Sealing inspection device and package inspection system

Abstract

A sealing inspection device and a package inspection system are used for inhibiting the pressure on a tray from becoming too large. In the sealing inspection device, when a tray is in contact with a contact part, a detection part detects the displacement amount of the height position of the contact part. The inspection unit inspects the sealing state of the film by comparing the displacement amount with a threshold value. When the tray is conveyed, the control part makes the contact part stand by at a first height position higher than the height position of the edge of the tray, and when the tray is conveyed, the control part changes the force applied to the contact part by the lifting part to make the contact part descend from the first height position to a preset second height position. When the contact portion is in contact with the film of the tray, the control portion changes the first force to a second force, and applies pressure to the film of the tray from the contact portion. The first force is a force applied to the contact portion by the lifting portion before the contact portion comes into contact with the film of the tray. The second force is a force different from the first force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a sealing inspection device and a packaging inspection system. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are devices for inspecting packages with top seals and detecting defective packages. For example, in the device of Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-160264), a pressing surface of an air cylinder is brought into contact with a package on a conveyor belt to press the upper surface of the package. Then, defective packages are detected based on signals from a sensor connected to the air cylinder.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-160264 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] In a tray as a package body with a top seal, the material of the tray body varies depending on the tray. If a soft material is used, the tray or the products in the tray may be damaged if the pressing force is too strong.

[0008] The technical problem of the present invention is to provide a sealing inspection device and a packaging inspection system that can suppress the pressure on the tray from becoming excessive.

[0009] Solutions for solving technical problems

[0010] The sealing inspection device of the first aspect performs a sealing inspection on a pallet whose opening is sealed by a film, wherein the opening is surrounded by an edge. The sealing inspection device comprises: a conveyor belt for conveying the pallet, a contact part, a lifting part, a detection part, an inspection part, and a control part. The contact part is arranged above the conveyor belt. The contact part contacts the pallet conveyed by the conveyor belt. The lifting part changes the height position of the contact part. The detection part detects the displacement of the height position of the contact part when the pallet contacts the contact part. The inspection part checks the sealing state of the film by comparing the displacement detected by the detection part with a preset threshold value. The control part controls the lifting part. The control part makes the contact part standby at a first height position. The first height position is higher than the height position of the edge of the pallet. If the pallet is conveyed, the control part changes the force applied by the lifting part to the contact part so that the contact part descends from the first height position toward a predetermined second height position. If the contact part contacts the film of the pallet, the control part changes the first force to the second force so that pressure is applied to the film of the pallet from the contact part. The first force is the force applied by the lifting part to the contact part before the contact part contacts the film of the pallet. The second force is a force different from the first force.

[0011] Here, the second force for sealing inspection is different from the first force before the contact portion contacts the tray film. Therefore, the magnitude of the force applied to the tray from the contact portion when the contact portion contacts the tray film can be suppressed, thereby suppressing excessive pressure applied to the tray.

[0012] The seal inspection device of the second aspect is based on the seal inspection device of the first aspect, wherein a downward force generated by gravity and an upward force generated by the lifting part act on the contact part. The first force and the second force are the upward force generated by the lifting part.

[0013] Here, the contact part is acted with a downward force generated by gravity corresponding to its own mass and an upward force generated by the lifting part. If the downward force of the former becomes larger than the upward force of the latter, the contact part descends, and if the downward force of the former becomes smaller than the upward force of the latter, the contact part ascends. And, in a state where the downward force of the former is larger than the upward force of the latter, after the contact part contacts the film of the tray, a downward force of the difference between the downward force of the former and the upward force of the latter acts on the tray.

[0014] A seal inspection device according to a third aspect is the seal inspection device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the control unit changes the second height position according to the type of the tray.

[0015] If the second height position is far away from the height position of the edge of the tray, a force exceeding the required force may be applied to the tray during the seal test. However, since the second height position can be changed according to the material and size of the tray, the force applied to the tray during the seal test can be controlled within an appropriate range.

[0016] A seal check device according to a fourth aspect is the seal check device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the control unit changes the second force according to the type of the tray.

[0017] Depending on the type of pallet, if the second force used for sealing inspection is too large, the pallet may be deformed or damaged. However, since the second force can be changed according to the material and size of the pallet, the force acting on the pallet during sealing inspection can be limited to an appropriate range.

