JP6038595B2 - Gas filling device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas filling device, and more specifically, to a technique for filling a bag body having an upper opening portion in the middle of conveyance with a gas.

  As one of the packaging forms, there is a self-supporting package called a standing pouch or the like. The self-supporting package is excellent in ease of product display and display effect, and has recently been in demand. Some of the self-supporting packages have gussets in which standing side edges are folded inward.

  This type of self-supporting package includes, for example, a bag making process for manufacturing a bag body using a sheet-like packaging film, a bag opening process for receiving the manufactured bag and opening an upper opening, and a bag from the opened opening. Manufactured through a filling process for filling the inside of the body with an article to be packaged such as a snack, and a sealing process for closing and sealing the opened opening.

  Further, when the packaged item is food or the like, the atmosphere inside the bag may be replaced with an inert gas to enable long-term storage. For example, there is an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a gas filling apparatus that performs the process of filling the inert gas into the bag and replacing the gas together with the filling process of the bag to be packaged.

  In the gas filling device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a large number of clamps sandwiching the left and right sides of the upper part of the bag body are arranged on the circumference, the clamps are revolved along the circumference, It is provided in a packaging material filling apparatus that fills and supplies the packaging material into the bag body. The gas filling device includes a large number of gas injection nozzles, and each gas injection nozzle revolves on substantially the same circumference in synchronism with the revolving movement of the clamp. The gas injection nozzle moves up and down at an appropriate timing. When the gas injection nozzle descends, the gas injection nozzle enters the bag body in which the lower end of the gas injection nozzle is held by the clamp. Further, the gas injection nozzle is linked to the gas generation device, gas is injected from the gas injection nozzle that has moved down and entered the bag body, and the air in the bag body is replaced with the inert gas sent from the gas generation device. The

  And cooperation with a filling nozzle and a gas generator is performed using a rotary valve. Thereby, even if the gas injection nozzle revolves in the circumferential direction, a gas passage with the gas generator is secured.

Japanese Patent No. 3742042

  Along with the speeding up of the packaging machine, it is necessary to lengthen the section to be packed and the section to be filled with gas. For this reason, the radius of rotation of the gas injection nozzle is increased, and the apparatus is increased in size. Therefore, there is a problem that there is a limit to increasing the exclusive area of the apparatus due to the installation area of the factory or the like, and this becomes a bottleneck in speeding up.

To solve the problems described above, the gas filling device according to the present invention is a gas filling apparatus for filling the gas to the upper opening the bag is conveyed to a straight linear travel path, of the bag A gas injection nozzle that moves in synchronism with the conveyance and injects gas into the bag body, and a gas inlet member that moves with the gas injection nozzle and guides the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle (Embodiment) Then, “corresponding to“ suction cup 43 ”), a perforated belt arranged along the travel path (corresponding to“ endless belt 55 ”in the embodiment), and a gas ejection hole provided in the perforated belt (implementing) In the embodiment, gas supply means (corresponding to “gas cylinder, gas relay box 51, pipe 58” and the like in the embodiment) for ejecting gas from “through hole 55a”) is provided, and the gas inlet member is The gas In contact with the belt surface around the exit hole, closing the gas circuit to be ejected from the gas ejection holes, it is assumed that configured to inject gas from the gas injection nozzle.

  In the present invention, the gas filling section is linear. By adopting such a linear shape, even if the gas filling section is made longer, the exclusive area of the entire apparatus can be made smaller than the arc-shaped section. In addition, in this gas filling section, since the packaged object is normally supplied into the bag, it is possible to install a long section for the gas filling operation and further for the supply operation of the packaged object. Can support high speed. In this way, the conventional rotary valve cannot be used, but the gas inlet member that cooperates with the gas injection nozzle is provided in the gas injection hole provided in the linear perforated belt. By contacting, gas can be supplied to the gas injection nozzle that moves linearly along with the conveyance of the bag body, and gas can be injected from the gas injection nozzle into the bag body for gas filling.

(1) In the above premise, the gas inlet member and the gas injection nozzle move up and down, and at the raised position, the gas intake member is separated from the gas injection hole and the gas injection nozzle is the bag body. In the lowered position, the gas inlet member comes into contact with the belt surface around the gas ejection hole and the gas injection nozzle enters the inside of the bag body . For example, even when the gas inlet member is moved horizontally without moving up and down, the gas inlet member is moved around the perforated belt by moving it from the upstream side along the belt surface of the perforated belt. It can be closed by contacting the belt surface of, or separated, for example, as shown in the embodiment, the bag body moves in a horizontal plane, the gas injection nozzle moves up and down and enters the bag body, If you leave the bag body, the member that connects the gas inlet member and the gas injection nozzle (for example, the tube 44 in the embodiment) will frequently expand and contract, which may lead to deterioration and damage, but it will move up and down together. This is preferable because there is no such problem. Furthermore, since the gas intake member is moved up and down, the gas intake member can be moved downward from above, so that the gas intake member can cover the gas ejection hole and can be brought into contact smoothly. good. In particular, as in the embodiment and the following (3), when the gas inlet member expands and contracts like the suction cup member / suction cup 43, it is preferable to move up and down.
(2) In the above premise, the belt surface of the perforated belt is provided with an alignment mark for the gas ejection hole, and the gas inlet member and the gas ejection hole are synchronized based on the mark. And control to move.

  (3) The gas inlet member may be a sucker member, and is in close contact with the belt surface of the perforated belt. If it does in this way, since a gas inlet member will contact reliably by a belt surface, there will be no gas leakage from a contact part. Further, even if the height position of the gas intake member is slightly raised and lowered, it can be absorbed by the expansion and contraction of the suction cup member, and the gas injection hole can be closed by the gas intake member.

(7) On the premise of the invention of (1), the belt surface of the perforated belt is provided with a mark for alignment of the gas ejection hole, and based on the mark, the gas inlet member and the Control may be made so that the gas ejection holes move synchronously.

