JP7617385B2 - Wrap-around Casserole - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wrap-around caser that seals by folding the top and bottom side flaps.

A wrap-around caser is known that places an item to be packaged on a continuously conveyed sheet and seals the item by folding the sheet in sequence to encase the item (Patent Document 1). The sheet has a front panel, a bottom panel, a rear panel, and a top panel that are connected via folds, and is wrapped around the front, bottom, rear, and top of the item to be packaged. Each panel also has side flaps that extend outward from both sides, and the front and rear side flaps are folded back and forth to cover the sides of the item to be packaged, while the bottom and top side flaps are folded up and down to cover the front and rear side flaps and glued, so that six sides of the item to be packaged are covered by the sheet.

In the wrap-around caser of Patent Document 1, the bottom and top side flaps are folded up and down by a pair of rod-shaped flap folding guides arranged along the side of the packaged product being transported. That is, the upper flap folding guide is arranged at a position higher than the top panel covering the packaged product on the upstream side, and slightly higher than half of the side on the downstream side. Meanwhile, the lower flap folding guide is arranged at a position lower than the bottom panel covering the packaged product on the upstream side, and slightly lower than half of the side on the downstream side. As a result, the upper side flaps extending horizontally outward engage with the upper flap folding guide as the packaged product is transported, and are folded downward in sequence from the downstream side. Similarly, the lower side flaps extending horizontally outward engage with the lower flap folding guide as the packaged product is transported, and are folded upward in sequence from the downstream side.

Patent No. 4159392

However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, friction between the flap folding guide and the upper and lower side flaps becomes large, and the upper and lower side flaps may twist backward and be stuck as they are. In other words, there is a problem that the upper and lower side flaps are misaligned diagonally, and a gap is created between the upper and lower side flaps on the downstream side. The misalignment is particularly noticeable when the sealed case is elongated or when the case contains products that have gaps between the corners of the case (PET containers, paper containers with caps attached to the top, etc.).

The present invention aims to provide a Lapland case that can properly fold the upper and lower side flaps.

The wrap-around caser according to the first aspect of the present invention is a wrap-around caser comprising : a conveying means for conveying a sheet with an article placed on its bottom surface; and an upper and lower side flap folding mechanism for folding the top surface, front surface, rear surface, front and rear side flaps of the sheet conveyed by the conveying means to wrap the sheet, and then folding the upper side flaps connected to the top surface and the lower side flaps connected to the bottom surface toward the front and rear side flaps to seal the sheet. The conveying means comprises an upper conveying chain provided with plates supporting the upper sides of the front and rear surfaces, and a lower conveying chain provided with plates supporting the lower sides of the front and rear surfaces, and the top surface, front surface, rear surface, front and rear sides are folded and wrapped by the conveying means. The sheet is transported to the upper and lower side flap folding mechanism while supporting the upper and lower sides of the front and rear of the sheet with the folded side flaps, and the upper and lower side flap folding mechanism is characterized by comprising a pair of lifting guides that can be raised and lowered to fold the horizontally extending upper and lower side flaps by a predetermined angle, a fixed guide that is provided downstream of the lifting guides and maintains the position of the upper and lower side flaps in the folded state by the predetermined angle, and a movable guide that can be moved forward and backward to press the upper and lower side flaps whose position is maintained by the fixed guides, thereby further folding them and pressing them against the front and rear side flaps that have been folded in advance.

The wrap-around caser, which is the second invention of the present invention, is the first invention, characterized in that rotatable rollers are attached to the movable guide and the upper and lower side flaps are pressed by the rollers.

The third invention of the present invention, the wrap-around caser, is characterized in that in the first or second invention, it is provided with a crimping guide that is provided downstream of the movable guide and further crimps the upper and lower side flaps that have been folded up to the front and rear side flaps.

The fourth invention of the present invention, the wrap-around caser, is the third invention, characterized in that rotatable rollers are attached to the crimping guide, and the upper and lower side flaps are crimped by the rollers.

The present invention provides a Lapland case that can properly fold the upper and lower side flaps.

