Packaging film piece forming mechanism and packaging device

Abstract

The packaging film piece forming mechanism is a mechanism that enables the formation of packaging film pieces in sequence, starting from a leading region at the leading end of the strip film among a plurality of regions of a strip film in which multiple regions that will become multiple packaging film pieces are continuously connected via perforations, and includes a chuck unit and a restraining unit. The chuck unit includes a pair of chuck portions that chuck both ends in the width direction of the leading region, and is a unit that is capable of reciprocating the pair of chuck portions between a start position where chucking of the leading region begins and a release position spaced from the start position in a direction that allows the strip film to be pulled out. The restraining unit is a unit that is capable of clamping the strip film to stop the pulling out of the strip film.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for forming a packaging film piece from a continuous strip of film, and a packaging technique using the packaging film piece. [Background technology]

[0002] As a technique for forming a packaging film piece from a continuous strip of film, a technique for cutting the strip of film at a predetermined position using a cutting blade is generally known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for gripping both sides of the strip of film with an arm, pulling out a predetermined length, and then lowering a cutting blade to cut the strip of film at a predetermined position to form a packaging film piece of a predetermined length. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-116081 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional techniques using a cutting blade, it is necessary to periodically maintain (replace) the cutting blade. Also, in order to cut the strip film at a predetermined position, the predetermined position and the lowered position of the cutting blade need to be matched accurately, and to achieve this, a highly accurate mechanism and control are required.

[0005] Furthermore, when cutting the strip film with a cutting blade, it is necessary to apply tension to the strip film to prevent it from slackening. For this reason, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, tension is applied to the strip film by a roller that pays out the strip film and an arm that pulls out the strip film. However, if the strip film is cut in this state, when the tension is released by cutting, the newly cut leading portion of the strip film may curl. Such curling makes it difficult for the arm to grasp the strip film for the next cut, which may hinder continuous operation of the packaging device.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for forming packaging film pieces that allows both improved maintainability and continuous operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The packaging film piece forming mechanism according to the present invention is a mechanism that enables the sequential formation of packaging film pieces, starting from a leading region at the leading end of the strip film among a plurality of regions of a strip film in which the regions are to become a plurality of packaging film pieces are continuously connected via perforations, and includes a chuck unit and a restraining unit. The chuck unit includes a pair of chuck portions that chuck both ends in the width direction of the leading region, and is a unit that is capable of reciprocating the pair of chuck portions between a start position where chucking of the leading region begins and a release position that is a position spaced from the start position in a direction in which the strip film can be pulled out and where chucking of the leading region is released. The restraining unit is a unit that is capable of clamping the strip film to stop the pulling out of the strip film.

[0008] According to the packaging film piece forming mechanism, the leading region of the strip film is chucked by a pair of chuck portions and then the pair of chuck portions is moved to a release position, allowing the strip film to be pulled out, while the strip film is clamped by a restraining unit to prevent the strip film from being pulled out. By performing both of these operations, tension can be generated in the strip film, and this tension can be used to tear off the leading region of the strip film at the perforation at the boundary with the next region. This makes it possible to form a packaging film piece without using a cutting blade.

[0009] In the above-mentioned packaging film piece forming mechanism, the restraining unit may be configured so that, when the strip of film is clamped, both ends of the leading region in the width direction protrude from the restraining unit, thereby enabling it to be chucked by a pair of chuck portions.

[0010] The packaging device according to the present invention includes the packaging film piece forming mechanism and a control device. The control device causes the pair of chuck sections to chuck the leading region of the strip of film at a start position. The control device then causes the pair of chuck sections to continue chucking the leading region while moving the pair of chuck sections from the start position to a release position. While moving the pair of chuck sections to the release position, the control device causes the restraining unit to clamp the next region connected to the leading region via the perforation.

[0011] According to the packaging device, the leading region can be pulled by a pair of chucks while the next region adjacent to the leading region is clamped to prevent the film strip from being pulled out, and as a result, the tension generated in the film strip at that time can be used to tear off only the leading region at the perforation at the boundary with the next region. The torn-off region then becomes one piece of packaging film.

