Pillow packaging machine
The pillow packaging machine addresses product collapse and positional deviation by using movable clamp members to support and align products on packaging film, ensuring stable and efficient sealing without tray containers.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- OMORI MACH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-05-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing pillow packaging methods for multiple products face challenges such as product collapse during conveyance and positional deviation, particularly when stacking products on a packaging film without a tray container, leading to potential interference with sealing devices.
A pillow packaging machine with a film supply device and lower clamp members that lift and support products on packaging film, preventing positional deviation and interference with sealing devices, using a conveyor system with independently movable clamp members to manage product placement and conveyance.
Enables stable pillow packaging of multiple products without tray containers, preventing displacement and ensuring smooth sealing processes, even for unstable items.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a pillow packaging machine.
Background Art
[0002] Normally, when a plurality of products are pillow-packaged together, they are supplied to a bag-making device while being contained in a tray container, and the tray container is conveyed as a whole for pillow packaging. When opening the package thus manufactured and taking out the products, the tray container is unnecessary and is taken out of the bag at an appropriate timing or discarded together with the bag. Therefore, the tray container after the manufacture of the package becomes plastic waste.
[0003] On the other hand, due to recent demands for plastic reduction and the like, there is a demand to directly supply products onto a packaging film, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, and perform pillow packaging without using a tray container.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] Unlike a single product as in Patent Document 1, in order to package a plurality of loose products together, it is necessary to set the plurality of products within a predetermined area of the packaging film. However, for example, if they are supplied so as to be stacked upward, they are likely to collapse, and are particularly likely to cause a load collapse when being conveyed together with the packaging film during supply. If there is a positional deviation of more than a predetermined distance in the conveyance direction, there is a risk that the products will be bitten by the subsequent top seal device. Therefore, there is a demand to supply a plurality of products within a predetermined area of the packaging film without using a tray container and prevent a large positional deviation in the front-rear direction during conveyance.
[0006] The problems described above are presented as independent issues, and the present invention is not necessarily required to solve all of them; it is sufficient if at least one problem is solved. Furthermore, the invention intends to obtain rights for the configuration that solves this problem independently through divisional applications, amendments, etc. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the pillow packaging machine of the present invention comprises (1) a packaging machine body for pillow packaging and a film supply device that supplies packaging film to the packaging machine body from below, wherein the packaging machine body comprises a bag maker that lifts the left and right side ends of the packaging film upward to form a bag, a conveyor arranged downstream of the bag maker and constituting a transport path for the packaging film, a center sealing device arranged above the conveyor that seals the left and right side ends of the packaging film together, and a top sealing device arranged on the discharge end of the conveyor that seals and cuts the packaging film in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, wherein the conveyor has a plurality of lower clamp members that can move along the transport direction above the transport surface and the lower clamp members are provided with a means for moving the lower clamp members, wherein when the lower clamp members are positioned above the transport surface they can contact the packaging film and lift it upward, and a plurality of products can be placed on the packaging film between the lower clamp members which are arranged at predetermined intervals front to back. Without resting on the upper part of the lower clamp member It was configured to supply. The front and rear lower clamp members lift the film from below, supplying multiple products onto the packaging film located between them. The film portions of the products at the front and rear are then lifted upward by the lower clamp members. Therefore, when the packaging film is subsequently moved forward, the products also move forward. However, even if the products attempt to move relative to the packaging film in the front-to-back direction, the lifted film portions prevent this movement, thus preventing misalignment. In this way, the film portion between the front and rear lower clamp members can be made into a pseudo-tray shape.
[0008] (2) The lower clamp members are arranged in pairs above the conveying surface at a predetermined distance apart, and the pairs of lower clamp members are preferably configured to be at a distance that does not interfere with the top sealer of the top sealing device. In this way, when the lower clamp members move with the packaging film and reach the position of the top sealing device, they do not interfere with the top sealer, and the top sealing process can be carried out as is.
[0009] (3) The moving means may use a linear motor and be configured to allow multiple lower clamp members to move independently. In this way, the lower clamp members can be moved to any position, so that product supply and transport can be performed more smoothly.
[0010] (4) The moving means may be controlled to widen the spacing between the lower clamp members, which are arranged at a predetermined distance front to back at the product supply position, and to narrow the spacing when receiving and transporting the product. This makes it easier to supply the product.
