Packaging device

Abstract

To provide a packaging device capable of forming a package allowing easy taking-out of a packaging object.SOLUTION: A packaging device 1 comprises: a first supply part R1 and a second supply part R2 supplying a sheet-like packaging material F continued in a supply direction; and a package processing part 40 which sandwiches a packaging object between a first packaging material F1 being the packaging material F supplied from the first supply part R1 and a second packaging material F2 being the packaging material F supplied from the second supply part R2, and which packages the packaging object by jointing the first packaging material F1 to the second packaging material F2. Perforation forming means 50 forming perforation in the packaging material F, is provided between at least one of the first supply part R1 and the second supply part R2, and the package processing part 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a packaging device, two film rolls for supplying a film sheet as a packaging material are attached to a supply unit, an object to be packaged is sandwiched between two film sheets supplied from the two film rolls, and the film sheets are welded together to create a package (see Patent Document 1, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to take out the object to be packaged contained in the package created by the packaging device described in Patent Document 1, if one tries to break and open the film sheet by hand, the package may bend, and the object to be packaged contained therein may also break and be damaged. Such a problem is not limited to the case where the packaging material is a film sheet. If an object to be packaged is sandwiched between two packaging materials and the two packaging materials are joined to create a package, the same problem may occur when taking out the object to be packaged.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a first supply unit and a second supply unit that supply a sheet-shaped packaging material that is continuous in the supply direction, and a first packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the first supply unit and a second packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the second supply unit. In a packaging apparatus including a packaging processing unit that performs a packaging process of sandwiching an object to be packaged between the two and joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material to package the object to be packaged, a perforation forming means for forming perforations in the packaging material is provided between at least one of the first supply unit and the second supply unit and the packaging processing unit.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, a packaged product with perforations in the packaging material can be created. This packaged product can be easily opened by hand by cutting the packaging material at the perforation part. Therefore, there is an excellent effect that a packaged product that allows the object to be packaged to be easily taken out can be created.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted as appropriate. Also, the dimensions of the members in each drawing are enlarged or reduced as appropriate for easy understanding. In addition, some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiments in each drawing are omitted from the display.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a packaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the packaging machine 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing an outline of the packaging machine 1 shown in FIG. 1. The packaging machine 1 creates a package by sandwiching an advertisement bundle S, which is an object to be packaged, between two films F (F1, F2) supplied from two film rolls R (R1, R2) and welding them at a welding portion 40. Further, the packaging machine 1 includes a perforation forming portion 50, which is a perforation forming means for forming perforations in the upper film F1 supplied from the upper film roll R1.

[0011] The packaging machine 1 packages an A4-sized advertisement bundle, and the advertisement bundle S is inserted into the apparatus through the insertion port 2 so that the short side of the A4-sized advertisement bundle S is parallel to the width direction (the X-axis direction in FIG. 1). The insertion port 2 is provided with guide plates 2a for guiding both sides in the width direction and the lower surface of the inserted advertisement bundle S, making it easier for the user to insert by hand. In the present embodiment, the advertisement bundle S is inserted by hand by the user, but instead of the guide plates 2a, a device for automatically supplying the advertisement bundle S in portions may be connected for automatic supply.

[0012] The inserted advertisement bundle S is conveyed in the apparatus in the direction of the arrow "α" in FIG. 1 while being sandwiched between the upper film F1 drawn from the upper film roll R1 on the upper side and the lower film F2 drawn from the lower film roll R2 on the lower side. At the same time, the film F around the advertisement bundle S is heat-welded and packaged, and is discharged from the discharge port 9 and sequentially stacked on the package tray 4.

[0013] An operation panel 45 is provided on one end side in the width direction on the upper surface of the packaging machine 1. The operation panel 45 functions as an input unit for receiving various inputs from the user for operating the packaging machine 1, and also functions as a display unit for displaying various information inside the packaging machine 1. A power switch 46 for turning on the power to the packaging machine 1 is provided on the other end side in the width direction on the upper surface of the packaging machine 1.

[0014] In Fig. 2, the insertion port 2 is formed on the left side of the packaging machine 1. Inside the insertion port 2, there is a welding and cutting heater 5, front and rear end welding receivers 44, side welding heaters 41, side welding receivers 42, an upper conveying belt 34, a lower conveying belt 35, and other components that make up a welding part 40.

