Packaging body conveying system

Abstract

To provide a package conveying system capable of shortening a processing time until finishing transfer of a plurality of packages, and capable of miniaturizing an entire device.SOLUTION: In a package conveying system, packages W having ear parts 3 are sequentially placed on a conveying device 30 to be conveyed. A first transfer device 20 transfers the packages W to the conveying device 30 so that the ear part 3 is positioned in a direction crossing a conveying direction of the conveying device 30, and that the packages W are aligned along the conveying direction at predetermined intervals. Holding means 45 in a second transfer device 40 descends toward the packages W while moving along the conveying direction interlocking with a conveying operation of the packages W by the conveying device 30, and collectively holds the packages W. Ear folding means 47 folds the ear part 3 of the packages W downward for supporting when the holding means 45 descends toward the packages W. The second transfer device 40 collectively takes up the packages W collectively held by the holding means 45 from the conveying device 30 and transfers them.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a package conveying system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when a plurality of pillow-packaged products are packed in a box or the like for transportation, a method of folding the ears (end seal parts) of a packaging bag and packing them into a box has been used for reasons such as reducing the cost of packaging materials. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a folding device that gradually folds the ears of pillow-packaged packaging bags while transporting them on a conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-104575 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when using the folding device described in Patent Document 1, the edges of the packaging bags are gradually folded while being transported, which increases the processing time until the packaging bags are completely transferred, and the entire device tends to become larger.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a package conveying system that can shorten the processing time required to finish transferring a plurality of packages and can reduce the size of the entire apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the package conveying system of the present invention takes the following measures. First, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a conveying device (30) which sequentially places and conveys packages (W) in which an object to be packaged is enclosed in a bag (2) and an open end of the bag (2) is sealed to form ears (3) along the width direction of the bag (2), and a first transfer device (40) which sequentially transfers the sequentially conveyed packages (W) to the conveying device (30) in such a manner that the ears (3) of the packages (W) are positioned in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device (30) and the packages (W) are lined up at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction. and a second transfer device (40) which collectively picks up and transfers the packaging bodies (W) held by the holding means (45), and which moves along the conveying direction in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging bodies (W) by the conveying device (30) while descending toward the packaging bodies (W) and holds the packaging bodies (W) collectively, and an ear folding means (47) which folds downward and supports each of the ear portions (3) of the packaging body (W) when the holding means (45) descends toward the packaging body (W).

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, the package conveying system includes a conveying device (30) that sequentially places and conveys packages (W). The package (W) contains the packaged item in a bag (2) and has an open end of the bag (2) sealed, and has an ear (3) formed along the width direction of the bag (2) by the sealing. The package (W) sent toward the first transfer device (20) is transferred to the conveying device (30) by the first transfer device (20) so that the packages (W) are lined up in the conveying direction at a predetermined interval so that the ear (3) is located in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device (30). This allows the conveying device (30) to convey the packages (W) with the ear (3) of the package (W) lined up along the conveying direction. The second transfer device (40) includes a holding means (45) and an ear folding means (47). The holding means (45) moves along the conveying direction in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging bodies (W) by the conveying device (30) and descends toward the packaging bodies (W) to hold the packaging bodies (W) together. The edge folding means (47) folds down and supports each edge (3) of the packaging body (W) when the holding means (45) descends toward the packaging body (W). The second transfer device (40) picks up and transfers the packaging bodies (W) held together by the holding means (45). In this way, by folding the edge (3) of the packaging body (W) while holding multiple packaging bodies (W) in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging body (W) by the conveying device (30), the operation of folding the edge (3) of multiple packaging bodies (W) can be performed without stopping the conveying operation by the conveying device (30). Furthermore, the series of operations from picking up the multiple packages (W) with the folded ears (3) from the conveyor device (30) to transferring them can be performed within a certain range in a short time, thereby shortening the processing time until the multiple packages (W) are transferred, and the overall size of the device can be reduced.

[0008] Next, the invention according to claim 2 dependent on claim 1 includes an upstream conveying device (10) having a conveying path (12a, 13a) and sequentially conveying the packages (W) placed on the conveying path (12a, 13a) toward the first transfer device (20), the first transfer device (20) has a plurality of suction parts (23) arranged at predetermined intervals around a vertical axis, each of the suction parts (23) moves around the vertical axis and moves up and down, and The rotary transfer loading device (20) is a rotating transfer loading device that rotates on its axis, and by raising and lowering the suction portion (23), the rotary transfer loading device (20) lifts the packaging body (W) held at a predetermined position (P1) set in the upstream conveying device (10) and places the packaging body (W) in approximately a line at a placement position (P2) set in the conveying device (30) with the ear portions (3) of the packaging body (W) positioned in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device (30).

[0009] According to the invention of claim 2, the packaging material conveying system includes a rotating and transferring device (20) that transfers the packaging material (W) to the conveying device (30). The rotating and transferring device (20) includes a plurality of suction units (23) that move around a vertical axis. The packaging material (W) conveyed sequentially by the upstream conveying device (10) is suction-held and lifted by the suction units (23) at a predetermined position (P1), moves along the orbit of the suction units (23), and is transferred to the conveying device (30). The suction units (23) also rotate around the vertical axis. This allows the orientation of the suction-held packaging material (W) to be changed so that the ears (3) face in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device (30). In this manner, the suction unit 23 holds the package W at a predetermined position P1 within the range of rotation, and while changing the orientation of the package W, transfers the package W to the placement position P2 of the conveyor 30, thereby making it possible to reduce the space required by the entire device, thereby improving the degree of freedom in the layout of the device.

[0010] Next, the invention according to claim 3 dependent on claim 2 is a bucket conveyor in which the transport device (30) includes partition walls (32) arranged at predetermined intervals in the transport direction and storage spaces (S) formed between the partition walls (32), and the bucket conveyor intermittently travels to transport the package (W) each time it receives the package (W) in one storage space (S), and the partition walls (32) of the bucket conveyor (30) at the placement position (P2) are arranged such that, before the package (W) is received at the placement position (P2), the partition walls (32) on the front side in the transport direction are in an upright state and the rear side are in a reversed state. The partition wall (32) on the rear side is in a laid-down state, and after the packaging body (W) is received at the placement position (P2), the partition wall (32) on the rear side is raised to form the storage space (S), and just before the packaging body (W) held and lifted by the suction parts (23) is caused to enter the placement position (P2), the rotating and loading device moves each of the suction parts (23) in a circular movement so that the height position of the lower end (5) of the packaging body (W) held and lifted by the suction parts (23) is positioned lower than the upper end (33) of the partition wall (32) in an upright state at the placement position (P2).

