Film connecting mechanism for horizontal bag-making / filling / packaging machine

Abstract

To facilitate work, to reduce a burden of a worker, and to improve efficiency of the work when installing a rolled web in a rolled web support part.SOLUTION: The film connecting mechanism 4 of the horizontal bag-making filling and packaging machine 10 includes a pair of pressure bonding roller parts 66 for sandwiching and pressure bonding a packaging film F pulled out from a web 46 supported by two web supporting parts 38A and 38B in an overlapped state, and a table 60 having an upper surface 60002 for sticking a double-sided tape 86 to the tip of the packaging film F is arranged movably between a closing position Pc for covering the upper part of the film connecting mechanism 44 and an opening position Po for opening the upper part of the film connecting mechanism 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film splicing mechanism for a horizontal bag form-fill-seal packaging machine that packages supplied products in packaging film. [Background technology]

[0002] A known packaging machine that packages products while transporting packaging film horizontally is a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine that forms packaging film unwound from a roll into a tubular film using a former, fills the tubular film with the product, and wraps the product in the tubular film. A known technology for such horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machines is to provide two raw roll support sections arranged horizontally at a distance from each other, and to provide a film splicing mechanism (also known as an auto-splitter) that connects the packaging film pulled out from the raw roll supported by one of the raw roll support sections to the packaging film in use via double-sided tape just before the remaining amount of packaging film pulled out from the raw roll supported by the other raw roll support section runs out, thereby allowing the horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine to operate continuously without stopping (see Patent Document 1). In this conventional technology, a film splicing mechanism is placed between two rolls of raw material arranged horizontally, and a table extending horizontally is provided below the bottom of each roll of raw material.The packaging film pulled out from each roll of raw material is transported over the top surface of the table and guided to the film splicing mechanism. Then, the worker attaches double-sided tape to the tip of the packaging film placed on the top surface of the table. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-203442 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, a table is placed below each raw roll, so it is necessary to secure a working space between the bottom of each raw roll and each table that is high enough to attach double-sided tape to the packaging film, and the raw roll support part must be positioned at about the height of the worker's head, for example. Therefore, the worker must lift the heavy web to a high position to attach it to the web support, which makes the work difficult and places a heavy burden on the worker. The present invention was devised in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a film splicing mechanism for a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine that is advantageous in terms of improving work efficiency by simplifying the work of attaching the raw roll to the raw roll support section and reducing the burden on the worker. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention is a film splicing mechanism of a horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine having a pair of pressure roller sections that sandwich and press a packaging film pulled out from a roll supported by two roll support sections in an overlapping state, and is characterized by having a table that is arranged so as to be movable between a closed position that covers the top of the film splicing mechanism and an open position that opens the top of the film splicing mechanism and has an upper surface for attaching double-sided tape to the tip of the packaging film. In one embodiment of the present invention, the table is formed with a plurality of suction holes for suctioning the packaging film. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the two raw material support parts are arranged at a horizontal interval, the film connecting mechanism comprises a pair of upper surface conveying parts along which the packaging film pulled out from the two raw material support parts is transported, and a pair of inclined conveying parts provided between the pair of upper surface conveying parts and displacing downward as they approach each other, so that the packaging film pulled out from the two raw material support parts is transported in the direction of approaching each other, and which are constituted by the pair of pressure roller parts, and in the closed position of the table, the upper surface of the table is located at approximately the same height as the pair of upper surface conveying parts, and both ends of the width direction of the table along the transport direction of the packaging film are separated from the pair of inclined conveying parts. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the film splicing mechanism includes a cover for a pressure roller section that is swingably arranged below the table positioned in the closed position to a first position that covers the packaging film being transported on one of the pair of inclined conveying sections, and a second position that covers the packaging film being transported on the other of the pair of inclined conveying sections. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that, when the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the packaging film in the film splicing mechanism is defined as the depth direction of the film splicing mechanism and the horizontal direction perpendicular to this depth direction is defined as the longitudinal direction of the film splicing mechanism, one end of the table in the depth direction is swingably supported on a first frame of the film splicing mechanism, and a locking and holding mechanism is provided that locks and holds the table in the closed position and the open position. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that one depth end of the table is swingably attached to the first frame by a torque hinge, and the other depth end of the table is provided with a handle that can be engaged with the upper end of a second frame of the film splicing mechanism that faces the first frame in the depth direction when the table is in the closed position, and the closed position of the table is maintained by the engaging and retaining force of the torque hinge when the handle is engaged with the upper end of the second frame, and the open position of the table is maintained by the engaging and retaining force of the torque hinge, and the engaging and retaining mechanism is configured to include the torque hinge. Furthermore, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that, when viewed from the direction in which the two raw roll support parts are arranged, the upper part of the film splicing mechanism and the lower part of the raw roll of maximum design diameter supported by each of the raw roll support parts overlap. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that a pair of upper guide rollers are provided at a location inside the two raw material support parts, and a pair of cushion rollers that can be displaced in the vertical direction and apply tension to the packaging film are provided inside the pair of upper guide rollers and below the pair of upper guide rollers, and the film splicing mechanism is arranged between the pair of cushion rollers. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the pair of upper surface conveying sections are configured to include upper surface conveying guide rollers arranged at the ends of the pair of upper surface conveying sections that are furthest from each other, and the cushion roller is located at an operating position when the packaging film is wrapped around its outer peripheral surface and tension is applied to the packaging film, and is located at a lower limit position below the operating position when the packaging film is removed from its outer peripheral surface, and a cushion roller moving actuator is provided that moves the cushion roller from the lower limit position to a raw material replacement position when the packaging film is removed from the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller, where the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller is located at the same position as the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a table is provided that is movable between a closed position that covers the top of the film splicing mechanism and an open position that opens the top of the film splicing mechanism, and has an upper surface for attaching double-sided tape to the tip of the packaging film. Therefore, since a table for attaching double-sided tape to the tip of the packaging film is not placed below the two rolls of raw material as in the past, there is no need to secure working space between the two rolls of raw material and the table, and the positions of the two roll of raw material support parts can be lowered. As a result, heavy raw rolls can be attached to the raw roll support part at a lower position than before, which is advantageous in facilitating the work of attaching the raw roll to the raw roll support part and reducing the burden on the worker, and is advantageous in improving work efficiency. Furthermore, if a plurality of suction holes for adsorbing the packaging film are formed in the table, the packaging film is adsorbed to the top surface of the table, which is advantageous in ensuring that the work of attaching the double-sided tape to the packaging film on the top surface of the table can be carried out reliably and efficiently. In addition, in this embodiment, the film splicing mechanism comprises a pair of upper surface conveying sections along which the packaging film pulled out from the two raw roll support sections is transported, and a pair of inclined conveying sections constituted by a pair of pressure roller sections provided between the pair of upper surface conveying sections.When the table is in the closed position, the upper surface of the table is located at approximately the same height as the pair of upper surface conveying sections, and both ends of the width of the table along the transport direction of the packaging film are separated from the pair of inclined conveying sections, the packaging film is transported from the upper surface conveying sections to the inclined conveying sections without interfering with both ends of the width of the table, which is advantageous for stable and reliable transport of the packaging film to the film splicing mechanism. In addition, if the film splicing mechanism is provided with a cover for the pressure roller section that is swingable between a first position below the table positioned in the closed position to cover the packaging film being transported on one of the pair of inclined conveying sections, and a second position to cover the packaging film being transported on the other of the pair of inclined conveying sections, the portion of the packaging film being transported on the pair of inclined conveying sections can be covered by both the cover for the pressure roller section and the table, which is advantageous in preventing fingers from coming into contact with the packaging film during transport and in preventing fingers from becoming dirty on the packaging film during transport. Furthermore, if one end of the table in the depth direction is supported so as to be swingable on the first frame of the film splicing mechanism and a locking and holding mechanism is provided to lock and hold the table in the closed and open positions, there is no need to perform operations to support the table in the closed and open positions, which is advantageous in improving the efficiency of the work of attaching the packaging film to the film splicing device. Furthermore, one depth end of the table is swingably attached to the first frame by a torque hinge, and the other depth end of the table is provided with a handle that can be engaged with the upper end of the second frame of the film splicing mechanism that faces the first frame in the depth direction when the table is in the closed position, and the closed position of the table is maintained by the engaging and retaining force of the torque hinge when the handle is engaged with the upper end of the second frame, and the open position of the table is maintained by the engaging and retaining force of the torque hinge, and if the engaging and retaining mechanism is configured to include a torque hinge, it can be configured simply and reliably, which is advantageous in reducing the cost of the film splicing mechanism. Furthermore, if the upper part of the film connecting mechanism overlaps with the lower part of the original roll of maximum design diameter supported by each original roll support part when viewed from the direction in which the two original roll support parts are lined up, this is more advantageous for lowering the position of the two original rolls, making it easier to attach the original rolls to the original roll support parts and reducing the burden on the worker, and is more advantageous for improving work efficiency. Furthermore, if a pair of upper guide rollers are provided at positions inside the two web support sections, a pair of cushion rollers that can be displaced up and down to apply tension to the packaging film are provided inside and below the pair of upper guide rollers, and the film splicing mechanism is disposed between the pair of cushion rollers, the length of the transport path for the packaging film from the web via the guide rollers and cushion rollers to the film splicing mechanism can be shortened. This is advantageous in that it simplifies the work of pulling the packaging film from the web to the film splicing mechanism and reduces the burden on the worker, thereby improving work efficiency. Furthermore, if a cushion roller moving actuator is provided to move the cushion roller to a position for replacing the raw roll, the packaging film can be easily passed between the lower part of the outer surface of the cushion roller and the upper part of the outer surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller when replacing the raw roll, which is more advantageous in facilitating the work of pulling the packaging film from the raw roll to the film connecting mechanism and reducing the burden on the worker, and is more advantageous in improving work efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing the configuration of a horizontal bag form-fill-seal packaging machine equipped with a film splicing mechanism according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which preparations are being made to switch from one of two webs to the other web in the film splicing mechanism according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the packaging film of one of two raw rolls is crimped onto the packaging film of the other raw roll in the film splicing mechanism according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the table is positioned at an open position in the state shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which preparations for switching from the other raw web to one of two raw webs are complete in the film splicing mechanism according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the table is positioned at an open position in the state shown in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the table is positioned at a closed position in the state shown in FIG. 6 or 8. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a receiving member of one of the cutter mechanisms is positioned at a retracted position in the state shown in FIG. 9. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which double-sided tape is adhered to a packaging film on the upper surface of the table positioned at the closed position. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the packaging film with the double-sided tape adhered thereto is positioned in accordance with the set mark position with the table in the open position. FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the table has been moved from the state shown in FIG. 12 to the closed position and the pressure roller unit is on standby for a pressure bonding operation. FIG. [Figure 14]1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine equipped with a film splicing mechanism according to an embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, in a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine 10, an article conveying path 12 along which articles to be packaged are conveyed, a former 14, and a form-fill-seal section 16 equipped with a center sealer, end sealer, cutter, etc., all of which are not shown, are arranged horizontally. As shown in FIG. 14, the horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine 10 is configured to include a first drive motor 18A, a second drive motor 18B, a cushion roller position detection unit 20, a cushion roller movement actuator 22, a cushion roller movement switch 24, a registration mark sensor 26, a crimping actuator 28, a cutter actuator 30, a cut switch 32, a set completion switch 34, a packaging film holding actuator 35, and a control device 36. As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, two raw roll support sections 38 that support raw rolls 46, a tension mechanism 40, a film splicing mechanism 42, and a packaging film F guide mechanism 44 are provided above the article conveying path 12 and the former 14.