[0015] The insertion port 2 is normally closed by a shutter 3. The shutter 3 is rotatable about a shutter fulcrum 3a and is biased in the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 by a biasing means (not shown). Therefore, the lower end of the shutter 3 is in a state of being pressed against the front and rear end welding receivers 44 provided below it (the biasing means may not be provided and it may be pressed by its own weight). When the advertisement bundle S is inserted, the shutter 3 rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 2 by the tip of the advertisement bundle S, creating a gap between it and the front and rear end welding receivers 44. The advertisement bundle S enters the gap and is further inserted in the right direction in Fig. 2.

[0016] Above the front and rear end welding receivers 44, a welding and cutting heater 5 is arranged. The welding and cutting heater 5 is configured to be movable between a standby position shown in Fig. 2 and a welding position where the lower end reaches the front and rear end welding receivers 44 by a drive mechanism (not shown). The welding and cutting heater 5 is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy with good thermal conductivity and light weight, and the lower end shape is formed into an acute angle. A rubber heater (not shown) is baked and fixed to the welding and cutting heater 5, and the welding and cutting heater 5 can be heated by energizing this rubber heater. Also, a thermistor for measuring the temperature of the welding and cutting heater 5 is attached.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, an upper film roll R1 is arranged above the welding and cutting heater 5, and a lower film roll R2 is arranged below it. Hereinafter, the upper film roll R1 will be described, but the configuration of the lower film roll R2 and its support structure are the same as those of the upper film roll R1.

[0018] The upper film roll R1 is formed by winding a long film (upper film F1) around an upper paper tube R1a. The upper paper tube shaft 6A coaxially supports the upper paper tube R1a from the inner surface side. The upper film F1 has a width in the direction from the front side (hereinafter referred to as the width direction) to the back side in the drawing, and the upper paper tube R1a also has the same width as the upper film F1. The width is formed to be slightly longer than the length of the short side of the A4-sized advertisement bundle S inserted from the insertion port 2 (210 [mm]).

[0019] Adjacent to the end face of the upper film roll R1 in the width direction, an upper paper tube guide 7A formed in a plate shape parallel to the end face of the upper film roll R1 is erected. An upper guide slit 7aA extending downward from the upper end is formed in the upper paper tube guide 7A, and the upper paper tube shaft 6A is inserted through this upper guide slit 7aA. Further, an upper film support roller 8A for supporting the upper film roll R1 from below is provided.

[0020] The upper paper tube guides 7A of the same shape are erected on both sides of the upper film roll R1 in the width direction. By the support ring of the upper paper tube shaft 6A supporting the inner peripheral surface of the upper paper tube R1a, the upper paper tube shaft 6A and the upper film roll R1 are supported to be coaxial. The upper paper tube shaft 6A is formed to be longer in the width direction than the interval between the two upper paper tube guides 7A, and both ends thereof are inserted through the upper guide slit 7aA. When the remaining amount of the upper film roll R1 decreases and the roll diameter becomes smaller, the position of the upper paper tube shaft 6A descends, but it is configured to maintain the state where the outer peripheral surface of the upper film roll R1 contacts the upper film support roller 8A.

[0021] The packaging machine 1 is configured with a lower paper tube shaft 6B, a lower paper tube guide 7B, and a lower film support roller 8B in the same manner as the upper paper tube shaft 6A, the upper paper tube guide 7A, and the upper film support roller 8A in the upper film roll R1 for the lower film roll R2.

[0022] The upper film F1 is drawn from the upper film roll R1, looped around the upper first film guide 31 and the upper second film guide 32, and its tip is positioned below the welding and cutting heater 5. The lower film F2 is drawn from the lower film roll R2, looped around the lower film guide 33, and its tip is positioned below the welding and cutting heater 5. The leading ends of the upper and lower films (F1, F2) are welded to each other in a previous packaging process in advance to form a welded line Fx.

