JP2842372B2 - Packaging and pricing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stretch film wrapping machine for wrapping goods using a stretch film, and more particularly, to a method in which goods placed on a goods mounting table are transferred onto an elevator by a transfer means such as a transfer conveyor. The label affixing device that covers the top surface of the product with the film stretched at the packaging position by raising the product, folds the end of the film at the bottom of the product, and is configured to be able to move in the left and right direction on the completed product. The present invention relates to a packaging and pricing apparatus that moves a label to a label attaching position and attaches a label.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Usually, in a stretch film packaging machine,
The product is placed on the product loading table provided at the loading end (in the case of a weighing / packaging / pricing machine, the loading table is a weighing dish). May be carried in a state shifted in the left-right width direction with respect to the center of the packaging machine (the center in the width direction of the carry-in conveyor). For this purpose, some packaging machines are provided with a centering device in the middle of the loading of the product to automatically correct the mounting displacement of the product. However, the provision of the centering device increases the size of the packaging machine, and has the disadvantage that the structure is complicated and the cost is increased.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such circumstances, the present applicant detects the amount of misalignment of a product without providing a centering device and, if the amount of misalignment is greater than a predetermined value, issues an alarm. The content for reloading the product has already been proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 7-221871). However, with such a configuration, if the amount of displacement is less than a predetermined value, the product is packed with the product shifted from the center of the packaging machine, and if the packaging machine is a weighing and packaging price marking device, a label is attached to the product after packaging. Will be performed. For this reason, there is a problem that if the placement position of the product is misaligned, the label sticking position varies. In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed that the amount of misalignment of a product be detected and the labeling position adjusted according to the amount of misalignment (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 7-2617).
No. 58).

[0004] However, since the displacement of the placement position of the product is detected before packaging, the product moves in a direction in which the displacement is slightly corrected by the subsequent packaging work. After all, the position where the label is attached varies. And, since the label is attached to the end of the product, if the center of the product moves away from the label application position due to packaging, the end of the label will protrude from the end of the product There is. When the end of the label protrudes from the end of the product, not only the appearance is poor, but also the end of the protruding label may stick to another product and the label may be peeled off.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging and pricing apparatus capable of applying a label without any trouble even when a product moves during packaging.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, the technical means taken by the present invention is to move a label sticking means movably to the left and right directions on a packaged product to a label sticking position. In a packaging and pricing apparatus for applying labels, the label affixing position is determined based on the amount of misalignment of the center of the product before packaging with respect to the center of the packaging machine in the left-right direction and the expected movement amount of the product during the packaging operation. Is determined. That is, detecting means for detecting the amount of deviation of the product before packaging from the center of the packaging machine in the left-right direction is provided,
At least when the product moves in the direction away from the label application position at the time of packaging, the label application position is determined based on the detection result of the detection means and the expected movement amount of the product in the horizontal direction at the time of packaging. .

Further, there is provided a detecting means for detecting the length from the center of the packaging machine to one end (for example, the end on which the label is to be attached) of the product before packaging, and at least at the time of packaging, the product is labeled. When moving in a direction away from the position, the label affixing position is determined based on the detection result of the detecting means and the expected movement amount of the product in the horizontal direction at the time of packaging.

[0008] The case where the product moves in the direction away from the label sticking position during the packaging described above means that the center of the product is displaced from the center of the packaging machine toward the end portion where the label is stuck before the packaging. It is. The expected movement amount of the product at the time of packaging is determined in advance by experiment for each type of product (tray), the shape of the product, and the amount of misalignment of the product, and the obtained data is combined with the label print data for each product identification number. It may be preset.

Further, there is provided a product length detecting means for detecting a length LL from the center of the packaging machine to the left end and a length LR to the right end of the unpackaged product, and the label affixing position is determined by the length L.
L and length LR are determined based on the length LA of the end to which the label is attached, and if the length LA of the end to which the label is attached is larger than the other length LB, the length is determined. The label affixing position determined based on LA may be moved toward the center of the quantity of the product obtained by multiplying the length difference ΔL by a constant. Further, a product length detecting means for detecting the length LL from the center of the packaging machine to the left end and the length LR to the right end of the product before packaging is provided, and the label attaching position is determined by the length of the end on which the label is attached. If the length LA is smaller than or equal to the other length LB, the length is determined based on the end length LA to which the label is attached. If the length LA is larger than the other length LB, the length L (= LL + LR)

[0010] The detecting means for detecting the amount of deviation of the product may also serve as a sensor for detecting the width dimension of the product provided in the product loading section of the packaging and pricing apparatus. An optical sensor is preferable, and the number of sensors to be installed may be one or two, or even more. If two sensors are provided, the sensors are moved in opposite directions to be separated from or approach to each other. Of course, a dedicated sensor may be provided separately from the sensor for detecting the width dimension.

