JP7498892B2 - Packaging device and method for controlling packaging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging device and a method for controlling the packaging device.

A packaging device that wraps the packaged item using a stretch film or the like is known.

JP 2002-128011 A

If the packaged item loses its orientation while being transported, there is a risk that the contents of the package will spill or be packaged incorrectly.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a packaging device that can transport packaged items without losing posture.

To achieve the above object, the packaging device according to the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys the packaged item downstream in the conveying direction, and a control unit that determines, in accordance with information indicating the dimensions of the packaged item, whether to perform a reversing operation in which the conveying unit is driven in the opposite direction to the conveying direction after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit, or to perform a sending operation in which the conveying unit is driven along the conveying direction.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 5A and 5B are partially enlarged perspective views showing the appearance of a conveying section provided in the packaging device, in which FIG. 5A shows a state in which the cover is closed, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the cover is open. 13A is a partially enlarged oblique view of the conveying section, showing (a) a claw on the second belt of the conveying section protruding upward, and (b) a claw rotating together with the second belt and sinking into a notch in a weighing plate of the packaging device. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state of a conveying surface of a conveying device of the packaging device. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a shutter of the transport device protrudes above the transport surface. FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the packaging device. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing the claws of the packaging device and the packaged item, in which (a) the height of the packaged item is lower than a first standard, (b) the packaged item becomes tilted when the claws transport the packaged item of FIG. 7A through a sending-out operation, and (c) the height of the packaged item is higher than the first standard. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display and operation unit of the packaging device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow for determining the operation of the second belt in accordance with dimensional information of the packaged item. 5 is a graph showing an example of a change in speed of an upstream belt and a first belt group that constitute the transport surface. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a process flow when transporting the packaged items from the upstream belt to the first belt.

Hereinafter, a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
● Overview of the packaging device and tilt table As shown in Fig. 1, the packaging device 100 is a device that packages the packaged items with stretch film or the like. In the following explanation, the conveying direction by the packaging device 100 is referred to as the +Y direction, the width direction of the packaging device 100 and the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is referred to as the +X direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the +Z direction. The packaged items are also referred to as being conveyed from upstream to downstream, with the -Y direction being referred to as the upstream side and the +Y direction being referred to as the downstream side.

Here, the packaged item is, for example, a product in which food ingredients such as meat or fish are placed on a tray that opens at the top. However, the form of the packaged item is not limited to this.

The packaging device 100 includes a weighing unit 101 that weighs the packaged items, a packaging mechanism (not shown) that packages the packaged items in stretch film or the like, a label issuing device 300 that issues labels with printed information about the product, a labeling device (not shown) that affixes the labels to the packaged products, a display/operation unit 102 such as a touch panel, a second physical operation unit 103 such as an operation button or an operation switch, etc. The packaging device 100 also includes a conveying device 200 that conveys the packaged items to the vicinity of the weighing unit 101.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the packaging device 100 has an opening 105 that opens toward the upstream side, and a conveying path 110 that guides the packaged items to the weighing section 101 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the opening 105. The conveying path 110 is composed of multiple belt conveyors. Also, FIG. 2(b) shows the state in which the cover 201 above the opening 105 is flipped up.

A width measuring unit 120 is disposed upstream of the conveying path 110. The width measuring unit 120 is a component that detects the width of the packaged item being conveyed along the conveying path 110, i.e., the size in the X-axis direction.

The width measuring unit 120 has a pair of width measuring sensors 121, 122. The width measuring sensors 121, 122 are each long members that extend across the Z-axis direction of the opening 105. The width measuring sensors 121, 122 each have a detection area in the +Y direction. The width measuring sensors 121, 122 detect the presence or absence of a packaged item at the irradiation point by, for example, irradiating a light beam in the +Y direction and receiving the light reflected from the packaged item.

The width measuring sensors 121 and 122 move along the X-axis direction of the opening 105. The width measuring sensor 121 moves back and forth within a range from the inner end of the opening 105 on the -X side to approximately the center of the opening 105, and detects the position of the -X side end of the packaged item. The width measuring sensor 122 moves back and forth within a range from the inner end of the opening 105 on the +X side to approximately the center of the opening 105, and detects the position of the +X side end of the packaged item. In other words, the width measuring sensors 121 and 122 measure the width of the packaged item by scanning in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction after the packaged item is moved to the weighing section 101. The width measuring section 120 calculates the size in the X direction based on the positions of the -X side end and +X side end of the packaged item.

The packaging device 100 weighs the packaged item in the weighing section 101, and adjusts the amount of film, folding amount, and tension used for packaging based on the width of the packaged item detected by the width measuring section 120. The packaging device 100 then packages the packaged item with film, etc., using a packaging mechanism provided inside. The packaging device 100 also affixes a label issued by the label issuing device 300 to the top surface of the packaged item using a label attaching device. The label issuing device 300 issues a label on which information about the product (e.g., weight information of the weighed product, product name, price, expiration date, etc.) is printed. This series of operations of the packaging device 100 is performed automatically. The price is calculated according to the mass of the product. The packaging device 100 may adjust the packaging mode based on a pre-stored width value instead of the width detected by the width measuring section 120. The width value of the packaged item is input by an operator from the display/operation section 102, for example. Additionally, the width value of the packaged item may be received from a separate system connected via a network.

