JP2022094155A - Packaging device, packaging method, and packaging article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an improved packaging device.SOLUTION: A packaging device 100 includes: a conveyance unit 132 for conveying an article 300; a molding unit 120 for molding a film into a cylindrical shape around the article; a first welding unit 150 for welding the film 210 molded into the cylindrical shape in a film conveyance direction; a second welding unit 160 for welding the film 210 molded into the cylindrical shape in a direction crossing the conveyance direction; and a second pressing unit 190 for pressing the article 300 wrapped by the film 210 molded into the cylindrical shape. At least one of the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160 is configured to weld the film in a state of pressing the article by the second pressing unit 190.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law has been applied. Sold to Cleaning Seven Keyakidai store (1578-3, Sakamoncho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture) on January 7, 2nd Reiwa Website (https) on April 30th, 2nd year of Reiwa. : //Nihon-seling.com/product/lage-packaging.html), (https://nihon-sealing.com/wp-content/uploads/s-001.pdf) April 23, 2nd year of Reiwa Published in YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtU4Jb5gi2Q&list=PLGfmLUW8lWRmZMiRombJHMioFmTYTXb4) Published in Reiwa Co., Ltd. Sold to Ichijo Co., Ltd. (4-4-38 Imafuku, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture) on May 28, 2nd year of Reiwa YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=) on December 3rd, 2nd year of Reiwa. Published in YxRn21aYJ6M) Sold to Tohoku Laundry Honmiya Headquarters Factory (376 Akagi, Honmiya City, Fukushima Prefecture) on May 24, 2nd Reiwa Tohoku Laundry Koriyama Factory (Fukushima Prefecture) Sold to 3) Shimoyugawara, Kanaya, Tamura-cho, Koriyama City Publications distributed on October 12, 2nd year of Reiwa (text style specialized information magazine "Linen Plant" Vol.33 Autumn issue of 2nd year of Reiwa / publishing office : Published in Zendra Co., Ltd.) On June 1, 2nd year of Reiwa, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlPWxHwjAE8&list=PLGfmLUW8lWRmZMiRombJHMioTw. Watch? V = rlPWxHwjAE8 & list = PLGfmLUW8lWRmZMiRombJHMiooFmTYTXb4 & index = 17) Sold to Okinawa Wataku Bedding Co., Ltd.

The present invention relates to packaging devices, packaging methods and packaging articles.

In recent years, various packaging devices have been known for packaging various articles with a soft packaging film. The design of the packaging device differs depending on the characteristics of the article to be packaged (the object to be packaged), the material of the packaging film, the purpose and use of the packaging, and the like (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Patent Document 1 discloses a packaging device for packaging an article using an stretchable thermoplastic film. In the packaging device described in Patent Document 1, an expandable film is unwound from a supply bobbin, and a film is formed into a tube by sealing and welding the edges overlapping in the longitudinal direction, and an article is inserted into the tube. .. Then, the posterior end of the tubular film stretched in the longitudinal direction is welded and closed in the transverse direction, and the film is cut in the transverse direction to obtain a packaged article wrapped in the film.

Patent Document 2 discloses a horizontal pillow packaging machine. Patent Document 3 discloses a packaging device for manufacturing a packaging pack such as a blister pack or a PTP pack.

Special table 2005-511437 JP-A-2019-156437 JP-A-2020-117299

The inventor of the present patent application has found that when packaging an article that is crushed and thinned by a compressive force, the existing packaging device may not be able to neatly wrap the article with a packaging film.

For example, when packaging articles that are thinned by compressive force, such as clothing, towels, and bedding such as duvets, pillows, or sheets, if the shape of the article collapses during transportation of the article or packaging of the article, the article May not be able to be packaged neatly, or a part of the article may get caught in the members that make up the packaging device.

Also, flexible items such as clothing, towels, and duvets, pillows or sheets may have some of the items protruding from the folded mass when folded. In particular, if an attempt is made to wrap such articles in a laminated body in which they are stacked on each other, a part of the articles tends to protrude from the laminated body. Further, depending on how the articles are stacked, the laminate may collapse due to vibration during transportation or packaging.

In the above cases, it is difficult to neatly wrap the article or its laminate.

Therefore, improved packaging equipment, packaging methods and packaging articles are desired.

The packaging device according to one aspect includes a transport unit for transporting an article, a molding unit for arranging a film around the article so that the article is located inside the film, and sealing of the film in a state of wrapping the article. It has a second welding unit that welds the film so as to stop it, and a second pressing unit that presses the article located inside the film. The second welding unit is configured to be performed in a state where the article is pressed by the second pressing unit.

The packaged article according to one aspect includes a compressible article and a thermoplastic film that wraps the article. The thickness of the film is less than 30 μm. The film is sealed in a bag shape by welding.

The packaging method according to one embodiment includes a transport step of transporting the article, a molding step of arranging the film around the article so that the article is located inside the film, and sealing of the film in a state of wrapping the article. It has a second welding step of welding the film so as to stop, and a second pressing step of pressing the article located inside the film. The second welding step is performed in a state where the article is pressed by the second pressing step.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the packaging machine which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the entrance unit and the first pressing unit which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation of the 1st pressing unit which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the holding unit which held the original roll which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the original roll, the film drawn from the original roll, and the molding unit seen from the transport direction of the article. It is a schematic perspective view of the outer guide part constituting the molding unit which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the molding unit seen from the direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of an article. It is a schematic plan view of the molding unit seen from the height direction. It is a schematic sectional view of the molding unit along the line 9A-9A of FIG. It is a schematic side view of the outer guide part which constitutes the molding unit seen from the direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of an article. It is a schematic plan view of the outer guide part constituting the molding unit seen from the height direction. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the movement of a film through a forming unit. It is a schematic side view of the 1st welding unit and its vicinity. It is an enlarged side view of the 1st welding unit seen from the direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of an article. It is an enlarged side view of the 1st welding unit during welding of a film as seen from the direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of an article. It is an enlarged plan view of the 1st welding unit seen from the transport direction of an article. It is an enlarged plan view of the 1st welding unit during welding of a film as seen from the direction of carrying an article. It is a schematic side view near a part of a 2nd welding unit, a cutting unit, a maintenance unit, and an outlet unit which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the outlet unit and the second pressing unit which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation of the outlet unit and the 2nd pressing unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows the series operation of the 2nd pressing unit, the 2nd welding unit, the cutting unit and the maintenance unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the holding unit and its vicinity which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation of a holding unit. It is a schematic plan view of the manufactured package article. It is a schematic sectional view of the package article along the 25A-25A line of FIG. 24.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same or similar parts are designated by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and the ratio of each dimension may differ from the actual one.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a packaging machine according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the packaging device 100 is configured to wrap the article 300 with a film 210.

Specifically, the packaging device 100 is configured to wrap the article 300 with a film 210 drawn from the raw roll 200. Preferably, the packaging device 100 seals the article 300 with a film 210.

The packaging device 100 includes a holding unit 110, a molding unit 120, an inlet unit 130, a first pressing unit 140, a first welding unit 150, a second welding unit 160, a cutting unit 170, an outlet unit 180, and a second. It may have a pressing unit 190.

[Article]
The article 300 to be packaged by the film 210 described later is not particularly limited. Preferably, the article 300 may be a compressible article, more specifically an article that can be reduced by compressive force. Such articles include, for example, clothing, towels, and bedding such as duvets, pillows or sheets.

