Film packaging machine and method for packaging content-storing container

Abstract

To provide a film packaging machine and a method for packaging a content storage container that prevents the contents from being damaged by container deformation, prevents unevenness on the outer surface of the film roll, and suppresses deformation of resin film due to static electricity.SOLUTION: The packaging machine includes: an incoming conveyor 10 for containers containing strawberries 1; a photoelectric sensor 20 for detecting the size of a container 2; a packaging device 30 for packaging the container 2 with a resin film 50 of a size suitable for the container based on the detection result; and an outgoing conveyor 100 for transporting the packaged container 2. The packaging device 30 includes: a pair of support mechanisms 47 for supporting a film roll 49 of the resin film 50; and a pair of standby mechanisms 58 for holding the resin film 50 between a pair of contact members, each support mechanism 47 including a guide shaft 57 located below the film roll 49 and wound on the resin film 50, and each standby mechanism 58 having anti-static non-slip tape in contact with the resin film 50 laminated on the surface of the contact member below.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film packaging machine that packages containers containing strawberries, grapes, etc. with a resin film of a size appropriate for the size of the containers, and a packaging method for content-storing containers. [Background technology]

[0002] When shipping or selling fruits in autumn or winter, for example when shipping or selling strawberries, a number of strawberries 1 are placed in a container 2 with an open top as shown in Figures 17 and 18, and the container 2 containing the strawberries 1 is set in a film packaging machine (not shown). This film packaging machine then covers the area from the strawberry 1 at the top of the container 2 to both sides with a transparent band-shaped resin film 50, and adheres the adhesive layer of the resin film 50 to both sides of the container 2. After confirming that the strawberries 1 are covered and protected by the resin film 50, the strawberries 1 are shipped or sold.

[0003] Although not shown, a conventional film packaging machine is equipped with an input conveyor that transports containers 2 containing multiple strawberries 1, a packaging device that packages the containers 2 transported by the input conveyor in resin film 50 from a film roll, and an output conveyor that transports the containers 2 packaged in resin film 50 from the packaging device. By mechanizing the packaging work, the machine allows farmers to focus their labor on cultivation, thereby contributing to the expansion of strawberry production (see Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

[0004] Incidentally, the containers 2 are generally manufactured in different sizes, taking into consideration the size and number of strawberries 1, the brand and luxury, the shipping and sales stores of the strawberries 1, etc. For example, the containers 2 are molded in sizes such as (A) 115×170×H45mm, (B) 113.5×164.5×H39mm, (C) 114×164×H43mm, (D) 129×192×H25mm, (E) 133×197×H25mm, etc., and the type is selected and used according to the shipping standards of the strawberries 1. Also, in food retail stores and general commercial facilities, etc., box-shaped containers 2 as shown in Figure 18 are often used, but in farms and direct sales stores where strawberry picking can be enjoyed, tray-shaped containers 2 with shallower bottoms than box-shaped containers are sometimes used (see Figure 19).

[0005] In this way, when containers 2 are different in size, if one type of resin film 50 is used to package two different sized containers 2, it may be possible to package one type of container 2, but the width of the resin film 50 may be insufficient, causing problems in packaging the other type of container 2. Thus, in the past, a film packaging machine capable of packaging three types of containers 2 with two types of resin film 50 suited to their sizes has been developed and proposed (see Patent Document 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-88957 A [Patent Document 2] Publication No. 3197553 [Patent Document 3] Publication No. 3197554 [Patent Document 4] JP 2021-116081 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, although the film packaging machine in Patent Document 4 can package three types of containers 2 with two types of resin films 50 suitable for the sizes of the containers 2, a microswitch comes into contact with the containers 2 transported by the conveyor to detect the size of the containers 2, so there is a risk that the containers 2 will be dented inward when the microswitch comes into contact with the containers 2. If the containers 2 are dented, the strawberries 1 contained in the containers 2 will be damaged, resulting in a problem of a deterioration in the quality of the strawberries 1. This problem is extremely serious because the strawberries 1 are soft fruits that are easily damaged.

[0008] In addition, in the film packaging machine in Patent Document 4, a film roll wrapped with resin film 50 is simply placed on multiple loading rollers, and the multiple loading rollers rotate freely as the film roll is pulled out and rotated, but this causes irregular unevenness to occur on the outer circumferential surface of the film roll. If unevenness occurs on the outer circumferential surface of the film roll, wrinkles may occur in the resin film 50, reducing the quality, or the resin film 50 may not be able to be properly covered on the container 2. This is a serious concern because the appearance of the strawberries 1 and the packaging greatly affects the market value.

[0009] Furthermore, since the film packaging machine in the document 4 does not have any special measures in place to prevent static electricity, for example, in winter, static electricity can cause both sides of the resin film 50 to ripple, resulting in problems such as the arms of the film wrapping mechanism having difficulty gripping both sides of the resin film 50 and interference with the packaging of the container 2 with the resin film 50.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a film packaging machine and a packaging method for content-containing containers that can prevent the container from deforming and damaging the contents, prevent unevenness from occurring on the outer peripheral surface of the film roll, and suppress deformation of the resin film due to static electricity, thereby contributing to packaging containers with resin film. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes an input conveyor for transporting containers containing contents, a detection sensor for non-contact detection of the size of the container, a packaging device for packaging the container in a resin film of an appropriate size based on the detection result of the detection sensor, and an output conveyor for transporting the containers packaged in the resin film from the packaging device, The packaging device includes a stand interposed between the carry-in conveyor and the carry-out conveyor, a main body conveyor for containers that is mounted on the stand and is disposed between the downstream portion of the carry-in conveyor and the upstream portion of the carry-out conveyor, a pair of support mechanisms that are provided on the stand and support a film roll on which a resin film is wound, a pair of standby mechanisms that hold the resin film unwound from the film roll of the pair of support mechanisms between a plurality of contacting and separating members and wait for the resin film to be unwound, a pair of packaging mechanisms that draw out the resin film from one of the pair of standby mechanisms based on the detection result of the detection sensor and use the drawn resin film to cover and package an area extending from the top to both sides of the container on the main body conveyor, and a pair of cutting mechanisms that can cut the resin film drawn out from the pair of standby mechanisms. The pair of support mechanisms are provided at the upstream and downstream parts of the frame, respectively, and are mechanisms for rotatably supporting film rolls of different sizes, The support mechanism includes a support shaft that rotatably supports the film roll, and a guide shaft that is located below the support shaft and that is wound around the resin film from the film roll; The standby mechanism is a mechanism in which an upper contact-separation member faces a lower contact-separation member so as to be vertically movable, and an antistatic non-slip member is attached to one of the facing surfaces of the contact-separation members, the anti-slip member being in contact with the resin film unwound from the film roll; The packaging mechanism is characterized in that it holds both side ends of the resin film between multiple contact-separation members of the waiting mechanism with a pair of arm clamps based on the detection results of the detection sensor, and moves the pair of arm clamps toward the container on the main conveyor, thereby pulling out a predetermined length of the resin film from the multiple contact-separation members and positioning it above the container, and by lowering the pair of arm clamps and bringing them closer to each other, it wraps the resin film around the area from the top to both sides of the container and adheres the adhesive layer on both sides of the resin film to both sides of the container.

[0012] The detection sensor is a photoelectric sensor or fiber sensor equipped with a light-emitting element that irradiates a light beam onto the container and a light-receiving element that receives the light beam, and is preferably installed either downstream of the input conveyor or upstream of the main conveyor of the packaging device.

[0013] The resin film is either a strip-shaped oriented polypropylene resin film or a biaxially oriented polystyrene resin film, and is capable of covering and packaging a region extending from the top to both sides of a container containing contents, with a plurality of packaging regions being partitioned in the longitudinal direction. rectangle The packaging area is formed with a pair of held portions for a pair of arm clamps of a packaging mechanism at both side ends, and an adhesive layer is formed on both side portions adjacent to the pair of held portions, the adhesive layer being located on the inside of the held portions. Belt Shape It is preferable that the above-mentioned structure is formed. The anti-slip member of the standby mechanism is preferably a tape material having mineral particles laminated on a base material, a tape material having a metal film laminated on a base material, or a tape material having a conductive polymer laminated on a base material.

