Belt attachment means

Abstract

To provide a banding means that is less likely to produce defective banded products even when a deformable and slippery sub-packaging sheet or a PTP sheet with distorted corners and edges is banded as a laminate. 【Solution means】A banding means 100 is provided, which includes a transport vertical frame 22 forming a transport piece, a plate-like body 40, a transport reverse means for reversing the transport direction of the transport piece, and a band body end processing means 50. The transport vertical frame 22 sends the laminate 10 downstream of the banding position 25, and after the band body 30 arranged upstream of the banding position 25 comes into contact with the top surface of the laminate and the upstream edge portion 12 of the laminate, the transport reverse means returns the transport vertical frame 22 to the banding position 25, creating a gap 26 between the banding position 25 and the upstream edge portion of the laminate. The plate-like body 40 is slid along the gap 26 to guide the band body to the end processing position 35, and while applying tension to the band body, the inner surfaces of the ends of the band body are heat-welded and cut to perform banding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a banding means for banding a belt around a laminate formed by stacking sheet bodies containing drugs or the like.

[0002] Specifically, the laminate is sent out toward a belt arranged to intersect the transport line, and the belt is successively brought into contact with the transport downstream surface, the bottom surface, the top surface, and then the transport upstream surface of the laminate, and is made to go around once along the transport direction. At the corner portion on the upstream side of the laminate, the inner surfaces are welded and cut to perform end processing. The present invention relates to a banding means of the clasping and pasting type.

[0003] The present invention is characterized in that a transport piece for transporting the laminate is sent downstream in advance from a predetermined banding position of the belt, and after bringing the belt into contact with the transport downstream surface, the bottom surface, and the top surface of the laminate, until the end processing is performed, the transport piece is returned to the banding position, and a slight gap is formed between the transport upstream surface of the laminate and the transport piece. The present invention relates to a banding means.

[0004] After forming the gap, a plate-like body serving as a belt guiding means for guiding the belt is slid along the gap located on the transport upstream side, tension is applied to the belt and it is guided to the end processing position. In this way, the sheet body forming the laminate is not crushed by the plate-like body, the sheet body is not drawn in to cause the laminate to lose its shape, and the laminate is banded with a tension such that the sheet body does not fall off from the banded laminate. The present invention relates to a banding means.

[0005] The banding means may be applied to a horizontal transport line for linearly transporting, or may be applied to an inversion transport line that circulates in the vertical direction and inverts the top and bottom of the laminate. Further, the sheet body forming the laminate is preferably, but not limited to, a sub-packaging sheet enclosing powder, or a PTP sheet having a tablet storage portion formed on one side.

[0006] The conveying mode is not limited either, and it may be either horizontal conveying or reverse conveying. For example, in the case of horizontal conveying, a conveying mode in which the top surface side of an endless belt arranged horizontally is used as the conveying part and a shaft body protruding from below to the conveying part is used as the conveying piece, or a conveying mode in which the inner side of a pair of endless belts arranged vertically facing each other is used as the conveying part and a conveying vertical frame protruding from each endless belt to the conveying part is used as the conveying piece, etc. may be adopted. Also, in the case of reverse conveying, a mode in which a holding piece supporting the bottom surface of the laminate is used as the conveying piece, the space between the upper holding pieces adjacent to the holding piece is used as the conveying part, and the conveying part is vertically rotated to reversely convey the laminate, etc. may be sufficient.

[0007] The sheet body to be conveyed is preferably a sub-packaging sheet that is likely to have a non-uniform thickness or a PTP sheet that may be twisted, but it is not limited thereto. Also, the content is not limited to powders and granules, and the content may have different particle shapes. The type of the content is not limited to drugs only, and it may be tea bag seaweed, confectionery, etc.

Background Art

[0008] PTP sheets with storage parts for tablets arranged or sub-packaging sheets with powders sub-packaged are stacked during the conveying process to form a laminate. A PTP sheet is formed by thermally welding a top plate with a swollen tablet storage part formed thereon and a bottom plate closing the tablet storage part, and the periphery thereof is punched out. Therefore, rarely, the corners or edges of the PTP sheet may be in a state of being slightly distorted upward or downward.

[0009] Also, a sub-packaging sheet is formed by injecting the content and gas from an inlet at the upper part of a bag body hanging vertically downward, and the inlet is thermally welded and cut. When the size of the particles forming the content is small and the thickness of the sub-packaging sheet is uniform and thin, the edges around the sub-packaging sheet are less likely to be distorted.

[0010] However, when the particle size is large, or when the bag part is swollen due to the presence of contents of different sizes mixed together like in tea bag seaweed, or when heat shrinkage distortion remains in the sub-packaging sheet due to the material of the sheet body of the sub-packaging sheet or the like, the corners and edges of the sheet body may be distorted.

