JP2017218200A - Vacuum packaging method and vacuum packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum packaging method and a vacuum packaging machine, capable of preventing liquid from jumping out from a packaging bag or adhering to an unintentional place near a bag mouth when storing the packaging bag holding a liquid-containing content in a vacuum treatment chamber.SOLUTION: Vacuum treatment for a packaging bag 100 holding a liquid-containing content 63 is performed. The packaging bag 100 has a bottom surface part 101 extending between a first lateral part 104 and a second lateral part 105, and a bag mouth 103 capable of communicating an inside space S with the outside. A vacuum packaging method includes: a step of wrapping the packaging bag 100 formed with a fold 110, with a first chamber member 31 and a second chamber member 32 by moving at least either one of the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32 constituting a vacuum treatment chamber 130; and a step of evacuating the inside of the vacuum treatment chamber 130 in which the packaging bag 100 is arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging method and a vacuum packaging machine that perform vacuum processing on a packaging bag that holds contents containing liquid.

  There is known a mechanism capable of continuously performing a series of processes including a filling process of contents in a packaging bag, a vacuum processing of the packaging bag, and a sealing process of a mouth portion of the packaging bag.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a bag filling automatic packaging machine including product filling means and chamber means. The chamber means includes a vacuum creating means for creating a vacuum, a vacuum releasing means for releasing the vacuum, and a bag sealing means for sealing the mouth of the bag. These means are arranged around the rotary table, and a product filling process, a bag vacuum process, and a sealing process are sequentially performed on the bag that moves as the rotary table rotates.

JP-A-8-133227

  A self-supporting packaging bag (hereinafter also referred to as “self-supporting bag”) having a bottom portion (bag bottom) formed so as to be foldable is opened and expanded before filling the contents. The internal volume required for filling is ensured. Then, the contents are filled in the self-supporting bag in a state where the expansion of the bottom surface portion is maintained, and thereafter, vacuum processing in the bag and sealing processing of the bag mouth are performed in the vacuum processing chamber.

  The vacuum processing chamber can be constituted by a pair of opening / closing members at least one of which is movably provided. The self-supporting bag holding the contents is disposed between the pair of opening / closing members in a state where the pair of opening / closing members is opened, and then disposed in the vacuum processing chamber by closing the pair of opening / closing members.

  By the way, the self-supporting bag that holds the contents in a state where the bottom surface portion is expanded has a thickness in the expansion direction (especially the thickness in the vicinity of the bottom surface portion) as compared with a general flat bag in which a folded portion is not formed on the bottom surface portion. Becomes larger. Therefore, when such a self-supporting bag is disposed between the pair of opening and closing members and the pair of opening and closing members are closed, the self-supporting bag contacts the inner surfaces of the pair of opening and closing members, and the self-supporting bag (particularly near the bottom surface portion) It may be crushed. When the self-supporting bag is crushed in the horizontal direction with the bottom part extending in the horizontal direction, the bottom part plays a role of stretching, so a relatively large force is required to bend the bottom part. . For this reason, when the self-supporting bag is crushed against such a tensile force of the bottom surface portion, a relatively large force acts on the contents in the self-supporting bag, and the contents are vigorous.

  When the contents are only solid or the amount of liquid contained in the contents is small, the influence of the momentum of the contents accompanying the crushing of the self-supporting bag is relatively small, and problems are not likely to occur. However, when the content contains a large amount of liquid, if the self-supporting bag is crushed and the content has a great momentum, the liquid may unintentionally jump out of the bag mouth. In addition, even if the liquid does not jump out of the bag mouth, the liquid may rise vigorously in the self-supporting bag and the liquid may adhere to the seal processing scheduled portion near the bag mouth. There is a problem that is brought about.

  Even when the same size free-standing bag is used and the amount of liquid filled in the free-standing bag is the same, for the flexibility of the free-standing bag, the expanded state of the bottom portion and the content holding state (for example, in the free-standing bag) The actual thickness of the free-standing bag varies depending on how the contents are stored. For this reason, the thickness of the plurality of self-supporting bags that are continuously processed is not constant, and the problem that the liquid protrudes from the bag mouth as described above or the liquid adheres to the seal processing scheduled portion occurs sporadically.

  In order to solve these problems, it is conceivable to increase the volume of the vacuum processing chamber so that the self-supporting bag does not contact the pair of opening / closing members when the pair of opening / closing members are closed. However, when the volume of the vacuum processing chamber is increased, the time required for decompression becomes longer, and thus productivity is lowered.

  It is also conceivable to increase the volume of the vacuum processing chamber by replacing the small volume vacuum processing chamber of the existing rotary type vacuum packaging machine that is widely used with a new large volume vacuum processing chamber. . However, since a rotary type vacuum packaging machine is generally equipped with a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, when replacing the vacuum processing chamber, it is necessary to replace all the vacuum processing chambers of the vacuum packaging machine. Inevitably increases the cost.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when a packaging bag holding contents containing liquid is accommodated in a vacuum processing chamber, the liquid may jump out of the packaging bag or be unintended in the vicinity of the bag mouth. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum packaging method and a vacuum packaging machine which can prevent adhesion at low cost without reducing productivity.

  One embodiment of the present invention includes a first side surface portion and a second side surface portion, a bottom surface portion extending between the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion, at least a first side surface portion, a second side surface portion, and a bottom surface. A packaging bag having a bag mouth portion capable of communicating the inner space surrounded by the portion and the outside, and a vacuum packaging method for performing vacuum processing of the packaging bag for holding the content containing the liquid in the inner space, A step of forming a fold in the bottom surface portion so that the bottom surface portion protrudes toward the inner space, and at least one of the first chamber member and the second chamber member constituting the vacuum processing chamber is moved to form a fold A vacuum packaging method comprising: wrapping a packaging bag formed with a first chamber member and a second chamber member; and evacuating a vacuum processing chamber in which the packaging bag is disposed. To.

  Before forming the crease in the bottom surface portion, the first adjustment positioning member arranged at the first adjustment position is brought into contact with the first side surface portion, and the second adjustment positioning member arranged at the second adjustment position is arranged on the second side surface. You may further include the process made to contact a part.

  Before forming the crease in the bottom surface portion, in a state where at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is disposed at the retracted position, the first adjustment positioning member, the second adjustment positioning member, A packaging bag is disposed between the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member, and at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is moved from the retracted position, and the first side surface portion is disposed at the first adjustment position. While being contacted by the adjustment positioning member, the second side surface portion may be contacted by a second adjustment positioning member disposed at the second adjustment position.

  A fold is formed in the bottom surface portion by pressing a plate-like folding member extending from one side edge portion of the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion toward the other side edge portion against the bottom surface portion from the outside. May be.

