CN116002599A - Device for supplying a closure to a closure in a beverage filling plant - Google Patents

Abstract

A device (20) for supplying a closure (2) to a closure (10) for closing a container with the closure (2), preferably in a beverage filling apparatus, wherein the device (20) has: a closure chute (21) for supplying the closure (2) to the closure (10), wherein the closure chute (21) is arranged and configured such that the closure (2) is guided and transported along a transport path specified by the closure chute (21); and a stopping device (23) having a stopper (230), the stopper (23) being arranged to brake and stop the supply of the closure (2) to the closure (10) in the closure chute (21) along a braking path (B).

Description

Device for supplying a closure to a closure in a beverage filling plant

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for supplying a closure to a closure for closing a container using said closure, preferably in a beverage filling apparatus.

Background

Closures for applying closures to filled containers are known, for example for applying crown caps or rotary closures to bottles in beverage filling plants. The closure in the form of a gyrator has a rotating turntable, on the periphery of which a plurality of closure members and assigned container holders are mounted. The containers to be closed are transferred by the container supply device, for example by means of a transfer star, to the container holders of the carousel and are closed during transport along the pitch circle of the carousel with the aid of the assigned closure members using the closure. Such a closure is described, for example, in DE 10 2012 103 518 A1.

The feeding of the closures to the closures is usually done through a closure chute, through which the closures are transferred directly to the closures or to a pick-up wheel arranged in front of the actual closures and which achieves the desired separation/synchronization of the closures provided in a continuous stream by the closure chute. It is thereby ensured that the closures produced in the individual devices or apparatuses arrive orderly at the closure, which are provided in the preparation phase by means of the provision device, including for example the sorting and/or orientation of the closures. In this case, the provision device is usually arranged above the closure and is connected to the closure by a closure chute in which the sorted and correctly oriented closures are guided. The closure is then slid from the supply means to the closure due to its own weight or otherwise driven.

Such a system of closures, supply devices and closure slide grooves is known, for example, from DE 10 2018 129 548 A1.

What happens in normal operation is that there is no container to be closed in the closure due to a malfunction or other reason. Voids occur in the sequence of containers to be closed. In this case, the closure slide should not transfer the closure to the closure, since otherwise too many closures would lead to a failure in the closure. For this reason, it is known to mount a stopper on the closure chute, the task of which stopper is to prevent the closure from flowing to the closure when necessary. The stopper includes an actuatable finger that engages into the closure chute and stops the closure supply when desired. A closure supply device with a stopper is described, for example, in DE 10 2012 110 102 A1.

Such a stopper causes a sudden stop, whereby a high dynamic pressure is built up on the front closure due to the mass inertia of the following closure, which may damage or deform the closure. Such damage or deformation of the closure can cause the closure to become lodged in the closure chute, thereby preventing restarting of the closure supply or causing failure in the closure. Manual intervention by the operator is required, whereby the plant productivity decreases.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device for supplying closures to closures, preferably in beverage filling apparatuses, in particular to reduce possible damage/deformation of the closures and/or to optimize the apparatus productivity.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments emerge from the dependent claims, the following description of the invention and the description of the preferred embodiments.

The device according to the invention is used for supplying a closure to a closure for closing a container using the closure. The device is particularly preferably used in beverage filling apparatuses, for example for filling water (distilled or carbonated), soft drinks, beer, wine, fruit juices, sorbets, dairy products, mixed beverages, etc.

The device comprises a closure chute for supplying the closure to the closure, wherein the closure chute is arranged and configured such that the closure is guided and transported along a transport path specified by the closure chute. The closure slide thus has a shape and a size corresponding to the closure viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the transport path, so that the closure can be moved in the closure slide in the direction of the closure along the defined transport path.

The device also has a stopping device with a stopper which according to the invention is arranged to brake and stop the supply of closures to the closures in the closure chute along a braking path. In other words, the closure does not suddenly stop when the closure supply is interrupted, whereas the stopper is a damped stopper, since the stopper brakes the closure along a distance and thus smoothly stops the closure supply. The braking path naturally defines a distance greater than zero. The stop is designed for braking along the braking path, i.e. minimal and unintentional material or design limited deformations, vibrations etc. and possible design limited play between components are not included.

Since the closure supply does not stop suddenly in the event of an interruption, but rather the closure is braked along the braking path, the dynamic pressure caused by the subsequent closure and thus the force acting on the closure in the region of the stopping device is slowly and smoothly reduced. By smooth force reduction, damage and/or deformation of the closure when stopping the closure supply is suppressed. Mechanical intervention after machine stoppage is not required or can be at least reduced, thereby optimizing plant efficiency.