[0011] According to the invention of claim 3, the package transport system includes a bucket conveyor (30). The bucket conveyor (30) includes a plurality of partition walls (32) arranged at predetermined intervals in the transport direction. At the placement position (P2), before the package (W) is received at the placement position (P2), the front partition wall (32) in the transport direction is in an upright state, and the rear partition wall (32) is in a laid-down state. After the package (W) is received at the placement position (P2), the rear partition wall (32) is upright, and a storage space (S) for storing the package (W) is formed between the front partition wall (32) and the rear partition wall (32). The rotating and transferring device (20) moves the suction part (23) around to transfer the package (W) held and lifted by the suction part (23) to the placement position (P2). Immediately before the packaging body (W) enters the placement position (P2), the height position of the lower end (5) of the packaging body (W) is located below the upper end (33) of the partition wall (32) in the standing state at the placement position (P2). By the rear partition wall (32) standing up after the packaging body (W) is placed, the rotating and transferring device (20) does not need to lift the packaging body (W) above the standing partition wall (32), and can release the suction of the packaging body (W) by the suction part (23) at a lower position when placing the packaging body (W) at the placement position (P2). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the packaging body (W) from being displaced due to the impact when it is placed. In addition, the trajectory of the packaging body (W) being transported can be shortened, and the transport time can be shortened.

[0012] Next, the invention of claim 4 dependent on claim 3 is such that the conveying device (30) has guide portions (36) arranged along both side edges extending in the conveying direction, and the guide portions align the packaging bodies (W) placed in approximately a line on the conveying device (30) by the rotating and transferring device (20) in a line before the holding means (45) of the second transfer device (40) holds the packaging bodies (W) together.

[0013] According to the invention of claim 4, the conveying device (30) has guide portions (36) disposed along both side edges extending in the conveying direction. The guide portions (36) align the packages (W) placed on the conveying device (30) so as to be substantially aligned in a line before the holding means (45) of the second transfer device (40) holds the packages (W) together. This makes it possible to align the positions of the packages (W) in a direction intersecting the conveying direction. This makes it possible to align the positions at which the holding means (45) holds the packages (W).

[0014] Next, in the invention of claim 5 which is dependent on claim 3, the packaging body (W) has an outer shape which makes it easy to roll, and the conveying device (30) has support surfaces (34a, 34b) in the partition wall (32) which, when viewed from a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device (30), have a shape which contacts the packaging body (W) and supports the packaging body (W), and the packaging body (W) is conveyed while contacting at least a portion of the support surfaces (34a, 34b) on the front and rear sides in the conveying direction.

[0015] According to the invention of claim 5, the packaging body (W) has an outer shape that makes it easy to roll. The partition wall (32) of the conveying device (30) has support surfaces (34a, 34b) that, when viewed from a direction intersecting the conveying direction, are shaped to contact the packaging body (W) and support the packaging body (W). The packaging body (W) contacts at least a part of the front and rear support surfaces (34a, 34b) in the storage space (S). This prevents the packaging body (W) stored in the storage space (S) from rolling. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present invention can provide a package transport system that can shorten the processing time required to finish transferring a plurality of packages and can reduce the size of the entire apparatus. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of each device constituting a package conveying system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a package according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1, illustrating the positional relationship between the bucket conveyor and the suction portion of the rotary transfer device. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a view of the bucket conveyor in FIG. 1 taken along the line IV-IV. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a view of the hand unit of the second transfer device as seen from the right side. [Figure 6] 6 is a view of the hand unit of the second transfer device as viewed from the VI direction in FIG. 5, illustrating a state in which the hand unit has been lowered toward the package. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the edge folding plates in the hand portion of the second transfer device are close to each other. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The package conveying system according to the present embodiment is a conveying system that conveys a package W containing an article to be packaged. In the present embodiment, the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction are defined as shown in each drawing.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1, the packaging material conveying system includes an upstream conveying device 10, a rotary transfer device 20 (first transfer device), a bucket conveyor 30 (conveying device), a second transfer device 40, a transfer station 50, a packing station 60, and a control unit that issues drive commands to these devices 10 to 60. In the packaging material conveying system, the upstream conveying device 10 receives a packaging material W conveyed out from a packaging machine (not shown), the packaging material W placed on the upstream conveying device 10 is sequentially conveyed toward the rotary transfer device 20 (in the direction of A1 shown in Fig. 1), the packaging material W is transferred to the bucket conveyor 30 by the rotary transfer device 20 at the end of the upstream conveying device 10, the packaging material W placed on the bucket conveyor 30 is conveyed in the direction of A2 shown in Fig. 1, and the second transfer device 40 transfers the packaging material W on the bucket conveyor 30 to the transfer station 50.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the package W according to this embodiment is a pillow package in which an approximately cylindrical packaged item (not shown) is contained in an elongated bag-like bag 2, and the open end of the bag 2 is sealed by end sealing along the width direction of the bag 2. The package W has flat ears 3 formed by sealing the bag 2 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the package W. Since the package W contains an approximately cylindrical packaged item, the package W has an approximately cylindrical outer shape whose side surface is easy to roll. The package W is placed and transported with the ears 3 extending in an approximately horizontal direction so that the height position of the tip of the ears 3 is approximately at the center of the package W until the ears 3 are folded by the hand unit 43 of the second transfer device 40 described later.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the upstream conveying device 10 is equipped with two rows of endless belts 12, 13 that are controlled to run continuously at a constant speed. The packaging body W is placed between the conveying paths 12a, 13a of these belts 12, 13, and the packaging body W is supported by the conveying paths 12a, 13a and sequentially conveyed toward the rotating and transferring device 20. The packaging body W is placed and conveyed at irregular intervals so that the longitudinal direction of the packaging body W faces the conveying direction (direction A1) of the upstream conveying device 10. In this way, by placing the packaging body W between the two rows of belts 12, 13 and conveying it, the packaging body W is prevented from rolling in the width direction of the conveying paths 12a, 13a (front-rear direction in FIG. 1) during conveyance. In a predetermined area downstream of the upstream conveying device 10, a predetermined position P1 is set at which the suction unit 23 of the rotating and transferring device 20 described later suctions the packaging body W. The predetermined position P1 is located within a range in which the suction unit 23 moves around. Further, a detection sensor 14 for detecting the packaging material W is provided upstream of the predetermined position P1.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the rotary transfer device 20 (first transfer device) sequentially places the packages W sequentially conveyed by the upstream conveying device 10 on the bucket conveyor 30 (conveying device) so that the ears 3 of the packages W are positioned in a direction (left-right direction) intersecting the conveying direction (direction of A2) of the bucket conveyor 30 and so that the packages W are aligned approximately in a line at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction. The rotary transfer device 20 includes a rotating body 21 supported to be rotatable about a vertical axis and an adsorption unit 23 capable of adsorbing and holding the packages W. The rotating body 21 is rotated clockwise about the rotation axis Q by a drive motor (not shown) that is driven and controlled in response to a drive command from the control unit. A plurality of adsorption units 23 (six in this embodiment) are arranged at predetermined intervals around the vertical axis along the periphery of the rotating body 21, and are supported by being suspended via rod-shaped support members 25 that hang down from the periphery of the rotating body 21.