[0018] The sealing inspection device of the fifth aspect is based on the sealing inspection device of the second aspect, wherein the control unit changes the force applied to the contact part by the lifting unit when the contact part is lowered from the first height position. Through this control, the control unit increases the upward force generated by the lifting unit acting on the contact part within a predetermined height range before the contact part contacts the film of the tray.

[0019] Here, before the contact part contacts the membrane of the tray, the upward force generated by the lifting part acting on the contact part increases, and the difference between the upward force and the downward force generated by the gravity of the contact part becomes smaller. As a result, the force acting on the tray from the contact part when the contact part contacts the membrane of the tray can be suppressed to an appropriate magnitude. In other words, the apparent mass of the contact part when contacting the membrane of the tray can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact when the contact part hits the tray.

[0020] A seal inspection device according to a sixth aspect is the seal inspection device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the contact portion contacts a portion of the film that does not overlap with an edge of the tray.

[0021] A seal inspection device according to a seventh aspect is the seal inspection device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the contact portion is attachable to and detachable from the lifting portion and can be replaced according to the type of the tray.

[0022] Here, regardless of whether the pallet is large in size or small in size when viewed from above, proper sealing inspection can be performed by replacing the contact portion.

[0023] The packaging inspection system of the eighth aspect comprises the sealing inspection device of the first aspect or the second aspect, a top sealing device, a first conveying unit, and a second conveying unit. The top sealing device adheres a film to the edge of a pallet containing commodities and seals the opening surrounded by the edge. The first conveying unit conveys the pallet whose opening is sealed by the top sealing device. The second conveying unit is arranged between the first conveying unit and the sealing inspection device. The second conveying unit receives the pallet from the first conveying unit and conveys the pallet to the conveying conveyor of the sealing inspection device. The conveying speed of the second conveying unit is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying unit.

[0024] In the packaging inspection system, a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit are arranged between the top seal device and the seal inspection device, and the conveying speed of the second conveying unit is made faster than that of the first conveying unit. Thus, even if the gap in the conveying direction of a plurality of trays continuously supplied from the top seal device to the first conveying unit is small (the distance between trays is short), the gap between trays can be widened when the trays are transferred from the first conveying unit to the second conveying unit.

[0025] Effects of the Invention

[0026] In the seal inspection device and the packaging inspection system of the present invention, the second force used for seal inspection is different from the first force before the contact portion contacts the film of the tray. Therefore, the magnitude of the force applied to the tray from the contact portion when the contact portion contacts the film of the tray can be suppressed, thereby suppressing the pressure applied to the tray from becoming excessive. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1It is a simplified configuration diagram of the package inspection system.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pallet to be inspected.

[0029] Figure 3A It is a side view of the seal inspection device.

[0030] Figure 3B yes Figure 3A A partial enlarged view of .

[0031] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the main parts of the seal inspection device.

[0032] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional view of a support body on which a contact component of a seal inspection device is installed.

[0033] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional view of a fixing part on which a contact part of a seal inspection device is installed.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional view of a support body of a seal inspection device.

[0035] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional view of the fixing parts on which other contact parts of the seal inspection device are installed.

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a three-dimensional view of a support body on which other contact components of the seal inspection device are installed.

[0037] Fig.10 It is a control block diagram of the sealing inspection device.

[0038] Fig.11A It is the control flow chart of seal inspection.

[0039] Fig. 11B It is the control flow chart of seal inspection.

[0040] Fig. 11C It is the control flow chart of seal inspection.

[0041] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram showing the descent of the contact member of the seal inspection device.

[0042] Fig.13 It is a side view of the seal inspection device according to a modified example in which the support body fixed to the upper part of the horizontal link is changed to another state of pressing the conveyor belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0044] (1) Overview of the packaging inspection system

[0045] Figure 1 The packaging inspection system 10 shown is a system in which a tray TR discharged from the top sealing device 90 is transported to a sealing inspection device 100 by a first conveyor belt 11 and a second conveyor belt 12, and the sealing state of the tray TR is inspected in the sealing inspection device 100. Figure 2 As shown, the opening OP of the upper part of the tray TR is sealed by the film TR3. The opening OP is an opening surrounded by the annular edge TR2 at the upper end of the tray TR. In the top sealing device 90, the sealing by the film TR3 is a heat seal of the edge TR2 in a state where the commodity GD (packaged object) is contained in the tray body TR1. In the top sealing device 90, the overlapping portion of the film TR3 and the edge TR2 is heat sealed.

