JP2023067305A - Horizontal type pillow packaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a horizontal type pillow packaging machine that performs top-sealing at an appropriate cut length with respect to a product in different size.CONSTITUTION: The horizontal type pillow packaging machine includes a packaging machine body 11 for performing pillow packaging, and a packaging material supply device 12 for supplying a belt-like packaging material 15 to the packaging machine body. The packaging machine body has a bag-making tool 20 for cylindrically forming the packaging material in order from an upstream side, a center seal device 21 for sealing both side end edges of the packaging material, a top-sealing device 22 for performing seal-cutting in a direction crossing the packaging material, and the like. The horizontal type pillow packaging machin further includes a detection sensor 30 for detecting a product inside the cylindrically formed packaging material, a function for determining a rear end position of the product after an off-delay operation for an output of the detection sensor, and a control function for controlling operations of the packaging machine body and the packaging material supply device so as to perform the seal-cutting at a set cutting position, by subtracting an amount equivalent to off-delay thereof to perform setting when setting the cutting position of the packaging material based on the determined rear end position of the product.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a horizontal pillow packaging machine.

As a horizontal pillow packaging machine for handling randomly supplied products with different lengths in the front-rear direction, the product length is detected upstream from the center sealing device, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. A product detection sensor is placed, and based on the length of the product calculated by the control device based on the data detected by the product detection sensor, the operation pattern and operation timing of the top sealer of the top sealing device, the film length required for packaging, and the length of the film required for packaging is calculated, and the operation of the top sealer is controlled based on the calculated operation pattern, operation timing, and required film length. The length of the film required for packaging at this time is the length of the product plus the length of excess material in the front and rear.

Also, for example, in the case of a product whose height changes in the front-rear direction and whose part in the front-rear direction is low or thin, the product detection sensor detects the position of the product while one product is passing through the detection position of the product detection sensor. The output may repeat ON/OFF. When such a product is included, if the output of the product detection sensor is turned off and the product length is determined by judging that it is the rear end of the product immediately, the length of the product will be shorter than the actual product length. This causes the product to get caught. Therefore, even if the output of the product detection sensor is turned off, if the output is switched to on within a certain period of time, it is determined that the product exists, and if the output remains off after a certain amount of time has passed, After judging that the product has passed completely, determine the length of the product, determine the cut length of the packaging film including the length of the excess material, and perform off-delay control such as controlling the operation of the top sealer. (See Patent Document 2, etc.).

Japanese Patent No. 5325179 Japanese Patent No. 6532511

When off-delay control is performed as described above, the product length is set by adding the off-delay to the actual product length obtained from the output of the product detection sensor. is longer by the off-delay, the cut length is longer than that of the product. As a result, excess packaging film is consumed. Also, when the packaging film is conveyed at a constant speed, it is processed as a product length longer than the actual product length by the fixed length of the packaging film that moves from the rear end of the actual product at a fixed time for off-delay control. Therefore, the shorter the product length, the longer the ratio of the extra length to the product, the smaller the ratio of the product to the package, and the product may play around in the package.

The above-mentioned problems are described as independent ones, and the present invention does not necessarily have to be able to solve all of the problems described above, and it is sufficient if at least one problem can be solved. In addition, we intend to obtain the right for the configuration to solve this problem by filing a divisional application or making an amendment.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the horizontal pillow packaging machine of the present invention provides (1) a horizontal pillow packaging machine for packaging products of different product lengths one by one, comprising: a packaging machine main body for pillow packaging; a packaging material supplying device for supplying a belt-shaped packaging material to a main body of the packaging machine, wherein the packaging machine main body includes a bag making machine for forming the packaging material into a tubular shape, and a bag making machine that forms the tubular packaging material into a tubular shape. a center seal device for sealing both side edges of the packaging material; and a top seal device arranged downstream of the center seal device for sealing and cutting the packaging material in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, detection means for detecting the product in the cylindrical packaging material; a function for determining the rear end position of the product after an off-delay operation with respect to the output of the detection means; and the determined position of the product. When setting the cutting position of the packaging material based on the trailing end position, it is set by subtracting an off-delay, and the packaging machine main body and the packaging material supply device are arranged so that the sealing and cutting are performed at the set cutting position. It has a control function to control the operation.

Even if there is a part of the product that cannot be detected by the detection means during the movement of the product due to the off-delay operation, it is correct to assume that the product exists until the rear end position of the product passes the detection means. It can be recognized, and there is no misjudgment that it is less than the actual product length. Because of the off-delay operation, the trailing edge position of the product is determined after the off-delay operation after the trailing edge position of the product passes the detection means. , seal-cut to a cut length corresponding to the length of the product, and a package having an appropriate size for the product is manufactured.