[0012] In the packaging device, the control device may perform the following control: When the entire perforation at the boundary between the leading region chucked by the pair of chucks and the next region moves outside the clamping range to be clamped by the restraining unit while the control device is moving the pair of chucks to the release position, the control device temporarily stops the pair of chucks and then causes the restraining unit to clamp the next region. The control device then resumes the movement of the pair of chucks, and uses the instantaneous force generated when the movement is resumed to tear off the leading region of the strip of film at the perforation at the boundary with the next region. With this configuration, the use of instantaneous force makes it easier to break the strip of film at the perforation.

[0013] In the packaging device, the control device may perform the following control. While moving the pair of chuck portions to the release position, the control device causes the restraining unit to clamp the next region adjacent to the leading region chucked by the pair of chuck portions, and then causes the restraining unit to continue in that state until the pair of chuck portions start chucking the next region. With this configuration, after the leading region is torn off to become a new leading region, the next region continues to be clamped by the restraining unit until it is chucked by the pair of chuck portions. This makes it possible to reliably prevent curling that is likely to occur in the leading region of the strip of film.

[0014] The packaging device may further include a conveying mechanism for conveying the packaging object, and an attaching mechanism, wherein the attaching mechanism is a mechanism for attaching the packaging film piece formed by the packaging film piece forming mechanism to the packaging object conveyed by the conveying mechanism.

[0015] More specifically, the conveying mechanism may be configured to include an inlet section and an outlet section that can move toward and away from each other in the conveying direction, and by moving them apart, a space that the packaging object can straddle can be formed below the release position. The attaching mechanism may include a first pressing unit and a second pressing unit. Here, the first pressing unit is a unit that can press the piece of packaging film that has been released from the fastening by the pair of fasteners at the release position against the top surface of the packaging object, causing both ends of the piece of packaging film to hang down. The second pressing unit is a unit that can press both ends of the piece of packaging film that hang down against the bottom surface of the packaging object.

[0016] According to this configuration, by separating the carry-in section and the carry-out section to form a space below the release position, it is possible to expose the bottom surface of the object to be packaged across the space. Also, the first pressing unit positions the center of the piece of packaging film on the top surface of the object to be packaged, and the second pressing unit smoothly guides both ends of the piece of packaging film to the bottom surface of the object to be packaged, while allowing the both ends to be attached to the bottom surface of the object to be packaged. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, in a technology for forming packaging film strips, it is possible to achieve both improved maintainability and continuous operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(A) is a front view conceptually showing a packaging device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1(B) is a block diagram conceptually showing the packaging device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view conceptually showing a strip of film used in a packaging film piece forming mechanism provided in a packaging device, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view conceptually showing the packaging film piece forming mechanism. [Diagram 3]Figures 3(A) and 3(B) are oblique views of a chuck unit provided in the packaging film piece forming mechanism, where Figure 3(A) shows the chuck portion when closed and Figure 3(B) shows the chuck portion when open. [Figure 4] Figures 4(A) and 4(B) are oblique views of the restraining unit provided in the packaging film piece forming mechanism, where Figure 4(A) shows the case where the plate is moved away from the stage portion, and Figure 4(B) shows the case where the plate is brought close to the stage portion. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the packaging device, illustrating a case where the carry-in section and the carry-out section are separated from each other in a transport mechanism included in the packaging device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a first pressing unit and a second pressing unit of the attachment mechanism included in the packaging device, as viewed from the conveyance direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 7(A) is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of a first pressing unit, FIG. 7(B) is a conceptual diagram showing the first stage of operation of a second pressing unit, and FIG. 7(C) is a conceptual diagram showing the second stage of operation of the second pressing unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a control device provided in the packaging device. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing the sequence of operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a perspective view showing the sequence of operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9C is a perspective view showing the sequence of operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism. [Figure 9D] FIG. 9D is a perspective view showing the sequence of operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism. [Figure 9E] FIG. 9E is a perspective view showing the sequence of operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism. [Figure 9F] FIG. 9F is a perspective view showing the sequence of operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] [1] Packaging equipment configuration 1(A) and 1(B) are a front view and a block diagram conceptually showing a packaging device according to an embodiment. As shown in these figures, the packaging device includes a packaging film piece forming mechanism 1, a conveying mechanism 2, an attaching mechanism 3, and a control device 4. The configuration of each part will be specifically described below.

