JP7784136B2 - packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging device that packages agricultural produce in a packaging sheet.

Conventionally, a packaging device such as that described in Patent Document 1 below is known.

This conventional packaging device is equipped with a pair of sheet-pushing arms that swing in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the support plate. These arms are supported on the underside of the support plate so that they can swing freely around adjacent vertical axes on the same side. The sheet-pushing arms are each provided with a V-shaped slot, into which a pair of rollers on the backside of the support plate are inserted. A guide plate is installed across both rollers to support the sheet-pushing arms and prevent them from pointing downward.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-67165

However, in the conventional packaging device described above, the pair of sheet gathering arms are supported so that they can swing freely around adjacent vertical axes on the same side. This means that when the sheet gathering arms swing around the vertical axis on the same side to gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet, there is a risk that the gathering of the packaging sheet by the sheet gathering arms will be uneven.

The present invention has been developed in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a packaging device that can prevent uneven collection of packaging sheets.

The packaging device of the present invention is a packaging device for packaging agricultural produce in packaging sheets, and is equipped with a gathering means for gathering the packaging sheets. The gathering means comprises a pair of gathering rotary bodies that gather the packaging sheets by rotating them toward each other. One of the pair of gathering rotary bodies is rotatable about a first fulcrum, and the other of the pair of gathering rotary bodies is rotatable about a second fulcrum. The first fulcrum and the second fulcrum are located on different sides to prevent uneven gathering of the packaging sheets.

The packaging device of the present invention is a packaging device for packaging agricultural produce in a packaging sheet, and includes a support means having a support body that supports the agricultural produce via the packaging sheet, and a gathering means that gathers an upper portion of the packaging sheet that is located above the agricultural produce supported by the support body. The gathering means includes a pair of gathering rotary bodies that gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet by rotating in directions toward each other, one of the pair of gathering rotary bodies is rotatable about a first fulcrum, and the other of the pair of gathering rotary bodies is rotatable about a second fulcrum, and the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum are located at positions that are point-symmetrical about the center point of the support body.

Furthermore, the packaging device of the present invention is a packaging device for packaging agricultural produce in a packaging sheet, and includes a support means having a support body that supports the agricultural produce via the packaging sheet, and a gathering means that gathers an upper portion of the packaging sheet that is located above the agricultural produce supported by the support body. The gathering means includes a pair of moving gathering bodies that gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet by moving toward each other, and a pair of rotating gathering bodies that gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet by rotating toward each other. One of the pair of rotating gathering bodies is rotatable about a first fulcrum, and the other of the pair of rotating gathering bodies is rotatable about a second fulcrum. The first and second fulcrums are located at positions that are point-symmetrical about the center point of the support body.

This invention prevents uneven packing of packaging sheets.

1 is a front perspective view of a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the interior of the packaging device (with the first lifting body in the raised position). FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the interior of the packaging device (with the first lifting body in the lowered position). FIG. 3 is a side view showing a first lifting and lowering drive means of the packaging device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a support means of the packaging device. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the collecting means of the packaging device (when the collecting mobile body is positioned at the standby position). FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the collecting means (with the collecting mobile body positioned at the collecting position). FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the same collecting means (when the collecting rotating body is located at the standby position). FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the same collecting means (when the collecting rotating body is located at the collecting position). FIG. 4A to 4D are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the packaging process by the packaging device. (e) to (h) are explanatory diagrams continuing from FIG.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 14.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a packaging device. This packaging device 1 is a lettuce packaging machine (vegetable packaging machine) that uses, for example, a rectangular packaging sheet S of a predetermined size to package a spherical agricultural product (item to be packaged) W, such as lettuce.

In other words, the packaging device 1 automatically packages agricultural produce W that has been manually supplied into the packaging device 1 through the supply port 2 by an operator with a packaging sheet S, and then automatically discharges the packaged agricultural produce W from the discharge port 3 to the outside of the packaging device 1.

The packaging sheet (packaging film) S is obtained by cutting a long sheet S0 drawn from a roll-shaped sheet roll R into specified lengths, and is, for example, a transparent sheet (film) made of a relatively flexible synthetic resin. The sheet roll R is a long, continuous piece of packaging sheet S0 wound into a roll, and is rotatably supported by the support rollers 5 of the roll support means 4. The material of the packaging sheet S is, for example, OPP film or stretch film.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the packaging device 1 has a box-shaped device body 11 with a roughly rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. An upper plate 12 of the device body 11 is formed with a rectangular upper supply port 13. A horizontal support plate (packaging sheet support portion) 14 is provided below the upper plate 12 to support the packaging sheet S, which is unfolded flat, in a laid-on state.

A circular lower supply port 15 is formed in the support plate 14, facing the upper supply port 13. A portion (the outer peripheral portion) of the lower supply port 15 is openably and closably covered by a plurality of elastic resin plates 16, which are elastically deformable plate-like bodies arranged circumferentially around the lower supply port 15. The opposing upper supply port 13 and lower supply port 15 form a supply port 2, which allows an operator to manually supply unpackaged agricultural produce W from above into the device body 11.

