Bag making, filling and packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a bag making, filling and packaging machine capable of contacting / separating a seal block while maintaining to be parallel.SOLUTION: A bag making, filling and packaging machine includes: a cylinder maker for superposing both end parts in the width direction of a belt-like packaging material and making it into a cylindrical shape; a first seal device for sealing both end parts of the belt-like packaging material superposed by the cylinder maker; and a second seal device for sealing both end parts of the bag which includes a product out of the belt-like packaging materials molded into a cylindrical shape in the first seal device. The second seal device includes: a pair of seal blocks for sandwiching the belt-like packaging material and sealing it; and a plurality of contacting / separating mechanisms for contacting / separating the pair of seal blocks in the second direction by pushing and pulling the position separated in the first direction which is the longer direction of the seal block in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bag-making filling and packaging machine.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a bag-making filling and packaging machine including a first sealing device for sealing both ends of an overlapped strip-shaped film, and a second sealing device for sealing portions corresponding to the top and bottom of a bag containing a product among the strip-shaped films formed into a cylindrical shape by the first sealing device.

[0003] The second sealing device includes a pair of sealing blocks and a separating and contacting mechanism for separating and contacting the pair of sealing blocks. Further, as the separating and contacting mechanism, for example, there is one that converts the rotational motion of a servo motor into a linear motion and transmits it to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the sealing block (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, in the separating and contacting mechanism described in Patent Document 1, while using a toggle mechanism to push and pull the center in the longitudinal direction of the sealing block, due to play or the like of the components for pushing and pulling the sealing block, there is a possibility that one side in the longitudinal direction of the pair of sealing blocks comes into contact and a gap is generated on the other side (so-called "V shape"). As a result, it may not be possible to appropriately detect that the product has been sealed in a bitten state, or it may not be possible to appropriately seal the strip-shaped film.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a bag-making and filling packaging machine capable of separating and approaching a pair of seal blocks while maintaining parallelism.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention is a bag-making and filling packaging machine for filling a product into a bag formed from a strip-shaped packaging material, comprising: a tube former for forming a tube by overlapping both end portions in the width direction of the strip-shaped packaging material; a first sealing device for sealing both end portions of the strip-shaped packaging material overlapped by the tube former; and a second sealing device for sealing both sides of a bag containing a product among the strip-shaped packaging materials formed into a tube by the first sealing device, wherein the second sealing device includes a pair of seal blocks for sealing with the strip-shaped packaging material interposed therebetween, and a plurality of separating and approaching mechanisms for pushing and pulling positions separated in a first direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the seal blocks, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction to separate and approach the pair of seal blocks in the second direction.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a background belt filling and packaging machine capable of separating and approaching a pair of seal blocks while maintaining parallelism.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the horizontal type bag-making, filling, and packaging machine 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments of the present invention described below show an example when embodying the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention to the scope of the description of the embodiments. Therefore, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications to the embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a side view of the horizontal type bag-making, filling, and packaging machine 100. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the horizontal type bag-making, filling, and packaging machine 100. The horizontal type bag-making, filling, and packaging machine 100 (bag-making, filling, and packaging machine) is a device that packages products P supplied from a supply device (not shown) one by one. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the horizontal type bag-making, filling, and packaging machine 100 mainly includes a supply conveyor 110, a film feeding device 120, a sandwiching and conveying device 130, a center seal device 135 (first seal device), and an end seal device 140 (second seal device).

[0012] The supply conveyor 110 supplies the product P successively supplied from a supply device (not shown) to the cylinder making device 126. As shown in FIG. 1, the supply conveyor 110 includes a drive sprocket 114, a driven sprocket 115, an endless annular conveyor chain 116 wound around the drive sprocket 114 and the driven sprocket 115, and a drive motor 117 for driving the drive sprocket 114.

[0013] In addition, a plurality of pushers 118 are provided on the conveyor chain 116. The plurality of pushers 118 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction of the product P. The product P supplied from the supply device enters between two adjacent pushers 118. Then, the pusher 118 abuts against the rear end of the product P and pushes the product P.

[0014] The film feeding device 120 feeds the strip film Fw (strip packaging material) toward the sandwiching and conveying device 130. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the film feeding device 120 mainly includes a winding shaft 121 around which the strip film Fw is wound, a drive roller 122, a driven roller 123, a feeding motor 124, guide rollers 125a and 125b, and a cylinder making device 126.

[0015] The strip film Fw is a strip packaging material that is the material for the bag for packaging the product. The strip film Fw is a film-like member that can be welded by applying heat, and examples thereof include polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), biaxially oriented polypropylene (OPP), aluminum-lined paper, aluminum vapor-deposited paper, and the like. The product refers to, for example, granular foods such as candies, bean confectioneries, and snacks. However, the specific examples of the product are not limited to these, and include all items packaged in the bag Bp and shipped.