In this embodiment, the packaging device 100 transports the packaged products to a label under-appliance device (not shown) provided downstream in the transport direction by a discharge conveyor provided in front of the packaging device. The label under-appliance device has multiple drive rollers, and affixes an under-appliance label, on the bottom of the product transported by the movable rollers, that contains information that cannot be displayed on the label affixed to the top of the product, and transports the product to a transport device provided downstream in the product transport direction.
It is not necessary to provide a label underlay device in the packaging device 100. Also, a transport device may be provided downstream of the discharge conveyor, and the products may be transported to the transport device by the discharge conveyor.

2 and 3, the weighing unit 101 includes weighing plates 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, and 101e. The weighing plates 101a to 101e are plate-shaped members that are elongated in the conveying direction (Y direction). The weighing plates 101b to 101d are disposed between the multiple belt conveyors that constitute the conveying path 110, and are disposed downstream of second belts 21 to 23, which will be described later. The weighing plates 101a and 101e are disposed on the outer side of the conveying path 110 in the X direction.

The weighing plates 101a to 101e measure the weight of the packaged items when the packaged items are placed on their upper surfaces. Each of the weighing plates 101a to 101e is supported by pillars (not shown), and one weight sensor supporting the pillars is arranged below the pillars. With this configuration, the weight of the packaged items placed on any of the weighing plates 101a to 101e can be measured by one weight sensor 101z (see FIG. 6). For example, two pillars are provided for each weighing plate, one at the front and one at the back in the conveying direction. Note that each of the weighing plates 101a to 101e may be supported by a different weight sensor, and the weight of the packaged items may be calculated by adding up the measured values of the multiple weight sensors.

The upper surfaces of the weighing plates 101a to 101e are located vertically (Z direction) above the conveying surface of the second belts 21 to 23. The packaged item stops once on the weighing plates 101a to 101e, and while the packaged item is stopped, the width measuring unit 120 moves in the X-axis direction above the conveying surface of the second belt group 20. Here, in order to detect the width of multiple types of packaged items, especially packaged items of various heights, it is desirable for the width measuring unit 120 to sense the lower part of the packaged item so that it can also handle packaged items of low height. On the other hand, if the lower end of the width measuring unit 120 is lowered, it will come into contact with the conveying surface of the second belt group 20. According to a configuration in which the upper surfaces of the weighing plates 101a to 101e are located vertically above the conveying surface of the second belts 21 to 23, the packaged item can be moved upward relative to the width measuring unit 120 to detect the width of a packaged item of low height.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the downstream side of the weighing plates 101a to 101e is a slope that smoothly descends toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. The packaged items conveyed onto the weighing plates 101a to 101e are smoothly guided onto the conveying path 110 by the slope.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), the weighing plates 101b to 101d have, at their upstream ends, approximately rectangular notches 111b, 111c, and 111d that penetrate from the conveying surface to the underside. The notches 111b to 111d are larger than the tabs 21a to 23a arranged on the conveying surfaces of the second belts 21 to 23, and in this embodiment, are of a size that corresponds to the tabs 21a to 23a. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the tabs 21a to 23a pass through the notches 111b to 111d, respectively, from the lower ends of the second belts 21 to 23 and enter the underside of the conveying surface.

On the downstream side of the conveying direction of the second belts 21 to 23, there are disposed transfer sections 41e, 41f, 42e, 42f, 42g, 43e, 43f, 43g, 44e, and 44f that separate the packaged items from the second belts 21 to 23. In this embodiment, the transfer sections 41e to 44f are each flat plate-shaped members and are connected to the downstream side of the conveying auxiliary sections 41 to 44 described below. The downstream side of the conveying auxiliary sections 41 to 44 is a notch into which the rotating shaft at the upstream end of the conveying path 110 fits, and the transfer sections 41e to 44f are connected to the inside or outside of the notch. A plurality of the transfer sections 41e to 44f may be stacked and connected to the conveying auxiliary sections 41 to 44.

The transfer sections 41e to 44f have a slope that gradually protrudes toward the downstream direction on the conveying surface. The transfer sections 41e to 44f allow the packaged items to be separated upward from the second belts 21 to 23 and smoothly guided onto the weighing plates 101a to 101e above the conveying surface of the second belts 21 to 23.

In this embodiment, the conveying device 200 is arranged in series with the conveying path 110, and the packaged items conveyed by the conveying device 200 are guided to the weighing section 101 via the conveying path 110.

