Packaging system

Abstract

A packaging system including two rotary tables ( 5, 6 ) provided adjacent each other on a common base ( 1 ) and connected to a common drive source to intermittently rotate in mutually opposite directions in the same intermittent indexing mode. For the rotary tables ( 5, 6 ), empty bag supplying devices ( 10, 11 ), mouth-opening devices ( 14, 15 ), packaged material filling devices ( 16, 17 ), mouth-sealing devices ( 22, 23 ), and product bag unloading devices ( 8, 9 ) are respectively provided on the base ( 1 ). The product bag unloading devices ( 8, 9 ) are disposed adjacent each other in the vicinity of the most proximate stop positions (H, h) of the tables, and the empty bag supplying devices ( 10,11 ) are disposed adjacent each other in the vicinity of the following stop positions (A, a).

1 . A packaging system wherein:
 two intermittent rotation-type bag filling and packaging apparatuses, which are provided in close proximity to each other, hold two lateral edges of each one of bags using a pair of grippers to intermittently convey bags along a circular conveying path in equiangular steps and successively perform, during conveyance of bags, same packaging operations including opening mouths of bags, filling bags with material to be packaged, sealing the mouths of the bags, and unloading product bags; and   each intermittent rotation-type bag filling and packaging apparatus comprises:
 a rotary table that has multiple pairs of grippers disposed around a periphery thereof and intermittently rotates, thereby causing the grippers to intermittently travel along a circular travel path in equiangular steps; 
 an empty bag supplying device for supplying a bag to the grippers; 
 a mouth-opening device for opening a mouth of the bag held by the grippers; 
 a packaged material filling device for filling the bag held by the grippers with material to be packaged; 
 a mouth-sealing device for sealing the mouth of the bag held by the grippers; and 
 a product bag unloading device that receives a sealed product bag from the grippers and removes the product bag from the conveying path; and 
   the empty bag supplying device, mouth-opening device, packaged material filling device, mouth-sealing device, and product bag unloading device are disposed in vicinity of stop positions in the travel path of the grippers, and wherein:   said two rotary tables are disposed adjacent each other on a common base and connected to a common drive source so as to intermittently rotate in mutually opposite directions in a same intermittent indexing mode,   said empty bag supplying device, mouth-opening device, packaged material filling device, mouth-sealing device, and product bag unloading device are provided on the base for each one of said rotary tables, and   said empty bag supplying devices and product bag unloading devices are disposed adjacent each other between said two rotary tables.   
     
     
         2 . The packaging system according to  claim 1 , wherein said product bag unloading devices are disposed adjacent each other in a most mutually proximate stop positions among stop positions of the grippers disposed on both rotary tables, and said empty bag supplying devices are disposed adjacent each other in mutually proximate stop positions that follow, in terms of a direction of rotation of said two rotary tables, said most mutually proximate stop positions. 
     
     
         3 . The packaging system according to  claim 1 , wherein said empty bag supplying devices are disposed adjacent each other in a most mutually proximate stop positions among stop positions of the grippers disposed on both rotary tables, and said product bag unloading devices are disposed adjacent each other in mutually proximate stop positions that precede, in terms of a direction of rotation of said two rotary tables, said most mutually proximate stop positions. 
     
     
         4 . The packaging system according to  claim 1 , wherein timing of moving and stopping the intermittent rotation of said rotary tables is set to be substantially inverse to each other. 
     
     
         5 . The packaging system according to  claim 4 , wherein
 said two intermittent rotation-type bag filling and packaging apparatuses are provided with a common carry-out conveyor, and   said product bag unloading devices discharge the product bag in an alternating manner.   
     
     
         6 . The packaging system according to  claim 4 , wherein in said two intermittent rotation-type bag filling and packaging apparatuses, the empty bag supplying devices, mouth-opening devices, packaged material filling devices, mouth-sealing devices, and product bag unloading devices are disposed in linearly symmetrical positions with a line perpendicular to a line that connects the rotary shafts of the two rotary tables serving as an axis of symmetry. 
     
     
         7 . The packaging system according to  claim 5 , wherein in said two intermittent rotation-type bag filling and packaging apparatuses, the empty bag supplying devices, mouth-opening devices, packaged material filling devices, mouth-sealing devices, and product bag unloading devices are disposed in linearly symmetrical positions with a line perpendicular to a line that connects the rotary shafts of the two rotary tables serving as an axis of symmetry. 
     
     
         8 . The packaging system according to any one of  claims 1  through  7 , wherein
 said grippers disposed on the rotary tables are of a duplex type, in which two pairs of grippers constitute a single set, and 
 holding surfaces of said two pairs of grippers of a same set used when holding a bag are disposed substantially in a same plane, and, 
 while two bags held by two pairs of grippers of the same set intermittently travel along the travel path, the packaging operations are simultaneously performed on said two bags. 
 
     
     
         9 . The packaging system according to any one of  claims 1  through  7 , wherein the bag held by said grippers is in an upright orientation with bag mouth thereof facing upward. 
     
     
         10 . The packaging system according to  claim 8 , wherein the bag held by said grippers is in an upright orientation with bag mouth thereof facing upward.