JP7614645B2 - Position shift prevention device and packaging machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a misalignment prevention device and a packaging machine equipped with the same.

Conventionally, horizontal bag making and filling machines are known that charge static electricity to the aggregate being transported to prevent the aggregate from shifting position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the horizontal bag making and filling machine described in Patent Document 1, a static electricity generating means is disposed upstream of the bag making means and above the transport path of the supply conveyor, which directly charges static electricity on the aggregate just before it is sent by the supply conveyor into the tubular film.

Patent No. 6121815

However, in conventional misalignment prevention devices that use a static electricity generating means located above the supply conveyor to charge the accumulated products during transport, when the outside humidity is high, the accumulated products become coated with water molecules, which gradually discharge, making it difficult to charge (and difficult to maintain charge), resulting in a problem of reduced misalignment prevention effectiveness.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a misalignment prevention device that can improve the effectiveness of preventing misalignment of transported items regardless of the humidity of the outside air, and a packaging machine equipped with the same.

The present invention relates to a position shift prevention device comprising an external charging type charging means, a cover means, and a low-humidity gas supply means, wherein the low-humidity gas supply means sprays the low-humidity gas into the inside of the cover means while the charging means charges the packaged product or at least the packaging material that packages the packaged product, which passes under the cover means.

The present invention also relates to a packaging machine equipped with the above-mentioned misalignment prevention device.
The present invention also relates to a packaging machine comprising a positional deviation prevention device that prevents packaged products from shifting out of position, and a conveying means that conveys the packaged products, wherein the positional deviation prevention device comprises an external charging type charging means, a cover means, and a low-humidity gas supply means, wherein the low-humidity gas supply means sprays the low-humidity gas into the inside of the cover means while the charging means charges the packaged products that pass under the cover means, and the conveying means comprises a pushing means that supports the packaged products from the front and rear in the conveying direction and pushes them in the conveying direction, and a guide means that covers the sides of the conveying surface of the conveying means, and the charging means is arranged to sandwich the pushing means.

The present invention provides a misalignment prevention device that can improve the effectiveness of preventing misalignment of transported items regardless of the humidity of the outside air, and a packaging machine equipped with the same.

1 is a schematic front view showing an overall configuration of a packaging machine according to the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a packaging body (secondary packaging body) according to the present invention, in which (A) is a front view and (B) is a plan view. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the vicinity of the displacement prevention device according to the present invention, in which (A) is a front view, (B) is a plan (top) view, (C) is a side view, and (D) is a front view. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the vicinity of a displacement prevention device according to the present invention, in which (A) is a front view, (B) is a plan (top) view, and (C) is a side view. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the displacement prevention device according to the present invention. 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams showing a modified example of the packaging machine according to the present invention, in which (A) is a front view and (B) is a plan view.

The misalignment prevention device 100 according to the present invention and the packaging machine 1 equipped with the same will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an outline of the packaging machine 1 equipped with the misalignment prevention device 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of a package ZA2 packaged by the packaging machine 1, with FIG. 2(A) being a front view corresponding to FIG. 1, and FIG. 2(B) being a top (plan) view. Note that in this figure and the following figures, some components have been omitted as appropriate to simplify the drawings. Also, in this figure and the following figures, the size, shape, thickness, position, etc. of the members have been appropriately exaggerated to express them.

The packaging machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, as an example, a so-called horizontal bag-making and filling machine (pillow packaging machine) in which packaging material YA2 is continuously supplied in accordance with the sequential supply of packaged items XA2, and is made into a cylindrical bag, and sealing and cutting are performed in the width direction of the packaging material YA2 at a predetermined pitch (cutting pitch CP).

The packaging machine 1 uses the continuously supplied packaging material YA2 to transport from upstream to downstream the packaged products XA2 that are sequentially supplied from the previous process. In this embodiment, the packaging material YA2 is, for example, a resin film, but is not limited to this and may be a paper material, etc. In FIG. 1, the side closer to the raw material roll YB1 is the upstream side, and the side farther away is the downstream side.

