Cooling device, and horizontal type bag-making filling packing machine

Abstract

To provide a cooling device for cooling a product excellent in maintainability.SOLUTION: A cooling device 80 is a cooling device 40A applied to a packing machine 1 comprising a guide plate 21A, on which a packaging material Tt packaging a product P is placed, and a heating component 23 positioned below the guide plate, and comprises: a Peltier type cooling unit 40A for cooling the guide plate 21A; temperature measurement means 60a for measuring temperature of the guide plate 21A; and control means 70 which carries out energizing control of the Peltier type cooling unit 40A when a temperature measurement value of the guide plate reaches a plate temperature threshold value pre-set on the basis of the temperature at which the product P has undesirable change. A cooling surface 42 of the Peltier type cooling unit 40A is connected in a thermally conducting manner to the guide plate 21A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device applied to a packaging machine used for packaging heat-sensitive products, and a packaging machine equipped with the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cooling device for a horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine used for packaging heat-sensitive products, and a horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine equipped with the same.

Background Art

[0002] There are various products to be packaged by a packaging machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "products"). Among them, there are products that melt, change in properties, or deteriorate in quality when heat is transferred to the products and the temperature of the products rises. For example, products such as foods like chocolate, marshmallows, and ice cream, and chemicals such as solid insect repellents are examples. On the other hand, a packaging machine is equipped with various components for performing packaging operations, and among them, there are also heat-generating components that generate heat by driving such as energization. Representative examples of heat-generating components include a pair of heater bars that heat (i.e., preheat) the seal portion of a packaging material containing a sealant to a sealable state as a pre-treatment for sealing until the seal portion becomes sealable, and heating components such as heat-sealing rollers.

[0003] When such heat-generating components operate, they generate high heat. Therefore, if this heat-generating component is present near a guide plate that conveys the packaging material wrapping the product, particularly below the guide plate, there is a possibility that heat is transferred from this heat-generating component to the product via the guide plate. For example, in a horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine, if a heater bar installed directly below the guide plate continues to operate, the surrounding air heated by the heater bar may rise and warm the guide plate, or the guide plate may be warmed by radiation from the heater bar. Such heat transfer is not preferable for the heat-sensitive products described above.

[0004] Therefore, in the past, a device has been proposed in which a heat shield plate is provided between a guide plate that guides the packaging material and a heat-generating component (vertical sealer) to block heat from the heat-generating component, and the guide plate is cooled by flowing cooling air between the heat shield plate and the guide plate (Patent Document 1), and a device has been proposed in which a heat shield plate is provided between the packaging material body and the heat-generating component (heat seal roller) to block heat from the heat-generating component, the upper surface of which also functions as a guide plate to guide the packaging material, and a water-cooled cooling block is provided on the upper surface of the heat shield plate and along the packaging material at a position outside the packaging material, thereby cooling the heat shield plate (guide plate) (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Jitszen No. 59-175004 [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-289461 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When a packaging machine equipped with a heating component for sealing packaging material as described above is operated, over time, residues of the sealant that melt from the packaging material due to heat adhere to heating components such as heater bars and heat seal rollers and other components around them (e.g., pressure bonding components) and accumulate there. If such residue gets mixed into the sealed portion of the packaging material, it can cause poor sealing. For this reason, packaging machine operators need to clean the heating components to which such residues are likely to adhere and other components around them relatively frequently. In addition, such heating components for sealing packaging material, other heat generating components provided in the packaging machine, and other components around them may be inspected periodically, and may be replaced or repaired as necessary.

[0007] For example, when cleaning the heating surface, which is the opposing end face of a heater bar (heating component), first, it may be necessary to remove a large guide plate installed above the heater bar or heat seal roller to be cleaned, or, for example, move the guide plate so that an operator can reach and clean the object to be cleaned, which can be laborious and time-consuming. Also, after cleaning, it is necessary to return the guide plate to its original position by the reverse procedure. These operations are required each time cleaning is performed frequently. Furthermore, such laborious and time-consuming operations can occur not only in the cleaning operation of the heater bar but also in various maintenance operations such as inspection, replacement, and repair of various heating components.

[0008] However, conventional technologies that block the transfer of heat generated from heating components such as heater bars and heat seal rollers to the guide plate or cool the guide plate itself are not designed considering the above-mentioned cleaning, inspection, replacement, repair, etc. When attempting to perform these operations, structures for heat blocking or cooling may interfere with the cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair operations of components related to the center seal such as heater bars, heat seal rollers, and crimping rollers.

[0009] For example, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which water-cooled cooling blocks are arranged over a wide range on the heat shield plate (guide plate). Removing the guide plate to clean the longitudinal sealer requires a significant amount of labor. Also, this device has a water supply pipe and a drain pipe attached to supply and discharge water necessary for cooling downward from the heat shield plate. Such piping requires careful work to prevent the operator's body from accidentally coming into contact and coming off during maintenance operations such as cleaning. In the event of a water leak due to a work mistake, there is also the inconvenience of having trouble dealing with it afterwards.

[0010] Further, for example, the device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a nozzle, a hose, etc. for blowing low-pressure air for cooling are installed immediately beside the longitudinal seal roller, and there is also a metal plate different from the guide plate directly above the longitudinal seal roller. Therefore, whether from the side or from above the longitudinal seal roller, in order to perform cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair, the operator has to work in an unnatural posture avoiding the components necessary for cooling, or in some cases, has to perform the laborious task of removing those components.

[0011] 〔Object of the Invention〕 An object of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned disadvantages. The object is that even when heat from a heat-generating component is transmitted to the product during the operation of the packaging machine, the cooling device operates before the temperature of the product reaches a temperature at which undesirable changes occur in the product, and cools the product through the guide plate, thereby preventing the product from changing its state, properties, characteristics, etc. due to heat. Also, it becomes unnecessary for the packaging machine to have structures such as water supply pipes, drain pipes, and air supply nozzles for cooling that are likely to interfere with maintenance work around the heat-generating component. It is possible to provide a cooling device for a packaging machine that can bring excellent maintainability, such as improving the work efficiency in maintenance work such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair of the heat-generating component and the components around it, and a horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine using the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, a cooling device according to the present invention is a cooling device applied to a packaging machine including a guide plate on which a packaging material containing a product is placed and a heat generating component located below the guide plate, the cooling device comprising: a Peltier cooling unit for cooling the guide plate; temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the guide plate; and control means for energizing and controlling the Peltier cooling unit when a temperature measurement value of the guide plate input from the temperature measuring means reaches a plate temperature threshold value preset based on a temperature at which an undesirable change occurs in the product. The Peltier cooling unit includes a thermoelectric conversion element having a cooling surface and a heat dissipation surface, and heat dissipation means coupled to the heat dissipation surface, and is characterized in that the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate.

[0013] Also, preferably, when connecting the cooling surface to the guide plate in a heat-conductive manner, the cooling surface may be fixed to a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate, for example, directly fixed, or indirectly fixed via a high thermal conductivity intervening member. Alternatively, preferably, the cooling device according to the present invention includes a holding portion that holds the Peltier cooling unit, a fixing portion fixed to the packaging machine body of the packaging machine, and an urging mechanism provided between the fixing portion and the holding portion for urging the Peltier cooling unit via the holding portion against the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate. When connecting the cooling surface to the guide plate in a heat-conductive manner, the cooling surface may be brought into direct contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate or indirectly brought into contact via a high thermal conductivity intervening member. At this time, in the cooling device according to the present invention, the holding portion is a plate-like holding member with high thermal conductivity, the cooling surface is fixed to the lower surface of the plate-like holding member, the urging mechanism is a spring mechanism including at least one compression spring held in a compressed state between the plate-like holding member and the fixing portion when the guide plate is installed, and when the cooling surface is brought into direct contact with the part of the lower surface of the plate or indirectly brought into contact via a high thermal conductivity intervening member, the plate-like holding member serves as the intervening member, and the upper surface of the plate-like holding member is brought into contact with the part of the lower surface of the plate.

[0014] The cooling device according to the present invention preferably has the packaging material having a sealing portion where a seal is applied, and the heat-generating component may be a heating component for heating the sealing portion. At this time, the packaging machine includes a conveying means for conveying the packaging material in the packaging material conveying direction and a sealing mechanism portion located below the guide plate. The heating component is located below the guide plate and constitutes a part of the sealing mechanism portion, and the cooling device may be arranged between one of both ends of the guide plate in the packaging material conveying direction below the guide plate and the portion closest to the one end of the sealing mechanism portion.

[0015] In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine according to the present invention includes a pair of guide plates on which a cylindrical packaging material for accommodating a product is slidably placed, a set of heating components individually corresponding to the lower sides of the pair of guide plates, and a cooling device for individually cooling the pair of guide plates. The cooling device includes, for each of the pair of guide plates, a Peltier type cooling unit for cooling one of the pair of guide plates, temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the one guide plate, and control means for energizing and controlling the Peltier type cooling unit when the temperature measurement value of the one guide plate input from the temperature measuring means reaches a preset plate temperature threshold based on a temperature at which an undesirable change occurs in the product. The Peltier type cooling unit includes a thermoelectric conversion element having a cooling surface and a heat dissipation surface, and heat dissipation means integrally provided on the heat dissipation surface, and is characterized in that the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate.