[0014] The packaging mechanism includes a slide mechanism that is provided in the frame and slides a bracket member in the transport direction of the main conveyor, a clamp mechanism that is supported vertically movably on the bracket member of the slide mechanism and slides a pair of block members in the width direction of the main conveyor, and a pair of arm clamps that are respectively attached to the pair of block members of the clamp mechanism, The arm clamp is attached to the block material of the clamp mechanism. inverted L shape The conveyor includes an inverted L-shaped bracket, a base material slidably supported on the upright piece of the inverted L-shaped bracket via a buffer member and oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor, a clamp plate material connected to the base material and oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor, a cylinder attached to the base material, and a pressure plate material connected to the reciprocating part of the cylinder and facing the clamp plate material, and the pressure plate material is raised by driving the cylinder to clamp the side end of the resin film between the clamp plate material and the pressure plate material.

[0015] It is also preferable to attach a stopper for containers to the downstream portion of the discharge conveyor, install an accumulation table for containers on one side of the discharge conveyor, and install a pusher mechanism on the other side of the discharge conveyor for pushing the containers from the discharge conveyor to the accumulation table.

[0016] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is characterized in that a film packaging machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is used to cover the area from the top to both side portions of a container containing contents with a resin film, and adhesive layers on both side portions of the resin film are adhered to both side portions of the container.

[0017] Here, the contents in the claims include at least fruits (e.g., strawberries, cherries, grapes, tomatoes, etc.) and other various foods and ingredients (e.g., rice balls, vegetables, confectionery, etc.). The containers may be transparent, opaque, semi-transparent, box-shaped, tray-shaped, or lidless. The carry-in conveyor, the main conveyor of the packaging device, and the carry-out conveyor are mainly belt conveyors, but may also be roller conveyors. The non-contact detection sensor includes at least a reflective or transmissive photoelectric sensor, a fiber sensor, an imaging camera, or other visual sensor. The resin film may be transparent, opaque, semi-transparent, or may have printed characters or symbols.

[0018] The base material of the anti-slip member of the standby mechanism may be made of metal, resin, or elastomer. The static friction coefficient of the contact surface of the anti-slip tape material that comes into contact with the resin film is preferably 0.4 or more when measured in accordance with ASTM D 1894 from the viewpoint of preventing the contacting resin film from shifting. The region extending from the top of the container to both sides is the region extending from the top of the container to both sides when the contents do not protrude from the top of the container, and is the region extending from the contents at the top of the container to both sides when the contents protrude from the top of the container. The cylinder of the arm clamp may be a required number of air cylinders or a hydraulic cylinder. Furthermore, the term "holding" of the arm clamp must be understood substantially, and includes techniques such as holding, gripping, holding, and pinching in addition to holding.

[0019] According to the present invention, the size of the container is detected by the detection sensor without contact, so deformation of the container due to contact can be prevented. Also, the film roll is rotatably supported on the support shaft of the support mechanism, and the resin film of the film roll is wound around the guide shaft of the support mechanism and fed to the standby mechanism, so that unevenness or wrinkles are unlikely to occur on the outer circumferential surface of the film roll. Furthermore, the anti-slip member of the standby mechanism is antistatic and has antistatic properties, so that the resin film is unlikely to deform due to the influence of static electricity. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the container from deforming and damaging the contents, to prevent unevenness from occurring on the outer peripheral surface of the film roll, and to suppress deformation of the resin film due to the effects of static electricity, thereby contributing to packaging of containers with a resin film.

[0021] According to the invention described in claim 2, since the detection sensor is a non-contact photoelectric sensor or fiber sensor that does not come into contact with the container, there is no risk of the detection sensor coming into contact with the container and denting it, and the contents contained in the container are not damaged and the quality is not reduced. Furthermore, since a photoelectric sensor or fiber sensor is selected, it is resistant to dirt, has a fast response time to be compatible with high-speed lines, has improved detection accuracy, and can extend the detection distance as necessary.

[0022] According to the invention described in claim 3, when the resin film is a stretched polypropylene resin film, excellent transparency, impact resistance, water resistance, and printability can be obtained. Also, when the resin film is a biaxially stretched polystyrene resin film, excellent transparency, thermoformability, practical strength, etc. can be obtained. Also, since each packaging area of ​​the resin film is large enough to cover and package an area extending from the top to both sides of the container, there is little risk of the resin film being insufficient in width or being excessively left over during packaging.

[0023] According to the invention described in claim 4, the anti-slip member of the standby mechanism is a tape material having mineral particles laminated on a base material, a tape material having a metal film laminated on a base material, or a tape material having a conductive polymer laminated on a base material, and the surface of the tape material is made conductive to release static electricity, making it possible to suppress the generation of static electricity when the resin film comes into contact with the tape material or when the resin film is separated from the tape material. Therefore, it is less likely that both side ends of the resin film will be deformed due to the influence of static electricity, which will cause difficulty for the arm clamps of the packaging mechanism to hold both side ends of the resin film, or cause problems in packaging the container with the resin film.

[0024] According to the invention described in claim 5, the clamp plate material and the pressing plate material of the arm clamp that hold the side end of the resin film are roughly plate-shaped with a simple configuration, so that the side end of the resin film can be used as it is as the held part for the arm clamp. Therefore, it is not necessary to divide each adhesive layer into a plurality of parts and arrange the divided adhesive layers in a chain line or a staggered pattern to form the held part, and it is possible to speed up and facilitate the formation of the adhesive layer by forming each adhesive layer into a continuous strip shape. In addition, when packaging a container with a resin film of a size suitable for the size of the container, the base material of the arm clamp that comes into contact with the container slides while bending the buffer member, thereby exerting a buffer function, so that the contents contained in the container can be prevented from being damaged by strong contact with the arm clamp. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a packing operation state of strawberries in a box in an embodiment of a film packaging machine and a packaging method for a content-accommodating container according to the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective explanatory view showing a schematic diagram of a packaging device without a stand in an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a main body conveyor in an embodiment of the film packaging machine according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of a support mechanism with a film roll in an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a support mechanism without a film roll in an embodiment of the film packaging machine according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a continuous resin film in an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9]4 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a contact / separation member below a standby mechanism in an embodiment of the film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a front view showing a pair of upper and lower contact / separation members of a standby mechanism in an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a packaging mechanism in an embodiment of the film packaging machine according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a slide mechanism of a packaging mechanism in an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a rear view that illustrates a clamp mechanism of the packaging mechanism in the embodiment of the film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of an arm clamp of a packaging mechanism in an embodiment of a film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 15] 4 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a detection sensor and a bracket of a cutting mechanism in an embodiment of the film packaging machine according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a cutting mechanism of the film packaging machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 1 is a perspective explanatory diagram showing a state in which a plurality of strawberries contained in a container are wrapped in a resin film. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a box-shaped container. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shallow tray-shaped container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 19, the film packaging machine in this embodiment is a packaging machine equipped with an input conveyor 10 for containers containing multiple strawberries 1, a photoelectric sensor 20 for detecting the size of the container 2, a packaging device 30 for packaging the container 2 with a resin film 50 of a size appropriate for the size of the container 2 based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 20, and an output conveyor 100 for transporting the container 2 packaged with the resin film 50 from the packaging device 30 to the outside. A guide shaft 57 that is wound around the resin film 50 is provided on the support mechanism 47 of the packaging device 30, and an antistatic anti-slip tape 60 that contacts the resin film 50 is attached to the lower approaching and separating member 59 in the waiting mechanism 48 of the packaging device 30, thereby contributing to the achievement of Goal 9 of the SDGs (the United Nations' international goals for sustainable development, consisting of 17 global goals and 169 targets (achievement criteria)) adopted at the United Nations Summit.

[0027] Depending on their size and number, multiple strawberries 1 (e.g., 8, 10, 12, 15, etc.) are contained completely inside container 2 or partially and irregularly protrude from the open top of container 2 (see Figures 1, 3, and 17).