In addition, a tilt table 80 is arranged upstream of the conveying device 200. The tilt table 80 is a table that tilts vertically downward from upstream to downstream, and the product slides from upstream to downstream. A pair of guides 81, 82 are arranged on the left and right sides of the tilt table 80 in the X direction. The guides 81, 82 are rod-shaped members that extend in the Y direction of the tilt table 80, and prevent the product sliding down the tilt table 80 from falling and guide the product upstream of the conveying device 200. When the worker finishes the previous process, he places the product in an appropriate position on the tilt table 80. According to the configuration of the tilt table 80, multiple packaged items to be processed in the packaging device 100 can be lined up and kept waiting. Since the tilt table 80 is tilted toward the downstream, the waiting packaged items are appropriately transported downstream as the processing of the packaging device 100 progresses.

The surface of the inclined platform 80, together with the upper surfaces of the upstream belt 211 (see FIG. 1), the first belt group 10, the second belt group 20, and the conveying auxiliary group 40 (see FIG. 2) of the conveying device 200, constitutes a conveying surface for conveying the packaged items.

Conveying Device The conveying device 200 is mainly divided into an upstream section 210 , a restricting section 220 , and a downstream section 230 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , the upstream section 210 mainly includes an upstream belt 211 and tray guides 212 and 213 .

The upstream belt 211 is a band-shaped infinite circulation belt. The upper surface of the upstream belt 211 is a conveying surface on which the packaged items are placed, and the packaged items are conveyed toward the downstream section 230. In this embodiment, the upstream belt 211 is composed of one infinite circulation belt, but it may be composed of multiple infinite circulation belts that are separate from each other.

Tray guides 212 and 213 are arranged on both sides of the upstream belt 211. The tray guides 212 and 213 are long members arranged along the Y direction of the upstream belt 211. The tray guides 212 and 213 are bent at one point, and the upstream sides of the tray guides 212 and 213 are arranged so that they gradually approach the upstream belt 211 toward the downstream. The downstream sides of the tray guides 212 and 213 are arranged approximately parallel to the side of the upstream belt 211. In addition, multiple conveying rollers 212a and 213a extending in the Z-axis direction are rotatably arranged side by side on the opposing surfaces of the tray guides 212 and 213, i.e., the surfaces on the upstream belt 211 side. When the packaged item comes into contact with the conveying rollers 212a and 213a, they rotate around the Z-axis in accordance with the movement of the packaged item, and guide the packaged item downstream.

The downstream and upstream ends of the inner surface of the upstream belt 211 are in contact with the downstream roller 214 and the upstream belt drive roller 215 (see FIG. 6), respectively. The downstream roller 214 and the upstream belt drive roller 215 are generally cylindrical bodies extending in the X direction. The upstream belt drive roller 215 is a roller that rotates by power, and the downstream roller 214 is a free roller. The upstream belt 211 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the upstream belt drive roller 215 by power. Note that the upstream side may be a free roller, and the downstream side may be a roller that has a driving force.

4 and 5, the restricting section 220 is configured between the upstream section 210 and the downstream section 230. The restricting section 220 is a member that restricts the packaged item conveyed from the upstream section 210 from reaching the downstream section 230. The restricting section 220 includes a shutter 221, an upper roller 222, and a detection section 223.

The shutter 221 is a member that is arranged across the width of the conveying surface, i.e., the X direction. In this embodiment, the shutter 221 is a member shaped like a roughly round bar connected with a gap above a plate-like body. The shutter 221 is connected to a control unit (not shown) and moves up and down under electrical control between a mode in which it protrudes upward from the conveying surface of the upstream belt 211 to restrict the movement of the packaged items and a mode in which it does not restrict the movement of the packaged items.

The upper roller 222 is a cylindrical member rotatably connected to the outer periphery of the approximately round bar of the shutter 221. The upper roller 222 may be one or more. The upper roller 222 forms the upper outer edge of the shutter 221, and the packaged item is conveyed while abutting against the upper roller 222 in a state in which the shutter 221 does not protrude from the conveying surface. According to the configuration of the upper roller 222, in the unrestricted state (lowered state), the conveying surface of the upstream belt on the upstream side, the conveying surface of the first belt on the downstream side, and the conveying surface of the upper roller 222 are approximately at the same height, so that the step when the packaged item transfers from the upstream belt to the first belt can be minimized, and the packaged item can be stably guided to the downstream section 230 without affecting the contents of the packaged item.

As shown in FIG. 5, in a mode in which the movement of the packaged items is restricted, the shutter 221 protrudes above the conveying surface. In this mode, the packaged items abut against the shutter 221 and are not conveyed to the downstream section 230.

The detection unit 223 is a device that detects the packaged items on the upstream belt 211. The detection unit 223 is composed of, for example, a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit that are provided facing each other at the downstream end of the upstream belt 211. The detection unit 223 is connected to the control unit 30 (see FIG. 6). After detecting the packaged items, the control unit 30 protrudes the shutter 221 upward when the packaged items are no longer detected, for example, due to movement from the upstream belt 211 to the first belt group 10. This configuration prevents the packaged items from flowing excessively into the packaging device 100, allowing the packaging process to be carried out smoothly.

Downstream Section As shown in FIG. 2, the downstream section 230 mainly includes a first belt group 10, a second belt group 20, and a conveying auxiliary section group 40.