A rectangular discharge opening 3 is formed on the rear panel 18 of the device body 11 for discharging the packaged agricultural produce W from the device body 11. In other words, packaged agricultural produce W, entirely wrapped in a packaging sheet S, is discharged from this discharge opening 3 to the device body 11. The agricultural produce W (packaged agricultural produce) discharged from the discharge opening 3 is transported to the next process by transport means such as a conveyor. Alternatively, the agricultural produce W discharged from the discharge opening 3 may be stored in a container, for example.

A rectangular surplus portion discharge outlet 20 is formed on the right panel 19 of the device body 11 for discharging the surplus portion S1 of the packaging sheet S after packaging out of the device body 11. In other words, the surplus portion (surplus waste, which is the excess portion of the packaging sheet) S1 cut off from the upper portion of the packaging sheet S that has wrapped the produce W is discharged out of the device body 11 from this surplus portion discharge outlet 20. The device body 11 is also provided with, for example, a manual operation switch (operation means) 21 and a setting panel (setting means) 22.

As shown in Figure 3, the packaging device 1 also includes a support means (receiving section) 25 that receives and supports the unpackaged agricultural produce W supplied from the supply port 2 of the device body 11 via the packaging sheet S, and sends the packaged agricultural produce W toward the discharge port 3 and discharges it from the discharge port 3, and a processing means (sliding section) 26 that performs a predetermined process (e.g., gathering, cutting, and heat welding) on the upper portion of the packaging sheet S that is wrapped around the agricultural produce W on the support body 33 of the support means 25.

Furthermore, the packaging device 1 is equipped with an air injection means (air injection unit) 27 that injects compressed air onto the excess portion (excess waste) S1 separated from the packaging sheet S by the processing means 26, thereby discharging the excess portion S1 from the excess portion discharge outlet 20.

The packaging device 1 also includes a pull-out means (sheet pull-out section) 28 that pulls out the long sheet S0 in the pull-out direction (leftward) from the sheet roll R on the support rollers 5 of the roll support means 4, and a cutting means (sheet cutting section) 29 that cuts the long sheet S0 pulled out by the pull-out means 28 to obtain a packaging sheet S of a predetermined dimension (predetermined length).

As such, the packaging device 1 comprises the device main body 11, roll support means 4, support means 25, processing means 26, air injection means 27, drawing means 28, and cutting means 29, etc.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the support means (support and sending means) 25 comprises a guide body 30 erected on the bottom 17 of the device main body 11, a first lifting body 31 that can be raised and lowered and guided by the guide body 30, a second lifting body 32 that can be raised and lowered on the first lifting body 31, a support body 33 that is rotatable on the second lifting body 32 about a left-right central rotation axis (rotation fulcrum) L1 and supports the underside of the crop W from below via the packaging sheet S, and a pair of left and right holding bodies (sandwiching bodies) 34 that are rotatable on the first lifting body 31 about a front-to-rear rotation axis (rotation fulcrum) L2 and hold (sandwich) the left and right sides of the crop W supported by the support body 33 from the left and right via the packaging sheet S.

The support means 25 also includes a first lifting/lowering drive means 36 that raises and lowers the first lifting body 31 relative to the guide body 30, a second lifting/lowering drive means 37 that raises and lowers the second lifting body 32 relative to the first lifting body 31, a first rotation drive means 38 that rotates the support body 33 about the rotation center axis L1 relative to the second lifting body 32, and a second rotation drive means 39 that rotates (opens and closes) the left and right holding bodies 34 about the rotation center axis L2 relative to the first lifting body 31.

The guide body 30 that guides the first lifting body 31 in the up-down direction has a first guide member 51 that is a vertically elongated round bar that guides the cylindrical portion 41 of the first lifting body 31, and a vertically elongated U-frame-shaped second guide member 52 that guides the roller portion 42 of the first lifting body 31.

The first lifting/lowering drive means 36 has a motor (drive source) 55, which is the drive source for raising and lowering the support body 33 together with the first lifting body 31, etc., relative to the device main body 11, and an endless chain 56 that rotates based on the power from this motor 55. This chain 56 is stretched over upper and lower sprockets 57 that are spaced apart and facing each other, and the tension of the chain 56 can be adjusted by a tension adjustment means 58.

The tension adjustment means 58 has a tightener 60 that can rotate around a support shaft 59, and a lower sprocket 57 is attached to the tip of the tightener 60. A connecting rod 61 is connected to the base end of the tightener 60, and this connecting rod 61 is biased upward by an adjustment spring 62. In addition, an attachment plate 63 is attached midway along the chain 56, and the attachment part 43 of the first lifting body 31 is attached to this attachment plate 63.

The first lifting body 31 is raised to a raised position relative to the guide body 30 by the rotation of the chain 56 in one direction based on power from the motor 55 (see Figure 4), and is lowered to a lowered position relative to the guide body 30 according to the size (height) of the crops W by the rotation of the chain in the other direction based on power from the motor 55 (see Figure 5).

