Center seal apparatus and method

Abstract

This application provides a sealing device, the structure of which includes: a frame; a drive structure including a drive shaft, one end of which is connected to a power unit, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to a drive gear; a driven structure, disposed above the drive structure, including a driven shaft, a driven gear disposed in the middle of the driven shaft, the driven gear meshing with the drive gear, and first bevel gears disposed at both ends of the driven shaft; a slide rail structure including two cylinders, each cylinder including a retractable piston, the two cylinders being fixedly connected to a straight slide rail, two sliders being slidably disposed on the straight slide rail, the two sliders being fixedly connected to the pistons on the two cylinders respectively; two housings, the two housings being symmetrically arranged, each housing being fixedly connected to a slider, two spindles being fixed to the housings, and second bevel gears being fixedly connected to the two spindles respectively, the second bevel gears meshing with the first bevel gears; and two sealing wheels, respectively fixedly disposed at the top ends of the two spindles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of packaging equipment, and in particular to a sealing device and a sealing method. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, people's living standards have been continuously improving, and their pursuit of a better life has become increasingly urgent, prompting the continuous upgrading of the packaging industry. The market urgently needs more intelligent, automated, and efficient packaging equipment. Packaging materials are diverse, and packaging machines also need to be suitable for different packaging materials.

[0003] In existing technologies, the center-seal structure on conventional pillow-type packaging machines is mainly a heat radiation center-seal structure or a direct heating center-seal structure. Both operate on the principle of using the temperature of a heating block to heat-seal the packaging material. Conventional pillow-type packaging machines offer various opening and closing methods for their center-seal structures, such as cylinder-type, manual, and electric. The pressure of the sealing roller has a major impact on the sealing performance of the pillow-type packaging machine. In conventional center-seal structures, the pressure of the sealing roller is provided by a spring. Because the spring pressure cannot be parameterized or visually adjusted, the sealing roller pressure adjustment is not linear, relying mainly on the operator's practical experience in actual operation, leading to too many uncontrollable factors. Furthermore, because the sealing roller pressure cannot be parameterized or visually adjusted, existing pillow-type packaging machines cannot accommodate a wider variety of packaging materials. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a sealing device capable of linearly adjusting the sealing wheel pressure. Its specific structure includes: a frame; a drive structure including a drive shaft passing through the frame and rotatably fixed to it, one end of the drive shaft being connected to a power unit, and a drive gear fixedly connected near the other end of the drive shaft; a driven structure disposed above the drive structure, including a driven shaft passing through the frame and rotatably fixed to it, a driven gear disposed in the middle of the driven shaft, the driven gear meshing with the drive gear, and first bevel gears disposed at both ends of the driven shaft; two housings symmetrically arranged, each housing fixedly connected to a slider, the two sliders disposed on a straight slide rail, a first mounting hole at the upper end of each housing, a second mounting hole at the lower end of each housing, and two spindles perpendicularly passing through the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole respectively, and connected to the [unclear - possibly a specific component or structure] via bearings and retaining rings. The housing is fixed, and two second bevel gears are fixedly connected to the two mandrels respectively, with the second bevel gears meshing with the first bevel gear; the air pump structure includes two opposing cylinders fixed horizontally on the frame, each cylinder including a retractable piston, each piston being fixedly connected to a housing, the two housings being able to be driven by the pistons to generate displacement, and sliding in opposite directions on the linear slide rail via the slider; two sealing wheels are respectively fixedly installed at the top ends of the two mandrels, each sealing wheel having a fixedly installed annular heating block, the heating block being sleeved on the mandrel; a precision pressure regulating valve is connected to the air circuit of each of the two cylinders; the two housings can move in opposite directions through the slide rail structure, thereby driving the two sealing wheels to move in opposite directions, when the two sealing wheels move to the separated position, the middle sealing device is in an open standby state, when the two sealing wheels move to the close position, the middle sealing device is in a clamping sealing state.

[0005] Using the aforementioned specific structure, the sealing device employs an air pump to drive the two housings to move along a linear slide, thereby causing the two sealing rollers to move in opposite directions. A precision pressure regulating valve is connected to the cylinder's air circuit, controlling the thrust within the cylinder and thus the pressure of the sealing rollers on the sealing film. Depending on the movement of the two sealing rollers, the sealing device includes an open standby state and a clamped sealing film state. In the open standby state, the film is protected from being burned by the sealing rollers when the machine stops. In the clamped sealing film state, the pressure between the two sealing rollers can be linearly adjusted by regulating the precision pressure regulating valve, allowing for linear control of the packaging sealing film.