The first belt group 10 is a member that conveys the packaged items conveyed from the upstream belt 211 to the upstream of the second belt group 20. The first belt group 10 includes a plurality of first belts 11, 12, 13, and 14 arranged in parallel. The first belts 11 to 14 are endless circulation belts that rotate by power. The upstream end of the first belt group 10 is supported by a first belt drive roller 15 (see FIG. 8). The downstream ends of the first belts 11 to 14 are engaged with freely rotating shafts. When the first belt drive roller 15 rotates, the first belt group 10 rotates in a direction toward the downstream on the conveying surface, conveying the packaged items downstream. The number of first belts is arbitrary. The first belts 11 to 14 correspond to the number of belt conveyors that constitute the conveying path 110 of the packaging device 100, and are connected to each other by conveying auxiliary units 41 to 44.

The second belt group 20 is a member that conveys the packaged items conveyed from the first belt group 10 to the conveying path 110 of the packaging device 100. The second belt group 20 includes a plurality of second belts 21, 22, 23 arranged in parallel. The second belts 21 to 23 are endless circulating belts that rotate by power. The second belts 21 to 23 are arranged between the first belts 11 to 14. In other words, the first belts 11 to 14 and the second belts 21 to 23 are arranged alternately in the width direction of the conveying direction, i.e., the X direction. The second belt group 20 is an example of a conveying section.

In the conveying direction, i.e., the Y direction, the first belt group 10 and the second belt group 20 are arranged side by side with some overlapping. More specifically, the upstream end of the second belt group 20 is disposed in the center of the first belt group 10, and the downstream end of the first belt group 10 extends to the center of the second belt group 20.

The upstream and downstream ends of the second belts 21 to 23 are supported by free rollers, and are rotated by a second belt drive unit 115 (see FIG. 6) provided at the lower end of the conveying device 200. The second belt group 20 is arranged alternately with the conveying path 110 of the packaging device 100 in the X direction, and the packaged items conveyed by the second belt group 20 are carried into the interior of the packaging device 100 by the conveying path 110.

The second belts 21 to 23 each have a claw 21a, 22a, 23a that protrudes onto the conveying surface. The claws 21a to 23a are examples of extrusion members. In this embodiment, the claws 21a to 23a are triangular prism-shaped members having a height corresponding to the width of the second belts 21 to 23, but the shape is arbitrary as long as they protrude upward from the conveying surface. The surfaces of the claws 21a to 23a facing the downstream side stand up approximately perpendicular to the conveying surface. The claws 21a to 23a move so that their positions in the Y direction are approximately equal to each other as the second belts 21 to 23 rotate. In other words, the surfaces of the claws 21a to 23a facing the downstream side form a virtual plane along the width direction of the conveying surface. The number of claws is arbitrary, and one claw may be arranged on each second belt, or multiple claws may be arranged at predetermined intervals.

The conveying surface of the second belt group 20 is located lower than the conveying surface of the first belt group 10. On the other hand, the claws 21a to 23a protrude above the conveying surface of the first belt group 10. The rotation speed of the second belt group 20 is faster than that of the first belt group 10. According to this configuration, in the area where the first belt group 10 and the second belt group 20 are arranged side by side, only the conveying surface of the first belt group 10 contacts the packaged item. Since the second belt group 20 rotates at a faster speed than the first belt group 10, when the packaged item is conveyed by the first belt group 10, the claws 21a to 23a catch up with the packaged item from the upstream and push the packaged item downstream. The upstream end of the packaged item contacts the claws 21a to 23a and is rotated on the conveying surface, so that the packaged item can be adjusted to be aligned with the virtual plane formed by the downstream surfaces of the claws 21a to 23a. The configuration in which the downstream section 230 adjusts the orientation of the packaged items can keep the orientation of the packaged items conveyed to the packaging device 100 constant. This can reduce packaging defects caused by packaged items being conveyed to the packaging device 100 at a large angle. In addition, the width measuring section 120 can accurately measure the width of the packaged items, allowing for proper packaging.

The width measuring unit 120 is disposed at the downstream end of the second belt group 20. Therefore, when the packaged items are conveyed on the conveying path 110, the second belt group 20 may be controlled to rotate in the opposite direction to the conveying direction according to the movement timing of the width measuring unit 120. With this configuration, the claws 21a to 23a can be moved upstream of the width measuring unit 120 to prevent interference between the width measuring unit 120 and the claws 21a to 23a. The second belt group 20 may rotate in the opposite direction before the width measuring unit 120 moves, or may start rotating simultaneously with the width measuring unit 120 moves.

As shown in FIG. 2, the group of conveying auxiliary parts 40 is composed of multiple conveying auxiliary parts, each of which connects the first belt group 10 and the conveying path 110 to assist in the conveying of the packaged items. The group of conveying auxiliary parts 40 is a U-shaped member that opens downward, i.e., in the -Z direction. Multiple auxiliary rollers are arranged in parallel on the conveying surface side of the group of conveying auxiliary parts 40, and are designed to rotate as the packaged items move. In this embodiment, the auxiliary rollers are free rollers, but they may also be rollers with driving force.

