JPH024446B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for hanging flexible fusible bands on articles.

Prior Art U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,038 to MacKENZIE, issued April 20, 1965;
In the apparatus disclosed in Cook U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,618, issued July 27, 1967,
Although it teaches that tension should be carried out in two stages,
These steps are carried out using separate tensioning devices. In these devices, a first tensioning device loosely loops the band around the packaged article and a second tensioning device is then actuated to wind the band to final tension. This device also includes an interruption in the band guide or groove by dividing the upstream and downstream sides of the feed roller. For this reason, it was necessary to take a surface at the entrance to the downstream end of the track when the band is fed from the feeding roller.

Concerning the technique of feeding a new band around the track when the previous band is in the sealing area,
The apparatus disclosed in Goodley, U.S. Pat. The device was modified to be able to feed the band during the sealing process, but this device required moving the sealed loop to the side to accommodate the next band to be fed. Ta. This device also relied on the lateral stiffness of the bands to move them laterally and align each band with each other in the seal area, but the band's tendency to kink could cause it to become kinked and become trapped in the track. There has been a tendency, and as the slides, guides and heater blades used in the device move laterally with respect to the band, to cause the band to be out of alignment, thereby causing a misaligned seal.

Billet (RJ) issued on August 30, 1966
BILLET et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,300, discloses a sealing device with a resistive heating element having a thin blade-like portion. This patent states that, for example, if the plastic band is made of polyurethane resin, the temperature of the blade should be approximately 750〓 (399℃).
If the band is held between the bands for a fraction of a second, the surface of the band will become soft or melt, causing the band to become sticky.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The Matsukenzie and Kutsuku prior art device described above uses two independent tensioning devices, such as separate air cylinders or solenoids, to actuate the second tensioning mechanism. need to be activated. Therefore, the operation is complicated, manufacturing is difficult, and the strapping speed and fastening speed are slow. In contrast, the main objective of the present invention is to increase the wrapping speed of typical known strapping machines per minute.
The object of the present invention is to provide a high-speed banding machine that can band 80 pieces per minute, compared to 35 pieces per minute.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved band tensioning mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to wrap a band around an article with a cutting and sealing head such that a first band can be sealed while the next band is placed coplanar and around the article. Our goal is to provide machinery.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved strapping device, whereas prior art devices required a separate drive, such as an air cylinder or solenoid, to open the track. An object of the present invention is to provide a machine for wrapping a band around an article, which is equipped with a track device.

Means for Solving the Problems The high speed strapping machine provided by the present invention can be constructed by simple mechanical movements that combine multiple actions.

The band tensioning (tightening) mechanism in the band wrapping machine provided by the present invention basically includes a first device for pulling the band around the article with a first tension;
This is accomplished by providing a second device for pulling the band around the article with a second, stronger tension, and driving both devices by a simple mechanical movement of a common plate. In a preferred embodiment, the band is anchored at the feed end until a first predetermined tension is reached;
This tether is then defeated by the tension in the band and additional bands are withdrawn from the reservoir.

The cutting and sealing head of the band winding machine provided by the present invention has band supporting slots in the platen and the clamp that act on the first band so that the band can pass parallel to the track in the same plane. This is achieved by

The track arrangement of the banding machine provided by the present invention is preferably achieved by using a rigid track and directly coupling this track in its first position with the movement of the member in the cutting and sealing head, thereby The track can be opened in a single, easy operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG.
, a band supply device 16 , and a band storage device 18
, a band tensioning unit 20, and a cam control drive device 22. The band is basically supplied via the tensioning unit 20 from the reservoir 18 via the band supply mechanism 14. Transport of the band is stopped when the free end of the band fed around the track 10 through the cutting and sealing head 12 collides with a projection provided in the cutting and sealing head. Then, as the band accumulates in the band supply mechanism, a signal is sent to the cam control drive 22 to initiate a seal, cut, and tension cycle. During this cycle the free end of the band is held and the band is first roughly pulled by tensioning unit 20 to pull it out of its orbit around the articles to be bound. The band is then tightened around the article and the continuous end of the band is held under tension. Then, after said continuous end next to the free end, the free end is pressed against a heating bar until the band is melted, and then the band is pressed together with the cut continuous end. After cooling, the cutting and sealing head opens and the bound articles are removed with the band, completing the cycle of feeding a new band around the track, which began at the same time as the previous band was sealed. The above advantages will be explained in more detail in the following description of each part of the machine.

