JP6647661B2 - Medium filling bag folding device - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a medium-filled bag folding apparatus that bends in one direction while closing a bag opening of a medium-filled bag in which a medium is filled in a film-like bag, for example.

As a method of cultivating mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms and maitake mushrooms, it is necessary to sterilize a medium filled with a medium in a film-shaped bag, inoculate a seed bacterium, seal the bag, and cultivate with controlling the temperature and humidity. Is being done.
At this time, the film-shaped bags folded in a gusset shape are picked up one by one by an automatic machine, opened, filled with a culture medium, pressurized, and molded and taken out of a mushroom cultivation block for inoculation of a seed fungus. An apparatus has been proposed (see Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2592784).

In the above-described apparatus, since the medium is filled and taken out with the film-shaped bag opened in the vertical position, it is necessary to close the bag opening in a later step and shift to a sterilization step. If this operation is performed manually, the transition from the medium filling step to the sterilization step is delayed and the work efficiency is reduced. Therefore, it is desirable to close the bag opening by an automatic machine.
For example, after narrowing the opening of the fungus bed cultivation bag with three clamping devices, the horizontal folding mechanism rotates the narrow clothing devices on both sides by 120 degrees by the horizontal rotating mechanism to bend into a triangular shape, and narrows by the vertical folding mechanism. Bacterial bed cultivation bag that folds the upper part of the bag horizontally by changing the posture from the vertical position to the horizontal position by the vertical rotation mechanism while raising the clothing, and folding by welding the bag sandwiched between the narrow clothing on both sides Has been proposed (see Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3512390).

Japanese Patent No. 2592784 Japanese Patent No. 3512390

There is a need to close the bag opening of the medium-filled bag before inoculation of the inoculum so that various bacteria are not mixed in between the sterilization and the inoculation of the inoculum. The above-described apparatus for folding a culture bed cultivation bag is an automatic machine for folding the bag opening after inoculating a seed medium into a culture medium, and does not meet the above needs.
In the folding device, a horizontal bending mechanism having a horizontal rotation mechanism is mounted on a vertical bending mechanism having a vertical rotation mechanism, and the bag mouth is horizontally bent by a combined operation of the two. For this reason, the structure is complicated, the weight is increased, and the device is enlarged. Further, since the movable range of the device required for the horizontal bending operation and the vertical bending operation is increased, a ground contact area is required and production efficiency may be reduced. Further, since the triangular bag mouth bent in the horizontal direction is welded from both sides, there is a problem that the cost is increased and the use is limited because it is used in the final step after inoculation of the inoculum.

  DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The disclosure described in the following examples has been made in order to solve these problems, and its purpose is to quickly fold the bag opening portion of the medium-filled bag with a simple configuration in an upright posture. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medium filling bag bending apparatus which can be bent uniformly and quickly transferred to a subsequent process without being bulky.

To achieve the above object, the disclosure applied to the following embodiments includes at least the following configuration. A medium-filled medium-filled medium-filled bag is carried into the folding position, and a pair of movable members are moved forward and backward and opened and closed with respect to the bag opening to fold the bag opening, and the bag folding section, A bag pressing portion that presses a pair of pressing plates, each of which is disposed to face each other, via the medium-filled bag from outside the bag opening with the folding operation of the bag opening by the pair of movable members, and sandwiches the bag in an upright posture. Wherein the pair of movable members are retracted from the bag opening, and the bag opening is folded when the medium-filled bag is extruded from the bending position while being sandwiched by the pair of pressing plates in an upright posture. comprising a bag pushers to fold the bag opening in one direction, and the bag extruding unit, pushing plate to extrude the medium filling portion of the media filled bladder is provided so as to be retractable, in the extrusion plate the medium filling portion Abutting portion is characterized in that it is projected in the extrusion direction front folding the bag opening folded in upright position continuing in the horizontal direction.

According to the above configuration, the bag folding unit folds the bag opening by inserting and opening and closing the pair of movable members into the bag opening, and the bag pressing unit presses the pair of pressing plates from outside the bag opening. The bag opening is sandwiched while being folded in the standing posture. The bag pushing-out unit pushes out the medium-filled bag from the bending position while the bag opening is folded in the upright posture, so that the bag opening can be unfolded in one direction and carried out to a subsequent process without being bulky.
Therefore, the opening of the bag can be closed so that various bacteria are not mixed between the sterilization of the medium-filled bag before inoculation of the inoculum and the inoculation of the inoculum.
Further, when pushing out the medium filling portion with the pushing plate while the bag opening portion is sandwiched and folded by the pair of pressing plates in the standing posture, the abutting portion projecting from the front in the pushing direction has the bag opening portion in the standing posture. Can be pushed out against the medium filling portion while the medium is folded along the horizontal direction, and the medium filling bag can be extruded from the bending position. Therefore, it is possible to uniformly bend the bag opening in which the abutting portion stands at the position immediately above the medium filling portion toward the upstream side in the extrusion direction.

