Seal-checker and packaging-and-inspection system

Abstract

To suppress excessive pressure on a tray.SOLUTION: In a seal-checker, a detection unit detects height-wise displacement of a contact unit when it touches a tray. The detection unit inspects the sealing condition of a film by comparing the displacement with a threshold value. A control unit holds the contact unit at a first height position above a rim of the tray and, when the tray is transported thereto, changes a force applied by a raising / lowering unit to the contact unit to lower it from the first height position toward a predetermined second height position. When the contact unit touches the film of the tray, the control unit changes a first force to a second force to exert pressure from the contact unit on the film of the tray. The first force is a force that the raising / lowering unit applies to the contact unit before the contact unit contacts the film of the tray. The second force is a force different from the first force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seal check device and a packaging inspection system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been devices that inspect top-sealed packages and detect defective packages. For example, in the device of Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2006-160264 A), the pressing surface of an air cylinder is placed against the package on a conveyor to press the top surface of the package. Then, defective packages are detected based on a signal from a sensor connected to the air cylinder. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Trays, which are packages with a top seal, vary in the material of the tray body depending on the tray. If a soft material is used, applying too much pressure can damage the tray or the products inside.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a seal check device and a packaging inspection system that can prevent excessive pressure from being applied to a tray. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The seal check device of the first aspect is a seal check device that performs a seal check on a tray in which an opening surrounded by an edge is sealed with a film. The seal check device includes a transport conveyor that transports the tray, a contact unit, a lifting unit, a detection unit, an inspection unit, and a control unit. The contact unit is disposed above the transport conveyor. The contact unit contacts the tray transported by the transport conveyor. The lifting unit changes the height position of the contact unit. The detection unit detects the amount of displacement of the height position of the contact unit when the tray is in contact with the contact unit. The inspection unit inspects the seal state of the film by comparing the amount of displacement detected by the detection unit with a preset threshold value. The control unit controls the lifting unit. The control unit causes the contact unit to wait at a first height position. The first height position is higher than the height position of the edge of the tray. When the tray is transported, the control unit changes the force that the lifting unit applies to the contact unit to lower the contact unit from the first height position to a predetermined second height position. When the contact portion comes into contact with the film on the tray, the control portion changes the first force to a second force, causing the contact portion to apply pressure to the film on the tray. The first force is the force that the lift portion applied to the contact portion before the contact portion comes into contact with the film on the tray. The second force is a force different from the first force.

[0006] Here, the second force for the seal check is made different from the first force before the contact part comes into contact with the tray film. This makes it possible to reduce the magnitude of the force acting on the tray from the contact part when it comes into contact with the tray film, thereby preventing excessive pressure from being applied to the tray.

[0007] A seal check device according to a second aspect is the seal check device according to the first aspect, wherein a downward force due to gravity and an upward force due to the lifting / lowering part act on the contact part. The first force and the second force are upward forces due to the lifting / lowering part.

[0008] Here, the contact portion is subjected to a downward force due to gravity according to its own mass force, and an upward force due to the lifting portion. When the former downward force becomes greater than the latter upward force, the contact portion descends, and when the former downward force becomes smaller than the latter upward force, the contact portion ascends. Then, after the contact portion comes into contact with the film on the tray when the former downward force is greater than the latter upward force, a downward force equal to the difference between the former downward force and the latter upward force acts on the tray.

[0009] A seal check device according to a third aspect is the seal check device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the control unit changes the second height position depending on the type of the tray.

[0010] If the second height position is far away from the height position of the edge of the tray, there is a risk that more force than necessary will be applied to the tray during the seal check. However, here, the second height position can be changed according to the material and size of the tray, so the force acting on the tray during the seal check can be kept within an appropriate range.

[0011] A seal check device according to a fourth aspect is the seal check device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the control unit changes the second force depending on the type of the tray.

[0012] Depending on the type of tray, if the second force for the seal check is too large, the tray may be deformed or damaged. However, here, the second force can be changed according to the material and size of the tray, so the force acting on the tray during the seal check can be kept within an appropriate range.

