Bag processing method and bag processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a bag processing apparatus and a bag processing method which are advantageous for dropping a bag in a desired posture.SOLUTION: A bag processing method includes the steps of: moving a bag B while being held by a first bag holding unit 11 and arranging it at a release position P1; holding the bag B by a second bag holding unit 12 in a state where the bag B arranged at the release position P1 is held by the first holding unit 11; releasing the first bag holding unit 11 from the holding of the bag B in a state where the bag B arranged at the release position P1 is held by the second bag holding unit 12, and moving it to a retreat position that does not overlap with the bag B in a height direction; and releasing the second bag holding unit 12 from the holding of the bag B in a state where the first bag holding unit 11 is positioned at the retreat position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a bag processing method and a bag processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the shapes of bag bodies and the shapes of spouts attached to bag bodies have become more diverse (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62-287805 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-292002 [Patent Document 3] Jitsuhei 5-28169 Publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the spout has a shape that protrudes laterally beyond the bag body, the gripper holding the side edge of the bag may come into unintentional contact with the spout. For example, when the bag is released from the gripper and allowed to fall naturally, the spout may come into contact with the gripper, causing the bag to change its posture from the originally intended state.

[0005] In addition to the spout, the bag body may also come into unintentional contact with the gripper. For example, if the bag body has an irregular shape or is locally thick, when the bag is released from the gripper and allowed to fall naturally, the protruding or thick parts of the bag body may come into contact with the gripper, causing the bag to change its posture from the originally intended state.

[0006] If the bag position is changed from the originally intended position, various problems may occur in the subsequent stages, such as the bag not being picked up properly in the subsequent stages or the bag not being packed in the correct position in the subsequent stages.

[0007] In addition, when the movable processing section that processes the bag (e.g., sealing or cooling) holds the bag by clamping it, the bag may be released by the movable processing section, causing the bag to fall naturally. In this case, the same situation as described above may occur. That is, when the bag is released from the movable processing section and allowed to fall naturally, the spout or the bag body may come into contact with the movable processing section, causing the bag to change its posture from the originally intended state.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides an advantageous device and method for dropping a bag in a desired attitude. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a bag processing method including the steps of: moving a bag while being held by a first bag holding part and arranging it at a discharge position; holding the bag by a second bag holding part while the first bag holding part is holding the bag that is arranged at the discharge position; releasing the first bag holding part from holding the bag while the second bag holding part is holding the bag that is arranged at the discharge position and moving it to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the vertical direction; and releasing the second bag holding part from holding the bag while the first bag holding part is positioned at the retracted position.

[0010] The bag processing method may include a step of placing a movable processing unit that seals or cools the bag at a processing position and clamping the bag that is positioned at the discharge position with the movable processing unit, and a step of moving the movable processing unit from the processing position to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the vertical direction while the bag that is positioned at the discharge position is held by a second bag holding unit.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a bag processing method including the steps of: moving a bag while being held by a first bag holding part and placing it in a discharge position; holding the bag by a movable processing part that seals or cools the bag while the first bag holding part is holding the bag placed in the discharge position; releasing the first bag holding part from holding the bag and moving it to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the height direction while the movable processing part is holding the bag placed in the discharge position; holding the bag by a second bag holding part while the movable processing part is holding the bag placed in the discharge position; releasing the movable processing part from holding the bag and moving it to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the height direction while the second bag holding part is holding the bag placed in the discharge position; and releasing the second bag holding part from holding the bag while the first bag holding part is positioned in the retracted position and the movable processing part is positioned in the retracted position.

[0012] The first bag holding portion may hold a first holding location of the bag placed in the discharge position, and the second bag holding portion may hold a second holding location of the bag placed in the discharge position that is located above the first holding location.