The pair of movable members adjacent to each other are inserted into the bag opening, and the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates is started in conjunction with the separating operation of separating the pair of movable members from each other. Before the pressing operation is completed, it is preferable that the pair of movable members approach each other and retreat from the bag opening.
Accordingly, the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates is started in conjunction with the separating operation of inserting the pair of movable members into the bag opening and separating the movable members, so that the wrinkles of the bag opening can be extended and the bag can be reliably folded. . In addition, since the pair of movable members approach each other and retreat from the bag opening before the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates is completed, it is possible to quickly fold the bag opening with the bag opening standing.

On the opposing surfaces of the pair of pressing plates, columnar guide members are integrally assembled, the guide members abut each other, the bag opening is sandwiched, and the bag opening is sandwiched between the pair of guide members. The bag opening portion may be pushed out of the bending position by the bag pushing portion and the bag opening may be bent in one direction.
Thus, when the pair of pressing plates sandwich the bag opening, the bag opening is sandwiched in the upright posture by the guide member provided on the opposing surface. Since the bag opening is pushed out from the bending position by the bag pushing portion while being sandwiched between the pair of guide members, compared to the case where the bag opening is sandwiched by the plate surface of the pressing plate, when the bag opening is bent in one direction, The bag can be prevented from being damaged. Also, even if the bag opening is sandwiched between the guide members, there is a gap between the opposing surfaces of the pair of pressing plates, so that the pair of movable members are retracted from the bag opening without interfering with the pair of pressing plates. Can be.

The movable member is a pair of claw members, which are inserted into the bag opening and separated from each other so that the bag opening is sandwiched by the pair of pressing plates while being closed linearly in the width direction. The bag opening may be folded into a single character.
Thus, the bag opening of the medium-filled bag can be folded in one character and folded in one direction.

The movable member includes a pair of insertion plates and open / close claws on both sides thereof, and the pair of insertion plates enter the bag opening and are separated from each other so that the bag opening is opened in a rectangular shape. The opening of the bag may be gusset-folded by folding the opening / closing claw along the fold from both sides in the width direction while the pair of insertion plates approach each other.
As a result, the bag opening of the medium-filled bag can be folded in a gusset manner and folded in one direction.

The movable member includes a pair of first opening and closing claws that are opened and closed within the bag opening, and a pair of second opening and closing claws that are opened and closed outside the bag opening. The bag opening is opened in a rectangular shape by the first opening / closing claw entering the bag opening and being separated from each other while being opened outside, and the first opening / closing claw is close to each other and the second opening / closing claw is close to each other. The bag opening may be folded by gusset folding by bringing the two open / close claws closer to each other from both sides in the width direction outside the bag opening and folding them along the crease.
Thereby, the first opening / closing claw that has entered the bag opening can be opened without difficulty by breaking the bag opening by being separated from each other, and by bringing the second opening / closing claw outside the bag opening close. The bag opening can be folded in a gusset fold along the fold.

A bag carry-in section for aligning the medium-filled bag after the medium is filled and carrying the medium into the bending position, and a medium-filled bag portion in which the bag opening of the medium-filled bag is sealed and bent in one direction to a subsequent process. It is preferable to have a bag carrying-out part for carrying out.
Thereby, the folding operation of the bag opening and the bending operation of the bag opening in one direction from the operation of filling the medium into the medium filling bag can be performed automatically.

  If the above-described folding device for a medium-filled bag is used, the bag opening portion of the medium-filled bag is quickly folded in a simple configuration in a simple configuration in an upright posture, and is uniformly folded and quickly received in a subsequent process in a state without bulk. Can be passed.

It is the side view seen from the bag carrying-in direction downstream of the folding apparatus of a culture medium filling bag, and the left side view of a bag extrusion part. It is the side view seen from the bag unloading direction downstream of the folding device of a culture medium filling bag. It is a plane see-through | perspective layout figure of the bending apparatus of a culture medium filling bag. It is a schematic diagram which shows the bending process which folds a culture medium filling bag by one character. It is a schematic diagram which shows the bending process which gusset-folds a culture medium filling bag. It is a schematic diagram which shows the bending process which gusset-folds the culture medium filling bag which concerns on another example. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bending step of gusset folding the medium-filled bag following FIG. 6.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a bending device for a medium-filled bag according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As the medium filling bag P, for example, a polypropylene bag or the like which has an opening at one end and is folded in one letter or gusset is used. As a medium, for example, sawdust or the like is used for cultivation of shiitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms and the like.

  First, a folding device that folds the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P by one character will be described. In FIG. 3, a schematic configuration of a folding device for a medium-filled bag will be described with reference to a plan layout diagram. Hereinafter, the steps after the medium filling bag P is filled with the medium by the medium filling apparatus 1 will be mainly described. The medium-filled bag P has a medium-filled portion P1 filled with a medium and a bag opening P2 having a space above the medium-filled portion P1 at the bottom of the bag (see FIGS. 1 and 4A). .

