JP2024072954A - Inspection device and inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an inspection device that can safely and quickly inspect a paper pack filled with beverages and sealed.SOLUTION: An inspection device for inspecting a rectangular parallelepiped paper pack filled with liquid contents and sealed includes: a cutting part which cuts from below a center part in the longitudinal direction of three surfaces except for a second surface opposed to a first surface when the first surface in the longitudinal direction of the paper pack is directed downward; a folding-back part which folds back the center part in the longitudinal direction of the second surface; a cleaning part which cleans the inside of the paper pack; an inversion part which inverts the paper pack such that a cut area of the paper pack cut by the cutting part faces upwards; a water tank which stores conductive liquids; a transfer part which transfers the paper pack into the water tank; a filling part which fills the paper pack with the conductive liquid; a first electrode which is inserted to the paper pack; a second electrode which is the counter electrode of the first electrode and is inserted to the water tank; and a determination part which determines the electric conduction between the first electrode and the second electrode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an inspection device for inspecting paper cartons filled and sealed with beverages, etc., and an inspection method using the inspection device.

As a beverage container for containing beverages, etc., there is a rectangular parallelepiped paper pack that is made by forming a laminate with a paper base material and coating the front and back sides with a thermoplastic resin or the like, and heat sealing the edges (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This paper pack can be filled and sealed with beverages, etc. without mixing in air, and can achieve aseptic packaging, so it is widely used as a beverage container suitable for long-term storage.

JP 2019-112093 A

The above-mentioned paper cartons are premised on maintaining airtightness, but if the airtightness is compromised, for example, due to poor sealing during the formation of the paper carton or pinholes or scratches in the inner layer of the laminate, the beverage or other product filled in the paper carton will spoil. Therefore, in order to detect such defective products early, it is necessary to inspect the paper carton for poor sealing and the presence of pinholes or scratches.

The inspection method involves cutting paper cartons filled with beverages etc. in half, draining the beverage etc. contents, cleaning the inside of the paper carton, and checking for electrical current inside and outside the carton, all of which are carried out by workers (if electrical current is detected, the carton is deemed defective). However, this type of inspection by workers is unsafe, with issues including the risk of cuts from using scissors, the contents scattering when draining, and electric shock when checking for electrical current. There is also the problem of reduced production capacity due to the increased workload caused by the inspection.

The object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device that can safely and quickly inspect paper cartons filled and sealed with beverages, and an inspection method using the inspection device.

After extensive research to solve the above problems, the inventors discovered that the above objective could be achieved by creating an inspection device that inspects paper cartons filled and sealed with beverages, and thus completed the present invention.

The present invention provides the following:

(1) An inspection device for inspecting rectangular parallelepiped paper cartons filled and sealed with a liquid content, the inspection device comprising: a cutting unit that cuts from below the longitudinal center of three sides of the paper carton, excluding a second side that faces a first side in the longitudinal direction of the paper carton, from the bottom when the first side in the longitudinal direction of the paper carton is facing downward; a folding unit that folds back the longitudinal center of the second side; a cleaning unit that cleans the inside of the paper carton; an inversion unit that inverts the paper carton so that the cut edge of the paper carton cut by the cutting unit faces upward; a water tank that contains a conductive liquid; a transfer unit that transfers the paper carton into the water tank; a filling unit that fills the paper carton with the conductive liquid; a first electrode that is inserted into the paper carton; a second electrode that is the opposite electrode to the first electrode and that is inserted into the water tank; and a discrimination unit that discriminates the flow of electricity between the first electrode and the second electrode.
(2) The inspection device according to (1), wherein the folding portion presses the plate-shaped member against the longitudinal center portion of the second surface to form a valley fold at the longitudinal center portion of the second surface.
(3) An inspection device as described in (1) or (2), comprising two first electrodes, one of the first electrodes being inserted into one of the boxes of the paper pack cut by the cutting section, and the other of the first electrodes being inserted into the other box of the paper pack cut by the cutting section.
(4) An inspection device as described in (1) or (2), comprising four or more of the first electrodes, wherein the transfer unit transfers a plurality of the paper packs into the water tank, and each of the first electrodes is inserted into one of the boxes and into the other box of the paper packs cut by the cutting unit.
(5) The inspection device according to (4), wherein the discrimination unit discriminates the energization for each of the paper packs.
(6) An inspection method using an inspection device for inspecting a rectangular parallelepiped paper carton filled and sealed with a liquid content, the inspection method including: a cutting process for cutting from below the longitudinal center of three sides of the paper carton excluding a second side opposite a first side in the longitudinal direction of the paper carton when the first side is facing downward; a folding process for folding back the longitudinal center of the second side; a cleaning process for cleaning the inside of the paper carton; a turning process for turning over the paper carton so that the cut edge of the paper carton cut in the cutting process faces upward; a transfer process for transferring the paper carton into a water tank that contains a conductive liquid; a filling process for filling the paper carton with the conductive liquid; an insertion process for inserting a first electrode into the paper carton; and a determination process for determining the flow of electricity between the first electrode and a second electrode that is the opposite electrode of the first electrode and is inserted into the water tank.
(7) The inspection method according to (6), wherein the folding step includes pressing a plate-like member against a central portion of the second surface in the longitudinal direction to form a valley fold at the central portion of the second surface in the longitudinal direction.
(8) The inspection method according to (6) or (7), wherein the inspection device has two of the first electrodes, and the insertion step includes inserting one of the first electrodes into one of the boxes of the paper pack cut in the cutting step, and inserting the other of the first electrodes into the other box of the paper pack cut in the cutting step.
(9) The inspection method according to (6) or (7), wherein the inspection device has four or more of the first electrodes, the transfer step transfers a plurality of the paper packs into the water tank, and the insertion step inserts each of the first electrodes into one box body and the other box body of the paper packs cut in the cutting step.
(10) The inspection method according to (9), wherein the determining step determines whether the current is applied to each of the paper packs.

