Sandwich packaging device

Abstract

To provide a sandwich packaging device capable of providing a neatly packaged product in which a packaging material is folded well without being loose around a sandwich.SOLUTION: A sandwich packaging device includes a conveyor G that pinches the front and back of a triangular sandwich wrapped in film in the thickness direction, with a palm-shaped back seal part of the film facing up, and transports the sandwich with the cut surface facing down. The sandwich packaging device also includes a first processing station S1, a second processing station S2, a third processing station S3, and a fourth processing station S4 which are arranged in such an order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the conveyor G, and perform various processes when the conveyor G stops intermittently. At each of the processing stations S1 to S4, tubular extensions extending to the right and left from the sandwich are folded and sealed to produce a package in which the film is in close contact with the surface of the sandwich.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sandwich packaging device that folds and seals the left and right extended portions of a packaging material wrapped around a triangular sandwich. [Background technology]

[0002] As a device for packaging sandwiches, a packaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. The packaging device of Patent Document 1 is configured to push the sandwich toward the upper and lower extension parts of the film (packaging material) pulled out from a film roll, wrap the sandwich with the film, seal and cut it, and in the process of receiving the wrapped and sealed sandwich on a transfer conveyor and conveying it downstream, fold the parts of the extension parts extending to the left and right from the wrapped cylindrical film sandwich that face each inclined surface of the sandwich from the top part with a first folding body so as to follow each inclined surface, fold and overlap each of the lateral extension parts of the film extending outward from each side on the upstream and downstream sides in the thickness direction of each inclined surface with a second folding body so as to follow the inclined surface, and seal the bottom side of the sandwich at the extension base part of the folded extension part of the film extending outward in the thickness direction of the sandwich to package it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2676308 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the packaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the first folding body, which folds the portions of the cylindrical film facing the inclined surfaces of the sandwich so as to follow the inclined surfaces, is separated from the inclined surfaces when the second folding body folds the side extensions along the inclined surfaces, and the support of the previously folded film is released while the side extensions are folded over the inclined surfaces, and the first folding body and the second folding body fold the film on both sides simultaneously, so that the film folded over the surface of the sandwich may develop folding wrinkles or may end up in a packaged state that is generally loose around the sandwich. Also, the folded edges of the film are folded in a curved, rounded state without sharp edges, so that the package may end up being generally loose.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a sandwich packaging device which can obtain a well-folded package without loosening and folding the packaging material over the surface of the sandwich. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the first means is: a processing conveyor (G) for conveying the sandwich (11) which is wrapped around the body with packaging material (10a) and has a palm-shaped back seal portion (16) facing upward and a cut surface (11A) of the triangular sandwich (11) facing downward and is held at the front and rear by clamping members (51, 52); and a plurality of processing stations (S1 to S4) are disposed on the conveying path of the processing conveyor (G) for performing a predetermined process of folding and forming the cylindrical extension portions (43) of the packaging material (10a) extending to the left and right of the sandwich (11); The first processing station (S1) and the third processing station (S3) are provided with a folding means (60) for folding the upper extension portion (43a) of the tubular extension portion (43) downward so that the upper extension portion (43a) is aligned with the inclined surface (11B) of the sandwich (11), a guide means (61) for entering into the tubular extension portion (43) before the tubular extension portion (43) is folded downward and supporting the folded edge portion (62a) of the side extension portion (43b) of the tubular extension portion (43) from the inside, and a side seal means (64) for forming vertical side seal portions (63) on a pair of folded extension portions (62, 62) formed by folding the upper extension portion (43a) downward. The second processing station (S2) and the fourth processing station (S4) are provided with a support member (86) that supports the upper extension portion (43a) folded downward by the folding means (60) along the inclined surface (11B) of the sandwich (11), a folding means (87) that alternately folds the folded extension portions (62), 62) onto an upper portion of the support member (86) while the upper extension portion (43a) is supported by the support member (86), and a horizontal sealing means (89, 109) that horizontally seals the folded extension portion (62) folded by the folding means (87) so as to intersect with the side seal portion (63) at a protruding base portion from the cut surface (11A) of the sandwich (11) to form a horizontal seal portion (98, 110), The gist of the present invention is that a cutting means (115) is provided for cutting off a portion protruding outward from the transversely sealed portion in the second or fourth processing station (S2, S4). Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the tubular extensions of the packaging material that are wrapped around the sandwich and extend to the left and right are folded one by one in turn at different processing stations, and the folded edges are left with corners, so that the sandwich does not end up in a loose package that would spoil its appearance, and the packaging material does not slacken on the surface of the sandwich, allowing the sandwich to be packaged well. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a sandwich wrapping device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a sandwich wrapping device; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic front view showing a main part of a sandwich packaging device. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a sandwich packaging device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a bending means, a guide means, and a side sealing means. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a bending means. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a main portion showing a guide means and a side seal means. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a folding means. [Figure 9] 13 is a schematic view of a main portion showing the relationship between the support member and the folding means when the side extension portion is folded over. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a bottom seal means. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the sandwich surrounded by a film formed into a cylindrical shape. [Figure 12] This is a schematic perspective view of a sandwich package, viewed from one side and the other side of the inclined surfaces sloping to both sides from the top edge when a triangular sandwich is placed with the cut surface (the surface obtained by cutting a square loaf of bread diagonally) facing down. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a process explanatory diagram showing a process of folding a sandwich package, divided into processing steps for each of first to fourth processing stations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Next, a preferred embodiment of a sandwich packaging device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0010] As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the sandwich packaging device includes a processing conveyor G that clamps (supports) a triangular sandwich 11 wrapped around the body with a film (packaging material) 10 from the front and rear in the overlapping direction (thickness direction) of the bread and transports it downstream, and a first processing station S1, a second processing station S2, a third processing station S3 and a fourth processing station S4 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the product transport direction in the transport path of the sandwich 11 by the processing conveyor G, for performing various processes such as folding the cylindrical extensions 43, 43 of the film 10 extending to the left and right that intersect with the transport direction of the sandwich 11 (hereinafter referred to as the product transport direction) in stages along the surface of the sandwich 11 and sealing the folded film 10 when the processing conveyor G stops intermittently. The packaging device also includes a body wrapping packaging mechanism 12 on the upstream side of the processing conveyor G that wraps the sandwich 11 around the body with the film 10.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the wrapping mechanism 12 includes a film supplying means 14 for vertically stretching the strip-shaped film 10 drawn out from a film roll (supply source) 13 around which the strip-shaped film 10 is wound so as to cross the conveying path of the sandwich 11, an article supplying means 15 for intermittently conveying the sandwich 11 toward a film stretching section M, and an article supplying means 16 for supplying the sandwich 11 with the film stretching section M. The article supplying means 16 is disposed downstream of the stretching section M, passes through the stretching section M, is wrapped around the sandwich 11 in a cylindrical shape, and is disposed downstream of the sandwich 11 in the article conveying direction (upstream). The apparatus is equipped with a sealing means 17 that clamps the overlapped film 10 at one point on one of the triangular apexes (the side facing the triangular apex opposite to the cut surface (bottom surface) 11A during production of the triangular sandwich) and seals and cuts the overlapped portion that is overlapped in a gabled shape in the width direction intersecting the article transport direction to form a spine seal portion 16 (see Figure 11) extending in the width direction to a required width, and a delivery conveyor 18 composed of a lower conveyor 18a and an upper conveyor 18b that sends the wrapped sandwich 11 to the processing conveyor G.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the article supplying means 15 includes a first upstream supplying conveyor 19 and a second downstream supplying conveyor 20 arranged in series in the article conveying direction to place and convey the sandwich 11, and an upper conveyor 21 located above both supplying conveyors 19, 20 to convey the sandwich 11 sandwiched between the two supplying conveyors 19, 20. The article supplying means 15 supplies the sandwich 11 from the cut surface 11A side toward the stretched portion M of the film in a posture in which the overlapping direction (thickness direction) is up and down and the triangular apex opposite the bottom surface that becomes the cut surface 11A faces the rear side in the article conveying direction. In addition, an article pushing device 22 is arranged above the second supplying conveyor 20 to push the sandwich 11 conveyed by the second supplying conveyor 20 toward the strip-shaped film 10 stretched on the stretched portion M of the film. The article pushing device 22 includes pushing members 23, 23 (only one of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 3) that can abut against both inclined surfaces 11B, 11B facing backward of the sandwich 11, which is conveyed by the second supply conveyor 20 in a horizontal state with the thickness direction up and down, a first moving mechanism 24 that moves both pushing members 23, 23 closer to each other and away from each other in the width direction, and a second moving mechanism 25 that moves both pushing members 23, 23 forward and backward in the article conveying direction. The article pushing device 22 uses the first moving mechanism 24 to move the pushing members 23, 23 closer to each other and abut against the corresponding inclined surfaces 11B, 11B of the sandwich 11 in synchronization with the timing when the sandwich 11 conveyed by the second supply conveyor 20 arrives at an appropriate position and conveyance stops. Next, in conjunction with the intermittent transport of the second supply conveyor 20, the second moving mechanism 25 moves the pushing members 23, 23 downstream in synchronization with the second supply conveyor 20, and the second supply conveyor 20 and the pushing members 23, 23 supply the sandwich 11 from the cut surface 11A side toward the stretched portion M of the film by the second supply conveyor 20 and the pushing members 23, 23.

