Quality determination device

Abstract

To provide a quality determination device that is intended to prevent pinholes from occurring.SOLUTION: A device for determining the quality of packaging bags containing products includes a conveying path for conveying the packaging bags, a height detection unit for detecting the height of the packaging bags, a pressing unit for pressing the packaging bags toward the conveying path, and a determination unit for determining the quality of the packaging bags depending on the pressure applied by the pressing unit. When the packaging bag is conveyed to a determination position facing the pressing unit, the pressing unit moves to a height that is a certain distance higher than the height of the packaging bag and presses the packaging bag from that height.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging bag quality determination device. [Background technology]

[0002] Downstream of a form-fill-seal machine that fills packaging bags with snack foods and other contents, the packaging bags are pressed in the thickness direction to determine whether the thickness is within a standard range and whether there are any seal leaks. As an example of such an inspection, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that, when pressing a packaging bag in the thickness direction, detects the pressing height when pressing a packaged product and corrects the initial value of the pressing height. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-149074 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional quality determination, as shown in Fig. 9, the pressing member 300 is set at a position slightly lower than the position corresponding to the thickness of the packaging bag P to be inspected. Then, when the pressing member 300 is pushed up by the packaging bag P conveyed along the conveying path 310 in the conveying direction D, the thickness is measured and a check for seal leaks is performed based on the amount of pushing up.

[0005] However, when the pressing member presses up the packaging bag P in this manner, there is a problem in that pinholes may occur in the packaging bag P. As shown on the left side of FIG. 10( a), the contents, such as snack foods, filled in the packaging bag P may be contained with their leading ends facing the thickness direction. When pressed by the pressing member in this state, the leading ends may pierce the packaging bag P, causing pinholes. Therefore, a process of leveling the contents is performed by, for example, vibrating the packaging bag P. As a result, as shown on the right side of FIG. 10( a), the long sides of the contents are oriented in a direction approximately perpendicular to the thickness direction of the packaging bag P (the length direction of the packaging bag P), thereby preventing the occurrence of pinholes. However, when the contents are contained in the packaging bag P with no gaps, as shown on the left side of FIG. 10( b), the contents cannot move, and therefore, even if the leveling process is performed, the leading ends of the contents facing the thickness direction cannot be resolved, as shown on the right side of FIG. 10( b).

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to prevent pinholes from occurring during pass / fail judgment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is a quality determination device that determines the quality of a packaging bag containing a product, and includes a conveying path for conveying the packaging bag, a height detection unit that detects the height of the packaging bag, a pressing unit that presses the packaging bag toward the conveying path, and a determination unit that determines the quality of the packaging bag in accordance with the pressing by the pressing unit, wherein when the packaging bag is conveyed to a determination position opposite the pressing unit, the pressing unit moves to a height that is a certain distance higher than the height of the packaging bag and presses the packaging bag from that height. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent pinholes from occurring during pass / fail judgment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the quality determination device. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the general operation of the quality determination device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a main configuration relating to control of the quality determination device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing control by a control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a quality determination device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the second single package mode. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the continuous package mode. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a quality determination device 1. The quality determination device 1 is a device that determines the quality of a packaging bag P. The packaging bag P is a so-called single-package bag that is formed by placing contents (products) such as snack foods in a tubular packaging material and sealing both ends using a bag-making, filling, and packaging machine (not shown). The packaging bag P is inflated to a certain extent by containing air along with the contents. This is to ensure the thickness of the packaging bag P with the air and protect the contents from impacts during transportation. The packaging bag P is formed, for example, from an opaque packaging film.

[0011] The formed packaging bag P has a length defined as the distance between the sealed ends, and is placed on the front-stage conveying belt 2 with its length aligned with the conveying direction D, and is then transported by the front-stage conveying belt 2 to the quality determination device 1. In the following, of the sealed portions at both ends of the packaging bag P, the end located at the front of the conveying direction of the packaging bag P by the front-stage conveying belt 2 will be referred to as the leading end, and the end located at the rear will be referred to as the trailing end.