[0028] As shown in Figures 3, 17, and 18, the container 2 is thermoformed into a transparent box shape with an open top from a molding material such as amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (A-PET) resin, which has excellent transparency and workability, and contains multiple strawberries 1 in one or two layers. Containers 2 of the same size are set in a film wrapping machine and wrapped, or containers of different sizes are set in a film wrapping machine and wrapped as necessary. For example, sizes of 115 x 170 x H45 mm and 133 x 197 x H25 mm are selected and set in the film wrapping machine.

[0029] 1 to 3, the carry-in conveyor 10, for example, in the case of a belt conveyor, is equipped with a long frame 11 with a stand, and an endless belt 12 is wound around rollers at both the front and rear ends of the frame 11, and the belt 12 circulates by being driven by a motor such as an induction motor, thereby intermittently transporting a plurality of containers 2 carried on the belt 12 to a packaging device 30 downstream (see the arrow in the figure). The belt 12 of the carry-in conveyor 10 may be, for example, an antibacterial flat belt in which a thermoplastic polyurethane resin belt is laminated onto a polyester resin canvas belt, a stainless steel flat belt which is excellent in washability and cleanability, or a fluororesin flat belt which is excellent in slipperiness and low friction.

[0030] A centering mechanism 13 for centering the containers 2 on the belt 12 is installed downstream of the carry-in conveyor 10, and the containers 2 centered by this centering mechanism 13 are transported to the downstream packaging device 30. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the centering mechanism 13 is equipped with a box 14 having a roughly channel-shaped cross section that is fitted to the downstream part of the carry-in conveyor 10 to allow the containers 2 to pass through, and on both sides of the lower part of this box 14, positioning bars that are oriented at an angle from the outer sides in the width direction of the belt 12 toward the center of the belt 12 are each supported by springs so as to be able to swing horizontally, and the pair of positioning bars are arranged to form a V-shape in plan.

[0031] When a container 2 is conveyed from the midstream portion of the carry-in conveyor 10, the centering mechanism 13 elastically presses against a pair of positioning bars on both sides of the container 2 to regulate the trajectory of the container 2 and aligns the container 2 to the center of the belt 12 to facilitate packaging of the container in resin film 50 by the packaging device 30. The aligned container 2 passes between the pair of positioning bars while swinging them horizontally outward, and is conveyed from the centering mechanism 13 to the adjacent packaging device 30 downstream.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 1, strawberry packing work tables 15 equipped with stands are provided on both the left and right sides of the carry-in conveyor 10 as necessary, and farmers carefully pack multiple strawberries 1 into empty containers 2 on these work tables 15. The containers 2 containing multiple strawberries 1 are placed by the farmers on the circulating belt 12 of the carry-in conveyor 10 and transported to the centering mechanism 13.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the photoelectric sensor 20 is a transmission type sensor that has a light-emitting element 21 that is installed, for example, via a bracket on one side of the downstream portion of the frame 11 of the loading conveyor 10 and that irradiates light rays such as infrared rays toward the other side of the downstream portion of the loading conveyor 10, and a light-receiving element 22 that is installed via a bracket on the other side of the downstream portion of the frame 11 of the loading conveyor 10 and that receives light rays from the opposing light-emitting element 21, and is disposed downstream of the centering mechanism 13.

[0034] In this photoelectric sensor 20, when there is no container 2 between the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, the light beam emitted from the light-emitting element 21 is received by the light-receiving element 22. However, when a container 2 is present between the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22, the light beam is blocked by the container 2 that has passed through the centering mechanism 13, and the photoelectric sensor 20 functions to detect the presence or absence of a container 2 and its length, in other words, the size of the container 2, non-contact and with high accuracy from the time when the light beam is blocked.

[0035] As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the packaging device 30 comprises a base 31 interposed between the carry-in conveyor 10 and the carry-out conveyor 100, a main body conveyor 42 for containers that is installed in the center inside the base 31 and is interposed between the downstream part of the carry-in conveyor 10 and the upstream part of the carry-out conveyor 100, a pair of support mechanisms 47 that are disposed on the base 31 and support a film roll 49 around which a transparent resin film 50 is wound, and a pair of support mechanisms 47 that support the resin film 50 unwound from the film roll 49 in a shape that is formed by the film roll 49. The conveyor 42 is provided with a pair of waiting mechanisms 58 which hold the container 2 sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower approaching and separating members 59 / 61 while maintaining the container 2 in a waiting position, a pair of wrapping mechanisms 63 which pull out the resin film 50 from one of the pair of waiting mechanisms 58 based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 20 and use the pulled out resin film 50 to wrap an area extending from the strawberry 1 at the top of the container 2 stopped on the main conveyor 42 to both side portions of the container 2, and a pair of cutting mechanisms 86 which can cut the resin film 50 pulled out from the pair of waiting mechanisms 58.

[0036] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the stand 31 comprises a main body 33 with a stand 32 which is configured in a box shape with an open top, a number of pillars 34 which are erected at the inner corners of the main body 33, and a control box 35 with a built-in control panel which is supported on the upper parts of the plurality of pillars 34. Inside the main body 33 is built a three-dimensional mounting frame 41 which is surrounded by the plurality of pillars 34, and on this mounting frame 41 are arranged a main body conveyor 42, a pair of waiting mechanisms 58, a pair of packaging mechanisms 63, and a pair of cutting mechanisms 86.

[0037] Below the main body 33, a compressor 36 is installed to drive at least the standby mechanism 58, the packaging mechanism 63, and the cutting mechanism 86, and a pair of connection notches 37 are cut into both side walls of the main body 33, and the downstream part of the carry-in conveyor 10 and the upstream part of the carry-out conveyor 100 are horizontally connected to the pair of notches 37. A transparent protective cover is detachably attached between the multiple support columns 34, and a power supply 38, an emergency stop switch 39, an operation box 40, and the like are arranged on the front wall of the control box 35. The mounting frame 41 includes a flat ladder-shaped base material laid on the inner bottom of the main body 33, and is constructed by arranging multiple straddling members between both sides of the base material, and each straddling member is bent into an inverted U-shape to stand up.

[0038] The main conveyor 42, for example in the case of a belt conveyor, has a frame 43 oriented toward both side walls of the main body of the stand 31, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and an endless belt 44 is wound around a drive roller and a driven roller at both the front and rear ends of this frame 43. This belt 44 circulates by the drive of a motor 45 such as a geared motor, thereby loading containers 2 from the input conveyor 10 onto the outward path of the belt 44 and intermittently transporting them.

[0039] The frame 43 is supported by the base material of the mounting frame 41 in the main body 33 via a buffer mechanism 46 so as to be able to sink, and is connected horizontally at approximately the same height to the downstream part of the carry-in conveyor 10 and the upstream part of the carry-out conveyor 100. The buffer mechanism 46 is, for example, made of a coil spring or the like interposed between the base material of the mounting frame 41 and the lower part of the frame 43 to elastically support the frame 43, and reduces the impact caused by pressing down during the packaging operation of the packaging mechanism 63.

[0040] The belt 44 may be an antibacterial flat belt made of, for example, a polyester resin canvas belt laminated with a thermoplastic polyurethane resin belt, or a fluororesin flat belt having excellent slipperiness and low friction, and is formed to have the same width as the bottom of a typical container 2 or a slightly narrower width. When the belt 12 of the loading conveyor 10 is achromatic, such as white, the color of this belt 44 is preferably a chromatic color, such as green or blue, from the viewpoint of easy identification.

[0041] Such a main conveyor 42 circulates the belt 44 to transport the container 2 from the upstream portion of the frame 43 to near the midstream portion, where it is temporarily stopped, and after the area from the strawberry 1 at the top of the temporarily stopped container 2 to both sides is wrapped and packaged with resin film 50, the belt 44 is circulated again to transport the container 2 from near the midstream portion of the frame 43 to the discharge conveyor 100 at the downstream portion. The temporary stopping and recirculation of the belt 44 is achieved by various sensors (e.g., photoelectric sensors, fiber sensors, pressure sensors, etc.) detecting the container 2 and packaging mechanism 63, setting a timer, etc.