<Packaging machine>
1, the packaging machine 1 includes an article supply device 2, a packaging material supply device 3, a packaging machine main body 4, a misalignment prevention device 100, a control unit (not shown), etc., and conveys and packages the packaged product XA2. In this embodiment, the various directions in the packaging machine 1 are defined as follows: a first direction that is the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped packaging material YA2 is called a conveying direction T, a second direction that is the width direction of the packaging material YA2 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is called a conveying width direction W, and a third direction that is perpendicular to the conveying direction T and the conveying width direction W is called a conveying height direction H.

These components of the packaging machine 1 are controlled by a control unit. The control unit is made up of a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and performs various controls. The CPU is a so-called central processing unit, and executes various programs to realize various functions. The RAM is used as a working area for the CPU. The ROM stores the basic OS and programs executed by the CPU.

Referring to FIG. 2, the packaged product XA2 in this embodiment is, for example, a stack of previously individually packaged products XA1 (primary packages). The packaging material YA1 of the primary packages ZA1 is made of a material capable of being charged with static electricity, for example, a resin film such as CPP (non-oriented polypropylene), but is not limited thereto, and may be a paper material coated with a resin material capable of being charged with static electricity. In this example, the products XA1 (primary packages ZA1) contained in the packaging material YA1 are stacked in multiple layers (for example, three layers) in the conveying height direction H, and are then packaged together in multiple rows (for example, four to five rows) in the conveying direction T to form one package (secondary package ZA2). In other words, the packaged product XA2 in this embodiment is an accumulation of multiple layers and multiple rows of primary packages ZA1.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the article supplying device 2 conveys a group (e.g., 3 tiers x 5 rows) of packaged products (hereinafter, stacked products) XA2 at equal intervals and sequentially conveys the stacked products XA2 to the downstream packaging machine main body 4. The article supplying device 2 is, for example, a finger conveyor having a conveying surface 25, a pushing means (e.g., fingers) 22 that sandwiches the stacked products XA2 from the front and rear of the conveying direction T and pushes them in the conveying direction T, and a guide means 206 that covers the sides of the stacked products XA2. The finger conveyor 2 has, for example, a plurality of sprockets 201 (driving sprockets and driven sprockets), some of which are not shown here, and a circular chain (or belt) 202 that is wound around them. The driving sprockets are rotated by the drive of a servo motor, which causes the chain 202 to run in a circular manner. The driven sprockets are rotated in conjunction with the driving sprockets by the running of the chain 202. The multiple fingers 22 protrude upward from below the conveying surface 25 through slits (not shown here) provided in the conveying surface 25. These multiple fingers 22 travel on the conveying surface by the movement of the chain 202, and push the accumulated product XA2, which is a bundle of multiple primary packages ZA1 on the conveying surface 25, and send it to the packaging machine main body 4.

The packaging material supply device 3 continuously supplies the packaging material YA2 to the downstream packaging machine main body 4. The packaging material supply device 3 is equipped with a raw material shaft 8, a servo motor (not shown), rollers 9, etc. The raw material shaft 8 rotatably holds the raw material roll YB1. This raw material shaft 8 is rotated by the servo motor and rotates the raw material roll YB1 that it holds. As a result, a strip-shaped packaging material YA2 is unwound (stretched) from the raw material roll YB1. The roller 9 guides the wrapped packaging material YA2 to the supply port 14a of the bag maker 14 provided downstream.

In addition, instead of using the raw material driving method described above as a method for unwinding the packaging material YA2 from the raw material roll YB1, a feed roller driving method may be used in which a separate feed roller is provided and the feed roller is moved to unwind the packaging material YA2. Also, both the raw material driving method and the feed roller driving method may be used.

The packaging machine main body 4 packages the accumulated products XA2 supplied from the item supply device 2 while forming the strip-shaped packaging material YA2 supplied from the packaging material supply device 3 into a cylindrical shape. Specifically, the packaging machine main body 4 includes, for example, a bag maker 14, a center seal device 16, a first conveying device 17, an upper holding device 18, a top seal device (end seal device) 30, and a second conveying device 20.