[0020] [1-1] Packaging film piece forming mechanism 2(A) is a perspective view conceptually showing a strip of film 10 used in the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the strip of film 10 is a long film in which a plurality of regions Rf are continuously connected via perforations Pm. Here, each region Rf is a region that will become a film piece (packaging film piece Qf) used to package an object to be packaged 20 (such as a food container; see FIG. 5). An adhesive is applied in advance to this strip of film 10 to enable the packaging film piece Qf to be attached to the object to be packaged 20. For example, the adhesive is applied in a predetermined width along both edge portions of the object to be packaged 20.

[0021] 2(B) is a perspective view conceptually showing the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1. The packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 is a mechanism for enabling the formation of packaging film pieces Qf using the above-mentioned strip film 10 in order from a leading region Rft (see FIG. 2(A)) at the leading end of the strip film 10 among the multiple regions Rf, and includes a chuck unit 11 and a restraining unit 12.

[0022] The strip film 10 is wound around a core material into a roll (see FIG. 2(A)), for example, and is pulled out only by the pulling force of the chuck unit 11, which will be described below. In other words, the packaging device of this embodiment does not necessarily require a motor for unwinding the strip film 10. In the packaging device of this embodiment, the strip film 10 is positioned so that it can be pulled out in the same direction as the conveying direction Dx of the packaged object 20 by the conveying mechanism 2, which will be described later. However, the packaging device is not limited to this, and may be modified as appropriate to include a motor that additionally unwinds the strip film 10 as the strip film 10 is pulled out.

[0023] <Chuck unit> 3(A) and 3(B) are perspective views of the chuck unit 11. The chuck unit 11 includes a pair of chuck portions Fp and a slide transport portion Gp.

[0024] The pair of chuck portions Fp are configured to chuck both ends Rfa and Rfb (both ends in the width direction Dy; see FIG. 2(A)) of the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 (see FIG. 9A). Specifically, each chuck portion Fp includes an upper chuck component 111 and a lower chuck component 112, and is configured to be able to open and close by moving these up and down in opposite directions. In the drawings, FIG. 3(A) shows the chuck portion Fp in a closed state, and FIG. 3(B) shows the chuck portion Fp in an open state.

[0025] More specifically, in each chuck portion Fp, the upper chuck component 111 is composed of an L-shaped block body with a tip portion protruding downward, and the lower chuck component 112 is composed of an L-shaped block body with a tip portion protruding upward. Moreover, the tip surfaces (flat surfaces) of these block bodies are configured to come into surface contact with each other when the block bodies are closed. Such a chuck portion Fp makes it possible to clamp and chuck the portions of both end portions Rfa and Rfb of the leading region Rft that are not coated with adhesive. For example, when adhesive is applied along both end edges of the strip film 10 with a predetermined width, the portions of both end portions Rfa and Rfb that are inside the predetermined width can be clamped by the L-shaped tip portions.

[0026] Furthermore, each chuck portion Fp is configured so that when upper chuck component 111 and lower chuck component 112 clamp strip film 10, they can maintain the gripped state of strip film 10 even if strip film 10 is subsequently pulled by the movement described below, in other words, so that strip film 10 does not slip out. More specifically, the force with which strip film 10 is clamped and the frictional force of the tip surface are appropriately adjusted.

[0027] The slide transport section Gp is ​​configured to be able to move a pair of chuck sections Fp back and forth between a start position Ps (see Figures 1 and 9A) where chucking of the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 begins, and a release position Pt (see Figures 5 and 9F) located away from the start position Ps in a direction in which the strip film 10 can be pulled out (in this embodiment, in the same direction as the transport direction Dx) where the chucking of the leading region Rft is released.