[0013] The bag may have a bag body and a spout attached to the bag body, and the second bag holding portion may hold the bag by supporting the spout so as to sandwich it.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a bag processing device comprising movable first and second bag holding portions configured to hold and release bags, wherein the first bag holding portion holds and moves the bag to a discharge position, the second bag holding portion holds the bag while the first bag holding portion is holding the bag that is disposed in the discharge position, the first bag holding portion releases the bag while the second bag holding portion is holding the bag that is disposed in the discharge position and moves to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the vertical direction, and the second bag holding portion releases the bag while the first bag holding portion is positioned in the retracted position.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a bag processing device comprising movable first and second bag holding sections configured to be able to hold and release bags, and a movable movable processing section configured to be able to hold and release bags and seals or cools the bags, wherein the first bag holding section holds and moves the bag to a discharge position, the movable processing section holds the bag while the first bag holding section is holding the bag that is placed in the discharge position, the first bag holding section releases the bag while the movable processing section is holding the bag that is placed in the discharge position, and moves to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the height direction, the second bag holding section holds the bag while the movable processing section is holding the bag that is placed in the discharge position, the movable processing section releases the bag while the second bag holding section is holding the bag that is placed in the discharge position, and moves to a retracted position where it does not overlap with the bag in the height direction, and the second bag holding section releases the bag while the first bag holding section is positioned in the retracted position and the movable processing section is positioned in the retracted position. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present disclosure, it is advantageous to drop the bag in a desired position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a bag processing device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a bag processing device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a top view showing an example of the bag processing device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of a control configuration of the bag processing device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the bag processing device showing an example of the bag discharging process. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view of the bag processing device showing an example of the bag discharging process. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the bag processing device showing an example of the bag discharging process. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a side view of the bag processing device showing an example of the bag discharging process. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a side view of the bag processing device showing an example of the bag discharging process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side view of the bag processing device showing an example of the bag discharge process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Fig. 1 is a front view showing an example of a bag processing device 10. Fig. 2 is a side view showing an example of a bag processing device 10. Fig. 3 is a top view showing an example of the bag processing device 10.

[0019] 1 to 3 cools bags B (particularly the heat-sealed portion) at a discharge position P1, and then discharges the bags B. The bags B have a bag body B1 and a spout B2 attached to the bag body B1 (particularly the inner wall surface).

[0020] The bag body B1 has a front body part B11 and a back body part B12. When the bag B is supplied to the bag processing device 10 (particularly the first bag holding part 11), the front body part B11 and the back body part B12 are sealed and fixed to each other at both side edges and the bottom edge (the left and right edges and the lower edge in FIG. 1) (see "sealed part B3" in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3), but are not sealed and fixed to each other at the mouth edge (the upper edge in FIG. 1). Therefore, the bag B is delivered to the bag processing device 10 (particularly the first bag holding part 11) with both side edges and the bottom edge closed and the mouth edge open. When the bag B is supplied to the bag processing device 10, the bag B may or may not contain contents inside. Furthermore, when the bag B is discharged from the discharge position P1, the bag B may or may not contain contents inside.

[0021] The side of bag B refers to the direction from one side edge to the other side edge, which coincides with the width direction of bag B (left-right direction in Fig. 1). The thickness direction of bag B refers to the direction from one of the front body portion B11 and the back body portion B12 to the other (front and depth directions in Fig. 1). The up-down direction of bag B refers to the direction from one of the mouth edge and the bottom edge to the other (up-down direction in Fig. 1). The height direction coincides with the vertical direction in which gravity acts.

[0022] The spout B2 has a spout flow path B21 formed as a through hole. One end of the spout flow path B21 opens at the end of the spout located outside the bag body B1 (i.e., the spout tip portion B22), and the other end opens at the inside of the bag body B1 (i.e., the inner area defined by the front body portion B11 and the back body portion B12). Therefore, the inside and outside of the bag B are communicated via the spout flow path B21.

[0023] At a stage before discharge position P1 (for example, at the processing station immediately before), bag B undergoes heat sealing processing, and the front side body portion B11 and the back side body portion B12 are heat-bonded to each other and to the spout B2 at their rims. Bag B then moves to discharge position P1 together with first bag holding portion 11, and undergoes cooling processing by movable processing portion 13 at discharge position P1, cooling the rims (particularly the heat-sealed portion) of bag B. This increases the bonding strength at the rims of bag B (i.e., the bonding strength between the front side body portion B11 and the back side body portion B12, and the bonding strength of the bag body B1 to the spout B2), and improves bonding stability.

[0024] As is clear from Fig. 1, the spout B2 of the bag B used in this embodiment has an asymmetric shape and extends laterally outside the bag body B1, with the spout tip B22 protruding laterally beyond one side edge of the bag B (the left edge in Fig. 1). Specifically, the spout tip B22 overlaps in the height direction (the up-down direction of the bag B) with one of the first bag holding parts 11 holding the bag B (the first bag holding part 11 on the left side in Fig. 1). In other words, the projection of the spout B2 in the height direction partially overlaps with the projection of the first bag holding part 11 in the height direction holding the bag B.

[0025] 1 to 3, bag processing device 10 includes a first bag holding section 11, a second bag holding section 12, and a movable processing section 13. Each of first bag holding section 11, second bag holding section 12, and movable processing section 13 is movably provided so as to be able to hold and release bags B arranged at release position P1.

