Filling and packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a filling / packing machine preventing forming defects at a corner of a content filling container by previously and clearly making folding traces on an upper part of the container.SOLUTION: A filling / packing machine is provided with a top breaker section 6 for making folding traces along folding lines on an upper part of a container before being sealed at specific places on a transport passage R transporting a plurality of containers C1 including cartons C1 with upper openings in a state of being lined in one line or a plurality of lines. The top breaker section is provided with a pair of left and right guide members 61L and 61R supporting the container from sides so that four corner parts formed by side walls of the container adjacent to each other become right angles in each of the lines of the container; and folding members 62B, 62F, and 63 pressing and folding the upper part of the container supported with both of the guide members. The left and right guide members are allowed to swing between a retreat position without any obstruction to the container and a support position supporting the container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a filling and packaging machine, and more particularly to a filling and packaging machine that forms a container filled with contents by transporting a plurality of containers made of cardboard along a predetermined transport path and filling and sealing the contents such as beverages and foods in the containers.

Background Art

[0002] As a container used in this type of filling and packaging machine, a cardboard formed by molding a cardboard blank mainly made of paper into a bottomed rectangular tube shape is generally known. This container is formed into a bottomed rectangular tube shape with an upper opening, for example, by folding a cardboard blank folded in a flat sleeve shape into a rectangular tube shape and then folding one end thereof inward and sealing it. Then, while transporting the formed plurality of containers in a predetermined direction by a transport conveyor in the filling and packaging machine, the contents are filled and the upper openings of the containers are sequentially sealed, thereby forming a container filled with contents. Here, folding lines for folding into a predetermined shape are formed at the upper parts of the four side walls of the container when sealing the upper opening. However, since the cardboard blank used as the material of the container has a certain degree of flexibility, the angle of folding becomes insufficient due to the springback effect after the folding process, which may hinder the sealing of the upper opening of the container.

[0003] Therefore, as a means for solving the above problems, a filling and packaging machine provided with a top breaker portion for preliminarily creasing the upper part of the container at a predetermined position on the transport conveyor has been proposed. Specifically, as the top breaker portion of the filling and packaging machine, for example, the following are known. First, Patent Document 1 below discloses a top breaker part for bending the upper part of a container into a gable roof shape, which is provided so as to be vertically movable facing the upper opening of the container and has an inverted V-shaped bending plate that bends the upper parts of the side walls on both sides in the front-rear direction, which is parallel to the conveyance direction of the container when descending, inward, and left and right wings that are provided so as to be swingable left and right on both sides in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the container and bend the upper part of the container into a gable roof shape by pressing the upper part of the container from both the left and right sides. Also, Patent Document 2 below discloses a top breaker part for flatly bending the upper part of a container so that flaps projecting to both the left and right sides are formed, which has a pair of left and right fixed clamping pieces horizontally arranged at a predetermined height position with an interval allowing the container to enter in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the container, and a pair of front and rear movable clamping pieces (wings) that are provided so as to be swingable back and forth on both sides in the front-rear direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the container and cooperate with the fixed clamping pieces to flatly fold the upper part of the container so as to spread to both the left and right sides by pressing the upper part of the container from both the front and rear sides.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, in a bottomed rectangular tube-shaped container formed from a carton blank, due to the spring-back action attempting to return to the form of the carton blank folded in a flat sleeve shape, the four corners formed by the adjacent side walls are not right angles, that is, two corners corresponding to the folding edges on both sides of the carton blank may be acute angles, and the remaining two corners may be obtuse angles. When trying to make a crease on the upper part of a container with deformed corners as described above using a conventional top breaker part as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the bending of the upper part of the container becomes insufficient, and there is a risk of forming defects at the corners in the resulting content-filled container as a product. Also, in the case of the top breaker part described in Patent Document 2, there is a risk that the container with deformed corners may not pass between a pair of left and right fixed clamping pieces, which may interfere with the operation of the filling and packaging machine.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when forming a content-filled container using a bottomed rectangular tube-shaped container made of cardboard, by surely making a crease on the upper part of the container, it aims to provide a filling and packaging machine in which no forming defects occur at the corners in the formed content-filled container.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, this invention consists of the following aspects.

[0008] 1) A filling and packaging machine that forms a content-filled container by sequentially filling the container with contents and sealing the upper opening while transporting a plurality of containers made of cardboard having an upper opening in a state arranged in a single row or in a plurality of left and right rows along a transport path extending in the front-rear direction, wherein the container is formed by folding a flat sleeve-shaped cardboard blank into a rectangular tube shape and folding one end thereof inward for sealing, has four side walls on the front, rear, left, and right, and folding lines for folding into a predetermined shape are formed at the upper parts of the four side walls, and a top breaker part for making a crease along the folding lines is provided at a predetermined position on the transport path on the upper part of the container before sealing. The top breaker part includes a pair of guide members that support the container from the side so that the four corners formed by the adjacent side walls of the container are right angles for each row of the containers, and a bending member that presses and bends the upper part of the container supported by the pair of guide members. The pair of guide members can be moved between a retracted position where they do not interfere with the container and a support position where they support the container, the filling and packaging machine.

[0009] 2) The pair of guide members is composed of a left guide member that can swing between the retracted position and the support position with a predetermined one of the front and rear ends as the swing center, and a right guide member that can swing between the retracted position and the support position with the end opposite to the swing center of the left guide member as the swing center among the front and rear ends. The left guide member and the right guide member have a vertical first support surface that abuts against the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls of the container at the support position, and a corner correction portion that is provided at the tip portions of the left guide member and the right guide member so as to be perpendicular to the first support surface and engages with two of the four corners of the container corresponding to the double-folded edges of the carton blank when swinging from the retracted position to the support position, and corrects the two corners to be right angles in cooperation with the first support surface, the filling and packaging machine of 1).

[0010] 3) The bending member includes a pair of first bending members that press and bend the upper part of the container from the front and rear sides. On the upper parts of the left and right side walls of the container, an upper horizontal folding line extending horizontally across the entire width thereof and two upper diagonal folding lines extending obliquely upward from the front and rear ends of the upper horizontal folding line so as to form a triangle having the upper horizontal folding line as the lower side are formed. The triangular portion surrounded by the upper horizontal folding line and the two upper diagonal folding lines becomes an upper triangular panel portion that falls outward in the left-right direction when the upper part of the container is bent by the pair of front and rear first bending members. The filling and packaging machine according to 2), wherein the left guide member and the right guide member are configured such that, at the support position, the upper edge of the first support surface is aligned along the upper horizontal folding line.

[0011] 4) The filling and packaging machine according to 3), wherein the left guide member and the right guide member further have a second support surface that is continuous with the upper edge of the first support surface and is brought into contact with the outer surface of the upper triangular panel portion that has fallen outward in the left - right direction when the upper part of the container is bent by the pair of front - rear first bending members.