(2) When the actual rear end position of the product obtained by subtracting the off-delay portion from the determined rear end position of the product moves a predetermined distance after passing the top seal device, the top It is preferable that the position of the packaging material reaching the sealing device is set at the cutting position. In this way, regardless of the length of the product, the seal cut can be performed at a predetermined distance from the actual trailing edge of the product without including excess film length, and the film can be cut to a suitable size for the product. A thin package is produced.

(3) obtain the length of the product based on the actual rear end position of the product obtained by subtracting the off-delay from the determined rear end position of the product, and It is preferable to set the cutting position so that the length obtained by adding a predetermined length becomes the cut length. By doing so, it is possible to seal and cut with a cut length corresponding to the product length of the product.

(4) The off-delay operation conveys the packaging material for a predetermined length when the detection means fails to detect the product, and when the detection means continues to fail to detect the product during that time, the off-delay operation is performed. It is preferable to determine the rear end position of the product. Since it can be controlled by the feeding amount of the packaging material, it can be easily controlled to subtract the off-delay.

(5) A shutter device capable of restraining the forward movement of the product may be provided on the upstream side of the top seal device, and the front end of the product may be positioned by the closed shutter device. In this way, positioning can be performed easily and accurately when inserting the product.

(6) The detection means may be configured to detect different positions in the height direction. By doing so, it is possible to detect even if the height at which the part of the product that is thin enough to be detected by the detection means exists is different.

According to the present invention, packaging can be performed with a cut length that matches the length of the product. Therefore, wasteful consumption of the packaging material can be suppressed, and it is possible to prevent the package from becoming larger than the product and playing around in the product as much as possible.

1 is a front view showing a preferred embodiment of a horizontal pillow packaging machine according to the present invention; FIG. It is a figure explaining an effect|action. It is a front view showing another embodiment. Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a shutter device; FIG. 11 shows yet another embodiment of the shutter device; It is a figure explaining an effect|action. 4 is a flowchart for explaining functions; It is a front view showing another embodiment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not to be construed as being limited to this, and various changes, modifications, and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a horizontal pillow packaging machine according to the present invention. The horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 of this embodiment pillow-packages randomly supplied products 13 of different sizes. The product 13 may consist of, for example, a single article or a combination of a plurality of articles, and at least some of the products 13 of different sizes may have uncertain shapes. The products 13 having such different sizes are, for example, mail-order products in which different products are packaged for each destination, and products of the same type, such as prepared breads and various other breads, whose dimensions and shapes are different for each individual product. There are different items, and items such as a single item or a set in which an arbitrary number of the same items are arranged in front and behind as disclosed in Patent Document 2.

A product whose shape is uncertain includes, for example, a product whose height changes in the front-rear direction along the conveying direction, and whose part in the front-rear direction is low or thin. Such products are, for example, products that have irregularities in the outer shape of the product itself and have thin portions in some parts, or products that are filled with powdery material in a bag and have an irregular shape depending on the position of the powdery material. Objects are gathered at one end and thinner at the other end, and accessories are attached to the other end. be.

This horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 adjusts the cut dimension of the packaging material to match the length of the product 13 in the front-rear direction along the conveying direction of the product 13, and the packaging body has a size and shape matching the size of the product 13. to manufacture.

The horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 for sequentially packaging various products 13 as described above includes a packaging machine main body 11 and a packaging material supply device 12 that continuously supplies belt-shaped packaging materials 15 to the packaging machine main body 11, etc. Prepare. The packaging material 15 may be made of various materials such as film and paper. In this embodiment, a film that is transparent and can detect the product 13 from the outside is used.

The packaging material supply device 12 is for continuously supplying the packaging machine main body 11 with the strip-shaped packaging material 15 for wrapping the product 13 . The packaging material supply device 12 includes a rotating shaft 17 supporting an original fabric roll 16 wound with a belt-like packaging material 15 in a roll shape, and a packaging machine main body 11 which feeds the packaging material 15 continuously fed from the original fabric roll 16 . A plurality of rollers 18 (one feed roller is drawn as a representative in the figure) that constitutes a conveying path leading to the packaging material 15, and a drive motor (not shown) that provides a conveying force to the packaging material 15 (motor such as a servomotor whose speed is controllable) etc.

