JP2006510555A - Vacuum packaging machine and loading system - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for vacuum packing a product comprises a vacuum packaging machine, an upstream product information collection stage configured to collect information related to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line, and a pack opener. This pack opener is configured to open the mouth of each pack to a controlled extent based on information related to the packed product collected in the upstream product information collection stage, and the product opened So that the open pack is then sent into a vacuum packaging machine or the product is sent into an open pack that is at least partially already in the vacuum packaging machine, Configured to bring a pack.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for efficiently vacuum packaging product packages.

  A known type of vacuum packaging machine comprises a vacuum chamber, which is configured to receive an unsealed product package and is operable to perform a vacuum sealing operation on the product package. In general, a product package contains a product, such as a meat fillet, that is placed in a bag formed by a heat shrink film. After loading and closing the vacuum chamber, the vacuum seal operation usually involves evacuating, sealing the evacuated bag mouth, and reintroducing air into the vacuum chamber. . The vacuum chamber is then opened and unloaded from the vacuum chamber. The product package can then typically be transported to a heat shrink unit, typically a hot water tunnel, dip tank, hot air tunnel, or other shrink actuation system.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved or at least alternative device for efficiently packaging products that is suitable for use in an automated production line.

In one embodiment, the present invention is an apparatus for packing a product comprising:
A vacuum packaging machine for vacuum sealing operations on product packages;
An upstream product information collection stage configured to collect information related to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
Two or more configured to feed or load different sized products into packs and vacuum packaging machines with fewer conveyors for smaller products and more conveyors for larger products And a generally parallel loading conveyor.

  Preferably, the apparatus also includes a pack opening means that controls across the direction of movement of the loading conveyor based on information related to the packed product collected at the upstream product information collection stage. Configured to open the mouth of each pack to a defined width and the loading conveyor sends the product into the open pack and then the open pack is sent into the vacuum packaging machine or the product is already vacuum packed It is configured to provide a pack for delivery into an open pack that is either in the machine or partially contained in a vacuum packaging machine.

In another aspect, the invention is broadly an apparatus for packing a product comprising:
A vacuum packaging machine for vacuum sealing operations on product packages;
An upstream product information collection stage configured to collect information related to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
Means for opening each pack mouth to a controlled extent based on information related to the packed product collected in the upstream product information collection stage. And the product is sent into an open pack and then the open pack is sent into a vacuum packaging machine or in an open pack that is at least partially already in the vacuum packaging machine Configured to bring a pack to send.

  In general, the pack is a bag such as a plastic bag or sack. In general, the pack is sealed at one end and not sealed at the other end. The packs may be fed sequentially into the pack opening means, for example from a bulk supply, such as a stack or a wound stock of packs, as an individual product such as a meat fillet approaches. It may be made during operation to a standard length, for example by cutting and sealing bags from tubular stock, or to an appropriate length adjusted to the size of the individual meat fillets.

  Information from the product information gathering stage regarding product characteristics such as size is used to send the product to the packing stage by operating the conveyor selected for the product. For example, in a simple form, two parallel conveyors may be provided, one of the two parallel conveyors carrying a smaller product to the product packing stage, both of which are Actuated to travel in parallel to carry larger products to the packing stage. The two conveyors may have similar widths or different widths. In other forms, more than two parallel conveyors may carry the product to the packing stage. Conveyors may be "centered", i.e., central conveyors may be smaller or larger than the central conveyor, or adjacent conveyors of similar width that may not be centered May be arranged on both sides.

  In a preferred form, the loading conveyor is dependent on the size of the product, i.e. to a further extent for longer products than shorter products, and a range based on product size information previously collected in the upstream product information collection stage Up to and from the pack or bag, the product is also configured to be fed into the pack or bag.

  The pack opening means typically comprises one or more parts, one or more parts being inserted into the mouth of each pack and extending the pack to a controlled range of openings. Fingers inserted into the pack can be lifted variable up to a variable range of lift (height approximately perpendicular to the plane of the unopened pack) or combined with a fixed or variable degree of opening width The pack may be opened to the extent of or vice versa. If the degree of lift opening is controlled as a function of product size, the degree of opening width is controlled as a fixed degree enough to simply correct the sag in the bag opening, or also as a function of product size. To the extent, and the extent of the opening width may be vice versa if the opening width is primarily a controlled opening dimension in relation to product size. An alternative means may grip the pack mouth from the outside for a controlled opening of the pack, rather than inserting it inside the bag mouth.

  Information collected in relation to individual products, such as individual meat slices, can be length information, width information, height information, or any combination of length, width and / or height information, volume Alternatively, any one of dimensional information, such as shape information, weight information, or any combination of one or more such information may be included.

  Collected product information will cause the pack mouth to open to a suitable conveyor depending on the product size, and a controlled width suitable for the approaching product, and the product will be sent aligned by the conveyor to the pack mouth May be used to actuate both the pack opening means for placement.

  In one form, the vacuum packaging machine may comprise a plurality of vacuum chambers, each of which is configured to receive at least one unsealed product package, and at least one product package. Can be operated to perform independent vacuum sealing operations.

  In one form, each vacuum chamber has a heat seal bar having a longitudinal direction defined by a loading direction of the package into the vacuum chamber and extending across the longitudinal direction. Having a transverse heat seal bar in each vacuum chamber allows product packages to be loaded into each vacuum chamber with their openings transverse to the longitudinal direction. This direction corresponds to the direction of the packages as they exit the majority of manual bagging stations or automatic packaging systems that are generally upstream of the vacuum packaging machine.

  The vacuum chambers may be horizontally spaced, or more preferably stacked vertically, providing a smaller footprint. In an alternative embodiment, a three-dimensional (horizontal / vertical) array of vacuum chambers may be provided.

  Preferably, the packaging machine is operable to operate one of the vacuum chambers to perform a vacuum / seal operation while the other vacuum chamber is open for loading and unloading.

  The heat seal bar in each vacuum chamber is preferably located at the end of the vacuum chamber adjacent to the loading conveyor, and unsealed product packages are preferably vacuumed by dragging the unsealed end of the package. Loaded indoors. In one embodiment, the infeed conveyor is configured such that an unsealed portion of the product package is placed over a transverse heat seal bar to load the product into the vacuum chamber. It may be retracted from the vacuum chamber so that it fits over and can be closed to perform a vacuum sealing operation.

  The infeed conveyor may be moveable generally vertically with respect to the vacuum chamber to allow selective loading of more than one vacuum chamber. Alternatively, the vacuum chamber may be moveable generally vertically with respect to the at least one in-feed conveyor to allow selective loading of more than one vacuum chamber.