[0011] When there is distortion at the corners and edges of the sheet body 15, when the plate-like body 40 is slid and tension is applied to the belt-like body for belt hanging, rarely, the distorted corners and edges 14 (see FIG. 10) of the sheet body may get caught on the plate-like body 40 or be pinched between the floor rail 24 and the conveying piece 22, resulting in a belt hanging defect. Also, when the sheet body is soft and easily deformable, for example, in the case of a slippery sub-packaging sheet, the tip 13 of the sheet body may be caught on the upstream side surface 16 of the laminate, resulting in a belt hanging defect.

[0012] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that addresses the problem of tightly belt hanging an article even when there are errors or looseness in the conveying chain due to manufacturing errors or aging of the conveying device. According to this technique, by means of positioning means provided in the binding area on the conveying path, the article is pressed and accurately positioned at a predetermined position, and a belt-like body with tension applied is belt hung around the article.

[0013] Specifically, it is provided with a rotating shaft having positioning fingers as positioning means, the rotating shaft is arranged perpendicular to the conveying path, and in the binding area, the rotating shaft is rotated to press and position the article at a predetermined position with the positioning fingers.

[0014] However, according to this technique, positioning means is required in the binding area where the belt hanging means is arranged, making the belt hanging mechanism complex. Also, according to this technique, when the sheet body is a slippery sub-packaging sheet, when applying tension to the belt-like body, the sub-packaging sheet on the side that contacts the belt-like body and receives frictional force (hereinafter referred to as the outermost layer) may slide upstream, causing the outermost layer of the sub-packaging sheet to be caught on the upstream side surface of the laminate, resulting in the possibility of defective belt hanging products.

[0015] Patent Document 2 discloses a strapping machine technology by the present applicant. According to this technology, the tension of the strap can be adjusted by changing the feed speed of the strap relative to the descending speed of the plate-like body, and the strapping is performed with a tension that does not deform or loosen the laminate, regardless of the ease of deformation of the PTP sheet, for example, regardless of whether the tablet storage section of the PTP sheet is made of aluminum foil.

[0016] However, even with this technology, when a packaging sheet that is easily deformed or slippery, or a sheet body with distorted corners or edges is layered on the outermost layer, there are rare cases where the sheet body gets caught or wrapped around the plate-like body, resulting in defective strapping products. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0017] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-239269 Patent Document 2: JP 2024-150955 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0018] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a strapping machine that is less likely to produce defective strapping products, even when strapping laminated products such as easily deformed and slippery packet sheets and PTP sheets with distorted corners and edges. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] The first invention of the present invention is a banding means for banding a belt that intersects a conveyance path and is arranged upstream of the banding position to a laminate in which sheet bodies are stacked. The banding means includes a conveyance means having a conveyance piece, a belt guiding means having a plate-like body, a conveyance reversing means for reversing the conveyance direction of the conveyance piece, and a belt end processing means. The conveyance piece supports the upstream side of the laminate and feeds the belt and the laminate downstream of the banding position. With the belt in contact with the top surface from the downstream edge of the laminate, the plate-like body is slid toward the belt to bring the belt into contact with the upstream edge of the laminate. The conveyance reversing means returns the conveyance piece to the banding position, creates a gap between the conveyance piece and the upstream edge, and then the plate-like body is further slid along the gap to add tension to the belt and guide the belt to an end processing position. The belt end processing means thermally welds the inner surfaces of the belt to each other at the end processing position and cuts the thermally welded portion to perform banding.

[0020] The conveyance reversing means may reverse the moving direction along a straight line or reverse the rotation direction along an arc. It is only necessary to return the conveyance piece that has conveyed the laminate ahead of the banding position to the banding position. The conveyance reversing means may reverse the conveyance direction by mechanical gears, cams, cam followers, etc. However, if the rotation direction of the servo motor that functions as the conveyance means and the conveyance reversing means is controlled by an electronic cam that forms a control means to reverse the conveyance direction, the mechanism will not become complicated and a high production speed can be maintained, which is preferable.

[0021] Also, the conveyance line to which the banding means is applied is not limited, and it may be either a linear conveyance line or a reversing conveyance line. When applied to a reversing conveyance line, the banding position may be the top, or it may be a horizontal conveyance section at the receiving section or the delivery section of the laminate.

[0022] According to the first invention, the transport piece sends the laminate downstream from the banding position. With the belt in contact with the top surface of the laminate, the plate-like body is slid so that the belt contacts the upstream edge of the laminate, in other words, the upstream edge of the outermost sheet body. Then, the transport direction of the transport vertical frame is reversed, and the transport piece is returned to the upstream banding position, leaving a slight gap between the upstream edge of the laminate and the transport piece.

[0023] When the top surface of the laminate is flat, for example, when it is the bottom surface of a PTP sheet, the belt may contact the top surface and the upstream edge of the laminate simultaneously. After the belt contacts the top surface, the bottom surface, and the upstream edge of the outermost sheet body of the laminate and a gap forms between the transport piece and the upstream edge, and then the plate-like body is further slid along the gap. Therefore, not only will the plate-like body not crush the laminate, but even if the necessary tension is applied to the belt, the shape of the laminate is less likely to be distorted and banding defects are less likely to occur.

