Wrap-around Casserole

Abstract

To provide a wraparound caser capable of accurately folding upper and lower side flaps.SOLUTION: A wraparound caser 10 conveys an article M with the article M placed on a bottom surface P3 of a wraparound sheet S. After bending a top surface P1, a front surface P2, a rear surface P4, and front and rear side flaps, upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3 are bent toward front and rear side flaps to seal them, the wraparound case including: a pair of elevating guides 36A and 36B that can be elevated by bending the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3 at a predetermined angle; holding guides 40A and 40B provided downstream of the elevating guides 36A and 36B and maintaining postures of the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3 in a state of being bent at a predetermined angle; and a movable guide 42 that can move forward and backward by pressing the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3 whose posture is maintained by the holding guides 40A and 40B by rollers and pressing them against the front and rear side flaps.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wrap-around caser which seals a case by folding upper and lower side flaps. [Background technology]

[0002] A wrap-around caser is known in which an item to be packaged is placed on a continuously conveyed sheet, and the sheet is folded in sequence to encase the item to be packaged, thereby sealing the item (Patent Document 1). The sheet has a front panel, a bottom panel, a rear panel, and a top panel connected via folds, and is wrapped around the item to be packaged so as to cover the front, bottom, rear, and top. Each panel is provided with side flaps extending outward from both sides, and the front and rear side flaps are folded back and forth to cover the sides of the item to be packaged, while the bottom and top side flaps are folded up and down and glued to cover the front and rear side flaps, so that six sides of the item to be packaged are covered by the sheet.

[0003] In the wrap-around case of Patent Document 1, the bottom and top side flaps are folded up and down by a pair of rod-shaped flap folding guides arranged along the side of the packaged product being transported. That is, the upper flap folding guide is arranged at a position higher than the top panel covering the packaged product on the upstream side and slightly higher than half of the side on the downstream side. On the other hand, the lower flap folding guide is arranged at a position lower than the bottom panel covering the packaged product on the upstream side and slightly lower than half of the side on the downstream side. As a result, the upper side flaps extending horizontally outward engage with the upper flap folding guide as the packaged product is transported and are folded downward in sequence from the downstream side. Similarly, the lower side flaps extending horizontally outward engage with the lower flap folding guide as the packaged product is transported and are folded upward in sequence from the downstream side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4159392 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, friction between the flap folding guide and the upper and lower side flaps becomes large, and the upper and lower side flaps may be twisted backward and stuck as they are. That is, there is a problem that the upper and lower side flaps are shifted diagonally, and a gap is created between the upper and lower side flaps on the downstream side. In particular, the shift is noticeable when the sealed case has a vertical shape or when the case contains products that have gaps between the corners of the case (PET containers, paper containers with caps attached to the top surface, etc.).

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a Lapland case that can properly fold upper and lower side flaps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The wrap-around case according to the first aspect of the present invention is as follows: bottom When an item is placed on the surface Sheet of Delivery A conveying means for conveying a sheet, A top and bottom side flap folding mechanism that folds the top, front, rear, front and rear side flaps to seal the package, and then folds the upper side flap connected to the top and the lower side flap connected to the bottom toward the front and rear side flaps to seal the package. and In a wrap-around case equipped with The conveying means includes an upper conveying chain having a plate for supporting the upper sides of the front and rear surfaces, and a lower conveying chain having a plate for supporting the lower sides of the front and rear surfaces, and conveys the sheet to the upper and lower side flap folding mechanism while supporting the upper and lower sides of the front and rear surfaces of the sheet with the top surface, front surface, rear surface, and front and rear side flaps folded, andThe upper and lower side flap folding mechanism is characterized by comprising a pair of lifting guides that can be raised and lowered to fold the horizontally extending upper and lower side flaps at a predetermined angle, a fixed guide that is provided downstream of the lifting guides and maintains the position of the upper and lower side flaps in a state where they are folded at the predetermined angle, and a movable guide that can be moved forward and backward to press the upper and lower side flaps whose position is maintained by the fixed guides, thereby further folding them and pressing them against the front and rear side flaps that have been folded in advance.

[0008] The wrap-around case according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that in the first aspect, rotatable rollers are attached to the movable guide and the upper and lower side flaps are pressed by the rollers.

