Bag dispensing and packaging system

Abstract

This invention provides a bag-feeding and packaging system in which a pair of sliders that transport the held bags travel on a circuit driven by a linear motor, and in which curved sections are effectively utilized to shorten the distance of straight sections. [Solution] In the bag packaging system, sliders 2a and 2b, arranged front to back on a circumferential circuit 12, travel while their distance from each other is controlled to form a pair. A pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b, supported by the arms 3 of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b, grip the bag W and move along the bag transport path 17 along the straight path 13 and the curved path 15. In the opening area 22 set along the straight path 13, the front-to-back distance between the pair of sliders 2a and 2b is controlled to reduce the distance between the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b, opening the top of the flat bag W. In the filling area 23 set along the curved path 15 downstream from the opening area 22, when filling the bag W with contents, the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b are separated from each other so as to move away from the filling nozzle 42.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bag feeding and packaging system that transfers a bag by running a slider in a linear motor along a circumferential circuit composed of a linear path and a curved path.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a bag feeding and packaging line using a linear motor in which each slider having a permanent magnet runs along a circumferential circuit composed of a pair of linear paths and a pair of curved paths laid with coils to convey a bag is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an article conveying device provided with a linear motor. This conveying device includes an arm and a gripping portion that extend from the outer peripheral side of the circumferential circuit for each slider, and grips both sides of the bag by a pair of gripping portions attached to the front and rear sliders. When the front and rear sliders shift from a linear path to a curved path while maintaining the interval between the paired gripping portions, the arms attached to the front and rear sliders are tilted or the sliders are controlled to run using a cam mechanism so that the running interval between the front and rear sliders becomes narrower. Then, when the slider shifts to the opposing linear path, the interval between the front and rear sliders is restored to convey the bag.

[0003] According to the conveying device of Patent Document 1, after performing a predetermined process on the bag in a processing area arranged on one linear path, the slider can continue to grip the bag and pass through the curved path to perform a predetermined process on the bag in another processing area arranged on the opposing linear path. That is, processing areas can be provided on each of the two linear paths, achieving space savings compared to the case of arranging a plurality of independent conveying devices or the case of providing a plurality of processing steps on one linear path.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the conveying device described in Patent Document 1 only considers how to prevent the bags from coming off the gripping devices, given that the distance between the front and rear gripping devices widens on curved paths; in other words, it only considers how to convey the bags towards the processing stage on the straight path while continuously gripping them. Therefore, there was room for improvement to further save space by sufficiently shortening the length of the straight path in the bag-feeding and packaging system.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a bag-feeding and packaging system that shortens the distance of straight sections in a circuit where a pair of sliders that transport held bags travel on a linear motor, by effectively utilizing curved sections in the circuit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the bag-feeding packaging system of the present invention takes the following measures. First, the invention according to claim 1 is a bag-feeding packaging system that transports a packaging bag (W) and fills the contents into the bag (W) from the top, comprising a circumferential circuit (12) that extends horizontally and is composed of a straight path (13) and a curved path (15), a plurality of sliders (2a, 2b) that travel along the circumferential circuit (12) by a linear motor, arms (3) that are respectively disposed on the sliders (2a, 2b) and extend to the side of the circumferential circuit (12), and gripping devices (4a, 4b) disposed on the arms (3). Furthermore, when the sliders (2a, 2b) arranged front to back on the circuit (12) travel while their spacing is controlled so that they form a pair, the pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b) supported by the arms (3) of the front to back sliders (2a, 2b) grip the bag (W) and provide a bag transport path (17) which is a path that moves along the straight path (13) and the curved path (15) of the circuit (12), and the bag transport path (17) is positioned along the straight path (13) so that the pair A receiving area (21) where the gripping devices (4a, 4b) receive the flattened bag (W); an opening area (22) located downstream of the receiving area (21) along the straight path (13) where the distance between the pair of sliders (2a, 2b) is reduced, thereby reducing the distance between the pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b) and opening the top of the flattened bag (W); and located downstream of the opening area (22) along the curved path (15) where the contents are filled into the inside of the bag (W). The bag transport path (17) is configured to have a filling area (23) where a filling nozzle (42) descends from above and enters the interior of the bag (W) from the top of the bag (W), and a post-processing area downstream of the filling area (23) where post-processing related to packaging is performed on the bag (W) from which the filling nozzle (42) has exited. The pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b) are configured to be spaced apart from each other so as to move away from the filling nozzle (42) when filling the bag (W) with contents.

[0008] According to the invention of claim 1, the bag packaging system can be made more compact by positioning the filling area (23), which is one of the processing areas, along the curved path (15), thereby reducing the proportion of the area along the straight path (13) occupied by the bag transport path (17). Furthermore, in the filling area (23), the contents are filled into the bag (W) with the contents in a state where the distance between the front and rear gripping devices (4a, 4b) is widened so that the front and rear gripping devices (4a, 4b) move away from the filling nozzle (42) that has entered the inside of the bag (W). This narrows the opening (Wt) of the bag (W), thereby suppressing the contents from flowing out of the bag (W). Therefore, a bag packaging system can be provided that effectively utilizes the curved path (15) and shortens the distance of the straight path (13) in the circumferential circuit (12).

[0009] Next, the invention according to claim 2, which is dependent on claim 1, is that the peripheral circuit (12) has a second straight road (14) connected to the downstream side of the curved road (15), and the processing area is a sealing area (24) that seals the upper part of the bag (W) which is stretched out by widening the distance between the pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b), and a discharge area (25) that releases the gripping of the bag (W) by the gripping devices (4a, 4b) and discharges the bag (W), and is arranged in a position along the second straight road (14).

[0010] According to the invention of claim 2, by arranging the sealing area (24) along the second straight path (14), it becomes easier to adjust the spacing between the front and rear gripping devices (4a, 4b) in order to neatly seal the top of the bag (W). That is, although it is necessary to control the expansion of the top of the bag (W) from before the sealer grips the bag (W) until the heat cools down, by arranging the sealing area (24) along the second straight path (14), the spacing can be adjusted more easily compared to when adjusting the spacing on a curved path (15) where the spacing between the pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b) changes significantly with respect to the spacing between the front and rear sliders (2a, 2b).

[0011] Next, the invention according to claim 3, which is dependent on claim 1 or claim 2, is such that the pair of sliders (2a, 2b) travel at the same speed in the receiving area (21), temporarily increase the relative speed of the rear slider (2b) to the front slider (2a) in the opening area (22), reduce the distance between the pair of grippers (4a, 4b) to open the top of the bag (W) wide, and then travel at the same speed to the end (R) of the straight path (13).

