JP2023097678A - Packaging device and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a packaging device that stops a conveyed packaged item in the correct position or posture and properly packages the packaged item.SOLUTION: The packaging device A is equipped with film feed means 10 for stretching films F1 and F2, an elevating head 81 for pushing up the package W toward the stretched films F1 and F2, and package conveyance means 90 for conveying the package W above the elevating head 81, then the elevating head 81 rises in response to the conveyance of the package W and slows the moving speed of the package W by abutting on the package W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Applied for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law Exhibited at the 55th Supermarket Trade Show 2021, February 17-19, 2021

The present invention relates to a packaging device for packaging an object to be packaged.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100001, a packaging apparatus has been proposed in which an article to be packaged is transported on a lifter and the article is wrapped by pressing it against a stretched film.

JP 2005-104482 A

However, since the packaging apparatus handles various sizes and weights of items to be packaged, it has been difficult to stop the conveyed items in the correct posture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a packaging apparatus that stops a conveyed item to be packaged in a correct position and orientation and appropriately wraps the item.

In order to achieve the above object, the packaging apparatus according to the present invention comprises film-stretching means for stretching a film, push-up means for pushing up an object to be packaged toward the stretched film, and a film above the push-up means. and an object conveying means for conveying the object to be packaged, wherein the push-up means rises in accordance with the conveyance of the object to be packaged and abuts on the object to increase the moving speed of the object to be packaged. It is characterized by slowing down.

It should be noted that the functional units constituting the packaging apparatus according to the present invention can also be configured as inventions related to methods, systems, or computer programs having similar configurations. Also, the computer program can be provided by downloading via a network such as the Internet, or can be provided by being recorded on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the to-be-packaged item which has been conveyed can be stopped in a correct position and attitude|position, and the said to-be-packaged item can be wrapped appropriately.

1 is an external perspective view of a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is the side view which showed typically the mechanism of the packaging apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the mechanism of the film feeding means of the packaging device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the mechanism of film feeding means of the packaging device according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the packaging operation|movement by the packaging apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the packaging operation|movement by the packaging apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state of an interlocking mechanism that interlocks with a film switching operation in the packaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of an elevation head that constitutes the packaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; It is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement configuration of the lifting head, the conveying means, and the inclined plate that constitute the packaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of reducing the moving speed of the object to be packaged by the lifting head of the packaging apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions provided by the packaging device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a processing flow diagram showing the flow of processing by the packaging device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Packaging apparatuses according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the following description of each figure, portions substantially similar to those already described are given the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. Further, in the following description, "front" means the front side of the display/operation unit 101, and according to the illustrated example, it is the upstream side in the conveying direction of the items W to be packaged. Further, "rear" means the opposite side to the "front", and according to the illustrated example, it is the downstream side in the conveying direction of the items W to be packaged. Further, "left" means the left side when viewed from the display/operation unit 101, and according to the illustrated example, it is the upstream side when the films F1 and F2 are conveyed in the horizontal direction. Also, "right" means the opposite side to the "left", and according to the illustrated example, it is the downstream side when the films F1 and F2 are conveyed in the horizontal direction. In the illustrated example, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are substantially orthogonal (see FIG. 1).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging apparatus A includes a film feeding means 10 capable of stretching a plurality of types of films F1 and F2, and a first film feeding means 10 for selectively feeding the film F1 or F2 to the film feeding means 10. film setting means 20 and second film setting means 30, film guide means 40 for guiding films F1 and F2 in the direction of these first film setting means 20 and second film setting means 30, and this film guide means 40 First film supply means 50 and second film supply means 60 for supplying films F1 and F2 respectively to first film setting means 20 and second film setting means 30 via It has a plurality of lifting heads 81 that move up and down below the film F1 or F2, and a control unit 100 that controls them.

The wrapping apparatus A selects one of the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 to supply the film feeding means 10 with these first film setting means. 20 and the second film setting means 30 are switched. Also, in accordance with this switching operation, the positions of the first film supply means 50 and the second film supply means 60 are changed by the interlocking mechanism 70 to select the first film setting means 20 or the second film setting means. A film F1 or a film F2 supplied from 30 is stretched by the film feeding means 10. - 特許庁
Further, the packaging apparatus A raises the object W to be wrapped toward the stretched film F1 or F2 by the lifting head 81, and the object W is pressed against the film F1 or F2 to be packaged.

●Film feeding means 10
The film feeding means 10 comprises film transport means for transporting the film F1 or F2 to a predetermined position while holding the film F1 or F2 on one side and the other side in the width direction, and the transported film F1 or F2 being stretched above the lifting head 81. It constitutes a film tensioning means.
As shown in FIG. 3, the film feeding means 10 holds the widthwise end sides of the films F1 and F2 between one widthwise end side and the other widthwise end side of the films F1 and F2 and conveys them to a predetermined position. Equipped with film conveying units 10a and 10b, it is supported by a stationary portion such as a body frame a1 of the packaging apparatus A. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, each film transport section 10a or 10b presses an upper belt 11 and a lower belt 12 that sandwich the width direction edge side of the film F1 or F2 from above and below, and a lower belt 12 from below. and a clamp plate 13 that presses against the upper belt 11 side.
Each film conveying section 10a or 10b rotates the upper belt 11 and the lower belt 12 in opposite directions to one end side (the left end side according to FIG. 2) between the upper belt 11 and the lower belt 12. The film F1 or F2 is introduced, conveyed to a predetermined position and stopped, and the film F1 or F2 is stretched by moving the film conveying section 10a or 10b in the front-rear direction. By this operation, the film F1 or F2 is pulled substantially horizontally between the two film transport sections 10a and 10b.

The film feeding means 10 also includes pulleys 12a and 13a for winding the upper belt 11 and lower belt 12, tension rollers 12b and 13b for pulling the upper belt 11 and lower belt 12 to a predetermined tension, film F1 or F2. A cutting unit 14 such as a cutter for cutting is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, an opening/closing mechanism 10X for clamping and releasing the films F1 and F2 is provided at the end of each film transport section 10a or 10b on the film intake side. The opening/closing mechanism 10X includes a fixed portion 10X1 and a moving portion 10X2 that vertically sandwich the film F1 or F2.
The fixed portion 10X1 is configured to receive the lower surfaces of the films F1 and F2 by the pulley 12a and the lower belt 12. As shown in FIG.
The moving unit 10X2 is configured to rotate the plurality of pulleys 13a and the upper belt 11 in the directions of approaching and separating from the upper surfaces of the films F1 and F2.

In the film feeding means 10, the opening/closing mechanism 10X on the rear end side of the film conveying parts 10a and 10b is arranged close to the leading end side of the first film setting means 20 or the second film setting means 30. As shown in FIG. The film conveying units 10a and 10b nip and pull out the film F1 or F2 by the opening/closing mechanism 10X, and convey it to a predetermined packaging operation position by the upper belt 11 and the lower belt 12. As shown in FIG. The film F<b>1 or F<b>2 pulled out and transported is cut to a predetermined length by the cutting section 14 .

3 and 4, the folding members 2 and 3 are plate-shaped members for folding the ends of the film F1 or F2 toward the lower side of the package W from the upstream side and the downstream side in the film conveying direction. . The folding member 4 is a plate-like member that folds the end of the film F1 or F2 toward the lower side of the object W from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the object to be packaged. The discharge pusher 5 pushes the wrapped object W and discharges it behind the film feeding means 10 .
In addition, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharge roller 6 feeds the package W discharged by the discharge pusher 5 further forward. The heater 7 heat seals the film F1 or F2 while conveying the article W delivered from the discharge rollers 6 .

The film feeding means 10 configured as described above is operated by switching between the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 in accordance with the film width of the film F1 or F2. Alternatively, 10b can be moved in the film width direction to change the film clamping width.