[0026] 1 to 3 are provided in the form of a pair of grippers, and each first bag holding portion 11 (i.e., each gripper) has a front side holding portion 11a and a back side holding portion 11b that are provided so as to be able to open and close. The front side holding portion 11a and the back side holding portion 11b sandwich both side portions (particularly the seal portion B3) of the bag B from the front side and the back side, so that the bag B is gripped by each first bag holding portion 11.

[0027] The two first bag holding parts 11 can move in the horizontal direction (particularly in the width direction of the bag B) to be disposed at a first approaching position P11 and a first separated position P12. The two first bag holding parts 11 disposed at the first approaching position P11 are located relatively close to each other and can grip both side edges (particularly the sealed portions B3) of the bag B. The two first bag holding parts 11 disposed at the first separated position P12 are located relatively far from each other and are separated from the bag B in the horizontal direction (particularly to the sides of the bag B).

[0028] As an example, the above-mentioned two first bag holding units 11 can be moved and opened and closed by the device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-28169. The device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-28169 can constitute a first holding and driving unit 51 (see FIG. 4) described below. The disclosure of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-28169 is incorporated herein by reference.

[0029] The second bag holding section 12 shown in Figures 1 to 3 has two clamping support sections 21 capable of holding a bag B (particularly the spout B2), an opening and closing device 23 that opens and closes the two clamping support sections 21, and a movement drive device 24 that moves the clamping support sections 21 and the opening and closing device 23 in the vertical direction.

[0030] Each sandwiching support portion 21 includes a sandwiching surface member 22. The sandwiching surface member 22 forms a holding surface that comes into contact with the bag B when the sandwiching support portion 21 sandwiches the bag B (particularly the spout B2), and can be made of an elastic body such as rubber.

[0031] The opening and closing device 23 opens and closes the two clamping support parts 21, placing the two clamping support parts 21 in the second closed state S21 and the second open state S22. The opening and closing device 23 may employ any device configuration and drive method, and may open and close the two clamping support parts 21 via air, for example. With the bag B (specifically, the spout B2) positioned between the two clamping support parts 21 (i.e., between the clamping surface members 22), the two clamping support parts 21 are closed and placed in the second closed state S21, whereby the bag B (specifically, the spout B2) is held by the two clamping support parts 21. On the other hand, with bag B (particularly spout B2) positioned between the two clamping support parts 21 (i.e., between the clamping surface members 22), by opening the two clamping support parts 21 and placing them in the second open state S22, the two clamping support parts 21 move away from bag B, and bag B is released from being held by the two clamping support parts 21.

[0032] The moving drive device 24 moves the sandwiching support part 21 and the opening / closing device 23 up and down together to place them at the second approaching position P21 and the second separated position P22. The moving drive device 24 has a moving drive body 24a and a holding advancing / retracting shaft 24b protruding downward from the moving drive body 24a, and moves the sandwiching support part 21 and the opening / closing device 23 in the height direction by changing the protruding amount of the holding advancing / retracting shaft 24b from the moving drive body 24a. The moving drive device 24 can adopt any device configuration (e.g., an air cylinder) and driving method, and for example, the protruding amount of the holding advancing / retracting shaft 24b may be changed via air. The sandwiching support part 21 arranged at the second approaching position P21 is at the same height as a desired portion of the bag B (specifically, the spout B2) and can hold the desired portion. On the other hand, the sandwiching support part 21 arranged at the second separated position P22 is separated upward from the bag B.

[0033] 1 to 3 is provided as a part of the movable processing unit 33, and has a first movable processing section 13a and a second movable processing section 13b. The first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b are cooling bodies, and cool the heat-sealed section (specifically, the mouth edge section) of the bag B by contacting the heat-sealed section. The first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b may be actively cooled by a cooling device (not shown), or may be naturally air-cooled without being actively cooled by a cooling device.

[0034] The first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b are supported by a clamping advance / retract shaft 32 (i.e., the first clamping advance / retract shaft 32a and the second clamping advance / retract shaft 32b) via a support fixing section 31. The first clamping advance / retract shaft 32a and the second clamping advance / retract shaft 32b are provided with a variable amount of horizontal protrusion from an advance / retract main body section (not shown) fixedly provided inside a seal box 35. The advance / retract main body section and the clamping advance / retract shaft 32 can employ any device configuration (e.g., an air cylinder) and drive method.

