Vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine

Abstract

To provide a vertical sealing device in a vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine capable of approximating a vertical speed of a box motion operation of a vertical sealing device to a perfectly uniform speed.SOLUTION: In a raising and lowering unit 10, when a servomotor 15 for raising and lowering drive is driven, a timing belt 35 wound around a drive pulley 32 runs, a raising and lowering base 12 attached to the timing belt 35 moves up and down accurately together with vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 in synchronized timing with a motor output, and by synthesizing a raising and lowering motion of the raising and lowering base 12 and the opening and closing motion of the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 by an opening / closing unit 20 on the raising and lowering base 12, the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 perform a box motion, and since there is no part that causes sliding friction like a cam mechanism in the raising and lowering motion, no wear or settling occurs during a continuous packaging operation, thereby obtaining a high-quality vertical seal free from wrinkles and seal deviation caused by the deviation between the operation of the vertical sealing device 1 and the feeding of a packaging material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a longitudinal sealing device provided with a longitudinal sealing member that applies a longitudinal seal to a side edge portion of a strip-shaped packaging material while moving in the feeding direction of the strip-shaped packaging material in order to form the strip-shaped packaging material into a cylindrical packaging material. A vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine that has a bag formed at the tip of the tubular packaging material and produces a bag packaging body in which the product is placed inside the bag that has been formed in advance. It relates thereto.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a bag-making and filling packaging machine, a vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine 50 as shown in FIG. 3 which is a schematic perspective view is used. In the vertical bag-making and filling machine 50, the strip-shaped packaging material Fw is bent into a substantially cylindrical shape by the former 51, and a longitudinal seal (longitudinal seal Sc) is applied by the longitudinal sealing device 52 while traveling in the longitudinal direction (feeding direction of the packaging material), and is formed into a cylindrical packaging material Ft that surrounds the periphery of a filling cylinder (hereinafter referred to as "filling cylinder") 53. The product S, which is the packaged material, is put into the cylindrical packaging material Ft through the hopper 59 and the filling cylinder 53. The horizontal sealing device 54 applies a horizontal seal Se to the cylindrical packaging material 61 in the horizontal direction (a direction intersecting the feeding direction of the packaging material), thereby manufacturing a bag package Bp that has been previously formed and in which the product S is packaged, and at the same time, forming a bag B into which the product S will be put next. In the background technology section On the left and right sides of the outer periphery of the filling cylinder 53, a packaging material feeding belt mechanism 55 that feeds while sandwiching the cylindrical packaging material Ft is provided. The packaging material feeding belt mechanism 55 is composed of a left feeding belt mechanism 55a and a right feeding belt mechanism 55b, and the feeding belt mechanisms 55a and 55b each have a feeding belt 56a and 56b and a suction box (only the suction box 56d on the side of the feeding belt mechanism 55b is shown). The left and right feeding belt mechanisms 55a and 55b can feed the packaging material in the longitudinal direction while sucking it.

[0003]

[0004] ​The strip-shaped packaging material Fw is bent by a former 51 so that the two side edges fe, fe overlap in a gusset shape, and the vertical sealing device 52 applies a vertical seal Sc to the two side edges fe, fe to form a tubular packaging material Ft. The vertical sealing device 52 has vertical sealing blocks 52a and 52b that open and close to and separate from each other. The bag packaging body Bp is manufactured by applying a transverse seal in the transverse direction to the tubular packaging material Ft into which the product S is placed using a transverse sealing device 54. The transverse sealing blocks 54a and 54b that make up the transverse sealing device 54 are members that operate to move closer to and away from each other relative to the tubular packaging material Ft, and have an upper transverse sealing part that sandwiches the tubular packaging material Ft in a transverse direction when close to form a bottom transverse seal (part of the transverse seal Se) for the bag B, and a lower transverse sealing part that forms a top transverse seal (the remainder of the transverse seal Se) for the bag packaging body Bp.

[0005] The lateral sealing device 54 is configured as a lateral sealing and cutting device further equipped with a cutter blade 57 that cuts the tubular packaging material Ft by piercing through it. The cutter blade 57 is attached to one lateral sealing block 54a between the upper and lower lateral sealing portions, and the other lateral sealing block 54b has a groove 58 into which the cutter blade 57 enters when the two sealing blocks 54a and 54b approach each other. When the two sealing blocks 54a and 54b approach each other, the upper and lower lateral sealing portions sandwich the packaging material, welding the tubular packaging material Ft to form a lateral seal Se, and the cutter blade 57 pierces and cuts the tubular packaging material Ft, separating the bag packaging body Bp from the bag B.

[0006] Conventional vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machines include a type of packaging machine in which the packaging material is fed intermittently in accordance with the packaging operation. If at least one of the vertical sealing device and the horizontal sealing device is a sealing device that only performs opening and closing operations, then, in principle, the feeding of the packaging material is stopped when the sealing device is in the closing operation, so the feeding of the packaging material is intermittent. That is, in this type of vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine in which the packaging material is fed intermittently, if the vertical sealing device is a sealing device that only performs opening and closing operations, a vertical seal is formed on the strip-shaped packaging material and the curved packaging material with its side edges close together by the vertical sealing device clamping the side edges during the short time when the feeding is stopped. If the horizontal sealing device is a sealing device that only performs opening and closing operations, a horizontal seal is formed by the horizontal sealing device clamping the tubular packaging material when the feeding is stopped.

