced to the original position farthest above ( Figure 7 ).

[0250] With the displacement of the reversal connecting rod component A844, the longitudinal portion A848a is pushed upward by the sliding guide portion A848ac of the first arm A847a, and the upper sealing block A81 rises together with the upper mounting component A811. At this time, the guiding portion A847aa is rotated in the opposite direction to the above through the action of the first arm A847a, and is displaced forward in the front-to-rear direction of the extension of the sliding guide portion A848ac as described above relative to the sliding guide portion A848ac. The first arm A847a rotates due to the reverse rotation of the main shaft A845.

[0251] In addition, as the reversing link member A844 is displaced, the second arm A847b rotates to reduce the angle between the second arm A847b and the connecting link member A848ba, thereby pressing the connecting link member A848ba downward. By the pressing downward of the connecting link member A848ba, the lower protruding piece A821 is pulled downward, and the lower sealing block A82 is lowered together with the lower mounting member A821 ( Figure 6 (b), (c) and Figure 7 ).

[0252] As described above, by the upper sealing block A81 rising and the lower sealing block A82 falling, the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 becomes originally open, and the packaged object B and the film sheet f can be advanced after the formed package body 100.

[0253] The servo motor A841 repeatedly rotates and reverses as described above, thereby bending and extending the reversing link member A844 and the reversing arm A846. By bending and extending, the direction of the reversing arm A846 is changed as described above, and the main shaft A845 is rotated and reversed.

[0254] (Sensor A9)

[0255] The sensor unit A9 includes a size detection sensor A91 and a position detection sensor A92 ( Figure 1 (b), (c), Figure 2 (a), (b)).

[0256] The size detection sensor A91 is arranged between the packaging device body A1 and the supply conveyor A2 to detect the length L of the packaged object B. As the size detection sensor A91, in order to also detect the approximate size of the packaged object B in the height direction, in this example, three pairs of optical sensors are arranged in the upper and lower parts (from top to bottom, the upper optical sensor A91a at the top, the middle optical sensor A91b at the middle, and the lower optical sensor A91c at the bottom).

[0257] When only the length of the packaged object B is to be detected, a sensor having only a pair of optical sensors arranged on the left and right or on the top and bottom can be used as the size detection sensor A91. In addition, as the size detection sensor A91, in addition to the optical method, a mechanical sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor or a limit switch can also be used.

[0258] As an optical sensor, a sensor including a camera capable of recognizing an image can be used in addition to a photosensor.

[0259] The position detection sensor A92 is disposed upstream of the center seal portion A7 in the conveying direction X and near the downstream end of the main conveying portion A41. The position detection sensor A92 detects the position of the object B in the conveying direction X.

[0260] In this example, the position detection sensor A92 is provided on the operation frame A85 and is located above the main conveying section A41, and detects the arrival of the packaged object A conveyed just below the position detection sensor A92.

[0261] By providing the position detection sensor A92 on the operating frame A85 , the position detection sensor A92 can move forward and backward together with the operating frame A85 while keeping the distance between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 constant in the front-rear direction (conveying direction X).

[0262] Furthermore, in the front-to-rear direction, the distance between the position detection sensor A92 and the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be set to 0 or close to 0, so that the position deviation of the packaged object B before the sealing operation is performed can be detected regardless of the size of the packaged object B.

[0263] It should be noted that, in the operation frame A85, position detection sensors A92 may be arranged on the left and right sides of the main transport section A41.

[0264] Based on the length of each packaged object B detected by the size detection sensor A91, the conveying speed of the supply conveyor A2 and the conveying conveyor A4 is controlled by the control of the control unit A10 so that the interval d between each packaged object B is constant ( Figure 1 (b)). The position detection sensor A92 detects whether the above-mentioned interval d between subsequent packages B is kept constant, that is, whether the position deviation of the packaged object B occurs on the film sheet f, based on the arrival time or passing time of the packaged object B detected and the length of the packaged object B detected by the size detection sensor A91. The above-mentioned time can be set as the elapsed time measured by the timer (of the control unit A10 described later) obtained by the control unit A10 starting from the arrival or passing time of the size detection sensor A91.

[0265] The length of each packaged object B is 1 mm or more, and the upper limit of this length is the size that can be transferred by the conveyor A4. Therefore, the upper limit of the length of the packaged object B is affected by the length (mechanical dimension) of the conveyor A4 (main conveyor 41) in the conveying direction X.

[0266] The length of the film sheet f required to package the packaged object B is the length calculated by the sensor of the sensing unit A9 for each packaged object B. Therefore, the upper limit of the length of the packaged object B is based on the condition that the length measurement can be performed.

[0267] For example, when the above-mentioned mechanical dimension is set to 1400mm, it is usually preferred to set the front and back dimensions (bag length) of the packaged object B to 40mm~1400mm. When the mechanical dimension is set to 800mm, it is usually preferred to set the front and back dimensions (bag length) of the packaged object B to 40mm~800mm.

[0268] Here, the bag length is the width of the end seal Ts in the front-to-back direction (front-to-back width of the head seal To + front-to-back width of the tail seal Ta) + the length between the front and rear end seals Ts (bag margin).

[0269] The margin of the bag varies depending on the size and shape of the object B, but is generally 10 to 30 mm in a typical packaging device for packaging food, and the width of the end seal TS in the front-to-back direction is generally 12 to 20 mm.

[0270] However, the above-mentioned numerical ranges are merely examples, and as long as an appropriate package body 10 can be formed, the values ​​may be out of the above-mentioned numerical ranges.

[0271] In addition, the position detection sensor A92 can adopt an optical sensor.

[0272] As the optical sensor, for example, an optical sensor may be used that includes a light projecting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted by the light projecting unit, and detects the arrival of the packaged object B by shielding the light emitted by the light projecting unit. However, since it is not necessary to detect the size of the packaged object B as the size detection sensor A91 does, the position detection sensor A92 can be implemented with a simple configuration of only a pair of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit.

[0273] (Control unit A10)

[0274] The control unit A10 can be configured by a computer (embedded computer) including a computing unit, a storage unit, an input unit, and an output unit. Fig. 9 ).

[0275] The output unit is electrically connected to a supply conveyor drive motor M1, a transport motor M2, a center drive motor M3 for driving the drive roller A61 and the heating roller A71, a motor A831, a servo motor A841, a center heating heater H1, a heating unit A81b, A82b, and a lifting drive unit A811a.

[0276] The input unit is electrically connected to the size detection sensor A91 ( A91 a , A91 b , A91 c ), the position detection sensor A92 , and the servo motor A841 .

[0277] The electrical connection between each unit and the output unit is a connection that enables transmission and reception of signals via a signal line or wirelessly, and the same applies to the electrical connection between each unit and the input unit.

[0278] The control unit A10 includes at least a drive control unit (not shown) that controls the servo motor A841.

[0279] The storage unit may store data for setting the range of the rotation angle.

[0280] The drive control unit controls the range of the rotation angle of the servo motor A841 based on the data stored in the above-mentioned storage unit.

[0281] Regarding the range of the rotation angle of the rotation shaft A842 of the rotation servo motor A841, the storage unit stores a plurality of angles within the range or angle data specifying the upper and lower angle limits of the range, and the operator pre-selects a rotation angle from the above angle range through an operation unit (not shown) to operate the packaging device, or directly inputs the angle data into the storage unit through the operation unit. The drive control unit refers to the storage unit and rotates the servo motor A841 based on the rotation angle of the rotation shaft A842 selected or input in the above manner.

