JP6261358B2 - Filling and packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a filling and packaging apparatus that welds and seals a film to a tray in which a fluid is filled in a plurality of recessed portions.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as an apparatus for welding and sealing a film to a tray flange with respect to a tray in which a fluid is filled in a plurality of recessed portions. This device is configured to discharge liquid from the tray by forming an opening in the flange central portion in order to prevent liquid from collecting in the flange central portion located between the plurality of recesses. On the other hand, an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 is also conventionally known as a configuration for preventing liquid from being accumulated in the flange. In this device, after the liquid is discharged from the flange by a temporary sealing device having a hemispherical sealing surface, the main sealing is performed by the main sealing device having a flat sealing surface.

JP 2007-330102 A JP-A-2-109835

  In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, since the opening in the central portion of the tray is formed, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the tray becomes high. Moreover, in the apparatus of patent document 2, when the tray has the recessed part divided into plurality, it is difficult to exclude the liquid collected in the center part of the tray outside.

  The present invention provides an inexpensive filling and packaging apparatus capable of reliably removing the fluid accumulated in the central portion of the tray when the tray in which the fluid is filled in the plurality of recessed portions is sealed with a film. It is intended to provide.

The filling and packaging apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a transport means for transporting a tray provided with a plurality of recesses for containing a fluid, and a flange formed on the periphery of the recess, and a filling means for filling the recesses with a fluid. And a film supply means for supplying the film above the tray after filling, and a sealing means in which a protruding portion protruding toward the center of the flange located between the plurality of recesses is formed on the sealing surface, When the projecting portion presses and heats the film, the fluid present in the center portion of the flange is pushed outward by the projecting portion, and the film is welded to the center portion of the flange located between the plurality of recesses. It is characterized by that.

  The sealing surface may be formed with a flat portion that heats the portion other than the flange central portion by pressure bonding. You may further provide the 2nd sealing means which welds the film welded by the sealing means further downstream from the sealing means. The protrusion is preferably formed in a stepped shape that gradually increases toward the center.

  According to the present invention, when a tray in which a fluid is filled in a plurality of recessed portions is sealed with a film, the fluid accumulated in the central portion of the tray can be surely excluded, and the inexpensive filling packaging. A device is obtained.

It is a side view which shows the filling packaging apparatus which is 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows a tray. It is a side view which shows the state in which the tray was mounted in the retainer. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of the filling apparatus provided in a filling packaging apparatus. It is a figure which shows the effect | action of the scraping apparatus provided in a filling packaging apparatus. It is a top view which shows the 1st sealer in 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the protrusion formed in the 1st sealer in 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the 2nd sealer in 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which follows the IX-IX line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the 1st sealer in 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the 2nd sealer in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the sealing process in the filling packaging apparatus which is the 3rd Embodiment which concerns on this invention.

A filling and packaging apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a filling and packaging apparatus according to this embodiment. The conveying mechanism (conveying means) includes a pair of pulleys 11 and 12 and a chain 13 wound around these pulleys 11 and 12. A retainer 14 to which the tray T can be engaged is attached to the chain 13, and the retainer 14 is transferred together with the chain 13 when the pulleys 11 and 12 are driven to rotate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tray T has a substantially square outer shape when viewed from above, and four recesses C are formed. These recesses C also have a substantially square outer shape, and in this embodiment, tofu is accommodated. The recesses C are connected to each other by a flange F formed on the periphery thereof. The flange F includes an outer frame F1 that surrounds the outer periphery of the tray T and a connecting portion F2 that is provided inside the outer frame and extends in a cross shape. Have. As shown in FIG. 3, the flange F is supported by a retainer 14, and a rubber layer (not shown) is laminated on the upper surface of the retainer 14. This is to absorb a load acting on the retainer 14 in a sealing process and a trimming process described later.

