CN107683249B

CN107683249B - Method and apparatus for feeding, supplying and changing reels with packaging material in a packaging machine

Info

Publication number: CN107683249B
Application number: CN201680022825.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 托马斯·维默尔; 赫尔伯特·斯宾徳勒
Original assignee: Krones AG
Current assignee: Krones AG
Priority date: 2015-04-30
Filing date: 2016-04-14
Publication date: 2020-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 2036-04-14
Also published as: WO2016173853A1; EP3288873B1; CN107683249A; EP3288873A1; DE102015208122A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a device for transporting, supplying, handling and/or changing reels (12, 20) with flat and/or film material wound thereon and used as packaging material for packaging piece goods, multi-packs or similar groups of articles. In the device and method, at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel (20) is removed from at least one mounting position (EB1, EB2) of the packaging machine (14) and then a new reel (12) with flat and/or film material is loaded into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB2), wherein the new reel (12) is supplied to the packaging machine (14) in a defined supply device and, after the spent reel (20) has been removed therefrom in advance, the new reel is loaded therein into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB2) by means of at least one gripping and/or handling device (16). The gripping and/or handling device (16) is assigned a buffer for the reels (12) to be inserted into the packaging machine (14), which buffer can be used as a support (62) for the reels (12), in particular for storing the reels, supplying the reels in a rotational direction and receiving the reels again by the gripping and/or handling device (16) for transfer into the packaging machine (14).

Description

Method and apparatus for feeding, supplying and changing reels with packaging material in a packaging machine

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for transporting, supplying, handling and/or changing reels inside a packaging machine, said reels having a flat and/or film material wound thereon and used as packaging material for packaging piece goods, closures or similar groups of articles. The invention also relates to a device for transporting, supplying, handling and/or changing reels having flat and/or film material wound thereon and used as packaging material for packaging piece goods, closures or similar groups of articles.

Background

When grouping and combining articles, such as beverage containers or the like, into a fitment, these articles are often held together in practice by shrink films in order to prevent them from slipping or coming loose from the article combination during further handling or during transport. From the prior art, for example, closures comprising four, six or more containers are known. Such a fitment is a rather common variant of a vending unit for beverage containers or bottles made of PET plastic. In order to achieve high productivity during packaging and/or during subsequent palletizing, it is desirable to combine such assemblies as quickly as possible without interrupting the individual production steps.

In order to provide packaging material or shrink film for partially or completely wrapping the packs, devices and methods are known which unwind the material from one or more reels, transport it inside a packaging machine and at the same time wrap the packs or the articles which will form the packs with the packaging material. Here, the unwinding of the packaging material from the reel is usually motorized and can be carried out in a continuous process. Devices are known in which the packaging material is drawn through rollers from a reel rotating therein. If a reel is unwound and the supply of reel packaging material is exhausted, the respective reel must be replaced or replaced by a new reel. However, associated with such a change of reel is an undesirable interruption of the process of combining and packaging the multi-packs.

For example, DE 4040545 a1 discloses a method and a device by means of which new reels can be fed and consumed reels can be replaced inside a packaging machine. This known device has a plurality of supply reels with strip material, which are arranged side by side. The winding cores of the reels are all sleeved on a common pin. The starting end of the strip material is connected beforehand to a roller which draws the strip material from the respective reel and guides it downwards away from the apparatus. In order to be able to operate such a known device and to unwind the material from the reel, the reel must be fitted with its winding core onto the pin in accordance with the direction of rotation. The strip material or the first layer of the strip material must be sunk from above toward the roller. If the reel is fitted onto the pin in the opposite direction of rotation, the strip material cannot be drawn off from the reel or can only be drawn off with difficulty, thereby causing difficulties in unwinding. In order to ensure a trouble-free operation, depending on the direction of rotation of the new reel being set, manual displacement and re-setting according to the direction of rotation cannot be dispensed with in these known devices.

In addition, devices for the automated supply of material wound onto reels and for the replacement of consumed reels in processing or packaging machines are known in different embodiments, namely, for example, according to DE 3202647 a1 or according to DE 4142256 a1, by devices for supplying and replacing reels with web-shaped material in processing machines.

Document DE 3425734 a1 discloses an automated device for supplying packaging material to a production and/or packaging line. Such a plant comprises a magazine for packaging material and a forklift equipped with an articulated arm for gripping the packaging material and supplying it to a processing machine on a processing line. The fork lift with the articulated arm travels along a route determined by a computer device connected to the processing machine.

Furthermore, a device for supplying a packaging machine with consumable or packaging material is known from document EP 1273541B 1. The material web wound into reels is supplied to trays and distributed to a plurality of production and packaging machines, wherein the trays are first brought into a transitional storage area by means of a tray conveyor during the removal of the individual reels from the individual reel conveyors and transport to the machine to be supplied.

Document DE 102006017379 a1 discloses a device for handling rolls of packaging material. Such devices include a roll magazine with a gantry, wherein the rolls are stored on pallets. The gantry robot with the crank hands off the reels as needed to a reel-up set arranged outside the gantry. From there, the opposite side of the material web is fed to the consumer in a direction parallel to the longitudinal extent of the gantry.

Known handling methods and devices generally require precise positioning and supply of a new reel or a reel with the packaging material wound thereon. If this precise positioning is not ensured, it is difficult to smoothly replace the consumed reel, whereby the operability of the packaging machine is no longer ensured. In addition, in the known packaging machines the reels have to be loaded in the respectively correct orientation, since the material web to be unwound requires precise guidance and for this reason only allows loading of the reels in a position in which the material web to be unwound can be taken over by the assigned guide means, i.e. to the left or to the right in the direction of rotation.

Disclosure of Invention

For the above reasons, the object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for handling flat and/or film material wound on a roll with a high degree of automation, by means of which flat and/or film material can be supplied without interruption. The device and the method enable the positioning of the reels in the respectively required direction of rotation in the packaging machine even if the reels received by the gripping and/or handling device may be loaded in an incorrect direction of rotation, wherein the respectively equipped reel supply device works without problems and with a superior tolerance and ensures a smooth change of the reels in all operating conditions.

In order to achieve the object mentioned, the invention proposes a method for transporting, supplying, handling and/or changing reels with flat and/or film material wound thereon and used as packaging material for packaging pieces of goods, multipacks or similar groups of articles. In the method, at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted rolls are removed from at least one mounting position of the packaging machine and then a new roll with flat and/or film material is loaded each time into the respective mounting position. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the device may comprise at least two different mounting positions. The at least two different mounting positions may be arranged opposite or adjacent to each other. Each mounting location may be configured to receive a spool or to receive exactly one spool.

Usually, after each new roll has been loaded, the outer layers of the respective new roll are drawn off near or in the region of the free end of the roll and connected, in particular welded or glued, to a section of the material web guided in the packaging machine of the other roll in order to form an uninterrupted material web. However, other connection possibilities are also conceivable which ensure the required uninterrupted operation of the package. The method provides that a new reel is supplied to the packaging machine in a defined supply device, for example by means of a pallet, a rack system, an FTS (i.e. unmanned transport system) or the like, and is loaded there into the respective installation position by means of at least one gripping and/or handling device, from which the consumed reel has previously been removed. The reels are preferably taken up autonomously by an ordered supply device by means of a handling and gripping device and loaded into the packaging machine. According to the invention, the method also provides that the orientation of each reel to be newly inserted into the packaging machine in the direction of rotation is checked during handling of the reel by the gripping and/or handling device and corrected as required (i.e. in the event of a wrong placement of the reel with the loose web end in the wrong direction). In order to be able to correct the direction of rotation, the gripping and/or handling device is provided with a buffer for the reels to be loaded into the packaging machine, which buffer serves as a support for the reels, in particular for storing the reels, supplying the reels in accordance with the direction of rotation, and receiving the reels again by the gripping and/or handling device for transfer into the packaging machine. The buffer can be formed in particular by a bearing block or the like, which takes up a fixed or variable position within the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device. Alternatively, the support base can be designed as a shuttle of an FTS or so-called unmanned transport system, whereby it can perform an automatic rotation of 180 degrees about its vertical axis when the reel is to be reversed, in order to be able to supply the reel stored there to the gripping and/or handling system in the correct position and to be received again by the gripping and/or handling system. In this case, provision may optionally also be made for the buffer or the support base to be provided with a camera, as a result of which additional optical monitoring at the support base can be ensured in order to detect the reel position or the like and to control the support base or the gripping and/or handling device in the desired manner.

Furthermore, it is conceivable to check with the aid of an optical detection device whether the core of each reel stored on the buffer is damaged, wherein the respective reel is not handed over to the packaging machine if there is a core or if a damage occurs, and wherein the gripping and/or handling device receives the reel again and hands it over to the packaging machine if there is no core damage, in order to load the reel into the respective mounting position. In this case, in particular, the optical detection device can be moved via the gripping and/or handling device toward the core or toward a buffer for checking whether the core is damaged. Furthermore, the gripping and/or handling device can place the respective reel with the damaged core on a tray or pick up and screen it from a buffer, if there is or is damaged.

Furthermore, the bearing block can be provided with a rotary drive for rotating the drum lying thereon about the horizontal center axis of the drum in order to adjust the rotational position of the drum and/or the orientation of the edge of the outer layer of the material web. Irrespective of whether the support block is fixed or movable, it can be provided with suitable reversing means to enable a 180 ° rotation when the reel is lying flat, in order to enable the reel to reach the correct mounting position. As already mentioned, the buffer can optionally be formed by an unmanned and/or remotely controlled transport system, onto which the gripping and/or handling device places a new reel whose direction of rotation is to be changed for loading into the packaging machine individually and after a 180 degree rotation about a vertical axis receives it again and places it in the packaging machine, now in the correct direction of rotation for the respective mounting position, which is required for precise guidance of the left or right-hand rotation of the packaging material to be unwound.

According to a further embodiment variant of the invention, it is also possible to detect at least the position of the reel in the region of the defined supply device and/or to detect the gripping and/or handling device and/or its movement space by means of suitable optical sensor devices and/or spatial monitoring devices. Furthermore, it is practical to detect the position of the reel also in the region of the buffer or during the storage of the reel there and the re-taking of the reel therefrom by means of suitable optical sensor devices and/or spatial monitoring devices. At least the movement of the gripping and/or handling device in the region of the defined supply and/or supply device for the reels or in the corresponding movement space of the gripping and/or handling device is controlled as a function of the detected spatial data, movement data and/or sensor data. The control, rotational and/or reversing movements of the buffer or of the support bearing, which are located in the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device, can also be controlled as a function of the detected spatial, movement and/or sensor data.