  The carry-in conveyor device 2 (bag carry-in section) is carried into the folding position Q of the folding device 3 by aligning the medium filling bags P filled with the medium by the medium filling device 1 in a row. The carry-in conveyor 2 is driven to rotate around the endless belt 2b by the carry-in motor 2a (see FIG. 2). The folding device 3 is provided with an unloading conveyor device 4 (bag unloading unit) so as to be connected to the bending position Q. The carry-out conveyor device 4 carries out the medium-filled bag P with the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P closed, to a post-process such as a medium sterilization step. The unloading conveyor device 4 is configured such that the endless belt 4b circulates and is conveyed by the unloading motor 4a (see FIG. 1).

Next, a specific configuration of the bending device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view including a bending position Q viewed from the right in FIG. 3, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory cross-sectional view including a bending position Q viewed from below in FIG.
In FIG. 2, a medium-filled bag P filled with a medium and pressure-formed is carried to the folding position Q while being aligned by the carry-in conveyor device 2. In FIG. 2, a medium filling device 1 is provided on the left end side in the longitudinal direction of the carry-in conveyor device 2. The right end in the longitudinal direction of the carry-in conveyor device 2 extends to the inside of the folding device 3, and the right end position is a folding position Q.

  In FIG. 2, a bag folding part 5 is provided above the folding position Q. The bag folding section 5 is provided with a pair of insertion claws 5h (movable members) that can move forward and backward in the vertical direction and can be opened and closed in the horizontal direction from the bag opening P2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, a vertically moving cylinder 5a is suspended from and supported by the apparatus frame 3a (top surface). A movable base 5c is connected and supported to a cylinder rod 5b of the vertically moving cylinder 5a. A rotating plate 5d is supported by the movable base portion 5c so as to be rotatable forward and backward. A cylinder rod 5f of a rotary cylinder 5e supported by a movable base 5c is connected to the rotary plate 5d. One end of a pair of link members 5g is rotatably connected to the rotating plate 5d, and the other end of the link member 5g is connected to a pair of insertion claws 5h. The pair of insertion claws 5h are assembled so as to slide along guide rails 5i provided on the movable base 5c. The lower ends of the pair of insertion claws 5h are tapered to form a C-shape.

  When the rotating cylinder 5e is operated, the cylinder rod 5f is extended, the rotating plate 5d is rotated in a predetermined direction by a predetermined amount, and a pair of insertion claws 5h can be opened (separated) through a pair of link members 5g, When the cylinder rod 5f is contracted, the rotating plate 5d can be rotated in the opposite direction by a predetermined amount to close (close) the pair of insertion claws 5h via the link member 5g. By inserting the pair of insertion claws 5h into the bag opening P2 and opening the bag, the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P can be superimposed on a straight line in a plan view and folded into a single character.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bag pressing portions 7 are arranged on both sides of the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P supplied to the folding position Q. Specifically, a pair of pressing plates 7a are supported in an upright state on a cylinder rod 7b of a pressing cylinder 7c (for example, a rodless cylinder). The pair of pressing plates 7a are arranged to face each other via the pair of insertion claws 5h inserted into the medium filling bag P and the medium filling bag P. When the pressing cylinder 7c is operated, the pair of pressing plates 7a are pushed from the outside of the bag toward the pair of insertion claws 5h so as to sandwich the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P.

  Note that a cylindrical guide member 7d (see FIG. 4A) may be integrally attached to the lower end edges of the pair of pressing plates 7a on the opposing surfaces. When the pair of pressing plates 7a come close to each other, the guide members 7d come into contact with each other so that the bag opening P2 is sandwiched, and the medium filling bag P is sandwiched by the pair of guide members 7d from the folding position Q by the bag pushing section 8 described later. When pushed out, the bag opening P2 is bent in the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bag push-out unit 8 is configured to fold the medium-filled bag P, in which the air inside the bag is sucked and the bag opening P2 is sandwiched between the pair of guide members 7 d, at the bending position Q on the carrying-in conveyor device 2. It is pushed out to the unloading conveyor device 4.
Specifically, an extrusion cylinder 8c is fixed to the apparatus frame 3a in a horizontal posture. An extruding plate 8a is provided in a vertical posture on a cylinder rod 8b of the extruding cylinder 8c. At the upper end of the push plate 8a, an abutting portion 8a1 that bends the bag opening P2 that is folded in an upright posture and that is continuous with the medium filling portion P1 along the horizontal direction is provided on the front side in the push direction. The push plate 8a and the abutting portion 8a1 are bent and formed in an L shape. Thus, when the medium filling portion P1 of the medium filling bag P is pushed out by the pushing plate 8a while the bag opening P2 is sandwiched by the pair of pressing plates 7a in the folded upright posture, the protrusion protruded from the front in the pushing direction. The extruding plate 8a can be pressed against the medium filling portion P1 to push the medium filling bag P out of the bending position Q while the contact portion 8a1 bends the bag opening P2 in the upright posture along the horizontal direction. In this manner, the bag opening P2 in which the butting portion 8a1 is folded and raised at the position immediately above the medium filling portion P1 can be uniformly bent toward the upstream side in the extrusion direction. A folding guide 9 is provided on the upstream end of the unloading conveyor device 4 so as to hang down. The folding guide 9 causes the bag opening P2 bent toward the upstream in the extrusion direction to be recurved when the medium-filled bag P is pushed out from the folding position Q to the carry-out conveyor device 4 by the push plate 8a. Hold it down.

