JP7777981B2 - Labeling device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a label application device and method for applying labels having an adhesive surface.

For the purpose of managing goods in stores, warehouses, logistics centers, etc., labels with printed management information or electronic tag labels (also known as RF tags, IC tags, RF labels, etc.) with recorded management information have been affixed to handled goods (the goods themselves, product packaging, transport packaging, etc.). Furthermore, labels with adhesive surfaces (commonly known as adhesive labels or tack labels, or linerless labels) have commonly been used as such labels.

Various devices have been proposed for attaching labels with adhesive surfaces (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 6).

However, these conventional labeling devices only apply labels to parts of the item that are less likely to move or deform, and are not designed to apply labels to flexible flaps that protrude outward (such as handles formed by extending the seal of film packaging).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-104521 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-091246 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-091298 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-044661 JP 2008-62965 A Patent No. 6484379

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a technology for attaching a label to a flexible flap that protrudes outward from an item.

<First Aspect>
1. A label application device for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly protruding flexible flap, comprising:
a transport conveyor for transporting the article;
a holding device having a support for holding at least the label application area of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor in a flat shape, the support being configured to move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor;
a labeler that applies the label to the label application area that is held in a flat shape by the holding device;
A label application device comprising:

(Action and effect)
In this labeling device, the holding device can hold at least the labeling area of the flap in a flat shape when the label is applied, preventing the flap from moving and resulting in a failed label application, thereby enabling more reliable label application. Furthermore, since the support of the holding device, which moves in the same direction and at the same speed as the transport conveyor while the article is being moved, can hold at least the labeling area of the flap in a flat shape, labels can be applied using a labeler, which is a simple device that does not use a robot.

<Second Aspect>
The holding position of the holding device is movable in a height direction perpendicular to the conveying direction relative to the conveying conveyor, or in a lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction relative to or together with the conveying conveyor, or both of these movements are possible.
1. A labelling device according to a first aspect.

(Action and effect)
When applying labels to a wide variety of items, the position of the flap relative to the conveyor may vary depending on the item. Therefore, as in this embodiment, it is preferable that the holding position of the holding device can be automatically or manually adjusted depending on the position of the flap.

<Third Aspect>
the support member holds at least the label attachment area of the flap in a flat shape parallel to the conveyance direction;
the labeler supplies the label along a diagonal direction so that the adhesive surface of the label contacts the surface of the flap in order from one end to the other end as the flap is held by the support and moves together with the support in the transport direction,
The labeler attaches the label to the label application area while the transport conveyor and the holding device transport the article.
The labelling device according to the first or second aspect.

(Action and effect)
This embodiment is preferable because labels can be continuously attached using a general labeler.

<Fourth Aspect>
the holding device is a suction belt conveyor having an endless belt formed with air intake holes as the support body,
the suction belt conveyor is disposed at a position where its conveying surface follows the passing trajectory of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor;
the transport conveyor and the suction belt conveyor each have a parallel transport portion in which the transport surface is flat and the transport directions are linear and parallel to each other;
The conveying speed of the transfer conveyor and the conveying speed of the suction belt conveyor are the same,
In the parallel conveying section, the article is positioned on the conveying conveyor, and at least the label application area of the flap is attracted to the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor and maintained in a flat shape, and the labeler applies the label to the label application area while the article is being conveyed by the conveying conveyor and the suction belt conveyor or while temporarily suspending the conveyance.
The label application device according to any one of the first to third aspects.

(Action and effect)
The holding device is preferably an adsorption belt conveyor as in this embodiment, since it can stably hold the flap in a flat shape with simple control and can be moved stably in that state to the label application position.

<Fifth Aspect>
The flap protrudes from the article on the transport conveyor to one side in a lateral direction perpendicular to the transport direction,
In the parallel conveying portion, the conveying surface of the transfer conveyor and the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor are both horizontal,
a guide body having an inclined surface extending at an upward gradient to the vicinity of the conveying surface of the head portion of the suction belt conveyor;
A labelling device according to a fourth aspect.

(Action and effect)
When transporting items in the manner described above, it is preferable to have a guide body such as this, because even if the flap of the item sags due to its own weight, it is lifted by the guide body and smoothly guided onto the suction belt conveyor, where it is adsorbed to the suction belt conveyor.

<Sixth Aspect>
a pressure roller facing a conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor is provided downstream of the label affixing position on the suction belt conveyor;
The flap to which the label is attached is sandwiched and pressed between the suction belt conveyor and the pressure roller.
A labelling device according to the fourth or fifth aspect.

(Action and effect)
By providing such a pressure roller, the label attached to the flap by the labeler can be firmly pressed against the flap, preventing problems caused by insufficient label attachment (such as the label partially lifting off the flap and sticking to workers or equipment).

<Seventh Aspect>
The label is an electronic tag.
The label application device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

(Action and effect)
As is well known, electronic tags (also called RFID tags, IC tags, RF labels, etc.) have an IC chip and an antenna connected to it for storing and reading information contactlessly via short-range wireless communication, and are also widely used in labels for managing goods. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an automatic recognition system that uses such electronic tags to write identification information of a target item to the electronic tag and read the identification information of the target item stored in the electronic tag via wireless communication.

When attaching an electronic tag to an item, attaching it to the flap of the item as mentioned above makes it less likely for the electronic tag to be hidden even when the items are stacked for storage, preventing a decline in communication quality for the electronic tag. Furthermore, if the material or contents of the item have the property of reflecting or absorbing electromagnetic waves, such as metal or water, attaching an electronic tag in close proximity to this is known to result in a decline in communication quality, making it impossible to read or write information (this is particularly noticeable with microwave electronic tags); however, attaching the electronic tag to the flap makes this problem less likely to occur.

<Eighth Aspect>
The article has a packaged item and a packaging sheet that covers the front side, rear side, left side, right side, upper side, and lower side of the packaged item,
The packaging sheet has a first portion extending from a first side of the packaged item to a second side adjacent to the first side of the packaged item, and a second portion extending from a third side opposite the first side of the packaged item so as to overlap the first portion,
The flap is a portion where the first portion and the second portion overlap and at least a portion of the flap is sealed.
The labeling device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

(Action and effect)
For example, in pillow-type packaging, three-side seal packaging, four-side seal packaging, and strip packaging, flaps such as those of this embodiment remain on the sides of the packaged item, and the labeling device described above is suitable for applying labels to the flaps of such items.
The first side of the packaged item is either the front, back, left side, right side, top side or bottom side, and if the first side is the top side, the second side is at least one of the front, back, left side or right side (a flap may be formed on one side, or flaps may be formed in multiple directions), and the third side is the bottom side.

<Ninth Aspect>
a packaging device that forms the article having the flap and then transfers it to the transport conveyor;
The article is delivered from the packaging device to the transport conveyor so that the flap is positioned at a holding position by the holding device or upstream of the holding position in the conveying direction.
A labelling device according to an eighth aspect.

(Action and effect)
According to this aspect, when attaching a label after packaging, the label can be attached simply by transferring the article from the packaging device to the transport conveyor without having to adjust the position on the transport conveyor.

<Tenth Aspect>
The device is provided with a three-sided seal packaging device that, while conveying the packaged items on a packaging conveyor, pulls out a rolled sheet folded in half, places the packaged items between the folded sheets, and forms a bag by joining and cutting the three opening sides of the sheet with an L-shaped sealing member that is L-shaped in a plan view.
The L-shaped sealing member includes a first sealing portion that extends in the conveying direction of the packaged items and joins and cuts one end of the sheet, and a second sealing portion that extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first sealing portion and joins and cuts the front and rear portions of the sheet in the conveying direction,
the first sealing portion has a welding portion that welds the sheet, and a fusing portion that is arranged parallel to the welding portion and closer to the one end of the sheet than the welding portion and that fuses the sheet ,
The article is packaged with the sheet by the three-side seal packaging device, and the portion of the first seal part between the welded portion by the welding portion of the first seal part and the fused portion by the fusion-cutting portion of the first seal part remains as the flap,
the transport conveyor is connected in series to the downstream side of the packaging conveyor, and a holding position by the holding device is arranged downstream of the first seal portion in the conveying direction;
The label application device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

(Action and effect)
In this embodiment, since the packaging conveyor, the transport conveyor and the holding position of the holding device have a specific positional relationship, the item can be simply transferred from the packaging device to the transport conveyor, and the label can be attached after packaging without having to adjust the position on the transport conveyor.

