Bag supply device

Abstract

To correct the posture of a bag more securely.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a bag supply device 1 that comprises a bag supply part 5 to which a bag 2 is supplied, a mount table 11 on which the bag 2 can be mounted, transfer means 8 which transfers the bag 2 from the bag supply part 5 onto the mount table 11, and correction guides 12 which are provided across the mount table 11 and can move to separate positions or approach positions. The correction guides 12 have their interval set to be narrower than the width of the bag 2 at the approach positions. When the bag 2 at the bag supply part 5 is transferred to the mount table 11, the correction guides 12 are located at the approach positions, and the transfer means 8 presses the bag 2 into between the correction guides 12 from above, so that the center part of the bag 2 curves forward to protrude downward. Then when the correction guides 12 are moved from the approach positions to the separate positions and located at the approach positions again, the direction of the bag 2 on the mount table 11 is corrected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bag supply device, and more particularly to a bag supply device that corrects the posture of a bag transferred to a mounting table by a correction guide.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a bag supply device is known that corrects the posture of a bag placed on a mounting table and then delivers it to a downstream processing device. As such a bag supply device, a bag supply unit to which bags are supplied, a mounting table on which one bag can be placed, transfer means for transferring the bags from the bag supply unit to the mounting table, and the mounting table are provided. There is known one provided with a correction guide that is provided so as to sandwich the table and is movable to a separation position or an approach position with respect to the bag (Patent Document 1). In the bag supply device of Patent Document 1, when the transfer means transfers a bag from the bag supply unit to the mounting table, the orientation of the bag is inclined at that stage. Therefore, the correction guide is moved from the separation position to the approach position. Thus, the posture of the bag on the mounting table is corrected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, as the material constituting the bag, a flexible material may be adopted. When a bag using such a material is placed on the mounting table, the bag may warp. That is, the central portion of the bag shown in Fig. 3(a) may protrude downward in a state of being warped in the forward direction, or the central portion shown in (b) may protrude upward in a state of being warped in the reverse direction. When the bag is in the forward-reverse state, the contact portion between the bag and the placement table is a single straight line formed by the protruding portion of the bag. In contrast, when in the reverse-reverse state, the contact portion between the bag and the placement table is two straight lines formed on both sides of the protruding portion of the bag. And when correcting the posture of the bag on the placement table by the above correction guide, if the bag is in the reverse-reverse state, since there are many contact portions with the placement table, there may be cases of jamming or unexpected behavior, and there is a risk that the posture cannot be corrected and the transfer to the downstream device cannot be made. In view of such problems, the present invention provides a bag supply device capable of more reliably correcting the posture of the bag.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] That is, the bag supply device according to the invention of claim 1 includes a bag supply unit to which a bag made of a flexible material is supplied, a placement table on which one bag can be placed, transfer means for transferring the bag from the bag supply unit to the placement table, a correction guide provided with the placement table interposed therebetween and movable to a separated position or an approaching position with respect to the bag, and control means for controlling the correction guide and the transfer means. In the bag supply device, the interval of the correction guide at the approaching position is set to be narrower than the width of the bag, when the transfer means transfers the bag from the bag supply unit to the placement table, the control means positions the correction guide at the approaching position, and pushes the bag from above between the correction guide and the correction guide by the transfer means to make the central portion of the bag protrude downward in the forward-reverse state, furthermore, the control means is characterized in that after moving the correction guide from the approaching position to the separated position and then positioning it again at the approaching position, the orientation of the bag on the placement table is corrected.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the above invention, since the interval between the correction guides at the approaching position is set to be narrower than the width of the above bag, the bag can be placed in the above correct or reverse state by the transfer means pushing the above bag from above between the above correction guides. Even if the correction guide is moved from the approaching position to the separated position in that state, the bag maintains the correct or reverse state in which the posture can be easily changed, and since the contact portion is a single straight line, if the correction guide is positioned again at the approaching position thereafter, the posture of the bag can be corrected more stably.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Describing the following illustrated embodiment, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a side view and a plan view of the bag supply device 1, and when the bag 2 is supplied in a state of being accommodated in the tray 3, the posture of the bag 2 is corrected and then delivered to the filling device 4 provided on the downstream side. The above-mentioned bag 2 is an empty medical bag, which is made of resin sheets such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, or aluminum laminate films including resin sheets made of these materials. Two flexible resin sheets are overlapped, and a cylindrical port 2a is provided at the center of one of the short sides. In the following description, the side where the port 2a is provided is defined as the front of the bag 2, the same direction as the long side is called the length direction of the bag 2, and the same direction as the short side is called the width direction of the bag 2. Also, in the above-mentioned bag 2, the opposing short sides and one of the long sides in the overlapped resin sheets are joined by means such as heat sealing. On the other hand, an opening where at least a part of the other long side is not joined is formed. In the filling device 4, a filling nozzle is inserted between the resin sheets through the opening to perform filling of liquid or the like. Since the above-mentioned bag 2 is made of a flexible material, it has the property of maintaining its shape by applying a certain amount of force. As will be described later, by bringing a correction guide into contact with the width direction of the bag 2, the central portion of the bag 2 can be made to protrude downward in a reverse state as shown in Fig. 3(a). Here, when the above-mentioned aluminum laminate film is adopted as the resin sheet constituting the bag 2, such warping occurs significantly.