[0035] The first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b move horizontally according to the protruding amount of the first clamping advancing / retracting shaft 32a and the second clamping advancing / retracting shaft 32b, and are arranged at the third approaching position P31 and the third separated position P32. By arranging the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b at the third approaching position P31 while positioning the bag B (particularly the mouth edge portion) between the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b, the bag B (particularly the mouth edge portion) is contacted by the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b and cooled. The first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b of this embodiment can grip the bag B at the third approaching position P31 and hold the bag B in a hanging state. On the other hand, by positioning the bag B (particularly the edge portion) between the first clamping advance / retract axis 32a and the second clamping advance / retract axis 32b and disposing the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b at the third separation position P32, the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b are separated horizontally (particularly in the thickness direction of the bag B) from the bag B (particularly the edge portion).

[0036] As described above, the spout B2 is provided at the edge of the bag B, and the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b arranged at the third approach position P31 are in close contact with the spout B2 via the front body section B11 and the back body section B12, respectively. Therefore, the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b have a surface shape corresponding to the shape of the spout B2, as shown in Fig. 3, and more specifically, have a locally concave surface shape at the location corresponding to the spout B2.

[0037] 2 is attached to the top of a stand 36, and the moving drive device 24 (particularly the moving drive main body 24a) is attached via an attachment portion 25. The sealing box 35 also supports an advancing / retracting main body portion (not shown) to which the first clamping advancing / retracting shaft 32a and the second clamping advancing / retracting shaft 32b are attached so as to be able to protrude. In this way, the sealing box 35 supports the second bag holding portion 12 and the movable processing portion 13. The stand 36 is fixed to a frame (not shown) and extends in the height direction.

[0038] 4 shows an example of a control configuration for the bag processing apparatus 10. The bag processing apparatus 10 includes a control device 50 connected to a first holding drive unit 51, a second holding drive unit 52, and a movable processing drive unit 53.

[0039] The first holding drive unit 51 drives each of the first bag holders 11. Specifically, the first holding drive unit 51 has a first holding movement unit 54 that moves each of the first bag holders 11, and a first holding opening / closing unit 55 that opens and closes each of the first bag holders 11. The second holding drive unit 52 drives the second bag holders 12. Specifically, the second holding drive unit 52 has a second holding movement unit 56 that moves the second bag holders 12 (particularly the two sandwiching support units 21), and a second holding opening / closing unit 57 that opens and closes the second bag holders 12 (particularly the two sandwiching support units 21). In this embodiment, the above-mentioned movement drive device 24 corresponds to the second holding movement unit 56, and the above-mentioned opening / closing device 23 corresponds to the second holding opening / closing unit 57. The movable processing drive unit 53 moves the movable processing unit 13 (i.e., the first movable processing unit 13a and the second movable processing unit 13b) to open and close.

[0040] Although the specific control method of the first holding drive unit 51, the second holding drive unit 52, and the movable processing drive unit 53 by the control unit 50 is not limited, the control unit 50 controls the first bag holder 11, the second bag holder 12, and the movable processing unit 13 so that they operate in a linked manner. For example, the control unit 50 may transmit regular synchronization signals to the first holding drive unit 51, the second holding drive unit 52, and the movable processing drive unit 53, and the first holding drive unit 51, the second holding drive unit 52, and the movable processing drive unit 53 may autonomously perform various operations at timings based on the received synchronization signals. Alternatively, the control unit 50 may issue various operation signals to each of the first holding drive unit 51, the second holding drive unit 52, and the movable processing drive unit 53 at desired timings, and the first holding drive unit 51, the second holding drive unit 52, and the movable processing drive unit 53 may perform operations according to the received operation signals.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of an example of a bag processing method (particularly the discharge processing of bags B) performed by bag processing device 10. In the bag processing method described below, first bag holding unit 11, second bag holding unit 12, and movable processing unit 13 are appropriately driven by first holding drive unit 51, second holding drive unit 52, and movable processing drive unit 53 under the control of control device 50.

[0042] 5 to 7 are front views of the bag processing device 10 showing an example of the release process of bags B. FIGS. 8 to 10 are side views of the bag processing device 10 showing an example of the release process of bags B.

[0043] The bag B is held and transferred by the two first bag holding parts 11, and placed at the discharge position P1. At this time, each first bag holding part 11 is placed at the first approaching position P11 and in the first closed state S11, each clamping support part 21 is placed at the second separated position P22 and in the second open state S22, and each movable processing part 13 is placed at the third separated position P32 and in the third open state S32. Immediately after the bag B is placed at the discharge position P1, both side edges of the bag B (i.e., the first holding parts B31) are held by each first bag holding part 11, the mouth edge part of the bag B (including a part of the spout B2) is positioned in a non-contact state in the space between the first movable processing part 13a and the second movable processing part 13b, and each clamping support part 21 is waiting at a position away from the bag B (above the spout B2 in this embodiment) (see FIG. 3).