[0012] The quality determination device 1 inspects whether the thickness of the packaging bag P is within an appropriate thickness range. The quality determination device 1 also inspects whether there are any defective seals (pseudo seals) or pinholes in the packaging bag P. The quality determination device 1 mainly includes a conveyor belt 11, a conveyor belt drive motor 12, a pressing unit 13, a belt pulley mechanism 14, a pressing belt drive motor 15, and an elevating mechanism 16 as components for these inspections.

[0013] The conveyor belt 11, together with the preceding conveyor belt 2, forms a conveying path for conveying the packaging bags P. The conveying path is provided in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as the up-and-down direction). The conveyor belt 11 is driven by a conveyor belt drive motor 12 and moves at a constant speed. The packaging bags P conveyed from the bag making, filling, and packaging machine by the preceding conveyor belt 2 are placed on the conveyor belt 11 and conveyed on the conveyor belt 11 in the conveying direction D. The packaging bags P are also placed on the conveyor belt 11 so that their length direction is along the conveying direction D. The thickness of the packaging bags P corresponds to the height of the packaging bags P.

[0014] The pressing unit 13 includes a pressing belt 131. The pressing belt 131 is stretched over a drive roller 132 and two driven rollers 133 and 134. The power of a pressing belt drive motor 15 is transmitted to the drive shaft of the drive roller 132 via a belt pulley mechanism 14, and the driving roller 132 is rotated by the pressing belt drive motor 15. This causes the pressing belt 131 to move. Note that the pressing belt 131 moves at the same speed and in the same direction as the conveyor belt 11 under the control of a control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0015] The pressure belt 131 can also be moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 16. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lifting mechanism 16. The lifting mechanism 16 includes a lifting frame 161, two slide shafts 162 and 163, a belt pulley mechanism (a driving pulley 164, a driven pulley 165, and a lifting belt 166), a lifting servomotor 167, and a bracket 168.

[0016] The two slide shafts 162, 163 extend in the up-down direction (vertical direction), are spaced apart in the conveying direction D, and support the lifting frame 161 so that it can move up and down. The drive roller 132 and the shafts of the driven rollers 133, 134 of the pressing unit 13 are fixed to the lifting frame 161, so that the pressing unit 13 can move up and down together with the lifting frame 161.

[0017] Of the belt pulley mechanism, the drive pulley 164 is disposed at a position corresponding to the output shaft of the lifting servo motor 167, which is disposed below the conveyor belt 11. The driven pulley 165 is disposed above the drive pulley 164 and above the conveyor belt 11. The lifting belt 166 is stretched across the drive pulley 164 and driven pulley 165.

[0018] A portion of the lifting belt 166 is connected to the lifting frame 161 via a bracket 168. The lifting servo motor 167 rotates forward and backward, causing the lifting frame 161 to rise and fall together with the lifting belt 166. This causes the pressing belt 131 to rise and fall. In this way, the pressing belt 131 is movable up and down on the conveyor belt 11, i.e., in the thickness direction of the packaging bag P, and can press the upper surface of the packaging bag P placed on the conveyor belt 11 downward toward the conveyance path. The lifting servo motor 167 is controlled by the control unit 200, which will be described later.

[0019] A pressure plate 135 is disposed on the upper surface of the portion of the pressure belt 131 that faces the conveyor belt 11, i.e., the portion located on the lower side. This makes it possible to prevent the pressure belt 131 from bending when the pressure belt 131 presses the packaging bag P. Therefore, the packaging bag P can be reliably pressed. As another example, a plurality of free rollers may be provided on the upper surface of the pressure belt 131, and these free rollers may prevent the pressure belt 131 from bending.