According to the above-mentioned means, even if there is a misalignment of the product before packaging and the product is moved by the packaging operation during the packaging operation, the label attaching position, that is, the label attaching means, taking into account the movement amount. Since the moving position of the label is determined and the label is attached, the label attaching position does not vary. Even if the moving direction at the time of packaging is a direction away from the label sticking position, the label sticking position is determined by the above, so that the end of the label does not protrude from the end of the product.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings for the case of a weighing / packaging / pricing apparatus. 1 and 2 show an overall view of a stretch film packaging machine equipped with a weighing label printer, wherein A is a stretch film wrapping machine, B is a weighing label printer, C is a label sticking device, and weighing label printer B is a packaging machine. A, which is disposed at the upper side of the product carry-out path in FIG.
Is arranged above the product carry-out path.

The stretch film wrapping machine A is a wrapping machine provided with a mechanism (pre-stretching mechanism) for expanding the width direction of the film, and is a product for placing a product (packaged object) on the front of the machine frame A1, ie, at the front. A placing section (weighing dish) a is provided, and near the front side of the article placing section a, the reflection type optical sensors 3a, 3a
And a moving means 35 for moving the reflection type optical sensors 3a, 3a 'in the width direction of the product, and a detecting means D for detecting the displacement and width of the product (see FIG. 3). The product placed on the product placing section a is transported by the pusher conveyor 1 to the elevator 2 provided inside the machine frame. A height detection sensor 3b is provided on the side of the conveyer 1 for detecting the vertical width (depth) and height of the merchandise. A packaging part b is provided above the elevator 2,
On the upstream side (right side in FIG. 2) of the packaging part b, a film holding means A2 for holding a film roll disposition part 4 and a leading end of a film 5 'unwound from a film roll 5 set in the film roll disposition part. Is provided. A film transport mechanism A3 comprising upper and lower transport belts for gripping and pulling out the front end of the film held by the film holding means A2 and transporting it to the packaging section b is provided on both front and rear sides of the packaging section b. A2, which is disposed close to the tip of A2, and which has film holding means A2.
A cutter A4 that cuts the film pulled and held by the transport mechanism A3 into a predetermined length is disposed between the transport mechanism A3 and the transport mechanism A3. Above the transport mechanism A3, a left and right folding plate A5, a rear folding plate A6, and a rear folding plate A6 are provided.
A discharge pusher A7 is located above the
Above the conveyor 1 disposed on the front side of FIG. 1, a front folding roller 6 'and a discharge path (heater conveyor) 6 for commodities pushed out by the discharge pusher A7 are provided horizontally.

Therefore, the goods placed on the elevator 2 are pushed up by the elevator 5 against the film 5 'stretched on the wrapping portion b, and the left and right and rear end portions of the stretched film. Is folded into the bottom surface of the product by the left and right folding plates A5 and the rear folding plate A6, and then the product is horizontally pushed by the discharge pusher A7 toward the discharge path 6 on the front side of the machine frame A1. Then, the front end of the film 5 'is folded to fold the film.

The weighing label printer B is input and set in advance on the basis of data measured by placing a product (packaged object) on a product placing portion (weighing dish) a of the packaging machine A. The price of the product is calculated from the unit price, and the price and other product data are printed on a label paper and issued. The weighing label printer B prints and issues the label E with the printing surface facing up substantially horizontally. Label issuing port 7 to be held
(See FIG. 2).

The label E held in the label issuing port 7
Is attached to the product F, a label adsorbing section C1 for adsorbing the label in the issuing port 7, a driving mechanism C2 for moving the adsorbing section C1, and control means (for controlling the operation of the driving mechanism C2). (Not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, the label suction portion C1 includes a label suction surface 8 for holding the label E by suction, a suction box portion 9 disposed above the label suction surface 8 and generating a label suction force on the label suction surface 8. And the label suction surface 8 is a cylindrical body 801
A rectangular buffer plate 802 in which a vent is opened and the label adsorption side surface is covered with a buffer member such as a sponge is adhered and fixed to the lower end opening portion, and the suction box section 9 is attached to the cylindrical body 801.
A fan 902 driven and rotated by a motor is attached to a peripheral wall of a cylindrical body 901 having an inner diameter into which the suction box 9 is fitted. When the fan 902 rotates, the inside of the cylinder 801 becomes negative pressure and a suction force is generated in the ventilation port, so that the label E can be attracted to the lower surface of the buffer plate 802.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drive mechanism C2 for moving the label suction section C1 constructed as described above moves the label suction section C1 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the product is transported, that is, in the exit path for transporting the product. First drive mechanism for moving in the width direction
10, a second drive mechanism 11 for moving the label suction section C1 in the vertical direction with respect to the product transport surface, and a label suction section C1.
And a third drive mechanism 12 for rotating the label suction surface 8 in a horizontal plane parallel to the product transport surface.
The first drive mechanism 10 includes two guide rods 101 fixed horizontally across the carrying-out path above the packaging section b of the packaging machine A.
And a case 102 which is slidable by being fitted to the guide rod 101, an endless belt 103 arranged in parallel along the guide rod 101, and a stepping motor 104 for moving the endless belt 103 in the forward and reverse directions. And a pulley 105, the case 102 is connected and fixed to an endless belt 103, and a guide rod 101 is attached to the machine frame A1 via a bracket 106. When the motor is operated, the case 102 moves along the guide rod 101. Moved.