[0009] The two raw web support parts 38 are the first raw web support part 38A and the second raw web support part 38B, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the raw webs 46 are respectively attached to the first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B provided on the support plate 48. As shown in Figure 1, the first drive shaft 3802A is positioned above the former 14, and the second drive shaft 3802B is positioned above the article conveying path 12 away from the former 14 on the same plane as the first drive shaft 3802A, and the first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B are arranged side by side horizontally at the same height. The first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B are rotationally driven by a first drive motor 18A and a second drive motor 18B shown in FIG. 14, which are configured as servo motors, respectively.

[0010] 1 and 2, a pair of first and second upper guide rollers 50A and 50B are rotatably disposed on the support plate 48 between the first and second drive shafts 3802A and 3802B above the two web support members 38. That is, the pair of upper guide rollers 50A and 50B are provided inside the two web support members 38. The first upper guide roller 50A and the second upper guide roller 50B are positioned above the opposing outer circumferential surfaces of the unused web 46 supported by the first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B. A pair of cushion rollers 52 are provided inside the pair of upper guide rollers 50A, 50B and below the first upper guide roller 50A and the second upper guide roller 50B. Specifically, a pair of cushion rollers 52 are provided so that their outer circumferential surfaces are located directly below the opposing outer circumferential surfaces of the first upper guide roller 50A and the second upper guide roller 50B. The film splicing mechanism 42 is provided between the pair of cushion rollers 52 . Therefore, the two raw roll support parts 38 are arranged at a short horizontal distance to sandwich the space in which the first upper guide roller 50A, the second upper guide roller 50B, the pair of cushion rollers 52, and the film splicing mechanism 42 are arranged.

