Bag making machine

Abstract

The present invention provides a bagging machine that is miniaturized to allow installation in limited spaces and that can perform bag making and printing simultaneously. [Solution] A bagging machine 1 characterized by having a feed unit 114 that pulls out a bag-making film 2 from a film roll 20 and feeds it, a printing unit 115 that prints on the bag-making film 2 during the feeding process by the feed unit 114, and a sealing unit 117 that seals both ends of the bag-making film 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bagging machine.

Background Art

[0002] Regarding equipment for bagging articles, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vertical pillow packaging machine and an article supply device that sequentially supplies articles, one set at a time, to the vertical pillow packaging machine, the articles being weighed or measured in a predetermined weight or volume as a target by weighing means.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, many bagging machines for bagging metals, molded products, electronic components, etc. are large, and it is difficult to secure an installation space.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a bagging machine that is miniaturized so as to be installed in a limited installation space and can perform bag making and printing simultaneously in parallel.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the bagging machine according to the present invention includes a feed unit that pulls out and feeds a film for bag making from a film roll, a printing unit that prints on the film for bag making in the feeding process by the feed unit, and a sealing unit that seals both ends of the film for bag making, and is characterized by having these components. Furthermore, the bagging machine according to the present invention described above can also be configured as an invention relating to a method, system, or computer program having a similar configuration. The computer program can be provided by downloading it via a network such as the Internet, or by recording it on various computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view showing a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from one side. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the other side. [Figure 4] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a bag containing an article, produced by a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a timing chart illustrating the operating timing of each functional unit in a bagging process performed by a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how the bag-making film is fed into the machine. [Figure 9] This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how the opening on the lower end side of the bag-making film is sealed by a heater. [Figure 10] This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how the bag-making film is cut by a cutter. [Figure 11]This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how the bag-making film is adsorbed onto the fan. [Figure 12] This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film is widened and the lifting mechanism is inserted into the opening. [Figure 13] This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film is sealed by a heater. [Figure 14] This is a side cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a bagging machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing how a bag containing an article is produced and how the receiving piece retracts. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] ● Overview of bagging machine 1 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The bagging machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 4 is a device that prints on the surface of the bag 3 (see Figure 5) to be made in parallel with bag making using bag-making film 2. As described later, the bag-making film 2 is a roughly tubular packaging material that serves as the material for the bag 3. It is wound into a roll to form a film roll 20, but as shown in Figure 4 (the dashed line L in the figure indicates the path through which the bag-making film 2 is fed), after being unwound from the film roll 20, the top and bottom ends are cut and sealed. In the following description, the bag-making film 2 in its wound state may be referred to as the film roll 20, and the finished product with the cut top and bottom ends sealed may be referred to as the bag 3.

[0009] The film 2 for bag making is a substantially cylindrical packaging material that serves as the material for the bag 3 for packaging the article W. This film 2 for bag making is made of a material that can be welded by applying heat, and examples thereof include polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), biaxially oriented polypropylene (OPP), aluminum-lined paper, aluminum vapor-deposited paper, and the like.

[0010] The film 2 for bag making is wound in a roll shape to form a film roll 20 and is attached to the bagging machine 1. The bagging machine 1 feeds out the film 2 for bag making from the film roll 20, cuts and seals it at an appropriate position according to the size of the bag 3 to be produced, and thereby produces the bag 3 shown in FIG. 4.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 5, the article W is enclosed inside the bag 3, and article information and the like are printed on its surface as shown by the printed information portion 31 in the figure. The article W is, for example, machine parts such as screws and nuts, electronic parts such as resistors and capacitors, etc., but is not limited to these examples and includes all items that are enclosed in the bag 3 and shipped out. The article information printed on the surface of the bag 3 may be text-form data indicating the contents of the enclosed article W, or may be encoded in a two-dimensional code or the like, and its content and form are not limited. Also, regardless of the article information, information that has no direct relation to the article W, such as a recycling mark, may be printed.