The method may also provide that the aforementioned spatial monitoring device is formed by at least one optical detection device, in particular a camera, which detects at least the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device and provides output signals which represent the movement space and the movements of the gripping and/or handling device taking place within the movement space. In this case, the at least one optical detection device or camera can be assigned to the gripping and/or handling device or be installed there, for example, so that it can check the movement of the gripping and/or handling device and the orientation of each new reel in the direction of rotation before or during the loading of the new reel. Alternatively, however, the camera can also cover the movement space in such a way that it is mounted stationary in the space or next to the packaging machine; it is also possible to provide additional or multiple cameras on the gripping and/or handling device. In general, a plurality of cameras or optical detection devices can be used, whose output signals can be superimposed and used to precisely determine the position of all parts to be moved, of the handling system and/or of the reel with packaging material.

The spatial monitoring device can also be formed by one or more cameras which are assigned to the buffer or monitor the spatial environment of the buffer, so that the rolls stored there can be detected precisely and the position and ideally the direction of rotation of the rolls can be determined, so that the direction of rotation can be changed rapidly if necessary, as long as this is required for the correct installation position in the packaging machine.

The method according to the invention makes it possible in this way to accurately position and supply a new reel with packaging material wound thereon to the packaging machine. The precise positioning of the handling device ensures a smooth change of the consumed reel, thereby ensuring the operability of the packaging machine in a desired manner. The method has a high degree of automation in the handling of flat and/or film material wound on rolls for packaging purposes, so that in a conceivable embodiment an uninterrupted or at least approximately uninterrupted supply of flat and/or film material is possible. Furthermore, the method works without problems and with a superior tolerance in the event of an inaccurate positioning of the roll supply and can also ensure a smooth change of the roll under all operating conditions.

In the method, the gripping and/or handling device may in particular be formed by a multi-axis robot which receives a new reel from a defined supply device and places the new reel in the packaging machine. As mentioned, the handling robot may optionally be provided with a separate camera, which may for example be mounted on a movable boom of the handling robot, so that it can detect all movements in space and the reel to be received and positioned in the packaging machine. The handling device or the multi-axis robot preferably has suitable gripping or holding elements for receiving the reel. The handling device or the multi-axis robot can thus have, for example, a holding mandrel which projects at the end into the core of each new reel, which is designed as a hollow body, increases the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel or the cross-sectional area of the holding mandrel and thereby fastens the new reel to the handling device or the multi-axis robot in a clamping manner.

Alternatively, in the method according to the invention, the gripping and/or handling means may also be formed by an unmanned and/or remotely controlled transport system (FTS, at least one self-propelled shuttle) which receives a new reel from a defined supply device and places it in the packaging machine. The FTS or the shuttle of the FTS may have, for example, gripper arms or the like for receiving and handling the reels, with which the reels are received, stored on transport supports, then driven together with the reels toward the packaging machine and loaded there. Alternatively, the shuttle machine may be equipped with its own camera in order to control the movement of the shuttle machine in the space.

The method may also provide that the packaging machine itself or at least one mounting position of the packaging machine for the exchangeable reel with packaging material is also optically monitored. In this case, additional optical monitoring devices or cameras can be provided in the packaging machine, in particular in the region of the reel to be replaced or in the region of the mounting position of the reel.

In a further variant of the method according to the invention, it is furthermore advantageous if at least one optical marking is applied to a portion of the new reel in the region of the free end of its outer material web and the new reel is loaded into the respective installation position by means of the handling device in this way or is oriented into the respective installation position before the respective outer layer is withdrawn in such a way that the optical marking points to the respectively opposite installation position. The at least one optical marking is applied to the respective new roll before it is inserted into the respective installation position, for example in such a way that the free end of the outer material web of the respective new roll is fixed to the respective new roll at least as immovable as possible by means of the optical marking. The method may provide that the optical marking is applied, for example, to a new reel on the buffer, if necessary with the aid of a camera monitoring the space or a camera arranged on the buffer. However, the optical marking can also be applied at another location in the region of the conveying device, if necessary manually by an operator or an assistant. In particular, said optical marking may be important in order to show and ensure the correct direction of rotation of the reel, so as to load it into the packaging machine in its correct orientation.

For example, the new reel can be moved into the region of the gripping and/or handling device via the horizontal transport device and can be removed directly from the horizontal transport device by means of the gripping and/or handling device. It is likewise possible to supply new reels onto the trays, so that for example four standing reels each are arranged on one tray, which are brought into the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device by means of a suitable supply device in order to be received there by the gripping and/or handling device and loaded into the packaging machine, possibly taking into account a buffer, as described above as a possibility.

In the method according to the invention, it can furthermore be provided that the control unit is coupled to the handling device and the spatial monitoring device and is connected to the latter and that the clocked operation of the horizontal transport device is provided taking into account the receipt of the respective new reel by the supply area and/or the horizontal transport device by means of the handling device. The control unit may also provide for repeated receipt of new rolls from the supplied pallet.

In order to achieve the object mentioned, the invention also proposes a device for transporting, supplying and/or handling and/or changing reels with flat and/or film material wound thereon and used as packaging material for packaging packs of piece goods, multipacks or similar groups of articles, having the features of the independent device claim. Features which have been described previously for various embodiments of the method can likewise be specified in various embodiments of the device and are therefore not redundantly stated. Features described below in relation to various embodiments of the apparatus may be further defined in the methods previously described.

The device provides that an at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel can be taken out of at least one installation position and preferably at least two different installation positions of the packaging machine and replaced by a respective new reel with flat and/or film material for the respective installation position, wherein preferably after each loading of a new reel the outer layer of the respective new reel is drawn off in the vicinity of or in the region of the free end of the new reel and connected, in particular welded or adhesively bonded, to a section of the other reel which guides the material web in the packaging machine in order to form an uninterrupted material web. Thus, a continuous package run may be maintained in contemplated embodiments. In other embodiments, it is conceivable for the packaging material to be unwound from at least one reel of at least one mounting location at least approximately without interruption. For the rolls of the at least two different mounting positions, it is possible to temporarily stop the unwinding of the packaging material during the joining or welding of the flat and/or film material of the rolls with other flat and/or film materials guided or received in the packaging machine.

The device according to the invention comprises means for providing a new reel for the packaging machine in a defined supply device, such as, for example, a pallet, a rack system, an FTS or the like, and at least one gripping and/or handling device for taking over the reel by the defined supply device and for loading the new reel into a corresponding mounting position of the packaging machine and/or for removing a spent reel from said at least one mounting position of the packaging machine. In this case, the reels can be taken up autonomously from the ordered supply device and loaded into the packaging machine, in particular by means of the handling and gripping device.

Irrespective of the specific design of the gripping and/or handling device, according to the invention, suitable auxiliary means are provided in order to check and, if necessary (i.e. in the event of a misplacement of a reel), correct the orientation of each reel to be newly loaded into the packaging machine in accordance with the direction of rotation during the handling of the reel by the gripping and/or handling device, said misplaced reel having the loose web end in the wrong direction. In this case, the auxiliary means are formed by a buffer associated with the gripping and/or handling device for the reel to be loaded into the packaging machine, which buffer can be used as a support for the reel, in particular for storing the reel, supplying the reel in accordance with the direction of rotation and receiving the reel again by the gripping and/or handling device for transfer into the packaging machine. The temporary storage within the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device may be formed, for example, by a bearing block, which may assume a fixed or variable position within the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device. It can also be provided that the bearing block can form a movable and self-propelled shuttle of an FTS (unmanned and/or autonomous transport system). Furthermore, the support stand can optionally be equipped with a camera, as a result of which additional optical monitoring at the support stand is possible. Furthermore, the bearing block may be equipped with a rotary drive for rotating the drum lying thereon about a horizontal long axis in order to adjust the rotational position of the drum and/or the edge orientation of the outer layer of the material web. Furthermore, the bearing block can optionally have a reversing mechanism in order to be able to perform a 180 ° rotation when the drum is lying flat. This function is already present when the buffer is designed as a self-propelled shuttle. In this variant, the buffer is formed by an unmanned and/or remotely controlled transport system or comprises a transport system which, in controlled cooperation with the gripping and/or handling device, brings the new reel to a defined direction of rotation and delivers it back to the gripping and/or handling device and/or places it autonomously in the packaging machine.

The device according to the invention can furthermore be equipped with spatial monitoring means for detecting at least the position of the reel in the region of the buffer and/or for detecting the position and/or movement of the buffer in the movement space and for controlling the orientation of the reel in order to change or correct the direction of rotation of the reel. Furthermore, the device can be equipped with a spatial monitoring device for detecting at least the position of the reels in the region of the defined supply device and/or the position and/or movement of the gripping and/or handling device within the movement space and for controlling the movement of the gripping and/or handling device in the region of the defined supply device and/or supply device for the reels as a function of spatial data, movement data and/or sensor data detected by means of the spatial monitoring device.

In a variant of the device, the spatial monitoring device can be formed, for example, by at least one optical detection device, in particular a camera, which detects at least the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device and provides output signals which characterize the movement space and the movements of the gripping and/or handling device which take place in this movement space and which supply the output signals to the control system. The at least one optical detection device or camera may be assigned directly to the environment of the gripping and/or handling device and/or the buffer, for example. Thus, a camera can be mounted there; the camera can then check the movement of each new reel and its orientation in the direction of rotation before or during the loading of the new reel, and if necessary the reversal of the reel by means of the buffer. Alternatively, the camera can be arranged in the space or a plurality of cameras can also be arranged in the space and/or on the robot or the handling device.

Alternatively, the camera or cameras can be arranged in the region of the buffer or of the support bed, the output signals of which are used to precisely control the buffer and/or the gripping and/or control device.

The gripping and/or handling device may in particular be formed by a multi-axis robot which receives a new reel from a defined supply device and places it in the packaging machine, taking into account, if necessary, the fact that a buffer is provided for bringing the new reel to the correct direction of rotation. As mentioned, the handling robot or the multi-axis robot may optionally be equipped with a camera, which may be arranged, for example, on a movable or articulated gripper arm or boom in order to detect all gripped objects and the respective environment in order to be able to control the multi-axis robot better and more precisely.

