Empty bag supply method and empty bag supply devices

Abstract

An empty bag supply method and empty bag supply device in which a first suction-hold member suction-holds a bag set horizontally in a conveyor magazine and the first suction-hold member is swung upward so as to raise the front end of the bag, a grip member grips a portion near the front end of the raised bag and suction-holding of the bag by the first suction-hold member is released, the grip member is swung upward and the bag is thus moved up while being changed into a substantially vertical attitude, a second suction-hold member suction-holds the front-side surface of the bag in the substantially vertical attitude and the grip member opens to release the bag; and when the grip member thus opens, unwanted bag(s) adhering to the suction-held bag is dropped, and only the bag suction-held by the second suction-hold member is moved horizontally onto a bag support member.

1 . An empty bag supply method comprising the steps of:
 suction-holding, with a first suction-hold member, a top surface near a front end of a bag-supply direction of an empty bag which is at a top position inside a bag supply magazine,   moving the first suction-hold member upward to lift up the empty bag,   gripping a portion near the front end of the lifted-up empty bag by a grip member and then releasing suction-holding of the bag by the first suction-hold member,   moving the grip member to transport the empty bag to a first specified position and changing the empty bag to a substantially vertical attitude,   suction-holding by a second suction-hold member a front-side surface in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag which is in the substantially vertical attitude, and   moving the second suction-hold member to transport the empty bag to a second specified position so as to hand over the bag to an adjacent processing device.   
   
   
       2 . The empty bag supply method according to  claim 1 , wherein the second suction-hold member is moved to transport the empty bag to the second specified position while changing the empty bag into a substantially horizontal attitude, and then the empty bag is handed over to the processing device. 
   
   
       3 . The empty bag supply method according to  claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the second suction-hold members are provided for each empty bag, and the plurality of second suction-hold members suction-hold at least two vertical points on the front-side surface in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag. 
   
   
       4 . The empty bag supply method according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the empty bag is placed with one of a bag mouth side and a bag bottom side thereof facing the bag-supply direction inside the bag supply magazine, and   upon changing the empty bag to the substantially horizontal attitude, a lower side of the empty bag which is in a substantially vertical attitude is caused to face a forward side in the bag-supply direction, thus reversing an orientation of the bag mouth side and bag bottom side of the empty bag from an orientation thereof when the empty bag was inside the bag supply magazine.   
   
   
       5 . The empty bag supply device comprising:
 a first suction-hold member that moves back and forth between a first receiving position and a first hand-over position, which is above the first receiving position, the first suction-hold member suction-holding at the first receiving position a top surface near a front end in a bag-supply direction of the empty bag which is at a top position inside a bag supply magazine, and then lifting up the suction-held empty bag when the first suction-hold member comes to the first hand-over position;   a first suction-hold member moving mechanism for moving the first suction-hold member back and forth between the first receiving position and the first hand-over position;   a grip member that moves back and forth between a second receiving position and a second hand-over position, wherein a grip surface of the grip member, while the grip member is being moved from the second receiving position to the second hand-over position, is changed from a substantially horizontal state to a substantially vertical state, and the grip member at the second receiving position grips near the front end of the empty bag suction-held by the first suction-hold member, which is at the first hand-over position, and suspends the gripped empty bag in a substantially vertical attitude when the grip member comes to the second hand-over position;   a grip member moving mechanism for moving the grip member back and forth between the second receiving position and the second hand-over position;   a second suction-hold member that moves back and forth between a third receiving position and a third hand-over position, wherein the second suction-hold member at the third receiving position suction-holds a front-side surface in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag gripped by the grip member when the second suction-hold member comes to the second hand-over position and then hands over the empty bag to an adjacent processing device when the second suction-hold member comes to the third hand-over position; and   a second suction-hold member moving mechanism form moving the second suction-hold member back and forth between the third receiving position and the third hand-over position.   
   
   
       6 . The empty bag supply device according to  claim 5 , wherein the second suction-hold member moving mechanism changes a suction surface of the second suction-hold member from a substantially vertical state to a substantially horizontal state while the second suction-hold member is being moved from the third receiving position to the third hand-over position. 
   
   
       7 . The empty bag supply device according to  claim 6 , wherein a plurality of the second suction-hold members are provided for each empty bag, and the plurality of second suction-hold members in a vertical orientation suction-hold at least two vertical points on the front-side surface in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag. 
   
   
       8 . The empty bag supply device according to  claim 7 , wherein the second suction-hold member moving mechanism changes the suction surface of the second suction-hold member from a substantially vertical state to a substantially horizontal state and so as to face downward while the second suction-hold member is being moved from the third receiving position to the third hand-over position. 
   
   
       9 . The empty bag supply device according to any of  claims 5  through  8 , further comprising
 a suction-aid member which is installed below the second hand-over position of the grip member and is moved back and forth between an evacuation position, which avoids interference between the grip member and the empty bag gripped by the grip member, and a suction-aid position, which faces the suction surface of the second suction-hold member that is at the third receiving position, and   a suction-aid member moving mechanism for moving the suction-aid member back and forth between the evacuation position and the suction-aid position,   wherein at the suction-aid position the suction-aid member faces the suction surface of the second suction-hold member that is at the third receiving position and supports a rear-side surface in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag gripped by the grip member which is at the second hand-over position.   
   
   
       10 . The empty bag supply device according to any one of  claims 5  through  8 , wherein the grip member is comprised of grip sections, and the grip section, which is positioned on a back side in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag when the grip member is at the second hand-over position, is provided with an extended portion that faces the suction surface of the second suction-hold member which is at the third receiving position, and the extended portion supports the rear-side surface in the bag-supply direction of the empty bag at the second hand-over position.