[0023] To the right of the welding and cutting heater 5 and the front and rear end welding receivers 44 in the drawing, there are provided an upper conveyor belt 34 and a lower conveyor belt 35 for conveying the advertisement bundle S inserted from the insertion port 2 together with the films (F1, F2). Both the upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35 are arranged in two rows in the width direction, and the interval therebetween is configured to be shorter than the width of the advertisement bundle S (the length in the X-axis direction in the drawing). Therefore, the upper conveyor belt 34 sandwiches the advertisement bundle S from above, and the lower conveyor belt 35 sandwiches the advertisement bundle S from below, and can convey it to the right in the drawing (hereinafter, the direction in which this advertisement bundle S is conveyed is referred to as the "conveying direction"). A driving force is applied to the lower conveyance downstream pulley 36, which is one of the pulleys around which the lower conveyor belt 35 is looped, from a conveyance motor M1 via a lower belt drive transmission mechanism 37 composed of a toothed belt, a toothed pulley, a gear, etc. Also, a driving force is applied to the upper conveyance downstream pulley 38, which is one of the pulleys around which the upper conveyor belt 34 is looped, from the conveyance motor M1 via an upper belt drive transmission mechanism (not shown in the drawing). That is, when the conveyance motor M1 rotates, a driving force is applied to both the upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35, and the two conveyor belts (34, 35) move endlessly.

[0024] There are provided a total of two side welding heaters 41, one on each side (the outer side in the width direction) of the upper conveyor belt 34 in the width direction. Also, there are provided a total of two side welding receivers 42, one at each position facing each of the side welding heaters 41 on both sides (the outer side in the width direction) of the lower conveyor belt 35 in the width direction. The side welding heaters 41 and the side welding receivers 42 are each formed long along the conveying direction of the upper conveyor belt 34 and the lower conveyor belt 35.

[0025] Each of the two side welding heaters 41 is also formed of lightweight aluminum or an aluminum alloy with a rubber heater baked and fixed thereto, and the lower end shape is formed into an acute angle. Also, a thermistor for measuring temperature is attached.

[0026] The interval in the width direction between the two side welding heaters 41 is configured to be longer than the width of the advertisement bundle S and shorter than the widths of the two films (F1, F2). And both of the two side welding heaters 41 can be lowered by a drive mechanism (not shown) until the lower end reaches the side welding receiving base 42. With such a configuration, the films (F1, F2) can be welded on both sides in the width direction of the advertisement bundle S.

[0027] On the right side in FIG. 2 of the side welding heater 41 and the side welding receiving base 42, a discharge port 9 for discharging the package wrapping the advertisement bundle S is formed. In the conveyance path of the advertisement bundle S from the insertion port 2 to the discharge port 9, a first sensor D1 is provided on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the welding and cutting heater 5 so as to detect the leading end or the trailing end of the advertisement bundle S, and a second sensor D2 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the welding and cutting heater 5. Further, a third sensor D3 is provided near the discharge port 9.

[0028] In the packaging machine 1, based on the detection signals in which the advertisement bundle S, which is the object to be packaged, is detected by the three sensors (D1, D2, D3), a heater actuator for moving the welding and cutting heater 5 and the side welding heaters 41 up and down, a conveyance motor M1, and two brake mechanisms (not shown) are driven and controlled based on a predetermined timing. The brake mechanism is a mechanism for applying a brake to the rotation of the film support rollers 8 (8A, 8B) that contact the outer peripheries of the two film rolls R (R1, R2).

[0029] When the advertising bundle S is inserted from the insertion port 2 and the first sensor D1 detects the tip of the advertising bundle S, the brakes of the two braking mechanisms are released and the driving of the conveying motor M1 is started. As a result, the two films (F1, F2) whose welding line Fx is pushed by the inserted advertising bundle S are unwound from their respective film rolls (R1, R2). The advertising bundle S that has entered the apparatus while pushing the welding line Fx is conveyed by the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35 while being sandwiched between the two films (F1, F2). By this conveying force, the two films (F1, F2) are pulled and further unwound from their respective film rolls (R1, R2).

[0030] The advertising bundle S sandwiched between the two films is conveyed to the right in FIG. 2 by the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35. After a predetermined time from when the second sensor D2 detects the rear end of the advertising bundle S, the conveying motor M1 is stopped, and then the brakes of the two braking mechanisms are turned ON. Next, by stopping the conveying motor M1, the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35 are stopped, and by driving the heater actuator, the welding cutting heater 5 and the side welding heater 41 are lowered. The welding cutting heater 5 and the side welding heater 41 are lowered and moved from the standby position to the welding position, and the two films (F1, F2) are sandwiched between the welding cutting heater 5 and the front and rear end welding receiving base 44, and between the side welding heater 41 and the side welding receiving base 42, and the two films (F1, F2) are thermally welded.