[0009] The wrap-around case, which is the third invention of the present invention, is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, it further includes a crimping guide that is provided downstream of the movable guide and further crimps the upper and lower side flaps that have been folded up to the front and rear side flaps.

[0010] The wrap-around case according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that in the third aspect, rotatable rollers are attached to the crimping guide and the upper and lower side flaps are crimped together by the rollers. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a Lapland case in which the upper side flap and the lower side flap can be folded appropriately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a development view of a wrap-around sheet used in a wrap-around caser according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the structure of the wrap-around case of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the wrap-around case of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing the time series of the article packaging processing operation in the wrap-around caser of this embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of a wraparound sheet supported by a plate. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the arrangement of plates of the lower finger supporting the wrap-around sheet. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the arrangement of plates of the upper fingers supporting the wrap-around sheet. [Figure 8] 11 is a side view of the case showing the upper and lower side flaps folded correctly and folded incorrectly. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a development view of a wrap-around sheet used in a wrap-around caser according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The wrap-around sheet S is made of packaging materials such as cartons and cardboard. The wrap-around sheet S packs, for example, a predetermined number of items M into a box shape. As shown in Fig. 1, the wrap-around sheet S in a flat state has the top surface P1, front surface P2, bottom surface P3, and rear surface P4 of the box connected in a row in that order.

[0015] A pair of upper side flaps F1, front side flaps F2, lower side flaps F3, and rear side flaps F4 are connected to both sides of the series of top surface P1, front surface P2, bottom surface P3, and rear surface P4. A seam flap F5 is connected to the side of the top surface P1 opposite to the front surface P2. In addition, creases are provided at the boundaries between each of the surfaces P1 to P4 and at the boundaries between each of the surfaces P1 to P4 and each of the flaps F1 to F5.

[0016] 2 and 3 are a plan view and a side view showing the structure of the wrap-around caser 10 of this embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the article packaging processing operation in the wrap-around caser 10 in chronological order.

[0017] In this embodiment, the articles M are, for example, paper containers filled with a beverage, with a drinking spout and a cap attached to the top. In this embodiment, the containers are packed in a box shape in a unit of 3 x 2 = 6 containers using a wrap-around sheet S. The articles M are accumulated, for example, in 2 rows and 3 columns by an accumulating device (not shown), and then transported by a pusher 14 at predetermined intervals on the supply conveyor 12 as a 3 x 2 densely packed article group G.

[0018] The wrap-around case 10 of this embodiment is disposed downstream of the supply conveyor 12. Between the supply conveyor 12 and the wrap-around case 10, the wrap-around sheet S before being folded is held in an upright state as shown in Fig. 1 so as to block the path of the group of articles G being conveyed (Fig. 4(a)). The wrap-around sheet S is supplied from the side in an upright state, and between the supply conveyor 12 and the wrap-around case 10, the fold line between the front surface P2 and the bottom surface P3 is held at the height of the conveying surface.

[0019] The wrap-around caser 10 includes three lower conveying chains 16A, 16B, and 16C that run in parallel in synchronization. Lower front fingers 18A that support the lower part of the front surface P2 of the sheet S are provided at a predetermined interval on the central lower conveying chain 16B, and lower rear fingers 18B that support the lower part of the rear surface P4 of the sheet S are provided at a predetermined interval on the lower conveying chains 16A and 16C on both sides. The lower front finger 18A is provided with a plate 20A that abuts against the front surface P2, and the lower rear finger 18B is provided with a plate 20B that abuts against the rear surface P4. The lower conveying chains 16A, 16B, and 16C are rotated integrally by a motor 16M via a gear 16G.

[0020] As the group of articles G is transferred to the wrap-around caser 10, the group of articles G is pressed against the front surface P2 of the wrap-around sheet S. At this time, the downstream surface of the front surface P2 of the wrap-around sheet S is supported by the standing lower front finger 18A. As the front surface of the group of articles G is conveyed while abutting against the front surface P2 of the standing wrap-around sheet S, the bottom surface P3 of the wrap-around sheet S is folded, and the group of articles G is transferred onto the bottom surface P3. At this time, the lower front finger 18A also moves at the same speed as the group of articles G to support the lower part of the front surface P2, and the front surface P2, top surface P1, and seam flap F5 of the wrap-around sheet S are in a standing state (FIG. 4(b)).

