JP2022138680A - Pillow packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a pillow packaging machine which can prevent products from collapsing by holding front and rear parts from conveying to packaging a body of stacked products, and prevent empty bags.CONSTITUTION: A conveying and supplying device 15 lays multiple products 14 in erected state in the conveying direction, conveys their front and rear parts by the front and rear fingers 18, 19 through a bag making machine 21, and supplies them into a pillow packaging machine body 11. The pillow packaging machine body is provided with a pair of front and rear holding bar members 32 that move along a predetermined locus and push down a predetermined portion of the upper surface of a packaging film 12, taking over from the fingers to continue to hold the body. When an empty finger from which the body is removed enters the packaging machine body, the upper holding device is moved downstream, the holding bar member is retracted, the fingers temporarily stop without interfering with the holding bar members so that empty bags can be prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a pillow packaging machine.

For example, when packaging a set of flaky products such as crackers and biscuits that are stacked upright and stacked in front and back, the individual flaky products cannot stand on their own, so the assembly is packed in a tray. sometimes On the other hand, when a packaging form that does not use a tray is used due to the demand for plastic-free packaging, for example, an automatic packaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 may be used.

The automatic packaging machine disclosed in this Patent Document 1 pillow-packages an assembly of a large number of flake-shaped articles in the shape of a piece stand. A conveying/supplying device is provided which conveys the aggregate while the front and rear of the aggregate are sandwiched between a pair of fingers and sequentially supplies the aggregate to the main body of the packaging machine. Then, the fingers of the conveying/supplying device pass through the bag-making device of the packaging machine body and reach the downstream side of the bag-making device. supply to

On the other hand, on the side of the main body of the packaging machine, an assembly holding device having a sandwiching member which moves forward together with the packaging film in a state of being sandwiched in contact with both left and right sides of the packaging film made into a cylindrical bag and pushed inward. (referred to as a “cylindrical body clamping and transferring device” in Patent Document 1). By holding down the front and back of the assembly with the pair of right and left sandwiching members, a plurality of thin plate-shaped articles forming the assembly in the packaging film can be transported without tipping forward and backward. As described above, the fingers of the conveying/supplying device enter the inside of the packaging machine body, so that the assembly is supplied to the packaging machine body while being held back and forth by the fingers, and then handed over to the guide by the holding device. Therefore, the assembly is conveyed, supplied, and packaged while maintaining a stable posture and shape.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-32857 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 47-24282

The holding device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a mechanism for opening and closing a pair of sandwiching members in order to hold down the left and right side surfaces of a tubular packaging film, and holds the film on the left and right outsides of the packaging film in an open posture with a wide gap between them. They are arranged in a separated state, and at an appropriate timing, they are shifted to a closed position with a narrower gap, and the sides of the packaging film are pushed inward. Since the opening/closing operation is performed in this manner, the structure becomes complicated, and there are cases where it is not possible to cope with high speed.

In order to solve this problem, the configuration of the holding device is changed to, for example, a bar-shaped holding member (referred to as a "holding rod" in Patent Document 2) arranged so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction disclosed in Patent Document 2. When considering using a structure in which the vicinity of the front and rear of the assembly is held down from above the packaging film, the following problems newly arise.

For example, if the assembly is not set between a pair of front and rear fingers of the conveying and feeding device for some reason, and the packaging machine main body is operated in the same manner as when the assembly is set, the assembly is stored. Empty packages (empty bags) are generated. In order to suppress the occurrence of such empty bags, the operation of the packaging machine main body is temporarily stopped (on-demand standby), the aggregate is set between the front and rear fingers, and the aggregate is supplied to the packaging machine main body from the conveying and feeding device. In some cases, control is performed to restart the operation of the packaging machine main body in accordance with the timing. By performing such control, aggregates are supplied to the main body of the packaging machine at predetermined pitches, and packages can be manufactured without generating empty bags.

