Abstract: A product bag unloading apparatus in which two product bags (3, 4) arranged in a single row in the bag width direction are conveyed on a carry-out conveyor (5) in a single-row arrangement, with their length direction oriented in the conveyor's conveying direction. The apparatus includes a first chuck (11) for gripping one product bag (3), a second chuck (12) for gripping the other product bag (4), a pivot arm (17) pivoting through 90 degrees about a fulcrum shaft (16) with the first chuck (11) rotatably provided at a free end thereof, and a chuck translation mechanism (parallel linkage mechanism) (14) maintaining the first chuck (11) in a constant orientation at all times when the first chuck (11) is moved between a bag receiving position and a bag release position by the pivot motion of the pivot arm (17).

Abstract: A standalone packaging manipulation apparatus performing predetermined packaging manipulation operations on bags being transported along an arcuate transportation path of a rotary-type bag transportation apparatus, the standalone packaging manipulation apparatus including a main arm that pivots and also extends and retracts in a horizontal plane, a sub-arm provided at a distal end portion of the main arm so as to ascend and descend and to rotate in the horizontal plane, and filling nozzle provided on the sub-arm with a predetermined spacing therebetween and simultaneously filling a plurality of bags with liquid. The operation of these elements is performed by mutually independent servomotors.

Abstract: A gripper used in, for instance, a bag filling apparatus including a pair of gripper arms provided with chuck holders. Each chuck holder includes first and second tubular portions, first and second tubular members slidably inserted therein, and first and second air cylinders installed within the tubular portions. An inside fixed chuck element is affixed to the tip end of the first tubular member, and an inside movable chuck element is attached to the tip end of the piston rod of the first air cylinder; in addition, an outside fixed chuck element is affixed to the tip end of second tubular member, and an outside movable chuck element is attached to the tip end of the piston rod of the second air cylinder; and the movable chuck elements are opened and closed with respect to the fixed chuck elements by the advance and retreat motions of the respective piston rods.

Abstract: A standalone packaging manipulation apparatus performing predetermined packaging manipulation operations on bags being transported along an arcuate transportation path of a rotary-type bag transportation apparatus, the standalone packaging manipulation apparatus including a main arm that pivots and also extends and retracts in a horizontal plane, a sub-arm provided at a distal end portion of the main arm so as to ascend and descend and to rotate in the horizontal plane, and filling nozzle provided on the sub-arm with a predetermined spacing therebetween and simultaneously filling a plurality of bags with liquid. The operation of these elements is performed by mutually independent servomotors.

Abstract: In an intermittently rotating table type bag filling apparatus, a plurality of pairs of grippers being provided at equal intervals around an intermittently rotating table, the grippers including pairs of left and right swing levers mounted on the intermittently rotating table, gripper arms affixed to swing levers, chuck sections installed in the tip end portions of the gripper arms, and chuck open/close mechanisms that open and close chuck sections. Gripper arms are cylindrical, and air cylinders and link mechanisms that constitute chuck open/close mechanism are installed inside the tube bodies of the gripper arms.

Abstract: A bag filling and packaging apparatus including hollow guide members that are disposed below ascending/descending hoppers and guide product dropping from hoppers into the interior of bags, the guide members being raised/lowered and moved together with the hoppers in a filling region. The guide members comprise a pair of opening and closing guide frames that are disposed to face each other; and when clogging is detected in a guide member, its guide frames are repeatedly opened and closed while moving through a non-filling region, thus promoting the dropping of product. Directly below the guide members is provided a receiving member that receives the product.

Abstract: A gripper used in, for instance, a bag filling apparatus including a pair of gripper arms provided with chuck holders. Each chuck holder includes first and second tubular portions, first and second tubular members slidably inserted therein, and first and second air cylinders installed within the tubular portions. An inside fixed chuck element is affixed to the tip end of the first tubular member, and an inside movable chuck element is attached to the tip end of the piston rod of the first air cylinder; in addition, an outside fixed chuck element is affixed to the tip end of second tubular member, and an outside movable chuck element is attached to the tip end of the piston rod of the second air cylinder; and the movable chuck elements are opened and closed with respect to the fixed chuck elements by the advance and retreat motions of the respective piston rods.