  Each vacuum chamber preferably includes an internal conveyor for transporting product packages into and out of the vacuum chamber following the vacuum and sealing operations. The inner conveyor may extend below the end wall of the vacuum chamber, and for this purpose the lower surface of the inner conveyor belt is preferably such that the vacuum chamber can be sealed over the conveyor belt. A smooth plasticized surface.

  In an alternative construction, the infeed conveyor for each vacuum chamber may be completely enclosed within the vacuum chamber. This arrangement has the advantage that the vacuum chamber does not need to be sealed across the conveyor belt. In this configuration, the bottom portion of the seal assembly may be retracted and the inset or moving conveyor operates from the first vacuum chamber to the same height as the internal vacuum chamber conveyor of the second vacuum chamber. And eliminate any “drop” of product on the seal assembly. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other product loading / conveying systems are applicable to the packaging machine.

  The conveyor arrangement preferably further includes at least one outfeed conveyor that is operable to transport product packages from the vacuum packaging machine. At least one outfeed conveyor may be movable with respect to the vacuum chamber to allow selective removal of more than one vacuum chamber. Alternatively, the vacuum chamber may be movable with respect to at least one outfeed conveyor to allow selective removal of more than one vacuum chamber.

  An additional feature of infeed, vacuum chamber, and outfeed performed on the conveyor is that product packages can be loaded and unloaded simultaneously.

  In the most preferred embodiment, the vacuum packaging machine includes two vertically stacked vacuum chambers, a single infeed conveyor, and a single outfeed conveyor, the vacuum chambers comprising an infeed conveyor and an outfeed conveyor. Can be moved synchronously and vertically between a loading / unloading position adjacent to each other and an operating position spaced from the infeed and outfeed conveyors. When the chamber is performing a vacuum / seal operation, the other vacuum chamber is operable to be open for loading / unloading.

  Preferably, one product package is loaded into the vacuum chamber selected during the vacuum sealing operation. Alternatively, the packaging machine may be configured to load more than one package at the same time into the selected vacuum chamber, and the packages are on the infeed conveyor so that they can be vacuum sealed at the same time. Across and in a vacuum chamber.

In a further aspect, the present invention is a method for packing a product comprising:
Collecting information relating to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
Send products into packs and vacuum packers via two or more generally parallel loading conveyors with fewer conveyors for smaller products and more conveyors for larger products or Loading the method.

Viewed broadly in another aspect of the present invention, the present invention is a method for packing a product comprising:
Collecting information relating to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packaging line;
Based on information related to one or more characteristics of the packed product collected in the upstream product information collection stage, mechanically opening each pack's mouth to a controlled range, and Feeding or loading the product into a vacuum packaging machine, or feeding or loading the product into an open pack that is already at least partially contained in the vacuum packaging machine.

  The invention also includes any of the parts, elements, and features and any two or more parts, elements, and features mentioned or shown individually or collectively in the specification of this application. Or in a broad sense to consist of all combinations, where specific completeness with equivalents known in the art to which this invention pertains is set forth herein, and such knowledge The equivalents described are considered to be incorporated herein as if they were stated alone.

  The present invention also envisages a configuration consisting of the foregoing and providing only examples below.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The apparatus of the preferred embodiment is generally indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1, and is described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 19 to 30 and reference numeral 2 in FIG. It comprises a pack opening and a product loading system as generally shown and then described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8, in use, a meat fillet as indicated by C is conveyed toward the vacuum packaging machine 1 by the product supply conveyor 3. The meat fillet is fed by the product supply conveyor 3 onto the elevator plate 4 when the elevator plate 4 is in its lowered position as shown in FIG. 1 and is shown in FIGS. Lifted up. The movement of the elevator plate 4 is driven by a pneumatic (or fluid pressure) cylinder 5, which is also carried by a moving carriage assembly 6 that moves on the machine bed 7 in the direction of arrow J in FIG. For example, the moving carriage assembly 6 may be movably attached to the machine bed 7 by wheels 8 and driven by a pneumatic cylinder 9. When the product supply conveyor 3 sends the product onto the elevator plate 4, the front telescoping end of the conveyor 3 is retracted.

  An empty pack, such as bag B, is picked up as further described from the bulk supply, the sides of the bag mouth are separated, and the bag moves through a pack pick-up arm 9 that moves in the direction of arrow F in FIG. By turning, the position is lowered from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. In its upper position shown in FIG. 1, the pack pick-up arm 9 picks up a new pack and then pivots downward while simultaneously carrying a pack presenter arm carrying pack opening means in the form of fingers or spoon plates 11. 10 moves upward to the position of FIG. The partially open mouth of bag B is placed in the finger or spoon 11 of bag presenter arm 10 as shown. The bag presenter arm 10 that has received the pack then pivots downward as shown in FIG. In doing so, the fingers or spoons 11 are opened apart to further open the bag mouth, preferably to the desired extent to fit the size of the approaching meat fillet C, as further described. Drive away. The movement of the pack presenter arm 10 and the elevator plate 4 is adjusted so that the meat fillet is presented to the pack presenter arm 10 as it pivots downward as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, on the elevator plate, cover the meat fillet and place it in the open mouth of the bag.

  The carriage assembly 6 then moves to the position shown in FIG. 5 to carry the meat fillet in the open mouth of the bag on the elevator plate into the open vacuum chamber of the illustrated vacuum packaging machine 1 ( It is moved forward (by the cylinder 9). At about the same time, the product ejector carriage 12 is moved forward as indicated by the arrow K in FIG. The product ejector carriage 12 is movably attached to the machine bed 7 and may be driven by a fluid pressure cylinder 13, for example. The product ejector carriage carries an ejector plate 14 that moves in the direction of arrow I in FIG. 1 with respect to the product ejector carriage 12 and can be driven by a cylinder 15 carried by the product ejector carriage 2.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the cylinder 15 is then actuated to move the ejector plate 14 forward to further push the meat fillet into the bag, followed by withdrawal of the ejector plate 2 and the product ejector. The carriage 12 moves back (see FIG. 7), while almost simultaneously the fingers or spoons 11 of the bag presenter arm 10 approach each other, and then the open mouth of the bag is further described in the vacuum chamber. Retract to remain covered across the lower portion of the seal and cut assembly, such as a heat seal anvil. The vacuum packaging machine is then closed as shown in FIG. 8 and performs vacuum and sealing operations. At about the same time or in advance, the feed conveyor 3 moves the next meat fillet onto the elevator plate 4 which is ready to be loaded in the same way into the pack and into the vacuum chamber. Operate.

