JP7709775B2 - Filling and packaging method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for filling and packaging a continuous packaging material with a filling material.

To implement a filling and packaging method in which, for example, a powder or granular filler is filled into a conventional continuous packaging material, a rotary filling and packaging machine such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is used.

As shown in FIG. 1, this filling and packaging machine typically has a packaging material feed path (100) that continuously feeds strip-shaped packaging material (103) folded in half at the center with the fold (104) facing downwards (approximately V-shaped in cross section), a circumferential conveying path (101) that curves in an approximately arc shape in plan view and whose starting point (P1) is connected to the packaging material feed path (100), and an extension conveying path (102) that is connected to the end point (P2) of the circumferential conveying path (101).

As shown in FIG. 2, the strip-shaped packaging material (103) is conveyed in the circumferential direction along the circumferential conveying path (101) while being held by a number of vertical seals (105) arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential surface of the circumferential conveying path (101).

Each of the vertical seal parts (105) has a pair of seal bars (106) that sandwich the packaging material (103), and heat seals the portion of the packaging material (103) that is sandwiched between the pair of seal bars (106). As a result, a vertical seal (107) is formed in the packaging material (103) that extends in the vertical direction from the top to the bottom.

As shown in FIG. 3, the packaging material (103) has vertical seals (107) formed at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction, so that between adjacent vertical seals (107) in the packaging material (103), a bag portion (108) with an upwardly opening bag mouth (115) is formed. On the circumferential conveying path (101), the filling material is filled into each bag portion (108) from above through a filling chute (109).

To realize this filling and packaging method, the filling and packaging machine must be equipped with a vertical seal portion (105) that seals or bonds the continuously supplied packaging material (103) vertically, and a filling chute (109) that is inserted into the folded packaging material (103) to fill it with the filling material.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the process of moving (circular motion) in the circumferential direction of the circular conveying path (101) together with the bag portion (108) of the packaging material (103), the filling chute (109) performs an elevation motion realized by an elevation shaft (110) that rises and falls only according to the action path of an elevation cam in the main frame (111) of the filling packaging machine. At the same time, the filling chute (109) also performs a rotational motion around the elevation shaft (110) realized by a rotating cam in the main frame (111).

As is clear from FIG. 2, the timing for inserting the filling chute (109) into the packaging material (103) is after the continuously conveyed strip-shaped packaging material (103) has been folded in half in the center, and the filling chute (109) is already inside the bag portion (108) when the seal bar (106) of the vertical seal portion (105) performs the vertical seal (107) of the packaging material (103).

The filling chute (109) moves up and down along with the lifting shaft (110) to facilitate insertion of the filling chute (109) into the packaging material (103) that is folded in the middle (having a roughly V-shaped cross section). The filling chute (109) rotates along with the lifting shaft (110) to smoothly remove the filling chute (109) from the bag portion (108) of the packaging material (103), and at the same time to open (widen) the spacing between adjacent filling chutes (109), making it easier to insert the preceding filling chute (109) into the folded packaging material (103), thereby realizing continuous operation of the filling chute (109).

JP 2006-21795 A JP 2019-167146 A

However, the conventional filling and packaging methods using filling and packaging machines disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problems that remain to be solved:

First, the strip-shaped packaging material (103) is clamped by pairs of seal bars (106) that form multiple vertical seal portions (105) on the circumferential conveying path (101), thereby realizing vertical seals (107) on the packaging material (103). Moreover, when the pairs of seal bars (106) move in the circumferential direction of the circumferential conveying path (101) (circular movement), they must clamp the packaging material (103) at the start point (P1) of the circumferential conveying path (101) and release the packaging material (103) at the end point (P2) of the circumferential conveying path (101). In order to realize the operation of clamping and releasing (releasing the clamped state) the packaging material (103) by the seal bars (106), a cam mechanism must be installed, which complicates the structure and increases the cost of the equipment.

Secondly, when the filling chute (109) of the filling material moves (in an arc) in the circumferential direction of the circumferential conveying path (101) together with the bag portion (108) of the packaging material (103), the filling chute (109) must move up and down along with the lifting shaft (110) before entering the bag portion (108) in order to avoid interference with the folded packaging material (103), and at the same time, it must rotate around the lifting shaft (110). To achieve these two movements, at least two cams (two types) are required: a lifting cam and a rotating cam, which makes the structure more complicated and increases the cost of the equipment.

