Bag-filling packaging machine

Abstract

A bag-filling packaging machine in which supplied bags 1 are gripped by pairs of grippers 2 disposed on the periphery of an intermittently turning round table 3, and the bags, at stopping positions, are successively subjected to prescribed packaging operations with the gas inside the bags being replaced during that process, wherein a pair of guide members 15 and 16 for keeping the bag mouth opened is provided on the table 3 in correspondence with each of the gripper pair, and guide members 15 and 16 are connected to an inactive gas supply source and have gas blow-out ports at the tip ends that are inserted inside the bags, thus allowing the guide members 15 and 16 to not only keep the bag mouth opened but also function as gas blow-in nozzles.

1 . A bag-filling packaging machine, comprising a plurality of pairs of grippers for respectively gripping edges of both sides of each of supplied bags and suspendingly holding the bag, said plurality of pairs of grippers being disposed at equal intervals along a horizontal endless bag conveyance path and revolvingly moved in one direction, said bag-filling packaging machine successively performing on bags held by said pairs of grippers various packaging operations including opening bag mouths, filling bags with contents to be packaged, and sealing the bag mouths, 
 said bag-filling packaging machine further comprising pairs of guide members that are, respectively, correspondingly provided to said pairs of grippers, are revolvingly moved together with said pairs of grippers and are moved with a predetermined timing between an wait position and a bag mouth holding position;    each of said pairs of guide members having guide portions at tip ends thereof, said guide portions being positioned outside bag mouths when in the wait position and being inserted into the bags through opened bag mouths when in the bag mouth holding position, said guide portions mutually opening and closing with a predetermined timing so that when opened said guide portions hold the bag mouth in a prescribed open shape; and    said guide members being provided inside thereof with gas flow passageways and provided with gas passage openings in said guide portions.    
   
   
       2 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 1 , wherein, when said guide portions of each pair of guide members are in a closed condition inside a bag, said guide portions are positioned proximally to each other, aligned in a bag width direction, at a position substantially in a center of the bag width direction.  
   
   
       3 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 2 , wherein said guide portions of each pair of guide members, when opening and closing inside a bag, are mutually moved in opposite directions along respectively circular arc-shaped paths in a horizontal plane, said circular arc-shaped paths being both provided so as to approach, in middle portions thereof, a center of the bag width direction.  
   
   
       4 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 1 , wherein, in each pair of guide members, 
 one guide member is connected to one of: 
 a gas supply source such that gas supply can be made or stopped, and  
 a gas supply source and a vacuum source interchangeably such that gas supply and vacuum can be made or stopped; and  
   another guide member is connected to one of: 
 a gas supply source such that gas supply can be made or stopped,  
 a gas supply source and a vacuum source interchangeably such that gas supply and vacuum can be made or stopped, and  
 a vacuum source such that vacuum can be made or stopped.  
   
   
   
       5 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 4 , wherein said vacuum source is provided with a gas composition analysis indicator.  
   
   
       6 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 4 , wherein said guide member that is connected to said gas supply source is adjustable for a gas blow-in pressure thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 1 , wherein said pairs of grippers are provided at equal intervals at a periphery of a table that turns continuously or intermittently in one direction in a horizontal plane.  
   
   
       8 . The bag-filling packaging machine according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 said bag-filling packaging machine further comprises filling hoppers that are provided respectively corresponding to said pairs of grippers, said filling hoppers being revolvingly moved together with said pairs of grippers and capable of moving between a wait position and an insertion position, and    said filling hoppers are, while revolvingly moved together with said pairs of grippers, moved between the wait position and said insertion position with a predetermined timing, so that said filling hoppers are positioned outside the bag mouths in the wait position and are inserted into the bags through opened bag mouths in the insertion position.