[0013] A seal check device according to a fifth aspect is the seal check device according to the second aspect, in which the control unit changes the force applied to the contact unit by the lift unit when the contact unit is being lowered from the first height position. Through this control, the control unit increases the upward force applied to the contact unit by the lift unit within a predetermined height range before the contact unit comes into contact with the film on the tray.

[0014] Here, before the contact portion comes into contact with the film on the tray, the upward force acting on the contact portion by the lifting portion increases, and the difference with the downward force of the contact portion due to gravity is reduced. This makes it possible to suppress the force acting on the tray from the contact portion when the contact portion comes into contact with the film on the tray to an appropriate magnitude. In other words, the apparent mass of the contact portion when it comes into contact with the film on the tray can be reduced, thereby reducing the impact when the contact portion hits the tray.

[0015] A seal check device of a sixth aspect is the seal check device of any one of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, wherein the contact portion contacts a portion of the film that does not overlap with an edge of the tray.

[0016] A seal check device according to a seventh aspect is the seal check device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the contact portion is detachable from the lifting portion and is replaceable depending on the type of tray.

[0017] Here, by replacing the contact portion, an appropriate seal check can be performed regardless of whether the tray has a large or small planar size.

[0018] A packaging inspection system according to an eighth aspect includes the seal check device according to the first or second aspect, a top seal device, a first conveying section, and a second conveying section. The top seal device applies a film to the edge of the tray containing the product, thereby sealing the opening surrounded by the edge. The first conveying section conveys the tray whose opening has been sealed by the top seal device. The second conveying section is disposed between the first conveying section and the seal check device. The second conveying section receives the tray from the first conveying section and conveys the tray to a conveyor of the seal check device. The conveying speed of the second conveying section is faster than the conveying speed of the first conveying section.

[0019] In this packaging inspection system, a first conveyor and a second conveyor are disposed between the top seal device and the seal check device, and the conveying speed of the second conveyor is set faster than that of the first conveyor. This makes it possible to widen the gap between the trays when they are transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, even if the gap in the conveying direction between multiple trays continuously supplied from the top seal device to the first conveyor is small (the distance between the trays is small). Effect of the Invention

[0020] In the seal check device and packaging inspection system according to the present invention, the second force for the seal check is made different from the first force before the contact portion comes into contact with the film of the tray. This makes it possible to reduce the magnitude of the force acting on the tray from the contact portion when the contact portion comes into contact with the film of the tray, thereby preventing excessive pressure from being applied to the tray. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram of a packaging inspection system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a tray to be inspected. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a side view of the seal check device. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3A. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the seal check device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a support body on which a contact member of a seal check device is mounted. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fixed member to which a contact member of the seal checking device is attached. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a support of the seal checking device. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a fixed member to which another contact member of the seal check device is attached. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a support body on which another contact member of the seal check device is mounted. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the seal check device. [Figure 11A] FIG. 11 is a control flow diagram of a seal check. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11 is a control flow diagram of a seal check. [Figure 11C] FIG. 11 is a control flow diagram of a seal check. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the lowering of a contact member of the seal check device. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a side view of a seal check device according to a modified example in which the support member fixed to the upper portion of the horizontal link is changed to a different pressure conveyor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0023] (1) Overview of the packaging inspection system The packaging inspection system 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a system in which a tray TR discharged from a top sealing device 90 is conveyed by a first conveyor 11 and a second conveyor 12 to a seal checking device 100, where the sealing condition of the tray TR is checked. As shown in Fig. 2, the tray TR has an opening OP at the top sealed by a film TR3. The opening OP is an opening surrounded by an annular edge TR2 at the upper end of the tray TR. In the top sealing device 90, the film TR3 seals the edge TR2 by heat sealing while a product GD (packaged item) is contained in the tray body TR1. In the top sealing device 90, heat sealing is performed on the overlapping portion of the film TR3 and the edge TR2.

[0024] The top sealing device 90 is a known device and will not be described in detail, but like the device in the above Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2006-160264), an opening OP surrounded by an upper edge TR2 of a tray body TR1 made of synthetic resin or paper is covered with a film TR3 made of water-resistant plastic or the like, and the film TR3 and the edge TR2 are heated and welded together (heat sealed). The product GD in the tray TR, which is the packaged item, can be, for example, a liquid or processed food containing water.