[0031] Thereafter, the side welding heater 41 is raised to the standby position, the driving of the conveying motor M1 is resumed to resume the endless movement of the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35, and the conveyance of the advertisement bundle S is resumed by the upper conveying belt 34 and the lower conveying belt 35. At this time, since the welding and cutting heater 5 is at the welding position on the upstream side of the advertisement bundle S, the two films (F1, F2) are cut at this welding position. By these operations, the films (F1, F2) are welded to the rear end side and both sides of the advertisement bundle S, and a packaged product is created by cutting the welded position at the rear end side. Since the two films (F1, F2) are welded in advance at the front end side of the advertisement bundle S during the previous packaging process to form a welding line Fx, a packaged product with the periphery of the advertisement bundle S welded and sealed is created in combination with this.

[0032] Even after the packaged product is created, the conveying motor M1 continues to drive. When the third sensor D3 detects the passage of the rear end of the advertisement bundle S forming the packaged product, the driving of the conveying motor M1 is stopped and the welding and cutting heater 5 is raised to the standby position. The advertisement bundle S whose rear end has passed the detection position of the third sensor D3 is discharged from the discharge port 9 in the state of the packaged product and loaded on the packaged product tray 4.

[0033] Next, the perforation forming unit 50 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the perforation forming unit 50 includes a sewing blade unit 10 having a sewing blade 11 and a sewing blade opposing roller 17. As shown in FIG. 1, the sewing blade opposing roller 17 is a part of the upper paper tube guide 7A and is rotatably supported about the opposing roller rotation axis 17a with respect to the opposing roller holding portion 70 protruding downstream in the conveying direction. The sewing blade unit 10 is attached to a unit holding casing 71 fixed to the upper surface of the main body housing of the packaging machine 1. The sewing blade unit 10 includes a lower casing 15 and an upper casing 16, and a part of the sewing blade 11 which is a rotary sewing blade and a part of the sewing blade holding lever 12 which rotatably holds the sewing blade 11 are exposed from the casing.

[0034] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the sewing machine needle forming section 50 showing the sewing machine needle unit 10 with the upper casing 16 removed, the unit holding casing 71, and the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17, as seen from the upper left rear in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 is held by the lower casing 15 so as to be rotatable about the lever rotation axis 13. One end of the sewing machine needle pressing spring 14 disposed within the sewing machine needle unit 10 is fixed to the spring support plate 14a protruding inward from the lower casing 15, and the other end is fixed to the sewing machine needle holding lever 12. Due to the biasing force that attempts to compress the sewing machine needle pressing spring 14, a force acts on the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 to rotate it counterclockwise in FIG. 1 about the lever rotation axis 13. As a result, the sewing machine needle 11 held by the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 comes into contact with the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17 while being pressed.

[0035] The sewing machine needle 11 can be brought into contact with and separated from the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17 by rotating the sewing machine needle holding lever 12. The sewing machine needle unit 10 includes a lever lock mechanism (not shown) that fixes the position of the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 in a state where the sewing machine needle 11 is separated from the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17. By pushing down the lever operation portion 12a protruding from the opening 15a of the lower casing 15 to the outside of the casing in the sewing machine needle holding lever 12, the sewing machine needle 11 is separated from the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17, and the position of the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 is fixed by the lever lock mechanism. When the unlocking lever 19 shown in FIG. 3 is pushed down, the position fixing by the lever lock mechanism is released, the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 rotates due to the biasing force of the sewing machine needle pressing spring 14, and the sewing machine needle 11 comes into pressure contact with the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17. In this way, by operating the sewing machine needle holding lever 12 and the unlocking lever 19, the sewing machine needle 11 can be manually brought into contact with and separated from the sewing machine needle opposing roller 17.

[0036] In the packaging machine 1, when mounting the upper film roll R1, the lever operation part 12a of the sewing blade holding lever 12 is pushed down, and the sewing blade 11 is fixed in a state of being separated from the sewing blade opposing roller 17. Then, the upper film F1 pulled out from the upper film roll R1 to be mounted is wound around the sewing blade opposing roller 17, sandwiched at the opposing part with the upper film support roller 8A, and wound around the upper first film guide 31 and the upper second film guide 32, so as to mount the upper film roll R1. Since the welding line Fx is not formed at the leading ends of the upper film F1 and the lower film F2 immediately after mounting the film roll R, the leading ends of the upper film F1 and the lower film F2 are joined by a joining means such as cellophane tape. Then, in order to form the welding line Fx, a test packaging object is inserted at least once to perform test packaging.