  As mentioned above, the bag presenter arm 10 includes finger or plate-like spoons 11, which are between the separated sides of the mouth of the pack or bag. Insert and move away to open the mouth of the bag, preferably to a controlled degree of height or lift. Optionally, similar fingers may be provided on both sides that move laterally or widthwise to open the bag to a fixed or controlled opening width degree. . The degree of lift may be continuously variable depending on the size of each individual product, or stepped between a number of preset levels of openings for products within a wide size range. good. For each such size, the bag is also opened or unfolded sideways to a controlled degree, which may be continuously variable depending on the product size, or to a fixed step in the sideways opening. May be. The lift opening finger or spoon and optionally the width opening finger may be controlled by a servo motor, which is for each bag by a small pneumatic cylinder or by any other suitable mechanical configuration. Adjust finger lift and lateral opening positions. The range in which the spreader finger or spoon 11 is driven away to open the bag to a controlled range is based on information given from the previous machine vision or similar stage through which each product passes. May be.

  The control system may control the operation of the vacuum packaging machine, as described above, and may synchronize the arrival of individual meat fillets with information collected in connection with individual meat fillets. In other configurations, the information collected for each product is sent directly from the machine vision stage to the packing and vacuum processing station and at the packing and vacuum processing station until the meat fillet arrives. It may be kept in a database and then used to open the bag to the appropriate range for the size of the product. In an even more sophisticated configuration, the system determines whether any individual meat fill has been removed from the product stream for any reason in order to avoid incorrect indexing of meat fillets and packs. Individual meat fillets may be tracked along the packing line, which is accomplished by detecting and tracking the movement of each meat fillet from one conveyor to the next. May be. Various configurations are possible.

  Such a product information collection stage (not shown), which can be a machine vision system, allows individual products such as meat fillets to pass over the product packing line under the machine vision system, such as dimensional information. Information about one or more characteristics of individual products can be collected. The dimensional information may be as simple as just one of each product or meat fillet length or width or other single dimension. More preferably, the machine vision system is configured to collect additional dimensional information indicating the size of the meat fillet or the volume or shape of the meat fillet. The weight information can supplement the dimensional information collected by the machine vision stage.

  A machine vision stage is a digital laser system that "sees" individual meat fillets and / or a scanning laser across individual meat fillets by deflection and / or reflection of laser light at the meat fills seen by the camera system. And the resulting information is processed to provide dimensional information and / or volume or shape information about each meat fillet. Instead, the machine vision system is simply a series of horizontal and vertical beams that traverse the conveyor path at different heights or intervals through which the meat slices pass, with the number of beams blocked by each passing meat fillet. Information to the control system regarding the width and / or height and / or length of the meat fillet. Any other machine vision system that allows the collection of information regarding one or more of the product length, width, size, volume, shape or the like may be used.

  The collected information is fed directly to individual electronic or programmed controllers for one or more downstream packs and vacuum processing stages on the packing line, or also controls other stages of the packing line, And may be fed directly to a common control system for the packing line that synchronizes the arrival of individual products at points along the packing line.

  In an alternative form, the product information gathering stage may simply comprise a weighing means such as a weighing conveyor, the weighing means weighing individual meat fillets and each bag for each individual product. Weight information is passed for use by the controller of the pack opening means to open to a controlled range depending on the weight.

  The pack or bag may be supplied from a stack or rolled stock, and instead may be made during operation by cutting and sealing the bag from a tubular one. A range of bag or stock widths can be utilized within a range of materials such as oxygen barrier materials, export grade packing materials, etc., from which bags can be selected as directed by the control system. Bags pre-printed with different labeling or branding information may also be provided and selected therefrom. Referring again to FIG. 1, in a preferred form, the bags may be supplied from a bag magazine 22, each of which has various characteristics, such as different oxygen barrier or puncture characteristics, or printed labeling. Includes pre-manufactured rolls of bags of different sizes and / or types of bags with information. Alternatively, one or more bag magazines 22 may be replaced by one or more online bag making machines (as is known in the art). As each meat fillet is approaching or being loaded, the machine control system bag-feeds a bag of the appropriate size and / or type for a specific meat fillet into one of the bag magazines. 20 to give. The bag feed conveyor 20 passes around the roller 21 and picks up the bag from the selected bag magazine 22 and is ready to be picked up by the pack pickup arm 9 first, with the bag closed. 1 to the position of bag B in FIG. If the bags are not printed, they can pass under the printer 23 and have the information printed on the bags, or in the bags in relation to the particular meat fillet to be packaged. If the printed additional information, for example a bag, is already pre-printed with more general information such as, for example, branding information, it can have weight or type information. To separate the sides of the bag mouth ready for pick-up by the bag pick-up arm 9, one or more suction cups above and below the bag mouth catch both sides of the waiting bag. And it may be moved slightly apart to separate the sides of the bag mouth. A series of suction cups or longitudinally extending suction bars may be provided above and below the bag mouth. The control system moves the suction cup toward both sides of the bag mouth and applies suction when appropriate, so that when the bag is picked up by the pack pickup arm 9, it is applied to the finger or spoon 11 of the bag presenter arm 10. Suction is released to allow the pack pick-up arm 9 to pivot downward to enter the bag mouth. However, alternative configurations may be used to separate the bag mouth.

Preferred Conveyor System for Loading Products into Packs and / or Vacuum Packaging Machines Referring to FIGS. 9-12, products of different sizes, such as meat fillet M, are loaded into packs and / or It may also be loaded into the vacuum packaging machine with parallel spaced conveyors 90.

  Any one or more of the three conveyors 90 may be activated by the control system depending on the product size. For example, when smaller meat fillets are identified by the machine vision system, they are directed to the central conveyor and only the central conveyor is activated as shown in FIG. The pack opening means may result in smaller packs or packs that are opened to a smaller extent into which smaller meat fillets on the central conveyor are fed. The pack opening means may align the pack with the central conveyor. When the machine vision system identifies medium sized meat fillets as shown at M in FIG. 10, more loading conveyors 90 are activated to load the meat fillets. Referring to FIG. 11, when the machine vision stage identifies an even larger meat fillet M, all five loading conveyors are activated to load the meat fillet.

  The two or more conveyors do not necessarily have to be placed in a “centered” configuration where smaller meat fillets are sent to the central conveyor. For example, in alternative configurations, the fillets can be aligned on one side and one, two, or more conveyors can be activated based on the size of the fillets. FIG. 10 shows a conveyor that is actuated on one side to load medium sized meat fillets in a non-centered system.

