Packaging equipment

Abstract

To provide a packaging device capable of preventing damage to agricultural products.SOLUTION: A packaging device comprises a support 33 which is in a first state and a second state by rotation around a rotational center axis L1, and first rotational drive means 38 which rotates the support 33 around the rotational center axis L1. The support 33 supports an agricultural product W in the first state, and has a support portion 91 which discharges the agricultural product W in the second state. The rotational center axis L1 of the support 33 is located on an anti-delivery side relative to a center point P of the support 91 when viewed from the side in the first state. The support 33 rotates on the basis of a retraction operation of the first rotational drive means 38 to become the first state, and rotates on the basis of an extension operation of the first rotational drive means 38 to become the second state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging device for packaging agricultural produce with a packaging sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a packaging device is known, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below.

[0003] This conventional packaging device is equipped with a support that can be placed in a first state (loading position) or a second state (delivery position) by rotating around a rotation fulcrum (spindle). The support supports the agricultural products in the loading position in the first state, but has a dish-shaped support portion that is cross-shaped in plan view and delivers the packaged agricultural products in the second state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-25426 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional packaging device described above, the pivot point of the support is located directly below the center point of the support part when viewed from the side when the support is in the first state, so the agricultural products are susceptible to impact when being sent out from the support part, and there is a risk of them being damaged.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a packaging device that can prevent damage to agricultural produce. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The packaging device of the present invention is a packaging device that packages agricultural produce in a packaging sheet, and is equipped with a support that can be set to at least a first state and a second state by rotation about a rotation fulcrum, and has a support part that supports the agricultural produce in the first state but delivers the agricultural produce in the second state, and a rotation drive means that rotates the support about the rotation fulcrum, wherein when the support is in the first state, the rotation fulcrum is located on the opposite side to the delivery side of the center point of the support part in a side view, and the support rotates to the first state based on the contraction action of the rotation drive means, and rotates to the second state based on the extension action of the rotation drive means.

[0008] The packaging device according to the present invention is a packaging device for packaging agricultural produce in a packaging sheet, comprising: a first lifting body; a second lifting body mounted on the first lifting body so as to be able to rise and fall; a support mounted on the second lifting body so as to be able to rotate about a rotation fulcrum, the support being set to at least a first state and a second state by rotation about the rotation fulcrum, the support having a support part that supports the agricultural produce in the first state and delivers the agricultural produce in the second state; and a support mounted on the first lifting body so as to be able to rotate and deliver the agricultural produce supported by the support part. The support assembly is provided with a holding body that holds the support, a first rotation drive means that rotates the support about the rotation fulcrum relative to the second lifting body, and a second rotation drive means that rotates the holding body relative to the first lifting body, wherein the rotation fulcrum is located on the opposite side to the center point of the support part in a side view when the support is in the first state, and the support rotates to the first state based on the contraction action of the first rotation drive means and rotates to the second state based on the extension action of the first rotation drive means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, damage to agricultural crops can be prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a front perspective view of a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2]FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the main part of the packaging device (in a state where the first lifting body is in a raised position). [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the main part of the packaging device (with the first lifting body in the lowered position). [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a view showing a first lifting and lowering drive means of the packaging device. [Figure 7] (a) is a rear view of the main parts of the packaging device (when the second lifting body is in the lower position), and (b) is a rear view of the main parts of the packaging device (when the second lifting body is in the upper position). [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the packaging device. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 14] 13, and (b) is an explanatory diagram of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a packaging device, which is a lettuce packaging machine (vegetable packaging machine) that uses, for example, a rectangular packaging sheet S of predetermined dimensions to package spherical agricultural produce W, such as lettuce.

[0013] That is, packaging device 1 packages agricultural produce W manually supplied into the interior through supply opening 2 by an operator in packaging sheet S, and then discharges the packaged agricultural produce W to the exterior through discharge opening 3.

[0014] The packaging sheet S that encases and covers the entire outer surface of the agricultural produce (item to be packaged) W is a transparent sheet (film) made of synthetic resin, which is obtained, for example, by cutting to a predetermined size from a sheet roll (not shown). The sheet roll is a long continuous sheet wound into a roll and is placed on a roll setting table 4.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging device 1 includes a box-shaped device main body 11 having an external shape that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped.