[0023] The rotary transfer device 20 is equipped with a cam mechanism that changes the height position of the support member 25 by a cam (not shown) provided on the rotating body 21. The suction parts 23 move in circles around the vertical axis (centered on the rotation axis Q) as the rotating body 21 rotates, and move up and down according to the height position of the support member 25 by the cam mechanism. Each suction part 23 is connected to the rotating body 21 via a pool belt and rotates around the vertical axis as the rotating body 21 rotates, and rotates 90 degrees when the suction part 23 moves from the predetermined position P1 to the placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30. Note that the rotation of each suction part 23 may be driven by a separate drive such as a motor drive instead of by the pool belt.

[0024] The suction unit 23 suctions and holds the packaging body W with the suction surface 23a on the lower side. The suction surface 23a is formed in a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the side peripheral surface of the packaging body W. This makes it possible to more stabilize the posture of the held packaging body W. After the suction unit 23 suctions and holds the packaging body W at a predetermined position P1 on the conveying paths 12a, 13a of the upstream conveying device 10, the suction unit 23 rotates about 90 degrees toward the placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30 and moves upward while suctioning and holding the packaging body W. Furthermore, the suction unit 23 rotates on its axis so that the tip of the ear portion 3 of the packaging body W faces the left and right directions. Then, when the packaging body W is transferred to the placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30, the suction unit 23 releases the suction of the packaging body W. The transfer height of the packaging body W is set so that immediately before the suction unit 23 causes the packaging body W to enter the placement position P2, the height position H1 of the lower end 5 of the raised packaging body W is lower than the height position H2 of the upper end 33 of the upright partition wall 32 of the bucket conveyor 30. The suction unit 23 is configured to move upward after releasing the suction of the packaging body W to prevent interference with the partition wall 32 of the bucket conveyor 30.

[0025] The rotating and transferring device 20 lifts the packaging body W held at a predetermined position P1 set in the upstream conveying device 10 by raising and lowering the suction part 23, and lowers the packaging body W to a placement position P2 set in the bucket conveyor 30, and releases and places the packaging body W at a predetermined timing. The packaging bodies W are sequentially placed so that the ears 3 of the packaging body W are positioned in a left-right direction intersecting with the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30 and are lined up in a row along the conveying direction. In other words, the packaging bodies W are sequentially placed so that the tips of the ears 3 face the left-right direction and so that the packaging bodies W are lined up in approximate positions without being significantly misaligned in the left-right direction.

[0026] The rotary transfer device 20 is configured to change the rotation speed of the rotor 21 so as to adsorb the center of the packaging body W at the predetermined position P1 based on the detection information detected by the detection sensor 14 of the upstream conveying device 10 and the information on the feed amount of the packaging body W obtained from the encoder pulse attached to the belts 12 and 13. For example, when the interval between the packaging bodies W is wide, the rotation speed is reduced. When the interval between the packaging bodies W is narrow, the rotation speed is accelerated. The adsorption section 23 moves to the predetermined position P1 in accordance with the timing when the packaging body W reaches the predetermined position P1, and adsorbs the center of the packaging body W. In addition, since there is a limit value for the deceleration or acceleration of the rotation speed, when the packaging body W cannot be adsorbed even when the speed is changed to this limit value, the packaging body W is not adsorbed and the packaging body W is discharged from the conveying end of the upstream conveying device 10.

[0027] The bucket conveyor 30 has a plurality of partition walls 32 arranged at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction on the outer periphery of an endless rope (chain 39) that runs in a circumferential direction while being supported by a main body 38. A storage space S for storing one package W is formed between each of the front and rear partition walls 32. The bucket conveyor 30 runs intermittently by a drive source (not shown) such as a servo motor each time it receives one package W into one storage space S. A placement position P2 where the bucket conveyor 30 receives the package W is set at the conveying start end of the bucket conveyor 30.

[0028] At the placement position P2, the partition wall 32 is in a state where the front partition wall 32 in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30 is erected and the rear partition wall 32 is laid down before the packaging body W is received at the placement position P2. The state where the rear partition wall 32 is laid down means that the rear partition wall 32 and the packaging body W are in a position where they do not come into contact with each other when the packaging body W is conveyed from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30 to the placement position P2. After the packaging body W is received at the placement position P2, the rear partition wall 32 is erected while the chain 39 moves in the conveying direction, forming the storage space S. A detection switch 31 that detects the packaging body W being transferred by the rotating and transferring device 20 is provided in front of the placement position P2 (in front of the upstream side in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30 and to the side of the bucket conveyor 30). When the bucket conveyor 30 receives the package W at the placement position P2 based on the detection information of the package W detected by the detection switch 31, one partition wall 32 rises and the bucket conveyor 30 is controlled to travel one storage space S.

[0029] The partition wall 32 has support surfaces 34a, 34b for supporting the packaging body W on both the front and rear sides in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30. The support surfaces 34a, 34b are shaped to contact the packaging body W and support the packaging body W when viewed from the left-right direction intersecting the conveying direction. Specifically, the support surfaces 34a, 34b are formed in a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the side peripheral surface of the packaging body W. The conveying device is configured so that the packaging body W is supported and conveyed in such a manner that it contacts at least a part of the support surfaces 34a, 34b on the front and rear sides in the conveying direction and the placement surface 34c formed by the front and rear partition walls so that the ears 3 extend in a substantially horizontal direction. The ears 3 of the packaging body W in the storage space S are located outside the partition wall 32 in the left-right direction. In addition, a holding area P3 is set on the downstream side of the bucket conveyor 30 as an area where the hand unit 43 of the second transfer device 40 described later holds the packaging bodies W together with the suction unit 45. The length of the holding area P3 in the conveying direction is set to a length corresponding to 15 to 16 storage spaces S lined up from the center of the bucket conveyor 30 to the downstream.

