WO2014199821A1

WO2014199821A1 - Packing method and packaging device for implementing packing method

Info

Publication number: WO2014199821A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/064028
Authority: WO
Inventors: 近藤　真史; 市川　誠; 悟史西辻
Original assignee: 株式会社イシダ
Priority date: 2013-06-12
Filing date: 2014-05-27
Publication date: 2014-12-18
Also published as: EP3009360A4; AU2014279317B2; AU2014279317A1; US20160107774A1; CN105189295B; CN105189295A; EP3009360B1; EP3009360A1

Abstract

Provided are a novel packing method whereby it is possible to prevent bridging in a chute for feeding articles into a tube-shaped bag, and a packaging device for implementing the method. In the packing method, articles (M) dropped from above are gathered in a funnel-shaped chute (103), after which the articles (M) are dropped while the chute is accelerated in a state in which an outlet of the chute is opened, the chute is then abruptly reversed and lifted, and the articles collected in the chute are released into a tube-shaped bag (TB) while being accelerated. A packaging device (B) is provided with a cylinder (7) for filling a tube-shaped bag with articles dropped therein, and is configured so as to raise and lower the chute within the cylinder.

Description

Filling method and packaging device for performing the filling method

The present invention implements a filling method for filling snack tubes such as potato chips with low bulk density (hereinafter referred to as articles) with a funnel-shaped chute and then filling them into a tube-like bag. The present invention relates to a packaging device.

After filling the bag into the tube formed by the former from above, the upper seal part (top part) of the bag and the subsequent lower seal part (ground part) of the subsequent bag are laterally sealed at the same time. A bag making and packaging apparatus that forms a hermetic bag by separating the boundary between the upper and lower sides is widely used in various food fields.

Among them, when it becomes an article with a low bulk density such as potato chips mixed with a large size to a small size, a bridge may be generated and clogged in a funnel-shaped chute for collecting them. Therefore, this type of packaging device includes Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-103753), Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-140243), Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-040488), Patent Various clogging prevention devices as disclosed in Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-081222) are mounted.

However, in these clogging prevention devices, the poker and the rotating plate appear in the funnel-shaped chute and hit the article, so that there is a problem that the article is finely broken and the commercial value is lowered. Moreover, since the broken pieces fall late in the bag, there is a problem that they are bitten by the seal portion of the bag and the seal is defective.

This invention makes it a subject to provide the new filling method which can be operated at high speed, without causing such a problem, and the packaging apparatus which enforces the method.

A filling method according to the present invention is a filling method in which an article falling from above is placed in a funnel-shaped chute and then filled into a tube-shaped bag, the steps of collecting the articles in a chute, A step of lowering the chute while accelerating the outlet with the outlet open, and a step of reversing and raising the descent chute, and discharging the articles collected in the chute into a tube-like bag while accelerating. It is characterized by.

The process of collecting the articles in the chute is to receive the articles falling with a time difference from above with a funnel-shaped chute and store them in a compact manner.

Preferably, the chute includes an upper funnel portion and a lower cylindrical portion that follows the upper funnel portion, and the upper funnel portion serves to guide articles falling from four directions into the lower cylindrical portion. Further, the lower cylindrical portion serves to store the articles falling from the funnel portion in a compact manner. When the article is sliced, the lower end discharge port of the cylindrical portion is cut obliquely and the cut surface is opened and closed with a gate in order to store them in an upright position. Alternatively, the lower end discharge port is cut into a V shape, and the cut surface is opened and closed by a pair of gates that are close to and away from each other. Thereby, an inclined surface is formed at the lower end discharge port closed by the gate, and sliced articles are packed along the inclined surface.

When the article is in the chute, the gate is opened and at the same time the chute is accelerated and lowered. When the shoot reaches the bottom dead center, it immediately reverses and rises. Then, the article in the chute is accelerated downward by the descent movement of the chute, and the descent article passes through the chute due to its own inertia and falls due to the sudden reverse rise of the chute. As a result, articles compactly collected in the chute become a group of articles and are expelled into the tube-like bag vigorously. Therefore, clogging in the chute is prevented, and the articles in the chute are discharged as a group, so that the packing density in the bag can be increased and the biting of the article into the seal portion can be suppressed. it can.

When the chute is provided with an upper funnel portion and a lower cylindrical portion that follows the chute, even if a relatively large article is mixed, the chute slides down the funnel portion and is guided into the cylindrical portion. It is deflected so that the longitudinal direction is directed in the vertical direction. Therefore, in the unlikely event that the funnel is clogged, the large-sized article and the surrounding articles will fall within the chute due to the downward inertia given by the descending chute and the sudden inversion and rise of the chute that follows. It slips through and falls. Even if it still remains in the chute, when the reversing chute reaches top dead center and suddenly stops, the remaining article floats upward and falls while being unraveled, so the remaining article is delayed Go through the shoot and fall. Therefore, even if the next article falls into the chute, the clogging of the chute is eliminated, so that the situation where the packaging device is stopped does not occur.

A packaging device for carrying out this filling method is a sheet-like packaging material which is folded into a cylinder by a former and then wound around a cylinder in the vertical direction to form a tube, and its lower end is a pair of horizontal seals. This is a packaging device that forms a tube-shaped bag by lateral sealing with means. The packaging device fills an article from a cylinder into a bag formed in a tube shape by a former, and simultaneously seals the upper seal part of the bag filled with the article and the subsequent lower seal part of the succeeding bag by the lateral sealing means. After the horizontal sealing, the border is separated to form a sealed bag filled with articles. The packaging device includes a funnel-shaped chute, a gate, an elevating mechanism, and a control unit. The chute collects articles falling from above, above the cylinder. The gate is located at the upper end of the cylinder and opens and closes the lower end discharge port of the chute. The lifting mechanism moves the chute up and down. The control unit controls opening / closing of the gate and raising / lowering of the raising / lowering mechanism. The packaging device is characterized in that the control unit causes the chute to be reversed and raised immediately after the chute containing the article is inserted into the cylinder while accelerating downward with the gate opened.

