WO2024070913A1

WO2024070913A1 - Conveyance device and pouch container manufacturing system provided with same

Info

Publication number: WO2024070913A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/034399
Authority: WO
Inventors: 晃守山本; 聖仁井; 成郎宮城
Original assignee: 株式会社フジシールインターナショナル
Priority date: 2022-09-27
Filing date: 2023-09-22
Publication date: 2024-04-04

Abstract

A single bag body is adjusted for a positional error and is then conveyed.　A conveyance device 100 based on the present disclosure is provided with a transfer unit 120, a contact wall unit 130, and a pair of guidance wall units 140. The transfer unit 120 has a transfer surface 121. The transfer unit 120 transfers a flat bag body 91 placed at a predetermined placement position P1 on the transfer surface 121, to a predetermined adjustment position P2. The contact wall unit 130 is positioned on the transfer surface 121 so that the transferred bag body 91 contacts the contact wall unit 130 at the adjustment position P2 on the forward side in a transfer direction DT of the transfer unit 120. The pair of guidance wall units 140 are positioned on both sides in a second direction D2 of the bag body 91 that has been transferred to the adjustment position P2, the second direction D2 being orthogonal to a first direction D1 in which the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 contacts the contact wall unit 130, and being parallel to an in-plane direction of the transfer surface 121 at the adjustment position P2.

Description

Conveyor device and pouch container manufacturing system equipped with same

This disclosure relates to a conveying device and a pouch container manufacturing system equipped with the same.

JP 2021-70572 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a bag supply system including a conventional bag body conveying device. In the bag supply system, the bag bundle conveying device has a movably arranged support part. The bag bundle conveying device receives the bag bundle from the bag bundle transfer device in the transfer zone, and conveys the bag bundle from the transfer zone to the supply zone while being supported by the support part. The bag bundle removal device holds the bag bundle supported by the support part in the supply zone, and moves the bag bundle from the bag bundle conveying device to a supply relay position. The bag supplying device supplies bags included in the bag bundle arranged at the supply relay position to the packaging machine one after another.

JP 2021-70572 A

In Patent Document 1, after multiple bags are transported in a stacked state, the bags are transferred intermittently one by one from the stack to the next process. Here, the multiple bags in the stack may be misaligned when viewed from the stacking direction. For this reason, each bag removed one by one from the stack may be misaligned from its planned position in the next process. As a result, some kind of malfunction may occur in the next process.

For example, when manufacturing spout-equipped pouch containers by attaching a spout to a bag body, it is important to adjust the positional deviation of the bag body. If the position of a bag body is deviated from the planned position when the bag body is transported, there is a possibility that the spout will not be attached accurately to the planned position on the bag body.

This disclosure was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a conveying device that can adjust the positional deviation of a single bag body and then convey the bag body.

A conveying device according to the present disclosure includes a conveying portion, a contact wall portion, and a pair of guide walls.
The transfer section has a transfer surface. The transfer section transfers one flat bag body placed at a predetermined placement position on the transfer surface to a predetermined adjustment position. The abutment wall portion is located on the transfer surface such that the transferred bag body abuts on the front side in the transfer direction by the transfer section at the adjustment position. The pair of guide walls are respectively located on both sides of the bag body transferred to the adjustment position in a second direction that is perpendicular to a first direction in which the bag body transferred to the adjustment position abuts on the abutment wall portion and is parallel to the in-plane direction of the transfer surface at the adjustment position.

According to the present disclosure, the position of the bag body in the first direction is determined by the abutment wall portion, and the pair of guide walls also suppress deviation of the bag body's position in the second direction when the bag body abuts against the abutment wall portion. In this way, according to the conveying device based on the present disclosure, it is possible to convey a single bag body after adjusting for positional deviation.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a pouch container manufactured by a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a pouch container manufactured by a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a side view showing a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a plan view showing a state after a bag body has been transferred by a transfer section in a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state after a bag body has been transferred by a transfer section in a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state after a pair of guide walls are actuated in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a bag body is in the middle of being raised in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state immediately after a bag body is raised in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a rear view showing a state immediately after a bag body is raised in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a rear view illustrating the transport of a bag body by a second transport section in the transport device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a conveying device conveying a bag body to a spout arrangement device and a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a conveying device conveying a bag body to a spout placement device and a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a portion of a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a portion of a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the welding apparatus of FIG. 16 as viewed from the direction of the arrows along line XVIII-XVIII. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pouch container manufacturing system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a pouch container manufactured by a pouch container manufacturing system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a rear view showing a state immediately after the bag body is raised in the conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing a schematic diagram of a state in which a bag body is transferred by a second transfer section in a conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a conveying device opens a bag body and conveys it to a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the opening mechanism shown in FIG. 23. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the welding device shown in FIG. 23. FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating an example of another conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 10 is a front view showing another example of a pouch container manufactured by the pouch container manufacturing system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG.

Below, the conveying device and the pouch container manufacturing system equipped with the same according to each embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the following embodiments, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings will be given the same reference numerals, and the description will not be repeated.

(Embodiment 1)
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the pouch container manufacturing system 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure includes at least a conveying device 100, a spout arrangement device 200, and a welding device 300. The arrows shown in Fig. 1 indicate the flow of conveyance of a bag body constituting a pouch container manufactured in the pouch container manufacturing system 1. The bag body is conveyed by the conveying device 100.

First, an example of a pouch container manufactured by the pouch container manufacturing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a pouch container manufactured by the pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a pouch container manufactured by the pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pouch container 90 manufactured by the pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure includes a bag body 91 and a spout 92.

The bag body 91 includes at least a body portion 911 having a pair of sheets 91S facing each other. In this embodiment, no contents are contained inside the bag body 91. The bag body 91 has an upper end portion 912W and a bottom end portion 913. The upper end portion 912W is located at one end of the body portion 911. The bottom end portion 913 is the end portion of the body portion 911 opposite the upper end portion 912W. In this specification, the direction in which the upper end portion 912W and the bottom end portion 913 are aligned is referred to as the vertical direction of the pouch container 90 (bag body 91), the direction in which the pair of sheets 91S face each other is referred to as the thickness direction of the pouch container 90 (bag body 91), and the direction perpendicular to both the vertical direction and the thickness direction is referred to as the horizontal direction of the pouch container 90 (bag body 91).

The upper end 912W extends in parallel to the lateral direction of the bag body 91. A spout 92 is attached to the upper end 912W. Specifically, the spout 92 is sandwiched between the pair of sheets 91S at the upper end 912W. In this embodiment, the spout 92 is welded to each of the pair of sheets 91S. In addition, the portions of the upper end 912W located on both lateral sides as viewed from the spout 92 are welded to each of the pair of sheets 91S.