[0030] 1 and 4, the bucket conveyor 30 includes side guides 36 (guide portions) disposed along both side edges of the bucket conveyor 30 extending in the conveying direction, and a lower guide 37. The side guides 36 are positioned above the lower guides 37 and on the outer sides in the width direction (left-right direction).

[0031] The lateral guide 36 is composed of a pair of band-like members supported on the main body 38 via support members, and is disposed on both the left and right sides of the partition walls 32 aligned along the conveying direction (front-rear direction) so that the wide flat surfaces of the band-like members face each other across the partition walls 32. The lateral guide 36 extends along the conveying direction from the upstream of the bucket conveyor 30 to just before the holding area P3.

[0032] The start end 36c of the lateral guide 36 is expanded in the width direction so as to have a V-shape in a plan view, and the width of the lateral guide 36 narrows in the conveying direction according to the left-right length of the package W. From the downstream of the start end 36c of the lateral guide 36 to the end, the left-right width of the lateral guide 36 is approximately the same as the left-right length of the package W before the ears 3 are folded (the length from the tip of one ear 3 to the tip of the other ear 3). The lateral guide 36 is disposed so as to be located outside the tips of the ears 3 of the package W in the left-right direction. The lateral guide 36 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction so that the width of the lateral guide 36 can be adjusted according to the left-right length of the package W. The height position of the lateral guide 36 corresponds to the height of the ears 3 of the package W in the storage space S, and the ears 3 are set to be located between the upper edge 36a and the lower edge 36b of the lateral guide 36.

[0033] With the above configuration, the lateral guide 36 aligns the packaging bodies W placed by the rotary transfer device 20 so as to be aligned substantially in a line before the hand unit 43 of the second transfer device 40 collectively holds the packaging bodies W in the holding area P3. In other words, the lateral guide 36 adjusts any deviation in the left-right direction of the packaging bodies W in the storage space S, and aligns the packaging bodies W so that they are aligned in a straight line.

[0034] The lower guide 37 is located below the lateral guide 36 and on the inside in the width direction (left-right direction). The lower guide 37 is made of a strip-shaped member supported by the main body 38 via a support member, and is arranged on both the left and right sides of the partition walls 32 aligned along the conveying direction so that the wide flat surfaces of the strip-shaped members face each other across the partition walls 32. The lower guide 37 extends from upstream of the bucket conveyor 30 and just before the start end 36c of the lateral guide 36 along the conveying direction to just before the end end of the lateral guide 36. The lower guide 37 is configured not to extend into the holding area P3 so that the edge folding plate 47 and the lower guide 37 do not interfere with each other when folding the edge 3.

[0035] The starting end 37c of the lower guide 37 is expanded in the width direction so as to have a V-shape in a plan view, and the width of the lower guide 37 narrows toward the conveying direction in accordance with the position of the ear 3 in the left-right direction of the package W. From downstream of the starting end 37c of the lower guide 37 to the terminal end, the left-right width of the lower guide 37 is set so as to support from below the vicinity of the center of the ear 3 extending in the substantially horizontal direction. The lower guide 37 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction so as to be adjustable according to the left-right length of the package W.

[0036] At the starting end 37c of the lower guide 37, an upper edge 37a of the lower guide 37 is configured to be inclined from below to above in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30. The height position of the lower guide 37 is set so that, from downstream of the starting end 37c of the lower guide 37 to the terminal end, the upper edge 37a is located below the ear 3 of the package W in the storage space S and can come into contact with the ear 3. By configuring the ear 3 of the package W conveyed by the bucket conveyor 30 to come into contact with the upper edge 37a of the lower guide 37 in this way, the lower guide 37 corrects the inclination of the ear 3 so that the ear 3 of the package W is kept approximately horizontal with respect to the conveying direction.

[0037] 1, the second transfer device 40 includes an arm unit 41 of an articulated robot and a hand unit 43 attached to the tip of the arm unit 41. The hand unit 43 is configured to be movable in all four directions, up and down, left and right, and front and rear, as the arm unit 41 rotates. The hand unit 43 has a suction unit 45 (holding means) that suctions the packaging body W in the holding area P3, and an edge folding plate 47 (edge ​​folding means) that folds the edge 3 of the packaging body W (see FIG. 5).

[0038] The suction unit 45 is provided in the center of the hand unit 43, and its width in the left-right direction and its length in the front-rear direction are set according to the size and number of the packages W to be sucked. As shown in FIG. 5, the suction unit 45 has a suction surface 45a on the lower side that can suck a plurality of packages W. The suction surface 45a has a plurality of recesses 45b (10 in total in this embodiment) arranged in the front-rear direction. Each recess 45b is formed along the shape of the side peripheral surface of the package W and has an arc shape when viewed from the left-right direction. This allows the contact area between the suction surface 45a and the packages W to be sucked to be wider. The arrangement intervals of the recesses 45b are the same as the intervals between the packages W transported by the bucket conveyor 30. The hand unit 43 starts to descend at an upper position upstream of the holding area P3 and comes into contact with the packages W in the holding area P3. At this time, one recess 45b comes into contact with one package W.

[0039] The hand unit 43 moves along the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30 in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging bodies W by the bucket conveyor 30, descends toward the packaging bodies W in the holding area P3, and holds the packaging bodies W collectively with the suction unit 45. The hand unit 43 moves in the conveying direction at the same speed as the bucket conveyor 30, in synchronization with the movement of the intermittently running bucket conveyor 30, at least from the time when the suction surface 45a of the suction unit 45 reaches a position facing the plurality of packaging bodies W to be sucked in the holding area P3 until the hand unit 43 sucks and holds the packaging bodies W and picks them up collectively from the holding area P3. The hand unit 43 is configured to start suction by the suction unit 45 before the suction unit 45 contacts the packaging bodies W, and completes suction of the packaging bodies W by the time the suction unit 45 reaches a position where it contacts the packaging bodies W. This shortens the time until suction is completed, and the conveying time of the packaging bodies W can be shortened.

[0040] On both the left and right sides of the suction unit 45, two pairs of edge folding plates 47 facing each other with the suction unit 45 in between are provided as edge folding means. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the pair of edge folding plates 47 can be moved closer to each other in the horizontal direction (left and right direction) by a driving means such as a cylinder (not shown). The hand unit 43 is configured to be able to hold a plurality of packaging bodies W collectively at the suction unit 45 between the opposing edge folding plates 47. In this embodiment, each pair of edge folding plates 47 is configured to be able to hold five packaging bodies W, for a total of 10 packaging bodies W.

