JP7803535B2 - Large-capacity bag supply device equipped with a mechanism for moving packaged items to the bag bottom, and a method for moving packaged items to the bag bottom - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a large-capacity bag supplying device equipped with a mechanism for moving sheet-like packaged items to the bag bottom, and a method for moving sheet-like packaged items to the bag bottom.

When packaging bulky items using a packaging machine, the bag is typically vibrated while the item is placed inside. However, even with this method, light, bulky items such as wheat gluten do not sink to the bottom of the bag and can end up getting stuck at the top. To package such items, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the center of the bottom width is pushed up from below to spread the bottom of the bag, and the bag is then dropped into the bag while repeatedly clamping and opening both side edges with opening and closing plates, creating vibration and opening and closing the bag opening.

JP 2017-124856 A

However, the packaging method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for placing sheet-like packaged items (e.g., face masks) inside bags. In other words, when packaging sheet-like packaged items, it is necessary to stock bags containing the packaged items inside the bag in advance, and to install a device that pushes the packaged items inside the bag toward the bottom of the bag during the packaging process on the packaging machine, or a device that taps the bag bottom. Furthermore, there are cases where the packaged item remains on the bag opening side, which could cause the packaged item to get caught when the bag opening is sealed, resulting in a poor seal, so a device to prevent the packaged item from getting caught is also required.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a large-capacity bag supplying device that can move sheet-like packaged items to the bag bottom in a relatively simple manner, and a method for moving packaged items to the bag bottom.

The large-capacity bag supply device of the present invention is equipped with a bag stocking mechanism that stocks a large volume of upright bags, a bag removal mechanism that removes bags from the bag stocking mechanism, a bag rotation mechanism that rotates the bags, and a bag conveying mechanism that supplies the rotated bags to a downstream packaging machine.The bag rotation mechanism is characterized by having a bag rotation table on which the bags are placed and a rotating suction cup that adsorbs the bag on the bag rotation table and rotates it around its axis.The rotating suction cup adsorbs the bag at a position offset from the center of the bag toward the bag opening, rotating the bag and moving the packaged item toward the bottom of the bag.

As described above, this invention uses centrifugal force to move the packaged items inside the bag to their correct position at the bottom of the bag simply by shifting the position of the bag toward the bag opening from the center of the bag when it is rotated. This eliminates the need for the pusher and bag bottom vibration (tapping) devices previously required in the process of supplying bags to downstream equipment such as a packaging machine, and makes it possible to utilize that section of the packaging machine to incorporate devices such as a bag opening jam detection device. Furthermore, since this work can be performed during the process of supplying large-volume bags to the packaging machine, work efficiency is improved.

The method of the present invention for moving packaged items to the bottom of a bag is characterized in that the rotating suction cup that suctions and rotates the bag is attached at a position offset from the center of the bag toward the bag opening, and the bag is rotated around an axis that passes through the center of the rotating suction cup, thereby using centrifugal force to move the packaged items inside the bag toward the bottom of the bag.

In addition, even when the packaged item is sheet-like, the simple configuration allows the packaged item to be moved to the correct position at the bottom of the bag, which reduces or prevents the packaged item from getting caught and causing poor sealing when the bag opening is subsequently sealed.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a right side view of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged front view of FIG. FIG. 1 is a front view of a bag stock mechanism in use according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an enlarged plan view of a bag rotating table of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a rear view of a rotating device of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an enlarged side view of a bag centering mechanism of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an enlarged front view of a bag centering mechanism of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bag conveying mechanism of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view of a bag conveying mechanism of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view of a bag conveying mechanism of a large-capacity bag supplying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the large-capacity bag supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the large-capacity bag supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the large-capacity bag supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the large-capacity bag supply device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the large-capacity bag supply device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the large-capacity bag supply device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Example 1
(Large capacity bag supply device)
Fig. 1 is a front view of a large-capacity bag supplying device of the present invention equipped with a mechanism for moving sheet-like packaged materials toward the bag bottom side, Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is a right side view. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the large-capacity bag supplying device 1 of this embodiment 1 is equipped with a bag stocking mechanism 2 that stocks a large number of upright bags (packaging bags) W and has a mechanism for guiding the stocked bags toward the front end side, a bag removal mechanism 3 that removes the bags W from the bag stocking mechanism 2, a bag direction detection device 4 that detects the direction of the bags W removed by the bag removal mechanism 3, a bag turning mechanism 5 that turns the bags W in a predetermined direction based on the direction of the bags W detected by the bag direction detection device 4, a bag conveying mechanism 7 that conveys the bags W turned in the predetermined direction by the bag turning mechanism 5 toward the packaging machine 6, and a control device (not shown). A packaging machine 6 (only the clamp arm of the packaging machine 6 is shown in FIG. 1) is installed at the tip side of the large-capacity bag supplying device 1 (downstream side where the bags W are conveyed), and the bags W are transferred from the large-capacity bag supplying device 1 to the packaging machine 6 by a bag transfer mechanism 8. Note that although a circular rotary packaging machine is used as the packaging machine 6, a linear packaging machine or an oval packaging machine may also be used.