1 is a development view of a wrap-around sheet used in a wrap-around caser according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the structure of the wrap-around case of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the wrap-around case of the present embodiment. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing the time series of the article packaging processing operation in the wrap-around caser of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of a wraparound sheet supported by a plate. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the arrangement of plates of the lower finger supporting the wrap-around sheet. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the arrangement of plates of the upper fingers supporting the wrap-around sheet. 11 is a side view of the case showing the upper and lower side flaps folded correctly and folded incorrectly. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an exploded view of a wrap-around sheet used in a wrap-around caser, which is one embodiment of the present invention.

The wrap-around sheet S is made of packaging material such as cartons or cardboard. The wrap-around sheet S is used to pack items M, for example, stacked in a predetermined number, into a box shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the wrap-around sheet S is unfolded on a flat surface, with the top surface P1, front surface P2, bottom surface P3, and rear surface P4 of the box being connected in a row in that order.

A pair of upper side flaps F1, front side flaps F2, lower side flaps F3, and rear side flaps F4 are connected to both sides of each of the series of top surface P1, front surface P2, bottom surface P3, and rear surface P4. A seam flap F5 is connected to the edge of the top surface P1 opposite the front surface P2. In addition, creases are provided at the boundaries between each of the surfaces P1 to P4 and at the boundaries between each of the surfaces P1 to P4 and each of the flaps F1 to F5.

Figures 2 and 3 are a plan view and a side view showing the structure of the wrap-around caser 10 of this embodiment. Also, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the item packaging processing operation in the wrap-around caser 10 in chronological order.

In this embodiment, the items M are, for example, paper containers filled with a beverage, with a drinking spout and a cap attached to the top. In this embodiment, the containers are packed in a box shape in a unit of 3 x 2 = 6 containers using wrap-around sheets S. The items M are stacked, for example, in 2 rows and 3 columns by a stacking device (not shown), and then transported by pusher 14 at predetermined intervals on the supply conveyor 12 as a 3 x 2 densely packed item group G.

The wrap-around case 10 of this embodiment is disposed downstream of the supply conveyor 12. Between the supply conveyor 12 and the wrap-around case 10, the wrap-around sheet S before folding is held in the upright position shown in FIG. 1 so as to block the path of the group of articles G being transported (FIG. 4(a)). The wrap-around sheet S is supplied from the side in an upright position, and between the supply conveyor 12 and the wrap-around case 10, the fold line between the front surface P2 and the bottom surface P3 is held at the height of the transport surface.

The wrap-around caser 10 is equipped with three lower conveyor chains 16A, 16B, and 16C that run in parallel in synchronization. The central lower conveyor chain 16B is provided with lower front fingers 18A at a predetermined interval to support the lower part of the front surface P2 of the sheet S, and the lower conveyor chains 16A and 16C on both sides are provided with lower rear fingers 18B at a predetermined interval to support the lower part of the rear surface P4 of the sheet S. The lower front finger 18A is provided with a plate 20A that abuts against the front surface P2, and the lower rear finger 18B is provided with a plate 20B that abuts against the rear surface P4. The lower conveyor chains 16A, 16B, and 16C are rotated integrally by a motor 16M via a gear 16G.

In the process of transferring the group of articles G to the wrap-around caser 10, the group of articles G is pressed against the front surface P2 of the wrap-around sheet S. At this time, the downstream surface of the front surface P2 of the wrap-around sheet S is supported by the standing lower front finger 18A. As the front surface of the group of articles G is conveyed while abutting against the front surface P2 of the standing wrap-around sheet S, the bottom surface P3 of the wrap-around sheet S is folded, and the group of articles G is transferred onto the bottom surface P3. At this time, the lower front finger 18A also moves at the same speed as the group of articles G to support the lower part of the front surface P2, and the front surface P2, top surface P1, and seam flap F5 of the wrap-around sheet S are in a standing state (Figure 4 (b)).