[0012] 5) The filling and packaging machine according to any one of 2) to 4), wherein the left guide member and the right guide member are positioned such that their swing centers are at a distance from the first support surface at the support position to the side opposite to the container in the left - right direction perpendicular to the conveyance path, and in the front - rear direction parallel to the conveyance path, at a distance from the end of the first support surface that is farther from the corner correction portion among both front and rear ends of the first support surface to the side opposite to the first support surface.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the filling and packaging machine of 1) above, in the top breaker portion, the upper parts of the containers in each row are supported by a pair of guide members such that their four corners are at right angles, and are bent by the bending members. Therefore, folds can be surely formed along the folding lines on the upper parts of the containers, and thus, it is possible to surely avoid the occurrence of defective corner forming in the content - filled containers formed as products. Further, according to the filling and packaging machine of 1) above, since the pair of guide members are movable between the retracted position and the support position, there is no risk of interference with the containers during conveyance, and the operation can continue without hindrance.

[0014] According to the filling and packaging machine of 2) above, a pair of guide members consists of a swingable left guide member and a right guide member. When these are swung from the retracted position toward the support position, the two acute-angled corners corresponding to the double-folded edges of the carton blank among the four corners of the container are pressed by the first support surfaces and the corner correction portions of the left and right guide members and corrected to a right angle. Thus, it is more reliably possible to support the upper part of the container in an appropriate state where its four corners are at right angles. As a result, it is more reliably possible to avoid the occurrence of defective corner forming in the content-filled container formed as a product.

[0015] According to the filling and packaging machine of 3) above, since the left and right guide members are configured such that the upper edges of their first support surfaces are aligned along the upper horizontal folding lines of the left and right side walls of the container at the support position, it is surely possible to form a fold so that the upper triangular panel portions of the left and right side walls fall outward in the left-right direction at the position of the upper horizontal folding line.

[0016] According to the filling and packaging machine of 4) above, since the portions bent outward in the left-right direction at the upper part of each container can be clamped by the second support surfaces of the left and right guide members and the pair of front and rear first folding members, it is even more surely possible to form a fold at the upper part of the container.

[0017] According to the filling and packaging machine of 5) above, by setting the swing centers of the left and right guide members as described above, it is possible to more surely correct the two acute-angled corners corresponding to the double-folded edges of the carton blank among the four corners of the container to a right angle. Also, according to the filling and packaging machine of 5) above, it is more surely possible to avoid the left and right guide members swung to the retracted position from interfering with the container. Furthermore, according to the filling and packaging machine of 5) above, when the containers are conveyed in multiple rows on the left and right, it is less likely for the left and right guide members that support the containers in adjacent rows to interfere with each other. Thus, it is possible to reduce the interval between the rows of containers and make the filling and packaging machine more compact.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

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Figure 13

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Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] The filling and packaging machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19. In the following description, the right side of FIG. 1 is referred to as "front", the left side as "rear", and the left and right refer to the left and right when viewed from the front. Also, FIGS. 1, 2, 11, and 17 show the whole or part of the side of the filling and packaging machine with the front side wall of the chamber omitted.

[0020] The filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment is for forming a content-filled container (C2) by filling a container (C1) made of cardboard with contents such as beverages and foods and then sealing them. As shown in FIG. 1, the filling and packaging machine (1) has a long sealed (box-shaped) chamber (2) in the front-rear direction. A carton blank inlet (201) is provided on the front end wall (23) of the chamber (2), and a content-filled container outlet (202) is provided at the rear end of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2).

[0021] At the front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2), a bottom forming portion (3) is provided for forming a bottomed rectangular tubular container (carton) (C1) by sealing one end portion of a carton blank (CB12) bent into a rectangular tubular shape to form a bottom. In the bottom forming portion (3), a turret (30) having a plurality of radial carton holders (30a) is rotatably provided around a horizontal axis. Along the rotation direction of the turret (30) (counterclockwise direction in Fig. 1), a receiving portion (31) for setting the rectangular tubular carton blank (CB12) introduced from the carton blank inlet (201) into the carton holder (30a), a bottom heating portion (32) for heating one end portion of the carton blank (CB12), a bottom breaker portion (33) for folding one end portion of the carton blank (CB12) inward to form a crease, a bottom sealing portion (34) for sealing one end portion of the carton blank (CB12) to form a bottomed rectangular tubular container (C1), and a transfer portion (35) for transferring the formed container (C1) to the next process by a carton unloader (35a) are sequentially provided. In the receiving portion (31), the carton blank (CB12) drawn out from the carton magazine by a picker and formed into a rectangular tubular shape is sent through the carton blank inlet (201) by a carton loader (36). In the case of the illustrated filling and packaging machine (1), the front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2) where the bottom forming portion (3) is provided has a double-roof shape inclined obliquely upward forward when viewed from the side. With this shape, the height of the front end portion (2a) of the chamber (2) is suppressed.

[0022] Also, in the chamber (2), a conveying conveyor (4) for conveying a plurality of containers (C1) along a horizontal conveying path (R) extending rearward with their openings facing upward is provided in a tunnel-shaped portion (2b) from the rear side (downstream side) of the bottom forming portion (3) to the rear end portion. Then, on the conveyance path (R), from the upstream side (front side) to the downstream side (rear side), there are sequentially provided a preliminary breaker part (5) for preliminarily folding the upper part of the container (C1), a top breaker part (6) for creasing the container (C1), a sterilization part (7) for sterilizing the container (C1), a filling part (8) for filling the container (C1) with the content, a top seal part (9) for sealing the upper part of the container (C1), a flap seal part (10) for folding the flap (C21) formed on the upper part of the content-filled container (C2) during sealing and sealing it to the surface of the container (C2), and a discharge part (11) for discharging the content-filled container (C2) outside the chamber (2).

[0023] In the filling and packaging machine (1) having the above basic configuration, clean air is blown and supplied from a plurality of predetermined locations into the chamber (2), and the clean air that has circulated in the chamber (2) is sucked and discharged from a plurality of predetermined locations. As a result, almost the entire chamber (2) except for the clean air suction and discharge area is maintained at a positive pressure by the clean air, and a sterile state is maintained. More specifically, since particularly high asepticity is required for the sterilization part (7), filling part (8), and top seal part (9) in the chamber (2), clean air purified by a ULPA filter (F) (an air filter having a particle collection rate of 99.9995% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.15 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is blown and supplied from the clean air outlets (AB1)(AB2) through the air supply pipe (P1). Also, in locations in the chamber (2) other than the sterilization part (7), filling part (8), and top seal part (9), for example, the hot air outlets (101) provided in the flap seal part (10) (see FIG. 1) and the hot air outlets (not shown) provided in the bottom forming part (3), since such a high cleanliness is not required, clean air purified by a HEPA filter (an air filter having a particle collection rate of 99.97% or more for particles with a particle size of 0.3 μm at the rated flow rate specified in JIS Z8122:2000 and an initial pressure loss of 245 Pa or less) is supplied. The discharge of the clean air flowing through the chamber (2) is suction-discharged from clean air inlets provided at a plurality of predetermined locations in the chamber (2) and connected to an exhaust fan through an exhaust pipe. As shown in FIG. 1, the clean air inlets (AS1) and (AS2) provided in the top wall (21) portion above the bottom forming portion (3) and the flap seal portion (10) in the chamber (2) are connected to the exhaust fan (E) through the exhaust pipe (P2). A flow control valve such as a butterfly valve (V) is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe (P2) so that the discharge flow rate of the clean air from the chamber (2) can be adjusted.

