Method and Apparatus for Manufacturing Spout-Equipped Bags

Abstract

Method and apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags in which the lateral sides of a bag are gripped by a pair of grippers, the bag is conveyed along a conveying path, and a spout is attached to the bag mouth during the conveyance. Unloading suction members adheres by suction to a bag in a horizontal orientation and takes out the bag; and then bag suction members adheres to the bag and changes the bag into a vertical orientation, the bag is then rotated through a predetermined angle, making the bag mouth horizontal. A transfer chuck grips the bag and conveys it towards grippers, and the bag is displaced a predetermined distance horizontally and supplied to the grippers. The horizontal displacement distance of the transfer chuck is set in advance such that gripping margins on the bag for the grippers are made substantially equal on the left and right of the bag.

1 . A method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags, comprising:
 a bag unloading step for adhering by suction to an empty bag positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unloading the bag;   a bag feeding step for changing an orientation of the upwardly unloaded bag to a substantially vertical orientation and feeding the bag to a pair of left and right grippers;   a bag conveying step for gripping predetermined locations on opposite sides of a mouth of the bag using the pair of left and right grippers and conveying the bag along a predetermined conveying path;   a bag mouth opening step for opening the mouth of the bag; and   a spout attachment step for substantially vertically lowering a spout, inserting the spout into the opened bag mouth, and, subsequently, sealing the spout to the bag mouth, and   the bag mouth opening step and the spout attachment step are performed on bags conveyed along a conveying path while the bag conveying step is being performed,   wherein:   the bag has a bag mouth formed slanted in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof, and   in the bag feeding step, the mouth of the bag is made substantially horizontal by rotating the bag through a predetermined angle along plane of the bag, and the bag is displaced for a predetermined distance horizontally along the plane of the bag, so that gripping margins on the bag for pair of left and right grippers are made substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag.   
     
     
         2 . A method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags, comprising:
 a bag unloading step for adhering by suction to an empty bag positioned in a substantially horizontal orientation in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unloading the bag;   a bag feeding step for changing an orientation of the upwardly unloaded bag to a substantially vertical orientation and feeding the bag to a pair of left and right grippers;   a bag conveying step for gripping predetermined locations on opposite sides of a mouth of the bag using the pair of left and right grippers and conveying the bag along a predetermined conveying path;   a bag mouth opening step for opening the mouth of the bag; and   a spout attachment step for substantially vertically lowering a spout, inserting the spout into the opened bag mouth, and, subsequently, sealing the spout to the bag mouth, and   the bag mouth opening step and the spout attachment step are performed on bags conveyed along a conveying path while the bag conveying step is being performed,   wherein:   switching between
 an operation in which a spout is attached to a bag that has a slanted bag mouth formed slanted in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof, and 
 an operation in which a spout is attached to a bag that has a parallel bag mouth formed parallel to a bag width direction at an upper edge thereof 
   
       is made possible; and
 when the spout is attached to the slanted bag mouth, in the bag feeding step, the mouth of the bag is made substantially horizontal by rotating the bag through a predetermined angle along plane of the bag, and the bag is displaced for a predetermined distance horizontally along the plane of the bag, so that gripping margins on the bag for pair of left and right grippers are made substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag, and 
 when the spout is attached to the parallel bag mouth, said rotation and displacement in the bag feeding step are not performed. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 1 , wherein between the bag mouth opening step and the spout attachment step, a filling step is performed that involves inserting the nozzle into the opened bag mouth of a bag conveyed along the conveying path and filling the bag with a liquid substance thereby. 
     
     
         4 . The method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 2 , wherein between the bag mouth opening step and the spout attachment step, a filling step is performed that involves inserting the nozzle into the opened bag mouth of a bag conveyed along the conveying path and filling the bag with a liquid substance thereby. 
     