  In another aspect of the present invention, an inner space surrounded by at least the first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, and the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag is filled with a content containing liquid via a bag mouth portion provided in the packaging bag. A filling device and a movable folding member that has a movable folding member, presses the folding member from the outside to the bottom part of the packaging bag that holds the contents in the inner space, and projects the bottom part toward the inner space to fold the bottom part. A vacuum processing chamber constituted by a bottom part folding device and a first chamber member and a second chamber member, and moving at least one of the first chamber member and the second chamber member, After wrapping the wrapping packaging bag with the first chamber member and the second chamber member, the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is evacuated. A processing apparatus, a vacuum packaging machine having a.

  The vacuum packaging machine further includes a bottom surface positioning device having a first adjustment positioning member and a second adjustment positioning member, and the folding adjustment member contacts the first side surface portion with the first adjustment positioning member arranged at the first adjustment position. In addition, the second adjustment positioning member disposed at the second adjustment position and in contact with the second side surface portion may be pressed against the bottom surface portion, and the fold may be formed on the bottom surface portion.

  At least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is connected to the positioning drive device and is movably provided. The positioning drive device includes a first adjustment positioning member and a second adjustment positioning member. By moving at least one of them, at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is separated from the packaging bag, and the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment. The state where both of the positioning members are in contact with the packaging bag may be switched.

  The bottom part folding device includes a folding member between a rising end position where the folding member is pressed against the bottom part and the bottom part protrudes toward the inner space, and a falling end position where the folding member is separated from the bottom part. And the folding member may have a plate shape extending from one side edge portion of the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion toward the other side edge portion. .

  The vacuum packaging machine includes a first rotary having a plurality of first support devices for supporting the packaging bag, a second rotary having a plurality of second support devices for supporting the packaging bag, and a plurality of first rotation devices. Receiving a packaging bag from a first support device located at a first delivery position in one support device, and delivering the packaging bag to a second support device located at a second delivery position among a plurality of second support devices An apparatus, and the filling device fills the packaging bag supported by at least one of the plurality of first support devices, and a plurality of vacuum processing chambers are provided. A plurality of second support devices may be assigned to each.

  The bottom part folding device presses the folding member against the bottom part of the packaging bag supported by the first supporting device located downstream from the position where the packaging bag is filled with the contents among the plurality of first supporting devices. A crease may be formed.

  According to the present invention, since the packaging bag in which the fold is formed is wrapped by the first chamber member and the second chamber member, the first chamber member and the second chamber member press the side surface portion of the packaging bag and the packaging bag. The force required to bend the bottom portion of the plate is small. Therefore, the momentum of the force applied to the contents in the packaging bag when the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag is bent can be suppressed. As a result, when the packaging bag holding the content containing the liquid is accommodated in the vacuum processing chamber, the liquid may unintentionally jump out of the packaging bag or adhere to the vicinity of the bag mouth portion. It can be prevented at a low cost without being lowered.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a vacuum packaging machine. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the bottom surface folding device. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bottom part folding apparatus of FIG. 2 as viewed from above along the direction of the arrow D1 shown in FIG. 4 is a side view of the bottom part folding apparatus of FIG. 2 as viewed from the side along the direction of the arrow D2 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the bottom part folding device of FIG. 2 as viewed from the side along the direction of the arrow D3 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the bottom surface folding device and the bottom surface positioning device in a state where the packaging bag is arranged at the station A6 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag, the bottom part folding device, and the bottom part positioning device along the cross-sectional line VII-VII in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag, the bottom portion folding device, and the bottom portion positioning device in a state where the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member are disposed at the first adjustment position and the second adjustment position, respectively. is there. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag, the bottom surface folding device, and the bottom surface positioning device in a state where the folding member is pressed against the bottom surface of the packaging bag. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag, the bottom surface folding device, and the bottom surface positioning device after the crease is formed on the bottom surface of the packaging bag. FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of the vacuum processing apparatus.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the vacuum packaging machine 10. In the vacuum packaging machine 10 of the present embodiment, the process of filling the contents containing the liquid into the packaging bag (content filling process; see stations A4 and A5), the packaging bag that holds the contents in the inner space Processing to make the inner space in a vacuum state (vacuum processing; see station B3 to station B5), and processing to seal the inner space of the vacuum packaging bag by sealing the bag mouth of the packaging bag holding the contents ( The sealing process (see station B6) is sequentially performed. The terms “filling” and “filling” here are interpreted in a broad sense. For example, the term “filling” and “filling” are not limited to the case where the entire space in the packaging bag is filled with the contents, but a part of the space in the packaging bag. It also refers to the case where the contents are supplied into the packaging bag so that the contents are located in the packaging bag.

  In particular, the vacuum packaging machine 10 of this embodiment handles a self-supporting packaging bag. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 to be described later, the self-supporting packaging bag includes a first side surface portion 104 and a second side surface portion 105 that constitute a front surface and a back surface, and a first side surface portion 104 and a second side surface portion. 105, and a bag mouth portion 103 capable of communicating the inner space S surrounded by at least the first side surface portion 104, the second side surface portion 105, and the bottom surface portion 101 with the outside.

  A vacuum packaging machine 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called two-rotary vacuum packaging machine, and includes two rotary units called a filling rotary 11 (first rotary) and a vacuum rotary 12 (second rotary).

  The filling rotary 11 includes a first rotary table 13 provided on the machine base 24 and capable of intermittent rotation, and a plurality of gripper pairs (first support devices) 65 for supporting the packaging bag. Are intermittently transferred along a predetermined circular arc trajectory. A predetermined packaging process including a content filling process is performed on the packaging bag transferred by the filling rotary 11.

  The vacuum rotary 12 includes a second rotary table 29 provided on the machine base 24 and capable of rotating intermittently, and a plurality of vacuum grippers (second support devices for supporting the packaging bag; reference numeral “120” in FIG. 11 described later). The packaging bag sent from the filling rotary 11 is continuously or intermittently transferred along a predetermined arc trajectory. The packaging bag transferred by the vacuum rotary 12 is subjected to predetermined packaging processing including vacuum processing and sealing processing.

  A bag delivery device 28 is provided between the filling rotary 11 and the vacuum rotary 12. The bag delivery device 28 receives the packaging bag from the filling rotary 11 and delivers the packaging bag to the vacuum rotary 12.

  The filling rotary 11 of this example is provided with eight stations A1 to A8, and a pair of left and right grippers 65 of the same number (eight sets in the example shown in FIG. 1) as these stations A1 to A8 are the first rotary table 13. Are provided at equal intervals. Each gripper pair 65 is sequentially stopped at each of these stations A1 to A8 according to the intermittent rotation of the first rotary table 13. Similarly, the vacuum rotary 12 is provided with 10 stations B1 to B10, and the same number (10 sets in the example shown in FIG. 1) of vacuum grippers and vacuum processing chambers 130 (that is, the first chamber) as the stations B1 to B10. The member 31 and the second chamber member 32) are provided on the second rotary table 29 at equal intervals. A vacuum gripper is assigned to each of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers 130, and the vacuum processing chamber 130 and the vacuum gripper in this example correspond one-to-one. Each vacuum gripper and the assigned vacuum processing chamber 130 move integrally in response to the intermittent rotation of the second rotary table 29, and sequentially stop at each of the stations B1 to B10. In addition, that the vacuum gripper and the vacuum processing chamber 130 move together means that the vacuum gripper and the vacuum processing chamber 130 move together, and the vacuum processing chamber 130 and the vacuum gripper corresponding to each other correspond to the second rotary table 29. Are rotated together and stopped intermittently at each of the stations B1 to B10.

