EP0156403B1 - A label grasping and transferring device in a labelling machine for bottles and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The bottle labelling machine has a rotary assy., with two curved plates (6, 7), rotating in bearings (9) on a counterweighted, eccentric crank (11). The assembly is placed between an adhesive supply roller (2) a label magazine (1) and an applicator wheel (3). Lobed cam (15) moves with the crank and engages with a series of pulley (14), fixed to the rotary assembly. The number of cam lobes exceeds the number of pulleys by 50% and both numbers related to the number of plates. Anticlockwise rotation of a drive (10) will cause clockwise rotation of the plates at half the drive speed.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for picking up and transferring labels from a magazine to an applicator drum, in a labeling machine with fixed label magazine, for bottles and the like, comprising a single transfer member, formed by two curved plates with their convexity facing outwards, integral with each other and uniformly spaced, having their generatrices parallel to the front plane of the magazine, said transfer member being located in a place between the fixed magazine, the drum rotating applicator and a gluing element; said transfer member being mounted freely rotating on a crank support rotating about an axis parallel to said generators, and being integral in rotation with a pinion of n teeth engaging a wheel whose number N of teeth is 1.5 times the number n of teeth of the pinion, the maximum radius of said wheel being equal to the external radius of the pinion plus the eccentricity of said crank; and the distances between the aforementioned elements and the rotational speeds of the crank support, the applicator and the sizing machine being provided in such a way that each plate of the transfer member, in a first phase of its movement, is moves in contact with the gluing element, covering itself with glue; then, in a second phase, applies against the first label of the store by adhering to it and taking it away from the store; and finally, in a third phase, is applied by one end against the applicator drum by yielding the transported label to it.

In traditional labeling machines, the label magazine was made to oscillate synchronously with the rotation of an applicator drum, so as to transfer to it, one at a time, the labels contained in the magazine. However, the fact that the label magazine, which has a considerable mass, had to oscillate, prevented high labeling speeds from being reached.

To improve this situation, the patent FR-A-2,437,986 has proposed a device for transferring the labels, one at a time, from a fixed magazine to an applicator drum, by means of the number of pallets peripherally mounted on a turntable and controlled by means of cams so as to perform a complex movement of licking a glue roller, affixing it against the first label of the magazine and, successively, transferring the latter to the applicator drum. However, even with this known device there are limitations on the operating speed, due to the inertial forces due to the complexity of the movement of the pallets, and also because of the fact that the pallets are mounted peripherally on the turntable and , therefore, they follow a trajectory of large radius and are subjected to a high centrifugal force which, from a certain speed, causes the transported labels to come off. Even within achievable speed limits, this device gives rise to vibrations and noise, and it has a reduced useful life due to the overloads applied to the components.

According to patent FR-A-2,270,150, a device has been proposed for picking up and transferring labels which corresponds substantially to the preamble of this description. However, the plates of the transfer member are asymmetrical with respect to any plane and have a much narrower width than that of the labels to be transferred. A connecting rod and crank mechanism must be connected to said transfer member to make the speed of rotation uniform in a limited angular range. A second glue roller, which complicates construction, is necessary to apply glue to the surface part of each label which exceeds the width of the plate of the transfer member. Each label is transported with a considerable freely floating part, which can give rise to drawbacks and in any case seriously limits the speed of operation. The reduced width of the transfer plates does not allow the simultaneous transfer of several labels having different widths between them.

Patent FR-A-2,276,991, finally, shows in a labeling machine an arrangement according to which a pivoted shaft in the structure of the machine carries a plate having an eccentric bearing in which is pivoted the shaft of a transfer; elements connected to said plate are arranged to balance the whole of the transfer member and its shaft.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device intended to be incorporated in a labeling machine for carrying one of the labels at a time, even if of different widths, from a fixed magazine, covering them with adhesive. over their entire length, and to transfer them in a non-floating manner to a rotating applicator drum, in which the moving elements perform relatively simple movements, without strong accelerations and along trajectories having a reduced radius, so as to reduce the minimum inertial forces and centrifugal force, as well as vibrations and noise, and, consequently, to allow high operating speeds.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, in a device as indicated in principle, characterized in that said curved plates are substantially symmetrical with respect to two orthogonal planes passing through said crank and have a width substantially corresponding to the width of said magazine, the gluing element is a single rotating roller, the pinion consists of a crown of n rollers and the wheel is fixed and constituted by a cam with N lobes whose profile is adapted so that the transfer member moves substantially without sliding in contact with the glue roller, then presses against the first label of the magazine at one end sin and then rolls on the latter substantially without sliding, by carrying it, then applies by one end and rolls against the applicator drum also substantially without slipping.