[0013] 3, the article pushing device 22 advances the pushing members 23, 23 to a position where the sandwich 11 supported from both sides by the pushing members 23, 23 is transferred to the delivery conveyor 18 beyond the spreading section M, and then moves the pushing members 23, 23 away from each other by a first moving mechanism 24 and moves them backward by a second moving mechanism 25. The pushing member 23 has a film supporting surface that, when in contact with the inclined surface 11B of the sandwich 11, protrudes slightly downstream from the cut surface 11A of the sandwich 11 or faces the same position, and is configured to prevent the cut surface 11A of the sandwich 11 from being deformed by the pulling resistance of the film 10 when the pushing members 23, 23 pull out the strip-shaped film 10 to wrap the sandwich 11 around the body.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, a roll holder 26 driven to rotate by a servo motor is rotatably disposed above the article supply means 15, and a film roll 13 is mounted on the roll holder 26, on which a strip-shaped film 10 wider than the length of the long side 11a (see Fig. 11) of the cut surface 11A of the sandwich 11 to be packaged is wound. The strip-shaped film 10 pulled out from the film roll 13 is supplied from above to below via a plurality of guide rollers 27 so as to cross the conveyance path of the sandwich 11 downstream of the second supply conveyor 20. An upper conveyance roller 28 driven to rotate by a servo motor is disposed on the film conveyance path above the article supply means 15, sandwiching the strip-shaped film 10 therebetween, and the strip-shaped film 10 is pulled out and rewound from the film roll 13 by driving the roll holder 26 and the upper conveyance roller 28 to rotate in the forward and reverse directions. Further, below the article supply means 15, a winding roller 29 rotated by a servo motor is rotatably disposed, and a lower conveying roller 31 rotated by a servo motor is disposed in a film conveying path along which the strip-shaped film 10 is guided by a plurality of guide rollers 30 until it reaches the winding roller 29, and sandwiching the strip-shaped film 10 therebetween. The winding roller 29 and the lower conveying roller 31 are rotated in the forward and reverse directions to pull out and take up the strip-shaped film 10 from the winding roller 29. In this embodiment, the film supply means 14 includes a roll holder 26, an upper conveying roller 28, a guide roller 27, the winding roller 29, a lower conveying roller 31, and a guide roller 30.

[0015] The film supplying means 14 is configured to pull out the strip film 10 from the film roll 13 and the winding roller 29 when the strip film 10 is pushed by the pushing members 23, 23 together with the sandwich 11, and after the strip film 10 wrapped around the sandwich 11 is seal-cut, to rewind the strip film 10 onto the film roll 13 and the winding roller 29 so as to spread the strip film 10 in the spreading section M. In addition, when the film is wound by the winding roller 29 after the seal cutting of the strip film 10, the film supplying means 14 stops winding the film by the winding roller 29 when a detection means such as an encoder provided on the lower conveying roller 31 detects that a preset amount of film has been wound. This allows the sealed portion 10b of the strip of film 10, which has been sealed and cut, to be moved to a position where it will not be used for packaging the next sandwich 11, and the strip of film 10 is stretched on the downstream side of the second supply conveyor 20, so that the sandwich 11 can be packaged in a packaged form with one back seal portion 16 formed on the top side.

[0016] 1 and 3, the sealing means 17 comprises a pair of sealing bodies 32a, 32b facing each other vertically across the article conveying path, and a knife 32c built into one of the sealing bodies 32a, and by bringing the pair of sealing bodies 32a, 32b close to each other, the overlapping portions of the film 10 wrapped around the body and overlapping at the rear of the conveying of the sandwich 11 are clamped and sealed in the width direction, and the film 10 is cut in the width direction by the knife 32c to form the spine seal portion 16. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the spine seal portion 16 comprises a welded portion 16a of a required width overlapping in a palm-to-palm shape, and an unsealed portion 16b of a required width on the open end side of the outer portion of the welded portion 16a. The lower conveyor 18a is configured as a shuttle conveyor in which an endless belt 18d is wound around a plurality of pulleys 18c, and the conveyance start end of the endless belt 18d moves forward and backward along the article conveying direction relative to the conveyance end of the second supply conveyor 20, following the approaching and separating movement of the pair of seal bodies 32a, 32b. That is, when the pair of seal bodies 32a, 32b approach each other, the opposing ends of the second supply conveyor 20 and the lower conveyor 18a separate to allow the film 10 to pass toward the clamping position where the pair of seal bodies 32a, 32b clamp the film 10, and when the pair of seal bodies 32a, 32b separate, the opposing ends of the lower conveyor 18a and the second supply conveyor 20 approach each other, allowing the sandwich 11 to be conveyed downstream without hindrance. In addition, the delivery conveyor 18 operates intermittently and is controlled to stop when the sealing bodies 32a, 32b clamp the film 10 in relation to the sealing action of the sealing bodies 32a, 32b, thereby sandwiching the wrapped sandwich 11 from above and below between the lower conveyor 18a and the upper conveyor 18b and sending it to the processing conveyor G.

[0017] 3, an upper guide member 33 that moves integrally with the upper sealing body 32a is disposed to extend in the width direction near the sealing surface at a position closer to the upstream side in the article conveying direction than the upper sealing body 32a. A lower guide member 34 is disposed to extend in the width direction between the conveying end of the second supply conveyor 20 and the conveying start end of the delivery conveyor 18. When the pair of sealing bodies 32a, 32b approach each other from positions spaced apart from each other, the strip-shaped film 10 can be supported by both guide members 33, 34 on the upstream side of the sealing bodies 32a, 32b.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 3, in the sealing means 17, a crease forming means 35 is disposed on the side of the downstream sealing member of the upper and lower sealing bodies 32a, 32b. The crease forming means 35 includes a first crease forming body 35a disposed on the upper sealing body 32a and a second crease forming body 35b disposed on the lower sealing body 32b facing the first crease forming body 35a, and is configured such that when the pair of sealing bodies 32a, 32b clamp the film 10 to seal and cut it, the overlapping portion of the film 10 on the sandwich side from the sealing position is clamped by the uneven portions formed on the tips of the crease forming bodies 35a, 35b, and a fold 36 (see Fig. 11) extending in the width direction parallel to the back seal portion 16 is formed in the overlapping portion. The crease forming means 35 of the embodiment forms a fold 36 shaped to tilt the back seal portion 16 downward in Fig. 3.

[0019] 1, in the film transport path of strip-shaped film 10 as it is pulled out from film roll 13 and reaches the sealing position by sealing means 17, notch forming means 38 is disposed which forms a pair of spaced-apart opening notches 37, 37 (see FIG. 11) on one widthwise edge of strip-shaped film 10. Notch forming means 38 includes a first packaging material guide 39 and a second packaging material guide 40 which include a pair of guide plates disposed on both sides of strip-shaped film 10 at a predetermined distance apart to allow strip-shaped film 10 to pass therethrough, and two cut-off blades 41, 42 which move back and forth in the thickness direction of strip-shaped film 10 by a linear actuator such as an air cylinder. The guide plates are formed with slits that allow the cutting tips of the cut-off blades 41, 42 to penetrate, and the cut-off blades 41, 42 are configured to advance from a retreated position away from the guide plates of the packaging material guides 39, 40 to an advanced position where the cutting tips penetrate the slits, thereby forming opening notches 37 in the strip-shaped film 10 supported by the guide plates by cutting a line extending linearly for a predetermined length from one side edge in the width direction of the film 10 to the other end. The notch forming means 38 forms opening notches 37, 37 with opening starting ends facing both sides of the spine seal portion 16 at a protruding portion 88 that protrudes outward from a bottom seal portion 98 formed by a bottom seal means 89 described later in a package of the packaged sandwich 11 described later.

[0020] A mark sensor (not shown) is disposed in the film transport path extending from the film roll 13 to the sealing means 17 to detect a registration mark applied to the strip-shaped film 10 for each packaging length. Based on detection of the registration mark by the mark sensor, during a period when transport of the strip-shaped film 10 is stopped after the mark sensor detects the registration mark, a linear actuator of the notch forming means 38 is actuated to thrust cutting edges 41, 42 into slits in packaging material guides 39, 40 to form opening notches 37, 37 in the strip-shaped film 10 during a period when transport of the strip-shaped film 10 is stopped after the mark sensor detects the registration mark.