[0025] (2) Transporting the tray from the top seal device to the seal check device In the packaging inspection system 10, trays TR that have been top sealed by the top sealing device 90 are transported to the seal checking device 100 by the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12. As shown in Fig. 1, in the packaging inspection system 10, the top sealing device 90, the first conveyor 11, the second conveyor 12, and the seal checking device 100 are arranged in series from upstream to downstream of the packaging inspection line.

[0026] The transport speed of the second conveyor 12 is set to be faster than the transport speed of the first conveyor 11. As a result, even if the gaps in the transport direction between multiple trays TR continuously supplied from the top seal device 90 to the first conveyor 11 are small (the distance between the trays TR is small), the gaps between the trays TR widen when the trays TR are transferred from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. Therefore, multiple trays TR are supplied to the seal check device 100 with a certain amount of gaps secured in the transport direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1).

[0027] (3) Seal check device The seal check device 100 is a device that performs a seal check on the tray TR on which the above-mentioned top seal is applied. The seal check device 100 mainly includes a transport conveyor 110 that transports the tray TR, a contact member 120 that contacts the tray TR, a lifting mechanism 130 that changes the height position of the contact member 120, a detection unit 140 that detects the amount of displacement of the height position of the contact member 120, an inspection unit 150 that inspects the seal state of the tray TR, and a control unit 160 that controls the lifting mechanism 130.

[0028] (3-1) Transport Conveyor The transport conveyor 110 is a group of conveyors for carrying in, carrying out, and discharging the trays TR in the seal check device 100, and is composed of a third conveyor 113, a fourth conveyor 114, and a fifth conveyor 115. The third conveyor 113, the fourth conveyor 114, and the fifth conveyor 115 are lined up in series in that order from the first conveyor 11 side.

[0029] (3-2) Contact members The contact member 120 is a member that contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR during a seal check and applies pressure from above. As shown in Figs. 3B, 4, and 12, the contact member 120 is disposed in the space above the transport conveyor 110, specifically above the fourth conveyor 114. The contact member 120 contacts the tray TR from above as it is transported by the fourth conveyor 114. The portion of the tray TR that the contact member 120 contacts is a portion of the film TR3 that does not overlap with the edge TR2 in a top view. The contact member 120 is made of resin or rubber.

[0030] (3-3) Lifting mechanism The lifting mechanism 130 is a mechanism for changing the height position of the contact member 120. The lifting mechanism 130 mainly includes a support 133 to which the contact member 120 is fixed, a fixing member 121 for fixing the contact member 120 to the support 133, a horizontal link 132 for changing the height position of the support 133 while maintaining the horizontal state, and a servo motor 138 for moving a lever at the bottom of the horizontal link 132.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the support 133 is fixed to the upper part of the horizontal link 132 and extends long in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the tray TR. The support 133 has both ends 133a, 133a fixed to the horizontal link 132, a connecting part 133b connecting the both ends 133a, 133a, and a support part 133c fixed to the center part of the longitudinal direction of the connecting part 133b. The contact member 120 is fixed to the support part 133c via a fixing member 121. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the contact member 120 is fixed to the support 133, but the fixing member 121 and the contact member 120 can be detached from the support 133. FIG. 6 shows the fixing member 121 and the contact member 120 removed from the support 133. FIG. 7 shows the support 133 from which the fixing member 121 and the contact member 120 have been removed. Then, instead of the contact member 120 shown in Fig. 6, for example, a small contact member 320 shown in Fig. 8 can be attached to the fixed member 121. When the fixed member 121 to which the contact member 320 of Fig. 8 is attached is attached to the support portion 133c of the support 133, the contact member 320 is fixed to the support 133 (see Fig. 9). In this way, both the contact member 120 and the contact member 320 can be attached to the support 133, and the selection is made by the user according to the type (size, etc.) of the tray TR.