As will be described later, the packaging device 100 may be configured to wrap a plurality of articles 300 with the film 210. In this case, the packaging device 100 may accommodate the plurality of articles 300 in the film 210 in a state where the plurality of articles 300 are laminated with each other in the height direction. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of articles 300 arranged in the transport direction of the articles may be wrapped in the film 210. That is, the article 300 packaged by the film 210 may be one article or a plurality of articles (article group). It should be noted that in the following, unless otherwise specified, one item and a plurality of items (article group) may be simply referred to as "articles" without distinction.

[the film]
The original roll 200 may be composed of a rolled film 210. The shape of the original roll 200 may be, for example, a cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape. The film 210 may be, for example, a thermoplastic film.

The film 210 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a polypropylene film, a polyethylene film, or the like. The thickness of the film 210 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10 μm or more. It was confirmed that the packaging device 100 can seal the article 300 by welding the film 210 even if the thickness of the film 210 is less than 30 μm, more specifically less than 20 μm.

In the present embodiment, the film 210 wound around the original roll 200 is folded in half along the center line along the longitudinal direction (transport direction) of the film 210. In this case, the film 210 is pulled out from the original roll 200 and opened as it is conveyed downstream.

Instead, the film 210 wound around the original roll 200 does not have to be folded in half.

[Entrance unit]
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the inlet unit 130 and the first pressing unit 140 according to the embodiment. The inlet unit 130 may constitute a slot into which the article 300 to be packaged by the film 210 is loaded. The inlet unit 130 may have a transport unit 132 that transports the article 300 along the transport path.

The transport unit 132 transports the article 300 to the downstream side. Specifically, the transport unit 132 transfers the article 300 to a transport path 129 provided at the molding unit 120 described later. The article 300 transported by the transport unit 132 is arranged inside the film 210 at the molding unit 120 as described later.

The configuration of the transport unit 132 is not particularly limited as long as the article 300 can be transported. In the present embodiment, the transport unit 132 may include an endless belt 133 and a plurality of transport rollers 134 around which the endless belt 133 is wound.

[First pressing unit]
Next, the first pressing unit 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the operation of the first pressing unit 140 according to the embodiment.

The first pressing unit 140 may be provided on the upstream side of the first welding unit 150 described later, more preferably on the upstream side of the molding unit 120 described later, in the transport direction of the article 300. In the present embodiment, the first pressing unit 140 is provided at the inlet unit 130.

The first pressing unit 140 is configured to be able to press the article 300 before being placed inside the film. The first pressing unit 140 has a first pressing plate 142 that presses the article 300 from the height direction of the article 300, and a second pressing plate that presses the article 300 from the lateral direction that intersects both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300. It is preferable to have at least one of 144. More preferably, the first pressing unit 140 has both a first pressing plate 142 and a second pressing plate 144.

The first pressing plate 142 may be configured to press the article 300 downward from the height direction. The first pressing plate 142 may be located above the transport unit 132 of the inlet unit 130, and may be configured to be movable in the height direction. The first pressing plate 142 may move downward toward the article 300 placed on the stationary transport unit 132, thereby pressing the article 300 toward the transport unit 132.

When the article 300 is an object that can be reduced by the compressive force, it is preferable to compress the article 300 by the first pressing plate 142 and then convey the article 300 downstream by the conveyor 132. The compression prevents the article 300 from becoming too high in the height direction, and makes it easier for the article 300 to stabilize on the conveyor 132. As a result, the article 300 is neatly fitted inside the film 210 in the molding unit 120, and further, the shape of the article 300 is suppressed from being deformed when pressed by the second pressing unit 190, which will be described later.

In particular, when the articles 300, which can be reduced by the compressive force, are stacked on each other in the height direction, the articles 300 become relatively unstable depending on the stacking method, and the articles 300 may fall sideways or tilt at an angle. There is. Even in this case, by compressing the plurality of articles 300 with each other by the first pressing plate 142, the plurality of articles 300 can be maintained relatively stably. As a result, it is possible to prevent the shape of the article 300 from being deformed during the transportation of the article 300 or the packaging of the article 300.

The first pressing plate 142 may be divided into a plurality of portions in the transport direction of the article 300. In this case, each portion of the first pressing plate 142 may be independently movable in the height direction. In this case, the portion of the first pressing plate 142 to be moved may be selected according to the length of the article 300 in the transport direction. In this case, the packaging device 100 can handle articles 300 having different lengths in the transport direction.

The second pressing plate 144 is configured to hold the article 300 from the lateral direction. Here, the "lateral direction" is defined by a direction that intersects both the transport direction T and the height direction of the article 300 (hereinafter, the same applies).

A pair of second pressing plates 144 may be provided so that the article 300 can be sandwiched from the lateral direction. The pair of second pressing plates 144 may be provided at substantially the same position as the first pressing plate 142 in the transport direction of the article.

The pair of second pressing plates 144 may be configured to be movable laterally so that the distance between the pair of second pressing plates 144 can be changed (see also FIG. 3). Only one of the pair of second pressing plates 144 may be configured to be reciprocally reciprocating in the lateral direction, and both of the pair of second pressing plates 144 may be configured to be reciprocating reciprocating in the lateral direction. May be good.

The second pressing plate 144 laterally sandwiches the article 300 placed on the stationary conveyor 132. As a result, the posture of the article 300 is stabilized, and it is possible to prevent the article 300 from losing its shape or falling over. The second pressing plate 144, like the first pressing plate 142, can be suitably used for a plurality of compressible articles 300 laminated with each other in the height direction.

Further, by pressing the article 300 with both the first pressing plate 142 and the second pressing plate 144, the posture of the article 300 becomes more stable, and the shape of the article 300 is further prevented from being deformed or the article 300 is tilted. It can be suppressed.

Next, a preferable example of the operation of the first pressing unit 140 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the second pressing plate 144 is movable and presses the article 300 from the lateral direction (see (A) to (B) in FIG. 3). Next, the first pressing plate 142 is movable and presses the article 300 from the height direction (see (B) to (C) in FIG. 3). As described above, it is preferable that the second pressing plate 144 first presses the article 300, and then the first pressing plate 142 presses the article 300.

Here, the first pressing plate 142 presses the article 300 with the second pressing plate 144 holding the article 300. In this case, the first pressing plate 142 compresses the article 300 downward while the second pressing plate 144 stabilizes the posture of the article 300. Therefore, the shape of the article 300 becomes more stable. In particular, even when a plurality of articles 300 are laminated to each other in the height direction, it is possible to prevent the laminated articles 300 from collapsing due to the pressing force in the height direction by the first pressing plate 142. can.

The second pressing plate 144 may start moving before the first pressing plate 142, may start moving after the first pressing plate 142, and may move at the same time as the first pressing plate 142. May start. Preferably, after the second pressing plate 144 has stopped with the distance between the pair of second pressing plates 144 being minimal, the first pressing plate 142 begins to move or moves further downward. It is preferable to move.

The article 300 is conveyed toward the molding unit 120 by the conveying unit 132 after the pressing by the first pressing plate 142 and the second pressing plate 144 is released.

[Holding unit]
Next, an example of the configuration of the holding unit 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the holding unit 110 holding the original roll according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the raw fabric roll 200, the film 210 drawn from the raw fabric roll 200, and the molding unit 120 as viewed from the transport direction of the article.

The holding unit 110 may be configured to be able to hold the original roll 200. The configuration of the holding unit 110 is not particularly limited as long as it can hold the original roll 200 in the drawing of the film 210.