  In the station A <b> 1 provided in the filling rotary 11, an empty bag supply process is performed, and empty packaging bags held in the bag magazine 14 are supplied to the gripper pair 65. The gripper pair 65 sandwiches both side edges (see reference numeral “102” in FIG. 6 described later) of the packaging bag lifted by suction means such as a sucker so that the bag mouth portion of the packaging bag faces upward in the vertical direction. The packaging bag is supported in a suspended state. The packaging bag of this example is accommodated in the bag magazine 14 in a state where the bag mouth portion is closed and the bottom portion is folded and the whole is thin and flat, and is supported by the gripper pair 65 in the flat state also at the station A1. Although the specific folding state of the bottom part of the packaging bag is not particularly limited, typically, a crease is formed from one side edge part to the other side edge part in the bottom part, and the bottom part is formed by the fold. Can be folded.

  In the station A2, a printing process is performed, and various types of information such as the date of manufacture and the expiration date are printed on the packaging bag supported by the gripper pair 65.

  In the station A3, an opening step and a bottom surface portion expanding step are performed, the bag opening portion of the packaging bag is opened by the follow-up type opening guide device 16, and the bottom surface portion (bag bottom portion) of the packaging bag is expanded by the expansion device 18. That is, the packaging bag is transported by the gripper pair 65 while the bottom surface portion is folded and flattened from the station A1 to the station A3, but at the station A3, the bag mouth portion is opened and the bottom surface portion is expanded to increase the thickness. Increased state. And after station A3, a packaging bag is transferred in the state which the bottom face part was expanded fundamentally.

  In the station A4, a solid material filling step is performed, and the solid material is filled in the packaging bag from the filling funnel 20 through the bag mouth portion. In addition, when the solid matter is not contained in the contents to be filled in the packaging bag, the solid matter filling step in this station A4 is omitted, and the packaging bag supported by the gripper pair 65 is transferred to the subsequent station A5. Is done.

  In the station A5, a liquid filling process is performed, and the liquid (liquid material) of the contents is filled into the packaging bag by the filling nozzle 22 and the filling pump 23 through the bag mouth portion. The liquid here is a concept that can be interpreted in a broad sense and can include an object whose shape can be fluidly changed by applying a force such as an impact. For example, a gel-like object may be filled in the packaging bag at the station A5.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the filling device 19 is configured by the filling funnel 20, the filling nozzle 22, and the filling pump 23, and the filling device 19 wraps the contents including the liquid through the bag opening provided in the packaging bag. Fill the inside space. In addition, in this example, the liquid and solid of the contents are filled in the packaging bag in different steps at different stations, but the liquid and substances other than liquid (including solid and gas) are filled in the same process at the same station. You may fill a packaging bag. In addition, another station for injecting another substance (for example, gas) constituting the contents into the packaging bag may be provided separately.

  In station A6, a bag mouth portion tensioning step, a bottom surface portion positioning step, and a bottom surface portion folding step are performed. In the bag mouth portion tension step, the grippers constituting the gripper pair 65 are moved away from each other, and the bag mouth portion of the packaging bag is closed and placed in a tension state. This bag mouth portion tensioning step may be performed in the preceding station A5, or may be performed between the station A5 and the station A6. That is, the bag mouth portion tensioning process can be performed after filling the contents into the packaging bag, and particularly when gas is injected into the packaging bag, in order to prevent the diffusion of the gas, It is preferable that the bag mouth portion tension step is performed immediately before or immediately after the gas injection or during the gas injection.

  In the bottom portion positioning step, a pair of positioning members (reference numerals “55” and “56” in FIG. 2) are provided on the front and back surfaces (that is, the first side surface portion 104 and the second side surface portion 105 (see FIGS. 6 and 7)) of the packaging bag. Positioning) in the thickness direction of the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag. In the bottom portion folding step, the folding member (see reference numeral “59” in FIG. 2) of the bottom portion folding device 26 is pressed against the bottom portion of the expanded packaging bag from below, and the bottom portion is moved vertically upward. Fold a predetermined amount toward the inside of the packaging bag. Then, after the folding of the bottom portion of the packaging bag is completed, the folding member is lowered to the retracted position, and one positioning member is also moved to the retracted position. Thus, the bottom surface folding device 26 is provided on the downstream side of the filling device 19 with respect to the conveyance direction of the packaging bag (that is, the rotation direction of the first rotary table 13), and from the position where the contents are filled in the packaging bag. A fold is formed by pressing the folding member against the bottom surface of the packaging bag supported by the gripper pair 65 located downstream.

  The details of the bottom surface portion positioning step and the bottom surface portion folding step performed at the station A6 and the specific configuration of the bottom surface portion folding device 26 will be described later.

  In the station A7, a delivery process is performed, and the bag delivery device 28 is a gripper pair disposed at the station A7 (first delivery position) among the plurality of gripper pairs 65 (first support device) provided on the first rotary table 13. Receive a packaging bag from 65. The bag delivery device 28 arranges the packaging bag received from the gripper pair 65 of the filling rotary 11 at a station B1 (second delivery position) among a plurality of vacuum grippers provided on the second rotary table 29 of the vacuum rotary 12. Pass to the vacuum gripper. The specific configuration of the bag delivery device 28 is not particularly limited, and the bag may be formed by any configuration corresponding to the configuration of the gripper pair 65 provided on the first rotary table 13 and the configuration of the vacuum gripper provided on the second rotary table 29. A delivery device 28 can be provided. For example, when the gripper pair 65 is configured to grip both side edges of the packaging bag, and the vacuum gripper is configured to sandwich a portion below the upper edge of the packaging bag, the bag delivery device 28 is packaged. It is possible to have a configuration for gripping the upper edge of the bag.

  In the station A8 of this example, the gripper pair 65 is sent from the station A8 to the station A1 in the subsequent stage without performing any special process, but a specific process may be performed in the station A8.

  On the other hand, at the station B1 provided in the vacuum rotary 12, a bag receiving process and a bag holding process are performed. In other words, the vacuum gripper (chamber side gripper) provided inside the first chamber member (main body side chamber) 31 fixedly provided to the second turntable 29 is packaged from the bag delivery device 28 at the station B1. Receive and support the bag. Specifically, the vacuum gripper supports the packaging bag in a suspended state by sandwiching a portion below the upper edge of the packaging bag so that the bag mouth portion of the packaging bag faces the upper side in the vertical direction. The specific configuration of the vacuum gripper is not particularly limited. For example, as in the gripping device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2538473, the width direction of the packaging bag (that is, the direction from one side edge to the other side edge) A gripper that can support the packaging bag by sandwiching the packaging bag in the above) can be suitably used as a vacuum gripper.