According to the present invention, since the articles falling apart from above are collected into the chute and then released into the tube-like bag, clogging of the articles in the chute can be eliminated. Further, since the articles in the chute are discharged as a group of articles, they can be packed in a bag in a compact manner without destroying the articles. Therefore, biting of the article into the sealed portion of the bag is also prevented. In addition, since the articles falling apart from above are released as a group of articles while accelerating in a state gathered in the chute, the preceding and following articles can be used even if the interval between the preceding article group and the succeeding article group is reduced. Groups can be distinguished and packaged. Accordingly, the packaging device can be operated at high speed, and at the same time, clogging does not occur, so that continuous operation is also possible.

The schematic block diagram of the principal part of the filling apparatus which the packaging apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention has. The schematic block diagram of the principal part of the packaging apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a schematic front view explaining the collection process of the articles | goods of the packaging apparatus of FIG. (B) is the schematic side view. (A) is a schematic front view explaining the discharge | release process of the articles | goods of the packaging apparatus of FIG. (B) is the schematic side view. The front side external appearance perspective view of one Embodiment of the filling apparatus which the packaging apparatus which concerns on this invention has. It is a back side external appearance perspective view of one Embodiment of the filling apparatus which the packaging apparatus which concerns on this invention has, Comprising: The perspective view of the state which has especially located the chute | shoot at the top dead center. It is a back side external appearance perspective view of one Embodiment of the filling apparatus which the packaging apparatus which concerns on this invention has, Comprising: Especially the perspective view of the state which has located the chute | shoot at the bottom dead center. 1 is an external perspective view of a measuring and packaging integrated device including a packaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external perspective view of a former and a cylinder as one embodiment. FIG. The external appearance perspective view which mounted the filling device as one embodiment in the cylinder. The fragmentary sectional view of the cylinder as one embodiment. The block diagram of the structure of the gas supply means as one Embodiment mounted in the cylinder. The block diagram of the configuration of the weighing packaging integrated apparatus as one embodiment. 14 is an operation timing chart of the weighing packaging integrated device of FIG. 13.

<Overview>
An outline of the filling method and the packaging apparatus B according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a filling device 100 provided in a packaging device B according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of the packaging device B on which the filling device 100 is mounted. In these drawings, a sheet-like packaging material F is bent into a cylindrical shape by a former 3 and then wound around a cylinder 7 to form a tube shape. The top portion (upper seal portion) of the tubular bag TB and the ground portion (lower seal portion) of the succeeding bag are formed by being horizontally sealed by the sealing means 6. The cylinder 7 penetrates the center part of the former 3 up and down and is inserted into the upper end portion in the tubular bag TB. The article M falling through the metal detector MD disposed above the chute 103 is discharged into the cylinder 7 through the funnel-shaped chute 103.

The tube-shaped bag TB wound around the cylinder 7 is continuously or intermittently lowered by the pair of pull-down

belts

4 and 4 disposed on both sides thereof. Further, the seam T1 at both side edges of the packaging material F wound around the cylinder 7 and formed into a tube shape is longitudinally sealed by the longitudinal sealing means 5.

The funnel-shaped chute 103 is formed by an upper funnel portion 131 and a lower cylindrical portion 132, and the lower end of the funnel portion 131 and the upper end of the cylindrical portion 132 are connected to each other through an elliptical opening cut obliquely. Connected up and down. Further, the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 132 is formed smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder 7, and descends while accelerating the inside of the cylinder 7 by a predetermined stroke by an elevating mechanism 300 which will be described later. Return to the initial position. Moreover, the lower end discharge port of the cylindrical part 132 is cut into V shape, and the gate 104 opens and closes the cut surface from both sides.

The gate 104 includes open /

close gates

141 and 141 for opening and closing the upper end of the cylinder 7 and

inclined gates

142a and 142a extending obliquely rearward from the abutting portions of the open /

close gates

141 and 141, respectively. Each of the

inclined gates

142a and 142a is configured to open and close the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 132 cut into a V shape from both sides. The

gates

141 and 142a are configured to approach and separate in the direction of the arrow by an opening / closing mechanism 144 described later, and the opening and closing movement of the gate 7 simultaneously opens and closes the lower end discharge port of the cylindrical portion 132. It has come to be.

The open /

close gates

141 and 141 for opening and closing the upper end opening of the cylinder 7 are necessary when the cylinder 7 is filled with an inert gas, and can be omitted when the gas is not filled. . Further, the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion 132 can be cut obliquely without cutting it into a V shape, so that the inclined gate 142a can be a single inclined gate.

3 and 4 show the outline of the operation of the packaging device B. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 (a) show a front view, and FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 (b) show a side view. Show. In these drawings, the falling article M is deflected in the vertical orientation and is packed in the cylindrical portion 132 when sliding down the chute 103. This is facilitated by the fact that the connecting portion between the funnel portion 131 and the cylindrical portion 132 is an elliptical shape, and the lower end discharge port of the cylindrical portion 132 is obliquely blocked by the gate 104. If the connecting portion between the funnel portion 131 and the cylindrical portion 132 has an inclined elliptical shape, the article M that slides down is deflected in a direction with less contact resistance and slides down in a vertical posture. When the gate 104 is closed, the front view is V-shaped, and the V-shaped groove is filled with articles M that fall vertically.