[0011] (Cushion roller 52) Here, the pair of cushion rollers 52 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, one side of the cushion roller 52 is provided between the first upper guide roller 50A and the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402 of the film splicing mechanism 42 described later, and the other side of the cushion roller 52 is provided between the second upper guide roller 50B and the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402 of the film splicing mechanism 42 described later, and the packaging film F is wrapped around the outer surface of the cushion roller 52, thereby applying tension to the packaging film F by its own weight. Each cushion roller 52 is supported so as to be movable up and down via a long groove 56 provided in the support plate 48 (described later) and the front plate 54 of the film splicing mechanism 42, and is configured to move up and down while always maintaining a horizontal position by a pinion (not shown) formed on the shaft of the cushion roller 52 and a rack (not shown) formed in the long groove 56. As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, the cushion roller 52 is arranged to be displaceable in the vertical direction between a raw fabric replacement position R0, where the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 is located at the same position as the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402, and a lower limit position R2, which is lower than this raw fabric replacement position R0. Furthermore, during operation of the horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine 10, when the packaging film F is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 and tension is applied to the packaging film F by the weight of the cushion roller 52, the cushion roller 52 is located at an operating position (reference position) R1, which is a position between the raw material replacement position R0 and the lower limit position R2. When the packaging film F is removed from the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52, the cushion roller 52 is located at a lower limit position R2 below the operating position R1. That is, the lower limit position R2 is the position of the cushion roller 52 when the raw web is replaced, and is the position of the cushion roller 52 when the packaging film F is removed from the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52. This lower limit position R2 is determined by the shaft portion of the cushion roller 52 abutting against the lower end of the long groove 56. That is, when replacing the raw roll, if the packaging film F is not wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52, the cushion roller 52 will move due to its own weight to a lower limit position R2 below the operating position R1. In this embodiment, the cushion roller 52 can be forcibly moved from the lower limit position R2 to the raw web replacement position R0 by the cushion roller moving actuator 22 (FIG. 14).

[0012] During the packaging operation, the transport speed of the packaging film F is controlled so that the cushion roller 52 is positioned at the operating position R1. Although the details of such control of the conveying speed will be described later, when the packaging film F is tense, the cushion roller 52 is temporarily displaced to a position higher than the operating position R1, and when the packaging film F is relaxed, the cushion roller 52 is temporarily displaced to a position lower than the operating position R1. In other words, the cushion roller 52 is displaced up and down across the operating position R1 depending on the tension and relaxation of the packaging film F. In this embodiment, the lower limit position R2 of the cushion roller 52 is determined by the shaft portion of the cushion roller 52 abutting against the lower end of the long groove 56, as described above, while the upper limit position of the cushion roller 52 is determined by the shaft portion of the cushion roller 52 abutting against the upper end of the long groove 56. The upper limit position may be the same as or higher than the raw fabric replacement position R0. Furthermore, the height of the cushion roller 52 is detected by a cushion roller position detection unit 20 (FIG. 14).

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the packaging film F unwound from the raw roll 46 attached to the first drive shaft 3802A is wound on the upper surface of the first upper guide roller 50A and supplied to the film splicing mechanism 42 via the cushion roller 52, and then wound around the tension roller 4002 of the tension mechanism 40 via the upper guide roller 58A and the lower guide roller 58B. The packaging film F wound around the tension roller 4002 of the tension mechanism 40 is tensioned by the tension roller 4002 and supplied to the former 14. In addition, the packaging film F unwound from the raw roll 46 attached to the second drive shaft 3802B is wound on the upper surface of the second upper guide roller 50B and supplied to the film connecting mechanism 42 via the cushion roller 52, and then wound around the tension roller 4002 of the tension mechanism 40 via the upper guide roller 58A and the lower guide roller 58B.The packaging film F wound around the tension roller 4002 of the tension mechanism 40 is tensioned by the tension roller 4002 and supplied to the former 14. The first upper guide roller 50A, the second upper guide roller 50B, and the cushion roller 52 constitute a guide mechanism 44 that guides the packaging film F to the film splicing mechanism 42.

[0014] In addition, the raw roll 46 is attached to the raw roll support part 38 by an operator lifting the raw roll 46 to the height of the first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B, and inserting the first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B into the holes in the paper tube of the raw roll 46.

[0015] When viewed horizontally with the two web support parts 38 lined up, the first drive shaft 3802A and the second drive shaft 3802B are aligned, and the upper part of the film splicing mechanism 42 overlaps with the lower part of the web 46 of the maximum design diameter supported by each web support part 38. Here, the maximum design diameter refers to the largest outer diameter of the webs 46 used in the horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine 10, and is the largest outer diameter possible from a design perspective. A table 60 is provided which is movable between a closed position Pc (Figure 9) which covers the top of the film splicing mechanism 42 and an open position Po (Figure 6) which opens the top of the film splicing mechanism 42 and has an upper surface for attaching the double-sided tape 86 (Figure 11) described later to the tip of the packaging film F.

[0016] (Film splicing mechanism 42) Here, the conveying direction of the article conveying path 12 is referred to as the longitudinal direction of the film splicing mechanism 42, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the article conveying path 12 is referred to as the depth direction of the film splicing mechanism 42. As shown in FIG. 4, the film splicing mechanism 42 is provided between a pair of cushion rollers 52. The film splicing mechanism 42 includes a frame 62, a pair of upper conveying sections 64 along which the packaging film F pulled out from the two raw web support sections 38 is conveyed, a pair of inclined conveying sections 68 provided between the pair of upper conveying sections 64 and configured with a pair of pressure roller sections 66 which displace downward as they approach each other and convey the packaging film F pulled out from the two raw web support sections 38 in the direction of approaching each other, a cutter mechanism 70, a sirocco fan 72 (Figure 2), and a cover 74 for the pressure roller sections.

[0017] As shown in Figure 4, the frame 62 includes a front plate 54 (Figure 6) that faces the support plate 48 in the depth direction of the film splicing mechanism 42, a portion of the support plate 48 that faces the front plate 54, a bottom plate 76 that connects the lower end of the front plate 54 to the lower end of the portion of the support plate 48, and a pair of side plates 78 that stand up from both sides of the bottom plate 76. The pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 are composed of a pair of upper surface conveying guide rollers 6402 arranged at the ends furthest from each other of the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64, a pressure roller section guide roller 6604 arranged at the ends closest to each other of the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 and at the upper ends of a pair of pressure roller sections 66 described below, and an upper surface plate 6406 arranged between the upper surface conveying guide rollers 6402 and the pressure roller section guide roller 6604 to guide the packaging film F.

[0018] The pair of upper surface conveying guide rollers 6402 guide the packaging film F wrapped around the cushion roller 52 to the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 and the pair of inclined conveying sections 68, and are rotatably supported by the front plate 54 and the support plate 48. The upper surface plate 6406 is disposed adjacent to the upper surface conveyance guide rollers 6402 . The pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 are provided with a pair of cutter mechanisms 70 .

