WO2017064850A1

WO2017064850A1 - Bagging apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2017064850A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/004487
Authority: WO
Inventors: 犬塚　良治; 福嶋　正造; 匡智北田; 直也羽場; 篠原　剛; 和也廣崎
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2015-10-15
Filing date: 2016-10-05
Publication date: 2017-04-20
Also published as: CN108137174A; TW201718340A; JP6528325B2; EP3363745A4; EP3363745A1; JP2017074974A; US20180279810A1

Abstract

In a support section, a loading surface on which merchandise is placed is formed. A guide section is disposed around the support section along the peripheral edge of the loading surface. A driving section changes the state of the main body mechanism unit from a first state to the second state. The second state is a state in which the relative position of the support section with respect to the guide section is lower than in the first state. In the main body mechanism unit in the first state, a bag with the bag opening facing downward is fitted over the support section and guide section from above and the bottom of the bag is supported on the loading surface. By changing the state of the main body mechanism unit from the first state to the second state, the main body mechanism unit raises the sides of the bag that are continuous with the bottom of the bag upward from the bottom by means of the guide section, accommodating the merchandise in the bag.

Description

Bagging equipment

The present invention generally relates to a bagging apparatus, and more particularly to a bagging apparatus for storing products in a bag body.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an auto checkout system used for unattended sales of products is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the system described in Patent Document 1, a scanner reads a product placed on a plate from an insertion port, and then the product placed on the plate falls into the storage basket from the discharge port.

JP-A-6-266958

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, since the product falls from the discharge port into the storage basket, compared to a case where a person stores the product in a bag such as a shopping bag, that is, when the product is packed in a bag, The impact on the product may increase.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-described reasons, and an object thereof is to provide a bagging device that can alleviate an impact applied to a product.

A bagging device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a main body including a support portion on which a placement surface on which a product is placed is formed, and a guide portion that is disposed around the support portion along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface. At least one of the mechanism unit, the support unit, and the guide unit is moved to change the state of the main body mechanism unit from the first state to a position where the relative position of the support unit with respect to the guide unit is lower than the first state. The main body mechanism section is configured such that, in the first state, the bag body with the bag mouth facing downward is covered from above with the support section and the guide section, and the bottom portion of the bag body is covered. By supporting the mounting surface and changing the state of the main body mechanism portion from the first state to the second state, the side peripheral portion of the bag body continuous to the bottom portion of the bag body is moved upward from the bottom portion by the guide portion. It is configured to start up and store the product in the bag.

According to a second form of the bagging apparatus, in the first form, the drive unit moves only the support part of the main body mechanism part downward to change the state of the main body mechanism part from the first state to the second state. It may be configured to change.

The 3rd form bagging apparatus WHEREIN: In the 1st or 2nd form, the main body mechanism part may further have a holding mechanism which hold | maintains a bottom part on a mounting surface.

The bagging apparatus according to a fourth aspect is the bagging apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein in the second state, the main body mechanism portion has a difference in height from the placement surface to the upper end surface of the guide portion. You may comprise so that it may become more than the full length of an up-down direction.

In the fifth aspect of the bagging apparatus, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the mounting surface may have a rectangular shape.

In any one of the first to fifth embodiments, the bag filling device according to the sixth aspect is such that the guide portion is formed in a cylindrical shape having at least an upper surface opened, and the support portion is a space surrounded by the guide portion. Inside, it may be comprised so that it may move relatively with respect to a guide part.

In the sixth embodiment, the bag filling device according to the seventh aspect may have a similar relationship between the shape of the inner peripheral edge of the upper end surface of the guide portion and the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the mounting surface.

The bagging apparatus according to the eighth aspect may be any one of the first to seventh aspects, and may have a curved shape such that the upper end surface of the guide portion is convex upward.

In the ninth embodiment of the bagging apparatus, in any one of the first to eighth embodiments, the upper end surface of the guide portion may have a smaller coefficient of friction than the mounting surface.

The bag filling device according to a tenth aspect is the bag supply mechanism according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the main body mechanism portion in the first state is covered with a bag body with the bag mouth facing downward. May be further provided.

According to the present disclosure, the bag body covered with the support portion and the guide portion is drawn into the guide portion as the support portion moves downward relative to the guide portion. At this time, the side peripheral portion of the bag body is raised by the guide portion around the support portion, so that the product placed on the placement surface is accommodated in the bag body. Therefore, there is an advantage that the impact applied to the product can be reduced.

FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram of an operation during bagging of the bagging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of the next operation after FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram of the next operation after FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the shopping support system using the bagging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the bagging device according to the first embodiment. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 3A. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY of FIG. 3A. FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view illustrating a first state of a main body mechanism portion of the bagging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5B is a schematic perspective view illustrating a second state of the main body mechanism portion of the bagging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the region X1 in FIG. 5B. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the bagging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a standby state of the bagging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first state of a main body mechanism portion of the bagging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a second state of the main body mechanism portion of the bagging apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of an operation during discharge of the bagging device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram of the next operation after FIG. 10A. FIG. 11A is a schematic perspective view illustrating a first state of a main body mechanism portion of the bagging apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11B is a schematic perspective view illustrating a second state of the main body mechanism portion of the bagging apparatus according to the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
(1) Overview The bagging apparatus according to the present embodiment is installed in a store of a retail store such as a convenience store, a supermarket, a department store, a drug store, a home appliance mass retailer, a home center, and the like, and packs a product purchased by a customer. Device. Here, “packing” means an operation of storing (putting) one or a plurality of products in a bag. The “bag body” may be a bag having a bag opening for putting in and out the product, for example, a shopping bag (so-called shopping bag) made of polyethylene or polypropylene.

