Packaging device

Abstract

A packaging device is provided with: a conveyance unit that sandwiches a film fed from a film roll between an upper conveyor belt and a lower conveyor belt and conveys the film to a packaging position; a cutter (200); and a movement mechanism. The cutter has a cutting blade (210) for cutting the film, and is disposed upstream of a position where the film is sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts in a conveying direction (D) in which the conveying unit conveys the film. The moving mechanism moves the cutting blade between a standby position and a cutting completion position (P2), wherein the cutting completion position is located downstream of the standby position in the conveying direction and the cutting blade penetrates through the film and is closer to the conveying belt than the standby position. The moving mechanism moves the cutting blade in such a manner that, at the cutting completion position, the angle (A) formed by the film on the downstream side of the cutting blade and the cutting blade is smaller than the angle (B) formed by the film on the upstream side of the cutting blade and the cutting blade. According to the invention, even if the blade tip of the cutting blade for cutting the packaging film is blunt, the film can be easily cut off.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-20700), there is known a packaging device that cuts a packaging film fed from a film roll into a predetermined length and packages an article with the cut film.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-20700 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In such a packaging device, if the tip of the cutting blade for cutting the film is blunt, the film may be difficult to cut. A packaging device that can reduce the occurrence of such a problem is required.

[0008] Means for solving problems

[0009] The packaging device of the first aspect of the present invention comprises a conveying unit, a cutter and a moving mechanism of the cutter. The conveying unit sandwiches the film fed from the film roll between the upper and lower conveyor belts and drives at least one of the upper and lower conveyor belts to convey the film to the packaging position. The cutter has a cutting knife for cutting the film and a supporting unit for supporting the cutting knife. The cutter is arranged upstream of the position where the film is sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts in the conveying direction of the film conveyed by the conveying unit. The moving mechanism moves the cutting knife between a standby position and a cutting completion position. The standby position is a position away from the upper and lower conveyor belts. The cutting completion position is a position that is located downstream of the standby position in the conveying direction and the cutting knife pierces the film and is closer to the conveyor belt than the standby position. The moving mechanism moves the cutting knife in the following manner: at the cutting completion position, the angle A formed by the film on the downstream side of the cutting knife and the cutting knife is smaller than the angle B formed by the film on the upstream side of the cutting knife and the cutting knife.

[0010] In the packaging device of the first aspect, the moving mechanism moves the cutting knife in such a manner that the angle A at the cutting completion position is smaller than the angle B. Therefore, in the process of the cutting knife moving to the cutting completion position, the cutting knife does not pull the film on the upstream side toward the downstream side, but pulls the film on the downstream side held by the upper and lower conveyor belts of the conveying unit, so that the cutting knife penetrates the film more deeply. Therefore, even if the tip of the cutting knife becomes blunt, it is relatively easy to neatly cut the film held in tension by the cutting knife.

[0011] A packaging device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to the first aspect, wherein an opening is formed in the support portion, and a part of the conveyor belt enters when the cutting blade is arranged at the cutting completion position.

[0012] In the packaging device of the second aspect, the conveyor belt enters the opening of the support portion, so the cutter can be made to cut into the film while the cutter is close to the conveyor belt in the conveying direction of the film. As a result, in the packaging device of the second aspect, the angle (A) formed with the film during cutting can be made particularly small, and the film can be easily cut relatively neatly even if the cutter blade becomes blunt.

[0013] A packaging device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the moving mechanism of the cutter further causes the cutting blade to cut into the film while the cutting blade is inserted into the film, thereby causing the cutting blade to cut the film.

[0014] In the packaging device according to the third aspect, the film can be easily cut neatly by the cutting blade.

[0015] The packaging device of the fourth aspect of the present invention is a packaging device in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the moving mechanism maintains a plate-shaped support portion with a cutting knife installed at the end in an upright position in the vertical direction, so that the cutting knife moves between a standby position and a cutting completion position.

[0016] When the cutting knife is brought close to the conveyor belt while the supporting part is moving in a circular motion, as will be described later, depending on the posture of the supporting part, even if the cutting knife cuts into the film more deeply, the angle between the film on the downstream side of the cutting knife and the cutting knife will become relatively large, and the film may not be cut neatly.

[0017] In contrast, in the packaging device of the fourth aspect, the cutting knife is brought into contact with the film while the support portion on which the cutting knife is mounted is held upright in the vertical direction, and the cutting knife is brought close to the conveyor belt while maintaining this posture so that the cutting knife cuts into the film. Therefore, as the cutting knife moves toward the cutting completion position, the angle between the film on the downstream side of the cutting knife and the cutting knife can be gradually reduced, and the film can be neatly cut by the cutting knife.

[0018] A packaging device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the packaging device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the film roll is supported so as to be rotatable.

