Sealing jaw system and method of forming packaging container using sealing jaw system

Abstract

A sealed jaw system (100) is disclosed. The sealing jaw system (100) comprises: a first sealing unit (110) and an opposing second sealing unit (120), each sealing unit (110, 120) comprising: an upper shaft (111) and a lower shaft (112) driven by associated motors (180a, 180b) and having a pair of driving pulleys (115a) and three pairs of freely rotatable pulleys (115b) arranged coaxially with the shafts (111, 112); two pairs of driving belts (130a, 130b) and two pairs of driven belts (131a, 131b). Each sealing jaw unit has a sealing jaw (105a, 105b) and a coupling member (113a, 113b), and each pair of driven belts (131a, 131b) is driven by a pair of driving belts (130a, 130b) of an opposing one of the first and second sealing units (110, 120) by a coupling effect between the coupling member (113a) of the pair of driven belts (131a) and the coupling member (113b) of the pair of driving belts. A method of forming a packaging container is also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a sealing jaw system for forming a packaging container from a tubular packaging material moving in a longitudinal direction. More specifically, the sealing jaw system includes a first sealing unit and a second sealing unit. The present disclosure also relates to a method for forming a packaging container from a tubular packaging material by using the sealing jaw system. Background Art

[0002] The packaging industry is constantly pushing to provide improved packaging for all types of products. Packaging should be extremely cost-effective, high quality and aesthetically pleasing.

[0003] The introduction of tubular packaging is a major step forward in cost-effective packaging, especially for liquid foods. This packaging is formed by a continuous web of packaging material folded along its longitudinal edges. The longitudinal edges are usually attached to each other by a heat-based sealing process. By sealing the longitudinal edges of the web of packaging material, a continuous tube of packaging material is formed. The tube is filled with any fluid or material it is to contain, after which the tube is divided into packages by providing a transverse seal to the tube and cutting the transversely sealed tube into multiple parts, each of which forms a package. The transverse seal is usually performed by applying heat, such as using induction heating, to seal the top and bottom of the package.

[0004] In providing the transverse seal, the web of packaging material is constantly moving at high speed, which means that all steps of the sealing process must be completed on a moving object. For example, the sealing operation takes some time, so the sealing equipment that performs this operation must move at the speed of the packaging material.

[0005] Since the speed of the packaging material will directly affect the number of packages produced per unit time, the speed of the packaging material is preferably kept as high as possible. The speed of the packaging material is usually limited by process tolerances and characteristics. All components must be adjusted, and in systems known in the art, this adjustment is usually done manually and in many cases requires a complete or partial stop of production, which is expensive in terms of production loss and man-hours.

[0006] Additional problems may also be associated with the process of providing a transverse seal in a high-speed packaging production machine. For example, it is desirable that the transverse seal is always aligned with the printed decoration of the packaging material. Although the decoration is usually printed with great precision, deviations may occur, which means that the position of the transverse seal may be offset relative to the decoration. One possible cause of such a misalignment may be when two webs of packaging material are connected by a bond. In order to improve the performance of packaging production machines, it has been suggested to provide register marks on the packaging material webs. These register marks have a clearly defined position for the decoration (and possibly also for pre-applied crease lines in the packaging material web). Instead of manually checking the decorative aspects of the produced packaging, the position of the register marks can be determined and the machine parameters adjusted accordingly if any feature of the produced packaging is misaligned.

[0007] Another problem that may be associated with existing packaging production machines is the static size of the packages produced. If the machine operator wants to increase or decrease the size of the package to be produced, this adjustment is usually made by adjusting the pitch of the sealing jaws used to provide a transverse seal to the filled packaging material tube, which must be done by shutting down the machine and manually adjusting the sealing jaws. Since some iterations are usually required (for example, by checking the position of the register marks as described above), it is usually impossible to do this without incurring a lot of machine downtime.

[0008] For these reasons, there is a need for a sealing jaw system having improved flexibility for forming packaging containers of desired designs and sizes. There is also a need for a sealing system having improved capabilities. Summary of the invention

[0009] The object of the present disclosure is to at least partially overcome one or more of the above limitations of the prior art. In particular, the object of the present disclosure is to provide an adaptive sealing jaw system that can compensate for changes in the design of packaging materials and also allow packaging containers of different sizes without excessive down-time.

[0010] Another object is to provide a sealing jaw system with improved flexibility.

[0011] Another object is to provide a cost-effective sealing jaw system.

[0012] Another object is to provide a sealing jaw system that facilitates improved flow capabilities in terms of liquid food products and packaging quantities.

[0013] Another object is to provide a sealing jaw system that helps reduce wasted packaging material.

[0014] According to a first aspect, there is provided a sealing jaw system for forming a packaging container from a tubular packaging material moving in a longitudinal direction by providing a transverse seal to the tubular packaging material, the sealing jaw system comprising: a first sealing unit and an opposing second sealing unit, wherein the first sealing unit and the second sealing unit are arranged such that a gap is formed therebetween, the gap extending along the height of the first sealing unit and the second sealing unit and configured to receive a tubular packaging material fed in a longitudinal direction, the gap comprising a sealing area, the sealing jaw system being configured to provide a transverse seal in the sealing area, Each sealed unit includes: an upper shaft and a lower shaft, wherein the upper shaft is driven by an associated motor and the lower shaft is driven by an associated motor; Each shaft includes a pair of drive pulleys connected to the shaft and configured to rotate together with the shaft and three pairs of freely rotatable pulleys arranged coaxially with the shaft; The first pair of drive belts is configured to be driven by an associated motor through an upper shaft, and the second pair of drive belts is configured to be driven by an associated motor through a corresponding pair of drive pulleys through a lower shaft, wherein, Each pair of drive belts is supported by a pair of freely rotatable pulleys of the other of the upper and lower shafts, wherein each pair of drive belts includes at least three sealing jaw units connected to and extending between the corresponding pair of drive belts; and two pairs of driven belts supported by a corresponding pair of freely rotatable pulleys on each of the upper and lower shafts, wherein each of the two pairs of driven belts includes at least three sealing jaw units connected to and extending between the corresponding pair of driven belts, wherein each sealing jaw unit comprises a sealing jaw and a coupling member for engaging the tubular packaging material to provide a transverse seal, Each pair of driven belts is driven by a pair of driving belts of an opposite one of the first and second sealing units through coupling between coupling members of the sealing jaw unit of a pair of driven belts and coupling members of the sealing jaw unit of a pair of driving belts.

