Filling and Packaging Device

Abstract

To provide a filling / packaging device in which a conveyance pitch can be changed without acceleration / deceleration by a power unit.SOLUTION: A filling / packaging device folds a belt-like sheet S into two by a filling machine 12 and laterally seals the same at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, fills the belt-like sheet S partitioned by laterally sealing with a content, and then forms a bag B by sealing an upper part of the belt-like sheet S. A laterally sealed part is cut by a cutting device 24 to be separated into individual bags B, and the bag B after cut is conveyed downstream by a holding / conveying device 20. The holding / conveying device 20 comprises a swing lever rotatably disposed on a chain 28, a support base connected to the swing lever, and an openable / closable gripper 22 which is disposed on the support base and grasps the bag B. The support base is moved along the chain 28, and swings the swing lever so as to reduce an interval between the front and rear grippers 22 when grasping the uncut bag B and widen the interval between the front and rear grippers 22 after the bag grasped by the front and rear grippers 22 is cut.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a filling and packaging device that forms a strip-shaped sheet into a bag shape, fills an article, and cuts it.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a cutting bag conveying device that forms a large number of width seal portions from a long sheet folded in two, fills a predetermined amount of powder into a bag portion, seals it, then cuts it at the width seal portion, and holds and conveys the bag before and after separation (Patent Document 1). In this device, a clipper alternately attached to a pair of chains that translate in the horizontal direction grips the bags before and after cutting, and accelerates the chain to which the clipper for gripping the bag after cutting is attached to widen the conveying pitch of the bag.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the acceleration and deceleration of the chain, which is the power unit, must be repeated, and when delivering the bag after cutting to a downstream device, it becomes difficult to control the timing.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a filling and packaging device capable of changing the conveying pitch without performing acceleration and deceleration of the power unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The filling and packaging device, which is the first invention of the present invention, comprises a horizontal sealing means for horizontally sealing a two-folded strip-shaped sheet at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction, a filling means for filling the strip-shaped sheet partitioned by the horizontal seal with contents, an upper sealing means for sealing the upper part filled with the contents to form a bag, a cutting means for cutting the horizontal seal part to separate into individual bags, and a bag conveying means for gripping the bags after cutting and conveying them downstream. In the filling and packaging device, the bag conveying means includes a plurality of swing levers rotatably provided on a traveling body that circulates, The cam followers provided on the plurality of swing levers, a cam that engages with the cam followers to move the cam followers, and the plurality of a support base connected to the swing lever, the an openable and closable gripper provided on the support base for gripping the bag, the and an opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the gripper. The support base is movably attached along the traveling body. When gripping the bag before cutting, By the cam followers and the cam the distance between the front and rear grippers is reduced position the swing lever so as to so that the front and rear grippers grip two adjacent bags respectively. After the bags gripped by the front and rear grippers are cut, By the cam followers and the cam the swing lever is swung so as to widen the distance between the front and rear grippers. the It is characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a filling and packaging device capable of changing the conveying pitch without accelerating or decelerating the power unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the filling and packaging device in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] In the filling and packaging device 10, the strip sheet S is folded in half upward and supplied tangentially to a rotating wheel that rotates in the horizontal plane of the filling machine (filling means) 12, and is wound around a vertical sealer (horizontal sealing means) 12A arranged at regular intervals along the outer periphery of the rotating wheel. In the filling machine 12, the front and rear of the strip sheet S folded in half by the vertical sealer 12A are sealed (horizontally sealed) at a predetermined interval to be divided into bag-shaped compartments, and articles are filled into each bag from above.

[0011] The strip sheet S filled with articles is separated from the rotating wheel of the filling machine 12 and sent to the preheating device 16 via the roller 14, and the upper opening of the strip sheet S folded in half is preheated. The preheated strip sheet S is then sent to the top sealer (upper sealing means) 18, and the upper opening is sealed to be sealed in a bag shape.

[0012] The strip sheet S with three sides sealed and articles sealed in each bag B is held by the gripper 22 provided on the holding and conveying device (bag conveying means) 20, and then the horizontal seal portion is cut by the cutting device (cutting means) 24 to be separated into individual bags B. Each separated bag B is conveyed by the holding and conveying device 20 with the conveying pitch widened from P1 to P0 and sent to a downstream device (described later). Note that FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the arrangement of the strip sheet S from the preheating device 16 to the holding and conveying device 20 and the bags B whose conveying pitch has been enlarged after being cut.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the structure around the gripper 22 of the holding and conveying device 20 as seen in the conveying direction, and FIG. 4 is a view of the link mechanism of the gripper 22 as seen from below.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the holding and conveying device 20 includes a chain (traveling body) 28 that is wound around a pair of sprockets 26 and circulates in a horizontal plane, and each gripper 22 is attached to the chain 28. The chain 28 is composed of a pair of endless chains, an upper chain and a lower chain. The upper and lower chains 28A and 28B are respectively held by a pair of upper and lower guides 32A and 32B held by a vertical frame 30A, and travel along an oval orbit.