The following describes each of the above devices and mechanisms in detail, with the origin of the bags W flowing in the conveying direction of the bags W referred to as "upstream" and the destination of the flow referred to as "downstream." The conveying direction of the bags W is referred to as the "longitudinal direction," the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction as the "width direction," and the front side of the conveying direction as the "leading edge" and the rear side as the "rear edge." While Example 1 provides a detailed description of the structure of the device of the present invention, the structure is, of course, not limited to this example.

(Bag stock mechanism)
The bag stocking mechanism 2 extends from the upstream to midstream portions of the large-capacity bag supplying device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 2, this bag stocking mechanism 2 has a bag stocking passage 22 extending longitudinally from a base 21 formed by combining steel materials into a rectangular shape. A group of upright bags with their mouths facing sideways is stocked in this bag stocking passage 22. However, if the thickness of the bag mouth and the bag bottom differs between the bags W, stacking many bags W in the same direction increases the difference in thickness between the bag mouth and the bag bottom, causing the group of bags to become curved, potentially resulting in incorrect bag removal by the bag removal mechanism 3. For this reason, when using the large-capacity bag supplying device 1, a bundle of a certain number of bags, such as 10 or 20 bags, is typically stocked with the bag mouth and bag bottom reversed, averaging out the difference in thickness between the bag mouth and the bag bottom. The group of bags is then stocked in the bag stocking passage 22 in an overall straight, undistorted state, as shown in Figure 5.

However, in addition to the above-described usage, the large-capacity bag supply device 1 can also be used to move sheet-like packaged items F (e.g., face masks, etc.) to the bag bottom side. In this Example 1, rather than stocking a bundle of bags with the bag opening and bag bottom sides reversed, as described above, the bags W containing the packaged items F are set upright in the bag stock passage 22 with their openings and bag bottoms facing the same direction. Therefore, the large-capacity bag supply device 1 of Example 1 can efficiently store sheet-like packaged items at the bag bottom side in a relatively simple manner.

As shown in FIG. 2, the bag stock passage 22 has a structure in which a pair of side plates 22a, which can slide in the width direction of the bag stock passage 22 via guide rods 22b, are arranged on both longitudinal sides of the base 21. The spacing between the pair of side plates 22a can be adjusted according to the size of the bags W by rotating a handle 22d attached to the end of a screw rod 22c suspended between the pair of side plates 22a. A bag pushing belt 23, which is driven to rotate by a bag pushing belt motor 23b, is installed in the center of the bottom longitudinal portion of the bag stock passage 22. When a sensor detects that a bag W on the downstream side of the bag stock passage 22 has become empty, a bag pushing member 23a, which is detachably attached vertically to the bag pushing belt 23, slowly moves forward, pushing the bags stored in the bag stock passage 22 from upstream to downstream.

A pair of stand plates 24 are erected at the downstream ends of the pair of side plates 22a. Claw-like locking pieces 24a protrude inward from the inside of these stand plates 24, locking the bags W to prevent them from flying out. Furthermore, a gate plate 24b is installed between the pair of stand plates 24, and the locking pieces 24a and gate plate 24b hold the bags W at the ends of the group of bags pushed forward into the bag stock passage 22 by the bag pusher member 23a to prevent them from flying out.

(Bag removal mechanism)
The bag removal mechanism 3 uses suction cups 31 to remove bags W from the tip of the bag stock mechanism 2 and hand them over to the bag turning mechanism 5. As shown in Figure 4, the bag removal mechanism 3 uses a four-bar link 32. The link portion of the four-bar link 32 is made up of a lower drive link 32a, an intermediate link 32b, and a driven link 32c, and these link portions are driven by a link drive device 33. The bag stock mechanism 2 and the bag removal mechanism 3 are supported on the machine frame 9, and a driven shaft 32d is installed in the width direction of the upper part of the machine frame 9, with the free ends of the driven link 32c fixed to both ends of this driven shaft 32d.

