JPH0422768B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Purpose of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) This invention is particularly directed to a packaging machine for fruits and vegetables that packs flexible trays, in which a packaging film stretched and gripped by the packaging section is folded onto the tray. The present invention relates to an article unloading device installed above a folding device for packaging articles.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in the packaging machine described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-90010, a packaging film stretched in a packaging section is held in a state in which a packaging film is held at both ends in the width direction by both front and rear pressing members. When the tray on the pedestal device is pushed up to the packaging position, the packaging film is stretched to cover the tray from above.
Thereafter, the packaging film is folded by a folding device under the tray, and the tray is wrapped.

That is, for example, in the folding device of the packaging machine,
The rear folding member moves forward and backward relative to the fixed front folding member, approaching and separating from each other, and the left and right folding members open and close each other as the rear folding member moves back and forth below the rear folding member. The erected article mounting table can be tilted inward by contact with the rear folding member and both left and right folding members. When the rear folding member moves forward and the left and right folding members close each other, these folding members push the packaging film toward the lower side of the tray on the mounting table and push it against the mounting table. Touch it and tilt it. When the pedestal device moves downward at the same time as this tilting, the tray is sequentially placed on the rear folding member from the rear side of the lower surface, and the packaging film is folded under the tray from both the rear and left and right directions. Thereafter, when the tray is conveyed forward by the rotation of the conveyor belt and transferred from the rear folding member to the front folding member, the packaging film hits the front folding member on the underside of the tray during the transfer, and the packaging film hits the front folding member and moves forward. The tray is also folded in from the bottom, and the folding from the rear is overlapped with the folding from both the left and right directions, and the folding from the front is further overlapped to form a folded portion at the bottom of the tray. Next, the rear folding member retreats, and as the rear folding member retreats, the left and right folding members also open from each other.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The conveyor belt is made of sponge, and even when the tray is pushed up to the packaging position and hits the belt, it is cushioned by its elasticity and is prevented from being crushed. There is. However, when packaging particularly flexible or tall trays, the repulsive force of the sponge belt may deform the tray and crush the soft items inside the tray, causing a decline in product value. It was also getting old.

Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problem) The present invention has been made in view of this problem, and as shown in the drawings of the embodiment described later, the link 102 is connected to the support shaft 103 fixed to the machine frame side. The link 113 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction, and the link 113 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction with respect to a support shaft 114 which is also fixed to the machine frame below the coaxial shaft 103. The link 116 is also connected to the axis 1 between the links 102 and 113 in the front.
16a, 116b, rotatably connected,
In the article discharging device of a packaging machine, which constitutes a four-bar link mechanism, and in which a conveyor 104, on which an elastic endless belt 104a is stretched, is always supported almost horizontally above a packaging section S, A shaft 102a that supports the base end of the conveyor 104 at one point in a four-bar linkage mechanism so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction.
The conveyor 104 is provided with an abutting part 115 that abuts a part of the four-bar linkage mechanism based on a downward moment about the shaft 102a in a substantially horizontal state. Due to the displacement of the four-bar link mechanism, the conveyor 104, which is in a substantially horizontal state due to contact, is moved to the shaft 102a.
The shaft 102 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction via the
Its gist is that it can be tilted upwards around point a.

(Function) With the above configuration, the contact portion 115 of the conveyor 104 contacts a part of the four-bar linkage mechanism based on the downward moment centered on the shaft 102a on the base end side, so that the conveyor 104 is always in a substantially horizontal state. will be maintained. When the links 102, 113, and 116 are interlocked with each other and the four-bar link mechanism is displaced in the vertical direction, the shaft 102a also moves in the vertical direction, and the conveyor 104 is also moved vertically while maintaining a substantially horizontal state. moved in the direction. The belt 104 of the conveyor 104 is in the substantially horizontal state.
When the pushing up force of the article W to be carried out is applied to a from below, the conveyor 104 tilts upward about the shaft 102a, so that the pushing up force from below is absorbed.

(Example) Hereinafter, an outline of a packaging machine equipped with an article delivery device according to an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figs. 1 to 4 show a round belt type conveying device 1 installed on the upper part of the machine frame, and as shown in Fig. 2, the starting end of a packaging film F is guided and set from its film supply port P. From the set state, the packaging film F is spread onto the packaging section S shown in FIG. 1 by the drive of the conveying device 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 to 10, a packaging film folding device 76 is installed above the packaging film conveying device 1, and 77 is on both left and right sides of the upper part of the machine frame, as shown in FIG. Rail 78 placed in
A rear folding member 82 is constructed between both rails 78 at the rear of the rear folding member 77, in which both sliders 79 supported so as to be movable in the front and rear directions are connected by a guide plate 80 and rollers 81 on both front and rear sides thereof. A pair of left and right folding members are attached to a shaft 84 so as to be rotatable in the left and right direction to the supporting plate 83, which extends forward from the coaxially attached portion of the support plate 83 through below the rear folding member 77, and extends forward in the longitudinal direction. A guide groove 85 is transparently provided along the guide groove 85, and an auxiliary folding plate 86 is screwed to the tip end thereof so that its position can be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 6, 87 is a guide piece rotatably attached to a shaft 88 at both left and right positions on the lower surface of the guide plate 80 of the rear folding member 77, and is connected to the guide groove 85 of the left and right folding member 82.
has been incorporated into.