Here, the raised position is a predetermined fixed position regardless of the size of the crop W. On the other hand, the lowered position is an arbitrary position determined depending on the size of the crop W (the packaging position, which is the lowered position corresponding to the size of the crop).

That is, for example, based on information from detection means (e.g., photoelectric sensor) 49 that detects the passage of crops W supplied from supply port 2, control means 50 determines a lowering position according to the size of the crops W. Control means 50 appropriately controls each drive source (e.g., motor, air cylinder, etc.) based on information from, for example, sensors and switches. Then, under control of this control means 50, for example, after detection means 49 detects the passage of crops W, but before motor 55 stops, collection means 131 automatically begins collection operation while the support 33 supporting the crops W is descending.

The second lifting body 32 has multiple guided portions 65 that can be raised and lowered and are guided by multiple guide portions 44 (e.g., two on the left and right) of the first lifting body 31, and the upper ends of these vertically elongated, rod-shaped guided portions 65 are attached to a horizontal base plate portion 66.

The second lifting body 32 also has a U-shaped frame 67 that can move up and down relative to the base plate 66, and the support 33 is attached to this U-shaped frame 67 so that it can rotate up and down around the central axis of rotation L1. Although not shown, the U-shaped frame 67 is elastically supported by a buffer spring (not shown) that serves as a buffer means for absorbing impact on the crops W when they are placed on the support 33 (when the crops are set on the support), and the guide pin inside this buffer spring is slidably inserted into the cylindrical buffer guide.

The second lifting/lowering drive means 37 has a lifting/lowering cylinder (drive source) 71, which is an extendable and retractable fluid pressure cylinder. In other words, the second lifting/lowering drive means 37 is composed only of the lifting/lowering cylinder 71. The lifting/lowering cylinder 71 has a cylinder body 72 attached to the first lifting body 31 and a rod 73 that moves in and out of the cylinder body 72. The tip of the rod 73 is attached to the base plate portion 66 of the second lifting body 32.

The second lifting body 32 is lowered to a lower position relative to the first lifting body 31 by the retraction of the lifting cylinder 71, and is raised to an upper position relative to the first lifting body 31 by the extension of the lifting cylinder 71. In other words, to accommodate crops W of different sizes, the second lifting body 31 can be raised and lowered relative to the first lifting body 31, and the support body 33 can be raised and lowered between an upper position and a lower position relative to the holding body 34.

The holder (clamp) 34 can be placed in an open position (where no produce is clamped) or a closed position (where the produce is clamped from both sides) by rotating about the central axis of rotation L2 relative to the first lifting body 31.

In other words, the pair of holders 34 are closed by synchronous movement toward each other (closing operation) based on rotation about the central rotation axis L2, and are open by synchronous movement away from each other (opening operation) based on rotation about the central rotation axis L2.

The holder 34 has an L-shaped arm 76 rotatably mounted on the first lifting body 31 around the central rotation axis L2, a holder 77 attached to the upper tip of the arm 76 and contacting the side of the produce W via the packaging sheet S when the holder 34 is closed to hold the side, and a roller 78 attached to the base of the lower end of the arm 76 and contacting the roller contact plate 85 of the second rotation drive means 39 when the holder 34 is open.

The holding portion 77 is composed of, for example, a rectangular holding plate 79 and a cushioning material 80 such as sponge attached to the holding plate 79 so as to cover the surface of the holding plate 79 (at least the surface that comes into contact with the produce via the packaging sheet).

The second rotation drive means 39 has an open/close cylinder (drive source) 81, which is an extendable fluid pressure cylinder. The open/close cylinder 81 has a cylinder body 82 attached to the first lifting body 31 and a rod 83 that moves in and out of the cylinder body 82. A roller contact plate 85 is attached to the tip of the rod 83, and lifts the roller portion 78 against the biasing force of a closing spring 84, which serves as a biasing means. The roller contact plate 85 moves up and down while being guided by a guide pin 86 extending in the vertical direction.

The closing spring 84 for closing the holder 34 is installed between the first lifting body 31 and the holder 34. That is, one end of the closing spring 84 is attached to the spring mounting portion 45 of the first lifting body 31, and the other end is attached to the spring mounting portion 46 of the holder 34.

Then, as the opening/closing cylinder 81 extends, the holding body 34 rotates about the central axis of rotation L2 relative to the first lifting body 31, entering an open state (see Figure 4). As the opening/closing cylinder 81 contracts, it receives a biasing force (elastic restoring force) from the closing spring 84, and based on this biasing force, the holding body 34 rotates about the central axis of rotation L2 relative to the first lifting body 31, entering a closed state (see Figure 5).

As shown in Figure 5, when the holders 34 are switched from the open state to the closed state, the crops W on the support 33 are clamped from both the left and right sides by the holding portions (clamping portions) 77 of both holders 34 based on the biasing force of the closing spring 84.

The support body (mounting body) 33 rotates about the central axis of rotation L1 relative to the second lifting body 32 to enter a first state (a supporting state in which the crops are supported from below) and a second state (a sending state in which the crops are sent to the side).