[0041] When the suction unit 45 descends toward the package W, the edge folding plate 47 folds each edge 3 of the package W downward to support it. Specifically, when the hand unit 43 moves to the holding area P3 and descends toward the package W, the edge folding plate 47 abuts against the edge 3 of the multiple packages W from above before the package W comes into contact with the suction surface 45a. The multiple edge 3 are folded so as to face diagonally downward (see FIG. 6). The edge folding plates 47 are driven by the driving means to approach each other, and are configured to further fold and support the edge 3 bent diagonally downward after the suction unit 45 of the hand unit 43 has finished descending so that the tip of the edge 3 faces straight down (see FIG. 7). The edge folding plates 47 are configured to move in directions away from each other when the package W is transferred to the transfer positions P4 and P5 described later.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the second transfer device 40 picks up a plurality of packages W (a total of 10 packages in this embodiment) held together by the suction unit 45 of the hand unit 43, and transfers them to the first and second transfer positions P4 and P5, which will be described later. Specifically, the hand unit 43 is moved to the first transfer position P4, and the suction of the five packages W (first set W1) on the rear side among the plurality of packages W held is released, and the rear edge folding plate 47 supporting the first set of packages W1 is separated, and the packages W are placed at the first transfer position P4. Thereafter, the hand unit 43 is moved in the direction returning to the bucket conveyor 30, and moved to the second transfer position P5, and the suction of the five packages W (second set W2) on the front side is released, and the front edge folding plate 47 supporting the second set of packages W2 is separated, and the packages W are placed at the second transfer position P5. Then, after the package W is placed at the second transfer position P5, the hand unit 43 is returned to the position of the holding area P3.

[0043] The transfer station 50 has two flat conveying tables 51 and 52 arranged at positions facing the second transfer device 40 across the bucket conveyor 30. Specifically, the first conveying table 51 is arranged on the rear side along the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30, and the second conveying table 52 is arranged on the front side. First and second transfer positions P4 and P5 are set on the placement surfaces of these conveying tables 51 and 52, respectively. The transfer station 50 also has a pusher 53 that reciprocates in the left-right direction along the placement surfaces of the conveying tables 51 and 52, and a guide 54 provided on the placement surface. With this configuration, the multiple packages W placed on the first and second transfer positions P4 and P5 are supported by the guide 54 from both sides in the front-rear direction shown in FIG. 1, and are pushed by the pusher 53 toward the left (direction A3).

[0044] The first and second transfer positions P4, P5 are set with a staggered position such that the second transfer position P5 is closer to the bucket conveyor 30 in the left-right direction than the first transfer position P4. By arranging the two transfer positions P4, P5 with a staggered position in this manner, when the hand unit 43 moves from the first transfer position P4 to the second transfer position P5, it moves forward and to the right. This makes it possible to further shorten the moving distance until the hand unit 43 transfers the package W to each transfer position P4, P5 and returns to the bucket conveyor 30, compared to when the first and second transfer positions P4, P5 are arranged at the same position in the left-right direction.

[0045] The packing station 60 is disposed further to the left of the first conveying table 51 and the second conveying table 52. The packing station 60 includes a belt conveyor 61 that conveys a box B for packing a plurality of packages W into a box, and first and second supply devices (not shown) that supply the packages W to the box B. The belt conveyor 61 is disposed so as to convey the box B in the A4 direction shown in FIG. 1. The first supply device picks up the package W pushed by the pusher 53 of the first conveying table 51 and supplies it into the box B. The second supply device picks up the package W pushed by the pusher 53 of the second conveying table 52 and supplies it into the box B.

[0046] Next, the operation and control of each device in the package conveying system will be described. Referring to Fig. 1, packages W, which have been wrapped by a packaging machine to enclose an object to be packaged, are supported by conveying paths 12a and 13a of an upstream conveying device 10 and conveyed in sequence.

[0047] Each package W conveyed downstream of the upstream conveying device 10 is detected in sequence by the detection sensor 14 located upstream of a predetermined position P1 of the upstream conveying device 10. Each package W detected by the detection sensor 14 is sequentially adsorbed by the adsorption unit 23 of the rotating and transferring device 20 at the predetermined position P1 and transferred in sequence. The adsorption unit 23 descends by a cam mechanism as it approaches the predetermined position P1, contacts the package W at the predetermined position P1, and rises after adsorbing it at the predetermined position P1. The rotating and transferring device 20 changes the rotation speed of the rotor 21 based on the detection information of the detection sensor 14 and information such as the running position of the package W obtained from the encoder pulse attached to the belts 12 and 13. As a result, the adsorption unit 23 moves to the predetermined position P1 in accordance with the timing when the package W arrives at the predetermined position P1, and adsorbs and picks up the package W so that the axis of rotation of each adsorption unit 23 coincides with the midpoint of the package W in the longitudinal direction at the predetermined position P1.

[0048] The package W moving from the predetermined position P1 to the placement position P2 is detected by the detection switch 31 at a position immediately before the placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30. Based on the information detected by the detection switch 31, the suction of the package W by the suction unit 23 is released at the placement position P2, and the package W is placed at the placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30 so that the tips of the ears 3 of the package W face the left and right directions. When the package W is placed at the placement position P2, at the start end of the bucket conveyor 30, the front partition wall 32 is in an upright state and the rear partition wall 32 is in a laid-down state (see FIG. 3). Since the rear partition wall 32 is in a laid-down state, the package W can enter the placement position P2 at a position lower than the height position H2 of the partition wall 32 in the upright state.

[0049] The packages W are sequentially placed at the placement position P2 so as to be lined up in a substantially straight line in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30. After the packages W are placed at the placement position P2, the bucket conveyor 30 receives a drive command based on detection information from a detection switch 31 on the bucket conveyor 30, and travels for one storage space S in an intermittent manner, and the partition wall 32 in a fallen state located behind the packages W at the placement position P2 rises up to form one new storage space S. The packages W are pushed out from the rear side by the raised partition wall 32.

[0050] The packages W stored in the storage space S are transported downstream while being supported by at least a part of the support surfaces 34a, 34b of the partition wall 32 from the front and rear sides in the transport direction of the bucket conveyor 30. The positions of the ears 3 of the packages W are aligned according to the left-right width of the horizontal guides 36, so that the packages W are transported aligned so that the ears 3 are lined up in a row along the transport direction. In addition, the packages W are transported while being maintained in a loading position so that the ears 3 are approximately horizontal by the lower guides 37 located below the ears 3 (see FIG. 4). When the multiple packages W reach the holding area P3, the second transfer device 40, which has received a drive command, drives the arm unit 41 to move the hand unit 43 to the holding area P3. The ears 3 of the multiple packages W in the holding area P3 are released from the support of the lower guides 37, but are maintained approximately horizontal.