[0037] After mounting the film roll R, when the unlocking lever 19 shown in FIG. 3 is pushed down, the sewing blade 11 comes into pressure contact with the sewing blade opposing roller 17, and the blade part of the sewing blade 11 in which the blade part and the groove part are alternately formed on the circumference is wound around the upper film F1 wound around the sewing blade opposing roller 17 to make a hole. In this state, the packaging object is inserted, and as the upper film F1 is pulled out from the upper film roll R1, the sewing blade opposing roller 17 and the sewing blade 11 rotate together. By the rotating sewing blade 11, a broken-line-shaped perforation parallel to the moving direction of the upper film F1 is formed in the upper film F1.

[0038] The upper film F1 with perforations formed by the sewing blade 11 passes through the sandwiching part between the upper film support roller 8A and the upper film roll R1, is guided by the upper first film guide 31 and the upper second film guide 32, and reaches the welding part where the films F are welded by the welding cutter 5 and the side welding heater 41. Then, by sandwiching the advertisement bundle S between the two films F (F1, F2) that have reached the welding part and welding the two films F, a packaging object having perforations on the surface is created, discharged from the discharge port 9, and loaded on the packaging object tray 4.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows an example of the packaged article Pk created by the packaging machine 1. FIG. 4(a) shows an example of the packaged article Pk with the perforation CL, and FIG. 4(b) shows an example of the packaged article Pk without the perforation CL. The packaged article Pk shown in FIG. 4 is formed by sandwiching the advertisement bundle S between the upper film F1 and the lower film F2 and welding the four sides. As the welding locations of the four sides, there are a downstream welding line Fx1 formed by the welding and cutting heater 5 during the previous packaging process, and an upstream welding line Fx2 formed by the welding and cutting heater 5 during the packaging process for the advertisement bundle S shown in FIG. 4. Also, there are a back-side welding line F3 formed by the back-side side welding heater 41 in FIG. 2, and a front-side welding line F4 formed by the front-side side welding heater 41 in FIG. 2.

[0040] Furthermore, in the packaged article Pk shown in FIG. 4(a), the perforation CL is formed in the upper film F1 above the advertisement bundle S (the front side in FIG. 4). The film F with the perforation CL formed can be easily cut at the position of the perforation by pulling in opposite directions with the perforation as the boundary, and the advertisement bundle S, which is the object to be packaged, can be easily taken out from the opening formed by the cut perforation.

[0041] The packaging machine 1 can perform the packaging process even when the lever operation portion 12a of the perforation blade holding lever 12 is pushed down and the perforation blade 11 is separated from the perforation blade opposing roller 17. The packaged article Pk created in this state does not have the perforation CL as shown in FIG. 4(b). In this way, the packaging machine 1 can create both the packaged article Pk with perforations as shown in FIG. 4(a) and the packaged article Pk without perforations as shown in FIG. 4(b) by performing the operation of bringing the perforation blade 11 into contact with and separating from the perforation blade opposing roller 17.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, the lower casing 15 of the sewing blade unit 10 is provided with elongated holes 18 extending in the width direction (the direction parallel to the X-axis in FIG. 3) in a sheet metal portion for fixing to the unit holding casing 71. By passing unit fixing screws 72 through each of the two elongated holes 18 and tightening the unit fixing screws 72 against round holes provided in the wall portion of the unit holding casing 71, the sewing blade unit 10 can be fixed to the unit holding casing 71.

[0043] The sewing blade unit 10 can change the fixing position with respect to the unit holding casing 71 within the range of the length of the elongated hole 18 in the width direction. By changing the position of the sewing blade unit 10 in the width direction, the position of the sewing blade 11 in the width direction with respect to the upper film F1 can be changed, and the position of the sewing perforation CL in the width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 4) in the packaging Pk can be changed. Also, the portion of the sewing blade opposing roller 17 that contacts the sewing blade 11 wears down during continuous use. In such a case, by changing the fixing position of the sewing blade unit 10 in the width direction, the position where the sewing blade 11 contacts the sewing blade opposing roller 17 also moves in the width direction, and the sewing blade 11 can be brought into contact with an unworn portion.