[0016] Preferably, when connecting the cooling surface to the guide plate in a heat-conductive manner in the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine according to the present invention, the cooling surface may be fixed to a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate, for example, may be directly fixed, or may be indirectly fixed via a high thermal conductivity intervening member. Alternatively, the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine according to the present invention includes a holding portion for holding the Peltier cooling unit, a fixing portion fixed to the packaging machine body of the packaging machine, and an urging mechanism provided between the fixing portion and the holding portion for urging the Peltier cooling unit via the holding portion against the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate. When connecting the cooling surface to the guide plate in a heat-conductive manner, the cooling surface may be brought into direct contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate or may be indirectly brought into contact via a high thermal conductivity intervening member. At this time, the holding portion is a plate-shaped holding member with high thermal conductivity, the cooling surface is fixed to the lower surface of the plate-shaped holding member, and the urging mechanism is a spring mechanism including at least one compression spring held in a compressed state between the plate-shaped holding member and the fixing portion when the guide plate is installed. When the cooling surface is brought into direct contact with the part of the lower surface of the plate or is indirectly brought into contact via a high thermal conductivity intervening member, the plate-shaped holding member serves as the intervening member, and the upper surface of the plate-shaped holding member may be brought into contact with the part of the lower surface of the plate.

[0017] Further, the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine according to the present invention preferably has a pair of guide plates with a gap extending therebetween, and the tubular packaging material has overlapping palm-shaped outer edge portions hanging downward from the gap as seal portions. The set of heat-generating components may be separately provided on the pair of guide plates and may be a pair of heating components for heating the seal portions from both sides.

[0018] Furthermore, the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to the present invention preferably includes a pair of feed rollers that sandwich the seal portion and convey it in the packaging material conveyance direction, and a pair of crimping members that sandwich and crimp the seal portion. Below each of the guide plates, a half part of the sealing mechanism including one of the pair of feed rollers, one of the pair of heating components, and one of the pair of crimping members is respectively configured along the seal portion. The cooling device may be characterized in that it is disposed below the guide plate between any one end of both ends of the guide plate in the packaging material conveyance direction and the portion closest to the one end of the sealing mechanism portion. Also, the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to the present invention may preferably be characterized in that the pair of guide plates are configured to be openable and closable using plate position adjusting means. Furthermore, the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to the present invention may preferably be characterized in that the pair of guide plates are removably fixed to the center seal device base using locking means.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the cooling device of the present invention and the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine equipped with the same, since it is configured as described above, even when heat from the heat-generating components is transmitted to the product during the operation of the packaging machine, the cooling device operates before the temperature of the product reaches a temperature at which undesirable changes occur in the product, and cools the product through the guide plate. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the product from changing its state, properties, characteristics, etc. due to heat, and it becomes unnecessary for the packaging machine to be equipped with structures such as cooling water supply pipes, drain pipes, and air supply nozzles that are likely to interfere with maintenance work around the heat-generating components. It can bring excellent maintainability, such as improving the work efficiency in maintenance work such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair of the heat-generating components and the surrounding components.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] 〔Overall Configuration of Horizontal Bag Making, Filling and Packaging Machine〕 Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, a horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine equipped with a Peltier cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Among them, FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine equipped with a Peltier cooling device, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic bottom view of the horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine of FIG. 1 with the base structure of the center seal device etc. omitted. Further, FIG. 5 describes a detailed view of the Peltier cooling unit of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 8 shows the control means of the Peltier cooling device.

[0022] When the terms "upstream side" and "downstream side" are used in this specification, unless otherwise specified, the meanings of "upstream side" and "downstream side" should be interpreted based on the direction in which the packaging material (for example, film) is conveyed (packaging material conveyance direction). Also, when the terms "inlet side" and "outlet side" are used, based on the direction in which the packaging material is conveyed, the side where the packaging material enters is the "inlet side", and the side where the packaging material exits is the "outlet side" and the meaning should be interpreted accordingly. Further, when the term "width direction" is used in this specification, it means the direction in the horizontal plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the object (structure) to which the term is applied. Specifically, in the case of the bottom view of the horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine in FIG. 2, the upper side on the paper surface of FIG. 2 is the "front side", and the lower side on the paper surface of FIG. 2 is the "rear side" (note that the left side on the paper surface of FIG. 2 corresponds to the "upstream side" and "inlet side", and the right side corresponds to the "downstream side" and "outlet side"). Note that the dimensions of each component in the figures in this specification are not necessarily proportional to the actual dimensions.

[0023] First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine (hereinafter also referred to as "packaging machine") 1 in the present embodiment includes a packaging material supply mechanism 12 for continuously feeding a strip-shaped packaging material Fw from a raw material roll Fr to the downstream side, a tension roller 13 for adjusting the tension of the strip-shaped packaging material Fw, a cylinder former (former) 14 for forming the strip-shaped packaging material Fw into a cylindrical shape and forming a cylindrical packaging material Ft in which both side edges Fe, Fe are overlapped in a clasped shape on the lower side, a product supply means 15 located on the inlet side of the cylinder former 14 for feeding a product P into the cylindrical packaging material Ft, a center seal device 20 for center-sealing (heat-sealing) both side edges Fe, Fe of the cylindrical packaging material Ft, and an end seal device 50 for end-sealing (heat-sealing) the center-sealed cylindrical packaging material Ft at predetermined intervals and then cutting it.

[0024] Among these, the center seal device 20 includes a pair of guide plates 21A, 21B on which a cylindrical packaging material for accommodating a product is slidably placed (in the upper stage), and below each of the pair of guide plates (that is, in the lower stage), a pair of feed rollers 22A, 22B for sandwiching both side edges Fe, Fe of the cylindrical packaging material Ft and conveying it in the packaging material conveyance direction, a pair of heater bars 23A, 23B for heating both side edges Fe, Fe in the vicinity of both sides thereof, a pair of crimping rollers 24A, 24B for sandwiching and crimping both side edges Fe, Fe, and a pair of scoring rollers 25A, 25B for scoring both side edges Fe, Fe. The pair of feed rollers 22A, 22B collectively constitute a conveying means, the pair of heater bars 23A, 23B collectively constitute a heating means, the pair of crimping rollers 24A, 24B collectively constitute a crimping means, and the pair of scoring rollers 25A, 25B collectively constitute a scoring means. Each heater bar 23A, 23B internally incorporates a heater component (not shown) for preheating both side edges Fe, Fe in the bar. This heater component generates heat when energized, and the heater bars 23A, 23B become heat-generating components.

[0025] In the inlet end region of the lower surfaces of the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B, an inlet side support member 26A is provided. Similarly, in the outlet end region of the lower surfaces of the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B, an outlet side support member 26B is provided. Here, the inlet side support member 26A and the outlet side support member 26B are beam-like members extending horizontally over the entire width of the combined guide plates 21A and 21B. Also, the inlet end region refers to the region near the inlet side plate ends of the respective guide plates 21A and 21B on the side adjacent to the cylinder making device 14. The outlet end region refers to the region near the outlet side plate ends of the respective guide plates 21A and 21B on the side adjacent to the end sealing device 50. Thereby, the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B supported by the upper end portions of the inlet side support member 26A and the outlet side support member 26 can be arranged with a constant gap G provided between the plates.

[0026] As will be described later, the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B can be arranged such that the size of the gap G can be adjusted using the plate position adjusting means 27 and 28, that is, the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B can be arranged to be openable and closable. Also, the inlet side support member 26A and the outlet side support member 26 are removably fixed to the center seal device base 30 using a patch lock 29 as a locking means. Note that the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B, the inlet side support member 26A and the outlet side support member 26B, and the plate position adjusting means 27 and 28 collectively constitute the center seal plate portion 21.

[0027] In addition, the center seal device 20 includes a center seal device base 30 which is a part of the packaging machine main body. This center seal device base 30 is provided with an inlet side upright base 35 and an outlet side upright base 37 at its upstream side end and downstream side end respectively. The inlet side upright base 35 and the outlet side upright base 37 support the inlet side support member 26A and the outlet side support member 26B at their upper ends, and thus support the guide plates 21A and 21B thereby. Further, as will be described in detail later, the center seal device 20 supports a pair of feed rollers 22A and 22B, a pair of heater bars 23A and 23B, a pair of crimping rollers 24A and 24B, and a pair of grooving rollers 25A and 25B through various intermediate components (see Fig. 2).

[0028] The end seal device 50 is any conventionally used end seal device including an upper end seal bar 50a and a lower end seal bar 50b. The upper end seal bar 50a and the lower end seal bar 50b each include a heater, and can sandwich the tubular packaging material Ft from above and below at their respective opposing end faces and perform heat sealing and crimping in the width direction. That is, the upper end seal bar 50a and the lower end seal bar 50b are a pair of heating components and a pair of crimping members.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 8 in combination, the packaging machine 1 includes a cooling device 80 for individually cooling a pair of guide plates 21A and 21B. This cooling device 80 includes, for each of the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B, a Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) for cooling the corresponding one of the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B, a thermocouple (temperature measuring means) 60a (or 60b) for measuring the temperature of the corresponding one of the guide plates, and control means 70 for energizing and controlling the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B when the measured temperature value of the corresponding one of the guide plates input from this thermocouple (temperature measuring means) 60a (or 60b) reaches a plate temperature threshold value preset corresponding to a temperature at which an undesirable change occurs in the product P, for example, any one of undesirable changes in the state, properties, and characteristics of the product P (such as melting from solid to liquid, change in shape, deterioration of taste and flavor, change in chemical properties (such as deterioration), change in physical properties (such as deterioration), etc.).