[0015] In other words, the sealing jaw system includes four motors and four shafts, wherein each motor is configured to drive an associated shaft. The sealing jaw system includes sixteen belts, i.e., eight pairs of belts. The sealing jaw system includes 32 pulleys, four pairs of drive pulleys, and twelve pairs of pulleys that can rotate freely. This design is advantageous because it allows the sealing jaw system to include four separate drives / transmissions in the same track / loop compared to conventional sealing jaw systems known in the art. By using a sealing jaw system with four independent drives / transmissions, it is advantageous to achieve a flexible and time-effective sealing system.

[0016] Each band is configured to be supported by two pulleys, one of which is on the associated upper shaft and the other is on the associated lower shaft, so that each band forms a motion path. The sealing jaw unit all travels along respective motion paths and is configured to provide transverse sealing to the moving tubular packaging material. In fact, this transverse sealing is to provide the moving tubular packaging material by engaging the tubular packaging material from the opposite sides of the tubular packaging material with two sealing jaw units. The moving speed of the sealing jaw unit associated with the drive belt can be controlled independently of the moving speed of the sealing jaw unit associated with another drive belt. The sealing jaw unit is preferably equidistantly spaced along the length of the relevant belt. Once the sealing jaw unit travels along the corresponding motion path, the sealing jaw unit can travel through the sealing area, in which the sealing jaw unit is configured to engage the tubular packaging material, thereby forming a transverse seal. The sealing jaw unit has a sealing jaw that engages with the tubular packaging material to provide a transverse seal, and its sealing jaw unit is controlled to have the same speed as the tubular packaging material in practice. On the other hand, the sealing jaw unit without the sealing jaw engaged with the tubular packaging material can be controlled to have a speed different from the speed of the tubular packaging material. The sealing jaw unit with the sealing jaw engaged with the tubular packaging material in the sealing area can be called the leading sealing jaw unit. The sealing jaw unit with the next sealing jaw entering the sealing area can be called the trailing sealing jaw unit. This means that the speed of the leading sealing jaw unit can be controlled independently of the speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit. The next sealing jaw is engaged with the tubular packaging material so that it can be controlled independently of the sealing jaw currently engaged with the tubular packaging material, which enables and is easy to adjust the pitch (i.e. the distance between the leading sealing jaw unit and the trailing sealing jaw unit). This is because the leading sealing jaw unit and the trailing sealing jaw unit are driven by different belts. Preferably, every four sealing jaw units are driven by the same belt. It can be determined where the decoration of the packaging material is located, and based on this, the speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit is increased or decreased, thereby adjusting the pitch.

[0017] This is further advantageous because it allows a cost-effective and material-efficient sealing jaw system compared to sealing jaw systems known in the art. Thus, since the sealing jaw system can adjust the pitch, the packaging material can be utilized in an efficient manner without forming a packaging container with an undesirable decoration. This means that a larger design correction step can be made for each packaging container, which also provides a certain flexibility in the packaging volume by adjusting the pitch.

[0018] This is further advantageous because it allows for less waste of packaging material compared to conventional sealing jaw systems, as the packaging containers can be individually designed by adjusting the pitch.

[0019] Herein, the gap extends along the height of the first and second sealing units, viewed in the longitudinal direction. Thus, the height of the gap is parallel to the longitudinal direction, so that the gap is configured to receive the tubular packaging material while being fed in the longitudinal direction.

[0020] In this document, a drive pulley should be interpreted as a pulley connected to an associated shaft, so that the pulley is configured to receive power from an associated motor via the shaft. Thus, the drive pulley is able to drive its associated drive belt. Preferably, the drive pulley is connected to the associated shaft via a key joint. In this document, a freely rotatable pulley should be interpreted as a pulley connected to an associated shaft, so that the freely rotatable pulley is not configured to receive power from an associated motor via the shaft. Thus, the freely rotatable pulley cannot drive its associated driven belt, but only rotates at a speed limited by the speed of the driven belt. Preferably, the freely rotatable pulley is connected to the shaft via a bearing.

[0021] In this article, coupling action should be interpreted as when the sealing jaw unit of the corresponding sealing unit enters the gap, the coupling members of the corresponding sealing unit engage with each other so that a coupling action occurs. The sealing jaw unit of the driving belt of one sealing unit and the sealing jaw unit of the driven belt of another sealing unit must be arranged sufficiently evenly along their respective movement paths so that they can engage when entering the gap. Therefore, a coupling action is provided when two coupling members (one of each sealing unit) engage with each other. Preferably, each coupling member includes two parts located on the corresponding sides of the sealing jaw. Thus, each pair of driven belts can be driven by a pair of driving belts of the opposite one of the first and second sealing units respectively through the coupling action between the two parts of the sealing jaw unit of the driven belt and the two parts of the sealing jaw unit of the driving belt.

[0022] Yet another advantage of the sealing jaw system is that it allows the sealing jaw system to have a higher capacity than conventional sealing jaw systems.Preferably, the sealing jaw system is capable of operating at a tubular packaging material speed of up to 770 mm / s.

[0023] A pair of coupling members of the sealing jaw unit of the driven belt and a pair of coupling members of the sealing jaw unit of the driving belt form a pair of coupling members, wherein the pair of coupling members are configured to be connected to each other when entering the gap, and the pair of coupling members are configured to be disconnected from each other before leaving the gap so as to provide a coupling action along a portion of the gap, wherein a corresponding pair of trailing coupling members are connected to each other before the pair of coupling members are disconnected from each other.