[0024] Even for a sheet body with distorted corners or edges or a sheet body that is easily deformed, it is difficult for the plate-like body to catch the upstream edge of the laminate. Also, even when transporting with a transport vertical frame protruding laterally, it is difficult for the lowermost sheet body to slide between the floor surface of the floor rail and the lower end surface of the transport vertical frame. As a result, even when tension is applied to the belt, it is difficult to entangle the outermost sheet body on the upstream side surface of the laminate, and it is difficult to sandwich the corners and edges of a distorted sheet body or the like between the plate-like body and the end processing means, achieving an unprecedented advantageous effect of being less likely to generate banding defective products.

[0025] According to the second invention of the present invention, in the banding means of the first invention, the transport means includes a servo motor and a control means as the drive means for the transport piece. The servo motor and the control means also function as the transport reversal means, and the control means controls the servo motor to reverse the rotation direction when the transport piece is sent downstream from the banding position and when the transport piece is returned to the banding position.

[0026] According to the second invention, without changing or adding mechanical drive parts, the conveying direction of the conveying piece forming the conveying reverse means is reversed only by changing the rotation direction of the servo motor by the control means. As a result, not only can a high production speed be maintained, which is suitable, but it is also easy to apply regardless of the form of the conveying line, and it has an unprecedented advantageous effect of high versatility.

[0027] In the third invention of the present invention, in the banding means of the first or second invention, the banding means is applied to a conveying line for conveying a laminate, and the conveying piece forms a pair on the left and right and protrudes from below the conveying line and is a shaft body that supports the upstream side of the laminate. In the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces, the laminate is banded.

[0028] In the third invention, the upstream side of the laminate is applied to a conveying mode in which it is supported by a pair of left and right shaft bodies protruding from below the conveying line and is sent out toward the belt, and is banded in the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces. The fact that the conveying piece protrudes means that the protruding piece may be made to appear and disappear from the belt, or it may remain in a state of protruding from the belt that is being circulated. It is preferably applied not only to a linear conveying path but also when the horizontal part at the receiving part or the delivery part of the reverse conveying means is used as the banding position. As a result, it can be applied to a conventional general conveying line and has the effect of high versatility.

[0029] In the fourth invention of the present invention, in the banding means of the first or second invention, the banding means is applied to a conveying line for linearly conveying a laminate, and the conveying piece forms a pair on the left and right and protrudes from the side of the conveying line and is a conveying vertical frame that supports the upstream side of the laminate. In the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces, the laminate is banded.

[0030] The shape of the conveying vertical frame is preferably an L-shaped cross-section so as to support the conveying surface and the side surface of the laminate, but is not limited thereto. In the fourth invention, the upstream side of the laminate is supported by a pair of left and right conveying vertical frames protruding from the side of the conveying line, and is applied to a conveying mode in which the laminate is fed out toward the belt, and is belted in the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces. It is preferably applied when the conveying path for receiving the laminate in which the sheet bodies are laminated in advance from below the conveying line and horizontally conveying it on the floor rail is used as the belt-hanging position.

[0031] Also according to the fourth invention, the belt is in contact with the top surface, the bottom surface of the laminate, and the upstream edge portion of the outermost layer sheet body, and the laminate is in a stable state, and the plate-like body slides along the gap between the conveying piece and the upstream edge portion, adding the necessary tension to the belt. Since the lowermost layer sheet body is less likely to escape upstream, even if the corner portions and the edge portion 14 are distorted, the lowermost layer sheet body is not pinched in the gap between the lower end surface of the conveying vertical frame and the floor surface of the conveying line (see FIG. 10).

[0032] As a result, when guiding the belt by the plate-like body, not only is it difficult for the plate-like body to collide with the upstream edge of the laminate, but also the edge of the lowermost layer sheet body forming the laminate is difficult to slide under the upstream conveying vertical frame, and it is possible to achieve the effect of less likely to cause a belt-hanging failure.

[0033] The fifth invention of the present invention is the belt-hanging means of the first or second invention, wherein the belt-hanging means is applied to a conveying line for linearly conveying the laminate, and the conveying pieces form a pair of left and right, and are located at the upstream position and the downstream position of the laminate, protruding from the side of the conveying line, and are conveying vertical frames that hold the laminate with a gap in the conveying direction, and the laminate is belted in the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces.

[0034] In the fifth invention, the four corners of the front, rear, left, and right of the laminate are held with a gap in the conveying direction by the conveying vertical frames protruding from the side of the conveying line. Since the four corners of the laminate are held, even if the conveying speed is high, the laminate formed by the sheet bodies is not likely to collapse during reverse conveying.

[0035] According to the fifth invention, not only is it difficult to cause belt hanging failure, but also since the four corners in the conveyance direction of the laminate are supported, the laminate during conveyance is not easily collapsed even at a high conveyance speed, and the effect of being able to maintain a high production speed is achieved.