[0021] Thereafter, in the process of the lower rear finger 18B standing up due to the rotation of the lower conveying chains 16A, 16C around the sprockets, the plate 20B of the lower rear finger 18B engages with the rear surface P4, and the rear surface P4 is stood up by the rotational movement of the lower rear finger 18B (FIG. 4(c)). The wraparound sheet S, with a group of articles G placed on the bottom surface P3 and sandwiched between the lower fingers 18A, 18B (plates 20A, 20B) at the front and rear, is continuously conveyed by the lower conveying chains 16A, 16B in a state in which the seam flap F5, top surface P1, front surface P2 and rear surface P4 are standing up.

[0022] Downstream, there are arranged a top surface folding roller 22, a rear side flap folding tacker 24, and a front side flap folding guide 26 for folding the top surface P1, the rear side flap F4, and the front side flap F2, respectively.

[0023] The rear side flap folding tucker 24 is disposed adjacent to the outside of each of the lower conveyor chains 16A, 16C. Each rear side flap folding tucker 24 has a pair of upper and lower arc-shaped arms 24A that rotate integrally around a vertical axis. The rear side flap folding tucker 24 can swing so that the tip of each arm moves along both sides of the conveyor surface of the wrap-around caser 10, and is driven by, for example, a cylinder 24B.

[0024] When a group of articles G, which is placed on the bottom surface P3 of the wrap-around sheet S and covered by a front surface P2 and a rear surface P4 whose front and rear are folded, passes next to the rear side flap folding tacker 24, the arms 24A rotate and their tips engage with the rear side flaps F4 extending outward from the rear surface P4, folding the rear side flaps F4 forward before they reach the front side flap folding guide 26.

[0025] The front flap folding guides 26 are a pair of upper and lower fixed plate members extending along the conveying direction, and are arranged on both sides of the conveying path of the wrap-around caser 10. The front flap folding guides 26 engage with the front side flaps F2 extending outward from the upright front surface P2 of the conveyed wrap-around sheet S, and fold them rearward. In addition, the tip of the rear side flap F4 folded forward by the rear side flap folding tacker 24 is inserted inside the front flap folding guides 26. As a result, the front side flaps F2 and rear side flaps F4 are kept folded along the side surfaces of the article group G (FIG. 4(d)).

[0026] The top surface folding rollers 22 have three rollers and are arranged above the conveying surface of the wrap-around caser 10, for example near the rear side flap folding tucker 24. The rotation axes of the three rollers are arranged horizontally along the width direction of the wrap-around caser 10, and the rollers are arranged at lower positions toward the downstream side. As a result, the upright top surface P1 being conveyed comes into contact with the three rollers of the top surface folding rollers 22 and is folded rearward (FIG. 4(e)).

[0027] A resin rail 28 extending in the conveying direction is disposed downstream of the top surface folding roller 22 to hold down the folded top surface P1. Three upper conveying chains 30A, 30B, 30C (see FIG. 7) are disposed above and parallel to the rail 28. The upper conveying chains 30A, 30B, 30C are driven in synchronization with the lower conveying chains 16A, 16B, 16C disposed below.

[0028] Upper rear fingers 32A that support the upper part of the rear surface P4 of the wrap-around sheet S are attached to the upper conveying chains 30A, 30C arranged on both sides, and upper front fingers 32B that support the upper part of the front surface P2 of the wrap-around sheet S are attached to the upper conveying chain 30B arranged in the center. The upper rear finger 32A is provided with one plate 34A that abuts against the upper part of the rear surface P4, and the upper front finger 32B is provided with a plate 34B.

[0029] When the top surface P1 is folded by the top surface folding roller 22, the wrap-around sheet S is maintained in a folded state with the top surface P1 by the rails 28, and in the section sandwiched between the lower conveying chains 16A, 16B, 16C and the upper conveying chains 30A, 30B, 30B, the lower side of the front surface P2 is supported by plate 20A and the upper side by plate 34B, and the lower side of the rear surface P4 is supported by plate 20B and the upper side by plate 34A, and is conveyed.