The body 911 is closed at the bottom end 913. The body 911 being closed means that the pair of sheets 91S constituting the body 911 are directly or indirectly connected. If the pouch container 90 has a bottom gusset sheet in addition to the pair of sheets 91S, the bottom end 913 is formed by welding the bottom gusset sheet located between the pair of sheets 91S to each of the pair of sheets 91S. If the pouch container 90 does not have a bottom gusset sheet, the bottom end 913 is formed by welding the pair of sheets 91S to each other. The part of the edge of the bottom end 913 that is farthest from the upper end 912W extends approximately parallel to the horizontal direction.

The bag body 91 further has a pair of side ends 914 as lateral ends. Each of the pair of side ends 914 extends from the upper end 912W to the bottom end 913. Each of the pair of side ends 914 extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bag body 91, but may extend in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the bag body 91. The pair of side ends 914 is formed by directly or indirectly connecting a pair of sheets 91S constituting the body 911. When the pouch container 90 has a pair of lateral gusset sheets in addition to the pair of sheets 91S, the pair of side ends 914 are formed by welding the corresponding lateral gusset sheets and each of the pair of sheets 91S to each other. When the pouch container 90 does not have a lateral gusset sheet, each of the pair of side ends 914 is formed by welding the pair of sheets 91S to each other.

As described above, the spout 92 is disposed between the pair of sheets 91S. The spout 92 is welded to each of the pair of sheets 91S. More specifically, the spout 92 is welded to the upper end 912W.

The spout 92 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape. The spout 92 is attached to the bag body 91 so that its axial direction extends generally parallel to the vertical direction of the bag body 91. As a result, the spout 92 is configured to be able to communicate between the internal space and the external space of the bag body 91. By attaching the spout 92, the contents contained in the bag body 91 can be poured through the spout 92. The spout 92 also has a welded portion 921 and a locking plate portion 922. The welded portion 921 is a portion that is welded to the pair of sheets 91S. The locking plate portion 922 extends radially outward in the pouring direction (axial direction) of the generally cylindrical spout 92. The locking plate portion 922 is positioned so as to contact the edge of the upper end portion 912W (the upper edge of the bag body 91).

Next, the details of the conveying device 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the conveying device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the conveying device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a rear view showing the conveying device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, the conveying device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a placement section 110, a transfer section 120, an abutment wall section 130, and a pair of guide walls 140. Specifically, the conveying device 100 includes two of each of the transfer section 120, the abutment wall section 130, and a pair of guide walls 140. Unless otherwise specified, the following describes one of the two transfer sections 120, the abutment wall section 130 corresponding to the transfer section 120, and the pair of guide walls 140 corresponding to the transfer section 120 and the abutment wall section 130. The two transfer sections 120 have substantially the same configuration, the two abutment walls 130 have substantially the same configuration, and the two "pairs of guide walls 140" have substantially the same configuration.

FIGS. 4 to 6 also show a bag body 91 placed at a placement position P1, which will be described later. The bag body 91 transported by the transport device 100 according to this embodiment is in a state before the spout 92 is attached. Because the spout 92 is not attached to this bag body 91, the pair of sheets 91S are positioned approximately parallel to each other. Thus, the bag body 91 is in a flat state. The bag body 91 transported by the transport device 100 has an opening end 912 located at one end of the body portion 911, instead of the upper end 912W described above. At the opening end 912, the pair of sheets 91S are not welded to each other.

The placement unit 110 places the bag body 91 from a predetermined waiting position P0 to a predetermined placement position P1. At the waiting position P0, a plurality of bag bodies 91 are stacked on top of each other to form a stack 9. The placement unit 110 removes the bag body 91 located at the top of the stack 9 and places it at the placement position P1. The placement unit 110 repeats this operation. That is, the bag bodies 91 are intermittently placed one by one at the placement position P1. Note that in the conveying device 100 according to this embodiment, there are two waiting positions P0 and two placement positions P1 corresponding to the two transfer units 120, respectively.

The placement section 110 has an arm section 111 and two suction units 112 provided at the tip of the arm section 111. The arm section 111 is configured to be rotatable so that the suction unit 112 is positioned above the standby position P0. The suction unit 112 positioned above the standby position P0 then suctions the bag body 91 positioned at the top of the stack 9. With the bag body 91 suctioned by the suction unit 112, the arm section 111 rotates. The arm section 111 rotates so that the suctioned bag body 91 is positioned above the placement position P1. The suction unit 112 releases suction from the bag body 91 positioned above the placement position P1. As a result, the bag body 91 is placed on the placement position P1. Note that the configuration of the placement section 110 and the specific method of placing the bag body 91 are not limited to those described above.

The stack 9 waiting at the standby position P0 may be positioned when viewed from the thickness direction before being placed at the standby position P0 by another device. However, each of the multiple bags 91 constituting the stack 9 may have an error within the tolerance range in the vertical and horizontal dimensions when viewed from the thickness direction compared to the design dimensions. For this reason, it is important to position the bag bodies 91 after they are placed one by one at the placement position P1 by the placement unit 110.

7 is a plan view showing the state after the transfer of the bag body by the transfer unit in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the state after the transfer of the bag body by the transfer unit in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the transfer unit 120 has a transfer surface 121. The above-mentioned placement position P1 is a predetermined position on the transfer surface 121. The transfer unit 120 transfers one flat bag body 91 placed on the placement position P1 to an adjustment position P2, which is another position on the transfer surface 121. The orientation of the transfer direction DT from the placement position P1 to the adjustment position P2 may be constant or may change during transfer (i.e., the trajectory of the transfer of the bag body 91 is not a straight line). In this embodiment, the orientation of the transfer direction DT is constant.

In this embodiment, the transfer section 120 has a conveyor belt 121B and a pair of pulleys 122 around which the conveyor belt 121B is wound. The transfer surface 121 is formed by the outer surface of the conveyor belt 121B extending from one of the pair of pulleys 122 to the other. When the bag body 91 is placed at the placement position P1 on the conveyor belt 121B, one of the pair of pulleys 122 is driven. As a result, the bag body 91 located at the placement position P1 on the conveyor belt 121B is transferred to the adjustment position P2.

The abutment wall portion 130 is positioned on the transfer surface 121 so that the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 abuts on the front side of the transfer direction DT by the transfer section 120 at the adjustment position P2. The placement section 110 places the bag body 91 at the placement position P1 so that the bottom end portion 913 of the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 by the transfer section 120 abuts on the abutment wall portion 130. In this embodiment, the placement section 110 places the bag body 91 at the placement position P1 so that the bottom end portion 913 side faces the transfer direction DT. In other words, the placement section 110 places the bag body 91 at the placement position P1 so that the bottom end portion 913 side faces the abutment wall portion 130 side. As a result, the bottom end portion 913 of the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 abuts on the abutment wall portion 130. After the bottom end 913 abuts against the abutment wall 130, the transfer operation of the transfer unit 120 (specifically, the sliding of the conveyor belt 121B) continues for a predetermined time, and then the transfer operation stops. In this embodiment, the transfer direction DT is horizontal. The placement unit 110 may place the bag body 91 on the placement position P1 in an orientation such that the opening end 912 or the side end 914 abuts against the abutment wall 130.