[0036] The sixth invention of the present invention is applied to an inversion conveyance line in which the belt hanging means in the belt hanging means of the first or second invention circulates the laminate and reverses the top and bottom, and the conveyance pieces are a pair of left and right holding pieces that hold the top and bottom of the laminate, and in the space between the pair of left and right conveyance pieces at the top of the inversion cycle, the laminate is belted.

[0037] In the sixth invention, the belt hanging means is applied to an inversion conveyance line that holds the top and bottom of the laminate and conveys it by circulating it in the vertical direction, and the laminate is belted at the top of the inversion cycle. Holding the top and bottom does not require the laminate to be in contact with the top surface and the bottom surface at the same time. It is sufficient that the bottom surface is supported when ascending and the inverted top surface is supported when descending. At the top of the inversion conveyor, the sheet surfaces of each sheet body stand up and the sheet side end faces face upward. At the top of the inversion conveyor, if the distance between the sheet bodies in the outer diameter direction slightly opens and the sheet bodies are tilted, and there is distortion at the corner portions or edge portions of the sheet bodies, the plate-like body may collide with the side edge portions of the sheet bodies, and rarely cause belt hanging failure.

[0038] However, according to the sixth invention, the conveyance piece is circulated and sent downstream from the belt hanging position, and after the belt body contacts the top surface of the laminate in which the side end faces of a plurality of sheet bodies are aligned, the conveyance piece is circulated in the reverse direction and returned to the belt hanging position, and a gap is created between the conveyance piece that slightly holds the laminate and the bottom surface of the sheet body, and then the plate-like body is slid. Thereby, even if there is distortion at the corner portions or edge portions of the sheet body, at the top of the inversion conveyor, the plate-like body does not collide with the side edge portions of the sheet body, and the effect of not causing belt hanging failure is achieved.

Effects of the Invention

[0039] · According to the first invention, even when tension is applied to the belt-like body, it is difficult to entangle the outermost sheet body on the upstream side surface of the laminate, and it is difficult to sandwich the corner portions and edge portions of a distorted sheet body or the like between the plate-like body and the end processing means, resulting in an unprecedented advantageous effect of being less likely to generate defective belt-hung products. · According to the second invention, not only can a high production speed be maintained, which is suitable, but also it is easy to apply regardless of the form of the conveying line, resulting in an unprecedented advantageous effect of high versatility. · According to the third invention, it can be applied to a conventional general conveying line, resulting in the effect of high versatility.

[0040] · According to the fourth invention, not only is it difficult for the plate-like body to collide with the upstream edge of the laminate, but also it is difficult for the edge of the lowermost sheet body forming the laminate to slide under the upstream conveying vertical frame, resulting in the effect of being less likely to generate belt-hanging defects. · According to the fifth invention, not only is it difficult to generate belt-hanging defects, but also the effect of being able to maintain a high production speed can be achieved. · According to the sixth invention, even if there is distortion in the corner portions and edge portions of the sheet body, at the top of the reverse conveyor, the plate-like body does not collide with the side edge of the sheet body, resulting in the effect of not generating belt-hanging defects.

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0041]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0042] The laminate is sent downstream in advance from the banding position, the belt disposed upstream of the banding position is brought into contact with the top of the laminate, then the conveyance piece that had been sending the laminate is returned to the banding position, a slight gap is created between the conveyance piece and the upstream edge of the laminate, and along that gap, a plate-like body for guiding the belt is slid, guided to the end processing position while applying tension to the belt, and banded.

Example

[0043] In Example 1, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the banding means 100 applied to the conveyance line 1 that horizontally conveys a laminate by a conveyance vertical frame surrounding the laminate will be described. FIG. 1(A) shows a plan view of the conveyance line 1, and FIG. 1(B) shows a cross-sectional view taken at position A of FIG. 1(A). FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory drawings showing the banding process. FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the banding means 100, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory drawing showing the shape of an electronic cam that controls a servo motor.

[0044] In the conveyance line 1, a pair of endless belts 21 that are horizontally looped with the central conveyance portion 20 in between are arranged facing each other. The endless belts 21 have their belt surfaces arranged vertically, and their material is not particularly limited as long as it can be horizontally looped. Around the endless belts, conveyance vertical frames 22 having an L-shaped cross-section that form a laminate holding space for vertically holding the four corners of the laminate are provided at predetermined intervals so as to face each other. The length of the laminate holding space in the conveyance direction is about 5 mm longer than the length of the laminate 10 in the conveyance direction. The pair of endless belts 21 are each driven to rotate in opposite directions in synchronization by a servo motor (not shown) (refer to the arrows in FIG. 1(A)), and the pair of upstream conveyance vertical frames 22 come into contact with the laminate 10 to horizontally convey the laminate.

[0045] The laminate 10 is formed by stacking two rows of packaging sheets manufactured in a separate manufacturing process in advance. The laminate is taken in from the floor opening 23 of the upstream portion 20 of the central conveyance section of the conveyance line 1 (see the white arrow in FIG. 1(B)). The length of the floor opening 23 in the conveyance direction corresponds to the length of the laminate holding space.