Band Feeder and Reservoir The band feeder shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a coil 24 containing a band S. This coil is supported by a pair of shafts 25 and 26. The shaft 26 is equipped with a rubber friction cover under the coil, and has large diameter rollers 26a at both ends thereof. That is, this shaft 26 draws the band from the coil and pushes it into the reservoir 18 via guide rollers 24a, 24b. Shaft 26
is driven by a belt-pulley drive 27. The pinch roller 28 is pressed against the driven roller 26a by a spring. The storage device 18 includes a back plate 30 and a plastic front plate 31 spaced a short distance from the back plate forming a housing for the band. The band is pushed up into the housing in a folded state as shown in FIG. paddle 3
2 is pivotally mounted and projects downwardly from the top of the housing. The paddle has a lower switch actuation surface 321 and a full switch actuation surface 32f. When the band is accordion-folded into the housing, the paddles are placed on said surface 32f.
increases until the supply is stopped by closing the full switch FS. As the band exits the reservoir, the height of the folded band decreases and the full switch is turned off until the height is sufficiently lowered to meet the surface 321.
When the switch LS engages with the lower switch LS, the supply roller 26
a is driven again to supply the band into the reservoir. When the coil 24 becomes empty and there is no more band to be supplied, the machine is stopped by the empty switch ES.

In conventional plastic feeders and reservoirs, the reservoir feed rollers were adapted to pull the band directly out of the coil. Therefore, when the band is cut, the freely rotating coil often stops. In this method, there is a limit to the feeding speed because the coil is accelerated when the band is clamped and the coil coasts at the free end, causing many breaks. The present invention has the advantage that the coil drive and band supply rollers are simplified and no special brake is required for the coil. Since the driven shaft 26 is driven through the clutch, the coil is driven at a low speed and coasting at the feed end is not a problem since only a small amount of band is delivered to the reservoir. By using the method of the invention, the tying machine of the invention can be operated at higher speeds than known ones. Another advantage of the present invention is that whereas a separate reel was required to hold the coils, the feeder and reservoir of the present invention allows the coils to be held on a support shaft 25,
The point is that it can be simply placed directly on 26. Furthermore, the band is drawn from the coil at a constant linear velocity, independent of the diameter of the roll.

FIG. 17 shows a modification of the band supply device. In this embodiment, the reel 300 of the band S is mounted on an axle 30 raised within a support bracket 303.
It is rotatably placed on 2. belt 304
is pressed against the surface of the band on the reel by a spring 306 to hold the reel within the bracket. This belt is driven by a shaft 26 connected to a supply roller 26a. This belt and the feed roller are therefore synchronously driven at the same linear speed as the band being fed from the reel through the feed pinch roller, or slightly faster at the pinch roller as in the embodiment shown in FIG. at speed,
It is rotated regardless of the diameter change of the band on the reel.

Band Supply Mechanism Band supply mechanism 14 is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 8. The feeding mechanism includes a driven roller 34 that is continuously rotated in a counterclockwise direction.
The band is pressed against the driven roller 34 by a spring-loaded pinch roller 35 driven by a solenoid (not shown). The band is fed along a guide groove 36 by both rollers 34, 35. As shown in FIG. 7, a slot 36a is provided in the guide groove, and the rollers 34, 35
The thickness of the peripheral surface of the slot 36a is narrower than the width of the slot 36a. Therefore, the band is moved into the groove 3 by the roller.
6, it is always accommodated in the groove and prevented from curving. This feature is a desirable feature since this curvature problem has been a problem with conventional band supply mechanisms. Conventional band feeding mechanisms have split upstream and downstream sections of the feeding roller to interrupt the band guide or groove. For this reason, it was necessary to take a surface at the entrance to the downstream end of the track when the band is fed from the feeding roller. However, this chamfered area is prone to curvature due to resistance to movement of the band. It is clear that with the invention no chamfering is necessary, and no interruption of the guide groove is necessary, so that no curvature occurs.