<Eleventh Aspect>
1. A labeling method for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly projecting flexible flap, comprising:
The article is transported by a transport conveyor,
a support member is used to hold at least a label application area of the flap of the article on the conveyor in a flat shape, and the support member is moved in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveyor, and when the flap reaches a label application position by a labeler, the label is applied to the label application area of the flap by the labeler.
A labeling method comprising:

(Action and effect)
The eleventh aspect has the same effects as the first aspect.

The present invention offers advantages, such as the ability to attach a label to a protruding flexible flap on an item.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a label application device. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a main part of the labeling device. FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing a main part of the labeling device. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a label application device. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view showing a main part of the labeling device. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a labeler. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a side view, and FIG. 1C is a bottom view showing an example of an electronic tag. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an article. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an article. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an article. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example in which a packaging device is provided. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an L-shaped sealing member. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating film melt-cutting by an L-shaped sealing member in the case of a small-sized workpiece. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing differences in blowout positions depending on the size of the workpiece. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of a moving structure for a side seal. 10 is a flowchart of control of workpiece packaging by the packaging device. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of adjusting the height of the seal position.

An example of a label application device will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that in the attached drawings, the x, y, and z directions are perpendicular to one another, the x direction (in the illustrated example, the positive x direction is the conveyance direction) and the y direction (in the illustrated example, the lateral direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction) are horizontal directions, and the z direction is vertical. Therefore, the positive z direction is the upper side, and the negative z direction is the lower side.

Figures 1 to 3 show an example of a label application device 100 for applying a label 53 having an adhesive surface 53t to a flexible flap L protruding outward from an item J. This label application device 100 is characterized by comprising: a transport conveyor 34 for transporting the item J; a holding device 70 having a support for maintaining at least the label application area of the flap L of the item J on the transport conveyor 34 in a flat shape, the support being configured to move in the same direction as the transport direction of the transport conveyor at the same speed as the transport speed of the transport conveyor; and a labeler 50 for applying a label 53 to the label application area maintained in a flat shape by the holding device 70. Each of the devices 34, 50, 70, etc. is controlled by a control unit not shown. In this label application device 100, the holding device 70 can hold at least the label application area of the flap L in a flat shape when applying the label 53, preventing situations where the flap L moves and the label 53 fails to be applied, allowing for more reliable application of the label 53. Furthermore, while the article J is moved by the transport conveyor 34, the support of the holding device 70, which moves in the same direction and at the same speed, can hold at least the label 53 application area of the flap L in a flat shape, allowing the label 53 to be applied using the labeler 50, a simple device that does not use a robot. Below, examples of the configuration and operation of each part will be described in order.

<Goods>
The article J is not particularly limited as long as it has a flexible flap L that protrudes outward. The flap L may be provided as a handle or a portion that forms a hole for hanging on a hook for product display, or as a portion dedicated to attaching a label. As an example, the article J has a packaged item W and a packaging sheet (such as the film 12 described below) that covers six sides of the packaged item W (front, back, left, right, top, and bottom), the packaging sheet having a first portion L1 extending from a first side of the packaged item W to a second side adjacent to the first side of the packaged item W, and a second portion L2 extending from a third side opposite the first side of the packaged item W so as to overlap the first portion, and the flap L may be portions E and F where the first portion L1 and the second portion L2 overlap and are at least partially sealed. The first side of the packaged item W is any one of the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom sides, and if the first side is the top side, the second side is at least one of the front, back, left, and right sides (a flap L may be formed on one of them, or flaps L may be formed on multiple sides as described below), and the third side is the bottom side. For example, in three-sided sealed packaging such as the example shown in Figure 1, as well as gusset bag packaging, four-sided sealed packaging, pillow-type packaging, strip packaging, etc. shown in Figures 8 and 9, such flaps L remain on the sides of the main body M containing the packaged item W. As another example, as shown in Figure 10, one end of a sheet may be fixed to the outer surface of the main body M, and the opposite end may protrude to the side of the item J to form an unfixed flap L.

The protruding direction of the flap L on the item J may be up, down, left, right, front, or back, and is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the protruding position of the flap L on the item J may be located on the periphery of one of the outer surfaces of the main body M, or may be located in the middle of one of the outer surfaces (for example, as in the illustrated example, the flap L protrudes laterally from the middle in the thickness direction). The flap L is preferably thinner than the main body M, but may also be of approximately the same thickness as the main body M. Furthermore, the flap L may be a part with lower rigidity than the main body M, or may have approximately the same rigidity as the main body M. On the other hand, as in the example shown in Figure 10, multiple flaps L may be present on one item J. In this case, label 53 may be affixed to only one flap L, or labels 53 may be affixed to multiple flaps L.

The material of the flap L is not limited as long as it is flexible, but it is preferable that it be made of a highly flexible material such as paper, resin film 12, metal foil, or a sheet made by laminating these, and it is even more preferable that it be made of a material with low breathability.

The entire front or back surface of the flap L may be a label attachment area, or only a portion of at least one surface may be a label attachment area.

<Transport conveyor>
The labeling device 100 has a transport conveyor 34 that transports the target article J, and is configured to affix labels 53 to the target article J in the process of being transported by the transport conveyor 34. This makes it possible to automatically affix labels 53 to the objects J simply by placing the objects J one after another on the transport conveyor 34.

The transport conveyor 34 can be any type of known conveyor as long as it is capable of moving a moving body such as an endless belt in the transport direction by the driving force of a drive source and transporting the items J on the moving body. For example, a belt conveyor or a plate conveyor, whose upper surface is a loading surface, can be suitably used. It is preferable for the transport conveyor 34 to have a loading surface wider than the items J, because, for example, an operator can load a variety of items J of different sizes without having to worry about their position or orientation. Of course, the transport conveyor 34 may be one in which the type and loading position (including orientation) of the items J are fixed. Furthermore, the items J can also be loaded onto the transport conveyor 34 mechanically.

The transport conveyor 34 may be provided as a single conveyor, as shown in the illustrated example, or may be configured by connecting multiple conveyors, as not shown.

The transport conveyor 34 may be one that transports continuously at a constant speed, but to ensure stable and reliable label application, it is also preferable for the control unit to control it so that it operates intermittently with waiting times at appropriate positions in accordance with various timings, such as the timing of label application.

<Transport posture>
The conveying orientation of the article J is not particularly limited. In the illustrated example, the article J on the conveyor 34 is in an orientation in which the flap L protrudes to one side in the horizontal direction (X direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction, but the article J may be conveyed in an orientation in which the flap L protrudes upward as shown in Figure 8, or in an orientation in which the flap L protrudes diagonally upward. It is desirable that the flap L be parallel to the conveying direction, but it does not have to be parallel.

<Label>
The label 53 has an adhesive surface 53t for contacting the item J and can be attached to the flap of the item J by adhesion of the adhesive surface 53t. Any label, including those called adhesive labels or tack labels, linerless labels, etc., can be used. The label 53 can be a blank label before printing, a label with some or all information pre-printed, or a write-on label with all information pre-printed except for the write-on section. The label 53 attached to the item J does not have to be an electronic tag, but it can also be an electronic tag. In this case, some or all of the information may be pre-printed, or the electronic tag may be blank. In this case, the electronic tag may have a printed surface opposite the adhesive surface 53t. The printed surface may be blank, partially printed (e.g., identification information expressed as a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code), completely printed, or completely unprinted. Figure 7 shows an example of an electronic tag 110. Electronic tags 110 are typically rectangular with rounded corners, but this is not limited thereto. Furthermore, one representative example of the electronic tag 110 is a passive type electronic tag 110 having an IC chip 110i and an antenna 110a connected thereto as inlets 110a, 110i, but is not limited to this.

As is well known, electronic tags (also called RFID tags, IC tags, RF labels, etc.) have an IC chip and an antenna connected to it for storing and reading information contactlessly via short-range wireless communication, and are also widely used in labels for managing goods. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is an automatic recognition system that uses such electronic tags to write identification information of a target item to the electronic tag and read the identification information of the target item stored in the electronic tag via wireless communication.