Then, as the lower conveying chains 16A, 16C rotate around the sprockets to raise the lower rear finger 18B, the plate 20B of the lower rear finger 18B engages with the rear surface P4, and the rear surface P4 is raised by the rotation of the lower rear finger 18B (Figure 4(c)). The wraparound sheet S, which has a group of articles G placed on the bottom surface P3 and is sandwiched between the lower fingers 18A, 18B (plates 20A, 20B) at the front and rear, is continuously conveyed by the lower conveying chains 16A, 16B with the seam flap F5, top surface P1, front surface P2, and rear surface P4 raised.

Downstream, there are arranged a top surface folding roller 22, a rear side flap folding tacker 24, and a front side flap folding guide 26 for folding the top surface P1, rear side flap F4, and front side flap F2, respectively.

The rear side flap folding tackers 24 are positioned adjacent to the outside of the lower conveyor chains 16A, 16C. Each rear side flap folding tacker 24 has a pair of upper and lower arc-shaped arms 24A that rotate together around a vertical axis. The rear side flap folding tackers 24 can swing so that the tip of each arm moves along both sides of the conveyor surface of the wrap-around case 10, and are driven, for example, by cylinders 24B.

When a group of items G, placed on the bottom surface P3 of the wraparound sheet S and covered by a front surface P2 and a rear surface P4 whose front and rear are folded, passes beside the rear side flap folding tacker 24, the arm 24A rotates and its tip engages with the rear side flaps F4 extending outward from the rear surface P4, folding the rear side flaps F4 forward before they reach the front side flap folding guide 26.

The front flap folding guides 26 are a pair of upper and lower fixed plate members extending along the conveying direction, and are arranged on both sides of the conveying path of the wrap-around caser 10. The front flap folding guides 26 engage with the front side flaps F2 extending outward from the upright front surface P2 of the conveyed wrap-around sheet S, and fold them backward. In addition, the tip of the rear side flap F4 folded forward by the rear side flap folding tacker 24 is inserted inside the front flap folding guide 26. As a result, the front side flaps F2 and rear side flaps F4 are kept folded along the side surfaces of the group of articles G (FIG. 4(d)).

The top surface folding rollers 22 have three rollers and are positioned above the conveying surface of the wrap-around caser 10, for example near the rear side flap folding tucker 24. The rotation axes of the three rollers are positioned horizontally along the width direction of the wrap-around caser 10, and the rollers are positioned lower toward the downstream side. As a result, the upright top surface P1 being conveyed comes into contact with the three rollers of the top surface folding rollers 22 and is folded toward the rear side (Figure 4(e)).

A resin rail 28 is disposed downstream of the top surface folding roller 22, extending in the conveying direction to hold down the folded top surface P1. Three upper conveying chains 30A, 30B, 30C (see FIG. 7) are disposed above and parallel to the rail 28. The upper conveying chains 30A, 30B, 30C are driven in synchronization with the lower conveying chains 16A, 16B, 16C disposed below.

Upper rear fingers 32A that support the upper part of the rear surface P4 of the wrap-around sheet S are attached to the upper conveying chains 30A, 30C arranged on both sides, and upper front fingers 32B that support the upper part of the front surface P2 of the wrap-around sheet S are attached to the upper conveying chain 30B arranged in the center. The upper rear finger 32A is provided with one plate 34A that abuts against the upper part of the rear surface P4, and the upper front finger 32B is provided with a plate 34B.

When the top surface P1 is folded by the top surface folding roller 22, the wraparound sheet S is maintained in a folded state by the rails 28, and in the section between the lower conveyor chains 16A, 16B, 16C and the upper conveyor chains 30A, 30B, 30B, the lower side of the front surface P2 is supported by plate 20A and the upper side by plate 34B, and the lower side of the rear surface P4 is supported by plate 20B and the upper side by plate 34A, and is conveyed.