A pair of insertion claws 5h adjacent to each other are inserted into the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P, and the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is started in conjunction with the opening operation of separating the pair of insertion claws 5h from each other. Before the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is completed, the rotating cylinder 5e is operated to retract from the bag opening P2 while bringing the pair of insertion claws 5h close to each other.
Thereby, the vertical movement cylinder 5a is operated to insert the pair of insertion claws 5h into the bag opening P2, and the rotating cylinder 5e is operated to separate the pair of insertion claws 5h, whereby wrinkles of the bag opening P2 are reduced. The opening can be closed by extending it and folding it one by one without fail.

Further, the pressing cylinder 7c is operated in conjunction with the folding operation of the bag opening P2 to start the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a, and the vertical movement cylinder 5a is completed before the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is completed. Is operated to retract the pair of insertion claws 5h from the bag opening P2, so that the bag opening P2 can be quickly closed in a uniform form.
While the bag opening P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a, the bag pusher 8 pushes out the medium-filled bag P from the bending position Q, so that the bag opening P2 is bent in one direction and the bag opening P2 is not bulky. Can be carried out to the process.
Therefore, the bag opening P2 can be closed so that various bacteria are not mixed between the sterilization of the medium-filled bag P before the inoculation of the inoculum and the inoculation of the inoculum.

  Here, an example of the bending operation of the bag opening P2 of the bending device 3 with respect to the medium-filled bag P will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4F, the left side is an explanatory view as viewed from the bag unloading direction, and the right side is an explanatory view as viewed from the bag unloading direction. The overall configuration of the bending device 3 is omitted, and only the main parts are illustrated and described.

  In FIG. 4A, the medium-filled bag P filled with the medium is transported to the folding position Q of the folding device 3 by the carry-in conveyor device 2 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the pair of insertion claws 5h of the bag folding portion 5 are waiting above the bending position Q in a state of being close to each other, and the pair of pressing plates 7a of the bag pressing portion 7 are in the retracted (separated) positions on both sides. . An escape portion 7e may be formed on the upstream side of the pair of pressing plates 7a in the bag loading direction (the left end in FIG. 4A) so that the interval between the pressing plates 7a gradually decreases. As a result, the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P carried into the folding position Q by the carry-in conveyor device 2 is carried in such a manner as not to interfere with the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  In FIG. 4B, when the medium-filled bag P is transported to the bending position Q, the transport operation of the carry-in conveyor device 2 is stopped, and the vertical cylinder 5a shown in FIG. 1 is actuated to support the cylinder rod 5b. The moved movable base 5c and the pair of insertion claws 5h are lowered.

  In FIG. 4C, when the pair of insertion claws 5h is inserted into the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P, the rotating cylinder 5e (see FIG. 1) is operated to move the pair of insertion claws 5h inside the bag. The medium-filled bag P is deformed into one horizontal character by separating from both sides (see FIG. 4D). In addition, the pressing cylinder 7c is operated, and the pair of pressing plates 7a approach the bag opening P2 from both sides orthogonal to the loading direction to start the pressing operation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is started, the rotating cylinder 5e is operated to move the pair of insertion claws 5h in the direction close to each other in the bag. The vertical movement cylinder 5a is operated to retract the pair of insertion claws 5h above the bag opening P2. By the time the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is completed, the pair of insertion claws 5h retreats outside the bag. At this time, the bag opening P2 is closed in a single-character fold by the pair of pressing plates 7a. Note that the bag opening P2 may be sandwiched through a guide member 7d provided at a position facing the pair of pressing plates 7a.