     
         5 . The method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 1 , wherein the bag feeding step is comprised of:
 a first feeding step in which an orientation of a bag upwardly unloaded from the empty bag storage device in the bag unloading step is changed to a substantially vertical orientation, and the bag is rotated through a predetermined angle along the plane of the bag to make the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and   a second feeding step in which the bag is conveyed toward the grippers while being displaced a predetermined distance horizontally along the plane of the bag.   
     
     
         6 . The method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 2 , wherein the bag feeding step is comprised of:
 a first feeding step in which an orientation of a bag upwardly unloaded from the empty bag storage device in the bag unloading step is changed to a substantially vertical orientation, and the bag is rotated through a predetermined angle along the plane of the bag to make the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and   a second feeding step in which the bag is conveyed toward the grippers while being displaced a predetermined distance horizontally along the plane of the bag.   
     
     
         7 . The method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 1 , wherein the spout attachment step is comprised of:
 a spout inserting/pre-sealing step, in which the spout is inserted into the opened bag mouth, and the spout is then pre-sealed in the bag mouth, and   a permanent sealing step, in which the pre-sealed spout is permanently sealed in the bag mouth.   
     
     
         8 . The method for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 2 , wherein the spout attachment step is comprised of:
 a spout inserting/pre-sealing step, in which the spout is inserted into the opened bag mouth, and the spout is then pre-sealed in the bag mouth, and   a permanent sealing step, in which the pre-sealed spout is permanently sealed in the bag mouth.   
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags comprising:
 a bag conveying device having a plurality of pairs of right and left grippers that are disposed at equal intervals along a predetermined travel path, intermittently travel along said travel path, and expand or reduce a spacing therebetween along the travel path;   an empty bag storage device disposed in the vicinity of a bag feeding position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has empty bags placed in a substantially horizontal orientation;   a bag unloading device having unloading suction members that adhere by suction to a bag placed in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unload the bag;   a bag feeding device that receives the bag from the unloading suction members, changes an orientation thereof to a substantially vertical orientation, and feeds the bag to grippers stopped at the bag feeding position;   a bag mouth opening device disposed in the vicinity of a bag mouth opening position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of opening suction members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and opens a mouth of the bag by adhering by suction the opening suction members to both sides of the bag gripped by the grippers;   a spout inserting/pre-sealing device disposed in the vicinity of a spout inserting/pre-sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has
 a spout insertion member that moves substantially vertically up and down and holds a spout, and 
 a pair of pre-sealing members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and 
   
       inserts a spout into the opened bag mouth using the spout insertion member and then pre-seals the spout in the mouth of the bag using the pre-sealing members; and
 a permanent sealing device disposed at a permanent spout sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of permanent sealing members positioned facing each other and capable movement toward and away from each other, and permanently seals the pre-sealed spout in the bag mouth using the permanent sealing members, 
 wherein: 
 the bag is formed with a slanted bag mouth in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof, and 
 the bag feeding device rotates the bag through a predetermined angle along the plane of the bag to make the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and also displaces the bag a predetermined distance horizontally along the plane of the bag, so that gripping margins on the bag for pair of left and right grippers are made substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag. 
 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags comprising:
 a bag conveying device having a plurality of pairs of right and left grippers that are disposed at equal intervals along a predetermined travel path, intermittently travel along said travel path, and expand or reduce a spacing therebetween along the travel path;   an empty bag storage device disposed in the vicinity of a bag feeding position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has empty bags placed in a substantially horizontal orientation;   a bag unloading device having unloading suction members that adhere by suction to a bag placed in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unload the bag;   a bag feeding device that receives the bag from the unloading suction members, changes an orientation thereof to a substantially vertical orientation, and feeds the bag to grippers stopped at the bag feeding position;   a bag mouth opening device disposed in the vicinity of a bag mouth opening position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of opening suction members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and opens a mouth of the bag by adhering by suction the opening suction members to both sides of the bag gripped by the grippers;   a spout inserting/pre-sealing device disposed in the vicinity of a spout inserting/pre-sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has
 a spout insertion member that moves substantially vertically up and down and holds a spout, and 
 a pair of pre-sealing members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and 
   