[0044] The sewing blade opposing roller 17 may be a roller that is uniform in the axial direction (the width direction parallel to the X-axis). In this embodiment, the portion where the sewing blade 11 contacts is a soft roller portion 171, and both outer sides in the axial direction are hard roller portions 172. By making the portion where the sewing blade 11 contacts a soft roller portion 171 with high flexibility, it can serve a role like a cutter mat, and good sewing perforation formation can be achieved. Also, when the soft roller portion 171 wears down during continuous use, by adopting a configuration in which only the soft roller portion 171 can be replaced, it is not necessary to replace the entire sewing blade opposing roller 17. The sewing blade opposing roller 17 is within the range of the elongated hole 18, so that the fixing position of the sewing blade unit 10 can be changed, and the range within which the position of the sewing blade 11 can fluctuate is the soft roller portion 171. When the displaceable range of the sewing blade 11 is wide and it can move across the entire width direction, it is desirable to make the entire sewing blade opposing roller 17 a soft roller portion 171.

[0045] In the packaging machine 1 of the above-described embodiment, the approach and separation of the sewing blade 11 and its position in the width direction were changed manually, but they may also be performed automatically using a driving means and a control means. In the configuration where the sewing blade 11 is manually approached and separated, when making the perforations CL on the packaging object Pk, as shown in Fig. 4(a), the perforations CL are formed across the entire conveyance direction. On the other hand, in the configuration where the approach and separation of the sewing blade 11 are performed automatically, it is also possible to control to form the perforations CL in a part of the conveyance direction of the packaging object Pk by approaching and separating according to the insertion timing of the object to be packaged.

[0046] Also, in the case of a configuration where the position of the side welding heater 41 in the width direction can be changed according to the width of the object to be packaged, it may be configured to automatically control the position of the sewing blade 11 in the width direction so that the perforations CL are formed inside the side welding heater 41 in the width direction.

[0047] The above-described packaging machine 1 is configured to form perforations on the upper film F1 by a perforation forming means. As a configuration for forming perforations on the film F which is a packaging material, a similar perforation forming means may be arranged in the movement path of the lower film F2 to form perforations on the lower film F2. Further, perforation forming means may be provided in the movement paths of both the upper film F1 and the lower film F2 to form perforations on both the upper and lower films F and create a packaging object Pk having perforations CL on both the front and back surfaces.

[0048] In the above-described packaging machine 1, the perforation forming means uses a rotary sewing blade that forms the perforations CL along the movement direction of the film F by sandwiching the film F between it and the sewing blade opposing roller 17 and rotating along with the movement of the film F. As the perforation forming means, a perforation blade linearly arranged so as to extend in the width direction may be brought into contact with the film F to form perforations. As a configuration for bringing such a linear perforation blade into contact with the film F, there are a guillotine method in which the perforation blade is brought into contact with and separated from the film F in the packaging direction, and a roller having a perforation blade on the surface of a roller whose rotation axis extends in the width direction is attached, and this roller is rotated to bring the perforation blade into contact with the film F. Further, a rotary perforation blade that moves in the width direction while being in contact with the film F that is stopped for welding or the like may be used. However, in order to form perforations in the film F, these perforation forming means need to move the perforation blade, and driving means for moving the perforation blade is required. On the other hand, the perforation forming means of the packaging machine 1 described in the embodiment forms perforations by the perforation blade 11 that rotates with the movement of the film F, so driving means for moving the perforation blade for forming perforations is unnecessary.

[0049] In the packaging machine 1, it is desirable that a plurality of types of film sheets such as films having different thicknesses can be used as the film F. However, for films F of different types, the control of each part for performing good welding is different. For example, when the film thickness is 20 [μm] and 30 [μm], various control conditions are different, such as the minimum temperature required for welding, the time for bringing the side welding heater 41 into contact with the side welding receiver 42, and the control timing of the brake mechanism. In a conventional packaging device that overlaps two films to package an object to be packaged, in order to perform appropriate packaging processing including welding according to the type of film sheet, a maintenance person such as a serviceman inputs the setting of the control conditions of each part, and the user performs the packaging processing using the device with the setting input. Therefore, when the user wants to perform packaging processing using film sheets of different types such as films having different thicknesses, it is necessary to call the maintenance manager to change the setting or purchase a new packaging device and have different settings input.