[0019] The cutter mechanism 70 is a mechanism for cutting the packaging film F of the other raw roll 46 to be spliced ​​together when splicing the packaging films F together. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of cutter mechanisms 70 are provided inside the pair of upper surface plates 6406 and outside the pair of pressure roller units 66. The cutter mechanism 70 is composed of a cutter 80 that appears and disappears due to a cutter actuator 30 provided inside the film splicing mechanism 42, as shown in Figure 4, and a cutter receiving portion 82 provided on both sides of the table 60 located at the blocking position Pc. As shown in FIG. 10, the cutter receiving portion 82 includes a receiving member 84 that is swingably connected to the support plate 48 via a hinge (not shown). The receiving member 84 is swingable between a use position Qc and a retracted position Qo. At the use position Qc, a locking pin 8402 provided at the tip of the receiving member 84 is locked into a locking hole 5402 in the front plate 54, thereby maintaining the use position Qc. The receiving member 84 includes a receiving body 8404 having a gate-shaped cross section, and a flange 8406 that protrudes from the lower end of the receiving body 8404 to the vicinity of the table 60 positioned at the closed position Pc. As shown in FIG. 10, a packaging film holding actuator 35 is provided at the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the receiving body 8404 of the receiving member 84. When replacing the raw roll as described below, the actuator 35 for holding the packaging film is activated while the receiving member 84 is positioned at the use position Qc, and the actuator 35 for holding the packaging film presses the middle part of the packaging film F in the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction against the upper panel 6406 of the film splicing mechanism 42, thereby fixing the position of the packaging film F.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of pressure roller units 66 constitute a pair of inclined conveying units 68. The pair of pressure roller units 66 includes a pair of arms 6602 facing each other in the depth direction of the film splicing mechanism 42, a pair of pressure roller unit guide rollers 6604 rotatably supported at one longitudinal end of the pair of arms 6602, a pair of pressure rollers 6606 rotatably supported at the other longitudinal end of the pair of arms 6602, and a pair of suction plates 6608 attached to the pair of arms 6602. As shown in Fig. 8, a plurality of suction holes 6612 are formed in the longitudinal and widthwise central portions of the suction plate 6608. The pair of pressure roller section guide rollers 6604 constitute the upper portions of the pair of inclined conveying sections 68 and also constitute the opposing end portions of the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 . The longitudinal middle portions of the pair of arms 6602 are connected to a support shaft 6610 that is rotatably supported at one end by the support plate 48, and the pair of arms 6602 swing integrally with the support shaft 6610, and therefore the pair of pressure roller portions 66 swing integrally with the support shaft 6610.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, when the packaging film F from the two raw roll support sections 38 is not being pressed, the pressing rollers 6606 of each pressing roller section 66 face each other with a horizontal gap maintained, and the arms 6602 and suction plates 6608 of each pressing roller section 66 are in a neutral position, extending at an incline that gradually separates them as they reach the upper end. As shown in Figure 5, when the packaging film F is pressed from the two raw roll support sections 38, the pressing rollers 6606 of each pressing roller section 66 press, and the arms 6602 and suction plates 6608 of each pressing roller section 66 reach a pressing position in which they extend at a gentler inclination than the arms 6602 in the neutral position. The movement of the pressure roller portion 66 between the neutral position and the pressure position is achieved by the operation of the pressure actuator 28 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, below the pressure roller 6606 of each pressure roller unit 66, a film splicing mechanism side guide roller 4202 is provided to guide the packaging film F from the film splicing mechanism 42 to the upper guide roller 58A shown in FIG.

[0022] A table 60 is provided which is movable between a closed position Pc which covers the top of the film splicing mechanism 42 as shown in Figures 4 and 9, and an open position Po which opens the top of the film splicing mechanism 42 as shown in Figure 6, and has an upper surface 6002 for attaching double-sided tape to the tip of the packaging film F. In this embodiment, when the packaging film F from the two raw roll support sections 38 is not being pressed and when it is being pressed, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a V-shaped space that is open upward is formed between the pair of pressing roller sections 66, in other words, between the arms 6602 and the suction plates 6608 of the pair of pressing roller sections 66, and the table 60 is arranged to be movable between a closed position Pc that covers the upper part of this space and an open position Po that opens the upper part of this space.

[0023] As shown in Figure 9, the table 60 is elongated in the depth direction of the film splicing mechanism 42, extending from the support plate 48 to the front plate 54, and one end of the table 60 in the depth direction is swingably attached to the support plate 48 that constitutes the first frame by a torque hinge 6004. At the other end of the table 60 in the longitudinal direction, a handle 6006 is provided that can be engaged with the upper end of the front plate 54 that constitutes the second frame. The handle 6006 is used to operate the table 60 between the closed position Pc and the open position Po. The table 60 swings around the torque hinge 6004 as a fulcrum, and in the closed position Pc, the handle 6006 engages with the upper end of the front panel 54. The closed position Pc of the table 60 is maintained in this state with the handle 6006 engaged with the upper end of the second frame by the free stop function (locking holding force) of the torque hinge 6004. As shown in Figure 4, when the table 60 is in the closed position Pc, the upper surface 6002 of the table 60 is located at approximately the same height as the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64, and both ends of the width of the table 60 along the conveying direction of the packaging film F are separated from the pair of inclined conveying sections 68. In detail, when the table 60 is in the closed position Pc, both widthwise ends of the table 60 are spaced apart from the guide rollers 6604 for the pressure roller sections at the upper ends of the pair of pressure roller sections 66, and the packaging film F of each roll 46 is unwound toward the pressure rollers 6606 while sliding on the suction plates 6608 below both widthwise ends of the table 60. 6, when the table 60 is in the open position Po, the table 60 stands up using the torque hinge 6004 as a fulcrum, opening the V-shaped space, and the open position Po of the table 60 is maintained by the free stop function of the torque hinge 6004. In other words, the torque hinge 6004 is included in the locking and holding mechanism that locks and holds the table 60 at the closed position Pc and the open position Po. As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of suction holes 6008 for suctioning the packaging film F are formed in the center of the table 60 in the longitudinal and width directions.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the sirocco fan 72 is provided on the back side of the support plate 48, and an intake port (not shown) of the sirocco fan 72 is connected to the inside of the film splicing mechanism 42 via an air vent 49 (shown in Figure 3) formed in the support plate 48. Therefore, when the sirocco fan 72 is driven, the closed space of the film connecting mechanism 42 formed by the bottom plate 76, the front plate 54, the support plate 48 facing the front plate 54, the pair of side plates 78, the pair of top plates 6406, and the pair of suction plates 6608 becomes negative pressure, and the negative pressure acts on the suction holes 6612 of the pair of suction plates 6608. Furthermore, a negative pressure acts on the suction holes 6008 of the table 60 located at the closed position Pc.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the pressure roller cover 74 is provided in a V-shaped space so as to be able to swing. As shown in Figure 4, the pressure roller cover 74 is swingably supported by the support plate 48 and the front plate 54 via support shafts 7402 at the bottom of the V-shaped space, and is positioned below the table 60, which is positioned in the closed position Pc. The cover 74 for the pressure-bonding roller section can swing between a first position (Figure 7) where it covers the packaging film F being transported to one of the pair of inclined conveying sections 68, and a second position (Figure 4) where it covers the packaging film F being transported to the other of the pair of inclined conveying sections 68, and as shown in Figure 4, a stopper pin 7404 that determines the first position and the second position is provided on the support plate 48 and the front plate 54. The pressure roller cover 74 extends between the support plate 48 and the front plate 54, and as shown in Fig. 6, the pressure roller cover 74 is provided with an air vent 7406. The air vent 7406 is used to apply negative pressure to the suction holes 6008 of the table 60 when it is positioned at the closed position Pc.

