Rolled sleeve packaging device

Abstract

To provide a rolled sleeve packaging device with a simple structure, capable of changing the track for winding a film in accordance with the size of an article to be packaged, efficiently winding the film around the article to be packaged and packaging the article neatly and compactly.SOLUTION: The rolled sleeve packaging device includes in the following order in one direction: a supply conveyor 14 which carries in the articles 12 to be packaged; an intermediate conveyor 16; and a discharge conveyor 18 which carries out the articles 12 to be packaged. A rotating member 50 which rotates with the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16 as its diameter direction is provided on the side of the intermediate conveyor 16. The rotating member 50 is provided with a rotating bar 54 which holds film 52 and wraps it around the articles 12 to be packaged. A rack 64 and a pinion 76 which move the rotating bar 54 relative to the rotating member 50 are provided between the rotating member 50 and the rotating bar 54.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wrap sleeve packaging device that wraps a strip of heat-shrinkable film around an item to be packaged to shrink package it. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a film packaging device that wraps a strip-shaped film around an item to be packaged and packages it, there is a film packaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. This film packaging device has a supply conveyor that is provided at one end of a base and carries in the item to be packaged, a packaging conveyor that continues downstream of the supply conveyor with a gap of a predetermined width, and a transport conveyor that continues downstream of the supply conveyor with a gap of a predetermined width and carries out the item to be packaged. Near the packaging conveyor, a chain is provided that is provided in a ring shape that is provided vertically to the packaging conveyor and has the flow direction of the packaging conveyor as the diameter direction. The chain is provided with a swivel bar that holds the film and wraps it around the item to be packaged. The chain is provided with a change means that changes the track vertically according to the size of the item to be packaged. The change means is a chain holding member fixed to the base, a plurality of fixed sprockets provided on the chain holding member, a sliding member that is movable relative to the chain holding member, and a plurality of movable sprockets provided on the sliding member. The chain is placed around a fixed sprocket and a movable sprocket. One of the fixed sprockets is connected to a motor and driven, while one of the movable sprockets is urged in a direction intersecting the chain, bending part of the chain to obtain a predetermined tension. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-213872 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned background art, the pivot bar changes its position along the vertical direction, which makes it difficult to perform fine adjustments, and the structure is complicated, requiring many sprockets and sliding members, which increases manufacturing costs and makes adjustments and maintenance difficult.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems in the background art described above, and has an object to provide a rolled sleeve packaging device with a simple structure, capable of changing the trajectory for winding a film in accordance with the size of the packaged item, and capable of efficiently wrapping the film around the packaged item to produce a neat and compact package. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a roll-sleeve packaging device that wraps an item to be packaged in a shrink packaging film in a vertical direction to form a tube with the ends overlapping at a predetermined width, and heats and shrinks the film to shrink package the item to be packaged. The roll-sleeve packaging device includes a supply conveyor that carries in the item to be packaged, an intermediate conveyor having a swivel bar provided on the side that holds the film and wraps it around the item to be packaged, and a discharge conveyor that carries out the item to be packaged, which are arranged in sequence so that the item to be packaged flows in one direction, a swivel member that rotates with the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor as its diameter direction is provided on the side of the intermediate conveyor, the swivel bar is attached to the swivel member, and a moving member that moves the swivel bar while it is rotating relative to the swivel member is provided between the swivel member and the swivel bar, and the trajectory of the swivel bar can be changed by the moving member to match the size of the item to be packaged.

[0007] The moving member preferably comprises a pinion driven by a motor and a rack meshing with the pinion.

[0008] A gap is provided between the supply conveyor and the intermediate conveyor, a film supplying device that supplies the film toward the gap is provided below the supply conveyor or the intermediate conveyor, the film supplying device has a conveyor belt that carries the film and moves, a suction chamber that sucks air through the hole and adsorbs the film, the suction chamber is divided into at least two, and the suction force is strong or weak for each part of the conveyor belt, with the suction force being relatively weak near the gap. A cutter is provided upstream of the film supplying device to cut the film that has been pulled out to a predetermined length.