[0011] (5) The moving means may be controlled such that, when no product is supplied between the lower clamp members which are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, and then multiple products are received, the lower clamp members located in front of and behind the received products move forward at a speed faster than the speed at which the packaging film moves. This will prevent the occurrence of empty bags as much as possible. [Effects of the Invention]
[0012] According to the present invention, a collection of multiple products can be pillow-packaged without using a tray container. Furthermore, even unstable items can be pillow-packaged while preventing product displacement. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0013] [Figure 1] This is a front view showing a preferred first embodiment of the pillow packaging machine according to the present invention. [Figure 2] That plan view. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged side view. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating the control function. [Figure 5] This is a front view showing a preferred second embodiment of the pillow packaging machine according to the present invention. [Figure 6] That plan view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not to be construed as being limited thereto, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0015] Figures 1 to 3 show a preferred first embodiment of the pillow packaging machine according to the present invention. As shown in the figures, the pillow packaging machine 10 comprises a packaging machine body 11 and a film supply device 13 that continuously supplies a strip-shaped packaging film 12 to the packaging machine body 11.
[0016] The film supply device 13 supplies the packaging film 12 to the packaging machine body 11 from below. It connects the output of a drive motor (a speed-controllable motor such as a servo motor, not shown) to a roll of packaging film 12 wound into a roll, and supplies the film to the packaging machine body 11 at a constant speed while appropriately controlling the rotational speed of the roll 16. In addition, various rollers 17 (only one shown as a representative example) are placed at predetermined positions from the roll 16 to the packaging machine body 11, and the packaging film 12 fed out from the roll 16 is passed over these rollers and guided to the packaging machine body 11 through a predetermined path. Alternatively, instead of connecting the drive motor to the roll 16, a feed roller may be provided on the transport path of the packaging film 12 to pull it out.
[0017] The packaging machine main body 11 includes a bag-making device 21 that lifts the left and right ends of the supplied strip-shaped packaging film 12 upward in the conveying direction to form a U-shaped bag, a belt conveyor 23 disposed downstream of the bag-making device 21 for conveying the formed packaging film 12, film guides 22 disposed above the belt conveyor 23 and on the left and right sides downstream of the bag-making device 21 for bending the film parts on the left and right sides of the packaging film 12 outward respectively, a center seal device 24 disposed at a position above the center in the width direction downstream of the film guide 22, a top seal device 25, a chute conveyor 26 disposed downstream of the top seal device 25, and the like. Such a basic configuration is the same as that of the prior art.
[0018] The bag-making device 21 has an upward U-shaped portion that is open at the top, and by passing the strip-shaped packaging film 12 continuously supplied from the film supply device 13, it is shaped to lift the both side end portions of the packaging film 12 upward along the inner surface of the U-shaped portion.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the film guide 22 is configured by vertically arranging an upper guide member 27 made of an L-shaped plate and a lower guide member 28 made of an L-shaped plate at a predetermined interval. The film parts 121 on the left and right sides of the packaging film 12 are respectively inserted into the gap between the upper guide member 27 and the lower guide member 28, and the left and right film parts 121 are bent outward as shown in the figure, with the upper part of the packaging film 12 being open. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the film guide 22 has a predetermined length in the form of a strip along the conveying direction of the packaging film 12, and a section with the upper part of the packaging film 12 open secures a certain length, and this open section becomes the supply area for the product 1.
[0020] In this embodiment, in this supply area, the product 1 is supplied manually or using a supply device so as to be directly placed on the packaging film 12. The product 1 is, in this embodiment, a packaged product obtained by individually packaging an elongated rod-shaped commodity, and is arranged on the packaging film 12 so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, and three are arranged side by side in the lower row and two are stacked on the upper row. Thus, in this embodiment, an integrated product 2 composed of a plurality of products 1 directly placed on the packaging film 12 is packaged. Note that the layout of the products 1 is an example, and various configurations can be adopted, and the shape and form of the products are also arbitrary.
[0021] Further, the left and right film portions 121 of the packaging film 12 that have passed through the film guide 22 are folded back toward the center side in the conveyance direction, and are inserted into the downstream center seal device 24 in a state where the ends of the film portions 121 are in contact (superposed) with each other. The center seal device 24 forms a center seal portion 30 by heat-sealing while sandwiching the ends of the left and right film portions 121 of the superposed packaging film 12 from both sides and heating. By this center seal portion 30, the packaging film 12 moving on the belt conveyor 23 is formed into a cylindrical shape closed in the circumferential direction, and an integrated product 2 composed of a plurality of products 1 is stored therein.