[0026] (Control system configuration) Next, the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In addition to the aforementioned first drive motor 18A, second drive motor 18B, cushion roller position detection unit 20, cushion roller movement actuator 22, crimping actuator 28, and cutter actuator 30, the horizontal form-fill-fill-seal machine 10 is equipped with a registration mark sensor 26, cushion roller movement switch 24, cut switch 32, set completion switch 34, and control device 36. The registration mark sensor 26 detects registration marks formed at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the packaging film F, and in this embodiment is provided between the upper guide roller 58A and the lower guide roller 58B. The cushion roller movement switch 24 is a switch that is operated to forcibly move the cushion roller 52 to the web replacement position R0 when the web 46 is replaced. The cut switch 32 is a switch that is operated to activate the cutter 80 of the cutter mechanism 70 and cut the packaging film F. The set completion switch 34 is a switch that notifies the control device 36 that the preparation work for joining the packaging films F has been completed by attaching double-sided tape to the packaging film F to be joined, as described below.When the set completion switch 34 is operated, the control device 36 can execute the operation of the pressure roller section 66 and the cutter mechanism 70.

[0027] The control device 36 controls the conveying speed of the packaging film F that is fed from one of the two webs 46 and supplied to the bag making and filling section 16. That is, the control device 36 servo-controls the first drive motor 18A or the second drive motor 18B so that the height of the cushion roller 52 detected by the cushion roller position detection unit 20 becomes the operating position R1 described above, and the packaging film F is supplied to the tension mechanism 40, the former 14, and the bag making and filling unit 16 via the film connecting mechanism 42 at a constant conveying speed regardless of changes in the outer diameter of the raw roll 46. In other words, when the first drive motor 18A or the second drive motor 18B rotates at a constant rotational speed, the outer diameter of the raw roll 46 gradually becomes smaller as the packaging film F is unwound, and the conveying speed of the packaging film F unwound from the raw roll 46 decreases. In this case, the packaging film F is tensed, so that the detected height of the cushion roller 52 is higher than the operating position R1. Therefore, the rotation speed of the first drive motor 18A or the second drive motor 18B is increased to increase the conveying speed of the packaging film F, thereby controlling the height of the cushion roller 52 to be the operating position R1. Conversely, when the transport speed of the packaging film F unwound from the raw roll 46 increases, the packaging film F becomes slack, and the detected height of the cushion roller 52 becomes lower than the operating position R1. Therefore, the rotation speed of the first drive motor 18A or the second drive motor 18B is reduced to reduce the conveying speed of the packaging film F, thereby controlling the height of the cushion roller 52 to be the operating position R1. In this way, the rotational speed of the first drive motor 18A or the second drive motor 18B is controlled so that the height of the cushion roller 52 is at the operating position R1, thereby controlling the conveying speed of the packaging film F to a constant value. Of course, it is also possible to more accurately control the conveying speed of the packaging film F by separately providing an encoder that detects the conveying speed of the packaging film F and controlling the conveying speed of the packaging film F in the bag making and filling section 16 based on the detection results.

[0028] The control device 36 also performs a determination operation to determine the remaining amount of the raw web 46 currently in use. In other words, since the outer diameter D of the raw web 46 and the rotational speed Vω of the first drive motor 18A and the second drive motor 18B are inversely proportional to each other, the outer diameter D of the raw web 46 can be estimated from the rotational speed Vω, and therefore the remaining amount of the raw web 46 can be estimated in accordance with the outer diameter D of the raw web 46. Then, when the remaining amount of the raw roll 46 falls below a preset threshold, the control device 36 performs a pressing operation using a pair of pressing rollers 66 and a cutting operation of the packaging film F using the cutter mechanism 70, as described below.

[0029] (Operation of film splicing mechanism 42) Next, the operation of the film splicing mechanism 42 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine 10 is currently operating, the raw roll 46 in the second raw roll support section 38B is in use, and an unused raw roll 46 is supported in the first raw roll support section 38A. The packaging film F unwound from the raw roll 46 of the second raw roll support section 38B passes through the second upper guide roller 50B and cushion roller 52, and is guided to the tension mechanism 40 via the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402 of the film splicing mechanism 42, the pressure roller section 66, the film splicing mechanism side guide roller 4202, the upper guide roller 58A, and the lower guide roller 58B, and is transported to the former 14 while being tensioned by the tension mechanism 40. Subsequently, items are filled into packaging bags made by the bag making and filling section 16. At this time, the pair of pressure roller units 66 are positioned in the neutral position shown in Figure 3, and the packaging film F in use is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 6608 by the negative pressure acting on the suction hole 6612 of the adsorption plate 6608 of the pressure roller unit 66 through which the packaging film F is being transported, so that the packaging film F is transported in a stable posture.

[0030] In addition, the table 60 is positioned in the closed position Pc, and the cover 74 for the pressure roller unit is positioned to cover the suction plate 6608 of the pressure roller unit 66 opposite the pressure roller unit 66 through which the packaging film F in use is transported, which in this embodiment is positioned in the first position shown in Figure 7. Therefore, the negative pressure in the closed space of the film splicing mechanism 42 acts on the suction holes 6008 of the table 60 via the ventilation holes 7406 of the pressure roller cover 74. As the bag making and filling unit 16 operates, the remaining amount of web 46 on the second web supporting unit 38B gradually decreases. When the worker visually determines that the remaining amount of raw roll 46 at the second raw roll support section 38B is decreasing and that preparation work for replacing the raw roll 46 is necessary, he or she moves the receiving member 84 (cutter receiving portion 82) of the cutter mechanism 70 on the first raw roll support section 38A side of the pair of cutter mechanisms 70 from the use position Qc to the retracted position Qo. Next, the leading edge of the packaging film F is pulled out from the raw roll 46 of the first raw roll support section 38A, and the packaging film F is pulled out and placed on the upper surface 6002 of the table 60 via the first upper guide roller 50A, the cushion roller 52, and the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402. At this time, the control device 36 operates the cushion roller movement switch 24 to operate the cushion roller movement actuator 22, and moves the cushion roller 52 from the lower limit position R2 to the raw fabric replacement position R0. When the cushion roller 52 is positioned at the raw roll replacement position R0, the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 is at the same position as the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402, so that the packaging film F can be easily passed between the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 and the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402.