[0042] 2 to 4, the pair of support mechanisms 47 are disposed on the support pillars 34 on the upstream side (right side in Figs. 2 and 3) and downstream side (left side in Figs. 2 and 3) of the frame 31, and rotatably support film rolls 49 of different sizes. One of the pair of support mechanisms 47 supports a film roll 49 of a packaging size suitable for one type of container 2 size in a freely rotatable manner, and the other support mechanism 47 supports a film roll 49 of a packaging size suitable for one or more other types of container 2 sizes in a freely rotatable manner.

[0043] For example, a film roll 49 having a width suitable for packaging a medium-sized container size is supported for free rotation by the upstream support mechanism 47A, and a wide film roll 49 suitable for packaging a large container size is supported for free rotation by the downstream support mechanism 47B. Also, a film roll 49 having a width suitable for packaging a box-shaped container size is supported for free rotation by the downstream support mechanism 47B, and a narrow film roll 49 suitable for packaging a low, shallow tray-shaped container size is supported for free rotation by the upstream support mechanism 47A.

[0044] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, each support mechanism 47 comprises, for example, a substantially channel-shaped bracket 48 mounted between a plurality of supports 34 on the side of the frame 31, a removable support shaft 55 mounted horizontally between the opposing walls of the bracket 48 and supporting the film roll 49 therethrough, and a guide shaft 57 mounted horizontally between the lower parts of the opposite walls of the bracket 48 and positioned diagonally below the support shaft 55, and the long wall of the bracket 48 extends in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42 and is adjacent to the guide shaft 57.

[0045] As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the film roll 49 is formed by winding a continuous and long (e.g., 300 m to 360 m) transparent strip-shaped resin film 50 in multiple layers around a core, and is supported by a support shaft 55 so as to be freely rotatable. The resin film 50 is not particularly limited, but as shown in Fig. 8, for example, a transparent oriented polypropylene (OPP) resin film excellent in transparency, impact resistance, water resistance, printability, etc. is preferably used, and a large number of packaging areas 51 are connected and partitioned in the longitudinal direction, and each packaging area 51 is formed into a rectangular shape to have a size (length and width) that can cover and package the area from the strawberry 1 protruding from the top of the assumed container 2 to both sides. The resin film 50 is formed to have a width of 220 mm to 240 mm and a thickness of 20 μm to 30 μm, preferably about 25 μm, depending on the size of the container 2.

[0046] In the packaging area 51 of the resin film 50, a pattern such as letters (not shown) indicating the brand name and the place of production of the strawberries 1 is printed. As shown in FIG. 8, the held parts 52 for the packaging mechanism 63 are formed in a belt shape with a width of 7 mm to 10 mm at both ends of the packaging area 51, and on both sides adjacent to the pair of held parts 52, adhesive layers 53 located on the inside of the held parts 52 are formed, and each adhesive layer 53 is printed in an achromatic (e.g., white) belt shape (e.g., width 10 mm to 15 mm) with an acrylic adhesive or the like so as to be adhesive to the side of the container 2. In the vicinity of the end of at least one of the pair of adhesive layers 53, a detection mark 54 for the cutting mechanism 86 is printed in an achromatic (e.g., white) flat rectangle with a gap therebetween, and the cutting mechanism 86 operates based on the detection of the detection mark 54.

[0047] A pair of reel plates 56 that hold the film roll 49 to prevent it from shifting are fitted onto the support shaft 55, and each reel plate 56 is formed into a transparent disk. As shown in Figures 3, 6, 7, etc., the guide shaft 57 is formed into a long, thin cylindrical shape, is positioned diagonally below the film roll 49, and is interposed between the film roll 49 and the standby mechanism 58, and is wound with tension on the resin film 50 coming from the film roll 49.

[0048] As shown in Figures 3, 9 and 10, the pair of standby mechanisms 58 are built into the frame 31 and arranged at the upstream and downstream portions of the main conveyor 42, thereby exposing the midstream portion of the main conveyor 42, and the upstream standby mechanism 58A holds the resin film 50 unwound from the film roll 49 of the upstream support mechanism 47A via the guide shaft 57 between a pair of upper and lower contacting and separating members 59 / 61 while maintaining its shape flat, while the downstream standby mechanism 58B holds the resin film 50 unwound from the film roll 49 of the downstream support mechanism 47B via the guide shaft 57 between a pair of upper and lower contacting and separating members 59 / 61 while maintaining its shape flat, thereby allowing the resin film 50 to wait.

[0049] Each waiting mechanism 58 comprises a lower contact-separation member 59 fixed to the base material of the mounting frame 41 inside the main body 33 and spanning the main body conveyor 42, and an upper contact-separation member 61 facing the surface of the lower contact-separation member 59 from above so as to be able to contact and separate from it, the contact-separation member 59 being positioned diagonally below and in front of the film roll 49 and enabling the resin film 50 unwound from the film roll 49 to be unwound forward.

[0050] The lower contact-and-separation member 59 is formed as a pedestal with a generally inverted U-shaped cross section that is passed by the containers 2 on the main body conveyor 42, and its flat surface is formed in a size that can carry the area of ​​the resin film 50 other than the held portion 52, and the resin film 50 that is unwound from the rear is carried on the surface, causing the held portion 52 to protrude laterally to the left and right. An antistatic anti-slip tape 60 that comes into contact with the resin film 50 is laminated and fixed via a fastener on the surface of the lower contact-and-separation member 59, and this antistatic anti-slip tape 60 effectively prevents the held portion 52 and the like of the resin film 50 from becoming wavy and deformed due to static electricity.

[0051] The anti-slip tape 60 is made of, for example, a tape material in which conductive coarse mineral particles are laminated on a substrate, a tape material in which a conductive coarse metal film is laminated on a substrate, or a tape material in which a conductive coarse polymer is laminated on a substrate, and in order to make the resin film 50 slippery, at least the static friction coefficient (surface friction coefficient) of the surface is set to 0.4 or more, preferably 0.4 to 0.90, more preferably 0.45 to 0.88, and even more preferably 0.60 to 0.86. The substrate of the anti-slip tape 60 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, an aluminum foil, a sheet made of polyethylene resin, or a polyethylene terephthalate resin. The static friction coefficient can be measured in accordance with ASTM D 1894.

[0052] Examples of such anti-slip tape 60 include ASH-105Y260250 (product name manufactured by Midori Anzen Co., Ltd.), ASH-55Y260240 (product name manufactured by Midori Anzen Co., Ltd.), and ASH-105BK260251 (product name manufactured by Midori Anzen Co., Ltd.).

[0053] 10, the upper approaching and separating member 61 is formed, for example, in a substantially H-shape in plan view, and is attached to the tip of a reciprocating piston rod 62 of a lifting cylinder made of an air cylinder or the like. This lifting cylinder is attached to a straddling member of the mounting frame 41 in the main body 33, and is connected to the compressor 36.

[0054] The pair of packaging mechanisms 63 are disposed within the main body 33 of the stand 31 and are positioned so as to be able to operate in three dimensions in the space above from near the midstream portion of the main body conveyor 42 to the pair of waiting mechanisms 58, with the upstream packaging mechanism 63A corresponding to the upstream waiting mechanism 58A and the downstream packaging mechanism 63B corresponding to the downstream waiting mechanism 58B, and either the upstream or downstream packaging mechanism 63A / 63B pulls out a predetermined length (a length corresponding to the longitudinal length of the packaging area 51) of resin film 50 from the waiting mechanism 58 based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 20, and functions to cover and package the area from the upper strawberry 1 to both side portions of the container 2 temporarily stopped on the main body conveyor 42 with the pulled-out resin film 50.