  In the station B2, a shaping process is performed, and the shape of the packaging bag supported by the vacuum gripper is adjusted by a shaping device (not shown) prior to the subsequent vacuum processing.

  In the station B3, an in-chamber sealing process and a preliminary vacuum process are performed. In the chamber sealing process, the movable second chamber member (lid side chamber) 32 moves toward the fixed first chamber member 31, and a vacuum constituted by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32. The processing chamber 130 is closed and sealed. In the preliminary vacuum process, preliminary vacuum processing is performed on the packaging bag, and the inside of the sealed vacuum processing chamber 130 is depressurized to a predetermined pressure by a vacuum processing apparatus (see reference numeral “115” in FIG. 11 described later). To be. The vacuum state here refers to a state where the pressure is lower than the standard atmospheric pressure.

  In station B4, a primary vacuum process is performed, and in station B5, a secondary vacuum process is performed. In each of the primary vacuum process and the secondary vacuum process, the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 is depressurized to a predetermined pressure by the vacuum processing apparatus to perform the vacuum processing of the packaging bag, and the inner space of the packaging bag has a desired vacuum pressure. Adjusted to

  At the station B6, a bag mouth portion sealing process is performed, and the bag mouth portion of the packaging bag is sealed by the seal processing portion (see reference numerals “156” and “157” in FIG. 11) disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 130, and the packaging is performed. The bag is sealed.

  In the station B7, a seal part cooling process is performed, and in the station B8, a seal part cooling process and an air release process are performed. In the sealing part cooling process performed at these stations B7 and B8, the sealing part of the packaging bag can be cooled by any method. For example, the temperature of the seal portion can be lowered by pressing the cooling tool against the seal portion or by blowing cooling air onto the seal portion. Further, in the atmosphere opening process, the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 is opened to the atmosphere, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 is returned to the atmospheric pressure.

  In the station B9, a chamber opening process and a product bag discharging process are performed, the second chamber member 32 is opened to expose the packaging bag supported by the vacuum gripper, and the packaging bag is released from the vacuum gripper. And a vacuum-processed packaging bag (that is, a product bag) ”is discharged onto the carry-out conveyor 36. The packaging bag discharged onto the carry-out conveyor 36 is sent to the subsequent stage by the carry-out conveyor 36.

  As described above, in the vacuum packaging machine 10 of this example, various processes are continuously performed in the filling rotary 11 (stations A1 to A8) and the vacuum rotary 12 (stations B1 to B10). For example, the filling device 19 (the filling funnel 20, the filling nozzle 22, and the filling pump 23) is a packaging bag (in the illustrated example, at stations A4 and A5) supported by at least one of the plurality of gripper pairs 65 of the filling rotary 11. The packaging bag) supported by the gripper pair 65 to be disposed is filled with the contents. Moreover, the vacuum processing apparatus 115 is a packaging bag supported by at least one of the plurality of vacuum grippers of the vacuum rotary 12 (in the illustrated example, a packaging bag supported by the vacuum grippers disposed in the stations B3 to B5). In a state of being wrapped by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32, the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 in which the packaging bag is disposed is evacuated.

  Moreover, in the vacuum packaging machine 10 of this embodiment, after filling the packaging bag with the content containing the liquid and before the packaging bag holding the content is wrapped by the vacuum processing chamber 130, the bottom surface folding device 26 is provided. Thus, a crease is formed in the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag, and the bottom surface portion is slightly folded toward the inner space S of the packaging bag 100. Thereby, the force from the side part of the packaging bag required for folding of the bottom part of the packaging bag can be reduced, and the force applied to the contents in the packaging bag by the force from the side part of the packaging bag is effectively increased. Can be suppressed. Accordingly, even when the packaging bag holding the contents containing the liquid is accommodated in the vacuum processing chamber 130, the liquid is prevented from jumping out of the packaging bag or adhering to the vicinity of the bag mouth portion. be able to.

  In addition, each apparatus which comprises the vacuum packaging machine 10 is controlled by the control board 34, and each apparatus which comprises the filling rotary 11 and each apparatus which comprises the vacuum rotary 12 operate | moves in response to control of the control board 34.

  Next, a specific configuration example of the bottom surface folding device 26 will be described.

<Positioning process and bottom surface folding process>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the bottom surface folding device 26. 3 is a plan view of the bottom surface folding device 26 of FIG. 2 as viewed from above along the direction of the arrow D1 shown in FIG. 4 is a side view of the bottom surface folding device 26 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the side along the direction of the arrow D2 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the bottom surface folding device 26 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the side along the direction of the arrow D3 shown in FIG.

  The bottom surface folding device 26 of the present embodiment is provided together with the bottom surface positioning device 54. With respect to the packaging bag 100 supported by the gripper pair 65 disposed at the station A6 (that is, the packaging bag 100 disposed at the same position), the bottom surface portion folding device 26 and the bottom surface portion positioning device 54 perform the bottom surface portion positioning step and the bottom surface portion. A folding process is performed.

  The illustrated bottom part folding device 26 includes a base 41 fixed to the machine base 24 (see FIG. 1) of the vacuum packaging machine 10 and a first attachment plate 43 fixed to the base 41. The first mounting plate 43 has a vertical member that extends upward in the vertical direction from the base 41 and a horizontal member that extends in the horizontal direction from an upper portion of the vertical member. A first air cylinder 45 is fixed to the horizontal member of the first mounting plate 43, and a first air cylinder shaft 46 of the first air cylinder 45 passes through a hole formed in the horizontal member and is directed downward in the vertical direction (arrow). It projects so as to be able to advance and retreat (see “D1”). A lift plate 48 is fixed to the tip of the first air cylinder shaft 46, and the lift plate 48 moves up and down as the amount of protrusion of the first air cylinder shaft 46 from the main body of the first air cylinder 45 changes.

  On the elevating plate 48, an L-shaped block 57 and a second mounting plate 50 are fixedly disposed. The L-shaped block 57 includes a horizontal member extending in the horizontal direction along the upper surface of the elevating plate 48 and a vertical member extending upward in the vertical direction from one end of the horizontal member.

  A folding member 59 is fixed to the vertical member of the L-shaped block 57, and the folding member 59 projects beyond the vertical member of the L-shaped block 57 on the upper side in the vertical direction. The folding member 59 has a plate shape, and the front and back surfaces of the packaging bag supported by the gripper pair 65 disposed at the station A6 (see FIG. 1) (that is, the first side surface portion 104 and the second side surface portion 105 (see FIG. 1). 6 and 7))) are arranged so as to extend from one side edge to the other side edge. The front end of the folding member 59 on the upper side in the vertical direction is rounded to prevent damage to the bottom surface when the front end of the folding member 59 is pressed against the bottom surface of the packaging bag.

  A second adjustment positioning member 56 is fixed to the horizontal member of the L-shaped block 57. The second adjustment positioning member 56 includes a vertical part extending upward in the vertical direction from the horizontal member of the L-shaped block 57, and a horizontal part fixed to the vertical upper end of the vertical part and extending in the horizontal direction. Including. In addition, the 2nd adjustment positioning member 56 of this example is provided fixedly, and the horizontal part of the 2nd adjustment positioning member 56 mainly functions as a member which supports one side part of a packaging bag.