  FIG. 11 illustrates one preferred configuration of the inlay loading conveyor system of the present invention that may be used to load the meat fillet M into an open pack or bag P. The front end of one or more parallel loading conveyors (depending on product size) fits into a pack that is fed to the meat fillet and places the meat fillet in the pack in the vacuum packaging machine and retracts. The operation of the loading conveyor 90 is such that when a smaller meat fillet is transported by only one input conveyor, the open mouth of the pack is placed on the input conveyor that fits the meat fillet into the open pack. Controlled to be aligned. If the meat fillet and pack are larger, two or more loading conveyors fit together to place the meat fillet in the open pack as described above, and the open pack It is arranged transversely with respect to the direction of forward movement of the loading conveyor so that it is aligned with the loading conveyor for loading the meat fillets.

  Another preferred embodiment pack opener and its operation are shown in FIGS. 17 and 18A-18E. The pack opener comprises four parts, referred to herein as blades 70 and 71. The lower blade 70 is supported by a mount 72 slidably moving on a shaft 73, and the upper blade 71 is supported by a mount 74 fixed to the shaft 73. The pneumatic cylinder 75 can move the lower blade 71 vertically. The mount 72 that supports the lower blade 70 is coupled by a shaft 76 to which a shaft 77 of a pneumatic cylinder 75 is coupled. FIG. 18C (not showing the operating cylinder 75) shows the lower blade 70 separated from the upper blade 71 and in the lowest position of the lower blade 70. 18A and 18B show the lower blade 70 in the uppermost position. The upper blade pair 70 and lower blade pair 71 on one side of the pack opener and the upper blade pair 70 and lower blade pair 71 on the other side can be moved in the width direction relative to each other. Referring to FIG. 4, the shaft 73 is also supported by left and right carriages 78 that are movably mounted on the subframe 79. The subframe 79 also supports three operation cylinders 80 each having a different stroke length on the common shaft 81. The three cylinders together provide eight programmable lateral positions in the direction of arrow W between the upper and lower blade pairs on both sides. In an alternative form, there may be 4 cylinders that may provide 16 programmable width positions, or the cylinders may be replaced by a single variable stroke pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, Alternatively, in this pack opener or other pack opener described herein, cylinders 75 and 80 may be replaced with, for example, a rack and pinion drive system.

  18D and 18E schematically illustrate the range of relative positions where the blades 70 and 71 can be moved relative to each other. For FIG. 18D, the pack opener shows how a specific width pack, for example, a 200 mm wide vinyl bag mouth, can be placed between the maximum width of the blade and the minimum height position and the maximum height to the minimum width position. It is shown whether it can open to the range of the opening shape between. FIG. 18E shows a similar range of positions where the mouth of a larger bag, eg, a 300 mm wide bag, can be opened by the pack opener.

  Referring to FIGS. 18A and 18B, first separating the sides of the pack mouth allows the pack opener blades 70 and 71 to be inserted into the pack mouth so that the suction cup 82 can be Provided on the upper and lower sides of the mouth, which are operable to grip both sides of the bag mouth and initially separate both sides of the bag mouth, the pack opener blades 70 and 71 being Allowing you to enter. In FIG. 18A, the bag is shown schematically at B and is held by a suction cup, while the blades 70 and 71 in the minimum width minimum height position are inserted into the mouth of the bag. Thereafter, the left blade pair 70 and the right blade pair 71 move apart in the width direction, while the suction cup is released to release the bag from the suction cup. The suction cup is then moved completely away from the bag, or the bag opener blade supporting the bag moves the bag opener supporting the bag away from the suction cup (FIG. 18A to 18C), the pack opener blade can then load the product to be packed into the pack or cover the product to cover the product to be packed. It may be moved to one of the positions shown in FIG. 18D or 18E to open the pack so that it can be delivered.

  In a preferred form, the loading conveyors of FIGS. 9-14 were collected earlier up to a range depending on the size of the product, i.e., for longer products than for shorter products, and at the upstream product information collection stage. Based on the product size information, the product is configured to be sent into the pack or bag by fitting or advancing in the pack or bag.

Alternative System for Opening into Pack and Loading Product FIG. 15 shows another configuration for opening the pack and loading product into the pack, comprising fingers 175, which fingers are in operation. Insert into each pack or bag mouth as shown at B and move away to open the mouth of the bag to a controlled degree of height or lift. A similar finger (not shown in FIG. 15) may move sideways or in the width direction to open the bag to a fixed or controlled degree of the sideways opening. The degree of lift may be continuously variable depending on the size of the individual product, or may be stepped between a number of predetermined levels of opening for the product within a wide size range. May be. For each such size, the bag is also opened sideways to a controlled width degree, which may be continuously variable depending on the product size, or up to a fixed step in the width opening. He may be spread out. The lift opening and width opening fingers may be controlled by a servo motor that adjusts the finger lift position and width opening for each bag, by a small pneumatic cylinder, or by any other suitable mechanical configuration. good. Lifting and width opening fingers may be mounted on the peripheral inlet frame 6 as shown or for any other suitable configuration for vertical and horizontal movement.

  In general, a product such as meat fillet C in FIG. 15 approaches the packing device on a conveyor, such as conveyor 177. In the packing device of FIG. 15, at 178 the inlet frame 176 supporting the spreader fingers can pivot between an upper position indicated by a solid contour and a lower position indicated by a virtual contour. It is mounted so as to be able to turn. Prior to or as each product approaches, the spreader fingers enter the new bag or pack mouth and pick up the new bag or pack mouth, and the inlet frame 176 is shown upwards (indicated by the virtual outline). From the position to the position indicated by the solid outline). The spreader fingers are driven away to open the bag to a controlled range based on information provided from machine vision or similar stages through which earlier products pass. The open pack is therefore transported to the open bag, and then the packaged product is brought into a product that is captured by an exit conveyor that pulls the bag mouth from the spreader finger 175 and transports it forward.

  The device shown in FIG. 16 is similar to the operation shown in FIG. 15 except that, as in the device of FIG. 16, the bag is brought into the product flow from below rather than from below. is there. In FIG. 16, the same reference numerals denote the same components as those in FIG. 15. Furthermore, the inlet frame 176 supports lifting and width opening fingers with a configuration similar to that of the apparatus of FIG. The inlet frame 6 is mounted so that the spreader finger pivots in the direction of arrow B from the position 150 where it enters the mouth of a new bag or pack and picks up the bag or pack to the lower position as shown. ing. Prior to or during downward movement, the spreader finger 175 opens the bag to a controlled extent based on information provided from the machine vision or similar stage prior to the product passing. So driven away. Conveyor 177 has a fitted front end 177a that extends above exit conveyor 179 so that the product is placed in the bag and the bag is pulled over the product. As the bag is brought down toward section 177a, the product is routed through the inlet frame 176 and into the open bag. The conveyor end 177a is then withdrawn leaving the product in the bag, which is then caught by an outlet conveyor 179 that pulls the bag mouth from the spreader finger 175 to carry the packaged product forward. The entrance frame is then returned to pick up a new bag from the bag dispenser point 150.