When such control is performed, the hold-down device is also temporarily stopped as the main body of the packaging machine is temporarily stopped, and the bar-shaped hold-down member also stays at each position. Therefore, when the fingers pass through the bag making machine and enter the inside of the main body of the packaging machine as in Patent Document 1, the fingers of the conveying/supplying device interfere with the pressing member. Therefore, on-demand standby control cannot be performed, and an empty bag is generated. Moreover, the above-described problems also occur in an assembly or the like in which articles are stacked one on top of the other, regardless of the orientation and attitude of the articles.

The above-mentioned problems are described as independent ones, and the present invention does not necessarily have to be able to solve all of the problems described above, and it is sufficient if at least one problem can be solved. In addition, we intend to obtain the right for the configuration to solve this problem by filing a divisional application or making an amendment.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the pillow packaging machine of the present invention includes (1) a packaging machine main body for pillow packaging;
a conveying and feeding device that conveys an assembly in which a plurality of products are stacked in at least one of the front-rear direction and the vertical direction, and supplies the product to the main body of the packaging machine;
a film supply device that continuously supplies the packaging film to the packaging machine main body;
with
The packaging machine main body includes a bag making machine for forming the packaging film into a tubular shape, a center seal device for sealing both side edges of the packaging film formed into a tubular shape by the bag making machine, and a center seal for the center seal. A top sealing device is provided downstream of the device and seals and cuts the packaging film in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction,
The conveying/supplying device includes a plurality of pairs of front fingers and rear fingers arranged to sandwich the front and rear of the assembly, and the front fingers and the rear fingers pass through the bag making machine, Move downward on the downstream side and return to the upstream side,
Above the downstream side of the bag making machine, there is provided an upper pressing device including a plurality of sets of a pair of front and rear pressing members for pressing down a predetermined portion of the upper surface of the packaging film,
the predetermined portion is outside the front and rear ends of the assembly,
The upstream end position of the section in which the upper holding device moves along the packaging film is a first position in a normal state in which the assembly is supplied from the conveying and feeding device to the packaging machine main body, and its first position. configured to be movable between one position and a different second position;
When the assembly does not exist between the front finger and the rear finger and the assembly is not supplied to the packaging machine main body from the conveying/supplying device in operation, the packaging process in the packaging machine main body is temporarily stopped. In addition, the tip position is positioned at the second position so that the moving front finger and rear finger do not interfere with the holding member.

With this configuration, when the aggregates are sequentially supplied to the packaging machine main body by the conveying/supplying device, the aggregates held down by the front fingers and the rear fingers are supplied into the packaging machine main body without collapsing. The front and rear restraints of the assembly by the upper restraint device can be taken over within the main body. Therefore, for example, even an aggregate consisting of a plurality of products that easily collapses can be stably transported on the upstream side of the packaging machine main body, supplied into the packaging machine main body, and moved inside the packaging machine main body. It can be transported while maintaining its posture. When, for example, the assembly is pulled out of the conveying/supplying device during operation and the assembly cannot be supplied to the packaging machine main body at predetermined intervals, the packaging machine main body is temporarily stopped, and the assembly is kept inside the packaging machine main body. are conveyed at a predetermined pitch to suppress the occurrence of empty bags.

When the main body of the packaging machine is temporarily stopped in this way, if the upstream end position of the upper holding device moves to the second position, for example, the holding member for the assembly to be supplied next retreats and the assembly is moved. The interference of the front and rear fingers entering into the body of the packaging machine in an empty state without conveying the packaging to the holding member is suppressed. Further, when the aggregate is subsequently supplied into the main body of the packaging machine, the upstream end position of the upper holding device is returned to the first position to hold down the front or rear side of the aggregate being supplied. Therefore, the front fingers and the rear fingers do not interfere with the pressing member, and the generation of empty bags can be prevented.