  The pulleys 11 and 12 are driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. 1, so that the tray T is conveyed from left to right. A magazine 15 for holding the tray T in a superposed state is arranged on the upper side of the chain 13 at the upstream end in the conveying direction, that is, immediately downstream of the pulley 11, and for removing the tray T from the magazine 15 on the lower side of the chain 13. A tray removal mechanism 16 is provided. The tray take-out mechanism 16 has a suction cup 16a that is attracted to the bottom surface of each recess C of the tray T at the bottom of the magazine 15, and a cylinder device 16b that raises and lowers the suction cup 16a. Pass to.

  A filling device (filling means) 17 is provided on the downstream side of the tray take-out mechanism 16. The filling device 17 is located above the chain 13 and fills each concave portion C of the tray T with a fluid that is soy milk A containing a coagulant. As shown in FIG. 4, the coagulant-containing soymilk A is filled into the concave portion C by the filling nozzle 17 a of the filling device 17, and a large amount of bubbles B are generated and accumulated on the upper surface of the tray T during the filling. In order to remove the bubbles B from the tray T, a scraping device 18 is provided on the downstream side of the filling device 17. The scraping device 18 is located above the chain 13 and has a scraping bar 18a as shown in FIG. The scraping bar 18a extends vertically downward so as to be close to the upper surface of the tray T, and when the tray T is transferred, the bubbles B are scraped off by the scraping bar 18a.

  A film supply device 20 and a sealing device 30 are provided on the downstream side of the scraping device 18 and above the conveyance path of the tray T. The film supply device 20 is a film supply unit that supplies the film M above the tray T that has been filled. The sealing device 30 is a sealing means for sticking the film M to the upper surface of the flange F of the tray T being conveyed, and comprises a first sealing means and a second sealing means as will be described later.

  The film supply device 20 is configured to draw the film M wound around the film supply roller 21 by the draw roller 22 and wind it by the take-up roller 23. A tension roller 24 for applying tension to the film M is provided between the film supply roller 21 and the drawing roller 22, and a pair of pressing rollers 25 and 26 are provided between the drawing roller 22 and the take-up roller 23. . The pressing rollers 25 and 26 are provided so that the film M is substantially parallel to the upper surface of the flange F of the tray T.

  The sealing device 30 is provided between the pressing rollers 25 and 26 and includes a first sealing mechanism 31 (first sealing means), a second sealing mechanism 32 (second sealing means), and a trimming mechanism 33. The first seal mechanism 31 includes a cylinder device 34 and a first sealer 35 that is moved up and down by the cylinder device 34. The first sealer 35 is heated while pressing the flange F of the tray T to weld the film M to the flange F. The second seal mechanism 32 is provided on the downstream side of the first seal mechanism 31. Similar to the first seal mechanism 31, the second seal mechanism 32 is lifted and lowered by the cylinder device 36, and a second sealer that heats the film T while pressing the flange F of the tray T and welds the film M to the flange F. 37.

  The trimming mechanism 33 is provided on the downstream side of the second seal mechanism 32 and includes a cylinder device 38 and a trimming blade die 39 that is moved up and down by the cylinder device 38. The trimming blade mold 39 is moved up and down by the cylinder device 38 to cut the film M along the outer peripheral edge of the tray T. Accordingly, the tray T is released from the film M between the pressing rollers 25 and 26 and is conveyed in the downstream direction by the chain 13. On the other hand, the remaining film M punched out along the outer peripheral edge of the tray T is taken up by the take-up roller 23.

  After passing under the scraping device 18, the sealing device 30 sticks the film M on the upper surface of the tray T, that is, the flange F, and seals the concave portion C.

  FIG. 6 is a view of the first sealer 35 as viewed from below. The first sealer 35 welds the film M to the flange F of the tray T by pressing and heating the film M. The first sealer 35 is a seal including an outer peripheral portion 41 corresponding to the outer frame F1 (see FIG. 2) of the tray T and an inner portion 42 corresponding to the connecting portion F2 (see FIG. 2) of the tray T and extending in a cross shape. Has a surface. A projecting portion 43 is formed at the central portion of the seal surface, and a portion other than the projecting portion 43 (the hatched portion in FIG. 6) is a flat portion. A portion other than the sealing surface is recessed so as not to contact the film M, and a recess 44 having a substantially square shape corresponding to the recess C of the tray T is formed.

