EP1618040A1

EP1618040A1 - Method for automatic packing of containers

Info

Publication number: EP1618040A1
Application number: EP04725939A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean-Pierre Voigtmann
Original assignee: Automation Industrielle SA
Current assignee: Automation Industrielle SA
Priority date: 2003-04-11
Filing date: 2004-04-06
Publication date: 2006-01-25
Also published as: KR20060035589A; RU2005134476A; DE10316853A1; WO2004089754A1; CN100372738C; CN1774368A; AU2004228175A1; BRPI0409298A; JP2006522719A; US20070051074A1; HK1087078A1; RU2362715C2; DE10316853B4

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatic packing of empty tubes (1) conveyed on a conveyor belt in a packing container receiving a plurality of tubes (1). According to the invention, the conveyed tubes (1) are collected in a continuos line, are then fed in line to an intermediate storage (13) and jointly transferred in a packing container, whereupon the packing container is further transported. The empty tubes (1) are arranged in the transport trays (3) of a feed belt (2) and are continuously collected into rows or partial rows by means of adjustable, individually driven suction cylinders (5).

Description

Process for automatic packaging of containers

The invention relates to a method for the automatic packaging of empty containers, such as tubes or the like, which are fed on a conveyor belt, into packaging containers which hold a plurality of empty containers.

For the production of, in principle, circular or elliptical cross-section, practically cylindrical containers with constant cross-sections, such as. B. preferably tubes, cans or sleeves, processes for their production, in particular tubes are known for example from DE 26 43 089 A1 and WO 9115349. The empty tubes thus produced can be packed into larger product units by a tube packing machine and fed to a filling operation in larger units. The packaging machines required for this are known for example from EP 1 114 784 B1.

Approximately 200 to a maximum of 250 units per minute can be produced or packaged both with the production machines and with the packaging machines. However, production and packaging times in the range of ± 500 units per minute are desirable in the future. Such machines for the production of tubes are currently in development, and some are already in production. Packing machines with such high units per minute have not yet been developed, since at these high speeds there are only very short times for inserting individual rows of tubes. The latter are also often top-heavy, which further aggravates the time problem or the insertion speed problem. There is also not enough time to change a packaging container, e.g. B. for inserting a last row and inserting a first row in two detachable packaging containers z. B. boxes, which prevents an increase in speed. The object of the invention is to provide a method for automatic packaging of empty containers fed on a conveyor belt, such as. B. tubes or the like. In a large number of empty containers receiving packaging containers to create high packaging speeds in the range of 500 containers and more per minute without critical cycle times.

This object is achieved with the characterizing features of claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to drawings. It shows:

1 shows a device for carrying out the method according to the invention,

2 is a rear view of the device of FIG. 1,

3 a collecting device and a continuously running feed belt,

4 shows a single rotatable suction prism,

Fig. 5 two converters and an insertion plate for in one

Collection facility accumulated rows of tubes into one

Packaging container, Fig. 6 shows a device for the complete assembly of a number of

Tubes, partially equipped, FIG. 7 the same as in FIG. 6 with a compressed row of tubes,

8 different positions of different packaging containers,

Fig. 9 shows a section through a buffer, and

Fig. 10 two different types of packaging of tubes.

The figures shown mainly show schematic representations. Some variants of further design options are indicated in the description below.

Below we explain the invention in more detail using an exemplary embodiment. 1 approximately cylindrical containers, such as. B. cans or sleeves or the like, here tubes 1 from a manufacturing unit HE on a feed belt 2 continuously on individual prism-shaped transport trays 3, which form the feed belt 2, fed. The prism-like shape of the transport trays 3 makes it possible to accommodate such containers with a wide range of cross sections without having to be replaced. At the end of the feed belt 2 there is a collecting device 4 which here has eight individually driven rotating suction prisms 5. The rotatable suction prisms 5 take the tubes 1 from the feed belt 2 one after the other and - in the exemplary embodiment - in two cycles in rows of eight or seven accumulated tubes 1 each to fifteen holders 6 of a group converter 7. The brackets 6 are connected to a suction line and have parallel depressions which are arranged at the same distance and into which the tubes 1 picked up and transferred by the feed belt 2 are fed by means of the suction prisms 5. By means of the group converter 7, the rows of tubes 1 formed are transferred into a collating device 8, which in the exemplary embodiment has fifteen tube holding prisms 9.

