Integration device

Abstract

To provide a stack and align device for stably stacking pillow-packaged products with sealing sections formed at both ends.SOLUTION: A stack and align device 2 that stacks and aligns a pillow packaged product 1 each having a seal portion 1b formed at both ends of a bag body containing an article 1a therein includes first conveyance means 3 that conveys the pillow packaged product 1 in a state toward a longitudinal direction, second conveyance means 4 arranged to intersect with the conveyance direction of the first conveyance means 3, extrusion means 5 that pushes out the pillow packaged product 1 of the first conveyance means 3 toward the second conveyance means 4 and a stack and align section that is provided on a downstream side of the second conveyance means 4 and stacks and aligns the pillow packaged products 1. When the extrusion means 5 extrudes the pillow packaged product 1 from the first conveyance means 3 to the second conveyance means 4, the second conveying means 4 is configured to push the sealed portions 1b of the pillow packaged product 1 adjacent in a conveying direction so as not to be aligned in a straight line, and at stack and align sections, stack and align the pillow packaged product 1 in a staggered manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrating device, and more particularly to an integrating device for integrating pillow-packaged products in which seal portions are formed at both ends of a bag body containing an article inside.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when packing a plurality of articles, the articles are integrated and then packed in a box. As an integrating device for integrating such articles, there are a first conveying means for conveying the articles, a second conveying means arranged so as to intersect the conveying direction of the first conveying means, an extrusion means for extruding the articles being conveyed by the first conveying means toward the second conveying means, and an integrating portion provided on the downstream side of the second conveying means where the articles are integrated (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, as a method of packaging an article, the article is accommodated inside a cylindrical bag body with both ends open, and the portions outside the article are welded to form seal portions at both ends of the bag body to make a pillow-packaged product. In such a pillow-packaged product, since both end portions of the bag body are welded, the length of the seal portion is longer than the width of the article, and the seal portion protrudes in the width direction more than the article accommodated in the bag body. When trying to integrate such pillow-packaged products by the above integrating device, there is a problem that the seal portions of adjacent pillow-packaged products may come into contact with each other, disturbing the posture of the integrated pillow-packaged products. In view of these problems, the present invention provides a stacking device capable of stably stacking pillow-packaged products having sealing portions formed at both ends. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In other words, the stacking device according to claim 1 is a stacking device for stacking pillow-packaged products, in which a bag containing an article has a seal portion formed at both ends. The system comprises: a first conveying means for conveying the pillow-packaged products with their longitudinal direction facing the conveying direction; a second conveying means arranged to intersect the conveying direction of the first conveying means and for conveying the pillow-packaged products with their short direction facing the conveying direction; an extrusion means for pushing the pillow-packaged products conveyed by the first conveying means toward the second conveying means; and an accumulation section provided downstream of the second conveying means for accumulating the pillow-packaged products. The extrusion means described above is characterized in that, when pushing pillow-packaged products from the first conveying means to the second conveying means, the seal portions of adjacent pillow-packaged products conveyed by the second conveying means are not aligned in a straight line, so that the pillow-packaged products are accumulated in a staggered pattern at the accumulation section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the above invention, by stacking the pillow-packaged products in a staggered pattern in the stacking section, as shown in Figure 2(a), the sealed portions of the pillow-packaged products stacked in the stacking section come into contact with the portions of adjacent pillow-packaged products containing articles, thereby enabling stable stacking of the pillow-packaged products. In contrast, as shown in Figure 2(b), when the sealed portions of the pillow-packaged products are stacked in a straight line, the sealed portions may overlap, making it impossible to stack the pillow-packaged products stably. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Plan view of the integration device according to this embodiment [Figure 2] A diagram showing the state of pillow-packaged products accumulated in the accumulation section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following describes the illustrated embodiment. Figure 1 shows an accumulation device 2 for accumulating pillow-packaged products 1 containing articles 1a. It is located between a packaging device that pillow-packages the articles 1a and a boxing device (not shown) that boxes the accumulated pillow-packaged products 1. The above-mentioned article 1a is a box made of a rectangular parallelepiped that contains a cosmetic container or the like. In the above-mentioned packaging device, after inserting the article 1a into a cylindrical vinyl bag, the area around the article 1a in the bag is welded using a heat sealer or the like, thereby obtaining a pillow-packaged product 1 with both ends sealed by seal portions 1b. Since the seal portion 1b is formed by welding the overlapping bags together, the length of the seal portion 1b is longer than the width of the box, and the seal portion 1b is harder than the bags due to the welding process. In the following explanation, the direction connecting one seal portion 1b of the pillow packaging 1 and the other seal portion 1b will be referred to as the longitudinal direction of the pillow packaging 1, and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction will be referred to as the short direction.