[0030] Also, the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) has basically the same configuration. As shown in FIG. 5, it includes a Peltier module 41A (or 41B) having a cooling surface 42 and a heat dissipation surface 43, a heat sink 44 having a fin base 44a coupled to the heat dissipation surface 43 and a fin portion 44b from which a plurality of fins extend, and a fan device 45 coupled to the fin portion 44b for forcibly discharging the ambient air around the plurality of fins. Here, the heat sink 44 and the fan device 45 are an example of heat dissipation means integrally provided on the heat dissipation surface 43. Also, the cooling surface 42 of each of the pair of Peltier cooling units 40A (or 40B) is thermally conductively connected to the corresponding guide plates 21A and 21B. For example, in this embodiment, it is fixed to a predetermined partial region on the lower surface of the guide plates 21A and 21B.

[0031] In addition, the "connected in a heat-conductive manner" used in this specification includes not only being fixed or adhered so as not to be removable or not to move relatively as long as it is heat-conductive, but also being brought into contact so as to be removable or movable relatively. For example, in this embodiment, the cooling surface 42 is directly adhered to a predetermined partial region of the lower plate surface of the guide plates 21A and 21B, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be indirectly adhered to a part of the lower plate surface of the guide plates 21A and 21B via a highly heat-conductive intervening member, connecting member, or the like.

[0032] Further, the cooling device 80 includes, for example, temperature information acquisition means 60 for acquiring the temperature of each of a pair of guide plates 21A and 21B. In this embodiment, the temperature information acquisition means 60 includes, for example, a first thermocouple 60a attached to or embedded in one guide plate 21A and a second thermocouple 60b attached to or embedded in the other guide plate 21B (see FIG. 8).

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, as an example, the control means 70 acquires the upper limit temperature value from the input / output device 74 or the memory 75, and includes a setting unit 71 that sets a preset plate temperature threshold corresponding to the temperature at which a change appears in the properties of the common product P of the guide plates 21A and 21B. Further, the control means 70 determines, for example, whether to apply a direct current to the Peltier module 41A of the Peltier type cooling unit 40A provided on the guide plate 21A by comparing the plate temperature threshold with the temperature measurement value of one of the guide plates 21A input from the first thermocouple 60a, and a first temperature control unit 72a that determines whether to apply a direct current to the Peltier module 41A of the Peltier type cooling unit 40A provided on the guide plate 21A by comparing the plate temperature threshold with the temperature measurement value of one of the guide plates 21A input from the first thermocouple 60a, and a first output control unit 73a that applies the direct current received from the external power source to the Peltier module 41A based on the energization command input from the first temperature control unit 72a. Further, similarly, the control means 70 determines, for example, whether to apply a direct current to the Peltier module 41B of the Peltier type cooling unit 40B provided on the guide plate 21B by comparing the above plate temperature threshold with the temperature measurement value of one of the guide plates 21B input from the first thermocouple 60b, and a second temperature control unit 72b that determines whether to apply a direct current to the Peltier module 41B of the Peltier type cooling unit 40B provided on the guide plate 21B by comparing the above plate temperature threshold with the temperature measurement value of one of the guide plates 21B input from the first thermocouple 60b, and a second output control unit 73b that applies the direct current received from the external power source to the Peltier module 41B based on the energization command input from the second temperature control unit 72b. Note that the first and second output control units 73a and 73b can also energize the fan devices 45, 45 in synchronization with the energization and start forced heat dissipation using the fan devices 45, 45.

[0034] Next, among the components of the first embodiment described above, the main components will be further described in detail. Note that since conventionally used devices can be adopted for the raw roll holding member 11, the packaging material supply mechanism 12, the cylinder making device 14, the product supply device 15, and the end sealing device 50, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0035] 〔Center Sealing Device〕 The configuration of the center seal device 20 has already been described above. From another perspective, the center seal device 20 includes a center seal plate portion 21, a seal mechanism portion located immediately below the center seal plate portion 21 (that is, each component represented by reference numerals 21A and 21B, 22A and 22B, 23A and 23B, 24A and 24B, as well as 25A and 25B, and M1 to M3, and the intermediate member 33), and a center seal device base portion 30 that supports the center seal plate portion 21 and the above-described seal mechanism portion.

[0036] First, the front guide plate 21A and the rear guide plate 21B in the center seal plate portion 21 have substantially the same dimensions and are formed as a pair of elongated metal plates extending parallel to the packaging material conveyance direction. A gap G extending along the packaging material conveyance direction exists between the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B. The gap G exists with a constant gap width throughout the longitudinal direction of the guide plates 21A and 21B. The gap G allows the folded side edges Fe, Fe of the cylindrical packaging material Ft to pass through from above. In other words, the minimum interval of the gap G needs to be an interval with a width through which the side edges Fe, Fe can pass. An example of the "seal portion" used in this specification is these hanging side edges Fe, Fe. The gap width of the gap G may be fixed so as not to be changeable, but as in this embodiment, it is preferably changeable (that is, the guide plates 21A and 21B can be opened and closed) using the plate position adjusting means 27 and 28 described in detail later. This is advantageous from the perspective of maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, repair, and replacement.

[0037] Further, the guide plates 21A and 21B are preferably made of a material having high thermal conductivity known in the art in order to enhance the cooling effect (heat absorption effect) of the cooling device according to the present embodiment. Further, on the surfaces (upper surfaces) of the guide plates 21A and 21B, various treatments capable of obtaining low friction with heat resistance, such as fluororesin coating, are preferably applied so that the cylindrical packaging material Ft being conveyed does not adhere to the guide plates 21A and 21B when receiving heat.

[0038] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the opening / closing and removal of the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B will be described. As described above, the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B are placed on the upper ends of the inlet-side support member 26A and the outlet-side support member 26B and are spanned therebetween. In the state of being spanned in this way, the guide plate 21A and the guide plate 21B can be independently moved in the extending direction of the inlet-side support member 26A and the outlet-side support member 26B (that is, the direction toward the front side or the back side) by using plate position adjusting means. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the guide plates 21A and 21B are closed so as to form a gap G, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the guide plates 21A and 21B are opened so as to form a gap G'. By widening the gap, an operator can easily perform operations such as extending a hand into the gap G' to perform cleaning.

[0039] Among these, the plate position adjustment means is composed of a first movement adjustment mechanism 27 and a second movement adjustment mechanism 28. The first movement adjustment mechanism 27 is provided one by one at a total of four locations, namely, two locations at the outer corners on the inlet side and two locations at the outer corners on the outlet side of the guide plates 21A and 21B. Among them, the first movement adjustment mechanism 27 provided at the outer corner on the inlet side of the guide plate 21A is shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 4(A). In this illustrated example, the first movement adjustment mechanism 27 is composed of a movement plate 27a coupled to the guide plate 21A, a long hole 27c that penetrates through the movement plate 27a and the guide plate 21A coupled thereto, and a butterfly bolt 27b inserted into this long hole 27c. The long hole 27c extends in the extending direction of the inlet side support member 26A (that is, the direction toward the front side or the back side), and the length of the long hole corresponds to the distance by which the guide plates 21A and 21B can move in the opening and closing directions. Thereby, the guide plates 21A and 21B can move independently and separately by a distance corresponding to the length of the long hole.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the second movement adjustment mechanism 28 is provided at two locations on the inlet side surface of the inlet side support member 26A and at two locations on the outlet side surface of the outlet side support member 26B. The second movement adjustment mechanism 28 includes a guide member 28a having two opposed U-shaped rails fixed to the inlet side surface of the inlet side support member 26A, a slide plate 28b guided by these rails, and an L-shaped connecting member 28c that couples the slide plate 28b to the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A or 21B.

[0041] On the upstream-side support members 26A and 26B, a U-shaped notch portion 26Ac is formed at the central portion on the upper end side. Due to the presence of the U-shaped notch portion 26Ac, the conveyance of both side edges Fe, Fe can be achieved without being hindered. Further, the heat sinks 44 of the cooling units 40A and 40B can also take in the unheated air around the packaging machine 1 through this notch portion 26Ac. The shape, size, and number of the notch portion 26Ac are not limited to those shown in the figure, and other configurations may be adopted. The support members 26A and B are not limited to a plate-like structure, and other structures, such as a frame structure, may be used.