The fifteen tubes 1 thus separated still have an axial spacing from one another which corresponds to the spacing of the transport trays 3, ie they are arranged with the same pitch (see FIG. 6). In order to achieve a tightly closed packing of the rows of tubes, the tubes 1 must be 'compressed' so that they lie against one another or touch. Each row with fifteen compressed tubes 1, which are compressed in the exemplary embodiment, is then deposited by a row converter 10 with holding suction cavities 11, which are arranged according to a "compressed" row (see FIG. 7), on lowerable base strips 12, of an intermediate store 13. The baseboards 12 are then gradually lowered to accommodate a next row of compressed tubes 1. The gradual lowering continues until a desired number of rows has been formed, e.g. B. five rows, followed by a larger lowering movement whereby the five rows of tubes are placed on the fixed base plate 15 of the buffer store 13. The intermediate store 13 can be designed as a box, one movable side wall of which serves as a slide 16 through which all the tubes 1 accumulated in the intermediate store 13 move in one sliding movement an empty or already partially filled box 14 arranged behind the intermediate store 13 can be transferred. Depending on its size, the box 14 may already be partially filled and / or may require further batches of accumulated tubes 1 for complete filling.

The initially empty box 14 is arranged in a vertical position behind the intermediate storage 13 and is gradually lowered according to the degree of filling by means of a holding fork 17. The holding fork 17 is arranged by means of a swivel drive 18 on a linear drive 19 for height adjustment. By means of the linear drive 19, the holding fork 17 can be fixed in different height positions, each of which can preferably be controlled by a mechanical or automatic control system (not shown).

If an empty box 14 is filled with the desired number of tubes 1, it is pivoted by 90 ° from the position behind the intermediate storage 13 by means of the swivel drive 18 and placed on a conveyor belt which, for. B. can be designed as a finger band 20, so that the holding fork 17 can comb through the finger band 20 into a position located under the finger band 20. The full box 14 'is then on a preferably laterally arranged, for. B. executed as a roller conveyor 21, conveyor belt to a filling machine (not shown) or to a warehouse (not shown).

When the full box 14 'has cleared the finger band 20, the holding fork 17 moves from the lowest position into its uppermost position by means of the linear drive 19 and combed first the first lower finger band 20 and then a second upper finger band 20', which is parallel to the first is arranged offset in height and takes over a new empty box 14, which previously z. B. has been supplied by means of a conveyor belt, which may for example be designed as a second roller belt 21 '. After taking over the empty box 14 from the upper finger band 20 ', the holding fork 17 remains for a moment in a slightly higher position or position slightly above the upper finger band 20', is pivoted there by 90 ° by the swivel drive 18, so that the opening of the Box 14 is directed to the buffer 13 and behind the Buffer 13 is lowered to the required, possibly stored, working height and can hold any number of batches of additional tubes 1 until the empty box 14 is filled.

If necessary, further empty boxes 14 can be fed to the upper finger band 20 'via a preferably controllable stop 22 via the upper roller band 21'.

After the above general presentation of the overall invention, individual steps are to be explained in more detail below.

The collecting device 4 assigned to the feed belt 2 for tubes 1 has suction prisms 5, which are present in the exemplary embodiment (see FIG. 3) in a number of eight suction prisms 5. The suction prisms 5 are individually driven and rotatable about parallel axes between the feed belt 2 and the group converter 7 and first take eight and in a second step seven tubes 1 from the transport trays 3 of the feed belt 2, so that a total of fifteen tubes 1 from the group converter 7 be included. It is also possible to provide more or fewer than eight suction prisms 5 in order to receive more or fewer tubes 1 from the feed belt 2.

According to FIG. 3, tubes 1 coming on the transport 2 are received on the collecting device 4 at the transfer points A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H by means of the suction prisms 5 assigned to each transfer point A to H. In Fig. 3, the transfer points A to D are already occupied. However, the following transport trays 3 are unoccupied and there are gaps L. The tubes that may have been there were discarded, for example by an upstream control system, and have already been eliminated so that the gaps L arise.