[0282] In addition, the control unit A10 is provided with a timer for detecting the elapsed time. In addition, the clamping drive unit A84 can also be provided with a timer for implementation. When the control unit A10 or the above-mentioned timer of the clamping drive unit A84 measures the time of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 approaching each other, that is, the time of the heating parts A81b and A82b of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 clamping the thin film sheet f and detects that a prescribed time has passed, regardless of the front-to-back position of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, that is, regardless of the driving state of the feed drive unit A84, the control unit A10 can quickly drive the clamping drive unit A84 (servo motor A841) to open the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to release the thin film sheet f.

[0283] (Timing of Operation of End Seal 6)

[0284] The description will be centered around the operation of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 implemented by the feed drive unit A83 and the clamp drive unit A84 using the above-described configuration.

[0285] The feed drive unit A83 causes the action frame A85 to reciprocate in the front-to-back direction (transport direction X), and the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 provided on the action frame A85 reciprocate in the transport direction X ( Figure 2 (a), (b), Figure 3 (a), (b)).

[0286] Specifically, the control unit A10 controls the arrival of the packaged object B detected by the position detection sensor A92, and the feed drive unit A83 rotates the rotation shaft A832 of the motor A831, thereby rotating the rotating plate A833, displacing the feed action link member A834, so that the action frame A85 starts to move on the above-mentioned forward path ( Figure 1 (b) and Figure 7 ).

[0287] The control unit A10 controls the arrival of the packaged object B detected by the position detection sensor A92. The clamping drive unit A84 rotates the rotating shaft A842 of the servo motor A841 as described above, rotates the rotating plate A843 by a predetermined angle, and thereby displaces the reversing link member A844 to rotate the main shaft A845. The first arm A847a and the second arm A847b rotate integrally with the main shaft A845, respectively, by the rotation of the main shaft A845, so that the first connecting portion A848a is displaced to lower the upper sealing block A81, and the second connecting portion A848b is displaced to raise the lower sealing block A82. The film sheet f ( Figure 1 (c) Figure 2 (a) and Figure 8 ).

[0288] With the film sheet f sandwiched between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 as described above, the control unit A10 forms an end seal Ts using the heating unit A81b and cuts the film sheet f by moving the cutting knife A81a driven by the lifting drive unit A811a in and out.

[0289] After the end seal Ts is formed by clamping the film sheet f between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, and the above-mentioned cutting is performed, the control unit A10 controls the servo motor A841 to reversely rotate the rotating shaft A842 and the rotating plate A843, thereby restoring the reversing connecting rod component A844 that has been displaced as described above to the state before the displacement.

[0290] As described above, along with the above-mentioned restoring action of the reverse link member A844, the main shaft A845 performs reverse rotation, so that the directions of the first arm A847a and the second arm A847b are restored to their original states, thereby restoring the first connecting portion A848a and the second connecting portion A848b to the states before the above-mentioned displacement, so that the upper sealing block A81 is raised to return to the position before the lowering, and the lower sealing block A82 is lowered to return to the position before the raising ( Figure 7 ).

[0291] After the control unit A10 uses at least two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to form the end seal Ts and cut the film sheet f, as described above, the motor A831 rotates the rotating shaft A832, thereby causing the rotating plate to further rotate in the same direction as above, and the feeding action connecting rod component A834 is displaced toward its original state, thereby causing the action frame A85 to move on the above-mentioned return path.

[0292] While the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are sandwiching the film sheet f to form the end seal Ts, the feed drive unit A83 moves the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the conveyance direction X, thereby assisting the conveyance of the film sheet f.

[0293] When the movement of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the conveying direction X by the feed drive unit A83 is stagnant while the film sheet f is clamped by the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, as described above, the clamping drive unit A84 is controlled by the control unit A10 to open the two sealing blocks A81 and A82.

[0294] (Inconsistent packaging of packaged object B)

[0295] The following description will take as an example a case where a plurality of packaged objects B are different agricultural products.

[0296] After the strip film f pulled out from the film roll F is set in a specified state on the rollers of the bag maker A5, the palm-closing unit A6 and the center seal unit A7, the main power of the packaging device A is turned on and the start button (not shown) on the operation panel of the control unit A10 is pressed.

[0297] Upon receiving the operation of the start button, the control unit A10 operates the supply conveyor A2 and the packaging device body A1. That is, while operating the supply conveyor drive motor M1, the size detection sensor A91, and the center heating heater H1 of the supply conveyor A2 ( Fig.11 (a) ), so that the conveying motor M2, the center drive motor M3, the heating parts A81b, A82b, the motor A831, the servo motor A841 and the lifting drive part A811a are in an operational state.

[0298] In the above state, the packaged objects B are sequentially placed on the supply conveyor A2 by an operator or another conveyor disposed upstream of the supply conveyor A1. The packaged objects B, which are agricultural products, are different from processed foods and industrial products, and generally have different lengths.

[0299] It should be pointed out that Fig.11 In (a), only the control of the supply conveyor drive motor M1, the conveying motor M2, the center drive motor M3, and the center heating heater H1 is described. However, the timing of the action in the conveying direction X by the motor A831 in the normal operation of the packaging device A1 is synchronized with the conveying motor M2, so it is omitted. In addition, the timing of the heating of the heating roller A71 is the same as that of the center heating heater H1, so it is omitted.

[0300] The packaging object B is supplied to the packaging device main body A1 side by the supply conveyor A2. When the size detection sensor A91 detects the supply, the control unit A10 operates the conveying motor M2 and the center driving motor M3.

[0301] The packaged object B supplied first is conveyed by the conveyor A4 (main conveyance portion A41 ) toward the center seal portion A7 on the downstream side while being placed on the film sheet f.

[0302] When the packaged object B is conveyed toward the center seal portion A7, the size detection sensor A91 enters a non-detection state. In this non-detection state, when the next packaged object B is conveyed from the supply conveyor A2, the size detection sensor A91 detects the next packaged object B again.

[0303] When the next packaged object B is detected, the control unit A10 causes the supply conveyor A2 to move forward as follows: Fig.11 As shown in (a), the supply conveyor A2 is stopped by subtracting the supply intervals T1, T2, and T3 of the packaged object B supplied to the supply conveyor A2 from a specified time t (the time of the "interval d" described later can be arbitrarily set: for example, 1 second), i.e., time t1 (t1=t-T1) and t2 (t2=t-T2), so that the packaged object B supplied next waits on the supply conveyor A2, or the conveying motor M2 and the center drive motor M3 are temporarily stopped for time t3, so that the packaged object B supplied next waits.

[0304] By the above standby, the interval d between each packaged object B conveyed via the film sheet f can be kept constant on the conveyor A4 (main conveying part A41). In addition, when the conveying motor M2 and the center driving motor M3 are temporarily stopped, the control part A10 forcibly drives the clamping driving part A84 (servo motor A841) to quickly open the gap between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to prevent the film sheet f from melting ( Fig.11 The dashed part of (a).

[0305] It should be pointed out that, through the above-mentioned stop of the conveying motor M2 and the center drive motor M3, the control unit A10 may not make the clamping drive unit A84 immediately open the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, but only perform the control as described below: through the aforementioned timer detection, when a specified time has passed when the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are in a close state, the control unit A10 controls the clamping drive unit A84 to open the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82.

[0306] In an emergency, the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 may be opened, or instead of opening the space, the heat generation of the central heating heater H1 may be temporarily stopped.

[0307] When the above-mentioned time t1, t2, t3 has passed, a predetermined interval d is formed between the first packaged object B supplied first (refer to Figure 1 ), the control unit A10 Fig.11 As shown in (a), the control unit A10 controls the supply conveyor A2 and / or the transport conveyor A4 (the supply conveyor drive motor M1 and / or the transport motor M2) so that the next, ie, subsequent packaged object B is supplied to the transport conveyor A4.