  The projecting portion 43 corresponds to the center portion of the flange located between the four concave portions C of the tray T, that is, the crossed portion of the connecting portion F2, and projects downward in FIG. The outer shape of the protruding portion 43 is substantially square in plan view, and each side 43 a of the square faces the square corner of the recess 44. As shown in FIG. 7, the protrusion 43 is formed in a stepped shape that gradually increases toward the center thereof, and the planar shape at each step is similar. That is, the protrusion 43 is formed in a pyramid shape, and the step formed between the top 43 b of the protrusion 43 and each side 43 a is lowered toward the recess 44. In this embodiment, the height of the protrusion 43 is about 0.3 mm and the length of the side 43a is about 20 mm. However, the present invention is not limited to this value, and various conditions such as the material and size of the tray T are used. It is necessary to set an optimal numerical value according to.

  FIG. 8 is a view of the second sealer 37 as viewed from below. The second sealer 37 further welds the film M that has been welded by the first sealer 35, and similarly to the first sealer 37, four recesses 51 are formed, and a frame-like protrusion 52 that surrounds the outside of each recess 51. Is provided. The frame-like protrusion 52 corresponds to the outer side of the outer peripheral edge of the recess C of the tray T, and has a raised portion 54 sandwiched between two flat portions 53 and 53 in the cross section, as shown in FIG. The raised portion 54 has a frame shape surrounding the outer periphery of the recess C, and further welds a film M corresponding to the outer periphery of the recess C.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
The tray T taken out from the magazine 15 and placed on the retainer 14 is stopped for a certain period of time below the filling device 17, and the soymilk A containing the coagulant is filled in the concave portions C during this stop. The soy milk foam B generated on the upper surface of the tray T in this filling step is scraped off by the scraping bar 18a while being conveyed below the scraping device 18, and at that time, the upper surface of the flange F is soy milk A on the upper surface of the flange F. Remains.

  The tray T stops for a certain time immediately below the first seal mechanism 31, and the first sealer 35 is lowered. In this descending operation, first, the projecting portion 43 is heated while pressing the portion of the film M supplied to the upper side of the tray T and corresponding to the central portion of the flange F. Next, portions other than the projecting portion 43, that is, the flat portions which are the outer peripheral portion 41 and the inner portion 42 press the film M corresponding to other than the central portion of the flange F and heat it. Thereby, the film M is welded to the flange F.

  In the middle of the welding operation of the film M, the protruding portion 43 pushes out the soy milk A existing at the center portion of the flange F, and the extruded soy milk A is moved into the recess C or to the outside of the tray T. Discharged. That is, the film M is first welded to the center portion of the flange F and then welded to portions other than the center portion, and the tray T is sealed by the film M. In the present embodiment, each side 43a of the protrusion 43 is disposed toward the recess C, so that the soy milk A can be easily discharged toward the recess C.

  After the sealing by the first sealing mechanism 31, the tray T is transported to just below the second sealing mechanism 32 and stops again here. And the 2nd sealer 37 descend | falls, the frame-shaped protrusion 52 presses the film M, and the part of the film M along the outer periphery of the recessed part C is further welded. Thereby, the recess C is completely sealed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the film M is welded to the flange F of the tray T, the soymilk A remaining in the central portion of the flange F is in the concave portion C by the action of the protrusion 43, or It is discharged to the outside of the tray T. Therefore, a tofu-containing tray in which the film M adheres over the entire surface of the flange F is obtained, and soy milk A does not enter between the film M and the flange F so that the appearance is not impaired. Moreover, since it is not necessary to form the opening of the center part of a flange in order to exclude this soymilk A, the manufacturing cost of a tray can be held down.