For example, when the second film setting means 30 is located as a supply source for the film feeding means 10, the film feeding means 10 receives information on the width of the film F2 set on the second film setting means 30. is called from the storage means of the control unit 100, and based on this information, one of the film conveying units 10a is moved in the film width direction so that the film nipping width between the two film conveying units 10a and 10b corresponds to the width of the film F2. Let

As another example, the width of the film F1 or F2 is sensed by a sensor on the supply side of the film feeding means 10, and one of the film conveying sections 10a is moved according to the sensed signal so as to correspond to the film width. You may make it move to a width direction.

- First film setting means 20 and second film setting means 30
The first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 are vertically arranged side by side and supported by the movable base 1 as shown in FIG. The first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 are selected based on the information stored in advance in the storage means of the control section 100 so that one of them becomes the supply source of the film feeding means 10. Switching operation is performed by position change in the vertical direction.
That is, when the display/operation unit 101 receives an operation for selecting product information to be packaged, the control unit 100 determines whether the first film setting means 20 or the second film setting means 30 should be used accordingly. , the switching operation is performed based on the information stored in advance in the storage means. As another example, it is possible to perform the switching operation by directly operating the display/operation unit 101 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first film setting means 20 includes two vertically parallel film guide plates 21 and 22 with the film F1 inserted therebetween. On the upstream side (in other words, film insertion side) of the film guide plate 21, a one-way roller 23 in contact with one surface of the film F1 and a guide roller 24 in contact with the other surface of the film F1 are provided. , 22, the one-way roller 23, and the guide roller 24 are displaced in the approaching/separating direction with respect to the film feeding means 10 by moving the movable base 1 in the lateral direction of the drawing.

The upper and lower film guide plates 21 and 22 are configured to expand and contract in the film width direction. More specifically, the upper and lower film guide plates 21 and 22 consist of upper and lower fixed plates 21a and 22a and upper and lower movable plates 21b which are partially overlapped with these fixed plates 21a and 22a and which are slidable in the film width direction. , 22b.

The second film setting means 30 is constructed in the same manner as the first film setting means 20. The upper and lower film guide plates 31 and 32, the one-way roller 33 and the guide roller 34 are moved with respect to the movable base 1 in the horizontal direction of the drawing. By moving, it is displaced in the approaching/separating direction with respect to the film feeding means 10, and transfers the film F2 sandwiched between the upper and lower film guide plates 31 and 32 to the film feeding means 10. - 特許庁
Similar to the film guide plates 21 and 22, the upper and lower film guide plates 31 and 32 are configured to be extendable in the film width direction by upper and lower fixed plates 31a and 32a and movable plates 31b and 32b.

The film guide plates 21, 22, 31, and 32 are configured to extend and retract by manual operation, but as another example, they may be configured to extend and retract electrically.

● Film guide means 40
As shown in FIG. 2, the film guide means 40 comprises a first guide roller 41 corresponding to the first film setting means 20 and a second guide roller 42 corresponding to the second film setting means 30. The first guide roller 41 and the second guide roller 42 are supported so as to move up and down in conjunction with the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 .

Then, the first guide roller 41 guides one of the films F1 supplied from the first film supply means 50 to the first film setting means 20 along the outer peripheral surface. Further, the second guide roller 42 guides the other film F2 supplied from the second film supply means 60 to the second film setting means 30 along the outer peripheral surface.

- Movable base 1
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the movable base 1 is supported so as to move up and down by a predetermined amount with respect to the body frame a1, which is a stationary part. The movable base 1 supports the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 so that they can be independently moved back and forth in the lateral direction of the figure by a predetermined amount. and the second guide roller 42 are rotatably supported.

That is, when one of the first film setting means 20 or the second film setting means 30 delivers the film F1 or F2 to the film feeding means 10, the other second film setting means 30 or the first film setting It advances and retreats independently of the means 20, and interlocks with the second film setting means 30 or the first film setting means 20 at the time of switching operation to change the supply source to the film feeding means 10. to move up and down.

- First film supply means 50 and second film supply means 60
As shown in FIG. 2, the first film supply means 50 and the second film supply means 60 are switched according to the switching operations of the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30. (vertical direction in the illustrated example), and maintains substantially uniform tension on the films F1 and F2 during this positional change.

More specifically, the first film supply means 50 has a film setting shaft 51 that supports one film F1 in a roll shape, and a film F1 fed out from around this film setting shaft 51, which is fed to the corresponding first film. a delivery roller 52 for delivering to the film setting means 20 side (upward according to the illustrated example), a plurality of guide rollers 53, 54, 55 for guiding the film F1 between the film setting shaft 51 and the delivery roller 52, and a support member 56 that changes the tip side position in the operation direction of the switching operation.

The film setting shaft 51 is an elongated shaft that extends in the front-rear direction in the drawing, and is supported by a stationary portion such as the body frame a1. The film setting shaft 51 rotatably supports the roll-shaped film F1.

The delivery roller 52 is a long cylindrical roller substantially parallel to the film setting shaft 51, freely rotatable at a position spaced apart from the film setting shaft 51 in the radial direction, and centered on the film setting shaft 51. It is supported by a support member 56 so as to rotate by a fixed amount.

The support member 56 is a long rod-shaped member that supports the delivery roller 52, the guide roller 54, and the like. One end of the support member 56 is rotatably supported by the film setting shaft 51 or a stationary portion such as the body frame a1 at a position concentric with the film setting shaft 51 . A delivery roller 52 and a guide roller 54 are rotatably supported on the other end side of the support member 56 .
The support member 56 rotates upward by a predetermined amount when pulled upward by the film F1 or the interlocking mechanism 70, and rotates downward by its own weight when the tensile force of the film F1 is released. position.
If necessary, an urging member (for example, a torsion spring, a coil spring, or the like) may be provided to return the support member 56 rotated upward to its original position.

The guide rollers 53, 54 and 55 are formed in a long cylindrical shape substantially parallel to the film setting shaft 51 and the delivery roller 52, respectively.
Among them, the two guide rollers 53 and 55 positioned above the support member 56 are arranged apart in the left-right direction of the drawing, and are shaped like fixed pulleys that are rotatable relative to immovable parts such as the body frame a1. supported by

Further, the guide roller 54 is rotatably supported by a support member 56 on the lower side between the guide rollers 53 and 55 .

The film F1 unwound from the periphery of the film setting shaft 51 is hooked on the upper half side of the guide roller 53 and guided downward, and hooked on the lower half side of the guide roller 54 and guided upward. It is hooked on the upper half side of the guide roller 55 and guided downward, and further hooked on the lower half side of the delivery roller 52 and guided upward.

The second film supply means 60 is substantially the same as the first film supply means 50, and includes a film setting shaft 61 that supports the other film F2 in a roll shape, and a film setting shaft 61 that feeds the film around the film setting shaft 61. and a plurality of guide rollers 63, 64, 65 for guiding the film F2 between the film setting shaft 61 and the feeding roller 62. , and a support member 66 whose position changes in the direction of the switching operation of the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30, and is arranged above the first film supply means 50. As shown in FIG.

According to one example of this embodiment, the film F1 set on the first film supply means 50 and the film F2 set on the second film supply means 60 have different film widths. As other examples, the two films F1 and F2 are films of the same width, films of different thickness, films of different materials, films with different surface treatments, etc. It is also possible to

Here, the operation of replacing the films F1 and F2 in the first film supply means 50 and the second film supply means 60 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the operation of exchanging the film F1 in the first film supply means 50 will be described as an example, but the operation of exchanging the film F2 in the second film supply means 60 is the same.