The bag maker 14 makes a cylindrical bag from the strip-shaped packaging material YA2 supplied from the packaging material supply device 3 so that both ends in the width direction (transport width direction W) overlap each other. The bag maker 14 also supplies the accumulated product XA2 supplied from the item supply device 2 to the packaging material YA2 that is made into a cylindrical bag. As a result, the accumulated product XA2 is wrapped in the packaging material YA2 that has been made into a cylindrical bag. In other words, the bag maker 14 functions as a bag making device that bends the packaging material YA2 so that both ends in the transport width direction W overlap each other to form a cylindrical bag.

The two end edges of the packaging material YA2 stacked by the bag maker 14 are pinched by pinch rollers 15 as the area where the center seal portion is to be formed, and a conveying force is applied. The center seal device 16 pinches and heats both end edges of the overlapped packaging material YA2 with a pair of bar sealers 16a. The center seal device 16 then presses both end edges of the heated packaging material YA2 with press rollers 16b to center seal and form the center seal portion. The center seal device 16 may be a rotary center seal device that pinches and heats the center seal portion with a pair of rollers or multiple rollers.

The first conveying device 17 places the center-sealed cylindrical packaging material YA2, together with the accumulated product XA2 wrapped in the packaging material YA2, on the conveying surface 25 and conveys them toward the top sealing device 30. This first conveying device 17 expands and contracts the conveying surface 25 in the conveying direction in accordance with the box motion of the top sealing device 30.

The upper holding device 18 is disposed above the first conveying device 17 and holds down from above the stack XA2 together with the packaging material YA2 being conveyed to the first conveying device 17. This allows the stack XA2 to be conveyed while maintaining a horizontal position.

The top seal device (top seal means, horizontal seal means, end seal means) 30 top seals (end seals, horizontal seals) and cuts the tubular packaging material containing the accumulated product XA2 at predetermined intervals, specifically at each cutting pitch CP according to the length of the accumulated product XA2, in the width direction of the packaging material YA2 (the conveying width direction W, the direction transverse to the packaging material YA2). This forms a top seal portion and produces a package (pillow package, secondary package) ZA2 for the accumulated product XA2.

As an example, the top sealing device 30 is a so-called box motion type having a pair of upper and lower top sealers 30a, 30b. The pair of top sealers 30a, 30b, arranged above and below the cylindrical packaging material YA2, move on a predetermined trajectory while maintaining their sealing surfaces facing each other, and perform top sealing and cutting in the width direction of the film at each cutting pitch CP according to the length of the item. The film part (top seal part) that is sealed and cut by the top sealing device 30 is a predetermined position between the front and rear accumulated products XA2. Note that the top sealing device 30 may be a rotary or linear reciprocating top sealing device other than a box motion type.

If necessary, the top seal device 30 may also push inward with a gusset claw (not shown) a predetermined folding position on both sides of the cylindrical packaging material YA2 in the traveling direction near the portion to be top sealed, before (or simultaneously with) applying a top seal to the cylindrical packaging material YA2, to form a folding portion.

The second conveying device 20 is provided downstream of the top sealing device 30. This second conveying device 20 is a belt conveyor that places the package ZA2 finished by the top sealing device 30 on the conveying surface 26 and conveys it to the next process.

Here, the packaging machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a positional deviation prevention device 100, for example, upstream of the bag former 14. The positional deviation prevention device 100 includes:
This is a means for statically charging the stack XA2 contained in the packaging material YA2 when the support of the fingers 22 is released at the downstream end of the finger conveyor 2. As a result, the stack XA2 is electrically attracted to each other of the primary packages ZA1 (the packaging materials YA1), preventing misalignment (disintegration of the stack).

<Displacement prevention device>
The displacement prevention device 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the vicinity of the displacement prevention device 100 extracted from the packaging machine 1 of Figure 1, where (A) is a front view, (B) is a top view (plan view), (C) is a side view seen from the upstream side, and (D) is a partially perspective front view of the charging means. Figure 4 shows the state in which the accumulated product XA2 is charged, where (A) is a front view corresponding to Figure 3(A), (B) is a top view (plan view) corresponding to Figure 3(B), and (C) is a side view corresponding to Figure 3(C).