[0012] ● Details of the mechanism of the bagging machine 1 As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the bagging machine 1 has at least a roll holding part 101, a guide roller 102, an operation display part 113, a feed part 114, a printing part 115, a cutting part 116, a sealing part 117, an expanding part 118, a receiving part 119, a loading part 120, and a detecting part 121 as physical mechanisms for bag making. Among these, except for the hopper 1201 of the operation display part 113 and the loading part 120, they are housed inside a box-shaped housing 103. Further, hereinafter, along the feed direction of the bag-making film 2 fed out from the film roll 20 held by the roll holding portion 101 (from the right to the left in FIG. 4), the side of the film roll 20 is referred to as the upstream side, and the side where the produced bag 3 is discharged is referred to as the downstream side. Based on this feed direction, the roll holding portion 101, the printing portion 115, the cutting portion 116, the charging portion 120, the expanding portion 118, the sealing portion 117, and the operation display portion 113 are sequentially arranged in the downstream direction from the upstream side.

[0013] Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the bagging machine 1 has a control portion 110 (CPU), a storage portion 111 (RAM, ROM, etc.), and a communication portion 112 as functional portions that execute information processing. The operation display portion 113, the feed portion 114, the printing portion 115, the cutting portion 116, the sealing portion 117, the expanding portion 118, the receiving portion 119, the charging portion 120, and the detection portion 121 are electrically connected to the control portion 110 by a communication line or the like and are controlled by the control portion 110.

[0014] The roll holding portion 101 holds the film roll 20 detachably and rotatably, and feeds out the bag-making film 2 from the film roll 20. The bag-making film 2 is pulled out from the film roll 20 by the feed portion 114 described later, and is fed to the printing portion 115 via a guide roller 102 or the like provided at an appropriate position, and further downstream of the printing portion 115.

[0015] The guide roller 102 is provided at a predetermined location and sends out the bag-making film 2 fed out from the film roll 20 along a predetermined path. The guide roller 102 may be a free roller or a drive roller that rotates autonomously.

[0016] The control portion 110 executes a program stored in the storage portion 111 or the like, and comprehensively controls each component of the bagging machine 1. That is, the control portion 110 executes a program to realize the functions according to the present invention in the bagging machine 1 as a computer.

[0017] The memory unit 111 stores control programs and data, as well as various types of information necessary for bag making and printing. This memory unit 111 is composed of storage devices such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory. The various types of information necessary for bag making and printing include, for example, a format file for setting the printing format and an item file for setting the item information to be printed. It may also include information such as the size of the printing area required to print the item information on the bag 3, the length of the bag 3 to be made by cutting the bag-making film 2 according to the type and quantity of items W to be enclosed, the position where the bag-making film 2 should be cut according to the length of the bag 3, and the amount of bag-making film 2 to be unwound (feed) from the film roll 20. This information may be set based on information received from the operation display unit 113, or it may be received from a computer such as a host computer connected via the communication unit 112. Furthermore, it may be backed up by a battery so that it is retained even when the power is off.

[0018] The communication unit 112, under the control of the control unit 110, performs data communication with terminals and devices configured to communicate via a predetermined network, such as a host computer, based on a predetermined communication protocol.

[0019] The operation display unit 113 is an input / output device for operating the bagging machine 1. Specifically, the operation display unit 113 may be a touch panel in which the input and output means are integrated. In this embodiment, the operation display unit 113 is located on the front side of the sealing unit 117, receiving unit 119, and input unit 120, which will be described later. This position is the furthest downstream position in the feed direction of the bag-making film 2. As a result, an operator standing in front of the operation display unit 113 can operate the operation display unit 113 and view the information displayed on the operation display unit 113 without being separated from the operation display unit 113 by any functional unit or mechanism. In this embodiment, the side where the input unit 120 is located and from which the manufactured bag 3 can be removed, i.e., the left side in Figure 4, is considered the front, and the opposite side is considered the back.

[0020] Notwithstanding this embodiment, in other embodiments, the operation display unit 113 may be provided above the housing 103, above the portion covering the vicinity of the printing unit 115, and further back than the sealing unit 117, receiving unit 119, and input unit 120, which will be described later.