When an electronic tag is affixed to an item J as a label 53, affixing the electronic tag to the flap L of the item J as described above makes it less likely for the electronic tag to be hidden even when the items J are stacked for storage, thereby preventing a decline in communication quality for the electronic tag. Furthermore, if the material or contents of the item J have the property of reflecting or absorbing electromagnetic waves, such as metal or water, affixing an electronic tag in close proximity to such a material can result in a decline in communication quality, making it impossible to read or write information (this is particularly noticeable with microwave electronic tags); however, affixing the electronic tag to the flap L makes such problems less likely to occur.

<Holding device>
The holding device 70 is not particularly limited as long as it has supports 72, 77, 78 that hold at least the label-attaching area of the flap L of the article J on the transport conveyor 34 in a flat shape, and these supports 72, 77, 78 are configured to move in the same direction as the transport direction of the transport conveyor 34 at the same speed as the transport speed of the transport conveyor 34. One preferred example is an adsorption belt conveyor 71, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, which has an endless belt 72 with air intake holes 73 formed therein and adsorbs the transported article J to the flat transport surface (carrier-side surface) of the endless belt 72 by drawing air through the air intake holes 73 from the back side of the endless belt 72. In this example, the adsorption belt conveyor 71 is positioned so that its transport surface follows the passing trajectory of the flap L of the article J on the transport conveyor 34, and the transport speed of the transport conveyor 34 and the transport speed of the adsorption belt conveyor 71 are made the same. The transport conveyor 34 and the suction belt conveyor 71 each have a parallel transport portion 74 in which the transport surfaces are flat and the transport directions are linear and parallel to each other, and in this parallel transport portion 74, the article J is positioned on the transport conveyor 34, and at least the label application area of the flap L is adsorbed to the transport surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 and maintained in a flat shape. In this parallel transport portion 74, the labeler 50 applies the label 53 to the label application area of the flap L while the article J is being transported by the transport conveyor 34 and the suction belt conveyor 71 or while the transport is temporarily stopped. Use of the suction belt conveyor 71 in this manner is preferable because it allows the flap L to be stably maintained in a flat shape with simple control and can be stably moved in that state to the label application position.

In the illustrated example, the conveying surfaces of the conveyor 34 and suction belt conveyor 71 are both horizontal and linear, but they may be partially or entirely inclined. It is desirable that the conveying surfaces of the conveyor 34 and suction belt conveyor 71 in the parallel conveying section 74 be horizontal, but they may be partially or entirely inclined. The orientation of the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to set it so that it follows the target position of the flap L. It can be horizontal when the desired conveying position of the item J is one in which the flap L protrudes horizontally, as in the illustrated example. It can be vertical or diagonal when the desired conveying position of the item J is one in which the flap L extends upward or diagonally upward. The orientation of the conveying surface of the conveyor 34 is not particularly limited, and can be set appropriately taking into account the stable conveying position of the item J. In the illustrated example, the flap L protrudes laterally from the middle position in the thickness direction of the article J, which has horizontal upper and lower surfaces. Therefore, at least in the parallel conveying portion 74, the conveying surface of the conveyor 34 and the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 are preferably parallel to each other, and it is particularly preferable that the conveying surface of the conveyor 34 and the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 are both horizontal. As can be seen from these examples, the conveying surface of the conveyor 34 and the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 may be arranged so as to be included in the same plane, or at least one of the angle and position may be different.

The length of the suction belt conveyor 71 is not particularly limited as long as it has a parallel conveying portion 74 that includes the label 53 affixing position, and may be shorter, the same as, or longer than the length of the transport conveyor 34. Furthermore, in the transport direction of the item J, the tail portion of the suction belt conveyor 71 may be the same as the tail portion of the transport conveyor 34, or may be further upstream or downstream, and the head portion of the suction belt conveyor 71 may be the same as the head portion of the transport conveyor 34, or may be further upstream or downstream.

The suction belt conveyor 71 may be installed beside the conveyor 34 as shown in the illustration, or may be installed above the conveyor 34, as long as its conveying surface is positioned along the path of the flap L of the article J on the conveyor 34. The suction belt conveyor 71 may be constantly suctioning air while the device is operating, or may be controlled by the control unit to suction air only when the label 53 is affixed to the flap L, or when the suction belt conveyor 71 is temporarily stopped to affix the label 53.

As shown in the example, when an item J on the transport conveyor 34 is transported in a transport position in which the flap L protrudes to one side in the horizontal direction, and the transport surface of the transport conveyor 34 and the transport surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 are both horizontal in the parallel transport section 74, it is preferable to provide a plate-shaped, rod-shaped, etc. guide body 75 with an inclined surface that extends upward to near the transport surface of the head portion of the suction belt conveyor 71, as shown in Figure 3, because even if the flap L of the item J sags due to its own weight, it is lifted by the guide body 75 and smoothly guided onto the suction belt conveyor 71, and is then adsorbed by the suction belt conveyor 71.

4 and 5, another preferred example of a holding means is a sandwich-type belt conveyor that sandwiches the portion of the flap L further than the label application area between a first belt conveyor 77 and a second belt conveyor 78. In particular, of the first and second belt conveyors 77 and 78, the first belt conveyor 77 that contacts the label 53 application surface of the flap L contacts only the portion further than the label application area, while the second belt conveyor 78 that contacts the side of the flap L opposite the label 53 application surface contacts the label application area and the portion further than that, so that the label application area is supported from the back by the second belt conveyor 78 while the portion further than that is sandwiched between the first and second belt conveyors 77 and 78. In the illustrated example, the first belt conveyor 77 is positioned above and the second belt conveyor 78 is positioned below, and it is assumed that the label 53 will be affixed to the top surface of the flap L from above. Therefore, the width of the first belt conveyor 77 is narrower than the width of the second belt conveyor 78, and it is configured to only contact the portion closer to the tip than the label affixing area. Other arrangements are the same as in the case of the suction belt conveyor 71 (the second belt conveyor 78 is positioned in the same way as the suction belt conveyor 71).

The above example shows the use of a belt conveyor, but as long as it holds the flap L and moves in the same direction and at the same speed as the conveying direction of the conveyor 34 (in other words, it can convey the item J while keeping the flap L in a flat shape), the support does not have to be an endless belt, and can be, for example, a support or clamp that moves back and forth along the conveying direction of the conveyor 34.

It is preferable that the supports 72, 77, and 78 maintain at least the label application area of the flap L in a flat shape parallel to the conveying direction, but depending on the orientation of the flap L during conveying and the mechanism of the labeler 50, they may also maintain at least the label application area of the flap L in a flat shape non-parallel to the conveying direction.

On the other hand, when affixing labels 53 to a wide variety of items J, the position of the flap L relative to the transport conveyor 34 may vary depending on the item J. For example, if an item J has a flap L that protrudes laterally and the height of the flap L relative to the transport surface of the transport conveyor 34 varies depending on the item J, and the transport surfaces of the suction belt conveyor 71 and the transport conveyor 34 are fixed in a predetermined parallel position (including being on the same plane), the suction area of the flap L by the suction belt conveyor 71 will decrease, reducing the suction force and making the suction position more likely to shift. Furthermore, in order for the holding device 70 to perform its holding function, the holding position of the holding device 70 needs to be located at the horizontal position where the flap L passes.

Therefore, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the holding position of the holding device 70 can be automatically or manually moved in a vertical direction perpendicular to the conveying direction relative to the transport conveyor 34. This allows, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the position of the suction belt conveyor 71 to be moved in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface, thereby aligning the conveying surface with the base of the flap L of the article J. Additionally or alternatively, it is also preferable that the holding position of the holding device 70 can be moved in a lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction relative to the transport conveyor 34 or together with the transport conveyor. This allows, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the lateral position of the suction belt conveyor 71 to be moved so that the label application area of the flap L is located at a predetermined lateral position (e.g., the center) of the suction belt conveyor 71. In these cases, it is preferable to have a moving device for moving the holding position of the holding device 70 using a drive source, and it is even more preferable that the control unit automatically control the moving device to adjust the holding position of the holding device 70 in accordance with the position of the flap L of the article J on the transport conveyor 34.