[0032] (3-4) Detection section The detection unit 140 detects the amount of displacement of the height position of the contact member 120 when the tray TR is in contact with the contact member 120. As shown in Fig. 10, the detection unit 140 has an encoder 145, which outputs the amount of rotation of the rotation shaft of the servo motor 138. The output of this encoder 145 is read by a computer 200, which will be described later, and is treated as the amount of displacement of the height position of the contact member 120.

[0033] (3-5) Inspection and control units The inspection unit 150 and the control unit 160 are realized by the computer 200, and are functional units in a program executed by the computer 200 in the seal check device 100. The computer 200 includes a control arithmetic unit 201 and a storage device 202 (see FIG. 10). A processor such as a CPU or a GPU can be used for the control arithmetic unit 201. The control arithmetic unit 201 reads out a program stored in the storage device 202, and performs predetermined image processing and arithmetic processing according to the program. Furthermore, the control arithmetic unit 201 can write arithmetic results to the storage device 202 and read out information stored in the storage device 202 according to the program.

[0034] The inspection unit 150 compares the amount of displacement detected by the detection unit 140 (the amount of displacement at the height position of the contact member 120) with a preset threshold value, thereby inspecting the sealing state of the film TR3 on the tray TR.

[0035] (3-6) Seal check control flow The control unit 160 controls the servo motor 138 of the lifting mechanism 130 according to the control flow shown in FIG. 11A to FIG. 11C. Before controlling the seal check, in the seal check device 100, after startup, the control unit 160 determines control parameters based on initial information about the tray TR input by the user from the touch panel display unit 190 having an input function. Specifically, when the product number of the tray TR to be inspected is specified, the control calculation unit 201 reads out various corresponding control parameters from the storage device 202 and sets the operating conditions. The initially set operating conditions include the timing of starting the descent of the contact member 120 after the tray TR is detected based on the size of the tray TR, the material of the tray body TR1, the material of the film TR3, etc., the first height position H1, the second height position H2, and the third height position H3 (see FIG. 12) which are standby positions, the second force described later, and the torque setting value of the servo motor 138 in the damper mode.

[0036] When operation starts and a tray TR is carried in from the top seal device 90 via the first conveyor 11 and the second conveyor 12, the seal check device 100 starts a seal check on the tray TR. When the tray TR to be inspected is on the third conveyor 113, the contact member 120 is stationary at the first height position H1, which is the standby position (step S11). As shown in FIG. 12, the first height position H1 is higher than the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR.

[0037] When the tray TR is carried from the third conveyor 113 to the fourth conveyor 114, an inspection start instruction is generated, and the control unit 160 sends an operation instruction to the servo motor 138 (steps S12 and S13). A sensor is provided near the boundary between the third conveyor 113 and the fourth conveyor 114 to detect the passage of the tray TR.

[0038] Upon receiving the inspection start command, the control unit 160 changes the force (torque) applied to the contact member 120 by the servo motor 138 to lower the contact member 120 from the first height position H1 to the second height position H2. The second height position H2 is initially set to a position slightly lower than the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR (see FIG. 12). Note that the third height position H3 shown in FIG. 12 is the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR.

[0039] A downward force due to gravity proportional to the contact member 120's mass and an upward force due to the servo motor 138 act on the contact member 120, and when the latter upward force becomes smaller than the former downward force, the contact member 120 descends. That is, an upward force that counteracts the gravity of the contact member 120, the horizontal link 132, the support 133, and the like acts on the contact member 120, which is stationary at the first height position H1, which is the standby position, from the servo motor 138. By weakening the force (torque) from the servo motor 138, the contact member 120 descends. Due to the action of the horizontal link 132, the contact member 120 moves in the direction indicated by the outlined arrow A1 in FIG. 12, that is, diagonally downward, when descending.

[0040] In step S14, the control unit 160 determines whether the contact member 120 has descended to a height position close to the third height position H3. Here, an intermediate height position between the first height position H1 and the third height position H3 is used as the height position close to the third height position H3, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a height position closer to the third height position H3 may be used.

[0041] When the contact member 120 descends to a height position close to the third height position H3, the torque of the servo motor 138 is gradually increased to slow down the descending speed of the tray TR in order to reduce the impact when the contact member 120 comes into contact with the tray TR (step S15).