[0016] The drive roller 122 and the driven roller 123 rotate while sandwiching the strip film Fw. The drive roller 122 rotates when the driving force of the feed motor 124 is transmitted thereto. Thereby, the drive roller 122 and the driven roller 123 feed out the strip film Fw wound around the take-up shaft 121 toward the cylinder former 126. The guide rollers 125a and 125b are arranged along the conveyance path of the strip film Fw from the take-up shaft 121 through the drive roller 122 and the driven roller 123 to the cylinder former 126, and apply tension to the fed-out strip film Fw.

[0017] The cylinder former 126 forms the strip film Fw sent by the film feeding device 120 into a cylindrical shape, and serves as an entrance through which the product P supplied from the supply conveyor 110 enters the cylindrical strip film Fw. The cylinder former 126 is arranged on the conveyance path of the strip film Fw from the film feeding device 120 to the center seal device 135. Further, the cylinder former 126 is arranged facing the downstream end portion in the conveyance direction of the supply conveyor 110.

[0018] The strip film Fw sent by the film feeding device 120 is formed into a cylindrical shape as both end portions in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction are overlapped below during the process of moving along the cylinder former 126. Further, the product P supplied from the supply conveyor 110 enters the inside of the cylindrical strip film Fw by passing through the internal space of the cylinder former 126.

[0019] The clamping and conveying device 130 clamps the overlapped end portions of the strip film Fw formed into a cylindrical shape by the cylinder former 126 and conveys them in the conveyance direction. The clamping and conveying device 130 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the cylinder former 126. Further, the clamping and conveying device 130 is arranged below the strip film Fw and the product P that have passed through the cylinder former 126. The clamping and conveying device 130 mainly includes a support plate 131, a pair of film feed rollers 132 and 133, and a feed motor 134.

[0020] The support plate 131 is connected to the downstream side in the conveying direction from the tube forming device 126. The support plate 131 supports the product P enclosed in the cylindrical strip film Fw. Also, the support plate 131 extends to the position of the center sealing device 135 in the conveying direction. Further, a slit 139 extending along the conveying direction of the strip film Fw is provided in the central portion in the width direction of the support plate 131. The overlapped ends of the strip film Fw protrude to the lower surface side of the support plate 131 through the slit 139.

[0021] A pair of film feed rollers 132 and 133 are arranged on the lower surface side of the support plate 131. The pair of film feed rollers 132 and 133 sandwich the overlapped ends of the strip film Fw protruding through the slit 139. The film feed roller 132 rotates by the transmission of the driving force of the feed motor 134. Thereby, the cylindrical strip film Fw is conveyed in the conveying direction toward the center sealing device 135.

[0022] The center sealing device 135 seals both end portions in the width direction of the strip film Fw overlapped by the tube forming device 126. The center sealing device 135 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction from the tube forming device 126 and the clamping and conveying device 130. Also, the center sealing device 135 is arranged below the strip film Fw and the product P (in other words, the support plate 131). The center sealing device 135 mainly includes a pair of sealing rollers 136 and 137 and a sealing motor 138.

[0023] A pair of seal rollers 136 and 137 are arranged on the lower surface side of the support plate 131 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the strip film Fw from the film feed rollers 132 and 133. The pair of seal rollers 136 and 137 sandwich the overlapped ends of the strip film Fw protruding through the slit 139. The outer peripheral surfaces of the seal rollers 136 and 137 are heated by a heater (not shown). The seal roller 136 rotates by the driving force of the seal motor 138 being transmitted thereto. Thereby, the overlapped ends of the strip film Fw sandwiched between the seal rollers 136 and 137 are sealed (welded).

[0024] The end seal device 140 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the cylindrical body forming device 126, the sandwiching conveyance device 130, and the center seal device 135. The end seal device 140 forms a bag Bp containing the product P by sealing the cylindrical strip film Fw sealed by the center seal device 135 on both sides of the product P in the conveyance direction. In the present embodiment, the width direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 corresponds to the "first direction", the vertical direction corresponds to the "second direction", and the conveyance direction corresponds to the "third direction". However, the correspondence relationships of the first to third directions are not limited to the above-described example and may be orthogonal to each other. Also, the second direction and the third direction may be the same direction.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the end seal device 140 when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the open position. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the end seal device 140 when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the closed position. FIG. 5 is a front view of the end seal device 140 when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the intermediate position. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the end seal device 140 mainly includes, for example, a pair of guide shafts 141L and 141R, holders 142 and 143, a lower end block 144, a pair of seal blocks 145 and 146, a support block 150, and an opening / closing unit 160.

[0026] The guide shafts 141L and 141R are each extended vertically at positions spaced apart in the width direction. Further, the guide shafts 141L and 141R are supported by the support block 150 of the horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine 100 so as to be movable up and down. Furthermore, the guide shafts 141L and 141R support the holders 142 and 143, the lower end block 144, and the support block 150.

