JP7518354B2 - Bag packing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item bagging device that packs items into bags while transporting the items and bags.

For example, a bagging device is known that supplies empty bags to a zipper jaw that moves continuously along a horizontal circular path, opens the bag mouth with a suction means that follows the zipper jaw, fills the opened bag with a liquid material from a nozzle that follows the zipper jaw, and then degassssssssssss and seals it (Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 4290290

On the other hand, when using conventional bagging equipment to bag solid items, if the size or shape of the bag is too tight for the size and shape of the item to be inserted, the item may get caught midway through the bag and not be inserted in the correct position or posture, which can lead to problems such as poor sealing.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an article bagging device that is highly efficient and can reliably insert articles into the correct position within the bag.

The first invention of the present invention is an item bagging device that comprises a transport means for gripping a bag and continuously transporting the bag along an endless transport path, an opening means for opening the bag mouth, an opening shape maintaining means for maintaining the opening shape of the bag mouth, and an item insertion means that moves in synchronization with the transport means and supplies items into the bag, the item insertion means comprising an item holding means for gripping the item and releasing it above the bag mouth , and a pushing means for pushing the released item into the bag from above, the opening shape maintaining means and the pushing means being continuously moved along the transport path in synchronization with the transport means, the item being supplied into the bag with the bag mouth opened by the opening means, and the opening shape being maintained until the item is pushed into the bag by the pushing means .

The present invention provides an article bagging device that is highly efficient and can reliably insert articles into the correct position within a bag.

1 is a plan view showing the overall layout of an article bagging apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an article transfer device and an opening device. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing a schematic configuration of an article supply wheel and an article holding mechanism. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an item M being inserted into a bag by an item pushing mechanism, viewed in the item conveying direction. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which an article is gripped by an upper gripper, as viewed from the outside in the wheel radial direction. FIG. 11A and 11B are plan views showing the upper gripper in a closed and an open state.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view showing the overall layout of an article bagging device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The article bagging device 10 includes an article transfer device (transfer means) 12 that continuously transfers bags B along an endless transfer path having an oval shape. The bags B are, for example, laminated bags for packaging the article M, and are supplied from a multi-row bag supply conveyor (e.g., four rows) 14 that is arranged approximately on the outer side of the center of the forward linear transfer section of the article transfer device 12 (lower side in FIG. 1).

The article transfer device 12 includes a number of grippers 12A arranged along an oval-shaped conveying path (only some of the grippers 12A are shown in FIG. 1). Each row of articles M supplied from the bag supply conveyor 14 is transferred to a corresponding pair of grippers 12A by a bag transfer device 16 arranged inside the article transfer device 12 across the conveying path. Each bag B is held by the grippers 12A at both ends of the opening with the opening (bag mouth) facing up and the mouth closed. Each bag B is held by the grippers 12A along the conveying direction. The grippers 12A that hold each bag B hold both ends of the bag B in a manner that allows them to come into contact with and separate from each other by means of a cam and a cam follower (not shown). For example, the grippers 12A come into contact with each other when an article is inserted into the bag B, and move away from each other when the opening of the bag B is sealed. The bag B held by the grippers 12A is conveyed rightward in FIG. 1, and the presence or absence of the bag B is inspected by a sensor 18.

At the right end of the elliptical item transfer device 12, an item input device (item input means) 20 is arranged along the arc of the ellipse. The item input device 20 is a wheel-type device whose outer periphery moves along the semicircle at the right end of the item transfer device 12, and as described below, includes an item holding mechanism (item holding means) 20A that receives and holds items M from the item supply wheel 22, and an item pushing mechanism (pushing means) 20B that pushes items M into bags B. As described below, the item holding mechanism 20A includes a number of upper grippers 23A and lower grippers 23B that are arranged at approximately equal intervals along the outer periphery of the wheel 27 of the item input device 20, and the item pushing mechanism 20B is provided corresponding to each set of upper and lower grippers 23A and 23B.

The item bagging device 10 of this embodiment also includes an opening device (opening means) 24 that opens the opening of the bag B to allow the item M to be inserted into the bag B by the item insertion device 20, and an opening shape retaining device (opening shape retaining means) 26 that maintains the open state. As described below, the opening device 24 opens the opening to the left and right using suction heads 38A, 38B (Fig. 2), and the opening shape retaining device 26 inserts four guide members 26A (see Figs. 3 and 4) into the opening opened by the opening device 24 to widen the opening, and maintains the shape of the opening until the item pushing mechanism 20B in the item insertion device 20 pushes the item M into the bag B.