[0028] Specifically, the slide transport part Gp includes a support part 113 that supports the pair of chuck parts Fp, and a guide part 114 that reciprocates the pair of chuck parts Fp by sliding the support part 113. In this embodiment, the guide part 114 specifies that the direction in which the support part 113 slides is the same as the transport direction Dx.

[0029] More specifically, the support portion 113 is made up of a beam portion 113A that extends in the width direction Dy and is slidably attached to the guide portion 114, and a pair of support arms 113B that support the pair of chuck portions Fp at a predetermined height position. Here, the predetermined height position is a height position at which the strip film 10 can be passed between the upper chuck component portion 111 and the lower chuck component portion 112 when the support portion 113 is slid along the guide portion 114 with the chuck portions Fp open.

[0030] In this embodiment, the support portion 113 is configured so that the distance between the pair of chuck portions Fp can be adjusted. Specifically, the support portion 113 is configured so that the positions of the pair of support arm portions 113B in the width direction Dy can be adjusted by the ball screw 113C. More specifically, the support portion 113 is configured so that the pair of support arm portions 113B can be moved in opposite directions to each other in the width direction Dy by manually turning the handle 113D to rotate the shaft portion of the ball screw 113C.

[0031] The guide portion 114 has a built-in ball screw (not shown), and the shaft portion of the ball screw is rotated by a motor (not shown) to slide the support portion 113. With such a configuration of the guide portion 114, the support portion 113 can be reciprocated in the axial direction of the ball screw by controlling the rotation direction (forward and reverse directions) of the motor. In this embodiment, the guide portion 114 is disposed so that the axial direction of the ball screw is the same as the transport direction Dx.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a sliding range of the support portion 113 is defined so that the pair of chuck portions Fp can be reciprocated between the start position Ps and the release position Pt described above. This sliding range may be defined by controlling the rotation of the motor, or may be defined by physically providing stoppers or the like at each of the positions that become the start position Ps and the release position Pt.

[0033] <Blocking unit> 4(A) and 4(B) are perspective views of restraining unit 12. Restraining unit 12 is configured to clamp strip film 10 and stop the pulling out of strip film 10. Specifically, restraining unit 12 includes a pressing portion 121 that presses strip film 10 from above, and a stage portion 122 that receives the pressing force of pressing portion 121 on the underside of strip film 10.

[0034] More specifically, pressing unit 121 includes plate 121A disposed such that its lower surface faces the upper surface of stage unit 122, and driving unit 121B (such as an actuator) that moves plate 121A up and down. Pressing unit 121 is configured to selectively move the lower surface of plate 121A away from the upper surface of stage unit 122 (see FIG. 4A) and move the lower surface of plate 121A closer to the upper surface of stage unit 122 (see FIG. 4B) by moving plate 121A up and down by driving unit 121B. Here, the lower surface of plate 121A moving closer to the upper surface of stage unit 122 means that when plate 121A is lowered with strip film 10 placed on stage unit 122, the lower surface of plate 121A comes into surface contact with strip film 10 and presses strip film 10 from above. By pressing the strip film 10 from above with plate 121A in this manner, the strip film 10 can be clamped between plate 121A and stage portion 122, thereby making it possible to stop the pulling out of the strip film 10.

[0035] In this embodiment, the restraining unit 12 includes a first restraining portion Hp1 located in the center in the width direction Dy, and a pair of second restraining portions Hp2 located on both sides of the first restraining portion Hp1 in the width direction Dy, and each of these three restraining portions is composed of a pressing portion 121 and a stage portion 122.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the restraining unit 12 is configured so that when the strip film 10 is clamped, both end portions Rfa and Rfb of the leading region Rft protrude from the restraining unit 12 (specifically, a pair of second restraining portions Hp2) thereby enabling chucking by a pair of chuck portions Fp (see Figure 9F).

[0037] Specifically, the restricting unit 12 is configured so that the positions of the pair of second restricting parts Hp2 in the width direction Dy can be adjusted by the ball screw 123 so that the positions of the outer edges of the pair of second restricting parts Hp2 in the width direction Dy (specifically, the outer edges of the plate 121A and the stage part 122) can be adjusted. More specifically, the restricting unit 12 is configured so that the pair of second restricting parts Hp2 can be moved in opposite directions to each other in the width direction Dy by manually turning the handle 124 to rotate the shaft part of the ball screw 123.