[0046] The laminate 10 taken into the laminate holding space from the floor opening 23 is sent out onto the floor rails 24 arranged on the left and right of the central conveyance section 20 and is conveyed to the downstream banding position 25 surrounded by the four conveyance vertical frames 22. The gap between the lower edge of the conveyance vertical frame 22 and the floor rail 24 is smaller than the thickness of the packaging portion of the packaging sheet and is sized such that the lower edge does not contact the floor rail (see each figure in FIG. 2).

[0047] First, for ease of understanding, the clasping banding means 100 in the clasping pasting form will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1(B). Above the conveyance line 1, a band roll 31 around which a band 30 is wound is arranged, and below it, a take-up roll 32 around which a waste band is wound is arranged. The band 30 is guided by a plurality of track correction shafts 33, intersects the conveyance direction of the laminate, and extends vertically upstream of the banding position 25 (see the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1(B)).

[0048] At the banding position 25, above the conveyance line 1, the downstream surface of a plate-like body 40 forming band guiding means is arranged to coincide. Below the plate-like body 40, a band end processing means 50 having substantially the same planar shape as the plate-like body is arranged. The band end processing means 50 has heat welds 51 (see FIG. 2(A)) formed on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveyance direction, respectively, and between these heat welds, a band cutting piece 52 formed by a thin blade is provided.

[0049] Also, when banding, a pair of pressing plates 53 and 54 are provided above and below the laminate at the banding position so as to sandwich the packaging part from above and below, without scattering the individual sheet bodies forming the laminate 10 and without disturbing the laminated state of the laminate 10 formed by the sheet bodies. The upper pressing plate 53 descends, and the lower pressing plate 54 ascends to hold the laminate from above and below so as not to deform the laminate 10. When the plate-like body 40 slides, the belt body 30 slides between the lowered upper pressing plate 53 and the outermost sheet body, and the belt body is drawn toward the end processing position 35 and tension is applied.

[0050] At the end processing position 35 (see FIGS. 3(F)), the lower inner surface of the belt body 30 slid and guided by the plate-like body 40 is in contact with the upper inner surface of the belt body extending in contact with the bottom surface of the laminate 10. With the inner surfaces of the belt bodies in contact, the belt body end processing means 50 is raised toward the stationary plate-like body 40, and the inner surfaces of the belt bodies in contact with the pair of heat welders 51 (see FIG. 2(A)) are welded together. At an intermediate position of the heat welders, the belt body cutting piece 52 cuts the belt body 10. The welded pieces on the upstream and downstream sides after cutting are each about 2 mm.

[0051] The welded piece on the downstream side after cutting is attached to the laminate, and the welded piece on the upstream side is attached to the waste belt at a predetermined interval as a waste piece. The waste belt is wound around a take-up roll 32 disposed below the transport line. The banded laminate 10 is transported to the downstream inspection process and packaging process while being surrounded by the transport vertical frame 22.

[0052] Here, the operation of the banding means 100 applied to the transport line 1 will be described in detail with reference to the explanatory diagrams of the banding process in FIGS. 2 and 3. Until the laminate 10 is transported, the belt body 30 is supported by a plurality of track correction shafts 33 and is vertically suspended upstream of the banding position 25 so as to intersect the transport line 1 that horizontally transports the laminate (see FIG. 2(A)).

[0053] The upstream conveying vertical frame 22 pushes out the upstream portion of the laminate 10, and conveys the upstream portion of the laminate downstream of the hanging position 25. Specifically, the inner surface of the upstream conveying vertical frame 22 in contact with the laminate is made to pass about 5 mm downstream of the hanging position 25 (see the black arrow in Fig. 2(B)), and the entire sheet body forming the laminate is positioned downstream of the hanging position 25 (see Fig. 2(B)). This passed distance becomes the gap 26 between the laminate and the hanging position.

[0054] Then, the pressing plate 53 is lowered from above the conveying line 1, and the pressing plate 54 is raised from below, sandwiching the laminate 10 from above and below, and bringing the belt body 30 extending obliquely from the downstream edge portion 11 of the laminate (see Fig. 2(B)) into contact with the top surface of the laminate (see Fig. 2(C)). Even if a slight tension is applied to the belt body by being pressed by the pair of pressing plates 53 and 54 from above and below, the upstream edge portion 12 of the outermost packaging sheet forming the laminate is supported by the upstream conveying vertical frame 22 and is prevented from slipping out more than the upstream side surface 16 of the laminate (see the broken line in Fig. 10). The plate-like body 40 may be lowered slightly later than the lowering of the upper pressing plate 53 (see Fig. 2(C)).

