Filling and packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a filling and packaging machine that enables a buckling correction mechanism to be used even at a top seal section so that no molding defects occur at corners of content-filled containers to be formed.SOLUTION: A buckling correction mechanism 9B guides and positions an angular cylindrical container C1 by pressing two corners C131 and C133 of the container C1 that have deformed into acute angles from the outside via left and right guide members 92L and 92R. The left and right guide members 92L and 92R oscillate on vertical axes around oscillation centers 931 L and 931R, which are symmetrically positioned relative to the container's transport path R behind a forward direction of the container C transported to each processing position, and they are movable between a support position S for holding all four corners C131, C132, C133, C134 at right angles, and a retracted position T without interfering with the angular cylindrical container C1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a filling and packaging machine, and more particularly to a filling and packaging machine that forms content-filled containers by transporting a plurality of containers made of cartons along a predetermined transport path, filling the containers with contents such as beverages, food, etc., and sealing and packaging them. [Background technology]

[0002] A commonly known container used in this type of filling and packaging machine is a carton made by forming a carton blank, primarily made of paper, into a rectangular tubular shape with a bottom. This container is formed, for example, by folding a carton blank into a flat sleeve shape, and then folding one end inward and sealing it to form a rectangular tubular shape with a bottom and an opening at the top. The formed plurality of containers are then transported in a predetermined direction on a transport conveyor in a filling and packaging machine, whereby the contents are filled, the top openings of the containers are sealed, and other processes are carried out in sequence to form content-filled containers.

[0003] In the top sealing section of such filling and packaging machines, which seals the top opening, ultrasonic sealing is used in addition to heat sealing. For example, it is known that the top of a rectangular tubular paper container is clamped and sealed using an ultrasonic horn and anvil.

[0004] In the case of bottomed rectangular cylindrical containers formed from carton blanks, the springback effect of the carton blank attempting to return to its flat, sleeve-like shape may cause the four corners formed by adjacent side walls to not be right angles. In other words, two corners corresponding to the folded edges on both sides of the carton blank may be acute angles, and the remaining two corners may be obtuse angles. If a top seal is applied using ultrasonic sealing or the like to the top of a container with deformed corners in this state, the top of the container will be sealed in an insufficiently folded state, which could result in poorly formed corners in the resulting content-filled container.

[0005] Patent Document 1 proposes a filling and packaging machine that aims to eliminate defective corner molding by providing a buckling correction mechanism in the top breaker section that has a pair of guide members that support the container from the sides so that the four corners are at right angles. The buckling correction mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1, as shown in Figure 18, is provided with a pair of guide members (61L) (61R) for each row of containers (C1) that press from the outside against two acutely deformed corners of the containers (C1) (the third corner (C133) at the front left and the first corner (C131) at the rear right).

[0006] The pair of guide members (61L) (61R) comprises a left guide member (61L) that swings around its front end as a swing center (610) between a retracted position (position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 18) and a support position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 18), and a right guide member (61R) that swings around its rear end as a swing center (610) between the retracted position and the support position. The left guide member (61L) and the right guide member (61R) are provided in pairs (four pairs in the figure) in the same number as the number of rows of containers (C1) so that they are positioned on both the left and right sides of each row of containers (C1) in the top breaker section.

[0007] The left guide member (61L) has a base plate (611L) and a guide body (612L) attached to the upper surface of the base plate (611L). The base plate (611L) is a substantially L-shaped plate piece with a front end bent slightly to the left. The front end of the base plate (611L) is connected to the lower end of a rotation shaft (641) for swinging the left guide member (61L), and this front end serves as the swing center (610) of the left guide member (61L). Similarly, the right guide member 61R also has a base plate 611R and a guide body 612R attached to the upper surface of the base plate 611R. The base plate 611R is a substantially L-shaped plate with a rear end bent slightly to the right. The rear end of the base plate 611R is connected to the lower end of a rotation shaft 641 for swinging the right guide member 61R, and this rear end serves as the swing center 610 of the right guide member 61R. The swing centers (610) of the pair of left and right guide members (61L and 61R) are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center of the container (C1). Each rotating shaft (641) has a middle portion thereof loosely passing through a horizontal guide holding bar (643) extending in the left-right direction, and is rotatable about a vertical axis.

[0008] The guide body (612L) of the left guide member (61L) is provided with support surfaces (613) (615) that abut against the outer surface of the left wall of the container (C1), and a corner correction portion (614) that engages with the third corner portion (C133) of the container (C1) and corrects the corner portion (C133) to a right angle in cooperation with the support surfaces (613) (615). The guide body (612R) of the right guide member (61R) is provided with support surfaces (613) (615) that abut against the outer surface of the right side wall of the container (C1), and a corner correction portion (614) that engages with a first corner portion (C131) of the container (C1) and corrects the corner portion (C131) to a right angle in cooperation with the support surfaces (613) (615). The center of swing (610) of each left guide member (61L) is positioned at a predetermined distance from the first support surface (613) at the support position on the opposite side of the container (C1) (i.e., the left side) in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveying path (R), and is positioned at a predetermined distance from the end (i.e., the front end) of the front and rear ends of the first support surface (613) that is farthest from the corner correction portion (614) on the opposite side of the first support surface (613) (i.e., the front side) in the front-rear direction parallel to the conveying path (R). The center of swing (610) of each right guide member (61R) is positioned at a predetermined distance from the first support surface (613) at the support position on the opposite side of the container (C1) (i.e., the right side) in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveying path, and is positioned at a predetermined distance from the end (i.e., the rear end) of the front and rear ends of the first support surface (613) that is farthest from the corner correction portion (614) on the opposite side of the first support surface (613) (i.e., the rear side) in the front-rear direction parallel to the conveying path.

[0009] While the containers C1 are being transported by the transport conveyor 4, all pairs of left guide members 61L and right guide members 61R are positioned in the retracted positions. When the containers C1 temporarily stop at the top breaker section, all pairs of left guide members 61L and right guide members 61R are simultaneously swung from the retracted positions toward the support positions, and each pair of left and right guide members 61L, 61R supports each row of containers C1 with all corners at right angles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-31038 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] According to the filling and packaging machine of Patent Document 1, in the top breaker section, the top of each row of containers is supported by a pair of guide members so that its four corners are at right angles, and is then folded by a folding member.This ensures that the top of the container is folded along the fold lines, and ultimately has the effect of reliably preventing poor corner molding in the content-filled containers formed as products. However, in Patent Document 1, the center of oscillation of the buckling compensation mechanism needs to be located at a diagonal position on the container, but when used in the top seal section, there are movable parts such as a drive lever and arm at that location, which means that this buckling compensation mechanism cannot be used. Even if a fixed guide member is installed, the two sharply deformed corners cannot be made rectangular with ideal movement, resulting in poor corner molding of the product, which in turn leads to poor top sealing and seal leakage.