In this embodiment, the holding unit 110 may have at least two holding rollers 112, in the illustrated example, a pair of holding rollers 112. The pair of holding rollers 112 are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other, and are configured to be capable of loading the original roll 200. Since the load of the raw fabric roll 200 is held by at least two holding rollers 112, the holding unit 110 can hold the raw fabric roll 200 having a relatively large weight.

The pair of holding rollers 112 may be configured to be rotatable. More specifically, the pair of holding rollers 112 may be configured to be driven and rotatable as the original roll 200 rotates. As a result, when the film 210 is pulled out from the original roll 200, the pair of holding rollers 112 rotate together with the original roll 200. Therefore, the film 210 can be pulled out from the original roll 200 with a relatively small force.

Instead of the example described above, the holding unit 110 may have, for example, a rotatable bar (not shown) that passes through a hollow portion in the center of a cylindrical roll 200.

The film 210 drawn from the raw roll 200 is introduced into the molding unit 120 described later via at least one roller 114.

The holding unit 110 is preferably provided above or below the molding unit 120. In this case, since the holding unit 110 and the molding unit 120 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction, the space of the packaging device 100 can be saved.

More preferably, as shown, the holding unit 110 is provided below the molding unit 120. In this case, since the original roll 200 is located relatively downward, there is an advantage that the original roll 200 can be replaced relatively easily.

[Molding unit]
Next, an example of the configuration of the molding unit will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 12. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an outer guide portion constituting the molding unit 120 according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the molding unit 120 as viewed from the lateral direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the molding unit 120 as viewed from the height direction. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the molding unit 120 along line 9A-9A of FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of the outer guide portion 121 constituting the molding unit 120 as viewed from a direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of the outer guide portion 121 constituting the molding unit 120 when viewed from the height direction. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining the movement of the film 210 through the molding unit 120.

The molding unit 120 is configured to place the film 210 around the article 300 so that the article 300 is located inside the film 210. In the present embodiment, the molding unit 120 may be configured to mold the film 210 drawn from the raw roll 200 into a cylindrical shape. Specifically, the film 210 is molded by the molding unit 120 into a cylindrical shape extending along the transport direction of the article 300. Therefore, the film 210 becomes annular in a cross section orthogonal to the transport direction of the article 300 near the downstream end of the molding unit 120.

The molding unit 120 may have an outer guide portion 121 and an inner guide portion (third guide portion) 126. The inner guide portion 126 may be composed of a tubular member that surrounds a transport path for articles (see FIGS. 6 and 9). In the present embodiment, the inner guide portion 126 is composed of a substantially rectangular or substantially square tubular member extending along the transport direction of the article 300. In this case, the article sent from the inlet unit 130 passes through the transport path inside the inner guide portion 126. As will be described later, the inner guide portion 126 maintains the shape of the film formed into a cylindrical shape around the article 300 on the transport path from the inside of the film 210.

The outer guide portion 121 may be configured to surround the inner guide portion 126. Specifically, the outer guide portion 121 has a first guide portion 122 and a second guide portion 123. The first guide portion 122 may have a side plate 122a located outside the inner guide portion 126 in the lateral direction and a flat plate 122b located above the inner guide portion 126 in the height direction. The side plate 122a and the flat plate 122b may be integrally configured.

The second guide portion 123 may have a side plate 123a located outside the inner guide portion 126 in the lateral direction and a flat plate 123b located above the inner guide portion 126 in the height direction. The side plate 123a and the flat plate 123 may be integrally configured.

The side plate 123a of the second guide portion 123 is located on the side opposite to the side plate 122a of the first guide portion 122 with the inner guide portion 126 interposed therebetween. A gap S1 through which the film 210 can pass may be formed between the side plate 122a of the first guide portion 122 and the inner guide portion 126 (see FIG. 9). Further, a gap S2 through which the film 210 can pass may be formed between the side plate 123a of the second guide portion 123 and the inner guide portion 126.

The flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122 protrudes inward in the lateral direction, and the flat plate 123b of the second guide portion 123 also protrudes inward in the lateral direction. As a result, the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122 overlaps with the flat plate 123b of the second guide portion 123 near the center in the lateral direction (see FIGS. 8 and 11).

In the region D1 where the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122 and the flat plate 123b of the second guide portion 123 overlap, a gap S3 through which the film 210 can pass is formed between the flat plate 122b and the flat plate 123b. Good (see Figure 9). Further, the flat plate (122a in the figure) closer to the inner guide portion 126 of the flat plate 122b and the flat plate 123b is arranged with a gap S4 through which the film 210 can pass between the flat plate 122b and the inner guide portion 126.

The first guide portion 122 may have a first portion 122c and a second portion 122d, which will be described later. The first portion 122c is from the first direction of the flow of the film 210 introduced into the molding unit 120 (arrow A1 in the figure) to the second direction of the flow of the film 210 led out from the molding unit 120 (arrow A2 in the figure). It is a part that slopes toward. In the present embodiment, the first portion 122c is composed of the end portion of the side plate 122a of the first guide portion 122 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the article 300.

The second portion 122d extends continuously from the first portion 122a and intersects both the first direction (arrow A1 in the figure) and the second direction (arrow A2 in the figure) in the third direction (arrow A3 in the figure). ) Toward the second direction. In the present embodiment, the second portion 122d is composed of the end portion of the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the article 300.

The second guide portion 123 may have a shape symmetrical to that of the first guide portion 122. Specifically, the second guide unit 123 may have a third portion 123c and a fourth portion 123d, which will be described later. The third portion 123c is from the first direction of the flow of the film 210 introduced into the molding unit 120 (arrow A1 in the figure) to the second direction of the flow of the film 210 led out from the molding unit 120 (arrow A2 in the figure). It is a part that slopes toward. In the present embodiment, the third portion 123c is composed of the end portion of the side plate 123a of the second guide portion 123 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the article 300.

The fourth portion 123d extends continuously from the third portion 123a and intersects both the first direction (arrow A1 in the figure) and the second direction (arrow A2 in the figure) in the third direction (arrow A3 in the figure). ) Toward the second direction. In the present embodiment, the fourth portion 123d is composed of the end portion of the flat plate 123b of the second guide portion 123 on the upstream side in the transport direction of the article 300.

Therefore, the first portion 122c of the first guide portion 122 and the third portion 123c of the second guide portion 123 are provided so as to face each other with the inner guide portion 126, more specifically, the transport path of the article 300 interposed therebetween. Further, the second portion 122d of the first guide portion 122 and the fourth portion 123d of the second guide portion 123 are configured to intersect each other when viewed from the first direction (arrow A1 in the figure).

The above-mentioned inner guide portion (third guide portion) 126 passes through the inside of the region surrounded by the first portion 122c, the second portion 122d, the third portion 123c, and the fourth portion 123d, and passes through the second direction, that is, the above-mentioned second direction. It may extend along the transport direction of the article 300. Specifically, the transport path of the article 300 may be configured inside the inner guide portion 126.

Further, the molding unit 120 preferably has a widening portion 125 that widens the distance between the films 210 that are in contact with each other. The widening portion 125 includes a first side plate 125a extending from the first guide portion 122 toward the upstream side of the flow of the film 210 and a second side plate extending from the second guide portion 123 toward the upstream side of the flow of the film 210. 125b and may have.