[0007] Bag-making, filling, and packaging machines that manufacture bag packaging by applying vertical and horizontal seals while continuously feeding packaging material have been in practical use for some time. In these bag-making, filling, and packaging machines where packaging material is continuously fed, the heat roller method, which is commonly used in horizontal packaging machines, is sometimes used as the vertical sealing device. However, when the machine stops and the speed decreases, or when the machine starts and the speed increases, the same part of the packaging material is heated for a relatively long time, which can lead to poor sealing. The same thing happens when the supply of products to be packaged is interrupted and the feeding of packaging material is stopped while waiting for products. In vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machines, products are supplied by free fall, so the speed of the packaging material can vary within one cycle, which also causes the heating time by the heat roller to fluctuate, contributing to poor heat sealing. The vertical and horizontal seals are formed by heat sealing, but regardless of whether the packaging material is fed intermittently or continuously, if the speed is excessive and the heat seal is not formed properly, the packaging operation is controlled to ensure sufficient sealing time by increasing the stopping time of the packaging material or slowing down the feeding speed of the packaging material. In the case of a packaging machine that feeds the packaging material intermittently, there are more constraints on increasing the packaging speed because it is necessary to temporarily stop the feeding of the strip packaging material.

[0008] It is known that a vertical sealing device can be configured in a box motion structure for a packaging device that forms a tubular shape of packaging material using a former and heat-seals both ends of the tubular shape in a gusset shape (see Patent Document 1). That is, in a structure in which the vertical sealing device is in box motion, a pair of heat sealing rods are drawn together in sync with the packaging operation to sandwich both ends of the packaging material in a gusset shape, and as the two heat sealing rods sandwich the ends and perform heat sealing, the two heat sealing rods are moved downward to pull down the packaging material. The packaging material is stopped until the heat sealing rods return to their upper position for the next packaging, and at this time heat sealing is performed in the lateral direction. The packaging machine described in Patent Document 1 is an example of a packaging machine in which the lateral sealing device is a sealing device that only performs opening and closing operations, and therefore the packaging material is fed intermittently, but the vertical sealing device is a device in which the vertical heat sealer is in box motion. This type of vertical sealing device has a structure in which a predetermined movement is made to the vertical heat sealer via a transmission mechanism from a drive source such as a floor-mounted motor, so it has a large number of parts and is very complex and large. In the vertical bag-making and filling machine 50 shown in Figure 3, both the vertical sealing device 52 and the horizontal sealing device 54 are box-motion sealing devices. Even when the packaging material is continuously fed, both sealing devices 52 and 54 perform box-motion operations, which increases the flexibility of the packaging operation settings, shortens the packaging cycle period, and increases the packaging speed.

[0009] The applicant has devised a structure for a vertical sealing device that operates similarly to a box motion, enabling high-speed packaging while ensuring sufficient sealing time, and has proposed a simple and compact bag-making, filling, and packaging machine (Patent Documents 2 and 3). This vertical sealing device is equipped with a motion conversion mechanism that converts the continuous rotation of the drive motor into an elongated elliptical motion having a major axis in the vertical direction, which is a combination of motion along the direction of movement of the packaging material of the vertical heat sealing device and motion in the direction of contact with and separation of the side edge portion of the packaging material. In this elongated elliptical motion, a part of the elongated elliptical motion is used as a crimping stroke and crimping allowance, ensuring a long crimping distance and crimping period with respect to the side edge portion of the packaging material.

[0010] By the way, in the bag-making, filling, and packaging machines described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, as mentioned above, the rotational output of the servo motor is converted into the box motion of the vertical heat sealing device via a crank mechanism. However, in such a conversion, the motion performed by the vertical heat sealing device is not a box motion in the precise sense, but rather an elliptical motion that approximates it. In such elliptical motion, even if we focus on the vertical movement of the vertical heat sealing device, for example, the vertical velocity obtained during the vertical movement is not a so-called perfectly constant velocity, meaning that the velocity is always constant regardless of the position that can be observed in the vertical direction, but rather a pseudo-constant velocity where the velocity changes depending on the position that can be observed in the vertical direction. Specifically, the vertical velocity decreases as it approaches the highest or lowest position when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0011] In a structure that converts to elliptical motion via a crank mechanism, there are parts that rub against each other while in contact, and wear and deterioration due to friction are unavoidable in these parts. Therefore, the operation of the vertical heat sealing device will gradually deviate from its initial operation as the operating time of the packaging machine increases, and corrections will be necessary. Also, focusing on the relationship with the feeding of the packaging material, the feeding of the packaging material operation and vertical direction of box motion Downward Action and of Completely tuning Since it is difficult to do so, the packaging material is an example For example, the upper part of the bag is prone to sagging, while the lower part is prone to tension. When sagging or tension occurs in the packaging material, wrinkles and misalignment of the vertical seal applied to the packaging material may occur, potentially degrading the seal quality. Furthermore, although corrections are sometimes applied to the rotation of the servo motor to bring the pseudo-constant speed closer to a perfectly constant speed, the effect of the correction is questionable. is Sa The motor's rotational output is limited to a narrow range, making it impossible to meet the broader packaging specifications required for bag packaging. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 44-24359 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-184695 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-006387 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0013] Therefore, considering that the conversion to elliptical motion via a crank mechanism has limitations in various aspects in terms of achieving a more perfectly constant vertical velocity in the box motion operation of the longitudinal seal device, as described above, it is possible to achieve a more perfectly constant vertical velocity in the box motion operation of the longitudinal seal device by utilizing a transmission mechanism that directly converts the rotational output of the servo motor into linear motion. Furthermore, the vertical movement of the vertical sealing device is easily synchronized with the vertical feeding movement of the packaging material around the filling cylinder by the packaging material feeding belt mechanism, preventing wrinkles and misalignment of the vertical seal. There are issues that need to be resolved in this regard.