[0012] This invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a filling and packaging machine in which a buckling correction mechanism can be used in the top seal section, thereby preventing defective corner molding of the formed content-filled container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following aspects. 1) A conveyor that intermittently conveys rectangular cylindrical containers with their openings facing upward; a top breaker unit that bends the top of the rectangular tubular container conveyed by the conveyor; a filling section for filling the folded rectangular cylindrical container with contents; a top seal portion that seals the opening of the filled square tubular container, a buckling correction mechanism is provided in the top breaker section and / or the top seal section to correct buckling at the top of the rectangular cylindrical container and hold all four corners at right angles, The buckling correction mechanism uses left and right guide members to push the two corners of the square tubular container, which have been deformed at acute angles, from the outside, to guide and position the square tubular container to a predetermined position, and the left and right guide members swing around a vertical axis located symmetrically on the left and right outside, across the transport path of the square tubular container, in front of or behind the direction of travel of the square tubular container transported to each processing position, and are capable of moving between a support position where all four corners are held at right angles and a retracted position where they do not interfere with the square tubular container, a filling and packaging machine characterized in that the left and right guide members swing around a vertical axis located symmetrically on the left and right outside, in front of or behind the direction of travel of the square tubular container transported to each processing position, and are capable of moving between a support position where all four corners are held at right angles and a retracted position where they do not interfere with the square tubular container. 2) The left guide member comprises a side wall support portion having a guide surface facing the outer surface of the left wall of the container, and a corner correction portion that engages with the left corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an acute angle and corrects the corner to a right angle in cooperation with the guide surface, and the right guide member comprises a side wall support portion having a guide surface facing the outer surface of the right wall of the square tubular container, and a corner correction portion that engages with the right corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an acute angle and corrects the corner to a right angle in cooperation with the guide surface, Each of the corner correction portions has a corner support surface extending from the end of the guide surface at a required angle with the guide surface, and a pick-up surface extending from the end of the corner support surface at a required angle with the corner support surface to grip the corner, The filling and packaging machine described in 1) above, characterized in that the combined front-to-rear length of the corner support surface and pick-up surface of the corner correction part closer to the vertical axis is greater than the combined front-to-rear length of the corner support surface and pick-up surface of the corner correction part farther from the vertical axis. 3) A filling and packaging machine as described in 1) above, characterized in that the left and right guide members are pressed against the corners of the square tubular container with a time lag. 4) An upper horizontal fold line extending horizontally across the entire width of each of the left and right side walls of the square tubular container is formed at the top of the container, and two upper diagonal fold lines extending diagonally upward from the front and rear ends of the upper horizontal fold line to form a triangle with the upper horizontal fold line as the bottom side, and the triangular portion surrounded by the upper horizontal fold line and the two upper diagonal fold lines is an upper triangular panel portion that falls outward in the left and right direction when the top of the square tubular container is folded. The filling and packaging machine described in 1) above, wherein the left and right guide members support the upper triangular panel portion of the square tubular container by aligning the upper edges of their guide surfaces along the upper horizontal fold line when in the support position. 5) A filling and packaging machine as described in 2) above, characterized in that the left guide member further comprises a corner holding portion that engages with the left corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an obtuse angle and holds the corner in cooperation with the guide surface, and the right guide member further comprises a corner holding portion that engages with the right corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an obtuse angle and holds the corner in cooperation with the guide surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the filling and packaging machine of 1) above, the left and right guide members do not have swing centers arranged symmetrically about a point and swing in the same direction (for example, counterclockwise) as in the conventional case, but rather have swing centers arranged symmetrically about an axis and swing in opposite directions (directions in which the ends of the left and right guide members farthest from the swing centers move closer to each other).This means that the buckling correction mechanism can be used not only in the top breaker section but also in the top seal section, and in the top seal section, the tops of each row of containers can be sealed while supported by a pair of guide members so that their four corners are at right angles, thereby reliably preventing poorly formed corners in the content-filled containers formed as products. In addition, since the left and right guide members swing around the vertical axis, the guide members can be retracted to a position where they do not interfere with the container while it is being transported, so there is no risk of the guide members interfering with the container being transported, and operation can continue without hindrance. According to the filling and packaging machine of 2) above, the corner correction portion of the guide member can catch the corner of the container with the pick-up surface and then hold the corner of the container in the appropriate support position, so even if the left and right guide members are arranged symmetrically and are configured to swing in opposite directions, buckling can be reliably corrected without crushing or damaging the corners of the container. With the filling and packaging machine described in 3) above, if the left and right guide members simultaneously push from the outside on two corners (for example, the left front and right rear) that have been deformed at an acute angle, the left front corner may be corrected first, making it difficult to capture the right rear corner. However, by pressing the right rear corner first, which is difficult to capture due to the restriction on the swinging direction of the guide members, it is possible to reliably capture the two corners that have been deformed at an acute angle, improving the buckling correction function. According to the filling and packaging machine of 4) above, the upper triangular panel can be supported by the left and right guide members, so that the container can be held in an appropriate position and sealed. According to the filling and packaging machine of 5) above, the two corners that have been deformed at an acute angle are pressed from the outside, and the corner holding parts are applied to the two corners that have been deformed at an obtuse angle, so that the left and right side walls of the container can be supported by the left and right guide members, including the front and rear corners, and the container can be securely fixed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of a filling and packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of the transport conveyor of the filling and packaging machine. [Figure 3] FIG. 2(a) is a plan view showing a part of the transfer conveyor, and FIG. 2(b) is a front view showing a part of the transfer conveyor. [Figure 4] 4(c) shows a first holding plate and a second holding plate used in the transport conveyor, where (a) is a front view of the first holding plate, (b) is a side view of the first holding plate, (c) is a side view of the second holding plate, and (d) is a front view of the second holding plate. In Fig. 4(c), the part surrounded by the two-dot chain circle E is an enlarged cross-section of the part surrounded by the two-dot chain circle e. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a carton blank in an initial state for forming a bottomed rectangular tubular container used in the filling and packaging machine. [Figure 6]This shows a secondary carton blank in which the initial carton blank has been folded into a flat sleeve shape, (a) being a front view and (b) being a plan view, with (b) also showing the process of bending the carton blank into a rectangular tube shape. [Figure 7] 1 shows a rectangular cylindrical container with a bottom, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state in which the corners of the container are deformed. [Figure 9] 1 shows a content-filled container with its top opening sealed at the top seal section of the filling and packaging machine, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a side view, and (c) being a plan view. [Figure 10] The figures show a content-filled container in its completed state, with the flap sealed to the surface of the container in the flap sealing section of the filling and packaging machine, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a side view, and (c) being a plan view. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B show the top seal portion of the filling and packaging machine, with (a) being a plan view and (b) being a side view. [Figure 12] 1 shows a buckling correction mechanism arranged in the top seal section of the filling and packaging machine, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the container is held by the buckling correction mechanism. [Figure 14] 10 is an enlarged plan view showing left and right guide members of the buckling correction mechanism. FIG. [Figure 15] 10A, 10B, and 10C are diagrams showing the left guide member of the buckling correction mechanism, with FIG. 10A being a plan view, FIG. 10B being a side view, and FIG. [Figure 16] 10A, 10B, and 10C are views showing the right guide member of the buckling correction mechanism, in which FIG. 10A is a plan view, FIG. 10B is a side view, and FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is a plan view for explaining appropriate dimensions of left and right guide members of the buckling correction mechanism. FIG. [Figure 18]FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a buckling correction mechanism disposed in a top breaker section of a conventional filling and packaging machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A filling and packaging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the right side of FIG. 1 will be referred to as the "front" and the left side as the "rear", and left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from the front. 1 and 2 show the side of the entire or part of the filling and packaging machine, with the front side wall of the chamber omitted.