When adjusting the holding position by the holding device 70 using automatic control, the target holding position can be obtained by installing a position detection sensor upstream of the label application position by the labeler 50 to detect the position of the flap L of the item J on the conveyor 34, or by installing an identification sensor (e.g., the individual information sensor described in Patent Document 6) upstream of the label application position to identify the item J on the conveyor 34. Based on the detection results, the position information of the flap L previously recorded in a database in association with the identification information of the item J can be read. In the illustrated example, since the flap L protrudes approximately horizontally to one side in the lateral direction (y direction), it is preferable that the position in the z direction can be controlled by raising and lowering the suction belt conveyor 71 relative to the conveyor 34, as shown by the white arrow in Figure 2. Additionally or alternatively, it is preferable that the suction belt conveyor 71 can be moved in the y direction relative to or together with the conveyor 34.

<Labeler>
The labeler 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can affix the label 53 to the label application area maintained in a flat shape by the holding device 70. As an example, when the supports 72, 77, and 78 maintain at least the label application area of the flap in a flat shape parallel to the conveyance direction, as shown in the illustrated example, the labeler supplies the label in an oblique direction so that the adhesive surface 53t of the label comes into contact with the surface of the flap in order from one end to the other as the flap moves in the conveyance direction together with the supports while being held by the supports, and it is preferable that the labeler affixes the label to the label application area while the article is being transported by the transport conveyor and the suction belt conveyor.

Also, when the labeler 50 applies the label 53 to the flap L, the control unit may temporarily stop the transport of the item J by the transport conveyor 34, allowing for more stable and reliable application of the label 53, or the label 53 may be applied to the moving flap L without stopping the transport of the item J by the transport conveyor 34. In either case, the control unit synchronizes the drive timing and drive speed of the transport conveyor 34 and the conveyors of the holding device 70 to be the same as the label supply timing and label supply speed of the labeler 50, allowing the label to be applied without wrinkles from one end of the adhesive surface 53t to the other.

Figure 6 shows an example of a labeler 50. This labeler 50 is a so-called tack labeler that peels and affixes labels 53, each having a tacky adhesive surface 53t, from a release sheet 52 (liner, separator). The label roll 50R is a roll of continuous strip-shaped label sheet 51 wound up into a roll, with labels 53 repeatedly affixed at predetermined intervals in the continuous direction of the continuous strip-shaped release sheet 52. The label roll 50R is rotatably supported on a rotating shaft (not shown).

In the labeler 50, the label sheet 51 unwound from the label roll 50R is intermittently transported at the timing of application to the target object J and fed into the folding guide 23G (which may be a plate-shaped guide as shown in the figure, or may be a rotating or non-rotating shaft). The folding guide 23G guides the release sheet 52 so that it folds back to the side opposite the side bearing the label 53. As the label 53 is folded back, the rigid label 53 naturally peels off from the release sheet 52. As the flap L moves in the conveying direction, the label 53 is fed obliquely from one end to the other of the adhesive surface 53t of the label 53 so as to contact the surface of the flap L, and is applied to the surface of the flap L. The release sheet 52 remaining after the label 53 has been peeled off is taken up on the take-up shaft 23W. The winding shaft 23W is rotated by a stepping motor (not shown), and is intermittently wound up so that the labels 53 are peeled off from the release sheet 52 one by one and attached to the target item J at the timing of attachment to the target item J.

1 and 3, such a labeler preferably has a pressure roller 76 facing the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor 71 downstream of the label 53 application start position (the position where contact between the label 53 and the flap L begins), so that the flap L to which the label 53 is applied is sandwiched and pressed between the suction belt conveyor 71 and the pressure roller 76. By providing such a pressure roller 76, the label 53 applied to the flap L by the labeler 50 can be firmly pressed against the flap L, preventing problems caused by insufficient application of the label 53 (such as the label 53 partially lifting off the flap L and adhering to workers or equipment). The pressure roller 76 can be positioned anywhere in the conveying direction of the suction belt conveyor 71, as long as it is located downstream of the label application position. However, it is preferable to have a carrier roller or head pulley (not shown) supporting the conveying surface on the opposite side of the endless belt 72, as this enhances the pressure effect. Instead of the pressure roller 76, an air blowing device may be provided to press the label against the flap L. The pressure roller 76 and air blowing device may be mounted on the labeler 50.

Examples of such tack labelers include Lintec Corporation's L-VIS SL5000 series labeling machine and Sato Holdings Corporation's LMUe6000N.

The labeler 50 preferably includes a printing unit 50P that prints information on the label 53, but does not necessarily have to include a printing unit 50P. Also, if the label 53 is an electronic tag, the labeler 50 may have an electronic tag writing unit (not shown).

If the labels 53 are electronic tags and the labeler 50 has an electronic tag writing unit, the control unit can be configured to write write information about the target item J to the electronic tag in the labeler 50 when supplying the labels 53 to be affixed to the items J on the transport conveyor 34. In this case, similar to the one described in Patent Document 6, an individual information sensor (not shown) such as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code reader that detects individual information of the item J can be provided, and the control unit can be configured to write write information including at least some or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor and related information obtained from a database or the like based on the detected individual information into the electronic tag in the labeler 50, and affix the electronic tag to the target item J for which the individual information was detected. If the labeler 50 includes a printing unit 50P that prints print information on the labels 53, the control unit can be configured to print the print information in the same way as writing information to an electronic tag.

<Position detection sensor>
In order to detect the position of the article J by the transport conveyor 34, a position detection sensor 36 such as a line sensor or passage sensor that detects the article J is provided upstream of the label application position by the labeler 50 (more preferably upstream of the holding device 70). Based on the detection result and the transport speed and transport distance of the transport conveyor 34, the control unit 60 calculates the position of the article J in the transport direction, which can be used for various controls. For example, based on the position detection result, the control unit 60 can control the labeler 50 to apply a label 53 when the flap L of the article J is positioned at the label application position. At the same time, the control unit 60 can temporarily suspend the transport of the article J (not only the transport by the transport conveyor 34, but also the transport operation if the holding device 70 has a function of transporting the flap L, such as the suction belt conveyor 71).

The position detection sensor 36 may be capable of detecting the position of the item J in the horizontal direction. Based on the position detection results, the control unit 60 can adjust the movement of the holding position of the holding device 70 described above.

These position detection sensors 36 may be sensors installed in equipment upstream of the transport conveyor 34, such as the detection unit 35 described below.

<Control unit>
The control unit can be configured using a known industrial control device such as a sequencer (PLC) or a computer (PC, microcontroller) alone or in combination depending on the function, etc. For example, basic control and interfaces for conveyors, sensors, robots, etc. can be realized by a sequencer, and information processing and commands to the sequencer based on that information (mode setting, parameter setting, operation start command, etc.) can be realized by a computer. Physically, the computer can include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), main storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), a communication module, an auxiliary storage device, etc. When a computer is used, control by the control unit can be realized by loading specific computer software into the CPU or RAM, operating various hardware under the control of the CPU, and reading and writing data to the RAM.

<Example of labeling device operation>
1 and 2 , an example of the basic operation of the labeling device 100 is described. First, an operator or the like supplies an object J to the upstream side of the conveyor 34. In this example, the object J has a flap L that protrudes in a horizontal direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction (X direction) over the entire length of the conveying direction. The object J is placed on the conveyor 34 so that the flap L is located upstream of the suction belt conveyor 71 in the conveying direction. The object J is conveyed by the conveyor 34, and the flap L reaches the tail of the suction belt conveyor 71 and is adsorbed thereon. The suction belt conveyor 71 is driven at the same speed as the conveyor 34, and the flap L is adsorbed onto the suction belt conveyor 71, and the portion of the object J other than the flap L is placed on the conveyor 34. The control unit controls the labeler 50 to perform a labeling operation when the object J reaches the labeling position. 6, the label 53 is supplied diagonally downward downstream at the same supply speed as the flap conveyance speed by driving the winding shaft 23W, and the adhesive surface 53t of the label 53 is affixed to the surface of the flap L in order from one end on the downstream side, and then pressed by the pressure roller. When printing on the label 53, the labeler 50 supplies the label 53 on which printing information designated in advance for the item J is printed, and when writing to an electronic tag, the labeler 50 supplies the electronic tag label 53 on which writing information designated in advance for the item J is written. The item J having the flap L to which the label 53 is affixed is transported by the transport conveyor 34 and discharged or transferred to equipment installed downstream of the transport conveyor 34. During this transport, the flap L of the item J is peeled off and released at the head of the suction belt conveyor 71.