[0024] The inside of the chamber (2) is configured to be capable of being cleaned (CIP) and sterilized (SIP) as a whole. During cleaning, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content filling container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and a cleaning agent such as an alkaline solution or an acidic solution is injected and supplied from cleaning nozzles (12) provided at a plurality of predetermined locations, and then rinsing is performed. Similarly, during sterilization, the carton blank inlet (201) and the content filling container outlet (202) of the chamber (2) are closed, and a sterilizing agent is supplied from a plurality of predetermined locations to perform sterilization.

[0025] As shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4, the conveying conveyor (4) has a configuration of four columns and one-pitch feeding, and is arranged on both the left and right sides of the conveying path (R) and wound around front and rear sprockets (41). It includes two endless left and right conveyor chains (42), four bottom rails (43) arranged in parallel to each other along the conveying path (R) between the left and right conveyor chains (42) and supporting the bottom of the container (C1), and a number of container holders (44) installed between the links facing each other on the left and right of both conveyor chains (42) and holding the container (C1) on the four bottom rails (43) with the opening facing upward. The container (C1) is sequentially transferred from the transfer portion (35) of the bottom forming portion (3) to the container holder (44) by the carton unloader (35a) at the front end of the conveying conveyor (4) (see FIG. 1).

[0026] Each container holder (44) is composed of a long vertical plate member extending in the left - right direction and has a pair of front - and - rear first holding plates (441) passed and stopped on the links (421) of both conveyor chains (42), and is composed of a short vertical plate member extending in the front - rear direction and has a total of four pairs of second holding plates (442) formed by two left - and - right plates each interposed and fixed at a plurality of predetermined length - direction positions of the front - and - rear first holding plates (441). Then, the front - and - rear side walls of the four containers (C1) whose bottoms are supported by the four bottom rails (43) are held by the front - and - rear two first holding plates (441), and the left - and - right side walls of each of the four containers (C1) are held by the four pairs of left - and - right two second holding plates (442) respectively. That is, a holding portion (440) that surrounds and holds the container (C1) from the front, rear, left, and right is formed by the front - and - rear two first holding plates (441) forming a pair and the four pairs of left - and - right two second holding plates (442) respectively. If the container holder (44) is configured by the first holding plate (441) and the second holding plate (442) as described above, the flow of clean air in the vertical direction in the chamber (2) is not obstructed, and a rectifying effect that makes the flow of clean air a stable downward flow is easily obtained. The front - and - rear two first holding plates (441) forming a pair have their left - and - right both ends attached to the inner surfaces of the opposing links (421) of the left - and - right conveyor chains (42) via vertical - plate - like blocks (45). And the pitch of the links (421) of the conveyor chain (42) is made to correspond to the conveyance pitch (P) of the container (C1) by the conveyance conveyor (4) (see FIG. 2). Hemispherical protrusions (441a) (442a) that are in point contact with the outer surface of the side wall of the container (C1) are formed on each first holding plate (441) and each second holding plate (442). Due to the presence of these hemispherical protrusions (441a) (442a), it is avoided that the outer surface of the side wall of the container (C1) is in close contact with the inner surfaces of each first holding plate (441) and each second holding plate (442). Therefore, in the sterilization section (7), the outer surface of the side wall of the container (C1) is surely sterilized by spraying a sterilizing agent. On the upper edge of each first holding plate (441), an upper convex portion (441b) that protrudes upward more than other portions is provided at the portion for holding the container (C1). These upper convex portions (441b) enable the container (C1) to be held more stably. Also, by suppressing the height of the upper edge of the first holding plate (441) other than the upper convex portions (441b), processing on the upper part of the container (C1) in the top breaker portion (6) and the like can be carried out without hindrance. The tip portions of the upper convex portions (441b) are inclined obliquely upward toward the outside in the front-rear direction so as to serve as a guide when the carton unloader (35a) transfers the container (C1) to the holding portion (440). On the upper edge of the rear first holding plate (441) among the pair of front-rear first holding plates (441), a rear convex portion (441c) that is bent horizontally rearward is provided at the portion between the upper convex portions (441b). These rear convex portions (441c) block the portion where there is no container (C1) in the gap between adjacent container holders (44) in the front-rear direction, so that the flow of clean air can be concentrated around the container (C1).

[0027] FIG. 5 shows an initial carton blank (CB10) used as the material of the container (C1). This carton blank (CB10) is formed by punching a laminate mainly made of paper into a predetermined shape, and both its inner and outer surfaces are composed of thermoplastic resin layers. Further, a barrier layer made of aluminum foil or the like is provided in the middle of the thickness of the laminate as needed. The carton blank (CB10) made of the laminate having the above configuration can be bent and formed into a predetermined shape, but since it has some flexibility, springback may occur after the bending process. As shown in FIG. 5, the carton blank (CB10) is slightly horizontally long rectangular, and a plurality of folding lines for folding it into a predetermined shape are formed. Specifically, first, on the carton blank (CB10), first to fourth vertical folding lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) for folding the carton blank (CB10) into a square tube shape are formed at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The first vertical folding line (FR11) at the left end of FIG. 5 and the third vertical folding line (FR13) third from the left are straight lines extending over the entire length, but the second vertical folding line (FR12) second from the left has a vertically long parallelogram portion (FR121) in the middle of its length, and the fourth vertical folding line (FR14) at the right end has a vertically long hexagonal portion (FR141) in the middle of its length. Due to these portions (FR121) and (FR141), vertically long parallelogram and vertically long hexagonal chamfered portions (omitted in FIGS. 7 to 10) are formed at two corners of the product, the content filling container (C2), and the content filling container (C2) is made easy to hold by hand. Note that the shape of the folding line of the portion constituting the chamfered portion is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, a quadrilateral other than a parallelogram or a curved shape such as an ellipse. Also, there may be a case where the chamfered portion is not formed. Further, on the carton blank (CB10), a first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) and a first lower horizontal folding line (FR23) are formed for further partitioning and folding the portion partitioned by the first to fourth vertical folding lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) into a top wall forming portion (CB101), a side wall forming portion (CB102), and a bottom wall forming portion (CB103). The first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) is formed as an oblique straight line with the portion between the first and second vertical folding lines (FR11) and (FR12) inclined slightly obliquely upward to the left, and the portion between the third and fourth vertical folding lines (FR13) and (FR14) is formed as an oblique straight line inclined slightly obliquely upward to the right. In the bottom wall forming portion (CB103) of the carton blank (CB10), in the portions between the first and second vertical folding lines (FR11) (FR12) and between the third and fourth vertical folding lines (FR13) (FR14), two lower diagonal folding lines (FR32) are formed so as to form isosceles triangles with the first lower horizontal folding line (FR23) as the upper side, respectively. Also, a second lower horizontal folding line (FR24) extending in the left - right direction is formed so as to connect the intersections of the respective two lower diagonal folding lines (FR32). Further, lower vertical folding lines (FR42) extending short from the respective intersections to the lower edge of the carton blank (CB10) are formed. In the top wall forming portion (CB101) of the carton blank (CB10), a second upper horizontal folding line (FR22) extending in the left - right direction across the entire width of the carton blank (CB10) is formed at a position slightly below its upper edge. The portion of the carton blank (CB10) above the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22) serves as a sealing margin when sealing the upper opening (C10) of the bottomed rectangular tubular container (C1). In the portions between the first and second vertical folding lines (FR11) (FR12) and between the third and fourth vertical folding lines (FR13) (FR14) in the top wall forming portion (CB101), two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31) are formed so as to form triangles with the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) as the lower side, respectively. Each portion surrounded by the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) and the two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31) forms an upper triangular panel portion (C14) that falls outward in the left - right direction when the upper part of the container (C1) is bent as described later (see FIGS. 5 - 7). The intersections of the respective two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31) are located on the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22). Also, upper vertical folding lines (FR41) are formed so as to extend short from the respective intersections to the upper edge of the carton blank (CB10). In the portion between the second and third vertical folding lines (FR12) (FR13) in the top wall forming portion (CB101), a circular plug attachment portion (CB104) is formed.