[0017] The filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment is for filling a container (C1) made of a carton with a content such as a beverage or food and sealing it to form a content-filled container (C2). As shown in Figure 1, the filling and packaging machine (1) has a long, sealed (box-shaped) chamber (2) in the front-to-rear direction. A carton blank inlet (201) is provided in the front end wall (23) of the chamber (2), and a content-filled container outlet (202) is provided at the rear end of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2).

[0018] The front end (2a) of the chamber (2) is provided with a bottom forming section (3) that seals one end of a carton blank (CB12) bent into a rectangular cylindrical shape and forms the bottom to form a bottomed rectangular cylindrical container (carton) (C1). The bottom forming section (3) has a turret (30) having a plurality of radial carton holders (30a) that are rotatable around a horizontal axis. Along the rotation direction of the turret (30) (counterclockwise in Figure 1), the following are provided in order: a receiving section (31) that sets a rectangular tubular carton blank (CB12) introduced from a carton blank inlet (201) into the carton holder (30a); a bottom heating section (32) that heats one end of the carton blank (CB12); a bottom breaker section (33) that folds one end of the carton blank (CB12) inward to create a crease; a bottom sealing section (34) that seals one end of the carton blank (CB12) to form a rectangular tubular container (C1) with a bottom; and a transport section (35) that transports the formed container (C1) to the next process using a carton unloader (35a). A carton blank (CB12) that has been pulled out of a carton magazine by a picker and formed into a rectangular cylindrical shape is sent to the receiving section (31) through a carton blank entrance (201) by a carton loader (36). In the case of the filling and packaging machine 1 shown in the figure, the front end 2a of the chamber 2, where the bottom forming section 3 is provided, has a double-roofed shape that slopes diagonally upward and forward when viewed from the side. This shape reduces the height of the front end 2a of the chamber 2.

[0019] Also, within the chamber (2), a transport conveyor (4) is provided in a tunnel-shaped section (2b) extending from the rear (downstream) side of the bottom forming section (3) to the rear end, which transports multiple containers (C1) with their openings facing upward along a horizontal transport path (R) extending rearward. On the conveying path (R), from the upstream side (front side) to the downstream side (rear side), there are sequentially arranged a preliminary breaker section (5) that preliminarily folds the top of the container (C1), a top breaker section (6) that creases the container (C1), a sterilization section (7) that sterilizes the container (C1), a filling section (8) that fills the contents into the container (C1), a top seal section (9) that seals the top of the container (C1), a flap seal section (10) that folds the flap (C21) formed on the top of the content-filled container (C2) to seal it to the surface of the container (C2) upon sealing, and a discharge section (11) that discharges the content-filled container (C2) out of the chamber (2).

[0020] In filling and packaging machine (1) having the above basic configuration, clean air is blown out and supplied from a plurality of predetermined locations into chamber (2), and the clean air that has circulated within chamber (2) is sucked out and discharged from a plurality of predetermined locations. As a result, almost the entire interior of chamber (2), except for the clean air suction and discharge area, is maintained at a positive pressure by the clean air, and a sterile state is maintained. More specifically, since particularly high sterility is required for the sterilization section (7), filling section (8) and top seal section (9) in the chamber (2), clean air purified by an ULPA filter (F) (an air filter with a particle collection rate of 99.9995% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.15 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is blown out from the clean air outlets (AB1) (AB2) through the air supply pipe (P1). Furthermore, areas other than the sterilization section (7), filling section (8) and top seal section (9) within the chamber (2), such as the hot air outlet (101) (see Figure 1) provided in the flap seal section (10) and the hot air outlet (not shown) provided in the bottom molding section (3), do not require such high levels of cleanliness, so clean air purified by a HEPA filter (an air filter with a particle collection rate of 99.97% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.3 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is supplied thereto. The clean air that has circulated within the chamber (2) is sucked and discharged through clean air suction ports provided at a plurality of predetermined locations within the chamber (2) and connected to an exhaust fan through exhaust piping. As shown in Figure 1, clean air suction ports (AS1) and (AS2) provided in the top wall (21) above the bottom forming section (3) and the flap seal section (10) of the chamber (2) are connected to the exhaust fan (E) through exhaust piping (P2). A flow control valve such as a butterfly valve (V) is provided in the exhaust piping (P2) so that the flow rate of the clean air discharged from the chamber (2) can be adjusted.

[0021] The chamber (2) is configured so that the entire interior can be cleaned (CIP) and sterilized (SIP). During cleaning, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content-filled container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and a cleaning agent such as an alkaline solution or an acidic solution is sprayed from cleaning nozzles (12) provided at multiple predetermined locations, followed by rinsing. Similarly, during sterilization, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content-filled container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and a sterilizing agent is supplied from multiple predetermined locations to perform sterilization.

[0022] As shown in detail in Figures 2 to 4, the transport conveyor (4) has a four-row, one-pitch feed configuration and includes two endless conveyor chains (42) on the left and right sides of the transport path (R) and wound around front and rear sprockets (41), four bottom rails (43) arranged parallel to each other along the transport path (R) between the left and right conveyor chains (42) and supporting the bottoms of the containers (C1), and a large number of container holders (44) installed between the opposing links on the left and right of both conveyor chains (42) and holding the containers (C1) on the four bottom rails (43) with their openings facing upward. At the front end of the transfer conveyor 4, the containers C1 are sequentially transferred from the transfer section 35 of the bottom forming section 3 to the container holders 44 by the carton unloader 35a (see FIG. 1).