(4) the gas supply means, when the equipped with gas relay box disposed below the belt surface of the perforated belt, the an opening formed on the upper surface of the gas relay box and the gas ejection hole overlaps Furthermore, it is preferable that gas is ejected from the gas ejection hole. If it does in this way, gas can be ejected from the hole for gas ejection by simple structure, without leaking gas outside.

(5) The gas inlet member contacts the belt surface around the gas ejection hole from the upstream side of the opening formation region formed in the gas relay box, and on the downstream side of the opening formation region. The gas inlet member may be separated from the gas ejection hole. If it does in this way, it can suppress that gas ejects outside from the hole for gas ejection.

(6) It is preferable to provide a restraining member (corresponding to “restraining roller 56” in the embodiment) for restraining both sides of the perforated belt to the upper surface of the gas relay box. In this way, gas leakage from the side of the perforated belt can be suppressed.

  In the present invention, since the gas filling section is linear, even if the gas filling section is long, the exclusive area of the entire apparatus is smaller than that of the arc-shaped section. Further, the gas supply to the gas injection nozzle can be performed from the gas injection hole provided in the linear perforated belt, and the linearly moving gas inlet member is provided in the gas injection hole. By making contact with the surrounding belt surface, the gas ejected from the gas ejection holes can be ejected from the gas ejection nozzle while taking a straight line.

It is a top view which shows suitable one Embodiment of the bag making filling packaging machine by which the gas filling apparatus which concerns on this invention is mounted. It is a figure which shows the bag body which is the filling supply object of a product, (a) is the front view, (b) is the side view. It is a figure which shows a chain and a chain guide. It is a figure explaining opening and closing of a clamp. It is a top view which shows a product filling apparatus main body (a hopper conveyance apparatus and a gas filling apparatus). It is CC sectional view taken on the line in FIG. (A) is the principal part enlarged view of FIG. 6, (b) is the principal part enlarged view of FIG. (A), (b) is the principal part enlarged view of FIG. 7 (a), (b), respectively. It is a figure explaining operation | movement.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a bag making and packaging machine in which a gas filling device according to the present invention is mounted. As shown in FIG. 1, the bag making and filling machine 10 is sequentially carried out from a bag making device 11 that manufactures a bag body using a belt-like packaging film arranged on the upstream side, and the bag making device 11. And a filling and packaging device 12 that opens an opening with respect to the bag, fills the product, and performs a sealing process.

  The bag making apparatus 11 of the present embodiment folds the position as appropriate while continuously transporting the belt-shaped packaging film and seals and cuts the bag body with the upper part opened and the lower part and the left and right side edges closed. Make a bag. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the bag body 1 has a rectangular shape as a whole and is folded back on the bottom side to have a W-shaped cross section. Both side edges 1a are sealed in a substantially band shape, and the bottom 1b side is sealed in an arc shape. Thereby, when it finally becomes a package, a bottom part opens and it becomes possible to become independent. And the manufactured bag 1 is continuously carried out from the bag making apparatus 11 without pausing at regular intervals.

  On the carry-out side of the bag making apparatus 11, a crossing conveyor apparatus 5 is arranged. The transition conveyor device 5 includes a belt conveyor 6 that has a belt surface in a vertical plane and revolves along a predetermined path, and an auxiliary belt 7. The belt conveyor 6 has a linear conveyance path on an extension line in the carrying-out direction of the bag body 1 carried out from the bag making apparatus 11. The belt width of the endless belt constituting the belt conveyor 6 is, for example, in accordance with the height of the bag body 1, and it is preferable that a predetermined portion of the bag body 1 carried out from the bag making apparatus 11 is received in contact. . For example, the endless belt may be in contact with a predetermined region on the upper side of the bag body 1, may be in contact with both the upper and lower sides, or may be substantially the entire region except for the upper end portion. The number of belts is arbitrary. For example, the belt surface may have a large number of through holes, a suction device may be installed in the section of the conveyance path, and the bag body 1 may be sucked and held on the belt surface.

  The auxiliary belt 7 includes a narrow endless belt, and sandwiches and holds the upper portion of the bag body 1 with the belt conveyor 6. The auxiliary belt 7 and the belt surface of the belt conveyor 6 are separated on the upstream side (the carry-out end side of the bag making apparatus 11), gradually approach each other as they proceed to the downstream side in the traveling direction, and have an arrangement layout in which they finally come into contact. . Thereby, the bag body 1 carried out from the bag making apparatus 11 smoothly enters between the belt conveyor 6 and the auxiliary belt 7 and moves forward as it is, and is sandwiched and held between the belt conveyor 6 and the auxiliary belt 7, Be transported. Therefore, the bag body 1 is conveyed by the transfer conveyor apparatus 5, and is transferred to the conveyance apparatus 13 of the next-stage filling and packaging apparatus 12 from the top.

  The filling and packaging apparatus 12 receives a bag body sequentially carried out from the bag making apparatus 11 one by one and continuously conveys the bag body through a predetermined path, and is disposed in the middle of the conveyance path of the conveying apparatus 13. A bag opening device 14 that opens the opening, a package supply device 15 that is disposed on the downstream side of the bag opening device 14 and that fills the package in the bag with the opening open, and downstream of the package supply device 15 The sealing device 16 that closes and seals the opening of the opened bag body that is disposed on the side, and the manufactured packaging body that is disposed on the downstream side of the sealing device 16 and is sealed at the upper edge is carried out to the next-stage carry-out line 18 A discharge device 17 or the like is provided.

  The transport device 13 is configured such that clamps 21 are attached at regular intervals to an endless chain 20 that continuously travels horizontally along a predetermined locus. In the present embodiment, the movement trajectory (arrangement layout) of the chain 20 is not a general circular or elliptical shape, but the traveling path is bent at an appropriate position, and is generally triangular. Take the layout.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the chain guide members 81 that define the trajectory of the travel path are arranged on both the left and right sides of the travel path constituting the chain 20. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the chain 20 is formed by connecting a large number of pins 20a arranged in parallel so as to extend vertically, and the upper and lower ends of a pair of adjacent pins 20a are connected to each other. The upper connecting bar 20c and the lower connecting bar 20d are connected to each other to form a substantially rectangular frame, and the adjacent frames are connected to each other by an intermediate connecting bar 20e to form an endless chain 20. And the clamp 21 is attached for every frame.