[0044] Thereafter, a cooling process is performed on the heat-sealed portion (i.e., the mouth edge portion) of bag B. Specifically, first movable processing unit 13a and second movable processing unit 13b are disposed at third approaching position P31 and placed in third closed state S31, so that the heat-sealed portion (i.e., the mouth edge portion) of bag B is sandwiched between first movable processing unit 13a and second movable processing unit 13b and cooled. At this time, each first bag holding unit 11 is disposed at first approaching position P11 and placed in first closed state S11, and each sandwiching support unit 21 is disposed at second separated position P22 and placed in second open state S22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0045] Thereafter, each of the clamping support parts 21 is disposed at the second approaching position P21 by the movement drive device 24. When each of the clamping support parts 21 moves from the second separated position P22 to the second approaching position P21, the opening / closing device 23 keeps each of the clamping support parts 21 in the second open state S22. Therefore, immediately after each of the clamping support parts 21 is disposed at the second approaching position P21, the spout B2 is positioned in a non-contact state in the space between the clamping support parts 21 (specifically, between the clamping surface members 22). Then, while disposed at the second approaching position P21, each of the clamping support parts 21 is placed in the second closed state S21 by the opening / closing device 23 (see FIGS. 5 and 8). As a result, the spout B2 (particularly the second holding portion B32) is clamped and supported by the clamping support parts 21. While each clamping support portion 21 moves to the second proximity position P21 and transitions to the second closed state S21, each first bag holding portion 11 is placed in the first closed state S11 at the first proximity position P11, and the first movable processing portion 13a and the second movable processing portion 13b are placed in the third closed state S31 at the third proximity position P31.

[0046] Thereafter, each first bag holding portion 11 moves from the first approaching position P11 to the first separated position P12 (see Figs. 6 and 9). Specifically, each first bag holding portion 11 transitions from the first closed state S11 to the first open state S12 at the first approaching position P11, and moves from the first approaching position P11 toward the first separated position P12 while remaining in the first open state S12. When each first bag holding portion 11 is placed in the first open state S12 at the first approaching position P11, the bag B is released from being held by each first bag holding portion 11. The degree of opening of the first bag holding portion 11 placed in the first open state S12 (i.e., the distance between the front side holding portion 11a and the back side holding portion 11b) is not limited, and may be a small degree of opening in practice. Specifically, the first bag holding portion 11 in the first open state S12 has an opening degree at which the bag B does not receive a holding force of a magnitude necessary for holding from the front holding portion 11a and the back holding portion 11b (e.g., an opening degree at which the bag B receives no holding force at all). Therefore, the distance between the front holding portion 11a and the back holding portion 11b in the first open state S12 is greater than the thickness of the bag B in the example shown in Fig. 9, but may be smaller than the thickness of the bag B (e.g., the thickest part of the bag body B1 or the thickest part of the spout B2).

[0047] Furthermore, the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b move from the third approaching position P31 to the third separated position P32, in the third open state S32, and move away from the bag B (see FIGS. 6 and 9). This releases the bag B from being held by the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b. The distance between the first movable processing section 13a and the second movable processing section 13b positioned at the third separated position P32 is greater than the thickness of the bag B (the thickest part of the bag body B1 and the thickest part of the spout B2).

[0048] The movement of each first bag holding part 11 from the first approaching position P11 to the first separated position P12 may be performed before, after, or simultaneously with the movement of each movable processing part 13 from the third approaching position P31 to the third separated position P32. However, while each first bag holding part 11 and each movable processing part 13 are moving to the first separated position P12 and the third separated position P32, respectively, the two clamping support parts 21 continue to be placed in the second closed state S21 at the second approaching position P21 and continue to hold the bag B (particularly the spout B2).

[0049] Thereafter, each clamping support part 21 is shifted from the second closed state S21 to the second open state S22 at the second approach position P21 (see FIGS. 7 and 10). This causes each clamping support part 21 to move away from the bag B (particularly the spout B2) and release the hold of the bag B. As a result, the bag B falls under the influence of gravity and is released from the bag processing device 10. As the bag B falls in this manner, the first bag holding parts 11 and the movable processing parts 13 are positioned so as not to overlap with the bag B in the height direction, and therefore do not come into contact with the falling bag B. Therefore, the bag B is released by natural falling while basically maintaining the posture in which it was held suspended by each clamping support part 21.