Furthermore, a drive shaft 32e is installed across the width of the lower part of the machine frame 9, and the free ends of the drive links 32a are fixed to both ends of this drive shaft 32e. One end of the drive shaft 32e extends toward the link drive device 33, which is equipped with a drive motor 33a and a bevel gear 33b, and the rotational force of the drive motor 33a is transmitted to the drive shaft 32e via the bevel gear 33b.

As shown in Figure 3, a mounting member 32h for attaching the suction cups 31 is installed between the joint 32g that connects the drive link 32a and the intermediate link 32b. Three suction cups 31 are attached to this mounting member 32h. A suction pipe 32i is installed in the width direction above the suction cups 31, and this suction pipe 32i and the suction cups 31 are connected by a tube 32j.

When the drive motor 33a of the link drive device 33 is driven, the drive shaft 32e rotates, and the four-bar link 32 of the bag removal mechanism 3 bends upstream, as shown by the phantom line in Figure 4, and assumes a position to remove the leading bag W from the bag stock mechanism 2. When the four-bar link 32 assumes a position to remove the leading bag W, the suction cup 31 adsorbs the leading bag W. When the drive motor 33a further rotates, the four-bar link 32 extends downstream and places the bag W on the bag rotation table 51 of the bag rotation mechanism 5. As shown in Figure 5, the suction cup 31 arcs downward from the horizontal position in which it removes the leading bag W to a vertical position on the bag rotation table 51. The direction of the bag W removed from the bag removal mechanism 3 is detected by the bag direction detection device 4 described below before it is placed on the bag rotation table 51.

(Bag orientation detection device)
The bag orientation detection device 4 is a device that detects whether the bags W are facing left or right when the large-capacity bag supply device 1 is used in a normal operating state, that is, when the bundle of bags is stocked with the bag opening and bag bottom sides reversed left and right, and the bags W are removed from the bag removal mechanism 3 and placed on the bag turning mechanism 5. However, in Example 1, because the bundle of bags is stocked in the bag stock passage 22 with the bag opening and bag bottom sides facing the same direction, when the leading bag W is removed from the bag stock mechanism 2 by the bag removal mechanism 3, there is no need to detect whether the bag W is facing left or right.

The bag orientation detection device 4 of a typical large-capacity bag supply device 1 uses an imaging device such as a CCD camera to determine the orientation of the bags W. For example, the orientation is determined by characters, patterns, or the shape of the bags W printed on them. The type of sensor is not critical; it can also be anything that uses laser light to measure the unevenness or thickness of the surface of the bags W to determine the orientation. The location where the sensor of the bag orientation detection device 4 is installed is not particularly limited, as long as it is between the bag removal mechanism 3 and the bag rotation mechanism 5.

(Bag rotation mechanism)
6 is a plan view showing an example of a bag turning mechanism 5. The bag turning mechanism 5 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the bag stocking mechanism 2 and is a mechanism for rotating (turning) bags W placed on the bag turning table 51 by the bag removal mechanism 3 in forward and reverse directions. Typically, when a bundle of bags is stocked with the bag opening and bag bottom sides reversed, the bag turning mechanism 5 is provided to turn the bags W placed on the bag turning table 51 so that the clamp of the packaging machine 6 can grasp the bag opening side, and to transfer them to the bag conveying mechanism 7. However, the bag turning mechanism 5 of Example 1 functions to move packaged items F, such as face masks, toward the bag bottom side by the centrifugal force generated when the bags W turn.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the bag rotation mechanism 5 comprises a bag rotation table 51 having a generally convex shape in a plan view on which bags W removed from the bag stock mechanism 2 are placed; a rotation device 52 that rotates the placed bag W in the predetermined direction as described above; and, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, a bag centering mechanism 53 that centers the bag W rotated by the rotation device 52 when transferring it to the bag conveying mechanism 7. The bag rotation mechanism 5 is positioned so that the center of rotation for rotating the bag W is offset toward the bag opening of the bag W (but is central in the width direction of the bag W). That is, as shown in Figure 13, the bag rotation mechanism 5 is positioned so that the center of rotation of the rotation suction cup 52a is offset by H from the center P of the bag W toward the bag opening.

