JP2008068908A - Packaging apparatus for spherical agricultural product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress changes in the posture or the position of a spherical agricultural product by an excessive pressing by an extruding tool in a packaging apparatus for the spherical agricultural product in which a transferring apparatus which feeds the spherical agricultural product having been fed at a specified taking-out position into an entrance of the packaging apparatus main body by picking it up is arranged in the packaging apparatus main body being constituted in such a manner that the spherical agricultural product having been inserted and fed to the entrance facing upward may be wrapped with a packaging sheet and sealed, and a gripping mechanism which moves the spherical agricultural product at the taking-out position to a position directly above the entrance by picking it up is installed on the transferring apparatus, and at the same time, the pushing-out tool which feeds the spherical agricultural product into the entrance by pressing it from the top is vertically operably installed in the center of the gripping mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: The packaging apparatus for the spherical agricultural product is equipped with an extruding tool operating means. The extruding tool operating means freely vertically movably supports the extruding tool 72. The extruding tool operating means also forcibly moves the extruding tool 72 to an upper evacuation position under a state in which the gripping mechanism 30 is shifted from a position above the entrance, and switches the extruding tool 72 to a self-weight descending state when the gripping mechanism 30 is located above the entrance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spherical crop packaging apparatus configured to wrap and seal spherical crops such as lettuce, cabbage, or spherical fruits with a packaging sheet.

As a lettuce wrapping device as an example of the wrapping device, the wrapping device main body is equipped with a transport device that circulates and rotates by placing and holding a spherical crop, and is transported to a predetermined take-out position by the transport device. A transfer device that picks up the spherical crop and sends it to the input port of the packaging device main body is arranged at the top of the packaging device main body, and the spherical crop that has been transported to the take-out position of the transport device is picked up by the transfer device In the center of this gripping mechanism, there is known a device equipped with an extruding tool that presses a spherical crop from above and feeds it into the charging port so that it can be moved up and down (for example, , See Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-95218 A

  In the conventional packaging apparatus, the pusher is connected to the lower end of the piston rod in the air cylinder and is forced to move up and down. Depending on the shape of the lettuce, the lettuce is pressed by the pushing force of the pusher that is forcibly moved downward. It is conceivable that the posture or position of the product changes, and a state where appropriate packaging is not performed occurs.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such points, and it is an object of the present invention to be able to feed spherical crops into the inlet while suppressing changes in the posture and position of the spherical crops. It is said.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a packaging apparatus in which a spherical crop supplied to a predetermined take-out position is picked up by a packaging device body configured to wrap and seal a spherical crop supplied and supplied to an upward input port with a packaging sheet. A transfer device for feeding into the input port of the main body is provided, and the transfer device is provided with a gripping mechanism for picking up the spherical crop at the take-out position and moving it directly above the input port, and at the center of the gripping mechanism. In the spherical crop packaging apparatus equipped with an extruding tool that presses the spherical crop from above and feeds it into the input port so that it can be moved up and down,
The pusher is supported so that it can freely move up and down, and the pusher is forcibly moved to the upper retreat position when the gripping mechanism is disengaged from above the charging port, and the pusher is moved when the gripping mechanism is positioned above the charging port. Extruder operation means for switching to a weight lowering state is provided.

  According to the above configuration, the pusher is held in the upper retreat position while the gripping mechanism grips the supplied spherical crop and transports it to the upper side of the input port. Like riding on a spherical crop). When the gripping mechanism moves to above the charging port and enters the feeding process, the holding of the pushing tool is released and the weight is lowered, and the pushing tool gets on the spherical crop from above, and the spherical crop takes its weight and the pushing tool. It is sent to the inlet by weight.

