JPS63272609A - Packing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently perform sure packing, by performing the timing control of each mechanism part by a servo-motor, and independently setting sealing condition. CONSTITUTION:A servo-motor 13 sends out a cylindrical sheet 7 at a predetermined speed from a sheet roll 6. A longitudinal seal apparatus 12 operates in synchronous relation to the servo-motor 13 to seal the bonding part of the cylindrical sheet 7 in the longitudinal direction thereof and a lateral seal apparatus 14 seals and cuts the cylindrical sheet 7 in the lateral direction thereof. A servo-motor 16 moves the lateral seal apparatus 14 at an equal speed in the lateral direction of the cylindrical sheet 7 and a servo-motor 15 repeatedly drives the seal mechanism and cutting mechanism of the lateral seal apparatus 14 in synchronous relation to the servo-motor 16 in predetermined timing to form a bag 18 from the cylindrical sheet 7. The operation switch 38 of a sequencer part 31 sets the sealing conditions such as the heater temps. or pressing forces of the longitudinal and lateral seal apparatuses. A control part 30 detects the set sealing conditions to start the operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to packaging in which various block-shaped frozen foods and snack foods are sealed and packaged in flexible bags formed from film-like sheets such as polyethylene. Regarding equipment.

(Prior Art) Today, a transaction format in which products are weighed by a set weight, packaged using continuous packaging means, and distributed is becoming popular. A variety of packaging devices have been developed for this purpose, including a combination of a cylinder that supplies the packaged item and a former that forms the packaging material into a cylindrical shape. A vertical pillow packaging machine configured by the above is efficiently preferred for continuously packaging weighed products, and is widely used.

In this vertical pillow packaging machine, a film-like sheet is continuously fed from a sheet roll, and the contents are filled during or immediately after forming a cylindrical sheet into a bag.
Since the bags are sealed using thermocompression bonding or other methods and separated into individual bags, it is possible to automate the bagging process for a wide range of products such as solid bulk items, powders, granules, liquids, and sticky items. Can be done. The performance of this type of packaging machine is determined by the accuracy with which the timing can be adjusted when various mechanisms such as the feeding mechanism for packaging material from sheet rolls, the sealing mechanism, and the cutting mechanism are continuously driven. It depends on whether you can do it well or not.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the drive mechanism of such a conventional packaging device, a sealing device simultaneously seals a predetermined length in the width direction of the top of the bag and the sealed portion that will become the bottom of the next bag. The intermittent drive system uses an intermittent drive system that cuts the center of the cylindrical sheet, and the sealing device itself that seals the cylindrical sheet in the width direction is fixed without moving up and down. There is a rotary drive method that is used to transmit the data. In the former method, since the hot plate directly grabs the sheet and pulls it out from the sheet roll, depending on the material of the sheet, cutting accidents may occur and continuous packaging operations may be interrupted.

On the other hand, although the latter rotational drive method eliminates the disadvantages of the former, the sheet feeding is stopped for the time required to seal the bag in the width direction, which limits the coloring efficiency.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art, to process sheets continuously in a series of packaging processes using multiple servo motors, and to easily package various types of articles. The present invention aims to provide a packaging device that can start packaging work by changing conditions.

(Means for Solving the Problems) According to the present invention, in a packaging device that forms a sheet pulled out from a film-like sheet roll into a cylindrical shape, and seals and packages an article introduced into the cylindrical shape, the above-mentioned A first servo motor that feeds a cylindrical sheet from a sheet roll at a predetermined speed, a vertical sealing device that seals a longitudinal joint while operating in synchronization with the first servo motor, and a vertical sealing device that seals a longitudinal joint portion of the cylindrical sheet. A lateral sealing device that seals and cuts the cylindrical sheet, and a second lateral sealing device that drives the lateral sealing device at a constant speed in the feeding direction of the cylindrical sheet.
a third servo motor that repeatedly drives the sealing mechanism and cutting mechanism of the horizontal sealing device at a predetermined timing in synchronization with the second servo motor to form a bag from the cylindrical sheet; , comprising a setting means for setting sealing conditions in the vertical/horizontal sealing device, and a detection means for detecting the set conditions, and configured to start operation after detecting the set sealing conditions. It is possible to provide a packaging device characterized by the following features.