[0006] As one possible implementation, the mandrel has a cylindrical structure with through holes inside for wires that supply power to the heating block to pass through the mandrel from bottom to top and connect to the heating block.

[0007] As one possible implementation, the wire is connected to a terminal block, the terminal block is fixedly connected to a terminal block mounting plate, the terminal block mounting plate is connected to the lower end of a slip ring, and the upper end of the slip ring is connected to the heating block via the wire.

[0008] As one possible implementation, the frame is an irregular frame structure with a rectangular cross-section, including a back plate. A side plate extends inward from the right end of the back plate, and a lower end face and a left end face extend inward from the left and lower ends of the back plate. A lower extension extends inward from the lower end face, and a lower protrusion parallel to the side plate is vertically arranged on the lower extension. The lower protrusion is used to fix the drive shaft and the drive gear. An upper extension extends inward from the upper end of the back plate, and an upper protrusion parallel to the side plate is vertically arranged on the upper extension. The upper protrusion is used to fix the driven shaft and the driven gear.

[0009] As one possible implementation, the side plate has a drive shaft mounting hole, which allows the drive shaft to pass through the side plate; the back plate has two cylinder mounting holes, through which the cylinders extend out of the frame.

[0010] As one possible implementation, the sealing wheel has a circular groove at its lower end, which mates with the heating block, and the heating block is embedded in the circular groove; a heat insulation pad is fixedly provided on the lower end face of the heating block.

[0011] By employing the above-mentioned possible implementation methods, the heat insulation pad can effectively isolate the heat of the heating block and prevent the heating block from affecting other components of the sealing device.

[0012] As one possible implementation, the two housings are fixedly connected to the two pistons respectively via two mounting blocks.

[0013] As one possible implementation, the two cylinders are fixedly connected to the frame via two cylinder seats.

[0014] As one possible implementation, the sealing wheel has a through hole in the middle, and the sealing wheel is fitted onto the top end of the mandrel through the through hole. The top end of the mandrel and the through hole form a groove, and a fixing gasket is fixedly installed in the groove.

[0015] By employing the above-mentioned possible implementation methods, the fixing shim can prevent the sealing wheel from axially running during operation.

[0016] This application also provides a sealing method for sealing packaging bags. Specifically, the packaging bag is sealed using the sealing device described above. The pressure in the two cylinders is controlled by the precision pressure regulating valve through the air circuit, thereby pushing the piston to move. The piston drives the two housings to move in opposite directions or in the opposite direction along the linear slide rail via the mounting block. As the two housings move, the two sealing wheels move in opposite directions with the two mandrels fixed on the two housings to enter the clamping sealing state or move in the opposite direction to enter the opening standby state. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The various technical features of this application and their relationships will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are exemplary; some technical features are not shown to scale, and some drawings may omit technical features commonly used in the art to which this application pertains that are not essential for understanding and implementing this application, or additionally show technical features that are not essential for understanding and implementing this application. In other words, the combination of various technical features shown in the drawings is not intended to limit this application. Furthermore, throughout this application, the same reference numerals refer to the same things. Specific descriptions of the drawings are as follows:

[0018] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the sealing device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a front view of the sealing device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the cooperation between the driving structure and the driven structure of the sealing device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the frame of the sealing device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a front view of the frame of the sealing device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection and fit between the air pump structure and the housing of the sealing device involved in this application embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection and fit between the air pump structure and the housing of the sealing device involved in this application embodiment. Figure 2 .

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 10-Frame; 11-Back plate; 12-Side plate; 13-Lower end face; 14-Left end face; 15-Lower extension; 16-Lower protrusion; 17-Upper extension; 18-Upper protrusion; 19-Drive shaft mounting hole; 20-Cylinder mounting hole; 21-Support block; 100-Drive shaft; 101-Bevel gear; 110-Drive gear; 200-Driven shaft; 210-Driven gear; 220-First bevel gear; 300-Cylinder; 301- Piston; 310-Linear slide rail; 311-Slider; 320-Mounting block; 330-Cylinder seat; 400-Housing; 401-First mounting hole; 402-Second mounting hole; 410-Mandrel; 420-Second bevel gear; 500-Sealing wheel; 510-Heating block; 520-Heat insulation pad; 530-Fixing gasket; 600-Terminal block; 610-Terminal block mounting plate; 620-Slip ring; 700-Precision pressure regulating valve; 800-Tension spring. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The specific embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] This application provides a sealing device capable of linearly controlling the pressure between two sealing wheels 500. Its main body is a frame 10, on which are mounted a drive structure, a driven structure, two symmetrically arranged housings 400, an air pump structure, and two sealing wheels 500. The air pump structure is connected to a precision pressure regulating valve 700 via an air circuit.