[0042] Next, the sealing mechanism section will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The sealing mechanism section refers to a group of components composed of a pair of feed rollers 22A and 22B, their servo motors M1 and M1, a pair of heater bars 23A and 23B, a pair of crimping rollers 24A and 24B, their servo motors M2 and M2, a pair of scoring rollers 25A and 25B, and their servo motors M3 and M3. Further, the sealing mechanism section is divided into a front-side half of the sealing mechanism located below the guide plate 21A and a rear-side half of the sealing mechanism located below the guide plate 21B. The front-side half of the sealing mechanism is composed of the feed roller 22A and its servo motor M1, the heater bar 23A, the crimping roller 24A and its servo motor M2, and the scoring roller 25A and its servo motor M3. Similarly, the rear-side half of the sealing mechanism is composed of the feed roller 22B and its servo motor M1, the heater bar 23B, the crimping roller 24B and its servo motor M2, and the scoring roller 25B and its servo motor M3. Note that the components arranged in a row in the half of the sealing mechanism are not limited to this order. For example, the rollers 22A and 22B may be located downstream of the heater bars 23A and 23B, or the heater bars 23A and 23B may be located at the most upstream.

[0043] Next, referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a center seal device base 30 will be described which fixedly supports the center seal plate portion 21 and supports the front seal mechanism half portion and the rear seal mechanism half portion of the above-described seal mechanism portion so as to be relatively movable. The center seal device base 30 includes a base body 31 installed substantially parallel to the floor surface (not shown), an inlet side upright base 35 extending upward from the inlet side end of the base body 31, and an outlet side upright base 37 extending upward from the outlet side end of the base body 31. The upper ends of the inlet side upright base 35 and the outlet side upright base 37 are flat, and on this, an inlet side support member 26A and an outlet side support member 26B are respectively placed. In this embodiment, the inlet side upright base 35 and the inlet side support member 26A placed thereon constitute a plate-shaped inlet side support structure, and the outlet side upright base 37 and the outlet side support member 26B placed thereon constitute a plate-shaped outlet side support structure.

[0044] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 4(A), for example, the main body of the patch lock 29 and the receiver are respectively provided as locking means at the front boundary portion where the inlet side upright base 35 and the inlet side support member 26A are in contact. Similarly, the main body of the patch lock 29 and the receiver are also respectively provided at the rear boundary portion where the inlet side upright base 35 and the inlet side support member 26A are in contact, and at the front and rear boundary portions where the outlet side upright base 37 and the outlet side support member 26B are in contact. Thereby, the guide plates 21A and 21B and the inlet side and outlet side support members 26A and 26B are removably fixed to the inlet side upright base 35 and the outlet side upright base 37 (that is, the center seal device base 30).

[0045] Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the base body 31, one-axis moving stages 32A and 32B, which are arranged in the width direction and are closer to the outlet side on the upper surface of the base body 31, are disposed. Note that there is an area where no structure is arranged on the inlet side of the upper surface of the base body 31, that is, on the upstream side of the one-axis moving stages 32A and 32B. The one-axis moving stages 32A and 32B can be one-axis moving stage devices known in the art that are movable in the front or rear direction. Each of the one-axis moving stage devices 32A and 32B may be configured to be driven by respective servo motors (not shown).

[0046] On the upper surface side of the front one-axis moving stage 32A, each component of the front half of the sealing mechanism (that is, the feed roller 22A, the heater bar 23A, the crimping roller 24A, the streaking roller 25A, and the servo motors M1 to M3) is mounted directly or via an intermediate member. At this time, the feed roller 22A, the heater bar 23A, the crimping roller 24A, and the streaking roller 25A are held so as to be installed at a height suitable for performing feeding, heating, crimping, and streaking with respect to both side edges Fe and Fe that hang down through the gap G between the guide plates 21A and 21B. Similarly, each component of the rear half of the sealing mechanism (that is, the feed roller 22B, the heater bar 23B, the crimping roller 24B, the streaking roller 25B, and the servo motors M1 to M3) is mounted. At this time, the feed roller 22B, the heater bar 23B, the crimping roller 24B, and the streaking roller 25B are also held so as to be installed at a height suitable for performing feeding, heating, crimping, and streaking with respect to both side edges Fe and Fe that hang down through the gap G between the guide plates 21A and 21B. With such a configuration, during maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, repair, and replacement, each half of the sealing mechanism can be opened to a position convenient for the maintenance operation, while during the operation of the packaging machine, it can be closed so as to return to the operating position where center sealing can be performed.

[0047] 〔Peltier Cooling Unit〕 Next, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 shows the overall configuration of the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B. Also, FIGS. 1, 2, and 7 show the installation positions of the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B in the packaging machine 1. As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B are provided one by one on the lower surfaces of the respective plates of the guide plates 21A and 21B in a positional relationship that sandwiches both side edges Fe and Fe of the cylindrical packaging material Ft. Preferably, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane including both side edges Fe and Fe of the cylinder. Thereby, when controlling the cooling operation by the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B, the control of both can be performed under substantially the same conditions. Hereinafter, when describing the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B, since the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B have the same configuration, only the front Peltier cooling unit 40A will be mentioned, and the description of the rear Peltier cooling unit 40B may be omitted, but the rear Peltier cooling unit 40B is also configured in the same manner.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) has a Peltier module 41A (or 41B in the case of the rear side) that is substantially square in plan view and has a thick plate shape. This Peltier module 41A (or 41B) includes a thermoelectric conversion element (Peltier element) 41a between a pair of ceramic plates 41b and 41c. As is known to those skilled in the art, the thermoelectric conversion element 41a has alternately arranged P-type semiconductors and N-type semiconductors, and the adjacent P-type semiconductors and N-type semiconductors are configured to be connected in series alternately using a metal plate that connects the electrodes on one side of both and a metal plate that connects the electrodes on the other side.

[0049] Also, from the two outermost semiconductors, lead wires 46a and 46b for the Peltier module, which are connected to one electrode of each, extend outside the module. Connectors (not shown) are attached to the tips of the two lead wires 46a and 46b for the Peltier module to facilitate connection / removal to / from external wiring. When a direct current with a predetermined current direction is applied to the lead wires 46a and 46b, an endothermic phenomenon and an exothermic phenomenon occur in the thermoelectric conversion element. At this time, the outer surface of one ceramic plate 41b where the endothermic phenomenon occurs is called the cooling surface 42, while the outer surface of the other ceramic plate 41c where the exothermic phenomenon occurs is called the heat dissipation surface 43.

[0050] In this embodiment, this cooling surface 42 is disposed between the inlet end of the guide plate located upstream in the packaging material conveyance direction and the portion closest to the one end of the sealing mechanism portion, i.e., the portion closest to the inlet end of the front guide plate of the feed roller 22A. More specifically, the cooling surface 42 is fixed to the lower surface of the front guide plate 21A by any coupling means between the inlet end of the front guide plate 21A (i.e., the inlet end of the front guide plate) and the portion closest to the inlet end of the front guide plate of the feed roller 22A, which is the component closest to the inlet end of the front guide plate among the front half of the sealing mechanism of the sealing mechanism portion on the front side. Here, the fixing means may be performed, for example, by screwing the guide plate 21A through holes formed in the ceramic plate 41b, welding the ceramic plate 41b to the guide plate 21A, or attaching the ceramic plate 41b to the guide plate 21A using a conductive adhesive. When coupling the heat dissipation means 46 to the heat sink base 44a, that is, when fixing the heat dissipation surface 43 to the heat sink base 44a, it may also be performed by the same coupling means as described above.

[0051] Also, the Peltier cooling unit 40A includes a heat sink 44 and a fan device 45. Among these, as described above, the heat sink 44 includes a heat sink base 44a coupled to the heat dissipation surface 43 (for example, by screwing or the like), and a fin portion 44b for heat dissipation integrally formed below the heat sink base 44a. The fins of the fin portion 44b may be of various forms, such as thin plate fins in which a plurality of thin plates erected on the base 44a are arranged at equal intervals, or rod-shaped fins in which a large number of rod-shaped members erected on the base 44a are laid out in two directions at equal intervals. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, thin plate fins arranged so that an opening is located on the front side are used. The heat sink base 44a and the fins 44b have an integral structure and can both be made of aluminum or copper with good thermal conductivity.

[0052] Also, the fan device 45 includes a frame body 45a, a plurality of support parts 45c extending from the lower end of the frame body 45a to the center of an internal passage formed inside the inner wall 45b of the frame body 45a, a fan motor 45d held at the center of the internal passage via the plurality of support parts 45c, and a blade 45e provided via a drive shaft (not shown) of the fan motor 45d. Two lead wires for the fan motor (not shown) extend outward from the fan motor 45d. Connectors (not shown) are attached to the opposite ends of the two lead wires for the fan motor. Note that the outer peripheral portions of the frame body 45a, the heat sink 44, and the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) are aligned with the same shape and dimensions.

[0053] The space between the fins of the fin portion 44b communicates with the internal passage inside the inner wall b of the frame body 45a, and an air passage for flowing air for cooling the fins is formed here. When a direct current in a predetermined current direction is applied to the lead wire for the fan motor, the fan motor 45d rotationally drives the blade 45e, whereby air is taken in from around the opening of the fin portion 44b. This air passes through the spaces between the fins while exchanging heat with each fin of the fin portion 44b, passes through the inner passage of the fan device 45, and is forcibly discharged to the outside by the rotating blade 45e.