[0050] In contrast, in the packaging machine 1 of the present embodiment, six sets of control conditions input by a service technician can be stored, and the user can select the necessary settings from the six stored settings to perform the packaging process. As an example, among the six settings that can be stored, two settings suitable for a film thickness of 20 [μm] and a setting suitable for a film thickness of 30 [μm] are stored. Thereby, when the user performs the packaging process using the film roll R with a thickness of 20 [μm] and then performs the packaging process by attaching the film roll R with a thickness of 30 [μm], the user can select a setting suitable for a film thickness of 30 [μm] from the stored settings, and it becomes possible to perform an appropriate packaging process.

[0051] The following can be cited as the control conditions to be set. The welding time of the welding and cutting heater 5, the welding time of the side welding heater 41, the time from when the second sensor D2 detects the rear end of the advertisement bundle S until the conveyance motor M1 is stopped, the time until the conveyance motor M1 is restarted after welding, the set temperature of the welding and cutting heater 5, the set temperature of the side welding heater 41, the ON / OFF timing of the upper and lower brake mechanisms, the operation amount of the welding and cutting heater 5, the operation amount of the side welding heater 41, etc., but it is not limited to these. The service technician inputs such settings of the control conditions according to the type of film such as the film thickness and the material of the film, and the user can select the desired settings. Thereby, the user can easily select the settings according to the type of film, and even if the types of films are different, a good packaging process can be performed. The setting of the control conditions is not limited to those input by the service technician, and the user may be able to input and store settings according to their preferences. Also, the number of settings that can be stored and selected is not limited to six.

[0052] As a configuration other than the part including the perforation forming part 50 of the packaging machine 1, known ones can be used. For example, those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-074975 can be used, but it is not limited to this. In addition, the above-described packaging machine 1 has a horizontal conveyance configuration in which the advertising bundle S, which is the object to be packaged, is conveyed in the horizontal direction and is packaged with a resin film as the packaging material. However, the packaging device provided with the perforation forming means according to the present invention is not limited to this. For example, like the packaging device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-37302, a vertical conveyance configuration in which the object to be packaged is conveyed from above downward while being packaged may be used. The packaging material for packaging the object to be packaged is not limited to a resin film. Even with a packaging material of other materials, by forming perforations, it becomes easier to take out the object to be packaged wrapped in the packaging material.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the object to be packaged by the packaging machine 1 is the advertising bundle S has been described. However, the object to be packaged is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to mention plate-shaped objects such as newspapers, single sheets of paper, books, catalogs, plastic sheets, etc. Also, not limited to plate-shaped objects, non-plate-shaped objects to be packaged such as shampoo in a container or ballpoint pens may be packaged. Further, a non-plate-shaped object to be packaged may be placed on a plate-shaped object to be packaged and inserted into the insertion port 2 of the packaging machine 1 to create a packaged product Pk in which these are enclosed. For example, it is conceivable to create a packaged product Pk in which an article is enclosed with an advertisement by placing novelty goods such as ballpoint pens related to the advertisement or samples such as shampoo on the advertising bundle S and inserting it into the insertion port 2. In addition, the packaged product Pk created by the packaging machine 1 can also be used as direct mail. By forming perforations in the packaging material forming the direct mail to make it easier to open, it is possible to improve the opening rate of the direct mail.

[0054] What has been described above is an example, and each of the following aspects has specific effects.

[0055] 〔Aspect 1〕 A packaging apparatus such as a packaging machine 1 includes a first supply unit such as an upper film roll R1 that supplies a packaging material such as a sheet-like film F continuous in the supply direction, and a second supply unit such as a lower film roll R2, and a packaging object such as an advertisement bundle S is sandwiched between a first packaging material such as an upper film F1 which is the packaging material supplied from the first supply unit and a second packaging material such as a lower film F2 which is the packaging material supplied from the second supply unit, and a packaging process unit such as a welding unit 40 that performs a packaging process of packaging the packaging object by joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material by welding or the like. In the packaging apparatus, a perforation forming means such as a perforation forming unit 50 that forms perforations in the packaging material is provided between at least one of the first supply unit and the second supply unit and the packaging process unit. According to this, a packaged object with perforations in the packaging material can be created, and this packaged object can be easily opened by hand by cutting the packaging material at the perforation part, so a packaged object that is easy to take out the packaging object can be created.