(2) When the supply of the aggregate from the conveying/supplying device is restarted and the packaging process is also restarted with the leading end positioned at the second position, the leading end is moved to the first position. It is preferable that the pressing member is positioned on the front side of the head assembly between the front finger and the rear finger after the resumption, which is moved and supplied to the packaging machine main body. By doing so, the leading position of the upper pressing device, which had been retracted to the second position during the temporary stoppage of the packaging process due to the empty-bag prevention control, is brought to the supply timing of the leading assembly to be next supplied to the packaging machine main body. At the same time, since it returns to the first position, it is possible to hold down firmly from the head assembly.

(3) The upstream end position of the section of the upper restraining device that moves along the packaging film may be configured to move forward and backward, and the second position may be downstream of the first position. With this configuration, the head position can be moved horizontally, for example, so that the movement can be performed smoothly with a simple configuration.

(4) The holding member is a bar-shaped member arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the packaging film, and is positioned at upper ends of the front finger and the rear finger moving inside the packaging machine main body. Preferably, the holding member is positioned above the height position in which the upper surface of the packaging film is pushed downward. By doing so, the front and rear fingers can be sufficiently high, the front and back of the assembly can be firmly held down, and the collapse of the product can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, the bar-shaped member restrains the upper surface of the packaging film in the width direction, thereby suppressing collapse of the aggregate in the packaging machine main body.

(5) The bar-shaped member may be arranged across the packaging film. In this way, the entire width of the packaging film can be firmly held down, and the assembly can be reliably held down.

(6) Moving means for moving the restraining members along a predetermined movement path is provided, and in the normal state, all the restraining members move along the predetermined movement path, and the gathering member is moved along the predetermined movement path. When the bundle is not supplied to the main body of the packaging machine, at least the section of the predetermined movement path where the holding member holding the front and rear of the assembly supplied into the packaging film exists is in a stopped state. is maintained, and the route of a partial section on the upstream side of that section is changed so that the holding member present in the partial section moves to a position where it does not come into contact with the packaging film. In this way, when the assembly is no longer supplied, the holding member can be reliably retracted by simple control, and the assembly already supplied to the packaging machine main body and contained in the packaging film can be kept even during the temporary stop. can be held firmly. Then, when the operation is resumed, the assembly that has already been held down by the holding member can be conveyed while maintaining the held state as it is.

(7) In the upper holding device, the holding member sequentially receives the front and rear fingers from the front finger and the rear finger to hold the assembly fed into the packaging machine main body, and holds the aggregate inside the packaging machine main body while holding the holding member. should be moved. By doing so, the plurality of products can be moved in a stable posture from the upstream side of the packaging machine main body without collapsing.

According to the present invention, the upstream end position of the upper holding device can be changed depending on whether or not the aggregate is being conveyed during operation of the conveying/supplying device, and the front finger and the rear finger prevent interference with the holding member. Empty bags can be prevented from occurring.

(a) is a front view showing a preferred embodiment of a pillow packaging machine according to the present invention, and (b) is a plan view taken along line bb. It is a principal part enlarged front view. FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the operation; FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the operation;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to this, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a pillow packaging machine according to the invention. As shown in the figure, the pillow packaging machine 10 includes a pillow packaging machine main body 11, a film supply device (not shown) that continuously supplies a belt-shaped packaging film 12 to the pillow packaging machine main body 11, and a cover. A conveying/supplying device 15 is provided for conveying aggregates 13 as packages and supplying them to the main body 11 of the pillow packaging machine.

The assembly 13 is formed in a stand-up shape in which a plurality of flat products 14 are erected and arranged in contact with each other in the forward and backward direction along the conveying direction. The individual products 14 are packaged products in which flat articles such as rice crackers and biscuits are individually wrapped. In addition, the individual products 14 are not limited to packaged products as described above, and may be flaky articles that are not individually packaged, such as the packaged products in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.