The bagging device 1 of this embodiment includes a main body mechanism unit 4 having a support unit 2 and a guide unit 3 and a drive unit 5 as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C.

The mounting surface 21 on which the product 6 is placed is formed on the support portion 2. The guide portion 3 is disposed around the support portion 2 along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface 21. The drive unit 5 changes the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 from the first state to the second state. The “state of the main body mechanism portion 4” here represents the relative positional relationship between the support portion 2 and the guide portion 3. The second state is a state in which the relative position of the support portion 2 with respect to the guide portion 3 is lower than the first state.

As shown in FIG. 1A, when the shopping basket 61 containing the product 6 is placed in the bagging space on the placement surface 21, the bagging device 1 starts packing the product 6. Here, the shopping basket 61 has a structure in which the bottom plate is slidable, for example, and the product 6 in the shopping basket 61 moves onto the placement surface 21 in a state where the bottom plate is slid and opened. Precisely, since the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 is on the placement surface 21, the product 6 is placed on the bottom portion 72. As shown in FIG. 1A, the main body mechanism unit 4 is configured such that the bag body 7 with the bag mouth 71 facing downward is covered with the support portion 2 and the guide portion 3 from above, and the bottom portion of the bag body 7. 72 is supported by the mounting surface 21. “Support” here means supporting from below. That is, when the product 6 is placed on the placement surface 21 from above the bottom portion 72, the bottom portion 72 is pressed against the placement surface 21 due to the weight of the product 6. Supported. The shopping basket 61 is removed, and the main body mechanism portion 4 changes the state of the main body mechanism portion 4 from the first state to the second state, whereby the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C. Next, the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 is raised upward from the bottom 72 at the guide portion 3, and the product 6 is accommodated in the bag body 7.

That is, when the main body mechanism portion 4 is in the first state, as shown in FIG. 1A, the bag body 7 with the bag mouth 71 facing downward is placed on the support portion 2 and the guide portion 3, and the bottom portion of the bag body 7 is placed. 72 is supported on the mounting surface 21. At this time, the product 6 is placed on the placement surface 21 from above the bag body 7. Therefore, the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 is sandwiched between the support portion 2 and the product 6. From this state (first state), when the support part 2 is moved downward relative to the guide part 3 by the drive part 5, the bag body 7 is gradually moved inside the guide part 3 as shown in FIG. Be drawn. At this time, the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 is gradually raised by the guide portion 3 around the support portion 2. As a result, when the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 becomes the second state, as shown in FIG. 1C, the bag body 7 is turned over from the state of FIG. 1A, and the product 6 is accommodated in the bag body 7. . That is, the support 6 is moved relative to the guide 3 so that the product 6 on the placement surface 21 is accommodated in the bag 7.

The bagging device 1 is installed, for example, in a cash register counter or a bagging table of a store, and packs the products 6 placed in a predetermined bagging space set on the placement surface 21. Thereby, the customer can receive the product 6 accommodated in the bag body 7 only by placing the product 6 to be purchased in the bagging space. Therefore, a store employee (store clerk) or a customer can use the bagging device 1 to save time and effort for bagging.

In addition, the bagging device 1 of the present embodiment is combined with a checkout device or the like to constitute a shopping support system for supporting customer shopping. At the store where the shopping support system is introduced, the customer completes the purchase of the product 6 through a series of processes in which the product 6 is settled by the settlement device and the product 6 is packed by the bagging device 1. be able to. As a result, in the process where the customer purchases the product 6 at the store, the intervention of the store clerk is not essential. The details of the shopping support system will be described in the section “(2.1) Shopping support system”.

(2) Details Hereinafter, the bagging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. However, the configuration described below is only an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated from this embodiment. Various changes can be made in accordance with the design or the like as long as they are not.

In this embodiment, a convenience store will be described as an example of a store where the bagging device 1 is installed. In the present embodiment, a polyethylene shopping bag (so-called shopping bag) is used as an example of the bag body 7. Here, the subject placing the product 6 in the bagging space is not limited to the customer, but may be a store clerk. For example, in the case of commodities such as cigarettes placed in the cash register counter, not the customer but the store clerk places the product 6 in the bagging space.

(2.1) Shopping support system Here, first, the whole structure of the shopping support system 8 in which the bagging apparatus 1 of this embodiment is used is demonstrated.

The shopping support system 8 includes a bagging device 1 and a checkout device 81 as shown in FIG.

The settlement apparatus 81 performs the settlement process for the product 6 using the product information of the product 6. The “product information” here is information related to each product, and includes information such as the product name and the price of the product. The settlement apparatus 81 uses, for example, a bar code reader, an image sensor, a load sensor (weight sensor), a reader that reads a two-dimensional code, or a tag reader that reads product information from a radio frequency identification (RFID) without contact. Get information.

The bagging device 1 and the payment device 81 are provided on one counter stand 82 installed at a cashier counter of a store (a convenience store in the present embodiment), for example. Here, the bagging apparatus 1 and the payment apparatus 81 are arranged such that the payment apparatus 81 is located on the right side of the bagging apparatus 1 when the counter stand 82 is viewed from the front. Note that a plurality of the bagging apparatus 1 and the settlement apparatus 81 may be installed for each store, or may be configured to be able to communicate with a store server installed in the store.

The settlement apparatus 81 has a main body 811 installed on the counter stand 82 and a display panel (display unit) 812 that is electrically connected to the main body 811. The main body 811 has a computer as a main component, and executes a program recorded in a memory to perform a process for payment according to the product information. The main body 811 includes a cash unit for delivering cash, a card reader for reading various cards, a printer (issuing unit) for issuing receipts, and an audio output unit for outputting audio.