The band supply mechanism 14 further includes a chamber 38 having a paddle 39 which forms part of the guide channel 36 as the band passes over the chamber 38. This paddle 39 is held and pivoted in the raised position by a light spring 40. A cam 41 provided on the paddle engages with a stop switch S. The band is rollers 34, 35
Once fed through the groove 36 by the band, the free end of the band is routed through the cutting and sealing head 12 and comes to rest within the cutting and sealing head again. When the free end of the band is blocked, the continuous end in groove 36 bends back and pushes paddle 39 downwards, driving stop switch S. This de-energizes a solenoid (not shown) and springs the pinch roller 35 away from the driven roller 34, interrupting band feeding. Meanwhile, trigger solenoid 43 (FIG. 1) is energized to pull trigger 44 away from single rotation clutch 45. Clutch 45 is the primary source of drive for cam control drive 22, which initiates the remainder of the machine's cycle.

Tension Unit The tension unit 20 shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 is provided with freely rotating movable take-off rollers 49 and freely rotating fixed take-off rollers 48 alternately. As shown in FIG. 3, the band is fed up and down between rollers 48, 49, and when movable roller 49 moves to the dotted line position in FIG.
It can be understood that a certain length of band is pulled back from . The take-off rollers pull the band from the track 10 and roughly and significantly retract the band in order to snug it around the articles to be bound. The free end of the band is then clamped at the cutting and sealing head, and only the continuing end is pulled back by the take-off roller. The band between the take-off roller and the reservoir passes over a pair of flanged rollers 50 between which an anvil 51 is clamped. The anvil 51 has a smooth end surface 51a. A pair of spaced apart anchor arms 52 are attached to the pivot post 5
4 on the plate 53. An anchor block 56 having a protruding wedge body 56a is pivotally mounted between the pair of anchor arms 52. One side 56b of the anchor block rests on pin 57. A spring 58 is connected to the anchor arm at point 58a to pull the arm toward the anvil and force wedge 56a toward the band so that the band is pressed onto the smooth end surface 51a of the anvil. Thus, during rough tightening, the band is captured here so that it cannot be removed from the reservoir. but,
When the band is pulled tightly over the article, the tension increases and the anchor block begins to rotate relative to the anchor arm to overcome the force of spring 58a. When this tension reaches a predetermined value, the anchor block rotates relative to the spring and separates from the band and anvil. Thereby roller 49
While moving to the right, the band is freely withdrawn from the reservoir. The anchor arm is fixed to a lever 59, which is attached to a T-shaped frame 61.
It engages with a shoulder 60 that forms part of the. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the T-shaped frame 61 is attached to a movable front plate 62 that supports the movable roller 49 and causes it to reciprocate from side to side. When the front plate 62 is on the left side, the lever 59 is locked counterclockwise and the anchor block is released from the band. However, when the front plate is to the right, spring 58 pulls anchor arm 52 toward the anvil and engages the anchor block with the band.

Front plate 62 slides on guide 64 and is pulled to the left by spring 65 (FIG. 1).
A roller 63 supported at the upper end of the front plate runs in a slot formed in a fixed rod 63a.
The front plate 62 is connected to a tension arm 70 which is connected to a bell-shaped crank 71. A cam follower 72 provided at the free end of the bell-shaped crank follows a cam 73. The cam 73 is fixed to a camshaft 76 connected to the single rotation clutch 45. Thus, once the free end of the band has completely wrapped around the article and is once again within the cutting and sealing head, the tension arm is pivoted to move the front plate 62 to the right.