[0308] The motor A831 of the feed drive unit A83 also rotates synchronously with the conveying motor M2. As a result, while the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are sandwiching the film sheet f, the moving speeds of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the conveying direction X are unified with the conveying speed of the conveyor A4 (the main conveying unit A41 and the auxiliary conveying unit A42). The packaged objects B are always kept at a constant interval d ( Figure 1 (b)) and are sequentially conveyed to the conveying conveyor A4 (main conveying section A41) of the packaging device main body A1.

[0309] In addition, as described above, the packaged object B is supplied to the conveyor A4 (main conveying unit A41) of the packaging device body A1. When data related to the length and height of the packaged object B is detected by the size detection sensor A91, for example, data indicating that the size detection sensor A91 (optical sensors A91a~A91c) has been operating for "a few seconds" is detected as length-related data, the control unit A10 obtains the length L of the packaged object B through calculation based on the detected data and the conveying speed of the supply conveyor A2 or the conveyor A4, and adds the surplus length (residue length) before and after the length L as a constant value, and obtains the added value Lm as data related to the length of the film sheet f required for packaging.

[0310] Furthermore, when any of the three types of "Lo (low)", "Mi (middle)", and "Hi (high)" is detected as the above-mentioned height-related data by the upper, middle, and lower optical sensors A91a to A91c of the three pairs of upper, middle, and lower optical sensors A91a to A91c arranged in the size detection sensor A91, the control unit 10 further corrects the added value Lm based on the correction value as described below. That is, regarding the detected height-related data, when only the above-mentioned "Lo" of the lower optical sensor A91c at the lower position is detected, for example, the correction value "0" is added to the above-mentioned added value Lm, when the above-mentioned "Mi" of the lower and middle optical sensors A91b and A91c at the lower position and the middle position is also detected, for example, the correction value "25mm" is added to the above-mentioned added value Lm, and when the above-mentioned "Hi" of the upper optical sensor A91a at the higher position is also detected, for example, the correction value "40mm" is added to the above-mentioned added value Lm, and the final value Le of the length of the film sheet f to be supplied is obtained.

[0311] In order to store the final value Le obtained by the above calculation in the memory (the above storage unit) and ensure the length of the film sheet f required for packaging the packaged object B through the above calculation unit of the control unit A10 based on the final value Le, the control unit A10 controls the number of rotations (total number of rotations) of the pull-out roller A31 and the conveying amount of the conveyor A4, the number of rotations (total number of rotations) of the driving roller A61 and the heating roller A71 rotated by the central driving motor M3, the action mode of the two sealing blocks A81, A82 (heat generating parts A81b, 82b) caused by the rotation of the rotating shaft A832 of the motor A831 of the end sealing part A8 and the rotating shaft A842 of the servo motor A841, that is, the action trajectory k of the "box-shaped motion" in each process (refer to Fig.10 The operation speed of each step (Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd, Pe) and the timing of each operation are instantaneously calculated, and the conveying motor M2, the center drive motor M3, the motor A831, and the servo motor A841 are controlled based on the calculation results.

[0312] Specifically, in the (horizontal pillow type) packaging device A of this example, as long as the packaged objects B are continuously supplied at short intervals (less than the interval "d" mentioned above) on the supply conveyor A2, in order to bring out the maximum processing capacity, the control unit A10 causes the conveying motor M2 (pull-out roller A31 and conveying conveyor A4) and the center drive motor M3 (drive roller A61 and heating roller A71) to continuously operate at a constant speed (rotation speed and conveying speed). For each of the above-mentioned packaged objects B supplied, the control unit A10 obtains the action mode and action timing of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 through calculation, and controls the motor A831 of the feed drive unit A83 and the servo motor A841 of the clamping drive unit A84 based on the calculation result.

[0313] As mentioned above, on the conveyor 7A4, the film sheet f carrying the packaged material B passes through the above-mentioned film guide, and a center seal Ss is formed at both ends of the left and right width directions of the film sheet f through the driving roller A61 pair of the palm-jointing part A6 and the heating roller A71 of the center seal part A7, so that the film sheet f becomes cylindrical.

[0314] Next, the front (front end portion) of the packaged object B on the film sheet f is sealed and an end seal Ts is provided, and the film sheet f is conveyed from the center seal portion A7 to the downstream end seal portion A8, and is formed into a tubular shape (formed into a center seal Ss) under the control of the control portion A10 at a time when the final value Le of the film length obtained by the above calculation becomes the reference.

[0315] In addition, in this example, in the formation of the end seal Ts, the film sheet f containing the packaged object B is also conveyed in the conveying direction at a constant speed through the conveyor A4, the pair of driving rollers A61 of the palm-jointing portion A6, and the heating roller A71 of the center seal portion A7. On the other hand, due to the above-mentioned "box-like movement", the sealing blocks A81 and A82 move in the conveying direction X at the same speed as the conveying speed of the film sheet f and the conveyor A41.

[0316] Therefore, during a certain period of time, that is, during the "box-like motion" action, when the film sheet f moves in the conveying direction X, the film sheet f is again sandwiched between the two sealing blocks 2A81 and A82 and is heated to a predetermined temperature. In this way, the end seal Ts is reliably formed on the film sheet f.

[0317] Next, when the packaged object B is conveyed in the conveying direction by the conveyor A4 and the film sheet f with a length equivalent to the above-mentioned final value Le (more correctly, a value shorter than the "equivalent length" by a specified length), the aforementioned "box-like movement" action is repeated again at the end sealing portion A8, and an end seal Ts is formed behind the packaged object B (the rear end portion) of the tubular film sheet f containing the packaged object B. As a result, the packaging of the packaged object B using the film f is completed.

[0318] It should be noted that, as described above, the structure may also be such that when an end seal Ts is formed behind (rear end portion) the packaged object B in the tubular film sheet f, an end seal Ts is simultaneously formed in front of (front end portion) the next (subsequent) packaged object B.

[0319] Next, the cylindrical film sheet f containing the next (subsequent) packaged object B is sent to the end sealing portion A8, and is packaged in the same manner as the preceding packaged object B based on the final value Le stored in the memory related to the subsequent packaged object B. In other words, the subsequent packaged object B is also packaged with the film sheet f having a length corresponding to the length of the subsequent packaged object B.

[0320] As described above, the objects to be packaged B, which are sequentially supplied at predetermined intervals, can be packaged with the film sheets f having an appropriate length corresponding to the length of each of the objects to be packaged B.

[0321] In the packaging device A, if Fig.11 As shown, according to the length L of the object B to be packaged, the control unit A10 can freely change the operation mode of the sealing blocks A81 and A82.

[0322] For example, when the above-mentioned "length L" is less than the specified value (the movement trajectory of the sealing blocks A81 and A82), Fig.11 As shown in (b), in the formation of the end seal Ts ( Fig.10 Before and after step Pc) of (a), the sealing block A81 and A82 are moved at a speed faster than the speed (transport speed) during sealing. When the above-mentioned "length L" is greater than the prescribed value (the movement trajectory of the sealing blocks A81 and A82) and less than the second prescribed value (approximately 1.7 times the length of the movement trajectory of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the transport direction X), as follows Fig.11 As shown in (c), in the formation of the end seal Ts ( Fig.10 Before and after step Pc) of (a), the conveyor is operated at a speed lower than the speed during sealing (conveying speed).

[0323] In addition, when the sealing blocks A81 and A82 are controlled to move continuously, in the case of a packaged object B with a length L that is shorter than the above-mentioned second specified value (approximately 1.7 times the length of the movement trajectory of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the conveying direction X) that requires rapid movement, since the movement is carried out continuously, the inertia force of the moving part will not be affected, and rapid movement can be achieved.

[0324] On the other hand, when the “length L” is greater than the second predetermined value (approximately 1.7 times the length of the movement trajectory of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the conveying direction X), Fig.11 As shown in (d), control may be performed so that during the formation of the end seal Ts ( Fig.10 Before and after the step Pc) of (a), the speed is lower than the speed in sealing (transport speed) and the movement is stopped before and after. This is because the slow movement speed makes it less likely to be affected by the inertia force of the moving part.