[0028] Among them, such as Figure 4 , 5 As shown, the frame 10 has an irregular rectangular cross-section and includes a back plate 11. A side plate 12 extends inward from the right end of the back plate 11, and a lower end face 13 and a left end face 14 extend inward from the left and lower ends of the back plate 11. A lower extension 15 extends inward from the lower end face 13, and a lower protrusion 16 parallel to the side plate 12 is vertically arranged on the lower extension 15. The lower protrusion 16 is used to fix the drive shaft 100 and the drive gear 110. An upper extension 17 extends inward from the upper end of the back plate 11, and an upper protrusion 18 parallel to the side plate 12 is vertically arranged on the upper extension 17. The upper protrusion 18 is used to fix the driven shaft 200 and the driven gear 210. A drive shaft 100 mounting hole 19 is opened on the side plate 12, allowing the drive shaft 100 to pass through the side plate 12. Two cylinder 300 mounting holes 20 are opened on the back plate 11, and the cylinder 300 extends out of the frame 10 through the cylinder 300 mounting holes 20.

[0029] In this embodiment, the upper extension 17 is fixedly connected to the back plate 11 by bolts. Meanwhile, to improve the structural stability of the upper extension 17, such as... Figure 4As shown, this embodiment includes a support block 21 for auxiliary support of the upper extension 17. The support block 21 is fixedly connected to the back plate 11 and the upper extension 17 by bolts. Alternatively, in other embodiments, other structures or devices can be used to support the upper extension 17, such as using an upper extension 17 with other structures, or using auxiliary support devices such as support rods to provide auxiliary support for the upper extension 17.

[0030] In this embodiment, there are two upper extensions 17. In other embodiments, the upper extensions 17 may be of other quantities, such as one, three, etc.

[0031] Among them, such as Figure 1 , 3 As shown in Figure 4, the drive structure includes a drive shaft 100, which passes through a drive shaft 100 mounting hole 19 on the side plate 12 of the frame 10 and is rotatably fixed by a bearing provided on the drive shaft 100 mounting hole 19. One end of the drive shaft 100 is connected to a power unit, which provides power to the sealing device involved in the embodiments of this application; a drive gear 110 is fixedly connected near the other end of the drive shaft 100, and the other end of the drive shaft 100 is rotatably fixed by a lower protrusion 16 through a bearing.

[0032] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 , 2 As shown, a conical wheel 101 is provided at one end of the drive shaft near the power unit, which is used to transmit the power of the power unit to the drive shaft.

[0033] Among them, such as Figure 1 , 3 As shown, the driven structure is positioned above the driving structure. The driven structure includes a driven shaft 200, which is rotatably fixed to two extensions via bearings. A driven gear 210 is disposed in the middle of the driven shaft 200, and the driven gear 210 meshes with the driving gear 110. First bevel gears 220 are fixedly connected to both ends of the driven shaft 200.

[0034] Among them, such as Figure 1 , 6As shown in Figure 7, two housings 400 are symmetrically arranged within the frame 10. Each housing 400 is fixedly connected to a slider 311, and the two sliders 311 are mounted on a straight slide rail 310, which allows the housing 400 to move along the straight slide rail 310. Each housing 400 has a first mounting hole 401 at its upper end and a second mounting hole 402 at its lower end. Two spindles 410 pass vertically through the first mounting hole 401 and the second mounting hole 402, respectively, and are rotatably fixed to the housing 400 via bearings and retaining rings. Two second bevel gears 420 are fixedly connected to the two spindles 410, and the two second bevel gears 420 mesh with two first bevel gears 220 on the driven shaft 200, thereby transmitting power from the driven shaft 200 to the two spindles 410.

[0035] Among them, such as Figure 1 , 6 As shown in Figure 7, the air pump structure includes two opposing cylinders 300 horizontally fixed on the frame 10. Each cylinder 300 includes a retractable piston 301, and the movement trajectories of the two pistons 301 are coaxial and opposite. The two pistons 301 are respectively fixedly connected to a housing 400, and the two housings 400 can be driven by the pistons 301 to generate displacement, and slide opposite each other on the linear slide rail 310 through the slider 311.

[0036] In this embodiment, as Figure 6 , 7 As shown, the two housings 400 are fixedly connected to the two pistons 301 respectively via two mounting blocks 320. The two cylinders 300 are fixedly connected to the frame 10 respectively via two cylinder seats 330.