[0046] Since the top sealing device 90 is a well-known device, a detailed description is omitted, but as in the device of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-160264), the opening OP surrounded by the edge TR2 of the upper part of the tray body TR1 made of synthetic resin or paper is covered with a film TR3 made of waterproof plastic or the like, and the film TR3 and the edge TR2 are heated to be welded (heat-sealed). Examples of the packaged object, i.e., the product GD in the tray TR, include liquid or processed food containing water.

[0047] (2) Conveying the tray from the top sealing device to the sealing inspection device

[0048] In the packaging inspection system 10, the tray TR having the top seal implemented by the top sealing device 90 is conveyed to the sealing inspection device 100 by the first conveyor belt 11 and the second conveyor belt 12. Figure 1 As shown, in the packaging inspection system 10, a top sealing device 90, a first conveyor belt 11, a second conveyor belt 12, and a sealing inspection device 100 are arranged in series from the upstream to the downstream of the packaging inspection line.

[0049] Furthermore, the conveying speed of the second conveyor belt 12 is set faster than the conveying speed of the first conveyor belt 11. Therefore, even if the gap between the plurality of pallets TR continuously supplied from the top seal device 90 to the first conveyor belt 11 in the conveying direction is small (the distance between the pallets TR is short), when the pallets TR are transferred from the first conveyor belt 11 to the second conveyor belt 12, the gap between the pallets TR will be widened. Figure 1The plurality of trays TR are supplied to the seal inspection device 100 in a state where a gap is formed between the trays TR and the seal inspection device 100.

[0050] (3) Sealing inspection device

[0051] The sealing inspection device 100 is a device for performing sealing inspection on the pallet TR to which the above-mentioned top sealing is applied. The sealing inspection device 100 mainly includes: a conveyor belt 110 for conveying the pallet TR, a contact member 120 in contact with the pallet TR, a lifting mechanism 130 for changing the height position of the contact member 120, a detection unit 140 for detecting the displacement amount of the height position of the contact member 120, an inspection unit 150 for inspecting the sealing state of the pallet TR, and a control unit 160 for controlling the lifting mechanism 130.

[0052] (3-1) Conveyor belt

[0053] The transport conveyor 110 is a conveyor group for carrying in, transporting, and discharging the tray TR in the seal inspection device 100, and is composed of a third conveyor 113, a fourth conveyor 114, and a fifth conveyor 115. The third conveyor 113, the fourth conveyor 114, and the fifth conveyor 115 are arranged in series from the first conveyor 11 side.

[0054] (3-2) Contact parts

[0055] The contact member 120 is a member that contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR during the seal inspection and applies pressure from above. Figure 3B , Figure 4 , Fig.12 As shown in FIG. 1 , the contact member 120 is arranged in the space above the conveyor belt 110, specifically, above the fourth conveyor belt 114. The contact member 120 contacts the tray TR conveyed by the fourth conveyor belt 114 from above. The portion of the tray TR contacted by the contact member 120 is the portion of the film TR3 that does not overlap with the edge TR2 when viewed from above. In addition, the contact member 120 is made of resin or rubber.

[0056] (3-3) Lifting mechanism

[0057] The lifting mechanism 130 is a mechanism for changing the height position of the contact member 120. The lifting mechanism 130 mainly includes: a support body 133 for fixing the contact member 120, a fixing member 121 for fixing the contact member 120 to the support body 133, a horizontal link 132 for changing the height position of the support body 133 while maintaining a horizontal state, and a servo motor 138 for moving the lower rod of the horizontal link 132.

[0058] like Figure 4As shown, the support body 133 is fixed to the upper part of the horizontal link 132 and extends long in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tray TR. The support body 133 has two end portions 133a, 133a fixed to the horizontal link 132; a connecting portion 133b connecting the two end portions 133a, 133a; and a support portion 133c fixed to the center portion of the connecting portion 133b in the long side direction. The contact member 120 is fixed to the support portion 133c via the fixing member 121. Figure 5 The contact member 120 is shown in a state fixed to the support body 133, but the fixing member 121 and the contact member 120 can be attached to and detached from the support body 133. The fixing member 121 and the contact member 120 removed from the support body 133 are shown in FIG. Figure 6 . Figure 7 The support body 133 is shown with the fixing member 121 and the contact member 120 removed. Figure 8 The small contact member 320 shown is mounted on the fixed member 121 instead of Figure 6 The contact part 120 shown. Figure 8 The fixing member 121 of the contact member 320 is mounted on the supporting portion 133c of the supporting body 133, and the contact member 320 is fixed to the supporting body 133 (refer to Fig. 9 ). In this way, both the contact member 120 and the contact member 320 can be mounted on the support body 133, and the selection is made by the user according to the type (size, etc.) of the tray TR.