[0027] The holder 142 is fixed to the upper ends of the guide shafts 141L and 141R. Further, the holder 142 supports the seal block 145 on its lower surface. The holder 143 is supported by the guide shafts 141L and 141R so as to be movable up and down below the holder 142. Further, the holder 143 supports the seal block 146 on its upper surface. That is, the seal blocks 145 and 146 are arranged to face each other in the vertical direction.

[0028] The lower end block 144 is fixed to the lower ends of the guide shafts 141L and 141R. That is, the holder 143 is supported by the guide shafts 141L and 141R so as to be movable up and down between the holder 142 and the lower end block 144.

[0029] The seal blocks 145 and 146 are arranged to face each other with the belt-shaped film Fw formed in a cylindrical shape interposed therebetween in the vertical direction. Further, the seal blocks 145 and 146 are extended in the width direction. That is, the longitudinal direction of the seal blocks 145 and 146 coincides with the width direction of the horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine 100. The surfaces of the seal blocks 145 and 146 facing the belt-shaped film Fw are heated by a heater (not shown). The seal blocks 145 and 146 are brought into contact with and separated from each other by the driving force of the contact and separation motor 161 being transmitted. The end seal device 140 brings the seal blocks 145 and 146 into contact with each other between adjacent products P. Thereby, between adjacent products P, the portion of the belt-shaped film Fw sandwiched between the seal blocks 145 and 146 is sealed (welded).

[0030] The support block 150 is fixed to the frame of the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine 100. Also, the support block 150 supports the guide shafts 141L and 141R so as to be able to move up and down between the holder 143 and the lower end block 144. Further, the support block 150 supports the opening and closing unit 160. Instead of a conventional casting, the support block 150 is configured by combining a plate-like member and a cylindrical member (for example, welding, bolting). The support block 150 is composed of, for example, a base plate 151, a pair of cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R, a support member 153, and a pair of reinforcing plates 154L and 154R.

[0031] The base plate 151 extends in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. Also, the base plate 151 is fixed to the frame of the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine 100. The cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R are cylindrical portions with both axial ends open. Also, the cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R are fixed to the base plate 151 at positions surrounding a through hole (not shown) that penetrates the base plate 151 in the thickness direction. Further, the cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R extend in the vertical direction. And the guide shafts 141L and 141R are inserted into the cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R and are guided by the cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R to move up and down.

[0032] The support member 153 is fixed to the base plate 151 between the cylindrical bodies 152L and 152R. Also, the support member 153 supports the opening and closing unit 160. More specifically, the support member 153 is a member in a generally "U" shape composed of a motor support wall 155 and a pair of driven shaft support walls 156L and 156R. The motor support wall 155 extends in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. And the motor support wall 155 supports the approach and separation motor 161. The driven shaft support walls 156L and 156R extend in a direction orthogonal to the width direction at both ends in the width direction of the motor support wall 155. And the driven shaft support walls 156L and 156R rotatably support the driven shaft 163.

[0033] The reinforcing plates 154L and 154R are members for reinforcing the support block 150. The reinforcing plates 154L and 154R generally have an outer shape of a right triangle. For the reinforcing plate 154L, two sides forming the right angle are fixed to the base plate 151 and the driven shaft support wall 156L. For the reinforcing plate 154R, two sides forming the right angle are fixed to the base plate 151 and the driven shaft support wall 156R. And the reinforcing plates 154L and 154R extend in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Also, the reinforcing plates 154L and 154R are arranged such that the amount of protrusion in the vertical direction from the base plate 151 decreases as they move away from the driven shaft support walls 156L and 156R.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the opening / closing unit 160. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the opening / closing unit 160 viewed from the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the opening / closing unit 160 opens and closes (contacts and separates) the seal blocks 145 and 146. The opening / closing unit 160 mainly includes, for example, a contact / separation motor 161, a drive shaft 162, a driven shaft 163, a driving force transmission mechanism 170, and a pair of contact / separation mechanisms 180L and 180R.

[0035] The contact / separation motor 161 is a drive source that generates a driving force for opening and closing (contacting and separating) the seal blocks 145 and 146. More specifically, the contact / separation motor 161 rotates the drive shaft 162. The contact / separation motor 161 is, for example, a servo motor. However, the specific example of the contact / separation motor 161 is not limited thereto. The contact / separation motor 161 rotates by a drive current supplied from the control device 80. Also, a rotary encoder 164 (see FIG. 11) that outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of rotation to the control device 80 is attached to the contact / separation motor 161.

[0036] The drive shaft 162 extends in the conveying direction. The driven shaft 163 extends in the width direction. That is, the drive shaft 162 and the driven shaft 163 extend in directions perpendicular to each other. The rotation of the drive shaft 162 is transmitted to the driven shaft 163 through the driving force transmission mechanism 170, and the rotation of the driven shaft 163 causes the engaging and disengaging mechanisms 180L and 180R to engage and disengage the seal blocks 145 and 146. However, the transmission path of the driving force from the engaging and disengaging motor 161 to the seal blocks 145 and 146 is not limited to the foregoing example. For example, the drive shaft 162 may be disposed outside the engaging and disengaging mechanisms 180L and 180R in the width direction, or the engaging and disengaging motor 161 may be directly connected to the driven shaft 163.