The surface of the first side plate 125a may be substantially continuously connected to the surface of the side plate 122a of the first guide portion 122. Similarly, the surface of the second side plate 125b may be substantially continuously connected to the surface of the side plate 123a of the second guide portion 123.

The distance between the surface of the first side plate 125a and the surface of the second side plate 125b becomes narrower toward the upstream side of the flow of the film 210. Therefore, the widening portion 125 may have a triangular columnar shape.

The ends of the first side plate 125a and the second side plate 125b on the upstream side in the transport direction of the article are derived from the molding unit 120 from the first direction (arrow A1 in the figure) of the flow of the film 210 introduced into the molding unit 120. The film 210 may be inclined toward the second direction (arrow A2 in the figure) of the flow of the film 210.

The packaging device 100 may have a nip roll 400 that sandwiches the film 210 before it is introduced into the molding unit 120. The nip roll 400 may sandwich the film 210 immediately before being drawn from the raw fabric roll 200 and introduced into the molding unit 120.

Preferably, the nip roll 400 is provided directly below the molding unit 120, more specifically the widening portion 125. As a result, the first direction (arrow A1 in the figure) of the flow of the film 210 introduced into the molding unit 120 is along the vertical direction intersecting the horizontal plane. As a result, as described above, the original roll 200 can be arranged below the molding unit 120.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the film 210 drawn from the original roll 200 is folded in half along the fold line along the transport direction of the film until it reaches the nip roll 400.

The widening portion 125 guides the film 210 while opening the folded film 210. In the illustrated example, the film 210 is moving upward in the height direction at the widening portion 125. Here, the film 210 on one side with respect to the fold line moves while being in contact with the surface of the first side plate 125a of the widening portion 125, and the film 210 on the other side with respect to the fold line moves with respect to the second side plate 125b of the widening portion 125. Move while touching the surface. Since the distance between the surface of the first side plate 125a and the surface of the second side plate 125b increases toward the downstream side, the folded film 210 will be opened toward the downstream side. Therefore, the portion near the center of the opened film 210, that is, the portion near the fold line, extends over the inclined portion of the end portions of the first side plate 125a and the second side plate 125b on the upstream side in the transport direction of the article (FIG. 5). And FIG. 12). In addition, in FIG. 12, the folding line 210a in which the film 210 was originally folded is shown by the alternate long and short dash line. Further, in FIG. 5, the opened sheet 210 is shown by a dot-shaped fill for convenience. Further, in FIG. 12, the visible sheet 210 is shown by a dot-shaped fill for convenience. Further, in FIG. 9, the flow of the visible portion of the sheet 210 is indicated by a solid arrow, and the flow of the invisible portion of the sheet 210 (the portion hidden by the molding unit 120) is indicated by the dotted arrow. ing.

When the film 210 reaches the position of the outer guide portion 121 from the widening portion 125, the regions at both ends of the film 210 in the lateral direction move while being in contact with the side plates 122a and the side plates 123a of the outer guide portion 121. At this time, the vicinity of the center of the opened film 210 abuts on the inner guide portion 126 and does not move upward any more, and enters the gap between the bottom of the inner guide portion 126 and the upper end portion of the widening portion 125. Then, it starts to flow along the transport direction of the article 300.

Further, the portion relatively close to the center of the region of one end of the film 210 flowing upward along the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122 is the first portion 122c of the first guide portion 122, here the first. 1 At the inclined end of the side plate 122a of the guide portion 122, the side plate 122a is folded back inward and enters the gap between the side plate 122a and the inner guide portion 126, and begins to flow along the transport direction of the article 300.

Similarly, of the region of the other end of the film 210 flowing upward along the flat plate 123b of the second guide portion 123, the portion relatively close to the center is the third portion 123c of the second guide portion 123, here. At the inclined end of the side plate 123a of the second guide portion 123, the side plate 123a is folded back inward and enters the gap between the side plate 123a and the inner guide portion 126, and begins to flow along the transport direction of the article 300. ..

Further, the outer portion of the region of one end of the film 210 flowing upward along the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122 has moved laterally along the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122. Later, at the inclined end of the second portion 122d of the first guide portion 122, here the flat plate 122b of the first guide portion 122, the plate 122b is folded back inward and between the flat plate 122b and the inner guide portion 126. It enters the gap and begins to flow along the transport direction of the article 300.

Similarly, the outer portion of the region of the other end of the film 210 flowing upward along the flat plate 123b of the second guide 123 moves laterally along the flat plate 123b of the second guide 123. Then, at the inclined end portion of the fourth portion 123d of the second guide portion 123, here, the flat plate 123b of the second guide portion 123, the plate 123b is folded back inward and between the flat plate 123b and the inner guide portion 126. It enters the gap of the article 300 and begins to flow along the transport direction of the article 300.

Therefore, the film 120 led out from the molding unit 120 is molded into a cylindrical shape and is conveyed along the conveying direction of the article 300. Here, the ends of the film 210 are overlapped with each other at the upper part of the inner guide portion 126. Specifically, an overlapping portion is formed on the upper portion of the inner guide portion 126 so that the front surface of the film 210 faces the back surface of the film.

Here, the inner guide portion 126 functions as a guide member that maintains the shape of the film 210 from the inside of the film 210. Further, the inner guide portion 126 is a tubular member that surrounds the transport path of the article 300 sent from the inlet unit 130. Therefore, the inner guide 126 maintains the shape of the film formed into a cylinder around the article 300 from the inside of the film.

In the molding unit 120 of the present embodiment, the film 210 can be molded into a cylindrical shape while changing the traveling direction of the film 210 moving along the vertical direction to the direction along the transport direction of the article 300. Therefore, since the equipment space required for forming the film 210 into a tubular shape, particularly the space required for a flat surface, is narrowed, the flat (two-dimensional) size of the packaging device 100 can be reduced. ..

The film 120 that has passed through the molding unit 120 enters the first welding unit 150, which will be described later.

[1st welding unit]
Next, an example of the configuration of the first welding unit 150 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 17. FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of the first welding unit 150 and its vicinity. FIG. 14 is an enlarged side view of the first welding unit seen from a direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of the article. FIG. 15 is an enlarged side view of the first welding unit during welding of the film as seen from a direction orthogonal to both the transport direction and the height direction of the article. FIG. 16 is an enlarged plan view of the first welding unit as seen from the transport direction of the article. FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view of the first welding unit during welding of the film as seen from the transport direction of the article.

In the present embodiment, the first welding unit 150 is configured to weld the film 210 arranged around the article 300 along the transport direction of the film 210. In a specific example, the first welding unit 150 forms a welding line along the transport direction of the film 210 with respect to the film formed into a cylindrical shape by the forming unit 120.

In the above-described embodiment, the film 210 formed into a cylinder by the forming unit 120 has an overlapping portion overlapping with each other. This overlapping portion extends along the transport direction of the film 210, that is, the transport direction of the article 300. The first welding unit 150 heat-welds the superposed portion of the film 210. This prevents the tubular film 210 from opening naturally.

The first welding unit 150 may be provided at a position where the film 210 molded by the molding unit 120 can be welded. Specifically, the first welding unit 150 is provided on the downstream side of the molding unit 120 in the transport direction of the film 210.

Preferably, the packaging device 100 has a tubular member that extends continuously from the inner guide 126 of the molding unit 120. This tubular member may surround the transport path of the article 300. In this case, it is preferable that the first welding unit 150 is provided at the position of the tubular member in the transport direction of the article 300. As a result, the film 120 molded by the molding unit 120 can be immediately welded along the transport direction.