[0021] In the packaging device of the embodiment, the strip-shaped film 10 drawn out to the spreading section M for the next packaging after packaging is positioned so that the second opening notch 37 formed by the upper second cutting blade 42 of the notch forming means 38 and the first opening notch 37 formed by the lower first cutting blade 41 in the next cycle are separated by one packaging length, and the middle between the lower second opening notch 37 and the upper first opening notch 37 coincides with the middle position K (see FIG. 1) in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the sandwich 11 placed on the conveying surface of the second supply conveyor 20. Also, the seal portion 10b formed in the previous packaging is wound up by the winding roller 29 to a lower position that will not be used in the next packaging.

[0022] The sandwich 11 wrapped around the body with the film 10 by the body-wrapping packaging mechanism 12 is, as shown in Figure 11, in a position facing the inclined surfaces 11B, 11B that incline to both sides from the top edge 11c of the sandwich 11 when the cut surface 12A is the bottom surface, and the film 10 is polymerized and sealed in a palm-shaped manner at a predetermined width at approximately the center of the thickness in the overlapping direction of the sandwich 11, so that the sandwich 11 is contained within the tubular film 10a on which the spine seal portion 16 is formed. In addition, the tubular extension portions 43, 43 extending to the left and right from the sandwich 11 in the tubular film 10a are composed of upper extension portions 43a, 43a extending from the top edge 11c where the two inclined surfaces 11B, 11B meet, side extension portions 43b, 43b extending outward from the oblique sides 11b, 11b facing the thickness direction of the inclined surfaces 11B, 11B, and lower extension portions 43c, 43c extending from the bottom side edges 11d, 11d where the inclined surfaces 11B, 11B meet the cut surface 11A, and in this embodiment, the two opening notches 37, 37 are formed on the edge portion 43d of the upper extension portion 43a facing one of the inclined surfaces 11B, sandwiching the back seal portion 16. In the embodiment, the triangular sandwich 11 wrapped around the body with packaging material 10 is supplied from the cut surface 11A to the receiving section 45 of the processing conveyor G described later with the cylindrical extension portions 43, 43 facing on the left and right and with the back seal portion 16 facing upstream (rear).

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the endless belt 18d of the lower conveyor 18a is composed of a plurality of endless belts 18d (three in the embodiment) arranged in parallel in the width direction, and the sandwich 11 is placed and transported by the three endless belts 18d. The delivery conveyor 18 feeds the wrapped sandwich 11 from the cut surface 11A side to the article receiving section 45 provided at the upstream end of the processing conveyor G by intermittent running controlled to stop when the sealing bodies 32a, 32b clamp the film in relation to the sealing operation of the sealing bodies 32a, 32b. The lower conveyor 18a is arranged such that the downstream end of the central endless belt 18d is located upstream of the downstream ends of the endless belts 18d, 18d on both sides, and a receiving table 46 is provided downstream of the central endless belt 18d on which the center part of the sandwich 11 transported by the delivery conveyor 18 is placed. The receiving table 46 is also formed with a notch 46a that allows a pair of clamping members 51, 52 (described later) for clamping the sandwich 11 to pass through.

[0024] 1 and 2, the processing conveyor G is provided with supports 49 arranged at predetermined intervals on an endless belt 47 with teeth that runs intermittently by a drive means, and that individually clamp the sandwiches 11 and transport them from an article receiving section 45 to a discharge section 48 provided at the downstream end of the processing conveyor G. The supports 49 are provided with a receiving surface 50 on which the cut surface 11A of the sandwich 11 is placed and supported, and a pair of clamping members 51, 52 that are arranged at the front and rear of the processing conveyor G in the article conveying direction and can clamp the sandwich 11 with the cut surface 11A supported by the receiving surface 50 from the thickness direction, and are configured such that, when the intermittent running of the endless belt 47 is stopped, the support 49 is positioned in the receiving section 45 with the receiving surface 50 facing the upstream side and the pair of clamping members 51, 52 spaced apart in the vertical direction. Also, a gap adjustment means 53 is provided corresponding to the receiving section 45, which moves the pair of clamping members 51, 52 in a direction toward each other to narrow the gap between them so that the gap can clamp the sandwich 11 from a gap wider than the overlapping thickness of the sandwich 11. The gap adjustment means 53 includes a pair of pushers 53b, 53b that move toward and away from each other in the vertical direction by a linear slide mechanism 53a driven by a servo motor, and the pair of pushers 53b, 53b are moved to a standby position spaced apart from each other so as not to interfere with the clamping members 51, 52 when the support body 49 is sent to the receiving section 45, and to a clamping position of the sandwich 11 where the clamping members 51, 52 are brought closer to each other and narrowed. The clamping members 51, 52 are supported by elastic members such as compression springs so as to be movable toward and away from each other, and are configured to be lockable in a state in which they elastically clamp the sandwich 11 at a distance adjusted by a distance adjustment means 53. Also, corresponding to the discharge section 48, there is provided a release means 54 that releases the lock on the pair of clamping members 51, 52 that are locked so that the movement of the clamping members 51, 52 in the direction in which they clamp the sandwich 11 and are restricted is restricted. The clamping members 51, 52 that have been unlocked by the release means 54 are configured to move away from each other by the elastic members, releasing the sandwich 11.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, on the processing conveyor G, the sandwich 11 held by a pair of clamping members 51, 52 is placed on the receiving surface 50 of the support 49 with the cut surface 11A facing downward and is transported. The first to fourth processing stations S1 to S4 are arranged on the transport path of the processing conveyor G. Then, the sandwich 11 in which the film 10 has been folded (bent) through the first to fourth processing stations S1 to S4 is turned upside down in the discharge section 48 with the clamping members 51, 52 of the support 49 inverted relative to the receiving section 45, so that the overlapping direction of the sandwich 11 is changed to the upside down and the cut surface 11A is turned to the upstream side of the processing conveyor G.

[0026] 1 and 2, the unloading section 48 is provided with an unloading table 55 on which the sandwich 11 that has been released from clamping by the pair of clamping members 51, 52 by being unlocked by the releasing means 54 is placed. The unloading table 55 is provided with a notch 55a that allows the pair of clamping members 51, 52 to pass through, similar to the receiving table 46. The unloading section 48 is also provided with an unloading means 56 that unloads the sandwich 11 from between the pair of clamping members 51, 52. The take-out means 56 includes plate-shaped pushers 57 arranged on both sides in the width direction of the conveying path of the processing conveyor G, and driving means 58 such as an air cylinder for operating each pusher 57, and is configured to push the cut surface 11A of the sandwich 11, which is placed on the carry-out table 55 and extends to the left and right sides from the clamping members 51, 52, facing the upstream direction of conveyance, outward from the support 49 by the pushers 57, 57 operated by the driving means 58, 58, and push it horizontally out from between the pair of clamping members 51, 52. In addition, an carry-out conveyor 59 is disposed downstream of the carry-out table 55, and the take-out means 56 pushes the sandwich 11 placed on the carry-out table 55 to the carry-out conveyor 59.