[0037] The driving force transmission mechanism 170 converts the rotation direction of the drive shaft 162 by 90° and transmits it to the driven shaft 163. The driving force transmission mechanism 170 is composed of, for example, a first member 171 and a second member 172. The driving force transmission mechanism 170 according to the present embodiment is excellent in that it can transmit the rotation of the engaging and disengaging motor 161 after speed change (speed increase or speed decrease) to the seal blocks 145 and 146, and there is no play between the components. However, the specific example of the driving force transmission mechanism 170 is not limited thereto.

[0038] The first member 171 is fixed to the drive shaft 162 and rotates integrally with the drive shaft 162. Further, the first member 171 projects in a direction intersecting the conveying direction from the drive shaft 162. More specifically, the first member 171 projects radially outward of the drive shaft 162 toward the driven shaft 163 from the mounting end to the drive shaft 162 to the projecting end. That is, the projecting end of the first member 171 rotates on a rotation locus surrounding the drive shaft 162 as the drive shaft 162 rotates.

[0039] One end of the second member 172 is rotatably connected to the first member 171, and the other end is rotatably connected to the driven shaft 163. More specifically, one end of the second member 172 is rotatably connected to the overhanging end of the first member 171 around a first axis L1 intersecting the conveying direction. Also, the other end of the second member 172 is rotatably connected to the driven shaft 163 on the extension line of the drive shaft 162 (in other words, at the center of the driven shaft 163) and around a second axis L2 (see FIG. 8(B)) orthogonal to the width direction.

[0040] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the angle formed by the first axis L1 with respect to the conveying direction (the extending direction of the drive shaft 162) is set to 45°. Thereby, the rotational speeds of the drive shaft 162 and the driven shaft 163 become the same. On the other hand, by making the angle formed by the first axis L1 with respect to the extending direction of the drive shaft 162 less than 45°, the rotation of the drive shaft 162 is decelerated (that is, the amount of rotation decreases and the torque increases) and transmitted to the driven shaft 163. On the other hand, by making the angle formed by the first axis L1 with respect to the extending direction of the drive shaft 162 greater than 45°, the rotation of the drive shaft 162 is accelerated (that is, the amount of rotation increases and the torque decreases) and transmitted to the driven shaft 163.

[0041] The engaging and disengaging mechanisms 180L and 180R convert the rotation of the driven shaft 163 into linear motion and transmit it to the seal blocks 145 and 146. Also, the engaging and disengaging mechanisms 180L and 180R are arranged on opposite sides across the drive shaft 162 in the width direction. In other words, the drive shaft 162 is arranged between the engaging and disengaging mechanisms 180L and 180R in the width direction. Furthermore, the engaging and disengaging mechanisms 180L and 180R push and pull the positions spaced apart in the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the seal blocks 145 and 146 in the vertical direction to engage and disengage the seal blocks 145 and 146 in the vertical direction.

[0042] The contact and separation mechanisms 180L and 180R are, for example, link mechanisms including first arms 181L and 181R, second arms 182L and 182R, third arms 183L and 183R, and pins 184L, 184R, 185L, 185R, 186L, 186R, 187L, and 187R. Since the configurations of the contact and separation mechanisms 180L and 180R are common, the contact and separation mechanism 180R will be described below. However, specific examples of the contact and separation mechanisms 180L and 180R are not limited to this.

[0043] The center of the first arm 181R is fixed to the driven shaft 163 and rotates integrally with the driven shaft 163. The first arm 181R has a first end and a second end located on opposite sides across the driven shaft 163. One end of the second arm 182R is rotatably connected to the first end of the first arm 181R via the pin 184R, and the other end is rotatably connected to the holder 143 (seal block 146) via the pin 185R. One end of the third arm 183R is rotatably connected to the second end of the first arm 181R via the pin 186R, and the other end is rotatably connected to the lower end block 144 via the pin 187R. The pins 184R, 185R, 186R, and 187R extend in the width direction.

[0044] That is, the second arms 182L and 182R are connected to the holder 143 via the pins 184L and 184R at positions separated in the width direction of the seal block 146 (in other words, positions on opposite sides across the drive shaft 162 and equidistant from the drive shaft 162). Also, the third arms 183L and 183R are connected to the lower end block 144 via the pins 187L and 187R at positions separated in the width direction of the seal block 145 (in other words, positions on opposite sides across the drive shaft 162 and equidistant from the drive shaft 162).