[0012] According to the invention of claim 3, by controlling the movement speed (Va, Vb) of a pair of front and rear sliders (2a, 2b) and maintaining the state in which the top of the bag (W) is open by the sliders (2a, 2b) traveling along the straight path (13), interference between the top of the bag (W) and the entering filling nozzle (42) in the filling area (23) can be prevented.

[0013] Next, the invention according to claim 4, which is dependent on claim 1 or claim 2, is characterized in that a plurality of filling nozzles (42) are provided, and each of the filling nozzles (42) moves sequentially at a constant speed along the bag transport path (17) along the curved path (15) to fill the contents into the bag (W) which is held by the pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b), and exits the bag (W) after the filling of the contents is completed.

[0014] According to the invention of claim 4, by having multiple filling nozzles (42) move sequentially along the curved path (15) at a constant speed, contents can be sequentially filled into the bags (W) without stopping the transport of the bags (W) held by the gripping devices (4a, 4b). Therefore, in the filling area (23), there is no need for time for subsequent bags (W) to wait until the contents of the preceding bags (W) have been filled, and the processing capacity per minute can be increased.

[0015] Next, the invention according to claim 5, which is dependent on claim 4, is such that when the filling nozzle (42) enters the bag (W), the slider (2a) traveling forward of the pair of sliders (2a, 2b) that support the pair of gripping devices (4a, 4b) is accelerated to a speed faster than the filling nozzle (42), and the slider (2b) traveling backward is decelerated to a speed slower than the filling nozzle (42), thereby pulling both ends of the bag (W) from the front and rear to narrow the opening (Wt) at the top of the bag (W), and then the moving speeds (Va, Vb) of the pair of sliders (2a, 2b) are kept constant and the same as the moving speed of the filling nozzle (42) in order to maintain the size of the narrowed opening (Wt).

[0016] According to the invention of claim 5, when the filling nozzle (42) enters the inside of the bag (W), the moving speeds (Va, Vb) of each slider (2a, 2b) are accelerated and decelerated in relation to the moving speed of the filling nozzle (42) so that the front slider (2a) moves forward from the filling nozzle (42) and the rear slider (2b) moves backward from the filling nozzle (42). This makes it possible to narrow the opening (Wt) of the bag (W) when filling the contents into the bag (W). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the contents from flowing out of the bag (W) as the bag (W) moves through the filling area (23). Furthermore, by adjusting the distance between the front and rear gripping devices (4a, 4b) solely by controlling the movement speed (Va, Vb) of the pair of sliders (2a, 2b), the weight of each slider (2a, 2b) can be reduced compared to a configuration that uses a cam mechanism or the like to adjust the distance between the front and rear gripping devices (4a, 4b).

[0017] Next, the invention according to claim 6, which is dependent on claim 2, is such that the pair of sliders (2a, 2b) move continuously from just before the gripping device (4a, 4b) grips the bag (W) until at least the contents have been filled.

[0018] According to the invention of claim 6, the bag (W) held by the pair of sliders (2a, 2b) can move from the receiving area (21) to the filling area (23) of the bag transfer path (17) without stopping. That is, at least the transfer of the bag (W), the opening of the bag (W), and the filling of the product can be continuously performed. Therefore, the processing capacity (packaging capacity) per minute can be improved compared with the case of intermittent operation.

Effect of the Invention

[0019] The present invention can provide a bag-feeding packaging system that can effectively utilize a curved path to shorten the distance of a straight path in a circumferential path in which a pair of sliders that transfer a held bag travel by a linear motor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a schematic plan view of the bag-feeding packaging system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a front view of the bag-feeding packaging system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a plan view showing the configuration of a pair of gripping tools and a cam rail in the receiving area. [Figure 4] It is a schematic plan view of the bag supply and the receiving area. [Figure 5] (A) It is a view showing a state where the upper part of the bag is opened. (B) It is a view showing a state where a filling nozzle has entered the opened bag. [Figure 6] It is a chart showing the acceleration / deceleration control of the moving speed in each area of the pair of sliders. [Figure 7] It is a plan view showing the configuration for releasing the gripping of the bag in the discharge area.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] This embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The bag-feeding packaging system according to this embodiment is a bag-feeding packaging system that continuously packages by filling the contents from the top of the packaging bag W while transporting the bag W. The contents to be filled into the bag W are, for example, powders and granules.

[0022] <Configuration of the conveying device> The bag packaging system includes a conveying device 10 consisting of a linear motor. As shown in Figure 1, the conveying device 10 has a circumferential circuit 12 that extends horizontally and is composed of straight tracks 13, 14 and curved tracks 15, 16. The circumferential circuit 12 is composed of rails with side surfaces on which electromagnetic coils are embedded, and sliders 2a, 2b, which will be described later, run on these side surfaces. In a plan view, the circumferential circuit 12 is composed of a first straight track 13 and a second straight track 14 of the same length arranged in parallel, with both ends of each straight track 13, 14 connected by semicircular curved tracks 15, 16. In this embodiment, the first curved track 15 is connected to the end R of the first straight track 13 and the beginning of the second straight track 14, and the second curved track 16 is connected to the end of the second straight track 14 and the beginning of the first straight track 13.