[0016] A rectangular upper supply opening 13 is formed in an upper plate 12 of the device body 11. A horizontal support plate 14 is provided below the upper plate 12 to support the unfolded packaging sheet S in a resting state. A circular lower supply opening 15 is formed in the support plate 14 facing the upper supply opening 13, and a portion (the outer peripheral portion) of the lower supply opening 15 is covered in an openable and closable manner by a plurality of elastic resin plates 16 that are elastically deformable. The upper supply opening 13 and the lower supply opening 15 form a supply opening 2 through which an operator manually supplies agricultural products W from above into the device body 11.

[0017] A rectangular discharge opening 3 is formed on the rear panel 18 of the device body 11. From this discharge opening 3, packaged agricultural products W wrapped in packaging sheet S are discharged to the outside of the device body 11. The agricultural products W discharged from the discharge opening 3 are transported to the next process by transport means such as a conveyor. Alternatively, the agricultural products W discharged from the discharge opening 3 may be stored in a container.

[0018] A rectangular surplus portion discharge outlet 20 is formed on the right plate 19 of the device body 11. The surplus portion S1 of the packaging sheet S is discharged from this surplus portion discharge outlet 20 to the outside of the device body 11. The device body 11 is provided with a manual operation switch 21, a setting panel 22, etc.

[0019] As shown in Figure 3, the packaging device 1 is equipped with a receiving section 25 that receives the agricultural produce W from the supply port 2 via a packaging sheet S and sends the packaged agricultural produce W toward the discharge port 3, and a sliding section 26 that slides toward the unpackaged agricultural produce W received by this receiving section 25 and performs a predetermined process such as heat welding.

[0020] Furthermore, the packaging device 1 is equipped with an air injection section 27 that injects compressed air onto the excess section S1 of the packaging sheet S so that the excess section S1 is discharged from the excess section discharge outlet 20, a sheet pull-out section 28 that pulls out the continuous sheet from the sheet roll onto the support plate 14, and a sheet cutting section 29 that cuts the continuous sheet pulled out by the sheet pull-out section 28 to obtain a packaging sheet S of a predetermined size.

[0021] As shown in Figures 4 to 9, the receiving section 25 comprises a guide body 30 erected on the bottom 17 of the device main body 11, a first lifting body 31 that can be raised and lowered and is guided by the guide body 30, a second lifting body 32 that can be raised and lowered on the first lifting body 31, a support body 33 that is rotatable on the second lifting body 32 about a left-right rotation center axis (rotation fulcrum) L1 and supports the underside of the crop W in a placed state from below via a packaging sheet S, and a pair of left and right holding bodies (clamping bodies) 34 that are rotatable on the first lifting body 31 about a front-to-back rotation center axis (rotation fulcrum) L2 and hold (clamp) the left and right sides of the crop W supported by the support body 33 from both the left and right sides via the packaging sheet S.

[0022] The receiving section 25 also includes a first lifting / lowering drive means 36 for raising and lowering the first lifting body 31 relative to the guide body 30, a second lifting / lowering drive means 37 for raising and lowering the second lifting body 32 relative to the first lifting body 31, a first rotation drive means 38 for rotating the support body 33 relative to the second lifting body 32 about the rotation center axis L1, and a second rotation drive means 39 for rotating (opening and closing) the left and right holding bodies 34 relative to the first lifting body 31 about the rotation center axis L2.

[0023] The guide body 30 that guides the first lifting body 31 in the vertical direction has a first guide member 51 that is elongated in the vertical direction and has a round rod shape that guides the cylindrical portion 41 of the first lifting body 31, and a second guide member 52 that is elongated in the vertical direction and has a U-shaped frame shape that guides the roller portion 42 of the first lifting body 31.

[0024] The first lifting drive means 36 has a motor (drive source) 55 and an endless chain 56 that rotates based on the power from the motor 55. The chain 56 is stretched over upper and lower sprockets 57 that are spaced apart and facing each other, and the tension of the chain 56 can be adjusted by a tension adjustment means 58. The tension adjustment means 58 has a tightener 60 that can rotate about a support shaft 59, and the lower sprocket 57 is attached to the tip of the tightener 60. A connecting rod 61 is connected to the base end of the tightener 60, and this connecting rod 61 is urged upward by an adjustment spring 62. In addition, a mounting plate 63 is attached midway along the chain 56, and the mounting portion 43 of the first lifting body 31 is attached to this mounting plate 63.