[0059] (3-4) Detection Department

[0060] The detection unit 140 detects the displacement amount of the height position of the contact member 120 when the tray TR contacts the contact member 120. Fig.10 As shown, the detection unit 140 includes an encoder 145 that outputs the rotation amount of the rotation shaft of the servo motor 138. The output of the encoder 145 is read by a computer 200 described later and processed as the displacement amount of the height position of the contact member 120.

[0061] (3-5) Inspection Department and Control Department

[0062] The inspection unit 150 and the control unit 160 are implemented by the computer 200 and are functional units in a program executed by the computer 200 in the seal inspection device 100. The computer 200 includes a control operation device 201 and a storage device 202 (see Fig.10). The control computing device 201 can use a processor such as a CPU or a GPU. The control computing device 201 reads out a program stored in the storage device 202 and performs predetermined image processing and computing processing according to the program. In addition, the control computing device 201 can write the computing result to the storage device 202 or read out the information stored in the storage device 202 according to the program.

[0063] The inspection unit 150 inspects the sealing state of the film TR3 of the tray TR by comparing the displacement amount (displacement amount of the height position of the contact member 120 ) detected by the detection unit 140 with a preset threshold value.

[0064] (3-6) Control process of sealing inspection

[0065] The control unit 160 follows FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C The control flow shown controls the servo motor 138 of the lifting mechanism 130. Prior to the control of the seal inspection, in the seal inspection device 100, the control unit 160 determines the control parameters based on the initial information related to the pallet TR input by the user from the touch panel display unit 190 with an input function after startup. Specifically, if the product number of the pallet TR to be inspected is specified, the control operation device 201 reads out the corresponding various control parameters from the storage device 202 and sets the action conditions. The initially set action conditions are the timing of the contact part 120 starting to descend after the pallet TR is moved in based on the size of the pallet TR, the material of the pallet body TR1, the material of the film TR3, etc., the first height position H1 as the standby position, the second height position H2, and the third height position H3 (refer to Fig.12 ), the second force described later, the torque setting value of the servo motor 138 in the shock absorption mode, etc.

[0066] When the operation starts and the tray TR is loaded from the top sealing device 90 via the first conveyor belt 11 and the second conveyor belt 12, the seal inspection of the tray TR starts in the seal inspection device 100. When the tray TR to be inspected is located on the third conveyor belt 113, the contact member 120 stops at the first height position H1 as the standby position (step S11). Fig.12 As shown, the first height position H1 is higher than the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR.

[0067] When the tray TR is transported from the third conveyor 113 to the fourth conveyor 114, an inspection start instruction is generated, and the control unit 160 sends an operation instruction to the servo motor 138 (steps S12 and S13). A sensor for detecting the passage of the tray TR is provided near the boundary between the third conveyor 113 and the fourth conveyor 114.

[0068] The control unit 160 receives the inspection start instruction, changes the force (torque) applied to the contact member 120 from the servo motor 138, and lowers the contact member 120 from the first height position H1 to the second height position H2. The second height position H2 is initially set to a position slightly lower than the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR (see Fig.12 ). It should be noted that Fig.12 The third height position H3 shown is the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR.

[0069] The contact member 120 is acted upon by a downward force generated by gravity which is proportional to its own mass, and an upward force generated by the servo motor 138. When the latter upward force becomes smaller than the former downward force, the contact member 120 descends. That is, the upward force for offsetting the gravity of the contact member 120, the horizontal link 132, the support body 133, etc., is applied from the servo motor 138 to the contact member 120 which is stationary at the first height position H1 which is the standby position. By weakening the force (torque) from the servo motor 138, the contact member 120 descends. Under the action of the horizontal link 132, the contact member 120 moves downward while descending. Fig.12 The device moves in the direction indicated by the hollow arrow A1, that is, diagonally downward.

[0070] In step S14, the control unit 160 determines whether the contact member 120 has descended to a height position close to the third height position H3. As the height position close to the third height position H3, a height position between the first height position H1 and the third height position H3 is used here, but it is not limited to this, for example, a height position closer to the third height position H3 may also be used.