       inserts a spout into the opened bag mouth using the spout insertion member and then pre-seals the spout in the mouth of the bag using the pre-sealing members; and
 a permanent sealing device disposed at a permanent spout sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of permanent sealing members positioned facing each other and capable movement toward and away from each other, and permanently seals the pre-sealed spout in the bag mouth using the permanent sealing members, 
 wherein: 
 the bag feeding device comprises:
 a bag holding member, which holds a bag; 
 a first drive source, which causes the bag holding member to swing in a vertical plane; 
 a second drive source, which causes the bag holding member to pivot through a predetermined angle in the clockwise and counterclockwise direction along the plane of the bag; 
 a third drive source, which causes the bag holding member to move back and forth; and 
 a fourth drive source, which causes the bag holding member to move in a side-to-side direction, and 
 a controller controlling the operation of the first through fourth drive sources; 
 
 the bag is formed with a slanted bag mouth in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof; and 
 as the first through fourth drive sources operate,
 the bag holding member of the bag feeding device
 swings to change the orientation of the bag to a substantially vertical orientation; 
 rotates so as to cause the bag to rotate through a predetermined angle in the plane of the bag, thereby making the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and 
 makes back-and-forth movement, and moves horizontally along the plane of the bag, 
 thereby making gripping margins on the bag for the pair of left and right grippers substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag. 
 
 
 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags comprising:
 a bag conveying device having a plurality of pairs of right and left grippers that are disposed at equal intervals along a predetermined travel path, intermittently travel along said travel path, and expand or reduce a spacing therebetween along the travel path;   an empty bag storage device disposed in the vicinity of a bag feeding position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has empty bags placed in a substantially horizontal orientation;   a bag unloading device having unloading suction members that adhere by suction to a bag placed in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unload the bag;   a bag feeding device that receives the bag from the unloading suction members, changes an orientation thereof to a substantially vertical orientation, and feeds the bag to grippers stopped at the bag feeding position;   a bag mouth opening device disposed in the vicinity of a bag mouth opening position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of opening suction members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and opens a mouth of the bag by adhering by suction the opening suction members to both sides of the bag gripped by the grippers;   a spout inserting/pre-sealing device disposed in the vicinity of a spout inserting/pre-sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has
 a spout insertion member that moves substantially vertically up and down and holds a spout, and 
 a pair of pre-sealing members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and 
   
       inserts a spout into the opened bag mouth using the spout insertion member and then pre-seals the spout in the mouth of the bag using the pre-sealing members; and
 a permanent sealing device disposed at a permanent spout sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of permanent sealing members positioned facing each other and capable movement toward and away from each other, and permanently seals the pre-sealed spout in the bag mouth using the permanent sealing members, 
 wherein: 
 the bag feeding device comprises:
 a first feeding device provided with
 bag suction member that adheres to a bag by suction, 
 a first drive source that causes the bag suction member to swing in a vertical plane between a position where the suction surfaces of the bag suction member is downwardly oriented and a position where the suction surfaces are forwardly oriented, and 
 a second drive source that causes the bag suction member to rotate in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction through a predetermined angle along the suction surface; and 
 
 a second feeding device provided with
 a transfer chuck that grips the bag, 
 a third drive source that causes the transfer chuck to move back and forth, and 
 a fourth drive source that causes the transfer chuck to move in a side-to-side direction, and 
 
 a controller controlling the operation of the first through fourth drive sources; 
 
 the bag is formed with a slanted bag mouth in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof; and 
 as the first through fourth drive sources operate,
 the bag suction member of the bag feeding device
 swing to change the orientation of the bag to a substantially vertical orientation, and 
 rotate so as to cause the bag to rotate through a predetermined angle in the plane of the bag, thereby making the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and 
 
 the transfer chuck makes back-and-forth movement, and also moves horizontally along the plane of the bag, 
 thereby making gripping margins on the bag for the pair of left and right grippers substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag. 
 