The gripping and/or handling device or the multi-axis robot has suitable gripping and/or holding means, which may be formed, for example, by a holding mandrel which projects into a new reel formed as a hollow body at the end, increases the maximum cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel and thereby fastens the respective new reel to the gripping and/or handling device or the multi-axis robot in a clamping manner.

Alternatively, the gripping and/or handling device may be formed by an unmanned and/or remotely controlled transport system (so-called FTS with at least one self-propelled shuttle) which receives a new reel from a defined supply device and places it in the packaging machine. The shuttle or FTS may optionally also be provided with a camera.

Furthermore, the device can be provided with additional optical monitoring devices or cameras in the packaging machine, in particular in the region of the reel to be replaced or in the region of the mounting location of the reel.

Furthermore, the device may have additional means for applying at least one optical mark to a portion of the new reel in the region of the free end of its outer material web, respectively, in order to load the new reel into the respective installation position by means of the gripping and/or handling device in this way or to orient the new reel in the respective installation position before the withdrawal of the respective outer layer in such a way that the optical mark points to the respectively opposite installation position. In this case, provision may also be made for the at least one optical marking to be applied to the respective new reel before the latter is inserted into the respective installation position in such a way that the free end of the outer material web of the respective new reel is fixed to the respective new reel at least as immovable as possible by means of the optical marking. It is particularly advantageous if the optical marking can be applied to a new reel located in the buffer, if necessary with the aid of a corresponding camera.

Alternatively, in the device, the new reel can be moved into the region of the gripping and/or handling device via the pallet or, for example, via the horizontal transport device and can be removed directly from the pallet or the horizontal transport device by means of the gripping and/or handling device. Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the control unit is connected to the gripping and/or handling device and the space monitoring device and that the clocked operation of the horizontal transport device or the pallet supply device is provided taking into account the receipt of a respective new reel by the gripping and/or handling device from the supply area and/or the pallet or the horizontal transport device.

For this purpose, the device may comprise an optical detection device, by means of which it is possible to check whether the cores of the individual reels stored on the buffer are damaged, wherein the gripping and/or handling device, if damaged, can be operated for screening the individual reels with damaged cores, and wherein the gripping and/or handling device, if no damage is present or produced, can be operated for transferring the individual reels with undamaged cores into the packaging machine. The optical detection device can be mechanically fastened to a movable arm section of the gripping and/or handling device, for example.

In the following, some aspects, features and details of the method according to the invention and of the device according to the invention are again combined. That is, the present invention relates to a method for handling flat and/or film material wound on reels and used as packaging material for piece goods, closures or similar groups of articles. The flat and/or film material can be designed as a shrink film or as a conventional plastic film. The winding drum can have a drum core, the geometry of which corresponds to a hollow cylinder and which can be made at least partially of a material containing cellulose. In this way, each new reel can be advantageously placed onto the pin of the packaging machine corresponding to the core and rotated on the pin in rotation when the packaging material is being withdrawn or removed from the reel. Within the scope of the method, an at least partially unwound and/or depleted reel is removed from at least one mounting position of the packaging machine and thereafter a new reel with flat and/or film material is inserted into the respective mounting position accordingly. In a preferred embodiment, at least two different mounting positions may be provided. Each of the at least two mounting positions may, as already mentioned above, have a pin onto which a new reel is fitted and on which the respective reel rotates for unwinding the respective flat and/or film material. The reel can in particular be fixed in a captive manner on the pin in the respective mounting position. The pins can be driven in rotation and transmit a torque to the respective nested reel, so that the reel is moved in rotation via its pins for unwinding its flat and/or film material. Each pin may be provided with an actuator via which the respective pin is rotated. The drive can be connected to or actuated by a control unit, which is described in more detail below, for rotating the pin. Before the removal of the reel with the at least partially unwound and/or depleted packaging material from the respective mounting position, the jamming connection between the pin and the reel can be released, so that the reel is then no longer fixedly connected to the pin and can be removed by the pin. The rotational movement of the pin can be interrupted until a new reel is slipped onto the pin or inserted into the respective mounting position. After the respective introduction of the new reel into the respective installation position, the outer layer of the respective new reel is usually drawn off in the vicinity of its free end or in the region of the free end and connected to a section of the material web of the other reel guided in the packaging machine in order to form an uninterrupted material web.

After the new reel has been loaded, the outer layer of the respective loaded new reel can be removed by means of suitable gripping elements, for example by means of a gripping and/or handling device with pneumatic suction pressure, which works in a mechanically jammed and/or electrostatically attracted manner and which moves back and forth between the at least two mounting positions. The gripping elements can thus alternately draw the outer layers of a new reel out of the at least two mounting positions. In practice, embodiments have proven possible in which the gripping elements temporarily fix the respective outer layer of the new reel by means of underpressure. Furthermore, a welding wire can be provided which moves downwards and in this case welds the outer layer of each new reel to the material web guided in the packaging machine. The respective outer layer can be moved into the working area of the welding rod via the gripping element. The temperature-regulated wires can thus grip the outer layer of each new reel to move towards the material web guided in the packaging machine. In particular, embodiments have proven possible in which the welding wire is moved vertically up and down for this purpose and in a vertical lowering movement the individual outer layers of the new reel are welded to the material web guided in the packaging machine.

The flat and/or film material of the other reel is not yet completely unwound, usually during the loading of the new reel and during the joining. Thus, in a conceivable embodiment, it may be advantageous to load a new roll while the flat and/or film material is still continuously unwound from another roll in the packaging machine. Even when an at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel is removed from the packaging machine, the flat and/or film material can be unwound from another reel of the packaging machine. It is conceivable to unwind the flat and/or film material continuously and without interruption from at least one reel positioned in the packaging machine. It is also possible that the flat and/or film material of the reel received in the at least two mounting positions is not unwound at the moment of connecting the new reel of flat and/or film material with the flat and/or film material already guided or received in the packaging machine.

In the method described with the invention, the at least approximately unwound and/or depleted reel is sensorially identified and replaced by a new reel with flat and/or film material by means of the previously described gripping and/or handling device. The sensor-type detection can be carried out, for example, with the aid of an optical detector or an optical detection system, which can be arranged in the region of the at least one installation location. The optical detection system or the optical detector and the gripping and/or handling device may be connected to a control unit which also controls the movement of the gripping and/or handling device or of the multi-axis robot.

Furthermore, the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the new reel can be determined and/or checked during or before loading of the new reel. In practice, it has proven possible in particular to provide embodiments in which the determination and/or checking of the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation is carried out by means of an optical detection device. However, the invention is not limited to such an embodiment, so that, for example, tactile and/or other mechanical means can also be provided in order to check the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the respective new reel. If the identified direction of rotation and/or the direction of rotation-compliant orientation matches or corresponds to a predetermined target orientation and/or target direction of rotation, the respective new reel can be inserted into its associated mounting position or remain in the respective associated mounting position. If an incorrect direction of rotation and/or an orientation which does not correspond to the direction of rotation is determined, an orientation correction of the respective new reel is carried out or a further new reel with a suitable direction of rotation and/or an orientation which corresponds to the direction of rotation is selected for loading and loading into the respective mounting position. According to the invention, this takes place using the above-described intermediate storage, which is located in the vicinity of the gripping and/or handling device or at least in the movement space of the gripping and/or handling device.

Thus, the direction of rotation of the new reel and/or the positioning in line with the direction of rotation can be checked. If an incorrect direction of rotation and/or an orientation which does not correspond to the direction of rotation is determined, a corresponding new reel can be placed on the buffer before being inserted into the packaging machine, separated from the gripping and/or handling device and oriented or aligned in the direction of rotation or in the appropriate direction of rotation, received again and then inserted into the respective installation position. The orientation according to the direction of rotation or the orientation with the appropriate direction of rotation and the loading of the reel into the respective mounting position can then be carried out before the outer layer of the reel is connected or welded to the material web still remaining in the packaging machine. During the calibration of a new reel that does not correspond to the direction of rotation, the flat and/or packaging material can be continuously unwound from another reel that is provided in the packaging machine or in one of the at least two mounting positions.

Furthermore, it is provided that the optical detector or optical detection system of the spatial detection system is operatively connected to the gripping and/or handling device via a control unit and controls the precise movement of the gripping and/or handling device for handling the reels, wherein the respective direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the new reel can also be checked and/or determined via the optical detector or optical detection system, and the new reel can be loaded with a direction of rotation and/or an orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation suitable for the respective installation position by means of the gripping and/or handling device and/or can be aligned with a suitable direction of rotation and/or orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation by means of the gripping and/or handling device. Furthermore, the device can have a display unit, such as a display or the like, which is optical and is connected to the control unit, via which display information about the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation is shown.

For example, it is possible to indicate to the user via an optical display unit if the direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the new reel is incorrect. It is also conceivable for information about the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation to be output as an acoustic signal.

For this purpose, the control unit is preferably connected to the gripping and/or handling device in such a way that at least some of the unwound and/or depleted reels can be removed from the respective mounting positions in an autonomous manner and new reels having a suitable direction of rotation and/or a suitable orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation can be loaded into the at least two mounting positions provided in the preferred embodiment in an autonomous manner. In this case, an algorithm can be stored on the control unit, wherein the gripping and/or handling device is controlled in a defined manner by means of the algorithm, taking into account the detected reel position (which can be located, for example, on the pallet) and the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the respective new reel determined by means of the optical detector. Furthermore, the gripping and/or handling device for the captive securing of a new reel configured as a hollow body can comprise a holding mandrel, which is preferably cylindrically configured and has an adjustable maximum cross-sectional diameter. The adjustment of the cross-sectional diameter can be carried out or defined by the control unit. The handling device may have a movable gripper arm, wherein a holding mandrel is arranged at the free end of the gripper arm.