[0071] When the contact member 120 descends to a height position close to the third height position H3 , the torque of the servo motor 138 is gradually increased to reduce the descending speed of the tray TR in order to mitigate the impact when the contact member 120 contacts the tray TR (step S15 ).

[0072] In step S16 , the control unit 160 determines whether the contact member 120 has descended to the third height position H3 , that is, whether the contact member 120 has descended to the height position in contact with the film TR3 of the tray TR. The control unit 160 calculates the height position of the contact member 120 based on the output of the encoder 145 of the detection unit 140 .

[0073] If it is determined that the contact member 120 has dropped to the third height position H3, the control unit 160 reduces the torque output by the servo motor 138 just before the contact member 120 contacts the tray TR, thereby increasing the downward pressure applied to the tray TR from the contact member 120 (refer to step S17). In other words, after the contact member 120 drops to the third height position H3 and contacts the tray TR, the control unit 160 changes the upward force applied to the contact member 120 by the servo motor 138 from the first force to the second force (a force smaller than the first force). As a result, the downward pressure applied to the film TR3 of the tray TR from the contact member 120 becomes a value suitable for the seal inspection. The seal inspection requires a constant and large pressure.

[0074] It should be noted that, due to the slight deformation of the tray TR, the contact member 120 is slightly lowered from the third height position H3 and descends to a height position between the third height position H3 and the second height position H2. However, the contact member 120 does not descend to the second height position H2. The second height position H2 is initially set according to the size and type of the tray TR.

[0075] After step S17, the control unit 160 performs a damping mode in the seal inspection (step S18; steps S31 to S33). The details of the damping mode are shown in FIG. Fig. 11C When the contact member 120 vibrates due to the impact when it contacts the tray TR, that is, moves up and down, the rotation shaft of the servo motor 138 rotates at a rotation speed corresponding to the up and down movement speed via the horizontal link 132. Then, the control unit 160 determines whether the up and down movement speed of the contact member 120 converges to less than a predetermined value (step S31).

[0076] In step S31, when it is determined that the up-and-down moving speed (absolute value of the up-and-down moving speed) of the contact member 120 is greater than a predetermined value, it means that the up-and-down movement is a large vibration caused by the above-mentioned impact. In view of this, in step S32, the control unit 160 outputs a control signal to the servo motor 138 in the torque control mode to apply a torque proportional to the up-and-down moving speed in the direction opposite to the direction of the up-and-down moving speed. Thus, the vibration of the contact member 120 caused by the contact between the tray TR and the contact member 120 is suppressed.

[0077] In step S33, it is determined whether the predetermined time required for the seal inspection has passed. If the predetermined time has passed, the damping mode is released (step S34), and in step S19, the inspection unit 150 determines whether the displacement of the contact member 120 is less than the threshold value. If the inspection unit 150 determines that the displacement of the contact member 120 is less than the threshold value, then in step S20, the inspection unit 150 determines that the sealing state of the tray TR is good. If the inspection unit 150 determines that the displacement of the contact member 120 is greater than the threshold value, then in step S21, the inspection unit 150 determines that the sealing state of the tray TR is poor.

[0078] (4) Characteristics

[0079] (4-1)

[0080] In the seal inspection device 100 of the present embodiment, the second force for seal inspection is different from the first force before the contact member 120 contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR. Thus, the magnitude of the force applied to the tray TR from the contact member 120 when the contact member 120 contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR can be suppressed, thereby suppressing the downward pressure applied to the tray TR from the contact member 120 from becoming excessive.

[0081] (4-2)

[0082] In the seal inspection device 100 of the present embodiment, a downward force generated by gravity corresponding to the mass of the contact member 120, the horizontal link 132, etc., and an upward force generated by the servo motor 138 of the lifting mechanism 130 act on the contact member 120. If the downward force of the former becomes larger than the upward force of the latter, the contact member 120 descends, and if the downward force of the former becomes smaller than the upward force of the latter, the contact member 120 rises. In a state where the downward force of the former is larger than the upward force of the latter, after the contact member 120 contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR, a downward force of the difference between the downward force of the former and the upward force of the latter acts on the film TR3 of the tray TR in the form of pressure.