[0024] This is advantageous because it allows at least one sealing jaw to engage the tubular packaging material to always provide a transverse seal. However, it should be noted that at least one coupling action of each drive / transmission must always be provided so as to provide a continuous movement of the sealing jaw system. In other words, at least one coupling action of each drive / transmission must always be provided, otherwise a driven belt without any sealing jaw unit participating in the coupling action will lose its position and therefore lose synchronization with the drive belt intended to drive the driven belt via said coupling action.

[0025] The sealing area may extend along at least a portion of the gap. This is advantageous because it allows the respective sealing jaw unit to provide a transverse seal once the sealing jaw unit is present in the sealing area. Preferably, the portion along which the sealing area extends is less than / shorter than the height, i.e. the extension of the gap. This is advantageous because it allows the respective sealing jaw to be present along the gap and provide a coupling action between the other sealing jaws without having to provide a transverse seal. This is also advantageous because the pitch can be adjusted while maintaining synchronization between the drive belt and its associated driven belt.

[0026] The pulleys in each pair of pulleys on each shaft may be arranged in opposite positions in opposite directions from the center point of the shaft. The position of the pulleys may vary from shaft to shaft and have a specific pattern. Preferably, the pattern is repeated on every fourth shaft of the corresponding sealing unit. This is advantageous because it allows each drive belt of the sealing jaw system to be supported by a drive pulley so that the four transmissions are four separate transmissions driven individually by respective motors. This is further advantageous because it allows each belt to be driven in any way at any time by the associated motor or by the respective drive belt via the respective coupling action.

[0027] Each pair of driven belts can be driven by a pair of driving belts of the other of the first and second sealing units via two coupling actions between two coupling members of the first sealing unit and two coupling members of the second sealing unit, respectively. This is advantageous because it allows for an efficient sealing system. This is further advantageous because it allows for a stable and safe sealing jaw system.

[0028] The coupling member of the sealing jaw unit associated with the driving belt may include a female coupling member and the coupling member of the sealing jaw unit associated with the driven belt may include a male coupling member; or

[0029] the coupling member of the sealing jaw unit associated with the driving belt comprises a male coupling member and the coupling member of the sealing jaw unit associated with the driven belt comprises a female coupling member,

[0030] Therein, the female coupling member may be configured to receive a corresponding male coupling member, thereby providing a coupling effect.

[0031] This is advantageous because it allows coupling to be provided in a simple and efficient manner. This is further advantageous because it allows each pair of driven belts to be driven by a pair of driven belts via coupling. When the female coupling member receives the corresponding male coupling member, drive of one coupling member is transferred to the other coupling member via coupling. This is further advantageous because it allows the coupling members to engage at a wide range of angles.

[0032] The female coupling member may be formed with a rounded portion or recessed portion that is configured to receive the male coupling member. The male coupling member may take the form of a bowl-shaped portion that is configured to be received by the female coupling member. The skilled person will appreciate that these are examples only and that the female coupling member and the male coupling member may take any form suitable for providing a coupling action. For example, the coupling member may include a plurality of features that are configured to engage features of another coupling member. The coupling member may include protruding features (i.e., male features) and recessed features (i.e., female features).

[0033] Each belt may be arranged with at least one protrusion and each pulley may be arranged with at least one recess, the recess being configured to engage the respective protrusion and thereby hold the belt in place relative to the pulley. This is advantageous as it allows smooth and precise control of the movement of the belt. The carrier may be clamped onto the already tensioned belt and the recess of the pulley acts as a fixing means. This is further advantageous as it allows precise and efficient control of the respective belt so that the belt always remains in place.

[0034] Each belt may have a circular cross section. The belts with a circular cross section may be formed by a circular pre-tensioned polymer belt, preferably a circular belt with a stainless steel or polymer core. The belts may be connected by ball shank joints to form a loop. The belts may be chains, timing belts or Miró drives. When the belt has a circular cross section, it is preferably a Miró drive. The advantage of a Miró drive is that it keeps the length of the belt constant even if the tension drops. Furthermore, the transmission may be clean, precise and quiet.

[0035] The sealing jaw system may have exactly four motors configured to drive the upper and lower shafts of the first and second sealing units. This is advantageous because it allows the sealing jaw system to include four separate drives / transmissions, as discussed further above.

[0036] Each motor of the sealing jaw system may be configured to be independently controlled. This is advantageous because it allows the respective drive / transmission to be independently controlled. This is further advantageous because it allows the speed of the drive / transmission to be varied relative to the speed of the tubular packaging material when the sealing jaw unit of the belt travels outside the sealing area, so that the pitch may be adjusted. The motor is preferably a servo motor. Driving the belt by a servo motor is advantageous because it allows each belt to be moved accurately and in a controlled manner.

[0037] The sealing jaw system can be configured to set the moving speed of the sealing jaw unit present in the sealing area in the longitudinal direction to be equal to the moving speed of the tubular packaging material in the longitudinal direction. As already discussed, this is advantageous because it allows to provide transverse sealing in a simple, accurate and efficient manner.

[0038] The sealing jaw system may comprise at least one sensor device arranged to detect data relating to movement of the tubular packaging material in the longitudinal direction, wherein the movement speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit is controlled at least partly based on the detected data of the associated motor. This has proven to be very advantageous, since parameters relating to the moving tubular packaging material may change during operation, and this enables the sealing jaw system to adapt in real time by detecting these changes.

[0039] The sensor device can be arranged to detect register marks on the moving tubular packaging material, wherein each detected register mark corresponds to a defined position on the respective packaging container. This is advantageous because the sensor marks make it easier to determine parameters related to the moving tubular packaging material, such as speed, position, etc.

[0040] The sealing jaw system may include at least one control module, which is operably connected to the sensor device and is configured to control the movement speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit by controlling the associated motor so that the trailing sealing jaw unit will engage the tubular packaging material at a predetermined or configurable position. This enables the trailing sealing jaw to engage the tubular packaging material at a desired position with greater accuracy, thereby improving production, product quality and reducing waste of packaging materials.

