Rotary packaging machine

Abstract

Providing a rotary packaging machine which can improve production efficiency and mass productivity, which can be rendered smaller-sized with the result of reduction in a footprint and which can cause various devices and apparatuses arranged at each packaging station to function in a stable manner. The rotary packaging machine P in accordance with the invention has four grip pairs intermittently moved to each packaging station simultaneously, and all the grip pairs include grips configured to be located on a circumference L of an imaginary circle that is concentric with a disk-shaped rotating body.

Claims

1. A rotary packaging machine in which a grip pair holding vicinities of both sides of a bag mouth of a packaging bag is intermittently moved to each of a plurality of packaging stations together with a disk-shaped rotating body, so that an article is packaged in the packaging bag, wherein the rotary packaging machine comprising four grip pairs which are disposed at each of the plurality of packaging stations and which are intermittently moved to each of the plurality of packaging stations simultaneously, wherein the four grip pairs include grips which are located at a substantially pre-determined equidistance from a center of the disk-shaped rotating body, wherein the four grip pairs are mounted so that a midpoint of the packaging bag held by the grips of the four grip pairs in a planar view is located on a circumference of an imaginary circle that is concentric with the disk-shaped rotating body, wherein each four grip pair has a left holder and a left grip provided on a distal end of the left holder, and a right holder and a right grip provided on a distal end of the right holder, wherein the right and left holders have respective proximal ends and are configured to be rotatable about respective supporting points provided on respective proximal end sides, wherein the respective proximal end sides of the right and left holders are connected to each other by a link, wherein the rotary packing machine further comprises a claw opening/closing lever fixed to the left holder, a claw width adjusting disk, and a claw width adjusting link body connecting the claw opening/closing lever and the claw width adjusting disk, wherein the claw width adjusting link body is pivotally connected to the claw opening/closing lever and pivotally connected to the claw width adjusting disk, and upon rotation of the claw width adjusting disk in a clockwise direction, a movement of the disk is transmitted via the claw width adjusting link body to the claw opening/closing lever so that a distance between the grips of the right and left holders is reduced, and upon rotation of the claw width adjusting disk in a counterclockwise direction, the movement of the claw width adjusting disk is transmitted via the claw width adjusting link body to the claw opening/closing lever, so that a distance between the grips of the right and left holders is increased.

2. The rotary packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the respective proximal end sides of the right and left holders are connected to each other by a link, so that the right and left holders are configured to be operated simultaneously while adjusting the right and left holders.

3. The rotary packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein each grip has a holding claw movable at a distal end side and a fixed claw located inward and fixed inside the holding claw, and wherein the holding claw is configured to be opened or closed by running a claw opening or closing roller on a fixed cam, and the claw opening or closing roller is fixed to a lever which is a part of a rotating stand.

4. The rotary packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of packaging stations is nine packing stations.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged plan view of the rotary packaging machine of an embodiment in accordance with the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged left side view of the rotary packaging machine of the embodiment;

(3) FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view for explaining a packaging process of the rotary packaging machine;

(4) FIG. 4 is a plan view of the rotary packaging machine;

(5) FIG. 5 is a front view of the rotary packaging machine;

(6) FIG. 6 is a left side view of the rotary packaging machine;

(7) FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of an example of packaging bag to be supplied to the rotary packaging machine;

(8) FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view of the rotary packaging machine to explain an operation thereof in a printing step;

(9) FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged plan view of the rotary packaging machine to explain an operation thereof in a sealing step;

(10) FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view to explain four grip pairs installed in a conventional installation manner;

(11) FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged plan view to explain an operation in the printing step in the case where four grip pairs are installed in the conventional installation manner; and

(12) FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged plan view to explain an operation in the sealing inspection step in the case where four grip pairs are installed in the conventional installation manner.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(13) The present invention realizes a rotary packaging machine which has four grip pairs 31 intermittently moved to each packaging station simultaneously and in which grips 50 of all the grip pairs 31 are configured to be located on a circumference L of an imaginary circle that is concentric with a disk-shaped rotating body 32. Consequently, the rotary packaging machine can improve the production efficiency and the mass productivity, can be rendered smaller-sized with the result of reduction in the footprint thereof and can cause various devices and apparatuses arranged at each packaging station to function in a stable manner.

First Embodiment

(14) An embodiment of the rotary packaging machine in accordance with the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The rotary packaging machine P of the embodiment is a rotary packaging machine in which grip pairs 31 respectively holding vicinities of both sides of a bag mouth of a packaging bag A are intermittently moved to each packaging station together with a disk-shaped rotating body 32, whereby articles to be packaged are packaged. The rotary packaging machine P has four grip pairs 31 intermittently moved to respective packaging stations 1 to 9 simultaneously, and grips 50 of all the grip pairs 31 are configured to be located on a circumference L of an imaginary circle that is concentric with a disk-shaped rotating body 32, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The construction of the rotary packaging machine P will be described in detail.

(15) The rotary packaging machine P of the embodiment is provided for mass-producing retort food, and four packaging bags A respectively held by four grip pairs 31 are intermittently moved to each of nine stations simultaneously, as illustrated in FIG. 4, during which movement retort food is mass-produced.