[0056] In the packaging machine 1 of this embodiment, the perforation forming unit 50 is arranged in the supply process of the film F from the upper film roll R1 to the welding unit 40. In order to attach perforations CL to the film F before covering the packaging object, the perforations CL can be formed in the part of the film F that overlaps the upper surface of the packaging object as shown in Fig. 4(a) without damaging the packaging object. Also, not limited to the case of sandwiching with two long upper films as the packaging material, even in a packaging apparatus that uses a single film for packaging, by arranging the perforation forming means between the film supply unit and the packaging process unit, a packaged object with perforations formed in the part of the packaging material that overlaps the packaging object can be created.

[0057] 〔Aspect 2〕 In the packaging apparatus of Aspect 1, the packaging process unit linearly joins the first packaging material and the second packaging material at the front and rear in the moving direction of the packaging object (such as the downstream side and the upstream side in the conveying direction) and both outer sides in the width direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the packaging object (such as the back side and the front side in the width direction) (downstream welding line Fx1, upstream welding line Fx2, back side welding line F3, front side welding line F4), thereby packaging the packaging object. According to this, a configuration for packaging an object to be packaged with two packaging materials can be realized.

[0058] 〔Aspect 3〕 In the packaging device of Aspect 1 or 2, the packaging material is a resin film sheet, and the packaging processing unit is characterized by joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material by welding. According to this, a configuration for joining two packaging materials by welding and packaging an object to be packaged can be realized.

[0059] 〔Aspect 4〕 In the packaging device according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, the perforation forming means includes a rotary perforation blade such as a perforation blade 11 that forms perforations in the rotational direction, and the rotary perforation blade is in contact with the packaging material and rotates by being carried around by the movement of the packaging material. According to this, a driving means for forming perforations becomes unnecessary. Also, when perforations are made in the width direction orthogonal to the moving direction, there is a possibility that the packaging material will be torn at the perforations when the packaging processing unit pulls the packaging material. However, by forming perforations along the moving direction of the packaging material, it is possible to prevent the packaging material pulled by the packaging processing unit from being torn at the perforations.

[0060] 〔Aspect 5〕 In the packaging device of Aspect 4, the rotary perforation blade is characterized by being movable between a contact position in contact with the packaging material and a retracted position not in contact with the packaging material. According to this, it becomes possible to create both a packaged object with perforations formed in the packaging material and a packaged object without perforations formed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0061] 1: Packaging machine 4: Packaging object tray 5: Welding and cutting heater 10: Perforation blade unit 11: Perforation blade 12: Perforation blade holding lever 17: Perforation blade opposing roller 34: Upper conveying belt 35: Lower conveying belt 40: Welding part 41: Side welding heater 50: Stitching formation part CL: Stitch F: Film F1: Upper film F2: Lower film Pk: Packaged item R: Film roll R1: Upper film roll R2: Lower film roll S: Advertising bundle

Claims

1. a first supply section and a second supply section for supplying a continuous sheet-shaped packaging material in a supply direction; a packaging processing section that performs a packaging process for packaging the object to be packaged by sandwiching the object between a first packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the first supply section and a second packaging material that is the packaging material supplied from the second supply section and joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material, A packaging device comprising a perforation forming means for forming perforations in the packaging material between at least one of the first supply section and the second supply section and the packaging processing section.

2. 2. The packaging device of claim 1, The packaging processing unit is a packaging device characterized by packaging the object to be packaged by linearly joining the first packaging material and the second packaging material at the front and rear of the object in the direction of movement and at both outer sides in the width direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the object to be packaged.

3. In the packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, The packaging material is a resin film sheet, The packaging device is characterized in that the packaging processing unit joins the first packaging material and the second packaging material by welding.

4. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A packaging device characterized in that the perforation forming means includes a rotary perforation blade that forms perforations in a rotational direction, the rotary perforation blade contacting the packaging material and rotating in unison with the movement of the packaging material.

5. The packaging device according to claim 4, The packaging device, characterized in that the rotary perforation blade is movable between a contact position in which it contacts the packaging material and a retracted position in which it does not contact the packaging material.

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