[0009] The bag supply device 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a bag supply unit 5 for supplying the bag 2, an attitude correction unit 6 for correcting the attitude of the bag 2, and an orientation change unit 7 for changing the orientation of the bag 2. The bag supply device 1 also includes a first transfer means 8 for transferring the bag 2 from the bag supply unit 5 to the attitude correction unit 6, a second transfer means 9 for transferring the bag 2 from the attitude correction unit 6 to the orientation change unit 7, and a third transfer means 10 for transferring the bag 2 from the orientation change unit 7 to the filling device 4. The bag supply device 1 and the filling device 4 are controlled by a control means (not shown) composed of a computer or the like.

[0010] The above-described bag supply unit 5 is constituted by a table on which the above-described tray 3 containing a plurality of bags 2 is placed, and a tray supply means (not shown) supplies the tray 3 containing the bags 2 to the bag supply unit 5. Inside the above-described tray 3, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of bags 2 are accommodated in a stacked state, and the ports 2a are aligned so that they face the left side (hereinafter referred to as the downstream side) or the right side (hereinafter referred to as the upstream side) of the drawing for each plurality of sheets. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, inside the tray 3, the ports 2a of the upper and lower bags 2 are accommodated in a state where they are displaced in the width direction of the bag 2. In other words, the upper and lower bags 2 are inclined with respect to each other, and the posture of each bag 2 is random.

[0011] The above-described posture correction unit 6 includes a placement table 11 on which one bag 2 can be placed, and a pair of correction guides 12 provided with the placement table 11 interposed therebetween. The upper surface of the above-described placement table 11 is formed flat, and one bag 2 is to be placed with its longitudinal direction facing the left and right directions in the drawing. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the width of the placement table 11 is set to be narrower than the width of the bag 2, and when the bag 2 is placed on the placement table 11, the long sides on both sides of the bag 2 protrude outside the placement table 11. The above-described correction guide 12 is composed of two plate-like members provided with the placement table 11 interposed therebetween as shown in FIG. 2, and is adapted to move between a separated position indicated by a solid line and an approaching position indicated by a two-dot chain line by a moving means such as an air cylinder. When the above-described correction guide 12 is located at the separated position, it retracts so as not to contact the bag 2 placed on the above-described placement table 11. On the contrary, at the approaching position, the interval between the correction guides 12 becomes narrower than the width of the above-described bag 2, and the bag 2 is pressed in the width direction. Also, even when the above-described correction guide 12 is located at the approaching position, a required gap is formed between the above-described placement table 11 and the correction guide 12.