[0038] According to the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1, the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 is chucked by the pair of chuck portions Fp, and the pair of chuck portions Fp is moved to the release position Pt to pull out the strip film 10. Meanwhile, the strip film 10 is clamped by the restraining unit 12 to prevent the strip film 10 from being pulled out. By performing both of these operations, tension can be generated in the strip film 10, and the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 can be torn off at the perforation Pm at the boundary with the next region Rf by using the tension. Therefore, the packaging film piece Qf can be formed without using a cutting blade. The operation of the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 when forming the packaging film piece Qf will be described in detail later.

[0039] [1-2] Transport mechanism The conveying mechanism 2 is a mechanism for conveying the objects 20 to be packaged (such as food containers), and includes an inlet section 21 and an outlet section 22 which can move closer to and away from each other in the conveying direction Dx (see Figs. 1(A) and 5). Both the inlet section 21 and the outlet section 22 are composed of devices such as conveyors that enable the conveying of the objects 20 to be packaged. The conveying mechanism 2 is configured so that, by moving the inlet section 21 and the outlet section 22 away from each other as shown in Fig. 5, a space Sw which the objects 20 to be packaged can straddle is formed below the release position Pt.

[0040] According to this type of conveying mechanism 2, by separating the entrance section 21 and the exit section 22 to form a space Sw below the release position Pt, the bottom surface of the packaging object 20 spanning the space Sw can be exposed (see Figure 5).

[0041] [1-3] Attachment mechanism The attachment mechanism 3 is a mechanism for attaching the packaging film piece Qf formed by the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 to the packaging object 20 transported by the transport mechanism 2, and is equipped with a first pressing unit 31 and a second pressing unit 32 (see Figures 1(A) and 5).

[0042] Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the first pressing unit 31 and the second pressing unit 32 as viewed from the conveying direction Dx. Fig. 7(A) is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the first pressing unit 31, and Fig. 7(B) and Fig. 7(C) are conceptual diagrams showing the first and second stages, respectively, of the operation of the second pressing unit 32.

[0043] The first pressing unit 31 is configured to be able to press the piece of packaging film Qf, which has been released from the fastening by the pair of chuck portions Fp at the release position Pt, against the upper surface of the object to be packaged 20 (see FIG. 7(A)).

[0044] Specifically, the first pressing unit 31 includes a pressing arm portion 311 and a drive portion 312 (such as an actuator) that moves the pressing arm portion 311 up and down (see Figs. 1(A), 6, and 7(A)). The pressing arm portion 311 is disposed so that, when lowered by the drive portion 312, it can press the center portion of the piece of packaging film Qf against the upper surface of the object to be packaged 20 (see Fig. 7(A)). When the first pressing unit 31 presses the piece of packaging film Qf against the upper surface of the object to be packaged 20, both ends Qfa and Qfb of the piece of packaging film Qf hang down (see Fig. 7(A)).

[0045] The second pressing unit 32 is configured to be able to press both downward-hanging end portions Qfa and Qfb of the packaging film piece Qf against the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20 (see Figures 7(B) and 7(C)).

[0046] Specifically, the second pressing unit 32 includes a pair of pressing roll parts 321 and a drive part 322 (such as an actuator) that moves the pair of pressing roll parts 321 to the position of the bottom surface of the packaging object 20 (see Figs. 1(A), 6, 7(A) and 7(B)). In this embodiment, the second pressing unit 32 is configured to reliably press both ends Qfa and Qfb of the packaging film piece Qf against the bottom surface of the packaging object 20 while reducing the impact on the packaging object 20 by moving the pair of pressing roll parts 321 along an arc-shaped curve to the bottom surface of the packaging object 20 (see Figs. 7(B) and 7(C)). In addition, the second pressing unit 32 is configured to move the pair of pressing roll parts 321 to the bottom surface of the packaging object 20 at different timings. Specifically, the second pressing unit 32 can first move one of the pressing roll portions 321 to press the end portion Qfa of the packaging film piece Qf against the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20 (see Figure 7(B)), and then move the other pressing roll portion 321 to press the end portion Qfb of the packaging film piece Qf against the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20 (see Figure 7(C)).