Abstract: In an intermittently rotating table type bag filling apparatus, a plurality of pairs of grippers being provided at equal intervals around an intermittently rotating table, the grippers including pairs of left and right swing levers mounted on the intermittently rotating table, gripper arms affixed to swing levers, chuck sections installed in the tip end portions of the gripper arms, and chuck open/close mechanisms that open and close chuck sections. Gripper arms are cylindrical, and air cylinders and link mechanisms that constitute chuck open/close mechanism are installed inside the tube bodies of the gripper arms.

Abstract: A bag-making and packaging machine, in which a horizontal bag-making machine and a packaging machine are provided, including a positioning conveyor for positioning bags fed out from the horizontal bag-making machine, a feed conveyor for feeding the bags to the packaging machine, and first, second, and third transport mechanisms provided between the positioning conveyor and the feed conveyor. The first transport mechanism lifts up the bags up and change their attitude to a vertical attitude with the bag mouths oriented upward. The second transport mechanism receives the bags from the first transport mechanisms, transports them, and rotates the bags to orient bag surfaces in the feed direction of the feed conveyor. The third transport mechanisms receives the bags from the second transport mechanisms, changes their attitude to a horizontal attitude, and places them on the feed conveyor with the bag mouths oriented in the feed direction.

Abstract: A bag filling and packaging apparatus including hollow guide members that are disposed below ascending/descending hoppers and guide product dropping from hoppers into the interior of bags, the guide members being raised/lowered and moved together with the hoppers in a filling region. The guide members comprise a pair of opening and closing guide frames that are disposed to face each other; and when clogging is detected in a guide member, its guide frames are repeatedly opened and closed while moving through a non-filling region, thus promoting the dropping of product. Directly below the guide members is provided a receiving member that receives the product.

Abstract: A bag-making and packaging machine, in which a horizontal bag-making machine and a packaging machine are provided, including a positioning conveyor for positioning bags fed out from the horizontal bag-making machine, a feed conveyor for feeding the bags to the packaging machine, and first, second, and third transport mechanisms provided between the positioning conveyor and the feed conveyor. The first transport mechanism lifts up the bags up and change their attitude to a vertical attitude with the bag mouths oriented upward. The second transport mechanism receives the bags from the first transport mechanisms, transports them, and rotates the bags to orient bag surfaces in the feed direction of the feed conveyor. The third transport mechanisms receives the bags from the second transport mechanisms, changes their attitude to a horizontal attitude, and places them on the feed conveyor with the bag mouths oriented in the feed direction.

Abstract: A heat-sealing apparatus comprising a pair of opposed hot plates and a pair of hot plate-mounting blocks to which said hot plates are mounted, respectively. The hot plates respectively have pressing surfaces adapted to be pressed against each other with superimposed film sheets held therebetween during sealing; and mounting surfaces formed at opposite sides to said pressing surfaces. The hot plate-mounting blocks respectively have support surfaces. The hot plates are mounted to said hot plate-mounting blocks in such a manner that the mounting surfaces are pressed against the support surfaces, and that the hot plates can thermally expand and contract in a sealing direction without being restrained by said hot plate-mounting blocks. In another aspect of the invention, the mounting surfaces are formed on respective surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to the pressing surfaces and the hot plates are mounted on respective support surfaces formed on the hot plate-mounting blocks.

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.

Abstract: An antenna diversity communications device switches communications paths between a plurality of antennas to improve reception in a frequency diversity communications system. Antenna selection is done in response to measurement of the receiving condition of the selected antenna. A memory unit stores frequency difference information between the current channel and the next channel. When the frequency difference between the current channel and the next channel is small enough to predict good correlation between the channels, and if current receiving conditions are good, the current channel remains connected. When the frequency difference between the current channel and the next channel is large enough to predict poor correlation, or if the receiving conditions on the current channel are bad, one of the other channels is selected.