  The intermediate connection bar 20e cooperates so as to be rotatably supported by a bearing near the center in the vertical direction of the pin 20a of the adjacent frame. By rotating at the cooperation part of the central connection bar 20e, the relative positional relationship between adjacent frames, that is, the angle formed can be changed. A plurality of rollers 20b are bonded to the pins 20a constituting the chain 20 so as to overlap each other. More specifically, a total of four rollers 20b are mounted, two on the top and bottom of the central connecting bar 20e. The rollers 20b mounted on the same pin 20a are arranged so that a gap is provided above and below them so that the upper and lower rollers 20b do not contact each other.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the chain guide member 81 is formed in a substantially concave shape, and the inner surface serves as a guide surface. The inner peripheral surface of the chain guide member 81 is a guide surface on both the left and right sides of the traveling path. In FIG. 1, the transport device 13 revolves counterclockwise. The left side of the traveling direction is the inside, and the right side of the traveling direction is the outside. And the inner side guide part 81a is provided in two places in the up-down predetermined position on the inner surface located in the advancing direction left side of the chain guide member 81. The two inner guide portions 81a have protrusions protruding toward the inner side (center) arranged along the direction of travel, and the lower roller 20b of the two rollers 20b positioned above the central coupling bar 20e. And the lower roller 20b of the two rollers 20b positioned below the central connecting bar 20e. Further, the roller 20b that comes into contact with the inner guide portion 81a is not in contact with the inner side surface located on the right side in the traveling direction of the chain guide member 81.

  On the outer surface located on the left side in the traveling direction of the chain guide member 81, two outer guide portions 81b are provided at predetermined positions in the vertical direction. The two outer guide portions 81b have protrusions protruding toward the inner side (center) arranged along the traveling direction, and the upper roller 20b of the two rollers 20b positioned above the central connecting bar 20e. And the upper roller 20b of the two rollers 20b positioned below the central connecting bar 20e. Further, the roller 20b that comes into contact with the outer guide portion 81b is not in contact with the inner side surface located on the left side in the traveling direction of the chain guide member 81.

  Therefore, when the chain travels, each roller 20b comes into contact with either the inner guide portion 81a or the outer guide portion 81b. The rollers 20b rotate independently of each other without contacting the vertically adjacent rollers 20b. As a result, the chain 20 is guided by the chain guide member 81 and moves along a path defined by the chain guide. That is, for example, in the case of a path that bends to the left in the traveling direction, the roller 20b facing the inner guide portion 81a mainly contacts the movement of the chain 20 along the curved path, and for example, the path that bends to the right in the traveling direction. In this case, the movement of the chain 20 is guided along a path along which the roller 20b facing the outer guide portion 81b mainly comes into contact. Furthermore, by providing four rollers 20b on one pin 20a, both the left and right sides in the traveling direction are supported by the guide portions 81a and 81b at two upper and lower positions, respectively, so that the chain 20 is maintained in a stable standing state. Is done.

  Further, two rollers 20f are rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the upper connecting bar 20c. The two rollers 20 f are in contact with the upper surface of the chain guide member 81. Therefore, the movement of the vertical direction is suppressed by the roller 20f, and the chain 20 moves along a desired path in a stable posture.

  By adopting the configuration as described above, the degree of freedom in layout could be improved. In particular, it has become possible to easily adopt a layout in which the conveyance line is bent inward. In other words, if the chain 20 is bent using a sprocket or the like instead of the chain guide member 81, care must be taken so that the bag body 1 held by the clamp 21 does not interfere, and the layout is gently curved. It's difficult to shape. In that respect, if the chain guide member 81 is used, there is no sprocket or the like, so there is no need to consider the interference of the bag body 1 and the shape of the curve can be designed to a desired shape.

  And as for the traveling path of the conveying apparatus 13, the part along the to-be-packaged goods supply apparatus 15 turns into a linear line, and it is trying to make the exclusive area of the conveying apparatus 13 small, taking the supply area of to-be-packaged goods long. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the clamp 21 includes a pair of clamping claw members 91 that open and close. The clamping claw member 91 is rotatably associated with a connection base 92 attached to the upper part of the upper connection bar 20c. The clamping claw member 91 includes a first arm 93 that is rotatably attached to a connection base 92 around a rotation shaft 93 a and a second arm 94 that is connected to the first arm 93. The first arm 93 and the second arm 94 are independently rotatable.

  The first arm 93 is provided with a cylindrical claw portion 93b with a first operating roller 95 linked to the base end side and a tip projecting inward. Further, the first arm 93 is urged in a direction in which the distal ends approach each other by a spring member (not shown), and the force for urging the first operating roller 95 toward the distal end side of the first arm 93 does not work. The reference posture is as shown in FIG. When the first operating roller 95 is pushed toward the connection base 92 from this reference posture state, the first arm 93 rotates around the rotation shaft 93a, and a pair of first as shown in FIG. 4B. The arms 93 are in a posture in which their tips are separated and open. Further, the distance between the claw portions 93 b at the tip of the first arm 93 at this time is set to be wider than the lateral width of the bag body 1. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the first operating roller 95 is pushed in most, and the first arm 93 has the basic posture shown in FIG. 4A by adjusting the pushing amount of the first operating roller 95. It is possible to take a posture at an arbitrary angle from the closed state to the open state shown in FIG. In the closed state shown in FIG. 4 (a), the distance between the pair of first arms 93 is shorter than the width of the bag body 1, and in the opened state shown in FIG. 4 (c), between the pair of first arms 93. The distance is longer than the width of the bag body 1, and the distance between the pair of first arms 93 is substantially equal to the width of the bag body 1 in the intermediate posture shown in FIG. Slightly shorter).