[0045] As the driven shaft 163 rotates, the arms 181R, 182R, and 183R rotate accordingly. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the angle β formed by the first arm 181R and the second arm 182R, and the angle γ formed by the first arm 181R and the third arm 183R increase and decrease in conjunction, causing the seal blocks 145 and 146 to approach and separate. When the separation and approach motor 161 rotates in the first direction, the angles β and γ increase, and the seal blocks 145 and 146 approach. On the other hand, when the separation and approach motor 161 rotates in the second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, the angles β and γ decrease, and the seal blocks 145 and 146 separate.

[0046] More specifically, when the angle β increases (in other words, the first arms 181L, R and the second arms 182L, R extend), the holder 143 and the seal block 146 move in a direction approaching the seal block 145. Also, when the angle γ increases (in other words, the first arms 181L, R and the third arms 183L, R extend), the guide shafts 141L, 141R, the holder 142, the lower end block 144, and the seal block 145 move in a direction approaching the seal block 146. As a result, the seal blocks 145 and 146 move from the open position through the intermediate position to the closed position.

[0047] Also, when the angle β decreases (in other words, the first arms 181L, R and the second arms 182L, R contract), the holder 143 and the seal block 146 move in a direction separating from the seal block 145. Also, when the angle γ decreases (in other words, the first arms 181L, R and the third arms 183L, R contract), the guide shafts 141L, 141R, the holder 142, the lower end block 144, and the seal block 145 move in a direction separating from the seal block 146. As a result, the seal blocks 145 and 146 move from the closed position through the intermediate position to the open position.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a view of the driving force transmission mechanism 170 as seen from the conveyance direction. FIG. 9 is a view of the engagement and disengagement mechanism 180L as seen from the width direction. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the positions of the seal blocks 145 and 146, the torque (rotational force) generated by the driving force transmission mechanism 170, and the pressing forces generated by the engagement and disengagement mechanisms 180L and 180R.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 8(A), 9(A), and 10, when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the open position, the angle α formed by the driven shaft 163 and the first axis L1 is θ°, the angle β formed by the first arms 181L and 181R and the second arms 182L and 182R is the minimum, and the angle γ formed by the first arms 181L and 181R and the third arms 183L and 183R is the minimum. Note that the angle formed by the driven shaft 163 and the second member 172 is the angle when the driving force transmission mechanism 170 is viewed in plan from the conveyance direction. Also, θ is an angle of about 30° to 45°, for example. Furthermore, the minimum values of β and γ are greater than 0.

[0050] Also, when the engagement and disengagement motor 161 is rotated in the first direction, the angle α decreases and the angles β and γ increase. Then, when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the closed position, the angle α reaches -θ°, and the angles β and γ become maximum. The maximum values of the angles β and γ are less than 180°. On the other hand, when the engagement and disengagement motor 161 is rotated in the second direction, the angle α increases and the angles β and γ decrease. Then, when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the open position, the angle α reaches θ° again, and the angles β and γ become minimum again. Furthermore, when the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in the intermediate position, the angle α becomes 0°. That is, in the process of the seal blocks 145 and 146 moving from one of the open position and the closed position to the other, the angle α becomes 0°.

[0051] In this way, as the angle α formed by the second member 172 with respect to the driven shaft 163 changes from θ° to -θ°, the drive force transmission mechanism 170 moves the seal blocks 145 and 146 closer to each other. Also, as the angle β formed by the first arms 181L and 181R and the second arms 182L and 182R increases and the angle γ formed by the first arms 181L and 181R and the third arms 183L and 183R increases, the separation and engagement mechanisms 180L and 180R move the seal blocks 145 and 146 closer to each other.

[0052] On the other hand, as the angle α formed by the second member 172 with respect to the driven shaft 163 changes from -θ° to θ°, the drive force transmission mechanism 170 moves the seal blocks 145 and 146 away from each other. Also, as the angle β formed by the first arms 181L and 181R and the second arms 182L and 182R decreases and the angle γ formed by the first arms 181L and 181R and the third arms 183L and 183R decreases, the separation and engagement mechanisms 180L and 180R move the seal blocks 145 and 146 away from each other.

[0053] Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the torque generated by the drive force transmission mechanism 170 becomes smaller as the angle α approaches 0, becomes larger as the angle α moves away from 0, and reaches its maximum when the angle α = 90° or -90°. On the other hand, the pressing force generated by the separation and engagement mechanisms 180L and 180R becomes smaller as the angles β and γ become smaller, and becomes larger as the angles β and γ become larger. That is, the timing at which the torque of the drive force transmission mechanism 170 is minimized (α = 0°) and the timing at which the pressing force of the separation and engagement mechanisms 180L and 180R is minimized (β and γ are minimized) are different from each other. In other words, the drive force transmission mechanism 170 and the separation and engagement mechanisms 180L and 180R operate in phases that complement each other in terms of torque and pressing force.