Then, when the last article M that is falling falls within the chute 103, the gate 104 opens, and at the same time, the chute 103 containing the article M descends while accelerating (see FIG. 4). When the chute 103 reaches the bottom dead center, the chute 103 immediately reverses and rises and returns to the initial position while accelerating. In the meantime, the article M in the chute 103 is accelerated downward by the descending movement of the chute 103, and the article M that is descending slips through the chute 103 due to their inertia by the subsequent reverse rise of the chute 103. Therefore, even if articles M having such a size as to be jammed in the chute 103 are mixed, they are released together with the other articles M from the chute 103. Even if the article M remains in the funnel portion 131, the chute 103 stops suddenly at the top dead center, so that the remaining article M floats upward and falls while being unraveled in the air. Therefore, the stubborn clogging is also eliminated, and the article M passes through the chute 103. Therefore, normally, even if an article M having such a size as to cause a bridge is dropped, the chute 103 can be released into the bag without causing clogging due to the vertical movement of the chute 103.

<Details>
Details of the filling method and the packaging apparatus B that performs the filling method will be described.

FIG. 8 shows an external perspective view of a weighing and packaging integrated apparatus 200 including a packaging apparatus B as an embodiment of the packaging apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, the weighing and packaging integrated apparatus 200 has a configuration in which a packaging device B is arranged at the lower stage and a weighing machine W is arranged at the upper stage, and the packaging apparatus B and the weighing machine W are integrated on the front side. A touch panel 2 that can be operated is provided.

The weighing machine W is a combination weighing machine having a well-known configuration. The article M is a snack confectionery such as potato chips, which is supplied to the upper center of the weighing machine W. The article M supplied to the upper center is distributed to a plurality of radiation paths, and then supplied to a corresponding weighing hopper WH at a lower stage via a plurality of pool hoppers PH arranged at the end of each path. The weights of the articles M weighed by the respective weighing hoppers WH are combined to select the optimum combination of weighing hoppers WH that form the constant weight of the article M. The selected weighing hopper WH discharges the article M to the collecting chute C based on the discharge request signal from the packaging device B. The discharged article M passes through the metal detector MD (see FIG. 2) while being elongated in a tandem state while the collective chute C slides down, and is supplied to the packaging device B via the chute 103 of the filling device 100. . The packaging device B stores the article M in the tube-like bag b, and then laterally seals the top portion of the bag b and the ground portion of the subsequent bag to perform bagging (see FIG. 2).

[Overall configuration of packaging equipment]
The packaging apparatus B that performs such operations includes a packaging unit BU that manufactures a bag-packed product from a tube-shaped bag, a packaging material supply unit FU that supplies the packaging material F to the packaging unit BU, and driving of the units BU and FU. And a control unit 10 (see FIG. 13) for controlling the movement of the unit. The packaging material supply unit FU supplies the sheet-shaped packaging material F to the former 3 of the packaging unit BU, and is provided adjacent to the rear portion of the packaging unit BU.

The packaging unit BU will be described based on the schematic diagram of the packaging device B in FIG. 2. The packaging unit BU includes a former 3, a pull-down belt 4, vertical seal means 5, and horizontal seal means 6. The former 3 forms the sheet-like packaging material F into a tube shape. The pull-down belt 4 conveys the packaging material F formed in a tube shape downward. The vertical sealing means 5 vertically seals the joint T1 that is the overlapping portion of both ears of the tubular packaging material TB on the front side. The lateral sealing means 6 laterally seals the bag b formed at the lower end of the tubular packaging material TB, and heat seals the top portion of the bag b and the ground portion of the subsequent bag at the same time. Further, the packaging unit BU has a cylinder 7 for guiding the article M into the bag b while winding the tube-shaped packaging material F around the outer periphery. In the following description, the packaging material F formed into a tube shape and the bag b formed at the lower end thereof may be collectively referred to as a tube-shaped bag TB.

The packaging unit BU further includes a filling device 100 (see FIG. 2). The filling device 100 stores the article M falling through the metal detector MD from the upper weighing machine W in the funnel-shaped chute 103 and discharging it into the tube-shaped bag TB through the cylinder 7. . The packaging unit BU further includes gas supply means 9 (see FIG. 13). The gas supply means 9 fills the cylinder 7 with an inert gas.

(1) Packaging unit Hereinafter, the filling device 100, the former 3, the cylinder 7, the pull-down belt 4, the vertical sealing means 5, the horizontal sealing means 6, and the gas supply means 9 of the packaging unit BU will be described. This will be described in detail.

(1-1) Filling Device The filling device 100 included in the packaging device B will be described. The filling device 100 stores the article M falling from above in a funnel-shaped chute 103 and discharges it into a tube-shaped bag TB.

[Overall structure of filling equipment]
FIG. 5 shows a front side external perspective view of a filling device 100 as an embodiment of a filling device included in the packaging device B according to the present invention, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are rear side external perspective views of the filling device 100. Show. In these drawings, the filling device 100 includes a chute 103, a gate 104 that opens and closes a lower end discharge port of the chute 103, and an elevating mechanism 300 that raises and lowers the chute 103. 5 and 6 show a state where the chute 103 is positioned at the top dead center. 5 shows a state in which the gate 104 is closed, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which the gate 104 is opened. FIG. 7 shows a state where the gate 104 is opened and the chute 103 is lowered to the bottom dead center.