At the time of replacement work, for example, when a cover (not shown) covering the first film supply means 50 and the second film supply means 60 is opened, the cover and main body of the packaging apparatus A are switched to replacement work. It is recognized by a sensing mechanism or device provided on the side. In response to this, the packaging apparatus A stops the operation of supplying the films F1 and F2 and the operation of conveying the object to be packaged W to make it easier to perform the replacement work. In addition, although the film F1 is referred to in the following description of the replacement work, the same applies to the film F2.

The operator continues to move the film set shaft 51 from a state held by a solenoid or a drive motor (a state in which it does not rotate when pushed by hand) to a free state (a state in which it rotates when pushed by hand). . For example, when the worker once lifts the support member 56 and then lowers it, the packaging device A detects that the support member 56 has been lifted by a predetermined sensor (hereinafter referred to as a "detection sensor" for convenience of explanation). ) to set the film set shaft 51 in a free state.

Here, the detection sensor is, for example, a sensor used for sensing the supply status of the films F1 and F2 during the packaging operation. The film F1 is pulled out toward the film feeding means 10 by controlling the transport of the film F1 by the film feeding means 10, and the support member 56 is pulled up accordingly. When the detection sensor detects the lifting at this time, the film set shaft 51 starts rotation control in the supply direction to supply the film F1. Since the film F1 is always kept under constant tension (tension) due to the balance between the drawing out of the film feed means 10 and the supply of the film setting shaft 51, the film F1 does not come into contact with the adjacent film F2 or other mechanisms. It is a control aimed at preventing After the film feeding means 10 has been pulled out, the film setting shaft 51 is fed and the support member 56 is lowered while maintaining the uniform tension of the film F1 along the entire path. With the descent, the detection sensor stops detecting the support member 56 , thereby stopping the supply control of the film set shaft 51 .

The packaging apparatus A senses various situations of the above-described withdrawal and supply of the film F1 from the vertical movement of the support member 56, and realizes to keep the tension of the film F1 constant. In addition, the detection sensor for the above purpose can be used even when the packaging is not being wrapped (when exchanging the film, etc.), so that the size and cost of the device can be reduced.

The same effect can be achieved by controlling the film setting shaft 51 to pull the film F1 in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the film F1 to apply tension to the film F1.
If the film setting shaft 51 is in the holding state when setting the film, there is not much effect on the replacement of the film roll, etc., but after setting the film roll, the work of pulling out the film F1 and passing the film F1 through each path is difficult. It takes time. Therefore, by setting the film F1 in the free state when setting the film, the film F1 can be easily pulled out by human power, and the burden of the film setting work on each path can be reduced.

The predetermined sensor may be a dedicated sensor for detecting that the support member 56 is lifted during the replacement work, or may be a sensor for detecting the position of the support member 56 during the packaging operation. There may be. In this case, for example, when the packaging apparatus A recognizes that the cover has been opened, a predetermined sensor is switched to the replacement operation mode to detect that the support member 56 has been lifted to replace the film F1. Just do it.

With the film setting shaft 51 free, the operator resets the new film F1 on the film setting shaft 51, unwinds the film F1 appropriately, and passes it over the guide rollers 53, 54, 55, and the like. Then, when the operator lifts the support member 56 again and lowers it, the packaging apparatus A detects that the support member 56 has been lifted again by a predetermined sensor, and returns the film setting shaft 51 to the normal state, that is, to the film F1. Make it tense.

After that, when the operator closes the cover, the packaging machine A recognizes this, judges that the replacement work is finished, and shifts from the free state to the holding state to the normal state in which the packaging operation can be received.
In addition, if the free state is set only when the cover is opened, the film tension cannot be maintained during maintenance other than film setting, and the above problems may occur. It is preferable not to make a transition to the free state until detection of the sensing by .

As described above, in the packaging apparatus A according to the present embodiment, by detecting the state of the support members 56 and 66 after the cover is opened, the film is Since the replacement work of F1 and F2 can be completed, the operator goes to the display/operation unit 101 side and operates the display/operation unit 101 to switch to the free state, which is more convenient and efficient.

● Interlocking mechanism 70
As shown in FIG. 7, the supporting members 56 and 66 are provided on the rotating end side (left side in the drawing) in conjunction with the switching operation of the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30. An interlocking mechanism 70 for changing the positions of the first film supply means 50 and the second film supply means 60 is provided.

The interlocking mechanism 70 includes a first connecting rod 71 that moves up and down as the movable base 1 moves up and down, and a first connecting rod 71 that receives the rotating end side of the upper support member 66 at the lower end side of the first connecting rod 71 . A receiving portion 72, a second connecting rod 73 connected to the lower end side of the first connecting rod 71 and extending downward, and a rotating end of the lower supporting member 56 on the lower end side of the second connecting rod 73. A second receiving portion 74 is provided for receiving the side.

The first connecting rod 71 extends vertically across the movable base 1 and the support member 66, and the movable base 1 moves along with the switching operation between the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30. When it rises by a predetermined amount, it rises in conjunction with the movable base 1 in the middle of this rise. When the movable base 1 descends, the first connecting rod 71 descends in conjunction with the movable base 1 that is descending.

More specifically, the upper end of the first connecting rod 71 is provided with an elongated hole 71a in the vertical direction, and the pin 1a of the movable base 1 is loosely inserted near the lower end of the elongated hole 71a. Therefore, when the movable base 1 rises, the first connecting rod 71 remains stationary while the pin 1a moves upward within the elongated hole 71a. When the pin 1a reaches the upper end of the long hole 71a, the first connecting rod 71 is hooked on the pin 1a and lifted. Further, when the movable base 1 descends, the first connecting rod 71 also descends interlockingly.

The lower end side of the first connecting rod 71 receives the rotating end side of the support member 66 via the first receiving portion 72 .
The first receiving portion 72 includes a swinging rod 72a having one end pivotally supported by a stationary portion such as the body frame a1 and rotating the other end side up and down by a predetermined amount. A support roller 72b that is freely supported and can roll on the lower surface of the support member 66 is provided, and the lower end side of the first connecting rod 71 is rotatably connected to the shaft portion of the support roller 72b.

Therefore, when the first connecting rod 71 rises, the first receiving portion 72 rotates upward, and while rolling on the lower surface of the support member 66, pushes and rotates the support member 66 upward.

The second connecting rod 73 extends vertically across the support member 66 and the support member 56, and its upper end side is rotatably connected to the support roller 72b. The lower end side of the first receiving portion 72 receives the rotating end side of the support member 56 via the second receiving portion 74 .

As with the first receiving portion 72, the second receiving portion 74 includes a swinging rod 74a having one end pivotally supported by an immovable portion such as the body frame a1 and rotating the other end side up and down by a predetermined amount. A support roller 74b is provided which is rotatably supported on the rotating end side of the rod 74a and can roll by receiving the support member 56 from below. are rotatably connected.

● Lifting head 81
As shown in FIG. 2, a large number of lift heads 81 are provided upward on the lower side of the film F1 or F2 stretched by the film feeding means 10, and during the packaging operation of sequentially wrapping the objects W to be packaged, the lift heads 81 are provided upward. and an elevating means for elevating when the moving speed of the object to be packaged W is reduced. It can be said that the lifting head 81 constitutes a lifting means when attention is paid to the viewpoint of lifting the object to be packaged W toward the stretched film F1 or F2.

The elevating head 81 is formed in the shape of an elongated bar that extends in the vertical direction, and is controlled by the control unit 100 so as to be movable up and down. In the control by the control unit 100, the object to be packaged W is lifted from the bottom side and pressed against the films F1 and F2 stretched upward. In addition, it rises as the object W is conveyed by the object-to-package conveying means 90, and the upper surface is brought into contact with the lower surface of the object to be packaged, thereby slowing down the moving speed of the object W. As shown in FIG.