[0020] Furthermore, in the conveying direction D, a packaging bag detection unit 17 and a distance measurement sensor 18 are provided at a position before the pressing belt 131, i.e., on the upstream side. The distance measurement sensor 18 is disposed before the pressing belt 131 in the conveying direction D, and the packaging bag detection unit 17 is disposed further before it.

[0021] The packaging bag detection unit 17 includes a light-emitting unit 171 and a light-receiving unit 172. At a position between the conveyor belt 11 and the preceding conveyor belt 2 in the conveying direction D, the light-emitting unit 171 is disposed above the conveyor belt 11, and the light-receiving unit 172 is disposed below the conveyor belt 11. When a packaging bag P passes between the conveyor belt 11 and the preceding conveyor belt 2, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 171 toward the light-receiving unit 172 is blocked by the packaging bag P. Therefore, the presence or absence of a packaging bag P can be detected from the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit 172.

[0022] Distance measuring sensor 18 measures the distance to an opposing object. When a packaging bag P passes a position on conveyor belt 11 facing distance measuring sensor 18, the distance to the packaging bag P is measured. The difference between the distance to conveyor belt 11 (the distance when packaging bag P is not being conveyed) and the distance to the packaging bag P corresponds to the thickness, i.e., the height, of the packaging bag P.

[0023] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the quality determination device 1. In the initial state, the pressure belt 131 is stopped at an initial height H1 as shown in FIG. 3(a). Then, the packaging bag P is conveyed to a first detection position Q1 opposite the packaging bag detection unit 17, and when the packaging bag P is detected, distance measurement by the distance measurement sensor 18 is started. When distance measurement by the distance measurement sensor 18 is started and the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P passes a second detection position Q2 opposite the distance measurement sensor 18, distance measurement data of the height corresponding to the leading edge P1 is obtained by the distance measurement sensor 18.

[0024] After the height of the leading edge P1 is measured, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the packaging bag P is conveyed and its leading edge P1 is positioned at an entrance edge position Q3 opposite the entrance edge 1311 of the pressing belt 131. By this time, the pressing belt 131 has descended to a second height H2. Here, the second height H2 is a height that is higher than the height of the leading edge P1 by a certain distance H11. The certain distance H11 is, for example, 1 to 2 mm.

[0025] The thickness of the packaging bag P gradually increases from the leading end P1 to the center P2 of the packaging bag P along the length direction of the packaging bag P. As the packaging bag P is conveyed, the height of the pressing belt 131 rises in accordance with the change in the thickness of the packaging bag P. In this way, the height of the pressing belt 131 is controlled so that the packaging bag P does not hit the curved portion of the entrance end 1311 of the pressing belt 131. More specifically, the pressing belt 131 is maintained at a height that is a certain distance H11 higher than the thickness of the packaging bag P facing the entrance end 1311. Then, the pressing belt 131, while maintaining a height higher than the packaging bag P by a certain distance H11, rises to a third height H3 that is higher than the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P by the certain distance H11, and stops at the third height H3, as shown in Fig. 3(c). Here, the central portion P2 is a range that includes the center in the longitudinal direction of the packaging bag P. The central portion P2 is a range that includes the part where the thickness is greatest, and is a range that does not include the tip end P1.

[0026] Thereafter, when the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P is conveyed to a determination position Q4 facing the central portion of the pressing belt 131, as shown in Fig. 3(d), the pressing belt 131 descends from the third height H3 to press the packaging bag P. That is, the pressing belt 131 presses the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P. After pressing for a certain period of time, the pressing belt 131 rises to the initial height H1 before the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P reaches the outlet end position Q5 corresponding to the outlet end 1312 of the pressing belt 131.

[0027] Here, the occurrence of pinholes will be explained. When the packaging bag P is conveyed and pressed while the pressing belt 131 is stopped at a position lower than the thickness of the packaging bag P, the portion of the packaging bag P where the thickness increases from the sealed portion on the leading edge P1 side to the center portion P2 is pressed diagonally downward by the entrance edge 1311. At this time, a large force is applied to the packaging bag P, and pinholes may occur due to protrusions of the contents.