As shown in the plan view of Figure 6, the bag turning table 51 is composed of a table body 51a spanning the width of the machine frame 9, and a rectangular support portion 51b that protrudes horizontally downstream from the center of the width of the table body 51a and has an oblong hole 51e cut out. The table body 51a has four rows of two slits 51c that face each other across the center of the width to prevent interference with the protrusions 53e of the alignment plate 53E of the bag centering mechanism 53 (see Figures 8 and 9) when they rotate. These slits 51c are long so that they can accommodate bags W of different sizes.

The support portion 51b supports the bag W after it has been rotated by the bag rotation mechanism 5 when it is transported by the bag conveying mechanism 7. The width of the support portion 51b is smaller than the width of the bag W, and raises both sides of the leading edge of the bag W that protrude from the leading edge of the table main body 51a. Raising both sides of the leading edge of the bag W allows the clips 72I of the bag conveying mechanism 7, described below, to grasp both sides of the leading edge of the bag W. An elliptical hole 51d is formed from the rear end of the support portion 51b to the center of the table main body 51a. This elliptical hole 51d allows the position of the rotation suction cup 52a of the rotation device 52 to be moved longitudinally depending on the bag size.

The swivel device 52 is installed longitudinally at the center of the lower part of the bag swivel table 51. The swivel device 52 is equipped with a swivel suction cup 52a that sucks the bag W and swivels (rotates) around an axis passing through the center of the bag. The swivel suction cup 52a is located below the elliptical hole 51d and is positioned so as to face the suction cup 31 of the bag removal mechanism 3 in the vertical direction (see Figure 7). The swivel suction cup 52a of the swivel device 52 rotates the bag W placed on the bag swivel table 51 in a predetermined direction.

Figure 7 is a rear view of the bag rotation mechanism 5. The bag rotation mechanism 5 has a rotation suction cup 52a attached to the upper end of an elbow 52b, and a suction hose (not shown) connected to the lower end of the elbow 52b. The elbow 52b is connected to the rotation shaft of a rotation actuator 52d via a bracket 52c and rotates in forward and reverse directions. Note that in Example 1, an air-driven rotation actuator 52d is used, but a drive device such as a servo motor may also be used.

52e is a lifting actuator, and the swivel actuator 52d is suspended from the piston rod at the bottom of this lifting actuator 52e. The lifting actuator 52e moves the upper end of the swivel suction cup 52a up and down between a standby position below the bag turning table 51 and an upper suction position where it sucks the bag W.

As shown in Figure 6, a mounting plate 52f is fixed along the longitudinal direction to the machine frame 9, and the tip of a position-adjusting screw rod 52g is journaled on this mounting plate 52f. A guide 52h with an internal thread is fitted into this screw rod 52g, and the lifting actuator 52e is attached to this guide 52h via a mounting base 52i. A handle shaft 52k is connected perpendicularly to the rear end of the screw rod 52g via a bevel gear 52j. By rotating the handle 52l, the lifting actuator 52e, swivel actuator 52d, swivel suction cup 52a, etc. can be moved longitudinally along the screw rod 52g. If the dimensions of the bag W change, the handle 52l can be rotated to position the swivel suction cup 52a at the center of the bag W's width.

(Bag centering mechanism)
Figure 8 is a side view of the bag centering mechanism, and Figure 9 is an enlarged front view. This bag centering mechanism 53 centers the bag W that has been rotated by the rotating device 52 in a direction that allows it to be conveyed downstream so that it can be delivered to the bag conveying mechanism 7. In this bag centering mechanism 53, a screw rod 53b that rotates about its axis is suspended so as to extend in the width direction of the machine frame 9. A pair of rod nuts 53c are fitted to this screw rod 53b, and a support plate 53d is attached to this rod nut 53c. Centering devices 53A are mounted on the support plate 53d, and by rotating a handle 53g attached to the end of the screw rod 53b, the pair of centering devices 53A on the support plate 53d move in opposite directions. This allows the bag W to be set to a width ranging from wide to narrow.

As shown in Figure 9, in the centering device 53A, a rotating shaft 53i is supported by bearings 53h provided at both ends of the support plate 53d, and an air cylinder 53k is connected to a crank 53j attached to the end of this rotating shaft 53i. When this air cylinder 53k is driven, the rotating shaft 53i rotates forward and backward, and the alignment plate 53E attached to this rotating shaft 53i also rotates. Five protrusions 53e are formed on the upper edge of the alignment plate 53E so that they protrude.