The first welding unit 150 has a roller 151 rotatably configured, a holding portion 152 for holding the roller 151, and a receiving portion 153 for receiving the roller 151. The roller 151 may be configured to be heatable. The receiving portion 153 may be provided on a guide plate for guiding the film 210, but the receiving portion 153 is not limited to this.

The rollers 151 and the receiving portion 153 are provided so as to face each other. Specifically, the roller 151 is provided on the side opposite to the receiving portion 153 with respect to the film 210 being conveyed.

The holding portion 152 rotatably holds the roller 151, and may have a function of raising and lowering the roller 151. When the holding portion 152 lowers the roller 151, the roller 151 is pressed against the receiving portion 153.

The roller 151 may be configured to be rotatable along the film transport direction. Preferably, the roller 151 is configured to be positively rotatable by the action of a drive device such as a motor. When the film 210 is welded along the transport direction, it is preferable that the roller 151 is pressed toward the receiving portion 153 in a state where the roller 151 is rotated.

Specifically, it is preferable that the roller 151 is pressed against the film 210 while rotating at a speed that matches the transport speed of the film 210. As a result, the frictional force applied to the film 210 from the roller 151 can be significantly reduced, so that the possibility of the film 210 being torn during heat welding can be reduced.

The roller 151 rotates during welding of the film 210, but does not have to move in the transport direction of the article 300 and / or the film 210. In this case, the film 210 moves along the transport direction while the roller 151 is stationary in the transport direction during heat welding. As a result, a welding line along the transport direction can be formed on the film 210.

The roller 151 may be retracted from the film 210 or the receiving portion 153 while the film 210 is not heat-welded, for example, while the film 210 is stopped.

Specifically, the film 210 is conveyed during the pressing period of the article 300 by the second pressing unit 190, the welding period of the film 210 by the second welding unit 160, and the cutting period of the film 210 by the cutting unit 170, which will be described later. It may be stopped. The roller 151 may be retracted from the film 210 or the receiving portion 153 during such a period.

The first welding unit 150 preferably has a cushioning member 154 that cushions the pressing force between the roller 151 and the receiving portion 153. In this embodiment, the cushioning member 154 may have a spring that supports the receiving portion 153.

The cushioning member 154 relaxes the force pressed from the roller 151 toward the receiving portion 153. In other words, the force applied from the rollers 151 to the film 210 during welding is relaxed. Therefore, the possibility that the film 210 is torn during heat welding can be further reduced.

The receiving portion 153 may have at least one rotatable, preferably a plurality of receiving rollers 155. The receiving roller 155 may be configured to be driven and rotatable by a frictional force with the film 210 being conveyed. As a result, when the roller 151 is pressed toward the receiving roller 155 via the film 210, the receiving roller 155 also rotates.

The driven rotation of the receiving roller 155 reduces the frictional force between the receiving portion 153 and the film 210. Therefore, the possibility that the film 210 is torn during heat welding can be further reduced.

Further, when a plurality of receiving rollers 155 are provided, the rollers 151 are pressed toward the respective receiving rollers 155. That is, the pressing force applied from the roller 151 to the receiving portion 153 is dispersed at a plurality of points. Therefore, the pressing force from the roller 151 applied to each receiving roller 155 is reduced. Therefore, the possibility that the film 210 is torn during heat welding can be further reduced.

The roller 151 may have at least one protrusion 151a extending along the direction of rotation of the roller 151, that is, the circumferential direction. Preferably, the roller 151 may have at least two protrusions 151a extending along the direction of rotation of the roller 151.

When the roller 151 has at least two protrusions 151a, the pressing force from the roller 151 is transmitted to the receiving portion 153 at a plurality of points. Therefore, the pressing force applied from the roller 151 to the receiving portion 153 is dispersed at a plurality of points, and the possibility that the film 210 is torn during heat welding can be further reduced.

At least two protrusions 151a may be provided laterally spaced apart from each other. As a result, at least two welding lines are formed on the film 210 by pressing the at least two protrusions 151a. This makes it possible to secure the welding width of the entire welding line in the lateral direction. Further, since the width of each protrusion 151a is small, it is possible to suppress the transfer of too much heat from each protrusion 151a to the film 210. As a result, even if the film 210 is relatively thin, damage to the film 210 due to overheating is suppressed.

Packaged by the above-mentioned configuration with respect to the roller 151, such as the active rotation of the roller 151 and / or at least two protrusions 151a, and / or the above-mentioned configuration with respect to the receiving portion 153, such as the receiving roller 155 and / or the cushioning member 154. The device 100 can form a welding line (vertical seal) along the transport direction of the form 210 even if the thin film 210 has a relatively low strength.

For example, the thickness of the film 210 may be less than 30 μm or less than 20 μm. Even with such a thin film 210, the article 300 can be wrapped without damaging the film 210. The inventor of the present application has confirmed that the article 300 can be neatly sealed by using, for example, a polypropylene film or a polyethylene film having a thickness of 17 μm.

Further, if the film 210 has a relatively high strength, a thinner film 210 can also be used. For example, when a high-density polyethylene film having a density of 0.94 g / cm ³ or more is used, the inventor of the present application can use a film 210 having a thickness of, for example, 13 μm to neatly seal the article 300. confirmed.

However, it should be noted that the packaging device 100 of the present invention can also be suitably used for a thicker film 210. Therefore, the thickness of the film 210 may be 30 μm or more.

The packaging device 100 may have a transport roller 500 on the downstream side of the first welding unit 150 in the transport direction of the article. The transport roller 500 is configured to be capable of transporting the film 210 toward the downstream side. By pulling the film 210 by the transport roller 500, the film 210 is pulled out from the original roll 200 and transported to the downstream side.

[Second welding unit and cutting unit 170]
Next, with reference to FIG. 18, the second welding unit 160 and the cutting unit 170, and the configurations that may accompany them will be described. FIG. 18 is a schematic side view of the vicinity of a part of the second welding unit 160, the cutting unit 170, the maintenance unit 166, the holding unit 168, and the outlet unit 180 according to the embodiment.

The second welding unit 160 may be provided between the first welding unit 150 and the outlet unit 180 in the transport direction of the article 300.

The second welding unit 160 welds the film 210 so as to seal the film 210 while wrapping the article 300. In the present embodiment, the second welding unit 160 is configured to weld the film 210 along the lateral direction intersecting both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300.

Therefore, when the second welding unit 160 welds the film 210 along the lateral direction on the upstream side and the downstream side of the article 300 covered with the film 210, the article 300 is sealed by the film 210.

The second welding unit 160 may have a heating bar 162 extending laterally. The heating bar 162 is located above and / or below the film 210 and may be configured to sandwich the film 210 from the height direction during welding of the film 210.

In the present embodiment, two heating bars 162 located above and / or below the film 210 are provided side by side along the transport direction of the article. A cutting unit 170 may be provided between a pair of heating bars 162 arranged in the transport direction of the article 300. In this embodiment, the heating bar 162 located above the film 210 may be held by the holding portion 164 via a spring mechanism.

The cutting unit 170 may have a cutter capable of cutting the film 210 laterally. The cutting unit 170 is not particularly limited, but may be preferably held by the holding portion 164.

In this case, the cutting unit 170 is configured to be able to move up and down together with the second welding unit 160. When the second welding unit 160 and the cutting unit 170 are retracted from the film 210, the tip of the cutter constituting the cutting unit 170 is retracted above the heating bar 162 constituting the second welding unit 160. ..