(16) The rotary packaging machine P includes a stand 34 rotatably supporting a vertically-extending intermittent rotating shaft 33 mounted on a machine base 35, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The rotary packaging machine P also includes a disk-shaped rotating body 32 mounted on an upper part of the intermittent rotating shaft 33. Four grip pairs 31 for gripping or releasing respective packaging bags A are provided on the disk-shaped rotating body 32 so as to project in a radiation direction at equiangular intervals about the intermittent rotating shaft 33. The grip pairs 31 are intermittently rotationally moved together with the disk-shaped rotating body 32 in every packaging process while respectively holding the vicinities of both sides of the bag mouths of the packaging bags A.

(17) The rotary packaging machine P has four grip pairs 31 which are intermittently moved to each of the packaging stations 1 to 9 simultaneously and disposed at the same horizontal level. Grips 50 (36 pairs) of all the grip pairs 31 (four pairs×9 stations=36 pairs) are configured to be located on the circumference L of the imaginary circle that is concentric with the disk-shaped rotating body 32. As a result, since the articles are simultaneously packaged in a multiple of packaging bags by four grip pairs 31, the production efficiency and the mass productivity can be improved. Furthermore, the rotary packaging machine can be rendered smaller-sized with the result of reduction in the footprint thereof, and various devices and apparatuses arranged at each packaging station can function in a stable manner. Furthermore, since the difference between the inner and outer circular arcs where the grips 50 are located is almost eliminated, the rotary packaging machine P can be rendered smaller-sized and the footprint can be further reduced. Still furthermore, various devices and apparatuses disposed at each station can stably function.

(18) More specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 8, since the distances between the packaging bags A held by the grips 50 and an ink-jet printer 70 are substantially equal to one another in the printing step, the printing quality is also substantially uniform. Furthermore, the inspection accuracy can be improved since the distances between the respective packaging bags A held by the grips 50 and the camera 71 are substantially equal to one another in the print inspection step, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Still furthermore, the weighing accuracy can be greatly improved without up-down movement of the articles in the packaging bags A since an equal centrifugal force is applied to the packaging bags A held by the grips 50 in the measurement step.

(19) Furthermore, each grip pair 31 is mounted so that a midpoint m of the packaging bag A held by the grips 50 thereof in a planar view is located on the circumference L of the imaginary circle that is concentric with the disk-shaped rotating body 32, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, various devices or apparatuses disposed at each packaging station can function more stably by improving a mounting accuracy of the grip pairs 31.

(20) Incidentally, mounting of the grip pairs rotated simultaneously with the disk-shaped rotating body in the rotary packaging machine includes not only those mounted directly on the disk-shaped rotating body but also those mounted indirectly on the disk-shaped rotating body. In the rotary packaging machine P of the embodiment, the grip pairs 31 are mounted indirectly on the disk-shaped rotating body 32 so as to project radially below the disk-shaped rotating body 32, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(21) Each grip pair 31 has a left holder 51a, a grip 50 provided on a distal end of the left holder 51a, a right holder 51b and a grip 50 provided on a distal end of the right holder 51b, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The right and left holders 51b and 51a have respective proximal ends and are configured to be rotatable about respective supporting points 52b and 52a provided on the respective proximal end sides.

(22) The proximal end sides of the right and left holders 51b and 51a are connected to each other by a link 53, so that both holders are configured to be operated simultaneously during claw adjustment. More specifically, a claw opening/closing lever 54 is fixed to the left holder 51a. Upon rotation of a claw width adjusting disk 55 in a direction of arrow h (clockwise) in FIG. 1, the movement of the disk 55 is transmitted via a claw width adjusting link body 56 to the claw opening/closing lever 54, so that a distance between the grips 50 of the right and left holders 51b and 51a (a claw width) is reduced, as shown by arrow j in FIG. 1. On the other hand, upon rotation of the claw width adjusting disk 55 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1, the movement of the disk 55 is transmitted via the claw width adjusting link body 56 to the claw opening/closing lever 54, so that the distance between the grips 50 of the right and left holders 51b and 51a (the claw width) is increased.

(23) Each grip 50 has a holding claw 50a movable at the distal end side and a fixed claw 50b fixed inside the holding claw 50a. The movable holding claw 50a is configured to be opened/closed by running a claw opening/closing roller 57 on a fixed cam 58. The claw opening/closing roller 57 is fixed to a lever 59 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

(24) Next, the following will describe packaging stations in the rotary packaging machine P and a packaging process executed at each packaging station. The packaging machine P has a bag feed station 1, a printing/preheating/bag posture confirmation/seal inspection station 2, a bag bottom blowing/bag opening station 3, a bag filling station 4 (solids), a bag filling station 5 (fluids), a steam deaeration/seal part preheating station 6, a decorative seal applying station 7, an ultrasonic sealing station 8 and an inline check and product discharge station 9. The packaging process executed at each station will be described.