[0325] As described above, when the control unit A10 controls the clamping drive unit A84 to move according to the height (size) of the packaged object B, it not only performs movements corresponding to the length of the packaged object B, but can also lift and lower by an amount corresponding to the height of each packaged object B, thereby realizing a packaging device with higher operating efficiency.

[0326] (Response to positional deviation of packaged object B)

[0327] The following description will be made by taking the case where the box-shaped movement of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 is performed for packaging of a plurality of packaging objects B1, B2, and B3 of different lengths as an example.

[0328] Through the control of the control unit A10 on each unit, a plurality of packaging objects B1, B2, B3 of different lengths are uniformly maintained at a constant interval d between each other, and the packaging objects B1, B2, B3 are transported in the transport direction X ( Fig.10 (b)).

[0329] Fig.10 (b) shows a state where an end seal Ts is formed between the leading package B1 and the subsequent package B2 by the two sealing blocks A81 and A82. Fig.10 (c) shows the following state: the film sheet f is cut front and back at the end seal Ts, a tail seal Ta is formed on the film sheet f behind the foremost package B1, and a head seal To is formed on the film sheet f in front of the subsequent package B2.

[0330] like Fig.10 As shown in (c), the subsequent packaged object B3 is misaligned with the subsequent packaged object B2.

[0331] The above-mentioned positional deviation occurs due to inertia in the conveying direction X caused by the transfer and conveyance from the normal supply conveyor A2 to the conveying conveyor A1 (main conveying section A41 ) of the packaging device main body A1 .

[0332] On the other hand, the film sheet f wrapping the leading packaged object B1 is cut by the cutting blade A81a ( Figure 8 ) is cut open, thereby completing the package body 100 that wraps the packaged object B1 ( Fig.10 (c), (d)).

[0333] The position detection sensor A92 detects the position deviation of the packaged object B3 in the film sheet f, and the control unit A10 opens the gap between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 ( Figure 7 ), the conveyor A4 (main conveyor A41 and auxiliary conveyor A42) is used to convey the deviated packaged object B through the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, so as to prevent the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 from biting into the packaged object B ( Fig.10 (d)). In addition, when the position detection sensor A92 detects the packaged object B4 located at the subsequent normal position, the feed drive unit A83 (the motor A831) and the clamping drive unit A84 (the servo motor A841) are driven again, so that the box-like movement of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 starts again, and can be quickly restored.

[0334] (Regarding sealing strength)

[0335] The seal strength is determined by the following factors 1) to 3).

[0336] 1) The pressure between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 sandwiching the film sheet f (sealing pressure)

[0337] 2) The time that the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 sandwich the film sheet

[0338] 3) Welding temperature

[0339] When the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are opened and closed by a single motor as in Patent Document 1, the above factors 1) and 2) cannot be changed, and the sealing strength corresponding to the package can be adjusted only by changing the above factor 3).

[0340] In the present invention, the clamping drive unit A84 has a servo motor A841 different from the motor A831 of the feed drive unit A83 as a power source, so the above factors 1) and 2) can also be easily changed, and more flexible adjustment of the sealing strength can be achieved. In particular, if the power source of the clamping drive unit A83 is set to a fluid pressure other than the servo motor A841, such as a cylinder, as a power source, the pressure adjustment is performed by adjusting the air pressure (fluid pressure of the cylinder), so the action is slow (low capacity), and it is not suitable for packaging a large number of packaging objects.

[0341] In the present invention, the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be independently moved up and down (lifted and lowered) relative to the forward and backward movement, so that the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be set to separate from each other when they abut against each other for a certain period of time.

[0342] Moreover, in the present invention, the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be moved up and down (lifted and lowered) independently relative to the forward and backward movements. Therefore, (by configuring a position detection sensor A92 just before the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the conveying direction X) even if a position deviation of the packaged object B in the film sheet f is detected just before the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, the up and down movement of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be stopped immediately.

[0343] (Example of change)

[0344] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the first component and the second component move separately and approach and separate to open and close the first component and the second component, that is, the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82 are lifted and lowered respectively to open and close the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82. In addition, it can also be that only one of the first component and the second component moves and approaches and separates from the other of the first component and the second component to open and close the first component and the second component, that is, only one of the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82 is lifted and lowered and approaches and separates from the other of the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82 to open and close the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82.

[0345] Specifically, the lower sealing block A82 is fixed to the operating frame A85 in the gap between the main conveying section A41 and the auxiliary conveying section A42, and only the upper sealing block A81 is raised or lowered to sandwich the film sheet f between the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82.

[0346] In addition, regarding the first connecting portion A848a and the second connecting portion A848b, a configuration other than the above can be adopted: further using another link member to connect the two sealing blocks A81, A82 (upper mounting member A811, lower mounting member A821) to the first and second arms A847a, A847b respectively.

[0347] As long as the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 can move smoothly, the first connecting part A848a can be directly axially supported on the upper sealing block A81 (upper mounting component A811), and the second connecting part A848b can be directly axially supported on the lower sealing block A82 (lower mounting component A821).

[0348] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, both sealing blocks A81 and A82 include heat generating portions A81b and A82b. In addition, only the upper sealing block A81 may include a heat generating portion, and conversely, only the lower sealing block A82 may include a heat generating portion.

[0349] Contrary to the case where the cutting knife A81a is provided in the upper sealing block A81 and the knife receiving portion A82a is provided in the lower sealing block A82, the cutting knife A81a may be provided in the lower sealing block A82 and the knife receiving portion A82a may be provided in the upper sealing block A81.

[0350] In addition, regarding the cutting of the film sheet f, the above-mentioned cutting knife A81a and the knife receiving part A82a may be replaced by a secondary heating part (not shown) that is different from the above-mentioned heating part A81b and generates heat at a higher temperature than the end seal, and is provided on both or either one of the upper sealing block A81 and the lower sealing block A82, and the cutting is carried out by melting.

[0351] In the example shown in the figure, the main motor A831 is a motor that rotates the rotating shaft A832 (rotating plate A833) but does not rotate the rotating shaft A832 (rotating plate A833) in the reverse direction. However, as the main motor A831, a motor that rotates and rotates the rotating shaft A832 (rotating plate A833) in the reverse direction may be used as the auxiliary motor A841. That is, the forward movement of the action frame A85 (two sealing blocks A81, A82) may be performed by the forward rotation of the main motor A831, and the return movement of the action frame A85 (two sealing blocks A81, A82) may be performed by the reverse rotation of the main motor A831. In the above, the main motor A831 and the auxiliary motor A841 may be implemented by using a known motor that can rotate forward / reverse, such as a servo motor, a stepping motor, or a linear motor.

[0352] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the rotating plate A833 is provided on the rotating shaft A832 of the main motor A831, and the power is directly supplied to the rotating plate A833 from the main motor A831. However, in addition to this, the driving force of the main motor A831 may be indirectly transmitted to the rotating plate A833 via a transmission component such as a pulley and a toothed pulley. In addition, regarding the auxiliary motor A841, the rotating plate A843 is provided on the rotating shaft A842, and the power is directly supplied to the rotating plate A843 from the auxiliary motor A841. However, in addition to this, the driving force of the auxiliary motor A841 may be indirectly transmitted to the rotating plate A843 via a transmission component such as a pulley and a toothed pulley.