  On the other hand, the second air cylinder 52 is fixed to the second mounting plate 50, and the second air cylinder shaft 53 protrudes from the main body of the second air cylinder 52 in a horizontal direction (see arrow "D2") so as to be able to advance and retract. A first adjustment positioning member 55 is fixed to the tip of the second air cylinder shaft 53. The first adjustment positioning member 55 includes a vertical portion extending upward in the vertical direction from the tip of the second air cylinder shaft 53, and a horizontal portion extending in the horizontal direction (see arrow “D3”) from the top of the vertical portion. including.

  The horizontal portion of the first adjustment positioning member 55, the horizontal portion of the second adjustment positioning member 56, and the folding member 59 are arranged in parallel to each other, and the extending directions thereof are grippers arranged at the station A6 (see FIG. 1). The direction substantially coincides with the direction from one side edge of the front and back surfaces of the packaging bag supported by the pair 65 (that is, the first side surface 104 and the second side surface 105) to the other side edge.

  In the bottom surface folding device 26 having the above-described configuration, the folding member 59 is provided so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction. That is, the vertical position of the elevating plate 48 and the L-shaped block 57 is determined according to the amount of protrusion of the first air cylinder shaft 46 in the vertical direction, and the folding member 59 together with the elevating plate 48 and the L-shaped block 57 is determined. Move up and down in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the first air cylinder 45 includes a rising end position (first lifting position) where the folding member 59 is pressed against the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag and a falling end position (second lifting position) where the folding member 59 is separated from the bottom surface portion. ) Function as an elevating drive device 44 that moves the folding member 59. In this way, the bottom surface folding device 26 drives the folding member 59 by the first air cylinder 45 and is supported by at least one of the plurality of gripper pairs 65 “a packaging bag that holds the contents in the inner space”. The folding member 59 is pressed from the outside to the bottom of the packaging bag (in the example shown in FIG. 1, the packaging bag disposed at the station A6). Thereby, the bottom part of the packaging bag is projected toward the inner space, and a fold is formed on the bottom part.

  The bottom surface folding device 26 of the present embodiment is provided integrally with the bottom surface positioning device 54 including the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56. At least one of the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 (the first adjustment positioning member 55 in the illustrated example) is the second air cylinder of the second air cylinder 52 that functions as the positioning drive device 51. It is connected to a shaft 53 and is provided so as to be movable. The second air cylinder 52 is located at a position where the first adjustment positioning member 55 is brought into contact with the first side surface portion 104 according to the protruding amount of the second air cylinder shaft 53 (first adjustment position (reference numeral “P1” in FIG. 8 described later). And a position away from the first side surface portion 104 (a retracted position (see reference numeral “P3” in FIG. 7 described later)). Thus, in the second air cylinder 52, at least one of the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 (the first adjustment positioning member 55 in this example) is separated from the packaging bag. The state in which both the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 are in contact with the packaging bag can be switched.

  And the 1st adjustment positioning member 55 arrange | positioned in a 1st adjustment position is contacting the 1st side part of a packaging bag, and the 2nd adjustment positioning member 56 arrange | positioned in a 2nd adjustment position is the 2nd of a packaging bag. The folding member 59 is pressed against the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag while being in contact with the side surface portion, and a fold is formed on the bottom surface portion. In this state where the position of the packaging bag is adjusted by the bottom surface positioning device 54, the folding member 59 is pressed against the bottom surface of the packaging bag, thereby accurately forming a fold at a desired position on the bottom surface of the packaging bag. Can do.

  Next, specific operations of the bottom surface folding device 26 and the bottom surface positioning device 54 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 will be described.

  In this example, prior to the bottom surface portion positioning step and the bottom surface portion folding step performed by the bottom surface portion positioning device 54 and the bottom surface portion folding device 26, a bag mouth portion tension step for closing the bag mouth portion of the packaging bag is performed. While the bottom surface portion positioning step and the bottom surface portion folding step are performed, the bag mouth portion 103 of the packaging bag is kept closed. And a bottom face part positioning process is performed prior to a bottom face part folding process, and a pair of positioning members (namely, the 1st adjustment positioning member 55) are provided in the front and back (namely, the 1st side face part 104 and the 2nd side face part 105) of packaging bag 100. And the 2nd adjustment positioning member 56) is pressed, and positioning of the bottom face part 101 (part which the folding member 59 is pressed especially) regarding the thickness direction of the packaging bag 100 is performed.

  6 to 10 show the behavior of the bottom surface portion folding device 26 and the bottom surface portion positioning device 54 in the bottom surface portion positioning step and the bottom surface portion folding step. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the bottom surface folding device 26 and the bottom surface positioning device 54 in a state where the packaging bag 100 is disposed at the station A6 shown in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag 100, the bottom surface folding device 26, and the bottom surface positioning device 54 along the cross-sectional line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 shows the packaging bag 100, the bottom surface folding device 26, and the bottom surface portion in a state where the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 are disposed at the first adjustment position P1 and the second adjustment position P2, respectively. It is sectional drawing of the positioning apparatus 54. FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag 100, the bottom surface folding device 26, and the bottom surface positioning device 54 with the folding member 59 pressed against the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging bag 100, the bottom surface folding device 26, and the bottom surface positioning device 54 after the fold line 110 is formed on the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100.

  7 to 10 show examples in which the content 63 accommodated in the inner space S of the packaging bag 100 is composed of only a liquid. However, the content 63 may be a solid or the like other than the liquid. Also in the case of including, the bottom surface portion positioning step and the bottom surface portion folding step described below are performed in the same manner.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the contents 63 are accommodated in the inner space S of the packaging bag 100 sent to the station A6, and the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 is placed in the contents 63 in the station A6. It has a state of spreading substantially horizontally by the weight of.

  Further, when the packaging bag 100 having both side edges 102 supported by the gripper pair 65 is sent from the station A5 (see FIG. 1) to the station A6, the second air cylinder shaft 53 is relatively large in the horizontal direction. The first adjustment positioning member 55 protrudes and is disposed at the retracted position P3 (see FIG. 7). In the state where the first adjustment positioning member 55 is disposed at the retracted position P3, the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 have a larger interval than the thickness of the packaging bag 100 with the bottom surface portion 101 expanded. Formed between. Thereby, the packaging bag 100 can be disposed at a predetermined processing position in the station A6 without interfering with the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56.

  The second adjustment positioning member 56 provided in a fixed manner guides the movement of the packaging bag 100 transferred from the station A5 to the station A6. In particular, an end of the horizontal side of the second adjustment positioning member 56 (that is, the right end of the second adjustment positioning member 56 in the example shown in FIG. 6) on the front stage side (that is, the station A5 side) is conveyed in an arc shape. Arranged at an angle corresponding to the track, the interference between the second adjustment positioning member 56 and the packaging bag 100 is effectively prevented. And the 2nd adjustment positioning member 56 contact | abuts to the 2nd side part 105 (especially area | region of the bottom face part 101) of the packaging bag 100 arrange | positioned at station A6. Thereby, the packaging bag 100 is supported by the second adjustment positioning member 56, and an unintended movement of the packaging bag 100 in the thickness direction is prevented.