[0055] Then, the conveying vertical frame 22 is returned so that the downstream inner surface of the upstream conveying vertical frame 22 and the downstream side surface of the plate-like body 40 become the hanging position 25 (see the white arrow in Fig. 3(D)), creating a gap 26 between the upstream side surface of the laminate and the downstream side surface of the plate-like body 40. Then, while keeping the downstream side surface of the plate-like body 40 aligned with the hanging position 25 (see the alternate long and short dash line in Fig. 3(D)), the plate-like body 40 is lowered along the gap 26 (see the broken line arrow in Fig. 3(D)), and while applying tension to the belt body 30, the plate-like body 40 is slid toward the end processing position 35 (see Fig. 3(D)).

[0056] When tension is applied to the belt 30 by the downward movement of the plate-like body 40, the laminate 10 is pulled toward the upstream belt-hanging position by a distance corresponding to the gap while maintaining the laminated state sandwiched between the upper and lower pressing plates 53 and 54 (see Fig. 3(E)). After lowering the plate-like body 40 to the end processing position 35 and applying tension to prevent the packaging sheet from slipping out of the belt, the belt end processing means 50 provided with the thermal weld body 51 is raised and brought into contact with the lower surface of the plate-like body 40. The inner surfaces of the ends of the belt descending from above and the belt extending horizontally are thermally welded and cut to complete the butting of the belt (see Fig. 3(F)), and the laminate 10 is conveyed downstream.

[0057] The configuration of the belt-hanging means 100 will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in Fig. 4. The belt-hanging means 100 includes a control means 110 formed by a central processing unit, a storage means 120 formed by an HDD, a RAM, a ROM, etc., an input means 130, a display means 140, a servo motor 150 that serves as a driving means for the conveying means and the conveying reverse means, a conveying piece formed by the conveying vertical frame 22, a belt guiding means provided with the plate-like body 40, a pair of upper and lower pressing plates 53 and 54, and a belt end processing means 50 provided with a pair of thermal weld bodies 51 and a belt cutting piece 52.

[0058] The storage means 120 stores an electronic cam (see Fig. 5) for driving the servo motor 150 (not shown). The control means 110 calls the electronic cam stored in the storage means 120 to drive the servo motor 150, controls the driving direction and speed of the conveying piece, and causes the conveying piece to function as the conveying means and the conveying reverse means. Control information of the servo motor is input by the input means 130, and the control information is displayed by the display means 140.

[0059] In addition, the storage means 120 stores control information such as the descending speed of the plate-like body 40, the timing of descent, the descending distance and timing of the pressing plate 53, the ascending distance and timing of the pressing plate 54, the ascending distance and timing of the thermal weld body 51 that is raised integrally with the belt cutting piece 52, the welding temperature, and the welding time. The control means 110 calls the control information stored in the storage means 120 to operate the conveying piece formed by the conveying vertical frame 22 and the like.

[0060] The shape of the electronic cam for the speed to drive the servo motor will be described with reference to FIG. 5. For ease of understanding, FIG. 5(A) shows the shape of the electronic cam of the servo motor that moves the conveying vertical frame 22, FIG. 5(B) shows the timing of the operations of the pressing plates 53 and 54, FIG. 5(C) shows the timing of the operation of the plate-like body 40, and FIG. 5(D) shows only the timing of the operation of the belt end processing means 50. Note that the driving means for the operations of the plate-like body 40, the pressing plates 53 and 54, and the belt end processing means 50 is not limited, and it may be driven by pneumatic driving or the like.

[0061] First, the servo motor that drives the conveying frame body 22 rotates at a positive speed (a), and the conveying vertical frame 22 is sent to the downstream position A from the belt-hanging position 25 (see FIG. 2(B)), and then the servo motor rotates reversely at a negative speed (b) to return the conveying frame body 22 to the belt-hanging position (FIG. 5(A)). After the laminate 10 starts to pass through the belt-hanging position (▽1), the pressing plate descends, and the descent of the pressing plate ends by the start of the reverse rotation of the servo motor (▽2) (see FIG. 5(B)).

[0062] After the conveying vertical frame 22 is at the downstream position A and the laminate is pressed from above and below by the pressing plates 53 and 54 (▽2), the plate-like body 40 starts to descend (▽3), and at the timing of the end processing (▽4), the descent of the plate-like body is completed (see FIG. 5(C)). The end processing means 50 performs the belt end processing at the same timing as the completion of the descent of the plate-like body 40 (▽5) (see FIG. 5(C)). This operation is repeated for each laminate, and the laminate is conveyed while being belted.

[0063] In the belt-hanging process shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the operations of the pressing bodies 53, 54, the plate-like body 40, and the end processing means 50 may be driven by the same driving means as in the prior art, and the forward and reverse rotations of the servo motor are driven based on the electronic cam shape set so as to be in accordance with the timing of the operations of the pressing bodies 53, 54, the plate-like body 40, and the end processing means 50 by the control means 110 that forms the conveying means.

Example

[0064] In Example 2, with reference to FIG. 6, the banding means 100 applied to the conveying line 2 that is horizontally conveyed by fingers protruding from below the conveying line 2 will be described. FIG. 6(A) shows a plan view of the conveying line 2, and FIG. 6(B) shows a cross-sectional view taken at position A in FIG. 6(A).