[0051] The second transfer device 40 operates as follows according to a control command from a control unit that receives information on the travel position obtained from an encoder (not shown) attached to the bucket conveyor 30 and information from the detection switch 31. When the packaging body W sequentially transported by the bucket conveyor 30 reaches the holding area P3, the second transfer device 40 starts to lower the hand unit 43 at an upper position upstream of the holding area P3 while moving the hand unit 43 in the transport direction in conjunction with the transport operation of the bucket conveyor 30. Then, each recess 45b of the suction unit 45 is brought into contact with the packaging body W in the holding area P3 to suction and hold it. Note that the suction by the suction unit 45 starts before it comes into contact with the packaging body W, and the suction of the packaging body W is completed when the suction unit 45 reaches a position where each recess 45b of the suction unit 45 comes into contact with the packaging body W.

[0052] The second transfer device 40 lowers the hand unit 43, so that the ear folding plate 47 comes into contact with the multiple ears 3 and folds the multiple ears 3 together so that they face diagonally downward (see FIG. 6). After the hand unit 43 has finished descending, the second transfer device 40 drives the ear folding plate 47 by the driving means so that they approach each other, thereby further folding and supporting the ears 3 bent diagonally downward so that the tips of the ears 3 face straight down (see FIG. 7).

[0053] The second transfer device 40 picks up all of the packaging bodies W held by the suction parts 45 of the hand part 43, and then moves the hand part 43 to the first transfer position P4. Thereafter, the suction of the rear five packaging bodies W (first set W1) among the held packaging bodies W is released, and the rear edge folding plates 47 are separated to place the packaging bodies W at the first transfer position P4.

[0054] The second transfer device 40 places the multiple packaging bodies W at the first transfer position P4, and then moves the hand unit 43 to the transfer position P5. Thereafter, the suction of the front five packaging bodies W (second group W2) among the multiple packaging bodies W held is released, and the front edge folding plates 47 are separated and placed at the first transfer position P5. Then, after the packaging bodies W are placed at the second transfer position P5, the hand unit 43 is returned to the position of the holding area P3.

[0055] The multiple packages W transferred to the first and second transfer positions P4 and P5, respectively, are pushed along the conveying direction (direction A3) by the pusher 53. Then, the packages W are packed in boxes at the packing station 60 by the first and second supply devices that have received drive commands based on information about the conveying operation of the pusher 53.