(Function) In the present invention, the longitudinal joint portion of the cylindrical sheet is sealed, and the lateral sealing device is moved at the same speed as the cylindrical sheet to seal and cut the lateral direction, and then the lateral sealing device After checking the sealing conditions in the sealing device, such as temperature and pressure in the case of heat sealing, a series of steps for returning the bag to its initial position according to the vertical width of the bag is started automatically.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a packaging device that continuously processes products by packaging them into flexible bags made of polyethylene. FIG. 3 is a diagram for further schematically explaining the sheet processing process.

The packaging device 1 is connected to a polymerization hopper of a combination weighing device (not shown) via a cone-shaped chute 3 provided at the top of a frame 2, and includes a power source, a control device 4, and a computer 5. At the rear, a polyethylene film sheet roll 6 of a predetermined size is provided in a replaceable manner, and the sheet 7 pulled out from the roll is discharged from above through a chute 3 in a predetermined combination and weighed in a predetermined cycle. In order to accommodate a heavy article 8, it is formed into a cylindrical sheet 10 by a former 9.

A feeding device 11 for the cylindrical sheet 10 is arranged a predetermined distance below the vertical sealing device 12, and is connected to the cylindrical sheet 10 at a predetermined pressure from a first servo motor 13 via a shaft, a transmission belt, a link mechanism, etc. The vertical sealing device 12 is moved at a speed synchronized with the contact and sent downward at a predetermined speed, and the sealing mechanism having a thermal welding action is used to seal the cylindrical sheet! 0 longitudinal joints are sealed. This vertical sealing operation is repeated by the box motion of the vertical sealing device 12 corresponding to the sealable length of the sealing mechanism, so that the bags sealed in the length direction of the cylindrical sheet 10 are continuous. It is formed by

The horizontal sealing device 14 includes a sealing mechanism that sandwiches the vertically sealed cylindrical sheet 10 from the front and back and thermally welds it by a predetermined length in the width direction using heat from a heater inserted therein, and a central portion in the width direction. It has a cutter for cutting the cylindrical sheet 10 from the sheet. Further, this horizontal sealing device 14 is driven by a third servo motor 1 that drives the sealing mechanism and cutter.
5, which together form a second servo motor 16.
It is driven at a constant speed in the vertical direction, that is, in the feeding direction of the cylindrical sheet 10, by an elevator bar 17 that moves up and down by converting the rotational force of the sheet.

As will be described in detail later, the horizontal sealing mechanism 14 is returned at a predetermined timing to a position corresponding to the vertical width of a bag 18 of a predetermined size in which the article 8 is sealed. This movement is a so-called box motion.

Based on FIG. 2, the three servo motors 13,
The process control from the sheet roll 6 to the packaging of the article according to 15.16 will be explained.

The first servo motor 13 is an AC servo motor that feeds the sheet 7 from the sheet roll 6 at a constant speed.

The sheet 7 is accurately positioned and supplied from the pinch roller 19 to the former 9 by a sheet tracking motor 20 that controls and tracks the sheet roll 6 in the axial direction. And the cylindrical sheet 10
A vertical sealing device 12 equipped with a heater for vertical sealing seals the sheet formed into a cylinder at the joints on both sides, and lowers the sheet at a speed synchronized with the servo motor 13 to form a cylinder in a predetermined cycle. It is being processed.