The abutment wall 130 extends parallel to the second direction D2, which is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1 in which the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 abuts against the abutment wall 130 and is parallel to the in-plane direction of the transfer surface 121 at the adjustment position P2. As described above, in this embodiment, the edge of the bottom end 913 of the bag body 91 that is farthest from the opening end 912 extends approximately parallel to the horizontal direction. Therefore, when the bag body 91 abuts against the abutment wall 130 and the transfer operation of the transfer section 120 continues for a predetermined time, the orientation of the bag body 91 is accurately adjusted so that the edge is aligned with the abutment wall 130. Specifically, the orientation of the bag body 91 is adjusted so that the vertical direction of the bag body 91 is parallel to the first direction D1. Note that in this embodiment, both the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are parallel to the horizontal plane.

The pair of guide walls 140 are located on either side of the bag body 91 that has been moved to the adjustment position P2 in the second direction D2. In this embodiment, each of the pair of guide walls 140 extends parallel to the first direction D1. However, each of the pair of guide walls 140 may extend in a direction that intersects with the first direction D1 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to both the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 (the vertical direction in this embodiment).

9 is a plan view showing a state after the pair of guide walls are actuated in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the pair of guide walls 140 are configured to approach each other so that the separation distance between them in the second direction D2 is a predetermined dimension after the bag body 91 abuts against the abutment wall 130, and to be in contact with the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2, thereby adjusting the position of the bag body 91 in the second direction D2. In this embodiment, as described above, each of the pair of guide walls 140 extends parallel to the first direction D1. The side end portions 914 of the bag body 91 extend parallel to the vertical direction. As a result, the orientation of the bag body 91 is adjusted so that the vertical direction of the bag body 91 is parallel to the first direction D1.

In the case where the side end 914 of the bag body 91 extends in a direction intersecting the vertical direction, the orientation of each of the pair of guide wall portions 140 may be set to correspond to the direction in which the side end 914 extends. As a result, even if the bag body 91 has a shape different from that of this embodiment (for example, the shape of the bag body 91 when viewed from the thickness direction is tapered), the orientation of the bag body 91 can be adjusted at the adjustment position P2 so that the vertical direction of the bag body 91 is parallel to the first direction D1.

The conveying device 100 further includes a lifting section 150. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the conveying device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure in the middle of lifting the bag body. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the conveying device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure in the state immediately after the bag body has been lifted. FIG. 12 is a rear view showing the conveying device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure in the state immediately after the bag body has been lifted. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, the lifting section 150 lifts the bag body 91 transferred to adjustment position P2 so that the open end 912 faces upward.

The rising portion 150 has an axis portion 151, a rotating portion 152, a support portion 153, and an adsorption holding portion 154. The axis portion 151 extends parallel to the second direction D2. The axis portion 151 is located on the opposite side of the adjustment position P2 side as viewed from the abutment wall portion 130 in the first direction D1. The rotating portion 152 is journaled on the axis portion 151. As viewed from the second direction D2, the rotating portion 152 extends in a radial direction centered on the axis portion 151. As viewed from the second direction D2, the rotating portion 152 is configured to be freely rotatable about the axis portion 151. The support portion 153 is connected to the rotating portion 152. The support portion 153 extends along the second direction D2. The support portion 153 is located so as to be aligned with the adjustment position P2 in a direction perpendicular to the second direction D2. The suction holding portion 154 is provided on the support portion 153. The rising portion 150 has two suction holding portions 154. In a direction perpendicular to the second direction D2, the two suction holding portions 154 are positioned so as to be aligned with the two adjustment positions P2, respectively.

The operation of the raising section 150 will be described in detail. First, as shown in FIG. 10, when the bag body 91 is located at the adjustment position P2, the rotating section 152 rotates around the shaft section 151. As the rotating section 152 rotates, the support section 153 and the suction holding section 154 also displace in the circumferential direction around the shaft section 151 when viewed from the second direction D2. This displacement causes the suction holding section 154 to come into contact with the bag body 91 located at the adjustment position P2. The suction holding section 154 adheres to the bag body 91 it comes into contact with. As a result, the bag body 91 is held by the suction holding section 154. As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, after the suction holding section 154 is in a state where it is holding the bag body 91, the rotating section 152 rotates in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned rotation direction. As the rotating part 152 rotates, the support part 153 and the suction holding part 154 holding the bag body 91 are also displaced in the circumferential direction about the shaft part 151 when viewed from the second direction D2. Due to this displacement, the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 moves away from the adjustment position P2 and is raised so that the opening end 912 faces upward.

The conveying device 100 further includes a second transfer section 160. FIG. 13 is a rear view that shows, in outline, the manner in which the bag body is transferred by the second transfer section in the conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the second transfer section 160 transfers the raised bag body 91 from the raising section 150 to the spout arrangement device 200 while keeping the bag body 91 in the raised state.

The configuration of the second transfer section 160 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the second transfer section 160 has a transfer section 161 and a holding and conveying mechanism 162. The transfer section 161 transfers the bag body 91 raised by the raising section 150 to the holding and conveying mechanism 162. At this time, the bag body 91 is passed so as to be displaced in the horizontal direction. Therefore, even after being passed to the holding and conveying mechanism 162, the position of the bag body 91 in the vertical direction (lengthwise direction) is maintained. The configuration of the transfer section 161 is not particularly limited, but for example, after the transfer section 161 holds the raised bag body 91 in a clamping manner, the suction and holding of the bag body 91 by the suction holding section 154 is released. After clamping the bag body 91, the transfer section 161 displaces in the horizontal direction and passes the bag body 91 to the holding and conveying mechanism 162. The configuration of the holding and conveying mechanism 162 is not particularly limited, but the bag body 91 is held from one or both sides of the pair of sheets 91S of the bag body 91 in the opposing direction by a suction holding unit (not shown), while displacing the bag body 91 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the vertical (lengthwise) position of the bag body 91 is maintained until the bag body 91 is transferred to the spout arrangement device 200 by the holding and conveying mechanism 162.

FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a conveying device conveys a bag body to a spout arrangement device and a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
15 is a schematic front view showing a state in which a conveying device conveys a bag body to a spout arrangement device and a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the spout arrangement device 200 arranges a spout 92 between a pair of sheets 91S at an open end 912 of the bag body 91 conveyed by the conveying device 100.

The configuration of the spout placement device 200 is not particularly limited. The spout placement device 200 has a main body 210, a sliding portion 211, and a chuck portion 212. The sliding portion 211 is provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the main body 210. The chuck portion 212 is attached to the sliding portion 211. The chuck portion 212 is configured so as to be able to clamp the spout 92 and to be able to release the clamping of the spout 92.

A more specific example of the arrangement of the spout 92 will now be described. First, the pair of sheets 91S at the opening end 912 of the bag body 91 are separated from each other by the suction holding section (not shown) of the second transfer section 160 of the conveying device 100. After this separation operation of the bag body 91, the sliding section 211 is displaced downward with the chuck section 212 clamping the spout 92. As a result, the spout 92 is arranged between the pair of sheets 91S at the opening end 912.