[0056] The packaging material supply system according to the above embodiment has the following advantages. (1) The packaging transport system includes a bucket conveyor 30 (transport device) that sequentially places and transports packaging bodies W. The packaging body W contains the packaged material in a bag 2, and the open end of the bag 2 is sealed, and has an ear portion 3 formed along the width direction of the bag 2 by the sealing. The packaging bodies W sequentially transported by the upstream transport device 10 are transferred to the bucket conveyor 30 by the rotary transfer device 20 (first transfer device) so that the packaging bodies W are aligned approximately in a line in the transport direction (direction A2) at predetermined intervals so that the ear portion 3 is located in a direction (left-right direction) intersecting the transport direction of the bucket conveyor 30. As a result, the bucket conveyor 30 can transport the packaging bodies W with the ear portions 3 of the packaging bodies W aligned approximately in a line along the transport direction. The second transfer device 40 includes an adsorption unit 45 (holding means) and an ear folding plate 47 (ear folding means) in the hand unit 43. The hand unit 43 moves along the conveying direction in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging body W by the bucket conveyor 30, descends toward the packaging body W, and holds the packaging body W together with the suction unit 45. When the hand unit 43 descends toward the packaging body W, the edge folding plate 47 folds down and supports each edge 3 of the packaging body W. The second transfer device 40 picks up and transfers the packaging body W held together by the hand unit 43. In this way, by folding the edge 3 of the packaging body W while holding multiple packaging bodies W in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging body W by the bucket conveyor 30, the operation of folding the edge 3 of multiple packaging bodies W can be performed without stopping the conveying operation by the bucket conveyor 30. Furthermore, a series of operations from picking up the multiple packaging bodies W with the edge 3 folded by the hand unit 43 from the bucket conveyor 30 to transferring them can be performed within a certain range in a short time. Therefore, the processing time until the transfer of multiple packaging bodies W is completed can be shortened, and the entire device can be made smaller. (2) The packaging transport system includes a rotary transfer device 20 that transfers the packaging W to the bucket conveyor 30. The rotary transfer device 20 includes a plurality of suction units 23 that move around a vertical axis. The packaging W sequentially transported by the upstream transport device 10 is suction-held and lifted by the suction units 23 at a predetermined position P1, moves along the orbit of the suction units 23, and is transferred to the bucket conveyor 30. The suction units 23 also rotate around the vertical axis. This allows the orientation of the suction-held packaging W to be changed so that the ears 3 face in the left-right direction intersecting with the transport direction of the bucket conveyor 30. In this way, the packaging W is held at the predetermined position P1 within the range of rotation of the suction units 23, and the packaging W is transferred to the placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30 while changing the orientation of the packaging W, thereby saving space in the entire device. This allows the layout freedom of the device to be improved. (3) The packaging transport system includes a bucket conveyor 30. The bucket conveyor 30 includes a plurality of partition walls 32 arranged at predetermined intervals in the transport direction. At the placement position P2, before the packaging W is received at the placement position P2, the front partition wall 32 in the transport direction is in an upright state, and the rear partition wall 32 is in a laid-down state. After the packaging W is received at the placement position P2, the rear partition wall 32 is upright, and a storage space S for storing the packaging W is formed between the front partition wall 32 and the rear partition wall 32. The rotating and transferring device 20 moves the suction unit 23 in a circular motion to transfer the packaging W held and lifted by the suction unit 23 to the placement position P2. Just before the packaging W enters the placement position P2, the height position H1 of the lower end 5 of the packaging W is located below the upper end 33 of the partition wall 32 in an upright state at the placement position P2. By raising the rear partition wall 32 after the packaging body W is placed, the rotary transfer device 20 does not need to lift the packaging body W above the partition wall 32 in the raised state, and can release the suction of the packaging body W by the suction unit 23 at a lower position when placing the packaging body W at the placement position P2. This makes it possible to prevent the packaging body W from shifting position due to the impact when it is placed. In addition, the trajectory of the packaging body W being transported can be shortened, thereby shortening the transport time. (4) The bucket conveyor 30 has horizontal guides 36 (guide sections) disposed along both side edges extending in the conveying direction. The horizontal guides 36 align the packages W placed on the bucket conveyor 30 in a line before the hand section 43 of the second transfer device 40 holds the packages W together by the suction section 45. The horizontal guides 36 are positioned outside the tips of the ears 3 of the packages W in the left-right direction, and the width of the horizontal guides 36 in the left-right direction is approximately the same as the length from the tip of one ear 3 to the tip of the other ear 3. This allows the positions of the packages W stored in the storage space S to be adjusted in the left-right direction (the direction intersecting the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 30) so that the ears 3 of the packages W are aligned in a straight line. This allows the positions of the packages W to be aligned so that the suction section 45 holds the packages W to be aligned. When the edge folding plate 47 descends, it is possible to prevent the edge folding plate 47 from hitting and damaging the packaged items contained in the package W. Also, when folding the edge portions 3 of a plurality of packages W, the folding positions of the edge portions 3 can be aligned, and the edge portions 3 can be folded neatly. Furthermore, the start end 36c of the lateral guide 36 is configured to be expanded in the width direction so as to have a V-shape in a plan view. This makes it possible to prevent the package W from getting caught and to make it easier to accept, even if the package W is placed on the placement position P2 with the edge portions 3 of the package W misaligned. (5) The bucket conveyor 30 is provided with lower guides 37 along both side edges extending in the conveying direction. The lower guides 37 correct the inclination of the ears 3 of the packaging body W so that the ears 3 are kept substantially horizontal with respect to the conveying direction. The height position of the lower guide 37 is set so that the upper edge 37a of the lower guide 37 from downstream of the starting end 37c to the end is located below the ears 3 of the packaging body W in the storage space S and can contact the ears 3. The width of the lower guide 37 in the left-right direction is set so that the lower guide 37 can support the vicinity of the center of the ears 3 extending substantially horizontally from below. As a result, even if the packaging body W moves and the ears 3 are inclined when the rear partition wall 32 starts to push out the packaging body W, the inclination of the ears 3 is corrected so that the ears 3 become horizontal by the time the packaging body W is conveyed to the holding area P3. By keeping the ears 3 substantially horizontal, the ears 3 can be neatly folded. In addition, the starting end 37c of the lower guide 37 is inclined from the bottom to the top in the conveying direction. This can prevent the wrapping body W from getting caught even when the wrapping body W is placed at the placement position P2 with the ear 3 of the wrapping body W inclined. Furthermore, the starting end 37c of the lower guide 37 is expanded in the width direction so as to have a V-shape in a plan view. This can prevent the wrapping body W from getting caught and can be easily accepted even when the wrapping body W is placed at the placement position P2 with the ear 3 of the wrapping body W misaligned. In addition, the lower guide 37 is configured to extend in the conveying direction to a position just before the holding area P3. This can prevent the ear folding plate 47 and the lower guide 37 from interfering with each other when the ear folding plate 47 folds the ear 3. (6) The packaging body W has a generally cylindrical outer shape with a side peripheral surface that easily rolls. The partition wall 32 of the bucket conveyor 30 has support surfaces 34a, 34b that are shaped to contact the packaging body W and support the packaging body W when viewed from the left-right direction intersecting the conveying direction. The support surfaces 34a, 34b are formed in a shape that follows the outer shape of the side peripheral surface of the packaging body W. The packaging body W is supported in the storage space S by contacting at least a part of the front and rear support surfaces 34a, 34b. This prevents the packaging body W stored in the storage space S from rolling. (7) The packaging material conveying system is configured such that a predetermined position P1 is set on the conveying paths 12a, 13a of the upstream conveying device 10, and the packaging materials W are successively adsorbed and lifted by the suction parts 23 of the rotating and transferring device 20 at the predetermined position P1, and transferred to a placement position P2 of the bucket conveyor 30. By determining the predetermined position P1 and adsorbing the packaging materials W at a fixed position, the packaging materials W can be picked up and transferred so that the axis of rotation of each suction part 45 coincides with the midpoint of the longitudinal direction of the packaging materials W at the predetermined position P1. Therefore, the packaging materials W can be aligned within an approximate range so as not to be significantly misaligned when transferred to the bucket conveyor 30. (8) Before the bucket conveyor 30 receives the packaging body W at the placement position P2, the front partition wall 32 in the conveying direction is in an upright state, and the rear partition wall 32 is in a laid-down state. After the packaging body W is received at the placement position P2, the rear partition wall 32 is raised while the endless cord moves in the conveying direction, forming the storage space S. In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the conveyor travels intermittently for one storage space S each time a packaging body W is received, the front and rear intervals of the conveyed packaging body W can be made constant. In addition, by supporting the packaging body W with the partition wall 32, the placement posture of the packaging body W can be stabilized. (9) The packaging material conveying system is configured such that the hand unit 43 of the second transfer device 40 descends toward the packaging material W in conjunction with the conveying operation of the bucket conveyor 30, suction-holding the packaging material W and folding the ears 3. This eliminates the need to stop the conveying operation of the bucket conveyor 30 when folding the ears 3, and allows the packaging material W to be conveyed without reducing the conveying capacity. (10) The hand unit 43 of the second transfer device 40 moves in the conveying direction at the same speed as the bucket conveyor 30 in synchronization with the movement of the intermittently running bucket conveyor 30, at least from the time when the suction surface 45a of the suction unit 45 reaches a position facing the multiple packages W to be sucked in the holding area P3 until the hand unit 43 sucks and holds the packages W and picks them up all at once from the holding area P3. In the holding area P3 where the lower guide 37 does not extend, if there is a difference between the speed at which the hand unit 43 moves in the conveying direction and the conveying speed of the bucket conveyor 30, the ear 3 may not be supported from below and the posture of the package W may tilt; however, by making the speed of the hand unit 43 and the bucket conveyor 30 the same, the ear 3 of the package W to be sucked can be prevented from tilting and the posture of the package W can be maintained. (11) The first and second transfer positions P4, P5 are set to be offset from each other so that the second transfer position P5 is closer to the bucket conveyor 30 in the left-right direction than the first transfer position P4. As a result, when the hand unit 43 moves from the first transfer position P4 to the second transfer position P5, it moves forward and to the right. Therefore, compared to a case in which the first and second transfer positions P4, P5 are disposed at the same positions in the left-right direction, the moving distance by which the hand unit 43 transfers the packages W to the respective transfer positions P4, P5 and returns to the bucket conveyor 30 can be further shortened. (12) The hand unit 43 of the second transfer device 40 has a plurality of recesses 45b formed in a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the packaging body W on the suction surface 45a of the suction unit 45. The recesses 45b are provided at the same intervals as the intervals between the packaging bodies W transported by the bucket conveyor 30, and come into contact with the shape of the packaging body W in the holding area P3. This makes it possible to stabilize the shape of the bag 2 when the packaging body W is suctioned and lifted. In addition, when the packaging body W is supported by the suction portion, the position of the packaged item contained therein is stabilized, and the edge 3 can be neatly folded by the edge folding plate 47.