The air cylinder 53k then rotates the rotary shaft 53i in both forward and reverse directions, causing the alignment plate 53E to reciprocate from a 45° inclined position to a vertical position, as shown in Figure 8. When the alignment plate 53E is at 45°, the protrusion 53e is located below the table body 51a, allowing a bag W to be placed on the table body 51a. Conversely, as the alignment plate 53E reaches a vertical position, the protrusion 53e centers the bag W. A stopper plate 53L, with cushioning material 53l attached to its side, is fixed to the support plate 53d with screws at a position inside the alignment plate 53E. The stopper plate 53L prevents the alignment plate 53E from rotating from the vertical position.

(Bag conveying mechanism)
As shown in Figures 10 to 12, the bag conveying mechanism 7 is equipped with a clip device 72 having a pair of clips 72I that clamp from above and below both sides of the tip of the bag W that protrudes from both sides of the support portion 51b of the table main body 51a, an air cylinder 72h for opening and closing the clips 72I, and a linear actuator 71 that moves the clip device 72 attached to the slider 71a back and forth in the longitudinal direction, and the clip device 72 transfers the bag W on the bag turning table 51 to the bag transfer mechanism 8.

As shown in FIG. 11, the bag conveying mechanism 7 is also provided with a bag tip measuring device 73 equipped with a laser sensor emitter/receiver 73a and a laser light reflector 73b. This bag tip measuring device 73 accurately measures the position of the leading edge of the bag mouth of the bag W centered by the bag centering mechanism 53. By accurately measuring the position of the leading edge of the bag mouth in this way, the actual accurate distance to be conveyed by the bag conveying mechanism 7 is calculated, and the bag W is accurately handed over to the clip 8a of the bag transfer mechanism 8. Note that the bag tip measuring device 73 does not have to be the emitter/receiver 73a and reflector 73b described above.

(Method of moving sheet-shaped packaged items to the bottom of the bag)
Next, a method for moving packaged items F toward the bag bottom using the large-capacity bag supply device 1 will be described. As shown in Figure 5, a large number of bags are stocked in an upright state in the stock passage 22 of the bag stock mechanism 2. In a normal large-capacity bag supply device 1, the bag bundle is set in the bag stock passage 22 with the bag openings and bag bottoms reversed left and right as described above, but in this Example 1, the bags W containing packaged items F are set upright in the bag stock passage 22 with the bag openings and bag bottoms facing the same direction. This completes preparation for the bag stock mechanism 2.

When the start button of the large-capacity bag supply device 1 is turned ON, the bag pushing belt motor 23b of the bag stocking mechanism 2 and the drive motor 33a of the bag removal mechanism 3 are driven, and the linear actuator 71 of the bag conveying mechanism 7 enters a standby state. Driving the drive motor 33a moves the four-bar link 32, and as shown in Figure 5, the suction cup 31 sucks and removes the bag W at the tip of the bag stocking mechanism 2 and places it on the bag rotating table 51. As described above, in this Example 1, the bags W containing the packaged items F are stocked upright in the bag stock passage 22 with their mouths and bottoms facing the same direction, so the control device does not determine which direction the bags W are facing.

As shown in Figure 13, the bag W placed on the table body 51a of the bag turning table 51 is displaced such that the turning suction cups 52a are displaced toward the bag opening from the center P of the bag W (displacement distance H). The lifting actuator 52e of the turning device 52 is then driven, causing the turning suction cups 52a to rise and, as shown in Figure 14, to suction the bag W and turn it. As a result, the packaged item F inside the bag W is moved toward the bottom of the bag by centrifugal force.

Then, by driving the air cylinder 53k of the bag centering mechanism 53 to rotate the rotation shaft 53i, the alignment plates 53E rise vertically as shown in Figure 8, and the protrusions 53e of the pair of alignment plates 53E push the bag W from the left and right, centering the bag W on the bag rotation table 51. As shown in Figure 15, the bag W is slightly misaligned to the left or right before centering, but this action centers it in the width direction.

Then, the clip device 72 clamps both sides of the leading edge of the bag W with clips 72I, and the bag conveying mechanism 7 conveys the bag to the packaging machine 6. The clip device 72 accurately measures the position of the leading edge of the bag W when the laser light emitted from the light emitter/receiver 73a of the bag leading edge measuring device 73 is interrupted by the leading edge of the mouth of the centered bag W. This allows the bag W to be conveyed while correcting any longitudinal misalignment. As a result, the bag W can be accurately delivered to the clamp of the packaging machine 6.