[0042] In step S16, the control unit 160 determines whether the contact member 120 has descended to the third height position H3, that is, whether the contact member 120 has descended to a height position where it contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR. The height position of the contact member 120 is calculated by the control unit 160 based on the output from the encoder 145 of the detection unit 140.

[0043] When it is determined that the contact member 120 has descended to the third height position H3, the control unit 160 reduces the torque output by the servo motor 138 immediately before the contact member 120 comes into contact with the tray TR, and increases the downward pressure applied by the contact member 120 to the tray TR (see step S17). In other words, after the contact member 120 descends to the third height position H3 and comes into contact with the tray TR, the control unit 160 changes the upward force applied by the servo motor 138 to the contact member 120 from a first force to a second force (a force smaller than the first force). This makes the downward pressure applied by the contact member 120 to the film TR3 of the tray TR a value suitable for a seal check. A certain degree of large pressure force is required for a seal check.

[0044] Due to a slight deformation of the tray TR, the contact member 120 is slightly lowered below the third height position H3, and is lowered to a height position between the third height position H3 and the second height position H2. However, the contact member 120 does not lower to the second height position H2. The second height position H2 is initially set in this manner according to the size and type of the tray TR.

[0045] Following step S17, the control unit 160 executes the damper mode during the seal check (step S18; steps S31 to S33). Details of the damper mode are shown in Fig. 11C. When the contact member 120 vibrates, that is, moves up and down, due to the impact when it comes into contact with the tray TR, the rotating shaft of the servo motor 138 rotates at a rotation speed according to the speed of the up and down movement via the horizontal link 132. Therefore, the control unit 160 determines whether or not the speed of the up and down movement of the contact member 120 is below a predetermined value (step S31).

[0046] In step S31, if it is determined that the vertical movement speed of the contact member 120 (absolute value of the vertical movement speed) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, this means that the vertical movement is nothing but a large vibration caused by the above-mentioned impact. In view of this, in step S32, the control unit 160 outputs a control signal to the servo motor 138 in the torque control mode so as to apply a torque proportional to the vertical movement speed in the opposite direction to the vertical movement speed. This suppresses the vibration of the contact member 120 caused by the contact between the tray TR and the contact member 120.

[0047] In step S33, it is determined whether a predetermined time required for a seal check has elapsed. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the damper mode is released (step S34), and in step S19, the inspection unit 150 determines whether the amount of displacement of the contact member 120 is less than the threshold. If the inspection unit 150 determines that the amount of displacement of the contact member 120 is less than the threshold, in step S20, the inspection unit 150 determines that the seal state of the tray TR is good. If the inspection unit 150 determines that the amount of displacement of the contact member 120 is equal to or greater than the threshold, in step S21, the inspection unit 150 determines that the seal state of the tray TR is poor.

[0048] (4) Features (4-1) In the seal check device 100 of this embodiment, the second force for the seal check is made different from the first force before the contact member 120 comes into contact with the film TR3 of the tray TR. This makes it possible to suppress the magnitude of the force acting from the contact member 120 to the tray TR when the contact member 120 comes into contact with the film TR3 of the tray TR, and prevents the downward pressure applied from the contact member 120 to the tray TR from becoming excessive.

[0049] (4-2) In the seal check device 100 of this embodiment, a downward force due to gravity corresponding to the mass forces of the contact member 120 itself and the horizontal link 132, and an upward force due to the servo motor 138 of the lifting mechanism 130 act on the contact member 120. When the former downward force becomes larger than the latter upward force, the contact member 120 descends, and when the former downward force becomes smaller than the latter upward force, the contact member 120 ascends. After the contact member 120 comes into contact with the film TR3 on the tray TR in a state in which the former downward force is larger than the latter upward force, a downward force that is the difference between the former downward force and the latter upward force acts in the form of pressure on the film TR3 on the tray TR.

[0050] (4-3) In the seal check device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 160 changes the second height position H2 depending on the type of the tray TR. Specifically, based on the product number of the tray TR to be inspected input by the user, the size of the tray TR, the material of the tray body TR1, the material of the film TR3, etc. are read from the storage device 202, and the control unit 160 selects the second height position H2 that matches them.