[0012] The above-mentioned orientation changing unit 7 includes a rotary table 13 on which one bag 2 can be placed, and a dead plate 14 provided between the placement table 11 and the rotary table 13. One bag 2 can be placed on the rotary table 13. As shown in Fig. 2, a stopper 13a that abuts against the short side or the port 2a of the bag 2 is provided at the downstream end of the rotary table 13. In addition, plate-shaped guide members 13b are provided at the end portions in the width direction of the rotary table 13, and the distance between the guide members 13b is the same as the width of the correction guide 12 located at the approaching position.

[0013] The rotary table 13 is rotatably provided by a rotating means. In the standby state shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the stopper 13a is oriented to the right in the drawing. After that, when the bag 2 is transferred from the placement table 11 to the rotary table 13, the rotary table 13 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise as shown in Fig. 4. Specifically, when the port 2a is supplied to the rotary table 13 with the downstream side facing, the rotary table 13 is rotated clockwise as shown in (a) so that the port 2a faces upward in the drawing. On the other hand, when the port 2a is supplied to the rotary table 13 with the upstream side facing, the rotary table 13 is rotated counterclockwise as shown in (b) so that the port 2a faces upward in the drawing. That is, in this embodiment, even if the bag 2 is supplied to the rotary table 13 in any orientation, the rotary table 13 is rotated so that the port 2a faces upward in the drawing to align the directions. As a result, the opening provided on one long side of the bag 2 is located to the right in the drawing with respect to the bag 2, and is delivered in the filling device 4 so that the opening faces upward.

[0014] The above dead plate 14 is provided between the placement table 11 and the rotary table 13, and is provided so as to be vertically movable by lifting means. Further, guide members 14b are provided on both sides of the dead plate 14 at the same interval as the correction guides 12 located at the above approach positions. Also, the dead plate 14 is provided with the same width as the above placement table 11, whereby a required gap is formed between the dead plate 14 and the guide member 14b. And when the rotary table 13 is in the standby position as shown in FIG. 2, the dead plate 14 rises so that the placement table 11 and the rotary table 13 are located at the same height. On the other hand, when the rotary table 13 rotates as shown in FIG. 4, the dead plate 14 moves downward and retracts so as not to interfere with the rotary table 13.

[0015] The above first transfer means 8 is composed of a holding means 21 having a suction pad 23 for sucking and holding the above bag 2, and a moving means 22 for moving the holding means 21 between the above bag supply section 5 and the above placement table 11. The moving means 22 is configured to reciprocate the holding means 21 between the bag supply section 5 and the placement table 11, and to move the holding means 21 up and down. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, four suction pads 23 for sucking and holding the above bag 2 and pins 24 for contacting the above bag 2 are provided at the lower part of the above holding means 21. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the holding means 21 holds the bag 2 such that the length direction is horizontal as shown (the same state as in FIG. 1), and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the holding means 21 holds the bag 2 such that the width direction is horizontal as shown. Cylindrical cylinder portions 21a are formed on the lower surface of the above holding means 21 at a total of four locations in two rows in the length direction and two rows in the width direction, and vacuum supply sources 25 are connected to the respective cylinder portions 21a. The suction pad 23 includes a piston portion 23a having a cylindrical shape and housed in the cylinder portion 21a of the holding means 21, and a bellows-shaped suction portion 23b provided at the lower end portion of the piston portion 23a. A passage 23c is formed inside from the cylinder portion 21a to the suction portion 23b, and one end of the passage 23c opens to the upper side surface of the piston portion 23a. With such a configuration, when the negative pressure is not supplied from the vacuum supply source 25 to the cylinder portion 21a, the suction pad 23 protrudes downward from the holding means 21 due to its own weight, and since the negative pressure is not supplied, the suction portion 23b is in a state of not sucking the bag 2. When the vacuum supply source 25 supplies negative pressure to the cylinder portion 21a from this state, the negative pressure of the cylinder portion 21a is supplied to the suction portion 23b through the passage 23c formed in the piston portion 23a of the suction pad 23, and the suction portion 23b sucks the bag 2. When the suction portion 23b sucks the bag 2 in this way, since the volume of the cylinder portion 21a tends to decrease due to the negative pressure of the cylinder portion 21a, the piston portion 23a moves upward inside the cylinder portion 21a, and the suction pad 23 and the sucked bag 2 move upward.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 6, the pin 24 is provided substantially at the center of the holding means 21, and the suction pads 23 are located on both sides thereof. The position of the lower end portion of the pin 24 is set to the same height as the position of the lower end portion of the suction portion 23b when the suction pad 23 protrudes downward from the holding means 21. Therefore, when the bag 2 housed in the tray 3 is sucked and held by the holding means 21, as shown in FIG. 5, the heights of the suction portion 23b and the lower end portion of the pin 24 are aligned. After that, when the suction pad 23 sucks the bag 2 and moves upward, the portion of the bag 2 adsorbed by the suction pad 23 is pulled upward. However, as shown in FIG. 6, since the pin 24 abuts on the central portion of the bag 2, both end portions of the bag 2 are pulled upward.