[0014] The objective of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems by stabilizing the vertical speed of the box motion operation of the vertical sealing device to be closer to a perfectly constant speed over a wide range of packaging speeds and over a long period of time. Furthermore, by making it easier to synchronize the vertical movement of the vertical sealing device with the vertical feeding movement of the packaging material around the filling cylinder by the packaging material feeding belt mechanism, Vertical bag-making and filling packaging allows for the production of high-quality seals that do not wrinkle or misalign the vertical seal. Opportunity It is about providing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] To solve the above problems, this invention provides a vertical bag-making and filling packaging system. The machine , A vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine comprising: a filling cylinder through which the product is fed; a vertical sealing device positioned vertically on the outside of the filling cylinder and equipped with a vertical sealing member that applies a vertical seal to the side edges of a strip-shaped packaging material around the filling cylinder to form the strip-shaped packaging material into a tubular packaging material; and a packaging material feeding belt mechanism positioned on the outside of the filling cylinder, sandwiching the filling cylinder in the diametrical direction and with the vertical sealing device sandwiched in the middle of the circumferential direction of the filling cylinder, which performs a packaging material feeding operation to feed the tubular packaging material in the vertical direction; and a vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine that manufactures a bag packaging in which the product is fed into the bag that has been previously formed by applying a horizontal seal to the tubular packaging material fed downward from the filling cylinder to form a bag at the tip of the tubular packaging material. And, The vertical sealing device, the Vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine Device Front of the frame Record verticalA lifting unit having a lifting base guided to move up and down in a direction, and an opening and closing unit disposed on the lifting base for driving the vertical seal member to open and close to apply the vertical seal to the side edge portion of the strip packaging material. The lifting and lowering operation of the lifting base by the lifting unit and the opening and closing operation of the vertical seal member by the opening and closing unit are combined, so that the vertical seal member moves downward while sandwiching the side edge portion of the strip packaging material. of Then it moves upward away from the side edge portion. of Performing a box motion operation of circulating movement. stomach, The lifting unit includes a driving servo motor driven to lift and lower the lifting base, Since the lifting base is attached to the running section of the timing belt which travels in the vertical direction by the output rotation of the drive servo motor, of the driving servo motor The output rotation and an operation conversion mechanism for converting it into the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting base. The packaging material feeding belt mechanism comprises left and right feeding belt mechanisms, each having a feeding timing belt that travels along the cylindrical packaging material in the longitudinal direction. In the box motion operation performed by the vertical sealing member based on the movement of the timing belt, the vertical sealing member moves downward in synchronization with the packaging material feeding operation by the feeding timing belt of the packaging material feeding belt mechanism. It consists of.

[0016] The vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine according to this invention The packaging machine comprises a filling cylinder through which the product is fed; a vertical sealing device provided with a vertical sealing member positioned vertically on the outside of the filling cylinder and forming the strip-shaped packaging material into a tubular packaging material by applying a vertical seal to the side edges of the strip-shaped packaging material around the filling cylinder; and a packaging material feeding belt mechanism positioned on the outside of the filling cylinder, sandwiching the filling cylinder in the diametrical direction and sandwiching the vertical sealing device midway along the circumferential direction of the filling cylinder, which performs a packaging material feeding operation to feed the tubular packaging material vertically. The vertical sealing device provides a vertical sealing device, which provides a vertical base that is guided to move vertically up and down relative to the device frame of the vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, and provides an opening and closing unit provided on the vertical base that drives the vertical sealing member to open and close to apply a vertical seal to the side edges of the strip-shaped packaging material. The lifting and lowering motion of the lifting base by the lifting unit and the opening and closing motion of the vertical sealing member by the opening and closing unit are combined to create a box motion in which the vertical sealing member moves downward while gripping the side edge portion of the strip-shaped packaging material, and then moves upward after separating from the side edge portion, thus creating a cyclical movement. The lifting unit includes a drive servo motor and a motion conversion mechanism that converts the output rotation of the drive servo motor into lifting motion of the lifting base. This mechanism has a structure in which the lifting base is attached to the running portion of a timing belt that travels vertically due to the output rotation of the drive servo motor. Therefore, when the drive servo motor is driven, the timing belt travels vertically due to its output rotation, and the lifting base attached to the running portion of the timing belt moves up and down. Accordingly, the vertical seal member moves up and down together with the opening and closing unit. . The vertical seal member is driven to open and close by an opening and closing unit disposed on the lifting base. The vertical movement is achieved by combining the lifting and lowering motion of the lifting base by the lifting unit and the opening and closing motion of the vertical sealing member by the opening and closing unit. The seal member closes while sandwiching the side edge portion of the strip packaging material. Along with the lifting base Moving downward of To perform Inside, at the side edge portion of the strip-shaped packaging material The vertical seal, and then Vertical sealing member Opening Along with the lifting base Moving upward of To do. This series of cyclic operations Box motion By being repeated, bag packages are sequentially manufactured. The vertical sealing member's lifting motion, part of its box motion, is accurate and stable over a wide range of packaging speeds and over long periods, resulting in a motion that is closer to a perfectly constant speed. Furthermore, the length of the vertical sealing section of the vertical seal formed on the tubular packaging material by the vertical sealing device can be easily changed. Additionally, the packaging material feeding belt mechanism includes left and right feeding belt mechanisms, each having a feeding timing belt that runs vertically along the tubular packaging material. As the lifting base descends around the filling cylinder due to the movement of the timing belt, the vertical sealing member grips the side edge of the strip-shaped packaging material during its downward movement. This downward movement is synchronized with the feeding motion of the packaging material, which feeds the tubular packaging material vertically based on the movement of the feeding timing belt of the packaging material feeding belt mechanism. This reduces the likelihood of speed differences between the downward movement of the vertical sealing member around the filling cylinder and the vertical feeding motion of the packaging material by the packaging material feeding belt mechanism, preventing slack or tension in the packaging material around the filling cylinder.