The above-mentioned label suction portion C1 is moved along the guide rod 101 as shown in FIG.
A pair of upper and lower parallel arms 14, with the base end attached to 102,
The pair of parallel arms is supported by the second drive mechanism 11 so as to move the label suction portion C1 vertically with respect to the transport surface of the product. A pair of parallel arms 14, 14 'holding the label suction portion C1 are rotatable around two pins 15, 15' whose base ends are suspended at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction with respect to the case 102. The other end (front end) of the upper parallel arm 14 can be moved to the arc groove 18 of the mounting cylinder 17 connected to the upper part of the label suction part C1 by being connected and fixed to the attached support pieces 16, 16 'by screws. Is connected to the pin 19
The other end (tip end) of the lower parallel arm 14 'is
It is attached to a rotating shaft 20 which is positioned below and rotatably mounted on the mounting cylinder 17. The second drive mechanism 11 is attached to the base end of the upper parallel arm 14, and the label suction surface 8 of the label suction portion C1 is rotated in a horizontal plane around the lower parallel arm 14 '. A third drive mechanism 12 to be driven is attached.

The second drive mechanism 11 includes an upper parallel arm 14
The gear 21 is fixed to the pin 15 whose base end is supported,
A gear 22 that meshes with the gear 21 and rotates for driving is a case.
The pin 15 is fixed to a rotating shaft 23 'of a motor 23 mounted and fixed on the upper surface of the motor. A support arm 25 that contacts the lower surface of the upper parallel arm 14 that is rotatably supported by the pin 15 across the connection piece 24 is connected and fixed. That is, when the motor 23 rotates, the pin 15 is rotated via the gears 22 and 21, and the rotation of the pin 15 causes the second drive mechanism 11 to support the support arm.
Since the arm 25 is rotated in the vertical direction, the parallel arm 14 rotatably supported by the pin 15 is supported from below by the support arm 25, and moves up and down in conjunction with the vertical rotation of the support arm 25. At the same time, the parallel arm 14 is rotatable upward about the pin 15 apart from contact with the support arm 25. As shown in FIG. 6, the third drive mechanism 12 has a gear 26 fixed to one end of a pin 15 'on which a base end of a lower parallel arm 14' is supported, and meshes with the gear 26 to drive. Gear 27 to rotate
Are fixed to a rotating shaft 28 'of the motor 28 attached via a bracket to the outside of the case 102, and the pins 15'
A sprocket 29 is fixed to the other end. A sprocket 30 is fixed to one end of a rotating shaft 20 rotatably mounted on the mounting cylinder 17 fixed to the label suction portion C1, and the sprocket 30 has teeth on the sprocket 30 and the sprocket 29. A belt 31 is wound, and a gear 32 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the rotating shaft 20, and a gear 33 meshing with the gear 32
Is a support shaft 34 which integrally supports the label suction surface 8 in a rotational manner.
It is configured to be fixed to. In addition, the lower parallel arm
A spring 63 is stretched between 14 'and the label suction portion C1 so that the label suction portion is supported vertically (see FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 3, the detecting means D for measuring the displacement and the width of the product placed on the product placing portion a of the packaging machine is located near the product placing portion a of the product loading portion as shown in FIG. And the moving means 35 for moving the reflective optical sensors 3a, 3a 'in the width direction of the product. The reflective optical sensors 3a, 3a'
3a 'is provided with a light emitter and a light receiver, and the emitted light is reflected by the product, and if the reflected light is received by the light receiver, the width of the product is measured. If there is no reflected light, the width limit is confirmed. It has become so. The moving means 35 for moving the two reflection-type optical sensors 3a and 3a 'in the width direction of the product is wound around a stepping motor 351 as a driving source and a driven pulley 352 as shown in FIG. The reflective optical sensor 3a is fitted on the forward side (upper side) of the belt 353, and the reflective optical sensor 3a 'is fitted on the return side (lower side) of the belt 353, with the guide rods 354 and 354', respectively. A limit switch 356 that is mounted via sliding bodies 355, 355 ′ that slide in the left-right direction, and that returns the two reflective optical sensors 3a, 3a ′ to the origin positions (initial positions);
A limit switch 356 'for detecting a limit position of the movement is provided at a predetermined position. The movement of the reflection type optical sensors 3a and 3a 'is started by the pusher conveyor 1.
The reflection type optical sensors 3a and 3a 'are respectively operated by the pushers of the pusher conveyors 1 on both side ends at least before the pusher 1a moves from the initial position to the position on the detection line of the reflection type optical sensor. 1
Pusher 1 by setting the moving speed to reach the outside of a
a can be measured without getting in the way.