Functional blocks of the packaging device Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control unit 30 of the packaging device 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control unit 30 of the printing device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a flash memory 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, and an interface circuit 35. The control unit 30 is connected mainly to a display/operation unit 102, a second operation unit 103, an upstream belt drive roller 215, a detection unit 223, a first belt drive roller 15, a second belt drive unit 115, a weighing unit 101, and a lateral width measurement unit 120 via the interface circuit 35.

The CPU 31 is a central processing unit that controls the operation of the printer 1 by reading and executing programs stored in the flash memory 32. The flash memory 32 is an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 31, and stores various information used by the CPU 31, including programs. The flash memory 32 stores information about the dimensions of the packaged items, such as width, height, and depth, label printing information and logs (printing date and time, printer number, product name and format name to be printed, etc.), etc.

RAM 33 is the main storage device of CPU 31. RAM 33 is a work area for temporarily retrieving and processing data. RAM 33 also stores a label format file in which the print format for label printing is set, a product file (printing information) in which various product data for label printing is set, and other data, and is backed up by a battery so that these files are retained even when the power is turned off.

Functional Section The packaging device 100 shown in Fig. 6 includes a control section 30 having an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing information processing, and storage devices such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), thereby providing at least a dimension acquisition section, a carry-in operation determination section, and a width measurement determination section as software resources. The control section 30 executes a computer program for controlling the packaging device 100. The computer program can be provided by downloading via a network such as the Internet, or by recording it on various computer-readable recording media such as a CD-ROM.

The dimension acquisition unit is a functional unit that acquires dimensional information of the packaged item, particularly the depth, height, and width. The dimension acquisition unit accepts and acquires input of the depth, height, and width, for example, via the display and operation unit 102. The tray setting screen G1 (see FIG. 7) displayed on the display and operation unit 102 will be described later.

The carry-in operation determination unit is a functional unit that determines the manner of the carry-in operation, that is, the operation in which the second belt group 20 conveys the packaged item downstream of the second belt group 20, in this embodiment, to the weighing unit 101, based on the dimensional information of the packaged item. The carry-in operation includes the operation of pushing the packaged item with the claws 21a to 23a and guiding it to the weighing unit 101, and the operation of moving the claws 21a to 23a away from the packaged item. When weighing by the weighing unit 101, if the claws 21a to 23a are in contact with the packaged item, the weighing will be inaccurate, so this carry-in operation ensures accurate weighing by the weighing unit 101.

The loading operation includes a reversing operation and a sending operation, which are different from each other in the operation that occurs after the packaged items are moved downstream of the second belt group 20, in this embodiment to the weighing section 101.

The reversing operation is an operation in which the second belt group 20 is reversed for a predetermined time or distance after the packaged items have been moved to the weighing section 101. The packaged items transported by the second belt group 20 are guided to the weighing section 101 via the transfer sections 41e to 44f.

The packaged items guided to the weighing section 101 are pushed further downstream as the second belt group 20 sinks into the notches 111b to 111d. In particular, when the claws 21a to 23a arranged on the conveying surface of the second belt group 20 abut against the upstream end of the packaged item and convey the packaged item, the claws 21a to 23a enter the notches 111b to 111d as shown in FIG. 3(b), so that the packaged item moves one step downstream. Therefore, if the length of the packaged item in the conveying direction (Y direction), i.e., the length in the depth direction, is equal to or greater than the second standard, the packaged item will exceed the downstream end of the weighing plates 101b to 101d in the Y direction as the second belt group 20 sinks and come into contact with the conveying path 110, making it impossible to weigh accurately. Therefore, by reversing the rotation of the second belt group 20 after the packaged items have been moved to the weighing section 101, the packaged items can be prevented from being pushed in by the claws 21a to 23a, and can be kept on the weighing plates 101b to 101d. As a result, even packaged items with a large depth can be weighed accurately.

In addition, in the reverse operation, the second belt group 20 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the claws 21a to 23a move upstream of the width measurement sensors 121 and 122. With this configuration, the claws 21a to 23a move out of the detection range of the width measurement sensors 121 and 122, so that the width measurement sensors 121 and 122 do not erroneously detect the claws 21a to 23a. In other words, the width measurement can be performed accurately.

7(a) and (b), when the height H1 of the packaged item T1 is equal to or less than the first standard, if the second belt group 20 is operated downstream, the claws 21a to 23a in contact with the packaged item T1 will sink and rotate, pushing the upper end of the packaged item T1 downward, which may cause the packaged item T1 to lose its position. In particular, if the packaged item is a tray on which food or other products are placed, the product may fall due to the tray tilt or impact. There is also a risk that the tray edge may be pinched between the claws 21a to 23a and the notches 111b to 111d, or that the tray may be thrown downstream. Therefore, by operating the second belt group 20 in the reverse direction, the packaged item can be maintained in its position and the packaged item can be weighed accurately.