[0009] The stacking device 2 includes a first conveying means 3 for conveying the pillow packaging product 1 so that its longitudinal direction faces the conveying direction, a second conveying means 4 positioned to intersect the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3 and conveying the pillow packaging product 1 so that its short direction faces the conveying direction, an extrusion means 5 for pushing the pillow packaging product 1 being conveyed by the first conveying means 3 toward the second conveying means 4, a stacking means 6 provided downstream of the second conveying means 4 for stacking the pillow packaging product 1, a stacking means 7 for stacking the multiple pillow packaging products 1 accumulated by the stacking means 6 in multiple layers, and an alignment means 8 for aligning the positions of the articles 1a contained in the stacked pillow packaging products 1, all of which are controlled by a control means (not shown) consisting of a computer or the like. The first conveying means 3 and the second conveying means 4 are composed of belt conveyors, which are driven by servo motors (not shown). The first conveying means is also equipped with an encoder (not shown), and the control means can recognize the conveying speed of the first conveying means 3 based on the signal from the encoder. Upstream of the first conveying means 3 described above, a packaging device for pillow-packaged products 1 (not shown) is provided. This packaging device supplies the pillow-packaged products 1 so that their longitudinal direction faces the conveying direction, and so that a required gap is formed between adjacent pillow-packaged products 1. Furthermore, the first transport means 3 is equipped with a sensor 3a that detects the pillow-packaged product 1 during transport. When the sensor 3a detects the pillow-packaged product 1, the control means recognizes the position of the pillow-packaged product 1 using the encoder. Alternatively, instead of the above-mentioned packaging device, the pillow-packaged products 1 may be supplied to the first conveying means 3 by a supply device that supplies pre-packaged pillow-packaged products 1.

[0010] The second conveying means 4 is provided to the side of the first conveying means 3 and is positioned perpendicular to the first conveying means 3. The extrusion means 5 pushes the pillow-packaged product 1, which is being conveyed by the first conveying means 3, to the side of the first conveying means 3, thereby transferring the pillow-packaged product 1 to the second conveying means 4. The pillow-packaged product 1, which has been extruded by the extrusion means 5 into the second conveying means 4, is conveyed by the second conveying means 4 with its shorter side facing the conveying direction. Furthermore, a transfer table 11 is provided between the upstream end of the second transport means 4 and the side of the first transport means 3 for transferring the extruded pillow-packaged products 1. Furthermore, a stacking section for accumulating multiple pillow-packaged products 1 is formed at the downstream end of the second transporting means 4, and the stacking means 6 is provided in the stacking section.

[0011] The extrusion means 5 described above consists of an extrusion member 5a that presses the pillow-packed product 1 of the first conveying means 3 described above, and a belt conveyor 5b that moves the extrusion member 5a. The extrusion member 5a is made up of a plate-shaped member and is positioned to the side of the first conveying means 3 by the belt conveyor 5b, and is oriented parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3. The belt conveyor 5b is located above the first conveying means 3, and the pillow-packaged products 1 being transported by the first conveying means 3 can pass below the belt conveyor 5b. The extrusion member 5a moves above and below the belt conveyor 5b, but when the extrusion member 5a moves below the belt conveyor 5b, it presses against the pillow-packaged product 1. Furthermore, the belt conveyor 5b is positioned diagonally to the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3, and is configured to move the extruded member 5a toward the second conveying means 4 while moving it toward the second conveying means 4 in the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3. While the extrusion member 5a moves below the belt conveyor 5b, the direction of the extrusion member 5a remains parallel to the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3. As a result, the pillow-packaged product 1 being conveyed by the first conveying means 3 is gradually pushed out toward the second conveying means 4 while its longitudinal direction remains facing the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3. The extrusion member 5a then pushes the pillow-packaged product 1 to the second conveying means 4 while maintaining its orientation, so that in the second conveying means 4, the shorter side of the pillow-packaged product 1 faces the conveying direction of the second conveying means 4.