Third, the seal bar (106) of the vertical seal section (105) must keep the packaging material (103) clamped while moving (in an arc) from the start point (P1) to the end point (P2) of the circular conveying path (101). (The seal bar's cam trajectory is limited, and the seal bar cannot be opened/released within that trajectory section.) If the seal bar (106) of the vertical seal section (105) is still clamping the packaging material (103) in the circular conveying path (101) when the continuous operation of the rotary filling and packaging machine is stopped, the residual heat of the seal bar (106) may cause the packaging material (103) to deform or melt.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems, and in order to achieve this goal, the rotary filling and packaging method involves folding continuously conveyed packaging material in the center with the crease facing downwards, and then vertically sealing the packaging material before it enters the circular conveying path to form a continuous bag body. After the continuous bag body is conveyed to the circular conveying path, all of the bag parts in the continuous bag body are opened in sequence by negative vacuum suction, and a filling chute is inserted into the bag parts from the open bag opening, and the filling material is filled through the filling chute.

That is, in the filling and packaging method of the present invention, as described in claim 1, in the process of continuously conveying a strip-shaped packaging material, which is folded in half at the center so that the fold faces downward and has a V- shaped cross section, from the packaging material supply path to the extended conveying path via the circumferential conveying path which curves in an arc shape in a plan view,

a parallel movement unit that is disposed below the packaging material and reciprocates along the packaging material conveying direction of the packaging material supply path, and a plurality of sets of vertical seal knife units, each of which has two vertical seal knife holders that move relative to one another, are disposed in parallel along the conveying direction of the packaging material in the parallel movement unit, and the packaging material is passed through the open spaces between adjacent sets of vertical seal knife units, and the packaging material is vertically sealed at predetermined intervals by the synchronous movement of the plurality of sets of vertical seal knives,

a first step of vertically sealing the packaging material at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction before the packaging material enters the circumferential conveying path from the packaging material supply path, thereby forming a bag portion with an upward bag mouth between adjacent vertical seals, thereby forming a continuous bag body;

a bag opening mechanism including a suction bag turntable mechanism that is installed inside the circumferential conveying path and that holds the vertically sealed bag body from the first step and conveys it along the circumferential conveying path, and a servo suction mechanism that is similarly installed outside the circumferential conveying path and rotates relative to the suction bag turntable mechanism and has the same linear speed of rotation,

a second step in which the servo suction mechanism sucks the packaging material on the outside of the bag portion of the bag body, while the suction bag turntable mechanism sucks the packaging material on the inside of the bag portion, and the packaging material on both sides (outer and inner) that passes between them as the two mechanisms rotate relative to each other is separated, thereby opening the bag mouths of the bag portions one after another, and conveying the bag along a circumferential conveying path while maintaining the open state;

The method is characterized in that a filling chute for filling material is inserted into the bag portion with the bag mouth open, and the filling chute moves in an arc in synchronization with the transport of the bag body along the circumferential transport path while filling the bag portion with filling material within the circumferential transport path, and then a third step is performed in which the filling chute is removed from the bag portion before the filled bag portion enters the extended transport path from the circumferential transport path.

According to the filling and packaging method described in claim 1, a strip of packaging material is folded in half in the middle, and then the folded packaging material is vertically sealed in the packaging material supply path before entering the start point of the circular conveying path (upstream side), and the continuous bag body that has been sealed or glued in the vertical direction is transported into the circular conveying path.

In other words, in the filling and packaging method of the present invention, as a first step, vertical sealing is first performed before the packaging material enters the circumferential conveying path, and then, as a second step, in the subsequent circumferential conveying path, the continuous bags are held by the suction action of vacuum negative pressure and conveyed (moved/moved in an arc) along the circumferential conveying path. This avoids the vertical seal section consisting of a pair of seal bars that clamp the packaging material, as in the prior art, moving (moving in an arc) along the circumferential conveying path together with the vertical seals on the continuous bags, and makes it possible to omit the cam mechanism for realizing the operation of the seal bars that move in an arc and the clamping and releasing of the packaging material by the seal bars (releasing the clamped state). As a result, the required structure is simplified and not only can the equipment costs be reduced, but there is also the effect of eliminating the problem of the packaging material being deformed or melted when it is exposed to the residual heat (residual heat) of the seal bars when continuous operation is stopped.