As shown in FIG. 4 (e), when the pair of insertion claws 5h retreat outside the bag, the bag pushing section 8 is activated. At this time, it is preferable that the pressing cylinder 7c is operated to start a pressing release operation of separating the pair of pressing plates 7a from each other from a pressing state in which the pair of pressing plates 7a approach the bag opening P2.
The extruding cylinder 8c is operated to push the medium filling portion P1 of the medium filling bag P from the outside of the bag by the extruding plate 8a, so that the medium filling bag P is folded from the folding position Q (the carry-in conveyor device 2). 4 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the bag opening portion P2 of the medium-filled bag P is abutted against the butting portion 8a1 of the extruded plate 8a while the bag opening portion P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a. It is bent further upstream in the extrusion direction. The pair of pressing plates 7a are moved by the pressing cylinder 7c so as to be separated from each other.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (f), the pair of insertion claws 5h retracted above the bag opening P2 return to a state where they are close to each other again. Further, the pair of pressing plates 7a of the bag pressing portion 7 are separated and return to the standby position, and the extruded plate 8a of the bag pushing portion 8 is returned to the standby position by the extrusion cylinder 8c. Thereby, the next culture medium filling bag P carried in by the carry-in conveyor device 2 can be received. For example, when the medium-filled bags P are transported in tandem to the carry-in conveyor device 2, the medium-filled bags P are folded at a speed of one every six seconds in synchronization with the medium-filling step of the medium-filled device 1. A bending operation can be performed and the resultant can be transferred to a subsequent process.

  If the above-described folding device 3 for the medium-filled bag P is used, the bag folding unit 5 is closed by folding a single character by inserting the pair of insertion claws 5h into the bag opening P2 and separating them. The bag opening P2 is closed by pressing the pair of pressing plates 7a opposed to each other via the medium filling bag P from outside of the bag opening P2 with the separating operation of the pair of insertion claws 5h. . The bag push-out unit 8 pushes out the medium-filled bag P from the bending position while the bag opening P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a in an upright posture, so that the bag opening P2 is bent in one direction and is not bulky. And can be carried out to a subsequent process. Therefore, the bag opening P2 can be closed so that various bacteria are not mixed between the sterilization of the medium-filled bag P before the inoculation of the inoculum and the inoculation of the inoculum.

  Next, a folding device for gusset folding the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P will be described. Note that the schematic configuration of the bending device 3 is the same as in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is referred to. Hereinafter, different configurations will be described together with the operation of bending the bag opening P2 of the bending device 3 with respect to the medium-filled bag P. 5 (a) to 5 (h), the left side is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bag unloading direction, and the right side is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bag unloading direction. The overall configuration of the bending device 3 is omitted, and only the main parts are illustrated and described.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, a pair of opening / closing plates 5j (insertion plate: movable member) are provided on the movable base portion 5c (see FIG. 2) of the bag folding portion 5 on both sides in the bag carrying direction (perpendicular to the paper surface). It is provided to be able to open and close. The pair of opening / closing plates 5j are provided so as to move toward and away from each other by an opening / closing cylinder 5k (for example, a rodless cylinder). In addition, a rotary arm 5m is supported by the movable base portion 5c so as to be rotatable forward and backward. A cylinder rod 5f of a rotary cylinder 5e supported by a movable base 5c is connected to the rotary arm 5m. One end of a pair of parallel links 5n is rotatably connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rotating arm 5m, and the other end of the parallel link 5n is connected to a pair of folding claws 5p (opening and closing claws: movable member). Have been. The pair of folding claws 5p are arranged outside the opening / closing plate 5j along the bag conveying direction. Each folding claw 5p has a guide portion 5p1 sandwiched along a fold P3 (see FIG. 5 (e)) formed at the center portion on both sides in the bag width direction, and the lower end portion of the guide portion 5p1 is tapered to form a C-shape. The formed claw portion 5p2 is integrally formed. The reason why the claw portion 5p2 is opened to the outside of the bag is to prevent the claw portion 5p2 from interfering with the bag opening edge when descending with respect to the bag opening portion P2.

  Here, an example of the bending operation of the bag opening P2 of the bending device 3 with respect to the medium-filled bag P will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5H, the left side is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bag unloading direction, and the right side is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bag unloading direction. The overall configuration of the bending device 3 is omitted, and only the main parts are illustrated and described.

  In FIG. 5A, the medium-filled bag P filled with the medium is transported to the folding position Q of the folding device 3 by the carry-in conveyor device 2 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the pair of opening / closing plates 5j of the bag folding section 5 are in a state of being close to each other, and the pair of folding claws 5p are in an open state and are waiting above the folding position Q. In addition, the pair of pressing plates 7a of the bag pressing portion 7 are at the retracted (separated) positions on both sides. An escape portion 7e may be formed on the upstream side of the pair of pressing plates 7a in the bag loading direction (left end in FIG. 5A) so that the interval between the pressing plates 7a gradually decreases. As a result, the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P carried into the folding position Q by the carry-in conveyor device 2 is carried in such a manner as not to interfere with the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  In FIG. 5 (b), when the medium-filled bag P is transported to the bending position Q, the transport operation of the carry-in conveyor device 2 is stopped, and the vertically moving cylinder 5a shown in FIG. The movable base portion 5c (the pair of open / close plates 5j and the folding claws 5p is lowered. At this time, the open / close plate 5j is inserted into the bag opening P2, and the folding claws 5p are arranged along the outside of the bag.