[0051] If the second height position H2 is far away from the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR (the third height position H3), there is a risk that more force than necessary will be applied to the tray TR during the seal check. However, here, the second height position H2 is changed according to the material and size of the tray TR, so that the force acting on the tray TR during the seal check can be kept within an appropriate range.

[0052] (4-4) In the seal check device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 160 changes the second force, i.e., the upward force that the servo motor 138 applies to the contact member 120 after the contact member 120 comes into contact with the tray TR, depending on the type of the tray TR. Specifically, based on the product number of the tray TR to be inspected input by the user, the size of the tray TR, the material of the tray body TR1, the material of the film TR3, etc. are read from the storage device 202, and the control unit 160 selects the second force that matches them.

[0053] Depending on the type of tray TR, if the second force for the seal check is too large, the tray TR may be deformed or damaged. For example, the rigidity of the tray body TR1 may differ significantly between when the material of the tray body TR1 is plastic and when it is paper. However, here, the second force is changed according to the material and size of the tray TR, so that the force acting on the tray TR during the seal check can be kept within an appropriate range.

[0054] (4-5) In the seal check device 100 of this embodiment, before the contact member 120 comes into contact with the film TR3 on the tray TR, the upward force acting on the contact member 120 by the servo motor 138 of the lifting mechanism 130 increases, and the difference with the downward force due to gravity of the contact member 120, the horizontal link 132, the support 133, etc. is reduced. This makes it possible to suppress the force acting on the tray TR from the contact member 120 when the contact member 120 comes into contact with the film TR3 on the tray TR to an appropriate magnitude. In other words, the apparent mass of the contact member 120 when it comes into contact with the film TR3 on the tray TR is reduced, thereby reducing the impact when the contact member 120 hits the tray TR.

[0055] (4-6) In the seal check device 100 of this embodiment, by replacing the contact member 120 shown in Fig. 6 with a small contact member 320 shown in Fig. 8, an appropriate seal check can be performed even if the size or shape of the tray TR changes. Note that if contact members of different sizes and shapes other than these contact members 120 and 320 are prepared, the seal check device can be made compatible with a wider variety of trays.

[0056] (4-7) In the packaging inspection system 10 of this embodiment, the conveying speed of the second conveyor 12 is set faster than the conveying speed of the first conveyor 11. As a result, even if the gap in the conveying direction between multiple trays TR continuously supplied from the top seal device 90 to the first conveyor 11 is small as described above, the gap between the trays TR widens when the trays TR are transferred from the first conveyor 11 to the second conveyor 12. Then, multiple trays TR are supplied to the seal check device 100 with a certain amount of gap in the conveying direction secured.

[0057] The fourth conveyor 114 of the seal checking device 100 is driven intermittently, and is stopped during the seal checking.

[0058] (5) Variations (5-1) In the above embodiment, the seal check device 100 is described as inspecting a tray TR with a top seal, but by removing the support 133 and the contact member 120 that are fixed to the horizontal link 132 from the seal check device 100 and attaching a pressing conveyor 433 for inspecting another package to the horizontal link 132, it becomes possible to change the inspection target to another package (see FIG. 13). The pressing conveyor 433 shown in FIG. 13 is a structure similar to the "upper conveyor 61" shown in JP 2013-035590 A, for example. By attaching such a pressing conveyor 433 to the horizontal link 132, it becomes possible to inspect a bag-shaped package in which the top and bottom of a cylindrical packaging material are heat-sealed, instead of a tray TR with a top seal.

[0059] (5-2) In the above embodiment, the control unit 160 calculates the height position of the contact member 120 based on the output from the encoder 145 of the detection unit 140, and in step S16 of Fig. 11A, it is determined based on the calculated height position whether the contact member 120 has descended to the third height position H3, that is, whether the contact member 120 has descended to a height position where it contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR. Then, the fact that the contact member 120 has descended to the third height position H3 is used as a trigger to reduce the torque of the servo motor 138 in step S17, thereby increasing the downward pressure applied by the contact member 120 to the tray TR. In other words, the switching from the first force before the contact member 120 contacts the film TR3 of the tray TR to the second force for the seal check is determined based on the height position of the contact member 120.