[0025] The first lifting body 31 is raised to an elevated position relative to the guide body 30 by the rotation of the chain 56 in one direction based on the power from the motor 55 (see Figure 4), and is lowered to a lowered position relative to the guide body 30 according to the size (height) of the crops W by the rotation of the chain in the other direction based on the power from the motor 55 (see Figure 5).

[0026] Here, the raised position is a predetermined fixed position regardless of the size of the crop W. On the other hand, the lowered position is an arbitrary position determined according to the size of the crop W (a corresponding lowered position corresponding to the size of the crop). That is, for example, control means 50 determines the lowered position according to the size of the crop W based on information from a sensor (not shown) that is a detection means for detecting the crop W. Note that control means 50 controls each driving source (motor, air cylinder, etc.) based on information from, for example, sensors, switches, etc.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, the second lifting body 32 has a plurality of guided portions 65 that can be raised and lowered and are guided by a plurality of guiding portions 44 (for example, two on the left and right) that the first lifting body 31 has, and the upper ends of these rod-shaped guided portions 65 that are elongated in the vertical direction are attached to a horizontal base plate portion 66.

[0028] Second lifting body 32 has a U-shaped frame 67 that is movable up and down relative to base plate 66, and support 33 is attached to this U-shaped frame 67 so that it can rotate about rotation center axis L1. U-shaped frame 67 is elastically supported by a buffer spring 68, which serves as a buffer means for absorbing the impact on crops W when the crops W are placed on support 33 (when the crops are set on the support), and a guide pin 69 inside this buffer spring 68 is slidably inserted into a cylindrical buffer guide 70.

[0029] The second lifting / lowering drive means 37 has a lifting / lowering cylinder (drive source) 71, which is an extendable and retractable fluid pressure cylinder. In other words, the second lifting / lowering drive means 37 is composed only of the lifting / lowering cylinder 71. The lifting / lowering cylinder 71 has a cylinder body 72 attached to the first lifting body 31, and a rod 73 that moves in and out of the cylinder body 72. The tip of the rod 73 is attached to the base plate portion 66 of the second lifting / lowering body 32.

[0030] The second lifting body 32 is lowered to a lower position relative to the first lifting body 31 by the contraction of the lifting cylinder 71 (see FIG. 7(a)), and is raised to an upper position relative to the first lifting body 31 by the extension of the lifting cylinder 71 (see FIG. 7(b)). In other words, the second lifting body 31 can be raised and lowered relative to the first lifting body 31 so as to accommodate crops W of different sizes, i.e., the larger crops W shown in FIG. 7(a) and the smaller crops W shown in FIG. 7(b), and this allows the support body 33 to be raised and lowered between an upper position and a lower position relative to the holder 34.

[0031] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the holding body (clamping body) 34 can be placed in an open state (a state in which the agricultural products are not clamped) or a closed state (a state in which the agricultural products are clamped from both sides) by rotating around the rotation center axis L2 relative to the first lifting body 31.

[0032] In other words, the pair of holders 34 are closed by synchronous movement toward each other (closing operation) based on rotation around the rotation center axis L2, and are open by synchronous movement away from each other (opening operation) based on rotation around the rotation center axis L2.

[0033] The holder 34 has an L-shaped arm portion 76 that is rotatably mounted on the first lifting body 31 around the rotation center axis L2, a holder portion 77 that is mounted at the tip of the upper end of the arm portion 76 and that contacts the side of the agricultural product W via the packaging sheet S when the holder 34 is closed to hold the side, and a roller portion 78 that is mounted at the base end of the lower end of the arm portion 76 and that contacts the roller contact plate 85 of the second rotation drive means 39 when the holder 34 is open.

[0034] The holding portion 77 is composed of, for example, a rectangular holding plate 79 and a cushioning material 80 such as sponge attached to the holding plate 79 so as to cover the surface of the holding plate 79 (at least the surface that comes into contact with the agricultural produce via the packaging sheet).

[0035] The second rotation drive means 39 has an opening / closing cylinder (drive source) 81, which is an extendable fluid pressure cylinder. The opening / closing cylinder 81 has a cylinder body 82 attached to the first lifting body 31, and a rod 83 that moves in and out of the cylinder body 82. A roller contact plate 85 is attached to the tip of the rod 83, and lifts the roller part 78 against the biasing force of a closing spring 84, which serves as biasing means. The roller contact plate 85 moves up and down while being guided by a guide pin 86 that extends in the vertical direction.