  When the urging force on the connection base 92 side with respect to the first operating roller 95 is released from the state shown in FIG. 4C, the first arm 93 is centered on the rotation shaft 93a by the elastic restoring force of the spring member (not shown). Rotates and returns to the reference posture shown in FIG.

  A connecting arm 96 is rotatably linked to a rotation shaft 93a that is a rotation center of the first arm 93. The proximal end side of the second arm 94 is connected to the connecting arm 96. The second arm 94 includes a strip plate-like main arm 94a whose one end is connected to the connecting arm 96, and a claw piece 94b that is rotatably connected to the tip of the main arm 94a. The claw piece 94b has a connecting pin 94c upright at an intermediate portion thereof, and is rotatably connected to the first arm 93 by the connecting pin 94c. Thus, the second arm 94 is linked to the first arm 93 via the rotation shaft 93a and the connecting pin 94c, and constitutes a link mechanism. Therefore, the first arm 93 is opened and closed together as the first arm 93 is opened and closed. Further, a cylindrical claw portion 94 d is installed in a standing state at the tip of the claw piece 94 b, and the bag body 1 can be gripped between the claw portion 94 d and the claw portion 93 b of the first arm 93.

  Further, the second operating roller 97 is attached to an appropriate position of the connecting arm 96. Further, an L-shaped plate 98 is connected to the base end side of the first arm 93, and a coil spring 99 connects the tip of the L-shaped plate 98 and the tip of the main arm 94 a constituting the second arm 94. . Due to the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 99 that tends to contract, a biasing force in the direction of pulling the main arm 94a toward the L-shaped plate 98 acts on the seed arm 94a. Therefore, when the force for urging the second operating roller 97 toward the distal end side of the second arm 94 does not work, the main arm 94a of the second arm 94 is moved to the L-shaped plate 98 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the claw piece 94b linked to the tip of the main arm 94a rotates around the connecting pin 94c, and the claw portion 94d takes a reference posture in contact with the claw portion 93b of the first arm 93.

  When the second operating roller 97 is pushed toward the front end side from the reference posture, the connecting arm 96 rotates about the rotation shaft 93a as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, and the main arm 94a moves to the tip side against the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 99, the claw piece 94b rotates around the connecting pin 94c, and the claw portion 94d moves away from the claw portion 93b of the first arm 93. .

  4B and 4C, when the biasing force to the distal end side with respect to the second operating roller 97 is released, the main arm 94a of the second arm 94 is L-shaped by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 99. It is drawn toward the plate 98 side, rotates around the rotation shaft 93a, and returns to the reference posture shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4C shows a state in which the first operating roller 95 and the second operating roller 97 are both energized. However, the first operating roller 95 and the second operating roller 97 are energized, and the energizing amount is adjusted. Thus, the first arm 93 and the second arm 94 take appropriate postures. The urging force for the first operating roller 95 and the second operating roller 97 is performed by an urging guide plate or other urging means provided at an appropriate position along the conveying path of the conveying device 13.

  The clamp 21 includes a total of four operating rollers, that is, two first operating rollers 95 and two second operating rollers 97, and the height positions of the four operating rollers are set at different positions. . As a result, different urging guide plates can be brought into contact with the four operating rollers, and the presence / absence of urging of the operating rollers can be appropriately set.

  That is, the section from the downstream side of the carry-out device 17 of the transport device 13 to the vicinity of the carry-out side of the bag making device 11 has a total of four working rollers, two first working rollers 95 and two second working rollers 97. The clamp 21 is in non-contact with the urging guide plate, and the clamp 21 is in the closed state of the basic posture shown in FIG.

  In the upstream section of the transport device 13 in the vicinity of the crossing conveyor device 5, an urging guide plate that contacts the first operating roller 95 and the second operating roller 97 and urges toward the tip side is disposed along the transport path. Yes. Thereby, the clamping claw member 91 of the clamp 21 is in an open state, that is, the state shown in FIG. 4C in which the tips of the first arms 93 are separated from each other and the claw portions 93b and 94d of both arms 93 and 94 are separated. Become. In this state, when it reaches a section parallel to the transfer conveyor device 5, the bag body 1 and the clamp 21 move at the same speed while the bag body 1 is positioned between the pair of first arms 93 of the clamp 21. So that the operation is controlled.

  During this movement, the distance by which the first operating roller 95 is pushed toward the connection base 92 is reduced so that the opening amount of the first arm 93 is equal to or slightly wider than the lateral width of the bag body 1, and the second operating roller 97. The two claws 93b and 94d are closed using the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 99 and both ends of the bag body 1 are gripped. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the bag body 1 is held tightly by the clamps 21 in a tensioned state, and thereafter, the bag body 1 is conveyed along with the movement of the clamps 21.

  The opening / closing device 14 has a pair of suction cups (first suction cup 14a, second suction cup 14b) and a predetermined locus in a horizontal plane with the first and second suction cups 14a, 14b facing each other. A drive device 14c for revolving is provided. The predetermined trajectory is such that the first suction cup 14a and the second suction cup 14b come close to each other and pinch and adsorb an appropriate position of the bag body 1 and move forward along the conveying direction of the bag body 1 in a certain section in that state. Then, it moves away gradually while moving forward, and then moves backward while keeping the distance. And since a pair of 1st, 2nd suction cups 14a and 14b separate | separate, following the movement of the bag body 1 in the state which adsorb | sucked the predetermined site | part of the bag body 1, and moving away, the opening part of the bag body 1 Are opened by being pulled by the first and second suction cups 14a, 14b.

  The driving device 14c moves the pair of first and second suction cups 14a and 14b back and forth along the moving direction of the bag body 1 and moves the pair of first and second suction cups 14a and 14b closer to and away from each other. Drive motors are provided, and the output of each drive motor is transmitted to each suction cup via a power transmission mechanism such as a cam or a link. Furthermore, in this embodiment, two pairs of first and second suction cups 14a and 14b are arranged in the front-rear direction along the traveling direction of the bag body 1, and the opening process is collectively performed on the two front and rear bag bodies. I am doing so.