Referring to FIG. 3, the misalignment prevention device 100 of this embodiment has a charging means 101, a cover means 102, and a gas supply means 103, and is, as an example, disposed upstream of the bag former 14, more specifically, immediately upstream of the bag former 14.

The charging means 101 is, for example, a device (charging device, static electricity generating device) that generates static electricity to charge a target object (here, individual primary packages ZA1 (packaging material YA1) that constitutes the accumulated product XA2). As an example, a non-contact charging means 101 that charges the accumulated product XA2 with static electricity without contact is used here. Since the charging means 101 is known, a detailed description is omitted. For example, as shown in Figures 3(C) and 3(D), the charging means 101 includes a DC high voltage generator (not shown) and a charging electrode 110, and is configured so that ions created by applying a high voltage (positive or negative polarity) from the DC high voltage generator to the discharge needle 115 of the charging electrode 110 move to the conveying surface 25 side of the finger conveyor 2, which is the ground side.

In this example, as shown in Fig. 4B and Fig. 4C, the finger conveyor 2 protrudes upward from below the conveying surface 25 through a slit 205 provided along the conveying direction T at approximately the center of the conveying surface 25 in the conveying width direction W. Also, guide means (side guides) 206 that cover the sides of the conveying surface 25 are provided on both sides of the conveying width direction W of the conveying surface 25. In this example, the side guides 206 are continuous with both ends of the conveying surface 25 and in contact with the conveying height direction H (vertical direction). For example, the height of the side guides 206 is set higher than the conveying height H of the accumulated product XA2 so that the accumulated product XA2 can be prevented from collapsing and falling from the conveying surface 25 during conveying (see Fig. 4C).

In this example, a placement section 207 having a surface approximately parallel to the conveying surface 25 is provided at the upper end of the side guide 206 in the conveying height direction H. The placement section 207 may be, for example, a part of the machine frame of the packaging machine 1 (for example, a workbench). The conveying surface 25 and the side guide 206 create an approximately U-shaped space 108 in side view as shown in FIG. 4C, and the accumulated product XA2 is stored in this space 108 and conveyed (see FIG. 4C). Hereinafter, the space 108 is referred to as the conveying space. The side guide 206 and the conveying surface 25 may be spaced apart within the range of the height of the primary package ZA1.

In this example, as shown in Fig. 3(B) and Fig. 3(C), two chains 202 are provided for the finger conveyor 2. The first chain 202A and the second chain 202B are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart in the conveying width direction W. The first chain 202A has a plurality of first fingers 22A spaced apart at a predetermined distance in the conveying direction T, and the second chain 202B has a plurality of second fingers 22B spaced apart at a predetermined distance in the conveying direction T. The first chain 202A and the second chain 202B run such that the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B are at a predetermined relative position in the conveying direction T. In other words, one first finger 22A and one second finger 22B form a pair, and support (clamp) one (one set) of the accumulated product XA2 from the front and rear in the conveying direction T, while pushing it from upstream to downstream (Fig. 4).

The finger conveyor 2 may be equipped with a position adjustment mechanism capable of changing the relative positions of the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B, which makes it easy to accommodate changes in the form of the accumulated product XA2 (the type, number, and accumulation state of the articles XA1). The conveying surface 25 and the side guides 206, which extend at least from below the charging means 101 to near the bottom plate of the bag maker 14, are made of an insulating material (synthetic resin, as an example).

As shown in Fig. 3B and Fig. 3C, a plurality of charging means 101 are provided in this example. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3D, each charging means 101 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 101B and a plurality of discharge needles 115 provided therein. As an example, five discharge needles 115 are arranged along the transport direction T in two rows in the transport width direction W, in a staggered pattern when viewed from above. The charging means 101 is attached above the transport surface 25 so that the arrangement direction of the discharge needles 115 in the longitudinal direction is along the transport direction T.
Two of the charging means 101 are arranged side by side in the transport width direction W so as to sandwich the finger 22 (first finger 22A and second finger 22B). In this example, the lower end of the charging means 101 in the transport height direction H is located, for example, above the upper end (placing portion 207) of the side guide 206 and does not enter the transport space 108, but the finger 22 runs between the opposing charging means 101 when viewed from above ( FIG. 3B ).