[0037] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, two sealing wheels 500 are located at the top ends of two mandrels 410. Each sealing wheel 500 has a through hole in the middle, through which it fits onto the top end of the mandrel 410. The top end of the mandrel 410 and the through hole form a groove, in which a fixing washer 530 is fixedly installed to prevent axial runout of the sealing wheel 500 during operation. A circular heating block 510 is also fixedly installed on the sealing wheel 500. The heat from the heating block 510 is transferred to the surface of the sealing wheel 500 through a metal medium to heat and melt the coating to complete the sealing. The heating block 510 is also fitted onto the mandrel 410. Simultaneously, a circular groove is formed at the lower end of the sealing wheel 500, which mates with the heating block 510, allowing the heating block 510 to be embedded within it.

[0038] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 As shown, a heat insulation pad 520 is fixedly provided on the lower end face 13 of the heating block 510. The heat insulation pad 520 is used to insulate the heat of the heating block 510 and prevent excessive heat from being transferred to other components of the sealing device involved in this application embodiment, which may cause damage or malfunction of the components.

[0039] In this embodiment, the mandrel 410 has a cylindrical structure, and its internal through-hole allows the power wires supplying power to the heating block 510 to pass through the mandrel 410 from bottom to top and connect to the heating block 510. The power wires are connected from bottom to top to the terminal block 600, which is fixedly connected to the terminal block mounting plate 610. The terminal block mounting plate 610 is connected to the lower end of a slip ring 620, and the upper end of the slip ring 620 is connected to the heating block 510 through the power wires inside the mandrel 410.

[0040] Among them, such as Figure 1 As shown, the precision pressure regulating valve 700 is connected to the air circuits of the two cylinders 300 respectively. The precision pressure regulating valve 700 can adjust the air pressure in the cylinder 300, thereby adjusting the thrust of the piston 301 on the housing 400.

[0041] The two housings 400 can move in opposite directions via a slide rail structure, thereby driving the two sealing rollers 500 to move in opposite directions. When the two sealing rollers 500 move to the separated position, the sealing device is in an open standby state; when the two sealing rollers 500 move to the close position, the sealing device is in a clamping and sealing state. When the packaging machine malfunctions or the downstream equipment stops, the two sealing rollers 500 need to open, otherwise the film will be damaged by heat. When the packaging machine gives a stop signal, the precision pressure regulating valve 700 automatically controls the piston 301 to retract into the cylinder 300, thereby driving the parts in the two housings 400, including the sealing rollers 500, to move in the opposite direction, so that the sealing device reaches the open standby state. For thicker films, sealing is more difficult, so the pressure of the two sealing rollers 500 on the film needs to be increased. By adjusting the pressure regulating valve, the pressure in the cylinder 300 can be increased, thereby increasing the force exerted by the piston 301 on the housing 400 to move towards the center, thus increasing the pressure at the contact point between the two sealing rollers 500. In this way, the sealing device according to the embodiments of this application can seal thicker films, while also increasing the sealing performance and improving the sealing strength.

[0042] In this embodiment, in the open standby state, the opening distance between the two sealing wheels 500 is 14mm. Additionally, in other embodiments, different opening distances can be set according to needs or the dimensions of other sealing devices.

[0043] In this embodiment, the pressure between the two sealing rollers 500 can be linearly adjusted according to the different materials or thicknesses of the film, so that the sealing device involved in this application embodiment can seal more types or thicknesses of film.

[0044] More preferably, such as Figure 2 , 6As shown in Figure 7, two tension springs 800 are also connected between the two housings 400, and are fixed on both sides of the two housings 400 respectively. The tension springs 800 can provide a preload to the two housings 400, and at the same time can limit the two housings 400 to prevent the housings 400 or the slider 311 from falling off and causing a malfunction.

[0045] Accordingly, this application also provides a sealing method for sealing packaging bags. The sealing device described above is used to seal the packaging bags. Specifically, a precision pressure regulating valve 700 controls the pressure within two cylinders 300 via a pneumatic circuit, thereby pushing a piston 301 to move. The piston 301, via a mounting block 320, drives two housings 400 to move in opposite directions or in the opposite direction along a linear slide rail 310. As the two housings 400 move, the two sealing wheels 500, along with two spindles 410 fixed to the two housings 400, move in opposite directions to enter a clamping and sealing state or move in the opposite direction to enter an open standby state. Furthermore, in the clamping and sealing state, the precision pressure regulating valve 700 can continue to control the pressure within the two cylinders 300, thereby achieving the effect of adjusting the pressure between the two sealing wheels 500. Simultaneously, an electric wire passing through the spindle 410 supplies power to the heating block 510, and heat is conducted to the surface of the sealing wheels 500, thereby melting the packaging film. The pressure between the two sealing rollers 500 can be linearly adjusted by the precision pressure regulating valve 700, which can seal films of different thicknesses or materials.