[0031] Furthermore, a cut mark (not shown) extending in a straight line parallel to the depth direction is displayed on the top panel 6406 of the film splicing mechanism 42, and the position of the packaging film F in the conveying direction is adjusted so that the registration mark at a position taking into account the length of the pulled-out packaging film F required for film splicing matches this cut mark. Then, after moving the receiving member 84 (receiving portion 82 for the cutter) of the cutter mechanism 70 from the retracted position Qo to the use position Qc, the control device 36 operates the cutter actuator 30 by operating the cutter switch 32, and the packaging film F is cut by the cutter 80. The cut marks are set so that when the cut marks are aligned with the registration marks and cut by the cutter 80, the packaging film F is cut at a predetermined position between adjacent registration marks.

[0032] Next, the receiving member 84 (receiving portion 82 for the cutter) is moved from the use position Qc to the retracted position Qo, and then the cut excess portion of the packaging film F is removed. Then, when the leading end of the cut packaging film F is placed on the upper surface 6002 of the table 60 , the packaging film F is sucked onto the upper surface 6002 of the table 60 due to the negative pressure acting on the suction holes of the table 60 . In this state, as shown in FIG. 11, the worker returns the receiving member 84 (receiving portion 82 for the cutter) from the retracted position Qo to the use position Qc, and then attaches the double-sided tape 86 to the leading end of the packaging film F. At this time, since the packaging film F is sucked onto the upper surface 6002 of the table 60, this attaching operation can be carried out reliably and efficiently. Furthermore, since the space above the table 60 is open to the space between the two raw rolls 46, hands above the table 60 do not interfere with the raw rolls 46, and the pasting work can be carried out efficiently.

[0033] After the double-sided tape 86 has been attached to the leading end of the packaging film F, the table 60 is placed in the open position Po as shown in FIG. 12, and the V-shaped space is opened upward. Then, by moving the pressure roller unit cover 74 from the first position (Figure 7) to the second position (Figure 3), the packaging film F being transported on the suction plate 6608 is covered by the pressure roller unit cover 74. This is advantageous in preventing fingers from coming into contact with the packaging film F during transport and in preventing fingers from becoming soiled on the packaging film F.

[0034] The suction plate 6608 of the pressure roller section 66 is marked with a set mark (not shown) that extends in a straight line parallel to the depth direction, and the position of the packaging film F in the conveying direction is adjusted so that the registration mark closest to the tip of the packaging film F to which the double-sided tape 86 is attached coincides with this set mark. The set mark is set so that when the registration mark is aligned with the set mark, the tip of the packaging film F (double-sided tape 86) is positioned at a point on the outer surface of the pressure roller 6606 of the pressure roller unit 66 that faces the outer surface of the pressure roller 6606 of the opposing pressure roller unit 66. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the table 60 is moved from the open position Po to the closed position Pc.

[0035] Next, the worker operates the setting completion switch 34 to instruct the control device 36 that the double-sided tape has been attached to the packaging film F to be joined, thereby completing the preparation work for joining the packaging films F. In this embodiment, in response to the operation of the set completion switch 34, the control device 36 activates the packaging film pressing actuator 35 to press the packaging film F against the upper panel 6406 of the film connecting mechanism 42, thereby fixing the position of the leading end of the packaging film F, and then opens the cushion roller moving actuator 22. Thereafter, the first drive motor 18A of the first roll support section 38A rotates forward and backward to tension and relax the portion of the packaging film F wrapped around the cushion roller 52, thereby moving the cushion roller 52 up and down. The conveying speed of the packaging film F is calculated from the detection result of the cushion roller position detection unit 20 and the rotation speed of the first drive motor 18A at this time, and the outer diameter D of the raw web 46 is calculated from the relationship between the rotation speed and the conveying speed. Next, the control device 36 rotates the first drive motor 18A in the forward direction based on the detection result of the cushion roller position detection unit 20 so that the cushion roller 52 is positioned at the lower limit position R2, thereby slackening the portion of the packaging film F wrapped around the cushion roller 52. At this time, when the cushion roller 52 moves to the lower limit position R2, the packaging film F wrapped around the cushion roller 52 is pulled and moves back in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, which may cause the position of the tip of the packaging film F, which was located opposite the outer peripheral surface of the pressure roller 6606 of the opposing pressure roller section 66, to shift. Therefore, in response to operation of the set completion switch 34, the control device 36 activates the packaging film holding actuator 35 to press the packaging film F against the upper panel 6406 of the film connecting mechanism 42 and fix the position of the leading end of the packaging film F, and after the cushion roller 52 reaches the lower limit position R2, the control device 36 releases the pressure on the packaging film F by the packaging film holding actuator 35.

[0036] Meanwhile, the control device 36 monitors whether the remaining amount of the raw web 46 in use has fallen below a threshold value. When the remaining amount of raw web 46 in use falls below a threshold value, the control device 36 momentarily (for example, for about 1 or 2 seconds) switches the pair of pressure roller units 66 from the neutral position (Figure 3) to the pressure position (Figure 5) at a predetermined timing based on the detection result of the registration mark sensor 26, and then immediately returns them to the neutral position. As a result, the packaging film F in use and the packaging film F to be connected are pressed against the outer circumferential surfaces of the two pressure rollers 6606 via the double-sided tape 86, and the packaging films F are connected to each other. Furthermore, the control device 36 operates the cutter 80 of the cutter mechanism 70 on the side of the packaging film F in use almost simultaneously with the pressing operation of the pair of pressing roller units 66, thereby cutting the packaging film F in use. As a result, the packaging film F connected to the packaging film F in use is transported to the bag making and filling section 16, where the filling and packaging of the articles into packaging bags continues.

[0037] At this time, as described above, the packaging film F on the first raw roll support section 38A side connected to the packaging film F in use on the second raw roll support section 38B side is secured in slack by the cushion roller 52 being positioned at the lower limit position R2, so the packaging film F connected to the packaging film F in use is transported while absorbing the slack, and therefore the packaging film F is slowly unwound from the raw roll 46 of the first raw roll support section 38A, ensuring stable unwinding of the packaging film F from the raw roll 46 of the first raw roll support section 38A. In addition, as a result of cutting the packaging film F currently in use, the raw roll 46 of the packaging film F currently in use on the second raw roll support part 38B side still has packaging film F remaining on it, and the worker removes the raw roll 46 with the remaining packaging film F from the second raw roll support part 38B and attaches a new (unused) raw roll 46 to be used next to the second raw roll support part 38B.