The cover means 102 is a box-shaped body, and is arranged above the finger conveyor 2 to cover (contain) the charging means 101. As an example, the charging electrodes 110 of the two charging means 101 and the entire housing 101B are covered by the cover means 102. At least a part of the bottom (the surface facing the conveying surface 25) of the cover means 102 is open. In this example, the cover means 102 is placed on the placement portion 207, and is configured to cover a part of the conveying space 108 whose top surface is open (near the downstream side of the conveying space 108 extending in the conveying direction T).

Referring to FIG. 3(C), the misalignment prevention device 100 of this embodiment has a gas supplying means 103 that sprays low-humidity gas inside the cover means 102. Here, the "low-humidity gas" is a gas with a lower humidity than the air around the packaging machine 1 (air in an indoor space where the packaging machine 1 is placed, outside air, etc.), for example, air with a lower humidity than the surrounding air. The gas supplying means 103 has a gas outlet 111, a gas supply path 112, and a moisture removing means 113 as an example. The moisture removing means 113 is, for example, a mist separator. The mist separator 113 is, for example, connected to the middle of the gas supply path 112. Also, for example, the gas supply path 112 is inserted into a through hole provided in the cover means 102, and the gas outlet 111 is disposed inside the cover means 102. Although not shown, it is desirable to dispose a packing or the like around the through hole to prevent gas leakage.

In this example, a through hole is provided on the top surface 102TS of the cover means 102, and the gas supply path 112 is inserted through it. In other words, the gas outlet 111 is located at the top inside the cover means 102, and is configured to eject low-humidity gas toward the bottom (transport space 108).

The gas supply means 103 takes in the surrounding air and removes moisture from the air using the mist separator 113 before the air reaches the gas outlet 111. The air (low humidity gas) that has a lower humidity than the surrounding air is then ejected into the cover means 102 through the gas outlet 111. This causes the humidity inside the cover means 102 and in the transfer space 108 below the cover means 102 to be lower than that of the surrounding air.

The low-humidity gas is not limited to air, but may be, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas. The moisture removal means 113 is not limited to the mist separator 113, but may be, for example, a moisture removal filter. Furthermore, dry air generated by, for example, a dry air device may be supplied as the low-humidity gas.

Referring to FIG. 4, a set of stacked products XA2 is supported front and rear in the conveying direction T by the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B, and is conveyed from upstream to downstream. In the misalignment prevention device 100, the generated ions move to the conveying surface 25 side of the finger conveyor 2, which is the grounded side. In other words, when the stacked product XA2 passes under the misalignment prevention device 100, the packaging material YA1 of each primary package ZA1 is charged with static electricity by the ions moving from the discharge needle 115 of the charging means 101 to the conveying surface 25. As a result, the primary packages ZA1 (the packaging materials YA1) that make up the stacked product XA2 are attracted to each other, and the stacked state of the stacked product XA2 can be maintained.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 1C, the gas supply means 103 sprays low-humidity gas into the inside of the cover means 102. This causes the inside of the cover means 102 to be filled with gas (air) that has a lower humidity than the surrounding air outside the cover means 102. The cover means 102 can also prevent ions generated by the displacement prevention device 100 from scattering, for example, outside the transfer space 108.

In other words, the misalignment prevention device 100 of this embodiment can generate ions using the charging means 101 while injecting low-humidity gas intensively into the transport space 108 below the cover means 102, so that the accumulated product XA2 passing through here is charged with static electricity in an atmosphere that is not affected by humidity. This prevents the discharge of static electricity, increases the adhesion between the individual primary packages ZA1 (their packaging materials YA1), and maintains the stacked state of the accumulated product XA2.

In particular, by locating the gas outlet 111 inside the upper part of the cover means 102 and configuring it so that low-humidity gas is ejected toward the bottom of the cover means 102 (the transport space 108), it becomes easier to move ions in the direction of gas ejection, which also enhances the charging effect of the accumulated product XA2.