Furthermore, in the second step of the filling and packaging method of the present invention, the bag mouth of the bag part is opened based on the suction principle of vacuum negative pressure, and the filling chute for the filling material only needs to be inserted into the bag part from the open bag mouth in the third step, and since the filling chute only needs to move up and down, there is no need to rotate the filling chute around the center of its lifting axis as in the prior art.

In the prior art, the filling chute has already entered the circular conveying path just before (upstream) the packaging material folded in the middle enters the starting point of the circular conveying path, so the filling chute must move tangent to the circular conveying path and then maintain a motion trajectory that enters the circular conveying path from that tangent direction; to do this, the filling chute needs to be rotated the required angle around the center of the lifting axis.

In contrast, since the present invention is a method of opening the bag mouth of the bag part on the circumferential conveying path, it is only necessary to insert the filling chute into the bag part, and there is no need to maintain the filling chute on the same motion trajectory as the direction that is tangent to the starting position on the circumferential conveying path, and no rotating cam is required to rotate the filling chute around the center of the lifting shaft, which simplifies the structure and reduces equipment costs.

In this case, a bag opening mechanism for packaging material for filling packaging is adopted, which consists of a suction bag turntable mechanism and a servo suction mechanism.In combination with the fact that a portion of the circumferential surface of the suction bag turntable mechanism forms (realizes) the arc shape of the circumferential conveying path, a continuous bag body can be held by the action of negative pressure suction on the circumferential surface of the suction bag turntable mechanism while being conveyed along the circumferential conveying path.In addition, the inner and outer packaging materials forming the bag portion of the bag body can be separated by the relative rotation of the suction bag turntable mechanism and the servo suction mechanism, allowing the bag mouths of the bag portions to be opened smoothly in sequence, making it easier to insert the next filling chute, resulting in high conveying efficiency and filling efficiency.

The above-mentioned relative rotation method can be said to be a bag-opening operation by applying negative pressure to the bag body that slips (passes) between the suction bag turntable mechanism and the servo suction mechanism, and since this operation opens the bag mouth of one bag part at a time, high bag-opening efficiency, accuracy, and continuity can be achieved.

Furthermore, in the third step of the filling and packaging method, if a filling mechanism is used in which the lifting shaft, which is the lifting drive source for the filling chute, moves in an arc (moves) along the circumferential conveying path in synchronization with the suction bag turntable mechanism constituting the bag opening mechanism, and also lifts and lowers the filling chute along the circumferential conveying path by the action locus (stroke) defined by the lifting cam, so that the filling chute is inserted into the opened bag by its lowering, and the filling chute is removed from the bag by the lifting shaft before the bag enters the extended conveying path from the end point of the circumferential conveying path, then it is sufficient to lift and lower the filling chute using the lifting shaft, and there is no need to rotate the filling chute around the center of the lifting shaft. The rotating cam for this rotation can be omitted, and the lifting cam is sufficient.

In addition, since a vertical sealing mechanism is adopted that consists of a parallel movement unit in which multiple sets of vertical sealing knives each equipped with two vertical sealing knife holders that move relative to one another as shown in Figure 6 are installed in parallel, vertical sealing can be smoothly and stably performed at specified intervals on packaging material that has been folded in half in the center without any adverse effects such as a decrease in the efficiency of transporting the packaging material, resulting in the effect of obtaining high vertical sealing efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional rotary filling and packaging machine. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the filling and packaging machine shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a part of the continuous bag body. FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing steps of a filling and packaging method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a rotary filling and packaging machine used in the filling and packaging method of FIG. 4. 6 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the bag portions of successive bags and a filling chute for a filling material, with the filling packaging machine of FIG. 5 cut horizontally at only a mid-height position, so to speak. FIG. 6 is a schematic overall perspective view showing a bag opening mechanism in the filling and packaging machine of FIG. 5 . 8 is an enlarged plan view showing the bag opening mechanism of FIG. 7 in correspondence with FIG. 6 . FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of line AA in FIG. 9 . 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a turntable body of the suction bag turntable extracted from FIG. 10 . FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the hollow rotating table (suction bag driving unit) extracted from FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the air distribution panel extracted from FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the suction bag module extracted from FIG. 10 . FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the servo suction mechanism extracted from FIG. 10 .