  Therefore, according to the first invention, the spherical crop that has been gripped and transported is fed into the input port by its own weight and the weight of the pusher, and the posture of the spherical crop and While suppressing the change in position, it is possible to feed the spherical crops into the inlet and supply them appropriately for packaging.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
The pusher operating means is equipped with a guide rail fixedly arranged along the movement path of the gripping mechanism, and a gripping mechanism that is swung up and down by the guide action of the guide rail as the gripping mechanism moves. The push-up arm is configured to lift the pusher upward by a swinging operation of the push-up arm in a predetermined direction, and to push down the pusher by its swinging operation in the reverse direction. Is.

  According to the above configuration, when the gripping mechanism is disengaged from above the insertion port, the pusher is held at the upper retracted position by the push-up arm that is swung by the guide action of the guide rail. When the gripping mechanism moves above the input port and enters the supply process, the push-up arm swings in the reverse direction due to the guide action of the guide rail, and the pusher comes down under its own weight, and the pusher is moved upwards to the spherical crop. The spherical crop is fed to the input port by its own weight and the weight of the pushing tool, and the pushing tool operating means can be configured with a simple structure without using a special driving means.

According to a third invention, in the first or second invention,
Auxiliary pushing means for forcibly pushing down and pushing the pushing tool switched to its own weight lowered state is provided.

  According to the above configuration, when the spherical crop is light, or when the feeding resistance at the inlet is large and sufficient feeding is not performed, the pushing tool is forcibly pushed down by the auxiliary pushing means, so that the predetermined amount is obtained. Can be accurately supplied.

  FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 respectively show the front and the plane of a lettuce wrapping apparatus that is an example of a spherical agricultural product wrapping apparatus according to the present invention. This packaging device is basically composed of a packaging device body 1, a transport device 2 for lettuce carry-in, and a transfer device 3. The structure and function of each part will be described below.

  The packaging device main body 1 is configured in a box shape, and a packaging table 5 and an upper cover 6 covering the packaging table 5 from above are arranged on the upper part, and the center of the packaging table 5 is somewhat larger than the lettuce (spherical crop) w. An eye opening 7 is formed, and a large opening 8 facing the insertion opening 7 is formed in the upper cover 6. The insertion port 7 is provided with an elastic sheet 7a cut radially, and the supplied lettuce w is allowed to pass while being elastically received. A sheet roll loading unit 9 for mounting the sheet roll SR sideways is provided above one end of the packaging apparatus main body 1, and the packaging sheet s fed from the sheet roll SR is provided by an internally installed sheet cutting mechanism 16. It is cut into a predetermined length and supplied onto the packaging table 5.

  By pressing lettuce w into the inlet 7 from the top of the supplied packaging sheet s and supplying it, the lettuce w is wrapped with the packaging sheet s in the lower part of the packaging table 5 and is narrowed down. It is comprised so that the lettuce w which it wore, sealed and packaged may be sent out from the discharge port 10, and the outline procedure of packaging operation | movement is demonstrated below based on FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), in a state where the packaging sheet s is supplied and loaded on the upper surface of the packaging table 5, lettuce w with the cut-up facing upward is fed into the charging port 7 and below the charging port 7. It is supplied onto the holding table 11 waiting.
When it is detected by the optical sensor or the like that the lettuce w is fed and supplied, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the holding table 11 is lowered and the pair of holding arms 12 are moved in close proximity to each other. Then, the packaging sheet s that is narrowed down by the elastic sheet 7 a provided in the insertion port 7 is further narrowed down while being closely attached to the lettuce w.

Next, as shown in FIG. 16 (c), the pair of sandwiching plates 13 arranged opposite to each other operate to narrow down the narrowing position of the packaging sheet s from the front and rear and from the left and right.
Next, as shown in FIG. 16 (d), the pair of opposed heaters 14 are operated close to each other, and the portion squeezed by the sandwiching plate 13 is heat-sealed and sealed. The upper surplus sheet portion s ′ is melted and cut.
When the sealing is completed, as shown in FIG. 16 (e), the holding arm 12 is opened and the holding table 11 is turned sideways to feed the packaged lettuce w ′ to the discharge chute 15.

  The lettuce automatic supply to the packaging apparatus main body 1 that performs the packaging operation as described above is performed by the transport apparatus 2 and the transfer apparatus 3.