[0054] FIG. 11 is a hardware configuration diagram of the horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine 100. As shown in FIG. 11, the horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine 100 includes a control device 80. The control device 80 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 81 (calculating means) and a memory 82 (storing means). The memory 82 includes, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) that stores various programs, a random access memory (RAM) that serves as a working area for the calculating means, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a combination of these. The CPU 81 reads and executes the programs stored in the memory 82 to realize each process described below. However, the specific configuration of the control device 80 is not limited to this, and may be realized by hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0055] The control device 80 repeatedly performs the process of forming bags Bp from the strip film Fw and filling them with products by operating the supply conveyor 110, the film feed device 120, the clamping and conveying device 130, the center seal device 135, and the end seal device 140 in conjunction with each other.

[0056] First, the control device 80 causes the film feed device 120 to feed the strip film Fw in the conveying direction in conjunction with the supply of products to the supply conveyor 110. Next, the control device 80 drives the clamping conveying device 130 to convey the strip film Fw formed into a cylindrical shape covering the products. The control device 80 also drives the center sealing device 135 to seal the overlapped ends of the strip film Fw. Next, the control device 80 drives the contact / separation motor 161 to seal the strip film Fw between the products P adjacent to the sealing blocks 145 and 146. This forms a bag Bp filled with the product.

[0057] Here, when driving the contact-separation motor 161, the control device 80 counts the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder 164 and stores the cumulative value in the memory 82. More specifically, the control device 80 adds the pulse signal when rotating the contact-separation motor 161 in the first direction (i.e., bringing the seal blocks 145 and 146 closer) to the cumulative value, and subtracts the pulse signal when rotating the contact-separation motor 161 in the second direction (i.e., separating the seal blocks 145 and 146) from the cumulative value.

[0058] Then, the control device 80 detects the positions of the seal blocks 145 and 146 based on the cumulative value (i.e., the rotation amount of the contact-separation motor 161) stored in the memory 82. More specifically, the control device 80 detects that the seal blocks 145 and 146 have reached the open position when the cumulative value stored in the memory 82 reaches a first value (e.g., 0). Also, the control device 80 detects that the seal blocks 145 and 146 have reached the closed position (i.e., the seal blocks 145 and 146 are in contact with each other with the strip film Fw sandwiched therebetween) when the cumulative value stored in the memory 82 reaches a second value (e.g., 100).

[0059] On the other hand, when the cumulative value does not reach the second value even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the rotation of the contact-separation motor 161 in the first direction, the control device 80 can determine that a product has been caught between the seal blocks 145 and 146. As another example, when rotating the contact-separation motor 161 in the first direction, the control device 80 gradually increases the drive current so that the cumulative value reaches the second value. Then, when the cumulative value does not reach the second value even when the drive current reaches the threshold value, the control device 80 can determine that a product has been caught between the seal blocks 145 and 146. Furthermore, when the control device 80 determines that a product has been caught between the seal blocks 145 and 146, it can discharge the bag Bp as a defective product or stop the operation of the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine 100 to notify the operator of the occurrence of a defective product.

[0060] According to the above embodiment, for example, the following operational effects can be achieved.

[0061] According to the above embodiment, by pushing and pulling the seal blocks 145 and 146 at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the width direction, the seal blocks 145 and 146 can be separated and contacted while maintaining parallelism. As a result, the strip film Fw can be properly sealed, and it is possible to appropriately detect that the product has been sealed while being bitten. Note that the number of the separation and contact mechanisms 180L and 180R is not limited to two, and may be three or more.

[0062] Also, according to the above embodiment, by adopting the driving force transmission mechanism 170 without play between components, the positions of the seal blocks 145 and 146 using the rotary encoder 164 can be accurately detected.

[0063] Also, according to the above embodiment, by complementing the torque and the pressing force in the driving force transmission mechanism 170 and the separation and contact mechanisms 180L and 180R, the strip film Fw can be properly sealed with the separation and contact motor 161 having a small output.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, by attaching the reinforcing plates 154L and 154R to the support block 150, it is possible to prevent the base plate 151 from deforming against the stress in the twisting direction of the base plate 151 generated when the opening and closing unit 160 is driven. Note that the stress acting on the base plate 151 is larger in the center in the width direction and smaller as it approaches both ends. Therefore, by adjusting the protruding amounts of the reinforcing plates 154L and 154R, it is possible to prevent the deformation of the base plate 151 and realize the weight reduction of the support block 150.

[0065] [Modification Example] Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, another example of a bag-making and filling packaging machine will be described. FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view of a vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine 1. FIG. 13 is a side view of the vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine 1. The vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine 1 (bag-making and filling packaging machine) is a device that forms a strip-shaped film Fw (strip-shaped packaging material) into a bag Bp and fills the formed bag Bp with a product. The vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine 1 mainly includes a film supply device 10, a film feeding device 20, a product filling cylinder 30, a longitudinal sealing device 40, a transverse sealing device 50, and a control device 80.