[0023] Each container holder (44) has a pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) made of long vertical plate material extending in the left-right direction and connected to the links (421) of both conveyor chains (42), and a total of four pairs of second holding plates (442) made of short vertical plate material extending in the front-back direction and fixed at multiple points along a predetermined length of the front and rear first holding plates (441), each pair consisting of two left and two right plates. The front and rear side walls of the four containers (C1), the bottoms of which are supported by the four bottom rails (43), are held by two front and rear first holding plates (441), and the left and right side walls of each of the four containers (C1) are held by four pairs of two left and right second holding plates (442). In other words, the pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) and the four pairs of two left and right second holding plates (442) form a holding portion (440) that surrounds and holds the container (C1) from the front, rear, left and right. If the container holder (44) is configured with the first holding plates (441) and second holding plates (442) as described above, the vertical flow of clean air within the chamber (2) is not impeded, and a rectifying effect that stably directs the clean air downward is easily achieved. The left and right ends of the pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) are attached to the inner surfaces of the mutually facing links (421) of the left and right conveyor chains (42) via vertical plate-like blocks (45). The pitch of the links (421) of the conveyor chains (42) corresponds to the transport pitch (P) of the containers (C1) by the transport conveyor (4) (see Figure 2). Each of the first holding plate 441 and each of the second holding plates 442 has a hemispherical protrusion 441a, 442a formed thereon to be brought into point contact with the outer surface of the side wall of the container C1. The presence of these hemispherical protrusions 441a, 442a prevents the outer surface of the side wall of the container C1 from coming into close contact with the inner surfaces of each of the first holding plate 441 and each of the second holding plate 442, thereby ensuring that the outer surface of the side wall of the container C1 is sterilized by spraying a sterilant in the sterilization section 7. The upper edge of each first holding plate (441) is provided with an upper protrusion (441b) that protrudes higher than the other portions in the portion that holds the container (C1). These upper protrusions (441b) enable the container (C1) to be held more stably. Furthermore, by reducing the height of the upper edge of the first holding plate (441) other than the upper protrusions (441b), processing of the upper portion of the container (C1) by the top breaker section (6) and the like can be performed smoothly. The tip of each upper protrusion (441b) is inclined obliquely upward and outward in the front-rear direction so as to serve as a guide when the carton unloader (35a) transfers the container (C1) to the holding section (440). The rear first holding plate (441) of the pair of front and rear first holding plates (441) has rear convex portions (441c) bent horizontally rearward at the upper edge between the upper convex portions (441b). These rear convex portions (441c) close the gaps between the adjacent container holders (44) in the front and rear direction where no container (C1) is present, thereby concentrating the flow of clean air around the container (C1).

[0024] FIG. 5 shows a carton blank (CB10) in its initial form used as a material for the container (C1). This carton blank (CB10) is formed by punching a laminate mainly made of paper into a predetermined shape, and both its inner and outer surfaces are composed of thermoplastic resin layers. Furthermore, the laminate may have a barrier layer made of aluminum foil or the like in the middle of its thickness, as needed. The carton blank (CB10) made of the laminate with the above configuration can be folded to form a predetermined shape, but because it has some flexibility, springback may occur after the folding process. As shown in FIG. 5, the carton blank (CB10) is a slightly horizontally elongated rectangular shape, and has a plurality of creases formed thereon for folding into a predetermined shape. Specifically, first, first to fourth vertical fold creases (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), (FR14) for folding the carton blank (CB10) into a rectangular tube shape are formed on the carton blank (CB10) at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The first vertical fold crease (FR11) on the far left in Fig. 5 and the third vertical fold crease (FR13) third from the left are straight along their entire length, but the second vertical fold crease (FR12) second from the left has a vertically elongated parallelogram portion (FR121) in its middle, and the fourth vertical fold crease (FR14) on the far right has a vertically elongated hexagon portion (FR141) in its middle. These portions (FR121) and (FR141) form vertically elongated parallelogram and vertically elongated hexagonal chamfered portions (omitted in Figures 7 to 10) at two corners of the content-filled container (C2), which is the final product, making the content-filled container (C2) easy to hold in the hand. Note that the shape of the fold lines constituting the chamfered portions is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a curved shape other than a parallelogram, such as a rectangle or an oval. Also, there are cases where no chamfered portions are formed. The carton blank (CB10) is also formed with a first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) and a first lower horizontal fold line (FR23) for dividing and folding the area defined by the first to fourth vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) into a top wall forming area (CB101), a side wall forming area (CB102), and a bottom wall forming area (CB103). The first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) is formed in a diagonal line that slopes slightly upward toward the left between the first and second vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), and in a diagonal line that slopes slightly upward toward the right between the third and fourth vertical fold lines (FR13), (FR14). In the bottom wall forming portion (CB103) of the carton blank (CB10), in the portion between the first and second vertical fold lines (FR11) (FR12) and in the portion between the third and fourth vertical fold lines (FR13) (FR14), two lower diagonal fold lines (FR32) are formed so as to form an isosceles triangle with the first lower horizontal fold line (FR23) as its upper side, and a second lower horizontal fold line (FR24) is formed extending in the left-right direction to connect the intersections of each of the two lower diagonal fold lines (FR32), and further, a lower vertical fold line (FR42) is formed extending a short distance from each of the intersections to the lower edge of the carton blank (CB10). A second upper horizontal fold crease (FR22) extending laterally across the entire width of the carton blank (CB10) is formed in the top wall forming portion (CB101) of the carton blank (CB10) slightly below its upper edge. The portion of the carton blank (CB10) above the second upper horizontal fold crease (FR22) serves as a sealing margin for sealing the top opening (C10) of the bottomed rectangular tubular container (C1). Two upper diagonal fold creases (FR31) are formed in the top wall forming portion (CB101) between the first and second vertical fold creases (FR11) (FR12) and between the third and fourth vertical fold creases (FR13) (FR14), respectively, so as to form triangles with the first upper horizontal fold crease (FR21) as the lower side. Each section enclosed by the first upper horizontal fold crease (FR21) and the two upper diagonal fold creases (FR31) forms an upper triangular panel section (C14) that falls outward in the left-right direction when the top of the container (C1) is folded, as described below (see Figures 5 to 7). The intersections of the two upper diagonal fold creases (FR31) are located on the second upper horizontal fold crease (FR22). Upper vertical fold creases (FR41) are formed so as to extend a short distance from each of the intersections to the upper edge of the carton blank (CB10). A circular spout attachment section (CB104) is formed in the top wall-forming section (CB101) between the second and third vertical fold creases (FR12) and (FR13).

[0025] The carton blank (CB10) in the initial form described above is folded into an envelope shape at the first and third vertical fold lines (FR11) (FR13) so that the surfaces that make up the inner surface of the container (C1) overlap, and the left and right side edges are overlapped and joined by gluing, heat sealing, etc., to form the carton blank (CB11) in the second form folded into a flat sleeve shape as shown in Figure 6, and many of these blanks are stacked and stored in a carton magazine in this form. Next, as described above, the second type carton blank (CB11) is pulled out one by one by a picker from the carton magazine, and folded at approximately right angles along the first to fourth vertical fold lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) to form a rectangular cylindrical carton blank (CB12) with a square cross section (see Figure 6(b)), which is then sent by the carton loader (36) to the receiving section (31) of the bottom forming section (3). One end (bottom wall forming section CB103) of this rectangular tubular carton blank CB12 is heated to a predetermined temperature in the bottom heating section 32, and then folded inward along the first lower horizontal fold line FR23, the two lower diagonal fold lines FR32, the second lower horizontal fold line FR24, and the lower vertical fold line FR42 in the bottom breaker section 33 to form creases, and then sealed by ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, or the like in the bottom sealing section 34. This forms a rectangular tubular container C1 with a bottom.

[0026] As shown in Figure 7, the container (C1) has a rectangular bottom wall (C11) and four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) extending upward from the four sides of the bottom wall (C11), with an upper opening (C10) formed by the upper edges of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124). The bottom wall (C11) may be square as shown in the figure, or it may be rectangular, in which case the cross sections of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) will also be rectangular. In addition, the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) have a side wall forming portion (CB102) below the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) that forms the side wall of the content-filled container (C2), and a top wall forming portion (CB101) above the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) that forms the top wall of the content-filled container (C2). The four corners C131, C132, C133, and C134 of the container C1 are all approximately right angles, at least in the lower portion near the bottom wall C11, but may be deformed in the upper portion and not form right angles. More specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the upper portion of the container C1 may be deformed so that the first and third corners C131 and C133 corresponding to the first and third vertical fold creases FR11 and FR13 of the carton blank CB10 form acute angles, and the second and fourth corners C132 and C134 corresponding to the second and fourth vertical fold creases FR12 and FR14 form obtuse angles. This is because, due to the flexibility of the laminate constituting the carton blank (CB10), a springback action occurs in the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) of the container (C1), causing them to return to the shape of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) shown in Figure 6, i.e., a folded, flat sleeve shape, resulting in deformation of the corners (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134).