The packaging material 15 is stretched over rollers 18 arranged at appropriate positions, and guided to the packaging machine main body 11 through a predetermined path. The rollers 18 include a driving roller for driving the belt-shaped packaging material 15, a tension roller for applying tension, a dancer roller for eliminating slackness, and a roller for changing the conveying direction of the belt-shaped packaging material 15. There are free rollers that guide the In this example, the output of the driving motor is linked to the feed roller to draw out the packaging material 15. However, for example, the output of the driving motor is linked to the rotating shaft 17 to draw out the packaging material 15. Various modes are possible.

In this embodiment, a worker manually supplies the product 13 in the standby area to the packaging machine main body 11, and in the state of supply, the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 automatically wraps the supplied product 13 to form a package. 28 are manufactured. In this manner, the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 of this embodiment performs manual feeding and automatic packaging one by one. In order to automatically pack one product at a time in this manner, the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 operates intermittently, and when the packaging process for one product 13 is completed, it stops temporarily and waits for the next product 13 to be supplied.

The packaging machine main body 11 includes a bag making device 20 for making the packaging material 15 supplied to the carry-in side into a cylindrical bag. The bag making device 20 passes the band-shaped packaging material 15 continuously supplied from the packaging material supply device 12 to bring the both side edges of the packaging material 15 into contact with each other (overlapping) and to make the packaging material into a cylindrical shape. It is a bag.

Further, the packaging machine main body 11 includes a center sealing device 21 arranged downstream of the bag making device 20 for joining both side edges of the packaging material 15 together, and a top sealing device 21 arranged downstream of the center sealing device 21. A device 22 and an unloading conveyor 23 arranged on the downstream side of the top seal device 22 are provided. Further, although not shown, it is preferable to dispose a belt or a cross plate that constitutes a conveying path between the center sealing device 21 and the top sealing device 22 .

The center seal device 21 has two upper plates 21a arranged left and right with a predetermined interval therebetween. Both side edges of the packaging material 15 are conveyed in a state of protruding downward from the gap between the left and right upper plates 21a. Further, the center sealing device 21 includes a pair of left and right bar sealers 21b arranged below the upper plate 21a for heating both side edges of the packaging material 15, and a pair of left and right first pinchers arranged upstream of the bar sealers 21b. A roller 21c and a pair of left and right second pinch rollers 21d arranged downstream of the bar sealer 21b are provided. The pair of bar sealers 21b are configured to open and close so that the facing heating surfaces approach and separate from each other. A pair of bar sealers 21b waits in an open state so as not to heat the packaging material 15 excessively while the worker puts in the products 13. - 特許庁Then, the loading of the product 13 is completed, and the packaging material 15 is closed and heated in accordance with the timing of the start of transportation of the packaging material 15 accompanying the start of the packaging process.

The first pinch roller 21c and the second pinch roller 21d pinch both side edges of the packaging material 15 that have come into contact with each other through the bag making machine 20 with a predetermined pressure, and rotate synchronously to A conveying force is applied to the edges and thus to the packaging material 15 . The second pinch roller 21d also functions as a pressure roller that presses and cools and fuses and seals both side edges of the packaging material 15 heated by the bar sealer 21b. This sealed portion becomes the center seal portion of the package 28 .

The top sealing device 22 seals and cuts the cylindrical packaging material 15 containing the product 13 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and parallel to the conveying surface. The top sealing device 22 is provided with an upper top sealer 26 and a lower top sealer 27 on the upper and lower sides of the packaging material 15. - 特許庁The upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 have built-in heaters, and the sealing surfaces at the tips of each other are heated to a predetermined temperature. Further, for example, a cutter blade is built in the central portion of the sealing surface 26a of the upper top sealer 26 in the front-rear direction. In addition, a cutter groove is provided in the central portion of the sealing surface 27a of the lower top sealer 27 in the front-rear direction.

In this embodiment, the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 approach and separate while the sealing surfaces 26a and 27a face each other. Then, the cutter blade enters the cutter groove and cuts. Accordingly, the top sealing device 22 laterally seals and cuts a predetermined position (a portion where no product exists) of the center-sealed packaging material 15 to form a laterally extending top seal portion. As a result, the tip portion of the packaging material 15 (the portion containing the leading product 13) is separated from the subsequent packaging material 15, and the package 28 is manufactured.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance from the inlet of the bag making machine 20 to the top sealing device 22 is set to the length of one package or less (the cut length or less). The position of the top sealing device 22 may be, for example, a position where the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 sandwich and cut the packaging material 15 . In this way, only one product 13 exists in the area from the bag making device 20 to the top sealing device 22 in the packaging machine main body 11, and the next product 13 to be packaged can be easily confirmed. That is, just before the top sealing device 22, a single batch of product is placed.

The horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 of this embodiment seals and cuts the packaging material 15 with a cut length that matches the product length by the top sealing device 22 when packaging randomly supplied products 13 of different sizes. It has a function to control Therefore, in this embodiment, a detection sensor 30 for detecting the product 13 is arranged at a predetermined position on the upstream side of the top sealing device 22 and outside the conveying path of the product 13 and the packaging material 15 . The detection sensor 30 uses, for example, a transmissive or reflective photoelectric sensor, and is arranged so as to emit light toward the passage position of the product 13 and receive the transmitted light or reflected light. As a result, the sensor output is turned ON when the product 13 is irradiated with the emitted light, and the sensor output is turned OFF when the product 13 is not irradiated.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the supply of the products 13 to the packaging machine main body 11 is manually performed by the worker one by one. That is, the control device suspends the packaging material 15 by stopping the drive motor or disconnecting the output from the drive roller. In this state, the worker inserts the product 13 into the bag making machine 20 and sets the product 13 at a predetermined position inside the packaging material 15 . For setting to a predetermined position, for example, the front end of the product 13 is positioned near the front end of the packaging material 15 formed into a cylindrical bag, and the product 13 is wrapped by a worker's hand, a predetermined tool, or a pushing device. It may be inserted into the material 15 . Next, the worker operates an operation unit provided in the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 for giving an operation restart instruction. This operation may be performed by pressing a predetermined button or touching the screen.

In this embodiment, the predetermined position may be the position where the detection sensor 30 detects the product 13, that is, the position where the sensor output is turned ON. As a result, the front end of the product 13 is set at the detection position of the detection sensor 30 or the front end is positioned downstream beyond the detection sensor 30 . Then, when the control unit is operated to give the operation restart instruction and the output of the detection sensor 30 is ON, the control device restarts the operation, moves the packaging material 15, and controls the operation of the sealing device and the like. It has a function to As a result, for example, the product 13 is not fully inserted into the packaging material 15, leaving an extra space between the front end of the product 13 and the tip of the packaging material 15, or the product 13 is not supplied. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of empty bags due to erroneous operation of the operation part in the state.

When the control device receives an operation restart instruction associated with such an operation, the control device rotates the feed rollers to start conveying the packaging material 15, and also starts the operation of the packaging machine main body 11, which has been temporarily stopped due to the intermittent drive. . Then, as the packaging material 15 moves, the product 13 inside the packaging material 15 that has been formed into a cylindrical bag by the bag making device 20 is also conveyed together with the packaging material 15 .

Then, the control device performs the following control based on the output of the detection sensor 30 to manufacture the package 28 . That is, since the distance X from the detection sensor 30 to the center of the top sealing device 22, for example, the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 in the longitudinal direction is known, when the rear end position of the product 13 is detected, the control device The feeding of the packaging material 15 along with the rotation of the roller is continued until the rear end position of the product 13 passes the top sealing device 22 and the product 13 is further moved by the extra length β from the rear end position. The material 15 is sent and the transportation is temporarily stopped. As a result, the film portion upstream of the detected rear end position of the product 13 by the extra length β is positioned at the center of the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the control device controls the top sealing device 22 so that the packaging material 15 is sandwiched between the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 for sealing and cutting.

By the way, for example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the product 13 has a certain height or more in the front-rear direction, the sensor output is When it is turned off and the front end of the product 13 passes in front of the detection sensor 30, the output of the detection sensor 30 is turned on. While the product 13 is moving in front of the detection sensor 30, the output of the detection sensor 30 is continuously turned ON, and when the rear end of the product 13 passes in front of the detection sensor 30, the output is turned OFF. The output of the detection sensor 30 continues to be OFF.

As described above, in this embodiment, the operation is restarted and the packaging material 15 is fed under the condition that the detection sensor 30 detects the product 13, that is, the output of the detection sensor 30 is switched from OFF to ON. As a result, the movement of the product 13 shown in the figure includes both manual movement by the operator and movement of the packaging material 15 . This also applies to the following description.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, for example, when the product 13 is partially thin and the product 13 cannot be detected by the detection sensor 30, the output of the detection sensor 30 changes ON-OFF-ON as the product 13 moves. As shown in the figure, there is an interval in which the power supply is temporarily turned off. In the illustrated example, OFF occurs once, but depending on the shape of the product 13, when one product 13 passes, there may be multiple OFF sections.