[0353] When the main motor A831 and the auxiliary motor A841 are linear motors, there is no rotating shaft A832 and the rotating shaft A842, and the main motor A831 and the auxiliary motor A841 rotate the rotating plate A833 and the rotating plate A843 through electrical induction. It should be pointed out that the above-mentioned linear motor is called a "linear" (straight) motor because the direction of exerting power is formed into a straight line. However, in the present invention, by forming the guide into a ring shape, the direction of exerting the power of the motor is formed into a circle (arc shape), and the rotating plate A833 and the rotating plate A843 can be rotated and rotated (rotated and reversed) through electrical induction.

[0354] However, as the name indicates, the linear motor extends in a straight line up and down along the longitudinal guide A86, and the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 may be raised and lowered without using mechanical components such as the first and second connecting parts A848a and A848b. When the linear motor is formed in the above-mentioned straight line, as long as the data (interval data) related to the interval between the two mounting parts A811 and A821 when the two mounting parts A811 and A821 are closest to each other is stored in the storage unit, the above-mentioned drive control unit can adjust the pressure by changing the interval between the two mounting parts A811 and A821 when the two mounting parts A811 and A821 are closest to each other based on the data stored in the above-mentioned storage unit. Specifically, the above-mentioned storage unit includes a first storage unit and a second storage unit (not shown), and the plurality of the above-mentioned interval data as candidates are stored in the above-mentioned first storage unit. The operator stores (stores) the data selected from the plurality of interval data in the above-mentioned first storage unit in the above-mentioned second storage unit through the operation unit of the packaging device, and the above-mentioned second storage unit refers to the control unit A10. It should be noted that the data defining the upper and lower limits of the interval data are set in the first storage unit, and the interval data required by the operator from a series of continuous interval data between the upper and lower limits is stored (input) in the second storage unit through the operation unit.

[0355] In the case where the auxiliary motor is the servo motor, stepper motor, or linear motor that forms the guide into a ring shape, the first storage unit stores angle data of multiple rotations as candidates, or sets upper and lower limit data for selectable angle data, stores (inputs) the angle data selected from the data in the first storage unit into the second storage unit, and allows the second storage unit to refer to the control unit A10.

[0356] In the initial setting of the packaging device, first, the length of the bag of the formed packaging body, the number of packaging cycles (packaging speed), the material, thickness, and tension of the film sheet f are specified. Then, based on the specified thickness, material, and tension of the film sheet f, the sealing time, sealing pressure, and sealing (welding) temperature, which are factors for setting the sealing strength, are determined and set in the above-mentioned storage unit.

[0357] Usually, even if a user of a packaging device has a variety of film sheets f for packaging, it is necessary to enable the packaging device to cope with changes in the thickness and material of the film sheets f according to the needs of the user. This is because if the thickness and material of the film sheets f change, the above-mentioned appropriate sealing strength will also change. The present invention can adjust the sealing pressure and achieve changes in the sealing strength.

[0358] The change in thickness of the film sheet f is dealt with by adjusting the sealing pressure. Therefore, in order to enable the user to select an appropriate sealing pressure within the width of the thickness change (between the upper and lower limits of the thickness), that is, to be able to select an appropriate interval (minimum interval) between the two mounting parts A811 and A821 when the two mounting parts A811 and A821 are closest to each other, the reference point (pressure adjustment reference point) for selecting the minimum interval needs to be determined based on the maximum and minimum values ​​of the thickness regarding the positions of the two mounting parts A811 and A821. It should be noted that the suspension A831 is usually not changed, so the spring constant is constant.

[0359] For the sake of convenience, the positions of the two mounting components A811 and A821 when the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are in contact with each other and the suspension A831 is not compressed in the state of sandwiching the film sheet f are referred to as the fixed positions of the two mounting components A811 and A821, and the contact positions of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 that are not sandwiched (film sheet f) when the two mounting components A811 and A821 are in the fixed positions are referred to as the non-pressurized positions. When the film sheet f is sandwiched between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, the upper sealing block A81 changes its position upward from the non-pressurized position, the suspension A831 is compressed, and the space between the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 becomes pressurized.

[0360] The pressure adjustment reference point for the positions of the two mounting components A811 and A821 is predetermined based on the respective thicknesses of the used film sheet f with the largest thickness and the film sheet f with the smallest thickness. The pressure adjustment reference point is a point that serves as a reference for adjustment in the direction of enhancing the sealing pressure within the range of the lower limit (minimum) and the upper limit (maximum) of the thickness of the film sheet f. The amount of reducing the minimum interval between the two mounting components A811 and A821 can be selected based on the pressure adjustment reference point. Specifically, the positions of the two mounting components A811 and A821 that are closest to the pressure reference point and at which the minimum interval becomes smaller relative to the pressure reference point and can be selected are set as the positions at which the sealing pressure is weakest, and the positions corresponding to the thickness of the film sheet f with the largest thickness that requires the strongest sealing pressure are set as the positions at which the sealing pressure is strongest (the minimum interval) that can be selected. In order to obtain one or more sealing pressures that are more intermediate between the minimum sealing pressure and the maximum sealing pressure, the data are stored in the storage unit (first storage unit) in such a manner that the positions of the two mounting components A811 and A821 that correspond to the intermediate sealing pressures (the minimum interval) can be selected. The pressure adjustment reference may be used as a reference, and the minimum interval may be adjusted to be gradually reduced from the pressure reference point, thereby increasing the sealing pressure in stages.

[0361] When the user determines the actual film sheet f (thickness), the user selects the appropriate minimum interval data from the storage unit (first storage unit) by selecting the required sealing pressure in the operation unit. The control unit A10 stores the selected minimum interval data in the storage unit (second storage unit) and refers to it. The user can select the sealing pressure through the operation unit separately from other parameters, but in this example, the selection of the film sheet f can be set together with other parameters such as the sealing temperature and the sealing time.

[0362] When the auxiliary motor is the linear motor in the straight line, as described above, the stroke of the linear motor may be directly controlled by the data of each minimum interval.

[0363] On the other hand, when the above-mentioned auxiliary motor is used as a rotational driving source (a motor that can control positioning, such as a rotary servo motor or stepping motor shown in the figure) to crank-drive the two mounting components A811 and A821 as shown in the figure, the moving distance of the two mounting components A811 and A821 relative to the rotation amount is mechanically determined according to the crank stroke and the crank angle. Therefore, the above-mentioned rotation amount is used as an intermediate value to indirectly control the above-mentioned stroke of the two mounting components A811 and A821.

[0364] That is, by using the above-mentioned operating unit to select the sealing pressure, the above-mentioned calculation unit calculates the rotation angle of the above-mentioned rotating shaft according to the stroke amount of the two mounting parts A811 and A821 corresponding to the sealing pressure and stores it in the above-mentioned storage unit (second storage unit), and the control unit A10 can refer to the above-mentioned storage unit to assign the rotation angle to the auxiliary motor.

[0365] Under the above-mentioned control of the auxiliary motor serving as a rotational driving source, the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are set to 0 degrees when they are located at the farthest position apart from each other. When the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 approach each other, before the rotating shaft of the auxiliary motor makes a half rotation, that is, a 180-degree forward rotation, the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 are pressed against each other by sandwiching the film sheet f due to the force of the suspension A831. The angle range of the above-mentioned rotating shaft is selected from the angle range below 180 degrees. By changing the range (stroke) of the linear motion of the two mounting components A811 and A821, the sealing pressure can be adjusted.

[0366] As described above, when the auxiliary motor is used as the rotational drive source, the sealing pressure for forming the end seal on the film sheet f can be easily adjusted by selecting the forward / reverse rotation angle range of the rotational drive source in the clamping drive unit.

[0367] It should be noted that, when adjusting the sealing strength, the sealing temperature can be changed even in conventional packaging devices, but only through the present invention can practical adjustment of the sealing pressure and the sealing time be achieved.

[0368] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the packaging device for packaging a plurality of packaging objects B of different sizes and shapes is exemplified, but the present invention can also be implemented in a packaging device for packaging a plurality of packaging objects B of the same size and shape.