[0019] The packaging device of the fifth aspect is a structure in which the film roll is supported so as to be freely rotatable, so that the supporting structure of the film roll can be simplified, and the film roll installation operation can also be simplified. However, when the film roll is freely rotatable, depending on the film cutting conditions, there is a possibility that the film is not cut by the cutting blade, and the film upstream of the cutting blade is only fed out from the film roll due to the movement of the cutting blade.

[0020] In contrast, the present packaging device is structured so that the above situation is less likely to occur. At the cutting completion position, the cutter moves so that the angle A is smaller than the angle B to pull the restricted downstream side film.

[0021] The packaging device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a packaging device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the conveying unit and the moving mechanism. The control unit controls the conveying unit to convey the film along the conveying direction, and after or while performing a process of reducing the slack of the film between the film roll and the conveying unit, the cutting blade is moved from the standby position to the cutting completion position by the moving mechanism.

[0022] When the cutting blade of the cutter contacts the film when there is film slack between the film roll and the conveying portion, there is a possibility that the film will not be cut by the cutting blade, but will only be pushed by the cutter to eliminate the film slack. In contrast, in the packaging device of the sixth aspect, the occurrence of this situation can be suppressed by the film slack reduction process.

[0023] Effects of the Invention

[0024] In the packaging device of the present invention, even if the cutting edge of the cutting knife becomes blunt, it is relatively easy to cut the film neatly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic front view of a packaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 A right view of the schematic structure of the interior of the packaging device.

[0027] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 A schematic front view of the structure around the front conveying mechanism of the packaging device.

[0028] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 A schematic rear view of the structure around the rear conveying mechanism of the packaging device.

[0029] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 Structural block diagram of the packaging device.

[0030] Figure 6 It is observation Figure 1 Left view of the upper conveyor belt and the lower conveyor belt of the front conveying mechanism.

[0031] Figure 7 yes Figure 3 A schematic enlarged front view of the periphery of the supply portion and the cutter.

[0032] Figure 8 It is a schematic plan view showing a state where the clamping portion holds the film.

[0033] Fig. 9 yes Figure 1 A schematic three-dimensional view of the periphery of a cutter of a packaging device.

[0034] Fig.10 It is used mainly for Figure 1 A front view of the periphery of the cutter of the packaging device for explaining the operation of the cutter of the packaging device, Fig.10 (a) shows the state where the cutting blade is arranged in the standby position, Fig.10 (b) shows a state where the cutting blade is arranged at the cutting completion position.

[0035] Fig.11 It is schematically shown Figure 1 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method of cutting a film in a packaging device, and a cross-sectional view of a cutter is shown.

[0036] Fig.12 yes Figure 1 An example of a flowchart of a film cutting process in a packaging device.

[0037] Fig.13 This is a diagram schematically showing a method of cutting a film in a conventional packaging device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the embodiments shown below are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Various changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0039] In the following description and drawings, for the sake of convenience, in order to explain directions, configurations, etc., expressions such as "front (front)", "rear (back)", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" are sometimes used using the directions of arrows shown in the drawings. These expressions do not limit the invention unless otherwise specified.

[0040] (1)Overview

[0041] The packaging device 100 of one embodiment of the present invention is the following device: it does not limit the packaged object, for example, a tray carrying fresh food or the like (hereinafter referred to as product G) is pushed up and pressed onto a stretch film (hereinafter referred to as film F), and the product G is packaged with the film F. Specifically, the packaging device 100 measures the product G introduced from the introduction space Si, moves it backward after measurement, pushes the product G toward the film F arranged at the upper packaging position PP, folds the peripheral edge of the film F that presses the product G into the bottom surface of the product G, and thus packages the product G with the film F and discharges it to the discharge space Sd. In addition, in the packaging device 100 of the present embodiment, as Figure 2 As shown, the input space Si is arranged at the front lower part of the packaging device 100, and the discharge space Sd is arranged at the front upper part of the packaging device 100.

[0042] The packaging device 100 mainly includes a metering and feeding device 10, a lifter 20, a supply unit 30, a cutter 200, a moving mechanism 250, a conveying unit 300, a clamping unit 400, a folding mechanism 40, a discharge pusher 50, a take-out table 70, and a control unit 80 (see Figures 1 to 5 ).

[0043] The metering and feeding device 10 is disposed at the lower center front portion of the packaging device 100. The metering and feeding device 10 includes a metering device 12 (see Figure 2 The weighing device 12 weighs the weight of fresh food and the like stored in the tray of the commodity G put into the input space Si. After weighing the weight, the weighing and feeding device 10 pushes the commodity G backward through a feeding member (not shown) driven by a driving unit such as a motor (not shown), so that the commodity G moves to the movable loading platform 22 of the lifter 20.