[0009] A push-out member is provided near the area between the supply conveyor and the intermediate conveyor, which pushes the items to be packaged from the supply conveyor toward the intermediate conveyor. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The sleeve packaging device of the present invention has a simple structure, can change the trajectory for winding the film according to the size of the packaged item, and can efficiently wrap the film around the packaged item to package it neatly and compactly. Moreover, the manufacturing cost is low, and adjustment and maintenance are easy. In addition, it can accurately feed even unstable packaged items, easily supply the film and wind it around the packaged item, and perform the packaging work reliably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a sleeve packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4A and 4B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, of a rotating member of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment. [Figure 4] 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, and 13E are front views showing the operation of a swiveling member when the trajectory of the swiveling bar of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment forms the same semicircular circumference as the end of the swiveling member. [Diagram 5] 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are front views showing the operation of the swiveling member of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment when the trajectory of the swiveling bar becomes a small, deformed semicircular circumference different from that at the end of the swiveling member. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, of a film supplying device of the sleeve packaging apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are front views showing the operation of a rotary cutter of a film supplying device of the sleeve packaging apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] 4A, 4B, and 4C are front views showing the film supply device and the intermediate conveyor operation of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment. [Figure 9] 4A and 4B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, of a feed bar of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment. [Figure 10] 13A to 13E are front views showing the operation of a feed bar of the sleeve packaging device of this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show one embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a sleeve packaging device 10 is provided with a base (not shown) that is placed on the floor, and the underside of the base is provided with legs that stand on the floor and casters that are used when moving the device.

[0013] On the upper surface of the base, a supply conveyor 14 is provided at one end of the base to carry in the packaged items 12, an intermediate conveyor 16 is connected to the downstream side of the supply conveyor 14, and a discharge conveyor 18 is provided at the opposite end of the base to carry out the packaged items 12, and these are arranged in sequence so that they flow in one direction. A gap 20 is provided between the supply conveyor 14 and the intermediate conveyor 16, and a gap 22 is provided between the intermediate conveyor 16 and the discharge conveyor 18.

[0014] The supply conveyor 14 is attached to a conveyor holding plate 24 attached to the end of the base. The conveyor holding plate 24 is a long plate that runs along the flow direction of the supply conveyor 14 and is provided facing each other in the vertical direction. A plurality of conveyor rolls 26 are attached to predetermined positions of the conveyor holding plate 24, and a conveyor belt 28 is hung on each of the conveyor rolls 26. One of the conveyor rolls 26 is connected to a motor (not shown). A variable device that slides horizontally to change the position is provided at the end of the supply conveyor 14 adjacent to the gap 20, making it easier to move the packaged items 12 from the supply conveyor 14 to the intermediate conveyor 16. In order to further reduce the gap 20, a plate 15 is provided at the end of the supply conveyor 14 adjacent to the gap 20, and the packaged items 12 are securely held even if they are heavy.

[0015] The intermediate conveyor 16 is attached to a conveyor holding plate 32 attached to the center of the base. The conveyor holding plate 32 is a long plate that runs along the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16 and faces vertically. A plurality of conveyor rolls 34 are attached to predetermined positions of the conveyor holding plate 32, and a conveyor belt 36 is hung on each of the conveyor rolls 34. One of the conveyor rolls 34 is connected to a motor. A variable device that slides horizontally to change the position is also provided at the end of the intermediate conveyor 16 adjacent to the gap 22, making it easier to move the packaged items 12 from the intermediate conveyor 16 to the discharge conveyor 18, and also moving the position of the gap 22 to match the track of a rotating bar 54 described later.