Therefore, the product F placed on the product placing portion a
As shown in FIG. 10, the width L of the left side is the reflection type optical sensor 3a for detecting the left side length LL of the product F, and the right side length L of the product F.
The right reflective optical sensor 3a 'for detecting R is moved in the width direction and detected at (LL + LR), and the width L of the product is used for controlling the packaging machine. , The length data LR of one of the width detection sensors is transmitted to the weighing label printer control unit G. FIG. 11 shows the detection operation of the sensor 3b for detecting the height of the product,
A large number of light emitters and receivers are arranged at predetermined intervals in the height direction across the transport path in the middle of the product transport path, and the light of the projector is blocked by the product transported on the transport path. The height H of the product is detected. Then, the height data H is used for controlling the packaging machine and is transmitted to the weighing label printer control unit G.

FIG. 8 shows the electrical configuration of the above-described apparatus, which includes a weighing label printer control unit G and a packaging mechanism control unit I. The weighing label printer control unit G mainly performs control related to the weighing label printer.
Controlled by U36. The packaging mechanism controller I mainly controls the mechanism of the packaging machine, and is controlled by the CPU 52. Next, the weighing label pudding control unit G will be described.
An AM 38, a display operation unit 39, a weighing unit 40, a communication interface circuit (INF) 41, a printing unit 42, a suction unit driving unit 43, and a product detection sensor 44 are connected. A program is stored. The lowermost sensor of the height sensor 3b also serves as a sensor for detecting the vertical width (depth) of the product.
The vertical width of the product is calculated from the moving distance of the pusher conveyor 1 when this sensor detects the front end of the product.

The RAM 38 has an area such as a register and a flag used when the CPU 36 executes the control program of the ROM 37, and a preset data area in which various data are stored in advance for each product. In the preset data area, data for price calculation and label printing, such as "article name (article name), for example, pork (thigh meat)" and "unit price, for example, 250 (2 per 100 g)
50 yen) "," Tare, eg 5 (tray weight 5g) "
And data for label attachment, such as “label direction, for example, (1)” are stored in advance. Here, there are three types of label orientation data: (1), (2), and (3). (1) ... the orientation when the label was issued (2) ... when the label was issued Orientation + 90-degree rotation in counterclockwise direction (3) ... meaning when the label was issued + 90-degree rotation in clockwise direction.

The display operation section 39 has an operation section composed of a keyboard and a touch panel, and a display section composed of a dot type liquid crystal display, and inputs various data and commands, or inputs data based on commands from the CPU 36. , Preset data, and various messages, and is also called a console unit. The weighing unit 40 supplies a weighing signal of the product placed on the product placement unit a to the CPU 36. Communication interface circuit (I
NF) 41 is a circuit for exchanging various data and commands with the packaging mechanism control unit I. The exchanging data will be described later. The printing unit 42 is a weighing label printer, equipped with a thermal printer, and prints the product name, price, unit price, effective date, bar code, etc. on the label based on the instruction of the CPU 36,
The printed label E is issued to the issuing port 7.

The suction section driving section 43 (the driving mechanism C2) includes:
After moving the above-mentioned label suction portion C1 to suck the label E in the issuing port 7, it is moved to a predetermined label sticking position, and the direction of the label suction surface is set to the predetermined direction. Is a mechanism for affixing a label in a predetermined direction to a predetermined position of a product by lowering the label at a predetermined timing. The commodity detection sensor 44 generates a signal for attaching a label, and when the commodity is located at the label attaching place, supplies the fact to the CPU 36.

FIG. 9 shows the details of the structure of the suction unit driving unit 43. The horizontal motor M1 drive circuit 45 moves the label suction unit C1 horizontally, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the goods are conveyed. A circuit for driving M1 (the motor 104 of the first drive mechanism 10), and a stepping motor is used as the horizontal motor M1. Therefore, the position of the suction unit can be detected by counting the number of drive pulses of the stepping motor. The horizontal reference position sensor F1 (46) is a sensor that detects that the suction unit is located at the reference position in the horizontal direction. The horizontal position of the suction unit is determined by the count value of the drive pulse.

The vertical motor M2 drive circuit 47 and the vertical reference position sensor F2 (48) are as described above, except that the motor M2 (the motor 23 of the second drive mechanism 11) moves the suction portion in the vertical direction. This is the same as the horizontal motor M1.
The rotation motor M3 drive circuit 49 and the rotation reference position sensor F3 (50) are motors that cause the motor M3 (the motor 28 of the second drive mechanism 12) to rotate the suction unit in a plane parallel to the product conveyance surface. The position determined by the drive pulse of the motor M3 is the same as that of the above-described horizontal motor M1 except that it is not the distance but the rotation angle. The label affixing sensor F4 (51) detects that the label has been affixed to the product, that is, the fact that the suction surface 8 of the label suction portion C1 has come into contact with the product F. It is detected that the upper parallel arm 14 has been separated from the support arm 25 by the application of a certain force or more.