Therefore, when the output of the detection sensor 30 is switched from ON to OFF, it is determined that the product 13 is at the rear end, and based on this, the operation of the top sealing device 22 is controlled. , the product 13 is judged to be at the trailing end in the middle, so that the top seal device 22 is jammed.

Therefore, even if the output of the detection sensor 30 switches from ON to OFF, it is not immediately turned OFF, that is, it is not determined that the trailing edge of the product 13 has passed. If the detection sensor 30 detects the product 13 and returns to ON while the packaging material 15 is being sent for the length of the delay, one product 13 continues in the previous OFF interval. Off-delay control is performed to determine that the In this way, the rear end of the product 13 can be reliably detected, and the cut position of the packaging material 15 is determined based on the detected rear end, thereby preventing the product 13 from being caught in the top sealing device 22. can.

On the other hand, when the rear end of the product 13 passes in front of the detection sensor 30, the output of the detection sensor 30 is turned off, but it is determined that the product 13 has passed until the packaging material 15 of a predetermined length corresponding to the delay is conveyed. not. Therefore, if the feeding length of the packaging material for the delay is too long, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous detection that the feeding of the predetermined length for the delay ends during the OFF section in the middle of the product 13 . The judgment of the passage of the Therefore, it is preferable to provide a function that allows the predetermined length of the delay to be changed.

As described above, since the off-delay control is performed, the position where the packaging material has been fed by the delay after the rear end of the product 13 passes the detection sensor 30 is determined as the rear end position. be done. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control device that controls the transportation of the packaging material 15 and the operation of the top sealing device 22 is the length of the off-delay from the rear end of the product 13 determined in consideration of the off-delay. The feed length of the packaging material is determined based on the actual rear end position of the product 13 after subtracting the off-delay distance, and the feed roller is controlled to rotate and stop so as to feed the packaging material by the feed length. For example, as described above, the distance X from the detection sensor 30 to the top sealing device 22 is known, and the length of the off-delay (delay distance x0) is also known. When it is detected, the rotation of the feed roller is stopped after feeding the packaging material 15 for the length of "X-x0+β" from that time, and the operation of the writing sealing device is controlled accordingly. By doing so, the cut length is suitable for the front-rear length of the actual product 13 without excess or deficiency. Note that the value of β may be a fixed value, or may be a value that varies according to the product height or the like.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, on the premise of the first embodiment described above, the shutter device 31 is provided upstream of the top seal device 22 . The shutter device 31 includes a pair of shutter plates 32 that open and close vertically and a driving mechanism (not shown) that moves the shutter plates 32 up and down. The shutter device 31 is configured such that the shutter plate 32 closes at an appropriate timing to sandwich the cylindrical packaging material 15 from above and below to block the path. As shown by the solid line in the figure, with the shutter plate 32 closed, the product 13 is supplied into the packaging material 15 and inserted until the front end of the product 13 comes into contact with the shutter plate 32 . By doing so, the positioning of the product 13 can be performed with high accuracy without variations for each product 13 . Moreover, since the product 13 can be inserted until it abuts against the shutter plate 32, the positioning can be easily performed.

Then, when the operating portion for instructing restart of operation is operated, the shutter plate 32 is opened to enter the state indicated by the two-dot chain line in the drawing, and the product 13 and the packaging material 15 are allowed to move forward. The control shown is performed, and the packaging material is seal-cut to a cut length that matches the front-rear length of the product 13, and the package 28 is manufactured.

In the above-described embodiment, the shutter device 31 has a structure including a pair of shutter plates 32 that move up and down, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be provided with upper and lower first shutter plates 33 that rotate forward and reverse within a predetermined angular range about the center. By doing so, the excess length of the packaging material 15 present on the front side of the product 13 can be obliquely slanted without being crushed. That is, since the first shutter plate 33 has an inclined shape that tapers off when closed, the finish of the package 28 is improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the first shutter plate 33, a second shutter plate 34 that rotates forward and backward within a predetermined angular range may be provided. By doing so, the side surface of the cylindrical packaging material 15 can be pushed toward the center by the second shutter plate 34 . In particular, if the position of the vertex side where the second shutter plate 34 moves is positioned further back than in FIG. .