[Chute structure]
The chute 103 includes an upper funnel portion 131 and a lower cylindrical portion 132. The lower end discharge port of the lower cylindrical portion 132 is cut into a V shape, and the gate 104 is configured to open and close from both sides thereof. In addition, a bracket 133 is attached to the outer rear surface of the cylindrical portion 132, and the bracket 133 is attached to the lifting arm 301 of the lifting mechanism 300 so that the entire chute 103 is lifted and lowered in the vertical direction.

Here, the chute 103 is made of resin. The material of the chute 103 is not limited to resin, and may be made of metal. However, the following effects can be obtained by using the chute 103 made of resin.

2) Above the filling device 100, in other words, above the chute 103, a metal detector MD for detecting the mixing of metal into the article M is arranged as shown in FIG. The metal detector MD is desirably provided with a metal free zone of about 50 to 100 mm above and below the metal detector MD in order to prevent erroneous detection.

When the chute 103 is made of metal, it is necessary to increase the distance between the metal detector MD and the chute 103 in order to provide a metal-free zone, which tends to cause performance degradation such as an increase in the falling distance of the article M.

On the other hand, if the material of the chute 103 is resin, there is no need to increase the distance between the metal detector MD and the chute 103, the falling distance of the article M can be reduced, and erroneous detection of the metal detector MD can be achieved. Easy to prevent. In particular, if the chute 103 is formed of a transparent resin, the falling behavior of the article M can be visualized, so that the fall timing of the article M can be easily adjusted. Further, if the chute 103 is formed of a transparent resin, even if a bridge of the article M (a state where the article M is caught in the chute 103) occurs in the chute 103, this can be easily detected.

[Gate structure]
The gate 104 includes open /

close gates

141 and 141 that open and close an upper end opening 706 (see FIG. 9) of the cylinder 7, and

inclined gates

142 a and 142 a that extend obliquely rearward from the butted portions of the open /

close gates

141 and 141. The

inclined gates

142a and 142a are triangular prism-shaped resin members fixed to the open / close gates 141 and 141 (see FIG. 5). The

inclined gates

142a and 142a are not limited to triangular prism-shaped resin members. For example, the

inclined gates

142a and 142a may be metal flat plates extending obliquely rearward from the abutting portions of the open /

close gates

141 and 141, respectively. The

inclined gates

142a and 142a open and close the lower end discharge port of the cylindrical portion 132 cut into a V shape from both sides. The open /

close gates

141 and 141 are guided by grooves of a pair of

guide rails

143 and 143 extending in the horizontal direction, and are configured to approach and separate from each other together with the

inclined gates

142a and 142a by the open /

close mechanisms

144 and 144. . Thereby, the lower end discharge port of the cylindrical part 132 and the upper end opening part 706 of the cylinder 7 are opened and closed simultaneously.

In each rear part of the open / close gates 141 and 141 (near the end opposite to the side on which the other open / close gate 141 is arranged), elongated

holes

145 and 145 are formed in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction.

Sliders

146 and 146 which slide along the

long holes

145 and 145 are inserted into the holes 145 and 145 (see FIG. 5). The opening /

closing mechanisms

144 and 144 rotate the

sliders

146 and 146 in the range of 180 degrees by rotating the

rotary arms

147 and 147 to which the

sliders

146 and 146 are attached at the distal ends and the rotating

arms

147 and 147 by 180 degrees.

Servo motors

148a and 148a that are rotated at the same time. In this case, a servo motor is used to drive the opening /

closing mechanisms

144 and 144, but a vane type actuator that rotates at high speed by air pressure may be used. When the

rotary arms

147 and 147 reciprocate 180 degrees by the

servo motors

148a and 148a, the pair of open /

close gates

141 and 141 are moved toward and away from each other in the opposite direction together with the

inclined gates

142a and 142a. The discharge port and the upper end opening 706 of the cylinder 7 are opened and closed.

The pair of

guide rails

143 and 143 extending in the horizontal direction are fixed to the base frame 101, and support legs 102 to 102 are fixed to the four corners of the base frame 101. In addition, coil springs 21 to 21 and donut-shaped pressing plates 22 to 22 are put on support shafts between the support legs 102 to 102 and the base frame 101. Further, half screw bolts that are similarly covered with the coil spring 21 and the donut-shaped holding plate 22 are fixed upward at two locations on the front side of the base frame 101.

Plates

23 and 23 are detachably inserted between the donut-shaped holding plates 22 to 22 and the support legs 102 and between the donut-shaped

holding plates

22 and 22 and the heads of the half screw bolts. . Therefore, the

plates

23 and 23 are provided with notches that fit into the support shaft of the support leg 102 and the shaft of the half screw bolt.

Further,

servomotors

148a and 148a are attached to the

plates

23 and 23, respectively. If the plate 23 is tilted with respect to the base frame 101 while compressing the coil springs 21 to 21, the servo motor 148a can be tilted and the slider 146 can be pulled out of the elongated hole 145. 141 can be pulled out from the guide rail 143. As a result, the gate 104 can be disassembled and cleaned. Further, the filling device 100 is connected to the cylinder 7 via a connector (not shown), and the whole filling device 100 can be separated from the cylinder 7 by releasing the connection and lifting the base frame 101. Yes.

Note that the four support legs 102 to 102 attached to the base frame 101 have the

servo motors

148a and 148a floating from the floor and the chute 103 even if the filling device 100 removed from the cylinder 7 is directly placed on the floor. It is set to a length that does not contact the floor even at the lowest position.