[0060] Instead of such switching control, the condition for switching from the first force to the second force may be the time from when the contact member 120 starts to descend from the first height position H1. For example, when the elapsed time from when the contact member 120 starts to descend reaches a preset torque switching time, the torque of the servo motor 138 may be reduced to switch from the first force to the second force. When this control is adopted, the third height position H3 corresponding to the height of the tray TR becomes a reference height, and the preset torque switching time becomes a criterion for determining whether the contact member 120 has contacted the tray TR. When the height position of the edge TR2 of the tray TR is different from the height position of the highest part of the film TR3 of the tray TR, for example, when the product GD in the tray TR pushes up the center part of the film TR3 of the tray TR, it is preferable to use the torque switching time to determine whether the contact member 120 has contacted the tray TR.

[0061] Also, instead of the switching control in the above embodiment, the condition for switching from the first force to the second force may be a condition using a torque change of the servo motor 138. When the descending contact member 120 comes into contact with the tray TR, a sudden torque change occurs in the servo motor 138, so in order to detect this, for example, the current value of the servo motor 138 is monitored. Then, after detecting the torque change of the servo motor 138 caused by the contact member 120 coming into contact with the tray TR, the torque of the servo motor 138 is reduced to switch from the first force to the second force, so that the switching from the first force to the second force is reliably prevented until the contact member 120 comes into contact with the tray TR, and excessive pressure is not applied to the tray TR at the moment the contact member 120 comes into contact with the tray TR. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Packaging Inspection System 11 First conveyor 12 Second conveyor 90 Top seal device 100 Seal check device 110 Transport Conveyor 113 Third Conveyor 114 4th Conveyor 115 5th Conveyor 120 Contact member (contact part) 130 Lifting mechanism (lifting section) 138 Servo Motor 140 Detection unit 150 Inspection Department 160 Control section [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0063] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-160264 A

Claims

1. A seal check device for performing a seal check on a tray having an opening surrounded by an edge sealed with a film, comprising: A transport conveyor that transports the trays; a contact portion disposed above the transport conveyor and contacting the tray transported by the transport conveyor; A lifting unit that changes a height position of the contact unit; a detection unit that detects a displacement amount of a height position of the contact portion when the tray is in contact with the contact portion; an inspection unit that inspects a sealing state of the film by comparing the amount of displacement detected by the detection unit with a preset threshold value; A control unit for controlling the lift unit; Equipped with The control unit is The contact portion is placed on standby at a first height position that is higher than the height of the edge of the tray; When the tray is transported, the lifting unit changes the force applied to the contact portion to lower the contact portion from the first height position to a predetermined second height position; When the contact portion comes into contact with the film of the tray, a first force applied to the contact portion by the lifting portion before the contact portion comes into contact with the film of the tray is changed to a second force different from the first force, so that pressure is applied from the contact portion to the film of the tray. Seal checking device.

2. A downward force due to gravity and an upward force due to the lifting unit act on the contact portion, The first force and the second force are upward forces by the lift unit. The seal check device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit changes the second height position depending on the type of the tray. The seal check device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit changes the second force depending on the type of the tray. The seal check device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the control unit changes the force applied to the contact portion by the lifting unit when the contact portion is being lowered from the first height position, and increases the upward force applied to the contact portion by the lifting unit within a predetermined height range before the contact portion comes into contact with the film on the tray. The seal check device according to claim 2.

6. The contact portion contacts a portion of the film that does not overlap with the edge of the tray. The seal check device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The contact portion is detachable from the lifting portion and can be replaced depending on the type of the tray. The seal check device according to claim 6.

8. The seal check device according to claim 1 or 2, a top seal device that applies the film to the edge of the tray in a state in which the product is contained, thereby sealing the opening; a first conveying unit that conveys the tray whose opening has been sealed by the top sealing device; a second conveying unit disposed between the first conveying unit and the seal check device, receiving the tray from the first conveying unit and conveying the tray to the conveyor of the seal check device; Equipped with A conveying speed of the second conveying unit is faster than a conveying speed of the first conveying unit. Packaging inspection system.

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