[0016] The discharge conveyor 18 is attached to a conveyor holding plate 38 attached to the end of the base opposite to the supply conveyor 14. The conveyor holding plate 38 is a long plate along the flow direction of the discharge conveyor 18 and is provided facing vertically. A plurality of conveyor rolls 40 are attached to predetermined positions of the conveyor holding plate 38, and a conveyor belt 42 is hung on each of the conveyor rolls 40. One of the conveyor rolls 40 is connected to a motor (not shown). A variable device that slides horizontally to change the position is also provided at the end of the discharge conveyor 18 adjacent to the gap 22, making it easier to move the packaged items 12 from the intermediate conveyor 16 to the discharge conveyor 18, and also moves the position of the gap 22 to match the track of a rotating bar 54 described later.

[0017] A swivel member 50 is provided on the horizontal side of the intermediate conveyor 16, which rotates with the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16 as its diameter direction. A swivel bar 54 is attached to the swivel member 50, which holds a shrink-wrapping film 52 and wraps it around the packaged item 12. The swivel member 50 and the swivel bar 54 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The swivel member 50 is a long rectangular plate that is aligned with the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16, and each corner is chamfered and faces vertically. A shaft member 68 that intersects the surface of the swivel member 50 at a substantially right angle penetrates the middle of the swivel member 50 in the longitudinal direction, as described later. A slit 58 is provided in the swivel member 50 near both ends in the longitudinal direction, penetrating the thickness of the swivel member 50 along the longitudinal direction. A rod-shaped guide rail 60 is attached approximately parallel to one side edge 50a of the swivel member 50 in the longitudinal direction near the side edge 50a. The guide rail 60 protrudes from the side surface of the swivel member 50 to a certain thickness.

[0018] A pair of sliding plates 62 are slidably fitted to the guide rail 60. The sliding plates 62 are plates attached to face the side of the swivel member 50, and the shape of the plates is an L-shape consisting of a long straight portion and a short side portion protruding at a substantially right angle from one end 62a located in the longitudinal direction of the straight portion. The pair of sliding plates 62 are symmetrical on the left and right, and the long straight portions of the pair of sliding plates 62 are attached along the guide rail 60, and the ends 62a where the short side portions are provided are located opposite each other, and the short side portions protrude to the opposite side from the side edge portion 50a of the swivel member 50. The ends 62b of the sliding plates 62 opposite the ends 62a face each other with a space between them. A sliding fitting 66 slidably attached to the guide rail 60 is attached to the surface of the sliding plate 62 facing the swivel member 50. Two sliding fittings 66 are attached to each sliding plate 62, respectively near a pair of ends 62a, 62b of the long straight portion.

[0019] The pair of end portions 62b are connected by one rack 64, which is a moving member, and integrally connect the pair of sliding plates 62. The rack 64 is a plate body that is long in one direction, and the longitudinal direction is attached approximately parallel to the long straight portions of the pair of sliding plates 62, that is, approximately parallel to the guide rail 60. Of a pair of side edges along the longitudinal direction of the rack 64, one side edge 64a is located on the side of a side edge 62c from which a short side portion of the sliding plate 62 protrudes, and teeth that mesh with a pinion 76, which will be described later, are formed along the side edge 64a.

[0020] A pair of pivot bars 54 are attached near the ends of the short sides of the pair of sliding plates 62. The pivot bars 54 are formed to have a length substantially equal to the width of the film 52, and are fixed in a cantilevered state substantially perpendicular to the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16, i.e., substantially perpendicular to the surface direction of the sliding plates 62. The ends of the pivot bars 54 attached to the sliding plates 62 penetrate the sliding plates 62 and protrude slightly to the opposite side, and are inserted into the slits 58 of the pivot member 50, so that they can slide along the longitudinal direction of the slits 58. The interval between the pair of pivot bars 54 is the interval at which the pivot bars 54 are inserted into the pair of slits 58, and when the sliding plates 62 are located to the left of the paper plane in Figures 1 and 3, the pair of pivot bars 54 are located at the left ends of the pair of slits 58 on the paper plane, and when the sliding plates 62 are located to the right of the paper plane, the pair of pivot bars 54 are located at the right ends of the pair of slits 58 on the paper plane. Even if the pivot bar 54 receives a force when winding the film 52, a part of the pivot bar 54 is inserted into the slit 58 and is stable. The pivot bar 54 may be provided on only one of the pair of sliding plates 62.