[0022] And as an example of a specific configuration of the center seal device 24, a pair of pinch rollers 241 that sandwich the overlapped portion of the film portions 121 and apply a conveyance force, and a pair of bar sealers 242 having an angular bar shape that sandwich the overlapped portion from both sides and perform heat-sealing, and a pair of press rollers 243 that are arranged on the downstream side of the bar sealers 242, pressurize the overlapped portion of the side edges of the heated and melted film, and cool to complete the heat-sealing. The center seal is constituted by these bar sealers 242 and press rollers 243. Also, in this embodiment, a center seal using the bar sealers 242 and press rollers 243 having an angular bar shape is used, but a roller type center seal arranged on the left and right sandwiching the film portion 121 may be used. The roller type performs heating and pressurization.
[0023] Furthermore, the press roller 243 also functions as a pinch roller. In other words, since the press roller 243 rotates synchronously while gripping the center seal portion 30 with a predetermined pressure, it provides a conveying force to the center seal portion 30 and, consequently, to the tubular packaging film 12.
[0024] The top sealing device 25 seals and cuts the tubular packaging film 12 containing the stacked products 2 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and parallel to the conveying surface, that is, in a direction that crosses the tubular packaging film 12 in a horizontal plane. The film portion to be sealed and cut is a predetermined position between the stacked products 2 at the front and rear. This top sealing device 25 is a so-called box motion type, and the upper top sealer 31 and lower top sealer 32, which are positioned opposite each other above and below the tubular packaging film 12, have built-in heaters and move along a predetermined trajectory while maintaining a state in which their sealing surfaces are facing each other by a predetermined drive mechanism. In other words, the upper top sealer 31 and lower top sealer 32 move closer to each other from a reference position and sandwich the packaging film 12 from above and below, thereby pressurizing and heating the portion that is in contact with the sealing surface with a predetermined pressure. Then, the upper top sealer 31 and the lower top sealer 32 move forward relative to each other along the direction of movement of the packaging film 12, maintaining the state of holding the packaging film 12 while moving close to each other as described above. The speed of movement at this time is equal to the speed of movement of the packaging film 12. After moving a predetermined distance, the upper top sealer 31 and the lower top sealer 32 move away from each other and move in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the packaging film 12 to reach a reference position. In this way, the upper top sealer 31 and the lower top sealer 32 heat and pressurize a predetermined position of the packaging film 12 for a certain period of time to seal the leading edge of the packaging film 12, and at an appropriate timing, the built-in cutter blade cuts the packaging film 12 horizontally across it to produce the packaged body 33. The packaged body 33, which is separated from the tubular packaging film 12, is then transported on the chute conveyor 26.
[0025] In this embodiment, the packaging film 12 is supported from below and lifted upward from the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23. The system includes a plurality of lower clamp members 40 that move in the conveying direction along the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23, and a moving mechanism 41 that moves the lower clamp members 40 along a predetermined trajectory. Each lower clamp member 40 has a bar-shaped body that extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The moving mechanism 41 is positioned on one side of the belt conveyor 23, for example, on the left side, and may consist of an endless guide rail (stator) 42 that includes a path from the downstream side of the bag maker 21 along the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 to the downstream side of the top sealing device 25, and a linear motor equipped with a movable element 43 attached to the guide rail 42 that circulates along the endless path. The plurality of lower clamp members 40 are then connected to the movable element 43, which moves independently, in a cantilevered manner.
[0026] In this cantilevered state, the lower clamp member 40 is configured to move parallel to the conveying direction at a predetermined distance above the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23. When the lower clamp member 40 moves along the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23, it is positioned at a predetermined distance above the conveying surface, and as shown in Figure 2, the lower clamp member 40 lifts the film portion of the packaging film 12 it contacts upward.
[0027] Furthermore, the movable elements 43 move independently along the guide rails 42 at a predetermined speed or pause at any time in response to control commands from a controller (not shown). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, two lower clamp members 40 are placed in the space above the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23, between each stack of items 2. That is, the pairs of lower clamp members 40 are placed on the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 at a pitch that matches the cutting dimensions. The controller controls the lower clamp members 40 located above the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 to move at the same speed as the belt conveyor 23.