Next, the welding device 300 will be described. The welding device 300 welds the spout 92 disposed between the pair of sheets 91S to each of the pair of sheets 91S.

The welding device 300 includes a pair of spare seal bars 305, a pressing portion 310, a pair of seal bars 320, a pair of first long seal bars 330, a pair of second long seal bars 340, and a cooling bar 350.

The pair of preliminary seal bars 305 sandwich a portion of the opening end 912 of the bag body 91, with the spout 92 disposed between the pair of sheets 91S, while applying heat from both sides in the opposing direction of the pair of sheets 91S (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "sheet opposing direction" in this specification), thereby preliminary welding the portion of the pair of sheets 91S to each other. The welding area W1 at this time is the portion of the opening end 912 adjacent to the spout 92 (welded portion 921). This makes it possible to prevent the spout 92 from shifting laterally until the spout 92 is welded to the bag body 91.

The welding area W1 of the spare seal bar 305 is located as described above. Therefore, even if the shape of the bag body 91 when viewed in the thickness direction is changed from this embodiment, there is almost no need to change the welding area W1 to accommodate the changed bag body 91. In other words, by placing the welding area W1 in the above-mentioned position, it is possible to prevent the need to change the shape of the spare seal bar 305.

After the above-mentioned preliminary welding, the conveying device 100 (specifically, the second transfer section 160) transfers the bag body 91 supporting the spout 92 to a sealing position by the sealing bar 320.

The following describes welding of the bag body 91 that has been transferred to the sealing position by the pair of sealing bars 320. First, before welding is performed by the pair of sealing bars 320, the pressing unit 310 presses the spout 92 against the bag body 91 from above so that the locking plate unit 922 locks with the edge of the pair of sheets 91S at the opening end 912. This makes it possible to suppress the positional deviation of the spout 92 in the vertical direction relative to the bag body 91. Then, the pair of sealing bars 320 presses the opening end 912 against the spout 92 pressed against the bag body 91 from above while heating it from both sides in the sheet facing direction, thereby welding the spout 92 to the opening end 912. The welding area W2 at this time is shorter than the length of the opening end 912 in the horizontal direction. In addition, in the welding area W2, approximately only the welded portion 921 of the spout 92 is welded to each of the pair of sheets 91S. This allows the entire opening end 912 to be further welded in a later process, lengthening the welding time between the spout 92 and the sheet 91S.

The welding area W2 by the seal bar 320 is located as described above. Therefore, even if the shape of the bag body 91 when viewed in the thickness direction is changed from this embodiment, there is almost no need to change the welding area W2 to correspond to the changed bag body 91. In other words, by placing the welding area W2 in the above-mentioned position, it is possible to prevent the need to change the shape of the seal bar 320.

After the above-mentioned welding, the conveying device 100 (specifically, the second transfer section 160) transfers the bag body 91 with the spout 92 welded to a sealing position by the first long seal bar 330.

The pair of first long seal bars 330 heats and presses the opening end 912, to which the spout 92 has been pre-welded, from both sides in the sheet facing direction, thereby further welding the spout 92 to the opening end 912. Furthermore, the above-mentioned heating and pressing welds the pair of sheets 91S together at the portions of the opening end 912 on both lateral sides as viewed from the spout 92. This closes the opening end 912 except for the portion welded to the spout 92, and forms the upper end 912W.

In this case, the welded area W3 extends over the entire opening end 912. Therefore, if the shape of the bag body 91 as viewed in the thickness direction (particularly the horizontal length of the opening end 912) is changed from this embodiment, or if the bag body 91 is changed to have a horizontal gusset sheet, it may be necessary to change the welded area W3 to accommodate the changed bag body 91. In other words, the first long seal bar 330 may need to be reshaped.

After the above-mentioned welding, the conveying device 100 (specifically, the second transfer section 160) transfers the bag body 91 with the upper end portion 912W formed to a sealing position by the second long seal bar 340.

The pair of second long seal bars 340 heat and press the upper end 912W from both sides in the sheet facing direction, thereby further welding the spout 92 to the upper end 912W. Furthermore, the above heating and pressing further welds the pair of sheets 91S to each other at the upper end 912W. This improves the welding strength of the upper end 912W.

In this embodiment, the welded region W4 at this time is the same as the welded region W3.
Therefore, similarly to the first long seal bar 330, a change in the design of the bag body 91 may require the second long seal bar 340 to be remodeled.

After the above-mentioned welding, the conveying device 100 (specifically, the second transfer section 160) transfers the bag body 91, whose upper end 912W has improved welding strength, to a cooling position using the cooling bar 350.

The pair of cooling bars 350 cools and presses the upper end 912W from both sides in the sheet facing direction, thereby cooling the upper end 912W that has risen due to the above-mentioned welding. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the cooling area C at this time covers the entire upper end 912W and is an area larger than the size of the upper end 912W when viewed from the thickness direction. For this reason, as with the first long seal bar 330 and the second long seal bar 340, a change in the design of the bag body 91 may require the cooling bar 350 to be remodeled.

The pouch container manufacturing system 1 described above produces a pouch container 90 according to this embodiment as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In this embodiment, the pair of first long seal bars 330 are unitized. Therefore, even when the above-mentioned type change work of the first long seal bar 330 is required, the time required for the work can be reduced. The unitized first long seal bar 330 will be described below.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing a part of a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a part of a welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the welding device in FIG. 16 as viewed from the direction of the XVIII-XVIII line arrows.

As shown in Figures 16 to 18, in this embodiment, the welding device 300 includes a welding unit 330U. In addition to the pair of first long seal bars 330 described above, the welding unit 330U includes a first main body portion 331A, a second main body portion 331B, a first sliding mechanism 332A, a second sliding mechanism 332B, a connection portion 333, and an automatic centering mechanism 334.

The first main body 331A is located on the opposite side of the first long seal bar 330B from the other first long seal bar 330A of the pair of first long seal bars 330. The first sliding mechanism 332A is fixedly connected to the first long seal bar 330A. The first sliding mechanism 332A is provided on the first main body 331A so as to be slidable in the opposing direction of the pair of first long seal bars 330. This allows the first long seal bar 330A to be pressed against the bag body 91 located between the pair of first long seal bars 330.

The second main body 331B is located on the opposite side of the first long seal bar 330A when viewed from the first long seal bar 330B. The second sliding mechanism 332B is connected to the first long seal bar 330B via an automatic alignment mechanism 334. The second sliding mechanism 332B is provided on the second main body 331B so as to be slidable in the opposing direction of the pair of first long seal bars 330. This allows the first long seal bar 330B to be pressed against the bag body 91 located between the pair of first long seal bars 330.

The connection portion 333 is connected and fixed to both the first body portion 331A and the second body portion 331B. This fixes the relative positional relationship between the first body portion 331A and the second body portion 331B. As a result, the welding mechanism for the pair of first long seal bars 330 is unitized as a welding unit 330U.