[0021] A shaft member 68 is provided penetrating the center of the rotating member 50 in the longitudinal direction, and its axial direction is approximately horizontal and approximately perpendicular to the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16. A pulley 70 is inserted midway through the shaft member 68. A pulley belt 72 is wound around the pulley 70, which is connected to a motor 74 for drive. The pulley 70 rotates integrally with the rotating member 50 via a connecting member provided coaxially with the shaft member 68.

[0022] One end of the shaft member 68 protrudes through the rotating member 50 and has a pinion 76, which is a moving member that meshes with the rack 64, fixed thereto, and the other end of the shaft member 68 protrudes through the pulley 70 and has a pulley 78, which has a smaller diameter than the pulley 70, fixed thereto. A pulley belt 80 is wound around the pulley 78 and is connected to and driven by a motor 82, which rotates the pinion 76 at a desired speed for a desired period of time and moves the pinion 76 to a desired position on the rack 64.

[0023] As a result, the position of the swivel bar 54 provided on the swivel member 50 can be moved along the longitudinal direction of the swivel member 50 during rotation, and the trajectory of the swivel bar 54 can be changed in the radial direction of the rotation when the swivel member 50 is rotated. The swivel member 50 rotates with the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16 as the diameter direction, and the end of the swivel member 50 goes around the periphery of the intermediate conveyor 16 as shown in A of FIG. 1. The swivel bar 54 attached to the end of the swivel member 50 also rotates together with the swivel member 50. The swivel member 50 is provided rotatably separately from the shaft member 68 and the pinion 76.

[0024] Below the supply conveyor 14, a film supply device 84 is provided which supplies film 52 toward the gap 20 between the supply conveyor 14 and the intermediate conveyor 16. The film supply device 84 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The film supply device 84 is attached to a film supply device holding plate 86 which is attached to a base below the supply conveyor 14. The film supply device holding plate 86 is a long plate that runs along the flow direction of the supply conveyor 14 and faces vertically. One longitudinal end of the film supply device 84 is located near the gap 20 between the supply conveyor 14 and the intermediate conveyor 16, and the opposite end is inclined downward as it approaches the upstream.

[0025] A plurality of conveyor rolls 88 are attached to the film supply device holding plate 86, and a conveyor belt 90 that carries and moves the film 52 is stretched around each conveyor roll 88. One of the conveyor rolls 88 is connected to a motor. The conveyor belt 90 rotates with the upper side flowing from the lower upstream side toward the gap 20 and the lower side flowing from the lower upstream side away from the gap 20. The conveyor belt 90 has small through holes 92 at regular intervals all over its surface, and is provided with a suction chamber 94 that sucks air from the through holes 92 downward to the conveyor belt 90 and adsorbs the film 52. The suction chamber 94 is provided between the upper side and the lower side, and sucks air from the through holes 92 on the upper side downward to adsorb the film 52 to the upper side. The suction chamber 94 is, for example, a plurality of thin pipes arranged in parallel to each other.

[0026] The suction chamber 94 is divided into at least two, and the strength of the suction force is varied depending on the position of the conveyor belt 90. Here, the suction chamber 94 is provided with a first suction chamber 94a, a second suction chamber 94b, and a third suction chamber 94c arranged in order from the side farthest from the gap 20, i.e., from the upstream side. The first suction chamber 94a and the second suction chamber 94b are each connected to a suction device 106 set to have a relatively strong suction force, and a valve 108 is provided in the middle of the flow path between the suction device 106 and each to turn on and off the suction. The third suction chamber 94c is connected to another suction device (not shown) set to have a relatively weaker suction force than the suction device 106, and a valve (not shown) is provided in the middle of the flow path.