  In FIG. 5C, when the pair of insertion claws 5h are inserted into the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P, the opening / closing cylinder 5k is operated to separate the pair of opening / closing plates 5j on both sides in the bag. The bag opening P2 is opened in a rectangular shape. FIG. 5D shows a state in which the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P is opened in a rectangular shape.

  In FIG. 5D, when the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P opens in a rectangular shape, the opening / closing cylinder 5k is operated again to close the pair of opening / closing plates 5j in the approaching direction, and the pressing cylinder 7c is operated. Then, the pressing operation is started by bringing the pair of pressing plates 7a closer to the bag opening P2 from both sides orthogonal to the loading direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5 (e), when the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is started, the rotating cylinder 5e is operated, the rotating arm 5m is rotated by a predetermined amount, and the pair of pressing members is driven via the parallel link 5n. Are moved from the outside of the bag along the gusset-folded fold line P3 so that the toes are close to each other. At this time, the bag opening P2 is folded in a gusset fold in combination with the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (f), when the pair of opening / closing plates 5j closes close and the pair of folding claws 5p closes in the direction in which they approach each other, the vertical cylinder 5a is actuated so that the bag folding part 5 is closed. It is retracted above the opening P2. When the pair of opening / closing plates 5j is retracted out of the bag, the pushing cylinder 8c of the bag pushing section 8 operates. The bag opening P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a in a gusset folded upright state. Note that the bag opening P2 may be sandwiched through a guide member 7d provided at a position facing the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (g), the extruding cylinder 8c is operated to push the medium filling portion P1 of the medium filling bag P from the outside of the bag by the extruding plate 8a. From the conveyor 2) to the unloading conveyor 4 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the bag opening portion P2 of the medium-filled bag P is abutted against the butting portion 8a1 of the extruded plate 8a while the bag opening portion P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a. It is bent further upstream in the extrusion direction. The pair of pressing plates 7a are moved by the pressing cylinder 7c so as to be separated from each other.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (h), the pair of opening / closing plates 5j retracted above the bag opening P2 returns to a state close to each other again, and the pair of folding claws 5p returns to an open state (FIG. 5 (a)). reference). Further, the pair of pressing plates 7a of the bag pressing portion 7 are separated and return to the standby position, and the extruded plate 8a of the bag pushing portion 8 is returned to the standby position by the extrusion cylinder 8c. Thereby, the next culture medium filling bag P carried in by the carry-in conveyor device 2 can be received. For example, when the medium-filled bags P are transported in tandem to the carry-in conveyor device 2, the medium-filled bags P are folded at a speed of one every six seconds in synchronization with the medium-filling step of the medium-filled device 1. A bending operation can be performed and the resultant can be transferred to a subsequent process.

  Next, another example of the folding device that gusset-folds the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the schematic configuration of the bending device 3 is the same as in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is referred to. Hereinafter, a configuration different from that of the gusset folding apparatus shown in FIG. 5 will be described together with a folding operation of the bag opening P2 of the folding apparatus 3 with respect to the medium-filled bag P. FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d) FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (d) are explanatory diagrams viewed from the bag unloading direction on the left side, and explanatory diagrams viewed from the bag unloading direction on the right side. The overall configuration of the bending device 3 is omitted, and only the main parts are illustrated and described.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, a pair of first opening / closing claws 5q (movable member) that opens and closes in the bag opening P2 is provided in the movable base portion 5c (see FIG. 2) of the bag folding portion 5 in the bag transport direction. (In a direction parallel to the paper surface). The first opening / closing claw 5q is provided so as to move toward and away from the opening / closing cylinder 5k (for example, a rodless cylinder). The first opening / closing claw 5q opens and closes inside the bag opening P2 and opens the bag on both sides, so that the claw outer portion comes into contact with the inside of the bag and serves as a guide, so that the first opening / closing claw 5q is formed linearly.

In addition, a rotary arm 5m is supported by the movable base portion 5c so as to be rotatable forward and backward. A cylinder rod 5f of a rotary cylinder 5e supported by a movable base 5c is connected to the rotary arm 5m. One end of a pair of parallel links 5n is rotatably connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rotating arm 5m, and the other end of the parallel link 5n is connected to a pair of second opening / closing claws 5r (movable member). Have been. The pair of second opening / closing claws 5r are provided outside the first opening / closing plate 5r and outside the bag opening P2, and can be opened and closed along the bag transport direction. The pair of second opening / closing claws 5r has a guide portion 5r1 sandwiched along a fold P3 (see FIG. 7A) formed at the center portion on both sides in the bag width direction, and a lower end portion of the guide portion 5r1 is tapered. A claw portion 5r2 formed in a character shape is integrally formed. The reason why the claw portion 5r2 is opened to the outside of the bag is to prevent the claw portion 5r2 from interfering with the bag opening edge when it is lowered with respect to the bag opening portion P2.
The second opening / closing claw 5r is provided corresponding to the fold P3 of the medium-filled bag P (see FIG. 7A), and the first opening / closing claw provided in a pair on both sides of the second opening / closing claw 5r. A claw 5q is provided so as to be openable and closable. Thereby, the opening / closing operation of the first opening / closing claw 5q and the opening / closing operation of the second opening / closing claw 5r do not interfere with each other.