The stopper preferably comprises a stop element in the form of a pin, needle or finger, wherein the stopper is in this case arranged to move the stop element into the closure slide in such a way that the supply of the closure to the closure can be prevented. When the supply of the closure to the closure is to be interrupted, the stop device moves the stop element into the closure slide, for example by means of a corresponding trigger device, so that the closure is prevented from flowing to the closure. The triggering means may actuate the stopping element, for example, electrically, magnetically, hydraulically, pneumatically or purely mechanically. In order to ensure a braking path, the stop element is particularly preferably mounted so as to be movable along the closure slide. In this way, a simple and reliable stopper in machine manufacture is achieved.

Alternatively, the stopper may comprise a rotatably supported stopping wheel having a plurality of engagement sections arranged on the peripheral side, which may each be engaged with the closure to stop the supply of the closure to the closure in the closure chute. The stop wheel is preferably a gear wheel having a pitch matching the closure in the closure chute, wherein the engagement section is formed by the teeth of the gear wheel. In this way, a simple, reliable and widely applicable stopper in machine manufacture is achieved.

Preferably, the stopping device has a braking device connected to the stopping wheel, which is arranged to stop, i.e. prevent, the rotation of the stopping wheel or to brake to a stationary state. The stopping wheel is rotatably supported on a braking device, wherein smooth braking of the closure supply is preferably achieved in that the braking device brakes the stopping wheel in a controlled manner at a specific rotational angle corresponding to the braking path. This can be achieved, for example, in that the braking device comprises a speed-adjustable motor, for example a synchronous motor, and a corresponding control unit.

Preferably, the stopper is movably supported along the braking path. For this purpose, a stop, for example a bearing, in particular a stop wheel or a stop element, can be movably mounted by means of a guide. The guide is preferably fastened to a holder which is fixed relative to the closure chute. By movably supporting the stop along the braking path, the braking path can be flexibly adjusted and defined explicitly by simple means on the machine manufacturing.

Preferably, the stopping means has damping means arranged to dampen the movement of the stopper along the braking path, whereby the braking of the closure supply takes place particularly smoothly.

The damping means may be constituted by an elongated elastic member, such as a spring, which is fastened on one side to the holder and on the other side to the stopper. In this way, the damping device can be realized in a mechanically simple and reliable manner. Alternatively, the damping means may operate pneumatically or magnetically. Thus, instead of an elastic member, a pneumatic cylinder may be installed, for example, between the holder and the stopper, which pneumatic cylinder may also dampen or smooth the movement of the brake closure.

The closure slide is preferably arranged and configured such that the closure can be transported along the transport path in a gravity-limited manner, wherein the closure slide is inclined (relative to the horizontal) and/or extends vertically for this purpose at least in sections. In this way, transport of the closure in the closure chute can be achieved without the need for a dedicated drive. In this case, the braking path preferably has a vertical (vector) component, whereby the design is particularly simple and reliable in machine manufacture. The braking path may extend substantially entirely in the direction of gravity.

Alternatively or additionally, the advancement of the closure in the closure chute towards the closure may be generated or supported in other ways, for example by a magnet unit in the case of a metal closure such as a crown cap.

It should be noted that the naming of spatial relationships, such as "horizontal", "vertical", "above", "below", etc., is clearly determined by the intended use and installation location of the device. Here, the vertical direction coincides with the gravitational direction.

Preferably, the closure slide is arranged such that at most exactly one closure is always present at a given position of the transport path. In other words, the closures are moved successively along the transport path in the closure chute, thereby simplifying the controlled supply and separation to the closures.

The above object is also achieved by a system or device having a closure for closing a container, a device for supplying closures to the closure according to any one of the preceding embodiment variants connected thereto, and a provision device arranged to provide closures for closing the container and to transfer these closures to the device for supplying closures.

The features, technical effects, advantages, and embodiments described for a device for supplying a closure to a closure are similarly applicable to the previously defined device.

The closure may have a pick-up wheel onto which the closure is transferred through a closure chute. The pick-up wheel is a star-shaped supply device which brings the closures provided in a continuous stream by the closure chute to a specified separation or synchronization in the closure. If necessary, the pick-up wheel can be omitted, since the closure is transferred from the closure chute to the transfer platform. The transfer platform is arranged in such a way that the closure placed thereon can be received by the closure member of the closure and further processed.

Preferably, the provision means are arranged to sort and/or orient the closures. For this purpose, the device may have a closure reservoir, preferably a cylindrical shaped part, which is provided for receiving a large number of closures. The closure reservoir may have a stirrer for mixing and/or transporting and/or orienting the closure. For example, crown caps, screw closures or cork stoppers may be considered as closures.

