Apparatus and method for extracting product-filled bags from retainers

Abstract

An apparatus for extracting product-filled bags from retainers that are conveyed along a rectilinear path. The extracting apparatus includes a base member disposed along a base guide path parallel to the rectilinear path of the retainers so that the base member is free to make a reciprocating motion, a frame member supported on a supporting shaft on the base member so as to swing upward and downward, a sliding shaft member supported on the frame member so as to advance and retract, and a holding means disposed on the front end portion of the sliding shaft member. A cylindrical cam roller is attached to a cam roller attachment link which is pin-connected to the lower portion of the frame member, and the cam roller rolls through the cam groove of a raising-and-lowering cam, thus allowing the frame member to swing upward and downward about the supporting shaft.

1 . An apparatus for extracting product-filled bags from retainers that are conveyed along a rectilinear path at a specified conveying pitch and speed in a retainer type bag-filling packaging system, said product-filled bag extraction apparatus comprising: 
 a base member which is disposed so as to be free to make a reciprocating motion along a base guide path that is parallel to a rectilinear path of retainers,    a reciprocating driving means which causes said base member to make said reciprocating motion,    a frame member supported on a supporting shaft which is on said base member disposed parallel to said base guide path so that said frame member is free to swing upward and downward,    an upward-downward swinging means which causes said frame member to swing upward and downward along with a reciprocating motion of said base member,    a sliding shaft member which is disposed perpendicular to said base guide path and is supported on said frame member so as to be free to advance and retract in a direction of axis thereof,    a holding means which is disposed on a front end portion of said sliding shaft member and is equipped with a pair of holding members that hold areas in the vicinity of mouth portions of product-filled bags,    an advancing-and-retracting driving means which causes said sliding shaft member to advance and retract, and    an opening-and-closing driving means which is attached to said sliding shaft member and advances and retracts together with said sliding shaft member, thus opening and closing said pair of holding members.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus for extracting product-filled bags according to  claim 1 , wherein said advancing-and-retracting driving means is comprised of: 
 a swing member which is shaft-supported on a supporting shaft that is parallel on said base member to said base guide path so that said swing member is free to swing, said swing member having a first lever and a second lever,    a connecting member which connects said first lever and said sliding shaft member,    a cam roller which is disposed on a tip end of said second lever and has a rotating shaft in a plane that is perpendicular to said base guide path, and    an advancing-and-retracting cam which has a cam groove through which said cam roller rolls, said advancing-and-retracting cam being disposed in a plane that is parallel to said base guide path and is free to make a reciprocating motion in said plane, and wherein    said swing member swings along with a reciprocating motion of said advancing-and-retracting cam, and said sliding shaft member advances and retracts in linkage with a swing motion of said swing member.    
     
     
         3 . An apparatus for extracting product-filled bags from retainers that are conveyed along a rectilinear path at a specified conveying pitch and speed in a retainer type bag-filling packaging system, said product-filled bag extraction apparatus comprising: 
 a base member which is disposed so as to be free to make a reciprocating motion along a base guide path that is parallel to a rectilinear path of retainers,    a reciprocating driving means which causes said base member to make said reciprocating motion,    a frame member supported on a supporting shaft which is on said base member disposed parallel to said base guide path so that said frame member is free to swing upward and downward,    an upward-downward swinging means which causes said frame member to swing upward and downward along with a reciprocating motion of said base member,    a holding means which is disposed on a front end portion of said frame member and is equipped with a pair of holding members that hold areas in the vicinity of mouth portions of product-filled bags, and    an opening-and-closing driving means that opens and closes said pair of holding members.    
     
     
         4 . The apparatus for extracting product-filled bags according to  claim 1 , wherein said upward-downward swinging means is comprised of: 
 a cam roller attachment link, one end thereof being pin-connected to said frame member,    a cam roller which is attached to said cam roller attachment link and has a horizontal axis of rotation in a plane that is perpendicular to said base guide path,    a fixed raising-and-lowering cam which has a cam groove through which said cam roller rolls, and    a connecting link, one end thereof being pin-connected to another end of said cam roller attachment link and another end thereof being pin-connected to said base member; and wherein    said connecting link, said cam roller attachment link and said frame member form a parallel link mechanism, and    said cam roller is raised and lowered in linkage with a reciprocating motion of said base member, causing said cam roller attachment link to perform a translational motion, so that an axis of rotation of said cam roller is maintained in a horizontal attitude.    
     
     
         5 . The apparatus for extracting product-filled bags according to  claim 2 , wherein said upward-downward swinging means is comprised of: 
 a cam roller attachment link, one end thereof being pin-connected to said frame member,    a cam roller which is attached to said cam roller attachment link and has a horizontal axis of rotation in a plane that is perpendicular to said base guide path,    a fixed raising-and-lowering cam which has a cam groove through which said cam roller rolls, and    a connecting link, one end thereof being pin-connected to another end of said cam roller attachment link and another end thereof being pin-connected to said base member; and wherein    said connecting link, said cam roller attachment link and said frame member form a parallel link mechanism, and    said cam roller is raised and lowered in linkage with a reciprocating motion of said base member, causing said cam roller attachment link to perform a translational motion, so that an axis of rotation of said cam roller is maintained in a horizontal attitude.    
     
     
         6 . The apparatus for extracting product-filled bags according to  claim 3 , wherein said upward-downward swinging means is comprised of: 
 a cam roller attachment link, one end thereof being pin-connected to said frame member,    a cam roller which is attached to said cam roller attachment link and has a horizontal axis of rotation in a plane that is perpendicular to said base guide path,    a fixed raising-and-lowering cam which has a cam groove through which said cam roller rolls, and    a connecting link, one end thereof being pin-connected to another end of said cam roller attachment link and another end thereof being pin-connected to said base member; and wherein    said connecting link, said cam roller attachment link and said frame member form a parallel link mechanism, and    said cam roller is raised and lowered in linkage with a reciprocating motion of said base member, causing said cam roller attachment link to perform a translational motion, so that an axis of rotation of said cam roller is maintained in a horizontal attitude.    
     
     
         7 . An extraction method for extracting product-filled bags from retainers that are continuously or intermittently conveyed in a retainer type bag-filling packaging system, said product-filled bag extraction method comprising the steps of: 
 inclining retainers in a vertical plane with respect to a retainer conveying direction,    holding areas in the vicinity of mouth portions of product-filled bags by holding members,    extracting said product-filled bags substantially along a direction of inclination and transferring said bags out of said retainer conveying path, and    dropping said product-filled bags.