[Elevating mechanism]
The lifting mechanism 300 is a mechanism that moves the lifting arm 301 (see FIG. 5) up and down by a servo motor (not shown). The upper part of the lifting mechanism 300 is supported by a main body frame (not shown) of the packaging device B.

The elevating arm 301 is connected to the chute 103 via the bracket 133. The lifting mechanism 300 drives the servo motor to raise the lifting arm 301 and raise the chute 103 to the top dead center. Further, the lifting mechanism 300 drives the servo motor to lower the lifting arm 301 and lower the chute 103 to the bottom dead center. For example, the chute 103 is driven by the elevating mechanism 300 so that the tip of the chute 103 (tip of the cylindrical portion 132) reaches below the inclined portion 701 inside the cylinder 7, which will be described later, where the inner diameter of the cylinder 7 is reduced. Is done.

In this embodiment, the elevating mechanism 300 moves the elevating arm 301 up and down by converting the rotational motion of the servo motor as a drive source into a linear motion using a rack and pinion mechanism or a crank mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an air cylinder may be used as a drive source for the lifting mechanism 300 that moves the lifting arm 301 up and down. Further, for example, a linear motor that moves linearly may be used as a driving source of the lifting mechanism 300 that moves the lifting arm 301 up and down.

(1-2) Former FIG. 9 shows an external perspective view of the former 3 and the cylinder 7, and FIG. 10 shows an external perspective view of the cylinder 7 with the filling device 100 mounted on the upper end portion thereof. In these drawings, the former 3 includes a sailor portion 30 that bends the sheet-like packaging material F into a tube shape, and a collar portion 31 that is formed around the cylinder 7. The former 3 and the cylinder 7 that vertically penetrates the collar portion 31 are attached to the base member 32.

The base member 32 is detachably attached to a body frame (not shown) of the packaging device B, and

sliders

33, 33 are formed on both sides of the base member 32 and inserted into a rail (not shown) of the body frame and fixedly supported. Yes. Further, columnar handles 34 and 34 are attached to both front sides of the base member 32, and a horizontal bar 35 (see FIG. 10) that is bridged in the horizontal direction is attached to the handle 34. A rod 36 is attached to the center of the horizontal bar 35 in the front-rear direction, and the cylinder 7 is supported by the

handles

34 and 34 via the rod 36 and the horizontal bar 35. Further, V-shaped

horizontal brackets

37 and 37 are fixed to the upper portion of the cylinder 7, and the end portions of the

horizontal brackets

37 and 37 are attached to the upper end portions of the

handles

34 and 34, respectively. The cylinder 7 is supported by

handles

34 and 34 via

horizontal brackets

37 and 37, a horizontal bar 35, and a rod 36.

On the other hand, the collar portion 31 of the sailor 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the cylinder 7 and is fitted like a kimono collar with a slight gap at the front. In other words, the collar portion 31 of the sailor part 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the cylinder 7, and on the front surface thereof, the end portion of one collar portion 31 is in front of the end portion of the other collar portion 31. It is arranged with a slight gap. And when setting the packaging material F, after folding the packaging material F along the surface of the sailor part 30, it is folded into a cylindrical shape at the collar portion 31, and is folded inside the collar portion 31 and outside the cylinder 7. It is wound around the outer periphery of the cylinder 7 through a slit between.

(1-3) Cylinder FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the cylinder 7. In this figure, a funnel-shaped inclined portion 701 is formed on the upper portion of the cylinder 7, and a flange 702 is attached to the upper end edge thereof. Through-holes are provided in the upper and lower portions at two opposed locations (front and rear of the cylinder 7) of the flange 702, and one-touch joints 703 for injecting inert gas are attached thereto. The flange 702 is covered with a hollow donut-shaped cap 704 having an open bottom surface with a packing interposed therebetween, and the cap 704 and the flange 702 form an inert gas passage 705. A funnel-shaped upper end opening 706 is formed at the center of the donut-shaped cap 704, and a ring-shaped downward inclined slit formed between the inner wall of the upper end opening 706 and the inclined portion 701 is not present. An active gas outlet 707 is provided. Further, the inner diameter of the lower end portion of the upper end opening 706 is designed to be approximately the same as the inner diameter of the cylinder 7 so as not to contact the cylindrical portion 132 of the chute 103 that moves up and down.

The donut-shaped cap 704 is detachable from the flange 702. Specifically, an L-shaped hook 708 shown in FIG. 9 is attached to the outer wall of the cylinder 7, and when the folding butterfly knob 709 is raised and turned, the L-shaped hook 708 can be moved up and down. Accordingly, when the L-shaped hook 708 is lowered by turning the butterfly knob 709 with the cap 704 placed on the flange 702, the flange of the cap 704 and the flange 702 of the cylinder 7 are clamped up and down and locked. Further, the cap 704 can be removed from the cylinder 7 by turning the butterfly knob 709 to raise the L-shaped hook 708. As a result, the blowout port 707 can be cleaned.

Also, the base frame 101 of the filling device 100 is placed on the upper surface of the cap 704, and the cap 704 and the base frame 101 are connected by a connecting tool (not shown). The open /

close gates

141 and 141 open and close the upper end opening 706 described above. Then, the inert gas is supplied into the tube-shaped bag TB while the chute 103 is moving up and down, and is injected so as to blow down the group of articles M discharged from the chute 103.

9 to 11, a socket 710 for injecting an inert gas into the cylinder 7 is attached to the front side of the upper portion of the cylinder 7, and a one-touch joint (not shown) is attached thereto. In addition, a duct 711 that guides the inert gas injected from the socket 710 to the lower end of the cylinder 7 is formed on the inner wall of the cylinder 7 connected to the socket 710. Then, in the operation preparation stage, the inert gas is vigorously injected into the tubular bag TB from the lower end discharge port 712 of the duct 711, thereby replacing the oxygen in the tubular bag TB with the inert gas. It is like that.