  The transport device 2 is disposed above the packaging device body 1 at the end opposite to the sheet roll loading unit 9 in the packaging device body 1, and is driven to rotate around the vertical axis by a motor 20. The transport chain 23 is wound around the large-diameter drive sprocket 21 and the idle sprocket 22 having the same diameter, and the plurality of receiving portions 24 are transported at predetermined intervals in the chain rotation direction. 23, and the conveyance chain 23 is guided by a guide rail (not shown) in a linear movement path, and the receiving portion 24 has an oval conveyance path above the packaging apparatus body 1. It is designed to circulate and rotate in a plane. The transport chain 23 is pitch-fed at an arrangement interval of the receiving portions 24 so that the lettuce w placed and received in the receiving portions 24 is transported to the take-out position A set at a predetermined position in the linear transport path. Yes.

  The receiving portion 24 is configured by radially arranging four receiving pieces 24a that can be elastically deformed, and the cut end can be stably placed without damaging the lettuce w in the upward posture. Of the four receiving pieces 24a, the upper surface of the pair of receiving pieces 24a facing each other in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction is provided with a direction identification mark m colored in a conspicuous hue, and is slightly elliptical in plan view. When the lettuce w is placed and loaded in a horizontal orientation in which the elliptical long axis is directed in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, or in a vertical orientation in which the elliptical long axis is directed in the transport direction, The direction identification mark m is a guide. In particular, the lettuce w can be conveniently used for quickly placing the lettuce w horizontally or vertically on the rotation path of the transport device 2.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a juice wiping mechanism 90 that wipes and removes the juice that has exuded from the upward cut of the lettuce w is provided above the straight path in the upper conveyance at the removal position A. The juice wiping mechanism 90 is provided with a pair of front and rear wiping tools 91 at intervals corresponding to the intervals between the receiving tools 24.

  The support frame 92 of the juice wiping mechanism 90 is connected to a bracket 25 that is erected and fixed on the inner side of the receiving portion circulation rotation path in the transport device 2, and swings up and down around the fulcrum p around the support frame 92. A pair of support arms 93 are mounted so as to be movable and cross each other, and the wiping tool 91 is mounted on the free end portion of each support arm 93 so as to freely swing around a lateral fulcrum q.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the wiping tool 91 is configured by attaching and fixing a flat sponge 95 on the lower surface of a base 94 made of a metal plate material, and wrapping and attaching a towel 96 around the sponge 95. It is formed in a flat plate shape in the front and rear, and the front end is bent and inclined slightly upward.

  A crank arm 97 that is rotated by a motor M around a lateral fulcrum r in a fixed direction is provided near the intersection of both support arms 93. The free end portion of the crank arm 97 is equipped with rollers 98 that contact and interfere with both support arms 93 from below. When the crank arm 97 rotates upward, the support arms 93 are lifted from below. By swinging and the crank arm 97 pivoting downward, both support arms 93 swing downward with their own weight.

The juice wiping mechanism 90 is configured as described above, and the wiping tool 91 that moves up and down is pressed against the upward cut of the lettuce w that has been conveyed by its own weight and oozes out of the upward cut of the lettuce w. The juice is absorbed and removed by the towel 96. In this case, since the front part of the flat wiping tool 91 is inclined upward, it rides on the upward cut of the lettuce w without being caught by the lettuce w, and follows the direction of the upward cut of the lettuce w. It swings following the posture and absorbs all the juice from the flat surface of the towel 96.
Since the wiping tool 91 is arranged in a pair of front and rear with an interval corresponding to the interval of the receiving device 24, one lettuce w receives two wiping processes.