The display panel 812 includes a touch panel display and functions as a user interface that accepts operation inputs from customers in addition to various displays. For example, the customer operates the display panel 812 to select a payment method and pays the total amount (settlement amount) displayed on the display panel 812.

Here, the settlement apparatus 81 includes the display panel 812, so that it is possible to present not only the settlement amount as described above but also various information to the customer. As a specific example, the checkout apparatus 81 can present the operation procedure of the shopping support system 8 to the customer. Thereby, even if a store clerk does not intervene, it can support use of the shopping support system 8 by a customer.

The bagging device 1 is built in the counter stand 82. In the example of FIG. 2, the upper surface of the support portion 2, that is, the placement surface 21 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the counter table 82. Therefore, the customer can cause the bagging apparatus 1 to pack the product 6 by placing the product 6 in the bagging space on the mounting surface 21 of the counter table 82. Note that the bagging apparatus 1 may be linked to the settlement apparatus 81. When the bagging apparatus 1 is interlocked with the payment apparatus 81, the bagging apparatus 1 can start the bagging of the product 6 using, for example, the completion of the payment in the payment apparatus 81 as a trigger.

By the way, the bagging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can pack the product 6 in a state of being in the shopping basket 61 (see FIG. 1A). In other words, the customer puts the product 6 picked up in the store into the shopping basket 61 and places the product 6 together with the shopping basket 61 in the bagging space on the counter table 82 to pack the product 6 into the bagging device 1. Can be made. Therefore, the customer does not need to take out the product 6 from the shopping basket 61 for bagging, and can easily pack the product 6 using the bagging apparatus 1.

Further, the bagging device 1 is capable of bagging not only the product 6 in the shopping basket 61 but also the product 6 not in the shopping basket 61. In this case, the customer can cause the bagging apparatus 1 to pack the product 6 by placing the product 6 directly in the bagging space.

(2.2) Bagging Device Hereinafter, the configuration of the bagging device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. Below, unless otherwise indicated, it demonstrates as the packaging apparatus 1 being installed in the direction in which the mounting surface 21 becomes a horizontal surface. That is, the direction orthogonal to the placement surface 21 is the vertical direction (vertical direction). However, these directions are not intended to limit the direction when the bagging device 1 is used. For example, the bagging device 1 may be used with the mounting surface 21 slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

(2.2.1) Overall Configuration As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4, the bagging device 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body mechanism unit 4 and a drive unit 5. The bagging device 1 further includes a housing 9 and a bag supply mechanism 13. Here, FIG. 3B is an XX sectional view of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4 is a YY sectional view of FIG. 3A.

The housing 9 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape that is long in the vertical direction. Inside the housing 9, the main body mechanism unit 4, a part of the drive unit 5, and the bag supply mechanism 13 are housed. The top plate 91 constituting the upper surface of the housing 9 is formed with a rectangular window hole 911 for exposing the support portion 2 and the guide portion 3. When the bagging device 1 is built in the counter table 82 (see FIG. 2), the upper surface of the housing 9 (the upper surface of the top plate 91) is a part of the upper surface of the counter table 82.

The bag supply mechanism 13 is a mechanism for supplying the bag body 7 to the main body mechanism unit 4. Here, the bag supply mechanism 13 operates so as to cover the main body mechanism portion 4 in the first state with the bag body 7 with the bag mouth 71 facing downward.

The bag supply mechanism 13 in this embodiment has a stocker 131 and a suction part 132 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The stocker 131 holds a bag group 70 composed of a bundle of a plurality of bag bodies 7. Each bag 7 constituting the bag group 70 is suspended and held by the stocker 131 with the bag mouth 71 facing downward.

The suction part 132 is disposed so as to face the stocker 131 with the main body mechanism part 4 interposed therebetween. The suction unit 132 is, for example, a vacuum suction pad, and a surface facing the stocker 131 is a suction surface that sucks the bag body 7. The suction part 132 is configured to be able to move straight in the direction facing the stocker 131, and operates to take out the bags 7 one by one from the bag group 70 held by the stocker 131.

The bag supply mechanism 13 has a suction pad for expanding the bag body 7 taken out by the suction part 132 at a position facing the suction part 132 with the main body mechanism part 4 interposed therebetween. Thereby, the bag body 7 taken out by the suction part 132 is pulled from both sides by the suction part 132 and the suction pad, and is held in a state where the bag mouth 71 is opened. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the bag body 7 is supplied to the main body mechanism portion 4 one by one by the bag supply mechanism 13 with the bag mouth 71 at the bottom, the bottom 72 at the top, and the bag mouth 71 open. The In FIG. 4, the bag body 7 supplied by the bag supply mechanism 13 is shown, and the illustration of the bag supply mechanism 13 is omitted.

Here, the bag body 7 supplied by the bag supply mechanism 13 has a side peripheral portion 73 continuous with the bottom portion 72. Further, a pair of handles 74 are provided at the end of the side peripheral portion 73 on the bag mouth 71 side so as to be continuous with the side peripheral portion 73. Moreover, since the bag body 7 is reversed from the set state and accommodates the goods 6, when the character etc. are printed on the bag body 7, it is preferable to use the bag body 7 reversely printed.

The main body mechanism unit 4 further includes a holding mechanism 14 in addition to the support unit 2 and the guide unit 3. The support part 2 and the guide part 3 will be described in detail in the column “(2.2.2) Support part and guide part”.