The present invention provides an inspection device that can safely and quickly inspect paper cartons filled and sealed with beverages, and an inspection method using the inspection device.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inspection device according to an embodiment; 1A is a diagram showing the appearance of a paper pack before inspection, FIG. 1B is the appearance after cutting, FIG. 1C is the appearance during cleaning, and FIG. 1D is the appearance during inspection. These are diagrams showing cross sections of the paper 6 that makes up a paper pack, where (1) is a good product, (2) is a product with pinholes in the innermost layer, (3) is a product with pinholes in the innermost layer and aluminum layer, (4) is a product with pinholes in the innermost layer, aluminum layer and polyethylene layer, (5) is a product with pinholes in the paper, (6) is a product with poor sealing in the horizontal seal, and (7) is a product with poor sealing in the vertical seal. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of a cutting unit according to an embodiment. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing schematic configurations of a turning section and a cleaning section according to an embodiment; 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating schematic configurations of an inversion unit and a transfer unit according to the embodiment. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a filling section and a current conducting section according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an inspection device according to an embodiment; 5 is a flowchart for explaining a process for inspecting a paper pack using the inspection device according to the embodiment.

The following describes an inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of an inspection device according to an embodiment. The inspection device 2 is a device for inspecting paper packs filled and sealed with liquid (including not only liquid but also jelly-like) contents (food, etc.), and as shown in FIG. 1, includes a cutting section 8, a folding section 10, a cleaning section 12, an inversion section 14, a transfer section 16, a filling section 18, an electrical current section 20, and an air blow section (not shown). In the following description, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 is set, and the positional relationship of each member is described with reference to this orthogonal coordinate system. The X axis is set horizontally in the left-right direction of the paper in FIG. 1, the Y axis is set horizontally in the direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 1, and the Z axis is set vertically.

The paper pack inspected by the inspection device 2 is, for example, a paper pack 4, which is a rectangular parallelepiped sealed container as shown in FIG. 2, and is made of paper 6 (see FIG. 3) as a base material. The longitudinal ends of the paper 6 are heat-sealed together, and then the upper and lower ends in the lateral direction are heat-sealed together. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross section of the paper 6, which is the base material. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper 6 is a laminate in which a polyethylene layer 6a is laminated on the surface of the base paper 6b, and a polyethylene layer 6c, an aluminum layer 6d, and a polyethylene (containing an adhesive resin of LDPE or LLDPE and EMAA) layer 6a are laminated in this order on the back surface of the base paper 6b. In the inspection device 2 according to this embodiment, it is possible to inspect whether the paper 6 constituting the paper pack 4 is a non-defective product without pinholes, scratches, or seal defects as shown in FIG. 3 (1), or whether it is a defective product with pinholes, scratches, or seal defects as shown in FIG. 3 (2) to (7). In FIG. 3, (2) indicates a pinhole or scratch in the polyethylene layer 6a, (3) indicates a pinhole or scratch in the polyethylene layer 6a and the aluminum layer 6d, (4) indicates a pinhole or scratch in the polyethylene layer 6a, the aluminum layer 6d, and the polyethylene layer 6c, (5) indicates a pinhole in the paper 6, (6) indicates a seal defect in the horizontal seal parts 4b and 4c (see FIG. 2), and (7) indicates a seal defect in the vertical seal part 4a (see FIG. 2) or a tape defect in the tape part 6f reinforcing the vertical seal part 4a. The inspection device 2 mainly inspects for the presence or absence of defects (2) and (3).

That is, the aluminum layer 6d of the paper pack 4 is exposed at the end of the laminate (the cut surface of the paper 6). When the water tank 38 (see FIG. 1) is filled with water and the paper packs 4A and 4B (see FIG. 1) are immersed in the water, the water filled in the water tank 38 comes into contact with the aluminum layer 6d at the end of the laminate. Since the inside of the paper packs 4A and 4B has a polyethylene layer 6a on the surface, electricity is basically not conducted inside and outside the paper packs 4A and 4B. However, if the polyethylene layer 6a has a pinhole or a scratch (see FIG. 3 (2)), the aluminum layer 6d in that part is exposed, and the water inside the paper packs 4A and 4B comes into contact with the exposed aluminum layer 6d. In such a state, electricity flows inside and outside the paper packs 4A and 4B through the water inside the paper packs 4A and 4B, the aluminum layer 6d, and the water in the water tank 38. If electricity flows, it can be determined that there is an abnormality.

The inspection device 2 according to this embodiment can be used to inspect not only paper packs 4 having an aluminum layer 6d, but also paper packs made of non-aluminum packaging materials in which aluminum foil has been replaced with a transparent barrier film in recent years due to the impact on the environment. In this case, the aluminum layer 6d does not exist, but inspection is possible if there is a paper 6 pinhole (see FIG. 3 (5)). In addition, the base paper 6b of the laminate is exposed at the end of the laminate, just like the aluminum layer 6d, and moisture penetrates into the base paper 6b from this end of the laminate. The base paper 6b layer, which contains a sufficient amount of penetrated moisture, plays the role of a conductive layer, so it is possible to inspect the paper pack for abnormalities, especially seal defects near the horizontal seals 4b and 4c (near the end of the laminate) (see FIG. 3 (6)).