The conveying and feeding device 15 includes, for example, sprockets 16 arranged in the front and rear (in the drawing, only the front in the traveling direction is shown), an endless chain 17 stretched over the plurality of sprockets 16, and the endless chains 17 at predetermined pitch intervals. and a front finger 19 paired with each rear finger 18 and the like. The distance between the pair of rear fingers 18 and front fingers 19 is equal to the length of the assembly 13, and the assembly 13 is inserted between the pair of rear fingers 18 and front fingers 19 to form the assembly 13. This prevents the plurality of products 14 to fall down in the front-rear direction. In addition, side guide walls (not shown) are arranged on both left and right sides of the transfer line to prevent the plurality of products 14 from moving in the lateral direction. As a result, the assembly 13 is also moved forward with the movement of the pair of rear fingers 18 and front fingers 19 .

The pillow packaging machine main body 11 includes a bag-making device 21 for making a tubular bag from the supplied packaging film 12, and a bag-making device 21 arranged downstream of the bag-making device 21 to convey the tubularly made packaging film 12. a center sealing device 24 arranged between the belt conveyor 23 and the bag making machine 21; a top sealing device 25 arranged downstream of the belt conveyor 23; and a downstream side of the top sealing device 25. and an unloading conveyor 26, etc.

The basic configuration is the same as the conventional one, and the bag making device 21 passes the band-shaped packaging film 12 continuously supplied from the film supply device, so that the both side edges 12a of the packaging film 12 are brought into contact with each other ( polymerize) and form a cylindrical bag. The center sealing device 24 performs heat sealing by heating while sandwiching both side edge portions 12a of the polymerized packaging film 12 from both sides. The top sealing device 25 traverses the tubular packaging film 12 containing the assembly 13 in a direction perpendicular to the carrying direction and parallel to the carrying surface, that is, across the tubular packaging film 12 on a horizontal plane. It seals and cuts in the direction of cutting. The film portion to be sealed and cut is a predetermined position between the front and rear aggregates 13 . The top sealing device 25 includes an upper top sealer 25b and a lower top sealer 25c on a pair of rotating shafts 25a arranged above and below the packaging film 12, respectively. In the drawing, the movement trajectories (circles) of the sealing surfaces of the upper top sealer 25b and the lower top sealer 25c are indicated by two-dot chain lines. Both top sealers have built-in heaters, and the sealing surfaces at the tips of the top sealers are heated to a predetermined temperature. Further, for example, a cutter blade is built in the front-rear central portion of the sealing surface of the upper top sealer 25b. In addition, a cutter groove is provided in the central portion of the sealing surface of the lower top sealer 25c in the front-rear direction. As a result, the packaging film 12 is sandwiched between the upper top sealer 25b and the lower top sealer 25c, heat-sealed by applying heat and pressure on the sealing surfaces, and the packaging film 12 is cut in the horizontal direction by a cutter blade to manufacture the package. do. Moreover, since the assembly 13 is enclosed in the tubular packaging film 12, the belt conveyor 23 conveys the packaging film 12 including the assembly 13 therein. Although not shown, side guide members are arranged on both the left and right sides above the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 23 to suppress lateral deviation of the assembly 13 and the like.

In this embodiment, the conveying/supplying device 15 positions the forward sprocket 16 in the traveling direction downstream of the bag making machine 21 . As a result, the rear finger 18 and the front finger 19 pass through the bag making machine 21, circle along the sprocket 16, move downward, and then return to the upstream side. Therefore, when the assembly 13 is set between the pair of rear fingers 18 and front fingers 19 and is conveyed by the conveying/supplying device 15, the assembly 13 is not collapsed in the front-rear direction and enters the bag making machine 21. inserted. As a result, the assemblies 13 supplied to the bag making machine 21 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the packaging film 12 which has been made into a cylindrical bag. Also, the sprocket 16 is arranged upstream of the center seal device 24 . As a result, the rear finger 18 and the front finger 19 move in the section before the both side edges 12a of the tubular packaging film 12 come into contact, and after the both side edges 12a come into contact, is center-sealed by the center-sealing device 24.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an upper restraining device 30 is arranged at a predetermined position above the conveying surface on the downstream side of the bag making machine 21 . This upper restraining device 30 comprises a pair of endless chains 31 arranged on the left and right outer sides of the conveying plane so as to rotate in a vertical plane, respectively, and a restraining bar member 32 arranged at a predetermined position so as to extend between the endless chains 31. and various sprockets 33 and the like for moving the endless chain 31 along a predetermined locus. At least one of the plurality of sprockets 33 serves as a drive sprocket that rotates by receiving power from the drive motor.