The fingers 22 (first finger 22A and second finger 22B) that support and push the accumulated product XA2 retreat below the conveying surface 25 as the chain 202 circulates, immediately upstream of the bag maker 14. In other words, the accumulated product XA2 is released from support by the fingers 22, but the adhesion between the individual primary packages ZA1 is increased, so that the accumulated product XA2 can be stably supplied to the bag maker 14.

In this example, the cover means 102 is shown to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, but a part of the cover means 102 (e.g., the top surface 102TS and/or a side surface (e.g., the side surface 102SS in the conveying width direction) may protrude (extend) to the bag former 14 to the extent that it does not interfere with the bag former 14. This reduces the opportunity for the accumulated product XA2 to come into contact with the surrounding air (outside air) even after passing through the charging means 101, making it easier to maintain the charge of the accumulated product XA2. As a result, the adhesion between the individual primary packages ZA1 (their packaging materials YA1) is increased, and the accumulated product XA2 can be supplied to the bag former 14 while preventing the stacked state from collapsing.

In this example, a portion of the bottom surface of the cover means 102 is open, but it is preferable to leave that area open only in the portion facing the conveying surface 25 (leaving the minimum necessary amount of open), as this will minimize the amount of ions and low-humidity gas leaking outside the cover means 102.

In addition, in this embodiment, the misalignment prevention device 100 is provided upstream of the bag maker 14, and while ions are released in a concentrated manner in the transport space 108 covered by the cover means 102, the release of ions to the outside of the cover means 102 can be minimized. This makes it possible to prevent the strip-shaped packaging material YA2 (film) from becoming charged before it is supplied to the bag maker 14. This allows the packaging material YA2 to be attracted to the bag maker 14 by static electricity, and the packaging material YA2 to meander, etc., and the film transport is not hindered, allowing for good cylindrical molding.

However, if the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B are made of, for example, a conductor (such as a metal), if the ions released from the charging means 101 move directly, the charging effect of the packaging material of the item XA1 may be reduced.

In this embodiment, the two charging means 101 are arranged facing each other so as to sandwich the finger 22, and each charging means 101 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the discharge needles 115 is aligned along the conveying direction T. This increases the opportunities for the accumulated product XA2 to come into contact with ions, and further enhances the charging effect of the packaging material of the item XA1 (Figure 4 (B)). The finger 22 may be made of an insulating resin material, or the finger 22 may be provided with a cover made of an insulating resin material.

<Modification>
5 and 6 show modified examples of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a modified example of the packaging machine 1 described above, and FIG. 5(A) is a front view showing a set of fingers 22 for conveying a set of stacked products XA2. The set of fingers 22 may include a third finger 22C between the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B. The third finger 22C is a partitioning means for separating a plurality of rows of article groups ZA1' arranged in the conveying direction T. Specifically, the stacked product XA2 in this example is an assembly of six rows of article groups ZA1' in the conveying direction T, each of which is made up of three stacked primary packages ZA1 in the conveying height direction T (three rows x six rows). The third finger 22C is disposed, for example, between the three rows of article groups ZA1' on the upstream side and the three rows of article groups ZA1' on the downstream side, and divides the stacked product XA2 into three rows. When the accumulated product XA2 is long in the conveying direction T (in the case of multiple rows), there is a high possibility that the intermediate primary package ZA1 will collapse if only the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B are used. In such a case, however, by providing a third finger 22C (partition means), the collapse of the primary package ZA1 can be prevented.

The fingers 22 travel in a circular motion and retreat below the conveying surface 25 at the downstream end of the finger conveyor 2. In the case where the fingers 22 are tilted downstream to retreat, the third finger 22C is attached to at least one of the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B. The third finger 22C may be attached to both the first finger 22A and the second finger 22B. This makes it possible to avoid the collapse of the group of articles ZA1' downstream due to the retreat of the third finger 22C.

Alternatively, the finger 22 (or the third finger 22C) may be adapted to move up and down in the vertical direction (transport height direction H).