As shown in FIG. 2(A), the paper pack 4 is a sealed container formed by vertically sealing a cylindrical paper 6 to form a vertical seal portion 4a, filling the cylindrical packaging material with beverages or other contents, horizontally sealing the paper 6 to form horizontal seal portions 4b and 4c, and welding both ends of the horizontal seal portion 4b to the side of the paper pack 4 and both ends of the horizontal seal portion 4c to the bottom of the paper pack 4. In this paper pack 4, after the vertical seal portion 4a is formed, the contents such as beverages are filled, and the horizontal seal portions 4b and 4c are formed by squashing the contents inside the cylindrical shape, so that the contents can be packed aseptically without air being mixed into the paper pack 4. In the following explanation, the surface opposite to the surface on which the vertical seal portion 4a of the paper pack 4 is arranged is referred to as the front surface 4d, and the positional relationship with each member is explained with reference to the back surface 4e, right side surface 4f, left side surface 4g, top surface 4h, and bottom surface 4i.

The inspection device 2 is equipped with a transport unit (not shown), which moves two paper packs 4 (hereinafter, one of which is referred to as paper pack 4A and the other as paper pack 4B) that are carried into the inspection device 2 in the +X direction shown in FIG. 1 via the cutting unit 8 to the folding unit 10. The transport unit is configured with a slider and rails, and the fixing member 21 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the slider. The fixing member 21 fixes the two paper packs 4A and 4B that are carried into the inspection device 2. The paper packs 4A and 4B are carried into the inspection device 2 with their back surfaces 4e facing the +Z direction, with the paper pack 4A facing the +X direction and the paper pack 4B facing the -X direction. The fixing member 21 fixes at least the right side 4f of the paper pack 4A and the left side 4g of the paper pack 4B. The slider slides and moves in the +X direction along the rail to move the fixing member 21 and, therefore, the paper packs 4A and 4B.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the cutting unit 8. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the cutting unit 8 is equipped with a rotary blade 25, and when the front (first surface) 4d in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the paper packs 4A and 4B is directed downward (-Z direction), the cutting unit 8 cuts the longitudinal center 4m (see Figure 2) of the front 4d, right side 4f, and left side 4g (three surfaces) excluding the back (second surface) 4e facing the front 4d from below. That is, the rotary blade 25 is preset at a height (position in the Z direction) at which the back 4e is not cut, so it rotates at high speed around the drive shaft 25a, and cuts the longitudinal center 4m of the front 4d, right side 4f, and left side 4g of the paper pack 4 (4A, 4B) that slides through the cutting unit 8 by the conveying unit, as shown in Figure 2 (B). Because the longitudinal center 4k (see FIG. 2) of the back surface 4e of the paper pack 4A (4B) is not cut, the top and bottom boxes (described below) of the paper pack 4A (4B) formed by cutting the longitudinal center 4m of the front surface 4d, right side surface 4f, and left side surface 4g of the paper pack 4A (4B) do not come apart, and confusion with the top and bottom boxes of other paper packs can be prevented.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the folding unit 10 and the cleaning unit 12. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the folding unit 10 includes a plate-shaped member 27, a folding guide 28, and a fixed member 29, and by pressing the plate-shaped member 27 against the back surface 4e of the paper packs 4A and 4B, it makes a valley fold on the back surface 4e that has not been cut by the cutting unit 8. That is, the plate-shaped member 27 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction), and by descending from the standby position shown in Figure 1 to the folding position shown by the dashed line in Figure 5, it is pressed against the longitudinal center portion 4k (see Figure 2) of the back surface 4e.