The holding mechanism 14 is a mechanism that holds the bottom 72 on the mounting surface 21. The holding mechanism 14 is configured to be switchable between a state in which the bottom portion 72 is held on the placement surface 21 and a state in which the holding is released. Here, “holding” means that the mounting surface 21 keeps supporting the bottom 72. That is, the holding mechanism 14 maintains the state in which the bottom portion 72 is in contact with the placement surface 21 and is supported on the placement surface 21 from below. In the present embodiment, the holding mechanism 14 holds the bottom 72 on the placement surface 21 by suction. Specifically, the holding mechanism 14 constitutes a vacuum suction pad having the upper surface (mounting surface 21) of the support portion 2 as a suction surface. For example, the support portion 2 having a hollow structure is adopted, and the holding mechanism 14 sucks air in the internal space of the support portion 2 with a hose connected to the support portion 2, thereby forming an upper surface (mounting surface 21) of the support portion 2. An adsorption force is applied to the bottom 72 from the plurality of small holes that are opened.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive unit 5 includes an elevating mechanism 51, a lock mechanism 52, a first arm 53, a second arm 54, a first slider 55, a second slider 56, a rail 57, have.

The rail 57 has a round bar shape extending in the vertical direction, and both ends in the vertical direction are fixed to the housing 9. In the present embodiment, a pair of rails 57 are provided in the housing 9. Each of the first slider 55 and the second slider 56 is attached to the rail 57 so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the rail 57. The first slider 55 is disposed below the second slider 56. The first slider 55 is mechanically coupled to the support portion 2 via the first arm 53. The second slider 56 is mechanically coupled to the guide portion 3 via the second arm 54.

The elevating mechanism 51 is a mechanism for elevating the first slider 55. That is, the lifting mechanism 51 is a mechanism that lifts and lowers the support portion 2 indirectly via the first arm 53 by moving the first slider 55 in the vertical direction. The elevating mechanism 51 is installed on the side of the housing 9 in this embodiment. The elevating mechanism 51 includes an electric motor (motor), and is realized by an appropriate mechanism such as a pantograph type or a rack and pinion type that can move the first slider 55 straight in the vertical direction by a driving force generated by the electric motor.

The lock mechanism 52 is a mechanism that restricts the movement of the second slider 56 relative to the rail 57. The lock mechanism 52 is attached to the rail 57. The lock mechanism 52 is disposed between the first slider 55 and the second slider 56. The lock mechanism 52 includes an actuator such as an electromagnetic solenoid. The lock mechanism 52 is configured to be switchable between two states: a locked state in which the position of the lock mechanism 52 with respect to the rail 57 is fixed and a released state in which the lock mechanism 52 is movable in the vertical direction along the rail 57. ing.

Here, a load due to the weight of the second arm 54 and the guide portion 3 is applied to the second slider 56. Therefore, if the lock mechanism 52 is in the released state, the second slider 56 moves up and down together with the first slider 55 when the lifting mechanism 51 moves up and down the first slider 55. On the other hand, when the lock mechanism 52 is in the locked state, the second slider 56 is held on the lock mechanism 52, and the elevating mechanism 51 moves the first slider 55 up and down independently.

The drive unit 5 having the above-described configuration can move the support unit 2 and the guide unit 3 together or move only the support unit 2 up and down by combining the operation of the lifting mechanism 51 and the operation of the lock mechanism 52. Is possible. As a result, the drive unit 5 can move each of the support unit 2 and the guide unit 3 to an arbitrary position. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the guide portion 3 is at the lower limit position of the movable range in the vertical direction.

(2.2.2) Support part and guide part Next, the specific structure of the support part 2 and the guide part 3 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 5A, 5B, and FIG. 5A and 5B, illustrations other than the support part 2, the guide part 3, the 1st arm 53, and the 2nd arm 54 are abbreviate | omitted. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by “X1” in FIG. 5B.

The support part 2 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. The upper surface of the support portion 2 constitutes a placement surface 21 on which the product 6 is placed. That is, the mounting surface 21 has a quadrangular shape. Here, the mounting surface 21 has a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The support part 2 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin. That is, the “rectangular shape” here includes not only a strict quadrangle but also a shape in which corners are rounded, for example.

The guide part 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape having at least an upper surface opened between the upper surface and the lower surface. In this embodiment, the guide part 3 is formed in the square cylinder shape which both the upper surface and the lower surface opened. The guide part 3 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin. The opening surface of the guide portion 3 is formed to be slightly larger than the placement surface 21, and the guide portion 3 is disposed around the support portion 2 along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface 21. Here, the shape of the inner peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 and the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the mounting surface 21 are similar. That is, the shape of the inner peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 is a rectangular shape with rounded corners, similar to the placement surface 21. Further, the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 is also a rectangular shape with rounded corners, similar to the placement surface 21.

Here, the support part 2 and the guide part 3 are moved in the vertical direction by being driven by the drive part 5. When the guide portion 3 is at the upper limit position of the movable range in the vertical direction (see FIG. 8), the upper end portion of the guide portion 3 is inserted into the window hole 911 of the housing 9. Therefore, the upper end portion of the guide portion 3 is formed slightly smaller than the window hole 911. Here, the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 and the shape of the opening surface of the window hole 911 are similar. Therefore, the guide part 3 is inserted into the window hole 911, and the support part 2 is accommodated inside the guide part 3. The gap between the inner peripheral surface of the window hole 911 and the guide portion 3 and the gap between the guide portion 3 and the support portion 2 are set to a size that does not allow human fingers to enter.