Note that a spreader 713 is provided at the lower end of the cylinder 7 to expand the tubular bag TB from the inside.

(1-4) Pull-down belt The pull-down

belts

4 and 4 arranged on both sides of the cylinder 7 are composed of

suction chambers

41 and 41 and

perforated belts

42 and 42 that run inward around each other. The tube-shaped bag TB is conveyed downward while being sucked and held by the belts 42 and 42 (see FIG. 2). Further, the pull-down

belts

4 and 4 are connected to a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves them close to and away from the cylinder 7.

(1-5) Vertical Sealing Means The vertical sealing means 5 heat seals the seam T1 of the packaging material F formed into a tube shape while pressing it against the cylinder 7 with a constant pressure. It is comprised by the metal belt 52 which carries out synchronous driving | running | working with the packaging material F around (refer FIG. 2). The vertical sealing means 5 is connected to a pull-down

belt

4, 4 and a moving mechanism (not shown) that brings the cylinder 7 close to and away from the cylinder 7.

(1-6) Horizontal Sealing Means The horizontal sealing means 6 includes a pair of sealing

jaws

61 and 61 incorporating a heater and a pair of sealing

jaws

61 and 61 that are close to and away from the tubular bag TB (not shown). And a drive mechanism. In addition,

clam shutters

62 and 62 for sandwiching a tubular bag TB from the front and rear are attached to the upper portions of the

seal jaws

61 and 61 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the horizontal direction. The

crumb shutters

62, 62 block the fine powder of the falling article M prior to the sealing

jaws

61, 61, thereby preventing the fine powder being dropped from being caught in the lateral seal portion of the bag b. To do.

As a drive mechanism for the lateral seal means 6, as the pair of

seal jaws

61, 61 are turned inward with respect to each other, each

seal jaw

61, 61 has a so-called D-shaped motion trajectory (D motion). The mechanism disclosed in Kaihei 10-53206 can be used. Alternatively, a mechanism for causing the

seal jaws

61 and 61 to perform a so-called box motion can be used as the drive mechanism of the lateral seal means 6.

Each of the sealing

jaws

61, 61 is pressed against each other with the tube-shaped bag TB interposed therebetween, thereby applying a horizontal seal to the top portion of the bag b at the lower end and the ground portion of the subsequent bag TB at the same time. One seal jaw 61 has a built-in cutter (not shown), which is operated to separate the lower end bag b and the succeeding bag TB vertically.

(1-7) Gas Supply Unit FIG. 12 is a configuration block diagram of the gas supply unit 9. The gas supply means 9 includes a gas cylinder 91 in which an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas is stored in a pressurized state, a pressure adjustment valve 92 that depressurizes and sends out the inert gas supplied from the gas cylinder 91, and from there A first electromagnetic valve 93 and a first flow rate adjustment valve 94 connected to the first flow path, branching in three directions, a second electromagnetic valve 95 and a second flow rate adjustment valve 96 connected to the second flow path, The third electromagnetic valve 97 and the third flow rate adjusting valve 98 are connected to the third flow path.

Further, the outlet sides of the first flow rate adjusting valve 94 and the second flow rate adjusting valve 96 are joined together and connected to a one-touch joint 703 at the upper part of the cylinder 7. Therefore, if the first electromagnetic valve 93 is opened, the first flow rate adjusting valve 94 generates a first flow rate of inert gas. If the second electromagnetic valve 95 is opened, the second flow rate adjusting valve 96 sets the second flow rate of inert gas. These are respectively supplied to an inert gas passage 705 at the upper part of the cylinder 7 and injected downwardly into the cylinder 7 from a ring-shaped outlet 707.

On the other hand, the outlet side of the third flow rate adjusting valve 98 is connected to a one-touch joint (not shown) attached to the socket 710 on the outer wall of the cylinder 7. Therefore, when the third electromagnetic valve 97 is opened, the third flow rate adjusting valve 98 injects a third flow rate of inert gas downward from the lower end discharge port 712 of the duct 711 into the tubular bag TB. The third flow rate is set to a flow rate that allows the inside of the tubular bag to be replaced with a large amount of inert gas in order to replace the gas in the tubular bag TB in a short time. After the gas replacement, the gas replacement rate in the tubular bag TB is maintained so as not to decrease by switching to a minute gas flow rate until the article M is discharged.

The flow rate of the inert gas supplied into the cylinder 7 varies depending on the bulk density, the internal volume, the bag size, the operation speed, etc. For example, the bulk density of potato chips (the density when a container is vibrated and the gaps between the articles M are filled as much as possible) is 0.083 grams per cubic centimeter, the content is 1 ounce (28.35 grams), If the bag size is 133 mm wide and 184 mm long and the operation speed is 150 bags per minute, the first flow rate is set to 220 liters / minute and the second flow rate is set to 300 liters / minute. Is an example, and if the conditions are different, these flow rates are changed.

(2) Control part Below, the control part 10 which controls the packaging apparatus B is demonstrated in detail.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the weighing and packaging integrated apparatus 200. In this figure, the control part 10 controls the measuring machine W and the packaging apparatus B individually or integrally, and is comprised by the computer. The control unit 10 controls each drive unit of the packaging unit BU and the packaging material supply unit FU according to the parameters and operating conditions set on the touch panel 2 shown in FIG. The control unit 10 also controls the feeder FD, the pool hopper PH, the weighing hopper WH, and the like of the weighing machine W. Furthermore, the control part 10 takes in required information from the various sensors with which the weighing machine W and the packaging apparatus B are equipped, and performs various controls based on the information.