  In the embodiment of FIGS. 15 and 16, the product item moves toward a stationary or relatively stationary pack or bag. However, in an alternative configuration, an open pack or bag is moved toward a stationary or relatively stationary product item and / or pulled up on a stationary or relatively stationary product item. When the product item moves, the open bag will move the moving product item so that product items such as packs or bags and meat fillets move towards each other as the product is placed in the bag. It can also be moved so that it is pulled out over.

  The control system may synchronize the arrival of the individual meat fillets with the collected information associated with the individual meat fillets. As an alternative, the product information gathering stage and the bagging station may be autonomous and when the bags are opened according to the product weight, for example, a weighing conveyor is placed just upstream of the bagging stage. Also good. In a preferred embodiment, the information collected in relation to each product can be sent directly from the machine vision stage to the packing station and kept in a database at the packing station until the meat fillet arrives. It is then used to open the bag to the extent appropriate for the size of the product. In an even more sophisticated configuration, the system detects whether any meat fill is removed from the product stream for any reason to avoid incorrect indexing of meat fillets and packs. As can be done, individual meat fillets may be tracked along the packing line, which is accomplished by detecting and tracking the movement of each meat fillet from one conveyor to the next. Is done. Various configurations are possible.

  In the embodiment of FIGS. 15 and 16, the spreader fingers move in the height (lift) and width directions to open the mouth of the pack into a rectangular or square shape. This is not essential, even if the spreader fingers or equivalent are arranged to open the pack mouth into an irregular shape that is dynamically adapted to the shape of the product when the product is loaded. good. A further possibility is that the spreader fingers or equivalent may be dynamically opened and closed when the product is in the bag. For a round profile product, such as a typical meat fillet, the fingers may open the bag to a controlled degree, and then when the product is placed in the bag, the highest part of the product Continue to open the bag so that it passes through the opening of the bag, then begin to close the bag as the subsequent portion or product enters the bag, and optionally close the bag almost completely or partially. For this purpose, the spreader fingers may grip around the mouth of the bag or pack. For example, a 3D (three-dimensional) image of a product is collected at a machine vision stage, and a number of spreader fingers are moved to reproduce the shape of the product and when the product is loaded, You can open the bag. Other similar variations are possible.

  FIGS. 13 and 14 show the conveyor system of the present invention with five parallel conveyors. Referring to FIG. 18, any one or more of the smaller width conveyors 100 are indicated at U in FIG. 14 by a mechanism 101 actuated by an operating cylinder 103 that operates on the main shaft 102 of the conveyor system. It may be swung upward to the position of the conveyor. In this embodiment, if the meat fillets and packs are of the largest size, all five conveyors, for example, at L in FIG. 14 to transport the meat fillets into an open pack. It may be in the indicated lower position. If the meat fillet is of a smaller size, one or more conveyors 100 are swung off the transport path to the upper position U so that the meat fillet is carried by a smaller number of conveyors. May be. The control system determines which conveyor combination is used, i.e. which remains at position L and which depends on the size of the product and based on the product size information previously collected at the upstream product information collection stage. You may control whether it turns to the position U. FIG.

  Instead of the elevator plate 4 in the system of FIGS. 1-8, a conveyor system is carried by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 5 so that the ejector plate 14 is not required to push the meat slices into the pack. It may be provided.

  As indicated above, the packs or bags may be supplied from a stack or rolled stock, or alternatively, made during operation by cutting and sealing the bag from the tubular body. Also good. A range of bag or stock widths may be available within a range of materials such as oxygen barrier materials, export grade packing materials, etc., from which the bags are selected as directed by the control system. Also good. Bags preprinted with different labeling or trademark information may also be provided and selected from them.

Preferred Form Vacuum Packaging Machine Referring to FIGS. 19-30, the preferred embodiment vacuum packaging machine is generally indicated by reference numeral 1, which may be the vacuum packaging machine in FIGS. It will be explained in detail. The vacuum packaging machine includes an upper vertically stacked vacuum chamber 203a and a lower vertically stacked vacuum chamber 203b, and these vacuum chambers are mounted between the columns 205 so as to be vertically movable. . Attached adjacent to the top of the column 205 is a drive mechanism 207 for the vacuum chambers 203a, 203b, which will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. .

  An electronic control system 8 controls the operation of the vacuum packaging machine 1 and a keypad / monitor 10 is provided to allow the user to program the control system.

  Each vacuum chamber 203 a and 203 b includes a bed 9 and a vacuum chamber hood 211. The bed 9 is attached so as to be movable in the vertical direction synchronously between the columns 205, and each vacuum chamber hood 211 is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the respective bed 209. The vacuum chamber hood 211 is moved via the pneumatic ram 212. Alternative driving means such as a hydraulic ram or mechanical means including one or more cams driven by a motor to move the vacuum chamber hood may be used.

  Each vacuum chamber has a seal assembly 215 therein, which will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. Each vacuum chamber bed 209 includes a conveyor 213 which places the product in the vacuum chamber during loading and is packaged outside the vacuum chamber after it is vacuum sealed. The direction of movement of the conveyor 213 defines the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber.

  A conveyor arrangement is provided for filling the product package into the vacuum chamber and removing the product package from the vacuum chamber. The conveyor configuration includes an infeed conveyor 217 for loading product packages into the vacuum chamber. The operation of the infeed conveyor 217 is described in further detail below. An outfeed conveyor (not shown) is also provided to remove the packaged product from the vacuum packaging machine following sealing.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 19-21, the vacuum chamber has a lower position (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) in which the upper chamber 203a is adjacent to the infeed conveyor 217 for loading / unloading; The bed of the lower chamber 203b is movable together between an upper position (shown in FIG. 21) adjacent to the infeed conveyor 217 for loading / unloading. While one of the vacuum chambers is in the loading / unloading position, the other vacuum chamber is in the operating position to perform a vacuum sealing operation on the package housed therein. Therefore, the operating position for the upper vacuum chamber 203a is above the height of the infeed conveyor, while the operating position for the lower vacuum chamber 203b is below the height of the infeed conveyor.