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is merely an example of the present invention, and does not limit the content of the invention described in the claims.

Figures 1 and 2 show a rotary filling packaging machine used in a conventional filling packaging method, and Figures 5 and 6 show a rotary filling packaging machine used in a filling packaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as is clear from the common components of both, the conveying path of the packaging machine, in which continuous supplies are made, consists of a circumferential conveying path (101) extending horizontally as an arc in a plan view, a packaging material supply path (100) connected to the start point (entrance) (P1) of the circumferential conveying path (101), and an extended conveying path (102) connected to the end point (exit) (P2) of the circumferential conveying path (101).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, 5 and 6, the folding section (112) is installed in the packaging material supply path (100), and in the process in which a strip-shaped packaging material (103) made of a thin sheet material is continuously supplied, the folding section (112) folds the packaging material (103) in half (approximately V-shaped in cross section) at the center (on the longitudinal center line) with the crease (104) facing downward .

In addition, the packaging material (103) with a V-shaped cross section in a folded state is vertically sealed (glued or sealed) (107) at predetermined intervals along its longitudinal direction (conveying direction) to form bag portions (108) with their bag mouths (115) facing upward between adjacent vertical seals (107), so that the packaging material can be transported as a continuous bag body (116).

The bag portions (108) of the continuous bag body (116) are filled from above with filler material supplied from a filler material supply section (113) through a filling chute (109), and the upwardly opening bag mouths (115) of the filled bag portions (108) are top sealed (thermally sealed) (117) along the upper edge of the opening, completing the bag with a large number of bag portions (108). The top seal section (117) is installed on the extended conveying path (102).

The finished bag is then cut, for example, at the position of the vertical seal (107) and supplied as a single finished product. Of the other components of the filling and packaging machine shown in Figures 5 and 6, those components that are the same as those of the conventional filling and packaging machine shown in Figures 1 and 2 will not be described in detail.

In the filling and packaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the process of continuously conveying a strip-shaped packaging material (103) having a V-shaped cross section, which is folded in half from the longitudinal center line so that the fold (104) faces downward, from the packaging material supply path (100) to an extension conveying path (102) via a circumferential conveying path (101) which curves in an arc shape in a plan view, as is clear from the process flow diagram shown in FIG. 4 ,

First, in the first step (S1), before the packaging material (103) enters the circumferential conveying path (101) from its packaging material supply path (100), vertical seals (107) are made at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction (longitudinal direction) to form bag portions (108) with their bag mouths (115) facing upward between adjacent vertical seals (107), thereby forming a continuous bag body (116) which can be fed into the subsequent circumferential conveying path (101).

Next, in the second step (S2), the packaging material (103) on both sides (the inner and outer sides facing each other in a V-shaped cross section) forming the bag portion (108) of the continuous bag body (116) is separated in opposite directions by the suction action of the vacuum negative pressure in the circumferential conveying path (101), and the bag mouths (115) of the bag portions (108) are opened one by one and conveyed along the circumferential conveying path (101) while maintaining the open state. In this case, the time when the bag mouths (115) are opened may be the start point (entrance) (P1) of the circumferential conveying path (101), and can be appropriately adjusted according to the implementation situation as long as it is within the circumferential conveying path (101).

Furthermore, in a third step (S3), a filling chute (109) is inserted into the bag portion (108) with the bag mouth (115) open, and the filling chute (109) fills the bag portion (108) with a filler material within the circumferential conveying path (101) while moving (moving) in an arc in synchronization with the conveyance of the bag body (116) along the circumferential conveying path (101). Then, before the bag portion (108) filled with the filler material enters the extended conveying path (102) from the end point (P2) of the circumferential conveying path (101), the filling chute (109) is removed from the bag portion (108). The specific height position at which the filling chute (109) is removed is determined by the action locus (stroke) of the lifting cam (not shown), but can be set and adjusted appropriately depending on the implementation situation.

In short, in the filling and packaging method of the above embodiment, the strip-shaped packaging material (103) is folded in half to form a V-shaped cross section, and then enters the packaging material supply path (100) which is located before (upstream of) the start point (entrance) (P1) of the circumferential conveying path (101), where a vertical seal (107) is first applied to the packaging material (103), and then the continuous bag body (116) is sent into the circumferential conveying path (101), and while the bag body (116) is held by the suction action of the vacuum negative pressure, it is conveyed in the circumferential direction of the circumferential conveying path (101). Therefore, it is possible to omit the installation of a seal bar that moves (moves) in an arc along the circumferential conveying path in the prior art, and a corresponding cam mechanism, and the problem mentioned at the beginning can be solved.