In other words, the support 33 is placed in a horizontal first state (where produce is placed) when rotated in one direction (forward) around the central rotation axis L1, and is placed in a tilted, rearward-sloping second state (where produce is discharged) when rotated in the other direction (rearward) around the central rotation axis L1.

As shown in Figure 7, in the first state of the support 33, the support 33 supports the underside of the crop W from below via the packaging sheet S, while it is placed on top of the crop W. In the second state of the support 33, the support 33 has a dish-shaped support portion 91 that sends the crop W rearward (sideways) under its own weight, and a downward-projecting mounting portion 92 that protrudes downward from the support portion 91. In other words, the support 33 has the mounting portion 92 that is rotatably attached to the second lifting body 32 around the central rotation axis L1, and the support portion (receiving portion) 91 that is fixed to the upper part of the mounting portion 92 and supports the underside of the crop W.

The mounting portion 92 has a mounting plate 94 attached to the underside of the support portion 91 with fasteners 93 such as screws. A pair of opposing left and right plates 95, spaced apart and facing each other, protrude downward from both ends of the mounting plate 94. A cylindrical insertion tube 96 extending left and right is provided in the center of the front-to-rear direction of both opposing plates 95.

A bolt 97 is inserted into the insertion tube 96, and a nut 98 is threaded onto the bolt 97, thereby attaching the mounting portion 92 to the U-shaped frame portion 67 of the second lifting body 32 so that it can rotate about the central rotation axis L1. The line passing through the axis of the shaft of the bolt 97 is the central rotation axis L1.

The tip of the rod 123 of the rotation cylinder 121 of the first rotation drive means 38 is rotatably attached to the front ends of both opposing plates 95 of the mounting portion 92 via mounting means 100. The mounting means 100 is composed of, for example, a bolt 101, a nut 102, and a spacer 103.

The support section 91 supports the crops W from below when the support 33 is in the first state, and sends the crops W rearward when the support 33 is in the second state. It is composed of, for example, a dish-shaped support plate (receiving tray) 105 that is cross-shaped in plan view, and a cushioning material 106 such as sponge attached to the support plate 105 so as to cover the surface of the support plate 105 (at least the surface that comes into contact with the crops via the packaging sheet).

Here, the support portion 91 has a rectangular plate-shaped central support portion 107 that supports the center of the underside of the crop W via the packaging sheet S, and rectangular plate-shaped peripheral support portions 108a, 108b that protrude diagonally upward from the four ends (outer edges) of the central support portion 107 on the front, back, left, and right sides and support the four peripheral portions of the underside of the crop W located around the center via the packaging sheet S.

The pair of front and rear peripheral support portions 108a are larger than the pair of left and right peripheral support portions 108b. Each pair of front and rear peripheral support portions 108a is composed of an inclined portion 109 that is inclined relative to the central support portion 107, and a tip portion 110 that is parallel to the central support portion 107. The pair of left and right peripheral support portions 108b is composed only of an inclined portion 111 that is inclined relative to the central support portion 107. When the support body 33 is in the first state, the central support portion 107 is positioned along a horizontal plane. On the other hand, when the support body 33 is in the second state, the inclined portion 109 of the front peripheral support portion 108a is positioned along a vertical plane.

The first rotation drive means 38 has a rotation cylinder (drive source) 121, which is an extendable and retractable fluid pressure cylinder. In other words, the first rotation drive means 38 is composed only of the rotation cylinder 121. The rotation cylinder 121 has a cylinder body 122 attached to a cylinder mounting portion 124 of the second lifting body 32, and a rod 123 that moves in and out of the cylinder body 122. The tip of the rod 123 is attached to the mounting portion 92 of the support body 33 via the mounting means 100.

The support body 33 rotates about the central axis L1 relative to the second lifting body 32 as the rotating cylinder 121 contracts, placing it in a horizontal first state (support state), and rotates about the central axis L1 relative to the second lifting body 32 as the rotating cylinder 121 extends, placing it in an inclined second state (delivery state).

When the support 33 is in the second state, the crops W on the support section 91 are sent (discharged) onto the conveying section 127 of the conveying body 126, and the crops W are then transported by the inclined conveying section 127 toward the discharge outlet 3 and discharged from the discharge outlet 3 outside the device main body 11.

The conveying section 127 of the conveying body 126 is composed of, for example, a conveying plate 128 that is inclined downward at the rear, and a cushioning material 129 such as a sponge attached to the conveying plate 128 so as to cover the upper surface of the conveying plate 128.

Furthermore, when the support 33 is in the first state, the central axis of rotation (rotation fulcrum) L1 of the support 33 is located, in a side view, toward the anti-sending side of the center point (center of the support) P of the central support portion 107 of the support unit 91, i.e., shifted forward from the front-to-back center position of the central support portion 107 in a horizontal position. In other words, when the support 33 is in the first state, the central axis of rotation L1 is located forward (to the anti-sending side) of a vertical line passing through the center point (center of gravity) O of the spherical crop W supported in a resting state by the support unit 91. Furthermore, when viewed from the side, the center point (center of tray) P of the support unit 91 and the center point (center of gravity) O of the crop W on the support unit 91 coincide (or approximately coincide) with each other.