[0044] The lifter 20 is disposed at the rear of the metering and feeding device 10. The lifter 20 includes a movable mounting table 22 (see Figure 2). When receiving the commodity G from the metering and feeding device 10, the upper surface of the movable mounting table 22 is arranged at a position that is the same as or slightly lower than the conveying surface of the metering and feeding device 10 for conveying the commodity G. The lifter 20 drives the movable mounting table 22 carrying the commodity G through a driving unit such as a motor (not shown) to move it toward the packaging area PA above, so that the commodity G on the movable mounting table 22 moves upward. Specifically, the lifter 20 moves the commodity G toward the packaging area PA above, and presses the commodity G onto the film F that is held in a tensioned state at the packaging position PP in the upper center of the packaging device 100. When the lifter 20 pushes the commodity G from the lower side of the film F, the upper surface of the commodity G is covered by the film F. The folding components 46 and 48 indicated by the double-dotted lines that are retreating enter from the left and right directions below the bottom surface of the commodity G, and fold the peripheral edge of the film F extending from the periphery of the commodity G into the bottom surface of the commodity G. Next, the rear folding member 44 and the discharge pusher 50 waiting at the rear advance to discharge the product G wrapped with the film F forward. The lifter 20 returns the movable stage 22 to the lower position where the product G is received from the weighing and feeding device 10 .

[0045] The film F supply unit 30 is arranged at the upper left portion of the packaging device 100 (see Figure 1 ).like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the supply unit 30 includes a pair of support rollers 32 for holding a film roll R on which a film F is wound, and a guide mechanism 34 disposed below a holding position of the film roll R.

[0046] The pair of support rollers 32 both extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged parallel to each other in the left-right direction. The film roll R is placed above the pair of support rollers 32. The support rollers 32 are free rollers (rollers that do not require a power source) that can rotate in one direction. The pair of support rollers 32 support the film roll R so that it can rotate freely in the direction in which the film F is fed.

[0047] The guiding mechanism 34 is a mechanism for guiding the film F fed out from the film roll R to between the upper conveyor belt and the lower conveyor belt of the conveying section 300 (between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F of the front conveying section 300F described later, and between the upper conveyor belt 316R and the lower conveyor belt 326R of the rear conveying section 300R).

[0048] The cutter 200 cuts the film F after the film F fed from the film roll R is conveyed to the packaging position PP by the conveying unit 300. The cutter 200 (the cutting blade 210 of the cutter 200) is moved by the moving mechanism 250. Details of the cutter 200 and how the moving mechanism 250 moves the cutter 200 will be described later.

[0049] The conveying unit 300 conveys the film F to the right in such a manner that the film F delivered from the film roll R is arranged at the packaging position PP (above the movable mounting table 22 of the lifter 20). Specifically, the conveying unit 300 sandwiches the film F delivered from the film roll R between the upper and lower conveyor belts and drives at least one of the upper and lower conveyor belts to convey the film F to the packaging position PP. In addition, the conveying direction of the film F delivered by the conveying unit 300 is hereinafter referred to as the conveying direction D (refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 ) The details of the transport unit 300 will be described later.

[0050] The clamping unit 400 holds the film F conveyed to the packaging position PP by the conveying unit 300 and separated from the film extended from the film roll R by the cutter 200 in a tensioned state. The clamping unit 400 will be described in detail later.

[0051] The folding mechanism 40 folds the peripheral edge of the film F covering the upper side of the product G as a packaged object into the bottom surface of the product G (the bottom surface of the tray of the product G) in the packaging area PA.

[0052] The folding mechanism 40 includes a front folding member 42 disposed in front of a packaging area PA where the product G is packaged with a film F, a rear folding member 44 disposed in the rear of the packaging area PA, a right folding member 46 disposed in the right of the packaging area PA, and a left folding member 48 disposed in the left of the packaging area PA. The front folding member 42 is an immovable rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, and the rear folding member 44, the right folding member 46, and the left folding member 48 are movable plate-shaped members. When the lifter 20 presses the product G onto the film F held at the packaging position PP, the rear folding member 44 is driven by a driving unit (not shown) such as a motor, and moves forward, the right folding member 46 moves to the left, and the left folding member 48 moves to the right, thereby folding the film F disposed on the rear, right, and left sides of the product G into the bottom surface of the product G. When the discharge pusher 50 moves the commodity G, which is covered with the film F on the upper side and has the film F folded into the bottom surface of the tray on the rear, right, and left sides, forward, the front folding member 42 contacts the film F disposed in front of the commodity G from the front and folds the film F disposed in front of the commodity G into the bottom surface of the commodity G. In this way, the commodity G is covered with the film F by the folding mechanism 40.