  Here, an example of the folding operation of the bag opening P2 of the folding device 3 with respect to the medium-filled bag P will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d) and FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (d). 6 (a) to 6 (d) and FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (d), the left side is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bag unloading direction, and the right side is an explanatory diagram viewed from the bag unloading direction. The overall configuration of the bending device 3 is omitted, and only the main parts are illustrated and described.

  6A, the medium-filled bag P filled with the medium is transported to the folding position Q of the folding device 3 (FIG. 6B) by the carry-in conveyor device 2 (see FIG. 2). At this time, the pair of first opening / closing claws 5q of the bag folding portion 5 are in a state of being close to each other, and the pair of second opening / closing plates 5r are open and waiting above the folding position Q. In addition, the pair of pressing plates 7a of the bag pressing portion 7 are at the retracted (separated) positions on both sides. An escape portion 7e may be formed on the upstream side of the pair of pressing plates 7a in the bag carrying direction (left end in FIG. 6A) so that the interval between the pressing plates 7a gradually decreases. As a result, the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P carried into the folding position Q by the carry-in conveyor device 2 is carried in such a manner as not to interfere with the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  In FIG. 6 (b), when the medium-filled bag P is transported to the bending position Q, the transport operation of the carry-in conveyor device 2 is stopped, and the vertical movement cylinder 5a shown in FIG. 1 is operated to be supported on the cylinder rod 5b. The moved movable base 5c (first opening / closing claw 5q and second opening / closing claw 5r) is lowered. At this time, the first opening / closing claw 5r is inserted into the bag opening P2, and the second opening / closing claw 5r is arranged apart from each other along the outside of the bag.

  In FIG. 6 (c), when the pair of first opening / closing claws 5q is inserted into the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P, the opening / closing cylinder 5k is actuated to move the pair of first opening / closing claws 5q on both sides in the bag. To open the bag opening P2 in a rectangular shape. FIG. 6D shows a state in which the bag opening P2 of the medium filling bag P is opened in a rectangular shape.

  In FIG. 6D, when the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P opens in a rectangular shape, the opening / closing cylinder 5k is operated again to move the pair of first opening / closing claws 5q in a direction close to each other and close them. The pressing cylinder 7c is operated to bring the pair of pressing plates 7a closer to the bag opening P2 from both sides perpendicular to the carrying-in direction to start the pressing operation.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), when the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a is started, the rotating cylinder 5e is operated, the rotating arm 5m is rotated by a predetermined amount, and the pair of pressing is performed via the parallel link 5n. The second opening / closing claw 5r is moved from the outside of the bag along the gusset-fold crease P3 so that the claw portions 5r2 approach each other. At this time, the bag opening P2 is folded in a gusset fold in combination with the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), when the pair of first opening / closing claws 5q closes in the bag opening P2 and the pair of second opening / closing claws 5r close in a direction approaching each other, the up-down movement is performed. By operating the cylinder 5a, the first opening / closing claw 5q and the second opening / closing claw 5r are retracted above the bag opening P2. Further, when the first opening / closing claw 5q and the second opening / closing claw 5r retreat outside the bag, the pushing cylinder 8c of the bag pushing section 8 operates. The bag opening P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a in a gusset folded upright state. Note that the bag opening P2 may be sandwiched through a guide member 7d provided at a position facing the pair of pressing plates 7a.

  As shown in FIG. 7 (c), the extruding cylinder 8c is operated to push the medium filling portion P1 of the medium filling bag P from the outside of the bag by the extruding plate 8a, so that the medium filling bag P is bent at the bending position Q (load-in) From the conveyor 2) to the unloading conveyor 4 (see FIG. 3). As a result, the bag opening P2 of the medium-filled bag P is abutted against the butting portion 8a1 of the extruded plate 8a while the bag opening P2 is sandwiched between the pair of pressing plates 7a, so that the portion immediately above the medium-filled portion P1 is formed. It is bent further upstream in the extrusion direction. The pair of pressing plates 7a are moved by the pressing cylinder 7c so as to be separated from each other.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, the pair of first open / close claws 5q retracted above the bag opening P2 return to a state close to each other again, and the pair of second open / close claws 5r return to an open state (FIG. 6 (a)). Further, the pair of pressing plates 7a of the bag pressing portion 7 are separated and return to the standby position, and the extruded plate 8a of the bag pushing portion 8 is returned to the standby position by the extrusion cylinder 8c. Thereby, the next culture medium filling bag P carried in by the carry-in conveyor device 2 can be received. For example, when the medium-filled bags P are transported in tandem to the carry-in conveyor device 2, the medium-filled bags P are folded at a speed of one every six seconds in synchronization with the medium-filling step of the medium-filled device 1. A bending operation can be performed and the resultant can be transferred to a subsequent process.