[0041] According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of forming a packaging container from a tubular packaging material by using a sealing jaw system according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising:

[0042] feeding the tubular packaging material longitudinally through the gap of the sealing jaw system;

[0043] providing a transverse seal for a tubular packaging material by driving a sealing jaw of a first sealing jaw unit associated with a first sealing unit to engage the tubular packaging material at a first side thereof, and driving a sealing jaw of a second sealing jaw unit associated with a second sealing unit to engage the tubular packaging material at a corresponding position at a second side thereof, such that a transverse seal is formed between the sealing jaws,

[0044] Wherein, the first sealing jaw unit is associated with a pair of driving belts, and the second sealing jaw unit is associated with a pair of driven belts, which are driven by the pair of driving belts associated with the first sealing jaw unit through the coupling members of the first sealing jaw unit and the second sealing jaw unit.

[0045] The effects and features of the second aspect are largely similar to those described above in conjunction with the first aspect.

[0046] Other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a sealing jaw system according to the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sealing jaw system according to the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 3 According to the present disclosure Figure 2 Partial side view of the sealing jaw system.

[0051] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a drive shaft of a sealing jaw system according to the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 5a -b is a cross-sectional side view of a sealing jaw system according to the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 6a -d is a cross-sectional side view of a sealing jaw system according to the present disclosure.

[0054] Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the steps of a method of forming a packaging container from a tubular packaging material by using a sealing jaw system according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] refer to Figure 1, a side view of a sealing jaw system 100 for forming a packaging container 30 is shown by way of example. The packaging container 30 is formed by a tubular packaging material 10 moving in a longitudinal direction L by providing a transverse seal 20 to the tubular packaging material 10. The tubular packaging material 10 is preferably formed by a continuous packaging material coil folded along its longitudinal edges. The longitudinal edges are usually attached to each other by a sealing process based on heating. The process of manufacturing the tubular packaging material 10 is not important for realizing the present disclosure. However, in a preferred embodiment, the tubular packaging material 10 is a tubular packaging material 10 suitable for obtaining a transverse seal by induction heating.

[0056] The sealing jaw system 100 includes a first sealing unit 110 and an opposite second sealing unit 120. Preferably, the first sealing unit 110 and the second sealing unit 120 are mirror-image sealing units. The first sealing jaw unit 110 and the second sealing jaw unit 120 are arranged so that a gap G is formed therebetween. The gap G generally extends along a height H of the first sealing unit 110 and the second sealing unit 120. The tubular packaging material 10 is configured to be fed through the gap G along a longitudinal direction L.

[0057] The gap G comprises a sealing area S, and the sealing jaw system 100 is configured to provide a transverse seal 20 in the sealing area S. The sealing area S extends along a portion of G. The portion in which the sealing area S extends is smaller than the height H of the gap G.

[0058] The first sealing unit 110 and the second sealing unit 120 include a plurality of sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d, which will be combined with Figure 2 - Figure 6 for further discussion. However, due to Figure 1 The sealing jaw system 100 shown is a side view of the sealing jaw system 100, so Figure 1 Only a portion of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107c included in the sealing jaw system 100 is shown. Figure 1As shown, the first sealing unit 110 and the second sealing unit 120 include three sealing jaw units 107a, 107c. Preferably, although not shown, each sealing unit 110, 120 includes twelve sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. However, any number of sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d can be used to obtain advantages. The sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d travel along a motion path M, which is partially parallel to the longitudinal L and partially in the same direction as the longitudinal L, as will be further explained below. A gap G exists at a portion of the motion path M. The sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d are configured to provide a transverse seal 20 by engaging with the moving tubular packaging material 10. In addition, at the gap G, the motion path M is parallel to the longitudinal L. These transverse seals 20 can be formed by, for example, induction heating, which means that the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d may have to engage the moving packaging material 10 for a period of time in order to form a high-quality transverse seal 20. Since induction heating sealing units are well known in the art, the exact configuration of the sealing units required to produce induction heating of the packaging material will not be described further herein. In order to keep the packaging material 10 moving, the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d engaging the tubular packaging material 10 move in the longitudinal direction L at substantially the same speed as the moving packaging material 10. The sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d are combined with the attached Figure 2 - Figure 6 further discusses the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d.

[0059] The gap G also includes a coupling region CR in which two corresponding sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d (one for each sealing unit 110, 120) are configured to provide a coupling action CA. In short, a coupling action is provided when two corresponding sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d engage with each other. This will be discussed in more detail further below. The coupling region CR extends along a portion of the gap G. The portion along which the coupling region CR extends is less than the height H of the gap G. The portion where the coupling region CR extends is greater than the portion where the sealing region S extends.

[0060] Downstream of the sealing area S, the moving tubular packaging material 10 is cut into packaging containers 30 by a cutting device (not shown) along the area of ​​the transverse seal 20. The cutting device can be formed as part of the sealing jaw system 100, but is preferably arranged as a separate device downstream of the sealing jaw system 100.

[0061] refer to Figure 2 , showing in more detail the combination Figure 1The sealing jaw system 100 is introduced to further explain the inventive concept of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As already introduced in the previous section, the sealing jaw system 100 includes a first sealing unit 110 and an opposite second sealing unit 120. The longitudinal direction L is arranged between the sealing units 110 and 120. The sealing area S of the movement path M is arranged between the sealing units 110 and 120 and Figure 2 Not visible in.

[0062] Each sealing unit 110, 120 includes an upper shaft 111, 121 and a lower shaft 112, 122. Each sealing unit 110, 120 includes two motors 180a, 180b, 180c, 180d, one of which is called the upper motor 180a, 180c, and the other is called the lower motor 180b, 180d. The upper motor 180a, 180c is configured to drive the corresponding upper shaft 111, 121. The lower motor 180b, 180d is configured to drive the corresponding lower shaft 112, 122. Figure 2 As shown, the upper motor 180a of the first sealing unit 110 is configured to drive the upper shaft 111 of the first sealing unit, and the lower motor 180b of the first sealing unit 110 is configured to drive the lower shaft 112 of the first sealing unit 110. Figure 2 As further shown, the upper motor 180 c of the second sealing unit 120 is configured to drive the upper shaft 121 of the second sealing unit 120 , and the lower motor 180 d of the second sealing unit 120 is configured to drive the lower shaft 122 of the second sealing unit 120 .