[0046] The term “comprising” as used throughout this application should not be construed as limited to what is listed thereafter; it does not exclude other structural elements or steps.

[0047] It is understood that those skilled in the art can combine the features mentioned in one or more embodiments throughout this application with features from other embodiments in any appropriate manner to implement this application.

[0048] Note that the above are merely preferred embodiments and the technical principles employed in this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, although this application has been described in detail through the above embodiments, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Many other equivalent embodiments may be included without departing from the technical concept of this application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A middle containment device, characterized in that, include: Frame; The drive structure includes a drive shaft that passes through the frame and is rotatably fixed to the frame. One end of the drive shaft is connected to a power unit, and a drive gear is fixedly connected near the other end of the drive shaft. A driven structure is disposed above the driving structure, including a driven shaft, which passes through the frame and is rotatably fixed to the frame. A driven gear is disposed in the middle of the driven shaft, which meshes with the driving gear. First bevel gears are disposed at both ends of the driven shaft. Two housings are arranged symmetrically, each housing is fixedly connected to a slider, the two sliders are arranged on a straight slide rail, the upper end of each housing has a first mounting hole, the lower end of each housing has a second mounting hole, two spindles pass vertically through the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole respectively and are fixed to the housing by bearings and retaining rings, and a second bevel gear is fixedly connected to each of the two spindles, the second bevel gear meshing with the first bevel gear; The air pump structure includes two cylinders that are horizontally fixed to the frame in opposite directions. Each cylinder includes a retractable piston. The two pistons are respectively fixedly connected to a housing. The two housings can be driven by the pistons to generate displacement and slide in opposite directions on the linear slide rail via the slider. The two housings are respectively fixedly connected to the two pistons via two mounting blocks. The two cylinders are respectively fixedly connected to the frame via two cylinder seats. Two sealing wheels are fixedly mounted on the top ends of the two mandrels respectively. A ring-shaped heating block is fixedly mounted on the sealing wheel. The heating block is sleeved on the mandrel. A circular groove is opened at the lower end of the sealing wheel. The circular groove cooperates with the heating block. The heating block is embedded in the circular groove. A heat insulation pad is fixedly mounted on the lower end face of the heating block. A precision pressure regulating valve, which is connected to the air circuits of the two cylinders respectively; The two housings can move in opposite directions via a linear slide rail, thereby driving the two sealing wheels to move in opposite directions. When the two sealing wheels move to the separated position, the middle sealing device is in an open standby state. When the two sealing wheels move to the close position, the middle sealing device is in a clamping sealing state.

2. The middle envelope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The mandrel has a cylindrical structure, and the through holes inside it are used for the wires that supply power to the heating block to pass through the mandrel from bottom to top and connect to the heating block.

3. The middle seal apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The wire is connected to the terminal block, which is fixedly connected to the terminal block mounting plate. The terminal block mounting plate is connected to the lower end of a slip ring, and the upper end of the slip ring is connected to the heating block via the wire.

4. The sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame is an irregular frame structure with a rectangular cross-section, including a back panel, a side panel extending inward from the right end of the back panel, and a lower end face and a left end face extending inward from the left and lower ends of the back panel. The lower end extends inward to form a lower extension portion, and the lower extension portion is provided with a lower protrusion portion that is parallel to the side plate and is arranged vertically upward. The lower protrusion portion is used to fix the drive shaft and the drive gear. The upper end of the back plate extends inward to form an upper extension portion, and the upper extension portion is provided with an upper protrusion portion that is parallel to the side plate and is used to fix the driven shaft and the driven gear.

5. The sealing device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The side plate has a drive shaft mounting hole, which allows the drive shaft to pass through the side plate; The back plate has two cylinder mounting holes, through which the cylinders extend out of the frame.

6. The middle envelope of claim 1, wherein, The sealing wheel has a through hole in the middle. The sealing wheel is fitted onto the top of the mandrel through the through hole. The top of the mandrel and the through hole form a groove. A fixing gasket is fixedly installed in the groove.

7. A center seal method for sealing a bag, characterized by, The packaging bag is sealed using the sealing device as described in any one of claims 1-6. The pressure in the two cylinders is controlled by the precision pressure regulating valve through the air circuit, thereby pushing the piston to move. The piston drives the two housings to move in opposite directions or in the opposite direction along the linear slide rail through the mounting block. As the two housings move, the two sealing wheels move in opposite directions with the two mandrels fixed on the two housings to enter the clamping and sealing state or move in the opposite direction to enter the opening and standby state.

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