[0028] The above-described initial form of the carton blank (CB10) is folded into an envelope shape at the locations of the first and third vertical folding lines (FR11) and (FR13) so that the surfaces constituting the inner surface of the container (C1) overlap each other, and the left and right side edges are overlapped and joined by adhesion, heat sealing, or the like, thereby becoming the carton blank (CB11) in the second form folded into a flat sleeve shape shown in FIG. 6. In this form, a large number of sheets are stacked and stored in the carton magazine. Next, when the carton blank (CB11) in the second form is pulled out one by one from the carton magazine by the picker as described above, it is bent at a substantially right angle along the first to fourth vertical folding lines (FR11), (FR12), (FR13), and (FR14) to become a carton blank (CB12) in the shape of a rectangular prism with a square cross section (see FIG. 6(b)), and is sent to the receiving portion (31) of the bottom forming portion (3) by the carton loader (36). Then, one end portion (bottom wall forming portion (CB103)) of this rectangular prism-shaped carton blank (CB12) is heated to a predetermined temperature in the bottom heating portion (32), and then, in the bottom breaker portion (33), it is bent inward along the first lower horizontal folding line (FR23), two lower diagonal folding lines (FR32), the second lower horizontal folding line (FR24), and the lower vertical folding line (FR42) to form a fold, and then sealed by ultrasonic sealing, heat sealing, or the like in the bottom sealing portion (34). Thereby, a bottomed rectangular prism-shaped container (C1) is formed.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 7, the container (C1) includes a square bottom wall (C11) and four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) extending upward from the four sides of the bottom wall (C11). The upper edge of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) forms an upper opening (C10). The bottom wall (C11) is square as shown in the figure, but may also be rectangular. In that case, the cross-section of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) is also the same rectangle. Further, the lower part of the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) below the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) is a side wall forming portion (CB102) that forms the side wall of the content filling container (C2), and the upper part thereof is a top wall forming portion (CB101) that forms the top wall of the content filling container (C2). At least in the lower part near the bottom wall (C11), the four corners (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134) of the container (C1) are all substantially right-angled, but in the upper part, they may be deformed without being right-angled. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, in the upper part of the container (C1), the first and third corners (C131) and (C133) corresponding to the first and third vertical fold lines (FR11) and (FR13) of the carton blank (CB10) are acute angles, and the second and fourth corners (C132) and (C134) corresponding to the second and fourth vertical fold lines (FR12) and (FR14) are obtuse angles. This is due to the flexibility of the laminate constituting the carton blank (CB10), and a spring-back action occurs in the four side walls (C121), (C122), (C123), and (C124) of the container (C1) to return to the shape of the second form of the carton blank (CB11) shown in Fig. 6, that is, a folded flat sleeve shape, thereby deforming the corners (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134). In the filling and packaging machine (1) of this embodiment, considering the deformation of the upper part of the container (C1) as described above, the top breaker part (6) has a characteristic configuration as described below.

[0030] In the filling section (8), the container (C1) filled with the contents through the upper opening (C10) is, in the top seal section (9) on the downstream side of the filling section (8), such that the upper parts of the front, rear, left, and right side walls (C121)(C122)(C123)(C124) are folded outward in the left - right direction along the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21), the upper diagonal fold line (FR31), the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22), and the upper vertical fold line (FR41), and thereby the front and rear edge portions (the portions above the second upper horizontal fold line (FR22)) formed at the upper opening (C10) are overlapped and sealed. As a result, a contents - filled container (C2) having a long flap (C21) in the left - right direction as shown in FIG. 9 is formed at the top. In the following flap seal section (10) of the above - mentioned contents - filled container (C2), both left and right side portions of the flap (C21) are folded downward and sealed to the upper surface of the left and right side walls, thereby forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped final form as shown in FIG. 10. Note that although the top wall of the illustrated contents - filled container (C2) is inclined obliquely downward toward the rear, the filling and packaging machine according to the present invention can be similarly applied when forming a contents - filled container with a horizontal top wall.

[0031] FIGS. 11 to 19 show the detailed structure of the top breaker section (6) and its constituent members. In the following description regarding the top breaker section (6), "front" refers to the left in FIGS. 11 and 17 and the bottom in FIGS. 13 and 15, "rear" refers to the right in FIGS. 11 and 17 and the top in FIGS. 13 and 15, and "left - right" refers to the left - right when viewed from the front, that is, the left - right in FIGS. 12, 13, 15, and 16. As shown in these figures, the top breaker section (6) includes, for each row of containers (C1), a pair of guide members (61L)(61R) that support the container (C1) from the side such that its first to fourth corner portions (C131)(C132)(C133)(C134) are at right angles, and a bending member that presses and bends the upper part of the container (C1) supported by the pair of guide members (61L)(61R). The bending members include a pair of front and rear first bending members (62F) and (62B) that press and bend the upper part of the container (C1) from the front and rear sides, and a second bending member (63) that is provided above the container (C1) so as to be movable up and down and enters the container (C1) to press and bend the upper parts of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) so as to spread outward in the left - right direction.