[0063] like Figure 4 As best shown, the upper shaft 111 of the first sealing unit 110 includes a pair of drive pulleys 115a. The drive pulley 115a is connected to the corresponding shaft 111 and is configured to rotate with the corresponding shaft 111. The upper shaft 111 also includes three pairs of pulleys 115b that can rotate freely. The pulleys 115b that can rotate freely are arranged coaxially with the corresponding shaft 111. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each shaft 111, 112, 121, 122 includes a pair of corresponding drive pulleys 115a, although not shown in the figure. In this case, the drive pulley 115a is connected to the corresponding shaft 111, 112, 121, 122 and is configured to rotate with it. In this case, each shaft 111, 112, 121, 122 also includes three pairs of pulleys 115b that can rotate freely. In this case, the pulleys 115b that can rotate freely are arranged coaxially with the corresponding shaft 111, 112, 121, 122.

[0064] As described above, the shaft 111 includes a pair of driving pulleys 115a and three pairs of freely rotatable pulleys 115b. The pulleys of each pair of pulleys 115a, 115b on the upper shaft 111 are arranged at opposite positions, with D1 and D2 in opposite directions relative to the center point C of the upper shaft 111. In other words, the driving pulleys 115a are arranged on opposite sides of the center point C. Figure 4 , the driving pulley 115a located to the left of the center point C is arranged at the fourth position as seen from the left (the first position as seen from the right), while the driving pulley 115a located to the right of the center point C is arranged at the first position as seen from the left (the fourth position as seen from the right). Each pair of freely rotatable pulleys 115b is arranged in a similar manner to the driving pulley 115a, positioned at the same distance from the center point C but in opposite directions. It should be noted that the position of the driving pulley 115a is generally changed according to a predefined pattern from shaft 111, 112, 121, 122 to shaft 111, 112, 121, 122.

[0065] The drive pulley 115 a is preferably connected to the shaft 111 by a key connection (not shown), and the freely rotatable pulley 115 b is preferably connected to the shaft 111 by a bearing 126 .

[0066] Return to reference Figure 2, each sealing unit 110, 120 also includes two pairs of drive belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d. The drive belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d are configured to be driven by an associated motor 180a, 180b, 180c, 180d via a corresponding pair of drive pulleys 115a via an associated shaft 111, 112, 121, 122. In addition, each pair of drive belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d is supported by a pair of freely rotatable pulleys 115b of the other of the upper and lower shafts 111, 112, 121, 122. Therefore, each drive belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d is typically engaged by two pulleys, one drive pulley 115a and one freely rotatable pulley 115b. Furthermore, each sealing unit 110, 120 comprises two pairs of driven belts 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d. The driven belts 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d are supported by a corresponding pair of freely rotatable pulleys 115b of each of the upper shaft 111, 121 and the lower shaft 112, 122. Thus, each pair of belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d is usually engaged with two pulleys 115a, 115b, either one driving pulley 115a and one freely rotatable pulley 115b, or two freely rotatable pulleys 115b. Thus, each pair of bands 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d defines a motion path M, wherein the motion path M is corresponding for each band.

[0067] like Figure 1 As described in , the sealing units 110, 120 include a plurality of sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. Preferably, each pair of belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d includes at least three sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d connected to the corresponding belt of the pair of belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d. Figure 3 As best shown in FIG. 1 , the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d are connected to and extend between a respective pair of belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d.

[0068] Return to reference Figure 2, each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d includes a sealing jaw 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d and a coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d. The sealing jaws 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d are configured to engage the tubular packaging material 10 to provide a transverse seal 20. Throughout the application text, the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d are configured to provide a transverse seal 20. However, in a more detailed discussion, the sealing jaws 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d are configured to provide a transverse seal 20. Therefore, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that although the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d or the sealing jaws 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d are configured to provide a transverse seal 20, it is the same as the transverse seal 20 mentioned.

[0069] like Figure 5b As best shown in FIG. 1 , a coupling action is provided between the coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d of a pair of driven belts 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d and the coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d of a pair of driving belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d. Thus, each pair of driven belts 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d is driven by a pair of driving belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d of an opposite one of the first sealing unit 110 and the second sealing unit 120 via the coupling action CA.

[0070] refer to Figure 3 , showing in more detail Figure 2 The first sealing unit 110 of the sealing jaw system 100. On each lateral side of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d, substantially perpendicular to the movement path M, four belts 130a, 13b, 131c, 131d are separated in the lateral direction LD and arranged parallel to each other. As shown in the figure. Figure 3 As shown, each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d includes an attachment portion 109 extending substantially perpendicular to the movement path M. Figure 3 The sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d in FIG. 1 are shown with attachment portions 109 at each horizontal end. This is a preferred design that provides additional stability and control. However, the attachment portion 109 may also be arranged at only one end of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. Figure 3 In the figure, five sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d can be seen, which are arranged vertically along the movement path M. Each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d is arranged with an attachment device 109, which is configured to have one of four different lengths. Each length of the attachment device 109 is adapted to match the distance from the sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d to the associated belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, so that each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d is attached to the associated belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d on both sides thereof.