[0055] As shown in Figures 3, 4, 11 to 14, each packaging mechanism 63 includes, for example, a slide mechanism 64 attached to a straddling member of the mounting frame 41 in the main body 33, a clamp mechanism 70 supported by the slide mechanism 64, and a pair of left and right arm clamps 79 attached to the clamp mechanism 70. Based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 20, the held portion 52 of the resin film 50 located between the pair of contacting and spacing members 59 / 61 of the waiting mechanism 58 is held by the pair of arm clamps 79, and the pair of arm clamps 79 are moved toward the container 2 on the main body conveyor 42, thereby pulling out the packaging area 51 of the resin film 50 from the pair of contacting and spacing members 59 / 61 and positioning it above the container 2. The pair of arm clamps 79 are then lowered to approach each other, whereby the resin film 50 is wrapped around the area from the strawberry 1 at the top of the container 2 to both side portions, and the pair of adhesive layers 53 of the resin film 50 are adhered to both side portions of the container 2.

[0056] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the slide mechanism 64 comprises a pair of opposing frames 65 attached to the straddling material of the mounting frame 41, and a plurality of slide shafts 66 oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 are mounted between the pair of frames 65 at intervals, and front and rear cylinders 67 consisting of air cylinders or the like are mounted thereon. Plate-shaped cylinder brackets 68 that slide in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 based on the drive of the front and rear cylinders 67 are fitted and supported on the plurality of slide shafts 66, and upper and lower cylinders 69 consisting of air cylinders or the like are attached to the cylinder brackets 68 facing downward.

[0057] As shown in Figures 11 and 13, the clamp mechanism 70 has an elongated base plate 72 supported by the cylinder bracket 68 of the slide mechanism 64 via a plurality of hanging shafts 71 so as to be movable up and down, and a pair of rotatable guide rollers 73 are disposed on both ends of the lower surface of the base plate 72, and an endless timing belt 74 is wound circulatively between the pair of guide rollers 73. The base plate 72 is formed as an elongated rectangular plate and is oriented in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42, and is connected to the tip of the piston rod of the vertical cylinder 69, and moves up and down based on the drive of the vertical cylinder 69.

[0058] A pair of holders 75 located within the timing belt 74 are disposed opposite each other at a distance on the underside of the base plate 72, and a plurality of guide shafts 76 oriented in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42 are aligned and supported between the pair of holders 75. A pair of linear blocks 77 slidable in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42 are fitted and supported at a distance on the plurality of guide shafts 76, and the pair of linear blocks 77 are connected to the timing belt 74 from the inside at a distance.

[0059] A drive cylinder 78, such as an air cylinder oriented in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42, is mounted horizontally on the side of the base plate 72, and the tip of a reciprocatable piston rod of the drive cylinder 78 is connected to one of a pair of linear blocks 77 via a timing belt 74. The drive cylinder 78 reciprocates the piston rod to circulate the timing belt 74 and slides the pair of linear blocks 77 in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42, thereby moving the pair of linear blocks 77 closer to or farther apart from each other.

[0060] As shown in Figures 11 and 14, a pair of arm clamps 79 are attached to a pair of linear blocks 77 of the clamping mechanism 70, so that they slide in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42, approaching each other to clamp the resin film 50 or moving away from both held portions 52 of the resin film 50.

[0061] Each arm clamp 79 is equipped with an inverted L-shaped bracket 80 attached to the linear block 77 of the clamp mechanism 70, and a horizontally long base plate 81 oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 is supported on the lower part of the upright piece of this inverted L-shaped bracket 80. A base plate 81A oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 is slidably supported on the inner surface of this base plate 81 via a plurality of shock-absorbing coil springs 82. An inverted L-shaped clamp plate 83 oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 is connected to the upper part of this inner base plate 81A, and a shock-absorbing piece 84 made of a rectangular column-shaped sponge or the like that resiliently contacts the side of the container 2 is attached to the short upper part of this clamp plate 83 in a horizontal direction.

[0062] An upwardly oriented clamp cylinder such as an air cylinder is attached to the inner surface of the inner base plate 81A, and an inverted L-shaped presser plate 85 that faces and can be moved toward and away from the clamp plate 83 is connected to the tip of a reciprocating piston rod of this clamp cylinder. The clamp cylinder is driven to project the piston rod and raise the presser plate 85, thereby holding held portion 52 of resin film 50 between clamp plate 83 and the short piece of presser plate 85.

[0063] In this type of packaging mechanism 63, the pair of arm clamps 79 move horizontally in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 when the front and rear cylinders 67 of the slide mechanism 64 are driven, the pair of arm clamps 79 move vertically up and down relative to the main conveyor 42 and the waiting mechanism 58 when the up and down cylinders 69 of the slide mechanism 64 are driven, the pair of arm clamps 79 open and close horizontally in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42 when the drive cylinder 78 of the clamp mechanism 70 is driven, and the pressure plate 85 moves up and down relative to the clamp plate 83 when the clamp cylinders of the pair of arm clamps 79 are driven.

[0064] 3, 15, 16, etc., the pair of cutting mechanisms 86 are disposed in the main body 33 of the stand 31, with the upstream cutting mechanism 86A located in front of the upstream standby mechanism 58A and the downstream cutting mechanism 86B located in front of the downstream standby mechanism 58B. Each cutting mechanism 86 is configured to include a detection sensor 87 that detects the detection mark 54 of the resin film 50 held between the standby mechanisms 58, and a cutting mechanism 92 that cuts a predetermined length of the resin film 50 pulled out from the standby mechanism 58 based on the detection result of the detection sensor 87.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 15, the detection sensor 87 is a transmission type fiber sensor that is attached via a bracket 88 between both sides of the spanning material of the mounting frame 41 in the main body 33 and has a light-projecting element 90 that emits infrared light or other light downward, and a light-receiving element 91 that receives the light from the light-projecting element 90 above.

[0066] The bracket 88 is bent, for example, into an L-shaped cross section oriented in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42, and is installed between both sides of the spanning material, and an inverted U-shaped sensor holder 89 that holds one side of the resin film 50 via a gap is screwed to one end of the bracket 88 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction. The detection sensor 87 has a light-emitting element 90 attached to the opposing upper wall of the sensor holder 89 and a light-receiving element 91 attached to the opposing lower wall, and is located on the front side of the lower approaching and separating member 59.

[0067] In this type of detection sensor 87, when there is no detection mark 54 of the resin film 50 between the light-emitting element 90 and the light-receiving element 91, the light-receiving element 91 receives the light beam emitted from the light-emitting element 90. However, when there is a detection mark 54 of the resin film 50 between the light-emitting element 90 and the light-receiving element 91, the light beam is blocked by the detection mark 54, thereby detecting the resin film 50 non-contact, and based on this detection, the cutting mechanism 92 cuts the resin film 50 at the boundary of the packaging area 51.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 16, the cutting mechanism 92 has an H-shaped bracket 93 attached to the center of the bracket, for example, and an air cylinder is mounted on this H-shaped bracket 93 together with its shaft. A base block oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor 42 is attached to the top of the air cylinder, and a cutting cylinder 95 such as an air cylinder is attached facing downward to this base block via an inverted L-shaped bracket 94.

[0069] A bow-shaped heater holder 96 oriented in the belt width direction of the main conveyor 42 is attached horizontally to the tip of the vertically movable piston rod of the cutting cylinder 95. A heater base 97 for heating is attached to this heater holder 96, and a heater wire 98 such as a nichrome wire is stretched between both ends of the heater holder 96 to generate heat and thermally cut the boundary between adjacent packaging areas 51 of the resin film 50.

[0070] 1 to 3, the discharge conveyor 100, for example, in the case of a belt conveyor, is equipped with a long frame 101 with a stand, and an endless belt 102 is wound around rollers at both the front and rear ends of the frame 101, and this belt 102 circulates in conjunction with the main conveyor 42 by being driven by a motor such as an induction motor, thereby loading packaged containers 2 from the main conveyor 42 of the packaging device 30 onto the belt 102 and intermittently transporting them downstream. The belt 102 of this discharge conveyor 100 can be, for example, an antibacterial flat belt in which a thermoplastic polyurethane belt is laminated onto a polyester resin canvas belt, a stainless steel flat belt excellent in washability and cleanability, or a fluororesin flat belt excellent in slipperiness and low friction.