[0015] The upper and lower chains 28A and 28B are attached to a block member 34, and a swing lever 36 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the block member 34. The swing lever 36 has a V-shaped bent shape, and a cam follower 36A is provided at an end located on the side of the vertical frame 30A, and one end of a link plate 38 is attached to the other end via a pivot 36B. The cam follower 36A is engaged with a cam groove 40A of a pitch change cam 40 laid on the lower surface of the base side of an upper frame 30B extending outward from the upper end of the vertical frame 30A, and travels in the cam groove 40A as the chain 28 travels. The swing lever 36 is pivotally supported by a vertical swing shaft 36C at a bent portion corresponding to its approximate center, and is rotated around the swing shaft 36C.

[0016] On the other hand, the link plate 38 connected to the swing lever 36 via the pivot 36B is arranged substantially along the orbit of the chain 28, and the end opposite to the pivot 36B is pivotally supported by a support base 42 that supports the gripper 22 via a pivot 38A. The support base 42 is attached to a slider 46 that engages with a rail 44 laid parallel to the orbit of the chain 28 on the lower surface of the tip side of the upper frame 30B. The gripper 22 includes a fixed gripper piece 22A fixed to the support base 42 and a movable gripper piece 22B pivotally supported around a shaft 22C with respect to the fixed gripper piece 22A.

[0017] The fixed gripper piece 22A extends vertically downward from the support base 42, and the movable gripper piece 22B is pivotally supported on the fixed gripper piece 22A by a shaft 22C along the gripper conveyance direction (chain track) at approximately half the height of the fixed gripper piece 22A. The base side of the movable gripper piece 22B extends inward toward the chain 28 from the position where the shaft 22C is provided, and a cam follower 22D is provided at its tip. The cam follower 22D engages with the cam surface of the opening and closing cam 48 provided in the opening sections A1, A2 that open the movable gripper piece 22B along the rail 44 (see Fig. 1). The opening and closing cam 48 is supported by a lower frame 30C that extends horizontally outward from the lower end of the vertical frame 30A.

[0018] Note that the opening section A1 is provided at the position where the gripper 22 grips the belt-like sheet, and is provided over a certain section starting from a position slightly upstream where the gripper 22 starts running parallel to the belt-like sheet S and running parallel. Also, the opening section A2 is provided corresponding to the position where the gripper 22 releases the bag B it grips and delivers it to a downstream processing device or a collection box. The position where the bag B is delivered to a downstream processing device or a collection box may be provided in the sections A3 or A4 indicated by the dashed line, or an elevating movable opening and closing cam 48 may be provided in a plurality of sections to make the delivery position switchable.

[0019] When the cam follower 22D is pushed downward by the opening and closing cam 48, the movable gripper piece 22B is rotated around the shaft 22C, and its tip is lifted outward away from the fixed gripper piece 22A, and the gripper 22 is opened. Also, the movable gripper piece 22B is biased in the direction of closing the gripper 22 by a biasing member (not shown), and when it is not pressed against the cam surface of the opening and closing cam 48, the cam follower 22D also rises and the gripper 22 is in a closed state.

[0020] On the other hand, the pitch-changing cam 40 changes the pitch between the grippers 22 through the link mechanism. As shown in FIG. 4, when the cam follower 36A is moved toward the gripper 22 side (outer side) by the pitch-changing cam 40, the swing lever 36 is rotated counterclockwise around the swing axis 36C in FIG. 4 and rotated to a position indicated by a broken line, for example. As a result, the link plate 38 connected to the other end of the swing lever 36 is relatively moved in the traveling direction of the cam follower 36A, and the support base 42 that supports the gripper 22 is advanced along the rail 44. Conversely, when the cam follower 36A is returned to the side opposite to the gripper 22 (inner side) by the pitch-changing cam 40, the swing lever 36 is rotated clockwise around the swing axis 36C, and the link plate 38 is relatively moved in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the cam follower 36A. As a result, the support base 42 that supports the gripper 22 is retracted along the rail 44.