[0083] (4-3)

[0084] In the seal inspection device 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 160 changes the second height position H2 according to the type of the tray TR. Specifically, based on the product number of the tray TR of the inspection object input by the user, the size of the tray TR, the material of the tray body TR1, the material of the film TR3, etc. are read from the storage device 202, and the control unit 160 selects the second height position H2 that matches them.

[0085] If the second height position H2 is far away from the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR (third height position H3), a force exceeding the required force may be applied to the tray TR during the seal check. However, since the second height position H2 is changed according to the material and size of the tray TR, the force applied to the tray TR during the seal check can be controlled within an appropriate range.

[0086] (4-4)

[0087] In the seal inspection device 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 160 changes the second force, that is, the upward force applied to the contact member 120 from the servo motor 138 after the contact member 120 contacts the tray TR, according to the type of the tray TR. Specifically, based on the product number of the tray TR to be inspected input by the user, the size of the tray TR, the material of the tray body TR1, the material of the film TR3, etc. are read from the storage device 202, and the second force matching them is selected by the control unit 160.

[0088] Depending on the type of tray TR, if the second force used for the seal inspection is too large, the tray TR may be deformed or damaged. For example, when the material of the tray body TR1 is plastic or paper, the rigidity of the tray body TR1 may be greatly different. However, here, since the second force is changed according to the material and size of the tray TR, the force acting on the tray TR during the seal inspection can be brought within an appropriate range.

[0089] (4-5)

[0090] In the seal inspection device 100 of the present embodiment, before the contact member 120 contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR, the upward force generated by the servo motor 138 of the lifting mechanism 130 acting on the contact member 120 increases, and the difference between the downward force generated by the gravity of the contact member 120, the horizontal link 132, the support body 133, etc. becomes smaller. As a result, the force acting on the tray TR from the contact member 120 when the contact member 120 contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR can be suppressed to an appropriate magnitude. In other words, here, the apparent mass of the contact member 120 when contacting the film TR3 of the tray TR can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact when the contact member 120 hits the tray TR.

[0091] (4-6)

[0092] In the seal inspection device 100 of this embodiment, by Figure 6 The contact member 120 shown is replaced by Figure 8The small contact member 320 shown can perform appropriate seal inspection even if the size and shape of the tray TR are changed. It should be noted that if other contact members of sizes and shapes other than the contact members 120 and 320 are prepared in advance, a seal inspection device corresponding to more types of trays can be provided.

[0093] (4-7)

[0094] In the package inspection system 10 of the present embodiment, the conveying speed of the second conveyor belt 12 is set faster than the conveying speed of the first conveyor belt 11. Thus, as described above, even when the gap in the conveying direction of the plurality of trays TR continuously supplied from the top seal device 90 to the first conveyor belt 11 is small, the gap between the trays TR is expanded when the trays TR are transferred from the first conveyor belt 11 to the second conveyor belt 12. And, the plurality of trays TR are supplied to the seal inspection device 100 while ensuring a constant degree of gap in the conveying direction.

[0095] It should be noted that the fourth conveyor belt 114 of the sealing inspection device 100 is intermittently driven, and during the sealing inspection, the fourth conveyor belt 114 stops.

[0096] (5) Modification

[0097] (5-1)

[0098] In the above embodiment, the seal inspection device 100 is described as the inspection object of the pallet TR with the top seal implemented. However, in the seal inspection device 100, by removing the support body 133 and the contact member 120 fixed to the horizontal link 132 and attaching the pressing conveyor 433 for inspecting other packages to the horizontal link 132, the inspection object can be changed to other packages (see Fig.13 ). Fig.13 The pressing conveyor 433 shown is, for example, a structure such as the "upper conveyor 61" shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-035590. If such a pressing conveyor 433 is installed on the horizontal link 132, a bag-shaped packaging body with heat-sealed top and bottom of the tubular packaging material can be used as the inspection object instead of the tray TR with the top sealed.

[0099] (5-2)

[0100] In the above embodiment, the control unit 160 calculates the height position of the contact member 120 based on the output of the encoder 145 from the detection unit 140, and based on the height position, Fig.11AIn step S16, it is determined whether the contact member 120 has dropped to the third height position H3, that is, whether the contact member 120 has dropped to the height position in contact with the film TR3 of the tray TR. Then, with the drop of the contact member 120 to the third height position H3 as a trigger, in step S17, the torque of the servo motor 138 is reduced, and the downward pressure applied to the tray TR by the contact member 120 is increased. That is, based on the height position of the contact member 120, it is determined whether to switch from the first force before the contact member 120 is in contact with the film TR3 of the tray TR to the second force for sealing inspection.