The planar shape of the circumferential conveying path (101) in the packaging material conveying path can be any arc shape from a 1/2 circle (semicircle) as shown in Fig. 5 to a 3/4 circle as shown in Fig. 6, as long as it is an arc shape from the starting point (P1) to the end point (P2), and it is particularly preferable to have it extend horizontally as a semicircle as shown in Fig. 5. Depending on the actual production situation, it may be set to a 1/4 circle.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the vertical sealing mechanism for the packaging material (103) used in the first step (S1) of the filling and packaging method according to the above embodiment includes a pair of rotatable vertical sealing rollers (26) installed behind (downstream of) the folding section (112) in the packaging material supply path (100), and a plurality of vertical sealing knife holders (27) are evenly fitted around the circumference of the vertical sealing rollers (26). The packaging material (103) folded in half in the center (approximately V-shaped in cross section) is passed between the opposing vertical sealing rollers (26) and vertically sealed (107) at predetermined intervals by the vertical sealing rollers (26) located on both sides.

Figure 6 shows another preferred vertical sealing mechanism that can be adopted in place of the vertical sealing mechanism of Figure 5, which is similarly placed below the packaging material (103) folded in half at the center and includes a parallel movement unit (28) that reciprocates along the conveying direction (longitudinal direction) of the packaging material (103) in the packaging material supply path (100), and the parallel movement unit (28) is provided with multiple sets of vertical sealing knife units that are arranged in parallel along the conveying direction (longitudinal direction) of the packaging material (103).

Moreover, each set of vertical seal knife units includes two vertical seal knife holders (27) that move relative to each other, and adjacent sets of vertical seal knives are spaced apart at a predetermined interval. The packaging material (103) is passed between the two vertical seal knife holders (27) that move relative to each other, and the packaging material (103) is vertically sealed (107) at predetermined intervals by the synchronous movement of the multiple sets of vertical seal knives.

Next, the filling mechanism for the filler used in the third step (S3) of the above-mentioned filling packaging method includes a filling chute (109), a lifting shaft (110), and a lifting cam (not shown), which are arranged in multiple groups and uniformly distributed, and the funnel-shaped filling chute (109) is attached and integrated to the tip of a horizontal connecting arm (not shown) that extends from the upper part of the lifting shaft (110), while the lower part of the lifting shaft (110) is supported by the lifting cam.

The filling chute (109) and its lifting shaft (110) move in an arc (travel) along the circumferential conveying path (101) in synchronization with the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) of the bag opening mechanism (described later in detail), and move up and down only through the action locus (stroke) defined by the lifting cam. This lifting motion is for the purpose of smoothly inserting and removing the filling chute (109) from above the open bag mouths (115) of the bag parts (108) in the continuous bag body (116).

In addition, a part of the circumferential surface of the suction bag turntable (3) in the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) forms an arc shape (arc movement path) of the circumferential conveying path (101), and a plurality of shaft holes (25) for receiving the lifting shafts (110) are formed uniformly in the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3), and the lifting shafts (110) are inserted into the shaft holes (25) parallel to the rotation axis of the turntable body (6) and stand vertically. As the turntable body (6) rotates, the filling chute (109) accompanying the lifting shafts (110) also performs the above-mentioned arc movement (movement) along the circumferential conveying path (101).

Therefore, by utilizing the driving force of the turntable body (6), the filling chute (109) can be moved in an arc via the lifting shaft (110), and by attaching a lifting cam to the hollow interior of the turntable body (6), the lifting movement of the filling chute (109) can be controlled. By sharing the power source, the cost of the equipment can be reduced.

Moreover, a plurality of suction bag areas (7) each having suction holes (8) for opening the bag mouth (115) of the bag portion (108) are provided on the circumferential surface of the turntable body (6), while a plurality of filling chutes (109) corresponding to the suction bag areas (7) hang down from the protruding tip of the horizontal connecting arm toward the bag mouth (115) of the bag portion (108). Therefore, the filling chutes (109) can reliably and stably fill the filling material supplied from the filling material supply section (113) into the bag portion (108) of the continuous bag body (116).