[0036] A closing spring 84 for closing the holder 34 is installed between the first lifting body 31 and the holder 34. That is, one end of the closing spring 84 is attached to the spring attachment portion 45 of the first lifting body 31, and the other end is attached to the spring attachment portion 46 of the holder 34.

[0037] Then, as the opening / closing cylinder 81 extends, the holding body 34 rotates around the rotation center axis L2 relative to the first lifting body 31, bringing it into an open state (see Figure 4), and as the opening / closing cylinder 81 contracts, it receives a biasing force (elastic restoring force) from the closing spring 84, and based on this biasing force, it rotates around the rotation center axis L2 relative to the first lifting body 31, bringing it into a closed state (see Figure 5).

[0038] As shown in Figure 5, when the holding body 34 switches from the open state to the closed state, the crops W on the support body 33 are clamped from both the left and right sides by the holding portions (clamping portions) 77 of both holding bodies 34 based on the biasing force of the closing spring 84.

[0039] As shown in Figure 8, the support body (placing body) 33 can be placed in a first state (a supporting state in which the agricultural products are supported from below) or a second state (a sending-out state in which the agricultural products are sent out to the side) by rotating around the central axis L1 of rotation relative to the second lifting body 32.

[0040] In other words, support 33 is placed in a horizontal first state (a state in which agricultural products are placed) when rotated in one direction (forward) about rotation central axis L1, and placed in a tilted second state (a state in which agricultural products are discharged) when rotated in the other direction (rearward) about rotation central axis L1. The rotation angle θ of support 33 is an angle less than 90 degrees, for example, 60 degrees.

[0041] In the first state of support body 33, support body 33 supports the underside of crop W from below via packaging sheet S in a resting state, but in the second state of support body 33, support body 33 has a dish-shaped support portion 91 that sends crop W rearward (sideways) under its own weight, and a downward-projecting mounting portion 92 that protrudes downward from support portion 91. In other words, support body 33 has mounting portion 92 that is mounted to second lifting body 32 so as to be rotatable about rotation central axis L1, and support portion 91 that is fixed to the upper part of mounting portion 92 and supports the underside of crop W.

[0042] The mounting portion 92 has a mounting plate 94 attached to the underside of the support portion 91 by a mounting fixture 93. A pair of left and right opposing plates 95, spaced apart and facing each other, protrude downward from both ends of the mounting plate 94. A cylindrical insertion tube 96 extending in the left-right direction is provided in the center of each opposing plate 95 in the front-rear direction.

[0043] A bolt 97 is inserted into the insertion tube 96 and a nut 98 is screwed onto the bolt 97, whereby the mounting part 92 is attached to the U-shaped frame part 67 of the second lifting body 32 so as to be rotatable about a rotation central axis L1. A line passing through the axis of the shaft part of this bolt 97 is the rotation central axis L1.

[0044] Furthermore, the tip of a rod 123 of a rotary cylinder 121 is rotatably attached to the front ends of both opposing plates 95 of the attachment portion 92 via attachment means 100. The attachment means 100 is composed of, for example, a bolt 101, a nut 102, and a spacer 103.

[0045] The support portion 91 supports the crops W from below when the support 33 is in the first state, and sends the crops W to the rear side when the support 33 is in the second state. It is composed of, for example, a dish-shaped support plate (receiving tray) 105 that is cross-shaped when viewed from above, and a cushioning material 106 such as a sponge attached to the support plate 105 so as to cover the surface of the support plate 105 (at least the surface that comes into contact with the crops via the packaging sheet).

[0046] Here, the support portion 91 has a rectangular plate-shaped central support portion 107 that supports the central portion of the underside of the crop W via the packaging sheet S, and rectangular plate-shaped peripheral support portions 108a, 108b that protrude diagonally upward from the four ends (outer edges) of the front, back, left and right of the central support portion 107 and support four points of the peripheral portion of the underside of the crop W that are located around the central portion via the packaging sheet S.