  When the packaging bag 100 is transferred from the station A5 to the station A6, the first air cylinder shaft 46 protrudes relatively large downward in the vertical direction so that the folding member 59 does not interfere with the packaging bag 100, and the folding member 59 Is arranged at a position separated from the packaging bag 100 (particularly the bottom surface portion 101) in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, before forming the fold in the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 by the folding member 59, at least one of the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 is used. On the other hand, the packaging bag 100 is disposed between the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 in a state where the first adjustment positioning member 55 is disposed at the retracted position P3.

  As shown in FIG. 8, before the folding member 59 forms a crease in the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100, at least one of the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56 (in this example, The first adjustment positioning member 55) is moved from the retracted position P3, and the first side surface portion 104 of the packaging bag 100 is contacted and supported by the first adjustment positioning member 55 disposed at the first adjustment position P1. The two side surface portions 105 are contacted and supported by the second adjustment positioning member 56 disposed at the second adjustment position P2.

  Specifically, the first adjustment positioning member 55 is moved toward the first side surface portion 104 of the packaging bag 100 by reducing the protrusion amount of the second air cylinder shaft 53 from the main body portion of the second air cylinder 52. Let As a result, the packaging bag 100 (particularly in the vicinity of the bottom surface portion 101) is sandwiched between the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment positioning member 56, and moves in the thickness direction of the packaging bag 100 (see arrow “D4” in FIG. 8). The center region in the thickness direction of the bottom surface portion 101 can be accurately arranged almost directly above the folding member 59 while preventing the position shift.

  And as shown in FIG. 9, the direction (namely, direction perpendicular | vertical to the paper surface of FIG. 9) which goes to the other side edge part 102 from one side edge part 102 of the 1st side surface part 104 and the 2nd side surface part 105 of the packaging bag 100. A fold 110 is formed in the bottom surface portion 101 by pressing a plate-like folding member 59 extending to the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 from the outside. Specifically, the elevation plate 48, the L-shaped block 57, and the folding member 59 are made to be the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 by reducing the protruding amount of the first air cylinder shaft 46 from the main body portion of the first air cylinder 45. Move towards. Thereby, the folding member 59 presses the substantially central portion of the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100, and a fold line 110 is formed on the bottom surface portion 101 so that the bottom surface portion 101 protrudes toward the inner space S of the packaging bag 100. .

  When the folding member 59 presses the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100, the first side surface portion 104 and the second side surface portion 105 of the packaging bag 100 correspond to the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second adjustment according to the bending of the bottom surface portion 101. It moves in the direction away from the positioning member 56 (ie, the inner direction), and the volume of the inner space S of the packaging bag 100 decreases. Therefore, the liquid level of the liquid of the contents 63 rises in the inner space S (see the liquid level L1 and the liquid level L2 shown in FIG. 9). However, when the liquid rises rapidly, the movement of the liquid gets momentum. In some cases, liquid may adhere to an unintended seal opening portion near the bag opening 103, or the liquid may jump out of the bag opening 103. If the liquid adheres to the part to be sealed, the subsequent sealing process cannot be performed properly, which may cause a sealing failure such as insufficient sealing strength. Further, if the liquid pops out from the bag opening 103, the apparatus is not only contaminated, but the packaging bag 100 itself may have to be handled as a defective product. Therefore, it is preferable that the folding member 59 gently contacts the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 and prevents the bottom surface portion 101 from being pushed up too fast.

  When the desired fold line 110 is formed on the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 by the folding member 59, the folding member 59 is lowered and separated from the bottom surface portion 101 as shown in FIG. 10. Specifically, by increasing the protruding amount of the first air cylinder shaft 46 from the main body of the first air cylinder 45, the elevating plate 48, the L-shaped block 57, and the folding member 59 are moved downward in the vertical direction.

  Even if the folding member 59 is separated from the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100, the fold 110 formed on the bottom surface portion 101 does not disappear, and the state where the bottom surface portion 101 protrudes toward the inner space S is maintained.

  The packaging bag 100 having the fold line 110 formed on the bottom surface portion 101 in this manner is then sent to the subsequent station A7 and transferred to the vacuum rotary 12 by the bag delivery device 28.

  Note that the bottom surface folding device 26 and the bottom surface positioning device 54 in the above-described example are more than the position where the contents 63 are filled in the packaging bag 100 on the filling rotary 11 side (see the difference between the stations A4 and A5 in FIG. 1). Although it is installed at a downstream position (see station A6 in FIG. 1), it may be provided at another position. That is, after filling the packaging bag 100 with the content 63 and before the packaging bag 100 is wrapped by the vacuum processing chamber 130 (that is, the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32), the bottom surface portion at an arbitrary position. Folding processing and positioning processing can be performed. For example, the bottom surface part folding device 26 and the bottom surface part positioning device 54 may be provided on the upstream side of the vacuum rotary 12 side from the station where the vacuum processing is performed (station B3 to station B5 in this example), or the filling rotary 11 and the vacuum rotary 12 may be provided with a bottom surface folding device 26 and a bottom surface positioning device 54.

<Vacuum treatment and sealing treatment>
Next, specific examples of vacuum processing and sealing processing in the vacuum rotary 12 will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a configuration example of the vacuum processing apparatus 115 provided in the vacuum rotary 12.

  The vacuum processing apparatus 115 of this example includes a vacuum processing chamber 130 constituted by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32, a pressure adjusting unit 135 that adjusts the pressure (atmospheric pressure) in the vacuum processing chamber 130, and a vacuum A vacuum gripper 120 (in-chamber gripper) for holding the packaging bag 100 disposed in the processing chamber 130.

  The vacuum processing chamber 130 includes a first chamber member 31 fixed to the second turntable 29, a second chamber member 32 provided so as to be movable relative to the first chamber member 31, and the first chamber member 31. A chamber packing 133 disposed between the first chamber member 32 and the second chamber member 32. The chamber packing 133 of this example is attached to the outer edge portion of the second chamber member 32. When the outer edge portion of the second chamber member 32 provided so as to be capable of opening and closing is pressed against the outer edge portion of the first chamber member 31, the space between the second chamber member 32 and the first chamber member 31 is sealed by the chamber packing 133. Stopped.

  The bottom portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 is provided with a fold line 110 formed by the above-described bottom portion folding device 26 (see FIGS. 2 to 10), and the bottom portion 101 is bent toward the inner space S. Thus, the packaging bag 100 is disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 130.

  Although the specific configuration of the vacuum gripper 120 is not particularly limited, the vacuum gripper 120 is disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 130 and holds the packaging bag 100 so as not to block the entire region of the bag mouth portion 103 of the packaging bag 100. Therefore, the vacuum gripper 120 has the packaging bag 100 in which the contents 63 are arranged in the inner space S so that the inside of the packaging bag 100 communicates with the outside of the packaging bag 100 through the bag mouth portion 103 in the vacuum processing chamber 130. Grip in a suspended state.