89 is a front folding member in which a pair of rollers 90 are installed between the front ends of both the rails 78 and these rollers 90 are interlocked by a plurality of belts 91, and the belt 91 rotates only in the direction of arrow C. It is becoming more and more like this.

In FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, 93 is the rail 78.
A bracket 94 erected on the rear end is a lever fixed to a support shaft 95 rotatably installed between the upper parts of the bracket 93, and is fixed to an interlocking rod 96 that is driven up and down. It is rotatably mounted on a shaft 96a. 97 is a pair of levers fixed to both ends of the support shaft 95 on the outside of the bracket 93; 98 is a link rotatably attached to the shaft 99 at the tip of the lever 97; A shaft 100 is rotatably attached to the tip.

When the interlocking rod 96 is in the upward movement position, the rear folding member 77 is in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 7, and the left and right folding members 8
2 are open to each other. When the interlocking rod 96 moves downward from this state, the rear folding member 77 moves between the lever 97 and the link 98 as shown in FIGS.
As the guide piece 87 of the rear folding member 77 moves forward by being pushed by
5 is regulated in position, the left and right folding members 82 close together, and these front, rear, left and right folding members 89, 77, 8
The space between the two is the folded part R. This folding part R is the third
As shown in the figure, it corresponds to the packaging section S of the packaging film conveying device 1.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, 151 is the rear folding member 7.
A pair of mounting members are mounted on a shaft 153 so as to be rotatable in the left and right direction on a support plate 152 installed between the left and right rails 78 above the rear folding member 77. A spring 154 attached corresponding to the folding member 82 and connected between the base end portions 151a of the folding member 82 allows the folding members 82 to normally open from each other. Reference numeral 155 denotes guide pieces attached to both left and right sides of the guide plate 80, which
51 , and controls the opening of the mounting member 151 by the spring 154 as the rear folding member 77 moves back and forth.

Reference numeral 161 is an extrusion member installed above both the mounting members 151 so as to be movable in the front and back direction between both the rails 78, and is connected to an endless chain 162 on both sides thereof, and is rotated by forward and reverse rotation of the chain 162. It is configured to reciprocate from the rear position of both rails 78 to near the front folding member 89.

1, 3, and 4 show a device 101 for discharging goods W, and 102 is a pair of links supported rotatably in the vertical direction on both sides of a support shaft 103 installed between the lower portions of both the brackets 93. A conveyor 104, which extends forward from the support shaft 103 and has an endless sponge belt 104a stretched between its front ends, can rotate vertically on shafts 102a on both sides of its rear end. The conveyor 104 is supported above the packaging section S of the packaging film conveying device 1. Reference numeral 113 denotes a pair of guide rods as links that are supported rotatably in the vertical direction on both sides of the support shaft 114 installed between both the brackets 93 below the support shaft 103, and are attached to the tips thereof. worn roller 11
3 a is in contact with a guide plate 115 as a contact portion that hangs down from both sides of the rear end of the conveyor 104 . 116 is a shaft 116a, 11 between the support plate 102 and the guide rod 113 between the support shaft 103 and the shaft 102a, and between the support shaft 114 and the roller 113a.
6b, which is an interlocking link rotatably connected with the upper left and right shafts 116a.
are connected by a connecting rod 117. 118 is a support rod 119 installed between the upper parts of both brackets 93
A handle is screwed onto the handle and is fixed to the connecting rod 117. Note that the support plate 10
2. The guide rod 113 and the interlocking link 116 constitute a four-bar link mechanism in which the two supporting shafts 103 and 114 are fixed nodes, and the connecting rod 117, the handle 118, and the support rod 119
A vertical position holding means is configured to adjust and hold the vertical position of 02a.

Then, rotate the handle 118 to remove the support rod 1.
19, the support plate 102
rotates vertically around the support shaft 103, the guide rod 113 rotates vertically around the support shaft 114 via the interlocking link 116, and the guide plate 115 of the conveyor 104 rotates around the roller of the guide rod 113. While the conveyor 113a is sliding, the conveyor 104 moves almost parallel in the vertical direction. Therefore, the vertical position of the conveyor 104 can be adjusted depending on the flexibility and height of the tray W1. Also, conveyor 10
When a force is applied from below to the belt 104a of No. 4, the conveyor 104 moves to the shaft 102a between it and the support plate 102.
It tilts upwards around the center.