[0027] The container (C1) filled with contents through the top opening (C10) in the filling section (8) is folded in the top seal section (9) downstream of the filling section (8) so that the upper parts of the front, rear, left, and right side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), (C124) are folded outward in the left-right direction along the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21), the upper diagonal fold line (FR31), the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22), and the upper vertical fold line (FR41), thereby overlapping and sealing the front and rear edges formed in the top opening (C10) (portions above the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22)). This forms a content-filled container (C2) with a left-right-long flap (C21) at the top, as shown in Figure 9. In the next flap seal section (10), the left and right sides of the flap (C21) are folded downward and sealed to the upper surfaces of the left and right side walls, thereby giving the content-filled container (C2) its final shape of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped as shown in Figure 10. The content-filled container (C2) shown in the figure has a top wall that slopes diagonally downward toward the rear, but the filling and packaging machine of this invention can also be applied to forming content-filled containers with horizontal top walls.

[0028] 11 to 17 show the detailed structure of the top seal portion 9 and its constituent members. In the following description of the top seal portion 9, "front" refers to the left in each of Fig. 11 and the top in Fig. 12(a), "rear" refers to the right in each of Fig. 11 and the bottom in Fig. 12(a), and "left and right" refer to the left and right when viewed from the front.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 11, the top seal portion (9) includes a sealing mechanism (9A) that performs sealing, and a buckling correction mechanism (9B) that corrects buckling at the top of the container (C1) during sealing, thereby holding all four corners (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134) at right angles. The sealing mechanism (9A) performs ultrasonic sealing using an ultrasonic horn (911) and anvil (912), and the buckling correction mechanism (9B) supports the containers (C1) from the side for each row of containers (C1) using a pair of guide members (92L) and (92R) during ultrasonic sealing, and corrects the first and third corners (C131) and (C133) of the containers (C1) to right angles when they are deformed so that they form acute angles and the fourth corners (C132) and (C134) to obtuse angles, as shown in Figure 8. The sealing mechanism (9A) is a known one. When the container (C1) is transported to the top seal section (9), the arm (913) rotates, the anvil (912) lowers, the ultrasonic horn (911) advances toward the container (C1), the anvil (912) and the ultrasonic horn (911) clamp the top end of the container (C1), and the top opening (C10) is sealed by ultrasonic sealing. In the top seal portion (9), the upper portions of the front, rear, left, and right side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) of the container (C1) shown in Figure 7 are folded outward in the left-right direction along the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21), the upper diagonal fold line (FR31), the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22), and the upper vertical fold line (FR41), and the front and rear edges (portions above the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22)) formed in the top opening (C10) are overlapped and sealed. This forms a content-filled container (C2) with a flap (C21) at the top that is long in the left-right direction. In the top seal unit 9, the arms 913 supporting the anvils 912 extend in the front-to-rear direction (arranged symmetrically across the container C1 conveyance path R). When the buckling correction mechanism for the top breaker unit 6 shown in FIG. 18 is applied, there is a problem in that if the left and right guide members 61L and 61R are swung in the same direction (e.g., counterclockwise) with the swing center 610 arranged point-symmetrically, the left and right guide members 61L and 61R interfere with the arms 913 and other components, such as the drive mechanism. The filling and packaging machine 1 of this embodiment is provided with a buckling correction mechanism 9B in the top seal unit 9, which overcomes the problems of conventional buckling correction mechanisms. A detailed description of an embodiment of the buckling correction mechanism 9B suitable for the top seal unit 9 is provided below.

[0030] The buckling correction mechanism (9B) suitable for the top seal portion (9) guides and positions the container (C1) to a predetermined position using left and right guide members (92L) and (92R), and is capable of reciprocating between a support position (S) that supports (guides and positions) the container (C1) and a retracted position (T) that does not interfere with the container (C1). While the container C1 is being moved by the transport conveyor 4, the left and right guide members 92L and 92R are in the retracted position T indicated by T in FIG. 11(a), and when the transport stops, the left and right guide members 92L and 92R are swung to the support position S indicated by S in FIG. 11(a). The left and right guide members (92L) (92R) are adapted to swing about the vertical axes of the pivot shafts (93L) (93R) which are arranged symmetrically across the transport path (R) of the container (C1) in front or behind (rear in the illustrated example) the direction of travel of the container (C1) transported to the top seal section (9), as the swing center (931L) (931R). The left guide member (92L) is swung clockwise from the retracted position (T) toward the support position (S), and the right guide member (92R) is swung counterclockwise from the retracted position (T) toward the support position (S), so that at the support position (S), the ends of the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) that are farther from the swing centers (931L) (931R) approach each other. As shown in Figure 13, the left and right guide members 92L, 92R swing about the vertical axes of pivot shafts 93L, 93R, which are arranged symmetrically behind the container C1 transported to the top seal section 9 and across the transport path R of the container C1, as swing centers 931L, 931R, and each has a container holder 95L, 96R, which is made up of side wall support portions 96L, 96R, corner correction portions 97L, 97R, and corner holders 98L, 98R. In the support position S, the corner correction portion 97L of the left guide member 92L engages with the third corner C133 of the container C1, thereby correcting the corner C133 to a right angle in cooperation with the guide surface 961L. The corner correction portion 97R of the right guide member 92R engages with the first corner C131 of the container C1, thereby correcting the corner C131 to a right angle in cooperation with the guide surface 961R. In this way, the left and right guide members 92L and 92R press from the outside the two corners of the container C1 that have been deformed to acute angles (in this embodiment, the third corner C133 at the front left and the first corner C131 at the rear right), as shown by the solid lines, thereby maintaining all four corners C131, C132, C133, and C134 at right angles as shown by the two-dot chain lines. The left guide member (92L) and the right guide member (92R) are provided in pairs in the top seal portion (9) so as to be positioned on both the left and right sides of each row of containers (C1) in the same number as the number of rows of containers (C1) (four pairs in Figure 12).