[0053] The discharge pusher 50 pushes the commodity G covered by the film F toward the discharge space Sd. Specifically, the discharge pusher 50 pushes the back of the commodity G forward by a pushing member 52 driven by a driving unit such as a motor (not shown) to push the commodity G covered by the film F toward the discharge space Sd. When the discharge pusher 50 pushes the commodity G toward the discharge space Sd, a pressing member (not shown) contacts the commodity G from above (presses the commodity G) to suppress the overturning of the commodity G. When the pushing member 52 of the discharge pusher 50 moves forward and backward, the pressing member moves forward and backward together with the pushing member 52.

[0054] The take-out table 70 is provided in the discharge space Sd, and is a table to which the product G covered with the film F is conveyed by the discharge pusher 50. The take-out table 70 mainly includes a placement plate 72 and a heater 74. The product G discharged into the discharge space Sd by the discharge pusher 50 moves on the placement plate 72. When the product G is moved by the discharge pusher 50, the heater 74 welds the film F folded into the bottom surface side of the product G.

[0055] The control unit 80 is a device that controls the operation of each unit of the packaging device 100. Figure 5 As shown, the control unit 80 is electrically connected to the metering and feeding device 10, the lifter 20, the moving mechanism 250, the conveying unit 300, the clamping unit 400, the folding mechanism 40, the discharge pusher 50, and the heater 74. The control unit 80 includes a CPU or other processing unit, and a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM, and controls the operations of the various devices 10, 20, 250, 300, 400, 40, 50, 74 by executing a program stored in the storage device.

[0056] In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the packaging device 100 further includes a label issuing device 92, a display 94, and an input unit 96. The label issuing device 92 generates a label printed with the name, weight, price, etc. of the commodity G for affixing to the film F. The display 94 displays various information. The control unit 80 is electrically connected to the label issuing device 92, the display 94, and the input unit 96. The control unit 80 controls the operation of the label issuing device 92 and the display 94, and receives the operation and information input to the input unit 96.

[0057] (2) Detailed structure

[0058] The conveying unit 300 , the clamping unit 400 , the cutter 200 , and the moving mechanism 250 among the structures of the packaging device 100 will be described in detail.

[0059] (2-1) Conveying unit

[0060] The conveying unit 300 includes a front conveying unit 300F that holds the vicinity of the front end of the film F and conveys the film F to the right, and a rear conveying unit 300R that holds the vicinity of the rear end of the film F and conveys the film F to the right. The front conveying unit 300F includes an upper conveying belt 316F and a lower conveying belt 326F (see FIG. Figure 3 The rear conveying unit 300R includes an upper conveying belt 316R and a lower conveying belt 326R (see Figure 4 ). In addition, Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the conveying unit 300 includes pulleys 312, 314, 322, 324 extending in the front-to-back direction and shared by the front conveying unit 300F and the rear conveying unit 300R. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the pulley 312 and the pulley 322 are arranged in a vertical direction, and the pulley 314 and the pulley 324 are arranged in a vertical direction. Gears that mesh with each other are installed on the rotating shafts of the pulleys 312 and the pulleys 322, and are configured so that when one pulley 312 is driven to rotate, the other pulley 322 is also driven to rotate. In addition, the upper conveyor belt 316F and the upper conveyor belt 316R are wound around the pulleys 312 and the pulley 314. The lower conveyor belt 326F and the lower conveyor belt 326R are wound around the pulleys 322 and the pulley 324. The pulley 312 of the four pulleys is driven to rotate by a conveying drive unit 350 such as a motor. However, the pulley that is directly driven to rotate by the conveying drive unit 350 may also be another pulley 322.

[0061] Figure 6 3 is a side view showing the upper conveyor belt 316F wound around the pulley 312 and the lower conveyor belt 326F wound around the pulley 322 as viewed from the left side. Figure 6 As shown, the upper conveyor belt 316F includes a plurality of round belts 317, and the lower conveyor belt 326F includes a plurality of round belts 327. The round belts 317 and 327 are rope-shaped conveyor belts with a circular cross section. Figure 6 In the embodiment, the number of round belts 317 and round belts 327 is three, but the number is exemplary and does not limit the present invention. The plurality of round belts 317 are wound around the pulleys 312 and 314 at intervals in the front-to-back direction, and the plurality of round belts 327 are wound around the pulleys 322 and 324 at intervals. Figure 6 As shown, the round belts 317 and the round belts 327 arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction are arranged alternately and adjacent to each other.

[0062] Although illustration and detailed description are omitted, the upper conveyor belt 316R wound around the pulley 312 includes a plurality of round belts 317, the lower conveyor belt 326R wound around the pulley 322 includes a plurality of round belts 327, and the rear conveyor unit 300R has the same structure as the front conveyor unit 300F.