From the standpoint of reducing the moving speed of the object W by contacting the object W, the lift head 81 adopts a material having a high coefficient of friction such as rubber for at least the member of the upper surface that contacts the object W. You may In addition, if it is possible to reduce the moving speed of the object W by contacting the object W to cause friction, it is possible to reduce the moving speed of the object W by not only using a material with a high coefficient of friction, but also by using a file shape, an uneven shape, or the like. The upper surface may be provided with a structure or shape that enhances the .
In addition, if the upper surface of the lifting head 81 is brought into contact with the object W to be packaged, only the protrusions provided on the upper surface of the lifting head 81 can be moved along with the transportation of the object W without lifting the lifting head 81 itself. It is also possible to decelerate the moving speed of the object to be packaged W by protruding or otherwise contacting the object W to be packaged.
Of course, it is also possible to reduce the speed by adjusting the amount of contact due to the height of the projection without processing the upper surface of the lifting head 81 at all.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, these multiple lifting heads 81 are divided into two groups that operate independently of each other, one of which constitutes a first lifting section. , the other constitutes a second elevating head group 802 constituting a second elevating section.
In the following, for convenience of explanation, among the plurality of elevating heads 81, those belonging to the first elevating head group 801 are referred to as the first elevating head 81-1, and those belonging to the second elevating head group 802 are referred to as the second elevating head 81-1. may be separately referred to as the elevating head 81-2.
In addition, in the present embodiment, each of the first elevating head group 801 and the second elevating head group 802 is composed of a plurality of elevating heads 81, but either or both of them may be composed of a single unit. .

In the process of lifting the lifting head 81 and pressing the package W against the film F1 or F2, the first lifting head 81-1 rises before the second lifting head 81-2 and the film F1. Or push up F2.
The first lifting head 81-1 is connected at its lower end by a connecting member 821 to form an integrated first lifting head group 801. As shown in FIG.

In addition, the second lifting head 81-2, which is another part, is lifted after the first lifting head 81-1 with the object W placed thereon, and moves the object W to the film F1. Or press F2. As with the first lifting head 81-1, the second lifting head 81-2 is also connected at its lower end by a connecting member 822 to form an integrated second lifting head group 802. FIG.

The arrangement pattern of the first elevating heads 81-1 constituting the first elevating head group 801 and the arrangement pattern of the second elevating heads 81-2 constituting the second elevating head group 802 are appropriately set according to the shape, size, arrangement, and the like.

For example, according to the example shown in FIG. 8(a), a plurality of first lift heads 81-1 are arranged in the horizontal direction on the upstream side (front side in FIG. 8) in the conveying direction of the item to be packaged W, and the film conveying direction A plurality of first lifting heads 81-1 are arranged in the front-rear direction on each of the upstream side and the downstream side (left side and right side in FIG. 8) to form a concave first lifting head group 801 in plan view. A second lifting head group 802 is formed by arranging the second lifting heads 81-2 in a rectangular shape in plan view inside the concave portion.
That is, the first elevating head group 801 is configured to have a recessed shape surrounding the second elevating head group 802 in plan view.

In another example shown in FIG. 8(b), the first lift heads 81-1 are installed in the left-right direction on the upstream side and the downstream side (the front side and the rear side in FIG. 8) in the conveying direction of the item W to be packaged. A first elevating head group 801 is configured by arranging a plurality of heads. A second lifting head group 802 is formed by arranging the second lifting heads 81-2 in a rectangular shape in plan view between the two rows of the first lifting heads 81-1 which are substantially parallel to each other.

In another example shown in FIG. 8(c), a plurality of first lift heads 81-1 are arranged in the front-rear direction on the upstream side and the downstream side (the front side and the rear side in FIG. 8) in the film conveying direction. It constitutes one elevating head group 801 . A second lifting head group 802 is formed by arranging the second lifting heads 81-2 in a rectangular shape in plan view between the two rows of the first lifting heads 81-1 which are substantially parallel to each other.

Further, in another example shown in FIG. 8(d), the upstream side and downstream side in the conveying direction of the object to be packaged W (the front side and the rear side in FIG. 8), the upstream side and the downstream side in the film conveying direction (left side in FIG. 8) and right), a plurality of first lifting heads 81-1 are arranged to form a first lifting head group 801 having a rectangular frame shape in a plan view. A second elevating head group 802 is formed by arranging a second elevating head 81-2 in a rectangular shape in a plan view inside the first elevating head group 801. As shown in FIG.
That is, the first elevating head group 801 is configured in a rectangular frame shape surrounding the second elevating head group 802 .

● Packaged item transport means 90
As shown in FIG. 1 , the item-to-be-packaged conveying means 90 is means for conveying the item-to-be-packaged W above the lifting head 81 . This package object conveying means 90 includes a plurality of conveying belts 91 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and driving rollers 92 for driving the conveying belts 91 .

FIG. 9 shows the positional relationship between the package object conveying means 90 and the lifting head 81. As shown in FIG. The conveying belt 91 is arranged between the lifting heads 81 adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the item W to be packaged, and conveys the item W to be packaged from the front to the rear in the figure.

An inclined plate 93 having a length along the conveying direction of the conveying belt 91 is arranged between the adjacent lifting heads 81 . The inclined plate 93 abuts on the object W conveyed to the position where the elevating head 81 is provided, thereby constituting speed adjusting means for slowing down the moving speed of the object W. As shown in FIG. Further, the inclined plate 93 also serves as a support means for supporting the driving roller 92 constituting the package conveying means 90 and the conveying belt 91 wound around the driving roller 92 via the driving roller 92. Configure.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the inclined plate 93 is a substantially rectangular plate-like member, and is arranged with its thickness portion facing up and down. A step is provided on the upper end surface, and from a low portion 931 provided low, an inclined portion 932 gently rising from the low portion 931, and a high portion 933 provided relatively high compared to the low portion 931, , and is configured to be higher along the conveying direction.

When the lifting head 81 is positioned downward, the lower portion 931 is positioned lower than the conveyor belt 91 and normally does not touch the articles W conveyed by the conveyor belt 91 .
In addition, the inclined portion 932 is positioned lower than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 91 at the portion connected to the low portion 931 , and is inclined so as to gradually rise from there, and is connected to the high portion 933 . Some parts are higher than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 91 . When the object to be packaged W is conveyed, the inclined portion 932 abuts on the object to be packaged W from the lower surface side from a portion where the inclined portion 932 is higher than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 91 .
Further, the high portion 933 is positioned higher than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 91, and contacts the article to be packaged W conveyed by the conveyor belt 91 from the lower surface side.

As a result of the provision of the inclined plate 93 that gradually rises along the conveying direction of the item to be packaged W, the item to be packaged W is gradually decelerated by the friction generated between it and the inclined plate 93. . In particular, the inclination of the inclined portion 932 allows a gradual deceleration without an abrupt deceleration. As a result, it is possible to prevent troubles such as breakage or loss of shape of the packaged item W and scattering of its contents.
In addition, since the high portion 933 extends farther in the transport direction than the transport belt 91, it is possible to prevent the leading end of the object W in the transport direction from tilting toward the depth side. In particular, the smaller the bottom area of the package W, the higher this tendency, and the more effective it can be.
The effect of the inclined portion 932 and the high portion 933 on the object to be packaged W can be substituted by the control of the lifting head 81 according to the present embodiment. good too.

● First detection sensor S1 and second detection sensor S2
As shown in FIG. 10 , at the back (toward the rear in the drawing) of the conveying direction of the item W to be packaged, there is a first detection means for detecting the item W conveyed above the lifting head 81 . A detection sensor S1 and a second detection sensor S2 are provided.