A knotted roller 80 located directly above and spaced apart from the front plate 62 is connected to a slip clutch 82.
(Fig. 4), and the roller 80 is free to rotate in the counterclockwise direction shown in Fig. 1, but when rotated clockwise, it engages with the clutch 82 to provide a predetermined amount of traction force. It's getting old. The band is pressed against tension roller 80 by eccentrically mounted pinch roller 84. Pinch roller 84 is coupled to a tension lever 86 having a cam follower roller 87. This lever 86 is pulled downward by a spring 88. As the face plate 62 moves to the right during the tightening cycle, the cam roller 87 rests on top of the face plate and moves the pinch roller 84 away from the flanged roller 80 so that the band is free to be pulled back by the roller 49. do. Front plate 62
The top surface has a downward step 92 and an upward step 94. When the front plate 62 moves to the right a sufficient distance for the roller 87 to pass the downward step 92, the tension lever 86 rotates counterclockwise and the pinch roller 84 engages the tension roller 80. At the same time, the tension is applied to the slip clutch 82.
When the desired load on the band is reached, the roller 80
The band is pushed to the right by the roller 91 rotating on the movable frame 61 until the third
figure). As the front plate moves further to the right, the roller is lifted onto the raising step 94 and a dowel 89 is placed under the notch in the end of the tension lever to hold the tension lever in the raised position and lift the front plate. Even when it returns, it is held in the non-operating position away from the stepped portion 92. When the face plate is moved back to the left, pin 96 engages dowel 89 and the tension lever is released to return roller 87 onto the top surface of face plate 62. The adjustment rod 67, which is connected to the front plate 62 by screws, moves to the left and connects the stepped portion 92 and the second
The step portion 92a is weighted so that the start time of the final tension action can be varied.

Traditional strapping machines typically use two tensioning devices, the first tensioning device loosely hanging the band around the packaged item and the second tensioning device activating the band to wind it to its final tension. It's becoming like that. In the present invention, these two operations are performed in a single mechanism and in a single temporal order. This facilitates fabrication and operation while increasing strapping and fastening speeds.

Cutting and Seal Head The cutting and sealing head 12, best seen in Figures 1, 8-14, is located approximately in the center of the lower run of the track 10 and forms a portion of the track. Track 10 includes a square plastic band 100 having a groove 102 for receiving the band. This strip 100 is abutted against the cover 104 by a spring 105 and is mounted on a pad 106 that slides on a post 107. A stripper pin 108 passes through the raceway and is inserted into the groove 102 when the raceway and pad are removed from the cover. That is, the stripper pin protrudes the band from the groove in the raceway to prevent binding. The track pads are coupled to track rods 110 which engage paddles 182, 184, described below, to open the track at desired times in the strapping cycle.

The portion of the track immediately adjacent the cutting and sealing head 12 is shown in FIGS. 12-14. Line 12 in Figure 1
Groove 102 is shown in FIG. 12 when cut at -12. Another groove 36a below groove 102 is also shown in FIG. This second groove 36a is for moving the continuation end under the captured free end of the band to begin insertion of the next band during the sealing cycle. In FIG. 13, the groove 102 is simply
only is shown. That is, since the free end of the band is stopped within the cutting and sealing head, there is only a single groove at this location on the track.

The cutting and sealing head 12 has a cover plate 11 that is movable transversely to the direction of movement of the band.
6 is provided. For ease of explanation, lateral means transverse to the path of the band. Further, in FIG. 10, which shows a plan view of the cutting and sealing head, the cover plate 116 has been removed for ease of viewing. This cover plate 116
forms an anvil for clamping and sealing the band as explained below. Cover plate 116 is reciprocated by a cam follower 118 mounted on cover plate cam 119. The left clamping tool 120 is pivotally mounted in the left yoke 120a, which is used for clamping the continuing end of the band to the cover plate.
It is pivoted for vertical movement to the upper position shown. This left hand grip is moved to a lower position, shown in phantom in FIG. 11, where the free end of the band engages stop surface 121 to stop the band when it loops around track 100. be able to. The left hand gripper is provided with a raceway groove 122 to allow it to rise and feed the next band while holding the loop of the previous band. The left hand grip can be freely lowered, but in its raised position it is held in place by a cam follower 124 resting on a left cam 125. The spring 123 acts to buffer the force between the clamp and its yoke.