As shown in Figure 2 (B), the longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e of the paper pack 4 (4A, 4B) is bent, and the front surface 4d, right side surface 4f, and left side surface 4g, which have been cut by the cutting portion 8, are opened in two. The longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e of the paper pack 4A is further pressed by the plate-shaped member 27 and guided by the folding guide 28, so that the top surface 4h and bottom surface 4i are oriented in the +Z direction, and the top (flat) back surface 4e and the bottom (bottom) back surface 4e are fixed to the fixing member 29 with the back surface 4e on the top side (flat side) and the bottom side (bottom side) in contact with each other, as shown in Figure 2 (C). Similarly, the paper pack 4B is further pressed by the plate-like member 27 at the longitudinal center 4k of the back surface 4e and guided by the folding guide 28, so that the top surface 4h and bottom surface 4i are oriented in the +Z direction, and the paper pack 4B is fixed to the fixing member 29 with the top side (flat side) back surface 4e and the bottom side (bottom side) back surface 4e in contact with each other, as shown in FIG. 2C. The fixing member 29 fixes the front surface 4d of the paper packs 4A and 4B, the left side surface 4g of the paper pack 4A, and the right side surface 4f of the paper pack 4B. In addition, the paper packs 4A and 4B are cut by the cutting section 8 and folded back by the folding section 10, so that the contents filled in the paper packs 4A and 4B are discharged downward (in the -Z direction) from the cut opening 4j (see FIG. 2).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the cleaning unit 12 is configured with four nozzles (nozzles 31a to 31c and a nozzle not shown) and cleans the inside of the paper packs 4A and 4B. When the paper packs 4A and 4B are fixed to the fixing member 29, the nozzles 31a to 31c and a nozzle not shown spray water onto the inner surfaces of the four boxes formed by cutting the paper packs 4A and 4B. The fixing member 29 moves in the +Y direction or -Y direction by a conveying means not shown, and the nozzles 31a to 31c and a nozzle not shown spray water sequentially onto the inner surfaces of the four boxes (the inner surface of the top box body of the paper pack 4A, the inner surface of the bottom box body of the paper pack 4A, the inner surface of the top box body, and the inner surface of the bottom box body of the paper pack 4B) fixed to the fixing member 29 and moving together with the fixing member 29, thereby washing away the contents remaining in the paper packs 4A and 4B and the contents adhering to the inner surfaces of the paper packs 4A and 4B.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the inversion unit 14 and the transfer unit 16. The inversion unit 14 is equipped with a holding unit 33 and a rotating shaft 33a, and inverts the paper packs 4A, 4B cut by the cutting unit 8 so that the four cut edges 4j of the paper packs 4A, 4B face upward (+Z direction). The holding unit 33 holds the fixing member 29, and thus the paper packs 4A, 4B fixed to the fixing member 29, and rotates 180 degrees around the rotating shaft 33a. As a result, the fixing member 29 held by the holding unit 33, and thus the paper packs 4A, 4B fixed to the fixing member 29, rotate 180 degrees, i.e., are inverted. By rotating 180 degrees, the paper packs 4A, 4B face the four cut edges 4j upward, as shown in Figure 2 (D).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the transfer unit 16 is configured with two transfer hands 35a, 35b, etc., and transfers the paper packs 4A, 4B into a water tank 38 that contains water. The water tank 38 may contain a conductive liquid (e.g., a sodium chloride solution, etc.) instead of water. The transfer hand 35a has a grip part 36a (see Fig. 1) and a grip part not shown, and the grip part 36a and the grip part not shown are configured to be movable in the Y direction. The grip part 36a is inserted inside the top side box body of the paper pack 4A, and the grip part not shown is inserted inside the bottom side box body of the paper pack 4A, and the grip part 36a moves in the +Y direction and the grip part not shown moves in the -Y direction to clamp the inner wall surface on the back side 4e of the paper pack 4A. The transfer hand 35b has two grip parts 37a, 37b (see Fig. 6), and the grip parts 37a, 37b are configured to be movable in the Y direction. Grip portion 37a is inserted inside the top box of paper pack 4B, and grip portion 37b is inserted inside the bottom box of paper pack 4B, and grip portion 37a moves in the +Y direction and grip portion 37b moves in the -Y direction to clamp the inner wall surface on the back surface 4e side of paper pack 4B.

The transfer hands 35a, 35b are configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) and horizontal direction (X direction in this embodiment). When transferring the paper packs 4A, 4B into the water tank 38, the transfer hands 35a, 35b descend from the standby position shown in FIG. 1 to the clamping position S shown in FIG. 6, clamp the paper packs 4A, 4B, and then rise from the clamping position S to position P shown in FIG. 6, and move in the horizontal direction (+X direction in this embodiment) and vertical direction (-Z direction in this embodiment) to transfer the paper packs 4A, 4B to the water tank 38.

The inspection device 2 according to this embodiment is also equipped with an air blowing section (not shown). While the paper cartons 4A and 4B are being transferred by the transfer section 16, the air blowing section dries the inner surface and cut parts of the paper cartons 4A and 4B by blowing air (spraying normal air or hot air) on the inner surface (inner surface of the four boxes) of the paper cartons 4A and 4B and the cut parts cut by the cutting section 8. Some contents filled in the paper cartons 4A and 4B contain a lot of oil (milk, soy milk, etc.), and the oily contents may not be completely washed in the washing section 12. If an oil film containing moisture remains on the inner surface and cut parts of the paper cartons 4A and 4B, electricity may flow from the inner surface of the carton to the end of the laminate through the aluminum of the cut parts, which may cause an erroneous judgment. In such a case, it is possible to prevent an erroneous judgment by drying the contents with the air blowing section and losing the continuity of moisture. Note that the drying by the air blowing section is performed with priority on the cut parts of the paper cartons 4A and 4B.

In this embodiment, since water droplets may return to the paper packs 4A and 4B when the paper packs 4A and 4B are inverted, the contents are dried by the air blowing section before filling the paper packs 4A and 4B with water after inverting the paper packs 4A and 4B (best mode), but the paper packs 4A and 4B may be dried anytime between after washing and before filling the paper packs 4A and 4B with water. In this embodiment, the paper packs 4A and 4B are dried while they are being transferred, but when the contents are milk or soy milk, for example, hot air or the like may be sprayed on the paper packs 4A and 4B in the air blowing section after the paper packs 4A and 4B are transferred and before filling the paper packs 4A and 4B with water by the filling section 18, to dry the paper packs 4A and 4B. In this case, the inner surface and cut parts of the paper packs 4A and 4B can be dried more reliably. In addition, it is preferable to use hot air rather than normal air for the air blow in order to improve the drying speed. It is also possible to configure the device without an air blower.

7 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the filling section 18 and the current-carrying section 20. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, the filling section 18 is configured with four nozzles (nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown), and fills the paper packs 4A and 4B with water. Note that the paper packs 4A and 4B may be filled with a conductive liquid (e.g., a sodium chloride solution) instead of water. When the paper packs 4A and 4B are transferred to the water tank 38, water is supplied from the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, and the water is filled into the inner surfaces of the four boxes of the paper packs 4A and 4B. The water supplied from the nozzle 39a fills the inner surface of the top box of the paper pack 4A, the water supplied from the nozzle not shown fills the inner surface of the bottom box of the paper pack 4A, the water supplied from the nozzle 39c fills the inner surface of the top box of the paper pack 4B, and the water supplied from the nozzle 39d fills the inner surface of the bottom box of the paper pack 4B. At this time, water is also injected into the water tank 38 to prevent the water contained in the water tank 38 from becoming suspended due to the contents adhering to the outer surfaces of the paper packs 4A and 4B.

Nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown are configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction). Nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown move down together with first electrodes 40a to 40d (see FIG. 8) from the standby position shown in FIG. 1 to the testing position shown in FIG. 7, and fill water into paper packs 4A and 4B.

The current-carrying unit 20 includes a water tank 38 containing water, four first electrodes (positive electrodes) 40a-40d (see FIG. 8) inserted into the paper packs 4A and 4B, and a second electrode (negative electrode) 41 that is the opposite electrode of the first electrodes 40a-40d and is inserted into the water tank 38. The current-carrying unit 20 detects the current between the first electrodes 40a-40d and the second electrode 41 by the current-carrying detection unit 68 (see FIG. 8). The first electrode 40a is inserted into one box (top box) of the paper pack 4A cut by the cutting unit 8, and the first electrode 40b is inserted into the other box (bottom box) of the paper pack 4A cut by the cutting unit 8. Similarly, the first electrode 40c is inserted into one box (top box) of the paper pack 4B cut by the cutting unit 8, and the first electrode 40d is inserted into the other box (bottom box) of the paper pack 4B.

The first electrodes 40a to 40d are configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction). The first electrodes 40a to 40d, together with the nozzles 39a, 39c, and 39d and a nozzle not shown, are lowered from the standby position shown in FIG. 1 to the inspection position shown in FIG. 7.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the inspection device 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the inspection device 2 is equipped with a control unit 50 that performs overall control of each unit of the inspection device 2. The control unit 50 is connected to a slider drive unit 52, a blade rotation drive unit 54, a plate-shaped member lifting unit 56, a first valve opening/closing unit 58, an inversion drive unit 59, a transfer hand lifting unit 60, a grip drive unit 62, a transfer hand drive unit 64, a second valve opening/closing unit 65, a first electrode lifting unit 66, and an electrical current detection unit 68.

The slider drive unit 52 is composed of a cylinder or the like, and drives a slider (not shown) to slide in the ±X direction along a rail (not shown). Specifically, when the paper packs 4A, 4B are brought into the inspection device 2 and fixed to the fixing member 21, the slider drive unit 52 moves the slider in the +X direction under the control of the control unit 50, thereby moving the fixing member 21 attached to the slider to below the folding section 10 via the cutting section 8.

The blade rotation drive unit 54 rotates the drive shaft 25a and thus the rotary blade 25. That is, when the paper packs 4A, 4B are brought into the inspection device 2 and fixed to the fixed member 21, the blade rotation drive unit 54 rotates the rotary blade 25 by rotating the drive shaft 25a according to the control of the control unit 50, and when the fixed member 21 attached to the slider is brought in, the blade rotation drive unit 54 cuts the longitudinal center portion 4m of the paper packs 4A, 4B fixed by the fixed member 21.

The plate-shaped member lifting section 56 is composed of a cylinder or the like, and lifts and lowers the plate-shaped member 27. Specifically, when the paper packs 4A, 4B are brought below the folding section 10 by the transport section, the plate-shaped member lifting section 56 lowers the plate-shaped member 27 under the control of the control section 50, and after the plate-shaped member 27 pushes into the longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e of the paper packs 4A, 4B, lifts the plate-shaped member 27.

The first valve opening/closing unit 58 opens and closes a valve (not shown) to spray water from the four nozzles (nozzles 31a to 31c and a nozzle not shown) of the cleaning unit 12. Specifically, when the paper cartons 4A and 4B are fixed to the fixing member 29, the first valve opening/closing unit 58 opens the valve under the control of the control unit 50, sprays water from nozzles 31a to 31c and a nozzle not shown, and closes the valve after cleaning the insides of the paper cartons 4A and 4B is completed.

The inversion drive unit 59 rotates the rotating shaft 33a and thus the holding unit 33. That is, after the cleaning unit 12 has finished cleaning the insides of the paper packs 4A and 4B, the inversion drive unit 59 rotates the rotating shaft 33a in accordance with instructions from the control unit 50 to rotate the holding unit 33 180 degrees, thereby inverting the fixing member 29 attached to the holding unit 33 and also inverting the paper packs 4A and 4B fixed to the fixing member 29.

The transfer hand lifting unit 60 is composed of a cylinder or the like, and lifts and lowers the transfer hands 35a and 35b. Specifically, after the paper packs 4A and 4B are inverted by the inversion unit 14, the transfer hand lifting unit 60 lowers the transfer hands 35a and 35b under the control of the control unit 50, and after the grip unit 36a and a grip unit not shown grip the paper pack 4A and the grips 37a and 37b grip the paper pack 4B, the transfer hand lifting unit 60 lifts the transfer hands 35a and 35b. In addition, after the transfer hands 35a and 35b are moved above the water tank 38 by the transfer hand driving unit 64 described later, the transfer hand lifting unit 60 lowers the transfer hands 35a and 35b under the control of the control unit 50, and moves the paper packs 4A and 4B into the water tank 38.