[0021] The feed unit 114, under the control of the control unit 110, pulls out the bag-making film 2 from the film roll 20 and feeds the pulled-out bag-making film 2 downstream via a predetermined path. In this embodiment, the feed unit 114 is composed of a pair of feed rollers 1141 and 1142 that are driven and rotated by a motor. In this embodiment, the feeding process of the bag-making film 2 performed by the feed unit 114 begins with pulling the bag-making film 2 from the film roll 20 and ends when the bag-making film 2 is fed to a position where a predetermined part of it is cut and separated by the cutting unit 116, which will be described later. This feeding process is performed for each bag 3 to be made, and the feed unit 114 repeats this feeding process for the number of bags 3 to be made.

[0022] Furthermore, the feed unit 114 can adjust the feed amount of the bag-making film 2 according to the length of the bag 3 set by the operator. It can also determine the length of the bag 3 to be made according to the size of the printing area required to print item information on the bag 3, the quantity of items W to be put into the bag 3, and adjust the feed amount of the bag-making film 2 according to the determined length of the bag 3. Furthermore, the feed unit 114 not only feeds the bag-making film 2 in the direction of pulling it out from the film roll 20, but can also perform backfeeding by rotating the feed rollers 1141 and 1142 in the reverse direction.

[0023] The printing unit 115 is located between the roll holding unit 101 and the input unit 120. Under the control of the control unit 110, it prints on the bag-making film 2 fed to the printing unit 115 during the feeding process by the feed unit 114. This printing unit 115 is, for example, a thermal printing device and includes a thermal head 1151 and a platen roller 1152 driven by a motor such as a stepping motor. The thermal head 1151 and the platen roller 1152 sandwich the bag-making film 2 between them and pull it out, while simultaneously heating the printing surface of the bag-making film 2 to print. During the printing process, the printing unit 115 prints, for example, item information of an item W selected from an item file.

[0024] In this embodiment, since printing is performed directly on the surface of the bag-making film 2, there is no cost or waste associated with labels or backing paper, resulting in a low environmental impact. However, in other embodiments, a label application device can be provided instead of the printing unit 115, and labels with product information printed on them can be applied to the bag-making film 2 during the feeding process.

[0025] Furthermore, the thermal head 1151 and platen roller 1152 can also be said to perform the function of a feed unit 114 that feeds the bag-making film 2, since they sandwich the bag-making film 2 between them and pull it out. Furthermore, notwithstanding this embodiment, the printing unit 115 can also be configured as an inkjet printing device, a laser light printing device, or the like.

[0026] The cutting unit 116 is located downstream of the printing unit 115 and cuts the bag-making film 2 at a predetermined location under the control of the control unit 110. In this embodiment, the cutting unit 116 consists of a rotatable cylindrical drive unit 1161 and a cutter 1162 provided on the drive unit 1161. When the cutter 1162 is pressed against the bag-making film 2 in accordance with the rotation of the drive unit 1161, the bag-making film 2 is cut. The cutting unit 116 cuts the bag-making film 2 at positions that will be the upper and lower ends of the bag 3, thereby separating the bag-making film 2 of the size of one bag from the bag-making film 2 connected to the film roll 20.

[0027] The sealing section 117 is provided downstream of the cutting section 116 and, under the control of the control unit 110, seals the openings at both the upper and lower ends of the bag-making film 2. In this embodiment, since the bag-making film 2 cut by the cutting section 116 has openings at both the upper and lower ends in a roughly cylindrical shape, the sealing section 117 first seals the opening at the lower end to allow the article W to be accommodated, and then seals the opening at the upper end to enclose the article W.

[0028] In this embodiment, the sealing portion 117 includes a heater 1171 and an actuator 1172. The heater 1171 generates heat and is pressed against the bag-making film 2 to weld the opening of the bag-making film 2. The actuator 1172 has the heater 1171 attached to its tip and moves back and forth to approach the bag-making film 2 or away from the bag-making film 2, causing the heater 1171 to contact and separate from the bag-making film 2.