As described above, according to the present invention, simply by shifting the center position of the bag W toward the bag mouth when rotating it from the center of the bag, the packaged item F inside the bag W can be moved to the correct position at the bag bottom by centrifugal force. Therefore, the pushing device and bag bottom vibration (tapping) device previously required in the process of supplying bags to the packaging machine 6 are no longer necessary. By utilizing this section of the packaging machine and incorporating devices such as a bag mouth jam detection device, downstream packaging machines can perform stable production, thereby reducing increases in equipment costs and improving work efficiency.

Furthermore, when the packaged item F is a sheet-like item such as a face mask, it has traditionally been difficult to move the packaged item F properly toward the bottom of the bag, even with the installation of a pushing device or a bag bottom vibration device. In contrast, the present invention makes it possible to properly move the packaged item F to the correct position toward the bottom of the bag with a simple configuration. Therefore, when sealing the bag opening afterwards, it is possible to prevent the sealer from getting caught in the packaged item F and resulting in a poor seal, making it possible to prevent defective products.

In the above Example 1, the bag W is rotated at a 90-degree angle, but this is not limited to this. For example, the bag W may be rotated at a 450-degree angle or more so that the packaged item F is more reliably moved toward the bottom of the bag by centrifugal force.

Example 2
In the first embodiment, the bags W containing the items F to be packaged were stocked upright in the bag stock passage 22 with their mouths and bottoms facing the same direction, but in this second embodiment, like the normally used large-capacity bag supplying device 1, the bags are stocked with the mouths and bottoms of a bundle of bags reversed left and right. However, when the mouths and bottoms are stocked reversed left and right, contrary to the first embodiment, the swivel suction cups 52a may suction a portion of the bag W that is closer to the bottom than the center. When the swivel suction cups 52a suction a portion of the bag W that is displaced closer to the bottom than the center and rotate the bag W, the centrifugal force causes the items F to move toward the mouth of the bag, causing inconvenience by getting the items F caught when sealing.

Therefore, in Example 2, between the bag removal mechanism 3 and the bag rotation mechanism 5, the bag orientation detection device 4 detects whether the bag W is facing left or right. If it detects that the bag W is facing the opposite direction, the bag W is placed on the bag rotation table 51, and the bag slide mechanism 10 shown in Figure 16 corrects the position of the bag W. The bag slide mechanism 10 is provided on one side of the bag rotation table 51. This bag slide mechanism 10 has two grooves 11 drilled in the width direction of the bag rotation table 51, with an electric linear slider 10A fitted in one groove 11 and a driven linear slider 10B fitted in the other groove 11. A slide bar 10C with a brush attached to its underside is suspended between the electric linear slider 10A and the driven linear slider 10B, as shown in Figure 17.

The electric linear slider 10A is equipped with a motor unit 101A at one end, and a slider 103A rests on a base unit 102A that extends from the motor unit 101A toward the other end. Rotation of the motor unit 101A rotates a ball screw (not shown), causing the linear guide to move back and forth, sliding the slider 103A on the base unit 102A. The driven linear slider 10B does not move on its own; the block slider 102B simply slides on the slide rail 101B. By driving the electric linear slider 10A, the slide bar 10C slides in the width direction of the bag rotation table 51, moving the bag W on the bag rotation table 51 to the correct position.

Figure 18 shows the state after the electric linear slider 10A is driven to move the slide bar 10C toward the center of the width of the bag turning table 51, bringing the bag opening side of the bag W onto the suction cup 52a. During this time, the suction cup 52a does not perform a suction operation, allowing the bag W to slide on the bag turning table 51. When the bag W reaches a predetermined position on the bag turning table 51, detected by a sensor or CCD camera (not shown), the electric linear slider 10A is stopped, and then the motor unit 101A is rotated in the reverse direction to return the slider 103A to its original position (see Figure 19). At the same time that the electric linear slider 10A is stopped, the suction operation of the suction cup 52a begins, and the bag W is adsorbed by the suction cup 52a.

After the bag W is sucked by the rotating suction cup 52a, the rotating actuator 52d is driven to rotate the bag W in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) to that of Example 1, as shown in Figure 19. As a result, the packaged item F inside the bag W moves toward the bottom of the bag and is stored in a normal state. The clip device 72 then clamps both ends of the leading edge of the bag W with clips 72I, and the bag conveying mechanism 7 conveys it toward the packaging machine 6.