The right side gripping tool 128 is also installed so that it can reciprocate vertically, and its downward movement is caused by the right side gripping cam 1.
This is done by a cam follower 130 mounted on 31. The cam follower 130 pulls the right hand grip down against the force of the Belleville washer spring set 134. When the right clamping tool is pushed upward by this spring, the clamping teeth of the right clamping tool are pressed against the band, and the free end of the band is pressed against the cover plate 1.
It is held at 16. A raceway groove 136 is formed in the right side clamp holder and serves as a lower passage for the band to feed the free end of the band between the cover plate and the upper surface of the right side clamp holder to the stop surface 121 on the left side clamp holder. There is.

The platen 138 is pivotally attached to a platen yoke 138a. This platen yoke is placed between the left and right clamps and presses the lower continuing end of the band against the upper free end of the band and the stop plate 116 to compress both bands after welding to the upper position shown in solid line in FIG. It is pivoted so that it can be moved.
The platen is formed with a lower groove 140 for moving the continuation end of the band below the sealed loop of the band for the start of the next feed cycle. The cam follower 142 causes the platen cam 143 to raise the platen from the position below the dotted line in FIG. 11 to the position above the solid line. Spring 189 presses against the platen with a low force during heating, and Belleville spring 190 presses against the platen with a high force to join the molten ends together.

The heating rod 147 is mounted for lateral movement by a cam follower 148 which is moved by a heating rod cam 149. The heating rod is moved between the two tracks of the band to melt the band when both bands are pressed by the platen under the force of spring 189, and the platen through spring 190 causes the band to be held in its final position. It is removed before it can be targeted. The left hand grip yoke is pivotally mounted on an inner slide 160 that is reciprocally mounted for lateral movement. A spring 162 urges the left handjaw and platen onto their respective yokes. The inner slide is reciprocated by a follower 163 provided between the cam surface of the inner slide cam 164 and the back surface of the cover plate cam 119. That is, when the left hand grips move up and down, they are also moved laterally by the inner slides. Spring 1
70 moves the cover plate to the left and cam follower 118 moves it laterally to the right.

Method of Operation The overall movement of the machine and the movement of the cutting and sealing head 12 will now be described. In the starting state, the band S is loaded into the machine and fed around the track 10. Next, the main motor M is started. All elements of this machine are in the position shown in the drawing. When the band supply signal is issued, the trigger solenoid 43 is energized to disengage the trigger from the single rotation clutch 45. This releases the clutch and connects the drive source to the camshaft 180 to which all the cams are mounted. When this camshaft starts rotating, the right side clamp holder 128 is released. This right hand grip is pushed up by the Belleville spring 134 and presses the free end of the band (its terminal edge) against the cover plate 116. Further rotation of the camshaft causes the inner slide 160 to move laterally away from the band and to the right. Since the platen 138 and left handshake 120 are attached to the inner slide, they are also pulled away from the band so that no tension is applied to the band area. When the inner slide retracts, the band guide track 10 also opens. This operation is performed on the platen and the left hand grip and on the track rod 11.
This is done by each paddle 182, 184 engaged with a 0. The stripper pin 108 pushes the band due to the movement of the raceway pad 106 and the raceway groove 10
Release from 2. When the band is taken out from the platen and the left hand grip and the track 10 is opened, the tension cam 7
3 causes tensioning arm 70 to be driven counterclockwise (in FIG. 1) to push front plate 62 to the right and begin tensioning.

The initial movement of the front plate causes the anchor block 56 to pivot downwardly and secure the band to the anvil 51.
push towards. Further rotation of the front plate 62 causes the band to be pulled out of the track and draped over the packaged article. This pulling back of the band is effected by alternating movable-fixed rollers 49, 48. Once the band is draped around the packaged article and the track no longer pulls the band back, the tension in the band increases and the anchor is moved and released, thereby pulling the band out of the reservoir and onto the front plate. The stroke is completed. Near the end of the face plate movement, the tension lever roller 86 drops into the step 92 so that the tension rollers 84, 80 retain the band. The band is then pulled to final tension by the remaining movement of the face plate.

When tightening is started after the inner slide has retreated, the left hand grip 120 and the platen 130 have fallen downward by the platen and left hand grip cams.
Near the end of tightening, the inner slide 160 is returned to its initial position. During this movement, the platen and left hand grip (now in the lower position) have returned directly below the tightened band. Moreover, the orbit is closed by the above motion. The continuation of the band is now facing the retained free end of the band. When the left hand grip is then raised by its cam to the raised position, the continuing end of the band is held against the cover plate.