Note that in Figure 7, the cushion material 106 of the support body 33 and the cushion material 80 of the holder 34 are not shown. The three cylinders shown in Figure 7 (lifting cylinder 71, opening/closing cylinder 81, and rotating cylinder 121) are, for example, air cylinders. Also, in Figure 5, the packaging sheet S is not shown.

As shown in Figures 8 to 12, the processing means 26 performs a predetermined process on the upper portion (the outer peripheral portion when unfolded before packaging) of the packaging sheet S, which is located above the crop W on the support 33 of the support means 25 and which is wrapped around the crop W (wrapping substantially the entire crop), and is equipped with, for example, a gathering means 131, a separating means 132, and a heat-sealing means 133.

The gathering means (converging means) 131 is a means for converging and gathering the upper portion of the packaging sheet S located above the crops W supported by the support portion 91 of the support body 33, in a manner that squeezes the upper portion from the periphery.

The cutting means 132 is a means for cutting the excess portion S1 from the wrapping portion of the packaging sheet S that entirely wraps the produce W by cutting a predetermined cutting position in the upper portion of the packaging sheet S that has been gathered by the gathering means 131, and is composed of, for example, a cutting blade 135.

The heat-sealing means 133 is a means for heat-sealing (closing) the upper portion of the packaging sheet S gathered by the gathering means 131, which is located slightly below the cutting position, and is composed of, for example, a pair of front and rear heaters 136, 137.

The gathering means 131 includes a pair of left and right guide rods 140 formed in the shape of elongated rods extending in the front-to-rear direction; a pair of front and rear gathering mobile bodies, a front gathering mobile body 141 and a rear gathering mobile body 142, that gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet S so as to sandwich it from the front and rear by moving (sliding) toward each other along the guide rods 140; and a pair of left and right gathering rotary bodies, a left gathering rotary body 143 and a right gathering rotary body 144, that rotate toward each other in conjunction with the gathering mobile bodies 141 and 142 to gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet S so as to sandwich it from the left and right.

The collection means 131 also includes a first movement drive means 146 that moves the front collection mobile body 141 back and forth relative to the guide rod 140 between the standby position and the collection position, and a second movement drive means 147 that moves the rear collection mobile body 142 back and forth relative to the guide rod 140 between the standby position and the collection position.

The rotating assembly bodies 143, 144 are of the same configuration (consisting of multiple common parts) and rotate left and right (a second direction intersecting the first direction) in response to the movement of the moving assembly bodies 141, 142 in the front-to-back direction (a first direction) based on the operation of the driving means 146, 147. In other words, the rotating assembly bodies 143, 144 rotate in conjunction with the moving assembly bodies 141, 142, which move based on the power from the driving means 146, 147. The moving assembly bodies 141, 142 and the driving means 146, 147 are also of the same configuration, and the assembly means 131 uses common parts.

First, as shown in Figure 8, the front collection movable body 141 has a movable member 151 that slides in the front-to-rear direction along the front portion 140a of the guide rod 140, and the guide rod 140 is inserted into slider portions 152 on both the left and right ends of this movable member 151. The movable member 151 is provided with a guide collar 153, a slide plate 154, and a sheet clamping plate 155, and the cutting blade 135 and heater 136 are attached to the tip of the sheet clamping plate 155.

The first movement drive means 146 has a cylinder 156 (drive source, such as an air cylinder) which is an extendable and retractable fluid pressure cylinder. This cylinder 156 is composed of a cylinder body 158 and a rod 159 which moves in and out of this cylinder body 158. The rear end of a cylinder arm 160 is connected to the tip of the rod 159, and the front end of this cylinder arm 160 is connected to the left end of the movement member 151.

The rear collection moving body 142 has a moving member 161 that slides in the front-to-rear direction along the rear portion 140b of the guide rod 140, and the guide rod 140 is inserted into slider portions 162 on both the left and right ends of this moving member 161. The moving member 161 is provided with a guide collar 163, a slide plate 164, and a sheet clamping plate 165, and a heater 137 is attached to the tip of the sheet clamping plate 165. A predetermined portion of the packaging sheet S is clamped and heat-sealed between the heater 136 on the front collection moving body 141 side and the heater 137 on the rear collection moving body 142 side.

The second movement drive means 147 has a cylinder 166 (drive source, such as an air cylinder) which is an extendable and retractable fluid pressure cylinder. This cylinder 166 is composed of a cylinder body 168 and a rod 169 which moves in and out of this cylinder body 168. The front end of a cylinder arm 170 is connected to the tip of the rod 169, and the rear end of this cylinder arm 170 is connected to the right end of the movement member 161. The two guide rods 140, which are spaced apart and facing each other, are installed between the front frame 138 and the rear frame 139.

Next, as shown in Figure 10, etc., the left-side collection moving body 143 has multiple, for example, two plate-shaped blade members: an upper blade 171 and a lower blade 172. The lower blade 172 has a curved slot 173 formed in it, and the guide collar (roller portion) 163, which is the insertion portion of the rear collection moving body 142, is inserted into this slot (cam hole portion) 173 so that it can slide along the slot 173.