Furthermore, the vacuum bag opening mechanism for the packaging material (103) used in the second step (S2) of the filling and packaging method includes a suction bag turntable mechanism (1) and a servo suction mechanism (2). A part of the circumferential surface of the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) forms the arc shape (arc motion trajectory) of the circumferential conveying path (101), and the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) holds the continuous bag body (116) that was vertically sealed (107) in the first step (S1) and conveys it in the circumferential direction of the circumferential conveying path (101) as it rotates.

The servo suction mechanism (2) is installed corresponding to the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) and is located outside the circular conveying path (101). The servo suction mechanism (2) and the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) rotate relatively to each other and rotate at the same linear speed. The servo suction mechanism (2) sucks the outer packaging material (103) forming the bag portion (108) of the bag body (116), while the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) sucks the inner packaging material (103) forming the bag portion (108). As the two mechanisms (1) and (2) rotate relative to each other, the packaging materials (103) on both sides that pass between them are separated, thereby opening the bag openings (115) of the bag portion (108) one after another.

Another preferred configuration of the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) in the bag opening mechanism will be described with reference to Fig. 7. This suction bag turntable mechanism (1) includes a suction bag turntable (3) and a suction bag drive unit for driving the turntable. A plurality of suction bag areas (7) are uniformly distributed on the circumferential surface of the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3) as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and each suction bag area (7) has numerous suction holes (8) for sucking the packaging material on one side (outer or inner) of the bag body (116) distributed therein.

As can be seen from Figures 9 to 11, the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3) has shaft holes (25) formed therethrough to receive the lifting shafts (110), and the lifting shafts (110) are inserted into the shaft holes (25) along the axial direction of the turntable body (6) in a uniformly distributed state and perform an arcuate motion (movement) in the circumferential direction as the turntable body (6) rotates.

Similarly, the servo suction mechanism (2) of the vacuum bag opening mechanism includes a suction column (4) and a bag opening drive unit (5) for rotating the suction column (4). As is clear from Figures 7 to 10, the circumferential surface of the suction column (4) is provided with bag opening areas (9) corresponding to the multiple suction bag areas (7) on the circumferential surface of the suction bag turntable (3), and the bag opening areas (9) are provided with multiple bag opening negative pressure holes (10) as shown in Figures 10 and 15. The suction bag areas (7) on the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3) and the bag opening areas (9) of the suction column (4) are in a corresponding relationship.

The turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3) is, for example, a solid disk as shown in Figures 6 and 8, and a rotating shaft (not shown) connected to the center of the turntable body (6) is driven by the suction bag drive unit. The suction bag drive unit in this case can be a combination of a servo motor and a reducer.

6 and 8, negative pressure gas paths (24) are arranged inside the rotating disk body (6) to connect with the suction holes (8) distributed in the suction bag area (7). The negative pressure gas paths (24) are connected to a negative pressure source via a negative pressure rotary joint and a piping structure (not shown).

In this case, as is clear from Figures 7 to 9 and 14, the suction bag area (7) is a concave curved surface formed on the circumferential surface of the turntable body (6), and this concave curved surface is useful for storing the packaging material on one side (outer or inner) of the bag portion (108) of the packaging material (103) after the bag portion (108) is opened, and for maintaining the bag mouth (113) in an open state.

As another example, the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3) is in the shape of a hollow disk as shown in Figures 7, 9, 10 and 11. The bag parts (108) of the packaging material are stored one by one in the concave curved surface of the suction bag area (7) formed on the circumferential surface of the turntable body (6). All of the bag parts (108) in the continuous bag body (116) are sucked into the suction bag area (7) in sequence, and the bag opening areas (115) of the bag parts (108) are opened only when the suction bag area (7) of the turntable body (6) corresponds to the bag opening areas (9) of the suction columns (4).

As a further preferred example, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the bottom of the turntable body (6) is connected to the rotating part (12) of the hollow turntable (11), and a flange structure (not shown) for the connection can be adopted. A plurality of suction bag modules (19) are installed on the circumferential side of the turntable body (6), and mounting holes (not shown) for mounting the plurality of suction bag modules (19) are provided on the circumferential side of the turntable body (6).

The suction bag module (19) forms a suction bag area (7) on the circumferential surface of the turntable body (6) instead of the suction bag area (7) on the rotation shaft side of the turntable body (6). By installing the suction bag module (19), each suction bag area (7) is made independent of each other. Therefore, even if one suction bag module (19) breaks down, it can be replaced with a new one individually, which helps reduce maintenance costs.