[0012] The belt conveyor 5b is driven by a servo motor, and its operation is controlled by the control means, which moves the extrusion member 5b to press the pillow packaged product 1, alternating between earlier and later timings, thereby transferring the product from the first conveying means 3 to the second conveying means 4. Specifically, when the extrusion means 5 is operated early, the pillow package 1 can be extruded onto the second conveying means 4 at a position biased toward the upstream side in the conveying direction of the first conveying means 3. When the extrusion means 5 is operated late, the pillow package 1 can be extruded onto the second conveying means 4 at a position biased toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. As a result, the pillow packages 1 extruded from the first conveying means 3 to the second conveying means 4 are alternately conveyed at positions biased to the left or right side in the drawing of the second conveying means 4, and the seal portions 1b of the pillow packages 1 conveyed in the second conveying means 4 are not aligned linearly in the conveying direction of the second conveying means 4.

[0013] The downstream end of the second conveying means 4 is an accumulation part where a plurality of pillow packages 1 are accumulated, and an accumulation means 6 for accumulating the pillow packages 1 is provided in the accumulation part. The accumulation means 6 includes a stopper member 6a provided at the downstream end of the second conveying means 4, an accumulation member 6b that moves along the second conveying means 4 and sandwiches a plurality of pillow packages 1 between the accumulation member 6b and the stopper member 6a, and a moving means for moving the accumulation member 6b. The stopper member 6a is provided so as to abut on the pillow package 1 conveyed by the second conveying means 4 from the downstream side, and the pillow package 1 conveyed from the upstream side thereof is blocked by the pillow package 1 blocked by the stopper member 6a. The accumulation member 6b is a plate-like member, and the moving means includes a horizontal slider 6c that moves the accumulation member 6b along the second conveying means 4 by a driving means not shown, and a vertical cylinder 6d that moves along with the slider 6c and raises and lowers the accumulation member 6b.

[0014] To explain the operation of the accumulation means 6, the control means controls the moving means to position the accumulation member 6b on the upstream side of the second conveying means 4 and above the second conveying means �. In this state, when the extrusion means 5 extrudes the pillow package 1 from the first conveying means 3 to the second conveying means 4, the pillow package 1 conveyed by the second conveying means 4 passes under the extrusion member 5a. On the other hand, the pillow package 1 conveyed by the second conveying means 4 is blocked by the stopper member 6a provided at the downstream end, and is arranged in a staggered manner in the stacking part as will be described later. After that, when six pillow packages 1 pass under the stacking member 6b, the stacking member 6b descends and moves in the conveying direction of the second conveying means 4 in synchronization with the above-mentioned pillow package 1. Then, six pillow packages 1 are sandwiched between the stacking member 6b and the stopper member 6a, and the bag body or seal part for packaging the article 1a in the above-mentioned pillow package 1 is compressed, so that the articles 1a are stacked in a state of being in close contact with each other.

[0015] The stacking means 7 includes a storage part 12 for storing the pillow packages 1 in a stacked state, a stacking member 13 for extruding a plurality of pillow packages 1 stacked on the second conveying means 4 toward the storage part 12, and a moving means (not shown) for moving the stacking member 13. The storage part 12 is provided at a position adjacent to the stacking part of the second conveying means 4 and is provided so as to be able to move up and down by a lifting means (not shown). A transfer table 14 is provided between the second conveying means 4 and the storage part 12 at the height of the conveying surface of the second conveying means 4. The storage part 12 is composed of a placement plate 12a for placing the pillow package 1 and side walls 12b provided on three sides except the part facing the second conveying means 4 on the placement plate 12a. Among the side walls 12b, the side walls 12b provided opposite to the same direction as the conveying direction of the second conveying means 4 are set to have the same interval as the width of the six pillow packages 1 stacked by the stacking means 6. Furthermore, the lifting mechanism for the storage section 12 positions the mounting plate 12a at the same height as the transport surface of the second transport mechanism 4 when no pillow-packaged items 1 are stored in the storage section 12. When six pillow-packaged items 1 are stored in the mounting plate 12a, the mounting plate 12a is lowered so that the height of the upper surface of the stored pillow-packaged items 1 is at the same height as the transport surface of the second transport mechanism 4. The stacking member 13 is then moved by the moving means in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the second transport means 4, and the six pillow-packaged products 1 that have been stacked by the stacking means 6 are pressed in the longitudinal direction (to the right in the figure). The pressed pillow-packaged products 1 are then transferred to the above-mentioned placement plate 12a via the transfer table 14, or stacked on top of the pillow-packaged products 1 that have already been stored.