For the packaging unit BU, the control unit 10 controls the pull-down belt 4, the vertical sealing means 5, the horizontal sealing means 6, the gas supply means 9, and the filling device 100. These controls are related to each other. Yes. Here, the description will focus on the opening and closing of the weighing hopper WH, the filling operation of the filling device 100, and the gas supply of the gas supply means 9.

In the initial state, the chute 103 of the filling device 100 is located at the top dead center, and the open /

close gates

141 and 141 are closed.

First, as advance preparation, the packaging material F is set on the former 3 and formed into a tube shape. On the other hand, the article M is supplied to the upper center of the weighing machine W. When the operator operates the touch panel 2 to instruct the start of operation, the control unit 10 first operates the pull-down belt 4, the vertical sealing means 5, and the horizontal sealing means 6 to form a tube-shaped bag TB. When this is possible, the control unit 10 opens the third electromagnetic valve 97 for a set time with the gate 104 opened. Then, the inert gas at the third flow rate is vigorously injected from the lower end discharge port 712 of the duct 711 into the tube-shaped bag TB, and gas replacement in the tube-shaped bag TB is performed. When that is finished, the control unit 10 closes the gate 104, throttles the third flow rate adjusting valve 98, and puts the packaging apparatus B in a standby state while flowing a slight inert gas.

In the meantime, the article M is supplied from the pool hopper PH to the weighing hopper WH, combined weighing is performed, and when the preparation for discharging is completed, the weighing machine W waits for a completion signal from the packaging device B. When the preparation of the weighing machine W and the packaging device B is completed, the control unit 10 stops the third electromagnetic valve 97, transmits a start signal to the weighing machine W, and discharges the article M related to the optimum combination from the weighing machine W. . Thereafter, the article M is discharged from the weighing machine W to the packaging device B in a constant cycle, for example, in a cycle of 0.4 seconds.

FIG. 14 shows operation timings of the weighing hopper WH, the gate 104, the chute 103, and the gas supply means 9 after the article is discharged. When the weighing machine W discharges the article M, the weighing machine W sends a discharge completion signal to the control unit 10. Then, after a predetermined time, for example, 0.8 seconds later, since the leading group of the discharged articles M reaches the chute 103, the timer is started from the time when the discharge completion signal is received, The time to reach the chute 103 is measured. When the timer expires, the tail of the article M has reached the chute 103, so the control unit 10 simultaneously opens the gate 104, lowers the chute 103, and opens the first electromagnetic valve 93. Then, the chute 103 in which the article M is stored is lowered while being accelerated, and an inert gas having a first flow rate is supplied into the cylinder 7 from the outlet 707 at the top of the cylinder 7.

That is, the articles M discharged from the weighing hopper WH sequentially reach the chute 103 and accumulate in the cylindrical portion 132 while being in a tandem state while falling, but the last article M reaches the chute 103. At this point, the chute 103 is lowered simultaneously with opening the gate 104 that has been closed. Further, the inert gas is injected into the cylinder 7 while injecting the first flow of inert gas to lower the chute 103. At that time, the gate 104 is opened earlier than the chute 103 is lowered. When the chute 103 reaches the bottom dead center, the control unit 10 immediately reverses and raises it. Thereby, the articles M gathered in the chute 103 in a compact manner are released from the chute 103 at a stroke by the descent of the chute 103 and the subsequent reverse rise, and are released into the tube-shaped bag TB. When the chute 103 returns to the top dead center, the control unit 10 closes the gate 104 and simultaneously closes the first electromagnetic valve 93 to stop the supply of the inert gas. Subsequently, the control unit 10 opens the closed second electromagnetic valve 95, supplies a second flow rate of inert gas to the inert gas passage 705, and the second flow rate of inert gas from the same outlet 707. Is sprayed downward.

Thereby, the chute 103 can enter a state of receiving the article M that falls next. Further, the group of articles M released into the cylinder 7 falls in the tubular bag TB while receiving a downward gas flow in the back, and is stored in the bag b at the lower end. At this time, since the tubular bag TB is gradually extended while being conveyed along the cylinder 7, the volume of the tubular bag TB increases with the expansion of the bag TB. An inert gas replenishes this.

Note that the first flow rate and the second flow rate in the case of continuous conveyance are set to values that sufficiently complement the increase in the volume of the bag TB. In addition, when the open / close gate 141 is closed, the lateral seal means 6 approaches the tube-shaped bag TB and presses the bag to raise the inert gas, so the second flow rate resists this rise. In order to make the article M face downward, it is preferable that the flow rate is set slightly higher than the first flow rate.

When the group of articles M released into the cylinder 7 is almost within the lower end bag b, the lateral sealing means 6 approaches the tube-shaped bag TB and protrudes from the sealing

jaws

61, 61. The pair of

crumb shutters

62, 62 enters a step of pressing the tubular bag TB from the front and rear (see FIG. 4B). Along with this, the inert gas in the bag TB tends to rise. At that time, the chute 103 rises and the gate 104 closes the upper end opening 706 of the cylinder 7, so that the inert gas in the cylinder 7 is closed. Without rising, the inert gas flowing downward in the second flow rate sinks into the bag b while suppressing the fine powder that arrives late in the bag b at the lower end downward. Then, at the timing when the

crumb shutters

62 and 62 are closed, the control unit 10 closes the second electromagnetic valve 95 and stops the supply of the inert gas at the second flow rate.