<Example with packaging device>
The labeling device 100 described above can be a standalone device, or can be combined with other devices. One preferred example is a device combined with a packaging device 1 that forms a flap L, as shown in Figure 11 (this means that the labeling device 100 is incorporated into the packaging device 1). That is, when the packaging device 1 covers the front, rear, left side, right side, top side and bottom side of the packaged item W with a packaging sheet (film 12 in the illustrated example), the packaging sheet secures a first portion L1 (see Figure 1) extending from a first side (top side in the illustrated example) of the packaged item W to a second side (front side in the illustrated example) adjacent to the first side of the packaged item W, and a second portion L2 (see Figure 1) extending from a third side opposite the first side of the packaged item W so as to overlap the first portion L1, and after these first portion L1 and second portion L2 overlap and form a flap L with at least portions E, F sealed, it is preferable to transfer the item J from the packaging device 1 to the transport conveyor 34 so that the flap L is positioned at the holding position by the holding device 70 or upstream of the holding position in the transport direction. This allows the label 53 to be affixed after packaging by simply transferring the article J from the packaging device 1 to the transport conveyor 34 without having to adjust the position on the transport conveyor 34.

Explaining the example shown in Figure 11 in more detail, the packaging device 1 is a three-sided seal packaging device that unfolds a roll of film 12 (sheet) in half, places the packaged item W between the folded film, and then heat-seals the three open sides of the film 12 with an L-shaped sealing member 40 to form a bag. The packaging device 1 can use film 12 that is not heat-shrinkable or that is heat-shrinkable. In the latter case, the heat-shrinkable film is cut to create a bag that contains the packaged item W, and then the bag is heated to heat-shrunk it, thereby performing heat-shrink packaging to tightly package the packaged item W.

In this example, a plastic film is used as an example of a sheet used by the packaging device 1, but the sheet is not limited to this. The sheet may be thin enough to be deformable to fit the three-dimensional shape of the packaged item W. Sheets include plastic sheets and paper sheets. The plastic film 12 in this example is an example of a plastic sheet.

One type of plastic film 12 is a heat-shrinkable film. Examples of materials for the plastic sheet (film) include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyamide (PA), and low-density polyethylene (LPDE). The thickness of the plastic film is, for example, approximately 0.020 mm to 0.100 mm. In this example, a film 12 made of LPDE and having a thickness of 0.030 mm is used.

The packaging device 1 wraps the packaged item W transported on the conveying section 30 in film 12, then welds and cuts the open end of the film 12 to place the packaged item W inside a sealed bag. The packaging device 1 also affixes a label 53 to the surface of the bag B created by welding and cutting the film 12.

The packaging device 1 includes a film supply unit 10, a film reversal opening 20, a conveying unit 30, an L-shaped sealing member 40, a label application device 100, and a control unit 60.

The film supply unit 10 supplies the film 12 to the film reversal opening 20. In the film supply unit 10, a roll film 11, which is made by winding doubled film 12 around a paper tube or the like, is supported horizontally and placed on a fixed part such as a frame (not shown), and a guide roller 13 is provided on the frame (not shown) between the roll film 11 and the film reversal opening 20. The doubled film 12 pulled out from the roll film 11 reaches the film reversal opening 20 via the guide roller 13.

In the example of Figure 11, the film supply unit 10 is positioned on the left side (negative y side) of the film inversion opening 20 and the conveying unit 30 when viewed from the downstream side in the conveying direction (positive x side), and is positioned so that the film 12 is pulled out in the positive y side. In the section from the roll film 11 to the film inversion opening 20, the folded film 12 has two ends in the width direction (short direction), with the end 12A on the upstream side in the conveying direction (negative x side) being a folded part. Furthermore, at the end 12B on the opposite side (positive x side), the two films overlap and are not connected to each other.

The film inversion opening 20 changes the movement direction (longitudinal direction) of the folded film 12 supplied from the film supply unit 10 to the conveying direction. The film inversion opening 20 has two plate-like formers 21 formed in the shape of an approximately right-angled isosceles triangle. The two formers 21 are fixed horizontally on a frame (not shown) so that they are arranged opposite each other with a predetermined gap between them in the vertical direction. Each former 21 is arranged so that one side 21A that sandwiches the right angle forms the base extending laterally along the conveyor, and the other side 21B that sandwiches the right angle faces the guide roller 13 with an appropriate gap between them. The folded film 12 is folded inward from the top and bottom at the oblique side 21C of the former 21, giving it a U-shaped cross section, and is then turned 90 degrees so that it can be supplied in the same direction as the transport direction of the packaged item W.

At the film reversal opening 20, the folded end 12A of the bifold film 12 is reversed and its movement direction is changed so that the left (negative y-direction) end of the lateral conveyor edge extends in the conveyance direction as viewed from the downstream (positive x-direction) side of the conveyor. The two overlapping films of the bifold film 12 are spaced a predetermined distance apart in the vertical direction (z-direction) by the formers 21. This causes the bifold film 12 to open vertically between the two formers 21 as viewed from the upstream (negative x-direction) side of the conveyance direction, allowing the packaged item W to be introduced into the bifold film 12. The formers 21 may be equipped with a drive mechanism to dynamically change their height (i.e., the vertical distance between the two formers 21) depending on the height of the packaged item W (particularly the type of product being packaged).

The conveying section 30 conveys the packaged items W in the conveying direction (positive x direction). As shown in FIG. 11, the conveying section 30 is composed of multiple belt conveyors, including a feed position adjustment conveyor 31, a supply conveyor 32, a packaging conveyor 33, and a conveyor 34 for the label application device 100.

The feed position adjustment conveyor 31 adjusts the lateral position of the packaged item W introduced from the previous process so that it matches the specified work reference position.

The supply conveyor 32 feeds the packaged item W into the opening of the film reversal opening 20, placing the packaged item W between the folded film 12. The supply conveyor 32 also operates intermittently in sync with the operation of the L-shaped seal member 40 to deliver the packaged item W.

The packaging conveyor 33 receives the packaged items W, whose openings in the film 12 are welded and cut by the L-shaped sealing member 40, and sends the resulting bags B to the labeling device 100.

The transport conveyor 34 of the labeling device 100 receives the bag B to which the label 53 is to be affixed, and sends the bag B with the label 53 affixed to it to the next process.

In this example, each of the conveyors 31-34 of the transport unit 30 is a belt conveyor in which an endless belt is driven as the transport surface, as shown in FIG. 11. Each of the conveyors 31-34 of the transport unit 30 may also be a chain, roll conveyor, slide table, or the like. Furthermore, the division of each of the conveyors 31-34 of the transport unit 30 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 11; for example, the multiple conveyors shown in FIG. 11 may be combined into one, or may be further subdivided.

The L-shaped sealing member 40 is formed in an L-shape when viewed from above. The L-shaped sealing member 40 welds and cuts the downstream side of the film 12 in the conveying direction and the open end facing laterally along the conveyor, forming a bag body B that hermetically packages the packaged item W using the film 12. The configuration of the L-shaped sealing member 40 will be described later with reference to Figures 12 to 17.

The labeling device 100 applies a label 53 to a flap L formed as part of the bag body B.

In addition, a detection unit 35 that detects the lateral size of the packaged item W is provided upstream of the fusing position of the conveying unit 30 (on the feed position adjustment conveyor 31 or supply conveyor 32). The detection unit 35 is, for example, a line sensor arranged along the lateral direction of the belt conveyor.

The control unit 60 controls the operation of each element of the packaging device 1. In particular, in this example, it controls the horizontal fusing position of the L-shaped sealing member 40 to adjust the bag body B to an appropriate size, depending on the size of the packaged item W detected by the detection unit 35.

<Example of L-shaped sealing member>
Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the L-shaped sealing member 40. The L-shaped sealing member 40 comprises a movable portion 40A arranged on the upper side and a fixed portion 40B arranged on the lower side. The fixed portion 40B receives the fused portion of the film 12 surrounding the packaged item W transported on the packaging conveyor 33. The movement of the fixed portion 40B in the vertical direction is restricted. The movable portion 40A is movable in the vertical direction relative to the fixed portion 40B, as shown by arrow A in Figure 12, and the distance between the movable portion 40A and the movable portion 40A can be changed as desired.

In addition, when changing the vertical distance between the two formers 21 as described above, the fixed part 40B may also be made movable in the vertical direction, and the distance between the movable part 40A and the fixed part 40B may be changed depending on the distance between the formers 21.