Incidentally, the support part 2 is configured to move relative to the guide part 3 in a space surrounded by the guide part 3. In the present embodiment, the drive unit 5 moves only the support unit 2 of the main body mechanism unit 4 downward to change the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 from the first state shown in FIG. 5A to the first state shown in FIG. 5B. It is configured to change to two states. That is, the support portion 2 is configured to move up and down in a cylindrical guide portion 3 fixed at a fixed position.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the state in which the support portion 2 is located at the upper end portion of the guide portion 3 is defined as a first state. When the main body mechanism unit 4 is in the first state, the upper surface (mounting surface 21) of the support unit 2 and the upper end surface 321 of the guide unit 3 are substantially flush with each other. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the state where the support portion 2 is located at the lower end portion of the guide portion 3 is referred to as a second state. When the main body mechanism unit 4 is in the second state, the lower surface of the support unit 2 and the lower end surface of the guide unit 3 are substantially flush. In short, the support part 2 is movable over the entire length of the guide part 3 in the vertical direction. If the main body mechanism unit 4 is in the first state, the support unit 2 is arranged so as to close the opening on the upper surface side of the guide unit 3. If the main body mechanism unit 4 is in the second state, the support unit 2 is arranged so as to block the opening on the lower surface side of the guide unit 3.

More specifically, the support portion 2 is fixed to one end portion of the first arm 53, and moves up and down as the first arm 53 moves. One end portion of the first arm 53 is inserted into the guide portion 3 through an opening on the lower surface side of the guide portion 3 and is mechanically coupled to the lower surface of the support portion 2. The guide unit 3 is fixed to one end of the second arm 54 and moves in the vertical direction as the second arm 54 moves. One end portion of the second arm 54 is mechanically coupled to the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 3. In the present embodiment, a pair of second arms 54 are provided. Each of the pair of second arms 54 is a plate-like member, and the first arm 53 is disposed between the pair of second arms 54. Accordingly, the first arm 53 can raise and lower the support portion 2 while avoiding interference with the guide portion 3 and the second arm 54.

Incidentally, the guide portion 3 includes a wall portion 31 formed in a cylindrical shape with a plate-like member, and a frame-like cover 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 32 is attached to the upper end portion of the wall portion 31 so as to cover the upper end portion of the wall portion 31 from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface of the wall portion 31. Therefore, the upper end surface of the cover 32 corresponds to the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3.

The upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3, that is, the upper end surface of the cover 32 has a curved shape so as to protrude upward. That is, at least a part of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 is an R (R) surface. More specifically, the corner between the upper end surface 321 and the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 3 and the corner between the upper end surface 321 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 3 are R (R) chamfered. . The reason why the upper end surface 321 is formed in such a curved surface is to prevent the bag body 7 from being caught on the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3. Furthermore, the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 has a smaller coefficient of friction than the placement surface 21. Specifically, for example, by configuring the surface of the cover 32 with a material having low friction characteristics such as fluororesin, the friction coefficient of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 is reduced. Thereby, the sliding of the bag body 7 with respect to the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 is improved.

(2.2.3) Control System As shown in FIG. 7, the bagging device 1 of the present embodiment further includes a control unit 11 and an input unit 12.

The control unit 11 is electrically connected to each of the input unit 12, the bag supply mechanism 13, the elevating mechanism 51, the lock mechanism 52, and the holding mechanism 14. The control unit 11 receives an input signal from the input unit 12 and outputs a control signal to each of the bag supply mechanism 13, the drive unit (elevating mechanism 51, lock mechanism 52) 5, and the holding mechanism 14. Thereby, the control unit 11 controls each of the bag supply mechanism 13, the drive unit 5, and the holding mechanism 14.

Here, the control unit 11 has a computer such as a microcomputer as a main component, and performs an appropriate process by executing a program recorded in a memory of the computer by a processor of the computer. The program may be recorded in advance in a memory, may be provided through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or may be provided by being recorded in a recording medium such as a memory card. The control part 11 is installed in the counter stand 82, for example. However, it is not essential for the control unit 11 that all the functions are integrated in one housing. For example, at least a part of the functions of the control unit 11 is the drive unit 5, the bag supply mechanism 13, or the holding mechanism 14. It may be provided in a dispersed manner.

The input unit 12 outputs at least an input signal for starting the bagging operation in the bagging device 1 to the control unit 11. The input unit 12 is electrically connected to, for example, a switch that receives a customer operation, and generates an input signal in accordance with the customer operation. When the bagging apparatus 1 is interlocked with the payment apparatus 81, the input unit 12 may output an input signal for starting a bagging operation in response to a trigger signal from the payment apparatus 81, for example.

(3) Operation Hereinafter, the operation of the bagging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the bagging device 1 covers the bag body 7 with the bag mouth 71 facing downward on the support section 2 and the guide section 3 constituting the main body mechanism section 4. Set 7 In this embodiment, when setting the bag body 7, the bagging apparatus 1 moves the support part 2 and the guide part 3 upward. At this time, the main body mechanism portion 4 is in the first state, and the support portion 2 is located at the upper end portion of the guide portion 3.

In other words, the bagging device 1 includes the main body in the first state with respect to the bag body 7 held by the bag supply mechanism 13 with the bag mouth 71 at the bottom, the bottom 72 at the top, and the bag mouth 71 being opened. The mechanism unit 4 is inserted from below. At this time, the drive unit 5 moves the support unit 2 and the guide unit 3 upward by moving the first slider 55 together with the second slider 56 by the lifting mechanism 51 with the lock mechanism 52 in the released state. . In the present embodiment, the drive unit 5 moves the guide unit 3 from the lower limit position (see FIG. 4) of the movable range of the guide unit 3 to the upper limit position (see FIG. 8), thereby supporting the support unit 2 and the guide unit 3. The bag 7 is put on.