[0028] The controller also controls the pair of lower clamp members 40 to be positioned at the front and rear of the product supply area, respectively. For example, when the belt conveyor 23 is driven intermittently, during a pause while waiting for product supply, the product supply area where the film guide 22 is located opens up, and the lower clamp members 40 are positioned at the front and rear (see Figure 4(a)). As a result, the packaging film 12 in contact with the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 in the product supply area is positioned so that the film portions supported by the lower clamp members 40 at the front and rear are lifted.
[0029] Next, a predetermined number (five in this case) of products 1 are supplied by hand or by a supply device into the space between a pair of lower clamp members 40 located at the front and rear of the product supply area. As a result, as shown in Figure 4(b), the stacked products 2 are supplied onto the film portion of the packaging film 12 that is in contact with the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 in the product supply area.
[0030] From this state, the belt conveyor 23 and the lower clamp member 40 are moved by one pitch to match the cut dimensions, and then paused, resulting in the state shown in Figure 4(a). This process is repeated thereafter. As a result, since the stacked items 2 are placed directly on the packaging film 12, the stacked items 2 move along with the movement of the packaging film 12 due to the rotational movement of the belt conveyor 23. Furthermore, since there are film portions of the packaging film 12 that are lifted by the lower clamp member 40 in front of and behind the stacked items 2, even if the stacked items 2 or the products 1 that make up the stacked items 2 try to move in the front-to-back direction relative to the packaging film 12, the lifted film portions prevent that movement, thus preventing product displacement even for unstable items.
[0031] Furthermore, the pair of lower clamp members 40 located between the front and rear stacked products 2 are positioned in front of and behind the upper top sealer 31 and the lower top sealer 32 when they reach the top sealing device 25, with spacing that prevents interference.
[0032] As a result, the pair of lower clamp members 40 that have passed through the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 and gone downstream are positioned front to back on either side of the top sealing device 25, and the upper top sealer 31 and lower top sealer 32 sandwich the packaging film 12 and perform the sealing and cutting process without interfering with the lower clamp members 40.
[0033] In Figures 4(a) and 4(b), only one lower clamp member 40 is shown waiting at the rear of the product supply area. However, having at least one waiting member will lift the film portion, thus preventing the supplied product 1 from shifting backward. The pair of lower clamp members 40 may wait together at this time, or they may catch up at an appropriate timing after movement has started.
[0034] Furthermore, although the above description states that the belt conveyor 23 is driven intermittently, if, for example, the stacked products 2 can be supplied in a short time, the belt conveyor 23 may be operated continuously to supply the stacked products 2 to a predetermined position on the moving packaging film 12.
[0035] [Example 1] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a linear motor is used as the movement mechanism 41 for the lower clamp members 40, and each lower clamp member 40 is made independently movable, so various modifications can be taken as shown below. For example, when receiving the stacked product 2, the lower clamp members 40 located at the front and rear of the supply area are spaced further apart than the spacing corresponding to the cut dimensions, and when transporting the product after supplying, the lower clamp members 40 are controlled to be transported with the spacing between them narrowed. This makes it easier to supply the product, for example, when supplying by human or robot. Also, the lower clamp members 40 that are moved at this time may be both the front and rear sides of the supply area, or only one side may be moved. Also, when moving, both of the pair of lower clamp members 40 may be moved, but it is preferable to move only the lower clamp member 40 on the side of the stacked product 2.
[0036] [Differentiation 2] Furthermore, if there is a delay in supplying products between the lower clamp members 40 in the product supply area, the lower clamp members 40 can be controlled to move downstream at a speed faster than the conveying speed of the packaging film 12, thereby preventing the generation of empty bags. That is, for example, if product 1 cannot be supplied at the supply timing shown in Figure 4(a), moving the packaging film 12 and the lower clamp members 40 by one pitch will result in a section of film between the front and rear lower clamp members 40 where there are no accumulated products 2, as shown in Figure 4(c). If the packaging film 12 is then conveyed in this state, it will be top-sealed without any accumulated products 2, resulting in the production of empty bags.
[0037] In this embodiment, when the stacked product 2 is received by the packaging film 12 at the timing shown in Figure 4(c), the lower clamp members 40 beyond the film portion that could not be received are controlled to move downstream at a speed faster than the moving speed of the packaging film 12. As a result, the stacked product 2 supplied in Figure 4(c) is pushed forward as the lower clamp members 40 move, and moves relatively downstream on the packaging film 12. Then, as shown in Figure 4(d), it catches up to the front. Therefore, the top sealing device 25 can be continuously supplied with packaging film 12 containing the stacked product 2, and the occurrence of empty bags can be prevented. In addition, in this embodiment, the distance between the preceding pair of lower clamp members 40 (symbols a and b) remains unchanged, while the subsequent lower clamp members 40 (symbols c and d) are controlled to move closer together. Also, for convenience of illustration, the diameter of the lower clamp members 40 is drawn large, but for example, by making the diameter smaller, it is preferable that the cut dimensions are not affected even if four lower clamp members 40 are lined up.
