JP2023068699A - Sealing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a packing bag from becoming disabled from being sealed by a wrinkle being generated at a peripheral portion of an opening of the packing bag.SOLUTION: A sealing device 30 includes: first and second blocks 31 and 32, at least one of which is movable toward the other, supported parallel to each other, extending in a longitudinal direction along a heat-weldable opening of a packing bag and capable of holding a peripheral portion of the opening of the packing bag by sandwiching the same; and a heater 33 provided on the second block 32 side of the first block 31 to heat-weld and seal the peripheral portion of the opening of the packing bag. The second block 32 is provided with flange portions 32c and 32d protruding outwardly at the end portions in the width direction of the first block 31 side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealing device that is used in a vacuum packaging machine or the like and that seals the opening peripheral portion of a packaging bag to seal the packaging bag.

Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of a sealing device used in a vacuum packaging machine. The sealing device includes a first block provided in the lower part of the chamber so as to be movable up and down, a second block provided in the upper part of the chamber, and a heat-sealable block provided on the upper surface of the first block. A heater is provided for sealing the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag by heat welding. When the packaging bag is sealed by the vacuum packaging machine, the opening edge of the packaging bag is placed on the upper side of the first block in the chamber, and after the inside of the chamber is evacuated and decompressed by the vacuum pump, the lifting cylinder is placed. When the support shaft supporting the first block is lifted by , the first block rises to a position where it presses against the second block. The peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag placed on the upper side of the first block is held between the first and second blocks, the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag is heat-sealed by heating with a heater, and the packaging bag is removed. sealed in an airtight state.

JP 2018-47947 A

In this sealing device for a vacuum packaging machine, the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag is placed on the upper side of the first block provided in the lower part of the chamber so as to be movable up and down, and the first block is placed on the second block. By moving up to the pressing position, the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag is held between the first block and the second block. When the packaging bag is sandwiched between the first and second blocks in a wrinkled state at the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag, when the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag is sealed by heat welding with a heater, the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag may be damaged. Gaps may occur in the heat-sealed parts and the packaging bag may not be sealed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent a packaging bag from becoming unsealable due to wrinkles in the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, at least one is supported parallel to the other so as to be movable toward the other, and the direction along the opening of the heat-sealable packaging bag is the longitudinal direction and extends along the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. A sealing device comprising first and second blocks that can be sandwiched and held, and a heater that is provided on the second block side of the first block and seals the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag by heat-sealing, The sealing device is characterized in that the second block is provided with a flange portion protruding outward from at least one end in the width direction of the first block.

In the sealing device configured as described above, the second block is provided with a flange portion projecting outward from at least one end in the width direction of the first block. When the opening peripheral portion of the heat-sealable packaging bag is arranged between the first or second blocks and at least one of the first and second blocks is moved so that the first and second blocks approach each other, The flange portion of the second block presses the outer position in the width direction of the first and second blocks away from the first and second blocks from the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag sandwiched by the first and second blocks. . As a result, the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the first and second blocks is pulled in a direction away from the first and second blocks, and the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the first and second blocks is pulled. Even if there are wrinkles, they can be removed, and it is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to wrinkles in the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag.

In the sealing device configured as described above, it is preferable that the flange portion is inclined outward when approaching the first block side. In this case, when at least one of the first and second blocks is moved so that the first and second blocks approach each other, the flange portion moves toward the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag from the far side. The packaging bag is pulled outward and pressed. As a result, when the first and second blocks approach each other, the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the first and second blocks is gradually pulled from the outside, and the package sandwiched between the first and second blocks is pulled. Even if there are wrinkles around the opening edge of the bag, they can be removed more easily, and it is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to wrinkles at the opening edge of the packaging bag.

In the sealing device configured as described above, it is preferable to provide the flange portions at both ends in the width direction of the second block. When this is done, the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag is pulled outward on both sides of the first and second blocks, and even if the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the first and second blocks is wrinkled. It becomes even easier to remove, and it is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to wrinkles in the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag. In this case, it is preferable to make the widthwise length of the flange portion arranged on the bottom side opposite to the opening of the packaging bag longer than the widthwise length of the flange portion arranged on the opening side of the packaging bag. preferable. The length to the bottom side opposite to the opening is longer than the length from the opening edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the first and second blocks to the opening of the packaging bag, making it easy to pull. Since the widthwise length of the flange portion arranged on the bottom side of the packaging bag is longer than the widthwise length of the flange portion arranged on the opening side, the packaging is sandwiched between the first and second blocks. Wrinkles entering the peripheral edge of the opening of the bag are particularly pulled toward the bottom side of the packaging bag and are easily removed. can.