[0029] The sealing section 117 can seal the bag-making film 2, which is roughly cylindrical, at positions corresponding to both ends of the bag 3, according to the length of the bag 3 to be made. Specifically, under control by the control unit 110, after the sealing section 117 seals the lower end of the bag-making film 2, the feed section 114 controls the amount of feed to be delivered to a predetermined amount corresponding to the item information of the item W to be sealed in the bag 3. Once the predetermined amount of bag-making film 2 has been fed by the feed section 114 and the control unit 110 has acquired this information from the feed section 114, the control unit 110 causes the sealing section 117 to seal the bag-making film 2.

[0030] The expanding section 118 is provided downstream of the sealing section 117 and expands the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film 2 that has been cut by the cutting section 116. In this embodiment, the expanding section 118 is composed of a plurality of fans 1181, 1182, and 1183.

[0031] The fan 1181 is positioned above the receiving portion 119, which will be described later, and opposite the bag-making film 2 held on the receiving portion 119. By moving forward and backward toward the receiving portion 119, the fan 1181 contacts the vicinity of the upper end of the bag-making film 2 on the receiving portion 119, or moves away from the vicinity of the upper end of the bag-making film 2. In addition, the fan 1181 generates negative pressure on the surface side of the bag-making film 2 by sucking in air from the side of the bag-making film 2. As a result, the bag-making film 2 is attracted to the fan 1181, and the surface of the bag-making film 2 is attracted to the fan 1181.

[0032] The fan 1182 is fixedly installed on the back side of the receiving portion 119, in a position close to or in contact with the upper end of the bag-making film 2 held on the receiving portion 119. Similar to the fan 1181, the fan 1182 generates negative pressure on the surface side of the bag-making film 2 by drawing in air from the side of the bag-making film 2. As a result, the bag-making film 2 is attracted to the fan 1182, and the surface of the bag-making film 2 is attracted to the fan 1182 and securely held on the receiving portion 119.

[0033] The fan 1183 is positioned below the receiving portion 119 and opposite the bag-making film 2 held on the receiving portion 119. It moves back and forth to contact the bag-making film 2 on the receiving portion 119 or to move away from the bag-making film 2. The fan 1183 blows air toward the bag-making film 2, pressing the bag-making film 2 onto the receiving portion 119 and maintaining the posture of the bag-making film 2.

[0034] In this expanding section 118, before the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 is sealed by the sealing section 117, the fan 1183 presses the bag-making film 2 onto the receiving section 119 to maintain its position, while one side of the bag-making film 2 (the side facing the fan 1181) and the other side (the side facing the fan 1182) are attracted to the fan 1181 and the fan 1182, respectively. When the fan 1181 moves away from the receiving section 119 in this state, the one side and the other side of the bag-making film 2, which were in close contact or proximity to each other, separate, and the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 is widened. On the other hand, when the fan 1181, which was attracted to one side of the bag-making film 2, is moved again to be close to the receiving section 119, and that one side of the bag-making film 2 comes into contact with the other side, the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 can be closed.

[0035] Notwithstanding this embodiment, in other embodiments, the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 held on the receiving portion 119 can also be widened by air blowing, which involves spraying high-pressure air from above onto the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2. When air is sprayed from above onto the opening, one side and the other side of the bag-making film 2 that were in close contact or proximity to each other separate, and the opening widens as air enters the interior.

[0036] The receiving section 119 is located at the downstream end and consists of a guide frame 1191, a main body 1192, and a receiving piece 1193, and holds the bag-making film 2 or bag 3.

[0037] The guide frame 1191 is a frame-shaped member that extends diagonally downward from the vicinity of the cutting section 116 and the sealing section 117. This guide frame 1191 consists of a bottom section 1191a that receives and holds the bag-making film 2 fed from the upstream side on its upper surface, and a side section 1191b that restricts the bag-making film 2 from falling out of the guide frame 1191 in its width direction. The bottom portion 1191a has an opening in the center in the width direction that runs along the length direction, exposing the fan 1182 located on the back side. This allows the bag-making film 2 held in the receiving portion 119 to be attracted to the fan 1182.