[0031] 12, the four pairs of rotating shafts 93L, 93R are rotatably supported at their upper ends by penetrating a chamber upper plate 994 above the top seal portion 9, and extend into the chamber 2. Guide member support plates 995L, 995R are provided at the lower ends of the rotating shafts 93L, 93R, and the left and right guide members 92L, 92R are attached to the guide member support plates 995L, 995R. A guide swing unit 99 for swinging the left and right guide members 92L and 92R by rotating the rotary shafts 93L and 93R is provided on the chamber upper plate 994. The guide swing unit 99 in this embodiment includes an air cylinder (fluid pressure cylinder) 991 as a power source, a link 992 for transmitting the driving force of the air cylinder 991 to the rotary shafts 93L and 93R, and left and right levers 993L and 993R. When the piston rod of the air cylinder (991) is driven back and forth, the pivot shafts (93L) and (93R) are simultaneously rotated by the same angle in directions in which the front ends of the left and right guide members (92L) and (92R) move toward or away from each other via the link (992) and the left and right levers (993L) and (993R). This causes the left guide member (92L) and the right guide member (92R) to swing between the retracted position (T) and the support position (S). While the containers C1 are being transported by the transport conveyor 4, all pairs of left guide members 92L and right guide members 92R are positioned in the retracted position T. When the containers C1 temporarily stop at the top seal portion 9, the air cylinder 991 is activated to simultaneously swing the left guide member 92L and the right guide member 92R left and right from the retracted position T toward the support position S, and each pair of left and right guide members 92L and 92R supports each row of containers C1 with their four corners C131, C132, C133, and C134 at right angles. In this state, sealing is performed by the sealing mechanism (9A), and then the air cylinder (991) is activated to simultaneously swing the left guide member (92L) and the right guide member (92R) from the support position (S) toward the retracted position (T). When the left and right guide members (92L) and (92R) return to the retracted position (T), the container (C1) with its top opening (C10) sealed is sent by the transport conveyor (4) toward the flap sealing section (10) of the next process. The means for swinging the left and right guide members 92L, 92R is not limited to the above configuration and other means may be used, but when the above configuration is used, the device configuration becomes relatively simple, so that the installation space is small and costs are reduced. Furthermore, with the above configuration, the swing position and swing angle of the left and right guide members 92L, 92R can be easily adjusted.

[0032] The buckling correction mechanism 9B described above allows the left and right guide members 92L, 92R to guide and position the container C1 without interfering with the components of the top seal portion 9. Changing the conventional pivot center 610, which is point-symmetric, to pivot centers 931L, 931R, which are line-symmetric, as in this embodiment, would be particularly disadvantageous in terms of properly pressing the first corner C131. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to improve the holding force of the corner correction portion 97R of the right guide member 92R on the corner C131, the left and right guide members 92L, 92R are not line-symmetric but have different shapes on the left and right, and the left and right guide members 92L, 92R are shaped as follows:

[0033] As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the left guide member (92L) has a flat horizontal plate portion (94L) that is approximately rectangular and long in the front-to-back direction when viewed from above, and a container holding portion (95L) that is provided on the horizontal plate portion (94L) and protrudes to the right. The container holding portion (95L) comprises a side wall support portion (96L) having a guide surface (961L) facing the left side wall (C123) of the container (C1), a corner correction portion (97L) that engages with the third corner portion (C133) of the container (C1) that has been deformed into an acute angle and corrects the corner portion (C133) to a right angle in cooperation with the side wall support portion (96L), and a corner holding portion (98L) that engages with the fourth corner portion (C134) of the container (C1) that has been deformed into an obtuse angle and holds the corner portion (C134) in cooperation with the side wall support portion (96L). The guide surface 961L of the side wall support portion 96L is a flat surface parallel to the left side wall C123 of the container C1, and is brought into contact with the outer surface of the left side wall C123 of the container C1 at the support position S. The upper surface (upper edge of the guide surface) 962L of the side wall support portion 96L is an inclined surface that becomes higher toward the rear so as to be parallel to the first upper horizontal fold line FR21 of the container C1. The front-to-rear width of the guide surface 961L is the same as or slightly larger than the width of the left side wall C123 of the container C1. The corner correction portion (97L) and the corner holding portion (98L) are formed to protrude rightward beyond the guide surface (961L). The corner correction portion (97L) protrudes from the guide surface (961L) by a greater amount than the corner holding portion (98L) protrudes from the guide surface (961L). In response to the inclination of the upper surface (962L) of the side wall support portion (96L), the height of the corner holding portion (98L) is greater than the height of the corner correction portion (97L). The corner correction portion (97L) has a corner support surface (971L) extending to the right from the front end of the guide surface (961L) at a right angle to the guide surface (961L), and a pick-up surface (972L) extending to the right from the right end of the corner support surface (971L) at an obtuse angle to the corner support surface (971L). The corner holding portion (98L) has a corner holding surface (981L) that extends rightward from the rear end of the guide surface (961L) and forms an obtuse angle with the guide surface (961L). The corner support surface 971L of the corner correction portion 97L of the left guide member 92L can hold the third corner C133 at a right angle at the support position S. Furthermore, the pick-up surface 972L of this corner correction portion 97L can first come into contact with and capture the third corner C133 when the left guide member 92L moves to the support position S, thereby ensuring that the third corner C133 is subsequently held by the corner support surface 971L.

[0034] As shown in Figures 14 and 16, the right guide member (92R) has a flat horizontal plate portion (94R) that is approximately rectangular and long in the front-to-back direction when viewed from above, and a container holding portion (95R) that is provided on the horizontal plate portion (94R) so as to protrude to the left. The container holding portion (95R) comprises a sidewall support portion (96R) having a guide surface (961R) facing the right side wall (C124) of the container (C1), a corner correction portion (97R) that engages with a first corner portion (C131) of the container (C1) that has been deformed into an acute angle and corrects the corner portion (C131) to a right angle in cooperation with the sidewall support portion (96R), and a corner holding portion (98R) that engages with a second corner portion (C132) of the container (C1) that has been deformed into an obtuse angle and holds the corner portion (C132) in cooperation with the sidewall support portion (96R). The guide surface 961R of the sidewall support portion 96R is a flat surface parallel to the right sidewall C124 of the container C1 and is brought into contact with the outer surface of the right sidewall C124 of the container C1 at the support position S. The upper surface (upper edge of the guide surface) 962R of the sidewall support portion 96R is an inclined surface that becomes higher toward the rear so as to be parallel to the first upper horizontal fold line FR21 of the container C1. The front-to-rear width of the guide surface 961R is the same as or slightly larger than the width of the right sidewall C124 of the container C1. The corner correction portion (97R) and the corner holding portion (98R) are formed to protrude leftward beyond the guide surface (961R). The amount of protrusion of the corner correction portion (97R) from the guide surface (961R) is the same as the amount of protrusion of the corner holding portion (98R) from the guide surface (961R). In response to the inclination of the upper surface (962R) of the side wall support portion (96R), the height of the corner holding portion (98R) is made lower than the height of the corner correction portion (97R). The corner correction portion (97R) has a corner support surface (971R) extending to the left from the rear end of the guide surface (961R) at an obtuse angle with the guide surface (961R), and a pick-up surface (972R) extending to the left from the left end of the corner support surface (971R) at an obtuse angle with the corner support surface (971R). The corner holding portion (98R) has a corner holding surface (981R) that extends leftward from the front end of the guide surface (961R) and forms an obtuse angle with the guide surface (961R). The corner support surface 971R of the corner correction portion 97R of the right guide member 92R can hold the first corner C131 at a right angle at the support position S. Furthermore, the pick-up surface 972R of this corner correction portion 97R can first come into contact with and capture the first corner C131 when the right guide member 92R moves to the support position S, thereby ensuring that the corner support surface 971R subsequently holds the first corner C131 securely.