[0047] The pair of front and rear peripheral support portions 108a are larger than the pair of left and right peripheral support portions 108b. Each of the pair of front and rear peripheral support portions 108a is composed of an inclined portion 109 that is inclined relative to the central support portion 107 and a tip portion 110 that is parallel to the central support portion 107. The pair of left and right peripheral support portions 108b is composed of only an inclined portion 111 that is inclined relative to the central support portion 107. As shown in FIG. 8, in the first state of the support body 33, the central support portion 107 is positioned along a horizontal plane. On the other hand, in the second state of the support body 33, the inclined portion 109 of the front peripheral support portion 108a is positioned along a vertical plane.

[0048] The first rotation drive means 38 has a rotation cylinder (drive source) 121, which is an extendable and retractable fluid pressure cylinder. In other words, the first rotation drive means 38 is composed only of the rotation cylinder 121. The rotation cylinder 121 has a cylinder body 122 attached to a cylinder attachment portion 124 of the second lifting body 32, and a rod 123 that moves in and out of the cylinder body 122. The tip end of the rod 123 is attached to the attachment portion 92 of the support body 33 via attachment means 100.

[0049] Then, the support body 33 rotates around the rotation center axis L1 relative to the second lifting body 32 as the rotating cylinder 121 contracts, becoming a first state (support state), and rotates around the rotation center axis L1 relative to the second lifting body 32 as the rotating cylinder 121 extends, becoming a second state (discharge state).

[0050] As shown by the dotted line in Figure 8, when the support 33 rotates around the rotation center axis L1 located at a predetermined height and switches from the first state to the second state, the crops W on the support 33 are sent (discharged) onto the conveying section 127 of the conveying body 126, and then the crops W are conveyed toward the discharge outlet 3 by the inclined conveying section 127.

[0051] The conveying section 127 of the conveying body 126, which receives the crops W from the support 33 and conveys them toward the discharge outlet 3, is composed of, for example, a conveying plate 128 that is inclined downward at the rear, and a cushioning material 129 such as a sponge attached to the conveying plate 128 so as to cover the upper surface of the conveying plate 128.

[0052] 8, in the first state of support body 33, rotation center axis L1 (rotation fulcrum) is located on the anti-sending side of center point P (center of tray) of central support portion 107 of support unit 91 in side view, that is, shifted forward from the center position in the front-to-rear direction of central support portion 107 in the horizontal position. In other words, in the side view of support body 33 in the first state, rotation center axis L1 is located forward (on the anti-sending side) of vertical line A that passes through the center (center of gravity) O of spherical agricultural product W supported in a placed state by support unit 91.

[0053] More specifically, the rotation central axis L1 is located below the anti-feeding side portion (front portion) 107a of the central support portion 107 in the horizontal position in a side view of the support body 33 in the first state.

[0054] The distance a between the center point P and the rotation central axis L1 (the amount of deviation from the position directly below the center point P) is, for example, 20 mm (see FIG. 14). The center point P and the rotation central axis L1 are located at the same height (including approximately the same height) in a side view of the support body 33 in the second state.

[0055] 9, the cushion material 106 of the support body 33 and the cushion material 80 of the holder 34 are omitted. The three cylinders (lifting cylinder 71, opening / closing cylinder 81, and rotating cylinder 121) shown in FIG. 9 are, for example, air cylinders. The packaging sheet S is omitted from illustration in FIGS. 5 and 7.

[0056] 12, the sliding unit 26 has, for example, a slider 131, a clamping plate 132, a cutting blade 133, and a heater 134, as well as blades, a resin plate guide, etc. As shown in Fig. 13, the air injection unit 27 has, for example, a moving frame 136, an air nozzle 137 attached to the moving frame 136, etc.

[0057] Next, the operation of the packaging device 1 will be described.

[0058] As shown in Figure 10, with the packaging sheet S placed on the support plate 14, the worker presses down on the resin plate 16 with the crops W to elastically deform it, and then supplies the crops W from the supply port 2 into the packaging device 1 and places them on the support 33.

[0059] 11, crop W is then placed on support portion 91 of support body 33 with packaging sheet S interposed therebetween, with substantially the entire crop W (except for the central portion of the upper surface) wrapped in packaging sheet S. In this way, crop W is set on support portion 91 of support body 33 in the first state.

[0060] Then, after both holders 34 are closed to clamp the left and right sides of the crop W, first lifting body 31, together with second lifting body 32 and support body 33, which rise and fall together with first lifting body 31, descends from the raised position to the lowered position (corresponding lowered position) and stops. As a result, the crop W placed on support portion 91 of support body 33 in the first state stops at a packaging position according to its size.