Next, the packaging mechanism controller I shown in FIG. 8 will be described. A communication interface circuit (INF) 53, a ROM 54, a RAM 55, an operation unit 56, and a mechanism driving unit 57 are connected to the CPU 52 via a bus 52a. A communication interface circuit (INF) 53 is a circuit for communicating various data and commands with the weighing label printer control unit G. Data to be communicated will be described later. ROM54 is
A control program executed by the CPU 52 is stored.
The RAM 55 includes various tables and the like for determining control data based on product shape data (length, width, height) in addition to various register and flag areas used when the CPU 52 executes the control program of the ROM 54. It is remembered. The operation unit 56 is a switch for starting and stopping the apparatus. The mechanism driving section 57 is a circuit for driving each mechanism section of the packaging machine when performing packaging, and more specifically, a motor 58 for driving the elevator 2 and a conveyor 1 for loading goods.
And a motor 60 for the film transport mechanism A3. Although the configuration of the packaging machine has been briefly described above, it is not directly related to the present invention, and therefore, the details of the control of the motor will not be described. The mechanism driving unit 57 has a reflection type optical sensor 61 (3a) for detecting a product displacement and a product width.
, 3a ') and a height detection sensor 62 (3b) for detecting the vertical width and height of the product, so that the detection data is supplied to the CPU 52.

The data and commands exchanged between the weighing label printer control unit G and the packaging mechanism control unit I relate to the present invention because the weighing label printer control unit G and the packaging mechanism control unit I are placed on the weighing pan. A signal notifying that the weighing of the placed product is stable is transmitted, and the packaging mechanism control unit I sends the data to the weighing label printer control unit G as data for determining the label sticking position. One length data LR detected by the reflection type optical sensors 3a and 3a 'for detecting the width dimension and height data H detected by the height detection sensor 3b are transmitted. In addition to the data described above, a status signal (normal or error, etc.) of each control unit is exchanged between the weighing label printer control unit G and the packaging mechanism control unit I.

Next, an outline of the operation of the above-described apparatus will be briefly described. An operator inputs a product number of a product to be processed from the display operation section 39 and calls preset product data. When the operator places the product on the product placement section and the weighing becomes stable, the packaging operation (start of loading of the product) is started. The weighing label printer control unit calculates the price of the product from the unit price and the weight. At the time of placing the product and during transportation to the elevator head, the width, height, and height of the product are detected by each sensor, and a part of the detection data is transmitted to the weighing label printer control unit. The film cutting length and various packaging conditions are determined based on the vertical, horizontal, and height data of the product, and packaging is performed based on these data. During this time, the weighing label printer control unit performs label printing, label adsorption by the label adsorption unit, movement of the label adsorption unit to the label attaching position, and setting of the direction of the label adsorption surface. When the product after the packaging is completed reaches a predetermined position, a label is attached.

As described above, the left and right end portions and the rear end portion of the film covering the upper surface of the product are folded into the bottom of the product by the left and right folding plates A5 and the rear folding plate A6, and then the discharge pusher A7 is formed. Thus, the front end of the film 5 'is folded by the front folding roller 6' while the product is horizontally pushed toward the discharge path 6 on the front side of the machine frame A1, whereby the folding of the film, that is, the packaging is completed. By the way, as shown in FIG. 16, when the film is folded by the left and right folding plates A5 under the condition that both sides in the width direction of the film are sandwiched by the film transport mechanism A3, the film tensioned by the left and right folding plates A5 is applied to the bottom of the product. If the center of the product is displaced in the left or right direction with respect to the center of the packaging machine (the drawing shows a case where it is displaced to the right), the folded side (the drawing is on the right) Since the plate comes into contact with the film before the opposite side, the product is moved to the left (from the position of the two-dot chain line to the position of the solid line) with the folding operation of the film. For this reason, the label sticking position varies depending on the amount of movement caused by the packaging, so that it is necessary to correct the label sticking position based on the amount of movement that occurs during the packaging. Therefore, the position correction at the label attaching position (X, Y) only needs to be (X).