[0023] Multiple sliders 2a and 2b are arranged on the circuit 12, and each slider 2a and 2b can travel independently on the circuit 12 by a linear motor. Here, the direction of travel of the sliders 2a and 2b on the circuit 12 is defined as the front-rear direction. The sliders 2a and 2b have four wheels 18, and these wheels 18 roll along the circuit 12 to move, with two wheels 18 provided on each of the upper and lower sides of the main body of the sliders 2a and 2b. In addition, each of the sliders 2a and 2b has a permanent magnet embedded in its main body, and by a command from the control unit (not shown), an electromagnetic coil embedded in the rail is energized, allowing the sliders to travel independently on the circuit 12 without falling off the side surface of the circuit 12. In this embodiment, the sliders 2a and 2b are paired, with the front slider 2a traveling at the front and the rear slider 2b traveling at the rear, and they circulate the circuit 12 in the same direction.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, sliders 2a and 2b each include a support arm 3 (arm) and gripping devices 4a and 4b disposed on the support arm 3. The support arm 3 is attached to the upper part of sliders 2a and 2b so as to extend laterally along the circumferential track 12. In this embodiment, when each slider 2a and 2b travels along the first straight path 13 or the second straight path 14, each support arm 3 extends the same length from the sliders 2a and 2b toward the outer circumference of the circumferential track 12 so as to be perpendicular to the first straight path 13 or the second straight path 14. With this configuration, the sliders 2a and 2b can travel along the circumferential track 12 with the support arms 3 spaced apart in the front-rear and rear-rear directions of travel of the sliders 2a and 2b.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the support arm 3 is equipped with gripping devices 4a and 4b, namely a first claw portion 5 and a second claw portion 6. The first claw portion 5 is fixed to the tip of the support arm 3 so as to extend in the direction of travel of the sliders 2a and 2b. The second claw portion 6 is positioned on the outside of the first claw portion 5, spaced further away from the circumferential circuit 12, and opposite to the first claw portion 5. The second claw portion 6 is positioned on one end of the first rotating arm 7, which is formed in a roughly L-shape. The first rotating arm 7 is rotatably supported near the center of the support arm 3 and is biased by a coil spring so that the second claw portion 6 presses against the first claw portion 5. The other end of the first rotating arm 7 abuts against one end of the second rotating arm 8, which is also formed in a roughly L-shape. The second rotating arm 8 is also rotatably supported by the support arm 3, and a cam follower 9 is positioned on the other end of the second rotating arm 8.

[0026] In the direction of travel of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b, the first claw portion 5 and the second claw portion 6 attached to the slider 2a traveling forward have their tips extending rearward in the direction of travel. The first claw portion 5 and the second claw portion 6 attached to the slider 2b traveling rearward have their tips extending forward in the direction of travel. As a result, the claw portions 5 and 6 of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b constitute a pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b that grip the bag W from the front and rear sides. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the upper part of the bag W is gripped by the gripping devices 4a and 4b.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, a bag transfer path 17 is provided along the circumferential circuit 12 of the conveying device 10 for transporting the bags W. The bag transfer path 17 is a path through which the bags W are transported along the first straight path 13, the first curved path 15, and the second straight path 14 of the circumferential circuit 12, with a pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b supported by support arms 3 on the front and rear pair of sliders 2a and 2b as they travel while their distance from each other is controlled so that they form a pair. The bag transfer path 17 is set up to pass through a processing area located along the circumferential circuit 12. The processing area includes a receiving area 21 for receiving bags W formed from a strip-shaped film F in a pre-processing step, an opening area 22 for opening the top of the received bags W, and a filling area 23 for inserting a filling nozzle 42 from the top of the opened bag W to fill the inside of the bag W with its contents. Furthermore, downstream of the filling area 23, there is a post-processing area consisting of a sealing area 24 where the top of the bag W containing the contents is heat-sealed to seal the top, and a discharge area 25 where the grip of the sealed bag W is released and the bag W is discharged to the downstream discharge conveyor 50.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, upstream of the receiving area 21, there is a bag maker 30 for supplying a strip of film F in the form of a bag as a pre-processing step, a rotary sealing device 31, and first to third conveyors 34, 35, and 36 which are side belt conveyors. In the pre-processing step, the strip of film F, which is continuously drawn from the raw material roll FR via the bag maker 30 at a constant speed corresponding to the packaging capacity, is folded in half so that both the left and right edges are facing upwards. The first conveyor 34 supports and transports the folded strip of film F from both sides by a pair of endless belts. Downstream of the first conveyor 34, the rotary sealing device 31 is located, and downstream of that, the second conveyor 35 and the third conveyor 36 are located in order.

[0029] The rotary sealing device 31 has a plurality of pairs of rotary sealers 32 whose rotation axes are oriented vertically. Upon command from the control unit (not shown), a pair of rotary sealers 32 of the plurality of pairs of rotary sealers 32 rotate at a predetermined speed and clamp the folded continuous film F sent from the first conveyor 34 at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction intersecting the feeding direction of the continuous film F, heat-sealing it and cutting it with cutting blades embedded in the rotary sealers 32. This forms a bag W with an opening only at the top, and the formed bag W is passed to the second conveyor 35. The second conveyor 35 supports the bag W, which has been separated from the strip-shaped film F, between a pair of endless belts and transfers it to the third conveyor 36. The second conveyor 35 transfers the bag W at a constant speed, which is approximately the same as or slightly faster than the first conveyor 34.

[0030] The third conveyor 36 is installed as a bag supply device. As shown in Figure 4, the third conveyor 36 supports the bags W received sequentially from the second conveyor 35 from the left and right by a pair of endless belts and transports them at a constant speed faster than the second conveyor 35, thereby widening the gap between the bags W that will be sent next. By widening the front-to-back gap between the bags W, the gripping devices 4a and 4b can enter between the bags W being transported by the endless belts of the third conveyor 36. The endless belts in the third conveyor 36 support the bags W near the middle in the vertical direction, and the frictional force is set higher than that of the endless belts in the second conveyor 35. The first to third conveyors 34, 35, and 36 are installed relative to the conveying device 10 so as to transport the bags W in a straight line from the first conveyor 34 along the bag transport path 17 which is set along the first straight path 13.

[0031] <Receiving area> The receiving area 21 is located along the first straight path 13 and is the area where a pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b receive flat bags W from the third conveyor 36. The receiving area 21 is equipped with a bag supply device (third conveyor 36) and a bag receiving device for receiving bags W formed in the pre-processing step, with a pair of front and rear sliders 2a and 2b. Specifically, a cam rail 27 is provided on the upper side of the circumferential circuit 12. As shown in Figure 3, when the sliders 2a and 2b travel through a specific area on the first straight path 13, the cam followers 9 of the sliders 2a and 2b come into contact with the cam rail 27, causing the second claw portion 6 to separate from the first claw portion 5, allowing the sliders 2a and 2b to travel through a predetermined section. Then, when the sliders 2a and 2b have completed their journey over a predetermined distance, the cam follower 9 no longer contacts the cam rail 27, and the second claw portion 6 presses against the first claw portion 5 by the spring. In other words, the bag W is gripped by the gripping device 4a and 4b, which consists of the second claw portion 6 and the first claw portion 5, due to the negative force of the coil spring disposed on the first rotating arm 7.