[0050] The bags B that have fallen in this manner are received by a lower device (not shown) provided below each clamping support portion 21. The lower device may be a device that applies further processing to the bags B, or may be a transport device (for example, a conveyor or a transport guide (slider, etc.)) that transports the bags B further to a subsequent stage, or may be a container such as a box that contains the bags B.

[0051] As explained above, the above-mentioned bag processing method includes the steps of moving bag B while holding it with the first bag holding portion 11 and placing it at the release position P1, holding bag B with the second bag holding portion 12 while the first bag holding portion 11 is holding bag B that is placed at the release position P1, releasing the first bag holding portion 11 from holding bag B while the second bag holding portion 12 is holding bag B that is placed at the release position P1, and moving it to a retracted position where it does not overlap with bag B in the vertical direction, and releasing the second bag holding portion 12 from holding bag B while the first bag holding portion 11 is positioned at the retracted position.

[0052] The bag processing device 10 described above also includes a movable first bag holding unit 11 and a second bag holding unit 12 that are configured to hold and release bag B, and the first bag holding unit 11 holds and moves bag B to position it at release position P1, and the second bag holding unit 12 holds bag B while the first bag holding unit 11 is holding bag B that is positioned at release position P1, and the first bag holding unit 11 releases bag B while the second bag holding unit 12 is holding bag B that is positioned at release position P1 and moves to a retracted position where it does not overlap with bag B in the vertical direction, and the second bag holding unit 12 releases bag B while the first bag holding unit 11 is positioned at the retracted position.

[0053] According to the above-described bag processing method and bag processing device 10, even if the bag B has a unique shape, it is advantageous to drop and release the bag B positioned at the release position P1 in a desired attitude. Furthermore, in the bag processing device 10, the holding form of the bag B suitable for transferring the bag B (e.g., the holding method and the holding location of the bag B) does not necessarily match the holding form of the bag B suitable for releasing the bag B. According to the above-described bag processing method and bag processing device 10, the first bag holding unit 11 can adopt a holding form of the bag B suitable for transferring the bag B, and the second bag holding unit 12 can adopt a holding form of the bag B suitable for releasing the bag B.

[0054] The bag processing method also includes the steps of placing a movable processing unit 13, which cools bag B, at a processing position (third approach position P31) and clamping bag B, which is positioned at release position P1, with the movable processing unit 13, and, while bag B, which is positioned at release position P1, is held by the second bag holding unit 12, moving the movable processing unit 13 from the processing position (third approach position P31) to a retracted position where it does not overlap with bag B in the vertical direction.

[0055] This allows the bags B to be appropriately cooled by the movable processing section 13, while the bags B are discharged in a desired attitude.

[0056] Further, the first bag holding portion 11 holds a first holding point B31 of the bag B placed at the release position P1, and the second bag holding portion 12 holds a second holding point B32 of the bag B placed at the release position P1, the second holding point B32 being located above the first holding point B31.

[0057] This allows the second bag holding portion 12 to hold a portion of the bag B that will not come into contact with or collide with the bag B that falls when the second bag holding portion 12 releases the hold on the bag B.

[0058] Furthermore, bag B has a bag body B1 and a spout B2 attached to bag body B1, and second bag holding portion 12 holds bag B by supporting spout B2 in a sandwiching manner.

[0059] This allows the second bag holding portion 12 to hold a portion of the bag B that will not come into contact with or collide with the bag B that falls when the second bag holding portion 12 releases the hold on the bag B.

[0060] [Variations] Although the above-mentioned movable processing unit 13 performs a cooling process on the bags B, the process performed by the movable processing unit 13 is not limited. For example, the bags B arranged at the release position P1 may be clamped by the movable processing unit 13 arranged at the third approach position P31 to perform a sealing process on the bags B (e.g., the edges) or other processes. When the movable processing unit 13 performs a sealing process on the bags B, the sealing method is not limited, and the movable processing unit 13 may perform heat sealing by applying heat to the bags B, or may perform ultrasonic sealing by applying ultrasonic waves to the bags B.