Abstract: A bag supplying apparatus for a bag-filling packaging machine, including a vibrating feeder that involves a trough in which bags are placed in a cascade fashion and a vibration driver which vibrates the trough so as to cause the bags to be conveyed forward, a positioning stopper provided at a final end of a conveying path of the bags so that the tip end of a leading bag being conveyed comes into contact with the stopper, and a suction disk that suction-chucks and lifts a bag positioned by the position stopper and feeds the bag to another location.

Abstract: A rotary and flow meter type liquid filling apparatus including a liquid reservoir tank that stores and supplies liquid to filling nozzles, and air supply paths for different amount of air supply and air discharge paths for different amount of air discharge being connected to the liquid reservoir tank. An air compressor is connected to the air supply paths, and the air discharge paths open into the atmosphere. A liquid pressure sensor disposed near the filling nozzles sense the increase or decrease of the liquid pressure inside a pipe that connects the liquid reservoir tank and liquid filling nozzles, and the electromagnetic valves provided on the air supply and air discharge paths are opened or closed, thus supplying air to and discharging air from the liquid reservoir tank so as to control the air pressure inside the liquid reservoir tank and the liquid pressure near the liquid filling nozzles.

Abstract: An empty bag supplying apparatus used in a continuous conveying type bag-filling packaging machine in which the empty bag supplying apparatus receives empty bags and transfers these empty bags to gripper pairs of the bag-filling packaging machine that are moved continuously at a constant speed. The empty bag supplying apparatus includes downward-facing bag holding members and a reciprocating movement mechanism. The bag holding members hold the upper portions of bags. The reciprocating movement mechanism causes the bag holding members to reciprocate along an arc-shaped path and keeps the empty bags held by the holding members to be parallel to the direction of movement of the gripper pairs during the reciprocating motion. In a bag transfer region established in the arc-shaped path path, the speed of the bag holding members holding the empty bags is equal to the moving speed of the gripper pairs.

Abstract: A guide device for loading a solid matter into a bag including: an upper hopper which performs a reciprocating swinging motion along the conveying direction of the bag and about a supporting shaft located in the center of the upper portion of the upper hoppers, and a lower hopper which is positioned beneath the upper hopper and performs a reciprocating horizontal motion along the conveying direction of the bags and also moved toward and away from the upper hopper. The upper hopper's swing motion and the lower hopper's horizontal motion along the conveying direction of the bag are made in synchronization with the movement of the bag, and the lower hopper is lowered so that its lower opening is inserted into the mouth of the bag.

Abstract: With a use of a transfer rotor that has gripping claws on its circumference, spouts are received by the gripping claws and conveyed and transferred to spout holding members of a continuously rotating rotor. The transfer rotor rotates intermittently 60° in a cycle consisting of stopping, acceleration, constant speed, deceleration and stopping. When the transfer rotor is stopped, spouts are received by gripping claws. During the constant rotation, the gripping claws are matched with the speed of the spout holding members, and the gripping claws and the spout holding members run side by side. During this side-by-side running, the spouts are transferred from the gripping claws to the spout holding members. At a transfer position, the gripping claws open, and the spouts move along a guide member as the spout holding members rotate, so that the spouts are pushed into the interiors of holding grooves of the spout holding members.

Abstract: A bag conveying apparatus including a sprocket continuously rotated on a horizontal plane, a fixed guide member having a guide section of a semicircular shape, and an endless chain mounted between the sprocket and the guide section of the guide member. The endless chain is comprised of a plurality of links connected by connecting shafts. Guide rollers rotatable about their own vertical axes are disposed on and under each connecting shaft, and an inside guide roller rotatable about its own horizontal axis is disposed on the inner side of each link. The guide section of the guide member has roller guide sections that contact the guide rollers of the endless chain, and the guide section also has a guide groove in which the inside guide rollers of the endless chain are fitted. Grippers that grip both edges of a bag are installed on each link.