[0054] Thereby, during operation, the heat sucked from the front guide plate 21A (or 21B on the back side in the case of the back side) through the cooling surface and the heat generated by the driving of the thermoelectric conversion element 41a are released by the heat dissipation means constituted by the heat sink 44 and the fan device (in this embodiment, downward in FIG. 1), enabling a stable cooling operation of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) by the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B). Also, as can be understood from FIG. 5, when the heat dissipation means 46 is integrally assembled with the Peltier module 41A (or 41B), the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) and the heat dissipation means 46 (that is, the heat sink 44 and the fan device 45) generally have an overall rectangular parallelepiped structure. Except for the lead wires 46a, 46b for the Peltier module and the lead wire for the fan motor, there are no components existing outside the above rectangular parallelepiped structure, so it is not likely to get in the way during maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, repair, and replacement.

[0055] 〔Temperature measuring means〕 In view of the assumption that the temperature of the article P placed on the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B is mainly affected by the temperature of the guide plates 21A and 21B on which the article P is placed, instead of directly measuring the article P, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment measures the respective temperatures of the guide plates 21A and 21B by the temperature measuring means 60, and controls the temperature of the article P by controlling the temperature of the guide plates 21A and 21B based on this. To do this, first, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment includes, for example, a first thermocouple 60a for measuring the temperature of the guide plate 21A on the guide plate 21A, and a second thermocouple 60b for measuring the temperature of the guide plate 21B on the guide plate 21B.

[0056] The above thermocouples 60a and 60b may be installed anywhere on the guide plates 21A and 21B as long as they do not interfere with the conveyance of the cylindrical packaging material Ft and do not interfere with the operation of each roller 22A, 22B, etc. and each heater bar 23A, 23B of the center seal device 20. For example, it is preferably installed on the lower surface of the plate near the opposing ends of the guide plates 21A and 21B through which the article P passes above, and may also be near the heater bars 23A and 23B. Also. The pair of thermocouples 60a and 60b are preferably provided with their positions in the longitudinal direction of the guide plates 21A and 21B aligned, but are not necessarily limited to this. In addition, the first thermocouple 60a provided on the guide plate 21A and the control means 70 are connected by a conducting wire (see FIG. 8 described later). Similarly, the second thermocouple 60b provided on the guide plate 21B and the control means 70 are connected by a conducting wire (see FIG. 8). These conducting wires have a sufficient length such that the guide plates 21A and 21B can be removed while remaining connected. However, it is not limited to this. For example, each conducting wire may be detachably connected to the control means 70 using a connector or the like.

[0057] Although an example in which the thermocouples 60a and 60b are used as the temperature measuring means 60 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. Instead of the thermocouples, other contact type temperature devices (for example, temperature sensors) may be installed, or non-contact type temperature measuring devices (for example, infrared thermographic cameras) may be used.

[0058] 〔Cooling Device and Control Means〕 Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the control means 70 will be described. FIG. 8 shows a partial control block of the control means 70 provided in the cooling device 80 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of the energization control by the control means 70 of FIG. 8. This control means 70 is equipped in the packaging machine 1 together with the input / output device 74 and the memory 75 as a part of the cooling device 80. The control means 70 includes a setting unit 71, a first temperature adjusting unit 72a and a second temperature adjusting unit 72b, and a first output control unit 73a and a second output control unit 73b.

[0059] When the cooling device 80 is operated, the control means 70 starts the operation (S1). First, the setting unit 71 sets a plate temperature threshold related to the start of cooling and temperature conditions (for example, ΔT) related to the end of cooling (S2). More specifically, the setting unit 71 first obtains the upper limit temperature of the guide plate 21A (hereinafter referred to as the "first upper limit temperature") and the upper limit temperature value of the guide plate 21B (hereinafter referred to as the "second upper limit temperature") from the operator via the input / output device 74 or by reading from the memory 75. Here, the "upper limit temperature" refers to the temperature at which an undesirable change occurs in the product P (i.e., the temperature at which the state of the product P changes, or the flavor, appearance color, etc. of the product P begins to change). The upper limit temperature is determined for each of the guide plates 21A and 21B. However, as an alternative, assuming that the same value is used for both, only one upper limit temperature may be obtained. Next, based on this, the setting unit 71 sets a first plate temperature threshold for starting cooling for the first temperature control unit 72a and sets a second plate temperature threshold for the second temperature control unit 72b. The aim of this control is not to cause undesirable changes in the product. It is considered preferable to start cooling of the guide plates 21A and 21B at a temperature slightly lower than the first and second upper limit temperatures. Therefore, the setting unit 71 may set the first and second upper limit temperature values as the first and second temperature thresholds as they are. However, considering individual differences in the product P, the influence of the ambient temperature, the control delay during feedback control, and sudden temperature rises when conveyance stops due to a failure of the packaging machine 1, etc., a correction value may be added so that the temperature becomes lower than the original first and second upper limit temperature values (for example, 1°C, 2°C, 5°C, etc. lower than the original first and second upper limit temperature values) to set the first and second plate temperature thresholds. The correction value can be stored in the memory 75.

[0060] Also, the setting unit 71 acquires a set value regarding the cooling end temperature from the operator via the input / output device 74 or by reading from the memory 75. This set value regarding the cooling end temperature may be a set value specifying a specific temperature value. In this embodiment, for example, it can be acquired as a temperature difference ΔT with respect to the temperature threshold. Next, the setting unit 71 can set "the first upper limit temperature - ΔT" as a third plate temperature threshold for ending the cooling of the guide plate 21A and set "the second upper limit temperature - ΔT" as a fourth plate temperature threshold for ending the cooling of the guide plate 21B for the first temperature control unit 72a and the second temperature control unit 72b, respectively.

[0061] When the operator himself determines the upper limit temperature value of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) for various products P by actual measurement, the product P contained in the cylindrical packaging material Ft is placed on the guide plate 21A (or 21B), and the temperature of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) is increased by increasing the output of the heater bar 23A (or 23B). When any change begins to occur in the product P obtained by the thermocouple 60a (or 60b), the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) can be regarded as the first (or second) upper limit temperature value and recorded. In order not to have to perform this actual measurement every time, the determined first and second upper limit temperature values can be stored in the memory 75 and can be read from the memory 75 after the next time. Examples of products P that can be affected by heat include chocolate products, confectionery products, ice cream products, etc. For example, in the case of chocolate, depending on the type of chocolate, it is considered to melt at about 17°C to about 34°C in one theory. In this case, the first and second upper limit temperature values may be set to 17°C so that any type of chocolate does not melt, or may be set lower by a predetermined temperature (based on manual setting by the operator or preset stored in the memory in the factory in advance), for example, in the case of chocolate, it may be set to 15°C.

[0062] Next, the first temperature control unit 72a starts constantly monitoring the current temperature of the guide plate 21A using the first thermocouple 60a installed on the guide plate 21A (S3). Then, the first temperature control unit 72a determines whether the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21A is equal to or higher than the first plate temperature threshold value set for the guide plate 21A by comparing the first plate temperature threshold value set for the guide plate 21A with the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21A measured using the thermocouple 60a (S4). If the condition is satisfied, a command is sent to energize the first output control unit 73a (S5). Also, in S5, if power supply to the fan device 45 has not been performed, power supply can be started and the blowing by the fan device 45 can be started. Similarly, the second temperature control unit 72b also starts constantly monitoring the current temperature of the guide plate 21B using the second thermocouple 60b installed on the guide plate 21B (S3). Then, the second temperature control unit 72b compares the second plate temperature threshold value set for the guide plate 21B with the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21B measured using the thermocouple 60b to determine whether the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21B is equal to or higher than the second plate temperature threshold value (S4). If the condition is satisfied, a command can be sent to energize the second output control unit 73b (S5). Also, in S5, if power supply to the fan device 45 is not being performed, power supply can be started and the blowing by the fan device 45 can be started.

[0063] In response to the command to start energization from the first temperature control unit 72a, the first output control unit 73a can output the DC current received from the current source to the Peltier module 41A of the Peltier cooling unit 40A until a predetermined energization end condition is satisfied. For example, the first temperature control unit 72a may be configured to continuously monitor the temperature of the guide plate 21A and, when it is determined that the temperature of the guide plate 21A has become equal to or lower than "the first plate temperature threshold value - ΔT" (S6), send a power-off command to the first output control unit 73a (S7). Similarly, in response to the command to start energization from the second temperature control unit 72b, the second output control unit 73b can output the DC current received from the current source to the Peltier module 41B of the Peltier cooling unit 40B until a predetermined energization end condition is satisfied. For example, the second temperature control unit 72b may be configured to continuously monitor the temperature of the guide plate 21B and, when it is determined that the temperature of the guide plate 21B has become equal to or lower than "the second plate temperature threshold value - ΔT" (S6), send a power-off command to the second output control unit 73b (S7). After power-off, normal temperature monitoring can be resumed (return to S4).

[0064] As described above, the energization control of the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B in the cooling device 80 according to the present embodiment is independently performed by separate feedback loops. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, another control method may be adopted, such as a method of simultaneously starting cooling of both the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B when either one of the guide plates 21A and 21B reaches the plate upper limit temperature.

