JP4435545B2 - Gas replacement device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas replacement device used for forming a gas pack package in which air inside a packaging container is replaced with a replacement gas and sealed.

  Conventionally, as a gas replacement device used for gas pack packaging, a cylindrical hood having a notch portion on a side portion is covered from a lower open portion side on a container having a seal lid that is turned up and opened. After allowing the seal heater to face the upper open part and inserting a gas nozzle from the side notch to supply a replacement gas such as an inert gas into the hood, and after supplying the replacement gas into the container through the hood A device is known in which the seal heater is lowered and the seal lid is pushed back to be sealed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-218288

  By the way, since the conventional gas replacement apparatus is for guiding the replacement gas once supplied into the hood into the container, in order to suppress the mixing of air into the container and obtain a high replacement gas concentration. Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently replace the air in the hood with a replacement gas.

  However, when supplying replacement gas from the gas nozzle into the hood, external air is caught and invaded from the gap between the cutout portion of the hood side and the gas nozzle by the flow of replacement gas from the gas nozzle, There is a problem that the replacement gas concentration in the hood cannot be made sufficiently high, and the amount of air mixed into the container increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to be able to suppress the mixing of air due to the entrainment phenomenon of surrounding gas accompanying the ejection of the replacement gas from the gas nozzle.

For the above purpose, the present invention provides a processing table on which a lidded container having a vent hole is placed on the top surface of the lid,
It can be moved up and down with respect to the processing table, and when it is lowered, it covers the periphery of the vent hole of the lidded container on the processing table, and when it covers the periphery of the vent hole of the lidded container, it faces the vent hole. A hood having a guide hole and an opening portion located;
While moving up and down with the hood, the hood can be moved forward and backward through the guide hole of the hood with the hood surrounding and surrounding the vent hole of the lidded container. A gas nozzle that is inserted into and supplies a replacement gas;
It can be raised and lowered with respect to the hood that surrounds the vent hole of the lidded container, covers the open part of the hood when descending, and when the gas nozzle moves backward, the vent hole of the lidded container is opened via the open part. It has a label sticking means for sticking a label to be covered.

  Moreover, this invention includes that the gas supply port of the gas nozzle front-end | tip is upward as a preferable aspect.

  According to the present invention, the inside of the lidded container can be directly replaced with the replacement gas by inserting the gas nozzle from the vent hole of the lidded container. The replacement gas supplied directly into the lidded container from the gas nozzle inserted into the lidded container flows out from the vent hole into the hood while pushing out the air in the lidded container, and the hood is also replaced with the replacement gas atmosphere. Replace. Also in the present invention, the surrounding gas is entrained by the ejection of the replacement gas from the gas nozzle, but the entrainment is mainly the gas in the hood replaced with the replacement gas. Mixing of air is suppressed, and a high replacement gas concentration in the lidded container can be obtained.

  In addition, the range in which air is replaced with replacement gas is only the space in the lidded container and the hood, and the hood only needs to be small enough to enclose the vent hole of the lidded container. Can be reduced.

  Further, when the gas supply port at the tip of the gas nozzle is set upward, it is possible to prevent the replacement gas from being blown directly onto the contents and disturbing the arrangement of the contents. For example, when used in a gas pack packaging of a lunch box, it is possible to prevent the dished state of the side dish from being disturbed.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be further described based on an example of a gas pack packaging apparatus using the gas replacement apparatus according to the present invention.

  First, based on FIG.1 and FIG.2, the outline | summary of the gas pack packaging apparatus using the gas replacement apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated.

  In the figure, A is a tape applying device, B is a traverser device, C is a gas displacement device according to the present invention, D is a sealed secondary processing device, and FIG. 1 is a gas pack package using the gas displacement device C according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the lidded container 1 is conveyed by the traverser apparatus B shown in FIG.

  In the gas pack packaging apparatus of this example, for the container 1 with a lid, the tape application device A seals the joint between the lid 1a and the main body 1b, and the lidded container 1 is sealed with the traverser device B. To the gas replacement device C, the gas replacement device C replaces the inside of the lidded container 1 with, for example, nitrogen gas and seals it, and the sealed secondary processing device D raises the sealed state of the lidded container 1 and sends it out. It has become. In particular, the lidded container 1 of this example has a vent 57 (see FIG. 17) formed on the upper surface of the lid 1a for gas replacement inside the container by the gas replacement device C.

  The container 1 with a lid is formed such that the joint of the lid 1a and the main body 1b is formed on the circumferential side. In particular, the tape applicator A according to the present invention continuously adheres to the adhesive tape 2 (FIG. 7) along the joint. To FIG. 11) can be attached and sealed.

  The lidded container 1 to be processed is transported by a transport device 3 such as a belt conveyor and a traverser device B. After the container 1 with a lid is first carried onto the processing table 4 of the tape applicator A by the transport device 3, the adhesive tape 2 (see FIGS. 7 to 11) is wound around the seam and attached. Then, it is transferred again to the traverser device B by the transport device 3. As will be described later, the traverser device B has two transport arms 5 positioned on the left and right sides in the transport direction, and the lidded container 1 transferred to the traverser device B by the transport device 3 is the base of the transport arm 5. At the same time, the container 1 with the lid on which the gas replacement on the processing table 6 of the gas replacement device C is completed is sandwiched between the distal ends of the transfer arm 5 to move forward, and the lid is sandwiched between the bases of the transfer arm 5. The container 1 is transferred onto the processing table 6 of the gas displacement device C, and the lidded container 1 sandwiched between the leading ends of the transfer arm 5 is transferred onto the processing table 7 of the sealed secondary processing device D. Moreover, the container 1 with a lid | cover which the process by the sealing secondary processing apparatus D was completed is carried out by the conveying apparatus 3. FIG.

