Packaging apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12030684-B2
Application number	US-202218057023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2022
Priority date	Nov 22, 2021
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

Providing a packaging apparatus that can inhibit a reduction in printing quality with respect to a film. A packaging apparatus 1 includes: a film conveyance device 100 that conveys a film F; a moving mechanism that conveys a container C having an opening; a sealing device 40 that seals, with the film conveyed thereto by the film conveyance device, the opening of the container conveyed thereto by the moving mechanism; a printer 140 that is disposed upstream of the sealing device in a conveyance path of the film and prints information in a predetermined position on the film while being conveyed; and a controller that controls the operation of the film conveyance device. The film conveyance device has the accumulation mechanism 120 . The accumulation mechanism is disposed between the printer and the sealing device in the conveyance path of the film and temporarily accumulates the film printed with the information. The controller controls the film conveyance device so that the accumulation mechanism accumulates at least the film that is utilized for one packaging operation in the sealing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A packaging apparatus comprising:
a film conveyance unit configured to convey a film;
a container conveyance unit configured to convey a container having an opening;
a packaging unit configured to seal, with the film conveyed thereto by the film conveyance unit, the opening of the container conveyed thereto by the container conveyance unit;
a printing unit disposed upstream of the packaging unit in a conveyance path along which the film is conveyed by the film conveyance unit and configured to print information in a predetermined position on the film while the film being conveyed by the film conveyance unit; and
a control unit configured to control the film conveyance unit, the container conveyance unit, the packaging unit, and the printing unit,
wherein
the film conveyance unit has an accumulation mechanism disposed between the printing unit and the packaging unit in the conveyance path of the film and configured to temporarily accumulate the film printed with the information,
the control unit is configured to control the film conveyance unit so that the accumulation mechanism accumulates the film that is utilized for at least one packaging operation in the packaging unit,
the control unit conveys the film from the printing unit to the accumulation unit regardless of whether the film is conveyed from the accumulation unit to the packaging unit, and
the accumulation unit accumulates the film when the film is conveyed from the printing unit to the accumulation unit and the film is not conveyed from the accumulation unit to the packaging unit.

2. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a conveyance speed of the film from the printing unit to the accumulation mechanism is slower than a conveyance speed of the film downstream of the accumulation mechanism.

3. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the film conveyance unit is configured to convey the film in the printing unit while stopping conveyance of the film in the packaging unit at least for a predetermined period of time.

4. The packaging apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the packaging unit is configured to collectively seal, with the film, the openings of a plurality of the containers lined up parallel to a conveyance direction of the film in the packaging unit in the one packaging operation.

5. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the accumulation mechanism includes a movable roller around which the film is wound, and a position of the movable roller is changeable to change a maximum film length accumulable by the accumulation mechanism.

6. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the packaging apparatus is configured to stop a printing operation in the printing unit in a case where the film that is utilized for the one packaging operation in the packaging unit is accumulated in the accumulation mechanism.

Assignees

• Ishida Seisakusho

Inventors

• Komai Naoki
• Nomi Hideyuki
• Seno Tomohiko

Classifications

• B65H2301/5111

  Printing; Marking · CPC title

• B65H2801/81

  Packaging machines · CPC title

• B65H20/34

  with rollers · CPC title

• B65B61/025

  for applying, e.g. printing, code or date marks on material prior to packaging · CPC title

• B65B41/18

  Registering sheets, blanks, or webs · CPC title