[0063] In the conveying unit 300, when the pulley 312 is driven to rotate by the conveying driving unit 350, the upper conveyor belt 316F and the upper conveyor belt 316R wound around the pulley 312 travel in the conveying direction D, and the pulley 314 rotates accordingly. In addition, when the pulley 312 rotates, the pulley 322 rotates via a gear (not shown), and accordingly, the lower conveyor belt 326F and the lower conveyor belt 326R travel in the conveying direction D, and the pulley 324 rotates accordingly.

[0064] like Figure 7 As shown, the supply unit 30 guides the film F to the vicinity of the conveyor belt of the conveyor unit 300 through the guide mechanism 34, and supplies the film F from the left to between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F of the front conveyor unit 300F, and between the upper conveyor belt 316R and the lower conveyor belt 326R of the rear conveyor unit 300R. The conveyor unit 300 rotates the pulley 312 through the conveying drive unit 350, thereby rotating the upper conveyor belts 316F, 316R and the lower conveyor belts 326F, 326R as described above, thereby sandwiching the film F fed from the film roll R of the supply unit 30 between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F, and between the upper conveyor belt 316R and the lower conveyor belt 326R, and conveying it to the packaging position PP along the conveying direction D.

[0065] In addition, a single flat belt may be used instead of the plurality of round belts 317 and 327. However, as described above, when the plurality of round belts 317 and the plurality of round belts 327 are alternately arranged to sandwich the film F, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the film F is held by the round belts 317 and 327 in an S-shaped meandering state when viewed from the side, so that the conveying unit 300 can firmly hold the film F and convey it.

[0066] (2-2) Clamping part

[0067] The clamping part 400 includes a front clamping part 400F for holding the vicinity of the front end of the film F disposed at the packaging position PP, and a rear clamping part 400R for holding the vicinity of the rear end of the film F disposed at the packaging position PP. Figure 3 , Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 4 , the front clamping portion 400F includes a fixed component 410F and a plurality of movable components 420F arranged in a row in the left-right direction. Figure 4 , Figure 8As shown, the rear clamping part 400R includes a fixed part 410R and a plurality of movable parts 420R arranged in a row in the left-right direction. Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 8 The numbers of the fixed parts 410F and 410R and the movable parts 420F and 420R shown are examples and are not limited to the numbers shown in the drawings, and may be appropriately determined.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, the fixed member 410F is disposed adjacent to the upper portion of the film F sandwiched between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F, that is, above the upper conveyor belt 316F. The movable member 420F is disposed below the portion of the film F sandwiched between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F, that is, below the lower conveyor belt 326F. The movable member 420F is disposed at a position opposite to the fixed member 410F in such a manner that the portion of the film F sandwiched between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F is disposed between the movable member 420F and the fixed member 410F.

[0069] The movable member 420F is configured to be movable between a lower position and an upper position by being driven by a clamping driving unit 450 such as an electromagnetic solenoid. The movable member 420F is arranged at a lower position away from the lower conveyor belt 326F when the film F is conveyed by the conveying unit 300. On the other hand, when the conveying unit 300 conveys the film F to the packaging position PP, the clamping unit 400 moves the movable member 420F to an upper position by the clamping driving unit 450, and holds the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F, and the film F sandwiched between the upper conveyor belt 316F and the lower conveyor belt 326F, near the front end portion.

[0070] The structure of the rear clamping part 400R that holds the film F arranged at the packaging position PP near the rear end is the same as the structure of the front clamping part 400F that holds the film F arranged at the packaging position PP near the front end, so the description is omitted here.

[0071] (2-3) Cutter and moving mechanism

[0072] The cutter 200 is arranged upstream of a position Pc where the film F is sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts of the conveyor 300 in the conveying direction D in which the conveyor 300 conveys the film F (see Figure 7 ). If you use Figure 7 To explain, the cutter 200 is arranged on the left side of the position Pc.

[0073] The moving mechanism 250 includes a rotating arm 270 and a parallel link mechanism 260 that are moved up and down by an electromagnetic solenoid or the like. The rotating arm 270 is connected to the parallel link mechanism 260, and when the rotating arm 270 moves up and down, the parallel link mechanism 260 is bounced upward with the rotating axis RS1 as the center. As a result, the cutter 200 (especially the cutting blade 210 described later) is moved in parallel in the up and down direction.