  The transfer device 3 includes a gripping mechanism 30 that grips the lettuce w, a lifting mechanism 31 that lifts and lowers the gripping mechanism 30 while maintaining a fixed posture, and a lateral movement mechanism 32 that moves the lifting mechanism 31 laterally. The detailed configuration of each part will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a support frame 34 having a wide vertical width is installed on the upper portion of the packaging apparatus main body 1 via a pair of left and right support columns 33 a and 33 b. A movable base 36 equipped with a lifting mechanism 31 is supported on a guide rail 35 fixed in a horizontal posture so as to be horizontally movable. As shown in FIG. 11, guide rollers 37 that roll on the front surface of the support frame 34 are provided above and below the movable table 36 to prevent the movable table 36 from being tilted forward and backward.

  One strut 33a is supported by the bracket 25 fixed inside the receiving portion circulation turning path in the conveying device 2 so as to be able to turn around the longitudinal fulcrum p, and the other strut 33b is supported by the sheet cutting mechanism 16. A bolt is detachably connected to the upper surface of the cover case 17. Accordingly, by releasing the connection between the support column 33b and the cover case 17, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The packaging apparatus main body 1 can be inspected and maintained without being disturbed by the transfer apparatus 3. After the transfer device 3 is turned and retreated as described above, the cover case 17 is removed, so that the sheet cutting mechanism 16 can be largely opened to perform inspection and maintenance.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the elevating mechanism 31 has a parallel four-piece structure composed of upper and lower elevating links 38 having a base end pivotally connected to a movable base 36 and a front end bracket 39 pivotally connected to the free end thereof. It is configured as a continuous link mechanism, and a gripping mechanism 30 is provided on the front end bracket 39.

  A driving arm 40 constituting the lateral movement mechanism 32 is provided on the front surface of the support frame 34, and a free end of the driving arm 40 is pivotally connected to a lower portion of the elevating link 38. According to this configuration, when the driving arm 40 is largely reversed to the left and right, the lifting link 38 is swung up and down, and the entire lifting mechanism 31 is pushed and moved together with the movable base 36 to the left and right of the driving arm 40. At the rotation end, the gripping mechanism 30 is positioned at the take-out position A in the transport device 2 and directly above the insertion port 7 in the packaging device body 1. The drive arm 40 is fixed to a large-diameter sprocket 41 and rotated integrally. The large-diameter sprocket 41 is wound around a small-diameter sprocket 42 that is driven forward and backward by a motor M1 from the back of the frame via a chain 43. Has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, the gripping mechanism 30 provided on the distal end bracket 39 in the elevating mechanism 31 is provided with four fingers 45 that can be freely opened and closed. The fingers 45 are respectively provided on the upper portion of the substrate 46 fixed in a horizontal posture on the front surface of the tip bracket 39, and are respectively supported by a finger arm 47 pivoted in and out around a fulcrum a and a lower portion of the finger arm 47. It is comprised from the strip-shaped finger main body 48 which consists of elastic resin materials, such as the attached rubber material.

  A spring 49 is stretched between each finger arm 47 and the substrate 46, and each finger arm 47 is urged to swing inward, that is, in a lettuce gripping direction. As shown in FIG. 8, a boss member 50 is vertically provided on the substrate 46 at the center of the group of finger arms 47, and a cam plate 51 is fitted on the outer periphery of the lower portion of the boss member 50 so as to be horizontally rotatable. Has been. The cam plate 51 is opposed to a roller 52 provided inside each finger arm 47, and each finger arm 47 that is urged to swing inward is received and supported on the outer periphery of the cam plate 51 via the roller 52. It has come to be.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the cam plate 51 is connected to two operation wires 53 and 54 that are operated by a motor M2, and the two operation wires 53 and 54 are reversed by forward and reverse rotation of the motor M2. By pulling and relaxing the cam plate 51, the cam plate 51 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions, and all finger arms 47 are simultaneously forced to open and swing outward and biased to close inward according to the cam shape on the outer periphery of the cam plate 51. It swings.

  Only the upper end of the finger main body 48 is screwed to the finger arm 47, and the finger main body 48 is switched between an open posture along the finger arm 47 and a grip posture bent and deformed inward. Is possible. A sponge material 55 having appropriate elasticity is attached to the inward surface of the finger body 48 so that the lettuce w can be gripped without being damaged.