In the present embodiment, the first detection sensor S1 and the second detection sensor S2 are realized, for example, by photosensors composed of a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion that are arranged facing each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the item to be packaged W. be done. The first detection sensor S1 and the second detection sensor S2 are provided at a position higher than the upper surface of the conveyor belt 91, and detect the package W by blocking the detection light emitted from the light emitting portion toward the light receiving portion. can.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the first detection sensor S1 is substantially the same as the first elevation head 81-1 provided at the back of the first elevation head group 801 in the transport direction. The second detection sensor S2 is located at the rear of the first detection sensor S1, and the second lifting head 81-2 is provided at the deepest part of the second lifting head group 802. located at approximately the same position. The dotted arrow in FIG. 1(a) indicates the optical axis of the first detection sensor S1 or the second detection sensor S2.

Information acquired by these first detection sensor S1 and second detection sensor S2 can be used as information for controlling each mechanism. For example, the information that the first detection sensor S1 has detected the object to be packaged W recognizes that the object to be packaged W has been conveyed above the lifting head 81, and accordingly the moving speed of the object to be packaged W is determined. can be used as a trigger to lift the lift head 81 to decelerate the At the same time, the first detection sensor S1 and the second detection sensor S2 are also used as triggers for starting the deceleration control of the package item conveying means 90 . The deceleration control is started when the first detection sensor S1 detects the leading edge of the article to be packaged W, and is executed so that the conveying speed becomes 0 at the stop portion 95 shown in FIG. The stop portion 95 is provided ahead of the first detection sensor S1 and the second detection sensor S2 in the conveying direction of the item W to be packaged, and the portion before the stop portion 95 is the stop position of the item W to be packaged. Become. Further, the information that the second detection sensor S2 has detected the object to be packaged W is determined to indicate that the object to be packaged W has been transported to a known position, and that the transportation has been completed. can be used as a trigger for the packaging operation to push up and package the item W to be wrapped above the stretched item W.

● Display/operation unit 101
The display/operation unit 101 shown in FIG. 1 is an input/output device for operating the packaging apparatus A and outputting data. The display/operation unit 101 is implemented by, for example, a touch panel in which input means and output means are integrated.
From the display/operation unit 101, for example, setting of the packaging apparatus A, input and confirmation of information on the item to be packaged W, setting of various information on the films F1 and F2 set in the packaging apparatus A, selection of the control method, packaging It is possible to operate the operation of the device A and check the status.

●Control unit 100
The control unit 100 is a functional unit for controlling the packaging apparatus A, and as shown in FIG. 11, includes an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102 for executing information processing; It has a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) 104 , a display/operation unit 101 , and an I/O interface 105 . The control section 100 controls the film feeding means 10, the first film setting means 20, the second film setting means 30, the movable base 1, the first elevating head group 801, the second It is connected to the second elevating head group 802 .

In the above configuration, a driving source for rotating the upper belt 11 and the lower belt 12 of the film feeding means 10, a mechanism for moving the clamp plate 13 of the film feeding means 10 toward the upper belt 11 side, and a film conveying section 10a on one side. Alternatively, a mechanism for driving 10b in the film width direction, a mechanism for advancing and retreating the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30, a mechanism for driving the movable base 1 up and down by a predetermined amount, and a first lifting head. Mechanisms for driving the group 801 and the second elevating head group 802 upward and downward may be, for example, known mechanisms such as electric motors, electromagnetic solenoids, gears, linear guides, and drive belts.

The CPU 102 is a central processing unit, and centrally controls the operation of the packaging machine A by reading and executing programs stored in the flash memory 103 .
The flash memory 103 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 102 and stores various information used by the CPU 102 including programs.
A RAM 104 is a main storage device of the CPU 102 and a work area for temporarily calling and processing data.

The packaging machine A constitutes a functional part related to packaging processing of the packaging machine A as a software resource with hardware resources such as the CPU 102, the flash memory 103, and the RAM 104. FIG. For example, the functional unit handles information such as the name and price of the product to be packaged W, information on the weight and size of the packaged item W, film width, film material, temperature characteristics of the film, etc. for each of the films F1 and F2. It specifically controls each functional unit connected via the I/O interface 105, such as a storage unit that stores information on the settings of the packaging apparatus A, and conveying and packaging of the items W to be packaged. such as a processing unit.

The control unit 100 includes information stored in the storage means, information manually input to the display/operation unit 101, and sensors for measuring the size, weight, etc. of the items W to be packaged on the transportation route of the items W to be packaged. (not shown) and other information, it controls the driving sources of the various mechanisms described above and executes various operations to be described later. For example, when pre-stored product information is called up by operating the display/operation unit 101, the control unit 100 calls up the film information associated with the product information, and the film F1 or F2 corresponding to the film information is set. Select and control the first film setting means 20 or the second film setting means 30. In another example, based on the product information, the lift amount and timing of the lifting head 81 to be brought into contact are determined and controlled in order to decelerate the moving speed of the item W to be packaged.

● Feeding operation of films F1 and F2 When the film F1 is fed to the film feeding means 10 at the initial position shown in FIG.
During this movement, when the first film setting means 20 advances toward the film feeding means 10, the film F1 is pulled by friction with the non-rotatably held one-way roller 23, and the first film is fed. It is paid out from means 50 . Then, on the side of the first film supply means 50, the delivery roller 52 is pulled upward by the film F1, and the tip side of the support member 56 is rotated slightly upward.

The advanced first film setting means 20 transfers the film F1 sandwiched between the upper and lower film guide plates 21 and 22 to the film feeding means 10. - 特許庁
After that, the first film setting means 20 retreats to face the film F1 nipped by the film feeding means 10. As shown in FIG. During this retraction, the one-way roller 23 and the guide roller 24 rotate so as to let out the film F1 relative to each other.
Therefore, the film F1 is gradually moved toward the film feeding means 10 by repeating the forward and backward movement.

Then, the film feeding means 10, which has received the film F1 by the forward/backward movement, rotates the upper belt 11 and the lower belt 12 by a predetermined amount, thereby conveying the film F1 to a predetermined position and stretching it.

●Switching Operation FIGS. 7A and 7B show a switching operation for changing the first film setting means 20, which is the supply source of the film feeding means 10, to the second film setting means 30. FIG.

First, when the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30 are stopped from advancing and retreating, the movable base 1 is lifted to move the first film setting means 20 and the second film setting means 30, The first guide roller 41 and the second guide roller 42 also rise integrally. This upward movement continues until the second film setting means 30 faces the film feeding means 10 and stops.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), during the upward movement, the pin 1a of the movable base 1 is engaged with the upper end of the long hole 71a of the first connecting rod 71, so that the entire interlocking mechanism 70 is attached to the movable base 1. As the supporting members 56 and 66 that are raised in conjunction with each other and are engaged with the interlocking mechanism 70 are rotated, the delivery rollers 52 and 62 are rotated upward. That is, the lift amount of the delivery rollers 52 and 62 is smaller than the lift amount of the movable base 1 .
That is, as the movable base 1 rises, the films F1 and F2 are let out from the first film supply means 50 and the second film supply means 60, respectively, and pulled upward. act as movable pulleys, the amount by which the feed rollers 52 and 62 rise is smaller than the amount by which the films F1 and F2 are fed upward.

During the switching operation, the upper ends of the films F1 and F2 are pulled upward, and the lower ends are pulled downward by the weight of the support members 56 and 66 and the support rollers 72b and 74b. .
Consequently, it is possible to prevent the film F1 or the film F2 from loosening and adhering to each other during the switching operation.

In addition, in the switching operation for changing the supply source of the film feeding means 10 from the second film setting means 30 to the first film setting means 20, the movable base 1 is lowered so that the first film setting means 20 and the first film setting means 20 are switched. The second film setting means 30, the first guide roller 41, the second guide roller 42, the interlocking mechanism 70, etc. are all lowered together. Along with this descent, the support members 56 and 66 rotate downward.
During this switching operation, the lower ends of the films F1 and F2 are pulled downward by the weight of the supporting members 56 and 66 and the supporting rollers 72b and 74b, respectively, so that they do not become loose. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the film F1 or the film F2 from loosening and adhering to each other even in this downward movement.