[0032] Each slider 2a, 2b enters the receiving area 21 based on timing information of the rotary sealer 32 cutting the strip-shaped film F and feeding information of the bag W obtained from the rotation pulses of encoders attached to the first to third conveyors 34, 35, 36. They then accelerate and decelerate to match the arrival timing of the bag W, which is supported by the endless belt of the third conveyor 36 and transported at a constant speed, and grip the bag W with their paired gripping devices 4a, 4b. Specifically, first, by accelerating and decelerating the slider 2a that travels forward among the paired sliders 2a, 2b in the receiving area 21, the gripping device 4a of the forward slider 2a grips the front side of the upper part of the bag W that extends upward from the endless belt of the third conveyor 36 while the cam follower 9 of the forward slider 2a is in contact with the cam rail 27. Subsequently, by accelerating and decelerating the rearward-running slider 2b, the gripping device 4b of the rearward slider 2b grips the rear side of the upper part of the bag W extending upward from the endless belt of the third conveyor 36 while the cam follower 9 of the rearward slider 2b contacts the cam rail 27. Once the paired sliders 2a and 2b grip the bag W with their paired gripping devices 4a and 4b, they maintain a distance between the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b corresponding to the width of the bag W and travel downstream of the first straight track 13 at a constant, uniform speed V0 (see Figure 6).

[0033] <Aperture area> As shown in Figure 1, the opening region 22 is located downstream of the receiving region 21 along the first straight path 13 and is the region that opens the top of the flattened bag W. An opening device (not shown) is provided in the opening region 22 to open the top of the bag W, which is gripped by a pair of grippers 4a and 4b, to the largest extent along the first straight path 13. The opening device comprises a rotating body (not shown) that rotates around a vertical axis and a plurality of suction devices (not shown) arranged at regular intervals around the outer circumference of the rotating body. The opening device rotates the rotating body forward in the transport direction to coincide with the arrival timing of the front slider 2a, so that the suction devices come into contact with the vicinity of the top of the bag W during transport and suction the outermost film F of the two overlapping films F in the bag W for a predetermined time. As a result, the top of the bag W can be opened, as shown in Figure 5(A).

[0034] Furthermore, in the opening region 22, as shown in Figure 6, the distance between the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b is reduced by reducing the distance between the pair of sliders 2a and 2b, thereby opening the top of the bag W (P1 shown in Figure 6). The movement speeds Va and Vb of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b are accelerated and decelerated when the two films F are separated by the suction device. Figure 6 shows the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a corresponding to its position on the circuit 12, and the movement speed Vb of the rear slider 2b at the timing when the speed Va of the front slider 2a changes. The movement speed Vb of the rear slider 2b is accelerated from V0 to V2, and at the same time, the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a is decelerated from V0 to V1, thereby opening the top of the bag W. When the bag W is opened, the forward and backward sliders 2a and 2b return to the same speed V0, and travel towards the end R of the first straight path 13 while maintaining the narrowed distance between the forward and backward sliders 2a and 2b. That is, the pair of sliders 2a and 2b travel at the same speed V0 in the receiving area 21, and in the opening area 22, the relative speed of the rear slider 2b to the front slider 2a is temporarily increased to reduce the distance between the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b, thereby widening the opening of the top of the bag W, and then travel at the same speed V0 to the end R of the first straight path 13. As a result, the bag W is transported continuously along the first straight path 13 toward the downstream filling area 23 with its upper opening Wt wide open.

[0035] <Filling area> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the filling area 23 is located downstream of the opening area 22 along the first curved path 15, and is the area where a filling nozzle 42, described later, enters the inside of the bag W in order to fill the contents inside the bag W. A filling device 40 for filling the contents into the bag W is provided near the top of the filling area 23 and the first curved path 15. The filling device 40 comprises a rotating body (not shown) and a plurality (9 in total) of filling nozzles 42 arranged on the rotating body. In a plan view, the rotating body is located on the inner circumference side of the first curved path 15 and rotates at a constant speed corresponding to the packaging capacity, driven by a motor (not shown). The plurality of filling nozzles 42 are arranged along the first curved path 15 at positions equidistant from the rotation axis of the rotating body and at equiangled intervals. Each filling nozzle 42 revolves integrally with the rotating body due to the rotation of the rotating body and can sequentially move at a constant speed along the bag transfer path 17 along the first curved path 15. As each filling nozzle 42 rotates, a cam mechanism (not shown) allows it to slide vertically relative to the rotating body, enabling it to move up and down relative to the rotating body. Although not shown, the filling device 40 also includes a supply mechanism that supplies contents into the filling nozzle 42 at a predetermined position where the lower end (tip) of the filling nozzle 42 is higher than the upper end of the bag W.

[0036] The filling nozzle 42 moves at a constant speed and, for each bag W gripped by the pair of grippers 4a and 4b, enters the bag W from the top and fills it with its contents, and exits the bag W after filling is complete. Specifically, when the pair of sliders 2a and 2b are traveling near the boundary R between the first straight path 13 and the first curved path 15, the filling nozzle 42 begins to descend from above the bag transport path 17 (P2 shown in Figure 6), and the tip of the filling nozzle 42 begins to enter the bag W from the opening Wt. The dashed line H shown in Figure 6 indicates the height position of the top of the bag W (opening Wt), and the area in which the sliders 2a and 2b move with the tip of the filling nozzle 42 inside the bag W becomes the filling area 23. Then, as the pair of sliders 2a and 2b travel along the first curved track 15, the tip of the filling nozzle 42 enters the inside of the bag W as it circles, and the contents are filled into the inside of the bag W via the filling nozzle 42. Once the contents have been filled into the inside of the bag W, the tip of the filling nozzle 42 exits the bag W by rising before the pair of sliders 2a and 2b exit the first curved track 15 onto the second straight track 14 (P6 as shown in Figure 6).

[0037] In this embodiment, the speed of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b that transport the bag W is controlled so that the filling nozzle 42 and the bag W move together in the first curved path 15 as the bag W rotates at a constant speed. The pair of sliders 2a and 2b move along the first curved path 15 in response to the rotational movement of the filling nozzle 42, separating the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b to narrow the opening Wt of the bag W once the filling nozzle 42 has finished entering the bag W in the filling area 23, and maintaining a state in which the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b are evenly separated from the filling nozzle 42 in the front and rear directions. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, when the filling nozzle 42 enters the bag W in the filling area 23, the slider 2a, which travels in front of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b that support the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b, is accelerated from V0 to V3 so that it travels at a faster speed than the filling nozzle 42, while the slider 2b, which travels behind, is decelerated from V0 to V4 so that it travels at a slower speed than the filling nozzle 42.