  Having one of the vacuum chambers open for loading / unloading while the other vacuum chamber is performing a vacuum sealing operation results in a cycle time greater than that provided by conventional vacuum packaging machines. Is reduced.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 22-25, the seal assembly 215 in each vacuum chamber includes an upper portion 215a and a lower portion 215b. The seal assembly 215 extends across the longitudinal direction of the vacuum chamber and hence the direction of movement of the product package through the vacuum chamber. This allows the product package to be fed into the vacuum chamber by dragging its unsealed portion in the direction of exiting the product package from the preceding bagging / wrapping station.

  The upper portion 215a of the seal assembly includes a pair of upper spreaders 219a, a heat seal anvil 221, a drilling device having a plurality of drilling knives (not shown), and a clamping device 223 having a series of clamping pins 225. Including. The lower portion 215b of the seal assembly includes a pair of lower spreaders 219b complementary to the pair of upper spreaders 219a, a heat seal bar 227, and a lower clamp bar 229.

  In this particular embodiment, the expansion operation is as follows. The spreaders 219a, 219b are operable to grip and expand unsealed portions of the product package prior to heat sealing. As is apparent from the drawings, the upper spreader 219a and the lower spreader 219b are assembled so that they are moved outward by the angular slot 220a and the pin 220b extending through the slots. The spreader functions in a manner similar to that described in WO 02/10019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference and will not be further described here.

  Alternative expansion systems are also envisioned. In one alternative embodiment, an air “curtain” provided by a series of small air jets is installed to blow an unsealed package neck flat over the seal bar.

  A further embodiment uses the resulting back pressure created to limit the air flow out of the product package and widen the package neck over the heat seal bar during the evacuation process. This restriction may take the form of a heat-seal bar or alternatively a bar spaced at a fixed distance on a lightly spring-loaded bar or a gravity bar.

  These embodiments are exemplary only, and other automatically expanding systems are envisioned.

  Clamping pin 225 and lower clamp bar 229 (usually made from an elastic material such as rubber) maintain the unsealed portion of the package in an expanded configuration and tension the product package so that it can be perforated. provide. When the piercing device is activated, a knife (not shown) pierces the package. The punching device forms a small opening in the product package. During the loading of the product package into the vacuum chamber, it is feasible that the unsealed part following the package is arranged to be clamped under the end wall of the vacuum chamber hood 211 when it is closed It is. The opening formed by the piercing device ensures that any air in the product package is still evacuated if this occurs.

  The heat seal anvil 221 has an unsealed portion of the product package between them and presses against the heat seal bar 227 to apply current to the heat seal bar to seal the product package Is possible.

  Although not shown, a cutting device is provided to cut the product package between the heat seal bar 227 and the perforating device. A preferred cutting device is a serrated blade knife configured to move from top to bottom to shear the product package.

  Although not shown, the vacuum packaging machine includes a scrap removal device for removing a cut-off portion of the product package from the vacuum packaging machine. A preferred scrap removal apparatus comprises a “push-pull” system. A series of air jets is supplied to the upper front surface of the heat seal bar. After the unused product package neck is cut and the vacuum chamber is opened, the cut portion of the neck is supported on the clamp bar 229. When the vacuum chamber is opened, the clamp bar is lowered to its home position, while the air jets are activated simultaneously. This action blows the cut bag neck toward the suction system, which is mounted under the leading roller of the infeed conveyor 217 that fits. Conveniently, a second set of air jets may be provided along the bottom surface of the heat seal bar, just above the inner conveyor 213, to create a complete air curtain that blows towards the suction system. good. A significant advantage of this product loading / vacuum chamber system is the relatively small distance (approximately 100 mm) between the air jet and the suction system. In conventional rotating systems, the scrap had to be blown across a gap of approximately 600 mm. Other means of removing scrap can also be provided.

  The belt of the conveyor 213 extends under the lower portion of the seal assembly 215b and extends around the outer end of the vacuum chamber bed 209. For this purpose, the lower surface of the conveyor belt is provided with a smooth surface, for example a plasticized smooth surface (relative to the conventional fabric surface), so that the vacuum chamber can be sealed over the belt.

  In order to deliver the product package onto the lower portion 215b of the seal assembly, the in-feed conveyor has a fitting portion 217a. During loading of the open vacuum chamber, the fitting portion 217a extends over the lower portion 215b of the seal assembly and is operated to lower the body of the product package onto the conveyor 213 on the vacuum chamber bed 209. The unsealed portion of the back of the packaged product remains disposed on the infeed conveyor fit-in portion 217a. The snap-in portion 217a is retracted away from the vacuum chamber so that the vacuum chamber can be moved and closed so that the unsealed portion at the rear of the product package is expanded and sealed with the unsealed portion. To be obtained, it is lowered onto the lower part 215b of the seal assembly. The seal assembly 215 has a relatively low profile so as to minimize the distance that the product can be withdrawn, since the inset portion 217a of the conveyor extends into the vacuum chamber.

  In this embodiment, the vertical position of the vacuum chamber is adjusted using a drive mechanism 207 comprising a cable and pulley system, as shown in FIGS. The vacuum chamber is suspended by four cables 231 and not all four cables are visible in the figure, but extends downward to a vacuum chamber bed 209 adjacent to each post 205 of the packaging machine. The triple configuration of the pulley 233 is provided adjacent to each corner of the packaging machine. The main drive bed 235 can be driven in a horizontal plane as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 9, and one pulley 233a is rotatably attached to the main drive bed 235 at each corner, while the others The two pulleys 233b and 233c are rotatably attached to the fixed frame assembly 237. One end of each cable 231 is operably attached to the vacuum chamber bed 209, while the other end of each cable is attached to the frame 237 as indicated by reference numeral 239.

  With the above-described arrangement of pulleys and cables, the horizontal movement of the drive bed 235 results in a synchronized rise or fall of the vacuum chamber bed 209. The pulley configuration ensures that horizontal movement of the drive bed 235 results in vertical movement of the vacuum chamber that is twice as large. For example, a top stroke of the 400 mm drive bed 235 results in a vertical movement of the 800 mm vacuum chamber. However, this 2: 1 ratio of vacuum chamber movement to drive bed movement requires twice the power required for a 1: 1 ratio.

  To compensate for this, two constant pressure cylinders 241a and 241b are provided to balance the weight of the vacuum chamber. The constant pressure cylinder may be a fluid pressure cylinder, but in this preferred embodiment is a pneumatic cylinder. These cylinders 241a, 241b are isolated from their own pressure vessels, and in this embodiment the pressure vessels are the vertical struts 205 of the packaging machine. Cylinders 241a, 241b hold the vacuum chamber in equilibrium, which means that a smaller amount of force is required to move the vacuum chamber vertically than would otherwise be required. To do.