[0028] In contrast, in the quality determination device 1 of this embodiment, the packaging bag P does not come into contact with the entrance end 1311 of the pressing belt 131. Similarly, the packaging bag P does not come into contact with the exit end 1312 of the pressing belt 131. In other words, only the center portion P2 of the packaging bag P is pressed directly downward by the flat center portion of the pressing belt 131. Therefore, it is possible to prevent pinholes from being formed by the packaging bag P being pressed at the entrance end 1311 or the exit end 1312.

[0029] Furthermore, if the pressure belt 131 is lowered from the initial height H1 during pressing, if the speed is too slow it will not be enough, and if the speed is too fast the pressing force will be too great. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pressure belt 131 is lowered in advance to a third height H3, which is higher than the center P2 of the packaging bag P by a certain distance H11, before the timing of pressing, and pressing begins from the third height H3. This makes it possible to press the packaging bag P at an appropriate timing and with an appropriate pressing force.

[0030] The following describes the control for realizing the operation of the pressure belt 131 as described above. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the main configuration related to the control of the quality determination device 1. The quality determination device 1 is equipped with a control unit 200 that controls each unit. The control unit 200 is connected to the packaging bag detection unit 17, the distance measurement sensor 18, and the lifting servo motor 167. The control unit 200 is also connected to a conveyor belt drive unit 211 that drives the conveyor belt 11, and a pressure belt drive unit 212.

[0031] The control unit 200 acquires the detection result from the packaging bag detection unit 17. The control unit 200 also acquires distance measurement data from the distance measurement sensor 18. The control unit 200 also controls the lifting servo motor 167 by giving a drive command including a rotation direction and a rotation amount to the lifting servo motor 167. The control unit 200 then receives feedback data including a torque load from the lifting servo motor 167 and controls the pressing force in accordance with the feedback data.

[0032] The control unit 200 also controls the driving of the conveyor belt driving unit 211 and the pressure belt driving unit 212 by issuing rotation commands to these units. Furthermore, the quality determination device 1 is equipped with a display unit 220. The display unit 220 displays various information. For example, the display unit 220 displays the determination result related to the quality determination. The control unit 200 is equipped with a height detection unit 201, which detects the height of the packaging bag P from the distance measurement data.

[0033] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the control by the control unit 200. It is assumed that, at the start of the control, the pressure belt 131 is stopped at the initial height H1 as shown in Fig. 3(a).

[0034] The control unit 200 first causes the packaging bag detection unit 17 to start detecting the packaging bag P (step S100). Next, the control unit 200 waits until the packaging bag detection unit 17 detects the packaging bag P (N in step S102), and when the packaging bag P is detected (Y in step S102), causes the distance measurement sensor 18 to start measuring the distance (step S104). After starting distance measurement, the distance measurement sensor 18 measures the distance at regular intervals. The height detection unit 201 of the control unit 200 detects the height of the packaging bag P every time distance measurement data is acquired.

[0035] Next, the control unit 200 starts controlling the elevation of the pressure belt 131 based on the height of the packaging bag P (step S106). Specifically, as described above, the control unit 200 controls the pressure belt 131 so that the pressure belt 131 descends (moves) to the second height H2 by the time the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P reaches the entrance end position Q3 opposite the entrance end 1311 of the pressure belt 131. Here, the second height H2 is a height that is higher than the height of the leading edge P1 by a certain distance H11. The control unit 200 continues to control the pressure belt 131 so that the height is higher than the thickness of the packaging bag P by the certain distance H11 until the center P2 of the packaging bag P reaches the entrance end position Q3. In this way, the control unit 200 adjusts the height of the pressure belt 131 in accordance with changes in the height of the packaging bag P until the maximum value (third height H3) of the height of the packaging bag P at the center P2 of the packaging bag P is detected.