1 is a perspective view of a vacuum packaging machine using the sealing device of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state in which the chamber cover of FIG. 1 is opened; FIG. It is an AA sectional view. It is the perspective view (a) seen from the rear side of the front part of the casing, and the perspective view (b) seen from the rear side with the operation box cover removed from (a). It is the perspective view which looked at the rear part of the casing from the front side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the chamber cover in FIG. 2 as viewed from below; FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view showing a pin plate, an upper block, and a swelling detection plate moved obliquely downward from a chamber cover; FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view of the pin plate moved obliquely downward from the chamber cover; 1 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum packaging machine; FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view along the left-right direction at a position where the lifting cylinder is arranged; It is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view along the front-rear direction at the position of the right side of the vacuum packaging machine. It is a block diagram of a control device. 4 is a flow chart showing a normal packaging program for sealing the rim of the opening of the packaging bag in a degassed state; FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view before the lower block is moved upward, and a partially enlarged vertical cross-sectional view when the lower block is moved to the upper block;

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the sealing device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings by a vacuum packaging machine using the sealing device. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the vacuum packaging machine 10 using the sealing device seals the opening periphery of the packaging bag housed in the chamber 20 with the sealing device 30, thereby closing the packaging bag. The chamber 20 is evacuated by a vacuum pump 40 to create a negative pressure, and the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag accommodated in the chamber 20 is sealed by the sealing device 30. By sealing the packaging bag in a degassed state, the object to be packaged is vacuum-packaged.

The vacuum packaging machine 10 includes a chamber 20 provided in the upper part of the casing 11, a sealing device 30 for sealing the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag accommodated in the chamber 20, and a chamber 20 in the lower part of the casing 11. A vacuum pump 40 for degassing and creating a negative pressure, and an expansion detection unit 60 for detecting expansion of the packaging bag accommodated in the chamber 20 are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the casing 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open upper side, a base plate 12 forming a bottom wall and on which devices such as a vacuum pump 40 are installed, and a base plate 12 above the base plate 12. A U-shaped front part 13 that is open to the rear in plan view and constitutes the front wall and left and right side wall front parts, and a rear part that is open to the front side in plan view and forms the rear wall and left and right side wall rear parts above the base plate 12. A part 17 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an operation panel 71 is provided on the front surface of the front wall of the front part 13, and as shown in FIG. An operation box 14 for housing the board and a relay box 16 for housing the board of the relay circuit are provided. A switching regulator 14 a is provided inside the operation box 14 , and the switching regulator 14 a is attached inside the operation box 14 by a base 15 . The base 15 is formed by bending one sheet metal member, and an arm portion 15a extending upward from the upper portion is fixed to the upper portion of the operation box 14 with a screw 15b, and the lower portion extends downward. The arm portion 15c is fixed to the lower portion of the operation box 14 with screws 15d.

An operation box cover 14c is provided at the rear opening 14b of the operation box 14, and the rear opening 14b of the operation box 14 is closed by the operation box cover 14c so as to be freely opened and closed. The operation box cover 14c is fixed to the upper part of the operation box 14 by screws 14d, and is fixed to the lower part of the operation box 14 together with the lower part of the base 15 by screws 15d that fix the lower part of the base 15 to the lower part of the operation box 14. . Since the upper and lower portions of the operation box cover 14c are fixed to the operation box 14 by screws 14d and 15d, most of the operation box cover 14c can be provided with the mesh 14e, thereby increasing the ventilation inside the operation box 14. can be used to reduce the temperature. In addition, since the relay box cover 16a that closes the rear and side openings of the relay box 16 is fixed to the side of the relay box 16 and the operation box cover 14c with screws 16b, the relay box cover 16a may swell due to heat. A gap is less likely to occur with the operation box 14. - 特許庁

As shown in FIG. 5, the side wall and the rear wall of the rear part 17 are provided with exhaust ports 17a formed of elongated holes extending left and right for discharging the hot air discharged from the vacuum pump 40 in a plurality of horizontal and vertical rows. It is provided in multiple steps. Since the upper portion of the casing 11 is provided with a heavy chamber 20, the strength of the rear wall of the rear part 17 must be increased. A reinforcing member 18 is provided on the front surface of the rear wall of the rear part 17 in which a large number of exhaust ports 17a are formed. The strength of the rear wall of 17 is increased. Further, since the reinforcing member 18 is not arranged at a position that disturbs the flow of the hot air discharged from the vacuum pump 40, the hot air discharged from the vacuum pump 40 becomes a turbulent flow and is difficult to be discharged from the exhaust port 17a.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a chamber 20 is provided in the upper portion of the casing 11, and the chamber 20 is a closed space for accommodating a packaging bag (shown by two-dot chain lines only in FIGS. 3 and 14). S is formed. The chamber 20 includes a chamber base 21 provided on the upper portion of the casing 11 and a chamber cover 22 supported above the chamber base 21 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. In the chamber 20, a space formed by closing the upper side of the chamber base 21 with the chamber cover 22 so as to be openable and closable is used as a closed space S for accommodating the packaging bag.