Further, the second servo motor 16 is an AC servo motor for lowering the horizontal sealing device 14 in synchronization with the sheet feeding speed, and the horizontal sealing device 14 seals and cuts the cylindrical sheet 10 in the horizontal direction. It is lowered at the same speed as the sheet feeding speed for a period of time, and raised along the rack 17 for lifting/lowering control with a predetermined lifting stroke, and returned to a position corresponding to the upper end of the bag 18 in the next cycle. There is. The horizontal sealing heater and knife unit provided in the horizontal sealing device 14 are operated by the third servo motor 15.
Articles inputted from the weighing device 21 and bags 1 to be described in detail later
It is driven to open and close at a predetermined timing with an opening and closing stroke according to the set width of No. 8. In addition, the rising speed v1 of the horizontal sealing device 14 is thicker than the descending speed V2 (((
Vl>■2), forming a quick return cycle.

22 is a dancer bar, which adjusts the tension of the sheet 7. Further, a sensor 23 for detecting an eye mark and a printer 24 are arranged close to the sheet. The eye mark is
It forms a reference signal for the position at which the bag 18 is closed and cut by the horizontal sealing device 14, and also by the printer 2.
4, the manufacturing date and the like are imprinted at a predetermined position on the sheet 7. Furthermore, a vibrator is required when the article 8 that is inserted while sealing the joint in the longitudinal direction by the vertical sealing device 12 is sticky, for example.
Also provided are an accelerator 25 for accelerating the falling speed of the article 8 from the weighing device 21, an air pressure generator 26 connected to the vertical and horizontal sealing devices 12, 14, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a controller that controls the packaging device 1 including the packaging process configured as described above.
A controller unit 30 that controls the timing of sheet feeding, including three servo motors 13.15° 16, and a bag 18.
It is comprised of a sequencer section 31 that performs sequence control of heaters that perform vertical and horizontal sealing.

The controller unit 30 has a control panel 34, and is configured to be connectable to a program loader 32, a teach pendant 33, etc. via the control panel 34. In other words, setting data is input to the controller 35 composed of a CPU board, and while controlling the weighing operation in the weighing device 21, the position and speed of the servo motors 13, 15, and 16 are transmitted via AC servo drivers 361, 362, and 363, respectively. It also receives and receives information 37 from limit switches such as the horizontal seal device 14 and the dancer bar 22.
Accelerator 25, printer 24, and horizontal sealing device 1
It is connected to the knife drive unit 141 of No. 4 and controls their drive timing.

The sequencer section 31 controls the temperature of a heater H1 for vertical seals, heaters H2 and H3 for horizontal seals, on/off control of a motor 20 for sheet tracking, and an air pressure generator 2.
Pressure control for pressing from 6, on/off control of the accelerator 25, etc. are performed. As a man-machine interface for this purpose, an operation switch 38 and a sequencer 39 mainly perform manual operation of the tracking motor 20 by changing the temperature settings of the heaters H1, H2, 83.
A graphic programmer 40, a mini programmer 41, etc., which display and change the control sequence in the controller and monitor the operating status thereof, are configured to be connectable to the sequencer section 31.

Since the controller section 30 and the sequencer section 31 are connected to each other, a heater H1 for vertical sealing and a heater H1 for horizontal sealing)12. The temperature of H3, the pressure for pressing, the on/off status of the motor 20 for sheet tracking, etc. are all stored in the controller 35 in the controller section 30, and for example, at the time of starting, all these set values are checked before starting. be done.

Next, the packaging process in the packaging apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be explained with reference to the flow of the apparatus operating procedure shown in FIG. 4 and the basic flow of mode setting operation shown in FIG.

First, in step a, turn on the power to the sequencer section 31,
Next, in step b, the controller unit 30 is powered on. In step C, the controller panel 34 servo
Press the on button to turn on the power to the servo motors 13, 15, and 16. If the controller section 30 does not know the stop position of each servo motor 13, 15, 16 at the time when the power is turned on, a return-to-origin operation is normally performed at this point. This return to origin in step d is performed by M3.
This is done in the order of Ml and Ml.

The servo motor 15, that is, M3, has an origin set based on the origin position detected by a limit switch etc. when the horizontal seal device 14, which opens and closes with a cylindrical sheet in between, is operated in the closing direction. The position is called the ready position of the transverse sealing device.

The origin of the servo motor 16, that is, Ml, is set based on the motor phase when the horizontal sealing device 14, which has risen in opposition to the eight movements of the cylindrical sheet, reaches the origin position detected by a limit switch or the like.