Optionally, a horizontal transport device configured for transporting the new reel can be arranged upstream of the gripping and/or handling device, which horizontal transport device extends into the working area of the gripping and/or handling device and can be actuated in a clocked manner via the control unit, taking into account the removal of the new reel by the gripping and/or handling device. In other embodiments, it is conceivable to provide the gripping and/or handling device with a new reel on a pallet or the like. It is also possible that a new reel is placed in a container or the like which is in the working area of the gripping and/or handling area and through which the new reel is supplied to the gripping and/or handling device. The new reels can be placed in the container irregularly or in any orientation, wherein the direction of rotation and/or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation can be checked and/or determined by means of an optical detector.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention and their advantages are explained in more detail below with the aid of the figures. The dimensional ratios of the individual elements to one another in the figures do not always correspond to the actual dimensional ratios, since some shapes are simplified and others are shown enlarged relative to others for better illustration.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention. Furthermore, it is conceivable to illustrate an embodiment of the method according to the invention by means of fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment variant of the device according to the invention and it is conceivable to use fig. 2 to illustrate an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

Fig. 3A to 3G show a total of seven schematic views of a buffer which can be used in a second embodiment variant of the device according to fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of two mounting positions for the rolls inside a packaging machine that can cooperate with the device according to the embodiment of fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 shows the mounting position of fig. 4, in which a new reel has been loaded in the second mounting position.

Fig. 6 shows the installation position of fig. 4 and 5, in which the outer layer of the new reel loaded into the second installation position is drawn off.

Fig. 7A to 7C show an embodiment variant of a handling device in a total of three perspective views, which receives a new reel from a pallet in order to deposit the reel onto a buffer or to load the reel into a packaging machine.

Fig. 8A and 8B show the handling device in two further perspective views when a new reel is loaded into the packaging machine.

Fig. 9A to 9D show in four views the positioning and removal steps of loading a reel into or removing a reel from a mounting position inside a packaging machine.

The same reference numerals are used for identical or functionally identical elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only the reference numerals necessary for explaining the respective pictures are shown in the respective figures. The embodiments shown are only examples showing how the device according to the invention and the method according to the invention can be implemented and do not constitute an exclusive limitation.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment variant of the device 10 according to the invention. Furthermore, it is conceivable to illustrate an embodiment of the method according to the invention by means of fig. 1.

The apparatus 10 is used for handling flat packaging material, such as, for example, shrink film or wrapping film, which is wound on large reels 12 which, due to their own weight, cannot normally be handled manually. A part of a packaging machine 14 to which a new reel 12 is fed via a gripping and/or handling device 16, which will be described in more detail below, is schematically indicated in fig. 1. The gripping and/or handling device 16, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is designed as a stationary multi-axis robot 18, loads the respective new reel 12 to be supplied to the packaging machine 14 into two different mounting positions EB1 and EB2, which can be seen only substantially in fig. 1 and are illustrated by way of example in the detail view in fig. 4.

The intermediate storage 60, which forms an important part of the invention, is not shown in the illustration of fig. 1, but only in the illustration of fig. 2, and serves to orient the new reel 12 to be inserted into the packaging machine 14 in accordance with the direction of rotation.

As fig. 4 to 6 and fig. 1 and 2 show in overview, each new reel 12 is loaded into one of the two mounting positions EB1 or EB2 by means of the gripping and/or handling device 16 or by means of the multi-axis or handling robot 18, while in the other mounting position EB2 or EB1 there is also a used or partially used reel 20, from which the web of material 22 lying thereon continues to be unwound during each loading of a new reel 12 and is treated in the packaging machine 14 as packaging material. During the further unwinding of the material web 22 from the almost spent reel 20, the outer layer 24 (see fig. 6) of the new reel 12 is connected or welded to the material web 22, whereby the apparatus 10 can be operated continuously without having to interrupt the packaging process in order to replace the spent reel 20 with a new reel 12.

Each new roll 12 is formed by a combination of a wound flat wrapper 22 or wrapping or shrink film and a core 26 on which the wrapper 22 or shrink film is wound. In order to pick up a new reel 12 by means of a horizontal transport device 28 shown in fig. 1, the handling device 16 or the handling robot 18 projects into the reel core 26 of the new reel 12 at the end side via a holding mandrel 32, which is arranged at the end movably on a movable boom 30 of the handling device or the handling robot. For this purpose, the handling device 16 or the arm section 34 of the handling robot 18 can be moved in rotation about a pivot axis 36 shown schematically in fig. 7A. After the insertion of the holding mandrel 32 into the core 26, the cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel 32 is increased, so that the new reel 12 is also secured in a jammed manner on the holding mandrel 32, as shown in fig. 7B. The drum core 26 is of hollow-cylindrical design, and the holding mandrel 32 is correspondingly shaped, so that the holding mandrel 32 is connected via its outer circumferential surface to the inner surface of the drum core 26 for the purpose of holding a new reel 12 in a clamping manner.

The new reel 12 can be supplied uninterruptedly to the gripping and/or handling device 16 or to the handling robot 18 via the horizontal transport device 28, so that a further new reel 12 continues to move towards the handling device 16 or is pushed towards the gripping and/or handling device 16 when a new reel 12 is removed by the horizontal transport device 28. The horizontal conveyance device 28 may be operated in a clocked manner or continuously at a constant speed in a desired manner as needed. The operation of the horizontal transport device is provided by a control unit 38, which is only schematically illustrated here, and which controls the horizontal transport device 28 not only with regard to its transport speed and/or its clocked operation, but also with regard to the movement of the handling robot 18. The control unit 38 processes the signals 40 of at least one spatial monitoring device 42, which may be formed in particular by an optical detection device or a camera 44, if appropriate also a plurality of cameras 44, which detect at least the movement space 46 of the multi-axis robot 18 and the movements of the latter, in this case also the precise movement of the boom 30 with the retaining spindle 32, which is arranged pivotably movably on the boom, relative to each new reel 12 to be gripped. The movement space 46, which can be optically detected by means of the spatial monitoring device 42 formed by the camera 44, is indicated in the illustration of fig. 1 for better representation by a radial fan indicated by a dashed line.

Furthermore, fig. 1 shows a robot arm 48 which is positioned in the region of the horizontal conveyor 28 and which is controlled by a user 50 and via which a new reel 12 can be placed upright on the horizontal conveyor 28. For example, the new reel 12 can be supplied standing on a pallet 52, from which the user 34 can pick up the new reel by means of a robot 48, which can be controlled in terms of movement by the user, and place it on the horizontal conveyor 28 by means of a holding mandrel 54 located there. Thus, the working area of the robot 48 extends over a section of the tray 52 and the horizontal conveyor 28. However, the control and delivery variant shown is only one example of many alternatives. Continuous conveying variants are likewise possible, which do not require manual control as described with reference to fig. 1. In the case of a transport mode which is not arranged in the manner described, it is practical to provide a buffer for a new reel 12 in the movement space 46 of the gripping and handling device 16, in order to be able to store the reel 12 there when the reel is gripped by the holding mandrel 32 of the handling robot 18 in a direction which is not aligned with the direction of rotation, to draw the holding mandrel 32 out of the reel core 26 and to grip it again at the other end side of the reel 12, in order to be able to load the reel in a direction of rotation which is required for the mounting position EB1 or EB2 in the packaging machine 14. Such a buffer, its function and its interaction with the gripping and/or handling device 16 and with the space monitoring device 42 are explained in more detail by way of example with the aid of the embodiment variant of fig. 2. In the variant of the device 10 shown in fig. 1, the buffer 60 is not shown, but is nevertheless an important component of the device 10.

Fig. 1 also shows a container 56 which is open at the top and is located in the working area 46 of the gripping and/or handling device 16. If the supply of packaging material or shrink film of the

reel

12 or 20 placed in the packaging machine 14 runs out, the empty reel 20 is removed from the packaging machine 14 by means of the handling robot 18 from the core 26 made of cellulose, plastic, wood or cardboard and is stored in the container 56. Only after removal of the core 26 can a new reel 12 be loaded into the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2 of the packaging machine 14, so that the gripping and/or handling device 16 or the handling robot 18 first removes the core 26 and subsequently loads a new reel 12 into the respective mounting position EB1 or EB 2.

As already mentioned, the horizontal conveying device 28, the gripping and/or handling device 16 or the multi-axis robot 18 and the packaging machine 14 are connected to a control unit 38. The same applies to the buffer 60 (see fig. 2). The control unit 38 can in particular provide for a clocked operation of the horizontal transport device 28, starting the loading and unloading of the

reel

12 or 20 into and from the two mounting positions EB1 and EB2 by the handling device 16. Furthermore, as described in more detail below, the control unit may control the unwinding of the wrapping material or shrink film of the reel 12 loaded in the packaging machine 14. Furthermore, according to the invention, it is important that the spatial monitoring device 42 enables, in conjunction with the control unit 38, a motion control of the horizontal transport device 28 and in particular of the gripping and/or handling device 16, which enables fault-tolerant positioning and conveying and handling of new reels 12, since the precise gripping of each new reel 12 by the holding mandrels 32 of the handling robot 18 can be effectively assisted and controlled by means of the at least one camera 44, so that the precise positioning of the reel 12 on the horizontal transport device 28 is no longer important and can be compensated by a correspondingly complementary motion control of the handling robot 18 within its motion space 46.

The positioning of the camera 44 illustrated in fig. 1 is to be understood merely as an example. That is, the camera 44 or cameras 44 can be positioned at other locations, for example also in the region of the packaging machine 14, in the region of the handling robot 18 or, if appropriate, even at the pivot arm 30 of the handling robot, as long as the movement space 46 can thereby be covered and detected in the desired manner.

For this purpose, the control unit 38 can have a display device 58 or display, via which information about the direction of rotation of the new reel 12 or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation and/or other control or movement variables of the multi-axis robot 18 and/or of the horizontal transport device 28 can be made visible to the user 50. As described below by way of example with reference to fig. 4 to 6, the direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the new reel 12 is preferably determined and/or checked by the camera 44 or, if appropriate, also by another camera, which is/are connected to the control unit 38. Since the gripping and/or handling device 16 can remove the respective core 26 of the empty reel 20 from the packaging machine 14 and, with the aid of the camera 44 or another camera, load a new reel 12 with a suitable direction of rotation or with an orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation into the packaging machine 14 autonomously, the apparatus 10 can be operated completely automatically at least from the beginning of the pick-up of a new reel 12 by the horizontal transport device 28.