The grip driving unit 62 is composed of a clamp or the like, and moves the grip portion 36a and the grip portion not shown, as well as the grip portions 37a and 37b, in the horizontal direction (Y direction in this embodiment). Specifically, the grip driving unit 62 lowers the transfer hands 35a and 35b, and then, in accordance with instructions from the control unit 50, moves the grip portion 36a in the +Y direction and the grip portion not shown in the -Y direction to clamp the paper pack 4A, and moves the grip portion 37a in the +Y direction and the grip portion 37b in the -Y direction to clamp the paper pack 4B.

The transfer hand drive unit 64 moves the transfer hands 35a and 35b in the horizontal direction (X direction in this embodiment). Specifically, after the transfer hands 35a and 35b clamp the paper packs 4A and 4B and move in the +Z direction, the transfer hand drive unit 64 moves the transfer hands 35a and 35b in the +X direction under the control of the control unit 50 to move the paper packs 4A and 4B above the water tank 38.

The second valve opening/closing unit 65 opens and closes the valve (not shown) to supply water from the four nozzles (nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown) of the filling unit 18. Specifically, when the paper cartons 4A and 4B are placed in the water tank 38 and the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, and the first electrodes 40a to 40d start to descend, the second valve opening/closing unit 65 opens the valve under the control of the control unit 50, dispenses water from the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, and fills the boxes of the paper cartons 4A and 4B with water. Then, before the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, and the first electrodes 40a to 40d finish descending, the second valve opening/closing unit 65 finishes filling the boxes of the paper cartons 4A and 4B with water and closes the valve under the control of the control unit 50.

The first electrode lifting unit 66 is composed of a cylinder or the like, and raises and lowers the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and nozzles not shown, as well as the first electrodes 40a to 40d. Specifically, when the paper packs 4A and 4B are placed in the water tank 38, the first electrode lifting unit 62 lowers the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and nozzles not shown, as well as the first electrodes 40a to 40d, under the control of the control unit 50.

The first electrodes 40a-40d and the second electrode 41 are connected to the current detection unit 68. The current detection unit 68 detects whether or not current is flowing between each of the first electrodes 40a-40d and the second electrode 41. Specifically, after the first electrodes 40a-40d are inserted into the respective boxes of the paper packs 4A and 4B, the current detection unit 68 detects whether or not current is flowing between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 50. Similarly, the current detection unit 68 detects whether or not current is flowing between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 50.

The control unit 50 determines whether or not electricity is flowing between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41 based on the detection result by the current detection unit 68, and if electricity is flowing, determines that the paper pack 4A is defective (any of Figs. 3(2) to (7)). If electricity is not flowing between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41, the control unit 50 determines that the paper pack 4A is good (Fig. 3(1)). Similarly, the control unit 50 determines whether or not electricity is flowing between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41 based on the detection result by the current detection unit 68, and if electricity is flowing, determines that the paper pack 4B is defective (any of Figs. 3(2) to (7)). If electricity is not flowing between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41, the control unit 50 determines that the paper pack 4B is good (Fig. 3(1)).

Next, a method for inspecting paper packs 4A and 4B using the inspection device 2 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the process executed by the control unit 50 of the inspection device 2 to inspect the paper packs 4A and 4B.

First, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the slider drive unit 52, and slides the slider (not shown) to which the fixing member 21 is attached in the +X direction along a rail (not shown), thereby moving the paper packs 4A and 4B that have been brought into the inspection device 2 and fixed to the fixing member 21 in order to the cutting position of the cutting unit 8 and the folding position of the folding unit 10 (step S10).

Next, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the blade rotation drive unit 54, causing the rotary blade 25 to rotate at high speed around the drive shaft 25a, which is the center of the rotary blade 25, and when the paper packs 4A, 4B reach the cutting unit 8 by sliding, the longitudinal center portions 4m of the front surface 4d, right side surface 4f, and left side surface 4g of the paper packs 4A, 4B, excluding the back surface 4e, with the front surface 4d facing the -Z direction, are cut from below (step S11, cutting process).

Next, the control unit 50 confirms that the paper packs 4A and 4B have reached the folding section 10 by sliding, and then outputs a control signal to the plate member lifting unit 56, lowering the plate member 27 in the -Z direction from the standby position to the folding position, and pressing the plate member 27 against the longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e of the paper packs 4A and 4B to make a valley fold at the longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e (step S12, folding process). As shown in FIG. 2(B), the longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e of the paper packs 4A and 4B is valley folded, and the front surface 4d, right side surface 4f, and left side surface 4g cut by the cutting unit 8 are opened in two, and the paper packs 4A and 4B are further pressed against the longitudinal center portion 4k of the back surface 4e by the plate member 27, and are guided by the folding guide 28 to the shape shown in FIG. 2(C), and are fixed to the fixing member 29. The contents filled in the paper packs 4A and 4B are discharged downward (in the -Z direction) from the cut edge 4j by cutting the paper packs 4A and 4B in the cutting process and folding them back in the folding process.

Next, the control unit 50 transports the fixing member 29 that fixes the paper cartons 4A and 4B to the inversion unit 14 by a transport means (not shown). While the control unit 50 is transporting the fixing member 29 to the inversion unit 14, it outputs a control signal to the first valve opening/closing unit 58 to open a valve (not shown) for spraying water from the four nozzles (nozzles 31a-31c and a nozzle (not shown)) of the cleaning unit 12, and sprays water from nozzles 31a-31c and a nozzle (not shown) to clean the insides of the paper cartons 4A and 4B (step S13, cleaning process).