The automatic alignment mechanism 334 is connected to the first long seal bar 330B and the second sliding mechanism 332B so that the orientation of the seal surface of the first long seal bar 330B relative to the second sliding mechanism 332B can be changed. This allows easy adjustment of the contact of the first long seal bar 330B with the bag body 91. The specific configuration of the automatic alignment mechanism 334 is not particularly limited. The automatic alignment mechanism 334 may be composed of, for example, a shaft portion and an automatic alignment roller bearing that supports the shaft portion.

Furthermore, the welding mechanism for the second long seal bar 340 and the cooling mechanism for the cooling bar 350 may also be unitized like the welding unit 330U. By unitizing them, it is possible to shorten the time required for the above-mentioned type change work of the second long seal bar 340 and the cooling bar 350.

As described above, the conveying device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a transfer section 120, a contact wall section 130, and a pair of guide walls 140. The transfer section 120 has a transfer surface 121. The transfer section 120 transfers one flat bag body 91 placed at a predetermined placement position P1 on the transfer surface 121 to a predetermined adjustment position P2. The contact wall section 130 is positioned on the transfer surface 121 so that the transferred bag body 91 abuts on the front side of the transfer direction DT by the transfer section 120 at the adjustment position P2. The pair of guide walls 140 are positioned on both sides of the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 in the second direction D2, which is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1 in which the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 abuts on the abutment wall section 130 and is parallel to the in-plane direction of the transfer surface 121 at the adjustment position P2.

With the above configuration, the position of the bag body 91 in the first direction D1 is determined by the abutment wall portion 130, and the pair of guide walls 140 also suppress deviation in the position of the bag body 91 in the second direction D2 when the bag body 91 abuts against the abutment wall portion 130. In this way, with the conveying device 100, it is possible to adjust the positional deviation of one bag body 91 and then convey the bag body 91.

Furthermore, in embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the pair of guide walls 140 are configured to approach each other so that the separation distance between them in the second direction D2 is a predetermined dimension after the bag body 91 abuts against the abutment wall 130, thereby contacting the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 and adjusting the position of the bag body 91 in the second direction D2.

With the above configuration, the pair of guide walls 140 determine the position of the bag body 91 in the second direction D2. This allows the positional deviation of one bag body 91 to be adjusted with even greater precision before the bag body 91 is transported.

Furthermore, with the above configuration, when the bag body 91 is being transported by the transport section 120, the separation distance between the pair of guide wall sections 140 can be set to be large relative to the lateral dimension of the bag body 91. This makes it possible to prevent the bag body 91 from getting stuck between the guide wall sections 140 and the transport section 120 during transport.

Furthermore, the conveying device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a placement unit 110. The placement unit 110 places a bag body 91 at a placement position P1, the bag body 91 including at least a body portion 911 having at least a pair of opposing sheets 91S, an opening end 912 located at one end of the body portion 911, and a bottom end 913 at the end opposite the opening end 912 where the body portion 911 is closed. The placement unit 110 places the bag body 91 at the placement position P1 so that the bottom end 913 of the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 by the transfer unit 120 abuts against the abutment wall portion 130.

The bottom end 913 of the bag body 91 has a relatively high rigidity compared to the opening end 912. Therefore, with the above configuration, buckling of the bag body 91 is suppressed when the bag body 91 abuts against the abutment wall portion 130. By suppressing buckling, the accuracy of adjusting the positional deviation for one bag body 91 at the adjustment position P2 is further improved.

Furthermore, the pouch container manufacturing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a conveying device 100, a spout arrangement device 200, and a welding device 300. The spout arrangement device 200 arranges a spout 92 between a pair of sheets 91S at the opening end 912 of the bag body 91 conveyed by the conveying device 100. The welding device 300 welds the spout 92 arranged between the pair of sheets 91S to each of the pair of sheets 91S. The conveying device 100 further includes a raising section 150 and a second transfer section 160. The raising section 150 raises the bag body 91 transferred to the adjustment position P2 so that the opening end 912 faces upward. The second transfer section 160 transfers the raised bag body 91 from the raising section 150 to the spout arrangement device 200 while keeping it raised. The welding device 300 includes a pressing unit 310 and a pair of seal bars 320. The pressing unit 310 presses the spout 92, which has a locking plate portion 922 extending radially outward relative to the pouring direction of the spout 92, against the bag body 91 from above so that the locking plate portion 922 locks with the edge of the pair of sheets 91S at the opening end 912. The pair of seal bars 320 presses the opening end 912 against the spout 92 pressed against the bag body 91 from above while applying heat from both sides in the opposing direction of the pair of sheets 91S, thereby welding the spout 92 to the opening end 912.

The position of the bag body 91 is adjusted by abutting the abutment wall portion 130 at the bottom end 913. That is, the bag body 91 is pre-positioned at the bottom end 913 side when the spout 92 is attached to the bag body 91 in the pouch container manufacturing system 1. For this reason, if there is an error within the tolerance range in the vertical dimension of the bag body 91, it may seem that the spout 92 cannot be welded to the intended position of the opening end 912 of the bag body 91. However, with the above configuration, the spout 92 is pressed against the opening end 912 in the vertical direction of the bag body 91, so that the spout 92 can be welded to the appropriate position of the opening end 912.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure and a pouch container manufacturing system including the same will be described. The conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure differs from the conveying device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure in that it is provided with a second transfer unit configuration and an opening mechanism. The pouch container manufacturing system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure also differs from the pouch container manufacturing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure in that it is provided with a top gusset sheet conveying device instead of a spout arrangement device, and that a belt-like sheet member for cutting out the top gusset sheet is welded to a bag body in a welding device. Therefore, the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment of the present disclosure will not be repeated.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 19, the pouch container manufacturing system 1a according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure includes a conveying device 100a, a welding device 300a, a top gusset sheet conveying device 400, and a cutting device 500.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing an example of a pouch container manufactured by a pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. A pouch container 90a manufactured by a pouch container manufacturing system 1a according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure includes a top gusset sheet 93. Accordingly, the configuration of a portion of a body portion 911a of a bag body 91a differs from that of embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

Specifically, the body 911a of the bag body 91a is formed by compressing a cylindrical body formed by curling a single sheet and welding both end edges of the sheet together in the radial direction. The pair of side ends 914a are formed by bending the single sheet. Therefore, the pair of sheets 91Sa are continuous without forming a welded portion at the side ends 914. On the back surface of the body 911a, a welded portion (not shown) formed by welding both end edges to each other extends vertically. Note that in this embodiment, the entire bottom end 913a extends parallel to the horizontal direction.

The top gusset sheet 93 is welded to the upper end 912Wa. Specifically, the top gusset sheet 93 is positioned between a pair of sheets 91S. The peripheral ends of the top gusset sheet 93 are welded to each of the pair of sheets 91S. The welded portion between the top gusset sheet 93 and the pair of sheets 91S extends across the entire width of the pouch container 90a. In other words, the upper end 912Wa extends across the entire width of the bag body 91a.