  Next, the tape applying apparatus A, the traverser apparatus B, the gas replacement apparatus C, and the sealed secondary processing apparatus D will be described in detail.

(1) Tape applicator A
3 is an enlarged view of the tape applicator A, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the presser plate 8 and the turntable 9, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion where the turntable 9 is attached to the rotary spindle 17. FIG. Is an explanatory view of a ring rail 29 and a pinion rack mechanism for horizontally moving the turntable 9, FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the turntable 9, and FIGS. 8 to 11 are mechanisms around the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12. 8 is a plan view showing a state before the start of winding of the adhesive tape 2, FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state immediately after the start of winding of the adhesive tape 2, and FIG. 10 is near the corner portion of the container 1 with a lid. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state immediately before the end of winding of the adhesive tape 2.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tape applicator A can be moved up and down with respect to the processing table 4 on which the transported container 1 with a lid is placed, and when it is lowered, A pressing plate 8 that sandwiches the lidded container 1 between the processing table 4, a turntable 9 that can be moved up and down with respect to the processing table 4, and that can move and rotate in the horizontal direction, and an adhesive from the tape reel 10. A winding roller 11 and a pressing roller 12 for attaching to the container 1 with a lid while pulling out the tape 2 (see FIGS. 7 to 11) are provided.

  The presser plate 8 has a top end attached to and suspended from a lower end of a first elevating shaft 14 connected to an elevating drive device 13 such as a servo motor, and is moved up and down by the operation of the elevating drive device 13. It is moved up and down with respect to the processing table 4 via one lifting shaft 14. The first elevating shaft 14 passes through the center of the support shaft 16 that is suspended from the upper end of the first elevating shaft 14 so as to be slidable up and down, and the presser plate 8 attached to the lower end of the first elevating shaft 14. Is located above the center of the processing table 4.

  The turntable 9 is held at a lower end of a rotation main shaft 17 attached to a lower portion of the support shaft 16 so as to be rotatable with respect to the support shaft 16 and slidable up and down.

  A driven gear 18 is formed at the upper end of the rotating main shaft 17, and a drive gear 19 is engaged with the driven gear 18. The drive gear 19 is provided at the tip of a rotational drive shaft 21 that is rotationally driven by a rotational drive device 20 held on the support shaft 16. Therefore, the turntable 9 attached to the rotation main shaft 17 operates around the support shaft 16 via the rotation drive shaft 21, the drive gear 19 and the driven gear 18 by operating the rotation drive device 20. At the same time, it can rotate horizontally.

  An intermediate table 22 is provided adjacent to the upper portion of the rotary main shaft 17. The intermediate table 22 is provided so as to be slidable up and down with respect to the support shaft 16, and is attached to the lower end of the second lifting shaft 24 that is moved up and down by the operation of the lifting drive device 23 provided on the support frame 15. Suspended. Further, the rotary spindle 17 is connected to the intermediate table 22 so as to be idled, but is connected to the intermediate table 22 so as to be movable up and down. Therefore, by operating the lifting / lowering drive device 23 and moving the second lifting / lowering shaft 24 up and down, the rotary main shaft 17 can be moved up and down together with the intermediate table 22, whereby the turntable 9 can be lifted and lowered. It is like that.

  The rotary drive shaft 21 and a third elevating shaft 25, which will be described later, pass through the intermediate table 22 so as to be slidable up and down, and the drive gear 19 and the driven gear 18 are respectively formed with teeth in the vertical direction. Thus, they can be shifted up and down while being engaged with each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the turntable 9 is held by the rotating spindle 17 by gripping a linear rail 26 provided on the upper surface of the turntable 9 with a rail holding portion 27 provided at the lower end of the rotating spindle 17. Has been done. The linear rail 26 is slidable in the longitudinal direction and is held by the rail holding portion 27, and the turntable 9 is horizontally movable in the longitudinal direction of the linear rail 26.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower end of the third elevating shaft 25 movable up and down by the elevating drive device 28 attached to the support shaft 16 slidably passes through the intermediate table 22 and rotates. It extends to the side of the main shaft 17 and a ring rail 29 is attached to the lower end. The ring rail 29 is a donut-shaped rail that surrounds the rotation main shaft 17 with a space between the rotation main shaft 17 and is controlled to be lifted and lowered separately from the rotation main shaft 17 and the turntable 9 by the lift drive device 28. It is supposed to be.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ring rail 29 has a U-shaped cross section, and a traveling roller 30 that travels along the inner side of the ring rail 29 is provided on the inner side. The upper end of the vertical rack 31 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is held. The lower end of the vertical rack 31 extends into a gear box 32 attached to the rotary main shaft 17.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end portion of the vertical rack 31 extending into the gear box 32 is engaged with the first pinion 33 in the gear box 32. A transmission gear 34 provided coaxially with the first pinion 33 and a second pinion 35 rotated via the transmission gear 34 are provided in the gear box 32. The second pinion 35 meshes with a horizontal rack 36 provided on the turntable 9 in parallel with the linear rail 26.