[0047] The second pressing unit 32 is not limited to one that moves the pair of pressing roll parts 321 along an arc-shaped curve, and may be appropriately changed to one that moves the pair of pressing roll parts 321 horizontally to the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20. In addition, the pressing roll part 321 may have a roll surface made of a cushioning material so as to reduce the impact when the packaging film piece Qf is pressed against the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20.

[0048] With this type of attachment mechanism 3, the first pressing unit 31 positions the central portion of the packaging film piece Qf on the upper surface of the object to be packaged 20, and the second pressing unit 32 smoothly guides both end portions Qfa and Qfb of the packaging film piece Qf to the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20, making it possible to attach both end portions Qfa and Qfb to the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20.

[0049] [1-4] Control device The control device 4 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42 (see FIG. 1(B)). The storage unit 41 is a section that stores information necessary for controlling the packaging device (such as parameters necessary for controlling the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1, the conveying mechanism 2, and the attaching mechanism 3), and is composed of a storage device such as a ROM or a RAM. The control unit 42 is a section that executes control of the packaging device, and is composed of a processing device such as a CPU. The control processing executed by the control device 4 in the packaging device will be specifically described below.

[0050] Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing the control process executed by the control device 4. Figs. 9A to 9F are perspective views sequentially showing the operations of the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 resulting from the control process.

[0051] The control device 4 first controls the chuck unit 11 to move the pair of chuck portions Fp to the start position Ps and causes the pair of chuck portions Fp to chuck the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 (step S101, see FIG. 9A). At this time, the control device 4 controls the restraining unit 12 to cause the restraining unit 12 to maintain the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 in a clamped state. Specifically, the control device 4 causes the restraining unit 12 to maintain the pressing portion 121 in a lowered state, thereby maintaining the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 pressed by the pressing portion 121. This makes it possible to reliably prevent curling that is likely to occur in the leading region Rft of the strip film 10.

[0052] After step S101, control device 4 controls restraining unit 12 to cause restraining unit 12 to release the clamping of leading region Rft of strip film 10 (step S102, see FIG. 9B). Specifically, control device 4 lifts pressing portion 121 to release the pressure applied by pressing portion 121 to leading region Rft of strip film 10. This releases strip film 10 from restraint by restraining unit 12, and as a result, strip film 10 becomes available to be pulled out in conveyance direction Dx.

[0053] After step S102, control device 4 controls chuck unit 11 to cause the pair of chuck portions Fp to continue chucking the leading region Rft while starting to move the pair of chuck portions Fp from start position Ps toward release position Pt (step S103). As a result, strip film 10 is pulled by the pair of chuck portions Fp and pulled out in the transport direction Dx (see FIG. 9C).

[0054] After step S103, the control device 4 controls the chuck unit 11 to temporarily stop the pair of chuck portions Fp in the middle of moving them to the release position Pt (step S104, see FIG. 9C). Specifically, the control device 4 temporarily stops the pair of chuck portions Fp when the entire perforation Pm at the boundary between the leading region Rft and the next region Rf chucked by the pair of chuck portions Fp goes outside the clamping range Rx to be clamped by the restraining unit 12.

[0055] After step S104, the control device 4 controls the restraining unit 12 to clamp the next region Rf connected to the leading region Rft via the perforation Pm (step S105, see FIG. 9D). Specifically, the control device 4 lowers the pressing portion 121 to press the next region Rf. This causes the restraining unit 12 to stop the strip film 10 from being pulled out in the transport direction Dx.

[0056] After step S105, the control device 4 controls the chuck unit 11 to resume movement of the pair of chuck portions Fp to the release position Pt, thereby utilizing the instantaneous force generated at the time of resumption to tear off the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 at the perforation Pm at the boundary with the next region Rf (step S106, see Figure 9E).

