JPS6130972B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for packaging foods, particularly foods that are soft and easily deformed, such as Western confectionery cakes.

[Conventional technology]

Foods that are soft and easily lose their shape, such as Western confectionery cakes, are mainly wrapped by hand, and there are currently very few automatic packaging devices, but an automatic cake wrapping device is used to wrap thin strips of wrapping paper around cakes. There is one that can be wrapped around the surrounding area.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Western confectionery cakes are soft and decorated with cream, etc., so they easily lose their shape, cannot be tilted or turned over, and cannot be touched from above.

Also, since the purpose of the packaging is to prevent the sides from drying out, it is necessary to stick the film tightly to the cake, and due to the marketability of the cake, it is necessary to avoid wrapping it in hard materials, so it is necessary to wrap it in a film-like material. is preferred.

For this reason, an automatic packaging device was developed that wraps the thin strip of wrapping paper around the cake, but this conventional device did not have a mechanism for wrapping the film around the cake or a mechanism for wrapping the wrapped film around the cake. The mechanism for fixing it becomes extremely complex, limiting packaging speed and requiring a large footprint compared to capacity.

Therefore, for mass production, it is necessary to install a number of machines and to have a device for feeding the cake to each of these machines, which significantly increases the area required for the equipment. Moreover, since the bottom of the cake is not wrapped, it is necessary to line the bottom with metal foil.Furthermore, if cake or cream residue gets stuck to the complicated mechanism, it will no longer function, so it will need to be cleaned frequently, which requires a lot of manpower. There was a problem.

The object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional packaging methods and packaging devices as described above.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, this invention
A packaging film consisting of a bottom part and a plurality of side pieces continuing around the bottom part is cut in advance, a fold is made and each side piece rises from around the bottom part, and each side piece of this packaging film is blown with air. A packaging method in which the film is forcibly expanded by vacuum suction, and then, after placing a food such as a soft cake on the bottom, the forced expansion of each side piece is released and the food is wrapped by the restoring force of the film itself. , a packaging film supply means for supplying downward one by one a packaging film having a plurality of side pieces raised from the periphery of the bottom by cutting the front and making folds, and a packaging film supplied from the supply means. A conveyor has a vacuum suction section that supports and conveys the wrapped film by vacuum suction, and a conveyor that forcibly spreads each side piece of the packaging film that is attracted and moved by the vacuum suction section of this conveyor using an air flow. In addition to providing an expanding means for adsorption to the vacuum suction part, the vicinity of the end of the vacuum suction part is used as a food supply part for placing food such as a soft cake on the bottom of the expanded packaging film, and the end of the vacuum suction part To provide a packaging device that uses a conveyor that does not have a vacuum suction function as a food packaging unit in which each side piece of a packaging film that has been released from forced expansion rises by its own restoring force to wrap food. It is.

[Effect]

Next, to explain the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, a packaging film whose front is cut and folded so that each side piece rises from the periphery of the bottom is placed on a conveyor. Then, while the bottom of the packaging film is sucked in the vacuum suction section of the conveyor, the side pieces are spread apart by the airflow from the spreading means and are sucked into the vacuum suction section of the conveyor.

When the unfolded packaging film reaches the food supply section, the food is placed on the bottom thereof. Then,
When the packaging film carrying the food comes to the food packaging section, the vacuum suction on each side piece is released and the food is wrapped using its own restoring force.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment will be described based on the attached drawings. In FIG. 1, A is a packaging film;
For example, a polyester film or polyethylene film with a thickness of 50 microns is suitable. However, any material may be used as long as it can be folded.

The packaging film A is cut into a shape in which side pieces 2 are integrally provided on the four sides of a rectangular bottom 1, for example, as shown in FIG. Keep it in a good shape. Therefore, each side piece 2 stands up as shown by the chain line in FIG. 1 in its free state.

To wrap cake B with film A above,
As shown by the solid line in Figure 1, each side piece 2 is spread out against the crease by blowing air and vacuum suction, and after placing the cake B on the bottom part 1, each side piece 2
When the force that was pushing it apart is removed, each side piece 2 rises, and as shown in Figure 2, each side piece 2 comes into close contact with the side surface of cake B, and cake B is wrapped.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a packaging device for carrying out the packaging method using the film A described above.
In this figure, numeral 3 denotes a film supply tube as a film supply means, which stores a large number of films A in a stacked manner and supplies the films A one by one downward from the lower end thereof.

Reference numeral C denotes a belt conveyor for conveying the packaging film A supplied from the lower end of the supply tube 3, and is provided toward the front from the bottom of the supply tube 3. This conveyor C is constructed by supporting both ends of an endless belt 5 having many ventilation holes 4 by means of pulleys 6 and 7, and by driving the pulley 6 by a drive device 8.
It is configured to run continuously or intermittently in the direction of the arrow.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a vacuum chamber provided within the conveyor C, the upper opening of which faces the lower surface of the conveying side of the belt 5, and a vacuum pump 10 installed in the chamber 9.
The suction pipes 11 are in communication with each other.

Therefore, the running range of the belt 5 on this chamber 9 becomes a vacuum suction section, and the portion of the belt 5 that has passed the front end of the chamber 9 and is not subjected to the vacuum suction action becomes a food packaging section.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a blower as an expanding means arranged on the conveyor C, and its discharge port 13 is directed onto the vacuum suction section of the conveyor C in front of the supply cylinder 3.