[0038] The pair of sliders 2a and 2b have their moving speeds Va and Vb controlled, so that when the contents are filled into the bag W, the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b that grip the bag W can move away from each other relative to the filling nozzle 42 (P5 shown in Figure 6). This narrows the opening Wt at the top of the bag W by pulling both ends of the bag W from the front and rear, as shown in Figure 5(B). Then, in order to maintain the size of the narrowed opening Wt, the moving speeds Va and Vb of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b are set to a constant speed, the same as the moving speed of the filling nozzle 42. That is, the moving speeds Va and Vb of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b are returned to V0. The pair of sliders 2a and 2b are controlled to travel such that the distance between them increases when the filling nozzle 42 has finished entering the bag W in the filling area 23 and they are traveling along the first curved path 15, compared to when the bag W is opened in the opening area 22, which is located along the first straight path 13. Furthermore, the pair of sliders 2a and 2b travel continuously from just before the gripping devices 4a and 4b grip the bag W until at least the contents have been filled.

[0039] Furthermore, the timing for accelerating the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a from V0 to V3, and decelerating the movement speed Vb of the rear slider 2b from V0 to V4, is set not only at the timing when the filling nozzle 42 has finished entering the bag W, but also, as shown in P3 and P4 in Figure 6, after the distance between the gripping devices 4a and 4b has finished changing. The reason for this is that even when the sliders 2a and 2b travel from the first straight path 13 to the first curved path 15 at speed V0, as shown in Figure 6, when the front slider 2a enters the first curved path 15, the tip of the support arm 3 is positioned on the outer circumference side of the circuit 12, so the distance between the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b widens (P3), and then when the rear slider 2b enters the first curved path 15, the distance between the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b widens further (P4). Therefore, after the movement of sliders 2a and 2b from the first straight path 13 to the curved path 15, the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a is accelerated and the movement speed Vb of the rear slider 2b is decelerated. This is done to make it easier to calculate the relationship between the movement speeds Va and Vb of sliders 2a and 2b and the distance between gripping devices 4a and 4b, taking into account the relationship between the outer diameter of the filling nozzle 42 and the width of the bag W, which varies in length depending on the type of product. The set value V3 for the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a and the set value V4 for the movement speed Vb of the rear slider 2b are set within a range of values ​​(tolerance range) that allows the opening Wt of the bag W to be narrowed as shown in Figure 5(B), without the bag W becoming too stretched and detaching from the gripping devices 4a and 4b.

[0040] Once the contents have been filled into the bag W and the filling nozzle 42 exits the bag W (P6 shown in Figure 6), the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b is accelerated from V0 to V5. This widens the distance between the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b by an amount equivalent to the outer diameter of the filling nozzle 42, and separates the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b from each other, further narrowing the opening Wt of the bag W and making it difficult for the contents to flow out of the bag W (P7 shown in Figure 6). Then, in order to maintain the size of the further narrowed opening Wt, the movement speeds Va and Vb of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b are set to the same constant speed.

[0041] After the bag W passes through the filling area 23, the forward slider 2a is controlled to accelerate its speed Va to V6 and then return to V0 just before it enters the second straight path 14 from the first curved path 15. This widens the distance between the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b, taking into account the narrowing of the distance between the gripping devices 4a and 4b as the sliders 2a and 2b enter the second straight path 14 from the first curved path 15, and the opening Wt of the bag W is closed (P8 shown in Figure 6). Downstream from the filling area 23, as shown in Figure 1, a sealing area 24 and a discharge area 25 are provided as a post-processing area where post-processing related to packaging is performed on the bag W from which the filling nozzle 42 has exited. The pair of sliders 2a and 2b travel along the second straight path 14 with the opening Wt of the bag W closed and stretched, and transport the bag W to the sealing area 24.

[0042] <Sealing area and discharge area> The sealing area 24 is located along the second straight path 14 and is an area where the upper part of the bag W, which is stretched out by widening the distance between the pair of grippers 4a and 4b, is sealed and sealed. A sealing device (not shown) that seals the upper part of the bag W is provided in the sealing area 24. The sealing device has a pair of sealing blocks that are longer than the width of the bag W. The sealing block grips the upper part of the bag W along the conveying direction so that it does not interfere with the grippers 4a and 4b, thereby sealing the bag. The sealing block moves along the second straight path 14 with the conveyed bag W, sealing the upper part of the bag W, and when the sealing of the bag W is complete, it separates from the bag W and returns to its original position. The sealed bag W is sent to the discharge area 25.

[0043] The discharge area 25 is the area where the gripping devices 4a and 4b release the grip on the bag W and discharge the bag W. A discharge device 51 is provided in the discharge area 25 to release the grip on the sealed bag W and discharge the bag W. As shown in Figure 7, the discharge device 51 comprises a cam rail 52 and a cylinder 53, which are provided on the upper side of the circumferential circuit 12. The cam rail 52 is provided to extend along the second straight path 14. As shown by the solid line in Figure 7, when the cylinder 53 is operated, the discharge device 51 is configured to simultaneously push the cam followers 9 provided on the sliders 2a and 2b toward the inside of the circumferential circuit 12. That is, the operation of the cylinder 53 causes the first rotating arm 7 to rotate against the spring force via the second rotating arm 8, and the second claw portion 6 is separated from the first claw portion 5. The length of the cam rail 52 is set to be longer than the width of the widest bag W among those being handled. Once the gripping of the bag W by the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b is released, the bag W is placed on the discharge conveyor 50 and transported.

[0044] The control unit controls the movement of sliders 2a and 2b. For example, as shown in Figure 6, when the pair of sliders 2a and 2b transport the bag W to the opening area 22, the control unit controls the acceleration and deceleration of each slider 2a and 2b so that the distance between them narrows. Furthermore, when the front slider 2a enters the first curved path 15 and the filling nozzle 42 has finished inserting into the opening Wt of the bag W, the control unit controls the acceleration and deceleration of each slider 2a and 2b so that they move apart from each other. In addition, when the pair of sliders 2a and 2b transport the bag W to the discharge area 25, the control unit issues a drive command to activate the cylinder 53 and releases the grip of the bag W from the gripping devices 4a and 4b. Furthermore, the control unit issues drive commands to operate the rotary sealer 32 of the rotary sealing device 31 in the pre-processing step for forming the bag W, controls the unwinding of the film F from the raw material roll FR, controls the transfer of the bag W by the side belt conveyor, and controls the synchronization between the bag supply device (third conveyor 36) and the conveying device 10 so that the gripping devices 4a and 4b can grip the bag W being transferred by the bag supply device. It also controls the filling device 40 to fill the contents into the bag W from the filling nozzle 42.