When the second welding unit 160 and the cutting unit 170 descend toward the film 210, the heating bar 162 of the second welding unit 160 is pressed against the film 210 first, and a welding line along the lateral direction is formed on the film 210. Will be done. Further, when the holding portion 164 is lowered, the position of the heating bar 162 of the second welding unit 160 does not change due to the action of the spring mechanism, but the tip of the cutter of the cutting unit 170 reaches the film 210.

As a result, the film 210 is cut along the line welded by the second welding unit 160. Here, when the cutting unit 170 is provided between the pair of heating bars 162 arranged in the transport direction of the article 300, the film 210 is cut between the pair of welding lines along the lateral direction. It will be. A detailed example of preferable operations of the second welding unit 160 and the cutting unit 170 will be described later.

The packaging device 100 may have a maintenance unit 166 provided between the second welding unit 160 and the outlet unit 180 in the transport direction of the article 300. Alternatively or additionally, the maintenance unit 166 is provided on the upstream side of the second welding unit 160 in the transport direction of the article 300, specifically between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160. May be.

The maintenance unit 166 may have a rod-shaped or plate-shaped member extending along the lateral direction intersecting both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300. The maintenance unit 166 may be configured to be able to move up and down in the height direction. More preferably, the maintenance unit 166 may be configured to maintain the height position of the film 210 by sandwiching the film 210 when necessary.

As will be described later, the maintenance unit 166 will be used between the loading unit 196 and the second welding unit 160, which will be described later, and / or between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding during the welding of the film 210 by the second welding unit 160. The film 210 may be configured to be maintained at a desired height position with and from the unit 160.

Further, the packaging device 100 may have a pressing unit 168 provided on the upstream side of the second welding unit 160 in the transport direction of the article 300. More specifically, the pressing unit 168 may be provided between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160 in the transport direction of the article 300. The configuration of the holding unit 168 will be described later.

[Exit unit and second pressing unit]
Next, the outlet unit 180 and the second pressing unit 190 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of the outlet unit 180 and the second pressing unit 190 according to the embodiment. FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing the operation of the outlet unit 180 and the second pressing unit 190.

The outlet unit 180 may constitute an outlet from which the article 300 packaged by the film 210 is discharged. The outlet unit 180 may have a transport unit 182 for discharging the article 300. The transport unit 182 may be configured to transport the article 300 to the downstream side.

The configuration of the transport unit 182 is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the transfer unit 182 may include an endless belt 183 and a plurality of transfer rollers 184 around which the endless belt 183 is wound.

The second pressing unit 190 may be provided in the outlet unit 180. The second pressing unit 190 may have a loading portion 196 that supports the article 300 located inside the film 210.

The loading unit 196 may be configured to be movable in the height direction of the article 300. Specifically, the loading unit 196 may have an elevating mechanism 198 that changes the position of the article 300 wrapped in the film 210 in the height direction.

The second pressing unit 190 is configured to be able to press the article 300 located inside the film. The second pressing unit 190 has a third pressing plate 192 that presses the article 300 from the height direction of the article 300, and a fourth pressing plate that presses the article 300 from the lateral direction that intersects both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300. It is preferable to have at least one of 194. More preferably, the second pressing unit 190 has both a third pressing plate 192 and a fourth pressing plate 194.

The third pressing plate 192 may be configured to press the article 300 downward from the height direction. The third pressing plate 192 may be located above the loading portion 196 and may be configured to be movable in the height direction. The third pressing plate 192 may move downward toward the stationary article 300, thereby pressing the article 300 toward the loading section 196.

The third pressing plate 192 may be divided into a plurality of portions in the transport direction of the article 300. Each portion of the third pressing plate 192 may be independently movable in the height direction. In this case, the portion of the third pressing plate 192 to be moved may be selected according to the length of the article 300 in the transport direction. As a result, the packaging device 100 can handle articles 300 having different lengths in the transport direction.

The fourth pressing plate 194 may be configured to hold the article 300 from the lateral direction intersecting both the transport direction and the height direction of the article 300. A pair of fourth pressing plates 194 may be provided so that the article 300 can be sandwiched from the lateral direction. The pair of fourth pressing plates 194 may be provided at substantially the same position as the third pressing plate 192 in the transport direction of the article.

The pair of fourth pressing plates 194 may be configured to be movable in the lateral direction so that the distance between the pair of second pressing plates 194 can be changed (see also FIG. 20). Only one of the pair of fourth pressing plates 194 may be configured to be reciprocally reciprocating in the lateral direction, and both of the pair of fourth pressing plates 194 may be configured to be reciprocating reciprocating in the lateral direction. May be good.

The fourth pressing plate 194 sandwiches the stationary article 300 from the lateral direction. As a result, the posture of the article 300 wrapped by the film 210 is stabilized, and it is possible to prevent the article 300 from losing its shape or falling down. The fourth pressing plate 194 can be suitably used for handling a plurality of compressible articles 300 laminated with each other in the height direction.

Next, a preferable example of the operation of the second pressing unit 190 will be described. As will be described later, it is preferable that the pressing of the article 300 by the second pressing unit 190 is performed from before welding of the film 210 by the second welding unit 160 to during welding.

First, the fourth pressing plate 194 is movable and presses the article 300 from the lateral direction (see (A) to (B) in FIG. 20). Next, the third pressing plate 192 is movable and presses the article 300 from the height direction (see (B) to (C) in FIG. 20). As described above, it is preferable that the fourth pressing plate 194 first presses the article 300, and then the third pressing plate 192 presses the article 300.

Before the third pressing plate 192 and / or the fourth pressing plate 194 begins to press the article, or while the third pressing plate 192 and / or the fourth pressing plate 194 presses the article, the loading unit 196 You may move to adjust the position of the article 300 in the height direction.

It is preferable that the third pressing plate 192 presses the article 300 with the fourth pressing plate 194 holding the article 300. In this case, the third pressing plate 192 compresses the article 300 downward while the fourth pressing plate 194 stabilizes the posture of the article 300. Therefore, the shape of the article 300 becomes more stable. In particular, even when a plurality of articles 300 are laminated to each other in the height direction, it is possible to prevent the laminated articles 300 from collapsing due to the pressing force in the height direction by the third pressing plate 192. can.

Further, as shown in FIG. 20 (C), since the article 300 is pushed by both the third pressing plate 192 and the fourth pressing plate 194, excess air inside the bag made of the film 210 is discharged. .. Here, since the third pressing plate 192 and the fourth pressing plate 194 press the article 300 before the film 210 is welded by the second welding unit 160, the excess air inside the bag made of the film 210 is removed. It will come out to the upstream side in the transport direction of the article.

The fourth pressing plate 194 may start moving before the third pressing plate 192, may start moving after the third pressing plate 192, and may move at the same time as the third pressing plate 192. May start. Preferably, after the 4th pressing plate 194 has stopped with the distance between the pair of 4th pressing plates 194 being minimal, the 3rd pressing plate 192 starts moving or moves further downward. It is preferable to move.

Preferably, the loading unit 196 is a support surface that supports the film in which the upper surface of the loading unit 196 is located at the above-mentioned second welding unit 160 together with the pressing of the article 300 by the third pressing plate 192 and the fourth pressing plate 194. Movable so that it is higher than the height. Typically, the loading section 196 preferably moves in the height direction before the third pressing plate 192 and the fourth pressing plate 194 press the article 300.