[0071] Fall prevention plates 103 that pinch the packaged containers 2 to prevent them from falling off are attached to both sides of the upstream part of the frame 101 of the discharge conveyor 100, and each fall prevention plate 103 is formed in a roughly T-shape, and a stopper 104 that stops the packaged containers 2 and aligns them in a row on the belt 102 is attached to the downstream part of the frame 101. This stopper 104 is formed, for example, bent into a roughly U-shape in plan, and is installed between both sides of the downstream part of the frame 101 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and comes into contact with the front of the packaged containers 2 that are being transported straddling the belt 102 to stop them.

[0072] An accumulation table 105 for containers equipped with a stand is provided on one side of the frame 101 of the discharge conveyor 100, and a pusher mechanism 106 is provided on the other side of the frame 101 for pushing multiple packaged containers 2 arranged in a row from the belt 102 of the discharge conveyor 100 to the accumulation table 105.

[0073] The pusher mechanism 106 is configured, for example, by mounting a pusher cylinder 107 consisting of an air cylinder or the like connected to the compressor 36 on the other side of the frame 101, a reciprocable piston rod of this pusher cylinder 107 pointing toward one side of the frame 101, and a long, thin pusher plate 108 mounted on the tip of this piston rod capable of contacting the sides of the multiple packaged containers 2. The multiple packaged containers 2 lined up in a row on the accumulation table 105 are packed in a cardboard box (not shown) and shipped.

[0074] Next, a case where strawberries 1 are accommodated and packaged in two different sized containers 2 will be described. For example, when preparing medium-sized and large-sized containers 2 each containing a plurality of strawberries 1 and packaging these one after the other, first, a film roll 49 of a packaging size optimal for the medium-sized container size is rotatably supported by the support mechanism 47A on the upstream side of the packaging device 30, and a wide film roll 49 of a packaging size optimal for the large-sized container size is rotatably supported by the support mechanism 47B on the downstream side.

[0075] Once the film roll 49 is rotatably supported by each of the support mechanisms 47A and 47B, the transparent resin film 50 of each film roll 49 is pulled out between a pair of spaced apart contact-separation members 59 and 61 of the standby mechanism 58 via the guide shaft 57, and the leading end of the resin film 50 is aligned with the front part of the lower contact-separation member 59. Thereafter, the lifting cylinder of the standby mechanism 58 is driven to lower the upper contact-separation member 61, and the resin film 50 is sandwiched between the lower contact-separation member 59 and the upper contact-separation member 61.

[0076] At this time, the resin film 50 from the film roll 49 is wound around the guide shafts 57 of the support mechanisms 47A and 47B in a taut state without slack, so that irregularities, wrinkles, etc. do not occur on the outer peripheral surface of the film roll 49 or on the resin film 50. In addition, the resin film 50 is mounted on the antistatic anti-slip tape 60 of the lower contact-separation member 59, so that the generation of static electricity when the resin film 50 comes into contact with the anti-slip tape 60 or when the resin film 50 separates from the anti-slip tape 60 can be effectively suppressed. In addition, the static friction coefficient of the surface of the anti-slip tape 60 made of mineral particles or the like that comes into contact with the resin film 50 is not less than 0.4 but is 0.4 or more, so that the thin and light resin film 50 can be effectively prevented from shifting position back and forth or left and right, which would cause problems in the packaging work.

[0077] Once the resin film 50 has been clamped in each standby mechanism 58, a packaging mechanism 63 is disposed above each standby mechanism 58, and the clamp cylinders of the pair of arm clamps 79 in each packaging mechanism 63 are driven. Then, the clamp cylinders of the pair of arm clamps 79 are driven to raise the presser plates 85, and the clamp plates 83 and presser plates 85 of each arm clamp 79 hold the held portions 52 on both sides of the resin film 50 protruding from between the pair of contacting and separating members 59 and 61 of the standby mechanism 58, completing preparation for packaging work by the film packaging machine.

[0078] In this case, since the clamp plate 83 and the pressing plate 85 of the arm clamp 79 are not specially shaped such as a rake shape or a Y shape, but are each simply configured as a roughly plate shape, the held portion 52 of the resin film 50 can be used as it is as the held portion 52 for the arm clamp 79. Therefore, in order to form the held portion 52 of a complex shape, it is not necessary to divide each adhesive layer 53 into a plurality of parts and form them individually, or to arrange the divided adhesive layers 53 in a staggered pattern, and each adhesive layer 53 can be formed in a continuous band shape, thereby making it possible to speed up and facilitate the printing work of the adhesive layer 53.

[0079] When preparation for packaging work by the film packaging machine is completed, the carry-in conveyor 10 is started, and the medium-sized container 2 containing multiple strawberries 1 is loaded onto the belt 12 of the carry-in conveyor 10, and then the large-sized container 2 containing multiple strawberries 1 is loaded onto the belt 12 of the carry-in conveyor 10. Then, the medium-sized container 2 is transported horizontally from the upstream to the downstream of the carry-in conveyor 10, and is aligned to the center of the belt 12 while passing through the centering mechanism 13, and is transported between the light projecting element 21 and the light receiving element 22 of the photoelectric sensor 20 to block the light beam, thereby detecting the size with high accuracy. The medium-sized container 2 whose size has been detected is transferred from the downstream of the carry-in conveyor 10 to the main conveyor 42 of the packaging device 30, and is transported horizontally from the upstream part to the midstream part of the main conveyor 42, where it is temporarily stopped.

[0080] Next, when the photoelectric sensor 20 detects that the size of the container 2 is medium, the lifting cylinder of the upstream standby mechanism 58A is driven to raise and return the upper approaching and spacing member 61 to its original position, and the upper approaching and spacing member 61 separates from the lower approaching and spacing member 59, making it possible to pull out the resin film 50. When the resin film 50 can be pulled out, the front and rear cylinders 67 of the slide mechanism 64 in the upstream packaging mechanism 63A are driven to move the pair of arm clamps 79 to just above the container 2, and with this movement, the packaging area 51 of the resin film 50 held by the pair of arm clamps 79 is pulled out from between the pair of approaching and spacing members 59 / 61, and the detection mark 54 of the resin film 50 is detected by the detection sensor 87 of the upstream cutting mechanism 86A.

[0081] Then, the cutting cylinder 95 of the cutting mechanism 92 in the upstream cutting mechanism 86A is driven to lower the heater holder 96, the boundary between the packaging area 51 where the resin film 50 has been pulled out and the succeeding packaging area 51 is thermally cut from above by the heater wire 98, and the pulled-out resin film 50 becomes freely ready for packaging. Also, the lifting cylinder of the upstream standby mechanism 58A is driven to lower the upper contact-separation member 61, and the succeeding resin film 50 is newly clamped between the lower contact-separation member 59 and the upper contact-separation member 61.

[0082] Next, the upper and lower cylinders 69 of the slide mechanism 64 in the upstream packaging mechanism 63A are driven to lower a pair of arm clamps 79 toward the container 2, and the drive cylinder 78 of the clamp mechanism 70 is driven to bring the pair of arm clamps 79 closer to each other.As a result of this lowering and approaching, a resin film 50 is wrapped around the area from the strawberry 1 at the top of the medium-sized container 2 to both side portions, and the adhesive layers 53 on both sides of the resin film 50 adhere to the inclined both sides of the medium-sized container 2 to cover and package it.

[0083] At this time, the pair of arm clamps 79 contact and press down the medium-sized container 2, but as this pressure is applied, the main conveyor 42 sinks due to the buffer mechanism 46, reducing the impact caused by the pressure applied during packaging. This reduction in impact effectively prevents the easily damaged strawberries 1 in the medium-sized container 2 from being crushed and damaged. In addition, as the container 2 comes into contact with each arm clamp 79, the inner base plate 81A of the arm clamp 79 approaches the outer base plate 81 while compressing the multiple coil springs 82, thereby exerting a buffer function, so that the inclined sides of the medium-sized container 2 are prevented from being dented due to strong contact between the container 2 and the arm clamp 79, preventing the strawberries 1 from being damaged.