[0027] The first processing station S1 and the third processing station S3 differ in the cylindrical extension portions 43, 43 to be processed, and the only difference is that the arrangement of the various processing means arranged in the stations S1, S3 is reversed left to right. Therefore, the configuration of the first processing station S1 will be described, and the same processing means etc. arranged in the third processing station S3 will be given the same symbols and their description will be omitted. As shown in Figures 4 to 10, the first processing station S1 is equipped with a folding means 60 that folds the upper extension portion 43a of the tubular extension portion 43 downward so that it fits along the inclined surface 11B of the sandwich 11 when the processing conveyor G is stopped intermittently, a guide means 61 that enters inside the tubular extension portion 43 before the tubular extension portion 43 is folded downward and supports folded edges 62a, 62a that are folded back so that the side extension portions 43b, 43b extending laterally from the hypotenuses 11b, 11b of both edges of the thickness (of the sandwich 11) at the inclined surface 11B are folded back by the downward folding of the upper extension portion 43a, and a side sealing means 64 that forms vertical side seal portions 63 on a pair of folded extension portions 62, 62 formed by the downward folding of the upper extension portion 43a.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 4, in the first processing station S1, a folding means 60 is disposed on one side of the conveying path of the processing conveyor G (in the embodiment, the first processing station S1 is on the left side as viewed from the upstream side, and the third processing station S3 is on the right side). As shown in Fig. 6, the folding means 60 is configured such that a slide member 66 is supported on a base member 65 so as to be movable diagonally downward toward the conveying path, and a link mechanism 67 that links the slide member 66 with a driving means such as a motor is disposed on the base member 65, and the slide member 66 slides between a retreat position where it is separated above the conveying path and an advanced position where it approaches the conveying path. The slide member 66 is disposed with a folding means 60 that is disposed so as to extend diagonally downward toward the conveying path and slides and moves integrally with the slide member 66. The folding means 60 is configured to tilt up and down by a tilting means 69 as the slide member 66 moves linearly. The tilting means 69 is composed of a support shaft 68 supported by the slide member 66, a rotating lever 71b arranged at the shaft end of the support shaft 68 so as to be rotatable together with the support shaft 68, a follower 72a arranged on the other end side of the rotating lever 71b, and a guide groove 71 arranged on the side of the base member 65 so that the follower 72a can roll. The guide groove 71 is formed of a first straight portion 71a that slopes downward as it approaches from the side away from the conveying path, an inclined portion 71b that connects to the inclined lower end of the first straight portion 71a and slopes downward at a gentler angle than the first straight portion 71a as it approaches the conveying path, and a second straight portion 71c that connects to the inclined lower end of the inclined portion 71b and slopes downward at the same angle as the first straight portion 71a. While follower 72a moves along inclined portion 71b, bending means 60 has its tip in an initial position (see solid line in Figure 6) inclined upward and away from inclined surface 11B, and as slide member 66 moves forward, the tip of bending means 60 tilts downward (in the direction approaching inclined surface 11B), and in the advanced position, bending means 60 is in a supporting position (see dashed double-dashed line in Figure 6) in which it faces inclined surface 11B.That is, by the operation of the link mechanism 67 and the action of the tilting means 69, the bending means 60 operates to move forward and downward toward the inclined surface 11B extending on one side of the sandwich 11, and presses down the upper extension portion 43a from the top side 11c side of the sandwich 11, and supports it by folding it downward along the inclined surface 11B. Also, when folding down the upper extension portion 43a by the bending means 60, the contact area of ​​the bending means 60 with the upper extension portion 43a from the tip to the base end side, i.e., the area pressing the upper extension portion 43a against the inclined surface 11B, increases, and the upper extension portion 43a is supported along the inclined surface 11B over a wide range in the longitudinal direction of the bending means 60 (the direction along the inclined surface 11B).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, the folding means 60 includes a width adjustment means (spacing adjustment means) 74 that can adjust the mutual spacing of a pair of plate-like folded bodies 73, 73 supported by the support shaft 68. The width adjustment means 74 is disposed on the slide member 66, extends parallel to the support shaft 68, and is screwed into a positive thread portion and a negative thread portion of a screw shaft 74a having a positive thread portion and a negative thread portion threadedly spaced apart in the axial direction, and includes a pair of female screw members 74c, 74c on which the folded bodies 73, 73 are supported, and a handle 74b that rotates the screw shaft 74a forward and backward. By rotating the handle 74b according to the thickness (overlap thickness) of the sandwich 11, the pair of female screw members 74c, 74c move toward and away from each other, thereby adjusting the mutual spacing of the pair of folded bodies 73, 73. The opposing edges of the pair of folded bodies 73, 73 are formed with a concave and convex shape so that the concaves and convexes can fit into each other when they approach each other.

[0030] 4 and 5, the guide means 61 and a pair of side seal means 64, 64 are disposed on a frame 75 on the other side opposite to the position where the bending means 60 is disposed across the conveying path. The guide means 61 includes a pair of guide bars 111, 111 that can move toward and away from each other in the thickness direction of the sandwich 11, and each guide bar 111 is formed in a thin rod shape and is inserted obliquely into a cylindrical extension portion 43 extending to one side of the sandwich 11 positioned in the first processing station S1 from diagonally below an opening in the extension portion, so that the tip of the guide bar 111 extends to the vicinity (slightly before) of the front and rear ends of the top side 11c of the inclined surface 11B. The guide bar 111 moves back and forth between a retracted position (see solid line in FIG. 7) where it is retracted outward from the opening of the cylindrical extension portion 43 by the air cylinder 76 for advancement and retreat (see two-dot chain line in FIG. 7) and an insertion position (see two-dot chain line in FIG. 7) where it is inserted obliquely upward from the opening into the extension portion. The pair of air cylinders 76 for advancement and retreat are disposed on mounting members 77. The mounting member 77 is supported by holders 78, and is provided with opening / closing means 79 that can move toward or away from each other. The pair of guide bars 111, 111 move back and forth between a narrowed position where the gap is narrower than the thickness of the sandwich 11 and an expanded position where the gap is approximately the same as the thickness of the sandwich 11. The opening / closing means 79 is provided with air cylinders 79, 79 on each of the pair of holders 78, 78, and the mounting members 77, 77 are moved toward and away from each other by the air cylinders 79, 79, so that the pair of guide bars 111, 111 are moved to the narrow position and the wide position. The pair of guide bars 111, 111 are operated to be in the narrow position before entering the cylindrical extension portion, and to be widened to the wide position where the guide bars 111, 111 move near the inclined surface after entering the cylindrical extension portion. Before the folding means 60 pushes the upper extension portion 43a downward to fold it downward, the guide bars 111, 111 obliquely support the side extension portion 43b from the inside at a support position corresponding to the folded edge 62a when folding it over.

[0031] 4 and 5, the holders 78, 78 are configured so that the spread position of the pair of guide bars 111, 111 of the guide means 61 can be adjusted by a width adjustment means (spacing adjustment means) 80 in accordance with the thickness dimension of the sandwich 11. The width adjustment means 80 is provided with a screw shaft 80a that is disposed in the frame body 75 and extends parallel to the thickness direction of the sandwich 11 and has a positive thread portion and a reverse thread portion that are spaced apart in the axial direction, a pair of female screw members 80c, 80c that are disposed in each of the holders 78, 78 and screwed into the positive and reverse thread portions of the screw shaft 80a to move toward and away from each other, and a handle 80b that operates the screw shaft 80a to rotate forward and backward.

[0032] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, two sets of side seal means 64 are provided for forming side seal portions 63 on the folded extension portions 62, 62 on both the left and right sides of the top side 11c of the sandwich 11. The two sets of side seal means 64, 64 are arranged in a position facing above the guide means 61 in the upper part of the frame body 75, and a moving means 81 is provided so as to be movable between a retreated position (see solid line in Figure 7) where the side seal means 64, 64 has moved outward from the extension end of the cylindrical extension portion 43, and an advanced position (see two-dot chain line in Figure 7) where the folded extension portions 62, 62 can be sandwiched and sealed. The moving means 81 includes a slider 81a that supports the two sets of side seal means 64, 64 and moves toward and away from the conveying path obliquely, a linking mechanism 81b engaged with the slider 81a, and a driving means such as a motor that drives the linking mechanism 81b. The two sets of side seal means 64, 64 are configured to move obliquely together with the slider 81a between the retracted position and the advanced position by the linking mechanism 81b. The side seal means 64 includes an inner sealer 82a disposed at the tip of the fixed arm 82 facing the inclined surface 11B, and an outer sealer 83a disposed at the tip of the clamping arm 83 supported rotatably around an axis in the vertical direction, and the inner sealer 82a and the outer sealer 83a are configured to move closer to and away from each other by rotating the clamping arm 83 relative to the fixed arm 82 by the clamping means 116 including a linking mechanism from a driving means (not shown) such as an air cylinder.

[0033] When the side seal means 64, 64 move to the forward position, the inner sealer 82a, 82a faces between the two folded extension portions 62, 62, and the outer sealer 83a, 83a faces the outside of the folded extension portions 62, 62. In addition, in the forward position, the inner sealer 82a and the outer sealer 83a are configured so that the seal surfaces that slope linearly downward from the top side 11c side toward the outside face both sides of the folded extension portions 62, 62 in the vicinity of the extension base portion of the folded extension portions 62, 62 from the sandwich surface. Then, by sandwiching the folded extension portion 62 between the inner sealer 82a and the outer sealer 83a, the folded extension portion 62 is configured to form a side seal portion 63 that slopes linearly downward from the top side 11c side toward the outside (sloping away from the sandwich surface as it goes downward) in the folded extension portion 62. 13(a), the side seal portion 63 is formed so as to be continuous vertically over the entire overlapping region extending from the upper edge, which is the folded edge 62a, to the lower edge 62b of the folded extension portions 62, 62. The side seal portion 63 folded over along the inclined surface 11B extends at least from the vicinity of the end corner in the thickness direction of the top side 11c of the sandwich 11, intersecting with the bottom side 11d on the bottom surface of the sandwich 11, passing over the bottom side 11d, and reaching the protruding base of the protruding portion 88 protruding from the bottom side 11d, as shown in FIG.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the side seal means 64, 64 are configured to be able to adjust the mutual interval according to the thickness dimension of the sandwich 11 by a width adjustment means (spacing adjustment means) 84 arranged in the frame body 75. The width adjustment means 84 includes a screw shaft 84a extending parallel to the thickness direction of the sandwich 11 and having a positive thread portion and a negative thread portion threaded with a space therebetween in the axial direction, a pair of female screw members 84c, 84c arranged in holders 85, 85 in which the side seal means 64, 64 are arranged and screwed into the corresponding positive thread portion and negative thread portion of the screw shaft 84a, and a handle 84b for rotating the screw shaft 84a forward or backward. By rotating the screw shaft 84a by the handle 84b, the side seal means 64, 64 move toward or away from each other together with the pair of holders 85, 85, and the mutual interval is adjusted. In the embodiment, the sealing member is composed of a pair of inner sealer 82a and outer sealer 83a which form the side seal portion 63 in the folded extension portion 62, and two sets of the sealing member are provided, and the mutual spacing between the two sets of sealing members is adjusted by a width adjustment means 84.