[0035] The swing center 931L of the left guide member 92L is preferably positioned to the left of the left side surface and behind the rear side surface of the container C1 in its predetermined position in FIG. 13 so that the left guide member 92L can move to push the third corner C133 toward the right and rear when moving to the support position S. The swing center 931L of the left guide member 92L is positioned further to the left, which means that the corner support surface 971L of the left guide member 92L is positioned further forward when the left guide member 92L is retracted. This is advantageous for pushing the deformed third corner C133, but it must be positioned so as not to interfere with the right guide member 92R in the adjacent row. Furthermore, to ensure that the guide surface 961L, which is long enough to support the entire width of the left side surface of the container C1 in its predetermined position, does not interfere with the container C1 in the retracted position T, the swing center 931L must be positioned behind the rear end of the guide surface 961L. Therefore, in this embodiment, the left guide member (92L) is configured to push the third corner portion (C133) of the container (C1) by swinging clockwise around the swing center (931L) to the left rear of the container (C1) in the predetermined position. Furthermore, the pivoting center 931R of the right guide member 92R is located further to the right in FIG. 13 , which means that the corner support surface 971R of the retracted right guide member 92R is located forward. This is disadvantageous for pushing the deformed first corner C131, but it must be positioned so as not to interfere with the adjacent left guide member 92L and the container C1 being transported. Furthermore, the pivoting center 931R must be located behind the rear end of the guide surface 961R so that the guide surface 961R, which is long enough to support the entire width of the right side of the container C1 in its designated position, does not interfere with the container C1 in its retracted position T. Therefore, in this embodiment, the right guide member 92R pivots counterclockwise around the pivoting center 931R, which is located to the right and rear of the container C1 in its designated position, to push the first corner C131 of the container C1.

[0036] The container C1 is configured to form an upper triangular panel portion C14 that tilts outward in the left-right direction when its top is folded, and the left and right guide members 92L, 92R preferably support the upper triangular panel portion C14 at the support position S. The left and right guide members 92L, 92R are integrally provided with left and right guide surface upper edges 962L, 962R as portions that support the upper triangular panel portion C14. These left and right guide surface upper edges 962L, 962R can be brought into close contact with the side surfaces of the container C1 to support the upper triangular panel portion C14. Therefore, even if the bottom edge crease (upper horizontal fold crease FR21) of the upper triangular panel portion C14 is inclined backward, the left and right guide members 92L, 92R can be retracted to prevent the outwardly folded upper triangular panel portion C14 from interfering with the transport of the container C1. If the upper edges (962L) (962R) of the left and right guide surfaces are higher than the upper horizontal fold line (FR21) of the upper triangular panel portion (C14), it will interfere with the folding of the upper triangular panel portion (C14). Therefore, if the height of the upper horizontal fold line (FR21) of the upper triangular panel portion (C14) varies from container to container, it is preferable to adjust the height of the upper edges (962L) (962R) of the left and right guide surfaces so that they are slightly lower than the upper horizontal fold line (FR21) of the upper triangular panel portion (C14) and prevent the upper edges (962L) (962R) of the left and right guide surfaces from being higher than the upper horizontal fold line (FR21) of the upper triangular panel portion (C14).

[0037] 12, the guide swing unit 99 has a single air cylinder 991 as its power source, and the left and right guide members 92L and 92R are driven by the common air cylinder 991 to close simultaneously. However, the right guide member 92R is attached while swinging counterclockwise by about 1° so that the right guide member 92R catches the corner (first corner C131) of the container C1 before the left guide member 92L. In other words, the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) are configured to press against the third corner (C133) and the first corner (C131) of the container (C1) with a time lag; if there was no time lag, the container (C1) would be pushed in from the front left third corner (C133), making it difficult to grasp the rear right first corner (C131); however, the right guide member (92R) is able to press down the rear right first corner (C131), which is difficult to grasp due to the restriction on the swinging direction, thereby resolving this problem and ensuring that both corners (C131) (C133) are grasped reliably. As a method for providing a time difference between the closing operations of the left and right guide members 92L, 92R, separate air cylinders for opening and closing the left and right guide members 92L, 92R may be provided on the left and right. Conversely, even if the two corners (C132) and (C134) of the container (C1) at the front right and rear left are deformed to open at acute angles, this mechanism can still be used. In this case, for stable operation, it is sufficient to make the left guide member close earlier than the right guide member. By swinging the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) in opposite directions (directions in which the tips move closer to or farther away from each other) and placing the swing centers (931L) (931R) outside the left and right guide members (92L) (92R), and making the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) smaller, the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) in adjacent rows will not interfere with each other, and the spacing between the rows can be made smaller.

[0038] The corner holding portions 98L, 98R not only support the two acutely deformed corners C131, C133 with the corner correction portions 97L, 97R, but also support the two non-acute corners C132, C134 with the corner holding surfaces 981L, 981R of the corner holding portions 98L, 98R, allowing the left and right guide surfaces 961L, 961R to support the entire width of the left and right sides of the container C1, thereby reliably fixing the container C1. The corner holding surfaces 981L, 981R make the container C1 more stable when in the support position S, but the corner holding surfaces 981L, 981R are not necessary.

[0039] The connection between the corner support surface 971R of the right guide member 92R and the guide surface 961R is not rounded to facilitate holding the first corner C131 of the container C1 at a right angle. If the rounding were too large, it would be difficult to hold the first corner C131. The corners of the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) that hold the corners (second corner (C132), third corner (C133) and fourth corner (C134)) other than the right rear corner (first corner (C131)) of the container (C1) may be rounded, but it is preferable not to round them in order to securely hold the container (C1). In the above embodiment, the corner support surface (971R) and the pick-up surface (972R) of the right guide member (92R) are inclined in two steps, but they may be inclined in three or more steps, or the corner support surface (971R) and the pick-up surface (972R) may be integrated with the same inclination. Also, in this embodiment, the corner support surface (971R) and the pick-up surface (972R) are two flat surfaces, but they may be two curved surfaces or a single curved surface.