[0030] When glue is sprayed onto the upper portion of the rear surface P4 just before the rear side flap folding tacker 24, and the seam flap F5 is folded by the plate 34A attached to the upper rear finger 32A and pressed against the rear surface P4, the seam flap F5 and the rear surface P4 are glued together. Then, while the wraparound sheet S is transported through the section sandwiched between the lower conveyor chains 16A, 16B, 16C and the upper conveyor chains 30A, 30B, 30B, the seam flap F5 is supported by the plate 34B of the upper front finger 32B and the plate 34A attached to the upper rear finger 32A, and is pressed against the rear surface P4 (FIG. 4(f)).

[0031] Fig. 5 shows a side view of the wrap-around sheet S supported by plates 20A, 20B, 34A, and 34B. Fig. 6 shows a plan view showing the arrangement of plates 20A and 20B supporting the wrap-around sheet S, and Fig. 7 shows a plan view showing the arrangement of plates 34A and 34B supporting the wrap-around sheet S.

[0032] A pair of lift guides 36A and 36B are arranged vertically downstream of the front side flap folding guide 26 so as to be liftable. The lift guides 36A and 36B are rod-shaped members extending in the conveying direction slightly wider than the top surface P1 and the bottom surface P3, and are lifted and lowered by lift guide cylinders 38A and 38B, respectively. In the standby state, the lift guide 36A is located at the top, and when the wrap-around sheet S is conveyed to the same position, it descends to engage with the upper side flap F1 extending laterally from the top surface P1, pushing it down and folding it by about 60 degrees. On the other hand, the lift guide 36B is located at the bottom in the standby state, and when the wrap-around sheet S is conveyed to the same position, it ascends to engage with the lower side flap F3 extending outward from the bottom surface P3, pushing it up and folding it by about 60 degrees (FIG. 4(g)). In FIG. 3, the lift guides 36A and 36B in the standby state are indicated by solid lines, and the lowered lift guide 36A and the raised lift guide 36B are indicated by dashed lines.

[0033] Downstream of the lift guides 36A, 36B, holding guides (fixed guides) 40A, 40B are disposed above and below. The holding guides 40A, 40B are made of fixed rod-shaped members extending in the conveying direction, and are disposed so as to maintain the angle of the upper and lower side flaps F1, F3 bent by about 60 degrees by the lift guides 36A, 36B at about 60 degrees while being conveyed. In addition, a movable guide 42 is disposed at the position where the holding guides 40A, 40B are provided in the conveying direction.

[0034] The movable guide 42 is disposed between the holding guides 40A and 40B at a height approximately half the height of the front surface P2 and rear surface P4, which are conveyed upright, so as to be freely movable in the width direction of the conveyance direction. The pressing surface of the movable guide 42 is provided with a number of rollers that rotate around a vertical axis along the conveyance direction, and can be reciprocated in the width direction by a cylinder 42A. In the standby state, the movable guide 42 is positioned outside the holding guides 40A and 40B. When the wraparound sheet S on which the group of articles G is placed is conveyed, the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3, which are folded at approximately 60 degrees by the holding guides 40A and 40B, are pressed against the front and rear side flaps F2 and F4 from both sides (FIG. 4(h)).

[0035] A pressure-bonding guide 44 is disposed downstream of the holding guides 40A and 40B. On the pressing surface of the pressure-bonding guide 44, a number of rollers rotatable around a vertical axis, similar to the movable guide 42, are disposed along the conveying direction, and the pressure-bonding guide 44 presses and presses the upper and lower side flaps F1, F3 against the front and rear side flaps F2, F4 with a stronger force than the movable guide 42 (FIG. 4(i)). Note that the front and rear side flaps F2, F4 are glued in a state in which the front and rear side flaps F2, F4 are folded by the front side flap folding guide 26 in front of the movable guide 42.

[0036] When the upper and lower side flaps F1, F3 are attached to the front and rear side flaps F2, F4 by the pressure bonding guide 44, the packaging of the group of articles G with the wrap-around sheet S is completed. Then, the group of articles G packaged with the wrap-around sheet S is transferred to a roller conveyor 46 arranged downstream of the lower transport chains 16A, 16B, 16C, and discharged to a device on the downstream side.