  The ring rail 29 is controlled to move up and down with the rotation of the turntable 9 and moves the rotation 9 table in the horizontal direction. As described above, the rotation main shaft 17 and the turntable 9 rotate integrally, Along with this, while the traveling roller 30 is traveling inside the ring rail 29, the vertical rack 31 that is lifted and lowered through the lifting drive device 28 and the third lifting shaft 25 and meshed with the first pinion 33 is moved up and down. Is. When the first pinion 33 rotates as the vertical rack 31 moves up and down, the second pinion 35 rotates through the transmission gear 34, and a force that moves the horizontal rack 36 in the left-right direction in FIG. Slips with respect to the rail holding part 27, and the turntable 9 moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 6 (longitudinal direction of the straight rail 26).

  As shown in FIG. 7, an opening 37 is formed at the center of the turntable 9, and the first elevating shaft 14 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 extends from the opening 37 to the turntable 9. The presser plate 8 is held at the lower end.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, on the lower surface side of the turntable 9, cylinder devices 38 and 39 having rear end portions supported by the turntable 9 so as to be tiltable in the horizontal direction are provided. . The tip portions of the cylinder rods 40, 41 of the cylinder devices 38, 39 are flat Z-shaped that can be tilted in the horizontal direction around a support pin 42 suspended from the lower surface of the turntable 9, as shown in FIG. Are attached to the rear end portions of the two tilting arms 43 and 44, and a winding roller 11 and a pressing roller 12 are provided at the front end portions of the tilting arms 43 and 44, respectively, so as to be idled in the horizontal direction. Yes. Accordingly, the cylinder devices 38 and 39 are operated to move the cylinder rods 40 and 41 forward and backward, and the tilt arms 43 and 44 are tilted about the support pin 42, whereby the lid-equipped container 1 (see FIG. 4). The winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 can be moved back and forth. The winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 are offset in plane but are provided at the same height, and the lidded container 1 sandwiched between the processing table 4 and the pressing plate 8 (see FIG. 4). It will be moved forward and backward.

  Further, the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 are located on one end side of the linear rail 26, and can be advanced and retracted toward the lidded container 1 by the horizontal movement of the turntable 9. ing.

  The winding roller 11 is a hollow roller whose inside is connected to a suction device (not shown), and a suction hole (not shown) is formed on the peripheral surface. By the suction force from this suction hole, The back surface of the front end portion of the adhesive tape 2 is sucked and held. Further, a cutter 45 for cutting the rear end portion of the adhesive tape 2 wound around the lid-equipped container 1 (see FIG. 4) is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the vicinity of the winding roller 11.

  The adhesive tape 2 is drawn out from the tape reel 10 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and this tape reel 10 is provided on the turntable 9 and is moved up, down, rotated, and moved together with the turntable 9. It has become.

  Next, the operation state of the above-described tape applicator A will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the lidded container 1 is conveyed directly below the presser plate 8, the elevating drive devices 13 and 23 are operated, and the first elevating shaft 14 and the second elevating shaft 24 are lowered. The presser plate 8 and the turntable 9 are lowered. The holding plate 8 is lowered until the container 1 with the lid is sandwiched between the processing table 4 and the turntable 9 has a winding roller 11 and a pressing roller 12 between the lid 1a and the main body 1b of the container 1 with the lid. It is lowered to the position facing the seam. The state in which the lowering of both has been completed is the state of FIG.

  The planar positional relationship between the container 1 with the lid immediately after completion of the lowering of the holding plate 8 and the turntable 9, the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 is as shown in FIG. 8, and the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 are Although it faces the side surface of the container 1 with a lid, it is in a separated state. Further, the back surface of the adhesive tape 2 is sucked and held by the winding roller 11.

  When the cylinder devices 38 and 39 are operated in the state of FIG. 8 and the cylinder rods 40 and 41 are retracted, the tips of the tilting arms 43 and 44 tilt to the side of the lidded container 1, and the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12. Advances toward the container 1 with the lid, and comes into contact with the joint of the container 1 with the lid, as shown in FIG. As a result, the tip of the adhesive tape 2 whose back surface is sucked and held by the winding roller 11 is stuck on the joint of the lidded container 1. Then, the suction of the winding roller 11 is stopped, and the rotary drive device 20 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is operated, and the turntable 9 is moved via the rotary drive shaft 21, the drive gear 19, the driven gear 18 and the rotary main shaft 17. When rotated, the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 attached to the turntable 9 rotate around the lid 1 with the lid 1 held between the processing table 4 and the pressing plate 8. .

  The rotation is performed in a direction in which the winding roller 11 is at the head in the rotation direction (right rotation in FIG. 9). Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the adhesive tape 2 is hung on the winding roller 11 from the front side to the rear side in the circumferential direction of rotation of the container 1 with the lid, and the winding roller 11 contacts the container 1 with the lid. It is pulled out from the tape reel 10 (refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) and continuously stuck to the lidded container 1 as it rotates in the contacted state. The pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 2 adhered to the lidded container 1 by the winding roller 11 is pressed against the lidded container 1 by the pressing roller 12 immediately after the winding roller 11 and firmly adhered.

  When the lid-equipped container 1 is circular in plan and is sandwiched between the processing table 4 and the presser plate 8 with the center thereof coincident with the center of the rotation main shaft 17 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the winding roller 11 If the pressing roller 12 is rotated on a certain circumference, the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 are rotated while maintaining the contact between the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 and the lidded container 1. Can do.