[0071] refer to Figure 5a -b, more details will be given regarding the movement path M of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. Figure 5a -b is a side view of the sealing jaw system 100. Figure 5a Initially, and as described above, to achieve the transverse seal 20, each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d moves along a movement path M but on the opposite sealing unit 110, 120. The movement path M may be as follows: Figure 5a -b is formed as a cam surface CS, which engages with each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d to guide it along the movement path M. The cam surface CS preferably forms a curvature along at least a portion of the movement path M. As previously described, the sealing jaw system 100 includes two opposing sealing units 110, 120, each of which includes a movement path M parallel to the longitudinal direction L at the sealing portion S. As previously described, the transverse seal 20 is formed at the sealing portion S of the movement path M. Figure 5a As shown in FIG. 1-b, the sealing portion S can be formed by reducing the distance F1 between the various movement paths M at the sealing portion S, while the distance F2 between the various movement paths M outside the sealing portion S is reduced along the gap G. Figure 5a and 5b Visible in. Figure 6b -c, where Figure 5a In the embodiment, no visible sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d is engaged with the tubular packaging material 10, that is, no sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d is located in the sealing portion S of the movement path M. Note that this is only an illustrative example, and usually at least one sealing jaw unit 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d is always engaged with the tubular packaging material 10. Figure 5bAs shown, four sealing jaw units 107a, 107c are located in the sealing portion S of the movement path M, and the cam surface of the movement path M is formed so that each sealing jaw unit 107a, 107c is inclined to engage the tubular packaging material 10. The distance between two consecutive sealing jaw units 107a, 107c at the sealing portion S is the same as the distance between two consecutive transverse seals 20 and is called the pitch P.

[0072] Reference again Figure 5a , the sealing jaw system 100 comprises at least one sensor device 195, which is arranged to detect data related to the movement of the tubular packaging material 10 in the longitudinal direction L. The movement speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit (i.e. the second sealing jaw unit 107a, 107c viewed in the longitudinal direction L) is controlled at least in part based on the data detected by the associated motors 180a, 180b, 180c, 180d. The sensor device 195 is arranged to detect the register marks 12 on the moving tubular packaging material 10, wherein each detected register mark 12 corresponds to a defined position on the corresponding packaging container 30.

[0073] The sealing jaw system 100 also includes at least one control module 190, which is operably connected to the sensor device 195 and is configured to control the movement speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit. This is provided by controlling the associated motor so that the trailing sealing jaw unit will engage the tubular packaging material 10 at a predetermined or configurable position.

[0074] refer to Figure 6a -d, the motion transmission and timing of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d on the different pairs of belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d will be explained. Figure 6a-6d Each picture in Figure 2 Schematic cross-sectional side views of the sealing jaw system 100 in FIG. 1 , which are taken at the same point in time but only show the sealing jaw system 100 driven by a specific motor (not included in FIG. Figure 6a -d) driven by pairs of belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d of sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. Figure 6a Two pairs of belts 130c, 131a of each sealing unit 110, 120 and their corresponding sealing jaw units 107a, 107c are shown. Figure 6a Only the pair of belts relevant to a particular transmission in each figure is shown in -d. Figure 6a compared to, Figure 6b-d shows a different belt pair. Each cross section is taken at a different cutout of the drive pulley 115a so that each Figure 6a -d each show the moving packaging material 10 ( Figure 6a -d) on the opposite side of the two belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d of the movement path M. Figure 6a -d perspective relationship, the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d are not visible but Figure 3 It can be clearly seen how they are attached to the corresponding pair of bands 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d. At least one coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d is provided in each pair of bands 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d. The coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d on the pair of bands 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d are formed to engage with the corresponding coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d on the corresponding pair of bands 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d on the opposite side of the tubular packaging material 10. By arranging a plurality of coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d at appropriate distances, at least one coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d will engage with a corresponding coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d at the opposite side of the tubular packaging material 10. Thereby, a coupling action CA is provided. This means that two associated belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d are always connected by a coupling action, so that the motor 180a, 180b, 180c, 180d controls the rotation of the associated shaft 111, 112, 121, 122, which is transmitted to the associated drive pulley 115a and further transmitted to the drive belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d engaged with the drive pulley 115a. The drive belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d engaging the drive pulley 115a transmits its motion to the associated driven belt 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d engaging the freely rotatable pulley 115b via the coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d. The coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d may be formed in any suitable shape, but is preferably formed as Figure 6a-d. One of the coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d has a rounded portion for engaging with the bowl-shaped portion of the corresponding coupling member 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d on the other side of the moving tubular packaging material 10. This shape is beneficial because it allows the members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d to engage at various angles.

[0075] like Figure 2 In the example shown, coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d are located at each attachment device 109 of the sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d. This means that in Figure 6a -d, each motor 180a, 180b, 180c, 180d is associated with three sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, and the sealing jaw system 100 includes twelve sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c. Preferably, all sealing jaw units 107a, 107b, 107c, 107d associated with a particular motor 180a, 180b, 180c, 180d are equally spaced apart along the length of the associated belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d.

[0076] Throughout Figure 6a-6d In the drawing, the sealing jaw units are not visible, but only the coupling members 113a, 113b, 113c, 113d of the associated sealing jaw units are visible.

[0077] exist Figure 6a In the embodiment, the driving pulley 115a that controls the movement of the coupling members 113a, 113c and the corresponding sealing jaw unit is the upper right pulley 115a. This means that the motor controlling the upper right drive shaft is Figure 6a In other words, the driven belt 131a of the first sealing unit 110 is driven by the driving belt 130c of the second sealing unit 120 through the coupling action CA between the coupling member 113c of the sealing jaw unit of the driving belt 130c and the coupling member 113a of the sealing jaw unit 107a of the driven belt 131a. Figure 6a , it can be seen that no sealing jaw unit engages the tubular packaging material 10 and no coupling members 113a, 113c are located within the sealing portion S of the movement path M.

[0078] Now back to Figure 6b , wherein the driving pulley 115a that controls the movement of the coupling members 113b, 1113d and the corresponding sealing jaw unit is the lower right pulley 115a. This means that the motor controlling the lower right drive shaft controls Figure 6bIn other words, the driven belt 131b of the first sealing unit 110 is driven by the driving belt 130d of the second sealing unit 120 through the coupling action CA between the coupling member 113d of the sealing jaw unit of the driving belt 130d and the coupling member 113b of the sealing jaw unit of the driven belt 131b. Figure 6b , it can be seen that the two sealing jaw units are engaging the tubular packaging material 10, that is, a coupling effect CA between the two coupling members 113b, 113d is arranged in the sealing portion S of the movement path M. The coupling effect CA is located at the lower end of the sealing portion S of the movement path M. It can be seen that the movement speed of the associated motor-controlled sealing jaw unit is the same as the movement speed of the tubular packaging material 10.