If a gap L approaches the unoccupied transfer point E, the associated suction prism 5, which has not yet been filled with a tube 1, is not activated, ie the empty transport tray 3 passes through the collecting device 4. The suction prism 5 'at the transfer point E is only activated when a tube 1 approaches in a transport shell 3. If determined, for example by If a light barrier (not shown) that a tube 1 approaches the transfer point E and thus the associated suction prism 5 ', the suction prism 5' is rotated in the direction of the arrow (see FIG. 4) and the tube 1 is taken over in the area of P1 and transported further or rotated and at the position P2 to the group converter 7 in the holders 6 ai to hi, the linear speed i of the transport trays 3 and thus the tubes 1 on the feed belt 2 and the tangential speed V _{2 of} the rotatable suction prisms 5 at least in The time of the tube transfer at P1 is approximately identical or in synchronism.

As soon as all transfer points A to H are equipped with tubes 1 and these are transferred to the holders 6 in the eight positions ai to hi, at positions A to G there is a further cycle of loading with tubes 1 and a successive corresponding takeover from now on only seven tubes, which are now transferred in position P3 (see FIG. 4) to the holders 6 to 0 _{1 of} the group converter 7 (see FIG. 3). The suction prism 5 assigned to the transfer point H only works with every first cycle, whereby an alternating sequence of eight in the first and seven in the second cycle and thus loading of the group converter 7 with fifteen tubes 1 is made possible. Before the start of the second cycle with seven tubes 1, the group converter 7 lifts off slightly in order to enable the still missing seven tubes to be picked up in the position P3.

5, the receiving position P4 is e.g. recognizable for eight tubes 1 of a first cycle as well as a slightly pivoted adjacent position 4 'which is briefly approached by the group converter 7 after the eight tubes 1 have been picked up. He then swings back into position P4 to start the second cycle with seven tubes 1, so that there are a total of fifteen tubes 1 in the group converter 7. Then he pivots into position P5, in which all fifteen tubes 1 are placed in a collating device 8 with holding prisms 9.

The holding prisms 9 (see FIGS. 6, 7) of the collating device 8 contain suction cavities, ie the tubes 1 located thereon are subjected to negative pressure and are thus held on the holding prisms 9. The collating device 8 has fifteen holding prisms 9 which are arranged at a distance from one another. The holding prisms 9 with the tubes 1 are slidable z. B. arranged on two rods 23 and collapsible such that they are all in mutual contact, ie all tubes 1 of a row touch laterally (see FIG. 7). The row formed of fifteen touching tubes 1 is received in position P5 (FIG. 5) by means of the row converter 10 with suction cavities 11 and, after a pivoting movement (see the arrow in FIG. 5), in position P6 on lowerable base strips 12a, 12b, 12c of the intermediate storage 13 transferred and stored thereon.

If the tightest possible packing of the tubes 1 in the boxes 14 is desired, the row converter 10 performs lateral deflection movements (shown schematically in FIG. 7 with the arrow between the positions P7 and P8), so that an alternating packing of the tubes 1 (see FIG. 10b) can be effected, i. H. a type of packing in which the tubes 1 of each successive row are each arranged in a gap. However, a type of packing (see FIG. 10a) is also possible in which the rows are arranged exactly one above the other.

After a row of tubes 1 has been placed on the lowerable bottom strips 12a, 12b, 12c of the intermediate store 13, the bottom strips 12a, 12b, 12c are lowered by an amount which corresponds to the desired packaging pattern (see for example FIGS. 10a and b) , With a tight packing method, i.e. H. with a better degree of filling (see FIG. 10b), the lowering movement is equal to the respective tube diameter multiplied by the factor 0.5 x 3 and in the case of the loose packing type according to FIG. 10a is equal to the tube diameter. Thereafter, further rows are put down and further lowering movements are carried out until the respectively desired number of rows or the desired degree of filling of a box 14 is reached.