[0035] The second processing station S2 and the fourth processing station S4 are different from each other in the cylindrical extension portions 43, 43 to be processed, and the arrangement of the various processing means disposed in the stations S2 and S4 is reversed, so the configuration of the second processing station S2 will be described, and the same processing means, etc. disposed in the fourth processing station S4 will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described. As shown in Fig. 4, the second processing station S2 is provided with a support member 86 that supports the upper extension portion 43a folded downward by the folding means 60 along the inclined surface 11B of the sandwich 11 when the processing conveyor G is stopped intermittently, and a folding means 87 that alternately folds the folded extension portion 62 onto the upper part of the support member 86 when the upper extension portion 43a is supported by the support member 86. The second processing station S2 is provided with bottom sealing means 89 as a horizontal sealing means on the other side opposite to the positions of the support member 86 and the folding means 87 across the conveying path, which horizontally seals the folded extension portion 62 folded by the folding means 87 so that it intersects with the side seal portion 63 at the protruding base from the cut surface 11A of the sandwich 11 to form a bottom seal portion 98. In the embodiment, the fourth processing station S4 is provided with cutting means 115 which cuts off the portion protruding outward from the bottom seal portion 98, but the second processing station S2 may be provided with the cutting means 115.

[0036] As shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, in the second processing station S2, the support member 86 and the folding means 87 are arranged on a slide base 91 and are configured to move together between a retreat position moved diagonally upward on the conveying path of the processing conveyor G and an advanced position close to the conveying path of the processing conveyor G. The slide base 91 is supported by slide means 113 consisting of a slider 113a and a slide rail 113b on one side (the side where the folding means 60 is arranged) of the conveying path of the processing conveyor G so as to be slidable diagonally downward, and the slide base 91 is linked to a driving means such as a motor via a link mechanism 92. The flat support member 86 is supported by a shaft 93 rotatably in the vertical direction relative to the slide base 91, and is configured so that the extended end tilts in the vertical direction by rotating the shaft 93 by a tilting means 94. The tilting means 94 is composed of a lever 94a disposed on the shaft end of the support shaft 93 and a driving means 94b such as an air cylinder connected to the lever 94a, and by operating the lever 94a with the driving means 94b, the support shaft 93 rotates and the support member 86 tilts up and down. With the movement of the slide base 91 and the action of the tilting means 94, the support member 86 moves forward and downward toward the inclined surface 11B extending on one side of the sandwich 11, and moves so as to increase the contact area with the upper extension portion 43a folded downward by the bending means 60, i.e., the area pressing the upper extension portion 43a against the inclined surface 11B, and supports the upper extension portion 43a along the inclined surface 11B over a wide range in the longitudinal direction of the support member 86 (the direction along the inclined surface 11B).

[0037] 8 and 9, the folding means 87 is arranged on the slide base 91 and is composed of a pair of thin plate-like folding pieces 112a, 112b arranged on both the left and right sides of the support member 86, and the folding pieces 112a, 112b are rotatably supported on the slide base 91. By the operation means 96 arranged on the slide base 91, the folding pieces 112a, 112b are configured to be rotatable between a separated position (see FIG. 8) where they are separated laterally from the support member 86 and a support position (see FIG. 9) where the folding pieces 112a, 112b overlap the upper side (upper portion) of the support member 86. Moreover, one folding piece 112b is arranged so as to overlap the upper side of the other folding piece 112a at the support position. The folding pieces 112a, 112b are disposed on an arm 114 pivotally supported on the slide base 91, and the folding pieces 112a, 112b move between a separated position and a support position by a driving means 96b, such as an air cylinder, linked via a linking member 96a rotatably supported at a position spaced from the pivotal support of the arm 114. The operating means 96, 96 are configured to operate so that one folding piece 112b reaches the support position later than the other folding piece 112a so as to overlap the uppermost part, thereby folding the left and right folded extensions 62, 62 alternately along the inclined surface 11B.

[0038] As shown in Figures 4 and 10, the bottom seal means 89 is disposed on the other side of the conveying path of the processing conveyor G opposite to the side where the folding means 87 is disposed. The bottom seal means 89 is disposed with a pair of seal bodies 89a, 89b extending a predetermined length in the article conveying direction and facing each other vertically. The seal bodies 89a, 89b are supported by a frame body 97, and the pair of seal bodies 89a, 89b are moved closer to each other by air cylinders 89c, 89c as moving means, so that the folded extensions 62, 62 are folded, and a bottom seal portion 98 is formed by performing a horizontal seal at the protruding base of the protruding portion 88, which is an overlapping portion of the upper extension portion 43a, the side extension portion 43b (folded extension portion 62) and the lower extension portion 43c that are folded at the protruding portion 88 extending to one side (right side) of the sandwich 11. The bottom seal means 89 sandwiches the protruding base from above and below with seal bodies 89a and 89b, and heat-seals the base so that two narrow seal lines are formed on the inner and outer seal surfaces. The bottom seal means 89 disposed in the second processing station S2 is configured such that a cutter 115 as the cutting means is attached to the upper seal body 89a, and cuts the protruding portion 88 between the inner and outer seal surfaces to cut off the portion of the protruding portion 88 that protrudes outward from the bottom seal portion 98. In addition, a collection tray (collection means) 99 is disposed outside the position where the protruding portion 88 is cut so that the cut pieces of the packaging material that are cut off in a bundled state with the protruding portion 88 sealed by the single seal line can be collected. The bottom seal means 89 is configured to be movable toward and away from the conveying path of the processing conveyor G by an adjustment mechanism 100, and is configured to be able to adjust the forming position and cutting position of the bottom seal portion 98 by the bottom seal means 89.

[0039] 4, in the fourth processing station S4, a top sealing means 109 as the horizontal sealing means is disposed on the other side opposite to the side where the folding means 87 is disposed, across the conveying path of the processing conveyor G. The top sealing means 109 is provided with a pair of sealing bodies 109a, 109b which extend a predetermined length in the article conveying direction and face each other vertically. The seal bodies 109a and 109b are supported by the frame 97, and the pair of seals 109a and 109b are moved closer to each other by air cylinders 109c and 109c as a moving means, so that the top seal portion 110 is formed by overlapping the upper extension portion 43a, the side extension portion 43b (folded extension portion 62) and the lower extension portion 43c at the protruding portion 88 extending to the left of the sandwich 11, and is horizontally sealed at the protruding base of the protruding portion 88, crossing the back seal portion 16 and the side seal portions 63 and 63, and linearly continuing in the thickness direction of the sandwich 11. The top seal means 109 clamps the protruding portion 88 from above and below with the seal bodies 109a and 109b and heat seals it. Then, the protruding base is clamped by the sealing surfaces of the seal bodies 109a and 109b, and the top seal portion 110 is formed as a single narrow seal line 110. Here, the protruding portion 88 on which the top seal portion 110 is formed is not cut outward from the top seal portion 110. In the protruding portion 88 on which the top seal portion 110 is formed, the top seal portion 110 is formed on the inside closer to the sandwich than the formation area of ​​the opening notches 37, 37 (see FIG. 12(b)). The frame 97 is configured to be movable toward and away from the transport path of the processing conveyor G by the adjustment mechanism 100, and is configured to be able to adjust the formation position of the top seal portion 110 by the top seal means 109.

[0040] Next, the operation of the sandwich packaging device according to the embodiment will be described. 1, on the downstream side of the second supply conveyor 20, the strip-shaped film 10 is positioned so that the lower second opening notch 37 and the upper first opening notch 37 are separated by one package length, and the midpoint between the second opening notch 37 and the first opening notch 37 coincides with the midpoint position K. When the sandwich 11 is placed at the center of conveyance on the first supply conveyor 19 with its top pointing upstream, the sandwich 11 is supplied to the second supply conveyor 20 by the intermittent conveyance of the article supply means 15, and when the sandwich 11 reaches a predetermined position on the second supply conveyor 20, the push members 23, 23 are moved toward each other by the first moving mechanism 24, and the push members 23, 23 are brought into contact with both inclined surfaces 11B, 11B of the sandwich 11, which is stopped at a predetermined position due to the stop of conveyance of the second supply conveyor 20. Then, as the pushing members 23, 23 are advanced by the second moving mechanism 25 in synchronization with the intermittent transport of the second supply conveyor 20, the sandwich 11 is supplied from the cut surface (bottom surface) 11A side toward the expanded portion M of the strip-shaped film 10.