The schematic perspective view of fig. 2 shows a second embodiment variant of the device 10 according to the invention and it is conceivable to show an embodiment of the method according to the invention by means of fig. 2. The packaging machine 14 does not differ significantly from the previously described variant according to fig. 1. The device 10 is also used here for handling flat packaging materials, such as shrink film or wrapping film, which are each fed to the packaging machine 14 from a reel 12 by means of a gripping and/or handling device 16 designed as a multi-axis robot 18, depending on the replenishment requirements depending on the consumption. As in the first variant according to fig. 1, the gripping and/or handling device 16 loads the new reels 12, each to be supplied to the packaging machine 14, into two different mounting positions EB1 and EB2, which are explained in more detail with the aid of the detail views of fig. 4 to 6.

A second variant of the device 10 shown in fig. 2 omits the horizontal conveying means, but instead supplies new reels 12 on respective trays 52, wherein on each tray 52 there are four vertically arranged reels 12 which are individually received by the handling robot 18 and loaded into the packaging machine 14. In order to receive a new reel 12 from a pallet 52 which is within the reach, i.e. in the movement space 46 of the gripping and/or handling device 16 or of the multi-axis robot 18, the handling device 16 or the handling robot 18 projects into the reel core 26 of the new reel 12 at the end via a holding mandrel 32 which is arranged end-movably on the movable boom 30 of the handling device or the handling robot, as already explained with reference to fig. 1. For this purpose, the handling device 16 or the arm section 34 of the handling robot 18 can be moved in rotation about a pivot axis 36 shown schematically in fig. 7A. After the insertion of the holding mandrel 32 into the core 26, the cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel 32 is increased, so that the new reel 12 is also secured in a jammed manner on the holding mandrel 32, as shown in fig. 7B. The drum core 26 is of hollow-cylindrical design, and the holding mandrel 32 is correspondingly shaped, so that the holding mandrel 32 is connected via its outer circumferential surface to the inner surface of the drum core 26 for the purpose of holding a new reel 12 in a clamping manner.

New reels 12 are supplied uninterruptedly to the gripping and/or handling device 16 or to the handling robot 18 via trays 52 which each have four reels 12 and are regularly provided in the movement space 46, so that, when all new reels 12 are removed from one of the trays 52, an empty tray 52 can be replaced by a new tray 52 with the other four reels 12, which is also placed in the movement space 46 of the gripping and/or handling device. The supply can be carried out by means of a suitable ground transport vehicle, for example by means of a so-called FTS (driverless transport system) formed by a self-propelled, remotely controlled and/or self-contained sensor system for steering, which can, for example, deliver one tray 52 with a reel 12 placed thereon at a time into the movement space 46. The transport system or FTS can be run in a clocked manner as desired. The operation of the transport system or FTS is preferably provided by a schematically illustrated control unit 38, which controls the FTS not only with regard to its transport speed and/or its clocked operation (not illustrated here), but also with regard to the movement of the handling robot 18 for changing the reel 12 in the packaging machine 14. Furthermore, the control unit 38 processes the signals 40 of at least one spatial monitoring device 42, which in the variant according to fig. 2 can in particular also be formed by an optical detection device or a camera 44, if appropriate also a plurality of cameras 44, which detect at least the movement space 46 of the multi-axis robot 18 and the movements of the latter, in this case also the precise movement of the boom 30 with the holding mandrel 32, which is arranged pivotably movably on it, relative to each new reel 12 to be gripped. The movement space 46 which can be optically detected by means of the spatial monitoring device 42 formed by the camera 44 is indicated in the illustration of fig. 1 by an oval indicated by a dashed line.

Based on the sufficiently measured movement space 46, in a variant of the device according to fig. 2, not only the horizontal conveyor can be dispensed with, but also a robot interacting with the horizontal conveyor, via which a new reel 12 can be placed upright on the horizontal conveyor (see fig. 1 for this purpose). In contrast, in fig. 2, a buffer 60 for a new reel 12 is visible in and adjacent to the movement space 46 of the gripping and handling device 16, which buffer serves to ensure the necessary rotational-direction-oriented positioning of each reel 12 during the insertion into the packaging machine 14, in the case of a reel 12 on the pallet 52, in which the rotational direction is normally not defined. In practice, the holding mandrels 32 of the carrier robot 18 grasp each of the reels 12 standing on the tray 52 without checking the rotation direction yet. During the movement of the boom 30 with the reel 12 conveyed by means of the holding mandrel 32 towards the packaging machine 14, it is checked by means of a suitable optical check or by detection in some other way (e.g. inductively, by means of a transponder or the like) whether the reel 12 can be positioned there directly and without a change of position or whether the reel 12 may have a wrong direction of rotation. If this is the case, the roll 12 can be deposited on the buffer 60 by means of a corresponding movement control of the handling robot 18, and the holding mandrel 32 can then be pulled off the roll core 26 of the deposited roll 12 in order to again grip the roll at the other end side of the roll 12, so that the roll can be loaded in the desired direction of rotation for the respective installation position EB1 or EB2 in the packaging machine 14. The embodiment of the buffer 60, its precise function and its interaction with the gripping and/or handling device 16 and with the space monitoring device 42 are explained in more detail by way of example with the aid of the embodiment variant of fig. 2 and the detail views of fig. 3A to 3G.

In fig. 2, the user 50 standing in the movement space 46 usually remains there only for maintenance purposes, but not during the continuous operation of the gripping and/or handling device, which can also be checked by the space monitoring device 42 if necessary.

Fig. 2 also shows a container 56 which is open at the top and is located in the working area 46 of the gripping and/or handling device 16. If the supply of packaging material or shrink film of the

reel

As already mentioned, the gripping and/or handling device 16 or the multi-axis robot 18, the controllable buffer 60 for the reels 12 and the packaging machine 14 are connected to a control unit 38, which can also selectively control the FTS for the supply trays 52, which is not shown here. The control unit 38 can thus in particular provide for a timed operation of the FTS, start loading and unloading of the

reel

12 or 20 into and from the two mounting positions EB1 and EB2 by the handling device 16, and optionally use the buffer 60 for ensuring the correct direction of rotation of the new reel 12 to be loaded. Furthermore, as described in more detail below, the control unit may control the unwinding of the wrapping material or shrink film of the reel 12 loaded in the packaging machine 14. Furthermore, according to the invention, it is important that the spatial monitoring device 42, in conjunction with the control unit 38, with the buffer 60 taken into account as required, enables a movement control of the gripping and/or handling device 16, as a result of which a fault-tolerant positioning and transport of new reels 12 on a not precisely positioned pallet 52 and handling of the received reels 12 can be achieved, since it is possible with the aid of the at least one camera 44 to effectively assist in supporting and controlling the precise gripping of each new reel 12 by the holding spindle 32 of the handling robot 18, so that the precise positioning of the reel 12 on the pallet 52 or the precise positioning of the pallet 52 itself on the ground in the region of the movement space 46 is no longer important and can be compensated by a correspondingly complementary movement control of the handling robot 18 within its movement space 46.

The positioning of the camera 44 illustrated in fig. 2 is to be understood only as an example. That is, the camera 44 or cameras 44 can be positioned at other locations, for example also in the region of the packaging machine 14, in the region of the handling robot 18 or, if appropriate, at the pivot arm 30 of the handling robot, as long as the movement space 46 can thereby be covered and detected in the desired manner. If the camera 44 or the spatial monitoring device 42 covers the movement space 46 as completely as possible and can detect and track the movement of the gripping and/or handling device 16, the movement of its holding mandrel 32 and the different target positions of the holding mandrel 32 in the receiving and positioning of the roll 12 in an accurate manner, it can fulfill its purpose in an optimal manner. In order to reliably ensure this, it is practical if the reel 12, however at least the holding spindle 32 of the handling robot 18, is provided with suitable reference marks, the pivot arm 30 of the handling robot optionally also being provided with reference marks which can be formed, for example, by marks which can be clearly identified optically in space, so that they can be used as clearly identifiable marks assigned to the relevant space for the camera system 44.

To this end, the control unit 38 can have a display device 58 or display, via which information about the direction of rotation of the new reel 12 or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation and/or other control or movement variables of the multi-axis robot 18 and/or of the FTS can be made visible to the user 50. As described below by way of example with reference to fig. 4 to 6, the direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the new reel 12 is preferably determined and/or checked by the camera 44 or, if appropriate, also by another camera, which is/are connected to the control unit 38. Since the gripping and/or handling device 16 can remove the respective core 26 of the empty reel 20 from the packaging machine 14 and, with the aid of the camera 44 or another camera, load a new reel 12 with a suitable direction of rotation or with an orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation into the packaging machine 14 autonomously, the apparatus 10 can be operated as automatically as possible at least from the beginning of the retrieval of a new reel 12 from the respective pallet 52.

It should be added here with reference to fig. 1 and 2 that the gripping and/or handling device 16 shown or the handling robot 18 forming it can optionally also be present in a double or triple embodiment, as long as the movement spaces 46 of the two or more handling robots 18 are coordinated with one another in a certain manner and do not collide. However, since a long uninterrupted operation is generally ensured on the basis of the length of the material web on the reel 12, it is not necessary to use two or more handling robots 18 in order to change the reel 12 frequently.

However, a practical embodiment variant can provide that one gripping and/or handling device 16 or a single handling robot 18 can serve two packaging lines or two packaging machines 14 at a time, wherein the movement space 46 is present in a sensible manner between two approximately parallel packaging machines 14, so that a supply region for a new reel 12 with a horizontal conveying device 28 (see fig. 1) or a pallet supply device (see fig. 2) is located between the two packaging machines 14 and in the vicinity of the handling robot 18 and inside the movement space 46 thereof. In this case, the handling robot 18 can alternately supply the two packaging machines 14 in normal operation with a new reel 12 and transfer the consumed reel 20, if appropriate, into a common receptacle 56 for subsequent or periodic disposal. If the movement space 46 cannot be monitored with a single camera 44 (since this camera is partially concealed, for example), a plurality of cameras 44 can be provided for space monitoring, if necessary.

Fig. 3A to 3G show seven schematic views in total of a buffer 60 which can be used in two variants of the device 10 according to fig. 1 and 2 if the direction of rotation of the reel 12 after being received by the holding mandrel 32 of the handling robot 18 does not correspond to the set installation position in the packaging machine 14. In this case, the handling robot 18 deposits the reel 12 by means of a corresponding pivoting movement of its multi-axially movable boom 30 onto a prismatic (see fig. 3A to 3C) upper bearing surface 62 of a buffer 60 provided in the movement space 46, withdraws the holding mandrel 32 from the reel core 26 and reintroduces it into the reel core 26 on the opposite end side of the reel 12. After the reel 12 has been fixed on the holding mandrel 32, it can again take up the reel 12 by corresponding movement of the boom 30 and load it into the set installation position of the packaging machine 14.