As shown in FIG. 2, the chamber base 21 is formed by pressing a sheet metal member such as stainless steel into a shallow box shape with an open upper surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the front portion of the chamber base 21 is formed with a shallow bottom portion 21a that is shallower than the other portions, and the portion of the chamber base 21 excluding the front portion is a deep bottom portion 21b. . A lower block (first block) 31 constituting a sealing device 30, which will be described later, is provided above the shallow bottom portion 21a of the chamber base 21 so as to be vertically movable.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chamber cover 22 closes the upper opening of the chamber base 21 so as to be openable and closable, and forms a closed space S between itself and the chamber base 21 to accommodate the packaging bag. there is The chamber cover 22 is a lid made by molding a transparent resin material such as pressure-resistant polycarbonate. The rear end portion of the chamber cover 22 is pivotally supported by the rear end portion of the casing 11 so as to be rotatable about the horizontal axis, and the front portion of the chamber cover 22 is rotatable up and down. As shown in FIG. 1, the chamber cover 22 is in a closed position that closes the top opening of the chamber base 21 when it is in the horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 6, when the front portion of the chamber cover 22 is rotated upward, the chamber cover 22 is tilted to an open position where the upper surface of the chamber base 21 is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, a rubber packing 23 is provided as a sealing member on the periphery of the lower surface of the chamber cover 22. The packing 23 closes the chamber cover 22 to the closed position. Then, the space between the chamber base 21 and the chamber cover 22 is airtightly sealed. As shown in FIG. 3, a gas spring 24 is provided in the rear portion of the casing 11, and the gas spring 24 biases the chamber cover 22 to the open position shown in FIGS. A stopper 25 is provided at the front end portion of the right side surface of the casing 11 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. It has the ability to prevent movement.

As shown in FIG. 9, an open/close detector 26 for detecting the open/closed state of the chamber cover 22 is provided at the rear portion of the casing 11 . The open/close detector 26 uses a proximity switch such as a reed switch, and a magnet 27 is provided at the rear of the chamber cover 22 so that the open/close detector 26 detects that the chamber cover 22 is closed. When the chamber cover 22 is in the closing position to close the upper opening of the chamber base 21, the magnet 27 approaches the open/close detector 26, and the open/close detector 26 outputs an ON signal by the magnet 27 in proximity to indicate the closed state. detect. When the chamber cover 22 is in the open position to open the top opening of the chamber base 21, the magnet 27 is separated from the open/close detector 26, and the open/close detector 26 outputs an off signal by the separated magnet 27, thereby indicating the open state. detect.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a pin plate 28 is provided on the lower front surface of the chamber cover 22 for supporting the upper block 32 of the sealing device 30 and the bulge detection plate 61 of the bulge detector 60, which will be described later. The pin plate 28 is adhered to the lower front surface of the chamber cover 22 with double-sided tape 28a. An engagement protrusion 22a is formed on the lower front surface of the chamber cover 22 and protrudes downward at a position where the pin plate 28 is fixed. 28b. The pin plate 28 is positioned on the lower front surface of the chamber cover 22 by engaging the engaging protrusion 22a with the engaging hole 28b. A clip ring 28c functioning as a retaining member is provided around the engaging hole 28b of the pin plate 28, and the pin plate 28 can be It is prevented from coming off from the chamber cover 22. - 特許庁By fitting the clip ring 28c to the engaging protrusion 22a of the chamber cover 22 in this manner, the pin plate 28 does not separate from the lower front surface of the chamber cover 22 even when the adhesive function of the double-sided tape 28a deteriorates. become. Further, since no bolt insertion holes are formed in the chamber cover 22 for fixing the pin plate 28, no weld lines are generated around the bolt insertion holes when the chamber cover 22 is injection molded. Strength can be increased.