The right-side collection moving body 144 has multiple blades, for example, two plate-shaped blade members: an upper blade 176 and a lower blade 177. The lower blade 177 has a curved slot 178 formed in it. The guide collar (roller portion) 153, which is the insertion portion of the front collection moving body 141, is inserted into this slot (cam hole portion) 178 so that it can slide along the slot 178.

A restricting plate (a resin plate guide that acts as a sagging prevention plate) 180 is attached to the upper blade 176 of the right-side rotating assembly 144 via multiple support rods 179. The restricting plate (a resin plate guide that acts as a sagging prevention plate) restricts downward elastic deformation of the resin plate 16 upon contact with the underside of the resin plate 16 when compressed air is injected by the air injection means 27. In other words, multiple support rods 179 are erected at the tip end of the upper surface of the upper blade 176 of the right-side rotating assembly 144, and the restricting plate 180 is fixed to the upper ends of the support rods 179 and positioned near the underside of the resin plate 16. Note that while the left and right rotating assembly 143, 144 have the same configuration (both are composed of the same multiple common parts), the restricting plate 180 is attached via the support rod 179 only to the right-side rotating assembly 144, as described above.

Here, the left-side rotating assembly (upper and lower blades on the left side) 143, which is one of the pair of rotating assembly members 143, 144, can rotate left and right around a first support shaft (first rotation center) 181, which serves as a first fulcrum fixedly provided on the rear side of the device main body 11, between a standby position (a separated position where it does not overlap with the support portion 91 of the support body 33 in a plan view) and a collecting position (a close position where it overlaps with the support portion 91 of the support body 33 in a plan view).

In contrast, the other of the pair of rotating collecting bodies 143, 144, the right-side rotating collecting body (upper and lower blades on the right side) 144, is rotatable left and right around a second support shaft portion (second rotation center) 182, which serves as a second fulcrum fixedly provided on the front side of the device main body 11, between a standby position (a separated position where it does not overlap with the support portion 91 of the support body 33 in a plan view) and a collecting position (a close position where it overlaps with the support portion 91 of the support body 33 in a plan view).

The left and right rotating collecting bodies 143, 144 rotate toward the collecting position (rotate closer to each other) to gather the upper portion of the packaging sheet S, but when the collecting bodies 143, 144 are positioned in the collecting position, a gap 183 of a predetermined dimension exists between them (see Figure 11). The presence of this gap 183 allows the heaters 136, 137 to properly heat-seal the packaging sheet S.

As is clear from Figure 10, in a plan view, the first support shaft 181, which rotatably supports the rear end (base end on the first fulcrum side) of the left-side rotating assembly 143, and the second support shaft 182, which rotatably supports the front end (base end on the second fulcrum side) of the right-side rotating assembly 144, are located at positions that are point-symmetrical with respect to the center point P (center of the crop) of the support portion 91 of the support body 33.

In other words, the support shafts 181, 182 are located on different sides of a line La in the left-right direction that passes through the center point P of the support body 33 in a plan view. More specifically, the first support shaft 181 is located rearward of the line La, and the second support shaft 182 is located forward of the line La. Furthermore, the support shafts 181, 182 are located on different sides of a line Lb in the front-rear direction that passes through the center point P of the support body 33 in a plan view. More specifically, the first support shaft 181 is located leftward of the line Lb, and the second support shaft 182 is located rightward of the line Lb.

In the state shown in Figure 10, the two collection mobile bodies 141, 142 are separated from each other and positioned in their standby positions, and the two collection rotary bodies 143, 144 are also separated from each other and positioned in their standby positions, so that the crops W can be placed on the support body 33 from the supply port 2. When the two cylinders 156, 166 begin to extend from this state (i.e., the collection means 131 begins its collection operation), the extension of the two cylinders 156, 166 causes the collection mobile bodies 141, 142 to move synchronously toward each other to the collection position, and as a result, the upper portions of the packaging sheet S are gathered from the front and back by the two collection mobile bodies 141, 142.

At the same time, as the guide collars 153, 163 slide within the elongated holes 173, 178, the two rotating collection bodies 143, 144 rotate synchronously around the point-symmetric support shafts 181, 182 in a direction approaching each other to the collection position. As a result, the upper portion of the packaging sheet S is gathered from the left and right sides by the rotating collection bodies 143, 144.

In this way, the upper portion of the packaging sheet S is gathered by the two gathering movable bodies 141, 142 and the two gathering rotating bodies 143, 144. At the end of the gathering operation by the gathering means 131, the cutting blade 135 cuts the upper portion of the packaging sheet S at the desired cutting position to separate the excess portion S1 from the packaging portion of the packaging sheet S, and the heaters 136, 137 heat-seal and seal the portion of the upper portion of the packaging sheet S that is slightly below the cutting position. As a result, the entire agricultural produce W is wrapped in the heat-sealed packaging sheet S, completing the packaging process.