[0045] Next, the flow of the transfer of bags W by the bag packaging system according to this embodiment and the processing performed on bags W during transfer will be described. First, in the pre-processing step, a strip of film F continuously drawn from the raw material roll FR is folded in half via the bag maker 30 so that both left and right edges are facing upwards. The folded strip of film F is transferred by the first conveyor 34 and heat-sealed at predetermined intervals by the rotary sealing device 31 and cut. This forms a bag W with an opening at the top. The formed bag W is passed to the second conveyor 35 in a flattened state and supported between a pair of endless belts.

[0046] The flattened bags W transported by the second conveyor 35 are passed to the third conveyor 36 and supported between a pair of endless belts. The bags W are supported near their middle in the vertical direction, such that the top of the bag W extends from between the pair of endless belts. The third conveyor 36 transports the bags W at a constant speed faster than the second conveyor 35. This increases the distance between the preceding bags W and the following bags W.

[0047] The bag W, transported by the third conveyor 36, is grasped by a pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b in the receiving area 21. The cam followers 9 of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b, traveling along the first straight path 13, sequentially contact the cam rail 27. As a result, the first claw portion 5 and the second claw portion 6 of each gripping device 4a and 4b act together, with the gripping device 4a of the front slider 2a first grasping the front end of the upper part of the bag W, and then the gripping device 4b of the rear slider 2b grasping the rear end of the upper part of the bag W. In the receiving area 21, control is performed to accelerate and decelerate the respective sliders 2a and 2b so that the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b can grasp the bag W at a predetermined position.

[0048] When a flattened bag W is gripped by a pair of grippers 4a and 4b, a pair of sliders 2a and 2b supporting these grippers 4a and 4b travel along the first straight path 13 at an interval corresponding to the width of the bag W. When the bag W is transported to the opening region 22, the distance between the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b is narrowed by accelerating and decelerating the movement speeds Va and Vb of the sliders 2a and 2b. At this time, a suction device in the opening device (not shown) comes into contact with the upper part of the bag W during transport and suctions the outermost film F of the two overlapping films F in the bag W for a predetermined time. As a result, the distance between the front and rear grippers 4a and 4b is narrowed (P1 shown in Figure 6), and the top of the bag W can be opened (see Figure 5(A)). The pair of sliders 2a and 2b move to the end R of the first straight track 13 while maintaining the bag W in its widest open state.

[0049] Just before the pair of sliders 2a and 2b enter the filling area 23, the filling nozzle 42 begins to descend from above by the cam mechanism. As the filling nozzle 42 begins to descend, its tip enters the bag W through the opening Wt when slider 2a begins to enter the first curved path 15. When the tip of the filling nozzle 42 has finished descending and the pair of sliders 2a and 2b are traveling along the first curved path 15, the contents are filled into the bag W from the filling nozzle 42. At this time, the distance between the pair of sliders 2a and 2b is widened by accelerating and decelerating the movement speeds Va and Vb of the sliders 2a and 2b. As a result, the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b widens (P5 shown in Figure 6), and the front and rear sides of the bag W are pulled apart from each other, narrowing the opening Wt of the bag W (see Figure 5(B)).

[0050] When the filling of the contents into the bag W is completed in the filling area 23, the filling nozzle 42 rises and exits the bag W. Then, acceleration and deceleration control is applied to accelerate the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a to V5 and then return it to V0, which widens the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b. As a result, the opening Wt of the bag W becomes even narrower (P7 shown in Figure 6). Then, as the front slider 2a enters the second straight path 14 from the first curved path 15, acceleration and deceleration control is applied to accelerate the movement speed Va of the front slider 2a to V6 and then return it to V0, which widens the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b further, and the opening Wt of the bag W is closed (P8 shown in Figure 6). The pair of sliders 2a and 2b travel along the second straight path 14 while maintaining the state in which the opening Wt of the bag W is closed and stretched, and transport the bag W to the sealing area 24.

[0051] When the bag W is transferred to the sealing area 24, a sealing device (not shown) seals the top of the bag W. The pair of sliders 2a and 2b travel along the second straight track 14, maintaining the distance between the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b. The sealed bag W is then transferred to the discharge area 25. In the discharge area 25, the discharge device 51 releases the grip of the bag W from the grippers 4a and 4b and discharges the bag W to the discharge conveyor 50. After releasing the grip of the bag W, the pair of sliders 2a and 2b return to the first straight track 13 via the second curved track 16.