A support protrusion 28d is provided on the lower surface of the pin plate 28, and an upper block 32 is detachably attached to the support protrusion 28d. A support bracket 28e is provided on the lower surface of the pin plate 28 behind the support protrusion 28d, and a bulge detection plate 61 is detachably attached to the support bracket 28e.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, a sealing device 30 is provided in front of the chamber 20 . The sealing device 30 seals the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag housed in the chamber 20 by thermal welding to seal the packaging bag. The sealing devices 30 are supported parallel to each other with at least one of them movable toward the other, and extend longitudinally in the direction along the opening of the heat-sealable packaging bag to hold the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. It has possible lower and upper blocks (first and second blocks) 31,32. In the sealing device 30 of this embodiment, a lower block 31 arranged on the lower side is movably supported toward an upper block 32 arranged on the upper side. The lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 are arranged parallel to each other and extend in the left-right direction along the opening of the packaging bag.

The lower block 31 is made of an aluminum square pipe member extending in the left-right direction, and is detachably supported on the upper side of the shallow bottom portion 21a of the chamber base 21 so as to be vertically movable. A strip-shaped heater 33 made of nichrome material and extending in the horizontal direction is provided on the upper surface of the lower block 31 . The lower block 31 is provided with a bracket 31a on the side in the width direction, which is the bottom side (closed side) of the packaging bag. It has an L shape. An adjacent portion of the opening edge of the packaging bag placed on the lower block 31 can be placed on the upper surface of the bracket 31a, and the opening edge of the packaging bag is placed only on the upper surface of the lower block 31. It comes to be placed in a wider area than it is. It is preferable to provide a lightly adhesive tape on the upper surface of the bracket 31a to adhere the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag with a light adhesive force. .

The upper block 32 includes a horizontally elongated box-shaped frame portion 32a with an open bottom, and a block body 32b provided in the frame portion 32a and made of a flexible elastic member such as silicone rubber. It is detachably attached to a support protrusion 28d of a pin plate 28 provided on the lower front surface of the. In addition, the frame portion 32a is provided with flange portions 32c and 32d projecting outward at both ends in the width direction. It has the function of removing wrinkles on the part. Moreover, the flange portions 32c and 32d are slanted so as to separate outward when approaching the lower block 31 side.

The front flange portion 32c is arranged on the opening side of the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, and the rear flange portion 32d is sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32. It is arranged on the bottom side of the packaging bag, which is on the opposite side of the opening from the opening peripheral edge of the bag. The length from the opening edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 to the opening of the packaging bag is longer than the length to the bottom side opposite to the opening, making it easy to pull. For this reason, the widthwise length of the flange portion 32d arranged on the bottom side of the packaging bag is made longer than the widthwise length of the flange portion 32c arranged on the opening side. Creases entering the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 are easily removed by being pulled toward the bottom side of the packaging bag by the flange portion 32d, and wrinkles are formed on the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. It is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to the entry of

When the lower block 31 moves upward to approach the upper block 32, the flanges 32c and 32d move downward and upward from the opening edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32. 32 is pressed in a direction away from the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32. As shown in FIG. The peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 is pulled away from the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 and sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32. Even if wrinkles are present at the opening edge of the packaging bag, they can be removed. In addition, since the flanges 32c and 32d are slanted so as to separate outward when approaching the lower block 31 side, when the lower block 31 approaches the upper block 32, the flanges 32c and 32d move toward the packing bag. The packaging bag is pressed from the farther side to the closer side to the opening peripheral edge. As a result, when the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 approach each other, the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 is gradually pulled from the outside. Even if there are wrinkles on the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the two, they can be removed more easily. In this state, when the heater 33 is energized to generate heat, the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 is thermally welded and sealed without gaps, and the packaging bag is opened. It is possible to prevent the seal from being unsealed due to wrinkling of the periphery.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, a pair of left and right elevating mechanisms 34 for vertically elevating the lower block 31 is provided on the lower surface of the shallow bottom portion 21a of the chamber base 21. As shown in FIGS. Each elevating mechanism 34 includes a support shaft 35 passing through a through hole 21c in the bottom wall of the shallow bottom portion 21a of the chamber base 21, and an elevating cylinder 36 for moving the support shaft 35 up and down. The elevating cylinder 36 protrudes upward from the shallow bottom portion 21a through a cylindrical main body portion 36a provided below the shallow bottom portion 21a and a through hole 21c formed in the shallow bottom portion 21a at the upper portion of the main body portion 36a. It has a male threaded portion 36b and a mounting nut 36c that is threadedly engaged with the male threaded portion 36b to mount the main body portion 36a to the shallow bottom portion 21a. The elevating cylinder 36 is attached to the shallow bottom portion 21a of the chamber base 21 by screwing a mounting nut 36c onto the male threaded portion 36b.