6 and 7 show yet another embodiment. In each of the above-described embodiments, the feed amount of the packaging material 15 is controlled based on the position of the rear end of the product 13 to make the cut length appropriate. The length of the product was obtained, and the cut length was adjusted accordingly.

Since the off-delay control of this embodiment is performed based on time, for example, as shown in FIG. If the detection sensor 30 detects the product 13 and returns to ON within a certain period of time (delay time t0), it is determined that one product 13 continues in the previous OFF interval. I have to. By doing so, the rear end of the product 13 can be reliably detected, and the cut length can be determined based on the detected result, thereby preventing the product 13 from being caught in the top sealing device 22 .

The delay time t0 is set based on the maximum time during which the detection sensor 30 cannot detect the product 13 to be packaged and the OFF state continues. In addition, it is preferable that the delay time t0 has a function that allows the setting to be changed. By making it changeable, an appropriate delay time t0 can be set according to the user's situation, and the trailing edge of the product 13 can be reliably detected (the delay time t0 can be set in the middle of the product 13 passing in front of the detection sensor 30). is not falsely detected as the trailing edge).

On the other hand, when the trailing edge of the product 13 passes in front of the detection sensor 30, the output of the detection sensor 30 is turned off, but it is not determined that the product 13 has passed until the delay time t0 elapses. Therefore, if the delay time t0 is too long, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous detection in which the delay time t0 elapses in the middle of the product 13, but the determination of the passage of the product 13 is delayed, which may affect subsequent control. There is By providing a function that allows the delay time t0 to be changed, the occurrence of such a situation can be suppressed.

As described above, since off-delay processing is performed, the trailing edge position of the product 13 is detected after the delay time t0 has elapsed since the trailing edge of the product 13 passed in front of the detection sensor 30 . Therefore, after the detection sensor 30 is turned on and the front end of the product 13 is detected, the product length A determined by adding the off-delay time t0 is longer than the actual product length B before and after the product 13. It is lengthened by the length that the product 13 moves during the elapse of t0. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control device that controls the transportation of the packaging material 15 and the operation of the top sealing device 22 obtains the length obtained by subtracting the off-delay from the product length A obtained by the off-delay control, and calculates the actual length. The product length is set to B, and a value obtained by adding an extra length α to the product length B is obtained to obtain a cut length L. control behavior. That is, for example, the packaging material 15 is conveyed by the cut length L after being sealed and cut the previous time, and the upper top sealer 26 moves a position separated by the cut length L from the tip of the cylindrical packaging material 15 that was previously sealed and cut. and the lower top sealer 27 to seal and cut.

The function of the control device for obtaining the cut length L may operate, for example, as shown in the flow chart shown in FIG. In this example, the output of the detection sensor 30 is given to the control device. As described above, the detection sensor 30 outputs OFF when the product 13 cannot be detected, and outputs ON when the product 13 is detected. Even when the product 13 passes in front of the detection sensor 30, if the light does not hit the product 13 due to its outer shape, for example, being low or thin, OFF is output.

Also in this embodiment, the control device first stops the drive motor or cuts off the connection of the output to the drive roller to temporarily stop the packaging material 15 . In this state, the worker inserts the product 13 into the bag making machine 20 and sets the product 13 at a predetermined position inside the packaging material 15 . For setting to a predetermined position, for example, the front end of the product 13 is positioned near the front end of the packaging material 15 formed into a cylindrical bag, and the product 13 is wrapped by a worker's hand, a predetermined tool, or a pushing device. It may be inserted into the material 15 . Next, the worker operates an operation unit provided in the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 for giving an operation restart instruction. This operation may be performed by pressing a predetermined button or touching the screen.

In the present embodiment, the predetermined position is a position where the detection sensor 30 detects the product 13 and the output is turned ON. I try not to. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a notification function is provided to indicate that the detection sensor 30 has detected the front end of the product 13 . As a result, the worker knows that the front end of the product 13 has reached the position of the detection sensor 30, and stops pushing the product 13 any further. That is, the predetermined position is the position where the front end of the product 13 reaches the detection position of the detection sensor 30 . The notification function can take various forms, for example, outputting a predetermined sound or lighting a predetermined lamp when the function is switched from OFF to ON.

Upon receipt of an operation restart instruction associated with such an operation, the control device starts conveying the packaging material 15 and also starts the operation of the packaging machine main body 11, which has been temporarily stopped due to intermittent driving. Then, as the packaging material 15 moves, the product 13 inside the packaging material 15 that has been formed into a cylindrical bag by the bag making device 20 is also conveyed together with the packaging material 15 .