[0369] In addition, the present invention does not limit its implementation to packaging devices that perform known packaging other than pillow packaging. When the present invention is implemented in packaging other than the above-mentioned horizontal pillow packaging, the sealing block, that is, the first component and the second component are not limited to being arranged in an upper and lower position, and can also be arranged on the left and right sides of the conveyor A4 to be opened and closed for implementation. In addition, when the packaging body 100 is formed into a standard packaging, it is also possible to open the top without forming a center seal, in which case the center seal portion A7 is not required.

[0370] The driving roller A61 and the heating roller A71 may be driven not by the central driving motor M3 but by the conveying motor M2 via a transmission mechanism such as a belt and pulley, a chain and sprocket, or a combination of multiple gears.

[0371] In the main conveying section A41 of the supply conveyor A4, a pair of side belts (not shown) facing up and down with the same conveying direction and the belt surface being orthogonal to the above-mentioned conveying surface can also be erected in a opposed manner on the left and right of the first belt A413 that carries the packaged material B on the conveying surface (upper surface) for conveying.

[0372] (Summary)

[0373] The present invention provides a packaging device A, wherein when a film sheet f wrapping a packaged object B passes between upper and lower sealing blocks A81 and A82, a clamping drive unit closes the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to clamp the film sheet f, thereby forming an end seal on the film sheet f. During the formation of the end seal, a feeding drive unit moves the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 in the forward and backward directions to assist in the transportation of the film sheet f. In the state of clamping the above-mentioned film sheet f, when the movement of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 by the above-mentioned feeding drive unit is stagnant, the above-mentioned clamping drive unit automatically opens the two sealing blocks A81 and A82. In the packaging device A, the opening and closing of the two sealing blocks is performed by the forward / reverse angle control of the servo motor, thereby making it possible to easily change the sealing pressure.

[0374] Here, key points of the sealing operation of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 will be described.

[0375] At the stage when the sealing blocks A81 and A82 reach the predetermined position in the front-to-back direction (in particular, the position immediately after the action frame A83 switches from moving backward to moving forward, that is, the position slightly moved forward from the rearmost position of the movable range in the front-to-back direction), a start command (a command to start approaching action) for the sealing blocks A81 and A82 is sent from the control unit A10 to the servo motor A841, and the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 continuously perform the following actions 1) to 5).

[0376] 1) When the sealing blocks A81 and A82 are located at the predetermined positions in the front-rear direction, the clamping driving unit (the servo motor A841 thereof) receives the start instruction issued by the control unit A10.

[0377] 2) The clamping drive unit moves the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to the meshing position (position sandwiching the film sheet f) in the approaching / separating direction (the servo motor A841 rotates forward).

[0378] 3) When the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 reach the meshing position, the control unit A10 activates the timer, and the timer starts counting the elapsed time.

[0379] 4) When the timer counts to the elapse of a predetermined time, the control unit A10 issues a command to the clamping drive unit (the servo motor A841 ) to cause the two sealing blocks A81 , A82 to open (separate).

[0380] 5) The clamping drive unit moves the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 to the open position (the position with the greatest separation) (the servo motor A841 rotates in reverse).

[0381] In particular, by performing a series of actions 1) to 5) above, even if the position immediately after the above-mentioned start command in the front-to-back direction becomes the standby position for the front-to-back movement of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82, at the time of issuing the above-mentioned start command, the forward movement of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 also becomes a state of movement synchronized with the film sheet f, so that even if the two sealing blocks A81 and A82 perform a series of actions (one cycle action), they become the position of the prescribed (predetermined) sealing and cutting relative to the film sheet f. Therefore, it is not necessary to measure (count) the time of the above-mentioned standby state (standby time) by a timer, and take an avoidance action (opening of the two sealing blocks A81 and A82) when counting the passage of the prescribed time. However, it does not exclude the possibility of counting the above-mentioned standby time by a timer and performing the above-mentioned avoidance action by detecting the passage of the prescribed time.

[0382] In particular, in the packaging device A, all the packaged objects B conveyed sequentially can be packaged in appropriate lengths according to their respective sizes. When the operator is about to package packages of different set lengths, there is no need to stop the device to reset it. Moreover, there is no waste of film sheet f, and packaging can be carried out quickly.

[0383] In the present invention, as the end seal portion A8, a member that performs a box-like movement is used to make the two seal blocks A81 and A82 contact / separate in the vertical direction. The box-like movement is excellent in that a high-height package B can be packaged. Fig.11 (a) Moving trajectory k.

[0384] In particular, in the present invention, the sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be moved up and down (opened and closed) independently of the forward and backward movement, so it is easy to set the upper and lower blocks to be separated after contacting each other for a certain period of time.

[0385] Furthermore, in the present invention, the above-mentioned up-and-down movement of the sealing blocks A81 and A82 can be performed independently of the forward and backward movement. Therefore, even if it is detected just before the sealing block, the up-and-down movement of the sealing block can be stopped.

[0386] The present invention can be used in various industrial fields such as packaging of electronic parts and precision machinery parts, in addition to packaging of processed foods and other foods, agricultural products, livestock products such as meat, and medical products.

[0387] Description of Reference Numerals

[0388] APacking device

[0389] A1 packaging device body

[0390] A2 Supply Conveyor

[0391] A3 sheet feeding unit

[0392] A4 conveyor

[0393] A5 bag maker

[0394] A6 Hand-held part

[0395] A7 center seal

[0396] A8 end seal

[0397] A9 Sensor

[0398] A10 Control Unit

[0399] A31 pull-out roller

[0400] A40 guide rail

[0401] A41 Main conveying unit

[0402] A42 auxiliary conveying unit

[0403] A43 first protrusion

[0404] A44 second protrusion

[0405] A45 first guide rod

[0406] A46 Second Guide Rod

[0407] A51 Stand Plate

[0408] A52 reversal board

[0409] A61 driving roller

[0410] A71 Heating Roller

[0411] A80 guided part

[0412] A81 upper sealing block (first component)

[0413] A81a Cutter

[0414] A81b heating part

[0415] A82 lower sealing block (second component)

[0416] A82a knife receiving unit

[0417] A82b heating part

[0418] A83 Feed drive unit

[0419] A84 clamping drive unit

[0420] A85 Action Framework

[0421] A86 longitudinal guide

[0422] A91 size detection sensor

[0423] A92 Position Detection Sensor

[0424] A411 first tail pulley

[0425] A412 first pulley

[0426] A413 first belt

[0427] A414 first length adjustment pulley

[0428] A421 Second tail pulley

[0429] A422 second head pulley

[0430] A423 Second Band

[0431] A424 Second length adjustment pulley

[0432] A801 First Receiving Unit

[0433] A802 Second receiving unit

[0434] A811 upper mounting part (first mounting part)

[0435] A811a lifting drive unit

[0436] A811b mounting base

[0437] A811c plug-in unit

[0438] A812 through hole

[0439] A813 suspension (elastic components)

[0440] A821 Lower mounting part (first mounting part)

[0441] A822 through hole

[0442] A830 Feed Guide

[0443] A830a fixed part

[0444] A831 motor

[0445] A832 Rotating Axis

[0446] A833 Rotating Plate

[0447] A834 Feed action connecting rod parts

[0448] A841 Servo Motor

[0449] A842 Rotating Axis

[0450] A843 rotating plate

[0451] A844 reverse connecting rod parts

[0452] A845 spindle

[0453] A845a bearing

[0454] A846 Reversing Arm

[0455] A847a First Arm

[0456] A847aa Guidance unit

[0457] A847b Second Arm

[0458] A848a First connection

[0459] A848aa longitudinal section

[0460] A848ab horizontal part

[0461] A848ac Sliding guide

[0462] A848b Second connection part

[0463] A848ba connecting rod parts

[0464] A848bb bottom protrusion

[0465] A851 Top

[0466] A852 bottom

[0467] A853 (left and right) side

[0468] A854 guide receiving part

[0469] B. Packaged goods

[0470] B1~B6 Packaging

[0471] F Film Roll

[0472] f Film sheet

[0473] M1 supply conveyor drive motor

[0474] M2 conveyor motor

[0475] M3 center drive motor

[0476] Ss center seal

[0477] Ts end seal

[0478] To the first seal

[0479] Ta tail seal

[0480] X conveying direction.