 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags comprising:
 a bag conveying device having a plurality of pairs of right and left grippers that are disposed at equal intervals along a predetermined travel path, intermittently travel along said travel path, and expand or reduce a spacing therebetween along the travel path;   an empty bag storage device disposed in the vicinity of a bag feeding position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has empty bags placed in a substantially horizontal orientation;   a bag unloading device having unloading suction members that adhere by suction to a bag placed in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unload the bag;   a bag feeding device that receives the bag from the unloading suction members, changes an orientation thereof to a substantially vertical orientation, and feeds the bag to grippers stopped at the bag feeding position;   a bag mouth opening device disposed in the vicinity of a bag mouth opening position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of opening suction members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and opens a mouth of the bag by adhering by suction the opening suction members to both sides of the bag gripped by the grippers;   a spout inserting/pre-sealing device disposed in the vicinity of a spout inserting/pre-sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has
 a spout insertion member that moves substantially vertically up and down and holds a spout, and 
 a pair of pre-sealing members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and 
   
       inserts a spout into the opened bag mouth using the spout insertion member and then pre-seals the spout in the mouth of the bag using the pre-sealing members; and
 a permanent sealing device disposed at a permanent spout sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of permanent sealing members positioned facing each other and capable movement toward and away from each other, and permanently seals the pre-sealed spout in the bag mouth using the permanent sealing members, 
 wherein: 
 the bag feeding device comprises:
 a bag holding member, which holds a bag; 
 a first drive source, which causes the bag holding member to swing in a vertical plane; 
 a second drive source, which causes the bag holding member to pivot through a predetermined angle in the clockwise and counterclockwise direction along the plane of the bag; 
 a third drive source, which causes the bag holding member to move back and forth; and 
 a fourth drive source, which causes the bag holding member to move in a side-to-side direction, and 
 a controller controlling the operation of the first through fourth drive sources; 
 
 switching between
 an operation in which a spout is attached to a bag that has a slanted bag mouth formed slanted in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof, and 
 an operation in which a spout is attached to a bag that has a parallel bag mouth formed parallel to a bag width direction at an upper edge thereof 
 
 
       is made possible by the controller; and
 in a situation in which a spout is attached to the slanted bag mouth, as the first through fourth drive sources operate,
 the bag holding member of the bag feeding device
 swings to change the orientation of the bag to a substantially vertical orientation, 
 rotates so as to cause the bag to rotate through a predetermined angle in the plane of the bag, thereby making the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and 
 makes back-and-forth movement, and moves horizontally along the plane of the bag, 
 
 thereby making gripping margins on the bag for the pair of left and right grippers substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag, and, 
 
 in a situation in which a spout is attached to the parallel bag mouth, the first and third drive sources operate, while the second and fourth drive sources are not in operation. 
 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags comprising:
 a bag conveying device having a plurality of pairs of right and left grippers that are disposed at equal intervals along a predetermined travel path, intermittently travel along said travel path, and expand or reduce a spacing therebetween along the travel path;   an empty bag storage device disposed in the vicinity of a bag feeding position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has empty bags placed in a substantially horizontal orientation;   a bag unloading device having unloading suction members that adhere by suction to a bag placed in an empty bag storage device and upwardly unload the bag;   a bag feeding device that receives the bag from the unloading suction members, changes an orientation thereof to a substantially vertical orientation, and feeds the bag to grippers stopped at the bag feeding position;   a bag mouth opening device disposed in the vicinity of a bag mouth opening position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of opening suction members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and opens a mouth of the bag by adhering by suction the opening suction members to both sides of the bag gripped by the grippers;   a spout inserting/pre-sealing device disposed in the vicinity of a spout inserting/pre-sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has
 a spout insertion member that moves substantially vertically up and down and holds a spout, and 
 a pair of pre-sealing members positioned facing each other and capable of movement toward and away from each other, and 
   