During the rotation of the crank support, the ring of rollers integral in rotation with the transfer member engages the lobes of the fixed cam, the number of which is greater than the number of rollers; consequently, the transfer member rotates on itself in the direction opposite to the rotation of its support, with a periodically variable angular speed which depends on the profile of the concave lobes of the cam. The composition of the rotation of the transfer member and that, opposite, of its crank support, makes it possible to obtain periods of steady state of the generators of the curved plates of the transfer member, when they are in contact with the label to be extracted, and periods of identification between the tangential speed of these generators and that of the applicator drum and the gluing roller, respectively, when the generators of the plates are in contact with said members. This allows correct operation of the device to be obtained with very limited deviations from the uniformity in the rotation of the transfer member, and therefore with very reduced accelerations. On the other hand, the distance between the curved plates forming the transfer member can be chosen to be very small, and, consequently, also the centrifugal force which tends to detach the label from the transfer member results very limited; all of these conditions make it possible to reach high operating speeds, without overloading the components or producing vibrations and noises.

Preferably the crank support is formed by a pivoted shaft in the structure of the labeling machine and carrying a substantially circular plate having an eccentric bearing in which the shaft of the transfer ogane is pivoted.

• la figure 1 montre, à une échelle réduite, une section faite à travers le dispositif de transfert des étiquettes le long d'un plan passant par les axes de rotation de l'organe de transfert et de son support à manivelle;
• la figure 2 montre un schéma du dispositif vu selon la direction desdits axes;
• les figures 3 et 4 montrent à une échelle encore plus réduite le schéma des moyens de transmission du mouvement entre les différents éléments du dispositif;
• la figure 5 montre le profil de la camefixe à lobes concaves;
• la figure 6 montre l'organe de transfert avec sa couronne de rouleaux destinés à engager la came selon la figure 5;
• les figures 7 à 10 montrent à une échelle encore plus réduite la configuration du dispositif en quatre phases successives de son fonctionnement.

These and other characteristics, and the advantages of the subject of the invention, will emerge more clearly from the following description of an embodiment, given by way of nonlimiting example, represented in the drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 shows, on a reduced scale, a section made through the label transfer device along a plane passing through the axes of rotation of the transfer member and its crank support;
• Figure 2 shows a diagram of the device seen along the direction of said axes;
• Figures 3 and 4 show on an even smaller scale the diagram of the means for transmitting movement between the different elements of the device;
• FIG. 5 shows the profile of the camshaft with concave lobes;
• Figure 6 shows the transfer member with its ring of rollers intended to engage the cam according to Figure 5;
• Figures 7 to 10 show on an even smaller scale the configuration of the device in four successive phases of its operation.

Referring to FIG. 2, of the labeling machine for which the label transfer device is intended, only the magazine 1 for the labels has been indicated, fixed to the structure of the machine, a glue roller 2 and an applicator drum 3 peripherally. provided with buffers 4 and clamps 5 for retaining labels and for applying them to bottles B which are advanced, for example, on a rotating conveyor. These elements of the labeling machine are not shown or described in more detail, because they are well known and they do not need to be modified for the application of the invention. The transfer device according to the invention is arranged in the place located between the magazine 1, the glue roller 2 and the applicator drum 3.

The transfer device comprises, in the embodiment shown, two plates 6, 7, integral with each other by means of a bridge 8 and mounted on a shaft 9. The plates 6 and 7 are opposite the one another, they are curved with their convexity facing outwards, and their generatrices, as well as the axis of the shaft 9, are parallel to the frontal plane of the label magazine. In practice, in most applications, said front plane of the magazine (to which plane corresponds the first label contained in the magazine) is vertical, said generators and said axis are also vertical.