The opening device 24 is located downstream of the sensor 18 of the outward linear conveying section to which the bags B of the item transfer device 12 are supplied, and is arranged on the outer lateral side of the upstream side of the item input device 20. The item supply wheel 22 is arranged on the outer lateral side of the upstream section of the semicircular conveying section of the item transfer device 12 following the outward linear conveying section, so that the circular item conveying track of the item supply wheel 22 is tangent to the item conveying track of the semicircular conveying section of the item transfer device 12.

The opening shape retaining device 26 of this embodiment has an elliptical shape that overlaps with the transport path on the article input device 20 side of the article transfer device 12, and the opening device 24 is arranged along the linear portion of the ellipse of the opening shape retaining device 26. That is, one semicircle of the elliptical orbit of the opening shape retaining device 26 along which the guide member 26A moves coincides with the semicircular outer circumferential orbit of the article input device 20, and the other semicircle is located on the upstream side (left side of the figure) of the opening device 24 along the wheel 28. The guide member 26A of the opening shape retaining device 26 is inserted from above into the opening of the bag B at the downstream end of the opening device 24, and is pulled upward from the bag B after the article M is input into the bag B by the article input device 20.

In the item input device 20, the bag B containing the item M is conveyed along the return linear conveyance section of the item transfer device 12 while being held by the gripper 12A, and depending on the result of the pass/fail judgment of the inspection using the sensor 18 or the like, the reject device 30 disposed immediately downstream of the wheel 28 ejects the bag B and item M determined to be defective from the conveyance line. In the return linear conveyance section, a sealing device 32 is disposed downstream of the reject device 30, and the sealing device 32 follows the gripper 12A gripping the bag B containing the item M to seal the opening of the bag B containing the item M.

Then, the gripper 12A holding the sealed bag B traces a semicircular orbit along the wheel 34, is turned around, and moves to the outgoing linear conveying section of the item transfer device 12. In addition, a cooling section A may be provided midway along the semicircular orbit along the wheel 34 to cool, for example, the sealed opening of the bag B in which the item M is packed.

In the forward linear transport section of the item transfer device 12, a product discharge chute 36 is provided on the outside of the transport path upstream of the bag supply conveyor 14. The bag B containing the item M is released from the gripper 12A on the product discharge chute 36, falls into the product discharge chute 36, and is transported further downstream to a processing facility.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the item transfer device 12 and the opening device 24, as viewed from the upstream side in the item conveying direction. Note that Figure 2 also shows a right-side cross-sectional view of the item input device 20 and the opening shape retention device 26 at the wheel position of the item input device 20 downstream of the opening device 24.

The bag B is gripped at the leading and trailing edges in the conveying direction by the grippers 12A of the article transfer device 12 and conveyed in the depth direction of the page. The opening device 24 has a plurality of opening mechanisms 38 corresponding to each gripper 12A that moves in the section in which the device is installed. Each opening mechanism 38 has, for example, a pair of suction heads 38A, 38B for opening the upper edge opening of the bag B laterally to the conveying direction, and a pair of lower suction heads (not shown) for opening the lower part of the bag B laterally to the conveying direction.

The opening mechanism 38 pinches the upper edge opening of the bag B from the left and right with suction heads 38A and 38B and sucks up each side, then opens the opening by moving suction heads 38A and 38B apart to the left and right, and then opens the lower part by moving the lower suction head (not shown) apart to the left and right. Therefore, suction head 38A is positioned outside the oval transport path of bag B, and suction head 38B is positioned inside the oval transport path of bag B so as to face suction head 38A when bag B is opened.

Each of the suction heads 38A and 38B is attached to the endless conveyor 40 via a support. The endless conveyor 40 is a conveyor with the upper side as the forward path and the lower side as the return path, and is circulated in synchronization with the article transfer device 12. The endless conveyor 40 is driven by a motor 40A.

The support parts of the suction heads 38A and 38B include vertical support members 42A and 42B that extend along the bag B hanging down from the gripper 12A, and lateral support members 44A and 44B that extend from the endless conveyor 40 toward the outside of the elliptical conveying path. The lateral support members 44A and 44B are attached to the endless conveyor 40 so as to be freely slidable in the lateral direction of the conveyor.

Each of the horizontal support members 44A, 44B is provided with a cam follower 46A, 46B that engages with a cam groove 40A, 40B provided along the endless conveyor 40. By engaging the cam grooves 40A, 40B of the cam followers 46A, 46B, the suction heads 38A, 38B move in opposite directions transverse to the conveying path, sandwiching the opening of the bag B and opening the opening that was closed by separating from each other.