       inserts a spout into the opened bag mouth using the spout insertion member and then pre-seals the spout in the mouth of the bag using the pre-sealing members; and
 a permanent sealing device disposed at a permanent spout sealing position, which is a stop position along the travel path, and has a pair of permanent sealing members positioned facing each other and capable movement toward and away from each other, and permanently seals the pre-sealed spout in the bag mouth using the permanent sealing members, 
 wherein: 
 the bag feeding device comprises:
 a first feeding device provided with
 bag suction member that adheres to a bag by suction, 
 a first drive source that causes the bag suction member to swing in a vertical plane between a position where the suction surfaces of the bag suction member is downwardly oriented and a position where the suction surfaces are forwardly oriented, and 
 a second drive source that causes the bag suction member to rotate in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction through a predetermined angle along the suction surface; and 
 
 a second feeding device provided with
 a transfer chuck that grips the bag, 
 a third drive source that causes the transfer chuck to move back and forth, and 
 a fourth drive source that causes the transfer chuck to move in a side-to-side direction, and 
 
 a controller controlling the operation of the first through fourth drive sources; 
 
 switching between
 an operation in which a spout is attached to a bag that has a slanted bag mouth formed slanted in a bag width direction in a corner portion at an upper edge thereof, and 
 an operation in which a spout is attached to a bag that has a parallel bag mouth formed parallel to a bag width direction at an upper edge thereof 
 
 
       is made possible by the controller; and
 in a situation in which a spout is attached to the slanted bag mouth, as the first through fourth drive sources operate,
 the bag suction member of the bag feeding device
 swing and change the orientation of the bag to a substantially vertical orientation, and 
 rotate so as to cause the bag to rotate through a predetermined angle in the plane of the bag, thereby making the bag mouth substantially horizontal, and 
 
 the transfer chuck makes back-and-forth movement, and also moves horizontally along the plane of the bag, 
 thereby making gripping margins on the bag for the pair of left and right grippers substantially equal on left and right sides of the bag, and 
 
 in a situation in which a spout is attached to the parallel bag mouth, the first and third drive sources operate, while the second and fourth drive sources are not in operation. 
 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 9 , wherein
 a liquid-filling device provided with an ascending/descending nozzle is installed in the vicinity of a liquid-filling position set between a bag mouth opening position and a spout inserting/pre-sealing position used as stop positions along the travel path, and   said nozzle is inserted into the mouth of a bag gripped by the grippers stopped at the liquid-filling position, and the bag is filled with a liquid substance thereby.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 10 , wherein
 a liquid-filling device provided with an ascending/descending nozzle is installed in the vicinity of a liquid-filling position set between a bag mouth opening position and a spout inserting/pre-sealing position used as stop positions along the travel path, and   said nozzle is inserted into the mouth of a bag gripped by the grippers stopped at the liquid-filling position, and the bag is filled with a liquid substance thereby.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 11 , wherein
 a liquid-filling device provided with an ascending/descending nozzle is installed in the vicinity of a liquid-filling position set between a bag mouth opening position and a spout inserting/pre-sealing position used as stop positions along the travel path, and   said nozzle is inserted into the mouth of a bag gripped by the grippers stopped at the liquid-filling position, and the bag is filled with a liquid substance thereby.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 12 , wherein
 a liquid-filling device provided with an ascending/descending nozzle is installed in the vicinity of a liquid-filling position set between a bag mouth opening position and a spout inserting/pre-sealing position used as stop positions along the travel path, and   said nozzle is inserted into the mouth of a bag gripped by the grippers stopped at the liquid-filling position, and the bag is filled with a liquid substance thereby.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus for manufacturing spout-equipped bags according to  claim 13 , wherein
 a liquid-filling device provided with an ascending/descending nozzle is installed in the vicinity of a liquid-filling position set between a bag mouth opening position and a spout inserting/pre-sealing position used as stop positions along the travel path, and   said nozzle is inserted into the mouth of a bag gripped by the grippers stopped at the liquid-filling position, and the bag is filled with a liquid substance thereby.