Preferably, the stopping means is arranged to brake the supply of the closure to the closure in the closure chute along a braking path when transferring from an operational state in which the closure is to be supplied to the closure to a stopped state in which the supply of the closure to the closure is to be interrupted. The transition from the operating state to the stopped state and vice versa takes place when required, for example when a technical fault occurs in the closure. In this way, it is effectively prevented that in the event of a gap in the sequence of containers to be closed, the closure chute will transfer excess closure to the closure, which would otherwise cause interference.

Other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments. The features described therein may be implemented alone or in combination with one or more of the features described above, provided that the features are not mutually inconsistent. Here, the following description of the preferred embodiments is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Other preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail by the following description of the drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a schematic three-dimensional overview of a device comprising a closure, means for supplying the closure to the closure and providing means for the closure;

FIG. 2a schematically shows a stopping device with a damped stopper in a first state; FIG. 2b schematically shows the stopping device with the damped stopper in a second state; and

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a stopping device having a dampened stopper in accordance with another embodiment; and

fig. 4 schematically shows a stopping device with a damped stopper according to another embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the same, similar or equivalent elements in different drawings are attached with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of these elements are partially omitted to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 1 shows a device 1, which device 1 has a closure 10 for closing a container (not shown in the figures) with a corresponding closure 2 (see fig. 2a, 2b, 3 and 4) and a device 20 for supplying the closure 2 to the closure 10.

The device 1 is preferably part of a filling device for filling containers with a filling product. In particular, the device 1 finds application in beverage filling apparatuses, for example for filling water (distilled or carbonated), soft drinks, beer, wine, fruit juices, sorbets, dairy products, mixed beverages, etc.

In order to be able to close filled, open containers in the closure 10, the classified and oriented closure 2 relative to the spatial position of the closure 10 is supplied to the closure 10 by a supply device 30 arranged above the closure 10. In the supply device 30, for example, the closures 2 that arrive unclassified are classified. For this purpose, the provision device 30 may have a closure reservoir 31, preferably a cylindrical molding, which closure reservoir 31 is provided for receiving a large number of closures 2. The closure reservoir 31 may have a stirrer for mixing, transporting and optionally orienting the closures 2.

For example, a crown cap, screw closure or cork may be considered as closure 2.

In order to supply the closures 2 from the supply device 30 to the closures 10, a device 20 for supplying the closures 2 with a closure chute 21 is arranged between the supply device 30 and the closures 10.

The closure slide 21 is connected to the lower region of the closure store 31 in such a way that the closure 2 can be transferred from the closure store 31 into the closure slide 21. The closure slide 21 is arranged such that the closure 2 is guided along a transport path specified by the closure slide 21, wherein the closure 2 is transported along the transport path, particularly preferably by its own weight, i.e. limited by gravity. In the present exemplary embodiment, the closure slide 21 is largely inclined to the horizontal and extends vertically in sections.

The closure slide 21 has a shape and a size corresponding to the closures 2, viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the transport path, so that at most exactly one closure 2 is always present at a given position of the transport path. In other words, the closures 2 are moved in succession along the transport path in the closure slide 21, wherein the closure slide 21 is embodied in the form of a slide, so that the closures 2 slide down in the direction of the closures 10 in the closure slide 21 after leaving the closure store 31.

The closure slide 21 adjoins a transfer section 22 in the region of the closure 10, by means of which transfer section 22 the closure 2 is in a horizontal orientation and is transferred from the closure slide 21 to the closure 10.

In the present embodiment, the closure 2 is transferred by means of a transfer section 22 to a pick-up wheel 11, which pick-up wheel 11 is herein conceptually considered as an integral part of the closure 10. The pick-up wheel 11 is a star-shaped supply device which brings the closures 2 provided in the form of a continuous stream by the transfer sections 22 into the separation or synchronization specified in the closures 2. The pick-up wheel 11 transfers the closures 2 accordingly to closure members 12, which closure members 12 are arranged at the periphery of the turntable and are arranged to close the containers with one closure 2 each.

According to an alternative embodiment, the pick-up wheel 11 may be omitted, since the closure 2 is transferred from the transfer section 22 to a transfer platform, for example. The transfer platform is arranged such that the closure 2 placed thereon can be received by the closure member 12 of the closure 10 and further processed.

The device 20 for supplying the closure 2 also has a stop device 23, which stop device 23 is provided to interrupt the flow of the closure 2 from the closure chute 21 to the closure 10 if necessary, for example in the event of a technical failure in the closure 2. The stop means 23 are preferably arranged on a vertical section of the closure slide slot 21, tending to be arranged in a lower region of the closure slide slot 21.