Deceleration of moving speed Fig. 10 shows that by controlling the lifting head 81, the lifting head 81 is brought into contact with the article W conveyed on the conveyor belt 91 from the lower surface side, and the article W is moved to a predetermined position. 12 shows the flow of processing for slowing down the moving speed of the item W to be packaged.

As shown in FIG. 10(a), the item to be packaged W is transported on the transport belt 91 by the item-to-be-packaged transport means 90 to the position where the lifting head 81 is provided. When the front end of the item to be packaged W in the moving direction reaches the position where the inclined portion 932 of the inclined plate 93 is provided, the inclined portion 932 comes into contact with the item to be packaged W from below, and the frictional force due to the contact causes the inclined portion 932 to contact the item W. The moving speed of the item to be packaged W is reduced.

Further, when the first detection sensor S1 detects the object to be packaged W (S101), the controller 100 raises the lifting head 81 to a position slightly higher than the conveying belt 91 (S102). 81 is brought into contact with the object to be packaged W from below. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the object to be packaged W is separated from the conveying belt 91 (or the amount of contact between the object to be packaged W and the conveying belt 91 is reduced so that the force from the conveying belt 91 is reduced). transmission), and the frictional force generated between the lifting head 81 and the item W to be packaged gradually slows down the moving speed of the item W to be packaged.

As will be described later, the operation of raising the lifting head 81 to decelerate the moving speed of the item to be packaged W is based on the type, shape, weight, etc. of the item to be packaged W, and the first lifting head group 801 and the second lift head group 802, or both.

When the second detection sensor S2 detects the object to be packaged W (S103), the control section 100 determines that the transportation of the object to be packaged W is completed, and executes the packaging process, which will be described later (S104).
The control unit 100 sequentially executes the above-described processes from S101 to S104 on the conveyed items W (S105).

It should be noted that the process of decelerating the moving speed of the item to be packaged W by raising the lifting head 81 can be controlled more finely as follows.

<Control based on mode setting>
As a further example of control, the degree of elevation of the elevation head 81 may be set according to the weight and size of the item to be packaged W and the contents. That is, modes such as a "high speed" mode, a "medium speed" mode, and a "low speed" mode are provided, and settings are input from the display/operation unit 101 in advance.

In the "high speed" mode, priority is given to the processing speed of the items W to be packaged, and the items W to be packaged are packed without lowering the moving speed of the items W by raising the elevating head 81 . The "high speed" mode is suitable for increasing the processing efficiency when the product to be packaged W is not easily out of shape, not too heavy, and not too light.

In addition, in the "medium speed" mode, compared to the "low speed" mode, the degree of elevation of the elevation head 81 is reduced, or the timing of elevation of the elevation head 81 is delayed. to suppress the extent to which the moving speed of the object to be packaged W is decelerated.

In addition, in the "low speed" mode, compared to the "medium speed" mode, the degree of elevation of the elevation head 81 is increased, or the timing of elevation of the elevation head 81 is advanced. The moving speed of the object to be packaged W is steadily decelerated. This "low-speed" mode is suitable for cases in which the product to be packaged W is likely to lose its shape or is heavy or light and requires careful handling. .

Note that the mode described above is an example, and can be configured as follows.
That is, in the "high-speed mode", priority is given to the throughput per unit time, so the lifting head 81 is increased to abruptly stop the package W while maintaining the overall conveying speed.
In addition, in the "low speed mode", stability (quality of finish) is emphasized rather than processing capacity, so there is no stopping by the lifting head 81, and only the deceleration control of the conveying belt 91 is used for braking.

<Control based on arrival timing prediction>
In another example of further control, the time at which the first detection sensor S1 detects the to-be-packaged item W is predicted from the timing at which the to-be-packaged item W is introduced into the packaging apparatus A, and the first detection sensor S1 is actually detected. The control of the lifting head 81 may be changed according to the difference between the detection time when the package W is detected and the predicted time.

The input timing can be the timing when the package W is recognized by a camera or sensor provided at the loading position of the package W, or the timing based on the information input as data.
Also, the predicted time from the input timing to the detection by the first detection sensor S1 is calculated based on the transport speed of the package item transport means 90 and the distance from the input position to the first detection sensor S1.
Further, apart from the first detection sensor S1, another sensor may be provided in front of the first detection sensor S1 in the conveying direction, and the timing at which the sensor detects the object to be packaged W may be controlled as the actual time.

Here, if the detected time is earlier than the predicted time, for example, it is determined that the moving speed of the item to be packaged W is faster than expected, and the degree of elevation of the lifting head 81 is increased or the lifting head 81 is moved. By accelerating the rising timing, the moving speed of the object to be packaged W is steadily decelerated.
On the other hand, if the detected time is later than the predicted time, for example, it is determined that the moving speed of the item to be packaged W is slower than expected, and the degree of elevation of the elevation head 81 is reduced or the elevation of the elevation head 81 is reduced. By delaying the timing, the degree of deceleration is suppressed. Further, in this case, it may be determined that the item to be packaged W is caught on the lifting head 81, and the lifting head 81 may be controlled to be lowered.
In any case, if the difference between the detected time and the predicted time is large, the operation may be stopped or an error may be notified in consideration of the occurrence of an abnormality.

<Separate Control by First Lifting Head Group 801 and Second Lifting Head Group 802>
As shown in FIG. 8, when the plurality of elevating heads 81 are divided into two groups, namely, a first elevating head group 801 and a second elevating head group 802, which operate independently of each other, the The degree to which the moving speed of the object to be packaged W is reduced may be adjusted by controlling the first lifting head group 801 and the second lifting head group 802 individually.

For example, when it is desired to greatly reduce the moving speed of the object W to be packaged, the first lifting head group 801 and the second lifting head group 802 are brought into contact with the object W at the same time, and the object W is moved. and the lift head 81.
On the other hand, if it is desired to slow down the moving speed of the object to be packaged W more gently than this, either the first lifting head group 801 or the second lifting head group 802 is brought into contact with the object to be packaged W first. After they are brought into contact with each other, the other side is brought into contact with the object to be packaged W at a different timing, thereby adjusting the frictional force between the object to be packaged W and the lift head 81 .

<Control based on the information of the packaged object>
The control of the lifting head 81 may be changed based on the information on the items W to be packaged stored in advance in the information storage means of the packaging apparatus A or the information on the items W acquired on the transport path.
Information about the object to be packaged W includes the size and weight of the object to be packaged W itself, the type of contents, the manner in which the contents are placed (easy to roll, easy to scatter, stability), and Information that influences the moving speed of the object to be packaged W and the inertial force associated with the movement, such as the slipperiness of a container such as a tray and the position of the object to be packaged W on the conveying route, is appropriately included.

The packaging apparatus A can change the degree of elevation of the lifting head 81 for each item W to be packaged based on such information on the item W to be packaged. Specifically, the lift head 81 is lifted higher for a heavy package W to bring it into strong contact with the package W, and conversely, the lift head 81 is lifted for a light package W. can be kept slightly, and can be brought into weak contact with the object W to be packaged.

Also, based on the information on the item to be packaged W, either one or both of the first lift head group 801 and the second lift head group 802 can be selectively lifted.
Regarding the deceleration control by the lifting head 81, in this example, the lifting head 81 is lifted after the object W is detected by the first detection sensor S1, and the lifting head 81 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the object W to be packaged. However, before the first detection sensor S1 detects the object W to be packaged, the lifting head 81 is made to stand by at a position raised above the conveying belt 91, and the front surface of the object W in the conveying direction contacts the lifting head 81. You may make it decelerate so that it may carry out.