[0061] 12, the sliding member 26 slides toward the crops W stopped at the packaging position, and performs heat welding and cutting while pinching a predetermined portion of the packaging sheet S from the front, back, left, and right in a position near the top of the crops W. As a result, the crops W stopped at the packaging position are entirely wrapped in the packaging sheet S, and packaging is complete.

[0062] 13, the excess portion (excess film) S1 of the packaging sheet S is blown away by compressed air from the air injection unit 27 and discharged from the excess portion discharge outlet 20 to the outside of the packaging device 1. Furthermore, the opening operation of both holders 34 returns them from the closed state to the open state, and the clamping of the agricultural products W by both holders 34 is released.

[0063] Then, as shown in Figure 14(a), the packaged agricultural produce W wrapped in the packaging sheet S is sent out from above the support portion 91 of the support 33 by rotating the support 33 around the rotation center axis L1 relative to the second lifting body 32 by a rotation angle θ (e.g., 60 degrees) while the first lifting body 31 remains stopped in the lowered position (the second lifting body 32 is also stopped), and slides down the conveying section 127 to be discharged outside the packaging device 1 through the discharge outlet 3.

[0064] In other words, when support 33 rotates about rotation central axis L1, which is offset from center point P by a distance a to the anti-sending side (the side opposite the sending side, which is the discharge opening side), based solely on the extension action of rotating cylinder 121 of first rotation drive means 38, and assumes the second inclined state, packaged crops W are smoothly sent out and transferred, sliding down from support section 91 onto conveying section 127. That is, for example, crops W transfer from support section 91 onto conveying section 127, slide along the upper surface of conveying section 127, and are discharged from discharge opening 3.

[0065] 14(b), that is, when the rotation central axis (directly below rotation fulcrum) L1' is located directly below the center point P, the support 33 rotates about the rotation central axis L1' to assume the second inclined state, and the packaged crops W are thrown out, with the end of the output side of the crops W falling downward and hitting the upper surface of the conveyor section 127. As a result, for example, as shown in the figure, the crops W are rolled on the conveyor section 127 and discharged. For this reason, in this comparative example, the crops W are susceptible to impacts and may be damaged.

[0066] Therefore, according to the packaging device 1, unlike the comparative example shown in Figure 14(b), the rotation center axis L1 of the support body 33 is located on the opposite side to the sending-out side from the center point P of the support part 91 when viewed from the side in the first state of the support body 33, so that the agricultural produce W is less likely to be impacted when being sent out from the support part 91, and damage to the agricultural produce W after packaging can be appropriately prevented.

[0067] Furthermore, in the second state of the support body 33, the upper end position of the crops W on the support body 33 in the second state before being sent out is lower than the upper end position in the comparative example (see Figure 14), so that the first lifting body 31, which is stopped in the lowered position, does not need to be lowered any further, and interference between the crops W and the slide section 26 during sending out can be avoided.As a result, damage to the crops W after packaging can be more appropriately prevented, and the elimination of the lowering operation of the first lifting body 31 also improves the durability of the motor, etc.

[0068] Furthermore, the support portion 91 of the support body 33 has a central support portion 107 that supports the central portion of the underside of the crop W, and multiple (e.g., four) peripheral support portions 108a, 108b that support the peripheral portion of the underside of the crop W that is located around the central portion, and since the rotation center axis L1 of the support body 33 is located on the opposite side to the sending side of the center point P of the central support portion 107 when viewed from the side in the first state, damage to the crop W after packaging can be effectively prevented.

[0069] Furthermore, since the conveying body 126 has the conveying part 127 against whose upper surface the end of the support part 91 on the delivery side abuts when the support body 33 is in the second state, damage to the agricultural produce W after packaging can be more effectively prevented.

[0070] Furthermore, since the packaged agricultural produce W is delivered from the support 33 by the rotation of the support 33 based solely on the extension action of the rotating cylinder 121 of the first rotating drive means 38, the durability of the motor, etc. can be improved compared to a configuration in which, for example, a part of the support that is driven down by a motor is brought into contact with an abutting member, causing the support to rotate and deliver the agricultural produce.

[0071] The agricultural produce to be packaged is not limited to lettuce (a spherical vegetable), but may be, for example, cabbage, melon, apple, etc., and may have any shape.