[0061] The above-mentioned first separated position P12 corresponds to "a retracted position where the first bag holding parts 11 do not overlap in the height direction with the bags B at the discharge position P1", but the position of the first bag holding parts 11 placed in the first open state S12 (see Figs. 9 and 10) can also correspond to the "retracted position". Even if two first bag holding parts 11 are placed in the first close position P11, when these first bag holding parts 11 are placed in the first open state S12 with a large opening (i.e., a large separation distance in the thickness direction of the bags B), each first bag holding part 11 can be positioned so as not to overlap in the height direction with the bags B at the discharge position P1.

[0062] In the above embodiment, when each first bag holding part 11 releases a bag B, each first bag holding part 11 moves in the thickness direction of the bag B to be placed in the first open state S12, and also moves in the width direction of the bag B to be placed in the first separated position P12. However, when each first bag holding part 11 releases a bag B, each first bag holding part 11 moves in the thickness direction of the bag B to be placed in the first open state S12, but does not have to move in the width direction of the bag B. In this way, each first bag holding part 11 may be positioned in the retracted position by being placed in the first open state S12 at the first approaching position P11 without moving in the width direction of the bag B.

[0063] The above-mentioned second separated position P22 corresponds to "a standby position where second bag holding portion 12 (particularly clamping support portion 21) is away from bag B at release position P1", but the position of second bag holding portion 12 (particularly clamping support portion 21) placed in second open state S22 (see FIG. 10) can also correspond to the "standby position". Even if two clamping support portions 21 are placed in second close position P21, when these clamping support portions 21 are placed in second open state S22 with a large opening (i.e., a large separation distance in the thickness direction of bag B), each clamping support portion 21 can be positioned so as not to come into contact with bag B at release position P1.

[0064] In the above embodiment, when the bag B moves to the discharge position P1 together with the first bag holding part 11, the second bag holding part 12 (particularly each clamping support part 21) positioned in the standby position is disposed in the second separated position P22 in the second open state S22. However, when the bag B moves to the discharge position P1, each clamping support part 21 may be disposed in the second close position P21 in the second open state S22, or may be disposed in the second separated position P22 in the second closed state S21. In this way, each clamping support part 21 may be positioned in the standby position by being disposed in the second open state S22 in the second close position P21, or by being disposed in the second closed state S21 in the second separated position P22.

[0065] The above-mentioned third separated position P32 corresponds to "a retracted position where the movable processing section 13 does not overlap the bag B at the discharge position P1 in the height direction." With regard to the above-mentioned movable processing section 13, the moving operation and the opening and closing operation are related to each other, and each movable processing section 13 is placed in the third closed state S31 by being placed in the third approaching position P31, and each movable processing section 13 is placed in the third open state S32 by being placed in the third separated position P32.

[0066] The operations (eg, the order of operations) of first bag holding unit 11, second bag holding unit 12, and movable processing unit 13 are not limited to the above example.

[0067] For example, the bag processing method includes a step of moving bag B while holding it with first bag holding unit 11 and arranging it at release position P1, a step of holding bag B with movable processing unit 13 that seals or cools bag B while first bag holding unit 11 holds bag B arranged at release position P1, a step of releasing first bag holding unit 11 from holding bag B while movable processing unit 13 holds bag B arranged at release position P1, and moving first bag holding unit 11 to a retracted position where bag B does not overlap in the height direction, and a step of placing bag B at release position P1. The method may include a step of holding bag B with the second bag holding part 12 while the movable processing part 13 is holding bag B that is placed therein; a step of releasing the movable processing part 13 from holding bag B and moving it to a retracted position where it does not overlap with bag B in the vertical direction while the second bag holding part 12 is holding bag B that is placed at release position P1; and a step of releasing the second bag holding part 12 from holding bag B while the first bag holding part 11 is positioned in the retracted position and the movable processing part 13 is positioned in the retracted position.

[0068] The bag processing device 10 includes a movable first bag holding unit 11 and a second bag holding unit 12 that are provided to be able to hold and release bags B, and a movable processing unit 13 that is provided to be able to hold and release bags B and that seals or cools bags B. The first bag holding unit 11 holds and moves the bag B to a discharge position P1, and the movable processing unit 13 holds the bag B while holding the bag B at the discharge position P1. The first bag holding unit 11 moves the bag B to a discharge position P2, and the movable processing unit 13 holds the bag B while holding the bag B at the discharge position P2. With bag B being held by first bag holding section 11, it may release bag B and move to a retracted position where it does not overlap with bag B in the height direction, and the second bag holding section 12 may hold bag B with the movable processing section 13 holding bag B positioned at release position P1, and the movable processing section 13 may release bag B with the second bag holding section 12 holding bag B positioned at release position P1 and move to a retracted position where it does not overlap with bag B in the height direction, and the second bag holding section 12 may release bag B with the first bag holding section 11 positioned in the retracted position and the movable processing section 13 positioned in the retracted position.