[0038] The main body 1192 moves up and down on the back side of the guide frame 1191. The main body 1192 is equipped with a receiving piece 1193, and the receiving piece 1193 moves up and down in accordance with the up and down movement of the main body 1192. This allows the position of the receiving piece 1193 to be raised and lowered according to the length of the bag 3 to be made.

[0039] The receiving piece 1193 is a plate-shaped member that moves back and forth on the bottom surface 1191a of the guide frame 1191 in response to a command from the control unit 110. For example, it moves back and forth on the bottom surface 1191a in response to the rotation of a drive motor connected within the main body 1192. When receiving the bag-making film 2 that slides down onto the bottom surface 1191a of the guide frame 1191 from above, the receiving piece 1193 protrudes from the bottom surface 1191a of the guide frame 1191 and holds the bag-making film 2 on its upper surface. On the other hand, when releasing the bag-making film 2 from being held on the bottom surface 1191a, the receiving piece 1193 retracts from the bottom surface 1191a of the guide frame 1191 into the main body 1192, causing the bag-making film 2 to slide down onto the bottom surface 1191a of the guide frame 1191.

[0040] As shown in Figure 1, the receiving section 119 is housed in the housing 103. The front side of the housing 103 has a door 1031 that can be opened and closed, and once the bag-making process is complete, the door 1031 can be opened to remove the manufactured bag 3.

[0041] The input section 120 is located above the receiving section 119 and accepts the input of goods W from the worker. This input section 120 consists of a hopper 1201 located above it and a lifting section 1202 located below the hopper 1201.

[0042] The hopper 1201 is a funnel-shaped section with openings at both the top and bottom ends, and a gradually increasing opening from the bottom upwards. The worker loads the goods W into the hopper 1201 through the opening at the top end.

[0043] The lifting section 1202 is a roughly cylindrical part located below the hopper 1201, and its upper part is nested with the lower part of the hopper 1201. Under the control of the control unit 110, the lifting section 1202 moves up and down by sliding along the outer peripheral surface below the hopper 1201 using a drive motor or the like. The lifting section 1202 narrows downwards, and as it descends, its lower end is inserted into the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film 2 held on the receiving section 119.

[0044] The input section 120 may also be equipped with a weighing section to measure the weight of the items W being input. For example, a weighing pan that can be opened and closed is provided at the opening on the lower end of the hopper 1201. When inputting items W, the opening is temporarily closed by the weighing pan, and the weight of the input items W can be measured by the weighing pan in this state. The weighed value of the items W obtained by the weighing section can be printed on the bag-making film 2 by the printing section 115. Furthermore, the input unit 120 may also be equipped with a counting unit that counts the number of items W that are input. For example, by providing a weighing pan as described above, the number of items W that are input can be calculated from the weight of the items W weighed on the weighing pan and the unit weight information of the items W that has been stored in advance. Similar to the weighing values ​​described above, the information regarding the number of items W obtained by the counting unit can also be printed on the bag-making film 2 by the printing unit 115. In addition, the number of bags 3 to be made can be calculated according to the number of items W and the number of items W to be enclosed in one bag 3. Furthermore, the input section 120 may be provided with a closing member that can open and close a hollow section that communicates from the upper opening of the hopper 1201 to the lower opening of the lifting section 1202. This closing member may close the hollow section so that when the bag-making film 2, with its lower end opening sealed, is not held on the receiving section 119, it is not possible to input the article W.

[0045] The detection unit 121 is a device that detects the status of each mechanism of the bagging machine 1 and the status of the bag-making film 2, and is implemented by, for example, a photoelectric sensor using infrared light. This detection unit 121 consists of sensors 1211, 1212, 1213, and 1214, each of which outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the control unit 110.

[0046] The sensor 1211 is located between the cutting section 116 and the receiving section 119. This sensor 1211 shines detection light onto the bag-making film 2 as it passes between the cutting section 116 and the receiving section 119, and detects any jamming of the bag-making film 2 at this location. For example, if the bag-making film 2 continues to be detected even though it has been continuously fed by the feed section 114 for a certain period of time, it can be determined that the bag-making film 2 has not been cut and is jammed.