A packing 21d is provided around the mounting nut 36c and the through hole 21c of the shallow bottom portion 21a, and the packing 21d airtightly seals the space between the mounting nut 36c and the shallow bottom portion 21a. As a result, it is possible to prevent leakage of air from the through hole 21c, prevent deterioration of the ability to deaerate the inside of the chamber 20, and prevent water spilled from the packaging bag from flowing into the lifting cylinder 36. be able to.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a collar portion 37 is provided in the axially intermediate portion of the support shaft 35, and the collar portion 37 is located inside the body portion 36a of the lifting cylinder 36 (hereinafter referred to as the lifting cylinder 36). ) is airtightly separated into an upper space 36d and a lower space 36e. A spring member 38 is interposed around the outer periphery of the support shaft 35 in the upper space 36d within the body portion 36a of the lifting cylinder 36, and the spring member 38 urges the support shaft 35 downward via the collar portion 37. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, a vacuum pump 40 is provided at the bottom inside the casing 11 . The vacuum pump 40 mainly sucks the inside of the chamber 20 , evacuates the air in the closed space S inside the chamber 20 , and sucks the inside of the chamber 20 under a negative pressure. The vacuum pump 40 is a positive displacement type vacuum pump that uses oil to reduce airtightness and dead space between parts such as rotors, stators and blades.

As shown in FIG. 9, a suction pipe (suction path) 41 that connects a vacuum pump 40 and the chamber 20 is provided in the casing 11, and a vacuum valve 42 is interposed in the suction pipe 41. . The air in the chamber 20 can be sucked by the vacuum pump 40 by opening the vacuum valve 42 . An outside air introduction pipe 43 for introducing outside air is connected to the suction pipe 41 between the chamber 20 and the vacuum valve 42. The outside air introduction pipe 43 has a first pipe portion 43a and a second pipe branched from the first pipe portion 43a. 2 tube portion 43b. First and second outside air introduction valves 44 and 45 for opening and closing the first and second pipe portions 43a and 43b are interposed. The first outside air introduction valve 44 has a larger diameter than the second outside air introduction valve 45. When the first outside air introduction valve 44 is opened, the outside air is quickly introduced into the chamber 20, and the second outside air introduction valve 45 is closed. When opened, outside air is introduced into the chamber 20 more slowly than when the first outside air introduction valve 44 is opened.

A pressure detection pipe 46 is connected to the suction pipe 41 through the first pipe portion 43 a of the outside air introduction pipe 43 , and the pressure detection pipe 46 is provided with a vacuum sensor 47 for detecting the pressure in the chamber 20 . When the inside of the chamber 20 is not degassed by the vacuum pump 40, the pressure inside the chamber 20 detected by the vacuum sensor 47 is 100 kPa (abs), which is the same as the atmospheric pressure, and the degree of vacuum at this time is 0%. When the vacuum pump 40 evacuates the inside of the chamber 20 to a negative pressure and the pressure inside the chamber detected by the vacuum sensor 47 is 0 kPa (abs), the degree of vacuum is 100%. Although the pressure inside the chamber 20 is directly detected by the vacuum sensor 47 , the pressure detected by the vacuum sensor 47 is replaced with the degree of vacuum P inside the chamber 20 in this specification.

A cylinder pipe 48 branches from between the vacuum pump 40 and the vacuum valve 42 to the suction pipe 41 , and the cylinder pipe 48 is connected to the upper space 36 d of the lift cylinder 36 . A three-way valve 49 is interposed in the cylinder pipe 48. Two ports of the three-way valve 49 are connected to the vacuum pump 40 side and the lifting cylinder 36 side of the cylinder pipe 48, and the remaining one port of the three-way valve 49 is connected to outside air. open to the side. When the vacuum pump 40 side of the three-way valve 49 and the lifting cylinder 36 side are in communication with each other and the vacuum pump 40 is operated, the pressure in the upper space 36 d of the lifting cylinder 36 becomes negative, and the support shaft 35 resists the biasing force of the spring member 38 . and rise. When the lift cylinder 36 side and the outside air side of the three-way valve 49 are communicated, the upper space 36d of the lift cylinder 36 is no longer negatively pressured, and the support shaft 35 is lowered by the biasing force of the spring member 38.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a guide table 50 is provided at the front of the chamber base 21 to guide the bottom of the packaging bag on the closing side, which is the side opposite to the opening, to the upper surface of the deep bottom portion 21b of the chamber base 21. It is The guide table 50 includes a first guide plate 51 provided immediately behind the adjacent lower block 31 at the shallow bottom portion 21 a of the chamber base 21 , and guides from the first guide plate 51 to the deep bottom portion 21 b of the chamber base 21 . A second guide plate 52 is provided. As shown in FIG. 11, the first guide plate 51 includes a base portion 51a provided on the upper surface of the shallow bottom portion 21a of the chamber base 21 and a rear end of the base portion 51a which is inclined upward toward the upper portion of the lower block 31. and an inclined surface portion 51b that rises. The base portion 51a is formed with an arc-shaped engaging recess that engages with the mounting nut 36c of the lifting cylinder 36. The engaging recess engages the mounting nut 36c so that the first guide plate 51 can move horizontally. movement is restricted. Engagement protrusions 51c are formed on both left and right ends of the first guide plate 51 to protrude in a substantially L-shape and engage with the rear surface and the lower surface of the lower block 31. The first guide plate 51 has an engagement protrusion. 51c engages the rear surface and the lower surface of the lower block 31 to restrict upward and rearward movement.