[0027] Of the multiple conveyor rolls 88, a film holding roll 96 that holds the film 52 by sandwiching it between the two is provided facing the conveyor roll 88a located on the upstream side. Further upstream of the film supply device holding plate 86, a pair of film holding rolls 97 that feed the film 52 while holding it in a tensioned state with a certain force are provided facing each other above and below. One of the film holding rolls 97 is connected to and driven by a motor 98. A rotary cutter 100 that cuts the film 52 to a predetermined length is provided between the conveyor roll 88a and the film holding roll 97, and the rotary cutter 100 is connected to and driven by a motor 102. The rotary cutter 100 has sawtooth 104 formed along the axial direction.

[0028] A feed bar 110, which is a feed member that pushes out the articles 12 from the feed conveyor 14 toward the intermediate conveyor 16, is provided above the gap 20 between the supply conveyor 14 and the intermediate conveyor 16. The feed bar 110 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The feed bar 110 is a long rod that is substantially horizontal and intersects with the flow direction of the supply conveyor 14, and support plates 112 are attached to both ends of the feed bar 110 at substantially right angles to the longitudinal direction of the feed bar 110. The end of the support plate 112 opposite the feed bar 110 is connected to a rotating shaft 114 that moves the feed bar 110, and the rotating shaft 114 is connected to a motor 116.

[0029] Next, the operation of the sleeve packaging device 10 of this embodiment will be described. First, a roll of the film 52 (not shown) is set near the film supply device 84, and while being held by a pair of film holding rolls 97, the film holding rolls 97 are driven by a motor 98 to pull out an end of the film 52 from the roll. The end of the pulled-out film 52 is sent out while being held by the opposing film holding roll 96 and conveyor roll 88a, and the rotary cutter 100 is driven by a motor 102 to cut the film 52 when it has been pulled out to a predetermined length. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the sawtooth 104 of the rotary cutter 100 first waits at a position facing the pair of film holding rolls 97, and when the film 52 has been pulled out to a predetermined length, the rotary cutter 100 is driven by the motor 102 to make the sawtooth 104 bite into the film 52, as shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0030] At this time, from the start of rotation until approximately 60°, the rotary cutter 100 is rotated slower than the payout speed of the film 52 to ensure that the sawtooth 104 bites into the film 52. The rotary cutter 100 is rotated slower than the conveyor roll 88a and the film holding roll 97 to ensure that the sawtooth 104 bites into the film 52 and to create a state in which tension is applied to the film 52 by the biting of the sawtooth 104. At the position where the sawtooth 104 bites into the film 52 at right angles, the motor 98 is controlled to slow down the speed of the film holding roll 97 to apply tension to the film 52 on the upstream side.

[0031] 7(c), the sawtooth 104 is driven by approximately 90° to a position facing the conveyor roll 88a, and the film 52 is cut. This forms a cut portion 52a in the film 52 that is approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. From the time when the cutter's entry angle becomes approximately perpendicular to the film 52 until the film 52 has been fed to the conveyor belt 90, the speed of the rotary cutter 100 is made the same as the payout speed of the film 52. This prevents wrinkles from occurring in the film 52, and allows the film 52 to be cut easily.

[0032] The cut film 52 is carried on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 90, at which point it is sucked by a suction device 106 through a suction chamber 94 provided below a through hole 92 in the conveyor belt 90, and the film 52 is adsorbed and held by the conveyor belt 90. At this time, the suction force of the third suction chamber 94c on the downstream side is set to be weaker than that of the first suction chamber 94a and second suction chamber 94b on the upstream side. On the upstream side, because the rotary cutter 100 located upstream rotates slower than the conveyor belt 90 and film holding roll 97, the suction force is strengthened to hold the film 52 securely.