The hold-down bar member 32 includes, for example, a round bar-shaped main body 32a and connecting members 32b attached to both ends of the main body 32a. The main body 32a may be non-rotatably fixed to the connecting member 32b, or may be attached so as to be rotatable around the central axis of the main body 32a. By arranging the restraining bar member 32 so as to span the left and right endless chains 31 , the restraining bar member 32 extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the packaging film 12 . In addition, in the section of the endless chain 31 that moves along the conveying direction of the packaging film 12 , the hold-down bar member 32 moves horizontally at a position lower than the upper surface of the packaging film 12 . As a result, the hold-down bar member 32 moving along the conveying direction of the packaging film 12 moves to a position lower than the upper surface of the tubular packaging film 12 . Therefore, the portion of the film in contact with the pressing bar member 32 is pushed downward, and the pressing bar member 32 moves forward in accordance with the movement of the packaging film 12, so that the packaging film 12 is pushed in. transported while maintaining

The attachment position of the restraining bar member 32 to the endless chain 31 is as follows. The interval between a pair of pressing bar members 32 adjacent to each other in the front and rear direction is set to a length corresponding to the front and rear length of the assembly 13, and the arrangement pitch of the set of pressing bar members 32 is determined by the packaging in the pillow packaging machine main body 11. It is attached to the endless chain 31 so that the pitch is equal to the conveying pitch of the assembly 13 supplied and arranged in the tubular packaging film 12 . By adjusting the positions of the holding bar members 32 appropriately and synchronizing the rotation of the endless chain 31 with the transport of the packaging film 12 , the set of holding bar members 32 can be positioned corresponding to the front and back of the assembly 13 . , can be suppressed from above the packaging film 12 . Therefore, the plurality of products 14 forming the assembly 13 in the packaging film 12 are transported together with the packaging film 12 in a stable posture without falling forward or backward.

Also, the length corresponding to the front-to-rear length of the assembly 13 of the set of pressing bar members 32 is set slightly longer than the front-to-rear length. That is, the upper end positions of the rear finger 18 and the front finger 19 are positioned above the holding bar member 32 that moves along the packaging film 12 . Therefore, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2 , by setting the length to be slightly longer, the front holding bar member 32 enters slightly in front of the front finger 19 . Similarly, the rear restrainer bar member 32 is recessed slightly behind the rear finger 18 . Therefore, with respect to the assembly 13 separated from the conveying/supplying device 15 and enclosed in the packaging film 12, the restraining bar member 32 comes into contact with a portion a little away from the front and back of the assembly 13 and pushes it downward to form a cylindrical shape. The wrapping film 12 can slightly wrap the front and back of the assembly 13 to restrain it.

Furthermore, the upper holding device 30 is arranged so as to reach the downstream side of the top sealing device 25 . As a result, the assembly 13 contained in the packaging film 12 is suppressed not only in the section conveyed on the belt conveyor 23 but also in the front and back of the top sealing device 25 when it is top sealed, so that When the packaging film 12 is sandwiched and sealed by the upper top sealer 25b and the lower top sealer 25c of 25, it is possible to prevent the product 14 from falling forward or backward and being bitten.

Here, in this embodiment, the upstream end of the upper holding device 30, that is, the tip position on the side of the bag making machine 21, is configured to move forward and backward along the conveying direction of the packaging film 12. As shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in a normal operating state, the tip position of the bag maker 21 is located in the immediate vicinity of the bag maker 21, and the assembly supported by the rear fingers 18 and the front fingers 19 of the conveying/supplying device 15. The front and rear restraints of the body 13 can be inherited by the restraining bar members 32 of the upper restraining device 30 without any gaps. From this state, the tip position of the upper holding device 30 can be moved downstream.