  However, for example, in the case where the lidded container 1 is rectangular as shown in the figure, from the center of the rotation main shaft 17 to the contact between the winding roller 11 and the lidded container 1 and the contact between the pressing roller 12 and the lidded container 1. The distance varies. This variation can be absorbed by, for example, using the cylinder devices 38 and 38 as air cylinder devices and pressing the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 against the container 1 with the lid in a state where the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 can be elastically advanced and retracted. The pressing roller 12 can be rotated while being in contact with the lidded container 1.

  Further, when the turntable 9 is rotated at a constant speed (a constant number of rotations per unit time), the winding speed of the adhesive tape 2 varies due to the above variation. Specifically, the winding speed of the adhesive tape 2 at the corner shown in FIG. 10 is higher than the winding speed of the adhesive tape 2 at the straight line shown in FIG. If this unevenness in speed becomes large, wrinkles are likely to occur in the wound adhesive tape 2, and therefore it is preferable to horizontally move the turntable 9 to suppress fluctuations in the winding speed of the adhesive tape 2.

  More specifically, the winding speed of the adhesive tape 2 at the corner portion is increased because the position of the contact point between the winding roller 11 and the lid-equipped container 1 is greater in the corner portion than the linear portion of the lid-equipped container 1. This occurs because the distance from the center (the center of rotation of the turntable 9) increases. Accordingly, as the winding roller 11 approaches the corner portion of the lidded container 1, the turntable 9 is horizontally moved in the direction in which the winding roller 11 moves forward so that the winding roller 11 comes close to the center of the rotating spindle 17, and the winding roller 11 is covered by the lid. If the turntable 9 is moved horizontally in the direction in which the winding roller 11 moves backward as it moves away from the corner portion of the attached container 1, and the winding roller 11 is moved away from the center of the rotating main shaft 17, the fluctuation of the winding speed of the adhesive tape 2 is changed. Can be absorbed.

  The horizontal movement of the turntable 9 is performed by moving the ring rail 29 up and down through the third lifting shaft 25 and moving the vertical rack 31 up and down by the lifting drive device 28 as described above. The operation of the device 28 can be easily performed by computer control according to the planar shape of the lidded container 1.

  As described above, after the winding roller 11 is rotated around the circumference of the lidded container 1 over one turn, the winding roller 11 is moved backward to be separated from the lidded container 1 as shown in FIG. Since the adhesive tape 2 is lifted and stretched between the lidded container 1 and the winding roller 11 by this retreat, the cutter 45 is moved forward and the adhesive tape 2 is cut in the lifted area. When the adhesive tape 2 is cut by the cutter 45, suction from the suction hole of the winding roller 11 is performed, and the front end portion of the cut adhesive tape 2 on the winding roller 11 side is sucked and held by the winding roller 11 to prepare for the next winding. . The rear end of the lidded container 1 side is pressed and stuck by a pressing roller 12 that is rotating in contact with the lidded container 1. After the pressing roller 12 is rotated to a position exceeding the rear end portion of the adhesive tape 2 on the side of the lidded container 1 cut by the cutter 45, the pressing roller 12 is also moved backward to be separated from the lidded container 1. The winding of the adhesive tape 1 is finished.

  In this example, the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 are used, but the rear end of the cut adhesive tape 2 on the side of the lidded container 1 is left in a state where it is not firmly attached, and the wound adhesive is wound. When used as a clue when the tape 2 is peeled off, the pressing roller 12 can be omitted.

  The lidded container 1 around which the adhesive tape 2 is wound by the tape applying apparatus A and the seam is sealed is transferred to the traverser apparatus B by the conveying apparatus 3 shown in FIGS.

(2) Traverser device B
FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the traverser device B. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 12, the traverser device B includes a portal frame 46 provided across the transport device 3 and two transport arms arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. It has become. The portal frame 46 can be moved back and forth in the transport direction of the transport device 3, and the two transport arms 5 are provided on the portal frame 46 so as to be able to move up and down and in the facing direction.

  The lidded container 1 around which the adhesive tape 2 is wound by the tape applicator A is diverted through the portal frame 46 and transferred between the bases of the transfer arm 5, and the transfer arm 5 is lowered and advanced in the opposite direction. Thus, it is sandwiched between the bases of the transfer arm 5. At the same time, the lidded container 1 on which the gas replacement on the processing table 6 of the gas replacement device C has been completed is sandwiched between the leading ends of the transfer arm 5.

  The transport arm 5 that sandwiches the container 1 with the lid between the base and the tip is lifted while sandwiching the container 1 with the lid, and the portal frame 46 advances in the direction of the gas replacement device C and the lid sandwiched between the bases. When the attached container 1 moves to the processing table 6 of the gas replacement apparatus C and the container 1 with the lid sandwiched by the tip part moves to the processing table 7 of the sealed secondary processing apparatus D, the attached container 1 is lowered and separated. Each lidded container 1 is placed on each of the processing tables 6 and 7.

(3) Gas displacement device C
FIG. 13 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the gas displacement device C showing the state before the label sticking means 59 of the label sticking device 49 and the hood 54 of the gas supply device 50 are lowered, and FIG. 14 shows the label sticking means 59 and the hood 54. FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional enlarged view of the gas displacement device C showing a state where the gas nozzle 56 has advanced and the gas nozzle 56 has advanced. FIG. FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of the peeling mechanism of the label 69, (a) is an explanatory view of the state in which the suction plate 61 sucks the label 69, and (b) is a separation view. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the lidded container 1 sent to the gas replacement device C, and FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the front end portion of the gas nozzle 56. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, the gas replacement device C is attached to the processing table 6 provided on the guide rail 47, the support frame 48 raised from the processing table 6, and the support frame 48. A labeling device 49 and a gas supply device 50 provided beside the labeling device 49 are provided.