[0057] <Example of change> The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. (1) In the above embodiment, an example was shown of the upstream conveying device 10 having two rows of belts 12, 13, but this is not limited to this. The upstream conveying device 10 may be, for example, a conveyor that conveys the packaging body W by obtaining propulsion force from a linear motor, or a conveyor that pushes the packaging body W by using a pusher arranged on an endless cord such as a chain that travels in a circular motion receiving a driving force. (2) The sensor serving as the detection means for detecting the package W in the upstream conveying device 10 can be selected from various devices capable of detecting the presence or absence of the package W, such as a CCD camera, a photoelectric sensor, a line sensor, or the like. (3) The first transfer device may be another device capable of changing the transport direction of the package W, such as a two-axis robot. (4) Although an example has been shown in which the rotational speed of the first transfer device changes depending on the placement interval of the packaging bodies W transported by the upstream conveying device 10, this is not limited to this, and the packaging bodies W may be placed and transported at constant intervals on the conveying paths 12a, 13a of the upstream conveying device 10, and the rotational speed of the rotating transfer device 20 may not be changed. (5) The conveying device is not limited to the bucket conveyor 30, but may be another conveyor that conveys the packaging body W while maintaining its placement position, such as a belt conveyor or a conveyor that uses a linear motor to generate propulsion to convey the packaging body W. (6) In the example shown, the partition wall 32 in the bucket conveyor 30 has support surfaces 34a, 34b formed in a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the packaging body W, but this is not limited to this and any shape may be used as long as the placement posture of the packaging body W being transported is maintained. (7) The guide section of the bucket conveyor 30 may extend to the end of the holding area P3, so long as the lower guide 37 does not interfere with the edge folding means when the edge folding means folds the edge 3. The lateral guide 36 may extend to the end of the holding area P3, so long as the lateral guide 36 can maintain the placement position of the transported package W. Alternatively, guides may be provided above and below the edge 3, so that the edge 3 is transported while being kept horizontal by the upper and lower guides. (8) Although the second transfer device 40 has been described as holding the package W by the suction portion 45 of the hand portion 43, the package W may be held by being clamped from the left and right by the edge folding plates 47, for example. (9) In the second transfer device 40, the two sets of edge folding plates 47 of the hand unit 43 move close to and away from each other to perform the edge folding operation at the same time, but they may be configured to operate separately. Also, the configuration is not limited to one in which multiple plates are provided on each of the left and right sides of the hand unit 43, and one plate each may be provided on the left and right sides of the hand unit 43, and the edge portions 3 may be folded together with one set of edge folding plates. (10) The "package" according to the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned package having ears on both ends of the bag, but also includes packages having ears on only one end of the bag. (11) In the above embodiment, the packaging material conveying system has been described as an example in which a single control unit issues drive commands to each device. However, this is not limited to this. A control unit may be provided for each device, and the control unit of each device may issue drive commands. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] P1: Predetermined position P2: Placement position P3: Holding area P4: First transfer position P5: Second transfer position S: Storage space W: Package 2: Bag 3: Ear 5: Lower end of packaging body 10: Upstream conveying device 12: Belt 12a: Conveying path 13: Belt 13a: Conveyor path 14: Detection sensor 20: Rotary transfer device (first transfer device) 23: Adsorption unit 30: Bucket conveyor (transport device) 32: Partition wall 33: Upper end of partition wall 34a, 34b: Support surface 36: Side guide (guide portion) 37: Lower guide 40: Second transfer device 43: Hand unit 45: Suction unit (holding means) 47: Edge folding plate (edge ​​folding means) 50: Transfer station 60: Packing station

Claims

1. a conveying device that sequentially places and conveys packages in which the packaged item is enclosed in a bag and the open end of the bag is sealed to form ears along the width direction of the bag; a first transfer device that sequentially transfers the packages that are sequentially conveyed to the conveying device so that the ears of the packages are positioned in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the conveying device and so that the packages are lined up at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction; a second transfer device which comprises: a holding means which moves along the conveying direction in conjunction with the conveying operation of the packaging bodies by the conveying device, descends toward the packaging bodies to hold the packaging bodies collectively; and an edge folding means which folds downward and supports the edge portions of the packaging bodies when the holding means descends toward the packaging bodies, and which picks up and transfers the packaging bodies collectively held by the holding means; A package conveying system comprising:

2. an upstream conveying device having a conveying path and sequentially conveying the packaging body placed on the conveying path toward the first transfer device; the first transfer device is a rotary transfer device having a plurality of suction units arranged at predetermined intervals around a vertical axis, each of the suction units moving in a circumferential direction around the vertical axis, moving up and down, and rotating around the vertical axis; The packaging material conveying system of claim 1, wherein the rotating and transferring device raises and lowers the suction portion to lift the packaging material held at a predetermined position set in the upstream conveying device, and places the packaging material in a substantially straight line at a loading position set in the conveying device, with the ears of the packaging material positioned in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device.

3. the conveying device is a bucket conveyor including partition walls disposed at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction and storage spaces formed between the partition walls, and intermittently travels to convey the packages each time one of the packages is received in one of the storage spaces, The partition wall of the bucket conveyor in the loading position is Before the package is received at the placement position, the partition wall on the front side in the conveying direction is in an upright state and the partition wall on the rear side is in a laid-down state, After the package is received in the placement position, the rear partition wall rises to form the storage space, The rotating and transferring device is The packaging material conveying system of claim 2, wherein immediately before the packaging material held and lifted by the suction units is moved into the placement position, each of the suction units is moved in a circular motion so that the height position of the lower end of the packaging material held and lifted by the suction units is positioned lower than the upper end of the partition wall in an upright state at the placement position.

4. The conveying device has guide portions disposed along both side edges extending in the conveying direction, The packaging material conveying system of claim 3, wherein the guide section aligns the packaging materials, which have been placed on the conveying device by the rotating and transferring device so as to be approximately aligned in a line, in a single row before the holding means of the second transfer device holds the packaging materials together.

5. The packaging body has an outer shape that makes it easy to roll, The conveying device is The partition wall has a support surface that is shaped to contact the package and support the package when viewed from a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the conveying device, The packaging material conveying system according to claim 3 , wherein the packaging material is conveyed in contact with at least a portion of the support surface on the front side and the rear side in the conveying direction.

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