[0057] According to steps S105 and S106, the leading region Rft can be pulled by the pair of chucks Fp while the next region Rf adjacent to the leading region Rft is clamped to prevent the strip film 10 from being pulled out. As a result, the tension generated in the strip film 10 at that time can be used to tear off only the leading region Rft at the perforation Pm at the boundary with the next region Rf. The torn leading region Rft then becomes one piece of packaging film Qf. In addition, an instantaneous force is generated by restarting the movement of the pair of chucks Fp, and by utilizing this instantaneous force, the strip film 10 can be easily torn off at the perforation Pm.

[0058] After step S106, the control device 4 controls the chuck unit 11 to cause the pair of chuck portions Fp to release the chuck from the piece of packaging film Qf when the pair of chuck portions Fp reaches the release position Pt (step S107, see FIG. 9F). This releases the piece of packaging film Qf from the chuck held by the pair of chuck portions Fp.

[0059] The control device 4 controls the conveying mechanism 2 to start carrying in the packaging object 20 before completing the execution of step S107 (step S201), and conveys the packaging object 20 to a position below the release position Pt and stops it (step S202). At this time, the control device 4 separates the carry-in section 21 and the carry-out section 22 to form a space Sw, and stops the packaging object 20 in a state straddling the space Sw (see FIG. 5). As a result, the packaging object 20 is set in a state (a state in which the bottom surface is exposed) in which the packaging film piece Qf can be wrapped by the attachment mechanism 3.

[0060] After steps S107 and S202, the control device 4 controls the attaching mechanism 3 to cause the first pressing unit 31 to press the center of the piece of packaging film Qf against the upper surface of the packaging target object 20 (step S301; see FIG. 7(A)). As a result, both ends Qfa and Qfb of the piece of packaging film Qf hang down.

[0061] After step S301, the control device 4 controls the attaching mechanism 3 to cause the second pressing unit 32 to press both ends Qfa and Qfb of the piece of packaging film Qf against the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20 (step S302; see Figs. 7(B) and 7(C)). As a result, both ends Qfa and Qfb are attached to the bottom surface of the object to be packaged 20, and as a result, the attachment (packaging) of the piece of packaging film Qf to the object to be packaged 20 is completed.

[0062] After step S302, the control device 4 controls the conveying mechanism 2 to bring the carry-in section 21 and the carry-out section 22 close to each other, so that the packaged packaging target object 20 is placed on the carry-out section 22 and carried out (step S203).

[0063] Thereafter, the control device 4 returns to step S101 and step S201, and repeatedly executes the processes from step S101 and S201 onward, thereby enabling the packaging device to repeatedly and continuously execute the formation of the packaging film piece Qf and the attachment (packaging) of the packaging film piece Qf to the packaging object 20.

[0064] Furthermore, as described above, the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 of this embodiment can form the packaging film piece Qf without using a cutting blade. This makes it possible to improve the maintainability of the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 and the packaging device. Therefore, the packaging film piece forming mechanism 1 and the packaging device described above can achieve both improved maintainability and continuous operation.

[0065] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when repeating the above-mentioned control process, the control device 4 causes the restraining unit 12 to clamp the next region Rf adjacent to the leading region Rft of the strip film 10 in step S105, and then causes the restraining unit 12 to continue in that state until the control device 4 returns to step S101 and begins chucking the next region Rf (in other words, the new leading region Rft created by tearing off the leading region Rft).

[0066] According to this control process, after the leading region Rft is torn off to become the new leading region Rft, the next region Rf continues to be clamped by the restraining unit 12 until it is chucked by the pair of chuck portions Fp. This makes it possible to reliably prevent curling that is likely to occur in the leading region Rft of the strip of film 10.

[0067] Furthermore, with the packaging device described above, the amount of strip film 10 pulled out by the pair of chucks Fp and the size of space Sw formed between carry-in section 21 and carry-out section 22 (the distance between carry-in section 21 and carry-out section 22) can be appropriately adjusted according to the length of the packaging film piece Qf to be formed (the length between adjacent perforations Pm). Therefore, the packaging device of this embodiment has a high degree of freedom in terms of the size and shape of the applicable packaging film piece Qf, and further the size and shape of the object 20 to be packaged.