A mounting recess (not shown) is formed in the upper portion and the middle portion in the vertical direction of the inclined surface portion 51b of the first guide plate 51, and a mounting hook 52a formed in the upper end portion of the second guide plate 52 is attached to the mounting recess. Removably engaged. When the mounting hooks 52a of the second guide plate 52 are engaged with the upper mounting recesses, the second guide plate 52 has a steeper slope than when the mounting hooks 52a are engaged with the lower mounting recesses. is laid on the deep bottom portion 21 b of the chamber base 21 . On the other hand, when the mounting hooks 52a of the second guide plate 52 are engaged with the lower mounting recesses, the second guide plate 52 has a gentler slope than when the mounting hooks 52a are engaged with the upper mounting recesses. , is suitable for laying a large packaging bag on the deep bottom portion 21b of the chamber base 21. - 特許庁

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the chamber 20 is provided with a bulge detector 60 for detecting bulge of the contained packaging bag. The bulge detection unit 60 is fixed to a bulge detection plate 61 which is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis by a support bracket 28e of a pin plate 28 provided on the lower front part of the chamber cover 22, and to the rear end of the bulge detection plate 61. A magnet 62 and a bulge detector 63 comprising a proximity switch such as a reed switch for detecting the position of the bulge detection plate 61 via the magnet 62 are provided.

Like the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, the bulge detection plate 61 has a strip shape extending in the left-right direction. The bulge detection plate 61 is arranged on the lower surface of the chamber cover 22 immediately behind the upper block 32 and adjacent to the upper block 32. The front pivotal end of the plate 61 rotates around the horizontal axis so that the free end of the rear side moves up and down. supported as possible. A magnet 62 is fixed to the rear end of the left end portion of the bulge detection plate 61 , and the magnet 62 moves up and down as the bulge detection plate 61 rotates. When the packaging bag accommodated in the chamber 20 is not inflated, the bulge detection plate 61 is tilted obliquely downward, and the magnet 62 at the rear end of the bulge detection plate 61 is positioned at the bottom (lower position) in the chamber 20. . When the packaging bag accommodated in the chamber 20 is inflated, the bulge detection plate 61 is lifted by the inflated packaging bag and rotated, and the magnet 62 at the rear end of the bulge detection plate 61 is positioned at the upper part in the chamber 20 (upper side). To position.

The swelling detector 63 detects the swelling of the packaging bag by detecting the position of the magnet 62 at the rear end of the swelling detection plate 61 that rotates upward when the packaging bag is inflated. The bulge detector 63 is arranged outside the chamber base 21 at a position facing the magnet 62 of the bulge detection plate 61 which is in the upper position. When the packaging bag is not inflated and the magnet 62 of the bulge detection plate 61 is in the lower position, the bulge detector 63 outputs an off signal because the magnet 62 in the lower position is separated. When the packaging bag is inflated and the magnet 62 of the bulge detection plate 61 is at the upper position, the bulge detector 63 outputs an ON signal as the magnet 62 at the upper position approaches.

The vacuum packaging machine 10 is provided with a control device 70, and as shown in FIG. It is connected to two outside air introduction valves 44 and 45 , a vacuum sensor 47 , a three-way valve 49 , a swelling detector 63 and an operation panel 71 provided on the front surface of the casing 11 . The control device 70 has a microcomputer (not shown), and the microcomputer has a CPU, a RAM, a ROM and a timer (all not shown) connected via a bus.