The shaft 9 is eccentrically supported, with a crank, by a support shaft 10. Constructively, as illustrated by your FIG. 2, the shaft 10 can carry a circular plate 11, in an eccentric bearing 12 from which is supported, freely rotating, the shaft 9 which carries the plates 6 and 7. The lower end of the shaft 9 carries a disc 13 on which are mounted in the form of a ring idler rollers 14, which in the present cases are eight in number . The relative arrangement of these elements is particularly apparent from FIG. 6. The rollers 14 engage the concave lobes of a cam 15 fixedly mounted on the structure S of the labeling machine, in which structure is pivoted the support shaft 10. The configuration of the cam 15 with concave lobes is particularly apparent from FIG. 5. For correct cooperation of the cam 15 with the ring of rollers 14, this cam unwinds in a substantially concentric manner with respect to the shaft 10 and its radius outside is equal to the sum of the outside radius of the ring of rollers 14 and the eccentricity of the shaft 9 relative to the support shaft 10. The number of concave lobes of the cam 15 must be greater than the number of rollers 14 forming a crown; in the embodiment shown, the cam 15 has twelve lobes.

The support shaft 10 is connected to the actuation mechanisms of the labeling machine. In particular, in a possible embodiment, illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4, a toothed wheel 16 wedged on the shaft 10 is connected, by means of toothed wheels 17 and 18, to a toothed crown 19 integral with the rotating conveyor which transported the bottles B to be labeled; in addition, another toothed wheel 20 wedged on the shaft 10 is connected, by a toothed wheel 21, to a toothed wheel 22 integral with the glue roller 2, and it is also connected, by a toothed wheel 23, to a toothed wheel 24 secured to the applicator drum 3. Of course, the choice of appropriate ratios between the various toothed wheels mentioned makes it possible to produce the most suitable ratios between the angular velocities of the different composts. Advantageously, the circular plate 11 and the ancillary elements are arranged so as to balance the eccentric assembly of the transfer member, thus ensuring regular rotation. In addition, the plate 11 is advantageously arranged so as to be able to receive additional counterweight elements, such as the element 25, for the development of the balancing. All of the elements described are disposed between the structure S of the machine and the circular plate 11, and a perimeter wall 26 encloses and protects this assembly.

The retrograde rotation of the shaft 9 does not take place with an exactly uniform angular speed; this speed is determined by the profile of the concave lobes of the cam 15 and it can be chosen by a different value for the different parts of the displacement of the shaft 9, in order to obtain the most favorable operating conditions, as will explain it further. However, the spacings of the angular speed of the shaft 9, with respect to a uniform value, always remain very small.

Starting, for example, from the position illustrated in FIG. 2, in which the curved plate 7 is in contact with the applicator drum 3, and by applying to the shaft 10 a rotation in a direction opposite to that of the needles d 'a watch, the shaft 9 orbits in said direction, while pivoting on itself in the direction of clockwise. Consequently, the curved plate 7 moves in contact with the applicator drum 3 for all of its own extension, and then it leaves the latter while being said towards the glue roller 2, which it licks while covering itself with glue. The centered position of the plate 7 relative to the glue roller 2 is shown in Figure 7, and it turns out after a rotation of about 2/3 of the shaft 10 from the position shown in the figure 2. The successive position, in which the plate 7 is leaving the glue roller 2, is represented in FIG. 8, and it is carried out by a rotation of approximately 1/6 of a turn from the position illustrated in Figure 7. Then, the curved plate goes to the store 1 and is applied by its own front end against an edge of the first label contained in the store; this position is shown in Figure 9 and is obtained by a rotation of about 1/3 of a turn from the position illustrated in Figure 8. Successively, the curved plate 7 rolls against the front face of the magazine 1; the centered position of the plate 7 relative to the magazine is shown in Figure 10 and it turns out after a rotation of about 1/6 of a turn from the position shown in Figure 9. Since the surface of the plate 7 is covered with glue, the first label 0 of the store adheres to the plate 7 and, leaving the store, it follows the plate 7 which moves away from it. The successive positions assumed by the plate 7 can be seen in Figures 7 and 8, in which they are shown for the other plate 6; in fact, the device now assumes the same previous configurations, but with its two plates exchanged between them. Consequently, the plate 7 moves from the magazine 1 to the applicator drum 3 (position 7 ′ in FIG. 7: approximately 1/3 of a turn beyond the position illustrated in FIG. 10) and it comes into contact with the applicator drum (position 7 'in figure 8; approximately 1/6 of a turn beyond the position illustrated in figure 7). At this time, in a known manner, the clamp 5 of the applicator drum 3 closes, by gripping the label 0 transported by the curved plate, and, defeating the adhesion of the adhesive, it detaches the label of the curved plate and carries it with you to a bottle B to which the label will be applied after opening the clamp 5, in a known manner. By a subsequent rotation of approximately 1/6 of a revolution beyond position 7 ′ illustrated in FIG. 8, the device thus resumes the configuration shown in FIG. 2, after two complete turns of the support shaft 10 We therefore see that each plate 6, 7 carries a label every two turns of the shaft 10, that is to say that, the plates 6 and 7 being in number of two, there is the transport of a label for each tree tour 10.