[0040] The preferred dimensions of each portion of the left and right guide members 92L and 92R are set as follows. The larger the left-right width of the corner support surfaces 971L, 971R of the left-right guide members 92L, 92R, the more reliably they can guide the acutely deformed corners C131, C133 of the container C1, but the greater the movement of the left-right guide members 92L, 92R to the retracted position T. The height of the lower edges of the left and right guide surfaces (961L) (961R) is at least higher than the upper surface of the container holder (44) so ​​that the left and right guide members (92L) (92R) do not interfere with the container holder (44). The height of the upper edges of the left and right guide surfaces (961L) (961R) is limited to a position that does not interfere with the drive devices of the ultrasonic horn (911) and anvil (912) of the top seal portion (9). The wider the height direction of the left and right guide surfaces (961L) (961R), the more stable the container (C1), but it is determined within the above-mentioned limits. The width in the height direction of the left and right guide surfaces (961L) (961R) is preferably 5 to 7 mm or more at the front end and 15 mm or more at the rear end, since a thin width can lead to scratches or dents on the product container (C1). The angle between each corner holding surface (981L) (981R) and the left and right guide surfaces (961L) (961R) is set to be larger than 90°, so that even if there are folds with designs such as chamfered portions of a vertical parallelogram and a vertical hexagon, such as the second corner (C132) and the fourth corner (C134) of the container (C1), they will not be damaged. The corner support surface (971L) and pick-up surface (972L) of the corner correction portion (97L) of the left guide member (92L) have dimensions different from those of the corner support surface (971R) and pick-up surface (972R) of the corner correction portion (97R) of the right guide member (92R). 17, the combined length E of the corner support surface 971L and the pick-up surface 972L of the left guide member 92L in the front-rear direction is, for example, 0.8 mm, preferably 0.5 to 2 mm, and more preferably 0.8 to 1.5 mm. The larger E is, the easier it is to grip the corner of the container C1, but if it is too large, it becomes difficult to hold the third corner C133 of the container C1. In the right guide member 92R, if the angle between the corner support surface 971R and the guide surface 961R is A and the angle between the pick-up surface 972R and the guide surface 961R is B, A is preferably 95 to 165°, more preferably 140 to 162°, and as an example, A=160°. B is preferably 120 to 150°, more preferably 135 to 145°, and as an example, B=140°. The corner support surface (971R) of the right guide member (92R) is close to the swing center (931R), making it difficult to capture the first corner (C131) at the right rear of the container (C1), and the swing action makes it difficult to send the first corner (C131) captured by the pick-up surface (972R) to the support position (S). However, by setting A and B to the angles described above, it becomes easier to send the first corner (C131) captured by the pick-up surface (972R) to the support position (S), and scratches or dents will not be made in the first corner (C131) captured by the corner support surface (971R). The combined length C of the corner support surface 971R and the pick-up surface 972R of the right guide member 92R in the front-rear direction is preferably 2 to 6 mm, more preferably 3 to 5 mm, and in one embodiment, 4.1 mm. The larger C is, the easier it is to catch the first corner C131 of the container C1, but if it is too large, it becomes difficult to retract. The combined length D of the corner support surface 971R and pick-up surface 972R of the right guide member 92R in the left-right direction is preferably 3 to 7 mm, more preferably 4 to 6 mm, and in one embodiment, 5 mm. The larger D is, the easier it is to catch the first corner C131 of the container C1 and send it to the support position S, but if it is too large, it becomes impossible to retract it.

[0041] In the top seal unit 9 provided with the buckling correction mechanism 9B of the above embodiment, the container C1 is accurately positioned and fixed, thereby ensuring reliable sealing along the fold lines FR21, FR22, FR31, and FR41. Furthermore, this buckling correction mechanism 9B can be used in units that require buckling correction, such as the top breaker unit 6, even when the swing centers 931L, 931R of the left and right guide members 92L, 92R cannot be positioned diagonally. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] This invention is a filling and packaging machine that forms content-filled containers by filling and sealing a plurality of containers made of cartons with beverages, food, or other contents while transporting the containers along a predetermined transport path, and is suitable for use as a filling and packaging machine that is equipped with a top seal section that seals the top opening and a top breaker section that pre-creases the top of the container. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] (1): Filling and packaging machine (4):Transport conveyor (6): Top breaker section (8): Filling section (9): Top seal (9B): Buckling correction mechanism (92L): Left guide member (931L): Oscillation center (96L): Side wall support part (961L): Guide surface (962L): Upper edge of guide surface (97L):Corner correction part (98L): Corner holding part (971L): Corner support surface (972L): Pick-up surface (981L): Corner holding surface (92R): Right guide member (931R): Oscillation center (96R): Side wall support part (961R): Guide surface (962R): Upper edge of guide surface (97R): Corner correction part (98R): Corner holding part (971R): Corner support surface (972R): Pick-up surface (981R): Corner retaining surface (C14): Upper triangular panel (FR21): Upper horizontal crease (C2): Container filled with contents (R):Transportation route (S):Support position (T): Evacuation position

Claims

1. a conveyor that intermittently conveys rectangular cylindrical containers with their openings facing upward; a top breaker unit that bends the top of the rectangular tubular container conveyed by the conveyor; a filling section for filling the folded rectangular cylindrical container with contents; a top seal portion that seals the opening of the filled square tubular container, a buckling correction mechanism is provided in the top breaker section and / or the top seal section to correct buckling at the top of the rectangular tubular container and hold all four corners at right angles, The buckling correction mechanism uses left and right guide members to push the two corners of the square tubular container, which have been deformed at acute angles, from the outside, to guide and position the square tubular container to a predetermined position, and the left and right guide members swing around a vertical axis located symmetrically on the left and right outside, across the transport path of the square tubular container, in front of or behind the direction of travel of the square tubular container transported to each processing position, and are capable of moving between a support position where all four corners are held at right angles and a retracted position where they do not interfere with the square tubular container, a filling and packaging machine characterized in that the left and right guide members swing around a vertical axis located symmetrically on the left and right outside, in front of or behind the direction of travel of the square tubular container transported to each processing position, and are capable of moving between a support position where all four corners are held at right angles and a retracted position where they do not interfere with the square tubular container.

2. The left guide member comprises a sidewall support portion having a guide surface facing the outer surface of the left side wall of the container, and a corner correction portion that engages with the left corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an acute angle and corrects the corner to a right angle in cooperation with the guide surface, and the right guide member comprises a sidewall support portion having a guide surface facing the outer surface of the right side wall of the square tubular container, and a corner correction portion that engages with the right corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an acute angle and corrects the corner to a right angle in cooperation with the guide surface, Each of the corner correction portions has a corner support surface extending from the end of the guide surface at a required angle with the guide surface, and a pick-up surface extending from the end of the corner support surface at a required angle with the corner support surface to grip the corner, 2. A filling and packaging machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that the combined front-to-back length of the corner support surface and pick-up surface of the corner correction part closer to the vertical axis is greater than the combined front-to-back length of the corner support surface and pick-up surface of the corner correction part farther from the vertical axis.

3. 2. A filling and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the left and right guide members are pressed against the corners of the rectangular cylindrical container at different times.

4. An upper horizontal fold line extending horizontally across the entire width of each of the left and right side walls of the rectangular tubular container is formed at the upper part of the container, and two upper diagonal fold lines extending diagonally upward from the front and rear ends of the upper horizontal fold line so as to form a triangle with the upper horizontal fold line as the lower side, and the triangular portion surrounded by the upper horizontal fold line and the two upper diagonal fold lines is an upper triangular panel portion that falls outward in the left and right direction when the upper part of the rectangular tubular container is folded, 2. The filling and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the left and right guide members support the upper triangular panel portion of the rectangular tubular container by aligning the upper edges of their guide surfaces along the upper horizontal fold line when in the support position.

5. The filling and packaging machine described in claim 2, characterized in that the left guide member further comprises a corner holding portion that engages with the left corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an obtuse angle and cooperates with the guide surface to hold the corner, and the right guide member further comprises a corner holding portion that engages with the right corner of the square tubular container that has been deformed at an obtuse angle and cooperates with the guide surface to hold the corner.

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