[0101] Instead of such switching control, the condition for switching from the first force to the second force may be set to the time after the contact member 120 starts to descend from the first height position H1. For example, when the time after the contact member 120 starts to descend reaches the preset torque switching time, the torque of the servo motor 138 may be reduced to switch from the first force to the second force. When this control is adopted, the third height position H3 corresponding to the height of the tray TR becomes the target height, and the preset torque switching time becomes the criterion for judging whether the contact member 120 is in contact with the tray TR. When the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR is different from the height position of the highest part of the film TR3 of the tray TR, for example, when the commodity GD in the tray TR lifts up the central part of the film TR3 of the tray TR, it is preferable to use the torque switching time to judge the contact between the contact member 120 and the tray TR.

[0102] In addition, the switching condition from the first force to the second force may be set as a condition using a torque change of the servo motor 138, instead of the switching control in the above-mentioned embodiment. Since a sharp torque change occurs in the servo motor 138 when the descending contact member 120 contacts the tray TR, in order to detect it, for example, the current value of the servo motor 138 is monitored. And, if the torque of the servo motor 138 is reduced and the first force is switched to the second force after the torque change of the servo motor 138 caused by the contact member 120 contacting the tray TR is detected, it is reliably prevented from switching from the first force to the second force before the contact member 120 contacts the tray TR, and no excess pressure is applied to the tray TR at the moment when the contact member 120 contacts the tray TR.

[0103] Description of Reference Numerals

[0104] 10…packaging inspection system; 11…first conveyor belt; 12…second conveyor belt; 90…top sealing device; 100…sealing inspection device; 110…transport conveyor belt; 113…third conveyor belt; 114…fourth conveyor belt; 115…fifth conveyor belt; 120…contact component (contact part); 130…lifting mechanism (lifting part); 138…servo motor; 140…detection part; 150…inspection part; 160…control part.

Claims

1. A seal inspection device for inspecting the seal of a tray having an opening sealed by a film, wherein the opening is surrounded by an edge, characterized in that: The sealing inspection device comprises: A conveyor belt for conveying the pallet; a contact portion, disposed above the transport conveyor belt and contacting the pallet transported by the transport conveyor belt; A lifting part, which changes the height position of the contact part; a detection unit configured to detect a displacement of a height position of the contact unit when the tray contacts the contact unit; an inspection section that inspects a sealing state of the film by comparing the displacement amount detected by the detection section with a preset threshold value; and A control unit controls the lifting unit, The control unit makes the contact unit stand by at a first height position higher than the edge of the tray, If the tray is conveyed, the control unit changes the force applied by the lifting unit to the contact unit so that the contact unit descends from the first height position toward a predetermined second height position. If the contact part is in contact with the membrane of the tray, the control part changes the first force into a second force to apply pressure to the membrane of the tray from the contact part, the first force being the force applied to the contact part by the lifting part before the contact part is in contact with the membrane of the tray, and the second force being a force different from the first force.

2. The sealing inspection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact portion is acted upon by a downward force generated by gravity and an upward force generated by the lifting portion, The first force and the second force are upward forces generated by the lifting part.

3. The sealing inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The control unit changes the second height position according to the type of the tray.

4. The sealing inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The control unit changes the second force according to the type of the tray.

5. The sealing inspection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit changes the force applied to the contact unit by the lifting unit when lowering the contact unit from the first height position, and increases the upward force generated by the lifting unit and acting on the contact unit within a predetermined height range before the contact unit contacts the film of the tray.

6. The sealing inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The contact portion contacts a portion of the film that does not overlap the edge of the tray.

7. The sealing inspection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The contact portion is detachable from the lifting portion and can be replaced according to the type of the tray.

8. A packaging inspection system, characterized in that: have: The sealing inspection device according to claim 1 or 2; A top sealing device, which adheres the film to the edge of the tray containing the goods and seals the opening; a first conveying section for conveying the tray whose opening is sealed by the top sealing device; as well as The second conveying unit is disposed between the first conveying unit and the seal inspection device, receives the tray from the first conveying unit, and conveys the tray to the conveyor belt of the seal inspection device. A conveying speed of the second conveying unit is faster than a conveying speed of the first conveying unit.

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