Thus, when the

clam shutters

62 and 62 close the upper end portion of the bag b and the lateral sealing starts, a new tubular bag TB is formed on the upper portion of the bag b at the lower end portion. Since the volume of the new bag TB increases with the expansion of the bag TB, when the supply of the second flow rate of the inert gas is stopped, the air pressure in the new bag TB decreases. However, when the horizontal seal is finished, the last tail of the new article M discharged from the weighing machine W reaches the chute 103, and when it reaches, the control unit 10 has been closed so far. The aforementioned steps are repeated by opening the gate 104, lowering the chute 103, and opening the first electromagnetic valve 93. As a result, the air pressure in the new bag TB that has decreased due to the expansion of the bag TB is restored. Note that when the closed gate 104 is opened, the inert gas in the chute 103 accumulated in the upper stage of the gate 104 is drawn into the cylinder 7 at a stroke, so that a new group of articles M also flows downward. Is pushed into the tubular bag TB.

By repeating such a cycle, a group of articles M are discharged from the chute 103 at once, and an inert gas is intermittently supplied downward from the upper part of the cylinder 7, so that fine powder to the lateral seal portion of the bag Can be reduced.

Further, here, since the inert gas is intermittently supplied corresponding to the volume fluctuation of the tubular bag TB, the amount of the inert gas used is reduced as compared with the case where the inert gas is continuously supplied. be able to. Further, since the inert gas is supplied downward from the upper end of the cylinder 7 into the bag, the gas flow in the tube can be reduced even if the tube-shaped bag TB changes its internal volume due to the approach of the lateral seal means 6. Since it always flows downward, it is possible to effectively prevent the fine powder from rising, and to prevent biting into the lateral seal portion.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, Other forms are employable.

For example, in this embodiment, the measurement packaging integrated apparatus has been described. However, instead of this, a conventional type in which the weighing machine and the packaging apparatus operate in conjunction with each other is also applicable.

Further, in this embodiment, the tube-shaped bag is laterally sealed while being continuously conveyed. Alternatively, the tube-shaped bag may be laterally sealed while being intermittently conveyed.

Furthermore, the raising and lowering of the chute 103 and the opening and closing of the gate 104 are made independent, but this may be connected by a link to link the movements of each other.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first electromagnetic valve 93 and the second electromagnetic valve 95 are alternately opened and closed in conjunction with the gate opening and closing, but instead, when the second electromagnetic valve 95 is opened. Alternatively, the inert gas may be supplied into the cylinder from both flow paths in a state where the first electromagnetic valve 93 is opened. However, in this case, the second flow rate adjustment valve 96 is throttled so that the respective flow rates of the first flow rate adjustment valve 94 and the second flow rate adjustment valve 96 are adjusted to the initial second flow rate. It is necessary to keep.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Former 6 Horizontal sealing means 7 Cylinder 9 Gas supply means 10 Control part 61 Seal jaw 62 Clam shutter 100 Filling device 103 Chute 104 Gate 141 Opening / closing gate 142a Inclined gate 300 Lifting mechanism 706 Upper end opening 707 Outlet TB Tube bag M Article B Packaging device F Packaging material

JP 2013-103753 A JP 2012-140243 A JP 2009-040488 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-081222

Claims

A method of filling an article falling from above into a tubular bag after storing it in a funnel-shaped chute,
Collecting the articles in the chute;
Lowering the chute while accelerating the chute with the discharge port open;
Reversing and raising the descent chute;
With
The articles collected in the chute are discharged into the tubular bag while accelerating the articles,
Filling method.
After the article is filled from the cylinder into the bag formed into a tube by the former, the upper seal part of the bag filled with the article and the subsequent lower seal part of the succeeding bag are laterally sealed simultaneously by the lateral sealing means. , A packaging device that separates these boundaries to form a sealed bag,
A funnel-shaped chute disposed above the cylinder and containing articles falling from above;
A gate for opening and closing the lower end discharge port of the chute;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the chute up and down;
A control unit for controlling opening and closing of the gate and raising and lowering of the lifting mechanism;
With
The control unit lowers the chute containing articles while accelerating in the cylinder with the gate opened, and then immediately raises and reverses the chute.
Packaging equipment.
A gas supply means for supplying an inert gas into a bag formed in a tube shape at the top of the cylinder,
Further comprising
The gate has an open / close gate that opens and closes an upper end opening of the cylinder,
The control unit further controls the gas supply unit, and injects an inert gas from the gas supply unit into a tube formed in a tube shape while the open / close gate is opened. ,
The packaging device according to claim 2.
The lower end portion of the cylinder is located above the lateral seal part in the bag formed in a tube shape,
The gas supply means supplies an inert gas into the cylinder from a blow-out port provided downward inside the upper part of the cylinder,
The gate is provided in the upper stage of the outlet,
The controller is
The gate is closed, the falling article is accommodated in the chute, and the gate is opened immediately before the last article reaches the chute, and the gas supply means is controlled to control the first flow rate. The inert gas is supplied into the cylinder from the outlet,
When the end of the article passes through the gate, the gate is closed, and an inert gas at a second flow rate is supplied into the cylinder from the outlet, instead of the first flow rate,
When the lateral sealing means enters the step of pressing the bag formed in a tube shape, the supply of the inert gas at the second flow rate is stopped.
The packaging device according to claim 3.
The outlet is formed in a ring shape along the inner wall of the cylinder.
The packaging device according to claim 4.
The gate is mounted on the upper end of the cylinder so as to be freely mounted.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 2 to 5.
The chute is made of resin.
The packaging device according to any one of claims 2 to 6.