  A finger drive link 56 that bends the finger main body 48 inward and outward is disposed outside the finger arm 47. The upper end of the finger drive link 56 is pivotally connected to the free end of the operation arm 57 pivotally supported by the upper fulcrum a of the finger arm 47, and the lower end of the finger drive link 56 is the outer surface of the lower end of the finger body 48. Further, a pin 59 provided in the middle in the longitudinal direction of the finger drive link 56 is engaged with an inclined long hole 60 formed in the finger arm 47. When the operation arm 57 is swung and the finger drive link 56 is moved up and down, the lower end of the finger drive link 56 is displaced inward and outward by the guide action of the pin 59 and the inclined long hole 60, and the finger body 48 is bent inward and outward.

  A slide boss 61 is externally fitted to the boss member 50 provided on the substrate 46 so as to be movable up and down. An operation protrusion 62 projecting radially from the slide boss 61 and an extended end of the operation arm 57 are provided. Are engaged with each other through the long hole 63 and the pin 64. Also, a bracket 66 is horizontally fixed via a pair of stays 65 erected above the substrate 46, and a pair of drive arms 67 pivotally supported around a fulcrum b of the bracket 66 are provided. The slide bosses 61 are respectively engaged with rollers 68 that are pivotally mounted at diagonal positions on the outer periphery of the slide boss 61. The stay 65 is passed through a pair of guide pieces 61 a protruding from the slide boss 61, so that the rotation of the slide boss 61 around the longitudinal axis is prevented.

  The drive arm 67 is connected to two operation wires 69 and 70 operated by a motor M3, and the motor M3 is rotated forward and backward so that the operation wires 69 and 70 are reversely pulled and relaxed. Thus, the drive arm 67 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, and the entire operation arm 57 is swung, so that the finger bodies 48 of all the fingers 45 are bent inward and outward at the same time as described above.

  An operating rod 71 is inserted into and supported by the boss member 50 erected on the substrate 46, and a pusher 72 is provided at the lower end of the operating rod 71. The upper portion of the operation rod 71 is guided and supported by a support frame 73 erected from the bracket 66 so as to be movable up and down, and a passive arm 74 projects from the upper end of the operation rod 71 in a cantilevered manner.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a push-up arm 76 is pivotally connected to an upper end of a fulcrum fitting 75 erected on the tip bracket 39 so as to be swingable around a fulcrum s in the front-rear direction. A support roller 77 provided at one end receives and supports the passive arm 74 from below, and the push-up arm 76 swings forward and backward so that it is received and supported by one end of the push-up arm 76 via the passive arm 74. The operation rod 71 is configured to move up and down by its own weight together with the pusher 72.

  A guide rail 79 acting on a guide roller 78 provided at the other end of the push-up arm 76 is fixedly mounted on the upper portion of the support frame 34. The guide rail 79 is formed in a stepped shape, and as shown on the left side in FIG. 4, when the gripping mechanism 30 is at the take-out position A in the transport device 2, the guide rail 79 has a lower horizontal guide portion 79 a. When the guide roller 78 moves away from the lower surface, the push-up arm 76 swings clockwise in FIG. 4 to free the operation rod 71, and the pusher 72 moves downward by its own weight to reach the lettuce w at the take-out position A. Get on.

  As the gripping mechanism 30 that grips the lettuce w moves away from the take-out position A and moves obliquely upward, the guide roller 78 moves from the lower horizontal guide portion 79a to the upper horizontal guide portion 79c via the inclined guide portion 79b. During this time, the push-up arm 76 is swung in a posture to push up the operating rod 71, and the pusher 72 is released above the lettuce w as shown in the center in FIG.