Another preferred configuration of the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) in the above-mentioned vacuum bag opening mechanism will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 12. The suction bag drive unit that drives the suction bag turntable (3) of this suction bag turntable mechanism (1) is a hollow turntable (11) that includes a rotating part (12) and a fixed part (14), and the rotating part (12) rotates relative to the fixed part (14).

In other words, the lower end of the suction bag turntable (3) is attached to the rotating part (12) of the hollow turntable (11) and rotates together with the rotating part (12) of the hollow turntable (11). By using the hollow turntable (11) as a drive device for the suction bag turntable (3), stable operation of the suction bag turntable (3) is ensured. In addition, the lifting shaft (110) and lifting cam that serve as the lifting drive source for the filling chute (109) can be installed inside the hollow of the hollow turntable (11), and there is also the advantage that the overall structure becomes compact due to the saving of the installation space.

In comparison with the above-described configurations illustrated in Figures 6 and 8, the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3) illustrated in Figures 10 and 12 has a hollow disk structure, and an air distribution panel (13) is attached and fixed to a fixed portion (14) of the hollow turntable (11). A negative pressure chamber (15) is installed inside the air distribution panel (13), and a tank (16) communicating with the suction holes (8) of the suction bag area (7) is provided on the surface of the air distribution panel (13).

The air distribution panel (13) provides negative pressure suction to the suction bag area (7) in the turntable body (6) of the suction bag turntable (3), ensuring the stability of the negative pressure suction. Compared with the above configurations shown in Figures 6 and 8, it can save internal space and avoid partial failure of the suction bag area (7) due to clogging of the negative pressure gas path (24) inside the structure.

In addition, a tank (16) is provided on the air distribution panel (13), and the tank (16) is connected to the suction holes (8) of the suction bag area (7) only at the circumferential portion of the set angle of the suction bag turntable (3). When the tank (16) and the suction holes (8) are connected, suction occurs, and when they are not connected, suction does not occur. This eliminates the need to repeatedly switch the negative pressure, and the suction force of the negative pressure can be provided stably.

As a further advantageous configuration, the air distribution panel (13) includes a base (17) and a lid (18) as shown in Fig. 13, and the base (17) of the air distribution panel (13) is attached and fixed to the fixed portion (14) of the hollow turntable (11). On the other hand, the lid (18) of the air distribution panel (13) is attached to the base (17) in a sealed state, and the above-mentioned tank (16) is provided on the lid (18).

Since relative rotation occurs between the air distribution plate (13) attached and fixed to the hollow turntable (11) and the suction bag turntable (3), in order to prevent wear of the air distribution plate (13), it is divided into two parts, a base (17) and a lid (18). Therefore, if the air distribution plate (13) is worn out, it is not necessary to replace the entire plate with a new one, but only the lid (18) needs to be replaced with a new one, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

The cover (18) of the air distribution panel (13) is made of a tin-copper alloy, and a number of holes are drilled on the upper side of the cover (18) and graphite is poured into the holes. Since the cover (18) is made of a tin-copper alloy, it has improved wear resistance and can extend its service life.

In addition, the cover (18) of the air distribution panel (13) is filled with graphite, which reduces the frictional force generated between the cover (18) of the air distribution panel (13) and the suction bag rotating panel (3), thereby reducing wear and extending the service life. Furthermore, since the holes are blind holes, there is no risk of the graphite injected therein falling out, unlike through holes.

Another preferred configuration of the suction bag module (19) shown in Figures 10 and 11 will be described with reference to Figure 14. The suction bag module (19) includes a module body (20), which has a hollow structure and a concave outer surface (21) on which suction holes (8) are distributed and communicate with a hollow chamber in the module body (20). A communication hole (22) with the tank (16) in the air distribution panel (13) is formed in the bottom of the module body (20), and the communication hole (22) is connected to the suction hole (8). The combination of the communication hole (22) and the air distribution panel (13) in the hollow turntable (11) supplies negative pressure to the suction hole (8).