Glue is sprayed onto the upper portion of the rear surface P4 just before the rear side flap folding tacker 24, and the seam flap F5 is folded by the plate 34A attached to the upper rear finger 32A and pressed against the rear surface P4, so that the seam flap F5 and the rear surface P4 are glued together. Then, while the wraparound sheet S is transported through the section between the lower transport chains 16A, 16B, 16C and the upper transport chains 30A, 30B, 30B, the seam flap F5 is pressed against the rear surface P4 by being supported by the plate 34B of the upper front finger 32B and the plate 34A attached to the upper rear finger 32A (FIG. 4(f)).

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the wrap-around sheet S supported by plates 20A, 20B, 34A, and 34B. FIG. 6 shows a plan view showing the arrangement of plates 20A and 20B that support the wrap-around sheet S, and FIG. 7 shows a plan view showing the arrangement of plates 34A and 34B that support the wrap-around sheet S.

Downstream of the front side flap folding guide 26, a pair of lift guides 36A, 36B are arranged so that they can be raised and lowered. The lift guides 36A, 36B are rod-shaped members that extend in the conveying direction slightly wider than the top surface P1 and the bottom surface P3, and are raised and lowered by lift guide cylinders 38A, 38B, respectively. In the standby state, the lift guide 36A is located at the top, and when the wrap-around sheet S is conveyed to the same position, it descends to engage with the upper side flap F1 extending laterally from the top surface P1, pushing it down and folding it by about 60 degrees. On the other hand, the lift guide 36B is located at the bottom in the standby state, and when the wrap-around sheet S is conveyed to the same position, it ascends to engage with the lower side flap F3 extending outward from the bottom surface P3, pushing it up and folding it by about 60 degrees (FIG. 4(g)). In FIG. 3, the lift guides 36A and 36B in a standby state are shown in solid lines, and the lowered lift guide 36A and the raised lift guide 36B are shown in dashed lines.

Downstream of the lift guides 36A and 36B, holding guides (fixed guides) 40A and 40B are arranged vertically. The holding guides 40A and 40B are made of fixed rod-shaped members extending in the conveying direction, and are arranged so that the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3, which are bent by approximately 60 degrees by the lift guides 36A and 36B, are maintained in the approximately 60 degree bent state while being conveyed. In addition, a movable guide 42 is arranged at the position where the holding guides 40A and 40B are provided in the conveying direction.

The movable guide 42 is positioned at about half the height of the front surface P2 and rear surface P4, which are transported upright, between the holding guides 40A and 40B so that it can move forward and backward in the width direction of the transport. The pressing surface of the movable guide 42 is equipped with a number of rollers that rotate around a vertical axis along the transport direction, and can be reciprocated in the width direction by the cylinder 42A. In the standby state, the movable guide 42 is located outside the holding guides 40A and 40B. When the wrap-around sheet S on which the group of items G is placed is transported, the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3, which are folded at about 60 degrees by the holding guides 40A and 40B, are pressed against the front and rear side flaps F2 and F4 from both sides (Figure 4(h)).

A crimping guide 44 is disposed downstream of the holding guides 40A and 40B. On the pressing surface of the crimping guide 44, a number of rollers that can rotate around a vertical axis, similar to the movable guide 42, are disposed along the conveying direction, and the upper and lower side flaps F1 and F3 are pressed against the front and rear side flaps F2 and F4 with a force stronger than that of the movable guide 42 to crimp them (FIG. 4(i)). Note that the front and rear side flaps F2 and F4 are glued in a state where they are folded by the front side flap folding guide 26 in front of the movable guide 42.

When the upper and lower side flaps F1, F3 are attached to the front and rear side flaps F2, F4 by the pressure bonding guide 44, the packaging of the group of items G with the wrap-around sheet S is completed. The group of items G packaged with the wrap-around sheet S is then transferred to the roller conveyor 46 located downstream of the lower transport chains 16A, 16B, 16C, and discharged to a device downstream.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when folding the upper and lower side flaps, the upper and lower side flaps are folded by about 60 degrees by the lift guide, and while conveying downstream while maintaining that angle, they are folded by 90 degrees by the movable guide, and then the upper and lower side guides are pressed by the pressure guide. That is, in this embodiment, the upper and lower side flaps can be folded by a movable guide such as a lift guide or a movable guide, and can be handed over to a fixed guide while maintaining that posture. As a result, in this embodiment, the friction on the upper and lower side flaps can be reduced as much as possible while continuously conveying the article (wraparound sheet), and the upper and lower side flaps can be prevented from shifting. That is, unlike the conventional method using only fixed guides, the upper and lower side flaps are not attached in a shifted position as shown in FIG. 8(b), but are attached in the correct posture as shown in FIG. 8(a).