The first variant of the buffer 60 shown in fig. 3A to 3C with a prismatic upper support surface 62 ensures a precise central positioning of the roll 12 during storage and prevents it from slipping or rotating sideways. Alternatively, the upper bearing surface 62 can also be formed according to fig. 3D by a plurality of rollers 94 arranged parallel to one another, which are arranged in a sequence such that the inner roller 94 arranged next to one another is lower than the two higher outer rollers 94. This arrangement of the rollers 94 enables precise storage of the new reel 12, which can be stored there by means of the handling robot 18 (see fig. 3E). At least one of the rollers 94 is mounted rotatably at the end in a vertical frame plate 96, which may be equipped with a drive in order to rotate the reel 12 about its long axis through a defined angle, for example to bring the web edge into a desired position, which facilitates the withdrawal of the web edge after loading the reel into the correct mounting position in the packaging machine 14. The drive can be formed in particular by the rollers 94 shown in fig. 3D to 3G, which are integrated into the bearing surface 62 or form the bearing surface 62. However, the alternative drive cannot be seen in detail in the views of fig. 3A to 3C, but can only be seen in the views of fig. 3D to 3G.

As can be seen from the perspective views of fig. 3A, 3D, 3E and 3F, the front views of fig. 3B and 3G and the top view of fig. 3C, the buffer 60 is designed as a support block 64 which can be selectively anchored immovably on the ground in the region of the movement space 46. However, embodiments with a movable bearing block which can be rotated about a vertical central axis 66 (see fig. 3C) are likewise possible, in order to adjust the direction of rotation of the reel 12 in a desired manner or to position it in a desired manner for the reel 12 to be received again by the holding spindle 32 of the handling robot 18.

Furthermore, the buffer 60 or the support base 64 can be provided with suitable detection means, such as a camera or the like, which are preferably connected to the control unit 38 (see fig. 2) so that the exact positioning of the reel 12 on the support surface 62, the orientation of the reel and the direction or angle of rotation of the reel can be checked and detected in order to control the handling robot 18 and/or the optional drive, reversing mechanism, etc. of the buffer 60.

A further alternative may provide that the buffer 60 is movable as a whole, for example if it is also designed as a so-called FTS (unmanned transport system). Preferably, in this variant, the control unit 38 can also control the buffer within the movement space 46 and with regard to its movement and rotation, typically in a suitable coordination with the handling robot 18, which can be adapted in particular to the acceleration of the change process of the reel 12.

Fig. 3A to 3G also show the clamping plates 68, which can be pressed on both sides against the end sides of the roll 12 stored on the support surface 62 if they are fed to both end sides of the roll 12. After the lateral advance of the clamping plate 68, the reel 12 can be held in its position in this way until the holding mandrel 32 is moved into the reel core 26 and fixed there for the purpose of receiving the reel 12 again, so that the reel 12 can be transferred into the installation position in the packaging machine 14. The feed drive and feed mechanism 98 for the clamping plate 68 which can be fed or opened in the direction of the length extension of the roller 94 is shown in fig. 3D and 3E in an implied manner and is situated below the roller 94 and is screwed on both sides to the frame plate 96 which in this embodiment variant forms the bearing part of the bearing block 64.

The schematic perspective view of fig. 3E illustrates the process of depositing a new roll 12 onto the rotatable and drivable roller 94 which forms the concave upper bearing surface 62 of the bearing block 64. The reel 12 is stored on the buffer 60 by means of the handling robot 18, the holding mandrel 32 on the end of the gripper arm 34 is then pulled off the reel core 26, the reel 12 is rotated in the desired manner by means of the roller 94 and/or the reel is positioned in the axial direction on the bearing surface 62 by means of the feedable clamping plate 68.

The schematic perspective view of fig. 3F and the schematic front view of fig. 3G show a further embodiment variant of the buffer 60, in which, instead of two parallel frame plates 96 (see fig. 3D and 3E), a closed housing 100 is provided for receiving and supporting the rollers 94 and the adjustable clamping plate 68 with their advance drive and/or advance mechanism 98. The remaining structure of the buffer 60 according to fig. 3F and 3G corresponds as far as possible to the variants according to fig. 3D and 3E.

The schematic perspective view of fig. 4 shows the previously mentioned mounting positions EB1 and EB2 for the reel 12, which are defined in the packaging machine 14 according to the variant according to fig. 1 and/or 2. Each of the mounting locations EB1 and EB2 is defined by its own rotatable receiving spindle 70. A new reel 12 is placed on each of the two horizontally oriented receiving mandrels 70 one at a time by means of a gripping and/or handling device (see fig. 1 and 2) and is fixed in a captive manner on the respective receiving mandrel 70 by increasing the diameter of the receiving mandrel 70 and by jamming the reel core 26. Fig. 4 shows, in addition, a welding beam 72 which is provided for connecting the outer layer 24 (see fig. 5, 6) of the new reel 12 (see fig. 5) inserted into the respective mounting location EB1 or EB2 to the remaining material web 22 in the packaging machine 14 and for this purpose is lowered vertically. After connecting the outer layer 24 (see fig. 5) with the material web 22 remaining in the packaging machine 14, the temperature-controlled welding beam is lifted vertically and brought into the position shown in fig. 4.

In the illustration of fig. 4, in a first mounting position EB1, the almost spent reel 20 is mounted on the receiving mandrel 70 of this first mounting position EB1 and is moved rotationally by the mandrel 70 or by withdrawing the material web 22. Here, the wrapping material or shrink film of the roll 20, which is mounted on the receiving mandrel 70 of the first mounting position EB1, is unwound. At the second mounting position EB2, the consumed reel 20 has been completely unwound and the reel core 26 (see fig. 1 and 2) is removed via the handling device 16, so that the second mounting position EB2 or the receiving spindle 70 of the second mounting position EB2 is ready to receive a new reel 2 with packaging material.

Furthermore, each of the mounting locations EB1 and EB2 can be assigned its own sensor or camera 74, by means of which the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 can be optically detected. As soon as one reel 20 is at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted, the respective camera 74 sends information about the respective at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 to the control unit 38. The control unit 38 already mentioned above controls the gripping and/or handling device 16 or the handling robot 18 (see fig. 1 and 2) on the basis of a large amount of data, i.e. on the basis of the camera 74 inside the packaging machine 14, for removing the respective at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 or for removing the core 26 of the respective at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20. In order to be able to remove the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 from the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2, the catch connection formed between the respective reel 20 and the receiving spindle 70 is released beforehand. This is typically done by reducing the cross-sectional diameter of the respective receiving mandrel 70, whereby the reel core 26 can be withdrawn. Furthermore, the control unit 38 provides for a loosening of the detent connection or a reduction of the cross-sectional diameter of the receiving mandrel 70.

In order to remove the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 from the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2, the gripping and/or handling device 16 is extended via its holding spindle 32 (see fig. 7A) into the core 26 of the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20. The respective at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 is then fixed on the holding mandrel 32 of the handling device 16 by increasing the cross-sectional diameter of the receiving mandrel 70. Likewise, the control unit 38 provides for an increase in the cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel 32 for jamming the reel 20 or the reel core 26. After the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 has been fixed on the holding mandrel 32, it is moved by means of the gripping and/or handling device 16 and, if provided by the control unit 38, towards a container 56 (see fig. 1 and 2) and stored there by means of a reduction of the cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel 32.

After storing the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 or core 26 in the container 56 (see fig. 1 and 2), the gripping and/or handling device 16 is operated via the control unit 38 for loading a new reel 12 into the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2 inside the packaging machine 14. The direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of each new reel 12 is checked beforehand, preferably with the aid of a buffer 60 or a bearing block 64 (see fig. 3A to 3G), as already described previously. The apparatus 10 can be operated automatically in this manner. It should be mentioned here that the exemplary embodiment according to fig. 4 is to be understood merely as an example, so that further embodiments are conceivable in which only one camera 74 is assigned to both mounting locations EB1 and EB2, the detection region of which camera extends over both mounting locations EB1 and EB 2. There is also the possibility of checking the direction of rotation or the orientation in line with the direction of rotation of the reel 12 newly loaded into the mounting positions EB1 and EB2 via a plurality of cameras 74. If it is determined that the direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the new reel 12 in one of the two mounting positions EB1 or EB2 is incorrect, it can be arranged by the control unit 38 to correct the orientation direction of the respective new reel 12 via the gripping and/or handling device 16. The handling and/or handling device can then remove the respective new reel 12 from the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2, deposit it on the buffer 60 (see fig. 2), receive the reel 12 again with the appropriate direction of rotation and/or with the appropriate direction of rotation orientation and then reload it into the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2 with the appropriate direction of rotation and/or with the appropriate direction of rotation orientation.

Fig. 5 is a further schematic perspective view of the mounting positions EB1 and EB2 according to fig. 4, with a new reel 12 loaded in the second mounting position EB 2. Starting from fig. 4, in the view of fig. 5, a new reel 12 is pushed onto the receiving mandrel 70 of the second mounting position EB2 by means of the gripping and/or handling device 16 (see fig. 1 and 2). The unwinding of the packaging material 22 or shrink film from the almost spent or unwound reel 20 of the first mounting position EB1, and therefore about to be removed, is continued, so that the operation of the packaging machine 14 (see fig. 1 and 2) is continued even when the reel 20 of the first mounting position is replaced by a new reel 12 switched to the second mounting position EB 2. If a new roll 12 is subsequently loaded into the first mounting position EB1, unwinding of the packaging material 22 or shrink film from the roll 12 of the second mounting position EB2 continues, thereby ensuring the required continuous and uninterrupted operation of the packaging machine 14.