[0017] This vertical bag-making and filling packaging machine In the above, the timing belt of the motion conversion mechanism is wound around at least two timing pulleys, one of the at least two timing pulleys is a drive timing pulley that is directly rotated by the output rotation of the drive servo motor, and the other of the at least two timing pulleys is a driven timing pulley that is paired with the drive timing pulley and spaced vertically apart, and the lifting base is the timing belt that travels vertically between the drive timing pulley and the driven timing pulley. It can be assumed that it is attached in the traveling section. Of the driving servo motor Output rotationConverts the lifting motion of the lifting base into lifting motion. The motion conversion mechanism is , drive Timing pulley and dependent Timing pulley and wrapped around them This is a timing belt pulley mechanism that uses a timing belt. Drive Timing pulley and dependent Timing pulley It travels vertically between them. Timing belt Since a lifting base is attached to the running section, the reciprocating motion of the drive servo motor Output rotation is, drive Timing pulley and dependent Timing pulley It moves back and forth vertically between them. Timing belt The movement is converted into a reciprocating lifting motion of the travel unit, i.e., the lifting base, which allows the vertical sealing member to perform a vertical reciprocating lifting motion in the box motion. According to the timing belt-pulley mechanism, the timing pulley and timing belt mesh together, preventing slippage in the direction of travel. Therefore, the output rotation of the drive servo motor is accurately converted into the travel motion of the timing belt, which in turn can be converted into a precise and nearly perfectly constant-speed reciprocating lifting motion of the lifting base.

[0018] This vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine In this configuration, the opening / closing unit comprises an opening / closing drive servo motor mounted on the lifting base, and an opening / closing link mechanism that performs a link operation to convert the output rotation of the opening / closing drive servo motor into linear reciprocating motion, and the vertical sealing member performs the opening / closing operation in the left-right direction relative to the lifting base based on the link operation of the opening / closing link mechanism. It is possible. In the opening / closing unit, the output rotation of the opening / closing drive servo motor attached to the lifting base is converted into linear reciprocating motion of the vertical sealing member by the link action of the opening / closing link mechanism. As a result, the vertical sealing member opens and closes in the left-right direction relative to the lifting base. Therefore, the precise output rotation of the electronically controlled servo motor is converted into linear reciprocating motion of the vertical sealing member, allowing for precise clamping of the side edges of the strip-shaped packaging material by the vertical sealing member. Furthermore, since the output rotation of the drive servo motor of the lifting base is converted into the lifting motion of the lifting base, the resulting box motion of the vertical sealing member becomes a precise cyclic motion.