At this time, the control device starts a time counter (t1) to start measuring the movement time of the product 13 (S1). The value of t1 may be reset to 0 when measurement is started, or may be set to 0 at an appropriate timing such as when the previous packaging process is completed.

After the time counter starts to measure, the output of the detection sensor 30 is monitored to determine, for example, whether it is ON (S2). Since the ON signal continues while the detection sensor 30 continues to detect the product 13, S2 is looped. Then, when the output of the detection sensor 30 is turned off (S2=No), the control device starts a timer for off-delay control (S3). Then, the control device monitors the output of the detection signal again and judges, for example, whether it is ON (S4). If the output is OFF (S4=No), the control device determines whether the timer has timed out, that is, whether the delay time t0 has elapsed since the timer was started in S3 (S5).

If the time has not expired (S5=No), the control device returns to S4 and monitors the output of the detection sensor 30. FIG. Then, when the output of the detection sensor 30 is turned ON (S4=Yes), the control device resets the timer (S6) and returns to S2 to monitor the output of the detection sensor 30. FIG. As a result, even if the output of the detection sensor 30 is once turned OFF, if it returns to ON within a certain period of time (set delay time: t0), the time for measuring the moving time of the product 13 passing in front of the detection sensor 30 is detected. The counter continues to count, and it is determined that one product 13 continues to exist.

On the other hand, for example, when the rear end of the product 13 finishes passing in front of the detection sensor 30, the output of the detection sensor 30 continues to be OFF. In such a situation, the branch judgment of S2 becomes No and the process proceeds to S3, and the timer of the delay time t0 is started. Since the output of the detection sensor 30 continues to be OFF, the branch judgment of S4 continues to be No, and the loop of S4 and S5 continues until the time expires, ie, the delay time t0 elapses, and the time expires (S5=Yes). and proceed to S7.

Then, the control device acquires the time counter value t1 when the time is up, subtracts the delay time t0 from it, and obtains the movement time t during which the product 13 actually passes in front of the detection sensor 30. FIG. Then, the controller calculates the actual product length B of the product 13 by multiplying the obtained actual travel time t by the travel speed v of the packaging material 15, and adds the extra length α to the cut length L ( =t*v+α).

Then, the control device controls the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 so that the cut length becomes L (S8). That is, the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 of the top sealing device 22 are kept apart from each other at a predetermined position, and the film portion of the cut length L from the leading end of the cylindrical packaging material 15 is placed on the opposite upper side. The upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 move close to each other in accordance with the timing of reaching the positions of the top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27, sandwich the film part from above and below, and heat it at a predetermined pressure. Then, the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27 sandwich the packaging material 15 and move to the downstream side in accordance with the movement of the packaging material 15 while keeping the packaging material 15 pressed and heated. A packaging body 28 which is separated from the packaging material 15 and encloses the product 13 is manufactured. After that, the control device temporarily stops the transportation of the packaging material 15, separates the upper top sealer 26 and the lower top sealer 27, and moves them upstream to the standby position.

In this embodiment, the cut length L is obtained by adding the extra length α corresponding to the front and rear film portions of the product necessary for top sealing to the actual product length B, so the length of the product 13 to be included is set. The packaging material 15 can be cut to an appropriate length that is not too much or too little for the product 13, and the wasteful use of the packaging material 15 can be suppressed. can be manufactured.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the off-delay control is processed by a program in the control device. , the controller obtains the ON duration of the output of the off-delay timer, and performs the processing of S8 and S9 shown in FIG. Further, a detection sensor having an off-delay function may be used, and various measures can be taken. However, if the off-delay function is executed by software as in the present embodiment, the delay time can be easily changed and adjusted with high accuracy.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the front end of the product 13 is already positioned at the detection position of the detection sensor 30 in a state where the product 13 is manually fed and set at a predetermined position, and the entire section of the product 13 from the restart of operation is Although detection is made by the detection sensor 30, for example, the front end of the product 13 may go downstream from the detection position of the detection sensor 30, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 may be executed from the middle of the product 13. . In this case, the length from the reference position where the front end of the hand-fed product 13 is located to the installation position of the detection sensor 30 is obtained, and when the cut length L is obtained, the length should be added. When the front end of the product 13 is located in front of the detection sensor 30 as the reference position, the distance from the detection sensor 30 to the reference position should be constant. For example, it is preferable to provide the various shutter devices described above and push the product until it hits the shutter device. Since other configurations and effects are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, etc., detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the above-described embodiment, since the packaging material 15 is made of a transparent film, the detection sensor 30 is also arranged outside the packaging material 15. However, the packaging material 15 is made of an opaque material such as paper. In this case, the detection sensor may be arranged inside the packaging material 15 formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, and configured to detect the product 13 inside the packaging material 15 .