  A further cylinder 243 drives the movement of the bed 235, thereby driving the vertical movement of the vacuum chambers 203a, 203b. With constant pressure cylinders 241a, 241b commensurate with the weight of the vacuum cylinder, only 14% of the compressed air required otherwise to move the vacuum chamber vertically is required, resulting in energy savings. . More importantly, the two cylinders 241a, 241b, which balance the weight of the pressure vessel, are isolated from their own pressure vessel 205, so that in the event of a mechanical failure or a sudden loss of air supply, 203a, 203b does not fail and results in improved safety.

  The vacuum packaging machine may optionally include a cross-flow valve mechanism as generally indicated by reference numeral 245 in FIGS. The purpose of the crossflow valve mechanism is to transfer pressure from a recently loaded vacuum chamber to a recently evacuated vacuum chamber.

  As described above, the vacuum chamber hood 211 is moved via the pneumatic ram 212. Once a vacuum seal has occurred in the vacuum chamber and 1/2 atmospheric pressure is transferred to the evacuated vacuum chamber, an opening force is applied by the ram 212. Once the vacuum is removed from the vacuum chamber, the vacuum hood is opened by force.

Method of operation of the preferred form vacuum packaging machine The vacuum packaging machine 201 is generally located downstream from the input conveyor system and / or the system for loading the product into the pack as previously described. And unsealed product packages may be sent directly to the infeed conveyor 217 shown in many of FIGS. 19-30 or into an open vacuum chamber as in the systems of FIGS. Well, the packages are oriented so that the unsealed portion of each package is dragged later.

  For illustrative purposes, the lower vacuum chamber 203b is in the lower operating position and currently vacuum seals the product package therein, the upper vacuum chamber 203a is open, and the infeed conveyor 217. It is assumed that there is a preparation for loading adjacent to.

  The infeed conveyor 217 is operated so that the inset portion 217 extends over the seal assembly 215 and is operated to place the product package on the moving conveyor 213 on the bed of the vacuum chamber 203a. Since the fitted portion 217a of the infeed conveyor 217 is retracted from the vacuum chamber, the unsealed portion of the rear of the product package is placed on the seal assembly. The inset conveyor is equipped with sensing means for detecting the trailing edge of the product and places the trailing edge of the product directly in front of the seal assembly 215. In a preferred embodiment, the detection means is a capacitive sensor attached to the bed of the fitting conveyor 217.

  The hood 211 of the upper vacuum chamber 203a is then closed and transferred to the lower vacuum chamber where ½ atmospheric pressure has been recently evacuated, as described above with reference to FIGS. May be. The vacuum chambers are moved to their upper position and the remaining air is evacuated from the lower vacuum chamber 203b, the vacuum chamber is then opened and the packaged product is removed while a new product is removed. The package is loaded at the same time.

  In the upper vacuum chamber 203a, the unsealed part of the product package is expanded by the expansion system. The piercing device is then activated and the knife pierces the unsealed portion of the product package, while the clamping pin 225 holds it in an expanded configuration relative to the clamp stop 229. The spreader bar 219 is then released and the vacuum chamber 203a is evacuated through the previously described crossing and vacuum techniques, thereby leaving the product package through its unsealed portion and / or perforated opening. Exhaust any air.

  The heat seal anvil 221 then presses the heat seal bar to heat seal the package therebetween. The cutting device then shears the scrap portion of the product package between the heat seal bar 227 and the drilling device. Next, the anvil 221 is moved away from the heat seal bar 227. When the vacuum chamber is moved to the loading / unloading position and opened, the packaged product and the scrap separation part of the package are released. The air curtain and suction are then activated to remove scrap from the vacuum chamber.

  Meanwhile, the lower vacuum chamber 203b is already loaded with a further unsealed product package, and 1/2 atmospheric pressure is also transferred between the vacuum chambers as described above. The cycle repeats with the vacuum chambers moving to their lower positions such that the lower vacuum chamber is in the operating position and the upper vacuum chamber is in the load / unload position.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, modifications to the specific embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The illustrated vacuum packaging machine is spaced two vertically apart. It will be appreciated that more than two vacuum chambers may be provided. In addition or alternatively, the vacuum chambers may be horizontally spaced or provided with a three-dimensional (vertical / horizontal) array of vacuum chambers.

  The embodiment of the vacuum packaging machine described above has a vacuum chamber that is movable in the vertical direction, but instead an infeed conveyor 217 and an outfeed conveyor (not shown) are movable in the vertical direction. Yes, and the vacuum chamber may be fixed. In addition, more than one of each infeed and outfeed conveyor may be provided to provide a system with greater capacity.

  The preferred embodiment described above loads and seals one product package at a time. However, it will be appreciated that the infeed conveyor and vacuum chamber may be configured to load and vacuum seal two or more packages arranged side by side.

  The foregoing describes the invention including preferred forms thereof. Variations and modifications as would be apparent to one skilled in the art are intended to be incorporated within the scope here.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the operation of a preferred embodiment of a vacuum packaging machine including a product loading system. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating the layout and operation of one preferred form of a loading conveyor for use in loading products into packs and / or packs into vacuum packaging machines. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating the layout and operation of one preferred form of a loading conveyor for use in loading products into packs and / or packs into vacuum packaging machines. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating the layout and operation of one preferred form of a loading conveyor for use in loading products into packs and / or packs into vacuum packaging machines. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating the layout and operation of one preferred form of a loading conveyor for use in loading products into packs and / or packs into vacuum packaging machines. It is a top view which shows one form of a product loading conveyor system in detail. FIG. 14 shows the product loading conveyor system of FIG. 13 in the direction of arrow Y of FIG. It is a side view which shows roughly operation | movement of the fitting infeed conveyor for sending a product in a pack. It is a figure which shows one form of the pack opening means schematically. It is a figure which shows the further form of a pack opener. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the pack opener of FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the pack opener of FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the pack opener of FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the pack opener of FIG. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the pack opener of FIG. 1 is an end view of one preferred vacuum packaging machine. FIG. 20 is a side elevation view of the vacuum packaging machine of FIG. 19. FIG. 20 is a further side elevational view of the vacuum packaging machine of FIG. 19. FIG. 2 is an interior view of a vacuum chamber showing a seal assembly. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the upper interior of the vacuum chamber showing details of the upper portion of the seal assembly of FIG. 22. FIG. 33 is a view of the lower portion of the vacuum chamber showing details of the lower portion of the seal assembly of FIG. 32. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a lower portion of the seal assembly of FIG. FIG. 20 shows part of a pulley configuration for raising and lowering the vacuum chamber in the packaging machine of FIG. It is a figure of the upper end part of the packaging machine of FIG. FIG. 20 is a side elevation view of the packaging machine of FIG. 19 showing a cross-flow valve mechanism for transferring vacuum between vacuum chambers. FIG. 29 is a more detailed view of the crossflow valve mechanism of FIG. FIG. 25 is a further detailed view of the crossflow valve mechanism of FIGS. 27 and 24.