(25) In the bag feed station 1, the packaging bags A conveyed by a bag feed conveyor are sequentially held by the intermittently moved grip pairs 31, so that the bag feed step (a first step) is carried out. More specifically, in the bag feed step (a first step), each packaging bag A, which is moved upward while being maintained in a vertical position by suckers, is held by a holding bar of a bag feed device to be transferred to the grip pairs 31 after correction of bag height.

(26) In the printing/preheating/bag posture confirmation/seal inspection station 2, an expiration date or the like is printed by a sealing device (an ink-jet printer 70) on the reverse side of the packaging bag A supported in the vertical position by the grip pairs 31. Furthermore, the bottom vicinity of the packaging bag A is warmed from both sides of the packaging bag A by a warming device in order that the bottom of the packaging bag A may be opened (preliminary warming), and the position of the packaging bag A is confirmed (bag position confirmation). Still furthermore, a printed part is photographed by the camera 71 in order that printing may be checked to see if it is good or not (seal inspection).

(27) In the bag bottom blowing/bag opening station 3, suckers are respectively caused to adhere to two sides of the packaging bag A supported in the vertical position by the grip pairs 31, in order that the bag mouth may be slightly opened, and thereafter, air is supplied into the packaging bag A so that the bag bottom is inflated.

(28) In the bag filling station 4 (solids), a filling funnel is inserted through the bag mouth so that the packaging bag A is filled with articles (the solids).

(29) In the bag filling station 5 (fluids), a filling funnel is inserted through the bag mouth so that the packaging bag A is filled with articles (the fluids).

(30) In the steam deaeration/seal part preheating station 6, the steam deaeration is executed and thereafter, a seal part B (refer to FIG. 7) is previously heated so that water drops adhered to an inner side of the seal part B in the steam deaeration is vaporized thereby to be removed. More specifically, steam is discharged into the packaging bag A from a steam discharge nozzle of a steam deaerator. As a result, air is driven out of the packaging bag A so that a storage period of retort food is prolonged, and the steam is liquefied so that the volume of inner space is reduced. Subsequently, the seal part B of the packaging bag A is clamped by paired pre-heating bars from two sides of the packaging bag A, whereby the water drops adhered to the inner side of the seal part B is vaporized thereby to be removed.

(31) In the decorative seal applying station 7, an upper part of the seal part B of the packaging bag A is clamped by paired sealing bars from both sides of the packaging bag A with the result that a decorative seal (cosmetic seal) D (refer to FIG. 7) is applied to the packaging bag A. By applying the decorative seal D prior to the ultrasonic seal C, water droplets that could not be removed by the preheating of the seal part B are allowed to escape to the upper and lower sides (inside and outside of the packaging bag A), and large bubbles can be prevented from remaining on the inside of the seal and wrinkles can be prevented from occurring in the seal part.

(32) In the ultrasonic sealing station 8, a sealing horn of an ultrasonic sealer is pressed against a lower part of the seal part B of the packaging bag A so that the ultrasonic seal C (refer to FIG. 7) is applied to the packaging bag A with the result that the packaging bag A is completely sealed. Subsequently, the seal part B of the packaging bag A is held between paired cooling bars from the outside and inside of the packaging bag A so that fine bubbles generated on the decorative seal D are removed by the cooling bars, whereby perforations are formed.

(33) In the inline check/product discharge station 9, the weight of the packaging bag A in which the article is packaged is measured, and the packaging bag A in which a suitable amount of article is packaged is discharged via a sorting chute to an external conveyor. The rotary packaging machine is configured so that the aforementioned sequential packaging process is carried out for the packaging bags A supported by the grip pairs 31 intermittently moved by the intermittent rotation of the disk-shaped rotating body 32 thereby to mass-produce packaged products of articles (retort food).

(34) As described above, the rotary packaging machine P in accordance with the invention executes the packaging process at each of the above-described packaging stations for the packaging bags A simultaneously held by the four grip pairs 31, with the result that the production efficiency and the mass productivity can be improved. Furthermore, since the grips 50 of all the grip pairs 31 are configured to be located on the circumference L of the imaginary circle that is concentric with the disk-shaped rotating body 32, the difference between the inner and outer circular arcs where the grips 50 are located is almost eliminated, the rotary packaging machine P can be rendered smaller-sized and the footprint can be reduced. Still furthermore, various devices and apparatuses disposed at every station can stably function.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(35) P rotary packaging machine 1 bag supply station 2 printing/preheating/bag posture confirmation/seal inspection station 3 bag bottom blowing/bag opening station 4 bag filling station (solids) 5 bag filling station (fluids) 6 steam deaeration/seal part preheating station 7 decorative seal applying station 8 ultrasonic sealing station 9 inline check/product discharge station 31 grip pair 32 disk-shaped rotating body 33 intermittent rotating shaft 34 stand 35 machine base 50 grip 50a holding grip 50b fixed claw 51a left holder 51b right holder 52a supporting point 52b supporting point 53 link 54 claw opening/closing lever 55 claw width adjusting disk 56 claw width adjusting link body 57 claw opening/closing roller 58 fixed cam 59 lever 70 ink-jet printer 71 camera A packaging bag B seal part C ultrasonic seal D decorative seal