In a specific configuration, a plurality of sprockets 33 including the sprocket 33 at the tip position on the upstream side among the plurality of sprockets 33 are connected to a moving plate (not shown), and the moving plate is moved to the packaging film 12 by a cylinder (not shown). , the sprockets 33 can be moved forward and backward without changing the relative positional relationship of the plurality of sprockets 33, and the positions of the other sprockets 33 are fixed. As a result, the tip position can be moved forward and backward without changing the total length and movement distance of the endless chain 31 . A plurality of sprockets 33 attached to the moving plate defines horizontal sections in which the endless chain 31 moves in the upstream direction and the downstream direction, respectively. and a sprocket 33 positioned one downstream of the sprocket 33 . The advancing direction of the endless chain 31 is once turned back to the upstream side by the sprocket 33 located one downstream side.

The upper pressing device 30 in the pillow packaging machine 10 configured as described above operates, for example, as follows. 3 and 4, illustration of a part of the configuration is omitted or simplified. FIG. 3(a) shows the state during normal operation. This drawing is the same as FIG. In the conveying/supplying device 15, the assembly 13 is set without any space between the rear finger 18 and the front finger 19 forming a pair. As a result, the conveying/supplying device 15 sequentially supplies the assembly 13 into the bag making device 21 of the pillow packaging machine main body 11 at a constant timing. Therefore, in the cylindrical packaging film 12, the assembly 13 is included at each packaging pitch. Before or at the timing when the front fingers 19 and the rear fingers 18 are separated from the assembly 13 , the holding bar member 32 is moved to a predetermined position above the packaging film 12 , that is, near the front end or the rear end of the assembly 13 . By pushing downward, the products 14 forming the assembly 13 are prevented from falling down in the front-rear direction. The front finger 19 and the rear finger 18 move downward while collapsing at a predetermined position in the body 11 of the pillow packaging machine, and separate from the assembly 13 . Along with this, the assembly 13 shifts to being held down by the upper holding device 30 .

During this normal operation, when the assembly 13 is moved forward by the conveying/supplying device 15, the body 11 of the pillow packaging machine also moves accordingly, and the packaging film 12 and the restraining bar member 32 also move forward. Therefore, the restraining bar member 32 moves forward while restraining the portion of the film that first comes into contact. Further, when the rear finger 18 comes to a predetermined position in the body 11 of the pillow packaging machine, the corresponding hold-down bar member 32 also comes into contact with the portion of the film immediately behind the rear finger 18 and pushes it downward. As a result, the front and rear of the assembly 13 contained in the packaging film 12 are held down by the pair of holding bar members 32 .

On the other hand, when the vacant front finger 19 in which the assembly 13 is not set between the pair of rear fingers 18 and front fingers 19 of the conveying/supplying device 15 enters the bag making machine 21, the bags are fed at a predetermined pitch. Since the assembly 13 that has come is no longer supplied, the operation of the pillow packaging machine main body 11 and the film supply device is temporarily stopped at an appropriate timing. As a result, for example, the transportation of the packaging film 12 is also temporarily stopped, and the rotation of the endless chain 31 of the upper holding device 30 is temporarily stopped.

The timing of this temporary stop is, for example, as shown in FIG. In this state, the transportation of the packaging film 12 stops at the position where the empty front finger 19 without the assembly 13 has passed the bag making machine 21 shown in FIG. 3(b). At this time, for example, if the upstream tip position of the upper holding device 30 is at the position for normal operation indicated by the two-dot chain line, the holding bar will be positioned immediately in front of the front finger 19 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. Member 32 is located. Therefore, when the upper pressing device 30 is temporarily stopped at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, the front finger 19 moving forward immediately after that interferes with the pressing bar member 32 which is temporarily stopped in front. Therefore, the cylinder is driven at an appropriate timing before such a situation occurs to move the moving plate downstream.

As a result, as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3(b), the tip position of the upper holding device 30 is positioned downstream of the turn-around point of the front finger 19 and the rear finger 18 and retreats. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the front finger 19 and the rear finger 18 move without interfering with the holding bar member 32 during the on-demand standby until the assembly 13 is conveyed. .