[0068] The above-mentioned description of the embodiment should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above-mentioned embodiment. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1 Packaging film piece forming mechanism 2. Conveyor mechanism 3. Attachment mechanism 4. Control device 10 Film Strip 11 Chuck unit 12 Restraint Unit 20 Packaging items 21 Loading section 22 Unloading section 31 First pressing unit 32 Second pressing unit 41 Storage section 42 Control section Dx Transport direction Dy width direction Fp chuck part Gp Slide transport unit Hp1 1st restraint part Hp2 2nd restraint part Pm Perforation Ps start position Pt release position Qf Packaging film strip Qfa, Qfb end Rf area Rft start area Rfa, Rfb end Rx clamping range Sw Space 111 Upper chuck component 112 Lower chuck component 113 Support part 113A Beam section 113B Support arm part 113C Ball screw 113D Handle 114 Guide part 121 Pressing part 121A Plate 121B Drive unit 122 Stage Section 123 Ball screw 124 Handle 311 Pressing arm part 312 Drive unit 321 Pressing roll section 322 Drive unit

Claims

1. A packaging film piece forming mechanism that uses a strip of film in which a plurality of regions that will become a plurality of packaging film pieces are continuously connected via perforations, and enables the packaging film pieces to be formed in sequence from a leading region that is at the leading end of the strip of film among the plurality of regions, a chuck unit including a pair of chuck portions for chucking both ends in the width direction of the leading region, the pair of chuck portions being capable of reciprocating between a start position where chucking of the leading region begins and a release position that is a position spaced from the start position in a direction in which the strip film can be pulled out and where chucking of the leading region is released; a stop unit capable of clamping the strip of film to stop the strip of film from being pulled out; A packaging film piece forming mechanism comprising:

2. The packaging film piece forming mechanism of claim 1, wherein the restraining unit is configured such that, when the strip film is clamped, both ends of the leading region in the width direction protrude from the restraining unit, thereby enabling chucking by the pair of chuck portions.

3. A packaging film piece forming mechanism according to claim 1 or 2; A control device; A packaging device comprising: The control device includes: causing the pair of chuck units to chuck the leading region of the strip film at the start position; While the pair of chuck portions continues to chuck the leading region, the pair of chuck portions is moved from the start position to the release position; A packaging device in which, while the pair of chuck portions are being moved to the release position, a next region connected to the leading region via the perforation is clamped by the restraining unit.

4. The control device includes: When the entire perforation at the boundary between the leading region and the next region chucked by the pair of chuck portions is outside the clamping range to be clamped by the restraining unit while the pair of chuck portions is being moved to the release position, the pair of chuck portions are stopped once, and then the next region is clamped by the restraining unit; The packaging device of claim 3, further comprising: a pair of chuck portions which are then moved again, and the movement of the pair of chuck portions is then resumed, thereby utilizing the instantaneous force generated when the movement is resumed to tear off the leading region of the strip of film at the perforation at the boundary with the next region.

5. The control device includes:

4. The packaging device according to claim 3, wherein, while the pair of chuck portions is being moved to the release position, the next area adjacent to the leading area being chucked by the pair of chuck portions is clamped by the restraining unit, and then the restraining unit continues to hold that state until the pair of chuck portions starts chucking the next area.

6. A conveying mechanism for conveying the object to be packaged; a sticking mechanism that sticks the piece of packaging film formed by the packaging film forming mechanism onto an object to be packaged that is conveyed by the conveying mechanism; The packaging device of claim 3 further comprising:

7. the conveying mechanism includes an inlet section and an outlet section that can move toward and away from each other in a conveying direction, and by moving the inlet section and the outlet section away from each other, a space that the packaging object can straddle is formed below the release position; The attachment mechanism includes: a first pressing unit that can press the piece of packaging film, which has been released from the fastening by the pair of fastening portions at the release position, against an upper surface of the object to be packaged, so that both ends of the piece of packaging film hang down; a second pressing unit capable of pressing both ends of the packaging film piece that hang down against a bottom surface of the object to be packaged; The packaging device of claim 6 .

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