[0033] At the downstream side, near the gap 20 of the film supply device 84, the film 52 moves faster than the conveyor belt 90 due to the downstream pivot bar 54, so the suction force is weakened to prevent the film 52 from being loaded and to prevent the film 52 from being displaced. Here, the suction force of each suction chamber 94 is set to be the same for the first suction chamber 94a and the second suction chamber 94b, and weaker only for the third suction chamber 94c, but the suction force may be set appropriately. For example, the suction force of the first suction chamber 94a, the second suction chamber 94b, and the third suction chamber 94c may be set to be weaker in order, or the suction force of the first suction chamber 94a may be strong, and the suction force of the second suction chamber 94b and the third suction chamber 94c may be set to be the same and weaker. The suction chamber 94 may stop suctioning by a valve 108 after the film 52 is removed.

[0034] In this manner, the film 52 cut by the rotary cutter 100 to form the cut portion 52a is adsorbed and transported by the conveyor belt 90, and the downstream end portion exits the gap 20 between the supply conveyor 14 and the intermediate conveyor 16 and is presented toward the intermediate conveyor 16.

[0035] Next, the packaged article 12 is placed on the supply conveyor 14 and moved. Here, the packaged article 12 is a plurality of PET bottles 12a containing beverages or the like arranged in a row. For example, 40 PET bottles 12a containing 500 ml are arranged in a row, and each of the bottles weighs about 20 kg. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the packaged article 12 moves to the intermediate conveyor 16 through the gap 20, and at this time, the downstream end of the film 52 is sandwiched between the intermediate conveyor 16 and the bottom of the packaged article 12. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the film 52 is pulled out of the film supply device 84 as the intermediate conveyor 16 moves while being sandwiched. With the upstream end opposite the packaged article 12 in the film supply device 84, the swivel member 50 is driven by the motor 74 to rotate, and the swivel bar 54 passes through the gap 20 from bottom to top. Then, as shown in Figure 8(c), the upstream end of film 52 moves above the packaged items 12 in conjunction with the movement of pivot bar 54, overtakes the packaged items 12, passes through gap 22 between intermediate conveyor 16 and discharge conveyor 18, and moves below discharge conveyor 18. Note that Figure 8 shows film 52 separated from conveyor belt 90 of the film supply device so that it can be seen.

[0036] When the packaged article 12 moves from the supply conveyor 14 to the intermediate conveyor 16, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the longitudinal direction of the swivel member 50 is approximately parallel to the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor 16 and is positioned approximately horizontally while waiting. At this time, the swivel bars 54 attached to both ends of the swivel member 50 are positioned below the film 52, that is, below the conveyor belt 42 of the intermediate conveyor 16. After the packaged article 12 moves to the intermediate conveyor 16, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the swivel member 50 is driven counterclockwise in the drawing by the motor 74, and the film 52 is pulled out by the swivel bar 54 located on the right side in the drawing. Then, as shown in FIG. 4(c), (d), and (e), the swivel member 50 rotates 180°, and the swivel bar 54 passes the packaged article 12 and winds up the film 52. At this time, the pinion 76 is also rotated by the motor 82 in synchronization with the angular velocity and rotation angle of the swivel member 50, so that the position of the pinion 76 on the rack 64 does not change, and the trajectory of the swivel bar 54 forms a semicircle, the same as the end of the swivel member 50, as shown in Figure 4(e).

[0037] When the packaged item 12 is small, the pinion 76 is rotated out of sync with the angular velocity and rotation angle of the swivel member 50, the length of the swivel bar 54 from the shaft member 68 is shortened, and the path of the swivel bar 54 is made smaller than the end of the swivel member 50, forming a substantially elliptical circumference. First, from the standby position shown in Fig. 5(a), as shown in Fig. 5(b), the swivel member 50 is driven counterclockwise in the drawing by the motor 74, and the film 52 is pulled out by the swivel bar 54 located on the right side in the drawing. Then, as shown in Figs. 5(c), (d), and (e), the swivel member 50 rotates 180°, and the swivel bar 54 passes the packaged item 12 and winds up the film 52. At this time, the rotation of the pinion 76 is not synchronized with the angular velocity and rotation angle of the swivel member 50, and while the swivel member 50 rotates 180°, the sliding plate 62 to which the swivel bar 54 is fixed moves along the guide rail 60, and the position of the swivel bar 54 moves a predetermined distance, changing the trajectory of the swivel bar 54. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(e), when the swivel bar 54 moves 100 mm to the right, and the movement amount per tooth of the pinion 76 on the rack 64 is 6.28 mm, 100 mm÷6.28 mm=16 teeth. When the pinion 76 does not rotate relative to the swivel member 50, the rack 64 is in the position where the pinion 76 rotates 15 teeth clockwise, so the pinion 76 is further rotated clockwise by one tooth.