[0041] The pushing members 23, 23 first come into contact with the stretched strip film 10, and the strip film 10 is pushed downstream as the pushing members 23, 23 move forward. At this time, the roll holder 26, upper transport rollers 28, 28, take-up roller 29, and lower transport rollers 31, 31 of the film supply means 14 are rotated in a direction that pulls out the strip film 10 from the film roll 13 and take-up roller 29, and the strip film 10 is wrapped around the cut surface 11A and side surfaces (upper and lower surfaces on the second supply conveyor 20) of the sandwich 11 that is transported downstream beyond the stretched section M. As shown in Fig. 3, when the pushing members 23, 23 advance to the forward end and the sandwich 11 stops being conveyed, the upper and lower sealing bodies 32a, 32b move toward each other, and the film 10 wrapped around the sandwich 11 is clamped by the sealing bodies 32a, 32b at the middle position in the thickness direction of the sandwich 11 on the upstream side of the sandwich 11, and a seal of a predetermined width is applied by overlapping the two palms in a folded manner, and the film 10 is cut by the knife 32c at the rear position of the sandwich 11, which is outside the seal portion. As a result, the sandwich 11 is wrapped around the body in a state in which the sandwich 11 is contained in the cylindrical film 10a in which the spine seal portion 16 of a predetermined width is formed at the approximately center of the thickness of the cylindrical film 10a, where the sandwich 11 overlaps at a position facing the two inclined surfaces 11B, 11B of the sandwich 11, and the sandwich 11 is accommodated in the cylindrical film 10a and is wrapped around the body. Furthermore, when the film 10 is sandwiched between the upper and lower sealing bodies 32a, 32b, the portion of the strip-shaped film 10 pulled out from below the second supply conveyor 20 where the second opening notch 37 is formed is overlapped with the portion of the strip-shaped film 10 pulled out from above the second supply conveyor 20 where the first opening notch 37 is formed, so that the first opening notch 37 and the second opening notch 37 are located on both the upper and lower sides of the spine seal portion 16. Furthermore, the side of the wrapped film 10a facing the sandwich 11, which is inside the spine seal portion 16 formed thereon, is sandwiched between the shaping bodies 35a, 35b of the shaping means 35 heated by heat conduction from the upper and lower sealing bodies 32a, 32b, so that a fold 36 is formed along the spine seal portion 16.As sealing bodies 32a, 32b move away from each other, spine seal portion 16 falls along the body of tubular film 10a due to fold 36 formed by fold-forming bodies 35a, 35b.

[0042] After the sealing means 17 seals and cuts the film 10a, the film supply means 14 reverses the rotation of the roll holder 26, the upper transport rollers 28, 28, and the winding roller 29, and the lower transport rollers 31, 31 to rewind the strip-shaped film 10 onto the film roll 13 and the winding roller 29, and when it is detected that the strip-shaped film 10 has been wound up by a preset amount onto the winding roller 29, the winding roller 29 stops winding the film. As a result, on the downstream side of the second supply conveyor 20, the strip-shaped film 10 is separated by one packaging length from the lower second opening notch 37 and the upper first opening notch 37, and the midpoint between the second opening notch 37 and the upper first opening notch 37 coincides with the midpoint position K, and the seal portion 10b formed in the strip-shaped film 10 by the sealing means 17 is wound up to a lower position that will not be used in the next packaging.

[0043] During the period during which transport of the strip-shaped film 10 is stopped after the seal cutting by the sealing means 17, the air cylinder of the notch forming means 38 is operated, and the cutting edges of the cut-off blades 41, 42 are thrust into the strip-shaped film 10 supported by the packaging material guides 39, 40, and an opening notch 37 is formed on one side edge of the strip-shaped film 10, extending linearly from one side edge to the other side edge of the strip-shaped film 10, at positions corresponding to both sides that sandwich the spine seal portion 16 when the spine seal portion 16 is formed by the sealing means 17. In addition, the pressing members 23, 23 are held in a state in which they support the sandwich 11 from both sides until the seal cutting of the film 10 by the sealing bodies 32a, 32b is completed, and the pressing members 23, 23 are moved away from each other by the first moving mechanism 24 at an appropriate timing when the sealing bodies 32a, 32b move away from each other. Then, the pushing members 23, 23 are moved backward (toward the upstream side) by the second moving mechanism 25 to wait for the arrival of the next sandwich 11.

[0044] The sandwich 11 passes through the film expansion section M, and the film 10 wrapped around the sandwich 11 is sealed and cut by the sealing means 17. As shown in Figure 11, the wrapped sandwich 11 has a spine seal section 16 formed by the sealing and cutting using the sealing means 17, and the sandwich 11 is contained within the tubular film 10a. The sandwich 11 is then placed on the delivery conveyor 18 in a position with the overlap direction facing up and down, and transported downstream to be delivered to the processing conveyor G.

[0045] 1, the support 49 positioned in the receiving section 45 by the intermittent stopping of the processing conveyor G waits for the reception of the sandwich 11 with a pair of clamping members 51, 52 spaced apart vertically by a distance greater than the overlap dimension of the sandwich 11 and with the lower second clamping member 52 positioned below the receiving table 46. When the sandwich 11 transported by the delivery conveyor 18 has its center transferred to the receiving table 46 of the receiving section 45 and is sent to a position where the cut surface 11A abuts against the receiving surface 50 of the support 49, the intermittent transport by the delivery conveyor 18 stops.

[0046] When the sandwich 11 is sent to the receiving section 45, the pair of pushing bodies 53b, 53b are moved toward each other from the standby position by the linear slide mechanism 53a of the gap adjustment means 53, and the pushing bodies 53b, 53b move the pair of clamping members 51, 52 in a direction toward each other. Then, when the pushing bodies 53b, 53b of the gap adjustment means 53 move to a set position where the mutual interval corresponds to the overlap dimension previously set and registered for each type of sandwich 11, the sandwich 11 is clamped from above and below by the pair of clamping members 51, 52.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, due to the intermittent transport of the processing conveyor G, the sandwich 11 clamped by a pair of clamping members 51, 52 on the support body 49 is transformed from the receiving section 45 into a supported position with the triangular apex of the sandwich 11 facing upward and the cut surface 11A serving as the bottom, and is transported downstream. When the support 49 supporting the sandwich 11 arrives at the first processing station S1 and stops intermittently, a pair of guide bars 111, 111 of the guide means 61, which are waiting at a narrow position narrower than the spacing between the side extension portions 43b, 43b extending corresponding to the thickness of the sandwich 11 in the tubular extension portion 43 extending to the right from the sandwich 11, are inserted diagonally forward from the opening of the tubular extension portion 43 into the extension portion, and then move away from each other and open to an expanded position, so that the tips of each guide bar 111 are positioned near both ends of the top edge 11c of the inclined surface 11B on the inner surface of the side extension portion 43b (see Figure 7).

[0048] 6, the bending means 60 is tilted downward while moving obliquely downward to the advanced position. At this time, the bending means 60 advances while bending the upper extension portion 43a from the top side of the sandwich 11 along the inclination of the sandwich 11, and then operates to press the folded upper extension portion 43a against the inclined surface of the sandwich 11. The bending means 60 is maintained in a supporting position in which the upper extension portion 43a is bent until it is along the inclined surface 11B. As the upper extension portion 43a is folded, the left and right side extension portions 43b, 43b are guided by the guide bars 111, 111 of the guide means 61 and folded back at the folded edges 62a, 62a, and the folded edges 62a, 62a incline away from the inclined surface 11B as they move from the top side to the bottom side to form folded extension portions 62, 62 (see Figure 13(a)).

[0049] While the upper extension portion 43a is supported by the bending means 60 so as to be aligned with the inclined surface 11B, the guide means 61 is retreated to extract the guide bars 111 from the folded extension portions 62, and then the side seal means 64 in the retreated position are advanced by the moving means 81 so that the inner sealers 82a disposed on each fixed arm 82 face between the left and right folded extension portions 62, and the outer sealers 83a disposed on each clamping arm 83 face the outside of the folded extension portions 62,. Then, the folded extension portions 62 are clamped and sealed from the left and right by the inner sealer 82a and the outer sealer 83a, whereby linear side seal portions 63, which continue obliquely in the vertical direction are formed on the folded extension portions 62 (see Figs. 12(a) and 13(a)). The side seal portion 63 is formed continuously from the folded edge 62a, 62a on the top side 11c side of the folded extension portion 62, 62 to a position beyond the bottom side 11d, which is near the corner, without reaching the corner of the top side 11c of the sandwich 11. The guide bars 111, 111 of the guide means 61 extracted from the folded extension portions 62, 62 are moved by the air cylinders 79, 79 to the narrow position and wait for the arrival of the next sandwich 11.