  When the gripping mechanism 30 moves obliquely downward past the highest position, the fulcrum s of the push-up arm 76 moves downward with respect to the upper horizontal guide portion 79c, as shown on the right side in FIG. The push-up arm 76 can swing in the direction in which the support roller 77 is lowered (clockwise in FIG. 4), and the operation rod 71 and the pusher 72 are moved downward by their own weight to perform the lettuce w feeding operation.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the pusher 72 connected to the lower end of the operation rod 71 has a pressing portion formed by winding a rubber plate 81 from below on a tongue piece 80 a bent and extended downward from the four sides of the support plate 80. 82, each pressing portion 82 encloses the upper shoulder of the lettuce w in a rectangular shape surrounding the upward cut of the lettuce w, and is narrow in the radial direction of the lettuce w and wide in the circumferential direction. It is configured to make elastic contact in a linear manner.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, an upper portion of the support frame 34 is equipped with a driving arm 83 for feeding assistance that is rotated around a fulcrum t by a motor M4. The drive arm 83 is configured so that the passive arm is within the rotation trajectory of the roller 84 provided at the tip of the drive arm 83 in a state where the gripping mechanism 30 is moved to the supply position B just above the insertion port 7 in the packaging apparatus body 1. 74 is arranged so as to enter, and the operating arm 71 is forcibly pushed down by rotating the driving arm 83 to contact and press the passive arm 74 downward.

  The present invention is configured as described above. Next, the lettuce w automatic supply operation will be described. (1) The operator places the lettuce w with the cut face facing upward on the receiving portion 24 that rotates in a circulating pitch while standing at a suitable position around the transport device 2, so that the lettuce w is taken out by the transfer device 3. It is conveyed toward position A. In this case, the lettuce w can be supplied in a desired posture by using the direction identification mark m attached to the receiving portion 24.

  (2) When the lettuce w is transported to the vicinity in front of the take-out position A, the juice that has entered the working area of the wiping tool 91 in the juice wiping mechanism 90 and oozed out of the upward cut of the lettuce w is removed by the wiping tool 91. Absorbed and removed.

  (3) When the transported lettuce w arrives at the take-out position A, this is detected by presence / absence detection means such as an optical sensor or a contact sensor, and the pitch feed operation of the transport device 2 is stopped based on this detection. The gripping mechanism 30 of the transfer device 3 is lowered while the fingers 45 are opened and the pusher 72 can be lowered by its own weight, and is put on the lettuce w stopped at the take-out position A from above.

  (4) When the gripping mechanism 30 is lowered to the lower limit, the cam plate 51 is rotated and the finger arm 47 is urged and swung inward, and the slide boss 61 is operated upward to bring the finger main body 48 into the inner position. The lettuce w is elastically gripped from four directions by the finger body 48. In this case, the pushing operation is performed in a state where the pusher 72 moves downward by its own weight and presses the lettuce w at the take-out position A and presses the lettuce w appropriately against the receiving portion 24 to stabilize the posture.

  (5) When the gripping of the lettuce w is completed, the drive mechanism 40 rotates in a reverse direction, so that the gripping mechanism 30 that grips the lettuce w rises substantially linearly, and then has a mountain-shaped curved locus on the packaging device body 1 side. It moves laterally, descends substantially linearly from the vicinity of the top of the charging port 7, and brings the gripped lettuce w above the charging port 7. In this case, when the push-up arm 76 moves downward from the guide rail 79, the pusher 72 rides on the lettuce w with its own weight.

  (6) When the gripping mechanism 30 is lowered to the lower limit, as shown in FIG. 7, the finger body 48 is extended outward to release the support for holding the lettuce w from below, and the lettuce w has its own weight and pusher. 72, the lettuce w is wrapped in the packaging sheet s.

In this case, the pressing portion 82 of the pushing tool 72 elastically presses the upper shoulder portion of the lettuce w in the circumferential direction with a narrow width in the radial direction and a wide line shape in the circumferential direction. The position does not change greatly in the radial direction, and a portion approximately equidistant from the center is pressed into a rectangular ring shape, and the lettuce w can be fed without changing its posture and position.
If the feeding to the charging port 7 is insufficient, the passive arm 74 is pushed down by the drive arm 82 and the pusher 72 is forcibly lowered to perform reliable feeding.

