Bag making apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9833964-B2
Application number	US-201214112351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2012
Priority date	Apr 21, 2011
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a bag making apparatus with a simple configuration that: prevents fluctuations in tension, slippage of seal positions, and meandering or skewing of a web of film; allows the setting of precise initial conditions; reduces or makes unnecessary monitoring, and time and structures for adjustment; allows increased feed rate; and improves production efficiency. The bag making apparatus for packaging containers comprises: a tension control unit for controlling the continuous feed rate according to the values detected by a tension sensor of a tension detection roll; an optical detection unit for simultaneously recognizing multiple marks provided on the surface of the web of film at the respective positions thereof; a skewing correction unit; and a seal position correction unit for adjusting the positions of multiple sealing units in the feed direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bag making apparatus, comprising:
a continuous feed mechanism having a continuous feed roll continuously feeding a web of film;
an intermittent feed mechanism having an intermittent feed roll intermittently feeding the web of film;
a feed adjustment mechanism having a reciprocally movable dancer roll between the continuous feed mechanism and the intermittent feed mechanism; and
a sealing mechanism sealing predetermined portions of the web of film fed by the intermittent feed mechanism,
wherein the feed adjustment mechanism includes a swinging drive unit for the dancer roll, a tension detection roll provided upstream of the dancer roll, a tension sensor detecting tension on the tension detection roll, and a tension control unit configured to control a feed speed of the continuous feed roll in accordance with a detection value of the tension sensor,
wherein the intermittent feed mechanism includes an optical detection unit configured to recognize a plurality of marks on a surface of the web of film simultaneously at respective positions, a unit configured to adjust an intermittent feed amount, and a skew correction unit configured to correct a displacement of the web of film in a direction perpendicular to a feed direction,
wherein the sealing mechanism includes a plurality of sealing units provided in a section where the web of film is intermittently fed, and a seal position correction unit configured to adjust positions in the feed direction of the plurality of sealing units in accordance with positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the optical detection unit, and
wherein the swinging drive unit is set to move the dancer roll reciprocally in a predetermined range, and the tension control unit outputs a signal to the swing drive unit to change a swing end position of the swinging drive unit based on varying detection values of the tension sensor such that variation in the detection values of the tension sensor is reduced.

2. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tension detection roll is fixed in position such that it is not movable other than being rotatable about its own axis, and the tension sensor is configured to detect a force applied to a rotation shaft of the tension detection roll.

3. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the swinging drive unit is set to move the dancer roll reciprocally at a predetermined speed and in a predetermined range, and the tension control unit controls the feed speed of the continuous feed roll based on varying detection values of the tension sensor such that the detection values of the tension sensor remain around a predetermined value.

4. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tension control unit lowers a continuous feed speed of the continuous feed mechanism when the moving range of the swinging drive unit is increased, and raises the feed speed of the continuous feed mechanism when the moving range of the swinging drive unit is decreased.

5. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein either:
(a) the tension control unit controls the swinging drive unit in consideration of information on positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the optical detection unit,
(b) the tension control unit controls the feed speed of the continuous feed roll in further consideration of information on positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the optical detection unit, or
(c) the tension control unit controls the swinging drive unit in consideration of information on positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the optical detection unit and controls the feed speed of the continuous feed roll in further consideration of information on positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the optical detection unit.

6. The bag making apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the tension control unit changes a predetermined value around which detection values of the tension sensor are to remain when there is a displacement in the positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the optical detection unit which is larger than a predetermined displacement.

7. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical detection unit includes a plurality of two-dimensional optical sensors provided above the intermittent feed mechanism and spaced apart in the feed direction, and is configured to be able to detect two-dimensional positions of the marks provided on the surface of the web of film when the web of film is at halt.

8. The bag making apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the feed amount adjustment unit is configured to determine a feed amount for one intermittent feed in accordance with information on the positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the plurality of two-dimensional optical sensors.

9. The bag making apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the seal position correction unit is configured to adjust spacing between the plurality of sealing units in the feed direction in accordance with information on the positions of the marks in the feed direction of the web of film which are recognized by the plurality of two-dimensional optical sensors.

10. The bag making apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of two-dimensional optical sensors are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to a feed amount of several intermittent feeds of the web of film.

11. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the intermittent feed mechanism further comprises at least one additional intermittent feed roll, such that the intermittent feed mechanism comprises a plurality of intermittent feed rolls, and the skew correction unit is configured to turn at least one of the intermittent feed rolls around an axial line passing a center in the width direction of the web of film and extending perpendicularly to the web of film.

12. The bag making apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the skew correction unit is configured to turn the plurality of intermittent feed rolls in accordance with a relative displacement of a printed pattern on the web of film in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction recognized by the plurality of two-dimensional optical sensors.

13. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the seal position correction unit is formed by a rack rail extending in the feed direction of the web of film, a pinion gear provided to each sealing unit to mesh with the rack rail, and a pinion drive motor provided for each sealing unit to drive the pinion gear.

14. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the intermittent feed mechanism is configured to intermittently feed upper and lower webs of film with a bottom material interposed between the two webs of film, and the sealing mechanism is configured to seal the bottom material together with the two, upper and lower, webs of film.

15. The bag making apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a cutting mechanism is provided downstream of the intermittent feed mechanism to cut the web of film after sealing to separate the web of film into discrete pouch containers.

Assignees

• Endou Tadashi
• Nakamura Masayuki
• Shimizu Hironaga
• Yuge Hideki
• KUBOKI Yuusuke
• Toyo Seikan Group Holdings Ltd

Inventors

• Endou Tadashi
• Nakamura Masayuki
• Shimizu Hironaga
• Yuge Hideki
• KUBOKI Yuusuke

Classifications

• B31B2155/0014

  having their openings facing transversally to the direction of movement · CPC title

• B31B70/006

  Controlling; Regulating; Measuring; Safety measures · CPC title

• B31B2155/00

  Flexible containers made from webs · CPC title

• B65H23/038

  by rollers · CPC title

• B65H2701/191

  Bags, sachets and pouches or the like · CPC title