[0065] The banding position 25 is indicated by a dashed line in each figure. In the conveying line 2, fingers forming a pair of shaft bodies 60 that hold the upstream and downstream of the laminate 10 protrude from below to the left and right across the central conveying portion 20 of the conveying line. The laminate holding interval between the upstream and downstream shaft bodies is slightly longer than the length of the laminate 10 in the conveying direction.

[0066] The four shaft bodies 60 protruding from below form a set, advance to one downstream conveying position to convey the laminate 10, descend under the floor rail 24, move below the floor rail and return to the original horizontal position, and rise to the original position so as to surround the next laminate 10 conveyed from the upstream (see the dashed arrow in FIG. 6(B)). Of course, the shaft body 60 may be attached to an endless belt, and during the process of circularly driving the endless belt, it may be made to run in reverse during banding so as to band the assemblies on the floor rail.

[0067] At positions β other than the banding position 25, this basic operation is repeated to convey the laminate 10. Since the configurations and operations of the tape roll 31, the take-up roll 32, the upper and lower pressing plates 53, 54, the plate-like body 40, and the tape end processing means 50 are the same as those of the banding means 100 in Example 1, they are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings and the description is omitted. The same applies to the following examples.

[0068] In the hanging means 100 of Example 2, the operation of the shaft body 60 different from that of other conveying positions β may be performed only at the conveying position α where hanging is performed, but the same operation as α may be performed at all conveying positions. At the position of α, the four shaft bodies 60 forming a set, similar to the hanging means 100 of Example 1, after the laminate 10 is sent to the downstream side from the hanging position so as to form a gap 26 between the upstream shaft body and the laminate (see FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B)), with the pressing plates 53 and 54 sandwiching the laminate 10 from above and below, the operation that the four shaft bodies 60 return to the hanging position 25 is added to the basic operation and it is hung (refer to the operations of FIGS. 2 and 3).

Example

[0069] In Example 3, with reference to FIG. 7, the hanging means 100 applied to the receiving portion 70 of the reverse conveying line 3 will be described. FIG. 7(A) shows a plan view of the hanging means 100, and FIG. 7(B) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line A in FIG. 7(A). In the hanging means 100, the laminate 10 of the PTP sheet is reversely conveyed so as to invert the top and bottom.

[0070] In Example 3, the shaft bodies 60 are arranged only at the upstream position of the laminate. The two shaft bodies 60 arranged in a left-right pair, similar to the shaft bodies of Example 2, repeat forward movement, downward movement, return, and upward movement to deliver the laminate to the receiving portion 70 of the reverse conveying means.

[0071] In the hanging means 100 in Example 3, a laminate support shaft 72 is provided at the inner part of each laminate holding portion 71. The laminate 10 is conveyed by the pair of left and right shaft bodies 60 to the position of the downstream laminate support shaft 72 so that a gap 26 is formed between the hanging position 25 (see the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7) and the laminate 10, and is received by the receiving portion 71. After the laminate is received and the top and bottom of the laminate are sandwiched by the pressing plates 53 and 54, the pair of left and right shaft bodies 60 return to the hanging position 25.

[0072] With the pair of left and right shaft bodies returning to the hanging position 25, a slight gap 26 is formed between the pair of left and right shaft bodies and the laminate, and the plate-like body 40 descends to guide the belt body 30 to the end processing position 35, where the belt body is folded and pasted. In Example 3, the laminate holding portion 71 is rotated 1 / 4 turn vertically around the central axis. At the top of the rotation, the laminate is supported by the laminate support shaft 72 and lies horizontally.

[0073] Furthermore, the laminate holding portion 71 is rotated 1 / 4 turn. At the delivery portion 73 from the inverted transfer line, the top and bottom of the laminate are in an inverted state. In Example 3, hanging was performed at the receiving portion 71 of the laminate. However, it goes without saying that hanging may be performed by the same action at the delivery portion 73 downstream from the inverted transfer line.

Example

[0074] In Example 4, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an example in which the hanging means 100 is applied at the top 74 of the inverted transfer line will be described. FIG. 8 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the hanging means 100 applied to Example 3. FIG. 9(A) shows a state in which the laminate holding portion 71 is rotated downstream from the hanging position 25. FIG. 9(B) shows a state in which the plate-like body 40 is lowered to hang the belt body 30 along the sheet bottom surface 75 of the laminate with the upper and lower pressing pieces 53 and 54.

[0075] When there is distortion at the corners or edges of the sheet surface of the PTP sheet, if the plate-like body is lowered along the sheet bottom surface 75 (see FIG. 9(A)) in a state where the sheet bodies are stacked vertically, the plate-like body 40 may catch on the distorted corners or edges of the sheet body protruding from the lowering surface of the plate-like body 40, that is, from the hanging position 25, and damage the sheet body.