  (7) The gripping mechanism 30 that has finished feeding the lettuce w to the insertion port 7 is moved back toward the take-out position A for transfer of the next lettuce w, and the pusher 72 is pushed up with the guide rail 79. The arm 76 is forcibly returned to the upper retracted position by the action of the arm 76.

  When the gripping mechanism 30 is lifted from the feeding position, the pushing portion 82 of the pushing tool 72 is inclined inward, so that the lettuce w of a small ball is not held by the pushing tool 72 and the pushing tool moves upward. The tool 72 prevents the light lettuce w from being lifted with a small ball. Since the pressing portion 82 is inclined inwardly, it is difficult to touch the narrowed end of the packaging sheet s, and a part of the packaging sheet s is expanded by the retreating pusher 72 so that the narrowing is not loosened. .

[Other Examples]
(1) As means for operating the pusher 72 that can move freely up and down to the upper retracted position, air is supplied to the air cylinder in addition to means for mechanically operating the guide rail 79 as described above. Thus, the pusher 72 is forcibly moved to the upper retracted position, and the pusher 72 is lowered by its own weight by discharging the air from the air cylinder to be in a free state.
(2) As means for squeezing and sealing the packaging sheet s, a form in which an adhesive tape piece is attached to a squeezed cut portion can be used in addition to the form in which heat sealing is performed as described above.
(3) The gripping mechanism 30 can also be implemented in a form in which each finger 45 is constituted by an elongated rubber balloon-like finger body 48 that bends and deforms inward and outward due to fluctuations in air pressure.

Overall front view of packaging equipment Overall plan view of packaging equipment Front view showing lifting mechanism and lateral movement mechanism of gripping mechanism Front view showing transfer operation Front view showing the gripping mechanism in the open operation state Front view showing the gripping mechanism in the gripping operation state Front view showing the gripping mechanism in the discharge operation state Longitudinal front view showing part of the gripping mechanism Cross-sectional plan view showing part of the gripping mechanism Longitudinal side view showing the main part of the gripping mechanism Longitudinal side view showing part of the lateral movement mechanism of the gripping mechanism The top view which shows the principal part of a finger opening and closing structure Juice wiping mechanism side view Perspective view of extrusion tool Perspective view of juice wiper Explanatory drawing showing the outline procedure of packaging operation

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Packaging apparatus main body 2 Conveying apparatus 3 Transfer apparatus 7 Loading port 30 Grip mechanism 72 Pushing tool 76 Push-up arm 79 Guide rail A Unloading position s Packaging sheet w Spherical crop (lettuce)

Claims (3)

Spherical crops inserted and fed into an upward inlet are wrapped with a packaging sheet and sealed, and the spherical crops supplied to a predetermined take-out position are picked up and put into the inlet of the packaging device main body. A transfer device for feeding is provided, and the transfer device is provided with a gripping mechanism for picking up the spherical crop at the take-out position and moving it directly above the input port. In a spherical crop packaging device equipped with an extruding tool that presses and feeds it into the input port so that it can be moved up and down,
The pusher is supported so that it can freely move up and down, and the pusher is forcibly moved to the upper retreat position when the gripping mechanism is disengaged from above the charging port, and the pusher is moved when the gripping mechanism is positioned above the charging port. An apparatus for packaging spherical crops, characterized in that it is provided with pusher operating means for switching to a state of lowering its own weight.   The pusher operating means is equipped with a guide rail fixedly arranged along the movement path of the gripping mechanism, and a gripping mechanism that is swung up and down by the guide action of the guide rail as the gripping mechanism moves. The push-up arm is configured to lift the pusher upward by a swinging operation of the push-up arm in a predetermined direction, and to push down the pusher by its swinging operation in the reverse direction. The spherical agricultural product packaging apparatus according to claim 1.   The spherical agricultural product packaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising auxiliary pushing means for forcibly pushing down and moving the pusher that has been switched to its own weight lowered state.

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