  In the vacuum processing chamber 130, a seal heater unit 156 and a seal receiving table 157 constituting a seal processing unit are disposed.

  The seal heater unit 156 is attached to the second chamber member 32 and generates heat. The seal cradle 157 is attached to the first chamber member 31 and is driven by a cradle air cylinder 158 provided outside the vacuum processing chamber 130 so as to be movable toward and away from the seal heater unit 156. It has been. When the seal cradle 157 is driven and pressed against the seal heater unit 156 via the bag mouth portion 103 of the packaging bag 100, the packaging bag 100 sandwiched between the seal heater unit 156 and the seal cradle 157 is melted. The bag mouth part 103 is sealed (heat-welded). Thus, in this example, the seal heater unit 156, the seal cradle 157, and the cradle air cylinder 158 function as “a seal processing unit that seals the bag mouth portion 103 of the packaging bag 100”. The bag mouth 103 is sealed after negative pressure is applied to the inside of the bag 100.

  The pressure adjusting unit 135 is attached to the first chamber member 31 and communicates with the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 (that is, a space surrounded by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32). For example, a pipe in which an internal flow path is formed so as to penetrate the first chamber member 31 and the internal flow path is provided so as to communicate with the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 via a rotary valve. The pressure adjusting unit 135 can also be configured by a connected vacuum pump. The pressure adjusting unit 135 is controlled by the control panel 34.

  The second chamber member 32 is attached to the open / close arm 138 via a connection link 137, and the open / close arm 138 is attached to the lift shaft 143 via a connection link 142. The lid support member 139 is attached to the open / close arm 138 via an arm open / close shaft 141, and the second chamber member 32 is attached to the lid support member 139 via a lid open / close fulcrum shaft 140.

  The elevating shaft 143 is fixed to the elevating shaft connecting portion 145 and is held up and down by an elevating shaft supporting portion 144 provided on the second rotary table 29, and the elevating shaft connecting portion 145 is driven by the elevating shaft driving portion 146. Ascend and descend by moving up and down together with the elevating shaft connecting portion 145. When the elevating shaft 143 is disposed at the most elevated position (rising end position), the second chamber member 32 is pressed against the first chamber member 31 via the chamber packing 133 and the vacuum processing chamber 130 is closed. Become.

  The first chamber member 31 is fixedly attached to the second rotary table 29, and the second chamber member 32 is also connected via a lifting shaft 143, a connecting link 142, an opening / closing arm 138, and a connecting link 137. Accordingly, when the second rotary table 29 is intermittently rotated by being driven by a drive source (not shown), the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32 are also intermittently rotated together with the second rotary table 29.

  In FIG. 11, the packaging bag 100 is wrapped by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32, but the state before the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 is adjusted to a negative pressure (that is, the state of atmospheric pressure). )It is shown.

  In the vacuum packaging method performed by the vacuum processing apparatus 115 described above, at least one of the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32 (second chamber member 32 in this example) constituting the vacuum processing chamber 130 is used. After wrapping the packaging bag 100 in which the fold 110 is formed by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32, and wrapping the packaging bag 100 by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32, And vacuuming the inside of the vacuum processing chamber 130 in which the packaging bag 100 is disposed.

  That is, in the station B3 (see FIG. 1) of the vacuum rotary 12, the lifting shaft driving unit 146 moves the lifting shaft connecting portion 145 while the packaging bag 100 is supported by the vacuum gripper 120 and the second chamber member 32 is opened. When driven, the lifting shaft connecting portion 145 is moved upward in the vertical direction. In conjunction with the upward movement of the lifting shaft connecting portion 145, the lifting shaft 143, the connecting link 142, the opening / closing arm 138, the connecting link 137, and the lid support member 139 move, and the second chamber member 32 is closed.

  At this time, the side surface portion (the second side surface portion 105 in the example shown in FIG. 11) of the packaging bag 100 supported by the vacuum gripper 120 hits the second chamber member 32 that performs the closing operation. May be pressed and force may be applied to the contents 63. However, according to this embodiment, the second side surface portion 105 of the packaging bag 100 in which the fold line 110 is formed on the bottom surface portion 101 is pressed against the second chamber member 32. Therefore, the second chamber member 32 can press the side surface portion hardly receiving resistance from the bottom surface portion 101, and an excessively large force is not applied to the packaging bag 100 from the second chamber member 32, The packaging bag 100 can be wrapped by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32.

  Therefore, when the packaging bag 100 is wrapped by the first chamber member 31 and the second chamber member 32, the liquid water surface of the contents 63 in the packaging bag 100 can be gently raised. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the liquid from adhering to an unintended location such as the seal processing scheduled portion or the like and the liquid from jumping out from the bag mouth portion 103.

  The sealing process is performed at the station B6 after the vacuum process is performed at the stations B3 to B5, and the bag mouth part 103 (that is, the first side surface part 104 and the first side part 104) of the packaging bag 100 supported by the vacuum gripper 120. The two side surface portions 105) are sandwiched between the seal heater portion 156 and the seal cradle 157 and heated.

  As described above, according to the vacuum packaging method and the vacuum packaging machine 10 of the present embodiment, the packaging bag 100 is filled after the packaging bag 100 is filled with the contents 63 and before the vacuum processing chamber 130 is sealed. The folding member 59 is pressed against the expanded bottom surface portion 101 from below, and the bottom surface portion 101 is folded upward by a predetermined amount (small amount) toward the inner space S, and a fold line 110 is formed on the bottom surface portion 101. As a result, the resistance force from the bottom surface portion 101 when a pressing force is applied from the front surface and the back surface of the packaging bag 100 (that is, the first side surface portion 104 and the second side surface portion 105) is reduced. The momentum of the force applied to the object 63 can be suppressed. Further, by forming the fold line 110 in the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100, the size (thickness) of the packaging bag 100 in the thickness direction (see arrow “D4” in FIG. 8) can be reduced. Thereby, when the 2nd chamber member 32 performs closing operation, possibility that the 2nd chamber member 32 will contact packaging bag 100 can be reduced, and even if the 2nd chamber member 32 contacts packaging bag 100, packaging bag 100 The force received from the second chamber member 32 can be reduced. Also by this, the momentum of the force applied to the contents 63 in the packaging bag 100 with the closing operation of the second chamber member 32 can be suppressed.

  In this way, when the packaging bag 100 holding the content 63 containing the liquid is accommodated in the vacuum processing chamber 130 by suppressing the momentum of the force applied to the content 63 in the packaging bag 100, the liquid is contained in the packaging bag. It can be prevented from jumping out from 100 or adhering to an unintended location near the bag mouth.