[0074] The cutter 200 includes a cutting blade 210 for cutting the film F and a support portion 220 for supporting the cutting blade 210. The support portion 220 is a plate-shaped member extending in the front-to-back direction. The cutting blade 210 is mounted on the end portion (the upper end portion in this embodiment) on the side opposite to the film F of the upper and lower ends of the support portion 220. The cutting blade 210 is preferably as follows: Fig. 9 The support portion 220 and the cutting knife 210 may be separate components or may be formed integrally. Preferably, the support portion 220 is mounted on the parallel linkage mechanism 260 in such a manner that the tip of the cutting knife 210 faces vertically upward. The cutting knife 210 of the cutter 200 moves in parallel between the standby position P1 and the cutting completion position P2. The standby position P1 is a position (compared to the cutting completion position P2) that is farther away from the upper and lower conveyor belts 316F, 316R, 326F, 326R of the conveying portion 300. Fig.10 The cutting completion position P2 is located downstream of the standby position P1 in the conveying direction D of the conveying unit 300 and the cutting knife 210 (finally) pierces the film F and is closer to the conveyor belts 316F, 316R, 326F, 326R than the standby position P1 ( Fig.10 In the present embodiment, the cutting completion position P2 is located above the standby position P1.

[0075] The moving mechanism 250 of the present invention moves the cutting blade in such a manner that when the film F is viewed along the length direction of the cutting blade 210 where the serrated edges of the cutting blade 210 are arranged, at the cutting completion position P2, the angle A formed between the film F on the downstream side of the cutting blade 210 and the cutting blade 210 is smaller than the angle B formed between the film F on the upstream side of the cutting blade 210 and the cutting blade 210 (see FIG. Fig.11 ).

[0076] The effect of configuring the packaging device 100 so as to satisfy the relationship of angle A<angle B will be described.

[0077] First, the cutter in the existing packaging device is installed as Fig.10 The cutter moves in a circular motion with the rotation axis RS1 as the center. Therefore, the cutter moves in a manner such that the angle A ≥ the angle B is formed at a position corresponding to the cutting completion position of the present application (refer to Fig.13By adopting this structure, the conveyor belt of the conveying unit 300 restricts the film F, so it is considered that the cutter can easily cut the film F. Moreover, even with this structure, as long as the cutting blade is a serrated blade, the film F can be cut.

[0078] However, when the relationship of Angle A ≥ Angle B exists, the component of the force used by the cutter to pull the film F on the upstream side of the cutting knife tends to become larger. Therefore, for example, when the tip of the cutting knife becomes blunt or there is slack in the film F on the upstream side of the cutting knife, the cutting knife will not fully penetrate the film F and will not be able to cut it or will not be able to cut the film F neatly.

[0079] In contrast, in the packaging device 100, the cutting blade 210 moves in a manner that satisfies the relationship of angle A < angle B at the cutting completion position P2, so as to approach the restricted film and lift up the film F. Therefore, even if the tip of the cutting blade 210 becomes slightly blunt, the cutting blade 210 penetrates deeply into the film F sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts during the movement of the cutting blade 210 to the cutting completion position P2. In particular, when the cutting blade 210 is a serrated blade, a pinhole-shaped cutting portion is formed at the contact portion between the film F and the cutting blade 210, and finally, the pinhole-shaped cutting portion becomes a continuous cutting surface, and the film F is cut.

[0080] Furthermore, in order to make the film F easier to cut by reducing the angle A, the cutting blade 210 is preferably as close to the conveyor belts 316F, 316R, 326F, 326R of the conveyor unit 300 as possible in the left-right direction. However, when the cutter 200 is moved in this way, there is a possibility that the support unit 220 contacts the conveyor belts 316F, 316R, 326F, 326R of the conveyor unit 300. Therefore, if Fig. 9 Stereoscopic image, Fig.11 As shown in the cross-sectional view of the cutter 200, it is preferred that an opening 222 is formed on the support portion 220, which is provided with a portion of the conveyor belts 316F, 316R, 326F, 326R (at the Fig. 9 , Fig.11 In the example, it is a portion of the conveyor belts 326F, 326R) entering.

[0081] (3) Film cutting process

[0082] The operation of the packaging device 100 when cutting the film F for packaging will be described.

[0083] When the conveying unit 300 conveys the film F to the packaging position PP, the control unit 80 controls the operation of the conveying unit 300 to stop conveying the film F (step S1). The control unit 80 uses a driving unit such as a motor or an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown) to control the guide mechanism 34 (see FIG. 1 ) of the supply unit 30 approaching the pulley 312 in order to supply the film F to the conveying unit 300. Figure 7 ) moves to a position away from the pulley 312 (refer to Fig.10 ).

[0084] Next, the conveying unit 300 performs a process (referred to as a slack reduction process) of reducing the slack of the film F between the film roll R and the conveying unit 300 (step S2). The slack reduction process is performed because the film F may slack when the position of the guide mechanism 34 is changed, or even if the conveying unit 300 stops, the film roll R may not stop immediately and the film F may be excessively fed from the film roll R, thereby slack the film F, and as described above, the slack of the film F may adversely affect the cutting of the film F.