[0047] The sensor 1212 is attached to the main body 1192 of the receiving section 119 and detects the bag-making film 2 that has been fed onto the receiving section 119 and held by the receiving piece 1193. The sensor 1212 detects the presence or absence of the bag-making film 2 in that area by irradiating detection light from the back side of the bottom surface 1191a toward the bottom surface 1191a above the receiving piece 1193. The sensor 1212 can be used to determine whether it is OK to feed and cut the bag-making film 2 and send it onto the receiving section 119, and to determine the timing of the operation to widen the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 held on the receiving section 119 by the expanding section 118.

[0048] The sensor 1213 is located near the bottom of the input section 120 and above the receiving section 119. The sensor 1213 detects the state of the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 by irradiating detection light onto the bag-making film 2 held on the lower receiving section 119, for example. If the sensor 1213 detects that the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 is closed or not sufficiently open, it can be determined that the item W cannot be inserted. Conversely, if the sensor 1213 detects that the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 is wide open, it can be determined that the item W can be inserted.

[0049] The sensor 1214 is installed between the upper opening of the hopper 1201 and the lower opening of the lifting unit 1202, and detects when an item W, which has been fed into the hopper 1201 from above, falls downward through the lifting unit 1202. This sensor 1214 can be used to determine, for example, whether or not the loading of the item W has been completed.

[0050] Furthermore, various types of sensors can be used for these sensors 1211, 1212, and 1213, including diffuse reflection type photoelectric sensors that detect objects by receiving reflected light from the object to be detected, and through-beam type photoelectric sensors that detect objects by blocking the optical axis using a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. In addition, instead of photoelectric sensors, imaging means such as a CCD camera can be used as the detection unit 121, and the state of the bag-making film 2 can be determined by analyzing the captured image.

[0051] ● Processing process using bagging machine 1 Next, the bagging process performed by the bagging machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 7. Note that Figure 7 is a timing chart showing the timing of the processes performed by each functional unit, but it simply shows the order of the processes and does not accurately represent the time intervals.

[0052] First, the operator turns on the power to the bagging machine 1 and starts it up. As shown in Figure 4, the bagging machine 1 is in standby mode before accepting the start operation, for example, with the receiving section 119 in its lowest position. In addition, the lifting section 1202 of the input section 120 is retracted upward, and the sealing section 117 and fan 1181 are also in standby mode, retracted away from the receiving section 119. If the film roll 20 is not set, the operator sets the film roll 20 in the roll holding section 101. The operator selects a format on the operation display unit 113 that matches the size of the bag 3 to be made and the size of the printing area. At this time, the operator may also set the item information to be printed on the bag 3 and the number of bags 3 to be made. In response, as shown in Figure 4, the bagging machine 1 raises the main body 1192 of the receiving unit 119 and adjusts the position of the receiving piece 1193 according to the selected format.

[0053] When an operator presses an issue key on the operation display unit 113 or otherwise instructs the bagging machine 1 to produce bags 3, the bagging machine 1 starts the bag-making process to produce bags 3. The bagging machine 1 activates the detection unit 121 in response to the start of processing, and then the feed unit 114 pulls out the bag-making film 2 from the film roll 20 and feeds it to the printing unit 115.

[0054] As shown in Figure 8, the printing unit 115 performs printing on the bag-making film 2 that has been fed in. At this stage, printing and feeding of the bag-making film 2 are performed simultaneously. As shown in Figure 9, when the bag-making film 2 reaches the position that will become the lower end of the bag 3 to be made, the seal portion 117 moves the actuator 1172 toward the bag-making film 2. As a result, the heater 1171 is pressed against the lower end of the bag-making film 2, sealing the opening at that lower end. The sealed lower end of the bag-making film 2 becomes the lower end of the bag 3 to be made.