As soon as the lowermost layer of stored tubes 1 reaches the fixed base plate 15 of the intermediate store 13, which contains cutouts for the passage of the bottom strips 12a, 12b, 12c, all the tubes 1 accumulated in the intermediate store 13 are moved into an empty or partially filled box 14 by the slide 16 transferred, with adjustable side guides 24 by any Adjustment devices (not shown) are adjustable to the respective tube diameter and the type of packing. The intermediate store 13 also contains an upper front boundary plate 25, which is arranged at a distance, possibly also lowerable, to allow passage of one, possibly also several rows of tubes. Furthermore, a rear boundary plate 25 'is provided, the spacing of which is adapted with respect to the tube length and also serves to stabilize the tubes 1 which have already been transferred into the intermediate store 13 during storage in the intermediate store 13.

According to a preferred embodiment, two sets of base strips 12a, 12b, 12c and 12a ', 12b', 12c 'are arranged in the intermediate store 13 on three interacting chain drives 26a, 26b, 26c. All are driven together by a single motor via a sprocket shaft 27. After the lowest of all rows of tubes 1 stored in the intermediate store 13 on the base strips 12a, 12b, 12c reaches the base plate 15 and the slider 16 transfers or inserts all the tubes 1 into a box 14, the chain drives 26a, 26b, 26c and the additional base strips 12a ', 12b', 12c 'put together further rows of tubes 1 in the intermediate storage 13 to form a further tube package. Since the two sets of the bottom strips 12a, 12b, 12c and 12a ', 12b', 12c 'are arranged offset on the chain drives 26a, 26b, 26c and are driven at the same chain lengths by a single sprocket shaft 27 common to them, the chain drives 26a , 26b, 26c each have different courses which compensate for their different arrangement.

According to FIGS. 2 and 8, the holding fork 17 is connected to a height-adjustable linear drive 19 via a swivel drive 18, as a result of which the height positions H1 to H7 can be approached. At height H1, an empty box 14 is taken over by the holding fork 17 from the upper finger band 20 '. Then it is pivoted by 90 ° by means of the swivel drive 18 and transferred to a variable working height, which is determined in accordance with the filling level of the box 14, to the respectively required working height H3. After the desired filling of the box 14 with tubes 1 has been completed, the height H5 is approached. To avoid collisions, the height H6 is then passed through and then the full box at the height H7 by means of the holding fork 17 and the swivel drive 18 placed on the lower finger belt 20 and then transported by means of the lower roller belt 21 to a filling system (not shown) or to a warehouse.

The device is characterized by the fact that there is always sufficient time available to carry out the next work step, so that practically no time problems arise.

Claims

claims:

1. A method for the automatic packaging of empty tubes (1) fed on a conveyor belt into a multiplicity of tubes (1) receiving packaging containers, characterized in that the tubes (1) fed are collected in a gapless row, in the row an intermediate store (13 ) are fed and then transferred together into a packaging container, after which the packaging container is transported on.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of successively fed rows of empty tubes (1) are accumulated in the intermediate store (13) until a sufficient number of empty tubes (1) for filling or partially filling a packaging container is reached.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the empty tubes (1) are arranged in transport trays (3) of a feed belt (2) and are continuously collected in a row or partial row by means of individually driven adjustable suction prisms (5).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each row with the desired number of tubes (1) is compressed touching each other and is only transferred to the buffer (13) after the compression.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in the buffer (13) each tube (1) with an adjacent overlying tube (1) is only in contact at one point.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in the intermediate store (13) each tube (1) is in contact with two overlying tubes (1).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a packaging container can be arranged behind each buffer (13) pivotally and vertically adjustable.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that each packaging container can be arranged on a holding fork (17).

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that conveyor belts (20, 20 ', 21, 21') are arranged in two different heights for the supply of empty and filled packaging containers for removal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that a movable slide transfers all the tubes (1) stored in the intermediate store (13) into a packaging container.

11. The method according to any one of claims ^ 1 to 10, characterized in that the intermediate storage (13) with a fixed base plate (15) with adjustable side guides (24), adjustable limiting plates (25, 25 ') and at least two sets of movable floor rails (12a, 12b, 12c or 12a ', 12b', 12c ') is provided.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the movable bottom strips (12a, 12b, 12c and 12a ', 12b', 12c ') are arranged so as to be movable in synchronism with one another in the intermediate store (13) through the base plate (15).