The lower end surface of the movable part 40A is provided with side seals 41 and end seals 42, which will be described later. When the film 12 is introduced between the movable part 40A and the fixed part 40B, the movable part 40A comes into contact with the fixed part 40B, and the part of the film 12 on the fixed part 40B can be welded or cut by the side seals 41 and end seals 42.

The side seal 41 (first seal portion) extends in the conveying direction (x direction) and welds and melts one end of the film 12 on the positive y direction side. The end seal 42 (second seal portion) extends in the horizontal direction (y direction) perpendicular to the side seal 41 and melts the upstream portion of the film 12 in the conveying direction.

The end seals 42 are restricted from moving in the x and y directions (horizontal directions) and weld and cut the film 12 at predetermined positions in the conveyance direction. The downstream leading edge of the film 12 conveyed along the packaging conveyor 33 was welded and cut by the end seals 42 during the film cutting process for the previous packaged item W, and is the portion conveyed downstream separated from the bag body B in which the previous work was packaged. Therefore, when focusing on one bag body B, the end seals 42 weld and cut the front and rear portions in the conveyance direction. These welded portions D by the end seals 42 are indicated by dashed lines on bag body B1 in Figure 14.

On the other hand, the side seal 41 can move laterally relative to the end seal 42, as shown by arrow Q in Figure 12.

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating film fusing using an L-shaped seal member 40 for a small-sized packaged item W. With conventional L-shaped seal members, the L-shaped fusing position is fixed. Therefore, if the lateral dimension of the packaged item W is sufficiently small relative to the lateral dimension of the packaging conveyor 33, the fusing position in the lateral direction may be far from the packaged item W, resulting in a situation where the bag body has a large excess portion and cannot be packaged at an appropriate size. In contrast, in this example, the side seal 41 is movable laterally. Therefore, as shown by arrow C in Figure 13, in the case of a small-sized packaged item W, the side seal 41 is moved in the negative y direction to bring it sufficiently close to the packaged item W before fusing one end of the film 12. This reduces the excess portion of the bag body B relative to the packaged item W.

Figure 14 shows the difference in fusing positions depending on the size of the packaged item W. When the size of the packaged item W is large, bag body B1 is positioned furthest in the y-positive direction in the horizontal direction, and bag body B1 is also the largest size. On the other hand, when the size of the packaged item W is small, bag body B2 is positioned furthest in the y-negative direction in the horizontal direction, and bag body B2 is also the smallest size. When the size of the packaged item W is medium, bag body B3 is positioned intermediate between the large and small cases in the horizontal direction, and bag body B3 is also of medium size.

In Figure 14, the fused portion E of the side seal 41 is shown by a two-dot chain line on bag body B1. Figure 14 also shows the edge portion (remaining portion) 12C of the film 12 after bag bodies B1, B2, and B3 have been fused, and the shape of edge portion 12C also shows that the lateral fusion position has been changed.

By allowing the end seal 42 to move laterally in this way, it is possible to weld and cut the film 12 at an appropriate position depending on the lateral size of the packaged item W. Furthermore, although the horizontal movement of the end seal 42 is restricted, by adjusting the amount of movement in the conveyance direction of the packaged item W, it is possible to weld and cut the film 12 at an appropriate position depending on the size of the packaged item W in the conveyance direction. Therefore, the L-shaped sealing member 40 of the packaging device 1 in this example is able to package the packaged item W at an appropriate size depending on its size.

As shown in Figure 12 and other figures, the side seal 41 has a welding portion 43 and a fusion-cutting portion 44. Both the welding portion 43 and the fusion-cutting portion 44 extend in the conveying direction (x direction) and are arranged in parallel. The fusion-cutting portion 44 is located on one end of the film 12 in the positive y direction from the welding portion 43. The fusion-cutting portion 44 fuses the film 12. The welding portion 43 fuses and welds the film 12. Note that in this example, "welding" refers to melting and fixing two opposing films 12 by heating. "Fusing" refers to melting and cutting two opposing films 12 by heating. "Fusing and welding" refers to welding two opposing films to a predetermined width along the extension direction and cutting them along the extension direction within the predetermined width of the welded portion. With "welding and cutting," the two films 12 are welded together to maintain a sealed interior, while the excess material outside the welded area can be cut off.

"Welding" is an example of "joining," and "fusion cutting" is an example of "cutting." Joining includes welding using heat as well as bonding with adhesives. Cutting includes cutting using blades or lasers as well as fusion cutting using heat.

If the welding portion 43 can reliably weld the film 12, the fusing portion 44 may be configured to perform only fusing instead of welding and fusing.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, the receiving portion 40B1 of the fixed portion 40B that receives the welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44 of the side seal 41 is preferably configured to be movable laterally in the same manner as the side seal 41. When the side seal 41 moves laterally, this receiving portion 40B1 also moves laterally in line with the movement of the side seal 41, and can maintain its state of receiving the welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44.

By providing the welded portion 43 and the fusion-cut portion 44 in this manner, the portion located between them remains on the positive y-side of the bag body B as a flat rectangular flap L that is separated from the space containing the packaged item W. In Figure 14, the fusion-cut portion E of the side seal 41 caused by the fusion-cut portion 44 is shown by a two-dot chain line on the bag body B1, and the welded portion F caused by the fusion-cut portion 43 is shown by a dotted line on the bag body B1.

It is also preferable that the welded portion 43 and the fusion-cut portion 44 be able to move together in the horizontal direction (y direction) relative to the end seal 42. For example, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, even when the fusion-cut position is changed, the side seal 41 moves while maintaining a constant distance in the y direction between the welded portion 43 and the fusion-cut portion 44.

With this configuration, even if the size of the bag body B is changed depending on the size of the packaged item W, the flap L can always be formed with the same width, as shown in Figure 14. Making the flap L the same width allows the label application device 100 to use labels 53 of the same size, eliminating the need to change the label 53 depending on the size of the bag body B, and thus simplifying the configuration of the label application device 100.

<Example of incorporating a labeling device>
In this device, the flap L is formed by the side seal 41, so if the conveying conveyor 34 is connected in series downstream of the packaging conveyor 33 and a holding position by the holding device 70 is located downstream of the side seal 41 in the conveying direction (in the illustrated example, an adsorption belt conveyor 71 is located downstream of the side seal 41 in the conveying direction), the conveying conveyor 34 can simply transport the item J handed over from the packaging conveyor 33, and the flap L will reach the holding position by the holding device 70, and the label 53 can be attached without adjusting the position of the item J on the conveying conveyor 34.

When at least one of the welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44 moves laterally, the position of the flap L may also move laterally accordingly. Therefore, it is preferable that the holding position of the holding device 70 of the label application device 100 be movable laterally. For example, if the holding device 70 is a suction belt conveyor 71, the holding position is the position of the conveying surface, and therefore the conveyor body including the endless belt 72 can be made movable laterally. The movement of the holding position of the holding device 70 may be manually adjusted by an operator. However, it is also preferable to provide a drive device for moving the holding position of the holding device 70 laterally, and have the control unit 60 automatically control the drive device based on a value calculated in accordance with the amount of lateral movement of at least one of the welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44, or a predetermined value corresponding to the amount of lateral movement of at least one of the welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44. If necessary, the conveyor body including the endless belt 72 of the transport conveyor 34 may be configured to be movable laterally, similar to the holding position of the holding device 70. In this case, the conveyor body of the transport conveyor 34 may be configured to move integrally with the lateral movement of the holding position of the holding device 70, or may be configured to move independently.

<Example of a moving structure for side seals>
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the movement structure of the side seal 41. As shown in FIG. 15, the movable portion 40A of the L-shaped seal member 40 has an electric slider 45, a slide table 46, a base 47, and a pair of arms 48 and 49. The base 47 is a member that extends in the y direction, similar to the end seal 42, and the end seal 42 is installed below (in the negative z direction). The electric slider 45 is installed on the surface of the base 47 on the positive x direction side and connects the slide table 46 to be slidable in the y direction. The slide table 46 is configured to be movable in the y direction by the driving force output by the electric slider 45.

A pair of arms 48, 49 are installed on the slide table 46, extending in the positive x direction. The arms 48, 49 are, for example, plate-shaped members with their main surfaces in the y direction, and are arranged substantially parallel with their main surfaces facing each other. The electric slider 45, slide table 46, base 47, and arms 48, 49 are part of the movable unit 40A, and are configured to be movable in the up and down direction integrally with the movable unit 40A, as shown by arrow A in Figure 15.

The welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44 of the side seal 41 are fixedly provided below (negative z direction) the arm portions 48 and 49, respectively. As a result, the welding portion 43 and the fusing portion 44 are controlled so that they can be positioned at any position in the y direction by moving integrally with the slide table 46 and the arm portions 48 and 49 in the y direction using the driving force of the electric slider 45, as shown by arrow Q in Figure 15.

<Example of packaging control>
16 is a flowchart of the packaging control of the packaging device 1 of this embodiment for packaging the packaged item W. The control unit 60 controls the operation of each element of the packaging device 1, which is the main subject of each process in the flowchart of FIG.

In step S01, the detection unit 35 detects the work width (dimension in the y direction) of the packaged item W that has been transported from the previous process to the conveying unit 30 by the packaging device 1. The detection unit 35 outputs the acquired work width information to the control unit 60.

In step S02, the feed position adjustment conveyor 31 adjusts the packaged item W to a reference horizontal position. The reference position is a position a predetermined distance from the end of the conveyor in the negative y direction in the horizontal direction of the conveyor of the conveying section 30, as shown in Figure 11, for example. This keeps the distance from the end 12A on the folded side of the double-folded film 12 to the end of the packaged item W in the negative y direction constant regardless of the size of the packaged item W.

Any method can be used to position the packaged items W using the feed position adjustment conveyor 31. For example, the feed position adjustment conveyor 31 can be configured to include a sensor that measures the position of the negative y-axis end of the packaged items W and the above-mentioned reference position, and a positioning mechanism that presses the packaged items W toward the negative y-axis to position the packaged items W. In this configuration, the lateral position of the packaged items W can be adjusted by operating the positioning mechanism based on the sensor's position information. Alternatively, the feed position adjustment conveyor 31 can be a well-known alignment conveyor that can align the lateral position of the packaged items W. Alternatively, a guide member that can align the lateral position of the packaged items W to the above-mentioned reference position can be installed on the conveying path of the feed position adjustment conveyor 31.

The feed position adjustment conveyor 31 transports the packaged items W after their position has been adjusted to the supply conveyor 32.

In step S03, the packaged item W positioned at the work reference position is introduced by the supply conveyor 32 between the folded film 12 opened by the film reversal opening 20, and transported to the packaging conveyor 33.

In step S04, the packaging conveyor 33 determines whether the packaged item W has reached the fusing position. If it has not reached the fusing position (No in step S04), the conveyance continues. If it has reached the fusing position (Yes in step S04), the process proceeds to step S05.

In step S05, the electric slider 45 and slide table 46 adjust the lateral position of the side seal 41 of the L-shaped sealing member 40 to match the work width. Based on information about the work width of the packaged item W acquired by the detection unit 35 in step S01, for example, the control unit 60 determines that the position located a distance of the work width in the positive y direction from the work reference position is the position of the end of the packaged item W in the positive y direction. Then, the side seal 41 is moved so that the welding and cutting positions by the side seal 41 are located further in the positive y direction from this end position.

In step S06, the L-shaped sealing member 40 is lowered to weld and cut the film 12, forming a bag B with the packaged item W sealed inside. The packaging conveyor 33 transports the bag B and hands it over to the transport conveyor 34 of the labeling device 100.

In step S07, the label application device 100 applies a label 53 to the flap L of the bag B. When the processing of step S07 is completed, this control flow ends, and the packaged item W packaged in the bag B is transported to the subsequent process.

Here, it is preferable that the label 53 used in this example contains, for example, information for identifying each individual package. The specific structure of the label 53 is, for example, an RFID tag, and the above-mentioned information is stored in the IC chip of the RFID tag. Furthermore, "information for identifying each individual package" includes, for example, information for identifying the packaged item W, the shipping destination, and the orderer.

As such, the packaging device 1 of this example is equipped with a control unit 60 that controls the movement of the side seals 41 of the L-shaped sealing member 40, and a detection unit 35 that detects the lateral size of the packaged item W. The control unit 60 adjusts the lateral position of the side seals 41 according to the size of the packaged item W detected by the detection unit 35.

This configuration allows the position of the side seals 41 of the L-shaped sealing member 40 to be automatically adjusted to match the lateral dimensions of each packaged item W being transported into the conveying section 30 of the packaging device 1, making it possible to package the packaged item W with appropriate dimensions more accurately and easily.

Furthermore, even if a mixture of multiple packaged items W of various types and sizes is continuously fed through the conveying section 30, the packaging device 1 can automatically package each packaged item W accordingly, thereby improving the versatility of the packaging device 1. In particular, in cases where large quantities of the same or multiple types of items are divided into predetermined or various quantities and individually packaged, the shapes of the packaged items W are relatively small, and being able to arbitrarily change the package size in both the conveying direction and the horizontal direction allows for packaging in a more appropriate size, making the application of the packaging device 1 in this example particularly effective.

Furthermore, when multiple small workpieces are packaged (wrapped) in a single bag B, if there are large gaps in the packaging, the workpieces inside may collide with each other during transport, resulting in damage to the workpieces, so it is preferable to optimize the packaging. In this example, by appropriately adjusting the lateral position of the side seals 41, it is possible to package the multiple workpieces contained in a single bag B in such a way that their relative positions do not shift during transport, thereby enabling the packaging to be optimized according to the item W to be packaged.

In addition, in a typical distribution system, various sizes of products, such as small, medium, and large, are sorted from a common line onto individual conveyor lines, with each conveyor line packaging products individually according to their size and quantity. Conventional packaging devices that do not allow for lateral adjustment of the side seal 41 require pre-installation of L-shaped seal members with different lateral seal positions for each packaging device installed on each conveyor line, based on the size of the products on that conveyor line. However, in this example, by applying the same packaging device 1 to each of these multiple conveyor lines, the lateral position of the side seal 41 of the L-shaped seal member 40 can be appropriately adjusted based on the size of the products on each conveyor line, allowing for appropriate packaging for each line without prior work such as part replacement. The advantage of being able to individually package a wide variety of items using a single packaging device 1 makes it ideal for distribution applications.

In this example, as shown in steps S01 and S05 of the flowchart in Figure 16, the control unit 60 controls the adjustment of the lateral welding position of the L-shaped sealing member 40 so that the bag body B is an appropriate size, depending on the work width of the packaged item W detected by the detection unit 35. However, this control method is not limited to this, as long as the lateral welding position of the L-shaped sealing member 40 can be adjusted appropriately. For example, the control unit 60 may acquire information regarding the lateral position in advance from a higher-level device, such as a management device that manages the entire conveying system including the packaging device 1, and, based on this acquired information, adjust the lateral position of the L-shaped sealing member 40 in advance before the packaged item W reaches the welding position.

Similarly, in this example, as shown in step S04 of the flowchart in Figure 16, the control unit 60 performs fusing after confirming that the packaged item W has reached the fusing position, but the timing of fusing is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 60 may acquire feed amount information in advance from a higher-level device such as the management device described above, and based on this acquired feed amount information, the conveyor may move the packaged item W a predetermined feed amount, automatically sending the packaged item W to the fusing position. In this case, fusing is performed when the conveyor has moved a predetermined amount, without detecting the presence or absence of the packaged item W.

The height of the sealing position of the L-shaped sealing member 40 may also be adjusted depending on the vertical thickness of the packaged item W. Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of adjusting the height of the sealing position. Figure 17(A) shows the height position when the vertical thickness of the packaged item W1 is small (thin), and Figure 17(B) shows the height position when the vertical thickness of the packaged item W2 is large (thick).

In this case, the fixed part 40B of the L-shaped sealing member 40 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction, just like the movable part 40A. The sealing positions S1 and S2 of the packaged items W1 and W2 can be set to a height approximately half the vertical thickness of the packaged items W1 and W2. The control unit 60 obtains information about the height of the sealing positions S1 and S2 in advance from a higher-level device, such as the management device mentioned above. Alternatively, the control unit 60 may be configured to measure the vertical thickness of the packaged item W moving on the conveyor using a sensor or the like, and calculate the sealing positions S1 and S2 based on the measured thickness information. The control unit 60 then moves the fixed part 40B of the L-shaped sealing member 40 to the height of the obtained or calculated sealing positions S1 and S2.