Claims (30)

A device for packing products,
A vacuum packaging machine for vacuum sealing operations on product packages;
An upstream product information collection stage configured to collect information related to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
A pack opener configured to open the mouth of each pack to a controlled extent based on information related to the packed product collected in the upstream product information collection stage; and The product is sent into an open pack, and then the open pack is sent into a vacuum packaging machine, or the product is sent into an open pack that is already at least partially contained in the vacuum packaging machine. A device that is configured to bring a pack into the.   The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pack opener comprises one or more parts, the parts being inserted into the mouth of each pack and further opening the pack.   The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the part that is inserted into the mouth of each pack comprises a finger that is inserted into the mouth of each pack.   The product information collection stage is configured to collect one or more of height information, width information, height and width information, height, width and length information, volume or shape information, or weight information about the product. 4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, including a subsystem for sequentially feeding packs to the packing device as individual products approach the packing device on the conveyor.   6. A subsystem as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a subsystem for cutting and sealing the bag from the tubular stock to lengthen the pack to the size of the individual product during operation. apparatus.   7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a subsystem for supplying two or more width working bags with widths selected for the size of individual products.   8. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pack is a plastic bag or sack.   Also includes two or more generally parallel conveyors configured to deliver different sized products in a pack with a smaller number of conveyors for smaller products and a larger number of conveyors for larger products. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.   With two parallel conveyors, one of the two parallel conveyors being configured to carry a smaller product into the pack, and both two parallel conveyors carrying a larger product into the pack The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is actuated to run parallel to.   The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more other conveyors include three or more generally parallel conveyors, including a central conveyor juxtaposed on both sides.   The conveyor sends the product into the pack by fitting into the pack or advancing into the pack based on the product size information previously collected at the upstream product information collection stage, depending on the product size. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured as follows.   The vacuum packaging machine includes a plurality of vacuum chambers, wherein each vacuum chamber is configured to receive at least one unsealed product package and is operable to perform an independent vacuum sealing operation on the product package; Each vacuum chamber has a longitudinal direction defined by the direction of movement of the respective product package through the vacuum chamber, and each vacuum chamber forms a heat seal across the product package extending across the longitudinal direction. 13. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, having a heat seal assembly therein.   14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the vacuum packaging machine includes vacuum chambers that are arranged generally vertically above and below each other.   The vacuum packaging machine is configured to operate to perform a vacuum sealing operation while one of the vacuum chambers is open for loading and unloading of product packages. Or the apparatus of 14.   A heat seal assembly in the vacuum chamber is located near the end of the vacuum chamber adjacent to the infeed conveyor or near the end of the vacuum chamber adjacent to the infeed conveyor, and the infeed conveyor is an unsealed portion of the package An apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15, configured to drag the product package into the vacuum chamber.   17. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, configured to remove a sealed product package from a selected vacuum chamber while simultaneously loading other unsealed product packages into the selected vacuum chamber. The device described in 1.   Including two vertically stacked vacuum chambers, an infeed conveyor, and an outfeed conveyor, wherein the vacuum chamber is adjacent to and between the infeed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor / Can move vertically in synchronism between the take-out position and the operating position spaced from the infeed and outfeed conveyors, the vacuum packaging machine is performing vacuum sealing operation in one vacuum chamber The apparatus of claim 17, wherein sometimes the other vacuum chamber is operable to be open for loading / unloading. A method for packing a product,
Collecting information relating to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
Based on information related to one or more characteristics of the packed product collected in the upstream product information gathering stage, the mouth of each pack is mechanically opened to a controlled range, and the next in the opened pack Feeding or loading the product into a vacuum packaging machine, or feeding or loading the product into an open pack already at least partially contained in the vacuum packaging machine.   20. The method of claim 19, further comprising opening each pack by inserting one or more parts of a pack opener into the mouth of each pack and moving the parts to open the pack.   Through the product information collection stage, information on one or more of height information, width information, height and width information, height, width and length information, volume or shape information, or weight information about the product. 21. A method according to claim 19 or 20, comprising collecting   22. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 21 comprising sequentially feeding packs to the packing device as individual products approach the packing device on the conveyor.   23. A method as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 22 comprising lengthening the pack to the size of the individual product during operation by cutting and sealing the bag from the tubular stock.   24. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, comprising supplying two or more working width bags to a width selected for the size of an individual product.   25. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the pack is a plastic bag or sack.   This includes loading different size products in packs with two or more generally parallel conveyors with a smaller number of conveyors for smaller products and a larger number of conveyors for larger products. 26. A method according to any one of claims 19 to 25. Provided is a vacuum packaging machine having a plurality of vacuum chambers, each vacuum chamber configured to receive at least one unsealed product package and operable to perform an independent vacuum sealing operation on the product package A heat seal across the product package, each vacuum chamber having a longitudinal direction defined by a passage of movement of the respective product package through the vacuum chamber, each vacuum chamber extending across the longitudinal direction Having a seal assembly therein to form
At least one unsealed product package in one vacuum chamber such that an unsealed portion of the product package is placed over the heat seal assembly or over a portion of the heat seal assembly. Loading,
27. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 26, comprising performing an independent sealing operation on at least one product package in another vacuum chamber simultaneously with the loading operation.   The method includes closing a recently loaded vacuum chamber and performing a vacuum sealing operation on the product package in the vacuum chamber, followed by a vacuum sealing operation in the recently loaded vacuum chamber, followed by a loading operation and a vacuum sealing operation. Substantially simultaneously opening the recently evacuated vacuum chamber and removing the product package from the recently evacuated vacuum chamber and loading at least one unsealed product package into the recently evacuated vacuum chamber substantially simultaneously. 28. The method of claim 27, comprising: A device for packing products,
A vacuum packaging machine for vacuum sealing operations on product packages;
An upstream product information collection stage configured to collect information related to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
Two or more configured to feed or load different sized products into packs and vacuum packaging machines with fewer conveyors for smaller products and more conveyors for larger products And a generally parallel loading conveyor. A method for packing a product,
Collecting information relating to one or more characteristics of the product on the product packing line;
Deliver products into packs and vacuum packaging machines via two or more generally parallel loading conveyors with fewer conveyors for smaller products and more conveyors for larger products Loading the method.

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