  In particular, according to the vacuum packaging machine 10 of the present embodiment, the above-described problems can be solved by a very simple method of pressing the folding member 59 against the expanded bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100 from below. . Therefore, compared with the case where all the vacuum processing chambers 130 are replaced with large-volume vacuum processing chambers, the above-mentioned problems can be solved at a low cost without lowering the productivity, and the damage to the packaging bag 100 is also reduced. Almost no.

  Prior to folding of the bottom surface portion 101 of the packaging bag 100, a pair of positioning members (that is, the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the first adjustment positioning member 55 and the second side surface portion 105) are provided on the front surface and the back surface (that is, the first side surface portion 104 and the second side surface portion 105). 2 adjustment positioning member 56) is contacted, and bottom surface portion 101 is positioned in the thickness direction (see arrow “D4” in FIG. 8). Thereby, the folding member 59 can be made to contact and press accurately with respect to the predetermined part (fold part) of the bottom face part 101, and the crease 110 of the bottom face part 101 can be stably formed in a desired position.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can include various aspects to which various modifications that can be conceived by those skilled in the art can be included. It is not limited to the matter of. Therefore, various additions, modifications, and partial deletions can be made to each element described in the claims and the specification without departing from the technical idea and spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described example, the present invention is applied to the two-rotary type vacuum packaging machine 10, but the present invention may be applied to other types of vacuum packaging machines 10, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-1211. The present invention may be applied to a single rotary type vacuum packaging machine as shown in the publication.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vacuum packaging machine 11 Filling rotary 12 Vacuum rotary 13 First rotary table 14 Bag magazine 16 Follow-up type opening guide device 18 Expansion device 19 Filling device 20 Filling funnel 22 Filling nozzle 23 Filling pump 24 Machine base 26 Bottom part folding device 28 Bag delivery Device 29 Second turntable 31 First chamber member 32 Second chamber member 34 Control panel 36 Unloading conveyor 41 Base 43 First mounting plate 44 Lifting drive device 45 First air cylinder 46 First air cylinder shaft 48 Lifting plate 50 Second Mounting plate 51 Positioning drive device 52 Second air cylinder 53 Second air cylinder shaft 54 Bottom surface positioning device 55 First adjustment positioning member 56 Second adjustment positioning member 57 L-shaped block 59 Folding member 63 Contents 65 Gripper pair 100 Packaging bag 1 01 bottom surface portion 102 side edge portion 103 bag opening portion 104 first side surface portion 105 second side surface portion 110 crease 115 vacuum processing device 120 vacuum gripper 130 vacuum processing chamber 133 chamber packing 135 pressure adjusting portion 137 connecting link 138 opening / closing arm 139 lid portion Supporting member 140 Lid opening / closing fulcrum shaft 141 Arm opening / closing shaft 142 Connection link 143 Lifting shaft 144 Lifting shaft support 145 Lifting shaft connection 146 Lifting shaft drive 156 Seal heater 157 Seal cradle 158 Receptacle air cylinder P1 First adjustment Position P2 Second adjustment position P3 Retraction position S Inner space

Claims (10)

By the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion, the bottom surface portion extending between the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion, and at least the first side surface portion, the second side surface portion and the bottom surface portion. A packaging bag having a bag mouth portion capable of communicating with an enclosed inner space and the outside, and a vacuum packaging method for performing vacuum processing of a packaging bag for holding a liquid-containing content in the inner space,
Forming a crease in the bottom portion so that the bottom portion protrudes toward the inner space;
At least one of the first chamber member and the second chamber member constituting the vacuum processing chamber is moved, and the packaging bag in which the folds are formed is wrapped by the first chamber member and the second chamber member. Process,
Vacuuming the inside of the vacuum processing chamber in which the packaging bag is disposed.   Before forming the crease in the bottom surface portion, a first adjustment positioning member disposed at a first adjustment position is brought into contact with the first side surface portion, and a second adjustment positioning member disposed at a second adjustment position is provided. The vacuum packaging method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of contacting the second side surface portion. Before forming the crease on the bottom surface,
The packaging bag between the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member in a state where at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is disposed at the retracted position. Is placed,
The first adjustment positioning member in which at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is moved from the retracted position, and the first side surface portion is disposed at the first adjustment position. The vacuum packaging method according to claim 2, wherein the second side surface portion is contacted by the second adjustment positioning member disposed at the second adjustment position.   By pressing a plate-shaped folding member that extends from one side edge of the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion toward the other side edge portion against the bottom surface portion from the outside, the fold is formed. The vacuum packaging method as described in any one of Claims 1-3 formed in the said bottom face part. A filling device that fills the inner space surrounded by at least the first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, and the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag with a content containing liquid via a bag mouth portion provided in the packaging bag;
The folding member has a movable folding member and presses the folding member from the outside to the bottom surface portion of the packaging bag that holds the contents in the inner space, so that the bottom surface portion projects toward the inner space, and A bottom part folding device for forming a crease in the bottom part;
A vacuum processing chamber including a first chamber member and a second chamber member, wherein the fold is formed by moving at least one of the first chamber member and the second chamber member; A vacuum packaging machine comprising: a vacuum processing apparatus that wraps a packaging bag with the first chamber member and the second chamber member and then evacuates the inside of the vacuum processing chamber. A bottom surface positioning device having a first adjustment positioning member and a second adjustment positioning member;
The folding member is configured such that the first adjustment positioning member disposed at the first adjustment position is in contact with the first side surface portion, and the second adjustment positioning member disposed at the second adjustment position is the second side surface. The vacuum packaging machine according to claim 5, wherein the fold is formed on the bottom surface portion by being pressed against the bottom surface portion while being in contact with the portion. At least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member is connected to a positioning drive device and provided to be movable,
The positioning drive device moves at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member, thereby moving at least one of the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member. The vacuum according to claim 6, wherein one of them is separated from the packaging bag and a state in which both the first adjustment positioning member and the second adjustment positioning member are in contact with the packaging bag. Packaging machine. The bottom surface folding device includes a rising end position where the folding member is pressed against the bottom surface portion and the bottom surface portion projects toward the inner space, and the folding member is separated from the bottom surface portion. And further comprising a lift drive device for moving between the lower end position to be separated,
The said folding member has a plate shape extended toward the other side edge part from one side edge part of the said 1st side surface part and the said 2nd side surface part, It is any one of Claims 5-7. Vacuum packaging machine. A first rotary comprising a plurality of first support devices for supporting the packaging bag;
A second rotary comprising a plurality of second support devices for supporting the packaging bag;
The packaging bag is received from a first support device located at a first delivery position among the plurality of first support devices, and the second support device located at a second delivery position among the plurality of second support devices A bag delivery device for delivering a packaging bag,
The filling device fills the packaging bag supported by at least one of the plurality of first support devices with the contents,
The vacuum packaging machine according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein a plurality of the vacuum processing chambers are provided, and the plurality of second support devices are assigned to each of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers.   The bottom part folding device is a bottom part of the packaging bag that is supported by a first support device that is located downstream of a position at which the packaging bag is filled with the contents, among the plurality of first support devices. The vacuum packaging machine according to claim 9, wherein the fold is formed by pressing the folding member.

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