In addition, by recognizing in advance the information of the object W to be packaged which is continuously conveyed, the lift head 81 is lifted to press the object W to be packaged against the film F1 or F2, and then the next object W to be processed. The waiting position of the lifting head 81 can also be determined based on the information of the above. That is, when it is determined that the weight of the next package W to be processed is large and it is necessary to strongly abut the lift head 81, the lift head 81 is made to wait at a position higher than the reference standby position. Furthermore, in the same manner as described above, the lifting head 81 may be brought into contact with the front surface of the object W in the conveying direction instead of the bottom surface thereof. In this case, it is not necessary to lower the lifting head 81 to its original standby position, so the processing time for the entire packaging process can be shortened.

Here, the standby position of the lifting head 81 is below the conveying belt 91 and above the lower portion 931. By setting this position as the standby position, the lifting head 81 can be lifted without affecting the conveying surface. In some cases, the lifting head 81 can be quickly brought into contact with the article W to be packaged.
On the other hand, there are special containers that push down the conveyor belt 91 between the driving rollers 92 and fall below the conveyor belt 91, such as those with an uneven bottom surface and those with a small area and heavy weight. be. When transporting such a special container, the lowered transport belt 91 or the bottom surface of the special container may come into contact with the lift head 81, resulting in a transport failure. For such a special container, if it can be identified by product information obtained by product recall or detection by a camera or sensor, the standby position of the lifting head 81 can be lowered below the lower portion 931 to suppress transportation failure. good.
Note that the inclined plate 93 constituting the support means supports the conveyor belt 91 via the drive roller 92 even when the conveyor belt 91 is pushed down as described above.

●Packaging operation (packaging process)
5(a) to (d) and FIGS. 6(e) to (h), the control unit 100 controls various drive sources to press the wrapped item W against the stretched films F1 and F2. 4 shows sequentially the operation of wrapping by
In one example of this packaging operation, the elevation head 81 adopts the aspect of FIG. 8(b). That is, the first lifting head 81-1 is arranged on the front side and the rear side, and the second lifting head 81-2 is arranged between the front and rear first lifting heads 81-1. In addition, in this packaging operation, it is also possible to apply the elevating head 81 shown in FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the article to be packaged W is placed on the upper end of the second lift head 81-2 below the film F1 or F2 stretched substantially horizontally. This to-be-packaged item W is conveyed by the to-be-packaged item conveying means 90 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the front and rear first lift heads 81-1 are lifted by a predetermined amount with respect to the item to be packaged W, and the first lift heads 81-1 lift the film F1 or Push up F2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the plurality of second lifting heads 81-2 between the front and rear first lifting heads 81-1 are raised by a predetermined amount, and these second lifting heads 81- 2 is pressed against the film F1 or F2.
The amount of elevation of the second elevating head 81-2 is appropriately set according to the height dimension of the article W to be packaged. The height dimension of the item to be packaged W is acquired by, for example, a sensor, a camera, or the like provided in the transportation path of the item to be packaged W by the packaging apparatus A. FIG. This height dimension is the total height of the synthetic resin recessed tray that constitutes the object to be packaged W and the products placed on the tray. For example, when the product is a block of meat, the height including the product is often larger than the height of the tray.

The control unit 100 reduces the amount of elevation of the second lift head 81-2 when the height of the entire object to be packaged W is large, and when the height of the remaining object to be packaged W is small. , to increase the lift amount of the second elevating head 81-2.
According to these configurations, the object to be packaged W is pushed toward the film F1 or F2 that was pushed up in the previous operation, so that the load received from the film F1 or F2 is small. As a result, it is possible to prevent the item to be packaged W from being pressed against the film F1 or F2 and being damaged or deformed.

5(b) and 5(c), the second lifting head 81-2 moves with a slight time delay from the first lifting head 81-1, which hits the film F1 or F2 first. should hit.
As another example, the first lifting head 81-1 and the second lifting head 81-2 may simultaneously hit the film F1 or F2. The load received by contact with F1 or F2 can be reduced.

Further, according to the illustrated example, the upper end of the package W is brought into contact with the film F1 or F2 by raising the second lifting head 81-2. The lift amount of the head 81-2 may be made smaller than in the illustrated example so that the upper end of the lifted package W approaches the film F1 or F2 without coming into contact therewith. According to this aspect, the load received by the item W to be packaged can be reduced, and the damage or deformation of the item W to be packaged can be prevented more reliably.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the front and rear first lift heads 81-1 are lowered so that only the article to be packaged W is pressed against the central side of the stretched film F1 or F2. do. In this operation, the first lifting head 81-1 may be retracted to the same height position as the second lifting head 81-2 or to a position lower than the second lifting head 81-2.
That is, when the first lifting head 81-1 is lowered to at least the same height position as the second lifting head 81-2, folding operations by the folding members 2, 3, and 4 can be performed in a process described later. By minimizing the amount of movement of the first lifting head 81-1 in this way, the overall working efficiency can be improved.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6(e), folding members 2 and 3 are pressed against the film F1 or F2 pulled up in a mountain shape by the object W to be wrapped, and these folding members 2 and 3 are The film F1 or F2 is folded to the lower side of the package W so as to be inserted between the bottom surface of the package W and the upper end of the second lift head 81-2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6(f), the folding member 4 on the front side is pressed against the film F1 or F2 pulled up in a mountain shape, and this folding member 4 is placed between the bottom surface of the item to be packaged W and the second vertical movement. The film F1 or F2 is folded to the lower side of the item to be packaged W so as to be inserted between the upper ends of the heads 81-2.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6(g) and 6(h), the discharge pusher 8 pushes the article to be packaged W downstream in the carry-out direction, and the second lift head 81-2 is lowered to the initial position.

After the end portions of the film F1 or F2 are all folded into the lower surface side of the item to be packaged W in this way, the left and right folding members 2 and 3 and the front folding member 4 are respectively lifted by a large number of first elevating heads. It retreats to a position close to the side surfaces of 81-1 and the second lifting head 81-2.
By controlling in this way, the operation of packaging the next item to be packaged W can be performed quickly.

Therefore, according to the packaging apparatus A configured as described above, it is possible to prevent damage or deformation of the items W to be packaged during packaging, and to improve the efficiency of the process of packaging the items W to be packaged.

In particular, according to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8(a), (b), and (c), the first lift head 81-1 is moved toward at least one of the film transport sections 10a or 10b (that is, toward the front or ), the portion of the film F1 or F2 where the tension is increased by the film conveying portion 10a or 10b can be pushed up by the first lifting head 81-1, whereby the film F1 or The impact caused by the contact of the item W to be packaged with F2 can be reduced, and the damage or deformation of the item W to be packaged can be effectively prevented.

Other Modifications According to the above embodiment, the plurality of first lifting heads 81-1 are fixed by connecting members 821 to constitute the first lifting head group 801, and the other plurality of second lifting heads 81-2 are fixed by the connecting member 822 to constitute the second elevating head group 802, but these elevating heads 81 can be replaced with the following as a preferred alternate embodiment.

In this alternative mode, the connecting member 821 and the connecting member 822 are omitted from the above configuration, and the plurality of lifting heads 81 are configured to be lifted and lowered independently, so that the horizontal shape and size of the item to be packaged W can be adjusted. Accordingly, some of the many lifting heads 81 are operated as the first lifting head 81-1 for pushing up the film, and the other part is operated as the second lifting head 81- for lifting the package. 2 may be operated. Similarly, in adjusting the speed reduction of the moving speed of the object to be packaged W, a part of the many lifting heads 81 is first operated as the first lifting head 81-1 to come into contact with the object to be packaged W. The other part may be continuously operated as the second lifting head 81-2 to abut on the article W to be packaged.

In this alternative embodiment, each first lift head 81-1 and each second lift head 81-2 are provided with independent lift drive sources (not shown). Each of these elevation drive sources is controlled by the control section 100 .
The horizontal shape, size, etc. of the item W to be packaged may be recognized by a sensor (not shown) provided in the transportation path of the item W to be packaged. As another example, the storage means of the control unit 100 may store data such as the shape and size of the package W in advance.