At the end of the tightening movement of the front plate 62, the tension lever 86 rides on the step 94 and the tension roll 8
Separate 0.84. As the left hand grip rises and presses the band against the cover plate and thus under the free end of the band, heating blades 147 are inserted between the bands in the sealing area. When the heating blade is set, platen 138 is raised to an intermediate position and pressed against the band by spring 189. During this time, the continuing end of the band is cut by a cutter 186 provided on the surface of the right clamp holder 128 and separated from the band supply source. The platen connects the lower band, heater, and
Press the upper band together to melt-seal the band. This pushing force is determined by a spring and plunger between the platen and a platen lever pivotally connected to shaft 168.

At this time, switch 200 is driven by cam 201, which energizes supply solenoid 192 and presses pinch roller 35 against the driven supply roller by lever 193. Since the band is pressed between these rolls, the guide groove 36, the groove 112 of the track 100, the right side gripper 128
groove 136 of the platen 138, groove 140 of the left hand grip holder 120, and groove 10 of the track 110.
2 and exits from the cutting and sealing head.

After the melting of the band is complete, the heater blade is pulled back by heater cam 149. When the heating rod leaves the band, the platen cam 143 forces the platen onto the weighted end of the band, crimping the molten portion. The Belleville spring 190 between the platen and the platen lever is stronger than the spring 189 and thereby determines the pressing force. However, since spring 190 does not contact the bottom of the platen until the cam raises the platen to its final press, spring 190 receives no heat from spring 189. When the molten plastic hardens,
The left hand grip 120, platen 138, and right hand grip 128 are lowered to their initial positions by the respective cams. When these clamps and the platen begin to descend, the cover plate 116 is moved by the spring 17.
is retracted by cam 119 against zero force to release the sealed band from the seal head. As soon as the band is released, the cover plate is returned to its initial position.

At the end of the tightening portion of the cycle, the face plate 62 is moved back by the cam 73, and once the rotation of the camshaft is complete, the face plate is returned to its initial position, removing the dog 89 from under the tension lever 86 and removing the anchor block. 56 is being retracted so that the next cycle can be performed immediately. At the end of camshaft rotation, trigger 44 engages single rotation clutch 45, thereby disconnecting the camshaft from the drive source.

When the cover plate 116 is closed, the end of the next supplied band passes into the sealing head and collides with the stop surface 121. The supply of the band is stopped once it is pushed back into the chamber 38. This completes one cycle.

Effects of the Invention As explained in the above embodiments, in the band tensioning mechanism provided by the present invention, the first device that tensions the loop of the band with the first tension and the second device that tensions the band loop with the second tension are sequentially operated. Wrapping the band around the article using a driven mechanical control eliminates the need for a separate air cylinder or solenoid-like device, thereby simplifying construction and operation;
The reliability of the device is improved and the device can be manufactured economically.