The new reel 12 of the second mounting position EB2 of fig. 5 may preferably have an optically recognizable attachment mark 76, which may in particular be formed by a reflective or inductively or otherwise recognizable attachment mark 76, which is applied to the outer layer 24 of the new reel 12 in the region of the free end thereof. The camera 74 assigned to the second mounting position EB2 can now check by means of the attachment mark 76 whether the new reel 12 is being pushed onto the receiving mandrel 70 in the appropriate direction of rotation or in an orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation. An overview of fig. 5 and 6 can show that in the new reel 12 of the second mounting position EB2, the outer layer 24 is guided from above via the reel 12 and sinks downwards. If the roll 12 is placed onto the receiving mandrel 70 of the second mounting position EB2 with the wrong direction of rotation or an orientation that does not correspond to the direction of rotation, the outer layer 24 is moved downward away from the roll 12 and cannot be gripped or is only gripped with difficulty for this reason. Thereby possibly also disturbing the unwinding characteristics in the packaging machine 14 or in the course of the material web. Thus, it cannot be oriented below the weld beam 72. Therefore, a rotation-direction-adapted positioning of the new reel 12 or the insertion of the new reel 12 into the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2 in the appropriate rotation direction is absolutely necessary in order to be able to ensure a trouble-free operation of the device 10 or of the packaging machine 14 in the subsequent material transfer of the material web 22.

If the attachment markers 76 can be detected by means of the respective camera 74, the receiving mandrel 70 is moved in a rotating manner until the attachment markers 76 point to the opposite mounting position EB1 or EB 2. Only after the attachment markings 76 have been so oriented can the gripping bar 78 of a gripping and/or handling device (not shown), which is movable in the packaging machine 14 between the mounting positions EB1 and EB2 and the welding beam 72, grip the outer layer 24 of the new reel 12 and position it under the welding beam 72, which gripping bar is only schematically shown in fig. 6. The gripping bar 78 may, for example, suck and grip the outer layer 24 of the roll 12 by means of underpressure.

It should be noted, however, that embodiments are also conceivable in which the new reel 12 does not have such a reflective (according to fig. 5) attachment marking 76 and in which the plurality of cameras 74 recognize the outer layer 24 of the new reel 12 or the free end region of the new reel 12 without additional optical features of the new reel 12. However, the optically detectable attachment marks 76 preferably have a code, not shown in detail here, which can be recognized by a plurality of cameras 74. The coding preferably also makes it possible to unambiguously specify the direction of rotation of the roll 12 in addition to the position of the end region of the outer layer 24, so that (if necessary taking into account the buffer 60) the attachment markings 76 can be used already when the handling robot 18 is used to handle the newly loaded roll 12 for determining the direction of rotation and for correctly positioning the end region of the outer layer 24. Here, the attachment mark 76 can preferably be detected by the space-monitoring device 42 or the camera 44 and the information content analyzed and then supplied to the control unit 38 in order to control the handling robot 18 and/or the buffer store 60 in a desired manner.

The schematic perspective illustration of fig. 6 shows the mounting positions EB1 and EB2 of fig. 4 and 5, in which the outer layer 24 of a new reel 12 loaded into the second mounting position EB2 is drawn off. Here, it can again be seen quite clearly that the outer layer 24 of the reel 12 positioned in the second mounting position EB2 is lowered from above, while the outer layer or the material web 22 of the reel 20 inserted into the first mounting position EB1 is guided from below. The two

reels

12 and 20 rotate on their respective receiving spindles 70 in the same direction of rotation, here counterclockwise. The new reel 12 needs to be loaded in accordance with the direction of rotation in order to ensure an undisturbed and functional operation of the apparatus 10 or of the packaging machine 14 (see fig. 1 and 2).

Thus, not only is it possible to determine the direction of rotation or to comply with the orientation of the direction of rotation within the packaging machine 14 via the plurality of cameras 74, but it is also possible to identify an at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 via the plurality of cameras 74. Information about the direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the roll 12 and about the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 20 is transmitted by the plurality of cameras 74 to the control unit 38, which can provide for a correction of the orientation of the new roll 12 and for the replacement of the at least approximately unwound and/or depleted roll 20 with the new roll 12. This can be done in particular in a manner which has already been explained with reference to fig. 2 and 3A to 3G, taking into account optionally the buffer 60 for the rotational direction correction. However, in order to determine the correct direction of rotation, it is practical to use the camera 44 first and second times the cameras 74 in order to subsequently check the correct direction of rotation after the roll 12 has been loaded into the packaging machine 14.

The schematic views of fig. 7A and 7B show a part of a handling robot 18 forming a gripping and/or handling device 16 for handling reels 12 in the apparatus 10. The gripper arm or arm section 34 of the handling robot 18 can be pivoted about a horizontally oriented axis 36, so that the holding mandrel 32 of the handling robot 18 can be vertically oriented with its longitudinal axis for reaching into the core 26 of each new reel 12. If each new reel 12 has been gripped by means of the handling robot 18 or by means of the holding mandrel 32, the new reel 12 is rotated by a further pivoting movement of the gripper arm 34 about the axis 36 and is then loaded into the respectively assigned mounting position EB1 or EB2 (see fig. 4 to 6).

In addition, fig. 7A and 7B show another alternative camera 80. This optional camera 80 is mechanically coupled fixedly to the gripper arm 34, so that it is guided together with the gripper arm 34 when it moves. If the gripper arms 34 are pivoted about the axis 36, the direction of rotation or the orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation of one or more new reels 12 can be determined by means of the camera 80. In order to be able to carry out appropriate evaluation and movement control of the gripping and/or handling device 16, the camera 80 is connected to the control unit 38, which controls the acquisition of a new reel 12 with the appropriate direction of rotation or orientation corresponding to the direction of rotation from the tray 52 by means of the handling device 16.

Furthermore, fig. 7B shows the gripping and/or handling device 16 after receiving a new reel 12 with an orientation according to the direction of rotation by the tray 52 (see fig. 7A). As can be seen in fig. 7B, the gripper arm 34 is pivoted out of the position of fig. 7A about an axis 36 which extends in the direction of the drawing in fig. 7A. The new reel 12 now has an at least approximately horizontal orientation and can be inserted into the packaging machine 14 in the mounting position EB1 or EB2 assigned to it accordingly. The at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 is also removed from the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2 in a horizontal orientation. In order to remove the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 from the respective mounting position EB1 or EB2, the holding mandrel 32 of the handling robot 18 projects into the core 26 of the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20, which can be assisted by various auxiliary means which are explained in more detail below with the aid of fig. 9A to 9D. Each at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reel 20 is fixed on the holding spindle 32 of the handling robot 18 by increasing the cross-sectional diameter of the holding spindle 32. An increase in the cross-sectional diameter of the holding mandrel 32 is provided for by the control unit 38.

The schematic perspective view of fig. 7C illustrates the process of depositing a new reel 12 held on the holding mandrel 32 of the boom 34 of the handling robot 18 onto the rotatable and drivable roller 94 which forms the concave upper bearing surface 62 of the bearing block 64 of the buffer 60. The reel 12 is deposited on the buffer 60 by means of the handling robot 18, the holding mandrel 32 at the end of the gripper arm 34 is then pulled off the reel core 26, the reel 12 is rotated in the desired manner by means of the roller 94 and/or positioned in the axial direction on the support surface 62 by means of the feedable clamping plate 68, in order then to be able to receive the reel again with the holding mandrel 32 in the appropriate rotational direction in order to finally load the reel into the packaging machine 14. In the embodiment variant according to fig. 7C, the buffer is again equipped with a closed housing 100 for accommodating and supporting the rollers 94 and the adjustable clamping plate 68 with its feed drive and/or feed mechanism 98 (see fig. 3F and 3G for this purpose).

The two schematic perspective views of fig. 8A and 8B illustrate the positioning of a new reel 12 in one of the mounting positions EB1 or EB2 (see fig. 4-6) provided in the packaging machine 14. Thus, FIG. 8A shows a small section of a new reel 12 with packaging material and having been pushed onto the receiving mandrel 70 in the packaging machine 14, the new reel having been previously separated from the holding mandrel 32 of the transfer robot 18. The holding mandrel 32 is therefore provided with a punch attachment 82, which is temporarily fixed to the holding mandrel 32 of the handling robot 18 for the purpose of pushing the reel 12 onto the receiving mandrel 70 toward an axial stop 84. Fig. 8B shows the pushing operation, with which the punch attachment 82 is pressed against the end face of the roll 12 until it is pushed against the axial stop 84 and thus into its set installation position EB1 or EB 2. After reaching the mounting position EB1 or EB2, the handling robot 18 is again detached from the reel 12 and a new task is assigned.

Correspondingly, the pushing out of the used or almost spent reel 20 from the receiving mandrel 70 and the taking over of the holding mandrel 32 by the handling robot 18 are simplified by means of the movable axial stop 84 and by means of the movable support structure of the rotatable receiving mandrel 70, as is shown in fig. 9A to 9D.

The two schematic perspective views of fig. 9A and 9B show different operating states of the reel 12 (fig. 9A) on the receiving mandrel 70 or of the reel removed therefrom (fig. 9B) in the mounting position EB1 or EB2 (see fig. 4 to 6) provided in the packaging machine 14. In the illustration of fig. 9A, the reel 12 is already in the set mounting position EB1 or EB2 for unwinding, whereas in the illustration of fig. 9B it is pushed down by the receiving mandrel 70 by the movement of the axial stop 84 and is taken over, for example, by the handling robot 18 (not shown). The movable axial stop 84 is situated on a base 86 which can be moved parallel to the longitudinal extension of the receiving mandrel 70, is held in two parallel longitudinal guides 88 and is movable. When the reel 12 is on the receiving mandrel 70, the horizontally displaceable seat 86, which is held in the longitudinal guide 88, together with the axial stop 84, is naturally located in the vicinity of an abutment 90 (fig. 9A) which simultaneously forms the support structure and a drive 92 for the receiving mandrel 70 which is driven in rotation.

As is evident from the two schematic side views of fig. 9C and 9D, the entire support 90 with its drive 92 and the driven-in-rotation receiving mandrel 70 is configured so as to be movable along two parallel horizontal guides 88, which simplifies the assembly of a new reel 12 onto the receiving mandrel 70 and the removal of a spent reel by means of a handling robot.