[0050] After the side seal portions 63, 63 are formed, the sandwiching of the folded extension portions 62, 62 by the inner sealer 82a and the outer sealer 83a is released, and the side seal means 64, 64 are retreated to the retreated position. After the folding means 60 is retreated to the retreated position, the support 49 supporting the sandwich 11 is transported downstream by the intermittent transport of the processing conveyor G. When the support 49 arrives at the second processing station S2 and stops intermittently, the support member 86 in the retreated position and the pair of folding pieces 112a, 112b of the folding means 87 advance to the advancement position. As the support member 86 advances, it is tilted downward by the tilting means 94, and supports the upper extension portion 43a, which is folded so as to follow the inclined surface 11B, in a state along the inclined surface 11B. In addition, the pair of folding pieces 112a, 112b are moved to the support position with a time lag by the operating means 96, 96 (see Figure 9), and the left and right folded extension portions 62, 62 are alternately folded along the inclined surface 11B and folded so as to overlap the outside of the upper extension portion 43a supported by the support member 86 (see Figure 13 (b)).

[0051] In the second processing station S2, with the upper extension portion 43a and the left and right folded extension portions 62,62 supported by the support member 86 and the folding pieces 112a,112b of the folding means 87, a pair of sealing bodies 89a,89b of the bottom seal means 89 clamp the vicinity of the protrusion base of the protrusion 88 extending from the bottom side edge 11d of the inclined surface 11B, intersecting the side seal portions 63,63 and traversing the protrusion 88 along the bottom side edge 11d to form a bottom seal portion 98 in which the upper extension portion 43a, the left and right folded extension portions 62,62 and the lower extension portion 43c are laterally sealed (see Figure 13(c)). In addition, two seal lines are formed by clamping the protrusion 88 between a pair of sealing bodies 89a, 89b, and the portion outside the inner seal line, which becomes the bottom seal portion 98, is cut off by a cutter 115 installed inside the upper seal body 89a, and the portion from which the protrusion 88 is cut off is collected in the collection tray 99 as cutting debris.

[0052] After the pair of sealing bodies 89a, 89b of the bottom seal means 89 are separated from each other, the pair of folding pieces 112a, 112b of the folding means 87 are moved to the separated position and the slide base 91 is retracted to the retracted position, when the support body 49 being transported at intervals by the processing conveyor G arrives at the third processing station S3, a processing step similar to the folding processing of the tubular extension portion 43 by the first processing station S1 and the second processing station S2 is carried out in the third processing station S3 and the fourth processing station S4 as the folding processing of the tubular extension portion 43 by the first processing station S1 and the second processing station S2.

[0053] In the fourth processing station S4, instead of the horizontal sealing and cutting process of the protruding portion 88 by the bottom sealing means 89 arranged in the second processing station S2, a top seal portion 110 is formed by a top sealing means 109 that performs a horizontal seal at the protruding base of the protruding portion 88 extending to the left side of the sandwich 11. The top sealing means 109 forms the top seal portion 110 by sandwiching the protruding portion 88 with a pair of heated sealers 109a, 109b and performing a horizontal seal. The top seal portion 110 is formed on the inside, closer to the sandwich than the formation areas of the opening notches 37, 37 (see Figures 12(b) and 13(e)).

[0054] The sandwich 11, which has been packaged with the top seal portion 110 formed in the fourth processing station S4, passes through the fourth processing station S4 and is transported to the discharge section 48 by the intermittent stopping of the processing conveyor G. As shown in Fig. 1, in the discharge section 48, the pair of clamping members 51, 52 are turned upside down from the receiving section 45 so that the overlapping directions of the sandwich 11 are vertical and the cut surface 11A is turned to face upstream. In the discharge section 48, the first clamping member 51, which is located at the lower position, is positioned above the discharge table 55.

[0055] In the discharge section 48, the lock of the clamping members 51, 52 is released by the release means 54, and the pair of clamping members 51, 52 move apart so as to spread apart from each other, releasing the sandwich 11. In the discharge section 48, at the timing after the sandwich 11 is released from the clamping of the clamping members 51, 52, it is transferred to the discharge table 55, and pushed out to the discharge conveyor 59 by the pushers 57, 57 of the removal means 56, and discharged downstream.

[0056] In the packaging device of the embodiment, the cylindrical extension 43 of the cylindrical film 10a wrapped around the sandwich 11, which extends to one of the left and right sides from the sandwich 11, is folded and transversely sealed in the first and second processing stations S1, S2, and then the cylindrical extension 43 extending to the other of the left and right sides from the sandwich 11 is folded and transversely sealed in the third and fourth processing stations S3, S4, so that the folding process by the folding means 60, the folding process by the folding means 87, and the sealing process by the sealing means 64, 89, 109 in each processing station S1 to S4 can be performed well. In particular, a packaged product of the sandwich 11 can be obtained in which the left and right cylindrical extensions 43, 43 are folded tightly onto the corresponding inclined surfaces 11B, 11B of the sandwich 11. In the folding process of the cylindrical extension portion 43, when the upper extension portion 43a is folded by the folding means 60, the guide means 61 supports (from the inside) the portion corresponding to the folding line of the side extension portions 43b, 43b to assist the folding, so that the folded extension portion 62 can be folded well without wrinkles or sagging. When the side seal portion 63 is formed in the folded extension portion 62, the upper extension portion 43a folded by the folding means 60 is pressed and supported by the inclined surface 11B of the sandwich 11 over a wide area corresponding to the thickness of the sandwich 11, so that the side seal portion 63 can be formed well without the upper extension portion 43a lifting off the inclined surface 11B. Furthermore, when the folding means 87 folds the folded extension 62 onto the inclined surface 11B of the sandwich 11, the support member 86 supports the upper extension 43a to press it against the inclined surface 11B of the sandwich 11 to prevent it from floating up from the inclined surface 11B, so that it can be folded in close contact with the inclined surface 11B and can be folded with a sharp edge at the base of the fold (edge). This prevents the base of the fold (edge) from curving and expanding, resulting in a loose package. In this way, the packaging device of the embodiment can obtain a neat package without looseness, with the film in close contact with the surface of the sandwich 11.

[0057] The guide means 61 is configured such that the pair of guide bars 111, 111 are separated after being inserted into the corresponding cylindrical extending portion 43 through the opening, so that the guide bars 111 do not come into contact with the cylindrical extending portion 43 when entering and deform the cylindrical extending portion 43, and the folded edge portion 62a can be properly supported. Even if the opening of the cylindrical extending portion 43 is not fully opened, the guide bars 111 can be inserted into the extending portion without getting caught on the opening edge of the cylindrical extending portion 43, and the opening can be widened to assist the bending means 60 in properly bending the upper extending portion 43a. In addition, the pair of guide bars 111, 111 of the guide means 61, the pair of folding bodies 73, 73 of the folding means 60, the pair of folding pieces 112a, 112b of the folding means 87 and the two sets of side seal means 64, 64 (two sets of seal members) are designed so that the mutual spacing can be adjusted according to the thickness dimension of the sandwich 11.Therefore, with the folded edge 62a of the folded extension portion 62 being properly supported to correspond to sandwiches 11 of different thicknesses, the upper extension portion 43a and the folded extension portion 62 can be suitably folded so as to follow the corresponding inclined surface 11B, and the side seal portion 63 can be formed at the appropriate position of the folded extension portion 62. Furthermore, the pair of folded bodies 73, 73 of the folding means 60 have their opposing edges formed in an uneven shape so that the unevenness can alternately enter into each other when they approach each other, so that even if the distance between the pair of folded bodies 73, 73 is widened according to the thickness of the sandwich 11, the central part of the thickness can be uniformly pressed against the inclined surface 11B to prevent the upper extension 43a from floating up from the inclined surface 11B. Furthermore, the folding means 60 and the support member 86 advance from the top side 11c of the sandwich 11 toward the inclined surface 11B and move downward, so that the upper extension 43a can be folded so that the film is squaring without sagging at the top of the sandwich 11 and can be supported along the inclined surface 11B, and the film can be well wrapped on the surface of the sandwich 11 without sagging.In addition, when performing the corresponding processing, the folding means 60 and the support member 86 operate to increase the contact area (the area pressing the upper extension portion 43a against the inclined surface 11B) with respect to the upper extension portion 43a, thereby preventing the upper extension portion 43a from floating up from the inclined surface 11B during the operation and causing the film to sag.

[0058] In the packaging device of the embodiment, the sandwich 11 wrapped around the body with the film 10a is fed between the clamping members 51, 52 of the processing conveyor G from the cut surface 11A with the overlapping direction facing up and down, so that the sandwich 11 can be clamped by the clamping members 51, 52 from the overlapping direction and smoothly conveyed downstream without being displaced. Also, the processing conveyor G supplies the sandwich 11 wrapped around the body by the wrapping mechanism 12 sealing the film 10 behind the sandwich 11 that has passed through the stretched portion M of the strip-shaped film 10, so that no means for changing the direction of the sandwich 11 is required, and a simple configuration can be achieved in which the wrapping mechanism 12 and the processing conveyor G are linearly arranged.