Further, the arrangement pattern of the lift heads 81 may be rearranged according to the type, size, weight, or the like of the item W to be packaged.
In addition, regardless of the above example, a plurality of lifting heads 81 may collectively perform the same lifting operation.

Further, according to the above embodiment, the film setting means (first film setting means 20 and second film setting means 30) and film supply means (first film supply means 50 and second film supply means 60) However, as another example, three or more sets of these film setting means and film supply means are provided, and one set of the three or more sets of film setting means and film supply means is selected, It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which switching operation is performed.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, a plurality of film setting means are arranged in the vertical direction and are switched by moving them in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the film setting means may be arranged in the horizontal direction. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which the switching operation is performed by moving in the horizontal direction.

Further, according to the above embodiment, a plurality of film supply means are arranged in the vertical direction, but as other examples, they are arranged in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) or in the oblique direction. It is also possible to

Further, according to the above embodiment, in the above switching operation, the moving direction of the film setting means and the moving direction of the film supply means are set to be substantially the same direction (vertical direction in the illustrated example). The direction of movement of the film setting means and the direction of movement of the film supply means may be different directions (for example, one direction is vertical and the other direction is oblique).

Further, according to the above embodiment, as a particularly preferable example, a plurality of guide rollers 63, 64, 65 are provided between the feed rollers 52, 62 and the film setting shafts 51, 61. Some or all of the guide rollers 63, 64, 65 can be omitted.

Further, according to the above embodiment, as a particularly preferable example, the feed rollers 52, 62 rotate about the film setting shafts 51, 61 during the switching operation. A mode in which the delivery rollers 52 and 62 linearly move in the vertical direction during the switching operation, and film supply means including the film set shafts 51 and 61 and the delivery rollers 52 and 62 (the first film supply means 50 and the second film It is also possible to employ a mode in which the entire supply means 60) moves vertically.

In the above-described embodiment, after the film F1 or F2 is pushed up by the first lifting head group 801, the second lifting head group 802 raises the object W to come into contact with the film F1 or F2. As another example, when the object to be packaged W has sufficient strength, the second lifting head group 802 can be used to lift the film F1 or F2 without the first lifting head group 801 pushing up the film F1 or F2. W may be raised to contact the film F1 or F2.
In this case, whether or not the strength of the item to be packaged W is sufficient is determined based on, for example, product information stored in advance in the storage means of the control unit 100, or the strength of the item to be packaged W is determined. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which a sensor is provided to determine whether or not the determination is made based on the determination information obtained by the sensor.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, a plurality of each of the first elevating head group 801 and the second elevating head group 802 are provided, but as another example, one or both of these may be singular. is.

Further, as a configuration added to the above-described embodiment, a sensor for detecting contamination of the lifting head 81 may be provided, and in accordance with the detection signal of this sensor, notification may be performed by sound, light, signal transmission, or the like. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily recognize dirt on the lift head 81 by the notification, and by extension, it is possible to appropriately perform cleaning work, maintenance, etc. of the lift head 81 .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and design changes and the like may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. are included in the present invention.
Further, the embodiments shown in the respective drawings described above can be combined with each other as long as there is no particular contradiction or problem in the purpose, configuration, or the like. In addition, the contents described in each drawing can be an independent embodiment, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to one embodiment in which each drawing is combined.

Also, the software resources that make up the packaging machine A can be distributed or concentrated in any one of the hardware resources by appropriate design, and the hardware resources are also configured as a physically integrated device or a separate device. You can also As a result, for example, a part or all of the software resources can be configured to reside in a centralized upper-level device or controller, or to an external server connected by a predetermined network.

●Summary of Embodiments The present invention relates to a packaging apparatus for packaging an object to be packaged.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-104482, a packaging apparatus has been proposed in which an article to be packaged is conveyed on a lifter and the article is wrapped by pressing it against a stretched film.

However, since the packaging apparatus handles various sizes and weights of items to be packaged, it has been difficult to stop the conveyed items in the correct posture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a packaging apparatus that stops a conveyed item to be packaged in a correct position and orientation and appropriately wraps the item.

In order to achieve the above object, a packaging apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: film tensioning means for tensioning a film; a means for conveying the object to be packaged above the means, wherein the push-up means rises according to the conveyance of the object to be packaged, contacts the object to push the object; slows down the movement speed of

The push-up means may change the degree of rise when decelerating the moving speed of the item to be packaged, based on the information on the item to be packaged.

A detecting means for detecting the object to be packaged conveyed above the pushing means, wherein the means for conveying the object to be packaged starts deceleration control in response to detection of the object to be packaged by the detecting means. and the pushing-up means may start to rise.

Supporting means for supporting the means for conveying the object to be packaged may be provided, and the means for supporting the means may extend farther in the conveying direction than the means for conveying the object to be packaged.

The push-up means may stand by above or below the support means.

A computer program according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a film-stretching process for stretching a film, and a push-up process for pushing up an object to be wrapped by a push-up means for pushing up the object to be wrapped toward the stretched film. , and an object-to-package conveying process for conveying the object-to-be-packaged item above the pushing-up means, wherein the pushing-up process raises the means for pushing-up according to the transportation of the object-to-be-packaged, By contacting the object to be packaged, the moving speed of the object to be packaged is reduced.

According to the packaging apparatus according to the present invention described above, the conveyed item to be packaged can be stopped at the correct position and posture, and the item to be packaged can be properly packaged. In particular, the movement of the object to be packaged can be accurately stopped according to the weight and size of the object to be packaged. It does not cause problems with the contents of the In addition, when the moving speed of the object to be packaged W is reduced, the mechanism required for the packaging operation is solved by the control method instead of using a dedicated mechanism.

Reference Signs List 1: Movable base 10 : Film feeding means 10a : Film conveying part 10b : Film conveying part 20 : First film setting means 40 : Film guide means 50 : First film supply means 51 : Film setting shaft 56 : Support member 60 : Second film supply means 61 : Film setting shaft 66 : Support member 70 : Interlocking mechanism 81 : Lifting head 81-1 : First lifting head 81-2 : Second lifting head 801 : First lifting head group 802 : Second lifting head group 90 : Packaged item conveying means 91 : Conveyor belt 92 : Driving roller 93 : Inclined plate 931 : Lower portion 932 : Inclined portion 933 : Higher portion A : Packaging device F1 : Film F2 : Film S1 : First detection sensor S2 : Second detection sensor W : Packaged item

Claims (6)

a film tensioning means for tensioning the film;
push-up means for pushing up the object to be packaged toward the stretched film;
an object-to-package conveying means for conveying the object to be packaged above the push-up means;
The push-up means rises as the object to be packaged is conveyed, and contacts the object to decelerate the moving speed of the object to be packaged.
A packaging device characterized by:
The push-up means changes the degree of rise when decelerating the moving speed of the item to be packaged, based on information about the item to be packaged.
2. The packaging device of claim 1.
further comprising a detecting means for detecting the packaged object conveyed above the pushing means;
3. The packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said object conveying means starts deceleration control and said push-up means starts rising in response to detection of said object by said detecting means.
a support means for supporting the means for conveying the package,
The support means extends farther in the conveying direction than the package conveying means,
The packaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The pushing means waits above or below the supporting means,
The packaging device according to claim 4.
a film tensioning process for tensioning the film;
A push-up process for pushing up the object to be wrapped by a push-up means for pushing up the object to be wrapped toward the stretched film;
causing a computer to execute a process for conveying the article to be packaged that conveys the article to be packaged above the pushing means;
In the push-up process, the push-up means is lifted according to the transportation of the object to be packaged, and is brought into contact with the object to be packaged, thereby decelerating the moving speed of the object to be packaged.
computer program.

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