[0017] The second transfer means 9 described above includes a pusher 26 that presses the bag 2 and a moving means 27 that moves the pusher 26 forward and backward in the front-rear direction of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the pusher 26 is a pair of plate-like members provided at an interval slightly wider than the width of the placement table 11. When moving the side portion of the placement table 11, it passes between the correction guide 12 located at the approaching position and the placement table 11. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the contact surface of the pusher 26 with the bag 2 is inclined so as to protrude forward as it goes upward, and a plurality of stepped shapes are formed on the inclined portion.

[0018] The moving means 27 reciprocates between a retracted position where the pusher 26 is positioned between the bag supply unit 5 and the placement table 11 and a forward position where the pusher 26 is positioned between the placement table 11 and the rotating table 13. With the bag 2 placed on the placement table 11, the moving means 27 moves the pusher 26 from the retracted position to the forward position, and the pusher 26 presses the rear end portion of the bag 2 protruding from the placement table 11 to move the bag 2 to the placement table 11. At this time, the inclined portion and the stepped shape provided on the pusher 26 prevent the rear end portion of the bag 2 from detaching above the pusher 26.

[0019] The third transfer means 10 is provided at a position adjacent to the rotating table 13 and includes an arm 28 provided so as to be swingable and a suction pad 29 provided at the tip of the arm 28. As described above, the rotating table 13 rotates so that the bag 2 faces a certain direction. When the arm 28 is swung, the suction pad 29 is set to suction-hold the required position of the bag 2. Also, when the arm 28 further swings the suction pad 29 that suction-holds the bag 2, the suction-held bag 2 is moved to a position where it can be gripped by the gripper G of the conveying means constituting the filling device 4. When the suction pad 29 is moved to the position of the gripper G of the filling device 4 by the arm 28, the control means controls the gripper G to grip the bag 2, and then detaches the bag 2 from the suction pad 29.

[0020] Hereinafter, the operation of the bag supply device 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, a tray 3 containing a plurality of bags 2 is supplied to the bag supply unit 5. At this time, inside the tray 3, as shown in FIG. 2, the ports 2a of the upper and lower bags 2 are accommodated in a displaced state, and the posture of each bag 2 is random. Subsequently, an operation of taking out the bag 2 from the tray 3 is performed by the first transfer means 8. The control means positions the holding means 21 above the tray 3 by the moving means 22 of the first transfer means 8, and further lowers it to bring the suction pad 29 into contact with the bag 2. Furthermore, when a negative pressure is supplied to the suction pad 29 by the vacuum supply source 25, the suction pad 29 comes into contact with the bag 2 and the bag 2 is adsorbed, and the suction pad 29 rises due to the negative pressure of the cylinder portion 21a. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the portion of the bag 2 adsorbed and held by the suction pad 29 in the width direction is pulled upward. However, since the pin 24 provided on the holding means 21 is in contact with the bag 2, the central portion of the bag 2 is deformed so as to protrude downward. However, in the length direction of the bag 2 shown in FIG. 5, at the portion where the suction pad 29 is not adsorbed, the end portion hangs down due to the weight of the port 2a and the self-weight of the bag 2, and the bag 2 may not be in a reverse state.