[0038] Furthermore, when the system catches up in this manner, the film portion X of the packaging film 12 between the subsequent lower clamp members 40 may be located downstream of the product supply area. In such cases, the product may not be supplied from that film portion X, but rather from the next film portion, and the system may be controlled to move at high speed as described above to catch up ahead. However, it is preferable to position the relative positions of the lower clamp members 40 located before and after the film portion X upstream and control them to wait in the product supply area (see Figure 4(e)). Then, after receiving the product 2 in the product supply area, the predetermined lower clamp members 40 before and after should be controlled to move faster than the packaging film 12 and catch up ahead. In this way,
[0039] [Difference 3] Furthermore, the pattern printed on the packaging film 12 may be misaligned along the conveying direction due to reasons such as printing tolerances or stretching of the packaging film. In such cases, it is advisable to correct the position of each lower clamp member 40 along the conveying direction to prevent misalignment during cutting.
[0040] Figures 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the configuration of the first embodiment described above is assumed, and the lower clamp members 40 are arranged one by one at a pitch corresponding to the cut dimensions. As a result, the lower clamp members 40 may move while positioned at the cut position in the top sealing device 25, for example, so that the lower clamp members 40 that reach the top sealing device 25 move at a speed faster than the conveying speed of the packaging film 12, thereby suppressing jamming in the top sealing device 25.
[0041] Since the other components are the same as in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding components, and their detailed descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, the above-described modifications can also be applied to this embodiment.
[0042] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the lower clamp member 40 moves to the downstream side of the top seal device 25 and then returns to the upstream side, but it may also be made to return before reaching the top seal device 25.
[0043] Furthermore, although a linear motor is used as the moving mechanism 41 for the lower clamp member 40, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other devices such as endless chains, endless belts, and other endless drive mechanisms can be used.
[0044] While various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments, it should be noted that these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but rather to aid in understanding it. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations and manufacturing methods explicitly described in the specification, but also includes combinations of the various aspects of the present invention disclosed herein. Although the configurations for which patent protection is sought are specified in the appended claims, it should be noted that even configurations not currently specified in the claims may be claimed in the future. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0045] 1: Product 2: Accumulated goods 10: Pillow packaging machine 11: Packaging machine body 12: Packaging film 13: Film feeding device 21: Bag making machine 23: Belt conveyor 24: Center seal device 25: Top sealing device 33: Packaging 40: Lower clamp member 41: Movement mechanism 42: Guide rail 43: Mover
Claims
1. The main body of the packaging machine that performs pillow packaging, The packaging machine body is equipped with a film supply device that supplies packaging film from below, The packaging machine body comprises a bag maker that lifts the left and right side edges of the packaging film upward to form a bag, a conveyor positioned downstream of the bag maker and constituting a transport path for the packaging film, a center sealing device positioned above the conveyor and sealing the left and right side edges of the packaging film together, and a top sealing device positioned at the discharge end of the conveyor and sealing and cutting the packaging film in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The conveying conveyor comprises a plurality of lower clamp members that are movable along the conveying direction above the conveying surface, and a moving means for moving the lower clamp members. The lower clamping member, when positioned above the conveying surface, is capable of contacting the packaging film and lifting it upwards. A pillow packaging machine configured to supply multiple products onto the packaging film located between the lower clamp members, which are arranged at predetermined intervals front to back, without any products resting on top of the lower clamp members.
2. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the lower clamp members are arranged in pairs at a predetermined distance above the conveying surface, and the pairs of lower clamp members are configured to be at a distance that does not interfere with the top sealer of the top sealing device.
3. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the moving means uses a linear motor and is configured to allow a plurality of the lower clamp members to move independently.
4. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 3, wherein the moving means controls the spacing between the lower clamp members, which are arranged at a predetermined distance front to back at the product supply position, to widen the spacing when receiving and transporting the product.
5. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 3, wherein the moving means controls the lower clamp members located in front of and behind the received products to move forward at a speed faster than the moving speed of the packaging film when no product is supplied between the lower clamp members which are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other, and then a plurality of products are received.