  The guide rail 47 extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction by the traverser device B, and the processing table 6 is movable along the guide rail 47 and has a lid that is carried onto the processing table 6 by the traverser device B. The placement position of the container 1 can be adjusted in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction by the traverser device B (left and right). Further, the adjustment of the placement position in the transport direction (front-rear) by the traverser apparatus B can be adjusted by the amount of movement of the portal frame 46 (see FIG. 12) of the traverser apparatus B.

  The gas supply device 50 is provided on the processing table 6, and is provided at the tip of a support arm 52 attached to the support column 52 and a support column 52 that can be vertically expanded and contracted by a support column expansion / contraction device 51. A hood 54 and a gas nozzle 56 attached to the support column 52 via a cylinder device 55 are provided. That is, the hood 54 and the gas nozzle 56 are moved up and down as the support column 52 expands and contracts.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the lidded container 1 sent to the gas replacement device C includes a lid body 1a having a circular vent hole 57 formed on the upper surface. The seam is sealed with an adhesive tape 2 wound continuously.

  The hood 54 is a cylindrical body whose central axis is directed in the vertical direction, and is positioned directly above the vent hole 57 (see FIG. 17) of the lidded container 1 that is transported and placed on the processing table 6 by the traverser device B. It has become a thing. When the hood 54 is lowered, it surrounds and surrounds the vent hole 57 of the lidded container 1, and when the hood 54 surrounds and surrounds the vent hole 57 of the lidded container 1, the hood 54 is located above the vent hole 57. The opening 58 is located. Although the hood 54 in this example is formed of a cylindrical body, the open portion 58 is positioned toward the vent hole 57 when the hood 54 is covered and surrounded by the vent hole 57 of the lidded container 1. What is necessary is just to use what provided the opening corresponding to the open part 58 in the ceiling part of the box-like member of downward. In addition, a packing (not shown) is provided on the lower edge of the hood in order to improve adhesion to the lid 1a of the lidded container 1, or a part of the flange-like horizontal protruding portion is provided. It can also form in the edge part of this, or the whole edge part, and can also be made to be able to hold down the container 1 with a lid stably.

  The gas nozzle 56 is connected to a replacement gas supply source (not shown) such as a nitrogen gas cylinder through a flexible hose (not shown). At the same time, the cylinder device 55 can be moved back and forth diagonally downward, and the tip is slidably inserted into a guide hole 59 formed in the side wall of the hood 54. That is, the gas nozzle 56 penetrates the side wall of the hood 54 through the guide hole 59, protrudes into the hood 54 when moving forward, and can be retracted into the side wall from the hood 54 when moving backward.

  Above the open portion 58 at the top of the hood 54, a label attaching means 62 constituted by a cylinder device 60 and a suction plate 61 that advances and retreats by the cylinder device 60 is provided. The label sticking means 62 can be moved up and down by a lift drive device 63, and the rotation drive device 64 is positioned so that the suction plate 61 faces sideways (see FIG. 13) and the position where the suction plate 61 faces down (see FIGS. 14 and 14). (See FIG. 15).

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 16, a wedge-shaped guide plate 65 is provided downward in front of the horizontal position of the suction plate 61, and above the label supply reel 66 and the release paper tape take-up reel. 67 is provided. The release paper tape 68 pulled out from the label supply reel 66 is wound around the release paper tape take-up reel 67 through the front end portion of the guide plate 65 positioned below. The release paper tape 68 delivered from the label supply reel 66 is provided with circular labels 69 at regular intervals as shown in FIG. The label 69 has a diameter larger than that of a vent hole 57 of the lidded container 1 to be described later, and covers the vent hole 57 and can be attached to the lidded container 1. The guide plate 65 is elastically supported so as to be slidable up and down by the tension of the release paper tape 68.

  Next, the operating state of the gas replacement device C will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 13, the lidded container 1 is conveyed onto the processing table 6 in a state where the label sticking means 62 of the label sticking device 49 and the hood 54 of the gas supply device 50 are raised.

  When the container 1 with a lid is placed at a predetermined position on the processing table 6, the support column expansion / contraction device 51 of the gas supply device 50 is operated to contract the support column 52, and the hood 54 is lowered together with the gas nozzle 56. The cover 1 is covered with the ventilation hole 57 of the lidded container 1 so that the entry of outside air can be suppressed to some extent. At this time, the gas nozzle 56 is in the retracted position, and its tip is housed in the side wall of the hood 54.

  On the other hand, in the labeling device 49, the cylinder device 60 is operated in a state where the suction plate 61 is in the horizontal direction, and the suction plate 60 is advanced as shown in FIG. This is pressed against 69 and adsorbed. In the state of FIG. 16A, the label supply reel 66 and the release paper tape take-up reel 67 are in a stopped state.

  After the label 69 is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 61 as described above, when only the release paper tape take-up reel 67 is rotated in the take-up direction, the release paper tape 68 is applied as shown in FIG. Tension is applied and the guide plate 65 is elastically pushed upward. As a result, the release paper tape 68 is peeled from the label 69 adsorbed on the adsorption plate 61. Then, after the release paper tape 68 is peeled off, the suction plate 61 sucking the label 69 is returned to the original retracted position by the operation of the cylinder device 60, and is in the same state as in FIG.