In the above-described embodiment, the length (cut length L) is obtained by adding the extra length α to the product length B of the product 13, and the horizontal pillow packaging machine 10 such as the top seal device 22 and the transportation of the packaging material 15 However, the control considering the offset is not limited to this. For example, the off-delay length (delay time * movement By correcting the position to the downstream side by the speed), the actual rear end position of the product 13 is obtained, and the top sealing device 22 seals the packaging material at the timing when the rear end position reaches a predetermined position downstream from the top sealing device 22. 15 should be seal cut.

Further, instead of providing one detection sensor 30, for example, a plurality of light emitting units 30a may be arranged vertically at the same position in the conveying direction, and a plurality of light receiving units corresponding to the plurality of light emitting units 30a may be arranged (Fig. 4). The detection sensor 30 having a plurality of light-emitting portions and light-receiving portions in this way should preferably output an ON signal when detecting a product when even one output based on the plurality of light-receiving portions is ON. By doing so, it becomes easy to detect a product that has a portion having a relatively thin portion or a low portion, and that the thin portion exists at any position in the vertical direction. If the time during which the OFF is output while the product 13 is passing is shortened, the delay time can be shortened.

Further, the detection sensor is not limited to the one that detects the product 13 from the side as in each of the above-described embodiments. Various things can be used, such as determining that there is no product if the value is less than or equal to the value.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the extra length α and extra length β are set to predetermined fixed values even for products 13 having different product lengths, but a function to change them according to the product 13 is provided. may When changing, for example, a function for detecting the height of the product 13 may be provided, and the values of α and β may be changed and added based on the height.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above using embodiments, these embodiments and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but rather to aid understanding of the present invention. Note that it is provided. The scope of the invention is not limited to the constructions or methods of manufacture explicitly described herein, but rather includes within its scope combinations of the various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. While the claimed features of the invention are identified in the appended claims, any configuration not presently specified in the claims is disclosed herein. For the sake of clarity, it is possible that such a configuration may be claimed in the future.

10: Horizontal pillow packaging machine 11: Packaging machine main body 12: Packaging material supply device 13: Product 15: Packaging material 16: Original fabric roll 17: Rotating shaft 18: Roller 20: Bag making machine 21: Center sealing device 22: Top seal Device 23 : Unloading conveyor 26 : Upper top sealer 27 : Lower top sealer 28 : Package 30 : Detection sensor 31 : Shutter device

Claims (6)

A horizontal pillow packaging machine for packaging products of different product lengths one by one,
A packaging machine main body for pillow packaging,
a packaging material supply device that supplies a belt-shaped packaging material to the packaging machine main body;
with
The packaging machine main body includes a bag making machine for forming the packaging material into a tubular shape, a center seal device for sealing both side edges of the packaging material formed into a tubular shape by the bag making machine, and a center seal for the center seal. a top sealing device arranged downstream of the device for sealing and cutting the packaging material in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction;
detection means for detecting a product in the tubular packaging material;
a function of determining the rear end position of the product after an off-delay operation with respect to the output of the detection means;
When setting the cutting position of the packaging material based on the determined rear end position of the product, the packaging machine sets the cutting position by subtracting an off-delay, and performs the sealing/cutting at the set cutting position. A horizontal pillow packaging machine having a control function for controlling the operation of the main body and the packaging material supply device. When the actual rear end position of the product obtained by subtracting the off-delay portion from the determined rear end position of the product moves a predetermined distance after passing the top seal device, the top seal device 2. The horizontal pillow packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the position of the packaging material is set at the cutting position. The length of the product is obtained based on the actual rear end position of the product obtained by subtracting the off-delay from the determined rear end position of the product, and a predetermined length is added to the obtained length of the product. 2. The horizontal pillow packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said cutting position is set so that the length obtained by adding . In the off-delay operation, when the detection means cannot detect the product, the packaging material for a predetermined length is conveyed. 4. The horizontal pillow packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the end position is determined. A shutter device capable of suppressing forward movement of the product is provided on the upstream side of the top seal device,
5. The horizontal pillow packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front end of the product is positioned by the closed shutter device. 6. The horizontal pillow packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection means is configured to detect different positions in the height direction.

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