[0019] This vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine In this configuration, the servo motor for driving the lifting unit can be positioned relative to the device frame, and the servo motor for opening and closing the opening / closing unit can be positioned relative to the lifting base, both on the side opposite to the side where the vertical sealing member is located. By adopting a structure in which the servo motor for driving the lifting unit and the servo motor for driving the opening and closing unit are positioned on the opposite side of the device frame and lifting base from the side where the vertical sealing member is located, operator access to either servo motor used in the vertical sealing device can be performed, for example, from the front of the vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, significantly improving operator work efficiency during maintenance work including inspection, replacement, and adjustment of the vertical sealing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] Vertical bag-making and filling packaging according to this invention The machine As it is structured as described above, To raise and lower the lifting base Drive for Servo motor Output rotation teeth Using a timing belt by mechanism Timing belt Since it is converted into the lifting and lowering motion of the running gear, for The basics of a servo motor Output rotation This can be directly converted into the lifting motion of the lifting base, simplifying the structure required for the lifting motion of the vertical sealing device, and enabling the lifting motion of the box motion of the vertical sealing member to be accurate, stable, and closer to a perfectly constant speed over a wide range of packaging speeds and over a long period of time. Furthermore, in this vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, a vertical sealing device is positioned on the outside of the filling cylinder, sandwiching the filling cylinder in the diametrical direction and midway along the circumferential direction of the filling cylinder. A packaging material feed belt mechanism is employed as the mechanism for feeding the tubular packaging material vertically. By using the same type of mechanism, a timing belt, for both the vertical sealing member that directly acts on the packaging material on the outside of the filling cylinder and the packaging material feed belt mechanism, it becomes easier to synchronize the downward movement of the vertical sealing member with the vertical feeding movement of the packaging material by the packaging material feed belt mechanism, and it also becomes easier to change and adjust the synchronized section in which vertical sealing is performed. the result, This reduces the likelihood of slack or tension occurring in the packaging material being fed around the filling cylinder.This vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine eliminates wrinkles and misalignment in vertical seals, enabling the production of high-quality bag packaging with superior vertical seals. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a vertical sealing device used in a vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the vertical sealing device used in the vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an overview of an example of a conventional vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] The following describes the vertical bag-making and filling packaging according to this invention, based on the attached drawings. machine An example will be described. Figure 1 shows a vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to this invention. Used Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a vertical sealing device, with (a) being a front view and (b) being a top view. The vertical sealing device shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be applied as a vertical sealing device to a conventional vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, as shown in Figure 3.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), the vertical sealing device 1 has as its main units a lifting unit 10 for raising and lowering the vertical sealing device 1, and an opening / closing unit 20 which is disposed on the lifting unit 10 and opens and closes the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3, which are vertical sealing members, to the left and right. The opening / closing unit 20 is a unit that moves up and down together with the lifting unit 10 in the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting unit 10, and can open and close the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 to the left and right on the lifting unit 10.

[0024] The lifting unit 10 has a lifting base 12 that moves up and down relative to a vertical sealer frame 11, which is one of the device frames. The movement of the lifting base 12 is constrained by two upper and lower guide rods 13 and 14 that are attached to the vertical sealer frame 11 in a manner that extends vertically and parallel to each other, and only lifting and lowering movements that slide along the upper and lower guide rods 13 and 14 are possible. In addition to the lifting base 12, the lifting unit 10 also has a lifting base 12 that moves up Drop As a driving means for lifting, a lifting drive servo motor 15 is attached to the vertical sealer frame 11, and is disposed between its rotation output shaft 16 and the lifting base 12. Output rotation It has a motion conversion mechanism 17 for converting the motion into a vertical linear reciprocating motion of the lifting base, that is, the lifting motion of the lifting base.

[0025] The motion conversion mechanism 17 controls the lifting and lowering servo motor 15 Output rotation Vertical heat sealers 2, 3 are vertical sealing members. It is in the vertical direction It is a mechanical transmission mechanism that converts into a seal stroke. In the lifting unit 10, when the lifting drive servo motor 15 is driven, Output rotation The motion is converted by the motion conversion mechanism 17 into a lifting motion along the upper and lower guide rods 13 and 14 of the lifting base 12. In this embodiment, the motion conversion mechanism 17 is a timing belt pulley mechanism, the details of which will be described later.

[0026] The opening and closing unit 20 of the vertical sealing device 1 comprises an opening and closing drive servo motor 21 mounted on the lifting base 12, a guide block 22 also mounted on the lifting base 12, opening and closing guide rods 23 and 24 that are slidable laterally relative to the guide block 22 (perpendicular to the direction extending to the upper and lower guide rods 13 and 14, and parallel to the opening and closing direction of the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3) and extend parallel to each other, mounting blocks 25 and 26 on the left and right sides to which the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 are respectively attached, and is disposed between the rotation output shaft 28 of the opening and closing drive servo motor 21 and the mounting blocks 25 and 26 on the left and right sides. Output of the servo motor 21 for opening and closing drive It has an opening / closing link mechanism 29 for converting rotation into linear reciprocating motion.

[0027] The opening / closing link mechanism 29 is directly connected to the left mounting block 25 on one end, and indirectly connected to the right mounting block 26 via the intermediate block 27 and further opening / closing guide rods 23 and 24 on the other end. The opening / closing guide rods 23 and 24 are attached to the intermediate block 27 at their left ends and to the right mounting block 26 at their right ends. The opening / closing guide rods 23 and 24 are also slidably fitted to the left mounting block 25.

[0028] In the opening / closing unit 20 configured as described above, when the opening / closing drive servo motor 21 is driven, the rotary output shaft 28 rotates, and the left mounting block 25, which is directly driven by the link action of the opening / closing link mechanism 29, moves along the opening / closing guide rods 23 and 24, resulting in the vertical heat sealer 2 moving in the left-right direction. Also, when the intermediate block 27 is driven by the link action of the opening / closing link mechanism 29, the right mounting block 26 moves in the left-right direction via the opening / closing guide rods 23 and 24, resulting in the vertical heat sealer 3 moving in the left-right direction. Since the directions of operation of the left and right mounting blocks 25 and 26 are opposite to each other, the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 open or close according to the output rotation direction of the rotary output shaft 28. wo su As the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 approach the dead center in the closing direction, they heat the edges fe and fe on both sides of the strip-shaped packaging material Fw, and are tightly clamped by the toggle action of the opening / closing link mechanism 29, forming a vertical seal Sc.