[0032] The pair of guide members (61L) and (61R) are configured to reciprocate between a retracted position where they do not interfere with the container (C1) and a support position where they support the container (C1). More specifically, the pair of guide members are composed of a left guide member (61L) that swings between a retracted position and a support position with the front end as the swing center, and a right guide member (61R) that swings between a retracted position and a support position with the rear end as the swing center. The left guide member (61L) and the right guide member (61R) are arranged on the left and right sides of each row of containers (C1) in the top breaker part (6), and the same number of pairs (4 pairs in the figure) as the number of rows of the containers (C1) are provided.

[0033] The left guide member (61L) has a base plate (611L) and a guide body (612L) attached to the upper surface of the base plate (611L). The base plate (611L) is formed of a substantially L - shaped plate piece with the front end bent short to the left. The lower end of a rotation shaft (641) for swinging the left guide member (61L) is connected to the front end of the base plate (611L), and the front end serves as the swing center (610) of the left guide member (61L) (see Fig. 15). Similarly, the right guide member (61R) also has a base plate (611R) and a guide body (612R) attached to the upper surface of the base plate (611R). The base plate (611R) is formed of a substantially L - shaped plate piece with the rear end bent short to the right. The lower end of a rotation shaft (641) for swinging the right guide member (61R) is connected to the rear end of the base plate (611R), and the rear end serves as the swing center (610) of the right guide member (61R) (see Fig. 15). The swing centers (610) of the paired left guide member (61L) and right guide member (61R) are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center of the container. The upper end of each rotation shaft (641) penetrates the top wall (21) of the chamber (2) and protrudes upward, and is rotatable about its vertical axis. Further, in the middle part of the length of each rotation shaft (641), a horizontal guide holding bar (643) extending in the left-right direction and suspended via a hanging rod (642) from the top wall (21) of the chamber (2) is loosely penetrated, and is also rotatably held by this guide holding bar (643).

[0034] Above the top breaker portion (6) on the upper surface of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2), a guide swing unit (65) for rotating each rotation shaft (641) to swing the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) is provided. The guide swing unit (65) of this embodiment includes a fluid pressure cylinder (651) as a power source and a link mechanism (652) for transmitting the driving force of the fluid pressure cylinder (651) to each rotation shaft (641). The link mechanism (652) includes eight arm links (652a) and (652b) respectively connected to the upper ends of a total of eight rotating shafts (641), a front connecting link (652c) that relatively rotatably connects four arm links (652a) and (652b) connected to the four front-row rotating shafts (641) for swinging the left guide member (61L), a rear connecting link (652c) that relatively rotatably connects four arm links (652a) and (652b) connected to the four rear-row rotating shafts (641) for swinging the right guide member (61R), and an intermediate connecting link (652d) that relatively rotatably connects an arm link (652a) connected to a rotating shaft (641) at a predetermined position (the right end in the figure) in the front row and an arm link (652a) connected to a rotating shaft (641) at a predetermined position (the second from the right in the figure) in the rear row. The two arm links (652a) connected by the intermediate connecting link (652d) are each bifurcated, with their central portions connected to the upper ends of the rotating shafts (641), the same-side ends respectively connected to the front or rear connecting link (652c), and the other ends respectively connected to the front or rear ends of the intermediate connecting link (652d). The fluid pressure cylinder (651) is composed of, for example, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc., and has a reciprocating piston rod (651a). This fluid pressure cylinder (651) is installed on the upper surface of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2) so as to be close to an arm link (652a) connected to a rotating shaft (641) at a predetermined position (the left end in the rear row in the figure). The arm link (652a) close to the fluid pressure cylinder (651) is bifurcated, with its central portion connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft (641), the same-side end connected to the front or rear connecting link (652c) (the rear connecting link (652c) in the figure), and the other end connected to the tip of the piston rod (651a) of the fluid pressure cylinder (651). The arm links (652b) other than the bifurcated arm link (652a) are strip-shaped, with one end connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft (641) and the other end connected to the front or rear connecting link (652c).

[0035] When the piston rod (651a) of the fluid pressure cylinder (651) is driven to advance and retreat, all the rotating shafts (641) are simultaneously rotated in the same direction by the same angle via the link mechanism (652). As a result, all pairs of left guide members (61L) and right guide members (61R) are simultaneously swung between the retracted position and the support position. More specifically, while the container (C1) is being conveyed by the conveying conveyor (4), all pairs of left guide members (61L) and right guide members (61R) are arranged at the retracted position (the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 15). When the container (C1) temporarily stops at the top breaker section (6), the fluid pressure cylinder (651) operates, and all pairs of left guide members (61L) and right guide members (61R) are simultaneously swung from the retracted position toward the support position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 15). By each pair of left and right guide members (61L)(61R), each row of containers (C1) is supported in a state where its four corners (C131)(C132)(C133)(C134) are made right angles. Next, after a predetermined fold is formed on the upper part of the container (C1) by the first bending members (62F)(62B) and the second bending member (63), the fluid pressure cylinder (651) operates, and all pairs of left guide members (61L) and right guide members (61R) are simultaneously swung from the support position toward the retracted position. When the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) return to the retracted position, the container (C1) with the fold formed is sent out by the conveying conveyor (4) toward the sterilization section (7) of the next process, and the container (C1) before the fold forming is sent into the top breaker section (6), and the above-mentioned fold forming process is performed. Note that the means for swinging the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) is not limited to the above configuration, and other means may be used. However, when the above configuration is used, the device configuration becomes relatively simple, so the installation space is reduced and the cost can also be suppressed. Further, according to the above configuration, adjustment of the swinging position, swinging angle, etc. of the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) can be easily performed.