Also, as shown in FIG. 3(c), during the on-demand standby, a finger with an aggregate 13 set moves after an empty finger. Then, when the assembly 13 immediately after the empty fingers is supplied into the bag making machine 21 (see FIG. 4(a)), the operation of the pillow packaging machine main body 11 is started, and the moving plate is moved upstream by driving the cylinder. move to the side. As a result, the three sprockets 33 linked to the moving plate also move upstream as indicated by the two-dot chain line from the solid line in FIG. 4(b). As a result, before the front fingers 19 and the rear fingers 18 separate from the assembly 13, the holding bar member 32 of the upper holding device 30 holds down the packaging film 12 at an appropriate position, guides the assembly 13, and moves the assembly 13. It is conveyed inside the pillow packaging machine main body 11 while maintaining a stable posture (see FIG. 4(c)).

In the above-described embodiment, the assembly 13 is configured by arranging the standing products 14 in front and back, but in this embodiment, the product 14 is not limited to this, and for example, the assembly 13 is configured by stacking the products 14 up and down. , or any combination thereof. In particular, in the vertically stacked configuration, it is necessary to position the upper ends of the front fingers 19 and the rear fingers 18 above the upper surface of the assembly 13 in order to prevent the products 14 above from falling. Although it is likely to interfere with the holding bar member 32 during on-demand standby, the holding bar member 32 at the upstream position is retracted to the downstream side during on-demand waiting as described above, so that interference can be reliably prevented. In addition, various arrangement layouts can be taken, such as arranging a plurality of items stacked vertically.

In the above-described embodiment, the top sealing device 25 is of a rotary type in which the upper top sealer 25b and the lower top sealer 25c rotate about the rotation shaft. It may be applied to a box motion type in which the sealing surfaces approach and depart in a predetermined trajectory while maintaining the state of facing each other.

Further, although the upper restraining device 30 is configured to be positioned downstream beyond the top sealing device 25, it may be positioned upstream of the top sealing device 25, for example. However, if it extends from the immediate vicinity of the bag making machine 21 to the downstream side beyond the top sealing device 25 as in the embodiment, it is possible to more reliably prevent the product 14 from being caught in the top sealing device 25 .

In the above-described embodiment, a bar member that traverses the packaging film 12 is used as a holding member, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each may press down on the film portion of the packaging film 12 . However, as shown in the embodiment, it is better to provide the holding member so as to extend over the entire width direction of the tubular packaging film 12 . By doing so, bag making can be stabilized particularly at the time of top sealing, and the finish can be improved.

In addition, although the main body 32a of the hold-down bar member 32 is shaped like a round bar and has the same diameter over the entire length in the axial direction, the diameter may be different in the axial direction, for example. For example, it is preferable that the central portion of the packaging film in the width direction has a large diameter to push the packaging film downward. In this way, the packaging film can be slightly taut, and for example, product positioning can be performed more reliably.

Further, the pressing member is not limited to a bar-like member, and may be an elastic member such as a spring material. Even in this way, the packaging film can be slightly stretched, and the product can be positioned more reliably.

In the above-described embodiment, the hold-down bar member 32 has a double-support structure in which both sides thereof are connected to the left and right endless chains 31. However, for example, it may have a cantilever support structure with respect to the endless chain on the back side of the packaging machine. good too. By doing so, the front side of the packaging machine is opened, and for example, recovery work in the event of trouble is facilitated.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the tip position of the upper holding device moves forward and backward along the conveying direction, and the tip position moves to the second position on the downstream side, so that the holding bar member 32 can be seen by the finger. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the holding bar member 32 may be configured to escape from the fingers by allowing the tip position to move up and down and bending the tip portion upward. , can be configured in various ways.