The servo motor 13, that is, Ml, rotates the vertical sealing device 12 in the normal direction with the 9 movement direction of the cylindrical sheet as the normal rotation direction.
The origin is set based on the motor phase when the motor reaches the origin position detected by a limit switch or the like. The controller 35 stores the operating conditions, and if necessary in step e, moves to manual operation step f to change the set values of the operating conditions.

This manual operation is executed by selecting a manual mode, which will be explained later.The conditions that can be changed and set at this time are the production speed indicated by the number of bags produced per minute, the bag production rate, and The vertical width dimension, the horizontal width dimension, the distance from the eye mark to the cutting position of the sheet, the drive of the horizontal sealing device, that is, the measurement prior to the timing of sealing the cylindrical sheet for a predetermined length in the width direction. These include the time it takes to output a dump request signal requesting the input of the article to the device 21, and the distance from the eye mark to the position where the printer 24 prints. Note that if the eye mark is not used, it is also possible to perform seek processing using a preset bag length. Further, in the sequencer section 31, the temperature control target values for the old heater, H2 and H3, and the control target value for the air pressure for pressing are set. When changing the operating conditions, it is possible to switch to manual mode and manually move each part of the packaging device 1 as necessary to check the operation.

In step g, the semi-automatic mode is selected and a trial run is performed. This test run is a step of making an empty bag and checking the quality of the bag before actually bagging the weighed items, and this is performed as necessary.

In step h, the automatic mode is selected, and the actually weighed articles are placed in a bag and packaging work is performed. The settings in the controller section 30 and sequencer section 31 can be changed during operation, but when operating under the changed conditions, the cycle is temporarily stopped. When the scheduled number of packaging is completed or when the operation is stopped due to other reasons, the servo drivers 361 to 36 are first
3, and then the controller section 30 and the sequencer section 31 (steps i to k).

When executing the main functions of the controller section 30, an appropriate mode must be selected.
Here, basic operations will be explained according to the mode flow shown in FIG.

When the power is turned on, the controller unit 30 enters manual mode, and manual operation becomes possible. At this time, since the controller unit 30 does not know the position of each servo motor, it is necessary to select the origin return mode and search for the origin position for each axis. After the return to the origin is completed, the manual mode is selected to perform fine adjustment of the mechanical part of the packaging apparatus, for example, the sheet position. Edit mode is a mode for setting and changing operating conditions during automatic operation, and as mentioned above, similar mode selections are also possible from automatic mode. The automatic mode includes an automatic mode and a semi-automatic mode, and when an abnormality occurs during driving, the manual mode is selected and the cause is removed by manual operation.

In the manual mode, the teaching pendant 33 is mainly used to manually control the servo motor 13.15.1.
6, output signals such as dump request and heater control, select the home return mode, and perform home return. Next, when the edit mode is selected, the program loader 32 sets the number of bags produced per minute, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the bag, and the vertical and horizontal sealing devices 12.14
Set the seal pressure. When the auto mode is selected, film tracking, seal bar position, return to origin, etc. are checked, and whether the heater temperature is normal or abnormal is determined based on the heater temperature input signal from the sequencer 39, and the seal pressure is also determined. After that, the controller 35 allows starting.

Further, when the temperature, pressure, etc. have not reached the set values, the controller 35 calculates the time until they reach the set values, and the wait time is displayed on the display section of the control panel 34 to clearly indicate the waiting time.

FIGS. 6(b) to 6(d) show each servo motor Ml, M2. It shows the operation pattern of M3,
The timing relationship between the controller and external input/output signals will be described next.

In the same figure (a), when the sensor 23 detects the eye mark on the sheet, a detection signal is sent and the timing TX1, T defined by the sheet feeding speed by the servo motor M1 is reached.
The horizontal sealing device 14 and printer 24 operate according to X2. X-work and X2 are calculated as the length of the seat based on the values set as operating conditions and the acceleration/deceleration parameters of each motor.