Further, the area near the end of the vacuum suction section in front of the portion where the discharge port 13 faces is designated as a food supply section.

The packaging device of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and its operation will be explained below.

In FIG. 3, one packaging film A is supplied from the lower end of the supply cylinder 3 to the rear end of the vacuum suction section on the belt 5, and only the bottom part 1 is vacuum-suctioned and reaches just below the discharge port 13 together with the belt 5. Then, each piece 2 falls outward due to the airflow ejected from the discharge port 13, forms a flat surface on the vacuum suction portion of the belt 5, and moves to the left in FIG. 3, that is, to the front, while being vacuum suctioned. When the unfolded packaging film A comes to the food supply section near the end of the vacuum suction section, the cake B is manually placed on the bottom 1 in the center of the packaging film A as shown in FIG. As the film A carrying the cake B comes out together with the belt 5 to the front of the suction range of the vacuum chamber 9, that is, to the food packaging section following the vacuum suction section on the belt 5, the suction of each side piece 2 is released. Each side piece 2 is restored and comes into close contact with the side of cake B as shown at the left end in FIG. 3, and cake B is packaged.

〔effect〕

In the packaging method of the present invention, as described above, a packaging film consisting of a bottom part and a plurality of side pieces continuing around the bottom part is cut in advance, folded, and each side piece is made to rise from the periphery of the bottom part. When packaging soft and fragile foods such as cakes, each side of the packaging film is forcibly expanded by air blowing and vacuum suction, and
After placing a soft food such as a cake on the bottom, by releasing the forced expansion of each side piece by vacuum suction, the food can be wrapped by the restoring force of the packaging film itself, so the food can be wrapped on the sides and top of the food. does not come into contact with hard objects at all. Therefore, even soft and crumbly foods such as cakes can be packaged without being damaged. Moreover, since each side of the film is in close contact with the side of food such as cake, it has a great effect of preventing drying and does not impair the soft texture of the food.

Moreover, the packaging device of this invention cuts the front
A vacuum suction unit is attached to a conveyor that conveys the packaging film supplied from the packaging film supply means that supplies the packaging film, which is folded and has a plurality of side pieces rising from the periphery of the bottom, downward one by one. Since the bottom of the packaging film is provided with a vacuum suction, the packaging film moves in a stable state. In addition, on this vacuum suction unit, we have provided an expanding means for forcibly expanding each side piece of the packaging film using an air flow and adhering it to the conveyor, so each side piece can be opened very easily without using a complicated mechanism. In addition, since the film is reliably spread and the film is only touched by the airflow when it is spread, there is no risk of damage to the film. Furthermore, since the vicinity of the end of the vacuum suction section is a food supply section for placing foods such as soft cakes on the bottom of the unfolded packaging film, the food can be placed on the bottom of the unfolded packaging film by vacuum suction. It is easy to supply food because it can be loaded with food. Further, each side piece of the packaging film which is forced to be unexpanded on the conveyor which does not have a vacuum suction function following the end of the vacuum suction part stands up by its own restoring force to wrap the food. Therefore, when the conveyor reaches this area with the packaging film and food still on the conveyor, each side of the packaging film rises up and the packaging can be performed automatically. Therefore, there is no need for manpower except for supplying food,
It can be carried out using a device with a simple mechanism, and has advantages such as improved packaging efficiency and miniaturization of the device compared to conventional devices.

Although the embodiment has been described only for packaging cakes, the present invention can also be applied to packaging various soft and crumbly foods other than cakes, and the shape of the film is not limited to the rectangular shape shown.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cake as an example of a packaging film and food used in the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cake packaged by the method of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the packaging apparatus of the present invention. It is a longitudinal side view of a main part which shows an example. 1...Bottom, 2...Side piece, 4...Vent hole, 5...
...Endless belt, 9...Bakiyumuchiyamba, 12
...Blower, 13...Discharge port, A...Wrapping film, B...Cake, C...Belt conveyor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A packaging film consisting of a bottom and a plurality of side pieces following the bottom is cut in advance, a crease is made and each side piece rises from the periphery of the bottom, and this packaging film is Each side piece is forcibly expanded by air blowing and vacuum suction, and then a soft cake or other food product is placed on the bottom, and then the forced expansion of each side piece is released to allow the packaging film itself to open. A food packaging method characterized by wrapping food using resilience. 2. A packaging film supplying means for supplying downward one by one a packaging film which has been pre-cut and folded and has a plurality of side pieces rising from the periphery of the bottom, and a packaging film supplied from the supplying means. A conveyor has a vacuum suction section that supports and conveys the wrapped film by vacuum suction, and a conveyor that forcibly spreads each side piece of the packaging film that is attracted and moved by the vacuum suction section of this conveyor using an air flow. In addition to providing an expanding means for adsorption to the vacuum suction part, the vicinity of the end of the vacuum suction part is used as a food supply part for placing food such as a soft cake on the bottom of the expanded packaging film, and the end of the vacuum suction part A food product characterized in that each side piece of a packaging film that has been released from forced expansion rises up by its own restoring force on a conveyor that does not have a vacuum suction action to form a food packaging unit that wraps the food product. packaging equipment.