[0055] After the printing process on the bag-making film 2 is completed, the bag-making film 2 is fed further downstream. When the position of the bag-making film 2 that will become the upper end of the bag 3 to be made reaches the cutting section 116, the cutting section 116 rotates the drive unit 1161. As a result, the cutter 1162 rotates and presses against the bag-making film 2, and as shown in Figure 10, the bag-making film 2 is cut at the point where the cutter 1162 presses against it. The cut bag-making film 2 slides down on the receiving section 119 and is held by the receiving piece 1193. At this time, the sensor 1212 detects the bag-making film 2 held by the receiving piece 1193.

[0056] As shown in Figure 11, the expanding section 118 operates fans 1181, 1182, and 1183 to widen the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film 2. Specifically, the expanding section 118 operates fan 1183 to press the bag-making film 2 onto the receiving section 119 and maintain its position. When fan 1181 is moved towards the bag-making film 2 and pressed against it, fans 1181 and 1182 operate to attract one side (the side facing fan 1181) and the other side (the side facing fan 1182) of the bag-making film 2 to fan 1181 and fan 1182, respectively. Subsequently, while the bag-making film 2 is still attracted to fans 1181 and 1182, fan 1181 is moved away from the receiving section 119, as shown in Figure 12. As a result, one side of the bag-making film 2 that was in close contact or adjacent to each other separates, and the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 is widened.

[0057] When the sensor 1213 detects that the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2 has been widened, the input unit 120 lowers the lifting unit 1202 as shown in Figure 12, and inserts the lifting unit 1202 into the opening at the upper end of the bag-making film 2. The bagging machine 1 stops its operation in this state and waits for the worker to input the goods W. When the worker inputs the goods W from the hopper 1201, the input goods W enter the bag-making film 2 from below the hopper 1201 via the lifting unit 1202. When an operator has finished loading the goods W, they perform an operation on the operation display unit 113 to indicate that loading is complete, and the bagging machine 1 then acknowledges that loading of goods W has been completed.

[0058] The sensor 1214 detects when the item W, which is fed into the hopper 1201 from the upper opening, falls downward. For example, when the sensor detects the fall of the item W, it may not accept an operation to indicate that feeding is complete. Alternatively, the system may be configured so that feeding is complete once a certain amount of time has elapsed after the sensor 1214 has stopped detecting the fall of the item W, without accepting an operation from the operator indicating that feeding of the item W is complete. Furthermore, if the feeding section 120 is provided with a closing member that blocks the feeding of the item W, the system may block the feeding of the item W with the closing member when feeding is complete.

[0059] Upon completion of loading the item W, the loading unit 120 raises the lifting unit 1202 as shown in Figure 13, and retracts the lifting unit 1202 from the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film 2. As the lifting section 1202 rises, the sealing section 117 moves the actuator 1172 toward the bag-making film 2. At the same time, the fan 1181, which was adhering to the surface of the bag-making film 2, also moves toward the receiving section 119, bringing one upper side of the bag-making film 2 into contact with the other side to close the opening. As a result, when the heater 1171 is pressed against the upper end of the bag-making film 2, the opening on the upper end side is sealed. Once the sealing section 117 has completed sealing the opening on the upper end side of the bag-making film 2, it moves the actuator 1172 toward away from the bag-making film 2. The fan 1181 also moves away from the bag-making film 2 or the receiving section 119, and the other fans 1182 and 1183 also stop operating.

[0060] When the openings at the top and bottom ends of the bag-making film 2 are sealed, thereby creating a bag 3 containing the article W, the receiving portion 119 retracts the receiving piece 1193 into the main body 1192, as shown in Figure 14. As a result, the bag 3 slides down from the receiving portion 119. Alternatively, the sensor 1213 may detect when the opening at the top end of the bag-making film 2, which was previously spread open, is closed, and the receiving piece 1193 may retract accordingly. Through the above process, a bag 3 containing the item W is produced using the bag-making film 2. The bagging machine 1 repeats the above process for the number of bags 3 to be produced, producing a predetermined number of bags 3 containing the item W.