[0036] FIG. 18 shows the guide body (612L) of the left guide member (61L), and FIG. 19 shows the guide body (612R) of the right guide member (61R). As shown in FIG. 18, the guide body (612L) of the left guide member (61L) includes a flat horizontal plate portion (612a) having a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction when viewed from a plane, an upward convex portion (612b) that is substantially triangular when viewed from a plane and protrudes upward from the vicinity of the center of the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion (612a), and a side convex portion (612c) that protrudes rightward from the rear end portion of the horizontal plate portion (612a). The rear portion of the right side surface of the horizontal plate portion (612a) is inclined obliquely leftward toward the rear end. The right side surface of the upward convex portion (612b) constitutes a vertical surface continuous with the straight portion of the right side surface of the horizontal plate portion (612a). This vertical surface serves as a first support surface (613) that is brought into contact with the outer surface of the left side wall (C123) of the container (C1) at the support position. The left guide member (61L) is configured such that, at the support position, the upper edge (613u) of its first support surface (613) is aligned along the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) of the left side wall (C123) of the container (C1). The front-rear width of the first support surface (613) is made the same as or slightly larger than the lateral width of the left side wall (C123) of the container (C1). The rear end portion of the upper convex portion (612b) is formed to be narrow and extend in a ridge shape toward the rear end of the horizontal plate portion (612a). The side convex portion (612c) is formed such that its front side surface is perpendicular to the first support surface (613). When the left guide member (61L) is swung in the clockwise direction in FIG. 15 from the retracted position toward the support position, this side convex portion (612c) engages with the third corner portion (C133) of the container (C1) corresponding to one of the folding edge portions of the second form of the carton blank (CB11), and serves as a corner correcting portion (614) that corrects the corner portion (C133) to be perpendicular in cooperation with the first support surface (613). The longer the protruding length of the side convex portion (612c) that constitutes the corner correcting portion (614), the more reliably the third corner portion (C133) of the container (C1) deformed into an acute angle can be corrected to be perpendicular. On the other hand, since the distance that the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) swing between the support position and the retracted position becomes longer, it is preferable to set the protruding length in consideration of this balance. The tip of the side convex portion (612c) is rounded to avoid contact with the third corner portion (C133) of the container (C1) when the left guide member (61L) is swung from the retracted position to the support position. Also, the upper convex portion (612b) has a top surface that continues to the upper edge (613u) of the first support surface (613). This top surface serves as a second support surface (615) that is brought into contact with the outer surface of the upper triangular panel portion (C14) of the left side wall (C123) that has fallen to the left when the upper part of the container (C1) is bent by the pair of front and rear bending members (62F)(62B) and the second bending member (63). This second support surface (615) is inclined so as to be parallel to the upper edge (613u) of the first support surface (613) (that is, the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) of the container (C1)) when viewed from the right side surface of the guide body (612L), and is inclined so as to be parallel to the upper triangular panel portion (C14) of the left side wall (C123) of the container (C1) that has fallen to the left during bending when viewed from the rear surface of the guide body (612L) (see FIGS. 16 and 17(b), etc.). The inclination angle of the second support surface (615) when viewed from the rear surface of the guide body (612L) is preferably 0 to 45°, more preferably 15 to 20°. As shown in FIG. 19, the guide body (612R) of the right guide member (61R) is substantially the same as the guide body (612L) of the left guide member (61L) shown in FIG. 18, except that their directions are reversed left and right. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the portions having the same functions, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 15, for each left guide member (61L), its swing center (610) is positioned at a predetermined distance from the first support surface (613) at the support position to the side opposite to the container (C1) (i.e., the left side) in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveyance path (R), and in the front-rear direction parallel to the conveyance path (R), it is positioned at a predetermined distance from the end farther from the corner correction portion (614) (i.e., the front end) of both the front and rear ends of the first support surface (613) to the side opposite to the first support surface (613) (i.e., the front side). For each right guide member (61R), its swing center (610) is positioned at a predetermined distance from the first support surface (613) at the support position to the side opposite to the container (C1) (i.e., the right side) in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveyance path (R), and in the front-rear direction parallel to the conveyance path (R), it is positioned at a predetermined distance from the end farther from the corner correction portion (614) (i.e., the rear end) of both the front and rear ends of the first support surface (613) to the side opposite to the first support surface (613) (i.e., the rear side). The arrangement and movement range of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) are not particularly limited as long as they do not interfere with the container (C1) being conveyed at the retracted position and can support the container (C1) at the support position such that the first to fourth corner portions (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134) are at right angles. However, if the swing center (610) of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) is set at the above position, the following effects can be achieved. That is, when the left guide member (61L) is swung in the clockwise direction in Fig. 15 from the retracted position, the third corner portion (C133) that has been deformed into an acute angle and is located at the left rear of the container (C1) can be pushed diagonally forward to the right by its first support surface (613) and the corner correction portion (614), thereby reliably correcting the third corner portion (C133) to a right angle (see the left guide member (61L) at the right end of Fig. 15). Similarly, when the right guide member (61R) is swung in the clockwise direction in Fig. 15 from the retracted position, the first corner portion (C131) that has been deformed into an acute angle and is located at the right front of the container (C1) can be pushed diagonally backward to the left by its first support surface (613) and the corner correction portion (614), thereby reliably correcting the first corner portion (C131) to a right angle (see the right guide member (61R) at the right end of Fig. 15). When the first and third corner portions (C131) and (C133) are corrected to right angles as described above, the second and fourth corner portions (C132) and (C134) that have been deformed into obtuse angles are also deformed to become right angles, and all the corner portions (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134) are made right angles. Further, since the swing center (610) of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) is separated from the first support surface (613) at the support position by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction, although the first support surface (613) can support the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) of the container (C1) over the entire width thereof, it is surely avoided that the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) interfere with the container (C1) at the retracted position.Incidentally, the distance between the swing center (610) of each of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) in the left-right direction and the first support surface (613) of the support position increases as the swing radius of the corner correction portion (614) increases. As a result, the corner correction portion (614) of the left guide member (61L) at the retracted position is located more rearward, and the corner correction portion (614) of the right guide member (61R) is located more forward. This is advantageous for pressing and deforming the first and third corner portions (C131) and (C133) of the container (C1). However, it is necessary to prevent interference with the left or right guide member (61L) or (61R) that supports the containers (C1) in the adjacent rows. In this embodiment, all pairs of left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) are swung in the same direction, and the swing center (610) of each of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) is positioned outside the guide bodies (612L) and (612R). By reducing the size of the guide bodies (612L) and (612R), it becomes difficult for the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) that support the containers (C1) in the adjacent rows to interfere with each other, and the interval between the rows of the containers (C1) can be reduced. As a result, the filling and packaging machine (1) can be made more compact in size. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the first and third corner portions (C131) and (C133) located at the right front and left rear of each row of containers (C1) conveyed by the conveying conveyor (4) are deformed at acute angles. Accordingly, the directions and swing directions of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) are set as described above. However, when the second and fourth corner portions (C132) and (C134) located at the left front and right rear of the container (C1) are formed at acute angles, the same can be applied by setting the directions and swing directions of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) to be opposite to the above.