[0038] In addition, by cutting the packaging film F using the cut marks described above and positioning the packaging film F in the conveying direction using the set marks, the distance between the last registration mark of the packaging film F in use and the first registration mark of the connected packaging film F, which are adjacent to each other across the cut point of the packaging film F in use, will match the fixed registration mark distance on the packaging film F.

[0039] Furthermore, packaging bags that are made in the bag making and filling section 16 and contain articles, including the portion of the packaging film F connected via the double-sided tape 86, are rejected from the line as defective products. In this manner, the web 46 of the second web supporting portion 38B is switched to the web 46 of the first web supporting portion 38A. When switching from the raw roll 46 of the first raw roll support section 38A to the raw roll 46 of the second origin support section 38B, the cushion roller 52, the pressure roller section 66, and the cutter mechanism 70 are used on the opposite side to those in the above-mentioned case, and as shown in Figure 7, when the preparation work for switching the raw roll 46 is completed (in other words, when the set completion switch 34 is operated), the pressure roller section cover 74 is positioned from the second position to the first position, which is the opposite of the above-mentioned case, and this is carried out in the same procedure as above.

[0040] According to this embodiment, in the film splicing mechanism 42 of the horizontal bag making, filling and packaging machine 10, which has a pair of pressure roller sections 66 that sandwich and press the packaging film F in an overlapping state, pulled out from the raw roll 46 supported by the two raw roll support sections 38A, 38B, a table 60 is provided that is movable between a closed position Pc that covers the top of the film splicing mechanism 42 and an open position Po that opens the top of the film splicing mechanism 42 and has an upper surface 6002 for attaching double-sided tape 86 to the leading end of the packaging film F. Therefore, unlike the conventional method, a table having an upper surface for attaching double-sided tape 86 to the tip of the packaging film F is not placed below the two raw rolls 46, so there is no need to secure working space between the two raw rolls 46 and the table 60, and the positions of the two raw roll support parts 38A, 38B can be lowered. Therefore, the heavy raw roll 46 can be attached to the raw roll support part 38 at a lower position than before, which is advantageous in facilitating the work of attaching the raw roll 46 to the raw roll support part 38 and reducing the burden on the worker, and is advantageous in improving work efficiency.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, the table 60 is formed with a plurality of suction holes for adsorbing the packaging film F, so that the packaging film F is adsorbed to the upper surface 6002 of the table 60, which is advantageous in ensuring that the work of attaching the double-sided tape 86 to the packaging film F on the upper surface 6002 of the table 60 can be performed reliably and efficiently.

[0042] In addition, in this embodiment, the two raw roll support sections 38 are arranged at a horizontal interval, and the film connecting mechanism 42 includes a pair of upper conveying sections 64 along which the packaging film F pulled out from the two raw roll support sections 38 is transported, and a pair of inclined conveying sections 68 formed by a pair of pressure roller sections 66 that are provided between the pair of upper conveying sections 64 and displace downward as they approach each other, so that the packaging film F pulled out from the two raw roll support sections 38 is transported in the direction of approaching each other; when the table 60 is in the closed position Pc, the upper surface 6002 of the table 60 is located at approximately the same height as the pair of upper conveying sections 64, and both ends of the width direction of the table 60 along the transport direction of the packaging film F are separated from the pair of inclined conveying sections 68. Therefore, the packaging film F is transported from the upper conveying section 64 to the inclined conveying section 68 without interfering with both ends of the width direction of the table 60, which is advantageous in terms of stably and reliably transporting the packaging film F to the film splicing mechanism 42.

[0043] In addition, in this embodiment, the film splicing mechanism 42 is provided with a cover 74 for the pressure roller section that is swingable between a first position that covers the packaging film F being transported on one of the pair of inclined conveying sections 68 below the table 60 positioned in the closed position Pc, and a second position that covers the packaging film F being transported on the other of the pair of inclined conveying sections 68. Therefore, the portion of the packaging film F being transported through the pair of inclined conveying sections 68 can be covered by both the pressure roller section cover 74 and the table 60, which is advantageous in preventing fingers from coming into contact with the packaging film F during transport and in preventing dirt from fingers from adhering to the packaging film F during transport.

[0044] In addition, in this embodiment, if the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the packaging film F in the film splicing mechanism 42 is defined as the depth direction of the film splicing mechanism 42, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to this depth direction is defined as the longitudinal direction of the film splicing mechanism 42, one end of the table 60 in the depth direction is supported rotatably on the first frame of the film splicing mechanism 42, and a locking and holding mechanism is provided to lock and hold the table 60 at the closed position Pc and the open position Po. Therefore, the operation of supporting the table 60 at the closed position Pc and the open position Po is not required, which is advantageous in improving the efficiency of the work of attaching the packaging film F to the film splicing device.

[0045] In addition, in this embodiment, one depth end of the table 60 is swingably attached to the first frame by a torque hinge 6004, and the other depth end of the table 60 is provided with a handle 6006 that can be engaged with the upper end of the second frame of the film splicing mechanism 42 that faces the first frame in the depth direction when the table 60 is in the closed position Pc, and the closed position Pc of the table 60 is maintained by the engaging and holding force of the torque hinge 6004 when the handle 6006 is engaged with the upper end of the second frame, and the open position Po of the table 60 is maintained by the engaging and holding force of the torque hinge 6004, and the engaging and holding mechanism is configured to include the torque hinge 6004. Therefore, by configuring the locking and holding mechanism to include the torque hinge 6004, it can be configured simply and reliably, which is advantageous in reducing the cost of the film splicing mechanism 42.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, when viewed from the direction in which the two raw roll support parts 38 are arranged, the upper part of the film splicing mechanism 42 overlaps with the lower part of the raw roll 46 of the maximum design diameter supported by each raw roll support part 38. Therefore, lowering the positions of the two original roll support parts 38 is more advantageous in lowering the positions of the two original rolls 46, which is more advantageous in facilitating the work of attaching the original rolls 46 to the original roll support parts 38 and reducing the burden on the worker, and is more advantageous in improving work efficiency.