The sending operation is an operation of driving the second belt group 20 toward the downstream even after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the second belt group 20. As shown in FIG. 7(c), if the height H2 of the packaged item T2 is greater than the first reference, if the second belt group 20 is reversed, the upper ends of the claws 21a to 23a that are in contact with the packaged item T2 may catch the packaged item T2 from below, and the packaged item T2 may be pulled back upstream with the reverse operation. In particular, in the case of a tray-shaped packaged item, the upper end may be slightly folded downward, and the claws 21a to 23a are more likely to catch on the packaged item of this shape. As a result, the packaged item T2 may be tilted and carried into the inside of the opening 105, and even into the elevator lift arranged inside and guiding the packaged item to the packaging section, and the packaging process may not be performed correctly. In addition, in the case of a tray-shaped packaged item as described above, the product may fall. Furthermore, if the conveying path downstream of the second belt group 20 is configured on the weighing plates 101b to 101d, part or all of the packaged item T2 will come into contact with a part other than the weighing plates 101b to 101d, such as the second belt group 20 or the transfer sections 41e to 44f, making it impossible to weigh accurately. Therefore, by sending out the second belt group 20, it is possible to prevent the packaged item from being pulled back by being caught by the claws 21a to 23a, and to keep the packaged item on the weighing plates 101b to 101d. As a result, even packaged items that are tall in the vertical direction can be weighed accurately.

For example, the first standard is determined according to the height of the claws 21a to 23a, and the second standard is determined according to the measuring plates 101b to 101d. Note that the first standard, which is the standard for height, and the second standard, which is the standard for depth, are numerical values that are determined independently, and may be the same or different from each other.

In addition, in this embodiment, the conveying speed of the second belt group 20 during the sending operation is the same as the speed at which the packaged items are moved to the weighing section 101, but it may be different from that speed.

That is, when the height of the packaged item is equal to or less than the first standard, the carry-in operation determination unit determines to reverse the second belt group 20 as the operation after the packaged item is moved downstream of the second belt group 20, and when the height of the packaged item is greater than the first standard, the carry-in operation determination unit determines to perform the sending-out operation of the second belt group 20. In addition, when the depth of the packaged item is greater than the second standard, the carry-in operation determination unit determines to reverse the second belt group 20 as the operation after the packaged item is moved downstream of the second belt group 20, and when the depth of the packaged item is equal to or less than the second standard, the carry-in operation determination unit determines to perform the sending-out operation of the second belt group 20 as the operation after the packaged item is moved downstream of the second belt group 20. With this configuration, the packaged item can be guided to the weighing unit 101 according to the dimensions of the packaged item without tilting it or dropping the placed product, and can be accurately weighed.

The order of priority between the decision based on the height of the packaged item and the decision based on the depth may be determined in advance. That is, when the height of the packaged item is greater than a first standard and the depth is greater than a second standard, the loading operation determination unit determines the predetermined operation from among the reversing operation and the sending operation. The loading operation determination unit may also be able to change which operation to perform in that case based on a command from the operator.

The width measurement decision unit is a functional unit that decides whether or not to measure the width of the packaged item using the width measurement unit 120. If the width of the packaged item has not been acquired by the dimension acquisition unit, the width measurement decision unit decides to operate the width measurement unit 120. If the width of the packaged item has been acquired, for example, if the width has been input in advance via the display/operation unit 102, the width measurement decision unit decides not to operate the width measurement unit 120. With this configuration, the operation time of the width measurement unit 120 can be omitted when the width has been acquired, and processing speed can be improved.

8, a tray setting screen G1 is displayed on the display and operation unit 102. The tray setting screen G1 displays a packaged item name window G11 that displays the identification information of the packaged item, a packaged item type window G12 that displays the type of the packaged item, a depth window G13 that displays the depth of the packaged item, a height window G14 that displays the height of the packaged item, a width window G15 that displays the width of the packaged item, a tension setting window G16 that sets the tension of the film that packages the packaged item, and the like.

The display contents of each of the windows G11 to G16 can be edited by tapping or selecting the window or the corresponding area. That is, the depth, height, and width of the packaged item can be input and stored in advance on the tray setting screen G1.

When the dimensions of the packaged item, at least the height or depth, are set on the tray setting screen G1, the loading operation determination unit determines, based on the input information, whether to reverse the second belt group 20 or send it out in the operation after the packaged item is moved to the weighing unit 101. With this configuration, when the dimensions of the packaged item are registered, the appropriate loading operation is automatically selected. The operation to be performed may be displayed on the display/operation unit 102. Also, the operation to be performed may be stored in association with the identification information of the packaged item. With this configuration, when the identification information of the packaged item is called up, the mode of the loading operation is determined without performing calculation processing again.

In this embodiment, the operation is performed on a touch panel display, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and the display unit and the operation unit may be separate.

●Processing flow for determining the operation of the second belt according to the dimensions of the packaged item As shown in Fig. 9, first, the depth and height of the packaged item are obtained (S11). It is determined whether the height of the packaged item is greater than a reference (S12), and if it is equal to or less than the reference, it is determined that the second belt group 20 is to perform a reverse operation when the packaged item is conveyed to the weighing section 101 (S14). If the height of the packaged item is greater than the reference in step S12, it is determined whether the depth of the packaged item is greater than the reference (S13), and if it is equal to or less than the reference, it is determined that the second belt group 20 is to perform a sending operation when the packaged item is conveyed to the weighing section 101 (S15). If the depth of the packaged item is greater than the reference in step S13, it is determined that the second belt group 20 is to operate in a predetermined operation of either the reverse operation or the sending operation (S16).