FIG. 15 shows an outline of the above-described conventional label sticking process in which the amount of movement during packaging is not taken into account, and is executed by the CPU 36.
That is, data such as the product name, price, unit price, weight, effective date, and bar code are printed on the label, and when the label is issued to the label issuing port 7, the following processing is executed. (Step 1): The label suction portion C1 located at the initial position is moved to the issuing port 7 and is sucked onto the suction surface 8 with the adhesive surface of the label facing down. (Step 2)… Based on the width data “LR” and height data “H” of the product and the orientation data, the label pasting position (X,
Y) is calculated. Since the direction (direction) of the label is included in the product data called in the above-described processing, it is already known. Note that the sensors F1, F2, and F in FIG.
The reference position (origin) detected in 3 is the horizontal direction (X axis)
Is set as the label issuing port, the uppermost part is set in the vertical direction (Y axis), and the angle around the Y axis is set as 0 °.

[I] The horizontal data (X) of the label pasting position is as follows: (a) When the direction of the label pasting is 0 °, as shown in FIG. 13, X = (X0 + b1 + ΔX) −LR X0... Distance from the position to the center of the transport path (determined mechanically) b1… Length from the center of the label suction part to the right end of label E (determined by label) ΔX: Marginal part when label is attached ( (Set X0, b1, and ΔX are constants) Therefore, if X0 + b1 + ΔX → M, then X = M−LR (b) When the directions of label attachment are + 90 ° and −90 °, as shown in FIG. X = (X0 + a + ΔX) −LR a... From the center of the label adsorption portion to the upper end (lower end) of the label E
Length, ie, 1/2 of the label width (determined by the label). Therefore, if X0 + a + ΔX → N, then X = N−LR

[II] The vertical data (Y) of the label affixing position is, as shown in FIG. 12, Y = (Y0−Y2) −HY0... The distance between the reference position and the transport surface (determined by the mechanism). Y2: Distance from the top surface of the product to the label suction surface of the label suction unit (constant value) In order to set Y2 to a constant value, the label position of the label suction unit according to the height H of the product (label attachment) (The position located in front). The reason why Y2 is kept constant is that the position where the label is affixed in the transport direction of the product does not vary.

As described above, the horizontal data (X) out of the label affixing positions (X, Y) does not take into account that the product moves by wrapping. Is moved in the left-right direction, the horizontal data (X) needs to be determined in consideration of the amount of movement. It is the gist of the present invention to determine the label affixing position in consideration of the amount of movement during packaging in addition to the misalignment of the product. Hereinafter, the determination of the label attaching position according to the present invention will be described. [I] First Embodiment (corresponding to Claims 1, 2, 3, and 4) This embodiment uses the (estimated) movement amount for the type of product (tray)
This is a case in which the displacement amount is obtained in advance by an experiment, the data is stored in a table, and the label attaching position is determined based on the stored data. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an outline of the label attaching position determining process. (Step 1) Calculate the horizontal data (X) of the label application position from the length LR from the center of the packaging machine to the end on the side where the label is applied. The specific calculation method is (0033)
Therefore, the description is omitted here. (Step 2)... LR> L for the right side length LR and left side length LL of the product detected by the reflection type optical sensors 3a, 3a '.
Judge L. (If LR> LL, the product is moved away from the label affixing position during packaging.) If the judgment result is (YES) → go to (Step 3) If the judgment result is (NO) → (Step 1) The horizontal data calculated in is used. (Step 3) ... An expected movement amount X 'is obtained. How to determine: The main factors that determine the amount of movement during packaging are the type of product (type of tray) and the amount of displacement, so the relationship between the amount of displacement and the amount of movement is determined in advance for each tray type by experiment and stored in a table. deep. In this case, the maximum movement amount is stored. FIG. 18 shows a table of the deviation amount and the movement amount for each tray type thus obtained. Here, the tray type is preset for each product number together with the print data, and is called and set by inputting the product number at the time of label attaching work, so that data is used. still,
The shift amount ΔL is obtained by calculating ΔL = (LR−LL) / 2. For example, if the tray type is “02” and the displacement amount ΔL is 46
In the case of mm, the expected movement amount X ′ is X ′ = 16 mm. (Step 4)... The horizontal data (X) at the label sticking position obtained at (Step 1) plus the expected movement amount X 'obtained at (Step 3) are used as corrected horizontal data (X1) at the label sticking position. I do.

In the first embodiment described above, the horizontal data (X) is obtained from the right side length LR in (Step 1). However, the horizontal data (X) is obtained from the product length L and the shift amount ΔL.
May be required. In this case, the product length L is (LL + LR)
) Or may be determined based on a preset tray type. That is, the memory stores a tray type for each product number and a tray size (vertical, horizontal, height) for each tray type, and uses the width data in the tray size for each tray type.
In the table for calculating the expected movement amount X ′ in (Step 3), the tray type, the deviation amount → the expected movement amount X ′,
Other elements may be added. For example, since the expected movement amount X ′ may change depending on the weight of the product, the weight of the product, the type of tray, and the displacement amount → the expected movement amount X ′ may be obtained. For this purpose, the table shown in FIG. 18 is provided for each weight, that is, for each of "light", "medium", and "weight", and the table is selected and used based on the weight of the product. Further, in the first embodiment, the horizontal data (X) of the label attaching position is corrected and determined based on the estimated movement amount only when LR> LL. However, from the viewpoint of preventing the variation of the label attaching position, the case where LR ≦ LL is satisfied. Needless to say, the horizontal data (X) of the label attaching position may be determined in consideration of the estimated movement amount. However, in the case of LR ≤ LL, the product moves in the direction approaching the label affixing position, so that there is no possibility that the label end portion will protrude from the product without taking the estimated movement amount into account. Further, when the actual movement amount is smaller than the expected movement amount, there is a possibility that the end of the label may protrude by adding the expected movement amount. Therefore, from the viewpoint of completely preventing at least the situation where the label end protrudes from the product, the above-mentioned LR> L
It is better to modify only L and not to modify LR≤LL.