During the opening operation of the bag B, the suction heads 38A and 38B face each other at a higher position than the gripper 12A that grips the front and rear edges of the bag B, and suction the bag B at the same position. The gripper 12A is also arranged inside the oval transport path of the bag B. Therefore, if left as is, the suction head 38B and the vertical support member 42B of the suction head 38B moving inside the oval transport path of the bag B will interfere with the gripper 12A at the upstream end of the opening device 24 where the vertical support member 42B rises and at the downstream end where it falls. Therefore, in this embodiment, the support portion of the suction head 38B is provided with a cam 48 for lowering the suction head 38B to a retracted position where it does not interfere with the gripper 12A near the upstream and downstream ends of the opening device 24, and a cam follower 50 that engages with this cam 48.

The suction heads 38A, 38B of the opening mechanism 38 stop suction and move away from the side of the bag B when the guide member 26A of the opening shape retaining device 26 is inserted into the opening of the bag B downstream of the opening device 24, but the suction may stop and move away from the side of the bag B before the guide member 26A of the opening shape retaining device 26 is inserted into the opening of the bag B. Also, the configuration of the opening mechanism 38 is not limited to suction heads as long as it is capable of opening the opening.

Next, the configuration of the item input device 20 and the opening shape retention device 26 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the general configuration of the item supply wheel 22 and the item holding mechanism 20A of the item input device 20 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the item holding mechanism 20A of this embodiment includes an upper gripper 23A and a lower gripper 23B. At a receiving position P1 where the item M is received from the item supply wheel 22, the lower gripper 23B grips a lower portion of the item M that does not interfere with the gripper (not shown) of the item supply wheel 22. Then, at a downstream transfer position P2, the upper gripper 23A grips an upper portion of the item M gripped by the lower gripper 23B, and the lower gripper 23B is released.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, on the semicircular diameter transport path of the article transfer device 12 along the wheel 27 of the article input device 20, the article input device 20 and the opening shape retaining device 26 rotate integrally around the wheel rotation shaft 52 in synchronization with the article transfer device 12. The article holding mechanism 20A and the article pushing mechanism 20B of the article input device 20 are each held by a rotating plate and rotate integrally with the wheel rotation shaft 52 in synchronization with the article transfer device 12.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, the opening shape retaining device 26 is circulated in an oval shape around the wheels 27 and 28 of the article input device 20. The four guide members 26A of the opening shape retaining device 26 are rotatably supported on a horizontal axis via a rotating shaft 56A on a lifting plate 56 that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction. An L-shaped plate member with its tip facing downward is provided at the lower end of the guide member 26A, and is inserted into the opening of the bag B that has been opened by the opening mechanism 38 in the opening device 24 to retain the opening in a shape opened on all four sides.

The lift plate 56 is supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to the guide plate 58, for example, via an air damper 56B. The end of the guide plate 58 on the wheel rotation shaft 52 side is attached to a member 60 that engages with a rotating plate 54B that is integrally provided on the wheel rotation shaft 52. The opposite end of the guide plate 58 is supported by a transport guide member 62 provided along the outside of the transport path via a roller 58A. As a result, the guide plate 58 moves along the semicircle of the wheel 27 of the item input device 20 as the wheel rotation shaft 52 rotates.

A control plate 64 is provided above the lift plate 56, for example via an air damper 56C, and the control plate 64 moves up and down within a predetermined range by the engagement of a cam groove 62A provided in the transport guide member 62 along the transport direction with a cam follower 64A provided on the control plate 64. Abutment members 64B are provided on the lower surface of the control plate 64 at positions that abut against the upper ends of the guide members 26A.

When the lift plate 56 is in the upper position, the pair of guide members 26A on the front edge side and the pair of guide members 26A on the rear edge corresponding to each bag B are maintained in a state in which the tips of the L-shaped plate members are closed by a biasing member (not shown). When the operation plate 64 moves along the conveying direction together with the guide plate 58 and the lift plate 56, and the cam follower 64A is pushed down by the cam groove 62A, the lift plate 56 and the guide members 26A are pushed down. At this time, when the operation plate 64 is further pushed down, the abutment member 64B is pressed against the upper end of the guide member 26A, causing each guide member 26A to rotate around the rotation shaft 56A, and the four guide members 26A operate so that the tips of the L-shaped plate members move downward and are inserted into the opening of the bag B while opening in all four directions.

Meanwhile, the article holding mechanism 20A and the article pushing mechanism 20B of the article insertion device 20 are each disposed above a pair of guide members 26A. Figures 4 and 5 are vertical cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the article holding mechanism 20A and the article pushing mechanism 20B. Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view seen in the article conveying direction (the wheel tangent direction of the article insertion device 20) of a state in which an article M has been inserted into a bag B by the article pushing mechanism 20B, and Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view seen from the outside in the wheel radial direction of a state in which an article M has been gripped by the upper gripper 26A. Also, Figure 6 is a plan view of the upper gripper 23A, with Figure 6(a) showing the upper gripper 23A in a closed state and Figure 6(b) showing the upper gripper 23A in an open state.