[0069] In addition, the holding of bag B by the second bag holding portion 12, the holding and releasing of bag B by the first bag holding portion 11, the holding and releasing of bag B by the movable processing portion 13, and the holding and releasing of bag B by the second bag holding portion 12 may be performed in this order.

[0070] In addition, the holding of bag B by the second bag holding portion 12, the holding and release of bag B by the movable processing portion 13, the holding and release of bag B by the first bag holding portion 11, and the holding and release of bag B by the second bag holding portion 12 may be performed in this order.

[0071] In addition, the holding and release of bag B by the movable processing unit 13, the holding of bag B by the second bag holding unit 12, the holding and release of bag B by the first bag holding unit 11, and the holding and release of bag B by the second bag holding unit 12 may be performed in this order.

[0072] Bag B may have other members (e.g., zippers, etc.) having functions different from spout B2, and such other members may be attached to bag body B1. Also, bag body B1 itself may have a locally thick portion. For example, the locally thick portion may be constituted by a portion of bag body B1 having a greater number of layers than other portions. For example, a free-standing bag that can stand on its own when unfolded may have such a locally thick portion.

[0073] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications. For example, various modifications may be made to each element of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, or the configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be combined partially or entirely. In addition, the effects achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and unique effects according to the specific configurations of each embodiment may also be achieved. Thus, various additions, modifications, and partial deletions are possible for each element described in the claims, specification, abstract, and drawings, within the scope of the technical idea and intent of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10 bag processing device, 11 first bag holding section, 11a front side holding section, 11b back side holding section, 12 second bag holding section, 13 movable processing section, 13a first movable processing section, 13b second movable processing section, 21 clamping support section, 22 clamping surface member, 23 opening and closing device, 24 moving drive device, 24a moving drive main body, 24b holding advance / retract shaft, 25 mounting section, 31 support fixing section, 32 clamping advance / retract shaft, 32a first clamping advance / retract shaft, 32b second clamping advance / retract shaft, 33 movable processing unit, 35 seal box, 36 stand, 50 control device, 51 first holding drive section, 52 second holding drive section, 53 movable processing drive section, 54 first holding movement section, 55 first holding opening / closing section, 56 second holding movement section, 57 second holding opening / closing section, B bag, B1 Bag body, B2 spout, B3 seal portion, B4 cooling seal portion, B11 front body portion, B12 back body portion, B21 spout flow path, B22 spout tip portion, B31 first holding point, B32 second holding point, P1 discharge position, P11 first approaching position, P12 first separating position, P21 second approaching position, P22 second separating position, P31 third approaching position, P32 third separating position, S11 first closed state, S12 first open state, S21 second closed state, S22 second open state, S31 third closed state, S32 third open state

Claims

1. A process of holding a bag having an asymmetric shape or a locally large thickness by a first bag holding part and moving it to a release position; a step of holding an upper end of the bag by a second bag holding portion while the bag disposed at the release position is held by the first bag holding portion; a step of releasing the first bag holding unit from holding the bag and moving the first bag holding unit to a predetermined retracted position while the second bag holding unit is holding the bag disposed at the release position; a step of releasing the second bag holding unit from holding the bag while the first bag holding unit is positioned at the predetermined retracted position, The bag processing method, wherein the predetermined retracted position is a position where the first bag holding portion does not contact the bag in the step of releasing the second bag holding portion from holding the bag.

2. A bag processing method as described in claim 1, wherein the bag has a bag body and a member attached to the bag body.

3. A bag processing method as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag is a self-standing bag.

4. A device comprising a movable first bag holding portion and a second bag holding portion that are configured to be able to hold and release a bag having an asymmetrical shape or a locally large thickness, the first bag holding section holds and moves the bag to a release position; the second bag holding portion holds an upper end of the bag while the first bag holding portion holds the bag disposed at the release position; the first bag holding section releases the bag disposed at the release position while the second bag holding section holds the bag, and moves the bag to a predetermined retracted position; The second bag holding unit releases the bag while the first bag holding unit is positioned at the predetermined retracted position. The bag processing device, wherein the predetermined retracted position is a position where the first bag holding section does not come into contact with the bag when the second bag holding section releases the bag.

5. A bag processing device as described in Claim 4, wherein the bag has a bag body and a member attached to the bag body.

6. A bag processing device as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein the bag is a self-standing bag.

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