[0066] The film supply device 10 is a device that conveys the strip-shaped film Fw wound around the take-up roll 11 to the film feeding device 20. The film supply device 10 mainly includes a take-up roll 11, a plurality of fixed guide rolls 12a to 12h, a tension mechanism 13, and a tube former 14.

[0067] The take-up roll 11 rotates in the direction of unwinding the strip-shaped film Fw when the film feeding device 20 is driven. The fixed guide rolls 12a to 12h are arranged on the feeding path of the strip-shaped film Fw from the take-up roll 11 to the tube former 14 to guide the strip-shaped film Fw conveyed along the feeding path. The tension mechanism 13 applies appropriate tension to the strip-shaped film Fw conveyed along the feeding path.

[0068] The tube former 14 forms the strip-shaped film Fw into a tubular shape by overlapping both end portions in the width direction of the strip-shaped film Fw. Further, the tube former 14 sends out the strip-shaped film Fw formed into a tubular shape downward toward the product filling cylinder 30. The strip-shaped film Fw formed into a tubular shape by the tube former 14 moves downward along the outer peripheral surface of the product filling cylinder 30.

[0069] Facing the feeding path of the strip film Fw from the winding roll 11 to the tube former 14, a date printing device 15 and a date inspection device 16 are arranged. The date printing device 15 prints a date (for example, the manufacturing date, expiration date, best-before date, etc.) at a predetermined position of the strip film Fw conveyed by the film supply device 10. The date inspection device 16 inspects whether the date is properly printed by the date printing device 15.

[0070] The film feeding device 20 conveys the strip film Fw conveyed by the film supply device 10 along a feeding path extending in the vertical direction. More specifically, the film feeding device 20 includes a pair of feeding belts 21 and 22 facing each other with the product filling cylinder 30 interposed therebetween. The pair of feeding belts 21 and 22 are transmitted with the driving force of a motor (not shown) and send the strip film Fw covering the outer peripheral surface of the product filling cylinder 30 downward toward the transverse sealing device 50. In the present embodiment, the feeding direction of the strip film Fw by the film feeding device 20 is downward.

[0071] The product filling cylinder 30 is a cylindrical member with open upper and lower ends. The product filling cylinder 30 is extended vertically along the feeding direction of the strip film Fw formed in a cylindrical shape between the tube former 14 and the transverse sealing device 50. Further, a hopper 31 is attached to the upper end opening of the product filling cylinder 30. The product filling cylinder 30 fills the product supplied from a combination weigher (product supply device) (not shown) through the hopper 31 into the bag Bp formed by the longitudinal sealing device 40 and the transverse sealing device 50 through the lower end opening.

[0072] The longitudinal sealing device 40 is arranged at a position facing the product filling cylinder 30. More specifically, the longitudinal sealing device 40 is arranged on the downstream side of the tube former 14 and on the upstream side of the transverse sealing device 50 in the feeding direction of the strip film Fw by the film feeding device 20.

[0073] The longitudinal sealing device 40 includes a pair of seal blocks 41 and 42 arranged to sandwich the overlapped ends of the strip film Fw. The pair of seal blocks 41 and 42 are separated and contacted by the transmission of the rotation of a motor. Each of the pair of seal blocks 41 and 42 has a built-in heater. Then, the pair of seal blocks 41 and 42 heat while sandwiching the overlapped ends of the strip film Fw to weld (seal) both end portions in the width direction. Thereby, the strip film Fw is formed into a cylindrical shape.

[0074] The transverse sealing device 50 is arranged on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the strip film Fw with respect to the longitudinal sealing device 40. The transverse sealing device 50 forms the strip film Fw into a bag Bp by welding (sealing) the strip film Fw formed into a cylindrical shape at predetermined intervals. More specifically, the transverse sealing device 50 seals both sides of the product (the portion corresponding to the top of the first bag Bp1 and the portion corresponding to the bottom of the second bag Bp2 next to the first bag Bp1) among the strip film Fw formed into a cylindrical shape by the longitudinal sealing device 40.

[0075] The transverse sealing device 50 includes a pair of seal blocks 51 and 52. The pair of seal blocks 51 and 52 are arranged to face each other while sandwiching the strip film Fw formed into a cylindrical shape by the longitudinal sealing device 40. Each of the pair of seal blocks 51 and 52 has a built-in heater. The pair of seal blocks 51 and 52 are separated and contacted while sandwiching the strip film Fw. Then, the pair of seal blocks 51 and 52 heat while sandwiching the strip film Fw to weld the strip film Fw.

[0076] And the transverse sealing device 50 includes a pair of guide shafts 141L and 141R, holders 142 and 143, a lower end block 144, a support block 150, and an opening / closing unit 160 in order to separate and contact the seal blocks 51 and 52. In this case, the left-right direction in FIGS. 12 and 13 corresponds to the "first direction", the front-rear direction corresponds to the "second direction", and the up-down direction corresponds to the "third direction".