For optimal operation, the rolling of the curved plates 6, 7 against the first label contained in the magazine 1 and against the rotating surfaces of the glue roller 2 and the applicator drum 3 must take place at least approximately without slipping; this condition can be obtained, or approached within the desired limits, by appropriately choosing the distances between the different components, the curvature of the plates 6, 7, the transmission ratios and the profile of the lobes of the cam 15. In Furthermore, by the appropriate design of the cam, it is also possible to have always at least two rollers 14 in contact with the cam 15, and that consequently the angular position of the transfer member is defined kinematically substantially without any game. Operation then becomes desmodromic. Finally, a correct design of the cam makes it possible to avoid any sudden acceleration or variation of acceleration of the transfer member, thus ensuring operation without overloads, vibrations and noises, even at very high speeds.

Since the two plates of the transfer member are integral with each other and that they do not interfere reciprocally, the distance between said plates can be chosen to be quite reduced, thereby obtaining a transfer member very compact. This implies, on the one hand, that the centrifugal forces are reduced to a minimum value and, on the other hand, that a general reduction is made in the dimensions of the labeling machine.

Claims (4)

1. A device for grasping and transferring the labels from a store (1) to an applicator drum (3), in a labelling machine whose label store (1) is stationary, intended for labelling bottles (B) and the like, comprising a single transfer member (6, 7, 8) formed by two plates (6, 7) curved with their convexity facing outwards, solid the one another and uniformly spaced, having their generatrixes parallel to the front plane of the store (1), said transfer member (6, 7, 8) being located in a space comprised among the stationary store (1), the rotating applicator drum (3) and a glueing member (2); said transfer member (6, 7, 8) being mounted freely rotatable on a crank support rotating around an axis (10) parallel to said generatrixes and being solid in rotation with a pinion (14) having n teeth, which engages a wheel (15) whose teeth number N is 1,5 times the number n of the teeth of the pinion (14), the maximum radius of said wheel (15) being equal to the outer radius of said pinion (14) plus the excentricity of said crank (9), and the distances among said members (6, 7; 1, 2, 3), as well as the rotation velocities of the crank support, the applicator drum (3) and the glueing member (2), being arranged in such a manner that each plate (6, 7) of the transfer member (6, 7, 8), during a first phase of its movement, slides in contact with the glueing roller (2), thus becoming covered with glue; then, during a second phase, it abuts against the first label of the store (1) thereby adhering to it and removing the same from the store (1); and finally, during a third phase, it abuts by one of its ends against the applicator drum (3) thereby transferring to it the conveyed label, characterised in that said curved plates (6, 7) are substantially symmetrical the one another with respect to two orthogonal planes passing through said crank and have a width substantially corresponding to the width of said store (1), that the glueing member (2) is a single rotating roller, that the pinion (14) is constituted by a crown of n rollers, and that the wheel (15) is stationary and is constituted by a cam with N lobes whose profile is chosen in such a manner that the transfer member (6, 7, 8) moves without any substantial slip in contact with the glueing roller (2), then it abuts by one of its ends against the first label of the store (1) and rolls on this latter without any substantial slip, removing the same, and then it abuts by one of its ends and rolls against the applicator drum (3) also without any substantial slip.

2. A device as set forth in Claim 1, characterized in that said crank support is formed by a shaft (10) rotatably mounted in the structure (S) of the labelling machine, and it carries a substantially circular plate (11) which is provided with an eccentric bearing (12) wherein the shaft (9) of the transfer member is pivoted.

3. A device as set forth in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said plate (11) of the crank support, and/or members connected to said plate, are arranged in order to balance the whole of the transfer member (6, 7, 8) and its shaft (9).

4. A device as set forth in Claim 3, characterized in that said plate (11) of the crank support is arranged in order to receive additional counterweight elements (25) for setting up of the balancing.

Images