[0029] packaging machineThe control device controls the operation of the lifting drive servo motor 15 and the opening / closing drive servo motor 21, respectively, thereby controlling the timing and amount of movement of the lifting unit 10 and the opening / closing unit 20. The lifting movement by the lifting unit 10 and the opening / closing movement by the opening / closing unit 20 of the vertical sealing device 1 are combined, causing the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 of the vertical sealing device 1 to perform a box motion. That is, the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 move in the closing direction due to the closing movement of the opening / closing unit 20, contacting the edges fe, fe on both sides of the strip-shaped packaging material Fw, and then move downward in the vertical direction due to the downward movement of the lifting unit 10 while sandwiching the edges fe, fe on both sides of the strip-shaped packaging material Fw. of This creates a vertical seal Sc, and then the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 move in the opening direction due to the opening operation of the opening / closing unit 20, and further move upward in the vertical direction due to the upward operation of the lifting unit 10. of Then, it performs a box motion, returning to its original position.

[0030] Figure 2 is a magnified perspective view of the motion conversion mechanism shown in Figure 1. The motion conversion mechanism 17 shown in Figure 2(a) is for the drive servo motor Output rotation This is an example in which an endless belt transmission mechanism driven by is used as a timing belt-pulley mechanism (hereinafter abbreviated as "belt-pulley mechanism"). As shown in Figures 1 and 2(a), with respect to the motion conversion mechanism 17, two plate-shaped brackets 30, 30 are attached to the rear side of the vertical sealer frame 11 (opposite the side where the vertical heat sealers 2, 3 are arranged), and the lifting drive servo motor 15 is attached to one of the brackets 30. In the belt-pulley mechanism, the rotation output shaft 16 of the lifting drive servo motor 15 isA drive shaft 31 is pivotally supported at the upper ends 30a, 30a of the rackets 30, 30, and a drive timing pulley (hereinafter abbreviated as "drive pulley") 32 is attached to the drive shaft 31 between the brackets 30, 30. A driven shaft 33 is pivotally supported at the lower ends 30b, 30b of the brackets 30, 30, and a driven timing pulley (hereinafter abbreviated as "driven pulley") 34 is attached to the driven shaft 33 between the brackets 30, 30. The drive pulley 32 and the driven pulley 34 are arranged vertically separated vertically.

[0031] The upper drive pulley 32 and the lower driven pulley 34 are two rotating bodies provided in the endless belt transmission mechanism, and a timing belt 35, which is an endless belt with teeth that mesh with both pulleys 32 and 34, is wrapped around both pulleys 32 and 34. By using a belt-pulley mechanism as the motion conversion mechanism 17, the drive and driven pulleys 32 and 34 and the timing belt 35 mesh together, so that no slippage occurs in the direction of travel, and the drive servo motor 15 Output rotation This is precisely converted into the running motion of the timing belt 35. The distance between the drive pulley 32 and the driven pulley 34, that is, the length of the timing belt 35 stretched between the two pulleys 32 and 34, corresponds to the lifting and lowering stroke of the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 when the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 perform box motion. As the maximum length The length is determined to ensure a sufficient vertical sealing stroke.

[0032] A connecting member 36 is attached to the lifting base 12 for connecting the lifting base 12 to the belt-pulley mechanism. The connecting member 36 is a member that extends from the lifting base 12 to the belt-pulley mechanism in a direction preferably parallel to the opening and closing direction, and a belt gripping member 37 is provided at its tip. The belt gripping member 37 is fixed in such a manner that it grips the timing belt running section (hereinafter abbreviated as "belt running section") 35a, which is wrapped around the drive pulley 32 and the driven pulley 34 and extends vertically between the drive pulley 32 and the driven pulley 34, by sandwiching the belt running section 345a from both sides. By fixing the belt gripping member 37 to the belt running section 35a in this manner, it becomes difficult for twisting forces to act on the timing belt 35, and the movement of the belt running section 35a is accurately transmitted to the lifting base 12 via the belt gripping member 37 and the connecting member 36. Of the brackets 30, 30, the bracket 30 on the side to which the connecting member 36 extends has a lifting base 12 It performs an upward and downward movement. A notch 30c is formed so that the belt gripping member 37 can pass through. When the lifting drive servo motor 15 is driven, Output rotation The lifting and lowering of the lifting base 12 is controlled via a belt pulley mechanism and a connecting member 36. operation This is converted to the vertical movement of the box motion of vertical heat sealers 2 and 3. The motion conversion mechanism 17, which uses a belt-pulley mechanism, simplifies the structure required for the lifting and lowering operation of the vertical sealing device 1, allowing the box motion lifting and lowering operation of the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 to be accurate, stable, and closer to a perfectly constant speed over a wide range of packaging speeds and over a long period of time. Furthermore, by setting and adjusting the output rotation range of the lifting drive servo motor 15 within the range of the lifting and lowering stroke of the box motion operation of the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3, the lifting and lowering stroke (vertical sealing stroke section) of the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 when they perform the box motion operation can be changed and adjusted.