The upper gripper 23A has left and right fingers that move in parallel in opposite directions by an opening/closing mechanism 66 using an air cylinder or the like, and grips the upper part of the item M from the side, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 (A). The opening/closing mechanism 66 is attached to a cylindrical member 68 that is supported by the rotating plate 54A via a bush or the like so that it can be raised and lowered freely, and the upper gripper 23A and the opening/closing mechanism 66 can be raised and lowered integrally with the cylindrical member 68.

The cylindrical member 68 is raised and lowered, for example, by a cam follower 68A attached to the upper end running over a cam 68B arranged along the outer periphery of a wheel of the article insertion device 20. The upper gripper 23A is lowered to a height where the lower half of the gripped article M is inserted into the opening of the bag B, the shape of which is maintained by the opening shape maintaining device 26, and the upper gripper 23A does not come into contact with the opening of the bag B.

A rod 70 constituting the article pushing mechanism 20B is inserted and supported within the cylindrical member 68 via a rod guide 68C so as to be able to move up and down, and a rod-shaped pusher 72 for pushing the article M into the bag B is attached to the lower end of the rod 70. The rod 70 and pusher 72 are also connected to the lower end of a piston rod 74A of a cylinder 74 attached to the cylindrical member 68. In other words, the pusher 72 can be raised and lowered together with the upper gripper 23A by raising and lowering the cylindrical member 68, and can be raised and lowered relative to the upper gripper 23A by driving the cylinder 74.

The pusher 72 is located directly above the center of the top surface of the item M held by the upper gripper 23A, and can push the item M from above downward by driving the cylinder 74. As shown in FIG. 5, the rod 70 is initially housed within the cylindrical member 68, and the pusher 72 is located above the item M held by the upper gripper 23A.

When the wheel 27 of the article insertion device 20 rotates, the upper gripper 23A and the pusher 72 are lowered while maintaining their relative positional relationship due to the engagement between the cam follower 68A and the cam 68B. When the upper gripper 23A is lowered to a predetermined height above the opening of the bag B, the lower half of the article M is inserted into the bag B, the descent by the cam 68B is stopped, and the upper gripper 23A is released by the opening/closing mechanism 66. In this embodiment, the opening device 24 and the sealing device 32 are arranged along the conveying path of the article transfer device 12 and move following the gripper 12A of the article transfer device 12, but they may move integrally with part or all of the conveying device 12.

In this embodiment, the dimensions of the bag B are tight relative to the item M, and even if the item M is released from the upper gripper 23A, the item M may not fall to a predetermined position (bottom) in the bag B due to its own weight. For this reason, in this embodiment, after the upper gripper 23A is released, the cylinder 74 is driven and the rod 70 is pulled out from the cylindrical member 68 along the vertical axis. Then, even if the item M stops before falling to the bottom of the bag B, the lower end of the pusher 72 is pressed against the top surface of the item M, and the item M is pushed into the bag B.

The pusher 72 pushes the item M into the bag B before the elliptical conveying track of the bag B leaves the track of the wheel of the item insertion device 20. After that, the cam groove 62A engages with the cam follower 64A provided on the operation plate 64, causing the operation plate 64 to rise to its original position. At this time, the guide member 26A, which engages with the abutment member 64B due to the biasing force of the biasing member (not shown), closes as it rises, and the bag is removed from the bag B.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the opening shape retention mechanism and the article pushing mechanism are synchronized with the continuously transported articles, so that the article pushing device can push the articles into the bag while maintaining the opening shape of the continuously transported articles. This allows the articles to be reliably inserted into the appropriate position in the bag while maintaining high performance.

In addition, in this embodiment, the gripper that holds the item is not inserted into the bag, preventing the bag from stretching or becoming damaged.

10 Article bagging device 12 Article transfer device (transfer means)
20 Article loading device (article loading means)
20A Article holding mechanism (article holding means)
20B Article pushing mechanism (pushing means)
24 Opening device (opening means)
26 Opening shape retaining device (opening shape retaining means)

Claims (1)

a conveying means for gripping the bag and continuously conveying the bag along an endless conveying path;
An opening means for opening the bag mouth;
An opening shape retaining means for retaining the opening shape of the bag mouth;
an article inserting means that is moved in synchronization with the transporting means and supplies articles into the bag;
the article inserting means includes an article holding means for holding the article and releasing it above the bag opening, and a pushing means for pushing the released article into the bag from above ,
The opening shape maintaining means and the pushing means are continuously moved along the conveying path in synchronization with the transfer means, the article is supplied into the bag whose mouth is opened by the opening means, and the opening shape is maintained until the article is pushed into the bag by the pushing means.
An article bagging device characterized by the above.

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