[0021] When the suction pad 29 adsorbs the bag 2, the control means raises the holding means 21 by the moving means 22 of the first transfer means 8, and further moves it above the mounting table 11 of the posture correcting unit 6. In the posture correcting unit 6, the correcting guides 12 provided on both sides of the mounting table 11 are in the approaching position, and the control means transfers the bag 2 to the mounting table 11 by lowering the holding means 21 of the first transfer means 8. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the end portion in the width direction of the bag 2 comes into contact with the correction guide 12, and then, as the holding means 21 further descends, the entire bag 2 is pushed between the correction guide 12 and the correction guide 12 and deformed into the state of being warped as shown in FIG. 3(a).

[0022] In this way, the bag 2 is transferred to the placement table 11 in the warped state. However, since the bag 2 was supplied in an inclined state in the bag supply unit 5, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the bag 2 is inclined with respect to the placement table 11. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7(a), when the bag 2 is transferred to the placement table 11, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the correction guide 12 is moved from the approaching position to the separated position, and in this state, the suction pad 23 is detached from the bag 2. In this state, the control means moves the correction guide 12 from the separated position to the approaching position again, whereby the bag 2 placed on the placement table 11 is clamped by the correction guide 12.

[0023] By being pressed by the correction guide 12 from both sides, the bag 2 rotates on the placement table 11, and its longitudinal direction is aligned with the direction of the placement table 11, so that the posture is corrected. At this time, the bag 2 maintains the warped state on the placement table 11. Since the contact portion with the placement table 11 is a single straight line as shown in FIG. 3(a) above, the rotation of the bag 2 can be stably performed, and the posture can be accurately corrected. On the contrary, if the bag 2 is in the state of being reversely warped with the central portion protruding upward as shown in FIG. 3(b) or in the state of being deformed as a whole as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of contact portions with the placement table 11 will be formed. Therefore, when the bag 2 is pressed by the correction guide 12, the bag 2 may not rotate as expected, and the posture may become unstable.

[0024] When the orientation of the bag 2 is corrected in the posture correction unit 6, the camera 30 as imaging means provided above the placement table 11 captures an image of the bag 2, and the control means recognizes the orientation of the bag 2 based on the position where the port 2a is provided. Subsequently, the control means moves the pusher 26 of the second transfer means 9 by the moving means 27 and presses the bag 2 on the placement table 11 against the rotary table 13 of the orientation changing unit 7. At this time, the correction guide 12 of the placement table 11 is located at the approaching position, and the guide members 13b and 14a provided on the rotary table 13 and the dead plate 14 are provided at the same interval as the correction guide 12 at the approaching position. Therefore, the bag 2 moves toward the rotary table 13 while maintaining the state of being reversely warped. Since the bag 2 maintains the state of being reversely warped in this way, the contact portion between the bag 2 and the placement table 11 is one, and since the posture is corrected, the contact portion faces the front-rear direction. For this reason, when the bag 2 is transferred from the placement table 11 to the rotary table 13 by the second transfer means 9, the bag 2 moves along this linear contact portion, so that the bag 2 can be stably moved. When the port 2a of the bag 2 faces the downstream side on the placement table 11, the bag 2 pressed by the pusher 26 abuts on the stopper 13a of the rotary table 13 with the port 2a and the short side of the bag 2. When the port 2a faces the upstream side, the short side of the bag 2 abuts on the stopper 13a.

[0025] After the bag 2 is transferred to the orientation changing unit 7 in this way, the control means retracts the dead plate 14 downward and further rotates the rotary table 13 according to the orientation of the bag 2. When the port 2a of the bag 2 faces the downstream side as shown in Fig. 4(a), the rotary table 13 rotates clockwise. When the port 2a faces the upstream side as shown in Fig. 4(b), the rotary table 13 rotates counterclockwise, and the orientation of the bag 2 is changed so that the port 2a faces the same direction. Thereafter, the control means controls the third transfer means 10 to perform an operation of delivering the bag 2 on the rotary table 13 to the gripper G constituting the filling device 4. That is, the arm 28 is swung to suck the bag 2 by the suction pad 29, and then the arm 28 is further swung to deliver the bag 2 to the gripper G. At this time, since the rotary table 13 is rotated according to the orientation of the bag 2, the opening formed on the outer peripheral edge of the bag 2 is gripped by the gripper G in a state facing upward.