[0084] Next, when the medium-sized container 2 has been covered and packaged, the clamp cylinders of the pair of arm clamps 79 in the upstream packaging mechanism 63A are driven to lower the pressure plate 85, and the clamp plates 83 and pressure plates 85 of each arm clamp 79 release their hold on the held portions 52 on both sides of the resin film 50, the drive cylinder 78 of the clamp mechanism 70 in the packaging mechanism 63A is driven to move the pair of arm clamps 79 away from each other, the upper and lower cylinders 69 of the slide mechanism 64 are driven to raise the pair of arm clamps 79, and the front and rear cylinders 67 of the slide mechanism 64 are driven to return the pair of arm clamps 79 from directly above the medium-sized container 2 to above the upstream waiting mechanism 58A, and the returned pair of arm clamps 79 again hold the held portions 52 on both sides of the resin film 50 clamped by the upstream waiting mechanism 58A.

[0085] Furthermore, when the medium-sized container 2 is wrapped and packaged, the main conveyor 42 of the packaging device 30 restarts, and the discharge conveyor 100 starts in conjunction with it. The wrapped and packaged medium-sized container 2 is then transported from the midstream portion of the main conveyor 42 to the downstream portion, transferred from the downstream portion of the main conveyor 42 to the upstream portion of the discharge conveyor 100, and then transported to the downstream portion of the discharge conveyor 100 where it comes into contact with the stopper 104 and stops.

[0086] Next, the packaging of large containers 2 will be explained. Like medium-sized containers 2, large containers 2 are transported horizontally from upstream to downstream on the carry-in conveyor 10, aligned at the center of the belt 12 as they pass through the centering mechanism 13, and transported between the light-emitting element 21 and the light-receiving element 22 of the photoelectric sensor 20 to block the light beam, thereby detecting the size with high accuracy. After the size has been detected, the large container 2 is transferred from the downstream of the carry-in conveyor 10 to the main conveyor 42 of the packaging device 30, and transported horizontally from the upstream portion to the midstream portion of this main conveyor 42, where it pauses temporarily.

[0087] Next, when the photoelectric sensor 20 detects that the size of the container 2 is large, the lifting cylinder of the downstream standby mechanism 58B is driven to raise and return the upper approaching and spacing member 61 to its original position, and the upper approaching and spacing member 61 separates from the lower approaching and spacing member 59, making it possible to pull out the resin film 50. When the resin film 50 becomes possible to pull out, the front and rear cylinders 67 of the slide mechanism 64 in the downstream packaging mechanism 63B are driven to move the pair of arm clamps 79 to just above the container 2, and with this movement, the packaging area 51 of the resin film 50 is pulled out from between the pair of approaching and spacing members 59 and 61, and the detection mark 54 of the resin film 50 is detected by the detection sensor 87 of the downstream cutting mechanism 86B.

[0088] Then, the cutting cylinder 95 of the cutting mechanism 92 in the downstream cutting mechanism 86B is driven to lower the heater holder 96, the boundary between the packaging area 51 where the resin film 50 has been pulled out and the succeeding packaging area 51 is thermally cut from above by the heater wire 98, and the pulled-out resin film 50 becomes freely ready for packaging. Also, the lifting cylinder of the downstream standby mechanism 58B is driven to lower the upper contact-separation member 61, and the succeeding resin film 50 is newly clamped between the lower contact-separation member 59 and the upper contact-separation member 61.

[0089] Next, the upper and lower cylinders 69 of the slide mechanism 64 in the downstream packaging mechanism 63B are driven to lower a pair of arm clamps 79 toward the container 2, and the drive cylinder 78 of the clamp mechanism 70 is driven to bring the pair of arm clamps 79 closer to each other.As a result of this lowering and approaching, a resin film 50 is wrapped around the area from the strawberry 1 at the top of the large container 2 to both side portions, and the adhesive layers 53 on both sides of the resin film 50 adhere to the inclined both sides of the large container 2 to cover and package it.

[0090] At this time, the pair of arm clamps 79 come into contact with the large container 2 and press it down, but as this presses down, the main conveyor 42 sinks due to the buffer mechanism 46, reducing the impact caused by the press during packaging work, effectively preventing the easily damaged strawberries 1 in the large container 2 from being crushed and damaged. Also, as the container 2 comes into contact with each arm clamp 79, the inner base plate 81A of the arm clamp 79 approaches the outer base plate 81 while compressing the multiple coil springs 82, thereby exerting a buffer function, preventing the slanted both sides of the large container 2 from being dented and damaging the strawberries 1.

[0091] Next, when the large container 2 has been covered and packaged, the clamp cylinders of the pair of arm clamps 79 in the downstream packaging mechanism 63B are driven to lower the pressure plate 85, each arm clamp 79 releases its hold on the resin film 50, the drive cylinder 78 of the clamp mechanism 70 in the packaging mechanism 63B is driven to separate the pair of arm clamps 79 from each other, the upper and lower cylinders 69 of the slide mechanism 64 are driven to raise the pair of arm clamps 79, and the front and rear cylinders 67 of the slide mechanism 64 are driven to return the pair of arm clamps 79 from directly above the large container 2 to above the downstream standby mechanism 58B, and the returned pair of arm clamps 79 hold the held portions 52 on both sides of the resin film 50 clamped by the downstream standby mechanism 58B.

[0092] In addition, when the large container 2 is wrapped and packaged, the main conveyor 42 of the packaging device 30 restarts, and the carry-out conveyor 100 starts in conjunction with it. The wrapped and packaged large container 2 is then transported from the midstream to the downstream part of the main conveyor 42, transferred from the downstream part of the main conveyor 42 to the upstream part of the carry-out conveyor 100, and then transported to the downstream part of the carry-out conveyor 100 where it collides with a medium-sized container 2 and stops.

[0093] When only multiple medium-sized containers 2 are used to store and sequentially package multiple strawberries 1, the upstream support mechanism 47A, standby mechanism 58A, packaging mechanism 63A, and cutting mechanism 86A are used. On the other hand, when only multiple large-sized containers 2 are used to store and sequentially package multiple strawberries 1, the downstream support mechanism 47B, standby mechanism 58B, packaging mechanism 63B, and cutting mechanism 86B are used.

[0094] According to the above configuration, two types of containers 2 can be packaged with two types of resin films 50 suitable for the packaging size by one film packaging machine, so that the processing capacity is greatly improved and the containers 2 containing strawberries 1 can be packaged quickly and reliably regardless of whether they are a retail store, a general commercial facility, a farm, a direct sales store, etc. In addition, since the photoelectric sensor 20 detects the size of the containers 2 transported by the carry-in conveyor 10 in a non-contact manner, the risk of the containers 2 and strawberries 1 being dented can be eliminated. Therefore, the problem of the strawberries 1 contained in the containers 2 being damaged and causing a deterioration in the quality of the strawberries 1 can be effectively prevented.

[0095] In addition, instead of mounting the film roll 49 on a plurality of mounting rollers so that it can slide, the rotatable film roll 49 is supported in a suspended state on the support shaft 55 of the support mechanism 47, and the resin film 50 of the film roll 49 is wound around the guide shaft 57 of the support mechanism 47 and fed to the standby mechanism 58, so that irregularities and wrinkles do not occur on the outer peripheral surface of the film roll 49. Therefore, it is possible to reliably eliminate the risk that the quality of the resin film 50 will deteriorate or that the resin film 50 will not be able to be properly covered on the container 2. Furthermore, since the non-slip tape 60 is antistatic with antistatic measures, the both side ends of the resin film 50 will not wave due to the influence of static electricity in winter, which will cause difficulty for the arm clamp 79 to hold the held portion 52 of the resin film 50, and will not cause any problems in packaging the container 2 with the resin film 50.

[0096] The installation heights of the carry-in conveyor 10, the work table 15, the packaging device 30, the carry-out conveyor 100, and the accumulation table 105 in the above embodiment may be changed depending on the environment in which the film packaging machine is used. For example, the film packaging machine may be installed higher when used in a strawberry sorting facility, and may be installed lower when used on a tatami mat at a farm. In addition, in the above embodiment, only the centering mechanism 13 for positioning the container 2 is installed downstream of the carry-in conveyor 10, but a drop prevention plate 103 for containers adjacent to the upstream of the centering mechanism 13 may be installed on both sides of the downstream part of the carry-in conveyor 10.