[0072] Furthermore, the cylinder serving as the drive source is not limited to an air cylinder, which is a fluid pressure cylinder, but may be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like. Alternatively, a drive source such as a motor may be used instead of the cylinder.

[0073] Furthermore, it is preferable that the parts that come into contact with the crops (support parts, holding parts, transport parts, etc.) have cushioning material, which is an elastic material, to absorb impact on the crops, but cushioning material may not be necessary depending on the type of crop, for example.

[0074] Furthermore, the pivot point (rotation center axis) of the support body is not limited to a configuration in which it is located below the anti-send side portion of the central support body when viewed from the side of the support body in the first state, but may be a configuration in which it is located below, for example, a peripheral support body located on the anti-send side among the multiple peripheral support bodies, or a configuration in which it is located below the anti-send side end portion of the support body (front end portion of the support body).

[0075] Although the above description has been given of a packaging device for packaging agricultural products, the present invention can be applied to various devices other than packaging devices, such as a conveying device for conveying (sending) goods or other items. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 Packaging equipment 3 outlet 33 Support 38 First rotation drive means which is a rotation drive means 91 Support part 107 Central support part 107a Anti-delivery side part 108a, 108b Peripheral support parts 126 Carrier 127 Transport unit L1: Rotational fulcrum, central axis of rotation P center point S Packaging Sheet W Crops

Claims

1. A packaging device for packaging agricultural produce with a packaging sheet, a support that is set to at least a first state and a second state by rotation about a rotation fulcrum, and has a support part that supports the crop in the first state and delivers the crop in the second state; a holder that is rotated to at least an open state and a closed state, and that does not hold any crops in the open state but holds the crops supported by the support portion in the closed state; a biasing means for causing the holder to be in the closed state; a first rotation driving means for rotating the support body about the rotation fulcrum; a second rotation drive means for rotating the holder, the rotation fulcrum is located on the opposite side to the center point of the support portion in a side view when the support body is in the first state, the support member is rotated to the first state based on a contracting operation of the first rotation drive means, and is rotated to the second state based on an extending operation of the first rotation drive means, The holding body is rotated to the open state based on the extension operation of the second rotation drive means, and is rotated to the closed state based on the biasing force from the biasing means due to the contraction operation of the second rotation drive means. A packaging device characterized by:

2. The support member rotates to the second state based only on the extension action of the first rotation drive means.

2. The packaging device according to claim 1.

3. A packaging device for packaging agricultural produce with a packaging sheet, A first lifting body; a second lifting body provided on the first lifting body so as to be able to rise and fall; a support body that is rotatably mounted on the second lifting body around a pivot point, that is set to at least a first state and a second state by rotation around the pivot point, and that has a support part that supports the crop in the first state and delivers the crop in the second state; a holder rotatably mounted on the first lifting body and configured to hold the crops supported by the support portion; a first rotation driving means for rotating the support body about the rotation fulcrum relative to the second lifting body; a second rotation driving means for rotating the holding body relative to the first lifting body; a first lifting drive means for lifting and lowering the first lifting body; a second lifting / lowering drive means for lifting / lowering the second lifting / lowering body relative to the first lifting / lowering body, the rotation fulcrum is located on the opposite side to the feed-out side from the center point of the support portion in a side view when the support body is in the first state, the support member is rotated to the first state based on a contracting operation of the first rotation drive means, and is rotated to the second state based on an extending operation of the first rotation drive means, The first rotation drive means is capable of ascending and descending together with the second ascending and descending body relative to the first ascending and descending body. A packaging device characterized by:

4. The support body and the second lifting body each have an attachment portion, the first rotation drive means is composed of only an extendable cylinder rotatably attached to the attachment portion of the second lifting body, The end of the cylinder is pivotally attached to the mounting portion of the support.

4. The packaging device according to claim 3.

5. The support portion of the support body is a central support portion that supports a central portion of the underside of the crop; a peripheral support portion for supporting a peripheral portion of the underside of the crop that is located around the central portion, When the support body is in the first state, the rotation fulcrum is located on the opposite side to the feeding side from the center point of the central support part in a side view.

5. The packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the packaging device is a packaging device for packaging a packaging material.

6. The pivot point is located below the opposite side of the central support portion in a side view when the support body is in the first state.

6. The packaging device according to claim 5.

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