[0038] Then, the sending bar 110 pushes the packaged item 12 from the supply conveyor 14 toward the intermediate conveyor 16. As shown in FIG. 10(a), when the packaged item 12 moves from the supply conveyor 14 to the intermediate conveyor 16, the support plate 112 protrudes upstream of the rotating shaft 114 to make the sending bar 110 wait above so as not to interfere with the packaged item 12. When a part of the packaged item 12 is placed on the intermediate conveyor 16, as shown in FIG. 10(b), (c), and (d), the rotating shaft 114 is driven by the motor 116, and the sending bar 110 pushes the upstream side of the packaged item 12 and pushes it out until the packaged item 12 is placed on the intermediate conveyor 16. When the packaged item 12 is placed on the intermediate conveyor 16 and the rotating bar 54 passes through the gap 22 to hold the film 52, the rotating bar 54 returns to the waiting position again. Therefore, the rotating bar 54 and the sending bar 110 do not interfere with each other. The packaged items 12 are pushed through without being left behind by the plate 15 provided at the end of the supply conveyor 14 adjacent to the gap 20. Also, a variable device that can change its position by sliding horizontally is provided at the end of the supply conveyor 14 adjacent to the gap 20, so while the gap 20 is wide in Figure 10(a) , in Figure 10(b) and subsequent figures, the gap 20 is narrowed, making it easier to move the packaged items 12.

[0039] In this manner, the film 52 is wrapped around the packaged item 12 placed on the intermediate conveyor 16 by the swivel bar 54, and the upstream end of the film 52 wrapped around the swivel bar 54 is inserted into the gap 22. The packaged item 12 is then transported by the intermediate conveyor 16, passing through the gap 22 and moving to the discharge conveyor 18, at which point the upstream end of the film 52 is sandwiched between the bottom of the packaged item 12 and the outside of the downstream end that was initially sandwiched between the supply conveyor 14, and the ends overlap at a predetermined width, and the film 52 goes around the packaged item 12 in the vertical direction once to form a cylinder, and is then wound up. The packaged item 12 wrapped around the film 52 is transported by the discharge conveyor 18, and is heated in a heating device (not shown), causing the film 52 to thermally shrink and adhere to the packaged item 12, completing the shrink packaging.

[0040] Since a variable device is provided at the end of the intermediate conveyor 16 and the discharge conveyor 18 adjacent to the gap 22, the gap 22 may be narrowed when the packaged items 12 move from the intermediate conveyor 16 to the discharge conveyor 18 and widened after the packaged items 12 move. Also, the position of the gap 22 may be changed while keeping the length of the gap 22 constant in accordance with the trajectory of the pivot bar 54.

[0041] According to the sleeve packaging device 10 of this embodiment, the trajectory of winding the film 52 can be changed according to the size of the packaged object 12 with a simple structure using the rack 64 and the pinion 76, and the film 52 can be efficiently wrapped around the packaged object 12 to package it neatly and compactly. The film 52 can be neatly packaged without sagging or wrinkling. Since the rack 64 and the pinion 76 are used, the trajectory of the turning bar 54 can be set accurately and easily, the cost is low, and adjustment and maintenance are easy. In addition, even unstable packaged objects 12 can be accurately sent by the sending bar 110. It is possible to deal with unstable packaged objects 12 such as a large number of PET bottles 12a, and it is possible to package a large number of various types of PET bottles 12a. Multiple PET bottles 12a can be bundled into one, making transportation, storage, and management easy. A plate 15 is provided at the end of the supply conveyor 14 adjacent to the gap 20 to securely hold the packaged items 12 even if they are heavy, and by pushing out the packaged items 12 with a delivery bar 110, the packaged items 12 are not left behind on the plate 15.