[0016] The alignment means 8 includes an alignment member 8a that presses the articles 1a of the pillow-packaged products 1 stacked in the storage section 12 by the stacking means 7 in the longitudinal direction, and a support member 8b that holds the pillow-packaged products 1 between itself and the alignment member 8a. In this embodiment, when the stacking member 13 pushes six pillow-packaged products 1, which are arranged in a staggered pattern, from the second conveying means 4 to the storage section 12, the pillow-packaged products 1 are stored in the storage section 12 while maintaining their staggered arrangement. The alignment member 8a is provided below the transfer table 14 of the stacking member 13. When the required number of pillow-packaged products 1 are stacked in the storage section 12, and the storage section 12 is lowered accordingly, the alignment member 8a is moved by a moving mechanism (not shown) in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the second transport mechanism 4. The support member 8b is provided to match the height of the lowered storage section 12 on which multiple layers of pillow-packaged products 1 are placed, and when the alignment member 8a presses against the multiple layers of pillow-packaged products 1 accumulated in the storage section 12, it supports the pushed-out pillow-packaged products 1. Here, the multiple layers of pillow packaging 1 stacked on the mounting plate 12a are arranged in a staggered pattern. By sandwiching the pillow packaging 1 between the alignment member 8a and the support member 8b, the pillow packaging 1 is compressed in the longitudinal direction, and the articles 1a contained in the pillow packaging 1 are sandwiched between the alignment member 8a and the support member 8b, so that the ends of the articles 1a are aligned.

[0017] The operation of the integrated device 2 having the above configuration will be described below. First, the first transport means 3 transports the pillow package 1 so that its longitudinal direction faces the transport direction. When the sensor 3a provided on the first transport means 3 detects the pillow package 1, the control means recognizes the position of the pillow package 1 being transported by the first transport means 3. When the pillow-packaged product 1 reaches the position of the extrusion means 5, the control means controls the extrusion means 5 to push the pillow-packaged product 1 from the first conveying means 3 to the second conveying means 4. In this case, the control means alternates the timing of pushing the pillow-packaged products 1 to the second conveying means 4, so that the pillow-packaged products 1 pushed out at an earlier timing are located on the left side of the second conveying means 4, and the pillow-packaged products 1 pushed out at a later timing are located on the right side of the second conveying means 4. As a result, the sealed portions 1b of adjacent pillow-packaged products 1 being transported by the second transport means 4 are not aligned in a straight line in the transport direction of the second transport means 4. Subsequently, the pillow-packaged products 1, transported by the second transport means 4, move to a collection section located at the downstream end of the second transport means 4, where they are blocked by a stopper member 6a.

[0018] Figure 2 illustrates the alignment of the pillow-packaged products 1 accumulated in the accumulation section, with Figure 2(a) showing the embodiment and Figure 2(b) showing the state when this embodiment is not adopted. As shown in Figure 2(a), the timing at which the extrusion means 5 pushes the pillow-packaged product 1 from the first conveying means 3 to the second conveying means 4 is different, so that the sealed portions 1b of adjacent pillow-packaged products 1 do not align in a straight line in the conveying direction of the second conveying means 4. As described above, the sealing portions 1b located at both ends of the pillow-packed product 1 protrude in the front-rear direction relative to the article 1a in the transport direction of the second transport means 4, and are also slightly hardened by welding. Therefore, even if the pillow packaging 1 is blocked by the stopper member 6a and the pillow packaging 1 is sequentially accumulated upstream thereof, the sealing portion 1b does not deform and remains in contact with the portion of the adjacent pillow packaging 1 in which the article 1a is contained. For example, the right-side seal portion 1b of the pillow package 1 transported on the left side by the second transport means 4 will come into contact with the article 1a of the pillow package 1 transported on the right side, and the left-side seal portion 1b of the pillow package 1 transported on the right side will come into contact with the article 1a of the pillow package 1 transported on the left side. As a result, even when six pillow-packaged items 1 are stacked in the stacking section, the sealing section 1b maintains its shape without deformation, and the articles 1a contained within the pillow-packaged items 1 remain parallel to each other and are aligned in a staggered pattern as shown in the illustration.