The control device 70 stores in the ROM a packaging program for sealing the packaging bag in a degassed state and vacuum packaging. In the ROM of the control device 70, there are a normal packaging program suitable for packaging foodstuffs and cooked foods at a temperature below room temperature, and a hot pack packaging program suitable for packaging foodstuffs and cooked foods at a temperature higher than room temperature. remembered. A plurality of packaging programs with different control conditions such as the degree of vacuum are set for each of the normal packaging program and the packaging program for hot packs, and the control conditions such as the degree of vacuum can be changed according to the food to be cooked.

In a normal packaging program, the vacuum pump 40 is actuated to draw the chamber cover 22 against the biasing force of the gas spring 24 to cause the chamber base 21 to suck the negative pressure. When the inside reaches the set vacuum degree Py or more (below the set pressure), the sealing device 30 is controlled to seal the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag, and the packaging bag is vacuum-packaged.

A normal packaging program will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, in step 101, the control device 70 determines whether or not an ON signal has been input from the open/close detector 26. Since the ON signal is not input from the open/close detector 26 until the chamber cover 22 is closed, the controller 70 determines NO at step 101 and ends the packaging program. Until the chamber cover 22 is closed, the controller 70 repeatedly makes a NO determination in the determination process of step 101, and as shown in FIG. When the chamber cover 22 is closed and the magnet 27 approaches the open/close detector 26, an ON signal is input from the open/close detector 26 to the controller 70. Then, the control device 70 determines YES in step 101 and proceeds to step 102 .

At step 102 , the controller 70 opens the vacuum valve 42 , closes the first outside air introduction valve 44 , and actuates the vacuum pump 40 . Negative pressure is sucked into the base 21, and the inside of the chamber 20 is degassed by the vacuum pump 40 to become negative pressure. At step 103, the control device 70 repeatedly determines whether or not the degree of vacuum P in the chamber 20 detected by the vacuum sensor 47 has reached or exceeded a preset degree of vacuum Px (below a predetermined pressure). When the pressure in the chamber 20 gradually decreases and the degree of vacuum P in the chamber 20 detected by the vacuum sensor 47 reaches or exceeds a preset degree of vacuum Px (below a predetermined pressure), the controller 70 proceeds to step 103. YES is determined to proceed to step 104 . In step 104, the controller 70 closes the vacuum valve 42 to stop the degassing in the chamber 20, and proceeds to step 105.

At step 105 , the controller 70 connects the lift cylinder 36 side of the three-way valve 49 to the vacuum pump 40 side (closes the outside air side). A negative pressure is applied, the support shaft 35 rises against the urging force of the spring member 38, and the lower block 31 rises by the support shaft 35 that rises. As shown in FIG. 14(b), the lower block 31 is pressed against the upper block 32 by the rising support shaft 35, and the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag is sandwiched between the lower block 31 and the upper block 32. is held in At this time, the flange portions 32c and 32d of the upper block 32 are positioned below and above the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag sandwiched by the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, and the outer positions of the upper blocks 31 and 32 in the width direction are positioned below and above. It comes to press in the direction away from the blocks 31 and 32 . As a result, the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 is pulled away from the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, and the package is sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32. Even wrinkles around the opening of the bag can be removed. Next, in step 106, the control device 70 energizes the heater 33 to generate heat, and the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag is closed by thermal welding, and the packaging bag is sealed in a degassed state (vacuum state). be done.

At step 107, the control device 70 stops the operation of the vacuum pump 40 and opens the first outside air introduction valve 44. At step 108, the three-way valve 49 communicates between the lift cylinder 36 side and the outside air side ( The vacuum pump 40 side is closed). The inside of the chamber 20 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by the outside air introduced from the first outside air introduction valve 44, and the chamber cover 22 is opened by the biasing force of the gas spring 24 without being sucked by the negative pressure. In addition, by opening the lift cylinder 36 side and the outside air side of the three-way valve 49, the outside air is introduced into the upper space 36d of the lift cylinder 36 and the negative pressure state is released. The force lowers the lower block 31 and separates it from the upper block 32 , releasing the state in which the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag is clamped by the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 . In this way, the packaging bag is sealed in an evacuated state (vacuum state).

The sealing device 30 used in the vacuum packaging machine 10 configured as described above extends longitudinally in the direction along the opening of the heat-sealable packaging bag, and is capable of holding the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. and upper blocks (first and second blocks) 31 and 32, and a heater 33 provided on the upper block 32 side of the lower block 31 and sealing the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag by heat welding. . In this sealing device 30, the upper block 32 is provided with flange portions 32c and 32d that protrude outward at the width direction end portions on the lower block 31 side.