[0076] In Example 4, the laminate holding portion 71 holding the laminate is rotated clockwise downstream from the hanging position 25 (see the arrow in FIG. 9(A)) so that the sheet bottom surface 75 of the laminate is positioned ahead of the hanging position 25 by the distance of the gap 26.

[0077] In this state, the side surface of the laminate is sandwiched between pressing plates 53 and 54 from above and below, the belt body 30 is brought into contact from above and below, and the lower front part of the plate-like body 40 is lowered from the upstream edge part 12 of the laminate (see Fig. 9(A)). Since there is a slight gap 26 between the sheet bottom surface 75 of the laminate and the belt-hanging position 25, even if there is distortion in the bottom plate of the PTP sheet and the sheet body is warped, it is difficult for the plate-like body 40 to catch on the sheet bottom plate 75.

[0078] Then, it is rotated counterclockwise (see the arrow in Fig. 9(B)) so that the bottom surface of the laminate 10 becomes the belt-hanging position 25 which is the downstream side surface of the plate-like body 40, and the plate-like body 40 is lowered (see Fig. 9(B)). Then, the belt body 30 slides and stretches between the pressing plates 53 and 54 and the laminate 10, tension is applied to the belt body, and the sheet bottom surface 75 of the laminate comes into contact with the plate-like body 40, and the belt body is belted to the laminate so as not to loosen.

[0079] (Others) · The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above description but is shown by the claims, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are included. · In the embodiment, the plate-like body is lowered and welded at the lower end part of the laminate for end processing, but of course, the plate-like body may be raised and end processing may be performed at the upper end part of the laminate.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0080] 1, 2... Conveyor lines, 3... Inverted conveyor line, 100... Belt-hanging means, 10... Laminate, 11... Downstream edge part, 12... Upstream edge part, 13... Tip part, 14... Corner parts and edge parts, 15... Sheet body, 16... Upstream side surface, 20... Central conveyor part, 21... Endless belt, 22... Conveyor vertical frame, 23... Floor surface opening, 24... Floor rail, 25... Belt-hanging position, 26... Gap, 30... Belt body, 31... Belt roll, 32... Take-up roll, 33…Orbit correction shaft body, 35…End processing position, 40…Plate-like body, 50…Band end processing means, 51…Heat welded body, 52…Band cut piece, 53…Pressing plate, 54…Pressing plate, 60…Shaft body, 70…Receiving part, 71…Laminated body holding part, 72…Laminated body support shaft, 73…Delivery part, 74…Top part, 75…Sheet bottom surface

Claims

1. In a banding means for banding a belt body, which intersects a conveyance path and is disposed upstream of the banding position, to a laminate in which sheet bodies are stacked, the banding means includes a conveyance means having a conveyance piece, a belt body guiding means having a plate-like body, a conveyance reverse means for reversing the conveyance direction of the conveyance piece, and a belt body end portion processing means; the conveyance piece supports the upstream side of the laminate and feeds the belt body and the laminate downstream of the banding position; the belt body is in contact with the top surface from the downstream edge portion of the laminate; the plate-like body is slid toward the belt body to bring the belt body into contact with the upstream edge portion of the laminate; the conveyance reverse means returns the conveyance piece to the banding position, creates a gap between the conveyance piece and the upstream edge portion, and then further, the plate-like body is slid along the gap to guide the belt body to an end portion processing position while applying tension to the belt body; the belt body end portion processing means heat-welds the inner surfaces of the belt body to each other at the end portion processing position and cuts the heat-welded portion to perform banding; The banding means is characterized by the above.

2. The conveyance means includes a servo motor and a control means as drive means for the conveyance piece, the servo motor and the control means also function as the conveyance reverse means, and the control means controls the servo motor to reverse the rotation direction when the conveyance piece is fed downstream of the banding position and when the conveyance piece is returned to the banding position. The banding means according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The banding means is applied to a conveyance line for conveying a laminate, the conveyance piece is a shaft body that forms a pair on the left and right, protrudes from below the conveyance line, and supports the upstream side of the laminate, and banding of the laminate is performed in a space between the pair of conveyance pieces on the left and right. The banding means according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The banding means is applied to a conveyance line for linearly conveying a laminate, the conveyance piece is a conveyance vertical frame that forms a pair on the left and right, protrudes from the side of the conveyance line, and supports the upstream side of the laminate, and banding of the laminate is performed in a space between the pair of conveyance pieces on the left and right. The banding means according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.

5. The banding means is applied to a conveyance line for linearly conveying a laminate, The conveying pieces form a pair on the left and right, project from the side of the conveying line to the upstream position and the downstream position of the laminate, and are conveying vertical frames that hold the laminate with a gap in the conveying direction. The laminate is belted in the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces. The belt hanging means according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that.

6. The belt hanging means is applied to an inversion conveying line that circulates the laminate and inverts it upside down. The conveying pieces form a pair on the left and right and are holding pieces that hold the top and bottom of the laminate. The laminate is belted in the space between the pair of left and right conveying pieces at the top of the inversion cycle. The belt hanging means according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that.

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