As described above, in Example 2, the bag W containing the packaged item F can be stocked in the bag stock passage 22 with the bag opening and bag bottom reversed left and right. Therefore, even if there is a difference in thickness between the bag opening and bag bottom, this is averaged out, and the group of bags can be aligned without distortion overall and stocked in the bag stock passage 22.

Example 3
In the first and second embodiments, the bag W is simply rotated by the turning actuator 52d, but air may be blown into the bag W before rotation to inflate the bag W and make it easier for the packaged item F in the bag W to move toward the bag bottom. This operation makes it possible to more reliably move the packaged item F toward the bag bottom.

The present invention is suitable for storing sheet-like items, such as face masks, in the bottom of a bag. It can also be used for lightweight items that are difficult to store in the bottom of a bag due to vibration.

1 Large-capacity bag supply device, 2 Bag stock mechanism, 21 Base, 22 Bag stock passage, 22a Side plate, 22b Guide rod, 22c Screw rod, 22d Handle, 23 Bag push belt, 23a Bag push member, 23b Bag push belt motor, 24 Stand plate, 24a Locking piece, 24b Gate plate, 3 Bag removal mechanism, 31 Suction cup, 32 Four-section link, 32a Drive link, 32b Intermediate link, 32c Driven link, 32d Driven shaft, 32e Drive shaft, 32g Joint, 32h Mounting material, 32i Suction pipe, 32j Tube, 33 Link drive device, 33a Drive motor, 33b Bevel gear, 4 Bag direction detection device, 5 Bag rotation mechanism, 51 Bag rotation table, 51a Table body, 51b Support part, 51c Slit, 51d elliptical hole, 51e oblong hole, 52 swivel device, 52a swivel suction cup, 52b elbow, 52c bracket, 52d swivel actuator, 52e lifting actuator, 52f mounting plate, 52g screw rod, 52h guide, 52i mounting base, 52j bevel gear, 52k handle shaft, 52l handle, 53 bag centering mechanism, 53A centering device, 53b screw rod, 53c rod nut, 53d support plate, 53E alignment plate, 53e protrusion, 53g handle, 53h bearing, 53i rotating shaft, 53j crank, 53k air cylinder, 53L stopper plate, 53l cushion material, 6 packaging machine, 7 bag conveying mechanism, 71 linear actuator, 71a slider, 72 clip device, 72h Air cylinder, 72I clip, 73 bag tip measuring device, 73a emitter/receiver, 73b reflector, 8 bag transfer mechanism, 8a clip, 9 machine frame, 10 slide mechanism, 10A electric linear slider, 101A motor unit, 102A base unit, 103A slider, 10B driven linear slider, 101B slide rail, 102B block slider, 10C slide bar, 11 groove, W bag (packaging bag), F packaged item

Claims (4)

A large-capacity bag supplying device comprising a bag stocking mechanism that stocks a large amount of erected bags, a bag removal mechanism that removes bags from the bag stocking mechanism, a bag turning mechanism that turns the bags, and a bag conveying mechanism that supplies the turned bags to a packaging machine downstream,
The bag rotation mechanism includes a bag rotation table on which the bag is placed, and a rotating suction cup that adsorbs the bag on the bag rotation table and rotates it around its axis. The rotating suction cup adsorbs the bag at a position that is displaced from the center of the bag toward the bag opening, rotating the bag and moving the packaged item toward the bottom of the bag.
A large-capacity bag supplying device. a bag direction detection device that detects the direction of the bag taken out by the bag taking mechanism;
2. The large-capacity bag supplying device according to claim 1, wherein the bag turning mechanism turns the bags in a predetermined direction based on the bag direction detected by the bag direction detection device. The large-capacity bag supply device described in claim 2, characterized in that the bag orientation detection device detects whether the bag is facing left or right, and if it detects that the bag is facing the opposite direction, the bag is placed on a bag rotation table, and the bag slide mechanism corrects the bag's position, rotating the bag in the specified direction and moving the packaged item toward the bottom of the bag. A method for moving packaged items to the bottom of a bag, characterized by the fact that a rotating suction cup that suctions and rotates the bag is attached to a position offset from the center of the bag toward the bag opening, and the bag is rotated around an axis that passes through the center of the rotating suction cup, thereby moving the packaged items inside the bag toward the bottom of the bag using centrifugal force.