An embodiment of the stopping device 23 is shown in fig. 2a and 2b, which fig. 2a and 2b show different states of the stopping device 23. Fig. 2a shows the state of the stopping means 23 during normal operation, also referred to herein as "operating state", while fig. 2b shows the state of the stopping means 23 during interruption of the closure supply, also referred to herein as "stopped state".

Other embodiments of the stopping device 23 are shown in fig. 3 and 4. The stopping device 23 has in each case a damped stopper 230, which damped stopper 230 is arranged to brake the closure supply in the closure chute 21 along a braking path B which is greater than zero when transferring from the operating state to the stopped state. In other words, the closure 2 does not suddenly stop, but the stopper 230 moves or rotates along with a certain distance and thus smoothly stops the closure supply.

Returning to fig. 2a and 2b, the stopping means 23 in this embodiment comprises a stopping wheel 231 having engagement sections 231a, which engagement sections 231a can each be engaged with the closure 2 to stop the closure supply. The stop wheel 231 is in the simplest case a gear wheel with a pitch matching that of the closure 2, wherein the engagement section 231a is formed by the teeth of the gear wheel.

The stop wheel 231 is rotatably supported on a bearing 232 and preferably freely rotates in the operating state. The stop wheel 231 may alternatively function as an adjusting device to adjust the inflow speed of the closure 2.

The stopping device 23 also has a braking device 233, which braking device 233 is arranged to stop the stopping wheel 231. This is preferably done electrically, i.e. the braking device 233 can be realized by an electric motor or by an electrically actuatable lock. Actuation of the brake 233 may be performed wirelessly or by wire as shown in fig. 2a and 2 b. Alternatively, pneumatic, hydraulic, magnetic or purely mechanical means for realizing the braking device 233 are also conceivable. By actuating the braking means 233, the stopping wheel 231 is stopped, thereby preventing the inflow of the closure 2, as shown in fig. 2 b.

According to the present embodiment, the stopping wheel 231 is movably supported along the braking path B. For this purpose, the bearing 232 may be movably mounted by a guide 234. The guide 234 is fastened to a holder 235 fixed relative to the closure chute 21.

The stopping device 23 according to the present embodiment also has a damping device 236, which damping device 236 damps the movement of the bearing 232 along the guide 234 in case of a transition from the operating state to the stopped state. Damping device 236 may be comprised of an elongated resilient member, preferably a spring, secured on one side to retainer 235 and on the other side to bearing 232. Alternatively, the damping means may operate pneumatically or magnetically.

No or only a small amount of force acts on the stop wheel 231, which is preferably freely rotatable in the operating state, in the direction of gravity, so that the stop wheel 231 is in the upper position. Once the brake 233 is activated and the stopping wheel stops/brakes/locks, the weight of the closure 2 above the stopping wheel 231 causes the stopping wheel 231 to move downwardly along the guide 234. This downward directed movement of the stopping wheel 231 is damped by the damping device 236, whereby the closure supply does not stop abruptly, but rather stops smoothly on the braking path B.

Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the stopping device 23, wherein the stopping wheel 231 is replaced by a stopping element 237. The stop member 237 is configured as a pin, needle or finger. When the supply of the closure 2 to the closure 10 is to be interrupted, the stop device 23 moves the stop element 237 into the closure slide 21 by means of the corresponding trigger device 238, so that the closure 2 is prevented from flowing to the closure 10. The triggering device 238 may actuate the stop element 237 electrically, magnetically, hydraulically, pneumatically or purely mechanically.

In the embodiment of fig. 3, a damping device 236 is also installed, which damping device 236 does not suddenly stop the closure supply in the event of a transition from the operating state to the stopped state, but smoothly stops the closure supply along the braking path B. Damping device 236 may be constructed as previously explained with reference to fig. 2a, 2 b.

Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of the stopping device 23, wherein a dedicated damping device 236 is omitted. The smooth braking of the closure supply is achieved in this case in that a stop wheel 231 with an associated braking device 233 (see fig. 2a and 2 b) is installed, and the braking device 233 is arranged such that the closure supply in the closure chute 21 is braked along a braking path greater than zero when transitioning from the operating state to the stopped state. This may be achieved in that the braking means 233 comprise a rotation speed adjustable motor, e.g. a synchronous motor, arranged to brake the stopping wheel 231 in a controlled manner at a specific rotation angle corresponding to the intended braking path.

In the embodiment of fig. 4, the stop wheel 231 is mounted in a fixed manner relative to the closure slide 21, wherein the position can be adjusted, for example, by means of a guide 234. However, in this case, the guide 234 may be omitted.