[0065] [Operation of the cooling device and the packaging machine equipped with the same] (1) During normal operation for packaging During normal operation of the packaging machine 1, the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B of the packaging machine 1 and both half parts of the sealing mechanism are in the closed positions shown in FIGS. 3(A) and (B) and FIG. 7(A). Further, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B respectively fixed to the guide plates 21A and 21B are also in the closed positions because they are integrally fixed with the guide plates 21A and 21B (see FIG. 7(A)). In this state, the packaging machine 1 performs a normal bag-making and filling packaging operation. For example, heating (preheating) is performed on the folded both side edges Fe and Fe of the tubular packaging material Ft conveyed by the pair of feed rollers 22A and 22B by the pair of heater bars 23A and 23B. Subsequently, heat sealing is performed by crimping on the both side edges Fe and Fe by the pair of crimping rollers 24A and 24B. Further, a scoring process is performed by the pair of scoring rollers 25A and 25B. Finally, heating and crimping for end-sealing processing are performed at equal intervals by the end-sealing device 50, and then it is cut to form individual packages.

[0066] Here, an explanation will be given with reference to FIG. 6(A). A pair of heater bars 23A and 23B are at a high temperature in order to heat the palm-shaped side edges Fe and Fe. For this reason, the surrounding air is warmed, and an upward air flow is generated. This warmed air flow passes through the gaps S between the guide plate 21A and the heater bar 23A and between the guide plate 21B and the heater bar 23B, and a part of the lower surface of the plates of the guide plates 21A and 21B located close above the pair of heater bars 23A and 23B is warmed. Also, a part of the lower surface of the plates of the guide plates 21A and 21B is warmed by the radiation generated from the pair of heater bars 23A and 23B. As a result, the temperatures of the guide plates 21A and 21B rise respectively, and for this reason, the temperature of the article P placed on the guide plates 21A and 21B via the packaging material body rises.

[0067] Even when the rise in the temperature of the guide plate due to the influence of such convection and radiation, and thus the rise in the temperature of the product P, is not significantly affected during normal operation because the product P is packaged and conveyed in a flash, for example, when the packaging machine 1 suddenly stops operating due to some reason, the conveyance of the packaging materials Fw and Ft is temporarily interrupted, and the product P will remain stationary on the guide plates 21A and 21B for a long time. For this reason, it is conceivable that the temperature of the product P will rise significantly due to the warmed guide plates 21A and 21B as described above. Also, there may be a case where the temperature is high like in summer, and affected by this, there is not much margin for the product to reach the temperature at which it is affected by heat, and the rise in the temperature of the guide plate due to the influence of convection and radiation cannot be ignored. In such a case, the control for cooling the guide plates 21A and 21B by the control means 70 described below is useful. Hereinafter, an explanation will be given according to the flowchart for explaining the control by the control means 70 in FIG. 9.

[0068] First, as pre - operation preparation, the setting unit 71 acquires the first and second upper limit temperatures for each guide plate from the operator via the input / output device 74 and / or from the memory, and then sets the first to fourth plate temperature thresholds by the above - mentioned method. Subsequently, the first and second temperature control units 72a and 72b respectively acquire the temperature measurement values from the first and second thermocouples (temperature measurement means) installed on the guide plates 21A and 21B and constantly monitor them. For example, when the first temperature control unit 72a determines that the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21A is equal to or higher than the first plate temperature threshold set for the front - side guide plate 21A, the first temperature control unit 72a sends a power - on start command signal to the first output control unit 73a to energize the Peltier module 41A. When the first output control unit 73a receives this power - on start command signal, it starts energizing the Peltier module 41A, thereby starting the cooling of the guide plate 21A. After the power - on starts, the first temperature control unit 72a monitors the temperature measurement value of the guide plate 21A acquired via the thermocouple 60a and starts monitoring whether it has dropped below a preset power - off temperature (here, the third plate temperature threshold). When the first temperature control unit 72a determines that it has dropped below the power - off temperature, it sends a power - off end command signal to the first output control unit 73a, and in response, the first output control unit 73a ends the energization of the cooling Peltier module 41A. After the power - off, the monitoring of the upper limit temperature of the corresponding normal guide plate 21A is resumed. Also, regarding the rear - side guide plate 21B, the control performed by the second temperature control unit 72b and the second output control unit 73b is the same as that described above (the description is omitted to avoid redundant explanation).

[0069] Next, the cooling operations of the Peltier modules 41A and 41B will be described with reference to FIG. 6(B). Since the cooling operations of the front - side Peltier module 41A and the rear - side Peltier module 41B are the same, only the cooling operation of the front - side Peltier module 41A will be described, and the description of the cooling operation of the rear - side Peltier module 41B will be omitted.

[0070] When a direct current is input from the first output control unit 73a to the thermoelectric conversion element 41a of the Peltier module 41A, the cooling surface 42 starts to absorb the heat of the guide plate 21A at the installation portion of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A to which it is thermally conductively connected. As a result, on the one hand, the temperature of the guide plate 21A decreases. On the other hand, the heat radiating surface 43 transfers the heat absorbed from the guide plate 21A, together with the heat generated from the element by driving the thermoelectric conversion element 41a with a direct current, from the heat radiating surface 43 to the heat sink 44. At this time, the first output control unit 73a starts to supply power to the fan motor 45d of the fan device 45 in conjunction with the energization of the aforementioned Peltier module 41A. As a result, the fan motor 45d rotates the blade 45e, thereby generating a forced air flow in the air passage that penetrates the space between the fins of the fin portion 44b and the inner passage of the fan device 45. Therefore, as a result, the surrounding air is sucked in from the front side and the back side openings of the fin portion 44b, and when this air passes through each fin of the fin portion 44b, it takes heat away from each fin, and the warmed air is forcibly discharged downward by the rotating blade 45e of the fan device 45. Note that the front side and the back side spaces of the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B are open, and since there are no structures other than the base body 31 near the floor surface below, the surrounding air is easily sucked in, or the flow of the warmed air discharged downward is not obstructed, and heat dissipation can be appropriately performed.

[0071] (2) During maintenance work such as cleaning During maintenance operations such as cleaning of the packaging machine 1, the guide plates 21A and 21B of the packaging machine 1 can be moved by an operator to the open positions shown in FIGS. 4(A) and (B) and FIG. 7(B) by using the first movement adjustment mechanism 27 and the second movement adjustment mechanism 28. At this time, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B fixed to the guide plates 21A and 21B, respectively, are also integrated with the guide plates 21A and 21B and can be moved to the open position. Also, both half parts of the sealing mechanisms can be moved to positions suitable for easy cleaning by using the uniaxial movement stages 32A and 32B, respectively. The operator can extend a hand into the widened gap G' and perform maintenance operations such as wiping off scraps of packaging material (e.g., scraps of melted sealant) adhering to the pair of heater bars 23A and 23B that are appropriately widened.

[0072] Furthermore, the center seal plate portion 21 including the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B can be easily removed entirely from the center seal device base 30 by removing the four lead wires extending from the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B and releasing all the patch locks (locking means) 29. Thereby, maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair of each component from above the sealing mechanism portion can be performed more easily.

[0073] [[Effect of the present embodiment]] The cooling device 80 including the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to the present embodiment and the horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine 1 equipped with this cooling device 80 are configured as described above, and thus, for example, the following advantages can be enjoyed.

[0074] (1) Since the cooling device 80 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, before the product P reaches a temperature at which undesirable changes occur in the product P and changes its state, properties, characteristics, etc., such changes can be prevented by lowering the temperature of the pair of guide plates 21A and / or 21B. Thereby, it is possible to maintain the quality of the product and prevent the deterioration of the commercial value.

[0075] (2) Unlike the conventional water-cooled cooling device, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to the present embodiment are configured as Peltier cooling units using thermoelectric conversion elements. Therefore, there is no need to equip any part of the packaging machine 1 with a water supply pipe and a drain pipe, and these will not interfere with various maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair. For example, the labor of removing parts is eliminated, and the operator is not forced to work in an unnatural posture. This improves the workability and work efficiency of the maintenance work. Also, for example, since there is no risk of a water leakage accident, there is no need to be careful to avoid a water leakage accident, and there is no need to be involved in the aftermath in the unlikely event of a water leakage. As a result, the maintenance time can be shortened, and the productivity of the packaging machine can be improved.

[0076] (3) Unlike the conventional air-cooled cooling device, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to the present embodiment do not need to be equipped with structures such as nozzles and hoses anywhere on the packaging machine 1, and these will not interfere with various maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair. For example, the labor of removing parts is eliminated, and the operator is not forced to work in an unnatural posture. Also, there is no need to arrange a large compressor or the like near the packaging machine 1, and there is no piping for it, so such a compressor and its air pipe will not physically interfere with the maintenance work. This improves the workability and work efficiency of the maintenance work, and as a result, the productivity can also be improved.

[0077] (4) Since the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to the present embodiment are provided on the lower surface side of each of the guide plates 21A and 21B, they will not interfere with various maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair that are performed by reaching over the guide plates 21A and 21B. This improves the workability and work efficiency of the maintenance, and the productivity can also be improved.