Next, after the fixing member 29 is transported to the inversion unit 14 and the holding unit 33 of the inversion unit 14 holds the fixing member 29, the control unit 50 inverts the paper packs 4A, 4B so that the cut ends 4j of the paper packs 4A, 4B cut in the cutting process face upward (+Z direction) (step S14, inversion process). Specifically, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the inversion drive unit 59, rotates the holding unit 33 180 degrees around the rotation shaft 33a, and inverts the fixing member 29 held by the holding unit 33 and the paper packs 4A, 4B fixed to the fixing member 29.

Next, the control unit 50 transfers the paper cartons 4A and 4B into the water tank 38 that contains water (step S15, transfer process). Specifically, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the transfer hand lift unit 60, causing the transfer hands 35a and 35b to lower in the -Z direction from the standby position to the clamping position. The grip unit 36a is inserted inside the top box body of the paper carton 4A, and the grip unit (not shown) is inserted inside the bottom box body of the paper carton 4A. In addition, the grip unit 37a is inserted inside the top box body of the paper carton 4B, and the grip unit 37b is inserted inside the bottom box body of the paper carton 4B.

Next, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the grip drive unit 62 to move the grip unit 36a and a grip unit (not shown) in the Y direction. Specifically, the control unit 50 moves the grip unit 36a in the +Y direction and the grip unit (not shown) in the -Y direction, thereby causing the grip unit 36a and the grip unit (not shown) to clamp the inner wall surface on the back surface 4e side of the paper pack 4A. Similarly, the control unit 50 moves the grip unit 37a in the +Y direction and the grip unit 37b in the -Y direction, thereby causing the grip units 37a and 37b to clamp the inner wall surface on the back surface 4e side of the paper pack 4B.

Next, the control unit 50 again outputs a control signal to the transfer hand lifting unit 60, causing the transfer hands 35a, 35b to rise in the +Z direction from the clamping position to the standby position. The paper pack 4A clamped by the grip unit 36a and a grip unit (not shown), and the paper pack 4B clamped by the grip units 37a, 37b are removed from the fixed member 29 and rise in the +Z direction together with the transfer hands 35a, 35b. Next, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the transfer hand driving unit 64, causing the transfer hands 35a, 35b to move in the +X direction to above the water tank 38. In addition, while the paper cartons 4A and 4B are being transferred into the water tank 38, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to an air blow unit (not shown) to spray air, preferably hot air, onto the inner surface of the paper cartons 4A and 4B (the inner surface of the four boxes) and the cut parts cut in the cutting process, thereby drying the inner surface and the cut parts of the paper cartons 4A and 4B (step S16, drying process). The drying of the inner surface and the cut parts of the paper cartons by the air blow unit may be performed after the cleaning process of step S13 and before the inversion process of step S14. In addition, the drying of the inner surface and the cut parts of the paper cartons by the air blow unit may be performed after the inversion process or the transfer process and before the filling process (step S17 shown in FIG. 9) when the contents are milk or soy milk. In this case, the inner surface and the cut parts of the paper cartons 4A and 4B can be dried more reliably. In addition, the drying process is performed with priority on the cut parts of the paper cartons 4A and 4B. In FIG. 9, the drying process is performed once, but if the drying is insufficient, the drying process may be set multiple times.

The control unit 50 again outputs a control signal to the transfer hand lifting unit 60, and moves the transfer hands 35a and 35b in the -Z direction until the paper packs 4A and 4B are placed in the water tank 38. Next, the control unit 50 again outputs a control signal to the grip driving unit 62, and moves the grip unit 36a in the -Y direction and the grip unit (not shown) in the +Y direction, thereby releasing the grip of the paper pack 4A by the grip unit 36a and the grip unit (not shown). Similarly, the control unit 50 moves the grip unit 37a in the -Y direction and the grip unit 37b in the +Y direction, thereby releasing the grip of the paper pack 4B by the grip units 37a and 37b. The control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the transfer hand lifting unit 60, and lifts the transfer hands 35a and 35b in the +Z direction.

Next, the control unit 50 supplies water from the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, fills the paper packs 4A and 4B with water, and inserts the first electrodes (positive electrodes) 40a to 40d into the paper packs 4A and 4B (step S17, filling process and insertion process). Specifically, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the first electrode lifting unit 66, and lowers the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, and the first electrodes 40a to 40d in the -Z direction from the standby position to the inspection position. Furthermore, while the nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown, and the first electrodes 40a to 40d are lowering, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal to the second valve opening/closing unit 65, opens a valve (not shown) for supplying water from the four nozzles (nozzles 39a, 39c, 39d and a nozzle not shown) of the filling unit 18, and fills the paper packs 4A and 4B with water.

When the first electrodes 40a to 40d are lowered to the inspection position, the first electrode 40a is inserted inside the top box of the paper pack 4A, and the first electrode 40b is inserted inside the bottom box of the paper pack 4A. In addition, the first electrode 40c is inserted inside the top box of the paper pack 4B, and the first electrode 40d is inserted inside the bottom box of the paper pack 4B.

Next, the control unit 50 obtains the detection results from the current detection unit 68, and from the obtained detection results, determines the current flow between the first electrodes 40a-40d and the second electrode (negative electrode) 41, which is the opposite electrode of the first electrodes 40a-40d and is inserted into the water tank 38, for each paper pack 4A, 4B (step S18, determination process). The current detection unit 68 detects whether or not current flows between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 50. Similarly, the current detection unit 68 detects whether or not current flows between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 50.