In this embodiment, the spout 92a is welded to the top lining sheet 93 so as to cover a hole provided in the center of the top lining sheet 93. The spout 92a is not welded to the bag body 91a.

Next, the details of the conveying device 100a shown in FIG. 19 will be described. The bag body 91a conveyed by the conveying device 100a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is in a state before the top lining sheet 93 is welded. Therefore, in the bag body 91a conveyed by the conveying device 100a, as in the first embodiment, conveying begins in a state in which the pair of sheets 91S are positioned approximately parallel to each other (i.e., the bag body 91a is in a flat state).

The conveying device 100a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is generally similar in configuration to the conveying device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, but the configuration of the second transfer section 160 is partially different. FIG. 21 is a rear view showing the state immediately after the bag body is raised in the conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 22 is a rear view showing, in the conveying device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the state in which the bag body is transferred by the second transfer section.

21 and 22, in the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the second transfer section 160a has a movable suction mechanism 163 extending in the horizontal direction and a fixed suction mechanism 164. The movable suction mechanism 163 suctions and holds the bag body 91a raised by the raising section 150.

The movable suction mechanism 163 is configured to be drivable in the horizontal direction by a drive mechanism (not shown). As a result, the movable suction mechanism 163 displaces the bag body 91a that is adsorbed and held by the movable suction mechanism 163 in the horizontal direction along the extension direction of the movable suction mechanism 163.

The fixed suction mechanism 164 is aligned horizontally with the movable suction mechanism 163 and aligned in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the bag body 91a. Like the movable suction mechanism 163, the fixed suction mechanism 164 is configured to be able to adsorb and hold the bag body 91a transported by the movable suction mechanism 163. This allows the second transport section 160 to hold the multiple bag bodies 91a with either the movable suction mechanism 163 or the fixed suction mechanism 164, while displacing some of the multiple bag bodies 91a in the horizontal direction with the movable suction mechanism 163. As a result, the spacing between the multiple bag bodies 91a can be adjusted.

In the second embodiment, the second transfer unit 160a may have the same configuration as the second transfer unit 160 in the first embodiment. In this case, the holding and conveying mechanism 162 may be composed of a movable suction mechanism 163 and a fixed suction mechanism 164.

The conveying device 100a according to this embodiment expands the bag body 91a before transferring the bag body 91a to the welding device 300a by the second transfer section 160a. FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing the conveying device expanding the bag body and transporting it to the welding device in a pouch container manufacturing system according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 23, the conveying device 100a according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure further includes an expansion mechanism 170.

The bag body 91a is transported into the expansion mechanism 170 by the second transfer section 160a. The expansion mechanism 170 expands the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a. Figure 24 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the expansion mechanism shown in Figure 23. Figures 24(A) to 24(E) show the expansion operation of the welding margin 915 over time.

As shown in FIG. 23, the welding margin 915 is provided in advance by forming a pair of slits 916 in the bag body 91a. The pair of slits 916 are each formed in advance at the end of the opening end 912a side in the extension direction of each of the pair of side ends 914a described above. The welding margin 915 is provided so that the opening end 912a can be opened, and the pair of sheets 91Sa that make up the welding margin 915 can be expanded in directions away from each other.

23 and 24(A) to 24(E), the expansion mechanism 170 has a set of suction mechanisms 171, a set of first press dies 172, and a second press die 173, and a drive mechanism 174 that drives them. The set of suction mechanisms 171 are arranged opposite each other with the bag body 91a therebetween, and are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) in the direction of arrow AR1 shown in FIG. 23. The set of first press dies 172 are also arranged opposite each other with the bag body 91a therebetween, and are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) in the direction of arrow AR2 shown in FIG. 23. The second press die 173 is located above the bag body 91a so as to face the set of first press dies 172, and is driven by the drive mechanism 174 in the direction of arrow AR3 shown in FIG. 23.

As shown in Figures 23 and 24 (A), in the opening mechanism 170, the bag body 91a transferred by the second transfer section 160a is placed between a set of first press dies 172. At this time, the set of first press dies 172 may reciprocate so as to move toward and away from each other, thereby ensuring that the bag body 91a is securely sandwiched between the set of first press dies 172 when the bag body 91a is transferred.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24(B), a set of suction mechanisms 171 are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to move in the direction of arrow AR1a (see FIG. 24(A)), and the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a is held by the set of suction mechanisms 171.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24(C), a set of suction mechanisms 171 are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to rotate in the direction of arrow AR1b in the figure (see FIG. 24(B)), and the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a is expanded by the set of suction mechanisms 171.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24(D), a set of first press dies 172 are driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to move in the direction of arrow AR2a (see FIG. 24(C)), and a second press die 173 is driven by a drive mechanism 174 to move in the direction of arrow AR3a (see FIG. 24(C)), so that the weld margin 915 of the expanded bag body 91a is sandwiched and pressed between the set of first press dies 172 and second press dies 173. At this time, the hold of the weld margin 915 by the set of suction mechanisms 171 is released.

Here, a V-groove 173a is provided on the pressing surface of the second press die 173, and the upper end of the set of first press dies 172 has a tapered shape corresponding to this V-groove 173a. When the upper end of the set of first press dies 172 is inserted into the V-groove 173a of the second press die 173, the set of first press dies 172 and second press dies 173 form a fold at the base of the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24(E), the second press dies 173 are driven by the drive mechanism 174 to move in the direction of the arrow AR3b (see FIG. 24(D)), so that the bag body 91a with the crease formed is held by a set of first press dies 172. In this state, the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a is maintained in an expanded state due to the crease described above.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23, the bag body 91a is transferred to the welding device 300a by the second transfer section 160a, and the set of suction mechanisms 171 and the set of first press dies 172 each return to their initial positions shown in FIG. 24(A).

Next, the top gusset sheet conveying device 400 will be described. More specifically, the top gusset sheet conveying device 400 conveys a belt-like sheet member 93S that is continuous in the conveying direction in order to cut out a plurality of top gusset sheets 93. The belt-like sheet member 93S is provided in advance with a plurality of spouts 92a that are welded to cover a plurality of holes formed in the center of the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

The top gusset sheet conveying device 400 is located above the second conveying section 160a. The top gusset sheet conveying device 400 conveys the belt-like sheet material 93S parallel to the conveying direction of the bag body 91a by the second conveying section 160a. The top gusset sheet conveying device 400 conveys the belt-like sheet material 93S to the welding device 300a. The configuration of the top gusset sheet conveying device 400 is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known long sheet unwinding mechanism may be adopted.

Next, the operation of the welding device 300a in embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the welding device shown in FIG. 23. FIG. 25(A) to FIG. 25(F) show the operation of welding the bag body 91a to the belt-like sheet member 93S over time.

As shown in Figures 23 and 25(A) to 25(F), the welding device 300a has a set of half-split first welding heads 361, a drive mechanism 362 that drives the first welding heads, a second welding head 363, a drive mechanism 364 that drives the second welding head, a set of guide bars 365, and a drive mechanism 366 that drives the second welding heads.