  After one label 69 is transferred to the suction plate 61 as described above, the rotation of the release paper tape take-up reel 67 is stopped, and only the label supply reel 66 is rotated in the feeding direction of the release paper tape 68. . Then, the tension of the release paper tape 68 is weakened, the guide plate 65 is elastically returned to the original position, and the release paper tape 68 corresponding to one pitch of the label 69 attached to the release paper tape 68 at regular intervals. Is fed from the label supply reel 66 to return to the original state.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the suction plate 61 from which the label 69 has been transferred as described above is turned downward by the rotation of the label sticking means 62 by the rotation driving device 64 and faces the opening 58 of the hood 54. .

  The operation of the labeling device 49 described above is preferably completed before the hood 54 is lowered, because the processing time can be shortened.

  As described above, the hood 54 descends and covers the periphery of the vent hole 57 of the lidded container 1, and then the label attaching means 62 is lowered by the elevating drive device 63 and the label 69 is transferred. The suction plate 61 faces the hood 54 from the opening 58 of the hood 54, and the cylinder device 60 is put on the opening 58 so that the inflow of outside air can be suppressed to some extent. Packing (not shown) or the like may be interposed in the contact portion of the cylinder device 60 with the hood 54 in order to improve the adhesion. Then, the cylinder device 55 is operated to advance the gas nozzle 56 to project into the hood 54 through the guide hole 59, and the tip is inserted into the lidded container 1 from the vent hole 57 (see FIG. 17) of the lidded container 1. Into the state shown in FIG.

  In the state shown in FIG. 14, a replacement gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied directly into the lidded container 1 through the gas nozzle 56. As a result, the air in the lidded container 1 is replaced with the replacement gas, and the excess replacement gas flows out from the vent hole 57 (see FIG. 17) of the lidded container 1 to the hood 54, and the inside of the hood 54 is also replaced. Place in a gas atmosphere. Further, as the replacement gas is ejected from the gas nozzle 56, surrounding gas is entrained and flows into the lidded container 1. As described above, the hood 54 is also replaced with the replacement gas. Therefore, air is prevented from flowing into the lidded container 1.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 18, it is preferable that the gas supply port 70 provided at the tip of the gas nozzle 56 is directed upward. By doing so, the flow of the replacement gas ejected from the gas supply port 70 is directed in the direction of the lid 1a of the lidded container 1, so that the replacement gas can be prevented from directly colliding with the contents. It is possible to prevent the arrangement of the contents from being disturbed by the gas ejection pressure.

  After the inside of the lidded container 1 is filled with the replacement gas as described above, the supply of the replacement gas is stopped, the cylinder device 55 is operated and the gas nozzle 56 is moved backward, and then the cylinder device 64 as shown in FIG. Is operated to advance the suction plate 61, and the held label 69 (see FIG. 16) is attached to cover the vent hole 57 (see FIG. 17) of the lidded container 1. Thereby, the container 1 with a lid | cover is sealed in the state by which the inside was substituted by substitution gas.

  After the label 69 is attached, the suction plate 61 is retracted and the label attaching means 62 is raised by the elevating drive device 63 and returned to the original ascending position. Rotate it to the position facing sideways. Further, the support column expansion / contraction device 51 is operated to extend the support column 52 and raise the hood 54 together with the gas nozzle 56 to return to the ascending position in FIG. 13 to prepare for the next cycle.

  As described above, the lid 69 in which the vent hole 57 (see FIG. 17) is covered with the label 69 (see FIG. 16) and the inside replaced with the replacement gas is sealed is transferred by the traverser device B described above. To the sealed secondary processing apparatus D.

(4) Sealed secondary processing device D

  19 is an enlarged view of the sealed secondary processing apparatus D, FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of the sealed secondary processing apparatus D showing the state where the label sealing unit 74 is lowered, and FIG. 21 is sent to the sealed secondary processing apparatus D. FIG. 22 is a plan view of the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b in the tape sealing unit 75, FIG. 23 is a side view of the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b in FIG. 24, and FIG. FIG. 25 is a side view of the tape sealing roller of FIG. 24. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the sealed secondary processing apparatus D includes a label sealing unit 74 and a tape sealing unit 75.

  The label sealing unit 74 is provided above the processing table 7. The label sealing unit 74 is held by a vertical rail 77 attached to the support frame 76, and can be moved up and down along the vertical rail 77 by an elevating drive device 78, and includes a pressing plate 79 at the lower end.

  The presser plate 79 sandwiches the lidded container 1 on the processing table 7 with the processing table 7 when the label rubbing unit 74 is lowered, and has a through-opening window 80. The lidded container 1 transferred from the gas replacement device C to the sealed secondary processing device D by the traverse device B has a vent hole 57 covered with a label 69 as shown in FIG. The air hole 67 and the label 67 are placed on the processing table 7 so that the air hole 67 and the label 67 are located immediately below the window 80 of the presser plate 79.

  Two label sealing rods 81 each having a rounded tip slightly projecting downward from the window 80 are suspended from the upper side of the window 80 of the presser plate 79 so that they can be pushed upward elastically. The two label sealing rods 81 are rubbed against the periphery of the label 69 attached to the lidded container 1 by the gas displacement device C, so that the label 69 is firmly attached to the periphery of the vent hole 57 and adhered. Therefore, the upper end portion is held in parallel with the holding plate 82 with a gap smaller than the diameter of the label 69 and larger than the diameter of the vent hole 57.