Since the closure supply does not suddenly stop when transitioning from the operating state to the stopped state, but rather the closure 2 is braked along a braking path B greater than zero, the dynamic pressure caused by the closure 2 lying above and thus the force acting on the closure 2 lying below in the region of the stopping device 23 is slowly and smoothly reduced. By smooth force reduction, damage and/or deformation of the closure when stopping the closure supply is prevented. Mechanical intervention after machine stoppage is not required or can be at least reduced, thereby optimizing plant efficiency.

Where applicable, all of the individual features shown in the embodiments can be combined with and/or interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the invention.

Reference numerals illustrate:

1. device and method for controlling the same

2. Closure element

10. Closure device

11. Pick-up wheel

12. Closure member

20. Device for supplying closures to closures

21. Closure chute

22. Transfer section

23. Stop device

230. Stop device

231. Stop wheel

231a joint section

232. Bearing

233. Braking device

234. Guide piece

235. Retainer

236. Damping device

237. Stop element

238. Triggering device

30. Providing device

31. Closure reservoir

And B, braking a path.

Claims (14)

1. A device (20) for supplying a closure (2) to a closure (10) for closing a container with the closure (2), preferably in a beverage filling apparatus, wherein the device (20) has:

a closure chute (21) for supplying the closure (2) to the closure (10), wherein the closure chute (21) is arranged and configured such that the closure (2) is guided and transported along a transport path specified by the closure chute (21); and

a stopping device (23) with a stopper (230), the stopper (23) being arranged to brake and stop the supply of the closure (2) to the closure (10) in the closure chute (21) along a braking path (B).

2. The device (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that the stopper (230) comprises a stop element (237) which is designed as a pin, needle or finger, and that the stopper (230) is arranged to move the stop element (237) into the closure chute (21) in such a way that the closure (2) can be prevented from being supplied to the closure (10), wherein the stop element (237) is preferably movably supported along the closure chute (21).

3. The device (20) according to claim 1, wherein the stopper (230) comprises a rotatably supported stopping wheel (231) having a plurality of engagement sections (231 a) arranged on the peripheral side, each of the plurality of engagement sections (231 a) being engageable with the closure (2) to stop the supply of the closure (2) to the closure (10) in the closure chute (21).

4. A device (20) according to claim 3, characterized in that the stopping device (23) has a braking device (233) connected to the stopping wheel (231), the braking device (233) being arranged to stop the rotation of the stopping wheel (231), wherein the braking device (233) preferably comprises a rotation speed adjustable motor.

5. The device (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stopper (230) is movably supported along the braking path (B), wherein the stopper (23) preferably comprises a guide (234), the stopper (230) being movably mounted on the guide (234).

6. The device (20) according to claim 5, wherein the stopping device (23) has a damping device (236), the damping device (236) being arranged to dampen the movement of the stopper (230) along the braking path (B).

7. Device (20) according to claim 6, characterized in that the damping means (236) comprise an elongated elastic member, preferably a spring, fastened on one side to a holder (235) fixed relative to the closure chute (21) and on the other side to the stopper (230).

8. Device (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closure chute (21) is arranged and provided such that the closure (2) can be transported along the transport path under the influence of gravity, wherein the closure chute (21) is at least sectionally inclined and/or vertically extended.

9. Device (20) according to claim 8, characterized in that the closure slide (21) is arranged such that at most exactly one closure (2) is always present at a given position of the transport path, so that the closures (2) move successively along the transport path in the closure slide (21).

10. Device (20) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the braking path (B) has a vertical component, preferably extending in the direction of gravity.

11. Device (1), preferably in a beverage filling apparatus, having a closure (10) for closing a container, a device (20) for supplying a closure (2) to the closure (10) according to any of the preceding claims connected thereto, and a providing device (30), the providing device (30) being arranged to provide a closure (2) for closing a container and to transfer the closure (2) to the device (20) for supplying a closure (2).

12. Device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that said providing means (30) are arranged to sort and/or orient said closures (2).

13. Device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the providing device (30) has a closure reservoir (31), which closure reservoir (31) is provided for receiving a large number of closures (2), wherein the closure reservoir (31) preferably has a stirrer for mixing and/or transporting and/or orienting the closures (2).

14. Device (1) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the stopping device (23) is arranged to brake the supply of the closure (2) to the closure (10) in the closure chute (21) along a braking path (B) when transferring from an operating state in which the closure (2) is to be supplied to the closure (10) to a stopping state in which the closure supply to the closure (10) is to be interrupted.

Images