[0085] The control unit 80 controls the conveying unit 300 to convey a small amount of film F along the conveying direction D, for example, so as to reduce the slack of the film F between the film roll R and the conveying unit 300. Preferably, the control unit 80 controls the conveying unit 300 to convey the film F at a lower speed than usual (compared with the case of conveying the film F to the packaging position PP).

[0086] In addition, Fig.12 In the flowchart, after executing the slack reduction process, the moving mechanism 250 moves the cutting knife 210 from the standby position P1 to the cutting completion position P2, but it may also be that during the execution of the slack reduction process, the control unit 80 controls the action of the cutter drive unit of the moving mechanism 250 to move the cutting knife 210 from the standby position P1 to the cutting completion position P2.

[0087] In step S3, the control unit 80 operates the rotating arm 270 to move the cutting knife 210 from the standby position P1 to the cutting completion position P2. The cutting knife 210 contacts the film F before reaching the cutting completion position P2, and the tip (serrated edge) of the cutting knife 210 pierces the film F (step S4), and the cutting knife 210 cuts into the film F, thereby cutting the film F and separating it from the film F connected to the film roll R.

[0088] When the cutting blade 210 reaches the cutting completion position P2 (step S5 ), the control unit 80 returns the rotating arm 270 to the initial position, and accordingly, the cutting blade 210 also moves to the standby position P1 (step S6 ).

[0089] (4) Features

[0090] (4-1)

[0091] The packaging device 100 includes a conveyor 300, a cutter 200, and a moving mechanism 250 for the cutter 200. The conveyor 300 sandwiches the film F fed from the film roll R between the upper conveyor belts 316F and 316R and the lower conveyor belts 326F and 326R, and drives at least one of the upper and lower conveyor belts (hereinafter, the reference numerals for the conveyor belts are omitted) of the conveyor 300, thereby conveying the film F to the packaging position PP. The cutter 200 includes a cutting blade 210 for cutting the film F and a support portion 220 for supporting the cutting blade 210. The cutter 200 is arranged upstream of a position Pc where the film F is sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts of the conveyor 300 in the conveying direction D in which the conveyor 300 conveys the film F. The moving mechanism 250 moves the cutting blade 210 between a standby position P1 and a cutting completion position P2. The standby position P1 is a position away from the upper and lower conveyor belts of the conveyor 300. The cutting completion position P2 is located downstream of the standby position P1 in the conveying direction D and is a position where the cutting knife 210 pierces the film F and is closer to the conveyor belt of the conveying unit 300 than the standby position P1. The moving mechanism 250 moves the cutting knife 210 in such a manner that, at the cutting completion position P2, an angle A formed between the film F on the downstream side of the cutting knife 210 and the cutting knife 210 is smaller than an angle B formed between the film F on the upstream side of the cutting knife 210 and the cutting knife 210.

[0092] In the packaging device 100, when the cutting knife 210 moves to the cutting completion position P2, the cutting knife 210 does not pull the film F on the upstream side toward the downstream side, but rather deeply penetrates the film F held by the upper and lower conveyor belts of the conveying unit 300 and the cutting knife 210. Therefore, even if the cutting edge of the cutting knife 210 becomes blunt, it is relatively easy to neatly cut the film F with the cutting knife 210.

[0093] (4-2)

[0094] Preferably, the support portion 220 is formed with an opening 222 into which a portion of the conveyor belt of the conveyor portion 300 enters when the cutting blade 210 is disposed at the cutting completion position P2 .

[0095] In the packaging device 100, the conveyor belt enters the opening 222 of the support portion 220, so the cutter 200 can be brought close to the conveyor belt of the conveyor portion 300 in the conveying direction D, and the cutter 210 can be made to cut into the film F. As a result, in the packaging device 100, the angle A formed with the film F during cutting can be made particularly small, and even if the cutter 210 is blunt, the film F can be easily cut relatively neatly.

[0096] (4-3)

[0097] The moving mechanism 250 moves the cutting blade 210 between the standby position P1 and the cutting completion position P2 while maintaining the plate-shaped support portion 220 having the cutting blade 210 mounted at its end (the upper end in this embodiment) in an upright position in the vertical direction.

[0098] In the packaging device 100, the cutting knife 210 is brought into contact with the film F while the support portion 220 on which the cutting knife 210 is mounted is held upright in the vertical direction, and the cutting knife 210 is maintained in such a position that it cuts into the film. Therefore, as the cutting knife 210 moves toward the cutting completion position P2, the angle between the film F on the downstream side of the cutting knife 210 and the cutting knife 210 is gradually reduced, and the film F is neatly cut by the cutting knife 210.