[0079] Accordingly, in Figure 6c In the embodiment, the pulley 115a that controls the movement of the coupling members 113b, 113d and the corresponding sealing jaw unit is the lower pulley 115a on the left side. This means that the motor controlling the lower left drive shaft controls Figure 6c In other words, the driven belt 131d of the second sealing unit 120 is driven by the driving belt 130b of the first sealing unit 110 through the coupling action CA between the coupling member 113b of the sealing jaw unit of the driving belt 130b and the coupling member 113d of the sealing jaw unit of the driven belt 131d. The coupling action CA between the coupling members 113b, 113d is located at the upper end of the sealing portion S of the motion path M, which means that the two sealing jaw units associated with the coupling action CA are engaged with the moving tubular packaging material 10. It can be seen that the movement speed of the associated motor-controlled sealing jaw units 107b, 107d is the same as the movement speed of the tubular packaging material 10. Brief review Figure 1 and 2 It can be seen that there is no coupling effect CA in the sealing portion S. This means that Figure 6c The sealing jaw units associated with the coupling members 113b, 113d are the sealing jaw units which are last to engage with the moving tubular packaging material 10, ie these sealing jaw units can be said to be leading sealing jaw units.

[0080] exist Figure 6d In the embodiment, the pulley 115a that controls the movement of the coupling members 113a, 113c and the corresponding sealing jaw unit is the upper left pulley 115a. This means that the motor control of the upper left drive shaft Figure 6dIn other words, the driven belt 131c of the second sealing unit 120 is driven by the driving belt 130a of the first sealing unit 110 through the coupling action CA between the coupling member 113a of the sealing jaw unit of the driving belt 130a and the coupling member 113c of the sealing jaw unit of the driven belt 131c. One of the coupling actions CA is located upstream of the sealing portion S of the movement path M. Turning briefly to Figure 6a In FIG. 6 , it can be seen that in the longitudinal direction L upstream, no coupling effect CA is shown closer to the sealing portion S than the coupling effect CA in FIG. 6 . This means that Figure 6d The sealing jaw unit associated with the coupling effect is the next sealing jaw unit that engages with the moving tubular packaging material 10, that is, the sealing jaw unit can be called the trailing sealing jaw unit.

[0081] From the above, we can see that Figure 5b The position of the sealing jaw unit shown in corresponds to Figure 6b and 6c The sealing jaw unit, that is, the coupling action CA between the coupling members 113b, 113d, 114b, and 114d.

[0082] As mentioned earlier, Figure 6a The view of -d is a snapshot at the same point in time. If another snapshot is taken after 1 / 4 of the time it takes to make one rotation around the motion path M, the corresponding position of the coupling effect CA will shift accordingly. Figure 6b In the embodiment, the coupling action CA and the associated sealing jaw unit controlled by the lower right drive shaft will basically correspond to Figure 6a The positions of the coupling effects CA associated with the other motors will be shifted accordingly.

[0083] In practice, the movement speed of the sealing jaw unit engaged with the moving tubular packaging material 10 along the movement path M must be controlled to be substantially the same as the moving tubular packaging material 10. The movement speed of the sealing jaw unit not engaged with the moving tubular packaging material 10 along the movement path M can be controlled substantially freely to control the pitch P, i.e., the distance between two consecutive transverse seals 20. Therefore, the movement speed along the movement path M of the sealing jaw unit not engaged with the moving tubular packaging material 10 may not necessarily be controlled to be substantially the same as the movement speed of the moving tubular packaging material 10.

[0084] Further references Figure 6a-d, each of the illustrated belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d is provided with at least one protrusion 133. Each of the illustrated pulleys 115a, 115b is provided with at least one recess 135 configured to engage a corresponding protrusion 133 to hold the belt in place relative to the pulley. Each belt 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d has a circular cross-section.

[0085] It has been mentioned before, but it should be emphasized that, e.g. Figure 1 The designs shown in -6 are exemplary designs only. The disclosed concept is not limited to these designs but is defined by the appended claims.

[0086] Figure 7 is shown for use by combining Figure 1 6 is a flow chart of a method 700 for forming a packaging container 30 from a tubular packaging material 10 by a sealing jaw system 100. The method 700 comprises a first step S702, in which a tubular packaging material is fed through a gap G of the sealing jaw system 100 in a longitudinal direction L. Subsequently, in a second step S704, a transverse seal 20 is provided to the tubular packaging material 10 by driving the sealing jaw 105 of the first sealing jaw unit 107 associated with the first sealing unit 110 to engage the tubular packaging material 10 at a first side thereof. The transverse seal 20 is also formed between the sealing jaws 105 by driving the sealing jaw 105 of the second sealing jaw unit 107 associated with the second sealing unit 120 to engage the tubular packaging material 10 at a corresponding position on a second side thereof.

[0087] The first sealing jaw unit 107 is associated with a pair of driving belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, and the second sealing jaw unit 107 is associated with a pair of driven belts 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d. The pair of driven belts 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d are driven by the pair of driving belts 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d associated with the first sealing jaw unit 110 via the coupling member 109 of the first sealing jaw unit 110 and the second sealing jaw unit 120.

[0088] Although shown and described in a particular order, other orders may be used.