In FIG. 8, since the guide portion 3 is at the upper limit position of the movable range in the vertical direction, the upper end portion of the guide portion 3 is inserted into the window hole 911 of the housing 9. At this time, the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 and the upper surface of the housing 9 are substantially flush. Furthermore, since the main body mechanism unit 4 is in the first state, the upper surface (mounting surface 21) of the support unit 2, the upper end surface 321 of the guide unit 3, and the upper surface of the housing 9 are substantially flush. In this state, the bagging device 1 holds the bottom 72 on the mounting surface 21 by adsorbing the bottom 72 of the bag body 7 to the mounting surface 21 by the holding mechanism 14. The bagging apparatus 1 sets the state shown in FIG. 8 to the standby state, and waits in the standby state until it is placed in the bagging space on the placement surface 21 containing the product 6.

When the shopping basket 61 containing the product 6 is placed in the bagging space on the placement surface 21, the bagging device 1 starts bagging the product 6. Here, the shopping basket 61 has a structure in which the bottom plate is slidable, for example, and the product 6 in the shopping basket 61 moves onto the placement surface 21 in a state where the bottom plate is slid and opened. Precisely, since the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 is on the placement surface 21, the product 6 is placed on the bottom portion 72.

Next, the bagging device 1 drives the main body mechanism unit 4 with the driving unit 5 and changes the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 from the first state to the second state, thereby placing the product 6 on the bag body 7. Accommodate. That is, the drive unit 5 places the lock mechanism 52 in the locked state with respect to the main body mechanism unit 4 in the first state as shown in FIG. 9A, and moves the first slider 55 downward by the lifting mechanism 51. Only the support part 2 is moved downward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, the main body mechanism unit 4 moves from the first state to the second state by moving only the support unit 2 downward while leaving the guide unit 3 at the upper limit position of the movable range. To do. 9A and 9B, the product 6 and the bag body 7 are not shown.

1A to 1C show a process in which the product 6 is stored in the bag 7 when the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 changes from the first state to the second state. While the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 changes from the first state to the second state, the bagging apparatus 1 mounts the bottom portion 72 by adsorbing the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 to the mounting surface 21 by the holding mechanism 14. It continues to be held on the mounting surface 21. In the figure, a plurality of products 6 such as a plastic bottle beverage, a boxed snack, and a can juice are illustrated, but one product 6 may be used.

That is, when the main body mechanism portion 4 is in the first state, as shown in FIG. 1A, the product 6 is placed on the placement surface 21 through the bag body 7. The bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 is sandwiched between the support portion 2 and the product 6. At this time, the bottom 72 is held on the placement surface 21 by the suction force of the holding mechanism 14 in addition to the weight of the product 6. From this state (first state), the support part 2 moves relatively downward with respect to the guide part 3, so that the bag body 7 is gradually drawn into the guide part 3 as shown in FIG. . At this time, the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 continuing to the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 is drawn into the guide portion 3 while being squeezed by the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3. Therefore, the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 is raised upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 72 by the guide portion 3 around the support portion 2. And when the state of the main body mechanism part 4 becomes a 2nd state, as shown to FIG. 1C, in the space enclosed by the guide part 3, the bag body 7 will be in the state turned over from the state of FIG. It will be housed in the body 7. At this time, the side peripheral portion 73 rises along the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 3.

In the present embodiment, as an example, the shopping basket 6 is removed from the housing 9 in the process of FIG. 1B, but the timing at which the shopping basket 6 is removed may be the process of FIG. 1C. Or after that.

By the way, in this embodiment, as shown to FIG. 1C, the main body mechanism part 4 has the height difference L1 from the mounting surface 21 to the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 in the 2nd state. It is comprised so that it may become more than full length L2. The “full length L1 in the vertical direction of the bag body 7” here is the total length including the pair of handles 74 of the bag body 7, that is, the dimension from the bottom 72 of the bag body 7 to the tip of the handle 74. As a result, the bag body 7 fits in the space surrounded by the guide portion 3 up to the tip of the handle 74. Therefore, the bag body 7 is in a state of standing up including not only the side peripheral portion 73 but also the handle 74.

Next, the bagging device 1 is surrounded by the guide part 3 by driving the main body mechanism part 4 by the drive part 5 and changing the state of the main body mechanism part 4 from the second state to the first state. The bag body 7 is discharged from the space. At this time, the drive unit 5 sets the lock mechanism 52 to the locked state with respect to the main body mechanism unit 4 in the second state, and moves the first slider 55 upward by the elevating mechanism 51, thereby supporting only the support unit 2. Is moved upward. As a result, the main body mechanism unit 4 shifts from the second state to the first state by moving only the support unit 2 while leaving the guide unit 3 at the upper limit position of the movable range.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10A, the bag body 7 on the placement surface 21 protrudes upward from the opening on the upper surface side of the guide portion 3 as the support portion 2 moves upward. Furthermore, as the support portion 2 moves upward, the bag body 7 is completely discharged from the space surrounded by the guide portion 3 as shown in FIG. 10B. At this time, the bag body 7 maintains an independent posture including the handle 74.

By the operation as described above, the bagging device 1 stores the product 6 placed in the bagging space on the placement surface 21 in the bag body 7 and raises the handle 74 of the bag body 7, The product 6 can be delivered to the customer. When the product 6 disappears from the placement surface 21, the bagging apparatus 1 newly sets the bag body 7 and stands by in a standby state.

(4) Effect As described above, the bagging device 1 of the present embodiment continues to the bottom portion 72 of the bag body 7 by changing the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 from the first state to the second state. The side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 is raised upward from the bottom portion 72 by the guide portion 3, and the product 6 is accommodated in the bag body 7. That is, the bag body 7 covered with the support portion 2 and the guide portion 3 is drawn into the guide portion 3 as the support portion 2 moves relatively downward with respect to the guide portion 3. At this time, since the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 is raised by the guide portion 3 around the support portion 2, the product 6 placed on the placement surface 21 is accommodated in the bag body 7. Become. Therefore, there is an advantage that the impact applied to the product 6 can be reduced. In short, the bagging device 1 can store the product 6 in the bag 7 without moving the product 6 from the placement surface 21 by deforming (turning over) the bag 7 that stores the product 6. it can. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the impact applied to the product 6 when the product 6 is accommodated in the bag body 7.