[0099] (4-4)

[0100] The packaging device 100 includes a control unit 80 for controlling the operation of the conveying unit 300 and the moving mechanism 250. Preferably, the control unit 80 controls the conveying unit 300 to convey the film F along the conveying direction D, and after performing a process of reducing the slack of the film F between the film roll R and the conveying unit 300 (slack reducing process) or while performing the slack reducing process, the cutting blade 210 is moved from the standby position P1 to the cutting completion position P2 by the moving mechanism 250.

[0101] When the cutting blade 210 of the cutter 200 contacts the film F while there is slack in the film F between the film roll R and the conveying unit 300, there is a possibility that the film F will not be cut by the cutting blade 210, but will only be pushed by the cutter 200 to eliminate the slack of the film F. In contrast, in the packaging device 100, the occurrence of this situation can be suppressed by the slack reduction process of the film F.

[0102] (5) Modifications:

[0103] The following are modified examples of the above-mentioned embodiments. In addition, any mode shown in the above-mentioned embodiments and the following modified examples may be combined as long as they are not contradictory. In addition, the following modified examples may be appropriately combined as long as they are not contradictory.

[0104] (5-1) Modification A

[0105] In the above embodiment, the cutting blade 210 is attached to the upper end of the support portion 220, the cutting completion position P2 is located above the standby position P1, and when cutting the film F, the cutting blade 210 moves upward from the bottom.

[0106] However, the structure of the cutter 200 and the action of the cutting blade 210 are not limited to this method. For example, the cutting blade 210 may be mounted at the lower end of the support portion 220 with the blade tip facing downward, and the cutting completion position may be located at a position lower than the standby position. In addition, when cutting the film F, the moving mechanism 250 may move the cutting blade 210 disposed at the upper standby position to the lower cutting completion position (contacting the film F from above) to cut the film F.

[0107] (5-2) Modification B

[0108] In the above embodiment, the moving mechanism 250 moves the cutting blade 210 between the standby position P1 and the cutting completion position P2 while maintaining the plate-shaped support portion 220 having the cutting blade 210 mounted at the end thereof standing upright in the vertical direction.

[0109] However, the movement method of the cutting knife 210 is not limited to this method. It can also be that, when the above-mentioned relationship of angle A < angle B is satisfied at the cutting completion position P2, the moving mechanism 250 changes the posture of the support part 220, or maintains the support part 220 in a posture other than upright in the vertical direction, while moving the cutting knife 210 between the standby position P1 and the cutting completion position P2.

[0110] Explanation of symbols

[0111] 80: control unit; 200: cutter; 210: cutting knife; 220: support unit; 222: opening; 250: moving mechanism; 300: conveying unit; 316F, 316R: upper conveyor belt (conveyor belt); 326F, 326R: lower conveyor belt (conveyor belt); D: conveying direction; F: film; P1: standby position; P2: cutting completion position; PP: packaging position; R: film roll.

Claims

1. A packaging device, characterized in that: The packaging device has: A conveying unit that sandwiches a film fed from a film roll between upper and lower conveyor belts and drives at least one of the upper and lower conveyor belts to convey the film to a packaging position; a cutter having a cutting blade for cutting the film and a support portion for supporting the cutting blade, the cutter being arranged upstream of a position where the film is sandwiched between the upper and lower conveyor belts in a conveying direction in which the film is conveyed by the conveying portion; and The moving mechanism of the cutter moves the cutting blade between a standby position which is a position away from the upper and lower conveyor belts and a cutting completion position which is a position located downstream of the standby position in the conveying direction and where the cutting blade penetrates the film and is closer to the conveyor belt than the standby position. The moving mechanism moves the cutting knife in such a manner that, at the cutting completion position, an angle (A) between the film on the downstream side and the cutting knife is smaller than an angle (B) between the film on the upstream side and the cutting knife.

2. The packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support portion has an opening formed therein, into which a part of the conveyor belt enters when the cutting blade is disposed at the cutting completion position.

3. The packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The moving mechanism causes the cutting blade to further cut into the film while the cutting blade is inserted into the film, thereby causing the cutting blade to cut the film.

4. The packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The moving mechanism maintains the plate-shaped support portion, to which the cutting blade is attached at an end, in an upright posture in the vertical direction, and moves the cutting blade between the standby position and the cutting completion position.

5. The packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The film roll is supported so as to be freely rotatable.

6. The packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The packaging device further includes a control unit that controls the operations of the conveying unit and the moving mechanism. The control unit controls the conveying unit to convey the film along the conveying direction, and after executing the process of reducing the slack of the film between the film roll and the conveying unit, or while executing the process of reducing the slack of the film between the film roll and the conveying unit, the control unit moves the cutting knife from the standby position to the cutting completion position through the moving mechanism.

Images