Next, with reference to FIG. 21, a series of operations of the second pressing unit 190, the second welding unit 160, the cutting unit 170, and the maintenance unit 166 will be described. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing a series of operations of the second pressing unit 190, the second welding unit 160, the cutting unit 170, and the maintenance unit 166.

First, the article 300 arranged inside the film 210 through the molding unit 120 is conveyed together with the film 210 to the position of the loading portion 196 of the second pressing unit 190 (see (A) in FIG. 21). At this time, the film 210 located on the loading unit 196 is still connected to the original roll 200.

Next, the second pressing unit 190 presses the article 300 on the loading unit 196 (see (B) in FIG. 21). The operation of the second pressing unit 190 is as described above (see also FIG. 20). In a specific example, the loading unit 196 first rises, and then the third pressing plate 192 and the fourth pressing plate 194 press the article 300 as described above.

Here, the height position of the article 300 located between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160 is substantially the same as the height position of the article 300 located on the loading portion 196 before ascending. be. Therefore, due to the rise of the loading unit 196, the height position of the article 300 located on the loading unit 196 is higher than the height position of the article 300 located between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160. Become.

When the article 300 is thinned by compression, the center in the height direction of the article 300 is lowered during compression by the third pressing plate 192. As a result, the thickness of the article 300 being pressed by the loading unit 196 is different from the thickness of the article 300 located between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160. If the loading section 196 is immovable, the portion of the film 210 placed under the article 300 has a generally flat shape from the second welding unit 160 to the position of the loading section 192, but is placed above the article 300. The portion of the film 210 is inclined downward from the second welding unit 160 to the position of the loading portion 192 due to the difference in the height of the article 300. In other words, when the article 300 is thinned by compression, the shape of the film 210 becomes asymmetric with respect to the height direction.

In the present embodiment, even when the article 300 is thinned by compression, the ascending of the loading section 196 causes the center position of the article 300 located on the loading section 196 in the height direction and the first welding. The difference from the position of the center in the height direction of the article 300 located between the unit 150 and the second welding unit 160 becomes small. Thereby, the shape of the film 210 can be made substantially symmetrical in the height direction during welding by the second welding unit 160, which will be described later, more preferably during welding by the second welding unit 160 and cutting by the cutting unit 170. ..

The upper surface of the loading unit 196 is loaded so as to be higher than the height of the support surface supporting the film 210 located at the second welding unit 160 during welding of the film 210 by the second welding unit 160 as described later. The portion 196 maintains a height position.

If the article 300 is not compressible, or if the article is not compressed so much, the height position of the loading unit 196 may not be adjusted.

Next, if necessary, the maintenance unit 166 sandwiches the film 210 at a desired position in the transport direction of the article 300 (see (C) in FIG. 21). In the illustrated embodiment, the maintenance unit 166 sandwiches the film 210 in the height direction between the loading unit 196 and the second welding unit 160. Here, the height position where the maintenance unit 166 sandwiches the film 210 may be a position between the loading portion 196 being compressed by the second pressing unit 190 and the third pressing plate 192, and the article 300 being compressed may be located. It is preferable that it is close to the center in the height direction.

As described above, the maintenance unit 166 may sandwich the film 210 in the height direction between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160. In this case, the height position where the maintenance unit 166 sandwiches the film 210 is as described above.

The sandwiching of the film 210 by the maintenance unit 166 is preferably performed during welding by the second welding unit 160, which will be described later, and more preferably during welding by the second welding unit 160 and cutting by the cutting unit 170.

Next, the second welding unit 160 welds the film 210 (see (D) in FIG. 21), and then the cutting unit 170 cuts the film 210 (see (E) in FIG. 21).

During the welding of the film 210 by the second welding unit 160, as described above, the loading unit 196 maintains the height position of the article 300 in an raised state. As a result, the shape of the film 210 becomes substantially symmetrical with respect to the height direction at the position of the second welding unit 160. In this state, the second welding unit 160 welds the film 210 laterally. As a result, the shape of the film 210 that wraps the article 300, which is thinned by compression, can be neatly arranged.

Further, if the film 210 is welded by the second welding unit 160 while the height position of the film 210 is maintained by the maintenance unit 166, the shape of the film 210 can be adjusted more beautifully.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21 (E), it is preferable that the height position of the loading unit 196 and / or the holding of the film 210 by the maintenance unit 166 is maintained until the film 210 is being cut by the cutting unit 170.

In the present embodiment, the cutting unit 170 is provided between a pair of heating bars 162 arranged in the transport direction of the article 300, and the film 210 is cut between the pair of welding lines along the lateral direction. To.

When the welding by the second welding unit 160 and the cutting by the cutting unit 170 are completed, the sandwiching of the film 210 by the maintenance unit 166 and the pressing of the article 300 by the second pressing unit 190 may be released.

[Holding unit]
Next, the holding unit 168 and its operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the pressing unit 168 and its vicinity according to the embodiment. FIG. 23 is a schematic view showing the operation of the pressing unit 168.

The holding unit 168 may be provided as needed. The presser unit 168 is preferably used when handling a relatively thick article 300.

The pressing unit 168 may be provided on the upstream side of the second welding unit 160 and / or between the second welding unit 160 and the second pressing unit 190. Here, the position of the pressing unit 168 on the upstream side of the second welding unit 160 may be a position between the first welding unit 150 and the second welding unit 160.

The pressing unit 168 may be a rod-shaped member that extends along a lateral direction that intersects both the transport direction of the article 300 and the height direction of the article and can reciprocate in the lateral direction. As a result, the pressing unit 168 can push the film 210 arranged around the article 300 from the lateral direction to the inside.

As shown in FIG. 23, when the film 210 is sandwiched in the height direction by the second welding unit 160 and the cutting unit 170, when the article 300 is thick, the film 210 is located at the position of the second welding unit 160 and the cutting unit 170. It will be greatly distorted from the position of the article 300. At this time, the pressing unit 168 pushes the portion of the film 210 where distortion is likely to occur in the lateral direction, so that the film 210 is neatly folded inward. In this state, welding by the second welding unit 160 and cutting of the film 210 by the cutting unit 170 make the shape of the film 210 that wraps the article more beautiful.

From this point of view, the pressing unit 168 is provided by the second welding unit 160 at least during welding of the film 210 by the second welding unit 160, preferably during welding by the second welding unit 160 and cutting by the cutting unit 170. It is preferable to push the film 210 laterally on the upstream side and / or the downstream side of the welded portion.

When the welding by the second welding unit 160 and the cutting by the cutting unit 170 are completed, the pressing of the film 210 by the pressing unit 168 may be released.

[Packaging goods]
Next, an example of the packaged article manufactured by the above-mentioned packaging device 100 will be described. FIG. 24 is a schematic plan view of the manufactured packaged article. FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the packaged article along line 25A-25A of FIG. 24.

The packaged article may include, for example, a compressible article 300 and a thermoplastic film 210 that wraps the article 300. An example of the article 300 is as described above.

The material of the film 210 is as described above. The thickness of the film 210 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, less than 30 μm or less than 20 μm.

In the present embodiment, the film 210 is sealed in a bag shape by welding. Specifically, the film may have a front surface facing the outside of the packaging bag and a back surface facing the inside of the packaging bag. The film 210 has a cylindrical shape that surrounds the article 300, and may have an overlapping portion 220 that is overlapped so that the front surface of the film 210 faces the back surface of the film 210. The superimposing portion 220 may extend from one end to the other end of the bag made of the film 210 along one direction.