  In the above embodiment, the air cylinder is used as the driving source of the bag folding unit 5, the bag pressing unit 7, and the bag pushing unit 8, but another driving source (a motor, a solenoid, or the like) may be used.

  REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 medium filling device P medium filling bag P1 medium filling portion P2 bag opening P3 fold 2 carry-in conveyor device 2a carry-in motor 2b endless belt 3 bending device 3a device frame Q bending position 4 carry-out conveyor device 4a carry-out motor 4b Endless belt 5 Bag fold 5a Vertical cylinder 5b Cylinder rod 5c Movable base 5d Rotary plate 5e Rotary cylinder 5f Cylinder rod 5g Link material 5h Insert claw 5i Guide rail 5j Open / close plate 5k Open / close cylinder 5m Rotating arm 5n Parallel link 5p Folding claw 5p , 5r1 Guide portion 5p2, 5r2 Claw portion 5q First opening / closing claw 5r Second opening / closing claw 7 Bag pressing portion 7a Press plate 7b Cylinder rod 7c Press cylinder 7d Guide member 7e Escape portion 8 Extruding portion 8a pushing plate 8a1 abutting part 8b cylinder rod 8c extrusion cylinder 9 folding guide

Claims (7)

A medium-filled medium-filled medium-filled bag is carried into the bending position, and a pair of movable members are advanced and retracted and opened and closed with respect to the bag opening to fold the bag opening, thereby folding the bag opening.
A bag pressing unit that presses a pair of pressing plates, which are respectively disposed to face each other, via the medium filling bag from outside of the bag opening to sandwich the bag in an upright posture in accordance with the folding operation of the bag opening by the pair of movable members. When,
The bag folded when the medium-filled bag is pushed out from the bending position while the pair of movable members are retracted from the bag opening and the bag opening is sandwiched by the pair of pressing plates in the upright posture. A bag extrusion unit that bends the opening in one direction ,
In the bag pushing section, an extruding plate that pushes out the medium filling section of the medium filling bag is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the bag opening section folded in an upright posture connected to the medium filling section is provided on the pushing plate in the horizontal direction. A folding device for a medium-filled bag, wherein an abutting portion that bends along the protrusion is provided on a front surface in a pushing direction .   The pair of movable members adjacent to each other are inserted into the bag opening, and the pressing operation of the pair of pressing plates is started in conjunction with the separating operation of separating the pair of movable members from each other. 2. The folding device for a medium-filled bag according to claim 1, wherein the pair of movable members approach each other and retreat from the bag opening before the pressing operation is completed.   On the opposing surfaces of the pair of pressing plates, columnar guide members are integrally assembled, the guide members abut each other, the bag opening is sandwiched, and the bag opening is sandwiched by the pair of guide members. The folding device for a medium-filled bag according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag opening portion is pushed out of the bending position by the bag pushing portion and the bag opening is bent in one direction. The movable member is a pair of claw members, which are inserted into the bag opening and separated from each other so that the bag opening is sandwiched by the pair of pressing plates while being closed linearly in the width direction. The folding device for a medium-filled bag according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bag opening is folded into a single character . The movable member includes a pair of insertion plates and open / close claws on both sides thereof, and the pair of insertion plates enter the bag opening and are separated from each other so that the bag opening is opened in a rectangular shape. The medium filling according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the bag opening is gusset-folded by folding the opening / closing claw along the fold from both sides in the width direction while the insertion plate is close to the insertion plate. Bag folding device. The movable member includes a pair of first opening and closing claws that are opened and closed within the bag opening, and a pair of second opening and closing claws that are opened and closed outside the bag opening. The bag opening is opened in a rectangular shape by the first opening / closing claw entering the bag opening and being separated from each other while being opened outside, and the first opening / closing claw is close to each other and the second opening / closing claw is close to each other. 4. The bag opening according to claim 1, wherein the bag opening is gusset-folded by folding the two open / close claws near each other from both sides in the width direction outside the bag opening and folding the bag opening along the fold . 5. Media filling bag folding device. A bag carry-in section for arranging the medium-filled bag after filling the medium and carrying the medium into the bending position,
The culture medium-filled bag according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a bag carry-out portion configured to carry out the medium-filled bag in which a bag opening portion of the medium-filled bag is bent in one direction to carry out the medium-filled bag to a subsequent process. Bending device.

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