Operation of the Upstream Belt and the First Belt of the Conveying Device The packaged item placed on the inclined platform 80 by the worker moves downstream according to the inclination of the inclined platform 80, and is guided to the upstream belt 211. The packaged item is also moved onto the first belt group 10 through the restricting section 220 by the power of the upstream belt 211, and when the downstream end of the packaged item rides on the first belt group 10, it is conveyed downstream by the power of the first belt group 10.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the drive speed of each belt when the packaged item is transported from the upstream belt 211 to the first belt group 10. The upstream belt drive roller 215 normally operates on the conveying surface at the same speed as the first belt drive roller 15, but when the detection unit 223 detects the packaged item, the control unit 30 drives the upstream belt drive roller 215 at a higher speed than the first belt drive roller 15. With this configuration, if the downstream edge of the packaged item is inclined to the width direction of the conveying surface, the part of the packaged item on the upstream belt 211 accelerates compared to the part that reached the first belt group 10 first, so that the inclination of the packaged item in the width direction can be straightened.

The time during which the upstream belt 211 drives faster than the first belt group 10, i.e., the first time, is calculated by the control unit 30 according to the depth of the packaged item. This is because the time it takes for the packaged item to transfer depends on the size of the packaged item in the conveying direction, i.e., the depth. The depth is input in advance on the tray setting screen G1. With this configuration, the inclination of the packaged item in the width direction can be reliably corrected.

The upstream belt drive roller 215 detects the packaged item and drives faster than the first belt drive roller 15 for a predetermined first time, after which the upstream belt drive roller 215 is decelerated to a speed slower than that of the first belt drive roller 15.

When multiple packaged items are placed on the upstream belt 211 and transported downstream, when the shutter 221 protrudes above the transport surface, the multiple packaged items are blocked by the shutter 221 and come into contact with each other and are arranged in parallel. When the shutter 221 lowers, the leading packaged item that was in contact with the shutter 221 is pushed onto the first belt group 10. Here, weighing and packaging are performed one by one, so it is desirable that only the leading packaged item is pushed onto the first belt group 10. When the detection unit 223 detects a gap between the multiple packaged items, the shutter 221 rises above the transport surface, isolating the leading packaged item from the second and subsequent packaged items, and only the leading packaged item is guided to the opening 105.

However, when multiple packaged items are in close contact with each other, the detection unit 223 may not be able to detect the gaps between them. In particular, when the edges of the packaged items rise up almost vertically, they come into surface contact with adjacent packaged items, so no gaps are created, making it difficult to cut and transport the packaged items one by one.

According to this embodiment, after the leading packaged item is pushed onto the first belt group 10, the upstream belt drive roller 215 gradually slows down, so that the moving speed of the second and subsequent packages from the leading packaged item becomes slower than that of the leading packaged item, and a gap is created between the leading packaged item and the second packaged item. When the gap causes the detection unit 223 to no longer detect the packaged item, the shutter 221 moves upward. In other words, with this configuration, the leading packaged item and the second packaged item, which are in close contact with each other, can be reliably separated, and only the leading packaged item can be guided to the opening 105.

After driving the upstream belt drive roller 215 at a low speed for a predetermined second time, the upstream belt drive roller 215 makes the drive speed of the upstream belt 211 equal to the drive speed of the first belt group 10. The length of the predetermined second time is arbitrary, but it may be a time that is long enough for a gap that can be detected by the detection unit 223 to occur. In addition, the upstream belt drive roller 215 may make the drive speed of the upstream belt 211 equal to the drive speed of the first belt group 10 when the detection unit 223 detects a gap, in other words, when it no longer detects the packaged item. By returning the speed of the upstream belt drive roller 215 to the same as the drive speed of the first belt group 10, the number of packaged items transported to the opening 105 does not decrease, and the packaging process can be performed efficiently.

In this embodiment, the upstream belt 211 is slowed down, but if the relative speed of the upstream belt 211 to the first belt group 10 changes, the speed of the first belt group 10 may be controlled to be faster than the upstream belt 211 for a first time, and then slower than the upstream belt drive roller 215. Alternatively, the drive speeds of both the upstream belt 211 and the first belt group 10 may be changed.

●Processing flow when transporting the packaged item from the upstream belt to the first belt As shown in Fig. 11, first, the first belt drive roller 15 and the upstream belt drive roller 215 are operated at the same speed (S31). Next, when the detection unit 223 detects the packaged item (S32), the upstream belt drive roller 215 is driven at a higher speed than the first belt drive roller 15 (S33). Next, after the upstream belt drive roller 215 is driven at a high speed, when a first time corresponding to the depth of the packaged item has elapsed (S34), the upstream belt drive roller 215 is changed to a speed lower than that of the first belt drive roller 15 (S35). Next, after the upstream belt drive roller 215 is driven at a low speed, when a second time has elapsed (S36), the speed of the upstream belt drive roller 215 is accelerated to the same speed as the first belt drive roller 15 (S37).