[0033] The vertical position, timing, and amount of movement of the lifting base 12 of the vertical sealing device 1 are controlled by the lifting drive servo motor 15. Output rotationThe lifting and lowering servo motor 15 is precisely controlled by controlling the rotational position, rotational speed, and amount of rotation. Recent servo motors 15 for lifting and lowering have excellent starting and stopping performance, responsiveness, and accuracy, and can quickly reach a constant speed. In this embodiment, the output rotation of the lifting and lowering servo motor 15 is directly converted into vertical movement of the belt running section 35a, and no conversion mechanism such as a cam mechanism or crank mechanism is used in between. As a result, the vertical heat sealers 2 and 3 can quickly reach a perfect constant speed and maintain that constant speed state for the required period, which can be converted into a more accurate and near-perfect constant speed reciprocating lifting and lowering operation of the lifting base 12. Furthermore, wear and deterioration of the sliding friction parts do not occur, and even when packaging operations are continued for a long period of time, deviations in the packaging operation from the original timing and amount of movement can be eliminated. Therefore, there is no discrepancy between the operation of the vertical sealing device 1 and the feeding of the packaging material, and a high-quality vertical seal without wrinkles or misalignment can be obtained. In packaging material feeding belt mechanisms, driving the timing belt with a servo motor is a common practice in this field. This ensures accurate and nearly constant-speed feeding of the packaging material by the feeding belt mechanism. Furthermore, because the timing belt, which has the same structure, is used as the means of travel for both the downward movement of the vertical heat sealer that directly acts on the packaging material around the filling cylinder and the vertical feeding movement of the packaging material by the feeding belt mechanism, it becomes easier to synchronize the downward movement of the vertical heat sealer with the vertical feeding movement of the packaging material by the feeding belt mechanism. It also becomes easier to change and adjust the synchronized section in which vertical sealing occurs. As a result, slack and tension are less likely to occur in the packaging material, wrinkles and misalignment of the vertical seal are eliminated, and a bag packaging with high vertical seal quality can be obtained.

[0034] Figure 2(b) shows an example using a different mechanism as the motion conversion mechanism. The motion conversion mechanism 17a shown in Figure 2(b) is a chain-sprocket mechanism as an endless belt transmission mechanism driven by the rotational output of a drive servo motor. Compared to the mechanism shown in Figure 2(a), instead of the drive pulley 32 and driven pulley 34, drive sprockets 42, 42 and driven sprockets 44, 44 are used as rotating bodies, and instead of the timing belt 35, chains 45, 45 are used as the endless belt. As shown in the figure, the chain-sprocket mechanism is configured as a parallel two-row mechanism in which both sprockets 42, 44 and the chain 45 operate synchronously, ensuring connection with the connecting member 46 via the chain attachments 47, 47 in the chain running sections 45a, 45a. Since the lifting base 12 is stably guided by the upper and lower guide rods 13, 14, the chain-sprocket mechanism may be configured as a single row instead of parallel two rows. The drive sprockets 42, 42 and driven sprockets 44, 44, along with the chains 45, 45 wrapped around them in a manner that meshes with them, transmit power through meshing and inherently possess timing capabilities. Therefore, the output rotation of the lifting drive servo motor 15 can be converted into a more accurate and nearly perfectly constant-speed reciprocating lifting motion of the lifting base 12. This allows for the avoidance of deviations in timing and amount of movement from the original operation during long-term packaging operations, and other effects and benefits equivalent to those of a belt-pulley mechanism can be expected.