[0038] The pair of front and rear first bending members (62F) and (62B) are composed of plate-like bodies that are long in the left-right direction, and are constituted by a front wing (62F) and a rear wing (62B) that are provided so as to be swingable back and forth so as to be able to press the upper parts of the containers (C1) in each row from both the front and rear sides. Further, the second bending member (63) is constituted by a vertical bending plate (63) that is inserted into the containers (C1) in each row through the upper openings (C10) thereof and is provided so as to be movable up and down so as to expand the upper parts of the containers (C1) outward in the left-right direction. These front wing (62F), rear wing (62B), and bending plate (63) are all made to be movable up and down as a single bending unit (60). More specifically, a horizontally plate-shaped bracket (661) extending in the left-right direction so as to be positioned above the four rows of containers (C1) is connected to and held at the lower end portions of two left and right first elevating shafts (662) that penetrate the top wall (21) of the chamber (2). At each of the left and right ends of the bracket (661), U-shaped plates (663) are attached with their front and rear ends facing downward. Further, a front wing support bar (664F) is horizontally installed at the front end of the left and right U-shaped plates (663), and a rear wing support bar (664B) is horizontally installed at the rear end of the left and right U-shaped plates (663). The front wing support bar (664F) and the rear wing support bar (664B) are relatively rotatable because horizontal connecting shafts (664a) provided at their left and right ends are loosely inserted through the front and rear ends of the left and right U-shaped plates (663). On the opposing surfaces of the front wing support bar (664F) and the rear wing support bar (664B), four front wings (62F) and four rear wings (62B) are respectively attached at positions corresponding to the four rows of containers (C1). The front and rear wings (62F)(62B) have a left-right length such that when the upper part of the container (C1) is pressed from both the front and rear sides and bent outward in the left-right direction, they can press the entire upper part of the container (C1) including the part that has spread outward in the left-right direction. Further, the front wing (62F) has an up-down width substantially equal to the interval between the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) and the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22) on the front side wall (C121) of the container (C1), and the rear wing (62R) has an up-down width substantially equal to the interval between the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) and the second upper horizontal folding line (FR22) on the rear side wall (C122) of the container (C1). Also, at the center of the front-rear width of the lower surface of the bracket (661), four bending plates (63) are attached in a hanging manner so as to face the upper openings (C10) of the containers (C1) in each row. Each bending plate (63) has a horizontally straight lower side portion (631) that is slightly shorter than the left-right width of the upper opening (C10) of the container (C1), and two left and right inclined side portions (632) that extend obliquely upward from both left and right ends of the lower side portion (631) outward in the left-right direction. When the bending plate (63) is lowered, the left and right inclined side portions (632) abut against the upper edge portions of the left and right side walls (C123)(C124) of the container (C1), more specifically, the portions where the upper vertical folding lines (FR41) of the same upper edge portions are formed, and are pressed downward so as to push the left and right side walls (C123)(C124) outward in the left-right direction. Each first lifting shaft (662) is vertically slidably inserted into a vertical sleeve (665) penetratingly attached to the top wall (21) of the chamber (2). A ring-shaped stopper (665a) is provided at the upper end of each vertical sleeve (665). Also, the two left and right first lifting shafts (662) are loosely inserted through the middle of the length of a horizontal upper bar (666) extending in the left and right directions at their upper parts, and a retaining portion (662a) of the upper bar (666) is provided at their upper ends. A ring-shaped collar (667) is attached to each first lifting shaft (662) at a predetermined length position between the vertical sleeve (665) and the upper bar (666), and a spring (668) is provided so as to be interposed between the upper bar (666) and the collar (667). The upper ends of the second lifting shafts (671) are fixedly connected to portions near both left and right ends of the upper bar (666). Each second lifting shaft (671) is loosely inserted through the top wall (21) of the chamber (2), and its lower end faces upward near the center of the width at each left and right end of the bracket (661). And the lower end of one of the left and right second lifting shafts (671) (the left side in the figure) is connected to one end (the left end in the figure) of the front wing support bar (664F) via a link mechanism (672), and the lower end of the other second lifting shaft (671) (the right side in the figure) is connected to one end (the right end in the figure) of the rear wing support bar (664B) via a link mechanism (672) respectively. The link mechanism (672) consists of an upper link (672a) whose upper end is relatively rotatably connected to the lower end of each second lifting shaft (671), and a lower link (672b) whose one end is relatively rotatably connected to the lower end of the upper link (672a) and the other end is connected to the connecting shaft (664a) at a predetermined end of each of the front wing support bar (664F) and the rear wing support bar (664B). At both left and right ends of the upper bar (666), there is a lifting drive device (68) for lifting the folding unit (60). More specifically, the lifting drive device (68) includes a vertical plate cam (not shown) that is disposed close to one side wall (22) (the right side wall (22) in the figure) of the chamber (2) and is attached to a horizontal drive shaft such as a motor and rotated, and a link mechanism (681) that raises and lowers the entire folding unit (60) by raising and lowering the upper bar (666) in conjunction with the plate cam. The link mechanism (681) includes a horizontal rotation shaft (681a) that extends in the left - right direction on the upper surface of the top wall (21) of the chamber (2) and is rotatable about its axis, a first intermediate link (681b) whose middle part in length is connected to one end (the right end in the figure) of the horizontal rotation shaft (681a), a first upper link (681c) whose upper end is connected to one end (the right end in the figure) of the upper bar (666) and whose lower end is connected to one end (the rear end in the figure) of the first intermediate link (681b), a vertical lower link (681d) whose upper end is connected to the other end (the front end in the figure) of the first intermediate link (681b) and whose lower end is provided so as to be able to contact the cam surface of the plate cam and is driven to move up and down, a second intermediate link (681e) whose one end (the front end in the figure) is connected to the other end (the left end in the figure) of the horizontal rotation shaft (681a), and a second upper link (681f) whose upper end is connected to the other end (the left end in the figure) of the upper bar (666) and whose lower end is connected to the other end (the rear end in the figure) of the second intermediate link (681e).

[0039] The folding unit (60) is configured to be lifted and lowered between an upper retracted position where it does not interfere with the container (C1) and a folding position where it bends the upper part of the container (C1) to form a crease as the plate cam rotates. More specifically, while each row of containers (C1) is being conveyed by the conveying conveyor (4), the entire folding unit (60) supported by the upper bar (666) and each two first lifting shafts (662) and second lifting shafts (671) is lifted to an upper retracted position where it does not interfere with the container (C1). Next, when the containers (C1) in each column reach the top breaker section (6) and are temporarily stopped, the upper bar (666), as well as the two first lifting shafts (662) and the two second lifting shafts (671), are lowered, and accordingly, the bending unit (60) also descends. As the bending unit (60) descends, the bending plates (63) are inserted into the upper openings (C10) of the containers (C1) in each column, and the upper parts of the left and right side walls (C123)(C124) of the containers (C1) are bent outward in the left and right directions. Then, when the collars (667) of the two first lifting shafts (662) contact the stoppers (665a) of the vertical sleeves (665), the descent of the bending unit (60) stops, and the front wings (62F) and the rear wings (62B) are arranged close to the upper parts of the front and rear side walls (C121)(C122) of the containers (C1). Even after the bending unit (60) stops descending, the upper bar (666) continues to descend while compressing the spring (668), and accordingly, the two second lifting shafts (671) also descend. In conjunction with the descent of the two second lifting shafts (671), the upper link (672a) and the lower link (672b) of the link mechanism (672) swing, whereby the front wings (62F) and the rear wings (62B) are swung inward in the front and rear directions and press the upper parts of the front and rear side walls (C121)(C122) of the containers (C1). As a result, the upper part of the containers (C1) is bent along the first upper horizontal score (FR21), the upper diagonal score (FR31), the second upper horizontal score (FR22), and the upper vertical score (FR41). At this time, the container (C1) is supported by the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) such that the first to fourth corner portions (C131), (C132), (C133), and (C134) are right angles, and the upper edges (613u) of the first support surfaces (613) of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) are arranged along the first upper horizontal folding lines (FR21) of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) of the container (C1). Therefore, a fold is surely formed along the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21). When the folding of the upper part of the container (C1) approaches from the first stage shown in Fig. 17(a) to the second stage shown in Fig. 17(b), the upper triangular panel portions (C14) of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) of the container (C1) fall and come into contact with the second support surfaces (615) of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R). At the same time, the upper triangular panel portions (C14) of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) and the front and rear both side portions thereof are sandwiched by the front and rear wings (62F) and (62B) and the second support surfaces (615). Thus, a fold is surely formed along the two upper diagonal folding lines (FR31). In addition, if the upper edges (613u) of the first support surfaces (613) of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) are located above the first upper horizontal folding lines (FR21) of the left and right side walls (C123) and (C124) of the container (C1), there is a possibility that the folding of the upper triangular panel portions (C14) may not be performed well. Therefore, when there is a variation in the height position of the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21) for each container (C1), the height of the left and right guide members (61L) and (61R) should be adjusted so that the upper edges (613u) of the first support surfaces (613) are located slightly below the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21), and the upper edges (613u) of the first support surfaces (613) are prevented from being located above the first upper horizontal folding line (FR21).