  Further, in accordance with the opening operation of the first and second suction cups 14a and 14b, the distance between both ends of the clamp 21 of the transport device 13 is narrowed so that the opening of the bag body 1 is easily opened (state shown in FIG. 4A). . And since the conveyance apparatus 13 moves the clamp 21 in the state which narrowed the space | interval of the both ends of the clamp 21 in this way after passing the bag opening apparatus 14, the bag body 1 is transferred with the opening part opened. Is done. That is, in a predetermined section after the position where the bag opening device 14 is installed, the biasing guide plate that contacts the first operating roller 95 and the second operating roller 97 and biases toward the distal end side of the clamp 21 is not provided. As a result, the clamp 21 is in the reference posture, and the reference posture is maintained by the action of the spring member and the coil spring 99.

  The package supply device 15 gradually tilts while moving the cup along a straight line of the transport device 13 while holding a cup to which a packaged product such as snack confectionery is supplied in a fixed amount. The cup is tilted to supply the packaged material supplied in the cup into the bag body from the opening of the bag body, and the bag body 1 is filled with a predetermined inert gas. A detailed configuration will be described later.

  While passing through the article supply device 15, the bag body 1 maintains a state where the upper opening is opened by the clamp 21. A sealing device 16 that seals the bag body is installed on the downstream side of the packaged article supply device 15. The transport device 13 slightly moves the first arm 93 of the clamp 21 at a position immediately before the sealing device 16. A process of opening and closing the opening of the bag is performed.

  The sealing device 16 that seals the upper portion of the bag body 1 to seal the bag body 1 includes a primary sealing device 22 and a secondary sealing device (cooling device) 23 that are arranged along the transfer direction of the bag body 1. Both the primary seal device 22 and the cooling device 23 include a pair of bar sealers and a drive device that revolves the bar sealers along a predetermined locus in a horizontal plane. The bar sealer is disposed so as to extend in the same direction as the direction in which the bag is transferred. Then, the pair of bar sealers approach each other to pinch the upper end of the bag body 1 and move in the transfer direction in accordance with the transfer of the bag body 1 in that state, and then the bar sealers separate from each other and the phase direction of the bag body Moves in the opposite direction to return to the original position. As a result, the upper end of the bag body is sandwiched between a pair of bar sealers for a certain period of time in the primary seal device 22 and heated and pressurized, and then the seal portion is sandwiched and cooled by the water-cooled bar sealer in the cooling device 23 and formed on the seal surface. The seal eyes are formed with the formed goza eyes. Stable sealing can be performed by cooling the sealing part.

  Further, a hole punch device, a trimming cutter device, and the like are disposed on the downstream side of the sealing device 16. The hole punching device punches the central portion sealed by the sealing device 16 to form a hole. The trimming cutter device performs a process of cutting the corners of the bag body into a curved shape. As a result, a pouch in which the items to be packaged are hermetically stored is manufactured.

  The carry-out line 18 is arranged on the downstream side of the linear section where the travel path seal device 16 and the like of the transport apparatus 13 are installed, and is directed to the outside of the transport apparatus 13 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the linear travel path. Arranged to extend. The carry-out line 18 includes a belt conveyor 18a constituting a conveyance surface and two guide rails 18b arranged at predetermined positions above the belt conveyor 18a. The guide rails 18 are arranged in parallel at the same height position with a predetermined interval.

  The discharge device 17 receives the pouch held and conveyed by the clamp 21 of the conveyance device 13 and guides it to the carry-out line 18 side. The discharge device 17 includes a chain 17a that rotates in a horizontal plane, a plurality of push fingers 17b that are attached to the chain 17a at a predetermined pitch, and two guide rails 17c that are bent in an arc shape. The guide rails 17c are arranged in parallel at the same height position with a predetermined interval. One end of the two guide rails 17c reaches the transport line of the transport device 13, and the other end is close to one end of the guide rail 18b of the carry-out line 18.

  As a result, the pouch detached from the clamp 21 is conveyed with the side on the rear side in the traveling direction being pushed by the pushing finger 17b. The upper part of the pouch enters between the two guide rails 17c, the course is changed along the curve of the guide rail 17c, and reaches the guide rail 18b of the carry-out line as it is. As a result, the pouch reaches the belt conveyor 18a of the carry-out line 18 and advances by receiving the conveying force from the belt conveyor 18a.

  The package supply device 15 conveys the product filling device main body 25 in which the travel path of the chain 20 is arranged along a linear region, and the cup 3 to which the package is supplied, and the cup 3 is 1 A cup transport and supply device 18 that sequentially passes to the product filling device main body 25 and a cup unloading device 19 that receives and transports the empty cup 3 unloaded from the product filling device main body 25 are provided. Although not shown, an article supply device for the cup is arranged between the downstream side of the cup carry-out device 19 and the upstream side of the cup conveyance supply device 18, and a plurality of quantified amounts constituting the packaged item are arranged. Articles are fed into the cup. Thereby, the to-be-packaged product supply apparatus 15 supplies a fixed quantity of to-be-packaged object to a cup with the said article supply apparatus first. And the cup conveyance supply apparatus 18 conveys the cup containing the to-be-packaged article in a line, and passes the said cup to the product filling apparatus main body 25 one by one from the head in time. The cup passed to the product filling device main body 25 moves along a straight line. At this time, the cup is tilted by gradually inwardly inclining from the horizontal state while the cup is transported in a state where the bottom is held by one of a plurality of circulating cup holders, and finally the cup The entire bottom is positioned above the upper opening of the cup. Therefore, the article to be packaged in the cup falls from the cup and fills the bag. Thereafter, the cup holding portion gradually returns to the horizontal state, so that the bottom portion of the empty cup is lowered and the cup posture is restored. And the cup carrying-out apparatus 19 receives the empty cup 2 carried out from the product filling apparatus main body 25, conveys it in a single row, and conveys it to the article supply apparatus for the cup.