[0035] The above describes an embodiment of the vertical sealing device, but as for the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, see Figure 3. Conventional packaging machine As shown, the lateral sealing device also performs a box motion operation, ensuring that the feeding of packaging material does not stop. This is a continuous feeding type bag-making and filling packaging system. machine Furthermore, it is clear that the bag-making, filling, and packaging machine may also be of the intermittent feeding type, where the lateral sealing device does not perform box motion operations, and the feeding of the packaging material temporarily stops during the packaging cycle, during which the lateral sealing device only performs opening and closing operations.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the lifting guide member of the lifting base 12 may be a member with other guiding functions, such as a guide rail, instead of the upper and lower guide rods 13 and 14. Also, although the lifting drive servo motor 15 and drive pulley 32 are arranged at the upper ends 30a, 30a of the brackets 30, 30 and the driven pulley 34 is arranged at the lower ends 30b, 30b of the brackets 30, 30, this upper and lower arrangement may be reversed. In addition, although the opening and closing drive servo motor 21 is used to drive the opening and closing unit 20 in the illustrated embodiment, an opening and closing air actuator may be arranged between the left mounting block 25 and the intermediate block 27, and the output of the opening and closing air actuator may act directly on the left mounting block 25 and the intermediate block 27. Furthermore, although a structure is shown in which a notch 30c is formed by cutting out a part of the bracket 30 to avoid interference between the connecting member 36 and the bracket 30, an appropriate interference avoidance structure may be adopted, such as forming a vertically elongated hole in the bracket 30 through which the connecting member 36 passes, or forming a groove on the vertical sealer frame 11 side through which the connecting member 36 passes. Moreover, the vertical sealer frame 11 is a frame that functions as immobile during the packaging operation of the packaging machine, but may be movable when not in packaging operation, for example, to allow access to the packaging machine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. Vertical sealing device 2,3. Vertical heat sealer (vertical sealing member) 10 Lifting unit 11 Vertical sealer frame (device frame) 12 Lifting base 13,14 Upper and lower guide rods 15. Servo motor for lifting and lowering 16. Rotation output shaft 17,17a Operation conversion mechanism 20 Opening / closing unit 21 Servo motor for opening / closing drive 22 Guide block 23,24 Opening / closing guide rod 25 Left mounting block 26 Right mounting block 27 Intermediate block 28 Rotating output shaft 29 Opening / closing link mechanism 30,30 Bracket 30a, 30a Upper end 30b, 30b Lower end 30cm notch 31 Drive shaft 32 Drive timing pulley (drive pulley) 33 Driven shaft 34 Driven timing pulley (driven pulley) 35 Timing belt (endless belt) 35a Timing belt travel section (belt travel section) 36 Connecting member 37 Belt gripping member 42, 42 Drive sprocket 44, 44 Drive sprocket 45,45 Chain (endless band) 45a,45a Chain running section 46 Connecting member 47, 47 Chain attachment 50 Vertical bag-making and filling machine 51 Former 52 Vertical sealing device 52a, 52b Vertical sealing block 53 Filling cylinder (filling cylinder) 54 Lateral sealing device 54a, 54b Lateral sealing block 55 Packaging material feeding belt mechanism 55a Left-side feed belt mechanism 55b Right-side feed belt mechanism 56a, 56b Feed belt 56d Suction box 57 Cutter blade 58 Grooves 59 Hoppa Fw strip packaging material fe,fe side edge portion Ft Cylindrical Packaging Material S Product Sc Vertical sticker Se Horizontal sticker B bag Bp bag packaging

Claims

1. A vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine that manufactures a bag packaging in which the product is placed inside a pre-formed bag while applying a horizontal seal to the tubular packaging material and placing the product inside the bag, the machine comprising: a filling cylinder through which the product is fed; a vertical sealing device positioned vertically on the outside of the filling cylinder and equipped with a vertical sealing member that applies a vertical seal to the side edge portion of the strip-shaped packaging material around the filling cylinder to form the strip-shaped packaging material into a tubular packaging material; and a packaging material feeding belt mechanism positioned on the outside of the filling cylinder, sandwiching the filling cylinder in the diametrical direction and sandwiching the vertical sealing device midway in the circumferential direction of the filling cylinder, the machine manufacturing a bag packaging in which the product is placed inside the pre-formed bag, the machine comprising: a filling cylinder through which the product is fed downward from the filling cylinder and applies a horizontal seal to the tubular packaging material to form a bag at the tip of the tubular packaging material, the machine manufacturing a bag packaging in which the product is placed inside the bag, the machine comprising: The vertical sealing device includes a lifting unit having a lifting base that is guided to move up and down vertically relative to the device frame of the vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine, and an opening / closing unit disposed on the lifting base that drives the vertical sealing member to open and close to apply the vertical seal to the side edge portion of the strip-shaped packaging material, and by combining the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting base by the lifting unit and the opening and closing movement of the vertical sealing member by the opening / closing unit, the vertical sealing member performs a box motion movement in which it moves downward while gripping the side edge portion of the strip-shaped packaging material, and then moves upward away from the side edge portion to move in a circular motion, and the lifting unit includes a drive servo motor that drives the lifting and lowering of the lifting base, and an motion conversion mechanism which converts the output rotation of the drive servo motor into the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting base, since the lifting base is attached to the running part of a timing belt that travels vertically by the output rotation of the drive servo motor. The packaging material feeding belt mechanism comprises left and right feeding belt mechanisms, each having a feeding timing belt that travels along the cylindrical packaging material in the longitudinal direction. In the box motion operation performed by the vertical sealing member based on the movement of the timing belt, the vertical sealing member moves downward in synchronization with the packaging material feeding operation by the feeding timing belt of the packaging material feeding belt mechanism. A vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine consisting of the following.

2. The timing belt of the motion conversion mechanism is wound around at least two timing pulleys, one of the at least two timing pulleys is a drive timing pulley that is directly rotated by the output rotation of the drive servo motor, and the other of the at least two timing pulleys is a driven timing pulley that is paired with the drive timing pulley and spaced vertically apart from it, and the lifting base is attached to the running portion of the timing belt that runs vertically between the drive timing pulley and the driven timing pulley. A vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 1, comprising the above.

3. The opening / closing unit comprises an opening / closing drive servo motor mounted on the lifting base, and an opening / closing link mechanism that performs a link operation to convert the output rotation of the opening / closing drive servo motor into linear reciprocating motion, and the vertical sealing member performs the opening / closing operation in the left-right direction relative to the lifting base based on the link operation of the opening / closing link mechanism. A vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 1, comprising the above.

4. The drive servo motor of the lifting unit is positioned relative to the device frame, and the opening / closing drive servo motor of the opening / closing unit is positioned relative to the lifting base, both on the side opposite to the side where the vertical sealing member is located. A vertical bag-making, filling, and packaging machine according to claim 3, comprising the above.

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