Figure 5 (B) is a front view of the vicinity of the misalignment prevention device 100. The gas outlet 111 of the gas supply means 103 may be disposed, for example, on the upstream side surface 102FS of the cover means 102, and the low-humidity gas may be ejected in the direction of the downstream side surface 102FB of the cover means 102. In this way, it is possible to prevent the low-humidity gas from leaking upstream of the misalignment prevention device 100, and also to supply the low-humidity gas into the cylindrical packaging material YA2 formed by the bag maker 14, and to move ions.

The gas outlet 111 is not limited to being installed on only one surface of the cover means 102, but may be arranged on multiple surfaces, such as the top surface 102TS and the upstream side surface 102FS. The ejection angle of the gas outlet 111 and the position of the gas outlet 111 may be adjustable.

Figure 5 (C) is a side view of the misalignment prevention device 100 as seen from the upstream side. A configuration may be provided in which only one charging means 101 is provided. In that case, it is preferable to arrange the multiple discharge needles 115 in the longitudinal direction of the charging means 101 so that they are aligned along the transport width direction W.

Figure 6 shows an example of a packaging machine 1 in another embodiment, with (A) being a front view and (B) being a plan view (top view). As shown in Figure 6, for example, the packaging machine 1 may be configured to place a misalignment prevention device 100 upstream of the supply position Pin of the packaged product XA2, charge the packaging material YA2 passing through it, and then supply the packaged product XA2 at the supply position Pin onto the charged packaging material YA2. In this case, the packaged product XA2 is, for example, an accumulation of articles XA1 (primary packages ZA1) similar to the above embodiment, and the conveying surface 25 may be, for example, a conveying device such as a suction belt.

Specifically, for example, instead of the two chains 202 in the packaging machine 1 of the above embodiment, a circularly running endless belt 222 is provided, and a number of through holes 221 are provided in the endless belt 222. In this case, for example, the packaged product XA2 is transported by the endless belt 222, and the endless belt 222 becomes the transport surface 25. Furthermore, a suction device 230 is arranged at a predetermined position below the endless belt 222 (transport surface 25). That is, a hollow suction box 223 is arranged so as to abut against the lower surface of the endless belt 222 that constitutes the transport surface 25, and a number of through holes or openings (not shown) are formed on the upper surface of this suction box 223, and it is configured by being connected to a vacuum pump 225 via a pipe 224 connected to an outlet formed below.

With this configuration, when the vacuum pump 225 is operated, the negative pressure sucks the endless belt 222 through the piping 224 and the suction box 223, and further sucks the strip-shaped packaging material YA2 being transported through the through holes 221 formed in the endless belt 222. Then, the packaged products (accumulated products XA2) may be placed (supplied) at the position of the suction box 223 one after another at a predetermined timing by hand or by robot.

In the packaging machine 1 of FIG. 6, the packaged product XA2 may be, for example, a single item (single item) at least the surface of which can be charged. That is, it may be a single primary package ZA1 packaged with a packaging material that can be charged, or a single unpackaged item XA1 whose surface is made of a material that can be charged. In this case, the displacement prevention device 100 adsorbs the charged packaging material YA2 and the packaged product XA2, thereby preventing the packaged product XA2 in the packaging material YA2 (cylindrical film) bagged into a cylindrical shape from being displaced in the top seal portion and becoming caught. Furthermore, in this case, the displacement prevention device 100 may be disposed downstream of the supply position Pin to charge the packaging material YA2 and the packaged product XA2 (a single item XA1 (primary package ZA1) or an accumulation of items XA1) placed on the packaging material YA2 together.

In addition, in a packaging machine 1 that supplies packaged items XA2 to a strip-shaped packaging material YA2 being transported, bags the packaging material YA2 into a cylindrical shape, performs center sealing and top sealing, and cuts the packaging material YA2, the packaged items (collection of items XA1 (or primary package ZA1, the same applies below)) XA2 or group of items ZA1' placed on the strip-shaped packaging material YA2 may be charged to prevent misalignment. This is particularly effective for lightweight items XA1 that are prone to misalignment.

In addition, although not shown in the figure, one or more charging means 101 may be provided with a desired moving mechanism, so that each charging means 101 can be moved in the conveying width direction W, conveying direction T, and conveying height direction H depending on the shape of the accumulated product XA2.