  The product filling device main body 25 includes a hopper transfer device 30 and a gas filling device 31. The hopper transport device 30 has a basic function of revolving and moving a hopper (funnel) 32 that guides the product dropped from the cup 3 into the bag body 1 with a predetermined trajectory. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, the hopper 32 has a fixed hopper portion 32a whose size gradually decreases as the upper portion goes downward, and a pair of opening / closing portions 32b arranged below the fixed hopper portion 32a. Is provided. The pair of opening / closing members 32b rotate forward and backward around the upper end position, and the tips (lower ends) are opened and closed. The outer shape of the pair of opening / closing members 32b is tapered at the tip (lower end) when closed (see FIG. 9A) and parallel when opened (see FIGS. 9B and 9C). The opening / closing member 32b is linked to the operating lever 32c via a turnbuckle 32d and a link mechanism, and opens and closes by rotating the operating lever 32c forward and backward. Specifically, when the operation lever 32c is substantially upright (see FIG. 9B), the opening / closing member 32b is opened, and when the operation lever 32c is tilted obliquely (see FIG. 9A). The opening / closing member 32b is closed. Each state is maintained unless an urging force is applied from the outside to the operating lever 32c.

  The hopper conveyance device 30 includes a large number of hoppers 32 having such a configuration, and moves the hoppers 32 up and down in the article supply section while rotating the hoppers 32 in a horizontal plane. Further, the arrangement pitch of the hoppers 32 arranged in the front and rear is set to coincide with the arrangement pitch of the clamps 21 in the transport device 13. And the operation | movement of the conveying apparatus 13 and the hopper conveying apparatus 30 is controlled so that the position of the clamp 21 and the hopper 32 may overlap in the front-back direction.

  The hopper transport device 30 includes a chain 34 that rotates in a horizontal plane. The travel path of the chain 34 has two linear portions arranged in parallel and a semicircular arc portion that folds the two linear portions together. One linear portion is arranged along the region of the linear traveling path of the chain 20 of the transport device 13. Rollers 34a are provided on the side surfaces of the upper and lower ends of the chain 34, and the chain 34 turns while maintaining the horizontal position by contacting the upper surface of a guide plate (not shown).

  An L-shaped plate 35 is connected and fixed to the chain 34. The L-shaped plate 35 is arranged so that the short side portion is connected to the upper surface of the chain 34 and the long side portion bent at a right angle from the short side portion hangs down along the outside of the chain 34. A base frame body 40 extending vertically is attached to the outside of the long side portion of the L-shaped plate 35, and the slide guide 38 is disposed so as to be movable up and down with respect to the base frame body 40. A connecting bar 39 extending in the horizontal direction is fixed to the upper end of the slide guide 38. A support column 37 is connected to one end of the connection bar 39, and a roller 36 is rotatably attached to the other end of the connection bar 39. The rotation axis of the roller 36 coincides with the axial direction connecting both ends of the connecting bar 39. An arm 42 extending obliquely outward and upward is connected to the upper end of the column 37, and a suction cup 43 is attached to the tip of the arm 42. A hopper 32 is attached to the lower end of the support post 37 via a predetermined connecting member.

  Furthermore, one end of a tube 44 is connected to the suction cup 43, the internal space of the suction cup 43 communicates with the tube 44, and gas can move between the inside of the suction cup 43 and the tube 44. And the gas injection nozzle 44a (refer FIG. 9) of the other end of the tube 44 is located in the outer peripheral surface lower end vicinity of the opening-and-closing member 32b of the hopper 32, and is fixed there. Therefore, the gas injection nozzle 44a at the other end of the tube 44 moves integrally with the opening / closing member 32b. The suction cup 43 and the tube 44 (gas injection nozzle 44a) constitute a part of a gas filling device 31 described later.

  Further, an opening / closing operation plate 41 for opening / closing the opening / closing member 32b is connected to the front side of the base frame 40 in the traveling direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the opening / closing operation plate 41 has a base end side 41a fixed to the base frame body 40, a first operation surface 41c inclined downward from the base end side 41a toward the front end side 41b, Two working surfaces 41d are formed. The opening / closing operation plate 41 is fixed to the base frame 40 and moves together with the base frame 40 as the chain 34 rotates, and the height position is constant. On the other hand, as will be described later, the hopper 32 moves up and down at an appropriate timing. Since the operating lever 32c is also moved up and down as the hopper 32 is moved up and down, the operating lever 32c comes into contact with the first operating surface 41c or the second operating surface 41d as it moves up and down and is urged upward or downward to stand up Fall over.

  Further, a guide plate 45 is disposed above the chain 34 so as to follow the traveling locus of the chain. The planar shape of the guide plate 45 is an endless ring shape, and has two linear portions arranged in parallel like the chain 34 and a semicircular arc-shaped portion connecting the two linear portions. Of the two linear portions of the chain 34, the height of the linear portion on the side opposite to the linear traveling path side of the chain 20 of the conveying device 13 (the side at a distance) and the two arc-shaped portions are flush with each other. It is arranged at a relatively high position. The roller 36 comes into contact with the upper surface of the guide plate 45, and further lowering is suppressed. Therefore, since the roller 36 moves along the upper surface of the guide plate 45, the support 37, the arm 42, the suction cup 43, the hopper 32, and the like move horizontally at high positions. This high position is equivalent to that shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the linear portion of the guide plate 45 located on the linear traveling path side of the chain 20 of the transport device 13 is formed with a guide surface whose height is appropriately changed along the traveling direction. . That is, in FIG. 6, the process proceeds from the left side to the right side in the figure. The upper surfaces of the left and right guide plates 45 in the drawing are horizontal reference surfaces 45a. The reference surface 45a is the same as the height position of the upper surface of the guide plate in the arc-shaped portion or the opposite linear portion described above. A path from the left end reference surface 45a to the right end reference surface 45a is then formed in the order of the descending inclined surface 45b, the lower horizontal surface 45c, and the upward inclined surface 45d along the traveling direction.