[II] Second Embodiment (corresponding to claim 5) This embodiment is a method for obtaining an expected movement amount X 'by calculation, and FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an outline of a label sticking position determination process. (Step 1): Same as (Step 1) of the first embodiment. (Step 2): Same as (Step 2) of the first embodiment. (Step 3) ... The expected movement amount X 'is obtained by the following equation. X '= a..DELTA.L = a. [(LR-LL) / 2] According to the experiment, the product does not move so much at the time of packaging. Also, even if it moves to the maximum, theoretically (LR-LL)
/ 2 (= shift amount ΔL), that is, until the shift amount ΔL becomes “0”. In practice, even if there is a shift, the shift amount is almost equal to or less than 1/2 of the shift amount ΔL, and hardly moves any more. Therefore, the constant (a) in the above formula
Is calculated as a = 1/2, and if the expected movement amount X ′ is obtained, the label end can be prevented from protruding from the product end. The constant (a) is determined by experiment. (Step 4)... The horizontal data (X) of the label sticking position obtained in (Step 1) plus the expected movement amount X 'obtained in (Step 3) are added to the corrected horizontal data (X2) of the label sticking position. I do.

[III] Third embodiment (corresponding to claim 6) In this embodiment, when LR> LL, half of the product length L (= L / 2) is processed as LR and horizontal data ( FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an outline of the process for obtaining X). (Step 1): Same as (Step 2) of the first embodiment. If the determination result is (YES), go to (Step 2). If the determination result is (NO), go to (Step 3). (Step 2)... LR = L / 2 and the horizontal data (X) of the label attaching position is calculated. Here, the product length L is calculated from LL and LR detected by the sensor as (LL + LR).
) Or preset data may be used. Therefore, when LR> LL, the displacement amount is set to "0" and the label attaching position is determined. (Step 3)... The horizontal data (X) of the label sticking position is calculated based on the actually measured LR. (Same as step 1 of the first embodiment) The third embodiment is the simplest in comparison with the first and second embodiments, and the worst case in which the label end protrudes from the end of the product is Although it can be prevented, the label affixing position varies depending on the amount of displacement.

As is clear from the above description, the difference between the first embodiment (Claims 1 to 4), the second embodiment (Claim 5) and the third embodiment (Claim 6) is that The means for determining the horizontal data at the label affixing position in consideration of the amount of movement of. Although the above-described embodiment has a configuration in which only the label adsorbing surface is moved as the label attaching means, the present invention is not limited to a configuration for moving the label attaching means. For example, the entire label printing / applying device may be moved as in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-126807, or the label printing device may be fixed and only the label applying device moved as in JP-A-6-312732. Things. Further, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which a sensor for detecting the displacement and width of the product is provided on the front side of the product mounting portion a and is detected before starting the conveyance of the product. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection may be performed during the transportation of the product. In short, the specific sensor structure is not limited as long as the amount of displacement in the width direction of the product when the label is affixed can be detected before packaging. Further, in the case of the embodiment, the form in which the label is affixed to the product is a pressing method, but may be a blowing method in which the label is affixed by blowing with air.

Although the embodiment is directed to a measuring, packaging, and pricing apparatus, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a packaging and pricing device (without weighing scale). In the embodiment, a printing device is provided, but a printing device may not be provided, and a preprinted label (in the case of a fixed price product) may be attached. Further, the embodiment describes a case where the label is attached based on the front end (that is, the packaged product is carried out by the pusher A7, and the product carried out is detected when the detection sensor detects the product). However, it is of course possible to apply the labeling based on the rear end reference (the labeling is performed when it is detected that the pusher A7 for carrying out the product is located at a predetermined position). It should be noted that whether to paste based on the front end or based on the rear end may be preset for each product number and selected according to the product.