The pair of first welding heads 361 are disposed opposite each other to sandwich the bag body 91a, and are driven by a drive mechanism 362 in the direction of arrow AR4 shown in FIG. 23, and are also driven by another drive mechanism (not shown) in the direction of arrow AR5 shown in FIG. 23. The second welding head 363 is located above the bag body 91a to face the pair of first welding heads 361, and is driven by a drive mechanism 364 in the direction of arrow AR6 shown in FIG. 23. The pair of guide bars 365 are located to the side of the bag body 91a, and are driven by a drive mechanism 366 in the direction of arrow AR7 shown in FIG. 23.

As shown in Figures 23 and 25(A), in the welding device 300a, the bag body 91a transferred by the second transfer section 160a is placed between a pair of half-shaped first welding heads 361. At this time, the pair of first welding heads 361 are placed in an initial position facing a portion of the bag body 91a located below the welding margin 915 at a predetermined distance. In addition, the pair of guide bars 365 are placed in an initial position located above the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 25(B), a set of first welding heads 361 are driven by a driving mechanism 362 to move in the direction of arrow AR4a (see FIG. 25(A)), whereby the portion of the bag body 91a located below the welding margin 915 is sandwiched between the set of first welding heads 361.

Next, as shown in FIG. 25(C), the set of first welding heads 361 are driven by another driving mechanism (not shown) different from the driving mechanism 362 to move in the direction of the arrow AR5a in the figure (see FIG. 25(B)), whereby the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a is sandwiched between the set of first welding heads 361 and the set of guide bars 365. This maintains the welding margin 915 in an expanded state.

Next, as shown in FIG. 25(D), the set of first welding heads 361 continues to be driven in the direction of arrow AR5a (see FIG. 25(C)) by another drive mechanism (not shown) different from drive mechanism 362, and the set of guide bars 365 is driven by another drive mechanism (not shown) different from drive mechanism 366, thereby moving bag body 91a toward belt-like sheet member 93S while maintaining the state in which the welding margin 915 of bag body 91a is sandwiched between the set of first welding heads 361 and the set of guide bars 365. At this time, the hold of bag body 91a by second transport section 160a is also released at the same time.

Then, when the bag body 91a approaches the belt-like sheet member 93S by a predetermined distance, the set of guide bars 365 is driven by the drive mechanism 366 to rotate in the direction of the arrow AR7a in the figure, and the set of guide bars 365 is retracted from its position above the set of first welding heads 361.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 25(E), the pair of first welding heads 361 are driven by another driving mechanism (not shown) different from driving mechanism 362 in the direction of arrow AR5a (see FIG. 25(D)), and second welding head 363 is driven by driving mechanism 364 to move in the direction of arrow AR6a (see FIG. 25(D)), thereby supplying bag body 91a to the belt-like film member. As a result, the welding margin 915 of bag body 91a and the portion of belt-like sheet member 93S to which spout 92a is attached (i.e., the portion that will become the top gusset sheet) overlap, and this overlapped portion is sandwiched between the pair of first welding head 361 and second welding head 363.

At that time, the welding margin 915 of the overlapping bag body 91a and the belt-like film member are sandwiched between a pair of a first welding head 361 and a second welding head each having a built-in heater, so that the welding margin 915 of the bag body 91a is welded to the belt-like sheet member 93S.

Next, as shown in FIG. 25(F), the pair of first welding heads 361 releases the clamping of the bag body 91a, and the pair of first welding heads 361 is driven by another drive mechanism (not shown) different from the drive mechanism 362 to move in the direction of the arrow AR5b in the figure (see FIG. 25(E)), while the second welding head 363 is driven by the drive mechanism 364 to move in the direction of the arrow AR6b in the figure (see FIG. 25(E)), thereby releasing the hold of the belt-shaped sheet member 93S and the bag body 91a welded thereto by the pair of first welding heads 361 and second welding heads 363. As a result, the bag body 91a and the belt-shaped sheet member 93S are integrated, and the bag body 91a welded to the belt-shaped sheet member 93S hangs down from the belt-shaped sheet member 93S.

Then, the belt-like sheet member 93S and the bag body 91a welded thereto are transferred to the cutting device 500 by the belt-like sheet conveying device 400 conveying the belt-like sheet member 93S (see FIG. 19). Also, as shown in FIG. 25(F), the set of first welding heads 361 is driven by the drive mechanism 362 to move in the direction of the arrow AR4b in the figure, and the set of guide bars 365 is driven by another drive mechanism (not shown) different from the drive mechanism 366 and rotates in the direction of the arrow AR7b in the figure by being driven by the drive mechanism 366, so that the set of first welding heads 361 and the set of guide bars 365 each return to the initial position shown in FIG. 25(A).

In the cutting device 500 shown in FIG. 19, the belt-shaped sheet member 93S and the bag body 91a welded thereto (see FIG. 25(F)) are cut in the conveying direction of the belt-shaped sheet member 93S, thereby producing the pouch container 90a according to this embodiment as shown in FIG. 20. There are no particular limitations on the cutting mechanism of the cutting device 500, and a conventionally known mechanism can be used.

The welding device 300a may further include a cooling mechanism. When the welding device 300a includes a cooling mechanism, the belt-shaped sheet member 93S and the bag body 91a welded thereto are conveyed to a cooling position by the top gusset sheet conveying device 400. The pouch container manufacturing system 1a may further include a cutting device and a second welding device. The cutting device cuts off a part of the belt-shaped sheet member 93S before cutting by the cutting device 500 so that the belt-shaped sheet member 93S has a shape close to the outer shape of the multiple top gusset sheets 93. The second welding device further welds the bag body 91a and the belt-shaped sheet member 93S (top gusset sheet 93) to each other after the welding device 300a in order to improve the welding strength between them.

The above-described pouch container manufacturing system 1a manufactures a pouch container 90a according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 20.

Although not shown, in the second embodiment of the present disclosure, a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment of the present disclosure allows the positional deviation of one bag body 91a to be adjusted and then the bag body 91a can be transported.

Specifically, the conveying device 100a according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure also includes a transfer section 120, a contact wall section 130, and a pair of guide wall sections 140 (see Figures 4 to 9). The transfer section 120 has a transfer surface 121. The transfer section 120 transfers one flat bag body 91a placed at a predetermined placement position P1 on the transfer surface 121 to a predetermined adjustment position P2. The abutment wall section 130 is positioned on the transfer surface 121 so that the transferred bag body 91a abuts on the forward side of the transfer direction DT by the transfer section 120 at the adjustment position P2. The pair of guide walls 140 are located on either side of the bag body 91a transferred to the adjustment position P2 in the second direction D2, which is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1 in which the bag body 91a transferred to the adjustment position P2 abuts against the abutment wall 130 and is parallel to the in-plane direction of the transfer surface 121 at the adjustment position P2.

With the above configuration, the position of the bag body 91a in the first direction D1 is determined by the abutment wall portion 130, and the pair of guide walls 140 also suppress deviation in the position of the bag body 91a in the second direction D2 when the bag body 91a abuts against the abutment wall portion 130. In this way, the conveying device 100a can convey one bag body 91a after adjusting the position deviation for that bag body 91a.