The packaged item 2 does not have to be a primary package ZA1. In other words, it may be a collection of unpackaged items XA1, as long as the surface is capable of being charged.

Fingers 22 may be configured to transport accumulated product XA2 inside packaging material (cylindrical film) YA2 that has traveled into bag former 14 and been formed into a cylindrical shape, and charging means 101 may be configured to charge accumulated product XA2 inside the cylindrical film via the cylindrical film. Fingers 22 may be configured to charge accumulated product XA2 through the cylindrical film while it is being transported inside the cylindrical film.

The accumulated product XA2 may also be in a stacked state in which the items XA1 are shifted sideways when stacked so that some of them overlap, or the accumulated product XA2 may be in the form of upright items XA1 lined up in the conveying direction.

The misalignment prevention device 100 may also be placed on a moving means (such as a pedestal) that moves along the conveying direction T, and moved from upstream to downstream as the accumulated product XA2 is conveyed.

In addition, a static elimination device for eliminating the static charge on the accumulated product XA2 may be placed downstream of the top seal device of the packaging machine 1.

In addition, while a pillow packaging machine is used in the above example, the packaging machine 1 may be a three-side seal packaging machine, a four-side seal packaging machine, a shrink packaging machine, or the like.

Furthermore, the charging means 101 only needs to have at least its lower portion (the tip portion of the discharge needle 115) positioned inside the cover means 102, and its upper portion may be exposed from the cover means 102.

The misalignment prevention device 100 may also be disposed upstream of the finger conveyor 2. In that case, the cover means 102 should be long in the conveying direction T and cover the vicinity of the bag maker 14.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the present invention.

1 Packaging machine 2 Item supply device (finger conveyor)
3 Packaging material supply device 4 Packaging machine body 8 Raw material shaft 9 Roller 14 Bag former 22 Finger 22A First finger 22B Second finger 22C Third finger 25 Conveying surface 30 Top seal device (end seal device)
100: Positional deviation prevention device 101: Charging means 101B: Housing 102: Cover means 103: Gas supply means 108: Transfer space 110: Charging electrode 111: Gas outlet 112: Gas supply path 113: Moisture removal means (mist separator)
115 Discharge needle 202 Chain 202A First chain 202B Second chain 205 Slit 206 Guide means (side guide)
XA1 Article ZA1' Article group XA2 Packaged item (aggregated item)
YA1 Packaging material YA2 Packaging material YB1 Raw roll ZA1 Primary packaging ZA2 Secondary packaging

Claims (7)

An external charging means ;
A cover means;
A low humidity gas supply means;
The low-humidity gas supplying means sprays the low-humidity gas into the cover means, while the charging means charges the packaged product or at least the packaging material that packages the packaged product, which passes under the cover means.
A position shift prevention device characterized by the above. The charging means is provided in a plurality of units in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the packaged product.
2. The device for preventing displacement according to claim 1. The low humidity gas supply means includes a mist separator.
3. The device for preventing misalignment according to claim 1 or 2. The packaged product is an integrated product formed by stacking a plurality of primary packages.
The positional deviation prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A packaging machine equipped with a position shift prevention device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A conveying means for conveying the packaged product;
A bag making machine that forms the strip-shaped packaging material into a cylindrical shape;
a sealing means for sealing the tubular packaging material formed into a tubular shape by the bag making machine and containing the packaged product at predetermined intervals;
the cover means is disposed above the conveying means and is a box-shaped body with at least a part of a bottom portion being open;
The position shift prevention device is disposed upstream of the bag making machine.
6. The packaging machine according to claim 5. A position shift prevention device that prevents the packaged product from shifting in position;
A packaging machine comprising:
The position shift prevention device is
An external charging means;
A cover means;
A low humidity gas supply means;
The low humidity gas supply means sprays the low humidity gas into the cover means, while the charging means charges the packaged products passing under the cover means;
The conveying means includes a pushing means for supporting the packaged product from the front and rear in the conveying direction and pushing the packaged product in the conveying direction;
a guide means for covering a side of the conveying surface of the conveying means;
The charging means is disposed so as to sandwich the pushing means.
A packaging machine characterized by:

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