As shown in Figure 17(A), for a thin packaged item W1, the height position of the fixing part 40B is close to the conveyor surface, and the sealing position S1 is set relatively low. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 17(B), for a thick packaged item W2, the height position of the fixing part 40B is positioned above the conveyor surface, and the sealing position S2 is set relatively high.

The present example has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Design modifications to these specific examples made by a person skilled in the art as appropriate are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they comprise the features of the present disclosure. The elements of the above-mentioned specific examples, as well as their arrangement, conditions, shape, etc., are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of the above-mentioned specific examples can be combined in different ways as appropriate, as long as no technical contradictions arise.

In the above example, the welded portion 43 and the fused portion 44 of the side seal 41 are configured to be movable together in the horizontal direction (y direction) relative to the end seal 42, but they may also be configured to be movable individually in the horizontal direction relative to the end seal 42. This allows the width dimension of the flap L provided on the positive y direction side of the bag body B to be any size, thereby improving the versatility of the packaging device 1.

In addition, in the above example, the side seal 41 is illustrated as having a welding portion 43 that welds the film 12 and a fusing portion 44 that fusing the film 12, but it may also be configured to have only one of these. In other words, the side seal 41 may be configured to either weld or fusing the film 12.

1...packaging device, 12...film, 33...packaging conveyor, 34...transport conveyor, 35...detection unit, 36...position detection sensor, 40...L-shaped sealing member, 41...side seal, 42...end seal, 43...welding unit, 44...fusing unit, 50...labeler, 53...label, 53t...adhesive surface, 60...control unit, 70...holding device, 71...suction belt conveyor, 72...endless belt, 73...air intake hole, 74...parallel conveying portion, 75...guide body, 76...pressure roller, 77...first belt conveyor, 78...second belt conveyor, 100...label application device, 110...electronic tag, B...bag body, J...article, L...flap, W...packaged item, 53t...adhesive surface.

Claims (11)

1. A label application device for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly protruding flexible flap, comprising:
a transport conveyor for transporting the article;
a holding device having a support for holding at least the label application area of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor in a flat shape, the support being configured to move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor;
a labeler that applies the label to the label application area that is held in a flat shape by the holding device ,
the holding device is a suction belt conveyor having an endless belt formed with air intake holes as the support body,
the suction belt conveyor is disposed at a position where a conveying surface thereof follows a passing locus of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor;
the transport conveyor and the suction belt conveyor each have a parallel transport portion in which the transport surface is flat and the transport directions are linear and parallel to each other;
The conveying speed of the transfer conveyor and the conveying speed of the suction belt conveyor are the same,
a label application device characterized in that, in the parallel conveying section, the article is positioned on the conveying conveyor, and at least the label application area of the flap is adsorbed to the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor and maintained in a flat shape, and while the article is being conveyed by the conveying conveyor and the suction belt conveyor or while temporarily suspending the conveyance, the labeler applies the label to the label application area . The holding position of the holding device is movable in a height direction perpendicular to the conveying direction relative to the conveying conveyor, or in a lateral direction perpendicular to the conveying direction relative to or together with the conveying conveyor, or both of these movements are possible.
2. The labeling device of claim 1. the labeler supplies the label along a diagonal direction so that the adhesive surface of the label contacts the surface of the flap in order from one end to the other end as the flap is held by the support and moves together with the support in the transport direction,
The labeler attaches the label to the label application area while the transport conveyor and the holding device transport the object.
3. The label application device according to claim 1 or 2. The flap protrudes from the article on the transport conveyor to one side in a lateral direction perpendicular to the transport direction,
In the parallel conveying portion, the conveying surface of the transfer conveyor and the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor are both horizontal,
a guide body having an inclined surface extending at an upward gradient to the vicinity of the conveying surface of the head portion of the suction belt conveyor;
The label application device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . a pressure roller facing a conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor is provided downstream of the label affixing position on the suction belt conveyor;
The flap to which the label is attached is sandwiched and pressed between the suction belt conveyor and the pressure roller.
The labeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The label is an electronic tag.
The labeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . 1. A label application device for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly protruding flexible flap, comprising:
The article has a packaged item and a packaging sheet that covers the front side, rear side, left side, right side, upper side, and lower side of the packaged item,
The packaging sheet has a first portion extending from a first side of the packaged item to a second side adjacent to the first side of the packaged item, and a second portion extending from a third side opposite the first side of the packaged item so as to overlap the first portion,
The flap is a portion where the first portion and the second portion overlap and at least a portion of the flap is sealed,
a transport conveyor for transporting the article;
a holding device having a support for holding at least the label application area of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor in a flat shape, the support being configured to move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor;
a labeler that applies the label to the label application area that is held in a flat shape by the holding device;
A label application device comprising : a packaging device that forms the article having the flap and then transfers it to the transport conveyor;
The article is delivered from the packaging device to the transport conveyor so that the flap is positioned at a holding position by the holding device or upstream of the holding position in the conveying direction.
8. The labeling device of claim 7 . 1. A label application device for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly protruding flexible flap, comprising:
a transport conveyor for transporting the article;
a holding device having a support for holding at least the label application area of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor in a flat shape, the support being configured to move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor;
a labeler that applies the label to the label application area that is held in a flat shape by the holding device;
and a three-sided seal packaging device that, while conveying the packaged items on a packaging conveyor, pulls out a rolled sheet folded in half, places the packaged items between the folded sheets, and forms a bag by joining and cutting the three open sides of the sheet with an L-shaped sealing member that is L-shaped in a plan view,
The L-shaped sealing member includes a first sealing portion that extends in the conveying direction of the packaged items and joins and cuts one end of the sheet, and a second sealing portion that extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first sealing portion and joins and cuts the front and rear portions of the sheet in the conveying direction,
the first sealing portion has a welding portion that welds the sheet, and a fusing portion that is arranged parallel to the welding portion and closer to the one end of the sheet than the welding portion and that fuses the sheet,
The article is packaged with the sheet by the three-side seal packaging device, and the portion of the first seal part between the welded portion by the welding portion of the first seal part and the fused portion by the fusion-cutting portion of the first seal part remains as the flap,
the transport conveyor is connected in series to the downstream side of the packaging conveyor, and a holding position by the holding device is arranged downstream of the first seal portion in the conveying direction;
A label application device characterized by : 1. A labeling method for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly projecting flexible flap, comprising:
a transport conveyor for transporting the article;
a holding device having a support for holding at least the label application area of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor in a flat shape, the support being configured to move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveying conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveying conveyor;
a labeler that applies the label to the label application area that is held in a flat shape by the holding device ,
the holding device is a suction belt conveyor having an endless belt formed with air intake holes as the support body,
the suction belt conveyor is disposed at a position where a conveying surface thereof follows a passing locus of the flap of the article on the conveying conveyor;
the transport conveyor and the suction belt conveyor each have a parallel transport portion in which the transport surface is flat and the transport directions are linear and parallel to each other;
a label application device in which the transport speed of the transport conveyor and the transport speed of the suction belt conveyor are the same;
In the parallel conveying section, when the flap reaches a labeling position by the labeler in a state where the article is positioned on the conveying conveyor and at least the labeling area of the flap is attracted to the conveying surface of the suction belt conveyor and maintained in a flat shape, the labeler affixes the label to the labeling area while the article is being conveyed by the conveying conveyor and the suction belt conveyor or while temporarily stopping the conveyance.
A labeling method comprising: 1. A labeling method for applying a label having an adhesive surface to an article having an outwardly projecting flexible flap, comprising:
The article has a packaged item and a packaging sheet that covers the front side, rear side, left side, right side, upper side, and lower side of the packaged item,
The packaging sheet has a first portion extending from a first side of the packaged item to a second side adjacent to the first side of the packaged item, and a second portion extending from a third side opposite the first side of the packaged item so as to overlap the first portion,
The flap is a portion where the first portion and the second portion overlap and at least a portion of the flap is sealed,
The article is transported by a transport conveyor,
a support member is used to hold at least a label application area of the flap of the article on the conveyor in a flat shape, and the support member is moved in the same direction as the conveying direction of the conveyor at the same speed as the conveying speed of the conveyor, and when the flap reaches a label application position by a labeler, the label is applied to the label application area of the flap by the labeler.
A labeling method comprising: