EP0036585B1

EP0036585B1 - Improvements to automatic machines feeding small wire cages for sealing stoppers applied to sparkling wine bottles and the like

Info

Publication number: EP0036585B1
Application number: EP81101870A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Robino
Original assignee: Nuova Robino & Galandrino SpA Costruzione Macchine Enologiche
Current assignee: Nuova Robino & Galandrino SpA Costruzione Macchine Enologiche
Priority date: 1980-03-26
Filing date: 1981-03-13
Publication date: 1985-12-11
Also published as: IT1128242B; EP0036585A3; ES501093A0; DE3173170D1; IT8067462A0; ATE16918T1; EP0036585A2; ES8205505A1

Abstract

The machine comprises a unit (10) for extracting cages from a stacked supply including two volute rollers (12, 13) which engage the bottom ring of each cage to cause an axial displacement of the latter and means of transferring the extracted cages to sockets (23) in a conveyor chain (24), comprising a plurality of buckets (21) subjected to controlled motion components which halt each bucket (21) temporarily at the extraction unit (10) to receive the cage and displace the bucket (21) in perpendicular alignment with each socket (23) in the chain (24), the buckets (21) being then subjected to the action of means (27, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37) which produce axial displacement serving for picking up and respectively depositing the cages.

Description

This invention relates to an automatic machine for feeding small wire cages for sealing stoppers applied to sparkling wine bottles and the like of the type defined in the pre-characterizing part of claim 1.
An automatic machine of the general type indicated above is known from US-A-3837141. The automatic machine described therein is designed for transferring sealing capsules of light metal on the neck of bottles, which capsules are then shrinked for adapting to the bottle neck form. In particular the caps are taken up from a stack by a sucker mounted on a hand articulated to an arm which in turn is articulated to a revolving plate. Due to the extreme complexity of the mechanical elements of the machine, the latter is not only bulky very expensive and inclined to damages, but does not permit to increase its efficiency, for example by arranging more than two transporting devices on the same revolving plate.
From US-A-2 659 522 a cap feed mechanism is known which comprises a pair of cylindrical and spaced apart feed rolls each roll having a single volute thereon so as to engage an enlarged portion of the caps and transfer them one by one to a subsequent unit.
The task of this invention is to improve the machines of the general type indicated above such as to simplify the construction thereof and to appreciably increase the efficiency and at the same time to improve the reliability and reduce the overall size, weight and cost thereof.
This task is attained by an automatic machine for feeding small wire cages for sealing stoppers applied to bottles of sparkling wine and the like, as defined in the characterizing part of appended claim 1.
By virtue of the structural features of the machine according to the invention it is possible to separate and feed up to 15 000 cages/hour.
The features and advantages at the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given herein by way of example and not of limitation, where:

Figure 1 is a partly sectional side elevation view of a machine according to this invention;
Figure 2 is a reduced scale front view thereof, as taken in the direction of the arrow II of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a reduced scale, schematical sectional view taken along the line III-III of Figure 1.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally designates the cage extraction unit, the wire cages being stacked in a supply (not shown) contained within a specially provided loader 11 overlying said extraction unit. The latter comprises a pair of side-by- side drums 12, 13, each drum being formed with a screw-like volute 12a, 13a, respectively, effective to engage the wire in the bottom ring of each cage. The drums or rollers are driven rotatively in the appropriate direction by a drive chain (not shown) which meshes with corresponding sprocket wheels 14, 15, respectively rigid with said rollers, the volutes being oppositely handed. Furthermore, the volute 12a of the roller 12 extends over a longer axial distance in the direction of stacking of the cages, thereby said roller is operative to engage first, with its volute, the bottom ring of each cage to start the cage to move correspondingly away from its supply stack. After said initial away movement or separation has been completed, a rocker lever 16, arranged frontally to the rollers and driven - in synchronization with the rotation of the rollers - by a mechanism 17, known perse, e.g. operated through a crank lever handle, will push the cage sideways to thus engage it with the volute 13a of the roller 13. At this stage, the cooperating volutes 12a, 13a separate the cage from the stack and, by moving it axially away, push the cage into the pick up members of an underlying delivery unit, generally indicated at 20.
The delivery unit comprises a plurality of closed-bottom buckets 21 having a magnetized insert at their bottoms. The buckets 21 are cyclically brought, through a rotating disk 22, under said extraction unit to receive the cages, and then into alignment with the sockets 23 of an underlying chain 24 for depositing in said sockets the cages, which are thus fed to the stopper cage applying machine (not shown). The cyclic motion of the buckets is thus coordinated with that of the rollers 12, 13 and of the chain 24. Moreover, the buckets are subjected to controlled oscillations, which momentarily halt each bucket under the extraction unit 10, thus compensating for the continuing forward movement of the disk 22, and respectively holding the buckets perpendicular to the chain 24 and aligned with the sockets 23 of the chain 24 over a short travel distance.
For this purpose, each bucket 21 is secured to a corresponding tiltable holder or support 25 on the disk 22. Each holder is provided with an outer arm 26 having a radial seat which retains in sliding relationship a stem 27 of a related bucket; said stem being centripetally biased by a spring 28. The holder further carries an inner arm 29 which is terminated with a small roller 30 adapted for engaging the profile groove 31 of a stationary frontal cam formed on a plate 32 rigid with the machine frame. The profile of the cam, shown in detail in Figure 3, features a negative slope segment 31a which, at the extraction unit 10, causes the bucket 21 to oscillate between limit positions 21 a, 21 b, shown in dashed lines in the Figure, with attendant temporary compensation for the advancing movement of the bucket caused by the rotation of the disk 22. Thus, the bucket is held momentarily stationary below the unit 10, to receive a cage being urged into the bucket by the combined action of the drums 12, 13.
A further cam profile segment 31 b, having a slight negative slope, is formed on the diametrically opposite cam portion, and is effective to compensate for the inclination resulting from the rotational movement of the disk 22 and allow the bucket to cover a distance adjacent the chain 24 by moving parallel to itself so as to extend in a perpendicular direction to the plane of lay of said chain and in line with a corresponding socket of the latter.
Additionally to the aforedescribed controlled oscillations, the buckets 21 also undergo a rapid axial displacement movement, against the bias of the springs 28, which is imparted thereto at the diametrically opposite cage pick up stations by the unit 10 of cage extraction and deposition into the sockets 23 on the conveyor chain. To this aim, the stem 27 of each bucket is provided with a cam following roller 33 which is engaged by the profiled web 34 of a pusher lever 35; each pusher lever being articulated to the next adjacent bucket holder. The levers 35 are in turn provided with a cam following roller 36 each, whereon is active a stationary cam 37 with diametrically opposed lobes, said stationary cam being rigid with the pin 38 supporting the disk 22.
The inventive machine further comprises drive means including a driveshaft 39 which, through a bevel gear pair 40 and pinion gear 41, rotatively drives the disk 22, the latter being to this end formed with peripheral gear teeth. Moreover, the driveshaft 39 drives, through an end pinion gear 42, the mechanism 17, which in turn transmits the motion to the sprocket wheels 14, 15 of the drums 12, 13.
While the delivery unit has been shown provided with four buckets at 90° from each other, such an arrangement is not a requisite of the invention, the number of the buckets being variable from two to twenty. The extraction unit 10 may be positioned otherwise with respect to the disk 22, in particular on one side thereof.

Claims

1. An automatic machine for feeding small wire cages for sealing stoppers applied to sparking wine bottles and the like, with an extraction unit (10) for extracting the cages from a supply thereof and a delivery unit (20) for transferring the cages from said extraction unit (10) to receiving members (23) on a conveyor chain (24), said delivery unit (20) comprising rotary means (22) carrying delivery buckets (21) through holders (25) tiltably mounted on the rotary means (22) and kinematic members (26-31, 36, 37) cooperating therewith for compensating the movement of said rotary means (22) by temporarily halting said buckets (21) at the extraction unit (10) during the extraction step and holding said buckets (21) perpendicularly to the conveyor chain (24) and in line with corresponding receiving members (23) during the transfer from the buckets (21) to the receiving members (23), means being provided for producing a quick radial displacement of said buckets (21) for picking up said cages from the extraction unit and transferring them to said receiving members (23), characterized in that said extraction unit (10) comprises first and second drums (11, 13) in side-by-side relationship, each drum having a single-start volute (12a, 13a) formed thereon, said drums cooperating with each other to push each cage into said delivery buckets (21) with cyclic motion coordinated with that of the delivery buckets (21) and in that each said holder (25) has an outer arm (26) extending from the rotary means (22) and defining a seat for slidably supporing a radial stem (27) of the buckets (21) and an inner arm (29) extending from the rotary means (22) in an opposite direction to said outer arm (26) and cooperating with an end portion (30) thereof with a cam surface (31) of a stationary cam member (32), said cam surface (31) having a first active profile segment (31a) with negative slope for said compensation for the forward movement of said rotary means (22) and a second active profile segment (31 b) with negative slope for holding the buckets (21) perpendicularly to said conveyor chain (24) and in line with corresponding receiving members (23).

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said rotary means comprise a rotary disk (22) and said extraction unit (10) and said receiving members (23) are located diametrically oppositely relative to the rotary disk (22) carrying said delivery buckets (21), said disk being formed with peripheral gear teeth.

3. A machine according to claims 1 and 2, wherein said side-by-side drums (12, 13) have oppositely handed volutes (12a, 13a) formed thereon of different axial extensions, the axial extension of the volute (12a) of a first drum (12) being longer and engaging said cage for the extraction thereof before the engagement of the cage by a second drum (13).

4. A machine according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said extraction unit (10) comprises a rocker lever (16) driven by a mechanism for moving said lever (16) with a motion coordinated with the motion of the drums (12, 13) for the engagement of said cage of said second drum (13) after the engagement with said first drum (12).

5. A machine according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises, on a location overlying said drums (12, 13) of the extraction unit (10), a single magazine containing a stack of cages.

6. A machine according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said delivery buckets (21) are provided with at least one magnetic insert and wherein said radial stem (27) is supported in said seat against the bias of elastic means (28), said inner arm (29) carrying an end roller (30) engaging in a groove (31) forming said stationary frontal cam (32).

7. A machine according to the preceding claims, characterized in that an end of the stem (27) of each buckets (21) carries, on a side extending towards the center of said disk. (22), a cam following roller (33) engaging a profiled web (35) of a pusher lever (35), each pusher lever (35) carrying in turn a cam following roller (36) engaging a stationary cam (37) attached to a shaft of the rotary disk (22) and provided with a pair of oppositely located lobes for effecting quick radial displacements of said buckets (21).

8. A machine according to claim 7, characterized in that said pusher lever (35) of each bucket (21) is articulated to the tiltable holder (25) of an adjacent bucket (21).