When electricity flows between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41, the control unit 50 determines that electricity flows between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41 because the paper pack 4A has any of the pinholes or sealing defects shown in Figures 3 (2) to (7), and determines that the paper pack 4A is defective (any of Figures 3 (2) to (7)). On the other hand, when electricity does not flow between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41, the control unit 50 determines that electricity does not flow between the first electrodes 40a, 40b and the second electrode 41 because the paper pack 4A is in the state shown in Figure 3 (1) and has no defects, and determines that the paper pack 4A is a good product.

Similarly, when electricity flows between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41, the control unit 50 determines that electricity flows between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41 because the paper pack 4B has any of the pinholes or sealing defects shown in Figures 3 (2) to (7), and determines that the paper pack 4B is a defective product (any of Figures 3 (2) to (7)). On the other hand, when electricity does not flow between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41, the control unit 50 determines that electricity does not flow between the first electrodes 40c, 40d and the second electrode 41 because the paper pack 4B is in the state shown in Figure 3 (1) and has no defects, and determines that the paper pack 4B is a good product.

According to the inspection device and inspection method of this embodiment, because paper cartons are inspected using an inspection device without the need for an operator, it is possible to prevent cuts caused by using scissors, scattering of contents when discharging contents, and electric shock when checking electrical current, and paper cartons can be inspected safely. In addition, according to the inspection device and inspection method of this embodiment, because paper cartons are inspected using an inspection device without the need for an operator, it is possible to reduce the workload of the operator and improve the inspection efficiency of paper cartons, and ultimately the production capacity of paper cartons.

2...inspection device, 4, 4A, 4B...paper pack, 6...paper, 8...cutting section, 10...folding section, 12...cleaning section, 14...inversion section, 16...transfer section, 18...filling section, 20...electric current section, 21...fixed member, 25...rotary blade, 25a...drive shaft, 27...plate-shaped member, 28...folding guide, 29...fixed member, 31a to 31c...nozzle, 33...holding section, 33a...rotary shaft, 35a, 35b...transfer hand, 36a, 37a, 37b...gu Lip portion, 38...water tank, 39a, 39c, 39d...nozzles, 40a-40d...first electrode, 41...second electrode, 50...control unit, 52...slider drive unit, 54...blade rotation drive unit, 56...plate member lifting unit, 58...first valve opening/closing unit, 59...inversion drive unit, 60...transfer hand lifting unit, 62...grip drive unit, 64...transfer hand drive unit, 65...second valve opening/closing unit, 66...first electrode lifting unit, 68...electricity detection unit.

Claims (10)

An inspection device for inspecting rectangular paper packs filled and sealed with liquid contents, comprising:
a cutting section that cuts from below a center portion in the longitudinal direction of three faces of the paper pack, except for a second face that faces the first face when the first face in the longitudinal direction of the paper pack is facing downward;
A folded portion that folds back a longitudinal center portion of the second surface;
A cleaning unit that cleans the inside of the paper pack;
an inverting unit that inverts the paper pack so that the cut edge of the paper pack cut by the cutting unit faces upward;
A water tank containing a conductive liquid;
A transfer unit that transfers the paper pack into the water tank;
A filling section that fills the paper pack with a conductive liquid;
A first electrode is inserted into the paper pack;
a second electrode that is a counter electrode of the first electrode and is inserted into the water tank;
A determination unit that determines whether or not a current is conducted between the first electrode and the second electrode;
An inspection device comprising: The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the folding section presses the plate-shaped member against the longitudinal center of the second surface to create a valley fold at the longitudinal center of the second surface. The first electrode includes two of the first electrodes.
3. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first electrodes is inserted into one of the boxes of the paper pack cut by the cutting unit, and the other of the first electrodes is inserted into the other box of the paper pack cut by the cutting unit. Four or more of the first electrodes are provided,
The transfer unit transfers a plurality of the paper packs into the water tank,
3. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrodes are inserted into one of the box bodies of the paper pack cut by the cutting section and into the other box body of the paper pack cut by the cutting section. The inspection device according to claim 4, wherein the discrimination unit discriminates the energization for each paper pack. An inspection method using an inspection device for inspecting a rectangular parallelepiped paper pack filled and sealed with a liquid content, comprising:
a cutting step of cutting, from below, central portions in the longitudinal direction of three surfaces of the paper pack, except for a second surface opposed to a first surface in the longitudinal direction of the paper pack, when the first surface is facing downward;
a folding step of folding back a longitudinal center portion of the second surface;
a cleaning step of cleaning the inside of the paper pack;
an inverting step of inverting the paper pack so that the cut edge of the paper pack cut in the cutting step faces upward;
a transfer step of transferring the paper pack into a water tank containing a conductive liquid;
a filling step of filling the paper pack with a conductive liquid;
an inserting step of inserting a first electrode into the paper pack;
a determining step of determining whether or not a current is flowing between the first electrode and a second electrode that is an opposite electrode to the first electrode and is inserted into the water tank;
The inspection method includes: The inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the folding step includes pressing the plate-shaped member against the longitudinal center of the second surface to create a valley fold at the longitudinal center of the second surface. The inspection device has two of the first electrodes,
8. The inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the inserting step includes inserting one of the first electrodes into one of the boxes of the paper pack cut in the cutting step, and inserting the other of the first electrodes into the other box of the paper pack cut in the cutting step. the inspection device has four or more of the first electrodes;
The transfer step includes transferring a plurality of the paper packs into the water tank,
8. The inspection method according to claim 6, wherein the inserting step includes inserting the first electrodes into one box body and the other box body of the paper pack cut in the cutting step, respectively. The inspection method according to claim 9 , wherein the determining step determines whether the current is applied to each of the paper packs.