[0047] In addition, in this embodiment, a pair of upper guide rollers 50A, 50B are provided at a location inside the two raw material support portions 38, and a pair of cushion rollers 52 that can be displaced in the vertical direction and apply tension to the packaging film F are provided inside the pair of upper guide rollers 50A, 50B and below the pair of upper guide rollers 50A, 50B, and the film splicing mechanism 42 is arranged between the pair of cushion rollers 52. Therefore, in conventional devices, a long transport path for the packaging film F must be secured, from the original roll via guide rollers along the table below the original roll to the film splicing mechanism, whereas in the present embodiment, the length of the transport path for the packaging film F from the original roll 46 via guide rollers 50A, 50B and cushion roller 52 to the film splicing mechanism 42 can be shortened. This is advantageous in that it facilitates the work of pulling the packaging film F from the raw roll 46 to the film splicing mechanism 42 and reduces the burden on the worker, which is advantageous in that it improves the efficiency of the work.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 are configured to include upper surface conveying guide rollers 6402 arranged at the ends of the pair of upper surface conveying sections 64 that are furthest from each other, and the cushion roller 52 is located at an operating position R1 when the packaging film F is wrapped around its outer peripheral surface and tension is applied to the packaging film F, and is located at a lower limit position R2 below the operating position R1 when the packaging film F is removed from its outer peripheral surface, and a cushion roller moving actuator 22 is provided to move the cushion roller 52 from the lower limit position R2 to a raw material replacement position R0 where the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 is at the same position as the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402 when the packaging film is removed from the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller. Therefore, by moving the cushion roller 52 to the raw roll replacement position R0 using the cushion roller moving actuator 22, the height of the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 at the raw roll replacement position R0 and the height of the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402 can be made the same, so that the packaging film F can be easily passed between the lower part of the outer peripheral surface of the cushion roller 52 and the upper part of the outer peripheral surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller 6402. Therefore, when replacing the raw roll, this is advantageous in facilitating the work of winding the packaging film F around the cushion roller 52, and is even more advantageous in facilitating the work of pulling the packaging film F from the raw roll 46 to the film connecting mechanism 42 and reducing the burden on the worker, making this even more advantageous in improving work efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10 Horizontal form-fill-seal machine 12 Goods conveyance route 14 Forma 16 Bag making and filling section 18A First drive motor 18B Second drive motor 20 Cushion roller position detection unit 22 Cushion roller movement actuator 24 Cushion roller movement switch 26 Registration mark sensor 28 Crimping actuator 30 Cutter actuator 32 Cut Switch 34 Set completion switch 35 Packaging film holding actuator 36 Control device 38 Fabric support part 38A First web support section 38B 2nd web support section 3802A 1st drive shaft 3802B Second drive shaft 40 Tension mechanism 4002 Tension roller 42 Film splicing mechanism 4202 Film splicing mechanism guide roller 44 Packaging film guide mechanism 46 Original fabric 48 Support plate (first frame) 49 Ventilation 50A No. 1 upper guide roller 50B Second upper guide roller 52 Cushion roller 54 Front panel (second frame) 5402 Locking hole 56 Nagamichi 58A Upper guide roller 58B Lower guide roller 60 tables 6002 Top surface 6004 Torque Hinge 6006 Handle 6008 Adsorption hole 62 frames 64 Upper conveying section 6402 Upper conveyor guide roller 6406 Top plate 66 Pressure roller section 6602 Arm 6604 Guide roller for pressure roller 6606 Pressure Roller 6608 Adsorption Plate 6610 Support shaft 6612 Suction hole 68 Inclined conveying section 70 Cutter mechanism 72 Sirocco fan 74 Pressure roller cover 7402 Support shaft 7404 Stopper pin 7406 Ventilation hole 76 Bottom plate 78 Side plate 80 Cutter 82 Cutter holder 84 Receiving member 8402 Locking pin 8404 Receiving body 8406 flange 86 double-sided tape F. Packaging film PC occlusion position Po open position Qc usage position Qo Evacuation position R0 Original fabric exchange position R1 Operating position R2 lower limit position

Claims

1. A film splicing mechanism for a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine having a pair of pressure rollers that sandwich and press a packaging film pulled out from a roll supported by two roll support sections, in an overlapping state, a table is provided which is movable between a closed position which covers the upper part of the film splicing mechanism and an open position which opens the upper part of the film splicing mechanism and has an upper surface for attaching double-sided tape to the leading end of the packaging film; A film splicing mechanism for a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine.

2. The table has a plurality of suction holes formed therein for suctioning the packaging film.

2. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 1.

3. The two web support portions are arranged at a distance from each other in the horizontal direction, The film splicing mechanism includes a pair of upper conveying sections along which the packaging film pulled out from the two web support sections is conveyed, and a pair of inclined conveying sections disposed between the pair of upper conveying sections, displaced downward as they approach each other, and conveying the packaging film pulled out from the two web support sections in a direction that approaches each other, and formed by the pair of pressure roller sections, When the table is in the closed position, the upper surface of the table is positioned at approximately the same height as the pair of upper surface conveying sections, and both ends of the table in the width direction along the conveying direction of the packaging film are spaced apart from the pair of inclined conveying sections.

2. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 1.

4. The film splicing mechanism includes a pressure roller cover that is swingably provided below the table positioned at the closed position between a first position where the pressure roller cover covers the packaging film being transported on one of the pair of inclined transport sections and a second position where the pressure roller cover covers the packaging film being transported on the other of the pair of inclined transport sections.

4. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 3.

5. When a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the packaging film in the film splicing mechanism is defined as a depth direction of the film splicing mechanism, and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the depth direction is defined as a longitudinal direction of the film splicing mechanism, one end of the table in the depth direction is supported by a first frame of the film splicing mechanism so as to be swingable, a locking and holding mechanism is provided to lock and hold the table at the closed position and the open position; 2. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 1.

6. one end of the table in the depth direction is attached to the first frame by a torque hinge so as to be swingable; a handle is provided at the other end of the table in the depth direction, the handle being engageable with an upper end of a second frame of the film splicing mechanism that faces the first frame in the depth direction when the table is in the closed position; the closed position of the table is maintained by a locking force of the torque hinge in a state in which the handle is locked to the upper end of the second frame, the open position of the table is maintained by a locking force of the torque hinge; The locking and holding mechanism is configured to include the torque hinge.

6. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal bag form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 5.

7. When viewed from the direction in which the two web support parts are arranged, an upper part of the film splicing mechanism and a lower part of the web having the maximum design diameter supported by each of the web support parts overlap.

2. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 1.

8. a pair of upper guide rollers are provided at positions inside the two raw web support parts; a pair of cushion rollers that are displaceable in the vertical direction and that apply tension to the packaging film are provided inside the pair of upper guide rollers and below the pair of upper guide rollers; The film splicing mechanism is disposed between a pair of cushion rollers.

2. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 1.

9. the pair of upper surface conveying sections are configured to include upper surface conveying guide rollers that are arranged at ends of the pair of upper surface conveying sections that are furthest from each other, the cushion roller is located at an operating position when the packaging film is wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the cushion roller and tension is applied to the packaging film, and is located at a lower limit position below the operating position when the packaging film is removed from the outer circumferential surface of the cushion roller, a cushion roller moving actuator for moving the cushion roller from the lower limit position to a raw material replacement position where a lower part of the outer circumferential surface of the cushion roller is positioned at the same position as an upper part of the outer circumferential surface of the upper surface conveying guide roller, with the packaging film removed from the outer circumferential surface of the cushion roller; 9. The film splicing mechanism of a horizontal bag form-fill-seal packaging machine according to claim 8.

Images