Further, as in the present embodiment, the drive unit 5 changes the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 from the first state to the second state by moving only the support unit 2 of the main body mechanism unit 4 downward. It is preferable that it is comprised. According to this configuration, the bagging operation can be performed in the housing 9 without the guide portion 3 protruding from the upper surface of the housing 9.

Further, as in the present embodiment, the main body mechanism unit 4 preferably further includes a holding mechanism 14 that holds the bottom portion 72 on the placement surface 21. According to this configuration, even when the product 6 is relatively small or light, when the support portion 2 moves downward relative to the guide portion 3, the floating of the bottom portion 72 from the placement surface 21 is suppressed. However, the bag body 7 can be pulled inside the guide portion 3. Note that the holding mechanism 14 is not an essential component of the bagging apparatus 1, and the holding mechanism 14 may be omitted as appropriate.

Further, as in the present embodiment, in the second state, the main body mechanism portion 4 has a height difference L1 from the placement surface 21 to the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 equal to or greater than the total length L2 in the vertical direction of the bag body 7. It is preferable that it is comprised so that it may become. According to this configuration, the bag 7 is started up including the handle 74 in a state in which the product 6 is accommodated, and there is an advantage that the customer can easily hold the handle 74 when handing over to the customer. . It is not essential for the bagging device 1 that the height difference L1 from the placement surface 21 to the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 is equal to or greater than the total length L2 in the vertical direction of the bag body 7. The total length L2 of the body 7 may be less.

Further, as in the present embodiment, the placement surface 21 is preferably rectangular. According to this configuration, it is possible to move the product 6 in the shopping basket 61 having a square bottom to the placing surface 21 without changing the arrangement. In addition, it is not essential for the bagging device 1 that the mounting surface 21 has a quadrangular shape, and the mounting surface 21 may have a shape other than the rectangular shape, such as an elliptical shape.

In addition, as in the present embodiment, the guide portion 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape having at least an upper surface opened, and the support portion 2 is relative to the guide portion 3 in a space surrounded by the guide portion 3. It is preferable that it is comprised so that it may move. According to this configuration, a wall is formed by the guide portion 3 around the support portion 2. Therefore, even if the product 6 falls down or collapses when the support unit 2 moves relative to the guide unit 3, the product 6 is supported by the guide unit 3 and placed. The fall of the product 6 from the surface 21 is suppressed.

Further, as in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the shape of the inner peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 and the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the mounting surface 21 have a similar relationship. According to this structure, the clearance gap between the guide part 3 and the support part 2 can be restrained comparatively small. It is not essential for the bagging apparatus 1 that the shape of the inner peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 and the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the mounting surface 21 are similar, and the upper end surface of the guide part 3 The shape of the inner peripheral edge of 321 and the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface 21 may not be similar.

Moreover, it is preferable that the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 has a curved shape so as to protrude upward as in the present embodiment. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the bag body 7 from being caught on the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 when the state of the main body mechanism portion 4 changes from the first state to the second state. In addition, it is not essential for the bagging apparatus 1 that the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 is curved so as to protrude upward, and the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 may be a flat surface, for example.

Further, as in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 has a smaller friction coefficient than the placement surface 21. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the bag body 7 from being caught on the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 when the state of the main body mechanism portion 4 changes from the first state to the second state. In addition, it is not essential for the bagging apparatus 1 that the friction coefficient of the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 is small, and the friction coefficient of the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 may be approximately the same as the placement surface 21.

Further, as in the present embodiment, the bagging device 1 further includes a bag supply mechanism 13 that covers the bag body 7 with the bag mouth 71 facing downward with respect to the main body mechanism portion 4 in the first state. It is preferable. According to this structure, there exists an advantage that the effort which sets the bag body 7 to the main body mechanism part 4 can be saved. Note that the bag supply mechanism 13 is not an essential component of the bagging device 1, and the bag supply mechanism 13 may be omitted as appropriate.

(5) Modifications Hereinafter, modifications of the first embodiment will be listed.

The bagging device 1 may be configured to store the product 6 in the bag body 7, and is not limited to the shopping bag as described above, but stores the product 6 in the bag body 7 such as an eco bag or a net bag (packing). ). The material of the shopping bag is not limited to polyethylene but may be polypropylene, for example.

Further, the bag supply mechanism 13 may be configured to supply the main body mechanism unit 4 after turning the bag 7 upside down. In this case, since the bag body 7 is set in the main body mechanism portion 4 in an inverted state and further turned over to accommodate the product 6, the outer surface of the original bag body 7 is the outer surface in a state where the product 6 is accommodated. become. Therefore, when characters or the like are printed on the bag body 7, it is not necessary to use the bag body 7 that is reversely printed.

The use of the bagging device 1 is not limited to the convenience store, and the bagging device 1 may be installed in a store other than the convenience store. Furthermore, the bagging device 1 may be installed in a facility other than the store, such as an office or a factory.

Further, the drive unit 5 may be configured to move each of the support unit 2 and the guide unit 3 individually. In this case, the drive unit 5 may move only the guide unit 3 of the main body mechanism unit 4 upward to change the state of the main body mechanism unit 4 from the first state to the second state. Furthermore, the drive part 5 may move both the support part 2 and the guide part 3, and may change the state of the main body mechanism part 4 from a 1st state to a 2nd state.