The film 210 has at least one, preferably a plurality of welding lines 230, welded along one direction at the superimposing portion 220. The welding line 230 may extend along the superimposing portion 220 from one end to the other end of the bag made up of the film 210 in one direction.

The film 210 may have welding lines 240 in the lateral direction intersecting the one direction at both ends in the one direction along the overlapping portion 220. The welding line 230 and the welding line 240 may intersect each other.

Therefore, the film 210 may be formed in a bag shape by a welding line 230 along the superposed portion 220 and a pair of welding lines 240 at both ends.

The inventor of the present application has found that the above-described embodiment allows the compressible article 300 to be wrapped in a thin film 210 having a relatively low strength. Such article 300 may be, for example, clothing, towels, and duvets, pillows or sheets. Such articles 300 are often cleaned after use. The article 300 may be covered after cleaning to maintain cleanliness. Since it is sufficient for such a cover to temporarily cover the article 300, a thin film 210 with an open mouth is usually used without being sealed.

However, the inventor of the present application has found a problem of sealing the above-mentioned article 300 with a thin film 210 having a relatively low strength based on the recent need to prevent the adhesion of viruses and various germs, and relates to the above embodiment. The packaging device 100 and the packaging article have been found. However, it should be noted that the packaging device 100 according to the above embodiment is not limited to such uses and purposes, and can be applied to various articles.

As mentioned above, although the content of the invention has been disclosed through embodiments, the statements and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the invention. This disclosure reveals to those skilled in the art various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the matters specifying the invention relating to the reasonable claims from the above description.

For example, the article 300 may be one that is hardly deformed by a compressive force, that is, one having a relatively high rigidity. In this case, the packaging device 100 may not have the first pressing unit 140, the second pressing unit 190, and / or the elevating mechanism 198.

The molding unit 120 is not limited to the shape described above, and may be any shape as long as the film can be arranged around the article so that the article is located inside the film.

Further, in the above embodiment, the film 210 wound on the original roll 200 is folded in half, but the film 210 may not be folded in half. Further, in the above embodiment, the article 300 is wrapped by one film, but the article 300 may be wrapped by two films. In this case, the film can be formed into a cylindrical shape by sandwiching the article between the two films and welding both sides of the two films. It should be noted that the unit used to arrange the two films around the article 300 is also included in the category of "molding unit".

100 Packaging device 110 Holding unit 120 Molding unit 130 Inlet unit 140 First pressing unit 142 First pressing plate 144 Second pressing plate 150 First welding unit 151 Roller 153 Receiving part 160 Second welding unit 166 Maintenance unit 168 Holding unit 170 Cutting Unit 180 Outlet unit 190 Second pressing unit 196 Loading part 200 Original roll 210 Film 220 Overlapping part 230 Welding line 240 Welding line 300 Articles

Claims (20)

A transport unit that transports goods and
A molding unit that places the film around the article so that the article is located inside the film.
A second welding unit that welds the film so as to seal the film while wrapping the article.
It has a second pressing unit that presses the article located inside the film.
The second welding unit is a packaging device configured to be performed in a state where the article is pressed by the second pressing unit. The packaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a first pressing unit that presses the article before it is placed inside the film. The first pressing unit includes a first pressing plate that presses the article from the height direction of the article, and a second pressing plate that presses the article from a lateral direction that intersects both the transport direction and the height direction of the article. The packaging device according to claim 2, which has at least one of the two. The first pressing unit is
A first pressing plate that presses the article from the height direction of the article,
It has a pair of second pressing plates that press the article from the lateral direction intersecting both the transport direction and the height direction of the article.
The packaging device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first pressing plate is movable so as to hold the article while the pair of second pressing plates hold the article. The second pressing unit includes a third pressing plate that presses the article from the height direction of the article, and a fourth pressing plate that presses the article from a lateral direction that intersects both the transport direction and the height direction of the article. The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has at least one of the following. The second pressing unit is
A third pressing plate that presses the article from the height direction of the article,
It has a pair of fourth pressing plates that press the article from the lateral direction intersecting both the transport direction and the height direction of the article.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the third pressing plate is movable so as to hold the article while the pair of fourth pressing plates hold the article. The second pressing unit has a loading portion that supports the article located inside the film.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the loading unit is configured to be movable in the height direction of the article. The second welding unit is according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second welding unit is configured to weld the film along a lateral direction intersecting both the transport direction and the height direction of the article. Packaging equipment. The second pressing unit has a loading portion that supports the article located inside the film.
The loading portion is movable so that the upper surface of the loading portion is higher than the height of the support surface supporting the film located at the second welding unit during welding of the film by the second welding unit. The packaging device according to claim 8. The second pressing unit has a loading portion that supports the article located inside the film.
The packaging device is used during welding of the film by the second welding unit, between the loading unit and the second welding unit, or on the upstream side of the second welding unit in the transport direction of the article. The packaging device according to claim 8 or 9, which has a maintenance unit for maintaining the temperature in the height direction. During the welding of the film by the second welding unit, the transport direction of the article and / or the transport direction of the article and / or between the second welding unit and the second pressing unit on the upstream side of the second welding unit and / or between the second welding unit and the second pressing unit. The packaging device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a pressing unit that maintains a state in which the film is pushed inward from the lateral direction intersecting both in the height direction. It has a first welding unit that welds the film along the transport direction of the film.
The first welding unit is
A roller that can actively rotate along the transport direction of the film,
A receiving portion provided facing the roller and a receiving portion
It has a cushioning member that cushions the pressing force between the roller and the receiving portion.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the roller has at least two protrusions extending along the rotation direction of the roller. A first welding unit that welds the film along the transport direction of the film,
It has a tubular member that maintains the shape of the film formed into a cylinder around the article from the inside of the film and surrounds the transport path of the article.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first welding unit is provided at a position of the tubular member in the transport direction of the article. The molding unit is
It has a first guide section and a second guide section.
The first guide unit is
A first portion inclined from the first direction of the flow of the film introduced into the molding unit toward the second direction of the flow of the film derived from the molding unit.
It has a second portion that extends continuously from the first portion and is inclined from a third direction that intersects both the first direction and the second direction toward the second direction.
The second guide unit is
A third portion inclined from the first direction toward the second direction,
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising a fourth portion that extends continuously from the third portion and is inclined from the third direction toward the second direction. It has a holding unit that holds the original roll in the rolled state of the film, and has a holding unit.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the holding unit is provided below the molding unit. It has a holding unit that holds the original roll in the rolled state of the film, and has a holding unit.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the holding unit has at least two rotatable rollers capable of loading the original roll. The film is a thermoplastic film and is
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the film has a thickness of less than 30 μm. With compressible articles,
With a thermoplastic film that wraps the article,
The thickness of the film is less than 30 μm.
The film is a packaged article that is sealed in a bag shape by welding. The film has a front surface and a back surface, and has a front surface and a back surface.
The film has a cylindrical shape surrounding the article, and has an overlapping portion in which the front surface of the film is overlapped so as to face the back surface of the film.
The superposed portion extends in one direction and
The packaged article according to claim 18, wherein the film has at least one welding line welded along the one direction in the superimposing portion. A transport step for transporting goods and
A step of placing the film around the article so that the article is located inside the film,
A second welding step of welding the film so as to seal the film while wrapping the article.
It has a second pressing step, which presses the article located inside the film.
The second welding step is a packaging method in which the article is pressed by the second pressing step.

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