Claims

1. A packaging device comprising: a supply conveyor for supplying a packaged object; a sheet supply unit for supplying a strip-shaped film sheet for packaging; a bag maker; and an end sealing unit, The long side direction of the strip-shaped film sheet is set as the front-to-back direction, the plurality of packaged objects supplied by the supply conveyor are placed on the strip-shaped film sheet supplied by the sheet supply unit, and the film sheet is conveyed along the front-to-back direction, The bag making device sequentially bends the film sheet in a width direction perpendicular to the long side direction. After or before the bending, the feeding conveyor places the preceding packaged object at intervals from the subsequent packaged object, places the packaged objects on the film sheet in sequence, and wraps the packaged objects with the bent film sheet. The end seal portion sequentially forms an end seal on the film sheet wrapping the packaged object to seal at least one of the front and rear of each packaged object. The end sealing portion includes at least two components, namely a first component and a second component, and the end sealing portion includes a clamping drive portion and a feeding drive portion, wherein the first component is arranged near the bent film sheet being conveyed, and the second component is arranged on the opposite side of the first component across the bent film sheet. The clamping drive unit includes a motor capable of rotating the rotating shaft forward and reversely within an arbitrary angle range. The clamping drive unit can make one component approach the other component by converting the positive rotation of the rotating shaft of the motor into a linear motion and transmitting it to at least one of the two components, and can separate the one component from the other component by the reverse rotation of the rotating shaft of the motor. At least one of the two components is urged in the approaching direction by an elastic member capable of elastic deformation. When the film sheet wrapping the packaged object passes between the two components, the clamping drive unit brings at least one of the two components close to the other of the two components to close the two components, and the two components form the end seal by clamping the film sheet. The feed drive unit moves at least the component that performs the approaching action among the two components in the front-rear direction while the two components sandwich the film sheet. When at least one of the two components approaches the other, the one component and the other component are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic member, and the pressure for forming the end seal is applied to the sandwiched film sheet. When the two components are located at the farthest position apart from each other, the angle is set to 0 degrees. When at least one of the two components approaches the other, before the rotation axis makes a half rotation, that is, a 180-degree forward rotation, the one and the other of the two components are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic component. The pressure can be adjusted by selecting the angle range of the rotation axis from the angle range below 180 degrees and changing the range of the linear motion.

2. The packaging device according to claim 1, wherein: The packaging device includes a control unit, The control unit includes: a storage unit storing data for setting a range of a rotation angle of a rotation shaft of the motor; and a drive control unit for controlling the motor. The motor is a servo motor or a stepper motor. The drive control unit controls a range of a rotation angle of the motor based on the data stored in the storage unit.

3. A packaging device comprising: a supply conveyor for supplying a packaged object; a sheet supply unit for supplying a strip-shaped film sheet for packaging; a bag maker; and an end sealing unit, The long side direction of the strip-shaped film sheet is set as the front-to-back direction, the plurality of packaged objects supplied by the supply conveyor are placed on the strip-shaped film sheet supplied by the sheet supply unit, and the film sheet is conveyed along the front-to-back direction, The bag making device sequentially bends the film sheet in a width direction perpendicular to the long side direction. After or before the bending, the feeding conveyor places the preceding packaged object at intervals from the subsequent packaged object, places the packaged objects on the film sheet in sequence, and wraps the packaged objects with the bent film sheet. The end seal portion sequentially forms an end seal on the film sheet wrapping the packaged object to seal at least one of the front and rear of each packaged object. The end sealing portion includes at least two components, namely a first component and a second component, and the end sealing portion includes a clamping drive portion and a feeding drive portion, wherein the first component is arranged near the bent film sheet being conveyed, and the second component is arranged on the opposite side of the first component across the bent film sheet. When the film sheet wrapping the packaged object passes between the two components, the clamping drive unit brings at least one of the two components close to the other of the two components to close the two components, and the two components form the end seal by clamping the film sheet. The feed drive unit moves at least the component that performs the approaching action among the two components in the front-rear direction while the two components sandwich the film sheet. The clamping drive unit includes: a first mounting member on which the first component is mounted so as to face the second component; and a second mounting member on which the second component is mounted so as to face the first component. The clamping drive unit brings the two components closer to each other by bringing at least one of the two mounting components closer to the other mounting component, and separates the two components from each other by separating the one mounting component from the other mounting component. Either one of the two components is mounted on one of the mounting components via an elastic member capable of elastic deformation, and at least either one of the two components is urged in the approaching direction by the elastic member. When at least one of the two components approaches the other, the one component and the other component are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic member, and the pressure for forming the end seal is applied to the sandwiched film sheet. When the two mounting components are at the most separated position from each other, when the one mounting component of the two mounting components approaches the other mounting component, before the two mounting components come closest to each other, the one and the other of the two components are pressed against each other by the elastic force of the elastic component. The pressure can be adjusted by changing the interval between the two mounting components when the two mounting components are closest to each other.

4. The packaging device according to claim 2, wherein: The drive control section sets substantially the entire section of the movement trajectory of each of the two components in which the two components move from the rearmost position to the frontmost position in the front-rear direction as a linear movement section in which the two components move forward with the film sheet interposed therebetween.

5. The packaging device according to claim 2, wherein: The drive control unit causes the clamping drive unit to perform the approach action between the two components while the component based on the feed drive unit is located at the rearmost position of the movement in the front-to-back direction, or while it moves slightly forward from the rearmost position. The drive control unit causes the clamping drive unit to perform the separation action between the two components while the component based on the feed drive unit is located at the frontmost position of the movement in the front-to-back direction, or while it moves slightly forward from the frontmost position. As a result, when observed from a direction orthogonal to the approach / separation direction of the two components and the movement direction of the two components in the front-to-back direction, the components each present a roughly rectangular movement trajectory.

6. The packaging device according to claim 2, wherein: The packaging device comprises a sensing unit. The motor of the clamping drive unit is used as an auxiliary motor, and the feeding drive unit is provided with a main motor, and the main motor moves the two components along the conveying direction of the film sheet. The sensing unit includes one or more sensors capable of at least detecting the position of the packaged object in the front-rear direction. The control unit can automatically control the operation of the end sealing unit by the clamping drive unit based on at least the position of the package detected by the sensor unit.

7. The packaging device according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit includes a timer capable of detecting a locking time when the two components are closed by the drive of the clamping drive unit, or a stagnation time when the movement of the component by the feed drive unit stops. When the timer detects that the locking time or the dead time reaches a preset time, the control unit drives the clamping drive unit to forcibly open the space between the two components.

8. The packaging device according to claim 6, wherein: A center seal portion is provided on the downstream side of the bag making device in the conveying direction of the film sheet, The width direction is set as the left-right direction, and the center seal portion overlaps and seals the left and right end edges of the film sheet facing upward above the packaged object through the bending, thereby forming a center seal extending in the long side direction of the film sheet on the film sheet. At least a part of the sensors constituting the sensing unit is a size detection sensor that is arranged upstream of the center seal portion and is capable of detecting the length and height of the packaged object. The control unit calculates at least the action mode, action timing, and length of the film sheet required for packaging of the constituent unit performing the approach action based on the length of the front-to-back direction of each of the packaged objects calculated based on the data detected by the size detection sensor, and controls the driving of the clamping drive unit and the feed drive unit of the end sealing unit based on the calculated action mode, action timing, and required length of the film sheet.