When the opening periphery of the heat-sealable packaging bag is placed on the upper side of the lower block 31 and the lower block 31 is moved upward so as to approach the upper block 32, the flange portions 32c and 32c of the upper block 32, 32d presses the outer position of the lower and upper blocks 31, 32 in the width direction away from the lower and upper blocks 31, 32 from the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched by the lower and upper blocks 31, 32. Become. As a result, the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 is pulled away from the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, and the package is sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32. Even wrinkles at the opening peripheral edge of the bag can be removed, and it is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to wrinkles at the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag.

In this sealing device 30, the flanges 32c and 32d are inclined so that the flanges 32c and 32d move outward when approaching the lower block 31 side. When the lower block 31 is moved upward so that the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 approach each other, the flanges 32c and 32d are positioned so that the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 are positioned relative to the periphery of the opening of the packaging bag. The packaging bag is pulled outward in the width direction from the farther side to the closer side. As a result, the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 is gradually pulled outward when the lower and upper blocks relatively approach each other. Even wrinkles on the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the two can be further removed to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to wrinkles on the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. be able to.

In this sealing device 30, the flanges 32c and 32d are provided at both ends in the width direction of the upper block 32, so that the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag is Even if there are wrinkles around the opening of the packaging bag which is pulled outward and sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, the wrinkles can be more reliably removed by being pulled outward from both sides. It is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to wrinkles in the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag. If the flanges 32c and 32d are provided at both ends of the upper block 32 in the width direction, it is easier to remove wrinkles that have entered the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. And even if only one of the rear flanges 32c and 32d is provided, wrinkles in the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag can be removed to some extent, and wrinkles are not formed in the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. As a result, it is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed.

The packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 generally has a longer length from the opening periphery to the bottom side opposite to the opening than the length from the opening periphery to the opening. is. Therefore, it is easier to remove wrinkles in the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag by pulling the bottom side outward rather than the opening peripheral portion. In addition, since the packaging bag is sealed while containing the packaged items such as foodstuffs, the packaging bag is likely to be pulled toward the bottom side by the contained packaged items, and the bottom side of the packaging bag is pushed away from the opening peripheral portion. Pulling outward makes it easier to remove wrinkles entering the opening periphery. For this reason, in the sealing device 30, the front flange portion 32c is arranged on the opening side of the opening peripheral portion of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32, and the rear flange portion 32d is arranged below. The flange portion 32d is arranged on the bottom side of the packaging bag opposite to the opening from the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the side and upper blocks 31 and 32, and is arranged on the bottom side from the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. is longer than the width of the flange portion 32c arranged on the opening side. Creases entering the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag sandwiched between the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 are easily removed by being pulled toward the bottom side of the packaging bag by the flange portion 32d, and wrinkles are formed on the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. It is possible to prevent the packaging bag from being unsealed due to the entry of

In this embodiment, the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 are supported parallel to each other in a state in which the lower block 31 can move toward the upper block 32. However, this is not a limitation. The blocks 32 may be supported parallel to each other while being movable toward the lower block 31, or the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 may be movable in directions approaching and separating from each other. They may be supported parallel to each other.

In this embodiment, the lower and upper blocks 31 and 32 arranged at positions opposed to the lower and upper sides are used as the first and second blocks, but the present invention is not limited to this. Blocks may be arranged at positions facing each other in the horizontal direction such as front and rear or left and right.

30... sealing device, 31... first block (lower block), 32... second block (upper block), 32c, 32d... flange portion, 33... heater.

Claims (4)

At least one of them is supported parallel to the other so that it can move toward the other, and it extends longitudinally in a direction along the opening of the heat-sealable packaging bag and can be held by sandwiching the opening peripheral edge of the packaging bag. and a second block;
A sealing device comprising: a heater provided on the second block side of the first block for sealing by heat-sealing the peripheral edge of the opening of the packaging bag,
A sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the second block is provided with a flange portion projecting outward from at least one end in the width direction of the first block. The sealing device according to claim 1,
A sealing device, wherein the flange portion is inclined outward when approaching the first block side. In the sealing device according to claim 1 or 2,
A sealing device, wherein the flange portions are provided at both ends in the width direction of the second block. In the sealing device according to claim 3,
The widthwise length of the flange portion arranged on the bottom side opposite to the opening of the packaging bag is longer than the widthwise length of the flange portion arranged on the opening side of the packaging bag. A sealing device characterized by:

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