Another preferred configuration of the servo suction mechanism (2) shown in Figures 7 to 10 will be described with reference to Figure 15. This servo suction mechanism (2) also includes a mounting base (23) for the suction column (4). Both the suction column (4) and the bag opening drive unit (5) are mounted on the mounting base (23), and an air distribution panel (13) is interposed between the lower end surface of the suction column (4) and the upper end surface of the mounting base (23). The structure of the air distribution panel (13) is the same as that of the air distribution panel (13) described as the third embodiment, as shown in Figure 13.

The bag opening drive unit (5) of the servo suction mechanism (2) is, for example, a gear device, and by appropriately controlling the transmission and gear ratio of the gear device, the servo suction mechanism (2) and the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) can be rotated relatively at the same linear speed by sharing the same power source. As another example, the bag opening drive unit (5) may be a combination of a servo motor and a reducer, and connected to the suction column (4) via a crankshaft to rotate the suction column (4).

Although various specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present invention, and various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

(1) Suction bag turntable mechanism (2) Servo suction mechanism (3) Suction bag turntable (4) Suction column (5) Bag opening drive unit (6) Turntable body (7) Suction bag area (8) Suction hole (9) Bag opening area (10) Bag opening negative pressure hole (11) Hollow turntable (12) Rotating part (13) Air distribution panel (14) Fixed part (15) Negative pressure chamber (16) Connection tank (17) Air distribution panel base (18) Air distribution panel cover (19) Suction bag module (20) Module body (21) Concave surface (22) Communication hole (23) Mounting base of suction column (24) Negative pressure gas path (25) Shaft hole (26) Vertical seal roller (27) Vertical seal knife holder (28) Parallel movement unit (100) Packaging material conveying path (packaging material supply path)
(101) Circumferential conveying path (102) Extended conveying path (103) Packaging material (104) Fold (105) Vertical seal section (106) Sealing bar (107) Vertical seal (108) Bag section (109) Filling chute (110) Lifting shaft (111) Main frame (112) Folding section (113) Filling material supply section (115) Bag mouth (116) Bag body (117) Top seal section

Claims (1)

In the process of continuously conveying a strip-shaped packaging material (103) folded in half at the center with a crease (104) facing downward and having a V-shaped cross section, from a packaging material supply path (100) to an extended conveying path (102) via a circumferential conveying path (101) that curves in an arc shape in a plan view,
A vertical sealing mechanism is used which has a parallel movement unit (28) which is installed below the packaging material (103) and moves back and forth along the packaging material conveying direction of the packaging material supply path (101), and in which a plurality of sets of vertical seal knife units, each of which has two vertical seal knife holders (27) which move relative to one another, are installed in parallel along the conveying direction of the packaging material (103), and which can insert the packaging material (103) into the open spaces between adjacent sets of vertical seal knives and vertically seal (107) the packaging material (103) at predetermined intervals by the synchronous movement of the plurality of sets of vertical seal knives,
a first step (S1) of forming a continuous bag body (116) by vertically sealing (107) the packaging material (103) at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction before the packaging material (103) enters the circumferential conveying path (101) from the packaging material supply path (100) and forming bag portions (108) with bag mouths (115) facing upward between adjacent vertical seals (107);
A bag opening mechanism is provided on the inside of the circumferential conveying path (101) for holding the bag body (116) that has been vertically sealed (107) in the first step (S1) and conveying it along the circumferential conveying path (101), and a servo suction mechanism (2) is provided on the outside of the circumferential conveying path (101) for rotating relatively to the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) and for rotating at the same linear speed as the suction bag turntable mechanism (1).
a second step (S2) in which the servo suction mechanism (2) sucks the packaging material (103) located outside the bag portion (108) of the bag body (116), while the suction bag turntable mechanism (1) sucks the packaging material (103) located inside the bag portion (108), and the outer and inner packaging materials (103) passing between the two mechanisms (1) and (2) are separated as they rotate relative to each other, thereby sequentially opening the bag mouths (115) of the bag portion (108) and conveying the bag portion (108) along the circumferential conveying path (101) while maintaining the open state;
a third step (S3) of inserting a filling chute (109) for filling material into the bag portion (108) with the bag mouth (115) open, and filling the bag portion (108) with the filling material within the circumferential conveying path (101) while the filling chute (109) moves in an arc in synchronization with the conveyance of the bag body (116) along the circumferential conveying path (101), and then removing the filling chute (109) from the bag portion (108) before the filled bag portion (108) enters the extended conveying path (102) from the circumferential conveying path (101).