  10 and 11 show a first sealer 61 and a second sealer 71 in the second embodiment of the present invention. The basic difference from the first embodiment is that the film M is adhered to the tray T having two recesses C. That is, the first sealer 61 has two recesses 62 whose outer shape is substantially square. The outer peripheral portion 63 corresponding to the outer frame of the tray T has a rectangular shape, and a protruding portion 65 is formed on the inner side portion 64 that connects the midpoints of the long sides of the rectangular shape. The protrusion 65 has a long and narrow rectangle in plan view, the long side 65 a of the rectangle is substantially the same length as the square side of the recess 62, and the short side 65 b has substantially the same length as the short side of the inner portion 64. . The protruding portion 65 has a stepped shape in which rectangular flat plates extending in the length direction of the inner portion 64 are stacked, and the rectangular shape of each step of the flat plate is defined to be elongated toward the inner side.

  The second sealer 71 further welds the film M welded by the first sealer 61. Like the first sealer 61, two recesses 72 are formed, and a frame-like protrusion 73 surrounding the outside of each recess 72. Is provided. The frame-like protrusion 73 has a frame shape surrounding the outer peripheral edge of the concave portion C of the tray T, and a film M corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of the concave portion C is further welded.

  The operational effects of the second embodiment are basically the same as those of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the sealing process is divided into three parts, and includes a first temporary sealing process, a second temporary sealing process, and a main sealing process. The configuration of the tray T is the same as that of the first embodiment, and has four recesses C. In FIG. 12, the hatched portion indicates the portion where the film is welded.

  The configuration of the filling and packaging apparatus is basically the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but the sealing mechanism is different. That is, three sealing mechanisms are provided corresponding to the three sealing processes, and the first sealer 81 is used in the first temporary sealing process, the second sealer 82 is used in the second temporary sealing process, and the first sealing process is used in the second sealing process. The film is welded to the flange F of the tray T by the three sealer 83.

  The first sealer 81 has a tip that forms part of a spherical surface. The first sealer 81 is configured to press only the center X of the crossed portion of the connecting portion F2 of the tray T and weld a film to this portion. The second sealer 82 is formed thicker than the first sealer 81, and the tip forms a part of a spherical surface having a larger radius of curvature than the first sealer 81. That is, the second sealer 82 includes the center X welded by the first sealer 81, and is configured to weld the film in a region Y wider than this. The third sealer 83 is configured to press the outer frame F1 and the connecting portion F2 of the flange F and weld a film to this portion.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the film is temporarily welded only to the central portion of the tray T in the first and second temporary sealing steps, and the film is welded to the portion other than the central portion of the tray T in the main sealing step. Therefore, in the first temporary sealing step, the soy milk A accumulated in the central portion is excluded, and then in the second temporary sealing step, the soy milk A in a wider area is excluded and discharged from the recess C or the tray T. Then, after the soy milk A is completely removed from the flange F, a film is welded to the entire surface of the flange F in this sealing step.

  Therefore, the third embodiment can provide the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments.

11, 12 Pulley (conveying means)
13 Chain (conveying means)
17 Filling device (filling means)
20 Film supply device (film supply means)
31 1st sealing mechanism (1st sealing means)
32 Second seal mechanism (second seal means)
43 Projection C Recess F Flange T Tray

Claims (4)

A conveying means for conveying a tray provided with a plurality of recesses for containing a fluid, and a flange formed on the periphery of the recess;
Filling means for filling the recess with the fluid;
Film supply means for supplying the film above the tray after filling;
A projecting portion projecting toward the center of the flange located between the plurality of recesses, and a sealing means formed on the seal surface,
When the protrusion presses and heats the film, the fluid present in the flange center is pushed outward by the protrusion and the film is positioned between the plurality of recesses. A filling and packaging apparatus characterized by being welded to a central portion .   The filling and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flat portion that presses and heats a portion other than the flange central portion is formed on the seal surface.   2. The filling and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second sealing means for further welding a film welded by the sealing means on the downstream side of the sealing means.   The filling and packaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed in a stepped shape that gradually increases toward the center.

Images