In known strapping machines, the band feeding of the cycle can be started after the sealing has finished and after the band has been ejected from the machine, or the sealed loop can be moved laterally to accommodate the next band to be fed. It was necessary. As already mentioned, with the present invention, the supply of new bands occurs in a single plane and during the sealing operation, thereby reducing overall cycle time. Also, known strapping machines required a separate drive, such as an air cylinder or solenoid, to open the track. In the present invention, the opening is effected by movement of a clamp and a platen in a cutting and sealing unit, which simplifies construction and operation and improves reliability.
Although known banding machines rely on the lateral stiffness of the bands to align each band with one another in the sealing area, the slides, guides, and heater blades used in these machines move laterally relative to the bands. As a result, there was a tendency for the bands to become out of alignment, thereby causing a misaligned seal. In the present invention, the stripper bar 203 allows the alignment of the two bands to be maintained without relying solely on the lateral stiffness of the bands. In known strapping machines, a clamping device which holds the free end of the band before tightening associates another triggering device or clamping device, such as a cylinder or solenoid, with the movement of the sealing head and then stops the sealing head for tightening. It was constructed with a device that restarted the head to seal after tightening was completed. In the present invention, upon initial clamping, tightening and sealing can be completed in one revolution of the camshaft, thereby providing a simple, reliable, and high speed machine.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention and known machines have been described above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and other advantages of the invention may be made without departing from the principles of the invention as set forth herein. This is something that can be done. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments shown.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a strapping machine using the principles of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred band supply and reservoir. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial side view of the band tensioning mechanism. 4 is a partial plan view of the tensioning mechanism of FIG. 3; FIG.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the band supply unit. FIG. 6 is an end view of the band supply unit of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a partially detailed view of the band supply unit of FIG. 6. 8th
The figure is an enlarged partial front view of the cutting and sealing head. 9th
The figure is an end view of the cutting and sealing head showing the common camshaft that operates each element of the cutting and sealing head. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the cutting and sealing head with elements removed for simplicity. 1st
Figure 1 is an enlarged detailed view of the cutting and sealing head taken along a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the band. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the track taken along line 12--12 in FIG. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the track taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 14th
The figure is a sectional view of the track taken along line 14-14 in FIG.
FIG. 15 is a partial perspective view of the cutting and sealing head. FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram of the cam timing sequence. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a modification of the band supply device. (Reference code), S... Band, 10... Band orbit, 12... Cutting and sealing head, 14... Band supply mechanism, 16... Band supply source, 18...
Band storage device, 20...Band tension unit, 2
2...Cam control drive device.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A first tensioning device for pulling a band loop around an article with a first tension, and a tensioning device for pulling the band loop around the article with a second tension greater than the first tension. a second tensioning device for pulling the first tensioning device more strongly; and a mechanical control device for sequentially operating the first tensioning device and the second tensioning device; and a second tensioning device in common in the above order, the first tensioning device having a plurality of band-engaging fixed rollers and a plurality of band-engaging fixed rollers, and a plurality of band-engaging movable rollers fixed to the plate so as to be able to move relative to each other. A band tensioning mechanism for a machine for wrapping a flexible band around an article, characterized in that the length of the band wound around the article is extended. 2 comprising a first mooring device for mooring the free end of the band, a supply device for supplying the band, and a second mooring device for mooring the band supplied from the supply device; The control device is operative so that, prior to tightening, the band engages the second anchoring device and is pulled only around the article, the second anchoring device being configured such that the tension in the band is higher than the first anchoring device. a release device for releasing the band from the feeding device when a tension of a mooring arm that elastically pivots the mooring member; the releasing device holds the band by the mooring member pressing the band against the anvil until the tension of the band reaches the first tension; After the tension of the band reaches the first tension, the mooring member is pulled back by the band attempting to pass through the anvil, and the mooring member moves in the direction of movement of the band to release the band. A band tensioning mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3 feeding the band around the article via the track;
A sealable flexible band is attached to the article with a device for pulling the band tight around the article and cutting the feed end of the band to seal the free end and feed end of the band together. A machine for wrapping the band around the band includes a clamping device for holding each end of the band, a device for sealing both ends of the band together, and a device for releasing the sealed end to take out the bound article. a cutting and sealing head having a device; and a feeding device for feeding a new band from the underside of the cutting and sealing head to the article surround while the previous band is being sealed. , A machine characterized by: 4. The clamping device includes a cover plate, a first clamping device configured to be engageable with the cover plate and for anchoring the free end of the band, and a first clamping device configured to be engageable with the cover plate and configured to anchor the free end of the band. and a second clamping device for mooring the supply end of the band in a state overlapping the free end, and the feeding device is provided with the first clamping device, the second clamping device, and the platen device. a band guide slot generally parallel to the engagement of the previous band between the cover plate and the platen device and along the trajectory while sealing the previous band; 4. Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that it forms a band path aligned with the track for guiding the band. 5 The cover plate, the clamping device and the platen device form a sealing passage in the track and provide a feeder for engaging the free end of the new band held against the cover plate with the feed end of the new band. means for laterally removing the end clamp and platen arrangement from the sealing passage; and cutting the feed end of the band by the free end clamp to form a new closed loop of the band joined at said seal passage; The machine according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a device for.