The packaging device according to this embodiment can transport packaged items to the weighing platform and weigh them accurately.

Overview of the embodiment The present invention relates to a packaging device and a method for controlling the packaging device.

A packaging device that wraps the packaged item using a stretch film or the like is known.

One known patent document is JP 2002-128011 A.

If the packaged item loses its orientation while being transported, there is a risk that the contents of the package will spill or be packaged incorrectly.

Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a packaging device that can transport packaged items without losing posture.

To achieve the above object, the packaging device according to the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys the packaged item downstream in the conveying direction, and a control unit that determines, depending on dimensional information about the packaged item, whether to perform a reversing operation in which the conveying unit is driven in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, or a sending operation in which the conveying unit is driven along the conveying direction, as an operation to be performed after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit.

The conveying section may have a pusher member protruding from the conveying surface, and the packaged items may be pushed out by the pusher member to move downstream of the conveying section.

The dimensional information may include a height of the packaged item, and the control unit may cause the conveying unit to perform the reverse operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the height of the packaged item is equal to or less than a first standard, and may cause the conveying unit to perform the sending operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the height of the packaged item is greater than the first standard.

The dimensional information may include the depth of the packaged item, and the control unit may cause the conveying unit to perform the reverse operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the depth of the packaged item is greater than a second standard, and may cause the conveying unit to perform the sending operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the depth of the packaged item is equal to or less than the second standard.

The dimensional information may include the height and depth of the packaged item, and the control unit may cause the conveying unit to perform the reverse operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the height of the packaged item is equal to or less than a first standard, cause the conveying unit to perform the sending operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the height of the packaged item is greater than the first standard and the depth of the packaged item is equal to or less than a second standard, and cause the conveying unit to perform the sending operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit if the height of the packaged item is greater than the first standard and the depth of the packaged item is greater than the second standard, and cause the conveying unit to perform one of the predetermined operations, the reverse operation and the sending operation, after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit.

The device may further include a width measuring unit that measures the width of the packaged item, and the control unit may operate the width measuring unit when the width of the packaged item has not been input in advance, and may not operate the width measuring unit when the width of the packaged item has been input in advance.

The width measuring unit may measure the width of the packaged item by scanning in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit.

To achieve the above object, a control method for a packaging device according to another aspect of the present invention includes a conveying step of driving a conveying surface to convey the packaged item on the conveying surface downstream of the conveying section, and a control step of determining, in accordance with dimensional information of the packaged item, whether to perform a reversing operation in which the conveying section is driven in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, or a sending operation in which the conveying section is driven along the conveying direction, in the conveying step after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying section.

The packaging device of the present invention allows packaged items to be transported without losing their position.

100 Packaging device 200 Conveying device 210 Upstream section 220 Restricting section 230 Downstream section 10 First belt group 11 to 14 First belt 20 Second belt group (conveying section)
21-23 Second belt

Claims (4)

A conveying section that has a push-out member protruding from a conveying surface and conveys the packaged item downstream in a conveying direction by pushing the packaged item with the push-out member ;
a control unit that determines, according to dimensional information of the packaged item, whether to perform a reverse operation in which the conveying unit is driven in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, or a sending operation in which the conveying unit is driven along the conveying direction, as an operation to be performed after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit;
Equipped with
The dimensional information includes a height of the packaged item, and when the height of the packaged item is equal to or less than a first reference, the control unit causes the conveying unit to perform the reverse operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit, and when the height of the packaged item is greater than the first reference, causes the conveying unit to perform the sending-out operation after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit.
Packaging equipment.
Further comprising a width measuring unit for measuring the width of the packaged item,
The control unit operates the width measuring unit when the width of the packaged item has not been input in advance, and does not operate the width measuring unit when the width of the packaged item has been input in advance.
2. The packaging device of claim 1 .
The width measuring unit measures the width of the packaged item by scanning in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction after the packaged item is moved downstream of the conveying unit.
3. The packaging device according to claim 2 .
A conveying step of driving the conveying surface and pushing out the packaged item on the conveying surface with a push-out member protruding from the conveying surface, thereby conveying the packaged item downstream of the conveying section;
a control step of determining whether to perform a reverse operation in which the conveying unit is driven in the opposite direction to the conveying direction or a sending operation in which the conveying unit is driven along the conveying direction in the conveying step after the packaged item has been moved downstream of the conveying unit according to dimensional information of the packaged item;
Including ,
The dimensional information includes a height of the packaged item,
In the control step, when the height of the packaged item is equal to or less than a first standard, the packaged item is moved downstream of the conveying unit and then the conveying unit is caused to perform the reverse operation, and when the height of the packaged item is greater than the first standard, the packaged item is moved downstream of the conveying unit and then the conveying unit is caused to perform the sending-out operation.
A method for controlling a packaging device.

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