  A rotation driving device 83 is provided above the holding plate 82. The holding plate 82 is attached to the rotation driving device 83 and is horizontally centered around the center between the two label sealing rods 81 held in parallel. It is intended to be rotated in the direction.

  On the other hand, the tape sealing unit 75 is provided on the side of the processing table 7 and is directed from the side of the lidded container 1 placed on the processing table 7 toward the adhesive tape 2 wound by the tape applicator A. The tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b are moved forward and backward. The tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b can be rotated in the horizontal direction around the vertical axis and are provided vertically. The upper and lower tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b are elastically brought into contact with the adhesive tape 2 wound around the lidded container 1 when moving forward. For example, the cylinder devices 38 and 39 shown in FIG. The advancing / retreating mechanism is similar to the advancing / retreating mechanism of the winding roller 11 and the pressing roller 12 of the tape applicator A, which includes the rods 40, 41, the support pins 42, and the tilting arms 43, 44.

  The upper and lower tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b are in contact with the vicinity of the winding start end 2 'of the adhesive tape 2 as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 is adjusted so that the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b and the vicinity of the winding start end 2 'of the adhesive tape 2 face each other in the sealed secondary processing apparatus C. The upper and lower tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the adhesive tape 2 with the advance / retreat mechanism. Further, the upper and lower tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b have their rotational axes shifted in the moving direction, and are in contact with both side edges (upper edge and lower edge) of the adhesive tape 2, respectively. ing.

  Next, the operating state of the sealed secondary processing apparatus D will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 19, the lidded container 1 is conveyed onto the processing table 7 with the label sealing unit 74 raised. At this time, the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b are in the retracted position.

  When the container 1 with the lid is placed at a predetermined position on the processing table 7, the label sealing unit 74 is lowered by the operation of the elevating drive device 78, and the container 1 with the lid is placed between the press plate 79 and the processing table 7. Press down. At this time, the label 69 covering the vent hole 57 provided in the lid 1 a of the lidded container 1 is positioned immediately below the window 80 of the presser plate 79, and the tip of the label sealing rod 81 is elastic at the peripheral edge of the label 67. It will be in the state of pressure contact. The winding start end 2 ′ of the adhesive tape 2 wound along the seam between the lid 1 a and the main body 1 b of the lidded container 1 is in a position facing the tape sealing rollers 84 a and 84 b of the tape sealing unit 75.

  Next, when the rotation driving device 83 is operated and the label sealing rod 81 is rotated in the horizontal direction, the label sealing rod 81 rotates and rubs the periphery of the label 69, and the label 69 is firmly attached to the periphery of the vent hole 57. To complete the sealing. At the same time, the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b move forward and are horizontally reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the adhesive tape 2 in a state where the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b are elastically pressed onto the vicinity of the winding start end 2 'of the adhesive tape 2, The side edge portion is pressed back and forth across the winding start end 2 '. As a result, even if there is a gap between the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 2 and the container 1 with the lid at the stepped portion of the winding start end 2 ', the pressure-sensitive adhesive of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape 2 can be flowed and crushed, and the sealing is complete It will be a thing.

  By the way, although the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b can be provided at positions aligned vertically, distortion generated in the adhesive tape 2 becomes difficult to escape when the adhesive tape 2 is pressed and leveled. Is easier to approach. For this reason, it is preferable that the tape contact rollers 84a and 84b are provided so as to be shifted back and forth in the horizontal reciprocation direction so that the distortion of the adhesive tape 2 can be easily escaped.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, a tape sealing roller 84 having an axial length that can contact the entire width of the adhesive tape 2 is used, and one tape sealing roller 84 is used as described above. It is also possible to perform the same sealing process.

  However, the joint edge between the lid 1a and the main body 1b of the container 1 with the lid is often slightly squeezed outward, and it is sufficient that the adhesive tape 2 cannot be pressed uniformly. There is a risk that it will be impossible to seal properly. Therefore, the upper and lower tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 can be used to press the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b while avoiding the joint edge between the lid 1a and the main body 1b. It is preferable to do so.

  In both cases where the two tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b are used and one tape sealing roller 84, the adhesive tape 2 is not pressed down as described above, but a liquid sealant is applied. Sealing can also be achieved. For example, oil, anaerobic curing agent or the like is used as the liquid sealant, and when this liquid sealant is applied to the vicinity of the winding start end 2 ′ of the adhesive tape 2 via the tape sealing rollers 84 a and 84 b or 84, winding starts. Even if there is a gap between the adhesive tape 2 and the lidded container 1 at the stepped portion of the end 2 ', the gap can be filled with a liquid sealant by capillary action, thereby obtaining a sufficient sealing state. be able to.

  Further, the tape sealing rollers 84a and 84b or 84 may be passed only once on the winding start end 2 'of the adhesive tape 2, but by reciprocating so that the sealing state can be reliably improved. It is preferable to pass over the winding start end 2 ′ of the adhesive tape 2 multiple times.

  If the gas replacement device C according to the present invention is combined with the tape applying device A, the traverser device B and the sealed secondary processing device D as described above to constitute a gas pack packaging device, the internal air has a high concentration. A gas pack package substituted with a replacement gas can be easily obtained. This gas pack packaging can improve the storage stability of food, and for example, when used as a lunch box packaging, the storage period can be extended.

  The gas replacement device C according to the present invention is not used as a gas pack packaging device of the above combination, but can be used alone. In this case, the lidded container 1 to be processed is not limited to the one in which the joint between the lid 1a and the main body 1b is sealed with the adhesive tape 2, and a container sealed by other means may be used. it can. Moreover, the container 1 with a lid | cover which does not have a seam in a peripheral part may be sufficient as long as the seam is sealed.