[0078] (5) The Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to this embodiment are provided below each guide plate 21A and 21B. In addition, since their installation positions are located between the inlet side support member 26A and the inlet side upright base 35 and the pair of feed rollers 22A and 22B (which are the most upstream side of the seal mechanism section), when performing various maintenance operations such as cleaning, inspection, replacement, and repair on the center seal device 20 from the front side, upper side, and back side, they are in a position where they do not get in the way. Compared with a packaging machine equipped with a conventional cooling device for a packaging machine, it is very advantageous in terms of ease of maintenance work, and can further improve the workability, work efficiency, and work efficiency of the maintenance work.

[0079] (6) The Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to this embodiment do not require mechanical accessory structures such as water supply pipes, drain pipes, air supply pipes, exhaust pipes, nozzles, and tanks. On the other hand, even if it is necessary to attach the heat sink 44 and the fan device 45 to the Peltier modules 41A and 41B, these can be integrally assembled to the Peltier modules 41A and 41B, and the overall outer shape does not take up much space. As long as there is a place with an area about the size of the Peltier module, it is small enough to be installed, so it is suitable for installation in a narrow place of the packaging machine 1. In particular, it is convenient for installation in a narrow range on the lower surface of the guide plates 21A and 21B.

[0080] (7) On the other hand, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to this embodiment are provided on the lower surface of the inlet side of the guide plates 21A and 21B. Since there are only things such as the cylinder making device 14 and the product supply device 15 on the inlet side of the guide plates 21A and 21B, there is also an advantage that it is relatively easy to take a relatively wide space for mounting the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B. By providing the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B, which can be as large as possible in a relatively wide space, it also has the advantage of being easy to improve the cooling performance.

[0081] (8) The packaging machine 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that the guide plates 21A and 21B can be opened and closed, which is a convenient configuration for performing maintenance work such as cleaning from above the guide plates 21A and 21B. However, since the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B according to this embodiment are provided on the lower surface of the plates of the guide plates 21A and 21B, by combining these two configurations, it becomes a configuration that is particularly useful when performing maintenance work such as cleaning from the gap between the guide plates 21A and 21B.

[0082] (9) Also, the packaging machine 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that the guide plates 21A and 21B can be removably attached using locking means. However, the lead wires 46a and 46b for the Peltier modules and the two lead wires for the fan device in the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B can be easily detached by using connectors. Therefore, even when the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B are fixed to the lower surface of the plates of the guide plates 21A and 21B respectively, unlike the conventional packaging machine with a cooling device, the guide plates 21A and 21B can be easily removed. This is particularly advantageous for maintenance work such as repairing and replacing parts that require the removal of the guide plates 21A and 21B for work, which is time-consuming.

[0083] 〔Second Embodiment〕 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in which, instead of fixing the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B to the guide plates 21A and 21B, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B are removably brought into contact with the guide plates 21A and 21B using holding biasing means 147A and 147B. The second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 10 to 13. In these drawings, components that are the same as those in the first embodiment are also denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment in the second embodiment. Also, the components described in the first embodiment will not be described again here.

[0084] In the packaging machine 100 equipped with the cooling device 180 according to the second embodiment, the cooling device 180 includes the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) also adopted in the first embodiment. However, instead of being fixedly coupled (fixed) to a part of the lower portion of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B), the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) is removably brought into contact with a part of the lower portion of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) via the holding biasing means 147 (that is, the front-side holding biasing means 147A (or the rear-side holding biasing means 147B)).

[0085] Here, the holding biasing means 147A and 147B will be described in more detail. The holding biasing means 147A and 147B are configured to include an upper holding member 149 (an example of a holding portion), a lower fixing member 148 (an example of a fixing portion), and a biasing mechanism 150.

[0086] The upper holding member 149 is a plate-shaped holding member made of a highly thermally conductive material that is substantially square in plan view. At the center of the lower surface 149b of the upper holding member 149, the cooling surface 42 of the aforementioned Peltier module 41A (or 41B) is fixed by any of the aforementioned fixing means. On the other hand, the upper surface 149c of the upper holding member 149 is configured as a flat contact surface suitable for contacting a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B). Thereby, the cooling surface 42 of the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) can be indirectly brought into contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) with the upper holding member 149 as a highly thermally conductive intervening member.

[0087] Further, the lower fixing member 148 is a plate-like member that is substantially square in plan view and has substantially the same size as the upper holding member 149, and is fixed to the center seal device base 30, which is a part of the packaging machine main body of the packaging machine 100, located directly below the lower fixing member 148. More specifically, the lower fixing member 148 is fixed to the base body 31, which is a part of the center seal device base 30, via a support base 136 (an example of an intervening element). However, it is not limited to this. For example, the lower fixing member 148 may be directly fixed to the base body 31 (a part of the packaging machine main body) having a protruding structure in place of the support base 136 without passing through the support base 136.

[0088] Next, the biasing mechanism 150 will be described in detail. The biasing mechanism 150 is provided between the lower fixing member 148 and the upper holding member 149, and is configured to bias the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) against the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) via the upper holding member 149 when the guide plate 21A (or 21B) is installed. This biasing mechanism 150 may be configured by a spring mechanism including at least one compression spring. In this second embodiment, the biasing mechanism 150 is arranged at the four corners of the respective plate-like members of the lower fixing member 148 and the upper holding member 149, sandwiched between the lower fixing member 148 and the upper holding member 149, and is composed of four compression springs 151, 151, 151, 151 that are held in a compressed state when the guide plate 21A (or 21B) is installed.

[0089] These four compression springs 151, 151, 151, 151 have the same shape and the same material. Further, circular recesses (so-called countersinks) having a diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the compression spring 151 are respectively formed at the four corners of the upper holding member 149 and the lower fixing member 148. The lower end 151a of the compression spring 151 is disposed in the recess 148a of the lower fixing member 148, and the upper end 151b of the compression spring 151 is disposed in the recess 149a of the upper holding member 149, so that they are installed in a state of being sandwiched between the lower fixing member 148 and the upper holding member 149.

[0090] With the above configuration, the cooling surface 42 of the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) is thermally conductively contacted with the guide plate 21A (or 21B) via the upper holding member 149 by the holding biasing means 147A and 147B. Here, the "contact" means a separable connection, not an inseparable connection such as fixation, bonding, or adhesion.

[0091] However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and the cooling surface 42 may be directly contacted with a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) by any method. For example, an opening having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the Peltier module having the cooling surface 42 is provided in the upper holding member 149, and the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) is inserted and fixed therein, so that the cooling surface 42 is directly contacted with a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B).

[0092] Since the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) held by the holding biasing means 147 is configured as described above, when the guide plate 21A (or 21B) is installed, the highly thermally conductive upper holding member 149 that holds the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) (with the cooling surface 42 fixed to the lower surface 149b) is pressed against a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) by the force of the four compression springs that are the biasing mechanism 150. As a result, the cooling surface 42 can be brought into contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) via the highly thermally conductive upper holding member 149. When the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) operates, heat held by it can be absorbed by the cooling surface 42 from a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B), and the temperature of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) can be lowered, and a cooling effect similar to the cooling effect obtained by the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0093] Note that a through opening 148b is formed in the central portion of the lower fixing member 148 located below the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B). Therefore, when the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) operates, the heated air discharged downward by the fan device 45 can pass through the through opening 148b and be discharged below the lower fixing member 148. Also, the upper holding member 149 to which the cooling surface 42 is fixed is not fixed but merely in contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plates 21A (or 21B). Therefore, it is possible to open and close the guide plates 21A and 21B on the upper holding member 149 using the plate opening / closing mechanisms 27 and 28. Further, since the upper holding member 149 to which the cooling surface 42 is fixed is merely in contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate, the pair of guide plates 21A and 21B can be removed by releasing the locking means 29. Note that both the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B are on the base body 31 side and do not exist on the guide plates 21A and 21B. Further, since there is no need to disconnect the lead wires coming out of the Peltier cooling unit 40A at the connector part, compared with the first embodiment, the removal and reattachment of the guide plates 21A and 21B are easier, and the workability of the maintenance work is further improved.

[0094] 〔Third Embodiment〕 FIG. 14 shows a packaging machine 200 provided with a cooling device 80 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Here, only the differences will be described in comparison with the first embodiment. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the cooling surface 42 of the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) is fixed to the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate 21A (or 21B) between the inlet ends of the guide plates 21A and 21B and the inlet side support members 226A and the inlet side upright bases 235.

[0095] More specifically, in the center seal device base 230, the length of the base body 231 in the packaging material conveyance direction is shorter as compared with the length of the base body 31 in the first embodiment. The installation positions of the outlet side upright base 237 and the outlet side support member 226B are the same as the positions of the outlet side upright base 37 and the outlet side support member 26B in the first embodiment, but the installation positions of the inlet side upright base 235 and the inlet side support member 226A are changed to positions immediately upstream of the pair of feed rollers 22A, 22B. Therefore, between the installation position of the Peltier module 41A (or 41B) and the pair of feed rollers 22A, 22B, the inlet side upright base 235 and the inlet side support member 226A are configured to be provided over the entire width of the guide plates 21A, 21B.