[0036] Here, a process for determining the timing at which the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P reaches the entrance end position Q3 will be described. When the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P passes the second detection position Q2 opposite the distance measurement sensor 18 and distance measurement data of the leading edge P1 is obtained, the control unit 200 determines the timing at which the descent reference time has elapsed from this timing as the timing at which the leading edge P1 will be conveyed to the entrance end position Q3. Here, the descent reference time is the time it takes for the conveyor belt 11 to move from the second detection position Q2 opposite the distance measurement sensor 18 to the entrance end position Q3. This descent reference time is set in advance based on the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 and the distance from the second detection position Q2 to the entrance end position Q3. As a result, the control unit 200 can determine the timing at which the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P will be conveyed to the entrance end position Q3 after the descent reference time has elapsed from the distance measurement timing of the leading edge P1.

[0037] 3(b), when the leading end P1 of the packaging bag P is conveyed to the entrance end position Q3, the pressing belt 131 is positioned at a second height H2 that is a certain distance H11 higher than the leading end P1. Furthermore, as the packaging bag P continues to be conveyed thereafter, the pressing belt 131 gradually rises to a position that is a certain distance H11 higher than the packaging bag P. Therefore, even when the packaging bag P is conveyed to a position facing the pressing belt 131, the pressing belt 131 does not come into contact with the packaging bag P.

[0038] Returning to the explanation in Fig. 5, if the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P has not been conveyed to the entrance end position Q3 (N in step S108), the control unit 200 continues the process of step S106. That is, the control unit 200 raises and lowers the pressing belt 131 according to the height of the packaging bag P.

[0039] On the other hand, when the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P has been conveyed to the entrance end position Q3 (Y in step S108), the control unit 200 stops the raising and lowering of the pressing belt 131 (step S110). As a result, the pressing belt 131 stops at a third height H3 that is higher than the central portion P2 of the packaging bag P by a certain distance H11. Note that when the distance obtained by the distance measuring sensor 18 is smaller than the distance obtained immediately before, the control unit 200 determines that the maximum height of the packaging bag P, i.e., the height of the central portion P2, was detected at the timing when the immediately previous distance was obtained.

[0040] Next, the control unit 200 determines whether it is the pressing timing (step S112). Here, the pressing timing is the timing when the pressing belt 131 starts pressing, and the timing when the center portion P2 of the packaging bag P is transported to the determination position Q4. The control unit 200 determines the pressing timing as the timing when the pressing reference time has elapsed from the timing when the packaging bag P is detected by the packaging bag detection unit 17, i.e., the timing when the leading end P1 of the packaging bag P is detected.

[0041] Here, the reference pressure time is the time from when the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P is conveyed to the first detection position Q1 facing the packaging bag detection unit 17 until the center portion P2 of the packaging bag P is conveyed to the determination position Q4. The reference pressure time is set in advance based on the conveying speed of the conveyor belt 11 and the distance obtained by adding the distance from the first detection position Q1 to the determination position Q4 to the distance from the leading edge P1 to the center portion P2 of the packaging bag P. This allows the control unit 200 to determine the time after the reference pressure time has elapsed from the detection timing of the packaging bag P as the timing at which the center portion P2 will be conveyed to the determination position Q4.

[0042] The control unit 200 waits until the pressing timing (N in step S112), and when the pressing timing arrives (Y in step S112), the pressing belt 131 presses the packaging bag P (step S114). That is, the pressing belt 131 descends from the third height H3 to press the center portion P2 of the packaging bag P. Then, the control unit 200 performs a pass / fail determination (step S116).

[0043] Specifically, the control unit 200 continues to detect the height of the packaging bag P for a predetermined measurement time and checks the amount of change. When the pressure belt 131 presses the packaging bag P, the pressure belt 131 rises due to the reaction force, and a rotational force corresponding to the amount of rise acts on the lifting servo motor 167 via the belt pulley mechanism 14. Therefore, the control unit 200 can calculate the height of the packaging bag P from the amount of rotation of the lifting servo motor 167.