[0037] As described above, according to this embodiment, when folding the upper and lower side flaps, the upper and lower side flaps are folded by about 60 degrees by the lift guide, and while conveying downstream while maintaining that angle, the upper and lower side flaps are folded by 90 degrees by the movable guide, and then the upper and lower side guides are pressed by the pressure guide. That is, in this embodiment, the upper and lower side flaps can be folded by a movable guide such as a lift guide or a movable guide, and can be handed over to a fixed guide while maintaining that posture. As a result, in this embodiment, the friction applied to the upper and lower side flaps can be reduced as much as possible while continuously conveying the article (wraparound sheet), and the upper and lower side flaps can be prevented from shifting. That is, unlike the conventional method using only a fixed guide, the upper and lower side flaps are not stuck in a shifted position as shown in FIG. 8(b), but the upper and lower side flaps are stuck in the correct posture as shown in FIG. 8(a).

[0038] In addition, in this embodiment, the friction on the upper and lower side flaps can be further reduced by using rotatable rollers for the movable guide and the pressure guide. In addition, in this embodiment, when folding the upper and lower side flaps, the upper and lower sides of the wraparound sheet are firmly supported by fingers (plates), so that the upper and lower side flaps can be folded normally while the posture of the wraparound sheet is kept correct.

[0039] It is also possible to use a rod-shaped or plate-shaped member instead of placing a roller on the pressing surface of the movable guide, or to make the movable guide movable in the case transport direction, so that when the movable guide moves forward, it transports the case downstream in sync with the case, and returns the movable guide to its upstream waiting position when the next case (wraparound sheet) arrives.

[0040] In addition, the movable guide and the crimping guide may be belts that rotate at the same speed as the case, or the length of the movable guide may be increased without the crimping guide. In that case, the movable guide must be returned to the standby position when the next case arrives, and it must temporarily move away from the case being crimped. However, if the new case is immediately clamped by the movable guide, it can immediately return to the crimping operation, and the crimping operation can be continued without any problems.

[0041] In this embodiment, the lift guide bends the upper and lower side flaps by about 60 degrees, but the lift guide only needs to be able to bend the upper and lower side flaps by 45 degrees or more along the crease line. If the bending angle by the lift guide is small, the gap between the upper and lower side flaps will be large, and the vertical width of the movable guide will also need to be large. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10 Wraparound Casserole 36A, 36B Lifting guide 40A, 40B Retaining guide (fixed guide) 42 Movable guide F1 Upper side flap F2 Front side flap F3 Lower side flap F4 Rear side flap G Goods group M Goods P1 Top P2 front P3 bottom P4 rear S wraparound seat

Claims

1. A wrap-around caser having a conveying means for conveying a sheet with an article placed on its bottom surface, and an upper and lower side flap folding mechanism for folding and packaging the top surface, front surface, rear surface, front and rear side flaps of the sheet conveyed by said conveying means, and then folding an upper side flap connected to said top surface and a lower side flap connected to said bottom surface toward said front and rear side flaps to seal the case, The conveying means includes an upper conveying chain having a plate for supporting the upper sides of the front and rear surfaces, and a lower conveying chain having a plate for supporting the lower sides of the front and rear surfaces, and conveys the sheet to the upper and lower side flap folding mechanism while supporting the upper and lower sides of the front and rear surfaces of the sheet with the top surface, front surface, rear surface, and front and rear side flaps folded, and The upper and lower side flap folding mechanisms include: A pair of lifting guides that can be raised and lowered to bend the upper and lower side flaps extending horizontally at a predetermined angle, a fixed guide provided downstream of the lift guide for maintaining the position of the upper and lower side flaps in a state where the upper and lower side flaps are bent at a predetermined angle; and a movable guide that can move back and forth to press the upper and lower side flaps, the position of which is maintained by the fixed guide, against the front and rear side flaps that have been folded in advance, thereby further folding the upper and lower side flaps.

2. 2. The wrap-around case according to claim 1, wherein rotatable rollers are attached to the movable guide, and the upper and lower side flaps are pressed by the rollers.

3. 3. The wrap-around case according to claim 1, further comprising a crimping guide disposed downstream of the movable guide for further crimping the upper and lower side flaps folded up to the front and rear side flaps.

4. 4. The wrap-around case according to claim 3, wherein rotatable rollers are attached to the pressure guide, and the upper and lower side flaps are pressure-bonded by the rollers.

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