[0097] The photoelectric sensor 20 in the above embodiment may be installed on both sides of the upstream portion of the main conveyor 42 of the packaging device 30. Although the photoelectric sensor 20 in the above embodiment is a transmission type, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a reflection type photoelectric sensor 20 may be used, which includes a light projecting element 21 installed on one side of the downstream portion of the carry-in conveyor 10 and irradiates light toward the other side of the downstream portion of the carry-in conveyor 10, and a light receiving element 22 installed on one side of the downstream portion of the carry-in conveyor 10 and receives light reflected by the container 2. The size of the transported container 2 can be detected by a visual sensor such as a fiber sensor or an imaging camera, instead of the photoelectric sensor 20. The position and number of the compressors 36 can be freely changed as necessary.

[0098] Moreover, as the resin film 50, a transparent band-shaped biaxially oriented polystyrene (OPS) resin film, an olefin resin film, a biodegradable resin film, etc., which are excellent in transparency, thermoformability, practical strength, etc., can be appropriately used. The adhesive layer 53 can be printed in a transparent band shape. The position, number, and shape of the detection mark 54 can also be freely changed as necessary. Furthermore, as long as there is no particular hindrance to the countermeasure against static electricity, an antistatic anti-slip tape 60 that contacts the resin film 50 can be adhered to the flat opposing surface of the upper contact-separation member 61 that faces the lower contact-separation member 59.

[0099] In the above embodiment, a number of air cylinders are used to ensure optimal hygiene for food packaging, but the actuator is not limited to any particular type. For example, electromagnetic solenoids, various motors, hydraulic cylinders, etc. may be used. In addition, a specific motor may be combined with a cam mechanism, a crank mechanism, a screw mechanism, a gear mechanism, a belt transmission mechanism, or a link mechanism to achieve a specific function.

[0100] In addition, a cushioning material such as sponge or rubber can be attached to the portion of the arm clamp 79 that may come into contact with the container 2. The base plates 81, 81A may be the same size and shape, or may be different sizes and shapes. Furthermore, when the belt 44 of the main conveyor 42 is a chromatic color such as green or blue, the color of the belt 102 of the discharge conveyor 100 may be an achromatic color such as white to make it easier to distinguish. [Industrial Applicability]

[0101] The film packaging machine and the method for packaging a content-accommodating container according to the present invention are used in fields such as food packaging. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1 Strawberry (contents) 2 containers 10. Loading Conveyor 20 Photoelectric sensor (detection sensor) 21 Light emitting element 22 Photodetector 30 Packaging equipment 31 Mount 33 Main unit 42 Main conveyor 44 Belt 47 Support mechanism 48 Bracket 49 Film Roll 50 Resin Film 51 Packaging area 52 Holding part 53 Adhesive layer 55 Support shaft 57 Guide shaft 58 Standby mechanism 59 Lower contact member 60 Anti-slip tape (anti-slip material) 61 Upper contact member 63 Packaging mechanism 64 Slide mechanism 67 Front and rear cylinders 68 Cylinder bracket (bracket material) 69 Upper and lower cylinders 70 Clamping mechanism 77 Linear block (block material) 78 Drive cylinder 79 Arm Clamp 80 Inverted L-shaped bracket 81 Base plate (base material) 81A Base plate (base material) 82 Coil spring (buffer material) 83 Clamp plate (clamp plate material) 85 Pressing plate (pressing plate material) 86 Cutting mechanism 87 Detection Sensor 92 Cutting mechanism 95 Cutting Cylinder 96 Heater holder 97 Heater Base 98 Heater wire 100 Discharge Conveyor

Claims

1. A film packaging machine including an input conveyor for transporting containers containing contents, a detection sensor for non-contact detection of the size of the container, a packaging device for packaging the container in a resin film of a size suitable for the size of the container based on the detection result of the detection sensor, and an output conveyor for transporting the containers packaged in the resin film from the packaging device, The packaging device includes a stand interposed between the carry-in conveyor and the carry-out conveyor, a main body conveyor for containers that is mounted on the stand and is disposed between the downstream portion of the carry-in conveyor and the upstream portion of the carry-out conveyor, a pair of support mechanisms that are provided on the stand and support a film roll on which a resin film is wound, a pair of standby mechanisms that hold the resin film unwound from the film roll of the pair of support mechanisms between a plurality of contacting and separating members and wait for the resin film to be unwound, a pair of packaging mechanisms that draw out the resin film from one of the pair of standby mechanisms based on the detection result of the detection sensor and use the drawn resin film to cover and package an area extending from the top to both sides of the container on the main body conveyor, and a pair of cutting mechanisms that can cut the resin film drawn out from the pair of standby mechanisms. The pair of support mechanisms are provided at the upstream and downstream parts of the frame, respectively, and are mechanisms for rotatably supporting film rolls of different sizes, The support mechanism includes a support shaft that rotatably supports the film roll, and a guide shaft that is located below the support shaft and that is wound around the resin film from the film roll; The standby mechanism is a mechanism in which an upper contact-separation member faces a lower contact-separation member so as to be vertically movable, and an antistatic non-slip member is attached to one of the facing surfaces of the contact-separation members, the anti-slip member being in contact with the resin film unwound from the film roll; A film packaging machine characterized in that the packaging mechanism is a mechanism in which, based on the detection results of a detection sensor, a pair of arm clamps hold both side ends of the resin film between a plurality of contacting and separating members of a waiting mechanism, and the pair of arm clamps are moved toward a container on a main conveyor to pull out a predetermined length of the resin film from the plurality of contacting and separating members and position it above the container, and the pair of arm clamps are lowered and brought closer to each other, thereby wrapping the resin film around the area from the top to both side portions of the container and adhering an adhesive layer on both side portions of the resin film to both side portions of the container.

2. 2. A film packaging machine as described in claim 1, wherein the detection sensor is a photoelectric sensor or a fiber sensor equipped with a light-emitting element that irradiates a light beam onto the container and a light-receiving element that receives the light beam, and is installed either downstream of the feed conveyor or upstream of the main conveyor of the packaging device.

3. The resin film is either a strip-shaped stretched polypropylene resin film or a biaxially stretched polystyrene resin film, and is divided into a plurality of packaging areas in the longitudinal direction, each of which is formed in a rectangle capable of covering and packaging an area extending from the top to both side portions of a container containing contents, and a held portion for a pair of arm clamps of the packaging mechanism is formed on both side ends of each packaging area, and an adhesive layer located inside the held portion is formed in a strip shape on both side portions adjacent to the pair of held portions.

4. A film packaging machine as described in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the anti-slip member of the waiting mechanism is a tape material having mineral particles laminated to a base material, a tape material having a metal film laminated to a base material, or a tape material having a conductive polymer laminated to a base material.

5. The packaging mechanism includes a slide mechanism that is provided in the frame and slides a bracket member in the transport direction of the main conveyor, a clamp mechanism that is supported by the bracket member of the slide mechanism so as to be vertically movable and slides a pair of block members in the width direction of the main conveyor, and a pair of arm clamps that are respectively attached to the pair of block members of the clamp mechanism; The arm clamp includes an inverted L-shaped bracket attached to a block material of the clamp mechanism, a base material slidably supported on an upright piece of the inverted L-shaped bracket via a buffer member and oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor, a clamp plate material connected to the base material and oriented in the conveying direction of the main conveyor, a cylinder attached to the base material, and a pressure plate material connected to the reciprocating part of the cylinder and facing the clamp plate material, and the pressure plate material is raised by driving the cylinder to clamp the side end of the resin film between the clamp plate material and the pressure plate material.

6. A method for packaging a content-containing container, comprising using a film packaging machine described in any one of claims 1 to 5, covering the area from the top to both sides of the container containing the contents with a resin film, and adhering adhesive layers on both sides of the resin film to both sides of the container.

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