[0042] The film supply device 84 allows the film 52 to be easily supplied and wound around the packaged item 12, eliminating waste of the film 52 and ensuring reliable packaging. The rotary cutter 100 rotates slower than the film holding roll 97 at first, allowing the sawtooth 104 to bite into the film 52 well. The suction force is varied depending on the position of the conveyor belt 90 of the film supply device 84, and the suction force is stronger on the upstream side, so that the rotary cutter 100 located upstream can reliably hold the film 52 even if it rotates slower than the conveyor belt 90 and the film holding roll 97. The suction force is weakened on the downstream side, so that even if the film 52 rotates faster than the conveyor belt 90 due to the pivot bar 54 located downstream, no load is placed on the pivot bar 54, and the film 52 is prevented from slipping.

[0043] The sleeve packaging device of this embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment. The moving member may be a pinion and rack driven by a motor, or may be a device capable of moving a swivel bar relative to the swivel member. The packaged items may be other than PET bottles containing drinking water, etc., and the number and shape of the packaged items may be freely changed. The number and arrangement of each conveyor roll and film holding roll may be freely changed. A guide member or the like may be provided to hold the film down so that it does not rise too high when the film is wrapped around the packaged item by the swivel bar. The suction chamber may be divided into at least two parts, and may be divided into four or more parts. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10 Sleeve wrapping device 12 Items to be packaged 14 Supply Conveyor 16 Intermediate conveyor 18 Discharge conveyor 20 Gap 50 Swivel member 52 Film 54 Swivel bar 64 Rack 76 Pinion 84 Film supply device 90 Conveyor Belt 92 Through hole 94 Suction Chamber 100 Rotary Cutter 110 Delivery bar

Claims

1. A sleeve-wrapped packaging device vertically wraps an item in a shrink-wrap film to form a cylindrical shape with the ends overlapping at a predetermined width, and then heat-shrinks the film to shrink-wrap the item, A supply conveyor that carries in the packaged items, an intermediate conveyor that has a swivel bar on the side that holds the film and wraps it around the packaged items, and a discharge conveyor that carries out the packaged items are arranged in order so that the packaged items flow in one direction, A roll sleeve packaging device characterized in that a rotating member which rotates with the flow direction of the intermediate conveyor as its diameter direction is provided on the side of the intermediate conveyor, the rotating bar is attached to the rotating member, and a moving member which moves the rotating bar while rotating relative to the rotating member is provided between the rotating member and the rotating bar, and the moving member is configured to change the trajectory of the rotating bar to match the size of the packaged item.

2. 2. The roll sleeve packaging device according to claim 1, wherein said moving member comprises a pinion driven by a motor and a rack meshed with said pinion.

3. 3. The roll sleeve packaging device of claim 1 or 2, wherein a gap is provided between the supply conveyor and the intermediate conveyor, and a film supplying device is provided below the supply conveyor or the intermediate conveyor for supplying the film toward the gap, and the film supplying device has a conveyor belt that carries the film and moves, the conveyor belt having a through hole, and a suction chamber that sucks air through the through hole to adsorb the film, the suction chamber being divided into at least two, and the suction force is varied in strength for each portion of the conveyor belt, with the suction force being relatively weak near the gap.

4. 3. The roll sleeve packaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a cutter disposed upstream of said film supply device for cutting said film that has been pulled out to a predetermined length.

5. 3. The roll sleeve packaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a push-out member disposed near the intermediate conveyor between the supply conveyor and the intermediate conveyor for pushing out the packaged items from the supply conveyor toward the intermediate conveyor.

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