In the above-mentioned conveying device 100 described in the first and second embodiments, when the conveying belt 121B is configured as a flat belt, the bag body 9 is conveyed by the conveying belt 121B, so it is necessary to take into consideration slippage of the bag body 91 at the start of its movement and bouncing after the bag body 91 is conveyed and abuts against the abutment wall portion 130. In that case, if the feed amount of the conveying belt 121B is increased, it becomes necessary to wait for the slippage and bouncing of the bag body 91 at the start of its conveying to converge. This results in a failure to increase the cycle time for conveying the bag body 91, leading to a decrease in production capacity.

Furthermore, due to dimensional errors during the production of the bag body 91, differences in bending and distortion, etc., the amount of rebound after abutting against the abutment wall portion 130 may not be constant. In such cases, it is possible to place a sensor under the abutment wall portion 130 to accurately detect the bag body 91 after adjustment at the adjustment position P2 of the bag body 91, and to perform lifting at the lifting portion 150. However, the detection accuracy is proportional to the sensor's capabilities, and depending on the sensor used, the bag body 91 may be misaligned in the vertical direction.

To address the above-mentioned problem, as shown in Figs. 26(A) and (B), a pressing section 400 for pressing the bag body 91 on the conveyor belt 121B may be arranged. Figs. 26(A) and (B) are simplified diagrams for easier understanding of the arrangement of the conveyor belt 121B, the bag body 91, the pressing section 400, the abutment wall section 130, and the guide wall section 140. The conveyor belt 121B feeds a certain amount of the bag body 91 until it reaches the adjustment position P2, and the pressing section 400 presses the bag body 91, the guide wall section 140, and the abutment wall section 130 from the opening end 912 side toward the abutment wall section 130, thereby reducing the positional deviation in the height direction of the bag body 91 at the adjustment position P2. By operating a pair of guide walls 140 to regulate the position from four directions, up, down, left, and right, there is no waiting time for slippage or bouncing of the conveyor belt 121B, and the adjustment position P2 can be accurately positioned in a short time.

When the bag body 91 is raised by the raising section 150, the suction holding section 154 raises the bag body 91 by sucking the opening end 912 side of the bag 91 (i.e., the upper end side of the bag 91). If the abutting wall section 130 is adjusted to the smaller dimension due to the dimensional error of the bag 91, the bag 91 with the larger dimension will be slightly warped between the pushing section 400 and the abutting wall section 130, but since the opening end 912 side is sucked and raised, the position of the opening end 912 of the raised bag 91 will be almost uniform, allowing for highly accurate removal.

The bag body 91 conveyed by the conveying device 100 described in the first and second embodiments is a part of the pouch container 90 shown in FIG. 2, but the shape may be any of those shown in FIG. 27(A), (B), (C), (D) and (E). According to the first and second embodiments, it is possible to convey and manufacture the pouch container without changing the shape of any of the pouch containers 90 shown in FIG. 27(A), (B), (C), (D) and (E).

In the above-described embodiments, configurations that can be combined with each other may be combined as appropriate.
The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1, 1a Pouch container manufacturing system, 100, 100a Conveying device, 110 Placement section, 111 Arm section, 112 Adsorption unit, 120 Transfer section, 121 Transfer surface, 121B Conveying belt, 122 Pulley, 130 Contact wall section, 140 Guide wall section, 150 Raising section, 151 Shaft section, 152 Rotating section, 153 Support section, 154 Adsorption holding section, 160, 160a Second transfer section, 161 Delivery section, 162 Holding and conveying mechanism, 163 Movable Adsorption mechanism, 164 fixed adsorption mechanism, 170 spreading mechanism, 171 adsorption mechanism, 172 first pressing die, 173 second pressing die, 173a V-groove, 174 driving mechanism, 200 spout arrangement device, 210 main body, 211 sliding part, 212 chuck part, 300, 300a welding device, 305 spare seal bar, 310 pressing part, 320 seal bar, 330, 330A, 330B first long seal bar, 330U welding unit, 331A first main body , 331B second main body portion, 332A first sliding mechanism, 332B second sliding mechanism, 333 connection portion, 334 automatic centering mechanism, 340 second long seal bar, 350 cooling bar, 361 first welding head, 362, 364, 366 driving mechanism, 363 second welding head, 365 guide bar, 400 top sheet conveying device, 500 cutting device, 9 laminate, 90, 90a pouch container, 91, 91a bag body, 91S, 91Sa sheet, 911, 911a Body, 912, 912a opening end, 912W, 912Wa upper end, 913, 913a bottom end, 914, 914a side end, 915 welding margin, 916 notch, 92, 92a spout, 921 welding part, 922 locking plate, 93 top sheet 93S belt-like sheet member, D1 first direction, D2 second direction, DT transfer direction, P0 waiting position, P1 placement position, P2 adjustment position, W1, W2, W3, W4 welding area, C cooling area.

Claims

a transfer section having a transfer surface and configured to transfer one flat bag placed at a predetermined placement position on the transfer surface to a predetermined adjustment position;
a contact wall portion located on the transfer surface so that the transferred bag body abuts on a front side in a transfer direction by the transfer portion at the adjustment position;
a pair of guide wall portions located on either side of the bag body transported to the adjustment position in a second direction that is perpendicular to a first direction in which the bag body transported to the adjustment position abuts against the abutment wall portion and is a direction parallel to the in-plane direction of the transport surface at the adjustment position.
The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of guide walls are configured to approach each other so that the separation distance between them in the second direction is a predetermined dimension after the bag body abuts against the abutment wall, and thereby contact the bag body transferred to the adjustment position, thereby adjusting the position of the bag body in the second direction.
The bag body includes at least a body portion having at least a pair of sheets facing each other, and has an open end portion at one end of the body portion and a bottom end portion opposite the open end portion where the body portion is closed, and further includes a placement portion for placing the bag body on the placement position,
3. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the placement section places the bag body at the placement position such that the bottom end of the bag body transferred to the adjustment position by the transfer section abuts against the abutment wall.
The conveying device according to claim 3 ;
a spout arrangement device that arranges a spout between the pair of sheets at the open end of the bag body transported by the transport device;
A pouch container manufacturing system comprising: the spout disposed between the pair of sheets; and a welding device that welds each of the pair of sheets to each other,
The conveying device is
a lifting unit that lifts the bag body transferred to the adjustment position so that the opening end faces upward;
A second transfer unit that transfers the raised bag body from the raising unit to the spout arrangement device while the bag body is raised,
The welding device includes:
A pressing portion presses the spout, which has a locking plate portion extending radially outward with respect to the pouring direction of the spout, against the bag body from above so that the locking plate portion locks with the end edges of the pair of sheets at the opening end;
a pair of seal bars that heat and press the opening end of the spout against the bag body from above in a direction in which the pair of sheets face each other, thereby welding the spout to the opening end.