[0044] If a pinhole has occurred in the packaging bag P, the thickness of the packaging bag P will gradually decrease due to the pressure applied by the pressure belt 131. Therefore, if the change in height of the packaging bag P is smaller than a predetermined change range, it can be determined that no pinhole has occurred. In this way, the control unit 200 checks whether or not a pinhole has occurred. Furthermore, the control unit 200 checks whether or not the height of the packaging bag P is within a reference range. The reference range is set in advance depending on the size of the packaging bag P, such as 50 mm to 60 mm.

[0045] Next, the control unit 200 outputs the judgment result to the display unit 220 (step S118), thereby allowing the user to check the result of the pass / fail judgment.

[0046] Next, the control unit 200 raises the pressure belt 131 to a height that is a certain distance H11 higher than the thickness of the packaging bag P before the center P2 of the packaging bag P reaches the outlet end position Q5 opposite the outlet end 1312 of the pressure belt 131 (step S120). Thereafter, the control unit 200 proceeds to step S102. Then, when the next packaging bag P to be conveyed is detected, the control unit 200 again controls the elevation of the pressure belt 131 based on the height of the packaging bag P so that the height is the certain distance H11 higher than the thickness of the packaging bag P. Note that in this case, the pressure belt 131 is moved, i.e., raised or lowered, depending on the height of the next packaging bag P to be conveyed. For example, if the height determined by the height of the next packaging bag P is lower than the height of the pressure belt 131 at the end of step S120, the pressure belt 131 is lowered. Furthermore, if the height determined from the height of the next packaging bag P is higher than the height of the pressure belt 131 at the end of step S120, the pressure belt 131 rises. Note that the process related to this control is stopped in response to a user operation such as turning off the power. In this case, the control unit 200 returns the pressure belt 131 to the initial height H1.

[0047] As described above, in the quality determination device 1 of this embodiment, the packaging bag P is not pressed by the entrance end 1311 and the exit end 1312 of the pressure belt 131, so that it is possible to prevent pinholes from occurring during quality determination.

[0048] Furthermore, just before pressing the packaging bag P, the pressing belt 131 is lowered to a position higher than the center P2 of the packaging bag P by a certain distance H11, so that the packaging bag P can be pressed at an appropriate timing with an appropriate pressing force.

[0049] In a first modification of the first embodiment, the control unit 200 may lower the pressure belt 131 to a position that is a certain distance higher than the center P2 of the packaging bag P just before pressing the packaging bag P. The method of controlling the pressure belt 131 for this purpose is not limited to that described in the embodiment. For example, the distance sensor 18 may be able to measure the height of the center P2 of the packaging bag P before the leading end P1 of the packaging bag P is conveyed to a position facing the pressure belt 131. In this case, the control unit 200 may lower the pressure belt 131 from the initial height H1 to a third height H3 that is a certain distance higher than the center P2, and stop the pressure belt 131 at this height, without lowering the pressure belt 131 from the initial height H1 to a second height H2 that is a certain distance higher than the leading end P1 of the packaging bag P. This simplifies the control of the elevation of the pressure belt 131.

[0050] As a second modification, the conveyance distance may be used instead of the conveyance time as a reference for determining the timing at which the leading edge P1 is conveyed to the entrance end position Q3 or the pressing timing. If the movement amount of the conveyor belt 11 can be detected, the distance from the second detection position Q2 to the entrance end position Q3 may be set in advance as the lowering reference distance. In this case, the control unit 200 may determine the timing at which the movement distance of the conveyor belt 11 from the timing measured by the distance measuring sensor 18 reaches the lowering reference distance as the timing at which the conveyor belt 11 is conveyed to the entrance end position Q3.