[0040] In this embodiment, since the second support surface (615) is integrally provided on the left and right guide members (61L)(61R), the second support surface (615) can be brought into close contact with and supported on the upper triangular panel portions (C14) of the left and right side walls (C123)(C124) of the container (C1). Even when the first upper horizontal fold line (FR21) forming the lower side of the upper triangular panel portion (C14) is inclined obliquely downward toward the front contrary to the illustration, the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) can be surely retracted so as not to interfere with the upper triangular panel portion (C14) bent outward in the left and right directions during the conveyance of the container (C1). The left and right guide members (61L)(61R) need to be installed such that the lower edge of the first support surface (613) is located at least above the upper edge portion of the first holding plate (441) of the container holder (44) so as not to interfere with the container holder (44) of the conveyor (4). Further, the height of the upper edge (613u) of the first support surface (613) of the left and right guide members (61L)(61R) has an upper limit at a position where it does not interfere with the folding unit (60) of the top breaker portion (6). The wider the vertical width of the first support surface (613) is, the more stably the container (C1) can be supported, but it is necessary to set it within the above-mentioned limits.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a filling and packaging machine (1) provided with a top breaker portion (6) for flatly folding the upper part of a container (C1) made of a carton so that flaps (C21) projecting to the left and right are formed. However, for example, for a filling and packaging machine provided with a top breaker portion for folding the upper part of a container made of a carton into a gable roof shape, like the filling and packaging machine described in Patent Document 1, the present invention can also be applied.

Industrial Applicability

[0042] The present invention is a filling and packaging machine for forming a content-filled container by filling and hermetically packaging contents such as beverages and foods into a plurality of containers made of cartons while conveying them along a predetermined conveyance path, and is preferably used as a filling and packaging machine provided with a top breaker portion for pre-forming a fold on the upper part of the container.

Explanation of Symbols

[0043] (1): Filling and Packaging Machine (2): Chamber (4): Conveyor (6) Top Breaker Section (61L): Left Guide Member (61R): Right Guide Member (610): Oscillation Center (613): First Support Surface (613u): Upper Edge of the First Support Surface (614): Corner Correction Section (615): Second Support Surface (62F)(62B): Pair of Front and Rear First Folding Members (63): Second Folding Member (8): Filling Section (9): Top Seal Section (10): Flap Seal Section (11): Discharge Section (CB11): Carton Blank Folded into a Flat Sleeve (C1): Container (Carton) (C10): Upper Opening (C121): Front Wall (C122): Rear Wall (C123): Left Wall (C124): Right Wall (C131): First Corner (C132): Second Corner (C133): Third Corner (C134): Fourth Corner (C14): Upper Triangular Panel Section (FR21): First Upper Horizontal Fold Line (Upper Horizontal Fold Line) (FR31): Upper Diagonal Fold Line (C2): Contents Filling Container (R): Conveyor Path

Claims

1. A filling and packaging machine for forming a filled container by sequentially filling the container with contents and sealing the upper opening while conveying a plurality of containers made of a carton having an upper opening in a state of being arranged in one row or in a plurality of rows, left and right, along a conveying path extending in the front-rear direction, wherein the container is formed by bending a carton blank folded in a flat sleeve shape into a rectangular tube shape and folding and sealing one end thereof inward, and has four side walls on the front, rear, left, and right, and folding lines for bending into a predetermined shape are formed at the upper portions of the four side walls, a top breaker portion for forming a fold along the folding line is provided at a predetermined position of the conveying path on the upper portion of the container before sealing, the top breaker portion includes a pair of guide members for supporting the container from the side so that four corners formed by adjacent side walls of the container are right angles for each row of the containers, and a bending member for pressing and bending the upper portion of the container supported by the pair of guide members, the pair of guide members are movable between a retracted position where they do not interfere with the container and a support position where they support the container, the pair of guide members are composed of a left guide member disposed on the left side of the containers in each row and swingable between the retracted position and the support position with a predetermined one of the front and rear end portions as a swing center, and a right guide member disposed on the right side of the containers in each row and swingable between the retracted position and the support position with the end portion opposite to the swing center of the left guide member as a swing center, the left guide member and the right guide member have a vertical first support surface that is brought into contact with the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls of the container at the support position, and a corner correction portion that is provided at the tip portions of the left guide member and the right guide member so as to project toward the first support surface side and engages with two corners corresponding to both folding edges of the carton blank among the four corners of the container when swung from the retracted position toward the support position, and corrects the two corners to be right angles in cooperation with the first support surface. A filling and packaging machine.

2. the bending member includes a pair of first bending members for pressing and bending the upper portion of the container from both the front and rear sides, At the upper part of each of the left and right side walls of the container, an upper horizontal folding line extending horizontally across the entire width thereof, and two upper diagonal folding lines extending obliquely upward from the front and rear ends of the upper horizontal folding line so as to form a triangle having the upper horizontal folding line as the lower side are formed. The triangular portion surrounded by the upper horizontal folding line and the two upper diagonal folding lines becomes an upper triangular panel portion that falls outward in the left-right direction when the upper part of the container is folded by the pair of front and rear first folding members. The filling and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the left guide member and the right guide member are configured such that, at the support position, the upper edge of the first support surface is arranged along the upper horizontal folding line.

3. The filling and packaging machine according to claim 2, wherein the left guide member and the right guide member further have a second support surface that is continuous with the upper edge of the first support surface and is brought into contact with the outer surface of the upper triangular panel portion that has fallen outward in the left-right direction when the upper part of the container is folded by the pair of front and rear first folding members.

4. The filling and packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the left guide member and the right guide member are positioned such that their swing centers are spaced apart from the first support surface at the support position in the left-right direction perpendicular to the transport path and on the side opposite to the container, and in the front-rear direction parallel to the transport path, they are spaced further away from the corner correction portion in a direction away from the end of the first support surface that is farther from the corner correction portion among the front and rear ends of the first support surface.

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