9. The packaging device according to claim 8, wherein: The packaging device can perform pillow packaging. The first component is arranged above the film sheet on which the center seal is formed and conveyed, and the second component is arranged below the film sheet on which the center seal is formed and conveyed. When the film sheet passes between the two components, the clamping drive unit lowers the first component and raises the second component, and the film sheet is clamped by the two components. At least one of the two components has a heat generating portion for heat sealing. One of the two components is provided with a cutting knife that enters and exits the component, and the other of the two components is provided with a knife receiving portion that receives the cutting knife. The film sheet is sandwiched by the two components, the end seal is formed on the film sheet by the heat generating portion, and the film sheet is cut front and back by the cutting blade and the blade receiving portion.

10. The packaging device according to claim 9, wherein: The packaging device comprises: a transport conveyor, which is arranged on the downstream side of the supply conveyor and transports the film sheet carrying the packaged object; and an action frame, which can be moved forward and backward along the transport direction of the film sheet by the feed drive unit. The transport conveyor includes a main transport section and a sub-transport section disposed downstream of the main transport section in the transport direction. The motion frame comprises: a pair of left and right longitudinal guides, arranged on the left and right sides of the conveyor and extending up and down; and a pair of upper and lower sealing blocks, mounted on and guided by the two longitudinal guides, capable of performing forward and downward motions through the clamping drive unit. Among the sealing blocks, the upper sealing block is the first component, and the lower sealing block is the second component. The two sealing blocks move up and down between the main conveying part and the auxiliary conveying part to open and close. At least in the open state between the two sealing blocks, the upper sealing block is located above the conveying surface of the conveyor, and the lower sealing block is located below the conveying surface. The cutting blade extending left and right is provided on one of the surfaces facing each other of the pair of sealing blocks, and the heating portion extending left and right in the front and rear directions with the cutting blade as a boundary is provided. The knife receiving portion extending left and right is provided on the other side of the surfaces of the two sealing blocks facing each other, and the heating portion extending left and right respectively forward and backward with the knife receiving portion as a boundary is provided. The film sheet is sandwiched by two sealing blocks, the end seal is formed on the film sheet by each of the heat generating portions, and the film sheet is cut front and back by the cutting knife and the knife receiving portion using the end seal.

11. The packaging device according to claim 10, wherein: The feed drive unit includes: a feed guide, which is directly or indirectly fixed to the conveyor and extends in the front-rear direction; the main motor, which is directly or indirectly fixed to the conveyor; a rotating plate, which is rotated by the main motor; and a feed action link member, The rotation center line of the rotating plate extends in the left-right direction. One end of the feed action link member is axially supported by the action frame. The other end of the feed action link member is axially supported by the rotating plate at a position offset from the center of rotation of the rotating plate, so that the feed action link member connects the action frame and the rotating plate. The direction opposite to the conveying direction is set as the forward path, and the direction same as the conveying direction is set as the return path, and the feed drive unit can make the action frame reciprocate along the feed guide by rotating the rotating plate based on the main motor. The clamping drive unit comprises: the auxiliary motor, which is arranged on the action frame; a rotating plate, which is rotated and reversely rotated by the auxiliary motor; and a reverse rotation link member, one end of which is axially supported on the rotating plate at a position deviated from the center of rotation of the rotating plate; A main shaft extending in the left-right direction and being axially supported by the action frame; an arm for reversing, which is arranged on the main shaft and extends in a direction intersecting the main shaft, and has a front end axially supported on the other end of the reversing link member; a first arm, which is arranged on the main shaft at a position different from that of the reversing arm in the left-right direction and extends in a direction intersecting the main shaft; and a second arm, which is arranged on the main shaft and extends in a direction intersecting the main shaft and in a direction different from that of the first arm. The front end of the first arm is connected to the first component directly or via another component, and the front end of the second arm is connected to the second component directly or via another component. The center line of rotation of the rotating plate extends in the left-right direction. At least a part of the sensors constituting the sensing unit is a position detection sensor for detecting that the packaged object on the main conveying unit approaches the auxiliary conveying unit. The position detection sensor is arranged on the action frame, Under the control of the control unit that detects the approach of the packaged object through the position detection sensor, the feed drive unit rotates the rotating plate through the main motor and displaces the feed action link member, thereby causing the action frame to start moving on the forward path. When the position detection sensor detects the approach, the auxiliary motor rotates the rotating plate by a predetermined angle under the control of the control unit, thereby displacing the reversing link member and rotating the main shaft. The first arm and the second arm rotate integrally with the main shaft, respectively, so that the first component is lowered and the second component is raised. The film sheet is sandwiched between the packaged object approaching the auxiliary conveying portion on the main conveying portion and the packaged object that has been transferred to the auxiliary conveying portion before the packaged object through the first component and the second component. At least during the period when the first component and the second component sandwich the film sheet, the control unit further rotates the rotating plate through the main motor, displacing the feeding action link member to its original state, and causing the action frame to move on the return path. The first component and the second component perform the end seal formation and the cutting of the film sheet while the first component and the second component are moving on the return path. The control unit reversely rotates the rotating plate through the auxiliary motor, thereby restoring the reversal link component after the displacement to the state before the displacement. Along with the restoring action of the reversal link component, the main shaft reversely rotates, so that the respective directions of the first arm and the second arm are restored to their original states, thereby causing the first component to rise and return to the position before falling, and causing the second component to fall and return to the position before rising.

12. The packaging device according to claim 10, wherein: The main conveying section includes a first tail pulley disposed on the upstream end side, a first head pulley disposed on the downstream end side, an endless first belt mounted on the two pulleys, and a conveyor power source in the conveying direction. The conveyor power source is an electric motor. By directly or indirectly transmitting a rotational force from the conveyor power source, the first head pulley rotates. The first head pulley can drive the first ring-shaped belt to circulate through the rotation. In the upper section of the circulating first belt, the upper surface of the first belt constitutes a part of the conveying surface. The first pulley is axially supported by the motion frame and moves forward and backward in the conveying direction together with the motion frame. The main conveying section includes a first length adjustment pulley, which is arranged inside the looped first belt in a lower section of the circulating first belt and is provided with the first belt. The first length adjustment pulley is movable in the up-down direction. By displacing the first length adjustment pulley downward, the first belt can be pulled downward, so that the first head pulley moves backward, that is, upstream, in the conveying direction. By displacing the first length adjustment pulley upward, the first belt can be returned upward, so that the first head pulley moves forward, that is, downstream, in the conveying direction. The auxiliary conveying section includes a second tail pulley arranged on the upstream end side, a second head pulley arranged on the downstream end side, and an endless second belt mounted on the second tail pulley and the second head pulley in the conveying direction. By directly or indirectly transmitting a rotational force from the conveyor power source, the second head pulley also rotates. The second head pulley can drive the endless second belt to circulate through the rotation. In the upper section of the circulating second belt, the upper surface of the second belt also constitutes the other parts of the conveying surface. The second tail pulley is axially supported by the motion frame and can move forward and backward in the conveying direction together with the motion frame. The auxiliary conveying section includes a second length adjustment pulley, which is arranged inside the looped second belt in a lower section of the circulating second belt and is provided with the second belt. The second length adjustment pulley can be displaced in the up and down directions. By displacing the second length adjustment pulley downward, the second belt can be pulled downward, so that the second tail pulley moves forward, that is, downstream, in the conveying direction. By displacing the second length adjustment pulley upward, the second belt can be returned upward, so that the second tail pulley moves backward, that is, upstream, in the conveying direction.

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