[0051] Similarly, the distance from the first detection position Q1 to the determination position Q4 plus the distance from the leading end P1 to the center P2 of the packaging bag P may be set in advance as the pressing reference distance. Then, the control unit 200 may determine the timing at which the center P2 of the packaging bag P is conveyed to the determination position Q4 as the timing at which the movement distance of the conveyor belt 11 from the timing at which the leading end P1 of the packaging bag is detected by the packaging bag detection unit 17 reaches the pressing reference distance.

[0052] As another example, the pressing reference distance and pressing reference time may be set based on the second detection position Q2 facing the distance measuring sensor 18 instead of the first detection position Q1 facing the packaging bag detection unit 17.

[0053] A third modified example will be described. In the quality determination, it is assumed that the packaging bag is detected by the packaging bag detection unit 17 and the distance measurement sensor 18 determines that the height of the packaging bag P is less than a preset height reference value. In this case, the control unit 200 may determine that the thickness of the packaging bag P is defective and terminate the quality determination without pressing the packaging bag P with the pressure belt 131. This makes it possible to prevent the pressure belt 131 from operating unnecessarily.

[0054] (Second embodiment) 6 is a side view showing the configuration of a quality determination device 10 according to the second embodiment. The quality determination device 10 according to the second embodiment includes a first pressing unit 13a and a second pressing unit 13b. The first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b are arranged in this order along the transport path, and their elevation is controlled by a first lifting mechanism 16a and a second lifting mechanism 16b, respectively. Furthermore, a first distance measurement sensor 18a is arranged in front of the first pressing unit 13a, and a second distance measurement sensor 18b is arranged in front of the second pressing unit 13b and beyond the first pressing unit 13a.

[0055] Furthermore, the power of the pressure belt drive motor 15 is transmitted to the first pressing portion 13a via a first belt pulley mechanism 14a. The power of the pressure belt drive motor 15 is also transmitted to the second pressing portion 13b via a second belt pulley mechanism 14b. In this way, the power of the pressure belt drive motor 15 is transmitted to the first pressing portion 13a and the second pressing portion 13b.

[0056] The quality determination device 10 according to the second embodiment can operate in three determination modes: a first single package mode, a second single package mode, and a continuous package mode. The first single package mode is a mode in which the quality of a single package bag as a packaging bag is determined by the same operation as the pressing unit 13 of the first embodiment. In the first single package mode, the quality determination is performed by operating only the first pressing unit 13a. As another example, the quality determination may be performed by operating only the second pressing unit 13b.

[0057] The second single-packet mode is a mode in which the first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b each press on a single-packet bag serving as a packaging bag, thereby performing a double check. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the second single-packet mode. As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the leading edge of the single-packet bag is measured by the first distance measuring sensor 18a, the pressing belt of the first pressing unit 13a descends. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), when the single-packet bag is transported to determination position Q4, the single-packet bag is pressed by the first pressing unit 13a. As the single-packet bag continues to be transported, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the first pressing unit 13a rises to its initial height, and then, as shown in FIG. 7(d), at determination position Q14 opposite the second pressing unit 13b, the single-packet bag is pressed by the second pressing unit 13b.

[0058] The control unit 200 determines that leakage has occurred when the height of the packaging bag obtained by the second pressing unit 13b is lower than the height of the single packet bag obtained by the first pressing unit 13a, that is, when the thickness of the single packet bag is thinner. In this way, by using two pressing units, it is possible to accurately determine whether the product is good or bad.

[0059] Next, the chain bag mode will be described. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the chain bag mode. The chain bag mode is a mode for determining whether a chain bag is good or bad. Here, the chain bag PA is a packaging bag formed by connecting a plurality of individual bags. The chain bag PA shown in Fig. 8 is formed by connecting four individual bags. The four individual bags are each connected via a seal portion.