It is the schematic of the gas pack packaging apparatus using the gas displacement apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance state of the container with a lid | cover by the traverser apparatus shown by FIG. It is an enlarged view of a tape sticking apparatus. It is an enlarged view of the tape sticking apparatus in a state where the presser plate and the turntable are lowered. It is an enlarged view of the attachment part to the rotating main shaft of a turntable. It is explanatory drawing of the ring rail and pinion rack mechanism for moving a turntable horizontally. It is a bottom view of a turntable. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism around a winding roller and a pressing roller, and is a top view which shows the state before the winding start of an adhesive tape. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism around a winding roller and a pressing roller, and is a top view which shows the state immediately after the winding start of an adhesive tape. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism around a winding roller and a pressing roller, and is a top view which shows the winding state of the adhesive tape to the corner part vicinity of a container with a lid | cover. It is explanatory drawing of the mechanism around a winding roller and a pressing roller, and is a top view which shows the state just before completion | finish of winding of an adhesive tape. It is an expansion perspective view of a traverser device. It is a partial cross section enlarged view of the gas displacement apparatus which shows the state before the label sticking means of a label sticking apparatus and the hood of a gas supply apparatus descend | fall. It is a partial cross section enlarged view of a gas substitution device showing the state where a label sticking means and a hood descend and a gas nozzle advances. It is a partial cross-sectional enlarged view of the gas displacement device showing a state where the label sticking means and the hood are lowered, the gas nozzle is moved backward, and the adsorption plate is moved forward. It is explanatory drawing of the peeling mechanism of a label, (a) is explanatory drawing of the state which adsorb | sucked the label, (b) is explanatory drawing of the stage in the middle of a label peeling from a release paper tape. It is a perspective view of a container with a lid sent to a gas substitution device. It is an expanded sectional view of the tip part of a gas nozzle. It is an enlarged view of a sealing secondary processing apparatus. It is an enlarged view of the sealing secondary processing apparatus of the state which the label sealing unit fell. It is a perspective view of a container with a lid sent to a sealed secondary processing device. It is plane explanatory drawing of the tape sealing roller in a tape sealing unit. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the tape sealing roller of FIG. It is a plane explanatory view of other tape sealing rollers. It is side surface explanatory drawing of the tape sealing roller of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS A Tape sticking apparatus B Traverse apparatus C Gas displacement apparatus D Sealing secondary processing apparatus 1 Container with lid 1a Lid 1b Main body 2 Adhesive tape 2 'Adhesive tape winding start end 3 Conveying device 4 Processing table 5 Conveying arm 6 Processing table 7 Processing table 8 Presser plate 9 Turntable 10 Tape reel 11 Winding roller 12 Pressing roller 13 Lifting drive device 14 First lifting shaft 15 Support frame 16 Support shaft 17 Rotating main shaft 18 Drive gear 19 Drive gear 20 Rotating drive device 21 Rotating drive shaft 22 Intermediate Table 23 Lifting Drive Device 24 Second Lifting Shaft 25 Third Lifting Shaft 26 Linear Rail 27 Rail Holding Unit 28 Lifting Drive Device 29 Ring Rail 30 Traveling Roller 31 Vertical Rack 32 Gear Box 33 First Pinion 34 Conductive Gear 35 Second Next to pinion 36 Rack 37 Opening portion 38 Cylinder device 39 Cylinder device 40 Cylinder rod 41 Cylinder rod 42 Support pin 43 Tilt arm 44 Tilt arm 45 Cutter 46 Portal frame 47 Guide rail 48 Support frame 49 Labeling device 50 Gas supply device 51 Support column expansion / contraction device 52 Support Pillar 53 Support Arm 54 Hood 55 Cylinder Device 56 Gas Nozzle 57 Vent Hole 58 Opening Portion 59 Guide Hole 60 Cylinder Device 61 Suction Plate 62 Label Sticking Means 63 Lifting Drive Device 64 Rotation Drive Device 65 Guide Plate 66 Label Supply Reel 67 Release Pattern tape take-up reel 68 Release paper tape 69 Label 70 Gas supply port 74 Label sealing unit 75 Tape sealing unit 76 Support frame 77 Vertical rail 78 Lifting drive device 79 Holding plate 80 Window portion 81 Label sealing rod 82 Holding plate 83 Rotation drive device 84 Tape sealing roller 84a Tape sealing roller 84b Tape sealing roller

Claims (2)

A processing table on which a lidded container having a vent hole is placed on the top surface of the lid;
It can be moved up and down with respect to the processing table, and when it is lowered, it covers the periphery of the vent hole of the lidded container on the processing table, and when it covers the periphery of the vent hole of the lidded container, it faces the vent hole. A hood having a guide hole and an opening portion located;
While moving up and down with the hood, the hood can be moved forward and backward through the guide hole of the hood with the hood surrounding and surrounding the vent hole of the lidded container. A gas nozzle that is inserted into and supplies a replacement gas;
It can be raised and lowered with respect to the hood that surrounds the vent hole of the lidded container, covers the open part of the hood when descending, and when the gas nozzle moves backward, the vent hole of the lidded container is opened via the open part. A gas replacement device comprising a label attaching means for attaching a label to be covered. The gas replacement device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply port at the tip of the gas nozzle faces upward.

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