[0059] In the packaging device of the embodiment, the side seal portion 63 is formed on the left and right folded extension portions 62 over the entire length of the overlapping region of the side extension portion 43b from the folded edge 62a of the folded extension portion 62 to a position beyond the bottom side edge 11d of the inclined surface 11B, and the bottom seal portion 98 and the top seal portion 110 that intersect with the side seal portion 63 are formed, so that a package having a tight sealability for the containing portion of the sandwich 11 can be manufactured. Also, in the strip-shaped film 10 that stretches up and down, the opening notches 37, 37 are formed by the notch forming means 38 on one widthwise side edge portion that corresponds to the positions on both sides of the back seal portion 16 of the end edge portion 43d of the protruding portion 88, so that in the package of the sandwich 11 manufactured, the starting end of the back seal portion 16 becomes a pull tab and can be easily opened. In addition, the spine seal portion 16 can be torn as a tear strip, so that the tearing proceeds linearly and the tearing is well guided, and a package with excellent openability can be manufactured. Furthermore, in the conveying path of the strip-shaped film 10 leading to the sealing position by the sealing means 17, the opening notches 37, 37 are formed during the stoppage of conveying the film 10, so that the opening notches 37, 37 can be precisely formed at positions corresponding to both sides of the strip-shaped film 10 that sandwich the spine seal portion 16. Furthermore, the folding means 35 is adapted to give the spine seal 16 a folding crease 36, so that the formed spine seal portion 16 can be aligned along the body of the cylindrical film 10a to obtain a package that is inclined in a fixed direction. Therefore, the opening notches 37, 37 formed by sandwiching the spine seal portion 16 are not formed at a fixed position, which impairs the opening of the package. In addition, in the packaging device of the embodiment, the cutting chips of the protruding portion 88 cut by the cutter 115 of the bottom sealing means 89 are collected in a collection tray 99, so that the disposal of the cutting chips is easy. In addition, the bending means 60, guide means 61, folding means 87, side sealing means 64, 64, as well as the bottom sealing means 89 and top sealing means 109 provided in each processing station S1 to S4, are equipped with means for adjusting the position at which the corresponding processing is performed on the film in accordance with the size of the sandwich 11, so that changes in the size of the sandwich 11 can be easily accommodated.

[0060] (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in the examples, and can be modified as follows, for example. Furthermore, the configurations described in the examples can be modified in various ways within the scope of the present invention, without being limited to the following modifications. (1) The sandwich 11 is not limited to being supplied with a film 11 stretched in the vertical direction and then wrapped around the body. (2) In the embodiment, the protruding portion 88 is sealed and cut to form the bottom seal portion 98 in the second processing station S2, and the protruding portion 88 is sealed to form the top seal portion 110 in the fourth processing station S4, but the stations for forming the bottom seal portion 98 and the top seal portion 110 may be reversed. (3) The folding means 60 is provided with a pair of folding bodies 73, 73 that can move toward and away from each other. However, a folding body having a width corresponding to the thickness dimension of the sandwich 11 may be configured to be detachable and replaceable. (4) The protruding portion 88 may be transversely sealed by the bottom sealing means 89, and the protruding portion 88 may be cut off by an appropriate cutting means at the next station or later. (5) Instead of a configuration in which the cutting chips from the protrusion 88 are collected in a collection tray 99, a configuration in which the cutting chips from the protrusion 88 are sucked in by a suction means (collection means) and the cutting chips sucked in by the suction means are collected in a dust box installed outside may be used. (6) The width adjustment means 74, 80, 84 of the bending means 60, folding means 87, guide means 61, and side seal means 64 may be configured to adjust the intervals between the corresponding folded bodies 73, 73, folding pieces 112a, 112b, guide bars 111, 111, and sealers (sealing members) 82a, 83a, 82a, 83a by link mechanisms or other various adjustment mechanisms instead of the screw adjustment mechanisms of the embodiments. In addition, the width adjustment means 74, 80, 84 of the bending means 60, folding means 87, guide means 61, and side seal means 64, as well as the adjustment mechanism 100 of the bottom seal means 89 and top seal means 109 may be configured to be automatically adjustable by a driving means such as a motor. (7) The bottom sealing means 89 and the top sealing means 109 are not limited to heat sealing, and may employ a sealing method such as ultrasonic sealing. (8) The notch forming means 38 for forming the opening notch 37 and the folding means 35 for forming the fold 36 may be provided as required. (9) Although the folding means 60 is configured so that the interval between the folded bodies 73 can be adjusted, this configuration may be adopted as necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10a cylindrical film (packaging material), 11 sandwich, 11A cut surface 11B inclined surface, 16 back seal portion, 43 cylindrical extension portion, 43a upper extension portion 43b side extension portion, 51 clamping member, 52 clamping member, 60 bending means 61 guide means, 62 folded extension portion, 62a folded edge portion, 63 side seal portion 64 side seal means, 86 support member, 87 folding means 89 Bottom seal means (horizontal seal means), 98 Bottom seal portion (horizontal seal portion) 109 Top seal means (horizontal seal means), 110 Top seal portion (horizontal seal portion) 115 Cutter (cutting means), G Processing conveyor, S1 First processing station S2 Second processing station, S3 Third processing station S4 4th processing station

Claims

1. A processing conveyor is provided for conveying sandwiches that are wrapped around the body with packaging material, with the palm-shaped back seal facing upward and the triangular cut surface of the sandwich facing downward, and are held between clamping members at the front and back. A plurality of processing stations are provided on the conveying path of the processing conveyor, which perform a predetermined process of folding and forming the cylindrical extensions of the packaging material that extend to the left and right of the sandwich. The first processing station and the third processing station are provided with a folding means for folding the upper extension of the cylindrical extension downward so as to follow the inclined surface of the sandwich, a guide means for entering inside the cylindrical extension before the cylindrical extension is folded downward and supporting the folded edge of the side extension of the cylindrical extension from the inside, and a side sealing means for forming vertical side seals on a pair of folded extensions formed by folding the upper extension downward, The second processing station and the fourth processing station are provided with a support member that supports the upper extension portion folded downward by the folding means along the inclined surface of the sandwich, a folding means that alternately folds the folded extension portion onto the upper part of the support member while the upper extension portion is supported by the support member, and a horizontal sealing means that horizontally seals the folded extension portion folded by the folding means at a protruding base from the cut surface of the sandwich so that it intersects with the side seal portion to form a horizontal seal portion, A cutting means is provided for cutting off the portion protruding outward from the transversely sealed portion in the second or fourth processing station.

1. A sandwich packaging device comprising:

2. 2. The sandwich packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the processing conveyor is configured so that the back seal portion faces rearward, and after receiving the sandwich wrapped in packaging material between the clamping members, the processing conveyor changes its position so that the back seal portion faces upward, thereby transporting the sandwich through a plurality of processing stations.

3. The sandwich packaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sandwich is supplied with the cut surface facing forward toward the packaging material that is pulled out so as to be stretched vertically and wrapped around the body, and the packaging material is sealed in a palm-shaped manner at the rear of the sandwich to wrap around the body, and the wrapped sandwich is clamped from above and below by a transfer conveyor and sent between the clamping members of the processing conveyor.

4. 2. A sandwich packaging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that a notch forming means is provided at one widthwise edge of the packaging material pulled out to a position where it is expanded vertically, and at a protruding portion protruding outward from the horizontal seal portion, a notch for opening is formed with an opening starting end facing both sides of the back seal portion.

5. 2. The sandwich packaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a folding means for folding the extended base of the back seal portion when sealing the packaging material in a palm-to-palm shape so that the back seal portion falls toward the surface of the packaging material.

6. 2. The sandwich packaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery means for recovering the cutting waste material cut off by said cutting means.

7. 2. A sandwich packaging device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the guide means comprises a pair of guide bars that can be moved toward and away from each other, and the pair of guide bars are moved away from each other after entering the inside of the cylindrical extension portion to support the folded edge portion of the side extension portion from the inside.

8. 8. A sandwich packaging device as described in claim 7, characterized in that the folding means is configured as a pair of folding bodies that can be moved toward and away from each other depending on the overlapping dimension of the sandwich, the side sealing means is configured as two sets of sealing members that can be moved toward and away from each other, and a spacing adjustment means is provided for adjusting the spacing between the pair of folding bodies and the two sets of sealing members and the pair of guide bars.

9. the folding means includes a pair of folded bodies that can move toward and away from each other, and a space adjustment means that adjusts the space between the pair of folded bodies; 2. The sandwich packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the opposing edges of the folded body are formed with an uneven shape that allows them to fit into each other when approaching each other.

10. A sandwich packaging device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the folding means and support member advance from above the sandwich toward the inclined surface and descend along the inclined surface so as to increase the area over which the upper extension portion is pressed against the inclined surface.

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