  In addition to the suction cup 43 and the tube 44 (gas injection nozzle 44a) attached to the hopper conveying device 30 side, the gas filling device 31 is a gas arranged so as to face the hopper conveying device 30 with the conveying device 13 interposed therebetween. A filling device main body is provided. In the gas filling device main body, a flat rectangular elongated gas relay box 51 is disposed along the region of the linear traveling path of the chain 20 of the transport device 13. In the present embodiment, the gas relay box 51 has a plurality of boxes arranged side by side, but may be formed as a single unit.

  In the gas relay box 51, for example, an opening is formed at a predetermined position on the top surface, and a pipe 58 is attached to a supply port formed at a predetermined position on the bottom surface (see FIG. 9). The pipe 58 communicates with a gas cylinder and a gas generator (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as “gas cylinder”). In the gas cylinder, a gas to be filled in the bag body 1 such as nitrogen gas or other inert gas is stored. As a result, a predetermined gas is supplied from the gas cylinder into the gas relay box 51 to be filled, and can be discharged to the outside through an opening formed on the upper surface of the gas relay box 51. The opening is, for example, a slit extending along the transport direction in the center line. Moreover, you may comprise an opening part by many hole parts, for example.

  The gas relay box 51 is disposed in the belt conveyor 52. The belt conveyor 52 is configured by spanning an endless belt 55, which is a perforated belt, on a driving pulley 54a, a driven pulley 54b, and a free roller 54c that are axially supported between a pair of left and right side walls 53. The drive pulley 54a is linked to a drive motor (not shown), and the drive pulley 54a rotates upon receiving the drive of the drive motor. Thereby, the endless belt 55 rotates. The tension associated with the endless belt 55 is adjusted by the free roller 54c, and the endless belt 55 rotates in a tensioned state. The endless belt 55 is adjusted to rotate while in contact with the upper surface of the gas relay box 51.

  The endless belt 55 is formed with through holes 55a as gas ejection holes at regular intervals on the center line. The through hole 55a faces an opening formed on the upper surface of the gas relay box 51, and the gas injected from the opening can be ejected out of the endless belt 55 through the through hole 55a. The arrangement pitch of the through holes 55a is made to coincide with the arrangement pitch of the hoppers 32 of the hopper conveying device 30, more specifically, the arrangement pitch of the suction cups 43. Thereby, when the suction cup 43 contacts the endless belt 55, the suction cup 43 coincides with the through hole 55a and closes the through hole 55a. Therefore, the gas supplied from the gas cylinder and filling the gas relay box 51 proceeds from the opening of the gas relay box 51 into the suction cup 43 and is jetted from the gas jet nozzle 44 a through the tube 44.

  The opening of the gas relay box 51 also faces the endless belt 55 in which the through hole 55a is not formed. Therefore, the opening is closed by the endless belt 55. In other words, the gas that is about to go out through the opening hits both the belt surface of the endless belt 55 (the region where the through hole 55a is not formed) and the through hole 55a. Therefore, the gas that hits the belt surface cannot go out, and the gas proceeds efficiently into the suction cup 43 from the through hole 55a. Further, the belt surface hits the gas that is about to exit from the opening and is urged upward, so that the belt surface tends to rise. And if a belt surface raises, a clearance gap will arise between the endless belt 55 and the upper surface of the gas relay box 51, and gas will leak from the clearance gap. Therefore, in this embodiment, both sides of the belt surface of the endless belt 55 facing the gas relay box 51 are pressed against the upper surface of the gas relay box 51 by a number of pressing rollers 56. The holding roller 56 is supported in a cantilevered manner on a bearing portion 57 connected to the side wall 53 so as to rotate freely. Therefore, since the restraining roller 56 is in contact with both sides of the endless belt 55, when the endless belt 55 rotates, the contacting restraining roller 56 maintains its contact state while rotating, and the endless belt 55 is lifted. To prevent.

  In addition, a rectangular mark 55b is printed on the endless belt 55 immediately behind the through hole 55a in the direction of travel so that the position of the through hole 55a can be seen. For example, since the through hole 55a is formed on the front side by a predetermined distance of the mark 55b, the suction of the sucker is obtained by synchronizing the driving of the belt conveyor 52 and the driving of the hopper conveying device 30 with the mark 55b as a reference for alignment. It controls so that 43 may be located on the through-hole 55a.

  On the other hand, the support column 37, the suction cup 43, the slide guide 38, the connecting bar 39, the hopper 32, and the like are linked so as to be movable up and down with respect to the base frame body 40 fixed to the chain 34. Revolves around. During this revolving movement, the roller 36 attached to the connecting bar 39 comes into contact with the guide surface formed on the upper surface of the guide plate 45. Therefore, the heights of the support column 37 and the suction cup 43, the hopper 32, and the like are moved up and down while being guided by the guide surface. Specifically, in a region that is not close to the travel path of the transport device 13, it moves in a horizontal plane while maintaining a predetermined high position, and reaches the guide plate 45 along the travel path of the transport device 13 shown in FIG. 6. The roller 36 attached to the connecting bar 39 moves on the reference surface 45a (see FIG. 9A).

  When moving forward further from this state, the roller 36 moves to the descending inclined surface 45b and descends along the descending inclined surface 45b. Along with this, the suction cup 43, the hopper 32 and the like also move downward. As described above, since the hopper 32 and the clamp 21 are controlled to move so as to overlap each other, the bag body 1 held by the clamp 21 (on the upstream side of the bag opening device 14, The upper end opening is open) and gradually enters from the lower end side of the hopper 32. As the hopper 32 moves downward, the operating lever 32c also moves downward. At the beginning of the downward movement, the operating lever 32c is in the space between the first operating surface 41c and the second operating surface 41d of the opening / closing operating plate 41. Since the operation lever 32c shown in FIG. 9 (a) falls down and moves downward while maintaining the closed state, the entry is smoothly performed. Then, when the downward movement proceeds and the operating lever 32c comes into contact with the first operating surface 41c and is biased upward, the operating lever 32c finally rises and the opening / closing member 32b is moved as shown in FIG. 9B. open. It is preferable to perform the opening timing when, for example, the hopper 32 reaches the lowermost position because the hopper 32 does not move downward while being opened. By opening the opening / closing member 32b in this manner, the bag body 1 is fully opened to the lower back.