After packaging is complete, the cylinders 156 and 166 of the movement drive means 146 and 147 retract, causing the moving bodies 141 and 142 and the rotating bodies 143 and 144 to return to their original standby positions.

On the other hand, the air injection means 27 includes an injection nozzle 190 that injects compressed air. The drawing means 28 includes an upper holding body 192 and a lower holding body 193 that are attached to a moving body 191 and hold the long sheet S0. The cutting means 29 also includes a receiving body 195, a pressing body 197 that presses the long sheet S0 against the sheet receiving portion 196 of the receiving body 195, and a cutting blade 198 that is a cutting body that cuts the long sheet S0 that is pressed against the sheet receiving portion 196 by the pressing body 197 and is in direct contact with the sheet receiving portion 196 to obtain a packaging sheet S of a predetermined size.

Next, the packaging process performed by the packaging device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14.

First, as shown in Figures 13(a) and (b), the upper holding body 192 and the lower holding body 193 of the drawing means 28 clamp and hold the leading end of the long sheet S0, and then the moving body 191 moves from the holding position to the holding release position, thereby drawing the long sheet S0 from the sheet roll R.

Next, as shown in Figures 13(c) and (d), the pressing body 197 of the cutting means 29 presses the middle portion of the long sheet S0 against the sheet receiving portion 196 of the receiving body 195, and then the cutting blade 198 cuts the long sheet S0, thereby obtaining a packaging sheet S of the specified dimensions.

When the holding of the packaging sheet S by the two holders 192, 193 of the drawing means 28 is released, the packaging sheet S falls under its own weight onto the support plate 14 of the device main body 11.

At this time, the packaging sheet S is not stuck (adheres) to the receiving portion 196a of the sheet receiving section 196, which was pressed by the pressing body 197, and smoothly separates from the receiving portion 196a. This allows the operator to properly place the crops W on the support 33 via the packaging sheet S.

Next, as shown in Figure 14(e), once the packaging sheet S has fallen under its own weight and is resting on the support plate 14, the worker presses down on the resin plate 16 with the produce W to be packaged, which is being held in hand, causing it to elastically deform, and then supplies the produce W through the supply port 2 into the packaging device 1 and places it on the support 33.

As shown in Figure 14(f), the crop W is then wrapped almost entirely (except for the central portion of its top surface) in the packaging sheet S, and is placed on the support portion 91 of the support 33 of the support means 25 via the packaging sheet S. In this way, the crop W is properly set on the support portion 91 of the support 33 in the first state via the packaging sheet S.

Then, after the two holders 34 are closed to clamp the left and right sides of the crop W, the first lifting body 31, together with the second lifting body 32 and the support body 33, which rise and fall together with it, descends from the raised position to the lowered position (corresponding lowered position) using power from the motor 55 and stops. As a result, the crop W placed on the support portion 91 of the support body 33 in the first state stops at a packaging position appropriate for its size.

Furthermore, after the detection means 49 detects the passage of the crops W, but before the motor 55 stops, i.e., while the support 33 is descending, the collecting means 131 of the processing means 26 begins a collecting operation under the control of the control means 50, and as shown in Figure 14(g), the collecting means 131 collects the upper portion of the packaging sheet S on the support 33.

Furthermore, at the end of the collection operation, the cutting blade 135 of the cutting means 132 cuts the upper portion of the packaging sheet S at the cutting position to separate the excess portion S1, and the heaters 136 and 137 of the heat sealing means 133 heat seal the portion of the upper portion of the packaging sheet S that is slightly below the cutting position.

In other words, the processing means 26 performs predetermined processing on the upper portion of the packaging sheet S, such as gathering, cutting, and heat welding.

As a result, the entire crop W on the support 33 is wrapped in the thermally sealed packaging sheet S, completing the packaging process, and the excess portion (excess waste) S1 is cut off from the sealed packaging sheet S.

Then, as shown in Figure 14(h), the cut-off excess portion S1 is blown away by compressed air injected from the injection nozzle 190 of the air injection means 27 and discharged from the excess portion discharge outlet 20 to the outside of the packaging device 1. Furthermore, the opening operation of both holders 34 of the support means 25 returns them from the closed state to the open state, and the agricultural produce W is released from the clamping of the both holders 34.

Next, while the first lifting body 31 remains stopped in the lowered position (the second lifting body 32 is also stopped), the support body 33 rotates relative to the second lifting body 32 by a rotation angle (e.g., 60 degrees) around the rotation center axis L1, causing the packaged agricultural produce W to be sent out from the support part 91 of the support body 33, slide down the conveying section 127, and be discharged from the discharge outlet 3 out of the packaging device 1.

In this way, the packaging device 1 automatically packages the agricultural produce W using the packaging sheet S, so the operator simply feeds the agricultural produce W to be packaged (e.g., lettuce) W into the supply port 2 one by one.

In addition, with the packaging device 1 described above, the first support shaft (first fulcrum) 181 of the left-side rotating assembly 143 and the second support shaft (second fulcrum) 182 of the right-side rotating assembly 144 are located on different sides in a plan view to prevent uneven gathering of the packaging sheets S by the two rotating assembly 143, 144. In other words, they are located at positions symmetrical about the center point P of the support 33, for example. This prevents uneven gathering of the packaging sheets S, and therefore allows the gathering means 131 to neatly and evenly gather the upper portions of the packaging sheets S without any unevenness.