Further, the drive unit 5 may not have a power source such as an electric motor for generating a drive force. For example, the drive unit 5 uses the force with which a person operates an operation unit such as a handle to It may be configured to drive. In this case, the bagging device 1 packs the product 6 by manually operating the main body mechanism unit 4 using the drive unit 5. Thus, the bagging apparatus 1 is not limited to an apparatus that automatically performs bagging, and may be used when a person manually performs bagging.

Further, the holding mechanism 14 is not limited to the vacuum suction pad, and may be configured to suck the bottom portion 72 by means other than vacuum suction. Furthermore, the holding mechanism 14 is not limited to adsorption, and may be configured to hold the bottom 72 by adhesion, for example, or to hold the bottom 72 of the bag body 7 so as to be gripped. When hold | maintaining by adhesion | attachment, the holding mechanism 14 is comprised by the adhesive sheet which exhibits the moderate adhesive force affixed on the upper surface (mounting surface 21) of the support part 2, for example.

Only one of the corner between the upper end surface 321 and the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 3 and the corner between the upper end surface 321 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 3 is chamfered with R (R). May be. Further, at least one of a corner portion between the upper end surface 321 and the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 3 and a corner portion between the upper end surface 321 and the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 3 are chamfered. May be.

Furthermore, the corners of the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge of the upper end surface 321 of the guide part 3 do not have to be formed round. In this case, it is preferable that the corner portion of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3 is formed below a portion (side portion) other than the corner portion in the guide portion 3. Thereby, the bag body 7 is less likely to be caught on the corner portion of the upper end surface 321 of the guide portion 3.

(Embodiment 2)
11A and 11B, the bagging device 1A according to the present embodiment is different from the bagging device 1 according to the first embodiment in that the shape of the guide portion 3A is not cylindrical. In addition, about the component similar to the bagging apparatus 1 which concerns on Embodiment 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

In the present embodiment, the guide portion 3A is formed along two sides of the mounting surface 21 that face each other. Specifically, the guide portion 3A includes a pair of wall portions 31A formed in a plate shape and a pair of covers 32A attached to the upper end portions of the wall portions 31A. The upper end surfaces of the pair of covers 32A correspond to the upper end surface 321A of the guide portion 3A.

1 A of bagging apparatuses change the side peripheral part 73 of the bag body 7 (not shown) by the state of 4 A of main body mechanism parts changing from the 1st state shown to FIG. 11A to the 2nd state shown to FIG. 11B. The product 6 (not shown) is accommodated in the bag body 7 by being raised upward from the bottom portion 72 by the guide portion 3A. That is, the guide portion 3 </ b> A only needs to be disposed around the support portion 2 along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface 21, and may be implemented even if it is not a guide portion having a shape surrounding the entire circumference of the placement surface 21. Similar to the first embodiment, the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 can be raised.

As a modification of the second embodiment, the guide portion 3A may have a pole shape provided at the four corners of the placement surface 21, for example. Even in this case, by changing the state of the main body mechanism portion 4A from the first state to the second state, the side peripheral portion 73 of the bag body 7 is raised upward from the bottom portion 72 by the guide portion 3A, and the bag body 7 can accommodate the product 6.

Note that the configuration described in the second embodiment (including modifications) can be applied in appropriate combination with the configuration described in the first embodiment (including modifications).

The present invention can be used for a bagging device that stores products in a bag.

DESCRIPTION OF

SYMBOLS

1,1A Bagging apparatus 2

Support part

3,

3A Guide part

4,4A Main body mechanism part 5 Drive part 6 Goods 7 Bag body 13 Bag supply mechanism 14 Holding mechanism 21 Loading surface 71 Bag mouth 72 Bottom part 73 Side peripheral part 321 321A Upper end surface

Claims

A main body mechanism portion having a support portion on which a placement surface on which a product is placed is formed, and a guide portion disposed around the support portion along the outer peripheral edge of the placement surface;
By moving at least one of the support part and the guide part, the state of the main body mechanism part is changed from the first state to the position of the support part relative to the guide part below the first state. A drive unit for changing to the second state,
The main body mechanism part is
In the first state, the bag body with the bag mouth facing downward is covered with the support part and the guide part from above, and the bottom part of the bag body is supported by the mounting surface,
When the state of the main body mechanism portion changes from the first state to the second state, the side peripheral portion of the bag body continuous with the bottom portion of the bag body is moved upward from the bottom portion by the guide portion. The bagging device is configured to start up and store the product in the bag body.
The drive unit is configured to change the state of the main body mechanism portion from the first state to the second state by moving only the support portion of the main body mechanism portion downward. The bagging device according to claim 1, wherein
The bagging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body mechanism portion further includes a holding mechanism that holds the bottom portion on the placement surface.
The main body mechanism portion is configured such that, in the second state, the height difference from the placement surface to the upper end surface of the guide portion is equal to or greater than the total length in the vertical direction of the bag body. The bagging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The bagging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the placement surface has a quadrangular shape.
The guide portion is formed in a cylindrical shape having at least an upper surface opened,
6. The support unit according to claim 1, wherein the support unit is configured to move relative to the guide unit in a space surrounded by the guide unit. Bagging equipment.
The shape of the inner periphery of the upper end surface of the said guide part and the shape of the outer periphery of the said mounting surface have a similar relationship. The bagging apparatus of Claim 6 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The bagging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an upper end surface of the guide portion is curved so as to be convex upward.
The bagging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the upper end surface of the guide portion has a smaller coefficient of friction than the placement surface.
10. The bag supply mechanism for covering the main body mechanism portion in the first state with the bag body in a state where the bag mouth is directed downward. The bagging device according to 1.