Fig. 9C shows the roll 12 positioned on the receiving mandrel 70. The support 90 with the drive 92 is here located next to the right stop, the reel 12 for unwinding being already in the packaging machine 14. The axial stop 84 is moved with its base 86 against the abutment 90 so that it does not come into contact with the reel 12. Fig. 9D also shows the roll 12 positioned on the receiving mandrel 70. In this case, the carrier 90 with the drive 92 is displaced to the left, as is the axial stop 84, which with its base 86 rests against the carrier 90 and is therefore likewise displaced to the left. In this case, the receiving mandrel 70, which is rotatably mounted on the support 90, with the reel 12 located thereon, is moved out of the mounting position EB1 or EB2 by a distance such that the reel 12 is not in a position suitable for unwinding, but rather in a removal or assembly position in which it can be easily taken over by the handling robot 18 or transferred to the packaging machine 14. In particular, when the support 90 moves with the mandrel 70 to the right into the original operating position (according to fig. 9C), the position shown in fig. 9D can form a starting position in which the reel 12 is removed from the receiving mandrel 70, while the base 86 with the axial stop 84 remains in its position (according to fig. 9D). In this case, the mandrel 70 is removed from the mandrel core 26 while the axial stop 84 bears at the end against the mandrel 12 and holds it in its position. Thereby, the holding mandrel 32 of the handling robot 18 can be pushed into the unwound reel core 26 and finally the take-up mandrel 70 can be taken over and the reel 12 can be drawn off.

The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the scope of the claims.

List of reference numerals

10 device

12 reel and new reel

14 packaging machine

16 gripping device, handling device, gripping and/or handling device

18 multi-axis robot and transfer robot

20 reels, spent reels, partially unwound reels

22-material web, packaging material

24 outer layer

26 barrel core and winding barrel core

28 horizontal conveying device

30 cantilever

32 holding mandrel

34 arm segment, gripper arm

36 axis of rotation

38 control unit

40 output signal

42 space monitoring device

44 optical detection device and camera

46 space of motion

48 mechanical arm

50 user, operator

52 tray

54 holding mandrel

56 container

58 display device

60 temporary storage place

62 bearing surface, upper bearing surface

64 support base

66 central axis and vertical central axis

68 clamping plate

70 mandrel, receiving mandrel and retaining mandrel

72 welding beam

74 vidicon

76 attachment mark, optically recognizable/reflective attachment mark

78 grabbing bar

80 camera, another camera (of the transfer robot)

82 punch attachment

84 axial stop

86 movable base

88 longitudinal guide, parallel longitudinal guide

90 support

92 driver

94 roller

96 frame plate

98 (for clamping plates) feed drive, feed mechanism

EB1 first mounting location

EB2 second mounting location.

Claims

1. Method for transporting, supplying, handling and/or changing reels (12, 20) having flat material wound on their reel core and serving as packaging material (22) for packaging piece goods, closures, in which method at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reels (20) are removed from at least one mounting position (EB1, EB2) of a packaging machine (14) and then new reels (12) with flat material are respectively loaded into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB2), wherein new reels (12) are supplied to the packaging machine (14) in defined supply devices and after the previously removed spent reels (20) from the respective mounting position, new reels (12) are respectively loaded into the respective mounting position (EB1, B2) by means of at least one gripping and/or handling device (16), EB2), wherein the position of each new reel (12) to be newly loaded into the packaging machine (14) in line with the direction of rotation is checked and corrected as required during handling thereof, in that the gripping and/or handling device (16) deposits the relevant new reel (12) on a buffer (60) serving as a support (62) for the new reel (12) for changing the direction of rotation, which then receives the new reel (12) again and transfers it to the packaging machine (14) for loading into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB 2).

2. Method according to claim 1, in which method it is checked by means of an optical detection device (44) whether the core (26) of each new reel (12) stored on the buffer (60) is damaged, wherein, in the event of damage to the core (26), the respective new reel (12) is not handed over to the packaging machine (14), and the gripping and/or handling device (16) receives the new reel (12) again and hands it over to the packaging machine (14) in the event of no damage to the core (26) in order to load it into the respective mounting location (EB1, EB 2).

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the optical detection device (44) is moved towards the drum core (26) via a gripping and/or handling device (16) for checking whether the drum core (26) is damaged.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which method the buffer (60) is located in the movement space (46) of the gripping and/or handling device (16) and is incorporated into the assembly process as required in the movement space for loading a new reel (12) in the packaging machine (14) in the correct rotational direction.

5. Method according to claim 1, in which method at least the position of a new reel (12) in the area of the defined supply and/or supply device and/or the gripping and/or handling device (16) and/or the movement space (46) of the gripping and/or handling device is detected by means of a space monitoring device (42), and at least the movement of the gripping and/or handling device (16) in the area of the defined supply and/or supply device for new reels (12) and/or in the area of the buffer (60) is controlled depending on the detected data.

6. Method according to claim 1, in which method it is detected by means of an optical detection device that each new reel (12) conveyed and/or handled by the gripping and/or handling device (16) coincides with a rotation direction position.

7. Method according to claim 5, in which the space monitoring device (42) detects at least a movement space (46) of the gripping and/or handling device (16) and provides an output signal, the movement space (46) having a buffer (60) in the movement space, the output signal describing the movement of the movement space (46) and the gripping and/or handling device (16) taking place therein and/or the handling step of a new reel (12) positioned in the correct rotational direction on the buffer (60) taking place therein.

8. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which method the buffer (60) is formed by an unmanned and/or remotely controlled transport system, onto which transport system the gripping and/or handling device (16) places individually those new reels (12) whose direction of rotation is to be changed for loading into the packaging machine (14) and, after rotation of the new reels about a vertical axis, receives them again and places them in the packaging machine (14).

9. Method according to claim 1, in which method at least one optical marking (76) is applied to a portion of a new reel (12) in the region of a free end of its outer material web (24), and the new reel (12) is loaded into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB2) in this way by means of a gripping and/or handling device (16) or is oriented into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB2) before the respective outer material web (24) is withdrawn, so that the optical marking (76) points to a respective opposite mounting position (EB1, EB 2).

10. Method according to claim 9, in which method the at least one optical marking (76) is applied to each new reel (12) before the new reel is loaded into the respective mounting position (EB1, EB2) so that the free end of the outer web (24) of each new reel (12) is fixed to each new reel (12) at least as immovable as possible by means of the optical marking (76).

11. Method according to claim 9 or 10, in which method the optical marking (76) is applied to a new reel (12) on a buffer (60).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the flat material is a thin film material.

13. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the coincidence of the direction of rotation position of each new reel (12) transported and/or handled by the gripping and/or handling device (16) is detected by means of at least one camera (44, 80).

14. Device (10) for transporting, supplying and/or handling and/or changing reels (12, 20) having flat material wound thereon and serving as packaging material (22) for packaging piece goods, closures, in which device at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted reels (20) can be removed from at least one mounting location (EB1, EB2) of a packaging machine (14) and replaced by individual new reels (12) with flat material for the respective mounting locations (EB1, EB2), which device (10) comprises means for providing new reels (12) for the packaging machine (14) in defined supply means and at least one gripping and/or handling means (16) for the new reels (12) by the defined supply means and for loading the new reels (12) into a take-off pipe in a correspondingly defined direction of rotation Into a corresponding mounting position (EB1, EB2) of the packaging machine (14) and/or for removing a used reel (20) from at least one mounting position (EB1, EB2) of the packaging machine (14), wherein the gripping and/or handling device (16) is provided with a buffer (60) for a new reel (12) to be inserted into the packaging machine (14), said buffer serving as a support (62) for the new reel (12), providing the new reel in accordance with the direction of rotation and receiving the new reel again by the gripping and/or handling device (16) for transfer into the packaging machine (14),

in the device, the temporary storage (60) is formed by a support (64) which occupies a fixed or variable position within the movement space (46) of the gripping and/or handling device (16).

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, in which the support seat (64) is provided with a rotary drive for rotating a new reel (12) lying thereon in order to adjust the rotary position of the new reel and/or the orientation of the edge of the outer web (24).

16. Apparatus according to claim 14, in which the buffer (60) is formed by or comprises an unmanned and/or remotely controlled transport system which, in controlled cooperation with the gripping and/or handling device (16), brings a new reel (12) to a defined direction of rotation and returns it to the gripping and/or handling device (16) and/or is placed autonomously in the packaging machine (14).

17. Apparatus according to claim 14, equipped with spatial monitoring means (42) for detecting at least the position of the new reel (12) in the region of the buffer (60) and/or the position and/or the movement of the buffer (60) within the movement space (46), and for controlling the orientation of the new reel (12) in order to change or correct the direction of rotation of the new reel.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, in which the spatial monitoring device (42) is used for detecting at least the position of a new reel (12) in the area of the defined supply device and/or the position and/or movement of the gripping and/or handling device (16) and/or buffer (60) within the movement space (46), and for controlling the movement of the gripping and/or handling device (16) in the area of the defined supply device and/or supply device for new reels (12) depending on the data detected by means of the spatial monitoring device (42).

19. Apparatus according to claim 17, in which the spatial monitoring device (42) is formed by at least one optical detection device which detects at least a movement space (46) of the gripping and/or handling device (16) and provides output signals which depict the movement of the movement space (46) and the gripping and/or handling device (16) and/or the buffer (60) occurring therein.

20. Apparatus according to claim 18, in which the space monitoring device (42) is formed by at least one optical detection device which detects at least a movement space (46) of the gripping and/or handling device (16) and provides output signals which depict the movement of the movement space (46) and the gripping and/or handling device (16) and/or the buffer (60) occurring therein.

21. Apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the at least one optical detection device or camera (44, 80) is assigned to the gripping and/or handling device (16) and/or the buffer (60).

22. Apparatus according to claim 14, in which the gripping and/or handling device (16) is formed by a multi-axis robot (18) which receives a new reel (12) from a defined supply device and places it in the packaging machine (14).

23. Apparatus according to claim 14, comprising an optical detection device (44), by means of which it is possible to check whether a core (26) of each new reel (12) stored on the buffer (60) is damaged, wherein the gripping and/or handling device (16) is operable to pick out each new reel (12) having a damaged core (26) if there is damage to the core, and wherein the gripping and/or handling device (16) is operable to transfer each new reel (12) having an undamaged core (26) into the packaging machine (14) if there is no damage to the core.

24. Apparatus according to claim 23, in which the optical detection device (44) is mechanically fastened on a movable arm section (34) of a gripping and/or handling device (16).

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the flat material is a thin film material.

26. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the buffer is for storing rolls.

27. Apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the spatial monitoring device is formed by a camera.