[0060] In this case, as shown in FIG. 8(a), when the distance to the chain of packets PA is measured by the first distance sensor 18a, both the first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b begin to descend. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), when the chain of packets PA is transported to a position opposite the first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b, the first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b further descend, thereby pressing the chain of packets PA. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8(c), both the first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b rise to their initial heights. In this way, the first pressing unit 13a and the second pressing unit 13b share the responsibility of determining whether the two different individual packets contained in the chain of packets PA are good or bad. Therefore, the determination time can be shortened compared to when only one pressing unit is used.

[0061] Other configurations and processes of the quality determination device 10 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the quality determination device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0062] The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as defined in the claims.

[0063] In such a first modified example, the quality determination may include at least one of measuring the thickness of the packaging bag P and detecting leakage due to pinholes or the like.

[0064] As a second modified example, the quality determination device 1 does not need to include the packaging bag detection unit 17. In this case, when the control unit 200 of the quality determination device 1 starts control, it starts measuring distance using the distance measurement sensor 18. Then, when the control unit 200 detects a distance higher than the height of the conveyor belt 11, it may detect the packaging bag P and determine that this position is the leading edge P1 of the packaging bag P. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1. Good / bad judgement device 11 Conveyor belt 12 Conveyor belt drive motor 13 Pressing section 13a First pressing portion 13b Second pressing portion 14 Belt pulley mechanism 14a First belt pulley mechanism 14b Second belt pulley mechanism 15 Pressing belt drive motor 16 Lifting mechanism 16a First lifting mechanism 16b Second lifting mechanism 17 Packaging bag detector 18 Distance measurement sensor 18a First distance measuring sensor 18b Second distance measuring sensor 131 Pressure Belt 132 drive roller 133, 134 driven roller 161 Lifting frame 162, 163 Slide shaft 164 Drive pulley 165 driven pulley 166 Lifting belt 167 Elevating servo motor 168 Bracket 1311 Entrance end 1312 Outlet end

Claims

1. A quality determination device for determining the quality of a packaging bag containing a product, a conveying path for conveying the packaging bag; a height detection unit that detects the height of the packaging bag; a pressing section that presses the packaging bag toward the conveying path; a determination unit that determines whether the packaging bag is good or bad in accordance with the pressing force applied by the pressing unit; Equipped with A pass / fail judgment device in which, when the packaging bag is transported to a judgment position opposite the pressing unit, the pressing unit moves to a height that is a certain distance higher than the height of the packaging bag and presses the packaging bag from that height.

2. The quality determining device according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing unit presses a center portion of the packaging bag in the conveying direction, excluding an end portion of the packaging bag.

3. The conveying path conveys the packaging bag at a constant speed, a packaging bag detection unit that is provided upstream of the pressing unit on the conveying path and detects the packaging bag; The quality determining device according to claim 2 , wherein the pressing unit presses the packaging bag after the packaging bag has been conveyed for a predetermined reference pressing time since the packaging bag was detected.

4. a packaging bag detection unit that is provided upstream of the pressing unit on the conveying path and detects the packaging bag; The quality determining device according to claim 2 , wherein the pressing unit presses the packaging bag after the packaging bag has been conveyed a predetermined reference pressing distance after the packaging bag has been detected.

5. the height detection unit detects the height of the packaging bag at regular intervals, The quality determining device according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the pressing part is adjusted in accordance with changes in the height of the packaging bag until a maximum value of the height of the packaging bag is detected.

6. a packaging bag detection unit that is provided upstream of the pressing unit on the conveying path and detects the packaging bag; 2. The quality determination device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the packaging bag is defective without pressing the packaging bag with the pressing unit when the packaging bag is detected and the height detected by the height detection unit is less than a height reference value.

7. The packaging bag is a chain bag formed by connecting a plurality of individual bags, Two of the pressing units are provided on each of the conveying paths, The quality determining device according to claim 1 , wherein the two pressing units press the two different single packets, respectively.

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