[0026] Thus, according to the bag supply device 1 of the present embodiment, since the bag 2 is corrected to a reverse state in the posture correction unit 6, the bag 2 and the placement table 11 can be brought into contact with each other by a single linear contact portion. Thereby, when the bag 2 is pressed by the correction guide 12 in the posture correction unit 6, the bag 2 rotates stably on the placement table 11, so that the posture can be accurately corrected. Furthermore, when transferring the bag 2 from the placement table 11 of the posture correction unit 6 to the rotary table 13 of the orientation changing unit 7, since the bag 2 is pressed in a reverse state, the bag 2 can be stably moved. On the other hand, if the bag 2 is in the reverse state shown in Fig. 3(b), the bag 2 and the placement table 11 will come into contact with each other by two contact portions at the widthwise ends of the bag 2. When the bag 2 on the placement table 11 is pressed by the correction guide 12 in this state, the bag 2 may fall between the placement table 11 and the correction guide 12, or the posture may not be accurately corrected due to the large number of contact portions. Similarly, when the bag 2 is moved from the placement table 11 to the rotary table 13 by the second transfer means 9, since the number of contact portions is large, the movement of the bag 2 is not stable, and there is a risk that the bag 2 may fall or get stuck during the movement.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the holding means 21 of the first transfer means 8 is provided with four suction pads 23 and a pin 24 is provided between them. However, if the bag 2 can be put into the above-mentioned reverse state by pushing the bag 2 from above between the correction guides 12 located at the above-mentioned approach position, for example, the pin 24 may be omitted, and it is also conceivable to arrange the suction pads 23 in a single row in the length direction. In the above embodiment, a camera 30 is provided above the placement table 11 to recognize the orientation of the bag 2 on the placement table 11. However, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, it may be provided above the rotating table 13, or may be provided above both the placement table 11 and the rotating table 13. In this case, with the second transfer means 9 moving the bag 2 from the placement table 11 to the rotating table 13, the camera 30 photographs the bag 2 to recognize the orientation of the bag 2, and then the control means may rotate the rotating table 13 according to the orientation of the bag 2. Furthermore, other means may be adopted as the means for recognizing the orientation of the bag 2. For example, a photoelectric sensor is provided on at least one of the placement table 11 or the rotating table 14, and by detecting the presence or absence of the port 2a of the bag 2 placed at a predetermined position by the photoelectric sensor, it becomes possible to recognize the orientation of the bag 2.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0028] 1 Bag supply device 2 Bag 2a Port 3 Tray 4 Filling device 5 Bag supply section 6 Posture correction section 7 Orientation change section 8 First transfer means 9 Second transfer means 10 Third transfer means 11 Placement table 12 Correction guide 13 Rotating table

Claims

1. A bag supplying device including a bag supplying section to which bags made of a flexible material are supplied, a placement table on which one bag can be placed, a transfer means for transferring the bag from the bag supplying section to the placement table, a straightening guide disposed on either side of the placement table and movable to a position separated from or close to the bag, and a control means for controlling the straightening guide and the transfer means, The distance between the correction guides at the approaching position is set to be narrower than the width of the bag, the control means, when the transfer means transfers the bag from the bag supply section to the placement table, positions the correction guide at the approach position, and causes the transfer means to push the bag from above between the correction guides, thereby putting the bag in a forward warping state with a central portion of the bag protruding downward; The bag supplying device further comprises a control means for moving the correction guide from the approach position to the separate position and then positioning the correction guide at the approach position again, thereby correcting the orientation of the bag on the placement table.

2. The bag has a set orientation, the bag ... The bag supplying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means determines the orientation of the bags placed on the turntable based on the imaging results of the imaging means, and rotates the turntable based on the determination result to align the orientation of the bags.

Images