In addition, in this embodiment, the friction on the upper and lower side flaps can be further reduced by using rotatable rollers for the movable guide and the crimping guide. In addition, in this embodiment, when folding the upper and lower side flaps, the top and bottom of the wraparound sheet are firmly supported by fingers (plates), so the upper and lower side flaps can be folded normally while the posture of the wraparound sheet is maintained correctly.

In addition, instead of placing a roller on the pressing surface of the movable guide, it is also possible to use a rod-shaped or plate-shaped member, or to make the movable guide movable in the case transport direction, so that when the movable guide moves forward, it transports the case downstream in sync with the case, and returns the movable guide to its upstream standby position when the next case (wraparound sheet) arrives.

The movable guide and crimping guide may be belts that rotate at the same speed as the case, or the length of the movable guide may be increased without the crimping guide. In that case, the movable guide must be returned to the standby position when the next case arrives, and it will be temporarily separated from the case being crimped. However, if the new case is immediately clamped by the movable guide, it can immediately return to the crimping operation, and the crimping operation can be continued without any problems.

In this embodiment, the lift guide bends the upper and lower side flaps by approximately 60 degrees, but the lift guide only needs to be able to bend the upper and lower side flaps by 45 degrees or more along the crease line. Note that if the bending angle by the lift guide is small, the gap between the upper and lower side flaps will be large, and the vertical width of the movable guide will also need to be large.

10: wrap-around caser 36A, 36B: lifting guide 40A, 40B: holding guide (fixed guide)
42 Movable guide F1 Upper side flap F2 Front side flap F3 Lower side flap F4 Rear side flap G Article group M Article P1 Top surface P2 Front surface P3 Bottom surface P4 Rear surface S Wraparound sheet

Claims (4)

A wrap-around caser includes a conveying means for conveying a sheet with an article placed on the bottom surface thereof , and an upper and lower side flap folding mechanism for folding the top surface, the front surface, the rear surface, and the front and rear side flaps of the sheet conveyed by the conveying means to wrap the sheet, and then folding the upper side flap connected to the top surface and the lower side flap connected to the bottom surface toward the front and rear side flaps to seal the sheet,
The conveying means includes an upper conveying chain having a plate for supporting the upper sides of the front and rear surfaces, and a lower conveying chain having a plate for supporting the lower sides of the front and rear surfaces, and conveys the sheet to the upper and lower side flap folding mechanism while supporting the upper and lower sides of the front and rear surfaces of the sheet with the top surface, front surface, rear surface, and front and rear side flaps folded, and
The upper and lower side flap folding mechanisms include:
A pair of lifting guides that can be raised and lowered to bend the upper and lower side flaps extending horizontally at a predetermined angle,
a fixed guide provided downstream of the lift guide for maintaining the position of the upper and lower side flaps in a state where the upper and lower side flaps are bent at a predetermined angle;
and a movable guide that can move back and forth to press the upper and lower side flaps, the position of which is maintained by the fixed guide, against the front and rear side flaps that have been folded in advance, thereby further folding the upper and lower side flaps. The wrap-around caser according to claim 1, characterized in that a rotatable roller is attached to the movable guide, and the upper and lower side flaps are pressed by the roller. The wrap-around case according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with a crimping guide that is provided downstream of the movable guide and further crimps the upper and lower side flaps that are folded up to the front and rear side flaps. The wrap-around caser according to claim 3, characterized in that a rotatable roller is attached to the crimping guide, and the upper and lower side flaps are crimped by the roller.

Images