108 is a drive shaft 104b of the conveyor 104
A belt pulley 109 is fixed to the support shaft 103.
The belt pulley is rotatably supported by the belt pulley 108 and 109, and a belt 110 is stretched between the belt pulleys 108 and 109. A sprocket 111 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 103 so as to be interlocked with the belt pulley 109, and is driven and rotated by a chain 112.

Then, when the chain 112 is rotated in the direction of arrow D, the sprocket 111, the belt pulley 109,
The belt 104a of the conveyor 104 rotates in the sending direction E via the belt 110 and the belt pulley 108. However, since the sprocket 111 is supported on the spindle 103 by a one-way clutch 111a, the rotation of the chain 112 is caused by the rotation of the sprocket 1.
11 and the belt 10 of the conveyor 104
4a does not rotate in reverse.

As shown by the white frame in FIGS. 1 and 2, 46 is a pedestal device that is moved up and down between the inner end of the article supply device 45 and the packaging section S and the folding section R, and is attached so as to be tiltable. a plurality of loading tables (not shown);
The product W is removed from the product supply device 45 at the lowest moving position.
is being transported and placed there. (Refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-166819.) In FIGS. 1 to 4, 26 is a front holding member attached to the front side of the packaging section S of the packaging film conveying device 1, and 37 is also attached to the rear side. These pressing members 26,
37. Reference numeral 43 denotes a saw blade mounted near the film supply port P of the packaging film conveying device 1, and is adapted to form perforations at every predetermined length of the packaging film F during its conveyance. Reference numeral 171 denotes a push-up member mounted so as to be vertically movable around the pedestal device 46, and is configured to push up the packaging film F stretched on the packaging section S to the folding section R of the folding device 76. ing. 177 is this push-up member 1
The push-up member 171, which is a left and right pressing member that moves in conjunction with the vertical movement of the film 71, clamps both left and right edges of the packaging film F when it reaches it. Reference numeral 47 denotes a heater device on which the packaged product carried out from the front folding member 89 is placed.

Next, an outline of the actual packaging operation will be explained.

When an article W (a tray W1 containing an article) is placed on the supply device 45, the article W is transferred and placed on the pedestal device 46 that has moved downward. At this time, the push-up member 171 is already at the lowest position, and the rear folding member 77 is moved backward by the upward movement of the interlocking rod 96.

When the conveyance device 1 is driven in synchronization with this feeding, the starting end of the packaging film F located at the supply port P is conveyed toward the packaging section S in the center of the conveyance device 1. On the way, the sawtooth 43 forms perforations in the width direction of the packaging film F at every fixed length, and an instantaneous brake is applied at the supply port P to pull the packaging film F, and this tensile force causes the packaging film F to be pulled. It is cut at the perforations and conveyed to the top of the packaging section S.

The packaging film F on the packaging section S is clamped by the upward movement of both the front and rear pressing members 26, 37.

When the push-up member 171 is moved upward from this packaging film set state, when the push-up member 171 reaches the packaging film F, both left and right press members 1
77 also clamps both left and right edges of the packaging film F. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the packaging film F is pushed up and stretched by the pushing up member 171.

Next, the pedestal device 46 moves upward so that the article W comes into contact with the packaging film F, and the push-up member 1
71 is separated from the packaging film F, and the article W is covered with the packaging film F. Both left and right pressing members 177
As the push-up member 171 moves downward, both left and right edges of the packaging film F are released from being held.

Thereafter, as the pedestal device 46 moves upward, the interlocking rod 96
When the rear folding member 77 moves downward, the rear folding member 77, which is in the retracted position, moves forward. Along with this forward movement, the guide piece 155 on the rear folding member 77 moves the guide edge 15 of the mounting member 151.
6 is pushed inward against the bias of the spring 154, and both mounting members 151 approach each other. Both mounting members 151 hold the packaging film F on the pedestal device 4.
At the same time, the product W on the tray W1 is pushed toward the bottom of the tray W1, and the tray W1 is brought into contact with the tray W1 at a position slightly spaced downward from the lower surface of the tray W1 to tilt it. It enters below the item W and places it there. At this time, as the rear folding member 77 moves forward, the left and right folding members 82 also approach each other with a slight delay. Next, when the rear folding member 77 and the left and right folding members 82 enter below the article W in the same way as the both placing members 151, the rear folding member 77
When it has fully entered below the item W, both mounting members 151 are separated from each other by the bias of the spring 154 and separated from the item W, and the item W is placed on the rear folding member 77. Then, when the pedestal device 46 moves downward again, the packaging film F is folded under the product W from both rear and left and right directions while the product W is placed on the rear folding member 77. In synchronization with this folding operation, the clamping by the rear presser member 37 is released, and only the clamping by the front presser member 26 is maintained.