The lateral sealing device 14 starts descending from its origin position after Tx1 has elapsed after the eye mark is detected, continues descending for a predetermined period of time at the same speed as the sheet feeding speed, completes the lateral sealing process, and then stops. It has a cycle of rising and returning to the original position. In this cycle, the horizontal sealing device 1
The servo motor M3 is controlled so that the sealing mechanism and the knife close after a predetermined period of time after the sheet feeding speed of the transverse sealing device 14 is reached. The sealing mechanism and the knife are opened to a position where the lateral sealing device 14 is opened.
begins to rise relative to the cylindrical sheet.

Figure (f) shows the dump request output for the weighed articles, which is controlled so that the articles fall to the bag at the timing when the horizontal sealing device 14 closes in the next cycle, and the dump preparation completion input for that cycle. It is output after confirmation. If there is no dump ready input, the system exits automatic mode and stops.

FIG. 4(h) shows the timing of opening control of the vertical sealing device 12. If the vertical seal device 12 is in the closed state when the machine is stopped, the sheet will seize, so it is returned to its home position at the timing of opening. Servo motor M
By means of a box motion that is performed mechanically in conjunction with L, the joints in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical sheet are successively sealed to form a bag.

FIG. 6(j) shows the printer command output for printing the date and the like on the bag. This is output if the printer ready input is on when the sheet is fed by X2 by the servo motor M1 after the eye mark is detected. Note that if a printer command cannot be output twice in a row during automatic operation, the cycle is stopped.

In this manner, in the packaging apparatus of the present invention, the three servo motors Ml, M2, and M3 are controlled at appropriate timings to continuously form bags in accordance with the feeding speed of the sheet formed into a cylindrical shape. The sealing mechanism, which performs vertical and horizontal sealing using these servo motors, can be controlled in accordance with the precisely set bag size without interrupting the packaging process. In addition, the sealing time can be determined independently of the bag size setting and the type of goods being packaged, and by setting the timing appropriately according to the material of the sheet, reliable packaging is possible. Become.

Although this invention has been described in some detail with respect to its most preferred embodiment, the description of the preferred embodiment does not include modifications in the detailed parts of the structure unless they are contrary to the spirit of the invention as described in the claims. It is clear that various modifications or combinations of these can be made.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, precise automatic operation is possible without stopping the sheet by controlling the timing of each mechanical part with a servo motor, and for this purpose, it is possible to achieve highly efficient packaging. To provide a versatile packaging device that does not damage bags or their contents during continuous coloring.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the sheet processing process controlled by a servo motor, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing each part of the packaging device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the controller that controls the mechanism; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operating procedure in the same embodiment; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing basic mode setting operations; FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the continuous operation. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the timing of one cycle of time. 1... Packaging device, 7... Sheet, 8... Article, 1
1... Feeding device, 12... Vertical sealing device, 13...
・First servo motor, 14... Lateral seal device, 15
...Third servo motor, 16...Second servo motor, 32...Program loader, 33...Teaching pendant, 34...Control panel.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a packaging device that forms a sheet pulled out from a film-like sheet roll into a cylindrical shape, and seals and packages an article placed therein, the cylindrical sheet is fed out from the sheet roll at a predetermined speed. 1 servo motor, a vertical sealing device that seals a longitudinally jointed portion while operating in synchronization with the first servomotor, and a lateral sealing device that seals and cuts a cylindrical sheet in the lateral direction; A second servo motor moves the horizontal sealing device at a constant speed in the feeding direction of the cylindrical sheet, and the sealing mechanism and cutting mechanism of the horizontal sealing device are repeatedly operated at a predetermined timing in synchronization with the second servomotor. A third servo motor is driven to form a bag from the cylindrical sheet, a setting means for setting sealing conditions in the vertical and horizontal sealing devices, and a detection means for detecting the set conditions. and starts operation after detecting set sealing conditions. (2) The packaging apparatus according to claim (1), wherein the setting means calculates and displays a waiting time after an instruction to start operation.