[0052] The bag-feeding and packaging system according to the above embodiment has the following effects. (1) By positioning the filling area 23 along the first curved path 15, the bag-feeding and packaging system can reduce the proportion of the area along the first straight path 13 or the second straight path 14 occupied by the bag transport path 17. In other words, by positioning the filling area 23, which is one of the processing areas in the bag-feeding and packaging system, along the curved path that was previously arranged in conventional transport devices for the purpose of transporting bags W to the next straight path, the device can be made more compact. (2) In the filling area 23, the contents are filled into the bag W with the contents in a state in which the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b is widened so that the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b move away from the filling nozzle 42 that has entered the inside of the bag W. This narrows the opening Wt of the bag W and prevents the contents from flowing out of the bag W. (3) The position of the sealing area 24 along the second straight path 14 makes it easier to adjust the spacing between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b in order to properly seal the top of the bag W. In other words, although it is necessary to keep the top of the bag W taut from before the sealer grips the bag W until the heat dissipates, by positioning the sealing area 24 along the straight path, spacing adjustment can be performed more easily compared to when adjusting the spacing on a curved path (for example, the first curved path 15) where the spacing between the pair of gripping devices 4a and 4b changes significantly with respect to the spacing between the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b. (4) The bag packaging system can prevent interference between the top of the bag W and the entering filling nozzle 42 in the filling area 23 by controlling the movement speeds Va and Vb of the pair of front and rear sliders 2a and 2b and maintaining the state in which the top of the bag W is open as the sliders 2a and 2b travel along the first straight path 13. (5) As the multiple filling nozzles 42 move sequentially along the first curved path 15 at a constant speed, the contents can be sequentially filled into the bags W without stopping the transport of the bags W held by the grippers 4a and 4b. Therefore, in the filling area 23, there is no need for subsequent bags W to wait until the contents of the preceding bags W have been filled, and the processing capacity per minute can be increased. In addition, by moving the filling nozzles 42 in a circular motion, sufficient filling time can be secured. (6) When the filling nozzle 42 enters the inside of the bag W, the forward slider 2a moves forward from the filling nozzle 42, and the rear slider 2b moves backward from the filling nozzle 42. By controlling the acceleration and deceleration of the moving speeds Va and Vb of each slider 2a and 2b in relation to the moving speed of the filling nozzle 42, the opening Wt of the bag W can be narrowed when filling the bag W with contents. Therefore, when the sliders 2a and 2b circle the first curved path 15, that is, when the bag W moves through the filling area 23, it is possible to suppress the contents from bouncing back inside the bag W or the contents from flowing out of the bag W due to the bag W shaking. Furthermore, by adjusting the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b solely by controlling the movement speeds Va and Vb of the pair of sliders 2a and 2b, the weight of each slider 2a and 2b can be reduced compared to a configuration that uses a cam mechanism or the like to adjust the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b. (7) The bag W, held by the pair of sliders 2a and 2b, can move from the receiving area 21 to the filling area 23 of the bag transfer path 17 without stopping. That is, at least the transfer of the bag W, the opening of the bag W, and the filling of the contents can be carried out continuously. Therefore, compared to intermittent operation, the packaging capacity can be improved. (8) The bag-feeding and packaging system according to the above embodiment has the advantage of being able to accommodate changes in the size of the bag W by employing a linear conveying device. For example, in the case of a bag-feeding and packaging machine that uses a pair of gripping devices 4a, 4b attached at regular intervals to an endless cable made of a chain or the like to grip and transport the bag W, and then fills the bag W with contents and packages it, when the width of the bag W changes due to a change in packaging specifications, it becomes necessary to change the mounting position of each gripping device 4a, 4b on the chain. In this respect, with a linear conveying device, it is easy to accommodate changes in the size of the bag W by controlling the distance between the front and rear sliders 2a, 2b. (9) The bag packaging system according to the above embodiment has an advantage over conventional devices in terms of its configuration for adjusting the spacing of the grippers 4a and 4b, as a filling area 23 is provided along the first curved path 15 and a sealing area 24 is provided along the second straight path 14. That is, in the above embodiment, when the contents are filled in the first curved path 15, the spacing between the grippers 4a and 4b widens due to the relationship between the front and rear support arms 3 that extend outwards. Subsequently, when entering the second straight path 14, the spacing between the grippers 4a and 4b widens to maintain a closed and taut state of the opening Wt of the bag W. Even with this in mind, the bag packaging system allows for a wide range of adjustment in the spacing between the grippers 4a and 4b. In conventional conveying devices, it is known that when a pair of sliders enter a curved path from a straight path while maintaining their front-to-back distance, the distance between the tips of the front and rear arms (the pair of gripping devices) extending outwards widens, and conversely, when entering a straight path from a curved path, the distance between the tips of the front and rear arms extending outwards narrows. If the area to be sealed on the bag W is located outside the curved path (outside the circumferential path), when the bag W is stretched and sealed and then moved to a straight path, the heat from the sealant on the heated bag W may not dissipate, causing the distance between the tips of the front and rear arms to narrow, which may result in wrinkles or other damage at the sealed area. For this reason, it is necessary to maintain the distance between the front and rear gripping devices so that the bag W remains stretched on the curved path, and also to apply appropriate tension to the bag W so that it does not detach from the gripping devices. When employing a method that uses a cam mechanism to rotate the arms and maintain the distance between them, the structure becomes complex in order to meet the requirement of a small range of adjustment for the distance between such gripping devices and to accommodate changes in the width size of the bag W due to changes in packaging specifications. Furthermore, when employing a method that maintains the appropriate distance between the arms on curved roads by controlling the travel position of the front and rear sliders, it is necessary to create a program that calculates the positions of the front and rear sliders more precisely, and the manufacturing process becomes even more complex when including the need to accommodate changes in the width size of the bag W.Therefore, as in the bag packaging system according to the above embodiment, by providing a filling area 23 in the curved path and a sealing area 24 in the straight path, the structure and design for adjusting the spacing of the gripping devices 4a and 4b can be made simpler. (10) The bag feeding and packaging system enables continuous processing and increases the processing (packaging) capacity per minute by having a pair of sliders 2a and 2b move along the first straight path 13, and then sequentially gripping and receiving the bags W that are held and transported by the side belts with gripping devices 4a and 4b. (11) The bag packaging system does not require a cam mechanism to be installed on each slider 2a, 2b for tilting the support arm 3 in the direction of travel of the sliders 2a, 2b. Instead, the system controls the travel position of the front and rear sliders 2a, 2b to adjust the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a, 4b, thereby simplifying and reducing the weight of the structure of each slider 2a, 2b. (12) The gripping devices 4a and 4b grip the bag W along the direction of travel, so that the seal block can clamp any part of the bag W within the height range from the upper edge of the bag W to the gripping devices 4a and 4b that are gripping the bag W. (13) In the receiving area 21, by installing only one cam rail 27, the gripping devices 4a and 4b attached to the pair of front and rear sliders 2a and 2b are sequentially held by the side belt (third conveyor 36) and can grip the moving bag W, thus allowing for a simple structure and enabling the bags W to be transported sequentially and continuously. (14) In the discharge area 25, the length of the cam rail 52 is set to be longer than the width of the widest bag W among the bags W being handled, and by bringing the cam rail 52 into contact with the cam follower 9 through the operation of the cylinder 53, the gripping devices 4a and 4b attached to the pair of front and rear sliders 2a and 2b can simultaneously release the gripping of the bags W. Therefore, when changing packaging specifications with different bag widths, it is possible to respond simply by changing the movement control program of the sliders 2a and 2b.