[0041]

The packaging and pricing apparatus according to the present invention is described in claims 1 to 4.
According to the configuration described above, even when the product moves during packaging, the label application position (position to which the label application means is moved) is determined in consideration of the estimated movement amount, so that the label application position does not vary. Further, even if the product moves in the direction away from the label attaching position during packaging, there is no possibility that the end of the label protrudes from the end of the product. Further, according to the configuration described in claim 5, the expected movement amount of the product at the time of packaging is obtained by calculation based on the shift amount of the center of the product with respect to the center of the packaging machine in the left-right direction. It is not necessary to perform an operation of obtaining and setting by experiment for each type.
Further, according to the configuration of the sixth aspect, the movement amount of the commodity at the time of packaging is up to LL = LR at the maximum.
> LL, L / 2 (LR at maximum movement)
Value) based on the horizontal data (X)
Once the label is determined, the end of the label can be completely prevented from protruding from the end of the product.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view schematically showing a packaging and pricing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing a product loading section of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the label sticking apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a driving mechanism portion in the label sticking apparatus.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a rotation drive mechanism (third drive mechanism) of the suction surface in the label suction section.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing moving means of the reflection type optical sensor.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a control unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing details of a suction unit driving unit.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a sensor that detects a displacement and a width of a placed product.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a sensor that detects the height of a product.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating calculation of a label sticking position (upper and lower data Y).

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating calculation of a label sticking position.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating calculation of a label sticking position (direction change).

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a label attaching operation.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating movement of a product during packaging.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of determining a label sticking position according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a table of a shift amount and a movement amount for each tray type used in the determination method of the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for determining a label sticking position according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for determining a label sticking position according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a process according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: stretch film wrapping machine B: weighing label printer C: label sticking device D: detecting means E: label F: product 3a, 3a ': reflective optical sensor

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-7-48018 (JP, A) JP-B-5-25740 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65C 1 / 00-11/06 B65B 11/00-11/58

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A product placed in a product placing section is placed in a packaging machine.
Even if the product is misaligned left and right with respect to the heart,
Wrapped goods without any adjustment or position correction, and the wrapped goods
The labeling device, which is configured to be movable in the left and right direction, moves the labeling means to the labeling position, and detects the amount of misalignment of the product before packaging from the center of the packaging machine in the horizontal direction. At least at the time of wrapping, the product moves in the left-right direction
In the case where the label is moved in a direction away from the label sticking position due to the displacement, the label sticking position is determined based on the detection result of the detecting means and the expected moving amount of the product in the left-right direction at the time of packaging. And packaging and pricing equipment. 2. A product placed in a product placing section is placed in a packaging machine.
Even if the product is misaligned left and right with respect to the heart,
Wrapped goods without any adjustment or position correction, and the wrapped goods
In a packaging and pricing apparatus for moving a label pasting means movably in the left-right direction to a label pasting position and pasting a label, an end portion on the side where the label is pasted from the center of the packaging machine of the product before packaging. Detecting means for detecting the length of the product, at least at the time of packaging, when the product moves in a direction away from the label affixing position due to the displacement in the left-right direction according to the packaging operation, the result of detection by the detecting means and the packaging A label attaching position which is determined based on an expected movement amount of the commodity in the horizontal direction at the time. 3. The case where the product moves in a direction away from the label attaching position at the time of the packaging means that the center of the product is displaced to the end direction side where the label is attached to the center of the packaging machine before the packaging. Claim 1 or 2 when there is
Packaging pricer as described. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the expected movement amount stores data obtained in advance according to the type of the product, the shape of the product, the amount of deviation of the product, and the like by an experiment, and is determined based on the stored data. 3. The packaging and pricing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 5. A product placed in a product placing section is placed in a packaging machine.
Even if the product is misaligned left and right with respect to the heart,
Wrapped goods without any adjustment or position correction, and the wrapped goods
In a packaging and pricing apparatus for moving a label pasting means configured to be movable in the left and right direction to a label pasting position and pasting a label, the length LL from the center of the packaging machine of the product before packaging to the left end, A product length detecting means for detecting the length LR to the right end is provided, and the label affixing position is determined by the length L.
L and length LR are determined based on the length LA of the end side where the label is attached, and the length L of the end side where the label is attached.
If A is greater than the other length LB, the length L
A packaging pricing apparatus, wherein the label attaching position determined based on A is moved toward the center of the product by an amount obtained by multiplying the length difference ΔL by a constant. 6. A product placed in a product placing section is placed in a packaging machine.
Even if the product is misaligned left and right with respect to the heart,
Wrapped goods without any adjustment or position correction, and the wrapped goods
In a packaging and pricing apparatus for moving a label pasting means configured to be movable in the left and right direction to a label pasting position and pasting a label, the length LL from the center of the packaging machine of the product before packaging to the left end, The product length detecting means for detecting the length LR to the right end is provided, and the label is attached when the length LA on the end side where the label is applied is smaller than or equal to the other length LB. The packaging value is determined on the basis of the length LA of the end side of the product, and is determined based on half the length L (= LL + LR) of the product if it is larger than the other length LB. Attachment device.