At the time of folding, the pushing member 161 advances to the ninth
As shown in the figure, when the product W is approached and the pushing member 161 is about to push out the product W, the clamping by the front presser member 26 is released and the belt 104a is rotated. Then, the article W is conveyed forward by the advancement of the pushing member 161 while being separated from or in contact with this belt 104a, and is supported from above by this belt 104a to prevent it from swinging, while being transported backward as shown in FIG. It is transferred from above the folding member 77 onto the front folding member 89. During the transfer, the packaging film F hits the front folding member 89 on the lower side of the item W and is folded in from the front as well, and the folding from the rear overlaps with the folding from both left and right directions, and the folding from the front overlaps. As shown in FIG. 11, the lower side of the article W becomes a folding portion F1. Next, interlocking rod 9
6 is moved upward again and the rear folding member 77 retreats, and along with this retreat, both the left and right folding members 82 open from each other, and the pushing member 161 also retreats.

In particular, flexible tray W1 and tall tray W1
When packaging items, the sponge belt 104a bends due to the upward force of the item W from below,
may be affected by the repulsive force, but in this case, since the conveyor 104 tilts upward, this force is alleviated, and the tray W1 is deformed and the tray W
There is no longer any risk that soft items stored inside the container will be crushed.

After packaging, the same item W is carried out to the heater device 47,
There, the folded portion F1 is brought into close contact with the folded portion F1, and one process is completed.

Effects of the Invention In short, according to the present invention, the base end of the conveyor 104 is rotatably supported at one point with respect to the four-bar linkage mechanism, and the conveyor 104 is supported using the downward moment centered on the pivot point. By holding the conveyor 104 in an almost horizontal state, the upward force applied to the conveyor 104 from below can be absorbed by tilting the conveyor 104 upwards about the rotational fulcrum with a simple configuration, and the tray W1 can be easily moved to a flexible tray W1 or a tall tray W1. Even when packaging tray W1, tray W1 deforms and
There is no longer a risk that soft items stored inside will be crushed, and the product value can be maintained and improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a fruit and vegetable packaging machine using an article delivery device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the packaging machine taken along the line X-X in Fig. 1. , Fig. 3 is a schematic enlarged side sectional view of the folding device and the unloading device, Fig. 4 is a schematic enlarged sectional view of both devices as seen from the X-X line in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a schematic enlarged view of the folding device. 6 is a side schematic enlarged sectional view, FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway enlarged plan view showing each folding member of the folding device, and FIGS. 8 to 10 are side schematic enlarged sectional views showing the folding action. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an item wrapped in a packaging film. Packaging film conveying device...1, Front presser member...
...26, Rear press member...37, Item feeding device...
45, cradle device...46, folding device...76, rear folding member...77, both left and right folding members...82, front folding member...89, carrying out device...101, support plate as a link... 102, Axis...102a, Support shaft...103, Conveyor...104, Belt...
104a, guide rod as a link...113,
Roller...113a, spindle...114, guide plate as a contact part...115, interlocking link as link...116, shaft...116a, 116b,
Connecting rod constituting the vertical position holding means...117,
Handle...118, Support rod...119, Placing member...151, Pushing member...161, Pushing member...171, Left and right pressing members...177, Packaging film...F, Packaging section... S, folding part...
R. Goods...W.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A support shaft 103 fixed to the machine frame side supports the link 102 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a support shaft below the support shaft 103 also fixed to the machine frame side. 114, the link 113 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction, and both support shafts 103, 1
14, both the links 102, 1
13, a link 116 is rotatably connected with shafts 116a, 116b to form a four-bar link mechanism, and the conveyor 104, on which an elastic endless belt 104a is stretched, is constructed. In an article unloading device for a packaging machine that is always supported almost horizontally above the packaging section S, the four-bar linkage mechanism is provided with a shaft 102a that supports the base end of the conveyor 104 at one point so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the conveyor 104 is provided with an abutting portion 115 that abuts a part of the four-bar linkage mechanism based on a downward moment about the shaft 102a when the abutting portion 115 is in the substantially horizontal state. The conveyor 104 located at
An article delivery device for a packaging machine, characterized in that it is capable of tilting upward about the shaft 102a as the contact portion 115 is spaced apart. 2. The four-bar link mechanism is provided with vertical position holding means 117, 118, and 119 for adjusting and holding the vertical position of the shaft 102a, and the four-bar link mechanism is displaced based on the operation of the vertical position holding means. An article delivery device in a packaging machine according to claim 1.