[0053] <Example of changes> The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the embodiments above, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without altering the essence of the invention. (1) In the above embodiment, one side of the bag W was adsorbed on a straight path to open the bag W, but the bag W may also be opened by adsorbing both sides of the bag W. (2) The bag supply device may be configured such that the bag W is picked up by a suction device and passed to the gripping devices 4a and 4b. (3) The gripping devices 4a, 4b and the cam mechanisms for opening and closing the gripping devices 4a, 4b are not limited to this embodiment, and various structures can be adopted. For example, a cam mechanism dedicated to opening and closing the gripping device 4a attached to the front slider 2a and a cam mechanism dedicated to opening and closing the gripping device 4b attached to the rear slider 2b may be configured separately to grip and release the bag W. (4) In the above embodiment, an example of continuous packaging was shown in which all processes of handing over the bag W, opening the bag W, and filling and discharging the product are performed in a continuous manner. However, for example, only the filling of the contents may be performed continuously, and the other processes may be performed in an intermittent manner. Alternatively, some of the other processes, or all of the processes, may be performed in an intermittent manner. (5) The above embodiment shows a configuration in which the filling nozzle 42 moves in a circular motion in one direction. However, it is not limited to this, and when filling contents by intermittently operating the slider on a curved road, the filling nozzle 42 may be moved up and down only, or repeatedly moved along the curved road, or the contents may be filled all at once or in sections using filling nozzles 42 fixed at one or more locations on the curved road. (6) The contents filled by the bag packaging system are not limited to powders or granules, but may also be liquids, for example. (7) In the above embodiment, a method was shown in which the top of each bag W is sealed in the sealing area 24, but the invention is not limited to this, and for example, the tops of multiple bags W arranged along a straight path may be sealed together. (8) The sealing device may also be a system in which the top of the bag W is sealed with a pair of rotary sealers while the bag W is being transported. (9) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the gripping devices 4a and 4b gripped only the upper part of the bag W at two points from the front and back of the bag W. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the upper and lower parts of the bag W may be gripped at two points each from the front and back of the bag W. (10) The bag packaging system according to the present invention also includes a bag packaging system that has additional processing steps such as inspection, printing, and cooling, in addition to the transfer of bags W, opening of bags W, and product filling and discharge processing. (11) In the above embodiment, one example shown is a configuration in which the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b is widened simply by controlling the movement of the front and rear sliders 2a and 2b when the filling nozzle 42 enters the bag W in the first curved path 15. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration can also be adopted in which the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b is adjusted by using a mechanism such as a cam mechanism to tilt the support arms 3 attached to the front slider 2a and / or the rear slider 2b in a direction that separates the front and rear gripping devices 4a and 4b. (12) In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the contents from flowing out of the bag W when the filling nozzle 42 enters the bag W in the first curved path 15, the distance between the front and rear gripping devices 4a, 4b is widened to the extent that the inner surface of the bag W touches the outer surface of the filling nozzle 42, thereby narrowing the opening Wt at the top of the bag W as an example is shown. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the opening Wt at the top of the bag W may be narrowed to the extent that the inner surface of the bag W does not touch the outer surface of the filling nozzle 42 so that large tension is not applied to the front and rear gripping devices 4a, 4b. (13) In the above embodiment, the filling nozzle 42 descends from above the bag W in the filling area 23 and the contents are filled into the bag W from the top. However, the present invention also includes an embodiment in which, for example, the bag W is transported in an inclined state and the filling nozzle 42 enters the inside of the bag W from diagonally above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] W: Bag Wt: Opening Va: Movement speed of the forward slider Vb: Movement speed of the forward slider 2a: Forward slider (a pair of sliders) 2b: Rear slider (pair of sliders) 3: Support arm (arm) 4a: Front gripping device (a pair of gripping devices) 4b: Rear gripping device (a pair of gripping devices) 5: First claw section 6: Second claw section 7: First rotating arm 8: Second rotating arm 9: Cam follower 10: Conveyor device 12: Circuit track 13: First straight track (straight track) 14: Second straight section 15: First curved section (curved section) 16: Second curved section 17: Bag transfer path 21: Receiving area 22: Opening area 23: Filling area 24: Sealing area 25: Discharge area 27: Cam rail 30: Bag maker 31: Rotary sealing device 32: Rotary sealer 34: First conveyor 35: Second conveyor 36: Third conveyor 40: Filling device 42: Filling nozzle 50: Discharge conveyor 51: Discharge device 52: Cam rail 53: Cylinder

Claims

1. A bag-feeding and packaging system that transports packaging bags and fills them with contents from the top of the bags, A circuit consisting of straight and curved sections that extends horizontally, a plurality of sliders that travel along the circuit by linear motors, arms disposed on each of the sliders and extending laterally along the circuit, and gripping devices disposed on the arms, The system includes a bag transport path which, when the sliders, arranged front to back on the circuit, travel in pairs with their spacing controlled, the pair of gripping devices supported by the arms of the front to back sliders grip the bag and move along the straight and curved paths of the circuit, The aforementioned bag transport path is At a position along the aforementioned straight path, the pair of gripping devices have a receiving area where they receive the flattened bag, At a position along the straight path downstream from the receiving area, an opening area is formed that opens the top of the flattened bag by reducing the distance between the pair of gripping devices by reducing the distance between the front and rear of the pair of sliders, A filling area is located downstream of the opening region along the curved path, where a filling nozzle descends from above the bag transport path to fill the contents into the bag, and enters the bag from the top of the bag. Downstream from the filling area, there is a post-processing area where post-processing related to packaging is performed on the bag from which the filling nozzle has exited. A bag-feeding packaging system in which the pair of gripping devices are configured to be spaced apart from each other so as to move away from the filling nozzle when filling the bag with contents.

2. The aforementioned circuit has a second straight road connected to the downstream side of the curved road. The bag packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing area comprises a sealing area for sealing the upper part of the bag which has been stretched by widening the distance between the pair of gripping devices, and a discharge area for releasing the grip of the bag by the gripping devices and discharging the bag, and is located along the second straight path.

3. The bag-feeding and packaging system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pair of sliders travel at the same speed in the receiving area, temporarily increase the relative speed of the rear slider to the front slider in the opening area to reduce the distance between the pair of grippers and open the top of the bag wide, and then travel at the same speed to the end of the straight path.

4. The bag packaging system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of filling nozzles are provided, and each of the filling nozzles moves sequentially at a constant speed along the bag transport path along the curved path to fill the contents into the bag held by each of the paired gripping devices, and exits the bag after the filling of the contents is completed.

5. The bag-feeding packaging system according to claim 4, wherein when the filling nozzle enters the bag, the slider traveling forward of the pair of sliders supporting the pair of gripping devices is accelerated to a faster speed than the filling nozzle, and the slider traveling backward is decelerated to a slower speed than the filling nozzle, thereby pulling both ends of the bag from the front and rear to narrow the opening at the top of the bag, and then the speed of the pair of sliders is kept constant and the same as the speed of the filling nozzle to maintain the size of the narrowed opening.

6. The bag-feeding and packaging system according to claim 2, wherein the pair of sliders move continuously from just before the gripping device grips the bag until at least the contents have been filled in.

Images