[0021] Next, referring to FIG. 5, the operation of changing the conveyance pitch of the gripper 22 (i.e., the bag B) using the above-described pitch-changing cam 40 and the link mechanism including the cam follower 36A, the swing lever 36, and the link plate 38 will be described. FIG. 5 is a view of the shape of the cam groove 40A and the state of the link mechanism in the vicinity of the cutting device 24 as seen from below, and simultaneously shows the positional relationship of the belt-like sheet S before cutting and each bag B after cutting. In FIG. 5, the positions of the respective pivots 38A correspond to the positions of the gripper 22.

[0022] The cam groove 40A of the pitch-changing cam 40 is located inside except in the vicinity of the cutting position A of the belt-like sheet S by the cutting device 24. Each gripper 22 is retracted, and the conveyance pitch between the grippers 22 is maintained at P0. On the other hand, the bags B of the belt-like sheet S before cutting are formed at a pitch P1 (<P0). Therefore, the cam groove 40A draws an orbit that protrudes outward in a mountain shape in the section from before the cutting position A to immediately after passing the cutting position A, and returns to the original inner position after passing the cutting position A.

[0023] In the front and rear grippers 22, when the cam follower 36A of the leading gripper 22 is located outside the cam follower 36A of the rear gripper 22, the distance (conveying pitch) between these grippers 22 is enlarged compared to the conveying pitch P0. On the other hand, when the cam follower 36A of the leading gripper 22 is located inside the cam follower 36A of the rear gripper 22, the distance (conveying pitch) between these grippers 22 is reduced compared to the conveying pitch P0.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, the cam groove 40A that was maintained at the inner position and maintained the conveying pitch P0 of the gripper 22 projects from the inner side to the outer side in front of the cutting position A. In this section, the conveying pitch of the front and rear grippers 22 is enlarged compared to P0. Then, the cam groove 40A is returned from the outer side to the inner side in the vicinity of the cutting position A. In this section, the conveying pitch of the front and rear grippers 22 is reduced to the pitch P1 of the bag B of the belt-like sheet S before cutting. Also, each gripper 22 is closed by a gripper opening and closing mechanism composed of the cam follower 22D and the opening and closing cam 48 shown in FIG. 3 in front of the cutting position A in the section where the cam groove 40A is returned from the outer side to the inner side, and each bag B of the belt-like sheet S before cutting is sequentially gripped by the gripper 22. That is, the front and rear bags B at the cutting position A are each gripped by the gripper 22 with the conveying pitch P1.

[0025] When the cam groove 40A is returned to the original inner position after passing the cutting position A, the cam groove 40A is maintained at the inner position, and the conveying pitch of the front and rear grippers 22 is returned to P0 again. Each gripper 22 is conveyed downstream while holding the cut bag B, and is opened by the gripper opening and closing mechanism at a predetermined position in the opening and closing section A2, and the bag B is delivered to the downstream device.

[0026] As described above, according to the filling and packaging device of the present embodiment, it is possible to change the conveying pitch of the gripper without accelerating or decelerating the chain, which is the power unit for moving the gripper. Thereby, the cut article (bag) separated from the belt-like sheet can be delivered to the downstream device at a constant timing.

Explanation of Signs

[0027] 10 Filling and packaging device 12 Filling machine (filling means) 12A Vertical sealer (horizontal sealing means) 18 Top sealer (upper sealing means) 20 Holding and conveying device (bag conveying means) 22 Gripper 24 Cutting device (cutting means) 36 Rocking lever 42 Support base A Cutting position B Bag P0, P1 Conveying pitch S Strip-shaped sheet

Claims

【Claim 1】 A horizontal sealing means for horizontally sealing a folded belt-shaped sheet at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction; A filling means for filling the belt-shaped sheet partitioned by the horizontal seal with contents; An upper sealing means for sealing the upper part filled with the contents to form a bag; A cutting means for cutting the horizontal seal part to separate into individual bags; In a filling and packaging apparatus comprising a bag conveying means for gripping the cut bag and conveying it downstream, The bag conveying means A plurality of swing levers rotatably provided on a traveling body that circulates; Cam followers provided on the plurality of swing levers; A cam that engages with the cam follower and moves the cam follower; A support base connected to the plurality of swing levers; An openable and closable gripper provided on the support base for gripping the bag; An opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the gripper, The support base is movably attached along the traveling body, When gripping the bag before cutting, the swing lever is positioned so that the cam follower and the cam reduce the interval between the front and rear grippers, and the front and rear grippers grip two adjacent bags respectively, After the bags gripped by the front and rear grippers are cut, the swing lever is swung so that the cam follower and the cam widen the interval between the front and rear grippers. A filling and packaging apparatus characterized by this.

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