[0019] In contrast, Figure 2(b) shows the state of accumulation of the pillow-packaged products 1 in the accumulation section when the extrusion means 5 pushes the pillow-packaged products 1 to the second conveying means 4 at the same timing. When the extrusion means 5 pushes out the pillow-packaged products 1 at the same time, the pillow-packaged products 1 are transported, for example, through the center of the second transport means 4, and as a result, the seal portions 1b of adjacent pillow-packaged products 1 are aligned in a straight line in the transport direction of the second transport means 4. If these pillow-packaged products 1 are blocked by the stopper member 6a, the sealing portions 1b may overlap because they are formed flat by welding. If overlapping occurs in one of the seal portions 1b formed at both ends, the orientation of the pillow package 1 adjacent to the upstream side will be tilted, and this tilt will increase as more pillow package 1 accumulate further upstream of the said pillow package 1. When the stacking mechanism 6 is operated with the pillow packaging 1 tilted in this manner, the relative positions of the articles 1a contained in adjacent pillow packaging 1 become random, and it is sometimes not possible to stack the pillow packaging 1 stably.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2(a), when the pillow-packaged products 1 are accumulated in the accumulation section, the accumulation means 6 activates the accumulation member 6b to clamp the six pillow-packaged products 1 between the stopper member 6a and the accumulation member 6b. As a result, the seal portion 1b of the pillow packaging 1 is compressed and deformed between the articles 1a, causing the articles 1a to be stacked in close proximity. At this time, the stacked pillow packaging 1 will be aligned in a staggered pattern, with the contained articles 1a leaning to the right and left sides of the second transport means 4 as shown in the illustration.

[0021] From this state, the stacking means 7 is activated, and the stacking member 13 pushes out six pillow-packaged products 1, which are arranged in a staggered pattern, from between the stopper member 6a and the accumulation member 6b into the storage section 12. Once the pillow-packaged product 1 is placed in the storage section 12 in this manner, the storage section 12 is lowered by the lifting mechanism, and the height of the upper surface of the stored pillow-packaged product 1 is brought to match the conveying surface of the second conveying mechanism 4. Subsequently, by repeating the above-described operation, multiple layers of pillow-packaged products 1 can be stored in the storage section 12. However, at this time, the pillow-packaged products 1 maintain a staggered arrangement. Subsequently, the stacked pillow-packaged items 1 are pushed out of the storage section 12 by the alignment member 8a of the alignment means 8 and held between the alignment member 8b, thereby aligning the positions of both ends of the items 1a. Subsequently, the pillow-packaged products 1 are transferred to a packaging device or the like in an aligned and stacked state, and then placed into boxes or the like.

[0022] As described above, according to the accumulation device 2 of this embodiment, when the extrusion means 5 pushes the pillow-packaged product 1 from the first conveying means 3 to the second conveying means 4, the seal portions 1b of the pillow-packaged product 1 being conveyed in the second conveying means 4 are not aligned in the conveying direction of the second conveying means 4. In this way, as shown in Figure 2(a), when the pillow-packaged products 1 are stacked in the stacking section, they are arranged in a stable, staggered pattern, which then allows the stacking means 6 to stably stack the pillow-packaged products 1. In this embodiment, the stacking means 7 stores the pillow-packaged items 1 in the storage section 12 while they are still arranged in a staggered pattern, and the alignment means 8 presses the staggered-arranged pillow-packaged items 1 to align the ends of the articles 1a. However, the alignment means 8 may also be used in conjunction with the stacking means 7. In other words, by providing the support member 8b in the storage section of the stacking means 7 at a position opposite to the stacking member 13, and sandwiching the pillow-packaged products 1, which are stacked in a staggered pattern, between the stacking member 13 and the support member 8b, it becomes possible to align the pillow-packaged products 1 in a stacked state in the storage section 12.

[0023] In the above embodiment, the extrusion means 5 alternates the timing of pushing the pillow-packaged product 1 to the second conveying means 4, so that it is positioned on the left or right side of the second conveying means 4 as shown. In addition to these, the pillow-packaged product 1 may also be pushed so that it is positioned in the center of the second conveying means 4. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0024] 1 Pillow-packed item 1a Article 1b Seal section 2 Accumulator 3 First conveying means 4 Second conveying means 5. Extrusion means 6. Accumulation means 7 stacking means 8 alignment means

Claims

1. A stacking device for stacking pillow-packaged products, each having a sealed portion formed at both ends of a bag containing an article inside, The system comprises: a first conveying means for conveying the pillow-packaged products with their longitudinal direction facing the conveying direction; a second conveying means arranged to intersect the conveying direction of the first conveying means and for conveying the pillow-packaged products with their short direction facing the conveying direction; an extrusion means for pushing the pillow-packaged products conveyed by the first conveying means toward the second conveying means; and an accumulation section provided downstream of the second conveying means for accumulating the pillow-packaged products. The above-described extrusion means is characterized in that, when pushing pillow-packaged products from the first conveying means to the second conveying means, the seal portions of adjacent pillow-packaged products conveyed by the second conveying means are not aligned in a straight line, so that the pillow-packaged products are accumulated in a staggered pattern in the accumulation section.

2. The stacking device according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment means for pressing a plurality of pillow-packaged products stacked in the staggered pattern described above from the longitudinal direction to align the articles contained in the pillow-packaged products.

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