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1…Vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine, 10…Film supply device, 11…Take-up roll, 12a - 12h…Fixed guide roll, 13…Tension mechanism, 14, 126…Tube former, 15…Date printing device, 16…Date inspection device, 20…Film feeding device, 21, 22…Feeding belt, 30…Product filling tube, 31…Hopper, 40…Longitudinal sealing device, 41, 42, 51, 52, 145, 146…Sealing block, 50…Transverse sealing device, 80…Control device, 81…CPU, 82…Memory, 100…Horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine, 110…Supply conveyor, 114…Drive sprocket, 115…Driven sprocket, 116…Conveyor chain, 117…Drive motor, 118…Pusher, 120…Film feeding device, 121…Take-up shaft, 122…Drive roller, 123…Driven roller, 124…Feeding motor, 125a, 125b…Guide roller, 130…Clamping and conveying device, 131…Support plate, 132, 133 Film feeding roller, 134…Feeding motor, 135…Center sealing device, 136, 137…Sealing roller, 138…Sealing motor, 139…Slit, 140…End sealing device, 141L, 141R…Guide shaft, 142, 143…Holder, 144…Lower end block, 150…Support block, 151…Base plate, 152L, 152R…Cylinder body, 153…Support member, 154L, 154R…Reinforcing plate, 155…Motor support wall, 156L, 156R…Driven shaft support wall, 160…Opening and closing unit, 161…Approaching and separating motor, 162…Drive shaft, 163…Driven shaft, 164…Rotary encoder, 170…Drive force transmission mechanism, 171…First member, 172…Second member, 180L, 180R…Approaching and separating mechanism, 181L, 181R…First arm, 182L, 182R…Second arm, 183L, 183R…Third arm, 184L, 184R, 185L, 185R, 186L, 186R, 187L, 187R…Pin

Claims

1. A bag-making and filling packaging machine for filling a product into a bag formed from a strip-shaped packaging material, comprising: A tube former for forming a tube by overlapping both end portions in the width direction of the strip-shaped packaging material; A first sealing device for sealing both end portions of the strip-shaped packaging material overlapped by the tube former; A second sealing device for sealing both sides of a bag containing a product among the strip-shaped packaging materials formed into a tube by the first sealing device, The second sealing device includes: A pair of sealing blocks for sandwiching the strip-shaped packaging material and sealing it; A plurality of separating and contacting mechanisms for pushing and pulling positions separated in a first direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the sealing block, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction to separate and contact the pair of sealing blocks in the second direction. The bag-making and filling packaging machine is characterized by this.

2. In the bag-making and filling packaging machine according to Claim 1, The second sealing device includes: A motor for rotating a drive shaft extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction; A driven shaft extending in the first direction; A driving force transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the drive shaft to the driven shaft, The plurality of separating and contacting mechanisms are connected to both ends of the driven shaft. The bag-making and filling packaging machine is characterized by this.

3. In the bag-making and filling packaging machine according to Claim 2, The drive shaft is arranged between the plurality of separating and contacting mechanisms in the first direction. The bag-making and filling packaging machine is characterized by this.

4. In the bag-making and filling packaging machine according to Claim 2, The driving force transmission mechanism includes: A first member that projects from the drive shaft in a direction intersecting the third direction and rotates integrally with the drive shaft; A bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, comprising a second member having one end rotatably connected to the overhanging end of the first member about a first axis intersecting the third direction and the other end rotatably connected to the driven shaft about a second axis on the extension line of the drive shaft and perpendicular to the first direction.

5. In the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 4, When viewed in plan from the third direction, the driving force transmission mechanism is characterized in that as the angle formed by the first axis with respect to the driven shaft changes from θ° to -θ°, the pair of sealing blocks are moved closer to each other.

6. In the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 5, The approaching and separating mechanism comprises a first arm that rotates integrally with the driven shaft, and a second arm having one end rotatably connected to the first arm and the other end rotatably connected to the sealing block, and is characterized in that as the angle formed by the first arm and the second arm increases, the pair of sealing blocks are moved closer to each other.

7. In the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 2, The bag-making, filling, and packaging machine is characterized by comprising a control device that detects that the pair of sealing blocks are in contact with each other with a strip-shaped packaging material sandwiched therebetween based on the rotation amount of the motor or the drive current of the motor.

8. In the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 2, The second sealing device comprises a base plate, a motor support wall that supports the motor, and a pair of driven shaft support walls that are arranged at both ends of the motor support wall in the first direction and rotatably support the driven shaft, and a support member supported by the base plate, A bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, comprising a base plate and a pair of reinforcing plates attached to the base plate and the pair of driven shaft support walls respectively, the pair of reinforcing plates being orthogonal to the third direction.

9. In the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 8, In the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, the pair of reinforcing plates are characterized in that the amount of protrusion in the second direction from the base plate decreases as the distance from the driven shaft support wall increases.

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