[0089] From the above description it can be seen that, although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described and shown, the present disclosure is not restricted thereto but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sealing jaw system (100) for forming a packaging container (30) from a tubular packaging material (10) moving in a longitudinal direction (L) by providing a transverse seal (20) to the tubular packaging material (10), the sealing jaw system (100) comprising: a first sealing unit (110) and an opposite second sealing unit (120), wherein the first sealing unit (110) and the second sealing unit (120) are arranged such that a gap (G) is formed therebetween, the gap (G) extending along a height (H) of the first sealing unit (110) and the second sealing unit (120) and configured to receive the tubular packaging material (10) fed along the longitudinal direction (L), the gap (G) comprising a sealing area (S), the sealing jaw system (100) being configured to provide the transverse seal (20) in the sealing area (S), Each sealing unit (110, 120) comprises: an upper shaft (111, 121) and a lower shaft (112, 122), wherein the upper shaft (111, 121) is driven by an associated motor (180a, 180c) and the lower shaft (112, 122) is driven by an associated motor (180b, 180d); Each shaft (111, 112, 121, 122) includes a pair of 122) and configured to rotate together with the shafts (111, 112, 121, 122) and three pairs of freely rotatable pulleys (115b) coaxially arranged with the shafts (111, 112, 121, 122); A first pair of drive belts (130a, 130c) is configured to be driven by the associated motors (180a, 180c) through the upper shafts (111, 121), and a second pair of drive belts (130b, 130d) is configured to be driven by the associated motors (180b, 180d) through the lower shafts (112, 122) via the corresponding pair of drive pulleys (115a), wherein each pair of drive belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) is supported by a pair of freely rotatable pulleys (115b) of the other of the upper shaft and the lower shaft (111, 112, 121, 122), wherein each pair of drive belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) comprises at least three sealing jaw units (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) connected to and extending between said corresponding pair of drive belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d); and Two pairs of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) are supported by a corresponding pair of freely rotatable pulleys (115b) of the upper shaft (111, 121) and the lower shaft (112, 122), respectively. wherein each of the two pairs of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) comprises at least three sealing jaw units (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) connected to and extending between a corresponding pair of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d), wherein each sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) comprises a sealing jaw (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d) and a coupling member (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) for engaging the tubular packaging material (10) to provide the transverse seal (20), Each pair of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) is driven by a pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) of one of the first and second sealing units (110, 120) through the sealing jaw units (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) of the pair of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d). The coupling member (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) and the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) of the pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) are connected to the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) of the pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d). 107d) is driven by the coupling action between the coupling members (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d).

2. The sealing jaw system (100) according to claim 1, wherein: The coupling members (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) of the pair of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) and the coupling members (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) of the pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) form a pair of coupling members, wherein the pair of coupling members are configured to be connected to each other when entering the gap (G), and wherein the pair of coupling members are configured to be disconnected from each other before leaving the gap (G) so as to provide the coupling action along a portion of the gap (G), wherein a corresponding pair of trailing coupling members are connected to each other before the pair of coupling members are disconnected from each other.

3. The sealing jaw system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The sealing area (S) extends along at least a portion of the gap (G).

4. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The pulleys of each pair of pulleys (115a, 115b) on each shaft (111, 112, 121, 122) are arranged at opposite positions and in opposite directions (D1, D2) relative to a center point (C) of the shaft (111, 112, 121, 122).

5. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Each pair of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) is driven by a pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) of the other of the first and second sealing units (110, 120) through two coupling actions (CA) between two coupling members (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the first sealing unit (110) and two coupling members (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the second sealing unit (120).

6. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The coupling member (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) associated with the driving belt (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) includes a female coupling member (114a), and the coupling member (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) associated with the driven belt (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) includes a male coupling member (114b); or The coupling member (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) associated with the driving belt (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) includes a male coupling member (114b), and the coupling member (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) associated with the driven belt (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) includes a female coupling member (114a), in, The female coupling member (114a) is configured to receive the corresponding male coupling member (114b) to provide a coupling action.

7. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Each belt (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) is provided with at least one protrusion (133) and each pulley (115a, 115b) is provided with at least one recess (135), which is configured to engage a corresponding protrusion (133) to thereby hold the belt in position relative to the pulley.

8. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each strip (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d, 131a, 131b, 131c, 131d) has a circular cross-section.

9. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The sealing jaw system (100) has exactly four motors (180a, 180b, 180c, 180d) configured to drive the upper shafts (111, 121) and the lower shafts (112, 122) of the first and second sealing units (110, 122).

10. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Each motor (180a, 180b, 180c, 180d) of the sealing jaw system (100) is configured to be independently controlled.

11. The sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The sealing jaw system (100) is configured to set the moving speed of the sealing jaw units (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) located in the sealing area (S) in the longitudinal direction (L) to be equal to the moving speed of the tubular packaging material (10) in the longitudinal direction (L).

12. A sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one sensor device (195), which is arranged to detect data associated with the movement of the tubular packaging material (10) along the longitudinal direction (L), and the movement speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit is controlled at least in part based on the data detected by the associated motor (180a, 180b, 180c, 180d).

13. The sealing jaw system (100) according to claim 12, wherein: The sensor device (195) is arranged to detect register marks (12) on the moving tubular packaging material (10), wherein each detected register mark (12) corresponds to a defined position on a respective packaging container (30).

14. The sealing jaw system (100) according to claim 12 or 13, comprising at least one control module (190), which is operably connected to the sensor device (195) and is configured to control the movement speed of the trailing sealing jaw unit by controlling the associated motor so that the trailing sealing jaw unit engages the tubular packaging material (10) at a predetermined or configurable position.

15. A method (700) for forming a packaging container (30) from a tubular packaging material (10) by using a sealing jaw system (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, the method (700) comprising: Feeding (S702) the tubular packaging material (10) in the longitudinal direction (L) through the gap (G) of the sealing jaw system (100); and by driving the sealing jaws (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d) of a first sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) associated with the first sealing unit (110) to engage the tubular packaging material (10) at a first side thereof, and driving the sealing jaws (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d) of a second sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) associated with the second sealing unit (120) to engage the tubular packaging material (10) at a corresponding position at a second side thereof, so that the transverse seal (20) is formed between the sealing jaws (105a, 105b, 105c, 105d), thereby providing (S704) a transverse seal (20) for the tubular packaging material (10), Wherein, the first sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) is associated with a pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d), and the second sealing jaw unit (107a, 107b, 107c, 107d) is associated with a pair of driven belts (131a, 131b, 131c, 131d), and the pair of driven belts are driven by the pair of driving belts (130a, 130b, 130c, 130d) associated with the first sealing jaw unit (110) through the coupling members (113a, 113b, 113c, 113d) of the first sealing jaw unit (110) and the second sealing jaw unit (120).

Images