[0096] Since the packaging machine 200 of the third embodiment is configured in this way, when the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) is operating, the air heated by the heater bars 23A, 23B can be prevented from moving upstream along the lower surface of the guide plates 21A, 21B and being taken into the heat sink 44. Further, since the upstream support member 26A and the inlet side upright base 35 that were upstream of the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) have been removed from the inlet end region, the heat sink 44 can more easily take in air. For this reason, it is less likely to suffer from insufficient heat dissipation capacity during the operation of the Peltier module 41A (or 41B), enabling more stable cooling of the guide plates 21A, 21B. Furthermore, access to the Peltier cooling units 40A, 40B is made easier, and maintenance work on the Peltier cooling units 40A, 40B themselves is also made easier.

[0097] 〔Other Embodiments〕 The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes, improvements, etc. are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the Peltier cooling units 40A, 40B in the third embodiment may be changed to the Peltier cooling units 40A, 40B with the holding biasing means 147A, 147B in the second embodiment.

[0098] In an alternative embodiment, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B may be provided between a pair of striped rollers 25A and 25B and an upstream support member 26A and an outlet-side upright base 37 on the lower surfaces of the guide plates 21A and 21B. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Alternatively, the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B may be provided between the upstream support member 26A and the outlet-side upright base 37 and the outlet-side ends of the guide plates 21A and 21B. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the third embodiment can be obtained.

[0099] Also, when the biasing means of the holding biasing means 147A and 147B is constituted by a single compression spring 151, a configuration may be adopted in which the Peltier cooling unit 40A (or 40B) is disposed inside the large compression spring. Further, it may be constituted by three or five or more compression springs. Furthermore, instead of the compression spring, another biasing means may be adopted.

[0100] The cooling device 80 of the present invention and the packaging machine 1 using the same may perform a cooling operation from normal operation when used for packaging products such as ice cream that melt at room temperature, for example. In this case, when the temperature of the guide plate 21A or 21B reaches the first and second plate temperature thresholds during cooling, the control means 70 may perform operation control to increase the cooling strength by the Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B.

Industrial Applicability

[0101] The present invention can be used in various packaging machines for packaging products whose states, characteristics, quality, etc. are likely to change with respect to temperature rise.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0102] 1 Horizontal bag-making and filling packaging machine 14 Tube former 20 Center seal device 21 Center seal plate part 21A, 21B Pair of guide plates A pair of feed rollers (conveying means) 22A and 22B A pair of heater bars (heating means) 23A and 23B A pair of crimping rollers (crimping means) 24A and 24B A pair of grooving rollers (grooving means) 25A and 25B Inlet side support member 26A and outlet side support member 26B First plate movement adjustment mechanism (plate position adjustment means) 27 Second movement adjustment mechanism (plate position adjustment means) 28 Patch lock (locking means) 29 Center seal device base (part of the packaging machine body) 30 Base body, one-axis movement stages 32A and 32B Inlet side upright base 35 and outlet side upright base 37 Peltier cooling units 40A and 40B, Peltier modules 41A and 41B Thermoelectric conversion element (Peltier element) 41a, cooling surface 42 Heat dissipation surface 43, heat sink 44 Fan device 45, fan motor 45d Blade 45e, lead wire 46a Lead wire 46b, end seal device 50 Temperature information acquisition means 60, thermocouple (temperature measurement means) 60a Thermocouple (temperature measurement means) 60b, control means 70 Setting part 71, first temperature control part 72a Second temperature control part 72b, first output control part 73a Second output control part 73b, cooling device 80 Horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine (second embodiment) 100 Retention biasing means 147A and 147B, lower side fixing member 148 Upper side holding member 149, biasing mechanism 150 Compression spring 151, cooling device 180 Horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine (third embodiment) 200 Inlet side support member 226A and outlet side support member 226B 230 Center seal device base 231 Base body 235 Inlet side vertical base 237 Outlet side vertical base Servo motors M1 - M3 Product P Fr Original reverse roll Fw Belt-like packaging material Ft Tubular packaging material Fe Side edge part G Gap G’ Gap

Claims

1. A cooling device applied to a packaging machine including a guide plate on which a packaging material containing a product is placed and a heat generating component located below the guide plate, the cooling device comprising: a Peltier cooling unit for cooling the guide plate; temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the guide plate; control means for energizing and controlling the Peltier cooling unit when a temperature measurement value of the guide plate input from the temperature measuring means reaches a preset plate temperature threshold based on a temperature at which an undesirable change occurs in the product; wherein: the Peltier cooling unit includes a thermoelectric conversion element having a cooling surface and a heat dissipation surface, and heat dissipation means coupled to the heat dissipation surface; the cooling device is characterized in that the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate.

2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein when the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate, the cooling surface is fixed to a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate.

3. a holding part for holding the Peltier cooling unit; a fixing part fixed to a packaging machine body of the packaging machine; a biasing mechanism provided between the fixing part and the holding part for biasing the Peltier cooling unit via the holding part against the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate; wherein: The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein when the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate, the cooling surface is brought into direct contact with a part of the lower surface of the plate or indirectly contacted via a high thermal conductivity intervening member.

4. the holding part is a plate-like holding member with high thermal conductivity; the cooling surface is fixed to the lower surface of the plate-like holding member; the biasing mechanism is a spring mechanism including at least one compression spring held in a compressed state between the plate-like holding member and the fixing part when the guide plate is installed; The cooling device according to claim 3, wherein when the cooling surface is brought into direct contact with the part of the lower surface of the plate or indirectly contacted via a high thermal conductivity intervening member, the plate-like holding member serves as the intervening member and the upper surface of the plate-like holding member is brought into contact with the part of the lower surface of the plate.

5. the packaging material has a sealing portion where a seal is applied. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat generating component is a heating component for heating the seal portion.

6. The packaging machine includes a conveying means for conveying the packaging material in the packaging material conveying direction, and a sealing mechanism portion located below the guide plate. The heating component is located below the guide plate and forms a part of the sealing mechanism portion. The cooling device according to claim 5, wherein the cooling device is disposed between either one of both ends of the guide plate in the packaging material conveying direction below the guide plate and a portion closest to the one end of the sealing mechanism portion.

7. A pair of guide plates on which a cylindrical packaging material for accommodating a product is slidably placed. A set of heat generating components individually corresponding to below the pair of guide plates. A cooling device for individually cooling the pair of guide plates. Comprising The cooling device is provided on each of the pair of guide plates. A Peltier cooling unit for cooling one of the pair of guide plates. Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the one guide plate. Control means for energizing and controlling the Peltier cooling unit when the temperature measurement value of the one guide plate input from the temperature measuring means reaches a plate temperature threshold value preset based on a temperature at which an undesirable change occurs in the product. Comprising The Peltier cooling unit includes a thermoelectric conversion element having a cooling surface and a heat dissipation surface, and a heat dissipation means integrally provided on the heat dissipation surface. A horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine, characterized in that the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate.

8. The horizontal type bag-making and filling packaging machine according to claim 7, wherein when the cooling surface is thermally conductively connected to the guide plate, the cooling surface is fixed to a part of the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate.

9. A holding portion for holding the Peltier cooling unit. A fixing portion fixed to the packaging machine body of the packaging machine. An urging mechanism provided between the fixing portion and the holding portion for urging the Peltier cooling unit via the holding portion against the lower surface of the plate of the guide plate. Comprising When connecting the cooling surface to the guide plate in a heat-conductive manner, the cooling surface is directly contacted with a part of the lower surface of the plate or indirectly contacted via a high thermal conductivity intervening member, and the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 7 is characterized in this regard.

10. The holding part is a plate-shaped holding member with high thermal conductivity. The cooling surface is fixed to the lower surface of the plate-shaped holding member. The biasing mechanism is a spring mechanism including at least one compression spring that is held in a compressed state between the plate-shaped holding member and the fixing part when the guide plate is installed. When the cooling surface is directly contacted with the part of the lower surface of the plate or indirectly contacted via a high thermal conductivity intervening member, the plate-shaped holding member serves as the intervening member, and the upper surface of the plate-shaped holding member is contacted with the part of the lower surface of the plate, and the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 9 is characterized in this regard.

11. The pair of guide plates has a gap extending between them. The tubular packaging material has overlapping, folded outer edges hanging downward from the gap as seal portions. The set of heat-generating components is separately provided on the pair of guide plates and is a pair of heating components that heat the seal portion from both sides, and the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to any one of claims 7 to 10 is characterized in this regard.

12. It includes a pair of feed rollers that sandwich and convey the seal portion in the packaging material conveyance direction, and a pair of crimping members that sandwich and crimp the seal portion. Below each of the guide plates, a half part of the sealing mechanism including one of the pair of feed rollers, one of the pair of heating components, and one of the pair of crimping members is respectively configured along the seal portion. The cooling device is arranged below the guide plate, between either one of the two ends of the guide plate in the packaging material conveyance direction and the portion closest to the one end of the sealing mechanism portion, and the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 11 is characterized in this regard.

13. The pair of guide plates is configured to be openable and closable using plate position adjustment means, and the horizontal bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to any one of claims 7 to 10 is characterized in this regard.

14. The horizontal bag-making, filling and packaging machine according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the pair of guide plates is removably fixed to the base of the center seal device by locking means.

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