[0061] According to the bagging machine 1 of this embodiment, printing is performed during the process from unwinding the bag-making film 2 from the film roll 20, cutting it, and sealing the article W inside. Furthermore, a printing unit 115 is provided in the path through which the bag-making film 2 is fed, and printing is performed during the feeding process, allowing the machine to be miniaturized to fit in a limited installation space. In addition, the amount of bag-making film 2 fed is automatically determined according to the size of the bag 3 to be made, and the condition of the bag-making film 2 is detected by the detection unit 121, and appropriate processing is automatically performed, thus reducing the workload for the operator and minimizing work errors.

[0062] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and any design changes, etc., that do not depart from the gist of the present invention are also included. Furthermore, the embodiments shown in the drawings above can be combined with each other as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purpose and configuration.

[0063] ●Summary of Embodiments This invention relates to a bagging machine.

[0064] Regarding equipment for packaging goods, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-218122 discloses a vertical pillow packaging machine and an article supply device that sequentially supplies one set of goods, weighed to a predetermined weight or volume target by a weighing means, to the vertical pillow packaging machine.

[0065] Generally, bagging machines used to package metals, molded products, electronic components, etc., are often large, making it difficult to secure installation space.

[0066] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a bagging machine that is miniaturized so that it can be installed in a limited installation space, and that can perform bag making and printing simultaneously.

[0067] To achieve the above objective, the bagging machine according to the present invention is characterized by having a feed unit that pulls out bag-making film from a film roll and feeds it, a printing unit that prints on the bag-making film during the feeding process by the feed unit, and a sealing unit that seals both ends of the bag-making film.

[0068] The sealing portion seals the substantially tubular bag-making film at positions corresponding to both ends of the bag, according to the length of the bag to be made, and the amount of feed applied after sealing one end of the bag-making film by the sealing portion may be controlled to an amount that corresponds to the item information of the item to be enclosed in the bag.

[0069] The bag-making film may further include, arranged sequentially from upstream to downstream with reference to the feed direction of the bag-making film, a cutting section for cutting the bag-making film, a feeding section for receiving articles into the bag-making film, an expanding section for widening the opening of the bag-making film, and a sealing section for sealing the opening of the bag-making film.

[0070] The system may further include an operation display unit provided downstream of the sealing portion, with reference to the feed direction of the bag-making film.

[0071] According to the bagging machine of the embodiment of the present invention described above, bag making and printing are performed simultaneously in the feeding process, and the functional parts are integrated to enable bag making and printing to be performed simultaneously, resulting in a compact design that allows installation even in limited installation spaces. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1:Bagging machine 110: Control Unit 111: Storage section 112: Communications Department 113: Operation display section 114: Feed section 1141, 1142: Feed roller 115: Printing section 1151: Thermal head 1152: Platen Roller 116: Cutting section 1161: Drive unit 1162: Cutter 117: Seal part 1171: Heater 1172: Actuator 118: Expanding section 1181, 1182, 1183: Fan 119: Receiving part 1191: Guide frame 1192: Main unit 1193: Receiver 120: Insertion section 1201: Hopper 1202: Lifting section 121: Detection unit 2: Film for bag making 20: Film Roll 3: Bag W:Goods

Claims

1. A feed unit that pulls out film for bag making from a film roll and feeds it, In the feeding process by the aforementioned feed unit, a printing unit prints on the bag-making film, Having a sealing portion that seals both ends of the aforementioned bag-making film, A bagging machine characterized by the following features.

2. The sealing portion seals the substantially tubular bag-making film at positions corresponding to both ends of the bag, according to the length of the bag to be made. After sealing one end of the bag-making film with the sealing portion, the amount of feed to be fed is controlled to an amount that corresponds to the item information of the item to be enclosed in the bag. The bagging machine according to claim 1.

3. Based on the feed direction of the aforementioned bag-making film, the following are arranged sequentially from the upstream side to the downstream side: A cutting section for cutting the aforementioned bag-making film, The aforementioned bag-making film includes an input section for receiving articles, An expanding section for widening the opening of the aforementioned bag-making film, The bag-making film further comprises a sealing portion for sealing the opening, The bagging machine according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The bag-making film is fed in the direction of the bag-making film, and the device further has an operation display unit provided downstream of the sealing portion, The bagging machine according to claim 1 or 2.

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