Furthermore, when the gathering means 131 gathers the packaging sheet S, the direction in which the crops W are pulled by the packaging sheet S is symmetrical, preventing the crops W from shifting position on the support 33.

Furthermore, because the left and right rotating assembly bodies 143, 144 have the same configuration, it is possible to standardize parts, thereby reducing the number of different parts that make up the assembly means 131. Of the left and right rotating assembly bodies 143, 144, only the right rotating assembly body 144 has a restricting plate 180 attached via a support rod 179 to restrict elastic deformation of the resin plate 16, and in this respect the two differ.

Furthermore, the gathering means 131 begins gathering operation while the support body 33 is descending, before the motor 55 of the first lifting drive means 36 stops. This makes it difficult for the packaging sheet S to spread, allowing the upper portion of the packaging sheet S to be gathered tightly and more neatly, and improving work efficiency by shortening the overall operating time.

In addition, the central axis of rotation L1 of the support 33 of the support means 25 is located on the opposite side of the center point P of the support portion 91 when viewed from the side in the first state of the support 33. This means that the produce W is less likely to be subjected to impact when being delivered from the support portion 91, and damage to the produce W after packaging can be appropriately prevented.

Furthermore, when the support body 33 is in the second state, the upper end of the crops W on the support body 33 in this second state is relatively low before being sent out. Therefore, the first lifting body 31, which is stopped in the lowered position, does not need to be lowered any further, and interference between the crops W and the processing means 26 during sending out can be avoided. This makes it possible to more appropriately prevent damage to the packaged crops W, and omitting the lowering operation of the first lifting body 31 also improves the durability of the motor, etc.

Furthermore, the support portion 91 of the support body 33 has a central support portion 107 that supports the central portion of the underside of the crop W, and multiple (e.g., four) peripheral support portions 108a, 108b that support the peripheral portion of the underside of the crop W that is located around the central portion. In the first state, the central axis of rotation L1 of the support body 33 is located on the anti-feed side of the center point P of the central support portion 107 in a side view, effectively preventing damage to the crop W after packaging.

The agricultural produce to be packaged is not limited to lettuce (a spherical vegetable), but can also be, for example, cabbage, melon, apple, etc., and the shape, etc., of the product can also be arbitrary.

Furthermore, the cylinder that serves as the driving source is not limited to an air cylinder, such as a fluid pressure cylinder, but may also be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, or a driving source such as a motor may be used instead of a cylinder.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the parts that come into contact with the crops (support parts, holding parts, transport parts, etc.) have cushioning material, which is an elastic material, to absorb impacts on the crops, but cushioning material may not be necessary depending on the type of crop, for example.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the collection means include both a collection moving body and a collection rotating body, but it may also include, for example, only a collection rotating body.

Furthermore, the collection rotating body is not limited to rotating in conjunction with the collection moving body; for example, a rotation drive means for rotating the collection rotating body may be provided separately from the movement drive means for moving the collection moving body.

Furthermore, the first and second fulcrums are not limited to being fixed in a fixed position relative to the device body, but may be adjustable in position, for example, in the left-right direction.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Packaging device 25 Support means 33 Support body 55 Motor as driving source 131 Collection means 141 Front collection mobile body as collection mobile body 142 Rear collection mobile body as collection mobile body 143 Left collection mobile body as collection mobile body (one collection mobile body)
144 Right side rotating assembly (the other rotating assembly)
181: First support shaft portion serving as the first support point; 182: Second support shaft portion serving as the second support point; P: Center point; S: Packaging sheet; W: Agricultural produce

Claims (6)

A packaging device for packaging agricultural produce with a packaging sheet,
A gathering means for gathering the packaging sheets is provided,
The collection means is
a pair of collecting movable bodies that move in directions approaching each other to collect the packaging sheets;
a pair of rotating gathering bodies that gather the packaging sheets by rotating in directions in which they approach each other,
one of the pair of rotary collecting bodies is rotatable about a first fulcrum in the up-down direction,
the other of the pair of rotary collecting bodies is rotatable about a second fulcrum in the up-down direction,
The packaging device, wherein the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum are located on different sides so as to prevent uneven gathering of the packaging sheets. The present invention provides a support means having a support for supporting the agricultural produce via the packaging sheet,
The packaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum are positioned at positions symmetrical with respect to a center point of the support. 3. The packaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of rotating collecting bodies rotates in conjunction with the pair of moving collecting bodies. the support means includes a drive source for raising and lowering the support;
3. The packaging device according to claim 2, wherein the collecting means starts a collecting operation while the support is descending before the drive source is stopped. 3. The packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of rotating collecting bodies have the same configuration. The apparatus includes a main body having a supply port for supplying agricultural products,
3. The packaging device according to claim 1, wherein the collecting means collects the packaging sheets between the supply opening and the agricultural products within the device body.