These various modifications of the upper holding device installed on the main body of the packaging machine are not limited to those in which the position on the upstream side is displaced as in the present invention, and can also be applied to devices in which the moving path of the holding member is fixed. can do.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments, these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but rather to aid understanding of the present invention. Note that it is provided. The scope of the invention is not limited to the constructions or methods of manufacture explicitly described herein, but rather includes within its scope combinations of the various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. While the claimed features of the invention are identified in the appended claims, any configuration not presently specified in the claims is disclosed herein. For the sake of clarity, it is possible that such a configuration may be claimed in the future.

10: Pillow packaging machine 11: Pillow packaging machine main body 12: Packaging film 12a: Both side edges 13: Aggregate 14: Product 15: Conveying and feeding device 16: Sprocket 17: Endless chain 18: Rear finger 19: Front finger 21: Bag making device 23 : Belt conveyor 24 : Center seal device 25 : Top seal device 26 : Carry-out conveyor 30 : Upper holding device 31 : Endless chain 32 : Holding bar member 32a : Main body 32b : Connecting member 33 : Sprocket

Claims (7)

A packaging machine main body for pillow packaging,
a conveying and feeding device that conveys an assembly in which a plurality of products are stacked in at least one of the front-rear direction and the vertical direction, and supplies the product to the main body of the packaging machine;
a film supply device that continuously supplies the packaging film to the packaging machine main body;
with
The packaging machine main body includes a bag making machine for forming the packaging film into a tubular shape, a center seal device for sealing both side edges of the packaging film formed into a tubular shape by the bag making machine, and a center seal for the center seal. A top sealing device is provided downstream of the device and seals and cuts the packaging film in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction,
The conveying/supplying device includes a plurality of pairs of front fingers and rear fingers arranged to sandwich the front and rear of the assembly, and the front fingers and the rear fingers pass through the bag making machine, Move downward on the downstream side and return to the upstream side,
Above the downstream side of the bag making machine, there is provided an upper pressing device including a plurality of sets of a pair of front and rear pressing members for pressing down a predetermined portion of the upper surface of the packaging film,
the predetermined portion is outside the front and rear ends of the assembly,
The upstream end position of the section in which the upper holding device moves along the packaging film is a first position in a normal state in which the assembly is supplied from the conveying and feeding device to the packaging machine main body, and its first position. configured to be movable between one position and a different second position;
When the assembly does not exist between the front finger and the rear finger and the assembly is not supplied to the packaging machine main body from the conveying/supplying device in operation, the packaging process in the packaging machine main body is temporarily stopped. In addition, the tip position is positioned at the second position so that the moving front finger and the rear finger do not interfere with the holding member. When the supply of the aggregate from the conveying/supplying device is resumed and the packaging process is also resumed in a state in which the leading end position is positioned at the second position,
The holding member is positioned on the front side of the head assembly between the front finger and the rear finger after the tip position is moved to the first position and supplied to the main body of the packaging machine, and the assembly is restarted. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 1, characterized by: wherein the tip position on the upstream side of the section of the upper holding device that moves along the packaging film is movable forward and backward;
3. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said second position is downstream of said first position. The holding member is a bar-shaped member arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the packaging film,
The upper end positions of the front finger and the rear finger that move within the packaging machine main body are positioned above a height position in a state where the holding member pushes the upper surface of the packaging film downward. A pillow packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The pillow packaging machine according to claim 4, wherein the bar-shaped member is arranged so as to traverse the packaging film. A moving means for moving the holding member along a predetermined movement path,
In the normal state, the moving means moves all the holding members along the predetermined moving path, and when the assembly is not supplied to the packaging machine main body, the moving means moves along the predetermined moving path. Maintaining a stopped state in at least the section where the holding member holding the front and back of the assembly supplied into the packaging film exists, and changing the route of a partial section on the upstream side of that section, 6. The pillow packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said holding member existing in said partial section moves to a position where it does not come into contact with said packaging film. In the upper holding device, the holding member sequentially receives front and rear holding of the assembly supplied into the packaging machine main body from the front finger and the rear finger, and moves inside the packaging machine main body while holding the holding member. 7. The pillow packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is configured as follows.

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