  As the hopper 32 descends, the suction cup 43 also moves downward, and when the roller 36 reaches the lower end of the descending inclined surface 45b, the suction cup 43 comes into contact with the endless belt 55 as shown in FIG. Block it. Therefore, the gas from the gas cylinder flows into the suction cup 43 from the gas relay box 51, passes through the tube 44, and the gas injection nozzle 44a at the tip is injected outside. Since the gas injection nozzle 44a enters the bag body 1 together with the opening / closing member 32b, the bag body 1 is filled with gas, and the original air is pushed out to perform gas replacement.

  Next, the roller 36 reaches the lower horizontal surface 45c, and moves forward horizontally along the lower horizontal surface 45c at a low position. During this movement, the hopper 32 and the like maintain the state shown in FIG. 9B, and therefore, the gas is filled over a relatively long section of the straight line. Fall supplied.

  Thereafter, when the roller 36 reaches the rising inclined surface 45d, the roller 36 gradually rises along the inclined surface, so that the hopper 32 also rises and the suction cup 43 is separated from the endless belt 55. FIG. 9C shows the middle of movement of the rising inclined surface 45d. As shown in the drawing, the operating lever 32c is detached from the first operating surface 41c, but is not contacted with the second operating surface 41d and does not receive a biasing force, so that the immediately standing state is maintained. Therefore, the opening / closing member 32b also rises in an open state, and only the opening / closing member 32b rises without taking out the article to be packaged that has been filled and supplied into the bag body 1 to complete the supply of the article to be packaged.

  Thereafter, the roller 36 reaches the reference surface 45a at the right end, and thereafter, the hopper 32, the suction cup 43, etc. move horizontally at a high position. At this time, the operating lever 32c comes into contact with the second operating surface 41d and falls by receiving a downward biasing force, so that the opening / closing member 32b is closed as shown in FIG.

  Further, the suction cup 43 contacts the endless belt 55 on the upstream side of the arrangement area of the gas relay box 51 to close the through hole 55a, and moves away from the endless belt 55 on the downstream side of the arrangement area of the gas relay box 51. I am doing so. Thereby, the gas in the gas relay box 51 is prevented from leaking outside through the through hole 55a. Further, since the suction cup 43 expands and contracts, by appropriately setting the lowering position of the suction cup 43 (support 42), the suction cup 43 is firmly attached to the belt surface of the endless belt 55, and gas leaks between the through hole 55a and the suction cup 43. Can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, since the supply area and the gas replacement area of the package are linear, the package supply apparatus does not need to be so large even if a relatively long distance is taken, and a compact layout is adopted. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Bag making apparatus 12 Filling and packaging apparatus 13 Conveying apparatus 14 Bag opening apparatus 15 Packaged article supply apparatus 16 Sealing apparatus 20 Chain 20a Pin 20e Intermediate connection bar 21 Clamp 30 Hopper conveying apparatus 31 Gas filling apparatus 32 Hopper 43 Suction cup (gas intake port) Element)
44a Gas injection nozzle 51 Gas relay box 55 Endless belt (perforated belt)
55a Through hole (hole for gas ejection)
58 Piping

Claims (7)

It is a gas filling device that fills a gas with respect to a bag body having an upper opening that is transported through a linear traveling path,
A gas injection nozzle that moves in synchronization with the conveyance of the bag body and injects a gas into the bag body;
A gas inlet member that moves with the gas injection nozzle and guides the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle;
A perforated belt disposed along the travel path;
A gas supply means for ejecting gas from a gas ejection hole provided in the perforated belt;
With
The gas inlet member is in contact with the belt surface around the gas ejection hole, the gas circuit ejecting from the gas ejection hole is closed, and the gas is ejected from the gas ejection nozzle ;
The gas inlet member and the gas injection nozzle move up and down,
In the raised position, the gas intake member is separated from the gas ejection hole and the gas injection nozzle is separated from the bag body,
In the lowered position, the gas inlet member is in contact with a belt surface around the gas ejection hole, and the gas injection nozzle is inserted into the bag body. It is a gas filling device that fills a gas with respect to a bag body having an upper opening that is transported through a linear traveling path
A gas injection nozzle that moves in synchronization with the conveyance of the bag body and injects a gas into the bag body;
A gas inlet member that moves with the gas injection nozzle and guides the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle;
A perforated belt disposed along the travel path;
A gas supply means for ejecting gas from a gas ejection hole provided in the perforated belt;
With
The gas inlet member is in contact with the belt surface around the gas ejection hole, the gas circuit ejecting from the gas ejection hole is closed, and the gas is ejected from the gas ejection nozzle ;
The belt surface of the perforated belt is provided with an alignment mark for the gas ejection hole,
A gas filling device, wherein the gas inlet member and the gas ejection hole are controlled to move synchronously based on the mark.   3. The gas filling device according to claim 1, wherein the gas intake member is made of a suction cup member and is in close contact with a belt surface of the perforated belt. The gas supply means includes a gas relay box arranged below the belt surface of the perforated belt,
The gas is ejected from the gas ejection hole when the opening formed on the upper surface of the gas relay box and the gas ejection hole overlap each other. The gas filling device described in 1.   The gas inlet member comes into contact with the belt surface around the gas ejection hole from the upstream side of the opening formation region formed in the gas relay box, and the gas intake member is downstream of the opening formation region. The gas filling device according to claim 4, wherein the inlet member is separated from the gas ejection hole.   The gas filling device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a holding member that holds both sides of the perforated belt against the upper surface of the gas relay box is disposed. The belt surface of the perforated belt is provided with an alignment mark for the gas ejection hole,
2. The gas filling device according to claim 1, wherein the gas inlet member and the gas ejection hole are controlled to move synchronously based on the mark.

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